"Be careful, don't drop it!"
Cyra was really causing trouble in her excitement, failing to grip the phoenix egg tightly enough as it suddenly slipped from her hands. Those like Vivianne on the ground immediately cried out in alarm upon seeing it.
"It's fine! How could I make such a low-level mistake!"
Fortunately, angels had fast reflexes. Cyra swiftly reached out and caught the egg from below, ending up just a minor scare. Her fluid motions were seamless, but to the female phoenix watching, it was an extreme provocation. Infuriated yet powerless against Cyra, it could only voice angry screeches in protest.
"Eh? Feels a lot lighter..."
What no one expected was that when Cyra caught the egg, the cracked opening happened to be facing downwards. The little phoenix inside happened to have pecked through that area, promptly tumbling right out of the eggshell.
"Are you kidding me?"
Everyone was dumbstruck, helplessly watching the naked little phoenix plummet from the heights above. Although not terribly high up, if allowed to hit the ground, it would likely be severely injured, if not killed! The first to react were Cysper and I, repeatedly repositioning ourselves in hopes of catching it below.
But none succeeded. After all that fuss, the landing spot proved unpredictable - the little phoenix aimed straight for the red-haired Brennan and simply fell into his outstretched hands.
"Chirp--"
Startled, the hatchling let out a shrill cry, barely opening its eyes to look at Brennan before instinctively snuggling into his embrace.
"What the heck is this?"
Witnessing it all from above, Cyra was dumbfounded, gaping as her supposed divine beast pet ended up belonging to someone else. All she could do was descend beside me with the empty eggshell.
"Serves you right for getting carried away!"
I shot her an irritated glance, but inwardly felt amused. If only she had gripped the egg tighter initially, this mishap wouldn't have occurred.
"Better just accept your fate. Don't have a protagonist complex if you aren't the protagonist!"
"Tch, I was so close..."
Cyra was extremely reluctant, but had no choice but to give up. Besides, Vivianne originally stole that phoenix egg for Brennan, so in a sense, it returned to its rightful owner.
The female phoenix had now flown above Brennan, repeatedly calling out to the hatchling, only to be completely ignored as it nestled deeper into his arms. After circling overhead for a while, she could only fly off disappointedly towards the Sulide Volcanic Peak.
"Vivianne, this...I..."
Seeing her depart, Brennan's expression didn't ease at all. He had previously made clear his refusal, yet fate seemed to deliberately 'shove' the phoenix into his hands, making him even more awkward facing Vivianne now.
"I guess this must be fate. I hope you'll take good care of it."
She had already said her piece earlier. Vivianne shook her head, unwilling to dwell further. Glancing at Yulanda who remained hidden in the crowd, she sighed and returned to her tent alone.
"Perhaps this counts as a happy ending for all..."
Observing this entire commotion unfold, Adrian remarked with some wistfulness. Phoenixes can live for centuries and have multiple clutches, but the chances of hatchlings actually surviving to adulthood are extremely low. This is mainly because mother phoenixes only raise their young briefly until they can fly, after which the hatchlings are kicked out to fend for themselves.
At that juvenile stage of poor abilities, some not even reaching third-rank, phoenixes have difficulty surviving in this monster-infested world. Many stolen and raised by humans fare better in comparison. So being adopted by Brennan may not be such a bad outcome.
"If you really don't want it, you could always donate it to the True Church."
With the mother phoenix gone, Cysper was naturally satisfied and reminded Brennan with a smile.
"Based on my observations, this little phoenix has quite the affinity with my Church!"
"No, thank you!"
Despite repeatedly refusing earlier, who could remain unmoved by a phoenix? Brennan had only declined out of romantic considerations previously. Since Vivianne had spoken, he naturally wouldn't let it go now.
"What a pity..."
Cysper looked disappointed, about to leave before suddenly turning back.
"If I recall, your profession was Beast Tamer, right? What's your elemental affinity?"
"I have an affinity for fire!"
Brennan nodded and answered readily.
"Ah, no wonder. This phoenix is indeed well-suited for you then!"
Realization dawned on Cysper, who meaningfully left with those words before returning to his tent with the two Star Glory knights.
"What's different about a fire affinity, and how is it related to phoenixes?"
Cyra looked puzzled as she asked.
"Heh! Because phoenixes are also fire-elemental beings, with an extreme fire affinity! As a Beast Tamer's contracted beast, it can greatly enhance the phoenix's growth rate and power, doubling the effects."
Judith happily explained the principles of Brennan's Beast Taming abilities.
Unlike regular summoning magic, contracted beasts in Beast Taming become elementalized and housed within the caster's body after forming a pact. They then feed directly off the caster's internal mana - their elemental reserves. As long as the caster stays alive, so do they.
If the caster's magic affinities match the contracted beast's element, it greatly accelerates the beast's growth rate, allowing it to be summoned at greater strength. This phoenix did indeed suit Brennan perfectly.
"Beast Taming sounds interesting, but it was supposed to be my pet, not someone else's contracted beast..."
Still resentful, Cyra pouted enviously watching Brennan and Yulanda fawning over the little phoenix before storming off without a backwards glance.
The next morning at first light.
"Feliciana, are you in there?"
Adrian's voice woke me up from outside at the crack of dawn. I didn't expect him to rise even earlier than me. But what could he possibly want, coming to my tent so early?
"Just a moment!"
I yawned and sat up, hastily putting on clothes with a sense of apprehension. This was Adrian's first time actively seeking me out since leaving the cave. Could it be about my human form in my soul realm? Though he could have picked a better timing...
"Coming, coming!"
After ensuring my appearance was presentable, I reviewed the prepared responses in my mind one last time before opening the tent flaps.
"Hm?"
But outside, Adrian wasn't alone. Two unfamiliar men stood some distance behind him, also looking my way. Their attire suggested they weren't Church believers, though disguises couldn't be ruled out. But judging from their attitude towards me, that seemed unlikely.
"Who are they?"
"They..."
Glancing back at the two, Adrian pondered for a moment before replying.
"You could say they're my friends. They came looking for me last night. I'm here to bid you farewell..."
"Last night? How did they find this place?"
I was stunned that his friends had located the cave entrance so quickly after our departure. But more importantly, his subsequent words left me stunned.
"Farewell? Where are you going?"
Logically, for him to leave in such a hurry after barely a day implied an urgent matter. Yet I suddenly felt reluctant to part ways. We had only just reunited, and now we'd separate again, uncertain when next we'd meet.
"Actually, I had already informed my friends of my whereabouts before arriving here, so it's not strange they found this place. Previously, since we hadn't emerged from the cave and this entrance had many Church believers gathered, they chose not to reveal themselves."
Adrian explained calmly. Though departing so soon, the two friends behind him didn't seem rushed at all, patiently waiting nearby as we finished conversing.
"What about Vivianne and Brennan then? Are they leaving with you too?"
I immediately thought of another issue - those three had been staying together. If Adrian left, what would happen to the other two?
"They won't be following me, as this is a private family matter unrelated to them. I'll be acting alone this time."
Adrian shook his head.
"However, because of Brennan, Vivianne may head back to the capital Norvale on her own in a day or two after descending the mountain."
"Ah, family matters for you then? Alright, take care on your journey!"
I wasn't surprised Vivianne would be leaving, and since Adrian said so, I had no reason to make him stay. As he bade farewell and the three were about to turn and descend, he suddenly stopped, looking back at me hesitatingly.
"Feliciana...I..."
"Is there something else?"
I asked curiously, sensing something strange in his demeanor, as if we might never see each other again after this parting.