Chapter 1: The Twin Souls and the Hidden God
The scent of rusted iron and dried blood hung heavily in the damp morning air of the Outer Ring.
Thud. Crack. Thud.
Jackson's knuckles were split, the crimson seeping through the fraying linen wraps on his hands, staining the hardened bark of the Ironwood training dummy. He didn't stop. Sweat poured down his lean, heavily scarred back, catching the pale, dying light of the twin moons above. He was fifteen, but his eyes—cold, calculating, and hardened by a world that chewed up the weak—belonged to a veteran of a hundred wars.
This was the reality of Aethelgard, a world where humanity was not the apex predator. They were the survivors, hiding behind colossal walled cities, relying entirely on those who could bend the ferocious creatures of the wild to their will. Beast Tamers.
To become a Beast Tamer, one needed a Beast Space—a mental sanctuary awakened within the soul to house and nurture contracted beasts. Without it, you were a mere mortal. Rank 0. Fodder for the slaughter.
"Ninety-eight. Ninety-nine. One hundred," Jackson muttered, his voice raspy. He delivered a final, bone-rattling roundhouse kick to the dummy, splintering the dense wood. He stepped back, chest heaving, his lungs burning.
He had no noble bloodline. No wealthy merchants to sponsor him. For the past five years, ever since the beast stampede that had reduced his orphanage to ash, Jackson had survived in the slums through sheer grit. He dragged corpses out of the city's sewer drains, ran dangerous errands for the underground guilds, and spent every copper coin he earned on low-grade beast meat to nourish his physical vessel.
Today was the Day of Awakening. The one day of the year the prestigious Azure Dragon Academy opened its gates to the slum-dwellers, offering a single chance to touch the Awakening Monolith.
Jackson unwrapped his bloody hands, washed them in a rusted basin of icy rainwater, and pulled on a faded gray tunic.
The path to power in Aethelgard was absolute and brutally structured into 12 Ranks. From Rank 1 (Novice Tamer) all the way to the legendary Rank 12 (Divine Sovereign). Every single rank was a massive chasm of power, further divided into three strict sub-ranks: Early, Mid, and Late.
Every time a Tamer successfully broke through to a new major Rank, their soul would undergo a baptism, granting them a unique, permanent power-up—enhanced physical strength, elemental affinities, or mental fortitude. More importantly, ranking up usually expanded the Beast Space, allowing a Tamer to house stronger beasts. But the rule of the heavens was strict: upon Awakening at Rank 0, a human could only form one Beast Contract. Only by reaching Rank 3 could a Tamer naturally unlock a second contract slot.
Jackson stepped out of his dilapidated shack into the claustrophobic alleys of the Outer Ring. The streets were already bustling with desperate people. Mercenaries with scarred faces pushed past merchants peddling fake beast cores. Jackson kept his head down, blending into the shadows, his footsteps utterly silent—a survival trait learned from living among thieves and murderers.
The Azure Dragon Academy sat in the Inner City, a pristine citadel of white marble and floating runic arrays. The contrast between Jackson's world and this one was sickening. As he entered the grand plaza, the air grew thick with ambient Mana.
Thousands of fifteen-year-olds were gathered, segregated by status. The nobles stood at the front, draped in silk and enchanted beast leathers, laughing arrogantly. Among them was Cedric Thorne, heir to the Thorne Dukedom, a boy whose cruel smirk promised death to anyone who offended him. Standing not far from Cedric was a girl who seemed entirely out of place—Seraphina. She possessed silver hair that cascaded like moonlight and eyes like glacial lakes. Her aura was terrifyingly cold, aloof, and utterly untouchable. Jackson recognized her; she was the rumored prodigy of the Frostfall Clan.
She will be a monster in the future, Jackson thought analytically, showing no emotion. In this dark world, admiring a woman out of your league was a quick way to get your eyes gouged out.
"Silence!"
A voice boomed like thunder, vibrating through the bones of everyone in the plaza. An old man floating mid-air slowly descended. He wore robes embroidered with roaring golden lions. Elder Kaelen. A Late-Stage Rank 5 Tamer. The pressure radiating from him made it hard for the Rank 0 youths to breathe.
"The Awakening Ceremony begins now. Step forward when your name is called. Place your hands upon the Astral Monolith. The stone will judge your soul and force open your Beast Space. If your soul is too weak, you will remain trash. If you awaken, your Beast Space will be graded by color: White, Green, Blue, Purple, or Gold."
The brutality of his words was expected. Aethelgard didn't coddle the weak.
"Marcus Vance!"
A boy scurried up to the massive, obsidian obelisk pulsing with blue veins of energy. He placed trembling hands on it. A faint white glow emanated.
"White-grade Beast Space. Barely adequate. Next!"
The ceremony dragged on. Despair filled the air as nearly seventy percent of the slum youths failed to awaken at all, collapsing in tears, their futures sealed as common laborers. The nobles fared much better, their bodies nourished by elixirs since birth.
Cedric Thorne stepped up. The obelisk flared violently, shining with a brilliant purple hue.
"Purple-grade Beast Space! Excellent! A genius of the Thorne family!" Elder Kaelen praised, his stern face cracking into a rare smile.
Then came Seraphina. When her pale hands touched the stone, a blinding pillar of golden light pierced the clouds. The ambient temperature in the plaza plummeted. Frost crawled up the monolith.
"Gold-grade! A legendary Gold-grade Space!" the Elder gasped, bowing his head slightly. Seraphina merely withdrew her hand, her expression unchanged, and walked back.
Jackson watched it all, his heart calm, his breathing controlled. He had done everything he could to prepare his body and mind. The rest was up to fate.
"Jackson!"
The name echoed. No surname. Just Jackson. A few nobles snickered at the commoner's name.
Ignoring the piercing gazes, Jackson walked up the jade steps. He stood before the colossal Astral Monolith. Up close, it felt alive, whispering ancient, incomprehensible secrets. He closed his eyes and placed both palms flat against the freezing stone.
Instantly, a violent surge of energy invaded his arms, shooting straight into his brain.
Pain. Absolute, unadulterated agony.
It felt as though a serrated blade was carving his brain into pieces. Jackson bit his lip so hard that blood dripped down his chin, but he didn't utter a single scream. He forced his eyes open, staring into the abyss of his own consciousness.
Inside the void of his mind, a speck of light exploded, expanding into a swirling galaxy of blue energy. A Blue-grade Beast Space. It was a solid, highly respectable outcome, enough to get him into the Academy and change his life.
But the pain didn't stop. It intensified tenfold.
Jackson's body convulsed. Deep within the deepest recesses of his soul, a second explosion occurred. This one was entirely different. It was dark, primordial, and terrifying. A second space tore itself open—a space not colored by the standard grades, but completely pitch-black, rimmed with chaotic, crimson lightning.
Two Beast Spaces? Jackson's mind reeled in shock. At Rank 0, it was an absolute impossibility. Even the supreme geniuses of Aethelgard only ever opened one. Two spaces meant two contracts at Rank 0. It meant unparalleled versatility and overwhelming combat power.
Suddenly, a mechanical, genderless voice echoed directly into his soul, drowning out the murmurs of the crowd outside.
[Ding! Host's extreme willpower and bifurcated soul detected.]
[Fusing with anomalous soul fragment...]
[Binding complete.]
[Welcome, Host, to the GODS TAMING SYSTEM.]
Jackson's heart hammered against his ribs. A system? He had heard ancient myths of supreme artifacts binding to a host, but he had never believed them.
[System Initialization Complete. First Awakening Reward Distributed.]
[Host has unlocked two Contract Slots at Rank 0. Passive Skill activated: 'Absolute Concealment'.]
[Notice: The Gods Taming System will upgrade with every Major Rank up. Upon reaching Rank 1, Host will automatically receive TWO additional Contract Slots instead of the standard zero.]
Jackson's blood ran cold, not from fear, but from the sheer, world-breaking magnitude of what he had just read. Every time he ranked up, he would get two more contracts? While an average Rank 1 Tamer had one beast, he would have three. By Rank 5, while a genius might have three or four beasts, he would have an entire army of divine-level monsters!
But Jackson was no naive fool. He knew the absolute law of the dark world he lived in: The nail that sticks out is hammered down. If the nobles, the elders, or the hidden powerhouses of this city discovered he had a dual-contract space and a heaven-defying system, he wouldn't be hailed as a hero. He would be kidnapped, placed on a runic dissection table, and his soul would be ripped apart so the strong could steal his secrets.
[Warning: The secondary primordial Beast Space is emitting catastrophic energy levels. Does Host wish to conceal it?]
Yes! Conceal it immediately! Jackson roared in his mind.
Just as the obsidian monolith began to shudder violently, threatening to blast a blinding, unprecedented multi-colored light into the sky, the System's 'Absolute Concealment' activated. The terrifying crimson-black aura vanished, completely suppressed beneath Jackson's iron will.
To the outside world, the Monolith simply hummed and emitted a steady, brilliant blue light.
Elder Kaelen looked down, his eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "Blue-grade Beast Space. Very good for a slum rat. You have perseverance, boy. You are admitted to the Outer Court of the Azure Dragon Academy."
Jackson pulled his hands away, pretending to be exhausted, panting heavily to sell the act. "Thank you, Elder."
He walked back down the steps, ignoring the jealous glares of the failed commoners and the dismissive scoffs of the nobles. He retreated to the back of the crowd, crossing his arms, hiding his trembling, bloodied hands beneath his sleeves.
He had done it. He was no longer prey. He was a Beast Tamer.
Closing his eyes, he pulled up the translucent blue screen only he could see.
[Host: Jackson]
[Rank: 0 (Unawakened Initiate)]
[System Level: 1]
[Beast Space 1: Blue-Grade (Empty)]
[Beast Space 2 (Hidden): Chaos-Grade (Empty)]
[Contract Slots Available: 2]
[Physical Strength: Low-level Mortal]
[Next Target: Form a contract with a beast to step into Rank 1 (Novice Tamer - Early Stage)]
Jackson looked up at the sky, a predatory glint flashing in his eyes for a split second before returning to his calm, detached demeanor.
He didn't need to show off. He didn't need to be arrogant. He would walk the path of the slow burn. He would gather the most terrifying beasts this world had to offer, hide his true strength, and crush anyone who dared to stand in his way.
The era of Jackson had begun, and the world of Aethelgard was completely unaware of the monster that had just awakened.