36. Kurokami

Moon sat with the small raven-black wolf cub curled up beside him. His fingers absentmindedly brushed through the creature's soft fur as the two shared a moment of laughter, the kind that came from pure relief. It had only been a short time since Moon had woken up, but he already felt a strange bond with this mysterious little creature who had stubbornly refused to leave his side.

From a short distance away, Kai who just woken up from the noise noticed them. His usually calm, ocean-blue eyes lit up with a rare sparkle. He rushed forward, emotions flooding him as he tightly embraced Moon, knocking the wind out of him.

"Whoa, easy!" Moon exclaimed, coughing slightly as he caught his breath. His body still hadn't fully recovered from the exhaustion it had suffered. He raised a hand to keep Kai at a distance. "My body's still weak, Kai. And Kuro's here too. What if you hurt him by accident?"

Kai paused, blinking. "Kuro? Who's Kuro?" he asked, confused.

Moon gestured at the wolf cub, who looked up with his wide, innocent eyes. "Him," Moon said softly. "His name is Kuro."

Kai was taken aback for a moment. But then, concern returned to his voice. "Forget the name. Are you okay? No lasting damage, right? No strange symptoms or pain?"

Moon said "I am fine" instinctively like it's been saved inside him brain as reflex Motion

Then after a moment,

Moon leaned back, resting on one elbow. "I've got no clue, man. How long was I even unconscious?"

"About fifteen days," Kai replied, his voice subdued.

Moon's expression shifted into one of contemplation, and he looked down at his hands. He didn't say anything for a moment.

Just then, Minji's voice rang from a little distance. "Thank God you're awake, Moon! Kai was losing his mind while you were out."

Moon turned toward Kai with a smirk. "You worry too much. I was just exhausted from overusing my strength. That's all."

Kai didn't reply immediately. Instead, his gaze shifted toward the little wolf cub, who was now happily curled at Moon's feet. James, standing in the background, finally stepped forward.

"So... Moon sir , are you really calling that little guy Kuro?"

Moon nodded. "His full name is Kurokami. But I'll call him Kuro."

Minji's eyes lit up. "Nice name! You know 'Kurokami' means 'black hair' in Japanese, right?"

Moon gave her a small nod, clearly having known that. He leaned down to stroke the cub's head.

Suddenly, Kuro let out a peculiar sound. It wasn't quite a bark. It was more like a screeching howl—but oddly adorable. Moon's eyes widened as he heard something else. A whisper in his mind.

"Ruby papa," the cub's tiny voice said.

To everyone else, it was just a cute screech, but to Moon, it was clear. He turned toward Ruby, who had just entered the room and was looking fondly at the cub.

"Kuro? That's a good name," she said, bending down to stroke him.

Moon raised an eyebrow. "Forget the name—what the hell did you teach him while I was unconscious? He just called you 'papa.' Me 'mammi.' Care to explain?"

Ruby's mouth fell open in disbelief. "What?! I didn't teach him that!"

She paused and then waved her hands in front of herself. "Okay, okay, wait. I tried teaching him basic things—like how to understand human speech—but clearly something went wrong!"

Then, in a bit of a panic, Ruby summoned her bonding: a lion cub with golden-yellow fur and a regal presence. His name was Leo. He sat gracefully on her shoulder, his aura calm and composed.

Ruby turned to Leo. "Explain to Kuro that I'm not his papa. At least make sure he knows our genders!"

Leo, ever so regal, tilted his head and gave Kuro a small roar—soft, but commanding. Kuro stared back and squeaked adorably, wagging his tail.

Moon, watching the exchange, couldn't help but stare at Leo with surprise. "Wait—you also have a bonding? Since when?"

Ruby gave him a side glance. "Yeah. Why does that surprise you?"

Moon shrugged and turned to Kuro. "Come on, time to rest in the beast space."

Kuro whined a little, but obeyed, disappearing into Moon's spatial bond storage.

Moon then turned back to Ruby, a mischievous grin slowly spreading across his face. His eyes glinted with amusement as he watched her stroking Leo's golden fur with careful affection.

He crossed his arms, took a slow step toward her, and said in a playfully dramatic tone, "So tell me, Mr. Husband, how was your experience taking care of my Kuro while I was out cold? Did he behave like a good son? Or did he keep crying all night missing his mammi?"

Ruby blinked, utterly caught off guard. "W-what did you just call me?"

Ruby's cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Y-you—!" she stammered, pointing at him like she wanted to say something sharp, but the words refused to form.

Moon wasn't done. He smirked even wider, now thoroughly enjoying her reaction. "Look at that face! Guilty as charged! Should I be worried?

Leo tilted his head innocently, letting out a soft 'grrr' and then yawned.\n\nRuby, flustered beyond measure, gave Moon a glare that could've scorched the grass. "You are so dead," she muttered, then turned around sharply, stomping away.

Moon called after her with exaggerated heartbreak.

Kai, who had been watching from the side with an amused expression, chuckled and patted Moon's back. You'll understand this level of danger later. Emotional teasing like this? It's a boss-level skill. You're playing with fire.

Moon remained confused but didn't press the issue. Instead, he quietly left for a bath. He stripped down and washed slowly, letting the water clean not just his body, but his thoughts.

After drying off with a towel from his storage ring, Moon pulled on a black full-sleeved t-shirt and matching trousers. He felt a little more like himself. With calm movements, he set up his bed and lay down. Though he'd been unconscious for fifteen days, sleep still eluded him.

The others had already fallen asleep, and Moon was left staring at the stars in silence.

---

The next day, the entire group—Moon, Kai, James, Ruby, and Minji— It was midday, and the sun blazed in the sky, bright and unforgiving.

Ruby walked ahead, her bonding Leo sitting proudly on her shoulder. The majestic lion cub looked calm, composed—like he was born for the spotlight.

Kuro, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of energy. He jumped from one shoulder to another—first Minji's, then James's, then Ruby's, then back to Moon's. The little wolf cub had more energy than all of them combined.

Kai, seeing all this, turned to Minji with a mildly exasperated look. "Why is my bonding taking so long to appear? Moon already has his."

Minji laughed softly. "Bonding takes time, Kai. Yours is just on a normal schedule. Kuro's was... unusually fast. I honestly thought he was too weak to hatch early. But now, I think he absorbed energy when Moon unleashed that power against Taurus."

James, who had been quietly listening, now looked at Kai. "What was that power, anyway? It didn't look like anything we've seen before."

Kai hesitated. He seemed to wrestle with himself for a moment, debating whether or not to speak.

Eventually, he exhaled slowly and nodded. "It's something we were planning to keep quiet for a while... but I guess you all deserve to know."

Everyone turned to him.

"Both Moon and I," he began, "possess special types of bodies. I have what's called the Asphaleios Body. Moon has the Vajra Body."

Of course it wasn't full truth but he just can't tell anyone he and Moon returned from death

And then they got this body type.

Minji's eyes widened. James looked intrigued. Even Ruby seemed surprised.

Kai continued, "These bodies are deeply connected to our elemental affinities. The more we master our elements, the more we can unlock the true power of our bodies. Remember that fight against the Obscure Octopus? That large chunk of water I lifted—that was the Asphaleios Body at work."

Moon nodded. "Yeah. Same thing happened to me. My Vajra Body activated during the Taurus fight."

The group fell silent, absorbing this new revelation.

To be continued...