The Seedling World was changing. Fate itself seemed to be reshaping, weaving a new path for those who walked its land.

In the midst of this transformation, a young man sat in deep meditation—or at least, he had been. Now, he lay in a deep slumber, his face contorted with pain.

Arya had no idea how he had ended up here.

On either side of him, sky-piercing mountains stretched endlessly into the horizon, enclosing the only path forward—a narrow, treacherous trail where he could barely move. But there was no time to think about that. He was running for his life.

From behind, a torrent of molten lava surged toward him, consuming everything in its path. If he stopped, he would be burned alive. He had no choice but to keep running. Even though the lava had yet to reach him, its searing heat had already made breathing incredibly difficult, clouding his mind and dulling his ability to think clearly.

Just as he was pushing himself to his absolute limit, a thunderous roar shook the air—so loud that it seemed to shatter the very fabric of reality. If Arya had been in a state to process it, he might have recognized the beastly cry, but right now, he was barely clinging to consciousness.

Then, the world itself began to collapse.

Like a mirror struck by a stone, the surroundings fractured and crumbled, breaking apart into countless shards of light and darkness.

Arya's eyes fluttered open.

His breath was ragged, his vision hazy, and for a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was still alive or if he had perished in that nightmare. But as his surroundings came into focus, he saw something that made him freeze.

A beast—small but unmistakably intelligent—was staring directly into his eyes. Its round, inquisitive gaze was filled with an emotion Arya couldn't quite place.

"Huh… I'm still alive?" he murmured, still disoriented.

Wasn't it still night when he had last closed his eyes? Yet, looking around, he realized that it was already morning.

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"What… happened while I was cultivating?" He muttered, his gaze shifting back to the small beast beside him, which, for some reason, hadn't looked away from him once.

His memories slowly began to resurface.

"I was absorbing the beast's blood… then a burning sensation ignited in my chest, and I couldn't stop my cultivation no matter what I tried… And then—those eyes…"

His eyes narrowed as he focused on the small creature. Specifically, its eyes.

They bore a faint resemblance to the manic, rage-filled red eyes he had seen before losing consciousness. But these were different—calmer, smaller, lacking the overwhelming fury of that other gaze.

As Arya studied the small creature, it too seemed to be observing him, its expression filled with deep thought.

Then, something unexpected happened.

The beast moved its mouth—as if attempting to speak—but no words came out. When it realized this, it frowned in confusion.

Arya raised an eyebrow. "What? It's not like you could talk before. What exactly are you trying to do?"

The small beast shook its head, then, in an almost human-like manner, stroked its invisible beard, as though deep in thought.

Arya found himself silently amused.

After a few more moments of contemplation, the beast stretched out its tiny hand toward Arya's.

Arya recognized the gesture. It wanted him to extend his hand.

With slight hesitation, he complied.

This time, instead of grabbing just his finger, the small beast grasped his entire palm.

The moment their hands touched—

A powerful suction force burst to life between them.

Both Arya and the beast locked gazes, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Then—

Something happened that nearly shocked Arya's soul out of his body.

The beast opened its mouth again—and this time, it spoke.

In a slow, stuttering voice, it said:

"We… are… connected…"

Even though the words were halting and uncertain, they were unmistakably spoken in human language.

Arya, despite his experience across nine lifetimes, couldn't help but be stunned.

"You… You can talk?!"

The little beast tilted its head slightly before responding in its still fragmented speech:

"What… is… that… expression? You… look… like… you… got… scared… after… hearing… my… voice?"

Arya took a deep breath, regaining his composure. "How… are you able to talk all of a sudden? Or were you just pretending that you couldn't?" He narrowed his eyes. "If you're a talking beast, then you must be from the depths of the Dreadfall Forest, correct?"

From what Arya knew, only Rank 5 or higher beasts were intelligent enough to speak human language—and that was the bare minimum. If this beast was indeed capable of speech, then its true strength might be far greater than it appeared.

The small creature puffed out its chest.

"Of course! I… am… the… strongest!" It declared proudly—though the effect was somewhat diminished by its struggling pronunciation.

Then, in a slightly annoyed tone, it continued:

"No… I… wasn't… able… to talk… before… But… now… I can… because… of… our… connection… It… was… my… mistake…"

"Mistake?" Arya frowned.

"I… didn't… know… this… could… happen. And… because… I… didn't… mark… your… aura… as… an… enemy… I… couldn't… stop… the… process… in… time." The beast sighed. "But… it's… not… so… bad… I… was… already… thinking… of… staying… with… you… anyway… Your… rare… double… elements… are… interesting… to… me…**"

Arya's brows furrowed. "Connection? What kind of connection? And how do you know about my double elements? I don't remember ever revealing them to you."

The small beast grinned, waving its hand dismissively.

"Oh… The… connection… is… a… spiritual… bond… You… can… check… your… inner… body… My… spiritual… mark… should… be… there…"

Although the beast was still struggling with its words, Arya could tell that it was certain of what it was saying.

Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and began inspecting his inner body, focusing on the flow of his elemental energy.

The answers he sought were now within him—but whether they would bring more clarity or greater mysteries, Arya did not yet know.