This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

For as long as Bea could remember, existence had been one long, murky stretch of endless monotony, only broken by the occasional arrival of prey.

Due to her nature of being able to infect her target's mind, it also allowed her to better understand the world outside of its little hot spring.

However, for the most part, her life was extremely boring, with her only company actually being her own splits.

Her world was simple. There was no past, no future—only the comforting rhythm of the spring and the occasional flicker of prey foolish enough to wander close. But somewhere deep within her essence, there was an unfulfilled yearning, an instinctive drive to grow, to explore, to connect with another living thing.

The arrival of the human was like a ripple that broke the surface of her calm existence.

She felt him long before he entered the cavern. A bright spark of spiritual energy—a presence more vibrant than anything she had ever encountered. It was chaotic, raw, and unrefined, but it was enough to draw her attention.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Unlike the other humans that she would occasionally come across, this one had a strange draw to her, almost as if they were connected.

Bea watched him as he explored the area of the cavern. He seemed to be searching, speaking words she didn't fully understand, but the intent resonated with her.

"Hello? I know you're there. I don't mean you any harm, I just want to talk with you. Maybe we can even be friends."

'…what is he looking for? There shouldn't be another living creature here other than me…'

"I know you've probably been alone for a while now, but don't be scared. I can ensure that you are never alone again."

Bea still didn't respond to him, although it's not as if she could even if she wanted to, she lacked a mouth. She lacked eyes as well to see him, at least not as he saw the world. She felt his energy, his movements disturbing the air.

However, whatever he was looking for, seemed to not be here since he abandoned his search and instead approached her domain, the hot spring.

His presence disturbed the delicate equilibrium of the waters, and her splits that practically saturated the water surged toward him unseen, but Bea held them in check to prevent them from consuming his mind too soon. She wanted to observe him, to see what he would do.

The human dipped below the surface, again and again, his movements erratic but persistent. His bright spark flickered each time he re-emerged, growing dimmer as exhaustion set in. Perhaps he didn't give up, he now seemed to be looking for whatever he needed beneath the water.

However, Bea was now bored…and hungry. So she released the reigns on her splits and they finally began to exert their effects.

The feedback from the splits was chaotic and fragmented, filled with the vague shape of a large black feline, similar to ones that would occasionally wander into this cavern and emotions. Her splits had stirred something within him—a primal response to their influence. She couldn't understand what they showed him, but she could feel his reactions: fear, confusion, and an odd determination that burned brighter than his panic.

Whatever he was seeing made him terrified enough to dive beneath the water to flee. Bea felt some pity for him and stopped her splits from continuing to influence him momentarily.

She prefers for her prey to be alive as she eats, she couldn't have him die of fear before she was done.

The hallucination should have stopped but the human's panic didn't subside. He emerged from the water, trembling. Once his heartbeat slowed own a bit she entered him herself and began eating, and his mind began spiraling into another delusion triggered by her. This time, Bea felt an unfamiliar warmth in his emotions—concern and love, emotions he directed at the figure he was hallucinating.

Cherry

She had heard this term before from a previous human she'd infected. It looks like the subject of this next hallucination was a fruit?

'He must really like fruit…' she thought.

The hallucination had shifted his focus entirely, his desperation to protect the illusion overriding his fear of the unknown. But as he reached for the mirage, his already exhausted body suddenly collapsed.

He fell.

This was her moment to feast!

Instinct and need drove her forward, but suddenly an overwhelmingly appealing force seemed to be calling to her. It was so appealing that she couldn't even think about continuing to eat.

Once she made contact with that bright spot, she and her splits began merging into a single cohesive force as they entered it together. The effect was immediate—a surge of energy and awareness that felt like entering the most perfect hot spring for the first time.

Star Space. Contract. Beast Tamer.

All kinds of foreign information instantly appeared in her mind.

In a few moments the space she entered had finished changing into the form of the hot spring she'd always known. No, it was far superior to the original.

This space was familiar yet foreign, a sanctuary that promised protection and boundless growth—it was home.

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Since leaving that cavern Bea had seen all kinds of places and creatures, and even managed to completely change her species.

As she grew in strength, so did her intelligence. If she were to now compare it to a human, her intelligence may be close to the level of a 12 or 13 year-old?

Although sometimes she felt even smarter than her master.

And as she grew, she gradually was able to understand the words spoken by her master at the beginning.

'I can ensure that you are never alone again.'

And she believes that he'd keep that promise.

They were the closest partners who had been together the longest time, and she was also confident that she knew him the best!

Which was why, while she pitied his exhausted figure, she knew that her master would be devastated to have missed the re-ranking. She also knew it could result in a drastic cut in the resources given to them.

Unfortunately, she was the only contract outside of the star space right now, and his body was so exhausted that even when she attempted to control him, his limbs would barely move.

'What do I do…?'