It had only been minutes since Claude threw up. But already, his world had changed a third time in less than a day.

He sat in the bed, sheets ruffled, cold sweats active, mind in shock. All the while, the Pegasi healing unit got to work. Mr Raizen joined them, sitting in front of Claude beside Ursula and his father as they handled business.

"I ingested demon-blood... meaning, the plated-snake we fought was a demon. No. That doesn't make sense…" Claude thought to himself for the twelfth time.

"Just to be sure….. you said demon-blood?" Gil asked the Pegasi leader, for the fourth time.

She looked up at him as she ran Claude's pulse and flashed the light from her aura across his eyes, "Yes."

"We've got dark-blood traces in his vomit." One of the others said after holding up a flask that glowed gold before dissolving violently.

"Ursula how do you feel?" Mr. Raizen asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry."

The two shared a look before turning back to Claude.

"I don't get it." Claude said. "The snake was a snake. Fangs, reptilian, limbless. It had the keratin plating and laid eggs. That's not a demon."

The Pegasi leader smiled. Jewels dotted her teeth, "You know animals. Beast-Tamer?"

"Yes." Claude couldn't ignore how good it felt to reply to that.

"Who would've thought." Ursula mumbled sarcastically.

"Very good. Your strength is your knowledge. But going off your knowledge explains why you're not a... demon-tamer, for example."

"Oh…" Claude watched her tie her black curly hair up and begin mixing potions.

"Demons are the only species to exist in every state of matter. Solid. Liquid. Gas. They can exist as poisons, viral infections, the life-blood of a creature, you name it. A demon is a catch all term for evil incarnate. It's what made The Malice Epoch, so devastating." The healer held up a glowing green bottle of liquid to his lips. "Drink this."

It smelled like a dozen roots drowned in honey and alcohol.

He brought it to his lips and fought off another gag. There were chunky metal bits that cut his throat on the way down. She held his mouth closed as he struggled. All the while she continued her explanation.

"During the Reclamation Era, around what, nine-hundred to thirteen-hundred ATE? Close enough. We were steadily climbing back to OldWorld population numbers. I think we were almost at five billion. Then the age of malice hit. We haven't recovered since. I think we have a couple hundred million people on our planet now. Nothing really. That's all thanks to demons. They hit us from every angle. They came as plagues, airborne viral infections, killing hordes, nightmares, you name it. They use versatility better than even us."

Claude fought off a shiver. "So…. I ate a demon?"

One of the healers laughed.

"If you ate a demon, we'd all know. You wouldn't have made it past that snake. Maybe the snake ate a demon. What can you tell me about it?"

Claude sat up straighter. The healing potion was still on his tongue. "It was a mother. Larger than the others…. Its keratin production was off balance… altered hormones maybe? Oh! It was struggling to reproduce."

"How so?"

Mr. Raizen and Ursula leaned in.

"The eggs were wrong. All veiny and black…. and the babies inside were burned alive."

The healers looked between each-other but said nothing.

"So, what's wrong with me?"

The leading healer turned back to him. "You have the black-heart virus sometimes also called dark-blood's kiss."

His stomach dropped.

"It's basically the flu. It's what you get when you ingest tainted blood or touch tainted objects for too long."

"Oh."

"But it festers and repopulates within you based on your state of being."

"Gods…" Gil ran a hand over his face.

"Stay calm. Stay positive. You'll heal in two weeks at most. If not, it could evolve, but that's a rare case according to the medical books. For now, all you have to worry about is some nausea, discomfort and fevers. My potions should keep those at bay."

The leading healer got up, "You have a lot to be positive about. You took down a demon-snake….. it sounds like you ate it. Kind of badass in a self harming way…. So not really badass at all in a medical way. Either way, you'll be just fine."

She left.

The other two stood in the distance.

"Mr. Raizen, we'll be waiting for you in your office." They left in their feathered cloaks that looked more and more like wings.

"Anything else you can tell me? Either of you?" Mr. Raizen questioned.

Claude and Ursula shook their heads.

"Demons haven't been seen anywhere but the Kumataiyo Isle's in over two-hundred years." Ursula mumbled. "That's what I was told."

"That's what I was also told. Since birth." Mr. Raizen agreed.

"What's your plan?" Gil questioned. "I could ask my team to cover some new ground in the red-woods. Shouldn't we send this up to the Grand-Magus?"

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Mr. Raizen shook his head, "Yes and no. I'll get word up to the government powers, but you don't do anything else, Gil. You take enough risk. I have contacts specifically for this."

"You do?" Claude and Ursula asked in confusion and surprise.

Mr. Raizen nodded, but it was in a way that lacked any sort of confidence. "Sort of. They aren't exactly….. the ideal group you'd call when you need help. They need saving in their own right. Anyway, it'll be hard to contact them. You may be fully healed by then, but this may be bigger than dark-blood and demon-snakes. That chance alone means we have to do this carefully."

"Right…." Claude replied, "So that's it? I'm sick. We a killed a demon-snake, I got sick, and now it's over."

Mr. Raizen nodded. "That's the good ending."

"Its remains will be consumed by the wild. A couple animals will get sick. The infection will die out in one generation of regional species. Whatever it was, was a first. I haven't heard anything else about demons lately." Gil added as he itched his sideburns.

"We don't even know what it was…." Ursula commented.

"And you won't need to. Leave it to my contacts and the government. Just be students. The both of you have enough on your plate now."

"Yea." Claude's mind lingered back to Anubis and his locust breath. Then he panicked, remembering negative feelings exacerbated his sickness, then he panicked again for panicking the first time—

"Claude." Mr Raizen raised his eyebrows knowingly at him.

Claude looked at everyone as he sat on the side of the infirmary bed. "What?"

"It's written on your face. Stop spiraling." Mr. Raizen elaborated. "Demons are just an old boogeyman that rears their head sometimes. We're equipped to handle it. Now, you just need to be equipped to handle yourself. A letter should be waiting for you once you get home."

At the same time, Mr. Raizen shared another look with Ursula.

"A letter for what?" Claude asked.

Ursula blinked in disbelief.

"Promotion? Graduation. Both, more or less. Are you telling me you don't know where you're going next? How is that possible?" Mr. Raizen asked.

Naturally, everyone looked to Gil.

"We have jobs. I also was never Reborn, just in case you forgot. I feel like you forgot.."

"Oh…" Ursula mumbled with slightly reddened cheeks.

Mr Raizen slapped his knees and stood up, "Well, you like surprises, Claude?"

"No. They make me itch." Claude replied.

"Then I suggest you get some cream on the way home." Mr. Raizen replied.

"What?"

He was already turning to Gil, "Mind if I talk to you outside for a moment?"

The two adults left shortly after, leaving Claude and Ursula alone in the infirmary. It seemed the place was becoming a hangout location of sorts.

She sat down on the bed beside him. Her shoulders were closer to his ear level, so they weren't exactly shoulder to shoulder, but he could feel her warmth.

"What a day, right?"

"Right."

"It only gets crazier from here." Ursula said, "But it should be more manageable now. That's what Systems are for. Oh yea, speaking of Systems, you should check yours. Even if you ran into Anubis, he might not have chosen you. Gods work in weird ways. Some are deceptive, others are moral to a fault or just downright evil control freaks."

Claude's spirits remained in the dumps despite her words. "He only spoke to me. There was five of us there and he only spoke to me. I was exciting him—"

"Was that before or after he ripped off your head? Just wondering." Ursula bumped his shoulder, "Just look, man."

It felt wrong— almost shameful, for Claude to have been waiting fourteen years to be Reborn, just to not want to see his power first hand when the time finally came.

He cursed himself before willing his System Screen to open before him.

The familiar transparent green screen embroidered by plant and paw print bloomed to life in front of him…

*****

System Stats (4)

Tamed Creatures (0)

Family Tree Scans (0)

Breeding/Evolution Options (0)

*****

Claude recognized the introductory System Screen even if he didn't read much on beast-tamers. It was where he could decide what aspects of his Class you wanted to look into and strengthen. Swordsmen had different bladed martial art scans, whetstone techniques and the works. So naturally, beast-tamers had options regarding the history, breeding and catalogue of creatures of the wild.

None of that concerned him. At least not at the moment.

He focused his vision on the "Stats" option until his screen shifted and gave way to the numerical telling of his strengths and abilities.

***

STATS:

Name: …????

Class: Beast-Tamer

Race: Human (Defect)

Title: None

Level: 4 (0/500)

Stat Points: 4

HP: 100 (-15)

MP: 200 (+15)

Stamina: 20 (-2)

Strength: 8 (-2)

Willpower: 12 (-2)

Intelligence: 5 (+5)

Accuracy: 12 (-2)

Speed: 22 (-2)

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

(Beast Trait LV1), (Wild Call LV1), (Aura Manipulation), (Nature Element Manipulation), (Canine Affinity LV4)

BUFFS/DEBUFFS:

(Black-heart Virus)

***

"So..?" Ursula said.

Claude blinked away his System Screen, "Nothing about Anubis. I don't get it. Am I screwed or not?"

"He could just be scouting you. Newly Reborn are rarely outright chosen by gods without being special on their own."

"Ouch." Claude said.

"That's not what I meant. Special in terms of their Class and position in the world. Think about it. For all we know they just sit around in their realms all day, waiting for the next person to use for fame and recognition. They're lazy. By choosing you….. at least now, that means they have to do more work."

"Right." Claude replied.

"But even then, dark-eaters have killed people under suspicion of being scouted by dark-gods." Ursula reaffirmed.

Claude felt his stomach twist in discomfort. There was no use not believing her. If her father was who he thought it was, then she was nearly directly connected to everything she spoke about. Unfortunately.

"So, what are you thinking?" Ursula questioned.

"I'm lucky."

She shifted on the bed to face him fully, "You? Claude Grey, the impoverished newly Reborn boy with demon-flu and a dark-god stalker. I don't know if luck is the right word."

Claude shrugged, "I don't either. But if he's waiting for me to get stronger before he chooses me, then I'll be stronger."

"Yes, that's how it works….." Ursula nodded.

"Meaning, I'll be better equipped to resist him." Claude added.

"Then we should get to work immediately! Window??" Ursula called back to her previous proposal while turning her head towards the window behind them.

Claude laughed it off as he stood up shaking his head, "No. I have to get home. I also have a job….. and Frosty needs exercise."

Ursula sighed as she stood up with him. "Yea….. alright then. I guess I'll see you soon."

"Sure."

Claude and Ursula shook up. When their hands connected, he felt the cool touch of a coin hit his naked palm as she turned his hand over.

Ursula smiled, "Almost forgot! We won Mr. Raizen's challenge. Now you can go buy yourself a new sword…. Or spear." She gave him a wink.

Claude grinned, "Of course we did. Thanks for all the help." He turned his hand over so the coin now rested back in her palm.

"What?"

"I know Samuel didn't give you that coin to give me after he was Reborn. You did. I owed you. None of this happens without that coin. No Rebirth. No crazy snake fight….. sure, a rotten death-god living in my dreams and demon-flu are two negatives, but I'll figure it out thanks to you. You're a hero, Ursula. Thanks."

They ended their handshake. Ursula thumbed the coin in thought as the sun set through the windows behind them.

"Don't call me a hero."

"Why?"

"I don't like it." Ursula replied.

"What do you want me to call you for helping me?"

"A good person."

"But that's—"

"Claude."

"Right…. You're a good person, Ursula."

Ursula smiled, truly. "So are you, Claude. But next time you throw me out of a fight and sacrifice yourself I'm going to kill you."

Claude backed away with his hands up as he headed for the door, "Can't make any promises."

He headed out of the infirmary, stopping only to spin around and catch the object thrown at his head from behind.

Ursula was already gathering her things without looking at him as he thumbed the silver coin.

He remembered reading that The Red Knight of Rage applied to join The Nine after a festival event. He was so drunk, he couldn't even walk right. Ronin denied his application. Even so, The Red Knight completed three Tangents in a row with no armor or weapons and continued to do so until Ronin had to say yes out of fear of losing someone so strong.

Stubborn as a forest fire.

Ursula was the same.

"Cool…" The thought never escaped his mind. He had the slightest suspicion that she didn't enjoy being compared to the man. He kept the coin and left the infirmary.

Then, he and his father headed home. All the while, thoughts of his missing name, defected race status and Anubis plotting in a pyramid filled his mind.