Ultimately, nothing much changed for me after the meeting. I remained at the Artemis Guild with Meebur, and the other leaders left. They had monsters and guilds of their own to take care of, after all.

  It was decided that nothing would be done to me. But also that nothing would be shared. It wouldn’t be a secret for long that the giant snake Meebur had tamed was in fact the Deity Monster of Earth, but they would try to keep the details hidden for as long as possible. The noble family of Olympia had outlawed the worship of the Earth Deity many years ago. It would only cause trouble for the country to reveal its return now. The leaders agreed that Olympia needed to remain calm and unified in the face of growing tension beyond its borders.

  The Ariholl Theocracy…hidden agents…and other enemies beyond and within the country. This really is a dangerous world to be reborn into.

  One by one each leader departed the city of Artemis atop a flying monster, crazy machine, amongst a procession of soldiers, or through a portal of shadows. Shiv seemed to fade out of existence the second the meeting ended and they passed through the door. No matter what skills I used, I couldn’t sense them anymore.

  The only one who stayed behind was Astrid.

  Once the other leaders were finally gone, she requested a private meeting with Meebur and I.

  Wanting out of the stuffy top floor chambers, Meebur suggested that the three of us speak in what he described as his favorite place in the entire guild. The fields within the walls of the guild had several biomes, each there to help hatch and raise monsters. And at the far end of the grounds, where the walls were closest to the giant tree at the center of Artemis, was a small forest.

  Once there, I could tell immediately that this wasn’t a forest of a hundred different trees. Each and every single one was connected. They were all small offshoots of the giant tree. One of its roots was underneath this very spot, and small versions of the tree had grown from it here.

  Within this forest of a single tree was a small shrine, with benches, statues of monsters, and soft grassy areas free for meditation. And it was here, with me laying in the cool grass beside them, that Astrid and Meebur spoke.

  “No one will bother us here,” Meebur said.

  “Good. I see no reason to mince words.” Astrid said. “The wyrm is not a monster.”

  The silence that followed was so deep, I could actually hear the wind through the blades of grass around us.

  “Go on,” Meebur said, and gave no other reaction.

  “When I scanned it, I was able to hear some of its surface thoughts. It may be in a monster’s body, but Nid is, or at least was, something else. Something that feels familiar. I think he was a human. From another world.”

  Meebur walked towards me slowly, and knelt down. I was nervous about what this news could mean for me, and how he would react. This could be one revelation too many.

  “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” he said, his eyebrows raising and his smile returning to his face.

  “I didn’t bring this up in front of the other leaders on purpose. Regardless of the conclusion we came to, they’re all shaken. This would only make things worse. A human in a deity monster’s body…you know what that means, right? That’s another part of the prophecy.”

  “Yes, I know,” Meebur said, petting my head gently. “Tamers have a special bond with their monsters. I can feel their emotions when I quiet my mind and focus. I knew he was different right away.”

  “You really are a master tamer…” Astrid said.

  “Hardly. I hadn’t realized he was once a human,” Meebur said, standing up, “but I’m happy to know now. We’ll have to figure out a way for you to communicate. It must’ve been very frustrating up till now.”

  That sounds wonderful, was the first thought that came to mind. Being able to only observe and follow, when there was so much about this world I didn’t understand was getting difficult.

  “He says ‘That sounds wonderful’,” Astrid said. “And I agree, all of that is great. But it doesn’t change his now confirmed role in the Prophecy of…well, you know the one.”

  “Hoardsholt?”

  “Don’t say it out loud! One person hears that out here and the guild will be terrified out of their minds. And they’ve already been terrified today. Once is enough.”

  “Whoops, yes, that would be bad,” Meebur said.

  The Almanac has been updated with the entry for “Prophecy of Hoardsholt”.

  I was about to open it and read the entry, but Astrid and Meebur had more to discuss. And considering it was about me, I didn’t want to miss a word of it.

  Besides, that entry should contain really important information…so I bet it’s empty.

  “There’s nothing to fear yet, luckily.” Meebur said. “One of them in existence doesn't mean anything. Whether they’re a reborn human or not. And there are no confirmed sightings of the other two. Haven't been in centuries.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “That doesn't make me feel any safer.” Astrid sighed loudly. “I don't know why I thought speaking to you about this would help. I should have challenged you for this guild instead of heading to Psion…”

  “I would have welcomed it! Everyone thought you would take over after I retired. No one predicted you would leave Artemis.”

  Astrid smirked, but tried very hard to hide it. Hearing she had once been a part of this guild was surprising, but even more so was hearing she had left. I was curious what had led to her leaving to head her own guild, but tried very hard to not think about it. She was reading my mind, after all, and I didn’t want to ask in case it was too personal.

  “If you will allow it, and don’t overthink this, I intend to stay here for a while longer.” Astrid said. “It’s clear my skills are needed.”

  “You missed us, didn’t you?” Meebur asked, a childish grin plastered across his face. Astrid refused to acknowledge the question, merely blinking at him. Meebur cleared his throat and continued. “What about your guild?”

  “My viceleader is more than capable of maintaining things on my behalf. My guild may be one of the smallest in the country, but don’t underestimate us.”

  “I’m glad to hear your guild will be well taken care of.”

  “In the interim, I shall act as your…interpreter. Yes, I suppose that’s the best way to describe it.” Astrid said, kneeling down to speak directly to me. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Is there anything you would like to ask Meebur or I?”

  There’s a lot I don’t know, but right now all I can think about is…am I really that dangerous?

  “I won’t lie to you. Yes, you are.” Astrid said, but then shook her head. “Well, it isn’t you specifically that’s dangerous. It’s what you represent. And what your presence could lead to. You haven’t done anything wrong, I assure you.”

  Still, I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to cause such trouble.

  “Don’t worry.” Astrid smiled a very gentle smile, and it put me at ease immediately.

  “Worry about what?” Meebur asked, scratching his head.

  “Oh, right. It’s Nid. He said that he didn’t want to cause us any trouble.”

  “Don’t fret, little guy. You’re never a bother. When you’re here, enclosed in these walls, you are meant to feel safe and secure. The Artemis Guild is not a prison. It’s first and foremost a home to like minded people and monsters. That’s why I joined it all those years ago, and why I’m honored to lead it now.”

  Astrid’s grin grew wider, and I couldn’t help but smile as well. Though, from how Astrid’s expression changed, I guessed that a smile from a snake like me was less than cute. Probably showed too many razor-sharp, poisonous fangs that, even in my cute form, could kill with ease.

  “Besides,” Meebur said, staring up at the tree branches, “I have a feeling we‘ll soon be far too busy to worry about prophecies.”

  “Interesting you say so,” a voice from behind the wind said.

  “I thought you might still be here,” Meebur said with a smirk. Shiv, the mysterious guild leader of Zephyr, appeared amongst us from out of nowhere.

  “I hate when you do that,” Astrid said, rubbing her forehead.

  “It was important to hear what you spoke of. I had to know your honest opinions. Eavesdropping is the least offensive thing I would do in regards to…that.” Shiv nodded towards me. “Especially now that I know what it really is.”

  “So, you do intend to do something?” Astrid asked.

  “Of course I do. None of the others have the means to do what must be done, so it is better that they return to their guilds and stay out of the way. You should have joined them, Astrid.”

  Meebur stood to his full height, looking down at Shiv. Just as when he had ordered Gregory to put Frey into tamer training, the smile he now wore looked anything but welcoming. It looked like it hid the intensity of a real monster behind it.

  “And what exactly are you planning on doing, welcomed guest?” He asked Shiv.

  “I don’t know…” They answered, and if Meebur’s intense stare made them sweat, I couldn’t see behind their robes or under their gloves. “But when I do, you’ll be the first to find out.”

  Meebur and Shiv stood opposite each other, like two monsters within an arena prepared to fight. There was an aura that swirled around them, the air growing thick with tension. A storm seemed to concentrate, prepared to explode, but before it could, Shiv chuckled loudly.

  “Oh, Meebur! Always so serious behind those smiles. If you were a monster, I’d tame you in a heartbeat. That would make things so much easier.”

  “That’s not something to joke about.” Astrid said, moving to stand between Meebur and Shiv.

  “Your former prodigy inherited your seriousness.” Shiv said before turning their back to us. “Don’t fret. I will uphold our decree of secrecy. Even in regards to the creature’s status as a reborn being. Revealing that would tear this country apart, and I would never do anything to endanger Olympia. I need it to remain strong, after all…”

  With that, a gentle breeze blew between us, and Shiv was gone.

  * * * *

  Meebur and Astrid decided to leave any other discussion or planning for a later date. It felt like there was too much left unknown to take any action. And Meebur in particular seemed unnerved by Shiv’s comments. For the time being, my acclimatization and education on this new world became top priority. And there was no better place to start than in the training area of the guild.

  In an enclosure closer to the guild tower, Gregory was about to begin instructing several new recruits. Amongst them was Frey. As he waved to me, I saw that he still didn’t have the mark of the beast. Meebur explained to me that many tamers spent months training and learning about monsters before being given the mark. Which made a lot of sense. It would be pretty dangerous to expect kids to take on the care of monsters without any kind of experience.

  “Apologies Gregory, but could I borrow Frey for a moment?” Meebur said, approaching the group. Several of the new recruits started whispering to each other, clearly excited to be so close to the legendary leader of Artemis. Many had joined the guild in hopes of becoming just like Meebur. However, some of them were whispering about me. They had all seen my battle with Leif, and rumors of what kind of monster I was were spreading throughout the guild.

  “Of course, but be brief. I’m about to explain the various stages of hatching monsters.” Gregory replied.

  Meebur smiled, and waved Frey over. He ran towards us quickly, but did so in a bit of a circle to not get too close to Gregory’s monster. The mossy bat I had seen that first day was hanging off of a makeshift wooden perch attached to Gregory’s shoulder, sleeping upside down.

  “Still afraid of non-snake monsters?” Meebur asked.

  “Well, yeah, a bit.” Frey said, blushing. “I’ll get better, I promise!”

  “I know you will. And while you’re improving, I was wondering if you could do me a little favor?”

  Patreon.