The oak door of the Elder's dwelling stood as a barrier of high-density fiber. Symbols etched into the wood hummed with a low resonance that Crispin felt in his palms before his knuckles even made contact. Warmth radiated from the structure, carrying the scent of dried herbs and the slow, carbonized release of a hearth fire.
The latch lifted; Xereniti appeared in the doorway. The old man looked like a familiar, resonant pillar of ancient knowledge.
"Come in, Crispin! Come in!"
The Elder's voice was warm and welcomed them into a circular room where the air hung thick with the scent of mountain herbs and honey. Xereniti looked at Crispin with an expression of pure hope before his gaze fixed on the slime with a focused, hopeful intensity.
"May I, Crispin?"
"Is it okay, Regy, if the elder holds you?"
Regulus bounced into the old man's palm.
Xereniti moved the creature to a weathered cheek. Regulus molded himself to the man's jawline, pulsing with a rhythm of recognition and comfort.
"I was worried about you," Xereniti whispered to the creature. "I was hoping you would pair nicely with one of the tamers."
Regulus responded by expanding his jelly into a wide smile and bouncing in the old man's palms. The Elder settled into a chair of petrified wood—a material so dense it looked like polished stone—and gestured for Crispin to sit. They discussed the forest, the moment of the bond, and the flexed bicep that had sealed the partnership.
The elder set Regulus down on a stone table. "His mass is healthy, but we need to work on his cohesion."
Crispin leaned forward. "His speed attribute is zero. Is that normal?"
Regulus nudged a ceramic tea set, testing the heat of the liquid through the porcelain.
"Cohesion is his strength of will over his own body," the Elder explained. "Assimilation remains the key to everything."
The Elder shuffled toward a corner draped in furs and returned with a heavy Morningstar. The weapon appeared as a masterpiece of raw potential. Its iron head was a sphere of vicious spikes.
"This is for you, little king," Xereniti murmured.
Regulus did not hesitate. He flowed over the iron, his jelly churning as he encased the first spike. The assimilation process began—a violent, internal grinding as biology broke down the iron's molecular lattice right before Crispin's eyes. The Morningstar groaned as its structure collapsed into the slime's churning depths. His mass expanded rapidly, bloating until he reached the size of a heavy melon. The golden light of the sun-crystals flared to life, weaving through the newly absorbed iron like veins of liquid fire. Heat radiated from the table; a sudden spike in thermal output smelled of hot metal.
Regulus squeezed his eyes shut as his internal current struggled to contain the massive influx of raw material.
"Watch closely," Xereniti whispered. "He has reached the limit of his juvenile form. Now, he must choose to be more."
A crystalline chime rang through the room—a System frequency that signaled structural completion. Regulus's mass snapped inward with a sharp, mechanical sound. The heat vanished. The light settled into a steady throb. Regulus sat in the center of the table; his body was now a deep-sea blue shot through with a shimmering metallic lattice.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
SYSTEM UPDATE: EVOLUTION COMPLETE
Companion: Regulus
Level: 2 | EXP: 0/250
Attributes:
MAS: 223 G → 1 KG | COH: 32 → 45 | ASC: 1 → 8
PRC: 28 → 34 | SPL: 1 → 2 | SPD: 0 → 2
New Trait Unlocked: Metallic Resonator: Ability to mimic the density and hardness of assimilated metals.
Crispin reached out and touched the surface of his companion. The jelly was no longer soft; it felt dense and cool, possessing the texture of polished marble warmed by a hearth. When Crispin lifted him, his arm dipped under the sudden weight. Regulus had nearly tripled his effective density.
"He feels solid," Crispin whispered, awe coloring his voice.
"He is becoming the weapon," Xereniti corrected, handing a cup of tea to the boy. "Iron is just the beginning."
"Elder, you told us in the amphitheater that we handle our own growth," Crispin said, glancing at the heirloom rod in his hand. "Why are you helping me like this?"
Xereniti smiled, his eyes crinkling behind a web of etched lines. "Every tamer deserves a single spark of insight to light their path. I give each of you something unique about your companion to help you start. You are still responsible for the journey, but I will not see you walk it blindly."
The Elder reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a small, rectangular slip of parchment. He slid it across the stone table toward Crispin.
"This is your first destination," Xereniti said, his eyes turning serious. "The Low-Tide Caverns. You are to seek an affiliate named Kaelen. He does not care about titles or legendary status. He only cares for results."
He took the slip; the ink was still fresh. He stood up and settled the newly heavy Regulus back onto his shoulder. The weight was a physical reminder that the time for celebration had passed.
He stood.
"I see you've activated your family's legacy." Xereniti eyed the staff.
Crispin sat back down hard. "You know of it?"
"Of course. Your grandfather used it as a quarterstaff when we were children. He shared with me about its legacy and how no one had ever used it for its intended purpose."
"What purpose is that?"
Xereniti broke into a delighted chuckle. "An Aldyr legacy that the one who carries it must find on his own."