The encounter

Recap

I sigh and decided to rest next to the young master while keeping my senses high.

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•~•

I open my eyes to see the shape of the young master's soul lying down. I got up swiftly to meet the heat from luminous lights by the sun. I almost wanted to bask under the warm sun yet due to the roaming cyclops, I remain vigilant and not succumb to my instincts.

I could hear rustling from Young master's side. My ears perk up and turn towards his directions as he stood up. His arms move around his face, I am guessing he is rubbing his eyes.

"Fan?" he sounded so tired. "Un, young master I am here."

I could see his figure waddle closer as he hugs me tightly. He isn't tall so his arms reach around my abdomen. I tried to resist patting his fluffy hair.

Totally did not touch his hair while he was sleeping because I was curious. Definitely.

His face digs into my stomach as I give into temptation and ruffle his hair. My fingers felt his silky straight hair when I touch it.

The short earthquake starts again. This time I hold my ground steadily while young master held tighter. I can feel his gaze staring at me. He pauses for a second and whispered, " This isn't a dream..."

"You are right, this isn't a dream young master."

Young master quickly let go and walk back by a few steps. I miss his warmth but I remain motionless when young master let go. " Ahem..."

I could see his head facing another direction. He stood there for quite a long time before regaining his composure.

"Where is the cyclops?" he spoke as he faced me. "Around..." I replied shortly.

"Around?" he tilts his head to one side. "Yes, young master, she is still roaming around in the wilderness." he slowly moves towards the entrance of the tree roots.

"Let's go and calm her down..." I look at him without reacting and followed him. If that is what young master wants, I guess I will follow him to the end of the world if he wanted as well.

When we got out of the tree's shelter, young master starts to call upon his familiar. " Come out my familiar, Alfred!"

I widened my eyes in awe as the young master is only 6 years old and he already got 2 familiars, including the Rainbow Common Bird that stick to him closely even if they didn't make a contract yet.

It is uncommon for anyone to have more than one familiar in their youth. Even the most influential summoner in the entire world, The Heroic Summoner, isn't as powerful when they are about young master's age. Just how large is the young master's mana pool?

I felt that the young master's Rainbow Common Bird, Rei was with him but his presence slowly disappeared when his horse ran away. Young master's familiar jump out from his magic circle. It was a fire mana shape tiger.

His summon is humongous, It is about 2 metres in size. "ALFIE!" I can see young master approach Alfred carelessly. I wanted to reach out to him hold him back but I was too late.

Young master seems to have been absorbed into the fire mana shaped tiger. "Fan come meet Alfred, the Crystallised Fire Tiger!" It roar after young master said that.

Wait, a Crystallised Fire Tiger!? That rare mythical tiger? The white tiger with fiery stripes? The tiger that even my own race respect and praise about?

The tiger is about 2 metres tall and excretes a dominant presence. That isn't the most shocking fraction, the most surprising part is that it is the Mythical, Crystallised Fire-Tiger. It is known that if you are lucky you can manage to at least witness it from afar. There is a 2/10 chance that you can actually befriend them, they are also known to be aggressive magical beasts.

Young master is precisely walking a path of a legendary summoner as I praise internally. I walk towards the large figure and stop a few feet away. "Come closer Fan and can you give us a ride, Alfie?" young master said.

It roars in disapproval.

~

"Why must I let him ride me too?!" Alfie keeps on complain like there is no tomorrow. "I can fight that cyclops by myself! I am very strong compared to that one-eyed beast!" he exclaimed.

My palm touches my temples as I shook my head side to side. " Let's just move, stop complaining before the cyclops find us and hunt us down."

"Urgh!" Alfie still complains but comply with my request. He fell with a thud of disapproval. I touch his fur and climb onto his back. Fan looks at me unsure if it would work and slowly and carefully get on Alfie's back. "Let's go!" Alfie grunts and move faster than Berry with my wind magic.

Alfie's wind magic is at an intermediate level was what he told me. He created a shield for us when he starts to run nimbly against the wind trying to track the cyclops, he slowly accelerated.

The whole time when I was on Alfie, I thought about how is Alfie's growing so fast it was simply unnatural. What did he consume to be enormous? Maybe he had gone through some hardships due to being alone?

Gradually Alfie's speed gotten slower, indicating that the objective is near. I wanted to rest in his fluffy fur longer but when he descended, I had to part with it.

I left depressingly. When we came down we all felt the same earthquake but it was closer. From a far we all witness a large figure using her weapon to hit the floor.

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