by Ivory Scott
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Chapter eighteen
Eureka
— Eastern Badlands, Desolate Wilds, 2 months later
About ten kilometers outside of Saint Anubis City, deep in the barren plains of the Eastern Badlands, there was a vast and desolate forest that went on for miles without end. There were many ancient looking mountains and valleys, which were filled with desolate energies, and magical beasts. Creatures with dark powers ran rampant throughout the forest, and desolate energies permeated the atmosphere.
An exceptionally handsome little boy who looked to be a tall seven or eight-years-old child was dressed in exquisitely tailored raiment made of silvery-white fur and origin steel.
Jodye Trill dashed through the forested mountains with a bag on his back, as he stealthily approached a nearby cave. Sek Si trailed behind him silently, as if she wasn't there at all. It had already been two months since the day Jodye met Sek.
"This is the cave. The other beast seems to have gone to the stream already. You've got less than five minutes to get in and get out. Move!" Sylvester's indifferent voice was ringing through Jodye's mind.
"Okay, I'm ready," Jodye answered Sylvester using telepathy. He took a deep breath and prepared to dive in the cave.
"You're not seriously going to go through with this, are you? It's suicide," said Sek Si bluntly. This was not her first time admonishing this decision. In fact, Jodye was not of a different opinion than her.
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The reason Jodye was in the Desolate Wilds in the first place was to complete a trial arranged by his mother! This was to get him ready for the upcoming Young Wolf Celebration Dinner. This would be the first stage for him to demonstrate his excellence before the entire House. It was definitely a big deal.
The adventure at the Underground Bazaar quickly escalated, resulting in Jodye being brought away sooner than scheduled. There was an ambush, and Jodye had a chance to witness first hand how fierce his mother was! When his mother and Ke Si were bringing him back home to House Trilleck, Jodye harassed his mother repeatedly about training him to become stronger.
At first, lady Isis kept putting off the matter. She would always find an excuse to change the subject. However, in the end, she was merely delaying the inevitable. Jodye was relentless in his pursuit of strength, and lady Isis had to admit the boy was now of a competence level she should take more seriously.
After all, she could allow her son to be weaker than his siblings. There were also far more pressing reasons for her to train him diligently. It was just that Isis also wanted to coddle her son longer for those very same reasons. Unfortunately, her boy was simply not one to be pampered. Thus, Jodye's mother gave him a trial in the Desolate Wilds! His first task: collect serenity crystals! This was by no means an easy thing to do.
Serenity crystals were only produced in areas of extremely dense serene energy, also known as yin force. These areas were typically also filled with the corruptive powers of death and ruin. Luckily, the Eastern Badlands had plenty of such regions. However, whether this was good or bad luck was a matter of perspective.
Even though Jodye had been left to wonder on his own, he was forbidden from going into the dangerous areas where the more powerful factions and vicious beasts resided. However, who was Jodye if not a rebel? He had frequently sneaked into these areas anyway, as he was just too curious. In fact, it didn't even take a full day for him to disobey that order directly.
Still, Jodye Trill had yet even to collect a single serenity crystal. He could only be trained by his mother if he presented her with a serenity crystal by nightfall! Thus, Jodye had other goals and concerns, he didn't feel he the had time to pursue this newborn creature. Had the young sky wolf in his host space not been so insistent, Jodye would never take the risk of this level. This cave was the dwelling of a terrifying beast. Yesterday, he had stumbled upon the scene of a monster that looked like a flaming lion returning to this cave.
The beast had flowing purple hair, that seemed to be made of pure flames, for its mane. The feline beast's face was slightly human-like, almost like the face of an attractive woman, and it had a vertical slit on its glabella as if it possessed a third eye that was closed.
Just as he was about to high tail it in another direction, Sylvester's voice rang out in his mind, "Wait, kid. Opportunity is knocking at your door! I sense a weak god beast aura. If I'm not mistaken, that cave may have an infant god beast! This is an impossible chance that one can only find and not search for. You have no idea how incredible this is. If you can get the newborn to imprint on to you, then you'll be its closest kin for life!"
Jodye had just never heard this puppy so excited.
"Imprint? How would I do that?" asked Jodye Trill, excited by the presentation but skeptical of the operation from the beginning.
"Rather easily. Infant origin god beasts develop sight, on average, within the first five years after their birth. At the same time that their eyes first open, they develop a spiritual sense. This is how I am able to know that the infant beast in that cave has not yet opened its eyes," explained Sylvester patiently.
"Well, we have no hopes of getting it with that big one present," shrugged Jodye.
"This is why we wait until it leaves once again," said Sylvester.
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Thus, Jodye landed feet first in today's situation. Nonetheless, as he had already been tempted by the whispers of the devil, then he might as well dive straight into hell. The legend known as Trill Jodye had never been afraid of danger. In fact, it was the exact opposite. The old Trill Jodye was a world-class thrill seeker. Jodye's greatest fear was that life grew too dull one day. He needed excitement!
Sek Si saw the determination in Jodye's eyes and was baffled. This kid may be cute, but who knew he could be so stupid? She would absolutely not follow him, "Well I'll stay out here, as the lookout. Yeah. You know, just in case you need me to rescue you, or call for help."
Jodye paused and looked back at the Sek Si who had no capabilities that could save him from danger. Her shadow avatar's true powers had not yet been awakened, and she was only at the advanced freshman rank of the Scholar Realm. Still, this was admittedly one sub-rank higher than Jodye as far as Sek knew. Of course, she was utterly unaware of how strong Jodye was currently.
In fact, Jodye Trill himself wasn't so sure about that anymore. Theoretically, he was well aware of his might. However, apart from that first battle of his which was wrapped up in no time, he had yet actually to fight. That battle made him understand that he was a lot more capable then he was previously thinking. After all, he was only five years old.
With no practical experience, Jodye had no way of thoroughly understanding the limits of his strength. After all, he was relying on physical force while the residents of this world had supernatural powers. He couldn't be sure that there wouldn't be some type of disparity. That was part of the reason for him being so eager to take this trial.
He had to master his own battle force!
Resonate with the earth and attack the heavens!
Typically, his overprotective family would never let him out to gain experience. Luckily, his mother seemed to be feeling quite rebellious currently.
"Fine, you stay here. The glory will exist only for the brave," said Jodye Trill while dashing into the cave. Sek Si was slightly affected by Jodye's words and felt a weird sensation. What charisma! However, she stubbornly remained where she stood, speechlessly staring into the dark as if the darkness could not blind her sight.
Once Jodye entered the cave he was surrounded in pitch black. He couldn't see a thing in this darkness, which was actually quite strange. With his current cultivation, he should at least maintain some minor visibility.
"The absence of light...or is it that light can't approach? This cold air.
.. Must be serene energy!" thought Jodye in delight.
Instead of feeling panicked, Jodye was excited as he reflexively activated his mind's eye technique, and instantly a rock tunnel appeared before his senses. Jodye continued down the tunnel. After moving forward 15 meters, he found himself in a dimly lit stone cavern the size of a football stadium.
This space was full of milky white mist, a testament to the abundant origin energy permeating the atmosphere of the cave. To Jodye's astonishment, the dim lighting of the cave was coming from dozens of tiny glowing crystals. The crystals looked purple, pink, and silver or blue all at the same time, giving them a mystical allure.
"Serenity crystals!" exclaimed Jodye Trill upon walking up to a cave wall. "So tiny! But there's so many of them. They even have a silver glow instead of blue, amazing. Well, I can't be wasteful..."
However, at this moment Jodye's attention was drawn to a corner of the cave, where his spiritual sense detected movement. He slowly crept in that direction, noticing the purple light became brighter as he approached. Upon turning a corner in the cave, he finally discovered the source of the light.
There was a glittering nest made of large serenity crystals. The crystals shimmered in beautiful pink, golden, and silver lights. Laying in the middle of the crystal nest was what looked like a tiny kitten. The kitten had fur that look like pure gold, and a little tuft of three-colored fire on top of its head, burning in pink, silver, and golden radiance.
"Twilight Sphinx! It's a baby Twilight Sphinx! No fucking way," came Sylvester Tricko's excited voice, "aren't they extinct? Last seen in the Primordial Era? Don't tell me that this is the friggin' primordial era!"
"Less of that, tell me what to do next," berated Jodye Trill telepathically, "Hurry, it's definitely been like 15 minutes."
"Next? What next? Just take the damn thing! Is there someone here to stop us? Are you afraid of an infant whose eyes have yet even to open?" replied Sylvester indifferently. Jodye felt annoyed. Who would rashly snatch a beast with 'God' in its name, wouldn't that be foolish? Nonetheless, he proceeded to do just that.
Meanwhile, Sek Si's eyes revealed traces of shock as she peered into the cave before she felt a strange wave of energy rush past her. A mere few seconds later she heard an enraged roar from a monstrous existence towards the south. Sek Si instantly paled and was about to rush into the cave, but she stopped in her tracks. A moment later a silhouette came flying past her from the cave entrance. The young boy left behind only three words.
"Sek Si, run!!"
Deep in the forested mountains of the Desolate Wilds, that same exceptionally handsome little boy was once again rapidly advancing through the forest. Merely at this time, the boy was dashing madly through the mountains as if his life depended on it. On his back was a knapsack made of magic beast hide. Inside the bag, a soft purring sound could be occasionally heard.
"Not so sure that this was a good idea anymore, guys," this child was of course none other than the five-year-old Jodye Trill! Jodye didn't dare to dally in the face of a pursuing God Beast! God Beasts had the strength that approached his mother's level at birth! Jodye knew nothing but death awaited him if he was caught. The bizarre bazaar trip truly opened Jodye's eyes up to what real strength was in this world. He was aware of how small he was. He also became aware that his mother was a beast.
How could Jodye be willing to die here? Once he was successful in this trial, he would be rewarded! He had plenty of serenity crystals now, he would get training for sure! It's crazy how his trial had barely started before Sylvester Tricko convinced him to sneak into a suspicious looking cave for a 'lucky chance.' This supposed 'lucky chance' was now purring in his backpack.
"How could we just leave it? It was all alone. It clearly needs us to adopt it. Can we keep it?" Xavier Tricko sent his thoughts to Jodye's mind.
"You have no idea what kind of dog shit luck you have, kid! This Twilight Sphinx cub is like a living, breathing, gold mine!" berated Sylvester Tricko via telepathy. "Relax. There's no way for the so-called 'mother' to track us unless she's already reached level three trickster or above..."
ROAR~
Before Jodye Trill was able to hear the rest of Sylvester Tricko's thoughts, a massive lion shaped beast burst through the trees, releasing a roar that shook the surroundings intensely. The beast had flowing purple hair that seemed to be made of pure flames for its mane. The feline beast's face was slightly human-like, and it had a vertical slit on its glabella as if it possessed a third eye.
"Adult Moonfire Sphinx? No...not quite," murmured Sylvester through Jodye's mind.
"We…are going...to die," Said Jodye Trill as he looked at the roaring beast. At that moment the little Twilight Sphinx cub poked its head out of Jodye's bag. The Moonfire Sphinx saw the little captive cub and instantly went ballistic, as it pounced towards him with its enormous maw ready to tear little Jodye to shreds.
At that moment, the little cub hopped out of the bag onto Jodye's shoulder. Jodye Trill made no attempt to stop the little guy's escape, even though the adorable little gold cub was small enough to hold in one hand. However, the cub merely purred as it rubbed its little face against Jodye's face. This caused the adult Moonfire Sphinx to pause its advance, staring at the scene in disbelief. Then, the giant Moonfire Sphinx briefly growled menacingly, before suddenly transforming into a small grey creature shaped like a man with spirals for eyes. After changing, the mysterious creature slithered away like a snake and disappeared.
"...what...just happened?" asked Jodye Trill, as he was totally baffled. The Moonfire Sphinx gave up on its cub just like that? Was it sad that its cub was friendly with someone else? Could this be a case of parental magnanimity? This seemed like too much of an extreme reaction to Jodye.
"That was no true Moonfire Sphinx, Jodye. It was a Level 2 Trickster." Came Sylvester Tricko's emotionless voice via telepathy. Did he not care that we almost died? Thought Jodye.
"Oh? A Trickster?" Jodye had some knowledge of Tricksters from the family library. This world didn't only have many normal class animals. In this world, there were beings known as magical beasts, animals capable of absorbing and refining the natural forces of the heavens and the earth. The weakest level of these magical beasts are the vicious beasts. Once a vicious rank beast reached level nine, they would evolve differently depending on their bloodline.
Beasts that have the bloodline of a god beast evolve into Tricksters, embarking on the path to becoming a God Origin Beast. Thus shouldn't be confused with an Origin God Beast, who was born as a god beast. A Trickster's True Form is rather weak, as it could be said to be considered as the cocoon stage. However, Trickster's are incomparably fast in their actual forms. Trickster's are able to stimulate their unique bloodline's to take on the appearance of their blood's ancestor God Beast.
This transformation ability was the unique innate ability of a Trickster. A level two Trickster who had learned to transform was powerful enough to demolish anyone with the measly strength of the Scholar Realm, such as Jodye Trill. Luckily, he had somehow managed to escape death.
"I don't get it, why would the Trickster just let us go like that?" Jodye asked Sylvester via telepathy.
"Let me ask you this," Sylvester Tricko's voice seemed to contain excessive mockery, which made Jodye wince, "If the powerful beast was a mere Trickster, one that could morph into adult Moonlight Sphinx, then what does that make this little guy on your shoulder?"
"Then...this thing is a Trickster too! Either that or an absolute baby god beast!? Holy shit! Are you serious? Impossible. How could an origin god beast be born in some random cave here in the outskirts of the Wilds?" Jodye Trill was so shocked he exclaimed out loud.
Eureka!
He had indeed neglected this point.
If it wasn't for the fact that he had various stealth techniques from his brief career as an assassin, and the Serenity Crystal Earrings that his mother gave him at the start of his trial to mask his aura, he would have never been able to obtain th
is baby Sphinx from right under the Trickster's nose. A vicious beast needed to have a god beast's bloodline to evolve into a Trickster.
However, it seemed to not be so simple right? If that Trickster was guarding this cub with its life on the line, due to assuming the role of its mother, the Trickster's bloodline was very likely to have somehow originated from the same source as that of the cub. This had at least an 80% chance of being correct.
If that were the case, it would never be willing to discard the cub unless there was a threat to its life. Or perhaps the cub was the stronger one!? Jodye held the Twilight Sphinx cub in the air in front of him with both hands. Jodye anxiously jerked his head to the left in a panic when he suddenly felt a presence directly next to him. However, it was only Sek Si observing the little cub in his hands.
"I think the Trickster was its guardian, right? Did it leave because the cub already acknowledged you as its father?" Said Sek Si to Jodye Trill after Jodye told her it was a Trickster. Her voice was cool and gentle, as if a soft whisper in his ear, "I can't believe you didn't die. I thought I would need a new master."
"A new…less of that, where the hell have you been all this…and you're gone," when Jodye glanced at her again, Sek Si had already vanished. Jodye Trill was annoyed, but thanks to his mind's eye being active he was immediately aware that she had merely retreated into his shadow.
'What a wondrous ability...' thought Jodye. Sek had, in fact, never left his side since the day they met. At least, not for very long periods. It seemed she could travel between shadows under certain conditions. If he had such an ability in his last life, he would have remained a spy and assassin indefinitely, instead of retiring.
"So, it was you that helped me out after all, huh?" Said Jodye Trill while staring into the cub's eyes. The cub tilted its head to the side and stared back. Jodye Trill glanced below and took note of its gender. "I'm going to name you Eureka! Yes, it fits the occasion well."
Eureka made a purring noise and nuzzled her face against Jodye. She seemed to like receiving a name.
