Chapter Text
There were no mirrors at the Naberius base.
The obvious reasoning would be that the Naberius demons could not be distracted with such vain notions such as appearances. Their focus was to be on their missions which they were assigned to at birth. A Naberius’ childhood would be spent divided between taming their Cerberus’ and gaining skills specified for their mission.
The clan took pride in the young demons they produced that always ranked so highly in their entrance exams at their respected schools.
Despite the Naberius clan being shrouded in mystery, they were present in many institutions across the land. Their missions varied and had them in every domain and outsiders always knew when they were in the presence of a Naberius demon.
Naberius demons, besides the obvious Cerberus at their command, always have similar features of sharp piercing eyes, thin eyebrows and beautiful dark purple hair, and all, including the women, had the iconic Naberius winged hairstyle.
Many thought it was a signature uniformed hair style that was enforced by the clan, but only a select few knew the dark truth.
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The Naberius lineage was a clan that demanded uniformity and discipline among their fledglings. When a new clan member was born, they were whisked away into a secluded room. There they were taken care of by one sole elder member, both demons appearance constantly hidden by the canine hooded robe they wore. The child never saw their caretaker, and only a selected few caretakers were to witness true Naberius horns before the Union ceremony.
The hidden figure was the only contact the young child would have until their Union Ceremony, where afterwards they would be able to leave their childhood room and join the rest of the clan at the base.
Because the Union Ceremony was the ritual where the child’s horns were to be cropped and their nubs modified to the Naberius signature winged style.
The removal was an ordeal that left the young demon usually bedridden for six weeks, but the painful procedure was praised by the clan. To them, pain is the best discipline.
And Kalego Naberius would be the newest demon to join their clan. He sat in a posture too rigid for a child his age, on a pillow on the floor. Children his age were supposed to be running around and playing with toys. But in that room there was strictly books and educational tools including a chalkboard, writing utensils and bundles of papers.
In the center of the room, Kalego sat properly and in front of him was his caretaker, an Elder who sat above him in a luxurious chair that stood out in the plain room.
Kalego was forced to look up to face the Elder, who was explaining what would happen tomorrow. In a rare moment the Elder pulled down the child’s hood, revealing his face and the untouched horns. The curved smooth horns resembled the fangs of Cerberus, a constant reminder of their curse. But the ceremony would soon fix that.
The Elder began to speak which had Kalego now looking at him with full attention. The child all but shook when the Elder reached out to him. Physical touch at Kalego’s age was strictly for discipline reasons, but right now the demon touched his horns with one finger.
“Kalego, you are of age to fulfill the Union Ceremony. When we remove these mistakes that separate you from us,” the hooded demon now touched his horns as if they burned them. “You will finally be one of us. You will be able to leave this room and train for your mission with the others. You will be happy.”
The Elder watched the child’s reaction and was irritated when they did not have the expectant reaction to such a declaration. Kalego was a child who was both naturally and trained to seek knowledge so they already knew there was more to be said. They barked at the child, “You may speak.”
A question immediately came out of Kalego’s mouth rushed as if he was afraid to lose the nerve to ask. “Sir, are my horns bad?”
The Elder stood up and picked Kalego up by the scruff of his hoodie. The child was silent as he was carried and when the Elder picked him higher to show him out the window that he was never allowed to look out from.
“Your horns are detrimental to our clan, let me show you why. Take a look outside.”
The two looked out the window where a dozen of Naberius clans members were training with their Cebererus’ outside in the court yard. They all had their uniformed robes on and besides some of the hair lengths, they looked eerily similar with their same hairstyles.
Staring at them, Kalego felt his own horns become heavier on his head. He cringed away when the Elder whispered in his ear. “Do you see how you are different from your clan. Why would you not follow your clan?Doesn’t that make you feel awful.”
The harsh words bit into Kalego and the feeling of failure overwhelmed him. He couldn’t help the whimper when he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
The Elder heard the sorrow in his words and placed him down. Looking down, the Elder changed their tactic and in a tone that had the slightest hint of comfort they told their charge.
“After tomorrow you will be forgiven little one. You will finally join our clan and start your birthright of atoning for your sins.”
The last bit made the child look even more upset as they muttered fearfully. “The curse.”
“That’s right, little one.” A spark lit the Elder’s hands and their Cerberus was now beside them. Glaring and snarling at Kalego, but unmoving. The Elder snapped their fingers and the cursed dog sat but still stared at the horns on the child. “You are cursed and will be punished by your Cerberus until you tame it.”
Despite the rigorous mental and physical training the Naberius youth endured, Kalego was still just a child. So it was unsurprising when Kalego couldn’t help the tears that spilled out with a childish cry. “But I don’t want to be punished.”
“Now now you are to old to be crying. You understand your curse,I have explained it countless times. You do understand, don’t you?”
The child nodded but when the Elder continued to stare down at them, they spoke this time, trying to keep their words from shaking. “Yes Elder, I understand.”
“If you understand then you should not be crying. Stop it.” The elder smacked the child’s mouth as if the slap would keep the cries inside. “If you had your Cerberus right now, you would be attacked for showing such weakness.”
The Elder waited for Kalego to collect himself, his brows furrowing as the smothered cries finally silenced. The small demon wiped his tears and like he was taught to do, stood straight and silenced himself. After a minute of him standing in silence, the Elder finally acknowledged him.
“Kalego, tell me you understand what will happen to you tomorrow.”
“I understand that I will be forgiven for my mistakes.”
The rest of the night was spent in silence, despite the nerves that were overwhelming Kalego. The next morning he drank the medicine given it to him, and though he turned away from it, the bitter liquid was forced down his throat anyways. The rest was all a blur until he woke up in the most excruciating pain in his young life. The removal of his horns and modifying the nubs would only be the start of him changing himself to become a Naberius.