Knowledge Changes Fate

All the runes had been prepared. The "text" of the symbiotic contract had been written upon the land of the Abyssal Deep Sea, the summoner was in position, and the demon had arrived at the correct spot—every condition required to begin the ritual had been met.

A'gou stood at the center of the rune array, its eyes flickering with dim Green Fire as it watched Shirley at the edge of the formation. With its consciousness growing increasingly muddled, it slowly nodded.

Encouraged by A'gou, Shirley moved to the "node" of the formation and tried to calm her thoughts.

She knew nothing about these complicated runes, had never received any formal occult training, and knew even less about the profound, dark rituals of the Annihilation Cultists—facing these mysterious, incomprehensible symbols, she could only feel anxious.

But she trusted A'gou—she needed this friend, and she had to reforge their connection.

She took a light breath, slowly closed her eyes, and used all her memories and imagination to sketch out the demon she wished to "summon."

That image had long been deeply imprinted in her mind over the years. She hardly needed to conjure it within herself before that incomparably familiar figure emerged in her heart.

The runes on the ground slowly began to light up. An ancient communication protocol was "awakened" through the unique logic and form of the Deep Sea Era, and a hidden, subtle sense of connection appeared simultaneously in Shirley's and A'gou's perceptions, growing steadier as the rune array brightened...

Yet only a few seconds later, every rune went out without warning, and the connection that had just been formed was instantly severed. A brief, piercing shriek rang through the air, shaking the charred bone fragments all over A'gou's body and the twelve skeletal limbs behind Shirley.

Shirley jolted