Right in the middle of the cave were two bodies. The first one was... Destroyed, to say the least. It was in an advanced state of decomposition, and the smell was almost intolerable. Drake had to cover his nose with his arm to avoid throwing up.

Still, it was easy to recognize the Kniivar, since it was just a bigger version of Drake's companion. Although the green pelt was covered in dry blood, and the intestines were leaking from the cut open belly, the horns left no room for doubt. They were white, and about half a meter long. The twigs which once grew together with it were now dead.

It was obvious that this was Kniivar's mother. The second body told the story of what happened perfectly. It was about the same size as the Kniivar, one and a half meters long. However, it was conserved, since few creatures feasted upon death-type Iferes.

The coarse skin was of a dirty yellow, the legs slender and covered in scales. The talons at the end of it were thirty centimeters long, and covered in the dry blood of the Kniivar. The end of it's meter-long tail was missing, covered by an old scar. The two pairs of arms looked like knives had been tied to it's body. They were silvery-white, and had no resemblance to actual limbs whatsoever.

And then there was it's head. Two wooden poles had pierced it, presumably created by Wood Realm. Even the weakest of skills could become deadly when the one who used it was powerful enough. All that was left of the head was a maw full of sharp teeth. Pieces of it's cranium could be seen piercing the skin.

Drake had no idea of what species that was. It was obviously a death-type Ifere, but which one, he didn't know. That bothered him. Even if the head was destroyed, the body should have been enough. After all, creatures this big rarely went unnoticed.

"Tu..."

It was at that moment that Frainer returned, using Telekinesis to carry something. Drake hadn't even realized the Ifere wasn't there before, so focused on the bodies as he was. He stretched his hand, and his partner dropped a small metal slate in it.

"What is this?"

He toyed with it, trying to understand what it was. It seemed to be a square of metal, with a broken corner. A nametag, maybe? There was something engraved on it.

"A... One? What the hell?"

He was getting more and more confused by the second. In the end, he decided it wasn't worth it to stand there making up things. It would only contribute to his headache. There were many possibilities. Someone could have used the cave to pass the night, and lost that, or maybe the mysterious Ifere belonged to someone - belonged, not had a contract.

"Ugh... Let's leave that for later. Kniivar is still waiting outside. The ground is too hard to dig here, but at least there are plenty of rocks, Frainer. Let's try to give it a somewhat proper burial before calling her."

Drake knew that to Iferes, a proper tomb made no difference whatsoever. However, he, as a human, couldn't help but think that Kniivar shouldn't see it's mother like that. It would cost a bit of sweat and time, but he didn't care.

...

Half an hour later, a pile of rocks covered the big Kniivar. Drake's Kniivar was rubbing against it, and groaning. Even though he felt it's sadness through the contract, there wasn't much he could do.

Alas, Iferes and humans were different. While a human would have grieved for a long time, Kniivar soon returned to Drake's side, and tugged at his clothes. Getting the message, Drake followed the Ifere, passing once again through the waterfall and getting completely wet.

Once outside, they saw that all the Ricianides had gathered, and were... Looking at them, for the lack of another way to describe it. Drake became nervous. They were too many to deal with, if they decided to attack. However, somehow, he got the feeling that wasn't what the wild Iferes were planning on doing.

He looked at Kniivar, and silently pulled Frainer aside, until they were in dry ground. Sitting down, he waited. He didn't know why, but that seemed like the right thing to do.

His companion walked towards the Ricianides, and brushed against them. The glowing orbs of water surrounded Kniivar, making Drake tense, but he could feel the Ifere was happy, so he did nothing.

After a few seconds, Kniivar returned to him, and he scratched the spot behind it's ear, which made the Ifere purr in satisfaction. Then, before he knew it, the Ricianides were next to him.

"What the..."

His hands instinctively reached for his pistols, but he paused when he felt the soft gel-like body of the Iferes envelop his arm. A part of his mind was still worried, but most of it was surprised and excited. He had never been able to touch a Ricianide. Now that he was so close to them, he could see that they weren't actually just water. There were things floating inside them. Almost transparent, and unnoticeable. In the middle of the Ifere was a big circle, with a smaller one inside.

"Are these... Organs? No... Organelles? And a nucleus?"

His curiosity took over, and he reached inside the Ricianide to touch it. It was like he was trying to grab a slippery ball. As much as he wanted to, he held back, for fear of hurting the Ifere.

"This is incredible!"

Drake couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't read or heard about this before. How could no one have discovered it? But then he realized that not everyone had a Daughter of Gods by their side. Besides, when Ricianides died, they became just water. Sure, a scientist could ask someone with a Ricianide as a companion to study it, or lock a few in a laboratory, but why would they? There were so many other things to study, and Ricianides didn't seem like the most impressive Ifere.

Thinking of that, Drake did what every biologist would do. He ran to his Yscalent, grabbed his cellphone and paper, and started taking pictures and notes. That was an important discovery. To what, he didn't know, but he was sure that one day it would be important.

He chuckled. What a coincidence. He had been just thinking about changing the world, and now a chance presented itself. To others it might not seem like much, but he, as a scientist, knew very well that if it wasn't by studying seemingly unimportant creatures, humans wouldn't be living past thirty now.

...

At first, Drake wanted to leave the clearing to sleep somewhere else. However, he ended up so absorbed on his own thoughts that night came, and he was still analyzing the Ricianides. That was a rare chance that he wasn't sure he would get again. Frainer and Kniivar were having the time of their lives playing with the bubbles of water.

He assumed the only reason why the Iferes were so approachable was because they were simple-minded. After all, if he was right, they were single-celled organisms. A Daughter of Gods helped, obviously.

In the end, Drake had trouble sleeping. Kniivar and Frainer were curled up together, already having become best friends in such a short time. He looked at them, and sighed. The starry sky above his head, and the bright moon, as well as all the ideas flying through his mind, kept him awake.

Silently, he got up. The only one who noticed was the Yscalent, who looked at him blankly as he opened the pouch on his saddle. Stifling another sigh, Drake patted it's scales, and the Ifere returned to sleep.

What he pulled out from his saddle was a knife. Not the one he had on his belt - that was still there, as well as his pistols - but a small one. A carving knife. Everyone had a weird skill they didn't share. His was carving. It was impressive what you could learn when you were trying to forget tests, studying, and such. He chuckled. Good times.

Then, he looked at the serene image that were Frainer and Kniivar, and smiled. Those were good times, but he preferred now. One day he would probably settle down, but for now, he just wanted to travel with his friends.

Picking up a fallen branch from the forest floor, he looked at it quickly, and was satisfied by the size. His hand moved by itself, as he started carving. It wasn't easy, that's for sure. Any mistake could ruin the whole thing, much like any form of art. But he enjoyed it. Without a challenge, there was no pleasure in overcoming it.

Slowly but surely, something started to take shape. At first it was just an uneven ball, but three eyes slowly appeared. Under it was a small creature, with little horns.

"I guess I should have practiced more."

The statue was rough, to say the least. In fact, it could barely be classified as one. Drake chuckled, mocking himself. It had been a long while since he last carved anything, so he said to himself that it wasn't so bad. He held it into his palm, comparing it to his model, and sighed. Putting it aside, he laid on the ground, and closed his eyes.

For the first time in a very, very long time, Drake went to sleep without thinking about his parents. Besides him was a small wooden figure, of two vastly different Iferes snuggling together.

----------------------------

A long distance away from the clearing where Drake was, a creature stood on top of a mountain. Torrential amounts of rain fell as the Old One looked straight at the human. It didn't matter if they were thousands of kilometers away, it could see Drake all the same.

Suddenly, the night sky was shattered by a lightning bolt. Cracks extended through it, almost as if it was made of glass. The Old One looked at the cracks, it's blue fur shining, and bent it's legs, bowing. A loud roar came out of it's mouth, scaring all nearby creatures into submission.

The roar was answered by something equally terrifying. Pieces of the sky fell down, and a black portal appeared. Without hesitation, the Old One jumped into it. Instantly, it appeared in a palace. Twelve Iferes looked down at it, and the powerful being, able to control nature at will, shrunk in fear and respect. All that power it held was nothing compared to them.

After bowing again, the Old One looked at one being in specific. It's mother. A voice as gentle as a calm river washed over it, but it still couldn't help but feel like it didn't deserve to be there.

"Tell us."

"I saw him."

"We know, child. What do you think of him?"

"He is... Powerful. Or has the potential to be."

The Mystic Iferes hummed in agreement. As simple as their dialogue seemed, it held a much deeper meaning.

"The war is approaching us. But for now, you are to be it's shadow. A protector and a guide, if needed."

"I will."

"We know. Now, go. This place is far too sacred for you to be here."

Not offended, the Old One bowed again, before jumping back through the portal, and appearing back in the mountain. The rain never stopped.