Edward's heart raced as he stared at the screen, his eyes fixated on the pulsating ball of light. The once clear display was now cluttered with question marks, causing his anxiety to spike. He inched closer to the ball of light, only to be repelled by the chaotic energy that surrounded it.
"Are you ok?" Edward yelled, his fist clenched in frustration, but his question went unanswered. He took a deep breath, attempting to steady his nerves. He knew that he had no choice but to wait for an answer.
The ball of light continued to glow, its energy seemingly growing more unstable with each passing moment. After ten long minutes, the light began to slowly flicker, its intensity waning.
Finally, Edward saw his chance. With the energy dissipating, he slowly approached the ball of light, his eyes fixed on Whitey's form. Despite feeling a strange sensation from their connection, he knew that it was safe.
As the energy dispersed, a portion of it began to swirl and flow into Whitey's body. The small rabbit shuddered as the immense amount of energy entered his body, an overwhelming sensation that was both terrifying and exhilarating. But despite the intensity of the experience, Whitey understood that this was a necessary step in his growth.
Though he wasn't entirely sure what was happening to him, Whitey knew that the more energy he could absorb, the stronger he would become. He focused all his attention on channeling the energy through his body, his small frame quivering with effort.
Edward watched in awe as Whitey absorbed the energy, his eyes transfixed on the rabbit's form. Suddenly, he noticed the information index, which had been filled with question marks, lit up with new information.
"Moon Rabbit?!" Edward exclaimed, nearly choking on his own saliva as he read the unexpected message.
[Info Window]
Name: Moon Rabbit (Mutated) | Realm: Apprentice | Level: 7 | Bloodline: Low-Grade Rare | Mutation: Mystic | Elemental Affinity: Darkness, Mysticism | Talent Rating: 9/10
Physical Attributes: Dexterity: 49 | Strength: 29 | Agility: 53 | Endurance: 26 | Mental Attributes: Intelligence: 42 | Awareness: 30 | Spiritual Power: 64 | Spiritual Energy: 52
Evolution: Moon Hare (???? ????? ????)
Hidden Evolutions: There are no lost or hidden evolution paths.
[Info Window]
Edward was at a loss for words as he witnessed the incredible transformation of his once-feeble companion. He had never imagined that Whitey would evolve into such a powerful being, with stats that far surpassed those of the monsters they had faced earlier that day.
"Whitey...?" he murmured in disbelief. "Is this really you?"
"Master..." Whitey trembled as he attempted to adjust to his newfound power.
"Are you... okay?" Edward asked though he knew the question was foolish. The rabbit was clearly thriving like never before.
Whitey surveyed his surroundings, taking in the terrified looks of his siblings. "I'm fine," he assured Edward before letting out a resounding squeak towards the moon.
A grey aura emanated from his body, causing the wind to howl around them. The once-tiny rabbit had grown to more than half a meter, his muscles were more defined and powerful than ever before.
Edward's heart raced as he watched Whitey's transformation, his mind reeling with the possibilities of the rabbit's newfound strength. "Can you show me what you can do?" he asked, his eyes shining with excitement. He couldn't wait to see the full extent of Whitey's abilities.
Whitey was eager to show off his newfound power to his master, but just as he was about to, a strange aura descended from the sky. The temperature plummeted, and the rabbits' breaths became visible in the cold air. Whitey froze as a pair of deep crimson eyes appeared in the night sky, and Edward felt an overwhelming presence behind him but lacked the courage to turn around.
Time stood still as the only sound that could be heard was the rough breathing of Edward and the rabbits. The presence only lasted for a few seconds, but the fear it instilled in Edward was unimaginable.
"We need to get out of here," Edward finally managed to say. He felt as if he was facing a force beyond his understanding and capability to fight.
The herd of rabbits approached Edward, putting their faith in the man who had saved them before. The pair of crimson eyes caused the power of the bloodline in Whitey's body to stir, and while the small rabbit felt uncomfortable, he didn't sense any hostility coming from the gaze.
The creature's immense power caused Whitey to feel powerless and terrified, but he knew that the creature wasn't likely to attack. "We're safe now," Whitey tried to soothe Edward, who was still paralyzed with fear.
After a few more moments paralyzed, Edward regained his composure and headed back home. He gathered Whitey and the injured rabbit, motioning for the rest of the herd to follow him. Edward couldn't bring himself to look in the direction of the strange presence, but he knew that it was not safe to sleep outside.
After ensuring that all the rabbits were inside the wooden cabin, Edward secured the house by locking the door and all the windows. Despite the modest house offering little protection against the unknown entity lurking outside, he found himself feeling somewhat safer.
With a deep breath, Edward came to the realization that he could not test Whitey's abilities at the present time. However, there was something intriguing about the situation that he couldn't shake. He picked up the white-eyed rabbit and began to pet it, musing aloud, "Why did only Whitey evolve? Could it be because of his mutation?"
Whitey, sensing Edward's confusion, did his best to explain the situation despite his own hazy understanding of it. "Moon...calling," the rabbit's voice echoed in Edward's mind.
"Moon calling? What does that even mean?" Edward was perplexed. It was clear that Whitey's new bloodline had some connection to the moon, but he couldn't understand why the small rabbit had evolved that day. "Wait, could it be related to our bond? I still have no idea what this primordial bond is."
With a sigh, Edward consulted the information index of one of the rabbits and discovered that the moon rabbit bloodline had appeared under the category of Possible Evolutions.
[Info Window]
Name: Black Fur Rabbit | Realm: Apprentice | Level: 2 Bloodline: Common | Elemental Affinity: Darkness | Talent Rating: 7/10
Physical Attributes: Dexterity: 2 | Strength: 1 | Agility: 3 | Endurance: 1 | Mental Attributes: Intelligence: 5 | Awareness: 4 | Spiritual Power: 6 | Spiritual Energy: 4
Evolution: Dark Fur Rabbit ( High-Grade Common Bloodline), Nether Rabbit (Mid-Grade Uncommon Bloodline), Moon Rabbit (Peak-Grade Rare Bloodline) [ Bloodline Integration: 3%]
Hidden Evolutions: There are no lost or hidden evolution paths.
[Info Window]
Edward's body shook as he studied the rabbit's information index, his eyes fixed on the Moon Rabbit bloodline. "Bloodline integration? Don't tell me these rabbits can also evolve?" He quickly opened the information index of another rabbit and found that it, too, possessed the bloodline integration trait.
He felt his breath quicken as he opened the information index of all the rabbits, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. Each rabbit he checked had the bloodline integration trait, with some approaching the ten percent mark.
Only hours before, Edward had felt downcast, thinking that the rabbits were weak creatures. But now, he wouldn't mind raising them all as his pets. "Did I just strike gold?" he wondered aloud. "Evolving doesn't seem that complicated after all. All they did was eat grass while the moon was out, not to mention that it seems that Whitey can still evolve one more time." Edward was starstruck by the rabbit's potential, after all, there was no way that the next evolution would be any weaker.
Edward quickly went to the kitchen table and searched for the Black Fur Rabbit's information on Monster's Compendium, but, he was perplexed to find that they were considered quasi-monsters. Despite their incredible evolution, the Black Fur Rabbits were undervalued, leaving him feeling dumbfounded. "Originally, the Moon Rabbit bloodline was in the Hidden or Lost section, so maybe no one knows that this evolution path exists?" As an aspiring evolutionary biologist in his previous world, discovering a new evolution was always his dream, and he felt a thrill of excitement at the possibilities.
Only after calming down did Edward suddenly remember that the grass the rabbits were eating had a gray shimmer, something he had almost overlooked. "I swear the grass was normal only a few hours ago." He was tempted to go outside and collect some of the grass for further study, but he feared that the mysterious being would reappear.
Edward looked at the door for a few minutes, then gave up the idea. The grass wouldn't run away, and he could study it another time. He threw himself on the couch once again and instantly fell asleep.