A Technomage and a Caged Omega

Chapter 1

Shadow Dimension

Location Unknown

They came in the day. No, really, they did, like always.

Why it couldn’t have been nighttime was beyond me, but what do I know?

I’m just an ordinary pygmy hippo therianthrope, recently sold for breeding.

From the time I was old enough to understand, I knew they would eventually sell me. I was too rare not to.

My owner, who kept my whole family except for a few sold over the years, dedicated herself to ensuring our species’ healthy survival. I couldn’t say captivity, though we had some nice amenities, was in the best interest of our species.

I was sure that, left to our own devices in our natural habitats, we would have survived just fine without their so-called intervention to save us from extinction.

But for all my thirty-six years, I’ve lived in this enclosed habitat, as well as my father before me, along with his brothers.

They’d brought in others to breed with them, creating our small family clan of seventeen.

I was the only omega born here. My dad said our owner had been really excited about that.

I was honestly surprised she hadn’t sold me sooner, or brought someone in to take advantage of this.

We suspected it was because I’d not had a heat.

I’d been subjected to many medical and magical exams to determine the cause.

As far as I knew, the results had shown nothing wrong.

I never thought anything was wrong with me, and personally, I was thankful that I hadn’t gone into heat.

I overheard one doctor tell my owner that my body knew there wasn’t a viable mate and, therefore, the biological urge to reproduce hadn’t been triggered.

I wasn’t looking forward to having to mate with a complete stranger.

Who would? But I had hoped she would bring someone to me and not take me away from my family.

I was wrong.

I recognized the signs of the sleep-inducing spell that was used. It left my head fuzzy and my body sluggish. It also seemed like they weren’t the gentlest when they moved me because my side felt sore and bruised.

It was clear why they came during the day.

When we’re asleep, we couldn’t resist their spells.

Yet, for once, I wished they had arrived at night so I could gaze into their eyes as they wove their magic.

Although I couldn’t change the situation, there was a part of me that longed for the chance to confront them with all the defiance my small, beady eyes could muster.

Sadness washed over me as I walked around my new habitat, desperately searching for someone.

No one was there. Tears filled my eyes as reality slammed into me that I didn’t even get to say goodbye.

The dry heat in the air made my skin itch, urging me to head back to the small pond at the heart of the habitat.

Although my family’s habitat was extensive, this new one seemed confining and limiting, resembling the cage it truly was, despite the illusions the shield created.

Tall grass and a few scattered trees filled the area.

I cautiously dipped my forefoot into the water to gauge its temperature.

To my surprise, the water wasn’t cold, sparking hope that it might be artificially heated, similar to the much larger pond back home.

Home.

The thought of home brought back the malaise threatening to devour me.

I plunged into the pond to gauge its depth and yell into the darkness.

I was half tempted to shift into my bipedal form, but it’d been years since I was brave enough for that.

Getting caught on two legs was grievous, the punishment often life-threatening.

Sadly, the pond wasn’t deep. I wondered if this was a temporary habitat since it was so sparse.

I already missed the many trees and our interconnected den network.

My stomach grumbled its unhappiness, and I pushed off from the bottom.

Would food arrive, or I would have to eat the grasses? There was no vegetation in the pond.

I walked to the edge of the habitat. The air shimmered where the shield was, but a thin metal edge stuck out from the ground.

I couldn’t see anything beyond the shield, and from what I knew, the shield provided the illusion of the sky and the reflection of the land beyond.

It made it appear like the land continued, which also made the habitat seem larger than it was.

Judging by how long it took me to walk around the perimeter, I’d say my home was four or five times bigger than this one.

I wished with every fiber of my being that this was temporary.

Perhaps they had brought me here to breed with someone, and then I’d be able to return home.

My father had experienced this several times, and I despised it when they took him away.

Each time, it became increasingly difficult for him.

I felt a deep unease and knew I needed to escape.

My owner wasn’t horrible. From the few times someone was brought into our habitat and from the three females who stayed and mated to my uncles, there were worse owners out in the greater world. Much worse.

Of course, I wished we didn’t have owners at all and we could live out in the world on our own, but since that was wishful thinking, I’d happily go back home.

At least there, I had food regularly delivered.

Despite treating us like animals, my owner acknowledged our intelligence.

She allowed us a viewing device that showed the history of the world from which we came and how it was destroyed by Humanity.

Humans were awful creatures but ingenious.

The viewing device also played shows created by the humans hundreds of years ago before they turned on each other and destroyed their planet with their wars.

The shows were funny, and they were the only way we learned about the Terran dimension and the technology that would later spread to our dimension, like the viewing device.

I knew they only showed us a limited point of view. While the locations and technology depicted were probably real, the characters and stories were not. However, like our ancestors’ stories, they held a kernel of truth.

While walking the perimeter again, I contemplated this. I pissed on the perimeter’s metal rim, behind one of the few trees. I hurried to the pond, fearing discovery, but my minor act of rebellion improved my mood somewhat.

I eased into the pond and rested my head on the edge.

The shield’s low hum enhanced the eeriness of the habitat.

While home didn’t have any other life besides us, they piped in sounds to make it seem like insects and other harmless creatures were living with us.

The artificial moonlight was dim as the cycle waned.

I was grateful for my excellent night vision.

My ears twitched, hoping to catch the slightest hint of anything at all.

With a huff, I went back under the water to scream.