Imdiately after Mona spoke, a heavy silence settled in the room. Alex felt a shift—sothing subtle but unmistakable. Nyxara, who was perched on his shoulder, turned her head toward him, her amber eyes eting his. They held each other’s gaze for a mont longer than usual.
It wasn’t a look of confusion or casual curiosity.
It was awareness.
She also wanted to know.
Alex’s gaze settled on her, the warmth of her presence, once a soothing anchor against his neck, now radiated a subtle tension.
He could feel it in the slight rigidity of her muscles, in the delicate, rhythmic flick of her tail brushing against his back. It was clear she was deeply engaged in this conversation, her attentive deanor hinting at the weight of the subject, one that intertwined with her history.
His thoughts drifted back to that pivotal mont—the day Nyxara wove herself into the fabric of his life. He had been just five years old then, a small bundle of curiosity wrapped in an adventurous spirit, blissfully unaware of the impact she would have on him.
Nyxara, at six, was an endearing striped ball of fluff, her size comparable to that of a house cat, a quirk of the mana animals’ peculiar growth patterns.
Even at that tender age, her fur shimred with a srizing, ethereal glow, kissed by the essence of mana, and her eyes sparkled with the sa captivating golden fla they held now, filled with depths of wisdom and wildness.
Back then, he’d simply thought she was cute.
But now... he wasn’t so sure things had been that simple
In their clan, beast companions were a sacred tradition—an innovation born of Mona’s vision for the future. She had made it a rule: every elite child in the new generation would have the opportunity to bond with a beast.
It wasn’t just for companionship.
It was survival.
A bonded beast is far more than a re companion; it is an integral extension of your very will—a fierce ally forged through the intricate web of ritual, imbued with magic, and sealed by blood.
This extraordinary bond ensures that the beast stands alongside you, ready to battle your foes, endure countless trials, and even face the ultimate sacrifice when the ti cos. In this symbiotic relationship, the beast gains not only heightened power and unwavering protection but also access to resources that would otherwise remain inaccessible in its solitary existence.
Yet, the stark reality is that such bonds are rarely forged with willing hearts. One must recognize that the process of bonding with a beast is fraught with challenges and demands profound determination. If the innate talent and abilities of the beast eclipse those of its would-be master, a stark imbalance occurs.
The creature, no matter how powerful, will find itself hindered, forever shackled to a status that keeps it a step below its human counterpart. In such a dynamic, the beast’s true potential remains tantalizingly out of reach, stifled by the very connection ant to empower it.
Consequently, the beast’s instincts will rebel against this dynamic.
Even cubs fought it. No matter how young or how ta they appeared, so primal part of them always knew—they were giving more than they were getting. And it was a tradition for the children to choose their companions themselves.
At the age of seven, the clan’s best were taken to the Beast nagerie, a massive sacred grove where the chosen cubs were kept. The ritual that followed was always a struggle, as more than 70% of them would fail.
The beasts resisted. The air would be filled with growls, screams, and the bitter scent of clashing auras.
But Alex... he had never gone to the nagerie.
He never chose.
Nyxara was given to him.
A gift from his parents when he was just five.
That in itself had been strange since both his siblings went through the sa ritual to gain theirs, but even stranger was what happened next.
There had been no resistance during the bonding ritual.
No flares of rejection. No backlash of aura. No growls. No cries.
Just silence... then a gentle pulse of warmth that spread from Nyxara’s body into his chest, like they had always belonged to one another. The elder who perford the ritual had paused, stunned, watching as the light enveloped them both with no conflict, only harmony.
At the ti, Alex had been too young to question it.
Too busy playing with her, feeding her bits of roasted at under the huge dining table, letting her sleep curled up beside him. He hadn’t thought much of the bond. He just thought they were lucky.
But now?
Now he was older. Wiser. Tainted by the blood of experience.
And he couldn’t ignore the nagging questions anymore.
He glanced at her again.
Mystic Rank.
She was a formidable creature, a true force of nature, possessing a Mystic Rank talent—an extraordinary level that only a select few beasts could even dream of attaining, and even fewer through the process of natural evolution.
The air around her crackled with latent power, hinting at the remarkable potential she held within.
In stark contrast stood he, the supposed prodigy of his clan, ticulously molded by the aspirations of his mother and father. With every conceivable advantage bestowed upon him, he had risen to the Demigod Rank, a notable accomplishnt indeed.
Yet, there was a dissonance in his achievents; he struggled to reconcile his status with the ambitions set for him.
Despite being higher on the hierarchy, his accomplishnts felt dwarfed in comparison to her raw, untad prowess. The realization hit him like a thunderclap: she was not just any beast—she could ascend to Mystic Rank, and if fortune favored her with a rare natural treasure, she might even unlock the possibility of reaching the coveted Demigod Rank herself.
The re thought left him in a state of bewildernt, grappling with the implications of her potential and his limitations.
Alex looked at Nyxara once again, as it seed she was also going down mory lane. After feeling Alex, she also looked at him.
He turned back to the monitor, the faint flicker of Mona’s holographic image still playing.
"So... let’s talk about Nyxara, and where she ca from."
The words hung in the air like a key unlocking the past.
Nyxara’s heart beat just a little faster.
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