𝔅𝔢𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔦𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔓𝔞𝔦𝔫

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔴𝔬

𝕶𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖆'𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖛

      Sixteen.

      I'm sixteen today. I turned sixteen at midnight last night, but I don't feel different. 

      Is it normal to feel the same? 

      I'm supposed to feel different, right?

      The Grand Magus didn't tell me directly that I would feel different when I turned sixteen, but it wouldn't make sense if I didn't feel different. If this is such a big change to my power, I should feel different.

      But I don't.

      "Kritana, it is time for another test of your magic now that you are sixteen," my dark arts teacher says, breaking me out of my thoughts. I swallow and rise from my seat. He waves his hand, and a pentagram appears on the floor, drawn by something white. Chalk most likely. "I want you to summon someone," he says, and my eyes widen dramatically. That's forbidden. It's illegal to summon the dead in every single country across the world. This school does many illegal things, yes, but they don't allow students to summon spirits. The teachers sometimes do it to teach a student, but they never allow a student to do it.

     There's a reason for that. If one doesn't close the portal perfectly with the summoned spirit back on their side, that spirit can come back to our world freely and walk amongst us. If one spirit were to escape because you didn't close the portal correctly, you may summon the spirits of others, meaning hundreds of spirits crossing the veil between life and death and entering the world of life.

      When you summon one spirit, hundreds, if not thousands of spirits listen in, just waiting for the chance to cross through the portal. Just one spirit can cause irreversible damage to this world.

      More could wipe the world out.

      Because they have crossed the veil between life and death, their power is unmatched. Nobody can defeat a spirit alone. It takes five of our best to banish one of their worst.

      I am chosen, so according to them, I can banish or defeat on one my own, but I haven't attempted because I'm not stupid enough to try. I do break rules. I do break the law. But there are some things one just shouldn't mess with.

      "I'm sorry?" I ask, hoping that I just misheard him. 

      "I want you to summon a spirit from the seventh ring of hell," he answers. Dear Vlad. He doesn't just want me to summon a spirit. He wants me to summon a demon. "Sir, has the Grand Magus approved this? Summoning a spirit isn't even done here by students, let alone a demon," I remind. His left eye twitches. "Are you questioning me, chosen?" He takes a step forward, and I gulp. "Not you, sir. I'm just surprised that you have asked this of me," I answer. He tilts his head. "Am I not allowed to tell you what to do, or do you think because you are the chosen you are above me?" I shake my head. "No sir. I was just surprised. That was all." He looks at me up and down before gesturing to the pentagram. Candles appear, surrounding the pentagram as well as a few other items. Black ash. A ruby dagger.