The match had ended in the most ridiculous way possible.
Nyx, the terrifying panther of doom, lay twitching on the ground. Selene stood frozen, fists clenched, glaring at Argonax like she wanted to strangle both of us.
Meanwhile, Argonax sat on top of Nyx's head, looking very pleased with himself.
I blinked. "Uh. So… I win?"
Selene's eye twitched dangerously. "No. That was not a real win."
"Looked pretty real to me."
She took a deep breath, probably to stop herself from murdering me on the spot.
Headmaster Voss chuckled. "That was an… unconventional victory, but I'll allow it."
Selene whirled on him. "You can't be serious!"
Voss raised an eyebrow. "And yet, the fact remains—his beast acted on its own to protect its tamer. That's more progress than I expected on the first day."
I smirked. "Hear that, Selene? I'm progressing."
She stabbed a finger at me. "Enjoy your fluke win while you can, newbie. I'm coming for a rematch."
I gulped. "Noted."
The headmaster nodded approvingly. "Good. Then training continues tomorrow at dawn."
Tomorrow? Oh great. My body was already aching from today's nonsense.
As I turned to leave, however—
Something strange happened.
The Invitation
The moment I stepped out of the training arena, I felt it.
A presence.
A shiver ran down my spine as a strange breeze swept through the academy grounds. The air around me warped subtly, like reality itself was bending.
I turned quickly. No one was there.
But then—
A small envelope floated down from the sky.
I barely caught it before it hit the ground. It was black with golden edges, sealed with an emblem I didn't recognize—a symbol of a beast's claw intertwined with a crescent moon.
My instincts screamed. This was not normal.
I glanced around. Selene and the headmaster were nowhere in sight. The training grounds were eerily silent.
I hesitated, then carefully broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
The message inside was written in glowing ink.
"To the one who tames the untamed.
If you seek true power, come to the Moonshadow Glade at midnight.
But be warned—the path of a true Beast Tamer is not for the weak."
No name. No signature.
Just that cryptic warning.
I frowned. This… felt dangerous.
Argonax, still perched on my shoulder, peered at the letter and chirped.
I sighed. "Yeah, buddy. I think we just got ourselves into something big."
Moonshadow Glade – Midnight Meeting
Sneaking out of the academy was surprisingly easy.
Which, honestly, made me nervous.
Shouldn't they have guards or something? Magic barriers? Maybe at least a cranky old janitor who yells at students for being out past curfew?
Instead, I slipped through the gates completely unnoticed. Almost like someone wanted me to leave.
That was not reassuring.
I moved cautiously through the darkened forest, following an old trail until I reached a clearing bathed in silver moonlight. The air was thick with mystical energy, swirling like unseen currents around me.
And then—
A figure stepped forward.
A tall man, wrapped in black and silver robes, his face hidden beneath a hood. The moment he spoke, his voice sent a chill down my spine.
"You came."
I tightened my grip on Argonax. "Yeah. Who are you?"
The man chuckled. "We are the Moonshadow Circle. And we've been watching you."
Watching me?
Before I could react, more figures emerged from the shadows.
At least six people, all dressed in matching robes, each radiating an undeniable aura of power.
One of them, a woman with glowing silver eyes, stepped forward. "You are different from the others at the academy. You tamed a beast that should not be tamed."
I tensed. "So what? You guys mad about it too?"
The first man shook his head. "No. Quite the opposite. We are here to offer you… an opportunity."
I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of opportunity?"
The woman smiled. "To join us. To learn the ancient ways of beast taming, the methods that your academy fears."
I stiffened. What did that mean?
The first man extended a black crystal pendant.
"If you accept, take this and step forward. If not… you may leave, but you will never hear from us again."
Argonax shifted on my shoulder, uneasy.
I swallowed hard. This was way bigger than I expected.
Should I accept? What if this was some kind of trap?
But if they were telling the truth…
This could change everything.
I took a deep breath, my fingers hovering over the pendant.
And then—
I made my decision.