Jump.
Jump!!!
Eden's voice screamed sharply in his head as he stepped closer to the edge of the cliff.
Below, the ocean roared, waves crashing violently against jagged rocks.
All he had to do… was jump.
He imagined his body slamming against the rocks.
He imagined them breaking his bones.
He imagined the pain. And that alone was enough to make him step back.
"Coward." He gritted his teeth, raking his fingers through his white hair in frustration.
"You're a goddamn coward!" he screamed at himself, his voice swallowed by the crashing waves.
"You..." Feeling weak and defeated, he sank to the ground, staring up at the full moon. "You can't even commit a simple suicide."
This wasn't the first time Eden had tried to kill himself. And he hated the fact that he couldn't go through with it.
Not even when it felt like the only way to escape the life he never asked for.
Born into one of the most prestigious clans, the pressure of being the only mage performing poorly and bringing shame to the family was crushing.
'You are a failure to the House of Wynne!'
'If you do not pass the Summoning and Binding Exam tomorrow, you'll be kicked out of the family and the clan!'
Eden dug his sharp nails into his wrist until blood began to spill.
It was the third time he had failed to summon a familiar.
Everyone in his family had one.
Practically everyone in the Academy did by now.
"Well, if I don't succeed tomorrow, I'll just choose death." Eden clenched his jaw and drew in a long, shaky breath as he rose to his feet.
With a flick of his fingers, his enchanted broom shimmered into his grasp.
Without a word, he straddled it and soared into the sky.
As he ascended and the clouds thinned, the towering silhouette of the Academy's castle came into view. He sped toward one of the high tower windows, leapt off the broom just in time, and landed lightly inside. The broom vanished the moment he let go.
Grabbing the backpack he had left in the corner earlier, Eden pulled out a roll of bandages and wrapped his wrist. Then he slung the bag over his shoulder and rushed out, heading straight to the library.
The place was empty. He felt lucky.
Settling into his corner, he picked up a book from the stack he'd dragged down and opened it slowly.
Familiars were magical creatures or spirits from other realms that bonded with mages through soul contracts. The soul contracts were also called summoning scrolls. They granted raw power boosts and special abilities on top of the mage's own talents.
"Uh huh. Tell me something I don't know." Eden yawned, flipping another page.
Familiars were classified into three types: Lesser, Greater, and Royal. Royal Familiars were rare... almost impossible to summon.
His eyelids grew heavier, and before he knew it, his head had dropped onto the open pages of the book.
"Wynne? Wake up, Wynne."
He woke up to the gentle prodding of the librarian, a short elderly woman with glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Her warm brown eyes studied him with a mix of fondness and concern.
"Did you sleep here again, Wynne?" she asked kindly.
Eden blinked up at her, weakly. "It's morning already?" He was definitely not a morning person.
The librarian, Mrs. Janice, gave him a warm smile. "You're retaking the Summoning and Binding Exam today, right? It's 7 pm already."
At that, Eden jolted upright, suddenly wide awake. "Oh no! I'm late again!"
He grabbed his bag and dashed for the door.
"Wait up! Have some muffins!" Mrs. Janice called after him.
"I'm okay, Mrs. Janice!" Eden yelled over his shoulder as he slipped out of the library.
When Eden arrived at the entrance of the training hall, he pulled the summoning scroll from his bag and unrolled it. Glowing rune symbols shimmered across the parchment.
For some strange reason, they looked unfamiliar but he shook it off. He was too nervous to think much of it.
He began chanting the runes softly under his breath.
The massive doors creaked open before him, and he stepped inside, just in time to see a student hugging her flame-covered fox familiar, grinning with pride.
The gathered professors looked impressed.
But the sight made something twist in Eden's chest. It was envy, mostly.
He hated it. He wanted to leave.
As the girl left the summoning circle with her new familiar trailing beside her, Eden took a deep breath and stepped forward.
He glanced at the professors. Not one of them greeted him.
They only looked at him with disappointment, like they already knew he would fail.
He bowed politely. "Good morning. My name is—"
"I don't think introductions are necessary, Wynne," came a sharp voice.
It was Professor Hemel, a tall, lean man in a black cloak with short black hair. His tone dripped with disdain that made Eden stiffen.
"Not when this is your fourth time taking the exam."
"Yes... sir." Eden's grip on the scroll tightened.
They didn't see him as a mage. They didn't even see him as a challenge.
He gritted his teeth and glanced at the students gathered at the back of the hall. Some were laughing, pointing, mocking him.
Eden really wanted to leave.
He took a shaky step out of the summoning circle, feeling insignificant. Suffocated. Irritated in his own skin. His purple eyes were glassy with unshed, angry tears.
But instead of walking away… he stepped back in.
"I just need it to work once," he muttered.
He clenched his fists and began muttering the runes again, louder this time.
Suddenly, the circle ignited with blue flames. The scroll in his hands burst into matching fire, curling and blackening in seconds.
All the professors and students stared in shock. It was clear this wasn't supposed to happen.
"Stop!" one of the professors shouted, panic in his voice.
Gasps filled the room as a heavy, choking pressure settled over everyone. It pressed down on their lungs and on their soul.
"Stop it, Wynne! The summoning circle is unstable!" another professor yelled, urgency in every word.
But Eden didn't stop.
Even without the scroll, he continued to chant each word louder, more desperate until a violent surge of mana exploded from his body and the circle.
The blast flung the professors and students backwards.
Horrified to the core, they watched in disbelief as the flames twisted, rising into a humanoid shape.
The fire coiled, then vanished. And in its place stood a man.
His skin was deathly pale, in a way that was almost beautiful. His eyes glowed gold like molten metal, and his hair, long, wild, black as night, cascaded down his back. Pointed ears peeked through the strands, and two sharp black horns jutted from his skull. A dark cloak, like a living shadow, draped over his tall, muscular frame.
He locked eyes with the young mage who had summoned him.
Those golden irises narrowed as he took in the ragged breath, the trembling scroll-burned hands, and the haunting violet eyes staring back at him.
Then, with a voice heavy with rage, he snarled, "How dare you summon me from my realm?!"