Theo sat alone at the dining table, one hand supporting his chin while the other absentmindedly tapped against the wood.
Several sheets of paper were spread out before him.
’Mhm,’ he thought, staring at the list of resources in front of him. ’I need to really think about this...’
Letting out a deep sigh, he leaned back against his chair.
’What do I even want from this summon?’
His mind flashed back to the previous few days.
He’d been spending his time training under Elise, trying to learn the obsidian core water spell as he waited for this list.
But now that it was finally in front of him... he realized making a decision was even harder than before!
’There’s only one thing I’m set on,’ he thought. ’Which is the ability to fly and transport me.’
’But then there’s still the choice of element remaining...’
For a moment, he fell completely silent as his eyes drifted to the ceiling above him.
’Should I just call Elise and explain my circumstances?’
He pressed his lips firmly together.
That thought had gone through his mind many times over the past few days.
’What do I even say though?’
Had it been an entirely new element that he’d awakened, he could’ve just chalked it up to luck or something else.
But this was so fundamentally different from that.
He’d need to explain everything to her and probably need to show her the summoning book too.
But... there was absolutely no way to explain how he got all of that.
’Ah,’ he thought, violently ruffling through his hair. ’Fuck, this is annoying!’
He stared at the list again.
There were well over a thousand resources on the list, many of which he’d never even heard of.
After a moment, he finally made up his mind.
’’I only get one summon for my entire life,’’ he muttered. ’’Even if I have to keep how I got the summoning book a secret... I need her opinion.’’
Without another thought, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number.
Crackle!
The phone rang only once.
Then, the line connected.
’’Theo?’’ Elise’s calm voice echoed through the speaker. ’’Did something happen?’’
’’Not exactly,’’ he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. ’’I just need some advice.’’
Silence lingered briefly on the other end.
’’Advice?’’ Elise repeated, sounding mildly surprised.
’’Yeah,’’ Theo admitted. ’’I finally received the list of resources for my tournament rewards.’’
A faint chuckle came from the other end.
’’So that’s what’s bothering you,’’ Elise said. ’’I was wondering why you’d suddenly call me.’’
Theo smiled awkwardly.
’’Well... it’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime decision,’’ he said. ’’I need to use the resources to summon a creature for myself after all.’’
The line remained silent.
Several seconds ticked by, during which he could almost hear the cogs turning in her head.
’’You said... summon?’’ she finally asked.
’’Yes.’’
Everything went silent for a moment.
’’Did you... awaken another element?’’ she asked carefully.
’’Not exactly,’’ Theo answered honestly.
’’You know what,’’ Elise followed up right away. ’’Just go outside your apartment and my summon will pick you up.’’
Beep!
Before Theo could even respond, the call ended.
He lowered his phone and stared at the screen as his heart pounded.
’Let’s hope I made the right choice,’ he thought.
Without another thought, he pushed himself up and gathered the sheets of paper.
A few moments later, he stepped outside his dorm room.
The sun had barely risen above the horizon.
Yet, as he made his way downstairs, several people stopped and greeted him politely.
Everywhere he went, whispers followed him as a result of the tournament.
And it wasn’t just the university.
Many people all over the world had seen the duels by now.
Hell, it had even reached the point where he’d been discussed on many news sources, articles, and podcasts all over the world.
Theo could only helplessly smile as he waited outside.
Just as he was about to start thinking again, a large shadow flew over him.
SCREEE!
A sharp cry echoed out above him.
Theo glanced up, finding the massive owl slowly lowering itself to the ground.
WHOOSH!
One flap of its wings nearly knocked the file with the papers out of his hand.
’Shit,’ he thought, desperately holding on to it.
The nearby students all backed away, most terrified by the creature.
Thud!
The owl’s feet touched down gracefully.
’’Hey,’’ Theo greeted, smiling. ’’Thank you for getting here so fast.’’
The owl shook its feathers and let out a soft cry.
As it lowered its wing, Theo climbed on without hesitation.
WHOOSH!
Within seconds, they shot into the sky again.
The wind howled past Theo’s ears as the giant owl rapidly gained altitude.
Within moments, the university had shrunk beneath them.
Theo tightened his grip, occasionally glancing down at the file with his papers.
’I’ve gotten a lot better at flying,’ he thought, nodding once. ’Perfect for when I have my own summon.’
The flight lasted only a few minutes, yet they covered an incredible distance.
Eventually, a familiar estate appeared ahead.
All kinds of frozen statues and plants surrounded the mansion, shining with a blinding reflection.
The owl wasn’t bothered, though.
It continued slowly descending until finally touching down on the landing platform.
’’Thank you, bud,’’ Theo said, scratching its feathers. ’’I’ll see you later.’’
The owl let out another soft cry, clearly happy.
With that, Theo hopped off and smoothed out his clothes.
’Let’s get going,’ he thought. ’She’s probably waiting inside.’
Theo adjusted the folder under his arm and began walking toward the mansion.
But after only a few steps, he suddenly came to a halt.
’Huh?’
Elise wasn’t inside.
She stood quietly at the end of the stone pathway, her arms folded as she looked directly at him.
There wasn’t the slightest smile on her face.
Instead, her blue eyes carefully studied him from head to toe.
’’I’m going to need an explanation,’’ she said. ’’And a good one.’’