In the Silvervein Clan, one tradition had endured for centuries—the Rite of the Dragon Vein. It was the trial of adulthood, the moment when a Silvervein youth either proved themselves worthy of the bloodline… or was left behind.
The rules were strict and absolute. After summoning their first magical beast—usually around their eighteenth year—each youth was stripped of all clan status and privilege. Their silver robes and crest were taken away, their hair dyed, and they were sent out as ordinary wanderers. From then on, they had to complete five missions in the outside world. Only by finishing all five could they return and reclaim their place.
The meaning was clear. The Silverveins had built their strength through hardship, and their heirs were expected to taste that same struggle—the world's cruelty, its dangers, and its opportunities. The five missions were a test of survival, growth, and resolve as a beast master.
And not only that, their performance in the Rite would later determine whether they could compete for one of the limited slots offered to the Silvervein Clan by Luminaris Academy, a privilege granted to only a few of the most powerful clans in the whole continent.
Well, for most, the trial was quite easy. Even the least talented among them usually cleared it within six months, well under the generous two-year limit. Some even returned in triumph within mere weeks.
After all, simply being a Silvervein already placed one above ninety percent of everyone else.
However… now…
For Emilia, things were different, for her only companion was just a Noctifelis.
What others saw as a mere rite of passage, for her loomed as a daunting wall. A challenge so great that it seemed impossible.
***
"Woaahhh… so this is the Forbidden Peak!"
Emilia gasped, her eyes wide with wonder as she stepped into the most sacred place of the Silvervein Clan. Each breath left her lips as pale plumes in the frigid air.
The summit stretched before her, a world of endless white. Snow blanketed the land, glittering like scattered diamonds under the blinding sun. The wind howled around jagged cliffs, sharp enough to flay bare skin in an instant. Merciless, yet breathtaking—it was nature's power at its rawest.
Yet wrapped snugly in her heavy cloak and layers of anti-cold enchantments, the deadly gale brushed her as gently as an autumn breeze.
"Oh, look! Are those… real dragons?!" Emilia cried, pointing skyward with childlike excitement.
"Oh yes, yes they are," Lady Ariana replied, her voice trembling with awe.
High above, colossal forms pierced the clouds—ice dragons, beasts of legend. Their wings spread vast as glaciers, their crystal-like scales scattering sunbeams into prismatic light. Each wingbeat stirred blizzards; each tail-sweep left streams of glittering frost, like stardust trailing through the sky.
"They are called Glacionis," Draco said at last, his voice solemn. "Even the youngest among them is no less than level 95. A single one could destroy a village if it ever went on a rampage."
"Wait… Glacionis? Isn't that…" Emilia's voice trembled.
"Yes," Draco nodded. "They are the same species as your mother's beast—Articia."
Indeed.
Lady Ariana's greatest companion—her pride and weapon—was none other than Articia, a nine-star Glacionis that had undergone eight evolutions. For decades it had fought at her side, freezing monsters and shattering mountains.
A true legendary summon.
Needless to say, Mimi was spellbound.
Her wide eyes followed the dragons above, sparkling with awe. She trembled not with fear but with wonder, her tail swishing furiously as if her small body couldn't contain the joy bursting inside her.
Then, suddenly, the Glacionis noticed them. Their cries rolled across the sky, deep and resonant, shaking the peak. With one mighty wingbeat, they descended.
The air roared.
Snow and ice tore from the cliffs, the summit whipped into a storm of white. Emilia staggered, crouching low as she clutched Mimi tight. The little Noctifelis buried herself into her master's arms, trembling. Had Emilia not held her fast, she would have been blown away like a leaf in a gale.
Only Draco and Ariana stood firm, striding ahead against the storm. Together, they bowed their heads. Emilia quickly followed.
And in answer, the Glacionis lowered theirs. Their colossal necks bent, wings folding in majestic unison. A sound rumbled from their throats, a vibration so deep it shook the bones. It was like a thunderous, reverent purr.
It was then that a voice rang across the summit.
"Come to me. Step into the circle."
It was the voice of Lord Siamelumis.
Only then did Emilia see it—a glowing circle etched into the peak's heart, its lines pulsing with golden light. Glyphs unraveled from the ground, drifting upward like fireflies and hanging weightless in the icy air.
The Glacionis shifted aside, their gazes solemn, as though honoring a sacred rite.
Without hesitation, the three stepped into the circle. At once, the glyphs blazed. Light swallowed everything.
The frozen peak, the biting wind, the endless snow—gone in a blink.
When Emilia opened her eyes, she no longer stood on a mountain, but on a solitary isle suspended in an endless void. Darkness stretched on every side, boundless and absolute, as if the world itself had fallen away.