Current Date: Year 24,991 | 4th Month Ignara | Day 10
The soft golden light of morning filtered into the house, bathing the dining room in a gentle warmth. It spilled across the wooden table like sunlight spilled across old parchment, delicate and alive. The aroma of freshly baked bread and steaming herbal tea lingered in the air, curling like invisible ribbons above the plates of eggs and ripe fruits. The soft clink of utensils and faint crackle from the hearth gave the room a sense of quiet contentment.
Jack, James, Emma, Sofia, and Ava sat around the table, their laughter light, their smiles easy. It was the kind of morning that felt rare in a world filled with monsters, dungeons, and divine decrees, a moment of peace hard-earned and well deserved.
Then, with a curious tilt of her head, Ava looked toward the trio who had just completed the Goblin Den Quest yesterday.
"So, what's the plan for today, you three?" she asked, her tone light but inquisitive.
Her gaze gentle, but always observant rested on Jack, James, and Emma, who had recently become E-Rank Adventurers after completing their third major quest.
James set down his teacup with a quiet tap, the motion deliberate. He leaned back slightly, stretching his shoulders with a soft pop, and then exhaled deeply as if shedding the last lingering fatigue from battle.
"Actually…" he began, his voice carrying a calm certainty, "I don't think I'll be heading to the guild today."
A pause settled over the table.
"After the Goblin Den's battle… I can feel it." His hand clenched unconsciously, a faint pulse of aura flickering at his fingertips. "I'm right at the edge. I want to try advancing… to the 2nd Star Ascendant Stage."
A quiet hush fell over the room, broken only by the soft rustle of the wind brushing the curtains. For a moment, time itself seemed to hold its breath.
Jack blinked, then looked to Emma, whose eyes widened slightly before she gave a small, proud smile.
They exchanged a wordless glance, an understanding passing between them like an old memory.
"Then we won't go either," Jack said, his voice full of certainty.
"Yeah," Emma added, her tone firm yet warm. "We'll stay back and support you. This breakthrough is important. We're in it together."
A quiet strength settled in the room. No one said it out loud, but they all felt it:
Today wasn't about gold, ranks, or glory.
Today was about growth.
And standing by each other no matter what.
And just like that, their plans changed.
---
The next three days unfolded in quiet, focused determination, a sacred stillness before the storm of transformation.
James isolated himself in the training hall, his figure barely visible through the faint glow of circulating aura threads that shimmered in the dim light. Sweat dripped down his face, his breath controlled, as he honed everything: his mind, his spirit, his body. The low hum of power thrummed through the room like a heartbeat as he pushed himself toward the edge of breakthrough.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard bathed in morning mist, Jack and Emma trained with solemn intensity.
Emma's staff glowed with threads of elemental magic as she practiced chantless casting, weaving water and fire in tandem, her brows furrowed in focus.
Jack, eyes closed, gripped his dagger, aura coiled tightly around him like a dragon ready to awaken. They weren't just training they were transforming, slowly preparing for their own leap toward the Mid Stage of 2nd Star Ascendant.
No words were needed.
Only silence, effort, and growth.
---
On the third day, as the sun reached its zenith, something shifted.
A subtle vibration in the air.
Then
WHOOOM!
A dense pressure blanketed the training hall, a storm of mana swirling with such ferocity it made the very walls groan.
The sky darkened briefly, clouds circling directly above the house, and the ground rumbled, sending tiny cracks along the stone tiles of the floor.
From within the hall, mana surged like a vortex, wild and untamed brilliant streaks of color painting the air as James's aura ignited in full force, roaring to life like a phoenix reborn.
Hours passed.
The storm only grew stronger. The spiritual pressure was suffocating, yet radiant. A crescendo was building.
Until finally
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion of energy rippled outward from the training hall, a blinding light flashing across the sky like a second sun. Trees bent from the shockwave, birds scattered in fright, and the lingering mana trembled as if it, too, recognized the breakthrough.
Then silence.
As the light dimmed and the mana calmed, James stood in the center of the training hall, his silhouette sharp against the glow.
His eyes slowly opened clear, steady, and deeper than before.
2nd Star Ascendant – Early Stage.
As a Beast Tamer, James's path was unlike others. He had to walk both the Magic Circle Mage Path and the Aura Force Ring Master Path.
His second Magic Circle formed naturally around his heart, pulsing with ethereal energy. This core was essential the Magic Circle enabled the bond, allowing him to establish spiritual contracts with beasts, linking their minds and souls.
Meanwhile, his Aura Force Ring manifested around his right hand, the very hand through which he commanded and connected in battle. The Aura Ring amplified his physical prowess, allowing him to unleash devastating techniques and synchronize with his tamed beasts in combat.
For a Beast Tamer, both were essential. The Magic Circle forged the link.
The Aura Force Ring brought that bond to life.
Only by mastering both could one become a true Beast Tamer one who doesn't just command beasts, but fights alongside them as one.
His aura no longer flickered it radiated, steady as a mountain and fierce as fire.
---
Moments later, the door burst open.
Jack, Emma, Sofia, and Ava rushed in, their footsteps echoing.
"You did it!" Emma beamed, rushing over and wrapping her arms around him.
Jack laughed, shaking his head in amazement. "Dad, Your aura feels different. Grounded. Strong. Like a warrior carved from lightning."
Sofia's eyes shimmered, pride written all over her face. "My Dad is the best."
Ava, smiling softly, stepped closer. Her wings glowed faintly in the ambient mana. "That was…great," she whispered, her voice like a song in the wind. "A true breakthrough."
---
That night, their home came alive with joy.
It was the celebration of James's breakthrough to the 2nd Star Ascendant Stage.
The aroma of bubbling stew filled the air, accompanied by the cheerful clatter of plates and the rhythm of laughter echoing from every room. The kitchen was a hive of warmth and activity Emma stirred the pot at the stove with a gentle smile, Jack moved between counters, setting the table with practiced ease, and Sofia hummed a soft melody that floated through the house like a charm.
James sat beside Ava, her presence calm and radiant. A rare, genuine smile tugged at his lips as he soaked in the moment the laughter, the love, the life.
Outside, the moon gleamed in a blanket of stars, casting silver light across the rooftop. It felt like a silent blessing, watching over them.
And within those glowing walls, wrapped in light and laughter, they celebrated more than a milestone.
They celebrated the beginning of something far greater, a future slowly, beautifully unfolding...One star at a time.
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The next morning, golden sunlight spilled gently across the table once more, wrapping the room in warmth and comfort. The scent of toasted bread and steaming tea filled the air, blending with soft laughter and the clinking of utensils.
But then
"Hey…"
Ava's voice cut through the morning haze, calm yet carrying a strange weight.
"Jack, James, Emma… are you actually using your Blessings? I mean have you even tried to understand them? To really familiarize yourselves with what they can do?"
Silence.
Forks hovered mid-air. A cold stillness settled over the table.
Jack blinked. "…Wait. Blessings?"
Emma's face drained of color, her hand trembling slightly.
"Oh no…" she whispered. "We completely forgot…"
James froze, scratching the back of his neck with a dumbfounded look.
"All this time… all we've used are spells, skills, and techniques… not the actual Blessings we were granted."
A hollow sound echoed the gentle clink of a spoon falling onto a plate, as realization hit like a thunderclap.
Ava exhaled slowly, her arms crossing as her eyes softened with understanding yet remained firm.
"I figured as much," she said gently. "I wasn't going to say anything, but… I had to. Look, I know Blessings are personal. They're sacred and secret. But if you don't even try to connect with them, how do you expect to grow into true Ascendants?"
Her voice was calm, yet every word carried the weight of truth like a hammer tapping the core of their souls.
"Your Blessings," she continued, "aren't just passive traits or fancy titles. They're divine gifts, echoes of gods, be they virtuous or demonic. They're the compass to your destiny. If you keep ignoring them, you're stunting your evolution."
Her words didn't scold them, they cut deep, because they were right.
The trio sat in silence, guilt simmering behind their eyes.
They had been so focused on the external quests, training, power levels that they completely neglected the internal truth offered by the very gods that touched their fates.
Jack clenched his fist beneath the table.
How could he forget something so important?
Emma lowered her gaze, biting her lip in frustration.
James sighed heavily, rubbing his temples as the weight of his own oversight settled on his shoulders.
Ava stood, her wings flicking behind her as her tone became resolute.
"Today," she said, "you three are going to meditate, train, and feel those Blessings. Learn them. Touch their essence. Let them show you who you really are."
"No skills. No spells. No weapons. Just you… and your divine legacy."
The silence that followed was no longer awkward; it was filled with purpose.
Jack, James, and Emma nodded, eyes burning with new resolve.
They wouldn't waste this chance.
And so began the next two days a journey not of body, but of spirit.
A trial to uncover what had been hidden inside them all along.
The Blessings of gods. The echoes of fate. The keys to their evolution.
And this time… they were ready to explore their true depth of Blessings.
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To Be Continued…!!