Chapter 12: Twin-headed Raven

~Forest of Dahlia~

The Forest of Dahlia is the Forest that surrounds their town, the Town of Dahlia. It is one of the largest forests in the world and the largest in the Kingdom, occupying almost a third of the Kingdom of Rapsody. Not only is it very rich in wildlife, but it is also ridden with caves that are full of energy, creating beasts like the Greymanes.

On this very forest, on the branch of a tree-

"Achoo!" Aizen sneezes. Someone must be thinking of me - He thought.

The young genius waits for a certain something to perch.

While he was waiting patiently, the peace was ruined by their arrival.

Greymanes. The same ones that tried to kill him years ago. At a low profile, they crept up slowly below the 8 year old boy, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Greymanes have the ability to climb trees, even silently. It is one of the reasons why they are so deadly and feared. With its agile physique, a wolf jumped towards the boy without warning-

"!!!"

But the boy wasn't what he was before and noticed it. In reaction, he quickly raised his arms and spread his palms, aiming at the wolf-

"Haha! Scar, how are you?" -to give it a warm hug!

After that fateful night 4 years ago, Jonathan has given Aizen free reign and enabled him to go to the town library. This is because he believes in his son's potential as a genius, which is better left alone to grow at its own pace rather than be tampered with by external influences. He realized that Aizen doesn't need a paid tutor, what he needs is an unrestricted environment AND someone who can answer his question - a role that his mother, a former great magician, filled.

4 years after that fateful night, Aizen already reached the level of his father. He's growing at an astoundingly fast rate, even capable of wielding concepts up to the Secondary level[modern_footnote] There are certain levels to concepts. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary, Quinary, Senary, Septenary, Octonary, Nonary, Denary, and Duodenary. Fire, Water, and Air are the Primary concepts while Ice, Lightning, Earth, etc. are Secondary ones.[/modern_footnote].

Once a demon, always a demon. Aizen confronted the wolves once again to get his rightful revenge. In front of the whole pack, he gutted the Alpha alive. Since the Alpha was defeated, the winner would be the new Alpha. Hence, Aizen gained some unexpected allies. Though he made Scar the new Alpha, the pack still considered Aizen as the true leader and Scar as some sort of right-hand man they should follow.

"Oh, it's coming." Aizen fixed his posture. He must not miss this moment.

Aizen during his time studying also discovered about Contracting. The way it works is that by naming a creature, you give a piece of your soul. This way, you and the animal become linked to one another, forming a Master-Servant relationship. He has already formed one with the wolf pack, but you can also have contracts with multiple subjects.

There is a famous mythical beast around the Kingdom. It is said to have been around since the creation of this Universe and is believed to be nigh-omniscient. It is a twin-headed crow called Huginn Muninn. If there's anything he needs right now, it's knowledge.

From the sky, a majestic black crow descended into one of the branches. He has planned this thoroughly. Magic is out of the equation, he has been observing the bird for years. The moment it senses magic, it'll never be seen in the same location ever again. This is the reason why Aizen had to guard the crow for years against magical animals and potential poachers. To add more pressure, he must not commit a mishap, for this will be his first and final chance. The beast can remember people, forget location, he will never personally see it again should he fail.

He needs to come up with another solution, and he turned his glance towards the wolves. Since Greymanes can climb trees and even leap from them, he placed wolves from all around the crow in order to lure it into a direction the seems to be an opening. However, in that direction, Aizen awaits behind the tree. A seamless and cunning plan.

Come to think of it, as Mammon, he was never the type to think of strategies. Mammon was seen as a tyrant who brute-forced his way onto every obstacle that blocked his path. But so suddenly, he now has the gift of smarts? Maybe... just maybe. For a second there, a question entered his mind.

A question... that's too ridiculous so he dismissed it as one. For now, it's time to hunt.

Aizen used his link with the pack to give the signal, and right away the wolves punched at the bird, who easily dodged. It was to be expected, it isn't a mythical beast for nothing. Setting aside the incredibly rare chance of sighting it, vast amounts of people must've been hunting it every day. But.... it hasn't encountered a human that can control already-intelligent wolves, right?

The raven headed straight for him, and when it was close enough, Aizen undid his stealth to cast Ice magic and prevent the crow's further movement. Everything was executed flawlessly and everything went according to it. His reward? It was the crow's-

CAW!