I Can See Evolution Paths

Nobody laughed.

Arthur slowly looked around, Vedas, Mithra, Athena, Sun, Athy, Eden, Kong, Luna, every single person staring at Star.

Sun walked closer. "Arthur..."

"Hm?"

"What happened to Star?"

"It evolved."

Sun froze. "...You think?"

"I’m pretty sure."

He looked toward Athena who was already studying it. "It’s an evolution."

"Star actually evolved?" Mithra’s eyes went wide.

"Looks like it," Arthur nodded.

Kong pointed at Star, then at Arthur, then made an exaggerated exploding gesture.

"No, it didn’t explode," Arthur laughed, and Kong looked relieved.

"That was genuinely one of my concerns," Sun said, arms folded.

"Why?"

"Because it’s Arthur."

"...Fair."

Eden flew over immediately, eyes practically sparkling, circling the Slime. "Star changed! You’re so pretty!" It wiggled at her. "But..." She waited. Another wiggle. She looked at Arthur. "Why isn’t Star talking?"

"Oh," he said, and everyone went quiet again.

"She’s right," Mithra said, surprised.

Athena pushed her glasses up. "Normally the first evolution comes with a significant increase in intelligence and communication ability."

Sun looked at Star. "So..." He waited. "Say something." It bounced. He waited longer. "...Anything?" Another wiggle.

Mithra covered her mouth to hide a laugh. "I don’t think it’s going to."

Arthur patted it gently. "Maybe it isn’t ready."

"That’s possible," Athena said.

"Or perhaps Star’s evolution is simply different," Mithra offered.

Arthur watched it stretch happily toward his finger. "Either way, it’s still Star."

"It looks happier," Eden said, and he noticed it too, the way it wiggled and stretched and bounced, almost like it was smiling without a face to smile with. "Yeah," he laughed, lifting it gently. "I think you’re right."

Vedas walked over and studied it for several seconds. "It evolved."

"That’s what we’ve established," Arthur smiled.

Vedas raised a finger, and Star stretched toward it, wrapping itself around the offered touch. He paused. "...It’s still soft."

Sun burst out laughing. "That’s your first thought?"

"It was the first difference I noticed."

"You could have said something meaningful."

"It is softer than I expected."

"That’s somehow worse," Arthur laughed, while Mithra giggled. "He’s trying."

Vedas moved his finger slowly, and Star stretched right along with it. "It also has more control."

"Its body manipulation has become much more precise," Athena confirmed.

Arthur’s eyes brightened. "Oh?" He looked toward it. "So you’ve gotten better at moving around?"

Star stretched itself into a tiny ball, then a long strand, then something star-shaped.

He laughed. "Apparently."

"Star is showing off!" Eden clapped, and it bounced proudly.

Kong reached toward it, and Arthur warned, "Careful," but Kong had already poked it, its body rippling to match the exact shape of his finger. He froze, looked at his own finger, then at Star, then poked it again. Same result.

"...Interesting," he said.

Arthur’s eyes widened. "Oh."

"It changed its physical structure," Athena leaned in immediately.

He opened Star’s status.

[Starborn Slime]

Level: 15

Evolution Path:

Starborn Slime

Astral Slime

Celestial Slime

???

[New Ability: Mimic Form]

He read through it. Mimic Form: temporarily alters its body to reproduce the physical properties of objects or creatures it has touched.

"So that’s what changed," he said.

"Can it copy abilities?" Sun asked.

"No. Just physical properties."

Kong looked disappointed for half a second before poking it again anyway, watching it copy his finger a second time and nodding. "Still useful."

"You really like that ability," Arthur laughed, and Kong nodded proudly.

"Can I try?" Eden asked, and it bounced its answer. She touched it and gasped as it stretched around her finger. "It copied me!"

"It copied your shape," Mithra laughed.

"That’s what I meant!" Eden beamed.

Arthur smiled. "Looks like Star found its first game."

He was still smiling when a blue notification appeared before his eyes.

[Third Beast Contract Available.]

His expression changed, the humor draining out of it as he stared at the words.

"What is it?" Sun asked.

He didn’t answer right away, looking toward Star instead. It looked back. He read the notification again. "...Oh."

"Arthur?" Mithra stepped closer.

He turned the screen slightly toward them, and everyone read it at once. Silence.

"A third Beast Contract..." Athena’s expression sharpened.

"You’re still Bronze Rank," Sun said, eyes wide.

"I know."

"So this means..." Mithra started.

"His third Beast Chamber is functional," Athena finished.

Nobody joked this time. It was one more confirmation that Arthur’s Mana Realm was something far outside the ordinary.

He looked at Star and held out a hand. "Want to come with me?"

It didn’t hesitate, jumping straight into his arms.

He laughed, catching it. "I guess that’s a yes."

[Third Beast Contract Established.]

[Synchronization: 0% → 1%]

He stared at it, then smiled slowly. "Well now..." He looked at everyone. "It seems I gained another Beast Partner."

"You said that way too casually," Sun stared.

"What?"

"You just gained your third Beast."

He glanced down at Star. "Yeah."

"You’re Bronze Rank!"

"Still am."

Mithra laughed helplessly. "Arthur, that’s exactly the problem."

"Why?"

"Because a Bronze Rank Beast Tamer should have only one Beast Chamber," Athena said, stepping forward. "You have three."

He thought about it. "Because my Mana Realm is bigger?"

"Much bigger."

"That’s pretty convenient."

Sun put a hand over his face. "There it is again."

"What?"

"You keep describing historically impossible things as convenient."

"He really does," Mithra laughed.

Vedas looked at him. "Three rooms."

"Three?"

"One for me. One for Eden. One for Star."

Arthur smiled. "So I was right."

"About what?" Athena raised an eyebrow.

"My Mana Realm being awesome."

"That’s what you’re celebrating?" Sun sighed.

"Absolutely."

Eden flew a loop around him. "Arthur has three rooms!"

"Exactly."

"Please don’t encourage him," Sun said to her.

"But it’s amazing!"

"See? Eden understands," Arthur grinned.

Athena shook her head. "I’m beginning to think the two of you share the same definition of ’important.’"

He was still looking at Star when another blue notification quietly appeared, invisible to everyone else.

[Water Mirror Trial Complete.]

[Adaptation Recognized.]

His curiosity sharpened. Another line followed.

[New Title Acquired]

[The Adaptive]

The Adaptive? He stared at it a moment, and another line settled beneath.

[The Adaptive]

Effect: Increases the efficiency and flexibility of adapting to unfamiliar environments, techniques, and changing conditions.

His eyebrows lifted. So that’s what I got for passing the trial. He looked toward the Water Mirror, remembering how the entire trial had forced him to abandon everything familiar, his attacks, his defenses, his abilities, even Dusk itself, every time he’d thought he found the answer, the rules had simply changed underneath him. Eventually he’d stopped trying to force the same solution onto a new problem.

He’d adapted.

His mouth curled into a small smile. Not bad. He looked back down at Star. The Mirror really does give pretty good rewards. He dismissed the notification quietly. Nobody noticed.

The Water Mirror suddenly began glowing.

He turned. "...What’s it doing?"

The light intensified, and everyone stepped back. Then a wave of blue energy rushed straight at him. His eyes widened as it passed through him entirely, and for one instant his Evolution Path Vision activated, everything going white before showing him something impossible.

Not Star. Not Vedas. Not Eden. Not another Beast.

Himself.

[Evolution Path Detected]

[???]

[Evolution Path: ———]

He tried to focus, but the vision vanished as fast as it came, the cavern snapping back into place around him. He stood frozen.

"Arthur?" Athena noticed immediately.

"Hm?"

"You looked frightened."

"No." He smiled. "Just surprised."

"By what?"

He hesitated. "The Mirror." She kept watching him, and he looked away. "Nothing."

She didn’t fully believe him, but she didn’t press.

Internally, he knew exactly what he’d seen. His Talent hadn’t shown him a Beast’s evolution path this time. It had shown him something else entirely, and the question was what.

Something shifted inside him a moment later. "...Wait."

A notification appeared.

[Adaptation:]

[You can utilize up to three Skills simultaneously, regardless of whether they would normally conflict.]

He read it twice, eyes widening, then grinned slowly. "Oh."

"What?" Sun looked over.

"I think the Mirror did something else."

Athena stepped closer immediately. "What did it do?"

"I can use three Skills at the same time now."

"Three?" Sun’s eyes went wide.

"Apparently."

"Oh, that’s ridiculous."

"I know," Arthur grinned.

"You look very happy," Mithra said.

He looked down at his hands. "Because this means I can combine things I couldn’t before."

"Abilities that previously conflicted..." Athena started.

"Can now be used together."

She considered it. "That’s extremely useful."

"Exactly."

"Don’t get too excited," Sun warned.

"Why?"

"Because I know you’re already thinking of ridiculous combinations."

"...Maybe."

"I knew it."

Before Arthur could experiment, the Water Mirror shone again.

He turned. "Again?"

A wave of blue light swept through the cavern, and everyone froze. Athena’s eyes widened as several copies of herself suddenly appeared. "What?" The clones moved, and she instinctively activated Brave Light, all of them lighting up simultaneously.

Arthur watched. "Oh."

She lost her balance, slamming into the wall. Thud.

He stared, then started laughing. "Are you okay?"

"...Yes," she said, pushing herself away from it.

"I’m glad you guys got it too," he laughed.

"Wait." Sun looked at his own hands. "We got it?"

Mithra tested her own abilities. "It seems so."

Vedas looked at his spear. "Interesting."

"I got it too!" Eden spun excitedly, and Star bounced. Kong pointed at himself.

"Looks like everyone got something," Arthur laughed.

"But why?" Athena asked.

"What?"

"We didn’t pass the trial." She looked at the Water Mirror. "You did." Then at the others. "We didn’t."

"Maybe the Mirror wasn’t only judging Arthur," Mithra realized slowly.

"Then what was it doing?" Sun asked.

He thought about it. "Maybe..." A smile. "It wanted all of us to adapt."

"That would mean the trial’s influence extended beyond the person directly undergoing it," Athena said thoughtfully.

"Maybe."

"That’s not much of an explanation," Sun laughed.

"It’s the best one I’ve got."

"Of course it is," Athena sighed.

Arthur finally walked toward the Water Mirror and pressed his hand to its surface. It trembled, then went light in his grip, and he pulled it free.

He turned toward Luna. "Here."

She accepted it, staring at it for several seconds, fingers tightening around the frame. Then she smiled faintly. "We..." She looked at it again. "We actually got another one."

"That’s three," Arthur smiled.

Kong tilted his head, raised three fingers, then pointed toward the Mirrors.

"Yep."

Kong pointed toward the remaining empty spaces.

"So only two more?" Arthur asked, looking at Luna.

"Only two." She looked down at the Water Mirror. "Three Mirrors." Something thoughtful crossed her face. "Which means we’re halfway there."

"That’s a pretty good feeling," Mithra smiled.

"Until we remember what happened the last time we took one," Sun said.

Arthur’s smile faded slowly. "...Oh."

"You forgot?"

"Maybe."

Sun sighed.

The moment he finished speaking, the entire cavern shook. Everyone froze. Dust rained from the ceiling.

He looked up. "...That sounds familiar."

Another tremor, and a crack spread across the stone ceiling.

Luna looked toward the empty pedestal, expression shifting. "It’s happening again."

Athena raised Aegis instantly. "The structure is destabilizing."

"Just like the Fire Mirror," Mithra said, looking at the Water Mirror.

"When the Fire Mirror was removed, the ruins began collapsing," Luna confirmed.

"So taking this one did the same thing?" Sun asked.

"Apparently," Arthur said, looking toward the cavern.

Kong pointed at the ceiling as a chunk of stone crashed down, and Arthur jumped back. "Okay." He looked around at everyone. "We should probably leave."

"Finally, something we agree on," Sun laughed.

Eden flew to Arthur and grabbed onto his hair. Star bounced in his arms. Vedas planted his spear. Mithra moved toward the exit. Athena raised Aegis over the group. Luna held the Water Mirror tight against her chest.

Another massive tremor rocked the cavern, walls cracking, the ancient chamber groaning around them, and Arthur smiled despite all of it. "We got the third Mirror."

"And now we’re going to die," Sun said.

"Probably not," Arthur laughed.

"That’s not reassuring!"

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