Griffin jumped at the sight of it, landing on the ground with a thud. The rabbit fell to the ground with ease, landing on its paws and hopping towards Griffin in a sly manner.
"Are you scared? Didn't you see me just recently in the cage...?"
Griffin replied quickly as he stood up, straightening his posture and giving a makeshift cough.
"I'm not scared; I was simply shocked. In a more relatable way, wouldn't you be?"
"Ha, I won't be! I'd just murder you on the spot, and..." Before the rabbit could finish, Griffin cut in.
"So I should have just killed you? Is that it?" A menacing grin curled at the corners of his mouth, revealing his amusement.
The rabbit appeared closer to Griffin, suspended in mid-air, holding onto his collar in a rage. "You moron, that's not what I meant! What kind of brain do you have? You can't just murder someone who came in peace."
Its legs tapped against Griffin's clothing as it hung in the air, using his collar for support.
Griffin replied once more, "But you said I should just murder on the spot if I was suddenly approached..." He toyed with the rabbit's mind, observing its reactions.
"Bloody moron! That doesn't apply to me; sometimes I'm deranged, so I speak without caution. And you don't mind words like that, did your father not teach you any better?"
"No..."
The rabbit heaved with frustration and released Griffin's collar, jumping back to the ground to pick up the piece of cheese it had dropped while teleporting closer to him.
As the rabbit ate the remaining piece of cheese, it turned to face Griffin again and apologised for the little dump valley it had turned his room into. But Griffin retaliated, looking around at the mess; it was already in disarray, and the rabbit had only made it worse.
Transforming the rat hole into a pigsty, he exclaimed, "What do you mean 'dump valley'? You literally created a dump town!"
"Whatever, the current and most confusing question is, what's your relationship with my father? Is he like your formal "tamer"?"
The rabbit laid an intense and dreadful gaze on Griffin when he mentioned the word "tamer."
It hopped onto Griffin's makeshift bed and began to speak with high self-esteem.
"To be precise, your father and I were a couple until your mother came in and ruined our iconic dates...!"
"What? Couples like romance...??!!" Griffin objected in a bewildered tone.
"Shh!" The rabbit hushed him, then continued, "Dunn was a good and caring one; he made me breakfast before I even woke up and prepared my bath before anyone else. Well, after your mother's interception, I had to migrate, but we still had a contract that kept us linked together. I simply wasn't living with him anymore... to cut a long story short, that man deserved more than death."
An awkward silence filled the room—it was quite confusing what he meant by "he deserved more than death," even to the rabbit who said it.
Well, the phrase suggested that Griffin's father, Dunn, was deserving of a life filled with purpose and joy rather than the finality of death. It implied that he should have been given a chance to experience more, to redeem himself, or perhaps to face the consequences of his "actions" in a more meaningful way.
Griffin moved to take a seat on his chair, placing one hand on his workbench with a curious expression.
"So, you knew my father. And he might be the one who sent me to you..." He concluded, and the rabbit agreed.
"Also, how did you get out of that cage, find me, and come here? By the way, did you have any unique name given to you, or shall I just call you 'Mr. Rabbit'? I suppose you're older than me despite being an animal..."
At this, the rabbit bristled, its eyes narrowed. "Animal? How dare you! There's a significant difference between an animal and a beast. Beasts, like myself, are far more intelligent and possess a logic that surpasses mere instinct. Animals are nothing but a brainless bunch of walking waste, devoid of the capacity for reason. I am a beast, a high-tier being, not just some common animal!"
"Okay, okay!" Griffin quickly agreed, raising both hands in retreat.
"Now, I need to take a rest! Once I'm awake, we might get down to business..."
While Griffin spoke, the rabbit balanced itself carefully and settled down to sleep on his makeshift bed.
Griffin leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the rabbit. He wondered about the origin of the creature, how his father had found it, what the rabbit's purpose was, and what it could do. These questions loomed large in his mind.
Unbeknownst to Griffin, one of the rabbit's eyes was slightly open, watching him intently.
Suddenly, as Griffin became distracted, a tiny shadow spear formed quietly in the air and shot towards his head with muderous precision.
Just in time, he caught sight of the spear, and his body reacted instinctively.
He ducked swiftly to the side, the spear whistling past him before striking the ground with a sharp thud.
More spears materialised in the air, aimed at Griffin when he prepared to rest from the last attack. About ten flew towards him!
He dodged eight of them with agile movements, but one came straight for his heart. It was mere inches away when it suddenly stopped and vanished.
Griffin fell to the ground, fear coursing through him - panic. He was unsure of what had just happened.
The rabbit fully opened its eyes and hopped over to Griffin, tapping its second leg on the ground rapidly. This gesture indicated urgency and a call to action.
"I can see the memories are coming along well... your body is able to react quickly to attacks."
Griffin fell silent, staring at the rabbit.
"Perhaps you're confused about how memories work... how can you join that foolish academy in this manner?"
"You know what a memory is, correct?"
The rabbit hopped onto the workbench, standing upright in the manner of a lecturer ready to commence a class.
"Effectively, once you acquire a memory, it grants you magical abilities and enhances your physical strength and martial skills tenfold. Sometimes, you won't easily tire when carrying something heavy, but that's not always guaranteed."
Griffin tilted his head slightly, contemplating as he sat on the ground.
Aria had managed to break that window, which had seemed impossible due to the reinforced barriers. Was that an example of enhancement? Surely, she had awakened. She must have experienced an increase in strength and agility, just like the time she effortlessly jumped over that fence...
He decided to pose a question to the rabbit. "Is it evolving into a superhuman? Does it also enhance speed and precision?"
"Yes!
"However, not everyone is fortunate enough to gain all forms of enhancement. Some may only see increases in strength and agility, while others may excel in speed and precision. The rarest individuals achieve all four... and they're quite dangerous if they ever turn against humanity..." the rabbit replied, its ears twitched with emphasis.
"Turn against humanity?" Griffin echoed, his voice was laced with disbelief.
The rabbit's expression grew serious as it began to explain.
"Back in the First War, there were thirty awakened who joined the race of monsters known as "Nexirs." Their goal is simple: colonise humanity!
"There's a dark twist in the process of acquiring a memory; a strange occurrence tends to happen in some individuals, turning them against humanity—especially those of us who wield dark magic. We might be considered the strongest type of awakened.
"After acquiring ten memories, there's an 87% chance that one will attack humanity..."
Is that why Father said I shouldn't let the world burn? Did he mean that if I ever lost control, I shouldn't attack humanity? How am I to avoid going mad with such a high probability...?
"Believe it or not, your father went mad. He killed 130 awakened in just nine hours... he was the strongest dark magic user..."
"My father did what...?" Griffin's voice quivered, disbelief was written all over his face.
Gradually, he pushed himself up from the ground, his pulse quickened as a wave of shock engulfed him. His legs felt unsteady, and a profound sense of betrayal and dread gnawed at his insides.