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Chapter 7: The Whispering Bond
In the quiet mornings of the village, Elric often wandered the fields alone. Not because he was lonely, but because the whispers in the wind felt louder out here. The trees seemed to sway with secrets, the soil humming with energy only he could feel.
And lately… the animals had started watching him.
Not in a casual way—but in the kind of way that made his skin tingle. The way Mira looked at boiling stew. The way Grandpa looked at a silver coin.
Today was no different.
Elric crouched by the old fence post, poking at a beetle when he felt something wet and warm press against his neck.
"Bwah!"
He flailed and fell onto his back—only to see Bran, the grizzled village sheepdog, standing over him with a droopy grin.
"Bran?" Elric blinked. "I thought you hated kids."
The dog snorted, dropped a stick beside him, and sat down. Not just sat—guarded.
Elric stared at the stick.
"…You want me to throw this?"
Bran barked once and wagged his tail.
It was the beginning of something strange.
---
Later that afternoon, Elric followed Bran to the edge of the grazing fields where the village's sheep lazily nibbled at wildflowers. The old dog stood like a sentinel, scanning the hills with a quiet vigilance Elric admired.
"Are you protecting them?" he asked aloud.
Bran didn't answer, of course. But his tail thumped against the grass.
Elric sat beside him, cross-legged in the weeds. "You ever feel like something's coming, Bran? Something big?"
Bran let out a soft whine.
"Yeah," Elric muttered. "Me too."
---
That evening, as the sun dipped low and the skies bled gold, Elric passed by Gora the goat, known throughout the village for being a menace.
She'd broken six fences, chewed through two boots, and headbutted a merchant's donkey into a cart once.
Naturally, Elric gave her a wide berth.
But as he passed, Gora looked up from a patch of grass, stared at him with suspiciously calm eyes, and trotted over.
He froze.
Gora plopped down beside him like an overgrown cat and rested her head against his knee.
"What... is wrong with you today?" he whispered, too stunned to move.
She gave a small bleat and began chewing on his pant leg.
"Of course," Elric sighed. "You're still a goat."
---
At dinner, Elric told his family what happened. Everyone laughed—except Grandpa Thorne.
"You said the animals came to you willingly?" Thorne asked, leaning back in his chair.
Elric nodded. "Bran brought me a stick. Gora didn't try to kill me. It's weird, right?"
Mira chuckled. "They probably sense that you're growing. Animals respect strength."
"I'm not that strong."
"Yet," Thorne said firmly. "Some creatures see potential, not just power."
Then he added under his breath, "It's starting."
Elric's ears perked up. "What's starting?"
"Nothing," Thorne said quickly. "Eat your soup."
But Elric caught it. The twitch in his grandfather's jaw. The way he avoided eye contact. Something was starting—and Grandpa knew more than he let on.
---
That night, Elric lay awake in bed.
Outside, the wind whispered again. The crows returned, perched on his windowsill in eerie silence. Their beady black eyes reflected the moonlight.
One of them tilted its head and cawed—once.
Then, it dropped a shiny black feather onto the floor and flew off.
Elric picked it up. The feather pulsed with a faint warmth in his hand.
He heard it then—soft, impossible words, like echoes in his mind:
"Protector... Shepherd... Awaken."
---
[SYSTEM MESSAGE UNLOCKED]
– Passive Trait: Whispering Bond [Hidden] –
Certain beasts will instinctively feel drawn to your presence. Loyalty is easier to earn. Some may willingly follow, serve, or protect you without commands.
– Progress toward Class Awakening: 6%
---
Elric blinked. "Wait… what system?"
But the screen faded.
---
The next morning, Elric woke up to Bran sleeping at the foot of his bed and Gora blocking the doorway like a bouncer.
"Uh… guys?"
Gora snorted and stared at him like she owned the place.
Elric scratched his head. "I think I have a pack now."
---
Later…
Thorne stood on the training field watching Elric practice footwork—clumsily dodging wooden poles and throwing stones at hay dummies.
"You're getting better," Thorne said, arms crossed.
"Because you keep throwing bees at me!" Elric shouted mid-roll.
"Exactly! The world won't fight fair, why should I?"
Elric collapsed into the grass, panting. Bran lay beside him. Gora snuck in and chewed on one of the poles.
Thorne walked over and crouched beside him.
"You feel it yet?" he asked.
"…Feel what?"
Thorne tapped Elric's chest. "That pull. The thread tying you to them. Your pack. It's not just about making beasts fight for you—it's about walking beside them."
Elric looked at Bran, who gave a small bark.
"…I think I'm starting to."
Thorne grinned. "Good. Then tomorrow we go hunting."
---
In the shadows of the distant forest, something stirred. A creature with black eyes and a hollow shell crouched beneath the trees, its antennae twitching.
A whisper passed between insects, rustling the leaves.
The Insect World had noticed something awakening.
And it would soon come to test