The Summoners' Square

Qiris entered the vast square before the gate, his gaze immediately drawn to an old man sitting cross-legged facing the entrance.

His long white hair, bushy eyebrows, and unkempt beard gave him the air of an ancient sage. Dressed in white linen, with a sword resting on his knees, he exuded quiet power. But what truly captivated Qiris's attention was the creature standing behind him, a humanoid praying mantis, imposing and majestic.

The President's Mantis was a rank 4 summon, a rarity in the city of Astral.

It stood over two meters tall, its slim but muscular body covered in a green carapace with metallic reflections. Its arms, ending in razor-sharp blades, were folded in a meditation posture that mimicked its master's.

Its compound eyes, a deep emerald green, seemed to observe every corner of the square simultaneously. Complex patterns, resembling golden leaves, adorned its carapace, softly shining under the ambient light. The air around it seemed to vibrate with contained energy, and Qiris could almost feel the power emanating from this extraordinary creature.

Little Idiot, suddenly agitated, climbed onto Qiris's head, his small body tense, staring intently at the mantis. Ralls, meanwhile, observed the creature seriously, then with disdain, before scanning the crowd and sighing. He gently bit Qiris's thigh, urging him to look around.

The crowd stared at the newcomer with a strange expression. Their gazes shifted from Ralls to Little Idiot, trying to determine which was Qiris's summon. A demonic dog, even rank 1, had the potential to reach the top of rank 2, almost guaranteeing its summoner a bright future. But when their eyes fell on the small green frog, a heavy silence settled.

Intrigued by this reaction, Qiris smiled and greeted the crowd. In return, he received mostly confused looks, but especially a mocking laugh from a young man dressed as a scholar. His pale green hair contrasted with the undulating light green fur of his long-armed monkey.

"The demonic dog is nothing" the scholar said loudly. "Just look at his collar to understand he's a tutor. The summon is that green thing on his head!"

Qiris responded with a smirk and moved into the crowd. A corpulent young man approached him, all smiles.

"Hey, brother! I'm Bolin, and this is Pon, my rock pig" he said, pointing to a stocky creature beside him. "Is it your first time too?"

Pon, the rock pig, was a fascinating creature. Slightly larger than a wild boar, its robust body was covered in gray fur dotted with small crystals that sparkled like quartz. Its tusks, short but sturdy, seemed to be made of shiny metal. Its small black eyes sparkled with intelligence, and its snout constantly quivered, as if analyzing the air around it.

Qiris noticed that the ground under Pon's hooves seemed to tremble slightly as if the creature was in constant communion with the earth.

Ralls lay down at Qiris's feet and closed his eyes, while Little Idiot stared at Pon with a thread of drool, visibly intrigued by this new creature.

Qiris and Bolin quickly became friends. The corpulent young man seemed to overflow with energy and optimism, his warm brown eyes shining with excitement.

"You'll see, we're going to impress them all!" Bolin exclaimed enthusiastically. "Pon and I have trained hard to be ready. We have to succeed, for my family!"

Bolin began introducing him to the important personalities in the square, his gaze lingering on a young woman with golden hair surrounded by admirers. "And that's Aurora Lark, from the Lark family, another of the great families. Her golden hair and blue eyes turn all heads, but it's her ten-eyed peacock that impresses. It also has a 3-star potential and could even become a hundred-eyed peacock!"

Aurora's ten-eyed peacock was a vision of beauty and mystery. Its iridescent plumage changed color depending on the angle of light, shifting from deep blue to emerald green, through shades of purple and gold. Its majestic tail was adorned with ten "eyes" larger and brighter than those of an ordinary peacock. These eyes seemed almost alive, turning and observing independently of each other. Sometimes, they emitted a slight hypnotic sparkle that irresistibly attracted the gaze.

Aurora, sensing the attention on her, turned her head towards Qiris and Bolin. Her sky-blue eyes scrutinized them with a calculating intensity, an enigmatic smile playing on her lips. She seemed to be evaluating each newcomer as if trying to determine whether they represented a threat or an opportunity.

After briefly introducing a few other summoners, Qiris asked who the old man in front of the gate was.

Bolin looked at him in surprise. "You don't know? That's the president of the summoners' guild, the strongest man in the city!"

At that moment, as if he had heard, the old man opened his eyes and swept his gaze across the crowd. His eyes, a penetrating steel gray, stopped on Qiris, then on Ralls, and he let out an imperceptible sigh. The Mantis beside him moved slightly, its antennae quivering as if capturing invisible information.

"He came at the predicted time" the old man murmured to himself, his jovial face masking his true thoughts. "It's likely to be a difficult time from now on, young man."

Qiris, unaware of the president's thoughts, nevertheless felt a shiver of anticipation run through him. The atmosphere in the square seemed charged with an electric tension as if all the summoners and their creatures sensed that something important was about to happen.

Little Idiot, still perched on Qiris's head, emitted a faint "Rabbit" that seemed to resonate strangely in the sudden silence that had fallen over the square. Several summoners turned towards them, some with curiosity, others with disdain.

Ralls, who seemed to have been sleeping until then, opened one eye, his blood-red gaze sweeping the crowd before fixing on the President's Mantis. For a brief moment, the two creatures seemed to size each other up, a silent communication passing between them.

Bolin, sensing the rising tension, placed a reassuring hand on Qiris's shoulder. "Don't worry, brother! Whatever happens in this tower, we'll face it together, okay?"

Qiris nodded, grateful for this unexpected support. As he was about to respond, a low rumble was heard. The great gate began to open slowly, revealing a dark passage that seemed to lead to the very heart of the Astral Tower.