"What?!" Draco froze, his eyes widening. "What do you mean?"
"Please, brother. Check the creature's status!" Elmandir urged.
Draco turned toward the noctifelis, frowning. The circle's lines still glowed faintly. Heat from the fire ring wavered in the air.
"Here, let me show you," Elmandir said. He stepped close and set a steady hand on Draco's shoulder.
Elmandir fixed his gaze on the small black cat. His pupils lit with a soft purple glow. A thin ripple of light spread from his eyes.
In this world, aside from the beast's own master, only those with a skill called Magical Beast Appraising Sight could read a creature's status. They were called Magical Beast Appraisers. That was why an appraiser was almost always present at a summoning ritual. That was why the Silvervein Clan had invited Elmandir here, not only as an honored guest but also to appraise Emilia's first summon.
Elmandir also held a second, rarer skill. He could share his sight. Through his hand, the vision flowed into Draco's eyes, letting the Silvervein clan head see the noctifelis's status for himself.
The moment the data settled into focus, Draco's body went rigid.
He stumbled back as if struck, his breath hitched.
His hands began to shake.
His lips trembled.
"No… no… this cannot be… this cannot be real…"
He dropped hard to the floor with a dull thud.
Around him, the others froze. The fire crackled. Emilia's sobs caught. Ariana tightened her hold on their daughter and stared.
"Draco! What did you see? What happened?"
Her own anxiety spiked, a cold knot forming in her stomach. It had been years – perhaps decades – since she'd witnessed such raw, unadulterated terror on her husband's face.
And then, the truth came.
Exactly as Elmandir had warned, the noctifelis held a skill. A terrifying, legendary grade skill.
"It's… it's that skill," Draco said, his voice cracking. "The Fated One."
Instantly, all color drained from Ariana's face, leaving her ashen. Her knees buckled beneath her, saved from falling only by her desperate grip on Emilia
"No," she breathed, dread twisting her elegant features into a mask of despair.
Because yes, The Fated One was legendary. But when it manifested on a noctifelis... it was now the harbinger of the worst fate imaginable.
________________________
Skills in Arventia are divided into the following categories:
- Common
- Uncommon
- Rare
- Epic
- Legendary
- Mythical
- Divine
The Fated One is a Legendary-grade skill – so exceptionally rare that documented history records only a tiny fraction of individuals ever witnessing it manifested by a magical creature.
Creatures possessing this skill are known as Fated Beasts, and their masters are called One-Beast Summoners. This unique designation stems from the skill's profound effect on the summoning bond.
Normally, a summoned beast occupies only one star slot within the summoner's soul. This allows a summoner to potentially bond with up to twelve distinct magical beasts over their lifetime.
However, a Fated Beast fundamentally alters this. Upon bonding, The Fated One immediately consumes all twelve star slots. This irrevocably binds the summoner to that single creature, forever preventing them from summoning any other companions.
While this might seem like a crippling limitation, the skill grants truly overwhelming benefits, ranking it among the most potent buffs ever known for a beast and its master:
- Experience gained is doubled.
- Evolution points gained are doubled.
- All of the beast's stats are doubled.
- The summoner gains 50% of the beast's stats as their own.
- And when the beast reaches six stars, the summoner can even unlock a powerful transformation skill.
With such extraordinary enhancements, even a Rare-grade beast could potentially rival an Epic or even a Legendary creature in power.
But herein lies the tragedy: The creature bonded to Emilia is a Noctifelis – a tiny, non-combative cat renowned for its pathetically low base stats and growth potential.
Even amplified by The Fated One, its starting point is so abysmally low that it would remain the weakest of the weak, the lowest of the low. In this specific case, the legendary skill becomes a terrible curse.
Furthermore, The Fated One presents an insurmountable obstacle to using the Dagger of Severance:
One: The bond it creates is exceptionally strong, rendering it literally unbreakable, even by the Dagger's potent magic.
And two: The consequence of the bond extends far beyond mere connection. If the Fated Beast perishes, its master dies instantly.
As a result, Emilia's life is now completely and irrevocably tied to the fate of this single, fragile Noctifelis.