"Now, Seraphina, tell me what you can do?" Vesper said as he sat on his bed.
"I was blessed with the ability to control shadows. I know I will never be as great as you, my lord, but I can hide in shadows and control them, turning them into weapons and using them for defensive purposes," Seraphina explained.
"Good...and that bird of yours?"
"This is more of a shadow creature I made a blood pact with. He enhances my abilities and fights alongside me."
"That's wonderful...Now, from now on, you will hide in my shadows. You won't act without my permission, and you won't make yourself known unless I allow. Is that understood?" Vesper ordered.
"Of course. To be in the shadows of the god of darkness, a light is a blessing for one like myself." Seraphina said excitedly.
[+5 Loyalty]
(Okay, she seems a bit hyper...Not complaining, but it's concerning.)
[Well, in her old world, Seraphina was a child of the night court, a place where they worship the shadow, so becoming the apostle of a half-darkness god is her greatest aspiration.] Astrid explained
(In her old world...did I take someone from their home?) Vesper asked
[Yes, but I informed said person before the sommning, only those willing to become your apostle are summoned], Astrid said, reassuring Vesper.
(I see, then I don't have to worry, alright.)
[No, you don't, but now you must give Seraphina her rank and title in the court. Once you do a marking that symbolizes the court shall be branded on her and yourself.]
(I understand...a hericy, it will be necessary) Vesper thought as he stood up
"Seraphina, from now on, you will have the title of The Shadow Regent, you will be my second in command, and your duties will be to manage the court's temporal affairs and internal governance. They represent the "darkness" in which the star shines, ensuring the court remains grounded and secure. Take this title with pride," Vesper spoke as he walked up to Seraphina.
"Yes, my lord, I shall serve you until the end of my life and beyond that," Seraphina replied
[+10 Loyalty]
[+10 Trust]
The next moment, a mark appeared on Serphanias's chest right above her cleavage, and one glowed, engulfing itself into Vespers's back, and his eyes became crossed, like a star before returning to normal.
Looking at the mark, Vesper saw A stylized, five-pointed star. The star is not a simple pentagram but has elegant, slightly elongated points, resembling how a star appears to "twinkle" or "flare." It is depicted in brilliant silver or white.
"It's beautiful, my lord...I shall cherish this mark of yours," Seraphina said with a smile, and she rubbed the mark.
"Good...I am going to rely on you, Seraphina...you are my first Apostle, which makes you very special to me," Vesper said with a smile as he held Seraphina's hand.
"Yes, my lord!" Seraphina said with a slight blush.
[+10 Loyalty]
[+5 Love]
With that, Seraphina entered Vespers' shadows happily. Going downstairs to have a short breakfast, Vesper called his mother and reassured her everything was fine before he went back to his room to begin his training.
With Astrid guiding him, he began to learn to call upon both his control over the sun and the darkness. At first, he struggled as he did with controlling his divine energy, but after a few hours, he was finally able to control the sun and create his own flames from it.
"T-this is incredible...to control fire...its-its."
[Surreal?]
"Yes, surreal...I don't think I will ever get used to it," Vesper said as a flame danced around his hand.
Now having some control over his flame, Vesper began testing the limit by imagining different shapes and objects with the flame.
Growing the size of his flame, Vesper made an orb the size of his arm and compressed it, forming it into the shape of a spear.
Holding the spear made from condensed sun flame in his hands, Vesper walked to his backyard. Giving the spear a single thrust, Vesper felt an intense wave of heat release from it, causing scorch marks to appear around him and a nearby tree.
"Uhm, good thing I decided to leave my room," Vesper said with a small laugh.
Dispersing the spear, Vesper decided to focus on his darkness abilities. Using his own shadow at the center point, he fed his divine energy into it, growing his shadow quickly until it completely surrounded him like a sphere.
Creating another spear, Vesper struggled to maintain both constructs, but using this as a test, he created two more spears, one made from darkness and another of light, and sat on the floor.
As the construct wavered and his divine energy was drained, Vesper found himself only able to create and maintain the construct in full for a few minutes at a time.
"It seems...I still have...a long way to go," Vesper said as he lay on his back catching his breath.
Going back inside and taking a shower, Vesper ate dinner with his mother and went to bed soon after. With a week until he returned to school, Vesper decided to dedicate each day to improving his skill and mastery over his newfound abilities.
[Status]
[Name: Vesper Sterling][True Name: ???]
[Race: Low-God]
[Age: 18][Estimated LifeSpan: 1,200 years]
[Titles: None]
[Level-20/100: 5700/30,000 exp.]
[Health: 7000/7000]
[Divine Energy: 15,700]
Strength: 75
Agility: 80
Vitality: 70
Perception: 75
Intelligence: 70
Wisdom: 80
Skills: Sol Invictus[Lv.10]/ Luna Invicta[Lv.10]/ Arcus Invictus[Lv.1]/Gladius Caelestis[Lv.1]/ Novice-Spearmanship[Lv.10]
"I may not have gotten too far, but hopefully this is enough to keep that from happening again," Vesper said as he got dressed for school, his eyes glowing with an unrivaled determination.