The air still felt thin where the distortion had vanished, as though reality itself hadn't yet stitched shut the wound it left behind. The ward-line hummed in a low, uneasy frequency, and faint silver motes drifted in the cold, settling on Germaine's cloak like frost.
Her hands trembled, but not entirely from weakness.
Her core was… alert.
Coiled.
Restless.
And somewhere deep within that core — surrounded by the golden warmth of the Shard — her soulbound stirred.
A faint ripple, soft as a breath, brushed against her consciousness.
Not a voice. Not an image.
Just… awareness.
It sensed the danger long before she did.
It recoiled when the distortion fixed on her.
Now, it watched the world through her senses, sharp and wary, like a creature pacing the borders of a cage she hadn't fully unlocked.
Elric didn't miss the change in her expression.
"Your core is still reacting," he said quietly.
Germaine nodded. "It's not just my core."
Elric studied her for a beat.
"The soulbound?"
She inhaled slowly. "It's… awake."
Not fully. Not visible. But the bond pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat layered beneath her own.
Elric exhaled once, a steadying breath. "Then we have less time than I thought."
He stood.
"Up," he said. "You said you wanted to start now."
Germaine forced her legs to steady and rose. The moment she stood, her soulbound pressed lightly against her consciousness — a comforting, grounding presence. A soft warmth curled around her nerves, steadying her breath.
Almost like a protective nudge.
'I'm here.'
It didn't speak, but she felt it.
Elric noticed her focusing inward again.
"Is it stable?"
"Yes." She brushed her fingertips near her sternum. "It's calm. Watching."
"Good," Elric said. "A soulbound is an anchor. Use it."
Use it.
Germaine's pulse steadied.
She followed Elric away from the ward-line, further into the courtyard where the moonlight spilled in soft sheets across the stone ground.
Elric lifted his hand, and a runic circle flared beneath their feet — bright, stable, controlled.
"Sit," he said.
Germaine obeyed, legs folding beneath her. The moment she settled, the runic circle expanded, weaving symbols she didn't recognize. A faint buzzing filled the air, vibrating lightly through her bones.
Elric crossed his arms.
"We'll stabilize your core first, then examine your cultivation state."
Germaine straightened. "I can feel it changing."
"I know," Elric replied. "Your mana threads are stretching. The Shard is pushing against your current rank."
She swallowed.
"What rank am I moving toward?"
Elric held her gaze.
"The advanced stage of the Beginner rank."
Her breath caught.
That was fast — too fast.
As though responding, the soulbound pulsed warmly, a soft flare like flicking wings.
Elric's eyes narrowed slightly. "The soulbound is reacting to the breakthrough."
Germaine hesitated. "Elric… when I break through, what happens to it?"
"It grows with you," he said. "It strengthens with you. And when your core expands—"
"I get a new soul slot," she said softly.
Elric nodded. "Yes. But don't focus on that part yet. First we keep your cultivation from destabilizing."
He stepped back, raising both hands.
"Close your eyes."
Germaine obeyed.
Darkness wrapped around her vision.
And then—
Her core flared.
Her awareness spiraled inward, sinking past muscle and breath, past fear and fatigue, dropping into the deep basin of her mana pool. It glowed softly — a shimmering gold sphere wrapped in thin threads of pale light.
But something else pulsed beside it.
A shape.
Round?
No.
Coiled?
Her soulbound.
It rested inside a soft pocket of light, curled into itself — like a creature not fully formed, but undeniably alive. A faint iridescent glow traced its outline, shifting between pale blue and silver, as though unsure of what form to take.
Germaine's breath caught.
It responded.
A slow unfurling.
A lazy stretch of presence.
Then a gentle pulse that brushed her mind like a forehead leaned against her own.
Comfort.
Reassurance.
Elric's voice came faintly from the outside:
"Good. Stay there. Follow your mana flow."
Germaine let her attention drift to the golden sphere of her core. It pulsed unevenly, flickering between steady warmth and simmering pressure.
"The Shard is reinforcing your pathways," Elric said. "Let it push — but don't force anything."
Germaine inhaled.
The pressure built.
Her veins tingled.
Her soulbound stirred again, this time firm — steady — almost bracing her from within.
Supporting her.
The pressure swelled—
A heat wave surged through her chest—
Her mana threads tightened, then—
SNAP.
A breakthrough.
Bright light erupted inside her core, flooding her vision.
Her breath sucked in sharply as power rippled outward, spiraling through every limb, every fingertip. The Shard glowed fiercely, bathing everything in molten gold.
And her soulbound—
It reacted instantly.
The faint outline expanded, stretching wider. Light wrapped around it like a cocoon tightening, reshaping. The bond between them pulsed three times — strong, stronger, strongest — settling into a resonance deeper than before.
A soft whisper of presence touched her thoughts.
'Grow… together…'
Not a word.
Not a sound.
Just a feeling.
But she understood.
She reached back with her awareness.
"I'm here."
The soulbound curled softly in response, calm and satisfied.
Elric's voice cut through the last waves of light:
"Germaine — open your eyes."
Her eyes snapped open.
The air around her shimmered.
The runic floor glowed bright beneath her.
Elric stared — not shocked, but analyzing her with razor focus.
"Your aura just expanded," he said. "You did break through."
Germaine steadied her breath. "Peak?"
"Yes." Elric kneeled, placing a hand above her shoulder without touching. "Your mana is stable. No cracks. No strain."
He hesitated.
"…But your soulbound changed."
Germaine blinked. "You could feel that?"
"Anyone with enough perception could." He tapped his temple. "Its resonance echoed through your veins. It's stronger than before."
Germaine exhaled softly. The presence inside her pulsed in acknowledgment — warm, bright, soothed.
Elric stood. "You now have space for a second soulpet. The slot is empty, but ready."
She nodded slowly.
"Then the training continues."
Elric's brow lifted. "Already?"
"Yes," she said, rising to her feet. "If something from outside the realm is looking for me—"
Her soulbound flared in firm agreement.
"—then I can't stay at this level."
Elric exhaled. "You remind me of someone."
"Who?"
He didn't answer.
But the shadow in his eyes deepened.
Elric extended his arm.
A sphere of white mana formed above his palm.
"I want you to take this mana and rotate it through your core pathways without letting it destabilize your aura."
Germaine stiffened. "Isn't that risky?"
"Yes." Elric's tone was calm. "But it's necessary."
Germaine reached out—
Her soulbound pulsed sharply.
Warning.
Not rejection.
Not fear.
Just caution.
She swallowed. "It's telling me to slow down."
Elric nodded approvingly. "Good. Listen to it. Soulbounds are instinctive. They sense what you can't."
Germaine steadied her breathing.
She extended her hand again — slower this time.
The sphere floated toward her palm.
The moment it touched her skin—
Mana surged.
Her core shivered.
Her veins tingled.
Her aura rippled outward.
Her soulbound braced her again, wrapping her inner pathways with a cool ribbon of presence. Its energy coiled around her core, steadying the rotation.
Germaine inhaled deeply.
Then—
She pulled the mana inward.
Slow.
Controlled.
Guided.
Her core spun the energy in a tight loop, weaving it through her pathways like golden thread through cloth.
Elric's eyes widened just slightly.
"Good," he murmured. "Very good. Your synchronization is far ahead of schedule."
Germaine kept rotating the mana until the sphere dissolved.
When she finally exhaled, sweat dripped down her temple.
Her soulbound flickered warmly — proud, anchored, present.
Elric lowered his stance.
"Enough for now."
"No," Germaine said, chest rising and falling. "More."
"You'll destabilize—"
"My soulbound is steady."
She placed a hand over her sternum.
"It agrees."
Elric hesitated.
Then nodded once.
"Fine. One more exercise."
Elric conjured two spheres this time.
One silver.
One gold.
Opposite affinities.
Opposing rotations.
Germaine stared at them.
"Elric," she said slowly, "that's—"
"Yes," he said. "A dual-balance test."
She swallowed.
"No one my rank is supposed to attempt this."
"Normally," he agreed. "But you aren't normal."
Her soulbound flared in steady strength — a firm, unwavering pulse.
Germaine reached forward.
Both spheres drifted toward her.
Her core reacted instantly — tightening, then loosening, then expanding, confused by the conflicting flows.
Her breath hitched.
Her aura flickered.
Her hands trembled—
Her soulbound surged.
A warm ribbon of presence wrapped her core, binding the two energies in a controlled spiral, guiding them without force. It wrapped around the chaotic mana like paws anchoring a rolling stone.
Germaine inhaled.
Steady.
Steady.
She focused.
The silver and gold threads intertwined in perfect rotation.
Her core held firm.
Her aura glowed bright.
Elric exhaled slowly. "Impossible…"
Germaine's voice was soft but steady. "My soulbound did it."
Elric stared at her.
Then at the faint golden shimmer around her core.
"…It's more intelligent than recorded cases. We need to name it. Soon."
Germaine hesitated.
The soulbound pulsed — bright and eager.
It wanted a name.
A true name.
Something unique.
Something that matched its essence.
She closed her eyes, feeling its presence — coiled, warm, luminous, protective. Something ancient but newborn. Something fierce but gentle.
A name whispered itself into her mind.
She opened her eyes.
"I have it."
Elric raised a brow. "Tell me."
Germaine pressed her hand to her chest.
Its presence glowed.
"Solaryn."
The soulbound pulsed three times, bright and warm — acceptance.
Claiming.
Bonding.
Elric nodded slowly.
"A fitting name," he said. "Light within the unknown."
Germaine exhaled softly.
"Solaryn," she whispered again.
The soulbound curled around her core, satisfied.
Elric crouched down.
"We stop here. Your cultivation is stable, your new rank secured, and Solaryn has fully awakened."
Germaine nodded.
But she wasn't done.
"Elric… what was that thing at the barrier really looking for?"
Elric hesitated.
Then spoke quietly.
"…Not the Shard alone."
Germaine stiffened.
"It was searching for your soulbound."
Her breath froze.
Elric rose.
"We need answers," he said. "And I will find them."
Germaine turned her gaze toward the forest's dark edge.
Solaryn pulsed in her core — alert, protective, ready.
Whatever lurked beyond the barrier…
It wasn't done with her.
And she wasn't done with it.
"Then we move forward," she whispered.
"And we won't stop."
Solaryn agreed.
In a single, fierce pulse.