It was morning again, and the students began preparing to head to the cafeteria before their first classes comnced.
Unlike the other two boys who woke up visibly refreshed and well-rested, Kairos bore the marks of a troubled night. Dark circles hung heavily beneath his eyes, and his posture was slouched, burdened with fatigue and ntal unrest. He had spent the entire night wrestling with thoughts of the mysterious voice in his head—the one that had whispered about "summons" and left him with more questions than answers.
He had tried everything. Asking it questions, recalling its tone, even ntally commanding it to speak—but the voice remained silent, as if it had vanished completely or was watching him silently, waiting for the right mont to speak again.
It was as though the voice had a mind of its own.
A mind Kairos could not control.
And that thought terrified him more than anything.
'If this is what I think it is... If I truly have more than one summon...'
The possibilities danced around his mind like fireflies in the dark—bright, dangerous, and impossible to catch. It could an great power, yes—but it could also an great peril. Yet for now, Kairos knew better than to leap to conclusions. He chose instead to wait. To observe. And to prepare for whatever ca next.
When the boys had finished their morning routines, they left their dorm room together and headed to the cafeteria. The hallway was bustling with life, filled with murmurs of sleepy cadets, scraping boots, and the occasional hum of excitent.
Their walk was mostly quiet. The only topic that broke the silence was Kairos' recent integration, which his companions were curious about.
"So, did it go well?" Carlos asked, glancing at him as they walked.
Kairos nodded, keeping his tone simple. "Yeah. It was successful."
Darnell, always the more enthusiastic of the three, grinned. "Then we practice this weekend. No skipping out. We need to test it properly."
Kairos simply nodded again, keeping his answers short. His mind was elsewhere, tugged by a pull he couldn't explain.
As they continued through the halls, Kairos noticed it—eyes. Many of them. Students stared at him as he passed, so with confusion, others with visible disdain. Their gazes lingered, unspoken questions hanging between them.
'They must still be wondering why I missed the Summon Battles class.'
Indeed, he had been absent, but for reasons none of them could possibly understand. Still, Kairos didn't care to explain. He held his head high and walked with the others into the cafeteria.
After a quick breakfast, they made their way to the day's first class.
It was a general studies session led by their horoom instructor, Sergeant Henry. A man known for his militant stance, firm posture, and brutal honesty.
By the ti the trio arrived, the front rows were already packed. They managed to find seats toward the back of the classroom just monts before Sergeant Henry marched in.
With his signature stern look, he entered holding a massive, thick book under one arm. His presence alone was enough to silence the room.
"Good morning, young cadets. I hope you're well-rested," he began, his voice deep and commanding. "Because today, as your horoom teacher, I have a few announcents... and a lesson."
The class grew quieter, students straightening in their seats, ears open.
"Today," Henry continued, his gaze sweeping across the room, "I will be announcing the date for your First-Year Academy Hunt. An event in which all students will participate."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the room.
"The First Academy Test..."
"This is what I've been training for!"
"Finally, sothing exciting."
Excitent buzzed in the air, especially among those who already knew what the Hunt entailed. Others leaned forward in curiosity, eager for more details.
Henry allowed the chatter for a few seconds before raising a hand. The room quickly fell silent again.
"For those unaware," he began, "the First-Year Academy Hunt is a crucial evaluation. Students will be transported to one of Earth's many red zones—high-risk areas where mutated beasts roam freely. Your objective: hunt these creatures for their cores, gain combat experience, and survive."
The room grew tenser. Even the most confident cadets straightened, the weight of the announcent settling on their shoulders.
"This is not rely a hunting exercise," Henry went on. "The monster cores you acquire will be used to rank the top ten summoners across all classes. These cores are invaluable—they can be used to mature your summons, to power them, and even to craft core-based weapons."
He placed the massive book on his desk and sat down, letting the weight of his words hang in the air.
"So of you may think this announcent cos early, but make no mistake—your training must not be taken lightly. The Academy Hunt begins in just two weeks."
Gasps rippled through the room. Tension coiled in the air like a spring.
Sergeant Henry observed the stunned expressions—so full of fear, others burning with anticipation.
"Any questions?" he finally asked.
For a while, no one moved. The room was locked in silent processing—until finally, a single hand rose from the crowd.
"I have a question, sir."
The voice was calm but assertive. The students turned to look. A girl stood, her long orange hair falling neatly over her shoulders. Her beauty was undeniable, but so too was the faint tattoo at her neck—delicate, shaped like a flower.
Only a few recognized it for what it was—the brand of one of the great factions.
Sergeant Henry, recognizing her imdiately, gave her a nod.
"Speak."
She stepped forward slightly. "The cores we acquire... will we be allowed to keep them to forge core weapons of our own?"
A few heads turned at the question. It was bold—almost too bold.
Sergeant Henry didn't respond right away. He tapped his fingers on the table, as if calculating the risk of his answer.
"Only a limited number of cores will be administered to you directly," he finally replied. "However, this depends on your performance during the test. More details will be revealed when the ti cos."
The girl nodded once, seemingly satisfied, and lowered her hand.
Kairos had been watching her the entire ti, his attention locked.
'Rayla Verdant...' he thought. The na burned into his mory.
She was the eighth-ranked student among those who possessed the strongest summons—a prodigy, feared and respected.
Carlos leaned in slightly and whispered, "She's a direct descendant of the Verdant family. ssing with her is like inviting death... from one of the great faction heads themselves."
Kairos noted that silently, his eyes narrowing.
'This makes question why they even added to that list... Damn, I would have preferred staying strong on the low!'
But before he could think further, sothing shifted.
A presence stirred in his chest.
Then... he heard it again.
That voice.
[Strong summon... Very strong summon there.]
It echoed clearly in his mind. But this ti, it wasn't just a voice—it was accompanied by a vision.
Kairos could see it.
A creature ford in the shadows—his shadow wolf. But it appeared smaller... younger. Like a cub, not the large hound he had summoned during his integration.
And there was more.
His mind's eye turned toward sothing else—sothing new.
A large egg, pulsing faintly with golden light, nestled deep in the golden expanse of his mind.
'What is this place?' Kairos wondered, confusion mixing with awe.
Then, a new voice—louder, more refined than the shadow wolf's—spoke directly into his consciousness.
[This is your Legendary Summons Inventory.]
The words struck him like a hamr.
'Legendary Summons Inventory? Does everyone have this... or is this sothing only I possess? Is this what being a Legendary Summoner ans?'
His heart pounded, mind buzzing with possibilities. He had a million questions, but only one found its way to his lips.
He pointed at the large glowing egg and spoke aloud in the golden dreamscape.
"Is that... another summon?"
***AUTHOR'S NOTE***
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