Summon Night: EXTRA

1

(Maruo, a young Summoner around 10 years old, sits in his room. He's staring down at his hands, his expression dejected as he mutters to himself.)

Maruo: (sighs) "I'll never be as good as Father... He can summon anything. Even the big spirits respect him." (frowns, gripping his knees) "Meanwhile, I can barely summon a gust of wind. It's not fair."

(He looks around, his gaze landing on a Summoning scroll his father left for him to study. A spark of curiosity, mixed with envy, crosses his face.)

Maruo: "Maybe if... if I just tried a stronger Summon... then everyone would see I'm not so useless." (His voice wavers as he talks himself up.) "I-I could show Father I'm not weak."

(Maruo nervously unrolls the scroll, his hands shaking as he begins to chant the words written on it. The energy crackles around him, more intense than he expected.)

Maruo: (startled) "W-wait, this feels... way too strong! No, no, no, I wasn't ready!"

(A dark portal opens before him, and a menacing, shadowy figure begins to emerge. Maruo's eyes widen in horror as he realizes he's summoned something dangerous, far beyond his control.)

Maruo: (panicked) "N-No! Go back! I didn't mean to-" (The portal closes suddenly, leaving Maruo alone, trembling as he senses a dark presence that lingers nearby.)

(Days later, rumors spread of an evil force appearing in the kingdom, and many people blame Maruo. Feeling guilty and scared, Maruo isolates himself until one day, he wanders near the forest, lost in thought. He hears a scream in the distance and sees a 15 years old girl fending off monsters.)

Maruo: (gasps) "Oh no! I... I should help her!" (takes a shaky step forward) "I can't just stand here..."

(He gathers his courage and rushes toward the girl, trying to summon even a small spell to help. The girl notices him but scowls, clearly unimpressed.)

Kelly: (gritting her teeth as she fights off a monster) "And who are you supposed to be, huh? Some kid come to watch the show?"

Maruo: (stammers) "N-no! I-I can help! I mean, I think I can..." (pauses, visibly nervous) "I'm a Summoner. Sort of..."

Kelly: (snorts) "Yeah, 'sort of' doesn't sound too helpful right now, does it?"

Maruo: (hurt) "I... I-I really can help! Just... please let me try."

(Kelly rolls her eyes and focuses back on the monsters, clearly not convinced but too busy to argue. Maruo takes a deep breath, summoning a small wind spell that disrupts the monsters enough to let Kelly land a finishing blow. She grins victoriously and then turns back to him with a more appraising look.)

Kelly: "Well, maybe you're not completely useless after all." (crosses her arms) "Name's Kelly. Princess of Acro Land. And you?"

Maruo: (nervous) "M-Maruo... I, uh, didn't know princesses went around fighting monsters..."

Kelly: (smirks) "And I didn't know Summoners were this squeamish." (she slaps him on the back, making him stumble) "Come on, Maruo. If you're tagging along, you'll need a tougher backbone than that."

Maruo: (flinches but smiles a bit) "I-I'll try. Thank you, Kelly... for not, um, running away."

Kelly: (laughs) "Running away? You've got a lot to learn about me, Maruo."

(Maruo gives a small, shy smile, sensing for the first time a chance to make up for his past mistakes. But little do they know, the danger he summoned is still lurking nearby, waiting for the right moment to strike.)

[Scene Ends]