"This is the moment," the headmaster said. "Choose wisely. Your first beast will shape your future."
The students were given time to examine the eggs.
Those with pre-arranged eggs collected them quickly.
Lucian watched as Marco and Lena went to claim theirs, feeling a pang of something close to envy.
He and Elara were left to choose from the general selection.
As he walked along the rows, something strange happened.
When he focused his gaze on an egg, he saw... information.
Not just the obvious physical characteristics, but details about the beast inside—its potential, its elemental affinity, even its temperament.
He blinked, realizing this must be connected to the stone from yesterday. Whatever it had done to him, it had given him some kind of ability to see into the eggs.
He kept this revelation to himself, moving methodically down the rows. Most eggs held beasts of average potential—good enough for a solid start, but nothing extraordinary.
Some had no stars at all, indicating they would never evolve beyond their base form.
Others had one star, suggesting limited growth potential. He hadn't yet seen anything with two star. He guessed the more stars, the better.
"Lucian?" Elara's voice pulled him from his examination. "Have you found anything?"
He turned to see her looking overwhelmed by the selection.
"Not yet," he admitted. "But I can help you look, if you want."
She nodded gratefully.
Together, they moved through the remaining eggs.
Lucian kept his ability hidden, simply pointing out eggs that looked promising based on what he could see. For Elara, he found an egg with a soft blue shell that contained a water-type beast with healing potential—perfect for her interests. It was a two-star potential, which surprised him. Most of the eggs he'd seen so far had been zero or one star.
The tamer in charge announced they had fifteen minutes left.
Lucian's heart rate increased.
He still hadn't found anything for himself.
He glanced at the eggs the other students had chosen, curious about their potential.
Many had picked based on appearance or obvious elemental traits, not realizing the limitations of their choices.
Some were arguing over particularly impressive-looking eggs, not understanding that beauty didn't always translate to power.
Lucian was about to settle for one of the two-star eggs he'd seen earlier when something caught his eye.
At the very end of the last row, almost hidden behind a larger, more colorful egg, was a small, unassuming gray egg.
It looked almost like a stone itself—dull and unremarkable.
But when Lucian focused on it, what he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
The information flowed into his mind:
─ Species: Night Plunder Mouse
─ Current Rank: Spirit
─ Potential: 4 Stars
─ Evolution Path: Extensive
─ Special Abilities: Shadow Stealth, Memory Inheritance, Spatial Manipulation (latent)
─ Temperament: Cautious, intelligent, loyal
─ Elemental Affinity: Shadow, Space (latent)
Four stars.
He'd never heard of a Night Plunder Mouse, but the potential was extraordinary.
And those latent abilities—Spatial Manipulation could develop into something truly powerful.
But there was more.
When he looked deeper, he saw something else—a faint connection, like the egg was somehow linked to him.
"Time's up!" the tamer called out.
Students rushed to claim their remaining choices.
Lucian moved quickly to the gray egg, picking it up before anyone else could notice it.
As his fingers touched the shell, he felt a warmth spread through his hands.
The egg seemed to pulse slightly in response.
He carried it to the registration desk, trying to appear casual.
"Interesting choice," the registrar said, making a note. "Not many go for the plain-looking ones."
Lucian just nodded, clutching the egg to his chest.
He could feel the life inside, and somehow, he knew this was the beginning of something extraordinary.
As he left the hatchery with Elara, his friends joining them outside, he couldn't help but smile.
The strange stone had disappeared, but it had left him with a gift—a way to see what others couldn't.
And with this small, unremarkable egg in his hands, Lucian felt for the first time that his future might be anything but ordinary.