Naemini gazed nervously at the chalk, biting her index-finger nail as Profesor Neuhaus drew a summoning circle on the ground in front of them. She shifted her weight and caught Rin's attention. He leaned in and nudged her, causing her to glance at him from the corner of her eye. "Mhm," she grunted.
"You okay with this?" He murmured. "Summoning a demon?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she mumbled in response. Truthfully though, every fiber in her being was screaming at her to turn and hightail it out of the room.
"Alright," Neuhaus spoke up, interrupting their conversation. "We will now summon a demon." Rin leaned away from Naemini and studied the circle curiously. He then took a step forward, only to be startled back into place by Neuhaus' voice. "Watch your step! If the magic circle is broken it will lose its effect." He raised his hand and began to unbandage it. "Now, to summon a demon you'll need a drop of your blood, and a suitable invocation."
He put out his hand and let a few drops of blood drip to the ground, within the confines of the magic circle then began to chant. "Son of Tiphius and Echidna... Hear my call and show yourself!"
Suddenly an ugly brown and black blob began to form in the center of the circle and rise. As it began to take form, Naemini could feel shivers run down her spine. Relax... This time the demon isn't your enemy... The blob turned into a grotesque and deformed, zombie-like doberman. "A Niberius...," Naemini hissed under her breath.
"I've never seen one!"
"Eugh, Sulfur!"
"Summoning a demon to use as a familiar is a rare trait," Neuhaus began. "Not everyone is capable. Now to tame a demon, you must have a strong will and unshakable nerve. Having a natural talent for it is also valuable. Today I'm going to test you to see if anyone here has this talent!"
"A test..?" Rin mumbled worriedly. Naemini half smiled. This was actually looking... fun.
"At the beginning of class I handed out these slips of paper with a copy of the magic circle," Neuhaus continued. "Place a drop of blood on it and chant whatever words may come to mind..."
Immediately Izumo took out two slips of paper and pricked her finger. "I humbly appeal to thee, o goddess Inari. Grant my request, leave not my prayers to be unfulfilled!" she spoke loudly. Two white foxes appeared and stood beside her as the class stared in awe. Even Naemini was amazed.
"A pair of white foxes...," Neuhaus murmured. "Nicely done Ms. Kamiki!"
"Izumo that's amazing!" Paku gasped. "I tried but didn't get anything..."
Izumo flipped her hair and grinned. "That figures! I come from a long line of shrine maidens."
"This isn't working, I can't do it," Bon muttered, glaring at his paper.
"Me neither," Konekomaru sighed.
Shima shrugged with a smile.
Izumo gave an ignorant smirk as the others failed to summon anything. Naemini narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"My turn," she spoke determinedly.
Naemini slit her thumb with her fingernail and let blood drip onto one of her circle slips. "Ryujin, deity of the sea, I request you lend me one of your children. Rise, Henge!"
The slip of paper glowed bright as a figure burst from its circle. Now a magnificent white dragon with red markings surrounded Naemini protectively with its long body. Its yellow eyes scanned the room and everyone in it before meeting her fluorescent purple ones.
Naemini tensed, staring back at it with determination. After a moment, the dragon closed its eyes and dipped its head to her. M'lady. Naemini smiled as the dragon spoke to her through thought.
