The forest was different today.
Denser.
Wilder.
Alive in a way the training grounds never were.
Nyxian noticed it immediately as she followed Jax beneath the canopy, sunlight breaking into fractured ribbons across moss and bark. Unlike with Zee or Bunny, there was no blanket laid out. No careful clearing.
Beasts lived here.
And Jax looked completely at ease.
Unarmed.
"So," Nyxian said lightly, hands clasped behind her head as she walked, tail swaying, "is this training going to involve you carrying me home like you did with Aurabelle? Because I don't think she's walking until tomorrow."
Jax didn't look back.
"That depends on whether you master your skills like she did."
Nyxian smirked."Promises. Promises."
They moved deeper, slowing as sounds shifted—growls, snapping branches, distant wingbeats.
"This is different," she said, more serious now.
"Yes," Jax replied. "Because you're different."
She rolled her eyes. "Flattery already?"
He stopped.
Turned.
"No. Expectations."
Nyxian blinked, then laughed softly. "Alright, teacher. Lay it on me."
They crouched atop a ridge overlooking a small clearing just as movement erupted below.
A B-rank Gryphon descended in a blur of feathers and talons, crashing into a pack of E-rank Dire Wolves. The fight was brutal and fast. Five wolves fell in seconds.
Nyxian inhaled sharply.
"That thing's strong."
Jax nodded. "And distracted."
Before she could respond, he vanished.
The air buckled.
A pressure wave slammed outward, snapping branches and whipping Nyxian's hair back violently. She barely had time to gasp before Jax reappeared beneath the Gryphon—
And punched.
The impact detonated like thunder.
The Gryphon's neck ceased to exist.
The body collapsed in a lifeless heap.
Nyxian stared.
She'd not seen Jax fight before.
At least, not like this.
Barehanded. Casual. Absolute.
"…Wow," she whispered.
Jax turned, utterly calm.
"Come on. Time matters."
They stood over the corpse as her system flickered to life.
Would you like to use Summon Shadow to extract Gryphon?
Nyxian swallowed.
"Alright," she muttered. "Let's do this."
Create a command word or phrase.
She hesitated.
Then smiled.
Summon
She chose without shame.
"Summon."
Purple light flickered—
Then died.
Shadow Summon Failed.
2 attempts remaining.
Nyxian frowned. "What?"
She tried again.
"Summon."
Nothing.
Shadow Summon Failed.
1 attempt remaining.
Her jaw tightened.
Jax stepped closer, resting a hand on her shoulder."It's okay."
She shook him off gently. "One more."
"SUMMON!"
Silence.
Shadow Summon Failed.
No attempts remaining.
Nyxian stood frozen.
Her fingers curled into fists before she realized she was clenching them.
"…That's not funny."
Jax met her eyes. "That's why we train."
Her smile faltered.
Before they moved on, Jax looked at the Gryphon.
Would you like to use Summon Shadow to extract Gryphon?
"Yes"
There was no force in his voice. No demand.
Arise
A Black and Purple Gryphon shadow emerged from the body. It stretched into existence and sat before Jax.
Would you like to Name your new summon?
Jax was not one to get too fancy with names.
Gryph
Nyxian just looked at Jax.
"Show off."
"Maybe it's your mana level, or the level of the beast," Jax wondered. "Let's try the others to see."
They walked to the Wolves to test his theory.
Her system notified her.
Would you like to use Summon Shadow to extract Dire Wolf?
"Yes"
"SUMMON"
Failure after failure.
All five wolves were spent in attempts.
Hours passed.
The tried on other beasts they saw in the forest fall.
A boar. A horned elk. Three Madness Deer.
All were failure, after failure.
By the time the sun dipped low, Nyxian's confidence—once unshakable—had cracked.
"I don't get it," she snapped finally. "This is MY Legendary. I chose it. Why won't it work?"
"Because power doesn't answer entitlement," Jax said quietly.
"It answers understanding."
That hit harder than any failure.
They walked in silence.
Then came the snake.
A C-rank Anaconda-like beast, massive and coiled, ambushing a small group of ferret-kin creatures. One ferret turned back—leaping into the snake's jaws so the others could escape.
Nyxian sucked in a breath.
The sacrifice was to futile, as it's tail spun around to ensnare the rest of the ferret clan.
Jax moved.
The snake died instantly.
But Nyxian wasn't watching him.
She knelt beside the dying ferret, hands trembling as the poison took effect.
"…You did good," she whispered, as the ferret creature passed on.
Her system chimed.
Would you like to use Summon Shadow on the Dark Ferret?
Nyxian didn't shout.
Didn't posture.
She placed her palm gently on the ferret's head.
"Yes."
Purple energy bloomed—deep, rich, alive.
"Summon," she said softly.
The shadow rose.
Small. Sleek. Solid.
It stretched out before her, with new life. It screeched it's little high pitched scream.
In the forest area, the little sound reverberated off the trees.
Would you like to name your Shadow Companion.
Nyxian laughed—and cried at the same time.
"Echo."
Jax smiled.
Nyxian hadn't failed.
She'd just been trying to summon for the wrong reasons.
The forest was different today.
Denser.
Wilder.
Alive in a way the training grounds never were.
Sunlight fractured through thick canopies overhead while distant cries echoed between ancient trees. Somewhere far off, something large snapped a branch thick as a man's arm.
Nyxian noticed the difference immediately.
Unlike Zee's training.
Unlike Bunny's.
There was no prepared field this time.
No blankets.
No baskets.
No carefully selected scenery.
This was predator territory.
And Jax looked completely at ease inside it.
Unarmed.
Nyxian walked beside him with her hands clasped loosely behind her head, tail swaying casually.
"So," she said lightly, "is this training going to involve you carrying me home afterward like you did with Aurabelle?"
Jax didn't look back.
"That depends."
"On?"
"Whether you master your skills."
Nyxian smirked.
"Promises. Promises."
They moved deeper into the forest while sounds shifted around them.
Wingbeats overhead.
Movement through brush.
Distant growls.
Eventually Nyxian's expression became more serious.
"This feels different."
"Yes," Jax replied calmly.
"Because your abilities are different."
Nyxian rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Flattery already?"
Jax stopped walking.
Then turned toward her.
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"Expectations."
Nyxian blinked once.
Then laughed softly.
"Alright then, teacher."
She motioned grandly.
"Enlighten me."
Jax crouched suddenly near the edge of a ridge overlooking a clearing below.
Nyxian followed beside him carefully.
Movement exploded beneath them.
A massive gryphon crashed downward from the canopy in a violent blur of feathers and talons, landing directly into a pack of Dire Wolves.
The battle was savage.
Fast.
Five wolves died almost instantly beneath claws and beak.
Nyxian inhaled sharply.
"That thing is strong."
"B-rank," Jax confirmed calmly.
"And distracted."
Before she could respond—
he vanished.
The air detonated outward from where he stood.
A shockwave snapped branches nearby and sent Nyxian's hair whipping violently backward.
Then Jax appeared beneath the gryphon.
And punched.
BOOM.
The gryphon's neck disappeared.
Not broken.
Gone.
The corpse collapsed heavily into the dirt while feathers drifted silently through the clearing.
Nyxian stared.
She had heard stories about Jax.
Seen aftermath.
But witnessing it personally felt different.
Casual.
Precise.
Absolute.
"…Wow," she whispered.
Jax looked completely unfazed.
"Come on," he said.
"Time matters."
They climbed down toward the corpse together.
The moment Nyxian approached, her system activated.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE SHADOW SUMMON ON GRYPHON?
Nyxian swallowed.
"…Okay."
A second prompt appeared.
CREATE A COMMAND WORD OR PHRASE
Nyxian smirked slightly.
Honestly?
There was only one obvious answer.
"Summon."
Purple energy flickered briefly around the corpse—
Then vanished instantly.
SHADOW SUMMON FAILED
2 ATTEMPTS REMAINING
Nyxian frowned immediately.
"…What?"
She tried again.
"Summon."
Nothing happened.
SHADOW SUMMON FAILED
1 ATTEMPT REMAINING
Her smile disappeared completely now.
Jax stepped closer.
"It's alright."
Nyxian shook her head stubbornly.
"One more."
She placed both hands toward the corpse.
"SUMMON!"
Silence.
Nothing.
SHADOW SUMMON FAILED
NO ATTEMPTS REMAINING
Nyxian stared at the screen motionlessly.
Then slowly lowered her hands.
"…That's not funny."
Jax rested a hand gently against her shoulder.
"That's why we train."
Nyxian looked genuinely irritated now.
Not angry at him.
Angry at herself.
Before they moved on, Jax looked down toward the gryphon.
His own system activated.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE SHADOW SUMMON ON GRYPHON?
"Yes."
Unlike Nyxian—
he didn't force the words.
Didn't shout.
Didn't posture.
"Arise."
Darkness flowed outward from the corpse instantly.
Black-and-purple shadows poured upward like smoke before condensing into a massive spectral gryphon.
It stretched its wings once before lowering itself obediently beside Jax.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO NAME YOUR SHADOW?
Jax barely hesitated.
"Gryph."
Nyxian stared at him flatly.
"…Show off."
Jax smiled faintly.
"Maybe it's the rank difference," he said thoughtfully. "Or your mana output."
Nyxian folded her arms stubbornly.
"Then let's test it."
They moved toward the fallen Dire Wolves.
This time Nyxian activated her system immediately.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE SHADOW SUMMON ON DIRE WOLF?
"Yes."
She focused harder this time.
"Summon."
Failure.
Again.
Failure.
Again.
Failure.
Every wolf was consumed by failed attempts.
Hours passed afterward.
A boar.
Failure.
A horned elk.
Failure.
Three Madness Deer.
Failure.
Failure.
Failure.
Every attempt chipped away at Nyxian's confidence.
Eventually frustration started bleeding into embarrassment.
"This is MY Legendary skill," she snapped finally.
"Why won't it work?"
Jax looked toward her calmly.
"Because power doesn't answer entitlement."
Nyxian froze slightly.
"It answers understanding."
That hit harder than the failures had.
They continued deeper into the forest afterward mostly in silence.
Then they heard screaming.
Small.
Sharp.
Panicked.
Jax moved instantly.
Nyxian followed close behind.
A massive serpent-like beast had wrapped itself around a group of small ferret-kin creatures near a fallen tree.
One tiny ferret suddenly turned around—
—and deliberately leapt into the snake's jaws.
Nyxian inhaled sharply.
The sacrifice bought the others barely two seconds before the creature's massive tail snapped outward to catch the rest.
Jax moved.
The serpent died instantly.
But Nyxian barely noticed.
She rushed toward the small ferret cradled weakly in the dirt.
Poison had already spread too far.
The tiny creature trembled weakly while trying to look toward the others it had protected.
Nyxian carefully lowered herself beside it.
"…You did good," she whispered softly.
The ferret relaxed.
Then stopped moving.
Nyxian's system chimed quietly.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE SHADOW SUMMON ON DARK FERRET?
This time—
Nyxian didn't rush.
Didn't posture.
Didn't try to dominate anything.
She gently placed her hand against the creature's head.
"Yes."
Purple energy bloomed softly around them.
Warm.
Steady.
Alive.
Nyxian smiled faintly through watering eyes.
"Summon."
The shadow rose instantly.
Small.
Sleek.
Fox-like but thinner.
Its tiny spectral form stretched once before releasing an impossibly high-pitched screech into the forest.
The sound echoed between the trees.
Nyxian laughed suddenly—
while tears rolled down her cheeks at the same time.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO NAME YOUR SHADOW COMPANION?
"Echo."
The tiny shadow ferret immediately climbed onto her shoulder.
Jax smiled quietly watching her.
Nyxian looked toward him after several seconds.
"…It wasn't about power."
"No," Jax agreed.
"It was about connection."
Echo curled against her neck contentedly while Nyxian gently stroked the little summon's head.
For the first time all day—
she finally understood her magic.