I sat at a table near the edge of the vibrant garden, the air smelling of damp earth and blooming jasmine. Beside me, Sophia and Cal occupied neatly prepared chairs, though neither of them seemed particularly relaxed.
In front of me, a plate of glazed cookies was laid out, and the steam rose from delicate porcelain cups as tea was being poured. The one pouring the tea, however, was a bit unusual.
'This is the first time I've seen a bear with an apron in real life.'
The creature was a massive brown bear standing upright on its hind legs. It wore a surprisingly well-fitted, flower-pattern apron over its thick, dark fur. It was the kind of imagery I had only seen in cartoons as a kid, now brought to life with startling realism. If I had to compare him to the staff of the Mauryan nobility, this bear felt like a remarkably competent butler. He had guided us through the greenery, arranged our seating with a delicate touch, and was now serving cake and tea with a gentleness that completely contradicted his sheer bulk.
I watched as his massive, clawed paw carefully tilted the teapot, the amber liquid hitting the cup without a single splash. Although he looked docile and somewhat adorable in that apron, a quick glance at his status window told a different story. He could obliterate the entirety of the Mauryan Nobility without blinking.
'Is this what a real beast is?'
I felt a twinge of genuine disappointment. Realizing I was on the lower end of the beast hierarchy was quite a letdown. I shifted my gaze to the side, noticing a rabbit-like creature with long, iridescent ears hiding beneath a large purple flower bush.
'Even the rabbit has a higher level than most of the Mauryan nobility. What a total letdown. Well, I still have Cal, though.'
I looked over at Cal. He wasn't touching his tea. Instead, he sat with his back straight, staring intensely at Shira's house, which sat like an anchor in the center of this expansive field. His hands were resting on his knees, his knuckles white from how hard he was clenching them.
"Cal. You okay?" I asked, my tail flicking with a hint of concern.
Ever since that impromptu meeting at the cafe, Cal had been acting with an intense, sharp hostility toward Shira. It was clear he had some deep-seated conflict with the Grand Tamer.
Cal didn't break his gaze from the house. He answered using the Word of the World, his voice low.
"I'm okay."
'You said that, but your face tells the other way.'
His jaw was set so tight I thought his teeth might crack. I was a complete stranger to whatever history he shared with Shira, but I needed him to remember his current 'reality' before he did something stupid.
"Cal, look at me," I called out. I didn't use a suggestion; I used a stern, commanding tone that cut through the silence of the garden.
Startled by the sudden weight in my voice, Cal's head snapped toward me.
"Y-yes?"
"Calm down. Your emotions will change nothing of your situation," I said, locking my eyes with his.
Cal gritted his teeth, his head dropping as a wave of anger and desperation washed over his features.
"I can't just—"
"Cal," I cut him off, my voice dropping an octave. "Most of the beasts here could easily kill you. Do you understand?"
Cal's eyes widened, the fire in them momentarily flickering out into a look of pure shock.
"Am I... that weak?"
"Yes. So stop doing 'unnecessary things'," I answered flatly. I was thinking specifically about that shoulder-check he gave Shira earlier.
'That almost gave me a heart attack.'
He needed to realize how lucky he was that she had responded with a chuckle; any of her beasts could've ended us then and there. This was also my only real chance to secure a connection to a Grand Tamer, and more importantly, the only way for Sophia and me to actually learn about beast taming.
Hearing the blunt, unvarnished truth, Cal looked devastated. His shoulders slumped, and he looked down at the grass for a long moment. Finally, he took a few deep, shaky breaths, trying to force the tension out of his frame. He gave a weak, resigned nod.
***
Shira was inside her house, navigating the narrow aisles of her personal library. She rummaged through towering stacks of books and notebooks, her fingers dancing over leather spines until she retrieved three worn-looking volumes: one notably thin, the others heavy with age. She tucked them under one arm and picked up a silver-rimmed monocle from a nearby desk.
As she reached the front door, she found the massive bear waiting for her. Despite his towering bulk and the domestic flower-patterned apron draped over his fur, he was visibly shivering, his broad shoulders trembling with a primal dread.
"Good work," Shira called out via telepathy, reaching up to give the bear's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Go hide like the rest."
With a grateful, huffed breath, the bear lumbered away. Shira stepped out into the garden, her gaze sweeping over the two people and the small black cat seated at the table. The surroundings were unnervingly calm; the usual chatter of her menagerie had been replaced by a heavy, expectant silence. She noticed how her beasts had vanished into the dense foliage or beneath the lake's surface, intentionally hiding. She knew the reason all too well: the hierarchy of beasts. Even the bear, one of her strongest tamed companions, had exerted immense effort just to stand in the cat's proximity.
'If only Mathilda were here,' she thought with a flicker of annoyance. Her strongest beast was still in a deep state of hiding, stubbornly refusing to respond to any telepathic summons.
Shira reached the table and slid into her seat opposite Sophia and Cal. "I'm back," she announced with a bright, easy smile, setting the three books and the monocle down on the table with a dull thud. "Sorry for the wait."
"Welcome back, Miss Shira," Sophia answered, her voice polite but laced with curiosity. Cal, however, simply looked away, his jaw set as he offered no verbal response.
"Now then," Shira said, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Sophia. "We spoke a bit about beast taming at the cafe. Do you have any questions before we dive in?"
Sophia paused, her brow furrowing as she sifted through a mountain of questions. One particular thought had been nagging at her ever since they entered the garden.
"Miss Shira, how do beasts recognize other beasts with a higher stroke? It's like they just... know."
"Hmm..." Shira tilted her head, considering how to simplify such a dense concept. She decided to start with a counter-question.
"Sophia, do you know what happens when two magnets with the same pole meet?"
"They avoid each other?" Sophia answered, a slight questioning lilt in her voice. She looked confused, wondering why the conversation had suddenly shifted to 'magical science'.
"And how do you think those magnets recognize each other's poles?"
"Ah..." Sophia faltered, her fingers nervously twisting a strand of her hair. As far as she knew, without a physical label of 'north' or 'south,' there was no way to distinguish them at a glance.
Shira tapped her temple. "In the real realm, we can only perceive the attributes of space and matter. But other attributes, like magnetism, are only truly visible if we 'see' them from a different realm."
"So, much like magnetism, beasts can distinguish the hierarchy because they can 'see' from this other realm?" Sophia asked, her eyes widening as the pieces began to fit.
"You could say it like that." Shira's deep brown eyes flickered toward the cat. "Your tamed beast right now appears like a cute, harmless cat. But what if his other form, 'seen' from a different realm, was much more monstrous?"
Sophia looked down at Seraphix and began patting his head, her touch gentle.
'Sir Seraphix... monstrous?' Sophia thought.
The idea felt impossible as she felt his soft fur beneath her palm. She looked back at Shira.
"Miss Shira, how can beasts even see beyond the real realm to begin with?"
Shira's expression turned thoughtful, a glint of respect for the depth of the question appearing in her gaze.
"That's an interesting question. But to answer it, we have to go back to the start. How did you meet Seraphix?"
"I summoned him," Sophia answered carefully, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Exactly. Beasts must be 'summoned' to exist in this realm. Since they aren't natural residents of this realm, doesn't it make sense that their 'senses' would extend far beyond the confines of the real realm?"
***
Sophia rested her head atop Seraphix, her shoulders drooping as she surrendered to a wave of pure exhaustion. For the past several hours, Shira had been a relentless instructor, weaving complex theories about beasts with practical demonstrations that left Sophia's mind reeling.
Sophia lifted her head slightly, her voice thick with fatigue. "Miss Shira, why do beasts even carry a corruption?"
During the lesson, she had noticed how meticulous Shira was whenever the topic arose, repeatedly emphasizing that all tamers would inevitably be 'corrupted' by their beasts.
Shira paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her features. It was a fundamental question, yet one she realized she had never truly considered.
"That's a difficult question, Sophia. I don't know the exact reason; only what I've been able to observe through my years of study."
"And what have you seen?" Sophia pressed.
"It appears that beast corruption is inextricably linked to their 'origin'," Shira explained, her expression turning grave.
"Origin?"
"Think about it this way," Shira said, leaning in. "We know a beast requires a summoning to exist in our real realm. But before that, they belong to their original realm, or their 'origin'. There are countless realms 'stacked' beyond our own, such as the unconscious realm or the imagination realm, each with its own distinct attributes. By identifying that origin, we can somewhat predict the specific corruption they might bestow. For instance, a beast from the unconscious realm might inflict corruption related to memory loss, volatile emotions, or even unnatural, gnawing cravings."
Shira's voice took on a sharper, more serious edge. "You will eventually get 'corruption' from your beast, Sophia. The question for us now isn't if, but simply what kind it will be."
She watched Sophia's face closely, her eyes searching for a crack in the girl's composure.
Shira added, "If we knew the 'realm' Seraphix came from, we could begin to figure out his corruption before it takes hold."
It was a deliberate prompt, a hook cast to see if Sophia would finally disclose the cat's true origin.
However, Sophia didn't take the bait. Instead, she pivoted the conversation entirely.
"What about the 'gift', Miss Shira?"
Shira's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. She was clearly unhappy that Sophia had sidestepped the topic of origin, but she let out a small, sharp breath and decided to play along.
"The gift," Shira said, "is a unique ability the beast possesses; something far more powerful and complex than a regular spell. It is an ability the tamer will also eventually obtain, though on a much smaller scale than the beast itself."
To demonstrate, Shira reached out and touched a glazed cookie on the table. A strange, shimmering pattern rippled across its surface like oil on water. She then tapped the rim of her teacup. In an instant, the cookie vanished from the plate and reappeared inside the cup, submerged in the tea while still bearing that eerie, glowing pattern.
"This is a gift I gained from Mathilda, my eight-stroke beast," Shira explained. "It grants me limited control over the 'distance' attribute. I can assign a change in distance to an object, functioning similarly to a teleportation spell, but with far fewer restrictions."
She turned her gaze back to Sophia. "And for you, Sophia, you will also gain a 'gift' from your beast. It is only a matter of time."
Sophia looked down at Seraphix, her fingers gently tracing the line of his ears. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of strange, reality-bending gift she might one day wield.
To conclude the session, Shira gathered the three volumes she had retrieved earlier and slid them across the table toward Sophia. She explained that they contained her early observations and hidden studies, and were protected by a 'concealment' spell. She then handed over the silver-rimmed monocle.
"You'll need this to bypass the concealment and read the content. If you have any questions as you study, feel free to ask me later."
Sophia took the books and the monocle, clutching them to her chest.
"Thank you very much, Miss Shira." A look of genuine worry then crossed her face. "I feel like I've received so much from you. Is there a way for me to give you anything in return?"
Shira's eyes glinted. "Sophia, you've summoned a primordial beast from an 'unknown' realm. Everything about him is a mystery to the world of beast taming." She made her request carefully. "So, how about writing me some notes? Explain everything you 'experienced' with him."
Sophia nodded eagerly, her face brightening. "Got it! I will write a lot!" She paused, her brow furrowing again. "But... is that really all? It doesn't feel like enough."
Shira grew quiet, her gaze drifting toward the trees where her beasts remained hidden in terror. She had been considering a small, perhaps 'torturous' assessment on Sophia. It is an assessment that would likely satisfy most of her curiosity about the cat.
But then, Shira let out a quiet, resigned sigh. She glanced around the silent garden, fully aware that if she were to anger the Nine-Stroke Beast, none of her own beasts would come to her rescue. They would watch her being ripped apart before they dared to intervene.
'If the beast could topple Naphael with just a glance, I might not have a chance at all.' She remembered a certain report of how Naphael, despite his 'innate barrier', had been brought to his knees by nothing more than the beast's aura.
Though disappointed, Shira accepted the outcome with a graceful nod.
"It's alright, Sophia. That will be more than enough."
***
Cal and Sophia walked side-by-side through the manicured streets of the noble district, already back from Shira's house. Cal carried the three heavy volumes Shira had gifted them, while Sophia held the silver-rimmed monocle close to her chest. Strapped to her back, Seraphix was a dead weight inside the Cat Backpack v0.1, fast asleep.
As they walked, Cal's eyes flickered toward Sophia. He had noticed her unusual demeanor.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
Sophia didn't respond. She remained lost in her own thoughts, her footsteps automated.
Seeing her spiral, Cal decided to pull a prank. With a keen fluidity, he lifted the stack of books and gently balanced them directly onto the top of Sophia's head, giving them a slight, mischievous tilt. The sudden, unexpected weight caught her off guard. Sophia wobbled, her arms flailing as she instinctively tried to regain her center, but the books began to slide.
As the heavy volumes tumbled, Sophia lost her footing and stumbled forward. Cal moved with an unnatural speed, saving only the books with a deft catch, and leaving Sophia to finish her fall on her own. She barely managed to catch herself before gently hitting the ground. Realizing what had happened, she shot Cal a sharp, burning glare, her face flushing a deep crimson from the embarrassment.
Cal didn't apologize. He simply asked again, "What's on your mind?"
Sophia let out a sharp huff of breath and pushed past him, continuing her walk with a renewed, indignant energy. Cal followed a step behind, a faint trace of amusement in his eyes.
After a few more minutes, the playful tension faded, and Sophia finally broke the silence. "Seraphix is from the Abyss Realm, right? Do you think the gift I get will be something 'black-themed'? Like... making myself shadowy?"
Cal's expression flattened instantly. "Sophia," he interjected, his voice dropping to a low, cautious warning. "Don't use the word 'Abyss' out in public."
"Oh, right. Sorry," Sophia whispered, shrinking back into her hood. She couldn't help herself, though; the curiosity didn't fade away. "What kind of attribute do you think that realm actually has?"
"I don't know," Cal replied simply. It was the truth. Knowledge regarding the Abyss was a maze of restricted archives and banned texts. With official records scrubbed and scholars sharing contradicting information, no one truly knew which account held a grain of truth.
He watched her for a moment before guessing her 'actual' worry. "Sophia, are you worried about the corruption from that realm?"
This time, Sophia offered no verbal answer. Cal didn't pry further; the silence between them was enough of an answer.
They eventually reached the iron gates of the Kovalevska Family Estate. As they walked in, Cal noticed that the servants were unusually active. He noted the strange behavior but chose to ignore it, focused on getting Sophia back to her room.
They reached her bedroom door, and Sophia pushed it open. Both of them stepped inside with a casual familiarity. By any normal standard, it was a scandalous impropriety for anyone other than a personal maid to enter a lady's bedroom. However, Cal was a 'special case'; Valeslina and Naphael had granted him explicit permission to visit Sophia's room directly. The permission even includes intruding without Sophia's consent if necessary.
Cal set the stack of Shira's books on Sophia's drawer. He turned to leave, but Sophia suddenly reached out, her fingers catching his hand.
"Cal... how about staying for the night?"
Cal gently pulled his hand back, shaking his head. "I can't. There's a noble gathering tomorrow morning. I need to be ready."
Sophia grew quiet for a moment at the mention of the gathering, her fingers tracing a restless pattern on her sleeve.
"...Can you visit after the gathering, then?" she asked, her voice low.
"Did you need anything?"
Sophia looked momentarily panicked, her eyes darting around the room as she scrambled for a reason. "I-I'll need your help!" Her gaze then landed on the Cat Backpack v0.1 resting on the chair. "I need your help to upgrade the cat backpack. It... it needs more modifications."
"Okay," Cal agreed, his features softening slightly.
A wave of relief washed over Sophia, her face becoming visibly happy and excited at the promise.
Finally ready to depart, Cal began walking toward the door. Just as his hand touched the handle, Sophia called out again, her voice cracking ever so slightly.
"Cal... do you think I'm a selfish person?"
Cal paused. He turned back, meeting her gaze with a blunt, unvarnished honesty.
"Yes."
Sophia flinched, visibly surprised by the lack of hesitation in his answer.
But then, a small smile formed on Cal's lips. "But I'm used to it."
He didn't wait for a rebuttal. He opened the door and walked out, leaving the room.