Chapter 337 - 337 - Taming Frustrations - 7

Published Mar 17, 2026, 07:39 AM

Selphira and Sirius advanced down the main corridor of the administrative building. They had just separated from Julius and his brothers, who would remain monitoring the Goldcrest camp while they took charge of bringing in the problematic heirs. Their footsteps echoed softly in the empty hallway. "Leaving the boys with such little surveillance isn't the best decision," Sirius commented, his voice barely audible. "Not with Kharzan so close and determined to recover them." "Allowing him to succeed would be accepting the enemy's superiority," Selphira responded, nodding. "But don't worry, I can clearly sense their energies… they're still in their rooms." They had barely left the meeting hall behind when Sirius abruptly stopped, his body tensing slightly. Selphira perceived it instantly too, her sharpened senses detecting the strangely poorly executed jump of a familiar presence. "It seems we have company," Selphira murmured, directing a meaningful look toward a particularly dark corner of the hallway. Sirius appeared visibly uncomfortable, avoiding looking directly at the shadows. Selphira observed him with curiosity before releasing a sigh of resignation. "Luna," she called in a firm but not hostile voice. "Come out from there. You shouldn't be outside your dormitory, especially tonight." There was a moment of silence, followed by a slight movement in the shadows. Gradually, Luna Starweaver's figure emerged from the darkness, her head bowed and her hands hidden behind her back in an unusually shy gesture for her. Selphira glanced sideways at Sirius, who maintained an impenetrable expression, though his clenched fists revealed his inner tension. The ancient Ashenway sighed again, this time with a hint of exasperation. "What do you need, little one?" Selphira asked, her tone softening slightly. "This is no time for nocturnal explorations or mischief." Luna visibly trembled, a behavior so atypical for her that it immediately captured the complete attention of both adults. For an instant, she seemed to be waging an internal battle. Finally, she took a deep breath and, with a quick and determined movement, extended her hands forward. Resting on her palms, illuminated by its own pulsing glow, was Ren's small fungus. The extremely small energy emitted by the fungus began to grow. The reaction was instantaneous and completely unexpected. Both Sirius and Selphira felt an abrupt change in their beasts, as if an electric current had activated them without their permission. It was an unknown sensation for them… both had been the undisputed conductors of their beasts their entire lives. Selphira's Black Turtle and Sirius's Celestial White Tiger resonated involuntarily, partially manifesting in their bodies without having been summoned. Hardened parts of shell appeared on Selphira's skin, while luminous white patterns covered Sirius's arms. The power of their beasts surged forth unbidden, responding to a call they couldn't resist. The fungus, capturing this reaction, opened its small chubby mouth and... began to absorb. The energy of Sirius's Celestial White Tiger, instead of expanding outward as was usual, began to flow toward the fungus like water into a drain. The imposing presence of the celestial predator, instead of resisting, seemed to surrender voluntarily, transforming as it was consumed. It became purer, closer to the true nature of the tiger: speed, freedom, and the wind element that controlled the skies. Simultaneously, Selphira's Black Turtle experienced the same phenomenon. Its energy of adaptability, resistance, and control over water flowed toward the small creature, purifying itself until only its primordial essence remained. For a brief instant, before the eyes of the two elders, the tiny fungus seemed to grow, transforming into something majestic and enormous, like an existence that had witnessed the birth of the world itself. An ancestral wisdom observed them through those disproportionately large eyes. Sirius took a step back, his normally expressionless face showing genuine surprise when his beast reacted not with aggression, as would have been natural when facing an unknown presence, but with something that could only be described as... reverence? The White Tiger, a creature of unparalleled pride and power, bowed to this small fungus as if recognizing a long-lost sovereign. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖 The fungus's body now glowed with new lines of energy that interwove in complex patterns within its structure. The enhancements to its capabilities were being born there, though almost no one could perceive them: 15% more in water control, courtesy of Selphira's turtle. Also 15% in air control, coming from Sirius's tiger. The elemental controls of fire and earth obtained from the Qilin and Phoenix also increased to 15%. But there was something more, an additional 10% increase in light and darkness and a 5% that seemed to strengthen its entire structure. Perhaps an unexpected genetic resonance of 5%, coming not from Sirius's tiger, but from a distant connection with the ancestral line of Luna's father. Or perhaps what would have been the lost metal element, present in the tiger's evolutionary line, found an echo in the small being. While Sirius and Selphira remained paralyzed by surprise, unable to fully comprehend what they had just witnessed, the small fungus directed its attention to Sirius's hand. Its eyes lit up with immeasurable intensity as it fixed its gaze on the ring that the Starweaver patriarch wore. It was the moment it had been waiting for. The ring, so close, practically calling to it. With its newly enhanced capabilities, it was ready to make the decisive leap. This could be its best opportunity... Luna, completely oblivious to what was really happening, observed the scene with childish fascination. 'Were they unable to withstand so much cuteness?' She thought enthusiastically. 'I knew he was special! My little friend Mooshito is wonderful!' Selphira was the first to recover part of her composure and realize who the small beast belonged to. "Luna," she said in a tense voice, "where did you find this... creature?" Before Luna could respond, Sirius raised the hand that bore the ring, an instinctive and strange gesture to touch the small fungus. The eyes of the tiny creature shone with anticipation, its small appendages tensing for the leap that would take it toward its objective. Its entire being focused on the ring, every receptor aligned with singular purpose. Just one moment more, and the ring would be its...

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