Unity seemed such an easy word; with the lightness of a feather, it touched upon David's inner monologue. But what mysteries did unity hold in this ever-changing world David felt himself entangled with?

  What was the distinction between unity and unity? The first referred to joining groups or individuals, bringing two parts together to create something bigger than its individual parts. It is as if a mathematician created one of the simplest problems, which the simple stroke of a feather can solve.

  Alas, David found himself wrapped within the web of magically altered reality, so how would the mundane description of unity be adequate? There must be something more, something he couldn't grasp quite yet.

  His mind was open to the bigger picture, but with this changed form of life, expectations and the ability to draw evidence from memory were unfilled like a white canvas sheet.

  A puzzle piece was missing, and David, try as he might, would not dare dream too far. Old tradition and the mortal life he had led hampered his mind.

  " You will begin to grasp unity soon; now come Sciath, " Brahan's words echoed in the cavern, stripping away the veil of wonder and replacing it with the stark reality.

  The name "Sciath" sparked something deep within David, awakening a long-buried memory. It felt like the perfect key fitting into a long-unused lock, yet the door remained stubbornly shut, resisting every effort to swing it open. Still, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful that the right moment would come to unlock the past!

  David's hand found the hilt of his sword and wanted to draw on the courage he had felt from it. But he needed a clear and sharp mind, not the budding person he was becoming through it.

  " Childe, this will be another lofty concept. Seier, " Brahan stated. " From your smell, it is a weakness you hold not only by concept but also by flesh. Your world didn't hold its depth, or maybe it had in the past; the life immersed in Seier to your people was long lost. "

  " I-I-I don't understand; you know what I am? " David cautiously asked.

  " I wouldn't be a good Brahan if I wasn't, now would I? " With a bellyful of laughter, Brahan explained. " Our Enclave hasn't been free for millennia; we keep rotting away in this prison of our own design, and the ritual you are undergoing right now is a way to our freedom. "

  " But yes, I know what you were, not what you are. To truly feel what you are, you must emerge from the cocoon, becoming a true Wra-th-unn and shed the rest of your mortal coil. You, childe, must balance the true name, contract, and purpose for the process to begin. "

  Once again, David's hand couldn't help but draw resolve from his sword, but this time, he didn't wish to remove himself from its steadying touch.

  " What... what does it mean? " David asked, his voice barely a whisper. The power he felt from the sword was immense, but was this feeling perhaps not intoxicating? Would he come to rely on it too much and only be able to embrace the terrifying unknown with the sense of courage it instilled?

  He lowered his hand off the hilt, the newfound confidence warring with the ever-present fear that haunted him. Resolve flashed past his eyes as he rejected the notion of drawing on something other than himself to face the feelings.

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  Brahan stepped closer, his warm gaze piercing through David's turmoil with apprehension.

  " It means, childe, that you are not what you think you are. Or rather, you are so much more than you can possibly imagine. " Brahan gestured toward himself, short and savage imagery flowing from his mouth through tune.

  A mirror appeared before the duo, its surface calm as a lake as if frozen in time by the stillness of a broken watch. Its reflective cover pointed directly towards David.

  Drawn into the silver coldness, he stared into his own imagery, hypnotized by his body's changes. A youthful gray figure stood before him with medium-length white hair, strands braided to the back of his head. Fangs sharp, nails deadly, and orbs of green light escaped his countenance.

  Even with ears slightly pointed and frayed at the edges, as if bitten by similar fangs to his own, David was prepared for these ever since he had seen his own hands back in Ravensboro.

  " Childe, why do you refuse to accept? " David's gaze flicked upon Brahan with incomprehension at the words.

  " Look deeper into the truth; you are safe here; nothing will hurt you. With me, you are safe; the rest of the Enclave be damned. " Brahan once more began to brush the crown of his head tenderly.

  Once more, David stared at the mirror. Expecting a different outcome, Brahan waited patiently, but David's thoughts raced, and both remained unaware of their surroundings.

  Time flowed, the duo and the mirror cast in orange lights of flickering flames. More and more dark thoughts permeated David's mind, feelings of unworth assailing it with the ferocity of lingering ghosts.

  David's eyes were unfocused, and he became transfixed. His mind seemed to vanish from his body, and he focused solely on the task at hand.

  " Wra-th-unn... " A distant rustling of leaves reached his ears.

  Had he just imagined it, David mused to himself. With a quick shake, he dispelled the thought before fixating on the mirror again.

  " Wra-th-unn... " The whispering of family, long having begun another journey beyond the grave.

  " Wra-th-unn... "

  Eyes darting everywhere, David's body coiled into a tight bundle. Icy slickness ran off his back in an attempt to warn him of the approaching calamity. His body, energized by hormones, was ready to escape it all, leave behind everything new, and become blissfully unaware of outside changes, as he had always done.

  " I dare you to run! " Brahan's voice thundering of ancient columns. " No Wra-th-unn will ever escape the calling."

  A few notes escaped Brahan's mouth as a weight overtook David's body, as if shackles and chains had bound him to the origin point. His body twisted and turned, unable to escape the chain's cold embrace.

  " See the truth, do not deny yourself any longer, and see what you emerged from!"

  Even with the trashing and coiling of all the muscles in his body, David's fight was pitiful against mystical might. David's head returned to gazing at the mirror as if in slow motion, much to his dismay, as invisible threads turned his body for him.

  " Wra-th-unn... " Whispering echoes had turned to screams in his ears.

  A moment of stillness, forever etched in time, the voices left. Disoriented as he may be, David's eyes became a motor to express his feelings as they darted about at crazy speeds, never lingering on anything more than the time it took to finish a thought in the interlude of what would come.

  " Wra-th-unn, " The harsh scream turned into a powerful force, slamming straight into his body.

  Even with all the magical support that had kept him locked in place, the power of the sound catapulted him backward. Broken were his chains, but his body still refused to move, to carry him away from harsh truths.

  Hypnotized by the draw, as if the icy cold was reeling him in, the mirror called him. Green orbs of light, the very things his eyes had become, closed, but his head swiveled in the direction of the reflective surface.

  David's eyes opened, and his mind shut down at the sight before him.

  " Now you see, childe, " Brahan's voice returned to warm David. " This is how you came to us, us the Enclave, but also us, your ancestors. "

  Before him, in lightly shimmering lights of white and silver, orbs of mystical origin danced along a tune David couldn't hear; it was an oval emerald green with a terrifying presence.

  Scales marred its surface, speaking of horrors awaiting to emerge and devour the world. However, with a dichotomy that spoke to David on a level so deeply that it kissed his soul, there was another side to the oval.

  Markings sprinkled along the top half undulated as if a bright and cheery mandala folded in on itself only to reverse course quickly, contrasting the horrifying imagery of the scales.

  " This is a promise to you, " Brahan's voice took on mystical cadence. " You are not simply the man who awoke here as a child. You are Sciath of Untamed Green, a listener of the earth's magic, a guardian against any that shall stand in your way, and bound by ancient pacts."

  David's mind reeled. Earth magic? Guardian? Pacts? It was too much, too fast. He had spent so long trying to forget bits and pieces of his past, to bury the horrors he had witnessed, and now Brahan was telling him he was destined to be something even greater; he had become something far more dangerous.

  " I... I don't understand, " he stammers. " I don't know any magic. I'm just .... me."

  Brahan chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that echoed through the cave. " Of course, you don't understand. That is why you are here. I am here to teach you, to guide you, to help you remember what you truly are. "

  David's gaze returned enthusiastically to the enchanting oval before him. He instinctively recognized its significance, yet he cherished the fleeting comfort of ordinary life. This vibrant emerald egg, adorned with shimmering scales and cheerful artistry, was his true self, just moments before he awakened in the timeless caverns of his ancestors. Excitement filled the air as he embraced this extraordinary transformation!