Before the world broke apart from the plate-tectonics to allow further evolution of its species, mankind had the same abilities. They were called shifters, for they adapted and shapeshifted according to the land that they resided on and can change to adapt to new surroundings. One can shape themselves into many forms, but when the breaking of the land split the Earth apart, the shifters became isolated by oceans, reducing their exposure to new environments and habitats, which inhibited their shifting skills. Soon, shifters could only shapeshift into one form lead by one Alpha per region.
The strongest of the shifters were the dragons, Zaa Clan. They had lost their Alpha for hundreds of years after hierarchy was established, creating a royal family. Each time the Zaa Alpha Star reveals itself in the night sky, the royal family will go on a hunt. Their goal, to kill off the new alpha so that their family will remain strong on the throne.
*
"I have returned, Empress." The lady in red greeted the Empress of the Zaa Clan.
"Did you find the Star?" the empress asked.
"No, but I found the man who is supposed to create it. I found the 'AJ' man that Shaman Shao prophesied! I even found his lover. Fortunately, they have not created the star yet. I even made sure to check the woman's body. She is barren."
"FOOL!" the Empress yelled. "It is NOT the man that we need, it is the woman! You are going to fail our family from the throne, Xui!" The Empress sulked, "Get rid of that man and go find the woman, NOW!" She shook her head in disbelief and continued to shout, "Just because she is barren doesn't mean anything when she has essence. ESSENCE! We must find her and annihilate her before… ugh… I can't believe this is happening, incompetent fool!"
(Essence is the supernatural power that is produced among the most powerful shifters, blood of Alphas.)
"Empress, you said to trade one soul for another and so I did what you said…" Xui said right before the queen shot a fireball out of her mouth straight at Xui, knocking her backwards. But with years of training and living with the Zaa Clan's royal family, Xui was prepared. She blocked the fireball, but the blast shifted her a foot backwards. She held her stance in place until she was sure there were no more attacks then she shook off the flames on her sleeves.
"Find Qing's remaining bloodline and kill them. We do NOT need to risk losing the throne to a mere star." The empress said as she brought her tone down to a calming whisper.
"Understood, Empress Bi." Xui backs away and leaves the throne room. Two armor men walk up to Xui, following her down the large rainbow corridors.
"General, what should we do about the captured man?" one of the men asked.
Xui halted in place, slightly turned her face left to the man who asked her the question and gave them an irritated scowl, "Go and find the woman." she commanded. The two men nodded, accepting their duties and branched away from Xui as she continued walking.
*
Years go by and the search for Qing's kin continues. The vicious Empress Bi has long passed her crown as empress to her daughter, Empress Bik. Under the new reign, the search for the star continues, but this time it wasn't to kill the star, but instead, to retrieve the star to help the dying Zaa Clan.
Empress Bi had killed off many Zaa people that many of them had left, abandoning the Zaa Clan and its people, and leaving them to live at the brink of extinction. Xui and her men are now more desperate than ever to find the star to lead the Zaa Clan as their first Alpha in more than a thousand years.
"Any news from London?" Xui asked one of her men.
"It's been plagued. A lot of humans died off and the civilization there is faulting. However, we found another man with the initials AJ. Shaman Shao claims that this man's star also stays close to the Zaa star, too close to be coincidental. Apparental, after further investigation, we found that he was married to a woman, Emily, but her whereabouts are unknown. We are assuming with the possibilities that it is Qing's daughter, Emily."
"Qing…how very funny that I never connected the dots. It is Qing as in Ching?" Xui chuckled, 'Qingyang you sly dog. Of course your name would be Ching amongst the pale skin people. Yah!" Xui shouted for her men nearby, "Find this Emily woman. I'm certain she is the one."
"But, General Xui, the man that we've captured, he claims the woman, Emily, has been dead from the plague for years now."
Xui gave the men a reproached glare as she raised her voice, "How could that be when the Alpha Star is still in the night sky?"
"General Xui, the man said she had a child."
"That's ridiculous…What? But she was barren… I confirmed it." Puzzled by the news Xui demanded to see the man they had captured. In the dungeons of the Zaa Palace, Xui approaches the dungeon cell in which they had placed the captured man.
"State your name." Xui demanded nonchalantly.
The man has been beaten bloody and is currently sitting on the bloodied stone floor. His wrists, ankles and neck were all bound by a heavy connected brass chain. "Nice seeing you again, red lady. It's been years, yet you looked like you've never aged."
"State your name." Xui demanded again, this time a little more sternness to her voice this time.
"I am Andrew Jaqueson." he sucked in a long gurgling snot and spat out a clot of blood.
"Who do you serve?" Xui demanded.
"No one. Just myself." Andrew said with a mischievous smirk.
"Where is Emily?" Xui asked again.
"I dumped that woman shortly after meeting you, my lovely."
"Ah, so you were the man on the horse. I see…" Xui said, relieved that she remembered him.
Andrew winked at Xui and gave her a devilish smile.
"Well, since you won't tell me where Emily is, maybe you will tell your master?"
"Red lady, I've told you already. I serve no one!"
"We will see about that." Xui turned to her side and yelled out, "Yah, Dog! Come, Dog! Come serve YOUR master." Loud pattering footsteps thumped down the dungeon staircase and resounded even louder as it entered the dungeon cells. A tall man stood in front of Xui in Zaa Army armor. "Get me answers." Xui barked at the man. She shoved him aside with her shoulder as left the dungeon.
The man stares at Andrew, "Oh, so you're going torture me too?" Andrew asked gleefully. "What a bloody party this is going to be. I haven't had this much fun since my hazing days as a squire entering the training grounds for knighthood." He laughed.
But the man says nothing, instead, he slowly removes his helmet. Andrew gasps at the sight of the man's face.
"Tell me again about how you abandoned my wife, who was carrying my child?" He asked Andrew.
"Mmmmy…my lord!" Andrew bowed his head as low as he could, struggling against the binding chain that gnaled into his flesh as he stretched. "It's not what you think. I took good care of them. I really did. Y..y..y…you even had a beautiful baby girl." Andrew dare not look up at Ansel's face again.
"Look at me when I'm speaking to you, dammit!" Ansel roared. "I did not come here to become someone's dog, for you to leave my wife and child for dead.
Andrew shot his gaze up at Ansel and couldn't help but notice the disfiguring burn scars that traveled from Ansel's face, down his neck that disappeared under his armor.
"But the black plague, sire. It took her. It took her. I couldn't do anything about it."
Ansel dropped to his knees, "No." he whispered, "I can't believe it. No, I won't believe it. My two loves…"
"But the child, sire. She was never found. She has been gone since your wife passed. The pendant is gone too. I assumed that maybe someone had taken her. I had been searching for her ever since. Please, my lord, please forgive me." Andrew begged.
"If Xui doesn't know where she is, then it's best I stay here, so that if she ever finds my daughter then I may save her. Like a father should. Tell me, what did Emily name our child?"
"My lord, she named her Emilia Sereen, but she had to take in my surname. It makes it easy for all of us while traveling. My lord, I can't even explain the level of suffering we all endured after your capture. I tried my best to take care of them, but the economy sank to the sewers and food became scarce. Then people discovered the rats… it was the rats that were spreading the plague and she…" Andrew began to sob. "I never forgave myself for my delay in visiting them. I was working to earn more to feed them, my lord. But by the time I got to their home and noticed the dried-out lavender flowers stacked up into a bundle by her door, I knew I was too late.
"Do you know where my Emilia is?" Ansel asked.
"It's Sereen. We call her Sereen, my lord. She has preferred that name from a very young age. She is very bright, my lord."
Ansel ponders for a moment then says, "My wife, Lady Emily Ching Sereen Latimer and my daughter, Emilia Sereen Joreston. My most cherished love."
"...and your daughter is still alive." Xui's voice echoed as she walked towards the cell again. "Tell me. How in the world was she able to conceive when I was the one who burned her womb?"
Ansel bowed his head and replied, "General, it was a family pendant. It was said to have great powers that protected the one who owned it. She had already conceived and by the time you found us. I'm sure it was the pendant that protected her." Ansel said.
"So you knew she was with child, yet you sacrificed yourself for them?"
"Yes, general."
"Why?"
"Their lives were always going to be greater than mine, General Xui."
"But your wife died… and you spent your life here, serving the Zaa Clan and its Empire, never knowing if your wife and child are even alive…"
"The Zaa Star is proof enough that they are well. I made a vow to myself that when that star disappears then I will end my life with it."
"Interesting." Xui's eyes stayed fixed on Ansel as she shouted for her men, "Yah! We go to the Shaman Shao and bring the prisoner along. Dog…" she whipped her attention back to Ansel, "Where we're going, you are the utmost important person along with that trash that serves you. We will see which one of you will lead me to Qing's kins." she leered at them with malicious intent.