The return to the village was quiet, but Hiro's mind was buzzing with possibilities. He had formed two bonds now—one with the wolf and one with the bear. But this wasn't just about gathering companions. Hiro could feel the potential growing inside of him. With each beast he bonded with, his power grew. His senses sharpened, and his connection to the natural world deepened.
This wasn't just taming. It was something far more profound.
As he walked through the forest, the wolf and bear by his side, Hiro reflected on the magic he had tapped into. Taming in this world was unheard of. No one had ever thought to connect with beasts in this way, to form true bonds with them. And that gave Hiro an advantage—an edge that no one else had.
But he knew that his journey was only just beginning. There were far more powerful creatures out there, waiting to be found, waiting to be awakened. And with each bond he formed, he came one step closer to reclaiming his former strength.
The villagers, of course, would not understand. To them, beasts were just part of the world—animals, nothing more. But soon, they would see what Hiro saw. They would witness the power of the Beast Sovereign, and they would realize that taming was not a weak or useless skill. It was a force to be reckoned with.
As Hiro approached the outskirts of the village, the wolf at his side, he could feel eyes on him. The villagers were watching, curious but wary. No one had seen him with the wolf before, and certainly not with a creature as fearsome as the bear that trailed behind him.
Whispers spread through the crowd as Hiro passed.
"Is that... a wolf with him?" someone muttered.
"Where did he find that bear?" another asked, their voice filled with awe and fear.
Hiro ignored the whispers, his focus elsewhere. His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for something—or someone. He knew that not everyone in the village would dismiss his power. There would be those who saw the truth, who understood the potential in what he was doing. Those were the people he would seek out. Allies, companions, people who could help him on his journey.
He wasn't just building an army of beasts. He was gathering people—those who would follow him, who would believe in the power of taming, and who would stand by his side when the time came.
As he made his way through the village square, a figure caught his eye. A young woman, standing at the edge of the crowd, her eyes fixed on the wolf beside him. She wasn't afraid, unlike the others. She wasn't whispering to those around her, wasn't backing away. Instead, she stepped forward, her gaze unwavering.
"You... tamed it?" she asked, her voice steady.
Hiro stopped, nodding slowly. "Yes."
Her eyes flicked from the wolf to the bear, then back to Hiro. "And that bear too?"
"Both of them," Hiro confirmed, watching her closely.
The woman smiled, a small, curious smile. "I've never seen anything like that before. You're... different."
Hiro tilted his head slightly, intrigued. "Who are you?"
"Lina," she replied, stepping closer. "And I want to know more about what you can do."