Amethiel took a step.
Then another.
Then a third.
Each crunch of leaves beneath his boots was followed by another crunch behind him, close enough to sound like an echo.
The creature was following him.
Amethiel had to fight the urge to squeal in delight again. As much as the creature kept exceeding every expectation, sending his heart into a near-blissful frenzy with each quiet step it took, he knew he couldn't stop now.
He had to keep moving.
Quietly.
He continued forward at a slow pace, partly by choice, partly because of the slight sprain in his ankle. Behind him, he could feel the creature's presence, steady and close.
Like a pet.
Like a stray dog that had been shown kindness once and decided to stay.
'I didn't give it anything. I didn't feed it. I didn't even name it!' Amethiel thought, his heartbeat loud in his ears, palms damp, fingers twitching with excitement. 'So why…?'
The question sent a shiver through him.
He wanted to study it. To understand it. To unlock everything it was capable of.
But for now, all he could do was keep walking.
Step after careful step.
Every so often, he glanced back just to make sure it was still there.
And every time he did, the creature followed his movement, pausing when he paused, even turning its head to look behind itself as if checking whether it was being watched.
"I can't wait to see everyone's faces when they see you," Amethiel whispered, to the creature, but mostly to himself.
He turned his gaze forward and kept walking.
And walking.
The sun dipped lower, shadows stretching long across the forest floor. The light dimmed, and worry crept in. He was starting to think he might actually be forced to spend the night out here, until—
"STILL NOTHING?"
Amethiel's eyes widened.
'Hyacinthe?' he thought as a flicker of light appeared in the distance.
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR EXCUSES ARE, JOHNSON. HOW COULD YOU LOSE HIM? HIM OF ALL PEOPLE. IF HE—GODS, IF A SINGLE HAIR ON HIS HEAD IS EVEN TOUCHED—"
"Lilior," Amethiel murmured under his breath.
His brothers.
Those were his brothers' voices.
He was close.
"LILIOR! HYACINTHE!" Amethiel shouted, his voice echoing through the trees. Before anything else, he turned quickly to check behind him.
The creature was still there.
Watching.
Then chaos erupted.
Voices overlapped, sharp and frantic.
From his brothers.
From Johnson.
From the guards.
"Amie?!"
"Amethiel! Where are you?!"
"Your Grace!"
"Lord Amethiel!"
"I'm here!" Amethiel waved both hands, his voice straining as figures began to emerge from the darkness. Tall silhouettes, armor catching the light. "Brothers! I'm… I'm here!"
Relief flooded his chest as the distance finally closed.
And then, Amethiel finally broke through the tree line.
There they were.
His brothers.
Hyacinthe and Lilior stood at the front of the group, armor gleaming in the fading light, their expressions tight with barely contained panic. Relief surged through Amethiel so fast it made his chest ache.
"Hyacinthe… Lilior…" he breathed as he limped toward them.
He wanted to hug them.
Gods, he'd never admit that out loud, but he wanted to collapse into their arms, complain, laugh, and never leave their sight again.
His brothers were usually affectionate. He had expected them to rush forward, scold him while pulling him into an embrace.
Instead—
Steel rang out.
Both swords were unsheathed in an instant.
Amethiel froze.
Fear was written plainly across their faces, raw and unmistakable, like they were staring at something they'd never seen before.
It didn't take him long to understand why.
The massive, human-shaped creature stood behind him.
Still.
Watching.
"Oh," Amethiel whispered. 'Right.'
"Amethiel!" Someone grabbed his arm hard, yanking him back. "Your Grace, are you hurt?"
Johnson.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Amethiel said quickly, wincing as his ankle throbbed in protest.
"Where did you go? Your Grace, we were worried sick—!"
"I just—listen, you have to listen to me—"
"Move away from it!" Hyacinthe barked, sword raised. "Now!"
"Brother, get back here!" Lilior snapped, already stepping forward. Around them, the knights shifted into formation, blades drawn, faint magic crackling in the air.
"No, wait!" Amethiel shouted, panic surging. "Don't attack it!"
The creature didn't move.
Didn't snarl.
Didn't raise its claws.
It simply stood there.
Watching him.
"Who are you?" someone shouted. "Why were you with our lord?"
"Did you take him?!"
'I don't have time. They think he's human,' Amethiel realized. 'They won't listen. They won't understand.'
Johnson tightened his grip. "Your Grace, please—"
Amethiel tore himself free.
Pain flared hot and sharp through his ankle, but he ignored it.
He ran.
Straight toward the creature.
"YOUR GRACE!"
"AMIE!"
"AMETHIEL!"
Multiple voices cried out at once.
He threw himself in front of it, arms spread wide, his back pressed protectively against its cold, solid form.
"DON'T!" he screamed. "DON'T HURT IT, PLEASE!"
The forest went dead silent.
Swords froze mid-swing.
Magic sputtered and faded.
Everyone stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
Then his ankle gave out.
Amethiel cried out as he collapsed, hitting the ground hard, pain ripping through his leg as he curled instinctively inward.
Amethiel had expected panic.
Shouting. Screaming. Boots running to go to him.
So before anyone could fully react, as he hit the ground, he shouted, "It's not human!"
Confused murmurs rippled through the group.
This was his chance. If he could just explain—
Something moved behind him.
The creature stepped forward.
And this time, it didn't stay still.
A low growl rumbled through the clearing, deep enough to vibrate in Amethiel's bones. A shiver ran down his spine as he turned his head, looking up at the towering form looming over him.
"Holy…" Amethiel breathed.
The creature was glaring.
Not at him.
At his brothers. At the guards. At the raised weapons and the magic still crackling faintly in the air.
"Amie…" Hyacinthe whispered, taking a cautious step back. "What is that…?"
The creature had changed.
Not drastically, but enough.
Where there had once been two arms, there were now four. Claws extended, sharp and ready. Its red eyes burned brighter, glowing with an anger Amethiel hadn't seen during the hours he'd spent beside it.
Anger.
And…protective?
"Ha…" Amethiel felt a laugh bubble up in his chest. "Haha…"
Then he laughed.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The sound echoed through the clearing as he slowly pushed himself up from the ground. Pain flared in his ankle, but he barely noticed it. Every eye turned to him. His brothers. The guards. Even the creature paused, watching him.
'This truly is fantastic!' Amethiel thought, laughter still spilling from his lips.
"Why…?" Lilior asked, voice tight with disbelief. "Amethiel, how can you laugh right now? Why are you laughing?"
Amethiel wiped at his eyes, breath shaky, grin wide.
"Because," he said softly, awed and exhilarated all at once, "It's protecting me."
"It's protecting you?" Lilior echoed, his voice strained. "What…?"
Amethiel didn't answer.
Instead, he turned toward the creature, which seemed to settle the moment it saw him standing again. The growl faded, its posture easing just slightly.
Amethiel reached out and grasped the monster's arm. His hands were shaking, eyes wide and shining.
"Brothers… everyone…"
He turned back to face his stunned brothers and the frozen guards.
"Meet my new pet!" Amethiel announced brightly.
"Oh."
"Oh, no."
"God, no."
"Mother, please help us."