"This beast should be a variant of the Shadowwood Cat. As an adult, it can normally reach mid-tier Rank 0, and it excels at concealment, able to evade most standard Rank-0 Intermediate detection spells.
"Now, because it has absorbed a trace of draconic blood, it should be able to reach high-tier Rank 0 upon maturity, and its natural abilities have been further strengthened.
"As it stands now, even mid-tier detection spells can no longer sense it. In fact, some Rank-0 Advanced detection spells would likely fail to pierce its disguise.
"As for how it managed to survive in this place for so long, I guess that its mother, in her dying moments, instinctively passed her strength on to her cub. That left the cub in a prolonged state of concealment, allowing it to evade the lizards' senses.
"This kind of transfer of power between mother and offspring is rare, but it does happen from time to time. We usually call it maternal bequeathal."
"Thank you, Mistress Grace."
Her explanation was clear, and Lynn nodded. Then he turned to the others and said:
"Everyone, I want this Shadowwood Cat cub. For anything beyond my fair share, I'll make up the difference in magic stones."
Most powers of subjugation demanded that the master's strength equal or at least not fall far short of the creature being bound. The few exceptions always carried their own flaws.
The Emerald Shadow Imprint belonged to the former category: it could only control beings weaker than the caster.
His first Emerald Shadow, and later Elena, had both been bound under that same restriction.
At the beginning, he had been limited to controlling only third-tier apprentices or even ordinary mortals.
But the Imprint differed from most binding powers in one important way: the requirement applied only at the moment of subjugation.
Once the mark was placed, even if the familiar later grew stronger than the master, the bond would remain unbroken.
Which meant that even if this cub's talents were nothing remarkable, the fact that it could eventually grow into a high-tier Rank-0 beast was reason enough for Lynn to act.
This was the only Rank-0 Advanced beast cub he had seen in all these days.
And beyond that, the Shadowwood Cat's natural gifts seemed anything but weak.
But before Lynn could continue, Leah was the first to shake her head.
"No need, Lord Lynn. I'm willing to give up part of my share for you."
"So am I," Serena added curtly.
If not for Lynn, they might not even be alive now.
Joel, Rosa, and the others likewise voiced no objections, each signaling their agreement.
A quiet warmth stirred in Lynn's chest. He thanked them all sincerely.
Grace, meanwhile, watched with a pleased smile before softly remarking, her words laden with meaning:
"It seems the miraculous order Lord Hossens sought to build has already begun to show itself in all of you."
The apprentices looked puzzled, but Lynn and Serena exchanged thoughtful glances.
Grace didn't elaborate. She merely smiled as she handed the Shadowwood Cat cub to Lynn.
"The binding and revelation spells on it will hold for about six hours. After that, you'll need to be careful it doesn't slip away."
"Understood. Thank you, Mistress Grace." Lynn spoke with barely contained excitement as he reached out to take the cub.
The first impression was how light it felt. The second is its silken fur. The third is the faint warmth of its tiny body.
He carefully studied the "black cat" cradled in his hands.
It was very young, no larger than his palm. Its fur was pitch black, broken only by subtle streaks of silver along its cheeks, spine, and paws.
Beautiful, mysterious, and noble in appearance.
Beside him, Leah craned her neck for a closer look, then couldn't help asking:
"May I touch it?"
"Of course," Lynn said with a nod.
The cub seemed utterly calm, curled up fast asleep. Its eyes were still shut, whether from youth or slumber, Lynn couldn't tell.
Even under the binding spell, there was no trace of panic in its tiny form.
"Its fur is so soft…" Leah murmured in awe as Serena and the others leaned in curiously.
Grace watched them with a smile, a wave of nostalgia washing over her.
In her own days as an apprentice, there had been nothing like this, no camaraderie, no harmony.
What she remembered was endless scheming and infighting, fighting for resources, clawing for the chance to take a single step forward.
Lord Hossens had once told her that this kind of chaos was the very reason the wizarding civilization could never achieve true greatness.
That lofty dreamer had tried to change it.
And over the span of nearly a century, he had slowly built this fragile, beautiful order within his school.
At first, Grace had scoffed at it.
But in time, she had grown to cherish it.
She cherished the way, in the face of crisis, people chose not to abandon one another, but to stand together, even to sacrifice themselves.
Once, she would have called that foolishness.
She cherished the way, when faced with profit, people thought not of seizing all they could, but of morality and fairness.
Once, she would have called that hypocrisy.
When everyone acted in such a way, Grace felt a peace and ease she had never known before.
It was like the warmth of sunlight breaking through heavy winter clouds and falling gently upon her shoulders.
She savored that feeling, the love and morality that lay behind it.
She began to understand that this was something transcendent within human nature, the most precious yet most fragile thing in the world.
The only thing that could be compared to Truth itself.
Yet even as she thought so, Grace sighed inwardly.
She could not understand why Lord Hossens had chosen to join the Silver Ring Academy, why he had opened the gates wide to so many outsiders.
Surely it would corrupt this fragile purity of order.
When faced with those from Silver Ring Academy, wizards forged in ruthless competition; Hossens's apprentices would surely be weaker.
And against the wild mages drawn in from the brutal outside world, Hossens' apprentices, with their high moral standards, might even suffer at a disadvantage in the scramble for resources.
Trust takes years to build, but only one betrayal to destroy, Grace whispered in her heart, filled with doubt toward Hossens' decision, and with fear that this fragile beauty would be shattered.
Lord Hossens… what were you truly thinking?
Grace was not wrong. Trust could be destroyed in an instant by betrayal.
And noble morality could be so easily defiled by ugliness.
But in truth, such fragile things were never what Hossens sought.
Rotten wood burned in a fire leaves only ash. But stone and metal, scorched by the same flames, emerge even more brilliant.
If such virtues could not survive the eternal chaos, then they were not the eternal order Hossens desired.
So let it burn… let it burn.
...
After a brief rest at Outpost Ten, Lynn and the others once again piloted the Eight-Limbed Walker to complete the remainder of their transport mission.
The spoils from the lizard nest were all left to Grace to handle; the magic stones would be distributed to them later.
Inside the Land Barge, Lynn sat in silence, waiting.
Only when Rosa, resting in the rear, drifted into heavy sleep, and when the vehicle was far enough from the outpost, did he finally rise from the co-pilot's seat.
"I'm going to check on the black cat."
"Alright," Leah answered, focusing on driving.
The black cat was kept in an iron cage he had bought at Outpost Ten.
The spell upon it was nearing its end, its body already turning faintly transparent.
Lynn did not hesitate. He opened the cage, lifted the cat into his hands, and began imprinting it with the Emerald Shadow Mark.
Yet the difficulty of forging that mark far surpassed his expectations.
It took him nearly ten minutes before he finally succeeded in shaping one.
The process felt as though it had torn away a piece of his spirit.
Though the damage was not lasting and would slowly heal, the sensation was far from pleasant.
Suppressing the discomfort that tugged at his mind, Lynn pressed the imprint into the cub.
This part went more smoothly than he had expected.
The little black cat resisted only weakly.
Moments later, the Emerald Shadow Imprint took hold.
A strange bond sprang into existence between them.
Lynn could clearly sense the cub's feelings and, if he willed it, could even read its thoughts.
He also gained an acute awareness of its state.
And then he realized something was wrong.
The power that had kept the black cat cub hidden all this time did not, as Grace believed, come from some maternal bequeathal…
It came from the cub itself!
In other words, this black cat could remain hidden indefinitely.
Ordinary Shadowwood Cats could never do such a thing.
And beyond its ordinary concealment, it possessed another ability, a deeper veil of invisibility, brief but far more absolute.
Its ordinary concealment already fools many Rank-0 Advanced detection spells. If it enters that deeper state… wouldn't it take a Rank-1 detection spell to uncover it?!
Lynn's heart leapt with both excitement and awe.
Either the draconic blood it absorbed belonged to some creature skilled in stealth, or the blood was filtered through its mother before reaching it, producing some unique change. Otherwise, its gift could never have improved so dramatically.
"Lynn, has the black cat woken yet?"
Leah's curious voice came from the front.
"Not yet," Lynn replied, suppressing his joy. "But I think it will soon."
The cub was still very young. To maintain its long invisibility, it had been forced to sleep for extended periods, conserving its strength.
Now that concealment was no longer necessary, it would soon awaken.
"If you're going to keep it, have you thought of a name yet?" Leah asked.
Lynn paused in thought, then shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Names are always difficult," Leah said lightly.
Lynn considered carefully.
In his homeland of a past life, black cats were not seen as omens of misfortune, but rather as symbols of warding off evil, inviting blessings, and bringing good fortune.
And there were many elegant names for black cats…
"Hmm… she's a female cat. What do you think of giving her the nickname Lucky, and the formal name Clouds Veiling the Moon?"
"Lucky, huh? Considering she managed to survive so long inside the lizard nest, that really does fit.
"And Clouds Veiling the Moon… it sounds beautiful too."
"Lucky also means it was fortunate that I found her. As for Clouds Veiling the Moon… look at the silver patterns on her fur, they're like moonlight shining through dark clouds."
Lynn held Lucky in his arms, smiling as he spoke to Leah.
In his past life, clouds were a traditional metaphor for black cats. Giving her this name also carried a private sense of remembrance for him.
In wizarding culture, such connotations didn't exist, but under Lynn's explanation, Leah could still sense the poetic beauty behind Clouds Veiling the Moon.
"A beautiful name," Leah admitted, "though a little long to say."
The common tongue of wizards, like Chinese, was a language of logograms. The phrase Clouds Veiling the Moon was similarly expressed in four characters.
"That's why she also has a short name." Lynn smiled, then lowered his head suddenly.
"The little one seems to be waking up."
"Hold on to her, Lynn!" Leah said nervously.
Lynn gave a small nod and gently pinched Lucky's scruff.
Moments later, Lucky opened her eyes.
"Wow… her eyes are beautiful," Leah whispered in amazement.
Because of the draconic blood in her veins, Lucky also bore dragon-like pupils.
But unlike the pale yellow eyes of the horned lizard they had fought, Lucky's eyes gleamed silver-white exactly like the streaks on her fur, like twin silver moons suspended in the dark.
Due to the intimacy brought by the Green Shadow Mark, Lucky stood up and immediately looked at Lynn, rubbing her small head against his palm.
"She seems to really like you!" Leah said, both envious and astonished.
"Seems that way," Lynn replied with a smile, letting go of her scruff.
Leah grew tense watching, focusing all her attention on the cat.
It was only because the current road was straight and open that she didn't need to focus much on steering the Octopod Walker; otherwise, she wouldn't know where to look.
"She's hungry. I'll go grab something for her," Lynn murmured, sensing Lucky's craving. He stood and walked to the back.
"Lynn…" Leah called nervously, afraid the cat might vanish the moment he left.
But Lucky merely glanced at her, then sat calmly on the control panel, licking her forepaw with elegance.
Moments later, Lynn returned with the dried pork Adeline had prepared for him.
The moment the scent reached Lucky, her ears perked up.
Though Lynn could feel her eagerness, outwardly she remained composed, sitting upright, dignified and poised.
Shadowwood Cats were born to stalk in darkness; the patience to wait was etched into their very bones.
They were not mute, but throughout their lives, they rarely uttered more than a few sounds.
This cub seemed no different, except that the draconic blood in her body lent her an extra air of nobility.
Lynn held out a strip of dried pork. Lucky opened her mouth, tore it into small pieces, and ate with relish.
Lynn stroked her along the spine as she ate.
Leah, unable to resist, reached out to try as well.
Sensing this, Lucky picked up the pork in her mouth and leapt gracefully, climbing in a few quick bounds onto Lynn's shoulder.
Leah's heart jumped, thinking she was trying to escape, but relaxed again when she saw the cat perched contentedly there.
Lynn reached up, pinched her scruff again, and handed her toward Leah.
"My turn to drive. You can pet her while she eats, she's not tame yet, and we'll need to put her back in the cage afterward."
"Mm!" Leah said happily, taking the cat and stepping aside for Lynn. "I think the academy has some beast-taming knowledge we can exchange for."
"Really? Then I'll have to look into that later…" Lynn said with a faint smile.
Their voices trailed off as the Octopod Walker continued forward.
Time passed quietly.
March 1st, clear skies.
Eighteen full days had passed since Lynn set out on his escort mission. At last, he returned to Emeraldwood City.
Before the next supply run, they had two days of rest.
At the eastern gate, Lynn carried the iron cage holding Lucky down from the Walker, exhaustion plain in his eyes.
Half a month inside the cramped Land Barge was enough to wear down even a wizard.
The other four apprentices looked equally worn out.
And four, they were for Joel, due to his injury, had already returned earlier aboard another Walker from Outpost Ten.
"Then… I'll see you all in two days," Selena said first. She bent down, stroked Lucky one last time through the bars of the cage, then rose into the air, preparing to fly home.
Life inside the Walker had been dull, and ever since Lucky's appearance, she had quickly become the group's darling.
Everyone, save for the cat-averse Theodore, took turns petting her whenever they could.
Lucky neither sought it out nor resisted, always cold and aloof except with Lynn, toward whom she showed rare affection.
This, of course, made the others jealous, especially Leah. The golden-haired, blue-eyed girl was convinced it was only because of Lynn's dried pork, and even spent her own stones to buy some from him to curry favor with Lucky.
With Lynn's subtle help, her attempts had been moderately successful.
"Apprentice, flying is forbidden here!"
Just then, two stern-faced members of the order intercepted Selena.
In the half month they had been gone, Emeraldwood City seemed to have changed again.
At least before, there had been no such restriction on flying. And their uniforms looked slightly different from ordinary academy robes.
"What happened?" Selena descended slowly, instinctively asking.
The two order members landed as well, sighing.
"Much has happened in Emeraldwood lately.
"The trade routes into the city are open now, and all manner of wizards have poured in.
"A few brazen wild apprentices recently ambushed two of our own, murdered them brutally, stripped them of everything, and one of the slain girls bore signs of violation."
At that, Selena's usually cold face twisted with fury. She clenched her teeth and spat:
"Have the culprits been caught?!"
Behind them, Rosa and Theodore also wore dark expressions, while Leah froze for a moment, not fully comprehending.
Lynn, however, furrowed his brows deeply.
"Not yet. But the academy has already formed a patrol unit made up of apprentices like us, and several official wizards have been recalled to the domain. I believe it won't be long before the culprits are caught!" one of the patrol wizards replied.
"But… why?" Leah couldn't help but ask. "Why would they kill our fellow apprentices?"
"What else, if not for magic stones?
"Those murderers are repeat offenders. Before killing our classmates, they had already taken the lives of several other apprentices.
"According to some who barely escaped, their usual trick is to disguise themselves as wounded wizards. They claim to have slain a rare beast in the Verdant Forest but can't carry it back due to their injuries, and so they ask for help.
"Our two classmates likely went to assist them out of kindness, only to fall into their ambush and be slaughtered."
The words of the patrol wizard set every apprentice's blood boiling, their eyes turning cold with anger.
Lynn, too, felt a knot of unease in his chest.
After describing the killers' likely appearances, the patrol wizard turned and left to continue his rounds.
Selena's face remained grim as she departed, followed shortly by Rosa and Theodore.
Only Leah lingered at Lynn's side, absently stroking the black cat Lucky through the bars of the cage, lost in thought.
"Leah, I'm heading home," Lynn reminded her.
She blinked and came back to herself. "Goodbye, Lynn."
He gave a small nod, then added,
"Once the mentors take action, I'm sure those killers will be caught soon.
"But until then, we need to be vigilant and stay away from unfamiliar apprentices."
"…Yes." Leah nodded, though in her heart she suddenly recalled a line from Master Hossens:
*"Children, you must understand some wizards are not worth trusting, nor worth saving.
"The only thing they deserve… is utter despair and destruction."*
"I'll be going then, Leah?" Lynn asked gently.
"Alright, Lynn."
Her gaze drifted back to Lucky in his hands. After a pause, she suddenly asked:
"Can I come by later to see her?"
Lynn hesitated, then smiled. "Of course."
He tore a sheet of paper, scribbled down his address, and handed it to her.
...
Back at his home, Lynn bathed in steaming water, then collapsed into bed, sleeping straight through until dusk.
When he awoke, he stepped out onto the balcony. The black cat stirred as well, stretching before leaping lightly onto his left shoulder.
On the horizon, the last streaks of orange were swallowed by the layered darkness of night.
Emeraldwood City glittered brighter than ever, alive with light, yet where the glow did not reach, the shadows seemed deeper than before.
"Master, would you like dinner now?" Adeline's voice carried softly, sensing his movements.
"Yes, but give me ten minutes.
"Oh, and prepare an extra serving of boiled meat, just a small portion for the black cat I brought back today."
"As you wish, Master."
Lynn turned back inside and set Lucky down on the bed, activating the Emerald Shadow Mark.
After more than a week, the mark had gathered enough energy for him to test its effects.
Moments later, he felt his own spirit swell slightly, the bond between himself and Lucky tightening.
But perhaps because too little time had passed, or because Lucky was still so young and weak, the amplification was faint.
Lynn had expected as much; what truly interested him was the gift he could borrow from Lucky's bloodline.
Standing before a mirror, he willed it into being.
In the next instant, his body vanished into thin air.
He flexed his limbs, testing carefully.
"In addition to total invisibility to sight, this talent conceals scent and sound, even muffling the air currents stirred by movement.
"No wonder most mid-tier Zero-Ring detection spells are useless against it!
"The only flaw is that I can't sustain it indefinitely as she can. Judging from the drain, the effect won't last more than five minutes."
Still, if the mark gathered more energy or if Lucky grew stronger, the duration would surely lengthen.
With a steadying breath, Lynn willed himself into a deeper veil of concealment.
Hum
For a heartbeat, he felt himself slip past an unseen barrier, into some narrow, unfamiliar space.
Everything around him became stark shades of gray, unreal, and otherworldly.
But in less than half a second, the Emerald Shadow Mark's energy burned out completely.
Lynn snapped back into the ordinary world, muttering in awe:
"That deeper state of concealment… could it actually be another layer of space?"
He stood in thought, then scooped up the weary Lucky, resolving to scour the academy's library for answers.
This ability brushed against powers far beyond the ordinary.
The draconic blood within Lucky surely carried a story worth uncovering.
"Seems… finding you really was a blessing of fortune."
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