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Chapter six: The price to be paid is . . .

Cold footsteps echoed softly across the stone floors of the temple. Harsh words and deadly whispers followed after him, fading into a kind of passive silence as he walked by.

He ignored the accusing looks on their faces. Preferring instead the blank stares. At least those select few were making an attempt to mask their annoyance at his presence.

Shiro was the only one amongst them to wear the white robes. A grim contrast to everyone around him as he waded through an endless sea of blacks.

Those that rose to stop him quickly found themselves brushed aside as if they were nothing more than a leaf blown from his path. He had been summoned by his master and didn't have to answer to them.

As the head of the temple Monk Tetsu's orders were absolute, and should anyone seek to challenge his passing Shiro need only speak his name. Something he enjoyed doing whenever the opportunity arose.

That he was even allowed to speak it marked him as special. It was that very permission to speak Tetsu's name, a gift bestowed upon him from his earliest days of acceptance into the temple proper, that made made him feel as if even someone as insignificant as he was could somehow be important.

* * *

Tetsu was waiting for him in the hall of silent contemplation, a room reserved for private matters. It was often used to seek guidance from the Divine Dragon, the patron god of the monks of Shin Kami Ryu. Or as was becoming more often of late, to speak with outsiders not allowed into the temple proper.

That of all the places in the temple, his master would choose this one, made him slow his steps, his eagerness to answer his summons tempered by the unknown possibilities that might await him.

Passing through a double set of doors inlaid with gold Shiro stepped into the massive hall.

The Divine Dragon's statue stood at the end of the room. Its commanding presence filled the room with a feral intensity. An intensity that was only softened by its benevolent gaze.

A silent sentinel made of stone it stood watch, observing all.

Tetsu was seated in front of it, arms hidden in the folds of his robes. Dressed in the same black robes worn by the rest of the order his however, were embossed with two gold dragons twining around each other. They were a symbol of his mastery over the the arts of Shin Kami Ryu. A symbol to those who knew their meaning and a warning to all those that don't.

Shiro was momentarily surprised to see his master dressed so formally, but more important than that, was the fact he wasn't alone.

The stranger standing beside him was an elf. Like many of his kind he was fair haired with high boned features. But unlike many of his kind he was wearing a black three piece suit with the tie tucked beneath the jacket and a white handkerchief folded in the front pocket.

The stranger affected a welcoming smile. His eyes though, were as hard and cold as a winter morning.

Shiro felt himself detesting the man already.

Suppressing the desire to run to his master's side. Shiro touched his forehead to the floor.

Though their's was an informal relationship, while in the presence of outsiders certain formalities still needed to be observed.

"Rise." Tetsu's voice was unusually somber. "Shiro. Thank you for coming so quickly. This is Trawyn Silverleaf and he has come all the way from Veil Academy just to meet you."

Shiro raised his head slowly, masking the confusion he felt as best he could.

They taught magic at Veil Academy. And using magic of any kind was against the tenets of Shin Kami Ryu. So what was someone from Veil Academy doing here? Worse, what could they possibly want with him?

Trawyn walked around Shiro with an appraising look on his face.

"This is the one?"

Tetsu nodded that it was so.

Sitting in the formal seiza style, his legs folded underneath him, Shiro tried to make himself as comfortable as possible. Something about Trawyn's gaze was putting him on edge. It almost felt as if invisible eyes were probing him, weighing something inside. He didn't know what it was they were even looking for, but dammed if he was going to let them find it without a fight.

Waiting for Trawyn to finish his examination seemed to take an age. And more than anything Shiro wanted him to stop looking at him as if he were something distasteful he had just scraped from the bottom of his shoe.

"He's certainly not much to look at is he?" Trawyn was holding his pristine white handkerchief to his nose while making small clucking sounds with his tongue. "Still, one can never judge a potential applicant on looks alone."

Shiro found himself wishing that this, this, outsider would hurry up and get to the point. Or at least have the courtesy to insult him out right. Maybe then he wouldn't feel so bad about entertaining thoughts of shredding his gaudy over priced suit. With him still in it of course.

Actually, he felt pretty good about thinking such thoughts. Shiro flexed his claws in anticipation.

Trawyn stopped circling him. "Especially in backwater nations such as these."

Shiro found a transparent stone suddenly shoved in his face.

"Hold this."

Shiro looked at the stone and then at his master.

"It's all right Shiro."

Shiro accepted the stone. Reluctantly.

Trawyn spoke in voice that was edged with command. "Now, fill it with light."

Shiro turned the stone upside down, feeling as if he had just been asked to do the impossible. Like pull the moon out of the sky. "How?"

"Simply feed a bit of your energy into it. The stone will react and the glow will determine your level of ability. It's much more civilized than that barbaric practice of conjuring fire."

Shiro had already stopped paying attention to Trawyn's words. His entire focus was on the stone now.

He was fascinated by the way held memories within it. There were thousands of them, lingering traces of all those who had held it before him. Visions of people: young and old, male and female, human and other. All of them clamored for his attention. You're doing it wrong. They cried out to him in a thousand different voices. Its like this.

A door was suddenly forced open in his mind. Beyond it lay a world he had never seen before.

The stone began to glow, pale and flickering at first, it slowly grew stronger until it gave off a steady light.

Trawyn clapped his hands together. "There, you see. That wasn't so difficult after all."

"More." Shiro barely whispered the word.

"What?"

"More light." The glow suddenly intensified.

"That's quite enough. You can stop now."

Shiro was already to far gone to hear him.

The light became blinding. Filling the room with its presence, it was as much a living and breathing thing as he was.

"Pull it back." Trawyn was shouting at him. "Do it now!"

Shiro shook himself. It felt as if he was listening from a great distance. A place so far away that it took an eternity itself before their words even reached him. "Pull it . . . back?"

It was reflected in his eyes, those other worlds, those distant vistas. When he thought about them, he could never quite recall the things he had seen. But they had marked him all the same.

Trawyn screamed the word. "Yes!"

That one single word seemed to stretch endlessly into forever. But it was also the one word that saved him.

Shiro took a deep breath, and imagining that he was drawing in the light along with the air.

He blew it into the stone.

The room plunged into absolute darkness. The only source of light floating gently above Shiro's hands.

The stone was blazing as brightly as a newly born star.

"Shiro Tora." Tetsu's words cut through the infinite darkness and into his soul. "In accordance with our sacred laws. You are banished from this temple. And all others that bear the mark of our sacred order. For now, and forever."

"M-master . . .?" The realization and its severity hit him all at once. Like a physical blow it left him reeling. "No!" He tried to deny the words, tried to deny the pain. "This is my home." But somewhere deep inside, he was breaking. "This is my home." Softly. "This is my home."

The light in the stone flickered once.

And died.

* * *

Shiro blinked as he woke up. Hazy fragments of the dream he had just had drifted somewhere beyond his recollection. He tried to grasp them, to make sense of the things he had seen. It felt; important somehow. But they were being pushed aside, pushed aside by the more pressing needs of his body.

He stumbled to the bathroom in a half-daze. Somewhere between waking and sleep he relieved the growing pressure on his bladder.

Finished he shook himself three times. That was the unwritten rule. Three times. Anymore and you were playing with it.

Standing in front of the sink, looking at himself in the mirror he stuck out is tongue.

Why does my mouth feel . . . fuzzy? It kind of feels like I gave myself a tongue bath.

He started to brush his teeth. "What the hell happened last night?" He asked his reflection, pausing for a moment as he thought about it. I remember. "I forgot to set the alarm!" And then. "Oh shit! I have to get to class!" Rinsing his mouth out Shiro grabbed his uniform off the floor and started to put it on.

The floor? Why was it on the floor? Why didn't I put it away in the closet like I always do?

Dancing around the room in a mad rush he grabbed anything and everything he would need for the day.

"Feed Nelo, make sure she has water."

Shiro was tidying up his desk when he picked up the flask that had held the growth potion. His eyes going wide as the events of the prior evenings activities surfaced to prominence in his mind.

It was the final indignity, the last straw. That flask alone, more than anything else that had happened to him over the course of the twenty years of his life, made him wonder if fate truly had a grand plan in mind, a design for him that went beyond that which he could understand.

Or maybe it was something simpler than all of that.

Maybe fate just didn't like him very much.

"Why the hell does stuff like this keep happening to me!" He shouted to no one in particular.

The universe, life, whatever deities may be listening and everything else in general, as was often the case, decided not to respond.

Nelo did however, pull the blankets tighter around herself and begin to purr.

* * *

Shiro sat behind his desk waiting for the ax to drop. What am I going to do? He was absentmindedly scribbling notes down in the margins of his journal. I can't keep Nelo locked up in my room. She's going to need exercise.

She got plenty of that last night. Said a little voice in his mind. Arrrgh! He began furiously crossing things out. That doesn't help!

_It's not just exercise either, she's going to need food and clothing too. And after all the supplies I bought for this stupid class there's barely enough left over to buy food for myself.

And if I try stealing food from the kitchens again that harridan could be there and we'd both be caught.

Maybe I could find some kind of job._

Now that was a thought. Veil Academy would be hosting a job fair soon. And all the local business's looking to hire on apprentices would be there.

It could work. Shiro lay his head down on his arms, wondering why he felt so tired.

When he thought about it he really hadn't gotten that much sleep last night. And Professor Argyle's already boring lectures were doing more than their fair share to put him to sleep. He yawned. I'd just have to find something that doesn't cut into class time or leave Nelo alone too long.

Professor Argyle's sudden appearance in front of his desk snapped Shiro out of his reverie. "Mr. Tora, I believe I gave you an assignment."

"Um, you see, the thing is . . ." Crap! What do I do? What should I tell him?

Just tell him the truth. What's the worst that could happen? Shiro steeled himself and said. "My familiar ate my homework."

From out of the corner of his eye he saw Koji give him two thumbs up.

Professor Argyle's eye twitched. "Mr. Tora, I expected better of you. Not just to have failed the assignment. But to lie about it as well."

"But she really did eat it. It made her." Shiro traced curves in the air.

Professor Argyle arched a single eyebrow. "Made her what Mr Tora? Larger? That is what a growth potion does. But since you can provide no evidence of either a working growth potion or your familiars; miraculous transformation. I see no reason but to fail you."

Shiro affected an attitude of one who had been properly chastised. "Yes, sir." But inside he was secretly pumping his fist into the air. He didn't believe me! Woohoo!

"It seems only fair to warn you. Students who fail three times have their stipends revoked." Shiro's sudden victory turned to bitter ashes in his mouth. "You're on thin ice Mr. Tora. See that you don't fail again."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"So what is you wanted to show me?" Said Koji.

Shiro opened the door to his room and stepped inside. He had barely crossed the threshold when Nelo pounced on him. She was wearing his robes.

"Her." He said from the floor.

Shiro thought they looked good on her. They had been designed to fit him even while he was in his shifted form. So there was more than enough room to accommodate Nelo and her ample chest.

Come to think of it. There might even be enough room for the both of us. It was an intriguing thought.

Koji stared at her in sheer open mouthed awe. "That's Nelo? You turned that little black cat into a, a."

Letting Shiro get up Nelo took the liberty of closing Koji's mouth for him. "A babe?"

It was all Koji could do to nod without drooling.

She laughed and, wrapping her arms around Shiro licked his face. The act more than having an observer made him turn bright red.

Nelo was busy stroking one of tails when she said. "This one is all mine."

For a moment. Shiro thought that if Koji stared any harder, his eyes would fall out of his head and roll around on the floor like marbles.

Koji wagged his tail in appreciation. "You weren't kidding, your familiar really is." He sniffed the air. "Why does it smells like musk in here?"

"We . . . may um, have tried out a few different positions."

Nelo held up three fingers. When Shiro turned to look she kissed him until he couldn't remember why he had bothered to look in the first place.

"You horny dog. For a while there. I didn't think you had it in you." Koji began looking for something, sifting through the papers on his desk. "You, uh, wouldn't happen to have any of that potion left lying around would you?"

Shiro was shaking his head. "No, Nelo drank it all and. Wait. That's beside the point." It was an act of supreme will just to pull himself away from Nelo. But one he made in the service of a greater cause.

"What am I going to do Koji? If they find out about Nelo looking like this, they could kill her. Or worse."

"Excuse us for just a moment." Koji said to Nelo and placing his hands on Shiro's shoulders steered him towards the Atelier. Nelo cocked her head questioningly. "We're just going to have a little discussion. Men only." Koji fumbled with the door. "It'll only be for a second."

"Don't keep him for too long." Nelo stretched provocatively. "I want to play with him when you're done."

The way she had said it. It made even Koji blush.

* * *

The door to the Atelier closed behind them with a soft click.

"That chick has the freaking hots for you." Said Koji. "You gotta tell me how you made that potion."

"Koji!" Shiro hissed.

"What? I can't help myself. I can barely think when I'm around women. My instincts just sort of take over." He jerked his thumb towards the door. "That's why we're in here and she's out there."

In his own way, Koji had actually made sense. "Oh."

"You really care about her don't you?"

The question took him by surprise. "I don't know how I feel. I mean . . . she's beautiful, she smells good, she tastes fantastic." Shiro adopted a sort of dreamy expression. A wide eyed innocence.

It was as if he had suddenly been reduced to a drooling idiot and only one thing in all the world did that.

Koji groaned. He knew what this was, he'd seen it before. It was the same thing his parents did right before they. They. Koji shuddered as he forced the thought from his mind.

"Shiro!" Koji shouted, snapping his fingers. "Shiro!"

Shiro seemed to come back from wherever he had gone. "Huh?" He was looking around. "What happened?"

"You were gone. Out to lunch. Your brain decided to take a leave of absence." Koji was moving his fingers back in forth in front of Shiro's face, making sure he was following them with his eyes. "Face it Shiro you're suffering from a textbook case of love sickness. You're still in the first stages. But rest assured there is a cure."

"A cure?" Funny, I don't feel sick.

"Cold showers. Lots of them. Keep taking them until you can think rationally whenever you're around her. Without them there really is no hope for you. The mere mention of her name, even the mere thought of her, will reduce you to a walking vegetable. Probably a carrot, cause women like carrots."

"That's great for me. But what about Nelo? It's not her fault I turned her into something else. And I won't let someone else be punished for something I did."

"Then there really is only one thing you can do." Shiro's ears perked up. "Ask the Headmaster to help you."

Shiro felt like that was walking straight into the lion's den. "But what about Professor Argyle."

"You really think a guy like that would actually help you?" Koji scoffed at the thought. "Forget about him, that guy's a royal douche bag. And anyway, he doesn't have the power to help you. The Headmaster does."

Shiro wasn't convinced. "But how do you know?"

"Look." For a moment, all traces of levity disappeared from his voice and Shiro began to wonder which was the real Koji and which was the mask. "I, I did some things in my first year that I'm not exactly proud of. Even when everyone else was telling her she was wrong Renia's the one who fought to give me a second chance. She can help you, trust me."

"Trusting you is easy. It's Nelo I'm worried about." Shiro's hand hovered above the doorknob while he gathered his resolve. This was a step only he could take. "While I'm gone. You'll keep her safe for me, won't you?"

The humor was back in his voice and Koji was Koji once more. "Hey, all you had to do was ask."

* * *

The doors that led to the headmaster's office were made of elaborately carved ebony. At at least twelve feet tall they were an imposing sight that dominated the entire hall. The sheer awe and wonder they were no doubt intended to inspire had most likely been a ploy by the artist.

More than likely they were designed to inspire a proper level of fear and respect in anyone seeking an audience with the rooms occupant. Shiro had seen their like before. And he was certainly in no mood to be awed by a mere door.

You can do this. He told himself. _Just go in there and explain what happened.

So why won't my legs move?_

It was a simple enough task. Just open the door and explain what happened. After all; it wasn't as if rumors abounded throughout the halls of Veil that the Headmaster was a vicious man eating creature of unspeakable origins. Or that she kept monsters chained to her desk, and fed them with the remains of dispatched students who had displeased her.

That was normal for any school. Students were forever demonizing their teachers.

But the sheer amount of food that went into the headmaster's office was the stuff of legends. And there was always some truth in rumor.

There's only one way to find out. Shiro pushed the doors harder than he should have for the swung open with surprisingly little effort.

The room that lay before him was magnificently furnished. The floor had been inlaid with gold and numerous treasures and magical devices covered its many walls. From the arcane to the esoteric it was a veritable plethora of untold riches both dangerous and benign.

A solitary woman sat behind a massive wooden desk. Behind her lay a window that defied description. It showed an ever changing horizon. As if all the scenery in the world had been poured into the glass.

"Yes." Her voice was mild and pleasant. "Can I help you?"

Shiro had expected chains and implements of torture. Not quiet dignity and solemn tranquility. "Um, I'm looking for the headmaster. And." Sitting on her desk was a monstrous plate of food only half finished; more food than any human could possibly eat.

He felt mildly guilty for having so rudely interrupted her lunch.

She was standing now. Walking around her desk towards him the plate of food had been all but forgotten.

He looked at her again. Only the edges of her were indistinct now. It was almost as if he was looking at her through a piece of thick glass where the edges had gone fuzzy. And then he smelled her.

Her perfume was a delicate mix of roses, soft and alluring, but there was also something else, something more. Something hidden underneath it all.

Realization struck him like a thunderbolt, rooting him to the floor. The bravado and purpose he had felt mere moments before spilled out from him like water poured over sand.

He just stood there, feeling it flow out from him. And no magic in the world could ever bring it back.

The perfume was just a mask, a disguise to cover her true scent. It was one he had known all his life, and hers was both alien and familiar to him.

Her attention was focused purely on him now. And he cursed himself for not taking the time to assess the situation. To examine the room before barging in unannounced. She was a dragon and she was staring at him with hunger in her eyes.

* * *

"Please don't eat me." The words tumbled from his lips before he could stop them.

Renia laughed. The sound of it was like water flowing through secret places, high and musical. It was a sound that couldn't possibly have come from such a small body.

She crossed the room in one smooth motion. "You are so adorable, just like a little lost kitten." Tilting his chin to better look into his face she said. "I could eat you up." Seeing the look on his face she was quick to add. "But the council tends to frown upon that sort of thing."

"But you're a dragon." The illusion around her wavered even as he said it. She was no longer a human woman but a breathtakingly beautiful dragon with scales that shined like azure fire.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for someone to figure that out." She stretched wings too long confined by the limits of the illusion. It was a useful spell to be sure, but damnably uncomfortable to maintain for long periods of time.

"You mean you're?"

"Renia Kyaro. Headmaster of Veil Academy. At your service." A moments pause and a look of recognition passed across her face. "And you must be Shiro. Koji's told me all about you."

"But . . . why the disguise?"

"Because it helps put people at ease." She said succinctly. "Most of the students find it easier to talk to a human than a dragon anyway. Though you're the first one to have ever figured it out." She leaned in close. Whispering into his ear she imparted her words with weight and gravity. "You'll keep my secret." Running her hand through his hair she added. "Won't you?"

Shiro started purring uncontrollably. "Of course I'll keep your secret." He couldn't help himself. She had found his weakness and was ruthlessly taking advantage of it. "I'll do anything you say. Just keep scratching."

Renia smiled a secret smile. Therianthropes. It worked every time.

* * *

Having gotten Shiro settled; and over his considerable shock at finding a dragon here of all places, Renia surprised him again by saying. "That medallion you're wearing. Get rid of it."

She couldn't have stunned him more than if she had physically slapped him. "You don't know what your asking. I can't." He wanted to cry out. It's a piece of my soul. "I can't just throw it away! It's the only thing I have left that reminds me of home."

"You must." She was adamant. "Right now the philosophy practiced by Shin Kami Ryu is out of favor with many political factions within the empire. Those who recognize the symbol you wear will think you harbor anti-magic sentiments."

"But that isn't--"

"What Shin Kami Ryu is even about?" She finished for him. "They won't choose to see it that way. The empire itself is founded on magic, held together by magic. Take magic away and Arcadia itself, hailed as a beacon of civilization by many, begins to fall apart."

"But that's insane. To build an empire dependent solely on the power of a select few. Most humans can't even use magic to begin with."

And those that can ruthlessly guard their power. Even in his own mind the thought was a chilling one. My only crime is being in someones way.

Shiro slumped in his chair, defeat hung heavy on his shoulders.

"You have touched upon a very real truth." Renia pressed on. "But one that is wholly inconsequential in the greater scheme of things. To those in power. To those who wish to gain power. You and everyone you come into contact with become pawns. Political pieces to be used in a game you have no chance at winning."

"Even here?" Shiro asked softly. He knew it was true. He just didn't want to admit it was. Because more than anything else; he had hoped to leave such games behind. It had been the the one thing that had sustained him. A hope, however naïve it may be, that he could start over, to try and be a different person. One who could live a life free from the intrigues of others. To build a life where he could simply be Shiro. And not the tool others wanted him to be.

And now, even that chance was being taken away from him.

Envy raged inside his heart. For those whose lives could be simple ones.

"Here. Everywhere." Said Renia. "The matter is a simple one. Do you announce yourself to them? To be moved at their whim? Or do you take steps to force them to acknowledge your existence as a force to be reckoned with. And move yourself according to your own will."

Koji, Nelo, Master . . .

Faced with an uncertain peril Shiro stared across an unknowable abyss, its welcoming depths eager to embrace him. And even though it was a decision born of heart rending desperation, a terrible resolve awoke within him. To protect that which he could, he would sacrifice anything in order to hold onto what little he had gained.

The choice in the end, was a simple one.

"I invoke the covenant." Shiro's words echoed with unseen power, as the ghosts of ages past stood mute witness. "The ancient promise held sacred between our two races." He held out his medallion. "Keep this safe. Until the day it can be returned to me."

He let it go. And it vanished into the air above Renia's outstretched hand.

"Now." She said. "Tell why you came to see me in the first place."

* * *

Renia's inquiry lasted less than an hour. She had asked him questions about his day, his state of mind, the things he had been thinking about as he had tried to make the potion. She elicited information from him that seemed completely inconsequential, but to her must have made some kind of sense for eventually she said. "It seems our original assessment of your abilities was entirely inadequate. You've shown potential far beyond the level of a mere journeyman." Renia removed a sheaf of papers from her desk and began writing. "It is in my capacity as Headmaster that I see fit to promote you to Adept class." She handed it to him and said. "Congratulations."

Shiro took the note and the pin that accompanied it, a bewildered look upon his face. "A-a-adept class? But that's two full grades higher than I am now."

Renia pressed on. "You will of course, no longer be required to wear the traditional school uniform. Instead clothing more befitting your rank will be required of you. People must be able to recognize you at a moments notice."

I could wear my robes again. It was a small concession, but one he accepted eagerly. If I am in danger, than the dragon's raiments are far more suitable than any mere cloth. They were after all. Battle armor.

"But what about Nelo?"

"I see no reason why she should not remain the way she is. She is after all, your familiar." The tone of her words brooked no argument. "And your responsibility."

* * *

After Shiro left Renia's steward busied himself with removing the plates of her all but forgotten meal. Noah had been a seneschal in the service of the Academy for more than forty years. Most of them spent during her tenure. "Do you think this wise Headmaster, to make an adept of one so young?"

"This is the list of the ingredients Marcus provided him with in order to create his growth potion."

Noah gave them a cursory glance. It was all he needed. "But this is." His hands were trembling in fear. "With these a growth potion would be impossible to achieve, let alone produce the effects of a full transformation."

"Exactly. The only purpose of the exercise is to determine whether or not a student can actually understand the basic theory." Renia laced her fingers together. "Not have them create viable working potions. Only advanced students are allowed to do that, and even then the process is strictly controlled." She sighed as she felt a tension growing behind her eyes. "I'm going to have to have a talk with Marcus about some of his, teaching methods. Can you imagine the effects such potions would have on the student body?" Renia took a moment to reflect on some of the possibilities.

They were unappealing in the extreme.

"Absolute chaos. Students would be pouring them on everything and I do mean _everything." The council is very clear on such matters. Magic governing the creation of new life is strictly outlawed. Forbidden to all but the most experienced practitioners.

Which only begs the question. Who is his familiar really? And why of all people did she pick him?[/i]

There could only be one reason, and it did not bode well for either of them.

Noah was still staring at the list. "But to create a polymorph. Even the fact that it was an accident doesn't absolve him, he has still committed a crime."

"One harmless spell? And suddenly he's a criminal? No Noah, you're too quick to think the worst of him."

"The only way he could've created such a potion is if . . ." Noah's skin went deathly pale. "If he realizes exactly what he's capable of . . . and you let him walk out of here alive! How can you live with that on your conscience? Veil itself might survive, but what of the world? The last time one of those." He put so much fear, so much loathing into that one single word, that Renia began to wonder if Noah truly was the man she had thought he was. "Things awakened. It started a war. A war that brought the entire Arcadian empire to its knees."_

Renia's headache suddenly became several levels worse. "I know. I fought in it." Noah simply stared at her. "And I have seen first hand the destruction they are capable of. But their's is a power that can be used to create as well."

"Create!" He spluttered. "They do nothing of the kind! History has marked them as the angels of destruction. The harbingers of the requiem whose sole purpose is to lay waste to the world. Once awakened they become consumed by power. They become power itself! Destined to expend the life force of everything around them to fuel their arcane castings they continue to do so," He pressed his fists into her desk so hard his knuckles started to turn white. "until nothing is left."

Having come to much the same conclusions as he had Renia had already dismissed such a remote and obscure possibility and was busy considering who had the most to gain by bringing such events about. The list though short, was not a wholly pleasant one to contemplate.

Renia sighed. An ill wind stirred by an unseen hand indeed.

To Noah she simply said. "So the legends say. But that is all they are. Legends."

He leaned in towards her. "There is truth to be found even within legends."

Renia refused to be intimidated. "Which is precisely the reason why he should remain here. Where he can be guided towards the correct path."

"But!"

Though she had known Noah for years. This was a side of him she had never seen before. "Enough. The decision is mine to make. He stays."

"The council will hear about this. I'll make sure of it." Noah was busy muttering to himself as he left. "Harboring a chaos mage within the hallowed halls of Veil. What utter madness."

Am I mad? Renia thought as she watched him go. No. The safest place for Shiro is here.

Lifting the picture she kept on her desk Renia considered the future, as a monk with a lopsided grin standing between a gryphon and a dragon smiled unerringly back at her.

Tetsu . . . you were right to send him to us. "It would seem that your son has your eyes after all. For he too is not afraid to see the world as it really is." Renia held Shiro's medallion in one hand. The memories sealed within the stone were happy ones. A small glimmer of light, amidst an endless sea of sorrows. Returning the picture to its rightful place she said. "And what's more, he has the courage to fight for what he believes in. His will be a hard road to follow." So I will do what I can to keep him safe. Tetsu too had invoked the covenant, and now it seemed that she had a promise to keep.

To both of them.

* * *

Shiro was already halfway to his room when he found Koji looking for him.

"It's Nelo. She's gone."

Shiro didn't waste time with useless recriminations. "What happened?"

"It was that woman whose always snooping around the dorms."

Woman who's always snooping around the rooms . . . "Who? Freida?"

"That's her. She saw Nelo and just started screaming."

"She's not a snoop she just cleans the dorm rooms." Shiro palmed his forehead. "The cleaning staff, I completely forgot about them." I should have put up a shield, I should have. More than a dozen other things went through his mind, all of them were particularly useless after the fact.

Koji went on. "Next thing I know the academy defense force decides to teleport inside your room and start flinging stun spells around." He half growled. Koji had little love for what was affectionately referred to as 'the Faculty's secret army.' "Buncha crazy half-cocked bastards. I left most of them lying on the floor before they knew what hit them. You don't just start firing those things off without knowing what you're going to hit."

Shiro was incredulous. By assaulting members of the ADF Koji risked expulsion.

Koji cocked his head to the side and said. "What?"

"Nothing." It was all that Shiro could say. "It's just--" He struggled to find the courage to say. I've never had a friend like you before. Someone who would put themselves at risk for me.

Koji seemed to know his thoughts already. "Listen, you can thank me later. First we have to save your lady love."

"Right." Shiro closed his eyes, seeking to still his tumultuous thoughts. When he had finally quieted his mind he began following the thread that was Nelo's presence. It was a welcome side effect of the connection they shared, and though tenuous and subject to distance, if he focused on it hard enough, he could still sense her general location.

His eyes snapped open. "She's in the courtyard."

Koji had already broken into a run. "Then what are you waiting for let's go!"

* * *

Nelo cursed the long years that had robbed her of her magic and power. She had survived for far too long by relying on nothing more than her reflexes. Where life as a cat had required more than mere magic, she had forgotten what it was like to be so limited by dull human senses. If I had but a tenth of my original strength. She could feel the magical energies she had borrowed from Shiro beginning to wane. With her own power yet to fully recover, she wasn't even strong enough to break through the spell holding her. It was all she could do to cry out to him. "Shiro!"

He was crossing the courtyard to get to her, his stride a self-assured gait. "Nelo, I won't let them take you away."

When he spoke her name her heart began to race. He was willing to fight for her. And all that stood in his way was some twenty guards. She felt a sense of relief well up within her. After all, His opponents were only human. They didn't stand a chance.

* * *

Shiro sized up the men standing in his way. They were all dressed in perfectly pressed school uniforms and surrounded by an air of petty confidence. He wondered for a brief moment if any of them had ever seen real combat. Not the simple squabbling between students where a mere show of force was enough to cow one's enemy. But true danger, where one's very life was on the line.

He looked into their eyes. Not one of them would be able to pass the test of pain. Not one held the emptiness in their eyes that came from experiencing true sorrow. And without it, they were as nothing to him.

He would scatter them like leaves fallen before a whirlwind.

"I'll give you all one warning." He let the sneers and chuckles fade away before continuing. "You can let her go. And we can go on as if none of this had ever happened. Or you can stand in my way." He let a ghost of a smile pass across his lips. "And I will simply go through you."

One more foolish than all the others stepped forwards to bar his path. "You would throw your future away for this." He put as much scorn as he could into the word. "Abomination."

Shiro felt the power gathering around him. The subtle flow of magic being shaped.

"Nelo is not an abomination." He drank it in. Without words he swallowed the rising power, subsuming it with his own. It was a heady rush. "She is my familiar and I won't let you take her."

The shift in the balance of power was felt by more than one. Like a stone cast into water the ripples spread outwards touching each of them.

There was fear in his eyes now. True fear.

Without the pleasant lie, the idea of casual superiority to keep him safe, the aura of confidence he once held was shattered. "Why would you fight to save her?" Their was a faint tremor in his voice, a trembling that further undermined his confidence.. "What is she worth to you?"

"She's more than just a familiar to me. She's . . . a precious friend." Shiro clenched his fist. "And I will never abandon my friends."

With Shiro busy cutting a swathe through more than half the academy defense force, Koji cracked his knuckles, looked at the remaining members and said. "Mmm. My favorite. Leftovers."

* * *

What had begun as an orderly fight soirée had quickly degenerated into an all out brawl. Bodies flew through the air as an angry werewolf and a pissed off nekomata worked in tandem to wreak unholy havoc amongst their weaker human counterparts.

Spells careened wildly around the courtyard as their casters were hard pressed to hit their targets. Both Shiro and Koji were accustomed to fighting against superior numbers and knew how to stay out of each others way.

It was a deadly edge to have in close quarters combat. Where the danger of hitting an ally was as great as your chances of hitting an enemy.

A few lucky shots managed to connect with their intended targets, but without lethal intention behind them. They only served to enrage Shiro and Koji.

"What is the meaning of this!" Renia's voice carried out over the din. Her sudden arrival bringing an end to the fighting.

Koji punched someone in the face one last time. For good measure.

The defense force took stock of their appearance and made themselves as presentable as possible. "H-headmaster. We were only following orders."

Renia frowned in consternation. "I know of no orders to apprehend anyone. Let alone kidnap them as you have done." She began tapping her foot impatiently. "Pray explain yourself. And you had better have a damn good reason."

Those members of the defense force who could still stand looked more than a little unsure of themselves. All at once they broke into mindless babbling. There wasn't a single coherent story between the lot of them.

Shiro didn't feel much like sticking around and listening to a lot of worthless excuses. Let Renia seek out the truth. There are others ways of finding out what happened here today. Though he himself could barely stand still he offered Nelo his hand. Nelo's safety is victory enough.

* * *

Drifting lazily through the moonlight Renia's wings cupped unseen winds as she alighted upon a parapet, before stepping onto the platform below.

Her guests had been awaiting her in one of the many floating gardens favored by lovers seeking to hide their secret trysts from prying eyes. And though their faces were hidden by half masks, had one wanted to, the separate pieces could be placed side by side, and the mask made whole once more.

Renia recognized them instantly.

"Sometimes it seems as if nothing ever changes." Said she who wore the sun. "The council still plays at its games, without any regard for those who end up paying the price."

"And it is only because they play them so well," Said he who wore the moon. "that Avalon remains free of the rest of the empire. You know it as well as I do dear heart. Arcadia would love nothing more than to turn Avalon into a mobile fortress, a grand stage from which to conquer the world."

Renia spoke without the need for secrecy. "And that is why we of the Azure Sky exist. To forever hold their ambitions in check. Thank you my friends, for coming so quickly."

* * *

_Everything may have worked out all right in the end but . . . I still feel more than a little uneasy. We only just avoided a major catastrophe, one which would have cost Nelo her life.

I know that no secret can stay secret forever. And, I do feel relieved that I won't have to act as if Nelo doesn't exist. But when I think about what happened, what could have happened . . . something about it just feels wrong.

The Academy defense force is supposed to act only on the Headmaster's orders. And I was with Renia at the time of Nelo's abduction. So if she didn't give the order, then who did? And more importantly, why?

Renia warned me that others would try use me as a political piece, I was afraid to believe her but now . . .

The worst part of it all is the fact that it's so arbitrary. Is my every step some planned maneuver? Am I just a token of convenience, one whose purpose is to be determined by others? Will I simply be discarded once my usefulness has come to an end?

Not knowing is the worst. I begin to wonder if somehow I'm putting my friends in danger just by existing. And what about the people around me? Are they caught up in this as well?_

When I told all of this to Nelo. She smiled and held me. All the while telling me not to worry, that everything would turn out all right.

I wish I had half her confidence.

So I've made a resolution.

I want to become stronger, strong enough that, even if I can't protect myself. At least I'll be able to protect the people in sight. I may have lost my home, but I won't lose the people important to me as well.