A Cute Magical Beast? Just Write "Raise"

It was a sensation that had never existed in the real world.

If you worked hard, you grew. If you fought, the numbers went up. If you tried something, a method took shape.

I never imagined it would drive a person this insane.

The last Arang, its front legs severed, had already dragged itself past the bulkhead and fled.

I stared down the end of the corridor.

The black bulkhead was already open.

A little while ago, I would have just wanted to run. No — I still could. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could go back to my room, shut the door, and hide under the bed. Tomorrow morning I could pretend I'd never seen any of it.

My body was telling me to rest. So was my head.

But my chest was still pounding.

Thump. Thump.

This time it wasn't from exhaustion. And it wasn't only from fear.

"…Let's go in."

There was no precise reason. Just a feeling that something I needed to know was waiting deeper inside. And greed — the urge to test this absurd new sense of mine a little further.

"Just a little more."

I stepped through the open bulkhead.

The air was different. Cold. Strangely sweet. There was even the smell of grass — nothing that belonged in a shelter basement.

The space beyond was wide. White stone had replaced the black rock walls. Overlapping circular patterns covered the floor. Small orbs of light drifted beneath the ceiling.

A tiny sound came from the center of the room.

Kiiing.

Too small. Too soft. Completely unlike the growls of the Arangs that had filled the corridor moments before.

I looked that way without thinking — and froze.

White fur. Drooping ears. A tail bigger than its body. Round, wet eyes.

A little magical beast, somewhere between a fox kit and a kitten, was curled up in the middle of the circular patterns.

It was too small. Too white. Too cute. Genuinely, impossibly cute.

The instant I started to take a step toward it without meaning to, text floated up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠before my eyes.

The little magical beast lifted its head.

Kiiing.

That cry was genuinely pitiful. But at the nape of its neck, nestled in the white fur, purple characters were writhing.

Purple characters.

"…Ah."

Cute face. Tiny body. Drooping ears. Round, wet eyes. And at the nape of its neck, purple characters squirming like insects.

Kiiing.

The little magical beast cried again. That sound alone made me want to scoop it up on the spot.

Intermediate Management Beast.

I slowly closed my fingers around a chunk of stone.

"Management Beast…"

So this little fluffball was something like the administrator of this place.

In that instant, the little magical beast's pupils trembled.

"Wait—"

I threw my hand up at once.

Kiiik.

The little magical beast's cry tore. Every circular pattern in the room lit up at once.

BOOM!

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠floor sank — no. My body got heavy.

"Ugh…!"

My knees buckled. It felt like dozens of wet sandbags had been piled on top of me. I couldn't breathe. I clenched my teeth and held on.

The little magical beast was still curled in the center of the circular patterns. But its eyes were crying. The one doing the attacking looked more terrified than anything.

"You…"

I planted a hand on the floor.

"You're scared, aren't you?"

The little magical beast's ears twitched. No answer. Instead, the light orbs on the ceiling shuddered — and in the next instant, they all plunged toward me.

"Are you kidding me!"

I threw the stone fragment on pure reflex.

"Throw-Strike!"

A golden trajectory smashed one of the light spears aside.

CRASH!

It exploded. But the remaining spears kept coming. One. Two. Three. Nowhere to dodge.

I slashed the air with my fingertips.

Defend.

A thin barrier unfurled. The first spear hit it.

BOOM!

The barrier shuddered. The second — crack. The third — it shattered.

I threw myself sideways. A light spear grazed my shoulder. The smell of burning skin filled the air.

"Ah, for real!"

I rolled across the floor and scrambled up. The little magical beast was trembling in place.

The formulas it had activated were terrifying. The output was high enough that a direct hit would have finished me on the spot. And yet something was off. Every single one of those Light Spears had missed my vital points.

I looked at the little magical beast, gasping for breath.

"You're… trying to drive me out, aren't you?"

Kiiing.

The little magical beast cried. In that moment, new text rose before my eyes.

"…What?"

Kiiing.

The cry came again. But something was strange. The sound was clearly a beast's whimper — and yet the meaning drove itself into my skull.

Don't come closer.

I stopped breathing. The little magical beast curled in on itself even tighter.

Kiiik.

Don't hurt me again.

"…"

I let the tension out of the hand holding the stone fragment.

What the hell. It was crying — and the meaning of that cry was arriving inside my head. The forced influx of meaning. Similar to the first time I'd read Ancient Script. Only this time it wasn't characters. It was a cry.

I stared blankly at the text.

"I'm… understanding it?"

The little magical beast was still trembling. The purple characters at its nape writhed.

I slowly set the stone fragment down.

Click.

A small sound on the floor. The little magical beast's eyes wavered.

"I won't throw it."

King.

…Liar.

The meaning arrived in my head. I let out a hollow laugh.

"Wow. We can actually talk."

Was that a good thing?

I slowly opened both hands.

"I really won't throw it."

Kiiing.

It's all lies.

"What is?"

Kiiik.

You said you wouldn't hurt me.

The purple characters at its nape writhed.

"Who said that?"

Instead of answering, the little magical beast whimpered.

Kiiing.

Mom.

I stopped.

"Mom?"

Ki.

I miss Mom.

The thing that had been casting formulas like it meant to flip the entire labyrinth — this white fluffball — scraped at the circular patterns with its tiny paws and cried.

Kiiing.

I want to go to Mom.

I couldn't say a word. The little magical beast's crying grew louder.

Kiiik.

BOOM.

The floor patterns shuddered.

Kiii.

I hate hurting.

BOOM.

The light orbs on the ceiling warped.

Kiiiik!

I hate being alone!

BOOM.

The bulkheads in the walls heaved.

Kiaaaang!

I miss Mom!

"Ah — wait!"

The entire room lit up. Floor. Walls. Ceiling. Formulas rose from every circular pattern at once.

Torn commands floated up all at once. Like a child throwing everything in the room while crying — the labyrinth was vomiting formulas at random.

"This is actually going to kill me."

I clenched my teeth. Defend? One barrier wouldn't cut it. Throw-Strike? Not enough. Slash? The opponent was the entire room.

Then a single character floated up before my eyes again.

I stared at that character.

Now? At this timing?

"It's not telling me to raise it, it's…"

I looked at the little magical beast. It was crying. Scared, angry, lonely — and flinging formulas around at random because of it.

"Is it telling me to soothe it?"

I swallowed a sigh.

Fine. If that was what this other world wanted from me — I'd try it once.

I didn't raise a barrier. Instead I lowered both hands. And I walked forward, slowly.

"Hey."

Flame skimmed past my side.

FWOOSH!

"You want to find your mom?"

A wind blade sliced across my cheek.

Shiiik!

"You want to get out of here?"

Pressure crushed down on my shoulders. My knees nearly buckled. I kept walking anyway.

The little magical beast's cry drove into my head.

Don't come closer!

"I won't hurt you."

Liar!

"I'm not lying."

I wiped the blood running down my cheek with the back of my hand.

"I got dragged here against my will too, so I get it pretty well."

The little magical beast's eyes wavered.

"You."

I spoke slowly.

"Want me to find your mom for you?"

For a moment, every formula in the room stuttered. They didn't stop completely — but the flow broke. The strokes of Fire wavered. The blades of Wind went crooked. The weight of Pressure weakened.

The little magical beast looked at me.

Ki…?

Mom?

"Yeah."

I took another step closer.

"Mom."

Kiiing.

You'll find her?

"Mm-hmm."

Really?

"There's a condition, though."

The little magical beast lifted its head. I raised my fingertips so it could see them.

"Don't bite me."

Ki.

"And quit shooting that stuff. I'm seriously going to die."

The little magical beast sniffled. Its ears drooped.

Kiiing.

You won't hurt me?

"I won't."

Ki.

You won't be mean?

"I won't."

I paused, then added:

"But I don't like getting hurt either, so you don't do it either."

The little magical beast stared at me for a long time. Eyes that still didn't trust me. But different from before. Not the eyes of something looking to kill. Eyes that said it might be okay to carefully reach out a hand.

I slowly brought my fingertips toward its nape. The purple characters writhed.

"Alright."

I steadied my breath and drew a single character with my fingertip.

Raise.

This time it didn't feel like forcing something down. It wasn't binding, either. It wasn't luring with food. It felt like a promise.

I will take you with me. I will feed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you. I will not harm you. And I will find your mother.

A golden stroke settled over the purple characters. The purple characters writhed violently.

"I know."

I said it quietly.

"It's not you that you hate. It's that thing, right?"

The little magical beast dropped a tear.

Kiiing.

Mom.

"I'll find her."

I drew the final stroke.

Raise.

The golden character completed. In that instant, the formulas blanketing the room snuffed out one by one. The purple characters at the white magical beast's nape were pushed back. They didn't vanish completely — but the golden Raise was wrapping over them.

I looked at that text and let out a hollow laugh.

"The contract condition is finding its mom?"

The white magical beast looked up at me. Its eyes were wet with tears.

Kiiing.

You'll find her?

"Yeah."

I answered in a worn-out voice.

"I said I'd find her."

In that instant, the little magical beast vanished.

No — it launched. It was too fast.

"Huh?"

The next moment, my back went heavy. A white fluffball was stuck to me. Short front paws wrapped around my neck. Its tail thrashed wildly.

Kiyaaang!

Finding Mom!

"Hey — you're choking me."

Kiiing! Kiiing!

Mom! Going to find Mom!

"I got it, so ease up on the neck—"

The little magical beast rubbed its face against my back. Soft fur tickled my nape.

Kiyaaaang!

So happy!

The Intermediate Management Beast that had just sent the entire labyrinth into a rampage was clinging to my back, crying like a real child.

Kiiing!

I like Master!

I slowly closed my eyes.