Deborah's expression shifted instantly. The playful girl was gone, replaced by a high-ranking mage. She stepped into the center of the white sand, her bare feet digging into the grains. She closed her eyes, and the air around her began to hum with a low, vibrating frequency that made the hair on my arms stand up.
"Observe, my Lord," she whispered.
She didn't use charcoal or candles this time. She simply traced a sigil in the air with her finger, leaving a trail of shimmering silver light. The space in front of her tore open like wet silk, revealing a glimpse of a dark, starlit dimension.
With a sharp, melodic command, she reached into the rift.
A massive, terrifyingly beautiful creature stepped through. It was a silver-scaled panther, twice the size of a lion, with wings made of translucent violet energy and eyes that burned like dying stars. It let out a roar that shook the very foundation of the courtyard, then immediately padded over to Deborah, bowing its massive head so she could stroke its mane.
"This is a Star-Stalker," she said, her voice echoing with power. "A creature from the Upper Void. Bound to my soul. When we bond, my Lord, you won't just summon beasts—you will be able to call forth the guardians of the gods themselves."
She looked back at me over her shoulder, her emerald gown fluttering against her curves, her eyes dark with a challenge.
"Still want to wait, or are you ready to see how deep our bond can go?"
I reached out, my hand hovering over the beast's shimmering, silver-scaled flank. I wanted to feel the power she'd just pulled out of thin air. But the second my fingers got close, the Star-Stalker's wings flared with a violent violet light. It bared its teeth—rows of obsidian fangs—and let out a low snarl that vibrated right through my chest.
I froze. The thing looked ready to tear my throat out.
"Easy, boy," I muttered, but the beast lunged forward an inch, its eyes burning with a hostile, alien intelligence. It didn't see a Lord; it saw an intruder.
"Be still!" Deborah's voice rang out like a whip crack.
The command was absolute. The panther instantly went rigid, its snarl dying in its throat, though its eyes remained locked on me with predatory hatred.
"He is the Convergence," she hissed at the creature, her hand stroking its head with a firm, controlling grip. "He is your master as much as he is mine. Learn his scent, or I will let the Void consume you."
The beast let out one final, reluctant huff of hot air against my hand before lowering its head in a forced submission. It was a clear reminder: these powers weren't toys. They were dangerous, living things.
"He doesn't know you yet," Deborah said, turning her silver eyes back to me. "Summoned spirits are bound to the soul of the mage. Right now, to him, you are a stranger. A ghost in his world."
She snapped her fingers. The silver sigil in the air flickered and died, and the massive panther dissolved into a cloud of stardust that was sucked back into the rift. The courtyard went quiet again, leaving only the sound of the wind.
"That," she said, stepping closer until her heavy breasts were almost brushing against my robe, "is why the bond is necessary. Without it, the magic will reject you. You need my essence inside you so the Path recognizes you as its own."
She reached out, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw, her touch surprisingly warm. "The Star-Stalker was just a glimpse. My higher summons are... much more demanding. And much more rewarding."
She leaned in, her lips hovering just inches from mine, the scent of jasmine and raw mana clouding my head. "The sun is high, my Lord. The training grounds have served their purpose. Shall we return to the silence of your chambers?"
The thought of that power—the ability to tear holes in reality and command starlike beasts—sent a jolt of adrenaline through me. This wasn't just about the sex anymore; it was about the sheer, intoxicating rush of becoming something more than a guy from a farm.
"I'm ready to bond with you, Deborah," I said, my voice steady and thick with intent.
A triumphant light flickered in her silver eyes. She bowed her head, the movement causing her hair to spill over her shoulders like a curtain of silk. "Then follow me, my Lord."
"Call me Karl," I said, the name feeling strange and small in this massive, ancient place.
She looked back at me, a playful glint in her gaze. "Then follow me, Lord Karl."
We moved back through the torchlit corridors, the stone walls sweating with the ambient mana of the fortress. Halfway to our destination, we crossed paths with a novice. She couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty, with wide, curious eyes and a lithe, dancer's frame.
"My Lady, my Lord," she whispered, her face flushing a deep crimson as she ducked into a low, hurried bow.
"Abriska," Deborah commanded, her voice turning sharp and authoritative. "Find the other three Pillars. And fetch the Guild Mistress. Tell them the Convergence begins now. I want them in the ritual chamber immediately."
Abriska's eyes went wide. She gave a quick, stuttered nod and took off, her soft leather boots pattering against the stone as she hurried to gather the others.
Deborah didn't lead me back to my bedroom. Instead, we returned to the heart of the Sanctum—the massive, black-floored ritual chamber where I had first arrived. The air here was still heavy with the scent of ozone and the lingering heat of the transmigration. The purple runes in the floor were dim now, waiting to be fed.
"Why here?" I asked, the vastness of the room making my voice echo. "I thought we were going back to my quarters."
Deborah stepped into the center of the great square, her hand reaching up to slowly slide the emerald silk of her gown off her shoulders. The fabric pooled at her feet, leaving her standing in the center of the dark stone, a masterpiece of ivory and silver.
"The First Bonding must be witnessed by the Pillars and the High Seer," she whispered, her breasts heaving with a sudden, nervous excitement. "It isn't just a physical act, Karl. It is an anchoring. They must be here to guide the mana as I pass the Path of the Summoner into your blood."
She looked at the massive iron doors as they began to groan open. "And besides... the others need to see exactly what kind of Lord they have summoned."