《Devils Bond》


 Soulbound - Chapter 1

    It was a dreary day. Thick, grey clouds hung over the tall towers of Firescale Academy. It had been pouring down for the last three days, the overall mood of the whole campus, however, seemed to dispute this fact.


    Not because of an abnormal concentration of aquaphiliacs, but because today was the day of the Summoning Ceremony for fourth year students. The day that the prospective new wizards would summon their familiars, and bind them to their souls.


    The ceremony was widely regarded as a sort of graduation from pure academic studies to more advanced and practical ones, the first threeyears having been mere preparation for the Summoning Ceremony.


    All the fourth years were gathered in front the Summoning Hall waiting to be let in by the teachers overseeing the event, waiting for the shrouded line of observers go in first.


    Anyone was welcome to spectate the ceremony, but they were required to stay behind a conjured wall that prevented them influencing the students in anyway. This was done so as not taint their image of strength with another¡¯s. Of Course this was more to avoid spur of the moment decisions by the impressionable teens, as to prevent any outside influence would be near impossible. Especially for those of already established families.


    As the hidden guest stands started to fill, the students were finally let in, forming three rows, nine abreast, in front of the pentagonal summoning altar. It was quite a large structure, measuring at thirty meters each side. This was to provide for those familiars that took on larger form than most, as familiars could be anything from a giant, or a dragon, to a horned bunny, or cat.


    This would not prove a problem for the Summoning Hall, as it was a proud two hundred meters in width, some eight hundred in length, and another whopping hundred in height. It was a megastructure built with this sole purpose in mind and was a wonder to many, especially since the building that housed the room only reached six meters in height at its peak. This, combined with the doorway leading into the hall being flanked by others of its kind on both sides, not eight meters away, lead to the irrefutable conclusion of space manipulation.


    The first student got called up. It was Askan, a young nobleman from the Kiros Kingdom. With a wave of his blonde hair he proceeded up the stairs to the altar, nose firmly planted upwards.


    As Xeno looked at him he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in frustration. That kind of attitude always bothered him. Despite the disregard for social status that the school had many nobles still believed themselves better, and superior to those of lower ranking. And a lot of them were right.


    Magical capabilities were often tied to genetics and some families were just more likely to breed better magicians. Xeno knew this and it wasn¡¯t what bothered him. No, what bothered him was the fact they acted like this even before they got their familiars.


    The kind of familiar that you bound yourself with at the Summoning would determine your potential for the rest of your life, and even people from powerful magical families weren¡¯t always guaranteed a strong familiar.


    So behaving like a snob, even before you got your soulbond, seemed extremely foolish to Xeno. That said Xeno never did anything about because he knew that some of them would be right, and that the chances of him, a mere merchant¡¯s son, getting an even stronger familiar were perishing.


    Still this was the path that he¡¯d set before himself. His parents had died in a freak monster attack on a business trip to a nearby kingdom. Monster usually never got anywhere near the big roads, but it still happened. And this time it had just happened to be a young wyvern in search of a snack. The only silver lining that Xeno could find in this tragedy was that he¡¯d already turned ten at the time, and so he didn¡¯t have to sit by and watch as one of his relatives squandered his parents hard earned money away.


    Deciding that the merchant life, fruitful as it might be, didn¡¯t appeal to him Xeno had sold his parents company, and whilst he was at it he¡¯d sold the house, and furniture as well. He¡¯d got a decent rate thanks to the help of some of his parents old friends taking pity on the young boy. Xeno had been sad to see some of it go, but he just couldn¡¯t stand the thought of sitting at home, always expecting someone to walk in the front door to call ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±


    Afterwards he¡¯d invested about half of his fortune in some big companies, securing a steady, if somewhat lower than he could make on his own as a merchant, income and the rest he¡¯d put in a bank, besides the fee he¡¯d paid for tuition at Firescale.


    This may have seemed somewhat much for a ten year old, but Xeno¡¯s parents had taught him their trade since he was still in diapers. He still remembered sitting of his father''s knee in their office, his dad humming a song to Xeno, whilst his mother did their bills at the desk next to them. The smell of ink, papyrus, and spice filling the air.


    Waking up from this pleasant memory Xeno was startled to see that nearly everyone had gone through already, entering into the weil that hid them and the audience. It was just him and a red headed girl left. Her name was Rosana, if he remembered correctly.


    Being called, Rosana walked forwards and up the stairs to the altar. Now he was alone, except for the teacher standing a few feet from him, next to the altar. He¡¯d be the last one to get his familiar. What would he manage to summon? He didn¡¯t have high hopes about what would come, since his aura was thick with impurities, and he had to massively strain himself to even attempt to draw in some mana.


    For all he knew, Xeno might just get a low level monster, or a simple animal, but he could work with that. The only thing that he actually dreaded was the thought that he¡¯d get some useless utilitary spirit or something. Sure those could become powerful in their own way, but they took a lot of mana to evolve, and could be insanely expensive to feed, not that he was worried about money, but he¡¯d rather not spend it all, just to turn some bell spirit into a useful companion.


    Taking in a breathe Xeno calmed himself. He was getting to worked up about this. Everything would be alright. The Ritual took your true image of yourself and superimposed that on top of your perception of strength, this, along with your summoning method, guaranteed a match between the summoned and the summoner. The likelihood of Xeno getting something that he desperately didn¡¯t want were vanishing.


    With another breathe Xeno stepped forward. Rosana had finished. It was time.


    _____


    Nodding to the teacher, that he understood the Summoning, Xeno laid his palm on the stone pedestal that stood next to the stairs, activating the shield which cut any contact between the inside, and the outside. Despite the audience, the Summoning Ritual was thought to be a very personal experience, especially the contract between the summoner and the summoned, so the barrier which surrounded the altar didn¡¯t just block people from the inside seeing out, it blocked the outside from seeing in.


    Taking one last final deep breathe, Xeno took out the knife he¡¯d prepared beforehand, and cut his palm. The Summoning Ritual was different for each person, and everyone had to figure out their own from justthree years of studies. The enchantment on the altar, guidance from the teachers, and the protective magics placed around it, made sure that not matter what one did inside, it would result in some form of summoning.


    Xeno had thought long and hard on what to do. He¡¯d studied logs pertaining to different summoning methods, painstakingly learned two ancient languages, and asked several teachers about the nature of mana. His conclusion was that his mana gathering just wasn¡¯t up to snuff. If he just filled a circle with mana he might as well summon a hare. However, if Xeno used his own natural mana, like sorcerers did, he might just get something better than a glorified rabbit.


    Squeezing his hand, Xeno traced around the edge of the Summoning circle, drinking a pinkish potion at one point to rapidly increase his blood production. Finally finishing the full circle, Xeno, looking rather pale now, took out another potion, a bowl, and some crushed manacrystals.


    Drinking the potion Xeno squeezed harder, grimacing as he tried to ignore the pain. As the bowl reached the three quarters mark he stopped. Taking out a bandage he quickly wrapped it around his hand as a temporary measure, he had to hurry. The mana in his blood would only linger so long and he needed it as powerful as he could, in hopes of luring a more powerful creature. Taking the bowl Xeno poured in the mana crystal powder and mixed it with the knife he¡¯d used earlier to cut himself. The resulting mixture turned purple, and looked a bit thicker than normal blood.


    Carefully Xeno carried the bowl with him as he used the contents to draw various runes and symbols around the circle, some more symbolic than others, but as with all magic it was the intent that mattered.


    Finishing up, Xeno stood up and walked outside of the circle. He smiled. The next part was the most critical, and yet it would also be the easiest. He¡¯d practiced the words for hours in his room and head. Every word, syllable, and pronunciation planned out.


    ¡°Powers of the world, powers of the void, heed my call! I offer this sacrifice, my lifeblood, in exchange for a chance at greatness! I seek not power for hubris, nor greed, but rather as a way forward! The world is not kind, and so I do not seek your kindness, but your strength! I would offer you my very essence as proof that I have the will, and strength to overcome! So I ask you for but a chance! For a way forward!¡±


    As Xeno finished his speech he ripped off his bandage and plunged the knife back in, spraying blood over the formation. As he watched, a portal opened in the middle of the formation, and from it rose a figure made of black smoke. Slowly solidifying the figure took on a shape of a man in his mid forties, his hair and beard were a light gray, he wore a black butler outfit, and despite his age he looked like he could punch through a door, but what struck Xeno about him were his eyes. They were black. As in a completely. The only hint of colour being his slit yellow irisis that formed after a few seconds.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Looking around the man saw the blood on the floor and his eyes lit up. With a smile he reached out a hand and drew in the blood into a ball. Looking at it with nearly lustful eyes, the man gave it a lick, visibly shivering as he did so. Turning to Xeno he spoke.


    ¡°Is this yours?¡±


    With a shivering nod Xeno watched as the man grinned, before another shadow rose up behind the man. The devil, and Xeno didn¡¯t know what else the man could be, took no notice of this as he prepared himself to lunge at Xeno. His attack, however, was cut short as from the new shadow a girl emerged, shouting.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine!¡±


    The startled devil turned around, only to be swallowed by the gaping maw that the girls beautiful face had transformed into. With wild eyes she looked around, spotting the blood, that had fallen on the floor after the devils ¡®termination¡¯, she got on both knees and began licking it up, shivering as she did so. Xeno could do little but watch in fascination as this girl, that looked about the same age as him, licked up his blood of the floor, seemingly enjoying it.


    As last of the blood disappeared between her filling lips, the girl looked up, wildly searching for more, seeing Xeno she narrowed her eyes, before throwing herself at him. Had it not been for the barrier, Xeno was sure she¡¯d have ripped him apart limb from limb, lustfully licking up his blood as she went. As things were, however, she just crashed face first into an invisible shield, strengthened by hundreds of major wizards, enchanters, sorcerers, shamans, and warlocks.


    Looking at her slumped form Xeno didn¡¯t really know what to do. He¡¯d been prepared for most things, from animals, and monsters, to spirits, and demons, but he¡¯d never even dreamt that he¡¯d get something intelligent. Intelligent summons were exceedingly rare, and even then they were usually more often along the lines of youngling vampires or hobgoblins, but a devil? Those were insanely rare.


    That first one might have been explainable, since he clearly hadn¡¯t reached far in the ranks, judging from his eyes, but the girl? Her eyes had white scleras, and purple irises. The sclera alone identified her as a higher tiered devil, with the irises, however, he could reasonably assume she was a noble.


    Demon nobility was surprisingly similar to what the civilised races used, they arranged themselves by strength, and the stronger you were the more power you held.


    Groaning the girl sat up and looked at Xeno annoyed.


    She had wore a black frilly dress with white and red decorations, that left her neck and collarbone bare, and complemented her face, and figure beautifully. Her face was magnificent, with pert lips, glowingly purple eyes, a small button nose, and framed by Long blonde hair. Her Budding body, and developing assets made young Xeno blush a bit.


    ¡°What was that for?!¡±


    ¡°Um. What?¡±


    ¡°You blocked me!¡±


    Looking strangely at the girl Xeno replied.


    ¡°And what would you have done if I hadn¡¯t blocked you?¡±


    ¡°Eaten you of course!¡±


    ¡°So where, exactly, is my incentive to let you get at me?¡±


    She looked flabbergasted at that, like she¡¯d never even considered the possibility of him denying her a bite off him.


    ¡°But, but, you smell so good...¡±


    Xeno was bewildered by what was happening, but there was no way he would let an opportunity like this pass by.


    ¡°Hmmm. What is it that smells so good about me?¡±


    She twirled her foot.


    ¡°Uhhh, everything? I don¡¯t know, your mana just smell like the most amazing thing I¡¯ve ever ever known.¡±


    So it was the mana, yes he could definitely work with this.


    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll make you a deal.¡±


    She perked up.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you agree to become my familiar then I¡¯ll supply you with an endless stream of my mana¡±


    She looked entranced by that, but still asked a question.


    ¡°What¡¯s a familiar?¡±


    ¡°A familiar is a entity which binds their very being to another person, the bond links the two together so that if if the familiar ever dies, its soul will just return to their seal on the host, effectively rendering them immortal whilst their summoner lives.¡±


    Her face showed a bit of concern at that.


    ¡°What if the summoner dies?¡±


    ¡°Then so does the familiar, but!¡±


    He stopped her as he saw her eyes widen.


    ¡°When a demon, a devil, or others of similar physiology are involved both souls return to the realm of the familiar upon death.¡±


    Now she seemed genuinely interested.


    ¡°Are there any benefits to the familiar besides, you know, immortality?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Not only would you able to grow more easily, thanks to the temporary nature of your body, but you¡¯d also get direct access to my mana, straight from the source.¡±


    She drooled at that. I had her.


    ¡°How do we make this deal?¡±


    ¡°Cut your palm.¡±


    She elongated one of her nails, and did so.


    ¡°Now place it against the barrier, and accept when I finish the incantation¡±


    ¡°OK.¡±


    She looked really excited. Straining my hand a bit I opened the now clotted wound and placed my palm against hers.


    ¡°Let this deal bind us. Let it strengthen us. Let it weave our fates so that they might intertwine. Let our bond be what guides us on our way through life. Let it forge us into more than what we are. Let it be our sword, and shield. Let it make us one! LET US BE ETERNAL!¡±


    With a grin at Xeno¡¯s theatrics she accepted, and as she did so the barrier fell and their palms met. The mixing of their essences creating a physical link between them, which then snaked its way up Xeno¡¯s hand in the form of tattoos. The entire length of Xeno¡¯s arm was soon covered in flamelike, spiky tattoos, which then continued to cover the rest of him. He looked like one of those nordic warriors that came down the western coasts to raid the Kal.


    Xeno grinned at his hands. This was awesome! His next thought, however suddenly quietened his enthusiasm. How the hell was he going to explain this to the mob of snobs out there?


    Sure new magical families popped up now and again, but someone that could summon a devil for a familiar? That was near unheard of. He¡¯d get mobbed by nobles trying to marry him to their daughters, and Xeno wasn¡¯t stupid enough to think that he¡¯d be anything more than a stud horse to them. Even worse was that some rival of the noble family he married might try and ¡®eliminate¡¯ him before he could get busy making little nobles that would, theoretically, summon familiars of similar strength to his own.


    Then there was the fact that he¡¯d need to avoid some of the ¡®holier than anybody¡¯ churches. Some of them were very hardcore on the matter of devils being evil.


    What the fuck had he just gotten himself into? With glazed eyes he looked over at his new familiar, and realised he didn¡¯t even know her name.


    ¡°So, uh, hi. I¡¯m Xeno. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    She looked somewhat taken aback for a moment, and then giggled, before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.


    ¡°My names Alexandra Opes Venus Hona Bryn Hyld Vitreas von Malum, but you can call me Alexa, sweety.¡±


    She winked at Xeno, who blushed up to his ears.


    ¡°So, uh, can you transform yourself into something else?¡±


    Alexa looked surprised at his question, before her eyes got a playful glint to them.


    ¡°Why? Wanna experience something with a more ¡®mature looking¡¯ woman?¡±


    Xeno panicked at that.


    ¡°What? I. No! You don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite alright, you know this appearance of mine was only for the benefit of my station back home, I¡¯m well over the arbitrary age of adulthood that you humans set before yourselfs.¡±


    Her grin was akin to a sharks.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no! NO! I just need you to hide yourself so that others won¡¯t make trouble for us over the fact that I managed to summon a full fledged devil.¡±


    Her face fell at his answer.


    ¡°Awww. And here I was looking forward to see if there was any taste difference between your blood and your other parts.¡±


    Xeno blushed furiously at that, but couldn¡¯t stand to see her saddened like that.


    ¡°Um, if you want we could maybe later...¡±


    Xeno couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anymore, but as soon as he finished Alexa looked up and with a playful grin lightly tapped his nose.


    ¡°No backsies!¡±


    She giggled.


    With a new kind of blush, one acquired from being played so easily, Xeno just mumbled for Alexa to take on some animal form or another. Still giggling, she agreed. Her body began to shrink, and her dress transformed into a flurry of black feathers that, when they dissipated, left her looking, for all the world to see, like demonic raven. Her eyes glowing red, her beak sawtoothed, as if it was filled with innumerous little fangs, and her feathers such a deep black that they seemed to suck the light around them away.


    The tattoos covering Xeno¡¯s body also began to shrink, until he felt a burning sensation on the middle of his forehead. Looking down at his, now bare, arms Xeno grabbed for his knife as a makeshift mirror, and turned it around in his hand to get a rough idea of what the seal looked like now. All the flames, spikes, and other evil looking symbols that had adorned Xenos body had been absorbed by the one on his forehead. It was a black mark shaped somewhat like a birds skull, and even if it lacked the other ¡®features¡¯ that the previous mark held it was still quite menacing.


    ¡°Wow. How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know. You don¡¯t get to become a demon lord without knowing something about magic.¡±


    ¡°Demon lord?¡±


    He said in a small voice.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She said cheerfully


    Xeno couldn¡¯t believe this. A demon lord?! He had summoned a demon lord?! Xeno was now insanely happy he¡¯d had her change, if this got out he¡¯d either end up strapped down in a princesses bedroom, or at the end of a poisoned blade. Possibly both.Sweat dripping down his spine now Xeno turned towards Alexandra.


    ¡°Um. Then why? And how?¡±


    ¡°Why, and how what?¡±


    ¡°Why did you appear in my summoning circle, and how the fuck did you appear in my summoning circle?¡±


    She tilted her head in thought.


    ¡°As for the why, it¡¯s simply because the mana you used for the Summoning was insanely delicious, so much so that I simply couldn¡¯t help myself coming to it. As to the how¡­ I think that you were meant to summon one of my butlers, not that he deserved anything remotely as delicious as you. The mana you provided was just enough for him to get through, I had to use my own powers to strengthen the portal enough for me to enter. If I had been any farther away from where the portal opened I¡¯d have never gotten in time to the portal.¡±


    Xeno pondered on this. So he didn¡¯t have the talent to summon a demon lord, that would have been insane. No, no, he just had the flavour to do it¡­ What. The. Shit.

 Soulbound - Chapter 2

    Xeno drew in a breath to steady himself before walking over towards the pedestal where he¡¯d deactivate the shield between him and the crowd outside. Raising his hand above the command rune edged into the stone he took a final look at his other arm where his new familiar, Alexa, stood proud. She was a beautifully black raven, with glowing red eyes and a saw toothed beak. She looked like everything one could ask for from a familiar summoning, strong, intelligent, with near limitless possibilities to her evolutions, and she was completely fake.


    The real Alexa was a fifteen year old looking girl that oozed innocens, belying her status as a demon lord. Xeno¡¯s Summoning Ritual hadn¡¯t gone according to plan, as when he¡¯d summoned a lower.ranked devil, a true feat in and of itself, Alexa had ¡®smelled¡¯ his mana, become infatuated with its taste, and torn open the portal from the devils summoning. Afterwards she¡¯d proceeded to consume the unfortunate devil, and then lapped up the blood on the floor from Xeno¡¯s offering.


    He¡¯d then contracted her, only to realise that if anyone found out he summoned a demon lord he¡¯d be royal boned, potentially literally, accidental summon or not. So he¡¯d asked Alexa, for now, to disguise herself, and to hide her aura within his.


    Readying himself for the possibility of Alexa¡¯s disguise failing he pressed his hand down, only wincing a bit as his, still sore, palm met the smooth stone.


    The curtain fell and hundreds of eyes turned towards Xeno. He stood there for a moment before proceeding down the stairs in front of him. Most turned back to what they were doing before, but some still held their gaze on Xeno and his new familiar, her apparent demonic lineage capturing their interest. Demons were not a common summon, and they held great growth potential, so some marked him as ¡®of interest¡¯ before returning to their conversation partners.


    Xeno looked around for a familiar face, and found a few, some not very friendly, like Askan, and his posse. Despite the strict ignorance of class, that the school enforced, some still chose to define themselves by their origins, and not their talent. Askan was one of those. His familiar, a fat cyclops, was a rather fitting match for him, Xeno thought. Big, strong, but not an ounce of sense, nor depth perception.


    Finally eyeing someone he actually knew he walked over. It was a man in his late forties, olive skin, big beard and an even larger belly. His name was Hassim, and was Xeno¡¯s parent¡¯s business associate, and the man that had helped Xeno the most with managing his affairs since they passed away. He was immensely grateful to the man. Instead of taking advantage of Xeno, like he easily could have, he instead chose to help the orphan.


    Hassim had bought Xeno¡¯s parents half in their company at more than a fair rate, gotten good prices for anything that Xeno had asked him to sell, and not asked for a penny in return. He¡¯d even gone so far as to offer to adopt Xeno. He¡¯d refused at first, not wanting to impose even further on the man, but he¡¯d insisted. Claiming that even if none of his wifes would bear him a child then, by the Gods, he¡¯d have a son before the sun set on him. Finally relenting Xeno had been adopted by one of the wealthiest Ajari outside of Ajara, and made an honorary member of the Ajaki family.


    Walking up to the kind old man, who had been conversing with several of the more business oriented nobles until Xeno arrived, he could barely get a greeting out before he was raised up in a hug.


    ¡°The sun rises once more! I thought you might have been claimed by sleep in there, you took so long!¡±


    Hassim¡¯s rich voice rumbled with mirth, and his embrace slackened as he noticed Alexa, now circling above them.


    ¡°And what is this, a demon? Fascinating!¡±


    He raised an arm to groom his beard, studying the bird.


    ¡°Yes, a most wondrous specimen. Have you named her?¡±


    He turned towards Xeno.


    ¡°Hello yourself!¡±


    Xeno said with a laugh.


    ¡°Her name is Alexandra, and I¡¯ll have you know that I worked very hard to summon her. Claimed by sleep indeed.¡±


    Xeno humphed, and looked at Hassim with fake frustration on his face. Hassim¡¯s eyes glinted with bemusement.


    ¡°Hah! My manners seem to have abandoned me. Greetings young son of the setting sun.¡±


    He mock bowed to Xeno, the grin on his face only fading slightly as he saw the bandages covering Xeno¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Now that I get a proper look at you I can see that you¡¯ve been working very hard. Is your hand alright?¡±


    Xeno looked down at his injured appendage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll live. I figured that since my aura was so clouded I¡¯d have a better chance at the summoning if I offered up some of my own mana.¡±


    ¡°Oooh. Resourceful. Widened your horizons beyond mere wizardry, have you?¡±


    Hassim was impressed. Too many magicians focused solely on their branch of magic, never paying mind to what synergy that might be found between the schools. He himself was a warlock. Unlike wizards, who got permanent partners which shared their growth with their summoners, warlocks had to sacrifice a part of their personal essence in exchange for temporary servants. These servants would then be contracted for a set amount of time, or until certain conditions were met. This meant that warlocks could often have weaker minions, but they had a heck of a lot more of them.


    Hassim had, like Xeno, expanded his horizons in regards to what being a warlock meant. He¡¯d figured out that spirits, being the ethereal beings, didn¡¯t differentiate between external and internal mana, like most beings did. So Hassim had started summoning hundreds of utilitary spirits, feeding them on his aura rather than his blood, massively improving the abilities of his merchants, and servants. Providing his company with an edge that his competitors just didn¡¯t have, unless they wanted to hire their own warlocks, and those didn¡¯t work cheap. To keep his lead on other merchants, and warlocks, Hassim had sworn all his summoned and employees to secrecy, using punitive contracts that would inform him as soon as anyone dared break their oath.


    Hassim had only dropped a hint towards Xeno to look into the other schools, but he¡¯d apparently taken it heart. Summoning something that was leagues above what his small aura should have allowed. Reaching down Hassim patted Xeno¡¯s shoulder, smiling at the boy¡¯s success. Hassim had only started out help in the kid out of pity, but as he watched he began to see Xeno¡¯s true worth.


    Xeno had dealt with the loss of his parents in an admirable way. After the initial shock, he¡¯d decided to opt out of the easy route, and instead set out to get stronger. He¡¯d sold nearly everything from his parents estate, only keeping the most precious of memorabilia, and decided to invest most of it. Both in his education, and with some of the bigger and more secure companies, Hassim¡¯s own included.


    This had shown such a strength of character, and conviction, that Hassim had found himself compelled to help the boy more, and in the end had even decided to adopt him. Despite what the boy might think, Hassim felt that youngster had earned it. His wifes had never born him any heirs, and even if they had, Hassim wasn¡¯t sure whether they¡¯d have a tenth of the strength Xeno had shown. He¡¯d never met such an iron willed child before.


    Hassim smiled again. Yes, the boy would make a fine man.


    ¡°So how¡¯s your semester going to be structured?¡±


    Xeno looked up from where he had been playing with his familiar¡¯s feathers.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be learning Familiar Management, Familiar Evolution, Mana Cleansing, Magic Coding, and Physical. If I got it right we¡¯ll only have one class each day, lasting from daybreak till noon. After that there¡¯s free time, meant for personal training, or studying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ll have plenty of free time?¡±


    Hassim said with a grin.


    ¡°Hah! As if. I need to get acquainted with this lovely girl,¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    He scratched Alexa under her beak


    ¡°and figure out how we¡¯re going to evolve her.¡±


    Xeno said this, but really all he¡¯d be doing, for a while at least, would be to get accustomed to Alexas power, and train himself to handle at least a little of it. He switched to rubbing her beak for a moment.


    Wizards who were weaker than their familiars wouldn¡¯t be able to channel their full power, and if the gap was wide enough then they¡¯d often be even worse of than those without a familiar. If you didn¡¯t have some kind form of power over your familiar then it could become uncontrollable, leading the wizard to having to block their own aura until such time as they had the physical, and mental capabilities to deal with their unruly familiars.


    Fortunately for Xeno, Alexa seemed rather reasonable, as far as demon lords went, and she was absolutely fascinated with the taste of his mana, giving him at least some modicum amount of control.


    As Xeno looked back up from Alexa, which seemed to rather enjoy the attention that he''d been giving her, he saw the approving look that the fat merchant gave him before turning back to the nobles he¡¯d been conversing with before.


    Seeing that his foster parent busy, Xeno walked over to a nearby stone bench to sit down, and play with Alexa¡¯s raven form.


    As he sat there petting Alexa, eliciting cawing noises from the satisfied bird in his lap, a girl walked up next to him and sat down on the bench. It was Rosana, the girl that had had her Summoning Ritual just before Xeno¡¯s.


    He glanced over at her. Her red hair fell down the side of her face, hiding her expression behind a fall of scarlet. She was quite a bit taller than Xeno, hailing from the Northern Isles, and looked somewhat *ahem* further developed than the other girls in his class. Most of the other classmates shunned her, however, as she was only a chief¡¯s daughter with a mediocre aura, and as such not of much political value. This had lead Xeno to the conclusion that most of his class consisted of pricks.


    Xeno himself hadn¡¯t been able to converse with her much uptil now, being too preoccupied with trying to solve his mana problem. Now, however, he might actually have a chance to get to know his classmates. The ones that weren¡¯t pricks, anyways.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    Rosana looked up, seemingly startled to find herself sitting next to someone.


    ¡°Uh, hi.¡±


    She said, apparently miffed at being talked to.


    ¡°You¡¯re Rosana right?¡±


    He blushed a bit at having to ask her name, but it was better than reliving the thing that had happened with Alexa.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She answered in a small voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m Xeno.¡±


    He said cheerfully. She just looked down at the floor.


    ¡°So, um. What did you get?¡±


    Xeno asked. She looked up.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What did you summon?¡±


    ¡°Oh. I got this little guy.¡±


    She said as a small, red, and black, snake slithered out of her sleeve.


    ¡°He¡¯s a blood viper snakelet.¡±


    As she spoke the small snake crawled up her hand and wove itself between her fingers.


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°I got this little glutton.¡±


    Xeno said as he stroked Alexa¡¯s feathers.


    ¡°Her name¡¯s Alexa, and I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s some kind of demon.¡±


    Rosana¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Wow. How¡¯d you manage that?¡±


    Xeno saw the look on her face, and couldn¡¯t help himself but smirk a litle.


    ¡°Well apparently she likes the taste of my blood, look.¡±


    He unwrapped the bandages on his hand, and raised his hand above the rave, before squeezing his hand into a fist, eliciting his wound to open again and drip towards his familiar beneath. Catching sight of the droplets, Alexa threw her head backwards and greedily caught the few drops, shivering as they landed on her tongue. Rosana looked on, fascinated.


    ¡°Came crashing through the portal I¡¯d opened, and licked up all the blood I¡¯d used as sacrifice in the Ritual.¡±


    ¡°Wow. But wait. Isn¡¯t the whole blood thing sorcerer and warlock territory?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but my aura is so clouded I figured I had nothing to lose by using my own natural mana.¡±


    She looked thoughtful for a minute.


    ¡°Huh, well I¡¯m glad it worked out for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Xeno beamed her a smile. He was going to continue talking to her, but the sound of a bell ringing tore through the room, ending all conversation in the room.


    ¡°Greetings. I am Professor Maria Hellsway, principle of this fine university, and I just wanted to congratulate our new wizards on their ascent into higher society. You¡¯re all, doubtlessly, excited about the new opportunities, and abilities this will provide you, as you should be, but I wanted to give you all a few words of caution. Do not think these powers make you invincible, this is but the beginning of the long road that leads to true mastery of wizardry. Do not think yourselves superior or above others. An arrow through your throat, or a knife to the back can do just the same amount of damage that a fireball to the face wil. Throughout your lives some of you may forget this, but my hope is that even then, in your moments of darkness, you¡¯ll still remember our values.¡±


    She paused for a moment, drawing in a breath.


    ¡°For magic! Honor! And glory!¡±


    The whole room shouted with her, reciting the Academy¡¯s motto.


    ¡°Now then, you should all have gotten used to your familiars by now. What do you say we go to the dining hall for a little celebration?¡±


    Her suggestion was met with a general cheer of approval, and the whole group started funneling out through the doors. Standing up Xeno turned to Rosana, intending to speak, but she beat him to it.


    ¡°It was nice talking to you. Want to go with me to the library later?¡±


    Her cheeks reddened.


    "Maybe we can help each other look for possible evolution paths?¡±


    She twisted her foot, and looked away, her freckles nearly indistinguishable from her cheeks. Xeno, taken by surprise at her offer, went red as well.


    ¡°Uhhh. Yeah. I think I¡¯d like that.¡±


    As soon as Xeno finished she turned away and ran, her face completely hidden by her hair. A brown hand landed on his shoulder.


    ¡°Already wooing the ladies are we, mister wizard? Well I must say, you didn¡¯t take very long.¡±


    Hassim laughed. Xeno blushed. He¡¯d been doing that a lot today, and his cheeks were so hot that it felt as if they could catch fire at any moment.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!¡±


    Hassim¡¯s laughter boomed, catching a few glances from the last people in the doorway.


    ¡°Come! Let us see how these academics celebrate!¡±


    _____


    The party had been well organized, with plenty of food, music, and even a light show, put on by a hired sorcerer, there were Bordanian dancers, sword swallowers, a selection of fire eaters, and, as a finale, a huge mountain of chocolate cake.


    The only things that undercut Xeno¡¯s joy were the scowles that some of the noble brats gave him, when they saw him, and the fact that despite his best efforts he never managed to find Rosana again. Aside from that he genuinely enjoyed himself. All his hard work had paid off, and now his only concerns, for the foreseeable future at least, would be to not get noticed too much, get strong enough to match a demon lord, and then figure out how the hell he was going to evolve a demon lord. Easy peasy. Fuck.


    _____


    After the party Xeno said goodbye to Hassim, and then headed to his room. He¡¯d need to change out of his formal outfit, that he¡¯d worn for the Ceremony. Shrugging out of his robe he hung it up, and then dragged his shirt over his head, revealing the lean body underneath. He wasn''t muscular, not by a longshot, but he wasn¡¯t skinny either. Folding his shirt roughly he turned to his chair to lay it down, only to meet a pair of boobs in his face.


    ¡°My, my. Look at you. Master is so handsome!¡±


    Xeno¡¯s gaze slowly began to move upwards, lingering for a moment on the glorious orbs that very nearly smothered his face. His eyes locked with those of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Full lips, delicate jaw, and a button nose gave a rather noble look to her features. Her blonde hair further enhanced this, cascading down her smooth shoulders, and glorious chest, only just stopping at her cleavage. Xeno, not daring to even think about looking down, could only mumble a single word.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, that is our current relationship now, isn¡¯t it? You feed me your delicious mana, and I serve you.¡±


    ¡°Alexa?!¡±


    ¡°Who else dummy?¡±


    She pressed a slender finger against his nose.


    ¡°Now I believe that you owe me a taste test.¡±


    ¡°A what?!¡±


    ¡°Remember? You promised that once we got back to your room you¡¯d let me test whether your mana tasted differently depending on where it came from.¡±


    ¡°I. I mean. Uh. Um. Library?¡±


    ¡°Oh right you were going there to ¡®study¡¯ with that girl. Hmmm. No this just simply will not do. We¡¯ll have to continue this later, when we have more time. I can¡¯t have my master standing a girl up, even if you did promise me first.¡±


    That last part she said with a pout.


    ¡°I. Um. Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted!¡±


    Alexa leaned down and kissed Xeno, deep. Her lips locking around his, as her tongue invading his smaller mouth, weaving, and wrestling around his shocked tounge. She only let him go after a full minute, a stray strand of saliva still connecting their mouths as she did. She licked her lips.


    ¡°Mmmmn, it does taste different. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xeno stood still where she¡¯d left him. Stunned.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    Alexa asked, already in her raven form.


    ¡°Hurry up master! We can¡¯t disappoint Rosana.¡±