When I wake up to the sun peeking above the horizon, I realize something.
I wake up easier than ever, and have no urge to go back to sleep for as long as my body would let me. I feel motivated to wake up and move, to do something.
My dreams no longer consist of desperate fantasy as I attempt to escape reality. I live that fantasy. I can fly, I'm strong, and no one can tell me - a big fire-breathing serpent - what I can and can't do.
I watch the sunrise in awe as colors flood the forest and chase away the lingering shadows of the night. The tree I rest in stands tall among the shorter trees surrounding it, granting me the best view. I watch as my new reality continues on, and for once I don't want it to hurry. For once, I stop and breathe and exist- and it excites me.
If I could, I would smile. But my lack of expression doesn't change the feeling within me, more intense than anything I've felt in the eighteen years I have lived. I feel calm, and happy.
To the backdrop of the sunset, I start my day by looking at my [Magic Molding] Skill.
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[Magic Molding(Elite)] lvl 68
(Active)
The ability to wield an internal source of magic such as a magic core. Does not include exterior use of magic.
Created after periodic use of internal magic.
Moves:
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The other moves have basic-sounding names, which I suppose means the Keyuu never named them- and the system gave them names instead. Now the move I named sticks out.
With these levels, I can clearly see which one the Keyuu used the most. Apparently she didn't make
I notice something curious, though. Hey Kurotto? Can moves not exceed the skill they derive from in level?
《You are correct.》
Then, in that case, her
Hmm, what exactly does leveling up a skill do? Does it just make it stronger?
《Leveling up the skill increases the strength of the moves underneath it. Leveling up a move, however, increases your control and accuracy of the move. The bigger the difference between the level of a move and the level of a skill, the less control you have over the move. It can, consequently, decrease the amount of energy needed to perform the move as well.》
Oh, yeah! That makes sense. That explains why I sped across the continent at max speed with
《You are correct.》
Awesome! I'll have to use it more often so I can control it. Then I can zip around and truly have super speed! I don't even need to worry about my reaction speed because my [Spiritual Mentality] skill has that covered! Though, if I wanted to practically pause time in my mind, maybe I could channel magic to my brain... But that may not even work, considering my mind is no longer attached to my body. Which is a weird thought.
Well, anyway, time for socializing! Which doesn't even bother me anymore because my skill got rid of my social anxiety! Hoorah!
I glance once more at the sunrise before I head towards the village.
I land in front of the tent, a large crowd already gathered with Titania at the forefront. Does this woman ever sleep? Or even just rest? I get the others getting up this early, I'm a once in a lifetime opportunity here, but why is she so gung-ho about this?
"I didn't expect you back so early! You must be excited. Are you ready to start?" She grins up at me, chipper despite the early hour.
I nod, just as eager.
"Alright. Listen up!" She directs toward the crowd, background chatter dying down as they immediately give their full attention. "Firstly, the telepathy spell I will use for you and her will be unfiltered! Every thought you have will be shared with each other, as it would be if you had bonded. If there are any objections, leave now!" She bellows confidently, her voice steady and unrelenting.
A few grumbles respond to her statement as some of the crowd disperses. Though, a large amount still remains. When the crowd is still once more, she continues. "Now, I will only come in to connect your minds. Otherwise, I will stay outside to give you privacy. She knows how to use runes that will alert me if you get aggressive, or if she is done meeting with you. I will then come in to cancel the telepathy spell and you will leave, with no objections. I will call names based on who was in line first, and if they are not here they will have to come back next time, where I will start back at the top of the list! If you do not show up on time within a week, you will be removed from the list. From now on, I will post the closest names on the tent. While she meets with you all, I will be taking down more names from those who have not gotten in already." She explains to the crowd, before a stern tone enters her voice, "Are we clear?"
The crowd responds with various affirmations, many possessing excited tones of voice. Especially the beast tamers.
Titania nods in satisfaction before taking out the notebook from before and ripping out a few sheets of paper. She sticks them to the tent - where they stick, somehow - and on them are what I assume are names. Considering I can't read, despite the letters being irritatingly familiar. She returns her attention to the crowd and calls, "Jacob Turner!"
Immediately, the young guy I met yesterday bounds up happily. He salutes, "Reporting for duty, ma'am!"
Titania smiles and beckons us to follow her. She opens the tent flap for me, and I slither in. I take a moment to note the changes - a table and chair by the runes she showed me yesterday, with a large cushion behind the table. I assume that's for me, and it does indeed look comfy.
I make my way over to it and coil on top of it. It really is comfortable, the cushion hugging my slender body in a way that has me relaxing into it.
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The two humans file in after me, Jacob immediately sitting on the chair, looking at me with awe. Titania stands to the side of the table. "I will begin the spell now." She states, moving her staff.
She gently taps mine and Jacob's heads as she speaks, "Connect their minds, and allow communication without barriers." I notice she didn't say 'allow privacy' this time.
Immediately, I feel a flood of emotions from Jacob. Excitement, nervousness, and curiosity are the most prominent ones.
"Take as long or as short as you need." Titania smiles, before leaving the tent.
I blink as Jacob's thoughts are suddenly filled with questions about what I am, theories about what I can do, and a brief memory of my stunt yesterday- complete with thoughts on how cool it was. Unfiltered thoughts are really chaotic, apparently.
I wait patiently for him to calm down.
He easily notices that I'm waiting, and calms himself down. He manages to send a coherent thought toward me. 'Uhm, so... How do we go about this? Twenty questions?' He fidgets a bit.
'No, I'd like to first tell you what I expect from a partner. It's a good way to narrow down the candidates quickly.' I tell him, thinking about the list I made earlier.
He pauses for a long moment, his thoughts going over the list I have accidentally shown him. I notice that, even with his excitement earlier, his thoughts move much slower compared to mine.
I feel a sense of agreement from him before he continues mulling over the list. 'Well,' he starts, 'I'm not sure about traveling. I'm definitely attached to the village, like most other beast tamers. And, uh, I know you want your bonded's full attention - which is perfectly fine - but I have a boyfriend and I'd rather not leave him behind. I get that in the natural world, death is normal... But... I don't think I'd be able to kill someone else.' He winces, 'I... Don't think I'm right for this. For you. Sorry.' I get the sense that he's sorry for wasting my time, too, but he doesn't directly say it.
His disappointment and sadness echoes through my mind. I had no idea someone could feel so... strongly.
'It's alright,' I reassure him as I tap the rune behind me twice - the room turning yellow when I do, 'At least you're conscious enough of yourself to admit it.'
He smiles at me as Titania returns. "Wow, that was quick! Eh, I probably should've expected that. Thoughts go by faster than speaking, after all. Maybe I should stick around for about a minute from now on, just in case." She says as she cancels the spell.
Jacob smiles sheepishly, "She has some... Callous views that I don't really agree with. Should've expected that."
Titania laughs, "Every Beast Tamer should know that! Creatures don't have morals like we do, and holding them to human morals would be unfair. Consider this a valuable lesson." Titania pats my head, which seems like a reflex to her. I don't mind it. "I'll bring you another one, see if they can last longer." She muses with a smirk.
She and Jacob leave, marking the beginning of a long process of elimination.
No one lasts for longer than a minute. The most common confliction with my list is that people tend to have attachments - whether that be people, places, or things - that they weren't willing to leave behind. Frustratingly, another common confliction is that they tend to be one of two extremes- too kind, or too vicious. Like, to the point where some of them wanted me purely for status or to crush their enemies. No thank you.
I go through over a hundred in just one day. I get through all of the previously registered names and then some as more people flood in from the trading route throughout the day.
None of them warrant a second meeting.
At least I learned some stuff. For example, the beast tamers who wore bone? They were from deceased beloved beasts that they kept in their memory. How sweet. The ones who wore teeth tended to be breeders who kept a baby tooth from all the beasts they've raised. Though some keep baby teeth from their personal beasts, though those only had one or two rather than a whole necklace full.
Also apparently the reason they call me 'Great Beast' is because they consider 'Monster' a derogatory term. Only people who have issues with Great Beasts call them Monsters, which is surprisingly rare across the continent. Oh, also Titania is bonded! He's a phoenix-wolf species called Canix. (During that conversation, I also learned that a Fire Bird and a Phoenix are two different species. Something about a Fire Bird being just an elemental Beast, while a Phoenix has unique abilities as a Great Beast.) Titania lovingly calls him a workaholic, and tells me his name is Nixie. She named him herself, considering it's rare for creatures to give their children names. I haven't met him because he's constantly patrolling the village, and Titania says that he didn't want to overwhelm me when I first arrived. How considerate.
I briefly wondered if a human could bond with two or more creatures, but decided not to worry about it. I wouldn't want to bond with Titania anyway, despite how cool she is. She's attached to this village and seems to be the heroic type.
So, when the sun goes down Titania decides we're done for the day. She did take a lunch break, but I didn't need one since I have a snake's metabolism, allowing me to go months without food. It was a while ago since the Keyuu had eaten though - focusing more on spying than catching anything to eat - so I'll need food soon. I can catch something before I settle for the night.
She tells me goodnight before leaving, and I leave after her to stretch my wings. I'm an ambush predator, I can spend a long time perfectly still, but it feels nice to move around anyway. Especially with flight. Who knows how many lifetimes it'll be before I get wings again?
I grab a quick snack via doe, attempting to ignore the unsettling texture of fur and thanking my lack of taste buds. Unlike last night, I return to the tent to sleep on the comfortable cushion. It feels much nicer than a tree.
With that, my days developed a routine. Which is disappointing, but at least I was learning things and making some progress on my goals. As long as I'm not stagnating, I can deal with routine.
As word spreads, people come from all parts of the continent. According to the people I speak with, the rumors are about a Great Beast who's strong enough to take down a whole continent of strong creatures and come out victorious- and is looking for someone to bond with. I didn't directly tell anyone this, but enough people saw memories of my battles that they were impressed and promptly spread the rumor. Especially since some of the creatures are considered myth here.
I'm one such creature, actually. Keyuu are considered myth here, though there's a big stereotype of Keyuu being deceitful and sadistic. I wonder where these myths originate from, as most of the creatures in my memories are also on that list. This continent seems really secluded, with the invisible barrier and all. Maybe they've been sectioned away from where they originated for so long that the stories faded into fiction? Something to ponder.
Anyway, other than that interesting bit of information I noticed I started getting more visitors that are... Sketchy. Like, assassins and slavers sketchy. According to them, my list was spread around as well, and my 'no heroic types' stipulation was misunderstood as 'psychopaths, please'.
I end up having to make a new rule of 'no unnecessary cruelty'. Because seriously, I may not want someone who would risk their lives for others, but that doesn't mean I want someone who risks their life pissing off others. There's a fine line there.
I just want someone to explore with, who has a decent survival instinct, that won't be an ass to me. Is that so hard to ask for?
The amount of visitors I get fluctuates as word gets out and people travel. It can take weeks - or even months - to get to the village, depending on how far away they are. So I can get anywhere from fifty to a hundred people in waves.
I asked Titania where they all stay, since the village has so few hotels, and she tells me of the nearby village that I missed. It's a couple hours walk away from a human, and most of their customers and tourists stay there. Apparently people are scared of staying in this village because of all the beasts roaming around freely. They think they'll turn on the village some day.
So, they stay in the other village - which is much larger and city-sized - as it has high, strong walls and a lot of guards protecting it.
Then Titania laughs and tells me that the two villages are basically sister villages, they share finances and everything. So all of the income this village generates goes to that village, and vice versa.
She also tells me the names of the villages. The one I'm staying in is called Tamerville, and the larger one is called Daven Fort - after the founder, Daven Jones. She says she was infamously bad at naming things.
It took about two weeks in for a red alert to be necessary.