Evan ran past the hill without slowing down.
The wind brushed past his face as his feet struck the dirt path in a steady rhythm. His breathing remained calm, controlled—nothing like the ragged gasps he used to make years ago.
He slowed down only after reaching the open field beyond the hill.
Behind him, Lyra stood with her arms folded, watching quietly.
Five years ago, the boy had collapsed before even reaching halfway.
Now he had crossed the entire hill without stopping.
Lyra let out a small breath before speaking.
"That was much better than yesterday. Your pace stayed steady the entire time."
Evan turned back toward her with a faint grin.
"I'm glad to hear my suffering is finally meeting your standards."
Lyra raised an eyebrow at him.
"You make it sound like I'm torturing you."
Evan stretched his arms as he walked back toward her.
"Considering the amount of running you make me do every morning, I would say torture is a fair description."
Lyra shook her head, though a small smile tugged at her lips.
"If you call this torture, then you clearly haven't trained hard enough yet."
Evan laughed quietly.
"I had a feeling you were going to say something like that."
Just as he was about to continue walking back toward the estate—
A familiar sound echoed in his mind.
!~Ding~!
Evan stopped mid-step.
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
[System Notification]
[Congratulations, Host.]
[Your physical age has reached 10 years.]
Evan blinked in surprise.
Lyra immediately noticed the sudden change in his expression.
She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"What happened? Did the system send another message?"
Evan nodded slowly while staring at the screen.
"Yes… It looks like something new has been unlocked."
Lyra leaned slightly closer, even though she couldn't see the interface.
"What does it say?"
Before Evan could answer, another window appeared.
[Available Functions][System Spirit]
Evan read the description twice.
Then he frowned slightly.
"…A system spirit?"
Lyra tilted her head.
"That sounds unusual. What exactly does it do?"
A new notification came.
[System Spirit: A support entity that assists the host in navigating the system, managing functions, and performing tasks that can be executed through the system.]
Evan scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"The description says it helps manage system functions and tasks. So… I guess it's like an assistant."
Lyra looked unconvinced.
"So the system is giving you a helper?"
"That's what it sounds like."
Another message appeared.
[Would the Host like to activate the System Spirit?]
[Yes / No]
Evan didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The moment he confirmed, the system interface flickered.
!~Ding~!
Light gathered within the translucent window before a new message appeared.
[System Spirit Activated]
[Please assign a name.]
Evan blinked.
"I have to name it?"
Lyra crossed her arms and looked at him curiously.
"You sound surprised. You named half the cooking recipes you invented."
Evan sighed slightly.
"That was different. Naming food is normal."
"And naming a spirit isn't?"
"Not really."
Lyra shrugged.
"Well, if it's going to help you, then it should probably have a proper name."
Evan thought about it for a moment.
Something simple.
Something easy to remember.
He remembered his old software developer term.
After a few seconds, he spoke.
"Echo."
The system responded instantly.
[Name Registered]
[System Spirit: Echo]
A soft voice suddenly echoed inside Evan's mind.
It was calm, clear, and unmistakably feminine.
[Hello, Master Evan. I am Echo, your designated System Spirit.]
Evan froze completely.
Lyra noticed his reaction immediately.
She frowned slightly.
"That expression again. What happened this time?"
Evan slowly turned his head toward her.
"…The system just spoke."
Lyra blinked.
"It spoke to you?"
"Yes."
"You don't have to worry about it; a lot of spirits speak Akasha as we do."
Echo's voice sounded again.
[I exist to assist the master in navigating system functions, managing tasks, and providing information related to the system and process relevant information as it comes.]
Evan stared into the air in front of him.
"This is basically an AI."
Lyra frowned slightly.
"A what?"
Evan froze.
'Crap… AI probably doesn't exist in this world.'
"AI is Artificial Intelligence"
'shit... That came out of my mouth without thinking.'
'Hope she won't find out that I am a reincarnated soul.'
Lyra spoke.
"I don't think there is anything artificial about the spirit. Spirits naturally have intelligence."
"Huh?"
'She didn't notice, right ?'
"Maybe this spirit seems artificial to you," Lyra said thoughtfully, "but spirits themselves naturally possess intelligence."
Evan waved his hand dismissively.
"Never mind. Thinking about it, that information is not relevant."
Lyra studied him carefully. the she shrugged.
"So this 'Echo' can talk to you?"
"Yes, but only I can hear it."
Echo immediately confirmed.
[That is correct. Communication between the master and me is private. As far as I know, no other person can talk with me.]
Lyra sighed softly.
"Wonderful. Now you're having secret conversations with something only you can hear."
Evan smirked slightly."What's wrong, Lyra? Are you jealous of my new spirit companion?"
She didn't say anything, turned away, and pouted.
Lyra looked unconvinced but didn't argue further.
"So what does this spirit actually do?"
Evan focused again on the system interface.
"According to the system, it can help manage tasks and system functions. It might also help me keep track of things more efficiently and do some other tasks."
Lyra nodded slowly.
"That actually sounds useful."
Echo spoke again.
[Additional system features may become available in the future.]
Evan smiled faintly.
"I had a feeling that would happen eventually."
Lyra suddenly clapped her hands together.
"Speaking of useful things."
Evan looked at her.
"What now?"
Lyra smiled mysteriously.
"Come with me."
A short while later, they returned to the house.
Evan pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Then he stopped.
On the table sat a small cake.
Evan blinked in surprise.
Lyra stepped behind him and suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"Happy birthday, my prince."
He stared at the cake for a moment before slowly turning toward her.
"…You made this?"
Lyra nodded.
"I followed the recipe you taught me."
Evan walked closer to the table and examined the cake carefully.
It wasn't perfect, but it looked good.
Very good.
"You actually remembered the recipe."
Lyra hugged him tightly, proudly.
"I paid attention during your cooking lessons."
Evan chuckled softly.
"That took five years."
Lyra shrugged.
"Learning from a picky teacher takes time."
"Hey, that's my line."
She stuck out her tongue at him like a mischievous child.
Evan cut a small slice and tasted it.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Lyra watched him nervously.
"Well?"
Evan nodded slowly.
"This is really good."
Lyra visibly relaxed.
"Of course it is."
Evan laughed.
"You sound very confident for someone who was burning cake two years ago."
Lyra looked offended.
"Hey, that was a new recipe for me, and it happened once."
"It happened three times."
"Those were experimental attempts."
Evan shook his head, smiling.
Five years of training had changed many things.
But moments like this still felt strangely peaceful.
Echo's voice quietly appeared again in his mind.
[Master]
"Yes?"
[Your emotional state appears elevated.]
Evan nearly laughed.
"It's called enjoying cake."
Lyra looked at him suspiciously.
"Why are you smiling at nothing again?"
Evan shook his head.
"Just thinking."
Lyra handed him another slice of cake.
"Well, enjoy it while you can."
Evan raised an eyebrow.
"Why does that sound like a warning?"
Lyra pointed toward the door leading outside.
"Because training continues after this."
Evan sighed dramatically.
"I should have known."
Lyra smiled mischievously.
"Happy tenth birthday, my prince."
Evan glanced toward the window.
Beyond it, the training yard stretched beneath the sunlight.
Five years had already passed.
And somehow… the real journey was only just beginning.