My name is Leora Grey.
Descendant of Aleyna Grey—the Great Sage, the woman whose wisdom saved kingdoms, whose magic bent the laws of nature itself.
And yet… I am nothing.
People expect me to shine. To carry the bloodline's glory as though it's a torch burning in my veins. To wield wisdom and power that could shape the very world. But me? I can't even summon a spark without stumbling.
Among the Grey family, I am the shame. The whispered disappointment. The "failure" who soils a legendary name.
I hear it in the corridors of our estate.
"That's Leora? Aleyna's descendant? Pathetic.""Can't even light a candle without choking on her own magic."
And the whispers always turn into laughter.
At the Academy, life is worse. Every sneer, every shove into the wall, every hissed word reminds me that I don't belong.
This morning was no different. I had barely stepped out of my dorm before someone's hand caught my shoulder and slammed me against the stone.
"Careful, Grey," a boy smirked, his friends laughing behind him. "Wouldn't want you to break before today's summoning test. Imagine failing that too."
My throat tightened. "I—I won't fail."
He grinned wider, eyes gleaming. "You've already failed, Grey. Just by existing."
Their laughter followed me down the hall. I kept my eyes to the floor, fists clenched, nails digging into my palms so hard it hurt.
Sometimes, I almost believe them.
Sometimes, I wonder if they're right.
Maybe a rare bloodline really has been wasted on me.
Still, I endure. Because somewhere deep down, I keep hoping that one day—just once—I'll prove them wrong.
That chance came during the Familiar Summoning Trial.
"Grey, don't trip on your own circle again," one of the boys sneered as I walked into the summoning hall. His friends chuckled, their voices carrying, sharp and deliberate.
"Maybe she'll summon a rat," another added, snickering. "No—rats wouldn't lower themselves."
Laughter rippled across the room.
I clenched my fists, nails biting into my skin, but I kept my head down. Talking back only made it worse. This was supposed to be the day I either redeemed myself… or fell further into disgrace.
Professor Halvors, towering at the front of the hall with his staff in hand, raised his palm for silence. His voice was calm but carried weight."Quiet. Today is the Familiar Summoning Trial. The beast you call forth will be bound to you for life. Success or failure, the result is permanent."
The word sank in my chest like a stone. Permanent.
Students took their turns. Circles lit up, glowing with precise runes. Wolves padded forward, falcons screeched, a shimmering drake unfurled its wings to the gasps of the crowd. Some students even brought forth spirits, elemental guardians, or fluttering fairies that twinkled with light.
Each time, the room filled with applause and cheers. Every success was a reminder of where I stood.
And then… Professor Halvors' eyes turned to me."Leora Grey. Step forward."
The whispers started instantly.
"Here it comes…"
"She's going to mess it up again."
"Bet she won't summon anything at all."
My stomach twisted, but my legs carried me to the center of the hall. The summoning circle etched into the stone floor pulsed faintly, waiting.
Professor Halvors' gaze softened for the briefest moment. "…Whenever you are ready."
I swallowed hard. My throat was dry.
This is it, Leora. No turning back.
I knelt, pressing my hand against the circle, and whispered, "Spirits of bond and oath," I whispered, voice trembling, "heed my call… answer me…"
The circle flickered weakly at first, a dim glow that sparked another round of laughter.
"Pathetic," someone muttered.
"Even her magic doesn't want her."
"Failure Grey strikes again!"
"Enough!" Professor Halvors snapped, his voice sharp. The hall fell silent again.
I shut my eyes, pushing everything else out. The ridicule, the shame, the fear—I buried it all and focused on that fragile flame of hope inside me.
"Please, show yourself. At least something that can make me proud." I said while holding my tears at the circle.
Then, the circle pulsed. Once. Twice. The air grew thick and heavy, pressing against my chest like a crushing hand.
Whispers rippled through the students."What is she doing?"
"That's not—no, that's wrong."
Light erupted, not golden or blue like the others, but jagged—red veined with black. It tore the summoning circle apart, splitting the polished stone floor as if the academy itself rejected what was being called forth.
Professor Halvors lunged forward. "Grey! Stop the ritual—now!"
"I—I can't!" My voice cracked, panicked, helpless.
The air shuddered with a sound like chains snapping.
Gasps filled the hall. "That—can't be—"
"No. No, it's impossible!"
And then the world broke.
A column of searing light split open, and from within stepped a figure. The smoke cleared slowly, cruelly, revealing not a beast but a man—if he could even be called that.
Flame licked faintly at his shoulders. Wisps of storm wrapped around him like shackles unraveling. His eyes were ancient voids—centuries of ruin and war staring back at us.
My knees buckled. "W-who… who are you?"
He tilted his head, regarding me with something between amusement and disdain. His voice rolled deep, old, carrying thunder in every syllable. "You summon me, little descendant, and yet you do not know my name?"
Professor Halvors' face had drained of all color. His lips trembled as he whispered the name like a curse. "Ashweist. The Forbidden One."
The words spread like fire. "Ashweist?"
"That can't be real—he's a myth!"
"We—we're dead!"
Panic exploded. Students screamed, chairs toppled, guards charged in but skidded to a halt, their courage withering under the oppressive aura.
And then—clap.
A single, casual clap of his hand.
Every voice choked silent. Every body slumped to the floor, fainting as though their strings had been cut. The great hall, moments ago filled with chaos, fell into unnatural stillness.
Except me.
I stood frozen, chest heaving, the weight of his power crushing me in place.
Ashweist's gaze never wavered. He looked at me as if studying an insect pinned to glass. Then, softly, almost reverently:"You look nothing like her."
My throat tightened. "H-her…?"
"The one who bound me in chains. Who cursed me with silence and darkness." His eyes burned brighter. "Aleyna. The Great Sage."
The name hit me like a blade. My ancestor. My impossible shadow.
He stepped closer, every movement deliberate, terrifyingly calm. Sparks danced lazily across his fingers, stormlight gathering at his hand. "You," he said, voice low, "are weak. Fragile. Unworthy."
Each word cut deeper than any jeer I'd ever endured.
"And yet…"
The faintest smile curved his lips. It wasn't kind. It wasn't warm. It was dangerous.
"It seems fate has chosen you." He raised his hand, and for an instant I felt the pull of something vast, inevitable, drawing me in.
His smile sharpened into something predatory.
"How about you become my familiar instead?"
I froze. Me… his familiar? That wasn't how the ritual worked. The summoner bound the familiar—not the other way around.
"W-what? That's not possible," I stammered, shaking my head. "Familiars don't choose their masters."
Ashweist chuckled, the sound rolling like thunder over broken mountains. "Familiars? Child, do not confuse me with those beasts you saw crawling into circles. I am no servant. I am power incarnate, and power does not bow."
His gaze bore into me, sharp enough to peel away every lie I had ever told myself. "But… a pact—between equals? That I might accept."
I took a step back, heart hammering. "Equals? I can barely light a candle with magic. Why would you want me?"
"That," he said, leaning closer, "is precisely why. Weakness… can be molded. Shaped. And your blood—ah, your blood sings with echoes of her."
"Aleyna…" I whispered.
His eyes flared like storms. "Yes. Her."
Professor Halvors groaned, struggling back to his feet. "Grey! Don't listen to him! Ashweist is a calamity sealed for a reason. If you agree—you damn not just yourself, but all of us!"
"Shut up!" Ashweist shout at the Professor Halvors. His voice is loud make the hall echoed with his voice. Professor Halvors kneel down as she afraid of that. Then, Ashweist's smile curled sharper. "Oh, the mortals quake so sweetly when they sense chains breaking. Tell me, little Grey… will you shackle me again? Or will you seize the power no one believes you deserve?"
My throat tightened. Images flashed through my mind—the jeers, the laughter, my parents' disappointed faces. Being called failure, waste, mistake. And here, now, the most terrifying being I'd ever seen was offering me something no one else would: a chance.
"I…" My voice cracked. "I don't know if I can—"
"You can," Ashweist interrupted, his voice slicing clean through my doubt. "All it takes is one word. Yes."
The room was silent, the air trembling between us.
Ashweist extended his hand, flames licking lazily along his wrist. "Choose, Leora Grey. Be the failure they see… or walk with me, and burn the world's expectations to ash."
Do I need the power to prove that everyone wrong or does I want it to just show of my potential as a descendant of the great sage?
"I have decide, I want the power, but I will not become your familiar. Instead, let me become your apprentice." I said it.