Chapter 8) Bind With Your Blood
Lucien's face twisted in raw fear, every muscle stiff as the wolf's golden eyes bore into him. His voice cracked as he shouted:
"Who the hell are you?! What are you doing here? This… this is Academy territory!"
The beast's chained body shifted forward, its massive paws pressing into the earth. Sparks crawled across the iron links, but its voice came calm, steady, too alive to ignore.
"Lucien… that should not concern you. I am not here to kill you."
Lucien blinked rapidly, his breath uneven. "Then… then what?!" His thoughts raced in panic. "What does this beast want from me? It speaks like a person… This is insane. What the hell is happening?"
The wolf lowered its head, stepping closer, chains clinking with each movement.
"I have come in peace," it said. "I came here for you. To bind my life to yours."
Lucien's eyes widened. His chest tightened as if the world itself had frozen in place. "What…?!" He stumbled backward, his voice almost breaking. "Y-you… want to what?"
Shock flooded his mind. "Is this monster serious? Bind its life… with mine?"
---
The beast's heavy steps shook the ground as it closed the distance. Its voice, low and steady, rumbled through the night air.
"Lucien, do not fear. Our goals are the same. That is why we are a perfect match. Together, we can reach the end."
Lucien froze, his mind spinning. "My name… How does he even know my name? And what the hell does he mean, our goals? What goals? To kill a dragon or something?"
He swallowed hard and forced out, "H-how… how can you even talk?"
The wolf tilted its massive head, almost confused by the question. "What do you mean? All beasts can speak, once they are bound to their masters."
Lucien's chest tightened. He snapped back, "Then… then you're already bound to someone?"
"No." The wolf's eyes glowed faintly as sparks flickered across the chains. "I am simply too strong. Strong enough to speak without any master. Strong enough to stand above the rest."
Lucien's stomach twisted. "What the hell is this, a nightmare?"
"This is insane…" he muttered under his breath before forcing himself to speak louder. "Then tell me, what is this goal you keep talking about? And why me? Why choose me of all people? I'm weak, I don't even have a beast!"
The wolf's voice thundered softly, carrying an edge of inevitability.
"If you do not have a beast… then let me be the one."
Lucien staggered back a step. "W-wait, hold on. Don't rush this! You don't even know who I am! And I don't know you!"
The wolf lowered its head, eyes burning with certainty.
"Trust me. I know more than you think."
Lucien's breath caught. What the hell is going on here? None of this makes sense. Something… something isn't adding up.
His voice sharpened. "Then answer me honestly. What do you really want from me? Why do you want to bind yourself to me? Is it just because I'm the only one without a beast?"
The wolf's chains rattled as its lips curled into something like a grin.
"No. That is not the reason."
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
"Just say it already! What's your goal? If you know more than I think, then you must know that my goal is to kill that damned dragon!"
The wolf lowered his head slightly, his glowing eyes fixed on him.
"Yes, I understand that very well… But… You don't even know my name, Lucien."
Lucien smirked, though inside his thoughts were burning.
"What the hell is this? He's trying to distract me with useless talk? He wants to stall me instead of telling me his true goal?"
He clenched his fists tighter.
"Let's put an end to this. Tell me your goal. Don't change the subject."
The wolf's lips curved into a faint smile.
"How difficult it is with you."
‐‐‐
The beast's voice grew deeper, heavy with centuries of memory.
"Many, many centuries ago… when mages came from another world, they sought to conquer ours. I stood against them, to protect this realm from those wretched invaders. At that time, my strength was at its peak. I was one of the strongest beasts to ever walk these lands. The mages knew this well, and so they brought with them an army of dragons."
The wolf's chains rattled softly, glowing with sparks of lightning. His eyes shone with a fierce light.
"Those dragons fought against me, but with my ability I cast them into eternal slumber. Stripped of their dragons, the mages had no means of defeating me. In the end, they chose another path. With enchanted chains, they began to seal me. Even then, I managed to banish them from this world and close their portal. But in the final moment… they sealed me too. For centuries I remained bound, breaking the seal piece by piece. At last I am free, yet a great part of my power still lies trapped inside that prison."
Lucien listened in stunned silence.
"What the hell… he's telling me everything, and it all sounds like it matters… but something doesn't add up. It feels like some pieces are missing."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Alright, let's say everything you told me is true. That means you're afraid those mages might come back, aren't you?"
The wolf inclined his head slowly.
"Yes. That is why I want to regain my strength. If they return, I will destroy them, root and branch."
Lucien studied the beast's gaze.
"But still… in his eyes, I can see only sincerity. A spark of something real…"
"Then why me?" Lucien asked at last. "Answer honestly. Why do you need me?"
The wolf's voice softened.
"Because you need me too, Lucien. No matter how many questions you ask, deep down, you know I can be your companion. The one you lack."
Lucien pressed further.
"Even if that's true… tell me why. Why me?"
The wolf's eyes glowed faintly.
"Because I need your will, Lucien. A will forged in pain and loss… in the suffering of losing those you loved most. That is a strength no chain can bind."
Lucien felt his chest tighten.
"Damn it… he's right. Everything does fit. Maybe… maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have him."
He drew a slow breath.
"But I don't even know your name. How am I supposed to call you?"
The wolf's lips curled in the faintest of smiles.
"You have chosen well, Lucien. My name… is Fenrir."
Lucien gave a short nod.
"Fenrir, then. I want you to be honest with me. To the very end of our days."
Fenrir's eyes gleamed.
"As you wish. From now on, we walk toward our goal together."
"So now… I bind you?" Lucien asked carefully.
Fenrir leaned closer, chains sparking with faint light.
"Bind me with your blood, Lucien."
Lucien pressed his forehead against the wolf's, drawing a sharp breath. His words came out steady, ancient power lacing each syllable.
"By Fate and Blood, I Bind you. Walk with me through all our days."
Inside, he thought bitterly,
"I don't want this. Not really. But I need it… if I want to reach my goal."
Fenrir closed his eyes, his massive frame beginning to fade into a shimmering aura.
"I will rest within your pocket dimension, Lucien. Do not worry, I am with you."
Lucien's eyes widened.
"Wait… what? Pocket dimension?!"
Silence. Fenrir was gone.
"So when the beasts disappeared into their masters' aura during the ceremony… they were entering a pocket dimension? Damn it, I need to ask Serenya about this."
He sighed heavily.
"And what the hell do I do now? I don't even know how to deal with a beast like him… I'd better head back. I'm exhausted."
As Lucien walked slowly toward the Academy gates, his thoughts raced.
"How does Fenrir know about my past? And when he says 'many centuries'… how long exactly? I need to dig deeper. I'll get answers out of him."
By the time he reached the dormitory, night had fallen. He opened the door to his room quietly. The boy he shared it with was already asleep, breathing steadily.
Lucien frowned.
"Great. Now I have to live with him too. Let's just hope he never finds out about Fenrir… By the way, I wonder what rank Fenrir actually is?"
He dropped his belongings by the bed and noticed something on the sheets, a set of clean, neatly folded clothes.
Lucien blinked.
"Strange. I haven't seen any students wearing the official Academy uniform. Only professors and their assistants. Most students just wear casual things. Still… if they gave me this, then maybe it's a good thing. At least I won't stand out."
He changed, washed up, and finally collapsed into bed, his mind still spinning with questions.