Throughout my life, I came to realize that the world operates in a peculiar way. But despite all its peculiarities, there is one thing I came to understand as certain: nothing in this world can be taken for granted. Regardless of how small or insignificant something may seem, as long as it was given to you, there will be a time when you must give it back in some way.
This realization came to me during the time when my family was reduced to just me and my older sister. After our mother passed away, my father was sentenced to life imprisonment, and my younger sister went missing. With no one else to turn to, we were left to rely on each other.
No one genuinely tried to reach out to us. I even tried to contact my mother's side of the family, only to find they were living in a faraway rural place. Dealing with the distance and a lack of information, I decided to let it go once it became too tiresome. Meanwhile, my father's side, the family we actually knew, had severed all ties the moment his company went bankrupt. Not a single one of them even visited my mother's grave. Rumor had it they resented my father for seizing the family business entirely for himself.
Oddly enough, money wasn't a problem for us, mostly because of me. When my sister was in the throes of a mental breakdown, I took it upon myself to support what remained of our family. It wasn't easy at first. But once I figured out the 'trick,' I built a steady passive income, relying solely on consistency and taking whatever was available from the internet.
That income sustained us. I covered our household expenses and even paid for my sister's mental health treatment. Without realizing it, I began taking on the role my mother once played, keeping everything intact and moving forward.
At first, I felt annoyed.
'Why did I have to clean up what was clearly a mess created by other people?'
But over time, I adjusted, and oddly enough, it became a way to distract myself from the 'pain' inside me.
Over time, memories of my childhood resurfaced. I recalled being pampered, taking so much for granted. Unintentionally, I started calculating the things I had once received against how much I was giving now.
In my spare time, this strange tallying became a kind of hobby. Initially, it served as an additional distraction from the pain I was carrying, but over time, I found myself genuinely enjoying it.
I calculated the value of everything: money, time, action, anything that I considered a commodity.
As I filled my notebook with these endless equations, a sudden realization hit me.
'Is life perhaps an exchange?'
***
Inside his room in the imperial palace, Cal sat at his study table, deep in thought. The room was mostly empty, and though there was no trash lying around, the corners were draped in dust and cobwebs. Only the small radius around his study table was kept meticulously clean.
After returning from Sophia's room, he immediately came back to his own and began focusing intensely on one particular problem.
"How did she manage to summon anything from that made-up ritual?" he muttered, pressing a knuckle against his chin.
Normally, a beast summoning ritual requires three essential components: an offering, an incantation, and a symbol that serves as a 'summoning coordinate.'
'But I made sure to butcher everything.'
When he had created the guidebook for the ritual, Cal was certain that its contents were unrelated to any known beast. He had spent months studying beast taming for the sole purpose of ensuring he didn't accidentally design a functioning ritual.
Yet, the fact that Sophia had succeeded meant that at least two of those three essentials had somehow worked.
'The offering probably wasn't it.'
The offering he had prepared for Sophia, despite its gruesome and mystical appearance, was actually just cheap meat he had bought from a local merchant. He had specifically searched for whatever leftovers the merchant had at a discount.
'That leaves the incantation and the summoning coordinate.'
As he focused on this, a specific memory surfaced, causing his eyes to narrow.
'Wait, the coordinate…'
The summoning coordinate was indeed something he had made up on the spot. But still, it wasn't entirely random. He had designed that coordinate by modifying a 'template' that Sophia had given him; another summoning coordinate that she claimed could be used as a coordinate to the Abyss.
At the time, he hadn't thought much of it; he knew for sure that all information and knowledge regarding the Abyss were banned in all nations. Even with his vast connections, he couldn't find any trace that might lead to that realm.
This left him with one significant question.
"Where did Sophia get that summoning coordinate from?" He leaned back slowly, exhaling through his nose.
***
On Sophia's bed, I opened my eyes. Immediately, her face was right beside me, looking peaceful, her breathing slow and even.
'Has something good happened?'
I remembered that every other time I'd seen her sleep, she looked as though she were trapped in a nightmare.
'Anyway.'
I began a long stretch, extending my limbs one by one until my back arched, then hopped down and trotted toward the window.
'It's almost morning.'
The sky was beginning to pale, and the moons were no longer visible from this angle. I pushed the window open, and an immediate rush of cold wind ruffled my fur.
The chill didn't bother me, though.
Ever since the first time I went outside with Sophia, I had modified my body with Transmogrify Essence, adding a dense layer of fat beneath my cat's skin, and even adding a fat coating to my fur, making the cold tolerable.
It also had a side effect of making my body squishier and my fur softer, which seemed to make Sophia enjoy petting me even more.
'It's a tolerable sacrifice.'
I glanced down from the sill, craning my neck.
'Hmm… third floor. I guess it's worth a try.'
It's been weeks since I came to this world, and during that time, I've learned many things and been exposed to many difficulties.
I needed a light vacation.
'Let's have some fun tonight.'
I modified my body again, growing a thin layer of skin to connect my four paws. Without further delay, I leaped from the third floor, spread my limbs wide, and began to glide. The wind whipped loudly through my fur.
'Is it a bird? Is it Superman? No, it's a flying cat.'
However, as I approached the ground, I encountered a fatal flaw in my plan.
'Wait, am I falling too fast?'
Before I knew it, the grass was getting closer, the wind pressing hard against my chest. I maneuvered midair, twisting my body and flicking my tail to change my trajectory toward a nearby tree.
As I reached the branches, I extended my paws to grab hold, my claws scraping desperately against the bark. Unfortunately, my grip wasn't strong enough. I slammed into the trunk, bounced off, and tumbled into the bushes below with a dull thud.
I lay there for a moment, limbs splayed, reflecting on the attempt.
'Not bad.'
Despite the crash, I actually enjoyed the experience. I also learned something valuable.
'So, cat paws aren't made for grabbing after all. I also need to reduce my body fat before flying.'
Throughout the descent, I could feel my belly flapping violently in the wind. I clearly wasn't very aerodynamic because of it.
Still, 'This isn't too bad.'
The night wind felt comforting against my fur, and the bushes felt good, and the night view was amazing.
'Let's just stay here for a bit.'
As I watched the sky, I noticed something I had missed from the window.
'Oh, there they are.'
The moons were still visible, though partially obscured by the canopy of the trees.
'It's weird, no matter how many times I look at it.'
Observing the moons—there was more than one—had become a nightly hobby of mine.
'Are they orbiting each other?'
Every time I witnessed the moons in this world, I saw them tagging along with each other.
'If that's the case, then this planet must be massive.'
As I pondered, I was suddenly reminded of something. It was an old and dear memory of a little girl back in my old world.
'Right. She also loved looking at the night sky like this.'
She was a girl with many contradictions. She was reckless, yet oddly observant. She liked to play pranks but was always ready to help. She didn't know boundaries, but always respected others.
In my old world, she was what I considered an outlier.
'I hope you're doing well, Grace.'