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Everen clicked his tongue and used Purify on his cocktail-stained shoes in disgust. Then he grabbed the drink and turned to Brexton. "What’s this about the flight being delayed?"

Brexton took a drink and shrugged. "It’s been delayed."

"For how long?"

"Four days."

"Four? The migration’s starting!"

Brexton rolled the ice in his glass. "Yeah. That’s the point."

Everen paused and thought about the situation. To his credit, he was getting a lot better about it since his delusions of grandeur disappeared.

"So they don’t want us to make contact… fuck. And you’re just gonna let that happen?"

Brexton took a deep breath and exhaled harshly. Then he popped open a tin in his pocket and ate a pill inside and shut it. Sometimes, alcohol just wasn’t enough.

"This world you came from," he said, "could rich people do whatever the fuck they wanted?"

Everen frowned.

"I didn’t think so. The families have privileges above the common law, but we have our own laws—our own rules. Our own relationships. The Claustra can’t do whatever they want—especially when every major business family has an incentive to watch our client burn." He pointed at Everen with his glass. "But we did make our argument. We bribed and threatened the right people. So we got three days. Three days before the migration starts in full. Aiden can launch in, make contact, and get out before the migration begins. That’s all we’ll get—so deal with it."

Brexton took another drink and started to feel the soothing effects of the temper reaching his bloodstream. He looked across the room and saw his fling rolling her eyes, huffing, crossing her arms, tapping her toes. "Now, if you’ll excuse me," he said to Everen. "Unlike you, my entire life isn’t riding on this."

He left and walked over to console his girlfriend, whose anger and frustration wouldn’t subside so long as her clothes were on.

Everen watched Brexton leave with a bitter expression, feeling cold ire percolating through his veins. He had left a land of opportunity where anyone could become king and woke up in a shit hole where business-oriented monarchies presided over territories and products, like drug cartels in Columbia. The only way for him to make it in this world was for him to enter into a family, and for the next two years, Brexton had him on a leash.

Everen rocked back the rest of his glass, reveling in the bitter taste of the alcohol as he watched the syndicate teen disappear into a back room with a woman. Everen wanted everything Brexton Claustra had and more—and he would get it. No matter what he had to do—he would get it.

2.

It was a four-day trip to the southern end of the Diktyo River. It would have been a day trip if it weren’t for the geography and our situation. I’ll try to explain the situation the best I can.

The Fourth Ring was the smallest of the rings beyond the Bramble. There was only fifty miles from Galfer’s Gate to the next ring, and the temporary shelter was in the center of it—in the area known as "The Divide." Arithiel Pond, the sacred location I saved from the lignan bugs, was ten miles north of the temporary shelter. It was attracting strong second and third-evolution beasts in flocks as they pushed to the mana vein to thread their cores. For that reason, there was a temporary migration north along the river, which was the reason that I needed to go south to avoid getting chomped to death.

There was just one problem: there was a big ass mountain next to the Diktyo River called Callasan Mountain, so getting to the southern part of the river required a twenty-five-mile hike around it. It required us to move south toward the Greenhouse barrier—where I almost died—before curving west toward the river. It promised to be terrifying—

—but it wasn’t.

It felt… liberating. With the poison highlighting and trap plant warnings, it wasn’t any more dangerous on an hour-by-hour basis than my week-long backpacking trips through the Rockies. I woke to the sound of nature and immersed myself in nature for hours on end, soaking up my surroundings and loving life.

It was… different… in ways. Kline and I killed plenty of beasts along the way. He used his Phantom Claws; I used a hiking stick that I turned into a sword with mana sharpening. But even that was starting to feel routine and natural, as if I had been doing it my whole life.

As for living in a tent, it went about as well as you would expect. The first night we slept in a meadow, enjoying the stars and wondering why we were ever worried. The second night, we were attacked by killer bugs, and Kline and I needed to take shifts erecting barriers to prevent them from ripping the tent.

It wasn’t pleasant.

Things changed once we got to the southern end of Callasan Mountain and started our hike west toward the river. The paths were treacherous at times, taking us over high bluffs and moving around low cliffs. Yet the payoff was extravagant when we reached Laka Starksha, a crystal lake that littered gold from the unique golden flowers around it.

A large waterfall crashed into the center of the water, bubbling it like a cauldron, and colorful fish swam through it like we were in a coral reef.

I researched the area during lunch and found that it was likely safe. It was usually a waterhole for second-evolution beasts, but most had migrated north toward Arithiel Pond or south toward the Bramble. Since it was empty, we decided to risk it, taking a swim and rejuvenating our spirits.

It was magical.

I threaded my core in a cave behind the waterfall just to say that I did it, then toweled off in the heat and went on.

That night, we set up on a high bluff under the exposed sky. Kline decided he wanted attention and started rubbing on my legs to pet himself, as all cats do, and I let him hop into my lap. We sat there for hours, gazing at the stars, enjoying life.

I knew things would get harder, but it felt damn good knowing we could travel for days without dying in the forest now.

"Hey, Kline."

Kline turned his head both ways to find the best way to look at me before finally turning his body.

I smiled thinly. "I… I get the feeling that this’s gonna be our greatest trial since the lignan bugs. Do you also feel that way?"

He meowed.

I nodded. "That’s why… I want you to give it your all and right now… it feels like you’re holding back to find the best time to show off your new powers. So… can I just see?"

Kline looked away sharply, then thought about it and looked back and turned away and then faced me and released the weakest meow I had ever heard.

"You poor thing," I giggled, petting his fur. "You know I’m going to be shocked and look all sorts of bitter at how powerful you are, right?"

Kline smiled creepily.

I laughed. "Come over here." I picked him up and hugged him and then looked—

—and let me tell you, I was every bit as shocked and bitter as I thought I’d be.

—---

Kline Hill

Race: Felis catus

Level: 21

Evolution: 1

Class: Phantom Cat

Legacy: Illusionary Arts | Patron: Miriselle (Phantom Cat God)

Subclass: Hunter

Spells:

Active Camouflage (Fourth Tier [+1]): Blend into your surroundings (suppress heat signals and smell).

Phantom Claws (Second Tier): Create blades out of raw mana. Can extend claws or release them as an aerial attack.

Sharp Bite (First Tier): Use raw mana to sharpen teeth and jaws for bite attacks.

Mana manifestation (Third Tier [+1]): Use raw mana to create physical shapes (use mana to build around objects).

Ethereal Body: Create a larger body of raw mana that retains all functionality of the smaller body.

Illusionary Dopple: Create an illusionary double.

Mental Split: Split your mental capabilities to move your dopples independently or create two attacks.

Ethereal Bridge: create bridges of mana in the skies.

Warp Step (Fifth Tier): Teleport between shadows.

Pounce (First Tier): Increase agility when striking.

Wraithwalk (Fourth Tier): Increased stealth of walking.

Wraithaura (Second Tier): Mute the sound of individuals nearby.

Enhanced Speed (Second Tier): Increases speed.

Enhanced Hearing (Second Tier): Increases hearing sensitivity.

Enhanced Smell (Second Tier): Increases sense of smell.

Far Sight (Second Tier): Increases eyesight.

Mana Sense (Third Tier): See the flow of mana.

Hunter’s Perception (Fourth Tier): Feel mana fluctuations in a 250-meter radius around you.

Soul Processing (Third Tier): Pre-refine Soul Force before infestation (no core necessary).

Basic Barrier (First Tier): Creates a ten-foot dome barrier around the user. Increases in power as the core becomes more refined.

Poison Sense (First Tier): Enhances senses to pick out poisons. Increases in efficacy as the user identifies poisonous plants and identifies their poison signatures.

Silvern’s Triumph (Seventh Tier): Converts soul mana refined in the last 24 hours into an amplifier for attacks.

Description: The fact that you constantly remind yourself that Kline’s getting stronger is one of the rare instances when the part of your brain that handles self-awareness is actually working. Kline has not only doubled your mana and soul force reserves, but he’s also been practicing his magic daily in a way that Elana had to force you to do. If skill wasn’t enough—he’s deadly. Have you noticed that you don’t even see leaves rustling when he disappears from you? That’s because he’s not walking on the ground. That "little shit" is walking on air, sneaking past all enemies like a ghost, eating beasts, and converting their bodies into raw fuel for devastating attacks. To second evolution beasts, he’s a god. But don’t get complacent. Third evolution beasts and humans have the ability to sense mana, and then his invisibility goes poof.

P.S. Because I know you’re a masochist, I’ll tell you: No—Kline doesn’t need you to survive. You’ve helped him identify thousands of poisonous plants. Now, his first-tier poison sense skill is about 80% as effective as your book. So, if you want to feel better—catch up.

Note: Levels reset after every evolution, with a new level cap set at each.

—---

"Damn…" I whispered. I looked at Kline, who was staring at me with a creepy smile.

"Stop that!" I said, shooing him off. "You’re a badass. Don’t be creepy about it."

Kline hissed and ran around me. I grabbed him by the hindquarters, and he let me pull him in. Then we went back to snuggling as I thought about Kline’s powers.

"I’m counting on you," I said whispered.

His ears twitched.

"So take care of me, okay?"

Kline meowed softly.

We drifted off to sleep.

We struck out before sunrise. Two hours later, Kline and I stood on a rocky bluff over hundreds of miles of forest like a green sea, overlooking our mark. Not too far in was a large patch that had no trees and was covered with a haunting fog that spread along, moving slowly and hypnotically into the far distance.

The Diktyo River.

It was as clear as the throngs of beasts swarming it.

It wasn’t that bad. There wasn’t a line of them moving in tandem, marching to the Arithiel Pond before the harvest. There was just the amount that you would expect to be around a sacred location.

From my research, I knew that most would be herbivores—but even herbivores here were dangerous and moved in herds of ten or twenty per species, some with horns all over their body or colorful—promising poison. There were also birds, the first serious group I had seen, and they were twice as large as eagles but circled the area like crows scavenging a parking lot. They periodically dove into the trees, setting off an animal’s cries.

Shoulda just stayed there… I thought. It felt shitty knowing that I had just traveled twenty-five miles just to be blocked by throngs of wild beasts—

—but I knew that wasn’t fair.

Arithiel Pond was swarming with third-evolution beasts that were threading before the migration. Strong evolution beasts were behind them. Compared to there, we were in easy territory.

This would have to do.

It had to do.

"Let’s hold back," I said. "I’m gonna buy a book on herbivores and do some research, kay?"

Kline meowed.

"Thanks, little guy." I opened up my guide and went into the rewards tab and went to books. The book I needed was right there, front and center.

—---

Name: Herbivores in the Areswood Forest (Rings 1-6)

Grade: Platinum

Description: You know what it does, so I’ll save you. What you didn’t know is that your Killer Animals in the Areswood Forest combines with this book, giving you a highlighting feature that shows whether animals are carnivores or herbivores.

Note: For a diamond upgrade, this book will highlight beasts in different colors based on their elemental attributes, poison levels, and different known traits.

—---

My heart froze and cracked like black ice when I read the note, and I immediately started weighing the pros of using a diamond, pointing out how useful that highlighting would be for life—using the poison and edible plant books as examples. But I quickly suppressed the desires. I also wanted alchemic ingredient highlighting and I knew in two weeks I would want something else.

Herbivore and carnivore highlighting would do.

I bought it.

—---

Book: Herbivores in the Areswood Forest (Rings 1-6) has been added to your shelf.

—---

I pushed the notification aside, checked the atlas one last time, and shut it. I had researched the area the best I could, but there wasn’t anything unique. It was just poisonous plants and deadly animals. That hadn’t changed—so it was time to just go for it.

"Do you have information requests?" I asked Kline.

He meowed.

"Good. If shit goes down, I’m going to break for the river. Once that happens, I want you to run. Use an information request to find the safest route to meet me—I’ll do the same. Okay?"

Kline nodded.

"That’s my little warrior." I pulled out the water bladder from my backpack and tied it to Kline’s body as he protested. It only had a few cups left, but it would have to be enough. "I’m getting more," I huffed. "We’re at the river, remember?"

He paused.

"If we get separated, you may need to survive for days alone. So take it."

Kline swallowed and nodded.

"Good kitty." I played with his ears as he nipped at my fingertips, and then I stood and looked into the valley. "Let’s go."

3.

Aiden walked into Halten’s chamber with the strongest front he could. Today was the day that would determine whether he and Halten would pass the Bramble and live—or take to the skies and die. He was finally on his way to meet Mira Hill.