Akira soared through the vast night sky, the wind rushing past him as he cut through the darkness. He had always loved flying, the cold air brushing against his skin, the silent serenity of the night wrapping around him. For him, the night sky had always been calming, and flying through it made him feel free. Maybe it was because of all the time he had spent in the void, endless, quiet, and dark.
There were countless ways Akira could fly. He had created hoverboards, jetpacks, and even boots that let him soar like a rocket. But tonight, he chose something simple, pure flying magic. With a casual surge of mana, he broke the sound barrier, slicing through the sky at supersonic speed, enjoying every second of the moment.
As he flew, a familiar voice echoed in his mind through telepathy.
"Enjoying yourself, brother?" Selena's voice asked gently.
"Yes," Akira replied without hesitation. "It always feels good to fly." Then, curiosity slipped into his tone. "So, what happened? Did Erika wake up?"
"No," Selena answered. "She's still sleeping peacefully. I called because there's something important I want to talk to you about, something regarding the future."
"Important?" Akira asked. "Should I come back then?"
"No, no. Just keep flying. We can talk like this."
Akira shrugged midair and continued gliding through the night. "Alright then. What is it?"
"Brother," Selena began, "do you remember the Archives magic you created?"
"Yeah," Akira nodded, recalling the complex spell structure he had once built.
"I used that as the framework," Selena explained, "and with the help of the castle's functions and our connection to the Imaginary Tree, I created something new. A system."
Akira slowed slightly, intrigued. "Hold on… is it the same type of system I'm thinking about?"
"Yes," Selena replied, sounding amused. "Exactly what you're thinking. I call it the Starsoul System."
"Starsoul System…" Akira muttered the name under his breath, tasting the words. "So… what does it do?"
"It's simple," Selena said. "Do you remember the Star Souls our ancestors created? I just turned them into a system. With this, if we recruit more Star Chasers, it'll be much easier for them, and us, to grow stronger."
Akira blinked. "Wait, we're recruiting Star Chasers?"
"Well, we will be," Selena replied. "We need all the help we can get. But we'll talk about that later. For now, let's focus on the Starsoul System. It's still in the development stage, but we can start a beta trial."
"Really?" Akira asked, a small spark of excitement rising in him. "Cool. So… who are we going to test it on?"
"You, of course," Selena said without hesitation. "You're the perfect candidate."
"Me?" Akira raised an eyebrow but then thought about it. It would be interesting to try it out. "Alright. I'll do it."
"Good," Selena said. "Then I'll send it to you through your Archives."
A moment later, a floating screen materialized in front of Akira, glowing softly against the starry backdrop. Words appeared on it:
[CONFIRMATION TO INSTALL STARSOUL SYSTEM]
[YES / NO]
Akira smirked and pressed "YES."
Suddenly, he felt something new enter his body, a strange, warm energy spreading through him, weaving itself into his soul. Another message appeared before his eyes:
[Welcome to the Starsoul System]
And right below it, a new notification popped up:
[New Mission Alert!!!]
[Destroy all the monsters and save the people in danger.]
Akira blinked at the message and stared at the screen. "What the hell…?" he muttered, not sure if he was supposed to laugh or be concerned.
Selena's cheerful voice echoed in his mind again, "So, how is it, brother? Do you like it?"
Akira kept his eyes on the glowing message floating in front of him. "Wait, Selena… it says Mission Alert, and someone's in danger. What's happening exactly?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like," Selena replied calmly. "I'll assign you missions, and when you successfully complete them, you'll receive rewards."
"Rewards?" Akira repeated. "So there's a reward for doing these missions? What kind of rewards are we talking about?"
"Lots of things," Selena said with a teasing tone. "Powerful skills, unique abilities, rare artifacts… even items from anime or other worlds you've seen before."
Akira blinked. "Wait, hold on. If you can give me all those things, why not just hand them over? Why go through all this mission and reward nonsense?"
Selena chuckled softly. "That's because I'm not the one giving you the rewards, brother. It's the Imaginary Tree. All I did was build a system that allows the Tree to grant them to you. But you know what they say, there's no such thing as free food. The Tree needs some kind of achievement from you before it gives anything back. Think of it as a balance, and besides, it's way more interesting this way, don't you think?"
Akira sighed, but couldn't deny she had a point. "Yeah… you're not wrong." Then he asked, "So what's the reward for completing this mission?"
"It's mostly random," Selena admitted, but then her tone shifted just slightly, almost teasing. "But I made sure the first reward is something special. So look forward to it, brother."
"Alright," Akira said with a grin. "Then where's the mission location?"
"Three kilometers west of your current position," Selena replied instantly. "Near that park."
Akira narrowed his eyes and activated his Mystic Eyes. His vision pierced through the distance, locking onto the scene Selena was talking about, a girl wielding a bow, desperately fighting off a monstrous creature in the middle of the park.
"Alright…" Akira muttered, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "First mission, here I come."
Without wasting another second, he tilted forward, and with a burst of speed, he shot through the night sky like a comet, heading straight toward the battlefield.