Chapter 6: First Steps of a Tamer
A single, brittle brown leaf.
To anyone else, it was nothing, a dead scrap of nature, the kind that crumbles to dust with a touch.
But to Noah, it was proof. Proof that his path wasn't just some wild dream. He remembered all the hours spent watching others shape magic like it was second nature, the quiet ache of jealousy twisting in his chest.
And now finally, he had something of his own.
The small, palm-sized blue slime rested in his hand, its translucent body glowing softly in the shade of the overgrown garden.
And inside that gentle glow, faintly swirling at its center, was a tiny wisp of brown, the last trace of the leaf it had just absorbed.
He was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, like it came out of nowhere.
It hit him all at once, a rush of emotion that left him breathless.
Relief so deep his hands shook.
Validation sharp enough to hurt.
And a fierce, burning hope that lit up his chest like fire.
The experiment had worked.
His ability was real.
His path was real.
He let out a shaky breath and sank down onto the edge of the cracked, moss-covered fountain. The stone was cool beneath him, and the soft drip of leftover rainwater from a broken spout only added to the garden's quiet stillness.
Just yesterday, this forgotten place had been nothing more than a hideout, a spot to escape the sneers of the other students. But now, it felt like something entirely different.
This place made him feel at peace.
He stared at the slime and quietly asked, "If you can absorb a leaf, what else are you able to do?"
The thought made his heart race. A leaf was soft and easy, what about something hard? or sharp?
His eyes drifted over the cracked stone floor until something caught the light near the far edge of the fountain.
He walked over carefully and picked it up. It was a shard of glass, no bigger than his thumb, its edges dangerously sharp, probably from one of the broken windows in the old building nearby.
Perfect.
He set the slime down on the dusty ground about a foot away from the shard. The little creature wobbled slightly, leaning toward him like it was waiting for instructions.
The mark on the back of his right hand faint, circular lines etched into his skin gave off a soft, almost unnoticeable warmth.
Noah closed his eyes.
He didn't just tell the slime to absorb the glass. He pictured it clearly in his mind, the shard fading away into the slime's body, its sharp edges softened, its essence taken in. He filled the image with feeling: focus, determination, and careful caution.
At first, the slime hesitated. Noah felt a soft, shaky pull in his mind, it was uncertain and afraid. The glass was different. It was hard and sharp which can be dangerous.
Seeing its hesitation, Noah's chest tightened with worry and fear.
He breathed slowly, his voice soft. 'You can do this. I know you can'.
The slime moved forward slowly, stretching like a careful hand reaching for fire. Noah's mark pulsed softly, and he felt a quiet strain in his mind like trying to lift something heavy without strength.
The slime touched the glass.
A cold shock went from the slime to his hand, up his arm, and into the sigil. He gritted his teeth but didn't move away.
The slime started to cover the shard, slowly shaping itself around the sharp edges. Noah could feel the strain, the soft slime struggling with something that could hurt it.
He didn't push harder. Instead, he pushed steadier, trusting the connection between them.
'We're doing this together.'
Time seemed to slow way down. The mark started humming a bit louder. Then…
A thump.
Not a sound, but a feeling, deep and resonant in his mind. The resistance has vanished.
Noah's eyes snapped open. The shard had disappeared. The slime's rounded body was whole again, gently pulsing with a soft, glowing light.
At its center, alongside the faint brown fleck from the leaf, there was now a small, shimmering crystal, a delicate fragment of light, sparkling like a tiny star trapped inside its translucent core.
Noah stared, his mind racing. The slime wasn't simply absorbing objects, it was claiming them. It wasn't just taking in the physical form, but something deeper, something unseen.
The slime wobbled excitedly, bouncing up and down like it couldn't sit still.
Noah lifted it gently, his hands trembling. "You're… amazing," he whispered, his voice thick with awe and disbelief.
The mark on his hand was still warm, humming softly with life.
He could feel it now, the bond between them growing stronger. With every thing the slime absorbed, its power and theirs together would grow too.
Neither through mana crystals nor expensive potions. Nor by the traditional training methods prescribed by the academy.
But through what others ignored or was this the new path, and he found his true path.
He smiled faintly, a quiet determination filling his chest. He was still stuck on the remedial track.
Around him, other mages practiced fireballs, lightning bolts, and ice storms. To them, he was nothing, a failure without magic.
Let them be.
While they bragged about their spells, he was forging something greater something they'd never even begin to grasp.
And when the time came, they'd understand that you don't need magic to be someone truly great.
He gave the slime a light poke, and it bounced up like it was ready to go. "Alright, time to get to work!"
The quiet garden seemed to hold its breath, waiting alongside him.
Noah knew one thing for sure, this was only the beginning.