The sky above Blackthorn Academy was bleeding red. Smoke from the training field rose like dying prayers into the clouds. Students stood in a wide circle, watching the Binding Exam with sharp eyes and sharper tongues.
Kael stood at the center, silent. His cloak was torn, his boots muddy. Around his wrist, the red sigil flickered dimly like a broken ember. His hand trembled slightly, but his face was calm.
"Next student. Kael of Orien. Rank Zero. Attempt beast binding."
The instructor's voice was dry, almost bored. He didn't hide the smirk.
Kael stepped forward. The binding circle beneath him pulsed once, reacting to his presence. The silver chalk lines shimmered faintly, waiting for power. But the air remained quiet. No beast emerged. No energy surged.
Nothing.
A laugh broke the silence.
"Again with this freak show" someone said.
"Maybe he'll summon a rat this time. That'd be an upgrade" another voice added.
Kael said nothing. He lowered his hand. The mark on his wrist pulsed once more, but instead of flaring, it flickered and vanished like ash in the wind.
The instructor sighed.
"Failed to bind. Again. Rank remains Zero. Step aside."
Kael stepped back slowly. Not in shame. Just silence.
As he walked past the students, one of them stuck out a foot. Kael stumbled slightly but did not fall. He caught himself and kept walking without a word.
Behind him, laughter followed.
That night, Kael sat alone at the edge of the academy ruins. A place forgotten by most. Broken pillars and crumbling stone told stories no one cared to hear.
He stared at his hand. The red sigil now pulsed slowly, like it was breathing.
"You are not weak" a voice whispered.
Kael froze.
The voice came not from the trees, not from the wind, but from within his mind. Deep. Cold. Ancient.
"You are sealed. Locked by fear. Bound by lies."
Kael looked around. No one was there.
"Who are you" he asked aloud.
Silence.
Then a sudden gust of wind. The ground beneath him cracked. The sigil on his arm burned bright crimson. A circle formed at his feet. Not the usual silver. This one was pitch black, glowing with strange runes that twisted as they moved.
A shape emerged from the circle.
Tall. Twisted. Eyes like dying stars. Wings of smoke. Teeth that grinned without a mouth.
It did not roar. It did not threaten.
It bowed.
"At last" the voice said. "My binder has returned."
Kael stared at the beast.
And smiled.