Luenor stood in the clearing, facing Valdrak, his heart thumping like a war drum in his chest.
He didn't know how to persuade the massive beast. His words felt awkward in his mouth, ideas half-finished, like a glimpse of daily impressions hastily jotted down. But he had to try.
"Valdrak..." he began, his voice shaking. "We... We need your help. Not for conquest or for greed—only for survival. There are humans in front of us—bandits who prey upon their own. We mean to make peace with the villagers, not enslave them. If the bandits stand in our way... we will have to show them strength."
Valdrak's golden eyes narrowed, and a low rumble came from his throat—a sound that made the forest itself seem to tremble.
Luenor felt it pressing down on him, his legs shaking as if the ground beneath him would open up and swallow him whole. The white tiger's aura was constricting, an overwhelming power like an avalanche.
He still kept talking, his voice shaking but shaped by will. "I know… I know we've asked so much already. But if we could just have you stand with us—even your mere presence might cause the humans to think twice. We—"
Valdrak opened his jaws and let out a roar that could move mountains.
Luenor's words flew away in the air. It was all the man could do to make the slightest sound above the decibel level of the roar. His knees buckled, and he fell to one knee. The power in Valdrak's roar was like a wall of living thunder striking him flat.
He would not stay down, though.
Luenor risen back to his feet, breathing ragged. "I…I am not your enemy, Valdrak. I…I'm just…just trying to help them. You obviously don't have to help, I just…I thought… if you could—"
Another wave of aura smashed into him, this was bigger. The roar resounded through him as if he was being crushed beneath the weight of more than a mountain, his bones made him feel as if they were about to splinter.
But then something strange happened.
The mana bearing down on him, it flowed into him instead of breaking him. He could feel it, raw and untamed, pour into his empty core.
A flicker of understanding crossed his eyes.
Valdrak roared again, and Luenor stood firm against it.
He drew in a deep breath, his voice rising above the forest's hush. "I'll stand for them, Valdrak! Even if I have no mana heart, I'll become strong enough to protect them!"
And then—Luenor roared back.
It wasn't as loud or as deep as the tiger's, but it was fierce. Mana flared around him, blue and crackling, an echo of the power Valdrak had unleashed. The two auras collided, swirling together in the clearing like wind and flame.
For a moment, they simply stared at each other—boy and beast, predator and prey.
Then, Valdrak drew back his aura, his head tilting slightly. He watched Luenor for a long breath—eyes glinting with something ancient and unreadable.
With a single grunt, Valdrak stepped forward.
Luenor took a nervous step back, bracing himself for the worst.
But instead of claws or fangs, Valdrak knelt, lowering his massive head until it was level with Luenor's chest.
A gesture of respect.
An unspoken invitation.
Luenor gawked, mouth agape, stunned into silence. Gradually, with shaking hands, he reached for the tiger's fur and crawled onto his broad back.
Valdrak stood, muscles rippling underneath the boy's legs. The world seemed to shift around them—a boy who should have been broken, and the most powerful predator in the forest, mountain at their backs.
At the edge of the forest, the tribe had climbed to the ridgeline. Below them lay Eclion—small, weathered, thatched roofs and thin plumes of smoke.
But, as if fate had conspired with their arrival, the village was being tormented.
An entire bandit gang was storming the square, rough leathers and mismatched armor were a patchwork of chaos. They had their spears pressed to the villager's throats, the children weeping at their feet.
Thalanar's eyes sharpened as he surveyed the scene.
"Telmar, Faren, Arwin—take five more and show yourselves," he commanded, voice as cold as steel. "Let the villagers see us—let them see hope."
The warriors nodded, slipping down the hill in silence, moving like shadows.
Luenor, from Valdrak's back, watched them go. His fingers clenched tighter in the tiger's fur, a single thought blazing in his mind.