“The Department of Student Success has unanimously voted to deny your appeal for an extension, and we regretfully inform you that your expulsion from USF is final. We wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors.”

-Chauncey Flounders

Dean of Student Success, USF

Julian read the email once more, hoping it had changed since yesterday. Not so much.

He tossed his phone onto the bed, watching it disappear into the pile of clothes haphazardly strewn across the sheets. Looking around his bedroom, which was mostly empty, with everything packed up. Soon, he would be on the road, heading back across the country to his hometown: to car shows, church socials, and the sarcastic definition of southern hospitality.

He let out a depressed sigh just thinking about it, taking a seat on the bed.

A loud crash from the kitchen brought him out of his stupor.

“You okay in there?”

Julian grabbed his phone and stood from the bed, walking over to the doorway.

Sitting awkwardly in a pile of pots and pans was his best friend, Maria. Long, dark, wavy hair hid her embarrassed face from him.

“Does anything hurt?” Julian asked.

Her shoulders started shaking a bit, followed by suppressed laughter Julian was only too relieved to hear.

She smiled up at him. “Only my pride.”

“Oh no, how will you ever recover?” Julian chuckled, offering her a hand. He helped her to her feet before kneeling and picking up the mess on the floor. “I didn’t realize you were in such a hurry to get rid of me. This is quite the mess.”

Maria shrugged. “I just figured you were in such a hurry to return to the countryside.”

“Oh, for sure. I can’t wait to get back and see how much the flat fields and crops haven’t changed.”

Maria sighed. “Dude, we left there together. I can’t believe you’re going back.”

“Me neither, honestly. But where else can I go?”

Maria glared at him. “My offer still stands…”

Maria had offered Julian the spare room in her apartment. Her new job at Artino Industries had come with some awesome perks, one being corporate housing with the newest amenities. A tempting offer, but he couldn’t depend on her like that. Not anymore, anyway.

“I’m not moving in with you at the Artino complex. Even if it was just temporary, I can’t do that.”

Maria scoffed. “And I thought it was only my pride that hurt.”

Julian stayed quiet. She was right, of course. It was only his pride in the way, but he had resolved a long time ago to make his way on his own, and Maria’s couch wasn’t part of that journey.

He finally chuckled, standing up with an armload of pots. “I appreciate it, but no. Besides, you drink too much.”

Julian stepped out the front door of his apartment before a loud bang clattered by his head, followed by the bounce and revolving roll of plastic on hardwood floors.

“Good throw, but there goes my security deposit!” He called back, heading down the steps and towards the waiting truck.

“Shit! Sorry!”

The rented box truck was parked at the back service entrance of the complex, the back hatch open and filled with the few possessions Julian had left. Patchy, mismatched furniture lined the walls, but there was still plenty of room. Besides, he still had to get his bed in there somehow. He sat the pots in his old recliner, making sure they were steady enough to stay. Satisfied, he turned from the truck and looked out at the surrounding city.

City living had been surprisingly comfortable for him. Back home, everyone talked about the close-knit bonds of community and the singularity of local support necessary to thrive. However, here in this little corner of San Francisco, Julian had finally understood what that meant. The sounds of thriving city life echoed around him as familiar, mid-morning routines brought the cityscape to life. People filled the sidewalks, heading every which way, and Julian could smell his favorite bakery even from here.

It felt like home. More so than his hometown.

In the background, Julian could see the skyline of the city. Large high-rise buildings blocked Julian and the horizon, but it didn’t stop the sunlight from dancing amongst the buildings throughout the morning.

And then there was the research tower.

Looming over the rest of the city, Artino Industries had created one of the largest buildings in the skyline, solely dedicated to their research. Maria lived there, and when Julian visited, it was like a completely different city all on its own.

As he took in the sights, Julian felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Suddenly, warning sirens echoed at a distance across the city. The people on the streets stopped, some taking out their phones while others looked around for any insight.

“Hey, what’s happening?”

Maria sat a box down in the back of the truck before grabbing her phone from her back pocket.

Julian pulled his phone out as well.

Homeland Security System Alert

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Everyone is to return to their homes and lock the doors.

This message is released in coordination with Artino Industries.

“Maria, what-”

THRUM!

The top of the research tower erupted as a burst of light shot into the sky, sending a shockwave out over the city, with windows shattering in its wake.

Maria grabbed Julian and pulled him behind the side of the truck, covering her ears as the shockwave collided with the side of the box truck, blowing out the windshield and door windows.

Julian watched as the windows of the apartment building shattered. He covered Maria in a hug, putting himself between her and the raining shards of glass.

As screams filled the streets, and people ran to safety, the hum of the eruption still filled the air.

Looking around the box truck and back towards the tower, Julian and Maria stared as golden-hued energy shot upward into the sky in an endless torrent of light. The overcast clouds soon served as a backdrop to an aurora effect, as light rippled across the sky in a spectrum of orange, yellow, and pink.

As Julian stared at the sky, he felt a strange pain in his left forearm. Wincing, he slid his hoodie sleeve up as a strange, golden-hued dust enveloped his arm before dissipating, leaving behind a strange, metallic device fastened firmly to his forearm. Yelps of pain and surprise filled the street as the other people joined him in being fitted with the same device. He looked over, seeing Maria grasp her right forearm as her device manifested firmly in place.

The bracer vibrated on Julian’s forearm, giving him a shock as a screen lit up to reveal a display.

[System Initialization Starting]

[Eidos - Project Ogen Initiated]

[Beginning Tutorial]

[Time Remaining: 47:59:59]

[Survive, Bond, and Thrive…Together]

“Maria? What’s happening?”

Around them, everything was in a state of panic. A large pileup of cars filled the nearby intersection as people were trying to start their vehicles. Others had their cell phones in their hand, trying to turn the screens back on.

A loud, guttural roar reverberated out across the city.

The crowd of people turned towards the tower, watching the continual wave of energy flow into the sky. The top level of the tower exploded, sending debris down to the streets below. Everyone froze, watching in horror as a massive beast, feathered and scaled, stretched out from the tower with large wings unfurling from its back. It roared once more; the sound reverberating through Julian’s chest, even at this distance. Then, the monster took wing, flying from the building.

It flew over the cityscape, roaring into the air as more creatures started appearing behind it in its wake, pouring from the top of the tower. Some flew, while others plummeted to the streets below, roaring, cawing, crying at whatever startled them. In a wave of gold particle dust, creatures suddenly began appearing out of nowhere, some even clawing their way up from the ground.

Even from this distance, Julian could hear the screams. He stood frozen in place as these monsters began their assault on the city. As a large, four-legged lizard erupted from his favorite bakery, Julian found Maria grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

“We got to move!”

Together, they took off down the street, taking a turn into the alleyway and heading towards the service entrance. As they lunged for the door, a scrawny, balding old man, one of the maintenance men, was kicking the door prop out of the way.

“Hold the door!” Julian yelled out to him.

“Hell no! Get away!” The old man cried in a panic, slamming the door in their faces, leaving them to fend for themselves.

“What do we do?” Maria asked.

Julian felt a small vibration come from the device on his forearm. The light on the screen lit up the area around them as he pulled his arm up to see.

[Eidos detected.]

[Running identification protocol.]

A squeaking noise filled the alleyway, echoing off the surrounding walls.

Julian looked around the alleyway. It was very faint, but he could see something stepping out of the shadows. Eyes glared at them from the edge of where the sunlight held them at bay.

A chiming sound filled the air between them and the monsters staring them down. Julian dared to look at the device.

[Eidos Identified.}

[Rattus: Level 1]

[Affinity: Toxic]

Julian looked up from the device and watched as sewer rats began scurrying towards them. He quickly lost count as the alleyway soon filled wall to wall with them, surrounding them.

One brave rat squeaked at them from the lid of a metal trash can as saliva dripped from its bare fangs. The metal sizzled from the corrosive saliva and filled the air with a caustic smell.

“What are we going to do?” Maria asked, pulling him back from the rats as they scurried closer.

A loud snarl echoed off the walls, causing the rats to stop in place.

Julian’s forearm vibrated again.

[Status: Stunned]

[Eidos detected.]

[Running identification protocol.]

“Now what?” Maria asked, dropping her forearm device.

The sound of large, lumbering footsteps echoed throughout the alleyway. Julian looked over the hoard of rats as someone riding a large horse-like creature with huge, twisted horns came sprinting towards them.

“Hold on!” The rider called to them. He was still a block away.

Suddenly, an enormous shadow bounded out from the wall.

It launched at the pack of rats at a blinding speed as the air turned cold in the alleyway. The shadow released a howl towards the swarm, along with what appeared to be a stream of ice. It quickly coated the rats, holding a portion of them in place as the escaping members of the swarm fled.

Julian looked towards his device, hoping for an answer.

[Eidos Identified.]

[Canis: Level 1]

[Affinity: Darkness]

“Canis?” Julian asked. “Like a dog?”

“More like a wolf,” Maria replied, watching the shadow step towards them now, teeth bare as it took shape. Black fur formed around a figure much larger than any dog Julian had ever seen. He could see what appeared to be cold mist glistening off its fur. Its paws dug into the pavement and its teeth glinted menacingly at them as it panted cold breath into the air.

[Eidos detected.]

[Running identification Protocol.]

With a snarl, the wolf pounced.

“Get down!”

Julian pushed Maria out of the way, taking the full hit of the beast in the chest as it knocked him to the ground. Thinking quickly, he used his left forearm and metal device to let the beast snap onto him. He didn’t know if it would withstand the force, but it was still better than his face being eaten.

Sharp, heavy claws dug into Julian’s chest as it fought to gain traction. He grunted in pain, his adrenaline dulling his senses.

The bracer’s screen lit up in the wolf’s mouth, causing a vibration to run through Julian’s forearm. The wolf shook its head defiantly in response, trying to take Julian’s arm off. He felt a pop in his shoulder, and pain wracked his body as the wolf tried to turn him into a new ragdoll.

Suddenly, a large blast of rock knocked the wolf off Julian, who went rolling with the wolf before it released his arm in surprise. The creature flew towards a wall, connecting with a sickening crack before the wolf slumped down to the ground covered in debris, unmoving.

“Are you okay?” The galloping creature stopped before Julian and Maria.

Julian tried to sit up, holding his shoulder as he stared at the creature buried under the rock.

“Over here, dude.”

From the other side of the four-legged monster, a young man stepped forward with dark skin and dreadlocks tied back on his head. A few braids hung over his face as he knelt and offered Maria a hand.

“What the hell are these things?” Julian asked, motioning towards the horned creature. Then, back towards the wolf.

As the guy helped Maria up, he turned and patted the horned monster on its flank, smiling wildly. “This is Oryx, my partner. We chased that Canis to the alleyway, but I didn’t expect it to attack like that. He escaped Artino Industries when the energy erupted from the tower.”

Julian’s device chimed in again.

[Eidos Identified.]

[Taurotragus: Level 2]

[Affinity: Earth]

[Synchronization In Progress.]

Julian stared at the last bit of text on his device, uncertain.

From under the clump of stone and rubble, the wolf started glowing. A muted grey color filled the air as the wolf dissipated, turning into tiny glowing particles that flowed toward Julian’s device. They all watched in shock as it consumed the particles entirely. A soft chime filled the air as a small compartment beside the screen opened, revealing a strange, crystal-like capsule that shimmered blackish purple with a hint of light blue.

[Synchronization Complete.]

[Eidos successfully tamed and paired to Julian Koste.]