Reon sat quietly by the lakeside, its glassy surface reflecting the silver moonlight. Beside him, Cloudia rested in her delicate human form, while the little tiger—curled up adorably—lay nestled in his lap.
With one hand, Reon gently stroked the soft fur of the little tiger, and with the other, he absentmindedly patted Cloudia's silver hair. Slowly, both companions seemed to calm, lulled by his presence.
After a moment, Reon glanced at her and spoke softly, "Cloudia, are you feeling better now?"
"Y-Yes, Master… thank you," she replied in a quiet, shy voice, her cyan eyes flickering.
Reon withdrew his hand and looked at her thoughtfully. "Can I ask you something now? There's been a lot on my mind, and I'm… confused."
Cloudia nodded sweetly, though a hint of disappointment crossed her face as his touch left her. "Yes, Master. Please ask anything you wish."
Reon leaned forward, his curiosity sharp. "First of all—how did you manage to take human form so soon?"
Cloudia's eyes lit up. "Hehe! It's because I awakened my father's bloodline. Now, I can freely take on human form—though I still have my fox ears and tail."
Reon's expression stiffened. "Your father's… bloodline?"
A thought shot through his mind like lightning. Could it be? Noble lineage or higher?
He recalled something from the novel.
Beasts of Noble Lineage and above, once their Bloodline awakens, can shift into human form with ease.
He looked at her again, more seriously now. "Then that day… when your fur turned golden, and you had two tails—was that also because of your father's bloodline?"
Cloudia nodded cheerfully. "Yes, Master!"
"You mean… you carry two bloodlines?" Reon asked, astonished.
"Mhm! And I can use both freely now." Her voice held innocent pride.
Reon was taken aback.
Dual-bloodline beasts were incredibly rare—even on the Beast Continent. Most offspring, even when born of parents from different bloodlines, could only inherit one.
In human terms, they were like once-in-a-millennium geniuses.
"You're truly talented, Cloudia," he said, gently patting her once more.
"Hehe... I guess I was lucky. Maybe it's because I was with you, Master," she said softly, a distant look in her eyes, as if remembering something from her past.
Reon shook his head lightly. "Nope. I don't think so—it's all you."
"Master, you're too kind," she said, her cheeks blooming with a soft blush.
Reon's gaze deepened. "And… how are you suddenly able to speak human language so fluently?"
Cloudia tilted her head. "Oh, that! In my tribe, all nobles must learn human language, mathematics, history, and etiquette from a young age."
"I see…" Reon murmured. So she was a noble, raised with discipline and grace. No wonder she's so intelligent and refined.
His thoughts darkened slightly as he remembered something. That illusion… Zara's image, and those unfamiliar figures—was she connected to it somehow?
He gently rubbed her silver fox ears, drawing a soft hum from her.
"Cloudia… I saw something strange—a dream—just before I nearly died. Do you… know anything about it?"
Cloudia paused, then replied hesitantly, "Ah… that? Yes, Master. That was… because of me."
Reon blinked. "Wait—what? You did that?"
"Yes. I used my second bloodline to create it."
"What?" he whispered. "That dream… it felt so real. Like I was actually there. How could a bloodline create something like that?"
Cloudia lowered her gaze shyly. "It was a high-level illusion… created from the Legendary Lineage Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline. Even I couldn't control it fully."
Reon froze.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox?! The beast known for illusions so real they blur the line between dream and reality?"
He stared at her in stunned disbelief as thoughts raced through his mind.
This carefree little girl sitting beside him… was a descendant of the Legendary Nine-Tailed Fox Tribe?!
Isn't that the ruler of all foxes on the Howling Wilds Continent—an Overlord Tribe, on par with the White Tiger Clan and the Supreme Dao Sect?
I suspected she might come from a Noble Lineage… but a Legendary one? That would make her more precious than any treasure in the entire continent.
Not just the little tiger—she, too, carries such a great lineage? How in the world did Xue Taiyang come across someone like her...?
"And those people you showed me... do you know who they were?" Reon asked after a moment of silence, his voice laced with curiosity.
Cloudia shook her head. "No, Master. I was desperate to save you at that time… and then, suddenly, a voice and a set of images were… engraved into my mind. It told me to show them to you that way if I wanted to save you. That's all I know."
Could that have been the System's doing? Reon wondered. Does it… know who my parents were? And Zara too? I need to look into this… later.
He gave her ears another gentle rub. "Still… it was you who helped me survive. Thank you, Cloudia."
Her ears twitched as she turned pink. "T-That's not true, Master… You lived because your will to survive was so strong. I could feel it… every heartbeat, every emotion."
"But even that desire… it all came from the will to protect you and the little tiger," Reon said with a gentle smile, ruffling the little tiger's soft fur. "And to finally start living a life I've never truly had the chance to enjoy."
Cloudia looked down shyly.
"You truly are amazing, Cloudia. Talented, beautiful… and strong. You have a bright future ahead."
Reon said with a gentle smile.
"But now... you can return to your tribe with pride."
His voice faltered slightly at the end, the thought weighing on him. Maybe she only came to this continent for training… with her status, she was never meant to stay here forever.
If she ever chose to return—he knew he wouldn't be able to stop her.
The same was true for the little white tiger. He had no idea how much time he had left with them—
But every moment they shared was precious.
Cloudia fell silent for a moment, her ears twitching ever so slightly. Then, her tone shifted—serious, quiet.
"I have nowhere to return to, Master."
Her gaze dropped.
"And… I'm really not as amazing as you think I am, Master. The one who's truly incredible… is you," she said softly, her voice tinged with emotion.
Her usual proud demeanor faltered as she murmured, "The truth is… I'm nothing more than a failure of the Nine-Tailed Fox Tribe."
Reon turned to her, startled by the weight in her words. Did something happen back in her tribe?
"I was like a stray fox just a year ago—unwanted and cast aside. I couldn't awaken my father's bloodline, not even after taking countless rare elixirs. Sixteen years… and nothing."
"Even as the only child of the Former Tribe Head, I was still the weakest—utterly powerless compared to the other heirs."
A bitter smile touched her lips.
"And that's why they cast me out of my own tribe."
Her voice trembled slightly, but she kept going.
"As if abandoning me wasn't cruel enough… they even sent people to hunt me down—to erase the shame I brought upon them. Just like they did to my father, despite him being the strongest among them."
"I was fated to die... alone and brutally. But perhaps fate couldn't reach me in time… because someone stood in its way."
She looked up at him with a warm, fragile smile. "And that someone… was you, Master."
Reon was taken aback, his heart tightening at her words. Too cute... She's way too cute. How could anyone bear to hurt someone like her?
But then his thoughts drifted. Xue Taiyang… he was the one who saved her?
Reon's gaze darkened slightly. Was it out of genuine compassion… or was there something else? Some hidden motive lurking beneath that kindness?
Cloudia's voice pulled him back, soft and trembling.
"Only after meeting you… I awakened my bloodline," she whispered, her voice trembling as her eyes shimmered with unspoken emotion.
Could it be because of my… Miraculous Beast Tamer profession...? he wondered silently.
She looked at him with eyes full of quiet intensity, as if she had found her purpose—her very sense of worth—in him.
"Because for the first time… I wanted to protect someone," she continued, her voice delicate as porcelain. "You're the only one who's ever truly cared about me. And now… you're all I have left to protect."
Reon's chest tightened. The pain in her voice cut through him.
Cloudia's next words came as a fragile plea, her voice quivering like a single thread caught in the wind.
"So… please don't cast me aside too, Master," she whispered, fighting the tears that welled in her eyes. "I want to stay… to stay with you—forever."
Reon felt something break quietly inside him.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his throat dry. Maybe I hurt her… by suggesting she return to her tribe.
He'd never comforted anyone before—never needed to.
But now, faced with the vulnerability in her trembling voice, the pain she tried so hard to hide…
He couldn't turn away.
I can't run from this. I have to say what's truly in my heart.
Suddenly, she looked up at him—eyes wide, shimmering.
"Master…?"
Without another word, Reon gently pulled her into his arms. His embrace was firm yet tender, wrapping her in a warmth she had never known.
He rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek brushing gently against hers.
Cloudia froze, startled by the sudden intimacy… but she didn't pull away.
Instead, she leaned into him, her hands clutching his robes letting the quiet comfort of his warmth wash over the ache inside her chest.
"You're not a stray fox, Cloudia," he murmured, his voice low but unwavering. "And you are certainly not a failure."
"If it weren't for you… I wouldn't be here. Your will to protect me awakened your bloodline—and gave me another life."
He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, his gaze steady and sincere.
"You belong with me now. And I won't ever let you go. Not even if you try to leave. Even if your tribe casts you out a hundred times, I'll take you back a hundred more."
Cloudia's breath hitched.
Her cyan eyes welled up, tears slipping down her cheeks before she could stop them.
THUMP!
THUMP!
Her heart pounded as she stared into his eyes, her voice barely a whisper.
"Thank you… truly, thank you, Master." Her voice broke slightly, trembling with joy and longing.
"Yes… please, never let me go. Even if I ever lose my way… hold me close again with your gentle arms. And never let me drift away."
At that moment, a chime rang in Reon's mind.
[Ding! The bond with First Companion Beast has deepened. The Soulbound Beast Command technique has reached Master Stage.]
[Ding! The bond has reached its peak. The Soulbound Beast Command technique has advanced to Grandmaster Stage.]
But Reon paid the notifications no mind.
He simply held her closer, letting the warmth of Cloudia wash over him like a gentle tide.
...
Present time—
Reon lay resting on his bed, the soft rhythm of Cloudia's breathing rising and falling gently atop him, her head nestled against his chest.
The quiet was warm, almost dreamlike—until a voice, soft and ethereal, broke through the silence.
A woman's voice, filled with amusement and something far older.
"You brat… you're surprisingly good at hiding secrets."
Reon's eyes snapped open, a chill racing down his spine.