Kars had just been about to turn off the glowing heat ball to sleep when suddenly, he froze.

  His hand, still raised in the air, stopped moving. His eyes narrowed sharply, not staring at the fire, but at something far on the eastern horizon—piercing through the dense row of pine trees.

  Mira, who had just started to doze off, woke up because of the sudden change in Kars's aura. The air around them, which had been calm, now trembled lightly, like the surface of water in a glass placed on a table that has been struck.

  "Kars?" Mira whispered, sitting up cautiously. "Is there another monster?"

  Kars did not answer. He stood up slowly, his body movements stiff and serious. He closed his eyes, tilting his head as if listening to a very faint sound.

  To Kars, that sound was not a physical sound. It was an inner scream.

  He felt it. Far to the east, a few miles from their campsite, the sky had just been "wounded" again. Not a minor wound like the magic he usually used. This was a rough, amateur, desperate tear. Someone—or something—had just been forced into this world through the unstable Singus.

  The pain from the crack in his left arm throbbed fiercely, responding to the cosmic disturbance.

  "Not a monster," Kars finally muttered, his voice heavy. "There's an uninvited guest."

  He turned to Mira.

  "Pack your things. We're not going to sleep."

  "Now?" Mira protested, her eyes still heavy. "But you said we needed to move away from this spot tomorrow morning..."

  "Plans have changed," Kars interrupted. He waved his hand, extinguishing the ball of light and erasing their campsite in an instant. The darkness of the forest enveloped them once more.

  "Someone just fell from the sky. And from the vibration of their Intian..." Kars gazed eastward with an unreadable expression, a mix of curiosity and caution. "...They carry a very strong scent of Caelum Dominatium."

  "Are we going to hunt them?" Mira asked.

  "We will investigate," Kars replied, starting to walk, his gray cloak becoming a ghost in the darkness of the forest once again. "Before other Creatures or wild animals catch their scent first. If they are a threat, we destroy them. If they are a victim..."

  Kars did not continue his sentence. He only quickened his pace, pushing through the frozen underbrush.

  Mira hurried to catch up, her heart racing again. That quiet night had come to an end. Fate had just rolled the dice again in the Jangberg Forest.

  The trail of energy they were following was not a footprint, but a wound on reality.

  Jangberg Forest in this eastern sector looked like an oil painting that was only half-dry and then roughly wiped by a giant hand. The pine trees did not grow straight upward but spiraled like a bottle opener. The color of the needles was no longer dark green or brown, but a pale gray that pulsed slowly.

  "Don’t touch anything," Kars’s warning sounded sharp in the unusually silent forest.

  Mira nodded. The air here felt oily. Every time she took a breath, there was a dull metallic taste at the back of her tongue, like licking old iron.

  "The energy is fragmented," Kars murmured, crouching to examine the bushes whose leaves had turned into transparent glass crystals. "One human-like energy trail moves toward the river. But there’s another, moving toward the rocky cliff over there."

  Kars stood, staring in two different directions.

  "Mira, your sensory abilities are more sensitive to small Intian fluctuations. Check that cliff gap. I will follow the trail leading to the river. If you find anything, don't act foolishly. Make a sound and run."

  "But..." Mira hesitated. Splitting up in a place this strange felt like suicide.

  "Go. Whatever creature fell from the sky, it's injured. You have ten minutes before I catch up."

  Without waiting for objections, Kars dashed away, leaving a trail of wind; the man moved like a wind element user. He left Mira alone in the midst of a distorted forest.

  Mira swallowed hard, gathering the last of her courage. She stepped cautiously toward the crack in the granite cliff that Kars had pointed out. The closer she got, the stranger the sight became. The stones around the cliff weren’t covered in moss, but in a layer of pale blue ice—Cyan—that glowed in the darkness. The ice wasn’t cold; in fact, it felt warm.

  Behind a large, split rock, Mira found it. And her breath caught in her throat.

  It wasn’t human. It was a terrifying monster.

  Lying in the middle of a small, still-smoking crater was a creature that seemed stitched together from nightmares and heavenly beauty. Its body had the basic structure of a dragon, with thick scales, a long spiked tail, and four legs with claws as sharp as obsidian. However, its head was that of a giant eagle, with a curved beak made of pure crystal. On its back, a pair of feathered wings—rather than dragon skin membranes—spread wide, but the feathers were not keratin; they were solidified tongues of Cyan fire.

  The creature was dying.

  The Cyan light in its body flickered weakly. There was a gaping wound in its chest—a dense black hole that did not bleed, but instead leaked smoke that Mira could not identify. Its breath sounded like a broken flute.

  Mira was frozen. Her instincts screamed to run, but her feet were anchored by the creature's allure. The creature's eyes... those large eagle eyes were closed. Its hand reached out, a surge of curiosity overruling her common sense.

  When Mira's fingertips were an inch away from the creature's crystal beak, the Eagle-Dragon's eyes opened.

  No pupils. No irises. Just a sea of spinning Cyan, a miniature galaxy full of rage and hunger.

  The creature did not roar. It melted.

  In a fraction of a second, the Eagle-Dragon's physical body disintegrated. Its scales, feathers, and flesh unraveled into a stream of luminous blue energy. Like a broken dam, the torrent of energy did not scatter into the air but flowed straight into the only vessel nearby.

  Mira.

  "No—!"

  Mira's screams were cut short as the stream of Cyan crashed into her chest. It doesn't feel like being hit, but rather like being poured hot liquid lead directly into a vein.

  The energy forced its way through the pores of the skin, through the eyes, through the mouth that opened because of the silent scream. Mira felt her bones crackle, forced to expand to accommodate the existence of something far greater than human capacity.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  "ARGH!!"

  His scream finally broke out, shaking the rock cliff. But her voice was no longer the voice of a teenage girl. It was a double voice, one human voice in pain, and another the triumphant clatter of an eagle.

  Kars had just discovered tiny footprints on the riverbank when he felt the explosion.

  Not a sound explosion. It was the Intian explosion.

  The sky above the rocky cliff where he had sent Mira suddenly split open with a pillar of Cyan light towering high into the clouds. The forest shook violently. Night birds fell from the trees, dying instantly as their hearts failed to withstand the sudden pressure of the heavy atmosphere.

  "Mira!"

  Kars's face went pale. For the first time in decades, he panicked.

  Lisp.

  Kars' body disintegrated into particles of light and instantly relocated. Fortunately, he had already marked Mira's silk cloth, so he didn't need to run anymore.

  Kars reappeared right in front of the crater cliff, but the sight before him made him freeze.

  Mira was not standing on the ground. She floated two meters in the air.

  Her gray cloak had been torn apart, replaced by a Cyan energy mantle that formed into a transparent, scale-like armor. Her shoulder-length brown hair had grown and turned a bluish-white, floating as if underwater.

  But the most terrifying thing was her face.

  Mira's face cracked. Lines of blue light crawled from her neck up to her cheeks. Her eyes... those innocent amber eyes were gone. Replaced by asterisk shaped eyes that shone brightly, without a trace of humanity.

  On her back, two energy wings shaped as eagle wings spread wide, burning the surrounding air at a temperature capable of melting steel.

  "Mira..." Kars called, his voice careful. He raised his hand, palm open. "Listen to my voice. Push him away. Drive him out."

  The figure tilted its head. Its movements were jerky, like a puppet learning to be moved by a harsh puppeteer.

  "The vessel... is... tight," the voice that came from Mira's mouth was not hers. It was heavy, echoing, and had a metallic distortion. "But... sufficient."

  The figure looked at Kars. That gaze was not Mira’s usual gaze. It was the gaze of an apex predator at a disturbing prey.

  "I… hate… your scent," the creature hissed.

  Without warning, Mira swung her hand. A cyan shockwave shot towards Kars.

  Kars crossed his arms. "Nebula Shield!"

  A dark blue wall of light appeared. However, when the cyan wave hit it, Kars' shield didn't just crack; it eroded. The creature's energy was corrosive. It ate away at Kars' Intian.

  Kars was pushed back ten meters, his feet plowing the ground, creating a deep trench.

  "Damn," Kars cursed. "Pure Cosmic Energy. He is a Caelum Beast."

  Mira—or the creature possessing her—gave no pause. She flew in to strike. Her speed was far beyond Mira's physical limits. On her hand, giant energy claws took shape, resembling a dragon's claws.

  Kars jumped to the side. The claw struck the granite rock behind him, and the rock didn’t break, but instead vanished into fine blue dust.

  "Mira! Wake up! Your body can't handle this!" Kars shouted while continuing to dodge.

  He couldn't strike back. One fatal attack from Kars would kill Mira instantly in her unstable condition.

  "She... is mine!" the creature roared.

  Mira opened her mouth wide. A sphere of energy spun in front of her, solidifying quickly. A high-pitched buzzing sound pierced the ears.

  Light Style: Reflective Prism.

  Kars created seven light mirrors around Mira just as that woman fired a Cyan laser beam from her mouth.

  The beam wildly bounced between Kars' mirrors, creating a cage of light that trapped Mira inside herself. However, the creature roared, and the wings on Mira's back expanded, shattering all the mirrors into pieces.

  Shards of energy rained down on Kars, scratching his cheek and shoulder. Fresh blood dripped onto his grey robe.

  "She’s getting stronger over time," Kars analyzed quickly. His mind raced. "She absorbs the surrounding energy to strengthen her integration with Mira’s body. If I wait another five minutes, Mira will be gone forever. Her soul will be completely overwhelmed."

  Kars had no choice. He had to use force.

  Kars straightened his body. The white aura around him shifted into a dazzling gold. He released the restraints he had placed on himself. Cracks on his left arm glowed brightly, spreading up to his neck. The pain was immense, but he ignored it.

  High-Level Star Style: Supernova Gravity Chains.

  Kars stomped his foot. The ground beneath Mira collapsed.

  Six pillars of golden light burst from the ground, shooting upward, and transformed into chains of energy that wrapped around Mira’s arms, legs, and wings.

  "GRAAAHH!!" The creature thrashed. Its physical strength, enhanced by magi,c made the golden chains creak and crack.

  "Silence!" Kars shouted. He clasped his hands together. The chains tightened, pulling Mira down from the air and slamming her into the ground with force.

  Kars darted forward. He doesn't use ranged magic. He jumped on top of Mira's body, who was struggling wildly, pressing her to keep her from moving.

  Their faces were only a few centimeters apart. Mira's eyes stared at Kars with pure hatred. His mouth hissed, trying to bite Kars' face.

  "Get out of his body, parasite!" growled Kars.

  Kars's right hand, which was now shining hot white, gripped Mira's face. Not to burn, but to carry out a Mental Invasion.

  Stellar Purge.

  Kars forced his way into Mira's consciousness.

  The physical world vanished.

  Suddenly, Kars stood in a dark, empty space. In front of him were two figures.

  One was Mira, naked, curled up in fear while hugging her knees, sinking into a sea of thick blue liquid that slowly rose to cover her neck.

  Above her floated the giant Dragon-Eagle figure that Mira had seen earlier. The creature was wrapping around Mira's small body, injecting its essence, trying to merge their souls.

  "GO AWAY, HUMAN!" the Dragon turned to Kars in this mental realm. Its voice boomed like thunder.

  "Mira!" Kars called, ignoring the dragon. "Grab my hand!"

  Mira lifted her face. Her eyes were wet. "Kars... it's hot... it feels so hot..."

  "I know. Fight him! Don't let him sleep inside your house!"

  The dragon spewed blue fire toward Kars mentally. Kars held it back with sheer willpower, even though he felt the skin of his soul burning.

  In the real world, Kars's physical body began to smoke. His nose bled heavily.

  "I... can't..." Mira sobbed. "He's too big... too heavy..."

  Kars saw the blue liquid already reaching Mira's chin. The merging was almost complete. If Mira's mouth and nose were covered, her consciousness would die.

  Kars realized he couldn't drive this creature away. It was too strong, and Mira had already become its vessel. If he forcibly removed the dragon, Mira's soul would be torn apart, and she would die.

  There was only one way.

  "Then don't throw him out," shouted Kars. "IMPRISON HIM!"

  In the real world, Kars altered his chant.

  “High-Level Star Style: Event Domination Seal!”

  In the realm of thought, Kars created a small black sphere in his hand—a man-made Singularity. He didn’t throw it at the dragon. He threw it at Mira's chest.

  “Make your body a prison, Mira! Absorb him!”

  The black sphere entered Mira’s chest. Instantly, the blue liquid engulfing her started to spin, being sucked into the girl’s body.

  The giant dragon roared in panic. “NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I AM THE SKY KING! I WILL NOT BE A PRISONER!”

  But the gravitational pull of the seal was absolute. The dragon’s body disintegrated, forcibly drawn into Mira.

  “Now! Mira! Lock the door!” Kars commanded.

  In the real world, Mira let out a long scream. A heart-wrenching scream, a mix of unbearable physical pain and mental despair.

  The Cyan light enveloping her body burst out one last time, creating a shockwave that threw Kars twenty meters away.

  Kars crashed into a pine tree so hard that the trunk split in two. He fell to the ground, coughing up blood. His vision was blurred. His strength was gone. The crack on his left arm had now spread up to his left shoulder, glowing with a painful dim blue light.

  Dust slowly settled. The forest became silent again.

  Kars forced himself to crawl. The pain coursing through his entire body was ignored.

  "Mira..."

  In the middle of the crater left from the battle, Mira lay face down.

  There was no more energy armor. No more wings of fire. Her hair had returned to brown, though it now looked dull and messy.

  Kars reached the side of Mira's body. With trembling hands, he flipped her over.

  Mira was unconscious. Her breathing was weak, but it was there.

  Kars checked her eyes. He opened Mira’s eyelids. Her pupils were back to normal, honey brown. But...

  Kars held his breath.

  In the center of her amber pupils, there was a thin cyan ring that glowed faintly. And when Kars lifted Mira’s shirt, he saw it.

  On Mira's chest, just above the heart, there was a tattoo that didn't exist before. An image of the creature, bruised blue, seems to be stamped with a hot iron.

  The tattoo moves. It beats slowly in rhythm with Mira's heartbeat.

  Kars dropped himself sitting beside Mira's body. He wiped the blood from under his own nose.

  They survived. But something has changed forever. Mira is no longer just an impatient novice Stealix. It is now a cage for cosmic beasts that can destroy cities if they get out of control.

  "Damn, you're so stupid," Kars whispered hoarsely, stroking Mira's cold, sweaty hair. "You just swallowed a time bomb."

  From a distance, the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching. Not monster footsteps. Human footsteps, dragged and fearful.

  Kars turned sharply, his hand reflexively creating a small light to attack.

  But what emerged from behind the bushes was not an enemy.

  It was another woman. Her hair was disheveled, she was wearing a thin red silk dress torn in places, and her lips were blue from the cold. That woman stared at Kars and Mira, who were lying on the ground, eyes wide with fear.

  "Tonight..." Kars muttered to the darkness of the forest, a silent witness. "...really is a long night."