With his declaration, a second figure stepped onto the platform. She gave the Dean a nod and he returned it, then looked back at the crowd.
His gaze swept over the gathered faces. Then he glanced down at the paper in his hand.
"Aiden Hale."
Aiden's chest tightened. He pulled in a breath, then started moving toward the platform.
Every step felt heavy. Eyes tracked him and whispers followed.
He kept his head forward, and clenched his jaw slightly. When he reached the base of the platform, the Dean gestured toward the circle.
Aiden nodded and walked past him, stepping carefully over the carved runes. Once inside, the instructor—a woman with sharp features and graying hair pulled back tight—gestured toward the knife on the table.
He'd seen this ceremony before. Watched it from the sidelines while others summoned their beasts. He knew what to do.
His heart was pounding so loud he barely heard her instructions.
The Dean stood a few paces behind him with his arms crossed, watching.
"You'll need only a small amount of blood in the bowl," the instructor said. Her voice was calm, practiced. "If everything goes well, you'll be sent to your contract core. You should see your summon there. All you have to do is finalize the bond."
Aiden nodded. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the knife.
He pressed the blade to his right index finger. A sharp sting. Blood welled up just above the cut. He held his finger over the bowl and let a few drops fall.
Silence.
Then a sound like water starting to boil.
The runes around him lit up, filling with blood from the edges inward. The bowl was empty now. The blood swirled inside the carved lines, bubbling but never spilling over. The sound grew louder, hissing and crackling.
Then it stopped.
The blood solidified into the runes, dark and still.
A red glow flickered to life around the circle.
Aiden braced himself, hands clenched at his sides.
*This is it. This is my chance.*
He shut his eyes.
A few seconds passed. Then he felt it—weightlessness. Like falling and floating at the same time.
He heard the experience from some of his classmates, now he was experiencing it firsthand.
He opened his eyes.
Endless space stretched out around him. No ground. No sky. Just an infinite void, glowing faintly with pale light.
*It worked. I'm in the contract core.*
He looked around, turning slowly. Somewhere in here was his beast. His summon.
He didn't know what to expect. An A-rank would be ideal. Even a B-rank would be enough to—
Then he saw it.
A figure, sitting cross-legged in midair. Wings folded behind it. Humanoid shape.
Aiden blinked.
*Human?*
He drifted closer, pulled by something he couldn't name.
*Wait. I'm supposed to make a contract with a beast. Not—*
Laughter echoed behind him.
Before he could turn, something grabbed him. Invisible hands yanked him backward, hard and fast. He tried to twist free, but the grip was too strong.
The figure in the distance didn't move.
Then everything snapped.
-----
Aiden gasped, eyes flying open.
He was back, standing inside the circle. The runes had gone dark again.
But something was different.
There was weight on his shoulders.
He turned his head slowly.
A child sat perched there, legs dangling, small hands gripping his collar for balance. The kid had wings—feathered, pale gray, folded loosely against her back. Her face was peaceful, eyes closed, breathing soft and even. She looked maybe five or six years old.
Aiden stared.
*What the hell is this?*
His gaze snapped up. The instructor was still standing in the same spot, but her expression had changed. Her brow was furrowed. She looked at the child, then at Aiden, then back at the child.
She didn't say anything.
The entire courtyard had gone silent.
No cheers. No murmurs. Just dead silent.
The instructor cleared her throat. Her voice came out flat. "Rank C."
She gestured to the side. "Step down."
Aiden's stomach dropped.
*C-rank.*
He turned to face the crowd. Their eyes were on him. Some looked confused. Some looked amused. A few were already whispering to each other, smirking.
He stepped off the platform.
From the upper windows, voices floated down.
"Did you see that? A *kid?*"
"What kind of summon is that?"
"Guess the clown got a clown beast."
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Aiden's face burned. He kept walking, head down, fists tight at his sides. The child on his shoulder shifted slightly but didn't wake.
He thought about going back to class. Then he pictured it—walking in, everyone staring, Joren's voice cutting through the noise with some new joke.
He changed direction and ran toward the dorms.
When he reached his dorm, he didn't bother closing the door all the way. He just walked straight to his bed and collapsed onto it, face-first.
Aiden's thoughts spiraled.
*What the hell just happened?*
He'd summoned something. That much was clear. But it wasn't what he'd seen in the contract core. That figure sitting in midair with folded legs that looked almost human. And then he'd been pulled away before he could reach it.
Now he had this. A child. With wings.
*A C-rank.*
His chest tightened.
Summoning a beast wasn't enough. He needed something that could compete. Something that could prove he wasn't dead weight. C-rank wouldn't cut it. C-rank was barely better than nothing.
And this wasn't even a beast. He didn't know *what* it was.
*Why?*
His hands curled into the sheets.
*Why is my luck this bad?*
He'd done everything right. Followed the instructions. Cut his finger. Waited. Hoped.
And for what?
*Who did I piss off? What did I do wrong?*
He thought about the others. The ones who summoned A-ranks on their first try. The ones who bonded with creatures that could tear through stone or breathe fire. They didn't have to wonder if they'd survive the next year. They didn't have to brace themselves every time they walked into a room.
*Why can't I just be like them?*
His throat burned. His vision blurred.
He didn't realize he was crying until he felt the wetness on his cheeks.