The Wastelands were nothing like the academy.

  The sky above was a bruised violet, cut through with orange streaks. The air smelled of ozone, sulfur, and something old. Very old. The ground beneath their feet was cracked stone and patches of black grass, like the world itself had suffered a wound that never healed.

  In the distance, mountain peaks loomed like sleeping giants. Shadows moved within them.

  Auron crouched instantly, scanning their surroundings. No movement. No immediate threats.

  Dante did the same. "No welcome party. That's either good or bad."

  "Probably bad," Lyra said, already tying her hair back. "Place feels cursed."

  "It is cursed," Max muttered.

  They were on their own now.

  No instructors. No rules. No mercy.

  Just five students dropped into a land that didn't care whether they lived or nearly died.

  Auron stood slowly, the wind ruffling his hair. Somewhere far off, a shriek echoed across the land—inhuman and furious.

  He didn't flinch.

  "This wasn't training. This was war. And Auron was ready."

  "But charging straight toward the source of that shriek? Yeah, that was a dumbass move waiting to happen."

  He had to be strategic, not stupid.

  We need a vantage point," he finally said. "Someplace high. Figure out where we are relative to the rest of the sector."

  Max blinked. "How do you know that?"

  Auron glanced at him like he was looking at an idiot. "Because we're not trying to wander until we get eaten. Elevation gives us sight lines. Sight lines give us options, "What the hell did they even teach you at the academy?""

  Max looked a little sheepish. "Right. Makes sense."

  Dante smirked. "Careful. The guy without a beast is making more sense than you."

  Max grumbled but didn't argue.

  They moved as a loose unit, spacing out the way trained soldiers did, after all they were third years—trained, seasoned, and expected to handle themselves.

  Auron noticed that—Dante especially had the stance of someone who'd seen combat before, even if it was likely from dueling rings and not real much life-or-death fights.

  Their climb took them to the mountains that overlooked a scarred valley. From here, they could see it—an old ruin.

  Auron's jaw tightened.

  "What do you think?" Lyra asked.

  "It's shelter," he said. "Could be useful. Could also be a trap."

  "Sounds like we're going," Dante said. "Let's find out which."

  They made their descent with caution. The Wastelands didn't scream their threats.

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  They whispered them.

  And that's when it happened.

  The air shifted.

  Auron froze mid-step.

  It wasn't the shriek that gave it away—it was the absence of it.

  The ambient hum of the Wastelands vanished. The wind died. The sulfuric scent twisted into something metallic.

  "Something's coming," Max voiced, tightening the grip on his staff while training his gaze on the direction the shriek had previously come from, something felt...off.

  "Yeah, no shit. What do you think you're doing standing there like an idiot? Summon your fucking beast!" Dante snapped.

  In sync, the rest of them established connections with their mental spaces. Brown intricate runes shimmered into existence around them signalling their bronze rank strength, while Lyra's rune shimmered in a dazzling silver colour due to her beast possessing low tier silver rank strength.

  Each hovered like god-marked tattoos, inked by something ancient and unseen."

  They pulsed, flickered, and then opened gateways to their inner sanctums—their Beast Spaces.

  Auron stood next to them, watching. Even now, he couldn't help but marvel.

  This world of beast tamers was nothing short of miraculous.

  When beast tamers bound their souls to those of creatures, contracts were forged—a sacred link that transcended the physical. What set tamers apart wasn't just power or beasts. It was the mental space born from the connection, a realm between realms that evolved with them.

  As tamers grew, their mental spaces matured into Beast Spaces—places where their bonded beasts could reside, recover, and grow stronger. It was more than convenience. It was an ecosystem. A sanctuary. A fucking weapon, of which Auron didn't have.

  And yet, he remained.

  Lyra was the first to summon. A frost wolf with crystalline white fur walked out of her silver rune, standing protectively beside her. Its eyes gleaming with predatory curiosity yet radiating a powerful aura.

  Dante followed. A hulking obsidian steelback boar materialized beside him, its fangs dripping with sparks of lightning, paws cracking the ground beneath it.

  Asha summoned a three tailed fox, white-furred and lean, darting around her nervously.

  Max's beast was...different—a burly six legged beast that resembled an oversized lizard.

  The area was now filled with energy, humming with the presence of bonded power. Even the land seemed to shudder under the weight of it.

  'Auron just observed closely, calculating. No beast to summon—just him, and his fists."

  The others noticed.

  Max glanced his way, then quickly looked back.

  Asha whispered something under her breath. Lyra caught it but didn't comment.

  The tension stretched . Auron, Lyra, and Dante crouched behind a black stone digging into their palms. The Wastelands had gone quiet again—too quiet. Max and Asha were a few paces behind, whispering about formation strategy, but the three at the front were focused.

  "You feel that?" Dante asked, his voice low, sharp.

  "Yeah," Lyra muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Iron-rank signatures. Seven… no, eight. Coming fast."

  Auron's lips pressed into a line. He still wasn't used to how easily they picked up on beast energy. He could feel sense the pressure building. But he'd seen the way both of them fought—Dante with his precise brutality, Lyra with her whip-fast instincts—and something told him they weren't about to leave him behind.

  Dante elbowed him lightly. "Hey. You got that stone skin thing, right?"

  Auron blinked. "What?"

  Lyra rolled her eyes. "You know. The thing. The hardening thing."

  Dante leaned in. "That thing you used against the wild cat during your previous stunt. Your body hardened up like a rock."

  "Oh!" Auron snapped his fingers. "You mean that thing."

  "No," Lyra deadpanned. "We mean the other magical thing you do that turns you into a fairy dumbass."

  Auron smirked. "Alright, alright. No need to get sarcastic."

  He took a breath and activated the skill. His skin shimmered faintly, then darkened to a slate-gray tone as the [Stone Skin] ability kicked in."Mineral veins etched up his arms, his features sharpening into stone."

  Max peered over the rock and flinched. "Holy crap, what the hell is he?"

  "Relax," Lyra said. "It's just his discount beast armor. Works great, though. You'll see."

  "Discount?" Auron muttered.

  Dante snorted. "Better than dying in the first five seconds. C'mon, Stone Boy. You're with us on the frontline."

  The ground started rumbling before it grew louder.

  From the ridge ahead, three Iron-rank beasts burst into view—quadrupeds with armor-like hides and long serrated tails. Their maws opened in unison, emitting a shrill, bone-rattling screech.

  Auron squared his stance.

  Lyra cracked her knuckles. "Ready?"

  "Let's make it quick," Dante said, his eyes lighting with battle calm.

  Auron swallowed once, then gave a short nod. "Right behind you."

  "Wrong," Lyra grinned. "You're with us. Got it?"

  He smiled faintly.

  "Got it."

  Dante didn't hesitate. "Form up!"

  His Steelback boar lunged forward, intercepting the lead creature with a crackle of lightning. Lyra's wolf struck next, biting another until its shell cracked like porcelain.

  Asha's three tailed fox flanked the sides, darting in and out to distract the other beasts. Max's beast held a defensive line, using its bulk to shield the group.

  And Auron—

  He moved.

  Not with panic, but precision. The first creature that lunged at him found nothing but air, after all his agility stats weren't there just for show.

  Auron pivoted low, swept its legs from beneath it, and drove a stone coated fist directly into the soft under belly he'd already spotted.

  Blood hissed against his fist. The creature died twitching.

  "You're fucking insane," Dante barked, striking another beast down.

  Auron ignored him.

  Another came. This one faster. Bigger. Auron ducked under the sweeping limb and vaulted off a nearby boulder, slamming his heel into its eye. It shrieked, crashing into the ground.

  He didn't kill it.

  He moved on.

  Behind him, Lyra let out a low whistle.

  "Alright, guess Lena was right, no need to worry about you, i mean damn it dude how do you pack a punch with the strength of a peak iron rank beast?."

  Auron wasn't fighting like a beast tamer.

  He was fighting like a monster.

  By the time the mini wave ended, the field was littered with husks and steaming carcasses. The group had done pretty well, after all it was bronze rank beast tamers plus a silver rank one against iron ranked beasts.

  Auron leaned against a boulder, wiping sweat from his brow.

  Dante approached, eyes sharp. "You sure that shit was martial arts bro? That was some next-level shit."

  Auron shrugged.

  Max sat down, panting. "What the hell were those things?"

  "Scouts," Asha said, surprisingly clear-voiced. "Low-rank swarmers. But if there are scouts…"

  "Then there's a nest nearby," Auron finished.

  Dante cursed. "Of course there is. Nothing's ever easy."

  The group went silent for a beat, letting the weight of the situation settle.

  Two weeks. That's how long they had to survive.

  One hour in, and they were already in a mess.

  Auron looked at his team. No longer just classmates. Not even just allies.

  Now they were survivors.

  And they hadn't even seen the worst of it yet.