I made the day and a half journey to the kingdom on the far side of the country to meet with the King. He was an old, greedy viscet, always looking for new opportunities to expand his territory. Rumors had it that he was looking for an heir.
My request was granted, and I was face to face with the King himself by the end of the day. I bowed when I entered the room, and he gave a snort and tapped his knee. “What brings you to my castle?” he questioned, though his tone implied he was already irritated and eager to leave. “Your Highness,” I began, “I wish for your support in my business-“ but my sentence was cut short by the Kings barking laugh; he sneered, eyes gleaming in amusement.
“And why do you think I would help a viscet such as yourself?” He retorted, gesturing to my appearance. The bag I carried was worn, rough around the edges and dirty, and my fur was clumped and dirty in some spots from the long trip over as well. But I lowered my head anyway, and continued, “Sir, I have a particular interest in viscets with mutations. Where they come from and how they are randomly acquired.” The King suddenly seemed interested. Of course, that’s why I came to him of all viscets. Rumors far and wide have told of the King who looks at mutated viscets as a higher class, having more power in the more mutations one possesses on their body. Although the King himself bore no different qualities, the power and desire in his eyes reflect like a mirror. Surely, if the rumors are true, the one he chooses as heir will certainly display a rare and stunning appearance.
I continued when the King said nothing, “With your support, Your Highness, I wish to research and record data, hoping to one day control and generate mutations through artificial means.” I watched him carefully, not wanting to push my boundary, but he seemed to be running it over in his head. “Of course, viscets may be hurt or even killed in the process, but that is a risk I am willing to take. I will take full responsibility of what may come.” Almost as soon as I had finished my sentence, the King responded, “I will support your research.”
“S-sir?” I couldn’t believe it. That was almost too easy. My bag suddenly felt too heavy, all the papers and graphs I brought now only useless weight. “Forgive me, but I don’t believe you heard me correctly. I said-“ “I know what you said, what do you take me for?” The King snapped, his tongue laced with venom as his fur began to bristle. I bowed my head once again, mumbling an apology. The King continued, unable to contain his curiosity, “There is a danger to your research, it comes with any medical or gene research. However, that is a risk I am willing to take. Viscets that carry mutated genes are superior in appearance and even battle; imagine the armies we could create with your research!” The King was estatic.
I was grateful for the Kings support, but my confidence suggested otherwise. I spoke slowly and carefully, not wanting to show my insecurity. “Thank you, Your Highness. Your support is much appreciated. However, I can not guarantee the results of my research any time soon.” The Kings eyes narrowed, and I felt every hair on my body stand on end. He spoke lowly, “Then work until you can.” And just like that, the conversation was over. The king stood, his maroon robe shimmering across its velvety texture as he moved. He strode to the doorway but stopped to look over his shoulder at me, his eyes holding a dangerous glint in them. “Don’t disappoint me.”
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I traveled back to The Lab, not sure if my legs were shaking from fatigue or excitement to finally begin my work. Hitori and Kozmotis greet me as I pass, but I was heading straight to my bed, ready for a well-earned rest.
For the first time in years, my sleep was plagued with dreams; rather, they felt more like nightmares. I was brought back to my days with my parents and brothers, and the love of my life. I’ve abandoned all of them, and I felt a part of my soul chip off each time I remembered that. Something deep within me is in conflict with my current progress, screaming to surface. What was it? Resentment? Sorrow?
Regret…? No. This was not the time for that. Not with how far I’ve come. I woke with a start, a cold sweat clinging to the back of my neck, and most of my fur stood on end. It was still early, but the first rays of light were peaking over the horizon. I sighed, lying in my bed for a few moments longer to compose myself.
Was this really a good idea? Of course it is, I assured my self.
What about all the viscets you’re going to use in the name of research and experimentation? Do they matter? I… It’s for the greater good. We can find a way to control it, reducing sudden and random deaths. It’s a necessary step going forward-
is there anything you care about? My eyes narrow, and I can feel my eyes growing wet with tears. What do you-
“Luken, sir!” A voice called outside my door, a light knock came right after. I jumped upright, wiping my eyes and growling at myself. I cleared my throat before responding, faking sleep in my voice, “What is it?” It was Kozmotis, the viscet who leads research and documents, and soon to send out our first mission. She cracked open the door, her ears flat, “Sorry to have woken you, sir, but I gathered some information you might want to see.” I sighed, clearing my head from the voices that had crept up on me again.
“Isn’t it a bit early for that, Kozmotis?” I called out as I glance out my window, the sun now crawling slowly over the fields, turning everything it touched a reddish orange hue. “May I?” She called out, and I responded to her flatly, “Proceed” She stepped into the room, and I stretched my stiff muscles, standing as well. She bowered her head to me and handed me a stack of papers without a word. I nodded and took the papers from her, giving them a once over before looking back up to her. “What is this?” Kozmotis shifted a bit, but responded with confidence.
“I’ve been up for a while gathering information, and I’ve provided a list of case information that you may be interested in setting into motion.” I looked at the papers once again, each one their own topic. My eyes widened, amazed at her work even through we have only just begun. Each page was titled, contained a viscet, the mutations they had, and their location and date last seen. I reached out and ruffled Kozmotis’s head, a small smile across my face. “Good work, Kozmotis. Though this is quite enough for today, please relax for the rest of the day.” She quickly brushed off my hand, determination shone in her eyes. “I’m not a child any more, Luken. And this is the first day of research, how can you ask me to relax and take it off?”
Ah, of course. Kozmotis has been with me her whole life, and in recent years I have failed to see her grow from viscetling to a young adult.
This must be how a parent feels, the voice taunted me again, and I snapped my hand away in response. I waved the papers in my hand, “yeah, but you have given us more than enough to work off of for a few days. You have worked hard, you deserve a rest.” She hesitated, but finally agreed. She ducked her head once again before stepping out of the room. “Thank you, sir. Your kindness is much appreciated.”
I ran my hand through my mane and looked to the papers once again. I flipped through them and began to pull a few of them to look into them further later. I grabbed the strings of crystals on my desk and tie them around my neck and horns, and set out for my first day of running The Lab.
