Since Kuro appeared, Nicole has had a premonition: today—June 8th, the day of the Beast Tamer trial tournament—would undoubtedly be a day that alters her destiny.

However, she never expected things to unfold like this.

Her trial hadn't even begun when suddenly interrupted by Aurora and Nevarus. She didn't even have a moment to ponder why the High Priestess of Dawn Prayers and a Paladin would appear at the Beast Tamer Guild's trial tournament. Without warning, they launched an attack on her combat companion. A beam of the Holy Hammer of Light descended upon Kuro's head.

Although Nicole couldn't name this sacred magic, she recognized it as one of the Paladin's judgment spells. Nevarus charged forward like lightning. The cross-shaped sword he wielded gleamed with deadly light.

Kuro leaped backward, avoiding the sharp blade, but couldn't escape the trap set by Aurora.

Just as the black panther touched the ground, a massive cross-shaped magic array illuminated the floor. Dazzling golden light erupted from the cracked earth, forming numerous luminous chains that securely bound Kuro in the middle.

Kuro let out a painful roar, struggling desperately within the confines of the chains.

"Stop!! Have you all gone mad? Why would you hurt Kuro?" Nicole rushed to Kuro's side, disregarding everything.

When her hand touched the chains, it was ruthlessly repelled. An unseen force pushed her back, and she fell to the ground. However, she didn't give up. She drew the short sword from her waist and charged again.

On the judges' stand, chaos erupted among the members of the Beast Tamer Guild.

"What's going on?!"

"Why use 'Cage of Light' on a combat pet?"

"Even if it's Lady Aurora, she has no authority to interfere with our test. Please stop immediately."

"Who allowed her to come in?"

Soye remained silent upon hearing this.

At this moment, Miranda stepped forward to explain to everyone, "We received intelligence that this black panther is highly suspicious, possibly a demon. Please cooperate with our investigation."

The word "demon" instantly quieted the previously noisy crowd. Almost all the Beast Tamers on the judging panel went into a state of preparedness. Some summoned their combat pets, while others reached for the bows on their backs.

Nicole, however, was bewildered. She protested loudly, "Kuro is not a demon. Release it!!"

She swung her short sword once again at the chains, but it had no effect. Kuro stood weakly in the middle of the cage, its body gradually becoming feeble, even starting to tremble slightly. Unnoticed by everyone, the purple light in its eyes seemed to be getting brighter.

Nicole didn't give up, still attempting to attack the glowing chains. Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her arm, forcing her to drop her weapon. She turned around and saw Nevarus standing behind her.

Nicole, holding onto the last shred of hope, pleaded, "Kuro can't be a demon. There must be a mistake somewhere, right?"

Nevarus, reluctant in his heart, averted his gaze from her face and then pulled her behind him. "If it really is a demon, you can't escape the consequences. Take care of yourself."

Nicole looked at him in astonishment, unable to utter a word. She only heard Soye giving orders, "Capture that troublesome girl!"

Several guards rushed forward and quickly subdued Nicole. She was roughly dragged toward the exit of the arena.

Witnessing Nicole being taken away, Kuro, who had initially considered giving up the struggle, suddenly erupted in a furious roar. However, its resistance only intensified the power of the cage.

The chains tightly bound its body, rendering it completely immobile. All it could do was watch as Nicole was escorted away.

Aurora stood at a distance, watching Kuro inside the cage, murmuring, "No... this black panther... if it were a demon, it should have... by now..."

Miranda, standing beside Aurora, seemed to grasp something and cautiously asked, "Could it be... we... made a mistake?"

Aurora didn't answer. The perceptive priestess seemed to detect a magical fluctuation she had never encountered before. Without time to contemplate what it was, she instinctively shouted, "Everyone, get away from that black panther! Now!"

The people in the vicinity were all cautious, backing away, except for one person standing steadfast at the forefront.

Nevarus stood right in front of the black panther, witnessing everything unfolding before his eyes. With a sharp sound, one of the chains snapped, falling heavily to the ground, kicking up dust. The scene before him blurred. Nevarus fearlessly watched as one after another, the chains broke, a smirk gradually forming on his lips.

Following that, a deafening roar struck Nevarus's eardrums. The sound resembled the piercing screech of five iron eagles, the roaring fury of ten heavy-armored bears, the wild howls of twenty spearfang wolves—sending a tremor through the entire arena!

The "Cage of Light" shattered into powder amid this roar.

Before Nevarus, the black panther transformed into a dense mist. Right after, the mist condensed into a humanoid figure, towering two heads above him.

It—or perhaps more fittingly, he—possessed the stature of a human male, topped with the fierce and perilous head of a werewolf. Clad in sleek black leather armor, his exposed skin was cloaked in dark blue fur, and his robust limbs bore the sharp, deadly claws of a wolf. In this moment, his deep purple eyes imperiously surveyed Nevarus, who found his confident smile freezing in place.

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Suddenly, the colossal creature swung his fist, striking Nevarus hard in the abdomen. The punch, mighty and forceful, was enough to rival the earth-shattering impact of a collapsing mountain. Caught off guard, Nevarus had no time to activate his magical defenses. All he heard was the shattering of his armor before he was sent flying three meters away.

A deep, resonant voice, filled with wildness and mystery, spoke in the most familiar language of the human world, "Release the girl!"

"Werewolf…" Miranda, speechless, stared at the being before her. It was likely the first time any of them had seen an intelligent creature other than a human.

Nicole, witnessing the scene unfold, was a maelstrom of shock, fear, and alienation. "No… no, it can't be. Kuro…" The werewolf, once known as Kuro, gazed at her from afar. The fear and detachment in the girl's eyes stung his heart, but he hesitated only a moment before deciding to approach her.

However, just as he took a step, two battle pets charged forward, blocking his path. Nevarus, too, rose from the ground, his rage burning. He had roamed the continent of Asate for many years and had never been thrown by a bare-handed opponent. Such humiliation was intolerable. Now, like a keg of gunpowder with a lit fuse, he was ready to explode.

"Stand back, this creature is mine!"

The paladin raised his left hand, and a thick tome radiating divine power hovered above his palm. After a brief incantation, a blood-red halo burst forth from the pages, dyeing Nevarus scarlet before leaving a dark crimson mark on his shoulder guard as it faded.

"Fifth Order: Blood Holy Seal," the paladin closed the book, and with a scattering of light and shadow, it vanished. He gazed at the werewolf, his sinister smile returning.

"Is this truly wise, Lady Aurora?" Miranda's unease grew as Nevarus seemed genuinely agitated, and the werewolf was not to be trifled with.

Aurora did not respond, lost in thought. She recalled the two letters she had received, a cascade of messages racing through her mind—

[...a messenger from Togekaze sent by Krystiz...]

[...across the Black Jade Sea, Togekaze, realm of the werewolves...]

[...important item...]

[...please be wary of the suspicious black panther near Nicole...]

It dawned on Aurora what was happening.

"Cease! He is not our enemy!"

Yet, her command was ineffective. Nevarus and the werewolf had already engaged in combat, with several beast tamers joining the fray. Just when it seemed the werewolf was cornered, his form dissolved into mist, evading their attacks.

The mist then coalesced into a massive bear, as large as a two-horse carriage, its limbs and back armored with thick, hard black scales. The bear swiped its hefty paws, flipping the nearby Fire-Scale Lizard and Molten Hound. Taking advantage of the lizard's struggle to right itself, the bear broke through the hound's defenses and charged into the crowd, knocking over two archers pulling their bows.

"A black panther, a giant bear... could this werewolf possibly be...?" Aurora could hardly believe her eyes.

"The legendary Druid, masters of life magic," Miranda uttered the conclusion Aurora had reached.

Aurora shook her head in frustration, "It's my fault; I was too impulsive. If he is not a demon, we had no reason to confront him."

"But stopping Nevarus now is impossible," Miranda lamented.

At that moment, Aurora noticed a familiar figure on the high platform at the end of the arena. The man, clad in the regalia of the Beast Tamer Guild, appeared imposing as the morning breeze fluttered his robe. He skillfully set up his massive sniper longbow, which stood as tall as his assistant beside him, and accepted a specially crafted arrow handed to him.

Their eyes met, and Aurora nodded in understanding. As more and more onlookers turned their attention to the platform, the beast tamers withdrew, leaving only Nevarus and the werewolf "Kuro" in a fight to the death.

The man on the platform, pulling the bowstring taut, released the first arrow toward Nevarus. The arrow struck the paladin's magical shield but was not strong enough to breach its defense. Only then did Nevarus notice the archer at a distance.

"Evans! You treacherous cur!" the paladin bellowed with ruthless scorn, "Always hiding behind your arrows, you coward! Come down here if you dare!"

These words did not enrage Evans; instead, they brought a smug smile to his face. His assistant handed him two more arrows—one with a blue tip, seemingly enchanted with an unknown magic, and the other yellowish, as if dipped in some toxin.

Realizing Evans' actions, the paladin hastily reinforced his shield. As he completed the spell, the blue-tipped arrow struck. The magical forces collided and neutralized each other. The arrow disintegrated in mid-air like a burnt-out matchstick. Before Nevarus could react, the second arrow had already pierced his body, injecting him with a paralyzing toxin that left him motionless on the ground.

"Dispel Arrow and... Paralysis Arrow..." the paladin's face twisted in rage as he mustered his last bit of strength to flip the distant Evans the bird.

Evans' grin widened. He calmly watched as the werewolf shifted from a bear to a dark grey horned owl and took to the skies, apparently trying to escape his range.

Evans expertly adjusted the angle of his longbow, and with a swift motion, the owl plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground with the arrow's feather quivering in the breeze.

Aurora rushed to administer healing to Nevarus. Under the High Priestess' holy light, Nevarus quickly recovered. He removed the paralysis arrow from his body, and under the spell's influence, his wounds healed rapidly. However, the lethargy from the poison did not dissipate so quickly.

"Evans, that bastard!" Nevarus struggled to sit up, his anger unabated.

"Enough!" Aurora scolded, "You brought this upon yourself. When you realized the black panther was not a demon, you should have ceased your attack."

"Ha? My fault?" Nevarus retorted, pointing at the fallen owl, "He was the one who punched me first, remember?"

Aurora glared at him and stormed off. When she reached the owl, preparing to heal it, she discovered that the bird had transformed back into a man.

The paralysis arrow stuck in his abdomen, the toxin immobilizing him, even breathing was a struggle.

The man had jet black hair, tan skin, and a tall, muscular build. He appeared to be about twenty years in human age, young and handsome. This matched exactly the description given by the innkeeper of Echowater Town, Gray Davin.

Indeed, he was the visitor to the inn that night, the messenger sent by Krystiz Wrynn, and also the suspected black panther.

Aurora finally confirmed her suspicions, and she had many questions for this werewolf. But first, she needed to heal him.

The werewolf, seemingly oblivious to Aurora's presence, strained to turn his head, looking in Nicole's direction. His deep purple eyes were filled with profound longing and sorrow.

"Don't go, don't leave me…" the werewolf pleaded.

Nicole, watching from a distance, sank deeper into confusion—who was this stranger, and why had he transformed into a black panther to lurk by her side? Why would he...

A majestic robe obscured her view as Evans stood before her.

Nicole knew who he was and respectfully addressed him, "President Evans."

Evans spoke evenly, "Today is the testing match of the Beast Tamer Guild. Each test day sees many young beast tamers emerge. I used to call this day a 'Day of Fate Changing' because after this day, many apprentices will face entirely different futures. You, Nicole, are no different."

Nicole listened quietly, head bowed, without uttering a word.

"Today is also your 'Day of Fate Changing.' However, I regret to inform you that from now on, you are no longer an apprentice, nor a member of the Beast Tamer Guild."

Nicole looked up in shock, taking a moment before she could speak, "President, please give me another chance. I don't want to give up..."

"Give up, Nicole," Evans interrupted without hesitation, "You lack the talent."

His words were like a death sentence to Nicole. She stared at Evans, her mouth opening and closing without producing a sound.

Evans shook his head and sighed, "I admire your perseverance and your spirit of never giving up. But—regardless of your relationship with this Druid werewolf, if you were deceived by his panther form, then it proves you lack the basic ability to distinguish between wild beasts and mimic beasts, a dereliction of duty for a beast tamer; if you knew his true identity and still participated in the test match, that constitutes cheating. In either case, you lack the qualifications to be a beast tamer."

Unable to rebut, Nicole merely hung her head in shame, struggling to hold back tears. Her mind buzzed, hearing only the President's command to "escort her out" before everything else faded into silence.

June 8th, Day of Fate Changing—the day she forever lost the chance to become a beast tamer.