Jalen felt the shift before he saw it. A subtle but undeniable wall of pressure surrounded him. The light in the room bent ever so slightly, refracting through what looked like a transparent dome of water.

I can do this the sprite and spirit moved towards the towering serparent. Then they started to glow a beautiful azure color. Then the color spread to the serpent as well. The barrier started to glow in that same color then shrunk. Water began flowing out of spirit and the sprite and spirit body circled around the mouth of the serpent.

Jalen barely had time to process what was happening before the entire room was bathed in that ethereal azure glow. The light rippled through the watery dome, casting undulating shadows across the walls, warping space itself with its intensity.

The Water Sprite and Serpentine Spirit moved in perfect synchrony, their bodies pulsating with energy as they spiraled around the massive serpent’s open maw. The glow wasn’t just light—it was mana, dense and potent, something raw and ancient.

Jalen’s instincts screamed at him to prepare for something big. He could feel it in his bones, a primal understanding that this wasn’t just a spell or a technique—it was an evolution.

They were merging.

The barrier around them shrank suddenly, condensing with alarming speed. The water that had once been a protective dome was now feeding into the fusion—draining from the surroundings, pouring into the glowing figures like rivers flowing into the sea.

Jalen couldn’t interfere. Even if he wanted to.

This wasn’t his doing anymore.

The Serpentine Spirit let out a low, rumbling hiss, its body growing denser, more defined as the light consumed it. The Water Sprite, previously fragile and delicate, shone blindingly bright, as if burning through its very existence to fuel the transformation.

The serpent’s body expanded, coils thickening, its form becoming sharper, more dangerous. The patterns along its scales changed, shifting into intricate, glowing sigils that pulsed with the same energy that had once surrounded them.

Then—

The final collapse.

The energy surged inward all at once, a flash of blinding blue light erupting in the center. Jalen staggered back, throwing up an arm to shield his eyes. Ember bristled, claws digging into Jalen’s shoulder.

And then—silence.

The glow dimmed. The pressure in the room faded.

And standing in the center of the training grounds, where once there had been three separate entities, was now one.

A being far larger than before, with gleaming sapphire scales, intricate sigils etched into its hide, and an aura so overwhelming it made Jalen’s skin prickle with something close to fear.

The Abyssal Tide Serpent.

Jalen’s breath caught in his throat.

“What the hell…? Ok that's kind of impressive” Ember whispered.

“ This is what I can do. What can my summoner do?” The Serpent's mocking voice echoed in Jalen’s head like a constant reminder of his inferiority to his own summon.

The barrier it's glowing again. What is it doing now?

Jalen barely had a moment to process the Serpent’s words before the pressure in the room surged once more. The barrier surrounding them pulsed, its glow intensifying, but this time, it wasn’t just a dome—it was shifting, warping, expanding into something more.

The Abyssal Tide Serpent’s massive frame tensed, its glowing sigils pulsating faster, as if preparing for something.

And then—

A deep, resonating hum filled the space.

Jalen felt it before he understood it. The mana in the air compressed, dragged inward toward the Serpent’s form. The water that had fed the transformation now coiled violently around it, forming a spiraling vortex of raw, churning power.

The pressure was unbearable.

Jalen gritted his teeth, his knees buckling slightly under the sheer force radiating from his summon. Ember hissed, his flames flaring in defiance, but even his usual arrogance was dulled by the sheer presence of the Serpent.

“He’s about to blow.”

Ember’s warning snapped Jalen out of his daze, but the realization came a second too late.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Water from all around was already building in front of the sentient card. A ball of water a meter in circumference was still growing in the face of the serpent. Once it reached over 3 meters in circumference it started to compress.

“ Hey whatever you think you are doing, stop it. Jalen screamed at his summon who promptly turned away and started ignoring him. If you don't let me out of here I’m canceling your summon. Then I trade your card to Mr. Grapeson for his left front two try me.

Then the unthinkable happened and the water Spirit rolled his two serpentine eyes.

Then with a bright flash the water sphere now compressed into the shape of a small marble was swallowed. Then a large ray shot of the serpent's mouth eviscerating everything in its path. The only thing that was safe from the onslaught was the barrier.

Jalen could only stare, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. The Abyssal Tide Serpent had swallowed that entire ocean’s worth of compressed mana—only to unleash it in one devastating blast.

The aftermath was cataclysmic.

The training grounds were gone.

Not damaged—not scorched—but outright vaporized.

Everything beyond the confines of the shimmering barrier had been erased from existence, as if reality itself had been peeled away by the sheer magnitude of the attack. The air shimmered with residual heat, and for the first time since the battle had begun, an eerie silence settled.

Jalen swallowed hard.

What the hell was this thing?

His summon—his own summon—had just obliterated an entire section of the arena without hesitation.

Ember clutched his shoulder, his claws digging in. “I—uh—yeah, I think we should be worried.”

Jalen didn’t even bother responding.

Because at that moment, the barrier pulsed again. But this time it was the work of the system.

Jalen blinked.

The words flickered in front of him, glowing with that unmistakable system-blue hue.

A system prompt? Right now?

[Your summon was accidentally evolved with an ingredient way higher than your realm. So please return the card. You will be properly compensated.]

Jalen reread the message, his mind racing.

Return the card?

They had to be joking.

His gaze snapped back to the Abyssal Tide Serpent, still towering in the aftermath of its devastating attack, its glowing sigils pulsing with untapped power.

The damn thing looked like it could stall an 3 tier entity and drown a small village if it wanted to.

And the system just expected him to hand it over?

“Yeah, no.” Jalen scoffed under his breath.

Ember tilted his head at the screen. “Huh. That’s new. I didn’t even know the system could admit to screwing up.”

Jalen barely heard him. His mind was working too fast. Then he registered what Ember spoke.

“ Didn't you come from the system? How can you talk bad about it? Jalen asked in confusion covering his entire face.

“ I don't come from the system, I come from the spirit garden.

This was huge. “ Ember you remember where you came from so did the system nab you from your home.”

Ember’s ears twitched, and for the first time since Jalen had known him, the fire spirit looked genuinely uncomfortable. His usual snark was absent, replaced by something sharper, something restrained.

Jalen’s heart pounded as he stared at his summon. Ember wasn’t answering immediately. That alone was a red flag.

“You hesitated,” Jalen said, his voice quieter now, more controlled. “Why?”

Ember let out a slow breath, his fiery fur flickering as if he was debating how much to say. “Look, I don’t know all the details, alright? Spirits… we don’t get a choice in what happens to us once we’re bound to a summoner.”

That wasn’t an answer. Not really.

Jalen narrowed his eyes. “Ember. Did the system take you?”

Ember exhaled sharply, the flames around his paws crackling. “It’s not that simple.”

Jalen clenched his fists. That was not a denial.

He felt his stomach twist. He’d always assumed summons came from the system, that they were created—generated—by whatever cosmic mechanism governed mana contracts. But if Ember actually had a home, a before, that meant…

The system was stealing spirits.

And not just that. If Ember remembered but wasn’t supposed to…

Jalen’s gaze flicked to the Abyssal Tide Serpent.

Was it the same for him?

The Serpent was ancient. That much was obvious. Its presence, its power, even the way it spoke. It wasn’t just some newly formed summon—it was something old. Something that had existed long before Jalen had drawn its card.

And the system had been desperate to take it back.

Jalen inhaled, steadying his thoughts.

“…Ember. What happens when a summon remembers?”

Ember looked at him, and for once, there was no excitement in his expression.

“They don’t stay summons for long.”

Let me think, Let me think, the system knows it made a mistake. Somehow, some way, the fusion had tapped into something far beyond his intended class awakening.He didn’t know how it happened, but what mattered was that the system knew they’d messed up—badly enough to intervene directly.

Jalen exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of his shirt.

He had two options.

Option one: Obey the system. Return the card and possibly Ember. Get whatever “proper compensation” they were offering, which was probably some second-rate substitute.

Option two: Ignore the system, keep the Abyssal Tide Serpent, and deal with the consequences later.

Because if the system was this eager to reclaim the card, then that meant one thing:

It was more valuable than anything they’d ever let someone at his level own.

Jalen didn’t need to think long.

His decision was already made.

He smirked, tilting his head at the floating system prompt.

“Decline.”

The moment the word left his lips, the system stuttered. The prompt flickered, as if it couldn’t process his rejection.

[Invalid response. Please return the card.]

“Yeah, still a no,” Jalen said, folding his arms.

The Abyssal Tide Serpent let out a low, amused rumble, its massive tail curling as if entertained by the entire exchange.

The system screen glitched violently.

Then—

[Final Warning.]

[Failure to comply may result in consequences.]

Jalen’s smirk widened. “Bring it on.”

[Unknown Pov]

I messed up big time if the system finds out I won't not be able to observe him anymore. Oh I know, humans see the system as a godly figure so I’ll just ask for posing as the system.

[ System Prompt]

[Your summon was accidentally evolved with an ingredient way higher than your realm. So please return the card. You will be properly compensated.]

[That should fix it. Who knew that his corpse was just lying around? I just wanted to give him a little edge against other tier-1 beings, not give him the brain and heart of the Strongest tier of mana beasts. They did you so wrong my dear friend. ]

The card should be back here by now. It's taking a bit. I should probably see what he’s doing. “What the hell do you mean no? You don't just tell the system no what's wrong with you. He acts too much like her.”