Seraph was true to her word. Jonah's life transformed overnight into a tough two-part grind.
The mornings were a constant cycle of sweat and sore muscles. Seraph would drag him to a private training gym, a room filled with dangerous looking equipment, and push him until his body screamed for mercy.
He ran on treadmills that simulated deadly grounds, dodged holographic projectiles that moved with blinding speed, and engaged in combat drills that left him bruised and tired.
"Your Progeny is an extension of you," Seraph would say, her voice as unforgiving as the hard floor he was panting on. "A weak weaver makes for a weak creation. Do not be the weakest link."
The afternoons were, somehow, even more exhausting.
After his training, Seraph would drop a fresh stack of datapads on his desk. It was like getting a dump truck full of homework delivered every single day. The titles were intimidating: Comparative Anatomy of Subterranean Beasts, Vol. III, Known Properties of Elemental Essences, A Study of Avian Apex Predators.
It was a huge of amount information. He spent hours staring at holographic diagrams of monster guts and reading deep talks about how a Basilisk's poison linked with its eye that turned things to stone.
At first, he just did it because he was told to. It was part of the mission.
But as he studied, a new understanding began to dawn on him.
He was a Weaver. He could choose his materials. Creating Shard had been a mix of desperation and blind luck. He'd used the only Essence and the only Core he had. But what if he had a choice? What if he wanted to create something that could fly? Or something that could spit acid?
He couldn't just throw random Essences at a Core and hope for the best. That was like a chef throwing random ingredients in a pot and praying it doesn't turn into poison.
He needed to understand why things worked. Why did the Crystalline Beetle's essence grant sharpness and fortitude? What made it compatible with a fossilized egg? If he tried to merge a fire-based Essence with an ice-based one, would they create a cool steam-powered monster, or would they just explode in his face?
He needed to understand essence compatibility. And for that, he needed more than just beast biology.
He needed to go to the library.
The Mystic Phoenix Academy's library didn't feel like a regular room full of books – it felt more like a giant temple of knowledge. Polished wooden shelves soared five stories high, each one packed with thousands of leather-bound volumes. Sunlight streamed through massive arched windows, illuminating dust motes that danced in the quiet, reverent air. The place smelled like old paper, worn leather, and filled with silence you could almost hear.
Jonah wandered the aisles, feeling small and out of place. He searched the directories for sections on Demonic Beast anatomy or biology. It was harder than he expected. He found thousands of books, but the titles were things like Slaying the Sabertooth Grump, Field Dressings for Wyvern Bites, and a bunch more he didn't even understand. They were all about how to fight monsters – not how monsters actually lived.
Frustrated and tired, he turned a corner too quickly and stumbled right into a fortress of books stacked on a large reading table. An bunch of heavy ones slid off and crashed to the floor around him.
"Hey! Watch it!" a sharp voice snapped.
From behind the collapsing wall of literature, a girl glared at him. She had dark, intelligent eyes and long, straight black hair that was tied back in a practical, no-nonsense ponytail. She looked at the mess on the floor, then at him, her expression a perfect mask of annoyance.
"I'm so sorry," Jonah mumbled, bending down to help pick them up. "I wasn't looking."
He glanced at the titles as he stacked them: Advanced Mana Theory, Principles of Runic Weaving, Aetheric Resonance and Spell Shaping. This was way over his head.
The girl's gaze softened slightly as she took in his appearance. She noted the plain, first-year uniform and the Rank one Badge on his collar. But she also saw the dark circles under his eyes and the tiredness in his face.
"It's fine," she sighed, the annoyance fading into tired acceptance. She pointed to the massive directory near the entrance. "The general bestiaries are on the first floor, under 'Threat Analysis.' If you're looking for a specific biological data, you'll need to cross-reference with 'Alchemical Components' on the third floor. The system is quite inefficient."
"Oh. Thanks," Jonah said, grateful for the help. He set the last book down on her table. Just looking at the pile made his head spin. "That's… a lot of reading."
She gave him a tired little smile. "Being a Mage isn't just about tossing fireballs. You need to build a solid base. You have to know why the fire burns, how mana shapes the spell. If you can't control it, it controls you."
Her words spoke a lot of passion. She wasn't just studying; she was giving it everything she had.
"So, you're a Mage," Jonah said, even though it was pretty obvious.
She nodded, a hint of pride in her eyes. "Vanessa. And you?" She looked him up and down. "Not bulky enough for a Warrior. Tamer, then?"
Jonah's mind instantly flashed to Seraph's warning. Do not speak of the specifics of your ability.
"Tamer," he said, deciding on the partial truth. It felt thin and weak compared to her confident declaration. "I'm… in a special program."
Vanessa raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "A special program? Hmm.. That's Odd. Most of the Tamers I've seen practically live at the beast pens on the south campus. You're the first one I've ever seen in the library."
Before Jonah could try to stammer out an explanation, a sharp, familiar voice cut through the quiet air.
He flinched. Sergeant Seraph was standing at the end of the aisle, her arms crossed, her expression as stern as ever. She walked towards them, her practical combat boots making no sound on the polished floor.
Her sharp gray eyes shifted to Vanessa, quickly taking in the mountain of books and her obvious "magic student" vibe. Then she turned to Jonah. It wasn't mean or angry – but her voice made it clear she wasn't asking.
"I was just leaving," Jonah said quickly, giving Vanessa an apologetic look.
Seraph gave Vanessa a final glance, a look that was somehow both a warning and a dismissal, a clear signal that this conversation was over and this student was off-limits. She placed a firm hand on Jonah's shoulder and steered him away.
As he was led away, Jonah glanced back. Vanessa was still watching him, her dark eyes filled not with annoyance anymore, but with a deep and thoughtful curiosity.
He was an anomaly, a puzzle. A Tamer who studied biology, looked like he hadn't slept in a week, and was personally escorted by a scary-looking combat instructor.
Vanessa, the dedicated Mage, had just found a mystery she couldn't find the answer to in any of her books. And she looked like she was determined to solve it.