Logan thought about the girl he once knew well as a child.
Lisa had always been willing to play with him, whether it was losing in video games or beating him in basketball. The young girl had stuck by him until his parents' divorce forced him to leave with his mother and abandon his old home.
It was not until much later when his mother had won the lawsuit that they moved back to live in the same old house.
When he entered high school, Logan remembered he would stare at her from afar. The girl he once knew had grown to become a beautiful young woman, usually surrounded by friends and always at the center of attention. He on the other hand had become reclusive, always in the shadows, never near any sort of spotlight.
Despite the distance that grew between them, Logan could not help but have feelings of familiarity with the girl. During the first year he did not actively seek her out as he did not share a class with her, but he would at times have a chance to be around her.
And yet they would only share glimpses from afar, neither seeming to get close to the other. Logan would sometimes think it was probably his way of dressing. His once well-off family had become a sole mother doing her best to keep food on the table while paying bills. His clothes were far from the newest, often worn and patched, standing in stark contrast to the latest fashion.
During his second year, he finally shared a class with her. While he blamed himself for keeping his distance out of shame, he knew that she sometimes looked his way. It was a strange situation; on one hand, he was afraid of rejection, but on the other, he couldn't help but feel a persistent pull towards Lisa. Sharing a class gave them more chances to interact. Although he had yet to speak clearly to her, they did speak several times and even once laughed at an inside joke they shared from the past.
Unfortunately, this also brought some problems. He noticed that Brian began his crusade to make Logan's life difficult during this time.
As a result, they kept their distance once again, reminding Logan of why he
detested relationships.
But now, there was this small connection between them. He at least had to find out why this bond was created. He looked at one part of his skills description—the other had to be willing to form the pact. In other words, she was probably willing, but then why was it displayed as an error?
"Logan, are you alright?"
A melodious voice called out to him, pulling him back from his thoughts. He turned to see Rubina standing there, concern etched on her face. So, he decided to postpone his search for answers until later.
"Yes, sorry about that. It took a bit of time to understand everything. I am a tamer as the oracle said. It seems I can level up and also have skills and attributes. Also, I seem to have a bond with a creature already, a so-called Crimson Majesty," Logan said, rubbing his head. He felt a small pulse from overthinking too much while using the sigil.
The earl, hearing of his first pact, raised an excited cry. "Fascinating! Not only creatures but plants? That is unique, to say the least, and also something to worry about. As you know, this world has had one other demon invasion before—the one that caused the first hero Rowland to be called. This is not spoken of much to avoid causing panic, but the demons the first hero fought against had a type of tamer ability that could enslave even humans." The earl took a deep breath before speaking again, glancing at his daughter.
"Now that I think about it, knowing my daughter, she must have spoken to you about her race. Don't worry, it was something I also wanted to ask her to do. You see, just as not all humans are the same, there are differences among demons as well."
Rubina, who was called out, showed signs of surprise. She didn't know how her father knew what she had done but felt embarrassed that she couldn't keep secrets from her old man.
"It was Hestia, wasn't it?" Rubina questioned her father, her cheeks flushing slightly as she tried to maintain her composure.
"Yes… yes, don't worry, dear. Now then, you may be wondering why it is dangerous that you can tame plants. People will be scared of you, Logan, if they are not already. You have gotten your power from the Great Spirit of Darkness, one of the least loved for having helped the demons in the past. A third of the world was destroyed when humans became nothing but livestock before the first great war." The earl cleared his throat and tossed another fire stone to the newborn monster, which was busily devouring the last of the ones placed near its incubator.
"But as I said not all demons are the same, I know that for a fact the demons that started the first war hundreds of years ago, they were different, they drained humans of blood. By taming us like cattle they were able to feed off the strong and raise the weak so as to not oppose them. This time though, the demons who are causing the problems seem to have a different agenda. They are using strategy this time, taking down kingdoms one by one, they already have a good portion of the continent in flames, killing everything in their path.
Anyway, we will have more time to talk about that later. This newborn Scorchwyrm won't wait forever."
Everyone's focus returned to the young creature, whose cute cries filled the room. Logan, gazing at the small being, thought back to the medium he needed to tame it. He checked his finger, which was just beginning to scab. With a pained expression, he ripped off a small piece of the skin trying to heal and pressed it to have some blood flowing while Rubina and the earl stared at him in dismay.
"Well this is new…" The earl said trying to figure out what the boy was doing while Rubina placed both hands on her face.
Logan hesitated, feeling a pang of guilt. "It's kind of creepy, but my ability requires me to mark a beast with blood," he said, looking at the tiny creature. He wondered if it was right to enslave a small animal without its consent.
"Logan, you shouldn't worry too much about your way of taming. If there is one thing I know, it's that even if it's a little different, it should be with a willing being, right?" the earl spoke gently, a look of excitement on his face.
The boy nodded, still unsure but determined to understand his ability better. He pressed his bleeding finger onto the creature's head, hoping it would accept the bond willingly.
The baby Scorchwyrm seemed to be in a daze before it shook its tail happily. Soon, the blood seemed to react as if it was evaporating, leaving a small mark around the creature's neck that glowed a deep shade of red. This time, Logan felt a connection. It was his first time sensing this particular feeling. He thought back to the plant, which probably didn't have the intelligence to produce this, or the incident with Lisa, which didn't go through as it should have.
[Qweeek]
He heard a tiny voice in his mind. He couldn't understand it but felt its meaning in a way. It wanted food, hunger, emptiness, pain in the stomach—such words appeared in his mind. He also felt a small burn around his collarbone. Lifting his shirt slightly, he saw a small red print where the pain had faded.
"Well, I never thought I would get a tattoo... wait..." As Logan pondered, he recalled a description about having a mark on his right ankle. Lifting his pants a little, he found a mark that resembled a small bracelet with leaves and thorns.
"What a day full of surprises! Let me tell you, your way of taming seems to not only be one-sided but affects both parties," the earl said, his excitement evident. "It might give you strength along the way, but I can also see a problem with it. It might hurt you in some way if something happens to one of your tamed beasts. As I stated before, please be careful and only reveal the minimal amount of information. As for the divination the oracle did, she can only see what the Great Spirits allow her, so don't worry too much."
The earl, satisfied with what he had learned, was in Great Spirits. He quickly took a small notebook and began writing down his observations while Rubina watched him with a mix of admiration and curiosity.
"Well, Logan, I think it would be better to leave the Scorchwyrm here. We have the necessary materials and food for it to grow. You may not know this, but young beasts need elemental stones to grow stronger. For this little guy, it should take about a month to grow enough to move about. " Rubina explained, knowing her father would be busy until he finished writing down every detail.
She wanted to call for a maid to come for the creature, but her father raised a hand before she had a chance to speak.
"Wait, before that, there is one last thing I want Sir Logan to do before he departs," the earl said, putting away his notebook and making a wide grin towards Logan. "I think this small one needs a good fight before the hero leaves."