(Opening Scene: Kurozane and Astrid walk westward through the monster forest, the setting sun casting long, eerie shadows. Astrid leads the way with a confident stride, while Kurozane follows, still wary but grateful for the direction.)
The initial silence of their journey was eventually broken by Astrid's curiosity. After a few hours of walking, her stormy eyes flickered towards Kurozane.
"So," she began, her voice casual but with an underlying inquisitiveness, "you handled yourself well against that Shadowed Maw. Not many untrained individuals could manage that. How did you do it?"
Zane hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "I… I have some… abilities," he said vaguely, not wanting to reveal too much about his void powers.
Astrid raised a brow, her gaze sharp. "Abilities? What kind?" She clearly suspected there was more to his story than he was letting on.
Zane offered a noncommittal shrug. "Enough to survive."
Astrid didn't press, but her thoughtful silence indicated she wasn't entirely satisfied with his answer. After a while, her gaze drifted back to where Eclipse had vanished.
"And that… serpentine creature," she said, her tone a mixture of fascination and slight unease. "It moved with incredible speed and power. Was it… your familiar?"
Kurozane frowned, the term "familiar" sounding foreign to him. "My… familiar?" he repeated, unsure of its meaning.
Astrid nodded. "Yes. A bonded beast. Many who wield certain powers form a connection with a creature, a familiar, that enhances their abilities or provides aid. Its strength often reflects the wielder's own. That serpent… it seemed quite potent."
The concept was new to Kurozane. A bonded beast? A familiar that enhanced power? It made him think about his connection with Eclipse, the silent understanding they shared, the way Eclipse had aided him in the fight. Could Eclipse be something akin to this "familiar"?
He answered slowly, still processing the idea. "It… appeared when I needed help." He kept his explanation vague, not wanting to delve into the void or its origins.
Astrid studied him, her stormy eyes assessing. "Unusual," she murmured. "Most familiars are bonded through ritual or a natural affinity from a young age. It simply 'appearing' is… rare."
The conversation continued in this vein for a while, Astrid asking cautious questions about Zane's abilities and his "familiar," and Zane offering brief, carefully worded answers, revealing little of his true origins or the nature of his powers. The concept of a familiar, however, lingered in his mind, offering a potential framework for understanding his bond with Eclipse.