(X) The First of Many

"Wait!" Leon shouted, holding his hand out as his words were instantly transmitted to the quadrupedal creature, allowing it to understand his meaning.

It stopped, turning its back toward him as he sighed in relief, finally able to get a better view of the creature. It was a small black feline with a small sapphire attached to its forehead and a long, slender tail that split at the end.

Faint blue glyphs glowed lightly over its joints connected with lines between them. A mane of shaggy, dark blue fur ran along its spine. It had pitch-black eyes with a pale blue iris.

"You can understand me..?" It asked, tilting its head curiously.

"Yes, I can." Leon said, dropping his guard as he smiled at the creature, activating his [Inspect] skill. His golden eyes glowed brightly, tiny glyphs appearing over his irises.

[Shadow Carbuncle]

[Female]

[Potential: S]

[Tameable]

"What's your name?" He asked, cautiously stepping forward as he hid his excitement at finally finding a creature he could tame with his Beast Master class.

"I… I don't know…" She replied sullenly, stepping backward with his slow approach.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of dried bacon wrapped in a small cloth, "Are you hungry?"

"No!" She squeaked, her stomach betraying her as it growled loudly. She smacked her chops, her eyes fixated on the meat.

"Here." Leon said, stepping forward and kneeling as he extended his arm, placing the cloth on the rooftop with the bacon on top.

The carbuncle stepped forward cautiously as her eyes were fixated on the dried meat, but occasionally, she glanced up at him as she paused, as if stopping removed her ability to be seen.

'Just a little closer…' He thought, standing up slowly with his palms held toward her as he stepped backward while she approached.

Leon activated another of his Beast Master abilities, a soft blue light emitting from his palms as a similar light washed over the Shadow Carbuncle.

[Calm Magical Beast]

[Lower a Monster's resistance toward the Beast Master, increasing the chance of a successful tame.]

Suddenly, she walked over to the bacon, sitting on her hind legs as she leaned down and picked it up with her mouth. She chewed on it as it fell, and she quickly pinned it to the rooftop with her paws before pulling off another bite.

Leon sighed in relief, inching closer slowly as he reached for the feline, placing his hand on her back before activating another ability.

[Tame Magical Beast]

[Requires touch. Attempts to tame a Monster, bringing it under the control of the Beast Master.]

Green light flooded from his fingertips and washed over the Shadow Carbuncle. He grinned, his eyes wide in anticipation as a reticle appeared over the feline, a random percentage rapidly changing as it represented the attempt to tame the creature.

[100%!]

[Shadow Carbuncle successfully tamed!]

[Please provide the name of the Shadow Carbuncle…]

The familiar series of system notifications appeared before Leon as he grinned, excitedly fist-pumping, unable to contain his giddiness.

"What to name you?" Leon asked rhetorically, kneeling before her as she mewed softly. She stared up at him as he was taken back to his past life.

"You're gonna name her something shit like Shadow aren't you?" A feminine voice chided behind him.

"No!!!" Marcus exclaimed as he stared down at the pitch-black panther cub he had just tamed before turning back, pulling his lower eyelid down, and flipping Zoe off.

"You totally were!" She exclaimed, keeling over as she laughed, "You might be able to lie to yourself, but your naming sense is absolute garbage!"

"MEW!" The Shadow Carbuncle rang out, bringing him back to the feline. She patiently waited for her name as he stroked her soft fur.

"Bella," Leon said. The system notifications vanished, and a faint golden light protruded from his index finger, which he pointed toward her.

The glowing string floated through the air and wrapped around Bella's neck as he pulled the string attached to his finger, tapping his chest as the taming was successfully completed.

"What did you do to me?!" Bella hissed, leaping backward as her fur rose on end. Then, she glared at the young man.

"I gave you a name. Now come on. We should return home, your new home." Leon said, smiling as he stood up, turned around, and walked toward the edge of the rooftop.

"No! I don't wanna live with you!" She countered, but suddenly a compulsion made her approach him, but he jumped off the rooftop, and she ran after him, following his lead.

"Come here." He said, holding his hands out as she ran forward and jumped into his arms. He carried her, stroking her back as he walked through the streets.

"No!!! What did you do to me???" She lamented, purring loudly as she glared up at him, her mind and body in conflict with one another.

"Nothing serious; you're now a tamed Magical Beast." Leon said as they walked toward the manor, ignoring Bella as she whined and complained about her predicament when he suddenly wondered, 'Where is Mikaru..?'

***

A human-shaped hole appeared in the white powder atop a nearby snow-capped mountain. Suddenly, a burst of flames erupted from within, instantly melting the snow covering a young ashen-skinned man.

"I'm going to skin and roast that stupid cat!" Mikaru growled, reaching down to the frozen, grassy ground. He picked up his sword and returned it to his scabbard.

He looked around, confused, wondering where he was and how to return home. A fiery aura enveloped him as he warmed his body through the raging blizzard.

He quickly leaped off the mountaintop, rushing across the mountain range and leaping between peaks until he finally escaped the blizzard.

He continued to search when he squinted his eyes, hardly able to notice the city far in the distance at the bottom of the mountains.

He sighed and began to walk down the mountains when a light earthquake struck, causing him to stumble before a dozen holes suddenly appeared before him.

Large moles with metallic claws and razor-sharp fangs appeared, hissing at him as they slammed their paws against the ground.

The debris from their emergence from the ground floated in the air and launched toward him.

"Are you fucking kidding me..?" He groaned, shaking his head as he pulled Arondight from his scabbard and stabbed it into the ground in a single, fluid motion, blocking him from the onslaught of pebbles and stones.