The sun had yet to rise.
Lucian's tower was silent.
The chill of the stone walls seeped into my bones.
Today… was the day of the trial.
The unrest inside me clung like clouds that wouldn't clear.
My heartbeat echoed heavily against my ribcage.
I took a deep breath.
There was no turning back now.
⸻
When I reached the training floor, Lucian was already waiting.
He stood by the tall window of the study chamber.
Morning light barely touched his white robes, forming a faint halo around him.
His platinum-blond hair shimmered like golden thread.
In the middle of his sharp features were those deep navy eyes…
But this time, a subtle shadow lingered behind the usual coldness.
"You're early," he said.
I approached.
My throat was dry.
"I'm ready for my first summon."
Lucian turned to face me.
His eyes locked onto mine.
His gaze was unreadable—calculating.
"Elysia…"
His voice was lower than usual.
"What you're about to do today… isn't just a test."
He stepped closer.
His fingers gently touched my shoulder.
Warmth seeped through the thin fabric of my robe.
"If the familiar chooses you, your souls will be bound.
But if it rejects you…"
He didn't finish.
But his eyes whispered the rest.
"I have to try," I said.
Lucian was silent for a moment.
Then he whispered:
"Of all the things I've taught you…
This is what I feared most."
My chest tightened.
To hear that kind of fear from someone who always seemed in control…
It shattered something inside me.
"But I can't stop you.
Because I know… if you don't gain this power, one day you'll truly be defenseless."
Without breaking eye contact, he lowered his head.
"Today… it's not just you being tested.
It's me too."
⸻
When we entered the training chamber, it was nothing like before.
The summoning circle had been expanded.
Ancient symbols drawn in silver and blood-red spiraled across the floor.
Crystals embedded in the walls vibrated, crackling with sparks.
The air itself was thick.
Mana tingled across my skin.
Lucian stood at the edge of the platform.
"We begin now."
I stepped into the center of the circle.
The engraved lines pulsed beneath my feet, pumping energy upward.
Lucian began drawing seals in the air.
Complex symbols rotated above me.
Red, silver, and blue lights spiraled upward in a glowing dance.
"The being you call… will come to see you.
But this is only an invitation.
The choice is theirs."
⸻
And then it began.
Everything vanished.
Light.
Sound.
Lucian.
Gone.
Only void.
Darkness.
Silence.
⸻
Then… something appeared.
Not a voice.
A vibration.
A thought.
"The soul has called.
Whose path am I meant to cross?"
Not sound.
Not whisper.
It was a primeval echo flowing straight into my soul.
"I am… Elysia," I replied.
The familiar's presence began circling me.
But then—unease.
"This soul…"
"Cracked."
"Fragmented."
"Flawed."
The air trembled.
Waves of pressure pressed against me.
My spirit shook.
⸻
Outside the circle, Lucian was beginning to panic.
"Elysia!"
The edges of the circle cracked.
The crystals sparked, energy surging violently.
Lucian reached out, trying to break the seal.
"She's losing control! I have to stop this!"
But the familiar ignored his voice entirely.
"External interference… is forbidden."
Lucian clenched his jaw.
"Damn it…"
⸻
The familiar's pressure had turned lethal.
It pierced the borders of my soul like a blade.
I was burning inside.
Then—
The familiar attacked.
It was going to destroy me.
⸻
But just then—
MEMORIES EXPLODED.
⸻
MEMORIES:
A hotel lobby…
Crowds passing beneath glowing chandeliers.
Luggage. Smiles. Stranger after stranger.
And always… Elysia, left behind.
"My life… was a lobby.
Everyone passed through.
I waited."
⸻
A lonely apartment.
Exhaustion after the night shift.
A broken relationship.
Faded dreams.
"I was always alone."
⸻
And… that night of the prayer.
Rain drumming on the windows.
I curled beneath a blanket and whispered:
"God… I don't want anything grand.
Just a small change…
Maybe then… things will get better."
"Just… a small change…"
⸻
Suddenly, the familiar froze.
Its energy cut off.
The void echoed.
"Ah…"
"So that's what happened."
"Two prayers… resonated at once."
"A divine fracture… opened here."
⸻
And in that moment, a storm burst through my mind.
I opened my eyes wide.
I couldn't breathe.
"No… this…" I whispered to myself.
"I'm inside a game… aren't I?!"
"These… These are my real memories!
How is this even possible?!"
My heart clenched.
My knees trembled.
"Who… am I?!"
⸻
The familiar turned slowly.
"The border between truth and illusion…
Weakened where prayers collided."
"You're here…
Because you were meant to be."
⸻
Outside, Lucian was screaming, trying to break the spell.
"Elysia, get out of the bond!
This will destroy your mind!"
⸻
But the familiar had taken its full form.
A massive bird, wings of white and smoky grey.
Time itself flickered through the feathers like stardust.
Its eyes—
Tears in the fabric of space.
Its wings spread wide.
Energy crackled between glowing feathers like dancing fissures of light.
But… it didn't speak.
It didn't move.
Then — in a burst of blinding light — it rushed forward.
It collided with my chest.
Like it passed through me.
But there was no pain.
Only searing heat in every cell.
Power surged through my mana channels.
For the first time—
My system awakened fully.
It was infinite.
And overwhelming.
I burned.
I couldn't breathe.
My heart felt like it would explode.
Then… it began to settle.
The light took root inside me.
And the familiar's consciousness… fell silent.
But its presence remained.
It was still there.
With me.
⸻
The circle collapsed.
Stone slabs cracked.
The crystals dimmed and shattered.
I collapsed to my knees, gasping.
Lucian was already kneeling across from me.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Only the sound of our breathing filled the ruined room.
Lucian slowly lifted his head.
His eyes—usually calculating and cold—now filled with something he couldn't hide:
Terror.
And awe.
He didn't speak.
He only whispered:
"This…"
And nothing more.
We just stared at each other.
Because words…
were useless now.