Tina was walking through a corridor after finishing her class just a few minutes earlier when something prodded her mind. Already familiar with the sensation, she lowered half of her defenses and let the guest in. Soon after, the figure of Asterios came to existence by her side.

She glanced up and smiled. ~Hi, Ast.~ Not wanting to repeat her mistake from the past, she spoke to him in her mind.

“Hello there. Mind if I walk you to your next subject?” he asked with a smile too, extending his hand to her.

Tina nodded and entwined their fingers together, pulling her hand close to her body. Only she could see, hear, and experience Asterios so it would definitely look weird if she walked amongst the people with one arm extended to the side.

~Everyone is okay, right?~ she asked as they strolled through the academy side by side.

“Yes. No one was seriously hurt. Well, Umbra was actually.”

~I’m sorry. He is bringing you here for me instead of resting.~

Asterios shook his head. “It’s fine. I couldn’t ignore Grea so this is just me making full use of the fact that he had to come here anyway. I won’t stay for long but I couldn’t just leave without checking on you too.”

A faint trace of rosiness surfaced on Tina’s smooth cheeks as she looked towards the ground and squeezed Ast’s hand a little more. He had to pull her to the side or else she would have walked right into someone while not paying attention to the path ahead.

“Sorry!” Tina shouted to that person and giggled to herself.

“How are you doing?” Asterios asked after she turned to the front again.

~So far, so good. I think I nailed the exams I have already taken. And, additionally, Hydran’s help caused some of my scores to soar even more than before. He is incredible. Well, it’s not really a he but it just feels more comfortable to call him that with his character.~

A chuckle escaped Ast’s lips. “I know what you mean. It’s the same with Umbra.”

~Anyway, our Joint Summoning made things so much easier for me. Thank you. But also, sorry. There’s almost no chance I lose that bet now.~ Tina giggled to herself.

Asterios smiled wryly. “I should have expected that. What else would have happened when a genius such as yourself contracted an ancient spirit of water. I’m really happy for you, Tina.”

She blushed again and brushed her thumb over Ast’s hand. He reciprocated the gesture and shared this unnoticeable symbol of affection with her. It would look quite unusual if he patted Tina’s hair and it was suddenly seen moving, or if he did something else.

But, there was another thing he could do without interacting with her too much and Asterios leaned in to plant a gentle peck on Tina’s cheek. Her eyes widened slightly as she tried her best not to suddenly turn around and she smiled warmly while looking forward.

~That’s not fair. I want to give you one back but I would look so stupid doing it.~

“What a shame.” Asterios smirked at her mischievously and watched the cute pout rising on Tina’s lips.

They soon reached the entrance to another lecture hall and stopped shortly before it. Tina turned around to face Asterios and smiled beautifully.

~Thank you for coming to see me. And telling me everything. The closer the graduation the harder it gets to wait. I want to join you guys so much.~

He reached out and tenderly stroked her cheek. “Just a little bit more. Trust me, it will be worth it. Very much worth it.” He smiled mysteriously at her.

Tina squinted her eyes at Asterios and sighed softly. ~No matter how I ask, you won’t tell me, right?~

“Nope.”

She giggled. ~Alright. There’s now another thing I’m going to constantly think about and look very forward to. You are amazingly good at motivating people, you know?~

Asterios chuckled. “It’s a bit easier when the one you are trying to motivate is already thinking positively of you.”

A bit more of the crimson shade covered Tina’s cheeks and she nodded while glancing aside.

“Tina.” Ast’s voice brought her face back to his. He looked serious. “I know Professor Grea is a little unusual, and even a tad scary to approach at times, and of course, you don’t have to agree, but I would at least like to—”

~You don’t even have to ask.~ She interrupted him. ~I know how much Professor Grea means to you. I promise I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t hurt herself while you are not around. I would do anything for you, you know.~

Asterios smiled softly at Tina, looking deep into her blue eyes. It was extremely hard not to lean in and join their lips in a kiss. He almost gave in and pulled her in, but managed to stop himself when she also smiled after seeing his loving expression.

~Besides, I like spending my time around Professor Grea too. Thank you for leading me to her. Like many other students, I was a little afraid, but now I really regret thinking like them.~

“She did say you two had quite a few things in common,” Asterios replied.

~Yeah… A few…~ Tina giggled to herself while glancing away.

Then, she noticed that they had somehow missed the quiet bell announcing the start of another period and she was the last one standing in the corridor, with the previous-to-last student just walking inside the lecture hall.

~I have to go. Thank—~

The moment she turned her face to the front again, Ast’s lips pressed into hers for a very brief but intimate moment. His figure turned into crimson smoke that dispersed over her body and the wall behind, leaving her alone with the warm sensation lingering over her mouth.

Tina touched her lips as a soft smile snuck itself onto them and she quickly dove into the classroom before turning up late.

※ ※ ※

“Thank you, Umbra. I apologize for this,” Asterios said to the shadowy raven perched on the ground in front of him and the girls.

~It is fine, Master. As I said, always call me in case of emergency. I do think this was one, considering that your friend hurt herself. Now, I’ll return home to focus on recovery again.~

The black mist swirled and Umbra was gone. Miria took a deep breath while clutching Ast’s arm.

“I would have never thought Miss Grea was this… emotional…”

Asterios brushed through her hair. “I know. She’s always so cheerful, open, and flirty that such revelations come as a great surprise. On the inside, she has this very fragile part of herself that rarely surfaces. But, when it does…”

“I’m really glad you were able to notice it in time, my Lord,” Selene added.

“It was not a first. While it didn’t happen often, I quickly learned how to recognize Grea’s thoughts straying away from her usual self after just two or three initial times.”

He sighed deeply.

“If someone ever tells you that time heals all wounds, call bullshit immediately. Grea is under as much stress, pressure, pain as she was forty years ago. She is just not showing it, bottling it all inside. She needs help. She needs support. And people rarely give it to her.”

“I’m not sure about the context of your conversation, but even without it, I can somehow easily tell that you are a wonderful person, Asterios.” Silvia’s calm voice reached their ears and everyone glanced her way.

The staff was no longer spinning behind her back but lay on her thighs while she sat in the same lotus position with her eyes now open.

“Silvia. Sorry, the sigil must have deactivated when I moved my consciousness elsewhere,” Asterios apologized.

She shook her head with a faint trace of a smile. “It’s okay. I was already done. You seemed very focused so I just waited.”

“And? How did it go?” he asked.

Silvia’s smile grew a bit more. “I have to thank you again. After meditating over the insight I have gained from your fight, I think I have finally reached the level of Aura Manifestation. It’s still completely fresh so I won't be able to bring out the same amount and quality of spiritual energy as Father, but with just a few more days, I should be proficient enough to manifest some things.”

Miria started clapping enthusiastically and Selene joined her. “That’s great! Congratulations, Silvia!” She beamed at the princess with a toothy smile.

“The circumstances of this advancement were quite dangerous, but I’m happy for you nevertheless,” Asterios commented.

She nodded. “And with this, we are now equal in terms of things we have learned around each other, just like you wanted. No need to feel like you are the only one gaining something from this anymore.”

Asterios smiled wryly. “Well…”

The girls glanced at him and Silvia raised a brow. He dematerialized part of his sleeve around his right arm, hid the bracer, and closed his eyes. A moment later, sporadic crimson scales began surfacing over his skin, which also turned darker and similarly red.

Miria gasped and quickly shifted her position to get a better view. Everyone observed Asterios attentively, taking in the unexpected event taking place right in front of their eyes.

Soon, his forearm and hand looked almost exactly like back when he hadn’t been in control of his body during the fight with the Dragon woman. Tough-looking dark crimson scales replaced most of his skin, and his fingers turned into sharp claws at their ends.

Asterios grunted and the change quickly reverted. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

“Can’t do anything more and for any longer, but I think it can be considered another gain.”

“Masteeeeeeeeeeer!”

Miria launched herself at Asterios and pinned him to the ground with a strong hug. She started nuzzling herself to his chest with a lot of force; all her features twitched and danced out of pure joy.

“Hahahahaha! Calm down a bit!” He laughed while holding onto his overly-enthusiastic mate.

“That’s so awesome! I knew it was scales back then during the first time! Can you turn into a Dragon like that woman? Can you?”

Asterios used a bit more strength to pull Miria up and calm her down with a sensual kiss, taking their tongues for a wild dance. They shared an affectionate moment until she started turning into a blushing mess under everyone’s gaze, hiding timidly in Ast’s shoulder after they parted.

“If I actually can shift into something like a Dragon, then for sure I’m not anywhere close to achieving that,” he said to Miria while petting her cute ears. “I will have to practice and master this partial transformation thing first.”

Selene chuckled from their side. “It looks like that mysterious person’s actions allowed you to grasp a thing or two about your supposed draconic heritage, my Lord. It is very fascinating like Miria said. And enticing.” She licked her lips mischievously.

He looked at Silvia while still tenderly caressing Miria. The princess smiled at him.

“Now I feel a little bit less bad knowing that I was not the only one to benefit from this dangerous situation. And I will do my best to catch up to you soon. Father said some competition is always good for your growth.”

“Oh! Why don’t we see who manages to master some of their new abilities first?” Miria suggested.

“Interesting idea,” Selene mused.

Asterios and Silvia exchanged glances and nodded.

“I don’t mind,” he said.

“Me neither. It might be fun seeing how each of us progresses. We could compare the results of our practice,” Silvia added.

“Alright. We’ll do that. But, right now, we need to get back, rest, and move forward.”

“What are we going to do now that the summoning failed, Master?” Miria asked.

He brushed his cheek against hers, making her giggle adorably.

“Exactly what we have planned in case it did. After I recover a little, we are going to hold a normal summoning ritual and aim for an entity with specific qualities. I think either Light or Nature since both are often closely associated with healing. There’s water too, but I think Tina will cover that when she joins us.”

Selene rubbed her chin. “Hmmm… Maybe we should go for Light? Guildmaster Suanori has Nature, right?”

“It’s not like she is joining our party but I guess you have a point. I’m sure she would lend us a hand if we were in need of someone specializing in the Nature element,” Asterios replied.

The girls exchanged glances with knowing smiles where Asterios couldn’t see them. It did not escape Silvia’s attention though.

“I think Light would be good too,” Miria joined in. “We would then have something close to Darkness from Umbra, and Light from our new companion. Both areas covered.”

~If you are worried about my reception of such an entity, do not. I don’t inherently despise beings of Light or similar elements. Feel free to summon anyone you deem necessary, Master,~ Umbra conveyed to them before anyone asked.

Then, everyone turned their eyes towards Silvia. She blinked a few times at them and pointed a finger at herself.

“Me too?”

“Of course.” Asterios nodded. “You are part of the team now. Even if temporary. You have all the right to participate in such decisions.”

Silvia smiled and thought about it for a moment. “Well, since both you and I will be learning more about our respective fire-related bloodlines, I think Light will be a wise choice. Fire and Nature don’t exactly go too great together.”

“That’s a good point. Thank you.” He smiled back. “Light it is, then. Let’s get back to the inn for now and grab something to eat.”

Selene returned to her realm and Miria carried both Asterios and Silvia on her back just like on the way to this place. All of them enjoyed the fast and pleasant ride. Silvia began taking a liking to this means of transportation and let Asterios know about her appreciative thoughts. He was glad she didn’t find it uncomfortable.

After arriving back at their inn, Selene brought some takeouts she had purchased in her home city, and everyone shared a meal consisting of many specialties from her region.

For Silvia, it was her first time experiencing such cuisine and she took a small taste of everything, relishing in the completely new sensations.

Asterios and the girls had often shared the food present at their respective homes so it wasn’t anything new to them. Both he and Miria loved the traditional meals of Spiritual Foxes, though. Everything not only looked divine but also tasted equally heavenly.

Then, for the next few days, both Asterios and Silvia focused on exploring their newfound strengths and recovering from the unfortunate attempt at Blood Summoning. Additionally, Asterios tested the interdimensional travel more. He started making longer trips into the girls’ realm and even with everyone accompanying him.

He had deduced that since Miria could initially return to her own world without any other person serving as her anchor there, Asterios could possibly do the same.

There was a lot of theory and research about these anchors and how the Summoner was one, but if it was all completely right, then what served as such a thing in the summon’s world? They were, in fact, leaving it when they stepped into their master’s dimension.

So, they assumed that the part about Summoners being anchors wasn’t perfectly inspected. It wasn’t that surprising. Theoretically, no one was able to check things on the other side by themselves as Summoners weren’t supposed to be able to go through the gate.

Something else could work as what the Summoners called the anchor. Perhaps even the whole connection served as one. There was a constant interdimensional link between the worlds, allowing the summons to travel to their master’s side in a blink.

Asterios and his familiars tried to test various theories and confirm or debunk many statements while they were exploring this ability of theirs. Of course, recovering and helping Asterios understand his bloodline more was the utmost priority.

And so, on the fourth day, all three of them were strolling through the alabaster city of Spiritual Foxes, walking side by side. Miria and Selene hugged Ast’s sides, showing everyone their intimate connection.

“It’s still like a dream.” Miria sighed blissfully. “Walking around Selene’s hometown with both of us accompanying Master. We can even have dates together in our world, ehehe~”

Asterios rubbed her waist and put his cheek out, sensing an incoming peck from his panthergirl mate.

“Now I wonder if we will be able to do the same in our new companion’s world.” Selene rubbed her chin. “Granted they won’t be another summon from our realm.”

“Umbra isn’t so it’s not like we get help only from here,” Asterios commented. “But, yeah. So far, everyone had some connection to Kaguya, who was from this place. I’m really curious if the next summon will break this principle.”

Miria turned her face towards his. “What about the Dragon lady? We don’t know if she had any connection with Princess Kaguya.”

He nodded. “Yes, we don’t. But it was a special kind of summoning. And…”

“It’s possible that she was somehow related to our master’s father if we assume this summoning drew on his bloodline or ancestry. And that would mean she could have had some connection with Kaguya too,” Selene finished for him.

“Hmmm… I really wonder if that person who helped us was really Master’s father. That would mean he wasn’t just some random Dragon, right? That woman looked very surprised,” Miria mused.

“Somehow, it has gotten even bigger suddenly.” Asterios smiled wryly. “Like being the descendant of a Dragon wasn’t good enough, it had to possibly be some grand one.”

“Hopefully, your locked memories will shine some light onto this, my Lord.” Selene pecked his other cheek and smiled at him sweetly.

While casually chatting, the trio arrived in front of the entrance to the Matriarch’s quarters. They entered after knocking lightly and Lerisse greeted them.

“It’s nice to see you again. All of you.” She smiled while glancing at Miria.

“This will soon become a common sight, Lerisse.” Selene chuckled. “There’s something special about accompanying your mate with everyone else they care for.”

Lerisse snorted. “Did you come here just to boast about your lover again?”

Selene gave her a mischievous smile, pulling her chest more into Asterios, but shook her head soon after.

“I wanted to check the archives in search of any mention of a Descending Spire,” she replied.

The Matriarch’s long ginger ears twitched and she assumed a thoughtful expression.

“I swear I’ve heard that name somewhere…”

“Really?!” Miria almost jumped from excitement but Asterios managed to pacify her.

“Then, I would insist even more,” Selene added.

Lerisse thought for a few more seconds and nodded. “Very well. You want to access the deepest records right?”

“I will go as far as I can.”

“Come with me, then. I’ll take you to the section that only the Matriarch can access. You almost became one, honestly.” Lerisse showed a gentle smile.

Selene’s eyes sparkled briefly and she glanced at Asterios.

“Go. We will wait here.”

“If you really wish so, I could perhaps bend the rules a little more and bring you in too,” Lerisse said to him.

He shook his head. “It’s okay. This much is already plenty. I don’t want to trample on your traditions too much. I’m not even a Spiritual Fox.”

Selene chuckled. “Well, if Kaguya really is your mother, you partially are.”

Asterios smiled wryly and pecked her lips. The duo of fox ladies left the chamber soon after, leaving Asterios and Miria alone in the grand office.

“Master. Do you mind if I jump back home for a moment?” Miria asked after a few minutes.

“Of course not. Let me or Umbra know when you want to return here.”

“Thank you.” She placed a kiss on his cheek and plunged into the ground as shadows enveloped her body.

Completely alone now, Asterios closed his eyes and focused on exploring more of his spiritual strength. But, he didn’t get to practice too much as someone knocked on the heavy door just about ten minutes later.

“Matriarch, I—”

Ronye entered the chamber and froze mid-sentence after noticing Asterios sitting on one of the benches.

He smiled at the young Spiritual Fox. “The Matriarch went to check something. She will be back soon. You can wait with me if there’s something urgent you need to discuss with her.”

She hesitated for a moment but finally stepped inside, closing the giant door behind her. Ronye walked closer while observing Asterios and plopped down on a bench opposite to him.

“Ummm…”

Asterios glanced at the silver-haired foxgirl. “Yes?”

“I just wanted to apologize for my previous behavior…” she said, lowering her head a bit.

He waved his hand. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

A slightly uncomfortable silence fell onto them. At least for Ronye. She spoke first again.

“Are you really Selene’s Soul Mate?”

Asterios nodded. “It seems like it from what she told me.”

“And she got so much stronger by receiving your help?”

“Are you looking for similar help to grow stronger too?” he asked with a smile.

Ronye immediately started waving her hands and shaking her head.

“No, no, no! I’m not so shameless to sell my own body in pursuit of power!”

She then realized what she just implied.

“Ah! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!”

Asterios chuckled, causing Ronye to look away, slightly embarrassed.

“While I’m not sure if I can help you the same way as Selene, I do have a few ideas that could possibly work. There is a technique or two that I have in mind.”

Then, the door to Lerisse’s office opened again and the women returned. Ronye quickly stood up and bowed towards them.

“Junior greets the Matriarch and Senior.” She made a respectful gesture with her hands.

“Ronye? What are you doing here?” Selene asked, coming closer.

“I have reached the sixth stage in the Hall of the Heaven-Splitting Gong. I wanted to ask the Matriarch what I should do next.”

“You should keep training until the ninth stage doesn’t bother you anymore,” Selene answered.

“But…” Ronye winced faintly. “I don’t think it’s possible for the current me…”

“I managed to do it with three tails so it’s only natural you can too. You are much more talented than me, achieving the fourth stage of your Awakening while being a quarter of my age, almost breaking to the fifth.”

Ronye didn’t reply for a moment and then nodded. Asterios turned to Lerisse.

“Matriarch.”

“Oh, please, call me by my name.” She smiled at him. “It’s not like I’m your Matriarch anyway.”

“Well then, Lerisse. I think I have two techniques that could potentially help Ronye, and possibly other people too. Even though you guys aren’t too familiar with magic, these books are full of my personal notes, explaining everything the contents mention in much more detail.”

Miria then reappeared in the chamber through Umbra’s shadows and handed two thin notebooks to the Matriarch, skipping to Ast’s side afterward.

“Oh, my.” Selene smiled mischievously. “With this, there’s no doubt you can get past the tenth stage, Ronye. You aren’t going to let this goodwill lay to waste, right?”

Ronye bowed deeply. “This junior swears to take the Esteemed Teacher’s guidance to her heart and bring satisfactory results without fail.”

Asterios smiled wryly. 「Esteemed Teacher?」

“Good.” Lerisse threw the books at her after checking them out. “Go now. We have something very important to do.”

With another bow, Ronye hastily escaped from the room.

The Matriarch then asked Asterios and Miria to follow her and Selene without elaborating much. They walked together through a few corridors, went through a few locked doors, each one more massive than the other, and then finally began descending through a very narrow spiral staircase.

After around ten minutes of walking, they reached the ground, white as everything else around. Blue torches illuminated the short tunnel spanning in front of them.

At its end, a marvelous, masterfully chiseled and decorated gate stood proudly, made clearly of pure gold.

Its massive left wing housed a huge depiction of a Dragon positioned towards its center. On the right wing, a figure of only slightly smaller Nine-Tailed Fox mirrored the Dragon’s posture. And in each of the wings, a single hole resembling a humanoid handprint was carved.