To Arian's dismay, death didn't come easily.
Instead, he only felt more pain.
It made him wonder how Sublimus had become so violent.
Normally, it wasn't in a qilin's nature to hurt others. They despised killing, actually.
It hurt to admit, but Arian didn't have to think far to know where Sublimus' character came from, because it had been trained.
In fact, Arian himself had trained him to be this way.
What irony! If the pain hadn't been so strong, Arian would have actually laughed about it all.
In fact, Arian himself had trained him to be this way.
He remembered it quite clearly, actually.
Six years ago, Arian stood in the middle of a large training arena, one of ten belonging to the imperial palace. After the battle ended and the humans won, Arian returned to the capital, together with his newly bonded beast. But he hadn't appeared in court officially, to announce his victory and let the nation celebrate.
Instead, he spent his time on the outskirts of the city, where this training arena was located.
Should he step infront of the emperor to announce his victory, he would do so with a beast by his side.
Arian knew what significance such an entrance would hold over a regular one. The qilin was a symbol of the empire, the beast the former empress had tamed, and many emperors and empresses before her.
Without a doubt, walking into the hall with a qilin by my side would automatically make me a crown prince.
The thought made Arian impatient. He wanted the title of crown prince more than anything. Finally, something that would put him above all his other siblings and give him a significant advantage in the fight for the throne.
Of course, his status as the first trueborn child of the emperor gave him a little advantage a well (like being seen as a serious contender for the throne since day one and getting a supporting faction pretty fast). But now, with a qilin by his side, Arian hoped he could get an actual position in his father's council. Maybe instead of only being able to accept his father's decisions, he might be able to actually advise him on them.
That would mean he could take influence over the empire. Even though it was very limited, he could shape the empire to his will.
The options and opportunities he would have as a crown prince- Arian already fantasized about it.
Becoming crown prince was such a big step in his life, so he had to ensure everything went smoothly.
He had to nail the entrance: He had to demonstrate in front of all the people at court that at the young age of seventeen, he had managed to bond one of the most powerful beasts known to mankind.
He already saw their shocked faces and how they bowed at him with reverence, while he would walk down the throneroom, until he stood infront of his father's throne. And then his father would name him crown prince and then...
Arian knew he was getting ahead of himself.
Right now, he needed to train his beast properly. Otherwise, he could forget causing awe and astonishment.
The last thing Arian wanted was to make a fool out of him by not having his beast fully under control.
And should anybody wish for a demonstration of their deep bond, Arian should be able to command Sublimus to do little things.
Until now, he had been too busy traveling from the battlefield back to the capital to interact with Sublimus much. After all, he had to lead an army and ensure everyone arrived safely back in the capital.
Arian regretted having so little time for his beast during the last couple of weeks, but he had tried to make up for it by making sure Sublimus was treated correctly and given enough food. At the same time, he had made sure to send the best healers to his beast. In that regard, Arian didn't shy expanses. He did everything to ensure his beast looked healthy again.
His efforts had paid off, the healers had done a very good job indeed. By now, Sublimus' wounds were almost completely healed. His scales had fully regrown, and even his antlers were there again- maybe not as impressive as before, but at least Sublimus had them again.
Apropos Sublimus, over the long journey home, Arian had chosen this name for his beast. He would have preferred to talk with said beast about it, but the mystical creature hadn't been interested. He had always ignored Arian when the prince had visited the wagon on which the beast's cage had been located during the travel.
Neither had he answered when Arian tried to connect to him through their bond.
So Arian had decided on a name alone. He had many ideas, but in the end, he settled on Sublimus- a name that stood for the magnificence of his new beast.
Now, all that was left to do was to train his beast.
Arian had thought about what he should teach Sublimus first. There were a lot of things wild beasts needed to learn. In class, back at the academy, Arian had been taught, the most important thing was to familiarise the beast with humans. The animal should learn how to be gentle and how to obey to human commands in order to pose no threat to society.
But Arian figured his qilin needed something different. Other lessons as well as self-studying by reading books in the royal library had taught him how peaceful and easygoing qilins were. Even when they were wild, once bonded, interacting with humans was not a problem for them.
Their high intelligence allowed them to immediately interact with humans without further training. Furthermore, they were quick in picking up human customs and adapting to their bonded humans' lifestyle.
A large factor in that behavior was probably the fact that qilins belonged to a rare kind of beast that didn't specialize in combat. They would rather choose to stay out of battle, because their power lay in knowledge and strategizing, not in fighting at the forefront.
All these facts led Arian to construct a quite unique training plan for Sublimus. At first, he would teach his beast how to fight. Not only were there a lot of dangers in the capital, and an assassination attempt could happen at any moment, but Arian intended to lead the royal armies into battle again. It would be stupid to have a beast by his side that didn't know how to fight.
At first, I have to look at how far Sublimus is willing to go. Does he prefer staying in the background of a battlefield, because it is more convenient or does he actually have a problem with hurting or killing something?
Arian was eager to find out the truth behind his beast's behaviour.
He watched in excited anticipation as the guards escorted Sublimus into the Arena.
He studied his beast carefully. Arian wanted to know in what mood his beast was currently in, but Sublimus' expression gave nothing away. He appeared emotionless.
Not satisfied with his assessment, Arian reached into his mind, trying to connect with Sublimus there- sadly to no avail.
In his mind, everything was quiet. He still needed to practice how to communicate with his beast mentally. He knew this was one of the hardest things to master. It would take time, and he needed to be patient.
When his beast finally halted infront of him, the guards retreated to the edges of the circular arena. Only Arian and Sublimus were left in the middle, facing each other.
"I see your wounds have healed well. And the guards tell me you eat plenty. That's great. I'm happy you're doing so well", Arian beamed.
He had intended to sound more serious, but then again, who could blame him? He finally had his own beast, one that was healthy and powerful- how could he not be happy?
"And I see you've changed your style of clothing."
Arian was taken aback by the nonchalant response. His beast sounded neither interested nor offended. He didn't know what to make of this response.
Yes, Sublimus was right. Indeed, he had opted for something more casual. Arain didn't like to admit it to himself, but sometimes the pompous royal gowns bothered him a bit, as he found them impractical. Especially when it came to fighting or any other physical activity.
Of course, when he was at court, Arian could hardly wear anything else. The same went for the battlefield, where he had to command thousands of people. He had to make an appearance and had to leave a lasting impression. Nothing else than the royal garments would suffice. But here, things weren't so bound to etiquette. And Arian could wear something more in his style without risking his reputation and credibility getting tarnished.
Today, instead of the traditional floor-length gowns and the heavy taira, Arian had opted for a simple and in some eyes even controversial look. Of course, his face was still covered and hidden behind a thick layer of veils, but his garment was quite different.
He had opted for culottes. Not only was it easier to move in them, but they still looked like the long garments he should wear. Even his waist was pinched by a belt, which should make it easier for him to move around.
He didn't even wear a crown.
Arian knew his look was quite plain and understood that for someone who didn't know him very well, this styling choice might seem surprising...
... still, he hadn't expected his beast to point it out.
Since Arian didn't know how to respond properly, he switched the topic.
"Well, anyway, I hope you're ready for training, Sublimus."
"Sublimus?", the voice of his beast sounded curious if not a little irritated in his mind
"Yes, that's your name."
"That's not my name." Sublimus sounded a little furious.
Arian thought about appeasing him, but then changed his mind.
If you wanted a say in it, you shouldn't have ignored me when I tried to speak with you.
So he just, seemingly nonchalantly, shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, it is now. It will be best to remember it."
He waited for a few seconds, but when Sublimus didn't respond, he pointed somewhere behind Sublimus.
There, a guard had just placed a little rabbit. The creature was confused before it hurriedly hopped to the side of the arena.
Arian smiled at his beast. "See that rabbit there?"
"Kill it."