Shadwolf

Occasionally, Arian felt sandworms shifting beneath his feet as he walked, pondering Zinarphil’s words: When purpose is absent, forge it.
«Who’d have thought this fool boy would push so far?» Zinarphil muttered from the dune’s shadow, tracking Arian’s progress.

«Credit where it’s due—you’re truly my apprentice. But Amorana’s mercy? Unprecedented. Even Atrius faced scorpion-swarms and mirage-foxes by now. Yet here... nothing. And that accursed egg—why does it devour his mana? Swallowing his light as it swells... its shell deepening into an abyssal void.»

The ceaseless hiss of shifting sands, the wind's enraged howls, and the crushing weight of the egg wore Arian down—body and soul. With each step deeper, the desert’s scorching heat intensified, fraying his nerves to breaking point.
«Why won’t this damned trial reveal itself?!» He glared at the egg. «Hey, precious—ever thought of saving some mana for me?! If ambient mana weren’t this dense here, I’d be dead a hundred times over! How many days has it been? Where is Zinarphil? Screw it... sleep’s the only mercy left.»

Exhausted from relentless travel and a week without sleep, Arian finally surrendered—closing his eyes despite the terrors of this place. He fell into the fathomless sleep of seven kings.

A scritch-scritch sound—sand compacting near his ear—tickled Arian’s consciousness awake. His eyes fluttered open, still gummed with sleep, to find a small black creature perched directly over his head. Panic jolted through him. Instinct took over: he channeled mana beneath himself, exactly as Zinarphil had drilled into him during their journey, and unleashed a gale of wind-element magic—blasting himself backward to put distance between them.

«Holy hell! Got lucky—only slept a few hours, but almost died!!! Hey, why you starin' at me like that, tiltin' your head, black dog?!... Wait—aren't those... egg shards over there...? No way!»
He frantically plunged his hand into his pack, seeking the egg’s familiar icy surface...
No sign of it.

«Correct, "Babai"—I am the egg. But I’m no dog.»
The creature—finally hatched—spoke directly into Arian’s mind, its voice like wind-chimes in a void.

«You’re really from that egg?! And how are you in my HEAD?!» Arian’s panic melted as he squinted. «Wait... you’re kinda cute! Not scary at all—big sparkly eyes, all tiny and soft! Why call me "Babai," though?»

«I don’t know why, but when you poured your mana into my egg... I felt its warmth.»
The black wolf drew nearer with every thought that blossomed in Arian’s mind.

«Your mana called to me. Unlike any other—or this wasteland—it’s... tender. You’re the first I’ve ever truly connected with. So yes, you’re my Baba!» Its muzzle nudged Arian’s palm. «What am I? Not sure... Think I’m a wolf? Not a dog, anyway.»

«Fine. But you’re clearly like me—a clueless loner.» Arian sighed, scratching the creature’s ears. «I don’t know what I am either. A dragon raised me, but I’m not his blood. No parents. And you? Instead of a cozy den with mom and dad—who’d tell you if you’re a mutt or wolf—» (he smirked) «—you hatched in this hellscape. Honestly? Probably a stray dog. But hey—» His voice softened. «I’ll raise you myself.»

«... So we’re both orphans!» The creature nuzzled his hand, telepathic voice thick with revelation. «My egg-memories show warriors battling here—but no parents. Just... void. Thank you, Father.»

Arian and the newborn creature conversed warmly for hours, and after days of solitude, laughter finally returned to him. Through examination and the creature’s own insights, he confirmed it was indeed a wolf—but nothing more.
«Alright!» Arian grinned, ruffling the pup’s inky fur. «Since you call me ‘Father,’ let’s name you. Hmm...» He paused, studying how moonlight caught its eyes. «You’re black as void—only those silver-gleaming eyes give you away in darkness. And a wolf...»
A spark lit his face. «I’ll call you Shadwolf—Shadow-Wolf! Blend of darkness and fang. Cool, right?»
The pup tilted its head, telepathic voice chiming: «Shadwolf? But... am I cool enough for such a name?»

"Any name Father gives, I’ll cherish!"
«Good. Now, Shadwolf—let’s escape this damned desert and find that sly old lizard Zinarphil!»
As they trekked deeper, the young wolf darted after sand-cats while the desert itself twisted around them. Mirages bloomed like poisoned flowers—especially cruel as Arian’s water ration dwindled to its final drops. But these weren’t mere heat-ripples... Unfamiliar faces materialized in the shimmering haze—pale, whispering, haunting.

Meanwhile, Zinarphil watched Arian from the skies, harnessing his draconic power—for dragons alone held the sacred right to soar in this world. The wind lifted his sacred scroll-like tresses as those amber eyes scanned the wastes below.

"Well, well...
It seems the Desert Trial stirs at last. A week has passed, and Arian still endures—but who could have imagined that Black Egg would hatch one of earth's rarest breeds? So rare even I had forgotten... Ghost Wolf and Arian—let's see what you two are made of."