D-Animal
Elara Pack and Han Seung-Woo walked side by side down the main corridor of the Exalia-Elite Institute.
Their footsteps echoed rhythmically against the metallic floor, blending with the distant murmur of other students. Han kept his hands in the pockets of his uniform, his gaze fixed straight ahead, clearly lost in thought. His serious expression seemed even more closed than usual, as if he were calculating something he didn't want to put into words.
Elara, on the other hand, found it difficult to keep her mind quiet.
Her wrist burned.
Not like pain — but like living pressure.
The D-Armilla was hotter than ever. The seeds inside pulsed with irregular force, almost impatient. Each beat of her heart seemed to be accompanied by another… or others. Three different rhythms, layered over one another.
She instinctively brought a hand to her wrist, feeling the skin tighten.
Then she suddenly stopped walking.
"Han."
Her voice came out clear, firm, charged with real doubt.
He took two more steps before realizing she was no longer beside him. He stopped. Turned slowly, one eyebrow arching automatically.
"What is it?"
Elara raised her left arm, carefully rotating the D-Armilla and drawing it closer to her chest. At that same instant, a small shock ran through her forearm, making her clench her teeth and release a short, broken breath.
"What does it mean," she began, keeping her voice under control, "when the digital seeds start drawing more blood than normal… and begin sending small shocks through the body?"
Han watched her more closely now.
His gaze dropped immediately to her wrist, analyzing not only the glow of the D-Armilla, but her posture, her breathing, the involuntary tension in Elara's fingers.
He remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he answered, with dangerous calm:
"It's a sign that the Digital Seed is about to hatch."
Elara felt her heart miss a beat.
"Why?" Han asked directly.
She didn't lie.
"Because it started just now," she replied. "The shocks… and the blood. It's being drawn much more forcefully than before."
Han clicked his tongue, looking away for a moment.
"Tsk…"
He ran a hand through his hair, visibly dissatisfied.
"You've only had that D-Armilla for a few days," he muttered. "This shouldn't be happening yet."
Before Elara could ask anything else, Han grabbed her wrist again — firm, decisive — and began pulling her along.
"Han— wait—!"
"No," he cut in as he walked. "No discussion."
They crossed the corridor at a fast pace. Han completely ignored the curious looks, the murmurs, even the indignant voice of the student council treasurer.
"Seung-Woo!" Vivia called out, surprised. "You're—"
He didn't answer.
He left the institute practically dragging Elara, signaled for a taxi, and opened the door before the vehicle had even fully stopped.
"Get in."
Elara obeyed.
Han entered from the other side, shut the door, and gave the address to the driver in a low, firm tone. The car pulled away.
"Where are we going?" Elara asked, trying to control the growing sensation in her wrist as another shock made her shoulders tense.
"To my house," he replied simply. "Or more specifically… beneath it."
The ride was too short for Elara's mind and far too long for her body. Every minute seemed to intensify the pressure in her wrist, as if the seeds were tearing space inside her to be born.
When the taxi stopped, Han paid quickly and got out, already pulling Elara into the property.
The house was large, modern, unnervingly quiet. Automatic gates closed behind them with a muted sound, sealing off the outside world.
Han didn't waste time.
They crossed interior corridors, passed through a biometric access door, and descended in a hidden elevator. The air grew colder as they went down, the ambient sound shifting into a deep hum of active systems.
The doors opened onto a subterranean training field.
Wide. Metallic. Surrounded by reinforced walls and controlled lighting. At the center, an open circular space clearly designed to withstand extreme impact.
Han led Elara to the middle of the field.
"Stay here," he said.
He moved away quickly, crossed a divider, and positioned himself behind thick reinforced glass. Panels lit up around him, sensors activating automatically.
At that exact moment, an alert sounded in the house's security cameras above.
Han Jae Guk and Yoo Mi Kyung descended the side stairs, curious.
"What's going on?" the woman asked, elegant as ever, observing the training field from above. "Why aren't you at school, Seung-Woo?"
The father crossed his arms, serious.
"And who is that girl?"
Han took a deep breath.
For a moment, his eyes settled on Elara, who was now bending slightly, gripping her wrist tightly as a stronger shock ran through her body.
He answered without hesitation:
"She's my fiancée."
Absolute silence.
"What?" Yoo Mi Kyung brought a hand to her mouth, shocked — and immediately delighted. "A fiancée?"
Han Jae Guk raised an eyebrow, assessing Elara with calculated interest.
"You never mentioned this."
"Because it wasn't relevant until now," Han replied curtly. "And the field is closed to family. I had no choice."
The reaction was immediate.
"Oh, we need to meet her!" Mi Kyung said excitedly. "My, she's beautiful even from here."
Elara heard none of it.
She screamed.
A scream tore through the air of the field as the D-Armilla on her wrist released violent shockwaves, ripping through her body like internal lightning. She fell to her knees, fingers digging into the metallic floor, muscles contracting involuntarily.
The D-Armilla flared.
Not in one color.
But three.
The ground beneath her began to grid itself, projections spreading like a living mesh. The air vibrated. The field's system went into maximum alert.
The first form emerged from above.
Digital particles condensed in the air, metallic plates locking together with almost organic precision. A robotic owl took shape, landing softly on an elevated structure. Its violet eyes lit up, alert, aware. Its wings moved with the soft sound of refined gears.
It did not attack.
It observed.
Then the ground trembled.
To the left, a white mass began to form. A wolf of light metallic plating, with veins of red energy pulsing beneath its plates, rose with spiritual elegance. Its bright blue eyes radiated something beyond code — a calm, deep presence, almost sacred.
To the right, darkness condensed.
A black wolf, made of angular plates and neon blue-green lines, emerged in silence. Its green eyes glowed with absolute coldness. It made no sound when it touched the ground. The environment itself seemed to recoil from it.
Three D-Animals.
Complete.
Alive.
The entire field fell silent.
Han Jae Guk took a step forward, eyes wide for the first time in years.
"This…" he murmured. "This is not normal."
Yoo Mi Kyung pressed a hand to her chest, moved.
"She… she's incredible."
Behind the reinforced glass, Han Seung-Woo watched in silence.
His eyes weren't surprised.
They were… attentive.
Elara remained kneeling for a few seconds, breathing with difficulty, while the three presences aligned around her — the white wolf to her left, the black wolf to her right, the owl above.
Then, slowly, she raised her face.
And her heterochromatic eyes reflected three different lights.
In that moment, the training field — and perhaps the world — had just witnessed something that should never have happened.
The Seed had called.
And Elara Pack had answered.
The silence that followed was not immediate.
First came the sounds.
The deep purr of stabilizing systems. The dry click of metallic plates adjusting. The electric whisper of living circuits finding rhythm. The subterranean training field seemed to breathe, as if it had just awakened to something far greater than its intended purpose.
Elara was still kneeling at the center.
Her chest rose and fell with difficulty, air entering in short intervals, while the D-Armilla on her wrist slowly reduced its aggressive glow to a stable state. The shocks ceased. The pain retreated. What remained was a profound sense of exhaustion mixed with completeness.
She lifted her head slowly.
The owl was the first to react.
With an elegant movement, it rotated its neck almost fully, violet eyes fixing on Elara with absolute focus. There was no threat there. Only analysis. Pure vigilance. Its wings adjusted with a soft sound, and it tilted its head slightly, as if recognizing something ancient.
The white wolf stepped forward.
Its paws touched the ground with surprising delicacy for a body made of metal. The blue glow of its eyes pulsed calmly, steadily. It approached until it was only centimeters from Elara and lowered its head, pressing its metallic forehead to hers.
There was no shock.
There was warmth.
A strange warmth that did not burn — it embraced.
Elara felt something align inside her. Something she hadn't even known was broken.
The black wolf did not move.
It remained to her right, motionless like a solid shadow. Its green eyes observed everything — Elara, the other two D-Animals, the reinforced glass, Han, his parents, the sensors, the cameras. Nothing escaped. Nothing was ignored.
When it finally moved, it was only enough to position its body slightly in front of Elara.
Silent protection.
On the other side of the glass, Yoo Mi Kyung covered her mouth, eyes shimmering.
"Seung-Woo…" her voice came out low, almost a whisper. "She is… extraordinary."
Han Jae Guk didn't respond right away.
He watched with surgical focus, his mind already calculating implications, risks, political and institutional repercussions. Three active D-Animals. Hatched at the same time. Different classes. Perfect synchronization.
This wasn't just rare.
It was dangerous to the balance of the system.
"How many know?" he asked at last, without taking his eyes off the field.
"Only us," Han replied shortly. "And no one else will."
The father finally looked at his son.
"Are you certain?"
Han met his gaze, unwavering.
"I am."
In the field, Elara began to rise. Her legs still trembled a little, but she managed to stand. The white wolf stepped back, giving her space. The owl beat its wings once, repositioning higher. The black wolf stayed close, vigilant.
Elara looked around, trying to process.
"They…" her voice came out hoarse. "They were born."
Han activated the field's internal microphone.
"Yes," he answered, his voice echoing through the space. "And against every possible statistic."
She took a deep breath, running her hand over her wrist, now feeling the D-Armilla cold, stable, almost silent.
"I thought I was going to… pass out," she admitted.
"You nearly collapsed," Han replied. "If you hadn't come here, it would've happened in the corridor."
Elara swallowed.
"Thank you," she said. "For bringing me."
There was a brief pause.
"You trust me more than you should," he replied.
She looked toward the reinforced glass.
"I trust you because you didn't treat me like an error."
That hit him harder than he expected.
Yoo Mi Kyung smiled, moved.
"She's polite," she commented, pleased. "And strong. Good posture. Good presence."
Han Jae Guk sighed slowly.
"Seung-Woo," he said. "If what we're seeing here becomes public—"
"It won't," Han interrupted. "I'll make sure of it."
The father narrowed his eyes.
"How?"
Han answered without hesitation:
"By placing her under my direct responsibility."
The silence that followed was heavy.
"You're suggesting," Mi Kyung began carefully, "that she train here?"
"Yes."
Han Jae Guk crossed his arms.
"And the institute?"
"They'll believe she's merely promising," Han replied. "Nothing more than that."
In the field, the black wolf lifted its head slightly, as if it had heard something no one else had.
Elara noticed.
She followed its gaze… and for an instant, she felt it.
Not words.
Intent.
She brought a hand to her chest, surprised.
"They… they're communicating with me," she said quietly. "Not with voices. But… I understand."
Han closed his eyes for a second.
"That shouldn't be happening this soon."
"But it is," she replied.
The owl tilted its head again.
The white wolf sat calmly, like a patient guardian.
The black wolf remained standing.
Always standing.
Han activated the opening of the reinforced glass and descended into the field. His parents stayed above, watching with near-reverent interest.
As Han approached, the D-Animals reacted.
The black wolf bared its teeth slightly.
The white wolf remained still.
The owl simply watched.
"It's okay," Elara said instinctively.
The black wolf relaxed — not completely, but enough.
Han stopped a few steps away from her.
"You need to rest," he said. "The triple hatching drained a lot of blood and energy."
She nodded.
"Do they… have names?" she asked, looking at the three.
Han observed the D-Animals for a moment.
"That's up to you," he replied. "They were born because of you."
Elara fell silent.
Looking at the owl.
Then the white wolf.
Finally, the black wolf.
She felt a bond lock into place, deep and definitive.
"Then I'll think carefully," she said. "They deserve that."
Han nodded.
Above them, Yoo Mi Kyung held her husband's arm, smiling like someone who had just witnessed the birth of something historic.
"If she is our son's fiancée," she murmured, satisfied, "then the future of the Han family will be… extraordinary."
Han Jae Guk didn't answer.
But for the first time, he didn't disagree.
At the center of the subterranean field, amid metal, light, and living silence, Elara Pack stood surrounded by three newly born D-Animals — not as weapons, not as tools.
But as companions.
And in that instant, one thing became clear to all who witnessed it:
From that day on, the world of D-Animals would never be the same.