Mikhail stumbled past the golden double doors that had been left ajar by Grand Elder Maya.
His hair no longer had its usual pristine sheen, instead marred by soot, dried blood, and a few ice crystals that were only now beginning to melt despite the intense heat of the savannah.
His clothes were tattered and ripped apart all over, revealing his badly beaten body underneath.
Bruises, cuts, scrapes, lacerations. Most of them had stopped bleeding already, but any strenuous movement would threaten to open those wounds again. He even had a few broken fingers that were currently bandaged up and braced into place.
On both hands, mind you.
It had been his toughest session of daily training thus far.
"Oh, you came back after all. I figured you would have returned to your tent to rest."
Mikhail revealed a listless smile.
"Well… That whole beast taming thing you mentioned earlier… it really caught my attention as something I might want to pursue."
"...I can see that. But, pray tell, why?"
Mikhail brought his right hand up to his chin, and flinched when he was about to scratch it with his thumb and forefinger… Because he did not have a good forefinger right this second.
So, awkwardly, he scratched at his chin with his thumb as he recalled just why exactly he had been interested in beast taming…
***
Sitting with his back against the wall, Mikhail looked out over the other inhabitants of the bunker. There were many familiar faces there, but none who he knew on a personal level.
He hoped that someone, anyone, would turn up alive, but as the minutes turned to hours… He realized that he was alone now.
It was supposed to be a day like any other, yet now, the day would go on to mark a turning point that irrevocably changed things forever.
Having long since given up hope, Mikhail fished his phone out of his pocket, flipping it open.
The LED screen shined to life, its vibrant colors unmarred by the cracks now running through its surface.
His heart stung as he looked at his lockscreen.
A woman with beautiful auburn hair, pearly white skin, and enchanting emerald eyes was crouched down on the snowy ground next to him. She was cutely bundled up for the winter weather in the photo.
Between the two of them was a husky with its head tilted as it stared with confusion at the camera Mikhail was pointing back at them.
On the dog's collar was a shiny gold bone that read the name Sharyl.
***
"Well, I've always loved beasts…" Mikhail said as he very, very slowly sat down on the usual mat.
Grand Elder Maya narrowed her eyes at that plain answer, but shrugged it off rather easily. There were many who learned about Beast Taming simply because they liked beasts, after all.
And besides that, beast taming was a necessary branch of knowledge that every Pnuema had to know, even if it was only at a surface level.
"Well, alright."
She then went on to explain the three different branches of Beast Taming.
Grooming, Subduing, and obliging.
Grooming was when one took a newborn beast; or an unhatched egg; and raised the beast themselves. This would usually make the beast unquestionably loyal, viewing the Beast Tamer as their Pack Leader.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but…
"I doubt you'll ever stumble across a dragon egg, so you don't really have to worry about that."
"Ah, right. The Dragons. I've heard a little about those. Would you mind giving me some more information?"
A book suddenly appeared before Mikhail.
[Those at the Apex of the World]
On the leatherbound book's cover was the silhouette of a dragon, only, on its head were seven horns.
"Take it as a reward for your diligent training."
Mikhail smiled a little. "Thank you."
"Of course. Now then, back to the main topic."
Subuing was just as its name implied. The practice of subduing a beast into submission. And there were many methods to do this, from caging and starving the beasts, or beating the beasts into submission until it recognized you as a superior.
This was a method typically reserved for more hostile beasts.
And then, finally, there was obliging.
Obliging was the middle ground between grooming and subduing. In every sense, at that.
Rather than a newborn or an adult, obliging was about taming juvenile beasts. And instead of raising them or subduing them into viewing you as a superior, you gain their trust by appealing to their sense of empathy.
From there, you would nurture them rather than raise them, since they are for the most part their own individuals already.
"Unfortunately, I cannot continue the explanation without first going into the details of how the beasts progress through their paths to power as well."
Simply put, while the Pnuema were more geared up for the spiritual side of evolution, beasts were built for the physical side of things.
This dynamic seemingly left a gap among the three facets of Evolution, namely, there was no group who were built for the elements. Mikhail asked about that, of course, and…
"Actually, there is no gap. It's no surprise considering they are rare entities to encounter, not to mention the strange distortion in your memories; but Elementals do in fact exist."
She then resumed where she left off, explaining how, like Pnuema, they too had four centers of power. Only, their initial two centers of power were their martial center of power and their elemental routes.
The Fuentevacia and their Cerebral Core would form later on during their path to power.
"Now then, as you recall, I told you about how the Spirit Link was one of the foundations of the Beast Taming trade. And that's because of the Bonding Ceremony. The last step when taming a beast."
Mikhail had a grimace on his face.
He had a bad premonition about what he was about to hear next…