Kain's smile faded as Ferrin's words hung in the air. The sudden shift in tone was enough to make his stomach twist with unease. He gestured for Ferrin to sit down, his mind already racing with possibilities. "What's wrong? Is Nyx okay? Is there an issue with the contract."
Although Kain and Ferrin got along well now, the reason Ferrin was initially recruited was to act as a guinea pig to see if Kain's new method of creating beast-tamers was safe for Gabriel.
If Gabriel cannot become a beast-tamer he was at a great risk of dying. Therefore, he had Ferrin try it first and would periodically give Kain updates on how he and his contract are.
After Kain confirms that it is safe and there are no side-effects later on, he would have Gabriel also undergo the procedure so that he can walk around freely and healthily again.
So far there had been no side effects. The only con was that Ferrin seems to only be able to contract 1 creature. But he and that creature appear to have very little bottlenecks. This is very similar to the method of cultivation of the southern tribes, which typically can only have one contract, but the growth rate and strength at the same level of that single contract are far superior to those in other nations. Kain was waiting to see if there would be any more discoveries or cons before letting Gabriel do the procedure soon, but now Ferrin was telling him that there was another issue…
Ferrin hesitated, his hands fidgeting nervously in his lap. "I'm not sure. During the outbreak, I… I left the property for a while. Bridge had arrived, and with the wards in place, I thought it would be safe. There was someone I needed to check on."
Kain raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt. Ferrin's expression was a mix of guilt and worry, and Kain could tell this wasn't easy for him to admit.
"There's a woman," Ferrin continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "She works as a bank teller in the city. We've been… talking. When the outbreak happened, her bank was closer to where the chaos started. I couldn't just sit here knowing she might be in danger. So, I went to check on her."
Kain's initial surprise gave way to understanding. He nodded, encouraging Ferrin to continue.
"When I got there, the bank was overrun by corrupted. Nyx and I fought our way inside, and we found her barricaded in a room with some coworkers. We managed to get them out, but… Nyx was attacked during the escape. She killed the corrupted, but afterward, she started acting strange. She's been in a coma ever since."
Ferrin's voice broke due to the immense guilt he felt, and he looked down at his hands, his shoulders slumping. "I don't know if she's just exhausted from fighting off the abyssal energy or if… if she's still at risk of being corrupted. I've tried everything I can think of, but nothing's worked."
Kain's mind raced as he processed the information. Nyx, the black fox Ferrin had contracted through the unique method Kain had invented, was in a coma after being exposed to Abyssal energy. This was uncharted territory. The procedure had been experimental, and while it had worked flawlessly so far, there was always the risk of unforeseen complications.
"Show her to me," Kain said, his tone firm but reassuring. "I'll see what I can do."
Ferrin nodded, relief flickering in his eyes. He led Kain to a small room on the ground floor, where Nyx lay on a soft bed of moss and spiritual plants. The fox's sleek black fur was dull, her breathing shallow and uneven. Kain knelt beside her, his hand hovering over her body as he activated his System to assess her condition.
Unlike most spiritual creatures that Kain can only get vague details about their species as a whole or form a replica of them in the Training Arena with the System. Kain found that those that originated from Pangea would have more detail in their System profile—almost to the levels of his own contracts. Likely due to their unique origins as spiritual creatures born from the planet inside of him.
The System's interface flickered to life, displaying Nyx's status in stark detail. Her spiritual energy was dangerously low, and there were traces of abyssal energy lingering in her system, but the invading abyssal energy was decreasing at a slow rate. Kain's brow furrowed as he studied the data.
"She's fighting it," Kain murmured, more to himself than to Ferrin. "The abyssal energy is trying to take hold, but her body is resisting. Honestly, this isn't a bad thing. It could even be considered great. Most spiritual creatures would simply become corrupted and not have the ability to fight off the abyssal energy in their bodies."
Ferrin's face relaxed slightly, but it was still quite pale. "Can you help her?"
Kain didn't answer immediately. He activated his spiritual skill Threads of Destiny, to get any hints of if a solution was around him. If Aegis wasn't currently out of commission, Kain could simply ask for his help, but Aegis was still recovering, so Kain couldn't readily think of any more solution.
Activating the skill, he first focused on the connection between Ferrin and Nyx. The bond was still strong, but it was strained, as if Nyx's condition was pulling her further away from Ferrin with each passing moment.
But interestingly, the connection that was only faintly existent between her and Kain after she'd formed a contract with Ferrin, was increasing with each passing second.
Kain closed his eyes again to feel if a connection between Pangea and Nyx had been re-established, and did find that, while barely noticeable, the connection that had been previously cut off had been re-established.
'What does this mean? If contracts outside are injured badly enough or at risk of becoming corrupted, will they be recalled to Pangea? What does this mean for the contracts they have with their beast-tamer?'