The morning sun cast long shadows across the capital's streets as Kael, Lyssa, and their companions made their way toward the palace once again. The walk was becoming routine now, the route familiar, the sights less overwhelming than they'd been on that first day.
Kael found himself walking alongside Spritz, the small water dragon, keeping pace with an energy that suggested growing confidence. The transformation in just a few days had been remarkable—from a creature that could barely look anyone in the eye to one that held its head high, moving with purpose.
"Hey Spritz," Kael said quietly, pitching his voice so only the dragon and his other companions could hear. "I need to ask you something. Can you keep your powers hidden until the tournament? Not use them where anyone can see?"
The dragon's mental response through Vera came immediately, carrying absolute certainty. Don't worry about it at all. I'll keep them secret. No one will know I can use water until you want them to know.
"Thanks. I appreciate it." Kael smiled. "It's not that I don't trust people, but—"
But having a surprise advantage in a tournament is a smart strategy, Spritz finished for him. I understand completely. They all think I'm just a defective dragon you took out of pity. Let them continue to think that until it's time to prove otherwise.
"Exactly."
They reached the palace gates to find something unexpected—Seraphina was already there, waiting for them rather than the other way around. She stood near the entrance with Ripple coiled beside her, waving enthusiastically when she spotted them approaching.
"You're early!" Kael called out with a grin.
"I'm excited!" Seraphina replied, bouncing slightly on her feet. "I had an idea for today, and I couldn't wait to propose it."
"Oh no," Lyssa said with mock concern. "That tone usually means something interesting is about to happen."
"Interesting is one word for it." Seraphina gestured for them to follow as she started walking toward the training grounds. "I was thinking—Kael, you're competing in the tournament in just a few days, right? Wouldn't it be useful to have some practice fights? Real mock battles against experienced opponents?"
"That sounds great, actually," Kael agreed. "What did you have in mind?"
"The guards train every day on the palace grounds. Many of them are equivalent to Rank 10 or lower tamers in strength. I thought we could arrange some mock battles—give you real combat experience against skilled opponents with their mythbeasts. See how your team functions in actual tournament-style conditions."
"I'm definitely interested," Kael confirmed. "Lyssa?"
"Why not?" Lyssa shrugged. "Could be valuable experience."
As they walked toward the training grounds, Seraphina's expression shifted to something more serious. "Oh, I heard some news this morning. Apparently, there's been something inexplicable happening at the sanctuary park."
Kael felt his stomach drop slightly, but kept his expression carefully neutral. "Oh?"
"Mythbeasts are being healed. Completely healed—missing limbs restored, ancient injuries corrected, creatures that have suffered for decades suddenly returned to perfect health." Seraphina's voice carried genuine wonder. "It's caused quite the commotion. People are developing theories about what's happening."
"What kind of theories?" Lyssa asked, and Kael noticed she shot him a quick sideways glance that clearly said I told you this would happen.
"The most common one is that a very high-rank mythbeast has been visiting the sanctuary stealthily. Something with incredible healing abilities and the power to move undetected through the capital at night." Seraphina paused. "It would have to be extremely powerful to heal so many mythbeasts with such severe and old injuries. Rank 20 at minimum, maybe higher."
Oh shit, Kael thought.
"The royal family is starting to investigate," Seraphina continued. "Not aggressively—we're not treating it as a threat since whoever or whatever is doing this is clearly helping, not harming. But we want to understand what's happening. Make sure it's not something dangerous, and possibly thank whoever's responsible if we can identify them."
"Makes sense," Kael managed to say calmly. "Can't have mysterious, powerful entities operating in the capital without at least knowing what's going on."
"Exactly." Seraphina looked thoughtful. "What do you two think it might be? A legendary healer-type mythbeast passing through? Some kind of guardian spirit?"
Kael and Lyssa exchanged quick glances, both carefully maintaining their innocent expressions.
"Could be a lot of things," Lyssa offered. "Maybe a mythbeast that lost its own tamer and is trying to help others in similar situations? That would explain why it's focusing on the sanctuary."
"That's actually a beautiful theory," Seraphina said warmly. "A creature that understands suffering, trying to alleviate it for others. I hope that's what it is."
"Whatever the reason," Kael added, "it seems like they're doing good work. The sanctuary mythbeasts deserve help, and if someone or something powerful enough to provide it is willing to do so, that's wonderful."
"Agreed completely." Seraphina smiled. "I actually hope the investigation doesn't find anything. Let whoever's doing this continue their work in peace."
They reached the training grounds, where dozens of guards were engaged in various exercises. The scene was familiar from their previous visit—weapons practice, mythbeast coordination drills, physical conditioning. The commander they'd seen before was overseeing everything from a raised platform.
Seraphina approached him directly. "Commander Voss, I have a request. My friend here—" she gestured to Kael "—is competing in the Royal Tournament in a few days. I was hoping some of your guards might be willing to engage in mock battles with him. Give him some real combat experience before the tournament begins?"
Commander Voss was a gruff-looking man in his late forties, with scars that spoke of a long military career and eyes that assessed everything with tactical precision. He looked Kael over carefully, then examined his companions—Vera, Ember, Fulminus, Mushy, and Spritz.
"That's the water dragon from the palace gardens," he observed, his gaze settling on Spritz. "The one with the defect. Can't fight, can it?"
"It's still learning," Kael replied diplomatically, which was technically true.
"So just this young man with four functional mythbeasts against my guards?" Voss looked at Seraphina for confirmation.
"That's right," she confirmed.
"And you want to do what—one tamer versus one tamer? Or something more challenging?"
"Let's start with one versus one," Kael suggested. "See how that goes first."
"That might be for the best," Seraphina chimed in. "The tournament uses a specific format—all of one tamer's mythbeasts fight against all of the opponent's mythbeasts simultaneously. So if a tamer has four bonded companions, they have a significant numerical advantage, as long as the opponent doesn't overwhelmingly outmatch them in individual strength."
"Interesting format," Voss mused. "Rewards those with multiple bonds and good coordination. Alright, let's see what you can do, boy." He turned and called across the training ground. "Garrett! Get over here!"
The same guard who'd delivered Seraphina's message the previous night jogged over, his wolf-type companion trotting beside him. Up close in daylight, Kael could see that Garrett was older than he'd initially thought—probably in his mid-thirties, with the weathered look of someone who'd seen considerable combat.
"Sir?" Garrett asked.
"This young tamer wants some tournament practice. You've got two mythbeasts, right?"
"I do, sir. Rex here—" he gestured to his wolf "—and Skyler." He whistled, and a butterfly-type mythbeast descended from where it had been circling above the training ground. The creature was beautiful, with wings easily two meters across in vibrant blues and purples.
Fulminus's mental presence pressed against Kael's consciousness with assessment. The wolf is approximately Rank 8 in strength. The butterfly is also Rank 8, maybe slightly weaker. Each one is individually stronger than any of us except maybe Vera. But combined, all four of us together should roughly equal their strength. It'll be a close fight.
"You ready for this?" Garrett asked Kael with a friendly smile. "I won't go easy on you just because you're competing in the tournament. Real practice means real effort."
"I'd expect nothing less," Kael replied, returning the smile. "Let's do this."
They walked away from each other, putting about fifty meters of distance between them. Seraphina, Lyssa, and Commander Voss moved to the sidelines to observe, along with several other guards who'd noticed something interesting was about to happen.
"Tournament rules!" Voss called out. "Tamers stay back, only mythbeasts engage in combat! No maiming, no killing blows, no extreme violence! The fight ends when one side yields or is clearly unable to continue! Ready?"
Kael felt his heart rate increase with anticipation. This was it—real combat practice against an experienced opponent. Not training exercises, not wild mythbeast encounters, but actual tactical combat.
"Ready!" both he and Garrett called out.
"Begin!"
The battle started immediately. Garrett's butterfly—Skyler—took to the air, gaining altitude and distance. The creature began generating a substance that resembled powder or spores, spreading it across the battlefield in a wide area. Crowd control and ranged attacks, just as Fulminus had predicted.
Rex the wolf charged forward, moving with practiced aggression toward Kael's companions. The creature was clearly experienced, knowing how to pressure opponents while Skyler controlled the battlefield from above.
"Vera, Mushy—handle Rex!" Kael called out. "Fulminus, Ember—keep Skyler busy!"
His companions moved with the coordination born from weeks of training together. Vera's violet eyes glowed as she summoned psychic energy, creating a barrier that intercepted Rex's charge. The wolf slammed into the invisible wall with a snarl of frustration.
Mushy immediately began generating poison mist, spreading it across the ground in thick clouds that would make Rex's movements more difficult and drain his stamina over time.
Meanwhile, Fulminus shot skyward like a blue-grey missile, electricity crackling as he closed the distance to Skyler. The butterfly was fast, but Fulminus had been training his speed relentlessly—he was faster.
Ember followed, launching compressed fireballs that forced Skyler to dodge, limiting the butterfly's movement options and preventing it from establishing full battlefield control with its powder.
Rex tried to circle around Vera's barrier, looking for an angle of attack. But Vera simply rotated the barrier, maintaining protection while Mushy's poison cloud continued to spread. The wolf was tough, using what appeared to be earth-based powers to create rock projectiles that it launched at Vera's barrier, testing for weaknesses.
Above, Fulminus engaged Skyler in aerial combat. The butterfly was more maneuverable, but Fulminus was faster and more aggressive. Lightning strikes forced Skyler to constantly evade, preventing it from focusing on supporting Rex below.
Ember's fireballs created zones of heat and flame that further limited Skyler's movement. The butterfly tried to climb higher to escape, but Fulminus matched the altitude gain easily.
The battle was intense, both sides giving their all. Rex managed to get past Vera's barrier at one point, charging directly at Mushy. But Vera simply grabbed the wolf with telekinesis, lifting it into the air and slamming it back to the ground with considerable force.
"Now!" Kael shouted.
Vera had been waiting for this moment. She released the massive psychic attack she'd been charging—invisible to Garrett and his mythbeasts, but Kael could sense it through their bond. The telekinetic force shot upward like an arrow, striking Skyler with tremendous impact.
The butterfly had been focused on evading Fulminus and Ember, completely unaware of the attack from below. The psychic blast hit it squarely, sending it tumbling through the air. Fulminus immediately capitalized, hitting it with a powerful lightning strike while it was disoriented.
Skyler fell, managing to arrest its descent enough to avoid injury, but clearly stunned and unable to fight effectively for the moment.
Rex, seeing its partner in trouble, tried to disengage from Vera and Mushy to help. But the wolf had been fighting in poison mist for several minutes now, and the accumulated toxins were taking their toll. Its movements were slower, and its reactions were delayed.
Vera seized the opportunity, wrapping Rex in telekinetic force and simply holding it immobile. The wolf struggled but couldn't break free.
"Yield!" Garrett called out, recognizing his mythbeasts were beaten. "We yield!"
Vera immediately released Rex, and Fulminus backed off from the downed Skyler. The battle was over.
Commander Voss was nodding with clear approval as Kael and Garrett approached each other, their mythbeasts regrouping around them.
"Well fought," Garrett said, extending his hand. "That invisible psychic attack was brilliant—I never saw it coming. Your coordination is excellent, especially for such a young tamer with so many bonds."
"Thank you," Kael replied, shaking the offered hand. "Your mythbeasts are incredibly skilled. That was much harder than I expected."
"You raised strong companions at such a young age," Commander Voss added, having approached to offer his own assessment. "And your tactical thinking is sound. You identified the primary threat—battlefield control from the butterfly—and neutralized it decisively. That's good instinct."
"Nicely done!" Lyssa called out, grinning. "I think you have a real shot at winning the tournament now. That was impressive."
"It was an amazing fight," Seraphina agreed enthusiastically. "The way you coordinated four different mythbeasts simultaneously, adjusting strategy on the fly... that's really difficult to do well. You made it look easy."
Kael felt warmth spread through his chest at the praise. More importantly, the battle had shown him where his team still needed improvement. The coordination was good, but could be better. Reaction times were solid but could be faster. And he needed to work on communicating more complex strategies quickly during combat.
But overall? They'd won against an experienced guard with two Rank 8 mythbeasts. That was a strong showing.
After cooling down and making sure everyone's minor injuries were addressed, Seraphina suggested they relax for a while in one of the palace's sitting rooms. They spent the next few hours playing chess-like board games, with Vera particularly enthusiastic about participating.
It quickly became apparent that Seraphina was extremely intelligent, her strategic thinking sharp and creative. She won the first game against Kael decisively.
Vera won the second game against Seraphina, but it was close—the princess put up an impressive fight even against a psychic tiger with enhanced cognitive abilities.
Kael came in a close second in the third game, a four-way match between himself, Vera, Seraphina, and Lyssa that turned into an intense battle of wits.
"You're really good at this," Kael observed as they reset the board for another round. "I wasn't expecting someone who spent so much time on courtly matters to be such a strategic thinker."
"Court politics is mostly strategic thinking," Seraphina replied with a laugh. "Just with higher stakes and less honest rules. This is much more fun—all the challenge, none of the consequences."
Time passed quickly in pleasant company. Before Kael realized it, evening was approaching, and his stomach was starting to rumble with hunger.
Seraphina seemed to sense this, because she suddenly grew slightly nervous—an unusual expression on someone usually so confident.
"So," she began carefully, "I need to confess something. My elder sister Catherine and her husband, King Aldric, specifically asked me to insist that you both join us for a formal royal dinner tonight. They want to properly thank you for rescuing me and get to know you better."
Kael shrugged. "No problem. Dinner sounds great."
Lyssa stared at him. "Of course, it's no problem for you, you weirdo. You have no sense of proper protocol anxiety." She turned to Seraphina. "Do we have to? I mean, I'm just a Rank 3 tamer from Thornhaven. I don't know how to behave at a formal royal dinner!"
"It's not that formal," Seraphina assured her. "More like a family dinner that happens to be in a palace with the kingdom's rulers. They're good people, Lyssa. Catherine specifically said she wants it to be comfortable, not intimidating."
"Come on," Kael said, nudging Lyssa gently. "It'll be fine. We'll follow Seraphina's lead, use the right forks or whatever, and just be ourselves. What's the worst that could happen?"
"I can think of about fifty worst-case scenarios," Lyssa muttered.
"And none of them will happen," Kael said confidently. "Besides, we can't refuse a direct invitation from the King and Queen. That would actually be rude. So we might as well accept gracefully and enjoy it."
Lyssa sighed in resignation. "Fine. But if I embarrass myself, I'm blaming you."
"Fair enough."
Seraphina looked relieved. "Thank you both. I promise it won't be terrible. My family can be overwhelming, but they mean well."
She led them through the palace corridors, taking a more direct route than their previous wanderings. The architecture grew progressively more elaborate as they walked—more gilt on the walls, more expensive tapestries, more ornate furniture in the halls.
Eventually, they stopped before a set of double doors that looked important. Through the doors, Kael could hear muffled voices—conversation and the clink of dinnerware being arranged.
"Ready?" Seraphina asked, her hand on the door handle.
Kael exchanged one last look with Lyssa. She looked nervous but determined. He felt surprisingly calm—maybe Lyssa was right about him being weird, but he genuinely wasn't intimidated by the prospect of dining with royalty.
They were just people, after all. Powerful, important people, but still people. They'd already met Queen Catherine and Duke Hadrian, and both had been perfectly reasonable. King Aldric was probably the same.
"Ready," Kael confirmed.
Seraphina opened the doors, and they stepped forward into whatever awaited them in the royal family's dining room.