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The sapling village is on the Edge between the sapling forest and the high peaks of the sapling Mountains.
It was a place that thrived on simplicity, where cobblestone streets bustled during the day with merchants comes to collect good from the sapling forest and farmers, and at night fell quiet under the blanket of stars.
But this peace, as Fowad would soon learn, was fragile.
A cold wind swept through the forest edge as twilight descended, carrying with it an eerie silence that set the hairs on the back of Fowad's neck on end.
He stood at the edge of the forest with his Father Sadi , his keen eyes darting toward the darkening forest beyond.
Even at thirteen, he possessed a sense of awareness far beyond his years a remnant of his old life, sharpened by the harsh lessons of this world.
Fowad was out of breath taming the fox with Taming Circle technique. He was sitting on the grounds and fix was bit scared. Suddenly,
Sadi Benit's voice cut through the stillness, commanding yet urgent. "Fowad! Run Get inside house. Now."
Fowad turned to see his father striding toward him, the familiar weight of authority in his step.
Sadi's jaw was set, and his dark eyes glistened with the intensity that only appeared when danger loomed.
Behind him, villagers peered out of windows and huddled in doorways, their expressions a mix of confusion and fear.
They, too, could feel it a tremor in the air, as if the earth itself was holding its breath.
Before Fowad could respond, a sound erupted from the forest a roar so deep and primal it seemed to rattle the very bones of the village.
It was not the cry of any ordinary beast but something far more terrifying. Fowad's heart lurched, his spirit egg still nestled safely beneath their ber in house.
They can't run until they get the spirit egg. It's the only thing that left for them which could rebuild their family free all prisoners.
The forest erupted in chaos. Trees splintered, their trunks cracking like thunder as a massive shadow surged into view.
The beast was unlike any Fowad had seen or read about in the old texts. It stood taller than a house, with scales that glistened like black obsidian and eyes that burned with a red, malevolent light.
Its maw, filled with jagged teeth, split open in a snarl that sent villagers scrambling for cover.
"Father, what is that?" Fowad asked, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands.
"A shadow wyrm," Sadi replied, the name heavy with dread. "One not seen near human settlements in decades."
He glanced at his son, the resolve in his gaze hardening. "Fowad, you must go. Now."
But Fowad's feet were rooted to the ground. The wyrm advanced, tearing through the remnants of the outer huts with a swing of its massive tail.
Fire sparked from its nostrils, licking at the thatched roofs and spreading like wildfire. Screams filled the air, mingling with the cries of livestock and the crackle of burning wood.
Sadi stepped forward, a fierce determination etched into every line of his face. With a deep breath, he summoned his spirit beast .
The air around him shimmered as a golden light burst forth, coalescing into the form of a great tiger with fur like molten gold and eyes that gleamed with an intelligent ferocity. It's was a advance level beast.
The spirit beast roared, its sound resonating through the square, bringing a momentary pause to the chaos as the villagers looked on in stunned silence.
The wyrm snarled, turning its gaze to the source of the challenge.
Sadi positioned himself between the beast and the villagers, the tiger spirit beast at his side radiating power.
"Listen to me, Fowad. You must go into the woods. Hide and do not come out until I call for you."
"No!" Fowad shouted, defiance flaring in his chest. He felt helpless, anger and fear warring within him.
How could he run when his father faced such a monstrous foe alone? Memories of Earth, of moments where he had chosen safety over confrontation, flooded back, but this world was different.
Here, stakes were higher, more personal.
"Do not question me!" Sadi snapped, his eyes softening for just an instant. "Your life is more important than you know. I am a level 3 beast tamer. I can handle the wyrm. Now go!"
Before Fowad could protest again, the wyrm lunged. Sadi leaped forward, his tiger spirit beast meeting the creature mid-air with a clash that shook the ground.
Magic crackled like lightning around them, the air suffused with a metallic tang that stung the nose.
The tiger beast raked its claws across the wyrm's skin, sparks flying as beast and spirit beast collided in a blur of movement and roars.
Fowad's breath caught as he watched his father fight, a mix of awe and terror twisting his insides.
He took a step back, then another, until his legs finally obeyed and he broke into a run. He bolted for the woods, heart pounding in rhythm with the battle behind him.
The clash of the battle raged on, the sound following him even as the forest swallowed him whole.
He stumbled over roots and pushed through brambles until he found a small hollow beneath a fallen tree.
He dropped to the ground, gasping for breath, eyes wide as he strained to hear what was happening beyond the trees.
The roars grew fainter, replaced by an eerie stillness that was somehow more unsettling. Fowad's mind raced.
His father's words echoed in his ears, but so did the memory of the scrolls, the half-learned techniques that could mean the difference between life and death.
He rushed home for the egg beneath his bed, its was safe.
Suddenly, a thunderous crash shook the earth, and a plume of smoke and fire rose above the treetops.
Fowad's heart clenched. Then he heard it a pained roar, one he recognized not as the wyrm's but as the cry of his father's spirit tiger. The realization cut through him like a blade.
A sharp snap of branches made him freeze. He wasn't alone. The forest, once a haven, felt suffocating as unseen eyes peered from the darkness.
Figures emerged men cloaked in dark robes, their faces obscured but their intentions clear in the cold gleam of their weapons.
Fowad run to his father side and scrambled to his feet, adrenaline surging as he backed against the rough bark of the tree.
One of the cloaked figures stepped forward, eyes like chips of ice narrowing as they locked onto him.
"Found the Benit family," the man hissed to his companions.
Fowad's mind raced. His father was right his life was worth more than he understood.
But he would not give it up so easily. With shaking hands, he called on the fractured knowledge of the Taming Whisper, praying it would be enough.
He fully link his mind with the fox beast. Tells it too attack the black robe man, the fox beast is basic level beast.
It can't deal any big damage but I has fog ability. It's use the fog. Fowad and father run into the sapling forest.
The man launched a attack into the fog, his father was hit, now he is very injured and bleeding.
They need to run for now they can't waste a moment. Fowad call the fox back, he and injured bleeding Sadi stated to run deep into the sapling forest...
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