The essences still floated.Their slow, steady pulsescommanded instinctive respect.
Kael watched them,silent.
The smallest vibrated like warm mist.But the D-rank one…no.It burned.It growled.Too dense to be contained in a sphere so compact.
And yet,he reached out.A breath away from acting.
When—
the air tore.
A friction.A strange breeze,neither hot nor cold.But charged.
Kael tried to move.Reflex.But his muscles refused.
Too broken.Too spent.
His joints no longer answered.
But he didn't need to.
Because someone moved for him.
Umbra.
With a supple, sinuous leap,he placed himself between the rift and his master.Claws extended,shadows stretched,a terrifying aura coiled around him.
He didn't growl.He waited.Ready to shred whatever dared cross.
Then,a laugh.
Light.Sufficient.Sadistic.
Kael blinked.
— …It's fine, Umbra, he breathed.— It isn't an enemy.
He paused.
— …At least, not for now.
The rift stabilized.And within the opening,applause.
Slow.Rhythmic.Insolent.
A figure emerged.Impeccable.Smooth.Almost too composed for this world.
The Guide.
He smiled.Not to congratulate.But to salute lucidity.
— Two reasons to applaud you, Kael, he said.— First, for recognizing me without seeing me.And above all… for the precision of your last words.
— Well, well, well…
The voice resonated, without amusement.Without mockery.Just that cold precision of one reciting an inevitable verdict.
— We'll end the games here.
The tone hardened.Sharp. Final.A brief silence froze with the weight of the moment.
— I have come because, under the directives of the Cosmic Axis—pardon, the Tower—you are due complementary rewards.For a High Feat nearly impossible for a normal non-awakened, on the first floor of the Tutorial.And moreover…in Infernal mode.
Kael felt a dull pressure climb his chest.As if space itself confirmed the anomaly.
— First base reward: beyond the usual conquest points, you will receive a substantial additional amount.
The orb pulsed faintly, as if recording the decree.Each word seemed etched long before their birth.
— You will also receive Merit Points.Let me explain the difference.
Kael barely frowned.He understood this was no gift.This was… regulatory.
— Conquest Points are given regularly: validated objectives, slain bosses, system progression.You'll use them as currency in the Conquest Shop after the Tutorial: skills, items, resources—everything passes through it.
— Merit Points, however, belong to another category.They unlock a separate tab, reserved for artifacts, skills, and pacts of another order of rarity.
The voice paused briefly.
— And above all…the accumulation of Merit will grant you ranks.These confer specific advantages.But that… you'll discover yourself.
A heavy silence.As if even the Tower refused to say more.
— Back to rewards.I appreciate this about you: no need to repeat.
— You will, of course, receive the two E-rank Spiritual Essences, and the D-rank one.
The spheres responded on their own, pulsing softly.
— You will also gain a title, granted for your High Feat.It will grant specific passive advantages—you will be informed later.
— And finally…I am authorized to create a dimensional barrier of protection,during your absorption phase.
At those words, an invisible wave spread slowly around Kael.No light.No sound.
But the air thickened.As if the world had been… locked.
Silence could have ended there.
But the voice resumed.Calmer still.Almost… human.
— And, in addition…a favor.
Kael looked up.Thana arched a brow.
— This is no directive.And it does not come from the Tower.
A nearly imperceptible breath preceded the rest.
— This expense will be taken from my own Merit Points.
Kael blinked.Even Umbra lifted his head, intrigued.
The Guide went on, still neutral:
— I added a stabilizing effect to the barrier.A gentle regenerative flow, progressive, targeted.It will heal only your physical wounds.Fractures, internal bleeding, muscular damage…You wouldn't last long in your state.
No flourish.No smile.
Just a clinical statement,spoken by an entitythat, for once,seemed to preserve rather than test.
Silence.
Then, slowly…
Kael turned his head toward Thana.She, toward him.Umbra, between them.
All three bore the same expression.
Head slightly tilted.Eyes narrowed.A brow raised.
And above all…
Mute incredulity.
No words.Just that blend of:
"Did I hear that right?""Did he really just say that?""…Why?"
Even Umbra seemed slightly tilted,ears pricked toward the orb,as if he too awaited more.
But nothing came.
The Guide remained silent,as though nothing unusual had been said.
And that all this…was perfectly normal.
The Guide stepped back a pace.
Wordless.Just watching.As if he knew the most important part… was about to begin.
Kael turned slowly to Thana.
She didn't speak right away.But her steps were already moving.
She came closer.Calmly.Placed both hands before her.
And space…bent.
Within the Guide's barrier,a second layer opened.Denser. Darker.A black envelope,warping light like a living veil.
Kael recognized it instantly.
The Black Dimension.
But this one…was stable.Controlled.
It was hers.Her domain.
Thana whispered, not looking at him:
— I must meditate with you.
Her hands barely rose.
— So your Spirit doesn't break under the pressure.
She paused.
— Because you're not alone… inside.
They sat.Facing each other.No ritual.Just present.
The essences… quivered.Then one drifted closer.
Slowly.Inevitably.
And entered Kael.
His throat clenched.His heart raced.His breath turned heavy,unstable.
And in that absolute silence…another will entered him.
It didn't manifest with words.Nor memories.But with presence.
Cold.Vast.Ancient.
Kael felt his thoughts choke.As if someone else looked through his eyes,tested his body,traced his edges.
His mind bent.Not from weakness.From shock.
Shapes forced into him.Echoes.Instincts.Something crawled through his memory,scratched beneath his eyelids.
He saw broken cliffs.A crimson light falling from a starless sky.Screams,inhuman,looping.Multiple eyes, fixed upon a throne…empty.
He choked.
But a hand touched him.Light.Alive.
Thana.Present.Connected.
She didn't push back.She channelled.
She opened her flows to wrap him,like a glove around a fresh wound.
Kael felt his rhythm return.Faint.But distinct.
The foreign will retreated.Not defeated.Integrated.
One beat.
Then another.
And only then…the first essence stabilized within him.
Silence settled.
Not empty.But charged.
Kael stayed still.Eyes shut.Breath short.
The first essence had anchored.But his body…remained on full alert.
He dared not move.
Then…Thana's voice.
Soft.Underground.Almost low, so as not to break the balance.
— You held.
She didn't touch him.But her Magia still coiled around his,like a guide wire between what he wasand what he was becoming.
— You can continue.But slowly.One by one.Let them in…without defiance.
She paused.
— They will test your Spirit.Not your courage.
⟡ [ Interface – Thana System ] ⟡Spiritual Essence Rank E — fusion stabilizedStatus: partial integration successfulImpact: +1 SpiritAnima adaptation: in progress…
Kael heard the faint rustle behind him.A shift of air.Barely there.
The Guide.
He didn't speak.But he watched.Motionless.Silent.Like a judge who would neither encourage nor interrupt.
Kael slowly reopened his eyes.His gaze met Thana's.
She didn't smile.But her eyes spoke for her.
He inhaled.Once.Then reached again.
The second essence drifted closer.
He inhaled.Then reached.
The second essence—smaller, lighter—approached slowly.It didn't tremble.It danced.
Almost airy.Almost… smiling.
When it entered him,it wasn't an attack.Nor a burn.
But an icy shiver,as if his spine had frozen all at once.
He clenched his teeth.Not pain.But sharp strangeness.
Thana didn't move.She sensed that this time,he could endure alone.
⟡ [ Interface – Thana System ] ⟡Spiritual Essence Rank E — integration in progressStatus: harmonic fusionImpact: Spirit Rank F → EStability: acceptable
A discreet sigh slipped from Kael.Just before the third sphere approached.
And everything changed.
The D-rank sphere did not float.It weighed.Each pulse throbbed like a drum beneath the skin.The ground quivered faintly.But all of them felt it.
Thana lifted her head.Her pupils narrowed.— …That one… is different.
Umbra growled.Not loud.Not playful.Dark.
Kael reached out.But his breath locked.
The sphere did not wait.It struck.
Not by entering.By imploding.
A black wave engulfed him the instant his fingers brushed it.Thana leapt back, arms raised.— Kael!
The system tried to respond:
⟡ [ Interface – Thana System ] ⟡
Error: spiritual flow overloadError: anomalous signature detectedAttempting confinement...…Failure.
Kael collapsed to his knees.A black surge poured from his mouth.
His eyes rolled white.No light.No scream.
Then nothing.
Silence.
And in that silence…in the very hollow of the void…
someone else opened their eyes.