Tamer's Path

Finishing up with the hunt, I glanced over at Asura as he approached me. His molten gaze lingered on the scattered bodies of the red alligators, their scales gleaming under the fading light.

"These scales… they resisted my attack for a moment," Asura said, his tone even but deliberate. "I want to integrate them."

I raised a brow, recalling an idea I'd mentioned during one of our practice sessions. The notion of improving his form by incorporating the traits of stronger monsters had always intrigued me, and now Asura seemed intent on testing it.

"Go ahead," I said with a nod, stepping back to keep watch with Voltis.

Asura wasted no time, his body heating up as he began melting the scales. The air filled with the acrid scent of burning flesh and molten metal, a reminder of how dangerous Asura's capabilities were.

Standing there, I decided to break the silence. "Voltis, do you know anything about humans?"

The little creature's green body shimmered faintly as he tilted his head. "I've seen humans before. There's a town outside the forest, on the other side of the river."

Relief washed over me. If there was a town, that meant resources, potential allies, and maybe answers about this world.

Seeing my smile, Voltis hesitated, his red fin twitching nervously. "But they're not the only ones who come here," he said, voice cautious.

"What do you mean?" I asked, curious.

"This forest—called the Endless Verdant Expanse—is a training ground. Each empire close to it sends its young warriors here to hone their skills. It's one of the low-level wild regions, so it's perfect for beginners."

I frowned. "Empires? What kind of empires?"

Voltis paused, his tone shifting into something almost like a teacher explaining a lesson. "The forest is home to multiple forces:

The Thornclad Dominion of the Plant Empire.

The Gale Sovereignty of the Wind Empire.

The Primal Beast Coalition of the Animal Empire.

The Crimson Scale Dynasty of the Dragon Empire.

The Hivebound Ascendancy of the Insect Empire.

The Abyssal Tide Consortium of the Aquatic Empire.

Even the Machina Imperium, made up of mechanical beings and cyborgs, sends representatives to this region."

I blinked, trying to absorb all the information. "So, this forest connects to these empires?"

"Mostly. The forest directly borders the Plant, Insect, and Animal Empires. The river flowing through here connects to the Dragon and Aquatic Empires. The Wind and Machine Empires aren't in this region, but they send their recruits here, flying in to observe or scout talent."

I crossed my arms, intrigued. "So these empires… they're not like the wild monsters we've been fighting?"

Voltis shook his head. "Not at all. The wild monsters here are feral and mindless, used by the empires for training and recruitment. But the empire monsters? They're like humans—civilized, intelligent, and organized. They even have cities, arenas, and governments. I'm from the Dragon Empire myself."

That caught me off guard. "Wait, you're from the Dragon Empire?"

Voltis nodded. "I am just a normal citizen so nobody is going come looking for me. The others you killed were also in a similar position since we are in this forest. Unless they are extremely important, the empire wouldn't make a move when they are killed in wild territory."

I could tell he didn't want to continue talking about it since he might have just killed the guy's friends, so I didn't push. Instead, another thought struck me. "When do these recruits come here?"

"They'll be here in two days," Voltis said, his tone grave. "You need to leave before they arrive. If they find you here, they'll treat you like any other wild creature—prey. These young ones may live in societies, but they're still trained warriors. They'll hunt you down without hesitation."

I nodded slowly, understanding the urgency. Asura, still engrossed in his work, had melted the alligator scales down to their base components and began fusing them with his metallic armor. The wax-metal hybrid looked uneven for now, but I knew he'd refine it once we returned to the shelter.

Just as Voltis reminded me about the dangers of Night Hunters, we packed up and started moving.

The forest was eerily quiet, the silence broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or distant cries of nocturnal predators. The Night Hunters were the real threat—massive owl-like creatures that moved like ghosts, accompanied by actual spirits.

We made it back to the hollowed tree in ten minutes, the looming shadows of the forest pressing in around us. I leaned against the trunk, catching my breath as Asura resumed refining his armor.

Voltis watched curiously, his eyes narrowing as he observed the molten armor pieces forming intricate patterns. "He looks like one of the Blazing Pyre Sovereigns," he remarked.

I chuckled. "He's got a long way to go before that."

"Why?" Voltis looked confused.

"He doesn't look like a sovereign." Akira clarified.

"Oh, okay. I meant that he looks like he is from the Blazing Pyre Sovereignty."

Asura didn't respond, focused entirely on his work. For now, we were safe, but the looming presence of the empires hung over my thoughts. I had two days to prepare before the young recruits arrived, and I wasn't going to let myself be seen as prey.

Tomorrow, we'd move. And we'd be stronger for it.

The eerie screams cut through the tranquil forest night, sharp and haunting. My eyes snapped open, my heart pounding as if it was trying to escape my chest. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up, groaning softly. "Guess I'm not getting any more sleep tonight," I muttered to myself, though the fear clinging to my skin was louder than my exhaustion.

The wax gate Asura had made sealed us inside our tree shelter, but that didn't stop the noises from crawling into my ears. Voltis sat nearby, his small green form quivering, his red fin twitching nervously. I could tell he wasn't used to being exposed to the night predators either, despite his usual safety in his group. Only Asura seemed unfazed, sitting by the entrance, his golden-red armor reflecting the faint moonlight.

Stretching, I yawned. If I couldn't sleep, I might as well train. "Asura," I called, glancing over at him. "How about you practice with your flames for now? Keep them away from me, though. We don't need any accidents in this tight space."

He nodded wordlessly and stepped outside the wax gate, leaving it sealed behind him. Asura's armor looked complete now, his wax-metal body infused with the red alligator scales he'd melted and integrated. It was a stunning mix of gold and red, majestic and commanding. Through our bond, I had shown him an image from my memories—of knights clad in regal armor—and he had done his best to replicate it. The only thing missing was a cape.

As if reading my thoughts, Asura conjured a flowing mantle of fire. It danced behind him like a living entity, vibrant and mesmerizing. "Impressive," I admitted with a grin, but he didn't respond, focusing on refining his flames instead.

Turning to Voltis, I crouched beside him. The little guy looked up at me, his usual spark dimmed by the night's terror. "Hey, buddy. Let's get you working on something new," I said, trying to sound encouraging.

From our bond, I knew Voltis had unlocked new abilities—Lightning Rush and Lightning Armor—when he leveled up. Both were support skills, with the former boosting speed and the latter enhancing overall stats and defense. They could even be combined for greater effect. However, we couldn't practice the rush here without causing chaos in the confined space, so we focused on the armor.

"Voltis, let's start with your levitation," I suggested, watching as his small form hummed with latent energy.

The ability to levitate was a natural gift from the dragon genes within him, an evolutionary step that marked his transformation. His body shimmered slightly as he focused, lifting a few inches off the ground. At first, his movements were unsteady, his small fins twitching as he adjusted to the new sense of balance.

"Relax," I told him. "Think of it as swimming through the air."

Taking a deep breath, Voltis steadied himself, and soon he was gliding a few feet above the floor with surprising grace. He experimented, darting back and forth, making sharp turns, and even spinning in midair. His confidence grew, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Looks like you've got it down," I said. "Now let's move on to something more serious—lightning terrain."

Lightning terrain was another ability unlocked by his dragon genes, but unlike levitation, it was meant for battle. Voltis landed lightly on the ground, his small body crackling with energy.

"Focus on spreading the charge evenly," I coached him. "You want the electricity to cover as much area as possible."

Voltis nodded and closed his eyes, his red fins glowing faintly. A moment later, tendrils of lightning arced out from his body, spreading across the floor in a shimmering web of electricity. The crackling energy formed a zone around him, buzzing with latent power.

"Perfect," I said, impressed by his control. "This will be devastating in a fight."

We spent some time refining the move, testing its range and intensity. Voltis learned to adjust the strength of the terrain, ensuring it wouldn't harm allies within the zone. After mastering the basics, we shifted our focus to lightning armor.

Lightning armor was a more complex ability. It required Voltis to channel electricity across his body without losing control or harming himself. His first few attempts were rough—the energy overloaded his fins, causing small jolts of pain that I had to heal.

"Take it slow," I advised. "Build the charge gradually."

With patience and practice, Voltis managed to create a stable layer of electricity around himself. The armor crackled faintly, enhancing his defense and speed while providing a shocking deterrent to any enemy foolish enough to touch him.

"You're getting stronger," I told him, patting his head. "With this, you'll be able to fight smarter, not harder."

Satisfied with Voltis's progress, I decided it was time to focus on my own training. Now he knew his new abilities and just needed to get used to them through experience.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, I closed my eyes and focused on the cards in my soul. Skills felt almost instinctual, like muscle memory—activating them was as simple as concentrating on their essence.

However, manipulating raw energy was different. It was manual and required intense focus. To understand the difference, I decided to experiment.

I summoned an energy bullet, shaping it with my hands before firing it at the wooden floor. The result was underwhelming—it barely left a dent.

"This isn't going to cut it," I muttered.

Turning to my barrier skill, I activated it, observing the way the energy formed. The translucent screen wasn't a single layer but a complex structure, dozens of energy sheets overlapping seamlessly to create a resilient shield.

"So that's the difference," I realized. "Skills have an inherent structure—they're pre-designed for efficiency. Manual manipulation is raw and inefficient because I have to figure out the structure myself."

With this newfound understanding, I turned my attention to creating platforms. Using the principles I had learned from the barrier, I crafted a dense energy block composed of multiple layers. Tentatively, I stepped onto it. The platform held my weight effortlessly.

Grinning, I began testing its limits. I created a second platform and stepped onto it, moving between the two like a makeshift staircase. My control grew as I practiced, and soon I was gliding across the tree shelter on floating platforms.

"This could work in a fight," I mused. "I can move freely while staying out of reach."

Inspired by the potential of my barriers, I decided to push the concept further. Instead of creating a static shield, I shaped the barrier into a cage, imagining it snapping shut around an enemy. With a bit of focus, I added spikes to the inside of the cage, turning it into a deadly trap.

The result was promising. By altering the barrier's structure, I could create offensive constructs that could immobilize or kill.

"This is just the beginning," I thought. "If I can master this, I'll be able to fight on my own terms."

By the time I finished, my body felt like lead. The constant focus on manipulating energy had drained me completely. I collapsed onto the floor, too tired to even move.

"Wake me up if something happens," I mumbled to Asura before drifting off into sleep.

---

The dream came again—the same frustrating loop of running through endless halls in an unknown building. I was searching for something, but no matter how many doors I opened, it was never there. The fear and frustration gnawed at me, and just as it became unbearable, I woke up.

Sunlight filtered through the tree hollow, casting golden beams across the space. My body ached, my neck stiff from sleeping on the hard ground without a pillow. Groaning, I pushed myself up and rubbed the back of my head. "That was a terrible sleep," I muttered.

Voltis was curled up on the floor nearby, his small body rising and falling with each breath. He had clearly tired himself out from his training. Asura, on the other hand, stood at the wax gate, watching the world outside. The dawn light reflected off his armor, casting a warm glow across his frame.

He turned slightly, and through our bond, I felt his awe. He was watching the sunrise for the first time, the forest bathed in soft light. Without the night's dangers, the place looked serene, almost magical. Birds chirped in the distance, and the air carried the freshness of a new day.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I said, walking up beside him. He didn't reply, but the bond carried his agreement. For a moment, I forgot about the dangers of the forest and the challenges ahead. It was a rare moment of peace, and I let myself enjoy it.

But I knew it wouldn't last. The forest never stayed quiet for long.