Chapter 6: A Flicker of Sky
The next three days were a lesson in controlled agony.
Leo performed his duties in a haze of exhaustion, his body moving on autopilot while his mind recoiled from the lingering echo of the gryphlet's pain. Each night, after the dormitory fell silent, he would wrap himself in the [Whisperer's Cloak] and slip into the [Beast Nexus].
The grey, misty space had become his training ground. He focused his will on Whiskers, the named Dire Rat. The [Soul-Link] was easier here, in this mental realm. The connection snapped into place, a silvery thread of shared consciousness. He could feel the rat's simple drives—warmth, food, safety. Then, he activated [Spectral Mend].
A faint, greenish-silver light emanated from his hands in the Nexus, enveloping the rat. It wasn't healing anything; the rat was perfectly healthy. This was practice. He focused on the concept of vitality, of accelerated cellular repair. Immediately, a dull ache bloomed in his own muscles, a subtle drain on his stamina. It was a tax, paid in his own life force.
[Spectral Mend Proficiency: 5%... 7%...]
He did this until the fatigue threatened to overwhelm him, then he would sever the link and collapse into a dreamless sleep on his cot, waking more tired than when he'd lain down.
On the fourth night, he knew he was as ready as he would ever be. The [Empathic Catalyst] stone was a warm weight against his chest as he approached the gryphlet's enclosure under the cover of a cloudy, moonless night.
The gryphlet was awake. It didn't screech or lunge. It watched him, its lion-like tail giving a single, slow twitch. The [Calming Aura], slightly amplified by the Catalyst, created a fragile bubble of tranquility around them.
Leo didn't speak. He knelt at the usual spot, took a steadying breath, and reached out with [Soul-Link].
The pain was still there, a jagged, screaming symphony, but this time he was prepared. The [Empathic Catalyst] acted as a buffer, not blocking the sensation, but helping him process it, allowing him to observe it without being consumed. He acknowledged the pain, then gently, carefully, guided the link past the emotional storm and directly to the physical source—the crooked, throbbing joint of the wing.
He poured his will into the connection, and [Spectral Mend] activated.
Silver-green light, invisible to any physical eye but blazing in their shared spiritual space, enveloped the gryphlet's injured wing. Leo gritted his teeth as a wave of immediate, bone-deep fatigue washed over him. It was like trying to fill a bottomless well with a thimble. He felt his own energy, his vitality, being siphoned away, converted into a trickle of raw, mending force that seeped into the necrotic tissue and knitted the frayed edges of the ligaments.
The gryphlet shuddered violently. A low, confused chirr escaped its beak. For years, the wing had been a center of only pain. Now, a new sensation was blooming there—a faint, itching warmth. The sensation of healing. It was so alien, so forgotten, that the creature didn't know how to react. It stared at Leo, its golden eyes wide with a mixture of fear and a desperate, burgeoning hope.
What... are you... doing? The thought wasn't in words, but in a pure, empathic impression that slammed into Leo's mind.
Helping, Leo sent back, the mental effort costing him dearly. His vision began to spot at the edges. His body trembled from the strain. It will... take time.
He pushed for another minute, pouring every last drop of his energy into the mend. He felt a tiny, almost imperceptible shift in the alignment of the bone, a minute scabbing-over of the internal wound. It was a fraction of a percent of the total healing required, but it was a start. It was proof that it could be healed.
When he finally broke the connection, he collapsed forward, catching himself on his hands. He was drenched in sweat, his lungs burning as he gulped in the cold night air. He felt hollowed out, as if he'd just run for miles with a pack full of stones.
The gryphlet took a hesitant step forward. Then another. It stopped just inside the bars, closer than it had ever voluntarily come. It stretched its neck, sniffing the air between them. Its large, intelligent eyes studied the trembling human who had just given a piece of himself to ease its pain.
It let out a soft, rumbling purr, a sound deep and resonant, like distant thunder.
The sound washed over Leo, and with it came a new, fragile emotion through their fading link. It wasn't gratitude, not yet. It was something more fundamental: Recognition.
In that moment, they were not tamer and beast. They were two broken things, huddled in the dark, sharing a spark of warmth.
Leo managed a weak, breathless smile. "See?" he whispered. "I told you."
He forced himself to his feet, his legs feeling like cooked noodles. As he turned to leave, the gryphlet didn't retreat. It simply watched him go, its head tilted in quiet contemplation.
[Quest Progress: Mend the Broken Wing.]
Status: Treatment Initiated. Wing Integrity: 1.5% Improved.
Reward: Partial - [Gryphon's Trust] has evolved into [Gryphon's Pact (Nascent)].
[Gryphon's Pact (Nascent)]: A foundational bond of mutual understanding. Slightly increases all stats for both user and bonded beast when in proximity. Unlocks future cooperative abilities.
A notification flashed, distinct from the system's usual blue. It was bronze, edged in gold.
[Legacy of Corvin: Progress Updated.]
A Whisperer's true strength is not in the number of beasts he commands, but in the depth of the bonds he forges. You have taken the first step on the forgotten path. Continue.
Leo stumbled back to the dormitory, his body screaming for rest, but his spirit felt lighter than it had since his arrival in this world. He had done it. He had truly begun.
The next morning, the change was subtle, but to Leo's newly attuned senses, it was as obvious as a thunderclap. When he passed the enclosure on his way to haul water, the gryphlet was perched calmly. It didn't watch the sky with desperate fury. It watched him. And as he passed, its tail gave a single, deliberate flick—a silent acknowledgment.
He also noticed Kaelen, standing near the training yard with a pair of other apprentices. They were all staring at the gryphlet, then at Leo, their expressions a mix of confusion and displeasure.
"The monster's quiet this morning," one of them muttered.
"Too quiet," Kaelen said, his eyes narrowing as they tracked Leo's progress. "It's unnatural. What did you do to it, dreg?"
Leo kept his head down, pouring all his intent into the [Whisperer's Cloak]. "I just feed it, Kaelen. Like Head Keeper orders."
He could feel Kaelen's suspicion like a physical pressure, a hot, oily sensation against his empathy. The bully wasn't just annoyed; he was genuinely unsettled. The natural order of his world was being disrupted, and he was smart enough to know that the variable was the boy everyone thought was worthless.
Leo continued his work, the encounter cementing his new reality. His greatest asset was his anonymity, his perceived weakness. But that shield was cracking. Kaelen's suspicion was a spark. Borin's watchfulness was kindling. And the Council, who hunted Whisperers, was a looming inferno.
He had started a healing that could change everything, but he had also lit a fuse. He needed to get stronger, faster. He needed to evolve his rats, deepen his bond with the gryphon, and unlock more of the system's secrets.
He had 100 points left. It was time to get creative. The [Beast Nexus] awaited, and his two humble Dire Rats were about to get an upgrade. The path of the Whisperer was one of subtlety and bonds, but even a whisper could become a roar if it was all you had left.
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