Kessel’s eyes went wide.
It wasn’t just the old man’s hand that had turned into light. His head had too. And so had the few white hairs on it. They had all turned golden, so clear you could see right through them.
It looked like he was floating inside a giant sea of holy energy, with his hair drifting in the air like seaweed.
Kessel stumbled back until his shoulders hit the cave wall.
"A Full Gleam Form?" he whispered, his voice cracking.
---
The Gleam Form was something only seventh-stage knights, the Temple Wardens, could use. But as someone’s strength grew, the skill grew too.
When a person’s whole body started to shine like clear crystal, it was called a Full Gleam Form. And that was the mark of a ninth-stage Temple Warden!
In other words, the old man standing in front of them might be an eighth-stage Lightbound Knight. Or something even higher. Out in the real world, a power like that was big enough to run an entire Knight Hall.
A Gleam Form couldn’t change a whole area. At most, it doubled attack power. And the longer someone trained, the longer it lasted.
The old man coughed lightly. Then, all at once, he poured his light-element Spiritual Energy into the golden token in his hand.
---
*FLASH!*
A burst of bright light filled the entire cave.
It spread in every direction. The ancient trapezoid patterns on the ground lit up, one after another. A heavy, magical hum began to roll through the air like distant thunder.
Kessel stood against the wall, watching. And he felt like his own eyes were being pulled into that light.
Then something strange happened inside him.
It was a feeling he had been waiting for. For years. It felt like the 3,000-level wall in front of him had cracked. Just a little.
*Wait. Is that...?*
*Not now. Focus. This is the kid’s moment.*
---
*SHHH!*
In a single breath, all the old marks lit up like fire. The countless patterns made from ancient symbols turned into waves of light and rushed across the cave.
At the same moment, Leo felt the Lodestar Stove in his chest start to shake.
It was as if the heavy light-element energy outside had woken it up. That energy flowed through his body and sank into him, and the energy circling inside him began to spin faster, and faster, and faster.
Golden, glowing patterns floated up into the air. They twisted and whirled together. What they formed was a huge whirlwind with no wind in it at all. It was made entirely of light.
Leo suddenly felt his body trembling.
It felt like an endless spring of light was pouring into him. His inner energy sped up even more.
*Hmmm...*
---
A sound like a bird’s chirp rang out.
When all the light patterns gathered together, they became a round golden whirlwind. In the next moment, golden light spread outward from it, growing bigger and bigger. Leo sat right in the middle of the magic circle, and the whirlwind wrapped around him completely.
The old guardian’s voice reached his ears.
"The selection has begun. You’ll start to feel the auras of countless Magical Beasts. Among all of them, you have to find the one that feels closest to you, the one that’s the best fit for a contract. Remember this. You must choose a beast that feels like your own. If you don’t, the contract won’t take, and it will be impossible to bring that beast into this world."
Leo heard every word. But he couldn’t answer.
A strange feeling had spread through his whole body.
---
The moment that golden light fell on him, it felt like his soul had slipped away somewhere far off. It stepped into another magical world.
That world was filled with countless specks of light. They came together and made a wall of light-element power, surrounding him on every side. In that moment, it felt like he was standing at the center of everything.
Countless specks followed his gaze. As if they obeyed his every move.
But there were so many of them. And they came in so many colors. Each speck carried its own unique energy.
*Fifteen minutes.*
That number was burned into his mind. Fifteen minutes. One chance. Only one.
He didn’t want to waste time thinking. So Leo started looking at the specks one by one, feeling each one’s energy.
*Not that one. Not that one. Not that one either.*
What Leo didn’t know was that each speck of light was its own parallel space. The energy inside each one belonged to a Magical Beast from another world. This place, this ancient magic circle, was actually a powerful thing that connected to all those other worlds.
And it was the true heart of the Knights’ Sacred Mountain.
---
Cold. Fear. Anger. Rejection.
Many feelings began to hit Leo’s mind like waves. Each one tried to push him back. But none of those attacks were strong. With his powerful mental strength, Leo spread his awareness wider. It felt like dozens of golden specks were filtering out and falling away in every second.
His extraordinary mind was finally showing its true value. Anyone else would not have been able to see even a tenth of those specks of light.
Time kept moving. Minutes turned to seconds. And Leo started to feel nervous.
The energies that felt close to him were so few. Most of the specks just gave off one feeling. Fear. As if they were scared of him.
*Why is everything afraid of me today? I’m not scary. I’m cute. Everyone says so.*
---
The fifteen minutes were almost up.
Everything in front of Leo began to blur.
*No, no, no. I have to find my partner!*
He screamed it inside his head. And at that moment, the things around him became a little clearer.
Inside the cave, the old guardian never took his eyes off Leo.
The time limit was fifteen minutes because that was as long as someone like Leo’s Spiritual Energy could stand this pressure. That was why only young talents under twenty could use this method. If someone was older, the magic array could hurt them.
The fifteen minutes were up. But the golden light wasn’t leaving Leo’s body. His face was pale. He clenched his teeth against the pain.
*What strong willpower!* the old man thought, full of praise.
He knew very well that when Spiritual Energy was used up and the body couldn’t take it anymore, the array would throw the person out. Only a very strong will could help someone hold on a little longer.
---
*Found it!*
Leo’s vision blurred again. He was almost passing out. Without thinking, he turned all his focus toward one special speck of light.
A deep wave of closeness and joy rolled through his whole soul.
*That one. It’s that one.*
He didn’t waste another moment. Leo started the equal contract.
The contract seal Kessel had given him used Leo’s mental strength to tie their souls together. If both sides agreed, it would work. If not, it couldn’t succeed. It was a peaceful, magical contract. And since time was running out fast, Leo didn’t even have time to celebrate.
*FLASH!*
With a bright glow, the connection was complete in an instant. Leo’s breath came fast as joy and a feeling of belonging filled him. Both sides had said yes at the exact same moment.
The specks of light vanished, along with the whole circle of light. Everything turned golden again. And in the middle of that blazing golden glow, Leo felt that someone else was with him now.
It was a presence full of warmth and love.
And somewhere, very close and very soft, a tiny voice whispered one word.
*"Finally."*