Aureus froze the Bloodbath Deer? No, that couldn’t be it. The Soilback was too weak and frail to manage something like that. As intelligent as the little glutton was, that kind of feat should’ve been impossible.
Right?
Pushing the confusion aside, I reached for our connection. Aureus had always been omnipresent within me, flooding me with his emotions, but that was no longer the case. I couldn’t sense my Soulkin’s presence anymore, and it took me a moment to grasp what was happening.
Our firm, vibrant bond had weakened drastically in just seconds. Panic took over, and I hurriedly removed the tiny Soilback from my chest pocket, fearing the worst.
Did I hurt Aureus? Did I crush him by accident? I shouldn’t have allowed him to watch the fight!
Fear and despair were slowly taking hold as I held the Soilback in my empty palm. Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm me as the adrenaline pumping through my veins dispersed, but my attention remained on Aureus’ unmoving figure. My heart skipped a beat, and tears welled in my eyes. Yet, as the first drops streaked down my cheeks, I caught a movement. It was weak and strained, but Aureus was moving. He was breathing, even if it took him a tremendous amount of effort.
Ignoring the tears dripping to the ground, I let out a breath of relief and gave in to the exhaustion. The strength in my legs faded, and I slumped to the ground.
The dread receded, replaced by joy and clarity.
Aureus was not injured. Obviously, he wasn’t. I would have felt that. And he couldn’t have died either. I would’ve lost access to ether, and the soul energy aspected to the gluttonous Soilback would have become useless. While the loss of ether and soul energy was the least of my concerns right now, both were distinct signs that came with a Soulkin’s death.
A severed bond should be a lot more noticeable than the loss of ether and soul energy though…I guess.
To be fair, I didn’t even want to think about Aureus’ death, but seeing the Soilback so limp and silent was painful. A hundred times worse than I’d anticipated. Thinking about losing Aureus brought tears to my face, and the stream coursing down my cheeks only worsened as the Soilback opened its eyes. It yipped weakly, pulling on my heartstrings.
Pride surged in me as Daniel spoke, and Aureus echoed the emotion, flooding our fragile connection.
“Your Soulkin really did it, didn’t he?” Daniel’s words reached me, but my eyes never left Aureus.
“That’s ridiculous! A fucking Wild with a special trait!” my friend shouted, his voice laced with excitement. “I knew Aureus was special! There was no way such a fragile, tiny beast would consume so much soul energy without a reason!”
I reached out for my bond with Aureus and stored him in the World, then looked up to my friend.
“What are you talking about? Aureus is a Soilback, and you said they don’t have any special traits. Nothing I’ve read about Soilbacks indicates they can unlock any racial trait.” I knew Daniel was right, but it was hard to grasp the meaning behind his words, even if I probably should have.
“Aureus froze or paralyzed the adult Bloodbath Deer momentarily. I don’t know how your Soulkin did it or what exactly happened, but Aureus did it,” Daniel said, eyes gleaming. “We’ll have to research the trait to understand what exactly it does, how Aureus activates it, and how to ensure your Soulkin won’t overexert himself from a single use. Sure, that’s something we can do in the future, but it’s amazing. That’s all you need to know!”
He took a deep breath, the flame of excitement burning fiercely in his eyes, and continued to chatter. “Wilds with traits are rare. It’s uncommon for Wilds to have traits, especially one as young as Aureus. Some 5-Star Wilds can develop traits, which usually influence their evolution into certain—usually rare—direction. Certain evolution serums depend on the release of specific traits to jumpstart a 5-Star Wild’s evolution, but that’s only feasible once a Wild is mature and has been pushed beyond its natural racial limit through their Blessed’s World’s influence and the serums they’ve consumed.”
Simplified, Aureus was special because he had a trait.
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“What you just said is about racial traits, right? But Aureus is a Soilback, and they don’t have any traits—especially not one that paralyzes its targets... or am I mistaken?” I asked, trying—and probably failing—to hide my confusion.
“Aureus is a mutant,” Daniel reminded me, his smile widening. “And I think we just figured out what makes him different.”
He crossed the distance between us and slapped my shoulders. “Teach will definitely sponsor you! Once we’re back, I will organize the data and throw it right into his face! I will take care of your sponsorship. Don’t worry about anything.”
Daniel seemed more excited than I was. I was just … confused.
Did Aureus’ mutation mean that the Soilback would never be as strong as its peers? If that was the case, how was I supposed to fight stronger beasts? The Bloodbath Deer had already been powerful, and it was only a 3-Star Wild. Even worse, if Aureus collapsed every time he used his special trait, I would rather not use it. Seeing my Soulkin like that, struggling to take a simple breath, was not something I wanted to see again.
If our soulshare doesn’t empower me physically … I will have to find other ways to grow stronger. Freezing enemies momentarily is a powerful trait. I killed a 3-Star Wild with it!
Not only did I kill a 3-Star Wild, but a mature Bloodbath Deer!
Aureus was different from what I expected. Our bond was strong and provided a relatively high soulshare, but I couldn’t make use of it. Yet.
That would change once our bond was even stronger—firm enough to grant me access to Aureus’ special trait as well. It was just a matter of time, and I couldn’t help but feel excited about the future.
I scrambled to my feet and groaned as my legs quivered like jelly.
“Are we done hunting?”
Daniel stared at me for a moment and scoffed. “Do you want to continue? I don’t think so. Aureus is exhausted and won’t be able to help you, and you’re out of ether and too exhausted to fight either. At this point, a Frenzy Squirrel would be more than enough to finish you off.”
That was actually a good point, and I checked up on Aureus, ensuring he was recovering properly in my World. Studying the World, I noticed something curious. My core had already started to replenish ether, yet the traces of ether were siphoned and forwarded to his curled-up Soulkin.
Aureus recovered smoothly, my World and ether providing everything the Soulkin needed to be back at full health in no time.
Satisfied, I opened my eyes to Daniel staring at me. His ocean-blue eyes locked with mine, and I wondered for a moment if he was trying to stare holes into me. The moment dispersed quickly, and I cocked my head to the side as I caught something in Daniel’s eyes.
Hesitation. That was unlike Daniel. He was anything but uncertain and hesitant—especially around me, or so I thought.
“What’s bothering you?” I inquired, my words doing little to dispel the hesitation masking his face.
It took him several uncomfortably long seconds to move. He turned to the corpses and stored them, his eyes drifting back to me every few seconds. All I did was look at him inquisitively, hoping he would talk. And, at last, his lips parted, though the hesitation never left his face.
“Do you remember the invitation I told you about several months ago?” he asked.
The last few weeks had been filled with so much information—packages of compressed intel that had been forced into my head—but I would never forget about that invitation. It was far too special to forget, even if it had nothing to do with him.
“You were invited to the Camp.” I nodded slowly and smiled slyly at Daniel as I added, “How could I forget your constant whining because your parents used their connections to grant you a special decree? You cried for days because you weren’t allowed to participate in the regular exams because you were ‘overqualified’. Crying about missing an opportunity to show off is … rather pathetic, don’t you think?”
Provoking Daniel was fun, though I didn’t do it to anger—not this time, at least. I knew better than anyone that Daniel wanted nothing more than to be normal. That people would look at him for who he was, rather than the family he belonged to. Joining the Camp regularly like most talented Blessed would have been perfect. It would have been all he needed to make a name for himself, and to show others that he did not have to rely on his family for everything.
Unfortunately, his parents took that opportunity away from him. I tried to understand his desires and struggles, but to me, they appeared like the problems of the wealthy. To a certain point, at least. After all, who would complain about an all-inclusive pass to the Bastion’s Camp? I, for one, never had a chance at joining an academy, and it would be a struggle to join university given my severe lack of higher education.
With enough work, I could get into a university now that I was a Blessed. I could also join the army if I continued to grow a little, but the Camp was not within my reach. They weren’t called the Ruler’s training ground without reason. Only the best of the best were allowed to join the Camp, and only an insignificant portion would graduate from it.
As for those who graduated, they were all celebrities. The best of the best. Blessed with the potential to reach the brilliant stars everyone dreamed about.
They had the means to become Rulers.
Sure, I had only heard rumors about the Camp and what kind of training they underwent, but the prospect of becoming a Ruler and protecting humanity alongside them was enticing enough. It was exhilarating, and just imagining it made me giddy.
“Don’t be an ass, dude!” Daniel snapped, glaring at me.