Chapter 1 the summoning

The institute's corridors were packed. Parents and students alike were in complete uproar because of that year's summoning ritual.

"There have never been so many talents" was the phrase most often heard throughout the institute.

Great talents among the students also meant that powerful spirits could be summoned that day.

And if you were capable of forming a contract with a powerful spirit during the summoning at the Imperial Institute, it meant you would have a promising future once you left.

Noble families—and, on rare occasions, even the imperial family—extended invitations for young people exceptional in magic who were fortunate enough to summon powerful spirits to join their houses.

That year, as everyone was tired of saying, was exceptional in its own right.

Eight youths had performed so magnificently during the tournament that determined the order of the summoning ceremonies.

The order was of extreme importance, since whoever went first had the chance to draw the attention of the most powerful spirits.

And those eight had done so well that it was expected they would summon legendary spirits.

Even scouts from the imperial family were present, authorized to make exorbitant offers to secure the acquisition of those incredible talents.

Nobles, wealthy merchants, and foreigners were also there, speculating about possible legendary summons.

The institute's eight students had become celebrities even before attempting to summon their spirits.

Which was not the case for the young Seraphine.

She had performed so poorly in the tournament that she was placed last in the order of summoning.

Even so, she too had become a celebrity that year.

But for the exact opposite reason of the eight talents.

Many students made cruel bets in the institute's corridors.

Some tried to guess what Seraphine might be able to summon with such terrible numbers in the tournament.

Others doubted whether she would even be able to convince a spirit to form a pact with her.

The fact that she was the daughter of a merchant without a noble title only fueled the malice of the rumors the other students spread about her.

Some even claimed she might become the first imperial mage in history to form a pact with a worm.

To be fair, Seraphine had good physical abilities and excellent grades in magical theory.

But when it came to practical magic and mana quantity, she was no better than a newborn peasant.

It felt deeply unfair to Seraphine that some things were decided at birth, and that there were limits effort and study simply could not overcome.

She tried not to focus on the test. There was no benefit in tormenting herself over something beyond her control.

Instead, she chose to spend the remaining free time before the summoning ceremony with her only friend, Ruby.

Ruby was also the daughter of a peasant who had become successful as a merchant.

Unlike Seraphine, who had straight black hair falling to her shoulders, small strands covering her ears, and an uneven fringe that sometimes hid her large brown eyes, Ruby had large, vivid red curls that reached her waist, and eyes that shone in an even brighter crimson.

The difference did not end with appearance.

Ruby, despite being a peasant's daughter, had been blessed with above-average magic for someone without noble blood, which had secured her a relatively high position—just below the eight talents of the year.

Ruby and Seraphine had become friends from their very first day at the Imperial Institute.

Their situations were so similar that it was almost inevitable.

Peasant parents who had amassed wealth as merchants in the imperial capital.

Both had earned their places at the institute through large donations made by their families.

Banding together to face the nobility's scorn had been logical at first.

But a true friendship had grown between them.

And that bond felt truer that day than ever before.

Even though Ruby had placed high in the tournament, there she was—by Seraphine's side, supporting her the entire time.

Seraphine was deeply grateful for that.

The two lay on the wide lawn of the institute's garden, gazing at the sky, imagining which spirit might answer their call.

Seraphine tried to push the thought away, but it took over her mind anyway.

"Maybe a worm spirit wouldn't be so bad after all," Seraphine laughed at her own situation.

"You know, Sera, I think at the very least you'll get a malformed amphibian. Maybe a small mammal?" Ruby teased.

They looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Seraphine stopped first and continued, now more serious.

"Ruby, I demand that you get at least a humanoid spirit. Don't you dare lose to those eight perfect little prodigies."

"I think I'd rather have something more useful. Maybe one I can use as a mount. I heard there's a group of adventurers in the city made up entirely of people with mountable spirits."

"I've heard of them. They turned down several noble offers to form the group. I also heard their leader rides a spiritual wyvern. That must be incredible."

Seraphine gazed at the blue sky. A large cloud that reminded her of a dragon drifted slowly near the sun.

The two girls remained there for several minutes, occasionally ignoring groups of students who approached just to call Seraphine "worm girl" and other, less amusing things.

As pleasant as it was to stay there on that cool spring day, with the sun neither too hot nor the grass too cold…

Eventually, reality would return.

And it did.

A voice amplified by magic echoed throughout the Imperial Institute.

The time for the summoning ceremony had arrived.

All students abandoned whatever they were doing and headed toward the institute's main building.

A wing had been built especially for summoning rituals and even had grandstands so nobles could easily observe the candidates and their spirits.

Seraphine wanted to walk more slowly. After all, she would be the last one that year; there was no reason to rush.

However, she couldn't miss Ruby's summoning, so she hurried along beside her.

The path to the summoning wing was packed with students, each more anxious than the last.

The scouts and invited guests, however, entered through a side passage that led directly to the stands.

The wing had been designed to accommodate all students participating in the ceremony on the ground floor.

The others were seated according to their year at the institute.

Fourth-years occupied the first rows beyond the summoning floor.

Third-years sat on the level above, and second-years on the highest rows.

First-years were not permitted to attend the summoning and usually remained in their classrooms during the ceremony.

One by one, the fifth-year students entered the summoning floor, positioning themselves around the immense magic circle painted on the luxurious ground.

Tension filled the air.

A small group stood apart from the rest.

The eight talents of the fifth year—the ones honored to summon first and thus given the chance to impress the most powerful spirits.

Several professors surrounded them, likely offering last-minute advice.

Those eight were the true event.

The rest was just bureaucracy.

The magically amplified voice spoke again, but this time it had a body.

An elderly woman approached the center of the magic circle.

It was Rosencrown, the director of the Imperial Institute.

A large black hat with one bent tip concealed most of her gray hair. Her eye color was hard to make out behind the thick lenses of her glasses.

At her side floated a young woman who didn't appear any older than Seraphine herself, moving in an almost spectral manner.

Her feet did not touch the ground.

Her skin looked like porcelain, a peach tone contrasting with her striking emerald-green hair.

Ruby nudged Seraphine beneath the ribs, subtly pointing at the beautiful figure beside the director.

"Look, Sera. The director's dryad. An ancestral spirit, protector of groves and forests."

"She's beautiful," Seraphine murmured, finding no more fitting compliment.

Silence fell as the director's voice echoed through the hall.

Her dryad floated around her, flowers blooming among her hair and a scent reminiscent of early spring filling the air.

"Silence, students," she said, her voice betraying her advanced age. "Today is a glorious day. Eight of your peers have earned the honor of being the first to court the spirits. Without further delay, let them step into the center of the circle."

"Approach when your names are called."

From House Velmora, Elowen Velmora.

From House Halvorn, Cedric Halvorn.

From House Belcrest, Thorian Belcrest.

From House Thalmyr, Lyssa Thalmyr.

From House Aurellion, Ravaryn Aurellion.

From the southern provinces, Aveline Morwyn.

From House Crowmont, Valerian Velmora.

And last, but not least, from the Merchants' Congregation, Lucien Dravorn.

As the director announced them, each of the eight talents stepped into the circle, waiting for permission to begin courting the spirits.

The director pointed to the ground and murmured a few words.

The circle ignited, drawing gasps from everyone present.

Around it, a wall of light formed, like the bars of a prison rising from nothing.

Inside, the eight fifth-year talents stood motionless.

Then shapes began to form before each of them.

Aveline's spirit took the form of a great horse with black manes dragging along the floor. The creature knelt so she could mount it, and together they quickly exited the wall of light.

Cedric's spirit assumed a humanoid form—a woman with large black wings.

A harpy had answered his courtship.

He walked out while the harpy followed from above.

Elowen's courtship was answered alongside her brother Valerian's.

Two identical stags with immense antlers knelt so the siblings could mount them.

Soon after, they left the wall of light with far more noble bearing than when they had entered.

Lyssa's courtship was answered by a humanoid spirit.

A dryad, much like the director's, glided around her as she exited the circle.

Ravaryn's courtship was also accepted by a humanoid spirit.

A mermaid swam magically through the air around her.

Thorian's spirit took the form of a terrestrial dragon, magma dripping from its jaws.

Thorian chose not to mount it and left the circle on foot, followed by his reptilian companion.

Only Lucien remained within the wall of light.

His spirit took the form of a kneeling knight wielding a massive sword.

Lucien placed a hand on the knight's shoulder, and the two exited the circle.

The stands erupted into nearly uncontrollable uproar.

Scouts scribbled frantically, nobles whispered among themselves before casting new looks at the eight talents now accompanied by powerful spirits.

"Yes, yes, congratulations. They are formidable spirits," the director said loudly. "But now we will proceed with the remaining fifth-year summons. Please, make room."

The following invocations were far less impressive than those of the eight talents.

Few received notes from scouts or comments from nobles.

At last, Ruby's turn arrived.

Seraphine wished her good luck and moved to a better vantage point.

Ruby stepped into the circle.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though nothing would happen.

Then great red wings burst forth from the ground before her.

Slowly, the wings gave way to the body of the spiritual beast.

A dragon.

The observers erupted into cheers as loud as those for the eight talents.

Quills scratched parchment in a frenzy.

It was immense.

A completely red dragon, so large it barely fit within the wall of light.

The spirit lowered its head, and Ruby mounted it.

The creature made a wide flight around the wall before landing beside Seraphine.

When Ruby dismounted, the dragon shrank and settled upon her shoulder.

The crowd was ecstatic.

It would be difficult to surpass that.

One by one, the remaining students were called and formed pacts with their respective spirits.

No humanoids.

No spiritual beasts.

Then, the dreaded moment arrived.

Seraphine was last.

A collective laugh rippled through the hall.

The director did not laugh.

Neither did Ruby.

The walk to the edge of the wall of light, amid laughter, felt like it took hours.

From within the crowd, someone shouted:

"Think there's a worm left for her to summon?"

Laughter followed.

But it would be the last time.

When Seraphine placed her first foot inside the wall of light…

It shattered completely.

Low-level spirits vanished almost instantly.

High-level spirits—the ones belonging to the eight talents and Ruby—prostrated themselves before their summoners, shielding them from what was coming.

Something, still formless, began to materialize at the center of the magic circle.

The candles around it were extinguished by the wind.

Then they reignited—now with black flames.

The director tried to stop the summoning with a powerful wind spell.

It was useless.

The magic was effortlessly repelled and hurled back at her by the still-formless thing at the center of the circle.

The director was thrown several meters into the air, saved at the last second by her dryad before her head could strike the wall of the summoning wing.

It was futile.

That thing would come into this world.

And it would form a pact with Seraphine.

There was nothing anyone there could do.

Except…

Seraphine herself.

She advanced toward the entity, which was now steadily taking on a humanoid shape.

The thing seemed to like her approach.

It opened a wide smile, revealing disturbingly human teeth.

The pact was complete.

The courtship was accepted.

The entity took form and entered the world.

A spirit in perfect human form had sealed a pact with Seraphine.

Or was it Seraphine who had sealed the pact with him?

Only time will tell.