"It's you, after all."
After some deliberation, Jin chose the Serperance egg.
Firstly, it suited his taste. This was very important.
Secondly, it was the best for his current situation. The Abyssal Butterfly was great, but based on the researchers' words, nurturing one was extremely expensive. As for the Tempest Wolf and Sword Jaw, their popularity concerned him slightly.
The Serperance was less known, so its mysterious abilities would definitely give him an edge against other Mira trainers. It was also less studied than the Tempest Wolf and Sword Jaw, while that meant having less information to reference from, it also meant its weaknesses were barely explored.
Besides, the Serperance being connected to an entity called 'False Hydra' spiked his interest.
It fancied his adventurous nature.
Jin had promised to himself he would live differently this time, and if that meant being reckless, he wouldn't mind.
Jin gently held the green-scaled egg. He walked towards the nearest researcher, presenting the egg.
Before he could even speak, the researcher chuckled: "You finally chose an egg? I thought you wouldn't be able to pick one for the whole day. I'll remind you that thinking over things is a good thing, but don't be too indecisive next time."
"Sorry." Jin rubbed his hair and smiled awkwardly. I can't possibly tell you that I could see through the eggs, right…
"Haha, but don't worry. It's normal for a Mira trainer to be picky of their partner," The researcher took the green-scaled egg from his hand. "It's going to be your soul partner, after all. But… you seem like a smart one, not someone indecisive. Humor me, but if I had to guess, you have some sort of ability to distinguish the eggs."
'I was too obvious, aren't I?'
Jin's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it to his face. "Is there even such an ability?"
"There is. It's a big world out there," The researcher walked towards the hatching machine. "It is said the South Eastern Wayfarer could identify eggs at a glance. Before she even awakened her ability, she had the uncanny sense to appraise Miras, even better than Eye of Insight."
"That's amazing." Jin commented. "I wish I had the same ability…"
"While it's an amazing ability, it's not that extremely rare. Naturally talented Mira Trainers are also recorded to have some sixth sense," The researcher inserted the egg inside the machine, watching it with a bored smile: "They are able to know by sight or touch if a Mira is their destined partner."
"One person described it as… like an electric current, flowing through their vessels, and causing their soul to connect with the Mira."
"Ah," Jin's mouth slightly opened. "I felt exactly that… but I wanted to check the others, since I didn't want to miss out."
"Oh?" The researcher raised his brows. "How many times did it happen?"
"Around 6 times, I think," Jin thought for a moment. "Some feelings were weaker than the others, while some were stronger. This egg gave me the strongest feeling."
"I see. Interesting," The researcher nodded slightly. "It seems your sixth sense is stronger than most. But I'll warn you, don't expect the egg to have a high potential. While that sense of yours could guarantee your compatibility, it doesn't guarantee the Mira's potential to be high."
"I'll take note," Jin nodded, then asked off-handedly. "Is there anyone that could see through the potential of a Mira egg at a glance, then?"
"The South Eastern Wayfarer." The researcher answered with certainty. "Aside from her, there's nobody else recorded with such ability. Someone with an ability like that would be fought over by the Powers."
Ding!
The hatch machine finally finished processing the egg.
'Fought over, huh…"
Jin inwardly sighed. Well, that answered it. He definitely had to be careful not to let his true abilities slip out… this experience was a warning to him.
He had to be more cautious.
"Here it is."
The researcher's eyes shone.
The green-scaled egg broke down, and a small white snake head emerged from the shell.
The snake had elegant, white scales. Its red eyes were tender, yet piercing, as if it was analyzing the world around it with cold, calculating indifference. Between its eyes was a small faint circle that wasn't noticeable at first glance.
Jin's breath caught. He didn't expect it to be this beautiful.
"This is…" The researcher's eyes went wide. "You lucked out, kid. It's a Serperance, a very rare Mira with at least B-rank potential."
Distracted, Jin was speechless. "... It's beautiful."
"Of course, it's a Serperance. It's known as the White Death in the Southern Ecnologia Primitive Realm." The researcher smirked. "It seems your sixth sense didn't fail you, that's good. Come forward and initiate the soul connection ritual. You know how to, right?"
Jin nodded quickly before stepping forward.
While he was ignorant about most things in this new world, he still recognized the most basic, fundamental concepts of Mira training.
The researcher helped him out, grazing his finger with a small knife.
Looking down at the white snake, Jin found it intimidating and scary. He wasn't very good with animals, much less snakes.
But…
A drop of blood dripped from his extended finger, landing on the head of the Serperance.
The Serperance flinched, but then, it stopped.
Jin also stopped at that moment.
Or rather, it was as if the moment stopped for both of them, and their souls connected with each other.
In a dark space, both the Serperance and Jin stood in front of each other.
The Serperance, newly born and feeling foreign to everything around it, saw through Jin's soul.
It was battered, bruised, and faint… but within that damage was a shining luster. A calm, steady ember that seems to never die out, regardless of the winds that blow it away.
The Serperance found it both comforting and harrowing. But something in its mind whispered to it. Crawl forward. Forward.
When the Serperance finally crawled forward, the dark space broke apart.
Jin's eyes gazed down, and he saw that the white snake had wrapped around his entire right arm without him noticing, leaning against his shoulder.
'Partner…'
Its thoughts appeared on his mind.
… Part of life is trying, even when one is scared.