Chapter 5 – Mana Birds, Human Souls, and Divine Negotiations

"Don't scare me like that, System..."

She clutched her chest dramatically.

"System must always stay my System—my adorable, self-cleaning, snarky talking cat. A divine combo! Why ruin perfection?"

"But Boss... it was you who—"

One look from her, and he zipped his lips.

Yes, she was definitely guilty.

But there was absolutely no way she'd admit it out loud.

Thanks to her slightly obsessive drama-watching habits, her internal preferences had... shifted. Now, the System could transform from "fluffy talking cat" to "absurdly handsome celestial man" in three seconds flat.

If he wanted to.

She just had to make sure he didn't want to.

After all, who wouldn't want to be a cat?

Life was perfect. He had gourmet food, a loyal human servant, endless toys, and plenty of nap time. What more could anyone possibly want?

"Aerisse."

A voice interrupted her dramatic spiral of thoughts.

No way it was—

"Ah, Zaryssa, it's you…" she sighed in relief.

"Yes. And guess what? You stole one of my lesser souls. Again."

Zaryssa crossed her arms. "This time she was immortal, Aerisse. Do you know how hard it is for a soul like that to reincarnate—and then get automatically dumped into my purgatory? You just stole my celestial lottery win!"

She was annoyed. Understandably so.

But what problem couldn't be solved with a good cappuccino?

Cut to: Zaryssa, lounging cross-legged on Aerisse's cinema-lounge-sofa hybrid, cappuccino in hand—with the exact ratio of chocolate to foam—while Aerisse fanned her with a vintage medieval fan like a guilty maidservant.

"Say no more, Zaryssa. I'll make it up to you."

...Somehow. Maybe. Hopefully.

"How exactly?" Zaryssa asked, one eyebrow perfectly raised.

"I'll… I'll…" Aerisse looked around, desperately seeking divine inspiration, backup plans—anything.

"Boss, if I may…"

"Yes, please do."

"I have a suggestion…"

And so, they went with the System's plan. Because, well, desperate times.

The pitch: dump all the troublesome lesser souls—the overpopulated, spiritually-declining, mildly dramatic ones—into Skethera (yes, the name stuck).

Once they died, they'd naturally decay and get redirected into the lovely purgatory next door.

And by "lesser souls with declining indexes," the System meant: yes, humans. Still the most chaotic and cost-effective option available.

Of course, Aerisse made some upgrades.

No Earth-tier humans.

Only high-spec models: mana-compatible, self-upgrading, semi-introspective, and occasionally heroic. At least this way, they'd have a fighting chance at evolving before meeting their grim destiny next door.

She hoped.

Zaryssa didn't do mercy—and Aerisse had no intention of finding out what happened to those who ended up in her hands.

Next: birds.

But not just any birds.

She spent her divine authority points wisely:

Not on basic birds—the kind that fly, flirt, and flop.

No. She summoned celestial deluxe birds.

The kind that sparkle with mana, sing magical tunes, deliver energy like glittery air couriers, and—upon a graceful poof—turn into more mana.

Top-tier celestial pets. 10/10 efficiency. Highly recommended.

Humans: Check.

Mana birds: Check.

Environment with mana to absorb: In progress...