For me, the world operates in a peculiar way. Yet, if there’s one thing I’ve come to understand, it’s that nothing in this world can be taken for granted.

  No matter how small or insignificant something may seem, if it gives you something of value, there will come a time when you must repay it in some form.

  This understanding came to me after my family was reduced to just me and my older sister.

  After our mother passed away, my father was sentenced to life imprisonment, and my younger sister went missing. With no one else to turn to, it was just me and my older sister left to rely on each other.

  The officials told us that my mother’s side of the family lived in a faraway country. Due to limited information and a nguage barrier, we were unable to contact them.

  On the other hand, my father’s family had cut ties with him after his company went bankrupt. They didn’t even visit my mother’s grave.

  Rumor had it that they resented my father for taking over the family business entirely for himself.

  Oddly enough, money wasn’t a problem for us, primarily because of me. When my sister was in the throes of a mental breakdown, I took it upon myself to support what remained.

  It wasn’t easy at first. But once I figured out the trick, I have built a steady passive income stream through dropshipping, relying solely on consistency.

  That income sustained us. I covered every household expense and even paid for my sister’s mental health treatment.

  Without realizing it, I assumed the role my mother once pyed—keeping everything intact and moving forward.

  At first, I felt annoyed. But over time, I adjusted, and oddly enough, it became a way to distract myself from the pain inside me.

  As I carried on, memories of my childhood resurfaced. I recalled being pampered, taking so much for granted.

  Unintentionally, I began to calcute the things I once received and how much I was giving now.

  In my spare time, this strange calcution became a kind of hobby. Initially, it served as an additional distraction from the pain I was carrying, but over time, I found myself enjoying it.

  I calcuted the value of everything I could—money, time, effort. I tried to figure out how much I have to give now compared to what I had taken as a spoiled child.

  Then, as I continued filling my notebook with these calcutions, a realization hit me.

  "Is this perhaps... an exchange?"

  ***

  I opened my eyes in the middle of the night. Lying on my side, I saw that Sophia was peacefully asleep.

  Stretching my cat body, I silently slipped out of bed and made my way to the window.

  Looking outside, I made a decision.

  "Let's have some fun."

  For the past few days, I’d been holding in my fatigue. I needed a break to release this tension.

  I opened the window and stood on its edge.

  Looking down, I counted the floors.

  "About four."

  That seemed good to me.

  I slightly modified my body using 'Transmogrify Essence' as I began to prepare. But then, a thought crossed my mind.

  'It should be fine, right? I could transform mid-air if I fail...'

  After a brief moment of contemption, I decided to go ahead with my pn.

  Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself, then leaped off.

  As I fell, feeling the strong wind rush by, I spread my legs wide, revealing the skin membrane between them, like a flying squirrel.

  I began to glide through the air.

  Is it a pne? Is it Superman? No, it’s a flying cat.

  'This is what I call a thrill.'

  As I approached the ground, I prepared to grab onto a nearby tree. But when I tried to tch onto it, my cat-like grip slipped. I tumbled a few times before finally stopping, nding in a bush.

  I emerged from the bush.

  "That was nice."

  As I started to walk, I stumbled.

  I lifted my paw, and it dangled limply.

  "Ah, it's broken."

  Still, I felt no pain at all. Before jumping, I had lower my pain receptors to the point where I wouldn't feel anything—even if someone cut me open.

  It was like a form of anesthesia.

  I quickly fixed my paw by transforming it back into shape.

  I wasn’t concerned about wound. No matter how damaged my body was, I could always re-transform to revert back to normal.

  Lately, I’ve been thinking about incorporating hybrid animal functionalities into my cat form, like adding a gliding ability using a flying squirrel as inspiration. But it turns out, it’s much harder than I imagined.

  Even with the thin skin membrane, my paws weren’t really adapted for gripping, which made nding by grabbing onto a tree quite difficult.

  Looking around, I realized I had ended up in a garden-like area.

  I spotted a rge tree nearby.

  I walked over and climbed up, easily reaching the top.

  Sitting on a branch, I rexed and enjoyed the night. I didn’t forget to adjust my fur, making it extra thick for warmth, before settling in.

  As I sat quietly, I began reflecting on my journey so far in this world.

  So much had happened, and before I knew it, I had adapted to this new life.

  And my skills—well, they turned out to be more versatile than I had imagined. Learning about the world, the people, and my skills had become a task of its own.

  But I couldn’t afford to become compcent. Though I had the ability to attack with the 'Veil of the Abyss,' it wasn’t a precise or controlble ability. I couldn’t target specific part of enemies or inflict the kind of wounds I intended. There might also be others who could resist or tank that aura, like Naphael.

  For now, I was still in a weak position. I had no means of defending myself, nor of protecting Sophia.

  Shaking off my worries, I looked up at the sky. There were two—no, three moons.

  'Are the moons orbiting each other?'

  I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t an astrologer in my previous life.

  Speaking of which, a memory resurfaced. A memory of someone who increasingly resembled Sophia.

  'Right, she said she wanted to be an astrophysicist. I wonder what’s so good about that...'

  After some time, another memory came to mind—a memory of Valeslina.

  'She was a Koshchei, huh.'

  In my previous world, a Koshchei was known as an immortal being.

  'Is that why she wanted death? And why did she add 'protecting Sophia' to her wishes?'

  I sighed.

  "Even without you telling me, I’ll protect her, of course."

  ***

  In the early morning, Sophia woke up feeling a surge of excitement.

  After completing her morning ritual of burying her face in Seraphix’s fur, she began to prepare for the day.

  She dressed in casual winter clothes, tied her hair up neatly, and made sure to grab her amulet for illusion spells.

  Finally ready to leave, she gnced at the clock.

  "There’s still an hour before the scheduled time..."

  Despite having extra time, Sophia decided to leave early.

  The night before, Cal had invited her on a 'date,' though it was really a trip to prepare for the upcoming semester at the academy she attended.

  They pnned to pick up supplies, buy airship tickets, and renew their passports.

  "This is definitely a date," Sophia reassured herself, feeling a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

  Grabbing her cat backpack, she scooped up Seraphix—without his consent—and pced him inside before heading to the meeting location.

  ***

  Sophia now sat on the edge of the fountain in the central area of Ztogorye, the bustling capital of the Maurya Empire. Beside her rested the cat backpack, with Seraphix peacefully napping inside. She had briefly expined the day’s pns to him earlier, but he had promptly returned to sleep.

  The commoner district around her was alive with activity. Children pyed nearby, while street vendors and performers added to the vibrant atmosphere.

  The scent of street food mingled with the hum of cheerful chatter.

  As she waited, Sophia couldn’t help but check her reflection in the fountain’s surface. Staring back at her was the face of a beautiful but unassuming girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes.

  Though unnecessary, she had applied some light makeup to enhance her features.

  Her gaze shifted to the clock tower near the fountain.

  "Still 24 minutes..."

  ***

  Cal was on his way to the central area in Ztogorye, already prepared with an illusion spell of his own.

  Both he and Sophia were currently studying abroad at Naurvile Academy, located in the small state of Naurvile, part of the United Republic of Aur.

  For specific reasons, the two of them were attending the academy disguised as a commoner. Being a retively small institution in a small state, it wasn’t difficult for them to arrange the necessary documents—just a passport each—to secure admission without much scrutiny.

  Today's agenda had initially been straightforward: purchase a new airship ticket after their previous scheduled flight was canceled.

  However, after some thought, Cal decided to combine errands. Along with buying the ticket, he would also pick up some supplies for the academy and renew their passports, as they were set to expire within the year.

  After some time walking through Ztogorye's busy streets, he finally arrived at the fountain. With his enhanced vision, spotting Sophia in disguise was effortless.

  She was sitting by the fountain, casually eating... a fried scorpion?

  Cal paused, taking a deep breath to compose himself, before walking over.

  ***

  As he arrived, Cal noticed the bck cat, Seraphix, perched awake on the fountain. Its eyes seemed to follow his every step.

  Sophia, finally aware of his presence, turned and spoke.

  "Hey, Cal, you haven’t introduced yourself to Seraphix yet, have you?" She gestured toward the cat. "Go on, don’t be shy."

  Cal nodded and stepped forward.

  Despite his composed exterior, the knowledge of Seraphix’s true nature made him feel nervous.

  "Greetings, Mr. Seraphix," he began, his voice steady but respectful. "My name is Calyxianov Kashnikov. I am the imperial prince of the Maurya Empire."

  Seraphix watched him with an inscrutable gaze, its eyes narrowing slightly. A moment ter, a strange sensation coursed through him—as if an indescribable word had invaded his mind.

  "Zmey..."

  The response caught him off guard.

  In the Maurya Empire, nobles carried bloodlines tied to legendary creatures, endowing them with unique physical traits and bloodline abilities.

  The Kashnikov household, in particur, traced its lineage directly to Zmey, the Serpent Dragon of Wisdom and Deceit.

  Typically, information about such lineages was closely guarded, as revealing it could expose vulnerabilities or enable rivals to predict their abilities.

  What truly unnerved Cal, however, wasn’t just the discovery of his lineage, but the peculiar manner in which Seraphix communicated.

  Although it seemed like an indecipherable jumble of information, it was recognized as a nguage through his other bloodline ability, 'Words of the World'.

  'Words of the World' is a bloodline ability that allows him to identify and replicate any form of communication after a single observation. However, the nguages he can replicate are limited to those he is physically capable of reproducing.

  Struggling to mask his unease, Cal responded cautiously, testing if he could reciprocate in the same nguage.

  "You are correct, Mr. Seraphix. I descend from the Zmey lineage."

  Seraphix observed him intently, its gaze contemptive. After a brief pause, it spoke again.

  "Where did you learn that nguage?"

  "It is one of my bloodline’s abilities," Cal replied, his tone steady despite his racing thoughts.

  "I see."

  Seraphix fell silent, as though pondering something. Cal felt a bead of sweat trail down his neck as he waited.

  Finally, Seraphix spoke again.

  "You can call me Seraphix, nice to meet you," Seraphix replied, extending a paw as if inviting a handshake.

  Cal blinked, startled by the unexpected gesture. After a moment's hesitation, he shook the paw.

  ‘He wants me to drop the title? Does he consider the Zmey lineage his equal? Or is this because I used the same nguage?’

  The answer eluded him, but what mattered more was the implicit acknowledgment.

  "Nice to meet you... Seraphix."