Aaron wasn't entirely sure about his new skill. He didn't dare test it on Ziva the winged tiger, who had, in her own way, saved his life.
She was different from most monsters, calm, rational, even kind. Not the bloodthirsty, instinct-driven beasts he had heard about. Aaron counted himself lucky. If he had landed in the lair of the Fire Gorilla instead, his story would have ended before it ever began.
That's why he had wanted to help her. To return the favor. To share his energy using the newly unlocked ability. But Ziva refused. Without the refined technique of a trained Alchemist, energy-sharing could be lethal. The body couldn't handle raw natural energy without it being harmonized with soul energy. It would only tear her apart.
So, instead of accepting his help, she asked him to end her suffering.
But fate perhaps, the system had other plans. His skill activated on its own. And somehow, despite the chaos and inexperience, it worked.
Aaron had saved her. Not by design, but by accident.
And as a reward, as a symbol of trust, Ziva gave him a gift.
"That's... disgusting," Aaron blurted, recoiling. His stomach churned as the thick, red fluid pulsed faintly in the light.
"What did you say?" Ziva's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"ROARRRGH!"
Her roar shook the air, piercing the forest with a deafening force. Birds scattered. Aaron winced.
"You have no idea what you're looking at! That mushroom is priceless! Creatures kill for it. I had to deceive and outsmart a dozen beasts to make it mine!" she growled.
"And for your information, I only eat high-grade monsters. My saliva is cleaner than whatever spills out of your mouth!"
She took a step closer, her fangs gleaming.
"Now. Swallow it. Or I might just change my taste preferences and swallow you instead."
"ROARRRGHHH!"
"O-okay! Okay!" Aaron stammered, eyes wide, heart hammering. Without hesitation, he gulped down the molten-red substance.
It burned like fire going down.
The moment the Fire Mushroom-turned-elixir touched his gut, warmth exploded through his body. But the heat turned violent. His muscles clenched. His veins lit up like molten metal, and agony spread through every nerve.
He screamed, dropping to his knees. Pain overtook him like a storm, wave after wave crashing into his fragile body. Then darkness.
He collapsed backward, unconscious.
"Hm... Seems someone sensed the battle," Ziva murmured to herself. Her sharpened senses picked up movement nearby. "Bold. But perhaps it's for the best. I can't care for the human in my state."
Her body trembled, wounded, drained. She could barely hold herself upright. Dragging the Fire Gorilla's carcass back to her lair was out of the question. If she tried, she'd collapse before she even reached the trees.
"A shame," she muttered. "That damn ape would've made a fine meal."
She glanced at the unconscious boy, then at his small companion. With careful precision, Ziva lowered her head and picked up Aaron's dog in her jaws. Small enough to carry with ease.
She left Aaron lying next to his equipment, just meters from the gorilla's remains.
***
"There!" Fred pointed, his eyes wide. The group of five hunters had reached the base of the Twin Mountains, deep in the heart of the Forbidden Forest. What they saw stopped them in their tracks.
"Is that... real?" Fred whispered.
They had arrived at their destination, but clearly walked right into something much bigger than they had anticipated.
"This doesn't make sense," Fred continued. "I knew two King-ranked monsters lived on these peaks. Maybe they fought. Maybe one finally won. But... this?"
Even if the monsters had fought to the death, both should've been covered in wounds. But the gorilla's body showed no signs of a proper duel. No slashes, no broken limbs—just a crater and scorched earth.
Which meant someone else had done this. Someone powerful. Powerful enough to toy with a King-tier beast before killing it in a single, precise strike.
"I can't wrap my head around it," said Jhon, the heavyset hunter carrying a crude, stone-like shield on his back.
"Maybe the tiger monster evolved," Tomas offered, clutching his bow nervously. "Gained new powers."
"No," Theodor, their leader, said with certainty. The man stood broad-shouldered, a short beard lining his jaw. "If she'd killed it, she wouldn't have left the body behind. She'd be devouring it or dragging it back to her lair."
"Let's get closer," Trion said eagerly, gripping his long spear. "There might be something worth taking."
They approached carefully, weapons at the ready. As they circled the corpse, they found something unexpected.
A boy.
Unconscious. Lying beside the beast.
"This... is insane," Jhon whispered. "He looks like he's barely fifteen. How could he have done this?"
Theodor's eyes narrowed. "Maybe… he's not just a boy. Have you ever heard of the Archons?"
The name alone made the others recoil.
Their faces paled. They stepped back instinctively, eyes darting between Aaron and the dead monster.
"You think he's one of them?" Fred asked in a hushed voice.
"If he is," Tomas said, trembling, "we should leave. Now. If he wakes up and thinks we're after him, we're dead."
Cold sweat ran down his back.
In the center of the Forbidden Forest, these seasoned hunters stood before something—they couldn't explain. Aaron lay unconscious, his body in the midst of a transformation brought on by forces none of them could comprehend.
"No ordinary child could survive here," Theodor muttered. "Let alone kill a King-ranked beast."
"He..." Theodor began to say something more but stopped.
They all understood.
"He's not just a child," Theodor finally said. "Maybe he was training. Maybe he got hurt during the fight. Either way... he might be exactly what our settlement needs."