"Andrew!" Li Jing waved to get his attention as he stepped through the portal.

"Jing!" Andrew mimicked with a grin, walking over to her. They hugged, Andrew squeezing her tight, lifting her a bit off the ground. "Oof. You're heavy."

"Rude." Li Jing pouted, pinching his side as hard as she could.

Andrew immediately let out a yelp, twisting away. "Gah! Why would you do that?!?" He asked incredulously, rubbing his side.

Li Jing stood there, stunned. "You- you felt that?" She asked hesitantly.

Andrew froze, before narrowing his eyes. "How often do you pinch me?"

Li Jing flushed. "Not- not that often… you never notice, so-." She suddenly paused, her eyes narrowing. "You never notice. What's going on?"

Andrew couldn't help but smile. "I learned how to adjust my strength." He explained cryptically. Li Jing crossed her arms, giving him a look that said explain or get pinched again, and Andrew quickly relented. "I literally learned how to adjust my strength. Not controlling it, but actually making myself weaker. I'm barely stronger than the average human right now."

Li Jing's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really." Andrew grinned, before raising a finger in warning. "Which means no more pinching. That freaking hurt!" Li Jing stood there, stunned for a moment, processing exactly what that meant, before a brilliant smile lit up her face and she let out a laugh, jumping into his arms. Then they kissed, and for the first time, Andrew didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting her while he did it. If he wanted to hurt her, he'd actually have to try. "Better?" Andrew asked as they separated.

"Better." Li Jing nodded, flushing brightly. They could have probably chosen a better place to do this… the middle of the portal square was about as far from private as you could get.

Andrew chuckled, pulling her along as they headed out of the portal square and into the City proper. "So, where do you want to go?" Li Jing just shrugged, pulling herself closer to him. Andrew frowned, considering their options. "Hmmm… uh, we could just walk around and see what we find then? I don't really know what there is to actually do around here, but I'm sure we can find something. It's a big city."

Li Jing nodded. "That sounds good."

Andrew nodded as well, the two walking along the streets, hand in hand, eager to see the sights the City had to offer, and even more eager to spend time together, all to themselves. Vaguely remembering his first trip following Elder Barry, Andrew led Li Jing towards an area he remembered as being more active, namely the area around the large arena. Curious, they headed into the arena first, seeing what it was all about.

"Hello!" A cheery voice came from a small reception desk. A woman waved at them, catching their attention as they hesitated around the entrance, not sure where to go. "How can I help you?" The woman asked as they approached.

"Uh, well, to start, what is this place?" Andrew asked curiously.

"This is the Arena, where the Bonded contend against each other or captured Beasts to train their skills and entertain others." The woman explained simply. "Additionally, there's a weekly tournament where Bonded can compete to earn credits. If you win in a weekly tournament, you may enter the monthly tournament, which is even more rewarding, prizes including not only credits, but special potions and pills as well. Win that one, and you can enter the yearly tournament, then the decade tournament, then the century tournament, and finally the millennial tournament! If you win that one, then maybe in a few thousand years, you can enter the ten millennial tournament. We're still five millennial tournaments away from that though. All tournaments are power restricted, the participants ability strength lowered to two hundred by the enchantments of the arena. The tournaments are designed to be a pure test of skill.

"For pure power, the arena has the Rankings. Bonded can sign up and challenge other participants to determine who is stronger, with no power restrictions. There are three Ranking boards based on age, one for those under one hundred, one for those under one thousand, and one for those under ten thousand. Because not all Bonded are readily available for challenges, the lower ranks instead challenge sections. Taking the first digit of your rank, you challenge the lowest available participant in the section directly above. For example, if your ranking is in the six thousands, you would challenge the lowest available participant in the five thousands, and so on. Once you get to the single digits, then you must report to the Arena at the end of every month to face challengers or you'll be reduced to the tens section. Each year, the Arena gives out prizes to the top thousand in each Ranking, determined by section.

"Besides the tournaments and rankings, you can also use credits to rent private sparring rooms, to purchase Beasts to battle, or even to receive private training from ranked individuals, the price based on their section, though this requires their prior agreement." The woman paused after finishing her explanation. "I believe that's everything. Any questions?"

Andrew shook his head. "Uh, no. That was… very informative." He replied, rubbing his temple slightly as he organized the sudden influx of information. Thankfully, most of it was on a pamphlet she handed them, so he didn't need to remember too much. "Do we have to pay to watch?" He asked hesitantly.

The woman smiled. "Of course not! All are free to watch any match. You're in luck too, today is the monthly tournament. It should be a good show!"

Andrew glanced at Li Jing. "What do you think? Up for a free show? Maybe see where we'll be in a few years?" Li Jing smiled lightly, giving a quick nod. The two headed into the main Arena, finding two surprisingly comfortable seats a few rows up. "Would you like something to eat?" A man asked as they sat down, startling them slightly.

Andrew frowned as he looked the man over, wondering if he was like a waiter or something, before shrugging. "Sure. What do you have?"

The man pulled a menu out of nowhere, handing it over, waiting for them to make a decision. Andrew and Li Jing looked the menu over, seeing things like hot dogs, popcorn, several types of candy, icecream, etc. Concession food. Andrew frowned slightly as he didn't see any prices. He looked over to the man. "Uh, how much for a hot dog and a root beer?"

The man grinned as the items simply appeared in his hand and he handed them over. "No charge."

Andrew's eyes widened. "Really?"

The man chuckled slightly. "It seems you're new around here. Anything you could get in the mortal world is free in the City. The Bonded are free to enjoy their time here without any worry."

Andrew frowned. "How is that possible?" He asked, confused.

"Subsidiary companies, vassal states, investments, luxury goods that can only be found in the Outside, etc. There are many ways that the Bonded support themselves. Any minor luxury can be easily acquired." The man explained simply.

Andrew nodded in appreciation, while Li Jing ordered her own food, and the man left them to see to another customer. However the man stored the food, it was still hot when he brought it out, and the drink was nice and cold. "Mmmm!" Andrew hummed as he bit into the hot dog, surprised by how good it tasted. "Damn! If this is the quality of their concession food, how good are their actual restaurants?!?" He exclaimed in wonder.

Li Jing smirked as she dug into her own food, closing her eyes slightly as she enjoyed the flavors. "Delicious."

"As eloquent as ever." Andrew joked, nudging her with his elbow.

Li Jing flushed. "I- It tastes… good. We- we should get more… later." She mumbled, struggling to push more words out.

Andrew laughed, shaking his head. "You are just too adorable sometimes."

Li Jing flushed even deeper as Andrew turned his attention to the battle occurring in the arena. A Rabbit was currently dashing around the arena, covered in sparks, while a large Pig huddled in the center. The Rabbit would occasionally bolt in closer for an attack, before quickly distancing itself again, but the Pig didn't seem to have much reaction, simply eyeing the Rabbit cautiously as it bided its time, waiting for the right moment to strike. As the battle wore on, the Rabbit slowly seemed to run out of stamina, moving slower as it dashed around. A spark gleamed in the Pig's eye as it noticed this, waiting for the Rabbit to dash in again, before unleashing a roar as its body began to burn! With a surge of power, it lashed out at the Rabbit savagely, moving much faster than Andrew would have assumed possible.

Unfortunately for the Pig, the Rabbit seemed to have expected this, its speed suddenly accelerating as it dodged the Pig's attack. The Pig roared in frustration, trying to chase after the Rabbit, but it was much too fast, leaving it in the dust. Eventually the burning stopped, and the Rabbit rushed in again, landing a powerful strike on the Pig's head, accompanied by a flash of lightning, instantly knocking the Pig unconscious.

A roar of frustration came from the side of the arena as the Pig turned to smoke and returned to the large, angry looking man. "Damn you, Sinclair! You tricked me!"

"It isn't a trick. It's strategy." An athletic looking woman countered with a smirk as the Rabbit returned to her. "Better luck next time, Jorgé." Jorgé snorted in frustration, before stomping off.

The next fight was a much quicker bout between a Rooster and a Dragon. The two Beasts rushed at each other the moment the match started, the Rooster breathing fire while the Dragon shot a jet of water out to meet it, creating a cloud of steam. When the air cleared, the Dragon had wrapped itself around the Rooster, digging its fangs into its neck until it turned to smoke, a sign of the Bonded giving up the match, leaving the Dragon as the victor.

Andrew glanced over at Li Jing surreptitiously. "Can you shoot out water jets?" He asked.

Li Jing nodded, before shaking her head. "Mine are weak. They just get my opponent wet. Need the Deer mutation."

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"Ah, shame." Andrew sighed. "Still, good to have if you're ever trapped in a desert or something, right?"

Li Jing shook her head. "Not how it works. We can't make water from nothing. We need to absorb moisture from the air, or better, a river or other water source."

"Oh… well, that makes sense." Andrew nodded along. "So, you guys are much more powerful in water, huh?"

Li Jing nodded. "A lot like a Tiger in his territory."

Andrew sighed. "Right. At least you guys still have something outside water. Without the territory, a Tiger is just a big cat." Andrew grumbled, sounding slightly bitter.

"Trade off." Li Jing shrugged. "The more power, the more conditions. It's natural."

"I suppose." Andrew nodded, having heard the same thing from his parents many times. "It just kind of feels unfair sometimes, you know? I mean, I have my other forms, so I have options, but for other Tigers… they're just kind of stuck. They either need to fight without an ability to support them, or hope something stumbles into their territory. At least until they get the right mutations." Andrew paused, before letting out a snort. "Hell, look at me. I get all these different forms and abilities, but in return, I don't have a Beast to fight for me, leaving me vulnerable." He paused again, remembering what had happened in the tunnels. "Well… probably vulnerable. Plus apparently my abilities can't mutate, which is a huge pile of bullshit."

Li Jing looked over in surprise. "You can't mutate your abilities? Why?"

Andrew sighed. "Something to do with an ability my Human side might have. Have you ever heard of Long?" Li Jing shook her head. "Well, apparently he was the first human to actually be a Beast, and he had the ability to copy other Beasts abilities, which… I'm going to need to see if I can figure that one out at some point… but the part that really screws me over is the fact that the nature of the ability makes it perfectly compatible with every crystal, meaning no extra energy sticking around to mutate my abilities."

Li Jing frowned. "You can copy abilities?"

Andrew shrugged. "Supposedly."

"Any ability?" Li Jing continued, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" Andrew replied, slightly confused. Li Jing stared at him for a moment, before reaching out and pinching him. "Hey!" Andrew exclaimed with a yelp. "What was that for?!?"

"You don't need abilities to mutate! Just copy the ones that already are!" She scolded him with a scowl.

Andrew paused. "But that still doesn't help my other abilities…"

Li Jing rolled her eyes. "Your extra abilities."

Andrew frowned. "I don't-"

"They're extra." Li Jing continued. "It's lucky you even have more than one! Complaining about not being able to strengthen something you're lucky to even have is just… petty."

Andrew blinked a few times. "Well, if you put it that way…" He hadn't even said the part about the ability even being the same strength… then she'd really let him have it. "I guess I am kinda lucky then. If only I didn't have to worry about getting swarmed by a random Beast Tide… then I'd really be overpowered."

"Already overpowered." Li Jing grumbled, poking him.

"But I could be more overpowered." Andrew retorted, poking her back, leading to a minor poking battle that left both of them giggling. After watching a few more matches, they decided to go get lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. Much like the food at the arena, it was all free, and delicious. Andrew firmly decided that he would have to visit the City a lot more often. After lunch, Li Jing took him towards a museum a few blocks away, saying that her parents had told her that if she did nothing else today, she had to visit the museum.

"What's the museum for?" Andrew asked as they walked.

"Learning." Li Jing answered simply with a light grin.

"Is that so?" Andrew replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Learning about what?"

"History." Li Jing answered again, her grin widening.

"I will poke you." Andrew replied, raising a finger threateningly.

Li Jing smiled widely as she suppressed a laugh, before finally explaining. "It's the origin of the Bonded. How we came to be. My parents said it's important to know."

Andrew nodded appreciatively, suddenly curious. Maybe he'd learn something about this Long dude there. They soon arrived, picking up an audio tour at the entrance, before heading into the museum proper. Andrew placed the headphones on as they walked to the first exhibit, pressing play on the device.

"This first exhibit is an ancient painting depicting the dangers our ancestors faced in the Outside." A strong, male voice emerged from the device, explaining the exhibits. "You can see the depictions of ancient humans hiding in caves as they avoided the powerful Beasts that roamed the surface. Weak and powerless, they were completely at the mercy of the titanic forces that surrounded them." Andrew wandered through the hall as the voice continued to explain the artifacts that showed how rough life was before the Bonded. Humans could barely survive in that world, living more like vermin than people. They ate the scraps the Beasts left behind, living in squalor.

The man went on to describe the situation of the Clans at the time, though they didn't leave artifacts, their story being represented through paintings done later. They told the story of how the Beasts of the Clans, while powerful, lacked intelligence. Ruled by their instincts in their early years, it was rare for them to live long enough to gain true intelligence. Their abilities weren't powerful enough to grant them dominance in the Outside, and as time passed, their population dwindled. By the time they found the humans, they were in as desperate a position as they were.

The story moved on to the initial meeting of the Clans and the humans. The humans were, understandably, fearful of the Clans, avoiding them as much as possible. Meanwhile, the Clans didn't think much of the humans, seeing them a fodder simply there to fill one's belly. Fortunately, some of the older Beasts of the Clans began to observe these humans, taking an interest in them. They found that the humans, while weak, were intelligent from practically their birth, only needing less than a decade to become as smart as a Beast that had lived for hundreds of years! The Clans were fascinated by this, and took the humans in, providing protection in exchange for their service. The humans slowly developed under the protection of the Clans, using their intelligence to improve both their and the Beasts' lives. Not everything was perfect though. Young Beasts of the Clans still died far too often, while the humans were subjugated by the Clans, their weakness leaving them completely at the whims of these powerful Beasts, even if they lacked intelligence.

After becoming accustomed to the safety provided by the Clans, the humans began to become restless. Rebellions against the Clans oppression would pop up every few years, though they would quickly be crushed. The humans' development slowed down, making the Clans angry, leading them to become even harsher in their dealings with the humans. This situation lasted for centuries, until he arrived, the first human Beast: Long. Thanks to his ability, he quickly gained strength, rising up against the Clans' oppression, creating a free society for the humans to live on their own.

Unfortunately, he was only one man. He couldn't free everyone, and even if he did, he couldn't protect them. The more people he saved, the more he needed to protect. His strength began to stagnate as he was stuck defending the humans all the time, instead of doing what he needed to get stronger. Meanwhile, the Clan's were frustrated because their slaves, inspired by Long, refused to work. Even the ones who failed to escape would only serve out of fear, their work shoddy at best. All innovation had halted. A stalemate had risen, Long unable to protect any more people, the Clans unwilling to give up everything they had gained from their relationship with the humans, and neither side willing to make any compromise.

Then, in the midst of this brutal conflict, a solution was found. Two people, one human, one Beast, had formed an unlikely friendship and, after becoming sick of the fighting, developed a solution. It had become clear that neither side could live without the other anymore, but there was too much bad blood between them to resolve their issues, too many bad memories. The two friends' solution was simple: remove the bad blood by getting rid of everyone and starting anew, as one people. They developed a formation that would break down the Beasts and combine them with the humans, creating a species with the advantages of both. The key to the formation was Long. His ability would be broken down, a tiny piece instilled in each person, allowing them to connect with, and hopefully merge with, a single Beast.

After a long period of negotiation, the two friends finally convinced the Clans and Long to agree. Resource after resource was poured into the formation, before they gathered every Beast of the Clans and every human inside. The formation activated, dissolving every being inside, but instead of turning the humans into Beasts, the formation created the Twelve Hundred, the first Bonded, one hundred for each Clan. They were humans, through and through, but with the ability to release Beasts to fight for them. They were something new, something that had never been seen before. Still, ultimately, the formation was a success. The Bonded were clean slates, retaining basic knowledge, but nothing more. They were now combinations of human and Beast, one people, completely unified.

They quickly learned the advantages of their unique natures, allowing them to fight off the Beasts that threatened them without actually risking their own lives. Additionally, while the human side lacked the strength of the Beast, they could still use their abilities, giving them at least some ability to defend themselves, even without their Beasts. However, as they began to carve out their own territory, settle down, and reproduce, they found one major drawback of their condition. Only one out of every hundred children was born Bonded, the rest returning to average humans, weak and powerless. As their population grew, the Bonded had more and more trouble protecting their offspring. Their kids had children of their own, who had children of their own, and so on. The sheer numbers would attract waves of Beasts looking for food, power, or even just entertainment. In the past, the Clans would simply kill any excess population, keeping the humans at a manageable size, but the Bonded couldn't do that. These were their children. Their descendants. Another solution had to be found.

A search was undertaken, the goal to find somewhere safe where the humans could live in peace, where the Bonded wouldn't need to constantly protect them. They looked in hidden valleys, in the depths of caves, in deep, dark forests, until one day, they stumbled upon a pocket dimension, populated with creatures as weak as the humans. The dimension was strange, with planets and stars and the vast emptiness of space, rather than the seemingly infinite, starless plane that was their home. Still, it was perfect. The planet was more than large enough to support the human population. After spending a bit of time wiping out the slightly more dangerous creatures, namely what modern humans call the dinosaurs, they moved the entire human population inside, and established the City over the site of the connection between it and the Outside.

Andrew took off his headphones, turning to look at Li Jing as he finished the virtual tour, blowing out a breath. "Well, that was a trip… how certain do you think they were that the formation was going to work?"

"What do you mean?" Li Jing asked, cocking her head.

"Well, think about it. This is a formation that literally kills everyone inside it, before combining them back into new beings… if it fails, there's no second try. They only had the one Long, so it wasn't like they could test it either. Everyone stepped into this thing based on blind damn faith! Isn't that insane? It's practically the same as saying 'hey guys, drink this kool-aid and you'll be reborn on an asteroid heading to paradise'." Andrew elaborated. "I mean, it worked out, I guess, but damn! And they literally just killed all those people! Yeah, they're all combined into the Twelve Hundred, but they're still dead. I get that it was for peace, but damn you know? Our history is kind of fucked up."

Li Jing frowned. "How much do you think was voluntary?"

Andrew's eyes widened. "Huh… that's a good point. That formation was pretty big, like, as big as a city… as long as they got everyone in there, all they had to do was activate it… Shit, this is like realizing everything you have comes from genocide." He groaned, rubbing his temples.

Li Jing cocked an eyebrow. "Aren't you American?"

Andrew froze. "Well, shit."