Chapter 9

[Third Person's PoV] 

The blue wolf, entirely made of water, opened its eyes and stared at them, causing both Futarou and Erza to flinch. Erza quickly put a hand on her sword, ready to defend herself if needed.

The water wolf then stood up on all four of its paws on the water's surface, and Futarou heard its voice in his head.

("Come here, child"), the voice said, leaving no room for discussion. Futarou turned towards Erza and asked, "Please tell me you heard that, and it wasn't just me?"

"Heard what?" Erza asked, causing Futarou to sigh.

"I was afraid that was your answer. The wolf just called me over," Futarou explained.

Futarou then started to walk towards the lake, while Erza decided to stay on the hill as it only called Futarou over and not her.

"Hello, sir, water spirit, wolf, sir," Futarou said, not knowing how to address him before deciding to appraise it.

[Name: Orion]

[Age: 100]

[Type: High Grade Water Spirit]

[Info: Orion is a wolf-shaped water spirit that embodies the fluid grace and fierce resilience of both the wolf and the element of water. It carries the primal instincts of a wolf: fiercely loyal, protective, and cunning. It acts as a guardian of the waters it inhabits, fiercely defending its territory and those under its protection. However, it also possesses a deep sense of empathy and intuition, understanding the ebb and flow of emotions like the currents of a river.]

("The name is Orion, child, and I detected your presence as soon as you arrived. It has been a while since a human has made contact with the spirit world,") Orion said, looking down at Futarou as it stood 5 meters tall on the water surface.

It slowly walked towards Futarou as it continued to speak, ("I hope to make a contract with you… if it isn't too much of a problem with your protector,") it said, looking at Puck with a sense of wariness.

Futarou smiled as he heard that. "My name is Futarou Uesugi, it's nice to meet you, Orion, and I would be more than honored to form a contract with a high esteem spirit such as yourself."

Orion nodded its head before looking at Puck. ("But before that happens, I hope to fight you. Yes, we are compatible, but I'm also a High-grade level Spirit, I have my pride. I won't form the contract between us if you are weaker than I.")

Although Orion was wary of Puck, it still had its pride. It wouldn't submit to someone that it deemed weak.

"Huh?" Puck growled, but Futarou stopped it.

"It's alright, Puck."

"But…"

Futarou just shook his head. "I need to prove myself worthy of it, right? I need to prove that I have what it takes to be the master of a high-level water spirit," he said as he reached into his inventory and pulled out Pyro Spike, his Uncommon Spear.

Erza stood unsure on the hill, not knowing if she should go down there and help.

"Puck, protect Erza from our fight, if it goes out of hand," Futarou instructed.

Puck reluctantly nodded before floating to Erza and explaining to her the situation.

Futarou waved his Spear around his body before pointing it towards Orion. "Please bear with me, it's my first time in an actual fight after all."

Orion nodded its head before sending razor-sharp claw marks made out of water towards Futarou. Futarou's eyes turned red as a tomoe appeared, and he activated his Sharingan before using his skill: Swift Stride, to dodge the attacks.

Water rose from the lake as they shot towards Futarou in quick succession. Futarou was only able to dodge them and maneuver between them thanks to his Sharingan, which made it easier to keep track of Orion's attacks.

Orion blurred from where it was standing as it ran towards Futarou with its claws stretched out ready to cut him. Futarou quickly activated his mana barrier to protect himself.

He took a step back before pulling his Spear back and throwing it towards Orion, dispelling the barrier. His action took Orion by surprise as it didn't expect Futarou to throw away his weapon. The Spear exploded as it hit Orion, sending it flying back.

As it flew back, Orion opened its mouth and sent a geyser of water which destroyed everything in its path. Futarou jumped to the side at the last minute before reaching out his hand and using Ruler's Authority to retrieve his Spear.

Orion then understood why Futarou threw it. The two continued fighting against one another, each coming out more injured than the last. They clashed against each other, creating sparks due to their sharpness of Futarou's weapon and Orion's claw.

Both Orion and Futarou were breathing heavily, blood leaking from Futarou's cut, and water spilling out of Orion. Futarou used his Spear to stand up straight and looked at Orion as he asked, "One final move between us?"

Orion nodded as it opened its mouth, gathering blue water particles around it. Futarou took a deep breath as mana started gathering in his palm, forming a bright blue sphere.

Both Orion and Futarou looked into each other's eyes sharply with determination. They both started running towards each other, Futarou extending his hand with the Rasengan in front of him, while Orion let out a loud growl.

The two balls of energy kept pressing against one another, trying to overpower each other. They both let out a loud yell as they pressed harder.

*Boom!*

Due to the intensity of the explosion, they were both sent flying back, each rumbling along the ground in opposite directions. They both stayed on the ground breathing heavily, almost out of energy.

They slowly stood up, experiencing difficulty in doing so. They started to limp towards each other, Futarou's arm swinging limply to the side, appearing slightly burnt with scratches.

When they appeared before one another, Orion licked Futarou's cheek with its wet tongue. Futarou started feeling the contract between them, causing him to smirk.

("From this moment forward, I, Orion, the spirit wolf of water, acknowledge you as my Master and the one I serve,") Orion declared.

Futarou just smiled as he pet Orion's watery snout. "Glad to have you aboard, Orion."

Orion then bopped his nose on Futarou's cheek, and water began to travel from his body to Futarou's wounds, slowly mending them and healing his injuries.

("I shall now rest in your summoner space if you don't mind,") Orion said.

'I have something like that?' Futarou asked himself before simply nodding his head.

Orion then turned into a blue ball of light before flying inside Futarou's chest, causing him to lightly touch his chest.

Futarou then lay back on the grass, slowly falling asleep.

Erza, noticing that their fight was over, approached the exhausted Futarou. "That battle was a sight to behold, well done."

"Thanks…" Futarou said, his eyes growing heavy. "Just let me get some rest before we leave…" he muttered before he started to snore.

Erza put a hand on her hip and sighed. "I guess I'll keep watch in the meanwhile."

"Don't worry, I doubt anything is going to happen with me here," Puck said before laying on her shoulder.

And so the two of them waited for Futarou to wake up from his well-deserved rest.