Kael discovered the first problem with owning two beasts before breakfast.
“Nyx.
Left.” Nyx vanished.
“Rexia.
Hold.” Rexia charged.
Kael stared after her.
“That was the opposite of hold.” The pale hatchling slammed shoulder-first into a wooden training construct.
The target rocked backward.
Rexia immediately attacked again.
Wood cracked beneath her claws.
Satisfaction flowed through their Soul Pact.
Better.
Kael closed his eyes.
“No.
Not better.” Rexia looked over her shoulder.
Her golden eyes clearly disagreed.
Across the training yard, Rowan folded his arms.
“You wanted more beasts.” “I didn’t say I regretted it.” “You’ve been training for seven minutes.” Kael looked toward the field.
Nyx had already destroyed its assigned target and was now hanging upside down from a wooden beam.
Rexia was chewing on hers.
“Rexia.” She stopped.
“Don’t eat the training equipment.” She slowly released it.
Rowan walked forward.
“Again.” Three moving constructs activated.
Kael tightened his grip on his spear.
“Nyx, flank.
Rexia, stay with me.” Nyx disappeared.
Rexia remained beside him.
Kael smiled.
Progress.
The first construct charged.
“Wait.” Rexia waited.
Second construct moved.
“Wait.” Rexia’s claws dug into the dirt.
The third approached.
“Now.” Rexia exploded forward.
At the same moment, Nyx struck from the left.
Kael entered from the center.
For half a second, everything worked.
Then Rexia spotted Nyx attacking another target.
She abandoned hers.
“Rexia!” Too late.
She charged toward Nyx’s opponent.
Nyx changed direction.
Kael tried following both through their contracts.
Left.
Right.
Rexia.
Nyx.
Target.
Movement.
Intent.
Too much.
A padded projectile struck Kael directly in the chest.
“Ugh!” He hit the ground.
The constructs stopped.
Nyx immediately appeared beside him.
Rexia returned too.
Kael stared at the sky.
Rowan’s face appeared above him.
“You were better yesterday.” Kael frowned.
“Helpful.” “I’m serious.” Rowan offered his hand.
Kael stood.
“With Nyx alone, you fight together.
With two beasts, you’re trying to control everything they do.” “I have to coordinate them.” “No.” Rowan shook his head.
“You have to lead them.” Kael became quiet.
Rowan pointed toward Nyx.
“If you tell Nyx where to place every foot, you’re wasting both your attention and its instincts.” Then Rexia.
“And if you try doing that with her, she’ll ignore you anyway.” Rexia looked proud.
“Don’t encourage her.” Rowan laughed.
“Give them jobs.” Kael looked between his beasts.
“Jobs?” “Objectives.
Roles.
Let them decide how to accomplish them.” Kael considered it.
Nyx didn’t need instructions on how to stalk something.
Rexia clearly didn’t want instructions about anything.
He pointed left.
“Nyx.” The Xenomorph looked toward him.
Anything entering from the left.
Hunt.
Nyx disappeared.
Kael turned toward Rexia.
Stay near me.
Stop frontal threats.
Rexia’s displeasure was immediate.
Kael sighed.
“What’s wrong with that?” An image crossed their bond.
Nyx hunting.
Rexia standing.
Then intense dissatisfaction.
“You don’t want to guard.” Hunt.
“Nyx is better at ambush.” Offense.
“Currently.” Even greater offense.
Kael rubbed his forehead.
Then an idea came.
He looked toward the largest construct.
“Fine.” Rexia’s attention sharpened.
Kael pointed.
Find strongest threat.
Break it.
Rexia’s entire posture changed.
Approval.
Rowan smiled.
“Again.” The constructs activated.
This time Kael didn’t micromanage.
Nyx received one concept.
Hunt.
Rexia received another.
Break.
Kael kept the third.
Anchor.
The first construct entered from the left.
Nyx vanished.
The second charged directly.
Rexia intercepted it.
The third circled.
Kael moved.
Spear struck wood.
He redirected the construct.
Nyx attacked from behind.
Rexia smashed through the largest target.
Kael saw an opening.
“Switch!” Nyx changed prey instantly.
Rexia turned.
Kael attacked.
Seconds later, all three constructs stopped.
Silence.
Kael breathed heavily.
Rowan nodded.
“Better.” Kael looked toward his beasts.
Anchor.
Break.
Hunt.
Simple.
Flexible.
It worked.
Then Nyx tapped a broken target with its tail.
Pride crossed the bond.
Rexia looked.
She immediately struck another target.
CRACK.
Kael stared.
Nyx destroyed a second.
Rexia destroyed two more.
“Stop.” Neither listened.
Nyx’s tail punched through a target.
Rexia charged toward three at once.
“STOP COMPETING!” Both froze.
Slowly, they looked toward Kael.
Nyx tilted its head.
Rexia sat.
Both somehow managed to look innocent.
Rowan started laughing.
“They’re definitely competing.” “They’ve known each other for one day.” “Apparently that’s enough.” Rexia glanced toward Nyx.
Nyx’s body began blending with the wooden wall.
Within seconds, its outline nearly disappeared.
Rexia stared.
Kael noticed.
She moved closer.
Sniffed.
Nyx changed position.
Rexia followed.
For several seconds she simply watched.
Then her pale scales darkened slightly.
Kael stepped closer.
“Wait.” The change disappeared.
Rexia looked at herself.
Then Nyx.
She tried again.
A subtle brown-gray tint spread across her flank.
Not enough to hide.
Barely enough to notice.
But it was there.
Rowan’s laughter stopped.
“Could she do that yesterday?” “No.” Kael crouched.
Rexia looked pleased.
“You’re copying Nyx?” Better.
Nyx hissed.
Kael smiled.
“This is going to become a problem.” At Greenriver Academy, it became a different problem.
The registration clerk stared at Rexia.
Then Nyx.
Then Kael.
“Ashborne.” “Yes?” “Why do you have another unidentified beast?” Kael considered several answers.
“Bad luck?” Finn stepped forward.
“Excellent luck.” The clerk stared at him.
Finn stepped backward.
Five minutes later, they were standing in Instructor Mira Vale’s laboratory.
Mira entered carrying papers.
She saw Kael.
Then Nyx.
Then Rexia.
She stopped.
“No.” Kael blinked.
“No?” Mira slowly removed her glasses.
“I have spent the last week trying to understand the first one.” Finn raised his hand.
“Good news.” Mira looked at him.
“This one has eyes.” Silence.
“Finn,” Kael said.
“Right.” Mira approached Rexia.
The hatchling watched her carefully.
“Another unknown species?” “Apparently.” “Where?” Kael had prepared the answer.
“My Beast Space.” Not technically a lie.
Mira studied him.
Fortunately, she didn’t push.
She remembered Kael’s boundary and limited herself to non-invasive examinations.
Height.
Weight.
Temperature.
Bite pressure.
Reaction.
Rexia attempted to bite the measuring equipment twice.
Eventually Mira placed a puzzle feeder in front of her.
Food sat inside a transparent container.
Several rotating pieces controlled the lock.
“Most newly contracted beasts require several minutes.” Rexia sniffed it.
Turned one piece.
Second.
Third.
Click.
The container opened.
Finn blinked.
“Beginner’s luck.” Mira placed down another.
More complicated.
Rexia watched her hands.
Twenty seconds.
Click.
Mira’s expression changed.
Third puzzle.
Mira placed food inside.
Closed the front mechanism.
Rexia walked around it.
She stared at the back.
One claw moved.
Click.
A maintenance latch opened.
Rexia ate the food.
Silence.
Kael looked at Mira.
“Is that bad?” Mira stared.
“It’s cheating.” “Can a beast cheat?” Mira continued staring at Rexia.
“…Apparently.” Rexia’s provisional registration eventually read: Unknown Reptilian Beast.
Potential: Unknown.
Mira refused to bring out another crystal.
Finn nodded approvingly.
“Learning from experience.” Mira pointed toward the door.
“Out.” Word spread quickly.
Kael Ashborne had contracted a second beast.
That wasn’t impossible.
What surprised everyone was the timing.
A student approached him after class.
“You actually used another slot already?” Kael nodded.
“Why?” Most Beast Masters spent months, sometimes years, selecting later contracts.
Ten permanent stable positions made every choice important.
The student looked between Nyx and Rexia.
“You’re really using two before your first month is over?” Kael rested his hand against Rexia’s head.
“I trust them.” That was enough.
The student shrugged and left.
Kael watched him go.
Two of ten.
That was what everyone saw.
Kael looked toward the distant sensation of the Infinite World Tree.
Two among countless leaves.
Lucian Veyr noticed too.
From the opposite side of the training field, he watched Rexia solve a tracking exercise.
Another unknown beast.
Another impossible origin.
His attendant stood nearby.
“Still nothing regarding the first creature.” Lucian didn’t respond immediately.
Nyx disappeared into camouflage.
Rexia watched it.
“Two species,” Lucian finally said.
“Yes.” “Both undocumented.” “Yes.” “Acquired within days.” The attendant nodded.
Lucian smiled faintly.
“Then Ashborne isn’t lucky.” “What do you mean?” “He has a source.” A hidden realm.
A lost ruin.
An inheritance.
Perhaps something stranger.
Lucian didn’t know.
Yet.
“Don’t approach him.” “Sir?” “If we pressure him, he’ll hide it.” Lucian watched Kael laugh as Rexia tried stealing Finn’s training glove.
“We wait.” Damian reacted differently.
He crouched in front of Rexia.
She stared at him.
He extended one hand.
Rexia sniffed.
Then turned away.
Damian remained frozen.
“I think she dislikes me.” Kael shook his head.
“That’s actually better than biting.” “Comforting.” Nearby, Nyx approached Damian’s Thunder Griffon.
The Griffon lowered its head.
Nyx tapped its wing.
Rexia watched.
Her attention moved between Damian, the Griffon and Nyx.
Kael felt her judgment.
Known.
Pause.
Not prey.
Kael smiled.
Progress.
Instructor Hale gathered the top students that afternoon.
“The Freshman Combat Exhibition begins in eleven days.” Excitement spread through the room.
“Two primary events.” He raised one finger.
“Individual Beast Master duels.
Maximum two contracted beasts.” Second finger.
“Four-person team battles.” Kael looked toward Rexia.
She immediately felt his attention.
Fight.
“No.” Several students looked at him.
Kael pretended he hadn’t spoken.
That evening Rexia followed him into the training yard.
Fight.
“You’re not ready.” Offense.
“You’re three days old.” Strong.
“Yes.” Fight.
“Strong and experienced aren’t the same thing.” Rexia clearly considered them identical.
Kael sighed.
“Fine.” Her attention sharpened.
“Three instructions.” He raised three fingers.
“Follow three consecutive combat instructions without ignoring one, and I’ll consider using you.” Agreement.
First attempt.
“Wait.” Rexia waited.
“Circle.” She circled.
“Return.” She attacked.
“Failed.” Fury.
Second attempt.
Better.
Failed on the third instruction again.
Third attempt.
“Left.” She moved left.
“Hold.” She held.
“Strike.” Rexia destroyed the target.
Kael smiled.
“Good.” Then Rexia attacked another target.
Kael stared.
She returned proudly.
Bonus.
Finn collapsed onto the grass laughing.
Kael rubbed his face.
Eventually he crouched.
“I’m not promising.” Rexia watched.
“If you’re ready when I need you…” He touched her head.
“I’ll call you.” Rexia considered it.
Then accepted.
That night Kael visited the Infinite World Tree.
The third bud remained closed.
Good.
He wasn’t ready for another beast.
Not remotely.
But something had changed.
Three tiny markings had appeared across the bud.
Symbols.
Kael didn’t recognize them.
Nyx stared.
Rexia sniffed.
Click-click.
Both predators became alert.
Kael approached.
The presence beyond the leaf was there.
Watching.
But this time Kael felt something different.
Its attention moved toward Nyx.
Then Rexia.
Then him.
Judgment.
Evaluation.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
“You’re testing me.” No answer.
Click.
The bud remained closed.
Several days passed.
Then Exhibition Day arrived.
Greenriver Academy barely looked like itself.
Banners hung above the arenas.
Spectator stands were packed.
Families filled the seats.
Guild representatives occupied reserved sections.
Merchants and beast breeders talked beside academy officials.
Kael found his family quickly.
Lily stood on her seat holding a handmade sign.
GO KAEL!
GO NYX!
Finn stared.
“Where’s my name?” Lily looked at him.
“You can make your own.” Finn placed a hand over his heart.
“I thought we were friends.” “You ate my cake yesterday.” “That was an accident.” “You ate all of it.” “A large accident.” Kael laughed.
Then the brackets appeared.
His first opponent: Joren Vale — Rank 14.
Ironjaw Hound.
Windtail Hawk.
Kael looked toward Rexia.
She stared back.
Fight.
“Not yet.” Displeasure.
Kael entered with Nyx alone.
Joren was already waiting.
His hawk circled overhead.
The Ironjaw Hound stood beside him.
Joren looked behind Kael.
“Where’s your second beast?” “Watching.” “You’re allowed two.” “I know.” Joren’s expression hardened.
“You think you only need one?” Kael sighed.
“That’s not what I meant.” The bell rang.
Joren attacked immediately.
The Windtail Hawk dived.
Kael moved.
Wind struck his shoulder.
The Hound charged from below.
Nyx disappeared.
The Hawk climbed.
Kael blocked the Hound’s jaws with his spear shaft.
Joren attacked personally.
Sword against spear.
Kael retreated.
Fast.
Joren’s coordination was good.
Very good.
The Hawk prevented Nyx from easily approaching from above.
The Hound controlled the ground.
Kael couldn’t simply wait for Nyx to solve everything.
Good.
He smiled.
Joren frowned.
“What?” “Nothing.” Kael attacked.
Joren blocked.
The Hound moved toward Kael’s side.
Nyx appeared.
Not at the Hound.
At the Hawk.
The Hawk climbed.
Exactly as Kael expected.
Again.
Nyx vanished.
Kael pressured Joren.
The Hawk dived to help.
Nyx appeared from beneath an arena barrier.
The Hawk changed direction.
Too late.
Nyx’s tail struck its wing.
Not cutting.
Controlled.
The Hawk landed awkwardly.
Kael switched.
He disengaged from Joren and attacked the Hound.
Nyx moved toward Joren.
Joren hesitated.
Wrong choice.
Kael’s spear shaft hooked his sword.
Twist.
The weapon flew.
At the same moment, Nyx pinned the Ironjaw Hound.
No bite.
No blood.
Just claws against its shoulders.
Joren froze.
Instructor Hale raised his hand.
“Winner—Kael Ashborne.” The crowd erupted.
Kael exhaled.
Clean.
No acid.
No unnecessary injury.
He returned to the waiting area.
Rexia approached.
Kael expected anger.
Instead— Good hunt.
He smiled.
“Thanks.” Then— Mine next.
Kael sighed.
“Of course.” An academy attendant approached.
“Kael Ashborne?” “Yes?” “This was delivered for you.” A folded note.
Kael took it.
No name.
No seal.
He opened it.
One sentence.
I know your beasts don’t come from Greenriver.
Kael’s smile disappeared.
Nyx immediately rose.
Rexia growled.
Finn noticed.
“What?” Kael folded the note.
Across the arena, Lucian Veyr stood speaking casually with another student.
He never looked toward Kael.
Kael tightened his fingers around the paper.
For the first time since entering Greenriver Academy, the secret surrounding his beasts no longer felt safely hidden.
Someone was watching.
And whoever it was…
Had started asking the right questions.