The next morning arrived with the harsh, unforgiving light of the city's industrial district. Jace had found a semi-secure alcove behind a series of abandoned storage containers, far enough from the main streets to avoid unwanted attention. He'd barely slept. The constant drain on his Spirit stat from maintaining Kiri's bond was like a low-grade fever, a persistent discomfort that his weak Constitution couldn't fully compensate for.
Kiri had remained standing throughout the night, her Seraph instincts refusing to let her rest in such an exposed location. When Jace opened his eyes, she was already watching him, her golden gaze steady and unreadable.
'You need proper rest,' Kiri observed. 'Your Constitution is dangerously low. The forced feedback from our bond is taxing you more than you're admitting.'
Jace sat up slowly, ignoring the protest from his aching muscles. 'I'll manage. We don't have time for me to recover properly. The trials are in six days. We need to establish our training plan now.'
He activated the mental interface, pulling up his current stats.
System: Summoner Status
Name: Jace
Stats: Power 35, Spirit 45, Constitution 40, Speed 38
Rank: Common Tier Summoner
Contract Slots: 1 (Occupied: Kiri)
Talents: Insight of the Tactician (Dormant)
The numbers were still pathetic, but they were his baseline. The Royal Stat Floor didn't directly increase his stats, but it did mean that every point he earned would perform above its weight class. A 45 Spirit summoner with the Royal advantage could theoretically sustain contracts that would normally require a 60 Spirit baseline.
'Here's the situation,' Jace began, his tone shifting into the analytical, commanding cadence of the Prince. 'Your stats are currently capped near the Rare Tier ceiling. You're at 275 Power, 280 Spirit, 270 Constitution, and 295 Speed. The theoretical maximum for Rare Tier is 300 across all stats. You're dangerously close to hitting that wall.'
Kiri nodded slowly. 'And when I hit the wall?'
'You'll need to rank up to Epic Tier. But that requires a specific material, an Epic Tier rank up core, which we don't have and can't afford. More importantly, I need to increase my own Spirit and Constitution stats significantly before you can even attempt the rank up. If my stats are too weak, the forced feedback from your ascension will kill me.'
The bluntness of the statement hung in the air. Kiri's expression didn't change, but Jace felt a faint ripple of concern through their bond. It was subtle, barely noticeable, but it was there. She was starting to care, not just about her own survival, but about his.
'So we have two parallel objectives,' Jace continued. 'Maximize your current Rare Tier stats without breaking the ceiling, and push my stats high enough to support your eventual Epic rank up. The Academy trials will give us access to better resources, better training facilities, and most importantly, a pathway into the Wild Continent where the real power lies.'
'And the trials themselves?' Kiri asked. 'What do they test?'
'Three stages,' Jace explained, drawing on Jace's fragmented memories of previous failures. 'First, a Spirit capacity test. They measure the summoner's raw Spirit stat. The minimum cutoff is 60. I'm currently at 45, which means I need to find a way to boost my Spirit by at least 15 points in six days.'
Kiri's eyes narrowed. 'That's a significant increase in a short time. How?'
'Forced cultivation and Spirit enhancing consumables. Both are painful and expensive, but I have the knowledge to make cheap alternatives work.' Jace didn't elaborate on how agonizing the process would be. 'The second stage tests the beast's raw Power stat. They'll put you through a series of physical challenges. Your Power of 275 is decent for a High Rare, but it's not going to wow anyone. However, with the Royal Stat Floor advantage, your effective Power will be closer to 330 or 340. That should be enough to pass.'
'And the third stage?'
'One on one combat. They'll pit you against a veteran summoner's beast, usually a Mid Rare Tier defensive type. This is where we'll win.' Jace's confidence was absolute. 'Your Speed stat of 295 is your greatest weapon. With the Royal advantage, your effective Speed will be over 350, maybe pushing 370. No Mid Rare tank can keep up with that. You'll run circles around them, strike their weak points, and dismantle them piece by piece.'
For the first time, Kiri's expression shifted into something that resembled anticipation. 'You speak as though you've already seen the battle play out.'
'I have,' Jace said simply. 'In my mind. That's what the Insight of the Tactician talent does. It lets me see the optimal path through any conflict. Once it fully activates, we'll be unstoppable.'
Kiri stepped closer, her gaze intense. 'You speak of my wings. Of the Wing-Marrow Opal. Of this Academy. But you haven't explained why. Why go through all this effort for a broken Seraph? Why not contract a simpler beast, one without the baggage of exile and mutilation?'
The question was direct, almost challenging. Jace met her gaze without flinching. 'Because you're not broken. You're constrained. There's a difference. A broken beast can't be fixed. But a constrained beast, one held back by circumstance rather than inherent flaw, that's the most dangerous kind of weapon once the constraints are removed.'
He gestured to her back, to the smooth scars where her wings should have been. 'Your wings were taken from you, which means someone feared what you could become with them. That tells me everything I need to know about your potential. When we get those wings back, when you ascend to Epic, to Mythic, to Legendary, you won't just be strong. You'll be a force that reshapes battlefields.'
Kiri was silent, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she knelt, lowering herself to one knee in a gesture of profound respect. 'Then I swear to you, Jace. I will not fail. I will become the weapon you see in me. And when my wings return, I will use them to tear apart anyone who stands in our way.'
The vow resonated through their contract bond, a surge of pure, unshakeable determination that made Jace's breath catch. The forced feedback carried not just her words, but her absolute, unwavering conviction. She wasn't just agreeing to the plan. She was committing her entire existence to it.
Jace felt something shift in his chest. The cold, calculating detachment of the Prince's tactical mind was momentarily overwhelmed by something warmer, something achingly human. He'd spent so long locked in his own head, drowning in the shame of this weak body and the rage at his stolen throne, that he'd forgotten what it felt like to be trusted.
'Stand,' Jace said quietly. 'We're partners, not master and servant. I'll guide you, train you, and push you to your limits. But you're not my tool. You're my ally. Remember that.'
Kiri rose slowly, and for the first time, Jace saw the faintest shimmer of tears in her golden eyes. She blinked them away quickly, her composure returning. 'Understood. Then let us begin, partner.'
Jace nodded and reached into his satchel, pulling out the last of the spirit herbs and a small, crystalline shard he'd purchased from a dubious vendor. 'This is going to hurt. For both of us. But if we survive the next six days, we'll walk into those trials as something this city has never seen before.'
Kiri took the prepared mixture from his hands without hesitation. 'Then let us suffer together and emerge stronger.'
She consumed the meal, and the alley was filled with the sound of their shared, gritted endurance as the cultivation process began in earnest. The city around them continued its indifferent march, unaware that in a forgotten corner, a pact had been sealed. Not in words or contracts, but in shared pain, shared purpose, and the unspoken promise that neither would ever abandon the other.
The climb continued. And the Academy trials awaited.