The night was unsettling. Sam took a quick nap, but couldn't fall asleep properly. He struggled for hours, searching for a good spot in his new bed, thinking about his new life, but didn't succeed. That 11th day of April was filled with new memories and a huge challenge a week ahead. That made him anxious. Tried to meditate, but his mind didn't stop. He got up, searching in the fridge for one of those sweet brigadeiros made with all the love from mom. In all of his 15 years, the creamy chocolate dessert always made him feel like home, now a few miles away. It was way too late to call mom, and his sister wouldn't pick up her phone either. How to prepare for the test was something he needed to figure out by himself, so he simply decided to do what he always did to help clear his mind: Put on his sneakers and go for a run.

The rain was refreshing and thin in the late of night. The falling drops made the ambient so much calmer. Sam could see one or another car going by in his first steps. His mother always trained the children in martial arts and sports, preparing their bodies to be healthy and strong enough for any upcoming challenges. Running was always a good exercise, it was a good way to discover new places, know your surroundings and after all, it was a cheap way to do some workout.

He went through some nice places, the neighborhood was pretty charming. He passed by a local bookstore, an ice cream parlor, thinking that "a nice pistachio cone would be great right now", and then focused on his own matters. How to pass the physical exams and be selected for a nice class, having such a great start at HACA without an animal? His head was hurting, and he was jogging for more than an hour when something caught up his attention. He could hear something heavily stomping the ground, followed by speeding cars drifting through the night.

"Maybe some illegal racing? Something like fast and furious?" The curiosity made him run straight in the direction of the sound. He needed to rest, as the morning was about to come, but his mind now had a new thing to focus on, and he couldn't be any more excited about it. The sound of tires was getting closer as he felt the stomping thing make the floor tremble.

Sam passed through the street corner and was surprised by a huge shadow passing in front of him. Before he could even understand what happened, the creature was hit by a truck. The huge animal was tossed into the alley on the other side of the street. Sam's first curios and foolish impulse were to run towards the thing. The alley was a mess, the impact spread some dust clouds, making it difficult to see the creature.

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Sam kept going further into the debris, trying to dismiss the dust fog and searching for the creature. At that point, it was supposed to find it already. Then, he saw a small thing on the ground. A small, fainting creature, full of injuries, no bigger than a regular book. "THAT was the huge creature?" Sam worried. The now fragile being was certainly close to death. The sound of tires was getting even closer to the alley, the ones responsible for the injuries in that small being. The creature's breath was painful and deep, with its last glimpses of life. The dark, sad eyes of the creature met Sam's tears coming out of the brown and green eyes, as he took the agonizing being in his hands.

"I can't let this poor being die. You'll be ok, little guy. We'll be ok."

Then, he made a decision. Sam reached the anilink device in his necklace, put the bracelet in his right hand, and grabbed the tiny bloody right paw.

"I am you and you're I. We're one. This is a bond, a pact, a contract, a link. We're one until we're none."

And then Sam felt all the pain.

He screamed, his both hands grabbing the disturbed head, trying to get rid of all distressing sensations inside of it. The needles, the bullets, the blades, the chemicals, everything went through his body and mind, as the link was now formed. When all the pain was gone, there was only one thing left: Anger.

The military vehicles parked right behind him, dropping a dozen of soldiers ready to get rid of any living being. The light was illuminating the grim smile under Sam's hood, a scarlet liquid flowing out of his mouth. It wasn't human anymore. The anger-made creature shouted a deep, primal scream that froze the enemies for a second. Time enough for the creature to dash towards the enemies, slashing through flesh, bones, metal, and anything else in its way. When it was the only living being left, the creature made of Sam and the small being was completely exhausted, and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Sam woke scared in his bedroom, by the annoying phone alarm. His body was covered in bandages, medicine being applied directly in his vein. By his side, the small creature he found. Without all the blood, he could see what that was: A puppy. A black and white puppy. The creature was resting, and it was simply adorable.

"WHAAAAAAT? I am linked to a...PUPPY?" Samuel was shouting and thinking about what happened last night. He remembered the jogging and finding the dog, but no trace of how he got home or what were those bandages. He picked up his phone, checking the time: 7:00 AM Monday.

"Great, it's still Monday, April...EIGHTEEN?"

It was the exam day.