This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Kain adjusted the collar of his new uniform with the same enthusiasm one might reserve for being slowly crushed by a boulder. The fabric was breathable, the fit perfect, and the embroidery across the shoulder elegant—yet somehow, it still felt stifling.

He sat in his assigned seat within the eastern pavilion of the grand arena, shoulders hunched, chin in hand. A familiar voice echoed across the stadium.

‘…represent the pinnacle of our nation’s spirit. Yada yada…’

“—represent the pinnacle of our nation’s spirit. Students from every College and Institute, from our five great capitals to the remotest provinces, gather here not merely to compete—”

Kain sighed and looked away.

‘bear witness to the strength of our youth, the legacy of our future…’

“—but to bear witness to the strength of our youth, the legacy of our future—”

“Didn’t she use the same speech last year?” Kain muttered under his breath when he realized he could accurately predict each word before she said it.

Serena, seated beside him, gave a dry chuckle. “Same cadence, too. She only swapped ‘fortitude’ for ‘resilience’ in paragraph three. I counted.”

“Progress,” Kain deadpanned.

The royal opening ceremony was, as expected, long. Full of pomp, grand declarations, and a lot of thinly veiled political theatre. The arena itself, however, remained an impressive sight. Tens of thousands filled the stands. College banners fluttered in the wind, and massive cameras hovered in midair via spiritual power to broadcast the event to every city across the Empire—including Kain’s family, who were surely watching.

Down below, a student from a school Kain didn’t recognize had already fainted from the pressure of the nation’s eyes being on them.

Kain tilted his head back and stared up at the VIP ‘royal pavilion’—an elevated section above the crowd with a shimmering golden roof, enchanted to deflect sound, heat, and spiritual pressure. It was where the ‘important people’ sat.

Last year, he’d barely given it a glance.

This year, he was paying attention.

“There are at least three 9-star beast tamers this year?” he asked. He recognized them from the Royal Auctions he attended in the past. Last year, he couldn’t even remember if even one 9-star tamer was present. Clearly, the increased number of Abyssal and terrorist attacks made the organizers up the security for this event.

Serena’s gaze flicked upward, following his. “Four, actually.”

She leaned in, just enough for her voice to carry over the low murmur of the crowd and the speech echoing around them.

“To the left—that’s Seraphina Mindshade. Theo’s grandmother.”

Kain’s brows lifted. “She actually showed up?”

“Mm-hmm. She’s rarely seen at public events, but this tournament matters. Plus, Theo’s competing, and she may have come to support him.”

Kain followed her gaze and spotted the woman—dark brown skin, grey hair, with sharp cheekbones and eyes like violet glass marbles. She looked like an older female version of Theo.

“Sitting in the middle of the front row,” Serena continued, “is Lady Imogen Windrider. The current chancellor of First Celestial.”

“And the fourth you mentioned? I only recognize the man right next to her.” Kain said, pointing to Chancellor Ignis of Supernova College.

But Serena said that there were four…

“The last one…” Serena hesitated just a breath too long.

Kain caught it immediately.

He followed her gaze—and that was when he saw him.

A man was sitting near the edge of the VIP platform, apart from the others. Unlike the others, he wore no distinct emblem, no flashy symbols of his rank, nothing to demand attention. But attention was given anyway.

His long silver hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight, tied loosely at the nape with a thin cord. The cut of his robe was almost old-fashioned, yet unmistakably tailored. His features were sharp and pale, unmarred by time, and his eyes—

Piercing grey.

They weren’t looking at the event. They were looking at him.

Kain.

Every muscle in Kain’s body tensed before he even realized it. His shoulders straightened. His back aligned. He didn’t blink.

Because that stare? It made Kain feel as if he was a fish scooped up from the ocean, no longer able to breathe, then being weighed, analyzed, and filleted by a fisherman.

“Why is he—?” he started, his voice barely a whisper.

“He’s not the type to stare for no reason,” Serena interrupted, just as quietly. “If he’s looking at you, it means you’ve been on his mind.”

“That doesn’t answer my—”

“He’s my grandfather.”

Kain froze.

Serena, still calm, didn’t look away from the field. “His name’s Alder Storm.”

Kain turned his head so slowly it was practically a stiff creaking door. “Your grandfather?”

“Mmhm.”

“Your grandfather is a 9-star tamer…? The eight demigods of the Empire are public knowledge, I don’t recall a Storm being among them…”

Serena let’s out a small smirk. “You are quite naïve. It’s kind of cute. Did you really think that the eight 9-star beast tamers that are made public knowledge are the only ones in the Empire? All countries probably have the majority of their strongest fighters hidden. Even I don’t know how many there really are, but at least double the public number should be accurate. My grandfather is one of these ‘hidden’ demigod protectors of the nation.”

Well, that would explain why he’s sitting apart from the others and looks so unassuming, but…

“And you thought this was something you could just drop casually?!”

“It’s not really a big deal. Soren’s family probably has more hidden as well.”

Kain’s heart had skipped at least three beats by now and was actively trying to exit his chest cavity.

Alder Storm’s gaze didn’t shift. Didn’t flicker. Just held him.

Judging.

Kain swallowed.

Kain turned back to stare at the arena, willing the man to please look away from him!

It didn’t work. He looked. Alder was still staring.

“…He knows I stayed at your house for the auction, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, definitely.”

“Does he think we’re—”

“Yes.”

Kain went rigid. “Why does everyone think we’re dating?!”

A variety of reasons ran through Serena’s mind and she couldn’t help but be puzzled that Kain was supposed to be the smart one and yet was so confused by this…

“…no idea.” But it’s not her job to educate him. Not to mention, a part of her deep down was enjoying the misunderstandings of everyone.

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