[MGM]: 92 - Night Stalker

We talked for hours, even as we feasted on our meal. Finally, I stretched and rose to my feet.

"That was a wonderful meal," I said, content. "I think we should retire to our rooms now. Today has been exhausting, and we have work to do tomorrow."

"Then I will bid you goodnight here and retire to my bed," Captain Aldrin said, offering a nod before turning to leave.

"Let us move to our chambers too," I said, gesturing with my head.

Luna and Aldrin had already booked two rooms—one for Aldrin and the other for us.

"Why only one?" I asked. "Since there are three of us, you should’ve at least booked two rooms."

"What’s the problem?" Luna said. "We aren’t going to be using them after all."

I raised a brow and regarded her with a curious gaze.

"What?" she asked, seemingly offended. "I might not understand everything, but that’s more due to my lack of knowledge than my mind. I’m smart enough to pick up on the cues you two were sharing throughout the conversation."

I blinked, slightly taken aback. Then I smiled and raised my hand to ruffle her hair. "Apologies if it seemed like that. Cassia and I intended to fill you in either way, in case you hadn’t caught on—so I’m glad."

"Hmph." Luna snorted and looked away. Under the scattered moonlight passing through the curtain, I felt she looked exceptionally cute.

"Don’t," Cassia spoke suddenly. I raised a brow in query. She groaned and said, "Don’t even start. I know what you’re thinking, but we’ve got more important issues to deal with."

I didn’t understand what she was getting at, but her second point was valid, so I decided to focus on that.

"Is she talking about your level?" Luna asked, glancing at me and then at Cassia. "Is that where you were earlier? Hunting?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Since I was close to reaching B-Rank, I thought to finish it as soon as possible. It helped that reaching B-Rank increased my summoning capacity by two."

"Oh!" Luna’s eyes shone brightly. "Are we going to be meeting two new comrades today?"

"That seems to be the case," Cassia replied.

"Alright, let’s not delay this any further than necessary," I said, backing off. "You two might also want to step back and keep the surroundings concealed."

They nodded and moved behind me. Cassia activated her talent to conceal any obvious, attention-grabbing aspects of my summoning. Meanwhile, Luna waited with bated breath.

I closed my eyes and called upon my talent.

Suddenly, my mana was pulled out and given shape in a way that confounded me. Before me, a hole in space opened, and a frigid cold washed over all of us. I saw the very floor beneath us freeze from the mere wave that poured out.

Then I felt a familiar calling—one I distinctly recalled from a few months ago—and another that felt more personal. Distinct. Intimate. It felt like someone was soothing my blood, calming me. I nearly went limp.

When I opened my eyes again, I could see the faint outline of a person moving closer to me. It stopped, and I adjusted my vision to see past the cold fog that had manifested all around.

"This is a surprise," the person spoke. "How come a dream turned into reality?"

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have summoned Elowen, the Icebound Monarch (A-Rank).

You have permanently bonded with your summon.

To raise your summon’s attributes, please increase your Spirit.

The woman that had appeared before me was certainly no less artful than any of my previous summons. She wasn't tall, but not short either; her eyes were a striking blue, her hair pure white, and her body curvaceous. The most compelling aspect of her appearance, though, were the two horns jutting out from the sides of her head, curving backward and up into a crown of sorts. Even without looking at her Soul Record, I knew what she was.

"Dragon..." I muttered under my breath that fogged the air, feeling oddly excited yet apprehensive at the same time.

She turned to me and smiled pleasantly. "I know you," she said, and I blinked in surprise.

"You do?" I asked. It was the first time that one of my summons had presented with such an odd response. I had assumed that, for some reason, all of my summons had a part of their memory—the essential part that dealt with the experience—removed. Could I have been wrong? I wondered.

"Yes," she replied. "I have seen you in my dreams, where we talked about things. You said that you'd wait for me on the other side."

"Wait," I said, confusion growing apparent. "Are you sure that what you saw was me—like me me?"

"Yes, of course."

I was left befuddled by the sheer confidence in her voice. Either she was a good liar, or I was missing something here. Looking at her gentle eyes and compassionate smile, it was very hard for me to come to a conclusion.

"Pardon the intrusion, ladies and gentlemen," I heard Cassia say as she stepped forward, "but it would seem that you have completely forgotten about us. I just wanted to remind you that we have equal rights to participate in the conversation."

Elowen frowned as she looked at Cassia, then said, "I remember you as well."

"Oh, you do?" Cassia said, her brow raising in surprise.

"Yes," Elowen replied. "You were quite mean to me."

There was a short span of collective silence as we took a moment to digest her words. Then, with a clear expression of surprise, Cassia spoke.

"I was... what?" she asked.

Finally, unable to hold herself, Luna started laughing loudly. I felt like we had found something that was always meant to be there—something lost and now reunited. I smiled.

"Alright, that's enough." I held up a hand and turned to Elowen. Smiling, I said, "It seems we jumped a wagon there, so why don't we start from the beginning?"

"Right," Cassia said. "Let's start with the fact that she's a Dragon."

Name: Elowen

Race: Ice Dragon [Awakened]

Age: 88

Origin: Icebound Monarch [Divine]

Rank: ???

Attributes

• Strength: 992

• Agility: 227

• Vitality: 1700

• Intelligence: 2647

• Perception: 1206

Talents

• [Glacial Domination - SS]

• [Icebound Prison - S]

• [Snowstar Calamity - S]

• [Mist Shroud - A]

• [Frozen Touch - A]

• [Freezing Breath - B]

Elowen was the only one of my summons other than Amara who boasted a Divine Origin. Despite being so young and not even an Ascended, her aggregate of Stat Points exceeded even Cassia's. She was effectively my second strongest summon after Amara.

"So, Dragons can sense each other?" I asked.

"Well," Elowen said, "not exactly sense each other. It's more of an acknowledgment—a recognition—of a kin than any sort of passive sensation."

"So, like, if I see a Dragon, I would recognize them as such, but only if I see them explicitly?"

"That depends," she replied. "You have to receive their acknowledgment as well. Whether they wish to reveal themselves or not, basically."

It took some more explanations from her before I could formulate the idea in my mind. The fact that a Dragon could actively conceal their nature from others—particularly other dragons—was a fascinating discovery. It made me wonder if the dragons had really gone extinct after all.

"Forget about that, tell us about the dream," Cassia said. "What do you mean by seeing him and me? Did you see anyone else? What about her?" She pointed at Luna at the end.

Elowen tilted her head, the strands of her snow-white hair falling from her shoulders. There was curiosity in her eyes, but also an innate innocence. I didn't know why, but she was perhaps the only summon toward whom I was feeling something I couldn't put into words.

"I don't remember seeing her, but I do recall seeing others," she said. "Even you I recall vaguely, like an impression of sorts. There were others, as I said, but I couldn't tell you anything about them."

"Alright, let's forget about them. Tell us about the dream itself," I asked. "Like, what happened? What did we talk about? And what did you mean by Cassia being mean?"

Elowen nodded. "First, I don't remember what we talked about, except for that one promise. And as I mentioned before, I don't actually recall every person in my dream—just their impression. So, looking at her, I remember that she was being mean, though without knowing why."

"Like a feeling without any context?" Luna asked.

"Exactly," Elowen replied.

I had expected, to a certain extent, that the pattern would follow. Yet I couldn't dismiss the disappointment at the fact that Elowen, like the others, didn't remember her life.

I sighed, rose to my feet, and stood in the middle. "We can continue our discussions later on. Let's get this over with first," I said, and then commenced my summoning once more.

The portal manifested before me, and then a shroud of darkness engulfed the room. I felt a presence so light and dim that, even under intense daylight, I couldn't have identified it. Then it spoke to me.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have summoned Artemis, the Night Stalker (SS-Rank).

You have permanently bonded with your summon.

To raise your summon’s attributes, please increase your Spirit.