Rhydian
1837
The college and its estate was their kingdom. The Mandaelle College of the Arts and Sciences was isolated, stuck within it’s own atmosphere as if the world beyond had ceased to exist. Being the top student (and not to mention that his Ward Father was the largest source of donations to the school) Rhydian had his own, massive and fancy quarters with an office, and most importantly a laboratory. He’d basically been given an entire hall, the walls a grey stone warmed by the sweet honey rays of sun shining past the crimson drapery of the tall windows that nearly reached the halls enigmatic roof. Dust mites flew about the high reaches of the roof, lazy and not unlike the master and his brother of the hall Wonderlock. Half the hall made up his living quarters, whilst the other half made up his laboratory. Jeremiah spent most of his time laying about on the fine couches scattered about a fine low-laying table filthy with half-empty wine bottles and squashed cigars.
Just as he was now. Half drunk, smoking with his white shirt unbuttoned, a naked girl by the name of Ellia or Elle kissing her way down his abdominal muscles. Rhydian couldn’t even be angry at his younger brother for his ways due to the fact that he still somehow topped his own classes. He seemed to have some special touch when it came to art, which pleased their Ward Father immensely, unlike Rhydian’s advances in the field of science. Lucky for him, the young white-haired prodigy was not alone in his interest of the sciences.
A knock came to the oak door, just as Rhydian was incredibly busy staring out the open window, smoking a cigar. He was wearing his usual attire he’d wear during scientific practice, which consisted of a white laboratory coat and a pair of linen breeches. He liked to wear this particular attire when his brother invited his lady friends to Rhydian’s hall, he loved the irritation in his Jeremiah’s eyes when the girls would purr for Rhydian and his looks over him. Just as she did now, as Rhydian went to open the door. Elle sat up and draped herself over the couch, bare breasts and all.
“Rhydian, darling you haven’t slept or had any fun in days. C’mon, let’s have some fun!” She giggled, tongue poking out.
“As much as I’d love to, work always comes first I’m afraid lovely,” Rhydian sighed, very much enjoying on look on her naked form as he swung open the door.
As he expected, an old friend stood lent against the doorframe. Light, purple-grey hair, short and slightly spiked, a silver cuff earing, on only one ear, intricately carved. A fine leather violet coat over the colleges plain white undershirt and black pants. And shirt was just as sharp as his tongue.
“Manning,” Rhydian nodded, letting the young man into the hall. Cyprus looked to both brothers and shook his head with a tch tch.
“Do you two no not the meaning of pride nor shame?” He asked, cocking his head. Rhydian sighed and returned to the rows of tables filled his laboratory equipment. To Cyprus it would appear as nothing but nonsense, glasses and tubes filled with smoking things, others on fire and some completely frozen. Jeremiah loved the sight of his brothers laboratory, despite the fact he did not understand most of what it was. He most enjoyed odd, random and colourful things like that. Especially when the blue smoke clouded his mind. He loved colours and anything colourful, Rhydian suspected his craving for colour came from fact he had none of his own.
Rhydian tapped the cigar on an overflowing ash tray and put it back between his teeth, inhaling its sweet scent and then letting it slip back out between his teeth and lips he wetted with a flick of his tongue.
“Pride and shame take up so much time, something I care not to waste,” Rhydian dismissed, rolling up his sleeves and folded his arms across his chest.
“Speaking of such, what brings you to my homey abode Cyprus?” He asked, adjusting his glasses. Cyprus glanced at Jeremiah, who was distracted by the giggling Elle. He pulled the corner of what looked to be a letter from the sleeve of his violet cloak and tucked it back in.
“Somewhere more private, perhaps?”
Out on the balcony with the glass doors closed behind them and a clear view of the rose garden below and rolling fields beyond, Rhydian could almost appreciate the clean air. He sat up on the marble railing and closed his eyes, head cocked back to stare up at the clear blue sky. It had become a habit, from childhood he supposed. Whenever he was close to a high place, Rhydian would put himself in a precarious position and close his eyes. It was the only kind of blind faith he'd ever allow himself to have, he supposed.
Rhydian put the cigar between his two of his fingers and muttered, “You took your time getting here, Manning. What was the delay?”
Cyprus lent against the railing and grinned to himself. “I took the scenic route, you see friend.”
The corner of Rhydian’s mouth twitched in irritation.
“And who did you happen to meet on this scenic route?” Rhydian sighed.
Cyprus made the mistake of not seeing the clear irate Rhydian, and looked to the hills instead.
“Man named Oren. Oren and I talked, we talked about many things we did. He told me of his skill set and a week later he was much richer than he was a week before and I had one less lord father to worry about disowning and cutting me off from my claim to the family fortune. The second I set foot in this college it was to be my prison so that I wouldn’t sully the Manning name. Never mind that Clyde is too sick to lift a finger, I had no doubts father would have given the claim to him. He always had a soft spot for the weak, I suppose,” Cyprus explained, his sharp grin turning to a blunt frown.
Rhydian sighed, long and deep. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the young scientist stood on the the flat marble and with one swift motion picked Cyprus up by the throat with one hand and held him over the balcony’s long, long drop.
Panic and complete and utter fear made Cyprus thrash wildly, hanging onto the arm of steel that was Rhydian’s. He chocked for breath, desperately trying to inhale a single thread of air. With a single blink Rhydian’s eyes turned an impenetrable black, and a new set of fingernails pushed their way over his human ones, digging deep into Manning’s throat, black sharp as a ravens.
“My god…what are you?” Cyprus barely managed to choke out. Rhydian smirked, revealing two slightly pointed canines.
“You know Cyprus, you're a friend. The only one I could trust with taking care of Ashford and yet you still managed to fuck it up. What you're…witnessing right now is the love child of a favour from another friend of mine, one George Atlow. And right now, he's proving to be a much better friend than you right now,” The white haired prodigy said before throwing Manning back onto the floor of the balcony.
Cyprus held the deep red mark around his throat and gasped for breath.
“You're a bloody monster is what you are,” He cursed, his voice raw. Rhydian shrugged and blinked, black eyes gone and replaced by the normal turquoise green along with his black raven claws.
“Many would say the same of you, but we’re both just curious aren't we?” Rhydian smirked again, extending a hand to Cyprus.
“I couldn't leave my father to imprison me. But…I disobeyed your orders. It won't happen again, I swear it,” Cyprus swore, taking Rhydian's hand and getting to his feet.
“They are simple. I needed my pieces in place, and without my consent you threw one of my pawns off the board. Friend, you must see I wouldn’t’ have let him cage you in this place or cut ties with you. It’s all a game, like puppetry if you please. All I would’ve had to do is tug at some strings of Lord Harrings and you would be home and wed to the lovely girl Tara Harrings in no more than week, a beautiful and rich wife to please your father. I can make Harrings dance all I like, considering the slight predicament of his son’s opium addiction. I’m his only secure and assuredly silent supplier. Also considering the fact that I’m quite a generous blackmailer, I supply him enough just to be neck deep into the addiction, but not enough to be drowning in it,” Rhydian said before throwing the glass doors back open. Elle lay on the couch, biting a cigar between her teeth in boredom. Jeremiah had taken his leave, probably off to win yet another poker game against the senior students and then finish his art project due the next day.
591Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFcNN1X8Bm
“Suppose those strings can still be pulled?” Cyprus wondered, entwining his hands nervously.
Rhydian shook his head and squashed the cigar into the ashtray.
“At least, not at the moment. You’ve left a wound, and it will take time and patience to heal it. I’ll arrange for a visit to Clyde when I can, see how I can heal him. You will stay at the college and do as you wish. Whether it be boys, girls, it matters not. Just don’t step out of line or get yourself thrown out and be ready to answer my call. Keep in contact with Clyde, as he will become the next Lord Manning.”
“But I - ” Cyprus began.
“ – I know that from the hate in your eyes you still care for your brother. I can cure him, I know I can. If we help his climb from his sickbed to Lordship you’ll not find yourself with a more loyal friend. You’ll have a healthy, powerful brother and you’ll be freed from the weight of such responsibilities, and free to live as you please,” Rhydian interjected. And I’ll have another puppet. I must be careful that these many strings in my collection don’t become twisted.
Cyprus looked to his hands, lost in thought. After a few moments he looked to Rhydian and nodded, taking his leave of the Wonderlock hall.
“Don’t forget to write to him as much as you can, it’s important you keep in touch,” Rhydian called out just before Manning closed the door behind him.
So many strings, so many strings. A smart Raven knows he only as so many talons to make them dance with.
Rhydian felt his legs begin to shake and his hands shook. He half collapsed onto a wooden stool at his lab and braced himself on the desk. As expected, a trickle of blood dripped from his nose, running down his paper white skin and over cracked lips. Like a tear drop, the bead of crimson wept onto the table all by its lonesome. Rhydian doubled over, fists clenched tight and shaking almost more than he could control. His eyes turned from turquoise to black with every blink, out of his control as he continued to shake. In such an early stage of experimentation, this was to be expected he supposed.
Take care that you don’t choke on your own genius.
With shaking hands Rhydian fished through the numerous letters and papers cluttering a section of his workspace and found a bundle wrapped in a burgundy cloth. Fumbling, the cloths tie came loose and the vials containing a blue liquid were strewn about the desk. He snatched one, unscrewed the cap and downed the contents in one gulp.
Without a care and not a moment to waste Rhydian dropped the glass vial to the ground to smash and fished out a black, leather-bound journal. The shaking began to lessen, enough for him to run through his other entries once again.
2 Hrs after first injection
Everything has gone cold. My finger tips are numb. My eyes are bleeding. I’m such a fool, I should’ve had someone else as a guinea pig, but I could trust no one. It is better this way I suppose. Without this, my plans will fail anyway. All that remains is that George continues to keep an eye on his brother and Anna and keeps up the supply of the EXA. I need a detoxifier, something to flush out the drug. I’ve used the Extraction Agent, courtesy of one idiot Anna and entwined the genes of a raven with my own…
2 Days after second injection
I estimate the drug therapy will have to go on for another five months if I’m to gain complete control of the projected complete shift into raven form. The first three days of the detoxifier left me with no sleep. Last night, when it felt as though I was falling asleep I fell into a paralytic state until dawn. Since then, I’ve improved on the detoxifier. I think it’s affected my memory, though…Red or blue vials?
1 month after second injection
My memory works against me. I overdosed and took two injections. It forced me to shift, and broke my back. Jeremiah cared for me. I needed the injection to remain in my system to heal my back, but it was agony. Jeremiah offered the detoxifier a hundred times over, but it would’ve ended any chance of a future I could’ve wanted. A future that I could live with. When it healed I bathed in the detoxifier it was like an ice bath after being set on fire.
This is only a raven. Other creatures won't be as easy, but I'll improve the process.
Note: Injections once every two days, detoxifier if we react or partially transform.
With terrible hand writing and a mood to match Rhydian made another entry.
One hour after Injection
Nose bleed. Shaking. Motor skills impaired. No control over Raven eyes. 3 months until projected complete control.
Note: find a suitable range of test subjects so I can analyse for hypothesised differing results.
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