[06:32] [2/1/93] [Snowpoint City outskirts, Glaciera Country, Yaokurov Continent]

A small child could be seen running around a cabin, he opened every room he could after being woken up by a loud sound that seemed to be like something had broken inside the house.

“Mom? Dad? Where are you? Are we playing hide and seek?” Said the boy while putting on his heavy jacket and fluffy pants, he quickly went out of his house since no one was inside.

He tried to find them but they seemed to not be around at the time, Husk and Luna, his parents wolves, were also not close by.

‘Maybe they went to buy something in the city.’ Thought the young boy, he decided to wait since he was a good son and he could make food for himself since his mother teached him a lot of recipes, so he was fine.

Then one day passed.

Three days.

‘Maybe they needed to travel somewhere and forgot to tell me.’ Thought the boy while making a delicious stew his mom always made for him.

One week.

Two weeks.

‘Have they abandoned me?’ He thought while crying in his bed.

One Month.

“Sniff….what happened to them? I’m running out of food, will i.... sniff.... die alone in here?” Said him while crying out loud, he couldn’t comprehend what happened to them but kept on trying to live in ignorance, also hoping they were still alive.

Knock Knock

“They’re finally back!” He said while beaming a big smile while running towards the front door an opening it.

The visage he saw wasn’t what he expected, a tall man with long black hair and red eyes was in his front, he looked at the young boy with pity and said, “I have some news for you, young Zimov.”

[10:47] [11/1/102] [Snowpoint City outskirts, Glaciera Country, Yaokurov Continent]

Pain was the first sensation he experienced as he began regaining consciousness.

‘Fuck, what is happening?’ Thought Ted while feeling this sharp feeling from his head, it woke him up from one of the longest dream he had in a while.

He could barely move, but he was slowly coming back from his almost-dead state.

‘What the hell happened? This hurts like I’ve burned from the inside out… not that something like that has ever happened to me.’

Time passed, and he gradually regained enough strength to lift himself from the ground.

“My goodness, what even happened? I remember I was preparing food, and then…” His eyes immediately widened as he recalled the events of the prior day.

He then sat cross-legged on the chair, beginning to feel his body and mind. The burning pain still laced through him, yet he began noticing some new sensations.

First thing, he realized his body felt stronger and tougher overall. Secondly, there was something running through him, like a flowing river, originating from his back and spreading throughout his body. Thirdly, there was something echoing within him that wasn’t his own mind, it felt like a call. As he focused on it, he noticed it felt similar to his soul seed, only clearer and with some type of intent behind it. He reached out to feel where his soul seed once was and discovered it had shifted and now it was located in his left arm.

When he fully concentrated on it, the calling grew even more stronger.

‘Food!’

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! No way.” Ted felt an immediate surge of happiness as he realized what it was, quickly rolling up his shirt's left arm sleeve.

On his shoulder, he spotted a tiny tattoo of a young white owl, no larger than his thumb. It was perched atop a nest, with intricate details of snowflakes surrounding it and a full moon above it.

“I remember the instructor saying I have to touch the tattoo and call it to summon, but maybe there's an easier way to do it.” He touched the tattoo and said, “Come over here, little one.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a part of the energy flowing within him redirected to his tattoo. After a few seconds, his arm emitted a bright light that extended down to the floor.

Ted squinted from the brightness and only after three seconds did the brightness tone down, revealing a small owl as big as his hand on the ground in front of him, a perfect match to the tattoo.

“Hello, little owl. It’s a pleasure to meet someone as beautiful as you.” He greeted warmly, attempting to flatter it. The little beast puffed up its chest proudly, it's feathers were small and fluffy, making it look more like a plush toy than a dangerous owl.

He sensed it… speak? Thought? Emotion? He couldn’t quite understand the nature of this connection, but he felt it say: ‘Food!’

“Sure, I’ll get you something. Let me check you out first.” Ted used Identify on the little owl before him.

[Unnamed]

Species: Snow Owlet

Age: 1 month

Soul Tier: 1 (Novice)

Physique: Null

Abilities: Keen Eye, Silent Wings, Chill Touch

Affinities: Ice, Night

‘This shows way more than a wild beast would. It’s probably because of this bond that is connecting us. It even says it’s a month old even though it was an egg just when it fused with my soul seed. I’ll figure out what this means later.’ he thought, kneeling beside the owl.

He extended his hand to the owl and said, “Let me put you on the table so I can get you some food. Do you prefer raw or cooked meat?”

The owl hopped onto his wrist, tilting its head in confusion and said ‘Cooked?’

“I need to remember that you are just a baby. Let me show you some options, and you can pick the one you like best.” Feeling a mental nod from the owlet, he rose and headed toward the kitchen table.

He set the owlet down on top of it and then moved to the sink with some plates of cold food he didn’t finish since he passed out from the soul contract.

After rinsing them, he opened the small fridge, selecting ingredients to prepare a range of dishes. Grabbing some meat and vegetables he had stored, he began to make a variety of plates for the little owl’s first taste test.

[11:21] [11/1/102] [City Corps Main Office, Snowpoint City, Glaciera Country, Yaokurov Continent]

Inside one of the largest buildings in Snowpoint City, a man with long black hair tied in a ponytail sat reviewing documents on his desk. His eyes, of a deep red tone, bore a weary look and a prominent scar traced from his mouth across his right eye. Dressed in a deep black suit, he appeared both formidable and worn out from his job. The room he was in is located on the 12th floor with only the rooftop above, it was furnished with a desk made from dark ivory wood that emanated a calming energy, which he subtly absorbed as he worked. The same wood adorned the two chairs before him and the shelves lining the walls, filled with an impressive array of books. Behind him, a large window revealed a sweeping view of the city.

Knock. Knock.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Come in.” the man said with a deep voice.

Another man quickly entered the room, saluting by placing a clenched fist over his heart, “Glacier Captain Garin Morozov salutes the Marshal.”

The man nodded, Garin dropped the salute before taking a seat in front of him and saying, “I’m here to report that Initiate Ted Zimov has officially left the corps. I only realized it this morning when I found his emblem on my desk.”

The Marshal sighed, “Ah, young Zimov. It’s been a while since I last heard about him. So, he didn’t manage to form a contract?”

“No, sir. But yesterday, he spoke with me before heading out to hunt. He asked if he could teach the new initiates wilderness survival training and martial arts. He’s among the best we’ve had in those fields, he’s already surpassed even his instructors in those areas. I’m here to ask if we can offer him some kind of support even though he’s left the corps. He’s talented, but he wasn’t particularly fortunate with his chances in making his first soul contract.” Garin said, a note of sadness in his voice.

“There’s nothing grand we can do if he’s already left, but we can certainly contract him as an instructor if he’s interested. What you don’t know is that his lack of awakening is partly the fault of our organization.” the Marshal said with a chuckle.

“What do you mean, sir?” Garin asked, confusion evident in his tone.

The Marshal thought for a moment before responding, “It’s related to what he is, to his very nature, and it’s part of his mother’s legacy. I’m sure you know she faced the same issue before joining the city corps, a problem that arose because she also was part of an organization at the time. This issue will likely persist for his descendants too. But don’t worry too much; I believe he’ll awaken in time now that he’s left. Let’s see whether he returns to us or finds his own path.”

“You’re dismissed for now. I’ll authorize the necessary funds to contract young Zimov as an external instructor, you can speak with him about it next time you see him.” the Marshal said, reaching into his desk drawer to retrieve the necessary documents.

Garin immediately said, “Thank you, sir. I’ll find and speak to him as soon as possible.”

He exited the room, leaving the Marshal alone to complete the paperwork for Ted’s contract as an external instructor.

The Marshal swiftly finished the documents and placed them into a circular array on the left side of his desk. The papers emitted a bright light and vanished, being teleported to the appropriate office that made the storing and authorization of the documentation.

He rose from his chair and walked over to the window, releasing a long sigh. “Where have you gone, Vivian and Arthur? Your son has believed you are dead for nine years already.”

“I suppose all I can do now is have faith in both of you and the boy.”

[11:41] [11/1/102] [Snowpoint City outskirts, Glaciera Country, Yaokurov Continent]

Ted finished arranging the plates in front of the owlet, who hopped around in delight at the feast laid before it.

“Here you go. I put all the common vegetables on this plate, since I’m pretty sure you’re a carnivorous cutie and won’t want them much, but you can always prove me wrong. From left to right, you’ve got common rabbit, reindeer, and chicken meat, both cooked and raw.” He motioned to each plate while watching the owlet’s reaction.

The little owlet followed his finger, nodding at each plate as Ted explained them. He could feel it memorizing the terms he said while speaking back with ‘vegetables’ and ‘cooked and raw’ in his mind.

‘It’s so cute! It even feels like it actually understands me. Usually, beasts are instinct-driven and don’t show this kind of intelligence. That’s something I’ll also need to look into later.’ He thought while already pointing towards the next plates.

“These next two plates are from a reindeer beast I hunted yesterday. They’re a bit special because, like you and me, these beasts have soul energy flowing through them. This should probably be the best one for your growth.” He said, thinking it should be good to expose the feather ball to more new things, maybe it would enhance the little one’s intelligence over time.

“And this here.” He continued, gesturing to another plate with thin cuts of the next item, being mostly white in the center and a tinge of brown in its exterior part, “is a special root I’ve been eating. It helped me form the soul seed that connected me to you. We call items like this ‘Natural Soul Treasures’, these have different ranks which I’ll explain to you later. Just know that this one is an Uncommon rank Soul Treasure called a ‘Soul Gathering Root’. Go ahead and pick what you like the most.”

The owlet hopped toward the plates, surprising Ted by pecking at the vegetables one first. It nibbled on some carrots and a few leaves mixed in, showing neither preference nor distaste.

Next, it moved on to the meats from common animals. ‘Maybe it’s following the order I explained.’ he thought as he watched.

‘Tasty!’ He felt it say, savoring both raw and cooked meat. After a few bites, it moved eagerly to the beast meat, eating it with even more intensity than the common meat.

‘So it does prefer beast meat over regular animals. I haven’t tried beast meat myself yet since my awakening, now I can sense what I think is soul energy within me so maybe it’ll taste different.’

The owlet then looked at the Soul Gathering Root with a curious expression, glancing back at the vegetables briefly. The portion was small, only about 80 grams was left of the root since Ted had already eaten most of it before, but he’d sliced it thinly so the owlet could eat it more easily since the root is pretty hard.

It pecked a slice and instantly began devouring the rest like a starved creature, it's thoughts ringing with ‘Delicious!’ just as they had with the beast meat.

‘Looks like it has a strong preference for food infused with soul energy. That’s probably tied to its natural desire for growth, which means all soul energy infused foods will likely help it grow faster. I’ll check the Beast Tamer’s Guild later to see what info they have on some of my doubts, i'm sure they'll let me in now that i am an awakened.’ Ted thought as he cleared away the uneaten vegetables and common meats, storing some in the fridge. He then took a piece of the reindeer beast out to prepare for himself.

He quickly made a meal similar to yesterday’s: a bit of rice, a seared deer steak, cooked eggs, some minced vegetables and a good old orange juice.

From the first bite he noticed the difference. A surge of energy seemed to flow from the meat and started merging with the new power in his body.

“I see… it’s not that the taste is much better, but this energy flow refreshes me like nothing else i’ve tasted before. The part I used to summon the owlet is also slowly recovering on its own, but this food actively enhances this recovery. I can even feel it’s added a small amount to the overall concentration within me.” Ted continued eating, savoring each bite.

Before he could finish his meal, he noticed the owlet was lying on its back with it’s belly bulging from what he thought was food overdose, it was snoring loudly after overeating.

He chuckled a little before saying, “Let’s see what abilities you have.” He murmured while using Identify and focusing on the first skill listed in the owlet’s status display.

Keen Eye (Common): The Snow Owlet possesses a heightened vision that allows it to detect even the smallest movements from afar. This ability enhances both night and day vision, enabling it to pick up faint disturbances in snow or shadow, making it an exceptional scout for spotting hidden or fast-moving creatures.

“Basically, it’s a scouting vision. Most carnivore birds should have something like this. Let’s check the next one.” Ted said, shifting his focus.

Silent Wings (Common): Building on its natural stealth, Silent Wings allows the Snow Owlet to fly almost soundlessly, making it excellent for surprise attacks and harder to detect in flight.

“It doesn’t look like this fluffball can fly yet, but that skill should be the reason why it’s always so hard to spot a Snow Owl when i’m on a hunt. The owl species is apparently shaped up to be perfect for scouting and intelligence gathering, especially with how this little one is proving to be highly intelligent even in it’s baby phase.” Ted then examined the last ability.

Chill Touch (Common): Though young, the Snow Owlet has an innate frost aura that upon contact can slightly numb small creatures or surfaces. This attack is also used for fending off low-threat creatures or for marking areas temporarily with frost traces.

Ted felt a bit surprised at this one, “It even has an attack skill in its baby phase. I’ve never killed baby beasts, after all it’s heavily frowned upon and i don’t like the idea so i didn't know they had an attacking skill. It’s probably a defensive mechanism for when their mother is away hunting for food.”

“I can see a lot of growth potential in these abilities. I’m going to train you a lot, little fluffball.” Ted said while patting the snoring owlet, which didn’t stir no matter how much he touched it.

With the owlet checked, he turned his attention to himself. What better way to understand his own changes than by reviewing his status panel now that he had awakened?

Identify

Identify

Identify

Ted sat down in confusion after numerous failed attempts, "I thought I’d be able to identify myself... I guess it doesn’t work like that. I think i’ll have to use that mirror."

He got up and headed towards his late parents’ bedroom. It was a modest room: a king-sized bed against the wall, a closet to the left with his parents’ clothes and gear, two drawers on the right (one for his father and one for his mother), an oval mirror near the door, a window was located opposite side of the room reflecting the dust that started rising when he oppened the door, there also existed a hidden trapdoor that was under the bed.

Ted hadn’t entered the room since his parents left, so a wave of dust rose the moment he stepped inside.

‘Just grab the mirror and close the room, don’t think too much about them now Ted.’ He thought, feeling his heart tighten at the memory of them. He quickly picked up the mirror and hurried out, closing the door behind him. Setting the mirror beside the table where the owlet was perched, he took off his shirt to get a good look.

“What the hell… my abs has turned into a fucking black square!”

In the mirror, he saw himself, a pretty muscular man, he wouldn’t call himself some type of bodybuilder but he got quite some muscles. He was around 1.85 meters tall, with white hair slightly messy from skipping a bath, black eyes, and three silver earrings in his left ear. He had a lot of scars around his body, specially in the arms, which showed his harsh training and the marks of beasts from his hunts in the wilds, one of these scars was located in his torso going from the lower left side of his abs and going all the way to his right shoulder.

But none of this matters now since his six-pack abs was nowhere to be seen, how can he show his gains now.

In their place was a black square covering the area, like a void was present in the place where his abs should be.

“What even is this? Can I touch it?” He reached out and his hand phased through the black space into a spot where hw thought his organs should be. Inside, there was only emptiness.

‘Is this some kind of storage space? It’s weird that it’s right on my stomach though. No more showing off if it stays there.’ He sighed, disappointed.

‘Well, let’s check my back now. Mom once told me I can clap my hands near the mirror to freeze its reflection into a photo, that’s also how they usually checked theirs.’ He recalled, turning around so his back was towards the mirror and clapped his hands once.

The owlet instantly stirred, glancing at Ted with sleepy, curious eyes. It was just her tall father owl who made delicious food making some noises, she let it slide this time since he was family and nestled back down.

“Sorry, little one. I need to think of a name for you soon; ‘little one’ won’t fit when you’re all grown up.” He sensed her agreement as she drifted back to sleep.

He turned around, finally being able to see the big tattoo on his back reflected on the mirror, showing all his stats.