Chapter 5 : Demon Summoning

Nine years had passed since Julius was born, and until now, he had mostly trained in magic, developing his magic circuit and making it more efficient. This had borne fruit, as his circuit was now sufficiently trained to allow him to cast most spells he learned without failure, even if he used them for the first time.

He had also studied the differences between the magic of this world and that of the previous one. The biggest difference mainly lay in its magnitude. Due to human interference, magic in the previous world had become restricted to the point where mages needed to find ways to bypass the world's suppression effects by rewriting rules within a certain area. The domains were also much more restricted and narrower than those in this world to the extent that some schools had completely disappeared. In contrast, in this world, magical domains were diverse because human interference no longer restricted magical possibilities to the laws of physics. However, this had caused the two worlds to have significant differences in magic. The magic of the previous world, due to restrictions, had worked extensively on complex mysteries that were not yet restricted by human interference, while that of this world had focused more on simpler mysteries as they were easier to actualize due to lesser restrictions. This significant difference explained the difference in civilization between the two worlds. All mages in the previous world were obliged to work on complex mysteries that had not degraded, whereas mages in the present world were not as restricted. Therefore, most contented themselves with simple mysteries. The only families that worked with complex mysteries were the oldest mage families as they possessed the talent, resources, and centuries of magecraft development behind them.

Thanks to this, his memory provided him with a new advantage that would greatly help him. He had access to centuries of research and theses that had not been developed in this world because they were not necessary, yet they were still applicable. He would be able to develop the Eltrma family far beyond what it was in his previous life. Knowledge was a weapon, especially for a mage.

However, his training today had nothing to do with that. In the backyard, accompanied by his mother, Julius was about to continue his combat training. Most mages were researchers, but that didn't stop them from learning to fight. It was even part of the academy's curriculum, and families also trained their heirs in combat, both physical and magical. Talented researchers were respected, but so were fighters because they constituted the main military power of the Mage Tower. Mages skilled in combat and research were rare but highly respected.

Julius looked at his mother in front of him; she hadn't even bothered to get into a defensive stance. She was currently dressed in a distinctive outfit, consisting of a black tank top and tight pants—a simple but durable training outfit.

Julius himself was dressed in a black tank top and shorts, but he was soaked in sweat, unlike his mother. He had been training with her as a sparring partner for almost an hour

He took a defensive stance, ready to attack at any moment. He had no hope of winning this confrontation; his mother was a skilled mage, and in his current state, he stood no chance. Nonetheless, he would give it his all. It was the best way for him to progress, to reacquaint his body with combat.

The training consisted solely of close combat with reinforcing magic.

A flash of determination illuminated Julius' eyes, amplifying his strength and propelling his body forward at a startling speed. His energy-charged kick sliced through the air with daunting precision, but it was abruptly halted by Felicia's firm hand, which caught his ankle, immobilizing his movement with disconcerting assurance.

As she prepared to throw him at a distance, Julius redoubled his efforts, vehemently straightening up to attempt a second kick. But before he could complete his movement, his mother's hand swiftly seized his other ankle, skillfully thwarting his strategy.

In a desperate attempt, Julius tried to strike with his fists, but Felicia, with surprising speed, released her grip on one of his ankles to counterattack. A light touch of her finger was enough to completely bypass Julius' defense, propelling him several meters away.

Rising almost instantly, Julius tightened his determination. Strengthening his legs, he lunged forward again, delivering a series of swift and precise blows. However, his mother stopped them with disarming ease, displaying a mastery and agility that exceeded all expectations.

At the crucial moment, Felicia gracefully dodged each blow from Julius, demonstrating superhuman agility and skill. Then, in a fluid motion, she suddenly seized her son in a skillful hold, immobilizing his movements in a motherly embrace. She held him firmly to her back, as if seeking to comfort him.

"Let's stop here for today," she said in a voice imbued with that characteristic maternal gentleness.

A slightly frustrated expression crossed Julius' face as he simply replied, "Okay."

Even though deep down he knew he stood no chance, it still frustrated him to experience defeat, something he had rarely faced since reaching adulthood. Previously, this feeling had been extremely unpleasant for him. He appreciated difficulty and challenge, not fights he was bound to lose. He preferred to fight hard but win or reach a stalemate with his opponent rather than fight desperately when victory was impossible. He held back his emotions, but a hint of irritation lingered in his eyes as he pulled away from the maternal embrace.

Seeing her son in this state, she rushed to comfort him. However, she had a new idea when she remembered something else. "You'll come see me later. The materials you asked for arrived this morning, and tonight I'll be able to pass on the final part of the family crest."

Upon hearing this, Julius' expression lit up. "Okay, mother!"

Later in the day, after collecting the ingredients he had requested from his mother, he headed to the family laboratory. He had received permission from his mother to test rituals and practice higher-ranked magic.

A mage family's workshop was something restricted solely to family mages. It was forbidden to enter without authorization and was filled with often deadly security measures.

As he entered, a clockwork needle symbol appeared on Julius' hand. It was the key to the workshop, engraved into his body, and it would disappear upon his death unless he destroyed it himself. His mother had inscribed it on him years ago, and only someone possessing the family's magic crest could accomplish this. There was, however, a spare key belonging to the family's elder, Faust, who seldom intervened in family matters except under certain exceptions or when judging a branch. He had a veto power over family decisions but mostly stayed away from politics, preferring to conduct his research in secret.

The mage workshop was where they conducted research, and it was the most heavily guarded place because mages kept rare materials and some of their important or unfinished research there.

The Eltram family's workshop was a pocket dimension located beneath the Family Estate, which covered an area of over 10 square kilometers—a spiritual land with high-ranking ley lines. On the estate stood a gigantic mansion where family members lived when not at the Mage Tower. The entrance to the workshop was beneath the mansion, a pocket dimension where space inside was expanded, and the flow of time could be adjusted by the mage using the workshop. This was possible due to Eltram magic sustained and fueled by the ley lines passing beneath the estate. Therefore, no one needed to maintain spells as they were powered by the mana derived from the land. The surface area of this small dimension was around 100 square meters, divided into multiple rooms.

It had taken generations for the Eltram family to create this workshop as it stood today.

Upon entering the workshop, Julius headed towards the room for minor rituals. It was in this room that his mother had awakened his circuits when he was young. As he entered the workshop, the first thing Julius noticed was the density of mana, which was much higher than outside. This was due to the fact that using magic was more effective in a place charged with mystery and magical energy.

Once in the room, Julius began preparing for the ritual. He pulled out a small, beautifully decorated canvas bag; it was a Ghoul Bag, a widely-known mystic code in the world. It was made from the stomach of a ghoul known for being able to ingest endless corpses due to its unique stomach, which served as a pocket dimension. A mage from the Valueta family had discovered these properties and created this mystic code, allowing him to attain the Brand rank among mages. It was one of the highest ranks achievable, and it elevated his family's status to Lord of the Tower, one of the most prestigious distinctions.

From this bag, Julius took out several items. Firstly, what appeared to be long strands of hair, his own, merged together to be longer and easier to manage. It was common among mages to keep their cut hair as it contained magical energy in high density, even more so than in their blood or bodily fluids, and it could be used in certain rituals, particularly those related to creating familiars.

The second thing Julius took out was a container holding a kind of metallic liquid—mercury. He also took out various other materials, including an eye with a slit iris and yellow pupil, a reddish-colored mud-like substance that seemed to shift shape to form a screaming face, the blood of a virgin preserved in a container to keep it fresh, a parchment contract with the Eltram seal where he would write the contract himself with a part of the virgin's blood mixed with his own.

Finally, the last item was the carcass of a black cat preserved in a transparent liquid similar to formalin, maintaining it in a perfect, fixed state as it was when placed inside.

He now had all the necessary ingredients to summon his familiar.

The creation of familiars was studied in various magical schools and was a broad field of magic with a large user base. Almost every mage used familiars for various tasks, ranging from aiding in spellcasting to message delivery. They were essentially specialized assistants used by mages and were divided into four major schools: invocation, creation, evocation, and contract.

Invocation involved summoning an ethereal being, often from a parallel world, as a familiar by forming a contract with it. The mage had to provide Prana daily to maintain its existence and allow it to utilize the mystic. The advantage of this school was that the familiars were often powerful. However, the maintenance cost was typically high as these ethereal beings from a parallel world couldn't manifest their true bodies. They weren't made to materialize in this world, hence constantly exerted pressure and could turn against their master if they found a flaw in the contract or disliked their master. The primary Thaumaturgical Foundation that used this method was demonology.

Creation involved crafting a magical beast through a ritual. It was the most traditional and widely used method. It involved placing fragments of a dissipating soul—often from a deceased human—into the corpse of a dead animal, which had to be in perfect condition to move. Then the mage had to sacrifice something to bring life back to this body and create a new being. Typically, mages used something from themselves charged with their magical energy, containing small fragments of their soul, to establish a spiritual link and create consciousness, such as hair, blood, eyes, etc. By absorbing this body part, the resulting familiar gained magical circuits that the original being never had, enabling it to use magic. The greater the sacrifice, the more powerful the familiar tended to become. This method had the advantage of creating thinking familiars that were perfectly loyal as they were an extension of the mage. The drawback was that most magical creatures created this way couldn't generate their own magical energy and thus relied on what their master provided. Power varied among familiars, but this method was the most commonly used among mages. The primary foundation that used this method was alchemy.

Evocation essentially involved summoning and controlling spiritual beings by placing them in a container. It utilized remaining soul fragments within a body to create a spiritual being that would control the container it inhabited, or to create containers to house created spiritual beings, or simply binding an existing spiritual being to a container, often by removing its free will to prevent rejection of the container. The advantage of this method was the ability to create a large number of familiars of varying power. The drawback was that they lacked consciousness, only able to carry out orders given by the mage. The main foundations that used this method were necromancy and golemancy.

Lastly, there was the contract method, the simplest yet most challenging. It involved merely forming a contract with an entity willing to serve as a familiar or using magic to tame a familiar. The familiar wouldn't require an energy input, but often demanded possessing mental domination magic to control it or creating a slavery contract. The primary foundation that used this method was the taming school.

Although all these methods have advantages and disadvantages, they were nothing compared to the revolutionary method that Julius was going to use. It was a method he had invented himself after years of research. It was a fusion of all these methods that nobody had managed to develop before him."

While tracing the magic circle on the ground, Julius took the opportunity to recall all the steps of the ritual and the aria he would have to recite.

Firstly, he needed to trace a magic circle of invocation from the Ars Goetia, specifically that of Asmodeus . The circle had to be engraved in the ground to allow the mercury to flow into it. He then traced a second circle, this time an alchemical one, around the first, perfectly overlapping the two. This was a circle specially designed for bio-alchemical transmutations.

After finishing the circles, Julius took the cat out of the liquid and placed it in the center of the circle. He then poured the strange mud directly onto it. This substance was called 'soul mud,' derived from a rather rare phenomenon occurring on battlefields when mud was mixed with numerous corpses and blood. The fragments of souls and blood mixed with the mud, taking shape due to all the negative emotions present on a battlefield. It served as a powerful catalyst for negative curses as well as for the invocation of demons.

At last, the ritual could begin. The difficulty lay in both the need to invoke and produce an appropriate vessel. in same time 

Standing outside the circle, Julius placed his hand on his heart.

« I am the link that binds the world of demons to reality.»

« I am the one who disrupts the balance of the scale.»

As these words were uttered, the mercury changed color, taking on a sky-blue hue.

« Arise from oblivion and darkness.»

« Manifest where I desire.»

« I shall be the one to shape your destiny.»

« You shall be my connection to the world beyond.»

After saying this, Julius threw the prepared strands of his hair into the circle.

« May this form take shape.»

Everything within the circle began to take a strange form, seeming to distort and melt, merging into one another. Once everything turned into a shapeless mass, Julius tossed the yellow eye inside, followed by the rest of the virgin blood.

« May this form become synonymous with perfection.»

He took out the contract and presented it to the circle. It began to shine intensely, the writing glowing due to the magical energy flowing through the paper.

« Come to me, [?????????????]!»

The last words he uttered were incomprehensible to anyone, as it was the true name of the demon he was summoning. The true name of a demon was something kept secret by demons themselves, as it allowed one to compel them into contracts that would otherwise be unfavorable, unlike their normal ability to refuse. It also allowed for the precise invocation of a specific demon. However, to pronounce it, one needed to speak with their own soul rather than their body, something extremely difficult and against nature.

As the last words were spoken, what was at the center of the circle finished taking shape, appearing as a black cat with red eyes.

Currently, Julius found it difficult to stand due to the pressure he had exerted on his circuit to perform this ritual. It was a high-ranking ritual, albeit rather short, and couldn't be completed solely with his own magical energy. It required absorbing external mana to quickly replenish his reserves, which could overheat the circuit by repeatedly draining and recharging his magical energy. From now on, he would need to rest a bit.

The cat began speaking, looking at Julius with a puzzled expression and an air of disbelief. "Julius, is that you?"