Sophia stirred, her mind sluggishly clawing its way back to awareness. The world around her was a haze until, slowly, it began to sharpen.
As clarity returned, a sudden jolt of panic shot through her, and she sat upright, heart pounding, as her surroundings snapped into focus.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She knew exactly what she had done. The 'ritual' hadn't been an accident; it was deliberate, a summoning aimed at the 'abyss'.
Months of obsessive research had brought her to this moment. She had delved into forbidden texts, painstakingly assembling fragments of lore that others dared not even acknowledge.
Summoning from the 'abyss' wasn't just dangerous, it was a crime, punishable by lifetime imprisonment or, worse, execution.
Still, she hadn't acted recklessly. She'd been painstakingly thorough.
She had studied the beasts of the 'abyss' in depth; their habits, their natures, even the offerings that could placate them.
Her conclusion had been clear: control was possible.
With meticulous care, Sophia prepared. She crafted a scroll inscribed with a binding spell, and on top of that, she crafted another, inscribed with a silent explosive spell to destroy the altar and end the 'ritual' should things go wrong.
But all her planning unraveled in a single, devastating moment.
Instead of a creature she could manage, she had unleashed something beyond comprehension.
The memory of it sent a chill down her spine. She could still feel its presence, as if it had bypassed every barrier amulet to crawl deep inside her being.
In that moment, Sophia understood with certainty; this wasn't a beast she could hope to control.
As Sophia's eyes darted frantically around the room, the weight of her actions came crashing down on her.
"What have I done..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
The offerings she had prepared were gone, consumed by the ritual, and the beast she'd summoned was nowhere in sight.
"Did it... escape?"
Her stomach churned at the thought, and tears began to well in her eyes as panic tightened its grip on her.
Then, she felt it: a gentle touch that pulled her back from the edge of despair.
Looking down, she froze. A small paw rested lightly on her thigh.
Startled, her gaze followed the paw to its source: a creature that, at first glance, resembled a cat, but somehow, it was far from ordinary.
Its obsidian black fur shimmered with an otherworldly sheen, and its eyes, equally dark, seemed to hold an endless depth.
Sophia blinked, momentarily disarmed. The creature was impossibly adorable, and for a moment, her heart softened.
But the calm didn't last. A wave of confusion soon took its place.
"Where did this cat come from?"
She had performed a summoning from the 'abyss'; a 'ritual' designed to call forth a formidable beast.
This small, adorable cat felt completely out of place.
Then, she felt it: a strange, subtle stirring deep within her mind. It wasn't a regular word, but some other form of communication. Yet, somehow, its intent was clear.
It wanted something.
A name.
Sophia's mind raced.
"Don't tell me... is this cat the beast I summoned?"
The thought that this harmless, adorable cat could be tied to the terrifying beast she had summoned was impossible to grasp.
"It's asking for a name. Did it accept my contract? But I haven't even made preparations for it."
The cat tapped her thigh again, its wide eyes fixed on her with a commanding intensity.
Sophia froze.
Its cuteness was overwhelming, and the cat's endearing actions were making it harder to hold onto her confusion.
Then, as if a realization struck her, Sophia blinked twice.
"Right. I need to give you a name."
A moment passed. Suddenly, as if an old memory had risen to the surface, a name came to her.
"I'll name you... Seraphix."
As the words left her mouth, a sharp, searing pain shot through her right arm. She winced, but kept her composure. Glancing down, she saw a pattern etching itself into her skin.
"What in the world?!"
The pattern was intricate, resembling moons and stars, its beauty undeniable. Yet, the elegance was overshadowed by the implications of its design, particularly the number of strokes.
The pattern had nine strokes.
Strokes held immense significance in beast-taming.
Each stroke signified a level of power; a one-stroke beast would never dare challenge a two-stroke, and so the hierarchy continued.
Most beast tamers could only manage beasts with up to seven strokes, while eight-stroke beasts were rare, borderline legendary.
Nine-stroke beasts? They were considered the stuff of myths, tales told to lull children to sleep. No records of their existence had ever been found. With eight-stroke beasts already considered as the pinnacle, the idea of a nine-stroke beast wasn't something any sane person would seriously entertain.
Yet here she was.
Sophia stared at the pattern etched into her hand, disbelief growing as the pattern's meaning sank in.
If the rules of strokes were correct, there was no denying it; she was now bound to a beast more powerful than even the legendary eight-stroke beasts.
The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.
"A nine-stroke beast... serving me? I did it... I actually did it!"
***
As I watched Sophia, my new master, reveling in her frantic joy, a thought crossed my mind.
'It seemed that communication isn't much of a problem.'
When I spoke, she seemed to understand my intent, and when she spoke, I could somehow grasp hers as well.
Shifting my attention inward, I refocused on my updated status window.
---
Seraphix
Level: 1
Mana Capacity: 3
Occupation: Cat (Beast) tamed by Sophia Kovalevska
Strength: 1
Intelligence: 1
Agility: 1
Dexterity: 1
Vitality: 1
Skills: Transmogrify Essence, Veil of the Abyss, Essence Devour
---
I noticed that both my name and occupation had changed.
And then... wait.
'What happened to my mana?'
I remembered it was four before, but now it had dropped to three.
'Did it cost mana for me to accept Sophia as my master? Shouldn't that have been on her?'
I couldn't help but feel irritated.
'Am I being scammed? Just minutes after being summoned into this world?'
Taking a deep cat-breath, I forced myself to calm down and rethink the situation. Complaining wouldn't change anything. One thing was clear: the status window wasn't being transparent about mana consumption.
Now that I thought about it again, there was no mention of mana costs in the skill descriptions, even though I'd clearly used mana.
'I'd have to be more cautious about this status window moving forward.'
For now, I had one clear goal: gather as much information as possible and find a way to increase my mana.
While lost in thought, I noticed Sophia gleefully jumping and running around her room.
'Did she just do a forward roll?'
I ignored her and turned my focus back inward.
'Though I could manage communication, I still struggled with reading. Plus, I needed to learn the basics of this world's culture. I couldn't risk accidentally offending someone powerful, especially when my stats were lower than those of a teenage girl.'
Suddenly, I felt something blocking my view. It was Sophia, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
'Looks like she's finished her night exercise.'
She stood there, grinning widely, watching me like I was the Christmas present she'd always wanted.
From our earlier interactions, I could conclude one thing: she saw me as something powerful, though I had no idea why. For now, I'd need to uphold that image; it could prove useful for obtaining the necessity I needed.
Then, my cat's nose twitched.
I looked at Sophia and pointed with my paw to the damp spot in front of me.
"Clean it."
***
Sophia's face flushed with embarrassment as the weight of her mistake settled in.
'What have I done?!'
Now that her frantic joy had subsided, the events of the 'ritual' replayed in her mind. Her first impression on her newly tamed beast, Seraphix, couldn't have gone any worse.
Not only had she passed out immediately after the summoning, but she had also, unthinkably, wet herself in front of him.
Mortified, she launched into motion, scrubbing herself clean before attacking the damp floor with desperate urgency. She moved faster than she had during her frantic joy, driven by sheer humiliation.
Once the mess was gone, she grabbed her notebook and flipped through the pages, searching for the next step of the 'ritual'. After a few frantic turns, she found the passage. Without hesitation, she crawled under her bed, retrieved an ornate silver scroll, and placed it reverently on the altar.
She pressed her fingers to the scroll and took a steadying breath, centering her thoughts. The gemstone embedded in the ring on her right hand began to glow softly.
"Good," she murmured. "Still some mana left in the ring."
A moment later, a brilliant golden flame erupted from the altar, swallowing it whole. The fire raged with an unnatural brilliance, yet the air remained cool.
"Cal really is amazing," she whispered. "To think he could craft something like this."
When the flames finally receded, the altar was gone. Not a single trace remained; no ash, no char, only an empty patch of floor.
Then something tugged gently at her ankle.
Startled, Sophia looked down to find Seraphix staring up at her, his eyes locked on her right hand.
"▣▣▣▣▣."
'He wants me to show him the ring....'
There was no pressure in his words, no threat in his tone, yet the abruptness of the request made her scramble. She quickly slipped the ring off her finger and offered it with both hands, as if presenting a crown.
"S-sir Seraphix, please..."
He examined it for a moment, then opened his mouth and swallowed the gemstone from the ring whole.
Sophia's eyes went wide.
'He's hungry? Of course, he's from the abyss. He must need far more sustenance than I thought.'
"Sir Seraphix, please wait! I'll find you something better!"
Without another word, she bolted from the room. The door slammed open behind her as she sprinted down the hallway toward the kitchen.
***
My mana has increased to 26.
It seems my instincts were correct. Yet, calling it 'instinct' feels strange.
It's as natural as walking, as if this knowledge is an extension of myself, like my own feet and... paw.
With my mana replenished, I don't have to worry about it for now. Sophia will serve as a convenient source of more of those stones.
Though having a pee-pants as my master is still unsettling, she has her uses. Judging by this opulent room, she must be some sort of noble in this world.
Thinking of her brought back the memory of her dashing around the room in exhilaration.
'I guess she's just a child at her age.'
Normally, I can't stand having children around me; they're usually a constant source of irritation.
But Sophia... she feels different... somehow.
Suddenly, a distant memory surfaced in my mind.
'Right... she also has a similar name.'
My reminiscence was cut short as someone stepped into view; it was Sophia, returning from the kitchen.
'This girl really has no sense of personal space.'
"S-Sir Seraphix, I brought you some food," she stammered, holding out a tray with trembling hands.
***
Earlier in the kitchen, Sophia had grabbed a loaf of bread and a glass of milk, her personal favorites.
On the way back to her room, she couldn't resist sneaking a bite of the bread and taking a quick sip of the milk.
'I just need to make sure they taste perfect,' she reasoned to herself.
Once back in her room, she presented the tray to Seraphix, completely unaware of the faint trace of milk still clinging to her lips.
Seraphix stared at her in silence.
The stillness dragged on, making Sophia shift uncomfortably.
'Did I do something wrong?'
Unable to take it anymore, she broke the silence. "Sir Seraphix... your food..."
After another pause, Seraphix finally pointed at the table.
"▣▣▣▣▣▣▣."
'He wants me to place him, and the food, on the table...'
Sophia froze as the familiar 'sensation' stirred inside her mind. It was that odd pull she always felt when Seraphix tried to communicate.
His word was incomprehensible, but somehow, with the help of that 'sensation' within her, she understood what he meant.
'That's normal, right?' she reassured herself, trying to stay composed. 'This is just how Sir Seraphix communicates.'
But a new concern immediately formed.
'Wait, how am I supposed to lift a nine-stroke beast without offending it?'
Before her thoughts could spiral further, Seraphix solved the issue himself. He raised both front paws slightly, clearly signaling for her to pick him up.
Sophia's heart nearly exploded.
'Too... cute!'
She clenched her fists, trying to suppress the overwhelming urge to hug him like a spoiled house cat.
'Sophia, calm down! This is a nine-stroke beast. A nine-stroke beast!!'
With great care, she scooped him into her arms. Her hands sank into fur far softer than she expected, and she swallowed hard, caught off guard by the luxurious texture brushing against her skin.
'This is a nine-stroke beast. This is a nine-stroke beast,' she repeated over and over in her mind, clinging to the thought like a lifeline.
Steadying her breath, she gently placed Seraphix on the table, then set the plate of bread and milk in front of him.
Then she stepped back and watched.
He began to eat, nibbling at the bread with quiet, surprising delicacy.
Her fists tightened again.
'This is a nine-stroke beast. This is... I want to pat.'