Chapter 22: Kiita's Engraving Ceremony

  Nitaan found himself back in the middle of the forest. The surroundings were still filled with the scars of the fierce battle between him and the Emerald-fur bear.

  Nitaan would always be cautious when in the forest. Even with Kiita's excellent detection abilities, he wouldn’t lower his guard. He believed that entrusting everything to Kiita alone was unwise. So that if Kiita made a mistake, he would still be able to react in time.

  But now, Nitaan collapsed to the ground. His deep blue eyes were trembling. His constant vigilance and caution had vanished, replaced only by happiness and warmth. Tears streamed down his face.

  Kiita snapped back to reality, sensing the trembling emotion emanating from Nitaan. He quickly stood up, nudging Nitaan with his head.

  His large, thick tongue licked Nitaan's face with concern. Kiita whimpered anxiously.

  Nitaan Nitaan, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Kiita's ears drooped as he circled Nitaan around. Holding the fragile body of Nitaan inside his own, the giant tail lay against Nitaan’s lap, providing warmth like a fluffy blanket.

  Nitaan, who was still lost in thought, raised both hands and embraced Kiita's fluffy neck, resting his cheek against the warm face. His face trembled slightly, and soft sobs escaped.

  "I'm alright, Kiita. I'm alright," Nitaan said, his voice shaking.

  Memories of the past flooded back, starting from the moment Nitaan took Kiita in.

  Why did he feel more linked to Kiita than to anything else?

  Why could he share his power with Kiita through Link when he couldn't share it with anyone else?

  Why could he perceive Kiita's presence more vividly than anything else?

  He had always thought it was because Link will be more potent when used on something Nitaan had a strong bond with.

  But he had been wrong. It wasn't just him who was linked to Kiita. Almost all of the sharing of power and perception didn't originate from Link at all.

  Almost all of it came from Kiita's Word of Power. While he was linked to Kiita, Kiita was linked to him as well.

  And it wasn't a weak link like his own Word of Power that could link to anything. It was a strong, unbreakable bond, an eternal thread that would never sever and only link to him and him alone.

  At this moment, the fourth pitch-black star in Nitaan's consciousness space trembled slightly. The northern sky, where the word ‘Link’ appeared, began to glow, but Nitaan didn't notice.

  Kiita said that since he regained consciousness, this word had already been there. Nitaan speculated that it must have appeared when he adopted Kiita, or not long after.

  From that moment, he became Kiita's entire world.

  The fourth black star in Nitaan's mind trembled even more violently. Numerous cracks, both large and small, began to appear on its surface.

  Kiita is my last family member.

  The cracks spread across the surface.

  And for Kiita, so am I.

  More and more cracks appeared, revealing a fluffy inner core. A gentle, soft blackness began to emanate.

  I am also Kiita's last family member.

  The black star shattered completely. Inside was a soft, fluffy black sphere, like a dandelion. It didn't radiate any powerful energy, nor did it possess a majestic appearance. It only emitted the aura of what he loved most.

  Kiita Wongjantra

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  Nitaan, at this moment, is a 3-word Learner, but possesses 4 Words of Power.

  "Thank you so much, Kiita." Nitaan still hugged Kiita tightly, stroking its soft, fluffy fur. The giant tail began to wag gently at Nitaan's smile.

  "Wuff?"

  What?

  Kiita, still not quite understanding why Nitaan had suddenly collapsed, was still worried and refused to get up from Nitaan, letting him nestle into its fur.

  After a while, Nitaan released his embrace, affectionately stroking Kiita's head.

  Even though it still didn’t understand anything, it wouldn’t care. If Nitaan is happy, Kiita is happy.

  The large black tail swayed as he pushed himself up, supporting Nitaan's body.

  "Let's go home, Kiita."

  "Tonight we're having bear hot pot. I'll buy lots of extra meat. Let’s eat a lot." Nitaan smiled.

  Kiita's tail wagged in response.

  "Woof!"

  On the way back, Nitaan's mind was filled with many thoughts, but the most important were next year's competition and his new Word of Power.

  From a quick check, this Word of Power didn't have any special abilities like Kiita's, but he felt that he could sense Kiita much more clearly than before. He could perceive Kiita's physical condition and emotions. And if he wasn't imagining things, he could even directly share his spiritual energy with Kiita.

  He was certain that this type of Word of Power should have more power, but he didn't know what it was. Words of Power that specify a person's name are difficult to interpret, unlike other Words of Power whose abilities are literal and easy to understand.

  I would probably find out in the future. Let’s just take it slow.

  So, the most important thing now is for Kiita to develop so he can discover the fifth word and for me to become First word Engraver.

  In real combat, focusing on surprise attacks and having Kiita use his Word of Power to enhance his abilities while I provide support, Kiita's combat abilities will improve by leaps and bounds.

  I could reduce and increase Kiita's weight during combat. Kiita could then use ‘Chase’ to chase down the strongest contenders in the tournament, boosting his physical abilities. With ‘Fortress’, Kiita is literally a war chariot. Speed, power, durability… just thinking about it is exciting. Nitaan smiled, contemplating the possibilities of Kiita's power.

  If everything goes well, we should be able to fight Engraver. Even if we have to face Enlightened, we wouldn't be entirely hopeless.

  Nitaan envisioned many battle strategies in his head.

  If Kiita became a Learner, Words of Power would be greatly enhanced. Wait... did Kiita even know about Engraving Ceremony?

  "Kiita, can you feel Spirit Root’s Great River in your consciousness space? ... uh, I mean a big river, can you feel it?" Nitaan asked Kiita.

  Kiita closed his eyes for a moment.

  "Woof!"

  The big river with no fish!

  Nitaan thought he should explain Spirit Root’s Great River to Kiita. After all, Kiita had already discovered 4 Words of Power. If he can discover the fifth word and perform Engraving Ceremony before the tournament, their combat power would multiply even more.

  Nitaan speculated that the latest Word of Power that Kiita discovered was likely 'Chase' which occurred after Nitaan had completed his own Engraving Ceremony. Two years had passed since then, so Kiita still held hope of discovering the fifth word of power soon.

  However, even if Kiita hadn't found the fifth word within the next year, Nitaan wouldn't let him perform Engraving Ceremony just to increase his chances of winning the tournament. He would never allow Kiita to sacrifice his future for him.

  "Now, try sending your spiritual energy—uh, focus your concentration—to the water in the river. Do you see the water slowly rising into the sky?" Nitaan explained further.

  Kiita closed his eyes and obediently tried sending his energy. Nitaan linked with Kiita’s mind to observe. He clearly sees the water start to rise to the sky.

  "That's it. If you keep doing this until all the water in the river is gone, that's what we call Engraving Ceremony."

  "Alright, that's enough, Kiita. It's not time yet. I just want you to learn what Engraving Ceremony is," Nitaan said rapidly.

  Ignored Nitaan’s word completely, A massive volume of water surged uncontrollably into the sky.

  "Kiita! Stop! Kiita!" Nitaan called out, but Kiita didn't respond, as if he hadn't heard anything. His consciousness had sunk deep into Spirit Root’s Great River.

  Kiita! Enough, Kiita! Stop sending energy now! Nitaan tried calling out through his mind.

  Nitaan's face turned pale. He tried to call out with all his might, but the river continued to flow, enveloping the five stars.

  Nitaan thought about shaking Kiita to wake him, but the volume of water rising into the sky was even faster than when he performed his own ceremony.

  More than half of the river's water was gone. Nitaan knew he couldn't stop it any longer. If he tried to awaken Kiita now, all the water in the great river would be wasted.

  Nitaan was frustrated with himself for not thinking more wisely. He could only suppress his frustration and guard Kiita's surroundings.

  Since Kiita was so obedient and loyal to him, he focused on his first command. All of his consciousness sank deep into ceremony before Nitaan got the chance to stop Kiita.

  Less than three minutes passed. Nitaan sensed that the four stars had shattered. In the consciousness space, countless shades of color appeared, along with giant words carved into the center of the sky:

  Nitaan Wongjantra

  Domain

  Fortress

  Chase

  Only the middle of the sky remained empty, just a dark void, like the western sky and the center of the sky in Nitaan’s consciousness space.

  Kiita’s Spirit Root’s Great River had dried up, leaving only a tiny stream. Nitaan couldn't help but sigh with regret. Kiita opened his eyes. His longan-seed-like eyes were bright, his tail wagging vigorously.

  "Woof!"

  That feels so good! Kiita, Kiita's gotten stronger!

  Kiita wagged its tail. It felt that its body was stronger in every way, and its abilities had also improved.

  Its ears perked up, and the happiness meter on its butt showed a full-speed wag of bliss.

  Now it can help Nitaan even more! Protecting Nitaan will be so much easier!

  "Woof!"

  Nitaan stingy! Why Nitaan never tell Kiita about this river with no fish!

  Kiita barked and happily jumped onto Nitaan.

  When Nitaan met its eyes and happy face, he couldn't help but pet its head. His worries about the future vanished instantly, just as all his anxieties became insignificant when he was with Kiita.

  Whatever! Nitaan laughed.

  To perform second Engraving Ceremony, Fate Scripters need to find treasure that can replenish the water. Moonlight Dew is one of them, but Moonlight Dew can only be used once.

  "Let’s just find one more treasure! How hard can that be!" Nitaan laughed good-naturedly.

  "Woof!"

  Treasure! Treasure!