Ranvir scowled at the fleeing ‘god’. It was little more than an overgrown wolf. The locals differentiated the species, placing it somewhere between actual wolves and bears. All Ranvir knew was that his hair was a mess. Not only had the beast lacked the power he desired, it had been entirely the wrong type.
Lightning, while an especially powerful offensive, wouldn’t fix the issue with his mana saturated spirit. For now, the consequences for Ranvir’s condition were small, but he wouldn’t last forever. It might tear a new hole or simply reopen his old scar.
Shaking his head, Ranvir turned back. His arm dissolved into sand, Loce spreading to the wind as the young father went over the events of the fight. A bond had started forming the moment Ranvir had won, and he needed to examine all he’d felt more closely.
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Two days later found them looking down upon a village hugging the beach of a vast lake. Opposite the village towered a mountain. Approximately a kilometer and a half in height, it wasn’t very tall. In theory. In practice, it was about the biggest thing Ranvir’d ever seen.
Frija and Vasso were even more wowed by the sight than he was. The gray stone seemed to have blown through the upper layer of soil. Cracks spreading from the mountainous border. On closer examination, Ranvir realized it was incredibly steep and narrow.
A startling icy-blue chill wormed its way down his spine with the realization. This wasn’t a natural structure. In fact, it was the only mountainous structure in the vicinity. The tallest object within sight, even from their hilltop vantage looking out over the valley and forest.
“Come on,” Ranvir said. “Let’s go see if they have some proper beds.”
Frija gushed her approval, having slept on a bedroll yesterday. She hadn’t been a fan, despite the novelty. Vasso seemed indifferent. Ranvir got the feeling he was just enjoying being away from the orphanage.
I’m going to have to do something about the house once we return, Ranvir realized. I can’t allow him to go back to the orphanage to sleep. Ranvir ran a hand through over his face and through his hair. Removing his fingers, he noticed Vasso looking at him. Taking a page out of Grev’s book, Ranvir winked at him and smiled like he knew better.
Vasso smiled back and visibly relaxed. Ranvir almost got distracted by how well that worked, but Frija burst into a run, hammering down the hill and toward the village. Menace ran ahead of her, letting out odd cat noises as they both fled across the path.
Ranvir patted Vasso on the back. “After them,” then he took off in a run too, though he kept pace with the slower Vasso.
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Still slightly winded, Vasso slumped onto his bed for the next few nights. He was seemingly not so indifferent as he’d once been. In fact, the boy seemed quite appreciative. Ranvir hadn’t realized he was so out of shape, but he should’ve known since the kid spent all his time indoors.
I’ll have to fix that, Ranvir thought as he turned to Frija. The inn’s biggest rooms were at the top of the three story structure. It took up most of the roof and had a balcony watching the lake. Ranvir was surprised by the amount of inns in the village. Apparently, it was something of a getaway. In fact, the workers had been surprised when Ranvir denied a private room for himself. They’d also winked at him copiously. He mostly wasn’t stupid; he knew what they were insinuating, but he was here with his children. What kind of father would abandon his charges to play in the hay with a mistress?
Ranvir’d dismissed their worries and paid for a three days stay. He knew he’d found his beast. The air was fat with tension and power. It was clear two powerful creatures made this area their home. One resided towards the peak of the mountain, the other at the bottom of the lake. He could feel their presence pushing against him, forcing away encroachers.
Water played an enormous part in both their typings. The mountain dweller also held clear notes of air mana as well, however. They both had multiple lesser animals swarming around them at all times. These weren’t pitiful ‘gods’ roaming close to villages and cities. These were natural monsters. Creatures whose glory attracted the people, not the other way around.
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Each of them held their own court and ran their own domains. But not for long. Ranvir knew instinctively he couldn’t stay. For now, his presence was only being discouraged, but they sensed his power in return. Eventually, they—as rulers—would force a fight. They would not share their territory willingly.
Ranvir suspected it was only because one was air-bound and the other water-bound that they even tolerated each other.
“Let’s all take a nap,” he suggested. “Then we can all eat a big dinner before I go put on a light show?”
Frija agreed and Vasso was already half-asleep on his bed, so all Ranvir got was a vague gesture of approval. With the two children handled, Ranvir knelt and delved inwards. He brought his focus on his spirit, honing it to a fine point. This wouldn’t be a simply fight. This would be a struggle between equals and Ranvir needed to bring his best.
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He ended up skipping much of the meal, only eating a bit of meat and sipping some water. Frija and Vasso sensed his tension, and both of them watched him from the balcony as he drew his jacket on.
Ranvir was surprised to discover he wasn’t the only one moving towards the lake at this time. The sun was setting and dusk was settled heavy-lidded on the village, but three people were making their way towards the lake.
Observing from a distance, the two parents held their son’s hand as they reached the beach. Both the parents had some aspects of fish, though they’d both been lucky in their placement. Many people got lucky in their animal aspects in the country-side. It was an interesting phenomenon.
Unlike in the city, the parents hadn’t brought an animal for the child to bond with. Ranvir sensed nothing near the beach, either. It would seem they were going to catch the animal together.
Honing his Perception, Ranvir watched from a distance. He wanted to go fight the creature on the mountain, but their fight would risk anyone this close to the water. Besides, he wasn’t in so much of a hurry that he would dismiss the chance to witness a bonding.
Together, the family crouched before the water. Ranvir kept to a shadow, keeping his distance. He’d left his translation stone with Frija and Vasso since he hadn’t expected to need it tonight. Also, it would allow them to communicate their needs to the personnel of the inn.
The mother whispered encouraging words and rubbed her hand up and down the boy’s back. His short-cropped head wobbled as he voiced insecurities. The father spoke with a warm and deep tone, in slow regulated sentences. Ranvir noticed there was almost a rhythm to them as he reached into the water.
Finally, it seemed the boy was convinced. Prey, predator, food, Ranvir thought. Remember the cycle. The rules were about the bonded animal, but the boy clearly interpreted it otherwise. As he touched the water, a weak pulse was sent out. The sense of prey. Was that the boy or the world sending it forth? He had some measure of control over his tether-sense, but strong enough to reach as far as the pulse went?
Immediately, Ranvir sensed a hundred predators perking up. Most were too old and too strong for the boy, but none of these did more than pay attention.
To his surprise, Ranvir sensed one of these predators prod another. The older, more powerful hunter sent a tiny one forth. They were chosen as well. Ranvir frowned as the fish swam towards the boy and his outstretched hand. It didn’t seem the parents had noticed the exchange. It suggested a level of intelligence in the animals he wasn’t sure he was comfortable with.
Or was it purely instinctual? Ranvir shook his head. For it to be instinct, the animals have to get something out of it, right? And they still regularly send their kin…
Ranvir sighed. The baby hunter struck the boy. He yelped and pulled back, revealing the fish attached to his finger. It was no bigger than his hand and wriggling violently. Both the parents exclaimed and put their hands on the boy. Ranvir stared intently as the boy gathered himself. Panic subsided and intent took its place.
The fish stopped wriggling as the boy’s tether-sense struck. He closed his hand around its belly. With a whimper and the rushing scent of copper, he pried it off his finger. With the animal within his grasp, the table had turned. Prey became predator.
But would he not then become food?
Ranvir sensed their bond form. It was tentative, neither side jumping into it fully. Instead, it was closer to a truce. At that very moment, an insect came flying down from the skies and landed on the boy’s hand. The butterfly’s wings twinkled with pinpricks of light.
The boy stared awed at the butterfly, the parents both let out gasps of awe. Ranvir frowned in confusion as they gathered their boy into a hug. He struggled against them, forcibly putting his bonded animal back in the water. The bond was fading from Ranvir’s tether-sense as writhed to settle in their spirits and circumvented the space between them.
Ranvir watched the family go, the mother pulling out a wad of bandages, while the father gently told her off. It would seem the mother wanted to take care of her boy, while the father wanted him to show off.
“Why was the insect so important?” Ranvir shook his head and his Perception dispersed itself across his senses once more. “Let’s see if this works, then.”
Purple light burned the shadows, forcing them to retreat as Ranvir’s eyes lit up. Yellow light started limning his body as Sandstorm Rage filled his body with power. Leaping from hardened space, Ranvir’s glowing form ascended towards the mountain.
Let’s see how it reacts to me.