Chapter 1
"So what do you want to do for your birthday tomorrow?"
The calm voice of her dad cut through the sound of simmering pans. The scents of herbs and roasted meat, combined with the warmth, seemed to wrap around Aria like a warm blanket. She put her cheek on her arms, which were resting on the kitchen island, as she looked at her dad with a big smile tugging at her lips.
"You know that already, Dad! You've promised me that we're going to the codex exchange, right?" she said, as her voice clearly filled with happiness and excitement. "I wonder what kind of beast that would bond with me tomorrow…"
Her dad chuckled, shaking his head as he continued to stir the pans that were filled with roasted meat. "Very excited, aren't ya? No matter what beast you would bond with, it'll be your best friend for the next several years. Maybe even until your graduation."
"Ugh, Dad. You're already thinking of the graduation? I'm not even sure I'm going to pass the enrolment test!" She lamented, remembering the dreaded enrolment test that she needed to pass in the next week. "Hopefully, I do find the right beast to partner with…" She trailed off with a hint of worry in her voice.
Yeah, tomorrow was her 15th birthday. The day marked that she was eligible to start attending the magic school. She had been waiting for this day to come, as she always dreamed of being a beast tamer like her mom.
Her mom, who had been setting dishes on the table, glanced over with a soft and gentle smile. "Don't you already have one? That egg– remember? You've cared for it with everything you have and love since you received it, so the egg is already your partner, right?"
Aria's gaze drifted to the shelf over by the window, where a small basket was covered with a bunch of fabrics. Inside, nestled on those fabrics, lay the egg. The shell was covered with a pale, faintly luminescent, etched with patterns of silver veins that glimmered from time to time. The size of it is obviously bigger than a regular normal bird beast egg, around the size of an adult palm, making it obvious the egg was different the any regular beast egg that she had seen on the mana forum before.
Five years ago, her mom had given the egg to her for her 10th birthday. Saying that this egg was a very important heirloom, and as she was unable to hatch it in the past 30 years, she thought maybe Aria, as her daughter, could do it better compared to her. So, in 5 years, Aria had been caring for the egg with everything she could to try to hatch it. Hoping the egg would hatch by the time she was 15th and could register her first beast to the beast codex hub.
Unfortunately, as she could see it right now, the egg was still in the same condition as she had received it 5 years ago. It had never hatched, but somehow she could feel the present beast inside it far stronger as she kept caring for it.
Aria got up from her seat at the kitchen island and went to the shelf where the egg was resting.
She placed her palm against its shell. The egg, like always, was warm as if it were hiding its secret heartbeat.
Since the first time she had it, she liked to whisper and talk to it, as if the beast could hear her voice. Sometimes she told some stories she had read or learn in school, or in some desperate moment she begged it to wake up quicker. But days turned into months, then years. So in the blink of an eye, 5 years had passed.
Tomorrow, she would go to the codex exchange like every beginner beast tamer her age, hopeful to bond with a beast that would accompany her for life, as the bond between beast and their tamer would never be severed unless in death. Yet, a part of her heart still clung stubbornly to this egg, as if they had already had a bond.
"What if…" she murmured, not realizing she had spoken aloud. "What if the one I'm meant to bond with is still waiting in there?"
Her mom reached over and put her hand above hers on the egg with a soft chuckle. "Then you'll have both of the beasts. The one that waits for you tomorrow, and the one that has waited with you these past five years."
"Don't forget what I had said before. Only the worthy one could wake the beast up, and the worthy one would also bring back the glory of our family to shine through the dark time," she added as she smoothed Aria's hair gently.
Right, no matter what happens tomorrow, the fate will lead to what is best for her.
Dinner that night was a simple feast— her favorite roasted meat with root vegetables, her dad's spiced stew, and the berry tart her mom always made when there was something to celebrate. They crowded around the dining table, laughter filling the space as though there was a festival banquet there.
As the dinner was almost done, her dad put some small candles on the berry tart. The flickering light cast a golden glow across their faces.
Then her dad started his exaggerated speech. "To our young beginner beast tamer, who will start her journey to greatness. May fate always lead her to the glory of her life."
Aria ducked her head, embarrassed by the cheesy speech her dad gave. "Ugh, Dad! Quit it."
Her mother laughed across the table, looking into the antics of the duo of father and daughter. "Make a wish, Aria." She said.
Aria closed her eyes. In her mind, she thought whatever journey she might encounter as she would now be considered an almost young adult now.
She wished for tomorrow, for the beast, the egg, her family, and for everything.
When she blew out the candle, her parents clapped and laughed. Her mom pulled her into a warm hug, and not long after her dad joined too. For a while, the world was nothing but love and safety, a moment that was untouched by any worry.
Before bed, Aria slipped into her bedroom, cradling the egg as she had done a thousand times before.
"Good night," she whispered as she pressed her cheek against its smooth shell. "Tomorrow is a big day. Maybe you'll wake up for me?"
The egg only glimmered its silver veins, like it always did.
Still, she smiled and tucked herself under the cover. She drifted into sleep with the egg in her embrace, carrying the warmth of family and dreams. Carrying her deeper into the longest sleepless night she might experience.