The wolf stepped closer, its large paws quiet against the chill stone floor, its mass a warmth and a pressure pushing Taren backwards. His back bumped the cold surface of the wall; he held his breath as he stared up into its maw. It hovered above him, the fur ruffling through the air inches from his cheek, yet it did not move.
Instead, it sat. Ground trembled slightly beneath its weight; its massive head dipped low to stare directly into Taren's wide eyes. The faintest scent lingers—soft, floral, familiar. It clings to the air around the beast; Taren's mind flails to place it. 'Aeliana. It smells like her—inconceivable but unshakeable.'
The air rippled, shattering the tense silence. A dim glow caught his attention, flickering red in the faint tunnel illumination. It wavered like heat rising from a fire before solidifying into strange, translucent letters floating before him.
Taren's jaw tightened as he clenched his fists as the words formed:
──────◇ Vogari System ◇──────
「The floating thing you are seeing is a System Screen. No one can see it except you.」
「This system is designed for you to make you stronger. Don't talk to anyone about this.」
「Want to give a name to your tamed beast?」
「You can also give a name to your beast and check its stats later. If you want to vanish your beast, say 'Kieru' to send your beast to your realm..」
─────────◇◆◇─────────
Taren's throat tightened, his pulse roaring in his ears. He didn't move, his breath shallow as he stared at the flickering screen. His lips parted slightly, and words tumbled out, rough and uncertain. 'My… realm? What in the bloody hell?'
The beast didn't react, its massive form still radiating quiet power. The glowing letters hung in the air, waiting.
Desperation clawed at him, his voice cracking. "Kieru!"
The moment the word left his lips, a ripple spread through the air around the beast. The glow brightened, its golden light spiralling like liquid threads wrapping around the creature's body. The energy swirled faster and brighter until Taren squinted against the light.
And in the same instant, the glow and the beast were gone. The air was colder, the silence heavier. Taren blinked, his breath coming in short gasps. He reached out a trembling hand to touch the space where the wolf had been, his fingers brushing only empty air.
His voice broke the silence, low and rough. 'What… what just happened?'
Osric stood transfixed, his wide eyes fixed on Taren. His face was a battleground of emotions—confusion, fear, and something far deeper, almost unspoken. His mind reeled as he tried to wrap himself around the impossible sight before him. 'Magic? Taren?' It didn't add up. The boy he knew—the scrappy, sharp-tongued survivor—was suddenly someone unrecognizable. His fingers twitched at his side, curling into fists, as if to anchor himself in a reality that was slipping away.
Taren spun around, a wild grin breaking across his face. His eyes burned with a fire Osric had never seen before—raw, untamed, and electric. He threw his arms into the air, his voice ricocheting through the tunnel.
"Yo, Osric! Did you see that? Magic! I can use magic!" His words came in a rough, breathless rush, tumbling over each other. He jabbed a thumb at his chest, his grin widening. "Me—a motherfuck! This is insane!" He let out a sharp laugh, half joy, half disbelief. "You know what this means? I'm gonna be strong—real strong! No one's ever gonna push us around again!"
Osric did not answer. His breathing came shallow and uneven as he stared at Taren, caught between awe and unease. The words spilling from Taren's mouth felt foreign, wrong like they belonged to someone else. For the first time, Osric wondered if he knew the boy standing before him.
Taren's voice boomed down the tunnel, echoing off the cold stone walls as it faded into oppressive silence. Shadows moved in the dim light, flickering and stretching as if the world held its breath.
"Osric, you with me?" Taren's grin faltered slightly, his voice cracking with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. He took a step closer, his energy still buzzing but tinged with a hint of desperation. "C'mon, man. You gotta see how big this is!"
Osric's mouth opened, but no words came. He shifted his weight, boots scraping on the floor as he tried to steady himself. Finally, he managed a strained whisper. "What...what's happening to you?"
The air changed, thickened with an almost electric charge. A strange, luminous glow seeped into the space, casting long, shifting shadows that danced like phantoms on the trembling walls. The faint scent of ozone hung in the air, sharp and metallic, as the golden hue pulsed rhythmically, like the beat of the earth itself.
Osric stumbled against the wall as the earth continued to heave. Taren's wild excitement suddenly just melted away into utter confusion, and the world went black behind a deafening crack.
For a moment, nothing existed - only the crushing weight of silence and darkness. Osric's heart pounded in his chest with every beat ringing out into the emptiness. He reached out blindly, his fingers tangling in Taren's sleeve. Then light. Blinding, brilliant light exploded around them, forcing both to shield their eyes.
The flicker of light disappeared; they stood in the centre of something entirely new. This place was a massive underground castle before them, its ceilings unutterably high, their surfaces glittering with glittering crystal chandeliers. Incredibly, gilded, intricate carvings glided along the walls, each glinting off light; surface after surface came alive to be warm. Rich tapestries draped between towering columns as fabrics whispered softly in the faintly melodic hum filling the air—a song forgotten to time.
Taren whirled on his heel, his breath coming short as he took in the grandeur. For a second, his grin wavered, replaced by awe. His fingers brushed a column gilded, its cool surface keeping him firmly in the real world. Then his grin snapped back into place, wide and wild. And above him, in mid-air, a familiar red flicker appeared:
──────◇ System Vogari ◇──────
「Congratulations! You are now the owner of this mansion.」
────────◇◆◇────────
The letters shimmered faintly, their edges glowing as if traced in embers. It lingered for a moment before melting away like smoke, leaving to itself the faint scent of burned parchment.
Taren laughed wildly, whole body shaking. He turned to Osric; he hadn't moved even yet. Wide-eyed, Osric gazed into the wonderful chamber.
Again, before he could utter a word of it, the screen flickered a third time and broke his thoughts.
──────◇ System Vogari ◇──────
「You may go out of this place saying 'Akeru.'」
────────◇◆◇────────
Taren gazed narrowly at the radiant words. No sooner said the words, Taren tossed back his head again and yelled, "Akeru!"
The air shifted once more. A deep rumble shook the castle as a great door appeared before them. It was twice the height of a normal door, carved with intricate designs of beasts locked in battle, their eyes shining with a faint, predatory light. The edges glowed softly, the surface radiating a subtle warmth.
Taren moved closer, tracing the lines of carved designs with his fingers. "This place.is...mine?" he asked softly, barely believing what he was hearing. And then the grin came back, this time sharper than ever. He swung round to Osric, his eyes blazing with promise. "Osric, do you see this? We are not escaping; we are taking!"
Osric stood frozen to the spot, his eyes darting between the massive door and Taren's ecstatic face. The castle was beautiful, but it felt wrong. Too perfect. Too sudden. He rubbed his arms, trying to shake the chill that was creeping up his spine. "Taren," he said softly, his voice laced with unease, "What is happening?"