Kael had never felt power like that before.
One second he was staring up at a bounty hunter's sword, wondering if jumping into the fight had been the stupidest decision of his life.
The next, something deep inside his chest burst open.
It wasn't pain. It wasn't heat.
It was pressure.
Like a door that had been locked his entire life had suddenly been thrown wide open.
The world went silent.
Not quiet—silent, like the sound itself had been ripped away.
Then the messages appeared.
They weren't written on stone or spoken out loud. They simply existed in front of him, glowing faintly in the air like reflections on water.
Bond-Compatible Targets Detected
Kael blinked.
"What?"
The bounty hunter didn't care about strange glowing words.
"Stay down!" the man barked, raising his sword again.
Kael scrambled backward across the alley stones, his mind spinning.
More messages appeared.
Twin Resonance Detected
Kael's head snapped toward the two women fighting farther down the alley.
The twin with lightning dancing across her fingers had just blasted one of the hunters backward into a wall. Sparks crackled around her like a living storm.
The other twin stood beside her, calm and focused, frost forming along the ground with every step she took.
They were incredible.
And somehow… Kael could feel them.
Not physically.
But something deeper.
Like two distant heartbeats echoing in the same rhythm as his own.
A third message appeared.
Soul Bond Available
Kael stared at it.
"I really picked a weird day to start hallucinating."
The bounty hunter charged again.
Steel flashed toward Kael's head.
Instinct screamed.
Kael reached out—not with his hands, but with whatever strange energy had awakened inside him.
"Fine," he muttered.
"I accept."
The moment the thought formed—
Everything exploded.
Mana flooded through Kael like a lightning strike traveling through his veins. His body jerked as raw power surged outward in every direction.
Across the alley, both twins froze mid-motion.
The lightning mage gasped.
"You feel that?"
Her sister's icy composure cracked slightly.
"Yes."
Their eyes turned toward Kael at the exact same moment.
And the connection snapped into place.
It was impossible to describe.
Kael suddenly knew where they were standing without looking. He could feel the flow of their magic, the tension in their muscles, even the faint pull of their mana cores.
Three separate energies… now somehow connected.
The bounty hunter noticed none of this.
He lunged again.
But this time, something was different.
Kael's body moved faster than his thoughts.
Mana surged through him automatically, spilling outward toward the twins like a rushing river.
The lightning twin blinked.
Then she grinned.
"Oh, that's interesting."
Electricity flared brighter around her hands.
Her sister's frost magic intensified as well.
The twins glanced at each other.
"Try it," the lightning mage said.
Lyra nodded once.
Both sisters raised their hands.
Normally, elemental magic didn't mix.
Every mage knew that.
Lightning and ice could work together in theory, but casting them simultaneously usually caused instability. The spells disrupted each other's mana patterns.
But this time—
Something held them together.
Kael felt it clearly.
His bond was acting like a bridge between their magic.
Lightning gathered in Lyria's palm.
Ice spiraled around it from Lyra's hands.
Instead of clashing, the elements merged.
Kael's eyes widened.
"That shouldn't—"
The spell fired.
A storm of frozen lightning tore across the alley, exploding outward like a miniature hurricane.
The bounty hunters had no chance.
The blast threw two men off their feet and slammed them into the far wall. Ice crystals spread across the stones, locking the third hunter in place.
Silence followed.
Crackling frost slowly melted along the alley floor.
Kael stared at the destruction.
"…Okay."
The lightning twin burst out laughing.
"That was amazing!"
Her sister lowered her hands slowly, her usually calm expression replaced by genuine surprise.
"That was not a standard spell."
The frozen bounty hunter tried to move.
Lyra flicked her fingers slightly.
The ice tightened.
He stopped struggling immediately.
The lightning twin walked toward Kael, her boots crunching softly over frozen stone.
Up close, she looked even more energetic. Her silver hair shimmered in the fading sparks of electricity still dancing around her.
She studied him with obvious curiosity.
"So," she said.
"You're the reason that worked."
Kael scratched the back of his neck.
"I'm still trying to figure out what 'that' was."
She laughed again and held out her hand.
"I'm Lyria."
She jerked her thumb over her shoulder toward her sister.
"That's Lyra."
Lyra approached more slowly, her icy blue eyes studying Kael carefully.
"Kael," he said.
Lyria tilted her head.
"You don't seem surprised."
"Oh I'm surprised," Kael said quickly. "I'm just also very confused."
Lyra crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"Your class."
Kael blinked.
"What about it?"
"What is it?"
He hesitated.
"…Bond Lord."
Both twins froze.
For the second time in less than a minute, the alley went completely silent.
Lyria slowly grinned.
"Well that explains everything."
Kael frowned.
"Does it?"
Lyra stepped closer.
"Yes."
Her voice carried the calm certainty of someone solving a complicated puzzle.
"Bond Lords were rare even in ancient times. Their ability allows them to form magical contracts with companions."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Like party links?"
"More than that."
Lyra gestured toward the frozen alley around them.
"The bond synchronizes mana flow. It allows multiple mages to cast as if they share the same core."
Lyria snapped her fingers.
"And we're twins."
Kael looked between them.
"…Okay?"
Lyra continued patiently.
"Twin mages already share a natural resonance."
Lyria leaned closer to Kael, grinning like she'd just discovered a new toy.
"You basically connected two magic engines to one battery."
Kael pointed at himself.
"I'm the battery?"
"Yes."
"That seems dangerous."
"Probably."
The frozen bounty hunter behind them groaned weakly.
Lyria glanced back.
"Oh right."
She flicked a small bolt of lightning.
The man passed out instantly.
Kael stared at her.
"You didn't have to do that."
"He was annoying."
Lyra sighed softly.
Lyria shrugged.
"What? He tried to stab you."
Kael looked down the alley.
Three unconscious bounty hunters. Shattered stone. Ice everywhere.
And two extremely powerful twin mages now staring at him like he was some sort of rare magical artifact.
He rubbed his face.
"Alright," he said finally.
"Let's assume all of this is real."
Lyria folded her arms, clearly entertained.
"Good start."
Kael pointed at the destroyed alley.
"So now what?"
Lyra answered calmly.
"Now we leave before more bounty hunters arrive."
"More?"
Lyria shrugged.
"There are always more."
Kael sighed.
"Of course there are."
They began walking toward the end of the alley.
After a few steps, Lyria glanced sideways at him.
"You jumped into that fight pretty fast."
Kael shrugged.
"Seemed like the right thing to do."
Lyra gave him a curious look.
"You didn't even know us."
"Nope."
"And yet you interfered with armed hunters."
Kael thought about it.
"…Yeah."
Lyria laughed again.
"Either you're brave or incredibly stupid."
Kael grinned slightly.
"Still figuring that out."
They stepped out of the alley into the busy street beyond.
The sounds of the city rushed back around them—merchants calling out, carts rattling over stone, distant laughter from taverns.
For a moment, it felt strangely normal.
Then Kael felt the bond pulse again.
The connection between them had grown stronger.
Warmer.
A faint message flickered across his vision.
Soul Bond Stabilized
Lyra noticed him pause.
"You feel it too?"
Kael nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Lyria stretched her arms as sparks danced lazily across her fingers.
"Well," she said cheerfully.
"Looks like we're partners now."
Kael looked at the two identical silver-haired mages walking beside him.
One calm as falling snow.
The other buzzing with electricity.
He had started the day as a nobody with a useless class.
Now he was magically linked to two powerful twin sorceresses being hunted by their own noble family.
Kael sighed.
"…My life got complicated really fast."
Lyria grinned.
"Oh relax."
Lightning crackled softly in her palm.
"This is where things start getting fun."