"Come on, Patrick! Hunt with me one last time. After this, we might never meet again... You'll probably go off chasing a mate and start your own happy family," Aaron said to his loyal male dog, his voice a blend of joy and sorrow at the thought of his companion finding his path.
For the final time, Aaron took his beloved dog hunting and managed to bring down a deer. He cleaned it and packed it into his bag, preparing it as provisions for his journey to the Arkais world.
He was convinced that, due to his cursed luck, he'd surely be chosen for the Zenith Trial. Somehow, every three years without fail, Aaron found himself hit by a stroke of misfortune worse than anyone else's.
Just as he expected...
"Congratulations! You have reached the age of 12."
"Trial number 33..."
"BEGIN!"
"Wait... Trial number 33? What does that mean?"
"Countdown starting at 100, 99, 98...!"
"Arrgh... Why so soon?! How am I supposed to carry all this stuff?!"
Panic began to consume Aaron as he desperately tied all his belongings to his body. His plan was simple: when the portal opened and pulled him in, everything would come with him.
"50, 49, 48..."
But something strange started happening to his ring—a deep sea-blue ring that began to glow brighter.
"47, 46..."
"An accessory detected. Leave a trace?"
A strange notification echoed in Aaron's mind. In his panic, he barely paid attention and blurted out, "Yes!"
The ring on his index finger suddenly drew a drop of glowing red blood, which was absorbed into the ring and vanished.
"20, 19, 18..."
"Aarrrgh!"
"Damn it, I want to bring all my stuff!" Aaron screamed in frustration.
The ring's glow intensified, flooding the room with blue light.
Behind him, Aaron felt a weak pull—coming from a black marble-sized sphere forming at his back.
"Goodbye, my friend. Thank you for being with me!"
"If I survive the Zenith Trial, you'll be the first I come looking for! We'll live in a nice house, you'll be my second-in-command, and if you decide to start a family, I'll take care of all of you and even name your pups!"
With eyes glistening and doubt in his heart, Aaron felt the weight of every word. Saying goodbye to the only friend he had was painful. Even though he had an energy weapon, he wasn't confident he'd make it out alive. Many who entered the Arkais world, despite having powerful backers and resources, never returned.
After that short farewell, Aaron clutched everything he could and shut his eyes, causing the tears he'd held back to spill finally.
The marble-sized black hole behind him slowly expanded to the size of a doghouse, then grew larger by the second, its gravitational pull strengthening.
"Take care of yourself, buddy. If I don't come back, go to Uncle Jack's house—he'll take care of you. Be a good boy!"
"9, 8, 7..."
Suddenly, the dog lunged forward and bit into the bag Aaron was holding.
"5, 4, 3..."
"What are you doing?! Get away! We'll both die if you come with me!"
"2, 1..."
"Trial 33 begins now!"
"What do you mean 33?! This is my first Zenith Trial!"
The portal's pull became overwhelming and sucked Aaron in completely.
"Damn it, stupid mutt! You broke the Zenith System's logic!"
***
A Few Moments Earlier
A cold, dark place. Silence enveloped the rooms, cloaked in blackness. In the middle of it all, one faint light glowed from a small underground room.
The basement was sparsely furnished—a 10-square-meter wooden table, a few wooden chairs, and messy planks that seemed to serve as bookshelves, stacked with surprisingly well-kept books.
Standing by the table was a child in thick fur clothes. His small body made him look like he was wearing a space suit, illuminated by a single bright lamp, surrounded by weapons and bottles of poison.
"Hahaha!"
The heavy silence was shattered as the boy burst into gleeful laughter, his voice hoarse but filled with satisfaction and a strange intensity.
"Finally, it's done!"
"Hmm... Let's see—dagger for quick attacks... check. Short sword... bow for long-range... Armor to protect my body... and a shield too. All made from energy condensation!"
His happiness might seem odd—who gets this excited over survival gear? Especially when he looked barely capable of carrying it all.
That boy was Aaron Deo. With long, messy curls of dark brown-black hair, pale, bony features, and deep-set, tired eyes, he looked far older than his age.
Only his slender 155 cm frame hinted that he was still just a preteen.
"At last... the preparations are complete—for the third peak of my cursed luck! Live or die... this is the end!" Aaron declared, forcing confidence into his voice.
His paranoia, perhaps a product of past trauma, made him obsess over every detail, especially the number four.
He believed his life was cursed, with disasters hitting hardest every four years. Now, he was facing Zenith—a nightmare most people feared—and he was convinced that his misfortunes were tied to his powers.
"All right, you know what, Patrick? In a few days, I'll face my third curse peak! Hahaha... But you don't need to worry. This time, I'm ready. I'm going to fight fate and make Zenith the turning point of my life!"
Aaron poured out his pride to his loyal companion curled under the table. Perhaps this is what happens when loneliness makes a dog your only friend.
His burning spirit, however, clashed with his pale, gaunt appearance.
But the fire quickly dimmed, replaced by paranoia once again.
"Wait... What if my bad luck dumps me in the middle of the ocean? Oh no... should I build an ark?"
Thud
Aaron's body slammed into the ground, bloodied and torn. His thick fur clothing was shredded from the impact as he was flung out of the portal.
"Blergh—"
He coughed up blood, struggling to breathe as air fought its way into his lungs.
"Argh!... Co... could this be the end of my life? Die before the battle?" Aaron whispered, barely able to speak or breathe.
Being pulled into the Zenith world through the black portal should have been fine—if he'd gone in alone.
But entering with someone—or something—else greatly increased the risk of a fatal error.
Aaron was gravely injured, his consciousness fading. But then, something extraordinary began to happen.
His body, once on the brink of collapse, slowly began to recover, as if a force beyond his control was mending him from the inside.
'Is this my power? Or part of the trial? What is the Zenith System?' he wondered as the pain dulled. Though he remained on the ground, healing was slow.
With nothing else to do, Aaron observed his surroundings.
'Am I dead or just unconscious? I can't see a thing.'
The place was pitch black and freezing. He hadn't even realized where he was.
But the silence didn't last.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
'Huh... hearing that bark, I doubt I died peacefully.'
A warm, wet tongue licked his face. Too weak to resist, Aaron could only mumble.
"S... stop," he whispered.
Still, a sliver of relief washed over him. At least his dog was okay. He wasn't alone.
But the darkness slowly began to lift as a soft blue light approached.
Then the licking stopped.
"Grrr..."
'That growl... What kind of dog sounds like that?' Aaron thought, startled.
Before he could react, the blue light shot toward his body. For a split second, Aaron glimpsed his surroundings—a cave—before...
Boom!
A flash of blue lightning struck his body.
"Progress 650/1000"
"+300"
"Progress 950/1000"
But instead of pain, Aaron felt his body recovering faster. The sensation was almost ticklish. His internal injuries healed, his cuts dried, and some of his strength returned.
'What kind of creature helped me? Could it be...'
"Nice job, buddy. You mutated! Congrats on your new power, Patrick!" Aaron beamed, ignoring the strangeness of it all.
The creature radiated crackling blue electricity and sat beside Aaron, feline-like.
By the lightning's glow, Aaron finally saw it.
And he stared in disbelief.
'How the hell did a dog mutate into a winged tiger twice the size of an elephant?'
"Buddy? Patrick? Since when were we friends? And I'm not Patrick!"