After a moment of silence, Scias asked.
"So, why did you save me? And why did you become my familiar?
The Brightshade went still, eyes locked with Scias's. A mischievous gleam in his eyes.
A strange pressure built behind Scias's temples, followed by a flood of images—not words, but thoughts and impressions transferred directly into his mind.
Scias saw himself yelling at group of foxes stealing his clothes, then walking naked like it was only natural.
The images switched to a different scene.
He was on one of his morning jogs. It was raining.
He saw himself trip and fall face first in mud puddle and cursing his lung out.
Another memory where Scias was going to a creek to gather water to his newly made waterskin with so much enthusiasm that he was humming to himself. And then the dissapointment after the waterskin was leaking all the water.
Scias saw many such memories relayed with the bird's feelings. Amusement. Secondhand embarrassment. Curiosity. Confusion. And many more.
"All right, I've seen enough you little stalker," said Scias embarrassingly, stopping him.
"If only I knew someone was watching me this entire time," he murmured to himself.
Then new images came flooding in his mind.
He witnessed himself stubbornly learning magic. His initial and pitiful attempts. His determination. The progress.
From the first force spell he learned magic on.
His struggles with earth magic, then the images kept changing. In some, he would make water balls, then wind blades, other times fire balls.
The images moved to a different time where he returned a young bird, a nestling, to its nest after it had fallen from it.
A new scene, Scias tossed a fish he caught to a stray wolf puppy.
Similar scenes followed.
Afterward, the Brightshade conveyed his true feelings, the reason why he helped him.
At first, it was only curious about the human. As he followed him all this time, he started to admire him.
It saw the human hunt.
It saw the human go out of his way to help helpless animals if he could.
It saw the human struggle his way through magic.
It saw the human create things it never saw. Do things it never did.
Most of all, it wanted to know what kind of fool would come to live at the elder black dragon's lair.
During these memories, Scias stopped feeling so embarressed. Instead, he started to feel proud of what he managed to accomplish.
That is, until the bird conveyed the last of his thoughts.
"I would never stay there if I knew there was a dragon living there," Scias stated, shivering just thinking about what would happen if the dragon came back when he was inside the cave.
This trip down memory lane made him momentarily forget about his not fully healed ribs.
"Now I know a bit about you," said Scias.
"Let's give you a name shall we?"
After a moment of contemplation.
"Vel," he said.
"It means colorful. But it can also be used to describe someone playfull or mischievous. From what you showed me, I think it suits you well."
Vel mulled over it in his mind and then he sent Scias his feelings of agreement and content.
"If you like it, Vel it is," said Scias.
After a while, Vel projected, "Should I give you a name too?"
Scias was so overwhelemed by everything that happened that he forgot to introduce himself.
Actully, it didn't even occur to him that he should introduce himself to 'animal'.
He felt slightly ashamed for thinking like this.
He was about to give Vel his name, but then he paused and pondered, that a new name wouldn't be too bad.
Then he resolutely rejected this idea.
His name is the only thing he has left from his parents. The only memento.
"Scias Tenebris," he said.
"Just call me Scias," he added, thinking that Vel wouldn't know about the concept of last names.
"Scias," Vel said. "Scias Tenebris."
After a moment of silence he added, "I am Vel. Vel Tenebris."
This put a smile on Scias's face. He then noded and raised his hand to stroke the Brightshade's feathers.
"Thank you. I owe you my life."
Vel projected one final image—the two of them traveling together, sharing discoveries, growing stronger. The vision carried hope and determination in equal measure.
"Partners," Scias agreed.
"No. Friends. But first, I need to heal." He glanced down at his battered body.
"And you'll have to help me find shelter and food until I can move properly again."
Vel chirped decisively and took flight, circling once before heading north.
Through their bond, Scias caught impressions of a hollow tree not far ahead, defensible and dry.
Scias gathered his remaining strength, using his magic to fashion a rudimentary crutch from a fallen branch.
With each painful step, he felt Vel's encouragement through their connection.
His training had taught him to endure pain, to focus through injury, to adapt and survive.
Now those skills would serve a different purpose—not conquest, but discovery and growth alongside his unexpected ally and friend.
Vel returned periodically, checking his progress, chirping encouragement.
Through their strengthening bond, Scias felt his genuine concern merged with quiet confidence in his ability to persevere.
"I'll make it," Scias promised, both to Vel and to himself.
Vel trilled softly in response, projecting an image of them sharing food by a fire, Scias's wounds healed, both of them resting peacefully.
A future just hours away, if he could maintain his determination.
"You want to eat cooked meat?" Scias smiled through his pain.
In this strange new world, he'd found something he didn't realize he was missing—a companion who chose him not for his strength or rank, but for his character.
"Lead on, Vel," he said, straightening as much as his broken ribs allowed.
***
Scias settled into the hollow tree, its interior spacious enough to accommodate him comfortably.
The natural shelter was an excellent find—defensible, with only one entrance, and the thick wood provided insulation against the evening chill.
Vel perched on a small protrusion in the inner wall, watching attentively as Scias assessed his injuries.
The broken ribs sent sharp pain through his chest with each breath.
He'd managed superficial healing before, but broken bones presented a different challenge entirely.
"Let's see if I can fix these ribs," Scias muttered, leaning back against the curved wall. He closed his eyes, focusing inward.
He recalled his understanding of human anatomy, drawing on memories of battlefield medics setting broken bones.
He'd witnessed the procedure dozens of times—the careful realignment, the splinting, the weeks of recovery.
But natural healing took too long. He needed to accelerate the process with magic.
Scias visualized his ribcage, picturing the fractured bones like jagged pieces of a puzzle.
He channeled mana into his chest, directing it precisely toward the broken bones.
In his mind's eye, he saw the bone fragments shifting, moving back into proper alignment. The process sent waves of intense pain through his torso, drawing a sharp gasp from his lips.
Vel chirped anxiously, hopping closer.
"I'm fine," Scias assured through gritted teeth. "Just... painful."
He maintained concentration, visualizing the bones coming together, becoming whole. But here his knowledge faltered—he understood the mechanical positioning of bones but lacked understanding of the biological processes that fused them. How exactly did bone tissue regenerate? Is it similar to skin?
After nearly five minutes of intense focus, sweat beaded on his forehead.
The mana flow slowed as his reserves depleted. Scias prodded his ribs gently, assessing the results.
"Better," he concluded. "Almost fully healed." The bones had moved into correct positions, and almost fully reconnected.
The pain had diminished from sharp, stabbing agony to almost unpercievable dull ache.
"They'll need some more time to fully heal, but this is better than I expected."
Vel projected questioning concern through their bond.
"I don't know enough about healing broken bones" Scias explained.
"If I did, I think the healing would be complete and faster. I need to learn more."
Exhausted from the healing, Scias reached for his pack. He extracted strips of dried meat, setting several aside for himself and offering a portion to Vel.
Vel accepted the offering eagerly, delicately taking the meat from Scias's palm.
As they ate in silence, Scias's mind wandered to something he'd learned about his familiar.
"Wait," he said suddenly. "I almost forgot."
Vel tilted his head, curious.
Scias reached into his pack again, this time extracting the collection of mana cores he'd gathered—several small blue spheres from the Water Hares, a larger silver one from the Quicksilver, and a white core from the wolf creature.
"You can consume these right? To become stronger?" Scias asked, arranging the cores between them.
"These are mana cores from the creatures I've defeated."
Vel hopped closer, examining the cores with evident interest.
His feathers ruffled slightly, a shimmer of excitement passing through them.
"Go ahead," Scias encouraged. "They're yours."
Vel approached one of the blue cores. Then he touched it with his beak. The core began to dissolve, mist-like energy flowing into him.
"How does it feel?" Scias asked, fascinated by the process.
Vel projected that he didn't feel anything. This mana core came from too weak creature. He moved to the next core with greater confidence, absorbing it more quickly.
One by one, Vel consumed the cores—first the remaining Water Hare cores, then the wolf-creature's while core, which caused the Brightshade to shiver momentarily as he integrated the foreign mana.
Finally, Vel approached the Quicksilver core, the largest and most potent of the collection.
As the silver mana core dissolved into Vel, his body shivered, similar to when he consumed the wolf's mana core.
Vel spread his wings, showing off.
The colors of his feathers seemed deeper and brighter.
Scias checked Vel's System information:
[Name: Vel
Affinity: Non-Elemental (Wind)
Species: Brightshade (Rare)
Level: 9]
Scias felt the change immediately—their mental connection had deepened, becoming more nuanced.
Vels's projected thoughts carried greater complexity, and Scias found he could sense him more clearly.
"Level 9," Scias marveled.
Vel preened, clearly pleased.
Through their bond, Scias received impressions of increased strength, sharper senses, and a wellspring of mana that wasn't accessible before.
Scias looked back at the text.
'Nothing about class,' he thought.
'Oh right, I almost forgot. Classes are only for people.' Scias remembered.
"We should test your new strength once I'm better," Scias suggested.
"See what you can do now that you have the same affinity as me."
Vel projected agreement, coupled with confidence that his magic will be better than his master's.
"Better than me? A mere bird?" Scias jabbed at him.
"I'm not just a bird!" Vel projected sharply, slightly offended.
He leaned back, feeling oddly content despite his injuries.
The bond with Vel provided unexpected comfort. A connection he never had.
After months of living alone, having a companion is much better than being alone. Even if it's a beast.
"When I'm fully recovered," Scias promised, "we'll begin our journey."
"Let's leave this acursed forest. With your help, I imagine the journey will be safer," he said moments later.
Vel settled on a perch near Scias's head, projecting a sense of vigilance. He would keep watch while he slept.