Morning mist still clung to the estate grounds, turning the air cool and silver as Germaine stepped outside. Today did not feel like the days before. There was a sense of anticipation hanging quietly over everything—a hush that settled in her bones, too deliberate to be normal. Even the birds seemed late to start their morning chatter, as though the world itself waited to see which path she would choose.
Germaine paused at the edge of the courtyard and glanced back at the mansion standing tall behind her. Its towering windows reflected faint slivers of dawn, making the stone walls glimmer faintly. For years she'd moved through those halls like a shadow—hardly noticed, hardly needed. But today, she felt oddly anchored. Even empowered.
Because now she has a direction.
Her satchel lay firmly against her side, the ancient book safely inside. She kept one hand resting on its outline, as if reassurance could flow through the leather binding. Maybe it did. She wasn't sure anymore.
"Just breathe," she whispered to herself. "One step at a time."
She stepped toward the outer garden, heading for the old gate that led into the forest. The path curved gently between rows of elder-trees whose branches arched overhead like a natural cathedral. Mana stirred within their roots and leaves—a soft thrum she could sense more clearly now. It brushed her awareness like a gentle vibration, and she slowed, allowing herself to focus.
She raised her hand slightly.
There—energy flowed through the trees in subtle rivers, pale blue currents marking the living essence within the wood. Before her awakening, the elder-trees were simply trees. Now they were glowing silhouettes, quiet and noble, connected to the land itself.
Her breath caught softly.
"How much have I been blind to my entire life…?"
She closed her eyes for a moment, steadying the strange mixture of awe and uncertainty swirling inside her.
When she opened them again, she saw a figure exiting the side entrance of the mansion—her younger sister, Maelin. A few years younger, nimble and energetic, Maelin wore her training clothes and was tying her hair back as she crossed the courtyard.
Germaine tensed.
If Maelin saw her heading out of the estate with a satchel… she'd ask questions. Too many questions.
Germaine slipped deeper along the path, letting the trees obscure her. She walked quietly, her senses still heightened enough to pick up the faint crunch of gravel under Maelin's feet from across the yard. Once she was far enough, she exhaled and continued toward the gate.
The wrought-iron structure towered ahead, its sigils glowing faintly in golden runic script. They recognized her presence—just as they recognized all members of the house—and unlocked with a soft click.
A whisper curled through her mind.
"Go."
She didn't ask if it came from her thoughts or the book.
She stepped beyond the gate.
---
The forest greeted her with cool shadows and filtered rays of morning sunlight. The air here was fresher, filled with the scent of damp moss and distant wildflowers. More importantly, mana swirled freely—untamed currents drifting like invisible streams between branches, burrowing through soil, swirling gently around clusters of spirit-bloom plants.
This was the outer forest of her family's estate. Small SoulPets often wandered here—weak ones, mostly harmless, but occasionally one with promising potential. A perfect place to start searching.
Germaine adjusted her satchel, set her shoulders, and walked deeper.
She didn't know exactly what she wanted yet. A SoulPet wasn't something one simply found—it was something that resonated with the awakened core. A partner whose essence aligned with one's nature. Some families taught their children how to search for compatible SoulPets. Germaine had never needed to learn. She never thought she'd awaken at all.
"So how do I even start? Well, it's a good thing we get an extra soul space after every rank break through" she murmured.
The ancient book pulsed slightly against her hip, as if aware of her confusion.
Germaine hesitated, then slipped behind a large tree where no one from the estate could see her. She pulled the book out and held it in both hands. Its cover glowed faintly, reacting instantly to the forest around them.
"You've helped before," she whispered. "Help me again."
She opened it.
The pages shifted, runes sliding into new shapes. They rearranged so fluidly she wondered if they were alive, or if the book itself possessed a kind of consciousness beyond magic.
A symbol appeared—one she hadn't seen before. A crescent shape intertwined with a swirling pattern resembling wind currents. Beneath it, glowing words formed:
"Seek the one whose spirit mirrors your core.
Not by sight, but by resonance.
One call… one answer."
Germaine frowned. "Resonance? How do I—"
But her question cut short.
A soft hum vibrated through her body—quiet, barely perceptible, but distinct. It didn't come from the book. It came from her mana core. A warm pulse spread across her chest, flowing outward like a wave.
She gasped and clutched her sternum. The wave extended into the forest, invisible but powerful. She didn't know how to stop it. She didn't know what she was doing at all.
"Wait—stop—"
But the mana had already spread too far.
She felt it ripple outward, touching trees, plants, soil… and something else.
A faint presence answered.
Her eyes snapped open.
Something in the distance pulsed back—not threatening, not angry… but curious. Like a small light flickering in the dark. Tiny, fragile, but unmistakably alive.
Her breath trembled.
"That's… a response," she whispered.
The presence was faint, but it resonated with her mana core—matching its rhythm, echoing her pulse. A perfect, delicate harmony.
Her first resonance.
A SoulPet.
Without waiting another moment, she hid the book safely in her satchel and followed the faint pull.
---
The forest thickened as she walked. Roots twisted underfoot, and the shadows grew longer as towering elder-trees rose on either side. Small creatures skittered in the underbrush. Mana flickered softly between branches. The presence she followed grew stronger with each step, guiding her deeper down a slope and into a small clearing bathed in shafts of light.
Germaine stopped.
At the center of the clearing lay a nest of tangled branches and moss. Something small curled inside—glimmering faintly. A creature no larger than her palm, with translucent wings folded tightly around its body.
Her breath caught.
It was beautiful.
A fledgling spirit-fae—rare, delicate, and incredibly difficult to bond with. Their species was known for evolving into powerful support or elemental classes depending on their bond partner. Even young ones were hard to approach. They chose only awakened individuals with cores gentle enough to match their fragile mana.
Germaine stepped forward slowly.
The spirit-fae stirred. Its wings fluttered, shimmering with soft gold dust. Large, pale eyes blinked up at her. It wasn't afraid. In fact… it tilted its head, studying her with clear curiosity.
Her mana core pulsed.
The tiny creature responded with a faint ripple of its own.
Germaine knelt down, heart pounding.
"Hello…" she whispered, keeping her tone soft. "I'm not here to hurt you."
The fae fluttered its wings and floated weakly off the moss bed, drifting toward her. Its glow intensified for a moment, casting tiny specks of golden light into the air.
Germaine extended her hand, palm open.
The fae drifted closer—
Then stopped abruptly, shivering violently.
The forest went still.
Germaine froze. "What's wrong?"
The fae trembled again, wings twitching rapidly. It wasn't fear of her. It was fear of something else—something approaching.
Her heightened senses kicked in.
A low shift in the air. A ripple of displaced mana. A heavy presence stepping across the forest floor, each step vibrating faintly through the ground.
Something large.
And dangerous.
Germaine swallowed.
She scooped the tiny fae gently into her palms. It clung to her skin, trembling, wings pressed tightly against its body.
A shadow moved between the trees.
Her breath hitched.
From the darkness emerged a beast—sleek black fur, glowing blue eyes, and fangs that shimmered with residual mana. It was twice her size, its movements silent but deliberate.
A Nightfang Lynx.
Highly aggressive. Territory-bound. And far above the power level she could handle as a newly awakened beginner.
Germaine backed up slowly, clutching the fae to her chest.
"Stay calm," she whispered to the creature in her arms. "I won't let it hurt you."
But the lynx lowered its body, muscles rippling, preparing to strike.
Germaine's heart hammered. She could barely create a light orb, much less fight a forest predator empowered by mana.
Her core pulsed rapidly.
Her instincts screamed to run.
But the fae trembled violently against her, and something inside her snapped into place.
She wouldn't run.
Not when something small and helpless depended on her.
Germaine raised her free hand, summoning every ounce of mana she could muster. Warmth surged up her arm, faster and stronger than ever before. The air around her trembled.
The lynx lunged.
Germaine exhaled sharply—and light exploded from her palm, brighter and denser than anything she had formed before.
It struck the lynx square in the face.
The beast recoiled with a snarl, skidding backward into the trees. The blast wasn't strong enough to injure it, but it was enough to blind and disorient it.
Germaine didn't wait.
She turned and ran, holding the fae protectively against her chest as she sprinted through the forest, her senses sharp with adrenaline. Branches whipped past her, roots clawing at her feet. The lynx recovered quickly—she sensed it, felt its mana surge with anger as it chased after them.
Her lungs burned. Her body strained. But her physique—newly strengthened—kept her moving faster than she ever had in her life.
The forest thinned.
She saw the outer gate.
Almost—
A weight slammed into the ground behind her, the lynx closing the distance.
Germaine pushed her legs harder, heart pounding, vision sharpening—
She broke through the gate's boundary.
The lynx skidded to a stop as golden runes flashed to life. The gate's protective barrier roared upward, blocking the beast with a burst of shimmering light. The creature snarled but couldn't cross.
Germaine stumbled forward, collapsing to her knees just inside the estate grounds, gasping for air.
The fae in her arms slowly lifted its head, no longer trembling.
It looked at her with soft, glowing eyes.
Then, gently, it touched its tiny forehead to her chest—right over her mana core.
A gentle warmth spread through her.
A resonance.
A bond.
A beginning.
Germaine stared down at the tiny creature in disbelief.
"Did we just…?"
The fae fluttered its wings weakly and nuzzled her hand.
Her first SoulPet.
Her first bond.
Her first step into a world larger and more dangerous than she ever imagined.
This was only the beginning.