One week had passed since Erwin's soul had been ripped away from his world.
Seven days trapped between fear and uncertainty, searching for answers that never came.
According to the servants, it was the year 714 of the Kingdom...
and he was only fifteen years old.
—Fifteen...? —he muttered while staring at himself in the mirror.
Perfect...
Back to being a teenager.
And in the most dangerous world I've ever known.
The reflection staring back at him belonged to Lucian Douglas of Mondring.
Delicate features, a body forged through years of training, and golden eyes that were becoming disturbingly familiar.
It was not his body.
And yet, with every passing day, it felt a little less чужo.
The servants bathed him with the ease of people performing a lifelong routine. To Erwin, however, every touch was a reminder that he was living someone else's life.
He remained completely still.
He held his breath as they cleaned the dried blood that still stained his skin.
Every muscle in his body tensed, but he forced himself not to pull away.
He was not used to this.
The closeness.
The vulnerability.
The feeling of being treated as someone he was not.
He swallowed, lowered his chin slightly, and forced himself to appear calm.
It was either that...
or expose himself.
Because if they discovered he was not the real Lucian...
What would they do to him?
Execute him?
Was there even a punishment for someone who had stolen the body of a duke's heir?
And then there was the lion waiting on the other side of the door.
What would happen if that beast realized its true master was gone?
The thought sent a chill through his blood.
Not even the warm water could drive away the cold that settled deep into his bones.
Trying to distract himself, he studied the young man's physique reflected in the mirror.
—This guy really took training seriously... —he muttered with a forced smile.
Not long after, they dried him, wrapped his wounds, and began dressing him.
Then...
the door opened.
Erwin felt his body react before his mind could.
His heart quickened.
Not because of the woman who had entered.
But because of the memories that body carried of her.
A deep fear.
An instinctive one.
As if every fiber of his being warned him never to provoke that woman.
Sophia Douglas of Mondring stepped into the room with calm, measured steps.
Beside her walked a lion with fur as black as night. Its claws echoed against the polished marble, each heavy step filling the room with silent intimidation.
Sophia was not an ordinary mother.
She was the Duchess of Douglas.
A beast tamer capable of subduing creatures powerful enough to wipe out entire armies.
A woman whose mere presence was enough to silence a room.
Lucian's memories were still fragmented.
But one certainty remained untouched.
Sophia loved her son above everything else.
She would protect him from the entire world if necessary.
And she would destroy without hesitation anyone who tried to take him away.
Erwin swallowed.
If he made even the smallest mistake...
If she discovered that the person standing before her was not truly her son...
He did not want to imagine what would happen to him.
Without saying a word, Sophia raised her hand.
A blue light began dancing between her fingers, illuminating the room like a contained lightning strike.
She stepped closer and placed her palm against Erwin's forearm.
Mana flowed instantly.
Glowing symbols appeared across his skin, intertwining with one another before slowly sinking beneath the surface.
Erwin held his breath.
He felt something.
A presence on the other side of the bond.
Two different wills inside his mind.
One was quiet and cautious.
The other was stronger.
More instinctive.
More wild.
But neither carried hostility.
They were simply...
watching him.
Recognizing him.
—What is this? —he asked softly.
Sophia finished the final symbol and withdrew her hand.
—A pack bond.
Erwin looked up.
—A pack?
She nodded.
Erwin felt a shiver run down his spine.
He was not their commander.
He was not their master.
To those creatures, he was something closer to...
a young member of the pack.
A cub that needed protection.
—So... they accepted me?
A small smile appeared on Sophia's face.
Erwin remembered what he knew about those creatures.
Thunder was not an ordinary warhorse.
It was a lightning beast capable of crossing battlefields while leaving nothing behind but scorched earth.
Umber was even stranger.
A wolf that hunted with the very darkness surrounding its body.
Creatures like them were not companions that someone simply obtained.
They were beings that chose who they followed.
Sophia smiled faintly, though a trace of sadness remained in her eyes.
—And this one is Larriet.
The lion opened his eyes.
Slowly.
Without taking them away from Erwin.
The enormous beast left its place beside the window.
One step.
Then another.
Each claw striking against the marble floor.
Erwin felt his stomach tighten.
No...
Don't come closer.
The animal continued approaching.
It did not seem aggressive.
That was worse.
Sophia watched the scene in silence.
Erwin swallowed.
He had no idea what the real Lucian would do if Larriet approached him.
Should he pet him?
Talk to him?
Kneel?
Stay still?
Step back?
One wrong decision could reveal everything.
Larriet stopped in front of him.
Close enough that Erwin could feel the warmth of its breath.
Its enormous golden eyes remained fixed on his.
The lion lowered its head slightly.
It sniffed the air.
Once.
Twice.
Erwin's heart was beating so loudly that he was certain Sophia could hear it.
The beast's massive muzzle stopped only a few inches from his face.
Erwin stopped breathing.
He knows.
The thought appeared instantly.
He knows I'm not Lucian.
The lion's pupils narrowed.
A low growl escaped from its throat.
Sophia took a step forward.
—Larriet...
Her voice was calm.
It was not a command.
It was a warning.
For a moment, no one moved.
The entire room seemed frozen.
Then...
Larriet exhaled.
The tension disappeared.
The lion lowered its head and brushed its muzzle against Erwin's shoulder.
After that, it simply walked past him and returned to the window.
As if nothing had happened.
Erwin remained frozen for several seconds.
Until he remembered how to breathe.
Sophia smiled.
—It seems he recognizes you as part of the pack.
Erwin looked at her, confused.
—That was... accepting me?
—For Larriet, yes.
The duchess calmly stroked the lion's golden mane.
—He does not approach those he does not recognize.
Erwin swallowed.
—And... what happens when he doesn't recognize someone?
Sophia answered with the same calm tone someone might use while discussing the weather.
—Those who managed to get that close...
She paused.
—Did not survive.
Erwin slowly released the breath he had been holding.
He forced a smile.
—If that cat decides he stops liking my face, I hope you have a spare body prepared, mother.
For the first time, Sophia's serious expression softened.
A small laugh escaped her.
—Then you had better learn to earn his respect, my son.
That word struck him again.
Son.
Erwin lowered his gaze toward the mark on his arm.
The final seal had finished forming.
And then he felt it.
An invisible thread connecting him to those creatures.
An ancient connection that had tied him to a family he did not truly belong to...
Yet, for better or worse, they had accepted him.
For the first time since he had awakened in Kuria, Erwin felt something close to belonging.
Umber was the first to approach.
The massive dark wolf walked silently until he stood before him.
His eyes studied Erwin for several seconds, as if trying to discover something even he did not understand.
Then he lowered his head and smelled his hand.
And with a deep sigh, almost human in nature, he rested his head against it.
Erwin remained completely still.
He had not expected that.
—Each of my beasts possesses a different affinity —Sophia explained while watching the scene—. It does not only determine their abilities, but also the way they perceive the world.
She ran a hand through Larriet's mane.
—Thunder commands lightning.
She looked toward Umber.
—Umber moves through the shadows.
Then her gaze returned to the lion.
—And Larriet...
The golden lion opened his eyes fully.
—He is different.
Sophia smiled faintly.
—That is why he has not fully accepted you yet.
Erwin understood the meaning behind her words.
These creatures were not weapons.
They were companions.
Guardians.
But they were also eyes that would always remain nearby.
Because now he understood.
Sophia had not only given him protection.
She had also given him three beings capable of noticing every change.
Every mistake.
Every moment when he stopped looking like the son she knew.
Erwin still did not know whether he should feel safer...
or more watched.