My body burned as the ruins of power tattooed themselves onto my skin,

The chains symbolically locked into place,

I can never run away,

Trapped in this purgatory,

They say that beasts are monsters but what is it when humans become beasts?

With all my might I fought against the thing that called itself a man,

When I saw my only true companion sneaked behind the thing and attack,

Giving me an opportunity to escape and turn the tide,

I smiled a true smile and laughed at the thing,

As my partner's venom ran through his veins and came to his spinal cord and brain,

Bowing down and lending my arm to my King Cobra, Quartz,

I let loose the breath that I held, calming down and finally processing what had happened.

-Don't mind me I'm a line break.-

It was supposed to be a good day when I would reach the age of 16, old enough to bond with Quartz and become a legal adult capable of providing more for my little family of 3 me, Quartz, and Silvie, my little sister.

Then it all came crumbling down as one of the rich second generation sons noticed my beauty and wanted to take my purity. I didn't realize that he followed me until he jumped, branding me with an unfinished subordinate (slave) contract and only got away safely after Quartz saved me. Now he is poisoned and his family definitely won't let me off if they found out. I thought about what I could do, I could save him, I do have some antidotes for if Quartz bit someone when he was endangered and I needed them alive but I really didn't want to as saving him could cause a repeat of today. I am also obligated to rid the world of such trash that would do such things to someone.

As such, I needed a way to get rid of the dead body. I could carry it somewhere and bury it but that would risk witnesses and people who could find it so I was stuck until I thought of fire, I could burn down this old cabin that our family has lived in for so long. I debated it heavily as I really did like this place but finally settled on doing so as I didn't have many options.

I have enough money to buy us another small inconspicuous home closer to both Gelvie's school and the Moonlight Forest hunting ground to the North of the city which would help me train and keep us safe before I find out how to fix this mess. But before I burn down this place I gathered the few important items we had such as my parent's memoirs and picturebooks of our family.

The final thing was a thank you to my partner, "Quartz, blood spilled, extend mind, body, soul, sanctuary, hope for same. Let enter contract!" (Quartz because of the blood you have spilled for me today, I gratefully extend my mind, body, and soul as your sanctuary hoping for the same. Let us enter a contract!)

Silver light shone around me as I spoke the oath and my summoning tome enlarged itself from the probably Fey made silver key chain it dangled on. The tome itself shone a silver-blue as my ice affinity showed itself through the gem engraved into its cover and its overall color. While the dark green vines wrapped around it representing my life affinity grew to encompass both of us and a spirit chain shot forth from it connecting the two of us.

As the ceremony reached its peak I felt another entity coexisting alongside me and felt my body changing as a consequence of the contract. Quartz wrap around me as my canines elongated, eyes sharpened, a second eyelid forming, tongue forked, ear tips sharpened to a point, skeleton grew more elongated and I became more flexible, scales grew around my eyes and human weak points such as the wrist, neck, and ankles, nails turned into claws, and a venom sack was created above my fangs.

Quartz also changed as he increased in size to a terrifying 18 feet the most his based species could grow to. It was painful for both of us but I can live outside the city this far away for a reason and even though I wasn't careful enough in this situation I am not stupid enough to stay here without training. Though I was resistant against pain I still had to grit my teeth and Quartz wrapped around me almost painfully to withstand it.

"Greetings Fuyu (Winter) it seems that you have finally initiated the contract it is a wonder that your way of chanting even worked, didn't you change a lot of the wording along the way? Anyway, took you long enough. Now I want to tell you about our abilities and my training plan for how to get us safely out of this mess but I really think you should get to the burning thing cause isn't your sister coming soon?" - Quartz

I hummed in agreement and lit a few matches we had around, throwing them at the objects around the house, making things a lot more difficult to pinpoint as a crime scene. I then dusted a bit of the ash onto my clothes, covered the runic brandings the best I could and waited under a tree for Silvie. While doing so I asked Quartz to go into my grimoire as it would show us his abilities and generate the card I would use to summon him as I wanted to understand both mine and his new capabilities.

Page 1 - Attakai Fuyu (Warm Winter) - Summoner

[Rank] - 1 [Stage] - 1 [Augmentations] - 1

[Summons] - 1 [Bloodlines] - 2.5

[Innate Abilities] -

[Spirit of Winter - Grants an additional 50% bonus to all ice abilities, immunity to cold and ice attribute powers, and gives all ice attribute monsters a positive impression of you.]

[Contradicting Lifeform - Due to having two opposing elements incorporated into your body all 'normal' life forms will be uneasy around you but 'freakish' or 'abnormal' ones will have a positive impression of you. Also, though you will have trouble breaking through stages and ranks as the opposing elements in your body clash if you do you will be exponentially stronger than your peers. This is even more apparent if you were to break through a bloodline shackle and because of this contradiction/property your blood is very precious to all monsters and some Summoners, be careful.]

[Bloodlines] -

[Attakai Bloodline - The Attakai family has since primordial been blessed by the Spirits of Life and Nature they are beloved by plants, animals, and even more so by fairies and other elementals. Plants will subconsciously try to protect you and the very earth around you will guide you to safety or even treasure. Note: 100% pure.]

[Yuki-onna Bloodline - You have been blessed and accepted as a child by a Yuki-onna this blessing has gifted you a great affinity with ice and snow. This affinity even extends a bit into the water and wind primary component of these two affinities. Though it is a great gift it also makes you weaker in hot temperatures and prone to being attack thanks to your beauty. This bloodline also gives you a neutral to positive impression/relationship with all spirits/ghosts providing you have no hostility with them. Note: 100% pure.]

[(VERY) Diluted Koi Moonlight Dragon Bloodline - This bloodline is impure and stems from an indirect source your first summon/partner Quartz. As he is your first summon he is the closest to you at least for now and this in conjunction with your abilities caused a strong resonance between you that allowed him to awaken 0.001% of this bloodline. But beware due to how rare this bloodline is to cultivate and nurture it would be extremely difficult and expensive to do so. So it is recommended to do this step by step as right now he is nothing but a moonlight type King Cobra. Note: 0.001% pure will grow in conjunction with Quartz's.]

[Augmentations] -

[Unsocketed - Grimoire recommends the type of augmentation being spirit, moonlight, yin, life, or ice type.]

-Don't mind me I'm a line break.-

Page 2 - Quartz - Summon

[Rank] - 1 [Stage] - 1

[Soul Gems] - 1 [Bloodline] - 1.5

[Innate Abilities] -

[Moon Cycle - As a consequence of his bloodline awakening Quartz has now become a true elemental beast instead of an animal allowing this ability to develop. Moon Cycle allows Quartz to use the full moon powers to make himself a spirit type as the full moon represents the supernatural. While in the new moon, it allows him to gain the dark type to represent the harvest, death, and rebirth of the cycle. This does have a drawback as with these changes in type his power fluctuates and during half-moons, he is weaker than he should be thus making him smaller at around 10 feet at the half-moons exactly while at the full or new moon he is at full size.]

[Bloodlines] -

[Moonlight King Cobra - Awakened by his Summoner's abilities Quartz bloodline is very pure and there is a high chance of evolving and breaking through the bloodline shackle. Moonlight King Cobras are evolved versions of the king cobra capable of absorbing and using moonlight mana and qui to attack, defend, or heal. They are very versatile and hard to find as they look like normal albino versions of other snakes. Add this to their pride and strong willpower it makes it very difficult for Summoners to contract them. Note: This bloodline is 100% pure.]

[(VERY) Diluted Koi Moonlight Dragon Bloodline - Work hard this is your ancestor's true bloodline…Koi Moonlight Dragons are a product of a willful koi that fought against the currents and jumped over the golden gates on a night of the full moon becoming a creature of heaven but containing the power of moonlight, darkness, and the spirituality of one of the night. Note: Only 0.001% pure.]

[Soul Gems] -

[Unsocketed - Grimoire recommends the type of soul gem being death, yin, dark, spirit, moonlight, or poison.]

We sat there as we took in the information we had learned and I looked at Quartz as we shared a look of pure shock as we saw the blessing we had tripped across. I slowly calmed down as Quartz appeared to be spasming with how excited he was. I thought back to the events that lead up to this point and wondered how it came to be.

-Flashback-

'This Morning'

I woke up early and prepared for the big day, my birthday the end of winter, at least in our region, on December 31st, which also coincided with the Grimoire ceremony. I took a long bath as I wanted to calm myself down and whistled to call Quartz as I want him to be extra handsome today for our bond even though I knew that it would only happen when I get back from the ceremony.

I gave him a hissing rinse at least from how he was looking like a snake puddle on the carpet as I got dressed in my best attire with my mother's dark green with white highlights trench coat, my black button-up, my father's old black uniform pants, black boots, and dad's favorite blue streaked black fedora.

I then prepared food for Silvie and prayed for my parents' well wishes as I woke her and got her dressed, full, and ready for school. I got our beauty of a ride (a black streamlined motorcycle) and told Silvie to strap on as we took off towards her school.

I dropped her off and practically flew to the designated ceremony location which this year was the Chronos Cathedral near the center of the city. I attracted many gazes as I got there and fixed my long knee-length white hair into its normal high ponytail. As my blue eyes skimmed my Holographic All-Purpose Watch aka H.A.W. for the time finding that it was starting soon and set the motorcycle to security mode as I parked it and went inside.

I quickly gathered attention as I didn't normally go into town much but was almost famous for my aim with a gun and natural affinity with animals, they even gave me a title "Fuyu - Winter's Hawk". The stares didn't last that long as the pope started to speak.

"Welcome all, to the home of Chronos as we prepare to celebrate the maturity of the children of Timeless City and their awakening to the power that flows through their veins. Let us pray that the gods will bless them! Now to the blessing of time come to your masters, Grimoires of Power!"

I felt the power in his final words as the thick tomes of bland and blank pages shined with a copper light while they shot towards us newly dubbed adults. I waited less than 3 seconds before a grimoire plopped itself into my hands and started shining a silver-blue and light green. I saw the old book change as flakes of dust broke off and fell and dark vines grew to encompass the sides of the tome while it turned an ice-blue underneath and I felt it was sending a flow of something through me as a silver chain I found it connected to wrapped around my waist.

The energy flowed through my veins and seemed to open some blocked arteries and even what seemed to be a black looking gate I found in my mind. I then felt a sharp pain as it took some of the particles I now realized were qui and mana from what I assumed was my dantain. This then was condensed into a sapphire looking gem that was embedded into the middle of the-no my grimoire.

-Flashback End-

I sighed as the amount of attention I had gotten that morning and stroke Quartz as I ponder our next move. I reaffirmed my decision to move closer to the Moonlight Forest as with Quartz newly awakened bloodline its creatures would benefit us even more. I also had a very strong feeling that with the addition of the bloodline from Quartz and the 'gift' that degenerate gave me I would need to stay under the radar at least for some time. I could even possibly gain another attribute if I purify the bloodline enough.

"Brother! What happened?!" - Silvie yelled walking into the clearing our cabin used to be situated in.

A weak smile grew on my lips as I shook my head signaling her to calm down with my hands and waving her over.

"Intruder, held lamp, Quartz defended, dropped, fire." - Fuyu

"Meaning there was an intruder and he had a lamp, Quartz attacked him to defend you or the house, he then dropped the lamp, which caused a fire." - Silvie

"Hn" - Fuyu's version of yes and a certain vengeful clan's signature speech defect.

Silvie who by now understood my manner of speaking sighed and took a second look at my changed appearance with the giant Quartz and put two and two together with the grimoire on my lap jumping and hugging me shouting, "you contracted Quartz".

I smiled, a true one this time, and showed her the result of the contract taking the time she spent reading to think how to explain what our plans were to her.

'...' - "I contractor now, need training, have bit of money, buy house close to school and training, up North, Ok?" - Fuyu awkwardly trying to explain with his stuttered way of speaking.

"So you are a contractor now and need training, we have a bit of money left and you want to buy a house close to my school the Timeless Academy that is also close to the training ground up North, right?" - Silvie

"Hn" - Embarrassed Fuyu

Silvie nodded seeming to fall into thought before asking, "So where are we staying the night?"