Zzzhhhppp—
With a sharp, electric hiss, the sealed door at the far end of the dome forest slid open.
By now, Kael and the others had spent long enough walking through the exhibits that the initial shock had dulled. The beasts—monsters, their instincts still wanted to call them—no longer made their bodies lock up the instant one appeared. They were still strange. Still unsettling.
But their hearts no longer jumped straight into their throats.
Weird, Kael thought. But effective.
It was a clever design choice. Forcing newcomers to walk among fully grown beasts first—letting the mind adjust gradually—was far better than throwing them straight into a room full of eggs and infants. If someone encountered these creatures without preparation, most would panic. Some would faint.
The problem wasn't that the beasts were alien.
It was that they were almost familiar.
A wolf covered in plated scales.A bird with too many eyes.Bodies close enough to normal to trick the brain—wrong enough to trigger raw instinctive fear.
Wilson slipped his access card back into his pocket and turned to them, his expression relaxed.
"Alright," he said lightly. "Now I'll show you something even more interesting."
Fatty blinked, then gestured vaguely at the massive dome behind them."More interesting than that?" he asked, disbelief thick in his voice.
Beside him, the thin boy winced and tugged at his sleeve. The right side of his hair and shirt were still faintly damp, and no amount of rinsing had fully erased what had happened earlier. A stubborn smell lingered—just strong enough that the girls had unconsciously drifted a step away.
Wilson nodded without hesitation."Of course. Come on."
He turned and began walking.
The others exchanged glances before following.
From the outside, the building's glass walls were tinted black, blocking any view of what lay beyond. But the moment they stepped inside—
Their mouths fell open.
Their eyes widened.
"W-What kind of place is this?!" Sarah blurted out before she could stop herself.
Her voice echoed far louder than she intended.
Several heads turned.
A woman nearby—wearing a caretaker's uniform—paused mid-step. In her arms rested a small, cat-like creature curled comfortably against her chest. She raised a finger to her lips and whispered gently,
"Shh. The babies are very sensitive to sound."
She softly patted the creature. It let out a tiny mrrp and lifted its head, golden eyes blinking sleepily toward the group.
Kael frowned slightly.
The air felt warm.
Not ambient heat. Not environmental systems.
Something… alive.
The creature looked like an ordinary house cat at first glance—orange fur, white and yellow stripes, small paws tucked beneath it.
And yet—
Too warm, Kael thought.
He leaned forward slightly and whispered, careful to keep his voice low."What kind of cat is that?"
The caretaker glanced at him, then smiled faintly.
"A Red Fiery Cat cub," she said. "Fire-affinity beast."
The kitten meowed again.
For just a moment, a faint spark—no bigger than a candle flame—flickered beneath its fur before vanishing.
Kael's eyebrows rose.
Affinities…
So that was what Wilson meant by interesting.
Kael watched as the caretaker continued down the corridor, gently cradling the cub. The warmth it gave off lingered in his awareness even after she disappeared.
Wilson clasped his hands behind his back and resumed walking, his calm smile unchanged.
"Every Beast Tamer Agency—large city or small town—has something like this," he said.
The group followed closely.
"This dome wasn't created for display," Wilson continued, glancing sideways at them. "Nor for conservation."
Kael tilted his head.
"…It's exposure conditioning," he said slowly. "To help newcomers adapt to beast appearances before forming contracts. So they don't freeze or panic."
Wilson stopped.
Turned.
Looked directly at Kael.
Fatty's jaw dropped."Bro," he said, staring. "What are you even talking about?"
The thin boy adjusted his glasses, thinking."…Logically," he said, "it does make sense. If I saw that three-tailed monkey without context, I'd assume it was created by some deranged scientist in an illegal lab."
He paused."And anything made under those conditions would obviously be extremely dangerous."
Kael nodded slightly.
Wilson chuckled."Well," he said warmly, "looks like we have some reliable minds this year."
Sarah nodded confidently."I knew it."
Kael shot her a sideways look.
She immediately turned away and whispered to Mara,"Do you understand what they're talking about?"
Mara blinked."…No. Do you?"
Fortunately, Kael didn't hear it.
Wilson resumed walking.
"But," he said calmly, "you're only half right."
Kael frowned."Half?" he asked. "Then what's the other half?"
"This place costs an enormous amount to build," Kael continued, thinking aloud. "And even more to maintain. Exposure therapy alone wouldn't justify this scale."
He gestured subtly around them—the vast dome, the layered habitats, the sheer precision involved.
Wilson listened without interrupting. When Kael finished, he nodded.
"I see," Wilson said. "You think in systems—cause, effect, structure."A faint smile tugged at his lips. "That's a good habit. Dangerous sometimes. But good."
He paused.
Then spoke softly.
"Most of the beasts you see here are orphans."
"Orphans?!"Both girls exclaimed at once.
Kael didn't react immediately. He thought for a moment, then spoke carefully.
"…They belonged to beast tamers," he said. "Didn't they?"
Wilson's smile faded—just slightly.
"Yes."
----
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