Time slowed as panic spread through Illius’ body. He looked to Sam for help, but the man could only stare at his head.

“You’re a therian,” Sam muttered.

Derk let him go with a shove that sent Illius stumbling away. Illius reached one hand up to his head, hoping against all odds that they had disappeared.

“You have horns.” Sam continued to stare.

“He’s a fucking demon!” Derk swung his fist, and Illius crashed to the ground.

“This… It’s not what you think it is!” Tears welled in his eyes as he wheezed to catch his breath.

Sam had already turned away.

“Sam!” Illius cried out, his voice choking off as Derk kicked him.

“You think he gives a fuck about a beast like you?” Derk laughed. “His entire family was wiped out by the Demon Lord. And you, you think you’re something special because your mom fucked a goat?”

“I don’t…” He trailed off as the blows came faster. “Stop,” he begged, terror starting to take over.

“No, you’re getting what you deserve.” The guard landed another heavy blow to Illius’ ribs. “To think, all this fucking time you were right under our noses! A cursed one. Are you a spy for the Demon Lord?”

“I’m not… I don’t know why I have them.” Illius started shaking. “I didn’t ask for this.”

THONK! A blow to the back of the head almost made him black out. He felt himself slipping further and further away. A kick to his side made his body curl in on itself, but his consciousness came back a bit, enough to hear the wet squelch of his flesh as Derk’s stick hit. 

“That is quite enough,” a voice spoke firmly. He couldn’t move to see who it was, but he could tell it was a woman. Someone wearing a red robe approached him, and then he lost consciousness.

                                       ~

He awoke on a sterile, metal table in a… lab, staring up at a blinding white exam light. That couldn’t be good.

“It’s okay.” A woman in a red robe touched him gently, and he realized his shirt was gone. “Please, drink this.”

His hands were chained together. The cool metal weighed his wrists down as he took the cup and sat up.

“Ruth, get away from the creature.” A doctor pulled her away. “You’ve healed him enough.”

“I’m fine.” She looked at Illius reproachfully but let the man lead her away.

Illius smelled the drink that the woman had given him—some sort of green… chemical. “Do I have to drink this?”

“Yes,” the doctor snapped. “It will make you feel better.”

“What happened?” Illius swallowed the liquid. Ugh, it tasted even worse than he thought—like fermented seaweed with a touch of bleach.

“The others attacked you,” the woman told him. “They saw your horns. See, your horns make you very special. We’re very excited to have you here.”

“You don’t have to talk to it like it’s a human.” The doctor glared at the woman.

She drew her lips together. “Doctor, I’d like to remind you that all of the Allfather’s creatures are his children, no matter what they might be.”

The doctor clearly disagreed but said nothing.

“Where am I?” Illius almost didn’t want to know the answer.

“Special research,” the doctor responded, glaring at the woman next to him.

Research. Cool. He looked down at his hands, staring at the cuffs on his wrists. Fuck. They’d found him. His hands started to feel like they’d fallen asleep—an almost vibrating sensation that freaked him out. Were the cuffs some sort of weird magical dampeners? “Am I supposed to be feeling… tingling?”

“Yes, that’s normal,” the doctor said.

“You aren’t going to kill me?” he asked gingerly.

The doctor sighed and looked at his cohort. “Against my better judgment, Ruth here thinks we might be able to use you.”

“How?” Illius asked.

The doctor didn’t answer, and Illius’ attention turned to his body. His chest suddenly felt as though it was going to burst, veins of hot fire burning through him.

“Ow!” he shrieked, grabbing at his chest. “What did you do?”

“What’s happening?” The woman turned to the doctor.

“I assure you, this is quite normal,” the doctor told Ruth with a bit of annoyance. “You may want to stand back. Guards?”

“Wait, what?” Illius struggled, but they grabbed him anyway and threw him onto a padded mat inside a glass room heavily etched with runes. They slammed the crystal-clear door shut.

Everything—everything he’d felt since he was a kid was bubbling up inside of him. “No, no, no, no,” he whispered as he lay in the cell. “I can’t… hold it anymore.” The bubble broke, and he screamed as his body burned from the inside out.

                                           ~

He woke up, still without his shirt, lying on the cold ground.

“Thank the stars. Are you okay?” Eric’s voice said, coming from… somewhere to his left. Illius slowly forced his eyes open and looked around. He was outside, lying in the dirt—his hands were chained to a pole in the center of an open-air cell, with metal bars on the sides and wooden slats crisscrossing above. Eric sat outside the cell, cross-legged, watching him.

Illius just hung his head in his lap.

“Illius,” Eric’s voice repeated. “Are you alright? Talk to me. Can you talk?”

“Go away,” Illius said softly. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“You think I believe any of that bullshit about you being a…”

“A therian?” He was just tired at this point. “You can see my horns.”

“Hey, that doesn’t mean you aren’t human!” Eric said.

“Yeah.” He was so tired. “Yeah, it kinda does. You ever met a human with horns?”

“No,” Eric sighed, “but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you.”

“Look.” His head hurt. “Best thing you can do is stay away from me.”

“I brought you some food and water.” Eric reached inside and set a jug of water and a plate down.

Illius took one sniff of the food and turned away to retch up whatever was still in his stomach.

“I’m sorry.” Eric quickly pulled it back. “I didn’t realize… Are you sure you’re okay?”

Illius’ hands were cold, and he almost dropped the water jug as he tried to hold it up to his face. His arms shook, and it splashed onto his chest, making him shiver even more.

“Here.” Eric took the jug and held it up through the bars for him, tipping it slowly so he could drink.

“Thanks.” Illius nodded, then scooched back toward the center of the cell.

“You’re not an animal.” Eric glared at the cage. “This isn’t right.”

Illius didn’t have an answer for him. He didn’t think he cared anymore.

“What did they do to you?” Eric asked. “Illius. Look at me.”

He didn’t bother.

“Hey, I’m trying to help you!”

“You can’t.” He finally met Eric’s gaze. “You can’t change the way I was born. Now leave me alone.” With that, he curled up with his back to Eric.

“Illius!” Eric said. “You don’t deserve this. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I was born,” he whispered to himself, so soft Eric couldn’t hear it.

“Illius, please,” Eric pleaded.

“Go away,” Illius told him, trying to tune out Eric and will himself to sleep. His body craved rest, and it didn’t take him long to succumb.