Chapter Two – The Duke's Daughter Without a Gift
The world Lumina opened her eyes to was bright. Too bright.
The first thing she saw was a giant woman smiling down at her — her new mother.
That was when she realized the truth.
She wasn't in the hospital anymore. She was a baby.
From that moment, she remembered everything.
Her life on Earth. The hospital. The video game. The friends who called her Lumina.
It all stayed clear in her mind, even as she grew up in this new world.
---
Her new name was Aveline Caelthorn, the daughter of Duke Reinhardt and Duchess Selina.
They were part of one of the top noble families in the Kingdom of Veltheris.
Her family owned a large estate filled with marble floors, servants, and a big garden.
Aveline didn't complain or cry like other babies.
She just watched everything quietly.
It didn't take long before her parents noticed how calm and smart she was.
"She's different," her father once said with a smile.
"Different isn't bad," her mother replied.
As Aveline grew older, she learned how this world worked.
Magic existed here — not like her video game, but close enough.
Everyone had something called an elemental affinity — fire, water, wind, earth, light, or darkness.
People used their element for fighting, farming, healing — almost everything.
And like most noble children, Aveline was engaged early.
The royal family arranged her marriage to Prince Lucien, the first prince of Veltheris.
They said it was an honor. Aveline didn't care much.
She still saw herself as Lumina, the max-level summoner who had tamed dragons and world beasts.
---
When she turned nine, Aveline already knew she didn't have an element.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even make a spark or move a leaf.
The tutors looked worried.
The servants whispered.
Other noble children laughed.
"She's from the Caelthorn family and can't even use basic magic?" one girl said once.
Aveline didn't argue.
She didn't even feel bad.
Because deep down, she knew what real power looked like — and this wasn't it.
---
On her tenth birthday, the Affinity Ritual finally came.
It was a tradition for all nobles in Veltheris.
When a person reached sixteen, they placed their hand on a crystal that revealed their element.
The entire hall was filled with nobles, soldiers, and even the royal family.
The crystal glowed when touched — bright red for fire, blue for water, green for wind, and so on.
When it was Aveline's turn, she walked forward calmly.
Her parents smiled at her. The prince just looked bored.
She placed her hand on the crystal.
For a second, it flickered.
Then… nothing.
No light. No glow. Just silence.
The hall went quiet.
Everyone stared.
Even the priest who held the crystal looked confused.
"Strange… there's no element detected," he said slowly.
The whispers started right away.
"No affinity?"
"Impossible."
"She's a Caelthorn — how could this happen?"
Her mother came and hugged her tightly.
"It's alright," she said softly. "You're still our daughter."
Her father nodded, but Aveline saw the way the king frowned.
Even the prince looked away, pretending not to care.
The engagement that was supposed to be an honor suddenly looked like a problem.
---
That night, Aveline sat on her bed and looked out the window.
The stars were bright, and the city was quiet.
She wasn't sad.
She'd already faced worse — being trapped in a hospital bed, waiting for her body to fail her.
This? This was nothing.
If this world thought she was weak, that was fine.
They had no idea what kind of strength she could build from nothing.
She stretched out her hand and looked at it.
Her small fingers didn't glow or spark.
"Magic or not," she muttered, "I'll figure it out like always."
Then she lay back down, closed her eyes, and decided she'd start small — observing this world first.
After all, she wasn't just Aveline.
She was Lumina, the summoner who once ruled every battlefield.
That night, Aveline fell asleep without realizing how tired she was.
When she opened her eyes again, she wasn't in her room.
Instead, she was standing barefoot in a wide, glowing forest.
The air was warm and filled with soft, golden light that moved like fireflies.
"What… is this place?" she whispered.
Then she heard it — a roar that shook the ground.
From the shadows between the trees, a massive dragon appeared.
Its scales shimmered with silver and blue.
Next came a phoenix, wings blazing with calm, steady fire.
A world snake coiled around a crystal tree that pulsed with light.
Dark knights stood in rows like silent guards, and angels hovered quietly in the sky — one carrying a harp, another holding a shining staff.
Fairies, salamanders, and other creatures she'd once controlled in the game stood all around her.
Her eyes widened.
She knew these faces. These names.
These were her summons — the ones she had raised, leveled, and fought beside for years in her game.
Before she could say anything, every one of them began to glow.
The light spread fast, surrounding her completely.
Then, one by one, the summons turned into streams of light and shot toward her, entering her chest.
Aveline gasped, covering her heart.
The moment the last one merged into her, a soft blue window appeared in front of her eyes — clean, digital, and familiar.
> [SYSTEM BOOTING…]
WELCOME BACK, LUMINIA.
USER DATA: 100% SYNC COMPLETE.
Her mouth fell open.
"The system… from the game?"
Before she could process it, the forest began to fade.
Everything turned white — and then she was back in her bed, heart racing, a small blue icon glowing faintly in her vision.