Alex woke to Ember's insistent chirping. The fire bird was perched at the cave entrance, staring out at the forest with unusual intensity.
What is it?
Through their bond, he felt urgency. Not danger. More like... discovery.
Alex groaned and sat up, his body protesting. Two days since killing the alpha wolf, and he was still sore. The fight had taken more out of him than he'd realised.
[HP: 35/45]
[STAMINA: 30/30]
[ESSENCE STORED: 5/10]
Halfway to Ember's first evolution. But the system had been quiet since absorbing the alpha's core. No new quests. No guidance.
Just survival. Same as always.
"Alright, Ember. Show me what you found."
The fire bird launched into the air, circling once before flying deeper into the forest. Alex grabbed his spear and followed, moving carefully through the undergrowth.
The bond had grown stronger over the past two days. He could sense Ember's emotions clearly now. Excitement, curiosity, a hint of caution. And something else: She wanted to show him something important.
They travelled for maybe twenty minutes, Ember leading the way through terrain Alex didn't recognise. The trees here were different. Less ancient, more normal-sized. Almost like...
Civilization. Or what's left of it.
The ruins appeared through the morning mist. A village, or what remained of one. Wooden buildings collapsed into themselves, their timbers rotted and overgrown with moss. A well in what had been the central square, now choked with vegetation.
And everywhere: bones.
Human skeletons scattered among the ruins. Some in houses, some in the street, some huddled together as if they'd died seeking shelter from something.
What happened here?
Alex moved through the ruins carefully, spear ready. But nothing living stirred. This place had been dead for years.
Ember landed on a half-collapsed building and chirped, pointing with one wing at a doorway.
You want me to go in there?
Through the bond: affirmation. Trust me.
Alex ducked through the doorway. Inside was darker, but his eyes adjusted. The building had been someone's home once. A table, still standing. Chairs rotted to splinters. And in the corner.
A chest. Wooden, bound with iron, surprisingly intact.
Alex approached cautiously. No traps visible. No signs of recent disturbance. Just an old chest in an abandoned house in a dead village.
He opened it.
Inside: clothing, mostly rotted. Some coins he didn't recognise. A knife with a rusted blade. And beneath everything.
A journal. Leather-bound, the pages yellowed but readable.
Alex pulled it out and flipped to the first page. The handwriting was neat, careful.
"My name is Davos Thorne. I am sixteen years old, and today I failed my guild trial for the first time."
Alex's blood ran cold.
Thorne. The previous owner of this body. This was his village.
He sat down on the dusty floor and began to read.
...
The journal painted a picture of a boy desperate to prove himself. Davos Thorne had been born in this village, Ashfen, it was called, the youngest son of a farming family. No talent for taming, or so everyone said. But he'd dreamed of joining the Summoner's Guild anyway.
"Father says I should give up. That tamers are born, not made. But I hatched the phoenix egg. That has to mean something."
The phoenix egg. The same one Alex now carried the hatched version of on his shoulder.
Alex kept reading, piecing together information about this world.
The Summoner's Guild controlled all legal taming. You needed a license to bond with beasts, to enter the beast realms, to participate in the economy of essence and evolution. Without guild membership, you were nothing.
Trials tested combat ability, beast control, and knowledge of taming basics. Pass, and you became a novice member with access to guild resources. Fail three times, and you were banned forever.
Davos had failed twice. The journal detailed each failure with painful honesty. Hesitation in combat, poor bond strength, inadequate preparation.
"I'm running out of time. One more failure and I'm banned. But I can't give up. The egg is all I have."
The entries grew more desperate. Davos had started taking risks, hunting in dangerous areas for rare essence. He'd come to the Wyrmwood despite warnings.
The final entry was dated three days before Alex woke up in this body:
"I tracked a Venomwolf pack to their den. If I can kill the alpha, absorb its essence, maybe I can finally evolve the phoenix. Maybe then I'll be strong enough to pass the trial. Maybe then Father will..."
The entry ended there. Unfinished.
He died in the Wyrmwood. Killed by the alpha. And somehow, I ended up in his body.
Alex closed the journal, processing. He'd been living Davos's life without knowing the full story. Wearing his body, carrying his phoenix egg, inheriting his failures.
But I'm not Davos. I killed the alpha. I'm surviving where he couldn't.
Is that wrong? Should I feel guilty?
Ember chirped softly and nuzzled against his cheek. Through the bond: You are you. Not him. But you can honour him by living.
Smart bird.
Alex stood and continued exploring the ruins. Now that he knew what to look for, he found more evidence of Davos's life. A small house on the edge of the village. The Thorne family home. Long abandoned.
In the bedroom, Alex found more belongings. Books on beast taming, basic primers he'd apparently studied. Notes in the margins, Davos's handwriting practicing beast classifications.
He worked so hard. Studied so much. And it still wasn't enough.
One book was different from the others. Older, more worn. The title read: "Fundamentals of Beast Evolution: A Guild Primer."
Alex opened it and began reading.
The book explained evolution mechanics in detail. When a bonded beast absorbed essence from defeated creatures, it stored that power. Enough essence would trigger evolution. A transformation into a stronger form.
But evolution wasn't random. The type of essence absorbed influenced the evolution path. Fire essence pushed toward fire-based transformations. Ice toward ice. Mixing essences created hybrids.
That's why the system is tracking essence types. It's showing me potential evolution paths based on what Ember has absorbed.
The book warned about hybrid evolutions: "While combining essences can create powerful unique forms, it also increases risk. Incompatible essences may cause evolution failure, injuring or killing the beast. Conservative tamers follow pure paths. Only the bold or desperate attempt hybrids."
Davos was desperate. He was trying to create something unique to stand out.
And I've been collecting wolf essence for Ember. A fire bird mixed with wolf essence. What would that even become?
Alex pulled up his system interface, navigating to Ember's status screen. There. A new menu he hadn't noticed before.
[EMBER - EVOLUTION PATHS AVAILABLE]
[CURRENT ESSENCE: WOLF SPIRIT x5, MINOR BEAST x0.5]
[CALCULATING OPTIMAL PATHS...]
The interface flickered, then displayed two options:
[PATH 1: PURE PHOENIX PROGRESSION]
[REQUIREMENTS: 10 FIRE-BASED ESSENCE]
[CURRENT PROGRESS: 0/10]
[RESULT: FLAME HAWK - ENHANCED FIRE ABILITIES, FLIGHT SPEED INCREASED]
[SAFETY: 95% SUCCESS RATE]
[PATH 2: HYBRID EVOLUTION - FLAME WOLF]
[REQUIREMENTS: 10 WOLF ESSENCE]
[CURRENT PROGRESS: 5/10]
[RESULT: FLAME WOLF - QUADRUPED FORM, FIRE MANE, ENHANCED SPEED/STRENGTH, PACK TACTICS]
[SAFETY: 67% SUCCESS RATE]
[WARNING: HYBRID EVOLUTION CAUSES SIGNIFICANT PAIN TO BEAST AND BOND-MATE]
So I have a choice. Keep collecting wolf essence and go for the hybrid, or switch to fire essence for a safer evolution.
The smart choice was obvious. Pure phoenix path, 95% success rate, enhanced fire abilities. Safe. Predictable.
But Davos made safe choices. Followed the recommended paths. And he failed.
I'm not Davos.
Alex looked at Ember, who was perched on the ruined table, watching him with intelligent eyes.
"What do you think?" he asked aloud. "Safe and predictable, or risky and unique?"
Through the bond, Ember sent back feelings: curiosity about the hybrid form, excitement at the thought of being stronger, trust in Alex's decision.
She's willing to risk it if I am.
Alex thought about his life on Earth. How he'd climbed the competitive ladder by finding unique strategies, playing unconventional champions, surprising opponents.
Marcus had beaten him with a cheap trick. But before that, Alex had built his reputation on being unpredictable. On taking calculated risks that paid off.
This world operates on game logic. And in games, unique builds are often the strongest if you can survive the early game.
"We're going hybrid," Alex decided. "Flame Wolf. Five more wolf essence to go."
Ember chirped enthusiastically and launched into the air, releasing a small burst of flame in celebration.
Through the bond, Alex felt her approval. She liked being unique too.
[EVOLUTION PATH SELECTED: FLAME WOLF]
[PROGRESS: 5/10 ESSENCE REQUIRED]
[WARNING ACKNOWLEDGED: HYBRID EVOLUTION WILL CAUSE PAIN]
[ESTIMATED TIME TO EVOLUTION: UNKNOWN]
Alex spent the rest of the day searching the ruins. He found useful supplies. A better knife, a tinderbox that still worked, some rope that wasn't completely rotted. He took Davos's journal and the evolution primer, packing them carefully.
In what had been the village guild hall, he found a map carved into stone on the wall. It showed the region: Ashfen village (marked with an X), the Wyrmwood Forest (marked with danger symbols), and to the south, Brighthold Outpost.
Two days travel if you know the way, Davos's journal had said.
I could leave. Head to the guild outpost. Try to integrate into civilization.
But the thought felt wrong. He wasn't ready. He was still level one, still weak, still figuring out basic survival.
No. I need to get stronger first. At least get Ember evolved. Maybe hit level two myself.
Then I'll try Civilisation.
As Alex prepared to leave the ruins, he paused at the edge of the village. There was no proper cemetery, but he found a clear spot near what had been a garden.
Using his knife, he carved into a piece of wood: "Davos Thorne. He tried."
It wasn't much. But it felt necessary.
I'm living your life now. Using your body. Bonded to your phoenix. The least I can do is remember you existed.
Ember landed on the marker and chirped softly. Almost like a prayer.
Then they left Ashfen behind, returning to the Wyrmwood.
Alex had learned valuable information today. About the guild system. About evolution mechanics. About the boy whose body he inhabited.
But more importantly, he'd made a choice. Not the safe choice. Not the recommended path.
The gambler's choice.
Five more wolf essence. Then we see what a Flame Wolf can do.
Through the bond, Ember radiated determination.
They were done playing it safe.