Here is a taste folks of book 2 of the Silver Magi, (used to be called Mark of the Alpha, Silver Wolf Magi series). No artwork yet, that is in the works. I hope to have it soon. This is book is being released on January 1st, 2021.

Chapter 1

“It fucking worked!!!” I yell exuberantly.

“What worked?” asked the black floating ball.

“You just called me an Elveesian, didn’t you?” I ask it, with a big grin on my face.

“Yes? That is because that is what you are, Master,” it tells me in a confused voice.

“Right! So, hmm. Right. What the hell are you?” I ask it. Looking at it closely, it’s a black ball the size of a baseball floating in the air. I know it was silver earlier, but now it’s black.

“I am an Elveesian assistant,” he tells me, confused by my question.

“And do you have a name?” I ask it.

“Well, the last Master called me Dorahjdahyuagdy,” he says.

“Whoa! I can’t even get my tongue around that. I can’t call you that!” I tell him in shock in hearing his name. It almost sounded like two or three of those letters I wouldn’t have been able even to create with my mouth.

“Ah, well. As you are now my Master, you can call me what you wish,” says the black floating sphere.

“Well. Let’s see. Something easy. How about Roger?” I ask it. I used to have a teacher named Roger, and he sounds somewhat like it.

“Ah, that can work, Master. As the voice I took is from your memories and it was of this person named Mr. Roger.”

“Wait, my memories?” I ask it in surprise.

“Well, yes. That was the cranium transfer. I downloaded all your memories. In looking through them, I wanted a voice that would make you at ease, and it seems that was the voice.”

“Well, yeah. He was my teacher in high school. He was always good to me and never pushed me to be something I didn’t want to do,” I tell it. And it’s true. He was the best teacher one could ask for. Even with my athletics, he never pushed me to do sports, even though he was also the sports coach, but pushed me to do what I wanted. And so I kept taking computer classes. He was the only teacher I ever respected.

“Yes, I know that Master, as I have your memories,” it tells me as if I had stated something obvious.

“So, Roger. What does an Elveesian assistant do?” I ask it patiently. But I really want to hit it.

“I assist,” it says.

“Roger. Let’s pretend that I have no clue what you are, which is exactly where I stand right now.”

“But that makes no sense, Master. You are an Elveesian.” It says, confused.

“Roger? You say you can read my memories?” I ask it, balling my fists, so I don’t punch it out of the air.

“That is correct, Master.”

“Then, can you go through them right now and tell me how it came to be I was an Elveesian?” I ask it patiently.

“Oh, I can do that, Master,” it says. Then the sphere starts to emit a low hum in the air in front of me.

After about what I think is five minutes or so of me looking around the woods and hearing nothing in the way of animals, it comes back.

“Oh! I am sorry, Brandon. I honestly am in a pickle,” Roger says.

“A pickle?” I ask him, both my eyebrows doing up.

“Yes, a term I got from your memories. It seems that you are an Elveesian but are not an Elveesian. So that causes me to be in a pickle—a dilemma. On the one hand, you were not born an Elveesian. But yet on the other, you have the genetic makeup of one.”

“So, what exactly does that mean?” I ask it. I was trying to figure out where this is going.

“Well, it means that as you are not born an Elveesian, I cannot give you full access to this planet,” it says.

“Wait, what do you mean full access to this planet?”

“I am the unit which is the caretaker of this planet. I protect it from external factors that would cause it to be destroyed. Such as meteors, asteroids, solar flares, and such.”

“Oh fuck, so you have been watching out for us so that another meteor and dinosaur event doesn’t happen?” I ask him in disbelief.

“Dinosaur event? Ah, no. The Elveesian did that, as the animals on this planet were not sentient, and they required the planet. So it killed them off as they had no use. Though, we kept their genetic makeup in storage.”

“Wait, we are getting sidetracked by dinosaurs. First, what do you mean full access to the planet?” I tell him, bringing him. Wait, is it a him? I mean, he has a male voice, and I just called him Roger. Fuck it. It’s now a him.

“I am the planetary caretaker,” he says.

“Yes, I got that from defending from asteroids,” I say irritably. “I mean, what do you mean I cannot get full access? What is full access?”

“As an Elveesian, you would have full access to the database, weapons, technology available,” Roger states.

“So, since I am not a full Elveesian, as you say, what do I have access to?” I ask him. Fuck, wonder what kind of things they had access to? Bet you it was some amazing shit.

“You have access to me,” he stats.

“You? All right. What does that give me? Any special weapons? New technology never seen before?” I ask him.

“No, just me. A floating metal ball,” he says.

“That’s it? What can you do?” I ask him curiously.

“Float,” Rogers says.

Closing my eyes, I try not to get upset with Roger. Since honestly, I doubt he is doing it on purpose.

“That’s it? Float?” I ask him finally.

“Oh, no, I can do other things. But for you, I can only float.”

“Float? That’s it. Can you give me information?” I ask him.

“Like what?” he asks me.

“Like, about the Elveesians.”

“Nope,”

Is he getting snarky? “Can you tell me if enemies are around?”

“Nope. Wait,” he says quickly. Then five seconds later, he says, “Nope,”

“So, you are basically useless to me?” I tell him, trying not to be snarky as well. Fucking ball.

“Oh, I might be one day. But I must observe to see how much of an Elveesian you are,” he says.

“But, you just said that I am not a true Elveesian?” I ask Roger. I am now confused.

“Yes, as I am only looking at your genetic makeup. I need to observe you to see if you are a true Elveesian.”

“All right, what does that constitute? What would I need to do to prove to you I am a true Elveesian?”

“Be able to shapeshift into more than just a Werewolf, or what your memories call a half-hybrid form. As an Elveesian, you can shapeshift into anything. Also, you must prove that you have magic,” he says.

“I can do magic,” I tell him and bring up my hand.

“Paina nala thula melo,” I intone.

And then there is a ball of light floating next to me.

“That parlor trick?” Roger scuffs. “No, if you were an Elveesian, you would be able to float this mountain in the air.”

What the fuck! Are they that powerful? I look at the sphere in shock. “A mountain?”

“For breakfast,” it says.

“Are you getting attitude compared to when I first met you?” I ask him slowly.

“Yep, like it? I have some of your race’s media over the air and this Internet of yours. And it seems that is how people interact over it. Though, I must say, is it hard being that sarcastic all the time?”

I stare at him in astonishment. Finally, I get my voice and ask incredulously, “You think that is how we all talk?”

“You don’t?” Roger says in a surprised voice.

“Fuck, no! Why would you think we all talk like that?”

“Your media, and all those internet comments,” he says, unsure.

Putting a hand over my face, I rub it hard and say, “Roger, we humans don’t talk like that all the time. The Internet has made it so that folks hide behind their screens, but also our media─.” I stop and put a hand over my face. “ Our media is not how we truly are,” I tell him. But I don’t go into porn, which has fucked up men’s views on sex, I think with a chuckle.

“Well, how do you all talk then?” he asks me, uncertain.

“Well, normal. God, your view of us is so fucked up, isn’t it? So what’s next? Do you follow me all the time? I mean, it will be hard to hide you if you are floating around, and why did you change to black from the silver?” I ask Roger.

“Ah, I switched to black as I am made of silver titanium, in case you were not a real Elveesian. I switched myself to black titanium and put all the silver inside myself. I did not wish to hurt you. As for seeing me, I can hide myself so others cannot see me, except you. Though, that will require me to augment you some. If I can be allowed to?”

“Wait, whoa? Augment? And as for silver, I can hold it, but others around me won’t be as it affects them. Except for an actual human,” I tell him.

“You are safe from silver?” he says excitedly.

“Yes, I am fine with it,” As soon as I say it, the ball turns from black to silver and zooms at my face so fast, I expected it to hit me in the forehead again, but it stops an inch from my face.

“No adverse effects?” he asks me.

“None, I feel fine,” I tell him.

It moves forward until it’s touching my forehead. It’s warm to the touch. “Now?”

“Nothing. I still feel fine,” I tell him as he backs off.

“Hmm, then I must observe you more. I had not expected this.”

“But you said I was genetically an Elveesian,” I told him.

“Correct, but as you were not fully Elveesian, I expected silver would harm you, as one other fact that makes it so silver does not affect them is their magic.”

“You say magic, but to me, you are something out of science fiction. How is it that you exist if the Elveesian were magical?” I ask him.

“Sorry, that is restricted information, Master. One day I might be able to divulge it. Now, again, might I augment you?” Roger asks me.

“Right, so what does that entail?” I ask him.

“Anal prob,” he says.

“What?” I ask him in disgust.

“Sorry,” he says with a chuckle, “Couldn’t help it. So for me to augment you, I just need to touch your forehead again,” he says.

What an asshole. “Fine, go ahead,” I tell him.

The now silver ball, which I started calling Roger, floats up to my forehead, touches it lightly, and suddenly I get a shock that sends me across the top of the mountain into the bushes behind me.

“What the fuck!” I yell, getting up quickly after my backward tumbling. “What the hell was that for Roger? That truly fucking hurt!” I tell him, rubbing the spot where he electrocuted me.

“Sorry, the transfer isn’t always painless. But it seems to be working. Your right eye might go dark for a second, and you might hear a buzzing in your right ear also,” he says.

“What?” I ask him, all my pain gone because of his words.

“I said your right—”

“No, I heard you. What do you mean it will go dark?” I ask him quickly.

“The augments are going to reconnect your right eye and your right ear.”

“Why?” I ask him tentatively.

“Because I am growing the components that will allow me to observe through your eye and listen through your ear, of course.”

“What!” I scream. “You’re going to spy through me?”

“No, observe. But you will also gain something from it,” he says casually.

“Wait, I will?” I tell him, brought up short.

“Yes, you will have the ability to see in the dark, see the levels of someone’s magic, and also be able to hear sounds that are outside your normal hearing, and have it even better and be able to control it to hear sounds from far,” he says.

“You’re not going to turn me into some kind of cyborg, are you?” I ask him quickly and with some concern.

“What a cyborg? Oh, wait. Got it. No, I shall not be turning you into that. Wow, you humans are odd in what you think can happen to someone. No, I will not augment your strength or make your skin into some kind of metal. Wow, you are one crazy race,” Roger says, and I can almost hear him shaking his imaginary head.

Unexpectedly, my vision in my right eye starts to fade until I can’t see, and then my right hearing gives a buzz, and then I lose it completely. Blinking my eye doesn’t do anything. And I put my hand to my ear and snap my fingers, but I don’t hear my hand. I mean, I hear it but through my left ear.

“Ah, it’s slowly connecting. Give it a minute,” Roger says in satisfaction.

Then, within ten seconds of him saying that, I slowly get my vision back, but it’s off. Almost like it’s through a fish lens. Then, abruptly, the colors and clarity are back. But then something odd happens. I get text, but not a text I know. It’s not in any language I have ever seen before. It flows across my eye at the top before disappearing. Turning to Roger, I get an even bigger shock. I get a blue circle that zooms in on him, like a target, and slowly spins around him. Next to him is a line that goes from him with text next to it. But I can’t tell what it says. It’s in the same language of the text that flowed across my vision.

“Roger, what the hell is going on?” I ask him, unsure. But then that question is the least of my problems, as my right eardrum feels like it’s suddenly ruptured. There is an intense pain of sound. I put my hand to my ear, and I scream in pain.

“Shit! Sorry Master. Sleep now,” I hear Roger say, followed by nothing but blackness, and I feel myself hitting the ground. But not before I hear him say, “Oops.”

***

Slowly I come around, with the sun beating down on my face. I feel groggy like I was drunk. As I get up, my head starts to clear up some. The pain in my ear is gone, thank God.

“Roger!” I scream at the top of my lungs

“Yes?” he says behind me, making me roll away from him quickly as I was sitting up.

“What the hell happened?” I ask him angrily.

“Yes, it seems that the hearing augment was more intense than expected. It seems your race has shitty hearing,” he says crossly.

What the fuck, is he getting mad at me for having shitty hearing? “What do you mean? We hear pretty well.” I tell him defensively.

“No, you don’t. Here is what a normal Werewolf hears, or the race called Werefolk do,” he says. And suddenly I can hear sounds in my right ear that wasn’t there before. There are sounds of birds, animal calls, even things moving around. I can move my head around, and I hear different things.

“Oh, wow!” I say out loud.

“Yes. Now here is what an Elveesian can hear,” he says, and suddenly that deafening roar of sound comes again, but at least this time, it only brings me down to my knees to cover my ears, without too much pain. There is no separation of sounds. It’s just a loud roar. Then it’s cut off.

“What the fuck?” I say to him, looking at him floating four feet away.

“That is what they hear,” he says smugly.

“It’s just a roar of sound!” I tell him in disbelief.

“No, to you, it’s a roar of sound. To an Elveesian, they can pick it out. So for now, I had put you to sleep earlier to re-tune it.”

“How long was I out?” I ask him now, curious.

“Only what you humans call twenty minutes. I will only augment your hearing a little higher than a human until you get used to it over time and slowly increase it. This is something we will need to train.” Roger says to me.

“Well, glad to hear I don’t need to be living with a deafening roar in my ear. Now, I guess should get back. Oh shit, wait. If I turned into an Elveesian or this succubi, why do I feel the same?” I ask him.

“What did you think you would look like?” Roger asks me.

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe with horns, a tail?” I tell him, disappointed.

“Ah, from your memories, I get what you mean. No, Demons aren’t real,” Roger says.

“Oh, so Demons are fake?” I ask him.

“Oh, the name is fake. The race itself is quite real,” he says arrogantly.

“What the hell, are you going to always be smug and sarcastic?”

“Hmm, not sure. Still debating on that one,” he says with a laugh.

Great, I have a flying ball who can or cannot be, sarcastic in answers I want. Looking around, I see that the sun is still up in the sky some, so I would say it’s about 2 PM or so. I didn’t bring a watch with me since it’s hard to do that in werewolf form. I should get back to the girls. But first, I need to figure this out.

“So, I assume that an Incubus is just an Elveesian?” I ask him.

“No, they are the race that you seem to have in your head. Is that what you call them? Demons? Well, they don’t call themselves that,” he says.

“Did the Elveesians create them also? What do they call themselves?” I ask him.

“Yes, they were created by the Elveesians, and they call themselves Hellisians. The males were called Incubi, and the females were called Succubi, plural. Or Incubus and Succubus. They had emotion control over all races that the Elveesians created. They were what you would call the law enforcement of the races,” he says.

“So, Hellisians? That’s pretty close to the word Hell, which is where we figured these Demons, which I now know is incorrect, are from. So, the look of them looking all evil-looking and small, with horns and such?”

“Fake, the Hellisians were beautiful. Those things you have in your memories, which by the way I have to say your race is fucked up in the head about, isn’t even a thing. Someone had a vivid imagination.”

“Damn, so all those stories of calling up demons in magical rituals were all garbage?” I ask him.

“Pretty well. I mean,” and here Roger pauses. “What the heck? I will give you a freebie. With magic, you can call up powerful forces. The Elveesians did not create the magical system. Magic, even for them, was more powerful than what they could control. They were powerful, but they did not create the universes,” he says.

“So what about this Void? The Elveesian I spoke to said that it was a race that they created. Is that something you can help me destroy one day if I can prove that I am an Elveesian?” I ask him excitedly.

“No, I cannot take action directly against a race like that. I am an Elveesian assistant, not a weapon,” he says.

“Fuck, so much for that,” I tell him. “Can you tell me how to change myself into an Incubus?” I ask instead.

“No, that is something that is already in you. You just need to bring it out.”

“All right, but how?” I ask him.

“I don’t know, Brandon. How do you breathe?” Roger says.

“I don’t know. I just take a breath,” I tell him, irritated.

“It’s the same concept. Just call it out.”

“That makes no fucking sense, Roger, and did you just call me Brandon instead of Master?” I ask him, somewhat surprised.

“Yes, I figured until you are my full master, I will call you Brandon,” he says.

“Whatever. I prefer my name over Master anyhow,” I tell him, waving it away. “Now you said to call it out? Just like that?” I ask him.

“Brandon, I am what your mind would call a machine. I cannot tell you how to do something I have no experience with.”

“All right, let’s see,” I say, sitting down on the grass.

Closing my eyes, I try to think about this. Call it out? Well, would it be like how I called out my Were form? Looking inside at my pool of energy, I doubt that is where it would be, so look at the light in my chest. Again, I can see the light. Now, how would I go about calling out the Incubus in me? I mean, for the Werewolf had to pull it from there. For the Elveesian in me, I had to go into the light itself. So I doubt I need to go into it again.

Maybe that’s where I was going at it wrong. Even Roger said I was a shapeshifter. So does that mean just animals like wolves or such? But maybe a shapeshifter is someone who can change what they look like completely. Whoa, now that would be fucking amazing. Being able to shapeshift into anyone or anything. Now let’s see. Imagine yourself, Brandon has an Incubus. With horns, a tail like you imagine it to be.

Unexpectedly, I feel pain in the side of my temples and my backside. The pain is so strong that it causes me to open my mouth and roar! Once it’s done, I am left panting on the ground. I have no idea how I got on all fours from a sitting position, but here I am—staring at the dirt.

“Oh, very good!” shouts Roger.

“Holy fuck, that hurt! Again! Why the fuck do these transformations hurt so much!” I ask him hoarsely, looking his way.

“What? You expect changing your physiology is easy? As an Elveesian, it took them a long time to understand pain,” he says cryptically.

“Well, motherfucker, I wish I understood it,” I tell him getting up slowly. But it feels strange. Or my feet feel strange. When I left the cabin, I didn’t bother with boots since I would change into a Werewolf. Looking down, I get a shock. My feet are black. They look like my feet, except where my feet would be. I have black skin the fades into the color of my normal skin as it reaches my knees. Lifting the foot, I touch it. I can feel my fingers touching the skin part, but there is no feeling it feels more rigid than normal skin.

Also, they seem hard. Looking around, I see a rock sticking out of the ground. Going to it, I kick it experimentally with my new foot and the rock chips, but I felt nothing. Holy fuck! No way! Reaching up slowly to my temple, my hand touches something hard and smooth. It’s a fucking horn! Quickly reaching behind me, I feel only my pants, but then something twitches in my pants. Holy shit. As I am only wearing track pants, I reach behind the band, and I feel something thick that grew out of my, well, ass. Or more the backbone. It feels like a thick piece of rope, but I can feel my hand on it, which is just an odd feeling. Pulling it out, I see that it’s pure black. It feels like, well, part of me since I can feel my hand around it. Looking around and not seeing anyone. I lower my pants slightly on my ass to allow it to move around more freely. And somehow, I can move it around with, well, with my thoughts. I think of lashing out with it, and it does exactly that.

“This is cool. Can it do anything?” I ask him.

“Do anything? It’s a tail.”

“So, no powers?” I ask him, unsure now.

“Well, I am sure if you flick it hard enough at someone, it might sting. Here comes our Mighty Hero, Brandon, the Tail Stinger!”

I just look at Roger with a stern look. “Fuck you,” I tell him.

“Oh, if only,” he snorts, “Remember? I am a metal ball. No penis on this thing.”

I just groan in mental pain. Oh my God, is this what Elveesians had to deal with? Or am I just some kind of unlucky person?