The real surprise

[Anna's Point of View]

When we emerged from the bushes, numerous lights surrounded us, creating a beautiful sight. The lights seemed to release a dust that had a calming effect on me.

"It's really beautiful, isn't it, Liam?" I exclaimed.

Liam, ignoring my words, was laughing.

He seemed so absorbed that it worried me a little.

"Peter, let's get out of here. This doesn't feel right," I said.

But he also seemed lost in another world, as if he couldn't hear me.

I shook them a little, but it seemed like they weren't reacting.

I was about to ask for help when suddenly I heard a childish voice.

"Why isn't this human having fun?"

I turned to see where the voice was coming from, but I found no one, only those lights.

"It seems the dust doesn't affect her much," I heard again.

"Are you the ones talking?" I asked one of the strange lights.

"Oh? It seems this human can hear us," exclaimed a voice.

"She must have been blessed," said another voice. "Wait, those red eyes, she might be a descendant of..."

"Silence, Noctis," interrupted a deep voice.

Suddenly, all the lights went out, and a profound silence enveloped the area.

"Girl, come to me. If you truly are a descendant of her, you will know where to find me," said the mysterious voice.

Something deep within me urged me to follow that call.

"What should I do?" I thought.

I couldn't leave my friends here, but I felt compelled to respond to the call of that being.

I started walking, in a trance, through the forest, almost hypnotized.

It wasn't until I reached the entrance of a cave-like structure that I realized I had been walking and had drifted away from my friends.

I looked inside the cave and could only see moss and a deep darkness that terrified me.

Summoning my courage, I ventured into the dense cave.

When I finally reached the deepest part of the cave, I found nothing.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" I asked, but there was no response, not a single sound.

"It seems I came here for nothing," I thought.

Just as I was about to turn around and leave, a small red light illuminated the interior of the cave.

"Hello, child. My name is Ignita, a fragment of the primordial spirit of fire, Ignis, the greater spirit and guardian of this forest," said the light.

Honestly, I didn't know how to react at that moment, as it's not every day that you meet a greater spirit.

When I finally composed myself, I asked the spirit the only question that came to my mind:

"Why have you called me?"

Ignita let out what seemed to be a laugh and replied:

"Isn't it obvious? I want to make a contract with you."

"A contract," I thought, shocked.

At school, we had been told that a contract is, in a way, a bond that intertwines the life of the contracted individual with the contractor.

By doing this, you can gain power from both parties, but usually, it's the human who gains power from the spirit.

"What are the conditions?" I asked.

The spirit, as if waiting for the question, answered:

"I have two conditions. The first is that you never make a contract with any spirit other than fire or lightning."

"And the second?" I asked, curious.

"The second condition is that you never again worship the gods whom you humans adore," said Ignita in a serious tone.

I didn't have to think twice before giving my answer, as the first condition was not an issue, and as for the second condition, I had never considered myself a devout person, so I had no problem with it.

"I accept," I said.

"Very well. Now say: 'I swear, by the legacy of Freyja, that I will never worship the false gods, and I swear, in body and soul, that my loyalty will be devoted to the spirit faction of fire,'" instructed Ignita.

"I, Anna, swear, by the legacy of Freyja, that I will never worship the false gods, and I swear, in body and soul, that my loyalty will be devoted to the spirit faction of fire," I exclaimed aloud.

At that moment, I felt chains made of fire embed into my skin, but surprisingly, they caused no harm.

"Sweet dreams," I heard before fainting.

"Anna!, Anna! Where are you?" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

After breaking free from the enchantment of those stupid fairies, I had been tirelessly searching for Anna along with Peter.

The sun was already setting, and it's a known fact that when night falls, beasts come out to hunt, so I had reasons to worry.

"Peter, have you found any clues about Anna's whereabouts?" I asked my search companion.

"No Liam, she's nowhere to be found," Peter replied.

Just as I was about to turn to the authorities to find Anna, a familiar voice resonated in my ears.

"Hey guys, I'm here."

I turned around and there was Anna, with her clothes torn and a strange mark on her shoulder.

I moved closer to take a closer look at the mark.

It was a kind of red stain that ran from her shoulder to her forearm.

"What happened, Anna?" I asked her.

"It's getting late, guys. I'll tell you on the way back," she replied.

Suddenly, Anna smiled, leaving me somewhat confused.

My confusion prevailed until Anna said aloud:

"System, full screen."

At that moment, a holographic screen materialized out of thin air, and finally, I understood why Anna couldn't stop smiling:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Name]: Anna (9 years old)

[Race]: Human

[Profession]: Unlocks in: 4 years, 5 hours, 3 minutes, 5 seconds

[Affinities]: Fire (semi-divine) Mind (Innate)

[Bloodline ability]: Unlocks when reaching 2 rings

[Skills]: None

[Combat arts]: Assigned when turning 12

[Power]: 1 lesser ring

[Potential]: Mid semi-divine (min 7 rings)

[Affiliation]: Spirit faction of fire

[Overall evaluation]: How???

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed.