Chapter 2

Lian stopped as a loud high pitched yowl reached his ears. He crept into a dark alley way. The sound came again. It came from the canal. "But I can't go to the canals."

A tall seamless stone wall separated the canal from the rest of the city. In the shadow of the wall three kids, two girls and a boy stood around a fox that was whimpering and growling. All three of them were both older and bigger than him. One of the girls kicked at the fox, "Take that!"

"I hope the fox lady sees this!" another kid yelled.

"Yeah! Maybe she'll prove she exists!"

All three of the kids laughed.

Lian walked towards them, "Hey. Stop that."

The kids turned to him. The boy stuck his tongue out at him, "What are you gonna do, Loser?"

"Yeah! They all say you're a god but you don't have any powers!"

"Maybe you're just a normal human like the rest of us."

"Imagine a human child of gods. That must be so embarrassing."

Lian didn't flinch at their jibes. He stopped between them and the fox, still as calm as ever, "Lucy isn't the one that created the fox. Mother did. It's her you're disrespecting by hurting it."

The kids laughed at him. "That's not what my mom said!"

"Yeah."

"Now get out of the way." One of the girls shoved Lian out of the way.

"Better yet, get lost!" the boy yelled.

Lian shoved the girl back. She stumbled away from the fox. Lian glared at them defiantly, "I said leave it alone!"

One of the girls leaned over him threateningly, "And I said get out of the way."

Lian held her gaze, "No."

The boy lifted his fist to hit Lian. Lian flinched. The boy laughed, "You flinched and all I did was raise my hand. You really are weak aren't you?!"

Lian lowered his gaze, "I'm not that weak." He glared at them again, "Leave the fox alone."

"You're a waste of time." The girl shoved him again and the boy caught him and twisted his arm behind his back.

Lian tried to wriggle free but stopped when the boy yanked his arm, "OW!" He watched helplessly as the two girls knelt down in front of the fox. One girl pulled a knife out of her boot.

Lian started trying to get free again. His voice started as a low growl but got progressively louder and more demanding, "I said stOP IT!" He pulled all of his weight forward. An odd warm tingling sensation spread through his body. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, and the boy rolled over him and landed on his back on the ground.

The two girls screamed, loud and high pitched. They scrambled to their feet, grabbed the boy, and ran.

Lian got to his feet and watched as a dragon composed entirely of water dropped down from the wall of the canal. It's eyes were simply glowing white orbs. Lian reached out to touch it and his hand passed into it's head. Lian stared at it, his eyes wide with wonder, "Did...I…? Make you?"

The dragon circled around him, leaving claw shaped puddles on the ground where it stepped. Something between a gurgle and a catlike purr came from it. Lian couldn't tell if it had a mouth. Most of it's form was defined only in the way in which the water moved.

Daria grabbed Lian and pulled him away from the creature, "Lian! Get away from that!"

Lian struggled against his brother. "It's not dangerous! I made it!" he protested.

The dragon growled angrily and crouched down to attack.

Daria shoved Lian behind him and ripped his swords out of their sheaths. His hands shook but he stood firm between the creature and his younger brother.

Lian took the opportunity and slid around Daria to stand between his brother and the creature, "I made it! It won't hurt anyone!"

Daria stared at him, horror and fear beginning to form on his face. His voice was a shaky whisper, "You couldn't have."

Seth'ius strode quickly around the corner. He stopped and assessed the situation, "Daria'lis. Get your brother out of here." His tone was grave.

"Father! Please don't hurt it! It didn't do anything!" Lian pulled away from his brother's reaching hands, "It just scared those kids away! It didn't hurt them!"

Seth'ius grabbed Lian and shoved him into Daria, "Get out of here."

"No!" Lian screamed. He struggled against his brother.

It was all Daria could do to hold onto Lian as he writhed and wriggled and thrashed.

"Father! Don't hurt it!"

Seth'ius ignored him.

The dragon snarled but stayed low and backed itself into the wall.

"Father! Please!"

"Lian! Stop struggling!" Daria ordered, "We have to get out of here! That's a water demon!"

Tears started to fall down Lian's cheeks, "It's not! I made it!"

Daria looked to their father for guidance.

"Keep him out of the way, Daria," Seth'ius calmly ordered.

Daria nodded, "Yes, Father." He wrestled Lian to the ground. He pinned his little brother on his stomach and held his left arm behind his back.

"Ow! Get off!" Lian cried. He tried to get free but only put himself in more pain.

Daria didn't move.

Seth'ius attacked the dragon. The dragon did not fight back. It attempted to get away but Seth'ius trapped it in a cage made of glowing white bars. The dragon whimpered.

"Father, leave it alone please!" Lian reached out towards his father and the dragon. The warm tingling feeling was fading as the dragon's form started to evaporate. The comfort and safety faded along with it. "I made it." Lian's voice cracked and he buried his face into his free arm.

The dragon started to snarl. It leaped at the bars of the cage, desperately trying to reach Lian. It didn't stop until enough water had evaporated off of it that it could no longer hold itself together. It collapsed into a large puddle that quickly evaporated in the light of the cage.

The cage slowly dissolved into particles of white light that faded before they touched the ground. Seth'ius walked up to the fox, "Let's put you out of your misery."

"Don't touch it, Seth'ius." Six trees rose from the ground in a circle. After a moment they fell back into the earth. Nissa calmly knelt down next to the fox. She replenished the creature's life force, bringing it back from the brink of death. The worst of it's wounds healed, but scars still remained.

Seth'ius scowled, "And what do you intend to do with that animal, Nissa?"

Nissa rose to her feet and turned to Seth'ius. She looked up at him. Pride and defiance were clear in her eyes but her face was otherwise clear. "Lian is going to look after it. He stood up for it. It is only fitting that he cares for it."

Seth'ius's eyes narrow angrily, "Why not just put it out of it's misery?"

Nissa ignored him and turned to Daria and Lian, "Daria, get off your brother."

Daria got to his feet. He took two large steps away from Lian and eyed him, hiding his fear to the best of his ability.

Lian didn't move except to pull his left arm under his head. He continued to cry.

Nissa knelt down in front of him and touched his head, "Lian, your need to get up."

Lian didn't stop crying but obediently climbed to his feet.

"If you can't keep that animal under control then it dies, just like that dragon," Seth'ius warned.

Nissa glared at Seth'ius, "Seth'ius. ENOUGH."

Seth'ius gave her a hard gaze but fell silent.

Daria stepped forward, "Mother, with all due respect, Lian isn't the most responsible of us."

Nissa got to her feet and wrapped her arm around Lian's shoulders. Lian buried his face into her long green dress. "That is no reason to threaten to kill something that would inevitably be important to him, Daria."

Daria nodded, "Yes, Mother. I understand."

Nissa sighed very quietly. She looked from Lian to the fox and back again. She knelt down in front of Lian, "Go with your brother. Your fox will be in your room when you return to the palace."

Lian nodded.

Nissa picked up the fox. She stopped next to Seth'ius before she left and quietly commanded, "Do not threaten him further, Seth'ius."

Seth'ius growled, "I do not take orders from you."

Nissa pressed her lips together and clenched her jaw. She left the same way she had arrived.

Seth'ius grabbed Lian's arm and shoved him towards Daria, "Walk with Daria'lis. And stop crying over that water demon. It had no intention of protecting you."

"But I made it." Lian insisted. He turned around to face his father. His eyes were red and watery from crying.

Seth'ius's face contorted in rage and he smacked Lian across the face. The sound of the hit echoed off the canal wall.

Daria jumped but said nothing.

Lian whimpered and stepped away from Seth'ius. He held his face.

"Don't be delusional, Mii'lian. You may be the new god of the sea but the water will forever remain loyal to it's previous master. You have no power over it. The water is dangerous and is not to be messed with. Or spoken of." Seth'ius turned his back on them, "Daria'lis. Make sure your fool of a brother makes it back to the palace."

Daria nodded, "Yes, Father." He shoved Lian along in front of him. He didn't touch him after that and he made no move to comfort him. He simply watched Lian shuffle along slightly in front of him, deeply afraid.

Lian hid his face behind his hands as he walked through the streets of the city towards the palace. He did his best to stifle his crying or stop it completely. It felt like everyone stared at him as he walked by. Their gazes bored into him, making him want to cry even more.

Mayu paced impatiently in front of the gate to the palace. She rushed up to Lian and wrapped him in a hug the moment he came into view.

Lian buried his face into her shoulder and cried freely.

She looked at Daria, "What happened?!"

Daria told her his interpretation of what happened and what their father said.

"But I made it!" Lian wailed, "The dragon was mine!"

"The ocean isn't yours to command Li-Mii'lian! Not the same way the sky belongs to me!" Daria yelled. He hid his new-found fear of his little brother behind anger, "Let it go! Father said it was a demon! He was only protecting you. It was going to corrupt you!"

Mayu glanced from Lian to Daria multiple times in shock.

Lian's crying quickly transformed into gross uncontrollable sobbing.

"Sh. It's alright." Mayu ran her hand down the back of Lian's head. She shook her head at Daria, "Whether it's true or not, that was inappropriate."

"He couldn't have made it. He doesn't have the power." Daria insisted. He stalked towards the gate, "I'm going training."

Mayu nodded, "You do that, Daria." She held held Lian until he calmed down. Once he pulled away from her she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and walked with him to his bedroom.

Lian glanced at the fox that was lying on his lap. He was sitting on his mattress. The sun had long since gone down. A single lamp on his desk illuminated the room in a dim light. "Maybe it is embarrassing to have a kid without any power." He shrugged, "Who knows?" He leaned to the side and pulled a device similar to a mp3-player out from under his pillow. He also grabbed a pair of headphones. He played some music and leaned back against the wall, "Just nine more days to go."