I waited for a while, content - or at least distracted - by the frantic play of Netty and Nix. Their aerial game of tag was mesmerizing in its way, a blur of light and shadow twisting through the clearing. Netty’s indigo glow flared as she darted after Nix, her small but agile frame weaving through the air like a ribbon caught in a breeze.

While Nix responded with bursts of fiery brilliance, his glow pulsating as he dove and rolled, always staying just out of reach. Their chiming chirps filled the space, a symphony of youthful exuberance that almost made me forget the Hunger gnawing at the edges of my mind.

Almost.

But as I watched them, something shifted. It wasn’t anything I could see - not in the way I’d come to see patterns - but something I felt. A faint thrum in the air, like the beat of distant wings or the hum of a barely tuned bass string.

Nix paused mid-flight, his light dimming slightly as he turned to look at me. Not at the space I occupied, but at me, in that way Netty had when I’d first bonded with her.

“What’s up, buddy?” I asked, my voice low, almost cautious.

He chirruped once, a sound less playful and more... deliberate. Then he drifted toward me, his glow pulsing rhythmically, his small frame casting faint auroras of light upon the ground as he hovered just out of reach.

Netty chirruped too, landing on my shoulder and nudging her head against my neck. I felt her thoughts - not words, but impressions, nudges of encouragement as though she were urging me to act.

“Alright,” I said softly, holding out a hand. “What are you trying to tell me?”

Nix approached, his fiery glow warming my palm as he perched on my outstretched hand. The moment he touched me, the faint thrum I’d felt before grew louder, resonating in my chest like the low note of a bell. His bright green eyes locked with mine, their intensity almost startling.

And then, like a floodgate opening, the connection hit me.

System Notification:

Bond Initiation

Detected: Compatible Essence Signature.

Target: Ember-Phoenix Entity [Nix].

Abilities Synergized:

* Beastial Connection (Derived from Beastari Bloodline)

* Enhanced empathy with bonded creatures.

* Communication through mental impressions and shared instincts.

* Vampiric Resonance (Tier 2)

* Blood pact strengthens familiar bond.

* Bonded creature gains partial resistance to necrotic or shadow-based effects.

Proceed with Familiar Bonding?

[Yes] [No]

The system’s words faded into the background as I stared at Nix, his fiery light filling my vision. I not only didn’t hesitate -I didn’t even blink. I mean -come on. A dragon and a phoenix, both as familiars?

Umm, hell yes. I chose.

The moment I confirmed, a surge of warmth spread through me, starting at the point where Nix perched on my hand and radiating outward. It wasn’t the sharp, icy heat I’d felt with Netty but something deeper, steadier. Like embers catching fire, slowly building to a roaring blaze.

For a split second, I could see him - not just his physical form but the intricate web of his essence. His pattern glowed like molten gold, threads of flame weaving through the air and into me, intertwining with my own. I felt his energy, his strength, his fierce loyalty.

But there was something else, too - something brighter, nearly overwhelming in its intensity. It was a meteor of joy crashing into me, quickly followed by a firestorm of curiosity at what the newfound connection between us had just unleashed.

He wasn’t just a creature of fire and light. He was a beacon, a reminder that even in the darkness, there was warmth to be found.

Familiar Bond Established: Nix [Ember-Phoenix Familiar].

Shared Abilities:

Dual Aetheric Synergy detected

Primordial Bloodline detected

Phoenix Familiar - Path of Ra unlocked.

Draconic Familiar - Path of Isis unlocked.

Elemental Influence (sol-luna) increased.

* Seven Rays of Helios, gained: Sol and Light based abilities and affinities enhanced.

* Shroud of Selene, gained: Lunar and Shadow based abilities and affinities enhanced.

* Infernal Blaze: Phoenix flames can be channeled for both offense and healing, depending on the intent of the bonded pair.

“Well damn,” I whistled in appreciation. Who’d have thunk-it that bonding two ‘opposites’ would unlock some special dual natured powers.

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Then again, the moon isn’t really the opposite of the sun. And the names threw me off. I mean, there’s some Greek, Roman and Egyptian going on. Pick a pantheon already, am I right?

Netty chirruped happily, her tail wrapping tighter around my neck in approval at the changes. Nix answered by letting out a soft trill, his glow flaring briefly before settling into a steady warmth. I could feel them both now - not just their physical presence but their emotions, their thoughts. It was whelming and comforting all at once.

Yes, that’s right. I said whelming. Because it was. I was neither overwhelmed nor underwhelmed. I was whelmed. Deal with it.

“Guess we’re stuck with each other now,” I murmured, smiling faintly as Nix hopped from my hand to my shoulder. His heat was a stark contrast to Netty’s cool indigo glow, but together, they felt perfectly balanced.

Netty nuzzled against me, and Nix followed suit, his fiery head bumping gently against my cheek. For a moment, the Hunger faded to a dull ache, replaced by something far stronger. My bonds.

I turned on my best Sean Connery impression, “I AM the last dragon -lord,” I pronounced victoriously. Nix pecked at me indignantly, and I pushed his eagle-like beak away. “Sorry bud,” I apologized.

Netty giggled in response, I swear, I heard her giggle. Or maybe it was in my mind. Either way it happened. “But you know what? Guess who my favorite comic book character is.”

Nix cocked his eagle’s head to the side in consideration, and then let out a squawk.

“Wow! On the first go, good job,” I congratulated the fiery bird and then I urged them both to take flight again.

“Alright, team,” I said, my voice commanding and you know, proud. “Let’s see what trouble we can get into next.”

They both let out a stereophonic screech in answer as they soared into the sky.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me. Or maybe it was boredom. Or Hunger.

Whatever it was, I found myself drawn to the shimmering curtain of light. It loomed in the distance like an unanswered question, rippling faintly with the promise - or warning - of something at the end of the rainbow. I mean, have you seen the movies with that creepy green clothed red headed gold digger with the bad teeth? Yeah, no thanks.

Yet, the more I stared at it, the more it seemed to call to me, its subtle, pulsing energy tugging at the edges of my awareness.

Then again… maybe it’s just lucky pots of gold.

I approached slowly, half-expecting some kind of alarm to go off as I neared it. When nothing happened, I reached out and touched it with a single finger.

The sensation was immediate and strange - a gentle tickle at first, like dipping my hand into cool, effervescent water. The energy coursed through my finger, light and teasing, almost pleasant. But the longer I held it there, the more the sensation changed. The tickle faded, replaced by an eerie numbness that crept along my skin like the fingers of frost. Soon, I couldn’t feel my finger at all.

“Well, that’s… unsettling,” I muttered, pulling my hand back and flexing my fingers. The feeling returned slowly, pins and needles prickling along my nerves. At least it didn’t hurt. That was something.

Still, the curtain intrigued me. I walked its length, following the shimmering boundary as it stretched endlessly in both directions. The more I walked, the more the Hunger gnawed at my insides, a sharp, insistent reminder that I wasn’t exactly at my best. But I kept going, my senses straining for any sign of a break in the barrier - an opening, a flaw, anything.

There was nothing. The curtain was seamless, unbroken, a perfect divide between the landscape I found myself in, and whatever lay beyond.

∞

After what felt like hours, I retraced my steps, guesstimating my way back to where I’d originally started.

I sat down in boredom, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface as I stared at the barrier. It continued to shimmer mockingly, as if daring me to try again.

Eventually, I said screw it.

“Alright,” I muttered, standing and brushing off my pants. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

I called out to Netty and Nix, and they responded instantly, their present game forgotten as they darted to my shoulders. Netty coiled tightly around my neck like a living scarf, her small claws digging in for purchase, while Nix perched on my other shoulder, his fiery aura pulsing faintly.

“Hold on, guys,” I said, taking a deep breath. “This might get… interesting.”

And with that, I ran -straight into the barrier.

Yeah, so in retrospect, it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But hey, I was Hangry. And sometimes you gotta do, what you gotta do.

∞

The ground blurred beneath my feet as I sprinted toward the curtain, my heart pounding in time with my steps. The shimmering light grew closer, brighter, until it filled my vision completely. I couldn’t see the flash as I entered – as it was lost behind me - but I damn sure felt it.

I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t gained the new bonuses granted to me by the familiar bonds, I would have been fried to a crisp. As it was the energy enveloped me in an instant, wrapping around my body like an electric jelly-eel. It pressed against me from all sides, a constant, unyielding pressure that grew heavier with each step I took. Netty and Nix clung to me, their claws gripping tightly, their small bodies trembling against my skin.

At first, I thought I could push through it. The resistance was strong, but I was stronger - or so I told myself. But the further I went, the harder it became to move. My muscles screamed with effort, each step a monumental task as the energy thickened around me, crushing and numbing in equal measure.

“Not… what I… expected,” I gritted out, my voice lost to the hum of the barrier.

Jinx had said I’d end up walking through an empty plain if I wasn’t invited. But this? This wasn’t walking. This was being trapped in slowsand made of raw power, every movement sapping what little strength I had left.

I reached a point where I could no longer lift my foot, the pressure around me too great. My thoughts grew sluggish, my mind slipping into a fog of blankness as the venomous energy seeped into me, drowning out everything else.

I stood there, unmoving, caught in a timeless void where even my sense of self began to fade. It was as if the curtain had stripped me down to nothing, leaving only a hollow shell in its wake.

And then, slowly, like ice thawing after an endless winter, I began to feel again. Awareness returned in fits and starts, fragments of sensation and thought knitting themselves back together.