Chapter1: the last witch
Sunlight slipping through the window pressed against my eyelids as I sat quietly on the edge of my bed.
The silence in the room was so dense that the only sound echoing in my ears was the steady, rhythmic thud of my own heartbeat.
I took a deep breath, rose to my feet, and reached for my uniform.
First, I began putting on my undergarments. My movements were slow and deliberate as I settled the thin lace bra against my skin.
The moment I fastened the clasp behind my back, a faint shiver ran across my body. My reflection in the mirror looked pale, perhaps, but my figure was lean and graceful, like living proof of the merciless training that had shaped me into what I was today.
Then I slipped on my white shirt. When my fingers moved to the buttons, I noticed them trembling slightly.
I did not allow the shaking.
I buttoned each one with the seriousness of a knight fastening armor before battle.
Next came the dark navy pleated skirt. As I slowly pulled the fabric up along my legs, the soft rustling sound it made against my smooth thighs echoed through the room.
When I pulled the zipper closed at my waist, the cloth wrapped snugly around my slender frame, perfectly emphasizing the curve of my hips.
For the final touch, I sat down at the edge of the bed. I parted my legs slightly and picked up my long black stockings, silky to the touch.
Starting from my toes, I pulled them up slowly. Over my ankles, along my sculpted calves, and then past my knees...
When the lace band at the top gently tightened around the soft skin just above my knees, the silhouette was complete.
The image of the "perfect student."
I stepped in front of the full length mirror.
The person staring back at me was someone who, under normal circumstances, should have been loved by everyone for her beauty, yet instead carried the hatred of the entire Empire on her shoulders.
My hair, reaching all the way down to my waist, was as vivid as fire and as red as blood, cascading over my shoulders like a waterfall.
And those eyes...
Deep, ocean blue.
I lifted my hand and lightly adjusted the bangs that had fallen across my forehead with the tips of my fingers.
As I tucked my hair behind my ear, I caught the expression hidden in the depths of my pupils.
Pure fear.
And a mad kind of excitement.
Suddenly, I raised both hands and slapped my cheeks hard.
"SMACK!"
The sting cleared my mind. As my cheeks reddened, I pointed at my reflection.
"No matter what happens today..." I whispered, the determination in my voice crushing the tremble in my chest.
"Today, I'll make everyone shut their stupid mouths."
I put on the mask I had mastered over the years, a fake yet flawlessly cheerful expression.
My lips curled upward. The blue in my eyes shone even brighter.
I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
Today, the atmosphere in the Academy felt tense, like the silence before a storm. The murmurs filling the corridors were louder than usual.
Because today was a special day for the first term students.
"Soul Bond Day."
In this world, every individual with mana veins was granted the right, only once in their lifetime, to summon a being that resonated with the deepest core of their soul.
A "Contracted Beast."
This was less a blessing and more the physical manifestation of our potential, our spirit, and our fate.
Most people managed to form contracts with creatures of C or D rank, beings of average strength, and they celebrated as if it were a miracle.
Reliable, functional, and unbearably dull.
And then there were those spoken of only in legends.
S Rank and above, even EX Rank divine existences, beings powerful enough to bring entire kingdoms to their knees.
On the other end of the spectrum...
F Rank.
The symbol of shame, inadequacy, and absolute despair. Creatures more useless than even a slug.
The irony was that summoning an F Rank beast was even less likely than summoning an EX Rank.
F Rank was the universe's way of telling you,
"You are nothing."
"You may wonder why I am a summoner even though I am a witch."
The reason was simple.
After my mother's death, my mana core was sealed. No matter how much stronger I became, I would never be able to reach my true potential.
But as a witch, I was given a second chance.
If contracted beasts truly answered the call in harmony with the summoner's potential...
Then that meant my chances of summoning an SSS or even an EX Rank beast were pushed to their absolute peak.
In a way, today I was risking my entire future.
Because when you summon a beast, you permanently sacrifice a portion of the mana you possess.
As I walked along the stone path leading to the main building, my footsteps struck the ground hard and confident.
My skirt fluttered gently in the wind, and my crimson hair whipped behind me like a cloak.
Yet the world around me was filled with a darkness that clashed sharply against my radiance.
The crowd split apart as I approached.
But it was not the respect given to a princess.
It was the instinctive retreat people made from someone carrying the plague.
"Look at her..." I heard a whisper. A noble boy standing nearby nudged his friend. "How can she walk around with her head held high, shamelessly like that?"
"What do you expect?" the other replied, wrinkling his face. "She's an Emberlune. Cursed witch blood runs through her veins. Betrayal is in her genes."
I pretended not to hear.
Because answering them would have been meaningless. In their eyes, I was nothing but a monster.
I had learned years ago that this truth could not be fixed with words.
The Emberlune Family...
One of the Empire's oldest bloodlines, and yet the most hated.
For centuries, they had been cast aside for being "witches," and in the end, condemned as traitors and executed.
And I was the only one left from that blood drenched history.
After my mother died, the world taught me a single truth.
If you were weak, you were nothing but a target.
A female student deliberately raised her voice as I passed by.
"I hope she summons a demon during the ritual so the temple knights can cleanse it on the spot. She's polluting the air of our school."
I did not stop.
Even surrounded by that much hatred, my blue eyes continued to shine.
I lifted my chin a little higher.
Their disgust, their hatred, it changed nothing.
Look at me, I thought.
Stare at me with contempt.
Do it while you still can.
When I reached the door to my classroom, the noise from inside abruptly died the moment my presence was felt.
Every gaze turned toward me.
With my unshakable smile, I stepped into the room.
No matter what happened today...
My fate was going to change.