Amidst the labyrinth of the slums, a single figure walked among many. Though the figure looked normal, upon closer inspection, one would find that their teeth were a touch too sharp, and their eyes held a soft golden glow. Still, he kept his head down and deftly avoided contact with anyone, managing to move through the crowd like a ghost.

  Magnus felt adrift, having claimed his long desired revenge. That, combined with hollow feeling after he’d dismissed his transformation, worked in concert to make him feel a wistful melancholy. His next step was ambiguous and unknown. Dully, he focused on the strange sense he’d been gifted, awareness blossoming until he was aware of the direction the other eleven Chosen. There was a vast distance between them, but he was somehow aware that for a few, that vastness had lessened some.

  “The others are already moving. I have to figure out what I’m going to do.”

  That was all well and good, but unfortunately, Magnus didn’t have the faintest idea of how to proceed. He was completely sure none of them were currently on the same station as him thankfully, but that left him with more problems. How was he supposed to get to them, even if he knew roughly where they were? He’d never left the district, much less the station, and the solar system was a large and inhospitable place.

  Lost in thought, he was passing by one of the many electronics stores that dotted the district when a voice called out from inside.

  “Hey you.”

  Magnus continued walking, only stopping when the voice called him out by name. Confused and a little on edge, his body prepared itself for a fight. Luckily, it didn’t come to that. The shopkeeper, an older man with a noticeable mechanical hand tossed something at him. Catching it easily, the man disappeared inside his store without saying anything more. Looking down, Magnus found he was holding a brand new communicator, and before he could collect himself, it buzzed angrily.

  [???: Dragon, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.]

  A flash of panic went through him, and Magnus almost dropped the communicator. How had he already been found out? Spinning around wildly, there didn’t seem to be anyone watching him, though a small instinctual voice in his head whispered that there was something else going on. Unable to spot anyone, he was about to step into the store to confront the owner when the communicator buzzed again.

  [???: The answers you seek aren’t inside there I’m afraid. You needn’t be afraid Magnus, I am simply here to talk.]

  “They even know my name!”

  [Magnus: How do you know me? Who are you?]

  The seconds dragged on agonisingly, and he slinked into the nearest alley away from any prying eyes. The fact that the other person clearly already knew he was a Chosen alarmed him greatly, and he couldn’t wait, sending another message.

  [Magnus: Are you watching me?]

  Just to be sure, he focused on where the other Chosen currently were, but there wasn’t a single one nearby. He didn’t know if that made the current situation better or worse.

  “How are they doing this?”

  The answer he received was an incoming call, the annoying ringtone startling him. Staring at the luminous screen, it revealed no information on who was calling, providing only the option to accept or decline it. His finger hovered over decline.

  “It could be dangerous to talk to another Chosen. What if they can harm me at a distance or something?”

  He didn’t know what the other Chosen were capable of, but if they were anything like him as he suspected, then it could be anything. He daren’t even imagine. However, what he lacked most was information and a direction forward. The Voice had said he was the Chosen of the Dragon, and that he was the last to be picked, which left him on the backfoot.

  No, he needed any information he could get his hands on.

  Clicking accept, the communicator's screen flickered for a moment, and then a clear voice full of gravitas spoke. Magnus was unused to the tech, but he’d seen enough people using the devices to figure it out. Without the necessary cybernetic enhancements, he had to use his ears the old fashioned way.

  “I suspect communicating like this will be simpler for us both, Dragon. Allow me to introduce myself, I am the Chosen of the Rooster.”

  “How do you know about me?”

  “You’re jumping quite far ahead, but I guess I cannot be surprised given your situation. It all must be quite overwhelming and confusing. Fine then, I shall explain things to you a little.”

  Magnus held his breath, carefully listening to the communicator. He didn’t recognize the woman's voice, which wasn’t a surprise, but from just her mannerisms and gravitas, he sensed she was someone important. He thought back to the large onyx arena, and the imposing visages of the Twelve Zodiac Animals, specifically the Rooster. It had towered high, regal and stately, with an air of aloofness about it. Somehow, the voice seemed to match its essence quite well.

  “You should know that you are the last Chosen to have been selected. This puts you at an immediate disadvantage, because the others will have all had more time to plot, scheme, and grow accustomed to their new powers.”

  “When were you chosen then?”

  “I won't reveal that for free I’m afraid. Just know that due to the order, Snake was chosen first, going in order from that and ending in Dragon. You can work out the rest in your own time, just know that some of the earlier Chosen have had at least a month of preparation.”

  “WHAT! A MONTH!”

  “There’s no need to yell Magnus, please show some decorum. A smart young man such as yourself should have no issue bridging such a gap, especially as the Dragon.”

  “What makes the Dragon so special?” Magnus couldn’t help but cut in, wincing when he heard Rooster make a tut of disapproval. Frowning, he scolded himself mentally. Why was he unable to control himself like usual? Lingering adrenaline from the fight perhaps?

  Magnus shelved the worst case scenario, almost not wanting to think about it lest that bring it into existence. Being the Chosen of the Dragon meant something obviously, as did being any of the Chosen, and it’d gifted him a great deal of power. But, what if that had also begun to influence his mind's actions subtly, changing his very nature. Shuddering, he tried to clear his mind and remain sober.

  “You really don’t know anything about the Zodiac War, do you?” Rooster let out a short sigh. “I guess that should be no surprise considering your limited upbringing, but still. While it’s not exactly hidden from humanity at large, 60 years is apple time for memories to fade and the solar system to forget the worst of it. In previous wars the Chosen of the Dragon has been a domineering force, capable of great devastation and violence. By far the strongest individual strength among any of the Chosen, though it is followed closely by Tiger and Ox. Suffice to say, you have become a force to be reckoned with, Magnus, and you should not forget that.”

  “Today was the first time I’d heard about any of this,” he admitted sheepishly. Just another issue caused by his upbringing. The vast array of gaps in his knowledge startled himself even to this day, and any attempts he’d made to bridge it were sorely lacking. He knew how to get by, and that’d been all he needed for a long time. Now faced with an esoteric war fueled by otherworldly beings, he was found sorely lacking.

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  “That’s fine, you’ll have a chance to round out your education before the fighting begins in earnest. Currently, most of the Chosen are simply too far away from each other, so you have some time, though not as long as you imagine. That brings me to the reason I contacted you, which I wish to discuss with you. I wish to propose an alliance.”

  “An alliance?”

  “Quite so. I have gotten into contact with a few of the other Chosen who I shall not name currently, and we’ve come to a temporary alliance. With you, we’d become a force to be reckoned with. If strength in numbers isn’t enticing enough for you, don’t worry, I can also provide you with the information you are so sorely lacking.” Rooster spoke as if it were a sure deal, the confidence radiating off of her.

  “Why me specifically? How did you even find out about me actually?”

  “Come now, you’ve hardly hidden yourself, Magnus. Sure, the uninformed masses might mistake your capabilities as some novel bio-enchancement, but as a fellow Chosen it’s starkly obvious. With dozens of surveillance cameras and robots watching, even if you’d decided to hide your identity, I still would have discovered you. Nowhere in the solar system is hidden from my view.”

  “Damn cameras. I didn’t even consider that. Wait, even if that's true, the fact that she discovered me in less than an hour speaks to her capabilities. Rooster is more dangerous than she appears. Her offer of an alliance could be a trap.”

  “I see…” Magnus racked his brain trying to plan a move. He was already on the backfoot from a negotiation standpoint, Rooster holding all the cards. She knew who he was, where he was, and hinted at a vast knowledge of the war itself. In contrast, he was more of a tiny lizard than a dragon. At that a flame of indignation grew within him, demanding rectification. He had to bite his tongue to stop the words from coming out.

  “You would take me at my word, and expect me to do the same? I’m not so inexperienced that I would trust an enemy like that.” The words came out harsher than he’d intended.

  “Of course,” Rooster scoffed, and he could almost hear her rolling her eyes. “You really think I've been able to bring together multiple Chosen based on nothing but loose promises or empty words? Don’t be absurd. If that is your qualm, then it is easily rectified.”

  “Oh? How would that even-?” Magnus’s thoughts trailed off, stuffing down the unfamiliar indignation. If Rooster wasn’t lying, then even if there was still a chance of a double cross, he had to take the offer. He was too far behind everything, lost amidst the vast sea of space. “And besides, I can handle it if she tries to take me out.”

  “Very well, let's say I’m interested in your so-called alliance.”

  “Excellent Magnus, I knew you wouldn’t be so shortsighted to spurn a clearly beneficial arrangement. With you, we’ll clear the board at the onset, and it won’t matter what anyone else does. Their plans will fall into disarray with one swift motion.”

  “So what's your guarantee? It’ll need to be quite convincing, how else can I trust your intentions?”

  “Several aspects of the Zodiac War are on record if you know where to look, and one of them is that Chosen can enter into binding pacts with each other."

  “Binding pacts? That sounds rather ominous.”

  “Well, I can’t disagree with you there. Essentially, it enables a Chosen to swear to something, with grave consequences if they renegade on it. Several of the other Chosen I've contacted have entered into them, vowing to bring no harm or conspire against those in our alliance until a predetermined point in time. These pacts are ironclad, and there are plenty of past Chosen who’ve renegade on them, only to suffer deeply. Let's just say, it would have been better if they’d just died instead.”

  “Well that isn’t horrifyingly vague or anything. Though, there’s no harm in seeing, I guess. With how Rooster describes it, I should be able to tell if it's true. If not… well I’ll work it out then.”

  “If it works like you say, I’ll join, but only if you provide adequate information I need.”

  “An easy matter, one I would have done anyway. It wouldn’t do to have a lumbering imbecile working with me.”

  Magnus hardened his resolve to take the plunge. He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake trusting Rooster. A strange, foreign part of his mind scoffed at his fear, showing its contempt for both himself and the idea of joining a pitiful alliance.

  “Good, good.” Rooster sounded very pleased with herself. “Let’s do it right now and get it out of the way, that way you can be assured that I don’t set anything in motion. Shall we agree to the terms as such. One, we are forbidden from harming, or planning to harm, each other or anyone else in the alliance. Two, acting in a way that would be purposefully detrimental to the alliance is forbidden. Three, failure to act for the purpose of letting another alliance member be injured, or killed, is forbidden.”

  “Those terms sound acceptable."

  ‘Excellent. Now follow my words exactly. I, Chosen of the Dragon, hereby swear to the aforementioned terms, and should I renege on them, whether purposefully or not, let the rules of the Zodiac War exact their price.”

  Taking a deep breath, Magnus followed Rooster's instructions exactly, the words leaving his lips with a metaphysical heaviness. Rooster said the words as well, and it was as if a bolt of lightning flashed in his mind. Upon the final one, something locked into place, forming into a chain that bound Magnus’s very being.

  “You were kidding,” Magnus said, leaning against the alley wall. Something weighed upon him now, inescapable. Gently probing it, he could innately tell that should he cross the terms he agreed upon, something terrible would happen to him.

  “It has a weight to it that is unexpected,” Rooster replied sagely. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, you need to get off that backwater station.”

  “I… what?”

  “I’ve already given you the highest clearance level a civilian can be given, anything higher raises more questions than it gets rid of. Not to worry though, you will be able to freely pass through basically anywhere. I’ve also patched through directions into your communicator. Follow them to the starport and board the ship as directed.”

  “I’ve never left the district, let alone the station!” Magnus said loudly, wincing as a few pedestrians gave him weird looks. “Where am I even going?”

  “Come now, you need to spread your wings if you’re gonna take part in the Zodiac War. Locked on that desolate station all your life, I can hardly imagine it. Just follow the directions set on your communicator.”

  “Wai-”

  “It’s been lovely chatting, but I have many pressing matters I must attend to with haste. Plans must be drawn up, and enemies must be tracked. Already, the other Chosen are moving, drawn like moths to the flame. We’ll go far Dragon, I can assure you of that. Until we meet, goodluck.”

  The line went dead, and Magnus was left alone with his thoughts. Finally able to think properly for a moment, he slid down the wall and landed with a thud. The ramifications of what he’d done had finally caught up to him.

  “Damnit, what did I do? Now I’m locked into an alliance with people I don’t even know, in some sort of battle to the death no less.”

  Smacking his forehead, he felt the building behind him shudder, accidentally exerting too much of his newfound strength. Everything was moving so fast, and he was acting on instinct instead of logic. Driven by a swirling maelstrom of emotion that felt alien in their origin, he’d been taken for a wild ride. Standing up for those he cared about was one thing, but ever since the Dragon had chosen him, everything had been a blur.

  Magnus rubbed his face and let out a long sigh. Opening the communicator, he saw that sure enough, there was a detailed set of directions that lead out of the district. He didn’t know where they led, as he’d never left before, but he hazarded a guess that it was the starport. Rooster couldn’t lie to him anymore, or so he hoped.

  “She’s right. I can’t stay here, and she's given me a way off the station. So why don’t I like it?” Magnus sat there in the alley, ignoring the odd locks thrown his way, trying to sift through the eclectic mix of conflicting emotions. All he could come up with was that it felt beneath him to work together with his lesser.

  “Why do I think of them as lessers?”

  As someone who had grown up with nothing, Magnus had always taken what was offered with gratitude, working for the scraps. There had been plenty of people to look at with envy, but to consider people his lessers. It was out of the question.

  “Apparently it isn’t.”

  Standing, Magnus collected himself as well as he could and planned his next move. For a short moment, he considered going back to the abandoned building he called home, and collecting what few belongings he called his own. He also toyed with the idea of saying goodbye to Linda and the other older people who’d taken care of him throughout the years, secretly of course. Somehow, neither felt right.

  “I don’t want those Goldlight bastards to get any ideas, even after the warning. They can’t hurt me, but the others aren’t out of the question. Roarke will keep them in line, but if I go wandering around and rubbing their nose in it, some upstart looking to make a name for themselves might go too far.”

  He wouldn’t be saying goodbye to anyone, and everything he owned amounted to basically nothing. No, they could rot for all he cared. He could get new things, especially now that he wasn’t a nobody anymore.

  Following the directions his brand new communicator spat out, Magnus vanished from the district he had called home his entire life, leaving it all behind forever. Later, those who cared about him would talk in hushed tones, wondering just where the bright young man who’d tried his hardest to help anyone he could disappeared too.

  They never would have imagined that kind Magnus was walking headfirst into a battle that would shake the solar system, one in which he would take centre stage.