Months passed like leaves carried by the wind.
Vaelor turned eleven. Then twelve. And with each year, his power grew in ways that would have surprised any master tamer at the imperial academy.
Umbra had proven more valuable than he expected. The Shadow was not only an effective combat companion but possessed unique abilities related to darkness: it could merge with shadows, move silently, and even create small zones of unnatural darkness that disoriented enemies.
More importantly, Umbra's presence seemed to amplify Vaelor's own powers.
"It's the resonance." He explained one night to Lyria, as they watched Umbra chase fireflies in the clearing behind the inn. "My curse and its shadowy nature complement each other. When we're close, we're both stronger."
"Is that possible?" Lyria had learned much about the beast system over the years, but this was new.
"It shouldn't be." Vaelor admitted. "Books say synergy between tamer and beast is rare, usually only with Soul Contracts. But Umbra and I have a different bond. A deeper one."
'As if we were destined to meet,' he added in his mind. 'Though that sounds ridiculous.'
◇ ◇ ◇
At thirteen, Vaelor made a decision that would change the course of his life.
"I'm going into the Black Mist Forest." He announced at breakfast.
Lyria stopped chewing.
"The Black Mist Forest... young master, that's rank C beast territory. Some say there are rank B creatures deep inside."
"I know."
"Umbra is rank E! Even with its abilities, it can't face something like that."
"That's why I'm going to find more contracts." Vaelor stood, adjusting his mask. "I've been stuck too long. If I want to become truly strong, I need to take risks."
"Then I'll go with you."
"No."
"You can't keep leaving me behind!" Years of frustration finally exploded. "Every time you go to those lands, I spend nights awake wondering if you'll come back. You can't ask me to just wait while you risk your life."
Vaelor was silent for a moment. Through Gris, he saw Lyria's expression: her eyes shining with held-back tears, her jaw clenched, her hands trembling slightly.
"She's right," he admitted to himself. "It's not fair to her."
"Alright." He finally relented. "But you'll stay at the forest's edge. If anything goes wrong, you run to town and don't look back."
"But—"
"These are my conditions, Lyria. Take it or leave it."
The servant glared at him but nodded.
"I accept."
◇ ◇ ◇
The Black Mist Forest lived up to its name.
A thick, dark fog covered everything, reducing visibility to less than five meters. Gris was practically useless here; the bird couldn't see through the supernatural mist. Vaelor relied entirely on Umbra, whose affinity with darkness allowed it to perceive things hidden to normal senses.
'Two presences to the left,' the Shadow transmitted through their bond. 'Canines. Rank D.'
"Avoid them." Vaelor murmured.
Umbra led the way, moving like smoke among the trees. They passed the canines undetected, venturing deeper into the forbidden forest.
Hours passed. Vaelor mentally cataloged the beasts he encountered: mist wolves, venomous snakes, a scaled bear probably low rank C. None seemed suitable for a contract.
'I need something special,' he thought. 'Something to complement my existing abilities.'
Then Umbra stopped abruptly.
"Something ahead," the beast transmitted. Its posture was tense, alert. "Powerful. High rank C, possibly low B."
Vaelor frowned beneath his mask.
"What kind of creature?"
"I don't know. I've never felt anything like this."
That was worrying. Umbra had proven capable of identifying almost any beast by its dark aura. If it couldn't recognize this one...
'This could be my chance,' Vaelor thought. 'Or my death.'
He moved forward without hesitation.
◇ ◇ ◇
The clearing appeared without warning.
One moment surrounded by black mist, the next the fog cleared to reveal a circular space lit by a strange light. In the center, lying on a mossy mound, was a creature Vaelor had never seen in any book.
It was horse-sized but feline in shape. Its fur was silvery gray, glowing with its own light, and its eyes... its eyes were deep red, almost identical to Vaelor's.
'What...?'
The creature lifted its head and looked directly at him.
Then it spoke.
"You took long to find me, little bearer."
◇ ◇ ◇
Vaelor froze.
Beasts did not speak. It was a fundamental rule of the world. Even the highest rank creatures communicated through emotions and images, not words.
"What are you?" The question slipped out before he could stop it.
The creature rose gracefully, stretching muscles rippling beneath its silver fur.
"I am what remains." It replied with a voice resonating both in the air and Vaelor's mind. "A fragment of something great long ago. Before the gods shattered the world."
"The... gods."
"Oh, you don't know?" The beast tilted its head with something like amusement. "No, I suppose not. Your memory is sealed, just as mine was."
"What are you talking about?"
The creature walked toward him, its steps silent on the moss. Umbra growled defensively, but Vaelor ordered it to stop.
"I can see inside you, little bearer." The beast stopped less than a meter away, its red eyes meeting Vaelor's through the holes in his mask. "I see the ancient soul inhabiting that young body. I see the chains the gods placed around your memories. And I see..."
It paused.
"What do you see?" Vaelor pressed.
"I see the potential to destroy them all."
Vaelor's heart pounded. Every word from this creature resonated with something deep inside, as if he were recalling truths long forgotten.
"Who am I?" He asked, his voice strangely vulnerable. "Before I was Vaelor. Before this life. Who was I?"
The beast smiled, showing sharp teeth glowing with their own light.
"That, little bearer, is something you must discover for yourself. But I'll give you a hint."
It stepped closer, until its muzzle nearly touched Vaelor's mask.
"The dragons remember you. And when the time comes, they will come to you."
Before Vaelor could respond, the creature turned and walked into the mist.
"Wait." Vaelor called out. "What's your name?"
The beast stopped at the clearing's edge.
"I have no name. Not for millennia." It turned its head, looking back one last time. "But if you survive what's coming... maybe I'll earn a new one."
And with that, it vanished into the darkness.
◇ ◇ ◇
Vaelor stayed in the clearing for a long time, processing what he had heard.
'Gods. Dragons. An ancient soul.'
None of it made sense. And yet, it all fit perfectly with the fragments of memory he had been experiencing since he was a baby.
'I returned,' he finally understood. 'Somehow, my soul returned to this body. But... why? And what am I supposed to do?'
He had no answers. Only questions.
But now he knew something crucial: the answers existed. He just had to find them.
"Come, Umbra." He called to his Shadow. "It's time to go back."
As he walked back toward Lyria, Vaelor felt something had changed fundamentally.
He was no longer just a cursed boy trying to survive.
He was something more.
Something even the gods seemed to fear.