Since we no longer required sleep, I took it upon myself to train Jason at night. For a whole week all we did was train. We went to the closest national park to be out of the view of the public. We only ran into one couple that nearly caught us doing magical stuff. They thought we were playing with fire-crackers so they left us alone.

During the time we spent in the park I taught him how to fight and to make better use of his powers. He had improved greatly and there weren’t any more cars stuck in walls, but that’s not the worst thing to ever happen. Though, it concerned me a little bit that he didn’t already know this stuff. I had made sure to put the knowledge in the spell and the potion. What went wrong? I sensed outside interference.

It happened on the following Saturday. I was already done with my album so I had some time to kill. Jason also had the upcoming week off. We were in my apartment watching my second favorite show “The War of the Stones”. I was explaining to him the premise of the show and had to reassure him that his show was still my favorite. “The main character, Sora, is from another planet. He came to Earth as an infant.”

“That sounds familiar. Is the show based off of the Superman comics?”

“No, the creators based it off of a Chinese fable and then added a twist. It was a Korean anime that was really popular in the late 80s and all of the 90s. It came to America the same year that it ended over there. There were over 500 episodes. It started off with the search for the wizard’s stones. There were these four magic stones created by a wizard a few thousand years ago and they’ve been around ever since. When all four are brought together, you are able to have your wishes granted like from a genie only, the wizard who made them appears instead. It’s actually his ghost that appears. He died ages ago. He was killed by another wizard so they could use the stones, but the one who made them put his soul into the stones before he died and they were cast to the four corners of the globe. Though the stones are massive, they are still pretty hard to find.

“Each stone by itself has tremendous power. It is said that they can amplify a person’s latent abilities, however, by themselves they won’t grant wishes; you need all four for that to happen. When all four are gathered and the great wizard is called, he will grant you wishes based on your need. That means, if you need 3 wishes, that is what you get. If you need 10 wishes, then that is what you will get but if you only need one that is all you will get. The wizard will grant any wish, being it for good or for evil. He doesn’t judge, but I’m sure there must be some consequence if they are used for evil. Also, that amplification of powers only works if you have powers. If you don’t than it makes you very lucky. That wouldn’t be bad for regular humans to have.”

Jason laughed at that. “So, you either get stronger or you get luckier; that sounds like a good deal to me. But here’s my question; why did they have to make 500 episodes to tell a story about stones?”

“Well, it’s not just about the stones. It’s mostly about the main character Sora and his friends saving the world and sometimes the universe from powerful beings bent on domination. The fights are a little over the top though even if they are awesome to behold. The reason I am still watching the show is because I want to find out how they get stronger in a short amount of time. I need those techniques because I too need to get stronger very quickly.”

“Have you ever thought about going into the show? I would think that would be the best way to accomplish that goal.”

“I had thought about it, but that could be too dangerous. Going in there makes it real which means I would be in real danger. By the end of the series, each fighter has the power to destroy whole star systems. Even as an arch-angel I’m not that strong. If I didn’t land in the right part of the story, I could be killed. I’m not sure it would be worth it to try that.”

Jason got up off of the couch and walked in front of the TV. He asked, “Why not just bring a character from the show here? If you did that, maybe they could teach us. Is there a way that could work?”

“Actually, that could work, but maybe I should be the one to bring them here; you are still learning.”

“How will I ever learn if you don’t let me try; but perhaps you should stand back just in case I blow up the place.”

I also got up from the couch and walked over to Jason. I put my hands into his big strong hands and said, “If we blow up then we blow up together.”

He pulled my hands from his and wrapped them around his waist. He pulled me in closer and gave me a kiss. “That’s why I love you so much; you’re willing to die for my mistakes.”

“Uh huh,” I said as I laughed.

“Hey, I was having a moment there. Anyway, let’s get started.” Jason closed his eyes and held his hands out to the TV. His hands began to shine with an orange glow. The TV screen got brighter and the room got darker even though it was the middle of the day.

This didn’t feel right to me. Someone should have come out of the screen by now. The way the light was dimming in the room made me think that he wasn’t doing a summoning spell. “Um Jason, are you performing a summoning spell or are you doing a moving spell?”

“I’m doing a moving spell; why?”

I panicked. This was bad. I grabbed his hands and pulled them down, but it was already too late. Why wasn’t I paying attention? I should have seen this coming.

It went completely dark in the room and then we were falling through space. I heard Jason scream and then there was total silence.

I wasn’t falling anymore, but I couldn’t really move either. I tried to open my eyes but my eyelids were really heavy. I tried screaming for Jason but the only sound to come out was a baby’s cry. That didn’t make any sense at all. Why would I sound like a baby when I screamed? After a few minutes of effort I managed to get my eyes open. The lights in the room were blinding even though it was relatively dark, like I had never used my eyes before now. I looked around and saw that I was in some sort of pod. The surroundings outside the pod were unrecognizable yet they seemed familiar.

I tried moving again but was still having trouble doing so. I was somehow able to lift my left hand after a lot of coaxing. I wanted to see if I could open the pod, but that was when I got a good look at my hands. I let out another baby’s cry because after seeing my hands I knew. I was a baby. I had somehow been transformed into a baby. I looked down at my body and that confirmed it. My penis was not that small as an adult so it was true then. The only thing that truly puzzled me though is that I was not thinking like a child. I still had my normal thoughts. I had managed to keep my adult brain, but with an infant’s body. It wasn’t just any infant’s body however. The body appeared to be my own. If I had guessed right, I was about one week old from what I could tell. Was this the result of Jason’s spell? It still didn’t make sense. We should have just ended up here as ourselves, not regressed into our child selves. Speaking of Jason, where was he? I couldn’t tell if he was there or not. And this child to the left of me wouldn’t stop crying; it was making me lose focus. He certainly had a set of lungs on him, because he was wailing like a banshee.

Two adults walked in from my right to where I was and the other kid cried even harder at their arrival.

“Can’t you shut that kid up? He’s driving me nuts!”

“These are space pods not speakers. I can’t put a sound dampener on them Zadok. We just have to take their readings and then we’re out of here. Oh look, the little one is staring right at me. It’s almost as if he can understand us.”

“That’s really funny Rictar; a baby understanding our language. Just check the readings already. I’ll check the screaming kid and you can check the special one.”

The one called Rictar stepped in front of my pod and he pulled out something that resembled a calculator. He punched a few buttons on the device and then pointed it at me. I heard a few beeps and chirps from whatever that thing was. While he focused on the gadget, I decided to focus on him. He was cute, tall and really muscular. I would say this guy had never missed a day at the gym. He caught me staring at him when he looked up. He smiled and I smiled back.

Rictar said to Zadok, “I totally think the little one is checking me out.”

“Don’t be stupid; it’s a baby, plus it’s a boy. Why would a baby boy check out your ugly mug; especially considering who he is? I think his brother would eat you alive if you said that in front of him.”

Before Rictar could respond, his gadget gave a loud squawk. He looked down at the read-out and his eyes got as big as saucers. The thing fell from his hands and crashed on the floor. I heard a breaking sound.

“What’s wrong with you Rictar? Those things aren’t cheap you know.”

“……12,000…”

“I can’t hear you; what did you say?”

“12…it said….12,” he stuttered.

“Would you just spit it out already? I’m done with my reading anyway. This kid has a reading of 100. He will be shipped to a place called Earth in an hour.”

“This kid; he is reading at 12,000 rajoules.”

The one called Zadok was suddenly in front of my pod. “What are you talking about? No child, even this one, could have that kind of reading; it’s impossible!”

“Check it yourself. I checked it twice before the reader broke.”

Zadok pushed a few buttons on his reader and pointed it in my direction. He nearly dropped his reader as well. I had no idea what they were talking about. These numbers meant nothing to me, though I could have sworn I heard something like this before. What the hell are rajoules? I thought. I know joules. It’s a unit of measuring energy. I think it was Ganu who told me about numbers like this, but when was it?

“There is no way a baby could have a reading this high!”

“Check the read out on the pod itself. Maybe that one will be more accurate,” Rictar pleaded.

Zadok turned a knob on my pod and gasped. “We need to let King Edward know about this. He would want to know. Come on Rictar; this can’t wait.”

They both walked away. “What are you going to tell His Majesty? This kid is stronger than he is. Though I’m sure he would be proud. He’s also stronger than that kid’s father. You know the one I mean; the anomaly.” I couldn’t hear the rest; they had gotten too far away and that baby was still crying. I wondered if it was Jason.

Just then, there was a massive earthquake. I heard explosions going off somewhere close by. “We have to launch them.” Rictar had come back and was standing in front of my pod. He started pushing buttons below my window.

“What are you doing? We can’t launch him! You do remember who he is right?”

“Do you want him to die before we can figure this out? I’m sure they will thank us for saving his life. It’s better this way.”

Once Rictar finished with my pod, he went to my left and I heard him pushing the buttons of the screaming kid’s pod. “Why are you launching him, he’s nothing?!”

“He was already scheduled to leave. I’ll just send them to the same place and we can retrieve them later. Now come on; we need to get out of here!”

Then they both left.

The explosions were more frequent and far more intense. I kept trying to teleport out of the pod, but for some reason I couldn’t access my powers. I was helpless as a…..well, as a newborn baby.

The pod started to rise. It suddenly shot up like a rocket and the next thing I knew, it was me hurtling through space. I saw another pod shoot past me. I could have only assumed it was the crying kid. My pod began to shake violently, but I couldn’t see what was happening. Flames went past my pod and it got hotter for a second and then the flames were gone. I remember thinking at the time that the planet had just exploded and if that was the case, I knew where I was. I was somehow in the world of “The War of the Stones”. It was Jason’s spell that brought me here, but I didn’t know where Jason was. If this was the show, then that crying kid was Sora. It was a little different than I remembered from the show, but it would be considering I was now there. Dammit all to hell! I was stuck here. I would have my work cut out for me; especially since I couldn’t use my powers.

While I was thinking of a way to get out of this, a gas was released into the air of my pod. I became very tired. I was about to enter hibernation. This was going to be a long trip I imagined. The last thing I thought before I went to sleep was I really didn’t want to be a teenager again.

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When I finally woke up, I was no longer barreling through space. All I could see from the pod’s window were rocks. The pod was beat to shit a little bit but otherwise A OK. I tried to move my arms and found it easier to do. I looked at my body closely and figured I must have gotten a little bit older. At least six months must have passed since leaving Planet Pantera. Oh my God! If that was Planet Pantera then I was on…..dammit! That meant I was a Panteran. The Panterans in the show were were-panthers. I would need to be careful. Like on Earth, if a guy who was cursed saw a full moon, they would turn into a werewolf. It was the same for Panterans, but on that planet the moon was out only once a year. Here on Earth it was once a month, but things would be fine as long as I was never out on the night of a full moon.

I started to hear crying and realized that I’d been hearing it all along. That must have been Sora. We must be in the same crater. “What is all of that crying?”

Who was that? Oh yeah; I knew who that was. It had to be Sauza. He was the one who raised Sora after finding him in the middle of nowhere. The only thing was I wasn’t part of the original equation. “Oh, there is another one. Well look at you little one. The way you are looking at me I would think that you could understand me.”

I can understand you. I’m not what I appear to be.

“Did…you just say something little one?”

Wait a second; can you hear me?

“Yes I can hear you, but you’re not speaking from your mouth. Are you telepathic?”

I don’t believe this; I haven’t lost all of my powers! This is so cool! Well yes, I am speaking to you telepathically. My name is James and the screaming one over there is Sora.

Sauza picked me up out of the pod and carried me over to where Sora was. “Well James, my name is Sauza. You can’t be more than a few months old so how are your thoughts so adult like?”

That is a long story Mr. Sauza. It is also one I don’t think you’ll understand or believe.

“Well James, I did just pull you out of a space pod, so why don’t you let me be the judge of what I believe.” So, I told Sauza everything and I do mean everything. By this point we were back at his house. “Well, that was some story, but it makes sense considering you’re a baby with the thoughts of someone older than I am. How old are you anyway?”

I would say somewhere in the area of 13 billion years old; give or take an eon or so.

“Are you really that old because it doesn’t seem likely?”

Well, my spirit is that old. I’ve been around since shortly after the universe was made. However, the last body I was in had just turned 24 a few weeks back, so let’s say that’s how old I am.

“And there is no way at all for you to change back?”

No there isn’t. I wasn’t the one who cast the spell and I don’t have all of my angelic powers save for telepathy. It looks like I have to let this play out in its entirety.

Sauza scratched his head. “When will that be?”

It could happen in a few years or it could happen in a few decades. There really is no way of knowing. When spells go wrong, it’s usually because a lesson needs to be learned.

Just then, someone came through the front door. “Honey, I’m home.”

“Hello Todrick. I didn’t expect you home so soon babe. Now, try not to freak out.”

“Why would I freak…...” Todrick looked at Sora and myself and looked at Sauza. “Um babe, what are these babies doing here?”

“I was out training when they fell from the sky; literally.”

“That’s very funny Sauza. So, who are you babysitting for? Is it Mary again?”

Sauza got up and went over to Todrick. “I’m not babysitting Todrick. I found these two and they don’t have anyone to take care of them.”

Todrick backed away from Sauza and said, “Are thinking what I think that you’re thinking?”

“You have always wanted kids. What better way to have them?”

“What about their parents? What about the adoption papers? Did you think of any of that?”

I was so confused. This guy wasn’t in the show. Has my being here changed things that much? I certainly didn’t know that Sauza had been married let alone that he was gay. I wondered if Jason was also affecting the change on this dimension or perhaps it was always supposed to be like this. At any rate, I should fix the situation before it could get worse. Excuse me sir; Todrick is it?

“Who said that?!”

“Oh yeah, um baby…there is something else I need to tell you.”

I can speak for myself Sauza. And yes, I know how that sounds. I explained everything to Todrick like I had to Sauza. It took him a little longer to accept it all, but he eventually came around. Don’t you two live out in the middle of nowhere? I don’t think anyone will ask questions about Sora or me.

Sauza rested his hand on Todrick’s. “He’s right you know. Come on Todrick; let’s do this!”

Todrick had been rapping his fingers on the table in frustration. He stopped, got up from the table and came over to me. He then went over to Sora. “I’ll do it on one condition.”

And what would that be?

“Stop sounding like an adult. This whole situation is weird enough without taking care of a baby who sounds like a twenty year old.”

I closed my eyes and concentrated on what I sounded like as a twelve year old and then tried to imitate it in my thought voice. How does this sound? Both of them had surprised looks on their faces. I guess it worked. Todrick then picked me up and gave me a hug. He then cradled me in his arms and rocked me back and forth. I don’t need to be calmed down if that’s what you’re trying to do.

Todrick smiled. “That isn’t what I’m doing. I have always wanted a child, but being gay makes that almost impossible. Now you two show up and change all of that. I’m just thrilled to have you both here!”

And then we all talked for a while. Well, they talked and I sent out thoughts they could hear. Sora slept the entire time.

It looked as if I would be living there for a while, but it shouldn’t be all bad. Sauza and Todrick seemed like really cool guys. An added bonus for me was I always wondered what it would have been like with two men for parents. Well, I couldn’t say that I always wondered that. It was more of a recent idea. After watching that new gay show on TV, I had begun to have those thoughts. It seemed that now I was getting my wish. And despite their age, it was clear these guys still worked out. They must have both been martial artists. That of course made sense because on the show, Sauza had trained Sora to be a martial artist. This was perfect then because now I could benefit from that training as well. God had told me I needed to get stronger and here was the opportunity. I wondered if he had a hand in sending me here. It’s possible Jason was here as well. I didn’t know how I was going to find him. All of this was so unfair. I know we needed to get stronger, but why did we have to separate? We only got back together not too long ago and now he was gone again. Though, it wasn’t like I could be with him as a toddler. When I grew up again I could search this whole universe for him. If my angel powers returned then that would be easy.

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Life with Sauza and Todrick was quite interesting. They treated Sora and I like we were brothers and I started to see him in the same light. We did everything together. Granted, there weren’t any other children around, so it’s not like we had much choice.

Our childhood was very remarkable. I learned to talk a few weeks after our new parents found us. It took Sora another year, but when he was finally able to, we couldn’t get him to shut up. He wasn’t the brightest bulb in the lamp, but he was certainly the kindest and he was really strong. Sauza and Todrick started to train us in martial arts when we were five. Sora would beat me every time we would spar. He would always come up with strategies that countered my own and I couldn’t compete with his strength. I however did get stronger. By the time we were twelve, we were about even in strength.

Now, let me talk a little bit about my new loving parents. Sauza Patel and Todrick Knoll met when they were both training to be martial artists. They were teenagers at the time and were under the tutelage of the world-renowned martial artist Chow Panushi. Master Chow had mastered a form of martial arts that allowed him to channel his energy into strength and also allowed him to live longer. It was rumored that he was over 1000 years old.

My parents never mastered that style but they did become amazing martial artist. And though they never perfected it, they did learn a few things. They both were older than they appeared. Sauza looked to be about 50 years old and Todrick about 40, but they were both over 400 years old. They learned enough from Master Chow that they could stay young for a little while longer. Todrick once told me that the only thing they didn’t learn to control was how to augment their bodies. Master Chow could make his body young and channel massive energy and release it in a huge wave. They could only control the age of their bodies.

Sauza and Todrick studied under Master Chow for ten years. It was during that time that they fell in love. They got married after their last tournament. It was actually at the tournament where they were married. I asked if it was legal. Sauza didn’t know what I meant. I told them that where I came from, two men or two women weren’t allowed to marry. Todrick said that no restrictions like that existed here. If you loved another human being then you could marry that human being. This was a much more enlightened Earth than the one I came from.

After the two of them got married, they moved out here so they could continue their training. A few centuries later, Sora and I showed up and their wish to have kids was granted.

However, not all of our time together was a walk in the park. There was one night when Sora and I were seven when we were out on a hike at night with our dads. I saw a little pond off to our left and I wandered over to it. I stepped to the edge of the pond to take a drink while the others went ahead. I sat up and wiped my mouth and then the clouds parted revealing the moon making it brighter. I noticed the moon on the pond’s surface and freaked. Goddammit! I had gotten complacent. We never went outside when it was dark normally. It had skipped my mind in these past six and half years to mention what happened on the night of a full moon. I jumped up off of the ground and sprinted after the others. I tried to catch up to them in time, but I was already too late. I heard a fierce roar break the silence in the woods. Sora must have looked up at the moon.

I ran to where I heard all of the commotion. Once I got to where they were, I froze. Now, it was one thing seeing this on TV, but it was another thing seeing it up close and personal. Also, it was way different than I had ever expected. First off, there was a sizeable crater in the clearing. Secondly, I saw a dragon at the bottom of said crater about the size of an adult elephant. It was stamping the ground and causing minor tremors and flapping its wings savagely. I looked to my left and saw my two dads. They were gazing into the crater. “Dad, are you all right?”

“Yes, we’re fine James, but what happened to Sora?”

“I don’t actually know. This is not what I expected when I heard the screaming. I totally thought he had turned into a were-panther. That’s what happened on the show. Where is Sora anyway? That’s not him is it?”

“That is him. He looked up at the moon and then he let out a scream. His hands elongated and grew scales. He suddenly pushed us back and there was a release of a massive amount of energy. When we got up from the ground, we looked down and saw the crater with that thing inside. I can only assume it is Sora.”

“Is he all right?”

Todrick was holding out his hands to keep from falling into the crater. “I don’t know son; this is all very new to us too, but why haven’t you changed into a monster as well?”

“He’s not a monster Daddy. It’s still Sora, but I don’t know. It’s possible that because I haven’t looked at the moon yet it won’t happen to me, or because it’s not my time to change. However, everything in my body is screaming for me to look up at the moon, but I’m resisting. I’m still trying to figure out why he’s a dragon.”

Sauza came over to me and asked, “What’s a dragon?”

“What are you talking about? That’s a dragon right there. Basically a dragon is a giant lizard with wings, only way cooler. You don’t have dragons here?”

Sauza looked at me strangely. “I hear you speaking but I have no idea what you are saying. We have never seen or even heard of these things called…dragons was it?”

Now that was surprising. They’ve never heard of dragons before and now one just magically appeared before them. And then there was that whole thing. Why was Sora a dragon? Why didn’t he change into a were-panther like on the show? Did that mean that the planet we came from had dragon people on it? Even better still, did that mean I was a dragon too? Oh my Janus that would be the best thing ever! I love dragons!! Back home on my Earth I have a tarot card set with dragons. To actually be one would be the coolest thing ever! It might even be cooler than finding Jason though I still want that happen; don’t tell him I said that. What am I thinking? I thought. I need to help Sora, not get excited for him.

I realized I would need to get down to where Sora was and see if he could be reached emotionally. It was a long shot, but it was all I really had at the moment. “I might be able to talk to him telepathically if he still has his own mind. If I can appeal to his normal side, I might be able to get through to him. Wish me luck.”

I walked away from Sauza and made my way down to where Sora was in the crater. He lunged for me but I side-stepped out of the way. Sora got down on all fours and started to pace around me. Todrick and Sauza tried to come down to help but I just waved them back. I held my hands out in a calming gesture to show I meant no harm. Sora shied away at first but then crept closer to examine me. That’s right Sora, it’s me, James. I’m your brother and best friend. Do you remember me?

Sora let out a piercing roar. It looked like I was getting through to him, but was it really working? Do you remember the time I fell off of that cliff and you grabbed my arm before I could go over the edge? You saved me that day Sora. I’ve never thanked you properly for that. When we get home I will make you some strawberry ice cream and swirl some chocolate all over it. How does that sound? I had been inching ever closer to Sora with my hands pointed down. I could see that he was calming down. That’s right Sora; just remember who I am. I got right next to him and put out my hands slowly. He crept closer and sniffed my hand. I didn’t dare move an inch. It’s all right brother; I’m here for you. From now until the end, I will always be here for you. He put his long and very toothy head in my hands and I petted him. He had finally calmed down. I was bending down to put him to sleep with my mind when Todrick stepped on a branch in his attempt to come to my aid. Sora freaked out and knocked me aside. He got up and spread his wings and was about to take to the air and head for Todrick. Just before Sora could pounce, I used what little super speed I had acquired through my training to push Todrick out of the way. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to move away myself. Sora was faster than me. He raised his clawed right hand and brought it down, slashing my chest into a bloody mess.

I fell to the ground and was bleeding profusely. Sora got above me and was about to strike again, but when he saw the state I was in, he screamed and flew into the air over the woods. Sauza and Todrick ran over to me. They tried to stop the bleeding but it was gushing out. Before I passed out, I thought how good it would be to have my angelic healing powers again.

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I was in and out of consciousness for several days. They had managed to stop the bleeding, but I had a bad infection and a high fever. Nothing they did seemed to work. I vaguely remembered seeing Sora by my bed crying. I remembered nothing else after that.

I woke up a few days later completely healed, but with scars on my chest where Sora scratched me. I asked my parents how they cured me. Sauza went into their bedroom and when he returned, he was carrying a stone about three feet in diameter. I gazed at the stone in astonishment. There was no way it could be true. “Is that….is that a wizard’s stone?”

“Yes it is, but how could you possibly know that?”

“You know exactly how, but I never knew you had one. Did one of you use the stone to heal me?”

My dad’s just looked at one another and then back at me. Sora was sitting in the corner just staring out into space. He wasn’t paying attention to our conversation at all. I had wondered if they might have told Sora what happened. I also wondered if he even understood it. “James, we didn’t use the stone; you did.”

“What do you mean that I used the stone? How could I have used it when I was unconscious?”

Sauza spoke up. “We were trying to figure out a way to use it. Neither one of us has healing powers. I set the stone beside you and then we were discussing our next move. While we were talking, it suddenly began to glow. You also began to glow and your wound was shining fiercely. It started to close rapidly only leaving a faint scar. A few minutes later, we realized your fever had also disappeared. We really don’t understand how or why it happened, but we are glad that it did happen.”

Sauza and Todrick came over and gave me a giant hug. I looked over and noticed that Sora was still spaced out. He hadn’t budged an inch. Todrick stopped hugging me and walked to where Sora was. He crouched down and said, “Sora, aren’t you going to give your brother a hug? Look, he’s better now…see?”

Sora seemed to be processing what was being said to him. He looked over and saw me and his eyes got really wide. He jumped up and ran to me. He nearly knocked me off of the bed in his excitement. “James, I am so sorry. If you had died because of what I did….”

“What are you talking about Sora?”

“I’m the one, who hurt you, but I will never do anything to hurt you again; I promise.”

I looked at Todrick and asked, “Did you tell him what happened?”

Todrick got up from his crouch and walked to us. “We didn’t have to tell him, he remembered. It seems like you did reach him. After he attacked you, you passed out and he screamed your name and ran off through the woods.”

“I don’t remember that happening.”

“There is no way you would remember that. There was a poison in his claws. You immediately became feverish after he scratched you. A regular person would have been killed from that amount of poison. It’s a good thing you’re not a regular person.”

I looked down and stroked Sora’s neck. “I’m sorry to have put you through that brother.”

“No James, I’m sorry.”

“Then, we can be sorry together.” And for the rest of the day, Sora took care of me. He never wanted to leave my side.

The next day, Sauza and Sora went hunting for food. Todrick was in my room taking care of me. I was still a little weak. We had a couple of hours to talk before the others got back. I asked my dad about what happened with the stone. He thought that it might have been my angelic powers coming through. Each stone by itself amplifies a person’s latent abilities. If that was the case then my powers still existed. I just needed to find a way to bring them out.

The next five years were pretty uneventful. Sora learned to control his transformations. He could now become a dragon whenever he liked, and as he got older and bigger, so too did the dragon. That night’s full moon was just a catalyst. However, there was one thing that bothered me. I had sensed my parents were hiding something, but when I asked, they would just change the subject.

After the dragon incident, Sora seemed more focused during our training sessions. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with him. He would gain strength and skills at a scary rate. I asked him one night before bed why he was pushing himself so hard. He told me that he never wanted me to get hurt again, so he needed the strength of body and mind to protect me. I was beyond touched. After that, I stepped up my game during the training as well. I didn’t want Sora to have to do all of the work. By the time we were both twelve we had all of our father’s moves mastered. Sauza and Todrick were very proud of us. However, I sensed a divide coming between us and our parents. They still loved us, but I felt their minds drifting at times.

I had promised them both early on that I would never use my telepathy to read their minds, but I was becoming concerned. I was about to get my answer in a few days. That was when Betti appeared and our real adventures began.

Next Chapter: The Start of the Journey