"Casper?"
Berry could not believe his eyes, his hands slowly loosened from Casper's body as he moved back.
The dragon guards stood frozen in the spot, their eyes widening to the size of saucers, they also backed away, not fully comprehending what they were seeing.
"W...what happened?", His voice was strained an hoarse from all the growling and roaring, the once rage filled eyes now replaced with the warmth and optimism Berry knew.
"Casper….you're normal" Berry choked out, he blinked away the blur in his eyes and looked once more at his friend.
Casper looked down at his own hands, the once bulging veins now gone, his head felt light but a stinging pain lingered at the back. He felt like he had woken up from a trance, still trying to steady his mind.
Berry was perplexed, it was a known fact, once a Rune went feral, they were immediately killed, they could not be saved.
Doctors, witches, healers, all of them had tried to revert feral Runes but to no avail, they were deemed a *hopeless cause*.
But this changes everything
Berry slowly reached out his soft fingers, coming in contact with Casper's face just lightly, trying to understand if this was truly reality.
Casper himself was trying to understand what was going on, his mind was a haze, he looked up and took note of the dragon guards that looked at him like he had four heads, they all backed away slightly as his eyes came in contact with theirs.
Berry was about to say something more but then he felt a strange presence, an unusual aura.
The air itself seemed to shift, his body becoming stiff and rigid and his breath becoming heavier.
He was afraid
Beads of sweat dripped down his head, a shiver going down his spine, he felt the presence behind him, he wanted to turn around and see what or who it was but he was too stiff to move.
"Your majesty, this is him! The rune, h-he went feral and t-then he just turned back to normal and…I…" The guard was too shocked to finish, he was trying to find the words to explain what happened but he found himself stuttering.
Did he just say Your Majesty?, Berry thought.
He swallowed nervously, someone else had definitely entered this room, changing the atmosphere.
He gripped his clothes, still too afraid to look back.
"That's impossible!"
Berry flinched under the resounding voice, it carried strength and power and it was a bit familiar.
*That man, from the evaluation process*, He identified the man from his voice but still…there was a presence he had never felt before, it was someone else.
Casper let out a loud cry as he gripped his head, fingers digging into his scalp.
A wave of panic washed through Berry once more as he witnessed his friend turning back into the same savage beast.
He wanted to reach out and touch him again when suddenly a dart flew in from nowhere, it's sharp edge piercing Casper and in an instant he dropped to the floor, unmoving.
Berry felt the panic rise within his chest, it happened so fast he had no time to even think, he wanted to touch Casper, or remove the dart but then a deep voice spoke behind him.
"Take the Feral one away and take the other to his room"
The command was simple but carried so much authority, leaving no room for objections.
The guards picked Casper up and began carrying him out of the room, Berry tried to speak up but he felt a rush of fear, as if he would face dire consequences if he did.
One of the guards yanked him up to, he let him, not even bothering to fight, just letting out quiet whimpers and hoping that Casper would be okay.
They wouldn't kill him, he…he's changed everything, right?
The guard began to pull Berry out of the room, his head was hung low, exhausted and deep in thought.
Then he passed the stranger, the aura making him go rigid, he swallowed his fear and raised his head, eyes zeroing in the dragon before him.
Him!
If Berry didn't know anything about dragons, he would at least know the man.
The shape of his horns aka his symbol of authority was plastered on every banner, stamp or crest.
His name was on every tongue, human, rune and dragons alike.
He was the most feared person amongst all the species, some of the humans even worshiped him as a god. And the dragons treated him as such.
King Caelum
This was Berry's first time seeing him up close, he was nothing like the books. His eyes were crystal like, holding the patterns of the stars in them.
His hair was long and wavy, draping over his shoulders and falling down to his waist in silky smooth, deep purple strands with silver highlights.
His skin was pale, like he didn't have any blood flowing through it. He was tall and built, towering over everyone.
Even in dressed in the coat, one could see that he was jacked and fit. He was simply perfect, beautiful and hot at the same time.
Berry stared at him until he was pulled out of the room, even the dragon's eyes never left the pink doll-like boy, a flicker of intrigue within them.
Berry was placed back in his room and the door was shut, he knew he would not be getting out soon and they might even resort to punishing him for his earlier actions.
He composed himself from the earlier daze of looking at King Caelum and focused more on the situation at hand.
He did not know what they were going to do to Casper and frankly, he had no way of finding out.
In that moment, he felt hopeless, all he could do was wait and so he did, he climbed on to his bed, sitting down and waiting for anything to happen.
The sounds of the machines could still be heard, the silence was deafening and it was as though it was all some crazy fever dream.
It was a bit dark outside and the air was cold, too cold for Berry.
His stomach growled, reminding him of his earlier hunger, his mind drifting to the fresh bread and Casper.
He remembered the pass and with nothing else to do he brought it out, holding it in his hands and examining it.
The neon green light reflected on his face, some serial numbers could be seen on the card alongside some incoherent draconian language.
After aimlessly examining it, he set it down on his bed, sighing in exhaustion, his body slumping down and hunching over.
There were only two things in his mind, Casper and the fearsome king.
The cold air made him shiver once more, he decided to lay down and get some sleep, maybe it would all be over when he woke up and Casper would be outside waiting for him to go get bread together.
He brought the covers over him and closed his eyes, it didn't take long before he drifted off to sleep.
It would all be over soon
.
.
.
"Wake up"
Berry's eyes shot open at the unexpected voice of a stranger, he was out of it for a second before he came face to face with the fearsome king, his eyes widened and his breath caught his throat as he clutched his blanket, almost trying to make himself seem smaller.
Caelum was standing over Berry, his large frame dwarfing the small bed.
He stared down at Berry in silence, seemingly observing him intently, making Berry seem a bit self conscious.
"Wake up" he repeated again, his voice deep and firm but oddly calming, he wasn't yelling, he just spoke in a relaxed manner, wearing an indifferent expression.
Berry slowly sat up at the command, unsure of what to do next, he took the initiative to stand up, wobbling slightly but regaining his posture.
I'm tired
Caelum looked at his fragile form, letting out a small noise that almost sounded like a chuckle before turning and walking out of the door.
Berry stood there confused, should he follow? Or wait?
He ultimately decided to follow after the King, walking faster behind him, trying to keep up.
Even though Caelum was taking normal steps to him, Berry had to basically jog to keep up with the man, he was moving to fast for him and the cold air was not helping either.
After a while of walking they came in contact with a big steel door, Caelum stopped and looked down at the smaller boy with an unreadable expression.
Berry felt his stomach drop for some reason, he did not feel very good and he took a small step away from the door, his breath a little shaky.
"W…what's this?" He asked softly.
"You have to say goodbye to your friend"