"Player may select one elemental affinity to permanently alter their core attributes. The chosen element will accompany the player for life."

Rita turned to her secretary, B8017913. "So… how strong is this reward?"

Anything that could replace a divine-talent upgrade had to be good, right?

The little robot's answer was simple. "Terrifyingly strong."

Rita thought for a moment, then asked, "But isn't that kind of like the Celestials? They're born with elemental resonance, too."

"Not quite. The Celestials only borrow an element temporarily. The element simply resides within them for a short time."

"But if your very essence is transformed by a magic element," B8017913 continued, "then every skill related to that element will deal multiplied damage. And if a skill of that same element hits you, you'll take zero damage. Divine Game has given out rewards like this before—but as far as I know, this is the first time a player has been granted full elemental symbiosis. It means you can constantly grow closer to the element, keep deepening your understanding of it—until you are the element itself.

"Every breath you take, every gesture, every step—could become a skill."

Rita's mind immediately conjured up hundreds of over-the-top fantasy novels. "So… can I choose Time or Space?"

Based on what she'd read, those were always the strongest ones.

B8017913 hesitated for a beat, its display flickering slightly. "…You can try."

Rita did.

Her hope lasted about three seconds before a pop-up shattered it.

A window appeared in front of her, listing the options: Water, Fire, Wood, Lightning, Wind, Light, Darkness.

The window even gave a little shake, as if to say, wake up and be serious.

Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, B8017913 added cheerfully, "Time and space are laws, not elements."

Nivalis dropped her empty ice cream cup onto the robot's head. "You're still salty she broke your contract, aren't you?"

Rita flicked the little toy robot over with her finger, then stood up. She already had an idea in mind—but she couldn't do it indoors. Who knew what kind of reaction it would cause? If it blew up her house, she'd have no one to blame but herself.

Even after all the destruction of the last BlueStar war, Eclipse Vanguard had made sure her home stayed within a protected zone.

Still, just in case, she stepped into the backyard.

After the war, both the rooftop and backyard had become home to hundreds of cats—all cared for by Nivalis.

Rita told them to clear out for a bit and go play somewhere safe. Once every cat had wandered off, she headed to the open courtyard in front of the villa, trailed by a parade of charms—dragons, dolls, lanterns, a ship's helm—all bobbing along behind her.

Nivalis asked, "So, what element are you picking? Water? Wood? Light?"

Rita took her position in an open patch of ground. "Lightning."

She was no longer the clueless mage she once was. Years of lessons at Moonlight Marsh and all those Divine Game theory courses had given her a deep understanding of every elemental strength and weakness.

The elements Nivalis mentioned—Water, Wood, and Light—all had healing properties, but their offensive power was lacking.

Once, she might have chosen them. But now? Now she leaned toward pure offense.

If she could strike fast and hard enough, she'd have all the time in the world to heal later.

That was her combat philosophy now.

And Lightning was one of the strongest offensive elements there was.

...

Shadow.Q stepped gracefully out of a teleportation vortex, gift box in hand—once again bringing Eclipse Vanguard's New Year's greetings to Rita.

Perfect. Another excuse to loaf around all afternoon.

She was just about to message Rita from outside the villa when thunder exploded above her head.

Shadow.Q wasn't the type to be easily startled, but the sound shook her to the core.

She instinctively took a few steps back. That wasn't normal thunder.

The protective lightning net surrounding the villa suddenly dispersed, and from the sky, golden lightning began to rain down.

Boom. Boom. Boom!

Bolts of gold crashed down, thick as pillars of light. Even their thinnest branches were as wide as her forearm, and the golden flashes lit up the entire city block.

Within minutes, Nivalis and B8017913 came running out, spotting her by the gate.

Shadow.Q asked, "Is BlueStar Judgment fighting the storm to protect her?"

Nivalis translated bluntly, "She means—did Rita just get struck by lightning?"

Shadow.Q fell silent, slipping her hands into her coat pockets, staring quietly at the golden storm.

After a few long minutes, the lightning subsided, breaking apart into fine golden threads of current that drifted down like a rain of light. The area was small—intimate, deliberate. A golden shower meant for one person alone.

Shadow.Q straightened her coat and smiled faintly at Nivalis, then strode toward the villa, her tone calm but trembling with urgency.

"Judgment!! What's happening to you, Judgment—!"

Nivalis: "..."

Even B8017913 lowered its game console and murmured flatly, "Whoa."

A few minutes later, they all sat by the ruins.

The tables and chairs were cheap replacements—Shadow.Q had ordered them in bulk long ago.

Still, she and the others sat at one table while Rita sat alone at another, at least five meters apart.

They had no choice. Within five meters of Rita, golden "rain" still fell from the sky.

A closer look revealed that the rain wasn't rain at all—it was pure lightning. Each droplet was a strand of golden light, two or three centimeters long, occasionally flickering with tiny arcs.

When the threads landed on Rita, they melted gently into her skin, sometimes rippling outward in small electrical waves.

From a distance, it looked as if sunlight itself had broken into golden dust over her.

But anyone within range could feel the overwhelming pressure that beauty carried.

Nivalis muttered under her breath, "Liked Pikachu. Wanted Pikachu. Became Pikachu."

Rita grinned at her. "Watch this."

She snapped her fingers. The falling "rain" instantly transformed into bolts of lightning, striking down in a constant rhythm across the area—and even moving as if they were alive.

Seconds later, what remained of the villa was reduced entirely to rubble.

Rita flicked her fingers again, and the lightning softened back into golden threads. They shifted direction, flowing toward Shadow.Q and the others, swirling gently around them in luminous arcs.

The scene was breathtaking—romantic, almost tender.

At last, the golden rain drifted upward, hovering above their heads.

Shadow.Q and the others tensed for a moment—but no one moved.

The radiant threads of light fell softly on them, warm and harmless.

Through the shimmering haze, Shadow.Q watched Rita resting her chin on one hand, lazily twirling her fingers. There wasn't much of a smile on her face, but even so, Shadow.Q knew—

For the first time since they'd met, Rita was truly happy.

A quiet, delicate happiness—so faint that it took Shadow.Q several moments to recognize it.

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