The sunrise stained the sky with golden and reddish hues as Ethan left his quarters. The morning breeze carried the fresh scent of the trees from the forest near the Valmere Academy. He walked in silence, each step echoing on the stone floor of the courtyard. The encounter with the Vigilante still resonated in his mind like a persistent whisper, hard to ignore.
Upon arriving at the training field, Ethan found only a few students already beginning their exercises. Some practiced simple commands with their beasts, while others simply observed, absorbing the environment. He headed to a more secluded area, where ancient trees formed a small natural circle.
There, the Deer of the Ancestral Forest awaited him, serene, its eyes gently shining. The connection between them had deepened over the past days, albeit silently. Ethan knelt before the creature, placing his hand on the leaf-covered ground.
"Let's try something new today," he whispered.
With a slow gesture, he raised his open palm, channeling his energy in a gentle wave. The Deer responded, its antlers pulsating with a greenish light that seemed to breathe with the forest itself.
But then… the wind shifted.
A sharp, sudden roar split the air. Nearby students turned on alert. On the other side of the field, a metallic beast—a Steel Feline, muscular and equipped with blades on its paws—had escaped its handler's control. Its eyes were tinged with red, signaling a possible bout of frenzy, a rare but dangerous state.
"It's out of control!" shouted one of the instructors.
Most students instinctively recoiled. The beast's handler, a pale, panicking boy, tried issuing commands, but his trembling voice proved ineffective.
Without a second thought, Ethan advanced.
"Deer, with me."
The Deer lifted its head and followed its partner. The metallic beast whirled towards them, its ruby eyes blazing with fury. The ground trembled slightly under its heavy paws.
"We're not going to fight with brute force… we're going to understand," Ethan said, more to himself than to the Deer.
He closed his eyes for a moment. Within, he sought the natural flow of energy he had felt before. When he opened them, a gentle glow shone in his gaze, reflecting the calm of the forest.
"Root."
The Deer stamped its hooves forcefully on the ground. Green shoots erupted from the soil, ensnaring the Steel Feline's paws. The beast roared once more, struggling against the bonds, but something had changed. Ethan had come close enough to see… the fear in the creature's eyes.
"It isn't just out of control. It's frightened," Ethan said aloud, drawing the instructors' attention. "Something disturbed it. It wasn't the handler's fault."
Professor Alden, who had approached discreetly, frowned.
"Continue, Ethan."
The young man extended his hand. Gently, as if guided by a deep intuition, he used his energy not to attack, but to soothe. A faint glow emerged between his palm and the head of the metallic beast. Gradually, the red intensity in the eyes diminished. The Feline panted, but its stance became less aggressive, more… rational.
Silence fell over the field.
The beast's handler fell to his knees, relieved. Alden approached and looked at Ethan intently.
"You used advanced harmonization techniques. Where did you learn that?"
Ethan hesitated for a moment before replying:
"I study a lot. And I observe even more."
Alden crossed his arms, intrigued. Yet there was a hint of respect in his gaze.
"Keep it up. The path you have chosen is rare… and dangerous. Few have the courage to deal with beasts with the mind, not just with fists."
As the field returned to its normal rhythm, Ethan felt a subtle unease. The frenzy state of the Steel Feline was uncommon, and something inside him whispered that this was no accident. The memory of the Vigilante and his words echoed like a refrain:
"Forces in the shadows…"
Later, in his room, Ethan made notes about the beast's behavior and the energetic signs he had sensed. The pages of his notebook began to fill with symbols, mind maps, and intricate observations.
While most of his peers dreamed of becoming great warriors or elite beast tamers, Ethan wanted something more.
He wanted to understand.
And, deep down, he was beginning to suspect that he wasn't the only one trying to unravel the mysteries surrounding Valmere Academy.