2 The Eye of Nightmare

The dinner party was held in one of the academy's ball rooms. Only the new graduates and officers of different unions were invited to the event. There was a buffet and a live chamber orchestra. Students mingled with the union officers over food and fine drink.

Olivia sat on a table with Shina, who was one of the alumni helping out with the small event. She was glad to have a companion at such an event. So far, she hadn't caught the fancy of any union officer yet, unlike her peers.

One student at a nearby table was bragging about the union invites she received. Her voice was loud enough for Shina and Olivia to hear. Olivia recognized her. She was one of the top ten graduates.

"Have you found a union yet, Olivia?" Shina asked while eating a plate of cake.

"I want to join your union," replied Olivia.

"Royal Red, huh? It might be hard to get an invitation." Shina looked a little worried.

"I'd need a familiar for that, won't I?" Olivia said sadly.

"Perhaps. Well, you can always give it a try."

"Please tell me who your union leader is!" Olivia's determination made her accidentally slam a nearby tray downwards, which sent a bowl full of punch flying. It landed perfectly on the head of a black haired boy. The room's attention was immediately on the one drenched in punch. After a few seconds, laughter could be heard.

"I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to," Olivia said while covering her mouth. She wanted to die out of embarrassment.

The boy turned. He did not look amused. Rather, an intimidating glare was visible on his face. It was someone she recognized.

"This is Adrian Icarus, the union leader of Royal Red," Shina said awkwardly.

Olivia turned pale. Surely, her chances of ever joining Royal Red were now zero.

Adrian was handed a towel by one of the servers. He sighed and left the room to clean himself up.

Noo! What have I done!? Olivia screamed in her head.

"Don't worry about it, Olivia. I'm sure he'll forgive you," Shina comforted her.

Olivia already felt the icy glares of Adrian's unofficial fan club on her. How dare she embarrass the great prodigy of House Icarus like that! Who does she think she is? After some minutes, Olivia couldn't take it any longer and excused herself. She didn't return to the party anymore after that.

She took a stroll in the garden to cheer herself up and found an isolated area. There, she decided to do the summoning ritual again. She knew deep inside that her career as a summoner depended on having a familiar. After all, how could she be called a summoner if she can't even summon a single spirit?

She prepared the summoning ritual and began chanting the words, "O spirits of the other realms, heed my call and banish the wicked from this world. I implore you to lend your aid to cleanse the land and restore peace."

Nothing.

She made several more attempts.

Still nothing.

Olivia was getting desperate. 'No! I can't just give up here!'

Other people could easily summon spirits after their first or second attempt. Why couldn't she do the same? Was she really that bad at it?

Olivia shook her head. 'I'm going to keep going until I finally get a familiar! I'm not going to give up!'

She continued repeating the ritual until morning without rest. After sunrise long passed, she still kept going, but her head was already spinning. Her legs felt wobbly like jelly. She tried her best to stay conscious.

Adrian Icarus was walking to the headmaster's office to discuss some business when he noticed glowing lights coming from the garden. He decided to check it out. When he reached there, he saw a girl repeatedly doing the summoning ritual.

'It's that girl from the party?' he recognized her. He also noticed how tired she looked. 'Has she been at this the whole night?'

If the girl didn't have a familiar, the party probably bothered her a lot. He knew very well that unions almost never accept a summoner without a familiar.

Adrian remembered the days when he was just as desperate as her to get a familiar. Just like her, he couldn't get a familiar right away. However, as a member of House Icarus, he couldn't get just any familiar. His had to be among the best or he would bring shame upon the family's name. It took him months to even get a contract with his benevolent valkyrie spirit, Liriel.

He had nothing to do but observe her while waiting for the time of his appointment.

Olivia was getting tired from the lack of sleep. "O spirits of the other realms..." She couldn't go on any longer and collapsed from exhaustion. She probably dozed off for a few minutes before she felt her body being shaken.

"Hey, are you alright?"

When she opened her eyes slowly, she saw the prodigy of House Icarus in front of her.

"Adrian Icarus!?" Her sleepiness was replaced with shock and nervousness.

"You suddenly collapsed. Maybe you should take a break."

"I'm really sorry about the last time..." Olivia struggled to get the words out as she stood back up.

Adrian sighed as he remembered that shameful moment. "Don't worry about it."

He moved beside her. "Listen, I also had a difficult time trying to attune myself to a spirit back then, so I'll teach you a little technique I discovered. It's honestly painful watching you try so hard." He took a deep breath and moved his body. "Follow my movements."

Olivia nodded and did her best to follow him.

"Now, recite the summoning ritual."

Olivia chanted the words once more. "O spirits of the other realms, heed my call and banish the wicked from this world. I implore you to lend your aid to cleanse the land and restore peace."

The space around them gradually turned blood red. A black orb emerged at its center before materializing into a floating creature of nightmares, a giant eye whose body is a mess of moving tentacles. It constantly emitted dark smoke that seemed to give anyone who inhaled it a false illusion that they are in another dimension.

"What in the world?" Adrian fell backwards from the force. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before.

"My Lady has woken me up from my slumber. If it is a spirit you seek, I will gladly indulge you with my services," the strange monster spoke with a deep and intimidating voice.

Olivia was speechless. What stood (or floated) in front of her looked nothing like a benevolent or neutral spirit. It looked more like the leader of the creatures they were set out to defeat!

"Liriel!" Adrian summoned his familiar. "Banish this dark spirit!"

"As you command," replied Liriel. Adrian's benevolent spirit struck the monster with blinding light, but nothing happened.

The monster laughed. "Surely such miniscule attack cannot dispel my being. I am a special entity in search of my Lady. Any normal human who attempts to attune with me will be shred into pieces. My Lady, however, is different."

"Your... lady?" Olivia was confused.

"I have found you, my Lady."

"Ehh!?"

"Will you have me as your power and strength?"

"Don't do it!" Adrian shouted. "I know you want a familiar, but this one is too dangerous."

The creature laughed. "Very well. See for yourself that no other is fit to serve you than I. I will return for your answer, my Lady."

The mysterious being vanished before them.

"What was that?" Olivia was confused.

"I don't know. Whatever you do, do not make a contract with that thing!" Adrian held both her shoulders to make her know how important his words were. "We don't know what that was. That could have been one of the creatures from the dark realm."

Olivia nodded.

"If you need to search for a familiar, I'd suggest doing it with two other summoners with high skill. I'm afraid I'm unable to repel that strange being alone." He left after saying those words.

Olivia stood alone in the garden.

What was that thing? Why did it call me its Lady?