THE VOID BEAST

CHAPTER 13: THE RECORD

The moment passed as quickly as it had come. Instructor Vasa's hawk shifted on her shoulder, and her gaze moved on, sweeping across the room like nothing had happened.

But I couldn't shake it.

She knows something, I thought. She looked at me like she already knew exactly who I was.

Jace nudged me. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Fine," I said. "Just... nervous."

He grinned. "First day nerves. I get it."

I didn't correct him.

Instructor Vasa moved to the center of the room, her hawk's eyes scanning the students with the same sharp intensity as her own.

"Welcome to Beast Combat Fundamentals," she said. "This class will meet three times a week—once for theory, twice for practical training. Today, we'll start with basic principles, you'll put them into practice on the training grounds."

She paused, letting the words sink in.

"Before we begin, I want to make something clear. Your beast's rank determines your starting point. It does not determine your final destination. I've seen S-rank students wash out because they relied on their beast's power instead of their own effort. I've seen D-rank students rise because they refused to give up."

Her gaze swept the room. It passed over me with the others, no longer lingering.

"That said," she continued, "the academy's expectations are clear. You will train. You will improve. And by the end of your first year, you will have demonstrated measurable growth. If you haven't, you will be reassigned—and not to a better dormitory."

Whispers rippled through the room.

"The training grounds," she said. "That's where you'll prove what you're made of. Now, follow me."

---

The training grounds were massive—an open arena surrounded by stone walls, marked with runes that glowed faintly in the afternoon light. Students filed in, their beasts at their sides. The higher-ranked students moved to the front, their creatures already bristling with anticipation.

I stayed near the back, Jace beside me. Finn and Orla were nearby, their faces pale.

"Instructor Vasa seems intense," Jace murmured.

"Understatement," I said.

She stood at the center of the arena, her hawk circling overhead. "Today's exercise is simple. You'll partner with another student and demonstrate basic combat. No killing blows, no permanent injuries. But I expect you to try."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Partners will be assigned," she continued. "And I'll be pairing some of you against stronger opponents. The battlefield won't always give you an equal match. You need to learn to adapt."

She called out names. Students stepped forward.

"Finn," she called. "You'll partner with Lena."

Finn stepped forward, his Stone Lizard perched on his shoulder. His opponent was a girl with a sleek serpent coiled at her feet. She was C-rank. He was D.

Lena's serpent struck fast. Finn hit the ground before he could react. His lizard scrambled free, but the serpent had already coiled around his legs.

"Enough," Instructor Vasa called.

Finn pushed himself up, his face red. He didn't look at anyone as he walked back to his seat.

"Orla," Vasa called next. "You'll partner with Dren."

Orla stepped forward, her Burrow Mole peeking out from her sleeve. Her opponent was a tall boy with a hawk. C-rank.

Orla moved first—a quick dive to the side, her mole burrowing into the dirt. For a moment, she had an opening. Then Dren's hawk dropped from above, talons extended. Orla rolled, but the hawk was faster. She hit the ground hard, her mole squeaking beside her.

"Enough," Vasa called again.

Orla walked back to her seat, her face pale. She didn't speak.

Then Vasa's eyes found me.

"Darian Vex," she said. "You'll partner with Marcus."

A tall boy stepped forward. His beast was a wolf—lean, fast, C-rank.

I swallowed hard.

"Rabbit boy," Marcus said with a smirk. "This should be interesting."

I didn't respond. I stepped onto the training ground, the rabbit hopping beside me.

"Begin."

Marcus's wolf lunged. I rolled, pulling the rabbit close. Claws scraped stone. I scrambled up.

"Strategy," I whispered. "Use strategy."

The wolf came again. I sidestepped—shoulder grazed mine, knocked me off balance. I stumbled, recovered.

Marcus laughed. "Running already?"

I gritted my teeth. I couldn't win directly. But maybe I could tire him out.

The wolf lunged. I dodged. Felt its breath on my face. Then I tripped.

The wolf was on me. I curled around the rabbit. Jaws closed around my shoulder—not breaking skin, but harder than necessary.

"Enough," Vasa said.

Marcus grinned. His wolf released me.

I pushed up, shoulder throbbing. The rabbit pressed against my chest, still, watchful.

"5 percent affinity," Marcus announced. "That's not even worth training. You should just give up now."

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Jace was there, hand on my shoulder. "You did okay. You lasted longer than I expected."

"I lost."

"You didn't give up."

---

Instructor Vasa dismissed the students for a break. I sat at the edge of the arena, the rabbit in my lap. Her cloudy eyes were fixed on the training grounds.

Finn sat nearby, his lizard perched on his knee. Orla was a few feet away, her mole in her lap.

"Tough day," Finn said quietly.

I nodded. "Same for all of us."

Orla spoke up. "I knew I was going to lose. I just didn't expect it to be that fast."

"You did better than I did," I said.

She shook her head. "You actually fought back. I just fell."

"You fell because you were caught off guard. That's not the same as giving up."

She was silent for a moment. Then she nodded.

"Thanks," she said.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the book I'd found—Advanced Beast Communication. I'd only read a few pages, but already it was making me think differently.

"What's that?" Finn asked.

"Something I found in the library. I'm trying to figure out how to communicate with her better."

Finn leaned over. "Advanced Beast Communication? That sounds complicated."

"It is," I admitted. "But I don't have a choice. I need to understand her."

Orla nodded. "That makes sense. If you can't communicate, you can't train."

---

The afternoon session was mana control.

Instructor Vasa stood at the center of the arena. "Every beast has a mana signature. The stronger the bond, the more effectively you can channel that mana. Those with high affinity can direct their beast's mana with precision. Those with low affinity often find the mana scattered or weak. But that doesn't mean the potential isn't there."

She gestured to a circle of stones. "Each of you will approach a stone with your beast. Channel your mana into it. We'll measure the result."

One by one, students stepped forward. Finn's stone glowed faintly yellow—30 percent. Orla's flickered pale green—25 percent.

Then my turn.

I stepped forward, the rabbit at my feet. The stone was cold beneath my palm.

"Channel your mana. Let your beast guide you."

I closed my eyes. Felt the rabbit's presence—the faint pulse of warmth. I pushed it into the stone.

Nothing.

I tried again. Harder.

Still nothing.

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

"5 percent affinity," someone muttered. "What did you expect?"

I was about to pull away when the rabbit hopped forward. She pressed her paw against the stone beside my hand.

The stone flickered. A faint violet light pulsed beneath its surface—so brief I almost missed it. Then it faded, replaced by the weak, pale glow of 5 percent.

Instructor Vasa's eyes narrowed. Something flickered across her face—surprise? Recognition? Then it was gone.

She had seen it.

But she said nothing.

"Next," she called.

I stepped back, heart pounding. The rabbit followed me.

Jace leaned over. "Did that stone just flicker?"

I glanced at him. "You saw that?"

"I don't know what I saw. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't nothing."

---

After class, I walked back to the dorm in silence. Jace was quiet too.

"You okay?" he finally asked.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

I stopped walking. The rabbit stopped with me.

"During the mana test. When she touched the stone—something happened. I saw it."

Jace was silent for a moment. Then he nodded.

"I believe you."

"You do?"

He shrugged. "I've been watching you two since we met. That rabbit isn't normal. I don't know what she is. But she's not normal."

I looked down at the rabbit. She blinked slowly.

"We need to find out what she is," I said. "And I think I know where to start."

---

That night, I sat on my cot, the Advanced Beast Communication book open in my lap. The rabbit curled beside me.

I read the first chapter twice. It was about recognizing subtle mana signals—the way a beast's aura shifted when it was trying to communicate. Most people missed these signals because they weren't paying attention.

But I was paying attention.

I closed my eyes and reached out with my mind. At first, there was nothing. Just the emptiness that had been there since Darian disappeared.

Then—something.

A faint warmth touched the edge of my awareness. Not my heartbeat. Not Darian's. Something else.

I opened my eyes.

The rabbit was watching me. Her cloudy eyes fixed on my face.

"Can you understand me?" I whispered.

She blinked.

I didn't know if that was an answer. But I was starting to think it might be.