After they buried Zaroth's mother, they left his home, going deeper into the empire.
It would have been smarter to spend the approaching night there, but Zaroth didn't want to remain in his home longer than necessary.
"I need another one," Zaroth said.
"Another beast? What, am I not enough for you?" Luna responded, feigning an offended tone.
"It's not that. Imagine we get to the academy, and I have to reveal I've tamed a mythical dragon that was once dead. They'd probably lock me up or kill me on the spot, fearing the damage I could cause. Even if I summoned you, my mana core is weak. After a few minutes, I wouldn't be able to sustain you, leaving me defenseless."
"So, in other words, you want to tame a second beast and present it as your primary one. Smart," Luna said, clearly pleased her master had a clever plan.
"But I'm not sure how to do it. Do I just approach a dead beast and try to tame it? Or are there other conditions?"
"There's one thing I'm certain about: you can't just revive and tame any dead creature. I suspect, for the revival to work, the beast must have a strong longing to return to the world, even after death—like in my case."
"I guess so. Well, this is for tomorrow. It's too dark already, so let's spend the night here."
After finding a comfortable spot surrounded by trees, Zaroth collected some branches and placed them in the center. Luna opened her mouth, releasing a green flame that ignited the wood, creating a pleasant heat.
"So, you can breathe fire even in human form?" he asked, turning to Luna.
"I can do pretty much everything in my human form that I can in my dragon form, but…" She placed her delicate finger on Zaroth's chest, exactly where his heart was. The sudden gesture made his heart skip a beat.
"How does your mana feel?" she asked.
Focusing on his heart, he responded, "Like half of it is suddenly gone."
"Yes," she said with a dark smile. "As long as your mana core sustains me, I can do most things. Perhaps, in time, I'll regain my original strength."
"Wait, when you're in your dragon form, aren't you at your peak?"
Hearing this, Luna burst into laughter. "Zaroth, if I were at my peak strength, your heart and mana core would have immediately burst, killing you on the spot. You didn't think your mana core could support a dragon at full power, did you?"
Normally, Zaroth would have retorted, but he was lost in thought.
"So, you're telling me you destroyed an entire enemy camp in less than a minute, and you're not even close to your full power?"
"Precisely." Luna smiled proudly.
"Now, enough talking—more training!"
Ten minutes later, Zaroth lay on the ground, drenched in sweat. He had removed his T-shirt, as the training had been too intense.
"Oh, this feels good. Who knew exercise could be so enjoyable?"
As he lay on his back, gazing at the sky, Luna suddenly sat on top of him. Her white hair, falling to the side, obscured his vision, leaving only her face in view.
Her body pressed against his, greedily, almost as if she wanted to devour him.
Her face was red, and her breathing was irregular.
"Looking at you shirtless on the ground makes me want to do things to you that your heart wouldn't survive," she whispered.
She lowered her face until it was just a few centimeters from his and pressed her body harder against his.
"So, get stronger for me—faster, okay? I'm not sure how long I can wait."
As soon as she said that, she stood up as if nothing had happened.
Zaroth lay on his back, trying to process what had just happened. His body felt as hot as a furnace.
"I guess I just found more strength," he muttered quietly, resuming his training. It seemed Luna was excellent at providing motivation…
*****
The next day, they walked for hours but found nothing noteworthy.
"How long until we reach the town where we can take a carriage to the capital?" Luna asked.
"I'm not sure," Zaroth replied, glancing around. They had come across a few wolf corpses earlier, but Zaroth's attempts to resurrect and tame them had been unsuccessful.
"What is this system, anyway? Can't you teach me how it works?" Zaroth asked, irritated.
"I'm a dragon; you're a human. The system works completely differently for different species. Your best bet is getting to that academy."
"Oh, is that another pack?" Zaroth asked, noticing more wolf corpses up ahead. Judging by the wounds, it seemed they'd been attacked by a bear.
Shifting his gaze over each of the wolves, Zaroth didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.
"No luck here either, huh?"
He and Luna were about to move past the area when Zaroth's gaze caught something. A bear with numerous wounds lay dead on the ground, and near it was the body of a wolf—about twice the size of the others.
Following Zaroth's gaze, Luna thought, 'This one must have been the leader of the pack. That would explain its size, but to be able to take down a bear? Impressive.'
Luna continued forward until she realized her master was still staring at the corpses.
"Is something the matter?" she asked.
Without saying anything, Zaroth stretched out his hand and pointed at the wolf. "There's some kind of energy in the wolf's body," he said.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Zaroth approached the wolf and placed his hand on the beast's corpse.
Suddenly, a voice rang in his head:
[Greater Wolf judges your soul]
[What is your purpose?]
"My purpose?" he muttered under his breath, surprised by the sudden question. Taking a deep breath, he responded, "My purpose is to kill those who have wronged me and to live for my desires."
After a moment, he added, "Would you accompany me on my journey?"
[Greater Wolf responds to your call]
[Greater Wolf forms a pact with you]
[You have formed a contract with Greater Wolf]
[Revenge]
With that thought, the wolf's body shuddered before it slowly stood up. Unlike Luna's, the wolf hadn't been dead for long, so its body still had flesh on its bones—even if it was slightly rotten.
Zaroth turned his head to meet Luna's gaze, a smile spreading across his face.
"It seems we've got a third member!"