Boundless Evolution: The Summoning Beast
Chapter 41: A Path for the Future

Chapter 41: A Path for the Future

Boy didn’t answer at first as he observed Raegan sit down next to him. Then, finally, he said, "What is life?"

Raegan blinked, momentarily caught off guard. He had not expected such a response from Boy. His expression shifted as curiosity flickered in his eyes as he studied the young summon before him.

After a moment, he exhaled, rubbing his chin in thought as he answered, "That’s a question even the wisest of us struggle with. But if you ask me? Life is about what you make it. The people you fight for, the purpose you create for yourself."

"What does that mean?" Boy asked, finding the answer a bit too abstract.

"The answer to your question is what you make of life. Life can be as small as you want, or it can be as big as you want it. As meaningful as you want it or as meaningless as you want it," Raegan spoke in a slow breath as he turned his gaze to the stars.

Hearing this, Boy frowned as the answer only provided more questions, "But how do you know what to make of it? How do you choose?"

Raegan chucked, though there was no mockery in it, "That’s the part no one can answer for you. Some people choose family, others choose ambition, some find meaning in service, others in power. And some- some spend their whole lives searching, never realising they already had the answer in front of them."

Boy’s claws dug into the dirt as he absorbed the words. The dissatisfaction did not go unnoticed by Raegan as he brought up a question of his own, "Tell me the first thing that pops up in your head... Why do you live?"

"Strength and survival," Boy answered.

"Well then, life for you would be to get stronger so you can survive no matter what, would it not?" Raegan commented, his gaze shifting to Boy and at that, he could see conflict in Boy’s eyes.

"Looks like that answer is something you are so unhappy with..." he commented with a smile as he rested his head on his hands while lying on the ground.

Boy’s claws dug into the dirt, he had always thought that strength was the answer but hearing it be an answer to the question, he wasn’t sure that it was the correct answer. Hoping for further guidance, he asked, "What can I do to fix this?"

Hearing this, Raegan let out a helpless smile as he spoke, "Search. Look for answers and ask questions. That is the best way."

Boy’s gaze fell to the ground before rising to the starry night as he took in Raegan’s words.

As he was doing this, Raegan turned to Boy and saw the intelligence working in Boy’s eyes. A look of amazement and wonder appeared on his face as he spoke, "You are by far the strangest summons I have ever met. Haha! Here I am talking to a shadow hyena. I don’t think you realise how weird it is to be able to communicate with a summon and even hear that it is able to consider such intricate and philosophical questions that even humans struggle with. No one would believe me if I told them this story."

Boy’s mind wrestled with the thoughts Raegan had planted. He tried to grasp the concept, to make sense of what had been said. Strength had been his answer for so long, his reason for pushing forward. But as he turned the words over in his head, they felt... incomplete

He hesitated before speaking, "Survival isn’t all there is to life, is it?"

"To me, no," Raegan answered firmly, "Survival is where life begins, not where it ends. Living is more than just enduring- it’s about choosing why you endure and that is where we will all differ."

Hearing this, Boy’s gaze couldn’t help but flick back towards the sleeping villagers. The mother holding her child, the wounded finding comfort in their living loved ones as they were sleeping.

"If strength and survival was all there is to life then these people would have no reason for continuing to exist, would they?" Raegan asked rhetorically before explaining, "For them, life is more than just surviving and I think it should be clear from how they are still able to find peace and the strength to smile through all the pain that they suffered."

"They spoke about hope..." Boy mumbled, as he found the old lady who he had walked to the village center with, "What exactly is it?"

Raegan’s expression softened as a warm smile appeared on his face, "Hope is a powerful thing. It keeps people moving forward, even when the odds are against them."

He studied Boy for a moment longer before adding, "And we gave them hope, you in particular. In saving their village, we gave them hope that their village would survive and you, in saving their family members, gave them the biggest hope they could have for the future. You did something Commander Darius would’ve done."

Boy’s ears flattened slightly, "I didn’t do it for them. I just... did what came naturally..."

At this, Raegan smiled faintly, "that’s why you remind me of him. To him, the wellbeing of others was extremely important and he would often sacrifice his own self to make sure others were happy."

"Darius..." Boy recalled the name multiple times, his intrigue in the fallen commander rising with each utterance, "I want to know more about him..."

"And you will. What better place to learn more about someone you want to know more about than his own home?" Raegan sighed, as he rose to his feet, "Get some rest. We will leave at first sight."

Boy didn’t move as Raegan walked away, his words settling over him like a heavy cloak.

He wasn’t Darius. He wasn’t a leader. He didn’t fight for anyone but himself. And yet...

The villagers had survived because of him. The soldiers had followed his lead in battle.

Boy wasn’t sure he had all the answers, but he had found an approach to take. He didn’t know what his future would be, but maybe—just maybe—he had taken his first step toward understanding it.