Cid dropped down from the sky, landing an astonishing drop kick squarely against the tiger's face. He kicked off its face like a platform and sent the creature crashing back a few meters along with his body.
Cid's cloak flapped before Paul's wide eyes, his body twisting mid-air in a flip to regain balance. He touched down as light as a feather next to the wagon, startling the horses with his sudden appearance.
But to Cid, it was like he didn't notice, his expression even and unreadable. Then he stood up straight and slowly stared at Paul with his inky black eyes that seemed to absorb light.
For some inexplicable reason, Paul shuddered under the youth's gaze, feeling a sense of something cold and dreadful.
A swift full glance at Cid led Paul to think he was a bandit. Messy black hair tied roughly, and a cloak that was worse for wear — his entire appearance betrayed his rough identity.
Unknown to Paul, Cid's black eyes seemed to glint at him.
"Don't go anywhere," he simply said.
Then he turned around to face the monstrous tiger and slowly walked towards it. The horses neighed restlessly and shifted as he walked past them, seemingly going mad as if to avoid a plague.
Cid paid no mind to them and stared down the monster with an indifferent expression.
'A Bulwark Tiger, huh. How unlucky could this guy get,' he mused inwardly, glancing back at Paul from the corner of his eyes.
Meanwhile, the Bulwark Tiger kept its distance carefully, prowling from side to side as it bared its sharp yellow, dagger-like fangs.
It was clear the hungry beast was wary of Cid. The instant he appeared, it had pulled back to seemingly reconsider its actions.
Monsters, animals, and wild beasts in the end were all creatures with instincts — including humans. And the Bulwark Tiger's... its instincts were telling it something different about the seemingly average young man.
There was something wrong with him.
Alas, it was still a mindless beast ravaged by insane hunger — another instinct that could overrule its primal fear even temporarily.
Cid sighed quietly as if he could read the hunger and thoughts of the monster through its bloodshot eyes.
'Don't blame me for whatever happens next.'
The Bulwark Tiger stepped forward finally, flexing its already hulking size to the maximum. Heavy-duty muscles rolled under its skin hidden beneath thick fur.
Even the weight of its steps caused the soil under its paws to part, and the ground to sink in cracks.
Cid just continued to regard the starving beast evenly and slowly reached for the handle of his sword under his cloak.
Then finally, the stare-off between the two predators reached its peak, and the monstrous tiger lurched forward ruthlessly in a single leap. Its maws spread open widely, revealing macabre rows of rough, dagger-like teeth.
Unphased at his head nearly getting chomped off, Cid uttered something inaudible under his breath.
'... Shadow Flame.'
Inky black flames erupted from beneath the Bulwark Tiger suddenly, devouring its entire form in its lightless black combustion mid-air. It was like the monster's shadow had suddenly combusted and turned against its owner, devouring it in ravenous flames.
The Bulwark Tiger crashed into the ground a mere meter away from Cid with an agonized whimper. Yet that sound didn't last long, as its cries died with its demise.
The inky black flames consumed the poor monster until it was but dust. Mysteriously, not a single speck of ash or cinder was left behind.
Cid stared at the spot where the tiger had been devoured with solemn black eyes. His fingers brushed against the left side of his chest under his cloak.
"Be still now. You are not forgotten," he said sullenly.
Then he turned around to face Paul with a wide smile.
Paul regarded the entire event with wide, unblinking eyes. Deep astonishment painted his expression. He couldn't explain what he had just witnessed.
"Old man, are you a merchant?"
Paul snapped out of his deep and profound reverie immediately, realizing Cid was now standing next to him, almost too close for comfort. The young man had a bright, innocent smile brimming with something akin to childlike, naive wonder.
It was completely different from how he had been a moment ago.
"E-eh, uh, uhm... Y-yes... Yes I am," Paul stuttered, then stated slowly.
His hands tightened on the leash of his wagon, ready to take off at a moment's notice. Despite his young looks, Cid's overall appearance was suspicious.
If it weren't for the fear of suddenly getting consumed by the same ominous black flames if he moved, Paul would have already made for it. He was still strongly suspicious that Cid might be a bandit, especially now more than ever.
Cid's expression brightened even more upon hearing the good news.
"Can you give me a ride, then?" he blatantly requested.
'Huh?' Paul blinked blankly at the unexpected words.
Cid didn't seem to mind. He didn't even notice the hint of wariness and tension in Paul's shoulders—or he did, but he had just grown used to people and creatures acting this coldly toward him after so long...
It was the same reason he had been nonchalant about the horses making a bigger ruckus when he arrived.
Cid took a step behind him and backed away from the wagon, an attempt to show his good intentions.
While Paul still warily observed him, Cid continued with the same expression, turning to face the skies and cupping his right palm around his mouth.
"It's all clear. You can come out now, Pip!"
Soon enough, a black furry creature flew out of the forest shades and into the open. It had big, round, red, gem-like eyes, small leathery wings that flapped through the air, and a pair of tiny horns protruding from its head.
"Ahem. Pardon my manners, good sir. My name is Cid, and this, my little companion here, is Pip," Cid said in his usual light-hearted voice as Pip perched on the top of his head like a cushion.
Paul stared widely, his eyes as open as circles at Pip's appearance.
"A familiar...?" he muttered in disbelief.
Cid couldn't care less. He made a show of scratching his head to portray harmless sincerity.
"We're kind of lost," he coughed.
"For a while, actually."