In the early morning, Sophia awoke from sleep; her first instinct was to reach for Seraphix, her tamed beast, who lay sleeping beside her. She lifted him gently, pressing his smooth fur against her face.
After completing her morning ritual, she rose quickly and went to her drawer. From it, she took out a silver-covered notebook–her diary–and began to write.
It had been several days since her last visit to the dining room to confront her father. Though the memory of his disbelief still stung, she had slowly begun to move past it.
"That's right, I still have Cal..." she murmured, her excitement growing. "And the winter holiday is almost over. I'll be back at the academy soon!"
The thought of returning made her pulse quicken. She couldn't wait to tell Cal–her best friend–about her latest achievement, taming a nine-stroke beast.
As she finished writing in the silver-covered notebook, a new thought crossed her mind.
'It'll be difficult to always carry Seraphix around...'
From her time with him, Sophia had learned that Seraphix wasn't fond of moving on his own. Unless he needed to use the bathroom, he preferred to rely on her for everything.
Watching him now, still peacefully asleep, a thought crossed her mind.
'Let's make something.'
With a purpose in mind, Sophia reached under her bed and pulled out several boxes. Inside were her crafting tools and materials, gathered over years of experiments and personal projects.
"I suppose I could make something out of the leftover materials," she mused.
***
In the modest meeting hall of the Imperial Palace, Grigori Kalashnikov, the current emperor of the Maurya Empire, convened an urgent session with his most trusted companion.
To his left sat Shira, the Grand Tamer, while to his right sat Naphael Kovalevska, the Grand Magus and head of the Kovalevska Family.
The meeting was prompted by an extraordinary development: just days ago, Grigori had received two dark red letters, one from Naphael, bearing the insignia of the Grand Magus, and the other from Shira, marked with the insignia of the Grand Tamer. Both letters delivered the same message:
'A potential nine-stroke beast.'
Despite the pressures of an ongoing internal conflict in Maurya, the gravity of receiving alarming messages from two of his most trusted companions compelled Grigori to prioritize this gathering without delay.
Turning his attention to the Grand Magus, Grigori began.
"Naphael, let's start with you. Explain everything in detail, no need for formality."
Naphael inclined his head and began recounting his encounter with the beast known as Seraphix, its strange mode of communication, overpowering aura, and the indescribable malice it emitted. He concluded by describing the lingering effects the encounter had left on his 'unconscious realm.'
"I see," Grigori muttered, his expression grave. "To be able to shake you to this degree, that's indeed far from ordinary."
Of all who have been with Naphael, Grigori was one of the few who had experienced his overpowering strength and strong resistance to mind-related spells. To hear that there was a being capable of shaking his 'unconscious realm' to this degree was hard for him to process.
Naphael nodded. "I've also discussed this with Shira. There's no record of any known beast race possessing such abilities."
Shira added, "That's correct, Your Majesty. None of my tamed beasts has shown even the faintest recognition of any abilities matching that description."
As the Grand Tamer and one of the beings with the highest 'talent' in beast taming in the world, Shira was the foremost expert in this field. With her extensive collection of tamed beasts and vast experience, there was little about beasts she did not know. The fact that this beast, Seraphix, was completely unfamiliar to her and her tamed beasts only meant they were dealing with something entirely foreign.
Grigori leaned back, deep in thought. "This is troubling. But first, Naphael, is your daughter unharmed?"
"Fortunately, she seems fine," Naphael replied, his voice tinged with relief.
"Good. But I recall you mentioning that she lacks talent for beast taming."
"That's right, Your Majesty. She shouldn't have any talent at all."
Grigori's brow furrowed in thought. "Perhaps her talent is merely a late bloomer? She carries both the Kovalevska bloodline and yours, after all."
"That's…" Naphael hesitated.
Grigori smiled gently. "I understand your concerns, but Naphael, it's not unreasonable to have hope. A child of her lineage may yet surprise us."
For Grigori, Sophia was an enigma. Given her lineage, her potential should have rivaled, or even surpassed, that of his own bloodline.
Shifting his attention, Grigori addressed the Grand Tamer.
"Shira, what's your take? Could a nine-stroke beast truly exist?"
"It's possible, Your Majesty," Shira replied. "This comes from the testimony of my eight-stroke beast."
Although borderline legendary, eight-stroke beasts do exist in this world. Few nations are even aware of their existence, as no one in recorded history has ever survived an encounter with one. The fact that Shira, being the only 'human' to have tamed one, was enough to elevate her power to that of a Grand Title holder, earning her the title of Grand Tamer.
Grigori raised an eyebrow. "That's intriguing."
Despite his many years and his status as emperor of one of the three great nations, this was the first time he had received solid confirmation of the existence of a nine-stroke beast.
Shira nodded. "Indeed. While we use the term 'stroke' to denote the hierarchy of beasts, they classify themselves by 'generations.' In this world, the eight-stroke beast is regarded as the first generation, with seven-stroke beasts representing the second. However, even the eight-stroke beasts recognize the existence of a generation that came before them."
"A generation before the first?" Grigori asked.
"Yes. Among the Eight-Stroke Beasts, it is known as the Primordial Beast, the origin of their race."
Grigori's eyes gleamed with interest. "So if this entity is a nine-stroke beast, could it signify the emergence of a new lineage of beasts?"
"Precisely, Your Majesty. However, I'll need to verify this myself."
"Got it." Grigori turned his gaze back to Naphael.
"What's your opinion, Naphael?"
Naphael hesitated. "I… I'm not sure."
Grigori nodded. "I understand. For now, I'll send formal invitations for an official meeting, including your daughter. We need to verify the truth of this matter. In the meantime, this information must remain strictly confidential."
***
In the middle of the night, I wake up abruptly on Sophia's bed.
"It seems my sleep schedule is adapting to that of a cat."
Despite the darkness, I can see perfectly; my feline vision ensures that.
Jumping down from the bed, I stretch, adjusting to the movements of my cat body.
"Well, I suppose this is a good time for a few experiments."
Ever since the breakfast incident with Naphael, I've come to understand that simply being a normal cat won't be enough. There will be times when I have to act. On top of that, my Status Window doesn't display how much mana my skills consume, making it hard to manage them efficiently. That's why I decided there is a need to run small experiments to gauge their cost.
At the same time, I need to measure the capabilities and limitations of each skill. With unknown threats ahead, the best approach is to be thoroughly prepared.
'Let's try...Transmogrify Essence.'
So far, I've only used it three times, which is nowhere near enough to understand its full potential.
I concentrate, focusing on the skill. Slowly, a surge of heat spreads through me, and my body begins to shift into the form I imagine: a mosquito.
Once transformed, I take a moment to examine my tiny new body before effortlessly flying around the room.
'Interesting,' I muse. Even though I've never flown as a mosquito before, I can instinctively do so after transforming.
This realization puts me at ease.
Typically, newborns must learn to use their bodies, just as a human baby crawls before walking, or a bird falls before learning to fly.
For me, this instinctive control is crucial.
If I ever need to transform into other animals to adapt to a situation, being able to use their bodies immediately could make all the difference.
After a few flying sessions, I revert to my cat form.
As I settle back, an idea strikes me. I focus on my right front paw and attempt to modify the shape of its claw, extending it.
To my surprise, it works.
'So, body modification is also possible.'
Curious, I open my status window.
---
Seraphix
Level: 1
Mana Capacity: 19
Occupation: Cat (beast) tamed by Sophia Kovalevska
Strength: 1
Intelligence: 1
Agility: 1
Dexterity: 1
Vitality: 1
Skills: Transmogrify Essence, Veil of the Abyss, Essence Devour
---
'So, it takes 1 mana for body modification...'
It seems that altering part of my body costs less mana than transforming my entire form.
This discovery excites me. With this ability, I could further refine my cat body, making it stronger and better suited to my needs.
As I glanced at my Status Window, my eyes settled on a stat of one.
'My stats...'
Although I don't fully understand how stats work in this world yet, I can conclude that a value of one doesn't significantly affect my cat form. I still move with the same agility and speed I'd expect from a normal cat in my previous life.
'So, if my stats exceed one, could I gain superhuman physical abilities?'
For now, I'm not sure, but tonight's experiment suggests that there's much more I can discover.
"This is definitely intriguing."