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Evening settled over the El'Silvaris estate like a velvet cloak, drawing long shadows across the polished marble floors. The birthday celebrations that had filled the palace all day were slowly winding down. Outside, lanterns swayed in the cool garden air, their tiny lights dancing like captured stars. Inside, laughter and gentle music still lingered, though the grand hall had begun to empty.
Guests bowed and embraced in farewells. Slender elven servants guided them. One by one, the nobles departed, until the palace that had felt so bright and full only hours ago grew tranquil once more.
Emily, the ever-sparkling sixth princess, was still here. She would be staying for several days yet, as Uncle Caelith would soon escort both her and Grace to the academy. Admissions began in the last days of December, with classes starting on the first of the new year. So for now, the palace would be her gentle halfway home before that new adventure.
But for tonight, the whirl of activity had quieted. Even Emily had vanished for a time, whisked away by a pair of maids who insisted she try on several traveling gowns that needed fitting. Grace had laughed at her friend's pouting face as she was pulled down the corridor.
Now, Grace found herself alone in the quiet front garden with only Haze coiled lightly around her wrist. The hush was oddly comforting. After the day's endless greetings, sparkling laughter, and delicate dances, the solitude felt like cool water on sun-warmed skin.
She wandered slowly along a narrow path of white stone, trailing her hand across the tops of bluebell bushes. Tiny moths flickered up, startled by her touch.
Perched innocently against her wrist, Aurelian's small white head rested as if in lazy sleep. But inside, he was thinking.
It is time.
He had waited for the birthday to finish, for Grace to be mostly alone, for the perfect moment to slip his plan into motion. Ever since reaching level 5, his Group Chat Talent could let him bring in one more person, to now two members. It was exactly what he needed as he wanted to create his own mock account by using one member slot, rather than using his Group creater identity.
He wasn't going to repeat old mistakes from his previous life. Power alone was fragile. True strength came from building something bigger, an organization, loyal ties, people bound together by more than simple agreements. He would not claw through this world alone, a solitary beast doomed by arrogance and a lack of allies.
In this world of ancient families, hidden sects, secret churches, and divine wagers, a lone creature could dazzle for a time, then vanish with barely a ripple. He had waited patiently. Learned patiently. Taken note of every subtle power dynamic around Grace, every relationship, every vulnerability, and he knew she was a potential character. Now, with Grace alone in the dusky garden, the moment was perfect to begin.
Not just for himself. But for the first steps of what he intended to build.
No, this time, he would build something enduring. Something worthy of worship the greatest respect, even if it began small.
With that, he focused, drawing on this mysterious authority nestled deep within him. A faint pulse went out, almost like a tiny ripple across still water. He felt it reach for Grace, brushing against her spirit.
He sensed a thin new thread form between them, not strong, barely there, but unmistakable.
Grace, meanwhile, felt nothing at all. Just the cool night air and the gentle trickle of water from the fountain.
A thin white light, old, humming with some subtle ancient force began to gather.
Grace felt it before she saw it. A curious tingling at the back of her mind, like delicate ice brushing her thoughts. She shivered and stopped walking.
But then, right before her eyes, something impossible happened.
A flat panel of white light popped into existence, floating a few inches in front of her. It glowed softly, letters forming on it in a curling, unfamiliar script that she somehow… understood. Not in any language she knew, it just made sense in her mind.
[Congratulations on joining the Circus Chat Group]
Grace sucked in a sharp breath. Her heart gave a wild little jump. She spun around, half-expecting someone to be behind her, weaving some cruel illusion.
No one was there. Only the silent garden. Even Haze was giving her a tilted, confused look, his pale eyes blinking slowly as if to say, What's wrong with you?
Her pulse thudded painfully in her chest.
What is this? How could something strange like this appear right here, under the same roof as my mother, my father, my Aunt Aeralis, even Uncle Caelith… with all their strength? How did it reach me?
Her throat felt dry. She took a step back, hands slightly raised, eyes darting around. Still nothing. Only that glowing screen, waiting patiently.
Slowly, she realized this was for her alone. Somehow… only she could see it.
Grace's heart pounded fiercely. She took a step back, nearly stumbling into a low bush. Haze merely flicked his tongue lazily, utterly unbothered.
Grace pressed her palm to her chest, trying to calm her racing pulse.
Aurelian felt a rare spark of satisfaction.
He hadn't simply wanted to create some bland, nameless chat. This was the start of an organization. A foundation. Not just pawns, but chosen. Loyal, and those with potential, it was seed for something greater for the future.
And the name he chose? Circus.
Not because it was particularly clever. He rather liked it for that reason. No grand declarations, no world-shaking pronouncements. Just Circus, playful, misleading, unexpected. That way, others would underestimate it.
Inwardly, he reflected on a lesson etched into the core of his many past failures.
Power comes in many forms. A single individual may be able to strike fear into countless peoples. They may be able to annihilate nations. But can they bring life to a new generation? Educate them?
No, they cannot.
A lone wolf is just worth that much, Alone. We all have our own limits, our own destinies. We cannot all be the protagonists. But we can change our mindset.
There is no shame in this. We are all a part of the greater whole, servants of destiny. A wolf with a pack to support his every move will go further than one who stumbles through the darkness alone. And even if the pack leader of this generation fails, who says next will? A Man will die but not his ideas.
This time, he would not be alone.
Then, without the screen changing, something brushed across grace's thoughts. Like words spoken directly inside her head.
It wasn't a voice exactly, more like a soft mental pulse that left behind clear understanding. It told her what this strange group was. How it worked. What she could do with it.
She stood there a long time, trying to make sense of it. A chat group, a way to speak instantly across any distance, even if space was locked by powerful barriers or sealed realms. She knew enough from old stories and lessons to understand how terrifying that was. There were artifacts specifically made to cut off all communication from the outside world yet this chat claimed it could reach through that.
It also allowed people who didn't share a language to understand each other perfectly, or to share memories of what they were seeing right in that moment.
Her hands tightened on her gown. This… was on a level far beyond simple family heirlooms or small enchanted trinkets. It wasn't the kind of overwhelming divine terror that she'd grown up fearing from dark myths, but it was still too strange, too much.
Who made this? Why me?
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