Thunder

Training progressed as usual from that point on, which meant that Martha was relieved from her duty by Wilson. The energy that burned inside Dustin deflated like a balloon when her image disappeared behind the door. Isaac smirked but didn't make any comments out loud.

-Must be puppy love- He thought to himself. -I hope he doesn't get too heartbroken in the future.-

With a small sigh, Isaac helped him back to his feet. Isaac patted his back and gave him a knowing smile. Dustin just turned red as a tomato and avoided his gaze.

The training went fine, and the incident flew from their attention after a while. It was mostly running and jogging, so the soreness was much higher on the legs. Dustin took it a bit worse, though, as he tried to impress Martha earlier. The results of his endeavor unknown to him, but the immediate physical ones were enough to deter him for a while.

As they laid on the multicolored grass, they felt small strands of energy slowly coursing through their body. This sensation relaxed their minds and sore muscles, quickly putting them to sleep. When Isaac woke up, he noticed a big parasol that protected them from a tan. He saw that the grass around them lost some of its lusters. And finally, Dustin crawled up to his side without him noticing and hugged his arm, mumbling something in his sleep.

"Well, that's adorable." He whispered to himself, slowly sliding from his grasp.

"Yeah." Duarte's voice came from nearby, startling Isaac. "I thought of waking you two up. But didn't mind spending a bit more here at the mansion."

"Stop doing that, young man. I have enough dealing with Wilson already." Isaac said in a loud whisper, gritting his teeth.

"You called, young master?" Wilson's voice came from behind. Isaac suppressed a yelp with all of his strength but just sighed in the end.

"Please, stop." He deflated like a balloon, defeated.

"Now now." Duarte chuckled and ruffled Isaac's hair, managing to evade his hand as always. "I have to go now, or I'll be late. Please wake him up. I don't want to scare him."

"That doesn't stop you from scaring me, brat." Isaac glared at him, but Duarte just gave him an innocent smile.

"Come on, grandpa. It's getting late."

"Kids these days are so disrespectful," Isaac grumbled. "I should have a conversation with pa about that..." Then, he shook Dustin's shoulders gently. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Hmm? Where am i?" Dustin mumbled, slowly sitting up. He stared at Isaac with his eyes half-opened and returned to sleep.

"Hey! Wake up!" This time, Isaac was rougher with the boy.

"Wh-what! Don't hit me, please!" Dustin screamed with a trembling voice. He began hyperventilating, sweating, and skiting across the grass.

"It's me, Dustin!" Isaac couldn't bear seeing him like that and hugged him. "Everything is ok. It's me, Isaac. Breeeeathe." He did his best to calm the boy down, petting him and reassuring him the best he could.

"Isaac?" Dustin finally relaxed and noticed where they were. "I-I'm so-" Tears began streaking down her cheeks as he began to hyperventilate again.

"Sh, don't worry." Isaac patted him on the head with a smile. "Sorry for waking you up like that." He used his robe to wipe his tears and ruffled his hair.

"Still..." The boy noticed that Duarte and Wilson were looking at them with worried expressions. It made the boy even more embarrassed, making his cheeks flare up in a reddish tint.

"Enough of that, Duarte is returning to the cult." He pointed at Duarte with his thumb. "Do you want to send him off with me?"

"We're not a cult, Isaac." Duarte's remark came from behind, but Isaac ignored it.

"C-can i?" Dustin asked with an unsure expression.

"Of course you can, little Mann," Duarte smirked and helped the boys stand up with telekinesis. "It's long overdue, but it's time you meet my partner, Thunder."

Before Isaac could ask any questions, Duarte whistled. The group waited in silence for a couple of moments and...nothing happened.

"Give him some time, " Duarte reassured.

Isaac made a weird expression while Duarte looked up to the sky with a smile. He was about to say something when the faint sound of flapping drifted to his ears. When he turned towards it, he noticed a blue dot slowly getting larger on the horizon.

"What is-" Before he could ask, the dot turned into the silhouette of a bird.

The bird Landed moments later in front of the group. The blue hawk stood proudly, spiritual energy swirling across its majestic wings. The sun reflected on the silver pieces of armor that covered its talons, chest, and beak. Its piercing sapphire eyes stared at the group, vigilant. A wooden box big enough to fit a person strapped to its back. Yellow papers with symbols and weird phrases that Isaac didn't bother to decipher surrounded it, giving it a mysterious vibe.

Dustin was frozen solid on his spot, not daring to even breath too hard. Isaac was both terrified and amazed. It was their first time coming in contact with a proper spiritual beast in all of their lives. Isaac was getting prepared to be shocked when the time came, but this exceeded his expectations by a lot.

"Now now, don't you like to show off?" Duarte approached and held his hands upwards. The hawk's eyes shifted to him and lowered its head. "Let me take this out." Duarte took off the helmet and the beak armor in a swift move. Then he gently hugged the bird. "I missed you too, Buddy."

Thunder cried in happiness, rubbing its head on his chest. Duarte chuckled and scratched its head a couple of times. He then turned to the boys and waved his hands in invitation. Isaac and Dustin were still in shock, so they didn't immediately react.

"Rank three Thunder Hawk. I raised him since he was a hatchling and have never left my side since then." He pumped his chest in pride. "Don't worry. Thunder won't do anything! I promise." He patted Thunder's head and whispered. "Right, big boy?"

Thunder looked upwards for a second, rolled its eyes, and returned to the previous position. Duarte looked at the boys once more and saw the apprehension in their eyes (especially in Dustin's). He sighed and went towards them, grabbed their hands, and pulled them towards the blue feathered killing machine.

Dustin began showing signs of having a panic attack, but Duarte didn't stop in his advance. When they were close enough, the boy was on the verge of tears.

"Duarte!" Isaac took notice of this and protested, but Duarte didn't pay any heed.

"You'll come across many spiritual beasts in the future." He began as the hands of the boys touched the soft feathers. A numbing sensation coursed through their bodies, and somehow, they felt the hawk's feelings through it. Vigilance and apprehension were prevalent, but as time passed, they transformed into curiosity. "Isn't it good to get used to them now?"

Dustin slowly calmed down as he began stroking the beast's feathers. His expression turned into one of curiosity and wonder. It made Isaac sigh in relief. He began stroking the hawk with more confidence after that, feeling like he was back at home with his old animals. Unknowingly, he smiled while thinking back at his dogs and Isabella.

After a while, the hawk finally stood back up. It was starting to feel weird when Isaac reminisced, so it was better to stop there. Dustin looked a bit dishearted but didn't make a sound of protest.

"Well, guess it's time for me to go." Duarte sighed and patted the boys' heads. "I already said my goodbyes to mom and dad. Mom will cry if she sees me off so..."

"Yeah, i get it." Isaac nodded. "I'll be seeing you next year at the cult, then."

"It's not a cult, Isaac." Duarte sighed defeatedly. "And actually, why don't you two come up with me for a quick ride? Not too far from the city."

"Can we?!" Dustin turned to Isaac with a beaming expression. The old man was reluctant to fly on an unknown bird so suddenly, but he couldn't possibly say no to that, so he relented with a nod.

"Perfect!" Duarte smiled and put the armor back on. Hopped onto Thunder's back and helped the boys with his telekinesis.

At Thunder's back, the boys saw the saddle where Duarte usually sat, several pouches at the sides, and the big box strapped at the very end. Following his instructions, the two sat with their backs towards the box and held onto ropes that Duarte passed them.

"They're enchanted, so in case that something happens, you'll not fall," Duarte stated, getting ready for the take-off.

"Something like what?" Isaac got a little nervous and asked with a trembling tone.

"Say to dad that I'll be back in a bit, Wilson!" But Duarte ignored his comment and screamed at Wilson before the hawk took flight.

At first, they both screamed. Even with preparation, the real thing still made Dustin and Isaac feel like there was a pit on their stomach. This feeling lasted until Thunder was several dozens of meters into the air and slowly getting away from the Leigh mansion.

When Isaac made sure that they weren't dead, he finally took a proper look at the scenery. Rows of houses of different sizes, pedestrians walking down the rocky streets, the farmlands at the edge of the city, and the enormous forest beyond. He was on an airplane before, but the experience isn't close to this.

"AMAZING!" Dustin screamed when he managed to calm down. It was the first time to ever fly up in his short life, so his excitement was even greater than Isaac's. "THEY LOOK SO TINY!"

"They sure do, kid." Isaac chuckled, silently enjoying the wind brushing past his hair. "They sure do..." His thoughts trailed off once more as he closed his eyes. However, he opened them again, uneasy. "Something feels wrong."

"Hmm? Everything seems fine to me?" Duarte looked back, confused by his brother. "Do you want to pee?"

"I'm serious, Duarte. Something feels...WATCH OUT!"

Before the young man could process, a black fireball suddenly appeared in front of them. The residents down below watched in horror how a big explosion took place in the sky, and several figures began free-falling towards the forest. Their fates were unknown.