Chapter 2: Soul Link
The goblin's corpse lay still at Kai's feet, steam rising faintly from its torn flesh. Blood pooled around the ragged edges of the wound he had made with the old, rusted sword. He stared at it, panting, his arms trembling from the fight—or maybe from the shock.
The city behind him was still chaos—screams, collapsing buildings, creatures roaring in the distance. But here, in this narrow alley, it was suddenly quiet. Too quiet.
Then the air shimmered.
The goblin's body glowed, faintly at first—blue, like mist catching moonlight. Kai stumbled backward, watching as the light intensified and lifted the creature's form off the ground. It began to dissolve, the flesh and bone unraveling into particles of glowing water.
A chime echoed in his head.
> **\[Soul Link Activated]**
> **Target: Goblin (Level 2)**
> **Element Imprinted: Water**
> **Summon Class: Lesser Elemental Servant – Bound**
"What the hell…?" Kai whispered.
The particles swirled in the air, gathering into a humanoid shape—smaller than him, translucent and fluid, with glowing white-blue eyes and vague goblin-like features. A water construct, pulsing faintly with life.
And then it spoke.
"Master." The voice was wet and distant, like it came from underwater.
Kai took a step back. His weapon arm twitched, but the sword—no, it was *changing*.
He gasped as the rusted metal in his hand began to melt, reforming before his eyes. Water swirled around his forearm, encasing it, shaping it. Within seconds, the blade had vanished—replaced by a bow of crystal-clear blue, glowing with a faint aura. It was elegant, curved like a crescent wave, strung with liquid energy.
> **\[Weapon Shift: Water Element Active]**
> **\[Form: Arc-Bow of the Tides]**
He stared at it in awe. The grip was cold but familiar. He hadn't even learned how to use a bow—yet somehow, the moment he held it, his stance adjusted instinctively. The Soul Link wasn't just about summons. It was rewriting *him*.
"What are you?" he asked the summon quietly.
The water goblin's head tilted. "Bound to the soul that claimed mine. You possess the link. I serve."
Kai swallowed. "You're really… mine?"
The goblin nodded once. "Through me, you command the water."
The alley shook as another explosion rocked the streets beyond. A shriek echoed down the corridor, and another goblin—this one alive—came skittering around the corner. Its eyes locked onto Kai, and it hissed, baring jagged teeth.
Kai raised the bow.
Without thinking, he pulled back on the watery string. An arrow of condensed water formed in his grasp, crackling with pressure. He loosed it.
The projectile whistled through the air—faster than any normal arrow—and struck the goblin dead center. The force of it blasted the monster into the wall, pinning it with a crack. The body slumped, unmoving.
Kai stared. The bow dissolved back into water around his hand, waiting to reform when needed.
He looked at the water goblin beside him, still standing silently.
"I… just did that."
> **\[Skill Unlocked: Elemental Weapon Mastery I]**
> **\[Stat Boost: Agility +2, Perception +1]**
> **\[New Ability: Aqua Shot – Summon a high-speed water arrow to pierce enemy defenses]**
A flood of information scrolled through his mind—stats, skills, numbers. Like a game interface, but real. Too real.
And then he noticed the final line:
> **\[Warning: Unique Soul Detected – Class Evolution Path Unstable]**
"What does that mean?" Kai muttered.
The summon didn't answer.
He looked up at the sky. The rift above the city was still open. More creatures were pouring out. The military hadn't responded fast enough. People were still dying.
And now… he had power.
Kai clenched his fist.
He wasn't just some nobody anymore.
He was something else.
And the world was about to find out what.
**End of Chapter 2**