Branches cracked under shifting weight. Breath misted in the cool Wild Zone air.
The forest was alive now—thunderous with presence.
Maxius circled the glade like a golden blur, feathers lit with raw heat. Lufei crouched low, then launched herself into a flawless leap, crystalline hooves barely touching the moss before she kicked off again, her trajectory smooth as glass.
Mystic, still in reduced size, hovered overhead like a storm-wrapped moon, her sleek white fins trailing clouds and lightning through the glade's mist. Her hum rumbled low—controlled thunder.
Fan Yumei stood at the center.
"Formation Three. Reflex cadence. Beast and master both move on my mark."
The squad responded instantly.
Min Zhao sprinted wide as her beast fired wind slices across the clearing. She ducked, rolled, and lunged again, matching her Crimson Gale Fox's movements with a flick of her fingers.
"Faster, Min Zhao!" Fan Yumei barked. "You're not out here to twirl. Dodge like you mean it."
"I'm dodging with grace!" Min Zhao shouted back, breathless but grinning.
"Your beast doesn't care about grace. If it had claws, you'd be in the infirmary."
Zhou Qian ducked as a gust from Kai Shi's Bronze Fang Tiger scattered dust across the field.
"Some of us would like to stay out of the infirmary this week."
"Then dodge better," Fan Yumei snapped, voice hard.
Jin Minhe said nothing. His Glutton Panda mirrored his every move, tracking each signal Jin gave from behind the blindfold—perfect fidelity: flame burst markers lit on cue, the panda rolling defensively with the same rhythm.
Liang Chenwu shoulder-rolled behind a fallen log and vaulted off it.
"This the part where you finally lose, Zhou?"
"I never lose. I just… study long-term," Zhou replied mid-dodge.
"Yeah, yeah. Study this—!"
"Form shift!" Fan Yumei called.
The team pivoted—fluid. Each beast mirrored their bonded partner's stance. Armor clanked. Qi flared. Sync lines shimmered like threads of lightning between them.
Mystic let out a low chuff from above, her cloud trails coiling tightly as she dipped low, circling the glade. She weaved between trees and boulders with precision, her fins slicing the air, clouds curling behind her in an electric spiral.
"Push harder," Fan Yumei commanded.
She joined the circle—Maxius beside her in a sweeping arc of heat, Lufei at her flank striking with perfect rhythm. Mystic hovered overhead, amplifying her qi with synchronized pulses that boosted each team member's reaction speed.
Fan Yumei didn't just observe—she tested.
Every strike she launched forced the squad to react. Every sweep of her blade, every pivot of her foot, was calculated to pressure their timing. She darted through them like a storm conductor—sharp, precise, unrelenting.
By the fourth rotation, sweat soaked every back. Breathing came in hard, measured exhales. Qi resonance arced between students and beasts like live wires tethered by effort and instinct.
"Cool down," Fan Yumei ordered. "Hydrate. Energy bars. Fifteen minutes."
No one argued.
Liang Chenwu dropped onto a smooth stone, tearing off his weighted vest with a clang. "Captain's really not pulling punches today, huh?"
"She never does," Jin Minhe said mildly, passing Zhou a qi pill.
Min Zhao leaned back on her elbows. "Think it's because of the secret realm? She looked… different. Focused."
"She's thinking ahead," Zhou murmured. "She knows what's coming. Doesn't want to lose momentum."
Kai Shi chewed on a ration bar. "I'm just glad she's not making us spar blindfolded upside down—yet."
"Don't give her ideas," Min Zhao groaned.
Fan Yumei stood just beyond the circle, scanner bracer lit. Lufei curled beside her. Maxius dozed, tail twitching. Mystic hovered behind her, silent and alert like a storm held in place.
Then, she spoke.
"Quick question," Fan Yumei said, voice low but clear. "Have any of your beasts shown signs of evolving or energy levels fluctuating? High or low progress?"
The squad stiffened.
"Like… mood spikes? Qi jitters?" Min Zhao asked.
"Or hunger changes. Slow response. Faint hums in the chest when idle. Anything that suggests they're getting close," Fan Yumei clarified.
Jin Minhe frowned. "Even if they were, we'd need a Beast Healer or a full analysis scan for that. Both cost credits and points none of us have."
"Federation Research Center's booked for three weeks straight anyway," Zhou added.
"Besides," Min Zhao said, "if anyone's beast evolves mid-realm exploration, we're in trouble."
"Fair point," Kai Shi muttered, chewing an energy ration.
Fan Yumei nodded. "None of you try anything without knowing the possible outcomes or consequences. Understood?"
They all nodded.
Jin Minhe replied first. "We're stable."
The rest confirmed the same.
"Alright," Fan Yumei said. "Then we move on."
⸻
They trained until the sun began to drop behind the tree line.
By the end of it, no one could speak without panting.
Mystic's fins glowed faintly in the sky as they headed back to the dorms.
Fan Yumei stood in the middle of them all, wind tugging at the edges of her jacket. She didn't smile. She didn't speak.
But inside—her decision was made.
⸻
All six students climbed onto Mystic's broad back—feet pressed into the soft cloud cushion, beasts following close behind. Fan Yumei gave the signal.
"Let's go," she called, voice steady.
Mystic dipped low and lifted them in a tight formation. Below, the dormitory plaza came into view—rows of students winding through the courtyard. One by one, Mystic set each rider down gently: Jin Minhe, Min Zhao, Zhou Qian, Kai Shi, and Liang Chenwu. Fan Yumei rose higher, then descended last.
"Good work today," she said, patting Mystic's head. "Rest up and hydrate. Tomorrow starts early."
They nodded, gathering their gear and heading inside. Their beasts slunk off to sleep, and Fan Yumei—with Mystic, Lufei, and Maxius—headed back toward home.
"Home we go. Then food," Fan Yumei murmured.
⸻
Mystic soared low over the treetops as the forest thinned. Ahead, nestled against the outskirts of the training district, Fan Yumei's dome home glowed with subtle sigil-light beneath the evening sky.
As they touched down, Lufei and Maxius stepped onto the smooth porch without a sound. Fan Yumei followed, brushing a hand along Mystic's fin.
"Go rest in the sky," she whispered. "You've done enough for all of us."
Mystic chuffed once, amused, then vanished into the dense mist curling over the garden's edge.
The house doors slid open as she approached.
She stopped cold.
Inside—standing upright, weight balanced on a carved cane, one pant leg tied neatly just above the knee—stood Fan Yangwei.
His left eye was gone. A faint scar ran down from brow to cheek, long since healed but untouched by restoration runes. His face was tired—but solid.
His smile?
Unshaken.
"Welcome home, my sweet girl," he said, voice even.
From deeper in the corridor, Ka Sanni stepped into view.
"Hey," she said simply. "At least your house isn't a complete disaster."
Fan Yumei blinked. "Dad? Mom? You're both here?"
"Obviously," Ka Sanni replied, not looking up from the scan node in her palm.
Fan Yangwei stepped forward, offering his arm.
Fan Yumei took it.
He held her tight for a moment—steady, warm. Familiar.
"You're headed into the secret realm," he said. "You think we'd miss that?"
She stepped back, brow creased. "You're supposed to be resting."
"I rested long enough."
Ka Sanni snorted softly.
Then, without ceremony, both parents turned and offered the family head greeting. In perfect unison, they raised their right hands—two fingers crossed and tilted to their foreheads, left palms open and facing forward.
A soft rune shimmered above their heads—ancient, binding. It flared once in acknowledgment.
Fan Yumei stepped forward and touched her mothers and fathers palms signifying mutual recognition., her expression calm but reverent.
Fan Yangwei nodded toward the central living room . "Come. Let me see them."
Lufei and Maxius padded forward, standing on either side of Yumei. "Mystic is playing in the sky out doors" fan yumei tells him which he nodded to.
"They're close," Fan Yumei said, pulling up her bracer display. "Core sync is holding. Realignment complete."
Ka Sanni moved around one of the sigil pillars, " you should learn to depend on your soul function, powers, and bonds To learn more about your beast as technology will never be as accurate as the bond." She glared at the tech she was using.
Fan Yangwei crouched—awkward but practiced—and rested his hand just near Maxius's orb. The soul beast stirred slightly as his qi presence passed through.
"He's holding back," he said.
Yumei nodded. "So is Lufei. They're syncing off me."
Fan yangwei " Are you about to break through again?"
Fan yumei shrugged and nodded "soon I want to keep a solid foundation and pack it until I can't no more and work on the impurities left in my core qi"
"Good" Her father stood with effortlessly, resting on the cane. "After the realm, it's time."
Fan Yumei's breath hitched. She already knew.
"You'll return to the clan seat. To your grandfather. The old rites. The inheritance tests."
"I understand," she said.
"You don't yet," he replied, not unkindly. "But you will."
Ka Sanni finally looked up. "He already sent a summons."
Fan Yumei met her mother's gaze, then nodded once. "I'll be ready."
Her father gave her shoulder a final squeeze. "Good. Tonight, we eat. Tomorrow… you step forward."
Fan Yumei turned back to her beasts, her gaze steady.
"I won't fail."