The tension in the air was palpable as Raine stood before the emissaries of the royal court, his mind racing. Lady Irina's cold, calculating gaze never wavered, and the other members of her delegation—each draped in the robes of nobility and magic—waited silently for his response. Raine's heart pounded in his chest, but his face remained impassive. This was no ordinary encounter; the royal family's involvement in his beast taming was something far more dangerous than he could have ever imagined.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't understand. Why would the royal family be interested in my gryphion?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with an underlying edge of suspicion.
Lady Irina's lips curled into a slight, almost imperceptible smile, as if she were pleased with his composure. "The gryphion you have tamed is no ordinary beast. It is of ancient lineage—an extinct species, believed to be lost to history. And now, you claim to have revived it. Such power cannot go unnoticed, Raine." Her tone turned colder, more formal. "The crown views this as a potential... asset. The question is, how far are you willing to go to ensure that the gryphion does not fall into the wrong hands?"
Raine's mind spun with the implications of her words. The royal family had always been interested in power—especially when it came to magical creatures. Could they be after his gryphion for themselves? The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
"I'm afraid I don't understand your meaning, Lady Irina," Raine replied, keeping his expression neutral, though his instincts screamed at him to be careful. "Are you suggesting that the gryphion belongs to the crown? Because if you are, you've made a grave mistake."
A flicker of something passed through Lady Irina's eyes—a hint of amusement or perhaps something more calculating—but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "No, Raine, I'm not suggesting that the gryphion belongs to the crown. But power like that..." she paused, her voice darkening, "is never just for one person to wield. Not in a kingdom like this. You should understand that better than most."
Raine's hand instinctively went to the talisman hanging around his neck—the one that kept the gryphion bound to him. "I'm fully aware of the consequences of taming such a beast, Lady Irina. And I will not allow it to be used as a pawn for anyone's political gain."
Lady Irina's eyes narrowed, but her lips curled back into that same, icy smile. "We shall see, Raine. We shall see. The royal court will be watching you closely from now on. And so will others."
With that, she signaled for her entourage to leave. The group filed out of the room without another word, leaving Raine standing there, deep in thought.
The Hidden Threat
The next few days were filled with unease. Raine couldn't shake the feeling that the royal family's emissary had not only come to assess his gryphion but had been testing him in other ways. There was a political game at play here, one that was much larger than his individual ambitions.
He spent more time in the library, pouring over books and scrolls about legendary creatures, trying to decipher the full extent of the gryphion's potential. He had learned enough to understand that the gryphion was far more than a simple beast—it was the key to something much larger.
As he read, he stumbled upon a long-forgotten tome, its cover cracked and ancient. Within its pages, Raine found mentions of a six-star gryphion—but not the one he had tamed. This gryphion, according to the text, had been a guardian beast, tasked with protecting an ancient artifact that had the potential to change the world. The artifact, known as the Eye of Eternity, had been lost to time, and no one knew where it was hidden. Yet, this gryphion—much like his own—was said to be the key to finding it.
Raine felt a surge of adrenaline. The implications of this discovery were staggering. Could the gryphion he had tamed be connected to this lost artifact? If so, he was not only dealing with a legendary beast but with something far more dangerous: a hidden power that others would stop at nothing to control.
The Unseen Forces
As if on cue, strange occurrences began to happen around the academy. First, a series of unexplained disappearances—the beasts of certain students—one by one—vanished in the night. No traces were left behind. Only the chilling sound of distant roars filled the silence.
Raine's mind raced. Were these disappearances connected to his gryphion? Had someone else learned of its existence and sought to eliminate potential threats? The fact that six-star beasts were involved made everything even more complicated.
He spent the next few days keeping a low profile, monitoring the academy's movements, and ensuring that his gryphion remained hidden. Yet, as the days passed, the tension in the air grew thicker. Whispers of spies from other kingdoms began to circulate. People with motives that Raine had yet to fully comprehend. All he knew was that he was now at the center of something much larger than his own ambitions.
Then, one night, as Raine prepared to retire for the evening, a soft knock echoed on his door.
He opened it cautiously, his hand instinctively reaching for the talisman around his neck.
To his surprise, it wasn't Lady Irina or one of the royal emissaries standing before him—it was Master Nivon, the head of the Beast Taming Tower. The old man's expression was grim, his usual jovial demeanor replaced by a rare seriousness.
"Raine, we need to talk."
Without waiting for an invitation, Master Nivon stepped into the room, his gaze scanning the area as if checking for eavesdroppers. "This is not the time for hesitation. You've awakened a beast far beyond what we expected. And now there are... others looking for you."
Raine's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
Master Nivon's voice dropped to a whisper. "The gryphion you tamed is a six-star legendary beast, yes. But it's not just any gryphion. You've bonded with a creature that has its own agenda—a creature tied to the Eye of Eternity. There are forces that would stop at nothing to claim that power. And you, my boy, are now the key to unlocking it."
Raine felt the world tilt beneath him. He was being drawn into something that even his wildest calculations had not predicted. He had to make a choice—stay on his current path and risk everything, or give up the gryphion and the legendary power it represented.
But giving it up was never an option for Raine.
"Then we prepare." Raine said, his voice steely. "We protect the gryphion. And we find the Eye of Eternity before anyone else does."
To Be Continued...
As Raine stood on the precipice of the unknown, the stakes had never been higher. Not only was his future tied to a legendary beast, but he now found himself entwined in a web of ancient secrets, political intrigue, and dangerous enemies. The quest for power was far from over, and the journey was only just beginning.