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"It suits me. I was never a muscle-brained fighter. I like to keep everyone happy, and now I can even help them," Aqua said with a genuine smile.
Ash nodded, but then added,
"Though you should be restrained with it. It also requires your own life force. Use it too much, and you'll be the one who needs saving."
Aqua's expression turned serious, and she nodded.
"Okay."
"Now that that's over, let's do something I want to try," Ash said.
The others looked at him curiously.
Seeing their confusion, Ash explained, "Well, there's this concept called a Soul Corridor. It allows people to connect their souls and share things—thoughts, emotions, memories, and even abilities if both sides allow it."
Their eyes widened. The idea sounded unbelievable.
Even Ash wasn't sure if it was possible. The concept came from the world of Slime, and he had yet to find out whether it could work here.
In that world, whenever Rimuru named someone, he bestowed his blessing upon them, creating a connection that eventually evolved into a Soul Corridor. Through that link, he could even access their abilities if necessary. Not that Rimuru ever really needed to—he was already absurdly overpowered on his own.
Ash, however, was not.
And Saber's ability was incredible.
It was like a hidden weapon that could be shaped into almost anything, provided he learned to control it properly.
If the Soul Corridor worked, it could become one of the most valuable tools in his arsenal.
"Well, let's see if this actually works," Ash said.
The others nodded.
Ash closed his eyes and focused.
Following the memories he had received from Raphael, he tried to reach out toward the souls of the people in front of him. He imagined invisible pathways connecting them together.
Nothing happened.
Ash frowned and tried again.
A few seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Still nothing.
The others watched quietly as Ash continued his attempts.
Finally, he opened his eyes and let out a sigh.
"Yeah... that didn't work."
Aqua tilted her head.
"Maybe you did something wrong?"
"I don't think so," Ash replied.
At that moment, Raphael's voice sounded in his mind.
Ash blinked.
"It did?"
Ash wasn't too surprised.
After all, he is only Cyan colored core awakened, even the emperor beasts mostly unlock their true power from blue core.
That caught Ash's attention.
"A Harbinger?"
Ash slowly nodded.
That actually made sense.
If even Raphael could sense the connection trying to form, then the idea itself wasn't impossible.
He was simply too weak right now.
"Looks like I'll have to leave it for later," Ash said.
The others didn't seem disappointed.
After all, they had already gained enough surprises for one day.
The group spent the rest of the afternoon talking, testing their new abilities, and sharing ideas about the future.
Eventually, evening arrived.
It was also time for Ash to leave. He made sure to head back before his adoptive mother could mobilize the entire village to search for him in the Life Woods.
Years passed as Ash continued to grow stronger, and so did his beast companions.
Now, aside from Saber and Aqua, four more magical beasts had awakened within the Life Woods.
The first was Shyna, a fox-like magical beast. After her awakening, she evolved into a majestic Three-Tailed Fox, gaining a larger body and significantly greater magical power.
The second and third were a pair of wolf-like magical beasts. After evolving, they became Twilight Wolves and gained the rare affinities of Light and Darkness. This evolution was completely unique, as they had originally possessed Air and Fire affinities. Now, Light and Darkness had become their dominant powers.
The fourth was a shy owl-like magical beast. Following her evolution, she became a Stalker Owl. She gained the ability to turn herself invisible and could also make others invisible as long as they remained in physical contact with her.
All of this had been made possible thanks to Ash.
Because of him, the Life Woods had become stronger than ever.
Even if Ash eventually left, his village, his adoptive mother Myra, and everyone he cared about would remain protected by the powerful Emperor Beasts living within the forest.
The beasts no longer viewed Ash as an outsider.
To them, he was family.
And because Myra was Ash's mother, she was family as well.
In his absence, the Emperor Beasts had personally promised to watch over her and protect both the village and the Life Woods from any threat that might appear.
As for Ash, he was currently traveling with Myra toward the White Griffon Academy. Now that he was twelve years old, he was finally eligible to enroll in the academy.
Myra had managed to secure a recommendation for him despite being nothing more than a village healer from a small rural settlement.
At first, Ash had found it hard to believe.
However, Myra eventually told him the story.
Years ago, before settling down in the village, she had worked as an assistant in a Mage Association branch. During that time, she had the good fortune to meet one of the greatest healers in the Kingdom.
That healer was none other than Archmage Vastor.
Through a series of fortunate events, she had once helped Vastor with several matters. Although the assistance had been minor, the famous healer had remembered her kindness and left her with a favor she could call upon in the future.
For many years, Myra never used it.
Not until a few weeks ago.
When the topic of Ash reaching the eligible age came up, she decided to contact Vastor and ask for his help.
After hearing about Ash, Vastor agreed to provide a recommendation in his name.
As a result, Ash now possessed an official letter of recommendation from one of the Kingdom's most respected Archmages.
Of course, a recommendation could only open the door.
He still had to pass the entrance examinations himself.
If he succeeded, he would become a student of White Griffon Academy, one of the Six Great Academies of the Kingdom.