I apologize about the delay, I know I said this would be out a couple days ago but life happened, well more like the Euro's and Copa America did. Here it is, the second chapter, let me what you think.

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Chapter 2

He felt a sense of trepidation rise within him as he nervously glanced at the glowing red stone before him. Despite Amara insisting that nothing would go wrong, he couldn't help but be nervous. Amara had not held back in letting him know the consequences of someone other than a Shade putting their palm against the stone, and it had sounded very painful. Still, he appreciated her insistence on not hiding anything from him.

"It'll be all right little one. I couldn't have found you if you weren't a Shade" said Selena, and despite her not being there, he felt a little better.

He felt Amara's hand on his shoulder give him a small squeeze in her support as he raised his left hand up. He slowly brought it closer to the stone, and the stone seemed to get brighter the closer he got, until finally his hand rested on the stone.

At first, his hand on top of the cold stone seemed to do nothing, but suddenly the stone flared up in an array of colors and he made to back up but found that his hand was now stuck to the stone. He tried to look back at Amara but found that he couldn't move at all, and the only thing keeping him from panicking now was that nothing was painful, yet. The stone flared again, and for the first time in his life, he felt the magic within him. He felt it alive and roaring within him, as if suddenly restless at this foreign magic trying to infiltrate him. He felt the battle of their wills, willing the other to submit, to stand down. A small sense of relief coursed through him that he was recognized as a Shade when suddenly the stone flared one last time and the magic around him lashed out viciously.

He heard himself scream as an intense pain coalesced around his head, and he felt his scar burn like someone had stabbed a glowing hot dagger straight through it. He felt like the shade magic was peeling his head layer by layer and nothing that he had gone through at the Dursley's even came close. He felt his magic now angrily fighting against everything around him, but it was no match to the stone's, and the burning in his scar only continued to get worse.

He desperately tried to rip his arm off the stone, but the pain only grew more intense, and he felt his throat go hoarse from his screams. He felt tears roll down his cheeks, as his legs started to give out underneath him and he tried his best to not lose consciousness. His last thoughts as the stone flared one last time, and he finally lost the will to stay awake, the pain forcing his body to surrender, was that something had gone terribly wrong.

He woke up with his head pounding, and he groaned as he tried to move but a hand came down on his forehead and slowly forced him back. He opened his eyes and looked up into Amara's deep red ones as she gazed back at him very with a concerned look on her face. He could see the relief flood within her at his open eyes and he too felt himself relax as he realized he was in Amara's arms, and not in danger or pain anymore.

"Youngling, I don't know what happened, but the Shade magic fought something within you. I could do nothing but listen to you scream as the magic at kept me at bay but it seemed to essentially have purified you. I am sorry you had to go through that, but I think it may have been for the best. The scar on your forehead that I had not been able to heal, is now incredibly faint and healing".

He glanced up and recognized the ceiling in the hidden chamber within the lord's study. The agonizing pain he had gone through earlier only present in memory and he in fact felt better than he had. Everything came flooding back to him; the stone, the magic, and the intense pain before he had lost consciousness.

He slowly reached his hand to his scar, one that he had supposedly received in a car crash and found that we could barely even feel it there. He had always hated it, despite not believing the Dursleys, it had always felt like a reminder of the loss of his parents, and now it was finally gone.

He brought his arm down when he noticed a glint of silver on his hand that caught his attention. He brough his hand back up and found an elegant silver ring now resting regally on his finger, the Shade totem clearly visible on the black gem. He had been accepted; he was the Lord of the house of Shade.

"The family magic has accepted you, Araius. You are now the Lord of our house. Wizards today have forgotten about the feats of the house of Shade, but I know you will once again bring great honor to this legendary family.," remarked Amara seeing his lingering gaze. Her voice one of pride and her eyes shining at him.

"Araius! Speak to me! I couldn't find our bond for a moment, and I feared the worst. Are you well?"

"I am well, Selena. The family magic fought something in my scar, but it is now gone. I have been accepted as Lord by the family magic".

"I am relieved little one, and I never doubted it wouldn't. You will make a fine lord".

He felt a little choked up at the confidence they both had in him, that he wouldn't mess it all up. He knew he had a very large legacy to live up to, one that he didn't know much about yet, but one he would try his hardest to fulfill.

"Now your teachings finally begin Araius. We will teach you everything that we can, because when the time comes, you will not be unprepared. There is also still much we need to learn about your past, and I have not kept up with the wizarding world news for a long time, so we will need to establish contacts outside of the castle. You are now a Shade in name, you will soon be one in every imaginable way."

"And a rider like the world has never seen before."

"Because you will be with me Selena."

"That I will"

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Amara was not joking when she said his teachings would start because the very next day they were back in the Lord's chamber, and he finally got to know a little bit about the house of Shade. The rest according to Amara, was for him to discover from the various personal diaries and journals within the lord's chamber that was intended for the future lords and heirs.

So, Amara started on a very briefed version of the Shades history;

"The exact origins of the House of Shade have been lost in time, but the written records of the Shades started off as a small family long before Wizarding Ministries or the ICW was even a thought. They were from a small town north of what is now Bergen. The Shades have always kept to themselves, choosing to stay out of the limelight as much as possible other than in desperate times. They have fought for what they believe is right and for the welfare of their people. Across many wars and battles, wizarding communities in Norway and across Europe soon started speaking of the Shade family with honor and reverence but with that fame came the desire of many to bring the family down. Their only desire to steal the family's knowledge and treasure.

The family was attacked by many over the years, but the Shades eviscerated everything of them, leaving a wake of fear in the hearts of many who were even considering going against them. The tales of horrifying magic and razing dragons made many reconsider their stance on the family. As Magical governments formed, they began to fear what the Shades could do so they tried to force the family's hand but the recently formed Norwegian ministry outright refused to conform to their demands and said that any sanctions or demands against the Shade family would be faced by the Ministry itself, so they all backed off.

The Shades like any other prominent family grew and with that came divide within the family itself until the youngest child of the late Lord, went rouge. Driven by images of making the Shades, kings and queens of the worlds, he created a divide so wide within the family that over time the entire family killed each other one after the other. Their dragons dying fighting on the battlefield beside them or falling dead once their rider had perished. Eventually the late Lord was forced to activate the wards of this very stronghold and he cast his rouge children from the family. Once the wards activated it was only him, his injured dragon, and I, his general."

His head snapped up, at the unexpected revelation about this woman who had been so gentle with him. He could have never imagined that she had been a general and that she had lived for so long. He went to voice a question, but she stopped him with a hand.

"Today is not about me Araius, I will tell you about my past some other day but for now just know that I have been without a purpose for so long, but now that you are here, my only goal is to see you become everything you have the potential to be."

He nodded and accepted her request without argument; he would look forward to knowing more about her when the time came.

"Now, as the dragon was on its death bed with the late Lord right beside him, the dragon spoke of one unhatched egg, yours. That was over two hundred years ago, and I searched far and wide for you, not knowing who I was looking for but just hoping that I would. I traced every line, every child, every connection to the Shades and came up empty handed. Eventually I gave up hope, and I dedicated my time to taking care of the stronghold and waiting for you."

He just sat in silence as he took in everything, she had just told him, he had so many questions about the family's history but he knew that Amara wanted him to read the diaries himself and find out so he wouldn't ask her for those answers.

"Today you are in the western ranges of Norwegian fjords, and the closest settlement to us is in Geiringer. The Stronghold wards cover everything within 5 kilometers so nobody can enter here without your permission. You can freely fly with Selena whenever you would like to, and if you are like any other Shade, then you will practically be in the air every moment you get."

"As you should be" quipped Selena in his head, and he had to try his hardest not to grin.

"Now, the first thing we need to do is we need to get you a wand, and we will also need to visit Gringotts to know more about your past. I expect your family vaults and records will likely be in Britain so we will have to go to the branch there if we are to learn anything of interest. I expect we will be able to get a wand there as well."

"Umm Amara, what's Gri- Gringotts?" he asked, almost pronouncing the word wrong.

Amara gave him a sheepish smile at his question.

"Sorry, I went off on a tangent there without even realizing it. Gringotts is the only wizarding bank across Europe. They are run almost entirely by Goblins; other than a few human workers they employ for curse breaking and other wand requiring magics. They have branches across Europe and while you may be able to access some money, your vaults and records are kept in one central bank. Goblins are also a vicious but talented warrior race who barely tolerate wizards. They are some of the best fighters and are much better than wizards at warding. They however especially don't like the Shades since the family was always vocal about refusing to hoard their wealth in a place that is unknown to us. Still, I expect they will tolerate you since you are most likely already their client. I don't think I have to tell you to treat them with respect."

He felt strangely excited about seeing a Goblin run bank, not that he had ever stepped foot into a muggle bank, still he expected the Goblin one to be much less boring.

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Three days later, they were standing outside the stronghold walls. It had been the most relaxing three days of his life, as he had done little more than explore the stronghold, fly with Selena, or pester Amara to show him more magic. He had also learnt a little more about how family magics worked, as well as what to expect when they went to Gringotts. He was still getting used to not having chores to do, or not being scolded everyday but he definitely didn't miss it. The one time he had picked up his plates to go clean them, Amara had simply given him a look and waved her hand. The plate was suddenly all clean and it had gently floated away from his hands and into a cupboard.

"Ok hold on tight, and do not let go until I tell you", Amara, garnering his attention. She was holding on to a piece of parchment with one hand and holding his own with the other.

He nodded and brought his free hand up to grab the piece of paper.

"Ready Araius?" asked Amara and he took a deep breath in before nodding.

"aktivere"

Immediately the world around him whirled into action and started rapidly spinning. He felt Amara's grip on him tighten and he too clenched the parchment with the other as everything rapidly went out of focus, and he almost felt sick at the feeling of falling and spinning at the same time. But just as quickly as it had started, it ended and he was thrown on the ground, his vision now desperately trying to understand what was moving and what wasn't.

He felt Amara grab him as made to get up all while he stumbled all over the place.

"Easy Araius, the first portkey trip is always the worst" said Amara as she watched on in amusement.

"Can we just fly with Selena next time?" he groaned as he finally got his bearings.

"Well, we still have our return portkey today so no", grinned Amara, and he let out another groan at the thought of going through that again.

He looked around and saw that they were in a small overgrown garden that was attached to a little cottage. The place looked lovely but inhabited for some time with ivy crawling everywhere along the stone cottage walls and the weeds in the garden growing incredibly tall. The cottage itself seemed to be perched on a gentle hill with the views of the English countryside.

"This is one of the two properties still owned by the Shades in Britain, and this was the closest one to London. I know you didn't like portkeying but I have a feeling you aren't going to like apparating much better. Hold my hand again, Araius."

He felt a spike of dread go through him as he held her hand and readied himself for another bout of magical transport.

Just as violently as the portkey, he felt himself thrown in motion but this time he felt like his entire body was being compressed into a gun barrel then shot out the end, and suddenly he was on a stone floor trying to get his bearings again. His stomach was not loving these trips any more than his head was.

"I am definitely going to the airport next time", he grumbled as he took Amara's offered hand and got up from the floor.

Amara simply smirked at his grumblings and gave his shoulder a squeeze. She then pulled them out of the alley she had brought them to and towards a grimy looking pub. He read the name on the sign and decided that from the outside the Leaky Cauldron looked about as inviting as a sewer looked to a fish. And the moment they stepped in, he didn't think it looked much better on the inside.

Amara had put some sort of spell over both of them right before they had entered the pub so nobody paid any attention to them as they walked through the pub and out the door on the other side which seemed to end at a wall.

Before he could question her, Amara pulled out her wand and tapped some of the bricks, one after the other, and the entire wall suddenly came alive. Brick by brick, they slowly moved out of the way to make an archway into a bustling alley.

The people in the pub had worn robes, and he knew they had been wizards and witches but there hadn't been anything obvious to label them as such, no wands, no floating candles, and no one performing magic. The alley on the other hand was full of it. The moment they stepped through, magic was alive and floating in the air. There were brooms sweeping the pavement by themselves, shops with potions bubbling by the windows, and strange folded parchment flying in and out of shops. The people walking about were wearing elaborate robes and waving their wands even while they performed no magic, and some even had an owl perched on their shoulders

He looked on, in awe at this whole world that was hidden in the heart of London, with magic floating so freely in the air unbeknownst to the people in the non-magical world.

"We will go to Gringotts first, stay with me" said Amara as she started making her way down the busy alley and he did his best to not lose sight of her. It was a close call as he almost did but they made it to a tall skinny building right around the middle of the alley. The budling was just as crooked as the rest of the buildings in Diagon alley but this one had a dragon on top of it. He didn't know about dragons enough yet to tell what kind it was, but it looked nothing like Selena.

As they walked towards the front door of the weird building, he finally saw Goblins. Dressed from head to toe in silver armor with a spear in each hand, they looked like they meant business. They looked short and stocky, but their grim pointy faces looked sharp, their weapons even sharper. The guards made no motion as they walked past them, and they stepped inside the place.

The inside looked nothing like the outside and the moment they were inside, the noise of the alley stopped and instead they were in large regal hall with tellers lined up on either side. It felt incredibly quiet in there with the only noise coming from a goblin teller's occasional clicking on a machine before them. There were also very few people in there, so the clicking of the machines felt very nerve wracking in the hall.

They walked towards a teller who seemed open and stood in front of the tall desk they all were sat on. Amara cleared her throat and the Goblin seemed to give a growl of annoyance before looking down.

"Greetings, how may I be of service today?" asked the Goblin, and although his words were polite, his tone seemed far from it.

"We would like an inheritance test for my ward" replied Amara, her voice stiff and businesslike.

The goblin looked unimpressed at her request and his eyes roamed over them both.

"That will cost 16 galleons, so if you are unable to pay that I would suggest you walk away."

"16 galleons while outrageous for such a simple request, will not be a problem", snapped Amara, her teeth showing a little while she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pouch. She counted some gold coins and dropped them at the teller's desk.

A fleeting look of surprise crossed the goblin's face before it was replaced by his sneer again. He reached behind his desk and a small chime sounded. Immediately another goblin darted in from a doorway beside the desk, one that he hadn't noticed.

"Ripclaw will escort you to the inheritance room", dismissed the first goblin, and he went back to whatever he was doing until they had arrived.

"Follow me", said Ripclaw, who was dressed less opulently than the teller. He then swiftly turned back towards the door he had come through, and began to walk away.

So they followed the Goblin through the door, and down narrow hallways filled with armored goblin guards until they arrived at a non-descript room and their escort knocked sharply on the door.

After a moment, a noise came from the inside, which he presumed meant come in because their escort let out a quick "go inside" as he walked back the way they came.

Amara wasted no time in entering the room and he followed. The inside looked like a very opulent office room with a large table in the middle with a well-dressed Goblin sat behind it. His table seemed bare for the most part other than a few parchments, a large silver basin, and a lethal looking blade.

"Greetings, I am Fangtooth, and I oversee inheritance tests. Take a seat" said the Goblin as he pointed at two chairs beside the table.

They obliged and took a seat on the plush chairs around the Goblin's table.

"Greeting Fangtooth, you may call me Amara, and Araius here is who will do the test."

"Greetings Fangtooth", he parroted Amara as the goblin's gaze fell on him.

"Very well, the test is simple. You will prick your finger with the and let three drops of blood fall into this silver basin. We will then wait a moment and see what the results of the tests are. The test will identify anyone up to a secondary heir, after that it is too diluted for the test to pick up. If you do the test and anything you were to inherit is in debt or contracted, you will then bear that debt or contract. Do you accept?"

Amara gave him a swift nod and he accepted. He grabbed the blade and found it to be much lighter than he was expecting, then he proceeded to make a small slice on his finger over the basin. The sharp blade made an easy cut and he let three drops blood fall before his wound miraculously healed itself.

He set down the blade and waited as the Goblin poured something else in the basin and then grabbed a parchment on the side. A moment later the Goblin's eyes snapped up and gave him a piercing stare.

"I was under the impression that the house of Shade had vanished, let alone that they had any connection to the house of Potter." said the Goblin in a neutral tone, his statement as much a question as an observation.

"May we see the test results Fangtooth and then we can talk further" asked Amara.

The Goblin simply slid the parchment he had been reading over the table to them. He leaned over so he too could look.

Araius (-) Shade (-Hadrian Potter-)

Date of Birth: July 31st, 1980

Age: 8

Emancipated through Lordship

Lord to the House of Shade – Maternal

Lordship granted through Shade Familia magic

Primary heir to the House of Potter – Paternal

Charter sanctioned by Chief Warlock

Ascension only by Potter Familia magic

Secondary heir to the House of Black – Ritual Godfather

Charter sanctioned by Office of the Minister

Ascension after Primary heir

Rider of Selena

He didn't understand what charter sanctioned meant or what a ritual godfather was, but sis mind thought back to Amara's words about some other houses as old as the Shades. She had mentioned the House of Black as one of them, a house he was a heir to.

"Who manages the Potter and Black accounts?" asked Amara.

"That would be Grimsaw and Bloodmaw but I have a feeling that Ragnarok, the branch head, is going to want to see you. Please wait while I arrange a meeting room". Said Fangtooth and he walked out of the room.

Amara looked over to him and gave him a soft smile as her hand came up and tousled the hair on his head. He was getting much better at accepting her touches, and he knew he was already starting to crave them.

"It seems you will be making quite a stir within Gringotts today youngling, but we will learn much in this meeting. Ragnarok is an old and knowledgeable goblin so having him in the meeting will help speed things up".

He knew to trust Amara's words, so he nodded but his mind went back to the parchment he had just seen.

"The parchment says I am the Lord of Shade through my maternal side, so does that mean my mother was a Shade?" he asked.

"All magicals are intermingled in some way or another so I suspect that your mother's family despite being muggles had intertwined with the Shades at one point. When she married your father, the black and/or the potter blood strengthened your claim as a Shade and made you the heir", explained Amara.

He felt a little bit of nervous anticipation build within him as he realized that he finally may learn about his parents after so long. He knew now that they had been magical, but he knew nothing else. He didn't even know their names. What if the Dursleys hadn't been lying and they had really been drunks who had cared little about him.

"I don't even know their names, the Dursley's only ever called them drunks", he told her, feeling a heavy weight settle in his heart.

Amara's other hand came to rest on his cheek, her eyes meeting his.

"Araius, I promise you we will learn everything there is to know about them and I know for a fact that your parents must have been amazing people because they have given you their best traits."

He gave her a small shaky smile, and he only hoped it she was right.

"Now, I had not expected us to meet Ragnarok. He is a tough goblin but one that takes after his grandfather, Scythe slayer. His grandfather fought beside a Shade during the great civil war and while most goblins do not like the Shades, he is one that respects them for their honor. It will be beneficial to have him amicable to us, when you enter the meeting refer tohim by his title, give him a small bow as respect for his position and thank him for his time.

He nodded he would and a moment later Fangtooth entered the room again. He beckoned them to follow him. They both got up and followed the goblin through another set of narrow hallways, this time leading to a room that was arranged like a large meeting room. There were six chairs around the table and two on the sides were taken by two business like goblins dressed similarly to Fangtooth, while the head chair was taken by a goblin that had the grimmest face on, with an attire fit for a king. Being the head of a Gringotts branch was clearly no small position.

He gave a bow to the goblin seated at the head chair as he stepped through the doorway and gave a greeting like Amara had instructed him to.

"Greetings Head Goblin, thank you for taking the time to meet with us today".

Amara followed suit and gave a small bow herself.

When he looked up, all three goblins seemed a little taken aback at the show of respect. Ragnarok gave him a piercing look, one that he would never want to be on the wrong end of.

"Greetings, Lord Shade. I never thought I would meet a Shade but here you are. I am eager to see how you live up to your legacy" he replied in a deep gravelly voice.

He gave the head goblin a nod and they all took a seat around the table with him and Amara sitting at the other end of Ragnarok while Fangtooth took the remaining chair. Fangtooth also took the liberty of quickly introducing the other two goblins before Amara started the meeting.

"Head Goblin, Araius has only recently been thrust into our world and into the role of Lord Shade. I have kept away from comings and goings of the Magical society for some time so I am unaware of recent developments within the Wizarding world. Our goal today was to find out about Araius's past and how he came to be placed with muggles since I am atleast aware that the Potter's are a somewhat old magical family. We were here to see if Araius held any accounts within Gringotts and if we could access any of them." said Amara.

Ragnarok sat up straight in his chair at Amara's words, his eyes narrowing.

"What do you mean he was placed with muggles?" he demanded.

Amara turned to him and gave him a look, one of question, asking his permission to tell his story, so he simply nodded. As much as he didn't want to relieve his past, he knew it was for the best and despite it only being less than two weeks ago that he had woken up at the Shade Stronghold, he already knew he was not going back.

"I will give you only a brief synopsis as I don't want to make Araius relieve his past right now. Araius was placed with some relatives of his mother who were extremely harsh to him, and I use the term harsh very lightly. Araius was raised in a cupboard his whole life, and he came close to losing his life two weeks ago. It was only due to his Dragon, Selena, who was able to feel his distress, rescued him and brought him to me. She had been unable to find him prior to that due to some wards he was under. He spent four days in bed while I healed him, and even then, I was only just barely able to heal his wounds. It will take him some time to make up for the malnutrition he has gone through most of his life."

As soon as Amara was done speaking, a loud slam sounded around the room and his eyes snapped to Ragnarok who looked like he was furious, his eyes trained on the potter account manager, Grimsaw.

"Grimsaw", he growled, his voice sending a shiver down his spine, "you have 30 seconds to explain to me why heir Potter was placed with muggles when I specifically remember the will stating explicitly not to do so, as I was one of the witnesses when the will was written. You better have a good explanation, or your clan will be without a leader and you without your head tonight".

His eyes turned to the Potter account manager who looked a sickly green as he started stammering.

"Dumble- Dumbledore came to me after their death. And he said that due to some protections invoked by the late Lady Potter, heir Potter would be safer with his aunt so I never filed the will."

Ragnarok let out another angry snarl before he screamed at the goblin in what he assumed was goblin tongue. The Potter Manager looked even more scared at Ragnarok's anger until he finally bolted from the room.

Ragnarok let out a final growl and took a deep breath in to collect himself. Nobody said anything as the goblin regained his composure. The head goblin looked right at him next.

"Lord Shade, I know my apologies will not make up for what you have gone through, and while it was done before I was the Head of Gringotts, that does not excuse the injustice done to you by Gringotts. I promise you that before the night is over, every single Knut owned by Grimsaw's clan will be yours. Dumbledore will be another problem and legally he may not have done anything wrong, but we will see what we can do. I will also personally manage all your accounts from now on, and if you ever need me, I will be at your service. We just ask that you not escalate this beyond these walls, and you let us handle it."

Amara reached over and gave his hand a small squeeze as his thoughts went haywire inside his head. He was never supposed to go to the Dursleys, his parents had strictly forbidden that yet due to some meddling wizard and a goblin, he had suffered at the hands of his "relatives".

He knew to some extent what such a thing could do if he were to speak of what had happened at Gringotts outside of these walls. They were the only bank in the wizarding world according to Amara, and it would create chaos. He didn't want to let people off easy, but he also knew escalating this was not the solution. He then remembered what Amara had said about Goblins being a warrior race.

"Head Goblin..."

"Ragnarok" interrupted the head goblin," I think you have earned that right."

"Ragnarok, when you say the entire clan's money, how big is the clan?"

The goblin looked confused as to where he was going with his but answered, nonetheless.

"There are more than a hundred goblins in Grimsaw's clan with him as the head."

He thought for a moment then finally decided that despite everything, he didn't want an entire clan to suffer because of what one goblin had done, but he also had another idea on what he could ask of Ragnarok. He just hoped he wasn't overstepping.

"Ragnarok, as much as Grimsaw had a hand in my past, I don't want his entire clan to suffer. What you do with Grimsaw, I will leave to you, but please don't take everything away from the clan. I don't know how much is appropriate so you can be the judge of that but I don't want them bearing the brunt of something they had no control over. I also have another request of you."

Ragnarok looked momentarily dumbfounded as to why someone would refuse more money. He then gave him a small toothy grin.

"Lord Shade, you have the honor like the Shades before you. I will do as you request and figure out an appropriate sum without ruining the whole clan. What is your other request?"

He felt a little apprehensive voicing his request.

"Ragnarok, I was told Goblins are talented warriors, so my request is to be trained by your people. You yourself mentioned that I have a legacy to live up to and I need to be much stronger than I am, so I want you to make me a warrior."

A pin drop silence filled the room as the three goblins in the room gave him an array of looks while Amara kept his hand on a firm grip. Everyone waited with bated breath for Ragnarok who he couldn't tell if he looked angry or confused.

"You wish to be trained by goblins? Lord Shade, goblins and wizards have held an animosity for each other for much longer than I have been alive, and wizards have wanted very little to do with us or our teachings other than banking with us" asked Ragnarok, as if making sure his ears had heard right.

"Yes, I wish to be trained by goblins. I hold no animosity towards goblins so long as you treat me with respect, I will do the same. I don't care about what other wizards think and I will not just blindly follow what they do", he replied, making sure his voice sounded decisive and firm.

"Very well, Lord Shade..."

"Please call me Araius" he interrupted in the same way Ragnarok had done, which the goblin seemed to find amusing.

"Araius, you will be trained by the best goblins I have to offer however if your teachers feel that you are not giving it your best when they ask of you to, we will cancel your training", warned Ragnarok.

"I accept Ragnarok" he replied right away.

Ragnarok nodded then he briefly spoke to the other two goblins and dismissed them from the room, leaving just Ragnarok with them.

"I will arrange for the training and send you a letter once it has been done. For now, you told me your goal today was to learn about Araius's past and I will tell you. Even among the goblins, your tale has spread far and wide Araius."

"What do you mean Head Goblin?" asked Amara, her posture stiffening at those foreboding words.

He felt a trickle of dread go down his neck, what had happened all those years ago?

Ragnarok cleared his throat and started, "It all started before your birth…