The Weakest Beast Chose Me

Prologue

In a world where magic determines your worth, every young mage dreams of forming a contract with a legendary beast.

Dragons.

Phoenixes.

Wyverns.

Spirit wolves.

Creatures powerful enough to change the fate of kingdoms.

For years, Lira Vale has dreamed of becoming a great mage.

But she never imagined that her greatest mistake—or perhaps her greatest destiny—would begin with a creature everyone else considered worthless.

At the Beast Bonding Ceremony, hundreds of young mages gather inside the ancient academy sanctuary, each hoping to be chosen by a powerful companion.

The stronger the beast...

The greater the mage.

At least, that's what everyone believes.

When Lira's turn finally comes, she enters the sanctuary expecting to find something worthy of her magic.

Instead, she finds a tiny black fox hiding beneath an old tree.

He is small.

His magical presence is almost nonexistent.

He has no impressive lineage.

No visible abilities.

No reputation.

The other students laugh when Lira approaches him.

They laugh even harder when she reaches out her hand.

And when she chooses him...

the entire academy mocks her.

They call him the weakest beast in the sanctuary.

They tell her that she has thrown away her future.

They tell her that a mage like her should have chosen a dragon.

But Lira doesn't listen.

Because when she looks into the fox's silver-violet eyes, she sees something none of them can see.

Loneliness.

Recognition.

And something that feels strangely familiar.

So she makes the contract.

The moment their hands—or rather, her hand and his paw—touch...

the entire sanctuary changes.

A mysterious crescent mark appears.

Their mana intertwines.

And for the first time in centuries, something ancient awakens beneath the academy.

Lira hears a voice inside her mind.

A single word.

“Finally.”

She doesn't know who said it.

She doesn't know why the fox reacted.

And she certainly doesn't know why the headmaster looks terrified when he sees the creature she has chosen.

Because the little fox has a secret.

His name is Nyx.

And he isn't a normal beast.

Long before Lira was born, Nyx was known by another name.

The Eclipse Divine Beast.

A creature feared by kings.

A monster capable of devouring magic itself.

A being whose power once threatened to cross the boundaries between the mortal world and the heavens.

The ancient world couldn't kill him.

So they sealed him.

They erased his name.

They buried his history.

They took away his memories.

And they made sure that no one would ever find him again.

Until Lira.

But why?

Why did the sealed beast recognize her?

Why does her Eclipse Arcana react to him?

Why does Nyx look at her as though he has known her for centuries?

And why does Lira sometimes feel like she has met him before?

The closer they become, the more impossible their bond becomes.

Nyx can consume the magic of their enemies.

Lira can manipulate the very structure of magic itself.

Together, they possess an ability that should not exist.

But their bond comes with a price.

The stronger their connection becomes, the more their souls begin to merge.

If Lira pushes her Eclipse Arcana too far, Nyx feels her pain.

If Nyx's seal weakens, Lira feels his memories.

And when those memories begin to return...

he starts remembering a life that Lira doesn't remember living.

A battlefield beneath a blackened moon.

A kingdom consumed by magical fire.

Nine enormous tails against the night sky.

A woman standing before him.

A promise.

A farewell.

And a love that ended in tragedy.

Then one night, Lira is pushed to the edge of death.

Nyx can no longer remain the harmless little fox everyone believes him to be.

The seal breaks.

The creature beside her disappears.

And a man stands in his place.

Long black hair.

Silver-violet eyes.

A crescent mark glowing upon his forehead.

Nine spectral tails unfolding behind him.

For the first time, Lira sees the truth.

Her weakest beast was never weak.

He was simply waiting.

Waiting for the right mage.

Waiting for the right soul.

Waiting for her.

But Nyx isn't the only one who remembers the past.

There are others.

Ancient beings who have been waiting for the Eclipse Divine Beast to awaken.

Enemies who know what happens when the Eclipse Mage and the Divine Beast become one.

Kingdoms will fall.

Ancient creatures will awaken.

The heavens themselves will begin to move.

And Lira will discover that the contract she thought was an accident may have been written by fate long before she was born.

Because perhaps she didn't choose Nyx that day.

Perhaps...

he chose her.

As their journey begins, Lira must uncover the truth behind her forbidden magic, Nyx must recover the memories stolen from him, and together they must survive a world that would rather destroy their bond than allow it to awaken.

But somewhere along the way, something changes.

The mage begins to see the beast differently.

The beast begins to see his master as something more than his master.

Their contract becomes trust.

Trust becomes friendship.

Friendship becomes devotion.

And devotion becomes something neither of them is brave enough to name.

Because loving each other may be the one thing the world cannot forgive.

If the bond is broken...

Nyx may die.

If the bond becomes complete...

Lira may lose her humanity.

And if they refuse to separate...

they may become powerful enough to challenge the very beings who once sealed Nyx away.

So when the heavens finally descend to reclaim the monster they once feared, Lira will have only one choice.

Save the world...

or save him.

But what happens when the person the world calls a monster is the same person who has protected her from the darkness all along?

What happens when the weakest beast becomes the strongest being alive?

And what happens when the mage who chose him realizes that she would rather face the entire world than let him go?

Some bonds are forged by magic.

Some are written by fate.

Some are born from tragedy.

And some...

began long before either soul could remember.

This is the story of a mage who chose the weakest beast.

And the ancient creature who had been waiting centuries...

to choose her back.