Lucavion froze the moment he heard the voice.
[GERALD?]
His breath caught in his throat, and his heart skipped a beat. The name echoed in his mind, bringing with it a flood of memories—memories of his master, Gerald, the man who had taught him everything he knew, the man who had been more than just a mentor.
The voice was not loud, but it was clear and resonant.
‘No… it can’t be,’ Lucavion thought, his eyes darting around the cave in a frantic search for the source of the voice.
But there was nothing—only the dim light and the silence of the cave, save for the low, ragged breathing of the beast before him.
He hesitated, his grip on the estoc slackening for just a moment. He was certain he had heard the name, but where had it come from? He strained his ears, listening for any sign of movement, any clue that might reveal the speaker. But the cave was still, and the voice did not repeat itself.
But then, the voice came again, this time with a note of desperation.
[Are you Gerald?]
Lucavion’s eyes widened in realization. The voice wasn’t coming from outside—it was inside his head.
The words echoed within his mind, carrying with them a sense of urgency and confusion that made his pulse quicken. He quickly glanced at the beast, whose life was slowly ebbing away from the wound inflicted by his estoc.
The creature’s eyes met his, and for a moment, Lucavion was taken aback. The fierce, antagonistic glare was gone, replaced by something else entirely. Sadness. Desperation. A deep, aching sorrow that seemed to reach out and wrap around his heart.
The beast’s vertical pupils were dilated, and there was an unmistakable intelligence in those eyes, an understanding that belied its feral appearance.
‘Was it… the beast?’ Lucavion wondered, his mind racing to make sense of what was happening. His thoughts were in disarray, but one thing was clear—the voice he had heard was somehow connected to this creature.
He lowered his estoc, his hand trembling slightly as he loosened his grip on the weapon. The glow of the starlight faded from the blade as he stared at the beast in disbelief.
“Was… was that you?” Lucavion asked, his voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking too loudly might shatter whatever fragile connection had been established.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, the voice echoed in his mind once more.
[Yes.] ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Lucavion’s breath caught in his throat.
The confirmation was clear, unmistakable.
The voice he was hearing, the one that had called out his master’s name, belonged to the creature now lying before him, wounded and dying.
He dropped to one knee beside the beast, his heart pounding in his chest. The situation was surreal, unlike anything he had ever experienced.
The beast’s eyes remained locked on his, and Lucavion could see the pain etched in its gaze, not just physical pain from the wound, but something deeper, something that cut to the core of its being. It was as if the creature recognized him or at least something within him.
“Who are you?” Lucavion asked, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. “How do you know, Master?”
[Master?]
The beast’s breathing was labored, each breath a struggle, but the connection in Lucavion’s mind remained strong. The voice came again, weaker this time but still clear.
[You… are not Gerald… but you carry his scent… his mana… I thought… you were him…But to think you…. were his disciple…..]
Lucavion’s heart clenched at the words. The beast had mistaken him for his master, drawn by the lingering traces of Gerald’s mana in his own.
“How were you related to Master? Were you his familiar?”
The beast gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod, confirming Lucavion’s thoughts. Its voice, though strained, echoed in his mind once more.
[I was… his contracted familiar… long ago… We were separated… a lifetime ago…]
Lucavion’s eyes widened in shock, the full gravity of the situation beginning to sink in. This beast was not just any creature—it had been bonded to Gerald, his master, in a way that only a contracted familiar could be.
The bond between an Awakened and their familiar was deep, often transcending even the boundaries of life and death.
But if they were separated, how had this creature survived for so long? And why had it been here, injured and alone?
He looked closer at the beast’s body, noticing the wounds that marred its form. Some were fresh, inflicted by his own hand, but others were older, deeper—evidence of a long and painful struggle.
‘I see….This is why the creature gave such a feeling, but the attacks were not strong. It is innately strong, but since it was injured, I was able to deal with it easily.’
Lucavion’s heart ached with guilt and sorrow as he realized that the creature had already been gravely injured before he attacked.
“What happened to you?” Lucavion asked, his voice barely above a whisper as if he feared that speaking too loudly might shatter the fragile connection between them. “Why are you here? And who did this to you?”
The beast’s eyes closed briefly as if gathering the strength to continue. When it spoke again, the words were tinged with a deep weariness.
[I was… pursued… hunted… Someone… seeks the essence… within me… They have been… relentless…]
“Essence?” Lucavion echoed, his brow furrowing. “You are a mythical beast, aren’t you?”
For a beast to have an ‘Essence,’ they would need to rise in the ranks of the bestiary. Ordinary monsters would not be able to have an ‘Essence’; only higher rankings would do. Though having an essence did not directly mean that they would be mythical beasts, the fact that it claimed that it was his master’s familiar meant no less.
After all, there was no way his Master, who once destroyed countless battlefields and made a name as one of the strongest in the world, would settle with less.
[Haha….. I guess Geralt would not leave this world without teaching you this.]
“You are aware master is gone?”
[Of course…..Contracted families can feel when their contractors die. That is why I am in this condition after all.]
Hearing this, Lucavion looked at the beast. It was a small feral cat who looked harmless.
“Who is after you then?”
[Why do you care, boy?]
Just as he was about to ask more questions, suddenly, he heard the question posed by the beast.
Why did he care?
Lucavion’s gaze drifted back to the dying creature. It was a small, feral cat, its once menacing demeanor now softened by the weight of its injuries and the inevitable approach of death. By all appearances, it was just another beast in the wilderness, albeit a more intelligent one. Yet, here he was, kneeling beside it, his heart aching with a concern he couldn’t fully explain.
Was it simply because it had claimed to be his master’s familiar? That alone was a significant bond, but was it enough to stir such deep emotions within him? Lucavion’s mind raced, questioning everything—his actions, his beliefs, his connection to the beast. Why had he so readily believed its story? Why had he lowered his weapon, abandoning his instinct for survival to listen to its final words?
And then, as if a veil had been lifted from his thoughts, the answer began to emerge.
It wasn’t just the creature’s claim that it was Gerald’s familiar, or the sorrow in its eyes, or even the fact that it had once been connected to his master. No, there was something deeper, something more intrinsic.
Lucavion closed his eyes, focusing inward, and he felt it—a subtle but unmistakable reaction within him. The man that had been passed down to him, the very essence of his master’s teachings and power, was stirring, reacting to the presence of the creature before him.
It was a sensation he had never experienced before, a resonance that hummed through his core, connecting him to something far greater than himself.
The realization hit him like a shockwave.
‘It’s the mana,’ Lucavion thought, his eyes snapping open. ‘The legacy left behind by my master… it’s reacting to this beast.’
The mana that flowed through him, the power he had inherited from Gerald, was not just a tool or a weapon—it was a part of him, a living connection to the man who had shaped his life.
And now, that mana was responding to the presence of this familiar, as if recognizing a kindred spirit or perhaps an old companion. It was as if his master’s essence was reaching out from beyond the grave, urging him to protect this creature, to honor the bond that had once existed between them.
Lucavion looked at the beast, its eyes still locked on his, filled with a mix of pain and curiosity. The question it had posed was valid, but now Lucavion knew the answer.
“I care because you were important to him,” Lucavion said, his voice steady as he spoke. “And because the mana inside me—my master’s legacy—is telling me that you are still important.”
The beast’s eyes softened at his words, and Lucavion could feel the faint echo of its thoughts in his mind.
[The bond… it’s still there… even after all this time…] the beast’s voice murmured, a mixture of surprise and sadness. [Gerald chose well… to pass his legacy to you…]
“That is right,” Lucavion mumbled as he smiled slightly.
‘Is it fate or something else? I don’t know the answer to that. But one thing is clear. This beast. I am going to save it.’
With that thought, he slowly released his mana from his core.
[What…are you doing?]
The voice asked inside his head, looking at him.
“What else? I am going to supply you with mana to heal you.”
———————–
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