Genichi didn't waste any time.
After Demeter updated his mana and confirmed the concrete effects of Heavenly Dominion, he immediately began testing the spell.
He needed to know where its limits were.
He needed to know how long a summoned existence could remain.
And he needed to know whether he could control those he called back, the powerhouses who had once stood at the pinnacle of the world.
Genichi sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and began to chant.
"Heavenly Dominion, of ten thousand ages…"
His voice was low and steady, carrying an odd rhythm.
Magic began to surge inside him, like a tide rushing toward a door that didn't exist.
"Heavenly… Alfia."
The instant the final name left his lips, Genichi snapped his eyes open.
In the center of the room, a figure was taking shape.
It was a woman with ash-gray hair. Tall, willowy, and so coldly beautiful it was hard to put into words, yet it still made your heart seize. Her eyes were black, like a frozen lake, without the slightest ripple.
The strongest mage in Orario's history, without equal.
A monster who had nearly destroyed the entire City by herself.
Someone dead for many years, yet still alive in legend.
And now she stood before Genichi.
Alfia stood there in silence, her mismatched eyes slowly sweeping the room before settling on him.
Her brow knit slightly.
"…Where is this?"
Her voice was cool, threaded with a faint, hard-to-catch confusion.
She remembered dying. Dying in that insane plan, dying in endless despair. So why was she standing here again?
Genichi rose and met her gaze.
There was no fear in his pitch-black eyes. Only a calm so deep it looked like still water.
"This is Orario," he said evenly.
"Demeter Familia's residence."
Alfia's frown deepened.
"You summoned me?"
"Yes." Genichi didn't deny it.
Alfia fell silent for a moment, those mismatched eyes tracing every minute crease of his expression.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Alfia," Genichi said. "One of Orario's strongest mages. Someone who once tried to destroy this city."
He paused.
"And Bell Cranel's aunt."
Alfia's pupils tightened.
Bell Cranel.
That name stabbed into her chest like a blade.
The child her sister gave her life to bring into the world.
A child she had never met, yet had always carried in her heart.
"You…" Her voice trembled slightly. "You know Bell?"
"Not yet." Genichi shook his head.
"But I know his future."
Alfia went quiet.
She stared at the boy in front of her. Those black eyes held too much she couldn't read.
Genichi didn't give her time to dwell on it.
Fast, clear, and to the point, he explained Orario's current situation, Demeter Familia's situation, and the danger he was facing.
The Dark Faction stirring.
And Dionysus, hidden in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
Alfia listened without expression.
Only when he finished did she speak.
"You summoned me so I'd fight for you."
"Yes." Genichi nodded, looking straight into her eyes.
"I need your help, Alfia. I need you as my trump card. Fight for me."
Alfia's lips curved slightly in a mocking smile.
"Why? Why should I help you?"
Genichi looked at her, his expression unmoved.
"As payment…" He paused.
"I'll let you see with your own eyes what the child your sister risked her life to bear looks like when he grows up."
Alfia's body jolted.
For the first time, a visible crack ran through her cold mask.
Bell.
That child.
The one she'd never met, yet had thought of day and night.
She believed she'd never have the chance, that she could only sleep forever with that regret.
But now…
"You can do that?" Her voice came out dry, disbelieving.
"I can." Genichi's answer was short and absolute.
"But there's a condition."
He stared into Alfia's eyes, every word deliberate.
"You fight for me. When I need you, you use your power to help me."
"In exchange, I'll let you see Bell grown."
Alfia fell silent.
A long, long silence.
Countless images flashed through her mind.
Bell.
That child.
Her only tether.
Her only regret.
After a long time, Alfia slowly closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.
Then she opened them.
The cold mockery was gone from her mismatched gaze.
In its place was something complicated: resignation, reluctance, compromise, and a thin thread of expectation.
"Even if your methods are vile…" Her voice was calm, though it still trembled faintly.
"…I think I agree."
Genichi met her eyes and nodded slightly.
And then his body suddenly shuddered.
His magic.
Almost empty.
Summoning someone like Alfia was draining him far faster than he'd expected.
He looked up at her.
"Time's up."
His voice was weak, but still steady.
"I look forward to our next pleasant interaction."
Alfia looked at him, something complicated flickering through her eyes.
In the next instant, her body began to turn transparent.
Like fog, she slowly dissolved into the air.
At the very end, her lips moved as if she said something.
But Genichi couldn't hear it.
Alfia vanished completely.
Only Genichi and Demeter remained in the room.
Genichi dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
Sweat beaded across his forehead, and his face went so pale it seemed to lose all color.
The cost of summoning Alfia was far greater than he'd imagined.
But it was worth it.
Demeter rushed to support him, her blazing red eyes full of worry.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Genichi shook his head and slowly stood. "I just burned too much magic."
Demeter looked at him, then asked softly.
A moment later, she couldn't hold it in anymore.
"This magic…" She hesitated, searching for the right words. "It's just… it's just…"
She didn't even know how to describe it.
Summoning historical figures.
Summoning the dead.
Summoning legendary existences.
Alfia was one of the strongest mages in Orario's history. A monster who had nearly destroyed the entire city. An existence even the gods had reason to fear.
And Genichi, a Level 4 after three days, had summoned her.
And even made a deal with her.
Demeter felt like everything she'd seen in all her years suddenly wasn't enough.
Genichi looked at her stunned expression and let a faint smile touch his lips.
"What? Scared?"
"I am…" Demeter opened her mouth, then could only sigh helplessly. "Your magic is terrifying."
She paused, her gaze drifting.
"But can Alfia really be trusted? She tried to destroy Orario."
"She can't." Genichi answered without hesitation.
"But her weakness is still in my hands."
He turned, gazing out at the night sky washed in moonlight.
"Bell Cranel is her only tether."
"As long as that child exists, as long as she still wants to see him grown…"
He paused.
"She'll be usable."
Demeter stared at his back, a complicated feeling rising in her chest.
He was young, yet he always found the weak points in people and turned them into his advantage.
It had been the same with her.
His scheming ran deep enough to be frightening.
And yet…
He was her first...
The one she trusted, the one she wanted to protect, and the one she loved.
Demeter drew a slow breath and stepped up beside him at the window.
"No matter what happens, I'll always be on your side."
Her voice was gentle but firm.
Genichi glanced at her. He didn't speak.
He only nodded slightly.
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