The afternoon sun hung low in the sky. One by one the youths arrived with their Thaeons in tow, either clambering around their shoulders or following close behind. Dave’s floated serenely at his side, kicking up no dust or disturbing the air. Raven cocked his head and wondered if he should investigate further–no, this was not nearly as uncommon as Nil whose [Void] aspect was practically unheard of. Once all arrived–except Nil–Raven began.

“What, did Nil go home crying?” Rose remarked with her Thaeon stomping around and snapping at the air with its disproportionately big jaws.

“Actually, Rose,” Raven said with his hands behind his back, “A Thaeon did appear after you all left. Nil will be arriving shortly.”

The group murmured amongst themselves while their partners began chasing each other around in what looked to be a game of tag. Max’s elongated lizard began swatting at Pic and Poc’s round Thaeons like soccer balls while Dave shook his head.

“Come on, Dave, lighten up will ya?” Poc said with his goofy boyish grin.

“Yeah, Dave, don’t be a stick in the mud!” Pic followed up.

Without a word, Max’s Thaeon Brute lunged at Dave’s who floated out of the way with ease, dodging every attempt for the tail to connect.

“No fighting yet, kids, we’ll have plenty of time to–ah, Nil is here.”

Out of breath, Nil arrived. The others gawked at the completely black figure on his shoulder that, in turn, regarded them with his featureless face. Nil’s bond said differently: there was a note of aggression that they both shared in having to interact with these…idiots.

“Now we can begin. Before I let you loose into the Wilds headed to the next town, there are a few matters we must discuss as the final step before you are an official Trainer,” Raven said, ignoring more eye rolls from this repeated information. Did they not understand how important this all was? No, they were kids, of course they didn’t. Nonetheless he started walking off to a spot near the edge of the field where tall grass swayed in the light breeze. There he paused, momentarily thinking back to his earlier phone call with Rom in which the haggard-sounding man on the phone simply said, “Marv can’t talk right now he’s busy with research.” It wasn’t like Marv to be that entrenched in anything up at the main lab. Once the grass bustled his attention snapped back to the present.

“Along your way between towns you will notice shady areas like the grass, trees, sand pits, bodies of water, fog, et cetera. To name a few. Obviously the region of Specter is massive and in it you will find all types of terrain. These are ripe for wild Thaeons that will be looking for an opportunity to battle you. While most of these bouts are friendly competition, don’t be fooled; there are some that are out for blood. Following so far?”

Everyone nodded.

“Good. Now.” From the shaky grass rolled out a giant yellow blob that came up to Raven’s knees. Its two big eyes narrowed at the other Thaeons who all became excited. “Battling is one aspect to growing stronger and evolving. Through battles you will strengthen your Bond, polish up your techniques and come to understand your individual aspect and how it relates to the world around you. As this understanding deepens, you will inch closer and closer to taking that next step into evolving. Can anyone tell me how many evolutions there are?”

Dave, without raising his hand, said, “Three.”

“Correct. Good, though technically”–he waved his hand at all of their Thaeons–” there are four if you include what we call ‘starter forms’ who are always [Null] until Evo1.” He glanced at Nil and shook his head. He didn’t want to let it out just yet that he had a starter with [Void], a fact he still had a hard time accepting. “In between each evolution there are minor changes that will alter how your Thaeon looks and performs. As always, the strength of a Trainer is not in their evolution, but battle experience and Bond with their partner.”

“Professor, please,” Rose pleaded, “can we just get on with it? We’ve known this for six years and it’s so boring. How can we ever get this adventure started if you won’t stop rattling on?”

“Fine, fine… Rose, you’re up first. Bring up Rager and focus your intent on initiating combat with this Thaeon. Beginner techniques widely vary as everyone is different in their approach. This is something you will begin to understand intuitively over time.”

Rose and Rager ran up to the slime Thaeon whose body undulated in preparation. She looked down at Rager, eyeing his big jaws and thought the most obvious move would be a bite–her bond resonated with that idea.

“All right Rager, bite that slime!”

Kicking up dust with its short legs, Rager lunged with its wide maw and latched on then began to shake it back and forth before throwing it to the side. It rolled with spinning eyes, narrowed them, then rolled like a tire back towards Rager. Without a word–it was understood through their bond, something she was still getting used to–her Thaeon leapt to the side and pivoted into another bite before spinning to slam with its tail to send it flying back into the grass..

The slime didn’t return.

Her hands on her knees she bent over, heaving with exhaustion. Raven laughed and said, “Through your bond you will share emotions, pain and energy. A Thaeon and its Trainer must work smoothly together. They are not separate but one. If you tire out, so will your Thaeon. And vice versa.

“You will also notice the slime retreated. Upon defeat, a Thaeon will leave. Call it survival instinct or just plain common sense. I suggest you all do likewise. There’s no reason to throw your life away for pride in a battle.”

“And how do we heal after a battle?” Pic asked, gnawing her lip in concern. “You know, if our Thaeons are injured.”

“Without spending the next ten minutes describing Thaeon biological theory, just trust me that will recover much faster than humans do. If there are major injuries, rest. It won’t take long to get back to one-hundred percent. We also have certain medicines that can speed up the healing process. All right, Max, you’re up. This time, walk into the grass with Brute.”

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And so Max lumbered over with Brute in tow, scurrying behind him into the grass where wings fluttered out and slapped Brute in its triangular head.

“Always be on guard!” Raven said with a laugh. “You are walking into their territory; expect attacks.”

Taken aback, Max stumbled back into the open field where a [Flying] Thaeon hovered a few feet off the ground, its talons extended out, its face with only one eye and its beak full of razor teeth. Brute crouched with its tail swinging side to side, its eyes following the gyrating motion of the Thaeon as it coiled its body to attack–which it did in a diving flash. Nil watched, uninterested. These buffoons were hideously bad at battling. Their only thoughts were sending their Thaeons into a head-on rush–Max had done just that with Brute spinning in a circle to slap his opponent out of the air with its tail–and hope they didn't get hit. When the [Flying] Thaeon swooped again, Brute stood up, leaning back on his tail, and clawed it out of the air and sent it careening into the dust.

“Excellent. As your Thaeon advances, their attacks will take on attributes of their aspect depending on your own style. Remember: not every good Trainer is all about full power. There are even some in the League who play a passive game… Anyway, next up Pic and Poc come together. Let’s speed this along.”

With their round Thaeons waddling up, mirroring each other's movements, more rustling in the grass revealed a blue slime, this time followed closely by a slithering Thaeon with two large fangs that dripped with a sizzling liquid.

“That’s a surprise,” Raven said. “[Acid] isn’t seen in these parts that much. At any rate, go on and attack. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas while in the Wilds. You never know, you might discover something that works.”

Pic and Poc, having their own bond from birth–an advantage that Nil considered if he ever had to fight one or the other…or both, as it seemed they were teaming up during this match too–nodded to one another, then to their Thaeons who rushed at the slithering one first from both directions. Before the [Acid] Thaeon could sink its fangs into either one, Tic and Toc bounced off one another, the fangs flying through the gap they left and pierced the slime. In that moment of hesitation, they joined hands and started spinning around to gain momentum; Tic hefted Toc into the air and slammed it down onto the fanged-one’s head, flattening it to the ground. Dizzy, both enemy Thaeons faded back into the grass.

“Great strategy! Let the enemies work against each other. Dave, you’re up.”

But he didn’t move. Instead, he looked back over to Nil who, still disinterested, felt a pull in his chest as if his own Thaeon knew what was coming before he did.

“I want to battle Nil instead.”

“A bit unconventional,” Raven said, rubbing his chin, “but–”

“We’re going to be fighting other Trainers as we challenge the rankings. I want to get a feel for it now.”

“Sure. Kids, clear the field.” They did and Raven continued, “Trainer battles are a bit different in scope, but equal in outcome to battling with Thaeons. There are a few rules we abide by to make everything more fair and standardized. These are also the official rules of the rankings and the league beyond. First thing, the battle has to be agreed upon. Attacking others from behind is frowned upon. It generally happens that a Trainer sees another and issues the challenge. If the other declines, that’s that.

“Secondly, the battle ends when the other is incapacitated. There are no referees in the Wilds and therefore every Trainer needs to carry with them a certain level of honor and respect for others. If, in the event that another Trainer or Thaeon is killed or otherwise injured beyond repair, I can assure the authorities will be after you.”

“The authorities? Like the police?” Rose said.

“Worse: the Thaeon Enforcement Agency or TEA for short. These are equivalent to the military in strength and Trainer quality. Believe me, you do not want to get on their bad side. TEA agents cover special operations, surveillance and are all top combat specialists. You will never see them until it’s too late.

“Thirdly, it’s common for the loser to pay up for their loss. It’s a way for Trainers to earn money and incentivize winning. That and a steady source of income for those ranking leaders in the major cities. The amount can be agreed upon beforehand; but, if not, the price is typically five percent of your total on-hand money.”

“That’s not too bad. The less you have, the less you give,” said Dave who was watching Nil from across the empty field with his Thaeon, Sky, floating circles at his feet.

“In the case of the ranking leaders, it can be as high as fifty percent. Never challenge them unless you are sure you’re ready.

“The last rule to keep in mind should be obvious, but you’d be surprised how many times it keeps broken: no stealing another’s Thaeon. For one, it doesn’t make sense to take an already-bonded Thaeon. Two, well, TEA agents will track you down in a heartbeat. Murder and theft are harshly punished. Keep that mind. Ready, you two?”

The two boys stared at each other, stone-faced and with fists clenched. Nil’s Thaeon jumped down from his shoulder, sharing with him a racing heart and a dense feeling of anticipation at their first battle together. Simulations and games were great, but nothing could ever substitute for the real thing. He ran through possible strategies. Dave was calm, not easily shaken or brought into an angry fit. Not like Rose, for example. Nil knew his opponent’s tactics wouldn’t be direct; and, given the weird floaty nature of Sky, he doubted a direct attack would work too well, either. His chest constricted as the string connecting him and his Thaeon tightened into resolve: we have to win.

Both boys nodded.

“Begin!” Raven shouted and leapt over to observe from where the other five were watching.

“Tell me, Nil,” Dave said. “Still having issues with picking a name?”

The others chuckled, but Nil wouldn’t be provoked. He squinted and sent a thought for his Thaeon to begin dashing around the side towards where Sky was floating in circles. It ran with surprising speed, its movements eerily human, Raven thought, as it approached Sky with its right arm raised for a strike. A punch, perhaps a kick: using its limbs to form a basis so he could begin progressing and polishing their skills early on.

His Thaeon had other plans that Nil immediately understood through their bond, though he was confused on how it would work. Before a punch could land his Thaeon disappeared. No trace, no puddle of black like with the egg. Nothing.

Gone.

Dave’s face said it all, his brain and bond working overtime to figure out what to do. “Sky, spin around! It could come from any angle.”

Idiot. Why annonce it out loud? Nil could feel his bond thrumming along with his Thaeon who was still there but not quite there. It was if he had turned down a hallway in a direction no one else could see; a direction that was impossible to comprehend.

Raven comprehended and stood back waiting for it to emerge. [Void], he would have to explain to Nil later, dealt in death and emptiness. The reason it was so rare was simply because nature was vibrant and full of life. Not even [Shadow], known for its abilities that allowed Thaeons to travel in and out of shaded areas, could compare to this kind of phasing.

Nil’s Thaeon was just gone. Until it wasn’t.

It appeared above Sky, its leg out in a powerful kick that knocked the teardrop-shaped head silly. Nil felt the strain on his energy, the sweat forming on his forehead. His Thaeon wasn’t done. It skidded to a stop, turned, then launched a straight punch into Sky’s soft body. Dave dropped to a knee, his own chest heaving, his lungs burning.

“Game!” Raven yelled, rushing over to stop the match.

The others were silent then. No snarky comments or bullying from them.

“Winner, Nil!” Raven frowned. “Nil?”

“I’m fine. Just…a quick…nap.” Nil collapsed, snoring.

A few moments later he awoke surrounded by a circle of faces including Raven who was beaming with excitement. For the first time in years he had high hopes for the future of Demiurge research. What else could compare to a [Void] starter that could already phase out and reappear at will? Marv would flip his lid when he heard about it… If he would ever answer.

“Are you okay, Nil?” Pic asked with a concerned look.

“No, well”– he stood up on jelly legs and brushed off the dust then grinned–“Dave owes me some money.”