**Kyle's POV**
Hearing my family's name made me think I was the one being called, but it was my sister, as her name followed next.
She stood up with confidence, radiating it as she walked toward the altar. Kira looked at everyone and then at our father and mother before slitting her palm, allowing her blood to flow into the crystallized orb.
And what happened next surprised everyone; the gateway began to pulse continuously. That was the same reaction mine had, but with my summoning, nothing came out. Suddenly, a powerful aura leaked from the gateway, startling me and the other students. The surprised expressions of the head instructor and some of the elders didn't escape my notice.
For Kira, her familiar took the shape of a large tiger, the height of a vampire, which was usual, with a striking red color. When its entire body was visible, it let out a powerful roar that echoed in every direction, causing the crowd to cover their ears. The familiar opened its eyes, revealing five glowing gold stars.
Then, unexpectedly, Kira coughed up a handful of blood while clutching her chest tightly, with blood running from her nose. The head instructor moved to intervene, but my father said, "Don't touch her."
His words halted their approach as Kira continued to struggle to remain conscious. I could see the worry etched on my mother's face, but for some reason, my father and the other elders, even the headmaster, did not seem worried; instead, some of the elders had looks of envy.
Soon, the tiger disappeared, transforming into red mist and tattooing itself onto Kira's back. After that, she lost consciousness but was supported by the head instructor.
I glanced at the academy headmaster for answers. If anyone had the authority to challenge the words of the thirteen elders, it was the king and the academy headmaster, but the headmaster's authority could only go so far.
He smiled and explained, "If you had intervened, she would be dead. The moment the blood tiger familiar appeared, the summoning ritual had already begun, so trying to stop it would be akin to killing her. Thanks to the second elder, she survived."
Hearing this, the crowd felt relieved, and the ritual ceremony continued, leaving only four participants. The next participant was none other than the fifth elder's son, Roy. He stepped toward the altar, cut his palm, and the response was a powerful, bright yellow light. A monkey leaped out, landing on all fours with four yellow stars glowing in its eyes. "Pass." The mist then entered his eyes, leaving a star symbol on his pupils.
"He's quite lucky to have the blood of the fifth pillars flowing through him; their unique traits make their familiar unknown unless summoned," my mom explained. It would be a disadvantage for his enemies, as they would be unaware of his familiar's rank. That was one of the special abilities of the fifth pillar bloodline.
"Kyle Draco."
As soon as my name was called, the side talk increased to a whole new level.
Walking up to the altar with newfound confidence, just like usual, I picked up the knife and slit my palm, placing my blood on the crystal orbs.
Suddenly, everything turned red, with lightning and balls of flame raining down from above. I saw a giant creature, chained with heavy metal inscribed with runes, its massive wings pinned to the ground, covered in strange words I could not understand. It stared at me with eyes that seemed to hold countless stars.
"It seems we can finally have a conversation, boy; it's been a while. Are you finally ready?"