The Rescued Soul
After filling their stomachs at the Blue Cloud Tavern, Lucas and Aila spent the afternoon strolling through the village. To Lucas's eyes—freshly replaced from a world of steel and glass—the village of Mount Wujing was a marvel of "Magical Engineering." It wasn't the primitive hamlet he had expected. While the architecture leaned toward traditional wood and stone, it was integrated with technology that would have baffled people on Earth. Crystal-powered streetlamps stood like silent sentinels, and the hum of automated carriages—powered by low-grade spirit stones—vibrated through the cobblestones.
"Big Brother, look! The Gold Cage Merchant!" Aila shouted, pointing toward a building with a large, gilded sign depicting a creature breaking free from chains. "I heard they just got a fresh shipment from the capital! Maybe you can finally find a familia that suits your... unique situation."
Lucas followed her, his curiosity piqued. Despite the "Unknown" grade dragon egg currently resting in the first page of his Grimoire, he felt a magnetic pull toward learning more about the common creatures of this world. However, when they stepped through the heavy oak doors, the shop was eerily quiet. The rows of ornate cages were mostly empty, save for a few piles of discarded straw.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Aila stomped her foot, her voice echoing in the hollow shop. "We're too late! The high-quality spirits must have been snatched up by the local clans as soon as the doors opened."
"Well, since we're already here, let's look around," Lucas said calmly. He walked past the rows of empty enclosures.
In this world, he noted, canines and felines were the most prevalent companions. While wild dogs were loyal, their growth was usually stunted by a lack of spiritual affinity. Cats, however, were different. Known as Wisdom Felines, they possessed a rare gift for human speech and high intellect. However, most Spiritas ignored them; they rarely evolved past the Bronze quality, making them "useless" in the eyes of those seeking power.
As he wandered toward the back of the shop, Lucas's gaze fell upon a shadow tucked beneath a workbench. There, shivering on the cold stone floor, was a tiny, malnourished white kitten. It was skeletal, its ribs poking through matted fur. Jagged scars lined its back, and its eyes were clouded with the gray film of exhaustion. It wasn't even in a cage; it had been left out like a piece of trash.
Lucas felt a sharp pang in his chest—a ghost of his own past life, where he had been the one confined to a bed, waiting for an end that felt inevitable. He knelt down, his movements slow and deliberate, and scooped the shivering creature into his palms.
"What is that, Big Brother? A white rat?" Aila asked, her nose wrinkled in distaste.
"No," Lucas replied, his voice firm. "It's a kitten." He tucked the creature into the warmth of his jacket, feeling its frantic, tiny heartbeat against his own. He walked straight to the counter where the shop owner was leafing through a ledger.
"Uncle, this kitten is dying. It needs help," Lucas said, placing his hand on the counter.
The man looked up. He was rugged, with a thick beard and eyes that looked like they had seen too many seasons. He glanced at the bundle in Lucas's arms and sighed. "Ah, that one. A rejected Wisdom Feline. It was born with a fractured mana core. It's a waste of space in a shop like this. I'm Leonardo, though most folks around here call me Big Brother Leo."
"Big Brother? You look more like a 'Grandpa' Leo to me," Aila muttered under her breath.
Lucas shot her a warning look before turning back to the owner. "I'm Lucas Dy Morningstar. And I can't just leave it here like this."
Leo's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the Morningstar name. He looked at Lucas's determined face and let out a boisterous laugh. "A Morningstar with a soft heart! That's a rare sight. Look, kid, since that kitten is a 'reject' and I'd have to pay to dispose of it anyway... why don't you take it? Free of charge. Think of it as a token of friendship between me and the Morningstar Manor."
"You're giving us a dying cat as a 'gift'?" Aila snapped, crossing her arms. "How shameless!"
Lucas gripped the kitten tighter. "Aila, that's enough. Thank you, Big Brother Leo. Every life has value, regardless of its grade."
Leo's smile faded into something more genuine. "I was half-joking, kid, but you've got spirit. Take it. It won't ever win a duel for you, but if it survives the night, it'll be a loyal friend."
The Return to the Manor
"I can't believe we spent all afternoon just to bring home a dying mouse," Aila grumbled as they walked through the manor gates. She was embarrassed, imagining what the other village kids would say if they saw the "Young Master" carrying a broken house-cat.
"Her name is Moxie," Lucas said, his eyes fixed on the kitten's twitching ears. "And she isn't a mouse. She's part of our family now."
"A family of rejects, maybe! Hmph!" Aila huffed and stormed off toward the training grounds, leaving Lucas alone in the courtyard.
"Don't listen to her, Moxie," Lucas whispered. He found a quiet corner in the garden and began the delicate process of cleaning her. Because she was a Wisdom Feline, he could feel her awareness. She couldn't speak—her throat was too dry and her body too weak—but when he wiped away the grime from her face, she gave a tiny, trembling nod.
"Oh? Lucas, what do you have there? Is that a... mouse?"
Lucas looked up to see Aunt Anna standing over him, her expression a mix of confusion and amusement.
"Aunt Anna! No, it's a Wisdom Feline. I rescued her from Brother Leo's shop." He quickly recounted the story, his eyes lighting up as he spoke about the little creature's resilience.
Anna watched him silently, a soft smile playing on her lips. "A domestic cat? You know she won't be able to help you in the Spiritas trials, right?"
"I know," Lucas said, his thumb gently stroking Moxie's head. "But she was alone. And she was fighting to stay alive. I couldn't just walk away."
Anna reached down and ruffled Lucas's hair. "Such compassionate eyes... you truly are your father's son, Lucas. He always had a habit of bringing home the broken things of the world and making them whole again."
Lucas scratched his head, feeling a bit flustered. That was the second time today someone had mentioned his "compassionate eyes." He looked down at Moxie, who had finally fallen into a shallow, peaceful sleep. He didn't have much power yet, and his Grimoire was still a mystery, but as he sat there in the fading light of the afternoon, he felt more like "Lucas" than he ever had before.