//------------------------------// // Let there be warmth // Story: The Prodigy Emperor // by The Toaster //------------------------------// He saw nothing, could feel nothing. His muscles refuse to obey, he wants to scream but his vocal channels won't respond. He tried to reach out his hand but he felt like he was being squeezed all over his body, his eyes wouldn't open no matter how much he struggled. It was as if his eyelids didn't have the capabilities yet to work. The desperation in his body only drove him to try again and again. Every muscle in his body should be working and moving right now. He wanted to see, he wanted answers, he wanted to get out of there. ... But nothing. Only the great emptiness answered him. He tried and tried and tried again. Always trying the same things as before expecting a different result. He knew it was stupid, but he was desperate. It was an invisible prison, where she took everything he relied on and trusted; his senses. He felt like he was in that nothingness for an eternity. He could think but could do nothing, he could try but nothing he felt. Touch, smell, and hearing, it was as if nothing worked. Had he died.....? Did he have a life before all this....? Or this was his first time actually having his own thoughts? He tried and tried again to remember. But like all his past attempts here he achieved nothing. It was a void, a blank book. But he knew there had to be more than just pitch black! He knew that something existed before all this! But he couldn't find it. It was as if he was going around in circles in his own memories. The 'here' didn't answer him. The here didn't care. He couldn't do anything, he could do nothing. All this was futile. Everything he tried was always bound to fail in all this darkness. So was this his fate? Trapped in an eternal dark abyss to be deprived of everything that made him a living being? ...... No! He wasn't going to give up that easily. He refused to accept that this was his destiny. This time he concentrated what he could on his body again, this time trying to move. He tried to struggle, grab something and try to shake himself. Finally, something happened. He felt something. He felt as if something sticky was slipping between his fingers. It was like jelly, something extremely sticky but very soft. He was finally able to feel something in his hands! In his excitement, he pulled himself up, as if swimming in a sticky sea and wasting all his energy. Even though he was trying so hard, he didn't seem to move, but he knew he was getting closer to something. His hand seemed to touch a solid surface. Touching it he felt it was extremely hard, a curved wall perhaps? He did not know. He placed his hand on the surface of the wall and pressed on it, trying to push it away. It didn't work. He then tried to rip the surface with his fingernails... But he didn't know if they were real nails. They were much longer and sharper than what he felt when he poked at the wall. He had claws. He didn't know how he had…nails instead of claws. But he knew he didn't have them before... But he ignored that train of thought and tried again to tear his obstacle in front of him. He tried and tried but failed, the surface was simply too resistant to his claws. What could he do? He had gone too far to give up now! 'Your beak, use it' What? What was that thought? It wasn't his... But at the same time, it was... It was as if his body was telling him what to do... A beak...? Yes.... A pointed mouth..... He had a beak.... Was it his Primal Instinct? He didn't know it, but he then brought his face closer to the hard surface and did what his conscience told him to do. Bringing his head back, he brought her hard against the wall as he closed his face in preparation for the expected pain. Crack A sound! A cracking sound! He felt it! The wall was breaking! He could feel something else now. Heat. A different heat from the source of the sticky stuff that surrounded him on all sides. Something outside inside his claustrophobic 'prison'. He repeated the process, and the cracks increased and that feeling of heat increased on his skin. It was a nice, comforting heat. He wanted more. He needed more. The wall seemed to be stuck together by the sticky substance even though it was all cracked, but that didn't stop him one bit. More and more he managed to break through the wall. Now the lower part of his face was already sticking out to the other side. He could feel the heat that found him outside with a new fervor, but he felt an icy breeze along with it. A mixture that confused him but intrigued him even more. It made him want to go out even more. After more struggle, he was exhausted. But with one last effort, he slipped through the hole to freedom. ..... How cold..... The heat he felt inside his prison didn't burn as much as he wanted now. It didn't bring him the heat he wanted and that he sought so much... He wanted to go back there. Back to his prison, where this cold didn't exist. Slowly he tried to get up, failing miserably. His leg muscles worked in ways he was sure were wrong. His leg felt like his knee had shifted and his spine didn't feel the same anymore. The floor was soft, with each crawl he gave he felt only comfort, even with the sensation of his body being drenched in a liquid he still didn't know what it was. And worst of all, he couldn't open his eyes. But he could finally feel his surroundings clearly and try to identify where he was. "Amazing! He just hatched and is already walking!" His ears perk up at this. "Congratulations Your Majesty! You were clearly blessed by Eyr to have a newly hatched son with such strength and vigor!" What was he listening to? They weren't normal sounds... They had... A pattern, a sequence that didn't seem to be random. And there was more than one. He instinctively looked in the direction from where he heard these sounds that reminded him of something, which he couldn't remember but believed must be very important. The sounds changed and now seemed to be more... Excited...? They weren't just any sounds, it seemed like they were... Voices? "Look! He's listening to us!" The voices sounded like they were... Surprised...? He did not know. But he quickly flinched as he began to feel a tremor. It was low but still easily perceptible along with a 'thump, thump' sound with an interval of less than a second. And whatever it was, the tremor was getting closer to him. His instincts again came to him, but this time they didn't advise him. they screamed. DANGER! Sensing where the vibrations came from he got up on two legs and tried to get as big as he could and tried to look as intimidating as possible along with his sharp claws. If they could cut through that wall, he felt they could cut through anything else. He didn't know how to fight against such a massive monster/being. He knew he was tiny compared to the possible hostile creature that just by his footsteps he could feel the pressure of his foot hitting the ground. He shouldn't stand a chance, but he refused to fall easily or let himself become food. He was finally out of that prison and he refused to go down so soon after working so hard to get there. The bangs stopped. And a new sound emerged, it was like the voices, but this time it was a repeating pattern and it was with a happy tone. He didn't hear anything before, but if it had he didn't listen. Was it a laugh? It confused him but it didn't make him let his guard down, he needed to focus on what was in his front. "Calm down my dear son, I didn't come to harm you." A voice, much closer than he'd expected, came. It made him tense for a moment, but that changed immediately after he identified the tone of his voice. It was... soothing.... Familiar..... The adrenaline in his body that had been produced with the desperation of the fear of the unknown left his system as quickly as it had entered and the muscles in his undeveloped legs screamed in a pain that came all at once, having built up from the exertion in his (Failed) intimidation attempt. He then nearly plummeted, his legs giving up on holding his weight and fell. But he got caught by something huge that saved him from a painful fall. That warmth he had craved so much from the moment he came out of his prison came back with full force. He could feel it all over his body. Even though he felt like being lifted and could no longer feel the ground, he couldn't feel fear or worry. For that heat was the kind that didn't burn, hurt or bother him. It was the opposite. He wanted more, he liked it. Silently, he relaxed and snuggled into the heat. He felt safe, he felt good. So good that he didn't even notice when sleep took over his body and dreams took over his thoughts. He had never felt so proud in his life as at that moment, his son had surpassed all his expectations by miles. Everything that could go right in the hatching of his son, went right. He came out of his egg by himself without any outside help. A good sign that demonstrated its strength. The Emperor was scared for a moment seeing how long it took for the egg to hatch when he saw the first signs of life. But of course, after a little persistence from the father and a little patience, the son managed to surprise them by almost jumping out of the egg. This alleviated an enormous fear that the ruler harbored. With the coming of his son's birth, it also brought him horrible memories of his own birth, which he had needed a doctor's help to break out of the shell of his egg on the day of his birth. A monumental bad omen, bringing doubts about his abilities that would be carried for the rest of his life and what made the first vestiges of a nickname he would be forced to carry for the rest of his life. 'The weak.' Needing help to hatch is a sign of weakness and bad luck, a sign that they didn't have the approval or acceptance of the gods. And worst of all, it also made his bodily weakness discovered to the whole world when the rumors spread. And this time, it was considered sacred to the Griffon culture. Since the times of the first Griffon tribes, strength was everything and the first test for a true Griffon was whether they were strong enough to be born. The weak died without being able to hatch and the strongest were those who thrived and were given the privilege of being born into the world. At least that was how the beliefs of the time were, with the ages of past civilizations being left behind the barbaric practices were abandoned. But the mentality and superstition remained even as generations passed. But his son proved to be much stronger as well as extremely persistent, much to Grover's pride. Who was watching it all with anticipation, sitting in front of the huge cradle that held the egg bearing his son. He was watching and waiting for two long hours for this event along with a contingent of trusted religious advisers and nobles who had been invited to such an important event. Only 5 had the honor of witnessing such an event. The three Archons, and two of the most powerful Dukes. When the egg finally hatched and its pieces flew off, a low cheer went up from everyone present in the royal nursery. But the cheers would be silenced when they realized that the newborn had tried to get up, surprising many of the guests and doctors who prepared to examine him. So he tried again and failed, so he tired from what he looked like, lifted his head and started looking around even with his eyes closed. That was extremely smart for a newborn! He was just supposed to be lying on the pillow beneath the egg and screaming for his father for food and shelter. And now that he stopped to notice, his son didn't cry or scream at all. He just showed curiosity and persistence in walking being less than hour old. "Amazing! He just hatched and is already walking!" One of the doctors exclaimed from the corner of the room in surprise as he looked at the others who proved just as surprised as he was. The Emperor received a lot of congratulations and applause as an Archon laughed in glee beside him. Erion XII came to him and clasped his claws with a smile. The Archon of Eyr the goddess of fertility. "Congratulations Your Majesty! You were clearly blessed by Eyr to have a newly hatched son with such strength and vigor!" he says with a smile as he motioned to the crib. He only responded with a nod, not having much will to force a smile or a fake thank you. He could only think of his son. But something surprised him again when he realized that his son was looking at the nobles, more directly at him. His father. "Look! He's listening to us!" Duchess Gabriela, the Emperor's cousin spoke with an 'awww' tone, she obviously thought the newborn was adorable. The Emperor just looked back at his son. So small, helpless, and confused. He was under stress. He needed his father. He then slowly, trying not to scare his son, walked towards the crib to pick him up. His son then decided to surprise him again and make him even more proud. For in his body language, he showed that he had noticed his father walking toward him. But he didn't do like an ordinary newborn and just sit still while crying helplessly. He gathered strength that the monarch didn't knew his son could even muster and managed for the first time in a few minutes after being born, to stand on his hind legs. Not only that, but he had outstretched claws and had a aggressive stance while his tiny wings opened in a attempt to look more intimidating. His new born son was Challenging his own father in combat. Another laugh dominated the atmosphere of the room, this time being thicker and more powerful than before, drawing the attention of the monarch who looks sideways at the source. Encountering Proteus III the Archon of Arcturius, the god of war. "This young man has a warrior spirit your majesty! It seems he has received Arcturius' favor!" The Battle-hardened warrior would show a big smile as he rested one of his hands on the hilt of his holy sword. But again, he ignored the religious figure and focused on his son. Slowly kneeling in front of his child and being much more careful not to scare him further. "Calm down my dear son, I didn't come to harm you." He says as he slowly gets closer to the newborn. Using his calmest voice he tried to calm his son even though he knew he wouldn't hear or understand him properly, yet he did. And it worked. His son's claws dropped and his stance of aggression fell along his body. Which he quickly managed to catch before his son could get hurt in his little fall. Bringing him closer and placing him on his chest with one of his claws. Unable to resist a warm smile as he felt his son snuggling into him and falling asleep. Apparently, he had already earned the respect and approval of two of the three Archons. His cousin and the Grand Duke he didn't know. But he would already accept this small victory from his little warrior. He wouldn't have noticed that the third Archon was already right in front of the Emperor, his eyes glued to the baby. His expression was indistinguishable. Eros VII the Archon of Boreas, the most powerful and admired of all the gods simply nodded his head. "Your son is promising your highness."