First Servant of Darkness

Lindarion sat cross-legged, staring at the swirling darkness in his mana core. It twisted and pulsed like a restless child tossing in its sleep.

"Young… Master… you… don't… know… how… to… use… darkness… yet…"

Selene's voice echoed slowly, as if she were some ancient oracle reading from a prophecy.

Lindarion frowned. Well, no shit.

"Of course I don't. I just got this affinity," he muttered. His voice was quieter than usual. He still wasn't used to… whatever Selene was. A ghost? A spirit? A hallucination from overusing mana? Perhaps all of the above?

"The… Young… Master… has… many… affinities…"

Lindarion squinted. Did she just… smile? It was so faint he wasn't sure.

"Yeah, I've got a few," he said casually, but he wasn't about to start listing them. Thalorin's words echoed in his mind, something about keeping a few cards hidden.

"Young… Master… is… smart… and… has… a… good… sword…"

Her gaze roamed over him like she was looking into his soul.

'Alright, this is getting creepy. And why the hell does she talk like that? Is there a ghost language barrier or something?'

Before he could voice his concerns, Selene spoke again. This time, her voice carried a weird warmth to it—like a mother proud of her child.

"Young… Master… I… can… help…"

'…Help? With what exactly?'

Lindarion eyed her warily, but she only smiled. This time, he definitely saw it.

Selene stepped closer, suppressing her mana completely, making sure he didn't feel even an ounce of pressure from her presence.

'Okay, now I'm really suspicious.'

She extended her hand.

"Take… my… hand… Young… Master…"

'This is a trap, isn't it?'

Lindarion hesitated. Every instinct screamed at him not to trust a weird, slow-talking ghost. But curiosity won out, and he reached out.

Their hands barely touched—more like passed through each other—but the moment they made contact, something shifted.

The darkness in his mana core stirred violently.

'What the—'

Shadows stretched from his feet, reaching toward Selene like eager vines.

"Young… Master… don't… be… afraid…"

Her voice was calm, almost soothing, even as the darkness swallowed her whole. No screams. No resistance. Just a serene smile as her body faded into the abyss.

"Selene?"

[Darkness Summon Unlocked!]

[Host has achieved a great feat! (Absorbed the First Servant of Darkness)]

'The fuck?'

Before Lindarion could even process what had just happened, a flood of notifications popped up.

[Mana Core Level Increased]

[Stable Core (Low) → Stable Core (Peak)]

[Mana Capacity increased by a giant margin]

[Host can now summon: The First Servant of Darkness, Selene Noctis Vireth]

[Darkness Affinity has evolved to Tier 3]

[Host has been rewarded with:]

+21 Strength

+32 Intelligence

+30 Dexterity

+12 Charisma

+15 Luck

+18 Vitality

+29 Wisdom

+80 Mana

+22 Endurance

+2 Choosable Skills

'…'

Lindarion went completely pale. Like, ghostly pale. He probably looked more like Selene now than before.

'Did I just… kill someone who was trying to help me?'

A million thoughts swirled in his head. His breathing grew shallow as he stared at the messages.

'What the hell is happening? Why did my mana core shoot up so much? What do they mean by summon? First Servant of Darkness?? Tier 3 Darkness Affinity???'

His vision blurred slightly. His head was spinning.

And then—

[Summoning the First Servant of Darkness!]

The air trembled. His shadow flickered wildly. His darkness affinity surged like a storm, consuming the entire room.

'Oh, hell no. Did I just summon some eldritch nightmare? A giant, man-eating dragon? Some abyssal horror??'

As the darkness slowly cleared, Lindarion's hand instinctively tightened around his sword, ready to fight whatever abomination had just been birthed into existence.

"Alright, bring it on, you damn monste—"

"Young Master!!"

A high-pitched, almost mouse-like voice rang out.

Lindarion flinched. His whole body tensed.

'…The fuck was that?'

The shadows finished dispersing, revealing—

A fairy?

No, something like a fairy. But instead of a flower-themed outfit, this one wore a pitch-black wedding dress with a matching dark veil.

She floated in the air, her eerie yet elegant form beaming at him.

"I am here, Young Master!"

The fairy thingy? Twirled gracefully midair, smiling brightly.

Lindarion blinked. Once. Twice. His brain refused to function.

"What… am I looking at?"

The small being bowed deeply.

"I am Selene! From now on, I shall serve you, Master!"

Lindarion's lips parted, but no words came out. His hand twitched slightly as he stared at the scene before him.

'You've gotta be kidding me.'

Lindarion stared at the floating figure before him.

"So… you're Selene?"

"Yes, Young Master! I am Selene Noctis Vireth!"

She placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest like she was trying to look… stronger?

'She can't be serious.'

Lindarion slapped himself. Hard.

Selene tilted her head, watching with mild concern.

"Young Master, is something wrong?"

"I don't know… Maybe the fact that I just watched you get eaten by my darkness like some corpse in a horror story—only for you to reappear as a damn fairy?"

"I am not a fairy, Young Master! Don't compare me to those pathetic creatures! And what is a horror story?"

Selene murmured the last part almost silently.

'So fairies do exist…'

Lindarion resisted the urge to bash his head against the nearest rock.

"From now on, I can always assist the Young Master!" Selene beamed, clearly pleased with her newfound freedom after who-knows-how-many millennia.

Lindarion exhaled sharply. "Great. So what now? Just waltz out of here like nothing happened?"

"Yes! The cave ends here, so we can leave anytime!"

'You've gotta be kidding me.'

"Fine."

Lindarion forced a smile, but it twitched uncontrollably, betraying his internal turmoil.

"Lead the way, Young Master," Selene said softly.

Then—before he could react—she floated over and sat on his head.

Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

'Oh, fuck no—'

His temples throbbed, and for a brief moment, he debated throwing her off.

But he didn't.

'Everything is perfectly fine. I am not losing my mind.'

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and continued to feed his delusions.

—

The cave was eerily silent as they walked. Lindarion, desperate to break the tension, spoke up.

"How long were you trapped down there, Selene?"

"I'm not sure, Young Master. It must have been thousands of years…"

Her voice had a faint sadness to it. Or at least, Lindarion thought it did. It was hard to tell.

Before long, they reached the chamber filled with human corpses.

"The battle for the book," Selene murmured.

Her tone was soft, almost nostalgic.

Lindarion glanced at the lifeless bodies. "The monsters were devoured by my darkness."

Selene simply nodded. "I could feel it from below when your darkness consumed them, Young Master."

'Of course you did. Why wouldn't you?'

Suppressing a groan, Lindarion let out a deep sigh and finally stepped out of the cave.

The moment he felt fresh air on his skin, he wanted nothing more than to collapse on the ground and sleep for a week.

But, unfortunately… that wasn't an option. Not yet.

'I should check my rewards soon… I'm curious about what I get.'

Just as Lindarion was about to bring up the system window, a small tug on his hair made him pause.

"Young Master, don't you want to break through?" Selene's voice was soft, almost playful, as she sat comfortably on his head, gripping a few strands of his hair like reins.

'Right… my mana core breakthrough is still pending.'

Absorbing Selene had pushed his mana core to its absolute limit. He was standing at the edge—he just needed to take that final step.

"Can you help with that?" Lindarion asked, skeptical. He knew Selene was strong, but just how much?

"Of course, Young Master! Just focus on your mana core," she chirped. Her cheerful tone didn't match the eerie darkness surrounding her, which somehow made it even more unsettling.

Lindarion exhaled sharply. "Alright."

He dropped to the ground, crossing his legs, shutting his eyes. His mana pulsed wildly, unstable. The sheer density of his accumulated energy pressed against his core's limits—like an overfilled waterskin about to burst.

And sitting right on top of his head, legs crossed like she was lounging on a throne, was Selene.

"Young Master, your circulation is terrible."

"…Thank you for the incredibly helpful feedback."

Lindarion resisted the urge to swat her off.

Selene huffed, resting her chin on her hands. "If you keep forcing it like this, you're going to explode."

"Alright, Great Master. What should I do then?"

"Good question!" She grinned, then casually started yanking his hair.

Lindarion tensed. "Did you just—"

"Just relax." Her voice was surprisingly soothing. 

"You're trying to control everything too much. Let your affinities flow. Don't force them—just let them move naturally."

Lindarion took a deep breath. He did as she said, releasing his grip on his mana. His affinities stirred, weaving through his veins before gradually converging in his mana core.

And then—

Crack.

It was like something inside him had split apart. His vision blurred for a moment, but there was no pain—just an overwhelming surge of energy washing over him, flooding every inch of his being.

[Mana Core Evolution—Greater Core (Low) Achieved!]

His entire body buzzed with raw power.

"Young Master did it!" Selene cheered, spinning happily atop his head. "And you didn't even explode!"

Lindarion exhaled, his breath shaky as he opened his eyes. "You're a demon."

Selene gave him an innocent smile. "Not at all. Just your humble servant."

Lindarion tilted his head back, staring at the sky.

'What did I do to deserve this…?'