"Good morning."
Athiel stretched his arms above his head as he stepped into the laboratory.
The Monster was awake.
That alone was impressive, considering how much he had forced it to ingest the night before.
Sleeping potions. Sedatives. A few questionable mixtures he had lazily thrown together while half-asleep.
’Honestly, I’m surprised it survived.’
But the creature was still there.
Still chained.
Still staring at him.
"And it’s a new day," Athiel murmured.
He walked slowly across the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"I’m sure Father will storm in eventually," he continued casually. "I didn’t eat dinner last night and skipped breakfast as well. That usually sends him into a panic."
Athiel stopped in front of the Monster and tilted his head.
"...So let’s make this day worth it."
He smiled.
The Monster reacted imdiately.
It rose to its feet the mont Athiel approached, movents quick and obedient.
"M-Master... Ma...ster... Master..."
It repeated the word again and again, as if it were the only sound it knew how to form.
Athiel glanced briefly toward the worktable where his gloves sat neatly folded.
’Seems I won’t need those today.’
He walked closer.
"Hello," Athiel said, his voice soft. Almost gentle.
But very fake.
He lifted his hand toward the creature.
Exactly as expected, the Monster lowered its head.
Its cheek pressed carefully against Athiel’s palm.
"As expected," Athiel murmured, observing the reaction. "You like affection."
His fingers moved slowly against the creature’s skin.
"That’s why you kept grabbing yesterday."
The Monster leaned closer.
"You want physical contact."
Or maybe it simply liked warmth.
Either explanation worked.
"Say Athiel again," Athiel instructed calmly, his hand still resting against the Monster’s face.
The Monster stayed silent.
Athiel’s eyes narrowed.
Then he pulled his hand away.
Imdiately the Monster’s eyes widened.
"Say Athiel," Athiel repeated.
The creature whimpered.
"M-Mas—"
Athiel took a step back.
"I’m going upstairs."
The reaction was imdiate.
The chain rattled violently as the Monster lunged forward, trying to follow him.
"A—Athiel... Athiel... Athiel—"
"Ah," Athiel laughed softly.
He stepped forward again.
"Clingy little bastard, aren’t you?"
He lifted his hand again.
The Monster grabbed it instantly, holding it carefully as if afraid it would disappear again.
"M-Master... A... Athiel..."
Athiel watched it closely.
’Interesting.’
Athiel studied the creature for a mont before speaking again, a small smile forming on his lips.
"You know," he said thoughtfully, "I’m about to do sothing I’ve never done for any of my other pets."
His gaze drifted briefly toward the cages lining the walls.
"Or specins, as I usually call them."
The other monsters remained still inside their enclosures. So crouched low. Others stared through the tal bars with quiet wariness.
None of them had ever been given the privilege he was about to offer.
Athiel reached into his coat and pulled out a small ring of keys. The tal chid softly as he sorted through them before selecting the right one.
’Let’s see how you behave without restraints,’ he thought.
He stepped closer and unlocked the chains binding the creature’s wrists. The tal cuffs loosened with a quiet click before sliding off completely.
The chains fell away with a dull clatter.
For the first ti since arriving in the laboratory, the monster’s arms were free.
The creature blinked slowly, clearly confused by the sudden change.
Athiel ignored the expression.
Instead, he reached out and took the monster’s hand.
"Co," he said simply.
The creature followed imdiately.
Athiel guided it across the room toward a tal bed positioned along the far wall of the laboratory.
The fra was sturdy, heavy, and bolted firmly into the stone floor. It had originally been installed for restraints during certain experints.
When they reached it, Athiel stopped and pointed down at the bed.
"Sit."
The monster didn’t move.
Instead, it looked down at their joined hands.
Its red eyes remained fixed on their fingers touching, as if the contact itself had beco the most important thing in the room.
Athiel frowned slightly.
"Sit," he repeated.
Still nothing.
The creature continued staring at their hands, its attention completely absorbed.
Athiel sighed softly.
"Don’t tell you don’t understand sothing this simple," he muttered.
Even as he said it, he knew the command might not make sense to the creature.
Sotis Athiel forgot that this was a monster.
Not a human.
He placed a hand on the creature’s shoulder and pushed lightly.
The monster barely moved.
Athiel pushed harder.
"Sit."
The creature remained standing.
Athiel felt his patience begin to thin.
Without warning, he released the monster’s hand and stepped back.
"Fine," he said coldly. "I’ll just leave."
The reaction was imdiate.
"Athiel!"
The creature’s voice cracked as it reached for him, panic flashing across its face.
’That he understands imdiately,’ Athiel thought with quiet satisfaction.
But he didn’t move closer.
Instead, he rose slightly onto his toes and grabbed the monster by its shoulders before shoving it down onto the tal bed.
"Sit," he said firmly.
The monster froze.
Then slowly, obediently, it stayed where he had placed it.
Athiel watched for a mont.
Then he smiled.
Satisfied.
"Good," he murmured softly.
He stepped closer again and cupped the creature’s face in both hands, rubbing its cheek slowly in clear approval.
"See? That wasn’t difficult," he said lightly. "That’s called sitting."
The monster leaned into the touch almost instantly.
"Sitting is when you do that—"
Then suddenly—
A strange sound vibrated from the creature’s chest.
A low, soft rumble.
Athiel blinked.
"...Did you just—"
The sound ca again.
A gentle, steady vibration beneath his hands.
Athiel stared at the creature.
The monster was purring.
Like a cat.
"How many animals are mixed inside you?" Athiel asked, furrowing his brows as he studied the creature carefully. "Most monsters are combinations of two. Three at most. Sotis they are simply exaggerated versions of a single animal."
That was why Athiel found them so fascinating.
For most people in the Prismara Kingdom, monsters were simply part of life. Creatures that had existed for generations upon generations. Their origins had been debated endlessly.
So scholars claid the monsters were blessings from the gods.
Others said they were punishnts.
Athiel found both explanations boring.
’Blessings from the gods,’ he thought dismissively. ’What a lazy answer.’
Prismara had little else worth ntioning besides monsters anyway. They were the kingdom’s pride, its curiosity, its greatest export. Other nations traded generously for them.
But Athiel had always believed sothing else.
’They’re just animals that evolved strangely,’ he thought. ’Or were exposed to sothing unusual.’
Perhaps mutations.
Perhaps breeding experints long forgotten.
Although that theory beca complicated when certain monsters displayed abilities that ordinary animals simply could not possess.
And now...
Now he had this.
A creature that looked almost human.
Which made the situation far more interesting.
Athiel circled the Monster slowly, observing it with sharp curiosity.
"You’re like a dog," he muttered thoughtfully. "A bit of a cat as well. And sohow you can—"
His eyes widened suddenly.
"Right. I almost forgot!"
He said it so loudly that the Monster flinched in surprise.
Athiel pointed at it excitedly.
"When you thought I was about to be attacked yesterday, you grew two extra arms."
The mory returned clearly.
"You have retractable limbs."
Athiel rubbed his forehead in disbelief.
"I can’t believe I almost forgot sothing like that."
He turned and walked toward the worktable where his gloves rested.
"I placed you here to examine your anatomy," he continued, pulling the gloves on slowly. "Now I know exactly where to start."
Then he paused.
"Oh. Wait."
Athiel turned back toward the Monster.
"But before I begin opening you up or studying your internal structure..."
He tilted his head.
"It’s a personal tradition."
Whenever he started proper research on a specin, it needed a na.
"Mhm," he humd thoughtfully.
The Monster watched him quietly.
"You don’t look like the type of creature that should have a ridiculous na like Fluffy Flufferson," Athiel said.
He tapped his chin.
"But sothing too serious would also be strange. Bob, for example, would be ridiculous."
The Monster was humanoid.
A strange creature.
Sothing unfamiliar.
Sothing new.
Athiel’s lips curled slightly.
"How about... Kree?"
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