Chapter 9 – Broken Beasts and Black Markets
Axel's footsteps echoed through the narrow alley, each sound carrying the weight of an unspoken decision. The air was thick with dampness and decay, a familiar scent in the heart of the slums, but there was something else—a metallic tang in the breeze, laced with the sharp bite of magic. The farther he ventured into the labyrinthine streets, the more the usual din of the marketplace faded, replaced by something darker, more ominous. The underground market wasn't just a place for food or trade; it was a place where desperation and danger bled into one another.
He had heard the rumors. Whispers in the dark corners of the slum. Of beasts—broken, mutated creatures that were sold for nothing more than cruel amusement, pit fights, or worse, used for black-market experiments. Axel had no desire to step into the filth of the underground market. He had no need for beasts. But lately, something had gnawed at him. Something about the way the system whispered to him when he cooked, when he sensed the latent energies in his dishes. The whispers had mentioned beasts—fusion, enhancement, compatibility. And Axel had come to learn that where there were whispers, there were secrets.
Now, here he was, standing at the edge of a door, its surface battered and scarred from countless years of abuse. The faint hum of magic pulsed from within, a magnetic force that seemed to pull at his very core.
"Are you sure about this?" Elyria's voice broke through his thoughts, the familiar tone of her warning hanging heavy in his mind.
Axel didn't answer right away. He was trying to gather his thoughts, focusing on the path ahead. The last time he'd gone down this road, he'd come out with a few scraps of salvageable meat and a mess of bruises. This time, however, was different. Something about the whispers—the way they intensified when he cooked, the strange fusion combinations—they made him feel like he was on the verge of something important. Something that could change the course of his life.
"I have to see it for myself," Axel said quietly, pushing the door open.
The scent of damp fur, blood, and magic hit him all at once. It was nothing like the market he was used to—no vendors were shouting, no bustling crowds. Instead, the space was dim, the air heavy with tension. The floor was slick with moisture, and the walls were lined with cages—some empty, some occupied by broken, sickly creatures. The beasts that filled the cages were unlike anything Axel had ever seen—deformed, disfigured, and in some cases, barely alive.
In the back corner, a man with a hooded cloak and dark glasses leaned against the bars of a cage, whispering to a hulking, oversized lizard with scales that glowed faintly in the dim light. The creature's eyes, dull and lifeless, blinked slowly, too exhausted to react. Axel could feel the weight of the beast's sadness pressing in on him, a heaviness that threatened to suffocate him. This wasn't just a market—it was a prison, a place where creatures were bought, sold, and discarded like tools.
"Hey, what are you looking at?" a voice called out from the shadows. Axel turned to find a tall, gaunt figure standing by a cage near the center of the room. The figure's face was obscured by a thick beard, but his eyes gleamed with a kind of cold, calculating intelligence.
Axel instinctively took a step back, his hand brushing against the handle of a dagger hidden in his belt. "I'm just looking," he said, his voice calm.
"Looking, eh?" The man's lips twisted into a smirk. "Well, you've come to the right place. What you see here ain't for the faint of heart. These beasts... they ain't like the ones you see in the wild. These ones are broken. Used. Sold for parts or pit fights." He jerked his thumb toward the cages. "You want something rare? You've got to pay the price."
Axel's eyes drifted to the nearest cage, where a grotesque amalgamation of feathers, scales, and fur was huddled in a corner. It was a twisted hybrid of a bird and a beast, its wings barely able to support its weight. Its claws were bent at odd angles, and its eyes—those eyes—were wide with fear. But what struck Axel the most wasn't the creature's deformity, it was the sheer sense of suffering that emanated from it. The pain, the betrayal. Whatever magic had gone into creating it had left the creature shattered, broken, and beyond saving.
"How much?" Axel asked, his voice tinged with quiet anger.
"Depends." The man's smirk widened, showing a row of yellowed teeth. "You got gold? Mana crystals? Something valuable?"
Axel glanced around, taking in the marketplace. The cages were filled with beasts—some were familiar, like the wild dogs of the wasteland, their fur matted and patchy. Others were less recognizable—hybrids, creatures that seemed to have no place in the natural order. He caught sight of a particularly large cage at the far end of the room. It was slightly larger than the others, its bars reinforced with magical wards, and inside, a small figure shifted weakly in the shadows.
The creature inside was barely clinging to life, but it had a presence—something that caught Axel's attention like a cold hand gripping his chest. He walked closer, his boots heavy against the slick floor.
There, curled in the corner of the cage, was a pup. Its fur was singed in patches, and its body was covered in old scars. Despite its obvious weakness, there was an undeniable fierceness in the creature's eyes. It was small—no larger than a young wolf—but its energy, the raw magic that pulsed from it, was unmistakable.
A tiny ember, struggling to stay alight in a world that wanted it snuffed out.
"Is it for sale?" Axel asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
The man chuckled, leaning in closer to Axel. "That little thing? Nah, it's more trouble than it's worth. That pup's been through more than you could imagine. It's cursed. Only good for scraps. But if you've got a death wish, I'll sell it to you."
Axel stared at the pup, feeling an unusual tug in his chest. The creature was suffering, no doubt about it, but there was something more than that. Something familiar. A sense of recognition he couldn't place.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a few silver coins, a handful of herbs he'd scavenged earlier, and a scrap of old cloth. The man's eyes flickered briefly to the offerings before nodding.
"Deal," the man muttered. "You've got yourself a broken beast."
Axel unlocked the cage with shaking hands, feeling the creature's eyes upon him as he carefully reached in. The Ember-Fox pup flinched but didn't move, too weak to escape. As soon as Axel touched it, he felt a surge of warmth rush through his palm. The pup's fur, hot and crackling like embers, pulsed with a magical energy that seemed to align with his own.
System Alert: Compatible Beast Detected.
Axel froze, his heart hammering in his chest. The message was clear, flashing before his eyes with an intensity that made his breath catch. A compatibility match? With this broken creature?
Emberheart Match Probability: 94%.
Axel's gaze snapped to the pup. It was the creature—there was no doubt in his mind. The fusion potential, the compatibility. It all aligned perfectly. This beast was no ordinary animal. It was more. It was like the stew he had made, the one that healed the slum girl—something with latent power, something that could be awakened.
"Bonding here... would draw attention," Elyria's voice warned him again, though her tone was different now, tinged with unease. "It's dangerous. The underground markets aren't just a place for beasts. They're magic places too. If you bond with that creature, you'll be marked."
Axel hesitated. He understood the risk. Bonding with a beast in the black market could tie him to forces he didn't fully comprehend, forces that could draw unwanted attention from the wrong people. But the whispers... the system had never been this clear before. And the creature—he could feel its potential, its power. It was a chance to unlock something greater, something he couldn't let slip away.
Without another word, Axel reached into the cage, his fingers brushing the Ember-Fox pup's fur. The warmth intensified, the magic flaring with the force of a wild storm. The pup whimpered, but this time, it didn't pull away. It leaned into his touch, the connection between them solidifying.
The bond was formed.
A surge of energy rushed through Axel's body, as if the very air around him had cracked open. His heart beat faster, the magical flow growing stronger with every passing second. And with it, an awareness he hadn't expected—visions flashed before his eyes, like memories not his own. The Ember-Fox pup's memories, its experiences, its pain, and its desires. All of it.
A bond forged in fire and blood.
"Now you've done it," Elyria said, her voice distant but tinged with a mix of caution and awe. "The Emberheart is no simple beast. Be careful what you awaken in it... and in yourself."
Axel stood there for a moment longer, feeling