LAGHIM Planet, DUNRABLA Star Cluster .
"I wonder who will become our son's Profiler," Brinirha spoke through telepathy to her husband.
"Whoever it is," replied Amnarutta calmly, "I hope they have the patience to handle our boy."
Arkhytirhema floated beside his mother's shoulder, his tiny face serene and satisfied, he had just received his first breast milk. His wide eyes wandered with innocent curiosity, taking in the vast, alien world spread before him.
Planet Laghim, in general, was not so different from Ardh Grumma, though it was one and a half times larger. Its density, however, was extraordinary, resulting in gravity thirty times stronger than that of their homeworld.
Most Lemurian children required at least a full month to adapt to Laghim's crushing gravity, and that was merely the acclimation period before beginning formal education. But Arkhytirhema was different. The transition was effortless. He seemed to love this planet. On Ardh Grumma, the weak gravity made it nearly impossible for him to keep his feet on the ground, his immense power rendered him too buoyant. Here, on Laghim, he could walk freely, comfortably. And once he learned to stand properly, he never stopped moving, running, leaping, laughing like a child tasting freedom for the first time.
He noticed a nearby Lemurian child struggling to stand.
"Hey, can't you get up?" Arkhytirhema asked with genuine curiosity.
"I'm trying! You're already walking? That's amazing! I can barely stay on my knees here."
"It's easy," said Arkhytirhema with a grin. "Just lift your right leg, then your left, and keep repeating it! Watch me!"
He then dashed forward, springing into the air and performing two flawless somersaults, like a gymnast in perfect control of his body. The other child clapped and laughed in delight.
From a distance, Brinirha and Amnarutta watched proudly. Like all Lemurian parents, they participated in their child's Prodimaar education alongside the assigned Profiler. Many families had gathered on Laghim for that very purpose, to observe and teach their own child.
"You must be Arkhytirhema's parents," came a telepathic voice into their minds. They turned to see a tall, athletic woman, her skin bronze, her features youthful and radiant—appearing no older than twenty-one.
"Yes, we are," Brinirha responded through telepathy.
"My name is Dharmina," the woman said with a nod. "The Council has assigned me as your son's Profiler."
Brinirha exchanged a glance with her husband before replying. "Are you sure you're ready to teach Arkhytirhema? It will be... quite the challenge."
Dharmina smiled confidently. "To train a child of such power will be a rare and sacred experience. With the Creator's blessing, I'll do my best."
Her conviction was enough for them. They accepted her with full trust. Together, the three approached the boy to begin his first session. Dharmina activated her X-ray vision, scanning the infant's brain patterns, muscle fibers, and reflex response.
"As I thought…" she mused. "His physiology is far beyond normal limits. But his power is unstable. I'll need to test him before moving forward."
Dharmina led the family toward a cavern barred with iron gates. From within came the low, rumbling growl of a beast. A pair of glowing eyes emerged from the shadows. Arkhytirhema's curiosity flared, he leaned closer, peering through the gaps, and reached his small hand toward the darkness. A massive creature lunged, snapping its jaws. The child jumped back, startled but thrilled.
Before him stood a monstrous hound, eight legs, four ears, and four glowing eyes. Its fangs dripped with green venom, though strangely, it had no tail.
"This," said Dharmina aloud, this time without using telepathy, "is a Drulla. A genetically engineered predator of our own creation. It can sprint faster than sound and deliver a single bite more lethal than any known poison. The wounds it inflicts take weeks to heal."
She pressed a switch, releasing the iron gate. The creature pounced, but was yanked to a halt by the heavy chain around its neck. Arkhytirhema burst into laughter, amused by its futile struggle.
His laughter stopped when Dharmina poured a sticky green fluid over his head.
"What's this?" he asked, blinking in confusion.
"That is the secretion of the Obanam worm, the Drulla's favorite meal. Listen, Zhena Amnarutta (Amnarutta's son), this Drulla hasn't eaten in two days. Once I release the restraint, it will see you as its prey. Your task is simple: avoid being bitten. Understood?"
Arkhytirhema nodded eagerly, grinning ear to ear.
Dharmina pressed another switch. A metallic clink echoed due to the chain snapped. The Drulla roared and lunged.
To ordinary eyes, it would have been invisible, a blur of motion faster than thought. But to Arkhytirhema, its movement was sluggish, almost playful. He dodged easily, darting around the creature, laughing as he turned the deadly pursuit into a game of tag.
From afar, Brinirha telepathed to Dharmina, "I've never seen him so happy. On Ardh Grumma, gravity was too weak for him to play properly. But here, look at him! He's free."
Dharmina smiled faintly. "Normally, a one-month-old Lemurian would cry in terror just seeing a Drulla. The purpose of this trial is to train them to adapt to hostile environments. But your son, he was born only yesterday, and he's playing with it like a pet."
"He's not an ordinary child," said Amnarutta through their thoughts.
"Indeed. Usually, after several months, I would increase the challenge, two, maybe three Drullas at once. The final stage involves outrunning forty-one of them."
"Do you think Arkhytirhema could handle more than one at the moment?" Amnarutta asked.
"Not so fast," Dharmina replied thoughtfully. "Let's observe him for now. Give him a week."
And so, for an entire week, Arkhytirhema played with his Drulla companion. They ran across Laghim's endless plains, leaping over mountains, ravines, and forests of metallic trees six times harder than iron. His muscles strengthened, his movement became sharper, faster, more fluid.
Meanwhile, Dharmina prepared the next phase, two more Drullas, starved and restless inside their cages.
Then, one day, while exploring, Arkhytirhema stumbled upon a structure that caught his attention. It was a towering facility surrounded by iron bars. Behind the fences lurked dozens of full-grown Drullas, massive, snarling beasts.
Arkhytirhema's eyes sparkled with joy. To him, they weren't monsters, they were adorable, enormous dogs. Without hesitation, he walked straight inside.
Elsewhere, Dharmina was busy calibrating containment fields when one of her colleagues burst in, his voice breaking the silence.
"Dharmina!" he shouted, out loud, not through telepathy. That alone meant it was urgent.
"What is it?" she asked sharply.
"It's the breeding enclosure, something's wrong! One of your students just went inside!"