Nyx stood above me, her small black paws resting on my chest.
The presence faded, but something remained—an afterimage etched into my soul rather than my mind.
A voice echoed, distant and ancient, layered beneath a pressure that felt older than time itself.
This one walks a path intertwined with yours.
There was no command in it. No ownership. Only certainty.
The pressure withdrew, leaving behind a single, quiet understanding—
Whatever Nyx truly was, our meeting had not been coincidence.
And whatever awaited me in the future… she would be there to witness it.
Her golden eyes were wide and innocent, reflecting my own shattered state. Pain still echoed inside my soul—not physical, not mental, but something deeper, something that lingered even after the dungeon had released me. I should have cried. Any normal person would have.
But I didn't.
A child was watching.
I forced my lips upward into a smile—too wide, too stiff, ridiculous in every way—but it was enough. I reached up and gently patted her head. She responded by licking the corner of my eye, as if trying to erase what I refused to show.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Then I called inward.
"Aeldir."
No response.
I tried again—harder this time.
A groan answered me instead.
Control shifted.
My vision blurred, then stabilized. Aeldir inhaled sharply, his body jerking upright as if pulled from a deep sleep.
"What—?" he muttered, then frowned. "Why do I feel exhausted?"
"Just take it," I replied internally, my voice distant. "I don't want control right now."
Before he could argue, the door burst open.
"What in the world was that sharp light?" the princess demanded, her gaze sweeping the room.
Aeldir reacted instantly.
"I was practicing summoning," he said without hesitation. "It… succeeded."
Her eyes landed on Nyx.
Silence.
Then—
"Oh my gods," she whispered, stepping closer. "She's adorable."
She crouched and gently stroked Nyx's fur. The kitten purred loudly, pressing into her hand as if she had always belonged there.
I spoke quietly inside Aeldir's mind.
"Good cover. Don't mention anything else. Especially not dragons."
He understood.
Princess straightened and tilted her head. "You can summon already? At your age?"
"I can only summon her," Aeldir replied. "And… one spirit."
She smirked. "Still above average. You don't look like a bookworm either."
At that moment, a knock echoed from outside.
"Princess," a knight announced. "Your self-defense training is about to begin."
She nodded. "I'll be there."
As she turned, she glanced back at us once and use gesture ordering us to follow him we were one body two soul but had had to gone because we had taken soul oath both specially me and we followed her till garden came
The garden was vast—open sky above, polished stone beneath, mana flowing freely like breath. The elven queen stood there already, her presence calm but overwhelming. She wasn't wearing a crown. She never needed to.
Beside her stood a knight.
No.
A commander.
His armor was different from the rest—cleaner, heavier, adorned with a larger golden rhombus at its core. He wore no helmet. Black hair fell to his neck. His physique was absurdly refined, like something forged rather than born.
But it was his mana that froze me.
Dense. Pressurized. Violent.
It rivaled a demon general.
And I realized—
I had been staring too long.
He noticed.
A smile crept across his face.
"Kid," he said, cracking his neck. "Want to fight?"
Aeldir's instinct screamed rejection.
I answered instead.
"Yes."
The commander laughed. "You've got guts."
A barrier expanded instantly—vast, invisible, layered. Then another formed inside it, isolating the queen and princess safely away.
The princess hesitated only a moment before turning back to her training.
"Again," her mother said calmly. "Suppress your mana completely."
She obeyed.
Mana folded inward, compressed, refined. Her control was sharper now—faster than before.
"Good," the queen said. "Now form a barrier. Use multiple elements."
"Why not one?" the princess asked.
"Because mastery comes later. Survival comes first."
The garden shook.
A heavy thud echoed through the air.
Both turned.
Aeldir was already moving.
Water condensed around his hands, firing forward in compressed bullets. They missed—wild, unfocused—but fast.
The commander didn't even flinch.
He punched the air.
The compression detonated.
Aeldir barely raised his arm in time, reinforcing it with mana amplification. He was thrown backward nearly eight meters, skidding across stone.
"Why would you throw me at a monster like that?!" Aeldir shouted inwardly.
"In a few years," I replied calmly, "I won't be here. What will you do then?"
Gravity pressed down on him suddenly.
The commander had shifted affinities.
I reacted instantly, forcing wind mana outward, breaking the zone's hold long enough for Aeldir to roll aside.
The commander slammed his fist into the ground.
The stone cracked.
Dust exploded upward.
Visibility dropped to nothing.
"You fight alone now," I told Aeldir. "Move."
Then a message surfaced before my eyes.
[Curse Weaver:] Use your vessel. This will be entertaining. I'll handle the aftermath.
I didn't hesitate.
The world inverted.
I manifested.
Elven armor wrapped around me, formed from stored data. Twin daggers appeared in my grip—the goblin blades, humming softly.
I lunged.
Steel clashed.
The commander blocked effortlessly, sliding back with controlled precision.
"Oh?" he muttered. "A summoned soul?"
I didn't answer.
I moved faster.
A shallow cut appeared on his cheek.
Surprise flickered across his face.
A message burned into my vision.
[Power Restriction: 10% of vessel capacity.]
Enough.
He removed his gauntlet.
Earth mana surged, forming sharp stone daggers midair.
"Interesting toys," he said. "Where'd you get those?"
I ignored him and attacked.
Our blades met again and again—fast, brutal, perfectly timed. Aeldir fired water bullets to disrupt his balance. I covered the gaps.
Then—
The commander threw a dagger.
Straight at Aeldir.
I moved to intercept—
But the commander summoned a sword mid-motion, gripping it with killing intent.
Mana twisted.
Compressed.
Condensed.
Then released.
The slash tore space.
Not cutting air.
Not cutting mana.
It severed existence in a straight line—a dimensional mana slash that erased everything in its path.
The garden screamed.
I raised my daggers, fire and wind erupting—but my body froze.
Pressure crushed me.
The slash reached arm's length—
Aeldir moved.
Wind roared.
Not ordinary wind.
A mountain current—vast, ancient, overwhelming.
It collided with the slash.
The explosion tore the ground apart.
I was thrown back, armor cracking, pain flaring—but I endured.
Aeldir collapsed to one knee, breathing violently.
The commander staggered, eyes wide.
Before either could move again, a dense barrier slammed down.
"That's enough."
The queen's voice carried absolute authority.
"Commander," she said coldly. "You're going to destroy the garden."
He exhaled slowly, dispelling his weapon. "Apologies."
I stepped back toward Aeldir.
"You did well," I told him.
Then my form dissolved.
Control returned.
Aeldir's heart was racing dangerously fast—but his mixed blood held.
The princess rushed forward, placing her hand on his back. A complex mana circle formed beneath him—far more advanced than any nurse's.
"Go rest," she said quietly. "I'll come later."
As I left, I noticed the armor stand.
Empty.
Of course.
That damned Curse Weaver.
Using me for her amusement.
Am I nothing more than a toy to her?
Nyx purred softly in my arms.
I held her tighter.
No.
I would endure.
Because this—
This was only the beginning.