Kael woke because something was missing.
He didn’t know what at first.
The room was still dark, dawn barely beginning to lighten the edges of the curtains.
Finn was gone, having finally returned home sometime after sunrise the previous day, and the Ashborne house was silent.
Kael stared at the ceiling.
Empty.
His eyes narrowed.
The creature wasn’t there.
He sat up.
The chair beside the window was empty.
Nothing beneath the desk.
The door was closed.
Window locked.
Kael’s heartbeat quickened.
Then he felt it.
A familiar presence through the Soul Pact.
Close.
Very close.
Kael frowned.
“Where are you?” Satisfaction brushed against his mind.
Kael slowly looked around again.
Nothing.
Then— Drip.
Something wet landed beside his hand.
Kael stared at the small drop of saliva.
His expression became blank.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
He raised his head.
Two rows of teeth were less than a meter above his face.
Kael nearly fell off the bed.
The black creature clung directly to the ceiling.
Perfectly still.
Its elongated head blended so naturally into the shadows between the wooden beams that Kael had looked directly at it several times without noticing.
“You’ve been there the entire time?” The creature tilted its head.
Smug satisfaction traveled through their bond.
Kael stared.
“You’re proud of yourself.” More satisfaction.
“You deliberately hid from me.” The creature’s tail curled.
Kael rubbed his face.
“I miss when you were just a creepy hand.” The creature hissed.
“Fine.
I don’t.” It crawled across the ceiling.
Kael watched carefully.
Almost no sound.
Despite its claws, the creature moved with astonishing precision.
Then it dropped.
Kael instinctively opened his arms.
He immediately regretted that decision.
“Oof!” The creature was heavier.
Much heavier.
Kael stumbled backward.
“Wait.” He pushed it away enough to look properly.
Yesterday, the newborn had been roughly twice its birth size.
Now?
It was approaching the size of a large dog.
Its limbs were longer.
The black exoskeleton had thickened, and the gray stone-like ridges inherited from the Direwolf had spread farther across its shoulders and spine.
“You grew again.” The creature opened its mouth.
Kael immediately pointed.
“No inner jaw.” Its mouth closed.
“Thank you.” A knock came from the door.
Clara entered.
“You’re awake—” She stopped.
Her eyes moved toward the creature.
Then toward Kael.
“Wasn’t it smaller yesterday?” “Yes.” “How much did you feed it?” Kael thought.
“A lot.” “That’s not a measurement.” “More than Finn.” Clara became serious.
“Bring it downstairs.” An hour later, Kael’s mother finished her examination.
“It’s healthy.” Kael relaxed.
“But its metabolism is ridiculous.” Clara looked toward several empty bowls.
“Whatever species this is, its juvenile growth stage consumes enormous amounts of energy.” “So I keep feeding it?” “For now.” Rowan entered carrying a sack of preserved monster meat.
“That could become expensive.” Kael thought about the Pocket World.
The cavern had water.
Space.
An environment that constantly changed according to his companion’s needs.
Perhaps eventually it would produce food as well.
He didn’t know.
And he wasn’t going to rely on something he didn’t understand.
“Then I’ll hunt.” Rowan dropped the sack.
“You’ll train first.” Kael recognized that tone.
“How much training?” His father smiled.
Kael immediately became concerned.
Finn arrived shortly afterward.
Naturally, he brought Thunder.
He took one look at Kael’s beast and stopped.
“No.” Kael raised an eyebrow.
“No what?” “Put it back.” “Where?” “Wherever yesterday’s smaller version went.” “It’s the same beast.” “That’s worse.” Thunder approached cautiously.
The black creature lowered its head.
Both beasts stared at each other.
Kael felt curiosity rather than aggression.
Progress.
Finn circled the creature.
“We still need a name.” “We do.” Finn’s face brightened.
“Death Noodle.” “No.” “You didn’t even think about it.” “I thought about it yesterday.” “Nightmare?” “No.” “Black Fang?” Kael shook his head.
Finn sighed.
“Fine.
What magnificent name have you chosen?” Kael looked at his companion.
Black as the darkness it disappeared into.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
Comfortable in shadows.
“Nyx.” Finn stared.
“Nyx?” “Yes.” “You rejected Death Noodle…” “Obviously.” “…for Nyx?” Kael nodded.
Finn looked toward the heavens.
“There is no justice in this world.” Nyx hissed.
Finn pointed.
“Don’t you start.” Rowan’s voice came from the courtyard.
“Both of you.
Outside.” Finn frowned.
“Why me?” “Because you laughed yesterday when Kael got hit.” Finn’s expression changed.
“I suddenly remember something important at home.” Thunder grabbed his trouser leg.
“Traitor.” The training began badly.
For Kael.
Rowan handed him a wooden short spear.
“Again.” Kael adjusted his stance.
He attacked.
Rowan moved half a step.
The training staff struck Kael’s ankle.
He hit the dirt.
Finn laughed.
Rowan looked at him.
Finn stopped.
Five minutes later, Finn was lying beside Kael.
“This is your fault.” “You came voluntarily.” “I didn’t know there would be consequences.” Rowan stood above them.
“A powerful beast won’t save a useless Beast Master forever.” Kael pushed himself upright.
“Again.” Rowan nodded.
That continued for nearly an hour.
Kael learned quickly that understanding what he was supposed to do didn’t mean his body could actually do it.
His reactions were slow.
Footwork inconsistent.
He repeatedly overextended his thrusts.
Rowan punished every mistake.
Finn was different.
His technique was worse.
Much worse.
But he possessed surprisingly good instincts.
He dodged attacks Kael expected him to miss, then ruined everything by counterattacking from terrible positions.
At one point Finn somehow blocked Rowan’s staff, stepped backward, tripped over Thunder and landed in a water barrel.
Kael laughed so hard Rowan hit him too.
Eventually, Rowan allowed the beasts to participate.
Thunder understood immediately.
Training targets appeared.
He charged.
Lightning crackled across his white fur.
His claws struck the wooden dummy.
Finn attacked simultaneously.
For approximately three seconds, their coordination looked impressive.
Then Thunder changed direction.
Finn didn’t.
They collided.
Thunder discharged electricity.
Finn’s entire body stiffened.
“THUNDER!” The tiger cub looked innocent.
“We discussed this!” Kael smiled.
Then looked toward Nyx.
“Your turn.” Nyx stared at the training dummy.
Nothing.
“Attack.” Nothing.
Finn shook water from his hair.
“Maybe it doesn’t understand.” Kael sent the intention through their Soul Pact.
Attack target.
Nyx looked at him.
Then at the dummy.
Still nothing.
Rowan crossed his arms.
“Interesting.” “What?” “Change the way you’re thinking.” Kael frowned.
Then remembered the forest.
The Facehugger hadn’t fought like Thunder.
It hunted.
Kael looked at the dummy again.
This time he didn’t think of it as a target.
He imagined movement.
Threat.
Prey.
Hunt.
Nyx disappeared.
Finn blinked.
“Where did—” THUNK.
The training dummy’s wooden head fell onto the ground.
Everyone stared.
Nyx hung upside down from the fence behind it.
Rowan’s eyebrows rose.
Kael smiled slowly.
“So that’s how you think.” Nyx’s tail moved.
The next hour became considerably more interesting.
Kael stopped relying on spoken commands.
Flank.
Nyx moved.
Hide.
Gone.
Protect.
Nyx immediately positioned itself between Kael and Rowan.
Threat.
Its body lowered.
Tail raised.
The difference was extraordinary.
Their Soul Pact wasn’t merely carrying commands.
Images worked.
Emotions worked.
Intent worked.
And the clearer Kael became, the faster Nyx responded.
Rowan tested everything.
Wall climbing came first.
Nyx climbed the side of the stable as easily as walking across the ground.
Then the ceiling.
Then trees.
Stealth came next.
Kael knew exactly where Nyx entered the bushes.
Thirty seconds later, he couldn’t find it.
Neither could Finn.
Thunder could.
Sometimes.
Nyx’s tail proved far more versatile than expected.
Balance.
Gripping.
Sweeping.
Stabbing.
Rowan placed a reinforced training board several meters away.
Nyx’s tail punched through it.
Finn slowly moved behind Kael.
“I preferred the hand.” “You said it was terrifying.” “I was younger then.” “That was four days ago.” “I’ve matured.” The inner jaw was worse.
Kael allowed Nyx to strike a hanging wooden block.
Its mouth opened.
The smaller jaw shot forward.
CRACK.
The center of the block shattered.
Nobody spoke.
Finn finally whispered, “Death Noodle was too friendly.” Then Rowan made a mistake.
Not a large one.
A controlled strike during a reaction test clipped Nyx’s shoulder.
The exoskeleton protected most of it, but a small cut appeared between two plates.
One drop of pale yellow-green blood fell.
Onto a metal training plate.
HISSSSSSS.
Smoke rose.
Everyone froze.
A hole slowly appeared in the metal.
Finn pointed.
“Kael.” “I see it.” “Your beast has weaponized blood.” Kael crouched beside the plate.
The metal continued dissolving.
Rowan’s expression became serious.
“Nobody touches its blood.” Clara, watching from the doorway, immediately agreed.
“And we need proper containment materials before I examine it again.” Kael looked toward Nyx.
The wound was already closing.
Another inherited trait.
Regeneration.
Rowan noticed too.
“Direwolf.” “Looks like it.” Kael touched one of Nyx’s gray-black shoulder ridges.
Stone armor.
Regeneration.
Predatory senses.
Powerful legs.
The Stoneback Direwolf had given Nyx far more than appearance.
But the acidic blood created a problem.
A serious one.
“If Nyx gets injured beside Thunder…” Finn’s expression changed.
Thunder sniffed the damaged plate.
Finn immediately pulled him away.
“Don’t lick that!” Kael nodded.
“They can’t fight shoulder-to-shoulder.” Rowan looked toward him.
“So adapt.” Kael understood.
Nyx wasn’t a frontline beast.
At least not while allies surrounded it.
It was an ambush predator.
Flanking.
Disruption.
Isolation.
Kael would fight from the front.
Nyx would hunt from everywhere else.
“Let’s test it.” Finn immediately became suspicious.
“Test what?” Kael picked up his padded spear.
“You and Thunder against us.” Finn stared.
Then grinned.
“Oh, you’re going down.” Five minutes later, the spar began.
Nyx had restrictions.
No biting.
No claws.
No inner jaw.
No tail stabbing.
Finn listened to the rules.
“So basically you’re asking it not to be itself.” “…Pretty much.” Thunder charged.
Fast.
Much faster than Nyx in a straight line.
Kael barely blocked Finn’s spear before Thunder approached from his right.
He retreated.
Finn pressed forward.
For once, his messy style worked.
Kael blocked.
Turned.
Thrust.
Finn slapped the spear aside.
“Got you!” Thunder leaped.
Kael smiled.
Finn’s expression changed.
“Why are you smiling?” “Where’s Nyx?” Finn froze.
Thunder landed.
Both looked around.
Nothing.
Finn’s confidence vanished.
“I hate this.” Kael attacked again.
Finn blocked.
Thunder moved toward Kael.
A black shape silently dropped behind them.
Something touched Finn’s shoulder.
He stopped.
Nyx’s tail rested there.
Gently.
Finn stared at it.
Then at Kael.
“No.” “You lost.” “I reject the result.” “That’s not how sparring works.” Thunder growled at Nyx.
Nyx hissed.
Kael and Finn shouted simultaneously.
“NO!” Both beasts stopped.
Rowan laughed.
By evening, every muscle in Kael’s body hurt.
Then a messenger arrived.
Two envelopes.
One for Kael.
One for Finn.
Finn tore his open immediately.
His eyes widened.
“We got in!” Kael opened his.
GREENRIVER BEAST ACADEMY First-Year Admission Notice A smile slowly appeared.
The academy wasn’t famous.
It wasn’t one of the great institutions of the kingdom.
But it was where Greenriver’s newly awakened Beast Masters learned how to survive.
Combat.
Beast biology.
Wilderness survival.
Evolution theory.
Team battles.
Secret Realm fundamentals.
Finn read farther.
“Oh.” “What?” “We have Damian.” Kael looked at him.
“Of course we do.” “The Griffon guy.” “I remember.” Finn hugged Thunder.
“Excellent.
Our rivalry begins.” “We don’t have a rivalry.” “We will.” That night, Kael read the academy handbook.
One section caught his attention.
Contract Management.
Every Beast Master possessed a maximum of ten stable contract positions.
Ten companions.
Ten choices.
Contracts could theoretically be severed, but damage to the soul made the process dangerous.
That was why families carefully selected beasts.
A poor early contract could follow a Beast Master throughout their career.
Kael looked toward Nyx.
Ten.
Then he closed his eyes.
The Infinite World Tree appeared.
Countless leaves stretched above him.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Perhaps millions.
Kael stared upward.
For everyone else…
Ten was the absolute limit.
For him?
He didn’t know.
But looking at that endless canopy, Kael suspected the answer might be something he wasn’t ready to comprehend.
His attention shifted.
The second bud.
Kael froze.
It had changed.
A crack ran across its surface.
Light escaped.
He approached.
For one second, an image appeared within.
Rain.
An enormous jungle.
Trees larger than anything near Greenriver.
Ferns trembled.
Something moved behind them.
BOOM.
The ground shook.
BOOM.
Kael saw a footprint.
Three-toed.
Massive.
Rainwater slowly filled it.
Then the image vanished.
The bud closed.
Kael stared.
“What was that?” A low growl answered.
Not from behind him.
From inside the unopened leaf.
Deep.
Reptilian.
Powerful enough that the surrounding branches seemed to tremble.
Nyx appeared beside Kael.
Its body lowered.
Tail rose.
For once, Kael felt no smugness.
No curiosity.
Pure predatory awareness.
Whatever waited beyond that leaf…
Nyx recognized it as something worth watching.
Kael placed a hand against its armored head.
The growl came again.
Then something enormous roared from a world that hadn’t yet opened.
Kael smiled.
“Looks like you won’t be alone forever.” High above them, the second leaf trembled.
And somewhere within the prehistoric jungle hidden inside it…
Something answered with another roar.