Professor Senn paused, her gaze shifting to a new mural—this one darker and rougher in tone. It showed a group of humans holding chains, surrounding smaller beasts with frightened eyes and lowered heads.

"But these so-called miracles… they were not enough."

Her voice dropped slightly, laced with a quiet gravity.

"Spirit beasts, especially the awakened ones, grew stronger and faster. They were born into power. But humans? They awakened late. Their cores were immature by comparison. They couldn't keep up."

She turned her pointer tap once against the image of chained cubs.

"So…the humans resorted to desperation. They stole their young."

A few students visibly shifted in their seats.

"They took newly awakened beasts before they could develop fully—before they could fight back. And they raised them in cages. Trained them through fear. Pain. Submission. Not trust."

Gray stirred lightly on Aston's shoulder, and Mirage shifted its wings above him.

"At the time, humans believed this was necessary. Tame the beast. Break it. Make it serve. And it worked—to an extent."

She lifted a hand and the image changed again: this time, a man holding out his hand, channeling energy through a beast beside him, lashing out with fire.

"It was through those stolen companions that humans discovered something vital: spirit resonance. It wasn't just a connection—it was a conduit. A channel. What the beasts wielded in power, the humans wielded it too via this channel."

There were murmurs now. Quieter. Uneasy.

"And so they fought. With borrowed might. With shackled claws."

Another flicker—the mural changed once more.

"But not all chose that path."

The next projection was subtle. A man and a beast side by side—not chained, but calm. A quiet harmony in their posture.

"Some humans raised their spirit beasts with patience. With care. With respect. And what they found… was astounding."

She turned, eyes narrowing.

"Those bonded through fear were limited. They obeyed, yes—but only at the edge of coercion. But those raised through trust? Their cores pulsed together. Their strengths—amplified."

A hush fell over the room.

"Real power," Professor Senn said, voice soft but firm, "wasn't in control. It was in connection."

She let the words linger as the final mural dimmed.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"From that realization came the first true beastbonds. And the foundation for every spirit civilization that followed."

She tapped her tome gently on the lectern, closing it in the process. "But that… is a story for another day."

The spirit light above dimmed slightly. Students began to stir, whispering in soft tones to each other, some already scribbling fragments of insight, others just reflecting on those words.

"But remember: we are the inheritors of both paths—fear and trust. Choose wisely which one you walk."

Aston sat still, gaze lowered slightly. His mind had wandered far beyond the classroom.

They stole their young. Trained them through fear.

He looked at Gray, who jumped down his shoulder to curl silently beside his bag. The kitten's eyes were half-closed, but even now, Aston could feel the faint flickers of attention behind them—watchful, quiet. Mirage, perched overhead, ruffled its feathers slowly, but did not look away from the lecturer.

The thought struck him like cold iron.

Would they still follow me… if I had treated them like that?

He doubted it.

Professor Senn's voice softened, though she hadn't stopped speaking.

"Eventually, this method—the old way—fractured. A new idea spread. That a beast raised with care could offer not only strength but trust. And that trust could… amplify power."

A student in the back row—a boy from the Enchantment Arts Division—raised his hand hesitantly. "Professor… is it true some of the ancient beastbinders still use the old methods? Fear and abuse?"

Professor Senn's expression did not change, but her tone grew colder.

"Some fringe sects and rogue warbands hold to such doctrines, yes. Even the distant Bound Circle Federation and its surrounding countries still practice them. Effective—yes, in the short term. But unstable. Spirit beasts who are bonded through fear will break. Turn rabid. Or worse—become hollow."

She paused. "A hollow spirit beast is more dangerous than a hostile one. Betrayal doesn't come from enemies. When a beast becomes hollow, they wouldn't show it until a fight. The last thing you need is your beasts betraying you during combat."

Another student muttered, "That's messed up."

A girl near Aston raised her voice quietly. "But wouldn't it be hard…not to see them as tools at first? Especially in war?"

Professor Senn nodded slowly. "And that is why our civilization didn't grow until it learned restraint."

Murmurs spread again—this time more somber. There was a shift in tone, a sense that the history wasn't as distant as they first thought.

Aston leaned back slightly. His thoughts drifted again—to the time when everything changed, to Gray, the black elixir, the auction, to him buying Mirage…

No fear. No leash. And still… They stayed with him.

I should learn more about them…

For a moment, he was grateful. And then, curious.

What would I become in the old world?

"Let this lesson anchor your understanding," Professor Senn said, drawing the class back to her presence. "The age of spirit civilization began not when we awakened—but when we chose to walk beside our beasts, not ahead of them."

A pause.

"History does not ask us to forget the darkness. It demands we carry the memory of what once was—so we don't return to it."

The chime sounded overhead, signaling the end of class.

"Okay, that is it for today. Class dismissed."

Still, for several seconds, no one moved.

Then the rustling began. Chairs scraped. Bags shuffled.

Aston didn't stand up immediately. He looked down at Gray, who gazed up at him, blinking once, then shifted his gaze to Mirage, who fluttered down to perch softly on his arm.

One thing's for certain. They are not just weapons. They are…

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