After seven hours of intense training, Aamir and his friends finally exited the private training room. Their bodies ached, but their minds were sharper than ever. As they walked down the stone pathway leading back toward the main campus, a group of younger students passed by, whispering among themselves.
"Did you hear about it? It’s gone, just like that..."
Their hushed voices caught Aamir’s attention.
He turned his head and asked, "Hey, what are you guys talking about?"
One of the boys stopped and looked at him, wide-eyed. "Wait... you don’t know?"
"Know what?" Aamir frowned. "What happened?"
"You haven’t heard about Krinil City?" the boy asked. "From Danovia Nation?"
Aamir exchanged glances with his friends. "What about it?"
The boy hesitated, then spoke in a low, serious voice. "It disappeared."
"What do you an ’disappeared’?" Aamir’s eyes narrowed.
"It just... vanished. So say it was devoured by an enormous beast."
Aamir froze. "A beast that big... underwater?"
Kunal stepped forward, his expression grim. "Must be that beast."
Aamir turned to him. "You an... an Apex-tier?"
Kunal nodded. "Exactly."
"But Apex-tier beasts are just a theory," Aamir replied. "No one’s actually seen one."
"They were a theory," Kunal said quietly. "Until now."
The air grew heavier with tension. No one spoke for a few monts. Then, silently, they continued walking back to campus, deep in thought—until a voice called out behind them.
"Wait! Aamir!"
They turned around. It was Afreen, her face pale and urgent.
"Miss Afreen?" Aamir asked. "Is sothing wrong?"
"There’s sothing important. All of you, co with —now."
Without another word, they followed her across the courtyard and into the central administrative building. She led them to the office of Haider Ali, one of the highest-ranking war strategists on campus.
Haider was already seated behind his desk, hands folded, face stern.
As they entered, he spoke without greeting. "Good. You’re here."
His eyes flicked to Aamir and Seenu.
"Listen closely. You two will each lead a squad—thirty-five students per group. Five elite warriors from each guild will be placed under your command."
Seenu and Aamir straightened.
Haider continued, "You’ll have full authority over your teams. However—" his tone sharpened, "—when I give an order, you obey. No exceptions."
He stood up, walking around the desk.
"If the situation becos too dangerous, I will take direct command. If I order you to retreat—you retreat. No debates. No heroic sacrifices. Understood?"
Aamir and Seenu nodded firmly. "Understood, sir."
Haider looked at them both, his gaze hard.
"The world is changing. You either move with it... or get crushed by it."
After the eting with Haider Ali, Aamir and his friends returned to their dorms, still processing the gravity of what they had heard. The world outside was changing rapidly—city vanishing, legendary beasts awakening—and now, they were being thrust into the center of it all.
Inside the room, Aamir sat on the edge of his bed. The atmosphere was quiet, but his thoughts were anything but. With a calm breath, he closed his eyes and summoned it.
A beautiful whoosh of ethereal blue fla swirled around him, and in the next instant, a majestic blue phoenix erged from his chest, letting out a soft cry as it flapped its shimring wings and perched beside him.
Kunal and Raj, who were lounging nearby, shot to their feet.
Raj’s eyes widened. "What the hell is that?!"
Aamir smiled. "It’s a beast."
Kunal rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. What Raj ans is—how the hell do you have a beast? Did you ta it?"
Aamir scratched the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. "Kinda."
Raj blinked. "Kinda? What do you an ’kinda’?"
"I didn’t ta it exactly," Aamir replied. "I tad its egg."
Kunal’s jaw dropped. "You hatched it?! From an egg?!"
"Yeah," Aamir said, nodding. "I bought the egg from an old rchant in Wyndham City."
Raj whistled low. "You lucky bastard..."
Kunal crossed his arms. "Let guess, it just happened to be a legendary phoenix egg, right? Probably sold by so mysterious old man who disappeared right after?"
Aamir laughed. "Pretty much."
Kunal groaned. "Unbelievable. I train for years and can barely handle a blade aura—and you’re over here hatching mythical beasts like it’s a weekend project."
The phoenix let out a soft trill and nudged Kunal with its beak, almost playfully.
"Oi! Don’t peck !" Kunal stepped back, pretending to be annoyed but unable to hide the awe in his eyes. "Does it have a na?"
Aamir tilted his head thoughtfully as the phoenix nuzzled against his arm. "Oh... I didn’t give it a na yet."
Kunal threw his hands in the air. "What the hell, man?! You’ve got a mythical, majestic, freaking blue phoenix and you didn’t even na it?!"
Aamir chuckled. "I... didn’t really think about it."
Raj laughed. "Classic Aamir. Gets a beast and forgets it needs a na too."
"Well, what should I na it then?" Aamir asked.
Kunal folded his arms. "First, we need to know—boy or girl?"
Aamir paused. Truth was, he hadn’t thought about that either. But instead of admitting it, he simply activated his Appraisal ability, letting the faint blue light shimr in his eyes as he focused on the phoenix.
A small panel flashed in his vision.
Beast Na: Unknown
Species: Azure Fla Phoenix
Gender: Female
Tier: World-Breaker Tier
Status: Loyal to Summoner – Bond Level 12%
"She’s a female," Aamir said.
Kunal rubbed his chin dramatically. "Then it has to be a beautiful na. Sothing that matches her color... and her vibe."
He tapped the side of his head, deep in exaggerated thought. Then suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Azura!"
Aamir blinked. "Azura?"
"Yeah, sounds mystical, right? Azure for the color, and a little flair at the end."
A soft trill echoed through the room. The phoenix flapped her wings gently, letting out a lodic cry as if approving the na.
Raj grinned. "Looks like she likes it."
"Azura..." Aamir repeated, nodding slowly. "Yeah. That’s perfect."
The phoenix, now officially nad Azura, hopped up and perched gracefully on Aamir’s shoulder, her blue feathers gleaming under the warm dorm light.
Raj leaned closer. "So... what tier is she?"
Aamir already knew from the appraisal that it was World-breaker tier—and that ant it was either too high to classify or purposely hidden by the system. But instead of explaining, he simply shrugged. "I don’t really know. But since she’s a phoenix, I’m guessing she’s rare."
"Rare? Try legendary," Raj muttered, sitting back in awe. "You just beca ten tis cooler, man."
Kunal whistled. "With that kind of beast backing you up, the bettle going to be wild."
Aamir gave a small smile, gently petting Azura’s head. "We’ll see."
But deep down, he had a strange feeling. A bond was forming between him and Azura—a powerful one. And the mysteries surrounding her tier, her flas, and the old rchant from Wyndham... weren’t just coincidences.
Aamir leaned back against the wall, gently stroking Azura’s soft feathers as she nestled comfortably on his shoulder.
"I don’t exactly know how strong she really is," Aamir admitted. "But... you rember that punch I used during the tournant?"
Kunal snapped his fingers. "Oh, hell yeah! That one where you had blue flas on your fist, and then a phoenix burst out of your arm like woosh—flew up, circled, then dive-bombed your opponent like so kind of divine judgnt."
Raj laughed. "That poor Calonian guy didn’t know what hit him."
Aamir nodded. "That skill—’Phoenix Wrath’—it’s sothing I got when I ford a bond with Azura. And that blue fla shield I used to block those mana arrows? That’s her power too."
Raj’s jaw dropped slightly. "Damn. That’s insane. You an all of that... was because of her?"
"Yeah," Aamir said quietly. "And she’s just a baby."
The room fell silent for a mont as the weight of that fact sank in.
Kunal let out a low whistle. "If she’s this strong now, then what happens when she grows up?"
Aamir glanced at Azura, who chirped innocently, completely unaware of the attention she was getting.
He smiled. "Who knows? But I guess... we’ll find out."
Raj grinned. "Yeah, we will."
Kunal leaned back on his bed. "Well, if she ends up breathing fire that can lt cities, I just hope you’re still on our side."
Aamir laughed. "You’re stuck with . And her."
Azura let out a soft, proud trill as if declaring her loyalty right then and there.
Aamir’s expression grew more serious as he gazed out the window.
"I’m more worried about the war," he said quietly.
Raj looked over from his bed. "And why’s that?"
Aamir hesitated. "I’m not sure... that I can command a troop. I’ve never led anyone like that before. What if I ss up? What if people get hurt because of ?"
Kunal stood up and walked over, placing a firm hand on Aamir’s shoulder. "Aamir, we’ve always believed in you—and we always will. You’ve never let us down."
Raj nodded. "Yeah, man. You’ve been through hell, fought monsters, saved lives—and sohow stayed humble through it all."
Kunal smiled. "So don’t stress. We’ve got your back—always. You’ll lead us just fine."
Aamir looked between his two friends, their confidence radiating like a warm fire in the middle of a cold storm. His chest tightened—not from fear, but from gratitude.
"...Thanks," he said. "Both of you."
"Thanks For Believing In ."
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