—Training with Lady Yianiss was tough —complained Albert.

  —And, they say today’s will be the hardest one —added his brother Edward.

  —The last basic Koa: the Beast’s —concluded Damien.

  Sarah tilted her head, intrigued.

  —Did you find any information about how it works?

  —There was plenty written material… Apparently, it’s the most powerful of the basic auras —explained Yulian.

  —Yes, and it has twelve fixed types, unlike the Legend Koa, where there are hundreds, even thousands —added Damien.

  —Wow, sounds interesting. What are they? —asked Mason enthusiastically.

  Damien scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

  —Eh… Yulian could answer that one. I fell asleep before getting to that part.

  Layla sighed, tired of walking.

  —So boring having to go all the way to Mr. Yu-Han’s house.

  —Mr. Gonzo is busy today, Layla —replied Edward.

  Impatient, Mason turned to Yulian.

  —Come on, tell us the types of beasts.

  —Very well, there are twelve in total. Ten are common, and two are rare —explained Yulian calmly.

  —And is there a way to know which one you’ll get? —insisted Mason.

  —No. Each person is born under a beast, but it’s not determined by the date like in other zodiacs. It’s pure fate —clarified Yulian.

  Albert frowned.

  —For example?

  —If Sarah and Layla had been born on the same day and year, in a traditional zodiac they would share a sign. But in Beast Koa, one could be a snake and the other a bear.

  —So, which are the common and which the rare? —asked Edward.

  —The common ones are: snake, bear, lion, bull, swan, cat, raven, eagle, dog, and monkey. The rare ones: the hydra and, above all, the dragon.

  —Why are those two rare? —asked Sarah.

  —Out of every thousand people, 980 are born under a common beast, 19 under the hydra, and only one with the dragon —answered Yulian.

  —Well, here we are —announced Damien.

  Yu-Han was waiting at the entrance of his land and led them into the forest.

  —This way, kids.

  Layla growled as she kept walking.

  —Damn it… more walking.

  —Calm down, love, you’re embarrassing me —murmured Mason.

  Yulian looked around attentively.

  —This place has a great concentration of paranormal energy.

  —Yes… the air feels heavy —agreed Damien.

  A small creature emerged from the trees. It was about forty centimeters tall, with huge eyes. It stared directly at Sarah.

  —Ah… pretty girl… beautiful girl…

  She stepped back, horrified.

  —What is that?

  —A wendigo —answered Yu-Han calmly.

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  Damien’s eyes widened.

  —That!? But they’re supposed to be huge, man-eating monsters.

  Albert looked at him, puzzled.

  —And how would you know?

  —I’ve seen cryptozoology videos on the internet —replied Damien.

  Yulian sighed.

  —That’s the problem with trusting the internet.

  But Yu-Han corrected him:

  —He’s not wrong. They used to be terrifying, feeding on fear and despair. But fire weakened them, and over the years, they shrank into these tiny creatures. Annoying, yes, but harmless… in theory.

  The wendigo suddenly lunged at Sarah. She froze, unable to react. Damien shoved it away harshly.

  —Stay back, you damn goblin!

  The creature rolled on the ground and growled:

  —Human… hit me. I… angry.

  —Shut up already! Go bother someone else —snapped Damien.

  They walked on, but the wendigo came back and leapt at them again. Damien, fed up, hit it too hard. The creature fell with its stomach and chest shattered.

  —Dude, you went too far! —shouted Edward.

  Damien knelt beside it, pale.

  —No! I just wanted to stop it… Can it be saved, master?

  Yulian examined it and gave a sorrowful gesture.

  —The damage is too severe.

  Yu-Han looked at him sternly.

  —Keep walking, Damien. It’s part of the job. We must learn to endure it.

  The dying wendigo groaned between gasps:

  —Cursed man… I wish… I could… get revenge… —and its body shone before going still.

  Layla frowned.

  —That’s a weird way to die.

  Mason shook his head.

  —I’ve never seen one die, I don’t know if that’s normal.

  Yulian placed a hand on Damien’s shoulder.

  —You did it to protect Sarah. You didn’t mean to harm it.

  Damien lowered his gaze.

  —Still… I killed it.

  Sarah stepped forward.

  —Thank you, Damien… I froze. I don’t know what that thing might have done to me.

  Her voice lightened Damien’s guilt a little. The group went deeper into the forest. The air grew so dense it was hard to breathe.

  Yu-Han suddenly stopped.

  —Here’s a good spot.

  —And what do we do now, master? —asked Yulian.

  —Unlike Legend Koa, here the energy doesn’t focus on one point but is spread throughout the body —explained Yu-Han.

  Albert complained immediately.

  —It was already hard enough to focus on one point, now the whole body!

  —Don’t whine so much, brother. We’ll have to try anyway —Edward retorted.

  Yu-Han handed out small stones.

  —These are Atama stones. They absorb energy from the surroundings and will help you channel Koa. Focus on making them vibrate with your whole body.

  Yulian closed his eyes, and at once an aura took shape: a mighty ethereal beast.

  Yu-Han watched in silence, disturbed.

  —This boy… could he be one of them?

  Albert whistled, impressed.

  —A bear! That’s pure brute strength.

  Yu-Han thought with slight disappointment:

  —Seems he’s not, after all…

  The others also manifested their beasts: Sarah, a swan; Mason, a dog; Albert, a bull; Edward, a snake; Layla, a monkey.

  Only Damien was left. Layla scoffed.

  —He’ll probably struggle, like always.

  —Hey, don’t be so harsh on him. He tries hard —Albert intervened.

  Yulian, thoughtful, muttered under his breath:

  —Strange… in critical moments, he’s always the one who unleashes the most power.

  Mason nodded.

  —Yeah. He struggles to manifest it, but once he does, it’s like a brutal torrent.

  Suddenly, the air turned glacial. A strange terror gripped their throats. Sarah couldn’t move. Then, Damien’s Koa burst forth: a majestic dragon emerged from his aura, imposing, terrifying, its presence chilling to the bone.

  —I can’t move! —gasped Sarah, seized by a visceral fear—. I feel unbearable dread!