The forest was silent. Not the peaceful silence of night but the hollow kind. The kind that comes when even predators have abandoned a place. Among the dead trees and frost-bitten earth, a lone wolf limped forward.
Its fur, once dark, was now dull and ragged. Its ribs showed. One eye was clouded, the other dim faintly red, like an ember struggling to stay alive.
It was weak, Alone, Forgotten.
The wolf collapsed near a broken anciet stone ruin, worn, etched with symbols long erased by time. It did not know why it still persisting only that something inside it had pulled in forward.
A memory, Not its own but in it's bloodline. Flashes passed through its mind
A towering demon queen and buy her side a beast of shadow at her side.
Power, Purpose, Belonging, Home.
Its ancestor.
A familiar.
The wolf let out a low, broken whine.
It did not understand those visions. But it understood the feeling.
It wanted that.
Not power.
Not dominance.
Just a place to belong.
A master.
A home.
Then the air changed. The ground beneath the ruin began to glow faintly red. Symbols long dead flickered back to life. The wolf's ears twitched. Its head lifted weakly.
A voice, Distant, Faint.
But it called.
The wolf tried to stand—its legs trembled, nearly giving out. Still, it forced itself forward, dragged by something deeper than instinct.
The light grew stronger.
Warmer, Gentler.
A tear in reality opened silent, vast, and endless. From within it came power so overwhelming the wolf should have fled.
But it didn't.
Because for the first time it's life it felt seen.
On the other side of the rift stood Valerie Noctis. Unreachable, Untouchable, Symbol of Perfection. A being far beyond the broken creature before her.
Her black eyes narrowed slightly as she looked down.
"Are you my familiar?"
The wolf froze. It should have run. It should have hidden. Instead, it lowered itself slowly, painfully and pressed its head to the ground.
Not out of fear. But hope. A silent plea. To take it in.
Valerie stepped closer to the edge of the rift.
She could feel it. A trace of something ancient within the wolf a lineage tied to darkness, shadow to loyalty that transcended generations.
A familiar's bloodline. It's was same race of familiar as the founding ancestor had back then. At least related, Broken, But not gone.
"You seek a master," I asked said quietly.
The wolf did not move.
"And a place to belong." As i said it. A weak tail movement. Barely noticeable.
Valerie raised her hand.
For a moment, it seemed she might dismiss it. Instead she drew a knife across her index finger. Black Blood did not fall, but instead it formed a complex magic circle and it landed before the wolf.
The wolf did not hesitate even for a moment. It quickly crawled forward and touched the magic circle. Along with it Aka's mask, mask of commander of shadow mantis legion which was just Manifested after rank up to 4 (Daleth) was aslo granted to it.
As mask melted and incorporated within the wolf, everything changed.
Darkness surged violently through its body.
Its bones cracked, reshaping. Its fur turned pitch black, swallowing light. The dim ember in its eye ignited into a blazing crimson inferno.
The weak, broken creature howled and the sound shook the sky. The rift shattered open fully. The wolf stepped through, No longer limping, No longer small, No longer alone.
It stood before Valerie massive, terrifying reborn. A dark shadow night wolf, one of the apex creatures Netherworld.
Yet first thing it did was, It bowed deeply to Valerie.
A voice echoed not wild, not feral. But steady
"I remember now."
A pause.
"I was born to serve you"
Valerie looked down at it, calm, a smile Bloomed on her face.
The wolf lifted its head slightly.
"Yes you belong to me" she said.
The beast lowered itself completely.
Not as a broken creature begging, But as something that had finally found its place.
Valerie turned away slightly, her voice final.
"Rise."
The wolf obeyed instantly.
"You will walk in my shadow," she said.
"You will hunt in my name"
"You will slay my enemies "
A faint smile touched her lips.
"And you will never be alone again."
The wolf's eyes burned brighter.
"Then give me a name."
Valerie glanced at the crimson glow beneath its claws.
"Umbra"
The name sealed it.
Not just as a familiar.
But as something chosen.
Blood contact was complete.
From that night on, once just a lonely wolf who finally found its home.
And with it Valerie has stepped into the rank 5 (He). Her four retainers and a wolf who is wagging it's tail like dog looked at her in awe.