It started after a tumultuous visit with his father.

King Brennus Harrow-Light of the Kingdom of Luxivita.

Varrick had been forced to visit him after the guards came to the Riverfront District and demanded he come with them. His mother disagreed, but they threatened to activate her curse if she didn’t comply. Varrick willingly left with them so she wouldn’t get hurt.

Like most visits, King Brennus didn’t want anything to do with him, but only had him appear because he was threatening Prince Regulus and Prince Aelius. He reminded them that Varrick would take their place as heir to the throne if they failed in anything. His half-brothers didn’t take kindly to this threat, but Varrick didn’t care. It’d been like this almost all their lives. And he imagined things wouldn’t get any better with the upcoming birth of the king and queen’s third son.

Yes, from what he heard from the court wizard, they were expecting another son. And soon. She was in her last month.

Not that the queen looked happy about it. If anything, she looked haggard and displeased. From what he heard, this pregnancy hadn’t been easy on her. He’d heard rumors of her saying she hadn’t wanted another child and that she cursed this child throughout her pregnancy. He just hoped that things would improve after she gave birth.

He made his way back to the Riverfront District. The one area where he felt like another citizen and not the bastard son of King Brennus. An area where he felt loved not only by his mother, but also by the people there. A place where he could be himself and free.

He walked down an empty alley that was rarely used by the general public. Perfect for him. He wouldn’t have to hear the people mutter about him being a bastard or feel the looks of disdain weighing on his shoulders as he walked home. It’d been like that all of his fifteen years of life.

A dark blur ran straight into his legs, making him gasp. A black cat lay on the ground in front of him, stunned from bumping into him. Its black hair looked dusty, and its hind right leg looked injured. He carefully picked it up, and the cat looked up at him with wide blue eyes. After staring at him for a few seconds, the cat purred and nuzzled into his chest. Varrick gently petted its head. “Are you okay?”

“Hey! Give me that cat! He stole a fish from my mother!”

Three human boys around Varrick’s age stood in front of him and glared at the cat in his arms. He held the cat closer to his chest and shook his head. “No.”

“Hey, isn’t that King Brennus’ bastard?” one of them asked.

“I heard he’s a witch. Or is it a warlock? Man-witch? Either way, his mother is a witch.”

The leader of the group walked over to Varrick, who finally stood up and looked at him. “I don’t care if you’re King Brennus’ bastard or the son of a witch. Give me that cat!” When Varrick shook his head again, the leader huffed and punched him. Varrick fell to the ground, but took the brunt of the fall so the cat wouldn’t get hurt. He managed to turn around in time before the leader’s kick hit it. The leader kept kicking him and yelling at him to give him the cat. His friends cheered him on and encouraged him to kick harder.

“You must be stupid as your whore mother!” the leader sneered.

All three boys stiffened when they heard a loud crackling sound. The air felt like it’d thicken around them. They looked around and saw streaks of magical energy in the air. The leader gasped when something wrapped around his wrists and ankles and lifted him up. Cuffs made from magic surrounded them, and his eyes widened when he realized he couldn’t free himself. His heart started beating faster as he was lifted higher and higher.

“Wh-What’s going on!?” one of the friends asked as their friend was now higher than the buildings. If he were to fall, he would surely die from the impact.

The other friend looked at Varrick, who sat up with the cat curled up in his lap. “It’s him. He’s the one doing this!”

“Let me go, you bastard!” the leader screamed. 

The young warlock didn’t respond. He stared up at the leader with an indifferent look as he snapped his fingers. The cuffs around the leader’s wrists and ankles disappeared. His friends watched in horror as he fell, and he closed his eyes as he waited for the impact that would kill him. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he stopped. He opened his eyes and shivered when he saw that the ground was about half an inch away from his face. He looked at his wrists and ankles and saw the cuffs had reappeared and were the only things holding him up.

They disappeared, and he fell, making him grunt in slight pain. His friends rushed over to him and helped him sit up. When they looked at Varrick, the young warlock stood up and looked at them with glowing, pine green eyes. The white, eight-point stars surrounding his pupils glowed the brightest, making his eyes look otherworldly. The air crackled with more energy, and the area around them seemed to darken.

Varrick stared calmly at them as he held the black cat close to his heart.

“Run.”

All three boys scrambled away without question. When he didn’t see them, Varrick relaxed and smiled down at the cat, who purred contentedly.

The young man laughed as he resumed walking. “That was scary. Let’s get you cleaned up and see about healing your wounds. I’m sure Mom won’t mind having a cat in the house. You can run off the pests. And I don’t just mean mice.”