The morning sun filtered through the branches as Mia adjusted the straps on her travel bag and gave a last tug to Nutmeg's harness. Professor Hootsworth flapped his wings once and landed neatly on her shoulder, preening his feathers in the dappled light. It was the perfect day for a little field trip, or at least, that's what she was telling herself to quiet the nervous flutter in her chest.
"Okay, listen up," Mia said, halting the team just before they passed through the stone arch that led from the city outskirts toward the research zone. "There's one rule for today. One. It's very important."
Nutmeg cocked his head, flexing one of his biceps like it was part of a reflex.
Hootsworth blinked and gave a courteous, "Go on, dear."
Mia looked them both in the eye. "No mentioning my ability. Not a word about Evolution Heart. Got it?"
There was a moment of silence, and then Nutmeg tilted his head again. "Even if they ask how I got these sweet pecs?"
Mia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Especially then."
Hootsworth puffed his chest and nodded solemnly. "Understood. It is a powerful asset, one that ought to be guarded. Public knowledge would invite unnecessary attention. And by unnecessary, I mean terrifying."
"Exactly," Mia said, releasing a breath. "I don't want people banging on my door with beasts begging for help or newspapers calling me some messiah of evolution. I'm just a schoolteacher. I like my peace. And my dumpling squad of students."
She looked down at Nutmeg, who despite his new kangaroo-sized height and the sheer density of muscle on his limbs, had the same wide-eyed loyalty he always had.
"Promise?" she asked.
"Promise," Nutmeg said, giving her a casual salute. "I gotchu."
Professor Hootsworth nodded with more dignity. "Our bond is not built on public acclaim. It's built on morning tea, witty conversation, and tactical excellence."
Satisfied, Mia adjusted the strap of her satchel and stepped forward. "Alright, let's go meet this researcher."
The lab wasn't far from the Alchemy Guild, tucked behind a short stretch of wooded trail and up a slope lined with glowing stones embedded in the ground. The building itself was impressive: a tall, rounded structure of reinforced glass and silver-lined steel, glinting under the sun. Crystal arrays hummed gently along the roof, drawing in ambient mana from the air.
And waiting out front, practically vibrating with excitement, was a woman with a long white coat flapping in the breeze, round goggles pushed up into her voluminous braid of rust-colored hair, and a clipboard clutched in one hand like it might escape if she didn't hold tight.
She spotted them and immediately jogged over with a grin that stretched ear to ear. "You must be Mia! I'm Lira! Oh my stars, look at that squirrel! That's him, isn't it?"
Mia blinked. "Uh. Yes. This is Nutmeg."
Lira dropped to one knee like she was meeting royalty and extended a hand to the beefy squirrel. "Sir Nutmeg. A pleasure."
Nutmeg blinked, shook her hand with care, and puffed his chest proudly. "Pleasure's mine."
"Sentient, verbal, and confident," Lira muttered to herself, scribbling something on her clipboard before standing again. "Incredible! And you're—oh!" She turned to Hootsworth. "An Argent-Spectacled Owlkin! Rare as the moon in daylight! And he's evolved, right? Please tell me he's evolved."
"I have, madam," Hootsworth replied, with a bow of his wing. "My name is Professor Hootsworth. I hold several honorary degrees in magical theory, and I enjoy historical literature and long flights at sunset."
Lira gasped like a child opening a birthday present. "Brilliant! You both are way more than I expected!"
Mia coughed gently. "So… should we go inside?"
"Absolutely! Yes! Come, come—this lab is warded, sealed, and stocked with every piece of beastology equipment a girl could dream of!" Lira spun on her heel and practically skipped to the entrance, inputting a sequence on a glowing rune plate.
The lab doors whooshed open, revealing a cavernous interior packed with display monitors, scanning devices, containment pods (empty), and piles of notebooks stacked in what could generously be described as "controlled chaos." The air inside smelled like parchment, ozone, and fresh citrus.
"Whoa," Nutmeg muttered, staring at a treadmill that looked large enough to fit a small dragon.
Hootsworth flitted toward a floating screen and tapped at it experimentally. "You've got real-time mana flow mapping here. Impressive."
Mia glanced around, taking it all in. She was trying very hard to keep her expression calm. Deep breaths. Don't look suspicious. Don't think about your cheat ability. Just be normal.
Lira turned toward Nutmeg and Hootsworth, eyes gleaming. "Okay, first question: what evolutionary stage were you in before this transformation?"
"Standard Mega Squirrel," Nutmeg answered. "Nothing special. I ate a lot of peanuts. Worked out."
"Any catalysts? Stones? Potions? Magical exposure?"
"Just hard work," Nutmeg said smoothly, flexing his arm.
Hootsworth cleared his throat and added, "And perhaps a touch of luck. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Lira hummed. "That makes it even more fascinating. Do you mind if I do a few scans?"
Mia gave a small nod. "As long as they're non-invasive."
"Completely harmless," Lira said, already activating a nearby scanning array. "I'm just going to analyze his mana core, bone density, and evolutionary trace residue."
As the machines began their work, colorful lights passed over Nutmeg's fur, scanning the lines of his muscle and pulsing aura. Mia watched tensely, but Lira didn't seem suspicious of anything deeper.
Instead, the researcher gasped. "He didn't just evolve… he diverged. There are markers in his mana signature that suggest a new evolutionary path. One that's not been recorded in the Bestiarium."
Hootsworth's eyes gleamed. "He bypassed the conventional branches."
"Exactly," Lira said. "And there's no trace of external catalysts. It's like something inside him knew what to become."
Mia swallowed and smiled tightly. "He's… got a strong will."
Lira grinned again. "I love strong-willed beasts! They're the ones who defy categories. This—this is the kind of discovery that makes me love my job."
Mia kept her expression pleasant. Calm. Focused. Inside, her mind raced. So far, no questions about her. No hints about Evolution Heart. Good.
They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing theories. Lira proposed that Nutmeg had tapped into a hybridized survival-oriented evolution line. Hootsworth offered his own counter-hypothesis: that the squirrel's subconscious intellect shaped his form in accordance with Mia's support, like a soul-bound tether giving him access to dormant traits.
Neither of them came close to the real answer, and Mia let them debate with quiet relief.
By evening, Lira handed her a folder of notes. "Keep this. And if Nutmeg or the Professor start changing again, call me. I want to be part of the documentation."
"Deal," Mia said.
As they left the lab, the sun dipping low and the sky painted in warm hues, Nutmeg looked over his shoulder. "She was fun."
"She was," Hootsworth agreed. "Sharp mind. Not nosy."
"Yet," Mia muttered, clutching the folder. "Let's keep it that way."
As the wind picked up and Hootsworth offered them a lift on his back, Mia climbed aboard with a deep breath. The secret was safe—for now. But it was only a matter of time before her peaceful little life would face more curious eyes.
And when that time came, she just hoped she'd be ready.