I Can See Evolution Paths

Arthur smiled. "So after the beasts left we searched the mountains. We couldn’t find the third tribe, because the entire village was invisible."

Silence.

Steven blinked. "What?"

Leon frowned. "Invisible?" He slowly looked toward Arthur. "You never mentioned that."

Arthur nodded. "You weren’t there yet."

Leon blinked. "Right," he said. He looked toward the others.

Mithra nodded. "It really was."

Athena adjusted her glasses. "We walked past it."

Sun nodded. "Twice."

Steven slowly leaned forward. "You walked past an entire village?"

Arthur nodded. "We thought we were lost."

Sun sighed. "We were lost."

Arthur thought about it. "Fair," he said.

Small laugh.

Then Mithra smiled. "The funniest part is the Yan Tribe didn’t know."

Silence.

Steven blinked. "They didn’t know?"

Elaine frowned. "How?"

Arthur scratched his cheek. "They believed they were lucky. They thought beasts simply never found them."

Silence.

Elaine slowly lowered her notebook. "For one hundred years?"

Athena nodded. "For one hundred years."

No one spoke. Steven slowly looked out the window. "Continue," he said.

Arthur explained Yasha. Not quickly. He let them absorb it.

"The Guardian never died," Arthur said. "She stayed."

Steven frowned. "Stayed?"

Arthur nodded. "She spent one hundred years hiding the village. Without stopping."

Elaine frowned. "Constantly?"

Athena nodded. "The cloak never disappeared."

Elaine blinked. "Never?"

Athena slowly shook her head. "Every second."

Silence.

Steven frowned. "How often should a Guardian Spirit use their authority?"

Athena answered. "We later asked. Normally once. In a peaceful month."

Steven froze.

Elaine slowly finished. "She used hers for one hundred years."

Nobody spoke.

Arthur quietly added, "She forgot she hadn’t rested."

Elaine and Steven’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Arthur’s smile slowly became smaller. "When she finally realized, she apologized."

Steven blinked. "Apologized?"

Arthur nodded. "She thought she’d worried everyone."

Silence.

Arthur quietly laughed. "I remember wondering, after protecting them for a hundred years, how was that the first thing she thought about?"

Nobody answered.

Steven slowly lowered his head. "Because she never stopped being their Guardian."

Elaine quietly nodded. "Even at the very end, she was still thinking about everyone else."

Steven closed his eyes. "That’s impossible," he said.

Athena answered. "It should have been. But she still did it."

Another pause.

Steven quietly whispered, "No. She simply refused to stop."

Arthur explained Dream Weave. The dream. Everything. Yasha. Then Arthur quietly said, "They thanked luck. They never thanked her."

Silence.

Steven looked down. Elaine stopped writing.

Arthur continued. "So we made everyone sleep."

Steven blinked. "I’m sorry?"

Arthur smiled. "Melo."

Mithra nodded proudly. "Dream Weave."

Athena added. "They experienced Yasha’s memories. They witnessed every century."

Steven slowly leaned back. "You showed an entire civilization their forgotten history."

Nobody answered.

Elaine quietly said, "That may be the single greatest use of illusion magic I have ever heard."

Athena nodded. "I agree."

Arthur said, "She smiled the entire time. Even while she was breaking apart."

Silence.

Steven quietly spoke. "I hate people like that."

Everyone looked up.

Arthur blinked. "You do?"

Steven smiled. "They make everyone think they’re fine. Until they’re gone."

Silence. His eyes drifted toward Mithra. Just briefly. Elaine noticed. She didn’t interrupt.

Steven continued. "People who carry everything themselves forget that others want to carry them too."

Nobody spoke.

Arthur quietly nodded. "That’s what we told her," he said.

Steven smiled. "I’m glad," he said.

Arthur explained. Three Guardians. Three fragments. One Crown.

Steven immediately understood. "Halburn planned this," he said.

Arthur nodded. "He planned for three tribes. He planned for a successor. He planned for Vedas."

Elaine quietly said, "Even after a thousand years his succession plan still worked."

Steven smiled. "A good leader prepares for a future they’ll never see."

Arthur nodded. "I think Halburn would’ve liked you," he said.

Steven laughed. "I hope so," he said.

Arthur said, "Then Vedas sat down."

Steven nodded. "Good."

Arthur suddenly paused. "Oh, right!"

"Yeah?"

"I almost forgot there was a bit more to that after Vedas sat down."

Steven smiled helplessly. "I’m almost afraid to ask."

Arthur scratched his cheek. "We woke up the city."

Sun buried his face in his hands. "How is that the part he almost forgot."

Mithra laughed. "To be fair, we’ve all been through a lot. Or are you saying you recall everything?"

"You win." Sun raised his hands, making Mithra laugh and Athena roll her eyes.

While Arthur nodded seriously. "Indeed, we aren’t perfect."

Elaine slowly asked, "The Kingdom of Dawn was intact?"

Athena nodded. "It had merely been hidden since it was an underground city."

Steven slowly looked toward Athena. "No expedition has ever found an underground capital before..."

Elaine quietly whispered, "An entire capital, waiting for its King."

Silence settled over the office.

Steven slowly stood up, walked toward the window, and looked outside. "I don’t think I could’ve stayed calm," he said. "Every answer raises three more questions."

Arthur smiled. "I’ve been saying that too."

Steven laughed. "I don’t think we meant it the same way."

Leon laughed.

Steven quietly walked back to his chair. He reached for his teacup but it was empty. He stared at it for several seconds before setting it back down. "...I don’t remember finishing this."

Mithra chimed in with a smile. "You’ve forgotten to refill it three times already."

Steven sighed. "I’ve been distracted."

Sun quietly whispered, "Is the principal going to be okay?"

Leon smiled. "It depends if he can withstand the rest of the story."

Athena sighed. "Or how casually Arthur reveals—"

Arthur casually said, "Oh. I also got another Beast Partner."

Steven turned. "What?!"

Athena closed her eyes, Sun’s lips twitched, Leon’s smile grew even more and Mithra turned to the side.

Arthur said, "Eden."

Steven said, "You already had Vedas. No, you should only have Vedas..."

Arthur thought about it. "She seemed to like me and then she became tied to me."

Sun sighed. "That somehow makes it even more unbelievable."

Leon laughed.

Elaine slowly folded her arms. "That should be impossible."

Arthur tilted his head. "Again?"

Sun nodded. "Again."

Elaine looked directly at Arthur. "A Bronze Rank Beast Tamer can only form one Beast Contract."

She held up a single finger.

"One." She then raised a second. "Silver Rank Beast Tamers unlock a second chamber inside their Mana Realm. A third follows later. Only then can another Contract exist. Which makes this impossible."

Arthur scratched his cheek. "Well it’s the same thing everyone said before."

Athena nodded. "When Eden hatched, we had exactly the same reaction."

Mithra smiled helplessly. "We spent almost ten minutes trying to convince Arthur the Status Screen had to be wrong."

Sun nodded. "It wasn’t."

Arthur smiled. "It wasn’t."

Nobody laughed.

Steven slowly looked toward Arthur. "Did the Contract form naturally?"

Arthur nodded. "She hatched, looked at me with her cute eyes and accepted me. Then my Beast Status said she became my second Beast."

Silence.

Steven slowly leaned back. "You gain another beast, without even reaching the next rank?"

Arthur nodded. "Pretty much."

Athena frowned. "This confused me before and made me wonder, but history doesn’t have a precedent for this. Right?"

Elaine slowly shook her head. "None. There have been records of people forming additional Contracts earlier than expected, but never before Silver Rank. And never through natural bonding."

Sun folded his arms. "It’s like we said before, Arthur accidentally broke another law."

Mithra smiled. "He does have a knack for it, doesn’t he?"

Steven stared at Arthur for several seconds. "Arthur. Do you realize how valuable this discovery alone is?"

Arthur thought. "Eden is pretty valuable."

Steven closed his eyes. "That’s not what I meant."

Arthur smiled. "I know."

Elaine quietly closed her notebook. "Principal."

Steven sighed. "...Yes."

Elaine looked toward Arthur. "If today’s report were submitted by anyone else I would reject it."

Steven nodded. "So would I..."

Elaine nodded and said. "The only reason I am believing is because Mithra wouldn’t allow a joke like this to go on for this long."

Steven slowly reached for his tea. He took a sip. The cup was empty. He stared at it. "When did I finish this?"

Elaine answered without looking up. "Five minutes ago."

Sun quietly whispered, "He’s starting to break."

"I know. It’s a bit amusing since he’s usually composed." Mithra tilted her head with a faint smile.

Steven slowly rubbed his forehead. "Arthur, this was just your first expedition... Your first!?"

Arthur thought about it. "I will try to tone down the next one."

Sun immediately said, "He won’t."

Everyone laughed.

Arthur said, "So we found the treasury."

Sun immediately lit up. "I loved this part."

Arthur said, "I put everything inside my Mana Realm."

Silence.

Steven blinked. "Everything?"

Arthur nodded.

"The weapons."

"The armor."

"The books."

"The gold."

"The furniture."

Sun immediately grinned. "He really means everything."

Steven slowly looked toward Arthur. "Arthur. You robbed an ancient Kingdom."

Arthur scoffed. "I inherited it. It would’ve been rude not to take it."

Complete silence.

Leon burst into laughter.

Sun almost fell out of his chair.

Even Elaine quietly pinched the bridge of her nose. "I suppose that’s one way of describing it."

Elaine blinked. "How large is your Mana Realm?"

Arthur scratched his cheek. "Kind of big," he said.

Sun rolled his eyes.

Athena coughed. "That is an understatement."

Mithra giggled and said, "The worst part is he isn’t even trying to be humble."

Sun pointed toward Arthur. "What he meant to say was that it’s above the Bronze Rank."

Steven looked up. "Beyond?"

Sun nodded. "We found out when Vedas described Arthur’s Mana Realm."

Steven looked toward Arthur. "You asked about it?"

Arthur nodded. "I’ve never seen it myself and I was curious to see what it looked like."

Steven turned. "Well you can see it when you’re a Silver Ranked Beast Tamer. But what did he see? I’m guessing it’s important."

Arthur smiled. "He said it wasn’t just one room." He paused for a moment, remembering. "It was a long blue hallway. With three doors. Each door led into its own room."

Silence.

Elaine slowly looked up. "Three Beast Chambers?"

Athena nodded. "Three. Not one. And not a larger single room. Three completely separate chambers."

Steven stared for several seconds. "Bronze Rank?"

Athena nodded. "Yes."

Elaine quietly folded her arms. "That is the internal structure of a Silver Rank Mana Realm."

Silence.

Arthur nodded. "That’s why Eden could Contract with me. It turned out I already had another empty room, or I guess two empty ones."

Sun sighed. "He said exactly that."

Steven slowly blinked. "An empty room?"

Arthur smiled. "Pretty convenient."

Nobody answered.

Athena rubbed her forehead. "Arthur. That isn’t convenient. It’s historically impossible."

Arthur tilted his head. "I mean, it did help me give Eden who saved our lives."

Sun immediately pointed at him. "See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about."

Mithra giggled. "He never focuses on the impossible part. He just skips straight to the useful part."

Arthur blinked. "Shouldn’t that be the important part?"

Complete silence.

Elaine quietly answered. "No."

Arthur looked genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Elaine nodded. "There have been exceptional Beast Tamers throughout history. A few developed bigger Mana Realms beyond what their Rank should have allowed." She paused. "But I’ve never heard of a Bronze Rank possessing multiple Beast Chambers."

Steven slowly leaned back. "Nor have I."

Arthur rubbed his chin. "So, I’m just early?"

Elaine looked at him. "That’s one way to describe rewriting centuries of Beast Tamer history."

Arthur nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose." He smiled. "Professor Rowan always wanted students to make new discoveries. He even kept asking me questions about how Vedas evolved so much in a day. I think he’ll be proud of my new beast."

Silence.

Athena slowly covered her face.

Sun looked at Arthur. "You might accidentally give the poor professor a heart attack."

Leon burst into laughter.

"I admit that is much more likely." Steven couldn’t help smiling. "I can even imagine Professor Rowan will spend the next several years trying to understand you."

Arthur smiled. "Then I should probably keep making interesting discoveries."

Sun immediately groaned. "Oh no."

Arthur looked confused. "What?"

Sun pointed at Steven. "Look."

Steven had quietly lowered his head into one hand. "Arthur."

Arthur blinked. "Yes?"

Steven laughed helplessly. "Please stop treating things that could change every Beast Tamer textbook like you’ve just found a convenient shortcut."

Arthur scratched his cheek. "I just figured if it’s useful, it’s probably a good thing."

Steven stared at him for a long moment before smiling. "You really are impossible."

Arthur quietly said, "We also found Halburn’s journal."

Athena immediately opened hers. "It confirmed something," she said.

Steven waited.

Athena said, "The Kingdom of Dawn didn’t simply coexist with Beast Kingdoms."

Silence.

Arthur quietly finished. "They conquered them."

Silence. No one spoke.

Steven slowly exhaled. "Humanity remembered Dawn," he said, "without remembering how terrifying Dawn truly was."

Elaine quietly nodded. "History erased the victor and remembered only the ruins," she said.

No comedy. It just sat there.

Steven slowly leaned back in his chair. "I believe," he said with a small smile, "that explains why all of you disappeared for so long."

Arthur thought about it. "That wasn’t the reason," he said.

"It wasn’t?"

"Yeah, it was just a part of it," Arthur said. "Hold on, I’m getting to it. After we restored the Crown some Blazefang Lions appeared."

Elaine nodded once. "So the hidden city wasn’t entirely abandoned."

Arthur nodded. "Yeah. They wandered into the temple."

Steven smiled. "I assume you dealt with them."

Arthur nodded. "We did."

Steven relaxed slightly. "Good."

Arthur smiled. "Actually, they weren’t really the problem."

Silence.

Elaine looked up. "What do you mean?"

Arthur answered naturally. "They were just the beginning."

Nobody spoke.

Arthur continued. "After that, the monsters surrounded Dawn."

Sun quietly nodded. "Every entrance."

Athena added. "Every wall."

Elaine slowly lowered her notebook. "How many?"

Arthur thought for a moment. "At least eight hundred."

Silence.

Arthur frowned. "Actually, there might’ve been a little more."

Sun immediately sighed. "Arthur."

Arthur blinked. "What?"

Sun pointed toward Steven. "Look."

Arthur turned. Steven had already stood up. Elaine’s eyes were wider than Arthur had ever seen.

Steven stared. "Eight hundred?"

Arthur nodded. "Was that a lot?"

Steven slammed both hands onto the desk. "YES!"

Elaine immediately added, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN ’WAS THAT A LOT?!’"

"I mean more did come later, such as those dozens of Thunderbirds."

Steven stared.

"...There was a WHAT?"

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