Chương 186: B3 - Chapter 22: Colossus' Friend

Leaning his back against the rough surface of a frosted boulder, Seth settled into a shallow sleep on a piece of heavy cloth he had laid over the cave floor. Colossus stood watch while Nightmare drifted into a light nap inside the den of his Pocket-Realm. Seth woke hours later to the frantic scuttling of the giant scorpion's claws against the ice. He rubbed the grit from his eyes and immediately checked on Elena.

The Frigid Tulip beside her had dimmed significantly, its previously vibrant blue petals nearly drained from all its aether. The noblewoman was in the final stages of the merge. Despite having gone more than five days without food or water, her breathing was still steady, and her perfect features remained untouched by strain. The resilience of a Wielder's body is really absurd, Seth thought.

He knew breakthroughs were said to extend one's lifespan and harden the body against hunger, thirst, and illness—but seeing it like this, so plainly, still baffled him. Movement in the distance snapped his attention away. Colossus was darting between the towering ice pillars, and a flicker of pale light was trailing behind him. Seth's eyes narrowed, then widened as recognition struck. The Luminous Otter from the previous battle was chasing the scorpion.

A heartbeat later, the roles reversed—and Colossus lunged after the tiny spirit. Are they seriously playing tag? Seth wondered, pushing himself up from the ground. Colossus noticed his movement and rushed toward him, though the Luminous Otter hovered hesitantly a few yards back. The scorpion chirped a series of clicks and gestured with his massive pincers, beckoning the spirit to follow.

"Come! Don't be afraid!" Colossus's aetheric voice hummed with a pure, childlike joy from between his mandibles. He turned to Seth.

"She joined me this morning. I was so happy to see her again!" Seth observed the Luminous Otter as it flew a bit closer, though it still hid itself behind one of Colossus' three large tails. Without Link, clear communication was impossible—he would have to rely on the experience he had honed interacting with animals before his awakening. He slowly stretched a hand toward the otter, but the creature recoiled immediately, its light flickering with uncertainty.

Colossus noticed the hesitation and stepped forward, leaning his stone head into the cup of Seth's palm.

"See! He's not dangerous!" The otter watched the display with wide, curious eyes. Colossus stepped back, giving his new friend space to make its own choice. The creature hovered closer until its small muzzle could sniff at Seth's fingertips, then it tentatively cupped its head into his hand. Seth felt a strange, light contact—a sensation that wasn't entirely material, like touching a cloud made of warm silk and static. A smile spread on his lips. The otter moved back a few inches, and their gaze met.

For a brief instant, something passed between them—wordless, instinctive. As if they understood each other without needing to speak. Then the tension broke. The little otter gave a soft, bright chirp and darted forward, suddenly bursting with energy; it began to circle him in eager loops, leaving behind tiny, shimmering motes of light. As the particles brushed against Seth's skin, the biting sting of the cold air dulled, being replaced by a gentle warmth that seeped into his bones.

Seth watched the spirit with a grin. Colossus looked up at him, his voice echoing inwardly through Link: ' Can she join the pack?'

"No," Seth answered aloud with a grimace.

"At least not right now. Link doesn't have another bond available for ummm... her." Colossus's large, multifaceted eyes took on a pleading, almost pitiful expression.' But we will come back for her later? Right?' Seth looked at the Luminous Otter as she swirled around his torso, her light acting like a localized shield against the chill.

"Yeah, once I reach—"' Wait,' Colossus interrupted, his pincers suddenly clicking.' Could she stay with me until she joins us? Like, right now? I would protect her.' Seth frowned. For a few seconds, he tried to visualize the otter following the scorpion at all times.

"She would be at risk during the war, Colossus. There are moments I have to pull even you back into the necklace for your own safety. She wouldn't have your protection anymore when that happens."' Then you could move her in there with me?' the scorpion pressed on. Seth opened his mouth to argue, but the words died in his throat. He looked down at the two teardrops of his necklace resting against his chest.

As the Champions of Chaos had explained during their expedition in the mountain, this wasn't a standard Beast Holder, but rather was two Pocket-Realms. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! It gave him two small domains that could stock resources and beasts. Just as he had thought about using it for the cubs of Jenna and Selena, he could do the same with the Luminious Otter.

"It's still dangerous," Seth finally replied, though his resolution was weakening.

"I couldn't always keep her inside against her will. It would need too much of my attention. And if she decided to pop out at the wrong time—in the middle of a battlefield, for example—she could be killed."' She will be fine,' Colossus insisted. The scorpion's trust in both Seth and the otter continued to beam through their bond.' She survived that entire fight between those two massive Gold-Tier things, even though they were stronger than anything we have fought so far! She is quicker and smarter than she looks.'

A small smile tugged at Seth's lips. The young scorpion wasn't wrong. After a final moment of hesitation, Seth ultimately pulled the necklace out from under his leather gear. One of the teardrops was currently a deep, obsidian black because of Nightmare, who was inside; the other was a swirling, translucent blue.

Seth held the latter out toward the otter.

"This is the home of Colossus," he said as he pointed toward the giant scorpion.

"You can stay in there with him, but you must be careful. You must not come out when it's dangerous." The Luminous Otter tilted her head, and her eyes darted from Colossus to the necklace. She clearly lacked any understanding of his human speech, yet she seemed intrigued by the artifact. Just as Seth was preparing to try moving the small creature inside with Colossus, the black teardrop flared. Nightmare surged out of the necklace in a dark mist of shadows.

The otter let out a high-pitched shriek and recoiled instantly, her light pulsing brighter as she glared at the direwolf. Colossus scuttled closer to her, and his pincer moved in a calming gesture.

"Don't worry! He is also a friend! Big Brother Nightmare is part of the family!" Nightmare glanced at Seth, then his red eyes returned to the flying otter. Through their shared bond, the direwolf had seen the whole situation from within his Pocket-Realm.' I guess being emotional has its benefits sometimes,' he mused through Link.' She came here because of Mister Big Heart.'

"It does," Seth agreed aloud. Colossus moved closer to Nightmare and began rubbing his heavy, armored head against the direwolf's flank in a display of affection. Nightmare reared back, fur bristling as he looked down at the scorpion.' What the hell are you doing?'' I'm showing her that you aren't an enemy,' Colossus explained with a series of happy clicks from his mandibles. Nightmare pulled his ears back, clearly displeased with the physical contact.' Is this really necessary? I have an image to maintain.''

Yessss!' Colossus insisted. The otter still looked at the direwolf with deep apprehension, her tiny form huddled near Colossus's legs. Seth turned to Nightmare.

"Can you at least try to look more friendly? You're terrifying her." The direwolf let out a loud, frustrated huff through his nostrils. He stood still for a moment, clearly debating whether to comply, then finally attempted to pull the corners of his mouth upward in what he seemed to think was a reassuring expression. Instead of a smile, he merely drew back his lips to reveal rows of serrated fangs that caught the light of the cavern's runes.

The expression looked more like a promise of imminent danger than a greeting. The otter recoiled even farther, her body pulsing with obvious fear.

"Noooo!" Colossus cried out, scuttling to block the view.

"Don't do that! You're making it worse!" Seth chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Maybe that wasn't a good idea..." Nightmare shook his head, then moved back a few steps and sat down in the shadow of a nearby rock.' Are you two both sure that thing will stay with us if I'm around?'

'I'm sure she will,'Colossus answered through Link.' And don't call her 'that thing.' It's mean.' Nightmare huffed, a plume of dark smoke escaping his nostrils.' Then what should I call her?

'Emergency Rations'?'

"No! We need to find her a real name," Colossus retorted. His excitement then radiated through Link as he scuttled closer to the otter and began blurting out names one after another.

"Glow! No… Shine… hmm… Spark! —oh! Brighttail? No, that's bad. Um—Luma? Lumina? Little Light?" The otter tilted her head, watching him with curious eyes. Her tiny head bobbed with each suggestion. Colossus froze for a second, then perked up.

"Lumi!" he exclaimed. The otter blinked—then let out a soft chime before swirling around the scorpion. Seth smiled and repeated the name aloud: "Lumi." As if called, the otter looked at him then spun in place, clearly pleased. Seth glanced at Nightmare. The direwolf sighed and shook his head before he gave in.

"... Lumi," he muttered in a low, reluctant rumble. The otter flinched at his voice, her glow dimming for a heartbeat—but she didn't retreat this time.

"I'm going to try to bring her inside the necklace," Seth said to Colossus.

"I'll move you in and out first to show her that it's safe." With a thought, Seth activated the artifact, and the giant scorpion vanished in a brief shimmer of brown aether. Lumi immediately turned anxious, her body flashing frantically as she searched the spot where her friend had been. Seth pointed at the brown teardrop of his necklace.

"He's safe in there, Lumi. Don't worry." A second later, he moved the scorpion back out. Colossus appeared with both pincers held high in the air, clicking triumphantly as if he had just performed a stage trick. Lumi's glow brightened, and she began to hover around him, chirping with relief.

"Let's do it again," Seth said.

"But this time, I'll move both of you in." Seth focused on his bond with Colossus, but he also reached out to explore the stray aether trailing from Lumi. He used that energy as a bridge so he could wrap his intent around both creatures. With strong focus and a bit of aetheric strain, both the scorpion and the otter vanished. Seth threw his consciousness into the Pocket-Realm. There, he found Colossus standing next to the Heart of the Brown-Peak Mountains within the desert oasis.

The scorpion was happily pointing at the glowing gem while looking at Lumi.

'Colossus, can you see if she can come out on her own?' Seth asked through Link. The scorpion nodded, then tried to explain how to exit the teardrop by infusing aether into the domain. Despite several attempts at the act, Lumi couldn't do it. Slowly, the otter began to look anxious again, as if she realized that she was trapped. When he saw that, Seth pulled them both back out into the cavern, where Lumi calmed down right away. Seth turned to the Luminous Otter, his expression turning more serious.

"There will be times I won't be able to bring you out because it's too dangerous." He paused, making sure she was watching him.

"When that happens, I need you to stay calm. Don't panic inside the teardrop, alright?" Lumi tilted her head once more while hovering in the air. There was no doubt she didn't understand what he was saying. Seth rubbed the back of his neck; managing a non-bonded beast was going to be a logistical headache.

"That's the price for having a healer with us in the future," Nightmare said through Link.

"Yeah," Seth answered, looking at the tiny, glowing otter and Colossus.

"But the price is certainly worth it."