"O Fauveline, Goddess of Arcane Creatures,
Hear the call of those who seek your blessing.
From realms unseen, guide this sacred bond,
Between mage and beast, between spirit and form."
...
As her voice rang through the chamber, the magic circle began to glow, at first a soft green, then shifting into a bright blue. The air grew heavy with power, the floor thrumming with energy.
Then, the glow turned purple.
"Yes!" Alexander and Marco pumped their fists in celebration from the sidelines.
"That's my sister! I knew it!" Alexander grinned. "there's no way Emilia would be weaker than us!"
"It's been under ten seconds and it's already purple…" Marco said, awe creeping into his voice. "Brother… do you think she'll…?"
"Let's just wait and see," Alexander replied, eyes fixed on the summoning circle, his voice hushed with anticipation.
Nearby, Lady Ariana Silvervein clasped her hands to her chest, eyes shimmering. Small tears rolled down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away with a trembling hand.
"Emilia…" she whispered, "you are truly amazing."
On the high platform above, Draco Silvervein sat with arms folded, pride softening the fierce edges of his face. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Beside him, Elmandir Gray, Headmaster of Luminaris, leaned slightly toward him with a quiet chuckle.
"Congratulations, brother. Looks like my Luminaris Academy will be welcoming yet another Silvervein," he said.
"Then, I will leave her in your care, haha," Draco laughed.
Meanwhile, in the center of the chamber, Emilia stood unwavering, the final words of her chant fading into the air. Her body trembled with strain, and beads of sweat clung to her brow, dampening the strands of her white hair.
Still, her eyes burned with unwavering determination.
And the summoning circle continued to pulse.
Brighter… stronger…
________________________
In Arventia, the rarity of magical beasts was divided into four tiers:
Common.
Rare.
Epic.
Legendary.
And when it came to summoning, the color of the summoning circle served as a powerful indicator, a phenomenon caused by the variation in the amount of magical energy radiating from the creature being called forth.
Green light meant Common.
Blue light meant Rare.
Purple light meant Epic.
And Gold light... Gold was the color of the Legendary.
By all known standards, 99.9% of novice Beast Tamers could only summon Common or, at best, Rare creatures during their first ritual. To summon an Epic beast on the first try was a feat reserved for only the most extraordinary prodigies among prodigies.
As for summoning a Legendary?
It was the stuff of legend.
In the entire recorded history of the Kingdom of Dravalon, there were only two individuals who had ever managed such a feat on their very first try:
First, the Great Lady Anastasia Silvervein, the revered First Clan Master of the Silvervein line.
And the second one was Sirius Gray, the First Headmaster and Founder of Luminaris Academy, and the great-grandfather of its current head, Elmandir Gray.
So when the circle beneath Emilia's feet glowed purple, it was already a remarkable spectacle, a sign of greatness.
But then…it shifted again.
The light surged, intensifying, until the purple hue bled into shimmering gold.
The chamber erupted into chaos.
"What…?!" Alexander gasped, eyes bulging.
"My god…" Marco exclaimed, his whole body trembling.
Lady Ariana Silvervein clutched her hands over her mouth, a stunned gasp escaping her lips. Her knees nearly buckled from the overwhelming disbelief.
Up on the high platform, chairs scraped back as everyone rose to their feet.
The Five Elders murmured in shock, some standing frozen, others clutching their robes as if to anchor themselves to reality.
"How…?"
"Is this truly happening?!"
Even Elmandir Gray, calm and composed no more, gripped the railing tightly, eyes wide.
"A Legendary Beast…" he breathed. "Draco, your daughter truly is a marvel!"
But Draco's eyes never left the circle. His mouth curled into a wide, gleaming smile.
"Haha! Emilia… You are a true Silvervein!"
Because at this rate, this impossible moment, history would be made again!
The birth of the third Beast Tamer in all of Dravalon to summon a Legendary Magical Beast on their very first try, a miracle once thought lost to time… was happening again!
Emilia couldn't believe her eyes either.
The golden light beneath her feet bathed the entire chamber in brilliance, proof that she had achieved the impossible. Her heart pounded like a war drum, and yet, a wide grin broke across her face.
But she didn't let her focus slip. Not yet.
No matter how bright the summoning circle shone, nothing was certain until the beast itself appeared.
Therefore, she kept pouring her mana into the ritual, her hands steady, her breath controlled. The summoning was ninety-nine percent complete… but the final moment was the most critical.
Because now came the most important question:
What would appear?
A dragon?
A phoenix?
A chimera?
Or something completely unheard of?
The entire chamber held its breath.
Then suddenly, a mark flared to life on Emilia's forehead.
A glowing four-pointed star, etched in shades of black and violet.
"Oh wow, it's darkness…!" Alexander gasped aloud.
That seemed to be beast's elemental attribute.
Apparently, the attribute of the magical beast could be known before they arrived, by looking at the color of the mark on the summoner's forehead.
This color of black and violet meant darkness.
And then, as the ritual went on, more weird phenomenon happened.
Thunder cracked above them. Smoke billowed from the summoning circle. The air itself turned heavy, electric, as if reality were about to tear open.
The walls trembled, hairline cracks formed in the stone. Dust rained from the ceiling.
"This amount of magic… there's no doubt about it!" Lady Ariana cried. "It's a Legendary Beast!"
But then—
It didn't stop there.
The circle suddenly changed color again, to red. A deep, dark red.
"Eh?" Alexander gasped.
"What the hell is going on?" exclaimed Marco.
After all, red wasn't supposed to be one of the circle's colors!
In thousands of years, among millions of summoning rituals, no one had ever witnessed the summoning circle turn red!
Confusion rippled across the chamber. Whispers rose, faces turned pale.
Gold was the peak.
Wasn't it?
Then what the hell was this?
Had the ritual… broken? Or had Emilia summoned something beyond Legendary?
It shouldn't have been possible.
It wasn't possible.
And yet, it was happening!
"This makes no sense!" one of the Elders blurted.
On the high platform, Elmandir Gray stared unblinking at the phenomenon below. His hands trembled, his mouth slightly ajar.
"Emilia… what are you calling now…?" he whispered, grinning like a madman.
"I'm sorry," he then said to Draco. "I haven't felt this excited in years."
But Draco didn't reply.
He just stood frozen, mouth open, breath caught in his throat. He couldn't speak a single word.
Then, thunder rumbled.
The summoning circle surged with energy, glowing red-hot like molten magic. The very air vibrated as mana converged into its center, forming a sphere of blinding light.
Then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the entire chamber.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the marble floor. Curtains whipped violently in the magic-fueled wind. Everyone instinctively raised their arms, shielding their eyes from the blinding glare and swirling dust.
The summoning was complete.
The power. The pressure. The divine resonance. It was all there.
And then, the smoke began to clear.
One breath.
Two.
Three.
Silence.
Everyone slowly lowered their arms, blinking through the fading haze, breath held, eager to witness a dragon of flame, a phoenix of light, or some majestic beast born of legend.
But instead…
As the smoke lifted completely...
At the very center of the circle…
Lay only a tiny black cat, curled neatly on the floor.
----------------------
Character image: Emilia Silvervein