It had been three days since the men came to their door. The twins were very grateful to Melia. The housekeeper tried to keep their life going as usual, but the twins couldn’t help being somber. Artem trained like a madman, and Galen desperately sought ways to protect the Family while still being considered a minor by the law.
Galen was in his parents’ office in an attempt to sort through their documents to find those that were confidential when he heard Artem urgently calling him.
When Galen got to the inner courtyard, his heart broke. Their mother’s Caladrius Bird was lying on its side, covered in blood and panting. It was feebly pushing a bag toward Artem, who was trying to put pressure on the grievous slash on its belly. It was a miracle for the pet to achieve to come home.
Melia gently took Artem’s place and pointed at the bag. “Let me do it. You and your brother, you take care of that.”
Galen let his tears fall on his cheeks. The Caladrius Bird was a unique legendary pet nicknamed thus after some stories from the Old World. Its official name was Immaculate Twilight Plover – though it looked more like a white giant hybrid of an eagle and a heron than a small shore living plover.
All of Tana’s pets were healers: if the Caladrius Bird hadn’t healed itself, the twins had no hope to help it either. Moreover, they weren’t yet beast tamers, so Galen and Artem couldn’t perform the Rebirth ceremony that specialized beast tamers could do for deadly wounded pets.
“Boys!” the housekeeper snapped. “Don’t shame the Family!”
Woken up by the old woman’s shout, Galen went to the laboratory. She was right. Galen couldn’t save the Caladrius Bird, but he could ease its pain. The youth brought back an anesthetic potion and a balm to stop the bleeding. Once he had given them to Melia, he let her take care of the pet and went to open the bag that Artem held out to him.
“Galen!” the old woman sternly called out to him.
The youth looked at her in confusion. Their enemies would soon know about the Caladrius Bird coming home. It was too unique a pet for them to miss it. The twins wouldn’t have any time to mourn. Galen needed to hurry up and see what was in the bag before these men could get to the villa.
Melia shook her head and gestured for him to leave the courtyard. With a start, Artem understood and took his brother’s arm to bring him to a corner of the courtyard, making sure to be at Melia’s back. Galen looked at him with questioning eyes, so Artem mouthed, “We need to protect Melia’s ignorance.”
Galen nodded, ashamed to have forgotten about the precautions they had to take against spies and interrogations. Trusting his brother to check their surrounding, the older boy opened the bag. Galen found three pet eggs and two carved spirit stones inside. Artem noticed his brother’s dismayed look and peered inside. His gaze was instantly drawn to one of the eggs. It was big with crimson and golden hues and emitted intense warmth even through the protective barrier the Caladrius Bird had spelled on it.
“Mom’s Phoenix egg!” Artem muttered in a low voice.
The adolescent was so shocked that he lost control and said it aloud. Since the Phoenix was back in its egg form, someone or something had managed to kill it. Who was strong enough to kill a Phoenix? However, this also confirmed their parents were truly dead because it was their duty to protect the Phoenix.
In a numb state, Galen looked at the carved spirit stones. He knew enough to understand what they were for, though he couldn’t understand why they were here and not in the safe at school. Galen noticed one of them was broken when he picked them up. With despair in his eyes, he whispered to his brother, “You take this stone and do the Awakening ceremony.”
Artem looked at him with stubbornness.
“Don’t be childish. One of us needs to be a beast tamer, and you are the one who is training to become a warrior. Stop wasting time. I’ll do the ceremony later.”
“Together.”
“Artem-”
“Together!”
Feeling helpless but grateful to his twin, Galen held out his right hand with the intact carved spirit stone resting in the middle of his palm. Artem covered the carved spirit stone with his right hand and looked intensely at his brother.
If things had been normal, they would have attended this ceremony at Dascalos High School two days ago in front of all their classmates and teachers. Thus, these stones should have been in the school safe.
Only gifted students could awaken, and most of them had a common or notable talent. The twins came from an ancient Family, so their awakening was guaranteed in everyone’s mind, and everyone expected them to get at least an epic talent like their parents. Everything had long been ready for their Awakening ceremony. So, how did these two carved spirit stones end up here?
Of course, Galen couldn’t be sure these were the same stones, and Artem should know it. However, what were the chances that their enemies hadn’t tempered with the stones supposedly still at school? Without their parents, the twins couldn’t hope to obtain another carved spirit stone: they weren’t only expensive. So, only one of them could become a beast tamer, and none of them wanted to sacrifice the other.
Despite feeling sick at the situation, Galen still recited in perfect synchronization with Artem the activation spell for the Awakening ceremony.
“Initiation of the host compatibility scan.”
Galen’s heart dropped when he heard the mechanical voice in his head. However, he quickly realized Artem had heard it too. The stone was scanning them both: it still hadn’t chosen its host.
“Scan completed with high compatibility. Activation of the Contract System Interface.”
A sudden burst of spiritual force exploded from their closed hands. Blinded by the dark golden light, the boys took two steps back while the stone stayed in the air, floating between them. When the light toned down, they saw a small translucent human silhouette above the stone. It was a young woman with long, unkempt, black hair. Her almond, black eyes and her skin tone revealed her Asian ancestry. She was wearing a large sweatshirt hiding her hands and what looked like pajama bottoms. She looked around curiously.
“Twins!” she suddenly exclaimed in a melodious voice. “They didn’t tell me about this!”
Galen exchanged a look with his brother. They both could hear the woman speaking in a strangely echoing manner as if they were hearing her both with their ears and their mind. This wasn’t normal. Only the host should be able to interact with the CSI – the Contract System Interface. Why could they both hear and see her? Was she really this stone CSI?
The woman giggled. “Only children have to choose. The adults take everything!”
She wasn’t as crazy as she sounded. First of all, the two host candidates were twins, so they were already connected, which made harmonizing with the two of them possible. Second of all, she was confident she could take care of the two of them at the same time. Normal CSI couldn’t do it. But she wasn’t normal, was she? Her soul was whole, and as such, she could be willful. It was their choice to bring her here, they would have to bear the consequences. No, she wasn’t being petty and willful about it on purpose.
The small woman decisively extended her hands toward the two boys, making her sleeves flap around. “Take my hands, boys! Don’t worry! I’m ambidextrous!”
Galen forced himself to look at Artem. The CSI was strangely charming, which made him want to trust her. Galen doubted his impulse, but he trusted his brother’s instinct. At Artem’s signal, the twins obeyed the small woman. When she grabbed their hands, which felt strange as she wasn't fully corporeal, she began to emit the dark golden light again.
“Relax during the harmonization,” the CSI told them cheerfully. “We are highly compatible so nothing will go wrong. Why don’t you think about my name while we are waiting?”
She started humming as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Artem could see that Galen was worried and suspicious, but the younger boy couldn’t feel any malicious intent from the small woman. Instead, the harmonization was producing a pleasant and comforting feeling throughout his body.
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Furthermore, this carved spirit stone was one of the last things their parents had given to the twins. Artem couldn’t believe it would harm them. He slowly closed his eyes in acceptance. He would face what would come with his brother and this strange CSI.
What felt like a long time later, Galen and Artem opened their eyes. They couldn’t see the woman anymore, but the stone was still floating between them.
“Now, do you have a name for me? As you know, the harmonization won’t be completed without it.”
The voice now seemed to come from inside them. It sounded softer as if it was smothered. Artem followed his instinct. This woman, despite her appearance, was making him think of stars and music. “Lyra.”
Galen looked at his brother and nodded in agreement.
“What a weirdly fitting name! So be it. From now on, I, Lyra, your CSI, swear to help and guide you as you develop as beast tamers. Be warned that I will also observe, judge, and regulate you if necessary as stipulated by The Peaceful Treaty that founded this society.” As Lyra finished speaking, the stone was divided into two parts, which turned blue. “If you search for our connection with your mind, you should be able to absorb the stone into your body. For daily usage, you don’t need to take it out. Talking with me will be enough.”
After absorbing his half of the stone, Galen couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Are you truly connected to both of us?”
“Yes, Galen the Healer, and Artem the Hunter.”
“How do you know our names?”
“Do you want me to read your status aloud to convince you?” Lyra laughed at him. “I harmonized with you both. What do you think that means?”
Things were going too fast for him. Galen wanted to take the time to get to know Lyra and to understand his new powers, but the doorbell suddenly repeatedly echoed in the house. They were already here? Galen’s eyes went from the Caladrius Bird, who had died despite Melia’s care, to the bag containing the Phoenix egg he had to hide.
“Lyra, can you stock this egg?” Galen urgently whispered as he held the bag in his arms. “I remember Mom could put things in her CSI’s special space.”
“Each beast tamer is unique, as each host and carved spirit stone is unique. Moreover, your inner world is currently empty. I need to build features to be able to do anything, and for that, I need energy. I exhausted my initial energy to harmonize with you. Now, the only energy I can get comes from your contracted pets. Do you have pets?”
“Yes,” Artem answered firmly.
The boy picked up the two little forgotten eggs from the bag. Their parents had planned everything. These would be their first pets.
“Do you even know what’s inside?” Lyra couldn’t help but ask.
She didn’t like to see them rushing like that. She wasn’t stupid. She had seen the legendary pet dying in the courtyard as she had seen the despair in these boys’ eyes. Even though she wouldn't admit it was her reason for trying to harmonize with both of them, it didn't mean she was blind to what was happening. Likewise, she had seen the broken carved spirit stone, but Lyra refused to think about what it could mean for her and her friends. She was good at ignoring what bothered her. Moreover, she had just sworn to guide them, and Lyra took her word seriously, albeit in her own way.
However, Artem didn’t seem bothered by her question. He closed his eyes to let his instinct feel the eggs. Artem then gave one of the two eggs to Galen, ignoring the constant ringing of the doorbell.
Melia signaled for them to do what they could as she went to try to stall for time at the door. This would also allow her to deny any knowledge about what happened in the courtyard.
“This one feels like light, and this one feels like fire,” Artem explained, even though he couldn’t tell how he knew as they both were white and smooth.
Holding the light egg his brother gave him in his left hand, Galen asked Lyra for her help in a whisper. He still refused to let go of the bag containing the Phoenix egg. They had to try.
Lyra pouted but went to work. She connected to the eggs and sent the code to activate a contract with her hosts. To do them simultaneously without messing up was delicate work, but she was gifted – cursed her!
Blue lines of codes appeared on the boys’ hands and went into their eggs. The shell began to disintegrate, turning blue and forming new lines. These blue lines connected in turn with the boys and ran along their bodies. The disintegration continued until little fairies appeared, and a gem materialized on the teenagers' bodies. Artem’s new pet was a Fire Fairy represented by a little carnelian placed on his right ear, and Galen’s was a Light Fairy represented by a little opal placed on his left ear.
“Achievement! The first pet! As a reward, you will get one first-tier feature for your shared inner world from three choices, one rare skill each for your new pet from three choices, and four usages of the random shuffle!” Lyra was aware of the seriousness of the situation, but she would be damned if that kept her from playing her role as a CSI as she wanted! She might not have yet the ability to send her blue boxes to her hosts, but she imitated the mechanical voice of a system quite nicely if she dared say so herself!
Despite his shock and discomfort at seeing that his pet was a weak fairy, Galen was brought back to his current problems by Lyra’s announcement. He asked what were the three choices for the features.
“First, the 'Pet house': with it, the contracted pet can rest in the inner world. Second, the 'Warehouse': that's where you can stock things from the outside world. Third, the 'Fields': with them, you can farm spirit plants. What is your choice? Be careful, nothing guarantees that you will get these choices again next time.”
Galen didn’t listen carefully to Lyra’s warning, nor did he comment on her tone of voice. How could he when one of the features proposed was the one he needed? However, he still asked, “Is there a limit to the 'Warehouse'?”
“Why don’t you directly ask what is on your mind?” Lyra said in an annoyed voice because the twins hadn’t reacted to her perfect system role-play.
“You know it! So?” Galen hissed back.
“Yes, I can stock the Phoenix egg in the 'Warehouse' if you choose it.” Lyra pouted, but she gave some more explanations. “And before you ask, I can because like I said when you weren’t listening: both of you share a unique inner world. Each of your inner worlds hadn’t just been added to create a shared one. The combination had exponential effects. Do you get what I mean?”
Galen still didn’t understand how two common fairies could produce enough energy for a first-tier feature strong enough to hold a mythical object. However, he didn't waste any more time on this. The boy picked up the Phoenix egg from the bag to let Lyra stock it. The blue lines of code appeared again, covering the egg before disappearing with it. Galen wanted to hurry to the door when Artem said, “What about the Caladrius Bird?”
Galen tacitly understood his brother’s meaning. The pet's corpse could still give them some clues about what had happened to their parents. Preventing these men from taking it away was essential. Thus, Artem made Lyra stock the dead pet despite her protest that she wasn’t a morgue while Galen went to relieve Melia.
At the door, he instantly recognized the burly man and the small-eyed man with their lackeys. They were impatient, and this time Galen felt powerless in front of these shameless men who didn’t even offer any condolence about the death of his parents. As he was about to defend his home, Lyra’s voice interrupted him.
“Artem is going to try to clean up the mess in the office. Let me repeat what I’ve told him: I won’t stock anything more in the 'Warehouse' except the broken carved spirit stone. It’ll be too suspicious if there are empty spaces all over the shelves. Tell these men as much truth as possible to stall for some more times, but in the end, bent to their will. Don’t tire yourself in useless fights. You won’t win this one.”
Galen was surprised because he thought Lyra had stayed with his brother and couldn’t talk to him, but he surmised that this was her CSI’s natural talent.
Galen listened to Lyra and didn’t hide the Immaculate Twilight Plover’s arrival. He then explained that they didn’t come to the door because they were busy executing their parents’ will brought by the pet. Immediately, the small-eyed man gazed at him intently and calmed the burly man. He said this will could be of utmost importance, and he wanted to ask about it in detail.
The small-eyed man pretended it was for their investigation. This time, he produced a bunch of official papers mostly issued by the Investigation Bureau of the Beast Tamers Association. Galen painfully read through all of them and discovered with growing dread and disgust that they were accusing his parents of heinous crimes.
As soon as Lyra told him that Artem was done, Galen stopped reading and allowed them to enter. It wasn’t difficult to act as if he was weak and devastated by the news. This capitulation was followed by two days of interrogations during which the inspectors kept the twins separated, interrupting their rest randomly for another round of questioning, hoping the boys would then give something away. However, it was all in vain: the inspectors learned nothing of the Phoenix, and the twins insisted that the Immaculate Twilight Plover disappeared on its own.
The inspectors also examined the two fairies in detail despite the boys’ protests, only to discover that these were really common pets, the lowest possible rank. The inspectors were still suspicious, but only the CSI could break a contract, and if it wasn’t broken after these two days of forced separation and rough examinations, they couldn’t do much more about it.
Galen and Artem were very grateful to Lyra. They were delighted that their CSI could use telepathy. This allowed them to keep their story straight, but most importantly, this allowed them to keep feeling connected to each other. Without her, the inspectors’ strategy would have been extremely effective since the twins had never been separated.
This separation was made even more cruel by confiscating their young pets. The first days were the most important for developing intimacy with a pet, but the fairies had to endure cold examinations for hours. Only Lyra’s reassurances that the fairies were fine could assuage the twins' worries. The boys didn’t suspect her of lying about the fairies.
In the end, the inspectors had no choice but to release the twins since they were minors, and Galen and Artem had to be in school, especially now that they had awakened. Official papers were shown to them. The twins were to be sent to the school dorm of Dascalos High School while their house was sealed to be searched in more depth.
However, no matter how or who they asked, they were told nothing about Melia. The boys could only hope nothing bad happened to her and worry about what the old housekeeper could have told the inspectors.