Answering Questions

"What happened?"

"What was that?"

"How did you do that?"

I couldn't deal with all those questions, crouching over my familiar. I really should name him. I thought as I gathered him in my arms.

"Excuse me, I'm Dorsita Highdawn," I paused at the Aurain name. "Can you tell me how someone so young could do that?" With that question, I snapped.

"Listen up!" I said. "What just happened never happened! I wasn't involved with this, nor do any of you remember this. I know that this will make the news, but I'm asking, no, I'm telling you to leave me out of this."

"The people have a right to know!" Highdawn said.

"And you of all people should know that this never happened! I, nor others like me, aren't to be relied upon, or even known. What I did now was the result of no training, and if anything, you should be scared of me!" I said, punctuating the last part by conjuring a rather large fireball, larger than I meant to, but it had the desired effect. The reporters scooted back and away from me as I made my way back to the car. After climbing back in, the driver nodded to me, but I only scowled, holding my familiar to my chest as I tried to fall asleep.

///////////////////////////Recruitment Report: Jordon Nightbeast////////////

Young Jordon did well on the test, but there is something of note: he has a rather short temper. After the fight, he was checking on his familiar when the Others' own Dorista Highdawn managed to provoke him into biting her head off, and the other reporters'. All in all, Nightbeast would do well with the Others.

Besides, he'll be remembered now.

//////////////////////////End////////////////////////////////////////////

Jordon went over to his familiar, the Others' agents hiding among the crowd, taking individual reports about him. One was brazen enough to ask him questions, but this seemed to set him off.

"Listen up!" Jordon said. "What just happened never happened! I wasn't involved with this, nor do any of you remember this. I know that this will make the news, but I'm asking, no, I'm telling you to leave me out of this." At this point, Dorista Highdawn, the reporter said something, which only made him even angrier. "And you of all people should know that this never happened! I, nor others like me, aren't to be relied upon, or even known. What I did now was the result of no training, and if anything, you should be scared of me!" With a flash of anger, he conjured a large fireball that made everybody step back from him as he made his way back to the black car, hugging the familiar to his chest.

Back in the car, the driver smiled at him, but only earned a sneer in response as Jordon tried to sleep as the Others' agents cleaned away both the memories and physical evidence of the accidents from the Commons.

Defending the Commons

"Hello, do I know you?" I asked. My familiar was agitated by the figure on the screen.

"I hope not, your family doesn't like me or my associates. It'll give me a clean slate to talk to you." The figure said. "I represent the Others, an organization trying to reshape the world." The voice was deep, so I assumed I was talking to a man.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said.

"Its a pity that not everybody's an Aurian, isn't it?" He said. "My organization is trying to change that." I picked up the my in that sentence.

"How?"

"By bringing back the Angel Tyrius, to barter for every living being on the planet to become Aurian." He said. "What do you think?"

"If I say no, will the driver dump me here?" I asked. The man chuckled on the screen.

"Of course not, not that'll matter in a few minutes. I now your family has a Test, well, my organization has a Test of it's own. Don't worry about it if you don't pass." He said. With that, he hung up. I turned to the driver.

"So, what's this test?" I asked.

"It'll be obvious," was all he said. We sat in traffic a little while longer until there was an obvious commotion up ahead. I looked to the driver and he nodded. I opened the door and ran, weaving between the cars. My familiar was agitated, restless as he clung to me.

I came to the beginning of the traffic where I was stopped until I was somehow recognized by a police officer and let through. I saw what was making the commotion, a demonic looking thing scurrying around on six legs. It was about the size of my familiar, but seemed to be a little faster. It spotted at me and lept, but was stopped by a black streak of fur. My martin and the demon fell apart, but my martin didn't get up.

I got angry, letting the emotion flow through my arm as I created a fireball. The demon saw me and lept. I swiped my unflaming hand in an arc, creating a barrier of clear Aura, shielding myself from the demon, and then unleashing the fireball full force into the demon, knocking it back. I followed it up by forming the shield into a blade of air, cutting through the demon. It fell to the ground in two pieces, then dissolved in a wisp of greasy black smoke.

///////////////////Recruitment Report: Jordon Nightbeast//////

Jordon came running through the crowd and cars, getting past the barricade without much trouble. The driver had urged him to go see what was the hold up.

He saw the demon as it lunged at him, but the animal on his shoulder jumped and blocked the demon. In a flash, Jordon was holding a fireball, startling some of the Commons, or the Non-Aurians, and the demon had jumped. It was stopped in midair and flung against the rubble of a wrecked bus. A fireball hit it squarely, and as it jumped again, it was cut in two.

The kid seemed unphased by what happened.

///////////End of Recruitment Report: Jordon Nightbeast//////

Jordon was scared, nervous, and completely unsure of himself. He carefully weaved through the cars, trying to figure out what was happening. An Other agent got him through the barricade, to begin the Other's Test. He was attacked by the demon that had caused the bus wreck, but his martin familiar stopped the demon from reaching his Bonder, but didn't get back up as the demon jumped away from him.

Jordon was suddenly holding a fireball, his anger fueling the flame. The demon was slammed against the wrecked bus and hit with a fireball. It tried to attack again, but it was too injured and then it was suddenly in two pieces. Then Demonsmoke signified the returning of the demon to the Hael Realm.

As the Plane Lands

I stepped out of the airport, the cool air rushing into the building, and I unzipped my bag to let the martin out. He sat on my shoulder, his tail wrapped around my neck. I looked around to find a bus or something to the Academy, but instead, I saw a sign that read "Nightbeast." I didn't think I had any siblings, but then again, with the test.

I approached the driver, who saw me and looked surprised. I said hello in greeting.

"You are Jordon Nightbeast?" He asked, and I nodded. "Get in quick." He motioned to the car next to him, a feat of engineering, even by today's standards. A completely jet black car that looked like it was designed for speed and comfort, small enough to just fit two people inside. I slid in the passenger seat, pulling the door down, as the driver walked around the front. He took a quick look around and got in, starting the car. It only emitted a slight hum, but pulled out quickly. As we drew into slow moving traffic, which seemed to agitate the driver, my watch suddenly beeped.

Opening the watch, it displayed a holographic cube that unfolded into six screens. A dark figure appeared on the vidphone screen.

"Hello Jordon,"

///////////////////////Observation Report #2//////////////////

Subject: Jordon Nightbeast

Date: 2nd Violetwind

Jordon was coming out of the airport and looked around for a ride to the Academy, as expected. Unexpectedly, he found a person looking for a Nightbeast, and went into the car with him. Here's the problem:

The driver is with the others.

Jordon is in trouble.

//////////////End of Observation Report #2///////////////////

Jordon nervously walked outside, remembering to let his familiar out. The martin quickly took up a seat on his Bonder's shoulder. Feeling a little anxious, Jordon looked for a ride, anything that'd get him to the Academy.

He was surprised when he saw the man holding a sign that read "Nightbeast." Unknown to Jordon, the driver was a member of the Others, the Fallen Ones. They were working to awaken the Daegels, the Higher Demons who would bring about the destruction of the world.

Jordon got in the car, no other options open to him. The Others had made sure of that, causing the bus that was coming to crash. It had caused a major back up of traffic that Jordon was going to get caught in to give the Others' boss time to talk to the young Nightbeast.

Too bad for the driver, he doesn't like traffic.

The First Day

I was waiting in line at the airport, trying to make it to the plane before take off. I was scared to go to the Academy, but I was ready. That much was proven last summer when my family Tested me.

My name is Jordon Nightbeast, of the Beast Clan. The Test that the Nightbeast put me through was tough, but it proved I belonged with them.

It was nothing personal, my father was head of the Nightbeast's testing crew. Each child is put through the Test, the way the Beast Clan assigns familiars. Well, for the Beast Clan, assign is the wrong word. Let me explain, we're sent to the familiar realm and if we don't come back, then we don't pass, simple as that. We're monitored through the watch that is completely personalized and tricked out with anything we need, technology wise, including full internet access.

My familiar, a small martin with black fur, was curled up in my backpack. He had found me almost immediately, running into my camp trying to escape from an eagle. The eagle flew on, but he had already found the food hidden in my tent and later seemed content to stay with me. It only occurred to me to try to bond after a day of traveling and he kept following me, and finding that it worked, made my way home.

Oh, look, the line moved.

///////////////////Observation Report #1//////////
Subject: Jordon Nightbeast

Date: 2nd Violetwind

He's just standing in line, waiting. Kinda boring actually, watching him. Why do I have to do this?

//////////////////End of Observation Report #1///

He was standing in line, obviously waiting for the plane to land. His initials were on his bag, JN, which stood for Jordon Nightbeast. He was reminiscing about how he met his familiar, the martin nestled in the bag.

Jordon was part of the Beast Clan, who seemed to have more respect and ties with their familiars. They sent their children into the familiar realm, instead of the other clans' method of opening the door and the first thing that came through was the waiting child's familiar. For a child in the Beast Clan, if he or she doesn't find his or her familiar, then they are no longer a member of the Beast Clan and sent to be adopted by one of the other clans.

Jordon had done exceptionally during his test, finding the martin right away. It took him a few days, however, to catch on that the little black-furred martin was his familiar.

He progressed further in the line.