My spirit animal is a F–Rank gecko-Chapter 50: Back to present (1)

Jaster’s head felt like it was going to explode from all the information his friends had dumped on him.

He sighed and rubbed his temple.

"There’s so much going on..."

"Krrk?" Purple suddenly licked Jaster’s face, forcing him to grab a tissue and wipe it off.

"So, when do you think you’ll be discharged?" Ivy asked.

Jaster rubbed his chin, then shrugged. "They haven’t told me yet. Honestly, I need to get out of this bed immediately."

He let out an exhausted sigh and rubbed his head again, thoughts swirling.

I need to help Elaine with her campaign. I also need to fix the student council’s fractured bond... There’s too much to do.

The entire game’s direction had shifted because of the Broker’s interference.

Ever since they attacked Bondspire, so many characters had veered off their original paths.

Marcus, consumed by depression, watching the student council fall apart piece by piece.

Elaine, rewriting her manifesto entirely—now focused on protecting first years from danger.

Those damn Brokers...

Reza noticed Jaster’s distress and tried to come up with a distraction.

"ANYWAY! Everyone, let’s get this party started!"

He grabbed a drumstick from the bucket and started devouring it.

"Hey, I want some too!" Karina snatched the whole bucket and began handing pieces out to everyone.

She offered one to Jaster with a warm smile. "Do you want some?"

Jaster froze, surprised by the simple gesture.

He’d never had this kind of interaction with anyone. Ever.

But for the first time in his life, Jaster felt safe and happy with actual humans, not just animals.

He grabbed the chicken from the bucket and chuckled.

"Yeah. Let’s get this party started."

---

Eventually night had fallen. The others were still in Jaster’s room.

Ivy and Karina were slumped together on the sofa, dead to the world.

Jay and Reza slept soundly on the floor, limbs sprawled in every direction.

Jaster was the only one still awake. He looked at his stupid, wonderful friends and smiled warmly.

Dumbasses. Should’ve just gone home...

He’d insisted they leave, but they’d already decided that they were staying the whole night.

Jaster still didn’t understand why anyone would voluntarily stay in a hospital if they weren’t sick.

He grabbed his phone and started scrolling through the news, searching for more information on the Broker.

This terrorist group... they’re way too much of a threat. Who knows what they’ll do next.

He stumbled across an article claiming the Broker had once breached Elgregreas’ Moon Lake and severely damaged the bond with the powerful spirit animals connected to it.

This group... they’ve been all over Boundara.

One post said the Broker had infiltrated every nation except one: Tatharen.

Guess it’s because of that protective dome everyone’s been talking about. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"CHAA!!"

Purple suddenly leaped forward and landed on Jaster’s head.

"Purple! You startled me!" He rubbed the little gecko, and it purred contentedly.

The gecko shifted colors, becoming nearly invisible. That gave Jaster an idea.

He tucked his phone away and slipped out of bed.

"Okay, let’s test out my newly obtained Origin Aspect!"

He poked Purple’s belly, earning a tiny squeak.

——————•●•———————

Spirit Animal: Gecko

Spirit Given Name: Purpleberry

Affinity: Shade

Tier: Common

Overall Power: F-Rank (8/35)

Active Skills

◇ Wall Climb – Lv. 1

◇ Quick Escape – Lv. 2

Passive Skills

◇ Minor Regeneration – Lv. 1

◇ Heat Tolerance – LOCKED

Origin Aspect

Chameleonic Sovereignty

???

???

——————•●•———————

A window screen appeared. The first thing Jaster noticed was that Quick Escape had leveled up without him knowing.

Was it while I was passed out? I don’t remember getting a notification about that...

He closed his eyes and focused on his connection with Purple.

Soon, his chest began to glow a vibrant indigo that illuminated the dark room.

Then a notification chimed.

[ Origin Aspect — Chameleonic Sovereignty ]

[ Authority Acknowledged.

Adaptive Concealment Domain Established.]

[ Warning: Visual Recognition Laws Overridden. ]

Jaster opened his eyes. But nothing felt different.

Did something happen—HOLY SHIT!

He raised his hand and saw his skin glowing bright purple.

His glowing skin had illuminated the dark, gloomy atmosphere of the room.

"Oh my god... No way!"

"Krrk krrk!"

Jaster rushed to the bathroom, his vibrant glow painting the walls.

He stared at the mirror, eyes wide.

Every part of him, including his hospital gown had turned bright purple. He touched his own skin, but it felt completely normal.

Purple had changed colors with him. They were matching.

"Purple... this is amazing!" Purple bounced happily on his head.

Jaster’s expression shifted into something mischievous. He rubbed his chin, smirking.

"Krrk?" Purple tilted its head.

"Let’s pull a prank!"

---

At the hospital’s front desk, a woman typed away at her computer.

The hallway was eerily dark and quiet. The only light came from her flickering screen.

She sighed and rubbed her temples.

When will my shift finally end... She swallowed a pill with some water and kept typing.

Then she heard a crackling sound.

Her head snapped toward the dark hallway. But there was nothing.

What... was that? She turned back to her screen, dismissing it as her wild imagination.

Then—

Shaaaaaa.

A faint, strange sound drifted from the hallway. She looked again.

Still nothing.

Am I hallucinating? She stared at her computer, then whipped her head back toward the hallway.

Shaaaaa~~~~

"WHO’S THERE?!" She shot up from her seat, heart pounding.

She scanned everywhere—but it was too dark. She grabbed her phone, shining its flashlight down the hallway.

Yet again... There was nothing.

She swept the light across every corner, every crevice, even under her desk.

Still nothing.

Am I going crazy? She backed away slowly until she hit something solid.

She spun around, phone light raised.

There stood a completely dark figure, a strange silhouette perched on its head.

The figure pointed at her and began mumbling gibberish.

"Tralallaalalala... I’ve come to take your soul!"

"CHAAAAAA!" The silhouette on its head joined in.

"AAAAA!" The woman’s scream echoed through the hospital.

She bolted, running so fast she dropped her phone somewhere along the way.

The dark figure shifted back to its normal colors. Revealing Jaster, with Purple perched triumphantly on his head.

"HAHAHA! That was amazing!"

He held up his hand for a high-five, both of them cackling like maniacs.

Jaster wiped tears from his eyes and scooped up Purple.

"What should we do next, Purpleberry?"

Purple’s tiny yellow eyes squinted, deep in thought with its small brain.

Then Jaster’s stomach growled, interrupting their scheming.

They looked at each other.

"Wanna grab some food first?"

"Krrk krrk!"

Jaster spotted a vending machine near the waiting room. Both of their eyes sparkled.

"Bingo!"

"CHAA!"