Midnight Eternity

The aytherkati cub sneered to herself and poked her nose through the cage bars; she stared down at Shroud as he walked through the desert. She sat up and glanced back at the raider camp far off in the distance as the smoke trail from the raider's campfire floated into the sky.

A faint crackle sizzled from below, and the aytherkati cub darted her vision down towards the sound to see red lightning-shaped energy creeping up from beneath the cage, coiling around the cage's bars and over every inch of the cage. The aytherkati cub raised her hand to the energy before it abruptly disappeared, and the cage gained a grainy texture before it crumbled into pale yellow sand.

The aytherkati cub dropped a few inches, and she landed belly down on Shroud's raised hand. Shoud crouched onto one knee and lowered the cub to place her on the ground; however, the cub's fur sharply stood up on end before she frantically scaled Shroud's arm and clung to his back.

"No! No touch sand!" the cub whined as she tightened her grip on Shroud. Shroud silently stared at the cub before he rose to his feet.

"So, do you have a name, little one?" the golden light asked as it floated around the aytherkati cub. The cub quietly hummed to herself as she slightly averted her gaze from the golden light.

"Don't have one... mama said magic beast only get names from...".

"Their bonder?" Shroud uttered with a deep regal masculine voice. The cub flinched at hearing Shroud's voice, and she ducked behind him before slowly etching her head back to eye level with Shroud.

"How do you know that?" the cub uttered snarkily. Shroud looked forwards while remaining silent.

"Isn't it common knowledge?" the golden light asked, causing the cub to cross a few of her arms.

"Yeah... for people who didn't fall from a hole in the sky.".

"And why might you think that?" the golden light asked.

"Mama said if someone comes from a hole in the sky, then they're an over world her," the cub said.

"I believe the world you're looking for is otherworlder," Shroud said.

"Just to let you know, aytherkati also exists from the version of this world we were fro-". Shroud abruptly grabbed the golden light.

"Turn into your amulet form," Shroud stated coldly. A poof of golden clouds puffed out from the golden light, leaving a pale golden chain necklace in Shroud's hand. Shroud shook his hand until the necklace was around his wrist before he looked onward and continued to walk. The aytherkati cub narrowed her eyes as she stared at Shroud. Shroud continued to walk for many hours through the vast desert while the aytherkati refused to avert her gaze from Shroud for even a second.

"Aren't you going to try to make a bond pack with me?" the aytherkati asked as she poked Shroud's mask while she boredly sighed.

"Negative, now reframe from asking for the seventieth time," Shroud said. The aytherkati pouted and repeatedly double-booped Shroud on the shoulders.

"But why not! Mama said people would kill to have a bond with an aytherkati, and why else would you have traded such a strange artifact for me?" the aytherkati whined. Shroud abruptly stopped in his tracks and caused the cub to flip over Shroud's shoulder and get stuck hanging over the front of Shroud's shoulder. Shroud pondered to himself in silence before he picked up the aytherkati cub and placed her back on his back.

"It's... whatever my reasons are, it won't change my choice," Shroud stated. The aytherkati cub huffed and whined like a puppy as she voiced her disappointment. Shroud moved his chest and shoulders as if he had sighed.

"However, if you're so insistent on acquiring a name, I'll bestow you with one," Shroud said. The aytherkati blushed brightly and stammered while covering her mouth and eyes with her multiple hands.

"I-I'm not in it for... ok... maybe I do...," the aytherkati cub mumbled as she pressed her forehead against Shroud's back. Shroud snapped his fingers. The aytherkati cub raised her head, and the pale golden chain necklace around her neck jingled.

"Kuika," Shroud said as the aytherkati cub was confusedly looking at the pale golden necklace and wondering how it got from Shroud's hand to her neck without her noticing.

"Kuika?" Kuika said while lightly tapping a set of her hands together.

"Would you prefer another name?". Kuika shook her head defiantly at Shroud's question.

"No no, I like it... it's nice," Kuika uttered shyly while resting two arms on Shroud's shoulders and wrapping her other six around Shoud's chest. Shroud turned his head towards Kuika, but his momentum paused as he noticed Kuika was out cold and even began to snore with her head pressed against Shroud's back. Shroud did a small fist pump while mentally commenting on how he finally thought of a good name first try.

"She must have bee-n really adamant on acquiring a name if she was forcing herself to stay awake," the golden necklace (with the voice of the golden light) remarked snarkily.

"Enough with the puns, Gold," Shroud muttered. Shroud swiftly raised his arm and caught the large stinger of a giant thorn-covered bee, which created a large gust of sand launching winds. Shroud stared silently at the giant thorn bee before he tightened his grip on the bee's stinger and cracked it before a wave of dark purple qi coursed the bee monster's body. The bee's body remain for a fraction of a second before greyed out and crumbled into a pile of ash. Shroud brushed his hand against his trousers, and Kuika lazily opened one of her eyes.

"What was... that?" Kuika mumbled lazily.

"Nothing of concern.". Kuika hummed as she nestled her head back against Shroud's back.

"Hum... ok, just be careful... there are super strong bee monsters in the bone ravine up ahead," Kuika added before going back to sleep. Shroud silently sighed and continued to walk as he looked at the bone ravine entrance ahead of him.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit throne room, the only sources of light being from the many large exposed windows allowing the azure blue light of the night sky to seep in. The silhouette of a well-built adult male sat upon his throne whilst he rested his head on his chin. The shadowed figure slowly opened his pure grey eyes and stared straight at you.

"So, yet another group of otherworlders have entered this world and a lone one, although their method of entry is new," the shadowy figure uttered mentally. The shadowy figure sat properly and cracked his neck before a small blur darted through an open window. The blur raced through the throne room before the small young dark silver feathered, pale lime eyes, four-winged, six-tailed and pale lime feather tips crow fluttered over the shadowy figure and landed on his shoulders.

"Dark Lord, that king from the Rulkival Empire is planning on hosting a huge birthday party ball thing for his daughter," the small crow said with a young girly voice.

"That so... I take it you're telling me this because Lithivo?" The Dark Lord asked.

"Cuz Fai invited me and the other kid egos and visages to the party," Lithivo said while making coo noises. The Dark Lord sighed before he rose to his feet, causing Lithivo to panic.

"Wait, wait, it isn't until a month from now," Lithivo said frantically.

"That so?" The Dark Lord said as he slowly lowered himself back onto his throne. The Dark Lord placed his hand on his chin and mulled over something while tapping his slightly cracked silverwood geta against the ground.

"I want you and Mino to travel to the Dustio Dunes to investigate the otherworlder who arrived there," The Dark Lord ordered.

"Okie Doki," Lithivo said playfully before she took off and flew away. Lithivo fluttered through the window hole above the throne room entrance door whilst cooing. The Dark Lord sighed and gave you one last side eye before he closed his eyes again.