Soren stood at the threshold of Starfall Academy, clutching the tiny fox to his chest like a lifeline. The massive stone archway hummed with faint magic, runes pulsing in a slow, steady rhythm. It felt like standing in front of a sleeping giant — one wrong move and it might wake up and step on him.
The fox, meanwhile, was busy chewing on the collar of his shirt.
"Please don't eat my clothes," Soren whispered. "They're the only ones I have."
The fox chirped, unbothered.
A soft breeze drifted through the clearing, carrying the scent of pine, glowing flowers, and something faintly metallic — magic, maybe. Soren wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything right now.
Except that he was terrified.
He took a shaky step forward. The runes on the archway flared, scanning him with a warm, tingling light. The fox sneezed as the glow passed over them.
A voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"IDENTITY: UNKNOWN.
AFFILIATION: NONE.
BEAST COMPANION: F‑MINUS RANK.
STATUS: ALIVE."
Soren winced. "You don't have to say it like that…"
The fox chirped sympathetically and licked his chin.
The voice continued.
"ACCESS GRANTED TO OUTER GROUNDS.
REPORT TO REGISTRATION HALL."
The gates creaked open.
Soren swallowed hard. "Okay… okay, Soren. You survived a warg. You can survive… school."
He stepped inside.
The Academy Grounds
Starfall Academy was enormous.
The outer grounds stretched like a small city — cobblestone paths winding between training fields, beast stables, shimmering ponds, and towering buildings shaped like spiraling towers. Students in blue and silver uniforms walked in groups, some with beasts perched on their shoulders, others with floating spellbooks or glowing bracelets.
Soren felt painfully out of place in his Earth clothes — jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie that now had fox bite marks.
A group of students passed by, laughing as a small fire‑lizard chased its own tail. One of them glanced at Soren, then at the fox in his arms.
"Aw, look! A baby fox! So cute!"
Soren relaxed a little.
Then the student added, "Is that… a wild pet? Did you sneak it in?"
Soren stiffened. "N‑no! He's my—uh—system thing. Beast. Companion. Partner. I think."
The student blinked. "You think?"
Soren wilted. "It's been a long day."
The student shrugged and walked off.
The fox puffed up indignantly, as if offended by the idea of being "snuck in."
Soren patted its head. "Don't worry. You're official. Probably."
The fox chirped proudly.
The Registration Hall
The hall was a massive dome-shaped building with crystal windows and banners depicting legendary beasts — dragons, phoenixes, thunder wolves, and creatures Soren couldn't even name. The air inside buzzed with magic and chatter.
A long line of students stretched toward a counter where robed instructors checked papers, scanned beasts, and handed out badges.
Soren joined the line, trying not to look like someone who had almost died ten minutes ago.
The fox curled around his neck like a fluffy scarf.
A girl in front of him turned around. She had short black hair, sharp eyes, and a small hawk perched on her shoulder.
She stared at the fox.
The fox stared back.
She raised an eyebrow. "That's… small."
Soren nodded miserably. "Yeah."
"What rank?"
"F‑minus."
She choked. "Minus?!"
The hawk let out a pitying chirp.
Soren wanted to sink into the floor. "He's… cute?"
The girl sighed. "Cute doesn't help you survive Beast Combat 101."
Soren's stomach dropped. "There's a class called Beast Combat?!"
"Of course. This is a beast‑taming academy."
Soren clutched the fox tighter. "I'm going to die."
The fox licked his cheek, as if saying same.
Registration
When it was finally his turn, Soren stepped up to the counter. A stern-looking instructor with silver hair and half-moon glasses peered at him.
"Name?"
"Soren Vale."
"Age?"
"Seventeen."
"Beast rank?"
Soren hesitated. "F‑minus."
The instructor froze.
Then he slowly looked up from his papers.
"…minus?"
Soren nodded weakly.
The instructor sighed deeply, as if Soren had personally offended him. "Very well. Place your beast on the scanning crystal."
Soren gently set the fox on a glowing pedestal. The fox sat proudly, tail curled around its paws.
The crystal lit up.
[SCANNING…]
[SPECIES: TINY FOX]
[RANK: F‑]
[EVOLUTION POTENTIAL: UNKNOWN]
[TEMPERAMENT: AFFECTIONATE]
[DANGER LEVEL: LOW]
The instructor blinked. "Unknown evolution potential? That's… unusual."
Soren perked up. "Is that good?"
"It means unpredictable." The instructor scribbled something. "Could be promising. Could be useless."
Soren deflated again.
The fox chirped indignantly.
The instructor handed Soren a silver badge shaped like a fox paw. "Welcome to Starfall Academy. You are now an Outer Student. Dormitory assignments are posted outside."
Soren bowed awkwardly. "Th‑thank you."
As he turned to leave, the instructor added, "And boy?"
Soren froze. "Y‑yes?"
"Take good care of that fox. Tiny beasts are fragile."
Soren nodded. "I will."
The fox puffed up proudly.
Dormitory Chaos
The dormitory building was a tall stone structure with ivy climbing its walls and windows glowing with warm light. Students bustled in and out, some carrying beast food, others dragging sleepy creatures behind them.
Soren found his name on the assignment board.
DORM 3B — ROOM 27
ROOMMATE: UNKNOWN
He swallowed. "Okay… new room. New life. New… everything."
He climbed the stairs, the fox perched on his shoulder like a smug parrot.
Room 27 was at the end of the hall. Soren pushed the door open cautiously.
The room was simple — two beds, two desks, a window overlooking the training fields, and a small shelf for beast supplies.
One bed was already occupied.
A boy sat cross‑legged on it, polishing a gleaming silver spear. His hair was dark blue, his eyes sharp, and a small lightning‑wolf pup slept at his feet.
He looked up as Soren entered.
Soren froze.
The boy stared.
The fox chirped.
"…hi," Soren squeaked.
The boy blinked. "You're my roommate?"
Soren nodded.
The boy's gaze dropped to the fox. "That's your beast?"
Soren nodded again.
The boy stared for a long moment.
Then he said, "It's cute."
Soren blinked. "R‑really?"
The boy nodded. "Cute beasts are rare. They usually have high affinity potential."
Soren felt hope spark in his chest. "So… that's good?"
"Maybe." The boy shrugged. "Or maybe it's just cute."
Hope died instantly.
The fox chirped angrily.
The boy smirked. "It has spirit. That's good."
Soren exhaled. "I'm Soren."
"Kael," the boy replied. "Lightning specialization."
Soren nodded awkwardly. "Uh… I specialize in… not dying?"
Kael snorted. "Good luck with that."
System Notification
As Soren unpacked his meager belongings, a familiar ding echoed.
A screen appeared.
[NEW QUEST: FIRST DAY SURVIVAL]
Objective: Attend orientation without embarrassing yourself.
Reward: Crafting Skill +1
Penalty: Public humiliation.
Soren groaned. "Why is that even a penalty?!"
Kael glanced over. "Talking to yourself already?"
Soren panicked. "N‑no! I mean—yes! I mean—system! I mean—never mind!"
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You're weird."
Soren buried his face in his hands. "I know."
The fox patted his cheek with a tiny paw.
Orientation Begins
The academy bells rang, echoing across the grounds.
Kael stood. "Orientation's starting. Come on."
Soren followed him out, heart pounding, fox perched on his shoulder like a fluffy guardian.
As they stepped into the courtyard filled with hundreds of students and beasts of all shapes and sizes, Soren felt a mix of awe and terror.
A massive stage stood at the front, banners fluttering, instructors lined up in formal robes.
A tall woman with silver armor and a phoenix perched on her arm stepped forward.
Her voice boomed across the courtyard.
"Welcome, new students, to Starfall Academy — where the weak become strong, the strong become legends, and legends become myths."
Soren swallowed.
The fox chirped.
Kael smirked.
Soren whispered, "I'm definitely going to die."
The fox chirped again — this time sounding suspiciously like laughter