Chapter 2 - The awakening

Orion’s p.o v

“Lord Orion, the Aurelians are here,” my butler said, dragging me out of my thoughts.

I found myself clicking my teeth, my body hurt.

“My Lord is the Pain too much to bear? You know we can always go back to the ship, we don’t have to-“

“Caelum!! I don’t need you on my matter, so shut up and bring them in.” I said in irritation.

The more I stayed away from the ship the weaker I got, but no one needed to know that not even those disgusting Aurelians.

I leaned in my chair, waiting for them to be brought in.

I squeezed my nose at their scent. ‘They really are repulsive’ I thought as they made their way into the area.

“May the interstellar race live forever, may Lord Orion live supreme.” They chorused.

I could feel the fear they felt in my presence,

'Pathetic’ I thought with a sense of satisfaction.

“What do you want” I growled, finding it more and more difficult to keep my human form.

“A sacrifice for your protection as you promised sire,” one of them said, while the other dragged in an unconscious body.

“For your use My lord, untouched, just like you requested.

The scent hit me like a freight train, sharp and sudden, cutting through the damp, dead air. For a second, I froze. My heart slammed against my ribs, but it wasn’t fear. No, this was something deeper, more primal. The scent.

It seemed familiar, yet in some way, it was strange.

I tried to keep calm, but it was already too late. I could feel the shift starting, that slow crawl of energy beneath my skin, a force too powerful to resist. My control slipped, and panic surged through me. I clenched my fists, trying to fight it, but my body betrayed me. Muscles expanded, skin prickled as it stretched and hardened, bones reshaped. My vision blurred, sharpening in some places, distorting in others. The human shell I wore so carefully cracked at the edges, unraveling with every breath.

My senses sharped, leaning to the human with them.

The human was unconscious, lying still on the floor. Her pale skin was almost ghostly under the bright lights. Her essence—faint, sweet, undeniably hers—wrapped itself around me, pulling me deeper into the transformation.

Her essence was everywhere now, filling the room, saturating the air, and with it came a surge of possessiveness, ‘I need to own her. Her life force! I needed to-‘

My vision flickered, the world bending around me in strange hues and shapes. I looked at my hands—no longer mine, no longer human. Clawed, scaled, and pulsing with an energy that hummed just beneath the surface. I tried to take a step forward, but my body didn’t move how I wanted. I was losing control, which terrified me. This was the first time in millennia it ever happened.

I let out a low growl, my throat thick with the sound, unfamiliar yet entirely mine. “Caelum!!” I growled fully transformed now which terrified both the Aurelians and Caelum. Not many people got to see the interstellar race fully transformed, we were indeed a sight.

“Y..yes my lord“ He looked ready to shit his pant.

“Take the human to the transport crate!” I said, heaving as I tried to control my breath.

“You may leave!” I said not bothering to look at the peasants who looked shaken at the whole ordeal.

I sat trying to control my breath. “My Lord, the human has been transported, are you okay? Earlier, you ....”

“I am fine, make sure there is just enough oxygen for the human to survive, but not enough that it becomes strong, I don’t need drama.”

“As you wish. But my lord, your life force we need to get you a guide as soon as possible. You have gone on for longer than normal and it....” he kept quiet as he saw my glare which I was grateful for because I was so close to snapping.

I stood up from the chair with a start. “let’s go see our guest” I said with a sly smile. We walked in silence for a while, with me getting more and more irritated with interstellar everywhere.

“My lord, you know all you need is a guide then you would not have to depend on the life force of random people, then you can be complete without....”

“One more word!”My voice came out in a threatening manner, shutting him up.

The moment I stepped into the transport crate, the air inside shifted—heavy, thick with tension. The human was already awake, sitting in the far corner, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her sharp eyes flicked up as I entered, but she didn’t flinch, didn’t move, and just stared at me with that stubborn, icy defiance. She was smaller than I had imagined, but there was something fierce in the way she held herself, as if daring me to come closer.

“You’re awake,” I said, trying to sound neutral, my voice low to avoid startling her. I took a step forward, careful not to crowd her. She didn’t react, her gaze remaining fixed on me like I was some sort of puzzle she was trying to solve.

I leaned against the wall opposite her, arms crossed. “What’s your name?”

Silence.

The more I talked the more silent I got.

“You do not speak?” I said starting to get irritated. I took a step closer and I found myself wanting to get closer.

I looked towards Caelum to come to my aid. He was better at this than I was, I was ready to kick her in the guts just to make her speak.

“Human” Caelum called in a much softer voice than I had used.

“This is Lord Orion and he will not hurt you. But you need to answer him as he asks questions.”

She scoffed, looking straight into my eyes.

I could not help but look away for the briefest of moments. She had the brightest golden brown eyes that seemed to pull you in.

I wanted them. I wanted to pull them out of her sockets and display them on my wall but...

She broke into a laughter. “I know you want to kill, me, just get off your high horse and do it already, you bastard!”

I grabbed her face rather aggressively, forcing her to have no other place to look but at me.

“I am going to forgive that rude behavior of yours for now, since you are after all my guest, but don’t forget,” I said stroking the side of her face “there are more ways to punish you than just kill you, after all, it would be a waste to taint this beautiful skin,” I said making sure she saw my slithered eyes before I let her go.