Music for chapter: Current Value - Dark Rain
Morning sunlight danced through the leaves, painting the camp in warm, dappled gold. The fire had settled into glowing coals. Around them, students stretched and laughed, shaking off sleep as the forest hummed with birdsong.
Aullie lingered at the edge of camp, arms loosely crossed, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he watched the world wake up. At his feet, Shinku basked in housecat form, tail flicking contentedly, eyes gleaming with mischief.
Aki grumbled as she rolled up her bedroll, muttering something about uneven ground and tree roots. Haru handed her a chunk of dried meat, which she accepted with a grunt.
"Still stewing?" he asked.
"Tch. I'm not stewing," Aki replied, biting into the meat. "Just didn't expect to be the last one to bond. I wanted to be first."
"You'll find the right one," Sora said, gently tying back her hair. Morning light caught in her violet eyes as she smirked. "No need to rush."
Mayu clapped her hands once, drawing attention. "Today, we head deeper into the Wilds. The beasts will be stronger. Smarter. Don't forget, Jewelmaster or not, you're still prey if you're careless."
Not long after they set out, Aki called for a halt. She crouched low, eyes narrowed at a clearing up ahead.
"There," she whispered. A large dog-sized red gecko sat sunning itself on a flat boulder. Its scales shimmered with heat. Small bursts of flame occasionally flared from its nostrils.
"Fire affinity. Level 2, maybe brushing 3," Aullie noted, standing behind her.
Aki didn't charge this time. She scanned the surrounding terrain, rock wall on the left, slope behind it, loose gravel underfoot. She took a breath and slowly circled through the underbrush, crouching low and placing her feet carefully to avoid making noise.
Sora raised an eyebrow at the cautious maneuvering. "Look at her, using strategy."
"They grow up so fast," Haru whispered with mock emotion.
Aki gave them both a one-finger salute before emerging into the clearing.
The gecko hissed, its tail whipping in warning. Heat shimmered in the air around it. Aki kept steady.
She rolled her shoulders and stepped lightly to the left. The gecko lunged, flame bursting from its nostrils in a short blast. Aki ducked under the stream, rolled forward, and landed in a crouch. She didn't attack, yet.
"Come on then," she murmured.
The gecko circled warily. Aki mirrored it, reading its movement, waiting for the next lunge.
When it pounced again, she sidestepped, planted her foot against the boulder for leverage, and vaulted over the gecko's head. Landing behind it, she jabbed sharply at the base of its skull, not to harm, but to push her Aether through its core.
The gecko spun, swiping its tail. She barely ducked, feeling the heat brush past her hair. She grinned.
"You're quick. But I'm quicker."
It hissed, low and growling.
Aki lowered her stance. "So? Did I pass your vibe check, hot stuff?"
The gecko blinked. Its tail flicked once. Then it made a low clicking sound and shimmered into red light, vanishing into her bead. Her wrist glowed a fierce crimson.
She turned back to her friends and gave them a V-sign. "Knew I'd find one."
Slow clapping with a smile, Haru said. "You were calm, prepared and focused. Proud of you."
Aki rubbed the back of her neck. "Thanks, and again thanks for yesterday. Would've taken a tusk to the ribs if you didn't jump in."
Haru shrugged. "You would've done the same for me."
Aki didn't respond, instead she jumped on his back and giggled and pointed towards the group "Onwards donkey!"
He rubbed his face in fake annoyance. "I've now leveled up from best friend to animal vehicle."
The forest thinned into a well-worn game trail - and there they were. Ryota's squad occupied the space with the casual dominance of apex predators, their relaxed postures belying their alertness.
Ryota stood with one shoulder against a broad oak, the dappled sunlight playing across his sharp features. He absently adjusted his vintage watch as he noticed their approach, his smirk more calculating than cruel. "Aullie's crew," he called, his voice carrying just enough edge to set teeth on edge. "Find any interesting tracks out there?"
Haru's posture went rigid. Aki's fingers flexed near her weapons belt. Even Sora's usual composure seemed to tighten at the edges.
Aullie met Ryota's gaze evenly, his silence more telling than any retort.
Pushing off the tree, Ryota closed the distance with deliberate, measured steps. "You hear what they're whispering over breakfast rations?" He picked at his nails, all false nonchalance. "That the faculty keep you on a special floor. Something about... containment protocols."
Aki stepped forward, her voice cutting through the forest hush. "You ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?"
Ryota's attention shifted to her, his smile never reaching his eyes. "Just making conversation. Though I suppose small talk must be difficult when your friend here is a walking security risk."
Sora's voice was deceptively light. "Funny. I was just thinking the same about you."
The air grew heavier. Behind the foliage, Shinku's low growl vibrated through the ground, the sound felt more than heard. One of Ryota's squad members swallowed visibly, fingers twitching toward a weapon.
Ryota merely arched an eyebrow. "Touched a nerve, have I?" He turned with deliberate slowness, his squad falling into formation behind him. Over his shoulder, he added, "Do watch your step out there. The woods have been... unpredictable lately."
As their figures disappeared into the trees, Haru blew out a tense breath. "That guy could start a fight in an empty room."
Aullie watched the space where Ryota had stood, his expression unreadable. "He's probing. Looking for weaknesses."
In his mind, Shinku's voice was a blade's whisper: "Let him find one. Just once."
Aullie rolled his shoulders, knuckles cracking. "Let him get cocky. Arrogance digs its own grave."
During their scouting assignment, Aullie found himself walking alone by a creek bed. His steps were quiet, his senses open. And then he felt it, the pulse in his Void bead almost guiding him towards the right path.
It stood on a hillock, the black fox from before. The fox's fur gleamed with a faint shimmer, as if moonlight had kissed every strand. It stared down at him like a queen considering a knight.
"Still watching me, huh?" Aullie said softly.
It didn't move.
Shinku's voice purred. "She's a female. Vain. Try flattery."
Aullie smirked. "Well, you are the most beautiful creature I've seen today. And trust me, I've seen Haru shirtless."
No reaction.
"That tail of yours? Could put a silk pillow to shame."
A flick of one ear.
"Bet your paws don't even touch the dirt when you walk. Probably glide on moonlight."
The fox's gaze shifted. Amused? Maybe.
Aullie crouched low. "I'm not here to enslave you. You're not a weapon to me. I just think… we'd be good together. Stronger. And besides, I've got a panther who won't shut up about how high maintenance you'd be. Gotta keep him humble."
That did it.
The fox stepped down, one paw at a time, gliding more than walking. She circled him twice, her fur brushing his leg, and then, without a sound, vanished into his bead.
Aullie felt the change instantly. The bond was gentle, almost luxurious. It wasn't like Shinku's Void, sharp, primal, endless. This was cool silk in a pitch-black room. A hush between heartbeats. The power of darkness, not as destruction, but as concealment, mystery, and presence.
He exhaled slowly.
"Welcome aboard."
"Fluffy royalty has joined the party," Shinku muttered. "Hope you're ready for high maintenance."
"Compliments open doors," Aullie observed.
"My claws opens them faster," he said.
"Noted."
Later that evening, the group sat around the fire. The mood was lighter.
Aki held up her glowing bead. "So, Martin, yes, I named him, is apparently very shy. He won't leave my shoulder."
The small red gecko peeked out from her hood, blinking slowly.
"Martin?" Haru chuckled.
"He looks like a Martin!" Aki insisted.
Aullie smirked. "He does look kinda noble."
"He's got two abilities," Aki said proudly. "First, a fire whip hot enough to slice through metal. Second, fire propulsion, lets me burst forward with a quick flame burst from my feet. Three charges, ten seconds to recharge each. I can even air walk with it."
"Not bad," Sora nodded, impressed.
Aullie sat back, eyes closing briefly. He opened them and raised his wrist. A soft glow shimmered there as Queenie, the black fox, stepped lightly from the shadows and approached.
"Oooooh," Aki gasped. "She's gorgeous."
"And fluffy," Sora added, reaching out hesitantly. Queenie allowed the touch.
"She's vain," Aullie said. "Shinku told me."
"I like her already," Aki grinned.
"What are her powers?" Haru asked.
"Darkness meld. I can merge into shadows, great for stealth, recon, or ambushes. And Darkness Touch. Slows enemies by fifty percent for five seconds. Cooldown's a minute."
"That's... kind of terrifying," Haru muttered.
"She fits him," Sora said softly, looking at Queenie.
"I'm just glad most bonds have two forms," Aullie added. "A combat form and a travel or companion form. Smaller, so they don't take up a whole room."
Queenie flicked her tail, clearly aware she was the center of attention.
"She knows she's beautiful," Aullie said.
"She's a queen," Shinku added in Aullie's mind. "And now you have two beasts who demand you feed them before battle. Good luck."
Aullie chuckled.
That night, The forest held its breath.
No cricket chirping, no leaves rustling, just the fire's crackle and the too-loud sound of Mayu's knife sliding free from its sheath.
"Something's wrong," she murmured. Not showing fear yet. But the way her fingers flexed around the hilt said enough.
Aullie felt it too. The Void bead at his wrist pulsed like a second heartbeat, its light seeping between his fingers where he'd tried to cover it. Sora's shoulder pressed against his, warm and solid, but her voice was thin: "It's like your void bead has a sixth sense for danger, I can't say if Forrest Diechmans void beads were similar, but I have a feeling that isn't normal "
Shinku melted from the shadows, fur bristling, lips peeled, teeth large and menacing. A growl built in his chest, then died.
Because the scream came.
Not a hunt-cry, not a challenge, just raw animal terror, severed like a cut wire.
Silence.
Then, movement.
Not in the trees, but between them. A flicker of something too tall, too thin, its joints bending in odd angles as it stepped over roots without sound.
Mayu's blade caught the firelight. "Up. Now."
Haru scrambled to his feet. "What the hell was—"
"That wasn't prey," Mayu interrupted, eyes never leaving the dark. "That was bait."
Aullie's breath fogged in the sudden cold.
The first set of eyes opened.
Red. Reptilian. Unblinking.
Then another.
And another.
The demon didn't step from the shadows, it unfolded, limbs stretching too long, its mouth splitting vertically in a grin that showed every needle-tooth.
Sora's hand found Aullie's wrist. Her whisper shook: "They're not supposed to be here, how did they slip past the borders?"
Shinku's snarl was barely audible over the sound of Haru vomiting.
The demon tilted its head.
And laughed.