Kael Ashborne was officially unprotected.
The notice came at dawn, posted on black crystal boards across the Academy grounds.
No fanfare.
No explanation.
Just a single line beneath his name.
Status: Probationary Autonomous Tamer.
Kael stared at it for a long time.
"…That sounds like a polite way of saying good luck, don't die."
Cinder sat at his feet, body coiled tightly, ember-lines faint but constant beneath its obsidian scales. It had grown again overnight—subtly, but undeniably. Longer. Denser. Heavier.
Watching.
Listening.
The System stirred.
[Status confirmed.]
[Protective protocols removed.]
[Independent risk assessment required.]
Kael exhaled slowly.
"So it's just us now."
Cinder rumbled.
Not agreement.
Acceptance.
Kael didn't make it ten steps before the whispers started.
"They really let him walk free?"
"No escorts?"
"That beast—did you see its eyes?"
"He named it."
"Idiots die fast."
Kael kept walking.
Every instinct screamed at him to keep his head down—but something inside him refused. He walked straight, shoulders squared, hands relaxed but ready.
Not reckless.
Resolved.
Luna caught up with him near the eastern gate.
"You're leaving the grounds," she said. It wasn't a question.
Kael nodded. "I need to."
"That's stupid."
"Probably."
She stopped in front of him. Her eyes searched his face, lingering longer than necessary.
"…They'll try again."
"I know."
Her jaw tightened. "Then take me."
Kael hesitated.
Cinder shifted slightly.
The System chimed.
[High-affinity ally detected.]
[Joint survival probability increased by 22%.]
Kael looked at Luna.
"…You sure?"
She smiled faintly. "I don't like watching history happen from the sidelines."
He nodded.
"Alright."
Behind them, Iris shouted, "WAIT—WHAT?!"
The Outer Wilds lay beyond the Academy's protective range—a fractured stretch of ruined cities, corrupted forests, and old battlefields where beasts thrived without restraint.
Kael stood before the Hunt Board, eyes scanning the missions.
Low-risk jobs were gone.
Everything left was dangerous.
Luna leaned beside him. "You're not choosing a scouting mission."
"No."
"Good."
Kael stopped at one listing.
Target: Ash-Crawlers (Pack)
Rank: D–C
Notes: Rapid reproduction. Territorial. Resistant to heat.
Luna frowned. "That's reckless."
Kael smiled slightly. "Cinder likes heat."
The System chimed.
[Target compatibility: favorable.]
[Risk level: high but acceptable.]
Iris slammed her hands on the board. "ABSOLUTELY NOT."
Kael jumped. "How did you—"
"Nyx told me," Iris snapped. "And she never tells me things."
Nyx appeared behind them like a ghost.
"You're predictable," she said calmly.
Iris crossed her arms. "You're not going without backup."
Kael sighed. "I don't get backup."
Nyx tilted her head. "You do today."
The System chimed again.
[Temporary party formed.]
[Synergy unknown.]
[Outcome potential: significant.]
Kael looked at the three of them.
"…Guess we're hunting."
The air changed the moment they crossed the boundary.
Heavier.
Thicker.
Alive.
Cinder lifted its head, nostrils flaring.
[Environmental hostility detected.]
[Proto—Correction: Cinder alert level elevated.]
Kael smiled faintly. "You like this place."
Cinder's ember-lines brightened.
They moved carefully through broken streets half-swallowed by ash and moss. Buildings leaned like drunkards. The ground cracked underfoot.
Then—
A scream.
Not human.
Beast.
From below.
The System reacted instantly.
[Multiple hostile signatures detected.]
[Ash-Crawler pack confirmed.]
[Estimated count: 6–9.]
Iris grinned. "Finally."
Luna's skin shimmered faintly, scales tracing along her arms like living armor.
"Kael," she said softly, "stay behind me."
Kael shook his head.
"No."
Cinder stepped forward.
The ground trembled.
The Ash-Crawlers burst from the rubble like nightmares made of soot and bone—six-legged, long-bodied creatures with glowing orange eyes and maws full of grinding teeth.
They moved fast.
Too fast.
One lunged straight for Kael.
The System blared.
[Immediate danger.]
[Combat reflex synchronization engaged.]
Kael didn't think.
He moved.
Cinder surged forward, body slamming into the creature mid-air with a thunderous CRACK. The Ash-Crawler screeched as it was thrown aside, smashing through a broken wall.
Kael stared.
"…You're getting scary."
Cinder roared.
Luna moved like a storm—water-blades slicing cleanly through another Ash-Crawler's legs. Iris incinerated a third in a burst of fire and laughter.
Nyx vanished.
Reappeared.
One crawler collapsed silently, venom dripping from its punctured skull.
Kael clenched his fists.
"This is it," he whispered. "Don't freeze."
Another Ash-Crawler charged.
Kael stepped forward.
Cinder mirrored him.
The System chimed.
[Synchronization rising.]
[Threshold approaching.]
Kael shouted, "Together!"
Cinder inhaled.
The air heated.
Not fire.
Pressure.
Cinder slammed its body downward, releasing a shockwave that shattered the ground and sent the Ash-Crawler flying, limbs snapping mid-air.
Kael's heart raced.
"…We did that."
The System responded.
[Draconic Force: rudimentary.]
[Ability unlocked: Ember Pulse.]
The pack retreated, screeching.
Silence fell.
Kael stood trembling.
Not from fear.
From adrenaline.
They regrouped amid the ruins.
Iris stared at Cinder like it had personally insulted her. "That thing's not fair."
Luna exhaled slowly. "…It's growing."
Nyx nodded. "So are you."
Kael looked down at his hands.
They were shaking.
"I didn't hesitate," he whispered.
The System chimed softly.
[Psychological barrier broken.]
[Host combat readiness increased.]
Cinder nudged him.
Warm.
Steady.
Alive.
Kael laughed quietly.
"…Guess this is my life now."
Far away, in places Kael couldn't imagine—
A noble crushed a crystal in rage.
A dragon opened its wings.
A city council convened in silence.
And something ancient marked Kael Ashborne as no longer ignorable.
The System chimed one final time.
[First hunt completed.]
[Cinder growth accelerated.]
[Next evolution conditions forming.]
Kael looked toward the horizon, eyes burning with purpose.
"They tried to erase me," he whispered.
Cinder rumbled.
"They failed."