The Duke's Unwanted Wife

The dragon appeared like a catastrophe in the skies, spewing fire the moment it came out. The large body covered the skies, leaving a trail of destruction. Taking that distraction as a chance, Marvis ran to the door. To his surprise, without doing anything, the doors opened and shut behind him. The sight in front of his eyes was impressive.    

    

The torches lining the walls were very obviously fueled by magic, lighting up the several white statues of werecreatures and paintings of regal-looking werecreatures. Their animal-like features that they were always shamed for were fully captured in the paintings akin to human eyes or noses. The statues were also intricate and there were bigger statues depicting the ancient spirits the empire believed in.    

    

He felt something begin to heat up in his hand. The single feather Amaika gave him slowly became searing hot until he threw it to the ground. There was a bright light once more and he covered his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, Amaika was standing beside him, annoyed.    

    

“You just become more hateful the more I know you.”    

    

“What did I do this time?!”    

    

“How dare you throw this honorable majestic bird to the ground?!”    

    

“I did not know! And you were too damn bright!”    

    

“Oh, whatever! Grab a torch and follow me.”    

    

“Why do we need one? It’s clearly bright down there. And I think if we grab a torch, we might activate some traps.”    

    

“What are you saying? Those traps are meant for humans. The moment you take one of those torches, your identity is recognized and you pass the first test. The torches burn with different intensities and colors depending on how original your legacy is and how high your potential is.”    

    

While Marvis still considered it, Amaika carried a torch. The torched that illuminated the path with a white color didn’t change in the slightest. Confused, Marvis decided to pick up a torch. Just when he was about to call Amaika out on their bluff, the torch burned a bright purple color, blinding him again. He almost threw the torch to the ground but he realized as much as it was bright, it had no heat at all. The crypt was cold and humid despite being lit up by so many torches.    

    

“Is there a lake somewhere nearby?”    

    

“Yes and that’s where we are headed. Keep a move on. We don’t have much time. This is the first time in a few hundred years that this crypt has been opened. Since it has been opened by someone such as yourself so easily, others can force their way in and might destroy our ancestral grounds.”    

    

They moved fast, walking at a pace incomparable to a normal human. They soon made it past all the statues and paintings until they came upon a painting that was all too familiar. Marvis stopped in front of it and knotted his eyebrows. He looked at the painting and looked at Amaika.    

    

“Why….does it look so much like me?”    

    

“Because it is you, stupid.”    

    

“Can you not see the year on this painting?! I have not been alive for that long!”    

    

“Yes, it is you but a previous incarnation. In the days where our kind could still roam the lands with our heads held high, Sir Carnerous the great was a mighty warrior who could contend with the great spirits themselves. He is your direct ancestor and…..he was a great friend.”    

    

“Wait, don’t tell me the reason you keep hating on me is because you think I’m nothing like him?”    

    

“You do not possess an iota of bravery or courage like he does.”    

    

“Right….” he rolled his eyes, walking past the painting of the man who looked too much like him in stiffy aristocratic clothes, raising his claws high with a proud smile on his face. He looked very savage, a look Marvis did not appreciate, especially with the several stereotypes surrounding his people.    

    

“I thought it was only Werephoenixes that could reincarnate.”    

    

“Wow, it must not be a brain that is in your head. Of course everyone can reincarnate. Werephoenixes cannot reincarnate because they cannot die. It’s more like recycling, forfeiting an old body for a better one.”    

    

“Isn’t it eventually the same thing?”    

    

“We’re almost there. Don’t stumble on a pebble.”    

    

Marvis narrowed his eyes at them but kept walking. He could hear the sound of a lake but he could not smell it. He couldn’t tell the accurate distance and even though they were walking with torches, he couldn’t see it even though it sounded so close.    

    

“You can hear it, can’t you? Find it.”    

    

Marvis rolled his eyes but tried to find it. The more he focused his energy, the thinner the light of his torch became. He reflexively put the torch in front of him and found that his leg touched something wet. Being barefoot, he could feel it better. He squatted and put the torch in front of him, trying to find it.    

    

“It’s….not a lake?”    

    

“Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. I thought you were relying on your instincts. What happened?”    

    

Infuriated, Marvis closed his eyes and inhaled. When he opened them, his vertical pupils narrowed, taking on a purple hue. He found he was already ankle-deep in the shimmering blue-black lake. It looked so beautiful that it took his breath away.    

    

“It’s so…..pure and beautiful.”    

    

“It’s the blood of your ancestors. Thank them for this view.”    

    

“You love ruining everything, don’t you? What’s the next test?”    

    

“There is no other test. All we have to do is a ritual and we can get out of here. It’s not that hard yet you insisted you didn’t want to come here.”    

    

“Please, let’s just get this over with.”    

    

Crown Prince Reagan thought he was having a long and boring day when one of his knights came in and told him that the capital had been breached by an aerial werecreature and it was the rarest of all, A Werephoenix. Hearing that, he immediately ran out, trying to find it. He saw the moment it burst into flames, dying. He immediately flew up, trying to find the vital piece.    

    

“THE VITAL PIECE IS NOT HERE! FIND THAT WEREPHOENIX AND FIND THEIR ACCOMPLICE! KNIGHTS, IMMEDIATELY HEAD TO THE ANCESTRAL GROUNDS!”    

    

Not many werecreatures were willing to take the journey to the ancestral grounds or even knew about it. They knew nothing about their history so it made them easier to control. If they were able to make it inside the ancestral grounds without interruption, it could set up a chain reaction that would cause the same chaos years ago that made Werecreatures become so despised.    

    

“YOUR IMPERIAL HIGHNESS, THERE IS A DRAGON!”    

    

Crown Prince Reagan looked up to see a large dragon attacking indiscriminately. He was almost certain he didn’t see or sense the dragon until a moment ago. He came to the conclusion that the one working with the werephoenix was an incredibly powerful magician so he prepared for it appropriately. He went ahead to deal with the dragon first so they would have no escape even when they came out of the ancestral ground.    

    

“Are you absolutely sure I have to be completely naked for this ritual?”    

    

“You ask too many questions trying to seem witty. Maybe if you didn’t talk so much, you would’ve gotten somewhere with my master.”    

    

Marvis glared at him and followed his instruction to remove everything. The last thing he wanted to remove was the necklace around his neck but Amaika told him to leave it. He found out they were wearing a black robe they had gotten from somewhere he couldn’t see.    

    

Amaika asked him to lay horizontally in the lake and close his eyes while they chanted something in fae language. The words came down muffled since he was submerged in the lake that reached up to Amaika’s knees.    

    

{To our ancestors, we give honor. We connect to our past and channel the powers of those who wish to use. Give this one now the ability to triumph over his enemies and restore balance to the world}    

    

The dark-blue water started to turn purple. It glowed and lit up the cave, highlighting the several inscriptions on the walls. While this was the sight Amaika saw, the one Marvis saw was different. He saw the faces of the people he hadn’t seen in a very long time.    

    

A tall black-haired man who always gave him a bright smile, holding him up even though he was too big to be held, teaching him how to camp out and make the best meals out of nothing. A tall woman with long blue hair and very fluffy ears teaching him how to hunt and helping him through his transformation. His innocent little siblings who loved to run around his feet. His entire family singing to each other before they went to bed.    

    

His tears were quickly swept into the lake. Amaika lifted his feet, slashing them. His flood flowed out, mixing with the purple lake.    

    

{It is complete. You, Marvis Jane, have now been completely reborn}