This butterfly, which had peculiar crystal-like blue wings, was looking at me and I was looking at her.

There was a strange attraction about her and something... different.

I was admiring its beauty, just like I had done with all the beasts I had come across.

The beautiful pure white mother snake with ruby eyes, the rabbit with a white body and black ears I hunted, and the parrot that I saw thanks to my blessed luck were gorgeous.

But... this was different from any of that.

My heart, which had never pumped fast if not in danger, was beating faster and there was an unfamiliar warmth to it.

It was a feeling like meeting a long-lost friend.

It was a feeling you would get when meeting with family after a long time or...

Maybe a feeling when you see someone you genuinely love?

With my hand stretched forward to catch it from the long distance, I walked forward.

It was strange, but I could feel the butterfly's emotions.

The butterfly was happy and grateful, as well as overjoyed.

The butterfly flapped her wings in excitement to at last meet someone, someone right, someone special, and... someone like me.

I walked to the web and looked at it.

The butterfly flew and landed on my left hand.

L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on N0vel--Biin.

I blinked in amazement. I was smiling without knowing the reason to be happy.

Sitting on one knee, I looked down at the butterfly.

Strange wings like elegantly crafted crystals, a pure white body with the same white eyes.

We looked at each other and then, after some time that felt like a split second, the butterfly... spoke?

[[ Will y-you accept me? ]]

The voice rang in my mind and I clearly heard it but... I can't believe what was happening right now.

"Did... you just talk?" I asked, looking into the butterfly's white eyes.

It bowed its head, and the voice rang again.

[[ Do you accept me as a part of you, oh strange being, that I bow to eternally serve? ]]

From the way it talked to the way, every word felt to me... I was now sure.

'So... I found my life partner in this hell and before dad at top of all things?' I sighed and smiled.

This butterfly... was my love at first sight. My lifelong partner and my only family in this unknown hell.

This was a unique, unknown, dangerous, and most unexpected place to find 'the one' of my life.

It attracted me towards her, and... it was the same for this butterfly too.

The strangest thing here was... it was a butterfly.

I was a (Hexa-elemental) mage, an irregular person of this nature that had a natural affinity to all fundamental elements.

I had dreamed of having a familiar for a long time now but, never in my life had I thought it would be a butterfly.

'No... wait. That... can it?'

With a confused look and complicated mind, I looked at it and asked in a somewhat certain voice.

"Are you... a <Crystal Butterfly>?"

I was somewhat sure about this, even though it seemed close to impossible.

But... after seeing so many strange things in this forest, this one was strangely acceptable.

The voice rang in my head again, now filled with joy and pride.

[[ Indeed. I knew you would know this, master. ]]

I felt strangely comfortable even though it called me master.

Hearing something like that from someone else would feel much more strange, but she was different.

I looked at the butterfly, and a long sigh escaped my mouth.

<Crystal Butterflies>

A natural beast that had no rank of its own.

It was a beast that coexisted with the one that it made a pact with.

This pact was more powerful than normal familiar pacts, as it was a pact of [Origin].

A being that had no stable origin of its own and without it, its lifespan was no more than seven months.

They were born in this wide nature randomly at random places, but... we rarely saw them in the outside world.

Strong beings like a (purple) ranked energy beast, [Divine beasts] or those with strong [Origin] or the emperors and kings and leaders of countries were mostly the ones that had them as familiars.

From what I read in books, the great Roxana empire had only six individuals with such familiar.

If they failed to find a 'master' in their brief life, there was only death waiting for them.

This was the reason they were rare and had a very low total number.

Them finding a 'master' in this life was also a grave task because they were special.

Every crystal butterfly had a unique skill, just like [Origin skills] these skills were also one of a kind.

They were physically weak beings and even a simple cat could kill them easily.

This was the reason they needed someone to provide the strength they lacked.

Looking at her, a warm smile surfaced on my face.

It was strange but... I was happy.

Not only because I got a peculiarly powerful friend, companion, and family member, but also because I was here.

I don't know how long it has been since its birth, but... I can feel it was long.

Long enough that it had lost most of its strength.

Its wings were still beautiful but, they lacked the vitality that might have been there.

I smiled and looked at it again.

"I'm glad I was here. So... what should I name my beautiful partner?"

There were tears in my eyes, but I was smiling.

It has been almost seven or so months since I entered this hellish jungle.

I lived alone, in the dark, and suffered in silence.

The agony of being by myself was hard at some points, but now... things will change.

I will have someone.

To talk, to share my feelings, and to be with.

As a clear tear fell from my right eye, a white light came out of me.

The light enveloped me and the butterfly, and it felt as if we were being connected with each other with some threads.

I looked at it, and she looked at me.

The color of those dull wings started returning to shining crystal, and it started glowing.

Its body became more white, and it seemed like life was returning to a pale corpse.

It reminded me of the starry sky where that beautiful blue moon shined with all its happiness.

She was a gift to me, someone who had suffered in the sorrow and loneliness of the darks of this forest.

So... its name should also be something like this, right?

Touching my forehead to its glowing wings, I spoke.

"Celestine. You are my gift, my companion, and... one I will always be thankful to."

The light intensified, brightening the entire cave.

[[ No master. I'm the one who should thank you. I vow to be by your side for as long as my soul stays intact in great mother nature.]]

I could feel the joy that came from the depths of her soul.

It was also hard for her, spending the insignificant life given to her alone in a dangerous forest.

She might not have survived if I was just a few weeks late.

Thankfully... we found each other.

The surrounding light faded and Celes melted in my left palm.

A small symbol similar to her appearance appeared on the back of my hand, above my thumb.

It was smaller than my thumb, and I understood what it was.

<Familiar mark>

A unique mark that appeared when someone made a pact with a high-ranking energy beast.

In the case of beings like Celes, they used energy from [Origin] itself.

It was not possible for beings with lower mastery of their [Origin Skill] but when they achieved higher mastery, they can directly use the abundant energy of origin.

This only happened after one had reached <Advanced> mastery of the [Origin skill].

There were conditions and restrictions but, it was different for everyone.

But, the beings born directly from nature like Celes could use the energy of [Origin] however they liked.

How they used that power depended on the master too, as the willpower and affinity to nature played a big part in how much or how long it can be used.

The <Skill> they had could be something like.. making powerful explosions, creating barriers, restricting moments, or most special... healing.

But... I was damn sure Celes had something totally different, as no simple energy beast could have an affinity with all six fundamental elements.

"Celes?"

With a small blue light, she came out from the mark and hovered in front of me.

"Celes, it might be awkward to ask so suddenly but... what is your <Skill>?"