ã€ŠThe Eos Family&#x27;s legacy - [A Beast Tamers Adventure]ã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Missing [Edited]

    Soft daylight was coming into the kitchen of the Eos Family villa through the opened window. It was falling on a dark-haired teenager¡¯s handsome face, enhancing his serene demeanor. The youth was quietly helping the old housekeeper to peel the vegetables despite her frequent glares. If the old woman was stubborn enough to refuse to use the smart kitchen appliances, he was stubborn enough to help her despite her rebuttals.

    A slight smile curved the youth¡¯s lips as he heard the grunts from the inner courtyard. Another tall teenager looking exactly like him was training in spear stances. His serious dark blue eyes critically observed his hands to check their position on the weapon before going on to the next move. His black hair was damped with sweat, but instead of making him look disheveled, it revealed the sharpness and the nobleness of his face structure.

    ¡°Galen,¡± the housekeeper said in a grumbling voice, ¡°go and tell Artem that the dishes will soon be ready. I want your brother to wash up before sitting at my table. I won¡¯t let him eat if he¡¯s dripping sweat all over like yesterday!¡±

    ¡°As soon as I¡¯ve finished cutting the vegetables, Melia,¡± Galen answered softly.

    The old woman gave him a stern look but didn¡¯t insist. She knew the twins would never do anything to bother or pain each other, and Artem loved training so Galen wouldn¡¯t interrupt him. She wished the master and mistress would come home soon to control their children.

    ***

    While they were eating - Artem having gone through the trouble to at least dry his face -, the doorbell was rung heavily and repeatedly. Melia naturally rose from her seat, but Galen held her arm to stop her. The youth stared fixedly at his brother as if they were silently communicating while the old woman sat back on her chair. Then, the two boys rose together, Galen going to the door and Artem to get a weapon.

    Galen kept his face neutral as he used the entrance camera to check who was at the door. Several heavy-built men were standing in front of the house.

    ¡°Boy,¡± one of the burliest ones said in a loud voice as soon as he saw his face on the exterior screen, ¡°we are here in the name of the Beast Tamers Association to search your house. Let us in.¡±

    ¡°How do I know you are not lying?¡± the teenager calmly retorted.

    ¡°Prosperous!¡± the big man exclaimed. ¡°Do you know who we are?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, which is why I¡¯m asking you to show me some identification.¡±

    As the first man was ready to explode in anger, another one with distinctive small eyes pushed him back. Galen couldn¡¯t explain why, but he found him untrustworthy. Not that he would have let anyone in to search the house in the absence of his parents, even without their specific warnings before they left.

    ¡°Here, my Beast Tamer license. As you can see, we are indeed from the Association.¡±

    Galen discreetly took a shot of the license. He planned to show it to his parents later. When he nodded, the big man impatiently said, ¡°So, can we come in now?¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to come in?¡± Galen asked without apparent fear.

    ¡°To search the house! Are you deaf?¡± the angered big man answered before the small-eyed one could keep him in check.

    ¡°Why?¡± Galen insisted.

    ¡°This matter shouldn¡¯t be of concern to minors. Just open the door,¡± the calm small-eyed man said.

    ¡°You are all strangers. You are aggressive, and you refuse to tell me what your purpose is. I won¡¯t open the door. Come back when my parents are here if it is an adult matter.¡±

    ¡°You little conceited prick!¡± the burly man shouted. ¡°Your parents are dead! How do you expect them to come back? Open the door before I ask my Ground Buffalo to destroy it!¡±

    Galen had to rely on his brother¡¯s quiet presence to hold on and keep calm. Artem stayed out of the camera, but his eyes were intensely fixed on him and his left hand was squeezing his own. As the older brother, Galen needed to protect his Family. He wouldn¡¯t let these vultures in. ¡°My housekeeper is calling the police as we speak. If you trespass, they will arrest you. Leave.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the police will protect you from beast tamers? How naive are you?¡± The big man sneered.

    It was true that the police couldn¡¯t do much against beast tamers, but they were working closely with Beast Enforcers ¨C beast tamers whose job was to take care of beast tamer criminals. ¡°Am I really the naive one?¡± Galen retorted, staying strong by tightening his hold on his brother¡¯s hand since he knew his bluff didn¡¯t have much weight: the Beast Enforcers were from the Beast Tamers Association like these men were. ¡°Would you open the door without any doubts to the first guy claiming to come to search your house? Where is your warrant? Where is the notice of the death of my parents? Where is your mission order? Do I need to spell to you what you look like right now?¡±

    Seeing how firm the adolescent was, the small-eyed man shook his head. They wouldn¡¯t get through to him. He let his colleague threaten to burst the door hoping to frighten the boy, but he couldn¡¯t let him act on it. He had to report the situation to his boss. With a sigh, he gave the order to retreat. The burly man threatened the boy a few more times, but he was disciplined and soon joined the group.

    The twins watched them leave, as still as statues. They could hear their heartbeat thumping in their ears. They didn¡¯t want to believe what these men said. How could their parents be dead? Their father, Xander Eos, was a legendary Beast Warrior. With his main pet, Regulus, a Giant Star-Blazing Lion, he had destroyed several armies from the Abyss. As for their mother, Tana Eos, she was known as a legendary Beast Healer thanks to her qualifications as a pharmacist and her legendary healing pets like the Rainbow Shamanic Serpent. However, she was also the inheritor of the Eos Family. As such, she was the secret contractor of the Eternal Sky-Golden Phoenix, a mythic beast protected by the Eos Family for centuries. When Xander and Tana Eos were together, nothing could happen to them.

    ¡°Boys?¡± The housekeeper¡¯s worried call woke the twins up.

    They knew their parents¡¯ strength, but they also knew their mother often had to go on secret and dangerous missions for the Triad. The secrecy made the twins suspect that their mother worked more specifically for the Agency, even if they didn¡¯t know what that entailed exactly. A lot of rumors surrounded the Agency.

    No matter which missions Tana Eos had to complete, Xander Eos always went with his wife to protect her. However, they were mortals like any humans.

    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Melia asked them worriedly.

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    The twins didn¡¯t know if they were all right, but they had to act fast before things got worse.

    ¡°Melia,¡± Artem asked to let his brother rest a bit more, ¡°do you know anything about our parents¡¯ mission?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. It isn¡¯t my place to know.¡±

    ¡°Then, maybe we should call one of their colleagues, or their chief,¡± the adolescent went on. ¡°Do you have the contact information for these people?¡±

    The old woman led the twins to their parents¡¯ office. They had never gone in before, as they understood the secret aspect of their parents¡¯ work. As soon as their eyes fell on the big desk, the twins saw an envelope with their names written on it. Melia tactfully left them alone to clean up the kitchen. The boys sat on the sofa and opened the letter. Each holding a side of the paper, they silently read.

    My dear boys,

    Your overconfident dad wouldn¡¯t believe anything could happen to us, but my little snake warned me that bad times were coming. Its predictions aren¡¯t always right, but both birds are also restless. I didn¡¯t tell you about this letter before we left because I still hope it won¡¯t be needed. I¡¯m also taking a risk by leaving it out in the open, but I trust you both to be smart enough to prevent anyone but you from reading it.

    Their mother¡¯s trust warmed their heart, but they couldn¡¯t help but notice she was careful enough not to write anything directly about the Family¡¯s secret. The boys exchanged a quick look before going on with the reading.

    If things go as bad as Snaky predicted, you¡¯ll have to be strong. Don¡¯t trust anyone from the Families, not even from our own. You¡¯ll have to stand alone, but it is inevitable. You know what you have to do for the Family.

    Melia¡¯s loyalty is unquestionable, but she won¡¯t be of any help in this. The poor woman is getting old, and you should be careful to leave her out of all these troubles. As for the people who can help you, you¡¯ll have to find them yourself. I can see you frowning, Artem my love. Not much difference between telling you that and telling you nothing? Ask our sweet Galen what he thinks about it.

    You know your father and I love you dearly. We won¡¯t abandon you. We¡¯ll do our utmost to give you what you need to go on without us. Be strong, boys. We believe in you.

    Although their mother wrote it, both their parents¡¯ signatures could be seen at the end of the letter. Under his brother¡¯s gaze, Galen obliged and explained their mother¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°There are obviously traitors, both in the Family and in the Triad. If the letter gets in the wrong hands, writing down the name of loyalists was too big a risk.¡±

    ¡°So, how are we going to find them?¡± Artem was frowning, exactly like his mother had predicted.

    ¡°Thanks to Melia,¡± Galen mouthed without any sound going out of his mouth.

    Galen could feel his brother¡¯s gaze, but he stood up without explaining and went to the kitchen. His dad had only contracted fire pets, so this was the only place left in the house where you could get a tool to start a fire. Galen wanted to keep the letter, especially if their parents were dead, but he knew he had to burn it. While the boys were patiently watching it burn, Melia had finished cleaning up the place.

    She frowned. ¡°You both haven¡¯t eaten much. I should cook you something light. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Melia,¡± Galen answered, ¡°but we don¡¯t feel like eating. And you know I don¡¯t like it when you cook alone. You¡¯re not young anymore.¡±

    ¡°You rascal! That¡¯s not something you should say to a lady!¡±

    ¡°You know I mean well, Melia. By the way, when are you buying the groceries this week? I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°Is this another dig at my age? There is no need!¡±

    ¡°Melia, be reasonable. You are too stubborn to ask for help, and I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Really? If you don¡¯t have enough money for the groceries, will you tell us?¡±

    ¡°What are you babbling about? I keep tight accounts, as I¡¯ve always done. Everything is in order. You have nothing to worry about!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting your work: I wouldn¡¯t dare. I just want to help and keep you out of trouble.¡±

    ¡°Bah, who needs your help!¡±

    The old woman, flushed with irritation, went to her room with the boys on her tail. They politely stayed at the door as she opened her desk to find the account book. Galen quietly looked around the room.

    ¡°Melia,¡± the boy called softly.

    ¡°What?¡± the housekeeper hotly answered.

    ¡°Do you have any family left to take care of you?¡±

    Instead of answering, she handed him the book with a fierce look. Artem took it and began to read. Galen knew that by now, his brother should have understood what he had to look for, so he chose to keep the conversation going.

    ¡°You saw what happened today, Melia. They¡¯re going to be back.¡±

    Her look became even more haughty, and she spoke to him in a cold, formal tone. ¡°I¡¯m not a beast tamer, young master. Their matters have nothing to do with me. The master and the mistress asked me to take care of your daily needs. Those are my orders, and you don¡¯t have the authority to change them.¡±

    Galen went to the old woman and hugged her, taking her by surprise. ¡°We love you as we would have loved our grandma. We had to try to get you to safety.¡±

    The old woman snorted. ¡°And why is Artem still looking at my account book?¡±

    ¡°You know he is awkward with expressing his feelings.¡±

    The housekeeper snorted again and abruptly pushed them to the kitchen without taking the book from Artem to put it back in place.

    ¡°I am cooking, and you are going to eat!¡±

    ***

    The account book was left to Melia in the kitchen soon after they had eaten. The twins hesitated, but they finally didn¡¯t bother to call anyone from their father¡¯s original Family since Xander Eos had cut all ties with the Seirios Family when he married into the Eos Family and adopted its name. The Eos Family sadly had a high mortality rate and a low birth rate, so its direct members were rare. If their parents were dead, Galen and Artem were all that was left of the Eos Family.

    The twins still halfheartedly called some distant family members from the minor branch of the Eos Family and some of their parents¡¯ colleagues to know if they had any news of their parents. Galen wanted to give the illusion they were reacting like normal teenagers. Of course, nobody knew anything.

    Late in the afternoon, Galen returned to his room. Artem followed him in. The older boy knew that his twin was waiting for his explanation. Galen had to act as the head of the Family, even if he would rather collapse on his bed and put the cover over his head.

    Leaning on his natural bond with Artem, he asked him without words to write down the numbers he should have memorized earlier from the account book. Artem didn¡¯t comment and went to find a piece of paper on the desk to write them down. When Galen sat next to him, the younger boy wrote on another piece of paper.

    How sure are you that there are some messages in the account book? Melia didn¡¯t seem to be aware of anything.

    Galen took the pen from his hand to answer in the same way.

    That is the best safeguard: give the information to someone who ignores they have it. But honestly, I think Melia knew and was pretending otherwise. At least, we have confirmed her loyalty: she reacted to the right keywords and let you bring the book out of her room.

    However, it also confirmed we are right to be so careful if she is. I¡¯ll memorize the numbers, then burn everything. I¡¯ll try to break the code as soon as I can.

    Artem nodded and put his head on his brother¡¯s shoulder. When Galen was done memorizing, Artem went out to burn all the papers. Waiting for him to return, Galen watched the sun setting down as he wondered how he could keep these men from entering as they wished.

    They wouldn¡¯t come back without the means to get what they wanted, be it the lawful papers or enough force or tricks to get in without the law. Their behavior didn¡¯t inspire Galen any trust, and the youth thought them capable of anything, like putting the house under surveillance or using some means to listen in.

    Galen and Artem should have been preparing to return to Dascalos High School ¨C one of the best high schools in the City-State of Olympia ¨C as new third-year students. However, they had tacitly decided to stay home, at least until they knew for sure what happened to their parents. And to prepare for the worst.

 Chapter 2 - Role-playing [Edited]

    It had been three days since the men came to their door. The twins were very grateful to Melia. The housekeeper tried to keep their life going as usual, but the twins couldn¡¯t help being somber. Artem trained like a madman, and Galen desperately sought ways to protect the Family while still being considered a minor by the law.

    Galen was in his parents¡¯ office in an attempt to sort through their documents to find those that were confidential when he heard Artem urgently calling him.

    When Galen got to the inner courtyard, his heart broke. Their mother¡¯s Caladrius Bird was lying on its side, covered in blood and panting. It was feebly pushing a bag toward Artem, who was trying to put pressure on the grievous slash on its belly. It was a miracle for the pet to achieve to come home.

    Melia gently took Artem¡¯s place and pointed at the bag. ¡°Let me do it. You and your brother, you take care of that.¡±

    Galen let his tears fall on his cheeks. The Caladrius Bird was a unique legendary pet nicknamed thus after some stories from the Old World. Its official name was Immaculate Twilight Plover ¨C though it looked more like a white giant hybrid of an eagle and a heron than a small shore living plover.

    All of Tana¡¯s pets were healers: if the Caladrius Bird hadn¡¯t healed itself, the twins had no hope to help it either. Moreover, they weren¡¯t yet beast tamers, so Galen and Artem couldn¡¯t perform the Rebirth ceremony that specialized beast tamers could do for deadly wounded pets.

    ¡°Boys!¡± the housekeeper snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t shame the Family!¡±

    Woken up by the old woman¡¯s shout, Galen went to the laboratory. She was right. Galen couldn¡¯t save the Caladrius Bird, but he could ease its pain. The youth brought back an anesthetic potion and a balm to stop the bleeding. Once he had given them to Melia, he let her take care of the pet and went to open the bag that Artem held out to him.

    ¡°Galen!¡± the old woman sternly called out to him.

    The youth looked at her in confusion. Their enemies would soon know about the Caladrius Bird coming home. It was too unique a pet for them to miss it. The twins wouldn¡¯t have any time to mourn. Galen needed to hurry up and see what was in the bag before these men could get to the villa.

    Melia shook her head and gestured for him to leave the courtyard. With a start, Artem understood and took his brother¡¯s arm to bring him to a corner of the courtyard, making sure to be at Melia¡¯s back. Galen looked at him with questioning eyes, so Artem mouthed, ¡°We need to protect Melia¡¯s ignorance.¡±

    Galen nodded, ashamed to have forgotten about the precautions they had to take against spies and interrogations. Trusting his brother to check their surrounding, the older boy opened the bag. Galen found three pet eggs and two carved spirit stones inside. Artem noticed his brother¡¯s dismayed look and peered inside. His gaze was instantly drawn to one of the eggs. It was big with crimson and golden hues and emitted intense warmth even through the protective barrier the Caladrius Bird had spelled on it.

    ¡°Mom¡¯s Phoenix egg!¡± Artem muttered in a low voice.

    The adolescent was so shocked that he lost control and said it aloud. Since the Phoenix was back in its egg form, someone or something had managed to kill it. Who was strong enough to kill a Phoenix? However, this also confirmed their parents were truly dead because it was their duty to protect the Phoenix.

    In a numb state, Galen looked at the carved spirit stones. He knew enough to understand what they were for, though he couldn¡¯t understand why they were here and not in the safe at school. Galen noticed one of them was broken when he picked them up. With despair in his eyes, he whispered to his brother, ¡°You take this stone and do the Awakening ceremony.¡±

    Artem looked at him with stubbornness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be childish. One of us needs to be a beast tamer, and you are the one who is training to become a warrior. Stop wasting time. I¡¯ll do the ceremony later.¡±

    ¡°Together.¡±

    ¡°Artem-¡±

    ¡°Together!¡±

    Feeling helpless but grateful to his twin, Galen held out his right hand with the intact carved spirit stone resting in the middle of his palm. Artem covered the carved spirit stone with his right hand and looked intensely at his brother.

    If things had been normal, they would have attended this ceremony at Dascalos High School two days ago in front of all their classmates and teachers. Thus, these stones should have been in the school safe.

    Only gifted students could awaken, and most of them had a common or notable talent. The twins came from an ancient Family, so their awakening was guaranteed in everyone¡¯s mind, and everyone expected them to get at least an epic talent like their parents. Everything had long been ready for their Awakening ceremony. So, how did these two carved spirit stones end up here?

    Of course, Galen couldn¡¯t be sure these were the same stones, and Artem should know it. However, what were the chances that their enemies hadn¡¯t tempered with the stones supposedly still at school? Without their parents, the twins couldn¡¯t hope to obtain another carved spirit stone: they weren¡¯t only expensive. So, only one of them could become a beast tamer, and none of them wanted to sacrifice the other.

    Despite feeling sick at the situation, Galen still recited in perfect synchronization with Artem the activation spell for the Awakening ceremony.

    ¡°Initiation of the host compatibility scan.¡±

    Galen¡¯s heart dropped when he heard the mechanical voice in his head. However, he quickly realized Artem had heard it too. The stone was scanning them both: it still hadn¡¯t chosen its host.

    ¡°Scan completed with high compatibility. Activation of the Contract System Interface.¡±

    A sudden burst of spiritual force exploded from their closed hands. Blinded by the dark golden light, the boys took two steps back while the stone stayed in the air, floating between them. When the light toned down, they saw a small translucent human silhouette above the stone. It was a young woman with long, unkempt, black hair. Her almond, black eyes and her skin tone revealed her Asian ancestry. She was wearing a large sweatshirt hiding her hands and what looked like pajama bottoms. She looked around curiously.

    ¡°Twins!¡± she suddenly exclaimed in a melodious voice. ¡°They didn¡¯t tell me about this!¡±

    Galen exchanged a look with his brother. They both could hear the woman speaking in a strangely echoing manner as if they were hearing her both with their ears and their mind. This wasn¡¯t normal. Only the host should be able to interact with the CSI ¨C the Contract System Interface. Why could they both hear and see her? Was she really this stone CSI?

    The woman giggled. ¡°Only children have to choose. The adults take everything!¡±

    She wasn¡¯t as crazy as she sounded. First of all, the two host candidates were twins, so they were already connected, which made harmonizing with the two of them possible. Second of all, she was confident she could take care of the two of them at the same time. Normal CSI couldn¡¯t do it. But she wasn¡¯t normal, was she? Her soul was whole, and as such, she could be willful. It was their choice to bring her here, they would have to bear the consequences. No, she wasn¡¯t being petty and willful about it on purpose.

    The small woman decisively extended her hands toward the two boys, making her sleeves flap around. ¡°Take my hands, boys! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m ambidextrous!¡±

    Galen forced himself to look at Artem. The CSI was strangely charming, which made him want to trust her. Galen doubted his impulse, but he trusted his brother¡¯s instinct. At Artem¡¯s signal, the twins obeyed the small woman. When she grabbed their hands, which felt strange as she wasn''t fully corporeal, she began to emit the dark golden light again.

    ¡°Relax during the harmonization,¡± the CSI told them cheerfully. ¡°We are highly compatible so nothing will go wrong. Why don¡¯t you think about my name while we are waiting?¡±

    She started humming as if she didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Artem could see that Galen was worried and suspicious, but the younger boy couldn¡¯t feel any malicious intent from the small woman. Instead, the harmonization was producing a pleasant and comforting feeling throughout his body.

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    Furthermore, this carved spirit stone was one of the last things their parents had given to the twins. Artem couldn¡¯t believe it would harm them. He slowly closed his eyes in acceptance. He would face what would come with his brother and this strange CSI.

    What felt like a long time later, Galen and Artem opened their eyes. They couldn¡¯t see the woman anymore, but the stone was still floating between them.

    ¡°Now, do you have a name for me? As you know, the harmonization won¡¯t be completed without it.¡±

    The voice now seemed to come from inside them. It sounded softer as if it was smothered. Artem followed his instinct. This woman, despite her appearance, was making him think of stars and music. ¡°Lyra.¡±

    Galen looked at his brother and nodded in agreement.

    ¡°What a weirdly fitting name! So be it. From now on, I, Lyra, your CSI, swear to help and guide you as you develop as beast tamers. Be warned that I will also observe, judge, and regulate you if necessary as stipulated by The Peaceful Treaty that founded this society.¡± As Lyra finished speaking, the stone was divided into two parts, which turned blue. ¡°If you search for our connection with your mind, you should be able to absorb the stone into your body. For daily usage, you don¡¯t need to take it out. Talking with me will be enough.¡±

    After absorbing his half of the stone, Galen couldn¡¯t help but ask in a low voice, ¡°Are you truly connected to both of us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Galen the Healer, and Artem the Hunter.¡±

    ¡°How do you know our names?¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to read your status aloud to convince you?¡± Lyra laughed at him. ¡°I harmonized with you both. What do you think that means?¡±

    Things were going too fast for him. Galen wanted to take the time to get to know Lyra and to understand his new powers, but the doorbell suddenly repeatedly echoed in the house. They were already here? Galen¡¯s eyes went from the Caladrius Bird, who had died despite Melia¡¯s care, to the bag containing the Phoenix egg he had to hide.

    ¡°Lyra, can you stock this egg?¡± Galen urgently whispered as he held the bag in his arms. ¡°I remember Mom could put things in her CSI¡¯s special space.¡±

    ¡°Each beast tamer is unique, as each host and carved spirit stone is unique. Moreover, your inner world is currently empty. I need to build features to be able to do anything, and for that, I need energy. I exhausted my initial energy to harmonize with you. Now, the only energy I can get comes from your contracted pets. Do you have pets?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Artem answered firmly.

    The boy picked up the two little forgotten eggs from the bag. Their parents had planned everything. These would be their first pets.

    ¡°Do you even know what¡¯s inside?¡± Lyra couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    She didn¡¯t like to see them rushing like that. She wasn¡¯t stupid. She had seen the legendary pet dying in the courtyard as she had seen the despair in these boys¡¯ eyes. Even though she wouldn''t admit it was her reason for trying to harmonize with both of them, it didn''t mean she was blind to what was happening. Likewise, she had seen the broken carved spirit stone, but Lyra refused to think about what it could mean for her and her friends. She was good at ignoring what bothered her. Moreover, she had just sworn to guide them, and Lyra took her word seriously, albeit in her own way.

    However, Artem didn¡¯t seem bothered by her question. He closed his eyes to let his instinct feel the eggs. Artem then gave one of the two eggs to Galen, ignoring the constant ringing of the doorbell.

    Melia signaled for them to do what they could as she went to try to stall for time at the door. This would also allow her to deny any knowledge about what happened in the courtyard.

    ¡°This one feels like light, and this one feels like fire,¡± Artem explained, even though he couldn¡¯t tell how he knew as they both were white and smooth.

    Holding the light egg his brother gave him in his left hand, Galen asked Lyra for her help in a whisper. He still refused to let go of the bag containing the Phoenix egg. They had to try.

    Lyra pouted but went to work. She connected to the eggs and sent the code to activate a contract with her hosts. To do them simultaneously without messing up was delicate work, but she was gifted ¨C cursed her!

    Blue lines of codes appeared on the boys¡¯ hands and went into their eggs. The shell began to disintegrate, turning blue and forming new lines. These blue lines connected in turn with the boys and ran along their bodies. The disintegration continued until little fairies appeared, and a gem materialized on the teenagers'' bodies. Artem¡¯s new pet was a Fire Fairy represented by a little carnelian placed on his right ear, and Galen¡¯s was a Light Fairy represented by a little opal placed on his left ear.

    ¡°Achievement! The first pet! As a reward, you will get one first-tier feature for your shared inner world from three choices, one rare skill each for your new pet from three choices, and four usages of the random shuffle!¡± Lyra was aware of the seriousness of the situation, but she would be damned if that kept her from playing her role as a CSI as she wanted! She might not have yet the ability to send her blue boxes to her hosts, but she imitated the mechanical voice of a system quite nicely if she dared say so herself!

    Despite his shock and discomfort at seeing that his pet was a weak fairy, Galen was brought back to his current problems by Lyra¡¯s announcement. He asked what were the three choices for the features.

    ¡°First, the ''Pet house'': with it, the contracted pet can rest in the inner world. Second, the ''Warehouse'': that''s where you can stock things from the outside world. Third, the ''Fields'': with them, you can farm spirit plants. What is your choice? Be careful, nothing guarantees that you will get these choices again next time.¡±

    Galen didn¡¯t listen carefully to Lyra¡¯s warning, nor did he comment on her tone of voice. How could he when one of the features proposed was the one he needed? However, he still asked, ¡°Is there a limit to the ''Warehouse''?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you directly ask what is on your mind?¡± Lyra said in an annoyed voice because the twins hadn¡¯t reacted to her perfect system role-play.

    ¡°You know it! So?¡± Galen hissed back.

    ¡°Yes, I can stock the Phoenix egg in the ''Warehouse'' if you choose it.¡± Lyra pouted, but she gave some more explanations. ¡°And before you ask, I can because like I said when you weren¡¯t listening: both of you share a unique inner world. Each of your inner worlds hadn¡¯t just been added to create a shared one. The combination had exponential effects. Do you get what I mean?¡±

    Galen still didn¡¯t understand how two common fairies could produce enough energy for a first-tier feature strong enough to hold a mythical object. However, he didn''t waste any more time on this. The boy picked up the Phoenix egg from the bag to let Lyra stock it. The blue lines of code appeared again, covering the egg before disappearing with it. Galen wanted to hurry to the door when Artem said, ¡°What about the Caladrius Bird?¡±

    Galen tacitly understood his brother¡¯s meaning. The pet''s corpse could still give them some clues about what had happened to their parents. Preventing these men from taking it away was essential. Thus, Artem made Lyra stock the dead pet despite her protest that she wasn¡¯t a morgue while Galen went to relieve Melia.

    At the door, he instantly recognized the burly man and the small-eyed man with their lackeys. They were impatient, and this time Galen felt powerless in front of these shameless men who didn¡¯t even offer any condolence about the death of his parents. As he was about to defend his home, Lyra¡¯s voice interrupted him.

    ¡°Artem is going to try to clean up the mess in the office. Let me repeat what I¡¯ve told him: I won¡¯t stock anything more in the ''Warehouse'' except the broken carved spirit stone. It¡¯ll be too suspicious if there are empty spaces all over the shelves. Tell these men as much truth as possible to stall for some more times, but in the end, bent to their will. Don¡¯t tire yourself in useless fights. You won¡¯t win this one.¡±

    Galen was surprised because he thought Lyra had stayed with his brother and couldn¡¯t talk to him, but he surmised that this was her CSI¡¯s natural talent.

    Galen listened to Lyra and didn¡¯t hide the Immaculate Twilight Plover¡¯s arrival. He then explained that they didn¡¯t come to the door because they were busy executing their parents¡¯ will brought by the pet. Immediately, the small-eyed man gazed at him intently and calmed the burly man. He said this will could be of utmost importance, and he wanted to ask about it in detail.

    The small-eyed man pretended it was for their investigation. This time, he produced a bunch of official papers mostly issued by the Investigation Bureau of the Beast Tamers Association. Galen painfully read through all of them and discovered with growing dread and disgust that they were accusing his parents of heinous crimes.

    As soon as Lyra told him that Artem was done, Galen stopped reading and allowed them to enter. It wasn¡¯t difficult to act as if he was weak and devastated by the news. This capitulation was followed by two days of interrogations during which the inspectors kept the twins separated, interrupting their rest randomly for another round of questioning, hoping the boys would then give something away. However, it was all in vain: the inspectors learned nothing of the Phoenix, and the twins insisted that the Immaculate Twilight Plover disappeared on its own.

    The inspectors also examined the two fairies in detail despite the boys¡¯ protests, only to discover that these were really common pets, the lowest possible rank. The inspectors were still suspicious, but only the CSI could break a contract, and if it wasn¡¯t broken after these two days of forced separation and rough examinations, they couldn¡¯t do much more about it.

    Galen and Artem were very grateful to Lyra. They were delighted that their CSI could use telepathy. This allowed them to keep their story straight, but most importantly, this allowed them to keep feeling connected to each other. Without her, the inspectors¡¯ strategy would have been extremely effective since the twins had never been separated.

    This separation was made even more cruel by confiscating their young pets. The first days were the most important for developing intimacy with a pet, but the fairies had to endure cold examinations for hours. Only Lyra¡¯s reassurances that the fairies were fine could assuage the twins'' worries. The boys didn¡¯t suspect her of lying about the fairies.

    In the end, the inspectors had no choice but to release the twins since they were minors, and Galen and Artem had to be in school, especially now that they had awakened. Official papers were shown to them. The twins were to be sent to the school dorm of Dascalos High School while their house was sealed to be searched in more depth.

    However, no matter how or who they asked, they were told nothing about Melia. The boys could only hope nothing bad happened to her and worry about what the old housekeeper could have told the inspectors.

 Chapter 3 - A time for rewards and choices [Edited]

    The twins kept silent during the whole transfer process. Along the way, the school dean and the dorm manager of Dascalos High School told Artem and Galen a lot of information about the duties and the new courses for third-year students. Then, the dorm manager led them to the storeroom to give the twins their books and the connected bracelets all awaken third-year students had to wear in school.

    These bracelets had a lot of functions though they only worked in the limitations of the inner and private network of the school. They were used to give each student their schedule, record their performances and credits, book training halls, act as a key to their dorm room, and send brief messages.

    The school dean tried to get the twins to talk to him, but Galen and Artem stayed impassive. The two men exchanged awkward looks until the manager whispered to the dean that the twins had to be heavily affected by the events in their Family. The school dean pursed his lips but didn¡¯t insist.

    The boys¡¯ fairies fluttered around them, glad to be with them but restless. The twins didn¡¯t dare to comfort them yet except with small gestures because they wanted to keep their guard up. Galen and Artem weren¡¯t stupid: they suspected that this order to live in the school dorm was a way to keep them under surveillance. They couldn¡¯t explain otherwise the dean¡¯s presence and his attempts at small talk.

    Finally, the two men left them alone in a cramped room with a bunk bed, a narrow wardrobe, two small desks, and two uncomfortable chairs. There was a bathroom next door, but they had to share it with the residents of another room.

    The twins unpacked their baggage to hang their uniforms and some personal clothes in the wardrobe. They had also brought Artem¡¯s weaponry and Galen¡¯s pharmaceutical equipment, at least those that got the Beast Tamers Association''s approval. These took up a lot of space. By the time the twins finished organizing their belongings, it was already late afternoon. The next day was a Sunday, so they would have time to get used to this new environment before starting their classes.

    ¡°My turn, boys!¡± Lyra startled the twins by speaking suddenly, after staying quiet since they got to the school. ¡°These assholes interrupted my awesome rewards from your first achievement, and you still have a lot of choices to make! There is no way I¡¯m willing to wait anymore!¡±

    The twins could communicate with their CSI without speaking aloud, but if they did so, they couldn¡¯t hear each other voices. Nevertheless, Galen answered in his mind that the priority was to check the room for listening devices, even if he admitted they had to learn more about Lyra and their fairies.

    ¡°You! Do you realize your fairies are suffering from neglect?¡± Lyra scolded him.

    ¡°You told us they were fine!¡± Galen frowned and called his fairy to his hand to examine her while Artem was doing the same. Galen still felt uncomfortable with his pet, but the youth didn¡¯t show it.

    ¡°I might have glossed over the truth to keep you from worrying,¡± Lyra replied in an evasive tone.

    Galen wasn¡¯t one to ignore the well-being of someone under his care. While Galen was asking Lyra about the fairies¡¯ health, Artem searched the room. His Fire Fairy soon understood what he was doing, and she clumsily helped him check the place.

    Before the discussion between Galen and Lyra could become an argument, Artem quietly announced, ¡°We found nothing, but that doesn¡¯t mean that the place is completely safe. Moreover, our connected bracelets have likely been tampered with. Let¡¯s be cautious without being too obvious about it.¡± The twins had carefully checked their personal belongings, they were confident that nothing was wrong with them. But Artem wasn¡¯t familiar enough with the connected bracelet to notice anything amiss.

    Once Lyra had transferred his warning to Galen, Artem said aloud, ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Give your fairies a name!¡± Lyra immediately said with great enthusiasm. ¡°Do you want my help? As a free bonus, I can give you three choices!¡±

    ¡°Give names to the fairies?¡± Galen repeated, wondering what this had to do with their pets¡¯ health.

    ¡°Why?¡± Artem asked curiously. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mom always just give her pets some nicknames like Snaky, Whitey or Little Flame?¡±

    ¡°Tell me you are joking! A name will help deepen your bond and allow the fairies to grow their own personality. Don¡¯t be casual about it! Your mother should have given her pets real names, she just didn¡¯t tell you¡­ Didn¡¯t she name her Immaculate Twilight Plover ''Caladrius Bird''?¡±

    ¡°I doubt that. I¡¯m sure for Mom, it was only another nickname,¡± Galen answered. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not a real name, is it?¡±

    Artem added his input after Lyra relayed Galen¡¯s answer, ¡°I don¡¯t know about his other pets, but Dad¡¯s lion was called Regulus, so maybe all their pets had names.¡±

    Galen shrugged to show he didn¡¯t know either before saying aloud, ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°So, you want my three choices? Hmm, well," Lyra paused, hesitating to trust the twins'' naming sense. "Please ignore the first proposition since I prepared it as a joke. Here are your choices. First, Hikari and Hikaru; second, Elin and Ayden; third, Lucia and Ember.¡±

    ¡°Hikari and Hikaru?¡± Artem repeated with a teasing smile.

    ¡°Well, it is fitting. Doesn¡¯t it mean light and fire in Japanese?¡± Galen played along.

    ¡°No, no! It is as bad as naming twins John and Johnny! Don¡¯t be dumb, please! Moreover, both mean light.¡±

    ¡°Both mean light?¡± Artem thought to Lyra to go on with his teasing. ¡°You made a mistake?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! It was on purpose! Use Hanabi or Homura instead of Hikari, if you want to go with the Japanese pair.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Japanese names are fitting for fairies,¡± Galen commented aloud with a small smile. ¡°Maybe we should stay simple like Mom and call them Light-Light and Fire-Fire.¡±

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t do that, please! I got a lot more fitting names!¡±

    Artem softly chuckled as the CSI rattled off names. He didn¡¯t know if it was Lyra¡¯s real character, but he suspected that she was trying to cheer them up. So Artem went along with her initial proposition. ¡°I like Ayden for my little Fire Fairy.¡±

    Hearing that, Galen hesitated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly!¡± Lyra chided Galen in a playful, yet stern tone. ¡°Which one do you like?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t your choices going by pairs?¡± Galen explained his concerns.

    ¡°You insufferable twins, always sacrificing for the other one,¡± Lyra complained dramatically. The CSI had had the time to learn more about the twins during their captivity, so she knew how close they were to each other. Lyra admired their close relationship, but she wouldn¡¯t let it become their shackles. ¡°Just honestly tell us which one you like. I told you that names were important to the pets, but this isn''t one of my fundamental choices. I just made the three choices for fun.¡±

    ¡°I like Lucia for my little Light Fairy,¡± the older boy finally said softly.

    ¡°Ask your fairies what they think. They are still juvenile, and their growth was stunted by these assholes¡¯ examinations¡ªwhich looked more like experimentation¡±, Lyra added in a sour tone, ¡°but they should understand you.¡±

    As the boys asked them about their opinions, the fairies'' answer was to fly around their heads happily.

    ¡°You rushed me for everything before, so I want to do things right this time. Your fairies deserve it. Let¡¯s do one of you first before taking care of the other.¡±

    After a quick look between the twins, Galen informed Lyra that he was going first. His Light Fairy went to stand on his hand at his demand. The little creature was around 30 cm tall, and at first glance, she looked like a miniature ten-year-old girl clothed in a simple beige linen dress without sleeves. Her pale skin was as bright as her opal gem. She had fair, straight hairs falling over her shoulders and slightly hiding small pointed ears. If one were to take a closer look, one would notice that some of her hairs were very thin and delicate feathers. Her big golden eyes ¨C almost too big for her small face ¨C were looking at Galen without blinking. Her eyes appeared to glow with a strange light, giving her features a kind of otherness, making it impossible to mistake her for a human child even if she had been as tall as one. She had two delicate, transparent dragonfly wings on her back, which seemed to be made of light.

    Lyra used her control over the system to send some energy into the Light Fairy. Blue lines of code appeared on Galen¡¯s palm before disappearing into the pet. Thus, Lyra officially added the new name to the pet status. ¡°I present to you Lucia, a common Light Fairy. Her innate skill is the common skill [small heal]. This pet is agile but fragile. The Light Fairy is usually raised to act as a healer or a support.¡±

    Galen raised an eyebrow at Lyra¡¯s mechanical tone. But seeing Lucia smiling up at him, he didn¡¯t comment and smiled back at his pet. He felt like his bond with his fairy had deepened. Galen didn¡¯t know if everything Lyra said was right, but he was glad to have named his fairy.

    ¡°As a reward for having contracted Lucia as your first pet, you can choose one of the following rare skills to teach her.¡± Lyra went on with what she thought was a proper voice for a system. ¡°Be warned that the skills you won¡¯t choose won¡¯t appear again as a reward. Here are your choices. First, the support skill [light speed]: it can enhance the speed of the target. Second, the defensive skill [light shield]: it can block incoming damage. Third, the offensive skill [light ray]: it can damage the target from afar.¡±

    It had always been agreed that Galen would follow their mother¡¯s path, while Artem would follow their father¡¯s. But things were different now so Galen hesitated to choose the skill [light speed] to confirm Lucia¡¯s role as a support pet. As he was looking for ways to help him make his choice, he suddenly realized that he was missing an important piece of information. ¡°Lyra, you never told me what was my beast-tamer talent. How can I decide a path for Lucia without knowing what I can do?¡±

    ¡°Finally!¡± Lyra exclaimed. Galen took so long to ask about it, that Lyra wanted to complain. But she had to play her role seriously. She answered in her system voice, ¡°Your beast-tamer talent is [Insight]. In its first grade, it can help you infer what is wrong or important in what you observe.¡±

    It looked like a fitting talent for the support path. Galen thought about it seriously, before he decided to seek further information and advice from Lyra. The twins had been living with beast tamers so they had some common knowledge. However, their parents had never taught them anything officially or methodically because they had focused on other parts of their training when they were home. Moreover, having missed a whole week of lessons at school, the twins'' basic knowledge was even more so lacking.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I appreciate you taking your time to think over your choice. That¡¯s the main reason I built my system like this. For now, I¡¯ll only go over the basics.¡±

    Artem put his head on his brother¡¯s shoulder while his Fire Fairy curled up on his right shoulder so that she could touch her gem. On Galen¡¯s other side, Lucia imitated Ayden and sat on Galen¡¯s left shoulder while touching her gem. Artem was ready to listen to Lyra¡¯s explanation. He had already guessed that Galen was also asking her to help him when it was his turn.

    ¡°The beast tamers and the pets depend on each other, and this relationship can only exist thanks to the CSI, who creates and holds the contract between them. To explain the necessity of the contract, let me remind you that only beasts can cultivate and use the spiritual power present all around us. No matter how they tried, humans have never been able to use this power.

    So one of the purposes of the CSI is to get the spiritual energy from the tamed beast and transform it into a form of energy usable by humans. This processed power is called chi. Without chi, humans can¡¯t awaken nor fuel their beast-tamers talent. In exchange for sharing their spiritual energy, the pets get to awaken their mind and develop their intelligence, which allows them to learn more skills. Humans must also help them grow and evolve by stimulating and teaching them.

    The other purpose of the CSI is to ensure that no humans use their pets as battery tools without respecting their part of the contract.¡±

    The two boys stayed quiet as Lyra paused to let them assimilate what she just said. The twins had never realized that the humans and the pets were using different energies. Artem recalled that Lyra had needed the pets¡¯ energy to activate any features in the inner world.

    ¡°Of course, I also need energy. Let¡¯s not speak about the complicated details now: there are solid reasons why the carved spirit stones are rare and difficult to produce. To keep things simple, the pet unconsciously sends around 10% of its spiritual energy through the gem to me each time it cultivates. Then, I keep a small part to fuel my daily functions and convert the rest before sending it to you. Oh, by the way, I haven¡¯t converted any energy yet for you. To spare your fairies, I closed the channel between your pets and me to the bare minimum.¡±

    The twins instantly felt grateful toward Lyra. She had done so much for them without saying anything. This made the twins want to treat Lyra as a trusted member of their Family. She would make a great older sister.

    Galen took a deep breath before going on. He didn¡¯t want to try Lyra¡¯s patience, but he needed to be sure of everything. ¡°If I remember correctly, there are six grades distinguished by names and colors. These are used indifferently to evaluate the ranks of the beasts, the beasts¡¯ skills, the CSI, and the beast-tamer talents. From the lowest, there is common represented by the color white, then the green notable, the blue rare, the purple epic, the black legendary and the golden mythic.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and what of it?¡±

    ¡°Your CSI¡¯s power shines blue, so it must be of the rare grade.¡±

    The boys didn¡¯t mention that they remembered seeing it shining in a golden light before being divided. They were grateful enough to be able to both be beast tamers without complaining about the grade of their CSI and beast-tamer talents.

    ¡°The skills offered are rare too.¡± After a short pause, Galen added silently, ¡°I just wanted to clarify things and evaluate how difficult it would be to find another way to learn the skills I wouldn¡¯t choose.¡±

    Galen fell silent again, pondering over his choices. The inspectors had thought of separating the twins once. Their enemies would surely try to do it again. All their life, the boys had thought that they would act as a team, and they trained in this direction as their parents had, but reality had just shown them that this kind of strategy also had its weaknesses.

    ¡°Say, Artem, a shield is also a weapon, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Artem lifted his head from his brother¡¯s shoulder to look at him scornfully. ¡°Of course, it is a weapon! Only fools would think otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Bro, it looks like you¡¯ll have to teach Lucia and me how to use the shield as a weapon.¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself. Don¡¯t complain when I wake you up tomorrow morning,¡± Artem commented in a deadpan tone.

    ¡°Lucia, do you agree to learn the skill [light shield]? I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to learn how to use it both in defensive and offensive ways.¡±

    Versatility ¨C that was the path that Galen chose for his pet. Lucia smiled and nodded at him. The Light Fairy didn¡¯t understand what this skill was, but she trusted her beast tamer. Lyra also smiled, content to see Galen make good use of the choices she offered him.

    ¡°The manual for the skill [light shield] will stay accessible in the system until your pet achieves to learn it. Now, let¡¯s take care of your brother. I can¡¯t wait to know what he¡¯ll choose!¡±

    Without saying anything, Artem held out his hand, and his Fire Fairy went to stand on it. Like Lucia, she was around 30 cm tall and looked like a miniature ten-year-old girl clothed in a simple brown linen dress without sleeves. But her warm skin had an orange undertone, and she had curly hair falling wildly around her face in such a way that only the pointed furry parts of her ears were visible. Her hair and her eyes were as red as her carnelian. Artem could see some dark brown freckles on her round, adorable face. This should have made the fairy look as innocent as a human child, but her eyes had a strange glint, which could make one uncomfortable. She had two thin cicada wings on her back, which seemed to be made of fickle fire, creating ever-changing line patterns with its wings¡¯ veins.

    Lyra did the same manipulation to send some energy into the Fire Fairy and officially added the new name to the pet status. ¡°I present to you Ayden, a common Fire Fairy. Her innate skill is the common skill [spark]. This pet is agile but fragile. The Fire Fairy is usually raised to act as a ranged damage dealer or a support.¡±

    Like his brother, Artem didn¡¯t comment on Lyra¡¯s mechanical tone. He looked down at Ayden, as she happily jumped around on his hand. The little fairy obviously had a different character from Lucia. Acting impulsively, Artem pointed at Galen with his finger and said to Ayden, ¡°This is my big brother Galen. We have to protect him because he is a bad fighter.¡± Ayden seriously nodded, which looked funny with her adorable face. Artem went on with his introduction, ¡°And this is his pet Lucia. From now on, you are sisters. Since she is my older brother¡¯s pet, she¡¯ll also be an older sister to you.¡±

    Instead of mocking Artem and Ayden, Galen responded with a serious tone. ¡°Nice to meet you Ayden, I¡¯ll be in your care. As the big sister and big brother, Lucia and I¡¯ll take care of you, so that you can fight without reservations.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you both cute? But you won¡¯t derail me from my purpose, Artem.¡± Lyra switched to her proper system voice to go on. ¡°As a reward for having contracted Ayden as your first pet, you can choose one of the following rare skills to teach her. Be warned that the skills you won¡¯t choose won¡¯t appear again as a reward. Here are your choices. First, the support skill [heat detection]: it can find targets using their heat. Second, the offensive skill [fire arrow]: it can damage the target from afar. Third, the support skill [fire enchantment]: it can add fire damage to a weapon.¡±

    Artem knew the skill [spark] was an attack so weak that it was almost useless. The youth¡¯s defined role was to deal damage, as it had always been understood that he would become a Beast Warrior ¨C one of the beast fighters whose mission was to deal with the Abyss monsters. So Artem could choose to let Ayden deal damage directly by teaching her the skill [fire arrow], which was a decent offensive skill, or by getting stronger himself by having the fairy strengthen his weapon with the skill [fire enchantment]. This second option would lead her to the path of a support pet.

    Feeling his brother¡¯s gaze on him, Artem stopped thinking about his choice. He suddenly realized what Galen was trying to tell him. ¡°Lyra, what is my beast-tamer talent?¡±

    ¡°Your beast-tamer talent is [Fusion]. In its first grade, it can allow you to share one of your pet¡¯s stats or skills for a short time.¡± Lyra answered with a small shake of her head. How could they forget to ask about their talent? Weren¡¯t they supposed to be excited about their new power? The twins were so calm about it, it was almost disappointing.

    Artem wondered if his talent changed anything. Maybe he wasn¡¯t looking at things from the right angle. The trick was that he might never again get the chance to learn these skills. From this point of view, [fire arrow] was a rare skill for its power, but since most fire pets learned it, it wasn¡¯t so difficult to find it again later. Moreover, following his father¡¯s teaching, Artem felt that Ayden should first seriously develop her skill [spark], as any fighter should first master his basic skills. It was a mistake to try to learn a more powerful offensive skill without first learning to use the weaker one.

    So Artem went back to consider the two support skills. Using the same logic, it might be more clever to choose [heat detection] as he had never heard of this skill.

    ¡°Galen, do you know about the skill [heat detection]?¡± Artem wanted to confirm his idea. ¡°I don¡¯t remember any of Dad¡¯s pets having it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it either.¡±

    Artem believed he found a clue to make his choice, though he admitted that being unknown didn¡¯t mean it was useful. The skill [fire enchantment] sounded like the safe choice, but his instinct was telling him to choose [heat detection]. Why?

    Then, it came back to him. Lyra had called him ¡°Artem the Hunter¡±, not ¡°Artem the Warrior¡±. The skill [heat detection] was obviously used to hunt or scout, a skill more in line with the mission of a Beast Ranger ¨C one of the beast fighters charged with scouting and special missions.

    Artem took some time to check his reasoning. He realized he was also reluctant to take the safe path because he didn¡¯t want to let Galen get the better of him by being the only one to develop in an unpredictable direction. That wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing: he would also find ways to exploit his pet¡¯s skills to the maximum.

    ¡°I choose the skill [heat detection],¡± Artem announced confidently.

    Lyra repeated her little spiel. She was glad to be these boys¡¯ CSI. Following their thought process was so interesting.

    Since their first achievement still had one last reward, she went back to work. She explained how the shuffle worked while promising that she wouldn¡¯t cheat in any way. She guaranteed that the result was random. At her current level, her hosts could only hear her. They couldn¡¯t see what she was doing so they could only trust her. She was eager for her next level-up since it would allow her to communicate through visuals with her hosts, and that was the way to her dear blue boxes!

    The boys activated the random shuffle once and obtained a new entry in the beast encyclopedia.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Galen asked doubtfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of my innate interface features! The encyclopedia is currently almost empty, but through the shuffle rewards or your hard work you can unlock new entries and see more details about a beast!¡±

    ¡°How is that useful? There are encyclopedias in any library.¡± Galen couldn¡¯t see any practical use for this feature.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look down on me! The higher-tier entries can help define the best training courses for a pet and give tips about the steps necessary to evolve your pet into a stronger and higher-ranked beast.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? If this reward is so awesome, which rewards can we get with the shuffle?¡± Galen insisted.

    ¡°You can get pieces of skills. With six pieces of the same skill, you can redeem it to learn it. You can also get pieces of a new feature for the inner word. You¡¯ll need ten of them to redeem it. Isn¡¯t it fun?¡±

    Galen and Artem looked at each other. They couldn¡¯t muster any enthusiasm for this shuffle thing.

    ¡°How can¡¯t you see the fun of this feature? Don¡¯t you know the thrill and excitement you can get from playing games of chance? And about the encyclopedia, don¡¯t you feel the urge to fill all the pages? To get all the entries? Imagine your satisfaction when you finally get the achievement: ¡®You have completed 100% of the encyclopedia¡¯!¡±

    ¡°How many entries do we have, and how did we get them?¡± Artem asked. He could maybe find some motivation if filling the pages was a challenge.

    ¡°With this reward, you have five basic entries. The Immaculate Twilight Plover, the Eternal Sky-Golden Phoenix egg, and the two fairies were already there. The new one is about the common Blue Crab.¡±

    Remembering that they had seen some pets during the day, Artem then understood that to get a new entry, the twins needed to have direct contact with the beast. Trying to fill the pages with the more powerful beasts might be interesting. Artem could see how inserting this challenge to touch new and different beasts daily in his training routine could help him further develop his reaction speed and instinct.

    The twins used their three remaining usages of the random shuffle and obtained one piece of the rare skill [illusion], one piece of the ¡°Research hall¡± feature, and the pet entry for the common Green Caterpillar. This pet was known for being one of the fastest pets to evolve, usually in a type of moth or butterfly.

    The boys talked a bit more about their gains with Lyra, but they soon called it a night. Artem and Galen didn¡¯t have the energy to go out to eat, so they all went to sleep.

 Chapter 4 - Meeting new and old classmates [Edited]

    The following morning, Galen was woken up by Lucia, who was patting his face. Following her pointing hand, he saw Artem doing push-ups in the small space between the bunk bed and the desks. Ayden was imitating him, but it was funny because the fairy was weak and couldn¡¯t do push-ups without using her wings, making the exercise useless to fortify her arm muscles.

    Galen held back a chuckle. Bit by bit, he was getting used to the fairies¡¯ otherness. Seeing them acting cute and clumsy helped a lot. The fairies were their first pets. He should cherish them no matter what.

    Thinking of his beast-tamer duties, Galen greeted Lyra and asked her about the Phoenix¡¯s egg and the Caladrius Bird. The twins¡¯ inner world "Warehouse" was of the lowest tier, so it didn¡¯t have options such as metastasis. Galen and Artem needed to find a solution to properly care for the egg and the corpse or quickly improve as beast tamers. By leveling up, they could build new features like an incubator for the egg or upgrade the "Warehouse" so that time ran slower inside. However, leveling up would take time - time that Galen wasn¡¯t sure their enemies would give them.

    Galen knew that Artem had other exercises to do for his morning routine, so he picked up his pharmaceutical book. Galen believed this book might hold some key to decipher the message left by his mother in Melia¡¯s account book. As he was reading, Lucia sat down next to him to cultivate.

    However, Galen was feeling restless and couldn¡¯t concentrate as usual. The youth had already read this book several times while studying pharmacist¡¯s skills, so he couldn¡¯t muster any interest in the book now. Moreover, his attempt to convert the classification of the plants into numbers wasn''t working. His gaze went to Lucia.

    Cultivating was natural to beasts. It was their way to absorb spiritual power from the world to grow stronger. Accumulating spiritual energy through cultivation to form a core was also one of the requirements for the pet¡¯s evolution. This was what humans were physiologically unable to do. Galen noticed Lucia¡¯s wings fluttering regularly. Intrigued, he quietly observed her as he wondered how cultivating works.

    Galen lost any notion of time and only stirred when Artem told him to get ready to go for a run with him. His mind still on the data from his observations, Galen distractedly nodded and changed into his training suit.

    On the running track, the two teenagers and their fairies did their laps seriously. Galen was still carefully observing Lucia. The little fairies didn¡¯t have much stamina and often needed to take breaks on the boys¡¯ shoulders since the twins¡¯ pace was too much for them. This left Galen free to ponder on what he discovered. ¡°Artem, did you notice how Ayden uses her spiritual energy?¡±

    Galen theorized that Lucia cultivated through some sort of meditation during which the spiritual energy seemed to circulate through her body in rhythm with the small movements of her wings. When she was flying, the light from her wings seemed to fluctuate.

    After a while, Artem gave his opinion. He was as serious as Galen about his duty toward his pet, so he had also been taking notice of her. ¡°The spiritual energy seems to pass through the wings. It looks like a flux. When Ayden is low on energy, her wings are more transparent, like they are weaker.¡±

    ¡°As I thought. Then, wouldn¡¯t Lucia and Ayden better manage their energy and stamina when flying if they try to regulate this flux consciously like when they cultivate?¡±

    Galen had his idea, but he wanted Artem¡¯s input. Artem carefully considered the idea before suggesting teaching the fairies how to better circulate and regulate their energy by modifying a breathing method. It took several tries to make them regard their wings as some sort of lungs. Ayden got it first, but both fairies finally flew a whole lap without stopping, thanks to the breathing method. The four of them were very happy about that, and the boys were thinking of a way to reward their fairies when they were interrupted.

    ¡°Boys, we have a bitch alert!¡± Lyra had kept quiet all this time, content to look over the boys and their pets to see how they grew together. She was displeased to see a girl with obvious bad intentions come over.

    This teenager was trying very hard to give herself a mature look with her modified uniform and make-up. She had a rare Gray Stone Wallaroo by her side, and she couldn¡¯t hide her disdain as she looked at the fairies. ¡°Galen, Artem, I¡¯m surprised to see you at school. You won¡¯t believe all the nasty rumors going around about you!¡±

    ¡°No need to take a big breath to tell us,¡± Artem rudely cut her in a deadpan tone as he vaguely recognized the girl as someone he didn¡¯t like. ¡°We aren¡¯t interested in gossip, and unlike you, we have better things to do.¡±

    ¡°You should change the tone you use to speak to others, Artem!¡± the girl answered while clenching her fists. She thought the twins would be more humble in their situation and eager to tighten their relationship with her as she had a rare pet, but they didn¡¯t know what was good for them. ¡°You aren¡¯t the school''s pride anymore, and people won¡¯t tolerate your arrogant demeanor!¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that they¡¯ll be willing to fight me?¡± The boy sounded a little eager.

    ¡°Are you looking for a beating?¡± The girl threw a meaningful gaze at the fairies. The common pets looked back at her fixedly. As she noticed their eerie gaze, she became uncomfortable and disgusted. Frustrated, she added, ¡°You might be a good fighter, but fights involve pets now. What do you expect to do with such a weakling as your pet?¡±

    ¡°Want to be the first one to find out?¡± Artem threw back at her.

    ¡°What? And be accused of bullying the weak?¡± The girl flung her hands around as she spoke, showing off the thin gray labradorite ring on her index finger ¨C surely the gem linking her to her rare pet. ¡°No thanks! You just wait, you will get what you deserve.¡±

    The girl haughtily looked at the twins before leaving.

    ¡°What kind of crazy show did this bitch put on?¡± a bewildered Lyra asked. ¡°What was even her purpose?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. I think she¡¯s still hurt that you rejected her despite her repeated confessions. How many times did you have to tell her no?¡±

    Galen¡¯s voice was loud enough for the girl to hear him as she walked away. Remembering this was how he knew this girl, Artem went with his brother¡¯s intention. He had seen the girl¡¯s contempt for Ayden and Lucia and didn¡¯t mind hurting her feelings. ¡°I don¡¯t remember such useless things. I don¡¯t even know her name.¡±

    Lyra laughed when she heard the twins. She knew they were childish and petty, but the girl deserved it. Because the twins didn¡¯t mind the fairies¡¯ strange look and their rumored weakness, Lyra was confident that the boys would raise Lucia and Ayden to become strong pets. Let this haughty girl be scornful then.

    They soon forgot about this incident and went to a training hall to begin training and experimenting with the fairies¡¯ skills. Despite Artem¡¯s protest, Galen used a knife to cut his hand to let Lucia use [small heal].

    Artem slapped him behind the head. ¡°At least, don¡¯t cut your hand. How will you defend yourself if you can¡¯t hold a weapon?¡±

    ¡°I trust Lucia! My little fairy will heal me.¡±

    Shaking his head, Artem still waited next to his brother, anxious to see him healed. Lucia raised her hands in front of her. Soon, some warm light energy gathered between her hands, and Lucia guided it to touch Galen¡¯s cut. The wound healed slowly. In the end, only a scar was left.

    Reassured, Artem went to the dummies to let Ayden try her [spark] on them while Galen pondered about Lucia¡¯s skill. Galen had several ideas to let her train her proficiency. First, the cut was only on a small part of his hand, but the light energy touched his whole hand, wasting a lot of energy. By concentrating the skill on a smaller surface to only touch the wound, Lucia might save her energy and be more efficient. Second, Galen thought he should teach his fairy some anatomy and healing knowledge. This could allow the fairy to develop her mind and intelligence, but it should also be a way to improve her control. A broken bone or a cut should be treated differently.

    However, Lucia should practice a few more times to get used to her skill first. Galen would give her advice and training tips later.

    On his side, Artem was experimenting with Ayden¡¯s [spark]. As expected, it didn¡¯t have much attack power, but it had some burst power. The boy wished to increase this aspect, hoping the skill could gain some explosive characteristics. Another interesting fact was that Ayden could create a [spark] from afar. She didn¡¯t need to throw it at her target. When she used the skill, the fire energy gathered where she wished before creating a small fire burst. If the target was flammable, it could catch fire. Of course, if Ayden got closer, the fire damage would be more severe. However, it was a weak attack, so Artem judged it was better to develop the skill''s burst power and accuracy. Artem wanted Ayden to learn the skill set of a sharpshooter as he still planned to get his hands on the [fire arrow] skill later. He also noted the need to train Ayden to detonate the skill as fast as possible to limit dodges or counters.

    The twins ordered the fairies to use their skill until they had no more energy before letting them cultivate to renew their reserve. They did this cycle several times, allowing the fairies to enhance their spiritual pool bit by bit as they had witnessed their parents do with their pets. While the fairies were cultivating, the teenagers did some weapon training, and Artem began to teach Galen how to use a shield. The four of them trained seriously.

    The boys¡¯ minds were full of ideas for their pets¡¯ development. Artem believed that [spark] was a versatile skill Ayden could use to distract enemies with its light and sound effects, even in its weaker form. He hoped to develop its explosive aspect for more power and damage by concentrating and charging the spiritual energy before detonating it. As for Galen, he intended to observe Lucia using [small heal] through his talent later when he would have enough chi. He expected that by combining [Insight] with her skill, they could gain a lot of efficiency.

    As for the two new rare skills, they asked Lyra why she didn¡¯t code it in the fairies like their name. The CSI answered that by learning by themselves, the fairies could develop their intelligence, and the skill would be more powerful because it would be truly theirs. So, after some discussion, the twins decided not to go too fast. They should let the fairies master their innate skill before teaching them the rare ones.

    Their first training session allowed them to gain a lot, and they returned to their room happily.

    ***

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    On Monday, the twins and the fairies got up to prepare themselves for their first day of school. Their connected bracelet informed them that they needed to present themselves for the first class period. They expected trouble, but they didn¡¯t expect to find it as soon as they tried to use the bathroom in the morning.

    Their neighbors were in front of the bathroom. They were two boys that the twins didn¡¯t know. One of them had a notable Air Butterfly as tall as their fairies flying behind him, and he was looking at the twins with doubt and wariness.

    The common Green Caterpillar evolved fast, but this butterfly couldn¡¯t have evolved in a week, so the notable Air Butterfly was the pet the boy directly contracted from the egg. It was only possible with Ceremonial Rebirth eggs. These eggs were usually not advised for new beast tamers as the pets obtained were tougher to raise and control. A pet went through the Rebirth ceremony when it had been deadly injured, and its egg only went on the market if its contract with its first beast tamer had been broken. So most of the time, the Rebirth pet had some deep traumas. But maybe the boy had no choice.

    The other boy had a rare Thunder Ship Rat sitting on his shoulder. He had messy blond hair and a narrow face. His ametrine nose ring was quite noticeable as if the boy was showing off his contract to a rare pet.

    This young beast tamer smiled nastily at the twins. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in prison to pay for your parents¡¯ crimes?¡± The boy sent a disgusted glance at the two fairies. ¡°Wait, is it that you have no shame at all? I¡¯d rather pretend to be a ¡®mundane¡¯ than strut around with the lowest of pets like you¡¯re doing!¡±

    When Galen and Artem ended school last term, they had the status of school princes as they were talented, handsome boys from a high Family. Now, with all the bad rumors circulating about their parents and the low rank of their fairies, they were seen with contempt. However, being called a ¡°mundane¡± as if they hadn''t awakened was the least of their worries. While the girl from the day before had been right about their reputation, the false accusations against their parents hurt the boys each time they heard them.

    Their father was accused of killing off soldiers he didn¡¯t like while pretending to send them to attack Abyss monsters. The families of more than a hundred deceased soldiers had filed a complaint, and the case was being investigated by the Investigation Bureau of the Beast Tamers Association and the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Xander Eos had always been seen as a war hero and an excellent general. Many teenagers had looked up to him and used him as a model. These accusations were destroying his reputation, making him look like a petty, corrupted politician with no honor and humaneness.

    As for their mother, it was even more wicked. Tana Eos was accused of creating and propagating diseases to make money when helpless people came to ask her to cure them, while the ones who couldn¡¯t pay were left to die. From a benevolent figure working for the Triad, she was now seen as a greedy and dishonest scientist abusing the people¡¯s trust and ignorance. There were no official complaints, but an anonymous denunciation building some of its cases on the fact that the Caladrius Bird was a mysterious pet with unknown and dangerous powers. It was true that the Immaculate Twilight Plover had healing skills specialized toward illness ¨C which was why it was nicknamed the Caladrius Bird ¨C but their mother had surely never thought that this name would have led to the charge of the pet spreading diseases. Moreover, these accusations had been used to freeze the Eos Family assets, under the cover of investigating the origin of all their money. This left the twins without any means to pay for their daily lives, without even speaking about the money needed for evolution materials.

    Their parents had already paid for the high school tuition. However, they hadn¡¯t planned to let the boys stay at the dorm, so the expenses for their food and their lodging hadn¡¯t been provided. When the boys asked the school if they could get a scholarship, the school rejected their request, stating that the twins didn¡¯t correspond to their criteria as the main purpose of the scholarship was to finance the carved spirit stone for poor students. Galen wasn¡¯t sure it was the right move, but he still asked about their carved spirit stones that the school should have put in the vault. After all, they were expensive, and pawning them to the school could be a way to pay for their expenses.

    With a fake smile, the dean said he would have gladly accepted if the Investigation Bureau hadn¡¯t already seized these carved spirit stones. The twins couldn¡¯t understand what these stones had to do with the investigation, but they were powerless before these official answers.

    So the Beast Tamers Association pretended to be kind enough to lend the money needed. After all, since the twins were beast tamers, they had to register at the Association later during their school year. However, they explained that the Association was short on money, and they gave the boys four months to pay them back. The news that the twins were poor and indebted spread as fast as the rumors about their parents and worsened their reputation.

    There was only one beast-tamer class among all the third-year classes in Dascalos High School. There were more than three hundred third-year students, but among them, only around one hundred could afford to try for the Awakening ceremony. Nevertheless, doing the ceremony didn¡¯t guarantee that the teenager would become a beast tamer. Only thirty-two of them were judged by the carved spirit stones to have a high enough compatibility and obtained a CSI at the end of the process. These students knew they were the chosen ones. They understood that being recognized by a CSI opened a path full of honor and wealth to them, like the 15% of the population who could become beast tamers. They couldn¡¯t help becoming arrogant.

    The boy in front of the twins was the perfect example of that. Because he became a beast tamer, because his parents were lucky enough or rich enough to get him a rare pet, he was throwing his weight around. Galen and Artem chose to stay silent. As long as they couldn¡¯t prove their parents¡¯ innocence, defending them would only lead to more conflicts.

    This left the boy unsatisfied. He had always been jealous of the Eos twins. He wanted to see their misery, he wanted to push them down. ¡°Go back to your room and wait for me to finish before going out again. Your sight is polluting my view.¡±

    ¡°On what basis should we listen to you?¡± Galen didn¡¯t like conflicts, but he wouldn¡¯t let himself be bullied.

    This enraged the boy. How could this trashy son of a rotten Family dare to contradict him? ¡°Do you think you still hold the same status as before? Let¡¯s not even debate about your despicable background. You¡¯ll listen to me because I¡¯m stronger than you, and you have fallen to the bottom!¡±

    ¡°What an interesting way to see things,¡± Artem took over, as was his duty when things leaned toward physical disputes. ¡°Your pet is stronger than my fairy, I won¡¯t argue about that for now. But you are the one using the bathroom, not your pet. And be it now or before, I can still punch you to oblivion.¡±

    Artem wasn¡¯t boasting about his strength. Throughout his school years, he had always been ranked first in all physical activities, be it sports competition or combat training. He had no memory of this teenager ever participating in these. However, before a fight could start, the boy with the butterfly turned around and left.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± the jealous boy frowned and asked, unwilling to be alone to face the twins.

    ¡°Fights are forbidden. I¡¯m here to learn about being a beast tamer, not to get in childish and stupid fights.¡± The boy didn¡¯t stop walking while answering his roommate.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even use the bathroom!¡±

    ¡°There are bathrooms in the training halls.¡± The other boy soon turned at the end of the corridor with his butterfly flying after him, and he disappeared from view.

    Galen glanced at his brother, who immediately got his meaning. Artem stepped back and followed Galen as they also left for one of the other bathrooms. They ignored the other boy as he called them cowards.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like the loud-mouthed bastard, but your other neighbor is alright. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the bastard only has a notable CSI, so his talent shouldn¡¯t be high either. Even if his pet is a rare one, if he isn¡¯t strong himself, you have a chance against him.¡±

    The twins silently acknowledged Lyra¡¯s information. They didn¡¯t wish to fight with their neighbor, but Artem and Galen knew they should still prepare for it.

    ***

    When Galen and Artem got to the beast-tamer classroom for the homeroom class, a heavy silence fell upon the room, and everyone looked at them. The more noticeable gaze was full of hate. Looking over, the twins recognized a girl whose father was a soldier who died fighting Abyss monsters. Her name was Cecelia Caputo, and she had always been friendly to them and respectful toward their father. She obviously believed the rumors and was holding a grudge against the Eos Family.

    Under her hateful gaze, Artem wanted to hold his brother¡¯s hand to share some comfort. Aware that such a gesture wouldn¡¯t be well received, he restrained himself, but someone noticed his small movement and commented on it in a nasty voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t restrain yourself because of us.¡± The boy who spoke was Amir from the Jamra Family. It was a prominent Family with Egyptian roots, mostly dealing with earth and fire pets. ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad your parents are dead? You can now live your love story in peace. We¡¯re used to your disgusting brotherly love, and there are already so much bad rumors about you. What¡¯s another one?¡±

    The twins had always had a bad relationship with Amir. The boy seemed to hate the Eos Family, and when the twins asked their parents about it, they were told it was a silly old misunderstanding with the Jamra Family. The twins didn¡¯t completely believe their parents.

    Artem and Galen didn¡¯t answer the boy¡¯s provocation. Amir was a good fighter and had a rare Black Sand Fennec next to him. Fighting wasn¡¯t an option.

    ¡°Something feels off about this boy and his pet.¡± Lyra sounded quite serious. She had been kind of casual before, but now she was observing the boy and his pet in detail. It wasn¡¯t only because something was wrong with them, she also didn¡¯t like how he was making fun of the twins¡¯ relationship. Their closeness wasn¡¯t only due to them being twins, it was because they had spent too much time alone in their Family villa, with only an old servant to accompany them. While the twins weren¡¯t aware of it, Lyra knew it wasn¡¯t the right way to raise children. If their parents weren¡¯t dead, the CSI wouldn¡¯t have let the matter rest so easily.

    ¡°He has always felt off to us,¡± Galen answered Lyra. ¡°He is an old enemy. We¡¯ll explain it to you later.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you aren¡¯t answering today? Did you realize I was telling the truth yesterday? At least, you aren¡¯t so arrogant anymore!¡± the girl with the Gray Stone Wallaroo intervened. When she saw the twins looking at her, she added, ¡°Look at Larissa! She is a real daughter of a high Family, and she has never boasted about anything like you used to!¡±

    ¡°I think this bitch seriously needs to be checked for mental illness!¡± Was she auditioning for a villainess role? Lyra found the girl¡¯s behavior erratic at best and unnatural at worst.

    The twins were well acquainted with Larissa, the heiress of the Pagoni Family. However, it wasn¡¯t a high Family as the girl said. It was one of the smaller ones with Greek roots. If the girl had wanted to point out a real ¡°princess¡±, she should have called out Sarah of the Hut Family. But she didn¡¯t dare.

    The roots of the Hut Family were Arabian, and it had been the representative of all the Mashriq Families for several generations. This Family specialized in heavy water beasts, and the twins¡¯ parents suspected it to be the protector of the mythic Bahamut. The twins could see Sarah sitting further in the classroom with her mouth set in a scornful grin, playing with the lapis lazuli ring on her finger ¨C a clear sign that she contracted a rare water pet.

    ¡°I would rather you leave me out of this, Crystal,¡± Larissa said in a meek voice as she petted her Fern Heavenly Peacock.

    Seeing the epic pet, Galen understood that Crystal was trying to curry favor with Larissa, who seemed to be the only student in the classroom with an epic pet. So he decided to talk back, ¡°Larissa doesn¡¯t need to brag about anything. Aren¡¯t you doing it for her?¡±

    Crystal glared at Galen, aware that he made her look like she was Larissa¡¯s lackey.

    ¡°I¡¯m not one to side with the likes of Crystal, but you must admit that you aren¡¯t so strong anymore. Or is it that Artem felt so invincible that you both decided to choose a weak pet?¡±

    The boy who talked was Marcus Mazza, an old rival of Artem. He had broad shoulders, and his stern look was enhanced by the garnet ring piercing his right eyebrow. He was a gifted warrior from a military household and liked to challenge Artem. He was disappointed to see his usual fighting partner with a useless pet. Next to him was a rare Magma Tortoise.

    Before the twins could say anything, Amir lazily said as he leaned back on his chair, ¡°What are you talking about, Marcus? They are too busy playing puppets with their creepy little girls to think of anything else. It¡¯s quite normal for perverts, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The twins stoically withstood the disgusted glances sent their pet¡¯s way and the insulting laughs directed toward them. Even if the boy with the Air Butterfly hadn¡¯t reminded them of it, they knew that fights were forbidden and Amir was doing it on purpose. Under the protection of the mass, some other students added their own jibes at the twins.

    All the ruckus only stopped when the homeroom teacher entered the classroom.

 Chapter 5 - An unpleasant teacher [Edited]

    As the students went to sit at their desks, the twins stood at the front. Mr Carter ¨C a man in his late twenties with hard eyes and an intricate obsidian gem on his left ear ¨C was the homeroom teacher of the beast-tamer class. He was responsible for lessons like pet training and combat involving the pets. The teacher took his time to set his tablet on his desk before looking at the class without sparing a glance at the twins.

    ¡°As you know, we are adding two new beast tamers to our class today, putting our number to thirty-four. I won¡¯t waste my time introducing them to you, but we¡¯ll listen to them speak about their CSI, pets, and talents. Surely, since they have always been so outstanding, they¡¯ll amaze us again.¡±

    ¡°What kind of teacher is this?¡± Lyra blurted, despite suppressing her anger and frustration to keep her casual persona.

    Before the twins could react to Mr Carter''s sarcasm or Lyra''s question, the boy with the Thunder Ship Rat came in.

    ¡°Mr Miller, so glad to see you so soon! You didn¡¯t fancy being late today? Or are you finally getting some hold on your [Dash] talent?¡±

    ¡°Never mind, he''s just an asshole,¡± Lyra said airily, but she scowled at the man. She would keep an eye on this teacher, who sounded like a bully. No beast tamer getting chi only for a week could ¡°get a hold¡± on their talent so soon.

    The twins had been dubious about the teacher¡¯s demand, wondering if he was working with the dean to get more information out of them. However, it seemed normal for the students to share their beast tamer¡¯s information.

    As such, Galen spoke to the class, beginning with the obvious: their fairies. He kept things simple and quickly went on with the rank of their CSI, which indicated both the kind of features a beast tamer could gain access to and the upper limit of the beast-tamer talent.

    When a beast tamer first began to use chi, it was a weak form of energy glowing white. That was why everyone was typically at the common rank in the first few months. As the pet fueled the CSI, who in turn converted this energy to bring chi to the beast tamer, the rank of the talent would evolve. However, it rarely exceeded the rank of the CSI.

    Learning that the twins had a rare CSI provoked different reactions from their classmates. Some of them were upset, like the boy with the rat, confirming his own CSI was only at the notable rank. Others, like Amir, looked at the twins with a calculating face. Nevertheless, some did not react much and appeared disinterested, like Larissa, though Sarah looked more dismissive.

    As Galen spoke about their first feature, he followed Lyra¡¯s advice to say they both got the ¡°Skills Library¡± which gave them access to a few rare skills for their pets. This lie allowed the twins to hide that they had the "Warehouse" and deflected the supposition that the Phoenix egg was with them. As they were twins, nobody suspected anything, even though they had the same features. When Ayden and Lucia learned their new rare skills, it would enforce the truth of their claim.

    Galen ended with their beast-tamer talents. It made him uncomfortable to share it with the whole class. It was unfair because Mr Carter didn¡¯t make the rest of the class introduce their pets, CSI, and talents to them. They were missing a lot of information that could be essential for exams and competitions. Lyra comforted him by saying she would help them identify everyone''s talent and rank. Galen thanked her and made a mental note to ask Lyra later if every CSI could do it.

    Nevertheless, Galen decided to try to mislead people by withholding his talent¡¯s name. ¡°I got a talent enhancing my sight.¡±

    ¡°Pervert!¡± Amir spat from his seat. ¡°Girls, be careful he doesn¡¯t stalk you to look through your clothes!¡±

    Galen paused, waiting for the teacher to intervene since he had no intention of explaining his talent further, but Mr Carter only asked about Artem. Galen had always been a calm boy, but enduring everything was becoming difficult.

    Sensing his state, Artem took over and withheld some information too. ¡°My talent allows me to borrow briefly one of my pet¡¯s skills.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Show it to the classroom.¡±

    Artem had no choice but to admit they didn¡¯t have enough chi to use their talent. While most of their classmates threw them scornful glances or ironic smirks, the teacher finally looked at them.

    ¡°You expect me to believe that? What are you trying to hide?¡±

    Against his better judgment, Galen couldn¡¯t help answering, ¡°Don¡¯t you know already why we don¡¯t have enough chi? Is it that you missed some gossip or that you forgot how a CSI works?¡±

    Without waiting for the teacher¡¯s reaction, Galen went to one of the last free seats while trying to calm himself. Sensing his upset mood, Lucia fluttered around him. Artem followed him, but he ended up sitting on the other side of the room. The boy wondered if it was a coincidence.

    ¡°Boys, don¡¯t worry about your seats. I¡¯ll pass over your secret messages!¡±

    Artem hid his smile while ignoring the teacher¡¯s rant about their rude behavior. He suspected that Lyra was again trying to lift their mood. They were lucky that their CSI was such a nice girl.

    Being straightforward and stubborn, Artem didn¡¯t mind his classmates¡¯ scorn and the teacher¡¯s remarks. This was different from Cecelia¡¯s hatred - which affected his parents¡¯ and his Family¡¯s honor - because Artem was confident in his abilities to train and catch up to his classmates. He also firmly believed in his parents so he trusted Ayden and his father¡¯s martial arts. Artem would answer all the scorn with his fists later.

    But it went further. Marcus was right to think that Artem was a bit glad and excited that he was at a disadvantage. That way, the competitions would be real challenges for Artem. It had been years since he felt threatened, and he knew it was the best way to improve.

    However, Galen was different. He was a mindful type of guy, prone to overthinking. Listening to everything said to him, Galen couldn¡¯t help but have doubts. Since he didn¡¯t want to worry his brother, he confided in Lyra while Artem was far from him. Galen couldn¡¯t understand why his parents sent them common eggs ¨C especially fairy eggs. The fairies matched with the Eos Family¡¯s specialty of light and fire thanks to their spiritual element. However, as members of a high Family, their parents should have prepared eggs of the rare rank at least like the Hut, Jamra, and Pagoni Families did. It was expected of them.

    Galen felt bothered by this unexplained fact. Were there some hints in the fairies despite their bad reputation? Or was it the result of another kind of treason or trickery? Did something happen to the first eggs they should have gotten?

    ¡°Are you upset, Galen?¡± Lyra asked in a soft voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m more than upset! Didn¡¯t you hear all of them?¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not talking about them. You¡¯re talking about your parents.¡±

    Galen suddenly froze. Was he upset at his parents?

    ¡°Do you feel that they betrayed you? Or maybe that they abandoned you?¡±

    A turmoil rose in Galen. Lyra was right. Galen was angry at his parents and he felt guilty for such thoughts and feelings. He also felt burdened by the responsibility of deciphering the message left by them, but he was useless because he couldn¡¯t make any progress there. The jeers from his classmates affected him, enhancing his feeling of powerlessness. He was weak. Lucia was weak. He loved her despite her strangeness, no questions about that. But what could he do with her? What could they do? As his doubts were spiraling out of control, he heard Lyra.

    ¡°They did abandon you, so it¡¯s normal to feel angry and upset. Nothing¡¯s wrong with that.¡±

    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t!¡± Galen¡¯s answer to defend his parents rushed out of him.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the truth? They aren¡¯t with you anymore.¡±

    As Galen¡¯s mind began to work to contradict Lyra, he remembered his mother¡¯s letter. There were traitors: his parents knew that and made preparations. The letter was the proof of that. So Lucia was his mother¡¯s gift, the help she promised them. And if he still had doubts about that, whining wouldn¡¯t clear any of them. He should research precognition skills to understand better the kind of warnings given by his mother¡¯s pets.

    And since he couldn¡¯t decipher the code, he should work at his problems from another angle. Like the law. After all, their enemies made use of the law to frame their parents. Did their enemies prepare this trap early on, or was it a rushed job to get access to the villa? His mind working out the possibilities and planning how to get answers, Galen fell into deep thoughts.

    Seeing Galen¡¯s thoughts on the right track, Lyra sighed in relief. She feared that he would tear up in the classroom, worsening the bullying, but she managed to bring him back from there. She checked on Artem to see him still oozing calmness and confidence. Next, she quickly checked on the fairies. She couldn¡¯t yet communicate with them, but Lyra could scan their health. Judging everything to be in order, she observed the class.

    When the teacher stopped berating the twins, he talked about the first exam scheduled at the end of the month, once most pets would have grown out of their juvenile state. This test was important because it assessed the beast tamers'' talents and the pets'' power. The results were officially registered at the Beast Tamers Association. Then every three months, another exam would help to measure the beast tamers¡¯ and the pets¡¯ growth. At the end of the school year, the last exam would help to determine the students'' future, be it to study at a Beast Tamers University or be recruited by the Triad or a Family. The beast tamers would then get their license from the Beast Tamers Association, with different ranks depending on their results.

    Mr Carter also reminded them that although they passed their general knowledge exam last term, they still had to take the remaining general classes seriously. As their homeroom teacher and the teacher for pet training and pet combat, he would do his duty and punish students slacking in mathematics, social studies, or their chosen electives. This warning concluded the homeroom class. Each period lasted one hour and a half, but the homeroom class only took half an hour once a week, usually on Mondays before the first official period.

    Mr Carter immediately began his lesson about pet training without letting the students rest. He taught about the best ways to train pets and about the things to avoid to keep the pet from hurt. It was only general knowledge, and each student had to adapt the training to the specific characteristics of their pet. The lesson was a continuation of the last one, leaving the twins in an awkward situation. Still, the boys listened seriously and took detailed notes to review later, during the self-study period.

    ***

    At the end of the class, Mr Carter asked the scholarship students and the twins to wait while the others went to the next class ¨C the practical part of pet training. The teacher first nagged at them about beast tamers¡¯ duties. He was very subtle and careful about it, but the twins were sure Mr Carter was indirectly dissing their parents. When Mr Carter got down to business, he explained to the scholarship students that in addition to their usual duties, one of them had to take care of the made-up lessons for the new students. He then exited the room to get ready for the next lesson, leaving the students to organize themselves.

    There were three scholarship students: a girl, and two boys. The twins recognized their neighbor, the one with the Air Butterfly. Being a scholarship student explained how the boy got a Ceremonial Rebirth egg: the scholarship students had no choice but to contract the egg given by the school. The school usually only had common eggs, and if they had notable ones, they were Ceremonial Rebirth ones.

    The three scholarship students were looking at their connected bracelets. The olive-skinned girl had her dark brown hair tied in a high ponytail, giving her a serious air. She spoke first, ¡°I¡¯ll take on the duty for all errands for teaching material and students'' evaluations. Is that alright with you, Benjiro?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± the twins¡¯ neighbor answered in a neutral tone without looking at any of them. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the maintenance of all the training halls so that Zane can take care of the remedial lessons.¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    The girl nodded in agreement and left the classroom without waiting, her common Blue-Eyed Pony trotting after her. The boy called Benjiro immediately followed her out, leaving the last boy with the twins.

    ¡°Wait! Naila! Benjiro! I didn¡¯t agree!¡±

    The boy took several steps toward the door before awkwardly stopping. His fellow scholarship students didn¡¯t seem to hear him at all. He looked like a shy boy with a round face and brown hair. This impression was reinforced by the fact that he was hugging a common White Rabbit. The young beast tamer had a small pearl on his right ear.

    ¡°Want to bet that the poor boy is being bullied?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t take on losing bet,¡± Artem answered in his deadpan voice.

    ¡°We are sorry to impose on you,¡± Galen took the initiative to speak with the boy. ¡°Zane, right? Nice to meet you.¡±

    Galen smiled while Artem nodded at the scholarship boy. Zane opened his mouth but didn¡¯t say anything. He looked down at his connected bracelet, clumsily holding his White Rabbit with one hand.

    ¡°We¡¯ll try to learn everything as fast as possible to get out of your hair,¡± Galen tried to reassure the brown-haired boy since he didn¡¯t want to burden him. Zane looked to have enough trouble.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not -¡± Zane took a deep breath before forcing a smile. ¡°I need to take on duties to pay back my scholarship anyway. Giving you remedial lessons is less tiring than managing the halls or running errands for the teachers. This week is going to be easy on me.¡±

    Galen and Artem didn¡¯t comment on his attempt to ignore how he was left with the distasteful and unwanted task of taking care of the infamous Eos twins. But Lyra added her input. ¡°From what I¡¯m sensing, he has a common CSI so he might be scorned by everyone else because of his status as a scholarship student, his common weak pet, and possibly his common talent. He sure is an unlucky guy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that I like his forced smile. He seems so used to it,¡± Galen added in a worried tone. ¡°I just hope he won¡¯t be even more bullied because of us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect him,¡± Artem said with a firm voice when Lyra transferred his brother¡¯s worries.¡°No one will touch him.¡±

    Galen didn¡¯t add anything, but he was determined to protect the boy as well. Galen wasn¡¯t one to repay someone who helped him with indifference.

    ¡°Well, we better get moving to the next class,¡± Zane said, walking toward the door. ¡°As you saw, Mr Carter isn¡¯t a patient teacher. We¡¯ll discuss how to work together later.¡±

    ***

    The practical pet training class took place in one of the special halls equipped with all kinds of machines. A student had to use credits to rent this hall, so being able to use it during class was crucial for those who didn¡¯t have access to such facilities at home. The Eos Family villa had them, like most Families and some military households. However, most students could only train on such machines at school. Now, the twins were part of them.

    Mr Carter directed the students to different machines to train their pets¡¯ bodies. They could train stamina, strength, speed, agility, or resistance. From what Mr Carter had said during class, if the pet circulated its spiritual energy while training its body, it might be able to learn some common skills like [charge], [sprint], [dodge], or [jump]. However, the young beast tamers had to consider it carefully because the pet could only learn a limited number of skills. Without evolution, the limit for a common or notable pet was usually up to three skills, so learning a new skill was never done lightly.

    Artem and Galen went to the track for flying pets. It used strong winds against which the pet had to fly to train its speed, stamina, and resistance. As the twins waited for their turn, they took this opportunity to take note of each species of pets.

    Around ten pets could fly, be it birds or insects, all of the common or notable rank. Of course, Mr Carter sent Larissa and her epic peacock to a more complex machine. One of the flying pets was the peculiar Fire Wisp. It was of the common rank and considered as weak as the fairies because of its ethereal body, but if it was well trained, it could gain some psychic skills, which were difficult to defend against.

    The twins curiously watched Benjiro as it was his butterfly¡¯s turn to use the machine. The boy was lean and tall, with dark, short, straight hair and dark, almond eyes. There were subtle hints of Asian features on his facial structure. Looking at his back while the young beast tamer concentrated on his task allowed the twins to notice the seraphinite gem piercing Benjiro¡¯s nape above the low collar of his training suit. The boy quietly encouraged his pet to use its spiritual energy to resist the wild wind around it.

    ¡°Should we ask the fairies to use the breathing technique Artem taught them?¡± Galen quietly asked Lyra since he knew she would relay his question to his brother.¡°If they learn a movement skill during training, we won¡¯t have any more free skill spots.¡±

    ¡°When a pet learns a skill by itself, the CSI always asks if the beast tamer wants their pet to memorize it,¡± Lyra seriously explained. ¡°If there are no more free skill slots, the beast tamer can either let their pet forget the new skill or forget an old one and replace it. Remember: the pet is limited and can¡¯t remember every skill. The only way to keep the skill in reserve is to have a feature for it.¡±

    ¡°Like the ¡®Skills Library¡¯?¡± Galen asked to confirm his concerns.

    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s not the only possibility.¡± Lyra warned them, ¡°Anyway if you want to keep up the charade about your feature, you can¡¯t avoid learning new skills from training.¡±

    ¡°Well, that answered my question. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s the best for our fairies.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s debatable,¡± Artem intervened once Lyra relayed his brother¡¯s thought. ¡°We can always find ways to evolve or remove the skills later.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have money,¡± Galen contradicted him after a time. Lyra¡¯s telepathy was helpful to communicate, but this type of delayed conversation was bothersome.¡°These kinds of things need spirit resources.¡±

    Galen listened to his brother¡¯s opinions when he suggested worrying about their finance later. Anyway, arguing this way was too difficult, and Artem always took training seriously. Galen didn¡¯t want to divide up his brother''s attention.

    Once it was the twins¡¯ turn, some students suddenly complained. They claimed their training time was cut short with two more students. Some even demanded the twins compensate them. Galen and Artem vaguely recognized the two boys speaking the loudest as members of the minor branch of the Jamra Family.

    The minor branch of the Jamra Family was made of illegitimate children more than adopted loyalists like the other Families, and they reproduced like wild rabbits. As such, it was difficult to keep track of all of them. One of the two boys had a common Fire Beetle, and the other had a notable Red Falcon.

    The twins let the others¡¯ speech pass over them as they consulted each other. They would exhaust their energy if they fought over everything, so they had to choose worthy fights. With Lyra¡¯s input, they finally decided to use the machine together.

    However, they didn¡¯t expect the machine to measure the strength of the two pets together instead of separately. This not only messed up the result of the training and the first record of their pet¡¯s stats on their connected bracelet, but this made the training harder. As each pet had different stats, the machine adapted the strength of the wind to each of them. Their fairies went up courageously, but despite their best effort, they couldn¡¯t resist until the end. Their classmates didn¡¯t miss this opportunity to belittle the fairies and mock their weaknesses.

    ¡°Sorry, boys. That was a miscalculation on my part. I didn¡¯t know how the machine worked.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, they would have found another way to make fun of us,¡± Galen replied. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the messed up recording.¡±

    ¡°Stop worrying about everything,¡± Artem scolded his brother once Lyra repeated his concerns. ¡°Lucia and Ayden¡¯ll be recorded each time they train.¡±

    Waiting for their turn again, the twins saw Zane being bullied as well when the Fire Beetle¡¯s beast tamer decided to switch machines after its second turn on the flying track. Mr Carter had prepared two other machines. The first was for training agility and speed thanks to a moving obstacle track, and the other was for training strength and resistance using a gravitational field. However, the teacher didn¡¯t stay near these two machines: he went to tutor the ones needing special care, like the water pets and some plant pets. So the students were left alone.

    Since Zane¡¯s pet was a rabbit, it should have been in the group training speed and agility, but Zane had been chased away to the gravitational field because it was crowded on the obstacle course. Most common and notable pets were from small species, so there were indeed more of them waiting for the obstacle course. The large or medium pets, though still in the juvenile form, were on the gravitational field. The twins could only see a notable Cave Bear, a notable Light Camel, the rare Gray Stone Wallaroo, the rare Magma Tortoise, and the newly arrived common Fire Beetle.

    This beast tamer wasn¡¯t the only one switching machines. After their second round on the obstacle course, the beast tamers joined this group with their pets: the common Earth Sheep and the common Long-Tailed Lizard. Cecelia did the same for her notable Earth Mole, who couldn¡¯t train much agility anyway. It was logical because all these pets could choose to train the path of defense or heavy attack.

    However, the poor White Rabbit would never be a defensive pet, so it could only suffer. It went out of the machine with some injuries under the jeers of Zane¡¯s classmates.

    The twins determinedly stepped out of their waiting line and went to help Zane, secretly blaming themselves for not noticing the situation earlier. Artem directly confronted the bullies. He didn¡¯t waste his breath pointing out the stupidity and falseness of their arguments since their pettiness was obvious with the number of students switching machines. Artem simply challenged them to fight against him in the afternoon, when it would be the beast tamers¡¯ turn to train.

    The bullies suddenly went quiet. They had forgotten Artem could still easily get revenge on them this way. It wasn¡¯t a perfect solution. Artem knew they could find other opportunities to bully Zane while he wasn¡¯t there or bully Ayden during pet fights, but it was a start.

    Meanwhile, Galen went to take care of Zane and his rabbit. He brought the shy boy further away and told him to hold his injured pet. Galen then asked Lucia to use [small heal] on the rabbit. Zane wanted to refuse, but Galen argued that it was good training for his fairy.

    While Lucia seriously took care of the rabbit¡¯s injuries by using her skill several times, Galen talked to Zane. ¡°I can see that you don¡¯t trust us. So, in a gesture of faith, I¡¯ll share a secret with you. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I mean¡­¡± Zane stuttered as he tried to deny Galen¡¯s statement.

    ¡°Be honest, Zane. Please. We¡¯re not blind, nor stupid.¡±

    Zane averted his eyes in awkwardness and maybe some shame. Galen judged this boy wasn¡¯t one to listen to gossip, but Zane¡¯s situation made him careful of everything.

    ¡°We have given names to our fairies. Mine is Lucia, Artem¡¯s is Ayden. I didn¡¯t say it before because the jibes were already hard to endure. I¡¯m telling you to give you something over us.¡± Galen lowered his voice even though it would be of no help if there was a listening device in his connected bracelet and added, ¡°Though, in truth, we didn¡¯t do it because we are playing house with them, but because of the benefits.¡±

    ¡°What benefits?¡± Zane asked also lowering his voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s easier to show you than to explain,¡± Galen answered in a whisper. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give an official name to your rabbit? At worst, nothing more will happen, and you have no obligations to use it.¡±

    Zane hesitated but agreed. He fell into thoughts.

    ¡°He¡¯s searching for a name? He wants suggestions! Right?¡±

    Galen held back his smile at Lyra¡¯s excitement and kept quiet. The boy finally decided to call his rabbit Finn. As soon as he said it, his eyes widened in surprise. ¡°What-?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep that as our little secret, alright?¡± Artem, who had joined them after handling the bullies, interrupted him. He was keeping a lookout and making sure no one came near them. He wasn¡¯t naive enough to believe they could hide this for long or they were the only ones giving names to their pets, but it would be an advantage for now.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you answer your CSI?¡± Galen encouraged the boy to go on.

    As soon as Zane confirmed his choice with his CSI, some white lines went into his rabbit, who was still in his arms. Zane teared up and whispered his thanks to them. The twins looked at him with a complicated gaze. They didn¡¯t think they had done much for him.

    ¡°When Lucia healed Finn, you gained the entry for the White Rabbit. Want to look at it? It might give you some clue to help Zane train his pet.¡±

    It was only the first-tier entry, so there wasn¡¯t much to learn. However, the twins agreed they should help Zane make a training plan for his rabbit. Galen and Artem began to discuss this with Zane.

    The rabbit''s innate skill was the common skill [jump]. Artem explained that even though this skill was considered useless to attack, it could become a powerful attack if combined with some other skills. During the discussion, Zane showed his trust in them by explaining his talent was [Empathy]. However, he said it to contradict the twins, wanting to prove his case was hopeless.

    ¡°If healing can kill, I¡¯m sure that the talent [Empathy] can kill too,¡± Galen firmly said.

    ¡°How can healing kill? That makes no sense!¡±

    ¡°What do you think over-healing can do to a body? A healer isn¡¯t harmless,¡± Galen explained in a grim voice. ¡°A healer knows best the human body, so it is much easier for him to kill because he knows exactly where to hit.¡±

    As Galen saw Zane¡¯s eyes widen slightly in fear, he guessed his classmate was thinking about the rumors about his mother misusing her healing and pharmacist knowledge. Galen regretted talking about it, but after exchanging a glance with his brother, he firmed his resolve not to let these rumors change their ways of acting.

    ¡°Every skill and talent can be lethal, you just have to find the way to weaponize it,¡± Artem added. ¡°As for [Empathy], if you can project feelings, that becomes easy: project fears like some of the dark or psychic pets, or some other feelings to distract your opponent. If you can¡¯t project feelings, I might have to think on it some more, but at the least, this talent should allow you to detect killing intent or hidden opponents.¡±

    Zane looked a bit overwhelmed by the twins. However, Galen and Artem were determined to help him, and they tacitly decided this was more important than fighting to get a turn on the machines. They could train in different ways, albeit less efficient ones. First, they asked Zane about his idea for his pet¡¯s evolution since some of them needed specific skills that could change a training plan.

    If a White Rabbit could gain air elemental power, it could super-evolve into the rare Nimble Wind Rabbit and later the epic Bolting Ice Hare. However, the most common path for a White Rabbit led to the notable Horned Rabbit, then the rare Giant Horned Rabbit. Zane was attracted to the Nimble Wind Rabbit, but he came from a mundane household and had few ways to get his hands on the evolution materials needed to allow a normal pet to gain elemental power. His scholarship allocated him a fixed number of spirit resources per month, but these resources were of the common or notable ranks. Nothing too expensive or precious.

    With no choice, the three boys settled on the notable Horned Rabbit. So Finn¡¯s first objective was to learn the skill [headbutt]. Artem affirmed it was an excellent combination with the skill [jump].

    As they were talking about the best way to teach Finn this skill, a furious Mr Carter came over. He immediately scolded the three boys for lazing around instead of training seriously. Galen calmly replied to the teacher, making use of the excuse that the twins had misused the machine and needed an explanation from Zane.

    Galen would have liked to talk about the bullying, but it was obvious Mr Carter didn¡¯t care about it. They listened to some more of the teacher¡¯s rant filled with hidden barbs before going back to train. At least, they could now use the teacher¡¯s name to train in some more peace and correct the recording.

 Chapter 6 - Finding jobs

    The rest of the day went without much trouble. Artem enthusiastically took care of the bullies during the beast-tamer combat practice in the afternoon. The task was easy for him, so he let his thoughts wander. Thinking of his financial problems, Artem got the idea to talk to the beast-tamer combat teacher Mr Tawil. Artem wanted to ask him about getting a job from him. As the youth didn¡¯t want to add to his brother¡¯s worries, he decided to wait for the elective lessons. It was the only time Artem would be separated from Galen because his brother took the advanced pharmacist lesson as his elective while Artem took the professional combat training.

    Later in the afternoon, after the dual combat theories class, the boys went to the library to meet with Zane. They wanted to profit from this free period to begin their remedial lessons. Zane was an open and gentle boy. Working with him was efficient and peaceful.

    The twins were even more determined to help him train his rabbit and improve his control over his talent. The three boys went to train together in a small hall after dinner. It was one of the advantages of being an intern student, though, in the Families, the equipment was of better quality.

    Having little knowledge about talents, the twins didn¡¯t want to mislead Zane, so they only shared their opinions. Artem coached him on ways to use his [Empathy] to read his opponents¡¯ intentions or detect their presence. It was delicate work as Zane had very few chi and couldn¡¯t expect to ever have it in great quantity with a common pet and a common CSI. The good news was that Zane¡¯s [Empathy] was weak, but his talent wasn¡¯t limited to humans: Zane could also feel pets.

    Artem continued to teach Galen how to use a shield while he occasionally gave tips to Zane. As for the fairies and the rabbit, they trained their skill and cultivated. When they returned to their rooms, they immediately collapsed on their bed, exhausted.

    ***

    The following morning, Galen easily guessed Artem¡¯s intention to look for a job, so he convinced his younger brother to wait for the end of the whole week. Galen thought they should first get a better understanding of everything.

    So, the twins spent the week discovering their new classes and meeting their teachers. Galen was especially interested in Mr Duval¡¯s lessons. This teacher was responsible for the lessons about the CSI and the beast-tamer talents. His first lesson made Galen suspicious of Lyra, as she was too different from what the teacher explained. Galen trusted Lyra, but she was too odd.

    Faced with his inquiries, Lyra knew she couldn¡¯t hide her special status for long, but she didn¡¯t want to burden the boys with her useless past, especially when she couldn¡¯t judge if it would hinder or help them. She wished she could ask her best friend about it. He was the intelligent one. He always knew what to do. But now, she couldn¡¯t contact him at all. She hoped the boys or the fairies would evolve soon. Then, she would level up too and be able to use more power, maybe allowing her to contact her friend.

    The only thing she could do was talk to the twins and convince them to trust her. ¡°Boys, I didn¡¯t mean to hide it. Not that I can hide it anyway. But you have enough to think about without worrying about me.¡±

    The boys stayed silent. Galen understood Lyra¡¯s point of view, but he wanted to know why she had a personality. Why did she seem more alive than the AI serving as the CSI described by the teacher during the lesson? However, he wouldn¡¯t force her. So Galen chose another line of inquiries. ¡°Are you the carved spirit stone our parents prepared for us?¡±

    ¡°I was in a dormant state until you initiated the Awakening ceremony, so I can only speculate,¡± Lyra answered after a brief pause, uncomfortable with the subject.

    ¡°Please, tell us Lyra. We aren¡¯t children,¡± Galen begged her. ¡°We appreciate your worries, but we need information.¡±

    ¡°You both are really stubborn. Well¡­ I think the other carved spirit stone and I may have been the object of your parents¡¯ mission.¡±

    Hearing her, Artem and Galen sharply looked at each other. This was a huge clue to find out more about what happened to their parents, though they were aware it was also dangerous. Nevertheless, Artem thought he should try to change his elective to learn more about spirit stone carving and forget about his professional combat training class. This elective was a choice he made before his parents¡¯ death anyway. Maybe Artem could even repair the broken spirit stone and get more information out of the stone.

    Lyra was glad to hear the boy¡¯s intention, even if she knew it was a meager hope. She only had her senses to rely on and her deep faith in her best friend¡¯s strength to avoid danger, but she suspected that the other carved spirit stone held a soul as whole as hers. So, if being broken meant the soul inside the carved spirit stone was dead (or deader, whatever), she hoped it wasn¡¯t her friend who died. Despite her inner turmoil, she kept all her feelings carefully hidden from the twins. It wasn¡¯t their problem, and they already had a lot of stuff to take care of.

    ***

    Unfortunately, when Artem talked about his wish to change his elective, the school refused, saying it was against the rules. This also halted Galen¡¯s budding plan to switch to study law. Hearing about Artem¡¯s intention, Mr Duval interrogated Artem about his reasons for wanting to learn spirit stone carving, as he was in charge of this elective.

    Artem was careful not to reveal the existence of the broken carved spirit stone and only talked about their new situation. Artem tried to convince the teacher that he needed more diverse skills to survive without his parents. However, Mr Duval had no authority to admit Artem into his class, so he could only suggest some books to read. Artem didn¡¯t completely give up on his idea, and he promised himself to choose to study it at university.

    Galen found the teacher a little suspicious in his inquiries. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was normal to take such an interest in Artem. Yet, Galen also worried that he was becoming paranoid.

    So, the twins decided to go to the library to study these subjects in their free periods when Zane wasn¡¯t teaching them. Galen wanted to learn more about laws, while Artem still wanted to brush up his knowledge about hunting. Artem also began to learn about spirit stone carving, though the knowledge proposed by the books on this subject was limited.

    As they didn''t wish to waste time, Galen gave Lucia a book about anatomy to study, and Artem gave Ayden a book about physics to help her better understand how to shoot and calculate trajectories. Artem even had the idea to make Ayden study the science behind fire and explosion. The fairies didn''t know how to read, but looking at illustrations and diagrams still allowed them to understand some concepts and improve their minds. Moreover, the twins wanted to develop the fairies¡¯ affinity with study and books. They believed their fairies had a sharp mind and an easily stimulated intelligence that compensated for their physical weaknesses.

    The twins developed habits and managed to get settled down. As such, they used the early morning until the first period for personal training, which allowed them to avoid their neighbor and his trouble in front of the bathroom. Jax Miller was a second-generation beast tamer from an upstart household, as the twins learned since then.

    The twins also let the fairies train more independently in the morning and they guided them more precisely in the evening. Galen decided to let Lucia experiment with different types of lights as he was curious to know if some lights might be more powerful, while Artem trained Ayden by making her use the burst power of [spark] to move small objects with it.

    To get feedback from Lucia and Ayden, the twins taught the fairies simple hand signs to communicate. They still intended to teach them how to read, but that could wait. Thanks to these experiments, Lucia understood that her cultivation efficiency changed depending on the light around her. The light from the morning, noon, or twilight sun, or even from the moon gave her a different sensation. Artem wanted to try it with Ayden, but the elemental training facilities were out of their reach, and no other safe way gave access to fire to train.

    Nevertheless, Artem let Ayden experiment with the heat of her fire as it was part of its power, and he wanted to know if she could control the strength of her [spark] this way. It was difficult without the monitoring machines from the Eos Family villa. However, Ayden was always enthusiastic about her training and took changing the heat of her [spark] as a game.

    The fairies¡¯ serious training rapidly gave them some results. Lucia discovered the common skill [glow] as she played with different lights on Thursday morning. It was a simple skill, only used to illuminate the surroundings with a bright globe of light. So, Galen first was disappointed. But working closely with his brother and seeing how he was working to transform [spark] into a powerful attack, Galen soon had the idea to make [glow] evolve into a sort of light bomb.

    As it was the first self-taught skill Lucia learned, Galen got a reward from Lyra. The entry for the Light Fairy in the encyclopedia leveled up to the second tier. It didn¡¯t look like much until Lyra pointed out that the article now explained the best way to train the Light Fairy¡¯s known skills and described the cultivation technique that was the most suited to this pet. But the real reward, in Galen¡¯s opinion, was the fact that the page could now stock any skills the pet learned. It was exactly what the twins needed to keep up the charade about their first feature. Lucia was still limited to three equipped skills, but thanks to the encyclopedia, Galen could change them around.

    On Friday morning, Ayden also learned her first self-taught skill as she used her spiritual energy circulation to fly around. It was the notable skill [fire trail]. This skill enhanced the pet''s speed, leaving a trail of fire behind it. It was better than the common skill [sprint]. Like this, the page of the Fire Fairy also got to the second tier. These improvements gave hope to the boys.

    ***

    By the end of the week, the twins and the fairies had gotten used to their new classes and teachers and were on the right track to improve. They redoubled their efforts during the weekend and tried to make plans for their future. Galen and Artem still needed to find jobs to resolve their money problem. They decided to concentrate on that for the next week by trying their chance with their specialty. So, the twins acted during their next period of elective classes.

    Artem went up to talk to his combat trainer Mr Tawil during the period, as he was the first to finish his warming up. Mr Tawil was the teacher in charge of one of the two military third-year classes, but he was also teaching this elective and the beast tamer combat practice. Some students and school staff avoided him because he lost his right arm and some part of his shoulder to some Abyss monster, but Artem admired this teacher. For him, Mr Tawil was a brave and honorable man.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Artem wanted to know if the teacher could bring him on some field missions. He knew it wouldn¡¯t be so simple as a minor surely needed some license or authorization to participate.

    But before the youth could ask anything, Mr Tawil seemed to guess his intentions. ¡°You think you have the required qualifications?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a good fighter, sir.¡±

    ¡°So? Aren¡¯t they good fighters too?¡±

    Artem looked at his classmates, wondering how he should react. Before he could find a good answer, Mr Tawil shouted instructions to the rest of the class to begin some hand-to-hand sparing. ¡°You stay near me first and tell me what you think of their combat style. You can concentrate on the beast tamers.¡±

    Artem was stunned but complied, thinking it was the teacher¡¯s test. He looked toward his classmates. Most of them were from military households as the professional combat training class was the best course to prepare students to enter the Army. Some students were from the beast-tamers class, while all the others were from the two third-year military classes.

    Artem began to observe the fights as he shared his opinion with Mr Tawil. Marcus ¨C who was fighting against a student from the military classes ¨C was a calm opponent, able to stay steady in most situations. Marcus took every attack head-on with excellent defensive techniques. He looked slow until he suddenly decided to attack with explosive power. In a way, his Magma Tortoise was the best fit for him. Seeing the teacher nod at another student, Artem switched his target.

    It was Caleb Ancel, a beast tamer from an old military household. His pet was a common Green Dog. Raised properly, this pet could evolve into a notable Forest Wolf, one of the favorite pets used by soldiers. Caleb was a very academic combatant. All his moves were by the book, and he strictly followed the rules. He was obviously raised as a true soldier to fight for his comrades. That was one of the reasons Caleb became cold toward Artem since he heard about the Eos Family¡¯s rumors, even though they had been friends.

    Artem described Orsella Mancini next. She was from a somewhat famous military household. Her pet was the notable Cave Bear, also one of the favored pets of the Army. Most teachers saw her as a problematic student because she was lazy. But when she was provoked or interested in a fight, she could be a crazy aggressive opponent, completely disregarding her defense to attack without restrictions. She was a powerful opponent, but she lacked techniques. She used to like to challenge Artem, but she now ignored him.

    Artem then described Cecelia¡¯s style, which favored defensive techniques, and some other students until it was Amir¡¯s turn. Amir was a sneaky opponent. He could hold his own in a fight with his numerous flashy techniques, but these usually served to hide his back-stabbing attacks. That was one of the reasons Artem didn¡¯t like fighting Amir and preferred to spar with Marcus. Marcus was a straightforward person like him. Besides, Marcus was the only one who didn¡¯t seem to change his way of interacting with Artem.

    ¡°If you were to describe your fighting style, what would you say?¡± Mr Tawil went on with his questions.

    Artem hesitated but still answered honestly. His father had often made him self-reflect as it was a good way to find his faults and to improve. ¡°I¡¯m a perfectionist, so I know a lot of techniques and try to master all of them. This makes me an unpredictable opponent, but it might become a disadvantage if I choose the wrong strategy. I¡¯m also a challenger who likes fighting and competing, which can help motivate me. I must be careful with these two traits because they can be good or bad depending on how I¡¯m letting them influence me.¡±

    ¡°Not bad, but that¡¯s not all. You¡¯re a combatant who, out of honor, will never attack his enemies when they are in a difficult position. That¡¯s good in competition, where there are rules to respect. But it is a weakness in real combat when fighting monsters.¡± Mr Tawil looked Artem directly in the eyes to say his next line. ¡°If I had to choose one student from this class to bring on field missions, I wouldn¡¯t bring you, I would bring Amir.¡±

    That was a heavy hit for Artem. He didn¡¯t expect to lose to Amir in this way. Artem wasn¡¯t really conceited and was aware that there was always someone stronger than him, but hearing that it was his honor that made him unsuitable for field missions was difficult to swallow.

    ¡°Forget about going on field missions to get money. Anyway, you don¡¯t have a license yet, so you won¡¯t be able to go. Be obedient and wait for the class field trips to gain some experience.¡±

    Artem stayed in a stunned silence for a while. Lyra wondered if she should intervene as she had never seen Artem in such a dejected state.

    Mr Tawil suddenly sighed. ¡°Your father groomed you to become an Army officer, didn¡¯t he? You¡¯re only doing what your father taught you, and your fighting style reflects that. Honor is never wrong in the Army.¡±

    Artem bowed his head to think over Mr Tawil¡¯s words. There seemed to be a hidden meaning in his speech. Artem knew that Mr Tawil was an ex-soldier: that was how he lost his arm and his pets, leading him to find a job as a teacher. As such, the man knew what he was talking about. Could Mr Tawil be one of the rare persons who didn¡¯t believe the rumors about his father?

    Artem decided he could trust this teacher, so he looked up at Mr Tawil again. ¡°I still need a way to get money, sir. My situation isn¡¯t a secret. Do you have any advice, sir?¡±

    ¡°You have good eyes, and you know a lot of techniques. You could make a good fighting tutor for the younger students. I can¡¯t promise it¡¯ll work out as most small jobs are reserved for the scholarship students, but I¡¯ll try to get the school¡¯s permission.¡±

    Artem felt bitter, but he knew he had to accept the situation as he couldn¡¯t expect much more. He joined his classmates to train. He could only wait for the news from Mr Tawil.

    ***

    On Galen¡¯s side, things weren¡¯t smooth sailing either. The advanced pharmacist class was an unpopular elective with only a handful of students. These students were used to studying pharmaceutics knowledge together, so they got along well enough.

    The lesson went on as usual. Galen was working with another student from the normal classes to produce a simple pill since it was still the beginning of the year. The teachers used the elective lessons to force the beast tamers to interact with the students who didn¡¯t awaken. They were hoping to diminish the social gap between them. But how could it work? For centuries, most beast tamers had scornfully called those unable to awaken the mundanes. Furthermore, the beast tamers were still using this name to insult each other.

    Only two other beast tamers took this elective with Galen. The first one was the dark-skinned Melanie Karras from an artisan household that sold potions, balms, and pills. She was a quiet girl who had contracted a notable Venom Spider. The second one was Mahlon. He was from a minor branch of the Ruh Family. His pet was a common Purple Frog. The Ruh Family belonged to the Mashriq Families as they had Mesopotamian roots. They specialized in earth and water pets, but mostly species with skills linked to poison or life and death. Despite that, it was a respected and quiet Family. Mahlon fitted well in this elective as his obsession was learning more about pharmaceutics and alchemy.

    This class teacher was Mrs Bousrani. She was both the nurse of the school and the teacher of several classes, such as the beast caring class and all the pharmacist classes. She always pulled back her russet hair from her face in a stern updo. A hard life had left its marks on her, but she was still an energetic woman in her thirties. She was known for her patience toward sick students or hurt pets and her severity toward fools and irresponsible troublemakers.

    Galen decided to talk to her at the end of his elective class after all the students had left the room, hoping to convince her to let him work at the school clinic. But Mrs Bousrani scornfully looked at him. ¡°Do you expect me to let you work there as my charity act of the year? What can your fairy¡¯s meager healing do? What do you take my clinic for?¡±

    As she finished her sentences, her rare Light Praying Mantis aggressively clapped its front legs at Galen. These reactions were startling and hurtful because Mrs Bousrani had always acted like he was her favorite student before. She had always been helpful and agreeable. Galen had noticed she was acting colder, but such a reversal was unexpected.

    Nevertheless, the boy kept his calm and began to argue. ¡°I don¡¯t deny that my fairy¡¯s [small heal] is weak, but combined with my pharmaceutic knowledge and my talent, we can heal efficiently. I¡¯m just asking you to let me prove it to you, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Why should I put my responsibilities on the line for you? I won¡¯t play with my students¡¯ life. Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Galen was disappointed because working as a healer would have been perfect. He could have gained money while training both his and Lucia¡¯s skills. However, Galen was sadly becoming used to compromises. ¡°Can you at least let me work as a pharmacist? Surely, letting me produce potions and pills is possible? You know my skills, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Do I? People have so many hidden parts. It can surprise the whole world when those are revealed.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long for Galen to understand her meaning. Mrs Bousrani was hinting at his mother and saying that she couldn¡¯t trust him not to poison or hurt the patients. That was more difficult to swallow. Galen took some time to wonder if he should try to defend his mother¡¯s innocence. With Mrs Bousrani¡¯s attitude, would she even be willing to listen? It was still worth a try.

    ¡°If I may, Ma¡¯am, the Eos Family had always produced gifted healers and pharmacists, and so for centuries. We are an old and traditional Family with traditional ways. You might not know of it, but all our healers and pharmacists respect the ways of the Old World and take the Hippocratic Oath. It might not mean much to you, but the beast tamers of the Eos Family take this Oath so seriously that they make their CSI enforce it. So all the Eos Family¡¯s members are ethical practitioners. They have to be.¡±

    Galen stopped and looked at Mrs Bousrani to see her reaction. She was pursing her lips and looking down. Was he getting through to her? Maybe Galen needed to be more direct.

    ¡°Are you trying to face-slap her?¡± Lyra suddenly asked Galen. She had refrained from intervening, especially when Galen mentioned the CSI enforcing the Oath, as he had never talked to her about it, but she couldn¡¯t let him act in such a way. ¡°Let her keep some of her pride!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Galen asked in a bewildered voice, as he didn¡¯t recognize the idiom she used.

    ¡°She won¡¯t change her mind if it means she has to admit her mistake to one younger than her,¡± Lyra told him in exasperation. ¡°Be more subtle!¡±

    Galen disagreed with Lyra¡¯s input and wanted to forge on. But as he carefully spoke of his mother¡¯s innocence, planning to mention the schemes used to frame Tana Eos later, he could see Mrs Bousrani¡¯s face darkening.

    ¡°You knucklehead! Use the proverb about the tallest tree,¡± Lyra advised him quickly. "Then, divert the subject!"

    Galen had to admit that Lyra seemed to be right, and he shouldn¡¯t talk openly with his teacher. However, Galen didn¡¯t know the proverb she was referring to. After an awkward pause that Lyra used to tell him the proverb, Galen dubiously spoke again. ¡°Ma¡¯am, do you know this saying? A tree that is taller than the forest will be blown over by the wind. I find it quite interesting, and I thought you would too. Don¡¯t you have a spirit garden?¡±

    Galen changed the subject as Lyra suggested because he had given up talking to his teacher about his mother. If it were the usual Mrs Bousrani, she would have believed in the innocence of the accused until proven guilty. Galen wasn¡¯t used to seeing such reactions from her.

    The teacher turned her back to him to put in order some of the material used during the lesson. After a while, she sighed and said, ¡°Since you know that I grow my spirit plants, you can help take care of them in the mornings and on the weekends. This won¡¯t engage anyone¡¯s responsibilities. I¡¯ll negotiate this with the school for you and give you the contract during our next lesson. You won¡¯t make much money, mind you.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t what Galen had hoped for. Taking care of plants was a long and tiring process, which would take time out of his training.

    ¡°Are you okay with that?¡± Lyra asked with concern. ¡°How will you train Lucia¡¯s [small heal] without patients?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lyra. A problem for another time.¡±

    Galen tried to thank his teacher for her proposal, but she kept her back to him and asked him to leave. He couldn¡¯t make sense of her reactions and could only go to his room to debrief with Artem.

    ***

    By the end of their second week of school, Mr Tawil and Mrs Bousrani obtained the school authorization and formalized the jobs for the twins. These meager works had a lot of disadvantages, but it was a start. Galen noticed that these jobs would keep the twins apart, as Galen had to work mostly in the mornings and Artem in the afternoons. They almost couldn¡¯t train together anymore. Galen didn¡¯t share his suspicions that someone was trying to keep them poor and untrained to make them easier to manipulate. He chose to focus on ways to profit as much as they could from their situations while ignoring the other students¡¯ mockeries. As members of a high Family, being forced to work was already humiliating, but their small jobs were also seen as beneath them.

    These jobs also gave opportunities to the bullies, especially for Artem. But with Artem¡¯s resilience and mental strength, he didn¡¯t take to heart the way some students asked him to ¡°tutor¡± them while they used him as a target practice, wanting to hit him or to make him suffer. Their purpose was to humiliate him, but Artem saw it as a way to train his endurance and toughness. Anyway, they paid him for it so Artem wouldn¡¯t complain. He even joked with Galen, saying that his injuries were useful to train Lucia¡¯s [small heal].

 Chapter 7 - News from the Family

    One afternoon during his third week at school, Artem had to tutor some students from the military classes in the building for the second-year students. The youth was walking through a green space to get to a training hall in this building when he met a member of the Eos Family.

    Miles Eos was from the minor branch of the Family, which mainly consisted of adopted loyalists. This tall boy with black hair and dark-brown eyes was seventeen years old. He was like a cousin to the twins because he was a third-generation loyalist: Miles¡¯s grandfather was the Third Elder of the Eos Family.

    When they were younger, Miles and Artem had often trained together. They both wanted to work for the Army and become as strong as Artem¡¯s father. But over the years, they had grown apart. Artem hadn¡¯t seen much of Miles since the beginning of high school. Miles wasn¡¯t even in the professional combat training elective class this year.

    Miles should have participated in the Awakening ceremony with the carved spirit stone provided by the Family. However, the brown-eyed boy had failed to awaken. Looking at the black stripes on his cousin¡¯s uniform collar, Artem realized Miles was in one of the military classes.

    Most of the time, those who failed or lacked money transferred to Dascalos High School''s military classes for a second chance. Since failing meant the compatibility wasn¡¯t high enough, trying again without changing anything first was useless. If these students joined the Army, after five years of service as mundane soldiers, they could try again to awaken with a spirit-carved stone provided by the Army. Real combat experiences and risk of death could sometimes upgrade the compatibility. It was like a baptism. Then, if the young soldiers managed to awaken, they could choose a free pet from the officially issued ones. But they had to give another five years to the Army. It wasn¡¯t a bad deal because the soldiers would work with a higher army rank and get more resources to train their pets.

    When she saw Miles, Lyra became wary of him. She couldn¡¯t pinpoint what was wrong, but her talent was sensing something odd from him. As he wasn¡¯t a beast tamer, it was even odder.

    Lyra warned her host. ¡°Artem, I don¡¯t like him. Stay away from him.¡±

    ¡°He is from the Family, so I can¡¯t brush him off so easily. But I won¡¯t lower my guard. I remember my mother¡¯s warning about the Family.¡±

    ¡°Artem! I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you for days!¡± Miles said to him with a displeased tone.

    ¡°Miles. What for?¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? We had to learn about your parents¡¯ crimes from outsiders! Don¡¯t you care about the Family?¡±

    Artem stayed quiet, as he usually did. However, he disliked how Miles didn''t doubt these crimes.

    When they first got to the school, the twins did think of calling the minor branch, since they wanted help to ask about Melia¡¯s situation. But Artem and Galen soon abandoned this idea. They couldn¡¯t trust the Elders.

    Artem saw Miles frown in frustration or anger. In the strained silence, Lyra suddenly affirmed. ¡°He has a small beast on him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, he didn¡¯t awaken,¡± Artem answered, keeping his eyes on Miles.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I sense any CSI, only that I¡¯m sure there is a beast or a pet on him. My [Divine Hearing] can¡¯t be wrong.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your talent [Telepathy]?¡± Artem asked as Miles spoke again. The brown-eyed boy seemed to have a lot to say.

    ¡°I never said that,¡± Lyra answered in a snotty voice, ¡°I just let you draw your own conclusion.¡±

    ¡°How many more secrets do you have?¡±

    ¡°A girl has to have some mysteries,¡± Lyra retorted, lifting her nose in the air even though Artem couldn¡¯t see her.

    Miles tried to get Artem to speak to him by talking about their childhood and their friendship. But Artem kept his answers short. He tried to pinpoint the beast without attracting Miles¡¯s attention. Splitting his attention in such a way was an excellent exercise. However, Artem didn¡¯t find anything.

    As for Lyra, she was frustrated. ¡°I¡¯m lacking experience. If I had a sample of every beast in existence, I could easily tell which one is hiding on him. For now, I can only say that it sounds mostly like air and a bit like an insect. It isn¡¯t a bee, a butterfly, a mantis, or a beetle ¨C I''m sure because I know their breathing pattern from school ¨C, but there are some similarities. It¡¯s not a spider either.¡±

    ¡°An insect would be an excellent spy: small with good perceptions,¡± Artem commented. ¡°It could even have some invisibility skills.¡±

    Artem suddenly brought his full attention to Miles when the other boy lowered his voice and came nearer. As soon as Miles began to allude to the Phoenix, Artem abruptly cut his cousin off. Artem used his authority as a member of the main branch of the Eos Family to shut Miles up.

    Miles finally left in anger, berating Artem for his indifference and egoism and threatening to bring the Elders down on him. Was Miles really stupid and careless enough to try to mention the Phoenix in public, or was it deliberate on his part?

    Anyway, Artem didn¡¯t take his threat to heart. What could the Elders from the minor branch do to him while he was stuck at school and under surveillance? Artem was much more interested in Lyra¡¯s talent and the knowledge that some of their enemies could use their pets to spy on them.

    ¡°Lyra, can you use your [Divine Hearing] to scan the surroundings again? Just to be sure the beast left with Miles or that there isn¡¯t anything else around?¡±

    Lyra rolled her eyes even though she knew Artem couldn¡¯t see her. She didn¡¯t need him to tell her what to do!

    Artem kept quiet as Lyra went to work. Miles had stopped him between two buildings, so Artem was in a small park with several tall trees and many bushes. Now that Artem was thinking of it, it was an excellent place to lay in ambush.

    ¡°I don¡¯t sense the previous beast anymore, but there is another unfamiliar one nearby. This one sounds like a plant and a small mammal. I would say a sort of rodent.¡±

    Guided by Lyra, Artem looked around. Finally, Ayden found a squirrel with a thick dark green coat on a low branch in one of the tallest oaks. Artem didn¡¯t know what kind of beast it was. It was holding an acorn in its two front paws, and it looked at Ayden without blinking. Its fluffy, curled tail was two times as tall as its body, giving the beast an adorable look.

    ¡°If Galen is free, could you ask him to come here?¡± Artem didn¡¯t know why he asked that, but he felt Galen needed to be there.

    ¡°Done. He¡¯s coming. If you want to know what kind of beast this one is, why don¡¯t you let Ayden try to touch it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but what if it takes that as an aggression?¡±

    Artem didn¡¯t want to put Ayden in danger. As the squirrel squeaked and moved his acorn around, the fairy came closer to it. The boy tensed, ready to jump to his pet¡¯s rescue. He had little chi, but he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to use his [Fusion] talent to add Ayden¡¯s agility to his own to gain more speed. It would be a very short-time boost, but it might be enough to get Ayden to security. The squirrel became more animated but made no move to attack the fairy. Yet, Artem maintained his high alertness until Galen and Lucia joined them.

    The Light Fairy almost immediately went to the Fire Fairy and the squirrel. With both fairies in front of it, the squirrel chattered rapidly. Then, it gave the acorn to the fairies before running away in the tree. Literally in the tree, its body melting into the trunk. The boys were bewildered.

    ¡°Did we get an entry for it?¡± Artem asked, trying to get a hold of himself.

    ¡°Yes, Ayden touched the squirrel¡¯s paw when it gave her the acorn. Sorry, I was too stunned to tell you.¡±

    The twins had easily gotten new entries last week during each pet combat practice. They only had several from the common pets, as the bouts were divided by rank, but it was a start. They even got an achievement when they got the 10<sup>th</sup> entry with some shuffles as the reward. This new one should be their 16<sup>th</sup> one.

    These considerations instantly left their mind when they heard Lyra. ¡°It was an epic beast, boys! It was a Mystic Oak Squirrel! From what the encyclopedia is saying, it¡¯s a shy beast from the surroundings of the Baltic Cities-States region. There are very few sightings of it, and even fewer beast tamers have contracted it.¡±

    The twins wondered why an epic beast from another region would give their fairies anything. Suddenly, a green glow surrounded the acorn that the fairies were both still touching.

    ¡°Not here!¡± Galen exclaimed in a panic.

    ¡°Too late!¡± Artem retorted, taking action to try to mask the fairies from view.

    The fairies, understanding their beast tamer¡¯s worries, floated down and let the boys surround them to hide them. Fortunately, nothing more happened. The green glow disappeared when Galen asked Lucia to let the acorn go.

    The twins looked at each other. Artem wanted to return to their room to unravel this mystery, but he still had a job to do. Looking at his connected bracelet, he realized that he was late.

    ¡°Get to your work. I¡¯ll do some research in the library while waiting for you,¡± Galen said to his brother in a steady voice.

    Galen speculated that this acorn might explain why their parents sent them the fairies, as both fairies seemed to be necessary to trigger the nut. So Galen mentally added, ¡°Anyway, without Ayden, I won¡¯t be able to do anything with the acorn.¡±

    Artem hesitated. As he was already late, he suspected that his petty clients might choose not to pay him ¨C that was the difference between his and Galen¡¯s job. While each student that Artem tutored paid him, Galen was paid by the school in Mrs Bousrani''s name. And if Artem wasn¡¯t paid, he would rather stay with his brother than waste his time. The thought the students might never employ him again made Artem relent.

    With a sigh, Artem turned toward the second-year students¡¯ building. The teenager hurried to his job while sending a last message through Lyra. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t change our routine, it would be suspicious to anyone spying on us. Let¡¯s train like usual this evening. We¡¯ll take care of the acorn afterward in our room before going to sleep.¡±

    Agreeing with his brother, Galen asked Lyra to put the acorn in the warehouse. Then, he went back to his studies.

    ***

    At night, when the twins were finally alone in their room, Artem asked Lyra to scan the room with her [Divine Hearing].

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask!¡± The CSI pouted. ¡°Didn¡¯t I notify you when I detected something suspicious?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Galen asked.

    Artem silently explained to Galen about the beast on Miles. Galen wondered if it was a wild beast or a pet. He knew about some beasts who could control a human thanks to their psychic skills, but they shouldn¡¯t be anywhere near a human settlement. Galen believed a beast tamer was using Miles to probe the twins for information. The only question was if the pet was riding on Miles without the boy''s knowledge, if it was threatening Miles in some way, or if Miles was one of the traitors.

    Galen soon forgot about Miles when Artem explained about Lyra¡¯s talent. ¡°That¡¯s make no sense. How can you have several talents? Mr Duval didn¡¯t even talk about CSI having a talent!¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°You have so many questions! Don¡¯t you have better things to do, like triggering the acorn?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject! How can we work with you efficiently if we don¡¯t understand how you work?¡±

    Thinking back to Galen never talking to her about the Hippocrates¡¯ Oath, Lyra answered grumpily, ¡°It¡¯s not like you and your brother don¡¯t have your own secrets!¡±

    ¡°But we trust you enough that if you asked us about anything, we would answer you. Would you?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Lyra exclaimed moodily. ¡°OK, what about the Hippocrates¡¯ Oath? Am I not supposed to enforce it? How can I do that if you don¡¯t talk about it with me?¡±

    ¡°High school students don''t take this oath. It happens on the university graduation day,¡±  Galen explained without hiding anything. ¡°I¡¯m still far from graduating as a pharmacist and a healer.¡±

    Lyra stayed silent a while before relenting. She knew that with Galen¡¯s mind, he would suspect her origin even if she didn¡¯t explain. He might even already know it, but he respected her will not to speak of it.

    ¡°All CSI harmonize with their host. Since they harmonize, they can communicate. Communicating with the host is one of the basic programming of the system interface. How could it be useful otherwise? You get it, now? It isn¡¯t a talent.¡±

    ¡°But you can talk to the both of us.¡±

    ¡°Hello? I harmonized with both of you, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s like I have you on a double call constantly. I just need to juggle the lines when you¡¯re far from each other. I¡¯m used to multi-tasking, so no problem. Once I level up, I should be able to upgrade the programming to a sort of chatroom or something.¡±

    Lyra didn¡¯t add that programming was her best friend¡¯s specialty, not hers. With his skills, her friend would have already solved the issue. The boys¡¯ questions about her talent brought Lyra out of her thoughts.[Divine Hearing] was only the name she gave to the passive field of her talent, but as she didn¡¯t intend to use her active talent, she didn¡¯t want to talk about it.

    Galen and Artem were frustrated to see Lyra staying quiet. Galen was running possibilities through his mind. To his knowledge, only humans could have a talent. To be accurate, only humans stimulated by a CSI could have a talent. Combining the clues, Galen concluded that Lyra was a human and not a simple AI like the other CSI were. She had her own will, she had a talent, and they clearly saw her body on the day of the Awakening ceremony.

    Moreover, despite his lack of attention at the time, Galen vaguely remembered Lyra using ¡°they¡± when complaining about something. Combining what he knew, Galen supposed that some people, somewhere, were messing with the carved spirit stones and the CSI, and they were probably disregarding humans¡¯ lives. If her life was in danger, it made sense that Lyra was so reluctant to speak about it.

    But Galen was still too weak, and he lacked too much knowledge to act on this supposition. With a glance at Artem, Galen changed the subject and shared his discoveries of the day.¡°There are really few mentions of the Mystic Oak Squirrel in the library.¡±

    ¡°I told you that my encyclopedia was top-notch!¡± Lyra exclaimed in her usual perky voice.

    ¡°If it¡¯s yours, why don¡¯t you know the information inside?¡± Artem asked in curiosity.

    ¡°I locked it in the encyclopedia. I can¡¯t access it anymore.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s just stupid.¡± Galen couldn¡¯t understand Lyra¡¯s thought process. ¡°Why would you do that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the stupid one!¡± Lyra retorted hotly.

    ¡°Could you please explain?¡± Galen forced himself to be polite. The woman could be infuriating.

    ¡°To put it painfully simply, it¡¯s one of the system¡¯s inner rules,¡± Lyra went on with a sigh. ¡°By choosing a penalty in my inner feature when I programmed my system, it gained a larger advantage, which will be revealed later.¡±

    ¡°So, if we had access to the whole encyclopedia from the beginning, we wouldn¡¯t have as much information?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the way the second tier allowed you to stock skills,¡± Lyra added proudly. ¡°Do you think a normal CSI encyclopedia could do that?¡±

    Artem frowned. If Lyra could sacrifice something to get what she wanted, what did she sacrifice to get them the warehouse? Artem had always felt uncomfortable with how they had been able to obtain the feature they needed the most.

    Artem didn¡¯t ask and stopped speculating. Galen nodded to the acorn and shared his findings. ¡°I didn¡¯t find much about the squirrel, so I focused on the acorn. There are a lot of legends about acorns, but I narrowed it down easily. I¡¯ve been reading books about the feys since we got to school to get more information about our fairies, and it was tickling my mind. In some folk tales from the Old World, the feys used natural objects like acorns to send messages. As for why a strange squirrel brought us the acorn, I suppose this is because of Mom''s talent.¡±

    Lyra hurriedly finished transferring the thought to Artem to ask, ¡°Oh! What was your mom¡¯s talent?¡±

    The twins exchanged a glance, they were tempted to withhold the answer until Lyra also talked about her talent, but they knew it would be mean. Anyway, the twins didn¡¯t know the full extent of Tana Eos¡¯s talent. It was classified as an epic talent, but they remembered their father complaining that her talent was weird because it had too many aspects.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know its name. She could communicate with anyone without any language barrier. She could also communicate with any pets and beasts. I don¡¯t mean telepathically: she talked to them in their own language. She must have negotiated with the Mystic Oak Squirrel.¡±

    Lyra hummed in acknowledgment. She was now curious about the acorn brought by the squirrel. It was a strangely unorthodox yet traditional way to send a message.

    ¡°The fairies are the key to getting the message from the acorn,¡± Galen went on. ¡°I think they need to both hold it while pouring their spiritual energy into it.¡±

    As Lucia and Ayden did as they were told, the green glow appeared again and intensified until the light moved to form letters. The twins didn¡¯t dare to write it down so they hurriedly tried to memorize it. Once done, they intended to destroy the acorn.

    As an insurance, Lyra wrote down the message in her interface log book. ¡°Relax, boys! I have a notepad on my interface.¡±

    As Galen shifted his attention to the content of the message, he suddenly berated himself. As his brother raised his eyebrow in silent inquiry, Galen explained, ¡°No wonder I couldn¡¯t decipher the message from the account book. It wasn¡¯t a message, but the cipher key! The key to deciphering the message from the acorn! I¡¯m so stupid.¡±

    With this new information, Galen could decipher his parents¡¯ message in a few hours. This brought hope to the twins even if the boys were aware that nothing would be simple, and the message most likely only contained some clues to another message.

    At Lyra¡¯s insistence, Galen didn¡¯t work on it immediately. With their lessons, their jobs, and their personal training, their days were excruciatingly long. They needed their sleep, and waiting one more day wouldn¡¯t change much of anything at this point.

    ***

    In the morning, the twins get up early to begin their day. Artem and Ayden went to do their physical training while Galen and Lucia went to Mrs Bousrani¡¯s garden. Even though this job wasn¡¯t what Galen expected, he still took it seriously. He watered the plants, pulled weeds, and checked the health and development of every species. All the while, Galen talked aloud, hoping to help Lucia¡¯s mind in this way. Since Galen wanted to optimize his time, he was also using his talent to improve his understanding of the plants, though he was careful to do it sparingly on days when he had a chi practice class. It was a way to train his talent while fine-tuning his knowledge of botany to make better potions and pills.

    Lucia was attentive and followed her beast tamer dutifully. That morning, Galen encountered a plant dying. He examined it briefly with [Insight], and he shared what his talent was showing him with his fairy. Galen concluded that the plant wasn¡¯t getting enough sun, which was strange as this spot seemed sunny enough. Lucia listened and, showing her understanding, the fairy used [glow]. Galen praised her for her smartness and examined the plant again with [Insight], but it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Galen¡¯s talent only let him know that the plant needed more energy, like some kind of vitamin or supplement. While he was busy trying to find a solution in his botanic book, Lucia seemed to be in deep thought. Then she began to experiment with her [small heal]. At first, Galen wanted to stop her, as he believed the skill only worked on human and pets, but he stopped himself. Some pets were plants, so why not try?

    Sadly, they were both disappointed. Galen did see some improvements, but it soon dissipated as if the plant couldn¡¯t hold the healing energy. He inferred that it was because the plant wasn¡¯t hurt. There was nothing wrong in it except for the general weakness.

    Galen was already proud of his fairy¡¯s initiative, but she didn¡¯t stop. Lucia persevered: she used both [glow] and [small heal] in quick successions. Galen wanted to encourage her to try things by herself, so he helped her judge the results. He observed that the healing energy dissipated slower thanks to the light.

    Lucia fell into deep thought again. After some time, she made a globe of light using [glow] and tried to infuse it with [small heal]. It was difficult, so the globe of light dissipated several times before she managed to mix the two skills. This new globe of light was emitting a warm energy that stuck to the plant.

    Galen was grinning proudly at Lucia when he suddenly heard Lyra. ¡°Achievement! The first combined skill! The notable skill [nurture] uses light energy to help plants grow, nourishing and fortifying them. As a reward, you get to choose one skill for your pet or one feature for the inner world to redeem from the pieces present in your inventory.¡±

    It was good news, but Galen didn¡¯t want to decide without consulting Artem, even more so if the twins could obtain a new feature for their inner world. They had one piece of the ¡°Research Hall¡± and one piece of the ¡°Fountain of Fortune¡±, which they got for the 10<sup>th</sup> entry in the encyclopedia. The ¡°Fountain of Fortune¡± could upgrade their luck.

    Galen didn¡¯t want to rely on luck. However, he thought the ¡°Research Hall¡± could be helpful to discover new skills and evolution paths. It wouldn¡¯t help for the exam at the end of this week, but it was a step to build up their strength.

    Galen glanced back at Lucia. He was so proud of her. She was like him. She wanted to observe, to study, to learn. The boy wondered if it was her original character or if he was influencing her. It was intriguing since in contrast, Ayden was bad at studying in the library. She was smart, but like Artem, she was more active. The Fire Fairy needed to experiment with things to improve. Artem had realized it and altered his training plan to adapt to her.

    ***

    During their free period at the end of the day, Galen went to the library. He discreetly worked on the code while Artem went to his job as a tutor. Galen was careful to hide what he was doing, and he conscripted Lyra¡¯s help to note his process and the words deciphered.

    After almost two hours of work, Galen could finally read the content of the message. The first part was a clue about a secret path leading to the fairies¡¯ super-evolution and where to find one of the ingredients necessary for this evolution. Just this was mind-blowing. To the twins¡¯ knowledge, the fairies had only one evolution possible: becoming a notable Elder Fairy. That was the other reason why people scorned the fairies: most pets could evolve two times, but becoming an Elder Fairy was the end of the evolution path for a Fairy. Galen contained his excitement ¨C he would talk about this new hope later with Artem ¨C and turned his attention to the second clue.

    This one was about a secret way to identify an ally in the Agency, meaning Tana Eos had worked more specifically for the Agency in the Triad. From what Galen understood, some members of the Agency realized that there were traitors in their mist ¨C but the wording made it unclear if these traitors were in the Triad or only the Agency. What was clear was that trustworthy agents ¨C though how they were determined to be loyal was left unsaid ¨C shared a symbol inspired by the Claddagh ring. The information was incomplete, but some coordinates were given. Galen surmised it was where the twins could find the next clue about this mess.

    Galen wanted to check both information as he had never heard of the Claddagh ring, and he was curious about the fairies¡¯ evolution. However, he was kicked out of the library as it was the closing time. Galen had no choice but to return to his room and wait for Artem. He didn¡¯t have to wait long as Artem soon entered their room, followed by a worried Ayden.

    As it had become usual, Galen noticed that Artem was injured. Without his prompt, Lucia immediately went over and used [small heal] on the teenager.

    ¡°Thank you, Lucia.¡± Artem smiled at the fairy. ¡°It seems that you have improved again.¡±

    ¡°She did!¡± Lyra exclaimed. ¡°She even developed her first combined skill this morning!¡±

    Lyra hurried to mention Galen¡¯s reward. Despite his brother''s suggestions, Artem refused to hear anything about their inner world features. He believed they didn¡¯t need the ¡°Research Hall¡± any more than the ¡°Fountain of Fortune¡± thanks to the encyclopedia. Artem insisted that Lucia learned the rare skill [illusion] to gain more versatility.

    As Galen refuted him, Artem only relented on the fact that Galen had the right to choose between the rare skill [illusion] and the notable skill [guiding light], which was the only second piece of light skill they got from their last use of the shuffle. When Artem saw that Galen was still hesitant, he added that Ayden would surely also combine her own skills and obtain a reward.

    Lyra forced herself to keep quiet. Indeed, Ayden hadn¡¯t yet developed a combined skill, but the Fire Fairy mastered her skill [spark] to the point that she evolved and upgraded it. It was also an achievement, and Lyra, as a proud and fair system, rewarded Artem for it. Artem chose to keep it in reserve and asked Lyra to be quiet about it. Lyra didn¡¯t understand why Artem was acting so out of character. Didn¡¯t the twins usually share everything?

    But it was perfectly logical to Artem: they didn¡¯t have any useful piece of skill for Ayden yet in their inventory, so Artem didn¡¯t want to use his reward. But if Galen knew of it, he would refuse to use it too, because he would feel guilty otherwise and insist on using it on a feature. Artem didn¡¯t want Galen to suffer, so he kept quiet about Ayden¡¯s achievement.

    Galen mentioned the clue about the fairies¡¯ secret evolution path, hoping to soften his brother''s stance. This new evolution path needed to be studied to know if the skill choices could have an impact. But Artem didn¡¯t give Galen a chance to muddy the water: he refused to discuss the fairies¡¯ evolution if Lucia didn¡¯t get her just reward. Anyway, this argument was nonsense since the fairies could easily change their skill set thanks to the encyclopedia.

    Galen sighed in exasperation and yielded. Artem was more stubborn than him and they needed to talk about this evolution path. This information changed everything about their view of the fairies. It revealed a part of their parents¡¯ plan. While their enemies underestimated Artem and Galen because of the weak pets, the twins could find their footing and secretly make their preparations to evolve the fairies into powerful pets. A super-evolution meant the fairies could jump a rank and directly evolve into rare pets. It was a powerful trump card.

    So Galen redeemed the skill [illusion] as Artem suggested. It was an easy choice for him as this skill was of the rare rank. Moreover, the notable skill [guiding light] was a support skill, and Galen had decided not to focus on this path.

    The twins knew that the super-evolution was important information they needed to study carefully. They were ready to talk about it, but Lyra reminded them it wasn¡¯t the right time. The next day was their first exam, and they couldn¡¯t afford to spend time on this and disperse their attention. They had to wait for the weekend. Galen hastily shared the second information about the Claddagh ring and promised to research it during the weekend.

 Chapter 8 - First exam

    On this Friday morning at the end of September, the sun was low but bright in the sky. As the twins were on their way for the homeroom period, they felt the warmth of early autumn.

    A strange atmosphere floated in the classroom of the beast tamers. All the students knew it was a crucial time for their lives as beast tamers. They were excited, but the students were trying their best to remain focused for their first exam.

    Mr Carter emphasized again the importance of the exam. He reviewed the key points for the day and the exam''s organization. The morning was for the basic testing. The class was divided into two groups in alphabetical order. While one group would proceed with the examinations of the pets, the other would sit for the beast tamers¡¯ tests. Each basic test was supposed to take one period. The afternoon would be spent on the fighting performances. In the name of fairness, the class would be divided into three groups depending on the rank of the pets: one group for the common pets, one for the notable pets, and the third one for the rare and epic pets.

    With this organization, the twins were in the same group as Zane, Caleb, Naila, Cecelia, Sarah, and the four Jamra boys in the morning. Their group began with the examinations of the pets. The pets had grown a lot since their hatching.

    A representative from the Beast Tamers Association branch of the City-State of Olympia was there next to Mrs Bousrani. He was in charge of registering the results. Mrs Bousrani was the one measuring the pet¡¯s strength, both physically and spiritually, and evaluating the pet¡¯s mind by testing its intelligence. The seventeen beast tamers were waiting for their turn to bring their pet to the machine.

    The first one to go up was Caleb Ancel. He didn¡¯t show any nerves as he brought his common Green Dog to the machine as instructed by Mrs Bousrani. The machine was a complex one brought by the Beast Tamers Association. It did a comprehensive scan of the pet in one or two minutes. Then, Caleb¡¯s connected bracelet and the Beast Tamers Association representative¡¯s tablet received a detailed report. Mrs Bousrani called out the general assessment, ¡°Physical body: rank E. Spiritual quality: rank F.¡±

    It was excellent results for a common pet who should average around rank F. Mrs Bousrani told Caleb to bring his pet to the other side and began to test the pet¡¯s intelligence. The dog had to recognize colors, forms, or simple images as they were brought up by a computer under Mrs Bousrani¡¯s supervision. The purpose was to evaluate if the pet had begun to develop its mind. The AI choosing the questions adjusted the difficulty depending on the pet¡¯s species and responses. For example, a dog couldn¡¯t see red. The mind development of a pet almost started from the same place for all beasts once they hatched from their egg, but higher-ranked beasts developed faster and were supposed to be more intelligent.

    ¡°Mind development: rank E.¡±

    Caleb did a good job with his dog.

    After a girl with a common Yellow Bee, it was the turn of Julius Barbieri, whose pet was a common Gray Heron. This beast had its whole plumage in dark gray hues covering a willowy body. The only brightness came from its broad white stripe of plumage running from its beak to the back of its head, above each eye. Its results were all ranked F, so the Jamra boys, under Amir¡¯s lead, began to jeer at him. It was a targeted attack as they said nothing to the girl whose bee got the same rank F results.

    Seeing the resigned look on Julius¡¯s face, the twins understood it wasn¡¯t the first time the youth had to bear their bullying. From Amir¡¯s barbs, it sounded like they thought the pet was wasted on Julius and that he should give it up to the Jamra Family. As Galen thought some more about it, he remembered that the heron was a sacred animal of Egypt and wondered if there was a link there. But Galen dismissed the idea as it seemed too far-fetched. The Jamra Family was affluent: why would they try to obtain a common pet from a student from a mundane household?

    While Galen was distracted by his thoughts, Moses Bayoumi was called up. His pet was a common Water Elemental. Its body was entirely made of water and looked like a big flabby, shapeless glob. An elemental usually only gains a shape after its first evolution, though this shape could vary a lot depending on the material used. Artem was curious about the Water Elemental because it was a peculiar pet. Like the fairies and the Fire Wisp, elementals differed from normal beasts. The Water Elemental was considered one of the weakest pets of the class because of its innate skill [water bubble], which was a weak and slow water attack. But its results weren¡¯t all ranked F. This pet was ranked E in spiritual quality.

    As the tests went on without pause, Artem focused on everyone¡¯s results to estimate how far behind the fairies would be. Because of the alphabetical order, Amir''s and Sarah''s rare pets would be up near the end, but Artem didn¡¯t lower his guard. The twins still didn¡¯t know everybody¡¯s talents and inner features. Their ignorance could throw off their plans and strategies for the matches in the afternoon. Artem was even frustrated that he couldn¡¯t look at Larissa¡¯s, Marcus¡¯, Orsella¡¯s, Jax¡¯s, or even Crystal¡¯s results as they were in the second group.

    ¡°What¡¯s the use?¡± Lyra complained. ¡°You won¡¯t be fighting against them: they don¡¯t have common pets!¡±

    Artem grunted that a true warrior was always prepared. Lyra muttered that he was a hunter, not a warrior.

    After Mavis Dubois¡¯ common Red Robin finished its tests, it was Artem¡¯s turn. Ayden¡¯s general results were the same as Lucia¡¯s, who went up just after her: physical body, rank F; spiritual quality, rank E; mind development, rank E. But the details showed that Ayden¡¯s physical body was better than Lucia¡¯s ¨C though both were at the bottom of the rank ¨C while Lucia¡¯s mind development went further than Ayden¡¯s. Moreover, their spiritual quality was close to the rank F. This was already exceptional since the fairies had hatched later than the other pets.

    As the twins were expecting, Amir sneered despite the fairies¡¯ excellent mental results. He led the Jamra boys to mock the fairies¡¯ weakness and the twins¡¯ efforts to make them stronger. ¡°How many sleepless nights did you spend to compensate their weak body with their intellect? What¡¯s the use? Beware, boys, the Eos clowns must have a terrifying strategy depending on the creepy little girls being able to distinguish a blue circle from a red square!¡±

    Artem looked at them with a hooded gaze, but the twins kept calm. It wasn¡¯t the time to respond, and as long as Amir and his goons only threw insults at them and laughed like idiots, they could ignore them. Anyway, the twins were very satisfied with their fairies. Their attention went back to the testing. After them, it was Yanna Geller¡¯s common Short-Tailed Cat¡¯s turn. Her pet results were decent for someone from a mundane household.

    Galen was worried for Zane, who went up next as his surname was Hoffman. All his White Rabbit¡¯s ranks were determined as F, but Zane smiled slightly. Galen guessed that the detailed results weren¡¯t so bad. At last, it was Sarah Hut¡¯s turn. The twins had heard that her pet was a rare Deep Blue-Scaled Seahorse, but they had never seen it. This pet couldn¡¯t stay outside water, so Sarah had to have an inner feature allowing her to store her pet in her inner world or an expensive spirit accessory with storage functions.

    A normal rare pet should average around the rank D. However, no one was surprised to see Sarah''s pet get ranked C for its physical body and spiritual quality. The Hut Family had provided their daughter with quality spirit resources.

    What was more surprising was that Amir¡¯s Black Sand Fennec, who went up next, only got determined as having a mind development of rank E. Its physical body was ranked C, and its spiritual quality was ranked D.

    ¡°I always said that something was wrong with this fennec. It¡¯s too dull!¡±

    Lyra didn¡¯t add that it was almost to the point that the boy¡¯s CSI should be taking action to rectify the situation. But they weren¡¯t her charges, and she shouldn¡¯t interfere. Nonetheless, she frowned as she witnessed Amir scolding his pet for shaming him. Obtaining the rank E was already good, for a pet only one-month-old. But this fennec was a rare pet raised by a high Family: they had to have ways to stimulate the pet.

    After the three other boys from the Jamra Family also did their test, it was the end of the first period, and they changed classrooms to sit for the beast tamers¡¯ test. Mr Carter and another representative from the Beast Tamers Association were taking care of this part of the exam. All the students first checked their chi rank by pouring some of their energy into a device. The machine glowed in the color corresponding to their rank and sent a numerical value to their connected bracelet and the representative¡¯s tablet. Without much surprise, they all had the lowest rank of chi as it was still glowing white, though with slightly different densities. It usually took around four to six months to upgrade chi to the notable rank if one had the capacity for it.

    The students then went to sit at the place with their names. The supervisors gave them a comprehensive writing exam about all the courses about their beast tamers classes: beast training, beast caring, chi and beast-tamer talents, pet combat and dual combat. To serious students, it wasn¡¯t much of a hurdle. The real challenge would be the fights in the afternoon.

    ***

    After their meal, the twins and Zane went to the arena. It was a large circular edifice in the center of the four main school buildings, forming a sort of cross. The part of these buildings nearer the arena was narrower than the farthest part, giving them a trapezium shape. The fourth one was for the dormitories, the cafeteria, the library, and the administrative offices.

    The arena was built to imitate the architecture of the Old World. But its high, decorated roof enclosed the whole building and hid all the security systems installed to protect the spectators. On the arena floor were one big ring in the middle and nine smaller ones around it.

    The fights were dual combats, meaning the beast tamers and their pets had to fight together. One of the purposes of this test was to remind the beast tamers that they all had a duty to stand as the last protection of humanity against the Abyss monsters, even if they chose not to enlist in the Army.

    The eighteen students with common pets were fighting first. The teachers and the Beast Tamers Association¡¯s representatives acting as referees would evaluate them.

    It wasn''t a real tournament because all the students would participate in four matches, no matter if they won or lost. The first opponent was randomly chosen, but afterward, the winners and the losers would be separated to obtain a rough ranking. Each victory gave one point, and staying in the winning group gave a half-point more per match. So, winning the first match was important.

    The rest of the class would fight later in the afternoon, so these students could leave to train or sleep. Some stayed to watch the fights with all the other students of the school, who were given a free afternoon to come to the arena. The second group of beast tamers comprising the ten students with notable pets, and the third group including the last six students with epic and rare pets had to fight five matches. The higher-ranked pets should have more spiritual energy, so the school wanted a more precise ranking of the best pets and students.

    Soon, the nine first matches were announced on the big screen above the rings. Galen was to fight against Deborah Blum and her common Yellow Bee on the fourth ring, while Artem was to face up to Anan Ruh and his common Earth Sheep on the seventh ring.

    Artem turned to his twin, checking if he needed advice. But Galen shook his head and nodded at Zane. The shy boy was the one needing help and maybe a pep talk. His first opponent was Nasir Jamra and his common Fire Beetle. This boy was the only member of the Jamra Family in their class with a common pet, making him meaner and nastier. Moreover, the beetle was a defensive pet slightly larger than the White Rabbit, so Zane¡¯s pet had almost no hopes of beating it.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The nine matches were taking place simultaneously on the small rings. They had a time limit of fifteen minutes. Between each fight, the beast tamers were only given five minutes to rest because the school didn''t want to spend too much time on the common pets.

    With this organization, the ones who could finish their match quickly were advantaged. The twins had discussed this point a lot and tried to build their strategies to get fast victories when possible. Artem was confident, but he worried about his brother, who didn¡¯t have Artem¡¯s skills or training.

    Deborah wasn¡¯t a good fighter, but she had an advantage: her bee had an offensive innate skill, while Lucia didn¡¯t have one. However, Galen thought the fight was manageable. He equipped his Turkish bow and a Kalkan shield, planning to use the Turkish archery that Artem had researched for him. Galen just had to hit Deborah fast enough to make her surrender.

    Galen knew he was still awkward with the shield, but the Kalkan shield was light and very mobile thanks to its small round shape and all its loops. Xander Eos taught his elder son to fight with ranged weapons of all sorts, but he never really spent time to teach him more than the basic defensive moves. Artem had always been supposed to be Galen¡¯s shield. Using this new style would be challenging for Galen, but he had some confidence against Deborah.

    The only unknown was Deborah¡¯s talent. Lyra and the twins surmised from the chi practice classes that it was a sort of body buff. These chi beginner classes were infamous in high school for being mostly useless. Actually, that was the very reason why the Beast Tamers Universities decided some decades ago to advance the beast tamers¡¯ Awakening ceremony to a year before going to uni: they didn¡¯t want to take care of such bothersome classes anymore.

    The young beast tamers had little chi, so these classes were often seen as a joke. What was the use of such a class when students would empty their chi after one or two uses of their talent? Actually, despite the seven periods of chi practice classes the twins had gotten until now, they didn¡¯t do much. Mr Duval let the students do as they pleased so that those who wanted to accumulate their chi instead of training their talent ¨C or the smart students who wanted to keep their talent secret like most students from a higher background ¨C could do so. For those who didn¡¯t want to waste their time, Mr Duval taught some exercises whose purpose was to prepare the students¡¯ bodies for the changes brought by the chi. So the twins still hadn¡¯t witnessed some of their classmates¡¯ talent or only had a brief glance at it. Since they also hid their talent as much as they could, they couldn¡¯t resent their classmates.

    As for his preparations, Artem chose to fight with daggers against Anan to get speed and mobility. The Earth Sheep was a defensive pet with good agility. Moreover, Anan had good combat skills since he was Mahlon Ruh¡¯s partner. In the Ruh Family, each alchemist or pharmacist was assigned a partner who acted as a bodyguard. Anan¡¯s elective wasn¡¯t the professional combat training class. However, the Ruh Family taught Anan the Family¡¯s secret martial arts. Moreover, Anan¡¯s talent was a complete unknown. Anan would be a tough opponent, and Artem was eager to fight him.

    Each student went to their assigned ring to face their opponent once they chose their weapons and equipment. They were wearing light armor for protection. The pets didn¡¯t wear any protection. However, Mrs Bousrani was on stand-by with some assistants from the Beast Tamers Association. All of them were Beast Healers. Mrs Bousrani¡¯s pets were next to her. Her rare Light Praying Mantis was idly clapping its forelegs, and the rare Sunset Blooming Marigold was gently swaying its leaves. Both pets had notable and rare healing skills. The marigold was even rumored to have an epic healing skill.

    Lyra reassured and encouraged the twins, stating that she would keep an eye on Zane. She knew her boys, so she was aware that they were worried about their friend and for each other. Keeping track of all their fights at the same time would be bothersome, but she was able to do it.

    The bell sounded to announce the start of the fights, and the public cheered. As soon as the match began, Galen used his talent [Insight] briefly on Deborah and her bee while moving and drawing his bow. The Turkish bow was quick to draw, and using the thumb release technique allowed Galen to move while keeping the arrow steady.

    Lucia knew what she had to do. She used the skill [glow] near the eyes of the bee to blind it and keep it from shooting its skill [sting] accurately. Like Galen, she moved around to be less easy to target. The bee was faster than Lucia, so the fairy had difficulties holding her glowing globe near her opponent''s head.

    His [Insight] didn¡¯t show Galen anything useful for the bee as his and Lucia¡¯s arsenal was very restrained, but it showed that Deborah had more difficulties defending her left side. Deborah had chosen to fight with a long staff so she could only dodge Galen¡¯s blunt arrows while trying to reduce the distance between Galen and her to attack him. But Galen didn¡¯t let her have her way and kept Deborah on the defensive with fast shots from his Turkish bow.

    Unfortunately, the Yellow Bee shook off Lucia and began to attack Galen with its [sting], forcing him to use the Kalkan buckler fixed to his forearm to defend. Frustrated, Lucia decided to overcharge her skill [glow]. She hadn¡¯t been trained yet to use [glow] as a bomb, but she was close to Ayden and had seen the results when her sister tried to overcharge [spark]. Even though Lucia didn¡¯t achieve to make her skill explode, the reinforced light became more of a hindrance.

    Angry, the bee forgot its beast tamer¡¯s order and went to chase after the fairy. This allowed Galen to go back on the offensive. It was time as Deborah had taken the opportunity to reduce the distance between them. Galen knew he didn¡¯t have a chance if she managed to force him to fight in close combat.

    Nevertheless, Deborah looked tired as Galen led her to run all around the ring while dodging. Just as he thought he could use her fatigue to concentrate his shots on her left side, he saw her whole body glowing white briefly. It was a sure indication that she used her talent. The fact that it shined on her whole body proved that it was a physical buffing talent, which was confirmed as Deborah seemed to be able to push through her lack of stamina.

    Galen needed to end this fast. Not only was the bee faster than Lucia, but it was highly probable that the bee had learned a movement skill like the common skill [dash] ¨C a necessary step to get the notable skill [pursuit], which was usually part of the arsenal of flying insect pets. Lucia ¨C who still hadn¡¯t learned any speed buff or movement skill ¨C was disadvantaged, and already, the bee had touched Lucia with its skill [sting] one or two times. But Lucia didn¡¯t stop and stubbornly healed herself before blinding and taunting the bee again. So Galen took a calculated risk and oriented his course towards the two pets. As they came closer and were about to pass between Deborah and him, Galen shouted at Lucia, ¡°Blind her now!¡±

    His shout brought the bee''s attention back to him, but he ignored it to draw his bow as fast as he could. He shot three arrows in quick succession, aiming at Deborah¡¯s left side. Blinded by Lucia¡¯s [glow], Deborah was too slow to dodge the attack even though she instinctively stepped back to protect herself. Simultaneously, Galen suffered from the bee¡¯s attacks. But its stings were weaker than his arrows, and Lucia immediately came to his help with her [small heal]. Galen was drawing a fourth arrow when Deborah raised her hands in surrender and called back her bee. The referee, a Beast Tamer Association representative, accorded the victory to Galen.

    Galen won, but he felt no satisfaction. He was too weak. He believed Deborah surrendered to keep energy for her three remaining matches. It was a reasonable choice: giving up as soon as she did allow her to have time to heal and rest. As for Galen, he was aware that Lucia and he didn¡¯t have the strength to fight like that in the remaining matches. Lucia used too much spiritual energy, and he didn¡¯t have enough stamina to maintain this rhythm.

    ***

    On Artem¡¯s side, things seemed to go better. Ayden engaged the Earth Sheep without much risk as its main attack ¨C the innate skill [headbutt] ¨C needed its opponent to be near it. Ayden kept flying around to dodge its jumps and used her skill [spark] in quick succession. Like this, the sheep wool caught on fire, making it easier for Ayden to harass the sheep. She used [spark] on its face, under its feet, never two times in the same place to disorient it and keep it busy. Being an earth pet, it had to know an earth skill, but chances were that it was useless against a flying pet. The Ruh Family had a reputation for meticulousness, so Artem was almost sure the sheep knew no other skills. As strange as it looked, Ayden dominated this fight despite the weak power of [spark].

    On the beast tamers¡¯ side, Anan was simply equipped with leather vambraces. He was fighting using boxing and wrestling techniques. Artem didn¡¯t hesitate to rush to him. Anan was cleverly defending against Artem¡¯s daggers while trying to disarm him using grappling and lock techniques. Both of them were ambidextrous, and they exchanged blows without pauses. But Artem was too good and evaded all Anan¡¯s attempts to lock him before retaliating in force, only to be blocked again.

    Finding an opening, Artem went for it. The daggers were blunt and wouldn¡¯t cut, so Artem attacked with his full force. Without any more choices, Anan used his talent even as he stepped back. His eyes only gained a slight white glow as a dome of chi energy surrounded Anan. This looked like the talent [Barrier]. It was an excellent talent, perfect for a bodyguard. Artem¡¯s daggers couldn¡¯t penetrate Anan¡¯s defenses anymore. But at this stage, the barrier rendered Anan immobile, disadvantaging him. Artem broke the barrier with a flurry of attacks.

    Anan calmly admitted his defeat. It wasn¡¯t the first time he fought Artem in a competition, and he knew his value. Anan didn¡¯t feel any shame. He shook hands with Artem and told him he learned a lot in the fight.

    Artem wasn¡¯t much more satisfied than Galen about his victory. He knew that this match hadn¡¯t been a real dual combat. Anan had to be aware that his Earth Sheep couldn¡¯t touch Ayden like he had to realize the fairy was too weak to hurt the sheep even if its wool was on fire. As such, Anan should have ordered his sheep to ignore the fairy to help him fight Artem. By fighting together against him, Anan would have had a chance to lock him while Ayden couldn¡¯t do much to help Artem. But Anan chose to fight him one-on-one. Once, Artem would have felt that it was very honorable, but after Mr Tawil¡¯s comments about what was necessary to fight monsters, Artem was looking for another kind of fight.

    ¡°Will the both of you stop looking a gift horse in the mouth!¡± Lyra scolded them. ¡°You won your first match, that was your goal. Now, concentrate on your next fights. For the rest, you still have ten months of school!¡±

    Galen restrained his smile. Lyra was like an elder sister to them. His wish to smile disappeared when he heard what she added, ¡°Compared to Zane¡¯s fight, you both were very lucky.¡±

    Worried, the twins wanted to find Zane, but they also had to rest and let their fairies cultivate to refill their spiritual energy as their matches ended before the time limit.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Galen asked. ¡°Zane isn¡¯t weak. He got his scholarship because he has potential: good grades overall, good physical condition¡­ He is just unlucky.¡±

    ¡°I taught him some tricks to fight these last weeks,¡± Artem added. ¡°He might still lose against Nasir Jamra, but it shouldn¡¯t be by a large margin.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he is unlucky,¡± Lyra agreed and went on to tell them what she witnessed, as she soon realized only Zane¡¯s fight was problematic. ¡°The stupid Jamra boy underestimated him, but it back-slashed on Zane. The idiot only sent his Fire Beetle to fight and stayed unguarded on his side of the ring. Zane listened well to your advice, Artem.

    "While his rabbit was bravely fighting against the beetle, he approached the stupid Jamra boy. Zane used his talent to share his feelings as you trained him to do to distract the idiot, and immediately after, he attacked with his concealed weapons. Zane scored several hits, but the referee judged it not enough to eliminate his opponent. Instead, this made the Jamra boy furious.

    "Since then, he¡¯s madly attacking Zane, who can barely defend himself. Finn achieved to use his skill [headbutt] against the beetle twice, without much effect as it is a defensive pet. I even suspect that the poor rabbit hurt himself. The beetle retaliated with [horn attack] and injured Finn.

    "I¡¯m sure that Zane wants to surrender, but the Jamra boy is vicious enough to keep Zane from raising his arms, and he is drowning his voice under his flow of insults. This is just a beating! I hate Mr Carter: he is one of the referees, but he¡¯s just looking over without doing anything!¡±

    As the twins turned toward Zane¡¯s and Nasir¡¯s ring, they saw the White Rabbit jumping to his tamer¡¯s side despite his injuries. The beetle was in pursuit behind him. It was far slower as it didn¡¯t choose to fly and trotted over. The beetle seemed as arrogant as its tamer. Both Zane and his rabbit looked pitiful.

    Despite all that, Zane and the White Rabbit attacked Nasir together. Zane used his empathic talent again ¨C though it was too weak to be a real empathic projection, it created an empathic link to his fear and frustration ¨C while Finn used both [jump] and [headbutt] to attack Nasir in the stomach. This was enough to distract Nasir and stop his flow of attacks as he scrambled to block Finn¡¯s headbutt. Zane didn¡¯t waste any time and put his short sword on Nasir¡¯s neck when the boy bent over from the recoil of the rabbit¡¯s attack. On the battlefield, killing the beast tamers was the end, so even if the Fire Beetle could still fight, this was considered Nasir¡¯s loss. The boy was livid with rage.

    Zane took Finn in his arms and ignored his injuries to limp out of the ring as soon as his victory was announced. Zane didn¡¯t look back. He won, but he knew that it was his loss as he didn¡¯t have any more chance for the later matches. The students were authorized to have their wounds bandaged if they bled, but healing was reserved for the pets. First, the pets didn¡¯t have protection, and they were still very young. Second, this was to harden the students and remind them that the Abyss monsters wouldn¡¯t let them have any respite. Zane showed his usual bitter smile as he went to Mrs Bousrani¡¯s stand.

    The twins wanted to comfort the boy they considered their friend, but they knew they should first take care of themselves. They also had three other matches to fight, so they went to sit on the benches near the rings to rest and let their fairies cultivate despite the noisy atmosphere.

 Chapter 9 - Intense matches

    Galen, Artem, and Zane were in the winning group. As such, they got one and a half points. One student was randomly selected from the nine losers of the first round to get an even number in the winning group. The student given a second chance was Metin. The Shaytan Family had just adopted this student. This prominent Family had Arabian roots and had been the representative of all the Maghreb Families for a long time. However, the Jamra Family had recently taken over this title. The Shaytan Family specialized in fire and dark pets and was known for its transformation and demonization talents. Metin¡¯s pet was a common Long-Tailed Lizard, which he was trying to raise to evolve into a notable Red-Tailed Salamander.

    The second matches were soon after announced. For the second round, Galen had to fight against Mahlon Ruh and his common Purple Frog on the second ring. Artem¡¯s opponent was Caleb and his Green Dog on the fifth ring. As for Zane, he had to face up to Yanna Geller and her common Short-Tailed Cat on the fourth ring.

    Zane went up to the ring with the firm resolve to retreat if necessary. He let Finn fight a bit against the cat, but the rabbit was at a natural disadvantage against the feline¡¯s innate skill [claw]. Moreover, Yanna trained her cat very well, and it also knew the common skill [jump] and the notable skill [ambush]. Zane didn¡¯t insist and soon yielded as he was too injured to fight himself. He didn¡¯t care about the audience booing. He wanted to rest some more, hoping to win another match later.

    ***

    As Galen went up to his ring, he heard Mahlon greeting him in his own way. ¡°Oh, Galen, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re my opponent. You wouldn¡¯t mind helping me with an experiment, would you?¡±

    That was Mahlon in a nutshell. He wasn¡¯t interested in any fight; his only focus was his alchemist and pharmacist skills. Without waiting for Galen¡¯s answer, Mahlon continued, ¡°See, the Water Elemental was so weak against my frog¡¯s poison that I didn¡¯t have the time to gather enough data. I wonder if it¡¯s because its physical body is weak, because its body is composed of water, or because of something else.¡±

    Galen remembered that the Water Elemental was Moses Bayoumi¡¯s common pet. Since it was considered as weak a pet as the fairies, Galen wasn¡¯t really surprised by Moses¡¯ loss in the first round. But Galen also knew Mahlon wasn¡¯t the kind to fight seriously. The other boy wasn¡¯t even equipped with any visible weapon.

    ¡°Mahlon, we¡¯re supposed to fight each other,¡± Galen kindly reminded him.

    ¡°Who cares? You surely don¡¯t: you¡¯re a healer and a pharmacist. Making us fight is stupid,¡± Mahlon countered before switching the subject back to his experiment. ¡°I was thinking about your fairy. Its spiritual element is light. Light is one of the ways to obtain the skill [antidote]. But contrary to the elemental, its body isn¡¯t made of light. So would your fairy have a better resistance against my pet¡¯s [poisonous touch]?¡±

    Despite himself, Galen was interested and lowered his bow. It would be nice if Lucia could learn the notable skill [antidote]. Mahlon and Anan were like the twins: they tended to stick to each other. So, except when the teachers forced them to change partners, they didn¡¯t interact much with their classmates. It could be a rare chance for Lucia.

    ¡°How long did your frog have to touch the elemental before the poison was effective?¡±

    ¡°Would you believe this guy was stupid enough to send his elemental to fight in close combat instead of using its innate skill [water bubble]? As soon as it touched my frog, it was poisoned.¡±

    The skill used by the Purple Frog was its common innate skill [poisonous touch], but Galen knew for a fact that Mahlon used his alchemy and the Ruh Family resources to enhance his pet¡¯s poison. That was a criterion to keep in mind, though to respect Mahlon¡¯s will, Galen kept his focus on the propagation of the poison.

    ¡°If water is easily contaminated, the water which composed the elemental''s body should have quickly spread the poison through its whole body.¡±

    ¡°So, you agree with me. However, water pets can also have healing skills. That¡¯s why I think it might be because of its weak body. Your fairy is the perfect subject to verify our hypotheses.¡±

    And it was like that, that the two pharmacists let the pets ¡°fight¡± with each other. Lucia was poisoned but resisted the effect by using her [small heal]. Galen and Mahlon discussed their observations. When they received a warning from the referee, they half-heartily fought. Galen shot some arrows without aiming, and Mahlon easily dodged. Their eyes were on their pets.

    Before the fifteen minutes were over, Mahlon surrendered to thank Galen for his cooperation despite his protests. Galen was grateful to Mahlon because even though Lucia used a lot of spiritual energy to fight off the frog¡¯s poison, it allowed her to train her [small heal] and familiarize herself with poisonous effects.

    Galen still had to bring the Light Fairy to Mrs Bousrani to detoxify her as the teacher¡¯s talent [Cleanse] allowed her to heal all status ailments. Mahlon accompanied him to continue their talk. Mrs Bousrani didn¡¯t comment on their behavior, but her gaze spoke loudly of her disapproval. Anyway, this was nothing compared to the scolding Anan and Artem would give the two boys once they learned about their fight.

    ***

    That was especially true because Artem was in an earnest fight against Caleb. As a future soldier, Caleb knew how to fight well using a sword and a shield. He had a good grasp of Artem¡¯s fighting style. Artem decided to fight with a bastard sword and an ax. He expected his weapons to give him versatility and heavier leverage against Caleb¡¯s shield. He also chose this style because it wasn¡¯t academic and might throw off Caleb.

    As for Ayden, even if Artem wanted to fight with her by his side, she was still too weak to make that possible. So the plan for her was the same: use [spark] to harass the dog while dodging its attack. The Green Dog¡¯s common innate skill was [bite], and it looked like it learned the skill [sprint]. But Artem was almost sure that Caleb was teaching it a third skill useful for army pets, like the rare skill [last stand] or the notable skill [loyalty]. Given the dog¡¯s high mind results, it wouldn¡¯t dumbly try to use [bite] on a flying pet. The dog would come to Caleb¡¯s help. So Ayden had to hold the dog¡¯s attention.

    Ayden began the fight using her [spark] several times on the dog¡¯s snout to taunt it, but her opponent wasn¡¯t keeping still. Moreover, the dog was using the seconds needed to charge the skill to move back a bit, keeping the skill from igniting directly on him. Seeing that it wasn¡¯t efficient, Ayden decided to show the results of her training. Artem didn¡¯t want her to reveal any trump cards so soon, but he warned his fairy not to underestimate Caleb and his dog.

    To counter the Green Dog¡¯s speed, Ayden first activated her skill [fire trail]. Artem had underlined repetitively during training that a trump card used poorly was a wasted trump card. Thanks to the boost to her speed, Ayden placed herself in the dog''s blind spot to attack. This time, the Fire Fairy didn¡¯t use [spark], but the notable skill [chain of blasts]. She had gained it by evolving her innate skill. The dog could dodge one or two attacks, but couldn''t evade a multitude of them.

    The crowd reacted with cheers and astonishment. It was common knowledge that the fairies¡¯ skills were useless. While [chain of blasts] wasn¡¯t uncommon, no one had ever seen a fairy use it. The referees nodded in approbation for the pet¡¯s achievement and the significant training it revealed.

    This attack surprised Caleb as much as the dog. Even though the teenager was focusing intently on his fight against Artem, [chain of blasts] was a loud and bright skill. It served more as a distraction than an attack since the blast was still weak. Of course, Artem didn¡¯t let go of this opportunity. Using his ax to hook firmly Caleb¡¯s shield, Artem created a large opening and quickly attacked the other boy with his sword.

    Caleb wasn¡¯t a pushover. He reacted fast enough to dodge the hit, though this unbalanced him. Seeing himself in a bad situation, Caleb decisively used his talent.

    Because Artem always kept tabs on his fellow warriors, he knew that Caleb¡¯s talent was a defensive notable buff called [Root]. Artem also understood that this talent worked differently from Anan¡¯s [Barrier], which was more a magical talent than a physical one. Caleb''s talent would not only improve his defenses by fortifying his body but also consolidate his stance. Caleb couldn¡¯t be permitted to ¡°take root¡±, or defeating him would become almost impossible.

    So, as soon as Artem saw Caleb¡¯s body glowing white, he responded in kind and used his talent ¡°Fusion¡± to buff himself with Ayden¡¯s [fire trail]. This allowed Artem to throw off Caleb¡¯s calculations with a sudden burst of acceleration. Artem¡¯s attack destabilized Caleb again. The boy ¡°took root¡± but his body wasn¡¯t in the right stance. Instead of grounding himself, this penalized him. Caleb valiantly fought on, but Artem was too good to let go of such an opportunity. After canceling his talent ¨C he needed to spare his chi as much as possible ¨C, Artem went on the offensive.

    The Green Dog wanted to help its tamer, but Ayden hindered him with another [chain of blasts]. This one didn¡¯t have as strong an impact on their opponents. That worried Artem because he knew Ayden was reaching her limits. Moreover, Caleb persevered by canceling his talent to rectify his stance. The two teenagers exchanged a dozen of hits before Caleb gritted his teeth and admitted defeat. He was very clear about his and Artem¡¯s skills.

    Caleb looked at Artem bitterly. His dog came up to him, asking for petting. Caleb finally glanced down and said, ¡°You¡¯re still the best warrior. But my Green Dog is still young: our next official fight will have a different outcome.¡±

    Artem solemnly nodded at Caleb¡¯s words. He was aware of his and Ayden¡¯s shortcomings. Artem was covered in sweat and had several slight injuries ¨C those were proof his fight against Caleb hadn''t been easy. Artem needed some rest, or he couldn¡¯t fight with the same intensity later.

    The Fire Fairy also used a lot of spiritual energy in her fight against the dog. The following matches would be more grueling because she wouldn¡¯t be able to use strong skills as freely. So, Artem ignored the audience¡¯s cheers and applause to bring his fairy to cultivate while waiting for the end of the second round.

    ***

    For the third round, the opponents were chosen with less randomness so as not to let students fight the same person again. Before the announcement of the pairings, the school solved the problem of the uneven number in the winning groups using luck again. Since Metin had miserably lost against Julius in the second round, the organizer wouldn¡¯t give him a third chance. This time, the lucky student was Caleb.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    With this arrangement, the school announced the three matches for the winning group: Galen against Naila Daher and her common Blue-Eyed Pony on the second ring, Artem against Yanna Geller and her Short-Tailed Cat on the third ring, and Caleb Ancel and his Green Dog against Julius Barbieri and his Gray Heron on the fourth ring.

    The six matches organized for the losing group were very varied in intensity. For example, Anan promptly defeated his opponent ¨C the Yellow Bee and its beast tamer Deborah. Faced with Anan¡¯s strong and swift offensive, Deborah chose to surrender quickly. Another short fight was Metin against Bruno Stein ¨C a boy from a military household ¨C and his Brown Ferret. Metin fought with deadly desperation and won. However, his victory was due to Bruno''s defeat against Naila in the previous round. Bruno and his pet were too tired and injured to put up a decent fight.

    Nasir, who had won his last match, also fought furiously against Mavis Dubois and her Red Robin. The boy wanted to restore his honor by winning all his remaining matches as he was still enraged about his defeat against Zane. But even though Mavis was from a mundane household, she had a clear head and decent combat skills. It was difficult for her to win against Nasir, but it helped that rage and prejudices blinded the boy. Moreover, Mavis'' robin had the aerial and species advantage against the Fire Beetle.

    In contrast, some matches didn¡¯t show much action, to the disappointment of the spectators. The pets were tired and only had one or two basic skills, or the beast tamers didn¡¯t fight seriously. Zane and Mahlon were the perfect examples of such fights since Zane was still prudent and Mahlon was unmotivated. Zane rapidly yielded because he didn¡¯t want Finn to suffer poisoning.

    All the students who ended their matches early went to watch the three fights from the winning groups. The organizer had conveniently placed those matches next to each other. They were all intense and attracted most of the attention of the audience.

    ***

    Naila was a very ambitious student, and her Blue-Eyed Pony was naturally stronger than the other common pets because of its size and its very offensive innate skill [trample]. Even if she didn¡¯t aim to become a beast fighter but a Beast Trainer ¨C a job which required helping beast tamers to train and evolve their pets and offered one of the best remuneration ¨C, she took credits at every opportunity and didn¡¯t neglect any skills. Since it was related to her career choice, she was a good fighter and trained her pet diligently and meticulously. As such, her pony learned the notable skill [rear kick] quite early on. All these allowed her to win first against Metin and his Long-Tailed Lizard, then against Bruno and his Brown Ferret.

    Galen was wary of Naila. He knew his chances to win were low, but he still wanted to fight seriously to gain experience. Anyway, doing anything else would be disrespectful toward Naila. Her weapon of choice was an estoc ¨C a sword with a long and narrow blade used for thrusting the opponent and piercing the armor¡¯s weakness. Her choice proved she was already planning for when she would fight while riding her pet. Galen¡¯s Turkish bow and his Kalkan shield wouldn¡¯t be of much use against her or her pony, so Galen thought of changing his weapons before letting go of the idea. He wasn¡¯t a warrior anyway.

    Galen used his talent to observe Naila and her pet. He discovered that the pony¡¯s weak points were its hooves and limbs. Galen was bewildered since the pony used these body parts to run and attack, so they had to be tough. But the teenager didn¡¯t have the time to think about it: soon, the pony charged over to keep Galen from using his bow.

    Lucia responded by using her [glow] to blind the pet, but it was too fast to be affected. Naila ran toward Galen from another angle, hoping to trap him in a pincer attack. Of course, Galen wasn¡¯t idle and shot arrows at the pony, aiming for its legs. Even without the clues from his talent, the boy judged it to be the more dangerous enemy. Galen didn¡¯t think he could resist if the Blue-Eyed Pony used [trample] or [rear kick] against him.

    Since Lucia couldn¡¯t hinder its approach, the pony soon attacked Galen. The boy dodged its first pass, but Naila took the opportunity to get near him. Then, she smoothly coordinated her attacks with her pet. Naila prevented Galen from dodging as the pony prepared its notable skill [rear kick].

    Panicked, Lucia condensed all her spiritual energy in front of her tamer to protect him. The energy formed a sort of light shield. It wasn¡¯t yet the rare skill she was supposed to learn, so it was very brittle, but it cushioned some of the damage from the pony¡¯s powerful attack.

    Galen promptly decided to surrender. It wasn¡¯t because he was injured but because he realized he couldn¡¯t do anything else. Not only was Galen powerless in front of Naila and her pet, but Lucia didn¡¯t have any more spiritual energy. The boy couldn¡¯t help but feel bitter about his weakness as he left the ring.

    ¡°What are you upset about?¡± Lyra asked in an exasperated tone. ¡°Do you always need me to point out the obvious?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Galen wondered.

    ¡°First of all, Naila is a worthy opponent: there is no shame in losing against her. If you can¡¯t see that, it means I¡¯ve misjudged you all this time.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I can see that,¡± Galen answered quickly. ¡°Naila is an excellent beast tamer, but-¡±

    ¡°No buts!¡± Lyra rudely cut him off. ¡°Are you so focused on your self-pity that you missed Lucia¡¯s achievement?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t announce any achievement,¡± Galen replied in bewilderment.

    ¡°It¡¯s not an official one because she did it out of instinct, so she won¡¯t be able to reproduce the skill without learning it systematically, but she did use it! That¡¯s awesome, and she deserved your encouragement!¡±

    ¡°Do you mean when she shielded me?¡± Galen asked as he remembered his fight. ¡°Was it a [light shield]?¡±

    ¡°It was an incomplete form of it,¡± Lyra answered, ¡°but that¡¯s still worth mentioning!¡±

    Learning about Lucia''s improvement diverted Galen''s attention. The boy thanked and congratulated Lucia. Once Lyra told him that Artem¡¯s fight was still going on, Galen restrained his enthusiasm and went to watch it. To stand so long against Artem, Yanna had to be a worthy opponent.

    ***

    During their fight, Artem realized early on that Yanna was in very good condition. The girl had won her first two matches easily, so she wasn¡¯t tired, and her cat didn¡¯t use much spiritual energy. Moreover, her talent was still a mystery.

    It could mean that her talent was useless in fights or impossible to use yet ¨C like Nasir was loudly complaining about while insulting Zane. Nasir had never hidden that his talent was [Fire Absorption], so he needed his pet¡¯s fire. However, his Fire Beetle seemed to have yet to learn a fire skill. The twins found that suspicious.

    Artem was cautious because if Yanna¡¯s talent wasn¡¯t useless, the other possibility was that Yanna was keeping her talent as a trump card.

    Artem decided to fight with javelins to get some reach and more options because he wasn¡¯t sure about Yanna¡¯s strategy. Moreover, the Short-Tailed Cat had the skill [jump], so if it knew how to use it with its innate skill [claw], Ayden would be in danger. If the need arose, Artem could help his fairy by throwing one of his three javelins at her opponent.

    For defense, Artem equipped a peltast shield ¨C the crescent-shaped shield used by the Greek light infantry in the Old World. Yanna wasn¡¯t as trained in fighting as Caleb or Anan, so Artem should be able to get to her fast enough to end the fight, but he was wary of her.

    Yanna chose daggers, which could mean she intended to fight in close combat, but Artem was sure she had hidden throwing daggers. As their fight began, Yanna and her cat showed their good coordination. They approached together under Ayden¡¯s [spark]. Artem had ordered his fairy to stay behind him this time to act as cover.

    Yanna and her cat were zigzagging without hindering each other and preventing Ayden from targeting them efficiently. The fairy managed to get them several times, but the cat used its instinct to dodge as the Green Dog had, and Yanna endured Ayden¡¯s attack with her armor.

    Since it wasn¡¯t working, Ayden chose to aim her [spark] at Yanna¡¯s face. A human was more sensitive than a beast. Ayden knew Artem would disapprove if she focused on such a delicate place, but she was too weak otherwise.

    After several misses, Ayden finally ignited her [spark] around Yanna¡¯s eyes. The girl had to close her eyes, but it didn¡¯t do much to protect them from the burning sensation.

    Since his talk with Mr Tawil, Artem had come to terms with the need to play dirty, so he didn¡¯t intend to scold Ayden for her ruthlessness even if such acts made him uncomfortable. Instead, the young fighter ¨C who had kept his distance to observe his opponent first ¨C threw a javelin at Yanna. Immediately, Artem rushed at Yanna to close the distance while she was still affected by Ayden¡¯s [spark].

    But her cat reacted quickly: it used [jump] to cover the distance and batted the thrown weapon away with its paw. The girl retaliated by blindly throwing several daggers in Artem¡¯s general direction. Without waiting for her order, her cat sprinted toward Artem. The boy used his shield to defend against the thrown daggers. He was quick, but his sight was still obstructed long enough for Yanna to use her talent without Artem¡¯s knowledge.

    Lyra immediately understood what was happening since she was seeing the scene from Galen¡¯s perspective too. Yet, the CSI didn¡¯t intervene: this was a school exam, not a life-and-death situation. The crowd reacted with whispers of wonder.

    On the ring, Artem saw the cat pouncing on him immediately after he lowered his shield. He found that strange as the pet should still be some distance away. The logical assumption would be that Yanna used a speed buff on her pet, but Artem felt that wasn¡¯t it. Without much time, Artem used his shield to block while holding one of his last two javelins to counter.

    Ayden knew something was wrong, but she didn¡¯t know how to communicate the danger to her tamer, and she had almost used all her spiritual energy. Before she could decide on a course of action, Artem felt no resistance from his shield or javelin, as if the cat had never attacked him. Understanding that it was some kind of illusion, Artem hurriedly looked at Yanna.

    She was still some meters away. Her eyes were lowered, and she was holding a hand to her hurt face, but Artem¡¯s instinct was screaming at him that he was in danger.

    Suddenly, the real cat attacked Artem from behind, using its skill [ambush]. The Short-Tailed Cat used its skill [claw] during the ambush and scored a hard and bloody hit. Artem endured the injury and harshly countered, sending the cat flying. Yanna tried to use the opportunity to hit Artem with her throwing daggers, but Ayden used [spark] again on her face. It prevented Yanna from aiming properly, even though the fairy¡¯s skill was less and less efficient. As Artem and Ayden were preparing for a last stand, Yanna called back her cat and surrendered.

    ¡°I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to win against you, but I also knew you were the perfect opponent to test my strategy,¡± Yanna politely explained to Artem. ¡°But on a bare ring, I think this is the extent of our skills.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short,¡± Artem replied good-naturally despite the pain on his left side from the cat¡¯s clawing. ¡°It was an interesting fight, and you managed to take me by surprise. I wouldn¡¯t mind helping you if you need a training partner.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, I guess. I¡¯ll keep your proposition in mind, but with all due respect, I¡¯d rather limit my association with you.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Artem sighed, frustrated that the rumors about his parents were keeping such an interesting person from training with him. Shaking his head, he left the ring to get his wound bandaged.

    On the way, he saw a woman with an epic Stalking Ghost Jaguar walking up to Yanna to speak to her. Artem was curious to know who she was. She looked like a beast tamer, but this woman shouldn¡¯t be from Yanna¡¯s family because the first exam didn''t allow family members to come. Actually, only members of the staff or beast tamers from the Association should be here. Her presence was puzzling and disturbing as Artem had made a point to spot every beast tamers foreigned to the school as part of his bodyguard training. He was vexed to have missed her. But he didn¡¯t dwell on his failure: he had to take care of his fairy and bandage himself.

    ***

    Meanwhile, on the fourth ring, the fight was also intense. Julius had proven his worth by winning against Mavis in the first round and against Metin in the second round. His unexpected victories almost made him a dark horse.

    But Caleb was a tough opponent. Julius¡¯s heron had the aerial advantage, but it needed to come close to attack with its innate skill [swoop] so the Green Dog could counter and dodge. The heron could also attack from a distance with its notable skill [wing attack], though it needed more spiritual energy. This late in the matches, the bird was using it sparingly.

    Moreover, Julius¡¯s secret to winning until now was his talent, but Caleb didn¡¯t let him use it. The soldier-in-training maneuvered the fight to close combat. Then, Caleb relentlessly attacked until Julius surrendered. In the end, even with a good talent, Julius was from a mundane household and didn¡¯t have the resources or the training provided to Caleb.

 Chapter 10 - Finals

    The fights had been intense for the students, but the public was restless and unsatisfied with the poor quality of the show. Beast tamers had a high social status, so people had a lot of expectations. But these young beast tamers with common pets weren¡¯t up to the task. It didn¡¯t help that other beast tamers like Amir taunted his classmates for their underwhelming performances.

    The school wanted only two finalists for the fourth match since it was the last round. The organizers decided the final would be between Naila and Artem, as neither one had ever lost. This final match would occur on the first ring to create more enthusiasm from the spectators.

    ***

    The other matches still happened on the smaller rings. For this last round, Galen was to fight Julius and his heron, while Zane was to face up to Bruno and his ferret. Both fights ended early like most matches this round, because the pets had mostly exhausted their spiritual energy, and the beast tamers were injured.

    This time, Zane managed to win because Bruno and his Brown Ferret were more injured than him. Bruno had lost first against the fierce Naila in the second round when her pony used its skill [trample] on his ferret. Naila had also injured the boy with her estoc. Then Bruno and his ferret suffered against Metin, who was desperate to gain the Shaytan Family¡¯s recognition. In such a state, the poor boy didn¡¯t have any more energy and just wanted to be done with the exam.

    As for Galen, he lost against Julius and his heron. Galen and Lucia were tired, and Galen didn¡¯t want to reveal the real use of his talent, not that it was very useful yet. As of now, people should have confirmed that it was a buff skill to enhance his sight as he pretended on his first day back at school. Galen had deliberately used it at the beginning of his fights in tandem with his ranged weapon to mislead people about his talent.

    But Julius deserved his previous victories. His Gray Heron was at the rank F overall. However, Julius¡¯s talent enhanced his pet¡¯s skills. Lyra and Galen discussed it and concluded that it was an offensive buffing skill, adding some cutting edge to what Julius used his talent on. Lyra surmised the talent should be called [Sharpness] and be of the common rank by eavesdropping with her [Divine Hearing] on the other students. It wasn¡¯t a powerful talent per se, but Julius had been able to use it fully. His talent was suitable for his heron''s skill [wing attack]. That was the reason why Julius won three of his four matches. Galen wasn¡¯t upset by his loss: Lucia had improved a lot, and she would surely soon evolve some of her skills or learn new ones.

    ***

    But one tamer didn¡¯t follow this trend: Moses waited until his last match to reveal his hand. His opponent was Nasir, who didn¡¯t learn his lesson and thought ¨C again ¨C that he would win easily. A single attack was enough to defeat the arrogant boy because he had refused to dodge the [water bubble] thrown at him. What Nasir didn¡¯t know but should have suspected was that it wasn¡¯t a normal [water bubble].

    Those watching couldn¡¯t fully explain how Moses had achieved it, but it was an obvious combination of his pet¡¯s skill and his talent. From what Lyra picked up, Moses¡¯ talent was called [Transference]. It seemed it allowed Moses to transfer all the damages he had received to his opponent through the Water Elemental¡¯s [water bubble]. Such a talent should be of the notable rank at the least.

    But what made the beast tamers positive that something else was at play was that the attack also poisoned Nasir. Indeed, Mahlon''s frog had poisoned the elemental, not Moses, so the pet should have another skill. Maybe a skill that allowed it to replicate the poison, though it seemed unlikely. Some people even speculated that it could be a special feature from Moses¡¯ inner world.

    Anyway, Nasir was utterly humiliated by his loss against Moses, who had bet everything on his last match by enduring his injuries in the previous fights. Nasir took it badly. He rejected all the responsibilities on Zane, to whom he promised retaliation. Lyra witnessed it and noted to warn the twins as she was sure they would want to protect their friend.

    ***

    As the organizers hoped, the final between Artem and Naila attracted most of the public¡¯s attention. Artem chose to equip double swords even if his injury from the Short-Tailed Cat was restraining his moves on his left side. He knew defending against Naila and her pony wasn¡¯t a viable option, so he went for offense and mobility while keeping a longer reach than if he was using daggers.

    Ayden placed herself behind Artem and didn¡¯t plan to use [spark] at all, keeping her energy for one big attack. Artem wanted to make their opponents think the fairy was useless to lower their guard. Galen helped by passing over the pony¡¯s weakness through Lyra.

    Nevertheless, all this strategy was irrelevant as Naila didn¡¯t charge over as she did in all her previous fights. As soon as the match began, Artem saw Naila extending her hands. She held out an herb in front of her, and a white light surrounded the herb. As soon as Artem realized what Naila was doing, he rushed toward her to disrupt the activation of her talent. He didn¡¯t even try to identify what she was doing: it was more important to stop her.

    The big ring was 50 meters wide, so without using [fire trail] ¨C the boy chose to keep his remaining chi in reserve for an attack and hoped he wasn¡¯t making a mistake ¨C, Artem still took more than five seconds to run over. During this time, the herb Naila was holding fused with her chi, and she applied it on her Blue-Eyed Pony.

    The pet glowed in a white light that hid its features for a short time before expanding rapidly. Just as Artem came near enough to attack, the glow receded, revealing a notable Mist Horse. The crowd gasped in astonishment and gossiped about Naila¡¯s talent, but Artem stayed focused. His mind was working on overdrive, calculating strategies and possibilities.

    Artem remembered that the Mist Horse¡¯s notable innate skill was [fog], a skill used to blind its opponents and conceal itself in a fog it created. Fortunately, even if Artem didn¡¯t manage to keep the pet from evolving, he was in position for close combat, which meant that the horse¡¯s skill would be almost useless.

    Artem also noticed that Naila had just finished buffing her pet, so she still hadn¡¯t unsheathed her weapon and was defenseless. Artem pursued this advantage and ruthlessly attacked. Naila dodged, and her horse used [rear kick] to defend its tamer. Ayden had followed Artem, but she lingered in the air behind her beast tamer and didn¡¯t attack. Naila used the time bought by her pet to arm herself.

    A rough, hard combat followed as Artem had to fight against both Naila and the horse that was bigger and stronger than the pony. Artem was holding on, but he was hurt and exhausted, especially after fighting against Anan and Caleb, who both were on par with him, without even mentioning the injury inflicted by the Short-Tailed Cat. Only the worst of his father¡¯s training ever put him in such a state.

    Artem was waiting for an opening to use [chain of blast] with his talent simultaneously with Ayden. Despite his disheveled state, Artem knew he could still win because Naila was a worse fighter than him. Moreover, Artem speculated that her talent needed a huge amount of chi, and this couldn¡¯t be a permanent buff as it looked like a one-shot trick. This early in their studies, Naila shouldn¡¯t have enough chi to hold her pet¡¯s transformation for long.

    Finally, Naila made a mistake, and Artem capitalized on it. Ayden followed his lead smoothly. Under the onslaught of a double [chain of blast], both their opponents were stunned, and the horse returned to its original form. Artem didn¡¯t waste such a good opportunity. He disarmed Naila and held his swords at his enemies¡¯ neck, threatening both the girl and her pony.

    The referees declared Artem the winner. Without speaking to him, Naila turned around and left the ring to the crowd¡¯s acclamation. Artem frowned in frustration as he also left the ring. Now that the fights were over, he was allowed to see Mrs Bousrani to heal his injuries.

    ¡°What got your panties in a twist?¡± Lyra asked in an exasperated tone.

    ¡°She should have won,¡± Artem muttered in his mind. ¡°If Naila hadn¡¯t used her talent, she would have won. She made a mistake only because she tired herself by using her chi.¡±

    ¡°Well, speaking of her talent, from what Galen and I gathered in the stands, her talent is called [Step Up],¡± Lyra explained in a carefree voice. ¡°It should be of the notable rank at the least. She needs to sacrifice a special item to help her pet awaken its potential evolution for a short time.¡±

    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain why she used her talent!¡± Artem interrupted her as he couldn''t fathom the girl¡¯s strategy.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished!¡± Lyra exclaimed. ¡°The notable Mist Horse was obtained using a blue breathing herb. Galen said it¡¯s an expensive pharmaceutical plant. Depending on the item, she should be able to maintain the transformation longer or explore other evolution paths. In fact, such a talent could be of the rare rank.¡±

    ¡°You just underlined my point!¡± Artem growled in frustration. ¡°She wasted a good and expensive trump card since it uses materials. What¡¯s more stupid is that it didn¡¯t bring her a clear advantage!¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe she was trying to show off to get better grades?¡± Lyra mused as she thought that was what Moses chose to do with his stunt during his last fight.

    Artem fell silent as he thought over Lyra¡¯s suggestion. ¡°You might have a point. Anyway, she couldn¡¯t have used her talent on the small rings. With only 20 meters in diameter, she wouldn¡¯t have the time to use ¡®Step up¡¯ before being interrupted. As it is, she created a big splash in the finale even if she lost.¡±

    While Artem was getting healed, the first group results were published on the big screen above the first ring. Artem and his Fire Fairy were first with six points, while Naila and her Blue-Eyed Pony were second with four and a half points. Then there was a tie for the third place: Julius and his Gray Heron, and Caleb and his Green Dog both got four points. Then, several tamers got three points: Anan and his Earth Sheep, Yanna and her Short-Tailed Cat, and Galen and his Light Fairy. But the ranking didn¡¯t reveal that Anan should be above Yanna and Galen because he had three real victories, while Yanna¡¯s and Galen¡¯s third points came from staying in the winner group longer.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    While these results should help to diminish the scorn the twins had to endure, Artem and Galen weren¡¯t sure it was the right move, especially now that they knew their parents had a plan for their fairies.

    But soon, the Jamra boys led the crowd to mock them. Did Nasir¡¯s humiliation make them more ruthless? Under Amir¡¯s lead, the Jamra boys promptly pointed out all the twins¡¯ shortcomings. They denounced Galen¡¯s second fight as a thrown match and declared that Naila¡¯s talent was much more impressive than Artem¡¯s. The twins outwardly showed a dark face, but Artem and Galen were strangely relieved to see they were still scorned and underestimated.

    ***

    The crowd got heated as the fights with the higher-ranked pets were announced. The twins stayed to watch the other groups¡¯ five matches. As they took their place in the stands, they saw Sarah and Larissa entering the arena. It didn¡¯t surprise the twins that these girls snubbed the common pets¡¯ fights.

    The notable group of beasts tamers awed the public. These beast tamers showed more skills thanks to their pets. The most impressive student was Orsella Mancini and her notable Cave Bear. They emerged as the big winners, terrifying all their opponents with their crushing power.

    Artem watched Orsella''s fights with focused attention and noticed the girl made very little use of her talent. Artem wished he could fight Orsella too, because he was very curious about her talent.

    Orsella got seven points, while the second in the ranking ¨C Shahin Jamra and his Red Falcon ¨C only got four and a half points. The third in the ranking was the other Jamra boy ¨C Basic Jamra and his Light Camel ¨C with four points.

    Artem and Galen also took notice of Benjiro Takahashi¡¯s and Melanie Karras¡¯ results. The boy and his Air Butterfly ended in fourth place with three points ¨C which was quite honorable as he was unlucky enough to be the first one to be beaten by Orsella before losing again in his second fight against Shahin. As for Melanie, she and her Venom Spider got two and a half points with two victories, two losses, and one draw, thanks to her intelligent use of her talent in manipulating dark energy and her pet¡¯s poison.

    These results created some dissents, especially since some fights ended in draws but gave no points to either fighter. Among the complainers, Yaron Cantor was the loudest. This tamer and his notable Musician Swan had one win, two draws, and two defeats, but Yaron only got one point in the end. Yaron was talking about unfairness and didn¡¯t seem ready to shut up until Mr Carter threatened to take the point back.

    ***

    After all this drama, it was time for the last group: the fights between the rare or epic pets and their beast tamers. The audience was even rowdier. These were the fights they had been waiting for all afternoon. The system was slightly different this time: the six beast tamers would fight once against the other five. That was why each fighter would receive half a point in the event of a tie. Another difference was the pets and beast tamers were given a ten-minute rest before their following match.

    This made Yaron go at it again. He refused to see that there was no comparison to make since the organization was different. To shut him up, the Beast Tamers Association representatives decided to kick him out of the venue.

    Before beginning the matches, the school took the time to present the six beast tamers and their pets to the audience. The students went on the first ring with their pet in alphabetical order: Sarah Hut and her rare Deep Blue-Scaled Seahorse, Amir Jamra and his rare Black Sand Fennec, Marcus Mazza and his rare Magma Tortoise, Jax Miller and his rare Thunder Ship Rat, Larissa Pagoni and her epic Fern Heavenly Peacock, and Crystal Petit and her rare Gray Stone Wallaroo. They waved to the crowd, then immediately went to their designated ring to fight.

    Artem and Galen watched the matches with focused interest, eager to know more about these beast tamers¡¯ talent and their pets¡¯ skills. These fights took two hours. The outcome didn''t surprise the twins.

    Artem was disgusted as he saw how Crystal had wasted her time with her Gray Stone Wallaroo. This pet¡¯s evolution path implied teaching it martial arts ¨C its rare innate skill [hammer punch] was a good indication of it ¨C but this girl didn¡¯t know any. Moreover, her talent [Telekinesis] was weak, and she had no idea how to use it to support her pet. She showed off her talent in the classroom, moving around small objects from her handbag or to her desk, but it was all useless. In the end, she was crushed by all her opponents.

    Jax didn¡¯t fare much better as he only managed to win against Crystal but lost all his other fights. But this underlined even more how much Crystal was useless as her Gray Stone Wallaroo had an obvious advantage against the rat¡¯s rare innate skill [thunderbolt]: rock was naturally resistant to electricity. But Jax only had to use his talent [Dash] to get next to her quickly and then overwhelm her. Jax did come from a wealthy household, so he had some resources to help nourish his pet, but he didn¡¯t have the training the other four could get with their background.

    At the end of all the fights, Larissa didn¡¯t come out first despite having an epic pet. But the twins perfectly understood this outcome. The Pagoni Family was known for its information-gathering skills. Their beast tamers were especially good at surveillance and investigation, so the Family produced excellent investigators for the Beast Tamers Association or the Agency, and scouts for the Army. As such, they didn¡¯t have to deal with many fights, and offensive skills weren¡¯t their focus.

    Larissa was a good illustration of this fact. She knew how to fight with ranged weapons, but Larissa couldn¡¯t hold on in front of Amir or Marcus, whose specialty was fighting, and their pets, whose characteristics countered her peacock¡¯s. Moreover, her peacock wasn¡¯t an offensive pet either. The pet¡¯s epic innate skills were [seed bullets] and [mesmerize]. That psychic skill proved powerful, but the best Larissa could do was come to a draw against Sarah.

    Nevertheless, the twins sincerely respected Larissa, and Galen was especially interested in her talent, which seemed to come from her eyes. Lyra could only hear the name [Magic Eyes]. However, the twins were sure Larissa was secretive about her talent because of her Family''s background.

    Sarah also fought brilliantly with her scimitar despite her limitations. Her Deep Blue-Scaled Seahorse needed water, so a pool covering 25% of the ring had been installed; like for the match with the common Small-Headed Salmon. This wasn¡¯t done for the Water Elemental because it could live outside water. This restriction was the main reason why young beast tamers tried to avoid contracting a water pet.

    Against Jax and Crystal, Sarah could win while only using this small area of the ring, thanks to her pet¡¯s rare innate skill [water bullets] and the rare defensive skill she taught it: [aqua dome]. But Sarah also had ways to deal with gifted beast tamers like Amir, Marcus, and Larissa since she came from the Hut Family, who specialized in water pets. This limited space didn¡¯t bother her much because she inherited her Family talent, [Water Domain].

    As with Larissa, the twins were sure that this talent had a more precise name, but without it, it was impossible to know what her domain effects were accurately. The obvious drawback of this talent was its heavy cost, so Sarah had to use it sparingly despite all the resources her Family gave her and her pet to fill her chi faster. In the end, Sarah could only fight to a tie with all three of them.

    Marcus proved his merit during his fights. He was cooperating neatly with his tortoise and its impressive rare innate skill [eruption], showing a true duel match. The audience discovered the other reason Marcus stayed near his tortoise when he used his armament talent to transform his pet into a magical shield to fight back against Amir¡¯s overwhelming offenses. His strategies were smart, and his matches showed the obvious results from all his training. Sadly, a military household didn¡¯t have the resources of a high Family, and both Marcus and his pet had less energy than the others, forcing the future soldier to yield or come to a draw in some fights. Marcus ended up with three wins, one draw, and one loss.

    Finally, Amir came out first with four wins and one draw. The fennec¡¯s rare innate skill [gliding] allowed it to move quickly over sand, but as the ring didn¡¯t have any, this skill was useless in the matches. This kind of problem had been endlessly discussed in debates over the years to know if accommodations should be made depending on the pets¡¯ spiritual element for competitions. Usually, the main argument against it was that real life wasn¡¯t accommodating.

    But Amir was well prepared. Since a rare pet could learn and remember up to four skills, Artem taught his pet three skills for the exam: the common skill [sand throw] which his fennec used to blind its opponents, the notable skill [sand wall] for defenses, and quite extraordinarily the epic skill [sand storm] for attack. The fennec produced the sand needed for these skills with spiritual energy as Lucia and Ayden produced their own light and fire.

    Teaching three skills ¨C including an epic one ¨C in only a month was an incredible feat. This could be explained by a Family¡¯s secret or a special feature from Amir¡¯s inner world. What was even more remarkable was that these skills didn¡¯t look like ones Amir intended to keep long for its pet, since some seemed to clash with the usual evolution path of the Black Sand Fennec. Lyra was especially suspicious of it all because this fennec was incredibly dull and had poor results for its mind development.

    However, these skills allowed Amir to fight without constraints during the exam. Moreover, the young beast tamer was a good warrior with his khopesh. He boasted that his talent was [God Fighting Prowess], even though it was an obvious lie. Galen and Artem couldn¡¯t clearly see Amir using it during his fights. They only saw things happening strangely during his matches, leading to Amir¡¯s victories.

    These fights thrilled most of the public because of their stronger and flashier skills. As usual, Amir was ostentatiously playing up to the crowd. Artem even suspected that part of Amir¡¯s reasons for teaching those skills to his fennec was to show off. But the boy restrained his comments about it, as he wasn¡¯t sure he was objective. Artem couldn¡¯t help feeling bitter about Amir¡¯s first place.

    ***

    The school wanted to finish the event with a ceremony. The organizers used the ranking of this last group matches to do it. Mr Carter first called on the ring Jax, Crystal, and Larissa. As they stood in front of the crowd, the teacher lectured them on their shortcomings. It was humiliating. Crystal¡¯s and Jax¡¯s faces were dark with shame and anger, though these two deserved it in the twins¡¯ opinion. Galen and Artem wouldn¡¯t pity them since Crystal and Jax had been acting like pests towards them.

    But Larissa kept her usual calm indifference as she stood there with an elegant demeanor. It brought a small smile to Galen¡¯s lips.

    Lyra noticed it and decided to tease him to distract herself since looking at the scene was very unpleasant to her. ¡°Why are you smiling? Do you have a crush on this girl?¡±

    Galen shook his head, pursing his lips as he wondered how he should answer. But Artem beat him to it. ¡°You have lingering feelings for your ex-fiancee candidate?¡±

    ¡°What? What? What?¡± Lyra wasn¡¯t usually so nosy, but it was a good distraction. ¡°You explain right now!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Larissa has only ever been a candidate ¨C one unlikely to be chosen at that ¨C and I¡¯m sure her Family instructed her to keep away from us now.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t explain! I want an explanation!¡±

    ¡°Too long to explain here,¡± the boy answered dismissively to Lyra¡¯s disappointment.

    ¡°Look,¡± Galen added aloud, ¡°the others have been called over.¡±

    It was Sarah¡¯s turn to go on the ring. She had a cold and haughty look on her face. The ¡°princess¡± of the Hut Family ranked third. Knowing someone from a military household ranked higher than her didn¡¯t sit well with her. But Sarah had her pride and didn¡¯t make a scene. She was also well aware of the fact that water powers were mighty but slow to build, so she knew she had to bide her time.

    Marcus went on after her. He was as quietly indifferent to all these speeches as Larissa and kept a straight face throughout.

    As Amir went on the ring last to receive the teacher¡¯s and one of the Beast Tamers Association representatives¡¯ congratulations, Artem clenched his fists.

    ¡°Don¡¯t focus on the rank. It doesn¡¯t mean everything,¡± Lyra said as she noticed Artem¡¯s state of mind since she wasn¡¯t willing to look at the ring anymore.

    She was also bitter to have to say it. This ceremony brought back to her mind unpleasant memories. Flashes of venues full of spectators, hard-eyed stern judges, and stressed-out competitors invaded her mind, accompanied by a loud buzz of noises and distorted pieces of music. And worst of all, in the middle of the mass of images was her mother¡¯s cold face standing out there like a haunting ghost.

    ¡°I know. I know,¡± Artem answered in a rueful voice. ¡°It¡¯s just ¡­ I suppose I¡¯ve gotten too used to being up there in his place.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know it?¡± Lyra forced herself to keep a grip on her bubbly persona when she only wanted to drop the subject and hurry out of there. She had been fine during the competition, but the reward ceremony seemed to have triggered her. ¡°Well, then, prove it! Move on!¡±

    Galen patted his brother on the shoulder before getting up to leave. There wasn¡¯t much more to do here, so Lyra was right: they should leave.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find Zane and go to the cafeteria. It¡¯s time to eat.¡±

    Galen was relieved the exam was over, and his mind was already on the messages their parents had left them. Though, knowing Artem, the boy would insist on debriefing all their fights before doing anything else. Eating with Zane would be the best opportunity to do that.

 Chapter 11 - Discoveries

    Zane hadn¡¯t stayed to watch the last fights of the afternoon. He had returned to the dormitory to rest after getting healed by Mrs Bousrani. He agreed to get out again to accompany the twins to the cafeteria when Galen and Artem sent him a message via his connected bracelet.

    However, Zane¡¯s mood was subdued. Seeing the boy like that, Lyra hesitated to explain the threat Nasir made. Zane should be safe in the dormitory and during weekends since the Jamra Family didn¡¯t let their members stay in school. Warning him wasn¡¯t urgent. Instead, she wanted the twins to cheer him up.

    To do that, Lyra decided to tease the twins. Being the CSI of both of them meant that she knew things they wanted to keep from each other.

    Soon, Zane was smiling with a nostalgic look on his face as Galen berated Artem for hiding Ayden¡¯s new upgraded skill [chain of blast]. Artem wasn¡¯t remorseful at all, and he ignored his brother¡¯s rebukes to question Galen¡¯s fake fight against Mahlon.

    Zane couldn¡¯t help laughing as the argument dissolved into bickering, and the twins used old facts from their childhood to go at each other. Galen and Artem weren¡¯t stupid: they knew why Lyra goaded them. They didn¡¯t mind putting up a show for Zane.

    ¡°Now, even you are laughing at us?¡± Galen asked Zane in a wry tone.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not laughing at you!¡± Zane exclaimed as he blushed in embarrassment.

    ¡°You sure aren¡¯t laughing with us,¡± Artem commented.

    ¡°Ah, no, well, I mean¡­I¡¯m sorry!¡± The brown-haired boy stuttered and didn¡¯t know how to explain himself.

    ¡°We¡¯re not mad, Zane. No need to apologize,¡± Galen reassured him.

    ¡°But we¡¯d like to know what made you laugh,¡± Artem added.

    ¡°Oh. You reminded me of my siblings,¡± Zane answered, lowering his head.

    ¡°So, is that a compliment or an insult?¡± Galen asked curiously with a teasing tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s not an insult!¡± Zane cried out. ¡°They, all of them, they...¡±

    ¡°How many siblings do you have?¡± Artem asked to help Zane explain himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got five younger siblings, and while they might be a handful, all of them are nice!¡±

    ¡°What a lively home!¡± Galen commented, thinking such a number of siblings explained why Zane was a scholarship student.

    ¡°Yes, I miss them,¡± Zane said softly.

    ¡°Well, that confirms that you weren¡¯t laughing at us and that reminding you of your siblings is a good thing!¡± Galen replied to the shy boy. ¡°We think of you as a friend, Zane, so we hope you won¡¯t fear speaking your mind. You can talk to us about your siblings if you wish.¡±

    Zane nodded and offered them a small smile. After a brief silence, Artem spoke sternly, ¡°Putting that aside, don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten that we haven¡¯t finished our debrief!¡±

    ¡°You see what I have to put up with every day,¡± Galen complained to Zane in a dramatic tone.

    ¡°Maybe we could go on with the third fights?¡± Zane suggested to prevent another quarrel.

    The debrief went on, but this time, Zane was actively participating. Nevertheless, he was still modest. As Artem talked about Yanna, Zane argued he couldn¡¯t know much since she didn¡¯t judge him worthy of her talent. However, Artem insisted his input was meaningful.

    Artem was right to think so. As they were debating about Yanna¡¯s talent rank ¨C because even though Lyra¡¯s talent [Divine Hearing] gave them an idea about it, Lyra insisted it was just a supposition ¨C Zane intervened to say that Yanna¡¯s CSI was of the rare rank. The boy had heard this during the first week of school while the twins were still at the Eos Family villa.

    The three boys went on to compare Yanna and Naila. Zane had gained some confidence and spoke more freely. He confirmed that Naila¡¯s CSI was of the notable rank and added her inner world feature was an [Obelisk].

    ¡°This feature can have different benefits,¡± Lyra explained as the twins were trying to remember if Mr Duval talked about it during his lessons. ¡°But the most common one is to make gathering chi easier.¡±

    ¡°That might help her offsetting the heavy cost of her talent,¡± Artem said.

    Then, as they continued the conversation, the twins discovered Zane wasn¡¯t surprised by Julius¡¯s strength. Zane¡¯s roommate was Bruno Stein. Their neighbors ¨C with whom they shared a bathroom ¨C were Daniyal Sbai and the now-famous Julius. Daniyal was a loner from a military household, and his pet was a notable Light-Footed Monkey.

    Despite being in the combat training class with Bruno and Daniyal, Artem didn¡¯t know these two boys very well. Bruno¡¯s results were low, but Julius and Moses had proven it was better to keep an eye on everyone.

    The discussion went on for some time and satisfied them. Artem learned more about his opponents and felt that he did his job by forcing Galen and Zane to analyze their shortcomings and their opponents¡¯ strengths.

    Galen appeased his battle-maniac brother by listening seriously to his ranting, though he had to caution him when Artem talked about training with the Ruh boys. Galen admitted it was a good idea but didn¡¯t think Mahlon and Anan would be up for it.

    As for Zane, the light banter and the care shown by the twins had uplifted his mood.

    ***

    The following morning, the twins got up early as usual. After their breakfast, Galen went to take care of Mrs Bousrani¡¯s garden with Lucia while Artem went to train with Ayden.

    Artem decided to still focus on Ayden¡¯s speed. He was uncomfortable with the delay between when she used her skill and when it ignited. He had already trained her more to reduce this delay than to improve her power. Thanks to that, Ayden obtained the upgraded notable skill [chain of blast] instead of the skill [explosion] that Artem was aiming for.

    While Artem didn¡¯t regret it and even judged it was the right choice, he still wasn¡¯t satisfied. If Ayden could cancel the delay, her opponents like the Green Dog or the Short-Tailed Cat couldn¡¯t evade her [spark]. Moreover, his research indicated that [explosion] was a rare skill that didn¡¯t suit Ayden. Indeed, the Fire Fairy wasn¡¯t a powerful pet, so Ayden wouldn¡¯t fully exploit this skill.

    With his mind full of the data he had gathered the previous day, Artem modified Ayden¡¯s training and gave her new goals to achieve.

    ***

    As for Galen, as soon as he finished his gardening job, he went to the library. He was choosing books for Lucia about anatomy and science ¨C more specifically about the light in physics ¨C when Zane approached him. As they greeted each other, Galen noticed Zane was carrying a courier bag. Galen remembered that Saturday was the mail day.

    Zane rummaged in his bag to take out two letters. With a smile, he gave them to Galen. Zane waved at Galen and went on his way. Galen gazed pensively at the letters. He didn¡¯t think they were good news.

    Lucia flew down in front of him to point at a book. Galen picked up two books and sat in a calm corner of the library. He opened the books for Lucia so she could study on her own. The Light Fairy had learned to turn the pages by herself and liked to go from book to book following her fancy.

    Galen examined the letters. One was from Nicholas, the Third Elder of the Eos Family. Miles hadn¡¯t wasted any time to complain to his grandfather. Galen turned the letter over in his hands, contemplating. The Third Elder was in charge of the inner workings of the Family and was nicknamed the Steward. The letter could simply be about an administrative problem for which the Third Elder needed the Head¡¯s input or signature.

    Galen opened the letter and read it. It was indeed about signing an official paper, but one that would give the Third Elder all authority to lead the Eos Family in Galen¡¯s name. Galen read the letter two more times in disbelief.

    ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusion,¡± Lyra advised Galen. ¡°Yes, it is suspicious, but you don¡¯t need to act on it. Just ignore this letter and wait to see how this Elder reacts.¡±

    Galen sighed. He didn¡¯t have any better idea. He folded the letter back into its envelope and took the other letter. This one had an official seal from the Army Criminal Investigation Division. It had to be about his father¡¯s crime.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a coward!¡± Lyra chided him. ¡°No use in waiting: rip it off and be done with it!¡±

    ¡°I should wait for Artem.¡± Galen didn¡¯t deny acting like a coward. Reading this letter frightened him. He wanted his brother with him when he read it.

    ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t. You read it now, I¡¯ll tell Artem what it¡¯s about. Hurry up, knucklehead!¡± When she saw Galen still hesitating, she played dirty. ¡°Artem¡¯s fully immersed in his training.¡±

    Galen knew Lyra was using his care for Artem to manipulate him, but he didn¡¯t mind. He opened the letter. He read it several times to be sure of its content.

    ¡°It¡¯s good news, right?¡±

    The letter was informing Galen of delays in the investigation of Xander Eos because of irregularities. These irregularities needed to be checked, so the trial was postponed to a later date.

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Lyra paused, carefully considering her words. ¡°Again, you can¡¯t do anything about this letter for now. What you can do is work for your purpose: doing your research.¡±

    However, Galen hesitated on what to look up first.

    ¡°Why are you hesitating?¡± Lyra asked him since she couldn¡¯t understand his sense of priority. ¡°Lucia¡¯s and Ayden¡¯s evolution should be the most important thing right now.¡±

    ¡°Mom trusted me to find out their allies,¡± Galen answered in a tight voice, trying to keep his emotions in check. ¡°I don¡¯t want to disappoint her. And with the Third Elder...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say you achieve to learn more about the Claddagh ring,¡± Lyra said to humor him. ¡°Then, what?¡±

    Galen stayed silent a bit. The twins weren¡¯t free to act as they wished since they were under surveillance. If they needed to leave the school to follow the clues, they would be required to fill out a school leave permit form, which would surely alert all their enemies.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, damn it. Even if I discover more about the Claddagh ring or the coordinates from the message, we won¡¯t be able to act on it before our winter break.¡±

    So Galen first researched the feys. He didn¡¯t read about them like last time, using the Old World archives. Instead, Galen used news reports and several theses from Beast Researchers. In their message, the twins¡¯ parents mentioned a special ingredient they had to obtain from a fey of the rare rank. It was necessary for the secret evolution path. So Galen needed recent information.

    Unfortunately, there were few mentions of the feys and none about the rare ones. Galen was feeling frustrated with his slow progress.

    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Lyra decided to explain. ¡°Didn¡¯t you listen to your social studies teacher when he talked about what happened when the spiritual power invaded the Old World?¡±

    ¡°Are you looking down on me? Of course, I listened to my teachers!¡± To prove his point, Galen recited his lesson to Lyra. ¡°The spiritual power mutated animals and plants because they could adsorb it. The landscapes were irremediably changed beyond recognition. These mutations gave birth to the beasts who now roam the New World. The only reason humans were spared from all these mutations was because we couldn¡¯t adsorb the spiritual power.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you listened,¡± Lyra answered with some mockery. ¡°And, do you remember this mysterious new spiritual power had more consequences, some still without any explanation?¡±

    ¡°Which one are you talking about?¡± Galen asked in frustration.

    ¡°This one: in some places, the spiritual power accumulated, forming some kind of ponds. New creatures were spontaneously born from these ponds of pure spiritual power.¡±

    ¡°I think the teacher briefly mentioned that,¡± Galen replied as he frowned, ¡°but he didn¡¯t tell us anything more about this.¡±

    ¡°The fairies and the elementals were among the first new species of creatures the humans identified from these ponds. Your history books should tell you that the people at the time first called them spirits. However, since they were mostly tangible and looked like creatures from folklore and fairy tales, they were finally named feys and considered low beasts since they could also be contracted. Look at your classmates¡¯ pets. The common Fire Wisp, the common Water Elemental, the notable Green-Haired Nymph: they are like your fairies. They are closer to spirits than to beasts, even though nowadays they are all called beasts indifferently.¡±

    Galen pondered what Lyra just told him. To get a better understanding of it, he still found some more books and reports to read. The feys¡¯s low status came from their weak bodies and weak attack powers. However, another point against them was that only feys of the common or notable rank were found in the New World. The feys contracted by their classmates were good examples of that. Most people believed no fey of the rare rank existed as the twins did before reading their parents¡¯ message.

    .Nevertheless, by reading some obscure reports written by Beast Explorers ¨C the beast tamers working for the Association and who specialized in exploring Pocket Worlds ¨C, Galen discovered that higher-ranked feys existed. They could be found in a Pocket World named Avalon.

    The Pocket Worlds were one of the mysteries created by the spiritual power. Spirit portals leading to strange enclosed places randomly appeared throughout the New World. These were extremely dangerous and unstable as they could open or close without explanations. Even now, they were unfathomable places. But humans still wanted to explore them. They wanted to learn more about the spiritual power present in high density in these Pocket Worlds, though for most, the main purpose was to loot these places rich in spirit resources.

    The Beast Explorers explained in their reports about the feys inhabiting the Pocket World named Avalon. Most of them had never been seen in the New World and were of high ranks. From their observations, the Beast Explorers surmised these feys were living in a sort of organized society. These feys had some distinctive human features and lived in different territories. The Beast Explorer speculated that they were divided into several Courts, like in stories and fairy tales from the Old World. They based their hypotheses on the feys¡¯s deferential behavior toward the strongest among them.

    For instance, the Beast Explorers called the Spring Court a place in Avalon filled with light green woodlands, calm indigo mountains with sparse groves, and vast serene lakes. The feys living there had strange-colored skins going from blue to yellow with a lot of green or white in between. The Beast Explorers guessed this was linked to their elemental powers from the plant, the waters, and the light categories. They described these as almost as tall as humans. The Beast Explorers also noted the feys looked sort of like dryads, treants, naiads, or wild folks with body parts made of leaves, grasses, barks, flowers, water, or light. The feys all had some animal characteristics. The Beast Explorers also wrote about animals with fairy features like butterfly wings, strange horns or antlers, or glittering and colorful fur. Among them, they especially noted a small fairy dragon looking like a purplish lizard with huge swallowtail wings and big, cute, pink eyes.

    But the Beast Explorers didn¡¯t have as many details about the other places and so-called Courts because as the humans began to plunder Avalon, the feys stopped being welcoming and considered them to be invaders. So the feys hunted them down, and the humans discovered they weren¡¯t weak. While fighting and retreating, the Beast Explorers still sent out some scouts. They established there were six distinctive territories with specific inhabitants. The Beast Explorers identified them with the traditional names: the Spring, the Summer, the Autumn and the Winter Courts, the Day and the Night Courts.

    The creatures they saw didn¡¯t look like the small common fairies they knew about, so nobody thought they could belong to the same evolution path. Galen pondered for a time as his thoughts drifted to his parents. He couldn¡¯t help but think that this information about their fairies wasn¡¯t only to help them evolve their pets.

    A vague idea taking form in his mind, Galen asked Lyra to read him what the encyclopedia said about the epic Mystic Oak Squirrel. This beast was from the North, more exactly from the North of the City-State of Nidaros belonging to the Baltic Cities-States region. Coincidentally or not, the portal to Avalon was also North of Nidaros. His parents knew about Avalon. His mother chose to communicate with a Mystic Oak Squirrel, which was almost unknown like the feys from Avalon. All this could be linked to what his parents were doing before their death. Galen knew his speculations sounded far-stretched, so he needed more information.

    Before he could decide where to look next, Galen was interrupted by the vibration coming from his connected bracelet. Looking at it, he discovered a message sent by Mrs Bousrani, asking him to see her.

    Galen was displeased but didn¡¯t have a choice. He sent a message to Artem to tell him where he went. His brother should be done with his training and on his way to join Galen at the library. The answer sent back by Artem made Galen frown: ¡°No worries, I got held back on my end.¡±. But Galen didn¡¯t insist as he knew if Artem wanted to say more, he would have written it in his message.

    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Galen still asked Lyra.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lyra answered with a sigh. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t want you to worry. He¡¯ll explain later.¡±

    Powerless to change his brother¡¯s mind, Galen went to Mrs Bousrani¡¯s office, Lucia following after him.

    Once the teenager reached Mrs Bousrani¡¯s office, the teacher asked him to sit on a chair in front of her desk. She began by asking how things were going with her garden.

    As Galen was answering her, Lyra concentrated her senses around Mrs Bousrani as she felt something strange.

    ¡°By the way, congratulations on your results,¡± the nurse said with an unnatural smile. ¡°You did a good job with your Light Fairy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°I wonder what methods you used. I wouldn¡¯t want you to mess up your pet¡¯s health with strange pills.¡±

    Galen frowned as he heard her inquiries. But before he could answer his teacher, Lyra exclaimed, ¡°There is a beast on her!¡±

    ¡°Of course, she -¡±

    ¡°No, you idiot!¡± Lyra rudely interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯m not speaking about her Light Praying Mantis! Why would I mention to you such a noticeable pet? I¡¯m talking about a suspicious beast. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same as the one I felt on your cousin!¡±

    Galen worked hard to control his reactions. Nevertheless, Mrs Bousrani still noticed his strange behavior.

    ¡°Did you really do something wrong? You¡­ Do you have no respect for your pet?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it, Ma¡¯am. I was simply hurt that you would think so low of me.¡± His mind worked on overdrive to find a way to lure her attention away. ¡°I love my pet, not only because she is the last gift from my parents, but also because she filled the void they left in my heart with their death.¡±

    ¡°She?¡± Mrs Bousrani was startled, but she soon commented with disapproval. ¡°I don¡¯t think your feelings for your fairy are healthy, Galen.¡±

    ¡°You want to know how she grew so well?¡± the teenager added, ignoring her rebuttal. ¡°I treat her like a person, I gave her a name. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not wrong because my CSI recognized the name. She is Lucia.¡±

    Hearing her name, Lucia came down on his shoulder and looked at him with inquiring eyes. Galen interacted with her to give himself some time to think. By giving up the information about his fairy¡¯s name and playing the pitiful and traumatized card, Galen was hoping to give the people using his teacher and his cousin to spy on them enough to get them off their back. But he knew that even if his idea worked, it wouldn¡¯t last long.

    ¡°Galen, cease your nonsense!¡± Mrs Bousrani soon admonished him.

    ¡°What nonsense?¡± Galen asked in an emotional voice. ¡°Lucia got her well-developed mind because I talk to her, I give her books to look at, I teach her simple gestures to communicate with me. How is any of that nonsense? Didn¡¯t her exam results prove I¡¯m right to do that?¡±

    ¡°Is Artem acting like you with his Fire Fairy?¡±

    ¡°Of course, though Ayden doesn¡¯t seem to like studying as much as Lucia.¡±

    ¡°Ayden?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the name Artem gave to his fairy.¡±

    Mrs Bousrani shook her head with worry and incredulity. She opened her mouth to retort but closed it without saying anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m perceiving some strange sound waves. The insect or its beast master might be communicating with her.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so stunned?¡± Galen continued to give more time to Lyra. He hoped she could identify the sound waves. ¡°The Peaceful Treaty is asking us to raise the intelligence of our pet. The CSI is there to ensure we treat it well. You even were worried that I was disrespecting my fairy. How could treating her like a person be strange and unhealthy? The beasts have a mind, they are intelligent, so of course they have feelings. Giving them names is a matter of course.¡±

    ¡°Galen, I didn¡¯t ask you here to hold a debate about the beast¡¯s status as an individual or the ethics behind giving it a name. I want to know how you trained your pet.¡±

    ¡°Her handler surely asked her to bring back the conversation on what they want to know,¡± Lyra commented. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t hear what they said, which is strange.¡±

    ¡°That was quite blunt of her,¡± Galen answered. ¡°I suspect she isn¡¯t their spy of her own volition or she has never acted as one before.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just answer you? What more do you want to know?¡± Galen asked in a bewildered tone to justify his pause when he answered Lyra.

    ¡°I asked you if you used any special pills,¡± Mrs Bousrani repeated in an impatient voice.

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m training Lucia normally,¡± the teenager retorted, trying to look innocent.

    ¡°I doubt treating your pet like a person is normal,¡± the teacher muttered before asking her next question. ¡°How did you raise its spiritual quality so fast?¡±

    ¡°She is quite dedicated and often cultivates, but I didn¡¯t do anything special.¡± Galen shared his doubt with Lyra while he waited for Mrs Bousrani¡¯s answer. ¡°I wonder if I should throw them another bone to satisfy them or if I should stay adamant that we haven¡¯t done anything more, not yet anyway.¡±

    ¡°Your pet was born a week later than the ones in your class, and it caught up to or overtook the others. How do you explain that?¡± Mrs Bousrani insisted.

    ¡°Talk about your research about the feys,¡± Lyra suggested.

    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous,¡± Galen objected. ¡°I don¡¯t like giving them so much.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about Avalon, only about the differences between the feys and beasts and point that out as the reason for her high spiritual quality,¡± Lyra advised him as she knew this was the main reason for the fairies¡¯ fast development. Moreover, the twins shouldn¡¯t attract too much attention since there were other feys in the beast tamer class.

    ¡°I was wondering the same, so I looked for some answers in the library,¡± Galen explained to Mrs Bousrani as he had no better idea. ¡°Do you know the fairies aren¡¯t really beasts but feys?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. What about it?¡±

    ¡°Well. Since the feys were born from pure spiritual power and not created through mutation, I think we can hypothesize that the feys are more sensible to spiritual power. But I still haven¡¯t found any theses or books to confirm my idea. I¡¯m as puzzled as you.¡±

    Mrs Bousrani asked him a few more questions, but as Galen didn¡¯t reveal any more information, she let him leave her office. Lyra had tried to pinpoint the beast on the teacher without any success, so she believed that like Artem suggested, it had an invisibility spell, though it could also be a talent from its beast tamer.

    Galen went to look for Artem on the running track, intending to eat lunch with him as it was already late in the morning. On the way, he thought about Mrs Bousrani and her strange behavior toward him. If she was acting as a spy against her will, that might explain a few things. For instance, it might be why she refused to let him work in the infirmary but still found him a job

    .As for Miles, Galen wasn¡¯t so prompt as to excuse him. His mother¡¯s warning against the Family and the Third Elder¡¯s letter made Galen suspicious. Moreover, Miles¡¯s behavior had changed since their first year in high school.

 Chapter 12 - In the face of challenges

    On Artem¡¯s side, Ayden finished her three hours of training with a series of overcharged [sparks]. Artem looked at her as he adjusted his notes with the data he collected from her morning training. His fairy was exhausted but was still giving her all to follow his instructions.

    Doing the overcharged training after all the other exercises was a way to make her accustomed to being low on spiritual energy and push her to reach beyond her limits. This also had the secondary effect of guiding her toward the rare skill [explosion]. Artem hadn''t completely given up on this skill because he wanted Ayden to be able to make her spiritual energy explode.

    The boy turned away from Ayden to work on his footwork as he knew his pet would cultivate to recuperate her spiritual energy without being told to do so. However, he noticed a girl with dark, short, messy hair coming over.

    She was only wearing her skirt uniform with a simple gray T-shirt. Her lazy appearance couldn¡¯t hide the sharpness of her hazel eyes enhanced by her high cheekbones. Her gem ¨C a brown snowflake jasper ¨C was visible to the side of her nose, emphasizing the softness of her olive skin.

    A notable Cave Bear was following her. Its brown fur was thick and with grayish undertones. It looked as indolent as its master despite being more than 160 cm tall, coming up to the teenager¡¯s shoulders. Such growth in a month was spectacular, making it obvious that Orsella was feeding her pet specific spirit supplements to lead it to the path of gigantism.

    Artem greeted Orsella calmly while observing her. The girl hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to look for him since the rumors about his father¡¯s crimes began to circulate. She could be there to use the training hall as Artem¡¯s reservation was over, but the teenager had checked the reservation application on his connected bracelet. He only decided to lengthen Ayden¡¯s training because he saw that the training hall was free for another thirty minutes.

    Orsella responded to his greeting with a simple nod. She stopped one meter away from Artem and stared at him. Artem stared back without saying anything. He knew that if she didn¡¯t want to talk, speaking to her was useless.

    She suddenly nodded to herself, seeming to come to a decision. ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡±

    Lyra had been keeping an eye on Artem even if most of her attention was with Galen in the library. She couldn¡¯t help commenting, ¡°That¡¯s blunt!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Orsella¡¯s way and that¡¯s how we used to decide to fight.¡±

    Artem was honest enough with himself to admit he was tempted to agree without much thought like he used to before his parents¡¯ death. But he now had to consider the consequences of his actions. ¡°Not now: my fairy is tapped out. Moreover, we¡¯re no match for your bear. I saw your fights yesterday, you¡¯ll crush us like everyone else in no time.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s interested in your weak doll?¡± Orsella paused and looked over to the Fire Fairy, who was cultivating. The girl was usually rude, but she was honest and was impressed with the fairy¡¯s improvement. So she added, ¡°You trained it well, I¡¯ll give you that since you managed to teach it two notable skills in three weeks ¨C one of these skills being unheard of for a fairy ¨C and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re still hiding something. I didn¡¯t forget your inner world feature is the ¡®Skills Library¡¯, and that means your pet should know a rare skill since your CSI is of the rare rank. However, your pet is still beneath my attention. It¡¯s you I want to fight.¡±

    Artem valued her explanation as much as he valued her challenge. He knew she usually didn¡¯t bother to explain anything. It showed that despite her apparent scorn, she respected Artem and his fairy. In the same way, she only challenged those that she considered strong.

    However, her compliment about how he managed to teach Ayden a skill unheard of for a fairy wasn¡¯t warranted. It was just that Artem stubbornly let his fairy train her innate skill instead of ignoring it as a trash skill like most people.

    He wanted to fight Orsella but still asked, ¡°Why now? You¡¯ve been ignoring me for weeks.¡±

    ¡°Is that important? You sound like a sissy,¡± Orsella idly answered without controlling her words.

    ¡°My situation changed: I can¡¯t afford to act recklessly anymore.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s boring,¡± the girl announced in a deadpan tone.

    Artem just stared at her. Their staring match was interrupted by the vibration of Artem¡¯s connected bracelet. Seeing his brother¡¯s message, Artem replied to Galen that he was busy without going into the details, but he pretended otherwise to provoke Orsella.

    ¡°I need to go,¡± Artem said as he bent over to pick up his jacket.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Orsella relented. ¡°Anyway, I would have told you since that¡¯s my purpose. I want to test myself against your talent. Is your new sense of responsibility satisfied now?¡±

    Artem knew he should refuse, but training his talent by himself had its limits. Fighting with Orsella was a good opportunity to learn more about his own talent and get a better understanding of hers.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you couldn¡¯t be reckless?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for training purposes, and I want to check out Orsella¡¯s strength.¡±

    ¡°As if you hadn¡¯t kept a tight record of it...¡±

    ¡°You want to fight now?¡± Artem asked as he wanted to finish his fight with her before his brother could worry.

    ¡°That would be best. Did you do any chi training this morning?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Artem answered honestly, even though he knew Orsella might then refuse to fight him.

    A disgusted look appeared on Orsella¡¯s face. After a short pause, she said, ¡°Then let¡¯s fight this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Artem added as his instinct was telling him something was wrong with Orsella¡¯s behavior, ¡°we¡¯ll meet for a practice spar, with the both of us using our talent?¡±

    Orsella thought it over. Artem frowned as he didn¡¯t understand how his question was difficult enough to necessitate time to think it over.

    Then, the girl sighed and said,¡°I don¡¯t mind, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be difficult.¡±

    As Artem looked at her inquisitively, Orsella explained that Crystal had come to see her early in the morning. The future soldier ironically smiled as she said, ¡°I know I look like a knucklehead unable to use my brain, but I¡¯m not stupid. Such pampered girls never talk to me except when they want something.¡±

    Artem shook his head. He knew what Orsella meant: people always thought he was more stupid than Galen just because he spent more time training his fighting skills. As if fighting didn¡¯t require intelligence!

    ¡°Crystal talked a lot. I didn¡¯t really listen, but she was congratulating me on my victory while dissing you for your first place in the common fights. She kept saying that even if we were both first we didn¡¯t have the same value.¡±

    Orsella stopped again to throw an ironic stare at Artem. The teenager kept silent as he had an idea of where this was going. The girl continued, ¡°Since I wasn¡¯t reacting as she wanted, she insisted you were arrogant and needed to be taught a lesson. How obvious could she be?¡±

    Artem smiled wryly. He could also easily understand that Crystal wanted to use Orsella to humiliate him in a fight, surely to vent her own frustration and humiliation from the day before.

    ¡°Her own fights were such an embarrassment that I took pity on Crystal and didn¡¯t expose her intentions. Anyway, I¡¯ve been thinking your talent was intriguing, and I do want to fight you.¡±

    Artem nodded as he understood Orsella¡¯s reasoning. She was too lazy to bother herself with other people¡¯s purposes, so she didn¡¯t mind if Crystal thought she managed to manipulate her.

    ¡°I was hoping to be able to fight immediately to keep ourselves out of Crystal¡¯s scheming. But if we give Crystal time, she¡¯ll gossip about the fight everywhere and transform it into an official match. Otherwise, her big plan will be useless.¡±

    Artem sighed as he knew that Orsella wouldn¡¯t compromise on the quality of their fight just to avoid some petty scheming. Coming to a decision, he said, ¡°If we can¡¯t avoid her publishing about the fight, we might as well use the best facilities in the arena and make it more comfortable for everyone. Moreover, Crystal wants us to fight in dual combat, but you¡¯re not interested in it since the outcome of it is obvious. So by reserving a ring for a single match, we¡¯ll cut off most of her plan.¡±

    ¡°Or you could just refuse to fight Orsella, you know!¡± Lyra couldn¡¯t help but intervene, even if she was busy helping Galen pinpoint the spying beast.

    ¡°I already accepted her challenge: that would be going back on my word. I don¡¯t want my reputation to go down further.¡±

    ¡°From where I stand, I didn¡¯t hear you say clearly that you accepted her challenge,¡± Lyra replied. ¡°Admit that you just want to fight her.¡±

    ¡°Her talent is interesting,¡± Artem justified himself with this simple fact.

    Orsella agreed with Artem and used her connected bracelet to book a ring in the arena for 3 pm to give Artem ample time to recuperate his chi. They discussed some more details about the organization of the fight. The girl then left the training hall with her Cave Bear.

    Once Ayden finished her cultivation, Artem decided to go for a run instead of going to the library to wait for Galen. Artem thought better with his body in movement and he needed to come up with a strategy to fight against Orsella. She had never said what was her talent¡¯s name and only admitted that it was an enhancement talent when Mr Carter insisted. Her usage of it during her matches was subtle, but Artem had observed her with attention and hypothesized Orsella could enhance her instinct or her senses.

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    ***

    When Galen came to pick up Artem, the twins went to the cafeteria for an early lunch. They were careful about their conversation, using Lyra to sound innocent while updating each other on their morning encounters. These made both of them upset. Galen didn¡¯t agree with Artem fighting Orsella because he thought it was a useless risk.

    First, Crystal wouldn¡¯t smoothly let go of the dual combat and would find different ways to pressure Artem and Orsella to fight with their pets. Second, he argued that even if Crystal was obvious in her purpose and the twins didn¡¯t mind more humiliation, it didn¡¯t mean that someone else wasn¡¯t manipulating Crystal ¨C who Galen thought of as an airhead ¨C to make Artem show more of his talent. This would align with the spies¡¯ purposes when they used Mrs Bousrani to sound Galen out. Unfortunately, realizing Mrs Bousrani¡¯s situation made Galen even more paranoid.

    As for Artem, he was frustrated to have let his brother face such a dangerous situation alone. It was his duty to protect Galen, but instead of calling him over, Galen dealt with it without informing him. Artem admitted that if he had known about the spies¡¯ move on Galen, he would have refused Orsella¡¯s challenge. However, Artem was adamant about fighting Orsella now that they made an appointment, and he argued that since they knew about the spies and were aware of their purposes it was better to face them head-on than to hide.

    ¡°Alright, both of you, don¡¯t fight over that! You have more important things to talk about right now.¡±

    ¡°This is important!¡± Galen snapped in an uncharacteristic fit of temper. ¡°Knowing for sure that some people are using an invisible insect beast to spy on us is crucial information. Just like we can¡¯t ignore that the Third Elder is trying to usurp my authority!¡±

    ¡°I just realized that if they are using a beast to spy on us and coercing people like Mrs Bousrani,¡± Artem said in an effort to calm down his brother, ¡°this means that there is a very low possibility that our connected bracelet has been tampered with.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare act recklessly just because of that!¡± Galen forced himself to answer in his mind as he threw a warning gaze at his brother when Lyra repeated his remark.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Lyra shouted to both of them, keeping Artem from answering his brother¡¯s warning. ¡°I refuse to let you use me to fight each other. And Galen, snap out of it: this isn¡¯t like you at all!¡±

    Realizing that Lyra was right, Galen closed his eyes and lowered his head. Artem silently moved over to sit next to his brother, their shoulders and tights touching as he took Galen¡¯s hand in his own. Sensing her tamer¡¯s mood, Lucia went to sit on Galen¡¯s shoulder and patted his cheek. Ayden joined the three of them by sitting on Artem¡¯s shoulder.

    Some students sitting in the twins¡¯ surroundings looked at them and whispered. The twins ignored them. Accepting the comfort offered to him, Galen let his head fall on his brother¡¯s shoulder. The fairies fluttered around them before getting down on the boys¡¯ shoulders again. Galen let out a shaky breath. He knew Artem was waiting for his explanation.

    ¡°We¡¯re only seventeen,¡± Galen finally whispered. ¡°We¡¯re faced with experienced adults, adults who achieved to beat and kill our parents. How can we ¨C youngsters who became beast tamers less than a month ago and contracted common pets ¨C best them when our talented parents couldn¡¯t do it with their legendary pets? That¡¯s hopeless!¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to cancel the fight with Orsella?¡± Artem asked in a soft voice.

    Galen stayed silent. He didn¡¯t know what he wanted. He was aware the fight with Orsella wasn¡¯t the real problem: it was only a catalyst. He felt suffocated by the burden of taking up his parents¡¯ expectations and responsibilities, by the isolation since the death of his parents, by all the schemes around them. Artem didn¡¯t speak either, silently comforting his brother with his physical presence.

    Lyra respected their quiet moment while thinking of a solution. There wasn¡¯t much she could do at this point, except encourage them. ¡°Why don¡¯t you return to the library to work on your fairies¡¯ evolution?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it now,¡± Galen protested weakly.

    ¡°What you said to Mrs Bousrani wasn¡¯t a lie, Galen,¡± Lyra went on in a soft, serious tone uncharacteristic of her. ¡°You love Lucia, and she did fill the void your parents left in your heart. You also love Ayden because they both are the new members of your Family. Besting your enemies isn¡¯t hopeless because your fairies are your hope. They are your hope to become stronger, your hope to surprise your enemies, your hope to find out more about your parents. So be it by searching how to evolve your fairies to get stronger or by learning more about Avalon, I do believe that¡¯s the most important thing right now.¡±

    Artem quietly listened to Lyra¡¯s speech even though he didn¡¯t understand everything she mentioned. Her mindfulness touched him. Artem knew his brother enough to know that it wasn¡¯t the first time Galen felt so overwhelmed even though he tried to hide it from him. Artem was grateful to Lyra¡¯s words because he only knew how to comfort his brother with his presence, and he didn¡¯t know what to tell him to support him.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, Lyra,¡± Galen admitted after a time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about my breakdown.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your CSI, it¡¯s my role to guide you,¡± Lyra answered in her usual perky voice.

    Listening to Lyra, they went back together to the library. On the way, Galen decided not to share his hypotheses that the fairies¡¯ evolution also contained a clue about their parents. He didn¡¯t wish to hide information from Artem, but Galen needed some time to calmly go over these suppositions. Moreover, in an effort to curb his worries, Galen ignored the possibility that there was a listening device in their connected bracelet.

    Once the twins were installed in a corner of the library, they gave the fairies their tasks. Lucia returned to her books, and Ayden cultivated to fill up Artem¡¯s chi. Then Galen proceeded to share candidly his morning findings about the feys and Avalon with Artem.

    The twins discussed which direction to work on from there. The ingredient revealed in the message left by their parents was important, but before they could leave the school during their winter break, they couldn¡¯t hope to get their hands on it. They needed to find another source of information about this secret path to prepare the fairies for their super-evolution without wasting time.

    As the twins worked together to find more information, Lyra suddenly informed them that the encyclopedia had updated the article about each fairy in her usual mechanical voice for official announcements. ¡°Congratulation! By finding secret information about the Fire and Light Fairies, you unlocked the third tier of their encyclopedia article!¡±

    As the twins couldn¡¯t yet read the encyclopedia themselves, Lyra read it aloud to them. Each article could now provide tips about all the fairies¡¯ evolution paths. Such a number of possible paths was unheard of, and the twins took some time to digest this information before going back to analyze the tips from the articles.

    The first important point was the confirmation that the fairies were able to evolve into higher-ranked species belonging to the Fey Courts from Avalon. As the Beast Explorers surmised, there were several Courts almost completely unknown by humans. But what these beast tamers couldn¡¯t hope to guess easily was that a fey could evolve differently depending on the Court it chose. Another strange thing was that from the rare rank, it seemed that the name given to a fey didn¡¯t describe its powers or physical characteristics like the other beasts but described its role in the Court. For instance, Ayden could become a rare Puca Trickster of the Summer Court, whereas Lucia could evolve into a rare Sprite Healer of the Spring Court.

    The twins discovered from the encyclopedia that Lucia could try for the Spring or the Day Court. Ayden could try for the Summer or the Autumn Court. Moreover, both fairies had several different roles and species possible. All these first bewildered the twins until they thought about how an elemental could evolve very differently depending on the material used. Likewise, the feys should have a lot of versatility linked to the material chosen. Strangely both Lucia and Ayden could also evolve in the same fey like a notable Sun Pixie ¨C but belonging either to the Day Court or the Summer Court ¨C showing that these evolution paths were complicated and full of twists.

    This amount of knowledge was overwhelming, and the fact that the twins couldn¡¯t read the articles themselves complicated things. So Galen and Artem chose to concentrate on what they should do to help their fairies super-evolve.

    From what was written in the encyclopedia, the fairies first needed the usual requirements: to form a spiritual energy core and to know specific skills of the rare rank. But like their parents hinted at them in the message, they also needed something from a rare-ranked fey as a material among several other ingredients such as spirit acanthuses, stone spirit powder from the spiritual element of the fairy, fairy water, a selection of three spirit plants and ¨C strangely ¨C human blood. Galen would then need to use his pharmacist skills to create an evolution pill. There were other requirements they needed to find out themselves, but the pills were essential.

    ¡°Galen, what do you think of this pill recipe?¡± Lyra asked since she didn¡¯t understand pharmaceutics.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need to study the ingredient in more depth,¡± Galen answered in a low voice, ¡°but I can roughly guess that the stone spirit powder is used like usual to upgrade the spiritual pool and the spiritual quality of the pet. The fairy water should be the basic binding agent. The spirit acanthus is expensive and difficult to find. It is an ingredient known to upgrade a pet¡¯s spiritual quality by a large margin, so it¡¯s almost always used for super-evolution pills.¡±

    There Galen fell silent to ponder over the other ingredients while distractedly flipping through his botanic book.

    Meanwhile, Artem thought over the other requirements. Having an idea, he said, ¡°I think the skills are influencing the fey¡¯s role in its Court. That¡¯s in line with what a beast tamer is doing when choosing how he wants its pet to fight.¡±

    ¡°The encyclopedia only gives tips,¡± Lyra said as she went through the articles again to see if she could confirm his idea. ¡°You have to figure out some things on your own.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really understand how Ayden could become a trickster, though I might have a rough idea,¡± Artem continued, ¡°but some other roles make no sense. What does it mean for a pet to be a scholar or a wanderer? Which skills should the pet learn?¡±

    ¡°Some roles are quite straightforward. Choosing skills for a healer or a scout is easy,¡± Galen added his input while still being distracted.

    ¡°I do like the idea of training Ayden as a scout, but I thought you didn¡¯t want Lucia to be a healer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather teach her the skills that suit her than worry about which role that¡¯ll give her.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡± Artem berated him. ¡°Don¡¯t take her evolution lightly!¡±

    ¡°Well, you think it over. I got an idea about the other ingredients and want to check some things.¡±

    Without waiting for his brother to agree, Galen left their table to use one of the terminals present in the library. He first looked up the most known evolution requirements for the elementals. Having confirmed his first hypotheses, Galen then looked for materials and ingredients that originated from Pocket Worlds. Using such a large requirement made it a pain to find what he was looking for, but he couldn¡¯t drop all his precautions against the people spying on them.

    As soon as Galen returned to sit at his table, Artem argued with him. ¡°You need to consider that some species might not be able to get some roles, so if you mess up Lucia¡¯s skills choice, she might fail her evolution!¡±

    ¡°Well, I think we won¡¯t have as much choice as we thought. If the fairies¡¯ evolution is like the elementals, their form ¨C that¡¯s to say, their species ¨C will depend on the ingredient coming from the species the beast tamer is aiming for. In other words, Lucia¡¯s and Ayden¡¯s species will be determined by the ingredient from a rare-ranked fey prepared for us by our parents.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Artem whispered as he understood the implications of what his brother was explaining.

    ¡°So proceeding by elimination, the ingredients which determined their future Court are the three spirit plants. And there, our choice will be limited by the spirit plants we¡¯ll manage to obtain because the best ones ¨C that¡¯s to say, the ones from Avalon ¨C are inaccessible to us. Don¡¯t ask me what¡¯s the use of the human blood: I can¡¯t begin to guess it.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that our parents left us another clue with the rare fey ingredient.¡±

    Accepting the fact that they couldn¡¯t find out much more yet, the twins went back to their usual studies. Artem was reading books about carving stone spirits. Galen was busy with books about law and trials.

    The fairies were also studying. Lucia was happily looking at her physics book while Ayden was pouting in front of a book about combustion. Filling up Artem¡¯s chi hadn¡¯t taken her too much time since that wasn¡¯t the focus of Artem¡¯s training in the morning.

    Once it was time, they cleaned up their table to prepare for the fight with Orsella.

 Chapter 13 - Stubborn students

    As the twins entered the arena and went to the ring Orsella had reserved, they could see a lot of students already on the bleachers near it. Others were still arriving. Among them were students from other years and classes, but the beast tamers stood out because of their pets. Artem noticed that almost all the students from the professional combat training elective class were there, except the Jamra boys. The Families didn¡¯t let their members stay in school for the weekend as they needed to train in the Family¡¯s secret arts.

    That was why Miles¡¯s presence on the bleachers was particularly noticeable.

    ¡°Yep, he got the insect beast on him,¡± Lyra announced without need to be asked about it.

    ¡°We knew that would be the case,¡± Artem thought to soothe his brother¡¯s anxiety without attracting attention.

    ¡°I know. One breakdown a day is enough for me,¡± Galen answered with a poor attempt at humor. ¡°I¡¯ve got this. I wonder if I could see the insect with [Insight].¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea for today,¡± Lyra replied.

    ¡°At least, this put more weight on our parents¡¯ warning against the Family,¡± Artem added to be positive. ¡°The Third Elder¡¯s branch is definitely suspicious. I wonder how Miles is linked with Mrs Bousrani. Are they working for the same spies, or is the Third Elder pulling their strings?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s concentrate on one problem at a time,¡± Lyra said to keep the twins¡¯ attention on Artem¡¯s fight against Orsella and Crystal¡¯s scheming.

    One noticeable beast tamer in the crowd was Crystal. She was sitting proudly on the first row with her Gray Stone Wallaroo. Next to her, Cecelia was petting her Earth Mole with a deep frown on her face. Further, the twins saw Zane sitting with Julius and Bruno. The twins waved at them. Looking around, Galen and Artem saw that even Daniyal was present, sitting a little apart with his monkey. Almost twenty beast tamers were present.

    Ignoring all of the others, the twins went to speak with Orsella. She was sitting on one of the contestant benches with her Cave Bear sprawled at her feet.

    ¡°Did you find a referee?¡± Artem asked her.

    ¡°After some consideration, I contacted Mr Duval,¡± the girl answered.

    ¡°That sounds appropriate since we¡¯re fighting using our chi,¡± Artem nodded. ¡°When is he coming?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t answer. He¡¯s apparently out of the school.¡±

    ¡°So, you have no referee?¡± Galen asked in a tight voice.

    Artem frowned. Having a referee was one of the preventive measures they agreed upon to keep people from criticizing the fight results.

    ¡°We do have one.¡±

    Orsella pointed to Mr Tawil, who was coming in their direction. Lyra was glad that it wasn¡¯t Mr Carter. How she hated that teacher! Mr Tawil was fair, and even if he wasn¡¯t the teacher of the chi class, as a beast tamer, he was competent to judge this type of fight.

    After confirming under which rules they wanted to fight, Artem and Orsella went to the equipment stand to put on their armor and protective gloves. They would be fighting without weapons.

    As she saw the Fire Fairy going with Galen to the bench reserved for the contestant¡¯s helpers and the Cave Bear staying sprawled on the floor, Crystal stood up and shouted, ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±

    Both fighters briefly looked at her without saying a word. They tacitly ignored Crystal and went on with their checks on their equipment.

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of fighting without your pets?¡± Crystal insisted aggressively. ¡°You¡¯re beast tamers: fight like ones!¡±

    They both continued to ignore her. Mr Tawil looked at the girl with disapproval but stayed silent.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering?¡± Crystal went on stubbornly. ¡°What happened, Orsella? This morning, you wanted a dual fight.¡±

    ¡°Did you hear me say that?¡± Orsella lazily retorted as she did some warm-up moves.

    ¡°Did the Eos twins bribe you? Is that why you changed your mind?¡± Crystal decided to go on the offensive since Orsella was staying impassive. ¡°You¡¯re an honorable beast tamer: don¡¯t give in to them!¡±

    Artem looked curiously at Orsella, who threw a scornful look at Crystal. Artem smiled slightly. How could the twins bribe anyone when they struggled to pay for food and lodging? Crystal needed to up her game.

    Done with her brief warm-up, Orsella went on the ring. Artem followed her.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t any of you saying anything?¡± Crystal switched her target, trying to get the crowd on her side. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here to see a common fight!?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going to use chi,¡± Marcus replied to her as he approached the bleachers, ¡°that¡¯s not a common fight.¡±

    Marcus was in his training suit. Drops of water were still on his face, and his T-shirt was damp with sweat. His Magma Tortoise was slowly following him. The boy jumped to the bleachers and found a place next to Caleb. His tortoise stopped in front of the bleachers and lay down there. Crystal took a breath to argue, but Cecelia took hold of her arm.

    ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t work,¡± Cecelia said as she pulled her back to her seat. ¡°You don¡¯t understand Orsella.¡±

    ¡°She enjoyed crushing her opponents yesterday,¡± Crystal countered her in a loud voice. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she want to crush Artem today?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand-¡±

    ¡°Well, explain!¡± Crystal petulantly interrupted her.

    ¡°Orsella¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to crush her opponents,¡± Cecelia said with a sigh. ¡°She simply wanted to be done as fast as possible since she wasn¡¯t interested in those fights. If she could, she would have skipped them.¡±

    Flabbergasted, Crystal stared at Cecelia.

    On the ring, the fighters signaled with a nod to Mr Tawil that they were ready.

    ¡°Orsella¡¯s only interested in strong and challenging opponents. Everyone knows that,¡± Marcus added as he focused on the ring.

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®everyone¡¯?¡± Crystal asked him in a nasty tone, feeling that Marcus was insulting her.

    ¡°It¡¯s beginning,¡± Marcus said to shush her.

    The chatters on the bleachers stopped as Artem and Orsella rushed at each other. The impact of their kicks and punches resonated in the arena as they were blocked. Both fighters were a match in strength.

    Seeing that they weren¡¯t using chi, Crystal tried again to stir the crowd. Some were frowning like her, but most were still focused on the ring and ignored her. Crystal regretted Jax¡¯s absence. She was sure he would have supported her. Sadly, he had run to his parents¡¯ house to hide from his humiliation.

    After a particularly fast and fierce exchange of blows, Artem and Orsella separated simultaneously to stand several meters away from each other.

    ¡°Enough?¡± Artem asked.

    Orsella simply nodded in agreement. Now that the warm-up was out of the way, they could begin the real fight.

    Artem¡¯s eyes glowed slightly in white as he prepared to use Ayden¡¯s skills. Meanwhile, Orsella¡¯s body gained a white glow. It was a lot thinner than Deborah¡¯s or Caleb¡¯s. It showed that her talent ¨C while affecting her body ¨C was more subtle than a stamina or strength buff. At the sight, the crowd cheered. At last, they would see what they had been waiting for.

    Artem intended to use all of Ayden¡¯s skills so he had instructed his fairy to watch the fight attentively. That was his other reason for accepting the fight: he wanted it to be teaching material for Ayden.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Artem first ignited three [sparks] in succession on Orsella¡¯s trajectory as they were rushing once more at each other. Orsella only dodged the one aiming at her face and ignored the other two. The dodge was neat and precise, making it look like Orsella had felt the ignition. Artem wondered if it was her choice to ignore the other two or if she didn¡¯t feel them. To test her some more, Artem engaged her in close combat and maneuvered her while igniting two [sparks] in the dodging trajectory he forced her to take. She still dodged perfectly the [spark] that would have burnt her skin while ignoring the one igniting on her boot in an attempt to unbalance her, confirming Artem¡¯s guess that her talent dealt with sense enhancement. It was a good talent.

    Both of them knew that it was useless to drag the fight as their chi was still small in quantity, so they got all out. Artem switched skills and used [fire trail] in short bursts, only several seconds each time to throw off Orsella¡¯s rhythm. Once again, Orsella¡¯s talent proved its worth, allowing her to adapt quickly. Moreover, the girl managed to score a clean hit as Artem slowed down after cutting the [fire trail] skill. They both smiled at each other, ignoring the crowd¡¯s loud comments and cheering. Artem could feel his chi getting low. He decided to preserve it for a [chain of blast].

    The next exchange of blows saw Artem using his superior martial art to force Orsella to lean on her talent to compensate. He intended to make her spend her chi to prevent her from countering his last attack. Her talent allowed her to face attacks she would otherwise be unable to block. Artem didn¡¯t think that he would have to wait long. Even if Orsella¡¯s pet was of the notable rank and was born a week earlier than Ayden, Artem didn¡¯t think she had much more chi than he. Nevertheless, he had to consider the fact that her talent ¨C being more subtle than his ¨C might not consummate as much chi.

    As he felt that the appropriate moment was coming, Artem used [fire trail] briefly to start a complicated combo. Orsella had to scramble to block it. That was when Artem threw at her a [chain of blast]. Among the noise and light effects perturbing her senses, Artem went on with his offensive and managed to score a clean hit of his own.

    With a tacit understanding of each other, they separated again.

    ¡°Out of chi?¡± Orsella asked.

    Artem nodded to confirm Orsella¡¯s guess. ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Same,¡± the girl answered with a shrug.

    Having no more reason to fight, they saluted each other. Artem felt strangely empty to the point of having a sort of phantom ache around his core. He ignored it like he ignored the crowd, who was loudly protesting because they stopped fighting. He looked at Mr Tawil to hear his judgment, though he could already guess it.

    ¡°You both got a clean hit. I declared this match to be a draw,¡± Mr Tawil said in a booming voice across the loud crowd.

    Artem and Orsella nodded in satisfaction. However, Crystal was furious.

    ¡°How can you stop so soon? You didn¡¯t even fight for ten minutes! Did you throw the match?¡±

    ¡°Miss Petit, I¡¯d ask you to shut up,¡± Mr Tawil interrupted the girl sternly. ¡°I don¡¯t like your insinuations about a match I refereed. They set their rules, they respected them.¡±

    Crystal could only obey the teacher and shut up. She was angry and frustrated. She was feeling like a fool.

    Hearing the teacher, most people slowly left the arena. Some beast tamers went down to talk with Orsella and Artem. Marcus was among them.

    ¡°That was a nice match,¡± Marcus said as soon as he was near them. ¡°Does one of you want to fight me tomorrow? Same rules?¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Orsella immediately answered while looking at Caleb to see if he also wanted to fight.

    ¡°No, thanks,¡± Artem answered after a quick glance at his brother. Galen was discreetly keeping track of Miles while both fairies were hovering around him.

    Marcus gave Artem a questioning look. Artem smiled wryly at him, but before he could explain himself, Mr Tawil spoke, ¡°You brats, what are you planning? Do you think I¡¯m at your beck and call?¡±

    ¡°No worries, sir,¡± Artem answered after a quick scan of the surroundings to check if Crystal was still around. It looked like she had left. ¡°The reason we needed you shouldn¡¯t be relevant to a fight between Marcus and Orsella.¡±

    Mr Tawil had already guessed what had prompted this match, and Artem¡¯s words only confirmed his idea. That was why Mr Tawil had accepted Orsella¡¯s request even if he disagreed with their match. Nonetheless, that didn¡¯t soften his stance, especially when he saw Orsella tapping on her connected bracelet to reserve a ring.

    ¡°I¡¯m not done,¡± Mr Tawil said in a firm voice. ¡°You¡¯re going on your first training camp in one of Olympia¡¯s military bases next weekend. I don¡¯t want you messing around. Don¡¯t waste chi you should be accumulating to rank up. Moreover, if your pets need to cultivate just to fill up your chi reserve again, they¡¯re wasting time they should be using to train. I don¡¯t think Mr Duval would approve of this kind of fight. You can be sure I¡¯ll talk to him about it.¡±

    Artem felt that what the teacher was saying made a bit of sense. First, Mr Duval let his students accumulate chi instead of practicing their talent during the chi lesson. Some said that was because he was a lazy teacher. However, Galen researched chi and found some manuals on chi training stating that having a solid reserve of chi first was more important, though it didn¡¯t explain why.

    Second, like Lyra said when the twins first questioned her about her energy, all these calculations about chi were complicated and involved a lot of criteria. Only the experts in this area completely understood the chi conversion and the exact minutiae needed for the rank-up, so most people rarely thought about it. A rare CSI like Artem¡¯s or Orsella¡¯s was able to convert 10% of the pet¡¯s cultivation, but a notable CSI like Caleb¡¯s could only convert 5%, while a common one like Zane¡¯s could only convert 2%. If other students with common CSI imitated them and fought with chi until they emptied their pool, it would stunt their growth.

    Moreover, another criterion was the pet rank since a common pet was logically less gifted in cultivation than a rare one. As such, Marcus would always fill his chi back up faster than Artem, thanks to his rare Magma Tortoise. That meant that while Ayden was still cultivating to fill up Artem¡¯s chi, Marcus¡¯ tortoise was free to train its skills. This only widened the gap between people of different ranks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, sir!¡± Orsella protested in her eagerness to fight. ¡°It¡¯s excellent practice!¡±

    Artem shook his head and left her to her argument with the teacher. As he walked to his brother, Marcus fell into steps with him.

    ¡°Why did you refuse?¡± the broad-shouldered youth asked.

    ¡°Seriously, Marcus? What would be the use? Your armament talent needs your pet on the ring with you, and we know that my fairy is no match for your tortoise. Moreover, your tortoise ¨C and so your shield ¨C has to have some resistance to fire. What do you expect some weak [sparks] to do to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d still like you to help me adjust to fighting with my tortoise as a shield. You¡¯re almost a master of arms already,¡± Marcus said calmly and confidently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter me,¡± the black-haired teenager rebuked his classmate.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a tutor? I can pay you, or I¡¯d owe a favor.¡±

    Artem thought about it. Tutoring Marcus was out since Artem was only allowed to instruct his underclassmen. So it came down to what favor Marcus could owe him.

    Ayden¡¯s training to learn the rare skill [heat detection] was halted because Artem couldn¡¯t pay for the elemental training facilities. Without fire, how could the fairy detect heat? The human body heat was too low to begin the training with that, and Ayden¡¯s fire was made of her own spiritual energy, so it messed up the training. Consequently, the Fire Fairy hadn¡¯t progressed at all with this skill. That was why Artem had been mulling over getting a training book to teach Ayden the rare [fire arrow] instead.

    Could Artem ask Marcus to rent the training facility for him? Artem wasn¡¯t sure it was the best course of action because of the spies. The tortoise was a fire pet, so maybe Ayden could try to detect it to kick up her training. As these were only vague ideas, Artem refused to decide anything yet.

    ¡°Let me think on it first. And even if I agree, it wouldn¡¯t be before the training camp. I don¡¯t want to ignore Mr Tawil¡¯s warning.¡±

    Marcus grunted in agreement and returned to Orsella, leaving Artem with Galen. Miles had left the arena without trying to approach anyone.

    ¡°Lyra, do you think he had nothing to do with Crystal?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. He could have taken her scheme as an opportunity to check on Artem¡¯s talent without her knowledge.¡±

    Frustrated to have so many questions without any answer, Galen turned his attention to his brother. Lucia went to check on Artem, but he wasn¡¯t injured. As Orsella said, it was only a practice spar.

    ¡°Mr Tawil is right,¡± Lyra scolded Artem. ¡°You had enough sense yesterday to not empty your pool like that. Why did you do it today? It¡¯s bad for your health to do that.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Artem asked with a slight frown while putting a hand on his brother¡¯s shoulder to keep him from hovering around him with worry.

    ¡°The chi will transform your body. It has already begun.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we know that. That doesn¡¯t explain how emptying our pool of chi affects our health.¡± Galen retorted.

    ¡°To make things short, the chi is like a drug because humans are not made to handle spiritual energy,¡± Lyra tried to explain with a lousy comparison. ¡°Artem should feel withdrawal effects. Weak effects, but still.¡±

    Hearing Lyra¡¯s explanation, Galen got a stubborn look on his face. He asked Lyra for more information, but she only knew the basics.

    Galen thought about it some more. ¡°That should be the main reason behind the advice to accumulate chi before using it. There is less chance of getting an empty pool.¡±

    However, Galen could meditate on that later while researching more information. The important thing right now was his brother¡¯s health. ¡°You go to our room and rest. You are forbidden to train this evening.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate,¡± Artem immediately protested, ¡°I-¡±

    ¡°Artem,¡± Galen sternly interrupted him.

    It wasn¡¯t his brother talking, but the healer. Artem knew that in times like this, he had to compromise. He negotiated to let Ayden train while he promised not to train himself. Galen grumpily agreed, so the twins went to a training hall.

    Galen trained his shooting skills first as Artem went to sit on the side. Meanwhile, Lucia and Ayden did some basic training. Once they were done, Galen shared with Lucia the instructions from the encyclopedia to get her to learn the rare skill [light shield] and his ideas to evolve the skill [glow] to make it an attack skill. At the same time, Artem called Ayden to him to talk to her about his match.

    Afterward, Artem looked critically at all of them while they trained and offered advice from time to time. Galen was practicing with his shield. Lucia was pursuing Ayden with her skill [glow] as the Fire Fairy used [fire trail] to escape. From time to time, the Fire Fairy cut off her skill to mess up her rhythm and applied what Artem showed her during his match. Lucia tried different tactics like overcharging her [glow] or trying to create several spheres of light. But for now, that messed up her control, making the spheres of light disappear or slowing them down.

    They trained for two hours. Then they went back to their room after a light supper. With a tacit understanding, none of them spoke anymore of their problems. For now, they would concentrate on improving themselves.

 Chapter 14 - Learning more about the teachers

    The next day passed without any accidents. The twins trained and studied as much as they could. Galen was especially satisfied with Lucia¡¯s progress. She managed to find a way to improve her skills depending on the type of light she used. From her continuous experiments with light, Lucia found out the dawn light was better for healing and nurturing, and the sunlight was more efficient when using [glow] and trying to overcharge it. She was still trying to determine which light to use for her shield, but she was almost sure moonlight would have the best effect.

    Her training to get the [light shield] skill was progressing more or less smoothly. Lucia could get her light energy to form the shield but couldn¡¯t yet give it the property necessary to block damages. The next step should be to give intent to the shield like in the match against Naila. However, Galen wanted Lucia to understand what she was doing. He knew spiritual power was like magic, and everything couldn¡¯t be explained. Regardless, Galen hoped science could help her to control the intent and effect of spiritual energy. Since just looking at the physics book didn¡¯t seem to be enough, Galen explained it to Lucia.

    The skill offered by the CSI came with a detailed explanation and several suggestions to teach the skill to the pet. Most manuals from the library gave only general explanations, and the beast tamer had to adapt their content to their pet¡¯s particularities. The [light shield] differed from other shield skills because it didn¡¯t block incoming attacks. In its first tier, it manipulated the light toward absorbing damage, inverting the natural physics properties through which matters adsorb light. At first, Galen understood it as the [light shield] healing damage before it landed on its target. However, since the process involved absorption, Galen hoped Lucia could add a reflecting effect to the shield once she mastered it and evolved the skill.

    Seeing Lucia and Galen working so seriously, Artem refused to be left behind. Ayden needed to work on learning a rare skill too. After sharing his concerns with Lyra and Galen about how Ayden could learn the skill [heat detection], they agreed Marcus was a classmate they could trust. Artem contacted Marcus via his connected bracelet to make an appointment.

    During their meeting, Marcus and Artem made a deal. Marcus accepted to let his Magma Tortoise help Ayden train to learn a rare skill, and in exchange, Artem accepted to be Marcus¡¯s partner to help him practice using his armament talent. They didn¡¯t schedule a regular training time and decided to wait to see how it went. Both were satisfied with this arrangement.

    ***

    Monday morning, the twins came to the classroom earlier for homeroom. Mr Carter wanted to hold a debrief after the exam. The writing papers were quick to mark because they mainly consisted of multiple-choice questions. Only the essays took more time, but the teachers had enough time to grade the thirty-four papers during the weekend.

    Mr Carter came to the classroom with everyone¡¯s grades and reports. He didn¡¯t give any congratulations or compliments. The teacher criticized all of his students, blaming them for making him look incompetent. He took it as a personal insult. He humiliated Crystal and Jax again for their poor performances: raising a rare pet, they shouldn¡¯t shame the school.

    However, he also berated those with very low results during the fights, ignoring their performances in the other parts of the exam. Two other beast tamers ended the practical exams with zero points like Crystal: Silas Kouris and his notable Green-Haired Nymph, and Paula Lamar and her common Grey Tillandsia. Mr Carter didn¡¯t spare them at all.

    ¡°Mr Kouris, was it your purpose to not get any points? Isn¡¯t your father researching how to evolve a nymph? Maybe losing so pathetically was part of your pitiful research. A waste of time, all of it! Mark my words!¡±

    This research was the main reason why Silas hadn¡¯t been bullied like Artem and Galen for having a weak pet. His father ¨C a respectable Beast Researcher ¨C had a theory to evolve a nymph into a dryad. However, Mr Carter¡¯s scorn planted doubts in the students¡¯ minds, leading some of them to look scornfully at Silas.

    ¡°Did I tell you that I hate this teacher?¡± Lyra seethed when she witnessed such abuse. ¡°Because, really, I do.¡±

    ¡°We should talk with Silas,¡± Galen suggested to distract Lyra. Her strong reaction was puzzling, but Galen respected her privacy. ¡°His father is on the right track: there are dryads in the Spring Court.¡±

    Artem recognized the value of discussing with Silas but emitted his reservations.¡°His father¡¯s theories are kept secret for now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m curious about it,¡± Galen answered. ¡°But Artem¡¯s right: I doubt Silas will be open to any discussion.¡±

    Mr Carter didn¡¯t stop there. He targeted the other loser of the fights next.

    ¡°And you, Miss Lamar, one wonders what you¡¯re doing here. Did you choose the worst pet possible to hide your uselessness behind it?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t fair to Paula and Silas because students with a plant or water pet couldn¡¯t do much in the early stage. It was also unfair because Paula had had poor luck during the matches. She had first lost against Yanna, then against Nasir, leading to heavy injuries. Her tillandsia had soon been overwhelmed, so Paula and her pet had been powerless in the last matches.

    Moreover, Paula came from a common household. As such, getting the money for the carved spirit stone had certainly taken most of her family resources. Left without funds, Paula had to have chosen from common eggs of low value for her pet. The twins had heard from Zane that Paula had tried to get a scholarship, but her results were too low to be selected while her financial situation hadn¡¯t been low enough. So, in a way, her condition was now worse than Zane¡¯s.

    Five others only got one point like Jax. They were Moses Bayoumi, Bruno Stein, Yaron Cantor, Nasir Jamra, Tom River ¨C whose pet was the common Small-Headed Salmon ¨C and Chandler Roth ¨C the beast tamer of the common Fire Wisp. Mr Carter had a nasty remark for all of them.

    ¡°I think the only one who deserves it is Nasir,¡± Galen commented. ¡°Mr Carter isn¡¯t taking into consideration the unfairness of some matches or the draws.¡±

    ¡°Yaron deserves it too. This guy is seriously loud!¡± Artem complained.

    ¡°Does this teacher understand that if there are winners in a competition, there are necessarily losers?¡± Lyra couldn¡¯t help but ask in disgust.

    ¡°You think he is over-compensating for something?¡± Artem suggested to lighten the mood.

    It could have been bearable if the insults had stopped after the homeroom period. However, Mr Carter used his lessons to bully them again. He didn¡¯t forget anyone, degrading everyone. He scolded Galen and Mahlon for their thrown match, he pointed out Zane¡¯s cowardice for his early forfeits, he made sure to tell Artem not to be proud of his victory, he reminded Larissa that her results were beneath her¡­

    During the practical pet training period, Mr Carter targeted again the students with the lowest results. He concentrated on Crystal, Jax, Yaron, and Nasir, dismissing the others as too poor, weak, or unskilled to ever amount to anything.

    Mr Carter called over his pet ¨C an epic Night-Shadow Ominous-Clawed Lemur. The pet was disturbing with its dark fur that seemed to adsorb the light, its round glowing eyes, and its long distorted fingers that ended in razor-sharp claws. It was one of the final forms of the common Big-Eyed Monkey, obtained through a difficult super-evolution.

    Mr Carter proudly brought his pet to every machine. The lemur pulverized every score, humiliating the students again. Each time, Mr Carter didn¡¯t forget to belittle his students and their pets.

    ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± Lyra complained again. ¡°The students¡¯ pets are young. Of course, they can¡¯t compare with a pet in its final form!¡±

    ¡°But if his purpose is to push them over the edge, it¡¯s working,¡± Artem quietly stated. ¡°Look at Nasir and Jax.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going to explode at the teacher,¡± Galen agreed as he saw Nasir¡¯s red face and Jax¡¯s tightly clenched fists.

    The students had Mr Carter for three periods on Mondays: the pet training theoretical class and the pet training practical class in the morning, then the dual combat theoretical class in the afternoon after Mr Tawil¡¯s beast-tamer combat training class. The students had to suffer through Mr Carter¡¯s abuse for five hours that day.

    The dual combat theoretical class could have given the student some respite, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Indeed, it was worse. Mr Carter used recordings of Friday¡¯s matches to point out mistakes and things not to do. The teacher pretended to use these as teaching materials to help the students improve their dual combat competencies. However, every humiliation or awkward moment was projected in front of everyone, accompanied by Mr Carter¡¯s commentary: Nasir¡¯s arrogance and erratic behavior, Crystal¡¯s incompetence, Mahlon¡¯s lack of motivation, Yaron¡¯s showy and inefficient strategies, Deborah¡¯s misuse of her talent, Paula¡¯s weak martial art and pet, Tom¡¯s inability to find a way to let his salmon fight...

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    When Mr Carter dismissed the class, it was under the groans and whines of most of the teenagers. Jax rushed out of the classroom without looking at anyone. Nasir stood up, staying still for a while.

    ¡°If you¡¯re searching for the right words to explain your uselessness to your Family, do it outside the classroom, Mr Jamra. Don¡¯t monopolize the place!¡±

    This last mean remark from Mr Carter was too much for the boy. Nasir couldn¡¯t help but announce he didn¡¯t need the teaching of such a prejudiced teacher. He would rather train at his Family villa. Amir stopped him from speaking further while sending cold glares at Mr Carter. The teacher didn¡¯t seem to mind and answered with a gloating smile.

    Like the others, the twins had had enough of Mr Carter. The last period of the day was free. Galen and Artem wanted to use this time to relax but couldn¡¯t afford it. The twins chose to go to the library with Zane. They still hadn¡¯t told their friend about Nasir¡¯s threats. Seeing how much the Jamra boy had suffered today, Galen and Artem feared what Nasir could do. It didn¡¯t sit right with them to leave Zane alone.

    Zane had long finished giving the twins remedial lessons. Nevertheless, he appreciated doing his homework in the library with them. Galen had once asked him why.

    ¡°My roommate hates studying.¡± Zane had sighed. ¡°He¡¯d rather spend time outside with his pet or training with some friends from his professional combat class.¡±

    Now that the twins knew Zane¡¯s roommate was Bruno, they understood his answer better. At the time, Galen and Artem hadn¡¯t dared to ask if anyone else could come to the library with Zane. They knew Zane was mostly disregarded in the class, but at least Bruno and Julius talked to him. They had hoped he had other friends from the normal classes, but that wasn¡¯t the case.

    However, the situation was different now. Once the three boys were installed at a table, Galen decided to breach the subject in the hope of finding people to accompany Zane so that Nasir would never find him alone.

    ¡°I spent a lot of time taking care of my siblings or helping at the farm before I became a beast tamer,¡± Zane explained with a sad smile. ¡°That didn¡¯t leave me much time to be with people my age.¡±

    Left with no choice, Artem talked to Zane about the threats Nasir had made at the end of the fights last Friday.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to warn me. It was obvious that Nasir wouldn¡¯t let go of his anger toward me.¡±

    Face with Zane¡¯s bitter acceptance of the situation, the twins didn¡¯t know how to react. In an awkward silence, the three boys took their books to work on their assignments and personal research.

    Artem was reading the last book Mr Duval had recommended about spirit stone carving. The whole subject left him frustrated. He felt the information given by the books was restricted. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the students taking the spirit stone carving elective class had access to more information. Artem wondered aloud who was in this elective class.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± Zane replied with a pensive look when Artem asked him. ¡°This elective is no more popular than the advanced pharmacist class among our classmates. Why don¡¯t you ask your cousin? I think I noticed the Eos surname on the call list.¡±

    ¡°Miles¡¯s in the spirit stone carving elective class?¡± Galen asked him in astonishment. He couldn¡¯t understand why a boy as motivated as Artem to become an Army officer would choose such an elective.

    ¡°You know what all our classmates chose?¡± Artem stirred the conversation away from his cousin. He wasn¡¯t as surprised as Galen because he had already suspected Miles¡¯s change of heart when his cousin didn¡¯t choose the professional combat elective class. Galen and Artem would ponder the meaning of Miles¡¯s choices later.

    ¡°Only those I had papers to hand over to as a teacher aide. For instance, I can name all the beast tamers who take the law and administration elective class. Mrs Bonemine ¨C the teacher for this elective class ¨C often asks for our help to prepare materials, hand over papers, or pick up assignments.¡±

    ¡°Mr Duval doesn¡¯t give the scholarship students any work?¡± Artem asked in confusion.

    ¡°He is a laid-back teacher,¡± Zane corrected, ¡°so it¡¯s more that he doesn¡¯t need our help since he doesn¡¯t have a lot of materials to hand out.¡±

    Galen had already noticed Zane was a good source of information. However, he hadn¡¯t realized the scholarship students knew so much about the teachers. It might be a good way to learn more about Mrs Bousrani. Galen had studied in her pharmacist classes since his first year but didn¡¯t know her background or what her colleagues thought of her.

    ¡°By the way, do you have any idea why Mr Carter is so¡­ disagreeable?¡± Galen asked to mislead his intention. ¡°Is his behavior even allowed?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking about this asshole?¡± Lyra complained.

    Galen briefly explained his intention to her and his brother.

    ¡°Oh, I do have an idea,¡± Zane softly answered.

    The twins looked at him with inquiring looks. Zane put down his pen and looked out the window briefly before explaining. ¡°Do you know the school has a lot of difficulties recruiting beast tamers as teachers?¡±

    ¡°No, we had no idea. Why is that?¡± Galen replied while wondering what this had to do with his question.

    ¡°Teaching new beast tamers is a boring, ungrateful task. Beast tamers who teach high school students won¡¯t advance their career,¡± Zane went on with a strange soft smile.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be so bad!¡± Galen automatically retorted as he didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°It is. Think about it. Beast tamers know they are part of the 15% of the population who should be on a path of wealth and honor. Having awakened their talent, most of them think they are above the mundanes and become proud. So most beat tamers want adventure, glory, or recognition. Teaching at a high school is not only seen as a dead end for any career: it¡¯s perceived as being used as an underdog.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s such a hateful job for beast tamers, did anyone stop to wonder about the psychological impact such unmotivated teachers could have on young minds?¡± Lyra asked in anger and hopelessness.

    The twins didn¡¯t have an answer for her. They listened as Zane went on with his explanations.

    ¡°The school¡¯s solution is to make the students it financially supported come back to teach.¡± Zane paused his explanation, waiting for them to understand his meaning.

    ¡°You mean the scholarship students? They are forcefully employed? Like indentured labor?¡±

    ¡°Yes, in a way. Mr Carter became a beast tamer thanks to a scholarship from Dascalos High School. He didn¡¯t choose to work here. He must do it to pay back the school.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful! They just made the teachers resentful of this on top of everything!¡± Lyra exclaimed in a fed-up voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s no reason to take out his anger and bitterness on his students,¡± Artem commented sternly. ¡°They aren¡¯t responsible for his situation.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Galen interrupted, as his mind was still on his subtle inquiry about Mrs Bousrani. ¡°Does that mean all our beast-tamer teachers are also ex-scholarship students of Dascalos?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the case for Mrs Bousrani. The other two have more complicated situations.¡±

    ¡°How many years do they have to do? As far as I know, Mrs Bousrani has been there for at least three years,¡± Galen went on, hoping to gain more information about Mrs Bousrani.

    ¡°The scholarship contract suggests several ways to repay the school,¡± Zane answered. ¡°For instance, donations can reduce the time owed to the school, though never completely. One year is always owed except in particular circumstances.¡±

    ¡°So what went wrong with Mr Carter¡¯s plan? He had a plan to avoid coming back, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°From what I overheard, Mr Carter is a very ambitious beast tamer. His Night-Shadow Ominous-Clawed Lemur is his first pet, the one the school gave him. He worked hard to train and evolve it. He proved his skills as a trainer, so he was given some work and recognition that allowed him to gain a decent sum of money. Another proof of his skills is that his second pet is also already at the epic rank. If he had been recruited as a special trainer by the Army or as a private tutor by a Family, he could have escaped teaching here. But if I believe his rants in the teachers¡¯ lounge, someone stole his job. Fortunately, he still achieved to reduce his indenture time to two years.¡±

    ¡°I think I can understand his bitterness,¡± Artem commented thoughtfully.

    ¡°You overheard all of that in the teachers¡¯ lounge?¡± Galen chose to ask to continue his investigation.

    ¡°Most people overlook me,¡± Zane answered with a shrug and a slightly bitter smile.

    ¡°You know as much about the other teachers? Mrs Bousrani doesn¡¯t seem as bitter,¡± Galen asked to stir the conversation where he wanted.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Mrs Bousrani is less ambitious or less talented. Or maybe less lucky. You know, the rare Sunset Blooming Marigold is the last evolution of her first pet ¨C the common Orange Flower.¡±

    ¡°A weak plant pet as a first pet is hard. Just look at Paula!¡± Artem absentmindedly commented to keep the conversation going as he thought this could have made the teacher an easy target for the spies.

    ¡°I heard Mrs Bourasni has just managed to acquire the rare Light Praying Mantis as her second pet. I also heard she will have to do the maximum indenture time. Maybe she used all her money to buy her rare pet.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s her handler who bought her the mantis? A rare pet is expensive.¡± Galen shared his thoughts.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it interesting that her rare pet is an insect?¡± Artem agreed it was a worthy hypothesis.

    ¡°You think it¡¯s the school or someone else?¡± Lyra asked the twins while wondering if that wasn¡¯t too far-fetched. ¡°Mrs Bousrani could just love working with students.¡±

    ¡°Being a Beast Healer is a recognized job. Moreover, she¡¯s also a pharmacist. She might be less sensitive about her situation than Mr Carter,¡± Galen added to see how Zane would react to the idea.

    ¡°I never really heard Mrs Bousrani complain about her job, but she is more reserved than Mr Carter.¡±

    ¡°What about Mr Duval?¡± Artem asked to bring back the conversation to the teacher of the spirit stone carving elective class.

    ¡°He is a new teacher, so the gossip about him is less known. But his reputation as a lazy teacher comes from a rumor that he applied for the job because one of his pets needed some rest. There are speculations about what his last job was, but no true information.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that is suspicious?¡± Galen asked for Lyra¡¯s and Artem¡¯s opinions.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Is it weird to become a teacher to take a rest?¡± Lyra answered.

    ¡°What about Mr Tawil? He was a Beast Ranger for the Army, so how did he end up here?¡± Galen asked not to leave out any teachers and seemed suspicious.

    ¡°Mr Tawil was discharged from the Army after his injury and the loss of his pets. With his disability and without pets, he didn¡¯t have a lot of job propositions coming his way.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Army give a pension for his discharge?¡± Artem frowned with disapproval.

    ¡°The pension is enough to live his everyday life. Not enough to buy a new egg.¡±

    The twins digested all this information for a time. Suddenly, Galen realized the other reason why Zane would know so much about this topic as a scholarship student.

    ¡°Are you okay with having to teach here?¡± Galen asked with a frown.

    ¡°I¡¯m not very ambitious. Or rather, I can¡¯t be ambitious. What could I do with the rank of my talent and my pet? I don¡¯t mind. At least, I¡¯m sure to have a job later. I won¡¯t be a burden for my family.¡±

    The twins felt awkward again at Zane¡¯s answer. They didn¡¯t know how to comfort their friend or if they should comfort him. Zane noticed their reactions.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m not the unlucky one, and neither is Mrs Bousrani for this matter. The real unlucky ones are those who got the scholarship but were unable to awaken.¡±

    ¡°Since they couldn¡¯t awaken, are they still indebted to the school? That seems unfair.¡±

    ¡°Not as much as Naila, Benjiro, and me. The carved spirit stones they tried to harmonize with are out of spiritual energy. They only need to pay back the price for recharging the carved spirit stone they used up so that another student next year can try to harmonize with it. Being unable to awaken is punishment enough.¡±

    With no idea of what to add to that, the twins concentrated on their studies. Artem switched to hunting manuals to learn how to track wild beasts after checking on his fairy. Galen continued to look for the spirit plants best suited for the fairies¡¯ super-evolution.

 Chapter 15 - Change of behavior

    On Tuesday afternoon, the young beast tamers had a first period with Mr Carter for the beast combat practical class, then a second for the dual combat practical class.

    The day before was the first time the students had seen Mr Carter¡¯s lemur because the teacher had never used his pets in class. The young beast tamers surmised Mr Carter had an inner feature allowing him to keep his pets in his inner world. However, the teacher could also have left his pets in a specific place to train. As it stood, the students still didn¡¯t know the species of Mr Carter¡¯s second pet.

    Mr Carter began the period as usual, giving instructions to his students and their pets. He supervised them seriously as the pets were practicing fighting each other. The young beast tamers discreetly sighed in relief, believing Mr Carter had exhausted his vitriol.

    However, Lyra suspiciously observed him. She believed this teacher had only restrained his resentment temporally. Indeed, he soon showed his true intentions.

    Mr Carter was more subtle this time. He released his pet and let the Night-Shadow Ominous-Clawed Lemur patrol the training hall independently from him.

    The students had witnessed the lemur¡¯s strength the day before. The young beast tamers were uneasy with this epic pet that was watching intently their pet¡¯s training. It was worse for the young pets who didn¡¯t know how to protect themselves from the higher beast¡¯s aura.

    The lemur¡¯s frightful appearance aggravated their unease. Mr Carter¡¯s scornful glances and nasty comments didn¡¯t help, leading some students to complain under their breath. Their friends told them to shut up: Mr Carter was their main teacher so they shouldn¡¯t provoke him. At least, the lemur didn¡¯t fight the students¡¯ pets.

    Galen wanted to know why the teacher suddenly increased his harassment after the first exam. Zane hadn¡¯t answered the twins when they asked if Mr Carter¡¯s behavior was allowed. Artem was reluctant to speculate, but Galen argued it was significant to determine if this teacher was another tool used by the spies.

    ***

    Once it was time for the dual combat class, the pets cultivated to recuperate as their beast tamers did their warm-up. During the previous dual combat practical classes, the beast tamers and the pets had used no talent or skills. Firstly, teaching how to use talents was the prerogative of Mr Duval. Secondly, just getting the beast tamers to cooperate with their new pets was hard enough.

    Mr Carter¡¯s lessons during September had allowed the students to get used to moving with their pets. Each pair had begun to develop some tacit understanding thanks to specific exercises. This training program helped the tamers and the pets to be aware of each other, teaching them to avoid getting in each other¡¯s way when they dodged or attacked. However, it rarely allowed the young beast tamers to practice actual dual combat. Mr Carter argued they should learn to run together before learning to fight.

    In this way, the beast-tamer students had gone to their first exam without much ¨C if any ¨C practical experience in dual combat. Some diligent students and those from established backgrounds had trained by themselves and had aptly used the knowledge given during the dual combat theoretical classes. In Mr Carter¡¯s opinion, this diligence confirmed he was right to limit his involvement during the dual combat practice. It was his way of determining each student¡¯s innate capabilities and resolve.

    This day, Mr Carter also used this argument to justify his actions. He targeted Crystal first by choosing to be her practice partner. Her shameful results during the exam proved she was so lacking in capabilities that she needed some personal guidance.

    Fighting in dual combat against a student was already something he had never done before, but the teacher went further and used his talent to buff his pet. Mr Carter¡¯s notable talent was classified as buffing because it allowed him to create and summon mechanical weapons for his pets. His Night-Shadow Ominous-Clawed Lemur already had a demented look. Equipped with a shoulder laser gun, it was worse.

    With such an offensive talent and pet, Mr Carter could have certainly become any sort of beast fighter, but he chose to become a Beast Trainer instead. This beast specialization should logically make him a qualified teacher, one that Dascalos High School should be glad to see working for it. And despite his sternness, Mr Carter had looked the part for the past month.

    However, as he now faced his student with an epic buffed pet, he looked like an abusive teacher.

    Crystal had only reluctantly come to stand before the teacher with her rare Gray Stone Wallaroo. Once she saw the shoulder laser gun, she backed away. ¡°Do you want to kill me or my wallaroo? I won¡¯t fight! No way!¡±

    Crystal was furious and ashamed. She had felt awful since the exam, and Mr Carter¡¯s bullying was worsening her feelings of self-loath and unfairness. Crystal was rich. She managed to awaken. She had a rare pet. She was supposed to live a better life. Why was nothing going as she wanted? Hate and resentment shimmered inside her, and Crystal didn¡¯t know where to direct animosity.

    ¡°You won¡¯t fight, Miss Petit?¡± Mr Carter retorted in a dangerous, soft voice. ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re not a beast tamer? That your pet isn¡¯t of the rare rank?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an unfair fight! Anyway, my CSI is only of the common rank, so, of course, my talent is weak! I won¡¯t fight!¡±

    ¡°Think carefully about your decision, Miss Petit.¡±

    However, Crystal was too agitated to be rational. The girl left the training hall in a fit of temper. Mr Carter looked over as she left but didn¡¯t try to stop her. Instead, he leisurely walked around to check on the other small groups of students training to execute the specific moves he had taught them.

    He suddenly called his next victim. ¡°Mr Canter, I can see you need some personal guidance. Come: I¡¯ll train you.¡±

    Yaron was even louder than Crystal in his refusal to fight. ¡°My talent isn¡¯t for fighting, and it¡¯s of the common rank. What do you mean by calling me to train with you? What do you want me to train? I¡¯ll never be any sort of beast fighter! That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    Yaron knew he had no chance in a real fight with a talent like [Beautification] and his Musician Swan ¨C which wasn¡¯t an offensive pet. He had complained during the exam because it was his habit to complain. He didn¡¯t lose four times during the exam, so by his reckoning, he didn¡¯t deserve only one point. Yaron was proud and used to having his way at home. However, he wasn¡¯t oblivious to his own values and capabilities.

    Moreover, Yaron had chosen the Art elective class with a lucid mind. His goal was to become a celebrity, and he had chosen the Musician Swan for that purpose. Yaron aspired to become a singer ¨C or even better: an idol similar to the ones from the Old World. The youth loved to daydream about the stars he read about in old books.

    Anyway, the Army had done a good job these last decades, and it had been almost fifty years since the last time an Abyss monster army attacked a City-State. Yaron didn¡¯t need to learn to fight. His father had told him the Beast Tamers Association was only trying to control beast tamers by pretending that all of them needed to be reserved soldiers to fight the Abyss monsters.

    The youth was sure his father would support his decision, so Yaron firmly refused to obey the teacher. To prove he didn¡¯t wish to learn how to fight, he even went to sit idly on a bench until the end of the period.

    Strangely, Mr Carter didn¡¯t stop the boy either and just threw some nasty words at him. The teacher continued his round before calling out to his next target.

    Jax had a temper and had been very proud since his parents bought him a rare pet. His losses during the practical exam had been a hurtful wake-up call. Jax had understood then that having a rare pet wasn¡¯t enough. Larissa, Sarah, Amir, and Marcus had a rare or epic-ranked CSI. Jax couldn¡¯t compete with that since his talent was only of the notable rank.

    Nevertheless, Jax couldn¡¯t let it go. He didn¡¯t want to admit it. Why would the rank of the CSI determine everything? His pet was a good pet, and if the exam had allowed him to fight against his other classmates instead of only letting him fight these powerhouses, he would have proved it. He couldn¡¯t swallow his rank at the bottom of the class.

    With the will to improve himself and the determination to prove he wasn¡¯t worthless, Jax courageously went up to confront Mr Carter and his lemur. Unfortunately, the poor boy ended up being trashed by the teacher. Mr Carter was relentless in his snarks and nasty remarks during the practice.

    As Jax fell without strength and his rat fainted, the teacher called out to the twins. Mr Carter first ordered Artem. ¡°Mr Eos, make yourself useful! Carry this pitiful loser out of my sight! Then come here for your training.¡±

    Artem obeyed without a word. Firstly, without his Family¡¯s support, he couldn¡¯t refuse, so he didn¡¯t waste his breath trying. Secondly, he could learn a lot by challenging powerful opponents. Artem was getting used to being injured during training and thought it was the perfect way to improve his toughness.

    Moreover, he had carefully watched Jax¡¯s and Mr Carter¡¯s fight. The teacher¡¯s moves looked careless as if Jax was beneath him, but each move flew to the next one. It was like a choreography between the teacher and his pet. Artem felt this was what a dual combat should look like.

    While the dark-haired teenager was carrying Jax and his rat to a bench, Mr Carter pointed at Galen. ¡°And you, Mr Eos, let¡¯s see if your ridiculous fairy can heal them.¡±

    When a student was gravely hurt, he was transported to the infirmary so Mrs Bousrani could heal him. Despite his conspicuous ruthlessness, Mr Carter wasn¡¯t crazy enough to injure his students severely. Mr Carter had perfect control over his pet, so the cuts and bruises were superficial.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Lucia easily healed these injuries. The main problem was the loss of endurance and the tiredness because the Light Fairy didn¡¯t have the skills to heal that. The fairy looked incompetent when the rat didn¡¯t regain consciousness, and Jax still couldn¡¯t walk. Amir noticed this result and led his goons to jeer at Galen.

    Galen ignored them and encouraged his fairy. Meanwhile, Artem endured Mr Carter¡¯s harsh training without complaining. He was a better warrior than Jax, and his body was sturdier, so Mr Carter was more ruthless with him. The only thing Artem had difficulties tolerating was how the lemur shot at Ayden with its shoulder laser gun. The gap in strength was so much that Ayden couldn¡¯t dodge and soon fainted.

    However, Mr Carter didn¡¯t stop his attacks and concentrated on Artem instead. Despite the teacher¡¯s taunts, Artem refused to use his talent and conserved his chi.

    ¡°Pathetic. Look at you now! What¡¯s the use of your power if you refuse to use it? You think you¡¯re some vigilante?¡±

    ¡°Who does he think he is, then, huh? A first-grade asshole?¡± Lyra ranted in frustration. The twins were so tolerant, that she felt it was her duty to rant for them. ¡°If Artem is a vigilante, is he the villain? What? He¡¯s filming a superhero movie? Where¡¯s the script? I¡¯m giving it one star!¡±

    The twins ignored their CSI since they didn¡¯t understand half of her raving.

    When Mr Carter finally let Artem go, Marcus came to help him walk to Galen. Ayden was lying on her tamer¡¯s shoulder. The teacher didn¡¯t forget to throw a last nasty remark to the twins. ¡°Maybe now that the one needing healing is your brother, you¡¯ll put more energy into it.¡±

    Without waiting to see Galen¡¯s reaction, Mr Carter focused his attention back on the other students, probably to choose his next victim.

    ¡°Sir!¡± Orsella suddenly came over.

    ¡°Miss Mancini. Shouldn¡¯t you be training with your partners?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s boring. I want to train with your lemur. The shoulder laser gun looks fun!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need my guidance, Miss Mancini.¡±

    ¡°Of course I need it, Mr Carter! Your talent is unique, I need to experience it for myself.¡±

    Orsella insisted because even if Mr Carter had a powerful pet and a beneficial talent, his talent and CSI were only at the notable rank. So, the teacher had a limited pool of chi. If Mr Carter targeted the same students as the day before, Orsella wouldn¡¯t have any chance to test herself against his buffed pet. She wanted to know how good her bear¡¯s defense would be against the lemur equipped with the shoulder laser gun.

    Mr Carter thoughtfully looked around the training hall. He suddenly raised his voice. ¡°Anyone else wishing like Miss Mancini here to profit from my training?¡±

    Most students looked away awkwardly. However, some reacted differently. Marcus seemed to be considering it, while Larissa and Sarah both completely ignored the teacher to continue training together. As for Amir, he stared fixedly at Mr Carter with an expressionless face. The teacher¡¯s gaze passed over Amir to stop on Nasir.

    ¡°Mr Jamra? You need personal training. You should come over to receive my guidance before I take care of Miss Mancini.¡±

    ¡°I told you yesterday that I didn¡¯t need your teaching,¡± Nasir stubbornly retorted.

    ¡°But it¡¯s obvious that your Family doesn¡¯t share your opinion. You¡¯re here today in my class, aren¡¯t you?¡± Mr Carter replied with a taunting smile.

    Nasir gritted his teeth in rage. He had informed his mother of what had happened the day before, but she hadn¡¯t taken his side. On the contrary, she scolded him for bringing shame and trouble to her.

    His mother was only one of the Jamra Family¡¯s kept-women. Her lover ¨C though maybe it was more accurate to call him a keeper ¨C was one of Aziz Jamra¡¯s youngest brothers. Aziz Jamra was Amir¡¯s father and the head of the main branch. He was the eldest, and rumors said Aziz Jamra kept tight control of his Family, leaving few responsibilities to his brothers.

    As such, Nasir¡¯s mother didn¡¯t get many spirit resources. She had hoped birthing a son would improve her situation. Getting offspring with good genes and good talent was one of the reasons so many women were kept in the minor branch by the men of the main branch. The Jamra Family was actively trying to produce more and better beast tamers by practicing eugenics.

    However, Nasir¡¯s results were disappointing, and his attitude left much to desire. Even if her son was an illegitimate cousin of Amir ¨C the rightful heir of the main branch ¨C, that didn¡¯t amount to anything. Nasir needed to prove his value and achieve some kind of results to be truly accepted by the Family. In the worst case, the Jamra Family would exile Nasir once he reached his majority.

    Nasir didn¡¯t understand that. In his mind, he belonged to the Jamra Family because he managed to awaken and got a talent in line with the Family¡¯s specialty. Some children from the minor branch didn¡¯t manage to awaken this year, and their exile had already been decided. Nasir believed he wasn¡¯t a failure like them.

    The boy was still jealous of Shahin¡¯s and Basic¡¯s notable pets. Nevertheless, he had relieved some of his temper on his weaker classmates. After calming down, he had found some advantages to his common pet. The Fire Beetle could evolve into a Flaming Scarab, which was of value to the Family.

    So Nasir didn¡¯t understand why his mother didn¡¯t support him. His results during the exam weren¡¯t his fault.

    Nasir glanced at Amir in askance. He might distrust his mother¡¯s judgment, but the youth would obey his young master. However, Nasir didn¡¯t find any help there. Amir was still looking at Mr Carter with his expressionless face. Nasir knew that meant the young master shouldn¡¯t be disturbed.

    Before he could make a decision, Mr Carter talked to him again. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that like Miss Petit and Mr Canter, you think you¡¯re not fit to be a fighter. So, is it that you¡¯re a coward? Even Mr Miller dared stand before me, and his elective isn¡¯t the professional combat class. Just how low do you intend to go, Mr Jamra?¡±

    Nasir couldn¡¯t stand the teacher¡¯s belittlement any longer. Enraged, he went to train with Mr Carter. However, he still hadn¡¯t learned to control his temper. He got trashed as fast as Jax.

    Basic carried his cousin over as Shahin took care of his pet without Mr Carter having to tell them to. Once again, the teacher ordered Galen to heal Nasir and his pet. Galen did it without complaining.

    ¡°Why are you healing this asshole?¡± Lyra asked in a grumpy tone.

    ¡°Lucia hasn¡¯t got many opportunities to train her [small heal] skill. Moreover, the Hippocrates Oath states that I should heal everyone.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take that oath later,¡± Lyra said since she disagreed with the content of the oath.

    ¡°It¡¯s tradition.¡±

    ¡°Tradition is stupid,¡± Lyra retorted as she always automatically did when her mother used to tell her that to justify her requirements for her daughter.

    While Galen and Lyra were debating, Lucia healed what injuries she could. However, the Light Fairy still couldn¡¯t do anything to soothe the tiredness and muscle aches. Basic, Shahin, and Nasir insulted and belittled Galen and his fairy.

    ¡°See, a bunch of ingrates! Leave them to die!¡±

    Meanwhile, Mr Carter finally allowed Orsella to train with him. The more the girl couldn¡¯t land a hit, the more she was excited. She used her chi without constraint, though it didn¡¯t change the outcome of the practice. Her Cave Bear tanked some damages but couldn¡¯t hold for long. The gap between a young notable pet ¨C even one specialized in defense ¨C and an experienced offensive epic pet was too wide. As this fight ended, Galen and Lucia gained some more patients.

    The end of the period was nearing, but Marcus finally refrained from soliciting the teacher¡¯s personal guidance. Mr Carter patrolled the training hall again and turned his attention to Mahlon. Seeing the teacher coming his way, the young pharmacist put a smile on his face. Mr Carter had been explicit enough the day before in his reproof, but the boy was ready to justify his lack of motivation again.

    ¡°Let me guess, Mr Ruh,¡± Mr Carter said sarcastically. ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me you¡¯re a pharmacist, not a fighter, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You know me so well, sir,¡± Mahlon gushed in an exaggerated but sincere admiration.

    ¡°So what are you doing here in my combat class?¡± the teacher asked in disgust.

    ¡°A bit of exercise is good for the health, and learning more about my pet is great for my experiments,¡± the boy answered in a lighthearted tone.

    Mr Carter sneered but didn¡¯t push it as it was time to end the training. He gathered the class to give instructions for Thursday¡¯s dual combat practice. The students hurriedly left the hall afterward.

    The twins weren¡¯t sure what to think of Mr Carter¡¯s behavior. He didn¡¯t treat the students equally, targeting some more than others. Nevertheless, each of his actions was done to teach and improve the students, or so it seemed. However, the twins didn¡¯t have much time to ponder this mystery because they had to go to their elective class next.

    Before Galen could go far, Tom River stopped him. Galen silently looked at him, but the other boy hesitated to speak.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Galen said to break the awkward silence.

    ¡°I wanted to apologize,¡± Tom muttered without looking at Galen.

    ¡°Why?¡± Galen asked in confusion.

    ¡°I could have helped with the healing, but I didn¡¯t,¡± Tom answered guiltily.

    Galen pondered his classmate¡¯s answer. As far as he knew, the Small-Headed Salmon hadn¡¯t got any healing skills. Galen took a guess. ¡°Is it your talent?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my talent is [Refresh], a sort of healing talent. I mean, it¡¯s useless to heal injuries but it works for tiredness and soreness. I think, I mean, I haven¡¯t used it yet. I don¡¯t want to use my chi.¡±

    ¡°As you should,¡± Galen replied in a firm voice. ¡°This isn¡¯t a chi class, and even Mr Duval allows us to spare our chi.¡±

    ¡°But you were scolded,¡± Tom muttered.

    ¡°That¡¯s not your fault. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    As the boy awkwardly nodded, Galen went on his way. Tom wasn¡¯t a bad guy, but he lacked confidence. He usually followed the flow in class, so Galen had seen him laughing at him or his brother several times.

    ¡°Could be what he was apologizing for was his behavior toward you since the beginning of school,¡± Lyra said. Now that Tom was suffering too, maybe he regretted his past behavior.

    Galen thought it over and felt that Lyra might be right, but it didn¡¯t matter. He had more important things to think about. He went to Mrs Bousrani¡¯s class while planning how to organize his future research and personal training.

    ***

    The rest of Mr Carter¡¯s classes this week passed similarly. Mr Carter focused his attention on some students, pushing and harassing them. Crystal skipped all his classes, and Yaron acted willful, training only when he felt like it. Artem, Jax, and Nasir suffered through the teacher¡¯s harsh training, while Orsella and occasionally Marcus came asking for more.

    However, the twins didn¡¯t focus their minds on all this drama. They wanted to find more information about their fairies¡¯ evolution. For that, Galen continued researching which plants could be used for the pills. Even if they couldn¡¯t buy them yet, knowing what they needed would allow them to better plan for it.

    After some days of thinking, Galen came up with a theory by analyzing the Beast Explorers¡¯ reports again. Their description of the Spring Court focused on three spiritual elements: water, wood, and light. So it was reasonable to think the spirit plants needed for this Court had to be of these spiritual elements. From there, Galen inferred the other three seasonal Courts were also a combination of three spiritual elements. The youth had to determine the combination for the Summer or the Autumn Court.

    After Galen shared his hypotheses with Artem, the twins decided to choose first which Court they were aiming not to waste their efforts. If they were wrong, they could only hope the failed attempt didn¡¯t hurt the fairies or stunt their evolution.

    Galen decided to try for the Day Court. This Court should be easier to obtain as it seemed safe to assume that it should only need spirit plants of the light element. Moreover, when Galen asked Lucia for her opinion, she indicated she favored this Court. As for Ayden, she agreed with Artem when he suggested the Autumn Court. Artem was hoping that this Court was a better fit for hunters.

    With a clarified goal, Galen tentatively chose to look for fire and earth spirit plants, hoping to get inspiration for the third element along the way. He thought of Autumn as a windy and rainy season, so he couldn¡¯t choose between water and air. Galen was befuddled by the possibilities and spent hours considering each spirit resources and pouring over botanic books in the library.

    During this time, Artem was training with his fairy and preparing himself for the training camp when he wasn¡¯t tutoring other students. The teenager wasn¡¯t as excited as he thought he would be. He had always wanted to go to a military base and meet soldiers since it had been his dream to become one. However, his situation had changed and Artem didn¡¯t like leaving Galen alone, even if it was only for two days and two nights.

 Chapter 16 - Hopes and expectations

    When Friday came, Artem was ready to embark on the bus with his classmates from the professional combat elective class. Most elective courses proposed field trips to let the students experience their prospects in their chosen domain. The professional combat class was the first to do it because Mr Tawil thought it was crucial.

    A training camp for recruits lasted several weeks. However, the students would only live like recruits for two days. Mr Tawil wanted to give his students a taste of military life and ensure they understood what it entailed. Not everyone could bear it. Knowing this in advance should keep unsuited people from signing up for five years.

    Mr Tawil decided to leave Dascalos High School for the military base during the third afternoon period that Friday. The school allowed it because it was the period for the elective class. The bus was scheduled to arrive at the military base before the evening meal. The students climbed onto the vehicle with their backpacks in an orderly manner.

    Artem had packed light, following the teacher¡¯s instruction. However, Galen had given him some pills and ointments to treat injuries. The young pharmacist has been steadily filling their stock with the leftovers from his elective classes. From time to time, Galen would practice his pharmaceutical skills using cheap materials. Most of his products were in their inner world warehouse. Artem would always have access to it, but to keep this feature a secret, the twins had decided to let Artem physically carry some of it.

    In his own elective class at the time, Galen was frustrated because he couldn¡¯t see his brother off. He distractedly listened to Mrs Bousrani as she explained how to refine a pill he had helped his mother make for years. His attention fluttered, and he worried about everything that could go wrong for his brother.

    ¡°Hello?¡± Lyra called out to Galen. ¡°Remember me?¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Galen replied with a sigh as he understood what Lyra meant, ¡°but Artem is going to a place filled with soldiers who might react like Cecelia.¡±

    Lyra didn¡¯t answer. As long as the twins couldn¡¯t prove their father¡¯s innocence, they could only tolerate such treatment. She took a peek at Artem. He was comfortably sitting on the bus with a free seat next to him. ¡°Concentrate on your lesson instead of letting your mind wander uselessly,¡± Lyra finally said to divert Galen¡¯s attention. ¡°Don¡¯t give your enemy anything on you.¡±

    As Galen went on with his day, forcing himself to train seriously with Lucia and read more books, Lyra kept him updated on what was happening to Artem. However, she also had to deal with Artem, who didn¡¯t want to worry his brother, even when Amir deliberately informed their drill sergeant that Artem was the son of a traitor.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t keep Galen informed,¡± Lyra said with dissatisfaction, ¡°he¡¯ll stop trusting me.¡±

    The twins were really a lot of trouble. Artem argued with her for a long time. She finally agreed not to tell Galen anything that evening because Amir was more bark than bite, and the drill sergeant should have already known who Artem was. Artem¡¯s Family name was on the official papers, so except if the drill sergeant lived under a rock or didn¡¯t know how to read, he wouldn¡¯t have missed it.

    However, things became thornier the next day. Lyra witnessed the drill sergeant finding faults with Artem for the tiniest things. Amir and his cousins also took every opportunity to mock Artem. They managed to trick the black-haired youth several times, worsening Artem¡¯s punishments.

    This time, Lyra dutifully reported how Artem had to do push-ups and more laps or chores as punishment because of the rumors. ¡°At least,¡± Lyra said to Galen in an attempt at humor, ¡°Artem has companions.¡±

    Galen let Lyra divert his attention and played along by asking who they were. Lyra named some problematic students from the military class. She tried to describe them wittily to entertain Galen.

    ¡°Do you know Emilio Fava? He¡¯s so slow and clumsy with all physical training that he¡¯s always the last to finish. It¡¯s like he has a crush on Artem and doesn¡¯t want to leave him alone on the training ground.¡±

    Galen smiled slightly like Lyra wanted. However, he soon frowned as he recalled who the boy was. Galen didn¡¯t know Emilio personally, but the young pharmacist had seen him participate in competitions with Artem. Galen remembered Emilio was a sore loser and wondered how the boy had reacted when he failed his Awakening ceremony.

    ¡°What about Celeste Guerriero? Do you also know her?¡±

    Hearing that name, Galen couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The girl had issues. She was nice but had a strange grip on reality, and provoked endless troubles.

    ¡°You¡¯ve met her?¡± Lyra asked. ¡°I can¡¯t fathom how this girl will ever become a soldier. She asks the silliest questions!¡±

    ¡°I had to give her first aid on several occasions,¡± Galen answered as he remembered a particular distasteful accident. ¡°She was in our class last year. I can easily imagine the sort of questions she asked.¡±

    Lyra noted that Galen, like Artem, sounded tolerant of Celeste despite the girl¡¯s faults. Then, the CSI talked about the boy, who was punished almost as often as Artem. ¡°So, do you also know Jarek Dolezal?¡±

    This time, Galen winced. He had never met the boy, but Jarek was famous in school for being a delinquent student. The school had forced him to enroll in one of the military classes for his third year to discipline him, although it hadn¡¯t shown any results yet.

    Since Galen had confirmed Zane was an excellent source of information, he tried to meet the shy boy several times a week to learn the latest news around the school. Just this morning, Zane told him Jarek had been called to the dean¡¯s office this week for having skipped all of his core army value classes and some other lessons. Galen asked why Jarek hadn¡¯t yet been expelled from Dascalos High School. Zane answered that the boy¡¯s background was special. It was intriguing because Jarek wasn¡¯t from a Family.

    Galen shook himself from his thoughts and went back to his studies. If Artem was only getting unfairly punished, it was alright. These kinds of punishments were bothersome but didn¡¯t hurt his brother. Galen could concentrate on his work.

    He was glad of his progress on the super-evolution pill. Galen was sufficiently familiar with fire spirit plants and knew of numerous light spirit plants. So, Galen had selected some spirit plants from these two spiritual elements as possible ingredients first.

    For the fire spirit plants, he had looked for those blooming in autumn before choosing the reborn crimson azalea, the dazzling red chrysanthemum, and the scarlet gaillardia as his main targets. Galen thought the purple cobweb thistle was appropriate for the hunting path Artem wished for, but its spiritual element was air, and Galen wasn¡¯t sure it was a good match for the Autumn Court. The red cobweb thistle would be a much better ingredient if it wasn¡¯t more difficult to obtain. It only grew in the North of the Rio Grande Cities-States region, so that spirit plant was too expensive.

    For the light spirit plants, Galen excluded any species of sunflowers, dandelions, and marigolds from the beginning. He looked for more subtle ingredients as he intuitively knew the super-evolution pills couldn¡¯t be simple. It took him a long time, but he found some interesting species with a few illusion characteristics. Galen thought this characteristic was a perfect fit because Lyra ¨C as his CSI ¨C had given the rare skill [illusion] to Lucia.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t give it to Lucia, it was luck!¡± Lyra grumbled as Galen ignored her. ¡°Luck, I tell you! That¡¯s the core of the random shuffle!¡±

    Galen¡¯s concentration wasn¡¯t disturbed by his CSI. He wanted spirit plants that also had specific light power. Lucia said she felt different depending on the light she cultivated, and the young pharmacist included her observation in his considerations. The boy also felt wary about ignoring the idiom saying there was no light without shadow, so he wanted to find at least one spirit plant with the dual spiritual elements of shadow and light.

    Galen eventually selected the jailed sunshine peonies, the mystic illusion dahlia, and the dreamy blue-dawn delphinium. He had considered the golden spider lily and the shining honeysuckle for its flowers. Unfortunately, these two spirit plants were also expensive because they grew principally in other Cities-States regions. The three spirit plants he chose were a good compromise between quality and availability.

    Next, Galen wanted to examine trees, roots, and mushrooms. He already took note of the blaze autumn maple leaf, which was both of the earth and fire element, but it was from the Rio Grande Cities-States too. Roots also seemed like perfect ingredients for earth spirit plants, though Galen needed to find those linked to the right season or with some fire aspect. Some rare mushrooms had light characteristics, but what truly interested Galen was their secondary effects in case the dreamy blue-dawn delphinium were inadequate.

    Moreover, he remembered reading about fairy rings made of mushrooms. Picking up plants mentioned with fairies in the Old World¡¯s books was worth it. For instance, hawthorn or ash trees were supposed to be the home of some fairies. Nevertheless, these ingredients needed to be carefully studied.

    ***

    Artem was exhausted when he returned to Dascalos High School on Sunday evening. He threw his backpack in his room before going to the cafeteria with Galen. The older boy studied his brother, visually checking his body for injuries. He was tempted to use his [Insight] but controlled his urge since it would only upset Artem.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Artem grunted without lifting his eyes from his plate. He knew his brother enough to know what he was doing without looking at him. Galen was even raising Lucia to imitate him.

    The Light Fairy was hovering around Artem and Ayden. Galen didn¡¯t insist and called back his fairy. He concentrated on his meal, planning to interrogate his brother once they were in their room. Artem might be fine physically, but Galen knew intuitively that something was wrong.

    Once the twins were in their room, Artem took some clothes and went to the bathroom to shower. Artem was a conscientious person who took care of his equipment, but he didn¡¯t unpack nor did any maintenance on the weapon he had brought to the training camp. Galen also felt that his brother was avoiding talking to him. The boy hesitated but still asked Lyra if she knew anything.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I can guess,¡± Lyra replied in a restrained voice, ¡°but it isn¡¯t my place to tell.¡±

    Artem returned to their room and immediately went to lie on his bed. Ayden flew down next to his pillow. They were preparing to go to sleep. It was natural for Ayden to be tired. Even if the boot camp¡¯s purpose was to train future soldiers, pets could sometimes trained with their tamers, and otherwise, they cultivated. However, Ayden was a lively pet who usually loved to fly around the room. For her to be so quiet, something had certainly happened at the training camp.

    Galen worriedly looked at them while Lucia fluttered around Artem and Ayden. Artem ignored the Light Fairy and rolled over toward the wall. Without much choice, Galen climbed to his bunk bed with a book after lowering the light in the room.

    ***

    The next morning, Artem acted as if nothing was wrong. He unpacked and did maintenance on his weapon as usual. However, he was withdrawn and didn¡¯t talk to Galen about what was bothering him. It was as if Artem was subdued, and Galen didn¡¯t like it at all. Despite his worry, Galen didn¡¯t pursue the matter because he knew how stubborn Artem was.

    Nevertheless, he kept an eye on his brother as Artem trained to the point of falling in exhaustion this evening. Galen knew such behavior wasn¡¯t healthy, so he decided that if Artem didn¡¯t snap out of it by the next week, he would force the issue.

    Artem was also aware of his brother¡¯s determination. He refused to talk because his mind was in a mess and he needed to organize his thoughts. Artem didn¡¯t like complicated things, and thinking too long on matters other than improving himself or fighting made him impatient ¨C he was aware that he had the same reputation as Orsella because of that. So Artem turned to what he did best and lost himself into training.

    ***

    As agreed, Artem met up with Marcus on Tuesday before their first period so that they could train together. Artem didn¡¯t want to see anyone from his professional combat elective class. However, he had given his word. Artem didn¡¯t intend to do anything that could fuel everyone¡¯s scorn toward the Eos Family. Moreover, since the last period of the day was the elective class, trying to avoid his classmates was useless. Artem wasn¡¯t a coward, and it wasn¡¯t his habit to do useless things, so he dutifully went to the training hall Marcus had reserved.

    Once the two boys greeted each other, Marcus conscientiously insisted that they first help Ayden. Artem was in a brooding mood, but he trusted and respected Marcus, so he frankly explained what the skill [heat detection] was supposed to do and how it should work. If Marcus decided to teach it to his Magma Tortoise, Artem had no objection.

    ¡°Why are you teaching such a skill to your fairy?¡± Marcus asked with a frown.

    Artem responded with his own frown. He knew Marcus expected him to teach Ayden the skill [fire arrow] like most tamers with a fire pet or the rare skill [fire wall] ¨C a defensive skill allowing the pet to create a wall of fire in a place of its choice.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Marcus said with a sigh. He shouldn¡¯t involve himself in another beast tamer¡¯s training choices for their pet.

    ¡°Marcus would understand you,¡± Lyra suddenly said, ¡°even better than Galen. You know why.¡± She had kept quiet these last few days because she didn¡¯t know how to help Artem untangle his thoughts. Talking to Galen was easier because she only had to guide him and let him draw his own conclusion. However, Artem was too stubborn and straightforward. If he didn¡¯t wish to speak to Galen, he wouldn¡¯t speak to Lyra either. Nevertheless, she wouldn¡¯t let Artem suffer when the person before him could help him.

    Artem didn¡¯t answer Lyra. His head was lowered. Marcus looked at him and decided it was better to focus on the pets¡¯ training. Before Marcus could ask what Artem needed out of him, the black-haired boy suddenly raised his head and said, ¡°Should I still try to become a soldier?¡±

    Marcus didn¡¯t hurry to answer and earnestly stared at Artem. Hearing this question was both surprising and expected. Artem and Marcus had known each other for only two years but they interacted a lot. Marcus knew Artem and could guess what he was really asking. As Marcus kept quiet, Artem shook his head. ¡°Never mind that. Just-¡±

    ¡°Are you asking if you should give up your dream,¡± Marcus interrupted him, ¡°because of what happened this weekend?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ Maybe, but not just because of that,¡± Artem replied as he felt frustrated not to know what he felt or wanted. Artem took a big breath. ¡°This weekend, did you ¡­ was it...?¡±

    ¡°Was it what I expected?¡± Marcus finished for Artem.

    That was it. Expectations. Unfulfilled expectations. Or maybe these were just his misconceptions. Those were the problem. Artem had dreamed of becoming a soldier for as long as he could remember. He idolized his father not because he was a Beast Warrior but because he fought for great causes. Artem had imagined himself in epic battles against Abyss monsters, not only killing his enemies but saving his comrades¡¯ lives. He liked the idea of being a protector, a hero.

    Artem was convinced his father was a hero, so the youth had always assumed the people Xander Eos was leading and the organization he belonged to were heroic too. But that was childish. The world wasn¡¯t made in white and black. The Army couldn¡¯t be made of only rightful and selfless people. Some individuals didn¡¯t become soldiers because they shared the core army values or out of a sense of duty. Some only wanted a chance to become beast tamers, others needed money or were forcefully enrolled to pay for their crimes ¨C though these last ones were in special regiments. That was how people like the drill sergeant who had harassed him all weekend or those who just passively watched it all happen came about.

    It wasn¡¯t the harassment that bothered Artem, it was what it revealed of the Army. That it wasn¡¯t the honorable place he had dreamed about. This weekend had made him realize that, like all places run by humans, it could be corrupted and ugly. Artem was uncomfortable with this realization while feeling stupid and blind for not realizing it sooner. Of course, the people accusing his father had to have been helped by soldiers. It was so obvious, so why didn¡¯t he see it sooner?

    ¡°To protect yourself,¡± Lyra softly said. Blinding herself was her favorite way to cope. When you can¡¯t fight back, ignoring the problem becomes much more attractive. Artem fought back against everything. Faced with something he couldn¡¯t control by fighting back, he didn¡¯t know what else to do and subconsciously ignored it while feeling awful about it.

    ¡°I see becoming a soldier as my career,¡± Marcus said to answer Artem¡¯s question. He was unused to seeing Artem so lost. So even if he wasn¡¯t one to talk a lot, he went on, ¡°War isn¡¯t heroic, it¡¯s ugly and dirty. My father often talks to me about deaths, injuries, human mistakes, pettiness... Soldiers aren¡¯t heroes: they¡¯re just humans who do what they must do to survive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re still speaking to me,¡± Artem quietly replied as he understood what Marcus left unsaid. It wasn¡¯t that Marcus believed Xander Eos to be innocent, but that he had never put the general on a pedestal like most others.

    Thinking further about it, Artem understood that Marcus hadn¡¯t experienced the same days as him during the training camp, but even if he had, it wouldn¡¯t have bothered him at all. Marcus¡¯s convictions were solid, and the boy wouldn¡¯t be swayed by others¡¯ opinion or actions. Marcus was unwavering.

    Artem still didn¡¯t know if he should give up his goal of becoming a soldier. It wasn''t the first time he was considering changing careers. A Beast Warrior wouldn''t suit Ayden¡¯s strength, and Artem needed a wider skill set to support Galen. However, he had only thought of becoming a Beast Ranger instead. It seemed fitting as Lyra called him Artem the Hunter. However, Artem had still thought he would be a Beast Ranger for the Army. Realizing that the Army wasn¡¯t as ideal as he thought made him question his path.

    It felt like a betrayal to his father. Artem respected his father too much to betray his expectations. But what else could he do? The CSI¡¯s title for him wasn¡¯t a real job. There were no beast hunters ¨C killing wild beasts was forbidden by The Peaceful Treaty. Becoming a mercenary didn¡¯t feel right either.

    Artem could become a Beast Warden ¨C a beast fighter who specialized in protecting and taking care of wild beasts. That was the nearest fit for his hunter title since Beast Wardens needed to be able to track and sometimes capture ill or corrupted wild beasts. However, Artem would have to work for the Beast Tamers Association. Artem trusted the Association even less than the Army because of the way they had treated the twins during the investigation. Artem also didn¡¯t forget that the twins still didn¡¯t know what the inspectors did to their housekeeper Melia.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to find your answer today,¡± Marcus said firmly to cut off Artem¡¯s wandering thoughts.

    ¡°Yes, I should be training,¡± Artem agreed. It was a decision to ponder carefully. For now, teaching Ayden the skill [heat detection] was more important.

    While Artem instructed Ayden to close her eyes and ignored most of her senses as much as she could, Marcus ordered his pet to use the rare skill [lava stomp], which was of the fire and earth spiritual elements. The tortoise had learned it recently, and while it was an area attack, it was less spread out than the Magma Tortoise¡¯s innate skill [eruption]. As such, [lava stomp] was more suited to help the Fire Fairy detect heat. Marcus also wanted to take the occasion to make his pet train this new skill that needed a lot of control.

    As the lava appeared and spread from the tortoise¡¯s foot, Artem guided Ayden to let her use her spiritual energy to feel the heat. It was hard at first. The skill [lava stomp] produced a loud sound, so Ayden was tempted to rely on her hearing instead of her spiritual power.

    Moreover, Ayden had to produce a thin blanket of spiritual power around her to make it work properly. Mastering the perfect dosage was difficult. The skill [heat detection] was supposed to be inconspicuous, so the spiritual energy needed to be invisible. The Fire Fairy was hard-working and trained until her tamer told her to stop.

    As the pets went to cultivate to refill their energy, Artem concentrated on helping Marcus with his request. The black-haired youth first needed to understand his classmate¡¯s talent better.

    Artem had closely observed Marcus during the exam. The tortoise was a heavy and slow pet, which gave Marcus few opportunities to close in to attack without leaving it behind. That left the boy on the defensive, with his only possibility to react to threats. So Marcus stayed near his pet for all his matches. This lack of mobility hadn¡¯t handicapped Marcus on the exam because this suited his fighting style. Artem had also noted that once Marcus transformed his tortoise into a shield, he smoothly shifted to close-contact combat.

    Artem could easily guess that Marcus wanted to overcome the obvious weaknesses of his pet and his talent. To determine the better course of action and confirm his observations, Artem asked a few questions. ¡°Do you need to touch your pet to transform it? How long does it take?¡±

    ¡°I need to touch my tortoise. I think it¡¯s convenient. What¡¯s the use of a shield if you don¡¯t hold it?¡±

    ¡°That might change once your talent levels up. My dad had an epic armament talent. At his level, he could transform his pets from afar and summon them in their equipment form to his body, making the whole process more convenient when fighting.¡±

    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Marcus answered plainly. ¡°As for your second question, the transformation takes four seconds now.¡±

    ¡°I take it that you¡¯re able to reduce the time through training.¡± Artem stopped briefly to see Marcus nodding. ¡°Is your tortoise aware in its shield form? Could it move on its own?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing like that.¡±

    ¡°So, your request is to prepare some specific maneuvers to counter your tortoise¡¯s lack of mobility, especially when you must stay next to it for several seconds to transform it, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    During the exam, Marcus had ordered his tortoise to use the skill [eruption] to gain the seconds needed for the transformation. However, if his pet ran out of spiritual energy, Marcus needed another solution. Artem was one of the best people to ask for advice about the moves Marcus could use instead.

    ¡°Knowing all that, if I had to fight you, I¡¯d do my best to separate you from your tortoise. You¡¯ll also need counter-measures for this.¡±

    ¡°Orsella tried that during our bouts last week. It was annoying.¡±

    ¡°Last question,¡± Artem said as he contemplated several ideas. ¡°Do you need a firm touch or is light-skin contact with your pet enough?¡±

    Marcus didn¡¯t know so the boys decided to experiment to find out. Artem first used a prop as high and wide as the tortoise ¨C the pet was more than one meter tall, and its carapace was wider ¨C to demonstrate the steps and moves he found most appropriate. Since the tortoise was a defensive pet, moving around it to dodge while keeping in contact with it wouldn¡¯t endanger the pet. Its carapace was made to tank damages.

    When the Magma Tortoise had finished its cultivation, it came over to let Marcus train his talent in real conditions. Marcus tried rolling over the tortoise and combined this move with several other dodging steps while Artem relentlessly attacked him.

    It was difficult for Marcus, who never really fought using his agility. Each time he lost contact with the tortoise, the activation of his talent was canceled. Their experimentation showed that any skin contact could work, though it couldn¡¯t be too light. This made Marcus consider adapting his armor to show more skin before dropping the idea: it would work in competition but not in real combat.

    When it was time for their first period, the boys were both satisfied and frustrated. They would rather stay there and train some more than go to the mathematics class. However, Marcus and Artem understood the importance of the general knowledge classes ¨C even without Mr Carter¡¯s endless reminders. Without any other choices, they made another appointment to train together later, juggling between Artem¡¯s tutoring sessions and Marcus¡¯s obligations.

 Chapter 17 - Life and politics in the Cities-States

    Galen came in front of the mathematics classroom at the same time as Artem and Marcus. He immediately noticed his brother looked better. Galen glanced at Marcus speculatively, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Reassured about his brother, Galen concentrated on his classes and training for the day.

    During the advanced pharmacist elective class, Mrs Bousrani ended the practice earlier than usual. She gathered the students to talk to them about the upcoming district competition. It was the first field trip for their elective.

    Mrs Bousrani explained where the competition would take place and which high schools would participate. She enumerated the rules and underlined the things the students had to be careful of. She ended her speech by saying, ¡°The three best students will each receive a monetary prize in addition to another type of prize. I know most of you will compete to win, but I want you all to concentrate on the experience, not the reward.¡±

    Galen couldn¡¯t agree with Mrs Bousrani¡¯s advice, although he heard the wisdom of it. He was excited about this competition. Not only was it an alternative way to earn money, but it was also an opportunity to obtain one of the ingredients Galen needed. The first prize included the right to choose a spirit plant as a reward.

    This excitation lasted until Mrs Bousrani asked him to stay at the end of the period.

    ***

    When Artem returned to his room after his last tutoring session later in the evening, Lucia flew to him to heal his scratches and bruises. The Light Fairy worked quickly, and the boy thanked her. However, Artem soon realized Galen was in a strange mood: he hadn¡¯t inquired about his injuries nor hovered around him. The younger boy went to stand silently next to his brother.

    Galen was sitting at his desk. Several books were opened on it in the middle of scattered papers, but he wasn¡¯t reading them. Feeling Artem¡¯s gaze on him, Galen lifted his head. The twins looked at each other in silence.

    ¡°Do you have telepathy?¡± Lyra interrupted them. ¡°All your exchanges of looks without saying a word are unsettling!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s late. Let¡¯s go to bed,¡± Galen said without acknowledging Lyra. His brother didn¡¯t drop his gaze, so Galen added with a slight smile, ¡°I¡¯ll talk if you do.¡±

    Even if Artem seemed to have overcome some of his problems, Galen still wanted to know what happened to him. He had never liked it when there were secrets between them, and ever since their parents died, he hated it. He understood why their parents hadn¡¯t talked to them about their work, but all this secrecy had led to their current situation.

    No, that was unfair. The culprits were the people scheming against the Eos Family.

    Feeling Artem¡¯s hand on his shoulder, Galen brought his thoughts back to the present. Ayden was sprawled on her stomach across Artem¡¯s shoulder, her legs and arms lazily hanging down from each side. She stared at Galen with curious eyes.

    Looking at Ayden¡¯s adorable face and antics could always uplift his mood. Glancing back at Artem, Galen bluntly said, ¡°I¡¯m tired of people trying to put us down.¡±

    ¡°Who upseted you?¡± Artem calmly asked, ready to do whatever he could to avenge his brother.

    ¡°Mrs Bousrani doesn¡¯t want me to participate in this weekend¡¯s competition.¡±

    ¡°Can she forbid you to go?¡± Artem replied with a frown. He couldn¡¯t go against a teacher. His fists would be useless.

    ¡°She can¡¯t. There are no rules she can use to ban me from competing,¡± Galen said. He had long been fed up with how people used rules and laws to go against the Eos Family, so he made a point to read all of the school regulations. ¡°When I pointed that out, she said that as a member of Dascalos High School, I shouldn¡¯t lower the school¡¯s prestige.¡±

    ¡°What-¡± Artem didn¡¯t go on as he suddenly understood what Galen didn¡¯t want to say. Artem felt disgusted. He couldn¡¯t bear to dwell on how his mother wasn¡¯t only unjustly accused, but her name ¨C the highly respected name of Tana Eos ¨C was now also used to pressure them. Instead, he asked his brother, after a short pause, ¡°Do you still want to be a pharmacist?¡±

    Galen silently looked at his brother with an inquiring gaze. Artem knew about his love of pharmaceutics and his predetermined goal to become a Beast Healer, exactly like he knew about his brother¡¯s ambition. It suddenly came to Galen. ¡°Ah¡­ So that¡¯s what¡¯s been bothering you.¡±

    Like the Pagoni Family specialized in information gathering, the Eos Family specialized in pharmaceutics and healing. However, all Greek Families followed the lead of the Kranos Family ¨C the representative of the Balkan Families ¨C and worked in one way or another for the Army. That was also why most of these Families¡¯ main branches were implanted in Olympia, the City-State where the Army¡¯s headquarters was.

    There was an easy solution to Artem¡¯s problem. Galen looked into his brother¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ll become a military doctor. Just do what you want to do.¡±

    ¡°No, belonging to the Army is my duty,¡± Artem replied. A military doctor worked on the field and followed the Army to heal the soldiers. Galen¡¯s interest was in the pharmaceutics research.

    ¡°I¡¯m the Family¡¯s head. The duty is mine,¡± Galen said in a firm voice. He could still be a Beast Healer in the Army.

    ¡°Dad wanted me to become an Army officer,¡± Artem said, finally bringing up his other worry to counter his brother¡¯s decision.

    ¡°Our situation changed: Dad wouldn¡¯t hold you up to it.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to work for the Army. Anyway, I can¡¯t change my elective. It¡¯s better if I stay on this path.¡±

    ¡°Your elective is just there to make you discover a domain. High school students are young and entitled to change their minds,¡± Galen explained in a confident voice. ¡°No one can force you to sign up for the Army, even though you chose the professional combat elective class. In fact, they can¡¯t even force you to go on field trips like last week¡¯s training camp except for the first one because this elective¡¯s purpose is to allow the students to discover what it means to be a professional combatant. Becoming a soldier for the Army isn¡¯t the only job available on this path.¡±

    Artem had known that in a way. Didn¡¯t he already think of being a mercenary or belonging to the Beast Tamers Association instead? However, none of these options appealed to him. Thus, Artem forced himself to concentrate on another part of his brother¡¯s speech. The young boy asked curiously, ¡°You looked into it?¡±

    ¡°I told you I was tired of people brandishing rules and laws to cut us off. I can play their game too.¡±

    While Artem pondered what his brother told him, Galen thought of his last research about the law. Having reviewed all the school regulations and minors guardianship laws, he was now reading about embezzlement and fraud, especially in the medical field. He left laws concerning the Army for last because they were more complicated. Galen was hoping to find a way to prove his mother¡¯s innocence. If he could, it would solve the problem of their finances and his participation in pharmacist competitions.

    Galen was confident he was on the right track, but he couldn¡¯t rush this either. It was too important, so he needed to backtrack on this research to dig in another direction. A direction he hadn¡¯t wanted to dig in when he had stumbled onto it.

    With a sigh, Galen looked back at Artem. Seeing him so thoughtful, Galen realized his brother was still wondering about his future. He lifted his hand to turn Artem¡¯s face toward him. Bringing his forehead to his brother¡¯s, Galen whispered, ¡°The real question is: do you still wish to work for the Army?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Artem said, unable to lie to his brother.

    ¡°So there¡¯s no need to make a decision right now,¡± Galen said, unknowingly repeating Marcus¡¯s advice. ¡°Moreover, there might be another solution to fulfill our duty toward the Kranos Family.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Artem asked with a worried look. ¡°Do you want to participate in this weekend¡¯s competition?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do. I¡¯m just wondering how I can avoid further damage to our reputation, or if I shouldn¡¯t bother about it and shamelessly go.¡±

    Artem rarely saw his brother disregarding the Family¡¯s duty. While Artem wasn¡¯t one to abandon his responsibilities, he didn¡¯t see the harm in letting his brother be selfish for once. ¡°You should do what you want.¡±

    ¡°Listen to Artem. I don¡¯t want you to become the petty sort of person who would do anything to defend their reputation,¡± Lyra said. However, she didn¡¯t want to dwell on this topic, which brought out once again unwanted memories about her mother and her pursuit of face and fame. Now that the twins had an honest conversation about what they had been hiding from each other, Lyra brought out something that was bothering her. ¡°Mrs Bousrani must have been instructed to keep you from competing.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Artem replied. ¡°Someone is trying to keep us poor and dependent, or incompetent. The question is why.¡±

    ¡°Obviously to better manipulate us. But for what purposes? Who¡¯s benefiting from it?¡±

    ¡°Is it because of the Phoenix your Family is protecting?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say,¡± Galen answered while thinking about who could know about their Family¡¯s secret ¨C or maybe he should call it an open secret. ¡°A rival Family would be the obvious answer, but things look more complicated.¡±

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Do you know of any Families specializing in insect pets?¡± Lyra asked to try to find clues from another trail.

    ¡°No, nothing¡¯s coming to mind,¡± Artem answered.

    ¡°The Ruh Family often uses scorpions or spiders, but it¡¯s for their poisonous properties, not as spies or scouts.¡±

    ¡°So, what about the Pagoni Family? They specialize in information gathering, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they are unlikely suspects. First, we are part of the same faction. Second, they use mostly birds for pets because the Pagoni Family also act as messengers outside of the City-State.¡±

    Since the destruction of the Old World, humans had painstakingly managed to build back civilization, but it was limited. Technologies suffered from interference if they covered an area too wide. However, there was a more important reason that humans had discovered the hard way: the Abyss monsters destroyed everything built outside of any City-State¡¯s reinforced defensive walls. The territories covered by human civilization were ridiculously small compared to what they used to be in the Old World.

    A Cities-States region was usually composed of three main Cities-States, each harboring the headquarters of either the Army, the Association, or the Agency. Thus, the Cities-States shared political and military powers and balanced each other. These three powers were interconnected in complicated ways and present in all Cities-States, forming the Triad that governed each region. The Mediterranean Cities-States region was composed of the City-State of Olympia, the City-State of Babylonia where the Agency¡¯s headquarters was, and the City-State of Men-nefer where the heart of the Beast Tamers Association was located.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we should be looking for a Family,¡± Artem said. ¡°It was the Beast Tamers Association who came knocking on our door.¡±

    ¡°The Maghreb Families work closely with the Association.¡±

    What Galen said was right since members from the Shaytan and the Jamra Families were famous for holding prominent positions in the Association, and these Families¡¯ main branches were implanted in Men-nefer.

    The Shaytan and Jamra Families were not exactly enemies of the Eos Family, but they were rivals in numerous ways ¨C the first reason for that being they belonged to different factions. It was tempting to point fingers at the Jamra Family because of Amir¡¯s behavior, but the twins needed proof, not biased speculation.

    Amir¡¯s presence in Olympia could be considered suspicious, but most Families sent young members of their main branch to study in other Cities-States. It was to create connections with youngsters from other Families or to train their heirs by letting them fend for themselves in a foreign place. That was especially true for the heirs of representative Families, like Sarah ¨C the heir of the Hut Family and representative of the Mashriq Families ¨C who lived in Babylonia but came to study in Olympia.

    ¡°If we are reasoning like that, the Mashriq Families are heavily involved with the Agency, and everyone knows that while the Agency pretends to be officially working in politics, diplomacy, urban planning, research, development, and who knows what else, it works in intelligence gathering.¡± Artem paused briefly before making his point. ¡°So the Ruh Family and the Hut Family are working for the Agency in some way, and that means some of them are spies.¡±

    In fact, it was even more complicated than that. One of the twins¡¯ History teachers from their first year of high school liked to describe things like this, ¡°The Army takes care of the Abyss monsters, the Association takes care of the beasts and their tamers, and the Agency takes care of the rest.¡± He had always refused to explain clearly what was ¡°the rest¡±.

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine Mahlon as a spy,¡± Galen said in an odd voice. ¡°They could just work in research or something. I mean, Mom worked for the Agency. You think she was a spy?¡±

    ¡°Well, at least she got secret missions,¡± Artem said.

    Galen pondered on that. Was there a difference between an agent doing secret missions and a spy? The twins¡¯ mother did go on secret missions while their dad accompanied her to protect her. However, as memories of his mother¡¯s exuberance flashed in his mind, Galen couldn¡¯t help but think it was incompatible with the discretion needed for a spy.

    ¡°Her talent was a useful tool for a spy,¡± Lyra added, also wondering if Tana Eos had been a spy.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, but I can¡¯t see it. Mom was¡­¡± Galen trailed off as he didn¡¯t know how to explain himself.

    ¡°Mom was Mom,¡± Artem said in a firm voice.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop thinking of it: we are wasting time.¡± Lyra didn¡¯t want the twins to be sad as they remembered their parents. It seemed that by trying to avoid a topic uncomfortable to her, she had brought up an uncomfortable one for the twins.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to bed,¡± Galen said without commenting about Lyra¡¯s change of mind. He had become used to Lyra¡¯s protective way and mood swings.

    When Artem didn¡¯t move, Galen smiled ruefully at his brother¡¯s concern. ¡°I still have some days to come to a decision for the pharmacist competition and I think I found something which could help. I just need some more information that I¡¯ll look for tomorrow.¡±

    Relenting, Artem stepped back to sit on his bed, where he teased Ayden until she looked like she was laughing, even if she was producing no sound. The fairies were weirdly silent, but it didn¡¯t bother the twins. Galen cleaned up his desk with Lucia¡¯s help, looking at his brother and his fairy messing around with a smile. No matter their difficulties, he was glad to be with his family.

    ***

    On Wednesday morning, Galen was walking toward his first period after tending Mrs Bousrani¡¯s garden. He was thinking about ways to obtain spirit plants if he was barred from competing. This garden only had medicinal plants, so it was useless for the super-evolution pill ¨C not that Galen would have stolen from Mrs Bousrani.

    On the way, he met Zane outside in front of the third-year building. The shy boy was feeding spirit herbs to Finn. The White Rabbit ate heartily.

    Curious as ever when spirit plants were involved, Galen approached to observe the herb. Galen immediately noticed that even though it was just milky clover herbs, it was of high quality. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is this part of the spirit resources given by the school?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no,¡± Zane answered in embarrassment, ¡°it¡¯s some of the spirit herbs sent by my family.¡±

    Galen remembered Zane¡¯s family owned a farm, but he didn¡¯t know they were growing spirit plants. Zane modestly explained that his family cultivated spirit herbs used as fodders for herbivore pets in half of their fields. In the other half, they grew staple food.

    ¡°Of course, we also have some chickens and cows,¡± Zane said with a small proud smile. ¡°Mom makes the best pancakes with our milk and eggs!¡±

    While most animals had mutated since the apparition of the spiritual power, some were less impacted than others. A few farm species had only grown bigger and sturdier, without gaining any skills. As such, farmers still raised them for food, and The Peaceful Treaty clearly described them as farm animals.

    Galen accompanied Zane as they walked toward the classroom, chatting about Zane¡¯s farm. The black-haired boy suddenly had a thought. The twins were lucky their fairies didn¡¯t need a special diet ¨C although their parents¡¯ foresight might have more to do with it than luck. Galen didn¡¯t know how he would have fed his pet if it was a rare Beaming Snake or if Artem had a rare Fire-Maned Lion. Both these pets were carnivores and needed to be fed a lot of meat. The twins would have had no way to pay for it.

    The fairies usually only nibbled some food from the twins¡¯ plates and drank morning dew. Feeding them was free. However, that was just for survival. A good beast tamer provided their pets with spirit supplements in the form of pills or food. It would be great if Galen could get some spirit resources from Zane¡¯s farm, especially if he was banned from any pharmacist competitions.

    Thus, Galen wanted to know more about the herbs the Hoffmans grew. It wasn¡¯t difficult to stir the conversation in this direction since Zane loved to talk about his family.

    ¡°Our farm is implanted in the Fifth Circle. We sell mostly wheat and olive oil to the mundanes around us. It¡¯s more difficult to sell the spirit fodder herbs because we need to transport them to the inner Circles, but we found a market for clovers, thymes, basils, and oreganos.¡±

    ¡°These are all very common and basic herbs. Did your family ever think of growing rarer plants to make your place in the market?¡±

    ¡°Dad said it would be useless to plant more expensive herbs. When we are lucky, we harvest some bold four-leaves clovers or some silver-green thymes and get a pretty sum of money for them. Anyways, Mom always says we shouldn¡¯t forget what it means to live in the Fifth Circle.¡±

    Most Cities-States had first been built by an alliance of Families hundreds of years ago to be safe places enclosed by high defensive ramparts and watchtowers. These strongholds were the result of cooperation between all the beast tamers and the able-bodied mundanes under the Families¡¯ lead. While groups of fighters were protecting the construction site from Abyss monsters, groups of beast tamers were buffing the workers or using earth manipulation to dig and create rocks to build the walls and the towers. They had thrown all the magic they could at the ramparts to enchant them and make them indestructible. These first strongholds ¨C the heart of each City-State ¨C were called the Center. Building them was how the Families officially first gained their prestige.

    Since then, each time a City-State wanted to expand, the Families and the other beast tamers would work together to build an outer defensive wall, delimiting another safe place to live in. If they didn¡¯t prepare well enough beforehand, it always ended in death and destruction. These expansions were called the Circles.

    Historically, the cooperation between all beast tamers had often worked seamlessly until the Third Circle, but afterward, selfishness and personal interest had taken over. It didn¡¯t help that each expansion required more materials, more strength, and more time. The Fourth and the Fifth Circles had usually been built by bits and pieces with dubious planning, making their walls less sturdy and reliable.

    ¡°It must be rough living in the Fifth Circle,¡± Galen said as he thought of how the population was distributed in Olympia. Naturally, while the Families lived in the Center and most new beast tamers chose to buy houses in the First or the Second Circle depending on their finances to be safe behind all these rings of walls, the poor lived in the Fourth or the Fifth Circle.

    Since the leaders weren¡¯t stupid, they built several military fortresses in each Circle to defend the City-State. Most of these fortresses were implanted in the Fifth Circle. Since its latest expansion, Olympia was more than one hundred kilometers in diameter, and its furthest outer wall spread over three hundred and fifty kilometers. Still, Olympia was considered a small City-State.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad,¡± Zane answered with a small smile. ¡°Anyways, there is no place for farming in the inner Circles.¡±

    The City-State was overcrowded because it was too difficult to expand. A hundred years ago, there were still some farms in the inner Circles, but they had all been destroyed to build flats and housings.

    There were talks recently about building housings outside the walls or at least moving the military bases there to free some spaces inside. It was suicidal, but since it had been more than fifty years since Abyss monsters raided Olympia, people forgot to fear the monsters.

    Galen didn¡¯t want to dwell on such heavy subjects. He turned the conversation to Zane¡¯s siblings, a sure way to uplift the shy youth¡¯s mood. As Zane was happily talking about some pranks from one of his little brothers, and how angry his father had been, Zane suddenly said, ¡°Speaking of sermon. Crystal got a summon to the dean¡¯s office this morning.¡±

    ¡°Do you know why?¡± Galen asked, more to go with the conversation than by real interest.

    ¡°It¡¯s easy to guess, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Crystal had been skipping all of Mr Carter¡¯s classes since the previous week. The beast tamers had twenty-two periods of classes per week without counting the free periods. Among them, nine were Mr Carter¡¯s. Thus, Crystal had been skipping more than a third of her courses.

    From what Galen knew of the school regulations, the teenage girl would get a disciplinary warning and detentions. The warning stated that Crystal would get expelled if she didn¡¯t correct her ways. Since she was a beast tamer, she would easily find another school eager to recruit her, but not one from the Center like Dascalos High School.

    Galen wasn¡¯t interested in Crystal. In his opinion, she was a superficial girl too mindful of her image. Getting expelled would tarnish it except if Crystal managed to paint herself as a victim of Mr Carter¡¯s harassment. However, Galen was sure she wouldn¡¯t give up on the prestige of studying in a high school from the Center.

    Galen entered the classroom for the social studies lesson with Zane and went to sit next to Artem. Beast tamers¡¯ misplaced pride would be an interesting field of study, but the teacher began a civics lesson. Galen didn¡¯t mind brushing up his knowledge of laws and civil rights. It was much better than dwelling on the likes of Crystal.

 Chapter 18 - Countering the teachers

    That afternoon, all the beast tamer students received a message on their connected bracelet informing them that Crystal had received a disciplinary warning as Galen had anticipated. A notice was also put up on the boards near each entrance of all buildings. Everyone knew about Crystal¡¯s bad behavior and how she had been punished.

    That had been enough to bring back Crystal to Mr Carter¡¯s classes. However, if the girl was indeed present for the beast training practical class, her attitude didn¡¯t improve. She refused to let her Gray Stone Wallaroo participate in any exercise.

    Mr Carter¡¯s bullying had been going on all this time. His snarks and scornful remarks didn¡¯t spare anyone, but his personal guidance ¨C as he liked to call it ¨C stayed focused on several students. He was always careful not to physically hurt the students or their pets more than Lucia¡¯s [small heal] could handle. Among them, Jax, Nasir, and Artem suffered the most.

    Mr Carter also often tried to harass Yaron, Mahlon, and Galen, but these three deflected most of his intentions, and the teacher didn¡¯t insist. Yaron used his shamelessness and willfulness to act erratically, while Galen and Mahlon pointed out their future career to reject the teacher¡¯s attention politely.

    Since Crystal came back, Mr Carter naturally included the teenage girl in his flow of nasty remarks. He was merciless even as he appeared soliciting.

    ¡°Miss Petit, do you care to share with the class what your Gray Stone Wallaroo learned during your self-study?¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to share!¡± Crystal hotly retorted.

    ¡°You can¡¯t mean that all this time you haven¡¯t studied or trained your pet at all? Shame on you, Miss Petit. So many students wish to awaken, and here you are, wasting resources and talent. A shame! I can¡¯t bear looking at you!¡±

    Crystal couldn¡¯t stand his rebuttals. Her reputation had suffered a lot since the last week. She had lost the few girls she had managed to convince to follow her, although as far as the beast-tamer girls were concerned, it was all Crystal¡¯s wishful thinking. These girls were too strong-headed to act as ignorant sycophants: they had simply been accommodating before because of Crystal¡¯s rare pet. So Crystal mostly thrived on the attention given by girls from the mundane classes. However, they had also heard the rumors about her being an incompetent beast tamer, and they were now keeping their distance or cutting off their relationship with her.

    Mr Carter¡¯s speech aptly painted her as a selfish and ungrateful girl, worsening her already damaged reputation. But all that was slanders from that awful teacher! He was responsible for her reputation! Crystal hadn¡¯t done anything wrong! She didn¡¯t deserve this treatment.

    Crystal tried to defend herself, but she couldn¡¯t outwit the teacher. She hated that teacher! She didn¡¯t want to be there at all. She wanted to flee the training hall, but she couldn¡¯t.

    Seeing that no one was speaking out for her, Crystal ran to a corner of the room to sit down there. Bitter tears slowly fell on her cheeks. This wasn¡¯t at all the glamorous life she had imagined for herself as a beast tamer. Her Gray Stone Wallaroo followed her, but it stayed a bit apart, looking at the other pets training seriously. Seeing that even her pet was ignoring her, Crystal turned away and put her head down in her arms to hide her sobs.

    ¡°What is that stupid girl doing?¡± Lyra said in rightful indignation. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t train her pet, it¡¯s the same as neglecting it! She can choose to not fight, but she can¡¯t stop training her pet!¡±

    ¡°Mr Carter¡¯s right, it¡¯s a shame,¡± Artem said as he glanced briefly at the dejected wallaroo.

    Lyra had more to say, but she wasn¡¯t the wallaroo¡¯s CSI and should concentrate on her hosts. For now, the twins were training without much hindrances, but it wouldn¡¯t last.

    The beast training practical class didn¡¯t give Mr Carter a lot of ways to harass his students, even with his lemur. However, Mr Carter still tried. He went up to Jax as the boy was guiding his Thunder Ship Rat through an obstacle course. ¡°That¡¯s not how it¡¯s done, Mr Miller.¡±

    Without his prompt, the lemur threw itself at the machine, messing up the recording and using its natural aura to intimidate the rat. The scared rat accumulated mistakes, giving the teacher more opportunities to belittle the boy. Jax clenched his teeth in silence and went to queue again for the machine.

    If tormenting Artem and Jax made them more determined to become stronger and prove themselves, it just made Nasir wish to retreat and flee like Crystal. However, Nasir¡¯s complaints were always dismissed as childish whines by his Family, who forbade him from skipping classes.

    After reducing Crystal to a crying mess and making fun of Jax, Mr Carter turned his attention to Nasir. However, before the teacher could torment the whining boy like usual, Amir approached Mr Carter and showed him a paper. The teacher first read it silently. Then, he read it aloud to the class with a scornful smile.

    It was a special authorization signed by the head of the Jamra Family to allow the four Jamra boys to do the bulk of their beast-tamer training at the Jamra Family villa. As such, Mr Carter didn¡¯t need to teach them.

    Crystal was seething in jealousy. She had just been lectured by the dean because she had skipped Mr Carter¡¯s classes, and here, the Jamra Family easily circumvented the school rules to act as they wished. The blatant unfair treatment was unbearable. However, everyone ignored her.

    ¡°Which Beast Trainer did your Family recruit?¡± Mr Carter asked in a disinterested voice.

    Recalling Mr Carter had his job as a trainer for a Family stolen from him, the twins wondered if he was as unaffected as he looked. Amir gave the teacher a name the twins didn¡¯t recognize. Mr Carter didn¡¯t ask anything else and returned to teaching the class after telling the Jamra boys to wait for him at the end of the period.

    Once the class ended, Mr Carter explained to the four boys that the letter wasn¡¯t enough. As a teacher, he had a responsibility, and as a beast-tamer teacher, his responsibilities were heavier. Amir frowned slightly, and Nasir opened his mouth, but before he could argue with Mr Carter, the teacher asked them to follow him to his office.

    ¡°Why?¡± Nasir asked in a nasty tone.

    ¡°To make sure none of you will ever be able to complain that I didn¡¯t teach you, Mr Jamra.¡±

    ¡°Who would complain? I can¡¯t wait to never see you again!¡± Nasir sneered.

    ¡°I find adolescents to be unreliable and whimsical creatures. So all four of you are going to sign an official discharge of responsibility stating that as members of the Jamra Family, you rejected my teaching.¡±

    Nasir sputtered curses and swore he would never complain about such an abusive teacher, but Mr Carter ignored him to lead the boys to the administrative building. At a quiet comment from Amir, Nasir calmed down and strutted out of the training hall after the teacher.

    Seeing him so stupidly proud to be soon officially allowed to skip classes, Lyra wanted to mock him, but she couldn¡¯t tear her gaze from Mr Carter¡¯s satisfied smirk. Most of the students were still there and witnessed the whole exchange as it was now a free period. They were looking over and murmuring, surely gossiping about all this drama.

    Artem didn¡¯t want to linger like the others, but Galen went to talk to Zane for a bit. The twins had booked one of the small training halls for the next period, and Galen wanted to invite Zane. Since the shy boy refused, Galen returned to his brother, and the twins walked down the corridor leading to the smaller rooms.

    They were quiet, the fairies flying around them. Lyra didn¡¯t want to break this peace, but she was too bothered by the teacher¡¯s behavior. She couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°You know, I wonder what criteria Mr Carter uses to choose his targets.¡±

    ¡°Is that important?¡± Artem asked softly, as his mind was already full of the training regiment he wanted to put his brother through. Since for once, Artem didn¡¯t have to tutor anyone else, he wanted to do his best. ¡°There is no logic in his behavior.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, I suspect he is smart enough to hide his real targets,¡± Lyra answered.

    ¡°Well, he often berates Paula, Mahlon, Silas, and some others, but he doesn¡¯t try to get physical with them. That¡¯s different from how he acts with Nasir, Crystal, or Artem.¡± Galen threw a glance around them to check that they were still alone. He was less careful than before, but holding a conversation aloud with Lyra ¨C while more convenient ¨C was a sure way to sound suspicious if overheard.

    ¡°So, are we his real targets?¡± Artem asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± Lyra said in a frustrated voice. ¡°Do you think he has been bullied when he was a scholarship student? He could want to get his revenge on rich and arrogant beast tamers like Nasir or Crystal.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous game to go against any Family,¡± Artem commented.

    ¡°I think he has a good grip on the Families¡¯ inner politics,¡± Galen answered as he recalled what happened during the last period. ¡°Nasir is from a minor branch, as are Mahlon and Anan. Our Family is weakened, some would say finished. If he is deliberate in his choice, he is very smart.¡±

    ¡°He lectured Larissa yesterday,¡± Artem pointed out, even though he could see how Sarah and Amir were mostly spared from Mr Carter¡¯s nagging. And Larissa was known for her even temperament.

    ¡°To hide in plain view? I don¡¯t know,¡± Lyra said again, pushing forward her own view.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem bothered by the fact that the Jamra boys won¡¯t come to his classes anymore.¡±

    ¡°You think that was his purpose?¡± Artem asked.

    ¡°Maybe the job stolen from him was a position in the Jamra Family,¡± Galen said as he thought again about the teacher¡¯s past. ¡°So he doesn¡¯t wish to teach them at all?¡±

    ¡°You mean that all that was just a big scheme to get to that point? What about Crystal? Collateral damage?¡± Lyra said in a doubtful voice.

    ¡°Maybe, maybe not!¡± Artem cut them off as they reached their training hall. ¡°Who cares? Time for training!¡±

    The two fairies picked up their exercises to train [glow] and [fire trail] while the two boys warmed up. At this point, Lucia gave up on summoning several globes of light to pursue Ayden. As the Fire Fairy kept changing her rhythm by igniting or cutting off [fire trail], Lucia tried to match her by overcharging the sphere of light to speed it or reducing its energy to slow it. This method did wonders to help both fairies work toward their skill mastery.

    Once the boys were warmed up, Artem instructed Galen in a few more moves using the shield. He prioritized defense but didn¡¯t forget to teach Galen about offense too. Afterward, they practiced in several bouts so that Galen could learn to apply what he just learned. Artem didn¡¯t go soft on his brother. He knew that the more you sweat, the less you bleed.

    Once the fairies finished their first exercise, they began the next one without any prompt from their tamers. Ayden did the overcharged training to push her limits. She wasn¡¯t able to make her [spark] explode yet, and even if she could, the explosion would be weak since she was low on spiritual energy. However, the exercise forced her to manipulate her energy more delicately.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Lucia cultivated a bit before training her [light shield]. Remembering her tamer explaining she needed to make the incoming damage disappear before it landed, the Light Fairy attempted to use the morning light to give the shield some absorbing properties by healing the damage. However, it didn¡¯t give her satisfying results, so Lucia went with her instinct and used moonlight instead. She didn¡¯t cultivate much during the night, so she had difficulties manipulating this unfamiliar type of light.

    Lucia stubbornly tried again and again. Finally, she managed to get the hang of it. Confident that she could form a proper [light shield], she looked around for a way to test her shield.

    Her tamer was practicing with his brother, and she didn¡¯t want to bother him. Instead, she went to her sister. She knew her shield wouldn¡¯t be able to stop Ayden¡¯s [spark] since it ignited directly on the target, but she trusted the Fire Fairy to find a way to help.

    By now, Ayden had finished her overcharged training and was cultivating to fill up her energy. The energetic fairy gladly stopped to help Lucia.

    The purpose wasn¡¯t to break the shield but to test if it worked as intended to stop incoming damage. Once the fairies shared their ideas, they took their positions.

    Ayden formed a weak ball of fire in front of her, similar to the small ball of light Lucia created for [glow]. It was irregular and wobbling. The Fire Fairy knew it wouldn¡¯t last long, so she immediately threw it at her sister¡¯s shield. The fireball weakly crashed on the shield, but it was enough to see the shield¡¯s light shining as it absorbed the attack exactly as it should.

    The Light Fairy¡¯s efforts were rewarded.

    ¡°Achievement! The first rare skill! The defensive skill [light shield] uses moonlight energy to block incoming damage by adsorbing it. As a reward, you get three uses of the random shuffle, and as a special bonus, you can find instructions to evolve the skill [light shield] to the next tier in the encyclopedia entry for the Light Fairy.¡±

    Galen was distracted by Lyra¡¯s announcement, allowing Artem to kick him in the sides. Inhaling a short, hurtful breath, the older boy raised both hands in surrender. ¡°Hold on! I need to see Lucia!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t skip on training! You shouldn¡¯t allow anything to distract you like that!¡±

    ¡°Lucia¡¯s just learned the skill [light shield], I need to see her,¡± Galen repeated.

    Mollified, Artem congratulated his brother and went with him to see the Light Fairy. He was glad for them, but he hoped his Fire Fairy would soon catch up.

    Artem¡¯s pride for his fairy peaked when the pets showed the twins how they made the shield work. Artem had never trained Ayden to learn the notable skill [fire ball], but she was still able to think of using an imitation of it to help Lucia.

    After praising the fairies for their initiative and sending them back to training, the twins turned their attention to Lyra. They didn¡¯t have much enthusiasm for the random shuffle, but they hadn¡¯t forgotten that Artem was waiting to redeem a fire skill from their inventory. They had three tries to get a piece of fire skill suitable for Ayden.

    Lyra snickered at their eagerness. They had mocked her system, but look at them now! When she saw their first gain, Lyra giggled. She knew this wasn¡¯t what they wanted. ¡°Congratulations! You got one piece of the ¡®Pet Stables¡¯ feature. This feature allows a beast tamer to ride one of his pets without any issue.¡±

    ¡°Why are we only getting useless features?¡± Galen complained.

    The twins had won two random shuffles when they got the 20<sup>th</sup> entry for the encyclopedia. They had obtained a piece of the ¡°Mines¡± feature and the entry for the rare Sand Swimming Shark. The ¡°Mines¡± could only produce one type of resource, chosen randomly by the system once the feature became operational. The twins didn¡¯t want to take chances, so they ignored the ¡°Mines¡± and the possibility of producing spirit stones with it.

    ¡°It¡¯s true we won¡¯t ever ride the fairies, but who knows what our next pet will be?¡± Artem said to appease his brother. He could still remember pictures of their father proudly riding his legendary Fire-Hoofed Brave Steed, be it to charge into battle or to travel with his wife while having an excuse to hug her. Thinking of this made Artem long for the rare Fire-Maned Lion he had dreamed of having as his first pet. He could have ridden this pet.

    Feeling the twins¡¯ mood shifting, Lyra brought their attention back to her. She teased them in a singsong voice, ¡°You still have two tries. Be positive!¡±

    On their second use, the twins finally got a fire skill: the notable [burning rage]. It was a buffing skill used to improve attack power. However, Artem didn¡¯t intend to redeem it. His father had always warned him against fighting in a berserk manner, so Artem didn¡¯t trust a skill with such a name. Moreover, the path he chose for Ayden was one where she fought as a sharpshooter or a skirmisher. This skill was for a support pet.

    The twins didn¡¯t have much luck with their last try. They got a new entry for a notable Blue-Cap Mushroom. Galen and Artem complained about their bad luck a bit more before focusing back on their training. None of them wanted to waste their opportunity to train together.

    ***

    The next two days passed without much trouble. During the dual combat practice class on Thursday afternoon, Mr Carter seemed to relent some of his bullyings, an attitude confirmed in his next lessons on Friday. He didn¡¯t give any personal guidance and only threw nasty remarks around.

    This gave weight to Lyra¡¯s speculation. What reason could Mr Carter have to stop now, other than being satisfied with achieving his purpose? The consequences of the Jamra boy¡¯s absence were numerous. Following their lead, Yaron and Crystal also wanted to skip Mr Carter¡¯s lessons, but their families weren¡¯t influential enough to get the right paperwork.

    Without much choice, they just went on with their refusal to do any of the proposed activities. Yaron lived it down in a good mood, never letting Mr Carter¡¯s rebuttals get to him. However, Crystal was much more sensitive. She hated being seen as an incompetent beast tamer, but she was stubborn and refused to let Mr Carter teach her or her pet anything. She might have given up on skipping Mr Carter¡¯s lessons, but she was obviously still looking for a solution to her problems.

    Artem and Galen didn¡¯t give much attention to all this drama. They were glad that Amir wasn¡¯t there anymore to lead their classmates in mocking them. They weren¡¯t the only ones. Julius and Zane also looked much more relaxed. This just showed how much the four youths from the Jamra Family had influenced the class¡¯ atmosphere.

    Another source of peace was Jax¡¯s focus on his training. He had listened when Yaron and Crystal asked questions about the paperwork needed to skip Mr Carter¡¯s classes, but not for long. Jax knew he needed a Beast Trainer¡¯s guidance to grow and become stronger. This was his only resource to catch up to Marcus, Larissa, Sarah, and Amir. So, even though he hated how the teacher treated him, he refused to give up.

    Moreover, Jax saw how Artem didn¡¯t give up despite his Family¡¯s situation and Mr Carter¡¯s attitude toward him. His jealousy wouldn¡¯t allow him to do any less than the Eos twins. Jax was also too proud to let a mere teacher push him away from his dream of becoming a Beast Explorer to help his father¡¯s business.

    Being so rational about all of that hadn¡¯t been easy. When Jax had gone home after his utter defeats in the exam matches, he had spoken with his father for a long time. Since then, he had exchanged letters with his father frequently. Jax respected his father because he had achieved his status thanks to his own strength and skills. So, when his father told him to use the teacher¡¯s foul mood and harsh treatment during classes to sharpen himself, he clenched his teeth and did it.

    ***

    Just like that, the time for Galen¡¯s last elective class for the week came about. That day, more than the others, Galen felt the isolation forced on him because of his parents¡¯ supposed crimes. As his classmates were preparing for the competition, they ignored his input, feeling right to do so since Mrs Bousrani agreed with them and lectured him for interrupting his classmates¡¯ work.

    Galen had to dig deep within himself to keep his calm. Despite everything, he respected Mrs Bousrani, and even if he had the arguments to call her off on her attitude, he didn¡¯t want to do it in front of witnesses.

    ¡°You should,¡± Lyra said. ¡°She has influence over the others. When you come to the competition tomorrow, they won¡¯t understand why and will imagine the worst. Like you putting pressure on Mrs Bousrani or using dirty ways.¡±

    ¡°I also don¡¯t want to cut their practice short,¡± Galen answered before admitting to his other reason. ¡°And this won¡¯t be an easy conversation.¡± Galen considered again the information he had found recently. It gave him the right tools to get out of his predicament while putting salt on his wounds. However, Lyra¡¯s advice was sound, and Galen decided not to ignore it. As such, five minutes before the end of the period, he called out to Mrs Bousrani.

    Seeing his determined face, she understood what he intended to say and threw him some warning glances. However, Galen didn¡¯t react to them and said aloud that he had something important to say. With an impatient sigh, Mrs Bousrani said, ¡°I gather you haven¡¯t changed your mind. I¡¯m disappointed in you. I didn¡¯t think you were such an egotistical individual.¡±

    Since Galen suspected she was trying to make him feel guilty, he responded in kind by pointing out that his monetary situation didn¡¯t allow him to pass this opportunity. He respected her, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t push back when she was so mean. So he raised his head to look Mrs Bousrani in the eyes and said, ¡°Or else, do you intend to pay back my debt?¡±

    That gave her pause. She opened her mouth before closing it. The other students murmured among themselves. Hearing them, the teacher ignored his jab and firmed her stance. ¡°Your participation in this competition is still inappropriate.¡±

    ¡°I fail to see how. Or are you saying that the social stigma of my supposed parents¡¯ crimes ¨C because I might as well remember everyone present that their culpability hasn¡¯t been proven yet ¨C should bar me ¨C an innocent ¨C from participating in normal student activities?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t stop people from gossiping!¡± Mrs Bousrani sharply answered. ¡°Like you can¡¯t stop them from thinking that you ¨C the heir of your Family ¨C is guilty by association!¡±

    ¡°I know, and I don¡¯t mind the gossip because it doesn¡¯t have a real impact on my life. But barring me from competing does have an impact, so I can¡¯t accept it.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to understand where you are going with that,¡± Lyra said as she carefully observed the woman. ¡°Be careful. If she can¡¯t keep control of the conversation, she might turn to forceful means to stop you.¡±

    ¡°That is irrelevant. I forbid you from participating in any competition this year!¡±

    ¡°Called it!¡± Lyra said. ¡°Her handlers really should have found someone else to do their dirty work: she is too straightforward for it.¡±

    ¡°Like I said last time, Ma''am, that is against the rules: you don¡¯t have the authority to forbid me from competing. But I¡¯ll go further this time so that we won¡¯t have this conversation again: it is against the law.¡±

    In front of the teacher¡¯s astonishment and his classmates¡¯ curiosity, Galen went on to explain about the Zmiya and the Nebe case. It had happened dozens of years ago, however, few people knew of it.

    ¡°At the time, some members of the Zmiya Family were found guilty of torture, murders, and slavery. In the wake of this announcement, the Zmiya Family¡¯s Villa was assaulted by an angry mob made of mundanes and beast tamers. In the following weeks of additional investigations, the Family suffered from persecution. Without any means to defend themselves, the Family died away. All these deaths had been bloody and cruel, but it was made all the more so when it was revealed that the head of the Zmiya Family had been an upright man ignorant of the crimes committed by a few members of his Family.¡±

    Galen paused to look around as some of his classmates gasped in horror or surprise. Mahlon looked thoughtful while Mrs Bousrani was frowning. Galen felt uncomfortable talking about this case ¨C especially because he was bringing to light events that seemed to have been hidden away. However, he was aware that only citing the resulting law wouldn¡¯t have been enough to change everyone¡¯s mind about him.

    ¡°But the unfairness didn¡¯t end there. The Nebe Family had been the main ally of the Zmiya Family because they both had Bulgarian roots. As such, the Nebe Family had been considered guilty by association. Because of this social stigma, they lost their prestige, they lost members, they lost opportunities. Years after years, even after the Zmiya Family as a whole was proven innocent of most crimes, the Nebe Family wasted away. People didn¡¯t know anymore why they were isolating this Family: they just did it. The Family finally disbanded, moved out of Olympia, and changed their surname to begin anew somewhere else.

    ¡°These two unfair treatments ¨C more severe in a way than simple mistrials ¨C revealed the necessity to find ways to keep such events from happening again. That was how the Nebe law came to be. It states that in case of stigmatization impacting the daily life and needs of a criminal¡¯s family member or acquaintance, one can sue the offender and apply for reparation.¡±

    After Galen finished his explanation, glossing over most details, Mrs Bousrani kept silent while the other students gossiped. She suddenly frowned at everyone and said, ¡°What are you all still doing here? Get out!¡±

    Galen knew this meant she begrudgingly agreed to let him participate in the competition. He wasn¡¯t proud of what he did since he didn¡¯t like using the law and the tragedies behind it in such a way ¨C and because Galen wasn¡¯t a criminal¡¯s family member ¨C, but he reassured himself by thinking he didn¡¯t have much choice.

    As he debriefed with Artem later in the evening, his brother agreed with him. Artem then asked for more details about the Zmiya and the Nebe Families. As Bulgarian Families, they would have been part of the Balkan Families. Galen smiled at his brother¡¯s good instinct.

    In fact, the Nebe law was put forward by the Balkan Families under the lead of the Kranos Family. It was disputed for a long time, making it too late to save the Nebe Family. Still, it made Galen suspect the fall of those two Bulgarian Families was in part due to some political scheming from other factions. The similarities with their own situation didn¡¯t escape Galen and Artem.

    The twins were sure that studying this case in depth and finding out more about what happened to these two Families would benefit them. However, it was also risky. It seemed obvious to them that the other factions tried to push back this law and hide any traces of these events.

    But for now, Galen got what he wanted: he would participate in the pharmacist competition and hopefully gain some money and resources from it.

 Chapter 19 - Dahi High School

    The following morning, Galen restrained an exasperated smile as he walked toward the school entrance. Artem was following with a heavy frown. Soon, the younger boy muttered grumpily again, ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to leave the school without any escort.¡±

    The twins were stuck in this argument since Galen announced during breakfast that Artem wouldn¡¯t accompany him to the competition. Galen looked at their fairies, who were flying around. At this point, ignoring his brother¡¯s ranting was the only solution. The twins didn¡¯t have the money to pay for Artem¡¯s transportation, so discussing this decision was a moot point.

    ¡°You know that there are other ways to ensure Galen will be safe,¡± Lyra told Artem when she felt the twins¡¯ disagreement reached a dead point. As Artem fell silent, she addressed Galen, ¡°I¡¯ll handle your brother, like I handled you when he went on his field trip. You can concentrate on your competition.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Lyra.¡± Galen knew he could trust his CSI. She had proven to be a precious ally in the previous weeks, be it because of her talent or advice.

    Unbeknownst to him, a conversation went on between Artem and Lyra. At the end of it, Artem was smiling and tapping a message on his connected bracelet. Galen raised an eyebrow at the sight. ¡°Care to share your secret? You calmed him down in an impressively short time!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Lyra gleefully answered. Galen didn¡¯t want to begrudge her the pleasure of holding a secret over him. He turned his attention back to his fairy flying around.

    Lucia swatted toward Ayden. The Fire Fairy was having fun teasing her sister by randomly looping in front of the Light Fairy. Lucia gestured authoritatively at Ayden, who looked unaffected by her sister¡¯s scolding. The Fire Fairy back-flipped. Her hair hid her face, but Galen was sure she was laughing.

    The young pharmacist relaxed. He would have loved to have Artem and Ayden with him during the competition. His brother¡¯s presence always steadied Galen, and Ayden would have cheered enthusiastically.

    Artem escorted his brother all the way to the mini-bus that would drive the students from the advanced pharmacist elective class to Dahi High School ¨C the place where the competition was being held. It was another high school from the Center. It was equipped with the best laboratories and could easily host the hundred students coming to compete.

    As Galen climbed into the bus, he saw Anan sitting upright in one of the front seats, his sheep lying at his feet. When the boy nodded at Artem through the window, Galen understood his brother¡¯s plan. Of course, Anan would be there to protect Mahlon since the Ruh Family could afford it. So Artem contacted his fellow warrior to ask a favor out of him. Galen let a smile bloom on his face. It was a suitable solution.

    Galen answered Mahlon¡¯s handwave when he passed by him but chose to sit alone. All the pharmacist students were soon aboard and the mini-bus left for the competition¡¯s venue. Lucia came to sit down on Galen¡¯s shoulder, and the boy distractedly patted her head. The competition wouldn¡¯t be easy, and there was no guarantee that he would win. He was a good pharmacist, but the students coming to this competition ¨C especially those from Dahi High School, Uspeh High School, and Yahsun High School ¨C weren¡¯t weak in any way.

    His thoughts were disrupted when he felt someone sitting next to him. Galen turned his head to see Melanie with her spider in her lap, looking at him earnestly. Her long black hair was tied up in a messy bun at the top of her head, and although she was wearing her uniform properly, her crooked tie showed her appearance wasn¡¯t her priority. Without any more preamble than a nod in greeting, she said, ¡°I did some research on the Zmiya Family last night.¡±

    Galen didn¡¯t know how the different factions would react when they learned this case was becoming known again. Hiding his discomfort, Galen nodded at Melanie to go on.

    ¡°What I found most interesting was a description of the snake the criminals were feeding humans to. The beast¡¯s venomous qualities were mentioned. Some reports even stated that it could spread diseases.¡±

    ¡°Wow, what?¡± Mahlon suddenly exclaimed from the row in front of Galen and Melanie. His head appeared above the back of his seat as he knelt to look at them. ¡°Venom and disease! Awesome! It could be a good fit for my Family. This pet has a name?¡±

    Galen hadn¡¯t spent much time on this aspect of the case since it was the Nebe law that interested him, but he knew what Melanie was talking about. It wasn''t a comfortable subject for Galen. However, he couldn''t ignore his classmates. ¡°Well, the Zmiya Family did specialize in earth and water pets like yours, Mahlon. But did you hear Melanie saying that the snake ate humans?¡±

    Melanie merely tilted her head as the boys turned their attention to her. She was a quiet girl. Now that the conversation had started, she was content just listening. This didn¡¯t deter Mahlon. With a carefree wave of his hand, he blew away Galen¡¯s concerns. ¡°Some precautions will have to be taken, of course. Protocols and all that boring stuff my mother enjoys. But venom and disease!¡± Mahlon paused for a short time to look intensely at Galen. The dark-haired boy could almost see his eyes sparkling. Without any patience, Mahlon asked again, ¡°So, you have its name?¡±

    ¡°The line of this beast hadn¡¯t been found again since the Zmiya Family died out.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you don¡¯t know more than that. This pet could spread disease! You had to look more into it!¡± As usual, distracting Mahlon from things he was interested in was a fool¡¯s errand. A quick look at Melanie confirmed she was as much invested in knowing more about the beast. And Galen insisted on calling it a beast, not a pet. It was a man-eating beast. That was the reason the fools from the Zmiya Family used indentured service to reduce people to slavery and then have these people fed to the beast.

    ¡°Most agree that it was a legendary beast, but its name is unsure. The closest they could infer was the Giant Pestiferous Swamp Adder.¡±

    ¡°How sure are you that this is its real name?¡±

    Galen shrugged. He didn¡¯t want to speak about it anymore and tried again to divert the conversation. ¡°So, are you both excited to go to Dahi High School?¡±

    Mahlon shot him a glance, indicating he knew what Galen was doing. Still, he said, ¡°You bet! I wish I were studying there. I¡¯m seriously jealous of Rachel.¡±

    ¡°Rachel?¡±

    ¡°My cousin. She¡¯s the one who got to study at Dahi High School while I¡¯m stuck in Dascalos High School.¡±

    ¡°Oh, did your Family use the argument that Dascalos was the most prestigious and traditional school?¡± Galen recalled his mother arguing with the Third Elder on this subject.

    Tana Eos had expressed her low opinion about high school education ¨C and now that Galen knew more about how the teachers were recruited, he could only agree. His mother had wanted to convince the Third Elder that her own teaching would be enough. However, Tana had respected her Steward¡¯s expertise in communication and politics ¨C or more likely, she had realized her busy schedule wouldn¡¯t allow her to teach. She had been slightly pouting at the time until she had thrown Galen a bright smile with the comment that, at least, studying at Dascalos High School would give her children bragging rights.

    ¡°Prestige and traditions are overrating. Do you know why I was sent to Dascalos High School? It¡¯s because it was speculated that I had more chance to get a notable talent than Rachel. What a rotten reason!¡±

    ¡°Rotten, but understandable for Families looking to defend their image and reputation, and from what both of you are saying, attending Dascalos High School is all about image,¡± Lyra said.

    Intrigued by Lyra¡¯s comment, Galen turned to Melanie to ask why she was studying at Dascalos High School when Dahi High School would have been a better fit for her family¡¯s business in pills, balms, and potions ¨C poisonous or not. Although, now that he was thinking about it, he was almost sure that her family¡¯s shop was in the Second Circle.

    ¡°For prestige and our shop development,¡± Melanie answered. ¡°First, my parents were betting that I¡¯d managed to awaken. Second, we are trying to get customers from the Center. Attending Dascalos High School is a drain on our resources, but it is a good investment if I believe our marketing advisor. And while I would have loved to attend Dahi High School instead, it was deemed unnecessary.¡± She made a bitter face before going on. ¡°My father thinks that our recipes are good enough and that our researchers have a good grip on new advancements. I¡¯m not sure I agree with him.¡±

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    Galen could understand Melanie¡¯s skepticism. Dahi High School was a private high school founded by two minor Turkish Families ¨C the Yaratilis Family and the Yenilmez Family. Galen was familiar with them because they were allied with the Eos Family and part of the Balkan Families. In particular, his mother had been collaborating with the Yaratilis Family ¨C who specialized in diverse craftsmanship with the help of light and earth pets ¨C for several pharmaceutical projects, and his father had been soliciting the Yenilmez Family for their talent with mounts of the fire and light types.

    Under these two Families¡¯ influence, Dahi High School offered several highly technical courses. Thanks to their training, students could get a job even without going to College. As such, Dahi High School was especially renowned for its pharmacists, alchemists, armorers, and riders classes. However, it also produced artists and performers, contributing to the school¡¯s fame and developing its image as a creative and artistic institution. One of its particularities was that its beast-tamer students weren¡¯t gathered in one class and only worked on their specific skills during their elective classes and some week-long special courses, contrary to Dascalos High School.

    The conversation died down as the bus arrived at the venue. A lot of students were already milling around, their origin recognizable thanks to their uniforms. Galen and his classmates followed Mrs Bousrani as she went to finalize everyone¡¯s registration.

    Wanting to reassure his brother through Lyra¡¯s spying, Galen stayed close to Mahlon and Anan, with Lucia sitting on his shoulder. Mahlon''s Purple Frog jumped on Anan¡¯s Earth Sheep to get a free ride while Mahlon strolled along, looking around with curiosity. Galen followed his gaze and noticed very few of the surrounding students seemed to be beast tamers.

    Mrs Bousrani stopped in front of one of the five tables set up to act at registration desks on one end of the hall. She handed the written forms for her eight pharmacist students to the man behind the desk. He checked each paper carefully while typing the information he was reading on his tablet.

    As the man reviewed the last registration form, he suddenly raised his head to look around. Seeing Galen, he locked eyes with the boy and exclaimed, ¡°What do you think you are doing here?¡±

    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Galen asked, even though he knew perfectly what this was about. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°This is a respectful institution. We won¡¯t allow Tana Eos¡¯s son to compete here!¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that your competition is ringed from the beginning, seeing as you¡¯re judging contestants on their background and not their skills,¡± Galen answered in a voice loud enough to be heard in the hall. As he expected, some students began to whisper while glancing their way.

    ¡°Don¡¯t slander our competition!¡± the man said as he stood up in anger. ¡°The judges are fair, and all processes are open and honest.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re obviously lying since you¡¯re judging me using my mother¡¯s identity before I even compete. Why even bother with this farce of a competition? Give the reward to Zeki Yaratilis directly and spare us the hypocrisy!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare badmouthing the young master!¡±

    Galen narrowed his eyes as he understood that the receptionist was a member of the Yaratilis Family. He knew there was a high chance of this being the case, which was why he had decided to throw Zeki¡¯s name around.

    Zeki was the heir of the Yaratilis Family, and he was the same age as the twins. Since the Eos Family cooperated with the Yaratilis Family, Galen was familiar with Zeki, although they never became friends. He was actually kind of glad for this lack of friendship since it made it easier to follow his mother¡¯s advice not to trust any Family.

    ¡°The teacher is right!¡± a student from Dahi High School cut into the conversation. ¡°You¡¯re a criminal like your parents. You have no right to be there!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Galen said calmly, ¡°I need to make something very clear. Are you accusing me of anything?¡±

    The student took Galen¡¯s answer as an invitation to insult him and the Eos Family. Galen let him go on for a while before saying, ¡°Thank you for your collaboration in making things obvious. You are slandering me. As such, I can sue you.¡± Galen turned to look at the man from the Yaratilis Family. ¡°Oh, by the way, sir, what you were doing is called stigmatization as stipulated by the Nebe Law, and I can also sue you for that. So, can I have both of your names?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± a firm voice said.

    Galen looked over to the youth who was walking toward them. A rare Pure White Horse was trotting by his side, and several students from Dahi High School were following him. He had the upper part of his hair long enough to be held in a ponytail, while the rest of his hair was trimmed very short on the sides and the back of his head. Zeki Yaratilis elegantly nodded at Galen, who responded in kind. Around them, the students fell silent.

    ¡°My condolences for your loss,¡± Zeki said in a serious voice. Feeling his throat tightening, Galen just nodded again. Then Zeki gestured toward the receptionist. ¡°Murat here reacted emotionally and misspoke in his agitation.¡± Zeki paused briefly to throw a glance at the man. Understanding his young master, the man hurriedly bowed slightly and murmured an apology.

    ¡°Of course, you are allowed to compete. Who your mother was is irrelevant in Dahi High School¡¯s pharmacist competition.¡± Zeki paused again to look around at the students watching curiously. ¡°Although most of our staff are assisting with menial tasks and some supervising, the main judges are eminent pharmacists from Researches Institutions. They do have the final say in judging the contestants.¡±

    The surrounding students began to gossip again, but the tone was different this time. Zeki fully turned toward Galen to say in a lower voice, ¡°It was a bit mean of you to imply that our competition isn¡¯t impartial.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Artem must have been influencing me with his philosophy that offense is the best defense,¡± Galen answered in a light tone. However, he worried that he had no way of knowing if the jury would really be impartial or if another member of the Yaratilis Family wouldn¡¯t retaliate against him later. There were a lot of ways to do it, from messing with his ingredients to accusing him of cheating.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for these kinds of things,¡± Lyra said to reassure him.

    ¡°Thanks, Lyra,¡± Galen thought to her while he chatted politely with Zeki. ¡°But if they really want to keep me from winning, what can we do?¡±

    Satisfied that the situation had calmed down, Zeki led the twenty students from his own school inside the main room of the venue to prepare for the first part of the competition. It wasn¡¯t surprising to see a large part of today''s competitors were from Dahi High School. Galen knew there were more than twenty students in their alchemy and pharmaceutics classes, so these students had to be a selection of the best among their special classes.

    ¡°An impartial competition,¡± Lyra muttered as she watched them leave. ¡°Yeah, right!¡±

    Without any more fuss, the receptionist finished registering the students from Dascalos High School, and they entered the competition area.

    A hundred small mobile laboratories had been set up in the large room, forming a big square. It was surrounded by several ranks of chairs placed on stands on two opposite sides of the square, one for the spectators and one for the contestants. Around twenty members of Dahi High School staff were busy in the square, placing ingredients on each laboratory before covering them to keep the contestants from looking at them. To the front was a stage with a sturdy table. Half a dozen seats were placed behind the table.

    Galen, Mahlon, Melanie, and their classmates went to the left side, as Mrs Bousrani, Anan, and the students¡¯ pets went to the right. The rules were clear: in the first part of the competition, no pets and no talents would be allowed. Several beast tamers from the Association had been recruited to act as invigilators and enforce these rules.

    Some times later, as all the contestants were seated on the right side, the members of the jury went up to the stage and took their seats behind the table. Despite Zeki¡¯s assurance that the jury was impartial, Galen¡¯s doubts surged again as he recognized Beren Yaratilis. The man did belong to one of the most important Researches Institutions, but he was also Zeki¡¯s father and the current head of the Yaratilis Family.

    A man introducing himself as another member of the Yaratilis Family came to the front of the stage to give a speech as the dean of Dahi High School.

    ¡°Can you tell me again why you are competing here?¡± Lyra said in a dark tone as she unhappily watched this display of the Yaratilis Family¡¯s heavy presence in the competition. Galen didn¡¯t give her any answer. He wasn¡¯t any happier than Lyra.

    The dean ended his speech with praises for the Yaratilis and Yenilmez Families and the Researches Institutions who all were financing this competition. Then, he explained the specifics of the first part of the competition.

    Each contestant needed to produce a pill using five ingredients from the selection of twenty unidentified ingredients provided by the school and their sponsors. They would be evaluated on their skills to identify and choose their five ingredients, the difficulty of their chosen recipe, their skills to prepare and produce the pill, the quality of their final product, and a writing report they needed to provide alongside the final product. They would be given two hours to complete this first test. However, all along, the invigilators had the authority to ask a contestant to leave if they were judged to be cheating, wasting ingredients, or producing dangerous mixtures.

    Once the rules were explained, the contestants were called one by one to come down and pick up a random number from one of the staff before being guided to one of the small laboratories. Their number was to be kept secret to give anonymity to the final product and its accompanying report for the jury¡¯s review.

    Galen got the number eighteen. He was then directed toward one of the laboratories at the front. As Melanie, Mahlon, Zeki ¨C and other students Galen had seen with a pet ¨C joined him, it soon became obvious that all the beast-tamer students were gathered on the first line of laboratories to be more easily monitored.

    Five beast-tamer invigilators circulated between the stage and the front row, their attention pined on the young beast tamers. Since he couldn¡¯t do anything about the scrutiny he was subjected to, Galen didn¡¯t waste his time on it and observed the equipment before him. It was of good quality but very basic. It looked like Dahi High School wanted its competition to be a real challenge because students who were used to relying on high-tech machines would be penalized.

 Chatper 20 - Competing and gossiping

    When the dean signaled to begin, all the students lifted the cover hiding the ingredients. Galen couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at the sight. At first glance, it didn¡¯t look like there was anything other than basic spirit plants ¨C meaning that these plants hadn¡¯t adsorbed enough spiritual energy to mutate ¨C, but all of them were of good quality. Galen knew that gathering these two thousand ingredients for the contest had to have been expensive.

    ¡°Yes, yes. Money has become a problem for you, but the others have already begun to study the ingredients ¨C Zeki in the lead,¡± Lyra said when she saw that Galen was distracted.

    Galen shook his head to concentrate on his task. With a pen and paper on hand to take notes, Galen checked all the ingredients. As he expected, some plants needed to be carefully examined. For example, the almond blossoms provided had dark yellow stamens although their petals were mostly white like sweet almond blossoms. As such, Galen judged that they were of the bitter variety ¨C a poisonous variety.

    In the same way, Galen noticed that what appeared at first glance to be some small dandelion flowers was in fact coltsfoot. While it wasn¡¯t poisonous and of the same aster family, the coltsfoot had a different composition, and treating it like a dandelion would mess up most recipes. Galen was sure it wasn¡¯t the only trick used in this test to thin out the contestants.

    Once his overview was done, Galen realized there were only two possible binding agents among the ingredients, and one of them was volatile and difficult to use. However, the other one wasn¡¯t necessarily the better choice. It was possible to extract oil from the peppermint leaves provided as ingredients using steam distillation. However, it would take too much time ¨C a time made longer by the basic equipment available. In fact, most binding agents needed long processes to become usable, so pharmacists usually bought them in their refined form. But Galen had already checked, and he didn¡¯t find any pack of seaweed gelatin or even a common bottle of canola oil.

    Reviewing all his notes and observations, Galen concluded that the pills they could create with these ingredients in the conditions given to them were very few. After a glance at the time, Galen decided that trying to process the citrus bergamia ¨C the only other possible binding agent ¨C with cold pressing to obtain oil wasn¡¯t efficient enough, and the oil wouldn¡¯t make a good binding agent. It was possible to make a pill without any binding agent, but the final product would be unstable. Galen refused to lower the quality of his pill. Moreover, the youth couldn¡¯t believe that the school made a test for which it was impossible to bake high-quality pills. Galen was missing something.

    His eyes flying from one ingredient to another, Galen suddenly stopped on the belladonna. The school had provided the students with the whole plant, including its purple flowers, dark green leaves, and light brown roots. The leaves and the roots had some healing properties. However, the fruits ¨C which were highly poisonous ¨C were put further down on the tray. These two different parts of the plant had been separated, and they counted as two distinct ingredients, so Galen had assumed that the fruits were from the deadly nightshade belladonna ¨C the famous poisonous plant ¨C while the rest of the plant was from the recently discovered pale purple belladonna ¨C a new species without toxicity. But what if it wasn¡¯t the case? What if both the plant and the fruits came from the same species of belladonna? That would mean that there were only nineteen ingredients on the tray and the real twentieth ingredient was hidden.

    Since doing the tests necessary to check if both parts of the belladonna were from the same genome would take too much time, Galen decided to look for the eventual twentieth ingredient. He methodically went over his whole laboratory.

    Lifting the cover that had been used to hid the ingredients, Galen turned it over and looked inside. He saw nothing at first, but as he was manipulating it to inspect it under different angles, he noticed that one side was heavier. Feeling that he was on the right track, he thoroughly touched the border, where he found some irregularities. Galen carefully pulled on it. Once he removed this layer, which was acting as a kind of double bottom, the young pharmacist found a long, thin tablet of white beeswax.There! That was a perfect binding agent.

    ¡°Congratulations, Galen!¡± Lyra chirped. ¡°You¡¯re the twelfth one to have found it!¡±

    ¡°I want to ask if the eleven others are from Dahi High School, but I don¡¯t have any time for distraction. I need to make my pill in the little time I have left.¡±

    The situation wasn¡¯t as dire as Galen made it sound. He still had one hour and a half. The youth looked over the ingredients again, considering which recipe to make. The lavender, the immortelle, and the garlic could be easily used together to produce an efficient balm against burn by helping soothe and regrow the skin, but Galen needed to make a pill. He also wanted to try to gain points by baking an uncommon pill.

    Galen glanced at the foxglove. It was a delicate plant to use since one needed to be very careful with the dosage. A slight mistake could transform a healing pill into a poisonous one. However, if Galen could pull it off, it would show off his mastery of pharmaceutical skills. With the foxglove as the main ingredient, Galen decided to make a boosting pill. He quickly selected the red chamomile ¨C also known as the pheasant''s eye ¨C that had the same cardio-tonic effect as the foxglove while also protecting against heart failure. For his last two ingredients, Galen needed plants that would allow his pill to gain an equilibrium and lower the risk of overdose and death. The lily-of-the-valley was also a cardio-tonic, but Galen rejected it since it had some toxicity.

    As he was thinking of the best ingredients to stabilize the effect of his pills, Galen processed the foxglove and the red chamomile. He finally decided to use a bit of hawthorn fruit for its properties to help with heart diseases and kidney problems. A good boosting pill didn¡¯t only need to boost the heart rate but also ensure that the blood flew correctly. Following this logic, Galen selected the leaves from the borage as his last ingredient.

    Galen took the time to jolt down his recipe and his knowledge about the ingredients he selected as a last check for any mistakes. Seeing nothing wrong with his recipe, he went to work. Cutting, crushing, steaming, mixing: every step was done carefully. The risk of poisoning due to the foxglove sharpened Galen''s focus.

    When Galen finally took his pill from the small oven more than one hour later, drops of sweat were falling down his face. However, he knew he wasn¡¯t done. Letting the pill rest before him, Galen took a pen to write down his report, beginning with the five ingredients¡¯ analysis: the foxglove, the red chamomile, the hawthorn fruit, the borage, and the white beeswax. He went on to explain the diverse processes he used, being meticulous enough to write down exact dosages, temperatures, and timings. Finally, he described the pill obtained and the effect it was supposed to have. Galen finished his report with a few minutes to spare.

    His notes were messy, but Galen wrote his report properly using the professional pharmacists¡¯ official format. He carefully put his pill in an airtight box and folded his report before stapling it to the box. One of the invigilators came over as he was putting his number face down above the box.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± he asked in a stern voice.

    Galen took the time to check the laboratory one last time before answering. The invigilator showed some impatience, but Galen didn¡¯t want to lose points for a mistake he could have easily checked. Finally, he said, ¡°I¡¯m done. Thank you for waiting, sir.¡±

    Without any comment, the invigilator took Galen¡¯s box and went away. Galen looked over to see him put it down with other similar boxes. From now on, all the contestants needed to wait for the jury¡¯s verdict. The six renowned pharmacists would take at least three hours to evaluate all the reports and products, so the contestants and the public were invited to wait outside the hall. They were free to use the cafeteria or take a walk through the gardens.

    ¡°While you were concentrating on your task, the invigilators eliminated nine contestants. It might help reduce the time you have to wait for the results,¡± Lyra told Galen as he was walking toward Mrs Bousrani and his Light Fairy. ¡°One of them was a beast tamer. I saw him with a common Blue Fly. Do you know him?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± Galen answered as he remembered what the boy looked like. ¡°Why was he disqualified?¡±

    ¡°One of the invigilators from the Association judged that he used his talent [Olfaction] to identify plants,¡± Lyra dutifully reported.

    ¡°We had five beast tamers from the Association watching over us. How could he expect to escape detection?¡± Galen didn¡¯t dwell on the stupid boy and asked, ¡°Anything of notes from the others?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lyra hesitated to go on. She had noticed something, but since nothing came out of it, she didn¡¯t want to burden Galen with it.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Galen asked as he greeted Lucia, who was flying around to check if he was alright.

    ¡°It might be better if I tell you after the competition. You need to be able to concentrate.¡±

    ¡°Too late, Lyra,¡± Galen answered with a slight smile. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll try to guess what it could be.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Lyra knew her host enough to be aware of his tendency to overthink. ¡°Since you were so suspicious of the Yaratilis dudes, I kept a part of my attention on them. Beren Yaratilis had bribed one of the invigilators from the Association. He wanted him to find an excuse to disqualify you.¡±

    Galen tried not to be affected by this since he already suspected something of the sort, but it still hurt. Trying to focus on what was important, he asked, ¡°Why was I able to compete unhindered?¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°He changed his mind because you made a ruckus in the hall. He also knows you found out about the Nebe Law. He is frustrated, but he told his guy it would be too suspicious to do it in these circumstances.¡±

    Confirming that the Yaratilis Family was working against him didn¡¯t comfort Galen either. Even more uncomfortable was the fact that he didn¡¯t know Beren¡¯s reason for acting against him. Was it due to his wish to cleanly separate the Yaratilis Family from a falling one? Or did the man betray the Eos Family much earlier? Beren knew about the Caladrius Bird¡¯s skills. He could have been the anonymous person who had denounced Galen¡¯s mother. Galen had no way to confirm it: he could only add this question to the other ones.

    ***

    As every contestant gathered with their friends, Galen ended up staying with Mahlon and Anan. They were soon joined by Rachel and another beast-tamer girl, who introduced herself as Tzivia Ruh, Rachel¡¯s bodyguard. Rachel had her common Small Snake wrapped around her left wrist, and Tzivia¡¯s common Dwarf Antelope was playfully bumping Anan¡¯s sheep.

    Seeing himself surrounded by members of the Ruh Family ¨C though only from the minor branch ¨C, Galen felt curious. Most Families were keeping their distance from the twins or betraying them, like the Yaratilis Family. So, why did Anan accept Artem¡¯s demand? Why were Mahlon and Anan not cold or dismissive like the others?

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask them instead of wondering?¡± Lyra told him in a carefree tone.

    Galen doubted he would get a truthful answer, but he still asked. Mahlon smiled without replying. Galen glanced at the others, but none of them seemed inclined to answer.

    ¡°Well, at least you tried,¡± Lyra said as if she was trying to praise him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I expected them to answer,¡± Galen told Lyra with some self-depreciation. ¡°As Artem reminded me the other days, they are part of the Mashriq Families and are most likely working in some ways for the Agency. If you think about it, gathering information begins by simply keeping a cordial relationship with everyone.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to see it,¡± Lyra said, ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, I don¡¯t feel anything bad from them.¡±

    Their little group got their food and sat together with their pets around a table, giving them a good view of most of the room. As they began to eat, Mahlon leisurely said to no one in particular, ¡°Don¡¯t you find it pathetic when someone fails so badly at something that comes naturally to you?¡±

    Rachel smiled cryptically while Tzivia chuckled. Anan ignored Mahlon to keep an eye on the people around them.

    Galen looked at them, trying to understand what Mahlon meant. Who was the person Mahlon was referring to? Did the Ruh Family notice Beren Yaratilis¡¯ suspicious behavior? Galen idly wondered why Mahlon would allude to it in front of him. Was it a warning to remind Galen of the Ruh Family¡¯s skills in gathering information?

    Confused, Galen realized he could be the person Mahlon was talking about. The young pharmacist had spent a lot of time in the library recently. Even if Galen hadn¡¯t noticed them, the boys from the Ruh Family could have easily found out what he was doing there. Galen supposed Mahlon¡¯s purpose could also be to hint at the reliability of their Family¡¯s service. But why would the Ruh Family want to ally themselves with the Eos Family now?

    Galen didn¡¯t know how to answer any of his doubts. This left the youth with a simple question: should he be wary of the Ruh Family? His mom had told him to trust no one. Maybe he was asking the wrong questions.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a saying about keeping your enemies close to you?¡± Lyra said. ¡°Nothing wrong with eating and talking with them while being distrustful.¡±

    Agreeing with Lyra, Galen ignored Mahlon¡¯s remark. The dark-haired boy changed the subject to take advantage of the Ruh Family¡¯s supposedly good network. ¡°I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t seen anyone from the Yenilmez Family.¡±

    Rachel gave him a knowing smile before answering. ¡°Devrim Yenilmez doesn¡¯t like pharmacists. Quite awkward, that, since his main ally is working as one. So during these kinds of events, he makes himself and his Family scarce.¡±

    Devrim Yenilmez was the head of the Yenilmez Family. Galen didn¡¯t know as much about their members since their collaboration with the Eos Family was more punctual.

    Before Galen could think of his next question, Mahlon said in a teasing tone, ¡°Oh, I''ve just remembered! Wasn¡¯t there some noise about Artem being engaged to a daughter from the Yenilmez Family? A girl older than us by at least four years. What¡¯s her name again?¡±

    ¡°A fiancee?¡± Lyra exclaimed. ¡°Ah! You never explained about Larissa and you!¡±

    ¡°Just a rumor. The match sounded good to Tuktu Yenilmez, but my dad and Devrim Yenilmez never agreed to it,¡± Galen said. He remembered how Tuktu ¨C Devrim¡¯s wife ¨C had once gone on and on about it when the Yenilmez Family was dining at the Eos Family Villa. It had been quite awkward because she had ignored her husband¡¯s obvious disapproval. Galen had thought at the time that it was because their daughter was older than Artem, and Devrim was hoping for a better match. But could it be something else?

    ¡°That man doesn¡¯t like anyone!¡± Tzivia said in a gossipy tone. ¡°Just the other day, I overheard him badmouthing his own wife!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Mahlon asked curiously.

    ¡°I only heard a bit in passing, but it sounded like he didn¡¯t like how she was always comparing him to other men.¡± She paused a bit to look at Galen and lowered her voice. ¡°The next bit, I didn¡¯t hear clearly, but I believe he cursed your father afterward.¡±

    Galen frowned pensively. What was he supposed to do with this information? Rachel brought his attention back to the present. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her: she¡¯s a horrible gossip. Speaking of fiancee, aren¡¯t you engaged to Duru Yaratilis?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes! I also wanted to ask you!¡± Tzivia said, apparently unaffected by Rachel¡¯s dismissal of her gossip and keeping Galen from answering in her excitement. ¡°The poor girl is a shadow of herself since her mother¡¯s death. Zeki hardly looks sad at all, but he¡¯s got the same impassive face as his father. And I know that Beren loved his wife dearly. I saw them once together. They were so cute!¡±

    Belinay ¨C Beren¡¯s wife ¨C had been close to Tana Eos. She had been a nice woman devoted to her Family and her City-State. Tana had supported Belinay¡¯s research to produce a potion that could counter the problem of the limited space to farm crops by allowing each plant to be harvested two times a year.

    Belinay had died in the Tonkin Cities-States region half a year ago while she was on an expedition to look for ingredients for her project. This region was far away, to the East of the Mediterranean Cities-States, so it had been impossible for the Yaratilis Family to help her in time. Galen remembered his mother crying when she had heard the news.

    Galen had accepted Zeki¡¯s condolences because he knew the youth understood his pain. Death was a common thing in this world. Anyone going outside a City-State knew they were putting their life in danger. Galen knew it, he had always known it. However, it didn¡¯t lessen the pain he still felt at the loss of his parents.

    ¡°Do you mean that Zeki and his father are hiding their pain?¡± Mahlon asked in a gossipy tone matching Tzivia¡¯s.

    Despite Rachel chiding them for speaking about people behind their back, Tzivia went on. ¡°I don¡¯t know for Zeki, but a man so in love with his wife can''t stay unchanged when he loses her!"

    Rachel and Anan forcefully brought back the conversation to the imminent competition, since they judged this gossip about the love life of people a generation older than their own to be distasteful. The contrast between Rachel¡¯s and Anan¡¯s righteousness, and Tzivia''s and Mahlon¡¯s chatter made Galen uncomfortable.

    Were they feeding him cryptic clues or were they milking him for confidential information? Were they trying to mislead or confuse him? Galen wasn¡¯t used to such deep games, but he couldn¡¯t help wondering if Tzivia was trying to imply that Belinay¡¯s death was a clue to explain Beren¡¯s betrayal. Her use of the word ¡°unchanged¡± was too weird.

    Lyra pestered Galen to know if he was engaged to Duru Yaratilis, forcing him out of his thoughts. After denying the engagement, Galen listened to Rachel explaining how the next part of the competition would divide the contestants into two groups: those testing their healing skills as pharmacists and those testing their poisoning skills as alchemists.

    Galen intended to choose the healing side, but he was surprised to learn that it was also Rachel¡¯s choice because her pet ¨C like Mahlon¡¯s frog ¨C had poisonous skills. Of course, Mahlon chose to test his research on poison. Taking advantage of Rachel¡¯s knowledge, Galen asked her for more details, but she didn¡¯t have any.

    Without much else to do, the three of them chatted about recipes and techniques. Mahlon and Galen were happy to learn more about what Dahi High School was teaching their students.

    ***

    In the early afternoon, an announcement was made to call back all the contestants to the room where the competition was taking place. This time, the beast tamers were allowed to keep their pets. Beren Yaratilis and the other members of the jury were standing on the stage with the dean of Dahi High School.

    As soon as everyone was seated, the dean read out the results, beginning with the one with the highest score. Without much surprise, Zeki was first with ninety-six points out of one hundred. Galen¡¯s name was among the first fifteen, along with Rachel and Mahlon. The visible gap in the scores between these first and the other contestants led Galen to believe that only these fifteen young pharmacists had found the beeswax.

    The eight pharmacists from Dascalos High School didn¡¯t put their school to shame: they all passed the first part of the exam. Among the names read by the head, Galen recognized several gifted pharmacists he had competed against in the previous years and noticed that very few of them had managed to become beast tamers.

    The dean stopped reading after the fiftieth name. Those whose names he didn¡¯t read were asked to leave: their product was judged to be of too low quality, so they had failed the first part of the competition. In the following week, a written report detailing their score and giving some advice would be sent to them. Dahi High School prided itself as an educational institution and couldn¡¯t leave the failing contestants with no way to improve themselves.

    Once every failing student had left the room, the dean explained the two choices in front of the remaining contestants. He only described each possibilities briefly. His purpose was to let the contestants make an informed decision. His explanations confirmed what Rachel had said.

    The dean announced the three winners would be determined by adding the points obtained in both parts of the contest. Since the second part was marked with one hundred points too, the ranking could move around in significant ways depending on each contestant¡¯s performance in the second round.

    When the dean was done, the remaining contestants chose their next trial by standing in front of Beren Yaratilis for the healers¡¯ side and in front of the dean for the alchemists¡¯ side.

    On the alchemists¡¯ side, Galen saw Mahlon and Melanie ¨C which surprised him but it wasn¡¯t his place to judge her choice. He also noticed two girls from Uspeh High School. One was a beast-tamer girl with a common Lab Rat and the other was a mundane girl. They both looked familiar but Galen didn¡¯t remember their names. Nevertheless, he knew that these girls from Uspeh High School were skilled.

    There were more students on the healers¡¯ side. Among them were Zeki Yaratilis, Rachel Ruh, Rachel¡¯s friend from Dahi High School with a small floating plant for a pet that Galen didn¡¯t recognize, Kahlil Howayek from Yahsun High School who was accompanied by his pet ¨C it was a sort of bush, but Galen also didn¡¯t know its name ¨C, and Jason Makris from Dahi High School. Galen had kept a sharp memory of both Jason and Kahlil after their impressive showing in one of last year¡¯s competitions. Of course, Galen didn¡¯t forget the pharmacists from Dascalos High School, as they were also very skilled. Most of them chose the healers¡¯ side.

    The dean confirmed that no one wished to switch sides before leading the alchemists to the room where their test would take place. Beren Yaratilis did the same for the healers. Galen quietly followed, focusing his mind on the task ahead.

 Chapter 21 - The second trial

    Once they were all in the room, Beren gave more explanation. Each contestant would have to take care of a case. The contestants had to diagnose it and prepare the best prescription to heal the patient. They had three hours to treat their patient and write a report about it. Talents and pets were allowed, but using them could lower the final score if the patient''s healing wasn¡¯t due to pharmacist skills. It was a traditional competition, but Galen¡¯s mother had hated it because it used beasts that were truly sick or injured. However, Galen wasn¡¯t here to judge the ethics of such trials: he needed the money and the prize.

    Several members of Dahi High School¡¯s staff organized the contestants. One was making them draw a number at random while the others were guiding them to an exam table surrounded by screens to give some privacy to the students and their patients. Then, staff members were bringing the carrier containing the sick or injured beast corresponding to the drawn number into this private space.

    The ingredients and plants were put in a common space for the contestants to peruse and choose from. Three of the five beast tamers from the Association were in the room with them. Their purpose was to keep an eye on the six young beast tamers competing in the room and judge how much their talent and their pet were involved in the trial. Like in the previous trial, all the young beast tamers were gathered to make it easier to supervise them.

    Galen drew the number twenty-four and quietly followed the staff member to his exam table. All the necessary basic tools to examine the beast and produce potions or pills were placed around it. As the staff member put down the carrier on the table, Galen saw a notable Blue-Winged Magpie through the front bars. Keeping Lucia close to him and his hands to himself, the youth observed what he could of the bird. Galen had to wait for the signal to start the competition. But it was hard because the poor beast was noticeably suffering from several lacerations and some broken feathers essential for its flight. Galen would have to carefully examine the bird to be sure that none of its wings were broken too.

    As soon as he heard the signal to begin, Galen came near the injured beast. He firmly reminded Lucia that she couldn¡¯t use her skill to heal the bird. Seeing her clear disappointment, he told her she could try to reassure the magpie. Galen wasn¡¯t sure how she would do that since one of the fairies¡¯ uncanny characteristics was that they couldn¡¯t produce any sound. Putting away any wandering thoughts, Galen concentrated on his task and opened the carrier to coax the beast out of it.

    Unable to hide inside the false security of the box anymore, the magpie cowered on the table. Lucia landed in front of it and gestured authoritatively from the bird to Galen several times. The youth restrained his startled laugh. That wasn¡¯t what he imagined she would do, but it was effective enough since the magpie turned cautious eyes to Galen.

    Shaking his head, the boy checked the bird physically first to draw his own diagnostics. He didn¡¯t use his talent [Insight] yet. He knew his talent was a helpful tool, but he didn¡¯t want to get dependent on it. He counted three deep lacerations on the magpie¡¯s belly and eight superficial ones on its back and head. One of the light cuts was near the bird¡¯s left eye. Treating it would require delicate work since the magpie¡¯s instinct would tell it not to let anything come near its eye.

    As for the wing flight feathers, Galen noted down several remiges needing repair as well as two rectrices from its tail. From what Galen could infer, the magpie suffered from a claw attack that resulted in the main three lacerations. The other injuries were probably due to its fall.

    Once he had a firm idea of what the magpie was suffering from, Galen signaled to the nearest beast-tamer invigilator that he was going to use his talent. Better to actively show transparency than to give any handle to his enemies. Beren surely had had the time to plot another scheme.

    Galen was confident in his diagnostic, so he didn¡¯t expect his talent to show him much. However, he frowned as his [Insight] revealed that the bird was suffering from something more. In its first level, his talent didn¡¯t give him an accurate answer. Galen had to focus on the subtle clues enlightened by [Insight] to determine what was wrong with the magpie. His conclusion made him swear under his breath.

    ¡°What it is? Why are you upset?¡± Lyra asked with concern.

    ¡°The magpie is suffering from internal bleeding,¡± Galen thought to her while breathing deeply to calm himself.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why that¡¯s upsetting you,¡± Lyra said in confusion.

    ¡°This kind of injury shouldn¡¯t be given to high school students to heal. It¡¯s too serious.¡±

    Galen asked Lucia to keep the magpie company, reminding her again not to use her healing skill on it. Then, he went to check the ingredients set on display. After he quickly scanned everything, he frowned.¡°That¡¯s even more impossible since I see no high-grade spirit plants. They are necessary to heal internal bleeding in a few hours. The only other way is to operate ¨C if one doesn¡¯t have a healing pet. I¡¯m not a surgeon.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s Beren¡¯s new scheme. He gave you this case on purpose to hinder you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is finding a way to heal the magpie despite everything.¡±

    The magpie¡¯s health wasn¡¯t so bad that it would die. At least, that¡¯s what his [Insight] conveyed to Galen. However, he still hated how powerless he felt because of his limitations. He hated it even more because he couldn¡¯t be sure that Beren didn¡¯t purposely hurt the magpie.

    ¡°Remember what Mum taught you,¡± Lyra suddenly said gruffly. ¡°That¡¯s what Artem is telling you. I don¡¯t think I got his tone right.¡±

    Galen let a soft smile come to his lips. Lyra¡¯s nonsense and his brother¡¯s words allowed him to relax a bit. His mother had made sure Galen was aware that his pharmacist skills weren¡¯t omnipotent and that he was prepared for when he wouldn¡¯t be able to heal one of his patients. Galen asked Lyra in a teasing voice, ¡°Did he add that he¡¯ll take care of the Yaratilis Family?¡±

    ¡°My, how ever did you guess that?¡± Lyra drawled while rolling her eyes.

    The small banter finished to calm down Galen. His eyes jumping from one ingredient to the next, he rapidly elaborated plans only to disregard them soon after. The ingredients were of a higher quality than in the previous trial, but nothing high-grade. As Galen reviewed the appropriate treatments he knew with the available plants, he realized that the trial was to give a prescription to heal the pet. However, nothing was said about healing the beast immediately. A prescription often had a dosage and a duration. Still, it would surely lower his score if he couldn¡¯t present the Blue-Winged Magpie in good health at the end.

    Galen finally settled for a triple treatment. First, he decided to make a balm to stop the bleeding and accelerate the scabbing of the magpie¡¯s wounds. Second, he planned to bake a pill to help with the internal bleeding. It was the most grievous injury, but making the pill was a long process and Galen judged that it was better to proceed in this order. Third, Galen would give a medicinal bath to the beast.

    He planned to stay close to what birds would do in nature to treat their broken feathers. The youth would have to ensure that the magpie¡¯s wounds were scabbed before getting wet. While the pill should also help with that, it wouldn¡¯t have enough time to work, so Galen still needed to find another way as insurance. Even without the internal bleeding, treating the broken feathers simultaneously with the lacerations was indeed difficult enough for high school students. Spirit plants did allow accelerated healing, but the efficiency and the timing were limited in the competition.

    Moreover, examining the magpie and making his plan took Galen almost twenty minutes. To enhance the efficiency of each treatment, Galen tried to personalize them to better suit the magpie by adding some ingredients with its type of spiritual power. He was also careful about how the three treatments would synergy. All this fine-tuning took a lot of time. He knew this disadvantaged him, but he refused to do anything less than his best.

    Galen took his chosen ingredients back to his private space. For the balm, he mainly used leaves from the luminous yarrow ¨C the famous mutated Achilles¡¯ plant and an ingredient with diverse species often used against bleeding. Galen mixed it with the above-ground parts of the bright goldenrod and fresh roots of the yellow silvery dock. Then, he added some light-blue elderberries to guard against infection, just to be safe. To get the right texture, he used grape seed oil as a binding ingredient, although it was the leaves that were useful against bleeding.

    Once Galen was satisfied with his balm, he carefully cleaned the magpie¡¯s lacerations before applying his product to its wounds. The bird tried to move back as Galen touched its painful belly, but Lucia sternly gestured at it. The bird chattered in a complaining tone, but it let Galen treat its wounds.

    Before going back to his small laboratory, Galen instructed Lucia. ¡°Don¡¯t let the magpie smear the balm or clean it.¡±

    Confident that his fairy wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to his patient, Galen concentrated on the pill. He had a little more than two hours left. Galen needed to go faster. While he hadn¡¯t done this kind of pill before, he had spent a lot of time training each of his skills under his mother¡¯s supervision. He neatly prepared his chosen ingredients ¨C a dozen leaves of feathered nettle, a dozen leaves of fluffy pyrola, some leaves of blue-tinged yarrow, and some leaves of sky-blue bugleweed to reduce pain. The sky-blue bugleweed wasn¡¯t strictly needed, but the youth stubbornly added it to his pill. For his binding agent, he chose the beeswax again. No gestures were wasted, and Galen finished his preparations for the pill with thirty minutes to spare.

    As the pill was baking, Galen checked on the magpie. The superficial lacerations were already scabbed over while the deeper ones showed some signs of scabbing. It was encouraging. Invigorated, Galen began his preparation for the medicinal bath while keeping an eye on the oven. Simply bathing in a river was enough for birds in nature, and ¨C if his memory served him right ¨C it was because layers of a spongy matrix were naturally surrounding each feather¡¯s central shaft. Once this matrix was soaked, it helped the shaft return to its previous straight shape.

    In fact, the boy had seen his mother preparing medicinal bathes enough time ¨C be it for the Caladrius Bird or the Phoenix ¨C that he was quite confident with his preparations. Of course, Tana¡¯s pets were much stronger than the magpie, so Galen couldn¡¯t simply copy his mother¡¯s prescription. However, he knew that plants with water spiritual power were essential as well as ingredients containing keratin to reinforce the feather¡¯s shaft.

    Nevertheless, for the bath to get the minimum efficiency, the magpie would have to stay in it for at least fifteen minutes, though twenty minutes would be better. Time was tight, but it was possible ¨C in fact, if the magpie wasn¡¯t suffering from internal bleeding, three hours were the perfect time for a complete recovery.

    Galen poured hot water in a large basin in advance to better control its temperature. Then, he put into the water a bath bag that contained some marine sage, azure comfrey roots, and sea lavender that he had refined earlier at the same time as the other ingredients. Due to the restricted time, he had to keep things simple.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    With Lucia¡¯s help, Galen protected the deep lacerations to keep them from getting wet with a mixture of beeswax and pine tar he had prepared beforehand. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was the best he could do in such a short time. Finally, he guided the magpie to the bath and manually ensured that the broken feathers were realigned to reduce the time required.

    As he instructed Lucia to supervise the bird to keep it from leaving the bath, Galen hurried to write his report. He began by explaining his diagnosis, being careful to mention the visible and rational clues his talent allowed him to see to discover the internal bleeding. Galen also tried to stay vague about [Insight]. Then, the young pharmacist explained his triple treatment and the synergy he tried to create between the light, water, and air spirit plants in addition to their healing properties.

    The youth was usually very focused when he wrote a report. However, he interrupted his work several times to check on the magpie. He blamed himself for not focusing on his task but couldn¡¯t help himself.

    ¡°Stop fighting against your nature,¡± Lyra commented. ¡°You¡¯re not like Artem.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Galen answered since he was aware that between a patient and a competition, he would always choose his patient. ¡°But if my lack of competitiveness keeps us from evolving the fairies, I won¡¯t forgive myself.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ll feel worse if you don¡¯t heal the Blue-Winged Magpie to the best of your abilities, won¡¯t you?¡± Lyra softly chided him.

    Galen didn¡¯t answer Lyra. He got the magpie out of its bath and carefully dried it. Galen barely finished his report in time. Unfortunately, the young pharmacist had to rush through it, risking losing a few points. Galen put back the magpie into the carrier and stapled his report on it. A staff member brought the carrier away as soon as Galen was done.

    Looking around, Galen noticed he was one of the last contestants to finish. The room was almost empty, with only some dawdlers and staff cleaning or tidying up. Galen bitterly realized that in a healing competition, being the best healer didn¡¯t mean being the fastest. The contestants weren¡¯t judged on their timing but on the quality of their treatment. So, the time given had to be ample enough.

    Galen knew his own skills. Moreover, his mother had trained him so that he was able to act in an emergency. Being among the last ones to finish was another proof that his trial had been messed with.

    ¡°Artem is telling you that he is studying how to survive out of the Cities-States so that you can harvest the spirit plants together,¡± Lyra said in a cheerful voice. Artem had been raking his brain, hoping to cheer his brother up, so the dutiful CSI passed on his ideas. ¡°He¡¯s also reminding you to try to get Lucia to touch all the pets present in the competition.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Lucia will happily take up this mission.¡± Galen forcefully played along as he went back to the main room. The Light Fairy obediently stayed near Galen during the trial, so she took the opportunity to fly around along the way. Artem¡¯s idea sounded more appealing to Galen now that the competition was over and Lucia needed to stretch her wings.

    In the main room, Galen met up with the students from Dascalos High School. Mrs Bousrani frowned at him but didn¡¯t say anything. She still hadn¡¯t forgiven Galen for forcing his way into the competition.

    Galen saw Mahlon and Melanie quietly talking together and decided to leave them to their discussion. He looked for an empty seat next to his classmates and found one next to Amethyst ¨C a mundane girl with deep purple eyes ¨C and Naeem ¨C a mundane boy with olive skin. Both had participated in the healing trial. Naeem was reading a book about pharmaceutics research, and Amethyst was curiously looking at the contestants from other schools. They briefly looked at Galen when he sat down, but they chose to ignore him. Galen didn¡¯t mind.

    He wondered how long they had to wait for the results.

    ¡°The jury will take around one hour and a half to go over everyone¡¯s work,¡± Lyra told him before he could ask Amethyst.

    Galen got more comfortable in his seat. He was tempted to walk around Dahi High School to learn more about their students and equipment, but he didn¡¯t want to give any Yaratilis members a reason to suspect him of anything.

    ¡°Did you learn anything else of interest during the trial?¡± Galen asked Lyra to pass the time.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t eavesdrop anything of interest from Beren.¡± Lyra felt frustrated about it. She sighed. There were a lot of limitations in being a CSI. ¡°I supposed he made his arrangements before the trial.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I¡¯d need a miracle to be among the top three of this competition.¡±

    Lyra didn¡¯t like seeing Galen giving up like this, but she understood his reasoning. She decided to report the little things she noticed in the afternoon. ¡°The beast tamer with a bush was just next to you.¡±

    ¡°Kahlil? Did he have an interesting case?¡± Galen asked to distract himself from his worries.

    ¡°Yes, Kahlil.¡± Lyra took a short time to think over Galen¡¯s question before answering in an annoyed voice. ¡°How do you want me to be able to judge how interesting his case was?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Did he sound excited?¡± Galen smiled a bit as he teased Lyra.

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one I heard muttering!¡± Lyra lied shamelessly. The screens gave the contestants some privacy, and a lot of them muttered swear words or half-forgotten textbook lessons to trigger their memories.

    ¡°Alright, calm down! What did you want to tell me about Kahlil?¡±

    ¡°He used his talent in the trial. I think his talent allows him to make better potions, but I¡¯m not sure what its name is.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very useful for a pharmacist.¡± Nevertheless, Galen believed his [Insight] didn¡¯t lose to it. Since Lyra brought up the subject, the youth asked about the other beast tamers.

    ¡°On your other side was Rachel¡¯s friend, but I didn¡¯t learn much about her. She was very discreet.¡±

    ¡°Her pet looks like a crossbreed between a poppy and a butterfly. I really wonder what its name is.¡±

    ¡°Try to let Lucia touch it later. Talking about pets, I¡¯m almost sure that one of the beast-tamer contestants used his pet to heal his patient.¡±

    ¡°Do you know who?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t catch any name. But he wasn¡¯t as conscientious as you because the invigilator from the Association loudly scolded him.¡±

    Lyra shared some more useless gossip. Bored, Galen called Lucia back to him. Using their hand gestures to communicate, Galen directed her to fly following his orders. He was trying to be stealthy about his gestures. It was good training.

    To avoid attracting too much attention to Lucia, Galen sent her to different parts of the room and only ordered her to touch a pet from time to time. Some people openly expressed disgust when the fairy flew by them, but Galen had already gotten used to it. It didn¡¯t affect him in the least.

    After a while, Lyra was happy to announce that the twins had reached a new threshold in the encyclopedia, winning two new chances to use the shuffle. It lightened Galen¡¯s mood.

    However, as the jury came back to the stage, he became somber again. Lucia obediently came back to sit on his shoulder.

    The dean made another short speech to congratulate everyone for their hard work. Then, he invited everyone to read the contestants'' names, appearing on a screen above the stage. The names were written in order, from the eleventh to the fiftieth. The dean gave everyone some time to look at the list.

    Galen¡¯s hope surged again as he didn¡¯t find his name on it. However, some names surprised him, like Kahlil Howayek, who ended up in the eleventh place. What could have happened for him to be ranked so low?

    Another name that caught Galen¡¯s attention was Safak Yaratilis ¨C surely a cousin of Zeki since the Yaratilis Family was too small to have a minor branch. Galen also recognized several names from Dascalos High School at the top of this list, like Melanie and Naeem. Mrs Bousrani had a pleased smile on her lips, showing her approval.

    ¡°Oh! He¡¯s the one!¡± Lyra suddenly exclaimed.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Safak Yaratilis. He¡¯s the one who used his pet to heal his injured beast. Though, from what I¡¯m hearing, it wasn¡¯t intentional. His notable Yellow-Horned Lark disobeyed him and healed the beast without his consent.¡±

    Galen could only be glad that he had been so firm with Lucia.

    After some time, the dean drew everyone¡¯s attention to him again. He read the names of the ten best contestants, beginning with the tenth one. As their name was called, the contestants had to come to the stage, and the jury would talk to them before giving out a small reward.

    ¡°In the tenth place, Mahlon Ruh with 177 points.¡± Under the audience¡¯s applause, Mahlon came to the stage with his Purple Frog. Beren Yaratilis went forward first to speak in the name of the jury. He congratulated Mahlon for his daring experiment but also cautioned him about its danger. This danger was the main reason he lost points. Galen couldn¡¯t help but shake his head at Mahlon¡¯s recklessness. He always found that it contrasted with the Ruh Family¡¯s reputation for caution.

    While Galen was distracted, several other contestants were called out. The ninth and seventh place were mundane students while the eighth was the girl from Uspeh High School with the rat. When the dean called Amethyst Gataki, who managed to rank in the sixth place, Galen applauded loudly with his fellow students.

    ¡°In the fifth place, Emma Dordevic with 186 points.¡± Watching the girl climbing to the stage, Galen recognized the mundane girl from Uspeh High School. He seemed to be right that these two girls had solid pharmaceutic skills. He would have to keep an eye on them in future competitions.

    ¡°In the fourth place, Galen Eos with 189 points.¡± As he heard his name, Galen felt his heart drop. Fourth place. In a way, it was worse to be just a step away from his goal. Taking a calming breath, the youth went up to the stage.

    The members of the jury were taking turns to talk to the contestants. It just happened to be Beren¡¯s turn again. How could it be a coincidence?

    ¡°Galen, you did good. But you shouldn¡¯t overdo it. You must have wanted to prove yourself, but too much medication can also be harmful.¡±

    ¡°What a hypocrite!¡± Lyra exclaimed as Beren¡¯s went on and explained that using the pill to stop the bleeding from the lacerations wasn¡¯t needed.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t treat the internal bleeding, they would have blamed me for not seeing it.¡± Galen was bitter, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. ¡°Forget it. This time, he thought of every way to block me.¡±

    When Galen looked at the other pharmacists from the jury to check their reactions, they acted as if they didn¡¯t know him, whereas Galen knew some of them thanks to his mother. So Galen meekly took his reward and left the stage.

    It was a box specially made by the Yaratilis Family. It allowed to preserve plants for a long time. The contestants ranked tenth to fourth were allowed to place five ingredients from the first trial inside. Although it was basic ingredients, it was still something.

    Then, Rachel was called. She ranked in the third place with 190 points. Seeing Mahlon¡¯s broad smile, Galen wondered how much of his result was calculated. Rachel wasn¡¯t so highly ranked in the first trial. Galen suddenly suspected that Mahlon had schemed to end up lower than her to prove to his Family that they should have let him study at Dahi High School.

    Jason Makris ¨C a mundane student also from Dahi High School ¨C was ranked second with 191 points. The member of the jury who congratulated him explained how the youth cleverly took care of a complicated case in a simple way. They were obviously proud of him, but Galen felt that Jason deserved it, and he sincerely admired him. Both Rachel and Jason got rewarded with a better quality box and were allowed to choose five plants from the second trial in addition to a monetary price.

    In the first place, without much surprise, was Zeki with 196 points. Listening to the gossip among the audience, Lyra learned a bit about Zeki¡¯s talent. It was a talent worth of the Yaratilis Family¡¯s tradition of creativity. It allowed him to find new ways to treat his patients and helped him create new recipes. Even though Zeki didn¡¯t use it during the first trial, it still gave him an advantage: he had experience using unusual ingredients and adapting on the fly.

    Zeki obtained the right to choose plants from the jury¡¯s personal collections. This was what Galen had been aiming for. These famous pharmacists surely had some spirit plants perfect for the fairies¡¯ evolution. Galen looked on bitterly as Zeki got a list of the spirit plants available to him.

    ¡°What a total circus! The three at the top places are from Dahi High School! And look! Their students are also very present in the top twenty.¡± Lyra ranted a bit while keeping an ear out for interesting gossip. She added, ¡°Ah, even the students from Yahsun High School are complaining. No students from their school are in the top ten.¡±

    Galen ignored Lyra and centered himself. He needed to choose his five plants. Having spent so much time with Mahlon this day and having no hope of obtaining a spirit plant to help with the fairies¡¯ evolution, Galen realized that having a weapon of his own was more important than his Family¡¯s traditions. The youth decided to ask Mahlon about cheap but efficient poison he could easily refine.

    Lyra was concerned. Galen was stuffing all his feelings of frustration and disappointment inside, without any outlet. It was prone to spell a disaster later, but she left Galen alone for now.

 Chapter 22 - Helping

    Artem distractedly watched Marcus leaving the training hall. He waited until the other boy closed the door before checking his connected bracelet. With the network only working inside the school, Galen couldn¡¯t send him any updates. However, students could buy an amplifier to upgrade the range of the connected bracelet. It was ridiculously expensive and still limited to the Center, but the Ruh Family bought it for Anan ¨C although not for Mahlon apparently. Thanks to it, Anan had kept in touch with Artem throughout the day.

    Artem received Anan¡¯s last update during his training with Marcus. It was written in military shorthand, but Artem easily read it.

    ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence,¡± Lyra grumbled.

    ¡°I trust you, Lyra.¡± Artem went to the wood column arrays to train his blocks and parries. Galen and the other pharmacists were on the mini-bus, so he had time. The moves were so ingrained in him that he could use one part of his concentration to answer his CSI, ¡°I have several reasons for doing things like that with Anan.¡±

    ¡°Which are? I don¡¯t understand what you could gain from this. Now, you owe Anan a favor. What for? You know that you can¡¯t trust the Ruh.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but since I know, it isn¡¯t a mistake but a calculated risk. Moreover, only fools would ignore a source of information. Logistics and information gathering have won more wars than force ever did.¡±

    His father had insisted a lot about that, and he had taught Artem how to find reliable information. The few lessons Artem got from his mother were also on this subject, which might explain why he put such importance on it.

    Tana¡¯s lessons included how to bargain with information brokers, so Artem didn¡¯t promise Anan anything disadvantageous for him or his brother. His only obligation was to help them once with carefully specified limitations. Moreover, making these kinds of deals was also a way to build up his network.

    Instead of explaining himself to Lyra, Artem teased her. ¡°What I do understand is that you weren¡¯t sincere this morning. Using Anan was your idea. Were you only indulging me?¡±

    ¡°What if I did?¡± Lyra answered haughtily. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sure your spy doesn¡¯t know what I do!¡±

    ¡°Well? Do tell!¡± Artem said in a haughty tone matching Lyra¡¯s.

    ¡°Not telling!¡± Lyra childishly stuck out her tongue even if Artem couldn¡¯t see her.

    After some back and forth in good humor, Lyra relented. She needed to inform one of the twins, and she didn¡¯t want to hurt Galen with her news.

    When Galen was taking care of his business with Mahlon, Lyra had heard someone talking to Beren after the reward ceremony. From the conversation, she confirmed that Beren Yaratilis had not only manipulated the second trial to give Galen a tricky case, but he had also bought out other members of the jury so that Galen ended up at the fourth place and received no valuable rewards. When the person with Beren had grumbled that they didn¡¯t think it was enough to push down the Eos Family¡¯s heir, Beren had boasted about his scheme. The insufferable man had added that this was altogether more satisfying than keeping Galen from competing.

    Sadly, Lyra understood why he did it. He let Galen have hope before taking it from him at the last moment. Shaking herself from her memories, she told Artem, ¡°Anyway, I think it¡¯s obvious that Beren has hard feelings against the Eos Family, but he isn¡¯t the only one. I didn¡¯t catch his interlocutor¡¯s name, but it sounded like it hadn¡¯t been hard to convince them.¡±

    She could have tried to hide this from Artem too, but the youth had a strange instinct about these kinds of things. He surely would have known that she was hiding something.

    Artem frowned when he heard Lyra¡¯s news. He needed to protect his brother, but what could he do against Beren? Not much in fact. Artem was no schemer, and it was evident that strength wasn¡¯t the answer.

    As he pondered this dilemma, he saw Ayden training. Seeing her gleefully detonating her ¡°spark¡± on moving targets while playing hide and seek on the special training ground ¨C the boy had splurged a bit on the machine, using up the credits he got from his exam¡¯s results ¨C, Artem remembered that one of her evolution called her a Trickster.

    Artem knew a good officer needed to know about strategies like traps, ambushes, and feints. His father had trained him to follow the path of a front-line fighter meant to draw attention to him with his giant pet and lead from the front. Artem¡¯s straightforward way of fighting wasn¡¯t only due to his personality, he was also trained in it.

    However, Artem didn¡¯t have a giant pet, he only got a pet who could be a trickster. That made him question his strategies. He had thought he should switch to tactics more appropriate for a scout or a special operative. Was it possible to keep his role as a front-line fighter while Ayden acted as a skirmisher using ambushes and subterfuge tactics? He had trained her marksman skills since it was one of the basic training for a scout, but she might enjoy this path more.

    To make sure of it, Artem called the Fire Fairy to him. When he shared his thoughts with her, she showed great enthusiasm. A slow smile spread on Artem¡¯s face. He would make it work.

    Lyra refrained from pointing out that fighting sneakily wouldn¡¯t help to face schemers like Beren Yaratilis. She didn¡¯t want to douse Artem¡¯s enthusiasm ¨C from what she had learned about her host¡¯s character, she suspected it was his way of coping with the situation.

    ***

    Artem went to the front of the school on time to welcome Galen back. As the pharmacists climbed down from the bus, Artem politely nodded at Anan. Galen rejoined his brother, and the two boys silently walked through the school.

    Galen guessed Artem was informed about everything that happened during the competition by Lyra and Anan. As the heir, Galen knew about Artem¡¯s training and obligations. Galen still shook his head when Artem didn¡¯t even pretend to ask how it went. But he wasn¡¯t angry. It was so much like his brother that Galen could only smile.

    Though he enjoyed the silence, Galen spoke with Artem about his idea to use poison. Artem took the matter seriously and asked precise questions to understand its advantages and disadvantages to guide and train Galen correctly. The conversation went on as the twins went to eat before going back to their room. Galen sought solace in his brother¡¯s confidence and tried to mirror his optimism by focusing on what he could do instead of dwelling on his failures.

    ***

    On Sunday, Artem kept Galen away from the library and forced him to have a lot of physical activities. Even if Artem didn¡¯t ask about the competition, his training program showed he cared about his brother and wanted to keep him from overthinking. That didn¡¯t keep Galen from feeling frustrated. He had so much to research. Some of his researches were even meant to help train Lucia.

    The Light Fairy had learned the rare skill ¡°light shield¡±, but Galen also had the rare skill ¡°illusion¡± to teach her. The problem was that this rare skill was peculiar, and Galen was unfamiliar with it. Galen wondered if it only used light spiritual element, or if it needed some psychic spiritual element. Moreover, teaching such a skill directly from the rare rank was hard. So Galen wanted to look for common or notable skills that may lead to the rare skill ¡°illusion¡±. However, with Artem¡¯s interference, Galen was stuck in the training hall.

    ¡°Stop moping around!¡± Artem scolded him. ¡°Anyway, Lucia had just learned the ¡®light shield¡¯. You should be training her in it until she mastered its usage instead of rushing to teach her something else.¡±

    Galen had to admit that he was impatient. So he practiced his shield forms while Lucia trained her ¡°light shield¡± and experimented to see if she could replicate some of the forms. Meanwhile, Ayden trained her accuracy, and Artem guided his brother and the fairies through their practices.

    As the twins switched to training their cooperation with their fairies, they suddenly heard the door opening. Glancing over, they saw Crystal haughtily walking toward them. Her Gray Stone Wallaroo was trailing behind her. Its reluctance was obvious.

    Galen and Artem exchanged glances, tacitly agreeing to stay silent. Crystal came to a stop in front of them. She waited for them to greet her until the silence became too awkward.

    Crystal pursed her lips and forged ahead. She raised her head and declared, ¡°I see you¡¯re still arrogant. Well, be glad. I¡¯m allowing you to work with a rare pet instead of wasting away with your common weaklings.¡± She waited for the twins to react, but they maintained their impassibility. She could only clarify her meaning. Once they understood what she meant, she was sure they would be thankful to her. ¡°I¡¯m doing you the favor of letting you train my rare Gray Stone Wallaroo.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s smoking, but she should stop. It¡¯s destroying the few brain cells she got!¡± Lyra exclaimed despite trying to keep quiet as long as the twins.

    ¡°Why would we train your pet?¡± Artem ignored Lyra¡¯s comment and retorted to Crystal with a heavy frown.

    Artem¡¯s question threw the girl off for a bit. Who wouldn¡¯t want to work with a rare pet? Especially when one was forced to make do with a pet as weak and creepy as a fairy. But she understood his meaning when she remembered their monetary situation. ¡°Don¡¯t you need money? I¡¯ll pay you for it.¡±

    Artem flatly refused her. He didn¡¯t even need to think about it.

    ¡°Why are you refusing? You¡¯re tutoring Marcus!¡± Crystal hotly answered.

    ¡°I¡¯m not tutoring Marcus. We¡¯re friends. We¡¯re helping each other,¡± Artem slowly explained as if talking to a simpleton.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± Crystal pointed a finger at Artem and said in an imperious tone, ¡°You¡¯re a tutor, so tutor me too!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to tutor third-year students.¡± Artem saw that Crystal was stubborn, so he repeated himself using his best deadpan voice to show her that she was annoying him. ¡°When I¡¯m with Zane, Marcus, or my brother, we train together. I don¡¯t tutor them.¡±

    Crystal wanted to protest. Artem spoke louder and faster to keep her from answering. ¡°Moreover, I don¡¯t train pets, I train students in fighting skills. I doubt you want to learn how to fight.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Crystal clenched her teeth in anger. Why were the twins always demeaning her? Before she could find a way to retort, Artem went on. ¡°If you are looking for a Beast Trainer, you should speak to Naila. It¡¯s the career she chose.¡±

    ¡°You just don¡¯t want to help me.¡± Crystal accused Artem, but she also looked at Galen. He was supposed to be the more reasonable twin, but he hadn¡¯t said anything.

    ¡°We don¡¯t, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I can¡¯t,¡± Artem answered while Galen kept quietly looking at them.

    Crystal saw Galen¡¯s indifferent eyes. He wouldn¡¯t help her convince his twin. She wanted to scream in frustration, but it would only damage her image further. She struggled to control her emotions to leave the room in a hurry. The Gray Stone Wallaroo looked at the twins without moving until Crystal screeched at it to follow her. She slammed the door on her way out.

    ¡°She¡¯s doing it on purpose, right?¡± Lyra said afterward. ¡°She can¡¯t be that stupid.¡±

    ¡°I think she is,¡± Artem said unkindly.

    ¡°You think she was sincerely asking you to train her pet?¡± Lyra didn''t like how the girl was treating her wallaroo so she wondered if Crystal was doing it for her pet or her pride.

    ¡°She¡¯s a schemer, but she has no subtlety,¡± Artem answered, recalling when she had tried to use Orsella. ¡°What I¡¯m wondering is why she¡¯s always around on Sundays. Isn¡¯t she living outside of the school?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Galen said. ¡°I think Zane told me that most beast-tamer students rent a room at the school dorm to use the facilities more easily. Crystal might be from a rich household, but she is a first-generation beast tamer. I doubt they have any training equipment at home.¡±

    Artem thought quietly for a moment. When he remembered who had sat next to Crystal during his fight with Orsella, he added, ¡°She became quite close with Cecelia. I don¡¯t remember them speaking with each other before.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. That might be because they united in their hate for us,¡± Galen mused. He wondered if they should be more wary of Cecelia.

    ¡°Or they¡¯re roommates!¡± Lyra chirped. She didn¡¯t want to think about Crystal since seeing her behavior frustrated the CSI, but Lyra would make an exception if she could entertain the twins by making fun of the girl. ¡°Maybe even lovers!¡±

    ¡°Cecelia is just coping with her father¡¯s death.¡± Galen scolded Lyra. ¡°We can¡¯t hold that against her.¡±

    ¡°Whatever!¡± Lyra dismissed Galen¡¯s comment, giving up on trying to be funny. ¡°You better go back to your training. Your reservation time is coming to a close.¡±

    Artem agreed with Lyra. Crystal wasn¡¯t worth their time.

    ***

    The twins went back to their routine the following week. Like he had planned, Galen spent most of his free time in the library. He quickly finished researching the roots and mushrooms that could be used for the fairies¡¯ super-evolution.

    Galen had given up on trees since they were too expensive and bothersome. Trees naturally took a long time to grow, but it was worse for spirit trees. They required a lot of cares until they produced fruits and any other parts that could be harvested, and the harvests were few and far between.

    That was one of the reasons their price was very high. The second reason was that the Louloudi Family had recognized this business opportunity early on. Now, they had a monopoly on spirit tree cultivation and a lot of precious spirit plant cultivation in Olympia. With the precarious situation of the Eos Family, Galen didn¡¯t want to depend on the goodwill of one Family to get the required ingredients.

    After careful studies and considerations, Galen concluded that using only spirit flowers might be best. Nevertheless, he wanted to cover all possibilities. So Galen decided to add some roots with earth spiritual element to his selection for Ayden. Galen played it safe since he couldn¡¯t determine if air or water was more appropriate for the Autumn Court, but he was sure that earth was fitting. Indeed, Autumn was the season for hunting and harvesting, which meant taking food from the earth. That fitted nicely with Ayden¡¯s and Artem¡¯s path as hunters.

    Despite wanting the best ingredients like the twice-revived bitterroot, Galen ignored the roots and plants from far-away Cities-States regions. He focused on those more accessible, like the breathy dark licorice that had some earth and air spiritual elements. After careful comparison, Galen found two roots that shouldn¡¯t lower the quality of the pill.

    Galen selected the root of the earthy sun-soaked topinambour because it had fire and earth spiritual elements, was harvested in the right season, and was easy to get in the Mediterranean Cities-States region. His second choice was the root of the invigorating maroon chicory. Not only was it used for food, but it was also an ingredient recognized for medicinal purposes. Harvested in Autumn, this root seemed even more fitting to Ayden¡¯s ever-lasting energy.

    For Lucia, Galen studied in more detail several mushrooms. Despite his interest in the honey-crowned bulbous cep for its luminescence and strong vitality, it had an earth spiritual aspect that Galen wasn¡¯t keen to use for his Light Fairy. In the same way, Galen felt that the shadowy war-helmet trumpet didn¡¯t have enough light spiritual element and was too dangerous. So he turned his attention to the sunset-lilac mycena. This mushroom produced a purple light that shined more brightly at dusk. This indicated spiritual elements of light and shadow. It was also known for being linked to the psychic spiritual element. Moreover, it was from the Baltic Cities-States region. The fact that it came from a place near Avalon encouraged Galen to believe he was on the right track, even though he added only one mushroom to his list of ingredients for Lucia.

    With that, Galen had his main target ingredients, as well as backup ingredients for the super-evolution pill. The troublesome part would be procuring these ingredients. Galen missed his Family¡¯s gardens. The Eos Family actually had two of them. The first one was under the care of the minor branch of the Family and contained the plants his mother and the other pharmacists from the Family often used to equip their members with basic potions and evolution pills.

    The second one was Tana Eos¡¯s private garden. The spirit plants inside were so precious and delicate that none of the twins had ever been allowed inside. Tana had made a deal with the Louloudi Family to tend and nurture them. As things stood, Galen wasn¡¯t sure that the Beast Tamer Association allowed the Louloudi Family to fulfill their obligations.

    Galen didn¡¯t know which spirit plants were in his mom¡¯s garden, but he was sure that they were at least rare or higher-grade spirit plants. Galen felt pain at the thought that the plants might die because the Association didn¡¯t properly take care of them.

    The youth considered contacting the Louloudi Family to ask them about his Family¡¯s garden. However, he didn¡¯t have the money to pay them to carry on with the deal, and Tana had long warned her son about this Family. They were part of the Balkan Families, so they were technically allies, but they valued business much more than politics.

    So it all went back to their lack of money. Galen knew how to super-evolve his fairy, but he couldn¡¯t do it because he was too poor to afford it. It was a new feeling for a young master like him. Several feelings battled in him ¨C frustration, sadness, discouragement ¨C until Lyra interrupted him.

    ¡°I see you need a new quest,¡± Lyra said in an exaggerated, wise tone. ¡°Let¡¯s see what I¡¯ve got. Hmm, I suppose it¡¯s time to look at the coordinates your parents left with the recipe. Want me to make it a system announcement?¡±

    As usual, Lyra was right. His mom had promised to help them, so the twins had to have faith in her preparations. Asking Lyra to read to him the notes she took for him, Galen began to work on identifying which place the coordinates referred to. It rapidly became obvious that the numbers given didn¡¯t lead to real coordinates.

    This left Galen at a loss for a time. He switched gear and searched for anything he might have missed to decipher the coordinates as the cipher he got from Melia¡¯s account book wasn¡¯t enough. This left him quite busy for the whole week.

    Lyra forced him to take breaks from time to time, arguing that if he didn¡¯t take his mind off his problem, he would become narrow-minded and miss a solution. Galen did it by going over every information about renowned spirit plants gardens around the Baltic and Mediterranean Cities-States despite Lyra¡¯s grumbling that this wasn¡¯t what she had meant.

    Galen argued that this was his hobby. The fact that he hoped to find some places where the twins could acquire the spirit plants needed for their fairies by using unusual channels was just a bonus.

    This time, Galen chose an old diary written by a mundane pharmacist who liked to travel around for his pleasure during his downtime. This man¡¯s hobbies laid in botany and long walks in parks and gardens since going on a trek outside a City-State was particularly unwise for him. Galen quite enjoyed the book because his mother had recommended it to him. She had said that she had found the man¡¯s comments amusing and his description of the gardens accurate. Each garden was accompanied by realistic drawings done by the pharmacist.

    As he was browsing the book, Galen admired the drawings. The gardens were beautifully reproduced. Lyra couldn¡¯t understand what there was to look at. It was just some pictures.

    She was bored out of her mind. Artem was tutoring some spoiled, first-year student, and Galen wasn¡¯t doing anything interesting. She looked around the library mindlessly. Her gaze stopped when she noticed Silas and his nymph.

    The boy had been coming to the library at the same time as Galen the whole week. Of course, Lyra had warned her hosts about him. The twins had judged Silas harmless, but Lyra didn¡¯t like seeing him lurking around Galen. She turned her attention to her host. Feeling his quiet contentment, she refused to stress him with another warning. Her being watchful was enough.

    Bored again, she let her gaze fall on the garden pictures, searching for anything that could grab her attention.

    ¡°What are these small numbers under the pictures?¡±

    ¡°These should be the picture references,¡± Galen answered distractedly without glancing at the numbers.

    ¡°But they¡¯re not in numerical order.¡± Lyra looked some more and blurted out, ¡°Don¡¯t they look like coordinates?¡±

    ¡°No, they -¡±

    Galen cut himself off as his mind caught up with what Lyra had said. He was on the page for a famous ornamental and medicinal garden in Olympia. Galen was quite familiar with it because the pharmacist elective class had went on several field trips there over the years. It was quick work to check the actual coordinates of the place.

    They didn¡¯t match the numbers under the picture. Was the author using another system? Were these a string of random numbers? Galen refused to believe so. There was a mystery there.

    Coordinates depended on the center chosen. Intrigued, Galen checked several gardens in a row. All the numbers written were different from the actual coordinates. Feeling that he might be on a lead, Galen hurriedly checked all the garden pictures from the diary, looking for a string of numbers matching the ones left by his parents. And there, he found them under the picture of the Hanging Gardens of the City-State of Babylonia.

    ¡°You can thank me whenever you feel like it!¡± Lyra said smugly. ¡°We only take cash. Please proceed to the counter to pay up!¡±

    Galen was too astonished to respond to Lyra¡¯s nonsense. His feeling of accomplishment was toned down by the realization that this wasn¡¯t good news. He had to speak with his brother.

    Galen organized his findings and shared them with Artem in the comfort and apparent privacy of their room. While Lyra could ensure that there were no beasts listening in on them, they still wasn¡¯t sure about their connected bracelet.

    Galen concluded with the discovery of the day. ¡°It¡¯s pointing us toward the Hanging Gardens, but as minors, we won¡¯t be able to go the City-State of Babylonia.¡±

    Artem stayed quiet, digesting his brother¡¯s news and ignoring Lyra, who was demanding recognition.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have one opportunity to go there. The New Year Party is in Babylonia this year, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Artem was talking about the party organized each year to gather all the Families of the Mediterranean Cities-States region. All the heads and the heirs were supposed to go. It was a big event. Galen had been going with his parents since he had turned fifteen.

    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to go.¡± Galen saw his brother¡¯s frown, so he added, ¡°It feels too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°If you go alone, yes. But with me to protect you, it should be manageable.¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t allow you inside.¡± Galen had become quite cynical since his parents¡¯ death.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re technically the head now. Since you have no child, I¡¯m your heir. So they should let me in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not officially the head yet. And I¡¯ve more than one reason to not go. The Third Elder¡¯s schemes, for instance. Or more importantly: the two of us alone are not enough to guarantee our survival.¡±

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯ll be there too!¡± Lyra interjected.

    ¡°Well, since the New Year Party is in January, we have time to prepare ourselves.¡± Artem continued to counter his brother, keeping his calm and logic. ¡°I also think that Dad and Mum wouldn¡¯t leave us something impossible to get. They knew we¡¯d still be minors.¡±

    ¡°Or there is another layer in this information you have yet to decipher,¡± Lyra mused. Wasn¡¯t that often used in spy¡¯s movies?

    ¡°I see where you¡¯re going with this,¡± Galen answered. However, Artem and Lyra didn¡¯t relieve his worries. ¡°It¡¯s true that even if we somehow got to Babylonia, the access to the Hanging Gardens is quite restrictive.¡±

    ¡°You got a lead?¡± Artem asked his brother, confident in both his parents¡¯ plan and his brother¡¯s skills to decipher their intention.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Galen smiled to hide his despondency. ¡°But like you said, we have time until the New Year Party.¡±

 Chapter 23 - About luck

    By the last week of October, Galen relented on his work about the fairies¡¯ super-evolution. The pharmacists¡¯ competition had revealed a scheme from a supposed ally through Beren Yaratilis¡¯s behavior. Since it had impacted the twins¡¯ way of getting the ingredients needed for the fairies, Galen switched targets again. It now seemed more appropriate to search for how to distinguish the traitors from the trustworthy allies their mother told them about.

    Remembering how to identify loyal members of the Triad, Galen looked for images of the Claddagh ring. It was composed of three elements, and after the complexity of the clues about the fairies¡¯ super-evolution, Galen didn¡¯t believe that the whole of the ring was the symbol he was looking for. However, he couldn¡¯t determine if the ally symbol was the heart, the crown, the holding hands, or something else.

    After pondering what he could do, Galen decided to find the meaning of each part of the ring. The most obvious was the crown. It stood for royalty but also for loyalty. Since the symbol¡¯s purpose was to help identify loyalists, it was an appropriate element. The heart generally represented love. Galen couldn¡¯t understand why it would be used for the rallying symbol. As for the holding hands, Galen found out they symbolized friendship. However, Galen felt doubtful again. Agents were colleagues, not friends. What was the link between these three elements?

    Galen read basic descriptions and presentations about the ring. What he learned made him uncomfortable: the Claddagh ring was from an Old World¡¯s sunken country. The people from this country, named Ireland at the time, had almost all been decimated in the early years after the Calamity. The few who had survived had migrated to the West, to the Baltic Cities-States region. Galen didn¡¯t like that it was this region again. Something had to be happening there. But what?

    Moreover, the Baltic Cities-States and the Mediterranean Cities-States regions weren¡¯t on good terms. It made no sense that a symbol supposed to rally their trustful allies came from a rival region.

    Unsatisfied with the answers he got, Galen dug some more. Finally, the youth found some ancient texts talking about the origin of the Claddagh ring. It had first been a plain ring called the Fede ring, only composed of holding hands. On this ring, the hands meant faith. It symbolized trust, so Galen thought it might be the true lead. Moreover, the Fede ring was from Italy. It was also a sunken country, but its survivors had migrated to the Mediterranean Cities-States region.

    Nevertheless, Galen was still confused. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was stupid for spies to wear a rallying sign. Galen needed more clues or more data. To clear his mind, he shared his doubts with Lyra. Trying to be helpful, Lyra reread the messages and reminded Galen that the Claddagh ring was only mentioned as an inspiration.

    So, Galen hypothesized he might need to look for a combination of three symbols like the Claddagh ring. Three like the three Cities-States forming a region. Three like the Triad. It seemed fitting. Combining the information he had gathered, Galen liked the idea that the holding hands ¨C through the Fede ring ¨C stood for Olympia. Indeed, it was the City-State with the most Italian descendants, such as Marcus Mazza, Cecilia Caputo, or Emilio Fava.

    If it was true, Galen needed to find the symbols standing for Babylonia and Men-nefer in place of the crown and the heart. The only other information in the message was the second set of coordinates. It seemed logical that it would lead to the other two symbols. Galen first checked if they were real coordinates, but as he expected, they weren¡¯t.

    Hoping that the solution he found for the first set of coordinates would work too, Galen looked into the previous book for a garden picture with the same series of numbers without any results. After thinking about it, Galen admitted that it wasn¡¯t surprising since these coordinates shouldn¡¯t lead to a garden.

    ¡°Could it be possible to find a correspondence between the real coordinates and the numbers under the illustrations to decipher the coordinates for the second clue?¡± Lyra suggested.

    ¡°You mean I should use the pharmacist¡¯s old diary to deduce a cipher key working with any coordinates? Yes, it¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    Galen got to work. After some difficulties, Galen finally discovered these coordinates lead to a ziggurat in the City-State of Babylonia. Since the Hanging Gardens and the ziggurat were both about archaic stories and myths from the Old World, Galen dug into these myths and the story of the City-State of Babylonia. Galen wanted to find out if there was a link between these two places.

    Galen learned the ziggurat wasn¡¯t a place of prayers, but an HQ for the Agency. Each City-State was built after cities from the Old World. The cities chosen held deep mystical and religious values on the chance to obtain the Old Gods¡¯ protection. So this ziggurat was heavily decorated in honor of Marduk, an important Mesopotamian god who had been the original Babylonia¡¯s protector. Nevertheless, since faith was prone to lead to conflicts, and humans couldn¡¯t afford to be divided against the Abyss monsters, the Triad prohibited any official religions.

    However, knowing this didn¡¯t help Galen. The youth didn¡¯t know in which direction to search from there. He read some more books but soon gave up. Galen finally gathered all his findings and returned to his room to share his knowledge with his brother. He hoped Artem, with his instinct, could suggest a direction.

    Artem listened attentively to his brother. He stayed silent for a while until he said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe our parents would lead us to a place we can¡¯t reach. They must have anticipated that we couldn¡¯t travel to the City-State of Babylonia before the winter break.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying¡­?¡±

    ¡°These two places ¨C the Hanging Garden and the ziggurat decorated with Marduk statues and paintings ¨C must correspond to places here in the City-State of Olympia. Places we can access without too much trouble.¡±

    Galen¡¯s mind fervently went over everything he knew about these places. Confusedly, some ideas began to take form. ¡°Marduk makes me think of Zeus. Both are masters of thunder and govern the other gods. And the original Olympia had one of the seven wonders: the Statue of Zeus.¡±

    ¡°But there is no temple or statue of Zeus in the City-State of Olympia.¡±

    ¡°No, but we have another important monument dedicated to a Family who specialized in thunder: the Apemios Family¡¯s Memorial.¡±

    Artem remembered what he knew about the Apemios Family. This Family had been the leader of the Balkan Families before the Kranos Family at the time of the foundation of the City-State of Olympia. These early days had been quite dangerous, and the Apemios Family had been at the front, defending against the Abyss monsters restlessly until the whole Family had died on the battlefield, sacrificing themselves for the people of Olympia.

    A colossal monument had been erected in commemoration of this Family. It was in the Center and towered above the other buildings. The names of the dead from these fatal battles were engraved on its main obelisk. On the surrounding headstone, underneath the names of the Apemios Family¡¯s members, were the names of all the beast tamers and mundanes who had died with them to push back the Abyss monsters while the City-State was built. Over the years, the names of all combatants who died fighting Abyss monsters had also been added there.

    Galen was right. If the ziggurat featuring Marduk stood as a protector of Babylonia, the Apemios Family¡¯s Memorial was its equivalent in Olympia. Moreover, it was a public place easily accessible. The tradition had died down in the past years because of the lack of attacks from the Abyss monsters, but people still came to pay their respects to the dead.

    ¡°Should we fill out a school leave permit form for this weekend?¡± Artem asked, already mentally adjusting their training plan to allow for a visit to the Memorial.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a field trip with the professional combat elective class this weekend?¡± The professional combat elective class organized a field trip once a month. Galen had heard some students mentioning that their next trip to a Beast Tamer Association¡¯s training camp was on the first Saturday of November.

    Thinking of Artem¡¯s classmates, Galen frowned. He remembered how Artem had been bullied on his first field trip.

    ¡°I used the rules you told me about to refuse to go.¡±

    Galen glanced sharply at his brother. Artem sat quietly like it didn¡¯t affect him at all. So, Galen changed his line of inquiry. ¡°How did Mr Tawil react?¡±

    ¡°No problem. Like you said, they can¡¯t force me. I didn¡¯t even need to mention the Nebe law.¡± Artem shrugged indifferently. ¡°So, are we going?¡±

    ¡°Lyra?¡± Galen thought to the CSI, ignoring Artem¡¯s question for now.

    ¡°Mr Tawil just reminded Artem of the loss of credits and confirmed his decision.¡± Lyra easily understood what Galen wanted to know. ¡°You know how stubborn your brother is once he makes a decision. Anyway, it¡¯s nothing compared to what Crystal or the Jamra boys did. It¡¯s just an extracurricular activity for an elective.¡±

    Appeased, Galen thought over his brother¡¯s suggestion. ¡°I¡¯d rather confirm some information first so that we don¡¯t make a wasted trip.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t go this week, we won¡¯t be able to go before the third week of November.¡±

    Galen didn¡¯t remember anything important they had to do. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Artem looked weirdly at his brother. ¡°Did you forget about the third-year school festival? We¡¯ll be busy with it for at least two weeks. That¡¯s why the professional combat field trip is this weekend, whereas it hasn¡¯t been a month yet since the last field trip.¡±

    Galen smiled sheepishly at his brother. Dascalos High School wanted its students to have practical skills and knowledge. As such, a big event was traditionally organized for the first-year students in May once the new students were acclimated to the school, and in March for the second-year students to let them work freely on their finals afterward. The festival for third-year students was held in November because they had many exams and competitions to prepare for Uni later in the year.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°How could you forget?¡± Artem scolded his brother. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to keep yourself informed of these kinds of things! Everyone is speculating about the tasks we¡¯ll be given.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t speak much with Zane this week.¡± Galen paused and added, a bit disgruntled. ¡°And I don¡¯t wish to use him like that.¡±

    Artem didn¡¯t say anything but somberly looked at his brother. Galen sighed. He knew his duties took precedence over his feelings. However, the twins had very few friends, and Galen didn¡¯t want to mistreat Zane because of his Family¡¯s problems.

    The twins finally decided to go to the Memorial on Saturday, which left Galen two days to look for more information. The monument was in the Center, so the twins only requested an afternoon leave.

    ***

    On Saturday morning, Benjiro came to find the twins at the library. Galen was brushing up his knowledge of Greek and Mesopotamian mythology. Artem saw Benjiro first and stood up to prevent the boy from interrupting Galen.

    ¡°There¡¯s a letter for you.¡± Benjiro gave the letter to his Air Butterfly. The pet used his forelegs and a bit of air spiritual power to deliver the letter to Artem. Artem nodded in approval of Benjiro training his pet while doing his duty as a scholarship student. The other boy nodded back politely and left to continue his distribution.

    The letter was addressed to Galen, but Artem opened it knowing his brother wouldn¡¯t mind. Artem¡¯s mood darkened as he read the letter.

    ¡°That¡¯s one stubborn old man,¡± Lyra commented.

    Artem ignored Lyra¡¯s comment to point out his doubt. ¡°How did he learn we asked for a leave this afternoon?¡±

    Lyra didn¡¯t have an answer. She hadn¡¯t thought of the implications. Worried, she wanted to help by being more aware of her surroundings. However, she was only using the passive field of her talent. She could make herself more receptive to it but couldn¡¯t control it. She had vowed never to use her active talent, so she didn''t linger on her frustration and concentrated on what she was hearing.

    Once Galen noted down some pieces of information he found valuable, he raised his head and noticed Artem¡¯s mood. His brother passed him the letter. Galen kept silent after he read the letter, thinking of a solution.

    ¡°Let¡¯s cancel our leave. I don¡¯t want to risk anyone following us to the monument, and I don¡¯t see how we¡¯re going to shake off Elder Nicholas if we leave the school grounds.¡±

    The Third Elder explained in the letter that he would wait for Galen at the school entrance. Seemingly considerate, he was coming over and proposing to accompany them after signing the papers since it would only take a few minutes. They could catch up on the way.

    ¡°We knew there was a risk when we filled out the form,¡± Artem said to remind his brother that it wasn¡¯t unexpected.

    The permit form required the students to write down a time, a purpose, and a destination. The twins had easily lied on the paper to mislead their enemies. However, it was different if someone untrustworthy came with them.

    ¡°We did, but spies would have kept their distance. Elder Nicholas won¡¯t, and I don¡¯t want to go head to head with him yet.¡±

    Moreover, Galen wanted to know first how the Third Elder had learned about their outing. Did he have an informant in the school staff? Was he collaborating with the spies using the insect? Was the dean directly giving him information? There were too many possibilities, and none was good news.

    ¡°I agree with your decision.¡± Lyra didn¡¯t want to feed the twins¡¯ paranoia, but she felt it was her duty to share what she was hearing. ¡°There¡¯s another insect around.¡±

    The boys tensed. However, they stayed calm and didn¡¯t look around. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem. It sounds like a butterfly, but it¡¯s not Benjiro¡¯s. Moreover, it sounds muffled but more profound. It¡¯s strange.¡±

    Artem stretched his neck to look around casually. ¡°Benjiro¡¯s done with his distribution. I don¡¯t see him in the library.¡±

    Lyra huffed in irritation. ¡°I told you it wasn¡¯t Benjiro¡¯s!¡±

    Galen closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. Another insect meant another spy, didn¡¯t it? It was better to consider the worst. Just how many people were watching the twins?

    Lyra worried as she felt Galen¡¯s turmoil. She believed he needed to act to keep his worries at bay. ¡°What are going to say to the old man?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just going to ignore him for as long as I can,¡± Galen faintly whispered. The youth hid his frustration. He had a lot of other things to research and to work on. He wouldn¡¯t waste his time on what he couldn¡¯t control.

    Artem nodded firmly. ¡°This will give us more time to train rare skills. The more we have, the more paths will open for our fairies.¡±

    Galen smiled at his brother¡¯s eagerness, his optimism becoming less forced.

    ***

    True to their words, the twins trained a lot during the weekend and the following week. Artem was seeing Marcus twice a week and was confident that Ayden would learn the rare skill ¡°heat detection¡± before the festival.

    Meanwhile, Galen listened to Artem¡¯s advice and helped Lucia master her skill ¡°light shield¡±. Using the tips from the encyclopedia, Galen trained her to improve with faster deployment, better coverage, and more efficient blockage.

    The youth was also thinking about how to evolve the skill. Since Galen wanted Lucia to be versatile, the shield needed some offensive aspect. So he couldn¡¯t blindly follow the encyclopedia¡¯s instructions to evolve the ¡°light shield¡± into the epic ¡°light barrier¡±.

    However, what Artem was teaching Galen about shields wasn¡¯t easily applicable because Lucia¡¯s shield was made of light and so intangible. Moreover, the damages were absorbed before they landed, so Lucia couldn¡¯t use moves needing kinetic force and inertia, like bounce.

    As Galen was brainstorming ideas, he thought back to Moses and his elemental. He excitedly talked with Lucia about how she could try to hold the adsorbed damage to reflect them at the enemies. However, they soon realized it wasn¡¯t possible. Indeed, the ¡°light shield¡± became unstable the more damage it adsorbed until it became brittle and broke.

    To find a solution, Galen read as many books as Lucia. The notion of absorbing made him think about photosynthesis. He noted the idea of experimenting on how Lucia could exploit this aspect of light to reinforce her shield and keep it from shattering.

    Galen wanted Lucia to develop a reflexive shield. However, was it possible? From what Lucia explained to him, dawn light was better for healing and nurturing, sunlight was better when using ¡°glow¡± and overcharging it, and moonlight was best for defense. Could there be other types of light she should experiment with? Like starlight or dusk light? Unsure, Galen thought of ways to give the shield a different propriety.

    As Galen was muttering about what offensive aspect of light could be used, Lucia listened to him attentively. She had experimented by herself with different types of lights. The fairy had also successfully combined two skills once. She was developing her mind and was determined to improve. So, the Light Fairy got her own idea about how to evolve her skill.

    Galen was brought back from his thoughts by flashes of light. Lucia was overcharging her common skill ¡°glow¡±. With a start, Galen realized the fairy was training again to get the light bomb he had described to her. The boy was mildly surprised because Lucia never gave up when working on a problem.

    Lucia had been diligently training with Ayden throughout October. She felt that she was near an achievement on that front. She persevered until she managed to produce a blinding explosion of light.

    ¡°Achievement! The first evolved skill! The notable skill ¡®flash¡¯ uses sunlight to create a small blinding explosion of light. Depending on the mastery of the skill, it has a chance of blinding the target for a longer duration. As a reward, you get to choose one skill for your pet or one feature for the inner world to redeem from the pieces present in your inventory.¡±

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it a shuffle like for the ¡®light shield¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ah, now you want to get more shuffle! How hypocritical of you! Who was the one complaining and dissing my shuffle as a useless thing?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be petty! You know Artem needs a rare or notable fire skill compatible with Ayden to redeem!¡±

    Their last use of the shuffle was when the twins obtained the 30<sup>th</sup> entries of the encyclopedia, but their gain had been lacking: a piece of the common skill ¡°slap¡± and the entry for the notable White Bat.

    ¡°You got two redeem rights. Why not use one on a feature? Your inner world is so empty!¡±

    ¡°Give me a piece of the fields, and I¡¯ll redeem this feature. I might be able to grow the spirit plants we need on it.¡±

    Galen was waiting for Lyra to pursue their banter, but she replied solemnly, ¡°Galen, I warned you when you chose the ¡®Warehouse¡¯. The rewards you passed up won¡¯t easily appear again.¡±

    ¡°Easily is a vague word.¡± Galen didn¡¯t like how serious Lyra sounded. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You have a 1% chance to draw a piece of the skills or features you didn¡¯t choose as a reward.¡±

    Galen couldn¡¯t blame Lyra. She did warm them, but Galen hadn¡¯t taken the full measure of the warning. He would have to talk about it with Artem.

    Lucia noticed her tamer¡¯s mood. She flew in front of his face to draw his attention. The Light Fairy had an idea and wanted to show it to him. Once Galen looked at her, she tried to combine the skills ¡°flash¡± and ¡°light shield¡±. Galen exclaimed once again at his fairy¡¯s intelligence. This combination was an excellent idea, but it looked extremely difficult. Lucia couldn¡¯t force the two skills to approach each other.

    Galen pondered on the problem. ¡°Could it be impossible because one uses moonlight and the other sunlight?¡±

    Lucia thought about it too. When she had combined ¡°glow¡± with ¡°heal¡±, one used dawn light and the other sunlight. How was it different? She signed her question to Galen. Their communication was still basic, but the twins had found a book on sign language. All of them were learning it, and Ayden was especially enthusiastic about it.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Galen suddenly exclaimed. ¡°It might be because dawn light is still sunlight.¡±

    ¡°Well, moonlight is sunlight too. It¡¯s just a reflection of it.¡±

    Galen felt that Lyra was right. It reinforced his desire to evolve the ¡°light shield¡± into a reflexive shield. Using this idea as a base, he explained to Lucia why the moon shined in the night. Once she understood her tamer¡¯s explanation, she wanted to try again to combine the two skills.

    ¡°No, Lucia, not today. Artem is right to say that you need to master a skill before trying to combine or evolve them. We shouldn¡¯t be too hasty, or we¡¯ll hurt your foundation.¡±

    Though she was frustrated, Lucia understood the reasoning. She stopped trying to combine ¡°flash¡± and ¡°light shield¡± to train her most recent skill. She reasoned that if she knew more about each skill, it would be easier to combine them.

    ***

    By the end of the first week of November, Ayden had learned the rare skill ¡°heat detection¡± thanks to Marcus¡¯s Magma Tortoise. Artem got three shuffles, making the twins understand it was the fixed reward for their pet learning its first rare skill.

    Artem used them, hoping to obtain a skill suitable for his Fire Fairy. The twins had two redeem rights, but Artem was focused on the skill he wished for. On his first try, the young combatant got the entry for the notable Bearded Boar. On the second try, he got a second piece of the ¡°Fountain of Fortune¡±.

    Artem frowned at his result. ¡°Are you trying to tell me that I should rely on luck and redeem the ¡®Fountain of Fortune¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s random! It¡¯s not my fault if you¡¯re unlucky!¡±

    Artem shook his head in helplessness and used his last shuffle. He got the entry for the notable Red Thorn. ¡°Be honest, Lyra. You¡¯re messing with me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Lyra refuted him in a righteous tone. ¡°I¡¯m telling you you¡¯re unlucky!¡±

    Shoshana Linden, one of their beast-tamer classmates, had a Red Thorn. Artem was currently working on getting the pets¡¯ entries from their classmates for the challenge of it. Thanks to that, the twins had recently obtained the fortieth entry of the encyclopedia and got two shuffles. With these, they got the entry for the notable Rumbling Pig and one piece of the ¡°Watch Tower¡± feature. Artem was still missing a few pets, and among them, mostly the water and plant pets, which were often training apart. Getting the Red Thorn entry now through a shuffle felt like a waste.

    Feeling challenged, Artem narrowed his eyes. He would get a fire skill suitable for Ayden out of this shuffle thing without redeeming the ¡°Fountain of Fortune¡±. The first step toward his goal was to get fifty entries for the encyclopedia and obtain two more shuffles. Oozing stubbornness, Artem planned how to touch the remaining unrecorded pets from his class.

    Lyra had mixed feelings. She wanted her hosts to take up the challenges and missions she gave them. Seeing Artem so serious about it was a rewarding feeling, but she had designed them as entertaining features. She doubted Artem was having fun doing her challenge.

 Chapter 24 - Distasteful tasks

    Galen gloomily looked at Miles leaving the library. The Third Elder''s insistence to meet with him was becoming annoying, and chasing away Miles with plausible excuses each time he came to bother Galen took too much of his time.

    His sour mood was worsened by his recent setbacks. Galen had completed his research about fraud and trials. His goal had been to advance on at least one front since the twins were otherwise hindered. However, Galen was both glad and frustrated with his discoveries. He knew exactly which paperwork to use and which procedure to follow to prove his mother¡¯s innocence. But for that, he needed to use the Caladrius Bird¡¯s body as proof.

    The body was still in the ¡°Warehouse¡±. Galen had discreetly made a special incense to help keep the decomposition at bay since the ¡°Warehouse¡±¡¯s tier was too low to put the body and the Phoenix egg in metastasis. The youth changed the incense regularly.

    Galen also took care of the egg once a week, with Artem taking measures to hide what they were doing. It was risky to bring it out of the ¡°Warehouse¡±, but the twins had no choice. The Phoenix could survive eternally in harsh environments even as an egg. Nevertheless, an egg needed to be nourished to hatch. Moreover, the twins feared the Phoenix would become estranged from the Eos Family if they didn¡¯t take care of it as they should.

    However, it was different for the body. The Caladrius Bird was too big to be taken out discreetly, so Galen couldn¡¯t use the most efficient ointments against decay. The incense was a poor solution.

    Seeing their dilemma, Lyra had told the twins to leave it to her. The CSI had fuddled with her system limitations and programming until she combined the spiritual power of the inner world and the spiritual energy emanating from the Phoenix egg. The Phoenix spiritual energy had an immortal aspect that Lyra managed to harvest in meager quantity: it was enough to keep the Caladrius Bird¡¯s body in a relatively fresh state.

    Thanks to that, the body was preserved well enough to be used as proof against Tana Eos¡¯s accusations. However, the twins couldn¡¯t reveal they had retrieved the Caladrius Bird¡¯s body. If they did, their enemies would suspect they also had the Phoenix egg.

    The joy of finding how to defend his mother, followed by the realization that he couldn¡¯t use it left Galen depressed and frustrated. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that each time he was reaching for a solution or an improvement, something came to rob him of it. Unable to contain himself, he complained and confided in his CSI.

    Lyra frowned. Beren Yaratilis¡¯s wish to burden Galen with negative emotions was coming true. She had to push her host in the right direction. Looking for an idea, Lyra shuffled through the bits of conversation she was hearing in the library. She stopped to consider one of them.

    ¡°Apparently, one of the main activities during the Festival will take place outside of the City-State of Olympia. This could be a good opportunity to harvest spirit plants. The old man won¡¯t follow you on a school field trip, and it should be easy enough to hide what you¡¯re doing within the tasks given.¡±

    Galen didn¡¯t react to her information, so Lyra turned to Artem. As soon as his tutoring session was finished, Artem came to the library. He scolded Galen for spending too much time in the library for his research and not enough time training. Artem developed a training plan for his brother and forced him to follow it, keeping Galen busy the whole week. It also allowed Artem to act as an intermediary when Miles came to bother Galen.

    Artem also asked Galen to help him touch all the pets in the class. The youth felt great satisfaction when Lyra announced the reward for getting the fiftieth entry in the encyclopedia. The one most difficult to get had been the Black Sand Fennec because the Jamra boys had stopped coming to Mr Carter¡¯s lessons.

    With these two new shuffles, the twins received one piece of the notable ¡°dazzling gleam¡± skill and one of the rare ¡°fire rune¡± skill. Galen and Artem were overjoyed. The ¡°dazzling gleam¡± was a light skill that could interrupt an enemy¡¯s attack by stunning or charming them. It was interesting, but the real price was the ¡°fire rune¡± skill.

    With it, Ayden could place down fire traps. Anyone touching the runes would detonate a fire explosion. Artem immediately studied the skill and how he could integrate it into Ayden¡¯s strategy. Despite his enthusiasm and his fairy¡¯s eagerness, Artem acted with restraint: Ayden needed to master the ¡°heat detection¡± skill first.

    ***

    During the homeroom of the second week of November, Mr Carter announced the beginning of the third-year Festival. This event spanning over two weeks consisted of practical group projects and field trips. Usually, the first week was used for preparations and the second for field trips or exhibitions of the concrete projects during a fair.

    Depending on their elective, the students¡¯ trips and projects differed. Some elective classes were collaborating, and most of the third-year students participating in field trips were excited. Nevertheless, the Festival wasn¡¯t just a fun and boisterous event: the school used these activities to evaluate the students. The results were tabulated for the next term exams.

    Mr Carter asked Zane to distribute the program. ¡°You¡¯ll see that some of you won¡¯t have a choice for your activity. For the others, you have until the end of the day to tell a teacher your choice so that you can be registered. Being beast tamers, you can access the registration summary from your connected bracelet. This will keep you from the shame of asking for an activity without any more vacancies. Tomorrow, during your elective class, you¡¯ll get more information.¡±

    Artem and Galen were scheduled to go on the same field trip. The students from the professional combat elective and advanced pharmacist elective classes were to go on a five-day trip. It was mandatory for them, but students from other electives could join this field trip if they motivated their choice and linked it to their elective.

    The purpose of the trip was to go to the Lush Steps Lake to the northeast of Olympia. An Abyss-monster outbreak had occurred there some weeks ago. The monsters had been killed or fought back by the Army, but the monsters still had enough time to corrupt a number of local wild beasts. Then, the Beast Tamers Association had sent several groups of Beast Wardens, Beast Healers, and Beast Nurturers ¨C the highly-graded beast tamers who did the Rebirth Ceremony for dying beasts and nursed their mental health. Thanks to them, the most dangerous corrupted beasts had already been dealt with. Only some stragglers or small beasts were left to purify. It was an excellent and safe way to get the young beast tamers in contact with the consequences brought by the Abyss monsters.

    This trip didn¡¯t only concern the beast tamers because they needed to learn to cooperate with mundane people. This sort of cooperation was necessary since beast tamers weren¡¯t numerous enough to take care of everything.

    Fifty students were allowed to go on the trip to Lush Steps Lake, and there were places left after counting the members of the two elective classes. Anan Ruh immediately took one vacancy to be able to accompany Mahlon and do his duty to protect him.

    ¡°Mr Ruh, care to tell me how you justify your choice? And, please, spare me from your Family¡¯s nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Such outbreaks involve a lot of people from the Army and the Association. They need to respect the rules of the Peaceful Treaty, but such matters lead to complications, be it to divide labor or distribute resources. Moreover, the clean-up must require a lot of paperwork.¡± Anan spoke slowly, confident in his reasoning. ¡°I¡¯m sure such a trip will be highly educational for my Law and Administration elective class.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the Ruh trains their members to be able to trick their ways into anything they want?¡± Lyra asked in admiration of Anan¡¯s glib tongue.

    Lyra was even more satisfied to see Mr Carter unable to contradict Anan.

    By midday, a group of six students took the last vacancies. The only name the twins recognized was Metin Shaytan. Asking around, they learned Metin and some of his mundane classmates from the Abyss monsters knowledge elective class wanted to use this field trip to do their own practical group project.

    During the elective class on Tuesday, Galen and Artem learned more about their assignments for the field trip. During the first week, the students would use the two periods of their elective classes and their free periods to make preparations or do more specific training. In the second week, they would have to write a report on their field trip analyzing their preparations, their time on the field, and giving suggestions to improve themselves.

    After giving the general explanations, Mrs Bousrani taught her eight students the recipe to brew the purifying potion. It was a high-level potion, necessitating specific ingredients. Since each pharmacist would be in a different group, Mrs Bousrani underlined the importance of mastering the recipe and being able to brew it in rough conditions. She would accompany them to the Lake, however, she would stay behind in the forward operative base while the students went on the field.

    Meanwhile, Mr Tawil drilled his students, preparing them to face any situation. However, his main concern was the collaboration between the beast tamers and the mundane students. As such, Mr Tawil paired each beast tamer with two mundane combatants. The beast tamer had to lead his pet and his teammates through obstacle courses, countering or dodging machines simulating attacks. This allowed the mundanes to get used to the pets as much as following a beast tamer¡¯s lead.

    Artem enjoyed this period. Mr Tawil complimented his leadership skills. Some minutes before the end of the period, the teacher called the students back. ¡°For the field trip, the participating students must form eight teams of five to ten persons. The ratio of beast tamers per group has to be lower than the number of mundane students. I suggest you find your pharmacist before forming your full team.¡±

    Mr Tawil paused and checked his tablet. ¡°Once you have your full team, register the name of your members on a connected bracelet. It¡¯ll upload the team on the platform, so you can know who is taken and who still needs a team.¡±

    Artem¡¯s enthusiasm cooled down as the explanation went on. As soon as Mr Tawil finished speaking, the students joined their friends to discuss forming a team. Artem¡¯s relationship with his classmates had eased up a bit thanks to Marcus and Orsella. However, the majority still ignored him like Cecelia and Caleb, or mocked him like Amir and his cousins.

    For this field trip, Artem and Galen needed to find at least three mundane combatants willing to team up with them, but their Family¡¯s reputation made them everyone¡¯s last choice.

    The next day confirmed Artem¡¯s worries. Amir quickly registered his group with his cousins Nasir, Basic, and Shahin. To complete his team, Amir found one pharmacist student and four combatants from the army classes to respect the rules of more mundane students in a group. Amir didn¡¯t hide his intention to use the five mundane students as servants. Despite being scorned and demeaned, they accepted it in exchange for money or resources from the Jamra Family.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    The other students from Families also organized their group rapidly. Metin only needed to find a pharmacist, so he negotiated with Melanie and registered her as the pharmacist for his Abyss monsters knowledge group. Anan and Mahlon Ruh effortlessly found three mundane members willing to go with them, getting the lowest number of members possible.

    The other beast tamers participating in this trip were part of the professional combat elective class. Marcus and Cecelia decided to be the only beast tamers of their group to train their leadership skills. However, while Marcus only selected the minimum members with Naeem Alfarsi as his pharmacist and three mundane combatants, Cecelia went for a big group, recruiting seven warriors in addition to her pharmacist.

    Meanwhile, Orsella and Caleb decided to work together. They managed to recruit Amethyst Gataki ¨C one of the best pharmacists of Dascalos High School ¨C and two mundane combatants. Bruno and Daniyal followed their example and recruited one pharmacist and two mundane warriors. They agreed that Daniyal would mostly act alone as an advanced scout while Bruno would take care of the group.

    By midday on Wednesday, seven groups were already registered. This left the twins with no choice but to recruit the three combatants no one wanted on their team. These three were the infamous, problematic students of the professional combat elective class: Emilio Fava, Jarek Dolezal, and Celeste Guerriero.

    The first hurdle was to convince these three students of the necessity to team up with the twins. Artem didn¡¯t want to waste his time on that, so he suggested involving Mr Tawil. Galen was reluctant to depend on the teacher and worried they were abusing Mr Tawil¡¯s kindness. However, he agreed to his brother¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°Not so fast!¡± Lyra made sure to project her next thought to both hosts. ¡°Galen, you¡¯re the head of your Family. You need to stop accommodating your twin. You¡¯re mixing your priorities.¡±

    Galen started, and Artem frowned. The twins looked at each other before sighing together. Galen took the time to evaluate Artem¡¯s suggestion again, forcing himself to think like the head of the Family. ¡°I agreed for the wrong reasons, but it¡¯s still a good idea.¡±

    So the twins asked Mr Tawil to summon Emilio, Jarek, and Celeste during their free period that afternoon. They hoped that if the teacher explained the situation, Jarek, Emilio, and Celeste wouldn¡¯t dare make a fuss about it.

    Celeste was the first of the three to arrive on the field for the combat elective class. She was wearing her training suit. Her soft, brown hair was pulled back from her face by two cute, low pigtails. Her pale, blue eyes roamed over the teacher before pausing on the twins. Celeste smiled brightly. ¡°Heya! Galen! It¡¯s been a while!¡±

    Galen politely greeted her back. The girl looked around, noticing the fairies flying above the twins. She didn¡¯t show the slightest disgust. Instead, she waved at them and approached to look at the pets curiously. The fairies hovered above the girl, who raised a hand toward them. Emilio¡¯s arrival interrupted Celeste before she could touch Ayden.

    The black-haired boy slowed down as he saw who was on the field. His face soured. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡±

    Galen sighed. That was exactly the kind of reaction he had been expected. Artem squeezed his shoulder in silent comfort.

    Celeste turned to Emilio. ¡°You¡¯re also excited to see the fairies? Look! They¡¯re so cute!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, idiot! Don¡¯t bring me into your nonsense!¡±

    ¡°Eh, no need for name-calling!¡±

    Emilio scoffed and turned his back on Celeste. However, Celeste abandoned the fairies to pester him for an apology. Instead, Emilio insulted her again. Celeste narrowed her eyes and raised her hands, threateningly clenching her fists.

    Helpless, Galen and Artem witnessed the two students quarreling like children. Things were sure to go awry during their trip. But how soon and how much it would go awry was a worrying thought.

    Annoyed, Mr Tawil told Emilio and Celeste to quiet down and wait for everyone to be there. The teacher impatiently used his tablet to contact the concierges guarding the entrance. As he suspected, Jarek was trying to leave.

    Used to the ways of this delinquent student, Mr Tawil efficiently threatened the boy with ¡°one-on-one¡± remedial lessons. Jarek still took his time to come. Once he understood what it was about, he sneered. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in this stupid activity. I won¡¯t spend my weekend on school stuff. Put my name on the team if you want, but you won¡¯t be seeing me!¡±

    ¡°Watch your tone, Dolezal! I wasn¡¯t asking for your opinion!¡± Mr Tawil stepped menacingly toward Jarek. ¡°Your rebellious act is growing tiresome. I¡¯ll personally pick you up Saturday morning if need be.¡±

    A difficult exchange followed. Jarek argued, but Mr Tawil stood firm: no matter what, the boy would go on the field trip with his teammates. Nevertheless, that was the extent of Mr Tawil¡¯s intervention.

    Galen looked at the tall blond-haired youth leaving the field. He had ignored Celeste, Emilio, and the twins the whole time. The young pharmacist didn¡¯t understand Jarek¡¯s behavior nor what could make the school so tolerant of his attitude.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s best: missing one teammate or having Jarek for a teammate?¡± Artem mused aloud, half-seriously. If a teacher had so much trouble getting the boy to obey, what could they expect on their trip?

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry!¡± Celeste carelessly pointed at the teacher. ¡°Mr Tawil is our homeroom teacher. He¡¯s especially dedicated to his work!¡±

    ¡°What she means is that Jarek can¡¯t escape Mr Tawil.¡± Emilio didn¡¯t miss an occasion to denigrate his classmate. ¡°His act is so stupid! It¡¯s obvious he¡¯ll obey the teacher in the end.¡± Galen remembered some rumors Zane mentioned about the school trying to control Jarek. Was Mr Tawil in charge of Jarek¡¯s reeducation?

    ¡°Like I said, Jarek will be there.¡± Mr Tawil raised his tablet again. ¡°Let¡¯s register your group and give you your mission.¡±

    Emilio had been distracted by Jarek. It was too late to complain about his teammates. Nevertheless, his face showed his unwillingness, and Lyra heard him muttering about his rotten luck since the beginning of the school year.

    ¡°What a dumb ass!¡± Lyra muttered in turn.

    The only one smiling was Celeste. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to be in your team, Galen, Artem! It¡¯ll be nice to be near pets! Happy collaboration!¡±

    Lyra wondered why Celeste sounded like a ten-year-old. She worried for her hosts. With such teammates, Galen and Artem would have their hands full just doing the elective task, they would have no time to look for ingredients for the fairies¡¯ super-evolution.

    With their team registered, the twins received more precise instructions and explanations of their tasks. The students from the professional combat elective class would subdue the beasts and protect the students from the advanced pharmacist elective class while they worked to administer the beasts with the treatment to purify them. Each group was given a specific target, scouted beforehand by the Association. The target was randomly given to the students before the trip so that they could prepare.

    The twins were the last to draw their target. It was notable Pink Olms. Galen and Artem didn¡¯t know much about this beast. Their priority was to gather information about it. The twins suggested going to the library together, but Emilio left, saying his parents were waiting for him at a newly opened lounge.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! My dad won¡¯t mind if I stay at school longer. I¡¯ll help!¡± Celeste smiled and skipped away toward the library.

    Artem and Galen thanked Mr Tawil and followed Celeste.

    The first information Galen found explained that the olm was a type of water salamander. It was a relatively weak beast. Its noticeable point was its shyness and habit of hiding underwater in caves. So people rarely saw olms.

    Artem felt it was interesting they got an aquatic beast. It would be challenging to get to. The twins tacitly divided the work: Galen searched for more information on their target, while Artem took charge of the combat aspect. They let Celeste choose what to work on.

    As Artem was pondering on the strategies they could use to approach an aquatic beast, Celeste¡¯s squeal attracted the twins¡¯ attention.

    The girl excitedly showed them a picture from an encyclopedia. ¡°They¡¯re so cute!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pathological, right? The girl is sick, that¡¯s the only explanation.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not so bad,¡± Artem retorted, appreciating Celeste¡¯s motivation.

    Galen looked carefully at Celeste¡¯s book. The picture she was gushing over depicted a pinkish aquatic salamander with a wide and short body. It had six frilly external gills on its head.

    ¡°Celeste, that¡¯s an axolotl.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it a pink and aquatic salamander?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. But it lives in the Rio Grande City-State Region. That¡¯s not our target. The olm has a longer and thinner body. It almost looks like an eel. Its external gills are also a lot smaller.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Celeste nodded obediently and turned the pages of her book, looking for pictures of olms.

    ¡°It might be more efficient to look at the glossary,¡± Galen patiently commented.

    Celeste nodded again. Some minutes later, she called out to Galen, interrupting his research again. ¡°The book is wrong! Look, the olm on this picture is black!¡±

    ¡°If she¡¯s not sick, then she hurt her head in her youth, right? And now, she¡¯s a simpleton, right?¡± Lyra couldn¡¯t help but exclaim again.

    ¡°Peace, Lyra. She¡¯s the easiest one to deal with among our three teammates,¡± Galen wearily said.

    Lyra shut up. She didn¡¯t want to burden her hosts, but she didn¡¯t know how she could help. Frustrated, she turned her attention to her passive talent, hoping to eavesdrop on interesting information.

    Galen indirectly answered Celeste by exposing his findings about the olms. ¡°It¡¯s a gregarious species living underwater in caves. As such, it is blind but has an enhanced sense of smell and hearing. It is photosensitive, so Lucia¡¯s ¡®glow¡¯ and ¡®flash¡¯ should be effective. However, it¡¯s ectotherm.¡±

    ¡°Ecto what?¡± Celeste asked curiously.

    ¡°It means it¡¯s cold-blooded. So it would be impossible for Ayden to find it with ¡®heat detection¡¯. We won¡¯t find it alone, and because the olms are gregarious, they live with members of their species from the common to the rare rank. That¡¯s why some are pink and others are black. It depends on how they evolved.¡±

    Celeste nodded to show her understanding.

    ¡°Did you find their threat potential?¡± Artem asked.

    ¡°They are weak alone, but in a group, they could be dangerous.¡±

    Galen added some more details, answering Artem¡¯s questions about their main skills, their resistances, and weaknesses. The three of them fell silent.

    ¡°If we can¡¯t use Ayden¡¯s ¡®heat detection¡¯ to scout, should we redeem the ¡®Watch Tower¡¯ feature?¡± Artem asked once he had a clear picture of their target¡¯s characteristics.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recommend it,¡± Lyra replied. ¡°This feature enhances the pet¡¯s scouting skill. Your fairies are too weak for the ¡®Watch Tower¡¯ to be effective at this point. I¡¯ll act as your scout. Water smothers sound, but I should still be able to hear them.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Lyra.¡± Galen still complained. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re so unlucky. We¡¯re not equipped to deal with aquatic beasts!¡±

    Lyra had noticed several teams also gathering information about their target in the library. She shared her findings, in the hope of reassuring the twins. ¡°It sounds like most groups got amphibians or insects for their targets. Bruno¡¯s and Daniyal¡¯s team is researching the notable Tree-Jumping Frog, though Bruno is mostly grumbling. Damn, he hates the library! Orsella and Caleb were just leaving, so I didn¡¯t catch the full name of the beast, but they mentioned a breasted or a crusted newt.¡±

    ¡°It should be the notable Short-Crested Newt,¡± Galen said, remembering the information he read about the beasts living in the Lush Steps Lake.

    ¡°You¡¯re interested in the insects, too?¡± Lyra asked.

    ¡°It might help to anticipate the other teams¡¯ movement,¡± Artem said, gaining confidence with the knowledge that other groups had to face the same difficulties.

    ¡°Cecilia is looking at grasshoppers, but I don¡¯t know the specifics yet. She tasked some of her mundane teammates to uncover the other teams¡¯ targets. From the report given, there should be a Purple-Tinted Damselfly, a Stone Crayfish, and a Pearly Butterfly.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all beasts of the notable rank.¡±

    With the full picture, Artem asked Celeste to help him look for traps they could build to catch aquatic beasts. As they were exchanging ideas, Ayden flew down in front of Artem. She signed her will to learn the rare ¡°fire rune¡± skill. The Fire Fairy wanted to help. She didn¡¯t want to be useless.

    ¡°Ayden, we¡¯re leaving in three days. You won¡¯t have the time to learn it.¡±

    The Fire Fairy gestured angrily. Celeste hid behind her hands to snicker. The fairy looked so cute!

    ¡°Alright, but I won¡¯t cut off your regular training to allow you to learn ¡®fire rune¡¯. Do it on your own time.¡±

    Celeste and Artem returned to brainstorming ideas. The girl was silly but she had received strict military training from her family. The Guerriero household had worked for the Army for generations. Coming from such a household, Celeste understood every strategy Artem was proposing and could offer her input. Nevertheless, her ideas were often impractical or inappropriate for their current mission. Artem couldn¡¯t understand how her mind worked.

    Meanwhile, Galen summarized their findings about the olms for Jarek and Emilio. Then, he studied the flora in the Lush Steps Lake. Galen noted the edible plants, carefully learned to recognize the poisonous ones and marked the ones he wanted to harvest.

 Chapter 25 - Leaving on an adventure

    The twins felt like time was going too fast. They tried to make the most out of their free period on Thursday and their elective class on Friday. However, they had too much to prepare, and their teammates were of no help ¨C when they weren¡¯t hindrances.

    During the last elective class before the trip, Mrs. Bousrani added more precise explanations to the purifying recipe, allowing the students to fine-tune it for their target. Galen worked seriously, dedicating his energy to make sure at least one aspect of their task would go seamlessly.

    The base of the purifying potion was the binding agent: the sparkling moon-water, a high-grade spirit ingredient for potions. The main ingredients were three spirit plants ¨C the diaphanous peace lily, the soul-cleansing philodendron, and the dim devil¡¯s ivy ¨C, and two spirit stones ¨C the glimmering milky selenite and the profound midnight tourmaline.

    These were all expensive ingredients provided by the school. The students were cautious when handling them because destroying or wasting ingredients would lower their grades or ¨C in the worst case ¨C put them in debt. This cautiousness was doubled for this project because the students were used to processing plants, but handling stones was still a novelty to them.

    The potion needed one last ingredient that varied depending on whether the target was an amphibian or an insect. Mrs. Bousrani explained in detail how this last ingredient allow the purification to work faster and more precisely. For the olm, Galen needed a limpid cerulean myosotis.

    Galen was meticulous in his work, checking each process multiple times. After washing the spirit stones in salt water and soaking them in sunlight with the help of Lucia to enhance the stones¡¯ quality, the young pharmacist ground the spirit stones in his mortar until the resulting powder was smooth and homogeneous. It was delicate work because a heavy hand could destroy the stones'' spiritual properties, while a too hasty or light grinding could result in a heterogeneous potion.

    Then, Galen extracted the essential oil from the flowers, being careful to keep them separated from each other. The oils were volatile and needed specific ways to conserve them. However, the youth was familiar with the process and made no mistakes.

    After working relentlessly for hours, Galen proudly packed the processed ingredients for the purifying potion. The potion¡¯s spiritual power evaporated quickly, so the final steps had to be done on-site. Mrs. Bousrani had not yet told the students how to mix the ingredients to brew the potion. She didn¡¯t trust overzealous pharmacists like Mahlon to obey her and wait.

    Galen witnessed the teacher scolding the mundane pharmacist employed by Amir when he asked if he could use more expensive ingredients to improve his potion. Mahlon, who was sitting nearby, muttered that he should be allowed to try brewing his potion with scattering purple loosestrife ¨C a rare spirit plant from the Rio Grande Cities-States region famous for attracting insects and cleansing infections. Galen was impressed by his classmates¡¯ daring, although he wasn¡¯t surprised. Mahlon would experiment with anything, and Amir was used to getting his way using money.

    Meanwhile, the training with Celeste, Jarek, and Emilio was counter-productive. Jarek never showed up on Thursday during their free period and skipped all his classes on Friday. Artem didn¡¯t know how he would be able to collaborate with such a teammate.

    Celeste was enthusiastic but was often careless and didn¡¯t execute Artem¡¯s orders as she should, leading to mistakes and failures. Emilio was unwilling to listen to Artem, doubting the young beast tamer¡¯s skill to lead.

    ¡°You think you can do better? Care to remind me of your score in the professional combat elective class?¡± Artem questioned the boy, trying to get a grip on his teammate.

    ¡°That¡¯s irrelevant! You¡¯re not even from a military class. Why should you lead?¡±

    ¡°You know what?¡± Artem refused to let Emilio waste their training time. ¡°Let¡¯s ask Mr. Tawil for his opinion. What do you think he¡¯d say?¡±

    Emilio muttered that they shouldn¡¯t disturb the teacher and abandon his protests. However, he soon found other things to complain about. Each time he couldn¡¯t do a maneuver asked by Artem, he said it was because Artem¡¯s strategy was at fault. He never considered he was unskilled.

    Artem clenched his teeth and endured his frustration. He wouldn¡¯t let his temper get the best of him. More importantly, he refused to admit defeat: he would find a way to control Emilio.

    Lyra watched on worriedly. Artem was enduring too much. She didn¡¯t think it was healthy. Stoicism was in Artem¡¯s nature, but becoming a sacrifice was not the way to go. Artem was too hard on himself. However, Lyra refrained from saying anything, afraid she was projecting herself on him.

    ***

    On Saturday morning, the fifty students gathered in front of the school and discovered the Beast Tamers Association¡¯s long-travel vehicles. The Beast Riders from the Association controlled their pets to charge the trucks in spiritual power. Contrary to the bus and mini-bus circulating inside the City-State thanks to homemade electricity, these vehicles were sturdier and heavier, so they needed frequent refuels. Depending on the terrain, the Beast Riders could directly order their pets to pull the vehicles or use their talents or inner-wolrd features to store the trucks to transport their passengers on their pets¡¯ backs. When there was no danger, the Beast Riders casually drove.

    There were five vehicles, and each could seat twelve passengers. Mr. Tawil and Mrs. Bousrani asked the students to stay with their groups, so Amir¡¯s and Cecelia¡¯s teams took one vehicle each. Marcus discussed with Orsella and agreed to let their teams share a truck, though it was almost crowded with the Cave Bear and the Magma Tortoise. Galen and Artem ended up in the same vehicle as Mahlon and Anan. Mr. Tawil ¨C escorting Jarek, whom the teacher had picked up early in the morning ¨C sat with them. Mrs. Bousrani gave some warning and instruction to Metin¡¯s and Bruno¡¯s groups, who couldn¡¯t welcome any adult with the twelve students already inside. Then, she chose to join a random truck, loudly stating that she would change vehicles at each break.

    Thanks to the Beast Riders, the trip should only take fifteen hours. However, traveling long distances was still a hassle: attacks from Abyss monsters, natural disasters, and any other accidents could happen outside a City-State. That was without mentioning the main issue: the lack of decent roads. To prevent most accidents, the vehicles were also escorted by two squads from the Army led by Beast Warriors.

    The students sat next to their friends to chat and look around. The twins first kept quiet and observed their classmates. Artem thought of talking with Anan but abandoned the idea. He felt affinities for Mahlon¡¯s bodyguard, but leaning too much on their similarities would strain their relationship. Moreover, after suffering from his imposed teammates for three days, Artem didn¡¯t want to socialize. He needed peace to recenter himself.

    Leaving the City-State of Olympia from the Center took two hours, and the students only quieted down once they were outside the last ring of walls. The vegetation was kept away from the walls for dozens of kilometers, leaving a clear visibility of the surroundings. These vast grasslands soon became dense forests with narrow trails and low visibility.

    The students knew how long the trip would take, so they got comfortable. The vehicle was narrow, and the pets took up some more space. When Jarek acted like a boss, reclaiming two seats, Mr. Tawil ¨C blessed his soul ¨C retaliated by making Jarek catch up on the lessons he had missed.

    The teacher smirked at Jarek. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d leave you alone after you forced me to pick you up, did you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to disturb the others¡¯ rest,¡± Jarek insincerely pointed out.

    ¡°Like you care about that. But here¡¯s an idea. Emilio! Celeste! Come over here for your remedial lessons.¡±

    Celeste smiled eagerly and changed seats with another student nearer to Mr. Tawil. Emilio, who had already lain down to sleep, complained loudly. The teacher glared at him, and Emilio came over under the mocking glances of his classmates.

    ¡°Like Celeste said, Mr. Tawil is very attentive to them,¡± Galen mused.

    Artem joined them on his own in the spirit of teamwork. He had seen Emilio¡¯s resentful glare and hoped to soften the boy¡¯s reaction by listening to Mr. Tawil¡¯s lesson with them.

    Lyra was skeptical. She believed Jarek would take his revenge later. Emilio was petty, but Jarek had mean, black eyes that Lyra didn¡¯t like. Mr. Tawil wouldn¡¯t come with the twins in the field. So Galen and Artem should find a way to handle Emilio and Jarek before an accident occurs.

    Meanwhile, Galen chatted with Mahlon about the poisonous plants and venomous beasts in the Lush Steps Lake area. Mahlon talked with his usual enthusiasm. Galen nodded, took notes, and added his input from time to time. He was happy to compare notes with his classmate.

    ***

    The journey itself was part of the experience, so the teachers made the students help when they had to clear a landslide blocking the trail. With everyone cooperating, it only delayed them for one hour. The Beast Riders took the opportunity to recharge the vehicles and invited their passengers to eat their lunch. They would try to catch up on the lost time after the lunch break.

    Later in the afternoon, some stray Abyss monsters attacked the convoy. The squads reacted quickly and intercepted the threat. The monsters looked like a cross between a canine and a lizard. They had six powerful legs and a disproportionate maw filled with serrated teeth. Saliva was dripping from their maw because of the lack of lips, and Mahlon exclaimed in awe as he saw drops of saliva corroding the vegetation.

    ¡°Sir, what are these monsters?¡± Artem asked, his attention focused on the fight going on outside. The Beast Warriors deployed their pets and used their talents while the mundane soldiers held the line to defend the vehicles and push back the monsters¡¯ assaults.

    The monsters were slightly taller than humans, and two or three soldiers were needed to handle one of them. Their skeleton was oddly visible on some parts of their body, and the soldiers aimed at these gaps in their strangely ethereal hide. The soldiers carefully avoided the maws and their dangerous teeth and saliva.

    ¡°They¡¯re maulers,¡± Mr. Tawil answered as one of the Beast Warriors shot at the monsters with ice arrows. The other Beast Warrior fought with his two rare Viridian Alpha Wolves on the front line, his ferocity equaling that of his pets.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Artem admired the two pets. If Caleb raised his Green Dog right, it could evolve into a Viridian Alpha Wolf. Artem looked for the other Beast Warrior¡¯s pets, wondering if he also had traditional army pets. However, the fight moved to another part of the convoy.

    The soldiers escorting them finally killed all the maulers. Mrs. Bousrani left her vehicle to tend to the wounded soldiers after shouting at Metin¡¯s team to climb back into their truck. They had wanted to examine the monsters¡¯ bodies.

    Fortunately, there was no casualty, and the Beast Riders cleaned the trail, making the monsters¡¯ bodies disappear, using their talents or inner-world features. The convoy left again in less than one hour, giving the students a false sense of safety.

    Mr. Tawil frowned as he took in the students¡¯ lack of worries. During the dinner break, the teacher assembled the students to educate them on the real danger of the attack. The Beast Riders stopped at an Army bunker, so they were safe enough and had some time for it.

    ¡°Maulers are the weakest of the Abyss monsters, yes. But they compensate for that by traveling in hordes. The maulers are fodder units.¡± The students listened attentively, Metin¡¯s team was even taking notes. Mr. Tawil sighed, realizing he wasn¡¯t getting through to the students. ¡°The dozen maulers we encountered were surely the leftover from a decimated horde, already weakened by another fight. All Abyss monsters are highly dangerous. We were extremely lucky there were so few of them.¡±

    Mrs. Bousrani took over the explanation. ¡°The soldiers escorting us are experienced. They avoided being bitten or touching the monsters¡¯ saliva. Those are the real danger.¡±

    The nurse described the wounds and injuries a mauler could cause. Her precise description horrified some students, making them finally realize the danger of these monsters. The students asked more questions about the soldiers¡¯ countermeasures and the monsters before the convoy left again for the last part of their journey.

    They traveled slowly after the sunset. The two squads from the Army and the Beast Riders pushed on despite the enhanced dangers, and they finally arrived late at night after eighteen hours of travel.

    The Beast Riders left the students and the teachers at the Beast Tamer Association¡¯s forward operative base ¨C or FOB as the insiders called it. There, some staff welcomed them and ushered them to their accommodation, not giving them any time to get their bearings together.

    The twins shared a room with eight other boys. They didn¡¯t care who was with them, although they heard Mr. Tawil insist they needed to stay with their teammates as much as possible. With the girls and the boys being separated, it left some liberties to the students ¨C at least, those awake enough to exploit them.

    However, Galen and Artem were exhausted. They chose a bed, briefly cleaned up, and went to sleep without bothering to find out where Emilio and Jarek decided to stay.

    In the morning, the early light showed the semi-permanent buildings constituting the FOB. It was planned out with military precision, and Lyra picked up enough information to explain the Army had built this base first to battle against the Abyss monster outbreak. Army staff with solemn faces were dismantling most buildings, but the Association kept the main ones for their own operations. It sounded like sharing resources was common enough between the Army and the Association, and Galen wondered if that was what Anan had talked about when he mentioned his law and administration elective class.

    As the twins followed the other students to the mess hall, they noticed other important buildings in addition to the lodgings: an armory, a hospital, a motor pool, and a logistical center. There were hundreds of people milling about.

    ¡°Apparently, during the peak of the battle, the base had swelled up to thousands of soldiers,¡± Lyra said as she took on the activities taking place around her hosts. It was hard to imagine what it had looked like during the perilous moments of the fights against the Abyss monsters.

    The staff in the mess hall served the students a substantial breakfast. The heavy atmosphere tampered with the students¡¯ excitement. After Mr. Tawil¡¯s and Mrs. Bousrani''s explanation about the Abyss monsters, some of them were more circumspect about their mission.

    As soon as they finished their food, they went to a large tent able to seat a hundred persons. Several beast tamers from the Association were waiting for them at the front.

    The teachers introduced them to the students. They invited all of them ¨C but especially the young beast tamers ¨C to carefully listen to these professionals¡¯ instructions and recommendations. When Mr. Tawil and Mrs. Bousrani sat down, two Beast Wardens stood up. An austere woman spoke first, her voice effortlessly reaching the last rows.

    ¡°A Beast Warden¡¯s mission is not and never will be to kill beasts. Our job is to protect them, even from themselves. I want to make it clear that you are not here to fight the beasts, or anyone for that matter.¡± The woman paused and sternly looked at each student. ¡°Now, to subdue a corrupted beast without hurting it might not be possible at your level. However, it is possible to reduce the risk of injuries. We are going to give you a few useful strategies to handle the corrupted beasts and allow the pharmacists to treat them.¡±

    The other Beast Warden ¨C a broad-shouldered man ¨C took over, using the whiteboard to show drawings and schema. Artem listened attentively, mentally making revisions to his own plans.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Metin said in a lull of the explanation. ¡°Do we know why the Abyss monsters corrupt the beasts?¡±

    ¡°Ah, an excellent question. A Beast Researcher might answer that better than us.¡± The austere woman shared a look with her colleague. ¡°A first sure fact is that the Abyss monsters invaded our world because of the spiritual power. A second sure fact is that without spiritual power, an Abyss monster shrivels and dies.¡±

    Amethyst raised her hand and spoke when the Beast Warden nodded at her. ¡°The monsters are feeding from the beasts, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°In a way, yes, they are.¡± The woman paused, somberly looking over to the other beast tamers.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± one student from the Abyss monsters knowledge elective class asked, ¡°shouldn¡¯t they also feed off of beast tamers?¡±

    The students grew restless, waiting for the Beast Warden to answer. However, Naeem asked another question first. ¡°Does this mean the corruption is contagious and could spread to humans? Is that why Mrs. Bousrani forbade us from leaving the vehicles yesterday after the attack?¡±

    The students reacted noisily at the idea they could also be corrupted. The woman sighed. ¡°Calm down and listen up!¡±

    Once the students quieted down, she began a lengthy explanation. ¡°As far as we know, the Abyss monsters cannot adsorb the spiritual power directly or efficiently. The Beast Researchers are still debating on that point. Anyway, the monsters corrupt the beasts to transform their spiritual energy into an energy they can more easily digest. That is why we are here and why it is so important to rescue the corrupted beasts and put a stop to the corruption.¡±

    Galen thought back to the way the Beast Riders hadn¡¯t left any bodies in the forest. They should have done it to stop the bodies from corrupting the vegetation.

    Melanie raised her hand. ¡°Do all Abyss monsters have the ability to corrupt beasts and humans?¡±

    ¡°First of all, there are still debates about human corruption. Our chi is already processed energy after all so I won¡¯t answer that question.¡± She paused to let the chatter rising in reaction to her answer die down. ¡°As for the other one, does anyone know the seven species of Abyss monsters?¡±

    The six students from the Abyss monster knowledge elective class raised their hands, and the Beast Warden pointed at one of them.

    ¡°There are the maulers we saw yesterday. Then, the reapers, the lurkers, the stalkers, the tormentors, the breeders, and the fiends.¡±

    The woman nodded in approval. ¡°Does anyone want to take a guess from their names?¡±

    ¡°The breeders,¡± Metin said when the woman nodded at him. ¡°I always thought their name meant they were reproductive monsters, but that¡¯s not it, is it? They are called breeders because they raise the beasts as their food.¡±

    ¡°That is right. The breeders are the units with the most corruption influence, whereas the maulers are the ones with the least. The Lush Steps Lake was attacked by a horde of breeders led by a tormentor with a few reapers to protect them.¡±

    The beast tamers answered some questions about the attack, praising the efficiency of the Army, who had culled the monsters¡¯ outbreak in under a month without excessive casualties. The officers ¨C most of them being beast tamers ¨C had handled the tormentor, who was the biggest threat and hard to deal with. That terrifying monster had caused the most death before being finally brought down.

    ¡°The Lush Steps Lake now needs to be cleaned up. That¡¯s why you¡¯re here.¡±

    From the following exchange, Galen and Artem understood that Metin and his classmates had a different mission. They needed to find a breeder body to observe the spread of corruption to the nature surrounding it. Melanie¡¯s mission had been changed to match her teammates¡¯ goals. She didn¡¯t have to purify a specific target but the vegetation, the land, or the water. The broad-shouldered Beast Warden would stay with them because their mission forced them to approach Abyss monsters and because they had no students from the professional combat elective class in their group.

    Then, three Beast Rangers came forward. The first one spoke to the point and didn¡¯t accept questions. He presented the particularities of the mountainous and watery terrain. Then, he handed out maps.

    ¡°Each map has specific notations, different depending on your target.¡±

    Artem frowned in thought, looking over at the teams. He would like to compare his map with theirs before leaving.

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s wise?¡± Lyra expressed her doubts.

    ¡°With how they insisted that we aren¡¯t here to fight but to save the beasts, I¡¯d think cooperation is the way to go,¡± Galen answered Lyra.

    Before Artem could attract Marcus¡¯s attention, another Beast Ranger talked about the security measures. He first linked the young beast tamers¡¯ connected bracelets to the FOB¡¯s local network, then he told the students to download the surveillance application.

    ¡°This will locate you in a fifty-kilometer perimeter around the FOB once you activate the red beacon. Only activate the beacon if you are in danger. A Beast Ranger will then hurry to your location. Do not activate it lightly!¡± The Beast Ranger impressed the importance of this instruction by slapping his hand on the board.

    Finally, the third Beast Ranger explained the three of them would patrol the Lush Steps Lake to keep an eye on the students. She proudly said the students wouldn¡¯t be aware of their presence, but any unwarranted or illegal behavior would be reported.

    After this declaration, a Beast Nurturer further explained that anyone who killed a beast would face a heavy fine. ¡°If you deadly injure a beast, call forth a Beast Nurturer by activating the blue beacon. We¡¯ll hurry over to try for the Rebirth Ceremony. You will still be investigated, mind you. I can only underline that the only way to have the right to kill a beast is if the corruption is too far along. And let me be frank with you, we took our job seriously enough not to have left any beast in this condition out there.¡±

    By then, it was late in the morning. Mr. Tawil and the Beast Rangers checked the professional combat students¡¯ armor and weaponry. The FOB issued the same bivouac equipment to each team. However, the students were responsible for their armor and weapons.

    During that time, Mrs. Bousrani and a Beast Healer from the Association gathered the pharmacists. Mrs. Bousrani instructed the pharmacist students on how to finish brewing the purifying potion in the fields. Then, the two Beast Healers checked up on the students¡¯ supplies and gave them a rundown of the most likely injuries or problems they could encounter.

    The teachers wrote down the names of the students with defective or poorly maintained equipment and supplies. In the worst case, they were sent to the logistical building to rent what they were lacking.

    Artem and Galen had high-quality armor and weapons since they brought them from their Villa. Artem was meticulous when maintaining them, aware that Galen and he were still growing. Artem had chosen two short swords and his standard armor. Galen had chosen his shield, a mini crossbow, and a knife.

    Celeste¡¯s equipment was of army standard, which didn¡¯t come as a surprise with her father being an Army officer. She had standard armor, a shield, a long sword, a standard knife, and some javelins, making her the most outfitted of their team.

    Jarek¡¯s unconventional but high-quality equipment provoked some reactions. He had several hidden weapons, notably several special blades: two stilettos, two switchblades, and bracers hiding darts.

    Problems arose with Emilio. He had brought a gun despite Artem telling him not to. It was confiscated, and the Association issued a crossbow to him instead. Emilio complained, refusing to see that a gun was too loud for the kind of mission they had to do. He kept saying it was unjust and pointed out Jarek¡¯s unconventional weapons as the real threat. The Beast Rangers ignored him.

    In the meantime, some teams departed from the FOB. Artem was frustrated when he saw Marcus was among them. He wasn¡¯t confident in the remaining teams¡¯ willingness to share their maps. Fortunately, Mahlon led his team to them with his usual carefree attitude. Anan and Artem put their maps together and added notes on them. Mahlon¡¯s target was the Purple-Tinted Damselfly. The area where the olms and the damselflies lived didn¡¯t cross over too much, which gave a lot of new information to each team.

    With all their preparations done, Artem¡¯s and Galen¡¯s team left the base after eating an early lunch at the mess hall.

 Chapter 26 - The Lush Steps Lake

    Artem discussed the best route to take with his group, sharing the information he got from Anan and exposing his idea. Lyra grumbled that he didn¡¯t need to care about the three dead-weights, but Artem and Galen refused to disregard their teammates.

    Despite Emilio¡¯s protest, they decided to bypass the nearest caves and go to those closest to the lake. It was mostly Artem¡¯s and Galen¡¯s decision because Celeste easily agreed, and Jarek was indifferent.

    Artem gave the map to Galen and asked him to act as a secondary scout.

    ¡°Why did you give the map to your brother? He isn¡¯t in the professional combat elective class. Does he even know how to read a map?¡± Emilio querulously complained.

    ¡°Galen¡¯s talent allows him to see things you won¡¯t be able to see.¡± Artem calmly looked at the bothersome youth. ¡°You can take the center position with him to help him check the map if you¡¯re worried.¡±

    Emilio shut up, and Artem quickly organized their group. Artem took the forward position, with Ayden and Lucia circling around the team. Artem posted the weak Emilio in the center position with Galen, while Jarek and Celeste took the rear position.

    Jarek mocked Artem for his precautions. ¡°Why are you playing war games? We¡¯re just looking for some small beasts!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re outside of the City-State.¡± At Jarek¡¯s raised eyebrow, Galen reminded Jarek of the encounter with the maulers and the dangers underlined by Mr. Tawil and Mrs. Bousrani.

    Celeste exclaimed, ¡°Oh! Right, I forgot.¡±

    The twins speechlessly looked at the girl, who smiled when she noticed their glances. Recalling the twins¡¯ patience for Celeste, Lyra held her comment back.

    ¡°The Army cleaned up the Abyss monsters,¡± Jarek retorted dismissively. ¡°The Beast Rangers are also patrolling.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful. It¡¯s good training,¡± Artem firmly replied.

    Jarek sneered and made a show of saluting Artem. Jarek didn¡¯t care where he was. Being in the rear allowed him to slack off and lazily follow the others. He planned to let the Eos twins do all the work anyway.

    Their team was the last to leave the FOB, but that didn¡¯t worry the twins. They had three days to find and purify the corrupted olms.

    The five youths walked through the forest of firs, spruces, and beeches. The conifers stood tall with straight, green branches. The beech and the occasional maple trees brightened the wood with red, orange, and brown leaves. These cheerful colors produced a breathtaking landscape.

    The trails snaked around on the slopes. The Lush Steps Lake was a rough, steep terrain composed of several plateaus. These plateaus cut the lake into several bodies of water, separated by cliffs and connected by waterfalls.

    The ground contained a lot of limestone and chalk. Over the centuries, the many streams of water flowing toward the lake had dug canyons, sinkholes, and karst caves. In the same way, tufas had formed between each body of water and throughout the waterfalls. The resulting landscape was peculiar but beautiful.

    Nevertheless, the cliffs and canyons rendered the terrain difficult to navigate, and the access to the lake was restricted because of the numerous waterfalls. In some places, the Lush Steps Lake looked like a three-dimensional maze.

    Celeste and Jarek walked in the rear position, but neither of them properly scanned their surroundings. Celeste was looking at the trees, the streams, or the falling of a leaf with awe and excitation. Jarek ambled along, his hands in his pockets, his eyes half-closed. Both of them were unreliable.

    Noticing their carefree attitude, Lyra tattled to the twins. The CSI believed Artem would tell them off. Instead, Artem focused on scouting, doubling his efforts to spot dangers. However, he refrained from using his talent and had Ayden use ¡°heat detection¡± at regular intervals instead. Each time, he let her replenish her spiritual energy before making her use it again.

    Nothing noteworthy happened during the first two hours. The twins were relieved and timidly became optimistic, believing this trip would pass without accident. Unfortunately, they were too naive.

    ¡°There is a beast in the bushes further on your left.¡± Lyra dutifully reported her findings. Since the team had entered the steep forest, she had used her talent to scan the surroundings constantly. Her pride wouldn¡¯t allow her to slake her vigilance with the three dead-weights around. ¡°It¡¯s a reptile, I think.¡±

    Galen silently thanked her, his mind on the logistics of their trip. He still had stamina, but the five youths had been hiking for some time. Taking a break would be a nice way to regroup and check if they were on the right track. Galen¡¯s musing was interrupted by Celeste¡¯s scream.

    Immediately, the boys took out their weapons. The scream came from the left, so Artem and Galen ran toward the girl. Jarek and Emilio trailed behind them.

    ¡°None of you warned us about any danger!¡± Emilio snarled before Artem could organize them. ¡°What¡¯s the use of flaunting around your talents and your pets?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a beast in this direction,¡± Galen calmly said. He carefully looked around as he ran.

    ¡°So, why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Jarek asked derisively. ¡°Keeping the info to yourself, that¡¯s not how scouting works.¡±

    ¡°The beast isn¡¯t on our way. Celeste was supposed to follow us. Why didn¡¯t you say that she wasn¡¯t following us?¡± Artem countered the blond-haired boy to defend his brother. He had to force himself to keep his eyes on the danger ahead.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Lyra felt guilty because she hadn¡¯t monitored the humans¡¯ breathing and concentrated on the beasts. She hadn¡¯t noticed Celeste meandering from the group.

    ¡°She wanted to touch the strange rock.¡± Jarek shrugged, unconcerned by Artem¡¯s reproof. ¡°Who am I to stop her?¡±

    ¡°Her teammate, Jarek!¡± Artem answered, unable to fathom the other boy¡¯s casualness. Despite himself, Artem indignantly looked at the blond-haired boy to add. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to watch her back!¡±

    Celeste hadn¡¯t gone far, and the boys soon found her. She was sitting on the ground, her shoulders sagging, and tears on her face. She was holding her calf.

    Seeing she was hurt, Galen knelt next to her and dug into his backpack. Artem organized the other two boys so that they surrounded Galen and Celeste to protect them.

    Galen pulled his first-aid kit from his backpack and asked in a no-nonsense voice, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°A snake beast bit me.¡± Celeste¡¯s lips tremble. She knew she was slowing down her team with her injury. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re scared of snakes, and you want to be a soldier?¡± Jarek jeered at the girl, misinterpreting her reaction.

    Celeste bit her lips and didn¡¯t answer. Galen gently removed Celeste¡¯s hand from her leg to examine the injury. The girl was wearing reinforced boots that protected her shins. The snake had struck higher, so Galen pulled up her pants, ignoring the blood.

    ¡°Celeste, I need you to concentrate,¡± Galen urged the girl in a firm voice. ¡°What species of snake bit you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you know. You studied with us in the library. Remember what you saw in the encyclopedia. Was it a common Green Snake?¡± Celeste shook her head, so Galen continued to guess. ¡°A notable Two-Lined Rattlesnake?¡±

    Shaking her head again, Celeste said, ¡°It had a horn on its nose. Its scales were brown and beige.¡±

    Galen restrained his sight. He should have known Celeste would be unlucky. ¡°That was a rare Nose-Horned Ground Viper. It¡¯s venomous, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got the antidote.¡±

    Galen cleaned up the injury and called up Lucia. He taught the Light Fairy while he treated the poison with ointment. He had prepared it beforehand when he had researched the potential dangers of the Lush Steps Lake. Galen¡¯s soothing voice calmed Celeste. Listening to his explanations made her confident he would heal her perfectly.

    Then, Galen ordered his fairy to use her ¡°small heal¡± skill on Celeste¡¯s leg two times while he gave Celeste a brew to drink. A rare beast¡¯s venom was powerful. The ointments alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to cleanse Celeste¡¯s body of every toxin.

    Lucia¡¯s skill helped stop the bleeding and close the wound. Galen briefly used his [Insight] to check the scabbing, wanting to be sure there was no infection or residue of the venom. ¡°I don¡¯t want to exhaust my fairy¡¯s spiritual energy in case of another accident. Lucia will heal you again this evening, and I¡¯ll give you another anti-venom brew. I don¡¯t think you need a bandage, although it might help to avoid tearing up the wound. What do you think?¡±

    Celeste trusted the young pharmacist and agreed to everything he said. Galen tidied up, giving the girl more time to rest.

    ¡°Celeste, did the viper run away?¡± Artem asked, now that the girl wasn¡¯t distracted.

    Celeste nodded and pointed in a direction. Artem went to check if the viper had left or was just hiding. From what he knew of snakes¡¯ behavior, it should have run, but Artem wanted to be sure.

    ¡°I don¡¯t hear it anymore,¡± Lyra confirmed.

    ¡°Can you stand?¡± Galen asked as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulders.

    ¡°Yes, yes. Don¡¯t worry. I can even walk.¡±

    Celeste stood up by herself, but Galen hovered around her. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want a bandage? Maybe -¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Galen. Really.¡± Celeste waved away Galen¡¯s concern with a brittle smile. It was uncomfortable seeing the girl so subdued.

    Artem changed their team formation, putting Celeste next to Galen and Emilio at the rear. This way, Galen could keep an eye on the injured girl and keep her from running around again.

    They resumed their travel slower, but seeing that Celeste was keeping up, Artem quickened his pace. Lyra was more active, keeping an ear out for the beasts and the three dead-weights.

    Some times later, Emilio called out to the rest of them. Artem walked back and asked what was the matter. Emilio pointed out a darker part of the rock formation they were following. ¡°I think there''s a cave there.¡±

    Galen studied the map before commenting that it wasn¡¯t marked on the map. ¡°It might be because none of our targets are inside.¡±

    ¡°We should still check it out.¡± Emilio insisted, impatiently taking some steps toward the cave.

    The twins exchanged a glance. Lyra listened attentively and announced that she didn¡¯t hear any body of water but two birds¡¯ breathing. After a brief discussion, the twins let Emilio lead them toward the cave.

    Ferns and mosses grew at the entrance, helping to dissimulate it. Lucia and Ayden went in first. The natural glow from their wings illuminated the cave. The five youths followed. The cave looked empty, with bare rock and ground.

    Remembering Lyra¡¯s information, Artem asked Ayden to use ¡°heat detection¡±. The Fire Fairy enthusiastically obeyed. After a short while, she flew up and pointed at a nest glued to the cave ceiling. The youths saw two birds in it. Lucia joined her sister, making the shadow recede around the beasts.

    ¡°It¡¯s two rare Rustic Cave Swallows, right?¡± Galen said once he had a clear view of the birds. ¡°If so, we won¡¯t find any other beasts inside. These swallows nest in empty caves to escape predators.¡±

    ¡°But we might find some fungi. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re interested in finding some recently?¡± Artem asked, looking around the more humid parts of the cave where stalactites and stalagmites were forming.

    Jarek and Emilio soon became bored with the empty cave and went out. Celeste stayed with the twins to help them check the cave for interesting mushrooms and mosses. They found roots hanging down from the ceiling and some fungi with some earth spirit energy. Not wanting to waste any opportunity, Galen harvested the mushrooms and stored them in their inner world ¡°Warehouse¡± while Artem was distracting Celeste.

    With the other two boys waiting impatiently outside, Celeste, Artem, and Galen didn¡¯t linger and soon came out. By then, it was late in the afternoon, and Artem decided they should look for a place to settle for the night.

    It would be best to find a meadow, however rare they were in the Lush Steps Lake. Galen and Emilio studied the map, then they indicated to Artem the path to take. After some more trek through the forest, the sun was already low on the horizon. The five youths finally saw the dense trees thinning out, indicating they were approaching their destination.

    ¡°There are other people already there. It should be Orsella¡¯s and Caleb¡¯s team.¡± Lyra warned her hosts.

    Artem and Galen weren¡¯t worried about their classmates, so Galen said, ¡°They are some students ahead. Let¡¯s see if we can share the meadow for the night.¡±

    ¡°Why? Won¡¯t that lower our grades?¡± Emilio asked sullenly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember the teacher forbidding cooperation. This trip isn¡¯t a competition.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just nonsense.¡± Jarek sneered. ¡°Life is a competition.¡±

    As they were talking, they arrived at the meadow. Tall grass covered the ground, almost hiding a small pond from view. Caleb, Orsella, and two other students were standing watch around the meadow while Amethyst was purifying a Short-Crested Newt near the pond. The young pharmacist was working diligently to prepare the potion, the newt tied securely in front of her.

    Orsella, who was stationed at the other side of the meadow, nodded at Artem before going back to her surveillance. Standing nearest to the twins¡¯ team, Caleb narrowed his eyes at them.

    Ignoring Caleb¡¯s distrust, Galen waved at him and said, ¡°We won¡¯t bother Amethyst. I know purifying is a delicate work. But we were -¡±

    Before Galen could finish his sentence, Jarek rushed from behind to punch Caleb. Galen and Artem were so astonished they only reacted when Orsella ran in their direction with a shout.

    Caleb was alert, so he easily parried Jarek¡¯s jab and countered. Artem attacked Jarek from behind, maneuvering to bind him in a lock. However, Caleb didn¡¯t welcome Artem¡¯s interference and aimed a kick at the black-haired boy. Artem had to deflect Caleb¡¯s attack, aborting his attempt at Jarek. Unfortunately, before Artem could explain his target was Jarek, Orsella joined the fight.

    Unable to understand Jarek¡¯s action, Galen stayed away from the fight and looked around. Seeing Orsella¡¯s teammates ¨C a lean, brown-eyed girl and a tall, long-haired boy ¨C moving in their direction, he told them to keep watch. ¡°Amethyst is still purifying the corrupted beast. She¡¯s the most important right now!¡±

    Galen recognized the lean girl as Gena Samaras. She was from a military household and a friend of Orsella. The tall boy was Saul Haddad, a friend of Amethyst if Galen wasn¡¯t mistaken. Saul and Gena hesitated. Saul was the first to take back his watch position, showing his care for Amethyst.

    However, Gena slowly moved around so she could watch both the fight and Amethyst. Galen didn¡¯t begrudge her of her wariness.

    The young pharmacist turned his attention to the fight in time to grab Emilio and Celeste. ¡°Don¡¯t! Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Emilio shook his hand to loosen Galen¡¯s grip on him. ¡°Was your speech about teamwork a lie? You two-faced liar!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to worsen the situation! We shouldn¡¯t be fighting at all!¡±

    Emilio scoffed in disbelief while Celeste paced around, unsure about what she should do. Galen worriedly glanced from his brother to Amethyst. If Jarek¡¯s stupid action made her fail the purification, he didn¡¯t know how they could compensate the other team.

    With Orsella¡¯s and Jarek¡¯s aggressiveness, and Caleb¡¯s distrust, Galen didn¡¯t know how to stop the fight. The only good point was that the beast tamers refrained from using their pets, and no one was using a weapon.

    Galen thought of the powders and drugs he had prepared but dismissed the idea. He wanted to aim at Jarek, but he couldn¡¯t be sure he wouldn¡¯t accidentally affect Caleb, worsening the situation.

    Artem was frustrated with Orsella, but he couldn¡¯t blame her when the one responsible for this fiasco was his own teammate. Artem knew reasoning with Orsella when she was fighting was useless. So he bode his time, and when he felt Orsella easing up into a sparring exchange, Artem lightly said, ¡°Had enough?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What about your side?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be glad to have your help to calm down Jarek.¡±

    Orsella threw some halfhearted blows at Artem, pondering her proposal. Then, she abruptly stopped fighting Artem to look at her teammate¡¯s fight. Jarek was still attacking recklessly, a crazy smile on his lips. Caleb was holding on, but he couldn¡¯t match Jarek¡¯s madness.

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with him?¡± Orsella asked as Jarek began a wild combo of kicks.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Artem frowned at Jarek, angry with the boy¡¯s disregard and selfishness.

    ¡°Eh, I told you he would take his revenge when Mr. Tawil wouldn¡¯t be there to stop him!¡± Lyra haughtily said. Although she was worried for the twins, she couldn¡¯t help feeling superior, knowing she had been right.

    Artem took a guess from Lyra¡¯s input. ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t want to come. Mr. Tawil forcibly picked him up and nagged at him the whole way yesterday. So, he¡¯s frustrated?¡±

    ¡°Oh! I know how to deal with that!¡± Orsella lightly hopped a few times before moving toward Caleb and Jarek to stand behind her teammate, slightly on his left. Orsella suddenly shouted, ¡°Caleb! Switch!¡±

    Caleb was trained to cooperate with his teammates. The switch went smoothly, showing Caleb and Orsella were used to working together. Orsella wildly laughed as she matched Jarek¡¯s aggressiveness.

    ¡°What is she doing?¡± Emilio asked petulantly. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you stopping them?¡±

    ¡°If Jarek attacked because he¡¯s frustrated, it¡¯s better to let Orsella fight him until he gets it out of his system.¡± Artem watched the fight attentively. Jarek¡¯s smile widened, confirming he was glad to fight Orsella.

    ¡°Jarek often skips lessons. Orsella has been wanting to fight him for a while,¡± Gena added from her place. She relaxed her attention on Orsella¡¯s fight, trusting Caleb to watch her friend¡¯s back. ¡°Let them be.¡±

    Jarek was a tricky opponent, using unconventional combos and quick attacks. Orsella was more straightforward, using her powerful strikes to push Jarek back.

    ¡°What the heck are you all doing?¡± Amethyst suddenly asked from behind the youths watching the fight.

    Galen swirled around to ask worriedly, ¡°Did the purification go well? We didn¡¯t hinder you, did we?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s done. Nothing can interrupt my focus. So, why is Orsella fighting?¡±

    ¡°Jarek went crazy!¡± Celeste helpfully explained before the others could speak.

    ¡°Jarek Dolezal?¡± Amethyst paused. ¡°My condolence, Galen. But I¡¯d like you to take your problems somewhere else.¡±

    Galen sighed. Amethyst didn¡¯t show obvious scorn for him, but she always put her studies first. She saw Galen as a hindrance, an opinion Galen couldn¡¯t refute with Jarek¡¯s behavior.

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave as soon as they stop fighting,¡± Galen promised Amethyst, despite his disappointment at the girl¡¯s rejection.

    ¡°I thought you wanted to share the meadow. It¡¯s almost night now. How are we going to find another meadow?¡± Emilio complained.

    ¡°We¡¯re not welcomed anymore, in case you hadn¡¯t noticed,¡± Artem retorted, throwing a warning glare at Emilio. ¡°Take your complaints to Jarek!¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been welcomed here anyway,¡± Caleb rebuked Artem, his dislike strongly expressed by his tense body and clenched fists.

    Artem wasn¡¯t surprised by Caleb¡¯s attitude. He had hoped that with Marcus¡¯s and Orsella¡¯s example, Caleb would have softened his stance, but to the future soldier, loyalty was too important.

    Emilio didn¡¯t speak up after Caleb¡¯s comment. He fell back to the rear of his team and muttered by himself. Lyra heard him insulting the twins, calling them jinx. She was outraged. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t this waste-for-space look at himself first? Whose fault is it that there is no more time to look for another meadow? Who was the good-for-nothing who wanted to explore a useless cave?¡±

    She ranted for a while. Galen distractedly listened to her while Artem was focused on the fight. Jarek and Orsella had a lot of stamina, but the girl had been a beast tamer for more than two months. The chi running through her meridians had begun to enhance her body. After a fierce exchange of blows, Orsella overpowered Jarek¡¯s defense and knocked him down.

    Artem used the opportunity to stand in the middle. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Jarek lost this match.¡±

    Jarek shook his head and stood up. He looked deeply at Orsella without his usual smirk.

    ¡°Jarek, that¡¯s enough. We need to go.¡±

    The blond-haired boy sneered and mock-saluted Artem. ¡°Thanks for the fight, kiddos! That loosened up my body.¡±

    Amethyst, Saul, and Caleb frowned at Jarek but didn¡¯t comment. Orsella smiled widely. ¡°Any time, Dolezal! It was my pleasure!¡±

    ¡°Sella! Keep it down, will you?¡± Gena called out to her friend in a fake concerned tone. ¡°You¡¯re going to frighten our pharmacist with your crazies!¡±

    Orsella waved off Gena¡¯s comment and went to keep watch with her friend. The two girls playfully punched each other.

    Knowing they needed to leave, Galen took out the map to look for another place to set up their camp for the night. The nearest meadow was on another plateau. To reach it, the five youths would have to climb a cliff or make a long detour.

    Instead, Galen suggested they found a clearing near a stream or at the foot of a cliff so that they would be protected on one side. Emilio reluctantly came up to examine the map with Galen.

    Once they found an appropriate site, Artem, Galen, and Celeste apologized for the disturbance they caused.

    ¡°Like I said,¡± Orsella answered carelessly, ¡°it was fun. Anyway, I¡¯m the brawn, I¡¯m here to fight.¡±

    ¡°So, who¡¯s the brain?¡± Jarek asked with his scorn.

    ¡°Amethyst and Caleb!¡± Orsella answered without hesitation.

    Caleb ignored his teammate¡¯s nonsense and went to set up the camp.

    Amethyst sighed. ¡°Leave before she decides she has enough energy for another fight.¡± The young pharmacist turned around to join Caleb.

    However, Gena put her arm around Orsella¡¯s shoulders to ask, ¡°Eh, Sella! If you¡¯re the brawn and they¡¯re the brain, what I am?¡±

    Orsella made a show of thinking hard, her index tapping her lips. ¡°Moral support?¡±

    ¡°What? You muscle-head!¡± Gena transformed her hold on Orsella into a headlock to mess up her hair. ¡°I¡¯ll show you moral support by putting worms into your sleeping bag tonight!¡±

    ¡°Children, let¡¯s behave!¡± Saul clapped his hands to attract the girls¡¯ attention. ¡°Time to prepare dinner!¡±

    ¡°So, Saul is the caretaker?¡± Gena suggested, and Orsella happily nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna put worms into your plate if you don¡¯t recognize I¡¯m also part of the brawn!¡± Saul drawled as he turned around to help Caleb set up the camp.

    The girls laughed and followed him to do their part of the chores.

    Galen and Artem left Orsella¡¯s team to their casual banters, quietly walking out of the meadow. The twins were envious of the camaraderie they showed.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got me, and Ayden, and Lucia. You got a team!¡± Lyra reassured them.

    The twins looked around their team. Emilio was sulking, Celeste was daydreaming, and Jarek was back to his indifference. Galen and Artem didn¡¯t see any team spirit.

 Chapter 27 - Justified violence

    It still took Artem¡¯s and Galen¡¯s team almost one hour to reach their destination. The place was narrow, but there was enough space to build a campfire and lay out their sleeping bags. They hadn¡¯t brought any tents since carrying and putting them up would hinder them more than anything.

    Lucia created several light sources by using her ¡°glow¡± skill. Maintaining all of them took a lot of concentration, but she didn¡¯t waver and took her job seriously.

    Artem charged Galen with preparing their meal. Then, the young combatant asked Emilio and Jarek to prepare their campfire and dig their latrines. Meanwhile, Celeste and Artem would gather enough wood to fuel the fire through the night.

    Artem didn¡¯t wait for the others to agree and left to do his chores with Ayden. The faster it was done, the faster he would get back to the camp to protect Galen. Jarek was an unreliable teammate but a good combatant, so Artem felt more at ease with the blond-haired boy staying at the camp with Galen.

    Galen efficiently pulled the pots and ingredients needed to prepare dinner from his backpack. His first plan had been to make a stew with their jerky and beans, but it needed to simmer a long time. Since it was already dark, Galen judged it was better to make a simpler meal.

    The cold of November was biting but bearable during the day. With the nightfall, it was sharper, so a hot meal was the better choice. Galen measured enough dry pasta for five persons and went to fill the pot with water from the stream.

    Waiting for Celeste and Artem to return with kindling and firewood, Galen distributed nuts and dry fruits equally in five bowls. The black-haired boy raised his head to check his surroundings and noticed neither Jarek nor Emilio had dug the pit or the latrines. They were sitting around lazily.

    Galen pursed his lips in disapproval. He had planned to join the boys to speed up the preparation for the campfire. However, Galen had only intended to help them: he refused to do their chores. Galen decided to wait for Artem¡¯s return before dealing with the two troublesome students.

    ¡°Artem¡¯s coming back,¡± Lyra said, ¡°but I¡¯m also hearing a beast approaching. It sounds like a type of dog.¡±

    Needing to make Jarek and Emilio believe he knew it thanks to his talent, Galen activated his [Insight] to look around before repeating Lyra¡¯s warning. At the same time, he was recalling what he knew of the beasts inhabiting the Lush Steps Lake. He added, ¡°I think it might be a wolf, a fox, or a jackal. I¡¯m leaning toward a jackal.¡±

    To confirm his speculation, Galen sent Lucia scouting after retrieving his lamp torch from his bag. However, Jarek laughed off his warning. He claimed he had fought enough for one day and refused to stand up to defend their camp.

    Emilio rolled his eyes in disbelief. ¡°What nonsense are you saying? It¡¯s dark. What can you see in the dark?¡± Then, he complained about the fairy leaving the camp, plunging it into darkness.

    As soon as he heard Lyra¡¯s warning, Artem sped up, hoping to return in time to protect his brother. His anger burned at the thought that the two combatants weren¡¯t listening to Galen¡¯s warning.

    ¡°Something sounds weird with the beast¡¯s breathing. It might be corrupted,¡± Lyra added.

    When Artem arrived at the camp, Emilio and Jarek were still idly sitting around. The brown-haired boy was grumbling at the low power output of his lamp torch while Jarek had his hands in his pockets. Galen was alert in the middle of the camp.

    ¡°Which direction?¡±

    Both Lyra and Galen answered Artem. The young warrior sent Ayden after the Light Fairy, to help her scouting. Then, he put down the wood he had gathered near their future campfire and turned his attention to his reluctant teammates. Celeste hadn¡¯t returned from picking wood, so Artem decided to first deal with Emilio and Jarek.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dig the latrines or help with anything?¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m your servant?¡± Jarek scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t need latrines, and I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Who do you think you are to order me around?¡± Emilio went further, feeling secure since Jarek was on his side. ¡°Stop thinking like a young master: your Family is dead!¡±

    Artem ignored the low jab at his parents¡¯ death and his Family¡¯s situation. He retorted, using logic. ¡°If you expect us to simply give you food or make your bed for you while you do nothing, think again.¡±

    The two boys weren¡¯t intimidated by Artem and ridiculed him. An argument followed, wearing down Artem¡¯s patience. Meanwhile, Lucia and Ayden came flying back. Galen interrogated them, using yes-or-no questions. With their input and his knowledge, the young pharmacist took an educated guest. He loudly interrupted the three other boys¡¯ heated argument to share his information.

    ¡°A notable Golden-Furred Jackal is coming our way. I think it¡¯s corrupted because it¡¯s alone, whereas these jackals normally work in pairs. Moreover, they like living in shrub forests or arid places. We need to look for Celeste before the jackal comes to our camp. The corruption will make it act crazily.¡±

    Emilio and Jarek countered Galen¡¯s suppositions, using their laziness and pettiness to refuse to listen. Fed up with their actions and sensing that Artem was nearing his limits, Galen took an extreme decision.

    ¡°I¡¯m borrowing Ayden to look for Celeste. I¡¯ll be quick. Meanwhile,¡± Galen straightened and enunciated clearly, ¡°Artem Alexander Eos, as the head of the Eos Family, I, Galen Gregory Eos, give you leave to use your full force to take control.¡±

    Artem¡¯s head whipped around to stare at his brother. The official order shook off his anger and impatience. Artem raised a fist to heart and bowed. ¡°Yes, sir. I hear and obey.¡±

    Lyra wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but it was more important to help Galen find Celeste quickly. From what her talent was telling her, Celeste wasn¡¯t far, but she was walking in circles. Lyra was ready to bet that the silly girl was lost.

    With Galen on the right track, Lyra turned her attention to Artem. The youth strode to Jarek. The blond-haired boy stood up with a scornful smile.

    ¡°What new game are you playing? You gonna beat me up? As if you would dare -¡±

    Artem¡¯s power slap to Jarek¡¯s temple came without any warning. Jarek barely had the time to block, but the force of the blow still destabilized him. Artem followed up with a hammer kick, aiming at Jarek¡¯s left knee. The blond-haired boy pivoted to evade the kick, and feeling unstable, chose to roll sideways to dodge Artem¡¯s following elbow strike.

    Jarek stood up ready to attack despite his surprise, but Artem was already on him. The blond-haired boy hurriedly threw a right straight punch at Artem¡¯s face. The black-haired boy used his left palm on Jarek¡¯s elbow to slightly deviate the blow to the right of his head while countering with his own right straight punch to the face. Committed to his attack, Jarek couldn¡¯t dodge and took the full power of the hit.

    Artem stayed close and withdrew his punch to transform it into an elbow strike to the neck to stun his opponent, keeping his hold on Jarek¡¯s right elbow with his left hand. With his right hand in perfect position, Artem grabbed Jarek¡¯s head to push it down, guiding it to violently meet his left elbow, his left hand never releasing its hold on Jarek. Then, using his grip on Jarek¡¯s head and right elbow, Artem flipped the boy over, throwing him to the ground. Before Jarek could recover, Artem knelt over Jarek and locked his wrist and elbow, forcing the boy into a pain compliance hold.

    The whole fight barely took ten seconds. Emilio had scrambled back at the beginning of the combat and didn¡¯t dare to move. Lyra was still processing what happened when Artem calmly talked to Jarek. ¡°Still with me, Dolezal?¡±

    Artem clinically observed his opponent. Blood was staining Jarek¡¯s face. His heavy breathing and the nerves jumping on his neck showed he was suffering.

    ¡°Here are a few things I want you to remember carefully.¡± Artem slightly moved, provoking a hiss of pain from Jarek. ¡°First, I could have done that at any time. I don¡¯t need to use my talent to take you down. Do you believe that, Dolezal?¡± Artem paused again. Jarek didn¡¯t react, so the black-haired boy applied more pressure on Jarek¡¯s wrist, hurting him on purpose. ¡°Pain is an excellent teacher. We can do that as long as you need it. Do you believe that, Dolezal?¡±

    ¡°Yes, asshole.¡±

    Artem smiled coldly and intensified the pain without breaking Jarek¡¯s wrist before shifting his hold to an outside rotation wrist lock while Jarek was recoiling in anguish. Then, Artem broke Jarek¡¯s little finger. ¡°You got a mouth on you, Dolezal. But here¡¯s what is going to happen from now on. Each time you sneer, jeer, or try to be mouthy, I¡¯ll break one of your fingers. Do you believe that, Dolezal?¡±

    Jarek nodded, refusing to talk.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re beginning to understand each other.¡± Artem switched to talking to Lyra. ¡°Where is the jackal?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s stopped advancing. It¡¯s behaving irrationally, growling and whimpering. But it¡¯s still near the camp.¡±

    Artem thanked Lyra and addressed Jarek. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Guerriero before continuing the lesson.¡±

    Artem calmly settled to wait, never releasing his hold on Jarek. Soon, drops of sweat appeared on the boy¡¯s forehead, but Jarek didn¡¯t cry out or beg. He endured silently.

    Instead of watching Jarek, Artem coldly looked at Emilio, locking the brown-haired boy in place simply with his stare. Artem¡¯s cold eyes promised Emilio that the dark-haired boy would deal with him too.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    When Galen and Celeste returned to the camp, the girl¡¯s chatter explaining her lamp torch had run out of energy disturbed the tense silence. Sensing something was wrong, Celeste looked around. Her eyes followed Ayden as she flew over to her tamer, bringing more light with her. Artem was holding down Jarek, and Emilio was cowering on the side. Celeste slowed down, unsure of what was happening.

    Galen calmly told Lucia to follow him, signing to her to ignore the hurt boy. Lucia looked confused, but she sat down on her tamer¡¯s shoulder and lightened the camp again instead. The dark-haired boy nodded at Artem and went over to secure the food, in preparation for dealing with the jackal.

    ¡°Fava, Guerriero, listen as carefully as Dolezal.¡± Artem¡¯s voice pierced the night. He turned his attention to Jarek. ¡°Remember the first point, Dolezal?¡±

    Jarek nodded, but Artem wasn¡¯t satisfied. ¡°Say it to your comrades.¡±

    ¡°You could have taken me down at any time.¡±

    ¡°Good, Dolezal.¡± Artem released the pressure on Jarek¡¯s wrist a bit while looking at Celeste and Emilio. ¡°You give us any trouble, and I take you down in the same way. Is that clear, Fava, Guerriero?¡±

    Celeste¡¯s face had become expressionless. She sharply nodded in answer, her posture straight, her eyes looking over Artem¡¯s head.

    Lyra noticed the girl¡¯s breathing changing and thought Celeste was intimidated by Artem¡¯s violence. She couldn¡¯t say she was comfortable with it either. It was as if she didn¡¯t know her hosts anymore.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the second point. From now on, Galen Eos is our leader, and I¡¯m his NCO. I¡¯ll make you execute every one of his orders and punish any act of insubordination. Do you believe that, Dolezal, Fava, Guerriero?¡±

    Jarek nodded, and Celeste answered with a loud ¡°Yes, Sergeant!¡±. However, Emilio scowled and looked from Artem to Galen, shaking his head.

    ¡°No way, you crazy, uppity bastards! Like hell, I¡¯m gonna take your abuse silently!¡±

    Artem released his hold on Jarek and strode toward Emilio. He deliberately turned his back on the blond-haired boy. Better to test Jarek¡¯s word now than during the confrontation with the jackal.

    ¡°Don¡¯t come near me, you mad dog!¡±

    Artem ignored Emilio¡¯s cursing and easily grabbed him. The black-haired took him down and locked him in pain compliance hold without any trouble. Emilio wailed, but Artem didn¡¯t stop there and firmly gripped the boy¡¯s little finger.

    ¡°I¡¯ll obey!¡± Emilio screamed and begged Artem to let him go.

    Artem didn¡¯t break his finger but didn¡¯t release his hold on Emilio either. ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Emilio whimpered. Artem turned his attention to Galen. ¡°Updates on the jackal, sir?¡±

    Lyra was confused about her hosts¡¯ attitude, but she let it go for now. ¡°With Emilio¡¯s ruckus, it¡¯s now coming our way again.¡±

    ¡°ETA?¡±

    ¡°What?

    ¡°Estimate time of arrival?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! A few minutes?¡± Lyra felt confused at the sudden use of military jargon.

    Galen quickly decided on a course of action. ¡°The jackal is coming our way again. Sergeant, take Dolezal and your Fire Fairy to deal with it outside the camp if possible. Your objective is to make the beast run away. Avoid hurting it as much as possible. If necessary, use Ayden as a liaison.¡±

    Meanwhile, Jarek had stood up and cleaned up the blood on him. He didn¡¯t show his pain, his face as expressionless as Celeste¡¯s despite the visible bruises.

    Artem barked a brief ¡°Yes, sir!¡± at Galen before leaving to execute their orders. Jarek grabbed several things from his backpack and followed Artem without a word.

    ¡°Guerriero, you¡¯re on watch duty with me until Sergeant Eos and Dolezal come back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Celeste equipped her weapons and went to stand guard at one end of the clearing.

    ¡°Fava, as punishment for attracting the beast¡¯s attention again, you¡¯ll prepare the campfire, dig the latrines, and set up the camp alone. Then you¡¯ll take the first watch rotation tonight. You begin now. The sergeant will add to your punishment as he sees fit.¡±

    Lyra reported Emilio muttering he would make them pay while he took a shovel from his backpack to dig.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care for now, as long as he obeys,¡± Galen answered bluntly. His mind was on his brother and the danger he was facing. The young pharmacist wished he could purify the jackal, but the ingredients he had wouldn''t work for mammals. Galen couldn¡¯t afford to experiment with such an important process.

    Contacting the beast tamers from the Association was another possibility, but their team was not in mortal danger, and the connected bracelet didn¡¯t have the signal for this type of situation. They could only scare the Golden-Furred Jackal away and report it later at the FOB.

    The one reassuring point was that the Beast Nurturer had said all the dangerous, corrupted beasts had been taken care of. Thus, the jackal shouldn¡¯t be too threatening, or its corruption shouldn¡¯t be too advanced.

    Through Lyra, Galen kept himself updated on Artem''s and Jarek¡¯s situation.

    Artem had sent Ayden ahead to scout using ¡°heat detection¡± while he followed her with Jarek. The boys were advancing cautiously, using light rods to illuminate the way softly.

    Stealth shouldn¡¯t be possible in front of a canine beast, but the jackal was perturbed because of the corruption. If they were lucky, the beast wasn¡¯t rational enough to use its senses ¨C be it to smell them or to detect the light from their rods. Moreover, scaring the Golden-Furred Jackal would be easier with a surprise attack.

    As the two young combatants slowly walked after the fairy, Jarek¡¯s silent steps earned an approval glance from Artem. Jarek¡¯s lips curled into a smug smirk. Artem couldn¡¯t let the blond-haired regain his confidence so soon. Artem gestured at Jarek to stop, then he calmly looked him in the eyes until Jarek swept the smug smile off his face.

    Before they could get back on track, the Fire Fairy flew back to Artem. The black-haired boy discussed with Ayden using hand signs. Jarek observed them with interest.

    Then, Ayden flew upward to hide in the trees. Artem whispered his plan to Jarek. The blond-haired boy nodded, asked for a few precision, and made a suggestion. Artem modified his plan accordingly.

    The two combatants planted the light rods in the soil on the trail. Then, they separated but remained in each other¡¯s sight. Artem and Jarek didn¡¯t have to wait long for the Golden-Furred Jackal.

    It was trotting in their direction in a jerky gait. The beast was taller than Caleb¡¯s Green Dog and had a thick coat and a bushy tail.

    As the boys were waiting for the best time to spring their attack, the jackal stopped to shake its head violently. Under the glow of the light rods, Artem noticed its eyes going from dullness to malice. Its muscles tensed, and the jackal growled.

    Artem didn¡¯t like what he was seeing. It wasn¡¯t the ideal position, but it was better to begin the assault as planned.

    Artem raised a hand in signal and rushed from his hiding place, Jarek doing the same. Artem called forth his talent as Ayden flew down, preparing her skill. Jarek took a knee, aiming both his arms at the jackal.

    Jarek accurately shot his first two whistling darts. The loud noise startled the beast, and it whined when the darts struck its muzzle. Then, Artem and Ayden combined their ¡°chain of blasts¡±, producing as much noise and light as they could. Jarek shot again, still aiming at the jackal¡¯s head.

    Under the onslaught of noises, lights, and pains, the Golden-Furred Jackal fortunately ran away. Artem sent Ayden to follow the beast to ensure it didn¡¯t double back on them. Meanwhile, the two combatants stood guard on the trail, waiting for the fairy to return.

    With the situation apparently under control, Lyra asked Galen for explanations. She didn¡¯t like the violence displayed by her hosts. She wanted to understand. Firstly, she was worried for them. Secondly, as their CSI, it was her job to keep them in check.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lyra. It¡¯s just an act.¡± Galen sighed and added, ¡°Mostly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to do better than that,¡± Lyra stated, in a deadpan tone.

    ¡°We¡¯re from a Family.¡± Galen stalled for time, looking for the right words.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware.¡± Patience didn¡¯t seem to bring forth useful answers. Lyra was ready to throw a temper tantrum, but she didn¡¯t need to.

    ¡°It¡¯s our duty to fight the Abyss monsters. We¡¯ve trained from a young age in military discipline, although Artem trained more than me. The only new thing for us is the beast-tamer aspect.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying all this military stuff is natural to you?¡± Lyra was confused. The Families¡¯ traditions and politics irked her. However, she abandoned that line of thought to tackle the real issue. ¡°No, wait. What about your violence toward Jarek? I thought your dad was a great guy. Is your Army made of sick jerks?¡±

    ¡°Dad was a great officer.¡± Galen trailed off and sighed again. ¡°Ruthlessness was the only way to take care of Jarek.¡±

    ¡°While I do hear your thoughts, I don¡¯t read them, Galen. You need to speak to me, even if it¡¯s in your mind!¡± The dangers and the less-than-optimal circumstances made Lyra more snippy than usual. She needed answers, and she needed them now.

    ¡°I just followed the clues to come to the only possible conclusion about Jarek. Remember: Zane said he has a special background but isn¡¯t part of a Family. Then, there is his behavior. Jarek doesn¡¯t care about the military or the beast tamers: he only respects the strong. He respects Orsella and Mr. Tawil but scorns or ignores the likes of Emilio, Celeste, or the school dean. From the way he speaks, he believes in the law of the strongest, underlining the previous point. Lastly, his weapons are for assassinations.¡±

    ¡°So, all that means he needs to be beaten up?¡± Lyra didn¡¯t see the point Galen was trying to make.

    ¡°So, Jarek must be from the Underworld. The school tolerates him to get access to the Black Market through him.¡±

    Lyra kept silent, imagining thugs with fedoras playing pokers and speaking with an Italian accent in a casino backroom filled with cigar smoke.

    Unaware of his CSI¡¯s wild daydream, Galen continued his explanations. ¡°To deal with someone from the Underworld, we need to be ruthless. Jarek will only respond to that, and any kindness will be seen as a weakness. As a bonus, being so ruthless with Jarek allows us to intimidate the other two without going as far.¡±

    Lyra couldn¡¯t fault Galen¡¯s reasoning, so she let go of the matter. After a brief silence during which she thought back to how fast Artem had overwhelmed Jarek, Lyra marveled at Artem¡¯s strength.

    However, Galen said that was also an act. ¡°Jarek walked all day, then he fought Caleb and Orsella without any restraint. Orsella didn¡¯t pull back any of her hits. Jarek might not feel it, but he is spent, bruised, and exhausted. Artem is not, so I just use some fancy turn of sentences to make Artem look impressive while he just took advantage of Jarek¡¯s state.¡±

    ¡°So, why did you send him with Artem if he was going to be useless in a fight.¡±

    ¡°Still putting on a show. I need Jarek to think he¡¯s the best warrior, that Artem needed to go full power against him. That I respect his strength too.¡±

    Lyra was impressed not only by Galen¡¯s deductive power and swift decision but also by the twins¡¯ acting skills and smooth cooperation. ¡°But now, won¡¯t you need to keep the act up until Wednesday?¡±

    Galen pushed back Lyra¡¯s nagging, assuring her that he and Artem had no issue keeping up this kind of act. Lyra wondered how Galen learned all that.

    ¡°I¡¯m a trained heir,¡± Galen stated, his voice stern and heavy with the responsibility of such a title.

    Sensing the topic was too sensitive, Lyra didn¡¯t ask any more questions. When Artem and Jarek came back to the camp, the youths followed Galen¡¯s instructions.

    They ate, cleaned up, and went to sleep, except for Emilio who had to take the first night watch. The brown-haired boy muttered to himself and hatefully poked the campfire with a branch. He was a terrible guard.

    Lyra told Artem to sleep without worry. It was easy enough for her to compensate the twins for their bad teammates. So, Lyra helped with the night watch. She would have done it anyway since the CSI didn¡¯t trust Celeste, Emilio, or Jarek. However, the twins didn¡¯t need to know she didn¡¯t require sleep. That way, she appeared dedicated and gallant. She could act too!

 Chapter 28 - Meeting the wildlife

    On Monday morning, Artem, who had taken the last guard rotation, woke up his teammates. He kept up his NCO persona and gave orders to dismantle the camp while Galen prepared their breakfast.

    Lyra reported to Galen what she had noted during the night on Emilio¡¯s, Celeste¡¯s, and Jarek¡¯s watch. Galen restrained his grumbles. He had argued with Artem through Lyra¡¯s telepathy when his brother forbade him from participating in the guard rotations. If they didn¡¯t need to keep up their show of authority, Galen wouldn¡¯t have conceded.

    Aware of his frustration, Lyra gave him a detailed account of the nocturnal wild beasts that had come near their camp while he had slept. They hadn¡¯t posed any threat. Some approached the camp curiously but cautiously while others just passed near them without pausing. Lyra had only her [Divine Hearing] to guess what those beasts were since she had been unable to see them without her hosts acting as her eyes.

    Nevertheless, she felt it was a shame that Artem couldn¡¯t touch the owl or the lynx who had passed by their camp before dawn. Lyra had alerted him first about a bird beast, so Artem had sent Ayden to scout around. Lyra had briefly seen the cute, fluffy owl through the Fire Fairy¡¯s eyes before it flew away. Later, Artem had identified the wild cat Lyra had pointed out to him as a rare Solitary Grey Lynx. It had looked over the campfire curiously but stayed hidden in the foliage and left after a while.

    Both had been adorable, making Lyra miss her body. She would have loved to cuddle such beasts. The girl shook off her nostalgia. She had long accepted her new life with its strangest aspects and inconveniences. She still gushed over the owl, describing its cuteness to Galen to deride the grumpy boy.

    ¡°From your description, it should have been a rare Tawny Soft Owl,¡± Galen said, trying to contain the girl¡¯s excitation.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a notable beast? But it was so small!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s small and cute. Remember: Celeste gushed over it as much as you in the library.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I ignored her after the five first times she did that.¡±

    ¡°Anyway. This owl is an earth beast despite being a flying beast ¨C which is rare enough ¨C but it also has some fire aspects.¡±

    ¡°You should try to contract one!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t specialize in earth pets,¡± Galen answered exasperatedly.

    ¡°I already told you both that traditions are overrated! That owl was cute!¡±

    ¡°What did Artem say?¡± Galen asked, guessing that Lyra hadn¡¯t kept her side of the conservation to herself.

    ¡°He said you¡¯re not supposed to choose a pet by its cuteness. You¡¯re no fun!¡±

    Galen smiled at his brother''s straightforwardness. Hearing Lyra still ranting, Galen reminded his CSI that contracting another pet so soon was unadvised. A young beast tamer wasn¡¯t experienced enough to train two pets, and the risk of mistreating the pets led to losing the contract.

    By the time Galen and Lyra finished their conversation, the boy¡¯s grumpiness had disappeared, and Lyra¡¯s enthusiasm had calmed down. Galen focused on checking on Celeste and Jarek. He gave the girl her last dose of anti-venom and ordered Lucia to use [small heal] on her injury. Meanwhile, Galen asked Jarek to show him his hand. He didn¡¯t intend to mend Jarek¡¯s fracture, but he still wanted to see if it was inflamed.

    Once the five youths were ready to leave, they decided on a direction and went on their way. They aimed to reach the main lake, hoping to find interesting caves and plants on its border.

    Galen instructed Lucia to help him look out for specific flowers and bushes. The weather hadn¡¯t been too cold this year, so the boy hoped to harvest useful leaves, roots, or seeds if he was lucky. Most flowers would have already withered in October. However, they might still contain non-scattered seeds.

    By the time they arrived at the lake, Galen had harvested several myrtle spurge shoots and a few asphodel seeds from pruning. The plants were dormant, so the young pharmacist wasn¡¯t sure about their spiritual power. However, they had a chance to possess a bit of earth spiritual affinity.

    Galen wanted to find delphinium seeds. The flower grew in calcareous soil, so it should be possible to find it there, even if it wasn¡¯t the dreamy blue-dawn delphinium he required for Lucia¡¯s evolution pill.

    The lake was a sight to behold. Only one part of the edges was accessible since limestone cliffs encircled more than half of the body of water. The thin waterfalls were surprisingly noisy after the muffled sounds of the forest as they plunged into the lake. Between these cascades grew several trees clinging to the cliff. The white mist created as the water fell spread across the lake. It saturated the air before dissipating, leaving a fresh, chilly sensation on the skin. The limpid, crystal water and the mist glittered in the Autumn sun, sometimes creating rainbows.

    It was a feast of colors with the dark reds and oranges of the foliage, the blue-green of the water, the white of the foam, the rich brown of the earth, and the light gray of the cliffs. The pure water let the students see the rocky bottom of the lake, covered in algae and moss, adding a touch of green to the landscape.

    The five youths stood, awed by the impressive beauty of nature, feeling the cold of the Autumn despite the sun shining above them.

    A short time later, they spread on the lake edge to scout the wildlife. Galen happily found some water chestnuts, a plant with water and earth spiritual power. It was useless for the fairies, but Galen could experiment with new pill recipes with them. The young pharmacist stopped harvesting the water chestnuts when his teammates gathered back around him.

    They didn¡¯t report anything interesting, except some common Brown Trouts and some chubs that Artem thought were just enhanced animals. The combatants carefully checked for snakes or predators, but they found none, and the tracks looked old enough. Artem judged there were no obvious dangers. Most beasts should be sleeping or hiding at this time of the day.

    Galen studied the map more meticulously to pinpoint their target. A cave hosting olms should lay in the vicinity of the lake. The young pharmacist shared this information, but he didn¡¯t give the order to move out yet. They needed to work out their strategy first.

    Emilio, Jarek, and Celeste looked obedient, waiting for the twins to give them instructions. It should be reassuring. However, Galen and Artem didn¡¯t trust their teammates¡¯ attitude. Jarek had loosened a bit during the morning, but nothing he did warranted a new punishment. Celeste was still expressionless. Emilio was sulking, so Galen thought the brown-haired boy was the most likely to mess up their plan in an act of pettiness.

    However, the difficulty of treating the olms didn¡¯t allow Galen to nitpick about his teammates¡¯ possible misbehavior. The young pharmacist needed their help, so he explained the plan.

    To capture the corrupted Pink Olms without harming them, Artem and Galen chose to use nets they had rented from the FOB after weakening the olms with Lucia¡¯s light. They would first try the simplest way, which should allow less interference with the purifying potion. The olms living underwater complicated the whole process, so the students could only try and adapt.

    The others mostly agreed and added some minor details. However, Celeste was quiet, Jarek was disinterested, and Emilio was still sulking. Seeing their reaction, Artem decided to leave Jarek and Emilio outside of the cave to stand guard while Artem, Galen, Celeste, and the fairies scouted the cave to check if a herd of olms resided there.

    The five youths skirted around the South cliff, loosely following the edge of the lake until they found rapids branching from the main cascades, digging their way on the softening slope. The numerous surrounding waterfalls and the droplets from the mist made the rocks slippery and dangerous. The students had to climb the steep rocky side of the hill to come upon the cave into which a thin stream of water disappeared.

    The entrance was tall enough that the youths wouldn¡¯t need to bend down inside. From it, the five students saw glimpses of a dark, deep chamber. Although the water led inside, it wasn¡¯t enough to create an underwater environment suitable for the olms.

    ¡°How sure are we that¡¯s the right cave?¡± Artem asked.

    ¡°The lake, the South cliff, and the rapids looked like the right land¡¯s marks. But let¡¯s Emilio check it over.¡± Galen was sure he had guided his teammates to the right place, but he wanted to test the boy¡¯s attitude.

    Once the young combatant sullenly confirmed they were at the right place, Artem visually evaluated the cave. ¡°We need to scout it. But before we focus on the cave, let¡¯s make sure nothing can attack us once we¡¯re busy. Guerriero, take the Fire Fairy and scout toward the West before circling back. I¡¯m going to scout toward the East. Dolezal, Fava, keep our leader safe.¡±

    Celeste and Artem were efficient. When they came back, they didn¡¯t report any dangers. Artem mentioned some tracks, leading him to believe some otters lived around. When he talked about it, Ayden reacted and signed her observations before Celeste could do it. The Fire Fairy had detected a lodge of common and notable otters sleeping in their dens thanks to her [heat detection] when scouting with Celeste. The girl had visually confirmed the presence of the beasts before retreating.

    Judging the wild beasts to be non-threatening, Artem only alerted Jarek and Emilio of their presence. He asked Ayden to show the two combatants their dens while he helped Galen and Celeste finish the preparation for entering the cave.

    Ayden guided the boys to several underground dens and a few tree hollows. Away from the twins, Emilio muttered complaints about this useless, endless scouting. His muttering dissolved into insults and promises of revenge. Jarek sneered at Emilio and followed dishearteningly. The blond-haired boy was too lazy to properly look at what the Fire Fairy showed them.

    Ayden scolded the two boys with wild gestures, but Emilio shooed her away, and Jarek ignored her, a half smile on his lips. The fairy was unsatisfied but still did her job.

    When Lyra complained about the two boys being jackasses, Artem and Galen weren¡¯t surprised. They expected their classmates to act sloppily no matter what the twins asked of them like they knew they wouldn¡¯t respect the Fire Fairy. If Artem could trust the two boys to do a good job, he wouldn¡¯t need to scout so thoroughly.

    Since nothing dangerous was in the surroundings, Artem and Galen were confident in letting Jarek and Emilio outside of the cave. Jarek didn¡¯t mind standing guard and lazily saluted Artem. ¡°An easy job, Sarge.¡±

    Artem coldly looked at him, sensing that Jarek was testing the limits of Artem¡¯s ruthlessness. ¡°Are you in need of another lesson, Dolezal?¡±

    ¡°Come on! You¡¯re the sergeant. I call you Sarge. Where¡¯s the disrespect?¡±

    ¡°Let it go,¡± Lyra said before Artem could act on his threat. ¡°Galen says some soldiers are thugs but still respect the hierarchy and do the job.¡±

    ¡°Calling an NCO ¡®Sarge¡¯ is slang and should be used only with the sergeant¡¯s permission,¡± Artem pointed out, his eyes still on Jarek.

    ¡°You know Jarek will never call you ¡®Sergeant¡¯. Take what you can, and don¡¯t fight useless battles.¡±

    Artem stiffly nodded at Jarek, silently giving him leave to call him Sarge, and turned toward Emilio. The brown-haired boy didn¡¯t acknowledge Artem.

    Emilio took his place at the entrance, still sulking and muttering. Lyra found him childish and annoying. Artem shared his brother¡¯s opinion about the boy, so he wanted to prevent any accident.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    While Artem made sure Emilio knew the consequences of disobeying, Galen coordinated their plan one last time with Lyra. Once Emilio had repeated his orders back to Artem, the black-haired boy joined Galen and Celeste. They left most of their equipment outside with Jarek and Emilio, only taking what they needed inside.

    Artem entered first. Galen followed, with Celeste guarding their back. It was a risk, but a small one with Lyra¡¯s talent. The walls were damp and smooth, full of ornamental swirls resulting from the tufa. The stream ran in the middle of the narrow antechamber, leaving a path on each side of it. The light was present enough for moss to sprout around the entrance.

    As the three students walked further down the slope, the light faded and disappeared. They chose to forgo lamps and made do with the glow from the fairies. The moss became lichen as the darkness reigned deeper into the cave. The atmosphere was humid and cold. The stream ran down the antechamber, then curved to the left into a corridor. Artem, Galen, and Celeste walked cautiously on the uneven path.

    After a dozen meters, they discovered a large chamber full of stalagmites and stalactites. The stream spread and meandered around the rocky, slanted floor. It followed the soft slope toward another corridor. The students slowly made their way toward it. This corridor was short and steep, opening into an even bigger chamber submerged by water.

    Celeste kept quiet, watching their surroundings as the twins sent the fairies to scout ahead. While they waited, Galen and Artem pondered about Celeste. She wasn¡¯t making mistakes anymore and worked diligently.

    ¡°Do you think we terrorize her so much she doesn¡¯t dare to express herself anymore?¡± Galen felt guilty. Celeste was annoying, but she was such a joyful girl that her expressionless face made the young pharmacist uncomfortable.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange. Could her childishness be an act?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always felt she was sincere,¡± Artem refuted Lyra, confident in his instinct.

    ¡°Maybe you need to be harsh with her for her to take things seriously,¡± Galen added, trying to make sense of Celeste¡¯s behavior. ¡°She is from a military household, and despite her clumsiness, she is a decent combatant.¡±

    The fairies¡¯ return put a stop to their speculation. Signing their discoveries, the fairies described the chamber. Ayden had found a narrow exit where the water joined other waterfalls on the outside cliff. Lucia had explored the back of the chamber, where the ceiling lowered so much that it became an underwater cave.

    ¡°For this chamber to be underwater, there has to be another source of water. It might be a subterranean corridor or entrance, directly linked to the upper lakes.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to come down without swimming. I don¡¯t recommend it, especially in this weather.¡±

    Somber because of the situation, the twins asked about the olms. The fairies reported there was a herd swimming around, but most of them were in the underwater part of the cave or swam away to escape the glow from the fairies¡¯ wings. They only caught glimpses of the beasts.

    Artem decided to start with the basics. He threw in the water some snails and shrimps he had gathered at the main lake. Then, he prepared the net with Celeste¡¯s help, putting more baits inside before lowering it into the water. The twins weren¡¯t sure it would work because the olms were able to go years without eating: it was one of their skills.

    The thin amphibians, even in their evolved form, weren¡¯t considered dangerous because their skills leaned toward camouflage and survival. Nevertheless, the aquatic beasts weren¡¯t weak, and some rumors said that with the right evolution, they could become dragons.

    The twins patiently waited. Celeste didn¡¯t act out in any way, showing restraint and professionalism. As time passed, Galen worried about Emilio and Jarek, alone by the cave entrance. Before he could voice his concern, two olms approached the snails and shrimps despite the low light falling on them.

    When one of them came into the net to eat, Celeste and Artem promptly hauled up the trap. The small beast struggled and tried to escape, but the net was military-made and held strong. The twins were glad to see their plan had worked. Unfortunately, when Galen examined the amphibian beast, he realized it wasn¡¯t corrupted. The lack of light made it impossible to know beforehand.

    After a short discussion, they released the olm. The agitation was enough to make all the other beasts hide in the underwater part of the cave. Galen didn¡¯t want to give up. He felt it was his duty to ensure there were no corrupted olm among the herd.

    The twins changed their plan by enlisting the fairies¡¯ help. As Artem was giving precise instructions to Ayden, Galen asked, ¡°Should we update Dolezal and Fava on our mission?¡±

    ¡°Guerriero? Your input?¡± Artem wanted to understand the girl¡¯s mind.

    ¡°They have their orders, Sergeant,¡± Celeste answered tonelessly. ¡°A soldier can stand guard for hours. Moreover, the olm we released tried to use its skill to escape but was too young and inexperienced to time it right. It seems imprudent to divide our forces when we are facing beasts with the home advantage.¡±

    ¡°Good points, Guerriero. Let¡¯s proceed as planned.¡±

    Celeste had cleanly underlined the weakness of their first attempt: only young beasts without much intelligence would fall for a bait trap. Their new plan would target stronger and smarter olms.

    The fairies carried another, lighter net, linked to a rope that Artem firmly held. Ayden and Lucia slowly flew over the underground lake, looking for the amphibian beasts. Although most of them were hiding in the underwater cave, some chose to hide in the corners of the main cave, behind rocks, or into crevices.

    As soon as Lucia found an olm, she used her skill [flash] to stun the beast. Ayden wasted no time and dropped the net on the weakened olm. The magnets on the net edge closed the trap around the amphibian beast. Receiving the fairies¡¯ signal to haul the net, Artem and Celeste got to work.

    They put down the beast in front of Galen. The young pharmacist asked Lucia to stand near him as he examined the olm. It moved weakly in the net. Galen worried the [flash] had hurt it too much, but he proceeded in order and first checked if it was corrupted.

    Finding some trace of corruption, Galen activated his [Insight] for a more precise diagnosis. The young pharmacist noticed some burns due to the [flash] but concentrated on delimiting the corrupted areas. His tools to brew the purification potion were already sorted around him, ready to be used. Galen needed to be quick. Despite being an amphibian beast, olms lived underwater and couldn¡¯t survive long outside of it.

    Galen had carefully planned his every move and worked efficiently. While he brewed the potion, Celeste and Artem took turns keeping the olm damp by pouring water on it.

    Fortunately, everything proceeded smoothly. Galen delicately applied the potion, wondering if he should ask Lucia to heal the olm afterward. Would the beast be intolerant of the healing light? In that case, Galen couldn¡¯t do much except give it some nutritious supplements and stimulate its natural regeneration.

    The plan worked, but the [flash] did too much damage. Moreover, it alerted the other olms who found deeper hiding places. Lucia needed to tone it down.

    Galen¡¯s concentration was broken when Artem suddenly stood up, facing the cave entrance. Celeste followed his lead, taking a fighting position. Galen looked around, trying to understand what alerted his brother.

    Lyra had only told Artem about the muffled sounds she was hearing thanks to her [Divine Hearing]. Purifying the olm was more important than the accident happening outside.

    Artem barked several orders in a row. ¡°Guerriero, protect our leader. Don¡¯t interrupt your work, Sir. Ayden, with me.¡±

    Without waiting for Celeste¡¯s or Galen¡¯s acknowledgment, Artem ran toward the commotion. Dividing her attention, Lyra concentrated on informing Artem of the situation at the entrance while watching Galen¡¯s surroundings for any danger. She would have time to bitch about the dumbasses who caused the accident later.

    ***

    Jarek yawned in boredom. He had sat down as soon as the twins and the crazy girl had disappeared inside the cave. He was used to long nights but not to the wilderness. Jarek missed the comfort of the City-State. The cold weather was biting, but the sun warmed his face. The blond-haired boy shifted around to lean back against the cliff. He settled for a long wait.

    Through his half-closed eyes, Jarek checked on the miffed twerp from time to time. He had spouted his nonsense on Jarek, but Jarek wasn¡¯t in the habit of listening to morons. Explaining to them where they stood was a waste of time, so the blond-haired boy usually lazily ignored them.

    Jarek saw the twerp suddenly marching off, down the slope. The blond-haired boy stayed motionless. His job was to guard the entrance, not to babysit the twerp.

    The sergeant-wannabe had sparked his interest with his ruthlessness. He had coordinated well with his twin, and their show was a good one. But still, it was only a show of power-play. Now, Jarek was curious about the secrets held by the baby head of the Eos Family. If playing soldier with the twins could give him more information about them, Jarek didn¡¯t mind obeying a few orders.

    The twerp¡¯s yelp made Jarek stand up, ready to dive into the cave for cover. Morons were wandering hazards. They shouldn¡¯t be allowed outside.

    The twerp swept mud from his face. He was standing near one of the tree hollows, where the otters were nesting. Well, it looked like the otters had a [mud-slap] skill. Jarek couldn¡¯t blame the beasts. He would have slapped the twerp too, if he dared to wake him up.

    One otter came out of the tree hollow, growling. It let out a sharp whistle. The twerp fell down, a hand going to his head. Faithful to his moronic ways, the twerp didn¡¯t forget to bitch and insult the beast.

    Identifying the whistle as an offensive skill, Jarek cautiously retreated into the cave while keeping a clear view of the situation. These kinds of attacks were almost impossible to defend against for mundanes. Moreover, the twerp was still taunting the beast.

    The noises woke up other otters. Four, then five beasts soon aggressively stood in front of the twerp, who was messily standing up. Some otters used their webbed feet to throw mud at the twerp, making him fall down again. Others threateningly whipped their strong cylindrical tail around.

    And of course, as soon as the twerp managed to stand up, he decided to run toward Jarek, the furious otters hot on his ass.

    Did no one ever teach him not to run in front of predators? Not that otters were exactly predators, but there were still intelligent beasts. Angry, intelligent beasts.

    They made little work of the twerp. When the sergeant-wannabe joined Jarek at the entrance of the cave, the otters had corralled the twerp, using their sledding skill to surround him. They were having a field day slapping him around with mud. Some beasts whipped him on his ass and thighs from time to time with their tail. Jarek was sure the twerp would have nice bruises from that.

    Before the sergeant-wannabe could find issues with him, Jarek reported the situation. ¡°Fava abandoned his post and provoked the otters. They look aggressive, but none of their attacks are life-threatening. They are only venting their temper, so I thought it best to stay out of it.¡±

    ***

    Artem scowled at Jarek but didn¡¯t argue with him. Thanks to Lyra, he knew the notable River Otters were only attacking Emilio. Artem was upset and annoyed. Since he had looked into the Beast Warden¡¯s path, he wanted to complete his mission flawlessly. However, he had to leave Galen alone inside the cave with only Celeste to protect him, and Emilio was messing with the wildlife.

    When the lodge of otters left to find another place to rest, Artem slowly made his way toward Emilio. The more he thought about the situation, the angrier he was. Artem stopped before the cowering brown-haired boy. Emilio was covered in mud and breathing harshly.

    ¡°You have anything to say for yourself, Fava?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help me, asshole?¡± Emilio gasped. ¡°I¡¯m going to report you!¡±

    ¡°Letting the otters beat you spared me from doing it myself. But it looks like you didn¡¯t have enough.¡±

    ¡°I was just attacked by wild beasts!¡±

    ¡°And why were you attacked, Fava?¡± Artem spoke softly, keeping a tight hold on his temper. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t abandoned your post, it wouldn¡¯t have happened, would it?¡±

    ¡°You said the otters were not dangerous! You lied to me!¡±

    ¡°So because they weren¡¯t dangerous, you thought it was a good idea to wake them up? Are you stupid? Don¡¯t answer that, I know you are.¡± Jarek cut into the conversation. ¡°Here is the better question. How stupid are you?¡±

    ¡°You! Shut up! I bet you laugh your ass off when I was attacked.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t find morons amusing: I find them aggravating.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m warming up to Jarek.¡± Lyra wanted to insult Emilio too, but she judged it was more important to calm Artem down. ¡°Let¡¯s clean up here and join up with Galen. This moron isn¡¯t worth it.¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Artem¡¯s sharp tone quieted both combatants. The black-haired boy gave a series of orders.

    Jarek looked at Artem with a fake hurt look when he heard he had to do burpees as punishment. He asked what he did wrong, pointing out that he hadn¡¯t left his post. Artem answered that if he was so smart, he could find the answer by himself. Jarek smirked but still obeyed.

    However, Artem had to manhandle Emilio and hurt him before the boy complied and accepted his punishment. Seeing how stubborn the boy was, Artem knew there was a good chance that it would only worsen Emilio¡¯s attitude. He had misjudged Emilio¡¯s character. However, it was too late to change his approach now.

    Thanks to Lyra, Artem knew that Galen and Celeste were coming out of the cave. Artem waited for them at the entrance, supervising Emilio and Jarek as they did their burpees.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost noon,¡± Lyra said to try to comfort him. ¡°Eating will cheer you up!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s going to retaliate against Galen or me. I don¡¯t know how or when, but I know he will.¡±

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t there a saying about being forewarned meaning being forearmed? You got this.¡±

    Artem agreed with Lyra¡¯s saying but that didn¡¯t lift his mood. Ayden suddenly crashed on his shoulder, forcing his attention on her. The Fire Fairy enthusiastically signed that the otters settled back to sleep in some of their underground dens. Artem couldn¡¯t help smiling at her antics.

    Once Galen came out of the cave, Artem dutifully reported the situation, even though Lyra had told Galen everything once he had healed and released the olm. Looking over the two punished boys, Galen saw a slightly winded Jarek do his burpees with a sneer. It made Galen wonder if the sneer was just permanently stuck to his face and not a reflection of Jarek¡¯s mood. In contrast, Emilio was red-faced and struggling on the uneven terrain. His injuries didn¡¯t help. Galen fought his instinct to go up to the boy to heal him. Lucia followed his lead and stayed away from the injured boy.

    The young pharmacist stayed quiet and took out the map to check if there was any other olms¡¯ cave in the vicinity. One looked to be one hour or two walk away, whereas two others were close to each other but further away. Galen judged they would only reach these two late into the afternoon. However, if they pushed toward them today, the five students could check the last cave the next day while returning to the FOB. Moreover, Galen didn¡¯t want to walk so far from the military camp on the last day of their trip.

    When Jarek joined them in front of the cave entrance, Galen shared his plan. He didn¡¯t wait for Emilio: the boy would be treated as a grunt until he showed he was able to obey orders and get a better attitude. Neither of the twins thought it would happen any time soon.

    The youths discussed their options and decided to try for the furthest caves after their lunch.

 Chapter 29 - A bad end to the day

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Get out of here!¡± Galen¡¯s sharp voice reverberated off the rocky walls, giving it a deeper undertone.

    The youths had found the first of the two caves easily enough. Unfortunately, a large stream flew down inside, leaving no practicable walkway. The antechamber was full of water. It didn¡¯t look too deep, so Artem and Celeste had waded inside to explore. Galen followed carefully, disapproving brother¡¯s decision, and Emilio and Jarek had lagged behind them.

    The lack of light, the uneven ground, and the slippery rocks unseen under the water were dangerous enough. However, the water got deeper quickly, and Galen didn¡¯t want anyone to swim to get to the olms. The dampness and the darkness were sharpening the bite of the cold. Stubbornly trying to explore this cave would only make them sick.

    The five youths retreated and switched directions to find the second cave. It was more accessible, but when Artem and Celeste went in to scout it first, they reported numerous chambers and corridors.

    Since it was too late to pursue any exploration, the students exited the cave to discuss where to camp. The weather had worsened all day, low gray clouds darkening the sky. Rather than getting rained on during the night, the youths decided to spend the night in the cave¡¯s first antechamber.

    Artem ordered Emilio to build the camp and told the others to rest.

    Emilio stood dumbfounded. Surely, he had misheard. However, as the brown-haired boy saw his supposed teammates sit down against the cave walls, his temper got the better of him. Were they just going to watch him work? Like hell!

    ¡°You rotten sons of tyrannical bastards! Because you¡¯re from a Family, you think you can do anything you want? What? Abusing your power, humiliating us, does it give you some sick pleasure?¡±

    Artem hated it when his Family¡¯s honor was questioned, so despite his better judgment, he answered Emilio. ¡°You disobeyed your officer¡¯s order earlier today. You are being punished.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no more my officer than you are my superior! You¡¯re just my classmate. Stop putting on air!¡±

    ¡°Think what you want, but do it on your own time.¡± Like Artem thought, speaking with Emilio was just a waste of time. The boy had proven since the beginning of their collaboration to be too stubborn to listen.

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t care what I say or think!¡± Emilio spat viciously. ¡°You made it obvious by ignoring me when I said we shouldn¡¯t wait to explore the cave! I need to score well this week. Not everyone has their future laid out for them, and it¡¯s not like I can bribe our teachers like you! If you¡¯re satisfied with only purifying one beast, what the hell are you even doing here?¡±

    Galen and Artem listened to Emilio ranting. It was fascinating in a morbid way how he was able to turn everything that had happened on their trip into slights and insults toward him.

    The twins did care about their results. They needed to prove themselves and grasp any advantages they could. Moreover, both of them sincerely wanted to help the olms. It felt right for their path as a Beast Healer and a Beast Warden. However, their health and security were more important.

    Hiding his distaste, Artem threatened Emilio once more to force him to submit. The brown-haired boy set up the camp sullenly. Setting up in the cave made the process more laborious, so Artem expected poor results. Indeed, the firepit was insufficiently protected, there were no dug-up latrines, and the bedrolls were casually thrown on the ground. It didn¡¯t mean Artem would let Emilio get away with it: the boy had deliberately botched the work.

    Artem stood up with a blank face and dismantled the camp, leaving it in a mess. Then, he ordered Emilio to set it up properly again. Of course, the brown-haired boy complained and refused, forcing Artem to resort to physical coercion. The young beast tamer hated acting this way, especially because it wasn¡¯t a good solution for taming Emilio. It only reinforced his belief that Artem was bullying him.

    Artem knew how to hurt someone without leaving any traces or permanent damage, but he never thought he would end up using it like that. His guilty feelings were worsened by Jarek¡¯s attitude.

    When Artem had threatened Emilio for the second time, Jarek had suggested letting him do it. The blond-haired boy¡¯s smile was disturbing. His comment that he knew other techniques and needed to train them sent shivers down the twins¡¯ backs. ¡°Since the twerp is volunteering as a guinea pig, I should oblige.¡±

    Galen hid his reaction and refused Jarek¡¯s help. ¡°Let the NCO do his job. Meantime, come over here so I can check your hand.¡± The young pharmacist had planned to heal Jarek¡¯s fracture since the blond-haired boy hadn¡¯t been too obnoxious during the day. However, if Lucia hadn¡¯t needed to grab any opportunity to train, Galen would have reconsidered. ¡°Then, if you want to contribute, we¡¯ll discuss tomorrow¡¯s tasks and strategies.¡±

    Jarek sauntered to Galen, but his gaze stayed on Emilio. Showing that he feared Jarek more than Artem, Emilio went to work properly. It didn¡¯t stop him from muttering and cursing, even when the others joined him to do their share of the other chores.

    However, the twins still felt disgusted. They feared their act was going too far and wondered where it would stop. It wasn¡¯t how they imagined things would go down with Emilio. They believed the boy to be a coward. As such, intimidation and threats should have been enough to control him. Artem had thought the only one he would need to roughen physically was Jarek. With the example of how Artem was daring enough to act on his word with the delinquent, further actions shouldn¡¯t have been needed toward the other two.

    Seeing how much they had misjudged Emilio and his reactions was a harsh lesson to swallow. It showed that despite their upbringing, they still lacked experience.

    Lyra stayed silent during her hosts¡¯ exchange apart from delivering their messages. She didn¡¯t know how to comfort the twins and wasn¡¯t sure she should. Instead, she told them both to sleep that night and to leave their watch rotations to the fairies and her. She insisted, and while she didn¡¯t convince the twins at the end, she managed to distract them with the heated argument.

    They were right that her suggestion hadn¡¯t taken into consideration the Beast Rangers surveying them. Leaving the watch rotation to the fairies would raise questions, at best about the twins¡¯ laziness, and at worst about the feature allowing their pets to stand guard in their place.

    During the night, Lyra observed Emilio, Jarek, and Celeste while pushing her awareness far around the camp. Her usual mirth was nowhere to be seen. These three had brought only problems to her hosts. Lyra had thought their pettiness and unruliness to be harmless. She was slowly coming to the realization that she couldn¡¯t use her common sense to judge the people around her when her world was so different now.

    Her dark musing was interrupted by the sounds of a Solitary Grey Lynx. She couldn¡¯t see it, but she concentrated on her hearing to assuage her suspicions. From the knowledge she had picked up by listening to Galen, lynxes didn¡¯t share their territory with other predators, so it should be the same beast as the night before.

    However, why would it be near their camp again? It wasn¡¯t how a wild beast would act, even one with the wit of the rare rank. Lyra liked to give the impression of being an airhead, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. She didn¡¯t believe the lynx was here to find a tamer.

    Another suspicious point was that it was around midnight. Weren¡¯t lynxes beasts active during dusk and dawn? Or was she mistaken? Lyra was frustrated by her lack of knowledge, and she didn¡¯t want to wake up Galen or Artem to ask them.

    If the lynx wasn¡¯t wild, its tamer was spying on her hosts. Thinking of possible explanations, the Beast Rangers monitoring the students was the most probable. That was a reassuring thought, but Lyra wasn¡¯t convinced.

    Shouldn¡¯t a pet trained by a Beast Ranger be undetectable? Artem had seen the lynx the day before, so Lyra was doubtful. Moreover, despite the usual spies using insects, nothing guaranteed they would always use the same means. Lyra imprinted the Solitary Grey Lynx¡¯s breathing pattern to her memory, promising herself to do her utmost to help her hosts.

    ***

    On Tuesday morning, the five students worked together in silence. The twins didn¡¯t try to lighten the mood, feeling it was useless. They concentrated on their tasks for the day.

    Once the camp was dismantled, and the cave entrance was put back into its original state, Galen announced his plan. Their first goal was to scout the numerous tunnels to find the olms. To that purpose, the youths separated their members into two groups to explore the cave more quickly. Galen gave them a timeline to respect before they gathered back to the entrance.

    Artem decided to trust Celeste and Jarek to protect Galen while he took charge of Emilio. In order to cover each other weaknesses, Ayden went with Galen while Lucia went with Artem.

    Both fairies were proud that their tamers assigned such an important duty to them. Using her hands, Ayden grandly swore to fulfill her mission perfectly. The Fire Fairy promised to scout any danger so well that nothing would go near Galen. As for Lucia, she placidly flew in front of Galen to bow. Without her needing to express herself, the young pharmacist knew the Light Fairy would not let Artem be hurt, using her shield to protect him and, if that failed, she would heal him perfectly.

    The twins ignored Jarek¡¯s mocking glance and Emilio¡¯s scornful face at the fairies¡¯ antics. They thanked their pets, their mood lighter than before.

    What did these people matter? Their fairies were the important ones on their path to becoming beast tamers.

    ***

    The exploration went without too much trouble. Galen made several profitable discoveries, finding glowing mushrooms and some unusual fungi. True to her words, Ayden explored every cranny, squeezing through narrow spaces to access offshoot paths.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    After passing through a large chamber hosting thin waterfalls and sinuous streams due to a porous ceiling, Galen found a vein of calcite shining in pale blues, pale yellows, and dull whites. A careful examination of the rocky walls and grounds revealed it was a vein of spirit stones. It didn¡¯t look to be of high quality, the purity being too low for that. Nevertheless, the young pharmacist was still upset to be unable to mine it: it could have been another source of income despite not being precious spirit stones.

    In a relatively lighter mood thanks to the productive exploration, Galen led Jarek and Celeste back to the entrance to join the others. His group hadn¡¯t found the olms, but Lyra had kept the young pharmacist updated on his brother¡¯s progress, so Galen knew Artem had found their target.

    Since Galen didn¡¯t want to use Lucia¡¯s [flash] again, judging it too hurtful to the olms, the youths searched for another strategy. Galen kept quiet at first, listening to the others debating. The young beast tamer looked up at Lucia. She was such a diligent pet, surely...

    ¡°Sir,¡± Artem suddenly said, ¡°I know you want to use it, but it¡¯s not ready yet. As things stand, it¡¯s too risky.¡±

    As usual, Artem had guessed Galen¡¯s thoughts even before Galen was fully aware of them. The twins had prepared several trump cards for this field trip, some more well-rounded than others. Artem could have used Lyra to warn Galen, but he wanted the others to know that the twins had other resources. It was never a good idea for a leader to appear lacking.

    Galen was slightly disappointed. Despite the risks, he would have liked to know how his ideas hold up on the field. However, Galen had also stayed quiet because he didn¡¯t want to depend on his teammates¡¯ help. Indeed, the only other strategy he could think of required one of their help. Resigned, Galen spoke up. ¡°Dolezal, show me your darts.¡±

    Putting a sleeping potion on Jarek¡¯s darts was a good way to avoid hurting the olms¡¯ delicate skin while still weakening them. The salamander¡¯s skin was actually so thin that it was transparent rather than pink.

    While using ailments instead of a light attack was a solution, Galen still needed to find a way to keep the potion from dissolving once it went underwater. Jarek¡¯s darts were of high quality and forged to be combined with poison. As such, any liquid poured on it would stick to it, but it wouldn¡¯t be long before water dilute it. Galen¡¯s other concern was messing up the purifying potion. While the risk was low, the two potions could still interfere with each other in the olms¡¯ bodies. That fear explained why Galen hadn¡¯t used the sleeping potion at first.

    Without many choices left, Galen would have to trust his own skills and knowledge. The young pharmacist did his best to reduce any possible interference between the two potions by modifying and fine-tuning their composition. Once the olms were asleep or groggy from Jarek¡¯s darts, Artem and Emilio would use the net to capture them.

    After several back and forths to perfect the new strategy and determine precisely everybody¡¯s role, the whole group went back inside. They followed Artem¡¯s lead, Celeste guarding their rear like she would for the rest of the operation.

    This time, their plan went smoothly enough, if one were to ignore Jarek¡¯s jabs and Emilio¡¯s grumbling. The youths managed to capture four olms, although only one was corrupted.

    Galen purified the beast without any complication, and they released it like they had done with the other ones. Artem was satisfied, and since they didn¡¯t have any more time to dwindle into this cave, they left in the direction of the FOB.

    ***

    It was raining again, obscuring the path under a wet, foggy veil. The low, gray clouds and the tall canopy prevented any sun rays from reaching the ground. It gave the forest a gloomy, ethereal atmosphere. The firs, spruces, and beeches ¨C so colorful on their first day ¨C now looked darker with undertones of dull browns and greens.

    The rain was light and sparse at first, but as it became heavier, the youths looked for shelter. They spent several hours huddled in caves, marching when the weather calmed down and otherwise finding safe places to wait for the worst of the weather to pass. This delay made it impossible to check the last cave that might harbor olms.

    On the bright side, Galen harvested plenty of mushrooms and fungi and even obtained several spirit pods of seeds. Lucia and Ayden brought back several to him from their exploration of the caves. Even though those found by Ayden weren¡¯t spirit plants, Galen rewarded the fairies and complimented them.

    Unexpectedly, Lucia had found a seed pod from a peony. These flowers grew their pods in August or September, so Galen believed some beasts or animals had brought the pod back into the caves. If Galen identified it right, it was one species of peonies blooming in Spring, found in mountain gorges, with white petals and a yellow heart.

    The best discovery was a delphinium pod. It was wet, so Galen would need to treat it before sowing it. The only species of delphinium growing into the Lush Steps Lake was a dark purple one with high toxicity. It had low chances of working, nevertheless, Galen hoped to use crossbreeding to produce a breed approaching the dreamy blue-dawn delphinium he needed.

    The other seeds were some orchids and a rare comfrey. His harvest somehow lifted Galen¡¯s mood after all the disappointments.

    As their team was advancing toward the FOB during a break from the rain, Lyra alerted them about a human presence around them. It wasn¡¯t the first time. During their trek, Lyra had mentioned glimpses of other groups searching for their target or taking shelter from the rain. Lyra¡¯s warning allowed them to subtly avoid other groups, leading them on different paths without alerting Emilio, Jarek, or Celeste.

    ¡°It¡¯s Daniyal and his monkey.¡± Lyra concentrated on her talent to get more information. ¡°He¡¯s alone, surely scouting for his team.¡±

    Galen pondered on their course. Artem was reluctant to meet other students after Jarek¡¯s reaction to Caleb on their first day. The twins didn¡¯t want to tempt fate again. However, they would need to make a long detour to avoid Daniyal. Since the boy was alone, they decided to act as if they hadn¡¯t seen him.

    Daniyal froze as they approached, hidden in a tree. His monkey curiously followed them for a short while, but none of the twins¡¯ teammates noticed them to the twins¡¯ relief.

    However, their peace didn¡¯t last long. They were engaged in a narrow pass when Lyra alerted them to another team at the end of the path.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Jamra buffoons. They weren¡¯t on our path. They deliberately maneuvered to cross paths with you.¡±

    ¡°Can we avoid them?¡± Galen asked, reluctant to bear Amir¡¯s attitude.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m sorry that I haven¡¯t noticed it before. Shahin¡¯s falcon is circling high above you. I wasn¡¯t focusing on the sky, so I didn¡¯t hear it soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Do you suspect them of looking for us?¡± Artem asked next, thinking of what it would mean for the rest of their trip.

    ¡°Why else would the falcon be above you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we have any choices now that we¡¯re engaged in the pass.¡± Galen sighed. He just wanted this trip to be over.

    Resigned, the twins advanced. They warned their teammates to keep their calm, Artem emphasizing the order to Jarek. The blond-haired boy responded with a cheerful ¡°Sure, Sarge!¡±, leaving Artem unable to pursue the matter.

    When they finally saw the other team, Amir¡¯s tall and slender figure was easily recognizable at the front. His dark, short, curly hair was still meticulously groomed, making him look unruffled by the trip. His brown eyes were half closed as he looked at the twins. His Black Sand Fennec was sitting at his feet, its tail curled around its pawns, and his cousins stood a step behind him.

    With their dark hair and brown skin, their family resemblance was striking. Shahin and Basic were enacting Amir¡¯s casual attitude. Shahin looked at ease, holding out his arm for his Red Falcon to land on his fist. Then, he ignored the twins¡¯ group to take care of his pet. Basic had his arms crossed, and he was leaning against his camel.

    Nasir, despite looking perfectly like a member of the Jamra Family, stood out because of his ridiculously proud stance. His chin was raised, he had his hands on his hips, and he was glaring at the twins. His beetle, surely sensing his tamer¡¯s excitation, was scuttling around his feet.

    ¡°Well, if they wanted to impress us with this pose, they should have excluded the hothead. He wouldn¡¯t know the meaning of dignity if you spell it to him!¡±

    However, the Jamra boys¡¯ attitude was enough to separate them from the mundanes following them. Their clothes were soiled, and their heads were lowered, but the twins still noticed the dark circles under their eyes. The five boys looked subdued. It made the twins uncomfortable, so they ignored the mundane students to concentrate on the real threat: Amir and his lackeys.

    The twins came to a stop slowly, Artem at the front. They kept silent. The silence became awkward, as Amir examined them, his gaze stopping a long time on each of them. Galen wondered if he should greet Amir first. He knew Amir was trying for a power play, but the young pharmacist didn¡¯t have the patience for any political game.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re not dead,¡± Amir finally said, as if he was casually commenting on the unexpected weather. ¡°When Shahin told me what his falcon had found, I didn¡¯t believe him. With such trash as your teammates, I thought the wild would do us a favor and kill you. Are you cockroaches?¡±

    Galen audibly sighed and Artem raised an eyebrow. They felt it was enough to answer Amir¡¯s insult and to convey their boredom with Amir¡¯s jabs. However, they heard Lyra swearing in their minds, insulting the Jamra boys.

    Galen tried to calm her, telling her not to fall for their provocation. ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep an ear out for our surroundings, Lyra?¡± Galen added, trying to shift the girl¡¯s focus. ¡°We¡¯re in the wild: Amir could have planned something nasty.¡±

    ¡°Or he¡¯s just here to gloat! What else does he know to do?¡± Lyra grumbled. However, she still scanned her surroundings. As usual, Emilio was muttering, but Lyra ignored him. The CSI didn¡¯t notice anything else, so she snorted when Nasir eagerly spoke to Amir.

    ¡°Let me take care of them, young master!¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Amir scornfully looked at his cousin. ¡°What can you do against them? They¡¯re trash beneath our notice, but at least their results during the exam weren¡¯t as shameful as yours.¡±

    Nasir flushed in shame, clenching his fists in anger. ¡°It was an accident, young master. Let me prove it to you.¡±

    Amir paused, looking fixedly at Nasir. Before he could come to a decision, Galen changed the subject.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have better things to do, Amir?¡± Galen was sure Amir was bluffing. Who would try to kill them when Beast Rangers were monitoring the location? Moreover, heirs had to uphold the name of their Family. Galen wasn¡¯t naive enough to believe all Families to be clean, but they wouldn¡¯t be so obviously breaking the law. ¡°Surely with so many minions, you can¡¯t afford to come back with only one or two purified beasts on your record. Or do you like playing with trash?¡±

    Amir just smiled widely, amused by Galen¡¯s indirect admission of being trash. Shahin and Basic, following their young master¡¯s lead, didn¡¯t comment. However, Nasir acted as if Galen had mortally insulted Amir and insisted noisily on being permitted to teach the twins a lesson.

    ¡°Whatever. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve been useful until now for our mission.¡± Amir looked at Nasir and sighed. ¡°Just don¡¯t bring us trouble. Do you understand what I mean, Nasir?¡±

    Nasir eagerly nodded. ¡°You can trust me, young master.¡±

    Nasir bore the jabs from his young master without comments. He would take his anger out at the twins and their teammates. While he understood that he couldn¡¯t kill the Eos twins, he could maim them during a fight. Beast tamers fought all the time, especially young beast tamers looking to prove and test themselves. Nasir had trained so hard for the last month. He was proud of his progress and was sure he could prove his worth to the Family despite his mother¡¯s skepticism.

    ¡°There are five of them,¡± Amir mused. He pointed at three mundane fighters successively. ¡°You, you, and you. Stay and help him. Basic? If you will.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on him, young master.¡± Basic stepped forward, his White Camel behind him.

    Amir nodded indifferently and ignored Nasir¡¯s protest, claiming he didn¡¯t need a minder. Amir turned to Shahin. ¡°Any news of the rare Broad Rock Crayfish we were searching for?¡±

    Shahin had spent the time whispering to his Red Falcon, his pet nodding or fluttering his wings in answers. At Amir¡¯s inquiry, the boy showed a direction confidently.

    ¡°Perfect, led the way. We still have time to purify at least two crayfish. It wouldn¡¯t do to disappoint our classmates¡¯ expectations,¡± Amir mockingly said. Amir and Shahin left leisurely, two of the mundanes following them. One was a fighter acting as a servant, and the other was the pharmacist.

    ¡°Lyra, keep an ear out for them, to ensure they don¡¯t double back on us,¡± Artem ordered.

    The CSI easily agreed: she trusted the Jamra boys as far as she could throw them, and without a body, that meant none at all.

 Chapter 30 - Consequences

    ¡°Now, there are no teachers and no rules to protect you!¡± Amir and Shahin weren¡¯t out of view yet, but Nasir was already boasting in a typical villain speech. The Jamra boy pointed at Artem, his chin raising arrogantly. ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy your crumbling face when I snuff out your fairy¡¯s fire, killing her in the process. What will you feel knowing she will die because of my talent?¡±

    ¡°I ship Nasir and Crystal.¡± Lyra rolled her eyes at the boy¡¯s antics. ¡°They have so much in common: it¡¯ll be a shame if their relationship never comes to be.¡±

    Galen and Artem only distractedly listened to Nasir¡¯s rambling and Lyra¡¯s obscure comments. Artem was observing their opponents and making plans. Nasir had never hidden that his notable talent [Fire Absorption] allowed him to manipulate fires taken from a pet.

    Artem instructed Ayden with hand signs not to use fire skills in Nasir¡¯s line of sight and to stay back. Indeed, her wings were made naturally of fire, and the Fire Fairy couldn¡¯t retract them. Artem doubted Nasir¡¯s pyrokinesis was strong enough to absorb fire from a pet he had no contract with, but the young combatant didn¡¯t want to risk it. After all, Ayden was only a common pet.

    ¡°Stop bragging and get to work, you donkey.¡± Basic crossed his arms contemptuously. ¡°I won¡¯t save your ass if you mess up.¡±

    ¡°I already said I don¡¯t need your help!¡± Nasir hissed at his cousin. ¡°Just-¡±

    ¡°Stop chattering and prove that you¡¯re not a waste of resources.¡± Basic cut the other boy off impatiently. ¡°I won¡¯t sugarcoat any of your mistakes to the young master.¡±

    Galen and Artem stayed quiet during the Jamra boys¡¯ interaction. They were glad to learn that Basic and his camel wouldn¡¯t participate in the fight. The notable White Camel was a heavy pet, and the twins¡¯ fairies weren¡¯t equipped to deal with it.

    Artem was thinking of everything he knew about the three mundane fighters to fine-tune his strategy. He identified one of them easily as a sharpshooter. The other two were more all-rounded fighters. They were equipped with swords, but Artem suspected them of wearing hidden weapons.

    Meanwhile, Galen was recalling the rules and regulations for the trip. They were in the wild. It was irresponsible to fight in such a setting, and with the Beast Rangers supervising them, it was sure to come back to their teachers¡¯ ears. Getting demerits would impair the twins.

    However, Galen knew talking to Nasir was useless. What the Jamra boy hadn¡¯t stopped to consider with his challenge was that the young beast tamers¡¯ fights always took place in controlled settings, like the school facilities or the arenas provided by the Beast Tamers Association¡¯s Fighting Club. Fighting out in the wild was highly discouraged for several reasons.

    The young pharmacist would have to control any stray fires and ensure no damage was done to the environment. The narrow pass limited their possible strategies and their mobility. However, the drizzle was in their favor against Nasir since it would weaken any fire attacks. The twins and their teammates would have to be careful of their footing.

    Fed up with his cousin¡¯s disregard, Nasir ordered the three mundanes to attack while he took care of the Eos twins. He charged ahead, ordering his beetle to activate its new [burning horn] skill. As soon as flames appeared around his pet¡¯s horn, Nasir absorbed the fire and condensed it into a fireball.

    The easy strategy would have been to let the mundanes fight against each other while Artem and Galen took care of Nasir and his Fire Beetle. However, Artem knew his teammates¡¯ strengths and weaknesses. He also didn¡¯t trust Basic to keep his word.

    So, Artem asked Celeste to fight with him, at the front. Demonstrating his tacit understanding with his brother, Galen took a rear position and ordered Lucia to intercept Nasir¡¯s fireball with a [light shield]. From his position, Galen could also keep an eye on Basic while providing support by firing bolts with his mini-crossbow. Unfortunately, the pass offered few hiding places, so the twins¡¯ group needed to incapacitate the sharpshooter as soon as possible while staying mobile to avoid incoming shots.

    Galen considered the poison he had prepared after talking with Mahlon. His eyes roamed over the mundanes. They were following Nasir¡¯s order with resigned faces, Kosta and Lorenzo running at their opponents and Yorgios drawing his longbow. Galen couldn¡¯t bring himself to hurt his classmates with the potent poison designed to deal with dangerous beasts. They weren¡¯t innocent, but they didn¡¯t deserve to be treated like fodders.

    As Artem ran to intercept Nasir and his beetle, he threw off his next orders. ¡°Fava, take the rear right position. Focus on Yorgios. If you can, take shots of opportunity at the other two mundanes.¡± Artem doubted Emilio would be able to do much. He was a poor shooter, but he was worse with a sword. However, making Yorgios dodged Emilio¡¯s and Galen¡¯s shots should be enough to disrupt the sharpshooter. ¡°Dolezal, you¡¯re on harassment duty. Run any interference you can on Kosta and Lorenzo.¡± Jarek would have acted that way regardless, due to his unconventional fighting skills. Giving him an order he was willing to follow only reinforced Artem¡¯s role as the sergeant.

    When Artem reached the Fire Beetle, he flipped above it while slashing its carapace with his swords. The pet¡¯s defense was too strong for these light attacks to injure it, but they got its attention.

    When Artem landed, he used his momentum to surprise Nasir with a tackle. The Jamra boy swore as he fell back. Firming his grip on his swords, Artem used this short respite to reposition himself by side-stepping to the left, where Celeste engaged Kosta.

    Artem was reluctant to use his weapons against students. Contrary to the weapons used during the exam¡¯s fights, these weren¡¯t blunted. However, Artem didn¡¯t have the time to hesitate as the beetle charged him to protect its tamer.

    Artem parried the horn, which was thankfully weakened thanks to Nasir stealing his pet¡¯s fire. By showing off his talent, Nasir had made a strategic mistake. The following exchange of blows forced Artem to step back to fend off Nasir¡¯s and his pet¡¯s attacks. Nevertheless, the young combatant managed to turn over their scuffle to orient them so that his teammates were around him.

    Celeste was holding her own against Kosta, using her lance to keep him at bay. This also gave her space to overview the battlefield. She didn¡¯t disappoint Artem and fought like a soldier would by covering Artem¡¯s left flank. With her support, Artem withstood Nasir''s and his beetle''s assault.

    Jarek did a good job catching his opponents¡¯ attention on Artem¡¯s right. The blond-haired boy moved fluidly around the fighters, making a nuisance of himself. He stepped in to slash at Lorenzo from the sides before retreating and shooting darts, keeping the other boy from counter-attacking. All the while, he was gleefully taunting his opponent. He didn¡¯t forget the others, randomly shooting darts at Yorgios or throwing insults at Kosta.

    Emilio proved once again why he was the worst student in the professional combat class. He swore at each missed shot, accusing the crossbow the Beast Warriors gave him of being defective.

    Unfortunately, Galen couldn¡¯t compensate for Emilio¡¯s clumsiness because he had rapidly realized that his smaller bolts didn¡¯t have enough impact to hold Yorgios¡¯s attention. It wasn¡¯t surprising because Galen¡¯s mini-crossbow was meant for self-defense. Shooting at Yorgios with it was a waste of munitions.

    On the contrary, Yorgios proved his title as a sharpshooter wasn¡¯t exaggerated when an arrow grazed Emilio¡¯s cheek. The brown-haired boy acted as if he was mortally injured, shouting at Galen to heal him.

    Yorgios¡¯s weakness was his slowness: he needed time to use his longbow and align his shot. This made distracting him even more important. To calm down Emilio and keep him shooting at Yorgios, Galen asked Lucia to use her shield to protect the group against the sharpshooter¡¯s arrows.

    ¡°What a waste! Lucia needs to keep her spiritual energy for bigger threats! And that dumbass is a waste of space too!¡±

    Galen surveyed the battlefield and agreed with Lyra. Emilio¡¯s shots were getting wider and wider. Yorgios didn¡¯t even need to dodge anymore.

    Galen would rather ask his Light Fairy to use her [flash] skill to get a respite. However, he needed her to approach the sharpshooter to keep the skill from also blinding his teammates.

    ¡°Do it! Lucia had trained enough to be able to switch quickly between her [flash] and her [light shield].¡±

    Galen shifted his position, decreasing his distance to the front while maintaining his rear position. He focused on shooting as fast as he could. His bolts were only an annoyance, but they still helped to harass Yorgios and cover Lucia¡¯s movement.

    Unfortunately, Basic saw Lucia¡¯s and Galen¡¯s movement as an opportunity and entered the fight, ordering his camel to shoot a [light ray].

    ¡°Shield!¡± Lyra shouted, being the first to notice Basic¡¯s attack.

    Galen hastily ordered Lucia to stop the camel¡¯s attack. However, the [light shield] shattered upon impact. Both skills were of the rare rank, so the shield shouldn¡¯t have broken like that, making Galen suspect that Basic had used all this time to buff his pet for its attack.

    Fortunately, the light was weakened and slowed down by the shield, allowing Galen¡¯s teammates to dodge the attack. However, Lorenzo used the opportunity to throw a hidden weapon at Artem, forcing his attention off Nasir.

    ¡°See,¡± Basic boasted, ¡°that¡¯s how it¡¯s done!¡±

    ¡°Stop interfering!¡± Nasir raged. The hot-blooded youth immediately ordered his beetle to use [burning horn] again. By the time Artem returned his attention to Nasir, the Jamra boy had already formed and thrown another fireball at Galen. The fireball was smaller and slower than the first one. Artem didn¡¯t understand why Nasir was using a fireball when a fire punch would have been more efficient.

    However, it was enough to endanger Galen, who was distracted by his worry about Lucia after her shield broke. Lucia was too far from Galen to protect him and still reeling from the [light ray]. Ayden, who was feeling useless since she couldn¡¯t attack, used [fire trail] to rush at the fireball. Without any defensive skill, she did the only thing she could think of: she threw herself at the fireball. The fire engulfed the small pet. The fairy ignited and fell down.

    Galen cried out in dismay before his training kicked in. Leaving his rear back position, he ran at the fairy, shuffling mentally through his supplies to find the best remedy. Lucia didn¡¯t waste any time to join her tamer, worried about her sister.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    In the confusion, the twins missed Emilio quitting his position, but Lyra kept them updated. Fed up with the crossbow, the brown-haired boy threw it away and entered the fray with his short sword. Galen shouted at him to follow his previous orders, but the boy didn¡¯t stop rushing to the front.

    Galen reached Ayden¡¯s burning form and chose to ignore Emilio. His insubordination was expected, and Galen had more urgent things to take care of. Unsure about how to extinguish the flames still burning Ayden, Galen used his talent first to get a more detailed diagnosis. Lucia was hovering above the Fire Fairy, waiting to use [small heal].

    Artem used all his training to stay focused on the fight, resisting his urge to turn to his pet. He trusted his brother to heal Ayden. The only way Artem could help was to disarm and neutralize his opponents faster. And despite the urgency, he was still hesitating to use his talent and hating himself for it.

    ***

    With a wide grin, Jarek rushed by the sergeant-wannabe, intercepting another hidden weapon thrown by minion number two. Unbothered by the chaotic situation, he dodged an arrow and shouted: ¡°Hey, sarge! Why haven¡¯t you put down this punk yet?¡±

    Jarek didn¡¯t stay to listen to the sergeant-wannabe¡¯s answer, satisfied with hearing the anger in his voice. He was finally getting under the blockhead¡¯s skin. Despite taking the time to play around with his ¡°teammate¡±, Jarek swirled to minion number two¡¯s right side. There, instead of attacking the opponent in front of him, Jarek shot darts at minion number three.

    That one was annoying since the baby head was occupied, and the twerp left his position. Not that the twerp had been contributed to the battle in any way or form. Jarek timed his attack just right: the moment when minion number three was focusing on sniping the baby head, and minion number two was falling for his feint. Caught unaware ¨C Jarek was good enough to feint minion number three too ¨C, his two darts hit their mark. Jarek immediately shot another two, much to minion number three¡¯s irritation.

    Jarek chuckled mirthfully, glad to have pickpocketed the rest of the baby head¡¯s sleeping potion. Jarek didn¡¯t like people who spoiled his fun, so he wanted minion number three out of commission. Four doses meant for a small lizard should be enough to get the other guy groggy, and if it weren¡¯t, Jarek had added his own touch to the potion.

    Jarek didn¡¯t stop moving. He dodged number two¡¯s pitiful attack, slashed in retaliation with his switchblade, scoring nicely on the minion¡¯s arm, and retreated to a center position to choose his next target.

    The prick was patting his camel and staring intently at the main fight. Jarek didn¡¯t like how the camel humps were shining.

    Switching his gaze to where the prick was looking, Jarek saw the loud poser and his cockroach trying to overcome the sergeant-wannabe, who was still holding back, much to Jarek¡¯s disappointment.

    The crazy girl was still engaged with minion number one, though she was slowly wilting him down. It amused Jarek to no end that no one else understood what her deal was.

    Minion number two was charging toward Jarek, and behind him, number three was holding his head. It looked like Jarek¡¯s darts had produced their little effect.

    Jarek¡¯s gaze went back to number two, feeling that something was off. Before Jarek could figure out what it was, the twerp passed by him, brandishing his short sword. Suddenly, the whole picture snapped into Jarek¡¯s mind, and all the clues he was trained to see ¨C the body language, the keywords, the facial expressions ¨C led him to guess what the twerp was going to do.

    Thanks to that, Jarek had a few seconds to decide how to react. He looked back at the baby head, so focused on saving his brother¡¯s pet that he was putting himself in danger by ignoring the rest of the battlefield. A potentially costly mistake. Then, Jarek looked at the sergeant-wannabe, who had held back so much the whole trip that he had fallen into the wrong rhythm.

    By the time Jarek looked back at the twerp, it became apparent to anyone looking who his target was. The crazy girl impressed Jarek by catching the twerp¡¯s movement and shouting a warning.

    However, Jarek was already moving, his mind made up. A part of him relish the act: he had wanted to do it since the twerp first opened his mouth to complain. And now, it was justified.

    The sergeant-wannabe erupted in fire, putting down the loud poser and his insect in a single combo move each, proving he could have done it at any time if he hadn¡¯t stupidly held back.

    Too bad it was too late. As Jarek¡¯s stiletto plunged into the twerp¡¯s back, the blond-haired boy couldn¡¯t resist teasing the sergeant-wannabe again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sarge, I¡¯ve got your back!¡±

    ***

    Lyra¡¯s urgent shout interrupted Artem¡¯s unease. The longer he fought, the more unbalanced he felt. Something felt wrong, but Artem¡¯s instinct didn¡¯t guide him as usual.

    ¡°Stop woolgathering and equip Ayden with her new skill!¡±

    Artem switched to a more defensive stance to concentrate on saving his Fire Fairy. His pet had acquired a new notable skill by sacrificing herself. He was both proud of her and furious at how she had put herself in danger.

    Artem impatiently listened to Lyra explain how the [fire resistance] should help, although Galen was prudent enough not to guarantee the results.

    Distracted as he was, Artem was taken by surprise when Celeste shouted her warning. Thinking it was Lorenzo throwing another hidden weapon at him, he was already shifting when Lyra added her own panicked, incoherent input.

    ¡°Behind you! This fucker! I can¡¯t believe -¡±

    Sensing the severity of the situation, both from his instinct and Lyra¡¯s shrill voice, Artem activated Ayden¡¯s [fire trail]. One of the reasons he had been refraining from using his talent was that using any of his pet¡¯s skills would have been stupid in front of Nasir. However, in the urgency, Artem fell back to the most familiar use of his talent. And he berated himself for it.

    Artem could have buffed himself with Ayden¡¯s stats to knock out Nasir much earlier. The young combatant had certainly hidden this aspect of his talent to keep it as his trump card. Nevertheless, as he had taught his fairy, a trump card not used was a useless trump card. But then, with the Fire Fairy injured, Artem hadn¡¯t dared use it because he didn¡¯t know what would happen to his pet. And there was still this nagging feeling that something was wrong, that he shouldn¡¯t use his trump card in this fight.

    Pushing back his shame at his poor decisions, Artem redoubled his effort to end the fight with Nasir and his beetle. He targeted Nasir first to keep him from absorbing the fire from [fire trail]. Artem stepped on the beetle. Then, he used his height and velocity to overcome Nasir¡¯s guard with his left-handed sword. Reversing his grip on his right-handed sword, Artem punched Nasir in the temple with the pommel.

    Easily keeping his balance on the agitated beetle, Artem sheathed his left-handed sword to grip his remaining weapon in two hands. Using his kneeling motion to add force to his already enhanced body, Artem slammed his short sword at one of the weak points Galen had shared with him. The beetle screeched in pain and scuttled away as Artem jumped off its back, leaving behind a trail of hemolymph.

    Artem turned around in time to see Jarek backstabbing Emilio.

    The young combatant¡¯s mind went blank as he saw the blond-haired boy smiling and joking while killing someone. Artem¡¯s guilt at his inability to protect Ayden, his shame at his poor decisions, his horror at Jarek¡¯s disregard for life, his denial of Emilio¡¯s attempt on his life, all these messy feelings overwhelmed the teenager.

    Lyra¡¯s words were just background noise, adding to the shouts and cries surrounding him, though Artem knew he should listen to her explanation. He would surely be thankful to Jarek at some point since it was obvious that he saved his life. However, his feelings were too raw and numb for that.

    His unfocused eyes only registered blurs of movements, his breath was coming in short gasps. When Artem brought a shaky hand to his forehead, his eyes focused on his hand. His right hand was empty. He had dropped his weapon.

    This went against everything his father had ever taught him. A warrior never dropped his weapon, never lost awareness of a danger. The world slammed back into focus violently around him.

    Artem took a deep breath to calm himself. He had a duty to his brother and to his Family. He could deal with this situation. He would deal with it.

    Artem picked up his sword and looked around to ascertain the situation. The fight had ended. The Jamra¡¯s team was gathering to leave. Nasir and Yorgios were groggy, but the other two mundanes were helping them. Lorenzo had an arm around Yorgios¡¯s shoulders, and Kosta was guiding Nasir to Basic¡¯s camel.

    ¡°Damn it! The young master said to not cause any problems!¡± Swearing about useless people and muttering the young master wouldn¡¯t be happy, Basic rummaged into a bag before throwing a vial at Kosta. ¡°Make him drink that!¡±

    Judging them not to be a danger anymore, Artem looked for his teammates. As expected, Galen was by Emilio. Alerted by Lyra¡¯s shout and the commotion, Galen had rushed to the boy. Thanks to his talent, Galen saw a thin hope to save Emilio.

    Without looking up from his patient, Galen asked Artem to turn on the red beacon. Artem was relieved as he realized his fugue hadn¡¯t lasted long enough for Galen to notice it.

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead? I must be getting rusty.¡±

    Artem wanted to believe that Jarek was joking to lighten the mood, but the young combatant didn¡¯t trust his judgment of his classmate anymore. Moreover, seeing him unfazed by his action confirmed without any doubt that Jarek belonged to the Underworld. Artem and Galen would need to discuss the political ramifications of this discovery as well as the debt they owed to him for saving Artem¡¯s life.

    Unable to interact with Jarek for now, Artem turned away silently to check on Celeste as he activated the red beacon. The girl was standing at ease, keeping an eye on the Jamra¡¯s team.

    Basic scowled at Artem then abruptly walked away, his camel ambling after him. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before the Beast Rangers swarm the place!¡±

    The other four boys scrambled to follow in a disorganized mess. However, Basic ignored Nasir¡¯s complaints and the mundanes¡¯ struggle to help Yorgios catch up with him. Soon, they were out of view.

    Artem glanced back at Celeste, bothered by her eerie composure.

    ¡°Artem?¡± Lyra¡¯s voice was strangely subdued.

    Galen brought back attention to him before Artem could answer Lyra. At his call, Lucia flew to the young pharmacist. Artem looked toward Ayden worriedly.

    ¡°Are you ignoring me?¡±

    Artem was unsure where his brother needed him, so he didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I was monitoring Ayden. I thought¡­ I mean, I¡­ If I did, I thought it would help keep you focused on the fight. But instead¡­ Artem? I know, I should have kept an eye on this fucker¡­ I ¨C ¡±

    ¡°How is Ayden?¡± Artem ignored Lyra¡¯s rumbling to ask what was important to him. He wanted to ask his brother, but he knew not to interrupt a healer during an emergency.

    ¡°Thank god you¡¯re still talking to me!¡±

    Artem didn¡¯t know why she thought he was ignoring her. He quietly waited for her to continue, keeping an eye out for the coming Beast Rangers.

    ¡°She¡¯s not as hurt as Galen thought. Galen confirmed it with his talent. The [fire resistance] helped counter the flames. Then, Lucia used [small heal] several times. She¡­ Oh! Galen said to go take care of your pet.¡±

    Artem went to kneel near Ayden, but he was still on guard. His unease hadn¡¯t left him. He had made mistakes during this fight, but his instinct hadn¡¯t quieted down.

    Galen was doing all he could to stabilize Emilio. Their team couldn¡¯t afford one of the emergency potions given by the Beast Tamers Association, so Galen had to use one of the weaker potions he had brewed himself by modifying one of his mother¡¯s secret recipes. It could only prevent cardiac arrest for a short while, but it bought him time to get more efficient treatment.

    Then, Galen called Lucia. He guided her as she used her [small heal] on the injury to help close it. However, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to save Emilio. Although Galen¡¯s talent was too weak to give him a perfect view of the injury, it clearly indicated something wrong with Emilio¡¯s lungs. It had been spreading rapidly and impacting his heart. Galen believed it was the air invading his organs since Jarek¡¯s stiletto had perforated a lung near his heart. Galen wasn¡¯t equipped to deal with the air already inside, but Lucia could at least close the wound letting the air in.

    The problem was that Galen suspected Emilio to also suffer from inner bleeding, and that was killing him. Galen could only try to keep the brown-haired boy alive long enough for the Beast Healers back at the FOB to save him. Galen knew he didn¡¯t have the time or the material to brew a potion strong enough to help against inner bleeding, so he used his talent to support his Light Fairy.

    Lucia cast her skill repeatedly, relentlessly. Each time, the Light Fairy controlled her spiritual energy to focus more on the wound. Her tamer¡¯s instruction and the images from the books she had studied helped her guide her skill.

    Her spiritual energy was deeming, but Lucia didn¡¯t stop. Feeling that it was the last time she would be able to use her skill, the fairy put everything she had into it. She knew she would faint afterward, but she didn¡¯t mind. Lucia often didn¡¯t understand her tamer, but it was clear enough to her that the rude boy shouldn¡¯t die. So he wouldn¡¯t.

    This time [small heal] shined brilliantly and lasted longer. As the Light Fairy fainted, she evolved her skill the notable [heal]. However, Lyra didn¡¯t make an announcement.

    Two Beast Rangers landed in the middle of the pass. One of them had the rare Solitary Grey Lynx by his side, which Lyra immediately identified as the beast that had come near their camp. The other beast tamer had a notable Twirl-Tailed Chameleon clinging to her left arm, a beast the CSI had never met before. However, Lyra was certain that the invisible insect was perched on this woman''s right shoulder.

 Chapter 31 - Interrogations and punishments

    The blue light from the screens created shadows on Lyra¡¯s lowered face. The girl was curled up on a desk chair, her arms around her knees. She stared fixedly at the floor, uncaring about the monitors she usually scrutinized. On her left were Galen¡¯s and Lucia¡¯s video displays, and on her right were Artem¡¯s and Ayden¡¯s. In the middle was the CSI status screen. A rough crack ran through the middle of it. One she hoped would disappear once she evolved. Not that any of that mattered right now.

    The command center was cramped, with the terminal taking a big part of the workstation. The forceful fusion had resulted in some commands and keys duplicating. These duplication extended to the furniture with two office chairs, two shelves, and two floor-lamps. One for each of her hosts. It gave a claustrophobic atmosphere to the place, but Lyra had lived like a shut-in for two years before and didn¡¯t mind.

    Lyra hadn¡¯t moved from the chair in front of Artem¡¯s screen since the Beast Rangers¡¯ arrival. She had the possibility to get out and walk around, but she rarely left the command center. The inner world was mostly empty, with only the ¡°Warehouse¡± and seemingly endless bare soil. It was depressing. At least, the screens and the keyboard gave her a sense of familiarity.

    However, Lyra wasn¡¯t seeing any of that, she was locked into her mind. The only backstabbing she had ever witnessed had been childish pranks and bullying, like ruining partitions or inserting needles into dresses before an audition. The worst one had been when a contestant had messed up with her instrument. These actions had been due to social pressure and an unhealthy competitive spirit. Nothing close to an attempted murder.

    She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what she could have done differently. She had messed up since the beginning: not warning the twins about Celeste straying from the group, not listening to Emilio muttering, not noticing Shahin¡¯s falcon.

    Her passive talent was strong, but it still was only passive. Would things have been different if she had used her talent properly? Just thinking of breaking her vow to never use it again had her stomach churning and her chest tightening. Rattled, she put her arm around her belly and rocked herself.

    Lyra closed her eyes, images from the trip mixing with ones from her past. She suddenly hit her head to her raised knees and smiled derisively. She hadn¡¯t changed at all. Her talent wouldn¡¯t have helped. Moreover, it didn¡¯t fit her role as the twins¡¯ CSI. She was already doing more than she should by scouting for them, and the twins were already in danger because of the Phoenix. She shouldn¡¯t add to their burdens by revealing who she was and what she could do.

    When she finally looked back at her hosts¡¯ screens, she saw they were arriving at the FOB. Several beast tamers were waiting at the entrance. Among them were the Beast Ranger, who had carried Emilio ahead after feeding him an emergency potion, and Beast Healers, who were there to check the rest of the students and the pets. Beast tamers from the Army barked orders, guiding the students to a building near the logistical center and sending them to different rooms.

    Lyra understood the need to investigate what had happened. When she heard they intended to interrogate the twins last, she ignored the invisible insect still on the Beast Ranger woman¡¯s shoulder. Instead, she focused on eavesdropping on the beast tamers from the Association and the Army. The rooms were close to each other, and the prefabricated building had thin walls, making the task easier for her.

    ***

    ¡°That¡¯s uncomfortably familiar,¡± Galen muttered.

    The young pharmacist wasn¡¯t locked up, but the beast tamers had emphasized that he should stay put. So, he sat in a room with few furniture. He was alone, without his brother and without his fairy. This situation brought back somber memories from the days after his parents¡¯ death. He didn¡¯t like thinking back about it.

    The Beast Healers had used the fact they needed to check the fairies to take them away from the twins. Galen couldn¡¯t refute the healers. Lucia¡¯s fainting and Ayden¡¯s injury were worthy of attention. However, the youth was wary after the beast tamers also confiscated their equipment.

    Galen was glad to have Lyra as his CSI. He didn¡¯t think she realized how grateful he was for her. She had saved Artem thanks to her warning, even if she thought she had been too late. He was worried about her but didn¡¯t know her enough to find the right words to cheer her up.

    Galen was also worried about Artem. His brother believed he had hidden it, but Galen knew his twin enough to recognize when he was perturbed. However, Galen would deal with all that later.

    ¡°They are back,¡± Lyra suddenly said. The situation was delicate, and the twins needed information to avoid any trap. However, the CSI wanted to lighten the atmosphere by going back to her perky persona, forcing herself to boast and joke around. ¡°Let your big sister keep you apprised thanks to her awesome talent! Oh! It sounds like they went looking for Mrs Bousrani and Mr Tawil.¡±

    Galen and Artem, sitting in the room next door, attentively listened when Lyra explained why the interrogation hadn¡¯t started yet.

    ¡°They¡¯re disagreeing about how to proceed. Mr Tawil and another man I don¡¯t recognize want to form pairs to work quickly, but the Beast Ranger lady is refusing.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s her purpose?¡± Galen didn¡¯t trust this woman.

    ¡°Perhaps the person behind the insect wants to listen in during each interview,¡± Artem suggested.

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. An officer has given orders¡­ that the people from the Association want to ignore, saying they shouldn¡¯t listen to the Army. However, the teachers are siding with the rules laid by the Army.¡±

    Galen and Artem quietly commented on this news, cheering for Mr Tawil. Waiting for the adults to settle their conflict, they could have been bored or anxious, but their CSI kept them informed and entertained.

    Lyra split her attention between the different beast tamers taking charge of the investigation. They had divided the work between the Army, the Association, and the school teachers.

    The CSI was soon attracted by Celeste¡¯s interrogation since the other beast tamers cataloging the youths¡¯ belongings weren¡¯t talking. Lyra pouted at the way a Beast Ranger from the Army was trying to establish trust with Celeste by saying they should call each other by their first name. The CSI didn¡¯t hear the girl¡¯s answer clearly. Mrs Bousrani spoke softly, reassuring Celeste and telling her she was safe.

    However, when they began questioning her about the trip, Celeste sounded confused. In the midst of the girl¡¯s hesitant answers, Lyra latched on to Celeste¡¯s most shocking reply to their inquiries about Emilio¡¯s injury: ¡°Didn¡¯t Artem teach him a lesson because he was disobedient?¡±.

    ¡°How dare she?¡± Lyra exclaimed, furious at Celeste. ¡°I thought she was an innocent fool, but she¡¯s framing you!¡±

    Artem¡¯s calm voice soothed Lyra. ¡°They can¡¯t accuse us of anything. After all, Jarek¡¯s stiletto is unique among our weapons.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but once Emilio is healed, there is no more proof,¡± Lyra retorted, twisting her sleeves and fidgeting in her seat.

    ¡°Stop worrying so much. That¡¯s another argument in our favor: if we wanted to kill Emilio, why would I spend so much energy healing him? And there are other witnesses.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more curious about Celeste¡¯s strange behavior.¡± Artem changed the subject, frowning. ¡°We never took any precautions against her. I regret it.¡±

    ¡°So, you think her foolishness is an act?¡± Lyra asked dubiously. If that was the case, the girl deserved an Oscar.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like it,¡± Artem answered slowly, carefully recollecting his interactions with Celeste. ¡°She never gave me uneasy feelings. That¡¯s why I¡¯m confused.¡±

    Unable to come to a conclusion, the twins fell silent. Lyra continued to listen in, sharing the important bits. After Celeste signed her testimony, Mrs Bousrani and the Beast Ranger accompanied the girl out of the building. Before they were out of hear shot, Lyra heard them counsel Celeste to keep quiet about the situation.

    Meanwhile, Mr Tawil and the Beast Ranger woman went to Jarek¡¯s room. It was hard to determine, but Lyra believed the invisible insect stayed in the building.

    From what she was hearing, Jarek was very cooperative, admitting without any guilt to have stabbed Emilio. His honesty reassured the twins, but Mr Tawil wasn¡¯t satisfied and asked the boy about his reasons.

    Jarek playfully mentioned that he was just doing what he was taught. Lyra rolled her eyes before she went on with her report. To prove his point, Jarek cited the times Artem had scolded him: when he had let Celeste be hurt, and again when Emilio had gotten into trouble with the River Otters.

    When Jarek grandly stated that he was just watching Artem¡¯s back, repeating what he had said when he had stabbed Emilio, the woman twisted his words, asking if Artem had asked him to kill his classmate. Mr Tawil was more circumspect, but he cited Celeste¡¯s report to doubt Jarek¡¯s words. The blond-haired boy laughed.

    ¡°I was warming up to Jarek, but I¡¯m having doubts now. He¡¯s calling Celeste a crazy girl to discredit her testimony and saying he had wanted to stab Emilio for a while. Is he a psycho?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think either, but Jarek¡¯s going to be a problem.¡± Galen closed his eyes, discouraged by the growing list of things he had to take care of. His bleakness was interrupted by Lyra¡¯s exclamation.

    ¡°Oh! Why didn¡¯t I think of that? That makes so much sense!¡± Without waiting for the twins to express their curiosity, Lyra added, ¡°Mr Tawil was berating Jarek for his disrespect toward Celeste, but he said he wasn¡¯t insulting her, just stating a fact. So, of course, Mr Tawil asked for an explanation. Then, Jarek said he knew people like her, who developed a different personality when faced with dangerous or particular situations.¡±

    ¡°A split personality?¡± Galen mused about what he knew about this disorder, although it wasn¡¯t much since his Family had never specialized in mental health.

    ¡°You believe him?¡± Artem asked, more concerned about the issue at hand.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Yes, her breathing pattern changed when she saw you manhandling Jarek, but I didn¡¯t think it was important. I don¡¯t know much about it, but if that¡¯s the case, it could explain her confusion. Sometimes, the main personality doesn¡¯t know what happened while the other one takes over.¡±

    The twins hoped the teachers would consider Jarek¡¯s input and wondered what was Celeste¡¯s trigger. Then, they discussed if the blond-haired boy was going to be condemned. However, Lyra interrupted their speculations.

    ¡°Uh, maybe you shouldn¡¯t mess with him. Jarek whispered something I didn¡¯t hear clearly, but Mr Tawil and the Beast Ranger backed off.¡±

    ¡°It must be blackmail. That would explain why he¡¯s never been expelled from the school.¡±

    ¡°I wonder what Jarek used as leverage.¡±

    Unexpectedly, the beast tamers didn¡¯t come to interrogate the twins once they let Jarek go. Lyra was outraged at the injustice: Jarek was a criminal. Were they really going to frame the twins?

    As Lyra was wondering what was happening, she overheard a soldier guiding Nasir¡¯s group into the building. Understanding that their turn would come much later, Artem and Galen busied themselves. They trusted Lyra to report anything important.

    Artem exercised, doing push-ups, crunches, burpees, and squats. Meanwhile, Galen examined his room. Confident there was no surveillance, he retrieved some plants and writing materials from the ¡°Warehouse¡±. Brewing potions was too inconvenient to hide in case someone unexpectedly entered while he was in the middle of some delicate manipulation, but if he studied the plants and took note about them, he could easily throw them back into the ¡°Warehouse¡± at need.

    The beast tamers followed the same guidelines and first took the mundanes¡¯ testimony. The twins were afraid the three boys would lie to protect their employer. Fortunately, they honestly told what happened during the fight and were scolded for fighting with their classmates in the wild.

    Then, it was Basic¡¯s turn. Lyra was much more interested in what the Jamra boy would say. However, Basic was taciturn, only giving one-word answers and insisting Emilio¡¯s accident didn¡¯t concern him since he did nothing wrong.

    ¡°Ah, look how hard he¡¯s selling his innocence! Who would believe him?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s hard to contradict.¡±

    Lyra just huffed in disapproval. In her opinion, all this mess was the Jamra boys¡¯ fault. Without their interference, the twins and their classmates would have returned to the FOB without accidents.

    ¡°And this proves I¡¯m right! The Beast Ranger from the Army is coldly reminding Basic of the rules about fighting and pointing out that Basic is guilty of firing a [light ray] at his classmates.¡±

    The back and forth that followed only ended when Basic deigned to sign his testimony. Before long, it was Nasir¡¯s turn. Contrary to Basic, Nasir loudly asked why they were detaining him. He acted arrogantly as if he expected the Association to obey him and let him off lightly if he complained enough. Lyra grumbled as she reported it, but Galen wasn¡¯t surprised: the Jamra Family did head the Beast Tamers Association.

    ¡°Is the insect still with them?¡± Artem asked, sensing that was an important point.

    ¡°The Beast Ranger lady and Mr Tawil are interrogating Nasir. I can¡¯t be sure who the insect is with, but I caught the hum it uses to give instruction from time to time.¡±

    The insect¡¯s presence and behavior added credence to the twins¡¯ suspicion: the Beast Tamers Association was somehow involved in the schemes surrounding their parents¡¯ death. Moreover, Artem felt the Jamra Family was involved too, but Nasir being drunk on power wasn¡¯t proof enough.

    ¡°Ah! Served him right! Mr Tawil is chewing him out! Sounds like Nasir forgot he was on a school trip and not on his home turf!¡±

    Despite cheering for the teacher, Lyra frowned at the way the woman tried to undermine Mr Tawil to defend Nasir. The Beast Ranger¡¯s questions guided the boy to prove he wasn¡¯t involved in Emilio¡¯s attack in any way. Fortunately, Nasir spoke thoughtlessly, and Mr Tawil stayed firm and declared Nasir guilty of threatening his classmates, attacking them outside of the school¡¯s and the Beast Tamers Association¡¯s regulations, and harming a beast tamer¡¯s pet.

    This declaration was satisfying, but Lyra and the twins were still on guard because this didn¡¯t deal directly with Emilio¡¯s case, and Jarek hadn¡¯t been announced guilty.

    Since the beginning of the investigation, enough time had passed that a Beast Healer escorted a weak but awake Emilio to the building. Mrs Bousrani softened her voice so much to interrogate the boy that Lyra felt disgusted.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, Lyra.¡± Galen comforted the girl despite his mixed feelings about his pharmacist teacher.

    When the Beast Ranger took over and asked what happened, Emilio saw it as an invitation to complain about everything, giddy to have someone listen to him at least. His speech was chaotic but full of information. Perhaps because he was still hazy after his grave injury, Emilio unwittingly revealed his intention to harm Artem, twisting it to make it sound like a rightful act of revenge after being abused.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you can¡¯t listen to him. Me being outraged is enough!¡±

    Nevertheless, Lyra summed up Emilio¡¯s version of the events. The boy had wanted to help Nasir, hoping to see the twins take a beating. At first, he purposely missed his shots.

    Artem and Galen refrained from commenting, but Lyra didn¡¯t have their restraints and exclaimed, ¡°I heard delusions are necessary for happiness. Good for him!¡±

    After her outburst, the CSI continued her summary. While everyone was busy, Emilio had abandoned his post to create chaos. As he was rushing to the front armed with his short sword, it had occurred to him that in the confusion, nobody would know him to be the culprit if he went further.

    ¡°Emilio is a weak coward. I don¡¯t think he expected to kill Artem.¡±

    ¡°You mean he¡¯s the kind of dog that barks harder than it bites?¡±

    The twins were amused at Lyra¡¯s description but returned to their occupation. While they were curious, it wasn¡¯t their place to judge Emilio¡¯s true intention. Indeed, Mrs Bousrani and the Beast Ranger continued interrogating the boy for more than one hour.

    They finally got the whole picture. Influenced by Amir¡¯s speech stating that the twins deserved to die and Nasir¡¯s declaration that he was going to kill them, Emilio had listened to his resentment against Artem. That had led him to take his chance when he had seen Artem unguarded with his back to him.

    This time, the Beast Ranger didn¡¯t announce his judgment. Mrs Bousrani had to coax Emilio to sign his testimony. Then, they left the boy alone in his room.

    The beast tamers met up to read all the testimonies before pursuing the investigation with the twins. The boys were used to being treated differently, but they were still frustrated and disappointed.

    When Mr Tawil entered Artem¡¯s room with the Beast Ranger woman, the youth was doing his second set of crunches. Artem knew they were coming thanks to Lyra, but the training helped focus his mind and projected a confident front.

    Mr Tawil began with basic questions, telling Artem to recount what happened on his trip. Afterward, the Beast Ranger asked more pointed questions. Artem kept his calm, using his previous experience to side-stepped her tricks.

    When Mr Tawil reproached Artem for his attitude toward the mundanes, the youth defended himself using his military upbringing, trying to keep Galen out of it. However, the Beast Ranger insisted and described Artem¡¯s behavior as aggressive and overbearing. Artem stuck to his explanation and developed it. He had used military discipline for two main reasons. Firstly, this was familiar to him because he was raised to become an Army officer. Secondly, Emilio and Jarek were in the military class and the professional combat elective class. It only seemed proper to Artem to treat them this way.

    Knowing his teacher¡¯s character, Artem reported everything honestly while analyzing his mistakes to appeal to Mr Tawil. With hindsight, the youth admitted he had been wrong, although he didn¡¯t know what else he could have done. Artem didn¡¯t treat the conversation as an interrogation but as a debriefing. His purpose was to show no guilty behavior whatsoever.

    When it was his turn, Galen played the pitiful card first. He didn¡¯t have to act much to appear hurt and perturbed with how the beast tamers were accusing the twins despite the shape of the wound and his fairy fainting to keep Emilio alive.

    ¡°Mrs Bousrani, I shouldn¡¯t need to tell you [small heal] can only heal external wounds by stimulating natural regeneration. Even if Lucia managed to use [heal] before fainting, the scar should still have been obvious. Did you interrogate the others before coming to me? You seemed convinced that I¡¯m guilty!¡±

    Mrs Bousrani interrupted him before he could mention the Nebe Law. She scoffed at Galen¡¯s hypocrisy. ¡°That¡¯s rich coming from you with the way you treated the mundanes in your group. Moreover, healing Emilio¡¯s wound doesn¡¯t exonerate you: you could have done it only to protect your brother.¡±

    Galen refused to talk further with her, stating that if that were her opinion of him, everything he said would be twisted by her view.

    ¡°You looked so righteous, but do you know that your brother asked Jarek to kill Emilio?¡± The Beast Ranger from the Army took over since Galen stayed silent when Mrs Bousrani asked him questions.

    ¡°Stop using mind games with me. I trust my brother''s and my Family¡¯s values. We¡¯re not murderers.¡±

    When the twins were finally asked to sign their testimony, they read it carefully, afraid their words had been changed to frame them. However, the whole conversation was transcribed exactly as it had occurred thanks to a recorder linked to a printer.

    It was a small comfort. The twins were bitter because they didn¡¯t know how they could have avoided all this mess. Should they have refused to team up with Emilio and Jarek? The trip was mandatory, and they hadn¡¯t chosen their teammate. How were they responsible for the results?

    However, the twins weren¡¯t raised to shirk their responsibilities. Galen and Artem were both affected. They were unsure of the outcomes of the investigation and doubted themselves.

    Like Emilio, the twins weren¡¯t sent back to their accommodations. Indeed, they were treated as guilty parties.

    Finally, a few hours later, the teachers, a Beast Warden from the Association, and the commander of the FOB assembled Nasir¡¯s group and the twins¡¯ group into a briefing room. The commander announced their judgment once everyone had quieted down.

    ¡°I thought they were only investigating? How can they pass judgment already? Shouldn¡¯t there be a trial?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re out in the field. The rules are different.¡±

    Basic and Nasir Jamra got fined by the Association and received demerits from the school for attacking students in the wild. Nasir had to pay a higher amount than Basic. The mundanes working for them were found mostly innocent, so they only received a warning. It didn¡¯t seem like much, but the warning would stay in their files, cutting them off from some jobs.

    The Eos twins received demerits for mistreating their mundane classmates, although Galen''s punishment was lighter than Artem''s. Jarek, protected by his blackmail, only got demerits and detentions on the pretense that he had acted to defend his classmate¡¯s life.

    However, Emilio had no background to protect him. His household was rich, but it was insufficient to influence the outcome. Even if there were extenuating circumstances proving that it wasn¡¯t a premeditated act, Emilio was judged guilty of attempted murder. The teachers, acting as the dean¡¯s spokesperson, expelled him from Dascalos High School, and the Association condemned him to serve for five years in one of the Army criminal regiments. Emilio was to stay in a training camp until he reached the legal age to become a soldier before serving his sentence.

    ***

    Lyra stared numbly at her screens. She should be glad for the twins, but she couldn¡¯t. Lyra was dead tired, both from her cheerful act and the effort she had put into eavesdropping, thanks to her passive talent.

    The twins were in the long-travel vehicle on their way back to the school. The single night since the judgment had been enough for rumors to fly around. Despite escaping being framed for Emilio¡¯s backstabbing, the Eos twins were painted as ruthless, discriminating bullies. Their classmates ignored them or whispered while pointing at them. Even Mahlon didn¡¯t approach Galen.

    Lyra glanced at the students sitting in the vehicle. Emilio wasn¡¯t among them. Thinking about him, Lyra couldn¡¯t help muttering, ¡°He was used as a scapegoat, right?¡±

    The twins didn¡¯t answer.

    Lyra didn¡¯t insist. She knew they weren¡¯t in the mood to talk. She didn¡¯t pity Emilio, but she couldn¡¯t ignore the injustice and corruption. However, she had to. What else could she do?

    The CSI looked at the part of her status screen blinking with two notifications since the fight with the Jamra boys. They might cheer up her hosts, but Lyra decided to wait. The twins needed time. Perhaps she needed time too. She would wait until she felt as excited as she should when reading her dear blue screens before sharing them with Galen and Artem.

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    Achievement!

    The second evolved skill!

    The notable [heal] skill uses dawn light to accelerate natural regeneration. Depending on the mastery of the skill, it helps with injuries as well as illnesses.

    As a reward, you get to choose one feature from the inner world to upgrade.

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    Achievement!

    The second self-learned skill!

    The notable [fire resistance] skill is a passive skill protecting the pet against fire damage. Depending on the mastery of the skill, it helps reduce damages caused by heat and burning effects.

    As a reward, you get one shuffle and one ticket to spin the boosters wheel.

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