The Amalgamation Of Two Worlds

*Damon’s POV*

Left. Right. Duck. Swing. Repeat. I didn’t have to do it with them, but their idiotic minds didn’t seem to be able to comprehend it if they didn’t have a leader. Sure, it was a simple maneuver, something easily memorized... but today’s fighters? Idiots. Stupid idiots.

Maybe I was being harsh, or maybe they were as I said. There were only a handful of the group who could do the instructions without a demonstration. And out of that few, how many could do it well? Three, maybe four. Pathetic. A waste of time.

I could always just tell them to fight each other, just to hit anything they could touch. But what kind of teacher would I be, if I did that? Me, a teacher. I never thought I’d ever hear that, let alone think it. In the past, I would rather gouge out of my eyes than be stuck with the task of training others. Now, now I was just glad I could. Before mutts wouldn’t even be considered for a position such as this, now? Now I was the teacher all the kids, and some adults, came to. I should feel honored, I should feel some pride. But I didn’t. I felt disgust. Emptiness. I felt nothing remotely happy. I was a teacher. The kids were idiots. Simple as that. That was my life that I now had, and I lived it every day. Every day was the same. Class in the morning, then my own practice and lessons in the afternoon.

Zenon was currently teaching me things I never knew about weapons. I had always been skilled with them, but if I was skilled, Zenon was a master. He still didn’t accept the fact that the king was king, and he hated the fact that I didn’t try to kill him. He even had a nice little scar on his neck, from trying to kill the king himself. He was lucky to be alive, but you wouldn’t hear me saying that. Zenon would still babble every so often, ranting how he would kill the king. How he would finish what he started, then they’d see who the real ruler was. I thought it was a bunch of bullshit. Zenon was brave and smart, but not stupid. I got him up close and personal with the king, I gave him a chance to take what he wanted, but he wasn’t able to. I never thought he could, but the fact they he couldn’t seemed to squash any immediate plans of attack. So, for now, Zenon made weapons for my classes, and taught myself how to use them.

Though mutts were no longer considered the lower class, that didn’t stop all the problems. I never thought it would. I just wanted some of it to go away. No one viewed me as defenseless, and I no longer got challenged for being a mutt, but I still wasn’t considered higher class. It was a racism factor. There would be laws saying not to discriminate, laws saying they were normal, but that wouldn’t stop the odd bunch from banding together to make someone’s life a living hell. So far, no one dared to approach me, but that didn’t stop the looks. I didn’t care. They could look, but if they touched, I would make sure to break every finger. And maybe every toe.

I never thought the king would agree. I still remembered that night, and despite my attempts to forget everything, I couldn’t. I could still remember Caleb and Austin fighting, Zenon trying for the king, and I could still remember Audrey’s screams. The only thought I was thinking when I heard them, was that I failed her. I promised to kill her if things went bad, but I couldn’t even do that. In the end, I think she lived, but I wasn’t too sure. She was in pretty bad shape when brought up to Earth, but I didn’t stick around long to see if she lived. It was part of the conditions placed on our arrangement.

The king was amused by the whole event, but when he had half of his guards slaughtered, he stopped the remaining ones from attacking, which was lucky for us. I wasn’t foolish enough to think we could take the other half. We managed the first half from pure luck and adrenaline, both in which were gone by that time. The king had been impressed, and a little annoyed, that his trained guards could be slaughtered by four men. He was even more irked when he found out about the ten men. As far as I’m concerned, that was what pushed him over the edge. What made him agree to the deal.

The conditions were fairly simple. First, Austin was to be recruited. The king had heard of his brutality in some of the previous kills, and he wanted Austin enlisted inside the castle. Austin didn’t care much for anything in particular, so he agreed. What was he to lose? If anything, he gained. He had a reason to kill with strength and cruelty, what more could he ask for?

Second, I was to train men. I was capable of the same brutality as Austin was, but I also used my mind a lot when fighting, or so the king said. He said both were of equal value for his people, so I was to train them. That idea I didn’t like. Why would I want to train a bunch of whiny, spoiled little brats? That idea, was one the king wouldn’t drop, but he did change it. He would send off some of his men, some of his mens children to me, and anyone else who wished to attend could. I wouldn’t be stuck on the kings grounds, and I wouldn’t have to follow his every order. In a way, I was working for him, but not, at the same time. That was one thing I would never allow myself to do. I may have given up a lot to end the mutt epidemic, but I would never work for the king.

The third condition was to do with Audrey. The king wanted her given back to her old owners. Legally, by his laws, she was theirs. She was their property. Naturally, I should have given her up. Allowed them to take her, but I resisted. I’m lucky the king didn’t scrap the whole deal right there. Instead, he wished to know my reason, and when he learned it, he was shocked. I think he assumed I was some human-loving-pansy. But he learned that, in fact, I was just loyal. I gave my word, so I would keep it. Simple as that. So, Audrey would be brought to Earth. Not just the end, but Earth itself. With, of course, a few exceptions.

Audrey wasn’t to spread what had happened. She was to believe it had been one whole dream, one whole horrific thought. We were to cover her tracks, for there were men who would love to get that information off her. At first, I felt an inkling of guilt for making everything seem like a bad dream, for disillusioning her, but what choice did I have? I had given my word that I would get her out, and I did. I kept my word, and if she didn’t remember, what was so wrong with that? In the end, it was best.

Caleb had went back to his home town, to be with Brian. He promised to return eventually, when Brian was old enough to begin to learn how to fight. But until then, he just wanted to have some peace, some time with his little bit of family that remained.

“Uh, sir?” My eyes snapped down to the kid who was bugging me. Maybe kid was a bit harsh, he was pulling on seventeen now, and was one of the few who could fight decent. But nonetheless, I was annoyed. If being called sir wasn’t annoying alone, the kids in the back who had thought it was funny to dump water on each other, would have pushed me over. I taught kids from the age of ten, to thirty. Mainly I had kids, though. And currently, I was hating the little twirps I was stuck with. I wasn’t a kid man, which I’m sure Brian could testify for.

“What?” I snapped. His head, which was covered in dark fuzz, shaved close to his head, bowed. His matching eyes met the floor and he seemed to twist his hands nervously together. He may be a decent fighter, but he needed to learn to hold his head high. “Head up. Showing submission will only get a sword to your throat.” He immediately lifted his head, his hands going to his side. Our eyes met, and I saw the nervousness in the kid’s eyes.

“Sir, I was hoping for a favor.” At this I snorted. A favor? Who did he think I was, Santa Clause? I may show more compassion than most, but I wasn’t big on the whole giving thing. It had never been a strong suit of my life, so why should I change it now? It served well so far, why change? “I want one-on-one fighting lessons.” He quickly added, when noticing my expression.

“No.”At this the kid gaped. Did he think I wouldn’t be so blunt? Or was he shocked that I said no? Either way, I didn’t care. The kid seemed to, however.

“Please, I-“

”Begging is a sign of weakness.”

“See! This is exactly why I need this. Ple-“ he cut himself off from the plea, looking more nervous. “Sir, there are... I’ve heard... sir, there are things happening. Or going to happen. I can feel it. I need to know how to fight I need t-“

”Kid, you’re already better than most of the class. Leave it at that.” I stood, ignoring him now. “Class dismissed!” A couple eyes turned to me, but the majority just ran out the doors. Stupid little kids.

“But sir-“

”Get lost, kid.” And with that, I left him in the training room. I didn’t look back, nor did I feel guilt. Why would I? I didn’t know him, and I didn’t owe him anything.

*Hayden’s POV*

The wisps of shades of orange rose and danced. They spiraled and sparkled. They gleamed in the little bit of moonlight, and they let off a warmth that still could not quench the chill of night.

It was a memorizing sight. It intrigued me, as it always did. I’m not sure why. Fire wasn’t too complex of an element, nor was it too intriguing. The only reason I could put to my fascination of it would be my father. I remember sitting around a fire with him. He’d show me how to control it, how to make it do as you wish, and he showed me just... just it. Of course, as a kid, when I looked at fire, I though ooh! Hot stuff to set upon things! I never did get around to setting the house on fire, but I did come close a few times.

I was surprised that it still hurt to think about my family, but I suppose old wounds never truly heal. It had been years ago, and I was no longer a child. I was also no longer defenseless. I could fight, and I was good at it. I learned and studied it... with Mack as my teacher. Eventually I got as good as everyone else, but I didn’t like it. I would fight when I had to. I would kill when I had to, but I never took pleasure in it. I would never kill if I could prevent it. My mind got me out of most situations, and the occasional ones that it didn’t, I would use force. But it was always a last minute resort.

The Zacurr were a group of both men and women. A few children, ones who were rescued as myself was, were also in it. It didn’t matter what you were; vampire, werewolf, demon, a mutt, a purebred. It just didn’t matter. No one looked at you for what you were, and no one judged. In all, it was a good group. Not perfect, but when is anything perfect? Everything, and everyone has its problems; has its quarrels. The Zaccur was no different.

“What are you thinking of?” The voice came from Joshua, more commonly known as Josh. He had been picked up only a few days before myself. He had a few years over me, but it didn’t seem to mean much. In these days, with all the fighting, it didn’t matter your age. It mattered on your strength, your willingness to die fighting for what you believed in.

When little we used to wrestle, and use the moves Mack taught us on each other. We were the best guy buddies, and as we grew, our friendship remained. It was good to have friends, to have a tie to the group, or so said Mack. He used to tell us stories of men he had saved, only to have them ditch the Zaccur in the end, because they had no ties. They would pay out their debt, what they saw fit, for thanks of saving their lives, and then leave. Leave the men who raised and trained them. I would never do that, but Mack seemed more assured when he saw that I was bonding. Mack and Josh were probably the only two I got along with. Even though the group wasn’t racist, and we all got along for the majority of the time, I couldn’t help but notice the space they put between myself and them. I didn’t pay it too much attention, for what would it prove? That I was right? That I was being ostracized? It didn’t matter. If they were doing so, I didn’t need to know about it anymore than I knew about it now.

“Stuff.”

“Never would have figured.” He mumbled sarcastically. “ But what stuff?” I shrugged before changing topics.

“Something’s going down soon. Something big.”

“Really? Why can’t anything ever be small? Would make life so much more easier.” I smiled slightly. “Any clue what?”

“No. But it’s bad. That I can feel.” He frowned at that.

“Did you tell Mack?” I nodded.

“Well then, there’s nothing left to do except wait.”