Inside a grand stone hall, fifteen-year-old children gathered to awaken their Spirit Beasts. Noble families watched from elevated platforms as one child after another summoned powerful creatures, ranging from blazing wolves to magnificent griffins.For many of the children, this ceremony would determine their future. The stronger their Spirit Beasts, the greater their chances of becoming powerful Beast Knights as it is essential to fight against the ongoing apocalypse.Among them was Airis Kal, the youngest son of the prestigious House Kal."Look! Airis is about to go up!"A young man shouted, drawing everyone's attention toward the boy in the black robe.On one of the elevated platforms stood Ethan Kal, Airis's father and one of the most respected Beast Knights in the kingdom. He watched his youngest son with a proud smile, confident that Airis would awaken a powerful Spirit Beast and bring even greater glory to their family.After all, the Kals had spent generations building their r

Airis struggled through the passage with the Shadow Beast in his arms. His chest hurt, his breathing was difficult, and he could hear the leopard recovering behind him.He knew he was moving in the wrong direction, but there was nothing he could do. The Shadow Beast's attack had driven the leopard toward the entrance, blocking their exit.Everything was dark inside the cave, yet strangely enough, he could see clearly as though it were daytime. Perhaps it had something to do with his awakened attribute.He glanced at the Shadow Beast in his arms."Buddy, are we really going to die here?"He had no idea whether his Spirit Beast understood him, but its earlier display of power gave him a little hope.Suddenly, the creature raised its head and pointed a claw toward a passage.Airis frowned. "You want us to go that way?"The Shadow Beast remained silent.Airis took a deep breath. He had no other choice but to trust his contracted beast, at least this once.He followed its direction until h

The next day, Airis woke up after one of the shortest yet most peaceful rests he had experienced in a long time. He had never imagined that, at his age, he would find himself struggling to survive in the wilderness. However, the hardship he had endured only strengthened his determination to prove to his father and the rest of his family that he wasn't a weakling.He slowly raised his head and looked around. His Spirit Beast was already awake, staring directly at him.Airis paid little attention to it as he noticed that the fire had gone out. He then checked his injuries and found that they had improved noticeably. Although his chest still hurt, he had recovered some of his strength and no longer felt as helpless as he had the previous day. At the very least, he could move around now and begin figuring out how to improve himself.He slowly stood up. The pain in his chest was still there, but it was manageable. He walked towards the cavern's entrance, where the river flowed through the

After what felt like a long time, Airis slowly opened his eyes and stared at his familiar surroundings.He blinked and turned his head to the side.He saw the lady who had introduced herself to him. It was Mira, who was busy picking herbs in the cavern near the tree.Airis slowly raised his head and checked his injuries. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and he noticed that his wounds had improved considerably. The pain wasn't as severe as before, which surprised him.He slowly stood up, using the tree branches to support himself. He looked around and noticed that his Spirit Beast was not far away, its eyes fixed on him.He shook his head helplessly and leaned back against the tree.“Oh, you're awake!” Mira exclaimed as her attention finally turned to Airis. She walked forward and stood in front of him, studying him closely as though she were trying to see through him.“Can you cut the crap? Why are you staring at me like that?” Airis asked, raising his head and waving his right hand at her.

Airis woke to the sound of Mira moving around the cavern.His chest still hurt, but the pain had eased enough for him to stand without relying entirely on the tree roots for support. The Shadow Beast sat nearby, its violet eyes following him as he slowly straightened his back."Don't tell me you're going to watch me all day," Airis muttered.The creature blinked before looking away."Yeah, I thought so."Mira approached with her hunting blade strapped to her waist and her weathered pack over one shoulder."Can you walk?""Of course I can.""Then let's go. We need supplies."Airis glanced toward the cavern entrance. "Where are we going?""Somewhere nearby. And before you ask, no, I'm not going to carry you back if you collapse.""You're really good at encouraging people."Mira ignored him and headed outside.Airis followed, with the Shadow Beast hopping onto his shoulder.The forest was unusually quiet. As they moved between the trees, Mira occasionally stopped to examine the ground. A