I feel my mind blur for a moment—everything turns black. When I open my eyes, everything is different. I’m still inside my cube, but now my physical body seems to have manifested within my consciousness somehow.
The ground is snow, with many small mountains made entirely of ice surrounding me. The sky is completely black, filled with lightning. I can also sense that gravity is uneven—there are several floating ice peaks scattered everywhere. Strangely, I don’t feel cold or heat in this place.
Does this landscape represent my affinities? After observing carefully for a few seconds, I reach that conclusion. I can feel life and death mana constantly embracing each other, and I also sense space distorting in certain areas.
Yes… that must be it. It’s the most likely explanation. Around me, there are six Banners, each one different and unique.
I approach the first—it’s black and white, with a massive yin-yang in the center. The life and death mana is intense. This Banner is completely focused on two of my supreme affinities and must be closely tied to one of my Laws.
The next one is a deep blue, like the night sky. I can even see small star-like points of different colors. Space mana is dominant, though I can also feel my other three affinities in equal measure.
I slowly walk toward the next Banner, a bright icy blue. Before even reaching it, I already know its main affinity—the small ice spikes make it obvious. What’s interesting is that I can feel two Laws standing above the others—one is clearly ice, and the other is sharpness.
The next Banner is just as easy to identify. It’s a bright yellow with slight blue accents. The symbols of lightning speak for themselves. Not only is electricity dominant, but space affinity is also significantly stronger than the rest. Could it be related to my movement abilities?
The fifth Banner looks very similar to the one I already have, except now purple dominates. I can feel the Law of gravity above the others, though it still leaves space for the rest. The same applies to the affinities—gravity is the main one, but the others still have room.
The last Banner is the simplest. It’s pure white, with symbols representing all my affinities and Laws. It’s easy to assume this is the most balanced one—I can feel everything trying to connect equally.
I sit down in the center for a moment, thinking about the sensations each Banner gave me. I haven’t received any notifications so far—something I expected. The omnipresent voice won’t help me with this decision.
I don’t know how time flows in this place, but I assume it’s the same as outside. After a few minutes, I decide to eliminate one option.
The first to go is the sixth Banner. Even though it’s the most balanced and versatile, it’s not what I’m looking for. I’m not interested in that kind of Banner—I can clearly feel it’s the weakest option, just like the girls mentioned.
The most balanced option is usually the weakest. You can strengthen it over time, but it’s a headache to train everything at once. I have too many affinities, abilities, and Laws—it would take too long to progress. It could be a smart long-term choice, but I don’t believe the other options are weaker.
After thinking for a few more minutes, I discard the Banner related to space affinity. It’s very interesting—space affinity is powerful and impressive—but it’s not what I’m looking for right now.
I can always train and improve my space affinity later, but I don’t know if I want a Banner specialized in it. My instincts tell me it’s a good option—but only that.
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I don’t know how long it takes me to eliminate the next one. It’s a difficult decision—the remaining four Banners are all incredibly interesting and powerful, far more than the previous ones.
Letting go of the electricity-based Banner hurts a bit. My father likely has a similar Banner, and Sers will probably have one soon. I’m sure they would be happy if I shared it with them—though mine might take a completely different path once I reach diamond rank.
My instincts tell me it’s powerful—probably the one that would benefit me the most in terms of speed and agility—but something inside me says this isn’t the right choice. This isn’t what I’m looking for.
The final three options are the most powerful and interesting. I felt the strongest connection with these three. All of them feel incredibly powerful—even a bit dangerous. Like wild beasts waiting to be tamed.
My mind wanders until I finally reach a decision—I eliminate the ice-based Banner. It’s a difficult choice. After all, it’s the affinity I use the most, the one I’ve relied on for most of my abilities, and the one I feel most comfortable with.
But that’s exactly why I discard it—I don’t need a Banner focused on ice. I’m already comfortable with it, and I’ll soon receive training from Eisty. There’s no need to choose it now.
In the end, I’m left with the two most powerful and intriguing options. Both radiate overwhelming power—they feel fierce and oppressive. It’s exactly the kind of strength I’ve been seeking for my future.
I need to grow stronger. For months now, I’ve had a bad feeling lingering in my mind. It’s faint, but it’s been growing slightly stronger in recent weeks.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to face diamond ranks once I ascend—the gap in power increases with each level. Just remembering Ruddo’s jurisdiction gives me chills. He could paralyze me effortlessly—I doubt everyone at his level is as strong, but even if they’re half as powerful, it’s still a problem.
I need a way to defend myself—something to resist or at least delay those jurisdictions. I can’t afford to be turned into a statue.
The life and death Banner is truly fascinating. These two supreme affinities are opposites, yet inseparable—they can’t exist without each other, and yet they serve completely different roles.
Death affinity can annihilate everything with perfect control. Mana, Imra, constructs, objects, people—it doesn’t matter. Death mana can destroy anything in its path.
Life affinity has proven its value over the years. No matter the situation, I can recover as long as my cube supplies mana to my body. My ability is far superior to others—it’s special, all thanks to Sus. Strengthening it would be a good choice.
On the other hand, there’s another equally compelling option. Gravity magic is incredibly versatile—I can use it for defense, offense, speed, destruction, control… it has countless applications. Most importantly, the imposing dragon within the Banner now looks far more intimidating—more real, more powerful.
I don’t even need to sit down to think—my instincts scream at me again as I approach it. I feel a pull from this Banner unlike anything I felt from the others, as if a pair of claws is grabbing and dragging me toward it.
I reach out and grab it. At that exact moment, a roar echoes through the space, powerful enough to bring me to my knees. I resist with everything I have, refusing to let go—my decision is made.
All the other options vanish instantly.
This Banner will become the foundation of my Dominion. I feel energy spreading throughout my body, originating from my cube. A faint itch begins, slowly intensifying. At first, there’s little pain—but it grows stronger until it nearly makes me faint.
The pain fades, then returns even stronger. I feel the changes spreading through my body little by little. I don’t know if it’s been minutes, hours, or days, but eventually the pain stabilizes at a tolerable level. I don’t know if my body adapted or if the worst has passed.
My consciousness begins to fade until everything turns black again. Just one second before losing awareness completely, notifications from the omnipresent voice appear:
“Congratulations! Your Draconic Banner (Special) has ranked up!”
“Your Banner is evolving into your Dominion.”
“Rebellious Dragon Dominion. You have chosen to become the successor of one of the most powerful races. Your body will be strengthened to resemble these mythical beings. At this stage, you are equivalent to a dragon egg—find your path, break your shell, and reach the peak of your chosen road.”
For a brief moment, I feel my body growing stronger. My Banner, once at the center of my cube, is now spreading throughout my entire body—it feels more like a Dominion.
This is exactly what Susan and the others described.
I can’t think anymore. My consciousness is fading into darkness, slowly sinking into a deep sleep. I already knew this would happen—now I just have to let my body, cube, and mind adapt to this new power.
When I wake from this long sleep… I’ll be someone different. The path of a mythical being… doesn’t sound bad at all.