A Summoner

Ten minutes had already elapsed since the headmaster continued the feast.

Aranea sat still, her body stiff as she stared at her food, feeling confused as ever.

'Why did this have to happen so suddenly?'

The girl was obviously drowning in her own thoughts as she allowed herself to think right before her scrumptious food.

'If I hadn't kissed the phone... would he have not appeared?'

Vayne's eyes were on her as he slowly chewed on the drumstick he was holding. His eyes then slowly wandered to the blue-haired Leonel beside Aranea, the man watching her as she stared at her food.

Even the other students occasionally glanced at them, curious.

"Hey..."

Leonel suddenly spoke, getting Aranea's attention.

"Wh-what?"

The handsome blue-eyed deity furrowed his brows as he stabbed Aranea's fork at the chicken on her plate. He then reached out for her mouth, as if feeding her voluntarily like a doting servant.

"You haven't taken a single bite. Eat. Staring at your food for a long time is disrespectful."

"Uh... y-yes. Sorry."

Aranea got the fork from him immediately as she ate her chicken in awkward silence. Seeing her finally eating, Leonel smiled as he then proceeded to eat, the other students looking at him as he ate heartily.

'And he eats as if he's one of the students!'

***

Half an hour passed when almost everyone had finished eating.

With the last reminders told to them and with the other important notes about the ordeals announced for the students, everyone was then escorted out of the great hall.

Only Aranea and her familiar, Leon, was left behind until her twin sister, Elenea, went back, surprising the headmaster.

"I specifically asked for Aranea and her familiar, Leonel. Why don't you go back. This talk is—"

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Headmaster Gavin." Elenea gave a small bow to show respect, "But Aranea is my twin sister... and I'm worried about her. If it is not too much to ask, I want to stay behind and listen to the conversation as well," she said, the headmaster silent for a while until he nodded.

"Very well then. Stay with your sister, Elenea," he said, a small smile of gratitude flashing on her face.

"Thank you, Headmaster Gavin."

With that, Elenea held her sister's hand, making Aranea furrow her brows as she felt slightly embarrassed with how she worried about her.

"I'm fine, Elenea... but thank you for staying with me. I might, after all, need you to listen to whatever this is," she whispered, Elenea rolling her eyes at her as she smiled.

"Of course. So if you have some questions about what the headmaster had said, I'll be there to make it clear for you as I answer your queries."

Aranea laughed slightly.

"Oh, stop teasing me—"

"Ahem..."

Headmaster Gavin cleared his throat, getting both of their attention. The two girls went silent as they looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

"Of course, the reason why I have called you behind, Aranea, is because of your powers. It turns out that you aren't at all powerless and that the academy inviting you to enroll is not an error. Somehow, the school knew that you had this," he said, making the sisters look at each other then back at the headmaster.

"So... this guy beside me, Leonel..." She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "He's really what he claims to be? My familiar?"

"Yes," the headmaster answered, "And you have the ability to summon familiars. They are elemental deities—a being who could control a certain element."

Leonel then continued to speak.

"Since I'm blue, you could tell which element I could control based from how I look like."

Aranea and Elenea cocked their heads to the side as their eyes scanned him.

"Water?" They asked in unison, Leonel giving them a small smile as he nodded.

"That's right."

With that, the headmaster continued talking, getting their attention.

"As you are now aware, Aranea, you are capable of summoning a familiar. Your way of calling them is also the same to that of the fabled goddess."

Aranea furrowed her brows, feeling lost.

"What do you mean?"

"Well..."

Headmaster Gavin cleared his throat as he asked a question, making Aranea's face red as she recalled what had happened earlier.

"How did you summon Leonel?"

"I..."

Aranea pouted as she mumbled, enough for the people with her to hear.

"I kissed my phone..."

The headmaster nodded, "Correct."

"Th-then... does that mean anything that my sister touches with her lips turns into familiars?" Elenea asked, making Leonel shake his head to disagree.

"Not necessarily. It has to be an object that possesses magic in order for it to happen. Not all magical objects, though. It's difficult to explain, but it has to resonate with a Summoner."

Everything seemed so confusing to Aranea now with one concept over the other being added, making it difficult for her to keep up.

"Resonate with a what? A Summoner?"

"Yes, a Summoner."

Headmaster Gavin crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"That is what we call you, Aranea. You have the ability to beckon the elemental deities, so you're a Summoner."

Aranea's eyebrow twitched.

'This is sounding like a Final Fantasy X thing now...'

"Anyway, Headmaster Gavin..." Elenea suddenly spoke, shaking Aranea out of her thoughts. "What is with what you said a while ago... Aranea having the same power as the fabled goddess?"

Hearing this, the headmaster's eyes widened slightly as a small smile appeared on his face.

"My... observant and keen, Ms. Elenea. That is a good trait of a mage," he complimented, making the girl nod in gratitude. "The answer to your question is simple: the fabled goddess, Lovisa, had the power to call and control the elemental deities. Also, with a kiss."

Hearing this, Aranea scoffed as she rolled her eyes in the process.

"Of all the possible ways to do a summoning... why would it have to be a kiss?" she questioned, another sigh coming out from her. "I mean... why not pray or why not call out their names? Why did it have to be a... a kiss?"

"Oh, I think I have the answer to that."

With Leonel suddenly talking, the three looked at him instinctively.

"A kiss does and seals the pact. And it's quicker to do, I guess..."

Aranea's eyebrows twitched, finding his answer unreasonable and unacceptable.

"That's still not logical—like why!?"