Chapter 166: Lukas’s Awakening (2)

Lukas slowly stepped past the red line painted on the floor. Each step felt heavier than the last, as though the ground itself were growing denser with every movement. The dozens of people present faded from his awareness, their voices becoming nothing more than a distant murmur.

The only sound he could hear was his own heartbeat.

’Thump. Thump. Thump.’

He climbed the first step. Then the second. And finally the third. He stopped before the altar.

The Eternal Crystal continued floating before him, its gentle light pulsing slowly like a breath. The stone seemed alive, conscious, as though it had been waiting for him, as though it knew this moment would come.

Lukas raised both hands. His fingers touched the crystal’s cold, perfectly smooth surface. He slowly closed his violet eyes.

The moment had arrived.

The instant he made contact, his entire body disappeared. Or at least, that was exactly how it felt. As though he were falling endlessly, as though the entire world had been torn away from around him, leaving behind nothing but emptiness.

An indescribable energy flowed through every part of his existence. It coursed through his bones, his muscles, and his soul, touching something deep within him that he had never even known existed.

The next instant, Lukas opened his eyes.

Everything around him had vanished. There was no ground, no sky, no walls. Only a completely white void that seemed to stretch infinitely in every direction.

He looked around in every direction, utterly confused. His body seemed to be there, yet at the same time it wasn’t. It was as though he were made of the very same substance as that endless space.

’Where... am I?’

He tried to speak. No sound came out. The silence was absolute, total, as though the very concept of sound did not exist in that place.

Then something immediately caught his attention. About five meters away, two enormous spheres of energy floated silently within that empty space.

They were the only things that existed in that white world, two islands of light in an ocean of nothingness. One was larger than the other, and both pulsed with an intensity that drew his gaze.

His heart raced. Without understanding why, he felt an indescribable connection to those energies. As though they were lost pieces of his own existence. As though they had been waiting for him his entire life.

Without hesitation, Lukas began walking toward the first sphere.

Lukas slowly approached, his footsteps echoing in a place with no ground. The closer he got, the more clearly he could make out the details of that strange sphere of energy.

It was beautiful. Mesmerizing. Thousands of colors seemed to exist within it, constantly merging and separating like a living dream. Shades of gold, silver, blue, green, and violet flowed in perpetual motion, creating patterns that changed every instant.

But that was not what caught his attention the most. Orbiting the main sphere were three small crystals. They revolved slowly, like moons circling a planet, each following its own perfect orbit.

Each had a different appearance. The first was dark red, solid, and heavy, as though it were made of flesh and bone. The second was silver and incredibly thin, as though it were woven from intertwined threads that shone with a light of their own. The third possessed golden and blue reflections, resembling an eye observing the world with ancient wisdom.

Lukas immediately felt something strange. Familiarity.

It was like looking at friends he had known for years. The weight of the first crystal reminded him of Tilbo’s massive presence. The delicacy of the second brought to mind Prata’s precise movements. The watchfulness of the third echoed Astra’s vigilant eyes.

Even without anyone telling him, he knew. The certainty simply appeared within him, like a truth that had always been there, merely waiting to be recognized.

His eyes widened.

"So you’re connected to this..."

Naturally, he reached out his hand. Or what seemed to be a hand in that strange place. His fingers touched the colorful sphere.

The very next instant, the entire sphere erupted into light.

’WHOOM!’

The sphere passed through his body, merging into his very essence. There was no pain. No fear. Only a feeling of completeness, as though a missing part of himself had finally returned to where it belonged.

A torrent of information flooded his mind, a stream of knowledge that seemed to come from somewhere beyond his own consciousness. Countless words appeared before his vision, forming sentences, paragraphs, and entire concepts that he understood instantly.

Then a name appeared, shining in golden light.

[Affinity with Beings]

The words remained suspended before him for several seconds, pulsing with a light of their own. Beneath them, new information began to appear, detailing the ability he had awakened.

[Affinity with Beings (Unique)]

[You possess a natural and powerful affinity with all forms of life.]

[Any being of strength comparable to your own will feel an initial positive or neutral disposition toward you. Unprovoked hostility, irrational fear, and natural distrust are drastically reduced in your presence.]

[Bonds can be built through companionship, respect, cooperation, and shared experiences. Trust must be earned; it is not granted automatically.]

[Upon reaching ninety-five percent affinity with a specific being, you permanently acquire one of that individual’s natural talents or innate abilities.]

Lukas remained completely motionless, processing the words. His heart pounded wildly, beating so hard that he could feel it throughout his entire body.

So that was it. Everything finally made sense. Tilbo, Prata, Astra... the abilities had not appeared out of nowhere. He had acquired them through affinity, through the bond he had built with each of his beasts.

More information continued to appear.

[This ability does not control minds. It does not force loyalty or obedience. Affinity must be earned through actions, not imposed.]

[Betrayal, abuse, or cruelty can drastically reduce affinity levels, potentially severing the bond permanently.]

A new window appeared before him, as though it had always existed, merely waiting to be revealed.

[Current Affinity]

Tilbo: 98% (Enhanced Strength)

Prata: 97% (Silver Threads)

Astra: 98% (Eagle Vision)

Lukas stared at those lines for several seconds, absorbing every detail. The numbers were high, very high.

They showed just how much he had devoted himself to each of his companions, how deeply their trust had been built.

Only then did he realize that the sphere had disappeared. Completely absorbed, integrated into his very existence.

But he still wasn’t satisfied. He needed to know more about the three abilities or talents he had acquired from his friends. He wanted to understand exactly what each one did, what their limits were, and how they functioned in detail.

So he focused his attention on the unfamiliar yet strangely natural screen before him. And, as if by magic, the explanations materialized within his mind.