The morning of the Spirit Contract Ceremony had finally arrived. Soobin sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His clothes were neatly laid out—just a simple, comfortable outfit for the day. No special attire, just something casual to wear before changing into the uniform at the guild. He could hear his parents moving around downstairs, their voices carrying up through the house. It was the kind of morning that buzzed with excitement, but for Soobin, it felt more like anticipation mixed with dread.

"Soobin, are you ready yet?" His mother's voice drifted up from the hallway.

"Yeah, almost," he called back, taking a deep breath before standing up and smoothing out his shirt. It was finally time.

Downstairs, the atmosphere was alive with activity. His father, Seojin, was busy making calls, talking to guild members, and finalizing last-minute preparations. His mother, Yuna, hurried between tasks, her own nervous energy bubbling just beneath her calm exterior. She was double-checking the car, making sure they had everything they needed. Despite the rush, there was an unmistakable sense of pride in the air.

As Soobin descended the stairs, his mother turned to him with a warm smile, though her eyes showed a flicker of concern.

"Soob," she called softly, walking over to adjust his collar like she used to when he was a kid. "Are you okay? It's a big day for you, after all."

He nodded, though he didn't quite meet her eyes. "Yeah... just nervous, I guess."

"You'll be fine," she reassured him, her smile widening. "It's your time now. You're ready."

Seojin hung up the phone and joined them, his expression firm but kind. "Everything’s set. The guild’s preparing for the ceremony, so we’ll head there first." His gaze softened as he looked at Soobin. "Don’t stress too much, alright? Today is just the start."

Soobin gave a small nod. "Got it, Dad."

After a quick breakfast, they gathered their things and headed out to the car. The morning air was crisp, and Soobin felt the tension in his chest tighten as they moved closer to the car. As Seojin drove, the family sat in a comfortable silence for a while, the world outside the window passing by in a blur. Soobin found himself staring at the familiar streets, lost in his own thoughts.

His mother, sitting in the passenger seat, turned her head toward him and broke the silence with a hesitant voice. "Soob, there’s something I need to tell you."

He blinked, pulled out of his thoughts. "What is it?"

Yuna hesitated, glancing at Seojin before continuing, "Your brother... Kai. He’ll be at the ceremony today."

Soobin's stomach twisted at the mention of Kai. His brother. The one person whose presence always made him feel like he was still stuck in someone else's shadow.

"I told him about your core," Yuna added softly, watching for his reaction. "He wanted to be there."

Soobin’s heart skipped a beat. His brother, Kai. The mention of him brought an involuntary tightening to his chest. His hand balled into a fist on his lap. The memories came rushing back—the tension, the unspoken words, the shadow that loomed over the original soobin since childhood. He somehow could sense his emotions.

"Oh," thats all soobin replied.

Yuna continued, her voice softer now. "he was very pleased to know about it." Yuna knew , soobins and Kais relationship were not close as it was, it broke ever since that day.

Seojin remained quiet, his grip tightening slightly on the steering wheel. The silence in the car became heavier.

Kai. The golden child. The prodigy. From a young age, he had been everything their parents could have asked for. Strong, talented, and ambitious. When he contracted Ignarion, a powerful GOLD RANKED fire spirit, it only cemented his place as a genius. Their parents had been over the moon with pride, showering Kai with praise and support. Seojin had even gone as far as preparing artifacts and potions , and everything for Kai’s growth, he wanted to nourish him himself, all in hopes that one day he would take over the family guild.

But then Kai had shattered those hopes.

"Dad , ive decided to take the sponsorship of the Golden Zone guild"

Soobin remembered the day Kai announced his decision to join the Golden Zone Guild, Korea’s top guild. It had come out of nowhere, and the shock on their father’s face was something Soobin would never forget. Seojin had spent years preparing Kai to be the future leader of the family guild, but Kai had made up his mind. He was determined to make his own way, and Golden Zone had already offered him sponsorship.

Seojin hadn’t said a word against it, but Soobin could tell how heartbroken he had been.That night, Seojin had quietly told Kai that he should follow his heart, but his expression had told another story. Soobin had seen the pain in his father’s eyes, the kind that no words could cover up. Seojin knew that no matter how much , he had prepared, the Golden zone guild will be the better choice for Kais growth, he was still sad, but had accepted it already.

After that, things between Soobin and Kai were never the same. Kai had gone off to the academy, pursuing his goals while Soobin remained behind, his usual life.

As Soobin sat in the back of the car, those memories of the old soobin played out in his mind. The car came to a stop in front of the guild, and he realized that they had arrived.

The building was alive with activity. Guild members were rushing around, preparing for the ceremony, organizing documents, and arranging plans for Soobin's future.

The guild was buzzing, of course why will it not? it was the day for the guildmasters sons contract ceremony.

As Soobin stepped out of the car, he was immediately greeted by the bustling atmosphere around the guild. It was a day of importance not just for him but for everyone involved. The news had already spread—Soobin, the son of the guild master, after finally getting his spirit core and heading to his Spirit Contract Ceremony.

People who had worked with his father for years stopped what they were doing to nod or smile at Soobin as he passed by. It was clear they were excited for him.

"Hey, Soobin!" A familiar voice broke through the noise. Jane, one of the senior guild members, strode over with her usual confident smile. She was one of his father’s closest subordinates, and she had always been kind to Soobin, treating him more like a nephew than just the boss’s kid.

"Jane," Soobin greeted, feeling a bit more grounded in the familiar presence.

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She gave him a warm smile and reached into her coat, pulling out a small, neatly wrapped box. "I wanted to be the first to give you this. A little something for luck today."

Soobin took the box, surprise flickering in his eyes. "You didn’t have to—"

"Of course I did. It’s a big day. , you dont know how happy i am, i actually waited for this day for so long" jane replied kindly,

" sorry i was late..." soobin responded... with a sad smile

" huh so what?? hey, late bloomers tend to shine the brightest," she said, her eyes twinkling with sincerity.

He chuckled lightly, feeling a little lighter for the first time that morning. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Jane nodded, then gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "You’re going to do great today. Just focus on yourself, and don’t let anyone else get in your head. alright?" She winked, clearly knowing more than she was letting on.

"Yeah," Soobin smiled,

As they made their way further into the guild hall, more familiar faces greeted Soobin, offering their well wishes and congratulations. Then the guild executives , the important people of the guild came, and gave him their wishes and encouragement. While all were polite and genuinely happy, there were some murmurs too,

"i hope we’ll see another amazing result today, ... like last time," one of the executives said,

Soobin knew what they meant by last time, he could hear the edge of expectation in their voices.

He offered polite smiles, doing his best to push past the comments.

The more time went, soobin seemed to mix more and more of the old owners memories to himself, it felt he became more and more integrated to it, he was slowly accepting those memories as his own. hence the reaction to hearing about kai.

Just as he was getting a moment to breathe, his mother walked up beside him, smiling warmly. "Soob, just a heads-up—your Aunt Eunhee and Uncle Eunjeong are on their way. Jun will also be getting his contract with you! "

Soobin felt his stomach twist at the mention of them. The day just couldn't get any worse. He had not at all expected that they’d be attending. His father’s side of the family had always been a source of irritation, more than anything.

Eunjeong, his uncle, had spent years harboring jealousy toward Seojin’s success. Soobin’s father had built the guild into what it was today, and was a established hero in the society.

Eunjeong was born without a energy core , he always was jealous of seojins fame and his reputation.

After Seojin started a small buisness and got a bit succesfull with it, he married Eunhee, who possessed a weak spirit core but never achieved anything close to hero status. So after they had jun who was born with a spirit core, they were filled with happiness and pride, he was raised as the family's hope.

Initially they were very jealous of Kai and his talent, after hearing that he contracted a gold ranked spirit, their jealousy with Seojins family , along with the expectation of jun also rose, not only that, when soob was found to be without mana core, they had focused all their ridicule on him. They had used all sneaky remarks against him in family functions in the guise of concern and many such stuff.

Sure enough, not long after Yuna’s warning, Soobin saw them walk through the guild’s doors—laughing and putting on their usual display of self-importance.

"YUNA Hiii! Seojin hii" Eunhee with her usual annoying tone went after Soobin's parents first. Then came his turn.

"Soobin!" Eunhee exclaimed, turning her attention toward him with a sickeningly sweet tone. "Congratulations on getting your core...though it’s so late. .." she continued" Are you sure everything will be okay? I’m concerned."

Soobin’s eyes flickered with irritation. He knew what that fake concern meant, and he wasn’t in the mood to entertain it. Before he could respond, Eunjeong chimed in.

"Yes, we’re all just a little worried. You know, getting a core so late can be... unpredictable. Are you sure it’s stable?" he asked, directing his question toward Seojin as if Soobin weren’t even there.

Seojin’s eyes narrowed slightly, but Soobin could tell his father was too polite to react. The weight of expectation hung in the air, and Soobin felt the rising frustration clawing at him. For years, they had looked down on him. For years, they had made these passive jabs, but that was the old soobin, he is not the type to just let it slide. Even tho he usually hated annoying stuff like this, but not today.

"Of course I’m fine," Soobin said, his voice steady but sharp. "You don’t need to worry about me. No matter what spirit I contract today, I’m sure the guild will take good care of me...

After all," he paused, letting his words hang in the air just long enough for effect,

"I’ll be inheriting the guild anyway."

There was a brief silence as Eunhee and Eunjeong’s expressions faltered, their smiles quickly replaced by thin-lipped frowns they tried to cover up. Soobin felt a small sense of satisfaction as he saw them struggle to regain their composure.

"O-of course," Eunjeong muttered, forcing a laugh. "We were just... concerned. That’s all."

Eunhee quickly nodded in agreement, though her face had turned a shade paler. "Yes, well, we’re sure you’ll do just fine."

Eunjeong and Eunhee planned that, if jun didnt get sponsored by any big guild, they wanted for Seojin to make his guild to sponsor him. Since kai is not getting sponsored by them, they also wanted Seojin to give jun the position of the prime sponsor of the guild , getting all the benifits and potions and stuff like that, and later on make him one of the core members of the guild too and use him to get some portion of the guild for themselves, but now that soobin has his core, ofcourse soobin will be the prime sponser and future heir to the guild. which pissed them off, so they were finding excuses for soobin in mask of concern

Before the conversation could drag on further, Seojin stepped forward, signaling that it was time to prepare for the ceremony. But just as they were getting ready to leave, Soobin’s cousin Jun approached him, a smirk on his face that instantly set Soobin’s nerves on edge.

"Oh wow, look who finally blossomed," Jun sneered, his tone dripping with mock surprise. "Guess I can’t call you disabled anymore."

Soobin stared at him, feeling a surge of irritation.

Again maybe because the emotions of the old Soobin, were stronger than usual, Soobin didn't really want to hold back like, he'd hate really done.

"Ah, look who it is," Soobin said, his voice calm but laced with dark sarcasm. "The son of the inferior father"..

" Is it because blood is thicker than water? No wonder you resemble father so much"

"Ugly, trash and filled with inferiority complex"

Jun’s face twisted in shock, his eyes narrowing with anger.

His face cold... he could not believe the words that came out of soobins mouth, he checked his surroundings hoping anyone would have listened to what soobin just said. No one did.

The words soobin said shocked him to the core, he expected soobin to normally just take it in, but this was something else, he felt like he was struck by a spear. How can he say something like this?

Before Jun could fire back, they were interrupted by Yuna calling out, signaling that it was time to leave.

Jun went away without saying anything, still in shock.

Soobin just shrugged, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction from the exchange. Things really are different now.

They boarded the large, floating limo that had been arranged to transport them to the contract ceremony. The vehicle was spacious, able to carry Soobin, his parents, Jun, Eunhee, Eunjeong, and a few important board members of the guild. As they settled into their seats, Eunhee and Eunjeong continued to make small, meaningless talk, slipping in mentions of their son at every opportunity.

As they drove, Yuna turned to Soobin. "By the way, Taehyun and his family—did they leave yet?"

Soobin nodded. "Yeah, they already left. Taehyun said he’ll be waiting near the entrance for us."

"That’s good," Yuna said, smiling at the thought of their longtime family friends. "It’s been a while since we’ve all been together."

Eunhee, listening in from across the limo, suddenly chimed in. "Oh, are you talking about the Silverlight Guild’s heir?" she asked with an air of forced interest. "Soobin, you’re close friends with him, right? You should introduce Jun to him. It’d be a good connection for him."

Soobin felt his jaw tighten. He didn’t like the way Eunhee referred to Taehyun as just "the Silverlight Guild’s heir,"

Jun still shocked, wanted to stop his mother, but before he could say anything,

"I’m sorry, Aunt," Soobin replied, his voice cool and deliberate. "But Taehyun chooses his friends wisely."

Boom... Soobin dipped another bomb. Jun couldn't believe his ears, how did soobin become so bold? Why did he have to face so much humiliation? He was on the verge of crying, for a 16 year old, it was too tough to handle.

The air in the limo shifted. A tense silence filled the space as Eunhee and Eunjeong exchanged looks, clearly caught off guard by Soobin’s remark. Their faces tensed, trying to hide the shock and embarrassment behind forced smiles. Yuna and Seojin remained quiet, held their breaths, both of them equally surprised by Soobin’s sudden reply.

"W-what do you mean, Soobin?" Eunhee asked, her voice a little strained as she tried to laugh it off. "What are you implying?"

Soobin just looked at her confused , "hmm?" And then went back to looking outside. He did not bother to talk anymore .

Eunhee looked taken aback, her face flushing slightly, Eunjeong shifted uncomfortably, the rest of the trip was filled with pin drop silence.

.