I sat in the center of the Celestial Incubation Array. The five pointed Array covered the entire underground chamber and cost a large portion of the credits I had. The array was designed to accomplish two things. First it made the hatching process easier and even provided a nice boost to the beast's bloodline. The second feature was the more important. It would help sync our spiritual energy and our souls. The egg released another pulse of energy and I was forced to focus. I sent a stream of energy into the array. I lost count of how many times I had gone through the information in the crystal. I nearly had the whole the memorized. That didn't stop the storm of anxiety in the pit of my stomach. If anything went wrong I could fry either my channels or the beast's. I was confident I would survive but the young creature was a different story. I tried to come up with ways to divert more of the danger to myself but it was impossible. Not unless I wanted to create an imbalanced bond. I summoned a 2nd-Realm Spirit Stone and crushed it. The energy in the cave became almost twice as dense. As if in response the egg let out another pulse of energy. I released my aura at full power in response. For a moment I both felt and saw our energies mix. A kaleidoscope of colors filled the chamber.

I took a deep breath and held the egg in my hands. I sent a thread of spiritual and psychic energy inside. I felt something grab hold the drain quadrupled. "Alright, I guess you are hungry one huh?" I chuckled as the hair on the back of my neck stood up. It felt like I had become the eye of a storm. The ground began to tremble and for a moment I worried that an earthquake would bring the whole thing down on us.

Seconds felt like hours as the pulses picked up. It was nearly impossible to tell when one ended and the next began. The drain on both my energies increased to the point that my head swam. I grimaced as I summoned the next item from my ring. I hadn't wanted to use this but it was better to be safe. I placed the small vial to my lips and tossed it back. The spirit water surged into my throat and then into my channels. The energy barely had the time to warm my channels before it was being pulled away.

"Greedy little thing aren't you?" I chuckled and wiped the sweat off my face. I felt the next stage of the process begin. A strand of energy formed connecting me and the egg. The energy burrowed its way into my channels until it settled into the slot just behind my navel. A burning sensation began as another sigil was engraved. I bit back a cry of pain and circulated the Ethereal Codex..

This method was arguably the most painful way to form the companion's connection but it should be a lot stronger. It would also guarantee that the spell would be upgradable. Which should mean the benefits would grow as we did. Right now that did nothing to help me with the pain. It felt like a tattoo artist had decided my navel was the spot for their latest masterpiece.

I had to focus on the energy going into and out of the egg so there was no hiding from the pain. I wanted nothing more than to hide or to pass out but I fought it. I lost track of time as I waited for the process to finish. When the engraving finished a powerful silence fell onto the cave. It was as if someone had pushed mute on the whole world. The silence lasted for a moment. The alien sensations were replaced with a warmth.

A calming, soothing warmth that spread through my body and over my soul. I resisted the urge to leap up as I realized what it meant. The bond had been accepted by both of us. In the next moment a crack resounded through the chamber. My focus fell on the egg as thin lines spread out from the tip of the egg. Dark emerald light leaked out the cracks before consuming the entire egg.

The egg shone like brightest jewel in all of history. It floated out of my hand into the center of the chamber. All five sections of the array lit up and energy surged to the egg. I grinned as the final step began. A second crack this one louder than the last. A scream of danger was the only warning I had as the egg shattered.

Dozens of blade like egg shells slammed into every surface in the cave. I felt several carve through piece of my own body but the pain felt distant. Almost as if it happened to someone else. As if it was insignificant compared to the creature now floating in front of me.

My new companion was beautiful. It was slightly smaller than I expected, barely reaching my waist. It eyes were large and filled with both wisdom and curiosity. It had soft pliable iridescent scales and patches of fur spread throughout its body in a way that made you think of a child or teenager. It had a tiny nub that should eventually grow into a horn. Its tail was long, bushy and ended in a tuff of fur that made you think of a lion. A delicate mane ran along its neck and back. It had four long, slender, gangly legs that ended in white cloven hooves. It gracefully landed on the ground a moment later.

No sooner had I finished taking it in did I lock eyes with it. I felt our connection solidify. The complex storm of emotions calmed as two overpowered the rest. The first was curiosity and the second was hunger.

"Food" A slightly masculine voice called in my mind.

The suddenness of the situation caused me to hesitate which apparently was the wrong thing to do. The voice repeated itself only this time it was more of a command. I chuckled and summoned a mountain of beast meat. Only of some of which was cooked. Almost as soon as the meat appeared the beast divided in. I took a step back although I was sure it wouldn't bite me.

I was about to pull up my status screen when I saw something odd. Energy flowed from the meat to the my companion. "Are you draining spiritual energy through eating?"

A sensation that felt like a confirmation passed through our bond before it went dark. It took me a second to realize that I was now being ignored before I rolled my eyes. I turned my attention to my status screen. Only when I tried to open a different prompt appear.

Please designate a name for new companion.

I tried to ignore the prompt but it didn't work. It was a bit like dealing with a computer. The more I tried to ignore the more it popped up. "Do you have a problem with me naming you?" When it didn't answer I shrugged and turned my attention to the prompt. I thought about it for a few minutes when it came to me. "Xerxes" I confirmed my choice and received a second prompt this one a bit more interesting.

Beastmaster: Form a Connection with a Spirit Beast Reward: Agility +5% Strength +5%

The title was great but the real reward came from the changes to the rest of status screen.

Name Amari Jackson Level 40 Class [1-Epic]Psionic Paragon Species [2]Human Affiliation Earth:Amara: Ruler Trait [1]Eye of Heaven Titles Beloved by Tao, Big Game, Beastbound, Chosen,First to Ten, Horde Breaker, Leader of the Pack, Monstersbane, One Man Army, Overlord Slayer, Overpowered, Perfect 100, Prime Forebearer, Prime Hunter, Tutorial, Voyager, Limited Titles Pinnacle, Primal Battlefield Companion Xerxes(Celestial Qilin) Tao Strand of Adamance — Comprehension: Middle, Strand of Lucidity — Comprehension: Middle, Strand of Compression — Comprehension: Low Agility 209 (Increase:70%. Potency:130%) Constitution 213 (Increase:70%. Potency:130%) Intelligence 299 (Increase:70%. Potency:130%)) Luck 161 (Increase:85%. Potency:130%) Perception 216 (Increase:70%. Potency:130%) Strength 205 (Increase:75%. Potency:130%) Wisdom 518 (Increase:75%. Potency:130%) Free Points 0 System Credits [1]50,000

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The attribute improvement was nice but I didn't exactly need it. I closed that screen and turned my attention inward. Where I found my newest sigil. No surprise it was located just behind my navel.

[1]Harmonic Resonance - Proficiency: Novice. In Perfect Harmony, Forge an unbreakable Bond. Upgradeable.

The sigil was incredibly beautiful and divided in two. I assumed each half represented one of us. The strength of the bond was incredible. At the moment Xerxes received the majority of the benefits. It was hard to say for sure but he received around 10% of my attributes. That included luck. When you consider that he should be roughly level 1 right now he should be able to slaughter anything at the same level.

I wish I could tell how potent its bloodline was but the System either didn't know or see fit to tell me. Either way, I didn't care. I was worried that I would have to defend him until he gained a few levels but at this rate, I could probably let him hunt alone. Although I would help him at first.

The bond did offer me some interesting benefits. Namely recovery and energy. I returned my attention to the world around me and flexed. It felt a bit like I caffeine had been injected into my veins. Either that or someone gave me adrenaline. It was hard to test the recovery aspect but I guessed I would heal between 5 and 10 percent faster.

The spell also harmonized our Tao. Exactly what that meant I had no idea. As far as I could tell Xerxes couldn't use any of my Taos but if I was wrong. I grinned at thought. We would become monsters. It appeared the spell was passive trying to feed energy into it did nothing nor did sending my Tao. Which worked for me. One less thing to worry about.

I reviewed everything one more time before I turned my attention the Qilin. It had eaten all the raw meat and the majority of the cooked stuff. It had even eaten the shells of the insect creatures which was both scary and impressive. "Are you male or female?"

"Male" He raised his head and leveled his eyes on me. I wasn't sure how a creature could look both cute and intimidating but he managed it.

"So what level are you? What are your attributes? Can you share them with me?"

"Um I could but I won't. I am level five thanks to the delicious energy you provided. Do you have any treasures?"

I rolled my eyes at his greed and was about to say no when I remembered I did. I summoned the bloodline crystal. As soon as it was in my hand Xerxes leaped for it. "Mine!"

I ducked to the right and then expanded my Tao field. The Qilin attempted to chase after me only to slam straight into a wall of Tao. I watched him try to force his way through for almost five minutes before he gave up and slumped to the ground. "I want the crystal. Give it to me human."

I raised an eyebrow at him before sending the crystal back into the ring. "Like I just asked you what level are you? Approximate strength? Anything that will help us train?"

He stared at me for another thirty seconds before making a sound that was a cross between a hiss and a sigh. He then lay down on the ground. "Level 5. I don't understand what attribute points are."

I shared my status screen with him and he stared at it and then snorted. "Stupid Numbers." He then shared what I assumed was his screen. Only it wasn't a screen it was more like an instinctual understanding. It was so weird kind of like explaining what taste or sight was like to someone who never experienced either. I think I understood though. He was roughly as strong as I was at level 10 or 11. Which was amazing. He didn't have anything comparable to titles though.

"Alright, alright come on let's see what you can do in a fight."

At that his eyes widened and he hopped up. His tail wagged behind me like an excited dog. The scene would have made him look cute if his mouth wasn't covered in dead beast blood. "Battle!"

I considered taking him to the surface to fight against weaker beasts but that was a bit risky. I wasn't ready to bring him around other people. The last thing I needed was for him to kill someone because he thought they were food or they pissed him off. It took only few minutes for us to find something to face off against. It was a massive acidic slug covered in a black shell.

The slug was slow moving and ugly as shit both of which made it a great first target. "Alright so here's—" Before I could finish Xerxes leaped from around the corner and launched itself at the slug. He slammed into the creature with the force of a linebacker and managed to slam the slug into the wall. That was the end of his good luck though.

Xerxes' claws weren't strong enough to break through its shell. Nor was his own scales strong enough to protect him from the snails acid. I launched a trio of invisible psychic blades to kill the thing before Xerxes got too hurt. The showing was kind of pathetic but considering where we were I couldn't be too upset. "Next time wait for me."

"Owe" The Qilin moaned through our bond.

It was distinctly unpleasant feeling. I couldn't feel his pain per say but I could feel the emotional effect of it. Which was a doozy to deal with. I placed a healing pill into his mouth and stored the beast's body. "Next time wait and do what I say. Your offensive power isn't enough to take these things down yet. Be faster."

We got into another five battles like that and I was impressed. He still wasn't strong enough to actually hurt anything but he was better. I wasn't sure if it was my attributes that made the difference or not. He was mentally faster than most of the other creatures. He reacted to what I wanted. It was honestly like he knew where he needed to be without me saying it.

He also had amazing control over his energy. Very little of it was wasted. He didn't have skills to use it on so he just forced it into different areas of his body. After the fifth battle, I decided it was time to call it a night. "Alright let's head back," I called out and gestured for him to follow.

"Are we going to the shiny place?" He asked while bounding past me and up the tunnel.

"Shiny place?" I asked just before an image of Amara appeared in my mind.

"You have seen it before?"

"No but I can see it in your memories. It is very shiny and filled with other humans."

I made a mental note of the how deep the memory thing could go. I definitely didn't want to share too much with him. I wasn't sure what problems that could cause. "Uh yeah I guess we are on our way there. I will have to get a room set up for you. You can also absorb the crystal there."

"Yes! Shinies"

I chuckled as his excitement passed across the bond to me. By the time we got into fresh air I wasn't sure which of us was more happy. I activated **Apportation** and opened a portal that brought us right outside the city. "Remember don't attack anyone. They might be surprised by your uh majesty and get scared."

"I know, humans are stupid. It is pointless to attack someone stronger than you. Especially with the weak fire weapons."

It took me a minute to process what that meant but it made sense. Guns were kind of stupid now. At least from his perspective. Not that the people of Amara were using them anymore. Everything except for the biggest of sniper rifles stopped working by now. I wasn't even sure how useful tanks were now although I really didn't want to find out.

We walked for about ten minutes before a trio of guards stepped into the light. The way their faces went from panicked to happy and finally to confused made the whole situation worth it. "Hey everyone this here is my new partner. His name is Xerxes. He probably won't eat you."

"I made no promises"

I didn't bother to hide my grin at his mental message. I decided not to share that he said with the guards. Panic wouldn't help anyone. At least not yet. I decided to take Xerxes around and introduce him to most of the council. I figured rumors would start about him soon so it was best to deal with it now. By the time we were in my room the moon was high in the sky.

"Hmm for now you can use my chamber. Its mostly just a gathering array so it should be fine. I will get someone started on clearing out a room below this for your personal use." I gestured to my cultivation chamber and then summoned the bloodline item from my ring. I handed it over and left Xerxes to his business. Part of me was curious to see how cultivation worked for a beast but it felt wrong. Like an invasion property. I also had something else I really wanted to do. I rubbed my hands together and stepped out onto the patio. It was time for me to enjoy my hot tub.