She glanced up, and stood

“Thank you Kyle”

I turned and was shocked to hear her say my real name. As our eyes met, she quickly broke off and looked to the ground. Behind, I could see her tail behind her moving left and right at a fast pace.

“Heather…my name is Heather”

I smiled, and extended my right hand for a handshake. She looked at my hand and was confused about what it meant. Her ears twitching

“What are you doing?”

“In my wor…” I paused

“In my country, whenever we greet or meet someone with introductions, we do a handshake which symbolizes trust between two people.”

“Ealier, you don't trust me because of my betrayal. Why the change of heart?” she asked

“Well..."

"Shit, I got carried away... is the result of my loneliness in this world?"

"It is considered rude in my culture for someone who just said her name first without a proper handshake, which symbolizes trust"

"And if I don't?" 

"Well... it is okay if you don't want to."

She extended her right hand…

“Use the other hand hahaha”

“Hey… You’re making me nervous!”

I took her left hand and gently placed it on my right hand. Then I gripped gently then, she followed likewise

“So now what?”

“We move our hands up and down for how many times each of us wants, but we must do it gently.”

We moved our hands gently up and down for five consecutive times. As we let go of our hands she spoke.

“Us Nagual, or beastman in your dialect…” she paused

“Why do I feel calling them beastman feels like racial discrimination”

“whenever we say our introductions to someone, we just bow” she continued

“I see. So I will bow down, in respect of your culture, ” I replied.

“They seem to have some Asian-like culture, similar to the Japanese, Koreans, Thais, and the Chinese”

I bowed down, glanced up and saw her smiling

“Like this?”

“Yeah” she chuckled

“Whats so funny?”

“Nothing…I’m just happy to meet a kind and respectful human. Let’s head out”

She raised her hand and chanted

“Snow”

Then a magic circle appeared in front of her hand and it snowed from it. Like a fire extinguisher, enough to put out the fire.

I was amazed by her cute voice

“Lamiag tingog aning bayhana oy!” I thought to myself

(Her voice is so seductive!)

She lowered her hand and turned her head with ears twitching.

“What are you staring at? Is there something in my face?”

I shook my head a little

“No! Nothing at all, I was just amazed by your magic. How did you do that?”

She gave me a confused face again

“You're joking, right?”

“Why would I be?”

“Then how did you heal my wounds, summon a sword of light out of thin air and sliced two platinum ranked imperial…?”

“Hold up” I raised my right hand, “Platinum rank? I apologize for cutting you off”

She took a deep breath.

“We don’t have time for a full explanation, I’ll explain on the way. so listen carefully—I’ll keep this brief. There are seven ranks that determine the strength and purity of your Aether Core (Mana Core). They are, from highest to lowest: Titanium > Diamond > Platinum > Silver > Iron > Steel > Copper. All living beings possess Aether Cores—in other words, Aether flows within and around us. It is the very essence of nature itself, without it, life ceases to exist. The elemental branches of Aether are as follows: Ignis (Fire), Aquor (Water), Zephyra (Wind), Terran (Earth), Cryon (Ice), Floram (Nature), Voltis (Lightning), Umbra (Darkness), Lucent (Light), and the rarest of all, Aetherion (Spirit).

Each rank unlocks new possibilities, allowing a person to elevate their power through rigorous training—unless, of course, they hail from a blessed bloodline. Aether Cores are assessed and enhanced in the Temples of the Seven Gods, found across the continent of Aetheria”

“Woah…” as a move a bush to the side as I walked through

“I don’t know much of what the imperials called you. All I know is that whenever a healer is on the battlefield, the tide of battle changes drastically to the side who has them. But they are long gone now, until now”

She turned, looked at my crest and continued on the path. Which I followed closely behind,

The forest beyond stretched endlessly, shadows weaving between the trees like restless spirits. Above, the moon hung heavy and pale, spilling silver light that painted the leaves and soil in ghostly hues. Every step crunched faintly beneath our feet, though Heather moved with uncanny grace, her padded steps making no more sound than a whisper of wind.

I tried to mimic her, but the dry twigs beneath my bare feet betrayed me more than once. She glanced back, ears twitching in mild irritation.

“Humans,” she muttered under her breath. “You walk like boars.”

“Hey, I’m new at this,” I whispered back. “Sneaking through enemy territory isn’t exactly part of my bachelors degree.”

Despite the seriousness of our mission, her lips twitched as though fighting a smile. “Bachelors degree?” she whispered

“Never mind what I said”

She sighs

“There you go again with those confusing words. Just stay close behind me, and step exactly where I step.”

I did, watching her every movement—how she shifted her weight, how her tail adjusted with each stride, how even her breathing seemed controlled to blend into the night. It was like following a phantom.

As we moved deeper into the woods, I finally broke the silence. “Heather… your people, the Nagual—what did the Imperials want with them?”

Her shoulders stiffened, but she kept moving. “Slaves and Breeding stock. Anything they can use.” Her claws flexed at her sides, glinting faintly under the moonlight. “The Imperials see us as resources not people.”

I clenched my fists. “That’s… sick.”

Heather’s voice trembled, but her pace never faltered. “My brother, Kael, is still just a child. Barely five winters”

“Five winters? Sorry for asking” I whispered behind

“In your human age, he is around five years old”

The anger that burned in her words was enough to set my own chest alight. I didn’t reply, cause maybe she will cut my throat instead, if I bombard her with more questions.

The forest thinned as we crested a low ridge. From the top, we saw it.

Below, in a clearing, the Imperials had set up camp. Rows of tents formed around a large central fire, where armored soldiers sat laughing, drinking, gnawing on roasted meat. At the edges of the camp, iron cages held dozens of Nagual (beastman)—wolfkin, catfolk, reptilian all huddled together, their eyes hollow with exhaustion. Chains glimmered in the firelight, cruelly binding wrists and ankles. Some imperial forcefully dragged out female catfolk to their tents, causing chaos within the cages.

Heather froze beside me, her nails digging into the bark of a tree as she stared down at the cages. Her tail lashed violently behind her, her breath uneven.

I placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. “We’ll get them out. But we need a plan.”

She swallowed hard, then nodded, her eyes still fixed on the camp. “The cages are close to the western edge, near the treeline. If we create a distraction near the main fire, I can slip in and break the locks.”

“And your brother?”

Her gaze darkened. “He’ll be with the others. They keep children close, to prevent the adults from rebelling.”

I scanned the camp again, heart pounding. Soldiers patrolled lazily around the perimeter, their bronze armor catching the firelight. Too many to fight head-on, even if I could summon that light-sword again. And I wasn’t sure I could—not without collapsing afterward.

Still… I wasn’t about to let them continue their cruelty.

“Alright,” I said, my voice low but steady. “You free the cages. I’ll handle the distraction.”

Heather’s head snapped toward me, eyes wide. “You? No—If you faint again, you’ll—”

“I’ll manage.” I cut her off with a faint grin, though my gut twisted with doubt. “Besides, someone has to draw their attention. Better me than the one who knows how to actually freeze locks and chains.”

She stared at me for a long moment, her expression torn between frustration and something softer. Finally, she nodded, ears flicking back in reluctant acceptance.

“Then may the night hide us both,” she whispered.