Arin sat in his dorm, staring at the "rock" he had received from the Spirit Tomb.
It wiggled.
> "No. Nope. I'm not raising a demon beast," Arin said.
> "Too late," the scroll replied. "You already bonded with it."
> "How?"
> "You fell asleep on top of it. That counts."
> [Ding! Congratulations! You have accidentally initiated a Beast Bond Contract.]
[Species: Unknown]
[Status: Unhatched]
[Name: Pending]
[Mood: Wiggly]
Arin groaned. "I'm not ready to be a parent. I don't even feed myself correctly."
---
Meanwhile… in Yue Lan's Pavilion
Yue Lan stared at the night sky.
> "He now owns a cursed scroll, a chaotic egg, and possibly the attention of Elder Yuehua."
Yura popped her head out of a spirit bamboo bath. "I'm calling it now—he's the reincarnation of a legendary troll god."
> "Or a spiritual cockroach."
---
Hatch Day
At sunrise, the egg began glowing violently.
Arin panicked.
> "Should I boil water? Towels?!"
> [No. Just don't scream.]
> "Why would I scre—AAAAHHH!"
The egg cracked.
Out popped… something with big glowing eyes, smoky fur, and a tail that looked like a small galaxy.
It sneezed. The wall exploded.
> [Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of a Voidflame Pup.]
> "...The WHAT?"
> [Species: Baby Voidflame Chimera]
Rarity: Mythical (Forgotten)
Personality: Emotionally unstable. Like you.]
The pup looked at Arin and burped sparks.
> "I love him," Yura whispered, appearing through the window. "I want to name him… Fluffy Doom."
> "No," Arin protested.
> "YES," Yue Lan and Yura said in unison.
---
Training Begins (Sort Of)
Arin tried to teach Fluffy Doom how to sit.
Instead, it teleported across the courtyard and nearly set Jun Bai's robes on fire.
> "YOU AGAIN?!" Jun Bai yelled.
> "Technically, that wasn't me," Arin said, holding up the pup like a meat shield. "It was my flaming son."
> "YOU NAMED YOUR BEAST 'FLUFFY DOOM'?!"
> "Don't beast-shame my parenting."
Jun Bai unsheathed his sword.
> "One day, I will purify your entire bloodline."
---
Elder Yuehua's Intervention
Later, Elder Yuehua appeared unannounced.
She examined Fluffy Doom, petted it once, and got bit.
She smiled anyway.
> "It seems your luck is cursed… and blessed."
> "That's just my life summary."
She stared at Arin for a long moment.
> "There's something sleeping in you," she murmured. "Something ancient. I wonder if it's fate, or… just a divine prank."
Arin gulped. "Please let it be a prank."
---
Back in Arin's Room
That night, Arin curled up with Fluffy Doom chewing on his scroll.
> "You know," he said, "for a chaotic trash disciple… I might not be completely useless."
> "You're still mostly useless," the scroll muttered. "But now you have a pet explosion."
> [Ding! New title unlocked: Beast Dad of Calamity.]
> [Effect: Beast companions are 10% more likely to ignore your commands.]
> "Fitting," Arin sighed.