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My first conscious memory was when I was five. I was starting training early, for my father had hit a slow point in Mitszus needing training. You see, Mitszus went through twelve seasons, each spanning to be about an Earth-year long. This is why we have such amazing longevity. Anyway, it was the fifth season, and breeding rates were low. There had been too little sunshine, so none of the Mitszus would mate until they could be sure that their offspring would grow up beneath the sun. Almost every Mitszu thinks this way. We depend on light to tell us when it is wise to give birth and when we should wait before reproducing.

My father had nothing to do, being that there were no Mitszus to train. So, he began to train me a year early. I eagerly jumped into it, learning everything I could about the weapons Reska's nature had given me and the weapons that I would soon learn to forge on my own.

I remember, very clearly, the first conversation my father and I had about the royal family. It had to come at some point. Everyone going through training had to understand why the Seguri clan was in rule and why they had always remained in rule. So, when my father began to speak about the Seguri clan while teaching me how to place a proper kick, I listened intently. This was not information easily discarded.

"Do you have any questions about the Seguri clan?" He had asked me. I aimed a kick at his chest and missed by a foot. I stumbled, but quickly regained my balance before my father could try to land a blow on me. My speed helped. I managed to block a hit from him just as I spoke.

"Why are they always in rule? Why hasn't another clan taken power?" My father backed off and prepared himself for another kick.

"There are three levels of strength. The Seguris are of the highest level of power. Their animal ears and tails show that they are in perfect harmony with their inner beast. You and I are in slight conflict with our Instinct. The lowest level of strength has almost no harmony with their inner self. That is why they are weak. The more united you become with your beast, the stronger you can become." I aimed another kick at his chest, this one managing to hit him. But he caught my foot and pushed me away. I stumbed around, but regained my footing quickly. I would not let my father defeat me today.

"Is that the reason why some Mitszus can rise above their level of power?" My father nodded. I aimed another kick at his chest, this one being caught as well. My father held my foot in his grasp, making the muscles in my thigh scream at how they were being stetched. I struggled away from his grasp, but he was too strong. With a large sigh, I looked at him.

"You're not asking the question that's on your mind." He told me. He released my foot, and I was quick to rub my thigh. The muscles were not prepared for that kind of a stretch and reminded me of that when I tried to put weight on my leg.

"It's a rude question. I heard a kid ask his mother. He got scolded for it." I explained. My father raised an eyebrow at me. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Why is Princess Seguri a mutant? What happened to her tail?"

My father's gaze darkened considerably. I took a step back, wincing when the extra weight on my leg reminded me that I was not supposed to be moving. My father closed the distance between us, looked around for eavesdroppers, then knelt down in front of me.

"She was born with no tail. Nobody knows why. But that does not mean she has a quarrel with her inner beast. They have found out that she can remember what she does when Instinct takes over." My father explained. My eyes widened.

"No way! No one ever remembers what happens when Instinct takes over!" I was in shock. Was she really that powerful that her and her beast were in perfect harmony?

"It is true. She can control her inner beast almost all of the time. When she does lose control, she still remembers what she has done. She is truly one with her demon." My father told me. I was still shocked at the idea of a Mitszu being able to remember what they did while in Instinct's thrall.

"I'll bet that those extra powers of hers make her extra vulnerable." I told my father in a whisper. He chuckled and lowered his head.

"You are too smart for your own good, Zainen. You know that I work for the royal family. And she does have a large weakness. I believe it comes from being so close with her demonic side." He explained. I continued to stare wide-eyed at my father as my mind comprehended all this information.

"What is it, father?" My dad glanced around once more, making sure that there was no one to witness the giving of this vital secret. I looked around too, as if my eyes would find anything that his could not. When neither of us saw nothing suspicious, he leaned towards my ear.

"She struggles to control her emotions. Instinct is very emotional, and because she is so close with hers, she cannot control her emotions like other Mitszus." He explained.

"Do you think she's a fourth level of Mitszu strength?" I asked. My father pondered this for a few moments before he could think of a proper response to that.

"She could very well be. But I am curious as to why she has less animalistic signs on her body, rather than more animalistic signs. She is missing a tail. According to the hierarchy, she should have animal ears, a tail, and something else... Like whiskers or an animal nose...."

"Then what's wrong with her?" I couldn't help but ask. For being five years old - that's sixty in human years - I was being uncommonly rude. But my curiosity was piqued. The strongest Mitszu ever being a mutant? What had happened to make her breeding turn out so badly? Or was the hierarchy backwards? Should we have less signs of the animal inside if we were truly in tune with our Instinct?

"Nobody knows. For now, they're saying that she is a typical Seguri. She suffered some kind of genetic disorder, and no tail formed." My father explained to me.

"Is that why her ears are different colors, too?" They were. Where one was white with a black tip, the other was black with a white tip. It had baffled everyone for the few seasons she had been alive. No one was any closer to figuring out what she was. Other than my father and I.<

"Could be." My father shrugged. Before too much silence could settle in between us, I kicked him square in the chest. He fell over backwards, the breath knocked out of him. When he leaned up, he was smiling.<

"Did I do good?" I was more than eager to please my father. It was what I strove for every day.

"You did well, son. Although I think I'll have to stop our training for today. You still have work to do from your Sarash." He told me. I deflated. Sarash - the equivalent of a human school, only different in slight ways - was great. But the work that was sent home was always hard. The leaders in Sarash assumed we'd all have a way to find out the answer, whether it was front our texts, our family, or our neighbors. So, in response, they made sure the work was hard enough that we'd still learn something. Even if we were going elsewhere for our answers.

Which I wasn't doing. I was determined to get the most out of Sarash, so I constantly challenged myself to do the work without the aid of anybody or anything.

My father and I walked home. It wasn't a long walk, and it went right through the forest. I loved the forest just outside of our home. Because of the twin suns that Reska rotates around, the temperatures during high noon - when both suns beat down on us simultaneously - was unbearable. It was like trying to peel your clothes off of you when they had become one with your skin. It was gross.

But the forest was amazing. The trees gave us plenty of cover from the sun. The temperature was nice, being that there was a nearby lake that always gave off a cool breeze, no matter what season it was or what time of day it happened to be. My father and I reached home fairly quickly. We walked into the house to find my mother, two sisters, and younger brother already there. The elder brother was usually gone. He was struggling with both his training and his Sarash, so he spent extra time trying to keep up with both. It wasn't uncommon for a Mitszu to struggle with keeping up. We had intense training take place while we had to keep up with Sarash. It wasn't, by any means, an easy task.

Especially if you chose the hard way to do your work from Sarash.

I went strait to my room and sat down at the table - I suppose it's now referred to as a desk - to do my work. I pulled out my first worksheet, and began. It was information about the Mitszu body. Most of this was common knowledge to any Mitszu. To one that was already sixty seasons old, it was simple questions with simple answers. Most of the time. It may have challenged someone who was only fifteen seasons old, but anatomy was not typically assigned to Mitszus as young as fifteen seasons.

I believe I mentioned this earlier, but it needs to be said once more. A season is the equivalent of one human year. And one Mitszu year is twelve human years. Most people tell age by seasons, being as there are many different maturity levels you undergo between years. If you're exactly sixty seasons, then it is shortened down to five years. But it is easier to go by seasons. Just because that gives a Mitszu the most information about another Mitszu without having to ask too many questions.

I will tell you of Mitszu anatomy, because there are major differences between Mitszus and humans. Mitszus have tough skin. It is very difficult to pierce, especially by anything other than a Mitszu's nail. Or magically-charged weapons. But that is information for another time. Our skin is very tough and does not change color in the sun. I mean to say that we do not tan or sunburn. If you are born a color, you will remain that color for the rest of your life. Unless you're stupid enough to get your skin dyed. Those that dye their skin usually choose outrageous colors and are... not easily accepted by the rest of the Mitszu society.

Mitszus also have stronger bones. Our bones are made of something called Girantium. It is not found on Earth - unless someone has taken it there without our knowledge - and it is extremely durable in both hot and cold conditions. It would have to be, considering that we rotate around two suns. High noon would boil a human alive here. And deep night would easily freeze over the entire planet of Earth without any sort of complication or problem.

Mitszus also have burgundy blood. There's a lot of speculation about why it is not red, like human blood, or silver, like tree blood. Oh yeah, trees have blood here. But it is burgundy when it is full of nutrients, and black when rotting because of a lack of nutrients. If you ever see a dying Mitszu, their skin looks a sort of gray color. That is the black blood in their veins beginning to show through their tough Mitszu skin. The sicker a Mitszu is, the more black they appear to be.

If a Mitszu lacks certain nutrients, their skin will tint different colors. A Girantium deficiency - remember, Girantium makes up the bones of our bodies - turns the skin a faint orange or yellow color. This makes being a health official, known as doctors in human terms, a very easy job. Whereas being a doctor for humans is a very profitable job, being a Reskan Health Official is considered one of the jobs a middle-class Mitszu might take.

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