Kyle sat on top of the broken log as Vouz the beast continued to eat its prey. He watched deeply as the beast tore apart the flesh as blood stopped flowing from the wounds.
"Did someone name you?" Kyle asked as he couldn't take his eyes away from the beast. He wondered if this was what he looked like when he was hunting humans.
"Vouz my beginning thought. Vouz my name since birth." Although intelligent, its ability to speak was still developing as it rarely had the chance to converse with anyone or anything.
Kyle had no choice in the matter of choosing how this beast lived but if he could help it, he would rather have this beast follow him instead of continuously fighting for survival.
After all, its next battle might be its last.
In this thick forest surrounded by mountains, it has no way to reach the village which seems to be just closest to the clouds. If it cannot reach it even if it wanted to, its savage nature would prevent it from making it past the borders of the village.
May by the guards who sit at the watchtowers or by the village animals who patrol the forests and lakes. However much like those animals and guards, it has the opportunity to become a beast who is not controlled by its hunger for flesh, or its thirst for blood.
As Kyle shared words with this beast, he realized that it wasn't just a "beast" as commonly referred. It is another living being with a soul and heart and a life to live just like any other.
So as Kyle watched deeply as the beast ate its prey, he realized that the animal beneath it also had a life of its own. His mind drifted along the sounds of mastication as he pondered, the difference of living and killing for he, who no longer needs to kill to live, witnesses the life of those who must.
The way of simply killing as he did before should be no more but for those he accompanied himself is a different story. For those who taught him this way to kill, gave him the greatest importance. So now that his path has cleared, is it now his turn to help others clear that same path. The higher realms and the lower realms are much different, he knows that all too well.
There is only one dominant species in the lower realms however they fight amongst each other as if they were so different. As if they had the same difference of vampires and elves and giants and dwarves.
"Humans. They are all humans, maybe the ANM's mission isn't as bad as I thought. No it isn't. I understand their goal very well now." Kyle thought as he looked at Vouz. Suddenly an idea popped in his head. "Hey Vouz, would you like to join me?"
"How do you mean?" Vouz asked as it looked at him.
"Become my steed… no become my companion." Kyle's eyes glowed beautifully as if he were excited.
"Your companion? You wish to become my master?" Vouz asked in a confused tone.
"Yes but you will be my retainer, not my servant. I am not a master but a prince." Kyle said
Vouz stood up from its food and turned to Kyle, looking down at him from its tall height, glaring into his ruby red eyes. This was its way of testing Kyle's resolve, staring deep into his eyes as if it was looking down on its prey.
Because this beast knows what a Vampire is, whether it's instinctively or not. It knows their ways and how they operate, as the vampire race is the dominant species of this nation.
Kyle's resolve was unwavering and his fear was almost nonexistent. "I accept."
"Good." Kyle said as stood on the log to match its height. "Then become my anchor so I can forever return home to the castle." Kyle said before he grabbed Vouz's head and bit into its neck.
Taking all of Vouz's blood, Kyle left a drop of his in its veins. That single droplet of blood began multiplying and expanding throughout its body. This process took hours so in the meantime, Kyle hid its unconscious body from other predators so he could return to the academy. Kyle left a message in Vouz's head if he were to wake up before he returns.
So after Kyle and Reisun returned to the Academy and waited for Professor Aivoli and Lakoi to come back.
In Professor Aivoli's office, Kyle and Reisun sat across from each other with the wooden table between them and a wooden cup of blood close to them.
"That beast you befriended in the forest, do you know of them?" Reisun asked as he slid his cup to Kyle.
"Them? You mean as in their species?" Kyle asked confusingly as he picked up his cup to drink from it.
"Yes and No." Reisun stood up and walked to a shelf of books in a corner behind Professor Aivoli's desk. "They are Naery, A type of asexual creature that are neither male nor female. They can live just as long as we can, even longer actually and are very intelligent and hostile. Even in the village they are seldom in numbers." He finished as he pulled a book from the shelf. A book titled "Vita E Flore."
"Why is that?" Kyle asked intriguingly as he finished the blood.
Reisun however didn't answer his question, instead he flipped through the pages of the book. Landing on one particular page before passing the book to him.
The page of the book had an illustration of the Naery which closely resembled a grizzly bear but it was much larger and muscular.
Their ancestors were tricked and ridiculed by the neighboring brutes who preyed on their blood which was among the richest on the land.
So as time passed, they learned to differentiate between friend and foe as well as learning how to build their muscle. That came naturally as they fought for their lives daily.
On the page next to it, was an illustration of the animal that battled with Vouz before Kyle met them. It was a large feline creature with stripes similar to tiger, however it had fangs as long as forearms and a body that rivaled the Naery. It was named "Taorae."
"Understand what you did wasn't just some simple feat but you must also know that there are even stronger and larger animals that are even harder to tame in this nation." Reisun said as walked around the office looking at everything.
"Is every animal recorded here in this book?" Kyle asked as he flipped through the pages of the book.
"More or less I suppose…" Reisun said as he walked past him to another shelf. "He really has all sorts of junk here. What a hoarder."
Unexpectedly Professor Aivoli walked into the office with Lakoi who was covered in dirt and leaves as if he was rolling around the forest dirt.
Professor Aivoli and Reisun shared the results of the test with each other and concluded that both Kyle and Lakoi passed the test. Although Kyle's test went smoother than Lakoi's test, their grades were very close to each other.
Reisun escorted Kyle and Lakoi back to Duchess Aliana's home. So he could say his goodbyes as they allowed him to recover in their home.
"I can't thank you enough. I'm not sure if I can ever repay you for what you've done for me." Kyle said as he stood at the front of the Duchess' door.
"There is no need to repay us, we are family. The blood of the first generation runs deep through all of us no matter how many eras go by." Duchess Eliana said as she stood with Lakoi.
It warmed Kyle's heart to hear the Duchess speak those words. It reassured his mind to know he has a family in this realm, he can move with a stronger motivation than before.
"Bye." Kyle bid his final farewells to them before he headed towards the riverbank.
As Kyle walked through the forest, the leaves swayed along the gentle winds that complimented the thin air of the mountains. The rustling noise of the leaves brushing against each other filled the air, as he could hear the animals in the treelines interacting with each other, the peacefulness of the mountain's natural condition will forever be imprinted in his mind as a type of sanctuary in the home of Vampire.
As Kyle walked along the riverbank, the white tulpar finally caught up to him- following him as he made his way to the downwards pathway to leave off the mountain.
The pathway of the mountain was a long way, big enough to fit a carriage but it curved like a snake. As you went lower on the pathway, the wall on the right rose gradually while the left was a steep slope covered in grass and small sprouts of trees.
Although insects seem to be the only ones living on the mountain side, Kyle noticed there were faint traces of dried blood on the leaves and grass of which he assumed to be from the animals who attempted to invade the village.
"Does this mean you want to be my steed?" Kyle asked as he stopped walking and turned to Tulpar.
It blew through its nose in agreement as it tried to rub it's head on Kyle's chest but he stopped it.
"I need to give you a name then… Come, I'm sort of in a hurry." Kyle said before he started walking down the path.
*Neighh!* it blew through its nose aggressively as it bumped his back.
"I'm still thinking, so calm down, you ass." Kyle said as he tried to rub his back.
As they walked down the path, Kyle threw out a plethora of names but none of them seemed to land, even the Tulpar was against them. Slowly the moon fell and suns started to rise, Kyle still hadn't seen to think of a name for the Tulpar as they finally reached the foot of the mountain.
However Kyle didn't seem to be very worried about finding a name for it, while they walked, he was lost in thought. He thought of his retainers- no it's more accurate to say he thought of his friends.
Yes, his allies, the people who were with him and helped him throughout this whole ordeal. More than the ANM, more than Christian. So he'll ask them once more, he knows it'll be tough on his own which is why he needed to change the way he thought of this world.
It is much different than the last one, the lower realms. It's his restart on life and he wants to make this one right even if he has to rebuild the kingdom. He will do it with the ANM as the foundation because it is the only way to repay the very same people who helped him.
But Kyle needs answers and the only way to get those answers is to talk to the Queen, directly.
So as he walked through Eliana's forest, his mind was no longer lost, overwhelmed, and confused. He walks with a newfound confidence as he comes to terms with this new life, this new world.
Kyle gives thanks to the Great King Alucard, as he granted him guidance to find his own way. Upon these thoughts, he finally thought of a name for the Tulpar.
He stopped walking to face the Tulpar. "Hermes, is your name and with you, I will reclaim my own life and tame my enemies who seem to grow with every adventure." Kyle said before he called for Vouz.
*Neigh* The Tulpar approved of the name and bowed its head to Kyle.