She opened the gift.
A golden miniature knight rested inside.
It sat tall on the lion, sword raised, like it was ready to charge into battle at any second.
The tiny rubies on the hilt sparkled, and even the lion’s mane had careful etchings that shouldn’t have been possible for a toy.
"This one’s from me," Seris said proudly. She tilted her chin up like she was waiting for me to act amazed.
I looked at her, then at the toy again.
My eyes widened just enough to show I was impressed. That was all it took.
Her mouth stretched into a grin so wide it almost split her face.
"Aha! You like it, don’t you?"
I gave a small nod. "Mhm."
"Ha! I knew you would like it!" she said, bouncing on the bed.
Before I could reply, she leaned forward and grabbed another box from the pile.
This one was much bigger. She had to use both hands and drag it across the blankets until it dropped with a soft thud.
"This one’s from your mom and dad," she said, popping the lid open.
We both froze.
Inside was a giant mechanical robot made of gold-plated parts. Twice the size of the knight.
A Gundam.
The arms moved when you pressed a button near the chest, and the eyes glowed faintly red.
Even I was surprised.
"With these two toys, you have enough gold to become a 1-star Mage tonight, Lord of Shadows!" Yuna said with excitement.
She floated above the toy pile, her tiny form glowing faintly.
"You just need to create a Catalyst for the element you want to align with."
’To align, I need a Catalyst...’ I repeated to myself.
Yuna puffed her chest out and pointed at me with a dramatic pose. "And as for the materials to create it..."
She placed her small hand against her chest and smiled. "I’ll enchant the ones you gathered. That’s my birthday gift to you."
’Yuna, you mean the materials I spent all week running around collecting?’
"W-Well, yes. But! Without me, you wouldn’t know what to gather anyway," she shot back quickly.
I chuckled.
The truth was simple.
The Elemental Catalyst I wanted couldn’t be made with items I could gather in my current state. Yuna’s enchantments would turn the cheap materials I found into proper substitutes.
If she wasn’t here, I would’ve wasted months trying to do this the hard way.
I glanced at her. ’Yuna, thank you.’
"It’s my pleasure, Lord of Shadows!" Her wings fluttered happily.
Seris wasn’t paying attention to us.
Her wide eyes were locked on the giant robot.
She tugged at my sleeve with surprising force for her tiny hands. "Let’s play with this one!"
I sighed but gave in.
For the next twenty minutes, we staged battles. The knight fought against the Gundam, then both of them teamed up against her pirate ship.
Seris made all the sound effects herself. Explosions, cannon fire, even the lion’s roars.
At some point, she decided the lion could fly. She spun it around in circles, shouting, "Helicopter mode, activate!"
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Eventually, her energy started to fade. She rubbed her eyes and yawned so loudly it echoed in the room.
Then, without a word, she stretched out on the soft carpet and fell asleep right there.
I stared at her.
’She seriously fell asleep on the floor,’ I thought.
Her chest rose and fell gently. She was completely out.
I looked down at my own short arms.
’How am I supposed to pick her up with these chubby limbs?’
I scratched my head, then gave up with a small sigh.
’I’ll just become a 1-star Mage and use a spell to move her.’
My eyes shifted to the pile of toys.
Dozens of gold-plated figures were scattered across the floor.
Some were new, like the knight and Gundam. Others were older, ones I had "convinced" Seris to hand over with exaggerated pouts and innocent smiles.
Yes, I’d already thrown away my pride for this. An assassin uses whatever tools he has, and I was an assassin. Dignity meant nothing if it got in the way of results.
And now, finally, I had enough gold.
It was strange, though, knowing my mom and Seris’s mom probably thought I was a materialistic child.
But in a way, they weren’t wrong.
I shook the thought away and pulled the toys together into a single pile at the center of the room.
I kept the expensive ones aside for now, choosing to start with the smaller gold toys first.
Then I took a pin I had hidden in my sleeve.
I pricked my finger lightly. A small bead of blood swelled at the tip.
I crouched down and began drawing runes on the wooden floor.
Each line had to connect properly to the next.
One mistake would ruin everything.
Yuna floated beside me, humming softly. "Careful, Lord of Shadows. Don’t rush. You’ve got enough mana waiting here. Just do it right once."
I nodded, my tongue sticking out slightly as I worked.
The runes were drawn on the floor, forming delicate crimson lines across the floor.
By the time I finished, sweat had already gathered on my forehead.
I sat back on my knees and exhaled.
’That’s the last one.’
Yuna crossed her arms and hovered above the circle.
"It is done, Lord of Shadows. You can begin anytime now."
I placed my palm on the center rune.
My small chest rose as I sucked in air, then I spoke.
"Thy-thels of gowd, di-tholve and bwend,
"By fowce of will, to mana thend.
"Fwom metawl’s gwint to thpiwit’s gwoo,
"Let mana fwow fwom gowden hue."
The words came out with a lisp thanks to my baby tongue.
But the runes responded anyway.
A faint golden light spread through the lines like fire racing through dry grass.
The toys trembled.
Metal clinked as the tiny figures lost their shine.
At first, it was subtle. The gold dulled bit by bit, as if the life was draining from them.
Then, thin white wisps floated up into the air.
They looked like glowing feathers made of smoke.
The wisps hovered above the pile, circling slowly.
I sat straight and began my Mana Breathing technique.
Each wisp shifted in my direction, pulled toward me like moths to fire.
They entered through my nose and mouth one after another.
The warmth spread inside me, filling my lungs, then seeping into my blood.
I focused, guiding them through my veins with willpower until they reached my heart.
’Almost there,’ I told to myself.
Sweat dripped down my forehead. My chest grew heavy, and the air thinned.
It felt like drowning, but I forced myself to keep breathing.
One wrong move, and everything would scatter.
I pushed harder.
The mana gathered below my heart.
A hollow sphere began to take form there, unstable and trembling.
Once, twice, three times it almost collapsed.
But I clenched my tiny fists, ignored the pounding in my head, and pushed again.
Finally, the sphere stabilized.
A message blinked into my vision.
Class Mage gained.
+3 Intelligence, +3 Spirit.
A smile spread across my face before I could stop it.
’Finally.’
But the notifications weren’t finished.
Shadow Summon: Level 3 → Level 4.
’I knew it!’ I clenched my fists tighter.
The reason the skill wouldn’t level up was clear now. My Spirit had been too low. With the boost from becoming a Mage, it jumped immediately.
’Status,’ I said quickly, excitement bubbling inside me. ’Show me my new class details.’