"I choose you."
Leon's voice was resolute as he pointed directly at Spirit Alice.
Spirit Alice blinked, taken aback by Leon's choice. Her surprise quickly transformed into a radiant smile. "Oh? And why do you choose me?"
Leon returned her smile confidently. "Because you've read all the books and spells that ever existed in this room. I can't choose all of them, but I can choose you, who knows everything in them. Besides, you were wrong about there being no items related to the founding ancestor, because you yourself are linked to him."
Spirit Alice was astonished by Leon's reasoning. Her eyes widened before she burst into delighted laughter.
"I can leave! My days in this little box are finally over!" Spirit Alice exclaimed, joyfully floating up into the air.
Leon watched her, initially confused, but slowly understanding. Spirit Alice had been seeking a way to escape her confinement.
"Anyone would go crazy being locked in a room for centuries," Leon thought.
Spirit Alice calmed herself and asked Leon seriously, "Little boy, what's your name?"
"My name is Leon Darkmoon, Spirit Alice," Leon said, bowing respectfully.
"Good name, little boy," Spirit Alice praised with a smile. "But if you want me to follow you, you first need to obtain a special item from the founding ancestor. Follow me," she said, floating towards the center of the room.
Leon followed her eagerly and asked curiously, "Spirit Alice, can't you go outside?"
Spirit Alice shook her head. "I cannot leave the hidden treasure vault. I made a promise to the founding ancestor to safeguard his treasures. I can only leave with the person who retrieves the item."
Leon frowned, puzzled. "Didn't you say there were no items related to the founding ancestor in here?"
"It's true in a way, but his item is special because it's hidden in this room. The condition for the hidden space to open is that the chooser must select me to reveal it. If you can successfully retrieve the item from the hidden space, I can then follow you as my master," Spirit Alice explained with a smile.
"Has anyone ever obtained the item from the hidden space?" Leon asked, even more confused.
Spirit Alice's expression darkened. "Obtain the item? No one has even qualified to see the hidden space. Over the years, only fools have come here for trivial treasures."
Leon immediately fell silent as he realized Alice was criticizing the entire Darkmoon family line.
"Here we are," Alice said, stopping before a massive pillar about a meter wide. She placed her small hand on it, causing it to vibrate violently.
Leon kept his eyes on the pillar. A small black hole, the size of two fists, appeared on the pillar.
"Put your hand inside and retrieve the item. Then you will gain my recognition," Spirit Alice said, her voice tinged with excitement.
Leon didn't hesitate. He stretched his hand towards the black hole, but instead of passing through, it was blocked by a thin black membrane, like touching the surface of water.
Leon turned to Alice, puzzled. "What's happening?"
Alice smiled. "This is a power barrier that the founding ancestor created. Only the chosen one can retrieve his treasure."
Leon nodded and focused on the dark barrier. Suddenly, he looked behind him and noticed his shadow on the ground.
"Could it be possible?" Leon wondered, an idea forming. He carefully touched his shadow, inspecting it closely.
Leon smiled and thought, "I'm an idiot. This is a mage world. Anything is possible."
"Maybe I can do it," Leon thought. He quickly closed his eyes, concentrating his mana at his core.
Nine white rings surrounded Leon's core, radiating strong energy. He channeled the mana into his hand that was touching his shadow.
After a minute, Leon's face turned pale and covered in sweat.
"What are you doing, boy?" Spirit Alice asked, worried. Her concern turned into shock the next moment.
Leon's arm, touching the shadow, began to darken. Slowly, his entire hand transformed into a transparent, shadow-like form.
Leon's pale face managed a smile. "Let's see if this works," he said, inserting his arm into the black hole.
This time, the membrane did not obstruct him. His hand smoothly passed through the barrier.
"It went through! It went through!" Spirit Alice exclaimed, her voice filled with joy.
"I can feel something. It seems to be a pouch," Leon said, excitement evident on his face.
"Quickly, take it out!" Spirit Alice shouted excitedly.
Leon didn't wait any longer, knowing his mana was running out. He quickly pulled his hand out, revealing a brown, ancient pouch. He held it with great interest but soon turned his attention back to the black hole.
"I think there is still something inside," Leon said, tossing the pouch to Spirit Alice.
He quickly inserted his shadow hand into the black hole again, searching the space within.
Spirit Alice caught the ancient pouch and looked at Leon's pale face. "You should stop forcing yourself, little boy."
"There really is something else," Leon said, surprise in his voice.
"It feels like a metal plate. It's stuck to the wall. I'll try to pull it," he thought, exerting all his strength.
With a loud cry, Leon finally pulled his hand free, falling to the ground.
Spirit Alice looked at the place where the black hole had been. Now, it was just a normal pillar. She turned her focus to Leon's hand, seeing a transparent dark scale the size of an adult's palm.
"A dragon scale!" Spirit Alice exclaimed in shock.
Leon's right hand reverted to normal, but his face remained pale from mana exhaustion. The nine white rings around his core glowed brightly, working to restore his mana.
Leon, his vision fading, looked at the beautiful dark scale in his hand. He smiled happily before losing consciousness.
Spirit Alice floated over to the unconscious Leon. With a wave of her hand, the dragon scale floated from his grip towards her.
"A dragon scale. Who would have thought the founding ancestor would leave behind a dragon scale? But this one is very peculiar. Whatever it is, it now belongs to this little brat. I wonder what expression the ancestor would make if he knew a four-year-old boy took his treasures," Spirit Alice said, smiling. She carefully stored the dragon scale in the ancient pouch.
With another wave of her hand, a flask filled with blue elixir appeared. She let a single blue droplet fall onto Leon's forehead.
"A drop of recovery elixir should be enough to wake him," she said, waiting patiently for Leon to wake from his slumber.