Chapter 30: The Bonds That Shape Power


    <hr>


    They didn’t waste time.


    A day after my promotion to Ultra-Class, I was summoned to the mission hall.


    The instructors were waiting. Selene, Vance, Kaien, and, of course, Headmaster Graves.


    A large map was spread out before them.


    Graves tapped a marked location near the Ruined Vale.


    "This is your first mission."


    I raised a brow. "Solo, or am I getting babysitters?"


    Selene smirked. "Not solo, but not babysat either. You’ll lead a team of hand-picked allies."


    That caught my attention.


    "Who?"


    The door behind me opened.


    I turned—


    And saw Iris and Emilia.


    Iris crossed her arms. "Tch. Of course it’s us."


    Emilia, though, smiled softly. "At least we’ll be together."


    Graves ignored our reactions.


    "This mission is to test your capabilities as Ultra-Class."


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I clenched my fists. "Fine. What’s the job?"


    Vance exhaled. "Investigate and neutralize an emerging rift anomaly."


    I paused.


    "...You’re sending us after another Void Gate?"


    Selene grinned. "You’re the Void Summoner. You tell us."


    I sighed.


    "Great. Let’s go poke the abyss."


    <hr>


    The Mission Begins


    The Ruined Vale was dead silent.


    No wind. No life.


    The sky twisted overhead, warping around an unseen force.


    <blockquote>


    [WARNING: ABYSSAL ENERGY CONCENTRATION AT CRITICAL LEVELS.]


    </blockquote>


    Iris tensed. "I don’t like this."


    Noctis purred. "It likes you, though."


    Emilia shivered. "Something’s watching us."


    Then—


    The ground split open.


    And we were dragged into the dark.


    <hr>


    The Abyss Beckons


    We fell into the void.


    Not physically—mentally, spiritually.


    For a brief moment, I felt everything.


    Their thoughts. Their fears.


    Iris’s relentless drive to be strong.


    Emilia’s kind-hearted will to protect.


    And they felt me.


    <blockquote>


    [NEW ABILITY AWAKENED: ABYSSAL BOND.]


    [LINKING WITH ALLIES…]


    </blockquote>


    Pain flooded my system.


    But with it came clarity.


    I wasn’t alone.


    And neither were they.


    <hr>


    Class Evolutions


    When we came to, we were different.


    Iris stared at her hands, her magic flaring violently.


    <blockquote>


    [CLASS EVOLUTION: FROST REAPER.]


    Ice magic sharpened for war. Gains enhanced reaction speed and freezing attacks that cut through magic itself.


    </blockquote>


    Emilia gasped, light swirling around her.


    <blockquote>


    [CLASS EVOLUTION: DIVINE VEILBINDER.]


    Healer type evolved into a warding class, capable of weaving protective barriers into armor and weapons.


    </blockquote>


    And me?


    I felt their strength, their presence, resonating through me.


    <blockquote>


    [ABYSSAL BOND: GRANTS SHARED POWER AMONG LINKED ALLIES.]


    </blockquote>


    For the first time, I wasn’t just fighting for myself.


    I was fighting with them.


    And as the true enemy emerged from the shadows, I knew—


    We weren’t going to lose.


    Not today.