“Welcome back, my lady.”

“Coo!”

Earl and Bell are waiting by the front door upon our arrival, having known I would be returning with supplies. “Morning, you two,” I call as I hop out of the carriage and point to the wagon hitched to the back. “Bring them to the spare room and stack them in the hall.”

Unfortunately, the manors provided by the Hall do not come with dedicated summoning rooms. Some have basements to be used as workshops or extra storage but they are few and Kierra’s favor doesn’t extend that far. That leaves me to make do with a guest room. I hope no one is too upset with the mess I’ll have to make of it.

I leave my supplies in their capable hands, ruffling Earl’s hair as I pass on my way to the bedroom. It takes a moment to locate my notes that are tucked away in the bottom drawer of our dresser, flipping through the sheaf of papers quickly to reassure myself they’re all in order. Then I move to the spare bedroom.

I cleared it yesterday, leaving nothing but the hardwood floors and a single table, upon which I place my notes, separating them into two piles. There is also a box of smudgesticks and a rag to wipe away any mistakes.

Completing two summonings in as many weeks is definitely rushing the process but I’ve been planning them for months. Well, one of them. The teacher for my other elements, wind and light. I’ve also included the null affinity, as there is clearly some sort of space shenanigans involved with my elemental form. I’d go for celestial as well but prophets, or celestials as Geneva calls them, are nothing but trouble.

Now that the initiate year is over and my time is my own, I can get to the main reason I came to the magical school, improving myself. Exploring the mysteries of my elemental body and mastering my seven affinities.

The second summoning is rushed, prepared in only a few weeks. A reaction to the outrageous decrees planned by the crown. I wonder if they’ve been announced by now. Given the events of the year, it’s not an unreasonable action by the king. Some could argue the sanctions are long overdue, given the actions of the Masons, formerly Grimoires.

I have two problems with it. The first is that the crown plans to sanction the whole of the summoner community without bothering to consult them. The Tomes, the oldest and most prestigious summoners of the kingdom, didn’t get so much as a letter asking their opinions. Or even a courtesy warning they were thinking of such drastic measures to give us time to appeal to the king. Offensive doesn’t begin to describe it.

Wors, they dared to use these sanctions to threaten me. Elementals are bound to their summoners for life. Only death can separate them. To be rid of an elemental whose presence is declared illegal by the crown means ending its life. If the summoner is unable to, they will be detained or executed themselves. They meant to use that to coerce me into serving the kingdom. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried the same with others.

Clearly, they are underestimating us and we, all summoners of the kingdom, are understandably upset. I may not be ready to drop a darkkon on the king’s head or whatever those madmen my uncle is mixed up with have planned, but I plan to make my unhappiness known.

A nuisance summon will do it. Nothing drastic but problematic enough that it will garner the proper attention. Something that will have the elites pulling their hair out and can only be solved by a knowledgeable summoner.

I’m planning to do the nuisance summon first. Why? Simple. For the elemental I plan to serve as my second teacher, I need some assistance securing a contract. Rather, the chances of doing so are vastly improved by the presence of Kierra, Alana, and Miss Talia.

Two of the three have no experience with summoning. I’m not concerned about Miss Talia, as she seems fairly unflappable, but Alana could use the chance to familiarize herself with the process. Get all the awe and questions out of the way so there’s less chance of her making a mistake when it matters.

The creature is called a shubashuba of the Dark Lord’s Dominion. As an incorporeal being of relatively little power, it drew my father’s attention while he was researching his Zero Affinity Theory. The record about them was written by a summoner from one of the old kingdoms, translated and passed down through the generations. The creature’s name is from one of the old tongues. If the record can be believed, it translates to “dark dark”.

Not very creative but an apt descriptor. The name of the realm is rather direct as well.

The shuba is a strange creature. As an incorporeal being, naturally it is quite different from those of us made of flesh. Particularly in the way it “eats”. It doesn’t feed on fruits, grain, or meat. Doesn’t need water or air, sunlight or good soil.

No, shuba feed off negative thoughts. Geneva says the thoughts of intelligent creatures gives off energy and shuba feed off the energy of bad ones. Depressive musings, angry mutterings, grief, and pain. They can’t get enough, gorging themselves until they swell like a putrid sore.

Then, just like sores, they burst when they get too full, spreading the sickness. From one shuba, a dozen more can be born. Then they repeat the cycle again.

Naturally, like any other creature, they have ways of securing their sustenance. As the summoner who wrote the record put it, they “foul the air”. Their very presence degrades living things. Plants wither, animals sicken, and men go mad.

At least when there’s a chuckle of them, the original summoner’s word for a horde of the creatures so thick you can feel the weight of them on the air. One or twenty and the effects are barely noticeable. Enough to make people irritable. Quicker to anger.

I’m taking the little troublemaker with me to the north. The campaign is guaranteed to be rife with negative thoughts. Fear, grief, anger. The thing is going to eat itself silly, I suspect.

Then I’ll send whatever horde emerges straight to the capital. See how the crown likes dealing perpetually unhappy people, heh. It won’t take long for the shuba to spread along King’s Road, bringing discontent to the whole of the kingdom.

I’ll let them suffer a bit before swooping in to save them. The shubas will be blamed on uncle’s group and I will be the hero. The populace will have villains to show them the horrors of summoning and a summoner to admire. From there, I’ll make sure the community has a proper voice in the kingdom. Make sure they never have the audacity to unilaterally sanction us again.

One would ask what this will cost me. Nothing but the materials used to build my circle. In order to catch my father’s attention, they needed to have a coefficient of one. They were useless to him as every last one of them has the light affinity but that presents no problem to me.

They are perfect. Incredibly obedient and eager to form a contract with no stipulations. There is even a chance that I can get more than their service from this contract if I play my cards correctly.

“Coo!” Bell appears in the doorway, turning her big four eyes onto me. [Master Lou, all the boxes have been placed.]

“Good. Make sure I’m not disturbed until it’s time for the meeting. Oh, Alana should be stopping by. Rouse me if she appears and make sure she’s comfortable.”

“Coo~”

The imp scampers off and I close the door behind her. Time to get to work.

As always, it begins with the circle. The perfect circle, taking up much of the floor. From there, each line is carefully considered, each squiggle and curve meant to represent a greater idea. Normally.

There’s no need for it this time as my circle has already been prepared by the original summoner. It’s rare to leave them in a record and rarer for another summoner to copy from it. This is an art of intention. A bit of the summoner goes into every circle. Copying another will bring forth what that person intended, not necessary what the copier intends.

Shubas are an exception. I’ve compared my father’s record to one in the Summoning Hall. There is only one image the shuba responds to. Shubaregum, or “dark lord”.

The Dark Lord is a mysterious creature. For one, it is nothing like the shuba but reigns over them with absolute authority, much like lower and higher ranked succubi. Three things are known about it for certain: a fraction of its appearance as it remains cloaked in tendrils of darkness, its intelligence, and its control over the shuba.

It is for the Dark Lord that the shuba form contracts and travel to other realms. Upon their summoner’s death, they return bloated with negative energy to offer to the creature. Why, I have no idea and no concern. It’s safely tucked away in another realm, after all.

There is no need to get creative. In the circle, I copy the Dark Lord as it appears in the record. A vaguely humanoid body that is swollen and strangely thin in odd placements. A goat-like head with great curling horns and three eyes, two mammalian and a third vertical reptilian eye on its forehead. The flared tail feathers of a bird, an eye on the end of each.

A creature ripped from a child’s worst nightmare. All the more terrifying because it truly exists.

It takes many tries to get it right, as I’m much better with interpretive work than detailed art. After several hours, I’ve copied it perfectly, to my eyes at least.

Still doesn’t feel right. Summoning is a personal art but there is nothing of me in this circle. I feel…detached from it. Ah well. Hopefully, I’d feel better about it after I’ve gotten personal with the carving and laying out the embellishments.

[Master Lou, Alana has arrived.]

“Hm?” I look up from my work to find Bell in the doorway. Oh, good. She remembered not to enter. I trust her not to damage anything but there are certain habits that are deeply ingrained in me. One of which is to guard my summoning room viciously.

I slowly stand up and stretch. Not that this body gets stiff but it feels good. I need a break anyway. With my new strength, I’ll have to be especially careful carving. Best to do so fresh.

I scoop up Bell as I step into the hallway, giving her a nuzzle. She’s always so warm. Soft as a cushion with a pleasantly smooth surface like the water-washed stones the village boys used to grab from creek beds.

“You watch this room for me.” Leaving a circle before the summoning is complete goes against all my instincts. I can only do so because a circle five virtue is protecting my work.

[Everything will be as you left it.]

“I’m counting on you.” I set my lovely imp down and hurry to the sitting room. Don’t want to keep my companion for tonight waiting.