The insect charged at the boy with far more speed than its massive size suggested. Adlet dodged to the side with surprising agility. The creature only attacked in straight lines, making its movements easy to anticipate.
The danger, however, was still very real—the insect refused to give up. Adlet sprinted toward the forest, hoping to lose the beetle among the trees. But the creature showed no sign of slowing down.
The chase had already lasted several minutes, and Adlet could feel fatigue setting in. He needed to find a way out. If this insect behaved like its smaller counterparts, climbing trees would be useless.
He kept running, searching for an opening, until he reached a clearing filled with stumps and fallen branches that made his footing treacherous.
The creature was closing in fast. Refusing to slow down, Adlet tripped over a thick branch lying across his path.
Flat on the ground, he rolled onto his back just in time to see the giant insect charging straight at him. He barely managed to throw himself aside, feeling the rush of air from the attack brush past his skin.
His back hit a stump, and leaning against it, he spotted a lumberjack's axe. He grabbed it with trembling but determined hands. With a final burst of strength, he rolled once more to evade another charge, then swung the axe with all his might into the creature's thorax.
Panting heavily, Adlet dropped to his knees. He had believed he'd grown stronger since meeting Pami, but now he realized nothing had changed. He was still weak—and had narrowly escaped death.
He wanted that to change. He wanted to learn to control this power, to defend himself, to explore the world.
The insect, still twitching despite the blade buried in its body, suddenly began to glow. Its form fragmented into countless bright particles that traveled up the axe's handle and into Adlet's arm.
The phenomenon reminded him of what had happened when he first met Pami, except this time, he felt a heavy fatigue settle over him as the creature faded away.
His eyelids grew heavy. When they finally closed, the beetle was gone.
"Hello, Adlet."
At those words, the boy opened his eyes. Pami floated before him, suspended in the air.
A green meadow with a river appeared where the darkness was, the same as their first encounter.
"Hello, Pami. What happened to me?" Adlet asked, surprised by how calm he felt, as if the chase he'd endured had already become a distant memory.
"You have triumphed once again. And it seems you've even absorbed a new companion," Pami replied.
"I'm still just as weak… What good is another companion if I don't know how to use this power?"
"You still think you're weak, yet you survived once more," said Pami gently.
"So what really happened out there? Am I going to be hunted by every beast in the region now that you're with me?"
"It's unlikely that anyone noticed any change in you," Pami replied calmly. "You would not be targeted because of me."
"And that light? What was it?"
"You defeated me and made me yours. You defeated again and made that strength your own, that's all," Pami explained.
"You mean that beetle will now stand beside you?" Adlet asked, confused.
"No. There is no place for another being here. In truth, the spirit you absorbed came to me—and I fed upon it. It seems to have affected me somehow. I feel… different," said Pami.
Adlet looked more closely and noticed a change. Among Pami's seven long white tails, one was now wrapped in a dense, black mist.
"Does that have something to do with your new appearance?"
"It does. It seems the beetle's power has settled into one of my tails."
The world suddenly began to spin around Adlet.
"Are you alright?" came a man's voice.
He opened his eyes again. Standing before him was the old man he had met earlier in the forest.
"I sensed the presence of a dangerous creature nearby before losing track of it. Where did it go?"
"I managed to get rid of it with this axe," Adlet said, still gripping the tool tightly.
"Then it started to vanish… and its light went into me," he added, recalling Pami's words.
The old man studied him closely, just as he had earlier that day.
"You don't seem to be lying this time. I can sense some kind of energy in you," he said thoughtfully.
"I never lied! This is the second time it's happened to me!" Adlet protested.
"Pami would've explained everything if you hadn't woken me up," he grumbled.
The old man gave a faint smile. "Alright, I believe you. Answer my questions, and I promise to help you. First—who is this 'Pami'?"
"Pami is the fish I caught. We now share the same body," Adlet replied cautiously.
The old man raised an eyebrow. "There shouldn't be any such creature in this region. And yet, you claim to have encountered two in such a short time… What did the one that attacked you look like?"
Adlet described the beetle. The old man's expression darkened.
"Very well. Let me explain a few things about the Protectors' power," he said at last.
Adlet straightened, suddenly attentive. The old man continued:
"First, you must understand what Protectors are. You might not realize it yet, but dangerous creatures, like the one you just faced, fill the world. We call them 'Apex'. Their forms vary greatly, since they originate from animal species.
This transformation usually happens when a creature wipes out a great number of others, absorbing enough vital force to evolve into an Apex and form its own Aura.
This evolution increases their size and strength and grants new abilities, but it doesn't change their species entirely—birds remain birds, reptiles remain reptiles, and insects remain insects.
Humans, however, are the only beings incapable of growing or developing an Aura on their own. They can, however, obtain one by absorbing a defeated Apex. The creature absorbed in this process becomes what we call a Guardian.
That's what you experienced twice now—the disappearance of the beast as its essence leaves its physical form to merge with that of its victor.
Protectors, as you might have guessed, are humans who possess and train this power to defend humankind against the threat of Apex. That's the broad idea. Do you have any questions so far?"
Adlet wasn't about to waste this chance.
"You said this power can be trained. How does one do that?"
The old man nodded. "Gaining an Aura instantly enhances a Protector's physical abilities and allows them to mimic the traits of the absorbed species. To strengthen that power, one must train the body to control this potential fully.
There are two main ways to increase it. The first depends on how the assimilation is carried out. It's known that to draw out the full potential of an Aura, one must assimilate the creature while it's still alive—subduing it before absorbing its energy.
Those who absorb a dead beast gain only a fraction of its power.
There's also a third, rarer condition that leads to an even greater potential: communication between the Protector and the assimilated being. Few have achieved it, and even I don't know what makes such a bond possible. That's why your story about Pami surprises me so much.
The second way to grow your potential depends on the rank of the Apex captured. There are multiple evolutionary stages. A rank 1 species has evolved once and holds a rank 1 Aura. If it does it again, it becomes a rank 2 Apex, and so on.
But remember, a species' rank doesn't always match that of its Aura. For example, if a rank 3 beast reproduces, its offspring will have a rank 1 Aura, but it can grow that Aura back to rank 3 without changing species.
Once assimilated, however, a beast can no longer evolve. That's why it's crucial for a Protector to capture a high-rank Guardian—since one cannot possess more than a single Guardian at a time."
Adlet frowned. "Alright… but how do you know the rank of a species once it's been absorbed?"
"It took humanity centuries to catalogue and classify these creatures," the old man explained. "Protectors study their traits and the ranks of the species they might encounter.
As for the insect you fought, I can't say for sure without seeing it, but it's likely a newly emerged Apex in this region—a rank 1, most probably."
"The weakest, then…" Adlet sighed.
"Perhaps. But you can still grow stronger. Once assimilated, it is possible to force an evolution by absorbing another Apex of the same species at a higher rank. That way, your Guardian could advance by assimilating a stronger beetle or something similar."
Adlet's eyes lit up with excitement.
The old man smiled. "Now you understand why I doubted your story?"
Adlet thought for a moment. "Because I shouldn't have been able to absorb two different species?"
"Exactly. Absorbing the life force of multiple species is possible, but the creature doesn't vanish in that case. If what you're saying is true, then either your fish has evolved in some unknown way—or there's a hidden condition that allows someone to possess multiple Guardians… or to assimilate several beings without turning them into Guardians. The world is still full of mysteries."
"I can answer that. Pami told me what happened. He absorbed the beetle's power—it fused into one of his tails."
"One of his tails? How many does he have?" the old man asked, intrigued.
"Seven," Adlet replied simply.
"Seven?! You mean you could get six more?!" exclaimed the old man.
"I don't know. It's possible," said the boy calmly.
The old man laughed at his composure. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's no proof it's possible—or how it might happen."
Silence fell between them for a moment. Then the old man spoke again:
"How would you feel about becoming my apprentice, young man?"
Adlet stared at him, surprised. "So you're not just a scholar…"
"Indeed, being a scholar doesn't mean I'm not also a Protector. The two often go hand in hand—especially for those who explore dangerous territories like I do."
"You'd really help me become a true Protector? To explore the world?"
"If you follow my guidance, I promise you will," said the old man with a faint smile.
Adlet nodded, eyes bright with determination. "Alright. I'll trust you."
The old man smiled. "Then it's settled—we're master and disciple now. But I don't even know your name yet."
"My name is Adlet."
"Pleased to meet you, Adlet. You've earned the right to know your master's name—though you'll have to call me 'Master' from now on. My name is Lathandre."
"Nice to meet you, Master."