Ryker walked out of the Academy gates, the heavy iron clanging shut behind him like the sound of a closing casket. The Head Professor had announced that the term would officially begin in two weeks, giving the newly awakened students time to "prepare." For the mages and warriors, that meant buying staves and sharpening blades. For Ryker, it was two weeks to figure out how to tell his sister he was a failure.
The walk back to the slums felt twice as long as the walk there. Every step through the mud and past the rotting shacks felt like a weight being added to his shoulders. This was supposed to be the day they left the grime behind. This was supposed to be for Elara.
(How am I supposed to look her in the eye?)
When he pushed open the door to their shack, Elara was already waiting, her amber eyes bright with a hope that made Ryker's heart ache.
"Ryker! You're back!" she cried, rushing over. "Did you get it? Did you get a good class?"
Ryker felt a lump in his throat, but he forced his lips into a wide, practiced grin. He let out a loud, fake laugh and ruffled her silver hair until it was even messier than before.
"Of course I did, Elara! What did you expect from your big brother?" he said, his voice straining to stay steady. "But listen, the Academy is strict. They told us we aren't allowed to use our magic or show off our classes until we're fully enrolled in two weeks. Safety rules and all that boring stuff, you know?"
Elara giggled, leaning into his touch. "Aww, really? I wanted to see sparks! But that's okay. School was good today! The new clothes you got me made me look like I was a girl from a Fairytale."
"That's my girl," Ryker said, giving her hair one last affectionate frizz. "I'm going to go out and grab us some real food to celebrate, alright? Stay inside."
As he stepped back out into the cool evening air, the smile dropped from his face instantly. His thoughts turned dark as he headed toward the market district.
(Beast Tamer. One of the worst classes in history. Fucking great. Out of everything, the world gives me a class that needs a fortune to even function.)
He kicked a rusted can into the gutter. He couldn't give up. If he gave up, Elara stayed in the dirt. But he had no idea what he was doing. He detoured away from the main stalls, heading toward an open, weed-choked field near the edge of the forest. He needed to figure out how his power even worked before he tried to steal more than just bread.
He looked down at a line of ants marching through the dirt.
"Okay. Beast Tamer. Let's see," he muttered. He stood over the insects and thrust his hands forward, palms out. "I... I command you to be my pets!"
Nothing happened. The ants continued their march, completely unimpressed.
Ryker frowned, trying a different pose. He pointed a finger dramatically at a beetle crawling up a blade of grass. "Contract! Bind! Uh... Obey me!"
He spent the next ten minutes striking ridiculous poses, waving his arms, and whispering commands to everything from dragonflies to a stray lizard. He felt like an idiot.
"Is this it? Do I just stand here looking like a lunatic until a wolf decides not to eat me?"
Just as he was about to turn away in frustration, a sharp ping resonated in his skull. The air in front of him fractured, and a bright blue flickering screen snapped into existence.
Ryker stumbled back, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. He looked around wildly, but the field was empty. The screen followed his gaze, hovering perfectly in his line of sight.
[Character Profile: Ryker]
Name: Ryker
Class: Beast Tamer (Unique)
Level: 1
Maximum Pets: 0/1
Beast Evolution: [Locked]
"What the... what is this?" Ryker reached out, his fingers trembling. He tentatively poked at the screen, but his hand simply passed through the light like it was made of smoke. "Is this a Tamer thing? Did everyone else get one of these?"
He stared at the simple interface. It was clean, hovering there with an eerie glow that didn't dim even as the sun went down.
Suddenly, the screen shifted. A new prompt blinked at the bottom, glowing a soft gold.
[Target Detected: Common Field Lizard]
[Would you like to make this your pet?]
[YES / NO]