THE SUMMONING
Dawn came with frost.
Elias stood in the courtyard, breath misting in the cold, watching the academy wake. Students emerged from dormitories like soldiers reporting to war—which, in a sense, they were. But this morning felt different. Heavier.
"You're early," Dante said, appearing beside him. The newly-Ascended disciple looked more solid somehow. Not bigger—just denser. Like his presence had weight now. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Slept fine. Just..." Elias shrugged. "Excited, I guess."
"Excited to fight demons in a hospital full of civilians?" Kaël joined them, grinning despite the early hour. "You're weird, Kane."
"Says the guy who runs toward thunderstorms."
"That's different. That's fun. This is—" Kaël paused. "Actually, this might also be fun. Never mind."
Dante sighed. "One of these days, your definition of fun is going to get you killed."
"Not today though!" Kaël slapped Dante's shoulder with casual affection. "Today I'm surrounded by two monsters and whatever terrifying power level you've reached. I'm practically immortal by proxy."
"That's not how it works," Dante said flatly.
"It's exactly how it works. You'll see. When the demon tries to eat me, you'll do some brilliant tactical thing, Elias will set it on fire, and I'll look cool the entire time. Perfect plan."
Elias couldn't help but smile. This—this banter, this easy camaraderie—was new. Sometimes ago he'd been alone, trusting no one. Now he had... friends. People who joked with him. People who'd fight beside him.
"The mission team is assembling," Marcus called from across the courtyard. He looked nervous but determined. "Headmaster's office. Now."
The three exchanged glances.
"Headmaster?" Elias frowned. "I thought Maren was leading this mission."
"Change of plans apparently," Marcus said. "I just got word ten minutes ago. Aldric himself is going."
Silence.
"The Headmaster," Dante said slowly, "doesn't normally go on field missions. I heard he hasn't left the academy for external deployment in... what, five years?"
"Six," Kaël corrected. "He went to Shadowbane when that Class 2 Domination tried to breach the northern wall. That was six years ago, before we arrived."
Elias felt a chill that had nothing to do with the frost. If Aldric was personally leading this mission, it meant one of two things: either the situation was far more dangerous than they'd been told, or... or something else was happening. Something political. Something delicate.
They climbed the stairs to Aldric's office in silence, each lost in thought.
The door was already open.
Inside, Aldric stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, watching the sunrise. He wore traveling clothes—reinforced leather beneath a dark coat, practical boots, a sword at his hip that looked ancient and wickedly sharp. This wasn't the academic administrator. This was the Transcendent who'd survived ninety years of demon hunting.
Raphaël was already there, leaning against the wall with his usual air of barely-contained impatience. Beside him stood Master Gorath—the scarred combat instructor with three deep marks across his face—and Maren, arms crossed, her usual composed expression in place.
"Good," Aldric said without turning. "Everyone's here. Close the door, Elias."
Elias obeyed. The click of the latch seemed unnaturally loud.
Aldric turned, and Elias was struck again by the weight in those eyes. Not cruelty. Not coldness. Just... depth. Like looking into a well that went down and down and never found bottom. His presence filled the room effortlessly—commanding, absolute, the power of a Transcendent barely contained beneath mortal flesh.
"The situation in Eldhaven has escalated," Aldric said without preamble. "What was reported as a Class 4 infestation is now confirmed as a Class 3 Authority—possibly possessing the hospital administrator. The Capital Guard requested assistance. They're... overwhelmed."
"A Class 3," Raphaël said, straightening. "That's Ascended-level threat. Why bring Awakened students?"
"Because," Aldric said quietly, "this is also a teaching moment. You two"—he gestured at Dante and Kaël—"just reached Ascended. You need to see how we handle possessed civilians in a high-density environment. And Elias..." His gaze settled on the youngest disciple. "Elias needs to see what lies beyond these walls. What we're actually fighting for."
Elias swallowed. "Why are you going personally, sir?"
A pause. Brief. But heavy.
"Because," Aldric said finally, "Eldhaven's Medical Council refused to evacuate the hospital despite multiple warnings. They claimed 'demon activity is exaggerated by panic-mongers.' They accused the Capital Guard of fear-mongering. And now civilians are trapped inside with a Class 3 Authority because bureaucrats were too proud to admit they were wrong."
His voice was calm. But underneath, Elias heard something else. Anger. Old anger, carefully controlled.
"This hospital," Aldric continued, "is four hundred years old. The Council treats it like a sacred monument to tradition. They've blocked every modernization proposal for the past two decades. No emergency exits added. No structural reinforcements. No updated safety protocols. Because 'tradition must be preserved.'"
He walked to his desk, pulled out a map, spread it flat. The Royal Hospital of Eldhaven—an enormous complex of interconnected buildings, narrow corridors, stone walls thick as fortresses.
"I'm going," Aldric said, "because when we save those people—and we will save them—the Medical Council needs to see what their arrogance cost. They need to see a Transcendent walking through the ruins of their precious tradition. And they need to understand that Aspencrest Academy isn't asking for cooperation. We're demanding it."
Raphaël smiled. Sharp. Dangerous. "Politics wrapped in rescue work. My favorite kind of mission."
"This isn't politics," Aldric corrected. "This is accountability. People are dying because of pride. That stops today."
He rolled up the map. "Raphaël, you're combat lead. Dante, Kaël—you follow Raphaël's orders without question. Elias, you're with me. I want you observing, learning. You don't engage unless I give explicit permission. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," they chorused.
"Good. We leave in twenty minutes. Horses are being prepared. Eldhaven is a day's ride. We'll arrive by nightfall, rest at a Capital Guard station, and enter the hospital at dawn. Questions?"
Silence.
"Then dismissed. Gather your gear. Travel light—speed matters more than supplies."
They filed out. But as Elias reached the door, Aldric called: "Kane. A moment."
The others left. Maren and Gorath remained, standing near the desk. Maren's expression was neutral, professional, but there was something in the way she stood—closer than strictly necessary, her attention on Aldric even when she appeared to be examining the map.
Gorath spoke first, voice like grinding stone. "You're certain about this, Headmaster? Kieran and Thaddeus won't return from the northern patrol for at least a week."
"I'm aware," Aldric said. "But this can't wait. The situation in Eldhaven is deteriorating by the hour."
"Then let me go with you," Maren said quietly. Not a request. An offer.
"No." Aldric's tone was gentle but firm. "I need you here. With Kieran deployed, you're acting second-in-command. If something happens at the academy while I'm gone—"
"Pal," Maren interrupted softly. The nickname hung in the air for a moment—intimate, familiar. "You shouldn't go alone."
Elias stood by the door, suddenly feeling like he was intruding on something private.
Aldric's expression softened. "I'm not alone. I'm taking Raphaël and three of our best students. And Maren..." He placed a hand briefly on her shoulder. "I need you to trust me. I'll be back in three days."
She held his gaze for a long moment. Whatever passed between them was silent, understood. Finally, she nodded once. "Three days."
"Three days," he confirmed.
Gorath grunted. "I'll double the perimeter patrols. Maintain full defensive posture until you return."
"Good. Thank you both." Aldric turned to Elias. "You're wondering why I specifically wanted you on this mission."
"Yes, sir."
"Because you remind me of someone I used to know. Someone who smiled despite the pain. Someone who fought not from hatred, but from love." Aldric's expression softened—briefly, barely. "That person saved my life once. I'd like to make sure you don't die before you have the chance to save someone else's."
Elias didn't know what to say to that.
"Also," Aldric added with the ghost of a smile, "you need to see the capital. See the world beyond Ashwell's slums and Aspencrest's walls. See what you're actually fighting to protect."
He turned back to the window. "Go. Prepare. And Kane?"
"Sir?"
"When we're in the field, call me Aldric. The title makes me feel old."
"You are old, sir."
Aldric laughed—a genuine, surprised sound. Maren's lips quirked despite herself. Even Gorath's scarred face shifted into something that might have been amusement.
"Sanctus help me, you're absolutely right. Now get out before I assign you kitchen duty for a month."
Elias fled, grinning.
Behind him, he heard Maren's voice, low and serious: "Be careful."
And Aldric's reply, equally quiet: "Always am."
The door closed.
***
Twenty minutes later, they assembled at the gates. Five riders: Aldric, Raphaël, Dante, Kaël, and Elias. A Transcendent, Three Ascended, and an Awakened.
Maren stood at the gates to see them off, Gorath beside her. She said nothing, just watched as they mounted. Her expression was controlled, professional. But when Aldric rode past, she raised one hand—brief, almost imperceptible. A gesture that might have meant goodbye or be safe or come back.
Aldric's hand rose in return, just as subtle.
Then they rode out, and the academy gates closed behind them.
As they rode, Elias glanced back once. The academy stood against the morning sky, solid and enduring. Maren remained at the gates, a still figure watching them depart.
"She's worried," Elias observed.
"I would be if my father was a ninety years old going in mission, Transcendent or not," Raphaël said. "She and Kieran—they're like Aldric's kids. Not literally, but... he raised them after their parents died. Made them Saints."
Elias looked ahead at Aldric, riding straight-backed and powerful, every inch the legendary Transcendent. It was hard to imagine him as anything but invincible.
They rode toward Eldhaven, toward the capital, toward a hospital full of people who needed saving.