Finally, after two or three minutes of mental tug-of-war, the struggle in the mutated Bengal tiger's eyes began to fade. Its gaze turned hazy—then, when it looked at Skinny Pete, that haze shifted into something else.
Obedience.
"Haah… it worked!" Skinny Pete dropped straight to the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead, his face lit up with pure excitement.
"No way… it really worked!?" Chris said, stunned.
The others stared at Pete, wide-eyed and grinning.
"Yeah, it's done. I can feel the link in my mind. If I give it a command—even if I told it to die—it wouldn't be able to resist."
"That's insane," Chris muttered.
"It is. But the link's constantly draining my mental energy. The rate's already higher than my natural recovery. If I don't keep feeding it crystal cores, I'll be tapped out in less than 24 hours. And when that happens… I don't know what'll happen to the bond."
"…"
