In the early morning, Sophia awoke from sleep; her first instinct was to reach for Seraphix, who lay sleeping beside her. She lifted him gently, pressing his smooth fur against her face. 'What a blissful feel.'
After completing her morning ritual, she rose quickly and went to her drawer. From it, she took out a silver-covered notebook and began to write anything that came to her mind. It had been several days since her last visit to the dining room to confront her father. Though the memory of his disbelief still stung, she had slowly begun to move past it.
"That's right, I still have Cal..." she murmured, her excitement growing. She couldn't wait to tell Cal, her best friend, about her taming a nine-stroke beast. "And the winter holiday is almost over. I'll be back at the academy soon!"
As she finished writing in the silver-covered notebook, a new thought crossed her mind.
'It'll be difficult to always carry Seraphix around.'
From her time with him, Sophia had learned that Seraphix wasn't fond of moving on his own. Unless he needed to use the bathroom, he preferred to rely on her for everything. Watching him now, still peacefully asleep on her bed, a thought crossed her mind. 'Let's make a project.'
With a purpose in mind, Sophia reached under her bed and pulled out several boxes. Inside were her crafting tools and materials, gathered over years of experiments and personal projects.
"I guess I could make something out of the leftover materials."
***
In the modest meeting hall of the Imperial Palace, Grigori Kalashnikov, the current emperor of the Maurya Empire, convened an urgent session with his most trusted companions. To his left sat Shira, the Grand Tamer, while to his right sat Naphael, the Grand Magus and head of the Kovalevska Family.
The meeting was prompted by an extraordinary development: just days ago, Grigori had received two red letters with black edges, one from Naphael, bearing the insignia of the Grand Magus, and the other from Shira, marked with the insignia of the Grand Tamer. Both letters delivered the same message: a potential nine-stroke beast.
Despite the pressures of an ongoing internal conflict in Maurya, the gravity of receiving alarming messages from two of his most trusted companions compelled Grigori to prioritize this gathering without delay.
Turning his attention to the Grand Magus, Grigori began. "Naphael, let's start with you. Explain everything in detail."
Naphael inclined his head and began recounting his encounter with the beast known as Seraphix, its strange mode of communication, overpowering aura, and the indescribable malice it emitted. He concluded by describing the lingering effects of the aura on his 'unconscious realm.'
"I see," Grigori muttered, his expression grave. "To be able to shake you to this degree, that's indeed far from normal."
Of all who have been with Naphael, Grigori was one of the few who experienced the strength of his 'innate barrier.' To hear that there was a being capable of shaking himto this degree was hard for him to process.
Naphael nodded. "I've also discussed this with Shira. There's no record of any known beast possessing such an overpowering aura."
Shira added, "That's true, Your Majesty."
As the Grand Tamer and one of the beings with the highest 'talent' in beast taming in the world, Shira was the foremost expert in this field. With her extensive collection of tamed beasts and vast experience, there was little about beasts she did not know. The fact that this beast, Seraphix, was completely unfamiliar to her only meant they were dealing with something entirely unknown.
Grigori leaned back, deep in thought. "This is troubling. But first, Naphael, is your daughter unharmed?"
"Fortunately, she seems fine," Naphael replied, his voice tinged with relief.
"Good. But I recall you mentioning that she lacks talent for beast taming."
"That's right, Your Majesty. She shouldn't have any talent at all."
Grigori's brow furrowed in thought. "Perhaps her talent is merely a late bloomer? She carries both the Kovalevska's blood and yours, after all."
"That's…" Naphael hesitated.
Grigori smiled gently. "I understand your concerns, but Naphael, it's not unreasonable to have hope. A child of her lineage may yet surprise us."
For Grigori, Sophia was an enigma. Given her lineage, her potential should have rivaled, or even surpassed, that of his own bloodline.
Shifting his attention, Grigori addressed the Grand Tamer. "Shira, what's your take? Could a nine-stroke beast truly exist?"
"It's possible, Your Majesty," Shira replied. "This comes from the testimony of my eight-stroke beast."
Although borderline legendary, eight-stroke beasts do exist in this world. Not many people are aware of their existence, as no one in recorded history has ever survived an encounter with one. Shira, being the only 'human' to have tamed one, was enough to elevate her power to that of a Grand Title holder, earning her the title of Grand Tamer.
Grigori raised an eyebrow. "That's intriguing."
Despite his many years and his status as emperor of one of the three great nations, this was the first time he had received solid confirmation of the existence of a nine-stroke beast.
Shira nodded. "Indeed. While we use the term 'stroke' to denote the hierarchy of beasts, they classify themselves by 'generations.' The eight-stroke beast is regarded as the first generation. However, even the eight-stroke beasts recognize the existence of a generation that came before them."
"A generation before the first?" Grigori asked.
"Yes. Among the eight-stroke Beasts, it is known as the Primordial Beast, the progenitor of their race."
Grigori's eyes gleamed with interest. "So if this entity is a nine-stroke beast, could it signify the emergence of a new race of beasts?"
"Precisely, Your Majesty. However, I'll need to verify this myself."
"Got it." Grigori turned his gaze back to Naphael.
"What's your take, Naphael?"
Naphael hesitated. "I… I'm not sure."
Grigori nodded. "I understand. For now, I'll send formal invitations for an official meeting, including your daughter. We need to verify the truth of this matter. In the meantime, this information must remain strictly confidential."
***
In the middle of the night, I woke up abruptly on Sophia's bed. "It seems my sleep schedule is adapting to that of a cat." Despite the darkness, I can see perfectly; my feline vision ensures that. Jumping down from the bed, I stretch, adjusting to the movements of my cat's body.
"Well, I suppose this is a good time for a few experiments."
Ever since the breakfast incident with Naphael, I've come to understand that simply being a normal cat won't be enough. There will be times when I have to act. On top of that, my status window doesn't display how much mana my skills consume, making it hard to manage them efficiently. That's why I decided there is a need to run small experiments to gauge their cost. At the same time, I need to measure the limitations of each skill since I can't really rely on its vague description in the status window. With unknown threats ahead, the best approach is to be thoroughly prepared.
After some short consideration, I decided, 'Let's try Transmogrify Essence.'
So far, I've only used it three times, which is nowhere near enough to understand its full potential. I concentrate, focusing on the skill. Slowly, a surge of heat spreads through me, and my body begins to shift into the form I imagine: a fly. Once transformed, I take a moment to examine my tiny new body before effortlessly flying around the room.
'Interesting,' I muse. Even though I've never flown as a fly before, I can instinctively do so after transforming. This realization puts me at ease. Typically, newborns must learn to use their bodies, just as a human baby crawls before walking, or a bird falls before flying. For me, this instinctive control is crucial. If I ever need to transform into other animals to adapt to a situation, being able to use their bodies naturally on instinct could make all the difference.
After a few flying sessions, I revert to my cat form. As I settle back, an idea strikes me. Using my skill, I focus on my right front paw. Suddenly, the claw grew unnaturally long with sharp edges.
'So, body modification is also possible.'
Curious, I open my status window.
---
Level: 1
Mana Capacity: 19
Occupation: Cat (Beast) tamed by Sophia Kovalevska
Strength: 1
Intelligence: 1
Agility: 1
Dexterity: 1
Vitality: 1
Skills: Transmogrify Essence, Veil of the Abyss, Essence Devour
---
'So, it takes 1 mana for body modification.' It seems that altering part of my body costs less mana than transforming my entire form. This discovery excites me. With this ability, I could further refine my cat's body, making it better suited to my needs and environment.
As I glanced at my Status Window, my eyes settled on my stats. 'Other than mana capacity, everything is stuck at 1.'
Although I don't fully understand how stats work in this world yet, I can conclude that a value of one doesn't significantly affect my cat's mobility. I still move with the same agility and speed I'd expect from a normal cat in my previous world.
'So, if my stats exceed one, could I gain supercat physical abilities?'
For now, I'm not sure, but tonight's experiment still shows me that there's much more about my ability I can discover.
"This is starting to get interesting."