Nora opened her eyes slowly.
Cold wind brushed across her face.
The familiar scent of spirit essence and ancient earth entered her lungs as the Spiritual Realm welcomed her once again.
Above her stretched a dark crimson sky filled with drifting silver clouds. Floating islands hovered far in the distance while gigantic spirit trees towered over the landscape like ancient guardians. Rivers glowing with blue essence flowed quietly between mountains, illuminating the world with an eerie radiance.
The Spiritual Realm never looked normal.
It always felt like a broken dream stitched together by gods.
Sophia appeared beside Nora in a burst of blue particles. She stretched lazily before looking around with excitement.
"We're back."
Nora nodded silently.
But her expression remained distant.
The vision of Jade still lingered in her mind.
A boy standing beneath a crimson sky.
Threads of fate wrapping around him like chains.
Every revelation she saw regarding Jade always left a terrifying feeling in her chest.
It was not fear exactly.
It was something worse.
A feeling that the future itself became unstable whenever Jade appeared.
Nora lowered her gaze slightly.
"Could he really be the Blood King…?"
The thought alone made her uncomfortable.
The title sounded ancient.
Dangerous.
Like something that should never awaken.
Sophia noticed Nora's silence and sighed dramatically.
"Again?"
Nora blinked.
"What?"
"You're thinking too much." Sophia crossed her arms. "Every time you get one of those weird visions, you become gloomy for hours."
Nora looked away.
Sophia wasn't wrong.
Ever since awakening her affinity toward fate, she had become increasingly isolated.
Even among friends.
The future was terrifying to see.
Because once you saw possibilities...
You could never ignore them again.
Nora slowly walked forward across the glowing field.
This was not her first time entering the Spiritual Realm.
Far from it.
In truth, she spent more time here than in the human world.
Her parents had hired too many servants for the mansion after becoming powerful figures. Guards, maids, system researchers, trainers...
There was no privacy anymore.
Everywhere she went, someone watched her.
Someone bowed.
Someone asked questions.
Someone tried protecting her.
Nora hated it.
The Spiritual Realm felt freer.
Dangerous, yes.
But honest.
Out here, strength mattered more than status.
Nora sighed softly.
"I wish Mom and Dad had just called Lucien home…"
Sophia tilted her head.
"Your older brother?"
Nora nodded.
Jade was not her only sibling.
Rylan and Seraphine had four children in total.
The first was Lucien.
The second was Jade.
The third was Nora herself.
And lastly...
Toby.
A terrifying little monster disguised as a fifteen-year-old boy.
Sophia laughed lightly.
"I still remember the story about Toby punching through the training hall."
Nora rubbed her forehead tiredly.
"He was six."
Sophia burst out laughing.
Nora continued walking calmly while speaking.
"Lucien and Toby weren't born normally."
Sophia already knew some of the story, but she still listened quietly.
Nora's voice became softer.
"When my parents were younger and trapped inside one of their trials, they encountered something called a Life Core."
"The Life Core collected their genetic essence and created Lucien."
Sophia's eyes widened slightly.
"That's insane."
Nora nodded.
"Years later, it happened again. Toby was born the same way."
Unlike ordinary children, Lucien and Toby had terrifying physiques from birth.
Especially Toby.
That child was absurdly strong.
He broke walls accidentally.
Destroyed reinforced furniture.
Once punched a transport vehicle because he thought it looked funny.
Asterion himself had eventually enchanted the family mansion just to stop Toby from accidentally destroying it.
Even then, it barely worked.
Nora remembered one particular incident vividly.
Toby had casually punched a training wall while angry.
Ten RCC reinforced plates shattered instantly.
The entire mansion shook.
After that, Lucien was forced to take Toby away for training.
Sophia whistled softly.
"Your family is terrifying."
Nora looked at her calmly.
"You have no idea."
The two girls eventually reached the edge of a spirit forest.
Gigantic silver trees stretched upward endlessly while glowing insects drifted between the branches like floating stars.
Nora finally summoned her spirit.
A golden circle appeared before her.
Then a strange creature emerged.
It resembled a floating orb of light supported by sharp crab-like legs made from translucent crystal.
Its body glowed warmly, radiating comforting golden essence.
Sophia smiled immediately.
"Guiding Light."
The small spirit circled Nora affectionately before hovering quietly beside her shoulder.
Unlike ordinary echoes or system summons, Guiding Light felt alive in a different way.
That was because Nora had not received it from the system.
She created it herself.
Nora raised her hand slowly.
A black book materialized before her.
The moment it appeared, countless crimson threads flickered around its surface before disappearing again.
Sophia's expression became serious.
"The Thread of the Seven Arms…"
Nora nodded.
This was her legacy practice.
Not a combat technique.
Not merely a skill.
But a terrifying path involving essence weaving and fate manipulation.
The book floated silently before her.
Its cover looked ancient, stitched together with black and crimson markings resembling intertwined threads.
Three symbols glowed faintly upon it.
Beginner.
Intermediate.
Master.
Nora was currently only at the Beginner stage.
At this level, she could weave her own essence into structures and entities.
That was how Guiding Light had been created.
She had literally woven the spirit into existence.
But the Intermediate stage...
That level was terrifying.
It involved binding others with woven essence.
Control.
Enhancement.
Temporary authority over living beings.
And even that was only part of its true function.
As for the final stage...
Nora's eyes dimmed slightly.
Master.
The section involving fate itself.
The moment she had opened that part of the book, she found only four words written there.
It cannot be practiced.
Not impossible.
Not forbidden.
Not dangerous.
Simply...
Cannot be practiced.
As if fate itself rejected anyone attempting it.
Even remembering those words sent chills through Nora's spine.
Sophia glanced at the floating book carefully.
"Still no progress?"
Nora shook her head.
"No."
The Thread of the Seven Arms was terrifyingly difficult.
Even weaving essence properly required enormous concentration.
So far, Nora had only successfully woven four echoes using her essence.
Guiding Light was her greatest success.
The small spirit moved around happily before extending tiny crystalline legs toward Nora's shoulder.
Nora smiled faintly and let it climb onto her.
Then she gently touched its glowing shell.
After creating Guiding Light, Nora had connected it directly to her mother's Citadel.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
Guiding Light permanently carried the aura signature and directional essence of Seraphine's territory.
That meant no matter how lost Nora became inside the Spiritual Realm...
Guiding Light could always lead her toward home.
Sophia looked impressed.
"That's honestly genius."
Nora shrugged slightly.
"I don't like getting lost."
But internally...
The truth was different.
Nora feared separation.
Feared losing the path home.
Feared becoming trapped somewhere between fate and reality forever.
Because sometimes...
When she stared too deeply into her visions...
She saw herself alone.
Walking endlessly beneath a crimson sky.
Following threads that never ended.
Guiding Light suddenly moved slightly.
Its body glowed brighter.
Nora's expression sharpened immediately.
"Something's nearby."
Sophia instantly summoned her weapon.
The atmosphere around the forest changed.
The glowing insects scattered.
The wind became colder.
And somewhere deep within the silver forest...
Something opened its eyes.