Awakening on the wrong side of the bed, 

Finding One's True Self: Part 55 

By Xan Steel 

The
last few months turned into weeks, that turned into days, as everyone
became increasingly excited as time drew nearer to awaken Rubicant. Everyone that wanted to see him was there, including Raybia with her family, Ohm, and Tarina, with Danora and their six younglings. Everyone had arrived a few days prior, while the Grandmaster was busy preparing a special room. Julyna, Iris, and Altair helped him get this room ready, a room that would allow Rubicant
to fully awaken for the first time. The equipment used in this room
would contain the telepathic wave that would result from his awakening. 

As the day finally came, Dr. Graphra
drained the chamber while at the same time targeted the rest of the
fluid in his lungs with a tight narrow transporter beam. Once all the
fluid was removed, he opened to chamber and slowly turned off the
anti-gravity field. Daria carefully guided his body to the anti-grav
stretcher she had brought. The Grandmaster walked over to Daria as she
explained it would be a couple of hours before the sedative wore off. He
thanked her and took Rubicant to that room and stayed in there waiting.  

He had told everyone not to enter the room regardless of what happened, as he believed Rubicant’s
awakening would be too strong for many of them to handle. Once he
managed to calm his mind and bring his presents back in, then everyone
could see him.  

During
this time everyone setup the Arboretum for a large feast, while at the
same time, everyone got acquainted with those they didn't know, as they
shared their stories of how they knew Rubicant.  

*** 

It was during this time that Rubicant
began to awaken. The Grandmaster watched him stir on the stretcher as
he quietly walked over to him. As he stood over him, he realized
something wasn't quite right. He began to sense a different personality.
One he wasn’t aware of. 

Within a split moment Rubicant's
eyes fully opened and glowed brightly. His head turned towards him and
before the Grandmaster could react, he was thrown across the room
hitting the wall, falling into a lump on the floor.  

*** 

Meanwhile,
in the arboretum, Iris mentally heard for only the briefest of moments,
the Grandmaster’s cry of pain before silence. She began to search the
room mentally, and discovered what had happened. She turned to Julyna,  “Lyna, I need you to unlock my restraints.” She said in a hurried tone.  

Julyna had sensed it as well, but spoke in a concerned tone. “The Grandmaster doesn't wasn't us to disturb him in this.” 

Iris
give her a stare so serious that it felt like it was burning into her
being. Iris’s tone matched the stare, “If this was normal, I would
agree, but that is not our Rubi. Now, unlock my restraints.”  

Julyna,
though hesitant, gave in. There was only one small issue, she couldn't
unlock the last restraint. Iris thanked her with a kiss and left the
room. Once outside the room, she unleashed herself, and broke through
her final restraint. A telepathic wave began to form, as she focused it
back on to herself.  

Everyone began to feel the air become heavy and thick as they ran to where they saw Iris go.  Only once they got out the door did they see her vanish before their eyes, as the air returned to normal. Julyna took off towards the special room as everyone else followed hoping to see what was going on.  

*** 

Inside the special room the body of Rubicant
was sitting on the edge of the small bed that had been placed in there.
He looked at the Grandmaster still laying on the floor, unfazed by what
he did. He stood up and began to walk around the room. He stopped to
look out the window at the stars. After a moment he saw someone appear
behind him and turned to look at who it was only to see them kneeling
over the lump on the floor. 

Iris gently laid her handpaw on the Grandmaster’s head, sending a healing pulse through his body.  

He stirred softly while turning his head to her. “It's too dangerous for you here, you need to leave.” He pleaded with her.  

She just smiled and spoke in a gentle tone to him, “Just rest now  I'll handle this person.” As she got up and walked from him towards whoever had taken over her Rubi.  

The
closer she got the more their mental energies fought against each
other, in what could only be described as a brilliant display of energy
sparks, and arcs. Iris stopped about three and a half meters from this person, and spoke calmly. “You are not my Rubi, so, now you need to tell me who you are.” 

He
ignored her for the moment and attempted to strike at her energy field
with his, only he didn't notice it affecting her like it did the
Grandmaster. He redoubled his efforts, and tried again, and again saw no
results.  

Iris spoke in a bemused tone, “You should try doing it like this.” In a split second, Rubicant found himself up against a wall and being held there. She spoke again, “Now, who are you? It's pretty obvious that you, again, are not my Rubi.” 

As much as he tried to struggle against her, it was becoming more and more obvious that he wasn't in complete control like he thought.  

Iris spoke, her time was quite frank. “I can see we need to do this the hard way.” She walked forward and stretched out her arm and handpaw towards him.  

“Wait!” he exclaimed. “Are you really going to kill your mate over me?” He questioned.  

Iris
stopped and looked at him before laughing. He looked at her confused. 
“Well, that tells me you haven't been in control of him for too long.”
Iris said in a bemused tone. “No, I have no intention of killing my
mate, but I do intend to remove you from him” she finished. 

He replied, “What makes you think you can remove me. I’m completely settled into my son’s new body.” 

Iris
stared at him for a moment before speaking in a somewhat slightly
surprised tone, “Saul.” She shook her head. “And here I thought we had
dealt with you.” 

He spoke again, “You can’t kill a soul. It’s eternal.” 

Iris gave a melodic laugh as she reached out with her handpaw, and placed it on Rubicant’s forehead. In that moment Saul felt like he was being pulled out and began to cry out in pain. 

After a few seconds Iris pulled her handpaw back swiftly as Saul’s consciousness came out with it and fell behind Iris on the floor. Iris then turned to him as she let Rubicant’s body gently lay on the floor. She watched as Saul stood up and began to look around at his surroundings.  

Iris
spoke, but her tone was much more serious, “I want you to know, I’m
going to make you feel every ounce of pain you gave Rubi before erasing
your existence.” 

Saul retorted back, “I told you that you can’t kill a soul. My God will take me to my home soon enough.” 

Iris gave that melodic laugh again, “Your ‘God’ has no power here.” 

In
that moment Iris’s long hair began to fan out like a pair of wings, as
her body began to lift up off the floor. She mentally asked the
Grandmaster to check on Rubi and to remove the two aspects that
represented his earth family, only because she felt it was holding him
back, as he agreed. 

Iris
then brought in the telepathic wave around her and Saul only, while
lifting Saul into the air. After a moment she wiped her arm and handpaw out like she had a sword. A small piece of Sauls conscience came off and disappeared as he screamed in pain. 

She continued over and over, piece by small piece, scream by scream. He begged for mercy, but she had none to give. 

*** 

Meanwhile in Rubicant’s mind, that Grandmaster began to help both Rubicant and Rya, as Saul had apparently locked them within a mental barrier. 

He
pulled Rya into an embrace. Seeing her safe filled him with joy. As
they leaned back to look at each, Rya leaned in and kissed her mate,
after which she spoke. “I’m happy to see you again Cantis.” 

“As am I, Rya” he responded. 

This is when the three of them heard a new set of voices. “If you think you can take, that which is ours, you can think again.” 

Everyone turned to look at the voice, and saw Rubicant’s earthen parents standing there.  

Cantis and Rya looked at each, before he spoke. “Ready to take out...” He turned to Rubicant, “What do you call it my youngling?” 

Rubicant smiled, “Garbage, Pawpaw. That would be garbage.” 

Both Cantis and Rya combined their mental abilities together and began to slowly erase these two aspects carefully from Rubicant’s mind. The reasson for being careful was to ensure they didn’t damage Rubicant’s mind. 

*** 

Back
in the special room Iris was still slowly and painfully cutting away at
Saul's consciousness, to where there was only a small part of it left. A
part still begging for its right to exist. Iris brought her handpaw out in front of her, as she pulled that small part to her and let it rest in the palm of her handpaw
and stared directly at it. When she spoke, her tone was melodramatic,
“What right do you think you have to live, when you have caused so much
pain the little ones in your care. What makes you think you were a good
and decent father to them. Having seen your minds past during my
assault, you never truly loved them and called them your own. You broke a
sacred vow to protect the young from pain, but you gave them nothing
but pain every day.” She began to slowly close her handpaw around the last piece of Saul as he cried out one last time. 

He begged, “Forgive me, please!” 

She
spoke again in the same tone, “I’m sorry, there can be no forgiveness
for one who breaks that sacred vow,” as she snapped her handpaw closed, ending Saul. 

She gently let go of her telepathic wave, and let herself relax back to normal again. She stared at her handpaw
one last time, realizing it was the first time she had ever taken a
life. It made her sad, but not at the loss of life, just the fact that
this life couldn’t learn from its own mistakes and move on. Thinking
that its abusive control over its younglings was somehow love. In a lot
of ways, she was glad that Rubicant hadn’t picked up those traits himself, and in fact detested them. 

She turned to face Rubicant,
and the Grandmaster as she heard them come too. They sat there on the
floor, as Iris came over to sit next to them. The Grandmaster was
explaining things to Rubicant that he needed to teach him, and that they would be mediating a lot over the next cycle. 

Once Rubicant
left the room, he was greeted by everyone he knew and loved. That day
was a day of celebration and surprises for him with seeing those he
thought he had lost.