//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Flame of the Fateless 
// by Cryptic Keyboard 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4
Words of Power

The nest remained enveloped in the haze as I approached the pond. The angry calls of the phoenix long behind me now I released a much needed sigh. That had been the second time I had willingly killed; or tried to kill another being. Its beside the point that the bird would regenerate. I had wanted to kill. I had driven myself to attack the phoenix with the same intent to kill that I had felt when I had stared into the dying eyes of the horse. What the hell was happening to me? Was the power that killing gave me already starting to corrupt me? Look at me, here for barely even a day and I had killed twice. 
This was my life now wasn't it?

"I see you have returned." Yiang said. "Did you bring my egg?"
"I did, kinda." I muttered.
"Kinda?"
"Can't you see this Yiang?" I asked. "What the hell is up with the nest?" Yiang started to laugh. "What's so funny Yiang?
"I forgot about that boyo; thanks for reminding me!"
"Forgot what Yiang?" I felt her hand guide me back to the air-mirror. I saw the bird's nest in the air with the red haze. I looked further into the reflection and saw what Yiang was trying to show me.
My horns were surrounded by the exact same red miasma as the bird's nest. I was most certainly the cause of the nest's anti-gravitational feat. But just how was I doing this. The red became mixed with a fuzzy purple.

"I have it now boyo, let go." Yiang said.
"That's the thing Yiang; I might be doing this but I don't know how." 
I could almost feel Yiang's hand make contact with her face. "You are the most useless little...... Okay then, if you don't know how you are doing it; how DID you do it?" 
I recalled back at the tree. "The nest was falling and I panicked. At the last second I wished for it to stop. Then this weird aura started to cover it up. Now its floating."
"That's it? Well in that case, release the nest the same way you grabbed it; by telling it to fall."
That easy huh? Well what harm could come of it? So if I got the nest to stop by telling it to stop.
I just need it.... to.... FALL!

The red haze vanished instantaneously to be replaced by the purple. The two remaining eggs were plucked out from their hollows.
Yiang hummed. "I only needed one egg, what to do with the second."
"Why not give it to me?" I laughed; not meaning what I had said
"That is a fantastic idea Lycan! One egg safety bag coming up!" Before I could object to Yiang's actions grass started to pull itself from the ground and formed into a ball in the air. Then guided by the purple aura; each individual blade began to weave its way into the shaping of a bag. I had to hand it to Yiang, she had weaving skills. By the end of her meddling the grass had become a fully formed bag, a comfortable looking one at that. The purple lowered it onto my back and tied it tightly. The only flap on it was lifted open, the second phoenix egg was deposited inside. 
"That egg will never break as long as the bag remains shut." Yian said proudly. "Now you can keep it safe until it hatches.
"Question Yiang; how will I know it has hatched?" I asked sarcastically. 
"Its a phoenix honey, you will KNOW when it has hatched!" 

Well that was encouraging. All I had to do was wait for the intense burning sensation on my back? Simple enough. Now onto my next question. 
"Yiang, its time you fessed up. What the hell am I?"
Yiang exhaled loudly. "You want to know now?" I nodded. "Very well Lycan, sit." I did as I was asked. 
"The truth is Lycan, you are not a normal wolf even for this universe. In fact, next to the elusive Spectre-wolf and the Winged-Wolves , you are one of the rarest breeds. Those growths on your head are indeed horns, the two of them to mark what you are. Lycan; I made you into something fantastical, you are a Duo-ceratias Lupus; a Two-Horned Wolf. One of the lucky creatures that is gifted with control over the forces of magic. You have a potential for destruction that many would strive their lives to gain. What you could do in the future could dwarf the power of even the most accomplished Unicorn wizards. All you have to do is find the words deep within yourself; some may be obvious and others may be more elusive then that. But every word is unique to you." Yiang paused for a brief moment, collecting her thoughts.
"None of the words you will use will be the same as the ones used by others. They will be unique to you, and only you can tap into the power locked in the words. I could have said one in this sentence and it has clearly done nothing. When you find the word and utilize your mind to turn it into power; that is when your magic will be feared by the even the servants of the Gods."

I took a moment to take in what Yiang had just told me. I had a potential at destruction that could make the servants of the Gods fear me? That sounded nice and everything, but was it for me? I had now come into this world looking to kill; I had wanted a new start at life. Not a chance to end others. But in the end I could never be sure about why I was here. Yiang had brought me to a land like no other and given me gifts that back home would never have been thought to have existed. It just didn't seem right that I was being dragged into a world that knew nothing of me so that I could be manipulated like a chess piece. Yiang had told me that fate would be nothing but a musing thought here. That was obviously not the case; clearly I had just filled in the application for the fate roller-coaster. 
I was being strapped in as of now.
All I had left was to wait for this ride to start.

"Words of Power eh?" I murmured. "If that's the case...." I turned towards a nearby tree with a snarl on my lips.
"GRAVITY WILL STOP!" 
The trunk strained for a moment, as did I, before the tree was torn from the ground. The red haze meant it was working.
"Lycan...." Yiang muttered. "How did you know?"
"Simple, I told the nest to stop going down. What's the force that brings objects down? Gravity. What do I need to stop in order to levitate something? Gravity. After I made that connection; the words just seemed to fit into place. You were right Yiang; all I had to do was find the words and tap into them. Now look at me."
For all my bravado it became increasingly hard to keep the tree afloat. Eventually I released my hold by saying 'fall' (the counter-word) and sat back down to rest. Yiang was clapping excitedly at my new found talent. It wasn't very useful if I could only keep it going for thirty seconds. The mass of an object probably had something to do with it though, after all I had levitated the bird's nest for about ten minutes without even feeling a little drained. So I could now levitate objects at will.
Tick one box on my path to gaining power.

Now all I had to do was find the rest of my words; so I could set this world ablaze.

I shook my head for what seemed like the fifteenth time this day. Something about this body was starting to twist me into a brand new person. I'm not sure I liked that person. Then again, I wasn't no longer the boy from Ireland. I was a being with a new name and body. I am Lycan. What I am now is Lycan. 
Lycan will become whatever I want him to become. 
I will carve his fate out with a knife if I have to.
I will carve MY fate out if I have to.

I turned towards the town in the distance.
"I'm going now." I said bluntly.
"W-What!?" Yiang yelped. "You can't leave yet!"
"Why not? I can talk, I can perform levitation magic, I can see in colour and have a phoenix egg. Why can't I leave?"
Yiang hesitated; she was stalling for answers. 
"Well if you have no objections I will be on my way." 
"Wait" I waited. "You can't go that way." Yiang said.
"Why not?" I asked impatiently.  
"I-I-I-I-I can't say!" Yiang cried. "But even if it had something to do with that town, which it doesn't, do you really think that a wolf would be able to just stroll on in all calm like? They may have a world with mythical creatures in but those ponies are still scared of what they will see as predators. You are most certainly classed as a predator."
I couldn't argue with that logic; it made sense that a bunch of herbivores would be scared of me. So I decided to re-plot my course. The only landmark I had right now was the forest behind me. So that's where I was heading. Yiang obviously read this in my thoughts and breathed a sigh of relief, what was her problem?

Taking steps towards the forest I decided against following the same path that I had used beforehand, on account of the no doubt rather livid phoenix that was still residing in the depths. I picked a new route. It was a tighter squeeze to get through the first line of trees; after that it was clear sailing. The entire time I moved away from the garden I could feel Yiang's hold getting weaker. So she might be a Goddess but even she has her limits in terms of reach. I began to move at a faster pace, getting further away from the violating hold of Yiang made me happier than I had been in a long time.
This was when my journey would really begin!
It was time for Lycan to shine!

"HOLD IT BOYO!"

I lost my balance at the sudden intrusion in my head and tumbled into the undergrowth. Several twigs caught in my fur and dragged out one or two tufts; it hurt more than it should have. 
Yiang once again placed her spectral arm around me. "I never got to give you your final gift boyo." She whispered.
"Oh joy, what could it be? A nice pair of grass booties to go with the bag? Or is there an army of pissed off phoenix's just waiting behind that bush? Oh what could it be?" I said snidely, thoroughly annoyed at the persistence of the Goddess.
"Its just I thought you would be lonely on the road, so I brought you these."

Two flashed of light, one white and one black. The alteration in light was so minute but it burnt into my mind forever. Left behind after the flashes were two of the strangest things I have ever seen. One ball of white light and one ball of black light. Both perfectly spherical but distorted in a way I can't explain. It was like I was peering into coloured rips in the air.

"Lycan, I want you to meet Asura and Kuroko. They will be your new guides." Yiang chirped. "They might even be of some use to you!" 

Without so much as another sigh; Yiang vanished. Leaving me alone with the two sprites before me.