Special Beasts. I could still recall the day they were introduced in MO. A rank given to certain, raid-like enemies that made it a clear indicator that you were fighting against a boss from the “Doors to the Empyrean Realm” event. Differences that varied from increased strength, level, attributes, skills, and even appearance when compared to their original forms. Still, in Aerith, I had yet to see or hear about one that had appeared in a similar manner—through a portal—while confined within its summoned zone.

It was rather strange the more I thought about it.

If an Aberrant was akin to a mutative side to humanity, could the same be said for Special Beasts to higher-tier monsters in Aerith? Were they simply the product of natural evolution over time? Or possibly even a situational and permanent boon, one clutched at the precipice of a life-altering event? At the very least, that could explain Kortbos.

In this world, Kortbos had also been considered a Special Beast. A once normal Giant of the Higrant tribe, one that was seemingly rewarded by something based on its contribution against the creature that killed the Higrant tribe’s previous Chieftain. A mighty, red bird that even a hoard of giants couldn’t defeat but only force it to retreat instead. And that same red bird was yet another Special Beast.

So, it was you...?

Name: [Bone Eater, Ossifra]

Rank: [Special Beast], [Elder Vulture]

Level: [175]

Class: [Tempest Warden, Tier XIV]

Alignment: [Neutral Evil]

INFO: The large, wind-borne ruler of the southwestern skies. It normally resides atop the western Ganhurs Mountains and only descends when seeking out prey. With a beak and claws as strong as steel, it sunders its prey upon immediate contact. Its blood-red feathers become imbued by a white aura via its passive, [Ruler’s Hunt], that ignores both Defense and Magic Defense stats upon descending from above. During this time, it will also coat itself in [Invincibility] for (5) seconds. It will be weakened for a short time after, while regaining and furthering its strength the longer it remains in the sky. Do not engage at high altitudes.

-Currently under the additional effect of [Subjugation].

It wasn’t long before the cloudy aftermath of the Bone Eater’s descent cleared. Varying shrieks from our surroundings were scattered, ricocheting off the arena’s walls as the audience began trying to escape in panic. Even so, it was all muffled to my ears. I couldn’t spare even a second of my attention elsewhere as that same red bird was currently staring me down.

Is it...analyzing me...? Why...? Is it actually here for me...?

Its bloody coat was hunched over, while its beak was hovering slightly above the ground. The Bone Eater’s odd posture only strengthened the white, ominous glint in its eyes as its head was a mere distance away from where I now stood. And it was doing only that ever since it landed; simply staring at me. Oddly enough, that strand—that single silver lining—was more of an opening than I could ask for amid this brewing storm.

Keep still. No sudden movements now...

I could barely move anyway, as my body struggled to even remain standing after I was essentially shoved aside earlier. Due to the quick actions of my last spectral wolf, I was knocked outside the landing zone that the Bone Eater now occupied. I had avoided the blunt of its descent in the nick of time, yet my stave was still some distance away. And to make things worse, my quarterstaff was completely broken. I was virtually weaponless.

From one fire, directly into another... Just my luck.

Accompanied by a slow, exhausted and strained grin, my thoughts began to race instead.

❖

Shortly earlier. An alleyway in the slums of Nefra.

A disgruntled man moved swiftly, yet quietly through a thin pathway. He was attempting to avoid any unnecessary contact and probing eyes. He clutched at his chest as he walked, still a bit damaged from the embarrassing defeat from earlier. Yet, as he moved from shadow to shadow, he could hear voices gradually becoming louder—panicky even—from the street nearby. A quick peek and his eyes were greeted with the penniless folks of the slums staring toward the skies behind him, gasping aloud. He naturally followed their line of sight and squinted. His blood turned cold.

“That’s...!”

A giant, red bird was hovering over a part of the city in the distance. He was aware, to an extent, of whom it was possibly associated with. As a Qualm of Eboracum, information and rumors involving his station—Nefra—naturally made their way to his ears after all. He didn’t mind remembering tidbits, but he couldn’t care for anything in detail that didn’t involve his actual work or interests.

“First Master Elemnin’s sudden and supposed death, and now they’re taking action too...? Tsk. I was right. Something is going on in this city. I need to leave. If only I still had my necklace, but that asshole...”

Cursing another’s name under his breath, he angrily turned back toward the alleyway and proceeded forward. And by continuing to take the southern route through the slums, he was less likely to be spotted by anyone that mattered for the rest of the way—or so he thought.

“Eeeee!”

His body froze as his eyes met a masked figure. A dull, red-furred monkey stood gleefully atop the head of a peculiar someone. Seemingly a person, draped in a white full-body, bag-like cloak. The fabric of the cloak swayed as the character slowly did the same.

“Hiya! Guil, right? You may not know of me, but I certainly know about you! Tahaha! We have a reservation, so I’m glad you could make it after all.”

Her tone was playful, yet incredibly off-putting for Guil. And as he grimaced at the realization of her words, he slowly dragged his hand from his chest toward his lower side. There was one thing he was certain of here—the matter of how to deal with her. He’d have a single chance and only that.

“Trust me, I know of you well enough that I’d rather go out of my way just to avoid you, but sadly, here we are... I was hoping this was just an unlucky coincidence, but...”

Reservation. That alone made him highly doubt that was the case. A best-case scenario would mean being able to talk his way out of this grim situation, but the odds were surely against him. He’d confess whatever, whenever, if that meant being able to remain alive—and he was planning on using that exact ideology as his first weapon.

“...If it’s information you want, I’ll talk. Anything you want to know. As long as we can go our separate ways after this and pretend we never saw each other... How about it? That's reasonable enough, right?”

Now ask away! And if that doesn’t work...

He clutched at a small canister at his side. If negotiations failed, this would be his second weapon of choice.

“Oh, you. Daring, ain’tcha? I was told you’d come down this way, and sure enough, here you are! I don’t care about the specifics—the why, how, when, what, who, whatever! I’m only here to complete my side of the bargain. She will yell at me if I don’t get this done properly. Mizaru!”

“Eeeee! Eeeee!”

The small, red-furred monkey leapt from atop her head at the call of its name. It began rubbing the peculiar horns that protruded from its apparent eyeless sockets, seemingly preparing itself.

I don’t have a choice after all. Damnit!

“Get em, Mizaru! Go, go, go!”

Cheering from behind her small subordinate, she enthusiastically began shadowboxing at the air in front of her. She held absolute confidence that she would win against the person, the Qualm, named Guil. And in response to her command, the red-furred monkey leapt into the sky and toward him.

“Sorry, but I don’t have any intention of dying here!”

Quickly popping open the canister, he threw it toward the two in front of him. It was a swift, wide-spreading and fast acting sleeping agent primarily used for sedating targets of Eboracum without injuring them. In this situation, he was simply hoping to use it to escape. Not only that, but he also quickly prepared a third weapon. A small, dart-like blade that would be aimed at the girl in the distance.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll at least try and draw their attention toward dealing with the blade instead!

He had already eyed a right-side exit, one that led back into the main streets of the slums. From there, he would run toward the north and head into the Noble Quarters where one of five hideouts was located. He had a plan in mind and the drive to remain alive. He was ready as his fingertips let go of the blade.

Now!

Smoke shot forth from the soaring canister, passing the small monkey in the process. As Guil darted into the small path to the main street, his full focus was only on the exit. That, and a sudden, growing shadow that lingered above and behind him. He attempted to turn his head in time, but it was too late as he heard a voice in the distance once more.

“Pfft. How silly of you. You lost the moment you directed an attack at me. Tahahaha! How unlucky.”

In a fraction-of-a-second glimpse, an airborne creature of staggering size overtook his vision. The small, red-furred monkey had seemingly been replaced with a monstrosity of similar form—with vibrant horns that now dwarfed its head even more so than before.

“Mizaru hates it when people do that.”

The transformed beast slammed its entirety—headfirst—upon Guil, splitting him apart before he even realized what had happened. Silence overtook the alleyway as Mizaru then began rubbing at his horns and cleaning the aftermath.

“Uuuuuuur! Uuuuuur!”

“There. Ptela can’t say we didn’t handle our side of the deal. And big ol' Ossi can now fight until he’s completely content! All’s well that ends well! Right? Though, we still have some time to spare, so how about we...”

With slight nods of her head, she began walking forward slowly as she was seemingly sniffing at the air. She then pointed at random, in the direction toward the Common Quarters.

“Oh! Over there, huh? That’s where you are, hm?! We have one more person we must pay a little visit to before we meet up with Yoyo then! Are you done over there, Mizaru?”

“Uuuuur!”

“Liar. You’re still way too big! Do something about it. Now. You’ll attract way too much attention.”

As she stood before the transformed beast, he was easily thrice her size.

“Uuuuur... Uuuur!”

“That’s not true at all. People don’t stare at me like they would you! You’d even attract the guards, you idiot. Shrink. Now.”

She berated her subordinate as she punched him in the gut continuously until he reluctantly listened.

❖

Common Quarters in Nefra, first floor of the boarding house.

“A man with glasses, is that what my son said...?”

“Yes, I was wondering if you possibly knew anything more about him? That, and any reason why they would go after you and your son? We only have bits and pieces of information so far.”

The clinking of kitchenware occupied the otherwise hushed home. Lukos sat near the living room table as he tended to his wounds, questioning Alisa mid-stitching as she prepared tea. Meanwhile, Astrid was silent and distant, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.

The duo had returned to the boarding house with an unconscious trio in tow; Alisa, Hilm and Eru. The former happened to wake up first, yet the two others remained resting and now were in separate rooms on the second floor.

“I hate to admit it, but yes, it does remind me of a certain...someone.”

She made her way into the living room and gently placed a cup of tea near Lukos as she continued.

“If that person is who I think it is, then Euler once referred to him as Guil. But...”

As she made her way to Astrid, without even speaking or looking in Alisa’s direction, Astrid shook her head and declined. Placing the spare saucer on the table, she took a seat across from Lukos.

“I believe I’ve also seen that person a few times before. Not just in Lindes, but here in Nefra as well, back when I still lived within the Phyron’s household...”

She began telling a story, one that involved Euler and his request—his profuse desire—to run away together years ago. A request she accepted with open arms for two reasons.

“It wasn’t a very difficult choice to make. I’m not entirely fond of my family after all, and I’m certain that feeling is mutual. And most importantly, back then...”

She placed her hand on her stomach as her face settled into a more bittersweet expression, one filled with nostalgia.

“I was already carrying Hilm at the time. I couldn’t bear the thought of raising a child under the Phyron family’s care. So, we ran away together and chose the outskirts of Lindes as our new home. Years passed, and we lived rather content during that time. That is, until that day came... The day they arrived.”

She went on to say that they referred to themselves as “representatives” of the Phyron family, arriving with the sole purpose of taking their child, Hilm, away. Yet, she held her own suspicions.

“I never told Euler, but it was odd after I gave it more thought. They seemed to know each other. Euler and the person that led those ‘representatives’ into our home. And I can clearly remember him angrily whispering his name, referring to that person as Guil.”

She stopped momentarily as she sipped slowly from her cup. Lukos, who had finished tending to his wound, decided to finally speak up.

“Do you believe they were working together then? Euler and your family?”

She shook her head without any hesitation.

“No, that certainly wasn’t the case. At least, that’s what I believe. Besides, I realized it a short while afterwards, but there wasn’t even a chance that they could have been ‘representatives’ of that family to being with.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Alisa’s eyes became fixated and lost within her cup as she remained silent for several seconds. It was as if she were holding a bitter pill in her hands and hesitating to swallow it.

“They vaguely claimed that taking Hilm was for the sake of seating him as an heir to that family. That was a ridiculous notion from the start. That family couldn’t care less about such things. The Phyron family’s name is practically a commodity at this point, as their loyalty remains elsewhere...”

A bitter smile came over her face as she refrained from furthering that topic. She shook her head once more, seemingly to clear her thoughts as she continued.

“Guil wasn’t sent by the Phyron family. I knew that and I believe Euler did too. It always felt as if he were hiding something after all, but not for any nefarious motivation. Instead, it felt as if it were doing so in order to protect our family.”

“Hm. Then for what reason would that Guil person—”

Lukos stopped himself mid-sentence and suddenly became lost in thought. Something had occurred to him. Based on what had happened in the church.

“Those Seekers... Does that mean Guil was directly working for Eboracum instead?”

“Eboracum...? You did mention something like that at the church, didn't you?”

Lukos decided to finally tell Alisa about what Eru had told them. Eru had given the duo a quick rundown about Alisa and Euler’s predicament, one that now strayed from the idea that the Phyron family were explicitly behind their kidnapping. Lukos had initially assumed that the “man with the glasses” and the Seekers were potentially working separately.

“Yet with the information you’ve given us, it changes everything. If Guil really is working for Eboracum, then...”

“There’s possibly something special about her, the kid or Eul—is that what you’re getting at, Lu?”

Astrid remained against the wall by the staircase, but now with her focus on Lukos. And as he looked toward her, he nodded.

“That may be the case. They have specific targets after all. Mrs. Alisa, the thing is—”

Before Lukos could give an explanation, a set of footsteps came from across the room.

“Sheesh. How problematic can a single human be...? You're worse than he is.”

A sudden, annoyed voice accompanied a person walking down the stairs, drawing the attention of the three in the living room. A young, blue-haired girl holding an exhausted expression began rubbing the back of her neck as she entered the room. She then boorishly threw herself on a cushion near Lukos.

“Hm?”

As her eyes scanned the table, she then reached for the extra, untouched cup of tea and took a swig.

“Pthuu! Lukewarm and bitter! What the hell is this...? Water with dirt?! Do you humans actually subject yourself to this for some weird pleasure?! It can't be for the taste...”

Immediately spitting out the tea, she quickly returned the half-empty cup back to its saucer. She groaned at the after taste and threw her head back in her seat. Meanwhile, the three others could only look on with a mixture of confusion and hesitation. They were already aware of her presence prior to their conversation, as she arrived at the same time they did, but didn’t really know how to interact with her.

Who am I? Are you an idiot? We just saw each other a little while ago. Yes, the giant wolf. Yes, that’s really me. Yes, I’m quite serious, human. No, this isn’t a joke... Yes, yes, I can transform into—ah! Shut it! Enough questions! Now, here. Leave that human girl with me. I need to make certain that she survives this ordeal.

That had been their initial and only interaction thus far, one that began with Lukos asking a barrage of questions before she forcibly whisked Eru away from them. She had been locked inside Eru's room ever since then. That same blue-haired girl, dressed in a seemingly worn-down, black cloak was now making herself comfortable on the couch.