A/N: I'd like to say thank you to the reviewers, though I do wish I can respond to the anon reviews, (Pandahil383 [side note, when you reviewed for chapter 2, I was just about to update on chapter 3!], manouchan, Stellar Lux, KalasFiction, and Androgynous-Heron) , the people who've placed this fic in their favourites list (Androgynous-Heron, GlassWings163, Pana-sule, Yeria, manouchan, and pan94), and lastly, the people who've added this little fic to their alerts list (Acriym, Androgynous-Heron, CansIHasYaoi, DarkAbyss1, Ginftw, GlassWings 163, KalasFiction, KrazyxLove, KristaLyn, Soranie, Stellar Lux, and TSoL iNSaNITY). You guys are wonderful people who encourage me to write on, and I shall write on! /throws some sparkles and love to you all

8D Please enjoy chapter 2 of Metamorphose!


"It's not every day that we get people stopping by Leronde!" Leia cheerfully thumped her hand over her chest, looking proud of herself. "Feel free to ask for anything you want! We want to make this the best stay you've ever had in Rashugal!"

"You mean you want to make it the best stay," Jude chuckled at his best friend's shameless promotion of her family inn. The poor traveller to his right almost had an air of confusion surrounding him, if not for the fact that he was an expressionless one, and the boy somewhat sympathized him. After all, coming to an island like Leronde and expecting some peace and quiet… isn't quite available when Leia was around. Jude somehow had an inkling of suspicion that she was just trying her best to liven things up, though by the looks of it, she hadn't much success since not many people would bother travelling to the boonies like their place anyway.

The tall, dark and oddly charismatic traveller then cleared his throat, lips twitching, instantly trying to take rein of the conversation. "Thank you—"

"Just call me Leia!" she brightly proclaimed, winking. Then, gesturing to Jude (who looked very much as though he didn't want any part of it), she added, "He's Jude Mathis, the son of Dr. Mathis. His family runs the best clinic in town—well," she scratched her cheek, grinning wider, "Technically it's the only clinic in town, much like this is the only inn in town, but hey! Who cares, right? We both offer good services! If you ever need something patched up, you can count on his dad to make you better again."

"I've had the pleasure of making acquaintances with him earlier," the traveller soundly murmured, crossing his arms over his chest. Yup, Jude could definitely see that this man was definitely one who was hard to amuse. Or even impress. "He was the one who found me at Leronde Seahaven."

That made Leia gasp loudly in both mock hurt and disappointment as her voice raised in octaves. As much as Jude didn't want any drama for today, he knew he could count on her to make things even more scandalous than usual. "Jude! Why didn't you invite me along to the seahaven!? I could've skipped out on mom's training…!"

"Because you can't and shouldn't skip Master Sonia's training, that's why," the other dryly pointed out, shaking his head. Deciding that it was best to ignore her for the time being and attend to his newfound acquaintance, Jude shot a small smile at the man and gestured at the inn's lounge area in a wide sweep. "Well, this is the inn and that's the food vendor if you're feeling hungry after your long journey. I'd stay and show you around Leronde but…" he shyly avoided the traveller's probing eyes and shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant about it, "There really isn't anything interesting around here."

"Heeeey, don't ignore me!"

And unfortunately, Leia was openly left out of the conversation as the man curtly nodded, holding out his hand. "You have my gratitude. I'm Arst." He paused, cleared his throat once, and resumed. "Arst Outway."

It took Jude only a few seconds to stare at the outstretched gloved hand before he automatically responded with a firm handshake—or as firmly as he could have managed, considering that Arst was the one who had the tighter grip. "Nice to meet you then, Arst."


Meta:Mor:Phose
Chapter 2: I'm Not a Bad Boy


"You're the King of Auj Oule…?" Jude's voice was only a notch above an awed whisper.

At Arst—no, Gaius' slight inclination of his head, Jude suddenly found that the thing about him being a mysterious traveller made sense. A fabricated background, a family that no one could seem to confirm its existence, and a playboy persona that didn't quite suit his regal demeanour, everything fitted together perfectly. Two months ago, when Arst first came into his life, he never did pause once to question about what the man was up to. 'Searching for something' was what he heard, but obviously by now, he found whatever that he was looking for, which led to this little situation of theirs.

And then there were other things didn't quite make any sense to him anymore. Why was Gaius checking up on him? What did the man mean by saying that he came for Jude? Why was the King of Auj Oule suddenly interested in him? And why would the King of Auj Oule himself risk his own safety for Rashugal when he was only supposed to take care of his own nation?

Those were the new questions that floated inside Jude's calculative mind but he couldn't hold the answers to them.

Not yet, at least.

Rowen ushered for Jude to take a seat on the bed and the boy was grateful for the Conductor's graciousness. He was starting to feel a bit lightheaded from all of the surprising information, though from the looks of it, there was definitely more to come. Gaius stood in the middle of the room, uninterested in sitting on the chair that Rowen proffered, and the seat was left empty since Rowen, too, chose to stand in order to respect the one whom Auj Oule's denizens called as the Dawn King.

"Are you all right so far?" Rowen asked concernedly, knitting his brows together. "I take it that it's quite a surprise to find out that a friend of yours is an emperor in disguise…"

Jude tried his best not to fidget in front of the old man. "Yeah, everything's still trying to sink in," he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. It seemed as though he was indeed too much of an open book for anyone to read, that or the Conductor was a good mind reader. He suspected the latter was more accurate though. "But to be honest, I did have my suspicions about Ar—I mean His Majesty Gaius," he paled when he could feel Gaius' eyes trained on him fervently, hoping that the king wouldn't smite him for mixing up on the names; "Because it was weird that a rich playboy son would go travelling for some strange reasons. Leronde, out of all places in Rashugal. Leia said it was right out of a fairytale," he laughed slightly, "So I guess she could've never seen this one coming."

Rowen chuckled fondly at Jude's explanation, casting a long glance at the king. "Yes, it does rouse some suspicion to a keen person like Jude, don't you agree, Your Majesty?"

Gaius simply opted to keep silent, though now that Jude knew of his status as a ruler, he was acutely aware that he should take care not to irk the king too much. If not, it could be the death of him. Trying to help move the conversation along safer lines, the boy vied for a different topic in hopes of bringing his distressed mind more answers. "Um… Your Majesty," he began cautiously, the words rolling off his tongue faster than his mind could catch up; "What exactly did you mean by what you said earlier? I don't really get what's going on…"

It was then Rowen cleared his throat, looking elsewhere, and Gaius raised an eyebrow.

A heavy silence blanketed the room.

'If this is the part where I die for being insolent towards the king, I sure hope Maxwell can reincarnate me into a good spirit,' Jude's heart swiftly uttered a few prayers in lieu of what was to come. A few seconds passed in even heavier silence, with Rowen immobile and Gaius soundless. Adding in three more seconds, the boy pondered if he, too, became as dramatic as Leia was, and promptly decided that her theatrical influence was contagious through prolonged exposure.

Naturally, it was the king who first broke through the stillness of the night, effectively kicking Jude out of his inner monologue. "I want you to come with me, Jude," was his explanation. Jude's eyes widened to saucers and his jaw fell slack as he fumbled for the right words inside his head, but Gaius wasn't one who would wait for others. "At first, I would have left you alone here in Leronde so that you would lead a normal life," he went on, much to Jude's not quite relief at the extended justification, "But that option isn't viable any longer. If I leave you be, then there is no telling what could happen to you without my watch."

Jude only blinked owlishly, stunned.

Now who was being dramatic again?

"What he is saying is that you aren't safe here anymore, Jude," Rowen kindly paraphrased, a grim look settling on the lines of his face. "There are people who want you and they will stop at nothing until they have you within their grasp. Of course," he tried to give a reassuring smile to Jude, who was staring at the two of them blankly by now, "We will take good care of you so that no harm will befall you, or even your family members. With you separated from your mother and father, you can successfully divert your enemy's attention from kidnapping them to be used as bargain for your submission."

The boy's mind was working in overdrive by now. Tricky statements weren't exactly the easiest to make sense from, but he had no other choice but to try. What the Conductor was trying to explain was true, but it still didn't explain one thing. A finger pressed to his temple, Jude soon found himself in the same position whenever he tried to solve a difficult question that required almost all of his metacognitive skills. An incoming headache was certainly unavoidable tomorrow, at this rate.

"… what exactly do they want from me anyway?" Jude questioned, frowning at the sudden predicament he found himself sitting in. "I kind of understand that I'm in some sort of great danger, but I don't see why anyone would want me. It's not like I have some sort of government secret with me."

Wrong choice of words seemed to be Jude's only winning factor for tonight.

The heavy sound of booted footsteps reverberated in the room as Gaius moved towards Jude, a scowl suddenly shadowing his features. It almost scared Jude for a moment there when he took the moment to analyze the feral glint in the king's eyes, which spoke of a great deal of things that Jude certainly wasn't aware of, and he almost regretted letting those words leave his lips. After all, what a countryside bumpkin like him would know about royal conflicts and top-secret paperwork that the militaries passed around anyway? It reflected badly on his disposition but he had no time to dwell on that fact when he felt strong fingers firmly gripping his chin.

Forced to look upwards, Jude locked gazes with the King of Auj Oule.

"That is where you are wrong," he eloquently uttered, looking at Jude almost condescendingly. The former attitude of Arst the playboy was long gone, Jude belatedly realized, and it was forever replaced by the stately egotism that only a ruler like Gaius could manage. "There are certain details that I cannot divulge to you, and it is in your best interest not to know about them as well. Your curiosity will certainly get the better of you if you try to go further than what you should do," Gaius warned severely, as though challenging Jude to go against his words.

As if sensing the terseness of the circumstances, Rowen quickly tried to douse out the fire with some water. "What His Majesty said is entirely correct, Jude," he amicably agreed, smoothening out his beard once more. "We don't expect you to believe us right away, although it would be frightfully convenient for us if you were to accept this as soon as possible—by tomorrow morning, at the very least," Rowen mumbled with a sigh. "I do not wish to inconvenience you any further, but we do have reasons of our own for doing this to you. As you can tell, we simply cannot let you fall into other hands but we can't tell you why either."

"And for that reason itself," Gaius' voice was deep and menacing as he looked into Jude's eyes, "We must take you away."

The lasts of the king's words faded off into the hushed peacefulness of the night.

Jude's head slowly drooped and Gaius' grip on his chin lessened, bit by bit, until there was a brief ghost of his fingers grazing across Jude's cheek when he pulled his gloved hand away. Even though both Rowen and the king himself meant well, Jude's mind was already harried with such big news that he was actually an important figure, for obscured reasons, and his life was in danger. Why wouldn't they tell him? He was the one in danger so he should at least have some idea of what sort of peril he was in, right? If they wanted answers from Jude by tomorrow morning itself, then he suspected that they wouldn't have much luck since his shift starts early the very next day… so at best, he only had tonight to mull over it.

'Come on, you can do this… pull yourself together.'

Ellen always prided him as a quick thinker, someone who could whip up an (almost) accurate diagnosis and good decisions whenever the situation called for it, and this situation in hand certainly needed one of his quick decision-making skills.

But what was right and what was wrong?

It didn't help that Rowen's words haunted him. The situation in Leronde wouldn't look too good in the future if he chose to stay. What if he was right and there were people—his parents, Leia, her parents—who could be used as bait to lure him into surrendering himself? Just because he doubted what the king and his advisor said, all of them would have to suffer because of him. Then what would he do? Cry over spilt milk? On the other hand, there was also the possibility that Rowen and Gaius were both wrong, and Jude was just another boy in Leronde after all. Supposedly if it were true, what would he do here then? Serve as the nurse to his family clinic for as long as he lived? And then what? Marry one of the girls here? Marry Leia? And never become a doctor like his father?

Those thoughts didn't sit with him too well.

Within seconds, Jude knew that his heart had already made a decision that his logical mind couldn't agree with.

And his lips moved on their own accord.

"… take me with you."


"Meet us outside your house as soon as you are done packing your basic necessities," were Rowen's words before Jude darted home in a flurry, not wanting to be caught by either Leia or his parents.

His hands deftly moved, picking up some clothes that he knew he could reuse on a journey, tossing some medical journals and books into a bag, packing provisions in case anything were to go awry. Despite feeling the heavy guilt weighing down his heart, Jude knew that he shouldn't waste any more time than this. Not wanting to be scolded by Gaius for being late was one thing, not wanting to leave without saying farewell was another. A pang of loneliness hit his heart at the thought of leaving Leia hanging without a single word, Ellen crestfallen and Derrick disillusioned, but his lips couldn't say those words to them. How exactly should he phrase that he was leaving to keep them safe from enemies that he wasn't aware of until today? And what could guarantee that if he told either of them of where he was going—not that he had the slightest inkling of where—that Leia wouldn't come after him?

It was his only choice to keep all of them safe here in Leronde, wasn't it?

Moving about as quickly as possible in his room, Jude chucked in some important documents if he needed to establish details about himself. Finally cramming everything inside his bag, Jude hoisted it over his shoulder and tried to exit his room, but not before taking one last good look at it. Some of his clothes were still peeking out of the closet, and most of his papers were already cleared away from his study desk, but the longing feeling inside his heart ached to be released. Nevertheless, a promise was a promise. He vowed to protect everyone dear to him, and chose to follow Gaius to safety instead.

Jude Mathis simply had no alternatives left.

Shutting the door behind him, he dashed down the stairs and left his house, locking the doors behind him once more. In the distance, he could see both Rowen and the king waiting for him under a street lamp, a relieved look visibly evident on the elderly's face, and the same detached expression on Gaius'. If before this, his parents were the one taking care of him, now, it was the two of them who would change Jude's life. A tremendous progress from bumbling teenage years into appalling adulthood, and Jude was well aware of it.

"Are you ready to leave, Jude?" Rowen checked up with him, peering at his face closely.

Tossing a discreet look at his bag over his shoulders, Jude hoped to Maxwell that he didn't forget anything important before nodding. "I think so. I took some books, clothes, and documents along, so I hope they're enough."

Rowen nodded curtly. "Good then."

"Where are we going?"

"Off to the seahaven, our private ship's already waiting for us. From here, we will go directly to Xian Du, where we'll have to do a bit of hiking to reach Kanbalar, where the castle is. Our main priority is getting you there safe without harm, though be rest assured that you'll be fine because Gaius is a fine fighter."

Jude nearly vibrated out of his skin when the full brunt of the situation finally hit him when he heard the word castle. The castle. That man to his left was a king, and he owned it. The man to his right was Conductor Ilbert, advising the king on his course of actions. And Jude himself, the typical Leronde denizen, was about to embark on an adventure without telling anyone else about it. Just within ten more minutes itself, his whole life would be turned upside down and he would never be the same again.

Without waiting for their conversation to finish or even waxing sentimental for Jude's sake, Gaius walked ahead, already traipsing down the cobblestone pathway as the chilly midnight breeze blew hard. Strands of his long, black hair floated in the air, a gentle glow to his strong personality, and Jude found himself staring in a transfixed manner at the man's broad back, lost in his own thoughts. This was the King of Auj Oule, who came all the way from another territory to take him away for his own safety. This man, along with his advisor, knew more things about himself than he ever did in fifteen years of his life.

What would become of him in ten years time, if he were still alive, having learned of those sinister secrets?

Would he still be the same in the end?

It was yet another question that Jude couldn't answer for now.

For some inexplicable reasons, Gaius then stopped in his tracks, turning around to look at him. His crimson eyes looked at Jude from underneath shadowy bangs, full of clandestine intentions that the boy couldn't possibly read unlike before. Arst Outway and King Gaius seemed like two different people now, of split personalities and doppelgangers, and Jude inhaled sharply when he held Gaius' stare, refusing to back down.

His thin lips parted and a glint of white teeth was visible.

"You will follow me, Jude."

「つづく」to be continued…


Next time on Meta:Mor:Phose

"You don't have to worry if I need to fight back," he voiced up, frowning delicately at the older man. "I have combat skills, so I can—"

Without even waiting for Jude to finish his sentence, the man swiftly grabbed Jude's shoulder and spun him around, causing the boy to stumble in his tracks as the world swirled in blurred colours before his eyes. His skin prickled when a large hand grabbed both of his wrists tightly and twisted them behind his waist, putting Jude into an uncomfortable position that certainly had him writhing in the middle of the lobby. "H-hey—!"

Obviously unaffected, Gaius' only response was to tighten his hold on both of Jude's wrists singlehandedly, jerking the boy closer until his back pressed against the older man's chest. Jude continued squirming in the position helplessly even as the king leaned downwards, uttering a derisive statement into his ear: "What if your apprehenders are bigger, much stronger than you are? What will you do, Jude?"