The Monster dragged Asta for MILES-- through thickets and groves of trees, and once even over a stream. Unsurprisingly, by the end of it, Asta was cold, hungry, and miserable.

But mostly hungry.

"Have you got anything to eat besides me?" he asked his captore politely then. "Being dragged through the forest makes one quite famished, you know."

Asta felt the beast shake its great head. "Are you always this polite?"

"Not always. I can be quite nasty if I want to be."

"I'm sure you can, young master..." Though the beast did not sound convinced in the slightest.

They were quiet after that and soon the Monster brought Asta into a small cave and set him down on the rough hewn, stone floor and jabbed a finger at him. "Don't run away."

Asta smiled brightly, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Then he made a break for it.

Unfortunately, he did not get very far before the wolf Monster smacked him in the back of the head with something hard-- most likely a stick or rock of some sort-- and Asta fell to the ground, moaning in pain as his skull throbbed as if it were going to crumble. 

Numbly, he felt the Monster lift him up by the collar of his tunic and hold him in front of its face. From this close, the beast's breath smelled of rotting meat and a strong sense of decay, making it quite had for Asta not to gag.

"I told you not to run!" the Monster snarled.

"And you REALLY thought I wouldn't try?" he replied. Sometimes, the easiest thing for Asta to do in the past would have been to run away. But perhaps that would not be the case from now on.

Maybe now it was time to stand and fight.

"I am not afraid of you, you know." Asta said, letting his voice ring clear and strong in the mouth of the cave.

But the Monster only grinned at him; a leer that reminded Asta oddly of Kyrin. "You don't have to be afraid of me. You just have to be afraid of what I tell you."

 Asta narrowed his eyes, "What do you have to tell me?"

"I'm here to warn you of the impending doom you humans have gotten yourself into." The creature then sat Asta down and led him back into the cave. 

And while the idea of a monster in a cave was not at all outlandish, Asta was surprised to find that the cave itself was slightly furnished. 

Yet despite this, the furniture was crudely made as if the Monster had slapped a bunch of sticks and straw together for a bed and assumed that was the end of it. The chairs, or what the boy ASSUMED were chairs, were just piles of pine needles set on a bit of rock.

What was more, Asta was sure that there were all sorts of insects crawling about in those "chairs" but he did not wish to be bashed over the head again so when the Monster told him to sit, he sat.

"So," Asta began rather hesitantly, "Impending doom, eh? I'm listening."

The beast shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Asta, I know you are a Monster Lord..."

Blimey. The Headmaster knew, this Monster knew, the Iron Guild knew. Asta wondered if he was doing a good job at all of keeping his secret powers, well, SECRET.

Still, he said nothing as the creature went on, waving its massive paws as it talked.

"All Monsters, you see, have a special connection with the Monster Lords. We can sense them, feel their presence, and are drawn to them through the bond of Ancient Magic." the Monster paused, "Is any of this getting through to you?"

Asta nodded. In truth, he was more concerned about the centipede that crawled over his leg just moments before, and he certainly hoped it wasn't planning on staying.

The Monster continued, "Your Headmaster posseses a powerful, ancient relic that could destroy all of Monster kind, yet she needs a Monster Lord to wield it. Asta, it is paramount that you do NOT use this relic. Do you understand?"

"I think a centipede just crawled down my trousers."

The beast shook its great furry head in frustation, "Asta, if the Headmaster exstinguishes all of Monster kind, it will mean the end of Tirus as well."

NOW Asta was listening, centipede or no cetipede. He had a cold feeling running its way up his spine and he leaned forward, tensed. "Go on."

Pulling out a great leather volume the size of Asta's head from a shelf next to them, the creature turned the pages to a section filled with flowing black script. "The Monsters in Tirus are not of this world; there is another realm, full of Monsters and creatures of your worst nightmares. The only thing keeping the more horrible beasts out of Tirus is the thin barrier of Ancient Magic that the Monsters in THIS realm must upold. If your Headmaster destroys the Monsters here, she will tear open the barrier and release thousands of more hideous creatures into the land."

Asta gaped in disbelief "So you are saying that the only thing that's keeping us from Monsters are... more Monsters? It doesn't make sense. Why not just break the barrier and overrun the land of Tirus? Don't you WANT your kind to rule?"

The beast shook his head once more, "We Monsters here left the other realm for a reason; we were being hunted by things worse than shadow Monsters. When we created a gateway into this world, we purposely sealed it so that no other breed of Monster could get through. Though I imagine a few did."

Asta leaned back in his chair, his mind caught up in a terrifying whirl. 

The Monsters had only been trying to survive, just like the humans had when THEY arrived in Tirus. And to think that there was a whole other world filled with these creatures... Blimey, it was almost too much to comprehend.

"If your Headmaster succeeds, it will be the END of Tirus." The Monster went on then, seemingly oblivious to Asta's inner turmoil,  "Which is why I need you to help us."

"Why should I help you? How do I know you're not lying in order to save your kind?" Asta demanded.

Closing the cover of the book, the Monster pointed at a name inscribed on the cover; 'Tobias Mauthrin'. 

"You do not have to believe me, young one, but Tobias knew all about what would happen if Monsters went extinct in Tirus. Perhaps you can believe him."

Asta swallowed, thinking it over for a minute. "What would I have to do, you know, to NOT release all of the Monsters into our homeland?"

"You must destroy the relic." the Monster replied, opening the book once more and pointing to a picture of a sword. A very familiar sword. "Only a sword made of darksteel is strong enough to destroy a relic made with Ancient Magic."

"Here now! That's my sword!" Asta exclaimed. It was, in fact, his sword that he had forged by instinct. Almost as if Fate herself had been guiding his hand.

"You have a sword like this?"

Asta nodded.

"Good. Darksteel is very hard to find and even harder to forge. Tobias had a sword much like this; he used it against the relic that Phineas Adalain had made. The same relic that you must destroy."

"This relic, what will it do?"

"Phineas Adalain crafted it to destroy all the Monsters in Tirus with a single spell. Thankfully, Tobias was able to damage it before Phineas could have uttered the spell."

"Was that when they had their duel?"

The Monster nodded.

Sitting in silence for a moment, Asta took it all in; HE was the key to stopping the end of Tirus, and yet he had no idea HOW or WHEN he was going to do it. It was all quite much and he doubted that the Monster was very smart if it was entrusting the lives of all Monster kind to a sixteen year old boy.

Finally, Asta looked up at the Monster, "Why are you helping me? Why not just let all us humans perish?"

The creature looked at him with eyes that were almost sad, "Because I used to live in that realm, and I do not want to see Tirus turn into such an awful place. Asta, we Monsters have been waiting for years for someone like you. We searched the entire continent until we found you. Yet you simply lacked the proper training--"

A cold sweat trickled down the boy's forehead, and he burst out, "YOU found me... But that would mean..." 

Nodding, the Monster shrugged and replied, "I was the one who brought you to Adalain Academy."

                                    ...................................