Artis stared dumbfounded at the person who was staring at him, looking irritated as he couldn't help but ask, "Sorry...but who are you again?"
The lady couldn't help but choke down as she looked at Artis in disbelief, "You must be joking right? You really don't remember me?"
Seeing the confusion etched on Artis's face, she couldn't help but sigh, "Well...to be fair, our meeting yesterday was just us getting mad at each other for a second and us going our own way but let the past be the past and let's introduce ourselves! I am Am-"
"Amari Shiina? Daughter of Professor Javier right?"
Amari stopped mid-sentence as she looked at Artis with a frown, "Hey, it's pretty rude to interrupt a lady when she is speaking, you know. Honestly, Why did my father want me to meet you so badly?"
'How am I supposed to know that? Aren't you his daughter? Don't you know how his mind works?'
Insulting her in his mind and keeping a calm tone, he took a deep breath and said, "Well, I would love to say it's nice to meet you, but it's not so I would introduce myself as Ar-"
"Artis Janes. New recruit by my father and..." She leaned forward looking sideways and whispered slowly so that only Artis could hear, "...The only survivor of the attack on St. Annie right?"
Artis's eyes widened in shock as he clenched his fists and jaw in anger as he took a deep breath to calm himself down and looked straight into Amari's eyes.
Amari, still smiling as if she had just made a clever observation, leaned back slightly. "I see I seem to have struck a nerve. Honestly, it's fascinating how you managed to survive that wreckage. I do wanna ask, was the ship seriously attacked?"
Artis's expression hardened, his breath catching in his throat. "It's not something I like to discuss, you know? And yes, the answer to your stupid question was that it was attacked! And I actually survived to tell the tale!"
Amari raised her hands in mock surrender again, her playful demeanor contrasting sharply with the tension in the air. "Okay, okay, I didn't mean to upset you. It's not every day you meet someone who survived an attack like that. It's hard not to be curious alright?"
Artis took a step back, shaking his head slightly, "You have no idea what I felt at those moments. The absolute fear and shock I felt that day. It seems that you being sheltered and being treated like a princess has made you lose touch with reality."
"..." Amari's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of annoyance crossing her features. "You don't know anything about me, Artis. Just because my father is a renowned professor doesn't mean I've lived a charmed life. I have my own struggles, you know?"
Artis crossed his arms, a surge of frustration building within him, "Hah! Doesn't feel so good now does it, Princess? Maybe try to be a little more empathetic next time..."
Both of them stood silent for a while, glaring at each other not saying a single word before Amari sighed in frustration, rubbing her head, "Alright fine! I get it, we can never reach a consensus if we keep arguing like this. You got your own issues and I got mine! Let's just move on from this topic because it seems like we can never agree with each other!"
Artis sighed, "Agreed, let's just do the work Professor told us to do and get away from here. Because it seems like we cannot get along with each other."
"One thing we can agree with!" Amari shot back with a smirk, though there was a hint of exhaustion in her eyes.
The silence between them was sharp, as they sat across each other, not speaking a word as they read their books in silence.
Amari exhaled slowly, breaking the silence. "So, where do we start with this task? The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go our separate ways."
Artis nodded curtly, his voice low and measured. "We can start by figuring out what Professor Javier wants from both of us. If it is only a simple meeting, we can or our separate ways now only, but..." Artis looked at her to continue.
"But, it's definitely not what my father wants and he already told me what task we have to do...so we are stuck for now."
Artis sighed, "Just great. So, what are we supposed to do now?"
"Actually, that's the trouble. Father gave me two tasks, one was to research Spirit Beasts and their nature, and second, to create a report about the Old Ferrum region, before the Calamity hit it."
Artis leaned back in his chair, processing the information, frowning a little, "That's...a strange task. So read History and Beastology...That's it?"
Amari nodded, waving her hair, "That's right. So, how do you want to divide it? Want to read about Beasts or Old Ferrum?"
Artis thought for a while, 'I don't know what that Professor is thinking, but instead of learning about some meaningless history, I should read about Spirit creatures instead. That'll be helpful in my journey..."
"I'll handle Beastology...you handle History." Artis responded rather curtly as he picked up the book, "Everything You Want To Know About Beasts!"
Amari arched an eyebrow as she reached for an old, leather-bound volume titled "Echoes of Ferrous: A Chronicle Before the Calamity." "Fine by me, Beast Master. Let's hope this doesn't turn out to be a complete waste of time."
Artis ignored the jab, flipping the pages of the book as he scanned the contents of the book. He flipped through the pages of the Beasts he knew like Ratarat, Ursabear, Levaigon, Great Horned Rabbit while read new information about Beasts like the Emberfin Serpent, a fire-wielding creature found in Sashila and Avia region that guard the volcanic ruins found in Avia, the Ghostclaw Lynx, an elusive beast with spectral claws that could tear through both the physical and the ethereal.
As Artis immersed himself in the intricate details, noting the weaknesses and habitats of these Spirit Beasts, his mind began to piece together their potential relevance to his own survival instincts. 'The attack on St. Annie… can I find any information on that creature?'
Meanwhile, Amari's eyes roved over vivid descriptions of life in Old Ferrum before the calamity. She learned about the types of clothes they wear, the 3 major families that ran the continent at that time, and how the environment and the tier culture were very different from back in the day.
"Hey, did you know?" began Amari, "In Ferrum region, the society was structured around something called the Triarch Code. A Code binding the 3 families of Old Ferrum, The Higates, The Altair, and The Otonashi to control 3 domains of the region, the Land, The Space, and The Spirits! It said that if any family broke the Code, something occur to a divine punishment will occur to them?"
Artis raised an eyebrow but kept scanning the pages in front of him. "Interesting. But how does that tie into what we're looking for?"
Amari's fingers traced a paragraph with faded ink. "Well, listen to this, The Otonashi, they were known to control all sorts of Spirits and Beasts with some sort of ritual or their bloodline! After the Calamity, the Otonashi and Altair lost their standing, their research and domain disappearing forever. Only Higates remain to this day! Isn't that interesting?"
"Well, I found something interesting as well, A Beast called Loudstrida, if this Beast hits you with its shriek, you can actually get paralyzed for your whole life! If you manage to get one of its horn and turn it into a Unique Item, it will allow you to stun your opponent for a while. That's also interesting isn't it?"
Amari tilted her head, giving Artis a half-smile that seemed to reflect a mix of genuine interest and mild amusement. "A horn that can stun? Sounds more useful than some dusty old code. Who knows, maybe if I find one and kill it, I can stun you from time to time."
"Do that and I will use Dagora's fangs to poison you!"
...
As they continued their research on their subjects, Artis managed to memorize and learn about 30 Spirit and Unique Beasts, learning about their habitat, behavior, weakness, and what sort of item can be formed with their hunt. Meanwhile, Amari continued her research about Old Ferrum, learning about history that genuinely interested her.
"Hmm? Even though this stuff about Old Ferrum is interesting, I don't get how this is beneficial to me. I can get learning about Spirit Beasts..."
"Maybe if you come across some runes of the past, the history about Old Ferrum might help?"
Amari considered Artis's suggestion, "Hmm? Maybe you are right. I guess you do have a brain in that head of yours. Well, the only thing I found interesting was the lore about the 3 families, especially Otonashi. 90% of the information about them is missing! How they came to be, how they fell, not even a mention about the family head, like?"
"They were erased from history..." Artis mumbled, considering about the implications, "But what if they were wiped by the Calamity, aren't we jumping too soon to the conclusions?"
Amari tapped her fingers on the leather-bound cover, a thoughtful look crossing her face, "Maybe you are right. I'll come back later and learn more about the history. Well, let's call it a day! I will come back tomorrow to learn more about the history, while you...do whatever you want to do!"
"Whatever you say, Princess."
Artis's eyes twitched hearing that bossy response as he closed the book, gathered his notes, and got up to leave. Amari also did the same as they left the library together.
Outside the library, as they were about to go separate ways, Amari called him out, "Hey!"
Artis turned around hearing her call as he met eye contact with her, her ruby red eyes glinting with seriousness, "What is it?"
"I just wanted to ask...Do you think my father had an ulterior motive as to why he wanted both of us to meet so badly and wanted us to write a report on whatever topics we had?"
Artis turned around and answered, "How am I supposed to know that? You can ask him yourself that too y'know, Princess?"
Amari's brows furrowed as she replied in a sarcastic tone, "Oh sure, like he ever answers my questions directly. 'Everything will be revealed in due time, Amari. Patience is key,'" she mocked, her voice carrying a hint of bitterness. "I thought maybe you had an idea, given you're his new recruit and all."
Artis shrugged, his eyes narrowing as he observed her frustration. "Well, whatever his reasons are, I'm sure they aren't just about us doing some mundane research. Your father doesn't strike me as someone who wastes time on meaningless tasks."
Amari let out a small laugh, the tension between them loosening slightly. "You're right about that. He always has some grand plan brewing. I guess we'll just have to figure out what it is ourselves."
Artis glanced away, the shadow of a memory flickering across his expression before he masked it with a neutral look. "Yeah, maybe we will. Until then, try not to overthink it too much, Princess."
Amari rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched into a reluctant smile. "I'll do my best, Beast Master."
With that, both of them left the library, notes in hand, and walked in opposite directions as Artis wondered why Amari had asked him such a strange question.