Unaware of what was going on in the Baum household, Rada had just come out of the Spirit and Mind room, along with Kiba, sitting on his shoulder.
"Ah! Rei look big brother is out of the room!" Rei and Cody greeted their friend.
"Cody, Rei, how long have you been waiting?" asked the boy. For some strange reason he had a feeling it had been a long time.
"It's been a couple of hours, it's already late afternoon," replied Rei. He looked at Rada from head to toe, he felt like strange vibrations coming from the young man, but he still didn't quite understand what they were.
"Um? Are you okay?" the boy asked, smiling at her. Somehow he immediately sensed the girl's gaze on him, as if he was being scrutinized, for a moment he was surprised at how sensitive he had become.
"Uh? Yes yes! It's just... you look different than before..." Rei was taken aback for a moment before answering.
"Different?" Rada glanced at herself in doubt.
But then he remembered Kiba, "Ah! Maybe it's because of him!" he picked up the puppy.
"Hey! A little tact! It's not like I'm a stuffed animal!" protested the puppy.
"Okay, okay, sorry!" sneered Rada.
"Oh! Big brother, you've completed your bond with Kiba!" cheered Cody.
However, Rei, despite the nice surprise, was not particularly impressed, she continued to scrutinize Rada discreetly.
Cody extended his arms to take the puppy in his arms, never missing an opportunity to cuddle him.
"Kiba you can finally communicate! Great!"
Kiba didn't show any expression, however he didn't fail to protest, "Damn... how could a prince of my caliber have been reduced to a mere doll... sigh..." he let out a long sigh of depression.
"Did Big Brother say something?" asked Cody caught up in the anticipation.
"Huh? Y-yes he's very happy to finally be understood and he doesn't fail to thank you Cody, for your care!" replied the other, lying through his teeth.
As the puppy told him every thing inside his head, he could only smile embarrassedly and pretend nothing happened.
"There's nothing you have to thank me for Kiba," said Cody.
All the while, he rubbed the puppy's little furry head like there was no tomorrow.
"Traitor... and you're supposed to be the one I share life and death with... poor me!" lamented Kiba.
"Ohohoh, looks like everything went as planned" as if out of nowhere, a silhouette appeared from the darkness of the dungeon.
"Elder!" the boys were literally taken aback.
"Master, I kind of have a myriad of questions to ask you," Rada said wryly.
The smile he threw at the old master hinted at much more than he was letting on.
"There will be time for that son, rather, it seems this old man must offer you an apology" he declared blaming himself.
"What are you talking about?" asked the boys strangely.
"I had no idea that you were a total stranger to the farming world, or I certainly wouldn't have let you in there so lightly. it was my fault, I admit. But what came out of it was certainly far more surprising! Not only did you manage to form your own bond, you also managed to become a full-fledged cultivator! Splendid, splendid!"
The Elder's voice that at first sounded soft and gentle gave way to all his enthusiasm. Ever since Rada and Kiba had entered the room, the Elder knew everything that was going on.
How could he imagine that the boy was completely unaware of what he was doing? If for some reason the situation Rada was in continued, he would surely die from what was called in the cultivator world "spirit deviation."
He was about to immediately burst into the room, when unexpectedly everything went right, thus affirming the boy's natural talent.
"AH! I get it now! The strange feeling I had when I saw you..." said Rei, her eyes wide with amazement. She finally understood the reason for that strange feeling she had when she looked at the boy.
"That's right my child" interrupted the old man.
"Rada has just entered the rank of Novice. What's more, during his promotion he rose directly to the final stage."
Bran and Rada remained wide-eyed.
(Now I understand - thought the boy - I was in that situation because my body was undergoing counter-effects).
"A monster..." sighed Rei.
He looked at Rada once again, this time his eyes radiated a deep reverence for the boy. But she had no idea what he had been through, otherwise she would have paled in fright.
"Novice?" the Rada's eyebrow shot up.
"There are levels that are divided into both cultivators and those who possess the spiritual pearl.
The Novice level is the first level, followed by: Apprentice level, Master, Grandmaster, Wise, Enlightened, or Mystic for those possessing the pearl, Transcendent, Divine, and finally, a level that no one has ever arrived at, in fact nothing is known about that level," the Elder explained.
This time he vowed not to make the same mistake again, so he began to explain everything to the boy from the very beginning.
(Wow, just like in the stories I used to read at home...) Rada thought to himself.
As he listened to the Elder's words, he felt his anticipation grow, he could already imagine the moment when he would find himself at the highest level ever.
"Elder, what about the bond you spoke of?" asked Cody.
"The Brotherly Bond is a special bond that only a few particular creatures possess, it is a Bond that unites creature and human in total equality. In a nutshell the creature chooses the human as his equal, sharing part of his power with it, at the same time the human shares part of his with the creature, thus entering into perfect symbiosis" the topic seemed quite complex from the Elder's words.
"It is called the Fraternal Bond then... now I can understand better" said Kiba
"So master, correct me if I'm wrong, will it be possible for me to harness Kiba's powers?" asked Rada looking at Kiba.
"That's right, you will share everything, both joys and sorrows, but what I just said is only a part, there are unknown things even for this decrepit old man, ohohoh" he said chuckling.
"In what way?" Rada quivered with anticipation.
"Ah, I have no idea," the Elder replied, scratching his thick beard.
"You have entered into a Spiritual Bond with Kiba, from now on you must discover for yourselves with time and teamwork the limits of your bond" explained the master.
"That being said, let's go back upstairs there is still much to work on and little time."
"Time for what?" asked Rei.
"Oh? Right, I haven't told you yet. Rada will be participating in the Wild Hunt that will be held in two months, along with you Rei." the Elder had a strange smirk on his face as he spoke to Rei, he seemed to mean something else.
"WHAT!!! M-but foreigners are not allowed to participate!" Rei hurriedly countered the Elder's words.
"Who am I?" the Elder asked with a sneer.
"As my student, Rada has every right to be a part of this, I don't see where the problem is."
After all, as the Elder of the village, not even Logar could refrain from listening to him.
"But Elder, there are only two months, do you think he'll be able to make it?" asked Cody worriedly.
"He'll be fine!" affirmed the Elder confidently.
"May we know what you are talking about?" Rada interjected into the conversation.
"Once every three years, the Wild Hunt is held here in the village, it's an ancient ritual that is held between the new generations of the village who have prepared for adulthood" explained his sister.
"I see," nodded Rada.
"That's why outsiders are not allowed to be part of it."
"Yeah, but as a student of the Village Elder, things change, no one will be able to stop you from participating!" explained Cody.