It had been a decade since he had set foot in the City of Pearl. Almost a week and half ago, Theo surveyed the city from above as he stood upon the balcony of his bed chambers. The Earth Realm was much different than the sights he was blessed with now as he and the Elite Guard ran in their wolf forms. A couple days ago, they had departed from Pearl to the Elvish village of Silverd at the request of his father.
His father wasn't even surprised to see him and the Elite Guard when they showed up three weeks ago. He left Cayden as acting High Alpha in the Earth Realm since Ash had no desire to lead. Cayden already protected the border every day and led his border patrol team with finesse. He was the right fit and his team could run the pact without any difficulty. In fact, his father commended him for his successor in the Earth Realm, which confused him since he was certain he would be traveling back there. Instead, his father filled him and the Elite Guard that darkness was falling into place and they were needed at Silverd where the prophecy would become reality. Once they reached Silverd, his father requested that he send word if the truth of prophecy was indeed taking place and he would send half of his warrior army to assist.
The threat of night forces him to alert the Elite Guard would be staying at Woebegone Inn in the enclosed village of Delsni. He knew Delsni would have Elvish weaponry and goods. They needed to stock up on resources so tonight would be spent within Delsni.
As they stopped a little ways from the gated entrance, he and Aiden shifted first to take the packs off of their other's back before they too shifted back. They all quickly changed into garments before heading to the entrance and without having to say a word the gates opened to the shocked faces of the Elvish guards arming the gate.
“I did not believe the gossip that the crowned prince of the Lycans had returned!” a familiar voice crowed. Theo smirked, recognizing the guard. “Deciding to grace Tempest with your presence. You are too kind!”
“Aaron!” Amos roared, pushing Aiden out of the way. “You fucking bastard!”
The red haired bearded elf burst out laughing as the two brutish beast of men embraced, thumping their backs before Aaron playfully shoved Amos aside to put up his fists ready to box him.
“Interesting dialect,” Aaron said, throwing a punch that Amos blocked easily. “Earth Realm terminology is a bit daunting, but we have had enough practice with the ones that have come through here. I still know that is an insult!”
Amos chuckled. “The meaning of bastard never changed. I should teach you such words as--"
“Enough, enough,” Aiden grumbled, pushing his brother aside. “Have your bromance in private,” he chuckled when Aaron immediately embraced him. “It's good to see you too. Is Stoneham still around? I hear you elves have made strides on perfecting the products you’ve been peddling.”
“It is still around the corner,” Aaron grunted and jerked his head up the street. “You will find what you need there.”
Aiden nodded and headed into the village. Some of the Elite Guard followed suit, greeting Aaron as they passed by.
“Perhaps, care to enlighten me with your wisdom to address your dear brother?” Aaron chuckled, elbowing Amos and eyeing Theo.
Both Theo and Amos exchanged looks before smirking.
“We call him ‘little shit’ often,” Theo offers.
“Is that even derogatory?”
Amos chuckled at Aaron's confusion. “It means a bowel movement.”
Aaron's eyes lit up. Theo shook his head at their antics. Aaron visited the City of Pearl regularly to sell Elvish weaponry and it was a riot at the taverns when he was there. Leaving Amos and Aaron to their banter, Theo followed his men further into the village.
Delsni hadn't changed and Theo couldn't help but be satisfied by that. In the Earth Realm, it changed regularly and what they termed as modernize. He refused to follow trend with the estate and pact village. He wanted to preserve the essence of the Tempest Elysium with necessary modern technology to defend against Earth Realm warfare.
Curious, he decided to join Aiden and some of the others in Stoneham. After being regaled by the new merchandise, Theo purchased an Elvish hybrid armor, which enchanted his clothes to stay intact when shifting and the armor morphed it's shape whether he was in human form, wolf or lycan or celestial form or hybrid forms.
The armor was crafted by blacksmiths in The Great Willow Tree and made from metal mined by dwarfs in the Silver Star Mountains. There were enchanted gems and crystals from the Crystalline Forest that cloaked the wearer from view and projected out a shield of energy. The shield lasted as long as the wearer’s mental endurance could hold out. For lycan warriors, it would be a piece of cake.
Before he departed, Theo was quickly persuaded to put the armor on by the shop owner, Deacon, and found it fit him perfectly. The other customers looked on in complete awe as Theo demonstrated the claims this armor’s authenticity.
First, he projected the shield against Amos, who finally walked in and was ready to tell him off until his eyes took in the armor. Theo shifted into his lycan form, staying upright as his body changed into wolfish features. He looked down at his massive body usually covered in white fur, but instead, the armor fit over his arms, torso, and legs to his great satisfaction. He moved about, swiping his large claws and there was no interference.
He shifted into his white wolf form clad in armor suited for this form, circling the floor testing the the flexibility. He transitioned into his wolf hybrid form before immediately shifted into his lycan hybrid form while leaping in the air which caused a chorus of gasps. He flexed his wings, causing them to flail out and he appreciated the metal lining the top of his wings and over the back. Pacing a moment back and forth, he decided it might be best to shift into his Celestial form to test out the armor fully.
It had been awhile since he had and remembered Greer's words and instructions. Theo hoped the shift would go well. Soon, the entire shop was bathed in a burst of glowing white light. Once again, a chorus of gasps escaped as the glow faded a bit to an aura of light surrounding his body. His wings were huge and he tested them as they flared out. Feathers twitched beneath the metal armor and he scanned his body admiring the artistry of it. Finally, he shifted into his human form and nodded his head, clearly impressed by the results.
“This is perfect,” he told Deacon, who smirked with a knowing look upon his face.
Theo glanced around, noticing the pairs of eyes still upon him. Many apparently had forgotten that he was half Celestial… even his men who were looking at him in awe. He couldn't fault his men though. He rarely shifted into his purely Celestial form. The closest was his hybrid wolf with wings. He had only tried his lycan Celestial hybrid form when he was younger, but he never felt he needed that extreme form.
“I knew it!” Deacon drew his attention. “It just had to be true! Your eyes are like theirs – the Celestials.”
Theo watched the shopkeeper rush to the back and grabbed a dusty chest. The elf opened it and revealed a dagger made of iridescent crystal blade and a handle. He beckoned Theo over and he complied, eyeing the dagger in fascination.
“It is a Celestial sword,” Deacon said. “Only those with Celestial blood in their veins can wield it.”
That was a sword? Theo reached down to touch the weapon. It seemed more like a dagger, but as he grabbed the handle, Deacon let out a sigh of relief. Theo eyed Deacon with one eyebrow arched at his reaction to him handling the dagger.
“By now, everyone gets burned,” the shopkeeper explained. “There are words on the side of the blade. You must speak them to activate the sword?”
“Activate?” Amos grumbled uncertainty.
Theo glanced at him then shrugged. He inspected the words engraved in the crystal.
“Unlock the doors of truth and I shall be a beacon,” he murmured.
The crystal blade grew and the handle thickened in his hand. Wide eyed, Theo gaped at the sword in surprise. Well, that was unexpected, he thought as he gazed at the sword in fascination. It had an iridescent glow, pulsing in ripples of it. He wondered what it was truly capable of. He felt the uncomfortable burn of eyes upon him. He surveyed the shop, gauging the other customers' expressions. All were shocked as well even Aiden remained quiet with his mouth dropped open. Theo took a deep breath and glanced over at Deacon.
“How much?”
Deacon put his hands up. “Celestial weaponry is not sold, Theo. The weapon is fated to a specific owner and that sword was destined to be yours.”
Theo nodded, pretending he understood the meaning of it. Deacon pointed to the scabbard with a holster fit for a dagger in the chest. The moment Theo touched the scabbard, the sword shrunk to its original size. Convenient, he thought, as he sheathed the dagger into the scabbard.
Glancing at his men, Theo eyed them. “Are you updating your stuff or not?”
Then there was absolute chaos as his men requested for armor and weapons. Theo turned to leave the shop and locked unto Amos's eyes. Although, he didn't say anything, Amos just fixed him with a knowing look.
“I always told you to study at their temples,” Amos finally said. “I told you to seek them out and--"
“Don’t.”
Amos blocked his way. “Don’t run away from who you are.” Theo growled, pushing by him, but Amos grabbed him. “It's your destiny. Your heritage.”
Projecting a shield of energy, Theo watched his beta stumbled back. They leveled each other with a glare before Theo continued out the door only to stop as a hooded and cloaked figure stood by the alleyway, just watching him. Distracted by laughter and a shout down the street, he turned to the small group of people walking by. By the time they passed by, the figure was gone.