The dawn sky over Beast City shimmered in bands of violet and pale gold, a quiet moment before the chaos of daily life. Little Life stepped into the morning air, now dressed in his freshly repaired robe bearing a faint emblem stitched onto the collar—Fire Pelt Academy's temporary symbol.
Shuiyin floated beside him, its movements slow and calm. The fish had grown quieter since their trip to the Fire-Eye Plaza, as if sensing something only it could understand. Last night, it had rested on the window sill, gazing at the stars for hours without speaking.
"You alright?" Little Life asked, keeping his voice low as they moved toward the Academy grounds.
"I heard something in the night," Shuiyin said softly, flicking its tail. "A heartbeat… very old, beneath the city. Like a whisper in the water."
Little Life raised an eyebrow. "Maybe a buried beast ruin?"
"Maybe," Shuiyin said, but didn't elaborate.
The Academy wasn't far—a modest compound nestled behind a wall of fire-marked stone. Red banners fluttered in the morning wind, and young cultivators in flame-colored uniforms jogged in formation. A beastman instructor with a lion's mane for hair waved Little Life inside.
"Welcome, newcomer," the instructor said with a sharp grin. "Name?"
"Call me Xiao Sheng," Little Life replied, using his false identity. Sheng, meaning life.
The lionman handed him a bone token inscribed with a claw symbol. "This is your Beast Token. Don't lose it. It allows access to our training fields and the outer archives of the Beast Scholar Pavilion."
Little Life bowed slightly. "Thank you."
He was given a basic room at the edge of the compound—simple, clean, and shared with two others who hadn't arrived yet. Shuiyin floated lazily around the ceiling while he unpacked a few essentials.
"They'll test you again," the fish said after a while. "The Trial Ring was only to weed out the weak. The true test comes when you least expect it."
Little Life nodded. "Let them try."
---
By noon, Little Life had already completed his first basic fire-soul breathing class. As expected, his beast disguise gave him enough cover to pass as a mixed-blood with rare inheritance. He kept his light element mostly hidden, revealing only a sliver when necessary.
After lunch, he headed toward the outer pavilion archives. The library was massive—blue jade walls surrounded by beast statues, glowing softly with protective formations. His token opened the gate with a pulse of warmth.
Rows of ancient scrolls and crystal slabs lined the hall, categorized by clan, combat style, and cultivation art. Shuiyin followed him in silently, observing the carved stone floor.
"Search for anything about Beast Fusion," Little Life whispered. "Or secrets of the Blood Origin Lines."
They spent the entire afternoon skimming through records. One scroll described rare bloodlines that could carry residual soul imprints, allowing future generations to awaken ancestral memories. Another hinted at beasts of unknown origin who appeared in ancient wars, bearing both water and flame.
Little Life paused when he read that line.
"Water and flame… could be coincidence," he murmured.
Shuiyin's scales shimmered faintly.
He glanced at the fish. "You know something?"
Shuiyin swirled around once. "Some bloodlines are so old, their names were erased. Yet they still dream. Even in silence."
That was the only answer it gave.
---
That evening, a sudden alarm rang throughout the academy. Fire bells chimed, and beast cultivators rushed to the training grounds.
Little Life followed, curious. A group of instructors stood around a shattered stone slab at the center of the yard. Its surface was cracked open, and glowing runes spilled strange light into the ground.
"What happened?" someone asked.
"Someone broke the Hidden Heart Trial Gate," an elder growled. "It only opens once a year. Now, it's awake early."
Little Life felt a tug in his core. The air near the slab pulsed with invisible pressure, as if calling to something within him.
Shuiyin floated closer. "Be careful."
One instructor noticed them. "You, goat-boy! Want to prove yourself?"
"Me?" Little Life asked.
"The gate's unstable. If someone doesn't go in and stabilize the inner core, it could collapse and destroy half the yard. Since you passed the trial yesterday, you're qualified."
Little Life didn't hesitate. "I'll do it."
---
Inside the gate was a space unlike any trial he'd seen. Everything shimmered like mist, and the ground beneath his feet felt more like water than stone. Shapes moved in the distance—part beasts, part shadows.
A voice echoed in his mind. "Bring balance. Or be consumed."
He moved forward, light gently illuminating the path. Strange vines twisted toward him, only to pull away when touched by his aura.
In the center stood a crystal egg, pulsating with wild spirit energy. Around it floated fragments of something broken—a memory, a dream, or perhaps the dying thoughts of a beast long gone.
Shuiyin appeared beside him. "This is… not just a trial. This is a sealed consciousness."
"What should I do?"
"Let your light touch it—but carefully."
He knelt before the egg and placed a single hand on it, channeling a whisper of divine light through his palm.
The reaction was immediate. Visions flashed—flying over oceans, scales glittering under a moonlit sky, a roar shaking the heavens, and… falling. Falling deep into a cold abyss.
Then nothing.
The egg's glow faded, and the strange space began to dissolve. He had passed.
---
Back in the academy yard, the instructors looked surprised when he reemerged unharmed.
"You've done well," the elder said, though his eyes lingered on Little Life a bit too long. "Report to the pavilion again tomorrow. You may qualify for higher access."
He nodded silently and left.
---
That night, as rain lightly fell outside, Little Life sat in meditation. Shuiyin floated near the window again, humming faintly.
"I saw something in the egg," he said suddenly. "A beast that flew over oceans. It felt… ancient."
Shuiyin didn't look at him. "Perhaps it was the memory of a forgotten ancestor."
"It fell. Was it killed?"
A pause.
"No," the fish finally said. "It chose to fall."
Little Life narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"To sleep."
He let the silence grow. Then finally asked, "Shuiyin… are you afraid of waking up?"
This time, the fish turned slowly. "I'm afraid of what I might remember."
Then it turned away, letting the rain wash over its glimmering form.
---
Far below the city, in a sealed cavern no one visited, the heartbeat continued—slow, steady, waiting.
And somewhere in the heavens, a silver scale drifted down, unseen, unfelt… but not unremembered.
---[To Be Continued]---