Chapter 2537.3: Rites of Passage (Part 3)

Despite the millennia of resentment and spite between their respective species, they cried together like sisters.

The moment the double doors of the senate opened, they composed themselves and stood up, determined to not abandon the Queen in her darkest hour.

Syrah was walking hand in hand with a young pup toward the senate's table.

Were the boy human, he would be around ten years old but Solus assumed he was even younger due to the Hati's accelerated metabolism and the lack of a Harmonizer on his neck.

The pup was a shaking mass of silver fur that the Queen dragged along, uncaring for his whimpers and sobbing. Every time the young Hati looked up at his mother, he found a warm gaze full of pain that reassured him for a second before the fear returned.

He tried to dig his claws into the ground, but the marble of the floor was too hard and his mother too strong for any carpet to resist her pull when he desperately clung to them.

The Queen dragged him with even steps in front of the semi-circular table where the King was waiting for them.

"Don't worry, Xagra. The rite of passage is scary and it's natural for you to be afraid. A brave King knows fear like anyone else but he's capable of doing what's required from him in spite of it.

"Don't think of this moment as a bad thing. A few years ago, I stood right where you are, just like my father and grandfather before their coronation. This is a sacred ritual that our god Glemos established to keep our blood pure and our will strong."

Ikara turned around, picking the folded clothes and handing them to Xagra.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to spend as much time together as I wanted, but it was enough for me to notice that you are stronger, smarter, and more thoughtful than the rest of your siblings.

"Your will is strong, my son, enough to tame our bloodlust and bring our shapeshifting curse to heel." Only then did Lith notice that the pup's form was even more stable than his father's, the changes in his body limited to his fur and eyes.

"Soon you'll grow big enough to fit my clothes and by then, I hope that you will also become a better King than I've ever been." Ikara knelt down to bring his head to the pup's level and look him in the eyes.

"I pass them to you intact as a testament of my determination and I hope that you'll do the same for your son. Yet remember, there is no shame in succumbing to our curse and adding a few stitches."

The King showed the pup that the clothes were filled with cuts and patches left by their predecessors, and explained to him that they had been carefully sewn back every time a new king was crowned.

"These clothes are not perfect because not even a King is without a fault. If you own your mistakes and learn from them, you can even wear rags with pride. Do you understand?" Ikara forced Xagra to raise his gaze until the pup nodded.

"Ymnar. Phemet. I need your help." The Fomor and the orc shaman representatives walked to the King's either side and used their respective abilities to depower the Harmonizer.

The Fomor used his wings to drain the surrounding world energy, leaving the artifact nothing to feed upon while the shaman used his crystal bracelet to freeze the mana coursing through the Harmonizer's core.

This way, its enchantments were temporarily neutralized, including the self-destruct mechanism that was supposed to trigger the moment that the latch was released.

The former King fought as hard as he could, but he couldn't stop his body from changing against his will, gaining temporarily limbs that were reabsorbed in the span of a few seconds.

"Please, Dad. No." The pup whimpered as Ikara took off the Harmonizer and put it on Xagra's neck.

"I'm sorry, son. The rite of passage was just a means to get rid of the evolutionary failures when Glemos was with us. Now that he's not here anymore, it's the only way to preserve the few Harmonizers we have left."

The former King unsheathed a short sword and gave it to the pup, making sure that Xagra held it with both hands.

"Though my blood you were born a Hati. Though my blood, you become King." The Hati grabbed the enchanted blade until it cut through his palm and became covered in bright red blood.

Xagra started to cry, opening his snout to beg his father to stop when Ikara embraced the pup with his free hand while the other kept the blade straight while it pierced through his heart.

Syrah rushed to his side, embracing them both while the light started to fade from Ikara's eyes. He looked at the new King first and then at his widow, determined to tell them how much they meant to him.

Yet his final words were lost in the frothing of saliva and blood in his mouth, turning them into an unintelligible gurgle. After making sure that the Hati was dead and his imprint gone, the Fomor and the shaman dispelled their respective abilities.

The Harmonizer recognized its new master before the self-destruct mechanism could trigger and its enchantments brought Xagra's shapeshifting to a halt.

"The King is dead. Long live the King." The people in the senate roared over and over while clapping in a standing ovation, both empty, joyless gestures that the new King barely registered over the blood of his father drenching his hands.

"Now it's your turn to lead our people." Syrah said. "Before that happens, however, you must go with your siblings to the Gardens of Time, where your elders will teach you everything a King needs no know.

"They will grant great power and wisdom upon you, but the price will be your youth. You leave my house as a child and you will return as an adult capable of building your own. Until that moment, I'll rule in your stead."

The Queen took the clothes and the blade, cleaning them from the blood before handing them to a male Hati.

"Bring the King to the surface world and teach him about the ways of Mogar, peace, and war." A Hati guard nodded and walked up to the still-stunned pup, lifting him over his shoulder and carrying him out of the senate like a sack of potatoes.

"Goodbye, my son. If when you come back you find another Queen waiting for you, always remember that I love you." Syrah sadly waved her hand, giving Xagra what she hoped was a warm smile.

The moment the meaning of those words reached through the fog clouding the King's mind, he started to struggle with all of his strength to escape the guard's hold and run back to his mother.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Xagra bit, clawed, and punched as hard as he could but there was nothing a naked pup could do against an adult bigger, stronger, and armed to the teeth.

When his orders fell on deaf ears, the King begged and cried but the guard just kept walking.