Never Cheat Your Master

It was getting too cold for his and Haruma's walks around the garden. Today was July 1st. It would be scalding hot for North America, but it was the coldest month on this side of the hemisphere.

Although Haruma barely talked, it was actually peaceful. The walks were a good way to take his mind off of a particular stubborn guy, but the tranquilness wasn't effective today.

*Fenrir only touches my hand or arm when I deliver meals, but I'm not opposed to going further.*

He wanted to learn more about his Master.

*I do?*

"Are you cold?"

Hyeon was thankful that Haruma interrupted his train of thought. His musings were going crazy from the confusing direction it was heading.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. I didn't know the seasons were opposite on this side." It was true. He was shivering.

The fox eyed his light jacket. "Let's go inside. It's best to postpone our walks until it gets warmer unless you prefer a different pasttime to substitute it. Or get a heavier coat, at least."

They were strolling by the sparkly lake where the purple siren, Hyacinth, almost drowned him. It was the first time being here since that incident. Now that he thought about it, he hasn't seen that fish around. Perhaps he was too embarrassed to encounter Hyeon after Shika put him in his place.

Near the center, he saw a few marine spirits jumping out of the water to do dolphin-like flips. Hyeon could make out the shark spirit and some sort of transparent, horselike creature running across the surface.

"That's a kelpie."

"A what?"

"Kelpies can live in any body of water such as oceans, rivers, or a puddle. Although he's in this program, any spirit here can revert to their demon instincts if under the right conditions. So, do make sure to be wary when it's raining."

Demon instincts, eh?

"How long have you been at Festr Castle, Haruma? I heard you've been working here the longest out of everyone."

"I'm not entirely sure since time jumbles together as a feral demon. All I know is that I came from Japan. I vaguely remember arriving in Hell when the emperor was eliminating Christianity from the country."

Hold the phone. Hyeon remembered learning about this dark history from a Netflix documentary. It occurred during the 17th century.

"Haruma, that was almost 400 years ago. You were all alone for centuries?"

*That's so sad.*

"Demons don't care about companionship or being alone, only to consume each other. I must have done unforgivable things when I was alive. The more wickedness, the more time to serve Master Fenrir until the final test. But I do not mind since it's a second chance. It's better than being who I was."

It became quiet between them.

The lake went out of view as they entered the maze of hedge walls. They zigzagged along the paths to return to the castle.

Hyeon heard a small whisper.

"One more time?" He thought Haruma had spoken.

"I didn't say anything."

"O-oh."

The whisper returned but louder. It was in a language he didn't understand. Those sirens must be trying to tempt him again.

He tried ignoring the voice, but it wasn't disappearing. In fact, it wasn't identical to the siren's call at all. There were no bewitched feelings.

"Where's that sound coming from?"

"It's the approaching thunder."

"No, it's not that."

*Then where...*

The source of the foreign murmuring was coming from under that rose bush nearby. He veered to the left towards it.

"Hyeon, where are you going?"

"You really don't hear that?" He replied.

He squatted in front of the perennial plant. It was for sure coming from under there. Hyeon reached down to bend the bottom branch.

He didn't know what to expect, but a snake wasn't it.

A charcoal grey cottonmouth lashed out with a hiss.

The sudden movement of a venomous snake darting at his hand surprised him. He fell back on his ass and tried scooching away using his heels. The thick-bodied serpent slithered closer.

Before it could close the distance between them, a hand snatched the back of the snake's head to prevent it from biting.

"Didn't I say to stay away from snakes?" a voice said with mixed alarm and disappointment. Hyeon looked up at the person holding the deadly reptile.

Sani was wearing a navy blue Burberry suit with a white undershirt. The snake's thrashing tail left tracks of brown dirt over the expensive double-breasted jacket.

"I'm sorry. I just..." Hyeon didn't want him to think he was insane if he mentioned the whispering. "Was curious."

"I thought it was common sense not to chase after wild creatures." Sani handed the whipping snake to a centaur nearby who was towing a wheeled crate of yard equipment. He had a body of a chestnut brown horse with white socks, but a human's upper torso, arms, and head joined at the waist.

"Kyros, can you dispose of this thing?"

The centaur trotted over to carefully hold the serpent by the neck. "Yes, sir."

Sani returned his attention to Hyeon who was wiping off the earthly dust from his rear. His eyes narrowed as he observed him.

"It seems you've been busy while I've been gone. So tell me, what sort of powers have you discovered?"

_______________

Sani and Hyeon were in a private greenhouse by themselves. The space was not his responsibility, so this was his first time visiting. It was about the size of a middle-class family home. Pink, purple, and white hydrangea shrubs coated the structure's edge which gave off a sweet, flowery smell. Grapevines weaved above the rows of small lemon trees.

"Show me," Sani encouraged.

Hyeon raised his hand, palm facing the sky. He pushed the inside of his body as if constipated.

Sani chuckled at his straining. "Why are you doing it like that?"

He huffed in a breath after struggling to spark the little fireworks. "I don't know. The first time it happened must've been a fluke."

"A fluke? I return after being away for a while and you've gained an exponential amount of power. Amazingly, you're not even halfway at your full potential. I did say being here could help you, but I didn't think it would this much so soon. What was happening to provoke your ability?"

He couldn't reveal how he almost fought with Imoogi. "I was really angry at someone who was messing with my work. Next thing I knew, there was smoky stuff coming out my upper back and sparks were shooting from my hand."

"Anger, huh?" Sani scratched his 5 o'clock shadow. "That's not a healthy trigger. But I guess given your unfortunate history, it's not surprising. You two are crazy similar."

*Two?*

"For now, focus that feeling you had into your hand."

Hyeon concentrated on his palm. A minute went by without any results.

"PFFT," Sani was holding in his laughter. "You're not supposed to pass a bowel movement. It's weird now but controlling your soul power will eventually feel like moving an extra appendage. Here, I can help a little to show you, but it'll be the first and last time I can do this."

He placed his hand under Hyeon's upward palm. Sani's iris glowed.

Hyeon could feel pins and needles around his knuckles. Sani was transferring a tiny amount of his own energy. The pinpricks followed his bloodstream from his arm to his toes, and back up again. Although it was boosting his ability, something was off. His body didn't want to accept it.

"Try to ignore the rejection," Sani comforted. "It's supposed to be your family who aids you to evolve, not an unrelated, foreign one like mine. That's why I said I can only help this once, or your body will react negatively in the future. Can you feel the energy concentrated in your hand?"

"Yes."

"This is what you should feel when you release your power. Now, light it up," Sani directed at his hand. A burst of energy streamed through his palm to respond to the command. Similar to before, tiny yellow and white fireworks like sparklers emitted from the center. Sani took his hand away which caused the sparks to die down.

"Hoh, that's pretty. You said you had smoke coming from your back?"

The pinpricks disappeared. His body expelled the lingering power from Sani. "I don't think it was smoke like yours. It was thicker."

He whipped out his handkerchief to clean his glasses. "Until I see it, I can't say 100% what you are. Don't do this by yourself, okay? If you start a fire now that you've been warned, it'll look suspicious for you in terms of treason."

Fenrir said the same thing. Which reminds him...

Master also stated before, "It's not your job to ask such questions, so don't get too intrusive like the previous servant."

"Who was the dýr before me?"

Sani looked up from cleaning his specks in surprise. "This conversation certainly took a turn. Why do you want such information?"

"Master Fenrir compares me with whoever it is."

"Was," Sani interrupted.

"Was? What exactly..."

"He's been terminated."

"Like, fired from the job?"

His manager's character became a little dark. His bushy coyote tail swished back and forth with worry. "No, he was literally terminated. His actions were too severe to let him live."

*Damn. What if I end up like that, too?*

Sani scanned around them in case anyone was close by to listen. The coast was clear, though.

"I can't go into detail about the person's name, only what he did. A few decades ago, I hired a lion dýr; a very talented one at that. He became close to the Master, but not with the same intimacy as your relationship. More like friends who could talk to each other about their troubles. He brought a lot of good changes to the castle: human technology, the recreation room, recipes for various cuisines, improved servant's quarter, you name it."

"Unbeknownst to everyone, this person was a spy and was working under someone who is still unknown today. He used a weapon and almost killed Master Fenrir. Obviously, he didn't succeed but had to be killed on site. His body was returned to his family who understood why it needed to be done."

This information was...deep. "What weapon was strong enough to almost kill him?"

"I'm not too sure myself. That idiot, sorry, I mean Master Fenrir, said it was some charm. He hastily used a significant amount of invaluable energy to transport it out of the southern lights and somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. That's why he attacked you when you first met. Your powerful energy probably set off some PTSD. The situation really tore him apart since almost everyone close to him has betrayed him in one way or another."

"Hyeon, you're getting dangerously attached to Master. If your relationship proceeds, there's one thing you need to remember. As a well-known Norse life lesson goes, never cheat your master."