"The Clan has decided to grant you the Grim Knell's egg to fuse with." Yahard Tusk was seated in a room alongside Zahaella. Kneeling on the floor before him was his daughter, Asaeya. He stared at her and continued, "But before that, I need to ask you something."
"Yes, Father." Asaeya said respectfully, "Ask me anything."
"Your mother gave you a mission. That was primarily the reason you were granted authority to trade with Inala." Yahard Tusk seemed casual, but slowly, he exerted pressure, causing the room to tremor in response. "So, why haven't you done anything to progress it?"
'I expected this.' Thinking as such, Asaeya stated calmly, "There's only one reason towards that."
"Just one?" Yahard Tusk raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
"Inala feels he has no future unless he enters the Body Stage. So, until then, he doesn't have the room to entertain anything other than cultivation." She continued, "If I were to inherit mother's position, my influence would grant him a fighting chance against the Fragment Disease. That's why he decided to wholeheartedly support me in the successor race."
"Did he lay that down from the start?" Zahaella asked.
"Yes, before I became his disciple." Asaeya nodded, "And I can say with assurance that I never regretted this decision. I have become many times stronger thanks to him."
"So, for that reason, you went against your mother's orders and did not make him yours?" Yahard Tusk frowned.
"I never said that." Asaeya shook her head, "All along, I have been probing his character. Inala simply wishes to not entertain the thought until I become an adult. By then, I'll have a solid place in his heart."
Zahaella observed Asaeya's facial expression, figuring her out, 'She likes him, huh? Well, that's enough. She'll ensure no other woman gets near Inala. As she grows, she's becoming more and more like me. I can rest assured then.'
"What about the other seeds?" Yahard Tusk asked. He seemed to be asking the questions, but in reality, he was simply voicing out whatever Zahaella told him to say. The moment Asaeya was granted the Grim Knell, his work was done. The remaining human relation issues were all his wife's headaches.
"I have been investigating regarding that." Asaeya nodded, "Resha and Blola have been reported missing for months now. The Zingers must have kidnapped them. There are no clues regarding their disappearance though."
"Yennda is in a relationship with Yuza, the Fragment Disease student from our settlement. So, that's already a done deal. Her child will be born with our settlement's imprint." She continued, "Virala is with Ruvva, Granny Oyo's granddaughter. I have made arrangements towards that. And recently, they are on bad terms and Virala has gotten closer with Luttrena."
"But sister still has some hesitation, so that's that." Asaeya expressed mild annoyance, "And the last candidate, Grehha is a turtle. He remains in his house and never ventures out. If not for him selling Mud Viper eggs, the Clan would have disposed of him already. That's the consensus his settlement has reached. So, I can't even create an opportunity for one of my sisters to meet him."
"Bora Tusk didn't use one of his daughters to bring Grehha to his side?" Yahard Tusk was surprised, 'This isn't the way that madman behaves usually. Is it because of that?'
Yahard Tusk recalled the scene from the previous day. A piece of bone fell off from the 44th Empyrean Tusk's tusk. 'Their Deity is dying, and hence, he's despondent. But, that doesn't mean he should give up. He should at least fight for a solution.'
"Anything you wish to ask her?" Yahard Tusk stared at his wife. He was satisfied with Asaeya's replies.
"No," Zahaella shook her head.
"Alright," Nodding in response, Yahard Tusk pushed forth an egg and motioned for Asaeya to fuse with it, "I'll protect you. So, begin the breakthrough process."
"Okay," Asaeya closed her eyes and activated her Mystic Bone Art, beginning to fuse her Spirit Containers. From one to two, two to four, four to eight, the Spirit Containers fused. The process took less than a minute as Asaeya observed a unified Spirit Container in her body.
It was unstable, emanating sparks as her body felt strained. If she were to delay any longer, the Spirit Container would collapse, causing her to lose all her painstaking cultivation. Asaeya's eyes shot open as she stared at her father, "I'm ready."
"Go ahead." Yahard Tusk said, smiling.
The Grim Knell's egg reached a height of 80 centimetres, covered with bluish-black spots. Enveloping each spot was a ring, and extending from its outer circle were tiny tendrils like an amoeba. Asaeya touched the Grim Knell's egg and inserted her Prana into it, beginning the fusion process.
Her Spirit Container manifested physically, enlarging in size until it wholly enveloped the egg. The Prana within was like a storm as it fused into the egg, breaking it down into pure energy. The Spirit Container fused with the eggshell.
A few seconds later, the shell dissolved and surged into a tiny creature inside, signalling the completion of the process. The entity was ethereal in appearance.
It had a bell-shaped body, reaching a height of three metres. The clapper dangled, shaped like a mace. Three pairs of limbs extended out of the yoke. Two pairs were legs, split like the legs of a chair. The remaining two limbs were hands, but their ends resembled drums.
The base of the yoke was circular in shape and embedded in it were eyes, a dozen in number. The eyes shot open, emanating the aura of death, for a moment causing even Yahard Tusk to flinch in response.
Mutated Expert Silver Grade Pranic Beast—Grim Knell!
'That's a terrifying aura.' He thought, watching the projection enter Asaeya and fuse with her body, transforming her into an elite of the Clan. She had successfully reached the Body Stage.
"This is the Grim Knell's power?" Asaeya muttered as she digested the information regarding the Grim Knell. She gained two Natures now, and they perfectly complimented her current skill set, 'It feels as if Inala trained me with the Grim Knell in mind. How…is this possible?'
She didn't voice her thoughts to her parents, lest her words sabotage Inala. But more than the joy of obtaining the strongest Pranic Beast in the Mammoth Clan, her mind was filled with questions, 'My two Natures will experience an explosive advantage thanks to the Puppetry Skill. It's not just that…'
After wracking her brain a little, Asaeya couldn't find a solution. Hence, she decided to meet Inala, stating, "I'll go inform Inala about my success."
"Alright, but I'm assigning a team to protect you." Yahard Tusk said, "The Zinger attacks have grown more frequent. And since you became the Grim Knell, you're a strategic asset of our Clan. You'll be accompanied by a group of guards until you become a master."
Soon, Asaeya arrived before the shuttle, about to enter it when three people walked out, one boy and two girls. Asaeya was surprised at their arrival as she shot a glance at her sister, Luttrena, expressing her thoughts through eye contact, 'Luttrena, why did you bring him here?'
The two girls were Luttrena and Ruvva, their auras displaying their dislike towards each other. And walking at the front like their leader was Virala, his face akin to a weasel.
'This bastard makes me feel uncomfortable.' Asaeya thought, for a moment shuddering when the latter smiled at her.