Yvonne smiled at the sight of the purring cat as it rubbed its head against Taylor.

From what he had mentioned earlier, she had a good idea about their first encounter.

The Royal Academy, at the end of each month, would gather their students and bring them to the thick and heavily-populated woods behind their premises to train the young boys.

They not only taught survival training but also helped them learn how to defend themselves against wild animals.

Many noble families had raised their objections towards subjecting their pampered sons to such harsh treatments.

The boys were too young to learn how to face wild animals and there was no saying what would take place in such dangerous situations.

However, the Dean of the Academy, Aramis Brodie, the man who had been the highest authority there and had run that place for more than three decades, had never paid any heed to their opinions.

He had been a teacher there for twenty-odd years before he was given the position and authority of the Dean, a post which he had done justice to for more than thirty years now.

Therefore, his ideals on how to educate the noble sons of their society had been praised and accepted for a very long time.

Though there were always those who disagreed with his methods, what could they do when it was clear that he had the approval of the King on his side?

Thus they had no choice but to follow his teachings if they wanted their sons to graduate from the Royal Academy.

If they were displeased then they could shift to the Sonete Academy but most were unwilling to do so and could only remain there despite their obvious rejection of his methods.

In the Dean's opinion, these boys were already pampered at home so there needed to be someone who was willing to be tough on them.

If they were shown only good things and given all the care in the world then they would turn out to be wastrels who would ruin the future of this great kingdom.

They needed to be shown the harsh realities of life even if it was just by little in order not to offend too many people.

Thus the outing to the woods behind the Academy was one such exercise he had initiated well in the past which continued even to this day.

However, the Academy wasn't completely reckless in its actions.

They would make sure that no harm came to the boys as the Professors and guards would be there on stand-by to protect them if something unexpected did take place.

Since there were precautionary measures being put in place, most parents had set their worries aside and hoped their sons would be safe there.

After all, the Dean had a reason for suggesting to send the boys to such a place and put them in that situation.

This forest was not just a way to teach the boys how to live while everything around them was against their survival but it was also a medium for them to come in contact with the animals residing there.

They could put their skills to the test and if they were lucky, would find something excellent there.

After all, that place was unique for its history of letting etchers meet their fated masters.

Not all animals there were etchers but there were still quite a few there.

Many young boys in the past and even now had found their fated beasts in that forest and the credit for their encounter could be given to the Dean who had set up such an event for them.

Taylor Tanner was one such boy who had also come across a cute little kitten while wandering around the woods with Howard.

The other boy had called the kitten a stray cat who had lost its way but Taylor had felt something special when he first saw the cat from afar.

Urging Howard to come along, the two moved closer and the moment Taylor gazed into the cat's eyes, he felt a strange sensation in his chest.

It was as though the cat was peering into his soul and before he even knew it, he had stretched his hand towards it.

The kitten was about to scurry away when it heard footsteps but halted after seeing who it was.

Howard was still dissuading Taylor from getting too close to the cat as it might be dirty which it clearly was, yet his best friend did not hear a single word of what was being said.

Ignoring their surroundings, the cat gazed at the young boy with fiery red hair and raised its head when his palm moved closer to its position.

At the moment they touched, Taylor knew that he had found his fated beast while at the same time, the cat had marked him as its owner.

"I finally understood what an imprint was.

" He muttered while coming out of his thoughts.

Yvonne could relate with him as she too had that surreal feeling when Demon had imprinted on her.

Her chest felt free and there was a surge of warmth within her body which she realized was aura only much later.

Therefore, she too was reminiscing while Taylor tried to explain what he had felt when he first touched Celestial.

"After we returned to the Academy, there was still a whole month left before we could meet our families so I asked the authorities to not inform my parents about my etcher.

" Taylor then stuck out his tongue while revealing why no one had heard about the beast until now.

Hearing his reason for doing so, the professors chuckled and since it wasn't an issue, they had allowed him to do as he pleased.

Therefore, for the following many weeks until it was time for them to return to the Capital, Celestial had resided with Taylor in his room.

Thinking of all the ruckus this tiny beast had caused during that time, Howard shook his head as being in the room right next to theirs had taken a toll on his sleep time and its quality.

"Can Brother Taylor use his mental link already?

" Yvonne inquired when their conversation had slowed down.

The young boy gave her a negative reply as it had not been long since he had formed a bond with Celestial.

"Let's not forget that he only started training seriously a few months ago.

" Howard chimed in, reminding them of his friend's lazy past.

In response, Taylor coughed before glaring at him for pointing that out before Yvonne.

The little girl did not mind and nodded in understanding as this was the truth.

She could only begin conversing with Demon and the other etchers through the mental link after the aura within her body had increased which was the result of her strict and regular training.

Therefore, Taylor would have to work much harder if he wished to achieve the same goal.

"Do your best, Brother Taylor!

" She cheered for him which brought a smile to his face.

Though Yvonne had a feeling that he would do just fine even without her wishes, considering the fact that he was a member of the Tanner family that had a reputation of having talented swordsmen for many generations.

Witnessing the delightful atmosphere in the Parlor, Howard clenched his fists and determination flashed across his beautiful midnight blue eyes.

'I will find my fated beast soon too!' He vowed to make sure that this turned into reality.