Part I: "The Echo in the Flame"
Morning broke heavy.
Stormclouds coiled above the hills like smoke refusing to fall. The sun hadn't dared show itself, as if the sky itself could feel it too:
Kael was changing.
Inside the Ardyn home, Kael sat at the kitchen table, staring into his tea like it held answers. The warmth in his chest hadn't faded — it had deepened. Like coals beneath ash, waiting.
His mother watched quietly, pretending not to notice.
"You named it, didn't you?" she asked softly.
Kael looked up.
"…Yeah."
Seris smiled faintly, setting a small clay pot down.
"And?"
"Emberfang," he said. "That's his title. The bond name."
Seris nodded. "And?"
Kael hesitated… then smirked.
"I call him Ashen. For short."
The name slipped out of him like it had always been there — not just chosen, but revealed.
Seris chuckled.
"It suits him. And you."
Outside — At the Forest Edge…
Kael stood alone near the place where he'd first heard the wolf.
No longer fearful. No longer uncertain.
The trees were silent. The stream barely flowed.
Then — a single leaf shifted.
A ripple of heat followed.
And the wolf emerged from the mist.
Not with menace.
Not with dominance.
But as if it had always belonged.
Its eyes locked with Kael's.
"Hey," Kael said, his voice quiet but certain. "Emberfang's your name. But… that's not what I'll call you every day."
The wolf tilted its head.
"Ashen," Kael said with a grin. "That's who you are to me."
For a long breath, the beast didn't move.
Then it stepped forward and brushed its nose softly against Kael's palm.
And in that moment — something clicked.
The First Echo
Kael staggered slightly.
The world spun — not violently, but like he'd just changed lenses.
His hearing sharpened. The distant bird cry became crystal clear. The wind's direction became readable. The air temperature shifted — and Kael felt the change before it happened.
His body stiffened as a squirrel darted from a branch overhead.
But Kael didn't look.
He knew where it was going before it landed.
His heart synced with something deeper — a second rhythm.
The bond wasn't complete.
But it had opened.
"You're in me now," Kael muttered, eyes wide. "Even before I've called the bond fully."
Ashen growled low — not in threat, but approval.
Back at the Village…
Zevran felt the pulse.
He stopped mid-walk as his son's echo touched the ether of the beast realm.
Seris felt it too. Her breath caught — not in fear, but in awe.
And Lyra?
Lyra threw open the window.
"Mom. I just felt Kael's soul grow muscles. Did he finally activate plot armor?"
Seris: "Lyra—"
"Kael's in his 'cool phase' now. I've got to rewrite his clan lore. Again."
Later That Day…
Ashen walked beside Kael as he returned toward the village.
Not invisible.
Not hiding.
Present.
The few villagers who saw him froze — stunned by the beast's silent majesty. But Ashen gave no notice. He was bonded now. His instincts were part of Kael's. And he had already claimed his place.
Kael caught sight of a familiar figure near the entrance to the merchant quarters.
The scout.
The man's eyes flicked to Kael. Just for a second.
And then he vanished into the crowd.
That Night…
Kael sat in his room, staring out the open window. Ashen lay curled beneath him like a shadow with a heartbeat.
"You really picked me, huh?" Kael whispered.
Ashen opened one golden eye.
"I won't let you down."
The wolf closed its eye again, but Kael felt the warmth — a silent agreement.
From that night on, Kael never truly slept alone again.
And the fire within him? It had found its first voice.
Part II: "Eyes in the Mist"
The forest looked different now.
Kael didn't walk through it.
He read it.
Every shift of the wind, every crack of a twig — it wasn't just sound anymore. It was information.
Ashen moved beside him, silent and fluid, always just in step. Not leading. Not following. Aligned.
"You're not just fast," Kael murmured. "You know the paths before I see them."
Ashen gave a short growl — agreement.
"Then let's test this."
Kael closed his eyes.
And ran.
The Training Field — Moments Later
Zevran and Maelin stood at the edge of the training field.
Maelin watched Kael with his usual sharp gaze.
"He's adapting quickly."
Zevran didn't reply.
Kael stood across the field, still, his wooden blade lowered.
Then—
He vanished.
Not literally — but his movement blurred, almost too quick to track.
Tap. Spin. Step-slide. Slash.
He tore through five practice dummies without hesitation. His blade didn't just strike — it anticipated.
Maelin blinked. "That's not raw speed."
Zevran finally spoke.
"That's his instincts syncing with the beast. He's not seeing with his eyes anymore."
"Then why are you frowning?"
Zevran crossed his arms.
"Because he's getting too used to this power."
Kael's Room — That Night
"I need to start holding back," Kael whispered.
Ashen flicked an ear.
"If I move like this around the others… they'll notice. They'll ask. And I'm not ready to give answers."
Ashen huffed — a sound between a growl and a laugh.
"I'm serious."
Kael looked out the window.
"If I act normal… weak even… I'll get time. Space. No one expects the quiet one."
He turned back, a spark of mischief behind his golden eyes.
"Let's let them sleep on me a little longer."
Meanwhile… At the Village Market
Lyra stood on a wooden crate, holding up a scroll with completely fake magical readings on Kael's aura.
"I present to you: PROOF that my brother is bonded to an ancient celestial-class wolf beast!"
The merchant blinked. "Is that crayon?"
"No. It's mystic soot mixed with tree sap."
"That's worse."
"Not if you believe."
"Believe what?"
"That he'll be Emperor one day."
"…I'll take three scrolls."
Elsewhere in Deyrun
The scout from before now watched Kael from a rooftop across the training yard.
But something felt… off.
The boy was too calm.
Too controlled.
He struck hard — but pulled back at the last moment. Spoke with hesitance. Walked like a trainee. But the wolf… never blinked.
"He's hiding it," the scout whispered. "The bond's syncing faster than projected."
He pulled a small crystal, activating a channel.
"Change of report. Subject is feigning weakness. Bond is accelerating. Proceed with caution."
End of the Day…
Zevran stood with Seris again — watching their son from a distance.
"He's already acting," she said softly.
"He knows the value of shadows."
"Just like his father."
Zevran didn't smile.
"No. He'll do better than I ever did."