The Parasite Tamer : I Steal Talents From Beast

After taste

The arena buzz still hung thick in the air when Kael stepped off the sand. Students leaned over the bleachers, pointing, whispering loud enough that he caught every word. “Did you see that wolf catch fire?” “He copied Seraphina Blaze’s talent, in one fight!” “That parasite thing is actually broken…”

Fenrir walked beside him, shoulders rolling with new weight. The phoenix patterns on its scales still glowed faintly orange-red against the black iron, flames reduced to low embers that danced along its spine. Every few steps the wolf shook itself, sending sparks scattering across the ground. It looked bigger, meaner, and far more alive than the half-dead pup from the woods just days ago.

Kael kept his face neutral, but inside his blood was singing. Rare Grade. Eternal Phoenix Rebirth. That single copy felt like striking gold in a sewer. He could already imagine Fenrir tanking hits that would kill most beasts, then healing mid-fight like nothing happened.

A proctor caught up to him at the edge of the testing ground, tablet in hand. “Kael Draven. You advance to the inner selection tomorrow morning. Report to the eastern dorms for assignment. Don’t cause trouble.” The man paused, eyeing Fenrir. “And keep that… thing under control.”

Kael gave a lazy nod. “No promises.”

He headed toward the dorms as the sun dipped lower, painting the academy grounds in deep gold. The place was huge, winding stone paths, training fields separated by low walls, and distant towers where senior disciples practiced with beasts that made Fenrir look small. Groups of students passed him, some staring openly, others pretending not to.

Fenrir suddenly growled low, ears flattening.

Kael looked up.

Seraphina Blaze stood blocking the path ahead, arms crossed tight under her chest. Her crimson ponytail had come slightly loose during the fight, strands framing a face still flushed. Ember the fox sat at her feet, fur singed in places, watching Fenrir with wary hostility. The girl’s golden eyes locked on Kael like twin flames.

“You,” she said, voice low but carrying. “We need to talk.”

Kael stopped a few paces away, tilting his head. “Already missing me, princess? The spar ended five minutes ago.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” She stepped closer, voice dropping so only he could hear. “What did you do to me out there? That… link. It didn’t just copy my talent. It did something else.”

Her breathing wasn’t quite steady. A faint sheen of sweat still clung to her neck, and Kael noticed the way her fingers twitched at her sides, she was fighting the urge to press a hand to her chest again.

Kael shrugged, keeping his tone light. “Parasitic Bond. I told you… I copy talents. Permanently. The side effects vary. Some people feel a little… warm afterward. Nothing dangerous.”

“Warm?” Seraphina’s cheeks darkened. “It felt like fire running through my veins, but not the kind I control. It was… distracting. Addictive. I could still feel it after the match ended. Don’t lie to me.”

Fenrir and Ember stared at each other, tension crackling between them.

Kael met her gaze straight on. No smirk this time, just honest greed wrapped in casual confidence. “Look, I’m not hiding it. My talent steals. But it also shares. When the bond hits, the target gets a rush. Power feedback. Pleasure mixed with strength. Most people don’t complain once they get used to it.”

Seraphina’s eyes flashed. “Used to it? I’m Seraphina Blaze, heir to the Blaze Clan. I don’t ‘get used’ to some border trash touching my talent without permission.”

Yet she didn’t walk away.

Instead, she took another half-step closer, studying him like a puzzle she wanted to burn apart. “That wolf of yours… It evolved again because of my phoenix talent. Show me.”

Kael raised an eyebrow. “Right here?”

“Now.”

He didn’t argue. He sent a mental nudge to Fenrir. The wolf stepped forward, flames flickering higher for a moment. A small cut on its foreleg,  leftover from the fight, closed visibly, skin knitting together with a soft glow of phoenix energy. The iron scales shimmered, the chimeric mix of shadow, flame, and rebirth making the beast look like something that shouldn’t exist yet.

Seraphina watched, lips parted slightly. Her fox, Ember, whined low, drawn despite itself.

“Impossible,” she whispered. “That level of mutation in days… with a common talent?”

Kael patted Fenrir’s head, feeling the heat radiating off the wolf’s fur. “Not impossible. Just expensive. Every copy fuels the next jump. Your phoenix talent is the best fuel I’ve tasted so far.”

Seraphina’s gaze flicked back to him. The anger was still there, but mixed with something hotter, curiosity, reluctant fascination, and that lingering warmth she clearly hadn’t shaken off. Her voice came quieter. “If you ever pull that bond on me again without warning, I’ll burn you and your wolf to ash.”

Kael’s smirk returned, slow and shameless. “Warning next time, then. Or maybe you’ll ask for it. Joint evolution sounds better than solo training, doesn’t it? You get stronger. I get stronger. Everybody wins.”

For a second she looked like she might actually slap him. Then she exhaled sharply, turning on her heel. “Stay out of my way, parasite. And keep your hands… and your talent to yourself.”

She stalked off toward the inner academy, Ember trotting after her. But Kael caught the way her steps weren’t quite as steady as before, and how she glanced back once, golden eyes lingering on Fenrir… or maybe on him.

He let out a low breath, the greedy spark in his chest flaring brighter.

Rare Grade talent secured. First real prodigy rattled. And the addictive feedback from the bond had clearly left its mark, whether she admitted it or not.

Fenrir looked up at him, tongue lolling, flames still smoldering along its back.

“Yeah,” Kael muttered, scratching behind the wolf’s ears. “We’re going to like it here.”

The eastern dorms were simple but clean, shared rooms for new arrivals, and basic training yards outside. Kael claimed a corner bunk, ignoring the stares from the other scholarship kids. He fed Fenrir the last of the dried meat and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling up the Nexus panel in his mind.

Beast Evolution Nexus

Fenrir – Shadow Flame Wolf (Approaching High Mortal Rank)

Stored Talents: … + Eternal Phoenix Rebirth (Rare)

Mutation Energy: 89%

Major evolution threshold in range — recommend additional high-quality fuel soon

Kael leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling beams.

One fight. One rare talent. Already the academy felt smaller.

Tomorrow the inner selection started. More opponents. More talents to farm.