FSE

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Chapter 3: homeleaving

Will fell lightly onto the grass, and looked around. Just as Sara said, the field looked just like how it used to be, with no bullet marks whatsoever. At that point, Will looked down at his body, and found himself as a human once more.

"I'm a human again." Will spoke in wonder, looking up at Sara.

"Well, you're still inexperienced at transforming back and forth. It's usual for newbies like you to accidentally morph into your animal form when you don't want to, or accidentally change back." spoke Sara, and handed Will a bracelet. It was a simple bracelet, made in red cords. A wooden talisman hung from it, with a magic circle carved into it.

"What does it do?" Will asked, putting it on.

"It prevents you from changing into your tiger form unintentionally. Like I said, you're inexperienced, so this would help you control yourself." Sara spoke, walking away.

Will followed her, feeling nervous. His brother was nearby, and Will didn't know what to say.

"So..... Is my brother also like us?" Will asked, following her. His injury now didn't hurt that much, only aching a little.

"Yes. He told me that's why he left home, but I think I'll let him explain." Sara spoke, as she kept walking.

"Why didn't he tell me? Didn't he know that I was also..... Half animal and half human?" Will asked.

"He didn't know. Like you, he didn't know anything about himself until he changed. Also, the correct term for us is werebeasts." Sara spoke, coming to a stop in front of a cafe.

"Will!" Arthur shouted as he ran out. Will's adopted older brother was somewhat dark-skinned, tall and muscular, and he didn't change except for the fact that he was taller.

"Arthur!!" Will yelled before he was hugged/crushed by his older brother.

"I was really worried about you!! I mean, Sara was with you, but what if it was a Demon Head or even the Bound Ones! Sure, I did give you the necklace, but what if you left it at home? What if..."

"B..bro.... Could you....... let me go...... before I suffocate?" Will wheezed, and was promptly dropped.

"Sorry. I was really nervous... Anyhow, let's go in. I have lots to explain to you, and people are looking at us." Arthur led Will into the cafe, and looked at Sara. Promptly, she nodded and sat out.

"She will keep watch and tell us if anything goes wrong." Arthur spoke as he ordered for a coffee.

"Why are you here?" Will asked. He was glad to see his older brother, but he thought that it was very odd that he came here now, of all times.

"Partially, I missed you. I was worried about what might've happened, so I came by. I also thought I might drop a present while I was at it. Did you get it?" Arthur asked as he leaned back.

"Yes. But what do you mean by what might've happened?" Will asked as he sipped his drink.

"It's about our parents. I thought that they might hate you or kick you out too." Arthur spoke, which confused Will. Sure, they were a bit cold with him, but he remembered that they were like that all the time. The brothers were adopted, but their parents still treated them fairly and strictly.

"They kicked you out?" Will spoke incredulously. He figured that his brother just ran away, and their parents enforced that thought.

"Well, it was mutual. I hated our parents, and they hated me." Arthur spoke, looking just a bit sad and mad.

"Why?" Will questioned. He couldn't think of a reason for them to hate each other.

"Well, the whole problem started when I transformed like you. I got my ability a bit later than you, and I also had a tough time keeping it in control. One day, I was in my room, and it suddenly went wild. Mother barged in when I was still in my animal form, and she flipped. She thought that I was the Devil's pawn or something, and it became unbearable. Your know how religious they are... mom and dad hated me, and I didn't want to stay. They kept giving me dirty stares, and made me attend all sorts of weird rituals and stuff to get be back to "normal". So I left home, and they gave me just enough to get a small home. After that, I started working part-time until I reached the age, and started working. I sort of slowly found others like me, and started to train. But I was worried that they might think that you might be also like me, so I came. And to think it actually happened......" Arthur spoke bitterly, setting down his drink.

"But.... Then what about me? Would I have to leave too?" Will asked, feeling stricken. He didn't like his parents that much, but he was still 15, and he couldn't get a job or make a living on his own!

"If they found out, maybe. Even if you don't leave, it's unbearable. Trust me." Arthur signed, leaning back on his chair. "But if you do decide to leave them, come with me. We can get you trained for survival, and I can help you out until you decide what you want to do with yourself."

Will started to think. Sure, he figured that he might be able to keep it under control, but what if the demons attacked again? What if he lost control? When he looked back, he knew that he only had one choice.

"I'll go with you. Where do you live?" Will asked, sighing.

"A couple hour's drive from here. I got a small home with protective spells all over it." Arthur spoke. Will could see his brother looking relieved, and he suddenly remembered something.

"What about our parents? Shouldn't we at least tell them? And I need to pick up some things....." Will trailed off. It sounded unpleasant, but he didn't want to leave some of his stuff behind. He also left the necklace back at home, and he figured that it might be handy.

"All right... I don't really want to, but I'll come with you. I could give them a better explanation." Arthur signed, getting up. Will followed suit, and the two started walking toward home.

"So when did you first transform?" Arthur asked, as they started walking.

"You don't know?" Will asked, surprised. He figured that his brother knew about his change, and that he came for that reason.

"Well, yeah. We can't really sense when someone transformed the first time. So guys like you sometimes live out their life hiding it." Arthur spoke.

"Just after school." Will spoke, and suddenly thought of asking his brother about the demons. "So, why are the demons after us?"

"Well, they enter mortal world to absorb energies. They could get these from normal humans too, but werebeasts like us are stronger and can use mana or Spirit. So they usually try to hunt us down. If Sara didn't get there in time, then...."

"Yeah.... Aren't there any human wizards or something like that?"

"A few. there's less of them, and they're kinda weaker than most of us." Arthur spoke, pushing the buttons on the elevator.

"When I fought him, I felt stronger for some reason, and I moved faster than I normally could do. Is that some kind of werebeast ability? Or magic?"

"Werebeast ability. We usually have some extra powers from our animal side. You're a tiger, so you would be faster and stronger than most humans, maybe even better than athletes. Your senses would also be sharper." Arthur spoke, standing in front of the door.

Will felt nervous, and jumped as his brother suddenly spoke up.

"Give me the bracelet." Arthur spoke.

"Why?" Will wondered. Will figured that his brother knew about the bracelet's abilities, but he had to wonder why he would ask for it.

"If you don't mind, I think I would like you to be in the animal form. Just to convince them......" Arthur trailed off.

Will deftly removed the bracelet, and placed it inside Arthur's palm. Suddenly, his older brother turned to the corridor, and muttered some words, simultaneously moving his finger in a circular fashion. Will watched as the finger left dark red traces in the air, and saw the air suddenly shift a bit.

"What did you just do?"

"A spell that prevents people from listening on us or seeing us. We might need this when we see our parents. I'll teach this to you later." Arthur spoke as he transformed. Will nervously tried to transform, but suddenly felt stuck.

"No, you're too nervous. The transformation can't be rushed. Try to coax your form out, bit by bit." Arthur spoke, looking at Will with concern. Will tried again, and this time succeeded in transforming into a white tiger again.

Arthur rang the bell, and the duo heard someone moving. Then, they heard their mothers voice, saying "Who's there?"

"Mom... It's me, Will." Will spoke nervously. He suddenly wanted to just run away, but a part of him stood still.

"You're late. I expected you back half an hour ago..." Will's mother spoke as she opened the door, and froze when she saw the brothers. She let out a scream that Will never knew his mother could do, and fainted.

"Mom!" Will shouted, crouching down. As he did so, he heard a gun blast, and his brother shouting "Shield!" When Will looked up, he saw his father holding a rifle(another first), and a red circle in front of him.

"You!!" Will's father exclaimed, staggering back.

"Yes, me." Arthur spoke, stepping into the house.

"How dare you come back..... And bring another beast with you!" Will's father yelled, pointing the gun at them again. Arthur signed, and flicked his hand outwards. The gun flew out of the brother's father's hand, and slammed into the wall.

"Well, I came here because of Will. And speaking of whom, we need a talk." Arthur spoke in a grim tone, striding over to his father.

"About what?" their father shouted.

Suddenly, Will felt an inexplicable surge of anger at his parents. Stepping out, Will transformed into his human shape(quite fluently), and quietly said "About this."

Will spent the next minute sitting on the couch, watching his brother jolt his parents awake. When they woke up, they both looked stunned to see their second son turned into a half-animal thing(from their point of view).

"I knew something like this would happen. When you left, I thought that you might have done something to your little brother too!" Will's mother spoke venomously as she shot a look at them both.

"For the last time, I didn't do anything. We can't help being werebeasts!" Arthur shouted as he slammed his hand on the table.

"Well, now that you're back, we could try turning you back....." Will's father spoke as he looked at them.

"No! I told you: whatever you try won't work, especially with those conners! What's more, I don't want to change back!" Arthur shouted.

"But..." their mother spoke up, but was silenced by Arthur's rant.

"I'm sick of this! I don't want to stay here, especially when you keep on thinking us as demons! I risk my life fighting demons for Earth, and this is the thanks I get?!" Arthur shouted, standing up and pushing the chair down. "Will, let's go. We'll leave as soon as we finish packing." Arthur spoke bitterly as he walked to Will's room. Will gave an apologetic look, and followed his brother.

When he entered the room, he saw his brother muttering as he threw things into the air, where it soon disappeared.

"How do you do that?" Will asked as he sat down on the bed.

"Simple. The Sphere can also be used like this, which makes it the perfect container." Arthur growled, emptying Will's bookcases and throwing the contents into the opening.

"I suppose it's no use telling you to be a bit more gentle?" Will sighed as he looked at his brother.

"Sorry. I just.... lost control for a sec. I didn't want to come back, but....." Arthur sighed and sat down beside Will.

"It's okay. Let me get some stuff, and we can leave." Will spoke as he put on his necklace, and put his laptop in his backpack.

"Are you sure you want to follow me? I mean, you can stay here if you want..... Arthur gestured to the room.

"Positive. I get that they don't understand us, and I'm afraid that the demons would come back..." Will trailed off, and blinked in surprise as his brother hugged him.

"Look. I know that this might be...... less than ideal. But I'll take care of you. Just... don't keep things in you, and tell me stuff. Okay?" Arthur looked down at his younger brother.

"Okay." Will smiled. "Anyhow, seems you're pretty much done. Let's go." Will stepped out. He blinked in surprise as he saw his mother standing nearby. Wordlessly, she thrust something in Will's hand. Will looked down, and saw a bank account.

"What's this for?" Will asked as he took a peak.

"We thought that something like this might happen, so we made a bank account. It's yours." their mother explained as she stood awkwardly.

"But I thought... you hated us." Will trailed off.

"Not really. We're just upset. Look, if you ever want to be like how you were, come back. We'll try again." their mother explained as she stared at Will in the eye. But Will knew that he would most likely never come back.

"Come on." Arthur stood in the doorway, beckoning. Will turned back, and stepped out from the door. As he started to walk down the corridor, he changed into his human form, surprised at how easy it was now.

"What do we do now?" Will asked as he followed his brother.

"First, we have to take care of stuff from your old life. Then, we need to visit some people." Arthur spoke as they walked away.