Encounter More Than One

"Of course! And I'll prove to you that I am more than just your Summoner."

Zann was at a loss for words—completely dumbfounded when he heard what Aranea told him. He just stared at her, his eyes wide as Aranea beamed at him, giving him a wink at the same time.

"I'm awesome, aren't I?" she said confidently, putting her hands on her waist as she held her head up high, acting mighty.

Seeing this, Zann could not help but scoff as a light smile appeared on his face, playfully rolling his eyes at her at the same time.

"Whatever," was all he could say as he started walking off, Aranea narrowing her eyes at him as she followed behind him.

"You're a Tsun-Tsun, aren't you?" she commented, Zann, stopping in his tracks as he turned his body to face Aranea, curious about what she said.

"Tsun-Tsun?" Zann furrowed his brows, "What's that?"

"Oh!"

Aranea smiled, having the urge to tease Zann.

"Tsun-Tsun—another term for tsundere. It means that you're tough on the outside, but actually a softie on the inside. You struggle to express yourself."

Hearing what Aranea had said, Zann could not help but blush. His cheeks started to redden, Aranea, giggling as she clapped her hands, liking the reaction he was showing.

"I knew it, I knew it!" Aranea stifled her laugh, "You're a Tsun-Tsun!"

"Sh-shut up," he mumbled, but it was enough for Aranea to hear.

With him continuing walking on ahead, Aranea followed him, the Summoner asking him a lot of questions about his fighting.

At the same time, she told him about her experiences in training, making the two immerse in a conversation that had turned the atmosphere between them lighter.

***

Elenea walked to and fro, feeling uncomfortable as they waited 15 minutes for Zann and Aranea to come back.

She bit her bottom lip, her arms crossed in front of her chest as Leonel stared at the bonfire, his eyebrows furrowed as he thought of their Summoner.

'Damn… I should have followed them. If anything happens to Aranea, I wouldn't know what I would do!'

His hands balled into tight fists, feeling frustrated with the thought that she is with Zann.

Leonel may see improvement in the Fire Familiar, but then again, he felt uneasy that she was alone with him even though Zann is a familiar capable of protecting her as well.

'If something happens while they were away, Zann may need help in protecting Aranea. If that fails, then—'

"Hey, guys!"

Leonel snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice. Instinctively, Leonel and Elenea turned their bodies towards the sound, the two of them already seeing a familiar figure coming to sight.

"Oh, jeez!"

Elenea immediately ran to her sister, almost jumping on her as she gave her an embrace.

"It is our first time here in Stygian Forest and we know how notorious this place is! Don't you walk off again!"

Aranea embarrassingly chuckled, patting her twin sister's back as she felt warm with how worried Elenea was when it comes to her.

"I'm sorry," Aranea apologized, "But Zann is with me, anyway. I know we're safe."

Hearing that from Aranea, Zann could not help but feel shy. He just scoffed as he rolled his eyes at her statement, sitting back down in front of the bonfire as he got everyone's attention, wanting to change the topic.

"Anyway, we have to talk about our strategy for the Catoblepas," he said, the three of them looking at him as they settled down, getting down to business.

Leonel looked at him from the corner of his eye. The conversation that they had about their past still lingered in his mind, remembering what Zann told him about how he felt when they grew up together as they trained.

'It seems that Zann knows this place and its unknown beings more than I do. Now that he has more experience, I would have no choice but to listen, until I could butt in to suggest.'

Even though Leonel acknowledged the thought that as of the moment Zann got the upper hand because of his experiences, the Water Familiar could not help but feel a little bit intimidated and at the same time insecure with how fast he progressed—knowing that he wasn't training with him in Ravaya—their realm.

With Zann staying here for more than two years, he may have learned a lot—maybe even better than what Leonel had learned back in their realm.

"So, what are we going to do?" Elenea asked, snapping Leonel out of his thoughts as everyone's attention was on Zann, expectantly waiting for him to tell him what he had planned.

"We are currently in the middle of Stygian Forest," Zann said, getting the map of the forest from his pocket.

Everyone looked at the map. The illustration on the paper didn't seem complete, the three furrowing their brows as they wondered why the map seemed to be incomplete.

"As you noticed, the map is incomplete. Even though the academy stood since time immemorial, no one has explored the depths of the forest. Only daredevils had explored this far," he explained, Aranea's eyes widening in shock.

"But they do update the map once they do, right?"

"Right," Zann nodded at the same time, "but then explorations happen once a year—the headmaster and some professors going inside. Even famed powerful mages are called from time to time, but would only find little information about Stygian forest," he added, Leonel, chiming in to the conversation.

"But with that, how could we track down the Catoblepas?" the Water Familiar asked, Zann, answering his question with confidence.

"That won't be a problem."

Zann then encircled the map with his index finger a waterfall that is located on the west side of Stygian Forest. Everyone's eyes focused there, pinpointing their current location at the same time, and the distance of travel that they would have to undergo.

"The Catoblepas is present near the waterfall. On foot, we would arrive there in two hours, so expect to encounter beasts along the way," he said, the three nodding as Zann's tone started to become more serious.

"But do take note—we may have to encounter more than one Catoblepas once we arrive in their location."