The Spirit Queen could not comprehend what had just happened.

Her spirits had been moments away from anchoring themselves deeper into Armin's soul during the inheritance phase, yet the golden pocketwatch had glowed with a brilliance that burned them back…

Although she wasn't hurt, she knew that the Spirits within Armin's shadow had weakened.

She couldn't help but clench her fists as she tried to analyze theitem.

'That trinket… I examined it before. It was ordinary. How could it resist me?'

But the truth was something she had never known.

The pocketwatch was not ordinary at all. It had once belonged to Vale himself, and even if he had already drawn out most of its accessible power through his Divine Extraction System, it was still a mystical item.

He had used its extracted energy to strengthen his own path, gaining insights and resources that had helped him rise to Immortality.

Yet even Vale, with all his mastery, had discovered that there were layers of power within the watch he could never extract.

Those deeper layers were bound by bloodline.

The pocketwatch's true power could only awaken for the descendants of its original owner, a lineage that most likely belonged to the Paragons.

Vale had realized this long ago, and when he discovered Armin's heritage, he understood the truth: Armin was one of those descendants.

That was why Vale had accepted him as his disciple. Not merely out of pity or chance, but to monitor the pocketwatch's dormant power and ensure it did not fall into the wrong hands.

Vale had benefited from the artifact, but he knew its destiny was not his to claim. Quietly, he passed it to Armin, trusting that one day, its true nature would reveal itself.

The Spirit Queen, however, knew none of this.

To her, the watch was a simple relic, a sentimental trinket. She had underestimated it completely.

Still, she refused to surrender.

From her bed of dark crystal, she poured her will into the spirits again.

"Try once more," she commanded firmly, despite her weakening body.

"Probe deeper. Find cracks in his essence and do everything to control a part of his soul!"

The spirits obeyed, slipping through Armin's shadow as he lay unconscious.

They coiled around his soul, searching for weaknesses. But each time they drew close, the pocketwatch pulsed with golden light, severing their threads and burning their essence.

The Queen cursed under her breath. "Again!"

They tried a second time. This time, they tried not to show any form of subtler threads, disguising their intrusion beneath the Tower's inheritance flow. Yet the watch flared brighter, its radiance cutting through every deception.

"Again!" she hissed, her aura trembling violently.

A third attempt followed, this time with all ten spirits pressing together, pooling their strength.

They wrapped Armin's soul in a cocoon of shadow, tightening their grip.

For a moment, it seemed they might succeed. But then the pocketwatch's glow surged like a heartbeat, shattering their cocoon and scattering them back into silence.

"This…"

The Queen collapsed against her bed, coughing… Her aura started shifting dangerously. "Impossible… How can a mere artifact resist me? Resist us?"

Her lips curled into a bitter smile. "Vale… you sly Immortal. You knew. You gave him that watch for a reason. You've hidden its true nature from me."

She knew that the pocketwatch could never be obtained by this terrible Arcanist. The only reason he had something like this was because of Vale's kindness.

She tried again, and again, each attempt more desperate than the last.

But every time, the result was the same, the pocketwatch's golden radiance shielded Armin completely, rejecting her influence.

Finally, she slumped back, exhausted as her body started trembling from the strain. "Damn you, Armin. Damn you, Vale. I will not give up… but for now, I cannot win."

Her eyes narrowed, a faint smirk curling her lips despite her frustration.

"So be it. If I cannot control you now, I will wait. The Tower has accepted you, and that means your fate is tied to mine. If forcing you is not an option… Then, I have to do this peacefully, I guess."

The Spirit Queen sighed as she reached this thought…

She planned to control the Mystic Arts Tower by building a connection to Armin instead!

She closed her eyes, focusing her fractured aura. "Spirits… listen. Do not attempt to seize him again. Instead, strengthen your bond and guide him, make him trust you."

This might be a simple plan but it would take a lot of time…

In any case, when he becomes the master of the Mystic Arts Tower, it would still benefit them. That Tower is perfect for their kind after all…

Just like that, the ten spirits pulsed faintly in response.

They understood what they had to do…

If Armin accepted them fully, they could root themselves into its core, slowly making their influence until the Tower itself bent toward the Queen's will.

The Queen smirked…

Through Armin, she believed that Vale would never suspect anything.

He would believe his disciple was simply growing stronger, while in truth, she was already influencing the man.

***

Meanwhile, far away, Vale remained unaware of the Queen's schemes. He was deep in meditation, inside his Immortal Tower…

However, one of his Avatars, stationed in the Academy, received urgent news.

He just learned about the Mystic Arts Tower suddenly closing and ejecting all other Arcanists except for his disciple, Armin!

That only meant one thing, a new master had been chosen, and it was most likely Armin himself!

Vale couldn't help but feel excited…

"Lisa has just claimed the Dark Arts Tower. And now… Armin has been accepted by the Mystic Arts Tower?"

Vale had expected Armin to attempt the Tower eventually, but not so soon, and certainly not with success. The Mystic Arts Tower was not even his main Arcane Path! It wouldn't be surprising if it also rejected seasoned practitioners.

"Interesting…" the Avatar murmured. "I wonder if this is related to the Temporal Timepiece."

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