---
Chapter 21 : The Darkness Element and the little beast
Bai and the Omen moved carefully through the cave, their eyes on Ling Huai. The place where she was sitting had changed completely. The grass had turned pitch black and was dying fast, curling and drying up as if something evil was soaking the life out of it. It was clear she was doing this, but they didn't know how.
They kept their distance for a moment, unsure if they should get closer. The air felt heavy, like something was pressing down on their chests. Still, they slowly stepped closer, calling her name softly.
"Ling Huai...?" Bai said carefully.
"Wake up, dummy," the Omen added, trying to sound casual but clearly nervous.
No answer.
But then—just when they were about to panic—Ling Huai's eyes flew open. She gasped like she had just come out of deep water.
Bai and the Omen froze in place.
Her eyes were no longer her normal color. They were pure black, deep and endless, like looking into the very heart of darkness. It wasn't just strange—it was scary. For a moment, both of them just stood there, staring.
But then she blinked, and the black faded. Her normal eyes returned, though they now had a slight dark glow hidden in them. Something had changed in her.
She sat up quickly, her chest rising and falling as she breathed hard. "Water," she said weakly. Bai handed it over without a word. She drank deeply, then sat back, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"That was terrifying…" she whispered.
"You were meditating, and suddenly everything changed," Bai said.
Ling Huai shook her head. "It didn't feel scary when I was in that... place. The beast—she felt ancient, powerful, but kind of calm. But when I came back, I felt fear crawl up my spine. Like something big just got opened."
The Omen crossed his arms, frowning. "What beast?"
"I don't know her name," Ling Huai replied. "But she had gray fur, pink eyes, and her energy looked just like my qi. She said something about me having 'celestial blood' and gave me a gift..."
"A gift?" Bai asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah. Knowledge. About poisons, toxins... herbs. Even fruits that look safe but are deadly," she said. "I just knew what they were. And while it happened, I started feeling something different. Like a strange power."
"Like darkness?" the Omen said slowly.
Ling Huai looked at him. "Yeah… that."
She stood up, brushing dirt off her robe, which was now darker at the edges where her energy had touched it. She turned to the Omen suddenly. "Use your darkness power. The cloak one."
The Omen gave her a confused look. "You just woke up and already giving orders?"
"Do it," she said, determined.
"Alright, alright…" He sighed and lifted his hand. A dark shadow wrapped around him, forming a cloak of swirling shadows that flowed like smoke.
Ling Huai stared at it carefully, watching how the power formed and moved. Then she stepped back, closed her eyes, and focused.
7
She frowned and tried again.
This time, a small, thin shadow appeared around her shoulders. It wasn't as dark or strong as the Omen's, but it was there. A shadow cloak. It stayed for almost a minute before vanishing like smoke in the wind.
Her eyes lit up in surprise. "I… did it."
The Omen stared at her in disbelief. "You shouldn't be able to do that."
"I thought beast tamers don't have elemental powers," she said, looking at both of them.
Bai and the Omen slowly turned to each other. There was silence for a few seconds before the Omen scratched his head.
"Yeah… we thought so too."
But in their minds, they were thinking something very different.
She's not just a beast tamer anymore. She's something else. Something dangerous. Something strong.
They didn't say it out loud, but it was clear.
Ling Huai was starting to change. And they had no idea just how far that change would go.
---
Ling Huai stood quietly at the mouth of the cave, watching the trees sway gently in the evening wind. The heavy air from her earlier experience still lingered in her chest. She needed to breathe—really breathe—away from the others.
"I need some fresh air," she said, her voice low.
Bai and the Omen, who were still quietly whispering to each other about what had just happened, nodded without asking questions. She stepped out, her steps slow and careful as the shadows of the forest stretched long around her.
As she walked a little deeper into the woods, the breeze brushing her cheeks, she felt something. A soft presence. Not threatening… just quiet. Curious.
She stopped walking and turned around slowly.
A small creature peeked at her from behind a tree. Furry, with round eyes and twitchy little ears, it stared at her like it had been caught stealing. Her eyes narrowed slightly. That face… that fur… it looked exactly like the little beast that had stolen their food days ago when the Omen disappeared for a bit.
"You again…" she whispered.
The beast's ears twitched.
She squinted, recalling what the Omen had taught her—a special technique using spiritual energy and intent to speak directly to lower-level beasts. She closed her eyes briefly, focused her energy, and let her qi wrap around her words like a soft thread.
"Why are you following me?" she asked gently, her voice echoing in the little creature's mind.
Startled, the small beast gave a high-pitched squeak and tripped over his own feet, landing on his face with a soft puh! sound.
He scrambled up clumsily, shaking dust off his fur, eyes wide as he stared at her.
"Y-You can talk?" he asked in a small, timid voice.
Ling Huai tilted her head slightly, arms folded. "Yes, I can. Now answer me."
The little beast gulped, his tiny paws clutched to his chest. "I-I wasn't spying! I was just… just curious! You were glowing and the air around you changed and… and I wanted to see!"
Her brows raised. "So you've been watching since the cave?"
The creature nodded slowly, looking both embarrassed and scared.
---
Ling Huai narrowed her eyes at the tiny beast, her tone low and serious. "So… you followed me from the forest, to the Aurora Kingdom… and now all the way to the Poison Fields?"
The little beast gave a sheepish nod, his ears drooping. "Yes…"
"Why?" Her eyes flashed coldly. "Tell me now, or I'll kill you."
The small creature blinked, looking more amused than afraid. "You can't."
She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
The little beast tilted his head with a tiny smirk. "You give off a scent. Oddly refreshing. It's like herbs… but with a warm scent I can't describe. It calls me. Draws me in. And also… you make really good food."
Ling Huai's expression darkened. "You followed me because of how I smell? And because of food?!"
He gave a small nod. "Pretty much."
She rolled her eyes. "Annoying thing…"
Without warning, she raised her hand, dark qi pooling in her palm. With swift control, she formed a shadowy cocoon, intending to trap the little beast and drag him back to the cave for questioning. The cloak of darkness surged forward.
But just as the shadow was about to close around his small figure—
Poof!
It vanished.
Her mouth fell open slightly. "What the—?"
The little beast smiled innocently. "Elements don't work on Tamers."
Ling Huai blinked. "T-Tamer?"
He nodded again like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Yup!"
"Stop following me," she snapped, a little spooked now. She turned around, stomping back toward the cave in a hurry. Her hand gripped her side—just in case. She didn't know what that beast really was.
She stepped into the cave and saw Bai and the Omen half asleep, leaning against the walls. Without waiting, she called them both to attention.
"There's a little beast following me," she said firmly. "It's the same one that stole our food before. I found him again just now. He said he followed us from the forest… even to the kingdom… and now here."
Bai and the Omen sat up straighter. "What?! Where is it?" Bai asked.
"I thought I left it behind," she replied.
"You did."
A tiny voice answered behind her ear.
Ling Huai froze.
So did Bai and the Omen.
All three of them turned slowly—only to see the same fluffy creature now sitting right on Ling Huai's shoulder, tail flicking like he owned the place.
They all screamed at the same time.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The little beast yawned. "You all are so loud."
---