The night deepened, and the quiet hum of the Zix Core filled the apartment like a low heartbeat. Rudra stood in front of it, arms crossed, eyes locked on the system screen still pulsing with her name—Ratri. She was already synced. Already active in the world through Lazara and the priestess network. But now the option had appeared to formally summon her into the Earth Realm.
> System Notification: Summon Request – Avatar: Ratri
Status: SYNCED
Location: Earth Realm
Physical Manifestation: Disabled
Would you like to project Ratri into your current realm?
Rudra didn't hesitate.
> "Yes. Summon her."
The Core pulsed. Energy surged outward—not loud or explosive—but with a rising internal weight, like pressure being released in slow, deliberate waves. The lights dimmed slightly, and for a second, the air grew warm, like summer breath across skin.
Then a shape began to form—directly in the middle of the room.
It wasn't instant. The light coiled first, like tendrils of heat, wrapping in slow motion until a silhouette emerged. Female. Tall. Bare feet on the floor. Eyes still closed.
Her skin was flawless—pale, glowing faintly, as if it had been bathed in moonlight. Long dark hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves. She wore no armor, no robes—just smooth skin and faint markings across her lower back and hips. Runes? Tattoos? He couldn't tell.
And she was completely silent.
Then her eyes opened. Crimson, with no white.
She looked at him. Not with surprise. Not with affection. Just calm, rooted acknowledgment.
> "You called," she said.
Her voice wasn't sharp or seductive. It was low and clear, as if she'd been awake the entire time and only now had the body to speak.
Rudra didn't speak immediately. He stepped forward, watching her carefully. This was different from watching her through the realm sync. This was physical.
> "You knew I would."
Ratri tilted her head slightly.
> "You waited long enough. I've already been working here. You're just catching up."
He nodded once. "I needed the system to stabilize."
> "It did. Because I made it."
She walked toward him slowly. Not with flirtation, not even with authority. Just certainty.
> "My influence here doesn't require a body," she said. "But now that I have one—"
She placed a hand on his chest.
> "—I can deepen it."
The moment her skin touched his, Rudra felt the Core pulse. The faith lines across the world lit up. The priestess nodes? Stronger. Their auras? Expanded. Points began to rise—sharply.
> System Update: Faith Output Multiplier – x3 Activated Earth Realm Sync Complete
Ratri stepped back slightly, scanning the room.
> "There are others. They feel me now. My presence will shift them."
> "You're not just spreading anymore," Rudra said. "You're going to start leading."
> "No," Ratri replied simply. "I already lead. You just gave me a voice."
She moved to the Core and laid her fingers on it.
> "I'll expand quietly. I won't need temples. They'll come to me through hunger."
He looked at the screen again. His point total was climbing far faster than before.
> System Points: 44,100 → 46,380 → 48,500...
> "You're my fourth avatar now."
Ratri turned back to him and smiled faintly.
> "I always was."
She moved to the window, pushing the curtain aside with one hand. Below, the lights of the city blinked softly, unaware. Her eyes stayed on the movement of life far beneath them.
> "There are so many desperate ones. Lonely. Hidden in marriages. Bound by shame. All they need is a little invitation."
> "And you'll give it to them?"
> "No," she said, "They'll ask for it. That's the difference."
She turned to face him again. "And your world—this version of it—doesn't recognize power unless it's loud or violent. But I'll do it quietly. One body at a time. One touch. One whisper."
Rudra sat back on the bed, watching her closely. Her tone hadn't changed. She wasn't boasting. She was simply explaining the obvious.
> "That's why the system aligned," he muttered. "Not just because of violence. But because desire scales without alert."
> "Exactly."
The Core pulsed again. Another system ping.
> Global Faith Output Reached Checkpoint: 50,000 Points
Comic Summon: Minimum Conditions Met
Rudra stood slowly, his eyes not on Ratri now, but on the comic drawer.
She noticed.
> "So it begins."
> "Tomorrow," he said. "Tonight, you anchor this realm. No one can trace this. No alarms. No divine interference."
> "None."
He walked past her, brushing shoulders. For a second, her aura grazed his. Nothing sexual. Nothing aggressive. Just immense.
She was here now.
And she wasn't going anywhere.