When Our Souls Crossed

Like Father, Like Son

It was dark. Aaron was comfortably lying on his bed, his right leg bent, the paw laid flat. Dressed in a white linen tunic, finely embroidered with glimmering gold, he was wearing several glittering bracelets on his wrists and ankles, just like his father. The feline removed his plucked headdress, which he placed on the ground, at his side, as well as his chest plate, that he carefully arranged on the armor holder a little further.

With both hands clasped behind the back of his neck and his arms spread, the young lion cub was twirling his necklace in the air, the Wind Sign gently waving before his eyes. He was watching the rune in the air without really paying attention to it. Observing the twinkling stars in the sky through the thin linen canvas used as a roof, Aaron was thoughtful. And exhausted. As soon as he arrived in his apartments, the feline collapsed from fatigue in his bed, quietly enjoying the serene atmosphere of his huge room.

The young lion fought all day, alternating the handling of his different weapons, and finishing the training with the mastery of his elemental powers. In the remote arena, made of gravel and rocks, he faced his father again and again, defending himself tirelessly against his repeated and precise attacks. Although being particularly talented in combat, Aaron could not compete with Anhur, the latter having the millennial experience of a hardened god accustomed to the fever of action. The deity touched his son countless times. However, the lion cub inherited his father’s talents, as he managed to surprise his father several times and give him some particularly well-placed hits.

Despite the hardness and the difficulty of the training, Aaron was extremely proud and satisfied of his performance ; beyond the rapid improvement that the feline showed during each training session, it was Anhur's gentle words and incessant encouragements that made him particularly joyful. Indeed, during the long break times between the fighting sessions, the lion cub discussed serenely with his father, lying against him, enjoying his warm and reassuring presence. On his side, the divinity could hardly hide his pride ; his son made mistakes… but less than before. More than that, some of his combat techniques have deeply destabilized him. Although the lion cub was still very young, Aaron already seemed to have the experience of a very talented fighter.

During the periods of calm, father and son avoided talking about the training, and discussed about anything and everything. Aaron took advantage of those moments to tell his father about his relationships with mortals. Anhur... was fascinated by the banal and harmless stories of humans ; all of the decisions that the God had to make daily, that had repercussions on the life of the entirety of his people... it was incredible for him to think that there were simple choices, unimportant ones.

Aaron yawned for a long time and stretched, rubbing his eyes. It was getting late, and a consequent part of the next day would also be spent training. He knew he had to quickly fall asleep and rest before reaching the clearing again. He stopped fluting his necklace, which he hung carefully around his neck, and extinguished with a small movement of his hand the few torches hanging on the walls. With a big smile on his face, still comforted by his father's peaceful words, the young lion cub closed his eyes in fatigue and quickly let himself be carried away with sleep.

Shared Nightmares

Aaron was not used to having nightmares, and yet he quickly woke up in a sinister and heavy atmosphere. Lying on the ground, he felt below him not sand as he was used to, but loose and moist earth. Opening his eyes, the feline sat down and took time to observe his surroundings. The sandy territories of the desert and dry spaces of Egypt had been replaced by wild ferns and fields of wet grass. A fine mist bordered the place, sparkling with a thousand silver shards in the light of the full moon, and the area was imprisoned by a dark and intimidating forest, whose gigantic trees did not allow any light to cross through.

There was something extremely dangerous in the environment ; Aaron was not a fearful person, his father having taught him to keep his cool in all circumstances, and yet the lion could not help but remain on his guards, watchful, ready to react to the slightest danger. The young feline stood up and, with his senses alert, he began to explore his surroundings.

He stopped just a few meters away. In the absolute silence of the cold night, as his own breath threw away an icy fog before his eyes, Aaron heard something. Something that instantly bristled his body fur, giving him cold sweats. A noise that would remain in his memory all his life. It was a cry. But not just any... A high-pitched cry of despair, a howl of absolute terror... The cry of a child.

The young feline did not waste a second and rushed forward, jumping over several dead trunks, and avoiding with dexterity and flexibility several low branches blocking his way. He was scared, terrified. He had to arrive on time, whatever the cost! Someone was in danger! Clenching his fists in his race, Aaron run like he never run before, filled with a feeling of intense fear. He didn't know why, but he had to hurry, to help and save this person at the end of the road... at any price.

Bypassing a huge rock, Aaron stopped the next moment and, petrified with horror on the spot, he observed the terrifying spectacle before him. The full moon was no longer at its peak, but down in the sky ; almost at the horizon, the lunar star was facing him, illuminating a scene that made the lion mute with terror.

It was indeed a child... a human child of his age. Ruffled and jet-black hair, eyes equally dark. He was wounded, Aaron noticed that instantly ; his clothes had slight holes in places, and his arms and knees were scratched. Eyes bathed in tears and his face animated by immense fear, the boy was plagued by terrible monsters, frightening creatures made of shadows and darkness, with fuzzy and moving silhouettes. Only their eyes were visible in their condensed blackish smoke ; two large reddish irises, glowing with wickedness and cruelty to their target.

Aaron was forever marked by this vision of horror. Never before the lion cub suffered this much. More than the despicable scene unfolding before his eyes, it was the distress of the child that made him sick... He could feel his fear. Feel it deep in his bowels. The feline was mad, enraged to witness this pain, this suffering, to see that this boy was alone, that no one came to his rescue… It was just a child!
As the feline threw himself in front of the child, ready to risk being injured to save him, the demons already attacked and Aaron woke up. Panicked, the young lion cub looked around ; he was back in his apartments, the light of day piercing through the linen canvas above him. His clothes soaked in sweat, he continued to perceive the rapid beating of his heart. The young lion cub was not used to having such visions... Rubbing his eyes, he remembered his nightmare, he thought again of this child... He never saw him before, and yet he never felt so close to anyone in his entire life. Aaron couldn’t understand why… but this human was linked to him.


At this start of the new day, Aaron was absent, distracted, haunted by the traumatic experience of the previous night. As he headed for the remote training clearing, as usual, the Egyptian people he met on his way were confused ; they were used to see him as perky and lively, willing to offer help and bantering with almost everyone. They were saddened to see him pass without paying attention to anyone, his gait uncertain, his face defeated and gloomy. Several times he bumped into a passerby in the city, vaguely apologizing and continuing his way.

The feline only had his destination in mind, and only stopped walking after entering the hidden arena where his father was waiting for him. The god, surprised to see him arrive earlier than usual, grabbed his son just before he collapsed on the ground and started crying.
Anhur hugged his son tightly, whispering a few words of comfort in his ear and sitting him on his lap, rubbing his head gently against Aaron's. After a few minutes, the lion cub was already calmer, reassured by the presence of his father, and explained to him what happened during the night. He told him about the scene he witnessed, the crying of the lost child, the fear and the panic he himself felt… and his intense intuition of being linked to this unknown boy.

The millennial lion listened attentively to the story, continuing to gently stroke the young feline's mane, his son's shoulder against his chest. When Aaron fell silent, the god waited a few more moments to let him catch his breath. Then he started to speak and, with his deep and reassuring voice, assured him that it was quite possible that this child was intimately related to him. If so, he was sure Aaron would meet him again and could help him. The god ended up his speech by reminding him that he was infinitely proud of his son, and that he will always be here to support him if he needs. Reassured by the words of his father, the lion cub focused back on the training, determined to be ready for the next time he would see the boy.

The nights followed one after the other, as did the horrible dreams. Soon the young lion understood that these visions ... were not. They were not dreams... they were nightmares. Nightmares of this child, which he witnessed every night.

Word of a Lion

The more time passed, the worse these nightmares became. It was too much for Aaron. He could no longer attend without acting, no longer see this child receive no help at all. The young feline wanted to help him, to protect him... to save him from the horrors he faced alone every night. The lion tried to intervene, or even get in touch with the child, but the latter ignored his calls, too frightened by the horrors in front of him. However, the lion was stubborn, tough and determined. He would never give up. Never.

With a clear determination to fight and a focused mind, Aaron decided one night to follow the advice of his father, and to fall asleep with his spear against his own body... Opening his eyes, he found himself once again in these nightmarish visions. But this time, he was armed... and ready. Taking his courage with both hands, the lion rushed and blocked the way for the monsters, showing his teeth and being as fierce and intimidating as possible. He had the rage to win, but above all he felt a powerful sense of injustice. It was the deep injustice that drove him. The injustice of seeing a child being abused without anything or anyone to help him

His anger redoubled, and the next moment, the young and slender lion cub turned into a powerful and majestic lion ; his build metamorphosed, greatly and quickly increasing in size. His body became more athletic, gaining in strength and endurance, while his mane darkened and thickened. The Obelisk engraved in his back started pulsing down, radiating through his clothes, releasing numerous hieroglyphs that began to float around him. Aaron stared all creatures one by one with a terrifying sight of pure determination, forcing them all back. Holding his resplendent spear in one hand, the divine lion opened wide his mouth and let out a deafening and ferocious roar, expressing all his furor and his will to defend his protegee, before getting in action.

Despite his young age, Aaron already had many fighting skills, and wielded his father's weapon brilliantly. Using his new acquired vigor, he engaged in combat, and bypassed the first horror, cutting it with a rapid and fluid circular movement of the weapon ; the enemy did not even have time to realize the mortal wound inflicted by his opponent that it was already falling to the ground, cut cleanly from a long and deep notch, and reduced to a fine dust that the cold wind took care of spreading. Without wasting a moment, Aaron charged again to a new opponent ; with a new powerful roar full of anger and rage, he literally impaled a second monster, who left to join his fellow, the smoldering eyes wide open with terror and dread. A third nightmare, coming back to its senses after the shock of the loss of it two congeners, rushed forward, trying to injure the lion. Aaron dodged incredibly fast to the side and, orienting his palm in the direction of his enemy, released an immense and incandescent flood of flames that instantly obliterated it into ashes with a shout of intense pain.

Focused, motivated by a rare harshness and a flawless will, Aaron threw himself back into the fight, slaughtering a new horror. One after another, they fell under the precise and devastating attacks of the young lion, who did not hesitate to call on the Elements to remotely control the enemies who dared to try to bypass him to attack the child directly.

The fight ended a few minutes later. And finally, the silence fell. A calm and deep silence, disturbed only by the gentle whistling of the wind between the trees. Aaron contemplated before him the swirling volutes of the dark dust he created, still holding the long spear in his hand. Letting himself fall to his knees, the lion was exhausted, taking some time to breathe deeply. Raising his head, the feline stared at the sun starting to point the tip of its nose at the horizon, drawing the beginning of an aurora tinged with hope. Never had he fought this much, never had he put so much energy and effort into it. But despite his state of fatigue and his panting breathing, the lion smiled, laughing silently of relief. He was drained... but infinitely proud. With a deep last breath, Aaron finally stood up, contemplating one last time the now evaporated traces of the monsters, then turned his gaze to the child lying on the ground behind his back.

Turning back to his usual lion cub appearance not to frighten the child, he knelt to him. At last… Aaron could contemplate the tearful eyes of his young friend. He couldn't help but smile with immense happiness and tiny tears of pure joy at the corner of his eyes, observing with an immense feeling of affection the astonished face of his protegee. The lion whispered a few words of comfort at the boy, trying to reassure him with his sweet and cheerful voice. Strangely, this one did not respond, looking around without perceiving the presence of the lion right in front of him, still shocked by the sudden disappearance of the shadows that were attacking him.

The feline understood that he couldn’t be seen by the child. He didn’t know why… and he didn't care. He succeeded. He won. He triumphed. He couldn’t explain why, but his fate was intertwined with that of this child. Even though he remained invisible to him, he swore to continue protecting him. Looking deep in the wet eyes of his protegee, his left clenched fist on his heart, Aaron gave his Word – not a simple promise made of air but his Word of Lion, his most unbreakable oath - to always be by the side of his protegee. It didn't matter to him whether he was recognized or not, whether he was seen or not, whether he was thanked or not… all he wanted was child’s well-being.

To find Refuge in your Dreams

From that moment on, the feline continued, relentlessly, every night, to ward off the bad dreams of the young child. Horrors became increasingly rare, which allowed the young lion to finally contemplate real peaceful dreams. He even began to intervene in them, having fun embellishing the nocturn thoughts of the child. Certainly, this one still could not see him... but Aaron could still modify them as he pleased, and thus make his protegee grow peacefully with pleasant dreams.

Quickly, Aaron found a way to intrude into the child's mind in broad daylight. He was able to follow him into his own world, admiring a reality he did not know about but which he liked very much. He learned everything about his life, his dreams and hopes, his habits and his friends. Seeing his protegee enjoy life again made him even more determined to continue to stand guard in the mind of his host.

Aaron remained hopeful... He didn't know when or under what circumstances, but a day would come when he could finally meet his young friend... His host, his protegee... his echo.

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Art by  gabyt also at [@Gabitigress18] ! You can find here the original post : Aaron Full Power - Character Sheet.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! We love you Gabriele, everything you do is a blessing for us! <3 <3 <3

The huge divine lion up there belongs to me   Impaact also at [@AaronSight].