There are certain moments in life that change everything.
Some people get hit by lightning and awaken divine powers.
Some people find an ancient sword buried beneath their farm.
Me?
I tripped over a squirrel and accidentally triggered a magical soul-bond with a tsundere fire witch.
Let's rewind.
The morning after the Awakening Ceremony, I had made a vow. A noble, sensible vow:
Stay. Out. Of. Trouble.
No girls. No touching. No party members. No "Affection Bonds." Just hide in the library, eat dry toast, and pray this System eventually deleted itself out of pity.
And I was doing great… until I heard the explosion.
BOOM!
It came from the East Yard. Smoke rose into the air like a signal flare shouting "Hey! Plot's over here!"
I peeked over the Academy wall. That was my first mistake.
I saw Lina Elrien surrounded by a swarm of rogue Flame Wisps—semi-sentient blobs of heat and chaos that only existed because someone probably fed their leftover spell energy to the school incinerator again.
Lina was fighting them off, her movements sharp and graceful like a dancer. Her flame chakrams spun around her in arcs of red and gold, cutting through the burning air like fireworks. She was holding her own—barely.
"Ugh," she growled, singed at the sleeve. "Why are you even here?! I didn't fail Summoning class that hard!"
The wisps closed in, screeching.
I knew I shouldn't interfere.
I really did.
But then one of them fired a jet of flame straight at her back.
I leapt the wall and shouted, "Duck!"
She didn't duck.
She turned around, saw me flying at her like an idiot, and got hit in the face with my elbow instead.
We both crashed into the grass. I rolled off, coughing.
"I… meant to help," I wheezed.
"You headbutted my nose, Rael!" she snapped, sitting up and holding it. "What kind of rescue was that?!"
"An accidental one," I said, blinking away stars. "Also, you're welcome."
The remaining wisps screeched and zipped toward us. One spat a fireball the size of a pumpkin.
I flailed my hand. "Any chance you still have your chakrams?"
She reached to her belt. "Do I look like—? Wait, where's my—?"
Before she could finish, the fireball reached us.
I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward me.
And then it happened.
[SOUL-LINK INITIATED]You have linked with: Lina ElrienSkill Acquired: Fire Dance – Ember Halo Lv.1Affection Bond: 3% ❤️Caution: She's already annoyed. Tread carefully.
The fireball exploded mid-air.
A golden ring of flame spiraled out from us, incinerating the attack before it touched the ground.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Lina slowly looked down at our joined hands. Then up at me. Then back at the System window floating between us.
Her eye twitched.
"You did what to me?" she said, voice dangerously calm.
"Okay, look," I said quickly. "I swear it was an accident! There was fire and explosions and you were about to get hit and then I touched your hand and now apparently we're soul-linked, which I didn't even know was physically possible on a first name basis—"
Her chakrams reappeared in a flash of flame. "You. Soul-linked. With me. Without. Consent?!"
"No no no no, not like that!" I waved my arms. "It's a System thing! Totally mystical! Very non-creepy!"
She stood up, glowing with heat.
"You're glowing," I said helpfully.
"I'm about to explode."
"...Please don't."
BOOM.
Everything went black.
I woke up in the infirmary an hour later.
The nurse handed me an ice pack and a note from Lina. It was just a doodle of me getting set on fire, with the words "Next time: aim for the lake."
But my System was still active.
Link Status: StableNew Ability Unlocked: Ember HaloGrants minor flame resistance and spinning fire rings during panic.Affection Bond: 6% ❤️Lina's Thoughts: "Idiot. But kind of a brave idiot."
I slumped back in bed.
So much for keeping my head down.
End of Chapter 2