Tattoo

TATTOO

by: lovelycrazy





CHAPTER 1 : Long Forgotten Memories





Devin hopped off the van as soon as it pulled off. He was five and it was his first time in his family’s rest house located in the middle of a thick expanse of coniferous trees. He was typically bursting with energy as he thought of things he could do, animals to observe and places to discover. He closed his eyes and inhaled the cool, fresh air. He grinned even when he heard someone chuckle. His seven-year-old cousin, Jamie, was approaching him, amused at his enthusiasm.



“Calm down, Dee. You might pop out.”



“J!” Devin practically jumped at his cousin who managed to not tumble as he caught the energetic younger boy. Devin giggled as he hid his chubby face at the nook of Jamie’s neck and inhaled the older boy’s scent. He purred. “I missed you.”



Jamie chuckled as well. “What, you just saw me yesterday.”



Devin pulled off just enough to pout at Jamie. “But I can’t hug you in the ph-faw-”



“Phone.”



“Yes. Phone.”



“Okay. I’ll accept that.” Jamie relented, but the pout and expectant look on his cousin hadn’t left Devin’s face. He smiled. “And I missed you, too.”



Devin squealed and hugged his cousin tight, all the while grinning like a person who just won the lottery. For a child like Devin, maybe he really did. Eventually, he let go when Devin’s mom told him to give Jamie space or he might choke. He smiled sheepishly as he was put down.



“Sowwy, J.”



“S’alright, Dee.” Jamie smiled down his cousin and ruffled his very dark and wavy hair.



“C’mon, J. Let’s look around the place.” Devin was practically dragging his cousin to where his feet were taking him.



“Okay. But we need to tell our parents first. They might go looking for us.”



After informing the adults, the two went off like a tornado that the adults couldn’t help but smile and shake their heads. “Kids.”



Devin gasped then squealed and pointed a stubby finger at a body of water shimmering at a distance.



“J! Look! Look! A sea! A sea!” He jumped up and down as he waited impatiently for his cousin who was walking behind leisurely.



“Dee, that’s a lake and not a sea.”



“Really? What’s the difference?”



Jamie paused as he tried to remember what his father told him the first time he saw a lake.



“A lake is surrounded by a mass of land while a sea isn’t.” When he saw the younger one frown, he added. “Well, seawater tastes salty while a lake’s doesn’t.”



Devin seemed to contemplate for a little while before he took off toward the lake and perhaps confirm his cousin’s claims. But before he could get there, the air in between them rippled and wisps of blue light appeared before the two boys. As he was running at full speed, Devin was unable to halt in time and he collided with the strands of light. The wisps of light surrounded the little boy who couldn’t find the time to fear the situation as he was completely enraptured by the streaks of soft light dancing around him and particularly his wrists and back. Devin giggled while Jamie froze to the spot as he, too, stared at the scene before him. The air continued to ripple softly like water and the light played with his cousin, forming large wings behind Devin’s back and making him look like an angel personified. Eventually, Jamie, too, was surrounded by the soft light, only it was fewer and golden, not like Devin’s soft blue.



The light felt like the soft sprays of a waterfall to the skin. It was cool but pleasant, and, for a moment, Jamie couldn’t help but feel elated; like he was floating and he was home. The moment was made more enchanted as swirling marks appeared on their left wrists. Devin’s was a cross surrounded by intricate patterns of vines. Jamie’s was a shield and armor, at the center of which was a cross.



The magical moment was broken, however, when a giant bearded man appeared through the ripple in the air and before Devin who gasped in surprise. The man looked around then at the wide-eyed Devin, trailing his eyes to his wrist. Seeing the mark, the man smirked with malicious intent and slowly withdrew his broad sword, knowing that the little child was frozen with surprise.



Seeing this, Jamie went out of his stupor and quickly rushed to his cousin’s aid. He pushed Devin aside and kicked the man on the shin. As he was but a child, the man merely snorted then backhanded Jamie, sending him to a nearby bush.



“Jamie!” Devin screeched as he ran for his cousin who lay tangled with the plant. Devin carefully untangled his cousin and helped him up. Seeing him, Devin frowned. Jamie’s lower lip was torn and bleeding, and there was a huge red welt to his left cheek; no doubt, it would become a nasty bruise.



Before he could do any further, Devin was abruptly lifted up and away from Jamie who was still dizzy with the blow he received from the stranger. Suddenly, Devin found himself face to face with the stranger and he was assaulted by the man’s pungent breath. Devin couldn’t help but scrunch his little nose in disgust.



“Sssooo, you’re the basssstard’ssss little bitch, eh?” The man spoke like he was hissing every word. The words slithered and dripped like poison, leaving Devin cold and shivering. He didn’t understand the stranger but he did catch on the sharp fangs decorating the man’s rather yellowish teeth. His tongue flicked out briefly and the boy noted it was forked and very sleek with a purple tinge, unlike a human’s.



And then, there were the man’s eyes. They were golden with thin black slits as pupils. Staring the man in the eye, Devin shivered at the coldness he found there. It reflects a cruelty beyond the little boy’s comprehension and he felt the urge to distance himself from this man.



Devin began struggling, clawing the hand holding him by the scruff of his neck and kicking his tiny feet hoping it’d hit his aggressor. Somehow, it did. His boots connected with the man’s throat and he was suddenly thrown off to the ground. The man hissed and when Devin turned around, he saw the anger in his golden eyes that were somehow glowing. Devin gulped knowing he’d made things worse, but he didn’t regret what he did, though. He scrambled to his feet and ran away from the man toward his cousin. He was, however, caught and was once again thrown off the ground. He found himself lying on his back and when he attempted to get up, a large booted foot kicked him back down, knocking his breath and holding him immobile.



“You’re a shitty brat, aren’t you?” The man once again hissed the words, his face a snarl and quite scary to a child’s eyes.



Devin whimpered and tried to dislodge the foot which only pushed him down further, as if trying to imprint the contours of his petite frame to the sandy shore. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes and he was now gasping for air.



Seeing the little boy in pain seemed to please the serpentine man as he smirked. His eyes glowed with perverted lust as he thought of various ways of torturing the boy and pleasuring himself with the battered body before taking his life as slowly and most painfully as possible.



This momentary lapse in attention seemed to be a blessing in disguise as another stranger appeared from a new rift in space. This one looked smaller and without the slit eyes. Aside from the naturally aqua-colored hair, he looked perfectly human.



At first, this new guy was confused. He hadn’t meant to transport himself in a forest, but he still found himself in one. Mistakes like this never happened to him, so he wondered what could’ve gone wrong. Everything felt normal before he transported, except, there was a feeling of urgency when he was inside the portal.



He looked around and what he saw made his eyes go wide. A serpentine of high rank, a colonel at the least, was pinning a helpless little boy with his foot that’s almost as long as the child’s torso. The new guy wasted no time and kicked the man off the quivering child. When he caught a glimpse of the mark on the child’s wrist, anger welled up deep in his gut and he swore the serpentine would pay dearly. The child was his king’s mate, and any attempt to his well-being is an attempt to their king’s as well.



“How dare you, you serpentine bastard!” He snarled as he drew his sword from its sheath. He wasn’t born a fighter but he will fight the bastard off even if that’d cost him his life.



“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A healer.” The serpentine man tsked in mock disappointment as he shook his head slowly. “Do you really wish to fight me, a warrior, healer?”



When he received no answer and only a fighting stance, the serpentine snorted. “I know you Wielders were stupid but I didn’t think you were this stupid.”



“Enough, Serpent! You made an attempt at my King’s mate’s life and you will pay with your own.”



Just then, a brutal fight commenced between the two beings. Metal clashed against metal; sparks flew each time their swords collide; both clothing and flesh were torn open, and the two were left in a bloodied state. None’s regeneration skills worked as they were in the “Other world”. The swords they carry further prevented such skill in activating. They parted for a moment trying to regain their breaths.



“You’re not bad for a healer.”



“And you’re pathetic for a warrior.”



With that, the duel ensued as the two exchanged fatal blows, and for a moment, the warrior had the upper hand.



Devin and Jamie watched the fight but could only see blurred figures. Giving up, Devin went to his cousin who chose the time to throw up his breakfast. Devin screeched in horror and ran to Jamie’s side. His voice seemed to serve a great distraction as the warrior serpentine faltered with his movements. There was a deafening quality to Devin’s horrified scream which proved to have hurt only the serpentine’s ears.



The healer altered the moment to his advantage as he quickly retrieved the dagger from his side and thrust it directly to the warrior’s heart. The serpentine fell limp as his soul left the physical world, but not before leaving a wide gash to the healer’s chest.



Meanwhile, Devin watched his cousin throw up blood and eventually pass out. He shook Jamie but his cousin never came to. He only grew paler by the minute and Devin was horrified to find his hands cold and clammy.



Suddenly, Devin found it hard to breathe as he thought the worst had happened to his cousin. He started hyperventilating and tears streamed down from both his eyes and heart like a never-ending river. Remembering the man who saved him, he turned just as the said man thrust a dagger to the man’s heart. He saw the man cough up blood before he dropped lifeless to the ground.



It was too much. Seeing not just one but two people, though he isn’t really fond of the second one, die in front of him was more than a child’s psyche could bear. Devin’s eyes were wide with shock and awareness was slowly leaving him, threatening to leave only an empty shell behind. Out of the blue, Devin screamed the agony he felt to the forest. Birds flew out of their perch and the forest itself seemed to quiet down.



Casca, the healer, sensed the tenseness in the air and he quickly went to the children’s aid. He limped toward Devin who had stopped screaming, his eyes almost devoid of life. Highly perturbed by this, Casca immediately knelt in front of the child and cradled him, calling on his inner self and praying to the moon. He was highly aware of the repercussions of this action. But he still chose to continue. He would save the two younglings especially his King’s mate.



He closed his eyes and his entire frame was wrapped with a healing soft green light. It enveloped Devin and then Jamie who was lying beside him.



The sky darkened and wind blew around the glowing trio, creating a haunting tune that preludes the demise of a Wielder.



Color and warmth returned to Jamie’s prone form as the light healed him and brought his barely-there life back. Casca then delved deep into Devin’s consciousness to coax him back to the real world. It took longer as it was a harder task and has left Casca drained. The light faded then dimmed out of existence as Casca waited for Devin to come to his senses.



There was a blink then another and another as Devin slowly came to be. Devin slowly looked up at the stranger in front of him. Casca smiled, glad that he succeeded at the complex task. Tears welled up and eventually flowed down Devin’s eyes. He remembered everything well and he was a little bit ashamed to have done nothing helpful to the situation they were previously in, at least, consciously.



Casca soothed the young King’s mate by stroking his hair and kissing his forehead once.



“Sshh, it’s alright. Everything’s fine now. You’re safe.”



“B-but, you’re hurt. I-I’m sowwy.” Devin managed between hiccups and sobs. The cuts, bruises, and blood hadn’t been healed and cleaned off of Casca unlike in Devin’s and Jamie’s cases.



Casca smiled at the child’s thoughtfulness. It was a promising quality for a King’s mate. He was glad he did what he did. “I’m fine. Don’t worry…”



“Devin, my name’s Devin. What’s your name Mr. guardian angel?”



Casca chuckled at the way Devin referred to him. He replied, nonetheless.



“Casca. I am called Casca.”



“Casca. Thank you, Casca.” Devin reached up and kissed the older man’s forehead much like he had done earlier. Then he smiled his best smile which made Casca tear up and thankful he had had the few minutes before his time was up.



“Casca?”



Devin was puzzled to see his savior slowly fade into existence, Casca’s body slowly dispersing into small glowing green dust that wafted up in the air and to the rift that had somehow developed above head.



Casca kissed Devin’s forehead and smiled at him before finally vanishing. A single tear escaped Devin’s eyes before unconsciousness lay claim on him. He dropped but didn’t really hit the ground as his small body floated in the air.



Devin’s and Jamie’s parents who went looking for them when they first heard Devin’s shout stopped on their tracks upon seeing something so impossible in front of their eyes. They watched with mixed emotions as light enveloped Devin’s form and those same blue and silver wisps of light began circling him and forming a beautiful sphere so similar to a moon when it was full.



Jamie was also under a similar situation. He was also suspended in the air surrounded by yellow wisps of light. Their marks pulsed in time with the light and the beat of their hearts. Altogether, it was a breathtaking sight.



The light eventually faded, though, as the wisps dispersed and lazily floated toward the rift in space. Devin and Jamie were once again lying on their backs in the forest floor.



Breaking out of the spell which seemed to have bound them for a few seconds, their parents rushed to the unconscious kids and searched for any wounds or sign of injury. They searched them all over and upon finding none, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. There was no outward change immediately noticeable except when Devin’s mother scanned her son’s pelvis, she noticed she no longer had a son but a daughter. For a moment they had no idea on what to do or how that happened. If they hadn’t all witnessed what they had, they might be freaking out right about now.



Postponing the thinking for later, the adults carried their children and headed back to the rest house. They called a doctor who arrived quite a few minutes later through a chopper.



He examined the children and was happy to say both children were fine and only a bit tired. He left instructions to give the two plenty of rest and plenty of nutritious food and beverages as they were both growing children.



When the doctor left, Devin and Jamie woke briefly and seemed to have no recollection of the recent events. It was then that the adults decided to never mention anything about the incident.



“So, Emery, Val, what would you now call Devin?” Julia, Jamie’s mom asked.



There was a moment of consideration before the couple smiled and Emery declared.



“Devara. My daughter is named Devara.”







Devara opened his eyes. What a weird dream, he thought but he could not shake off the feeling that it wasn’t entirely a dream; that somehow, it was a memory he had just forgotten. But, hey, it’s not like a rift in space, strangers emerging from such rifts, and boys becoming girls happen in the real world. So, yeah, a dream.



Devara looked around and noticed he was lying in a huge canopied bed with velvety burgundy curtains with gold linings.



Weird. He hadn’t remembered lying in one or even owning any burgundy fabrics.



Maybe Jamie bought them for me.



Dismissing the thought, he got up and out of the tempting bed. Seeing no one, he proceeded to the bathroom to wash up or maybe shower.



He felt like he’d worked up a lot, so he decided to shower. However, he felt as if he’s missing something, something important. He thought hard that on the way to the bathroom, he missed his reflection in the huge mirror – a reflection that’s not quite the way he knew himself. He didn’t even notice the unfamiliar and very huge bath in front of him. He proceeded to strip as he immersed himself in his thoughts. Every movement and thoughts jerked to a halt, however, as he noticed the absence of some bits and addition on some.



First, he seemed to have lost his ample breasts. He gazed down and found a chest that should belong to a man’s. His hands drifted down further and his eyes bulged out it might actually pop out of its sockets at what he found. He withdrew his hands quickly as if he was burnt and his jaw fell six feet below the ground.



What- what-



He couldn’t even form coherent thoughts because of his shock. As if on cue, he found himself in front of a huge mirror



…in all his manly glory.



“What the…” He whispered but words soon turned to a single syllable as he screamed his lungs out.



He is now a freaking man, complete with the whole package, well-endowed at that.



Maybe I’m still dreaming, he thought idly and proceeded to pinch himself.



Ouch. It hurts.



“Okay, not a dream…at all.” were his last thought before his vision went black.

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Okay, so that\'s chapter 1. At least, you now know the story behind Devara/Devin\'s gender. So, he really is a guy. Reasons behind the incident will be unfolded as the story goes on...if you want the story to go on, that is. Special thanks for leaving reviews, rating and reading.