The battlefield still trembled with the aftermath of destruction. The air stank of smoke, blood, and the lingering bitterness of corrupted ice. Every step Shellia took crackled against frost-blackened ground, the silence broken only by the echo of her own breath.
Before her, Kyren staggered, his form shrouded in tendrils of black smoke. His crimson eyes burned with the madness of demon corruption. The once-human essence within him had been drowned, suffocated by the creeping influence of darkness.
But Shellia no longer looked at him with fear.
This time, her eyes shone with determination.
"I won't allow this world to lose another soul to corruption," she whispered to herself. Her fingers curled tightly around her staff. "Not again."
Behind her, faintly glowing, Yuki stood. His golden-white aura pulsed weakly, exhaustion evident in his small frame after healing countless victims—but still, his eyes met hers with unwavering support.
[Shellia… I will lend you the last of my strength.]
Shellia's breath caught. "Yuki, you've done enough—"
[No. If this fight ends without purging him completely, the corruption will return. You need me. And I… want to see this through.]
A small, fierce smile curved her lips. "Then let's do it together."
---
Raising her staff, Shellia closed her eyes. A memory flickered—her first encounter with Orielle, the red fox spirit of healing flame. That power had grown with her. Now, it was no longer just borrowed strength. It was hers.
"Pure Flame Healing," she whispered, her voice steady despite the storm of energy surging inside her.
The staff ignited. Fire blossomed outward—not wild, destructive fire, but luminous flame that carried the warmth of life itself. It spread in waves, covering the battlefield, pushing back the black ice. Where the flames touched, corruption sizzled and dissolved into harmless smoke.
Kyren roared, a guttural, inhuman sound, clawing at his own chest as if trying to tear out the fire that licked at his body. "Grahhh—!"
Shellia's knees trembled at the sheer resistance. The corruption inside him wasn't weak—it was rooted deeply, binding his soul like chains of tar.
That was when Yuki stepped forward.
He raised his small hands, eyes glowing with unearthly gold. [Divine Healing.]
A second light burst into the battlefield, twining with Shellia's flame. Unlike fire, Yuki's healing was pure radiance, bending reality itself. Together, fire and light fused, swirling around Kyren.
Shellia shouted over the storm of power, "You are not a demon's puppet! If the world betrayed you, then let me give you a new place, a new purpose!"
The corruption howled as if alive, fighting desperately to cling to its host. Black tendrils burst from Kyren's back like wings of shadow, lashing violently against the barrier of flame.
Shellia gritted her teeth, sweat beading on her brow. Her fire flared brighter, turning from red to a white-blue, its purity absolute.
"Begone! You have no place here!"
Her voice rang like a command.
The corruption screamed. The shadows tore away, burning in her flames and Yuki's divine radiance until nothing remained but a pale, trembling man collapsing to his knees.
---
Kyren panted, his crimson eyes flickering with confusion, as though waking from a nightmare. Smoke curled from his skin, fading with every heartbeat.
Shellia lowered her staff slowly, approaching him. Her voice softened, no longer commanding, but gentle.
"You were not meant to be a monster. You were meant to live… and to heal."
He blinked up at her, trembling lips parting as if to speak, but no words came. Only a faint sound—broken, fragile.
Shellia extended her hand, her flame still glowing faintly around her fingertips.
"From this moment on," she whispered, her voice firm yet tender, "your name is Sylas."
The world seemed to hold its breath.
The instant the name left her lips, light erupted. A radiant sky-blue glow enveloped Kyren's body, brighter and purer than anything before. The corruption, what little remained, shattered like fragile glass. The oppressive darkness that had clung to him was gone, leaving only peace.
When the glow faded, he was no longer Kyren the corrupted.
He was Sylas.
His hair remained midnight black, streaked with luminous blue highlights that shimmered like rivers under moonlight. His eyes, once burning red, now glowed a calm, pale blue—like ice untouched by decay. His presence radiated not menace, but tranquility.
---
Yuki stepped forward, eyes wide, his small form trembling slightly. [Incredible… His soul didn't fracture. The corruption is gone.]
Orielle's faint fox form flickered into being beside Shellia, her golden eyes gleaming. [So… this is the third. Fire, light, and now ice. He is truly yours, Shellia.]
Sylas—still kneeling—lifted his head slowly. His voice was hoarse, fragile, but undeniably human. [Why… why did you save me]
Shellia knelt before him, placing a hand gently over his chest where the last traces of darkness had been burned away.
"Because no one deserves to be lost to despair. You were not born to be a weapon of demons. You were born to heal."
Sylas's lips parted, his new blue eyes glistening. He raised his hands, and faint icy mist spread from his palms—not cold, not corrupt, but soothing. Where the frost touched the earth, dead grass began to regrow, blooming faintly in pale blue blossoms.
]My… power…] His voice trembled with awe. [This isn't destruction anymore. It's… healing.]
Orielle tilted her head, her tails swishing. [Healing ice. Rare. Perhaps even rarer than my flames.]
Yuki smiled faintly, despite his weariness. [Then we are three, bound to her. The flame, the light, and the ice. The cycle is complete.]
---
Before Shellia could respond, a familiar chime echoed in her ears.
Ding.
A translucent system window panel unfolded in the air, shimmering with divine runes. Everyone present froze, watching as words carved themselves into the light.
---
Name: Shellia Emerald
Guild Rank: B
Job: Spirit Beloved
Current Spirit List:
Yuki – Spirit of Divine Healing (Light Beyond Nature)
Orielle – Spirit of Healing Flame (Pure Fire)
Sylas – Spirit of Healing Ice (Tranquil Frost)
Abilities:
Divine Purification → Rank A
Medium Purification → Rank B+
Shield of Grace → Rank B
Healing Flame (Orielle) → Rank A-
Pure Flame Healing (Medium) → Unlocked
Divine Healing (Yuki) → Rank S (Supportive)
Tranquil Frost Healing (Sylas) → Rank A (Supportive)
Overall Contractor Status:
Rank B (Guild Acknowledged)
Potential Growth: UnmUnmeasurel
---
The panel glowed once more before fading into the air.
Shellia exhaled shakily, her chest heaving. Every battle, every struggle—had led her here. With Sylas now bound, her path had changed forever.
---
Sylas lowered his head deeply, placing his palm over his chest. His pale blue eyes locked with hers, filled with sincerity.
[Shellia Emerald] he said, his voice steadier now, [I am yours. From this moment onward, I will not be a shadow of the past. I will walk as your spirit, and as your ally.]
Shellia smiled softly. "Then rise, Sylas. You're no longer bound by corruption. You're free."
He rose to his feet, tall and calm. The icy mist still flowed gently from his hands, a soothing presence rather than a threat. Where it touched the wounded ground, flowers bloomed in his wake.
Yuki let out a tired chuckle. [A bit dramatic, but fitting.]
Orielle snorted, her tails flicking. [Hmph. Just don't get in my way, ice boy.]
Sylas glanced at them, his lips twitching into the faintest smile. [I'll try not to]
Shellia laughed softly, the tension finally breaking. For the first time that night, her heart felt lighter.
---
The battlefield, once tainted with darkness, now glowed faintly with the hues of fire, light, and ice intertwined. The three spirits stood with Shellia, not as tools, but as companions.
The corruption was gone.
And the name Sylas would no longer be tied to destruction—
—but to healing, and hope.
---