Book of Venoms - 12. Castor’s Task

“Bio-alchemy: Once forbidden and outlawed, this discipline entails experimenting with human blood with the end goal of turning an ordinary human into a shifter.

It was Count Divinus from the western Kingdom of Amaret who drew attention to this occult practice, causing it to become banned throughout all of Escaria. In his underground laboratories deep beneath his castle, Divinus experimented on many of his subjects, injecting them with various substances in an attempt to turn them into shifters.

By the time his foul deeds were uncovered, many of the unfortunate souls he kept locked were already dead or diseased beyond salvation.

As punishment for his cruel actions, Divinus was injected with a mixture of several chemicals he had used on others. His body quickly started mutating, leaving him horribly disfigured. According to witnesses, as soon as he looked at himself in the mirror, he smashed it in horror, grabbed a shard and slit his own throat.

--

Frightened and nervous, Castor slowly walked up to the beautiful white palace of the God of Time. Following the winding path of white bricks, the young man passed the tall palm trees that decorated the palace courtyard. The entire place was eerily calm and quiet. Even though he could feel warm desert wind on his skin, he noticed the branches and leaves did not move. Everything stood perfectly still, as if frozen in time. Maybe that was his thing, Castor thought. Perhaps Eteon lived in a place unaffected by time.

He finally reached the end of the path and found himself in front of a massive, golden door. There were no handles, though, or any way to open them. Just as the shifter placed his hands on the door in an attempt to push them open, they started squeaking and opened up on their own. Castor gasped, looking at the illuminated hall inside. Before entering, he turned around to take one more look at Sawyer. He was still lying on the ground, with their two horses next to him.

Looking into the distance, Castor noticed there was no trace left of the forest his boyfriend had created. Once again, it was all sand and rock as far as the eye could see.

“I’ll come back for you as quickly as I can,” the boy promised. He then turned back toward the door and entered the palace. Slowly, the golden door closed behind him.

Wide-eyed, the shifter observed the grand hall before him. Although sparkly and meticulous, the place looked cold, as if no living soul lived there – which was probably a correct assumption. The walls and pillars were made of white marble, just as the outside, while the floor was covered in large, golden tiles. Even though enormous in size, the ground floor contained only three doors. There was one more floor above, with hallways and rooms visible from where Castor stood, but there were no stairs leading up, no way to get there.

The boy brought his focus back to the three doors in front of him. Those must be the rooms Eteon mentioned – one of them would show me the past, while the other would show me the future, Castor remembered the words. What’s behind the third door, then? The God had disappeared before telling him.

Castor was scared, perhaps more than he had ever been – except the night Cyr was taken. He still remembered every detail of it. His mother’s tears, his father looking lost, searching for some kind of a solution, Sawyer looking terrified and trying to explain what he saw. He wondered what his parents were doing at that moment. Were they grieving, thinking they had lost both of their sons? Or maybe they were still trying to find them?

I hope they have faith in me, Castor thought. I will find Cyr and bring him back. That is the reason I am here now.

No matter what was in those rooms, he had to proceed. Walking up to the leftmost door, Castor opened it and entered the room. It was surprisingly small and simple, almost empty. Aside from a plain white rug, a sand-colored sofa and a large mirror on the wall, there was nothing else. The entire room was bathed in a faint orange glow, which Castor couldn’t pinpoint the origin of. It was just there.

“Is this it? Is this the right room?” he asked aloud, hoping Eteon would hear him and answer him. However, no answer came.

Castor moved from the door and further into the room, wondering what he was supposed to do there. How would the room show him his past?

He moved to the only window and looked outside, but there was nothing of significance – only the desert. Slowly, he stepped back and went to the large mirror mounted on one of the walls, right in front of the sofa. As he stared at his reflection, he suddenly started feeling drowsy and sat on the sofa. In a matter of seconds, sleep overtook him and he closed his eyes, unable to resist it.

When he opened his eyes, the shifter found himself outside, but he wasn’t alone – there was someone next to him. It wasn’t Sawyer, it was his own brother, Cyr! Castor looked around and recognized the surroundings. They were on the road, returning home from the town. It was a warm summer evening and the two brothers walked at a brisk pace, hurrying to get back to the family farm on the outskirts of town.

“This was a good day,” Cyr said, looking ahead. “Mom and dad will be glad that we sold all the goods! We really need the money.”

Suddenly, Castor remembered the exact day he was brought back to and he almost froze in fear. It was the evening they were ambushed by a couple of thugs who stole all of their hard-earned silver. Maybe that’s why I was brought back to my past, to change it, the shifter thought.

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” Cyr asked, annoyed that he was getting no response from his brother.

“Huh? I’m sorry, I was distracted,” Castor replied in a concerned tone. He knew what was about to happen any minute now.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long when two bandits appeared from behind and called them out, ordering them to stop. Castor instinctively grabbed Cyr’s hand.

“Come on boys, let’s see what you have there!” one of the men said. “Or we’re gonna have to search you ourselves.”

“We don’t have anything, we’re just farm boys,” Cyr replied, looking the man who spoke straight in the eyes.

“Yeah? Why don’t I believe that?” the other man sneered. They were both tall and strong and the two boys knew they had no chance against them. At least not if they fought fairly.

“Come on, shift and take care of them!” Cyr whispered to his twin brother, but Castor stood frozen, glancing at the men and then at Cyr. He was too scared to be of any use.

I need to do something, I need to change the past, Castor thought to himself. That must be why I was brought here.

However, before he could do anything, the thugs grabbed them and stole their little pouches with silver, ripping their clothes in the process. They pushed the boys to the ground and ran off, laughing about the easy money they made.

Castor was utterly embarrassed and devastated, feeling even worse than the first time this happened. He had failed his brother again. He slowly picked himself up off the ground and offered a hand to Cyr, but the other boy just looked at him venomously and got up on his own.

“Get away from me,” Cyr grunted, turning to head back home. “Bloody embarrassing.”

“I-I’m sorry, Cyr,” Castor spoke quietly, walking behind him.

For the rest of the way home, neither of them had said a word. Cyr was too angry and Castor too embarrassed and feeling guilty. What would his parents say when they hear all of the money was gone? He had failed them too.

“What happened to you? Did you two fight again?!” Alice Lunaros said when she saw her sons enter the house in dirty, torn clothes. They had not been getting along well for a while, so she naturally assumed they had fought once again.

Without a word, Cyr went to his room and slammed the door, his face red with anger.

“Cyr! I’m talking to you!” Mrs Lunaros yelled after him, but it was no use. He ignored her and wouldn’t get out. “Castor, what happened?” she asked, more softly this time, turning to her other son.

“I’m sorry… We… we got ambushed by some thieves on the way back,” he said as tears ran down his cheeks. “They stole… our all money.” The boy sobbed, wiping his face with his hands. “I’m sorry mom, it’s all my fault.”

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Alice tried to comfort her son, wrapping her arms around him. If her children had just been attacked and robbed, the last thing she wanted was for them to feel guilty about it. Money was not important, the only thing that mattered was that they were safe! “It’s alright, sweetie,” the woman said in a soothing tone as she stroked her son’s hair.

After he calmed down, Castor headed to his brother’s room, intent on talking to him. He had to tell Cyr that he was sorry for letting him down and that mom isn’t angry at them. He had to make things right somehow and not let their relationship turn even more sour.

Just as he reached the door to Cyr’s room, a marvellous, golden door appeared right next to it. They were the same as the doors in Eteon’s palace. Castor was so caught up in the moment that he forgot all about how he came there. Now he remembered - he was brought there by the God of Time.

Standing between the two doors, Castor knew he had to choose one. He could either go to Cyr’s room and try to make things right, or he could choose the palace door and return to where he came from.

“Go away, Castor!” he heard Cyr yell from inside his room. “I know you’re standing there, I can see your feet!”

With a sigh, Castor stepped back. He couldn’t make things right, not at that moment. He had to go back and try to fix the present, no matter what it took.

“I’m sorry, Cyr. I really am,” the shifter whispered and opened the golden door, stepping through them.

With a loud gasp, the boy opened his eyes and found himself back in the orange-lit palace room, lying in the sofa in front of the large mirror. He was back, but did he pass the first test? He wasn’t sure. Maybe he was supposed to stay there and talk to Cyr. Maybe he chose the wrong path.

“Gods, what do I do? Can I go back?” the boy asked out loud, but no response came. He was all alone. “Eteon, please tell me what to do!”

Minutes passed as Castor sat there, but nothing happened. No one came to give him any further instructions or advice. Finally, Castor stood from the sofa and as he turned around, the door through which he came opened, letting him out. He wasted no time, running out into the hallway and opening the door to the second room - the one that was supposed to show him his future.

~~

Once he entered the second room, the door closed automatically behind him. Castor was not surprised that the room was identical to the previous one, although this one was filled with lime-green light rather than orange. The very air in the room felt different, too. While the first one overwhelmed him with a sense of nostalgia for the times past, this one made him feel excited for what was to come! For the first time since he got there, he felt that maybe things didn’t have to turn out so badly after all! Maybe there was still hope!

Just like in the first room, Castor sat on the sofa in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection. Moments later, he felt his eyelids getting heavy and before he realized it, he was asleep.

When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see it was dark. Sand and rock were all around, while the night sky was sprinkled with thousands of stars. Once again, Castor realized he was not alone - Sawyer was next to him, but they were not riding their horses. This time, they were on camels. After all, they were far more suitable for traversing the desert.

“Look, we’re here!” Sawyer exclaimed, pointing a finger ahead of them. “This must be it!”

Castor looked in the direction his boyfriend pointed at and almost gasped in awe and fear. There it was, their final destination - the Citadel of Bone!

A magnificent limestone fortress stood tall in the middle of the barren land, white spikes menacingly protruding from its edges. The square building had four tall towers in each corner with small windows on each.

“I can’t believe it,” Castor said, almost whispering. “It’s the Citadel of Bone.”

“I know,” Sawyer nodded.

“I- I don’t know if we’re ready for this. Cyr is somewhere in there. At least I hope so.”

“We’re gonna save him,” the young sorcerer said encouragingly. “Have faith!”

Castor nodded silently as they slowly proceeded toward the fortress. He wondered why he was brought to this point in the future? Would Eteon show him what happens with Cyr? Perhaps the purpose was to prepare him for this encounter. Whatever it was, there must be a good reason the God of Time chose to show him this moment.

They continued trudging through the desert, slowly approaching the creepy building. The nights were cold, and even though Sawyer conjured them up warm blankets to wrap themselves in, the boys still shivered in the chilly air.

After about half an hour, they were finally at their destination - the Citadel of Bone stood tall and silent before them. All around it, the area was tiled with large square rocks that were all perfectly aligned. However, everything was quiet - there was no sign of any life, as if absolutely no one lived there.

Slowly, the two boys dismounted their camels and proceeded toward the fortress, when suddenly they heard something, a strange noise coming from above. Castor immediately looked up and was horrified to see two stone creatures flying toward them!

“Sawyer, watch out!” the shifter called out, pointing above them. Two gargoyles were approaching them at high speed.

Sawyer immediately pointed his wand up and a green beam shot out from it. Moments later, vines wrapped themselves around one of the unsuspecting creatures, preventing it from flying. It dropped to the ground, shattering into pieces.

However, the second gargoyle was quicker. It managed to dodge the first hit and swooped down on Sawyer, ready to grab him. The sorcerer fell to the ground and just at that moment, a golden door suddenly appeared out of nowhere, drawing Castor’s attention.

“No, not right now!” the shifter whispered, glancing at the door. “I can’t leave!”

“Castor, help!” Sawyer yelled as he tried to fire another beam, but the stone creature evaded it expertly.

“Sawyer!” the other boy shouted and ran toward his boyfriend. As he did so, the golden door started slowly fading away. “NO!” Castor stopped, unsure what to do. He couldn’t leave Sawyer at the mercy of the gargoyle, but if he didn’t go through the door, would he be stuck here? Would he fail Eteon’s test?

The more he stood there and hesitated, the more he could see the door fade out. If he didn’t make a move soon, they would vanish completely.

“Help me!” Sawyer shouted desperately, but it was too late. The gargoyle grabbed him in his stone claws and lifted him up in the air, making the boy drop his magic wand.

“I’m sorry, my love,” Castor called out, looking as the creature flew back to the Citadel, carrying Sawyer in its talons. “I’ll make it right, I promise!”

The shifter ran toward the golden door and opened them, rushing through. The guilt for leaving his boyfriend at the mercy of the gargoyle was eating him up. He had to hope he did the right thing.

The very next moment, Castor opened his eyes and found himself back in the palace room. He was breathing heavily, his heart racing. As he looked around, he saw that he was still all alone. There was no sign of the God of Time anywhere. Still, his task was not complete - he had one more room to go to.

~~

When he entered the third and final room, Castor was not surprised to find it identical to the other two. The only difference was that this one was filled with dark purple light, causing the mirror on the wall to emit an eerie glow.

Despite the sinister look of the chamber, Castor was not afraid. On the contrary, he felt completely at peace, full of hope and energy. While in the previous room he felt excitement and hope, now he was completely certain that everything would be just fine. All of his wishes would be fulfilled!

Eager to start the last part of his test, the shifter sat on the sofa and looked into the mirror. He saw his reflection looking back at him, but there was something odd about it. Even though it was identical to himself, there seemed to be something different… something missing. Before he had a chance to figure out what, Castor felt himself getting sleepy. He knew there was no reason to fight it, so he just let go and fell into deep slumber.

As he opened his eyes, the shifter saw a starry sky above him, while warm summer breeze caressed his face. He felt a hand on his own and turned to see Sawyer lying beside him, on a blanket in the field outside of the family farm.

“Hey,” the sorcerer cooed, smiling at his boyfriend.

“Hey,” Castor whispered. “I’m sorry, I fell asleep.”

“That’s fine, you were tired,” Sawyer chuckled. “I just hope not too tired for what I want to do with you tonight.”

“Ohh… I’m sure I’ll have enough energy for that,” Castor laughed as his boyfriend leaned over to kiss him.

He remembered this exact moment, it was the summer when they were both sixteen, a year after they first met. They had spent most of the days together, working at the farm and just having fun. Castor wondered why Eteon had brought him back to that moment. Why was the God of Time showing him the past again?

“Wanna see what else I learned?” Sawyer suddenly asked, beaming with excitement.

“Uh, of course, I’d love to,” Castor replied, not sure what his boyfriend was referring to.

The very next moment, the blond sorcerer pulled out his magic scepter - a stylish, silver rod carved with magic symbols - and pointed it to the sky.

Castor looked at it with confusion - where did he get such a scepter? What happened to his simple, old wand?

“Palleostra suturo Castor es’celleon!” Sawyer exclaimed. Suddenly, the stars in the sky rearranged to write Castor’s name across the sky, leaving the young boy breathless.

“Do you like it?” Sawyer asked. The stars twinkled for a few more seconds before returning to their original positions.

“Wow… My love, it’s beautiful,” Castor whispered, feeling his eyes getting watery. “Nobody has ever… I- I love it.”

The sorcerer turned to his boyfriend and cupped his face with his hands, kissing him deeply. Lying next to each other, the two boys let their hands roam all over each other’s bodies as they shared passionate kisses, moaning with pleasure. Castor could feel himself getting hard, but they had to stop before they went too far. They were outside, where anyone passing by could see them. They’d continue what they started later, in the privacy of Castor’s own room.

As the boys broke the kiss, Castor could hear a strange noise nearby, as if something was moving through the grass.

“What’s that?” he asked Sawyer, starting to feel a little nervous. “Do you hear that?”

As he looked over, he gasped in shock, noticing a large black snake slithering through the grass, coming toward them.

The boy almost jumped in fear, but Sawyer took him by the hand. “Relax, my love. It’s just your brother.”

The snake stopped and shifted to its human form, revealing Cyr approaching them.

“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt!” the boy chirped and jumped over, plopping down on the blanket beside his brother.

“Cyr, but… how…?” Castor stuttered. He was stunned and utterly confused - first Sawyer is a master of sorcery, and now Cyr is a shifter?

“Sorry if I scared you, Cas,” the other twin apologized, putting an arm around his brother’s shoulders and pulling him close. “I missed you today, I barely even saw you!”

“You missed me? You… You’re not angry with me?” Castor asked, staring at his brother as if he had just seen a ghost. He looked different. Happy. Castor hadn’t seen Cyr so content in a long time! For the last several years, the boy was always in a foul mood, especially when he was around Castor. But now, he was full of joy and happy to see his brother.

“Why would I be angry with you, silly?” Cyr asked.

“You’re… you’re a shifter? But how? Aren’t I a shifter?”

“What?” Cyr furrowed his brows, glancing at his brother’s boyfriend questioningly. “Sawyer, is he alright? You know he doesn’t handle his brew very well.”

“He’s not drunk,” Sawyer laughed. “He just woke up before you came, he must’ve been dreaming something wild. I think we need to make sure he’s wide awake,” he added with a mischievous grin.

“I agree!”

All of a sudden, Cyr started tickling his twin brother. Sawyer quickly joined the tickle attack from the other side as Castor started laughing hysterically, unable to defend himself. They tickled his ribs and stomach, where he was the most sensitive.

“No, stop!” he yelled as he howled with laughter, waving his arms and legs, tears running down his face.

When the other two boys finally showed mercy and stopped, they all lay back down on the blanket, panting and giggling.

Wow! Castor looked into the stars as he thought about everything he just learned. His life finally made sense - at last, everything had fallen into place!

I’m no longer a shifter! I’m finally free of that curse; it brought nothing but pain and sorrow to me. But look at Cyr, look how happy he is now! That was his greatest wish, and it came true! Sawyer as well, he has finally found his place in the world of magic. He looks so confident in his powers now!

This is how things are meant to be, I know it! Why would I ever want to leave this life? I have everything I ever wanted here.

I’m staying!

I know this chapter was very Castor-heavy, but I didn't want to split his three tests into different chapters. I hope you enjoyed it; the outcome will be revealed in the next chapter.
I would like to thank all of you who are reading this story, as I really enjoy writing it.