Westâs expression shifted again becoming more focused.
He closed his eyes and reached inward to the second untethered branch...
The one he had yet to contract.
Energy spread quietly beneath his skin as the world around him dissolved.
Jax watched as Westâs body went still, standing upright with his eyes closed.
"...Okay thatâs mildly terrifying."
Inside his consciousnessâ
West drifted once more into that strange realm.
Infinite space.
Dark yet luminous.
And floating before himâ
Were hundreds of thousands of doors, bearing different shapes, colors and size.
West moved forward slowly, studying them carefully.
This choice mattered.
His second entity would define the balance of his arsenal.
Gorâthala was magic-heavy... elegant and dominant.
Perhaps this time...
He needed something different.
His hand hovered over a crimson door etched with spiky patterns... then he moved away.
A smooth silver door throbbed coldly... he ignored and drifted further... spotting a deep violet door that radiated quiet menace.
âInteresting... but not yet.â
Finally, he stopped before a door unlike the others.
It was matte black with no carvings or glow...
Just... stillness.
It didnât call to him loudly or flash... it simply waited.
West stared at it and smiled faintly.
"I choose this one."
Outside in the real worldâ
Jax stood nervously.
"...West?"
The air around West began to distort slightly as powered gathered.
Westâs consciousness snapped back into his body like a wire reconnecting to a live circuit as his eyes flew open.
"Gorâthala," he said immediately, "be ready."
The elegant entity behind him straightened with her aura tightening like drawn silk.
"You anticipate hostility, Master?"
"Yes."
West exhaled slowly.
"Iâm taking the easy way out this time. Instead of fighting all by myself..."
The ground beneath them rippled.
The matte-black door he had chosen in the realm of doors had already opened and something had answered.
The summoning circle manifested beneath Westâs feet causing dark sigils to spread outward like ink in water.
Jax, who was still standing nearby holding the awakening voucher, blinked.
"...Okay why does this feel way scarier than the train?"
A low, dragging sound echoed across the empty lot like scales scraping stone...
And then a massive serpentine body coiled outward in a slow, languid motion.
Ash-black scales shimmered under the fading evening light, edged with a faint metallic sheen. The body stretched at least thirty feet long with thickness, easily as wide as the torsos of two grown men side by side.
But it was her upper half that commanded attention.
Where the serpentine body rose, it transitioned seamlessly into the torso of a woman.
Her skin was pale with a faint gray undertone, smooth as carved marble. Dark curved horns arched elegantly from her temples, sweeping back like a crown. Long midnight hair cascaded down her back, contrasting sharply against the muted ash of her scales.
Her eyes glowed faintly gold... and they were bored.
The System interface flickered before West.
> [ Summoned Entity: Seraphyra, the Dusk Serpent Sovereign ]
She looked around lazily with her tail coiling in a slow spiral.
Then her glowing eyes settled on West.
"Are you the one responsible for this, boy?"
Her voice was rich, velvet and laced with amused disdain.
Jax immediately let out a long whistle.
"Okay listenâif she wasnât a thirty-foot snake, Iâd definitelyâ"
Seraphyra didnât even turn her head fully.
"Quiet, lesser being."
Her eyes flared and for a split second, golden light emanated from them.
Jax froze mid-sentence as his body stiffened.
Gray spread over his skin like frost crawling across glass and within seconds, he became a perfectly sculpted stone statue... mid-whistle...
Westâs eyes darkened instantly.
"What did you do?"
Seraphyra examined her nails casually.
"I merely used Medusa Gaze on the lowlife."
Westâs eyes turned fierce as the ground beneath his feet cracked faintly in preparation to attack.
Gorâthala stepped forward with magic gathering in her palm.
Seraphyraâs tail paused mid-coil and then she smiled.
"Oh relax. I will sign the contract."
West blinked.
"...You will?"
He had prepared himself for battle... so this was an unexpected turn of events.
She shrugged.
"I find this plane... mildly interesting. It has been some time since Iâve walked freely. I only have one condition..."
West narrowed his eyes.
"Whatâs the condition?"
Her gaze sharpened as a playful glint appeared in her eyes.
"Promise me that as my master, you will allow me to enjoy myself here."
Her tone softened, almost teasing.
"I wish to indulge. To roam. To taste the freedom of this realm. So long as I serve you, I will not be caged."
West studied her carefully.
"And what does âenjoyâ entail?"
Her lips curved.
"Existing as I please. Exploring. Amusing myself. So long as I do not act against you."
Gorâthalaâs voice cut in coolly.
"She seeks autonomy within the bounds of servitude."
Seraphyraâs golden eyes flicked toward Gorâthala.
"A perceptive one."
West considered for a moment...
He needed strength not chaos but so long as she was promising servitude... It was worth considering.
"As long as you do not step out of line," he said evenly, "and you obey when commanded, you may conduct yourself freely."
Her smile widened.
"Delightful."
The contract circle flared brighter as dark threads of energy wrapped around them both.
They both sealed the agreement with their blood and the system flashed...
> Contract Established. Mutual Boons Granted.
West felt power infiltrate him alongside knowledge.
A catalogue of her abilities unfolded in his mind.
⢠Medusa Gaze.
⢠Poison Mist.
⢠Diamond Scales.
⢠Needle Breath.
⢠Size Magnification.
Westâs eyes widened in astonishment.
Her combat potential was monstrous.
A new notification soon appeared in his line of sight.
> You have acquired ability: Poison Mist.
West felt something shift in his lungs, opening a core that didnât exist a while ago Now venomous vapor existed within him, to be used at his command.
Simultaneously, Seraphyra stiffened.
Her eyes widened as new notifications appeared before her.
> +60% Boost to All Abilities
New Ability: Shadow Anchor
Humanoid Shift
The golden glow in her eyes flickered violently.
"...What?"
She looked at West again.
Then at the notifications.
Then back at him.
"Sixty percent?"
Her voice lost its lazy tone entirely.
"That magnitude of amplification... that is divine-tier enhancement."
Her serpentine body trembled slightly.
"How is this possible?"