The next morning, the first thing I saw wasn't the sun, but Deborah's silver eyes piercing into mine. She was leaning over the edge of the bed, a playful, knowing smile curving her lips.
Then the reality of her situation hit me. She was completely naked again, just like she had been in the ritual chamber. The soft morning light filtered through the high windows, bathing her in a golden glow that turned her skin into shimmering silk. Her breasts were full and heavy, hanging forward slightly as she leaned toward me, the deep pink of her nipples puckered in the morning chill.
I nearly jumped out of my skin, my heart hammering against my ribs while my cock gave a violent, reflexive twitch beneath the furs.
"Deborah! What the fuck?" I croaked, my voice thick with sleep and sudden arousal.
She chuckled, a low, melodic sound. "Forgive me, my Lord. Did I frighten you?"
I took a breath, trying to regain some shred of dignity. "The Lord of Convergence doesn't get frightened. I'm just... surprised. I wasn't expecting an audience this early."
"Oh...?" she purred, her eyes traveling down the length of my body beneath the blankets.
"What are you doing in here, anyway?" I asked, though my eyes were already betrayed by the view. From this angle, I had a perfect shot of her silver bush—a neat, shimmering triangle that looked impossibly soft against her pale, flawless thighs.
"I am here to see if you are ready to bond, my Lord," she said, her eyes sparkling with a mix of duty and genuine hunger.
My pulse spiked. Bonding. Lady Isobel hadn't been subtle about it. To "bond" was to take them—to claim these women and, in doing so, absorb their essence.
Deborah was a Summoner, the high-tier mage who had reached across dimensions to pull me here. If I took her, her path became mine. I could already imagine it—summoning beasts, monsters, or maybe just more beautiful women—with a flick of my wrist.
"I'm ready," I said, my voice dropping an octave as I reached for her hip. "Let's do it now."
She smiled, but she stepped back, just out of my reach. "No, my Lord. You are clearly not."
Before I could protest, she turned her back to me and bent over to retrieve a silk garment from a low stool. My breath hitched in my throat. It was the most incredible view I'd ever seen. Her ass was a perfect, rounded heart, the cheeks firm and dimpled as she reached down. As she leaned further, her thighs parted just enough to reveal the glistening, pink folds of her pussy tucked behind that silver hair.
She was teasing me. She had to be.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I snapped, the desperation evident in my voice. I wanted to lung out of the bed, flip her over, and bury myself in her right there on the stone floor. "I said I'm ready. Come back here."
"There are things you must understand before we rush into the merging of souls, my Lord," she said, sliding the emerald silk over her head and letting it fall to conceal those incredible curves. She tossed a heavy, fur-lined robe onto the bed, hitting me in the face with it.
"Get dressed and follow me. Your education begins today."
I growled under my breath, but I didn't argue. I threw on the robe, tied the belt tight to hide my blatant erection, and followed her out into the hallway.
As we moved through the corridors, the atmosphere was electric. The women we passed seemed to vibrate with a mix of reverence and raw curiosity.
Some averted their eyes, blushing a deep red as I walked by, while others stole lingering glances at my face as if searching for a sign of the divine.
Deborah led me out of the stone fortress and into a sprawling courtyard—a massive training ground of white sand and black pillars. The air out here was crisp, smelling of pine and that strange, metallic tang of mana.
"Before we even touch the bonding process," Deborah began, turning to face me. The morning wind caught her silver hair, whipping it across her face. "You need to understand the architecture of this world. You need to understand the Paths."
She paced the sand, her voice taking on the tone of a seasoned commander. "In this world, magic is governed by structure. A Path is a soul-alignment—the way your very spirit filters mana. A normal mage may walk only one. It is the shape of their future. To attempt a second Path is to invite a mana collapse; your heart would literally turn to glass and shatter inside your chest."
"Lady Isobel said I'm the exception," I said, leaning against one of the pillars and trying to look more comfortable than I felt.
She nodded, her silver eyes locking onto mine. "You are the only exception. You are the vessel that can hold multiple currents without overflowing. There are seven major Paths recognized across the Four Continents: the Elementalist, who commands the raw world; the Arcane Scholar, who manipulates pure energy; theRitualist, who weaves long-form magic; theSpiritist, who speaks to the dead; theSummoner—my path—who calls entities across rifts; the Enchanter, who imbues objects with power; and finally, the Void-Walker, who bends space itself."
I whistled low. "Seven paths. Seven ways to be a god. And there are lesser paths too, right?"
"Many," she said. "But the seven are the pillars of reality."
I pushed off the pillar, a slow, predatory grin spreading across my face as the pieces started falling into place. "Okay, so I'm the 'Lord of Convergence.' That means to attain these paths—to wield all that power—I have to bond with a Pillar for each one. Is that the deal?"
I looked her up and down, my gaze lingering on the way the emerald silk of her gown hugged her hips. "So, if I want to be a Summoner... I have to start with you."
Deborah's breath hitched, and for the first time, her confident mask slipped, replaced by a flicker of heat that matched my own. "Exactly, my Lord. The bond is the bridge. But you should know... once you start walking my path, there is no turning back. My power will be yours, and my body will be your anchor."
"The bond is just the key, my Lord," Deborah explained, her silver hair catching the morning light. "It unlocks the gate to the Path, but you still have to walk it. Bonding grants you the potential, but mastery requires training. You'll have to learn to channel the energy we share."
I folded my arms, my mind already drifting to the other women. "Can I walk them all at once? Flashy elemental shit while summoning monsters and walking through walls?"
"No," she said firmly. "Even for you, the soul can only focus on one current at a time. You can switch between the Paths you've unlocked, but you must master the flow of one before you can juggle the next."
My heart sank a little. I'd been picturing a massive, naked free-for-all with all four Pillars back in that ritual temple—a literal god-tier foursome where I absorbed all their powers in one go. But it seemed this world had rules, and they were strictly one-on-one for now.
"Fine," I said, pushing the disappointment aside. "Show me what I'm signing up for. Let's see this Summoning power in action."