Grand Arcanum Academy –
The moment the glow faded, Alistair froze.
Standing before him was not an animal or beast , instead.
A child.
A girl no older than two or three, her small frame delicate, her silver hair soft and wispy. Her golden eyes—innocent and wide—blinked sleepily as she rubbed them with tiny fists.
For the first time in the academy's history, a spirit had taken human form.
The room was utterly silent.
Even the usual chatter and whispers of the students had died down. Every single person in the hall was staring.
This wasn't normal.
The murmurs started soon after.
"That's… a human?"
"Is that really a spirit?"
"A child spirit?!"
"I thought spirits always took the form of animals or elemental beings!"
"How the hell is this possible?"
Even the instructor, Aerith Sylphara, known for her wisdom and grace, seemed momentarily taken aback.
She had seen countless spirit awakenings in her lifetime—great beasts, radiant elemental creatures, and even spectral beings of legend.
But this was first time she was one human shaped spirit.
Her golden eyes narrowed slightly in thought before she finally spoke.
"In rare cases," she began silencing the crowd, "a bonded spirit may manifest in humanoid form. This is not something that can be controlled or forced. It occurs when a spirit holds an exceptionally deep connection to the soul of its bonded partner."
She turned to Alistair, gaze sharp with interest.
"Such spirits are exceedingly rare. They may take the form of past figures, legends… or something else entirely."
The class remained silent, absorbing the information.
"However," Aerith continued, "despite their human-like form, they remain spirits. They begin as newborns, just like any other. They will grow alongside their bonded human, and their abilities will develop as the bond strengthens."
She turned to the little girl.
Right now, she wasn't a legendary entity, nor an all-powerful force.
She was a child.
And she was staring directly at Alistair.
****
She blinked up at him.
Then, with a small wobble, she took a step forward.
Her tiny hands grasped the fabric of his sleeve.
Alistair tensed.
"…Mine."
A single word.
Soft. Small.
But it shattered something inside him.
She looked exactly like her.
The Titan who had once defied fate.
The woman who had been his only light in a life drenched in blood and death.
The one who had saved him from becoming nothing but a weapon.
But that woman—Sophia—wasn't a child.
She had been a force of nature. A healer who sought to save the world, even when it didn't deserve saving.
And yet, here she was.
Or… was she?
Alistair's breath came slow and measured, but inside, his thoughts raged.
Was it really her?
Or just a reflection?
He had hoped—believed—that if he had been brought into this world, she would be here too.
Because if she wasn't…
Then what was the point?
The little girl tugged at his sleeve again.
"Cold."
Alistair blinked.
She was pouting.
The Titan who had once stood against gods—or at least, the child in front of him—was pouting.
"Cold," she mumbled again, reaching up.
She wanted to be carried.
Alistair simply stared at her, unmoving.
The class held their breath, waiting to see what he would do.
But he wasn't thinking about them.
He was thinking about a battlefield soaked in blood.
A woman, standing among the wounded, desperately trying to heal even those who had tried to kill her.
"Ethan," she had once said, smiling at him despite her injuries, "if I can save even one person, it's worth it."
***
Alistair slowly knelt.
The child didn't hesitate.
She climbed into his arms as if she had known him her entire life.
Her tiny hands fisted into his uniform as she buried her face against his chest.
She was warm.
And so small.
For a moment, Alistair simply held her.
****
Aerith studied the scene carefully before speaking.
"The bond between a spirit and its partner is strong," she said. "She will grow alongside you, but right now, she is as much a child as she appears."
Alistair didn't answer.
He didn't know what to say.
The little girl shifted slightly in his grasp, blinking up at him with those familiar golden eyes.
She still clutched his uniform tightly, as if afraid he would disappear.
Alistair closed his eyes.
For the first time in this world…
He wasn't sure what to feel.
The tension in the air was thick, every student still frozen in shock at the sight before them.
A spirit—a child—was wrapped securely in Alistair's arms, gripping his uniform like she belonged there.
This wasn't just unusual.
It was unprecedented.
****
Instructor Aerith Sylphara finally spoke, her voice calm but firm.
"As I mentioned before, bonded spirits grow alongside their partners. But while they may be spirits, they are still newborns. It is your responsibility to care for them."
She swept her gaze across the students.
"They will rest inside the Spirit Mark on your bodies when they are not active, regaining energy and growing over time. However, unlike standard spirits, those in humanoid form will require extra attention."
She turned to Alistair specifically.
"She will need food, warmth, and care, just like any other child."
Alistair didn't respond immediately.
The small girl in his arms shifted slightly, blinking up at him with wide golden eyes.
She looked so much like her.
Yet at the same time—
She was not.
Aerith studied him carefully before continuing.
"Spirits often have names. Some are born with them, while others receive them from their bonded partners."
She turned toward the silver-haired child.
"Do you have a name?"
The little girl blinked.
Then—
She shook her head.
Aerith nodded thoughtfully before looking back at Alistair.
"Then you must give her one."
Alistair remained silent for a long moment.
His grip on the child was steady, yet his mind was anything but.
A name.
If she were truly Sophia, she would already have one.
But she wasn't.
At least… he didn't think she was.
Still, when he looked into those golden eyes, a name surfaced before he could stop it.
"Sera."
The little girl tilted her head.
Then, she smiled.
"See rra aa!" she repeated, her tiny voice filled with delight.
Aerith gave a small nod.
"A fitting name."
She turned back to the class.
"Your spirits will now return to your Spirit Marks for rest. Simply will it, and they will retreat into their bonded space. They will emerge when called."
Several students focused, their spirits dissolving into glowing energy before vanishing into the marks on their arms, shoulders, or chests.
Alistair hesitated.
Sera still clung to him, tiny hands curled in his uniform.
But as if sensing his thoughts, her form shimmered—and with a soft pulse of golden light, she vanished into his mark.
A strange emptiness settled in his chest.
One he didn't want to acknowledge.
****
Aerith turned back to the class.
"Now that your spirits have awakened, the next step will be learning how to form a contract with elemental spirits."
She walked toward the blackboard at the front of the open training hall, writing in elegant script.
"The next lecture will cover spirit contracts, summoning rituals, and how elemental spirits differ from bonded spirits. Rest well, because the lesson will require significant mana control."
She turned back to the students, her golden eyes scanning each of them.
"Class dismissed."
****
The students slowly began filtering out of the hall, still murmuring about what had just happened.
But as Alistair turned to leave, he could feel their eyes on him.
Leon's gaze was particularly heavy, but Alistair didn't acknowledge it.
He didn't acknowledge any of them.
Because right now, there was only one thing on his mind.
Sera.
And the possibility that she was someone he had lost long ago.
Or worse—
Just a reflection of the past he would never get back.
TO BE CONTINUE...