The Last Primal

Hearing her Young Master's kind, warm words and feeling his gentle caress, caused Galina's body to shake, and her eyes to be quickly flooded with tears. She tried her best to hold back and not speak a word, but it was getting harder by the second.

In the end, only a faint "Humm" managed to escape through her sealed lips. She nodded at her Young Master, relaxing in her posture and hiding behind the safety of his back.

Meanwhile, although Aiden did not release the full pressure of his Innate Power, his glowing golden eyes and the thundering voice seemed to cause enough for the people not just in the study room but in the entire mansion and even in the courtyard to hear it and tremble.

Even Drake was taken aback and looked at his friend with a mixture of shock and fear. The unconstrained anger he released was not something he had ever felt from his friend. Scarlet who just wanted to get some answers could only grit her teeth and tighten her grip on the dagger she was wielding. The shiver, the fright, and trepidation she felt when the boy roared in that ancient, archaic-sounding voice almost caused her to fall to the ground on her knees. For a brief moment, a single fleeting instant, she could feel the sliver of an overbearing presence, a being so overwhelmingly powerful that could easily dominate them.

Even the Mistress, the Masked Lady was quite surprised by the sudden turn of events. Her being the most experienced and most powerful in the room could also feel the same presence, but unlike the fiery red-haired girl, she could also use her enhanced senses to swiftly try scanning it.

However, she was met with another shock when she could not get a grasp on the power of this being at all. It was so overwhelming, so incredibly powerful, that even her, with all her history and knowledge, couldn't find out anything. Not even who or what it was… 

The only thing she could make out, that it was something closely related to the mysteries that kept surrounding this enigmatic little figure. She had long had a guess that he wasn't exactly normal, and that he might not even be a human, or at the very least not an average one. 

This event, although not orchestrated by her, further proved that the boy might be a first of his kind. Her theory of him being the first human to ever formulate a complete core and managed somehow evolve to something… more. Her desire to get closer to him and get him to join into her fold, was growing stronger.

If her theory was indeed correct and this boy, this Aiden was an evolved, the long speculated next evolutionary step for humanity… She needed to know how he did it. She needed to uncover this great mystery and learn the groundbreaking technique. Only then could she finally take revenge for what happened in the past. 

Only then, could she take revenge for the disasters still haunting her from the now distant past…

She sighed, as she raised her hands in the air and spoke in an apologetic tone.

"Calm down, Aiden. We did not mean harm to you or your little protégé. We only wanted to learn what was going on, and if it would be safe." Reaching out with her arm she pointed towards Scarlet and Sara with her open palm and continued.

"Miss Scarlet here was only shocked on seeing another version of herself standing in the room. Her surprise and reaction could be understandable don't you think?" She asked with a gradually calming tone.

Seeing that Aiden's apprehension was slowly lowering, the Masked Lady continued.

"As for harming her, that was never the intention of anybody present. We are all on the same side, the same team. All of us wants only the best for each other."

Slowly, but surely, the tense atmosphere in the room settled, although a hint of awkwardness remained. Knowing that this would not change for the time being the Mistress clapped with her hands, bringing all the attention in the study room to herself. 

Gently guiding the flow of the conversation, she changed the topic, back to the original reason of their gathering.

"Anyway… While I already heard some of the stories from Sara, I would like to know your side as well Aiden. Could you explain what went down in the orc settlement? How did you find and group up with Young Lord Drake here and who the little miss by your side is? What was the result of your mission, when will this 'Horde' launch its attack on the city?"

A lot of questions were understandably raised and aimed at Aiden. After all, Sara's recount could only cover the parts of their separation and their rescue of the slaves. The only strange event they mentioned was the explosive sound that came from the direction of the camp and their attack that ultimately caused the blonde amazon's loss of consciousness in the end.

She could not tell anything about the orc's plans, as she herself couldn't get in. That information could only come from Aiden himself.

Before Aiden could begin to tell his side of the story, the Masked Lady raised her right hand in the air. As if just remembering something, she raised one more question.

"Also, before you begin… Could you explain the reason of your current… attire? Why are you still hiding your face?"

Hearing the last question, Aiden, sighed. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't expecting this question, but regardless he found it quite difficult to explain and show himself. 

Before answering he turned to look at the elderly butler still standing by the door acting like a statue made out of flesh, skin, and bones. 

Understanding the meaning behind his gaze, Sebas immediately nodded and took a quick glance at her Mistress. Seeing that she was also nodding, the elderly butler gave a courteous bow and left the room closing the door behind him.

As the door closed, Aiden stepped forward and grabbed the edges of his black mask covering his face. 

Before he could take it off and reveal his exquisite green-skinned facial features, Drake grabbed his left shoulder.

"Aiden, you sure about this?" He muttered, whispering his concern so only his friend would hear it.

Aiden did not respond, only gave a slight nod, before he unclasped the magical mask, and slowly peeled it off. As he slowly lifted the mask, he also threw the hood to the back, revealing himself for the first time since his arrival to the city.

Just as he expected, the eyes in the room went wide with aghast. Although both girls, Sarah and Scarlet have already seen his new look, it was still quite a sight, they were looking with the same surprise as before. On the other hand, it was impossible to guess what the Mistress was feeling, thanks to the silver mask that completely hid her facial expressions.

"He is using a special skill that transformed his appearance. What you see is only an illusion, albeit a pretty convincing one." Drake spoke up first, taking on the role of mediator, explaining the changes that were quite shocking.

A brief silence ensued the group after this reveal; everyone needed a bit of time, to accept the changes and come to terms with them.

"Hmm… It is truly astounding… Even I can't see through it. It is almost… real…" Eventually, the Mistress broke the air, and remarked thoughtfully. "I do not understand though: Why are you still in this form? Is there a certain restriction, or perhaps a limitation that enforces you to keep it up for a period of time?"

Aiden nodded at her conjecture. Given the circumstances, she was quite close. Obviously, they had no idea that this wasn't just a simple illusion but his true form, that part had to be kept a secret. Even from them, at least for the time being.

"Yes. Once I change, I need to keep the form up for a full day before it will fade away and I will return to my normal look. Since I took on this form around midnight, I will be forced to spend my day looking like this."

"I see. That explains the mask. You couldn't possibly come in looking like a…" She paused for a second, before finishing her sentence. "…monster."

There was a strange pressure, a hidden emotion carried with how she uttered the last word. Although it was faint, Aiden could feel there was a hidden meaning behind it, however, for the time being, he was unable to figure out what she could have possibly meant.

"Alright, I understand it now." The lady waved with her hand, putting an end to this topic.

She walked behind her desk and took her seat while motioning for the others to do the same, expecting that the tale the boy would be telling would take a bit of time to get through.

As all of them slowly took their respective chairs, she turned to look at Aiden once more.

"Now then, could you continue and tell us what happened exactly?"