The floating ball of fire spits out a glob of acid, burning a hole in Augusts' tunic.
"You must exert control, you must dominate them, and only then will they fall in line" His father, Duke Castellane harumphed for seemingly the thousandth time. "You are kind, which is not a bad trait, but when commanding an army, a province, or just a spirit, you must have a spine along with your kind heart."
August, laughing at the antics of the little fire sprite, looked to his father. "I understand needing a spine father but it's just so cute!" Upon hearing this, the fire sprite moved around in the air, flitting to and fro in a rhythmic fashion.
Great, and now the damned sprite is… dancing? thought Duke Castellane, trying to suppress his smirk at the absurd antics of both the little sprite and his youngest son. What was to be a simple day of instruction had turned into another round of playful indulgence for the father and son duo. Something like this occurring would shock any who knew the duke outside of his family, even his retainers would state it akin to holding the sky with one hand.
Alas, this is how it always was when he had time that he could devote to training his youngest… or any of his children. Though he appeared strict and demanding, the simple truth was that he simply adored his kids. He was perhaps most guilty of babying his youngest, but just look at how he plays with the sprite! A monster capable of combatting adventurers (albeit young ones) and the boy had managed to turn the little bugger into his friend. While he was aware his son had fantastic potential as a mage and was perhaps one of the greatest summoning talents since the founding of his kingdom, he just could not help but indulge the youthful antics of the boy.
Suddenly, the ball of fire winked out of existence, and August looked at the air where the sprite had been with a mix of loss and tiredness. Sitting down on the granite floor to meditate, little August closed his eyes and breathed deeply in and out, restoring his mana and cycling his energy.
Sighing with contentment, the duke watched as his son once again restored his energy. He should be upset, he knew this, that all their training time had turned into more shenanigans with sprites. He should be frustrated and irritated, but he just could not find it in himself to be. The boy was training, maybe not like his brothers and sisters, but he was training and getting results. He was just a boy of six and he could already summon sprites, so what if he played too much? Isn't that what a child is supposed to do?
A knock on the wooden door behind him broke the duke from his contemplations. "Come in!" The duke shouted, his warm demeanor and easy smile shifting to a mask of stoic seriousness in an instant.
As the door opened, one of the ducal retainers stepped inside, a man by the name of Rolph who served alongside Duke Castellane as his Sergeant in the Imperial Army. They had spent a lot of time together during the last war with the Island Kingdoms.
"Speak, Rolph. As you can see, I am busy training the boy." Duke Castellane said, a bit of warmth bleeding into his tone upon identifying the arrival.
"Yes, my lord. Lady Castellane requested I implore you to hurry and finish your training, so you might get ready for the banquet tonight. She also wished it be known that, as this is the young lord August's confirmation day, should you fail to be ready in time, you should seek out the healers of the manor before coming to bed tonight, to save them the trouble of being called at a later time." Rolph stated imperiously, and with a great dramatic flourish upon the last portion of the pronouncement.
"Cut the theatrics Rolph, we are almost done here. Why is Star having you play messenger?" the duke replied, his stoic bearing finally fully breaking at the mention of his wife, Astarte's, message (and threat). "Don't tell me… she caught you handing out treats to the girls again, didn't she."
"Well – maybe, but it's her fault for having such cute little ragamuffins" Rolph sighed, his dramatic demeanor relaxing to his normal calm, albeit with the face of a man who believes himself wrongly accused. "I understand that they are being punished but when they look at me with those big doe eyes, I can't help it!"
"They got caught stealing from the wine cellar, Rolph. You know as well as I how much that kind of thing bothers her. Besides, it was wrong of them, and they do need to face their punishment and learn from it. If we go and undo the work she is trying to put in, we might be next" the duke laughed, patting his old friend on the shoulder. "Anyways, the boy is just meditating and cycling now. He has one more elemental sprite to summon before he earns the title, and we will be good to go from here."
"I still can't get over the fact that little Augie is going to be a true Title-Bearer. He is only six years old and doesn't even have his Ideal yet. Has the old man in the palace checked beck in yet on whether this is a new Feat?" Rolph asked for the hundredth time this week.
"Yes, and as far as Librarian Adelaide is concerned, this is a first. While most nobles are inheritors, someone gaining a title, specifically a magic-based title before their Ideal has not been recorded in any of the records. Of course, the Emperor has also weighed in, though he only congratulated us and told us that he would be joining the confirmation ceremony today." Duke Castellane replied, his voice filled with concern. "While the Emperor has always been close with our house, this is the first confirmation he will be joining outside of his own children. With Augie being the first outside the Royal line to bear the Emperors' Mark, I fear we may have some interesting times ahead. Please remember that no one in the house outside of the Head of Security and the Head of the Guards is allowed to know of His Imperial Majesties visit ahead of time."
"Alright, I am off. Please do not be late, or Astarte will kill me, after you of course." Rolph said, then performing an about-face, he left quickly, closing the door behind him.
"Alright August, it is time for you to summon the water sprite. Be careful this time, while the fire sprite can do a lot more damage in the short term, the water sprite is much more cunning and intelligent. The wisdom of the water sprite makes it a much more dangerous spirit, and lacking an Ideal to leash it, you can only use your will. Please, be careful, Augie."
"Yes, sir," August replied, as he went about clearing the previous summoning circle. After wiping the runes clean and changing the ritual components to those with intrinsic water aspects, he started drawing fresh runes, his tongue poking out from the side of his mouth in a show of his deep concentration.
********************
August loved magic, more than anything else in his life. The pretty colors, the cool symbols, the learning, magic is just so amazing! Not only is magic amazing, but when he works hard, he makes his dad smile so much! Currently, he is setting up a ritual to summon a new Sprite. Apparently, something big is supposed to happen when the sprite is summoned, but August doesn't care about that. Something about a title in the system? August couldn't care less about it. He just wants to make his dad smile again.
Looking down at the hole in his tunic caused by the fire sprite, he felt a pang of sadness that his new friend had disappeared. There will be plenty of time to play with the sprites later after my confirmation, he chided himself mentally. Dad said that after tonight I will be able to summon more often!
Summoning: the magic that, while not unique to the Castellane house, was pretty much synonymous with the name. Summoning is the practice of using the innate mana within the body of a sapient being to produce an external bridge through different planes of existence to bring forth beings not inherent to the world the user Summoner calls home. The process of Summoning uses magic through mediums and catalysts to shape the magical bridge and call the specific being. From there it is down to the Summoner to make contracts and deals with the Summoned.
August… well August is not sure he understands what that explanation means. To him, he just gets things his new friends will like and invites them over. His father said that this line of thinking is not technically wrong, but it misses out on the nuance. So, August is pretty sure that he's right and that Dad was just being difficult. Still, Dad could summon so many amazing things.
Peeking up, August snuck a look at the gem hanging from his father's ear. The blue crystal caught the light, sparkling in ethereal brilliance. As if sensing the young boys' curious glance, an azure eye appeared, briefly meeting August's gaze. The eye was like that of a snake, all sharp and pointy, but the brilliant blue of the crystal paled in comparison to the azure radiance of the eye. Then, without so much as a sound, the scene in the crystal changed to a dancing blue sprite, making August beam with delight.
"Ketsuhl, please don't distract Augie while he's drawing runes," Dad said, catching on to the shenanigans of his sworn summon. "It's delicate work, mistakes can be dangerous."
"Sssssorry, Leon. He'sss jussst ssso cute." Ketsuhl replied, his speech even after all these years is still affected by his serpent heritage. "But to be fair, he looked firsssst".
"August, focus on the rune work. Mistakes in the form lead to-"
"Danger in the function, I know Dad," August said, cutting off what seemed to be his father's favorite phrase. His father shot him a withering look, forcing August to wilt and focus on his work again.
Dad can be so grumpy, August thought to himself, not daring to speak such villainous words aloud for fear of the consequences.
Finally, the meticulous drawing and layering of the runes was complete. At the sight of this, August reviewed his work. The runes looked perfectly placed, the materials were ready, and the catalyst seemed primed for the absorption of mana. After one more overview of the scene, August glanced at his father.
"I think it's ready," August said, his voice betraying his excitement.
"I would have to agree, though I think the script in the third circle is close to needing a rewrite. This will suffice." August's father, Duke Castellane said. "Are you ready, Augie?"
"Yes sir!" the eager boy replied, his excitement blurring the edges of his reply with youthful vigor unbecoming of the heir to a noble household, and altogether too charming.
The duke's small smile granted the frantic boy all the permission he needed to start the Summoning.
"Water, the blood of worlds, and life's baptismal font. Hear me! I, August Trajan Castellane, seek an emissary of your domain. Grant me strength with your sovereignty, wisdom in your serenity, and majesty in your depths. I seek an ally in these tumultuous waves. I beg thee, bequeath to me the ilk of Aine, a child of Eris. With my Mana I create the bridge, with my offerings I create the bond, and with my will I create the seal. I ask for your assistance, Sprite of Water." August intoned sagely, the serious tone and solemn speech at odds with the exuberance he previously displayed.
A blue glow descended on the ritual circle, casting all shadows from the room. In the center of the circle, a blue orb came into existence, freshly born and yet as if it had always been there. The orb rolled and roiled, like an angry ocean, all deep blues, and foaming whites. Shadows danced just under the surface, hidden in the depths. One moment immense scaly spines seemed on the verge of breaking, only to be replaced by slithering appendages wriggling and writhing in search of prey. Deep within the center of the oceanic mass, a bright blue light, small in stature but great in luminosity appeared. Slowly coming forward from the unimaginable depths of the Sphere, the ball of light crested the infinite waves. A spurt of warm, humid air with the tang of salt accompanied the budding lifeform upon its entrance to our plane of reality.
August's jubilant expression at the successful Summoning was a sight to behold. His face beamed with pride, his joy infectious. As the window into the elemental plane of Water dissipated, the little water sprite floated slowly forward toward August. August could not wait to meet his new friend and show him all the amazing things he got for him!
Suddenly, Augusts' face morphed from delight to confusion and then… fear? Terror filled the young Summoner's voice as he exclaimed in surprise.
"Father… dad I can't see! I can't see anything! What's going on?!" He shouted.
What?! Duke Castellane thought to himself, his entire being shifting from delightful teacher to hardened veteran in an instant.
"Calm down, explain to me what's going on." He replied to his terror-stricken son. This made no sense, there should be no reason for blindness from summoning a sprite. What could have caused thi- Shit the Sprite!
Horror filled the dukes' eyes at the realization, with August's focus pulled away and the fear sapping at his will, there is no leash on the sprite. At the same moment he realized the potential danger, as if on cue, the sprite flashed forward straight at August.
Reacting with instincts honed from years of hardened battle, his mana and will moved in tandem, with the ferocity befitting of a soldier. His strength muted and blurred the edges of reality in the room, enough that the whole Mansion could feel the immense pressure as his magic stirred to life.
Yet he was too late, his response too slow and the sprite too close. As despair filled his heart, he watched the tiny sprite arrive directly in front of his youngest. Its' miniscule body was wreathed in the blue Iridescence of its Water aspected mana. The tiny form of the fairy was moving to… bow to August?