As Melaina followed Able's instruction, she placed the pill in her mouth.
For a brief moment—nothing.
Then—
Her body reacted.
A violent surge of energy detonated in her chest, ripping outward like a shockwave. It wasn't just mana—it was both. Spirit and Reality collided, fused, and spiraled through her all at once.
She gasped.
"…What—"
The energy didn't stop.
It flooded her veins, sank into her bones, clawed through her thoughts—rewriting, reshaping, aligning. It felt as though her very existence was being dismantled and rebuilt at the same time.
Her knees buckled.
Something inside her shifted.
Not power—
Understanding.
System chimes rang out in rapid succession.
Water Affinity: 1% → 50%
Earth Affinity: 1% → 50%
Fire Affinity: 1% → 50%
Wind Affinity: 1% → 50%
Time Affinity: 1% → 50%
Space Affinity: 1% → 50%
Her breath hitched as the surge intensified.
Light Affinity: 100%
Darkness Affinity: 100%
And then—
Creation Affinity: 10% → 100%
Melaina screamed.
The moment Creation reached completion, the energy inside her collapsed inward—then erupted again. This time, it didn't rage.
It obeyed.
Her body began to change.
Not violently—
Fundamentally.
Spirit and flesh blurred, then fused, layering together into something more complete. Her senses sharpened. Her awareness stretched outward, touching the edges of the hall without effort.
And behind her—
Something began to form.
At first, only a shimmer.
Then—
A tail of fire ignited, flickering with controlled intensity.
A second formed—water, fluid and shifting.
A third—wind, bending the air itself.
A fourth—earth, dense and immovable.
A fifth—light, radiant and precise.
A sixth—darkness, silent and consuming.
A seventh—time, unstable, flickering in and out of perception.
An eighth—space, subtly warping the air around it.
Melaina's breathing slowed as the energy stabilized.
Eight tails.
Distinct.
Real.
And yet—
She felt something deeper.
Creation did not manifest behind her.
It settled within her.
At her core.
A ninth presence—unseen, but absolute.
Her foundation.
Her balance.
Her existence.
The energy finally calmed.
The pain faded.
Silence returned to the hall.
A final system window appeared.
⸻
Racial Evolution Complete
Human → Spirit-Touched Human (Path of the Fox)
Rank: Common
⸻
Melaina stood there, unmoving.
Changed.
Not just stronger—
But something else entirely.
The light dimmed. The tails flickered—and then slowly began to fade.
Not gone.
Just beyond her grasp.
She couldn't sustain them physically yet, but she could still feel them—clearly—through her spiritual awareness. All eight remained, anchored to her existence.
Melaina stood still, her breathing steadying as the last echoes of transformation settled into something stable.
Silence filled the hall.
Then—
Selena took a step back.
Small. Subtle. But unmistakable.
"…That's not…" she started, then stopped.
Able didn't move.
But his gaze had changed.
Not approval.
Not curiosity.
Recognition.
A long, quiet breath left him.
"…So it manifested," he said.
Melaina turned slightly. "What does that mean?"
Able didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped closer—slow, measured, as if approaching something that required caution.
His eyes moved—not to her face—
But to the tails.
Counting.
One.
Two.
Three…
Eight.
Then he paused.
Not at her back—
At her chest.
At something he could not see—but clearly felt.
His expression tightened.
"…And the ninth," he murmured.
Selena's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Wait… no. That's not possible. That shouldn't—"
Able raised a hand.
She fell silent.
The air grew heavy.
Melaina frowned. "You're both being really vague right now."
Able finally met her eyes.
"You did not simply evolve," he said.
A pause.
"You skipped a boundary."
Her stomach tightened. "…What boundary?"
His gaze didn't waver.
"The one that keeps power… separated."
Silence.
Selena exhaled slowly, still staring at the fading tails. "…I've read about this. Once. Ancient records. It wasn't even confirmed."
Melaina crossed her arms slightly. "So this isn't normal."
Able's answer came without hesitation.
"No."
A beat.
Then, quieter—
"This should not exist at your stage."
The words settled heavily.
Melaina glanced over her shoulder, watching the faint afterimage of her elemental tails.
Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. Light. Darkness. Time. Space.
And something deeper—
Unseen.
But undeniable.
Her voice was calm.
"…Then I guess I'll have to figure out what it does."
Selena let out a short, disbelieving breath.
"…Yeah. That's exactly the problem."
Able didn't disagree