Chronicles of Forgotten Extra

After storing the books in his storage ring, Alden exited the library.

He slowly made his way towards the dorms.

The day had been very eventful for him.

First, the transformation of the spirit pearl shocked him.

Then the whole accident with Nyx.

And now, Amyra was asking for a spar so suddenly.

Rather than overthinking about things, Alden just decided to dismiss it.

He wasn't going to get anything by overthinking anyways.

He would rather focus on the present.

Step by step, he finally arrived in front of his dorms.

As usual, nobody was there.

He entered the elevator to his floor.

The elevator soon stopped as he entered his room.

The door closed shut behind him with a soft click.

Silence.

The room was as he had left it.

He set the books down on the desk, exhaling.

He took out the spirit pearl before placing it on a pillow on his table.

Alden's fingers brushed over its surface.

It was warm—alive in a way that no ordinary object should be.

It was changing.

Awakening.

And he needed to understand why.

Turning away, he grabbed the first book from the pile and flipped it open.

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Essence of Spirits – The Nature of the Unknown

The cover was old.

A faint layer of dust was still present on the book.

Alden flipped it open, his eyes scanning the pages.

What Are Spirits?

The book started with the basics—

Spirits were not physical beings but manifestations of concepts, emotions, and elements.

Unlike humans, who manipulated mana through knowledge and willpower, spirits were mana.

They were beings manifested from pure mana.

They existed as formless entities most of the time.

There were three categories of spirits.

Elemental Spirits– These spirits are born from nature, like fire spirits in volcanoes or water spirits in lakes.

These spirits generally didn't have a specific form in the infancy stage. The spirits Alden saw in his trial were of this kind.

Conceptual Spirits – These spirits are formed from strong emotions, ideas, or even collective belief.

They are very rare and have not been seen much.

Aspect Spirits – These spirits are manifestations of abstract cosmic forces like fate, time, or entropy.

They are the least understood, existing beyond normal comprehension. There has been only one such spirit in history.

Alden narrowed his eyes.

Aspect Spirits…

Those weren't mentioned in the novel.

He flipped ahead, searching for more details, but the book didn't have anything beyond baseless rumours and theories.

"Some spirits exist outside the bounds of reality."

Not very helpful.

He shut the book and grabbed the next one.

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Contracting Spirits – A Guide for the Aspiring Summoner.

Alden flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning the text carefully.

This one was more practical, detailing how one could form a contract with a spirit.

Spirit summoners.

Those who formed contracts with spirits and called upon them in battle.

It was a rare path, and not everyone could follow it.

It required an innate spiritual affinity—a connection to the unseen forces of the world.

There were very few spirit summoners in the world of Eryndor, and most of them were elves.

One of the main cast, the elven princess was also a spirit summoner.

But not everyone formed a contract with spiritual affinity. There was one exception.

A person strong enough could dominate an infant spirit, forcing it into servitude even without spiritual affinity.

However, the risks were high.

A bound spirit was not a loyal companion—it was a caged beast.

One that could turn on its master the moment their strength faltered.

Any contract formed with spirits was never without price.

Spirits did not serve out of kindness.

They demanded compensation.

Mana, emotions, memories, or even life force—the terms varied, but the rule remained the same.

A summoner gave, and in return, the spirit obeyed.

But there was something beyond contracts.

A rarer, deeper connection.

A Bond.

Unlike a contract, a bond could not be forced.

A spirit had to choose its partner willingly.

There were no restrictions, no enforced obedience—only a connection that linked two souls as one.

A spirit could willingly fuse a part of itself with a human, linking their souls.

This usually happens when the spirit sees something exceptional or familiar in the person.

Yet, this strength also came with its own burdens.

A bond could not be broken.

If one suffered, the other did as well.

A spiritual attack against one could injure the other too.

He closed the book, his fingers tracing on the cover.

Contract or Bond.

Domination or trust.

He had already made his choice.

Now, he just had to see what choice the spirit would make.

He marked a few key sections before moving on.

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The third book was Legends and Myths of Spirit Kings.

This one was more of a historical book which recorded ancient spirits and their tales.

Some stories were obviously exaggerated—like the one about a spirit king who could erase continents with a wave of his hand.

But one story caught Alden's attention.

A passage about a Shadow Spirit Queen.

"The Shadow Sovereign was said to be neither a sally nor an enemy of the world. Her existence was a paradox—both protector and destroyer. She granted her power only to one person who embraced the void without fear."

A spirit that existed between light and darkness?

Something about it felt familiar.

Was this… Ellara?

Was this why Ellara never spoke of her past?

She was an ancient spirit.

She had been the protector of the Draven family's founder, an ancient spirit of shadows.

But if this was her… Why wasn't her name mentioned?

He checked the page again, hoping for more information.

But frustratingly, the text ended there, as if the writer had purposefully omitted the details.

Alden exhaled.

He made a mental note to investigate further in the future before moving forward.

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Forbidden Pacts – The Dangers of Spirit Bargains

The final book was different. It was just a collection of fairy tales.

The pages were rougher, the ink darker.

Something about it felt… wrong.

He skimmed the introduction.

Alden frowned but kept reading.

The book had different tales talking about different people.

People who made deals they couldn't uphold.

Some had their mana drained dry.

Others lost their emotions, becoming husks of their former selves.

And some… simply vanished.

One story stood out the most.

A man who had formed a pact with an unseen spirit.

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He sought knowledge beyond the world.

He was granted what he wished.

But in return, he was unmade.

He ceased to exist—not dead, but erased.

As if he had never been.

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What the hell?

Was this why spirits were so feared?

This was different from the usual stories.

Something about it felt… real.

As if it wasn't just a cautionary tale but a recorded truth.

Unmade?

What kind of spirit could erase someone from existence itself?

Alden slowly closed the book.

Well, it's just a fairy tale anyway.

He had learnt enough for one night.

__

Alden leaned back in his chair.

He took a deep breath.

He was so immersed that he didn't even notice the time.

He had been reading for the last three hours.

There were too many unanswered questions.

He hadn't found answer to the question he was looking for.

But he found something else.

Spirits were not just passive entities.

They were dangerous and powerful beings with their own motives.

He looked outside the window.

The academy grounds were quiet.

The moons looked as beautiful as ever.

Tomorrow, he will spar with Amyra.

And after that—

He had his trial to complete.

Let's see what the future has planned for me.