"No, that's not right. Do it like this."
Saying that, Lugh reached out and gently took the girl's wrist. The blade she held was dangerously close to his own neck, but he ignored it entirely, keeping his eyes on the girl in front of him. She was clearly nervous.
"Focus," he said calmly.
"Y-Yes…" Clair muttered, tightening her grip on the sword. It was her weekly training session, and Lugh had come to check her progress.
After a moment, Lugh stepped back and released her wrist. "Hmm… that's enough for today," he said. He could tell she was already at her limit. Forcing more training would only harm her.
"Aah…" Clair exhaled deeply, glancing at Hinata. Even though they had met only a few times, she still couldn't believe this was real. After her possession, she had expected the best-case scenario to be death… and the worst to be falling into someone else's hands.
But none of that happened because of the boy in front of her.
For the first time in her life, she was being treated as the firstborn, not as a burden. She was happy. Relieved. Nervous that this dream might end someday. Someone was giving her priority over her brother.
She didn't hate Cid, but pretending she felt no resentment after being ignored because of him would be a lie.
"We'll continue the training next week," Lugh said as her breathing slowly returned to normal. "Also… you'll be joining the academy next year, right?"
Clair nodded. "Yes. I'll turn fifteen next year, so I have to enroll in Midgar Academy for Dark Knights, as required."
In Midgar, all nobles and royalty were obligated to attend the Academy. Children with magical ability had to leave for the royal capital when they turned fifteen, studying there for three years as a formal part of their upbringing.
Lugh narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Then we should begin training you to hide your strength."
Clair blinked. "…Hide it?"
"There's no need to show your power to others," he said quietly. "It will only draw you into their schemes. Even if you pretend to be weak, you won't escape attention completely… but you'll have far more options. Hiding your true ability lets you control the situation."
Since Clair was already under him, letting her fall into some noble's political plot because she showed off would be idiotic. Yes, standing out could earn her connections but until she had the strength to protect herself, Lugh wasn't willing to let her get tangled up with anyone else.
Clair still looked uncertain."But… then I won't be able to interact with other nobles. I'm just a baron's daughter."
"It doesn't matter. Your life is worth far more than a few connections." Lugh waved his hand dismissively. He didn't notice how his words froze Clair for a moment. She lowered her gaze as her cheeks warming slightly.
Completely unaware of her sudden, intense stare, Lugh moved to the next topic.
"Did you find anything about Alexandria?"
The question snapped Clair out of her thoughts."Not much," she said, shaking her head. "Only old stories. Centuries ago, a king broke some kind of vow and was punished by a dragon. Since then, the place has been abandoned. But there are no details about its actual location… or whether it even truly exists."
Lugh nodded. He didn't doubt the city was real, at least, it existed in the anime. Still, as expected, there wasn't much information on Alexandria, the hidden city that served as the Shadow Garden's base.
He remembered a mist dragon residing there, but he wasn't sure how strong it would be after the worlds had merged with Tensura. At minimum, it should be Calamity-class… possibly still be an Archdragon subspecies if it hadn't evolved.
I should take some time to investigate that place, Lugh thought inwardly. It would make an excellent base. The magicule-rich miasma around the area keeps most people away.
The compilation of worlds had distorted the original Tensura geography, but the rough direction should still hold.
In the story, it was somewhere northeast… hidden in the mountains. I can start the search from there.
"Alright, you can stop digging into that and focus on yourself for now," Lugh said. He knew uncovering the truth about events from centuries ago would be nearly impossible without proper records or a monster old enough to remember.
Clair accepted the instruction with a soft nod, but as she looked at Lugh's face, something tugged at her mind.
"Do you… have any problem?" she asked carefully.
She couldn't pinpoint anything different in his expression compared to his previous visits, yet something felt off. He didn't seem as calm or composed as usual.
"Clair," Lugh began, sitting down on the bed. Because of his current form's height, he had to look slightly upward to meet her eyes. "If you were suddenly given an option to join a group you know nothing about, would you join?"
"Well… it depends on why I'm joining the group," Clair replied, her tone turning serious. She could tell he wasn't pleased about something. Although she had never seen him truly laugh, he had always looked unbothered in front of her until now.
Is someone forcing him? The thought flashed across her mind as her expression hardened even more.
"For what, huh?" Lugh echoed her words quietly. Maybe for fun… or opportunities outside of what I get from the Gacha.
[Dimensional Chat Group has sent an invitation]
[Accept / Decline]
A transparent screen, visible only to him, floating silently in the air.
Lugh stared at it, his mind racing.
It may be a gamble… but I can't let this opportunity slip. Who knows if the Gacha will remain with me forever? I can't rely on one system alone.
He still hadn't joined the group. He had been hesitating all this time, remembering countless fanfictions where mysterious chat groups were created by eldritch beings to manipulate members, plunder worlds, and cause chaos under the guise of missions and "saving" worlds.
But Clair's words pushed him toward a decision.
It's not like the Gacha itself couldn't be the work of some eldritch being, he thought bitterly.
He shook his head slightly, then looked back at Clair. "Thanks, Clair."
*****************
3rd PERSON POV
In the dimly lit hall, over thirty robed men stood in a wide circle, each gripping a staff carved with runes. They surrounded a sprawling magic array inscribed across the stone floor, a complex mandala of shifting colours, pulsing like a heartbeat. The glow intensified with every chant they uttered, bright enough to burn afterimages into their eyes, yet none dared to stop.
They couldn't. If they failed now, months of preparation, resources, sacrifices, risks, would be wasted.
The humming light swelled, rising to a near–blinding brilliance.
"Ready yourselves!" one of the mages barked.
Around the hall, armored soldiers stiffened, gripping their weapons tighter. They had experienced this before, the instability, the backlash, the unpredictable dangers. Fear crept through the room despite the discipline drilled into them.
The circle erupted.
A sudden flash, then a new presence filled the center of the array.
A girl materialised above the magic circle, collapsing to her knees.The tan-skinned young woman had dark-purple hair that goes all the way down to her feet where the end is being tied together with bangs covering her left eye while she has chest-length hair strands hanging on either side and light blue-grey eyes.She is white sailor uniform's blouse with blue stripes and a yellow ribbon, a matching blue skirt, loose white socks, and brown shoes.
"W-Where… where am I?" she asked, panic rippling across her expression. Her voice was swallowed by the chaos.
"Locking curse!" the elder mage commanded, his cracked voice cutting through the noise. His long grey hair and weathered features marked him unmistakably as the leader.
"Yes, Razen-sama!" another mage answered, stepping forward. He thrust his staff out; the crystalline tip ignited with harsh light.
The girl didn't understand their language, but she understood their intention.
Whatever this is… it's bad.
Her instincts flared. But before she could make any move Razen struck the floor with his staff.
A golden chain of light erupted from the circle, wrapping around the girl's wrists and yanking her down. She struggled, teeth clenched, but the bindings tightened.
Her strength faltered and then a wave of dizziness crashed over her.
"Razen-sama, the binding is complete," the assisting mage announced. A thin black sigil glowed briefly along the girl's neck before sinking into her skin and vanishing.
Razen nodded with satisfaction."Good. Now we pray her awakened skill is suited for combat."
He turned to the nearest soldier.
"Go. Inform His Majesty that the summoning was a success. Tell him.." A cruel smile touched his lips"..another Otherworlder now serves the Kingdom of Falmuth."
********
Group members suggestions