“Eh, Miss. Aren’t you going to fill the form and wait for the matching?” the female who had handed Aurora the form asked with a confused face as she watched Aurora leave the venue.

“Not interested. I don’t need blind people on my side.” Aurora’s words were met with a wave of protest. People did not like to be jabbed in their weak sports.

And these tower lackeys were too stupid to see that they were being used.

These people had no idea what they were doing here anyway, nor did they know what the Abyss Tower was planning for them in the future.

And they certainly had no idea just what the truth of this world was. The Tower were all risking lives for a purpose they would not even live out to see. The bottom of the abyss was hell.

9/10 people standing inside this room would die by the end of the first floor. Which made them a combination of brave and foolish to try out for the Abyss exam.

So Aurora walked out of the venue, leaving everyone tunned behind her.

She knew it would not be long before talks about her spread around. People like her were rare. She had gone a step further and even insulted the Abyss leader.

There would be retribution to pay for her actions. Aurora was not foolish enough to think that the Abyss tower will not try and take revenge on her.

The attempts would be vicious once they knew her plans about opposing them in their own game. But Aurora still had time.

The outside world looked so different from the history books. Gone was the land that once housed the human and had been replaced by a bottomless hole.

The only thing that had survived even after the engulfing abyss was the mountain peaks. The only way to survive was to build on top of such a harsh place and use magic to hold the settlement together.

But since the land was sparse, several bridges were used to connect various pieces of floating land. The world had become airborne.

And Aurora used one such bridge to get to the overly populated town in front of her.

By the time anyone thought to stop her, it was already too late. Aurora was gone from the compound and any hope they had of catching her had been reduced to zero.

But Aurora knew that the Tower will not give up so easily. She needed a disguise to hide.

That was why she swiped some clothes that could hide her. Then she headed to the city’s secret port. One that would lead her to the underground section.

She knew what she would find there. But her target would have to wait for a little while.

She had an even more important thing to do first – get her powers and aura under control. Or she would be found in a matter of minutes.

Aurora had power.

But she was far from foolish. She knew she was not invincible and she would be a better study subject alive. The Abyss would try to get her at one point or another.

She needed to get her powers under control and find a way to learn how to use them.

‘If I remember correctly, my guide said to concentrate your magic into your core and form an external connection to release it in. That was how you formed a familiar with your latent magic” Aurora focused her magic in her hand.

Nothing happened.

Well, a small explosion did take place. But it was not strong enough to do anything. Aurora had not anticipated not happening. She released her magic as soon as it felt like she had lost control.

The problem with having too much magic was that she had no way to control it. And since there was no manual to help her with this stuff, Aurora had to learn everything with the hit and trial method.

But she did vow to keep a ‘trial and error’ journal with her. She didn’t want a repeat of these incidents in the future after all.

The trial-and-error method was incredibly frustrating but rewarding as well. It had helped Aurora learn things she would not have otherwise come across for a long time.

Like, how to dim her aura.

It had been an accident when she tried to create a familiar. She had somehow managed to turn her over-flowing magic off and concentrate it inside her body.

But it was difficult to achieve.

“You know, you can try putting a little less magic into your familiar? It might help it retain the small form better” Aurora did not get startled. Or so she would like everyone to believe.

But the voice had spooked her. It was familiar to her. But Aurora was sure she had never heard it reaching that octave before.

Aurora turned her head to look at the new arrival, only for her eyes to meet a familiar red.

The girl in front of her was young. Much too young. But there was no denying those red eyes that sparkled with joy and happiness.

“Hey. Nice to meet you. Name’s Rita.” the younger yet taller girl replied as she jumped down from her branch. Aurora gaped at her like a goldfish before realizing that she was not in a dignified position.

But still, she could not help but pinch herself as she watched a younger Rita land on her feet. The last time she had seen Rita, it had been when the younger had died for her.

She had really been a loyal friend and perhaps something more if not for Clove.

“Less magic? What are you, an expert in familiar magic or something?” Aurora asked in a cold voice even as her insides felt nervous. She had no idea how to face a young and happy Rita again.

Her words caused the redhead to pout her adorable smile. Rita still seemed to be sensitive about her ‘familiar magic’.

“I’m more than an expert. Just trust me, alright? I’ve been doing this for longer than you’ve been alive.” the girl replied. Her voice had that disappointed sour note in it.

However, there was a look of uncertainty on her face, a hint of insecurity.

‘Ah, she must be afraid that I won’t believe her. She’s what? Seventeen right now?’ seeing as how most people don’t develop their abilities till they visit the Abyss tower, it did seem a little ridiculous for Rita to be making that claim.

The earliest age for one to enter the Abyss tower was thirteen. But that applied to only ‘special cases.’

Most people who entered the Abyss tower were nearly sixteen.

But Rita had been ‘special’ since her birth. It had branded for her a life of solute and loneliness. One that was marked as cursed.

“What is it? Not going to ask me to ‘not lie’?” the girl asked in a small voice. Aurora shook her head at the disbelief look on the redheaded girl’s face.