Azazul and Akiko stared intently at the beautiful egg. It was a deep, dark purple, and Azazul held it gently in his hands. The thing was enormous—easily ten times the size of a normal egg. He felt warmth radiating from its surface and then handed it to Akiko so she could study it more closely.
Akiko spoke softly.
"It's warm… very much so."
Azazul shifted nervously.
"So, look… I didn't give you anything for your birthday. If you want it, you can have it."
She stared at the egg for a moment before replying, her tone casual.
"Really? Are you sure you don't mind?"
Of course I mind!… but if things go bad with this deity stuff, at least you'll have a partner, he thought.
Scratching the back of his head, he forced a grin.
"Really, I don't mind at all."
They sat by the fire afterward, making small talk. When Akiko finally went inside, Azazul put out the fire and went to his bedroll.
***
The next morning
Training began early. After a few hours of meditation, Azazul headed down the mountain and into the forest.
There, he gave the serpent a mental command. The massive creature appeared before him, and Azazul looked up at it, speaking mostly to himself.
"Let's see what you can do."
After a few seconds, the gigantic snake shapeshifted—first into a giant black wolf, then a sleek panther, and finally into an average-sized crow.
'Oh wow.'
"I like you better in your snake form," Azazul said. "But the fact you went from big to small tells me you can control your size. Do I have to give a command for that?"
He grinned widely.
"This is the coolest pet ever!"
Letting out a long breath, he asked, "Hey, Sally, what do you say we go hunting?"
Azazul climbed onto the serpent's massive head. Despite its size—and the fact that it was a snake—the ride was surprisingly smooth.
After searching for a while, the pair spotted a pack of A-rank beasts: large wolves with red-brown fur, long claws, and sharp fangs. Azazul jumped from the serpent's head to a nearby branch and gave the command to attack. The serpent was outmatched in numbers but not in size. That alone was a game-changer. It tore through the wolves' formation—crushing some under its weight, swallowing others whole, and snapping the rest apart with its massive black maw. Seventeen beasts in total, all dead within seconds.
"What a good pet you are…"
He commanded the serpent to return. The sight of the deep-black snake with crimson dripping from its belly, fangs, and maw was both terrifying and awe-inspiring. When it arrived beneath the tree where he hid, Azazul climbed back onto its head, and they ventured deeper into the forest.
Later that night
Azazul was starving by the time he returned to the cabin. Akiko sat alone by the fire; Matthew was inside. As soon as Azazul approached, Akiko glared at him.
"Weirdo, where have you been all day?"
"Well, trying out my new pet. What do you think?" he replied. Then he added, "Any updates on the egg?"
"Yeah. It hatched a few hours after you left."
"Well, where is it?"
Azazul stepped closer. On a piece of cloth that looked like an old tunic at Akiko's feet lay a small purple serpent. He sat down to her left and studied the tiny creature. When he touched it, it slowly moved.
'Hard to believe you'll be a massive serpent one day… or whatever you can shapeshift into like old Sally.'
He glanced at Akiko.
"Oh yeah—turns out they're shapeshifters. They can expand and shrink on command, too."
"Wow… weirdo."
"Yeah."
After a moment, Akiko spoke again, her voice trembling slightly.
"Look… I don't have anything to give you for your birthday."
Azazul shrugged. "It's alright. You can make it up to me someday. Is there any food? I'm starving."
"Yeah, but you'll have to reheat it on the fire. I'm going to sleep."
Azazul grabbed the pot of stew.
"Okay then. Goodnight, Akiko."
"Goodnight… weirdo."
He finished his food alone by the fire, once again wondering why that shapeshifter had been in the cave—and how the sword his mother had given him pierced an S-rank beast so easily. Too easily.
But there were no answers. Not even one.
After his second bowl—well earned after the long hunt—he put out the fire, went inside, washed up, and finally went to sleep.