["There are many in power who will tell someone where they must live and what they must do, but out of all of those people, many of them will not live in the way they recommend to others. In fact, those people tend to do the opposite, and when it happens, it causes issues. That is what happened with the former city of Raython. It ended in the governor, who will not be named, being dragged out of his house and killed by his own people."
-Quote from Unkown during the new election of Raython]
Aster
I looked over the small house as I walked up to it. It was a four-room cabin made of all the same type of wood with only one window per room of the house, lined up so all sides of the house happened to have a window. My window wasn't visible from the front, but I could imagine the green drapes that hid the room from view.
Walking up to the door, I let myself in, knocking the dirt off my boots on the side, and I was pleasantly surprised by the smell of cooking meat. I felt my mouth start to water at the scent it gave off, and I felt myself switching from anxious to excited almost immediately.
It was Abexl she was cooking, my favorite. I knew that smell from anywhere. Giving a tiny hop of excitement, I started making my way to the kitchen.
“Aster, if you leave that door open after I spent all day heating the house, I’ll have you sleep outside. Alone”
The last word was added almost as an afterthought, but the voice still had me pause in my movement with a shiver running up my back. Even if I didn’t feel the cold moving into the house, I moved as quickly as I could. I turned and shut the door with one hand, letting out a small curse at how she always seemed to know.
Slowly, I made my way to the kitchen, pulling on the wooden door already half open that separated the main room and the kitchen, and turned towards the delicious smell to spot Kulni.
My mother, also the mother of wolves, was blessed by the goddess of the hunt and was the biggest wolf I had ever seen. At the moment, though, she looked mostly human and was in the middle of making a stew.
She stood six feet tall and then some but was half hunched over a pot and was focused on adding in a spice that looked like ginger. Her wolf-like ears twitched as I walked in. The fur on them matched the same silvery white hair that ran down her back, ending just above her waist.
Her tail seemed to slowly move in a circle like the ladle she was stirring.
With her darker tan skin compared to my all too easily sunburnt pale skin, it was apparent we weren't related by blood. It was a known fact, but I loved her regardless, and she took care of me.
“Aster, I said to close the door. You're letting the heat out.” Her voice didn't sound annoyed, but it held the same tone as someone who had said it a hundred times and didn’t expect to stop.
“I did, Mom. I just..” I let my voice trail off.
I hadn’t really thought about what to say. I mean, what did you say when you brought home an egg that you’ve bonded with? Sorry, mom, it was an accident? I mean, it was.
My idea of explaining anything died in my mind as Kulni turned, probably sensing my hesitation. The simple tunic and pants she wore did nothing to hide the imposing figure that was beneath it. Her amber eyes looked down at mine only for a second, then moved and stared at the dragon egg, pausing for five whole seconds to look at it. I counted to make sure, and it was a new record, if I could remember right.
I felt myself starting to sweat when she didn't say anything, only looking back up at me. For a second, I debated if bringing the egg back had been the right choice after all.
Then she started to chuckle. Out of all the things I expected, I didn't expect amusement, maybe anger for being late or bringing something potentially dangerous home, but not amusement. I didn't know whether to be nervous or relieved, so I just stood there dumbfounded.
“Well, are you bonded to it?” She asked once she had stopped chuckling, pointing the wooden spatula at me.
I nodded at the question that was phrased more like a done statement as if she already knew the answer.
“What color is the mark?” She asked.
I frowned and tilted my head in. I looked down, shifting the egg to look at my right hand, which had felt scorching in the cave, but nothing was there, no burn mark.
“Mark?” I echoed the word, confused.
Mother let out a sigh. “I suppose that's fair. We have never talked about bonding to an animal or monster, and I was hoping to avoid it for at least another year.”
Turning around, stirring the stew a few times, she reached over to the mirror that hung on the wall, taking it off. It was a small one meant for looking at your face. She liked to keep around the cabin. Kunil gestured me closer, and I walked hesitantly over, keeping a small distance to avoid the frost forming over the food.
She set the wooden spoon to the side on a small wooden table that held all the spices we had gathered, much more than usual. The winter would limit what else we could find, and neither of us wanted to lose access to them for that long.
Raising the mirror, she took a step closer, and I was surprised to see no frost form on her, but she did raise a single eyebrow, looking down at the egg again. “It’s an impressive aura.” She mused before she used one hand to gently tilt my head up and to the side, raising the mirror so I could see she parted my hair. On my neck, a golden mark shimmered, a pale blue shaped like a spiraling circle made of multiple interlocking pieces. I raised a hand and felt it. It was cold, and the movement sent a shiver through my body.
“It almost looks like it’s moving,” I said, watching it spin.
Kulni nodded, then lowered the mirror. “It’s a strong bond, and you two were lucky to match well.
We're going to have to have a long talk, but that can wait until I finish this stew. No point wasting it by rushing it.” Kulni said, mixing the stew again. “Tell me what happened while I finished cooking, please, daughter.”
I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but a gentle cough from Kulni had me sit down, and I held my tongue. Asking questions before answering Mom's wasn't a way to get an answer.
I started to recount my story, beginning at the hunt with the Felim, and I was happy to see her nod in approval at the use of my skill.
“It was a good idea to have it hit the tree, but if its level was any higher, it might have gone through it. Even though it was Claw Oak, it's not unbreakable.”
I nodded, taking in her words. I would think about them later, as I always did after a hunt. Continuing the story, I explained the Illusion and how I had gotten down and found the egg, finishing up the story with the walk back and why we had been late.
The disapproving look she gave me made me wilt. “You should have known better than to use your hand to look around. Something causing that much cold could have killed you if you were unlucky. You should have thought more. Sandath was in the right here. I expect you to think more next time. No relics or ruins are worth your life or his.”
Her words were harsh, but I couldn't argue with them. She was right. What I did had been reckless.
“I understand, Mom. I'll be careful next time.” I promised, looking down to avoid her eyes.
“I just want you to understand to take precautions first, and there were reasons I wanted you to avoid those ruins.” She sighed. “Get a blanket and set the egg on the ground, and let’s eat.
I nodded. Even as reluctant as I was to let go of the egg, I wasn't willing to make Kulni more upset or disappointed. In less than a minute, I had grabbed one of the extra blankets off of the chair in the main room and had wrapped up the egg in it, setting it down on the ground next to my chair in the kitchen, and again, I was surprised to see no frost appear anywhere. Kulni walked over, setting a bowl down in front of me on the table, and as if reading my mind, answered my unsaid question.
“It’s in my domain and close to me. While it’s strong, I can still suppress its aura, and no, it won’t hurt the egg.”
I closed my half-open mouth and instead looked down at my food as she took the only other seat at the table with her bowl. The stew looked and smelled amazing. Abexl, a large lizard-like creature that lived in the outer forest, had become my favorite food. The meat of the creature was softer than most and was almost impossible to cook over a fire because of how easily it charred and broke apart, but in a stew like the one Kulni cooked, it was amazing. The creature's scales could also be ground down into a powder to be used to stop infections, and the bones the wolves seemed to enjoy. I dug into the meal with an apatite.
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“We have a lot to go over tonight before you unlock your second class. How much time do you have?” Kulni asked.
“Two hours and thirteen minutes,” I said after swallowing another mouthful and checking the timer.
Kulni nodded her head. “First thing then, take a look at your status screen.”
I opened it up with a thought and started to read over it.
[Name: Aster]
[Grade: 0 (2:13 hours remaining until unlock)]
[Level: 30][Titles: Daughter of Kulni, Bonded]
[Mana: 230/256]
[Stamina: 280/300]
[Race Class: Child of The Pack - Level 30]
[Class Skills: Pack Hunter, Hunting Sense, Hunting Dash]
[Second Class: Unclassed]
[Attributes]
[Available Attribute Points - 0]
[Constitution - 22]
[Strength - 17]
[Endurance - 30]
[Dexterity -23]
[Charisma - 14]
[Intelligence - 23]
[Wisdom - 15]
“I got a new title, but it just says bonded, and I can’t identify it,” I explained to Kulni.
“Anything else?” She asked
“Not in my status sheet, but a screen earlier said being bonded updated my second class options,” I said, and after a moment of focus, I shared the screen with her. By how her eyes moved I could tell that she was reading it.
"That's expected when you bond. The system sees the pact you made as a permanent change, and it can alter a fair bit in the process and down the line." She gestured to the bowl in front of her. "Like this, once the ingredients are in, it's nearly impossible to separate them. Yes, you can take the meat out, but the juice the meat soaked up is still in, and so is the flavor." Kulni paused, a clear sign that I could ask questions, and I did.
"Does that mean I'm bonded with them forever now? I didn't mean to bond to it, not that I would have wanted to leave it."
"No, daughter, it's a fresh bond and shouldn't have major backlash, but you have bonded, and that has already affected the way you think. You're protecting that egg as if it was your own."
I looked down at the egg by my feet, which sat warped in the blanket. Realizing the egg affected me was not doing anything for my fondness towards it, which was a bit worrying. "Does that mean it can affect how I think? Will it be able to change my thoughts ?"
Kulni shook her head and snorted. "No, the system forbids something like that. A bond can share emotions with its other. If it is a strong emotion, like the dragon in the egg is feeling, then those emotions can be amplified. By the sound of it, the bond you made was unintentionally done. It's rare, but it can happen."
"In this case, the egg is probably close to its limit on when it has to hatch, and you were at the right place and willing to help it."
I got up and went to the pot, refilling my bowl as I thought over her words. "So it's just a chance I found the egg the day I was unlocking my second class?"
Kulni held up her bowl as I came back, and I set mine down and repeated the process of filling hers up while she spoke.
"Yes and no. For the past few hundred years or so, after I took the forest for my own, dragons have used it as a place to hide eggs in the middle sections of the forest with my approval. Here, the dragons will hatch and leave the forest. It's been a few decades since the last dragon has come. That egg has hatched. The egg you bonded is much older, which is why it needs to hatch soon."
Kunli looked me in the eyes, her gaze sharp and serious as she spoke her next words. "Do you want to keep this bond? After it hatches, it'll be nearly impossible to break without one of you dying. It could survive without you even if it doesn't bond."
The question had me stop eating. Looking down at the egg, I thought about it.
The dragon that hatched could survive, but if it could, then why would it bond to me?
It didn't make sense, and there was something missing. Even if the choices in the forest for bonding were limited, it had chosen me. How could I say no? I let out a long breath and then nodded.
"I don't understand much about bonding, but it picked me, and I'm going to do what I can to help it."
Kulni nodded, and for a second, relief or sadness passed through her eyes, but it was gone so fast I could have imagined it. "Then we can talk more about it later. For now, let's discuss your second class and the advancement of your first."
I almost groaned but held it in. Kulni seemed adamant that I pick something not related to the forest.
"Since you'll be busy with the hatching, I think it's time you hear why." Kulni hummed for a moment, and she heaved in a breath. "I want you to go to the kingdom."
I started to cough, the spoonful of stew I had just swallowed almost coming back up. She wanted me to leave the forest? Was it the egg? The food looked unappetizing, and I whispered the only words I could think of. "Why? Is it something I did? I'll pick a good class, I promise."
"No, daughter. There's an academy in the kingdom that teaches elves and humans. Anyone who pass the exam and have just advanced to grade one, unlocking their second class can attend. This isn't a punishment or an exile."
Kulni was being patient with me, but I didn't understand why she wanted me to go.
"Why do I have to go? You can teach me everything I need to know." I protested.
Kulni snorted and then laughed, her teeth pointed ends showing. "My daughter, I can not teach you half of what you need to know. This will only be for two years, then after that, you can decide on what you want to do, but I want you to go."
I hung my head, I didn't want to go, but I didn't have a choice in the matter. "Promise after I can come back and stay in the forest?
"You will always be welcomed into this forest, but I want you to learn what is outside, beyond the trees."
She focused, her eyes looking at something I couldn't see.
"I will send a letter. The last time I checked, I believe they had other bonded dragons there that guarded the kingdom. The hatchling might be able to learn from them."
I nodded my head. "How long until I have to go?" I mumbled
"The academy starts in the summer season, and You will head to the Arlion capital when winter breaks. Until then, I want you to gain levels and finish the books I’ve gotten you on the races and how they work.
Still a bit dazed at the information, I nodded. The one thing I had to agree with unwillingly was the lack of information I had on the other races. Not that I minded only being with Kulni and the wolves, but not having met a single other human-like race was a bit sad.
Idly, I checked the time on the grade advancement, trying to think of a way to change the conversation.
[Grade: 0 (16 minutes remaining until unlock)]
I almost feel out of my seat. "Mom, what class should I pick if I can't have one relating to the forest?" Even if I had wanted to pick a class relating to the forest, I understood I couldn't now as upsetting as it was.
"Whatever class you think will suit you, don't pick one based on what you will be doing or where you are, but pick one based on what you are."
I nodded and got up, and reached for the egg, only for Kulni to speak again. "I suppose I'll have to get things for the hatching ready. You'll be out for at least a week. Binding and advancing." She laughed and leaned back in the chair.
Turning around, I gave her a confused look
"What do you mean I'll be out?"
"My dear child, if you wouldn't have ignored my attempts to talk to you about your class, you would have known. Advancing in grade and advancing your class takes an enormous toll on your body. Now that you've bonded as well and to a dragon on the same day of your unlocking, I wouldn't be surprised if you were out for a week and a half. I'll have something for you to eat when you wake up. Now go, I don't want you collapsing on the ground."
Blinking, I nodded. It didn’t change much about what was going to happen.
I made my way out of the kitchen and to the main room, glancing outside the window at the stars and moon for a moment before I walked to my room. I briefly wondered if the stars would be different outside of the forest but didn’t see why they would be.
Shaking my head, I continued walking. My room was on the opposite side of the house from Kulni’s room and the kitchen, and as I walked in, I looked around.
It was simple, small, but cozy. One portion of the room was taken up by a desk and shelf full of various papers and books; another held a stand of half-made arrows and other necessities for my bow. I ignored them all in favor of my bed. Not even bothering to undress, I fell onto it. I was going to take a thorough shower when I woke up.
I looked at the painting on the wall. It was the only one I had, a gift from Kulni on my twelfth birthday. It was of me and her in front of the cave where I'd grown up the first few years of my life that I could remember.
I had no idea how she managed to get it in such detail, but I loved it. I stared at it as my mind went through the conservation we’d just had.
I didn't want to leave the forest, but at the same time, I didn't want to disappoint Kulni.
Today was not the day I had expected, but if I had to attend this academy, maybe I could make it work. I started to wonder what it would be like to see other races, but before my thoughts went further, they were interrupted by the appearance of a blue screen that I read eagerly, pushing everything else out of my mind.
[You have reached the required age set by your race class to start advancement -15 Years, 7 Months, 3 Days- your second class will be unlocked, and your race class is available to advance.]
[Start Grade Advancement?]
[Yes/No]
[Warning: failing to start advancement to grade 1 will increase the time required for advancement by 10 days and can cause errors.]
I took a deep breath, flipping around in my bed and lying flat.
I’d waited a long time for this. I need to focus on it, now wasn't a time to think of anything else.
Letting my body relax, I laid flat and mentally selected yes.
The weird sensation of my eyes closing without me doing unnerved me; all I saw was black.