It was a cloudy day on a small island in the southern region of the Atlantic Ocean, on Earth.
Suddenly, the clouds were pierced by something resembling a yellow lightning bolt. A winged female figure swiftly emerged, flying at high speed toward the island.
Her expression showed urgency. As soon as she landed near the building, her wings vanished. She turned her gaze, and soon, a white-haired man ran toward her.
"Rhea, he still hasn't woken up."
"Are you sure about that?" she shot back immediately.
"Yes." He nodded, showing a slight unease. "See for yourself. After all, he'll be under your care."
The man turned toward the building, and she followed with quick steps.
They passed through a few corridors until they reached the center of the island and the facility. As they stepped into an area bathed in a celestial blue light, Rhea immediately lifted her gaze, focusing on the Celestial Heart.
She scoffed, her eyes glowing an intense yellow. Then, she turned her attention to the cluster of tiny lights.
She swallowed hard.
The sight was as clear as looking into a house through a window.
Inside, the space resembled the bottom of a blue pool. Thousands of human bodies floated in deep slumber. The place was so vast that, even with all those bodies, less than 1% of it was occupied.
But something stood out in an overwhelming way.
In a distant corner of that blue world, a golden sun, hundreds of meters wide, radiated a blinding glow. It was so immense and brilliant that it was almost impossible to see its interior. However, at the center of that light, a human body lay still.
"How is this possible…" Rhea murmured, stunned.
"We calculated a total of 777 million Merit Points," the man beside her commented. "The intel we received from planet Verdon seems to be accurate. An Abyssal Nest appeared at the worst possible time. Everyone had to enter and fight… including him."
"No one saw what happened? How much time until they all wake up?" Rhea asked quickly.
"Approximately thirteen days," the man replied. "According to reports from Verdon, several strange phenomena occurred. Some of the weaker fighters mentioned seeing, at the beginning of the battle, a well-known Dragoness charging into the frontlines. It's possible she was his Summoner and…"
He abruptly cut himself off, shifting his gaze toward the Celestial Heart, sensing something.
A dense light began to flow from within the structure. Then, a figure emerged, guided by the light, floating calmly toward the ground.
It was a young man, only 21 years old. Not very tall, with a frame slightly thinner than average, and nothing particularly striking about him—except for his deep dark-green hair.
The moment his feet touched the ground, his slightly reddish eyes opened.
Rhea and the man stared at him in silence. Until…
"Bleaarghh!"
Suddenly, the young man dropped to his knees and started vomiting uncontrollably. Rhea immediately rushed to his side.
He kept going, expelling a thick, black liquid, his entire body trembling. Every muscle burned as if it were on fire. He started convulsing in sheer agony.
"Stay calm," Rhea said, placing a hand on his back, channeling some power to support him. "This is normal. Your body always housed a common soul… now that you've returned for the first time, this reaction happens to everyone. You'll stabilize soon."
But ten minutes passed.
Rhea remained by his side, murmuring soft words of reassurance. Watching the process from a distance, the man looked visibly surprised.
This was normal for newcomers. It was a body purification process. Some sweated out a lot of filthy liquid, others just felt severe discomfort, and in rare cases, a few vomited a little.
But what he was witnessing now was far beyond that. The stench was overwhelming, and the young man just wouldn't stop throwing up.
Almost half an hour later, when it finally stopped, Darian still felt the world spinning.
Rhea, who had remained calm until then, suddenly tensed.
Without hesitation, she reached out and gently touched his forehead. A yellowish energy flowed from her into him.
Seconds later, Darian began to feel better. Rhea shifted her gaze toward the man in front of her, her expression laden with meaning.
"Y-You can take him." The man said, still stunned. "Everything's been recorded. I'll send the rest soon."
Rhea nodded.
"Come on, Darian." She helped him to his feet.
He still felt disoriented, but he just went with it.
As they walked down the hallway, his mind and memories slowly began to settle.
Until he suddenly stopped.
He finally realized he remembered everything that had happened.
"Wait? I remember everything?"
Rhea turned to him, puzzled. "Hm? Why wouldn't you? That loss of memory you were told before only happens when you die in that universe."
Hearing that, Darian got even more confused. Two seconds later, he let out a huff.
'Well, technically, I already lost in the trial, but I didn't die and made a contract afterward.' He thought, accepting the abnormal situation as usual.
But…
He turned his gaze to Rhea, who was staring at him from very close. Her eyes were filled with doubt and concern.
'Shit, looks like I did something really bad… or really good. Either way, this might draw more attention than I'd like.'
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Rhea nodded and kept walking ahead.
She led him to a door in the hallway, and before long, they arrived at a spacious room.
Guiding him to the center of the room, she made him sit down.
"You need to stabilize your Merit Power first."
"Merit Power?" Darian repeated, confused.
"Yes. You should've read about it in the Divine Protection Universe. The Risen have something inside them that, when they're killed, turns into power for the one who defeated them," she explained calmly. "That's Merit Power. It's something invisible and undetectable, accumulating in your soul. When you return home, you can finally absorb all the Merit Power you've gathered. With it, you form your rings."
Darian nodded, thoughtful. He and Niara had killed a few Risen inside that nest.
"Since it seemed like a large amount and you were struggling, I sealed the intake, preventing the Merit Power from trying to form the rings right away," she stated seriously, staring straight at him.
"Oh?" Darian frowned, still confused.
"We'll talk about that later. I'm going to release it all now. Focus on your forehead, where your Summoner's mark should be. Merit Power always moves naturally to that spot. If you guide it, letting only a little in at a time, the process will be faster and smoother."
Darian took a deep breath and nodded.
Soon, a strange dizziness washed over him.
He focused on following her instructions.
Quickly, he felt like his whole body was drowning.
Rhea watched his struggle, confused. A newbie wasn't supposed to have such an intense reaction. The amount needed to form a first ring should, at most, cause mild discomfort.
Three hours later…
Inside him, a radiant red ring formed perfectly.
Rhea held her breath.
A rookie Spiritual Guardian was supposed to take anywhere from three to ten years to form their first ring…
But… it didn't stop there.
Her eyes widened as she felt a shadow emerge around the first ring.
Then, everything stopped.
She let out a heavy sigh, incredulous.
The second ring hadn't fully formed. But it was clear he had already reached 90% of what was needed for it.