John stood quietly, feeling the last warmth of the contract fading from his body.
For a few long seconds, he just breathed, letting his mind adjust to the new connection he had formed with the creature.
Then he noticed something strange.
He didn't feel stronger.
His muscles didn't swell with new power.
He didn't feel faster either — no sudden bursts of speed or agility.
Instead, what he did feel... was in his chest.
John frowned slightly and took a deep breath through the thin Martian air.
His eyes widened a little.
He could breathe easier now.
Before, even with the water-oxygen bubble around his head, the air always felt thin — like sipping through a tiny straw.
But now?
It felt like his lungs had opened up.
Even the tiny amount of oxygen mixed with the dusty air was enough to keep him strong and steady.
A slow smile tugged at John's lips.
In this deadly environment where every breath mattered, this new ability was priceless.
It was a quiet power — not flashy, not violent — but perfect for survival.
"Looks like I made a good friend after all," John muttered to himself, glancing at the creature standing before him.
The massive black beast stood silently, its tentacles relaxed and tails swaying slowly behind it.
It no longer looked aggressive or hostile — only watchful, almost curious.
The wild fire from earlier had dimmed, replaced by a calm obedience.
John decided to test their bond.
He focused his mind, reaching out to the creature through the strange connection formed by the contract.
He didn't speak aloud — instead, he pushed a simple thought:
"Can you understand me?"
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then, like a faint echo inside his head, he felt a response — not words, but feelings.
A sense of understanding, a ripple of acknowledgment.
John's heart leapt.
It worked.
Excited, he tried again, forming another question in his mind.
"Where do you come from?"
This time, the creature responded more clearly.
Images flashed in John's mind — pictures instead of words.
He saw dark underground tunnels, huge caves glittering with colorful crystals, winding paths hidden deep beneath the Martian surface.
The creature lived down there — not on the rocky plains above.
John's eyebrows rose in surprise.
So that's why no one on Earth had ever seen them.
They weren't wandering the surface.
They lived in secret, hidden from all human eyes.
But sometimes, by chance, a few creatures would wander up, maybe chasing a scent, maybe exploring.
That's when John had met this one.
He chuckled softly, feeling a strange warmth in his chest.
"You're not some wild monster after all," he said.
"You're just... lost."
Curious, John asked another question through the link:
"What are you called?"
The answer came back as confusion.
The creature had no name.
Not even a species name.
It simply was.
It belonged to a tribe, but no single creature had a personal name.
John tilted his head thoughtfully.
That felt wrong to him — such a strong and proud being deserved a name.
He thought for a moment, watching the creature's black skin shimmer slightly under the dusty light, like a living storm cloud.
The way it had charged through the red dust earlier...
An idea popped into his mind.
He smiled.
"I'll call you Black Dust," he said firmly.
"And from today onward, you're not just a nameless creature."
The creature — Black Dust now — rumbled softly, almost like a purr, and John felt a ripple of acceptance through the mind link.
It liked the name.
Feeling the bond growing stronger, John continued his questioning, trying to learn more about Black Dust's kind.
He discovered that in their society, strength and position were not decided by size or brute force, but by the number of tails they had.
The more tails a creature had, the higher its rank.
Young ones had one or two tails, but as they grew stronger, they would sprout more.
Black Dust had three.
That meant he was already quite powerful among his kind.
John also learned about their diet.
Unlike animals on Earth that fed on plants or meat, these creatures consumed crystals — special crystals that grew deep underground.
Those crystals fed them, strengthened them, and even helped them evolve.
John filed all this information carefully in his mind.
It could be important later.
Very important.
Finally, after a few minutes of resting, John decided it was time to move.
He couldn't stay here forever.
He needed more knowledge about this strange, hidden side of Mars.
Through their link, John asked Black Dust if he could lead him to a gathering place — where more of his kind lived.
Maybe he could learn even more there.
Maybe he could find crystals, too.
Black Dust responded eagerly, lowering his head slightly in a gesture of respect.
Then he turned and started walking, his massive form moving with surprising grace across the rocky path.
John followed without hesitation, excitement bubbling in his chest.
Each step they took kicked up little clouds of red dust, swirling lazily in the thin air.
The Martian sun hung low in the sky, casting long, stretched-out shadows behind them.
The land was silent, mysterious, and filled with secrets that no Earthling had ever dreamed of.
John smiled to himself as he walked, his new companion by his side.
A new journey was beginning — a journey into a hidden world buried deep beneath Mars' dusty skin.
And at the heart of it, was the bond between a man... and a creature born from dust and darkness.
A bond stronger than fear.
Stronger than loneliness.
Stronger than the thin air itself.
John whispered into the quiet,
"Let's go, Black Dust. Let's see what else Mars is hiding."
And together, they disappeared into the rust-colored landscape, heading toward the unknown.