Shiro stepped back slightly from fear, as the beast's eye stared deep into his. Its one eye was big enough to almost cover its entire head.
"Hm?"
The beast hummed with a rough tone.The beast leaned closer, stretching its neck as if it were trying to smell Shiro with a non-existent nose."You smell familiar."The beast tilted its head slightly.
Shiro was trembling in fear, his eyes were wide open as he let the beast stare deeper into his.
Then…
"Ah, Tido!"
Zaki yelled out from a distance, coming from behind the beast.
The beast turned its head back to see Zaki and Kui approaching it while drinking sodas.
"Hoshiro."
The beast spoke with a rough tone in its voice, seemingly angry, but maybe it's its natural tone of speaking.
"Apologies on Shiro's behalf for wandering too deep into your territory, Tido~"
Zaki apologized in a mischievous yet prideful tone.
"Ah."
The beast or "Tido" looked back at Shiro, who was still shaking.
"So you're one of Hoshiro's students."
Tido spoke.
"Forgive me for scaring you."
It retracted its head and shoulders back to its straight body posture; now its body seems more humanoid with lean muscles. It was tall, taller than Zaki, who's already 6'3. It towered over everyone else in the scene.
Tido turned its head towards Zaki.
"What may you and your students be doing here? At such a late time, if I may ask."
It asked with a rough voice.
"Ahh.. hahaha.."
Zaki scratched his head with an apologetic laugh.
"Sorry for the unannounced visit, especially since I brought my students here."
He replied.
"I'm here to teach my students about Intelligent Beasts and Vows!"
Zaki added, with a prideful tone.
"Vows…?"
Tido asked.
"I do not offer such vows like a quick transaction, Hoshiro."
Tido replied in an annoyed yet calm tone, its rough voice.
"I know, I know! But make an exception for these two, at least… and especially for that one!"
Zaki pointed towards Shiro.
Shiro's eyes were still wide open as he noticed Zaki pointing at him, and he did the same.
"Me…?"
"He's a special one! Make an exception, just this once, Tido."
Zaki added.
"Hm."
Tido sighed.
"Take it as repayment for the favor I owe to your father, Hoshiro."
"I'll gladly take it!"Zaki applauded.
The beast then kneeled to the ground, with its head facing downwards as its mouth on its head opens up like a mouth, as then… a small creature comes out of it, with a large eye, the same one on the beast, it was small, as small as a toddler. It was wearing a piece of cloth that covered its hunched body, only revealing its veiny, trunk-like arms and its one massive eye.
It jumped out of its head, as the eye of the beast's body from earlier is gone now, as if the eye was this small creature's eye. It walks past Shiro, going deeper into the dark alleyway.
Kui side-eyed Zaki, leaning closer to whisper;
"What exactly… is it?"
He asked quietly.
"He's an intelligent beast, but one who used to be a Beast Hunter himself until mutation took over him."
Zaki whispered back to Kui.
MEET : Tido, A retired mentor and Beast Hunter from B.S.C. until he mutated into one. Now, he rests in the dark, where only Higher-Ups from the B.S.C. or people he has taken a great liking to know where he lives.
Tido turned back towards the three.
"Come."
…
In the alleyway of Chiba City, Zaki and his students follow Tido, an intelligent beast. The atmosphere was dark, reeking of sewage water from the pipes around them that clings to the two walls from both sides. Rats and cockroaches wander around the alleyway as well, but in search of food.
"Teach, should we trust him..?"
Shiro asked quietly.
"Do not worry, Shiro! He is a great old friend of mine."
Zaki reassured.
"He's quite… small for a beast."
Kui commented, whispering to Zaki.
"Ah, that's just his tame form, it's harmless."
Zaki answered.
"Tame form…?"
Kui asked.
"Correct! Intelligent Beasts can have certain forms they can take. Tido, has multiple."
Zaki explained, his voice full of confidence.
Shiro looked at Zaki, confusion in his eyes.
"But, what about the tall humanoid form from earlier…?"
Shiro asked.
"Hmmm? Oh! That's the corpse of a beast he had killed. He can overtake beast's corpses."
Zaki explained.
"Wha-"
Shiro thought to himself, his face was shocked.
He looks back at Tido, who waswalking in front of them.
"How can something this small… kill something that big..?"
He asked himself in his puzzled mind.
Intelligent Beasts
These are beasts whose minds and souls rejected the concept of being a man-eating beast, but their bodies cannot reject the effects of mutation, allowing them to have the intelligence and mind of a human, but the body of a beast. These beasts have plenty of forms, varying from their tame form to their full form.
Soon enough, they reached the end of the alleyway. It was just a blank, dirty rear of the building.
"We're here."
Tido spoke, his voice rough and quiet.
Shiro and Kui looked at the blank wall, looking up at it.
"It's just a wall."
The two commented at the same time.
Tido pulled out a knife made out of a horn, colored red with black veins. Almost like Shiro's horns when he's transformed.
Tido then pierces the wall, but instead of the wall being pierced… A portal-gate-like comes out from where Tido pierces.
"Wha-"
Kui and Shiro stepped back slightly.
Tido pulls the dagger lower to the ground, revealing a split gate portal opening. It was sort of distorted, liquid-like, with red and orange particles emitting from it.
"Come in."
Tido spoke before jumping into the portal.
Shiro and Kui were hesitant… they step back slightly in fear from what just happened.
But Zaki didn't hesitate; he walked forward, approaching closer to the portal.
Zaki places a foot inside before looking back to Shiro and Kui.
"You two comin'?"
Zaki asked.
Shiro looked at Zaki, confused and concerned about the portal.
"R-right.."
Split Gates
An entrance to one's perceiving mind. It can only be opened with a dagger made from a specialized horn.
—Chapter 26, End : Intelligent Beast