Ridden: Manipulation of Beasts

Prologue

It was Saturday when I decided to clean the attic of the house. Energetic barks came from behind me. I turned and saw a brown Yorkshire terrier wagging its tail happily. Breezy always seem excited whenever I go into my dad's room to look around. Seems like going to the attic made him excited, too.

"Come on, Breezy. I need to clean up," I said and ascended the stairs towards the dusty attic. Breezy went ahead of me and scratched the door of the attic.

I opened the door and entered. Breezy started running around, jumping on small boxes and started sniffing about.

"Breezy, those things are dusty," I chided as I picked Breezy up. That's when Breezy let out a small sneeze. I rubbed his fur and placed him on top of a large box.

"Sit," I ordered. Breezy obeyed and sat with his tail wagging, dusting the boxes. I covered my nose and mouth then started sorting the boxes, opening each of them to see its content.

That's when Breezy jumped off the large box and sniffed the objects inside a box. "Breezy," I called with knitted eyebrows and picked Breezy up.

I was surprised to see an object in Breezy's mouth. I took it and examined it closely. It was a keychain of a canine fang that had symbols scribbled on it. The ring of the keychain had small pointed teeth but it wasn't sharp. At least not sharp enough to impale.

It was my dad's gift to me when I was 10. Memories flooded into me as I played with the keychain in my hands.

ϔϔϔ

I only came home from school when my dad called me into his office. He looked really tired but he smiled at me like everything was okay. Little did I know, it was the opposite

"Is everything okay, daddy?" I asked worriedly as I walked in. My dad nodded and replied, "Everything's perfectly fine, cupcake. Come here." He asked me to go to him and hugged me tightly.

"I called you because I wanted to give this to you," he said and gave me a small box with the Saber clan's insignia, a saber's paw with an intricate symbol in the middle.

I opened it and saw a keychain of a fang. "What is it for?" I asked as I let the keychain hang by my finger. My dad placed his hand on my shoulder.

"It's more of a charm to protect you from evil, Jesley. Being a Saber meant great power. But it also meant being a magnet of darkness. This keychain will keep you safe. And if the right time comes, it will help you decide your fate," dad said as he closed my fist with the keychain inside it.

"What do you mean?" I asked with a confused look. My dad smiled, though it looked like he was sadder than happy.

"You'll know one day, Jesley. And I hope this keychain will be with you when you do," he said and kissed my forehead.

"I love you, cupcake," he whispered. "I love you too, daddy," I said and hugged him.

ϔϔϔ

I snapped back to reality when Breezy licked my hand. I gave him a pat and hid the keychain in my pocket. "Come on, Breezy. Let's just clean up another day," I said.

Breezy barked and followed as I left the attic. I went to the mirror and looked at the Saber tattoo on the side of my neckline. It was invisible to humans but it would be seen by my fellow descendants, even if we were not of the same clan or bloodline. That's why it was dangerous.

Whatever my dad meant when he gave me the keychain, I was clinging to it. It may be the only way to know my clan on a deeper level. Every time I would ask my dad about it, he would change the subject. There was something wrong for sure.

My name is Jesley Saber and this is a story circling the challenge of Hades. What was the challenge? It may be about facing death, but there was something else. And it was my job to find out.