Sophia awoke from her sleep, her first instinct to reach for Seraphix, her tamed beast, who was sleeping beside her. She lifted him gently, pressing his smooth fur against her face, the sensation lifting her spirits.

  After completing her morning ritual, she quickly rose and went to her drawer. From it, she took out a silver-covered notebook and began writing.

  It had been several days since her st visit to the grand dining room. Although the memory of her father’s disbelief still stung, she soon moved past it.

  "That's right, I still have Cal..." she thought, her excitement growing. "The winter holiday is almost over."

  She couldn’t wait to share with her friend, Cal, her recent achievement—summoning a nine-stroke beast.

  As she finished writing in the silver-covered notebook, a new thought crossed her mind.

  'It’ll be difficult to always carry Seraphix around.'

  From her time with him, Sophia knew that Seraphix wasn’t fond of moving on his own. Apart from when he needed to use the bathroom, he typically relied on her for everything else.

  Looking at Seraphix, still peacefully asleep, Sophia reached beneath her bed, pulling out several boxes. These contained her crafting tools and materials, accumuted over years of experiments and projects.

  "I suppose I could make something out of the leftover materials," she mused.

  ***

  In the grand meeting hall of the Maurya Empire Castle, Emperor Grigori Kashnikov convened an urgent session with his most trusted companion.

  To his left sat Shira, the Grand Tamer, while to his right sat Naphael Kovalevska, the Grand Magus and head of the Kovalevska household.

  The meeting was prompted by an extraordinary development: just days ago, Grigori had received two dark red letters—one from Naphael, bearing the insignia of the Grand Magus, and the other from Shira, marked with the insignia of the Grand Tamer. Both letters delivered the same message:

  "A potential nine-stroke beast."

  Despite the pressures of an ongoing international conflict, the gravity of receiving such arming messages from two of his highest-ranking officials compelled Grigori to prioritize this gathering without dey.

  Turning his attention to the Grand Magus, Grigori began.

  "Naphael, let’s start with you. Expin everything in detail—no need for formality."

  Naphael inclined his head and began recounting his encounter with the beast known as Seraphix: its strange mode of communication, its overpowering aura, and the indescribable malice emanating from it. He concluded by detailing the lingering effects the encounter had left on him.

  "I see," Grigori muttered, his expression grave. "That’s far from ordinary."

  Naphael nodded. "I’ve also discussed this with Shira. There’s no record of any known beast possessing such an aura."

  Shira added, "That’s correct, Your Majesty. None of my tamed beasts have shown even the faintest recognition of an aura matching that description."

  Grigori leaned back in thought. "This is troubling. But first, Naphael, is your daughter unharmed?"

  "Fortunately, she seems fine," Naphael replied, his voice tinged with relief.

  "Good. But I recall you mentioning that she cks talent for beast taming."

  "Exactly, Your Majesty. She shouldn’t have any aptitude in that field."

  Grigori’s brow furrowed in thought. "Perhaps her talent is merely a te bloomer? She carries both the Kovalevska bloodline and yours, after all."

  "That’s…" Naphael hesitated.

  Grigori smiled gently. "I understand your concerns, but Naphael, it’s not unreasonable to have hope. A child of her lineage may yet surprise us."

  For Grigori, Sophia was an enigma. Given her lineage, her potential should have rivaled—or even surpassed—that of the imperial prince. The revetion that she might now be connected to a nine-stroke beast only heightened the intrigue surrounding her.

  Shifting his attention, Grigori addressed Shira. "Shira, what’s your take? Could such a beast truly exist?"

  "It’s possible, Your Majesty," Shira replied. "This comes from the testimony of my eight-stroke beasts."

  Grigori raised an eyebrow. "That’s intriguing."

  Shira nodded. "Indeed. While we use the term 'stroke' to denote the hierarchy of beasts, they cssify themselves by generations. An eight-stroke beast is regarded as the first generation, with seven-stroke beasts representing the second. However, even the eight-stroke beasts recognize the existence of a generation that came before them."

  "A generation before the first?" Grigori repeated.

  "Yes. Among the Eight-Stroke Beasts, it is known as the Primordial Beast—the origin of their race."

  Grigori’s eyes gleamed with interest. "So if this entity is a nine-stroke beast, could it signify the emergence of a new lineage of beasts?"

  "Precisely, Your Majesty. However, I’ll need to verify this myself."

  "Got it." Grigori turned his gaze back to Naphael. "What’s your opinion, Naphael?"

  Naphael hesitated. "I… I'm not sure."

  Grigori nodded. "I understand. For now, I'll send formal invitations for another meeting, including your daughter, to verify the truth of this matter. In the meantime, this information must remain strictly confidential."

  ***

  In the middle of the night, I wake up abruptly.

  "It seems my sleep schedule is adapting to that of a cat," I murmur to myself.

  I stretch, taking in my surroundings. Despite the darkness, I can see perfectly—my feline vision ensures that.

  Jumping down from the bed, I stretch again, adjusting to the movements of my cat body.

  "Well, I suppose this is a good time for a few experiments," I say, curiosity beginning to spark within me.

  ***

  Tonight’s experiment focuses on testing my skill, 'Transmogrify Essence'. So far, I’ve only activated it three times, but that’s not nearly enough to fully grasp its capabilities.

  I concentrate, focusing on the skill and activating it. Slowly, a surge of heat envelops me, and my body begins to morph into the form I envision—a mosquito.

  Once transformed, I take a moment to examine my tiny new body before effortlessly flying around the room.

  ‘Interesting,’ I muse. ‘Even though I’ve never flown as a mosquito before, I can instinctively do so after transforming.’

  This realization puts me at ease.

  Typically, newborns must learn to use their bodies—just as a human baby crawls before walking, or a bird falls before learning to fly.

  For me, this instinctive control is crucial.

  If I ever need to transform into other animals to adapt to a situation, being able to use their bodies immediately could make all the difference.

  After a few moments, I revert to my cat form.

  As I settle back, an idea strikes me. I focus on my right front paw and attempt to modify the shape of its cw, extending it.

  To my surprise, it works.

  ‘So, body modification is also possible.'

  Curious, I open my status window.

  ---

  Seraphix

  Level: 1 Mana Capacity: 19Occupation: Beast (cat) tamed by Sophia Kovalevska

  Strength: 1 Intelligence: 1 Agility: 1 Dexterity: 1 Vitality: 1

  Skills: Transmogrify Essence, Veil of the Abyss, Essence Devour

  ---

  'So, it takes 1 mana for body modification.'

  It seems that altering part of my body costs less mana than transforming my entire form.

  This discovery excites me. With this ability, I could further refine my cat body, making it stronger and better suited to my needs.

  Although I still don’t fully understand how this world’s stats compare to those of my previous one, I can conclude that a stat of 1 doesn’t significantly impact my cat form. I can still move with the same agility and speed I would expect from a normal cat in my previous world.

  "So, if my stats exceed 1, could I gain superhuman physical abilities?"

  For now, I’m not sure, but tonight’s experiment suggests that there’s much more I can do with this skill.

  "This is definitely intriguing."