The mountain of Qi was a village located in the northeast of the central province, where humans—more precisely, tamers—lived in safety. An old legend said the mountain was once the first-ever tamer, a being who defeated and safeguarded the human race during the War of Chaos.
In the beginning, the world was a plain landscape, like a tortilla. Then, God infused beauty into it—flowers bloomed, strong pillars rose as mountains, and life flourished even before humans were set free on earth. Soon, beasts emerged from all directions, each aligned with an element, and every beast had a human tamer. It was a harmonious existence. The beasts evolved and thrived with the help of their tamers, who, in turn, gained manpower to win battles. Advanced tamers cultivated themselves toward immortality, just like the beasts. The beasts were said to live until the last drop of water dried, the last wisp of fire extinguished, the last gust of wind stilled, the last brick of land crumbled, and the last fragment of space disappeared.
But the War of Chaos shattered this harmony. When the core beasts were killed, human tamers suffered a massive blow, particularly after the assassination of the legendary elemental beast tamer. This legendary figure was believed to have the unique ability to tame all elemental beasts and had cultivated their Qi energy to exist beyond immortality. However, this remains a mere bedtime story for the children of Qi Village.
Mount Qi was protected by a natural barrier—a Qi forcefield left behind by the fallen beast master to shield the remaining tamers. Over time, the once-thriving bond between tamers and beasts dissolved. The tamers secluded themselves on the mountain, taming only lower-level beasts and animals. Those who grew curious or claimed to be the next elemental beast tamer and ventured into the central province never returned, serving as a grim reminder not to leave the mountain. Generations passed, and the tamers' abilities diminished. Today, most tamers led simple lives, focusing on agriculture and cattle rearing, their taming limited to minor beasts and farm animals.
The sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon as Raiden trudged onto Armin's potato field. Unlike other tamers, who used evolved farm animals like Armin's new centaur for transportation and market negotiations, Raiden worked alone. Armin also owned a Catoblepas, a beast that selectively ate thorns and shrubs and breathed natural pesticides. But Raiden had never tamed a single creature—not even a fly. Whenever questioned about it, he'd blame his perpetual drunkenness, though sobriety was an alien state for him. He slung the plow over his shoulder and began harvesting potatoes. He needed no beasts because, in many ways, he was one himself.
As he worked, his mind drifted to the time Armin had found him near death in a cave uphill, frozen and barely clinging to life. Armin had been astonished when Raiden regained consciousness. Raiden, however, remembered nothing from before that time—only his name and that he was a tamer.
"Raiden…"
The voice snapped him back to reality. He looked up, his hands covered in mud.
"Shit, it's the horse whore," he muttered, bracing himself for whatever nonsense Armin's ex-girlfriend had to spout this time. She'd been coming back repeatedly after Armin ended things with her. Raiden particularly enjoyed the part where Armin publicly declared she'd slept with his evolved horse—now a centaur. The villagers, however, barely cared; such bizarre events were commonplace.
"Armin's gone to the night watch," Raiden lied before she could speak. The village tamers often had a ritual of going uphill to replenish their Qi energy, the tradition was often called night watch.
She blinked in confusion, then hesitated before continuing. "I'm not here for Armin. I'm here to talk to you." Her hands fidgeted nervously.
Raiden's expression remained impassive. "Huh?"
She gulped and stepped closer to the field, her feet sinking into the mud. "You know, Armin has locked up Jin. I know things got messy between me and him, but can you… can you please tell Armin to let Jin go?"
Raiden stared at her in silence, trying to decipher her words. "Who's Jin?"
Her eyes darted away in shame and guilt, though tinged with a glimmer of hope. "The centaur beast," she admitted.
Raiden nearly choked on his own saliva. Dismissing her, he promised to "let Armin know," then tied up the harvested potatoes and walked toward the barn.
She wasn't wrong—Armin had indeed locked up the centaur. When Raiden arrived, Armin was breathless from exertion.
"What are you doing?" Raiden asked.
"I'm trying to evolve this bastard back into a horse," Armin replied, his voice trembling with effort and emotion.
Raiden stared in disbelief. "What?"
"I know what you're thinking—it's not possible," Armin muttered, choking on his words and tears. He tried to hide his face from Raiden. "I just wish… I wish things weren't the way they are now."
"Ah, okay," Raiden said, stepping back toward the barn door. Before he could leave, Bao—a short, overly enthusiastic friend of Armin—burst in.
"Guess who's leaving the village for good?" Bao declared with a grin stretching from ear to ear.
"Me?" Raiden asked, confused by Bao's sudden proclamation, wondering how he knew about his nearing departure.
"No silly not you, it's me!" Bao beamed proudly. "I had a vision. The elemental beasts in the central province are calling for me!" He breathed stoically, his expression dreamy.
Armin, Raiden, and even the centaur nearly snorted in unison, but Bao ignored them.
"It's true," he insisted. "I'm the descendant of the elemental beast tamer. I'm going to the central province to tame the elemental beasts and restore balance!"
After a moment of awkward silence, Raiden was the first to speak. "Uh… Can I come with you?"
Bao's grin widened. "Of course, you'd want to come with me, Armin's homeless friend." He clapped Raiden's shoulder, though Raiden didn't flinch.
"Whoa, hold up. No one's leaving," Armin interjected. "And you—stop feeding your delusions. You're not going to tame the beasts of the elements!"
But Bao and Raiden paid him no mind, already engrossed in planning their journey to the central province.