5. Auslin

Chapter 5

Auslin

I t made Auslin nervous to be left alone in such an enormous space. He looked around the bedroom covertly, as if he was afraid of being caught spying. The gigantic bed that dwarfed the one in the cave drew Auslin's attention, several luxurious furs covering it.

There was a door off to the right side of the bed on the same wall that led to what Auslin assumed was the bathroom.

On the left, there were several black lacquer cabinets decorated with mother-of-pearl and gemstone images of dragon spirits playing under four different trees that represented the seasons. They were beautiful works of art that Auslin would have been afraid to touch, let alone use. He wondered if they were a wardrobe for clothes. They looked like they cost more money than Auslin could spend in three lifetimes .

The surrounding wealth and luxury made him feel very shabby in his plain black breeches, simple white shirt, and his well-worn boots that had traveled countless roads. Mages were known for their modest lifestyles, but he still felt horribly underdressed in such a rich environment.

In the back corner, there was another door that looked like it led to an outdoor veranda. There was a large desk made from the same black lacquer off to the side of that. There were neat stacks of papers and books on top of it that prevented Auslin from seeing the designs illustrated on it.

It surprised him there was very little in the way of personal touches that he could see. The room was impressive, but it felt lonely to him. He fidgeted nervously as he waited for Kitaro to return.

When the shifter prince finally reentered, Auslin couldn't stop himself from jumping like he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

"Unfortunately, my father is not yet back from his hunt. It may be some time until he returns," Kitaro said.

The news was disappointing. "Oh."

"While we wait, I have ordered lunch to be served," Kitaro continued.

Auslin was starving since he hadn't eaten in over a day. He bowed his head. "Thank you for that."

"Should you wish to avail yourself of the bathroom, it is through that door over there. It is soundproof if that is your concern."

Flushing at the comment, Auslin thanked him before heading in that direction. It surprised him the door once again slid open automatically as he approached and shut behind him once he entered.

The enormous bathroom was far bigger than anything he had ever used before. The first thing that drew his attention was the large bath that was sunk into the floor. It was full of steaming water that looked like heaven after having been on the road for so long. Auslin longed to get in, but he knew he couldn't do that until after he met with Tatsuki. He couldn't risk washing off the evidence he had a connection with their clan, embarrassing as it was for everyone to know what Kio had done to him.

There was a wall-length mirror in front of the shimmering marble sink and counter area. It was big enough that Auslin could see his entire body in it. Normally, mirrors only showed a face and were often cloudy and distorted because of the poor quality of glass. He had never seen mirrors so large, let alone as clear.

It was deeply impressive, but it also made him self-conscious about his appearance. His black hair was still tousled from sleep, and his clothes had seen better days. Auslin badly needed a proper bath since his river bathing tended to be cut short by the frigid waters and Kio's limited patience for such things .

Auslin scowled because he wanted to make a good first impression on Tatsuki. His unkempt appearance was not the way to do it. However, there was very little that Auslin could do about that now. He hurried to the toilet so Kitaro didn't wonder why he was taking so long.

When Auslin went to wash his hands, it astonished him when the water flowed automatically from the silver faucet. Auslin stepped to the side, causing the water to shut off. As soon as he stood in front of the sink again, the water ran once more. The biggest shock was the water was instantly hot instead of cold, like in regular bathrooms.

He had never seen such things before, but he didn't have the time to appreciate it. Using the water to fix his hair into something close to presentable, Auslin finally left the bathroom with a lingering glance at the welcoming bath he wished he could take advantage of later.

"I'm sorry I took so long," he apologized when he returned to the bedroom.

Kitaro waved away his concerns. "Think nothing of it."

"I've never seen a bathroom like that before."

"Being a human mage, I would imagine not." Kitaro's expression was amused. "The entire castle is enchanted with dragon magic. It makes life far easier and more enjoyable."

"It would definitely be easy to get spoiled by that." Auslin sighed as he sat down in the comfortable chair next to Kitaro.

"It makes one long for the comforts of home when traveling."

"Do you travel much?" Auslin asked, hoping to keep the conversation going to avoid any awkward silences.

Kitaro shook his head. "Mitsuki travels on the military campaigns with Father, as he is the eldest son. I merely entertain myself from time to time with explorations."

"Is that what you were doing yesterday?"

"No, our lands are far too familiar to me to be the subject of any new exploration. I was roaming while doing stamina training on trying to maintain a larger dragon form. I was resting in the clearing to recover my energy to try again."

"Try again?" Auslin repeated in confusion.

"You saw my shifter form as it normally is. I have been working on maintaining a form twice that large, but it is a severe drain on my energy. Thus, I rested before resuming my training."

Auslin's eyes went wide. "Wait, you can get even bigger than you were?"

"Size is determined by your power rather than age, although that does come into play to some extent," Kitaro explained. "In order to join my brother and father in their campaigns someday, it is necessary that I strengthen my abilities so I can fight for our lands and our people. I must build my stamina by increasing my dragon's size."

"But you already seem so powerful." Auslin knew enough about shifter markings to understand that the brightness of Kitaro's shimmering silver lines was an indicator that he had formidable strength and magic abilities.

"Perhaps once you meet my father, you will see why I am so dedicated to my training." Kitaro absentmindedly ran his thumb over the markings on the back of his other hand. "I still have far to go."

Auslin knew from the legends about Tatsuki that he had been a truly fearsomely powerful shifter with legendary abilities as a fighter, tactician, and magic user. Given his current situation, Auslin wished he had paid slightly more attention to his history lessons during his education while he was growing up in the temple. The problem with shifter history was that it was expansive across so many millennia because of their long lives. It was far more information than a human with only a passing interest could ever remember.

Even hearing stories from Kio would have been helpful, but the half-shifter rarely spoke of his family. Kio had once been drunk enough to speak of his parents, but it had been with bitter remorse that they had passed to the Beyond Realm when he was a child. They left him to fend for himself in an angry world that disapproved of him. It had hardened his heart .

"Surely, you must be familiar with such things from your own spiritual training," Kitaro said.

Auslin sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, I've never had any formal training."

"How can that be? You clearly have trained hard enough to become capable of purifying low-level shifters."

"Nobody at the temple was capable of training me because none of the other mages could do what I do."

"Then how did you come to be in such control of your abilities?"

Auslin shrugged. "I've always had the ability to heal and purify since I was a kid. My powers respond on instinct, so I've never really thought about it before. I just do it."

"That is astonishing." Kitaro hummed with interest. "You truly are a most curious human, Vanra."

Auslin blushed at the praise. He found it hard to meet Kitaro's gaze, which was so similar to Kitsuki's.

There was a knock on the door. "Lunch is served in the main hall, Prince Kitaro," a servant called out from the other side.

"Excellent, thank you." Kitaro stood up and gestured for Auslin to do the same.

Auslin did so, although he blanched a little at the reminder that Kitaro was actually royalty. He wondered if he was being too informal around Kitaro. But he figured if he was being too impudent, the royal shifter would have no problem putting him in place if he was anything like the two brothers the mage knew in his own time.

Following Kitaro out of the room, Auslin couldn't help but get excited about what was sure to be the best lunch of his life.

A uslin still wasn't entirely sure what he had eaten, but he thought it was as close to dining in the Divine Realm as possible. He had never had such delicious food before. Auslin tried not to feel too embarrassed by Kitaro's amusement over his reactions.

They had returned to Kitaro's room after the meal and continued making small talk, which was almost enough to take Auslin's mind off things. Kitaro was shockingly easy to converse with. Auslin even started having fun at one point. However, that all came to a grinding halt when Kitaro was summoned upon his father's return that evening, leaving Auslin all alone in the dragon shifter's room again. His fate was in their hands now.