Rise of the Weakest Summoner

“Some of the delays were out of your control, unfortunately,” Abyss commented as she revealed herself right next to Asterios. “And I must admit, observing how your group resolved them was inspiring. To some extent also… reminiscing. I haven’t observed mundane entities this closely since the day of the sealing.”

“Mundane, huh?” Grea snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I meant no offense by that term.” The mysterious lady made a respectful bow.

“Just fucking with you.” The demon woman snickered while waving her hand dismissively. “I bet we are all lesser beings in front of an entity as powerful as you. I mean, who can really compare to someone capable of creating life?”

“I’m fairly certain that the majority of us here, save maybe for one person, are more than well-equipped to handle such matters,” Silvia commented thoughtfully.

Grea’s cheeks flushed as she met Ast’s gaze, who simply chuckled quietly. It was quite entertaining seeing others tease the mischievous researcher in Tina’s stead. But, that wasn’t the goal of this conversation.

“Leaving the matters of creating life for a later date, where are we with our upcoming expedition?” he asked.

“First, we still need to bring Phatru here,” Althea began. “I already showed Visenna around so she can freely supervise the initial stages of introduction that our new disciples will be going through. My dear friend will have no issues handling that on her own, contrary to her unnecessary lack of confidence in herself. This should give our new pupils enough time to familiarize themselves with the realm, learning the ins and outs of the scholarship program. After our return, the two of us shall give our best to teach them everything we know.”

Visenna nodded politely. “I’m grateful for being shown around this thoroughly. Also for the honor of staying in your lair during my time here. It’s truly a beautiful place, for which I will care as if it was my own. However, I have a question…”

“Yes?” The older Dragon lady raised a curious brow at her.

“I understand that I’m here mostly to observe, but if the opportunity arises, may I also take part in some segments of the program?” the younger girl inquired.

Althea let out a warm chuckle. “Naturally. Feel free to chime in and provide your input into the initial lessons. Your role doesn’t forbid you from interacting with Phatru and the others. If you find a question or a remark connected to the discussed topic, it’s even encouraged to share your thoughts. As long as you are certain that interaction won’t affect your judgment at a later date.”

“I swore to remain impartial and I shall strive to keep my promise.” Visenna curtsied with elegance. “Thank you for this chance to witness something unique.”

“Should we bring your mate here while we are at it?” Asterios suggested. “It might take a moment before we are able to do so again.”

He was fairly sure he caught the faintest trace of a grimace on her serene face for the briefest of moments but chose not to acknowledge it for the sake of the troubled girl. Their situation wasn’t an easy one, that much was obvious.

“Honestly, I don’t think Jellal will be convinced after just one day. We should let him be the one to find the perfect time to join me here. If that day happens to be during your absence, there’s nothing we can do about it but let him wait. As long as he can get in touch with you through someone in that nest,” she pondered out loud.

“I agree! It’s not like the universe revolves around him!” Miria huffed in annoyance.

Asterios smirked at her and nodded at Visenna. “Alright. I’m sure he will find someone to get in contact with us through. Rusi or the disciples aren’t going to spend every minute in this realm. Only Phatru will be stuck here for a little bit. And you.”

“Let’s fetch her and begin our preparations then,” Althea said.

Without further ado, they moved to the Dragon lady’s underground lair. To not use Ast’s tearing ability unnecessarily, they waited for Tina to join them again. Rusi opened her gate and Asterios went in alone since it was supposed to be a quick adventure in and out.

Since the portal opened in Rusilthea’s home, he stumbled on the girl’s mother right away. Phatru was ready for departure, having packed all she needed. Asterios lent her a spatial ring so that she could store everything comfortably and they went to bid their farewell to the Nest Mother.

It looked like the news had already spread as many heads turned after them, especially among the younger generations. Rhufija confirmed it when they met her. The summoning was a mesmerizing spectacle that had made the disciple candidates even more curious and excited. 

In the last twenty-four hours, the ritual and the mentorship program were hot topics amongst the population, especially since the summoned had actually returned briefly to give their statements on how things looked on the other side, as requested by her. Their joy was heavily contagious and it was difficult to get them to calm down. Some couldn’t stop boasting about the neat clothes they had received, calling them the elite disciple uniforms. A mentor or two even started considering introducing some characteristic clothing to make themselves and their disciples more recognizable.

Therefore, wanting or not, Asterios and Althea were already changing the Lesser Dragon society with their innovative approach. Some could argue that pointless things like uniforms or such didn’t truly matter, but the smarter and wiser individuals were able to understand the weight of small, slow steps. Bit by bit, more of their methods, decisions, rules, and manners would gain attention, one day leading to the assimilation of their final goal, to make the mentorship system a better academic structure.

The only question was, how much the mentors were hung up on their old ways. Or how many Jellals wandered around the realms.

Asterios hoped not too many.

Stopping for a few minutes to answer some questions from overjoyed younglings, and politely declining to turn to a True Dragon in the middle of the settlement, Asterios and Phatru escaped to a quieter section of the floating rock village. He made sure with Umbra that there were no sensitive hostiles around and prepared to cut through the fabric of Phasmantia.

Which reminded him of the previous issue.

~I remember sensing your return at night but we were too tired to address it. Since you haven’t brought it up either, I assume your findings aren’t too negative,~ he said through the bond.

~They didn’t require immediate attention,~ Umbra confirmed. ~I managed to follow that male to its final destination after it gave up searching for you. I might have also damaged the environment in front of us a little to further convince him that a battle between Dragons took place there. Nevertheless, he returned home and I located his lair.~

~Thank you. We can always count on your assistance.~ Asterios smiled appreciatively.

~The feeling is mutual, Master.~ The Lord of Shadows chuckled deeply. ~Nevertheless, he didn’t share a thing about the matter with the others, which is logical since he would not wish to bring up his failure. I counted about ten True Dragons in that cavern system, so the nest isn’t too big. I searched the place for any entities in need of help but found none who weren’t beyond saving by now. It looks like this particular group wasn’t too lucky in their hunts for slaves for quite a while.~

~That’s good. And partially unfortunate for the victims, but we can’t save every single being.~ Asterios hummed thoughtfully. ~Still, this is going to be a problem going forward as even if he won’t share his findings, the Dragon has now noticed the path our new friends sometimes take. We might have to do something about it someday. For now, warn Rhufija to spread the news. Share the location with her if you can. The mentors should inform the others past this region.~

~As you wish, Master.~ Umbra transferred himself away to do his bidding.

Another thing to save for a later time.

Plus, handling an entire nest certainly wouldn’t be easy.

Taking one more glance at Phatru, he opened a passage to Althea’s lair and they returned to Kraedorion together. The studious quartet escaped aside to talk things out and help the newcomer settle down as Rusi’s mom would be sharing the cottage with Visenna since neither of the two minded.

In the end, Asterios knew they were used to much more crowded arrangements, thanks to his beloved mentor’s stories.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group started their supply run. A grand journey awaited them so everything had to be as perfect as it could be.

Their first stop happened to be Endymion’s small shop, which had found some growth in the recent weeks and months. The old man’s services were more often requested by adventurers and travelers after word had spread out that he was Ast’s personal enchanter. Endymion didn’t mind as he set his own pace and let the pressure of publicity wash off him. No one could force him to do much with the lord’s protection anyway so the experienced enchanter was the one who dictated the terms.

Stocking up on many useful sigils, they visited their good elf friends. While talking about random things, the father and daughter duo completed maintenance on everyone’s gear. Since Asterios had shared what he could about their destination, with Abyss chiming in as its creator, they enchanted the equipment with some protective runes and arrays that should be helpful in battles against shadowy entities.

No one expected them to just stroll through the dark world straight to their objective without any violent interruptions. That wasn’t how Umbra’s home worked, unfortunately, even if he was fairly high-ranked out there. Such detail might actually work against them.

Their next stop was Grea’s workshop. She brought in her father and they took a look through their own repertoire too. Asterios didn’t say anything and silently accepted their goodwill, knowing that his lascivious lover must feel like she had to do something to compensate for her absence. He wanted to remind her how important and useful everything they did was, but held back, giving Grea the closure she needed not to feel guilty.

They spent about an hour introducing a few spells and gadgets to him, which had been created with the help of the Spellsongs. He and the girls accepted every single thing, thanking the family for all their efforts. Most trinkets revolved around various sealing tricks and traps and could truly come in handy if they needed to incapacitate someone without harming them, meaning to gather intel or something. Umbra’s powers might not be as effective on the denizens of the Nethernight Realms as on the outsiders.

After that, the ladies went to handle their own matters either in Kraedorion or in their personal realms before the hour of their departure arrived. Asterios spent the time on meditation, listening to Tia’s lectures on how to better harness her energy in case he needed to use it for people other than himself. Bryn wasn’t going so they had to rely more on his sigils, spells, and techniques.

Thankfully, with their draconic bonds deeply connected with Summoning Magic, this was still a viable option. Althea knew a thing or two in regards to recovery too. They would need to watch themselves more, but they would be fine if they worked together as they always did. Umbra and Abyss would certainly help as much as they could.

Soon, it was time to wrap things up and go. If they dragged it out too much, they felt like another thing was going to stop them. Their luck recently wasn’t the best when it came to unexpected encounters.

So, Asterios walked out of Althea’s cozy cottage and glanced around.

A fairly high number of people had gathered in the underground oasis. He spotted his mother, Tina’s parents and sister, Guildmaster Suanori with her retinue consisting of Ellie, Truvi, and Venera, who had been brought up to speed by her superiors, the Committee, Viona hastily scribbling something in her notepad, Radir with Imadil and Cynthia by his side, Phatru with Rusilthea and Visenna, and even the young Irelia in her full armor.

Besides an audience, there was a stage.

A stone formation had been brought up from below, creating a flat square with a smooth surface. On top of it, someone had drawn complex circuits and supplied them with embedded crystals at the very edges. The entire thing was as wide as a small house’s foundations.

“What is that?” Asterios asked as he approached everyone.

“An additional safety measure,” Grea replied, trotting up to him with Bryn. “You are going to cut into a rather stormy world that has been sealed for a long time. Just in case something gets too eager to squeeze through without your explicit permission, we are going to lock the close vicinity of the breach up and keep the array going until you are back.”

~A wise notion,~ Umbra complimented her.

“Our combined talents should be enough to stop any being of darkness from slipping into your homeworld, Master,” Bryn added resolutely. “You can count on us. We will protect this place in your name.”

He walked closer to embrace both women with a loving hug. “I know I can always count on you no matter where or when. You don’t need to go above and beyond to prove that to me. Nevertheless, thank you. Don’t burden yourselves too much, please.”

“As long as you promise to watch out for yourself.” Grea looked into his eyes sternly.

Asterios traced one palm onto her crimson cheek while wrapping his other arm around the demon lady’s waist and pressed her into himself just as he forced their lips to meet. Grea moaned into his mouth as he came roughly onto her, his hand firmly grabbing her ass as they made out, body against body. She pulled back with labored breaths, resting her face against his neck.

“I’ll miss your strong hands…” she whispered.

“Not for long.” He kissed her hair. “You’ll feel them against your skin in no time.”

When Grea loosened her grip on him, Asterios turned to Bryn and offered the Valkyrie a much gentler kiss, allowing her to shower him with love at her own pace. He didn’t stop from running his fingers through her sensitive feathers, though. They both enjoyed that way too much not to.

“I’ll have a worthy gift for you when you return, Master,” she announced after they parted.

“I don’t know if I’m scared or if I’m looking forward to it.” He shook his head with a warm smile.

As they stepped aside, Asterios glanced at Tina.

“I know what you are going to say and it’s all good.” She beat him to it with a cordial smirk. “Kathy knows what to do. They can handle things without me even if they are just starting. I’m not staying behind. With Professor gone, someone else needs to keep the daily level of inappropriate jokes up to its usual standard.”

“That’s my girl!” Grea snickered and ruffled through her hair. “Remember to suck him good for both of us!”

The blue-haired lady rolled her eyes as her cheeks colored. “That might be a little bit too much, Professor…”

Looking past them, he found his mother approaching and walked up to meet her and Tina’s family.

“Be sure not to skip on your meals, young man!” Kindra scolded him with a playful smile. “Wandering through an unknown, hostile realm does not stop you from needing to eat healthy!”

He chuckled and pulled her into a hug. “You know they wouldn’t let me forget. Especially Miria. I’m fairly sure she made enough sandwiches to last us a year. All perfectly preserved with Grea’s bit of magic.”

“Good, good. A wife who happily feeds her husband is a treasure. Remember to treat her like it, Dragon.” She winked cordially and let him face the Nobelle trio.

“Keep an eye on my sis, okay?” Gwen raised a brow at him. “She can be quite stubborn when it comes to anything related to you.”

“I can hear you!” Tina shouted somewhere from behind.

“You have my word.” He nodded at her and her parents. “But, at the same time, she is now a strong girl. Always has been, to be honest. You don’t have to worry.”

The person in question arrived at their spot and Asterios let Tina chat a little with her family before their departure. He moved to exchange a few words with the Committee about the progressing development of the city and Suanori chimed in with the girls, bringing up the topic of their new branch and Guildmaster Oria being on good tracks to become a thing really soon. Venera still seemed a bit taken aback by everything, but no one could blame her. All the details had been dropped on her in the span of a few hours most likely.

Approaching Irelia, he reciprocated her official salute. “Keep training hard so that I can see how much you grew after we are back. And don’t let the boys walk over you. Some of them are simply jealous or feel threatened. Show them who’s the boss.”

“I’ll become the best Knight there ever was, My Lord!” The young girl hit her chestplate. “Thank you for everything and good luck on your expedition!”

Imadil and Cynthia were engaged in a lively discussion with Dragon Valley’s official bard so he didn’t interrupt them. Viona seemed to be in her own world as she noted down pieces of a grand story that would certainly take the realm by storm one day. He turned to face his group, ready to move on with the schedule.

“You good, Master? We’ve all bid farewell to our friends and families already too, in case it takes a while.” Miria grinned at him as her tail danced happily behind her back.

“Yep.” He nodded, coming closer to caress her cute ears. “It’s time to break in.”

“I hope there isn’t any temporal fuckery going about that cursed realm, making you guys feel like a day has passed but it’s a year for us here.” Grea sniffed, approaching them from the side and glaring at Abyss.

“I’m not so powerful as to affect time itself,” the dark-skinned woman replied with her usual tone. “It’s not only the most difficult of the Three Pillars of Existence but also the most dangerous one. There is barely anyone who is insane enough to risk interfering with time itself. Few even dare to study it.”

“What are the other two?” Selene asked, intrigued.

“Space and Reality,” Abyss answered. “With Space being the second hardest and Reality being the easiest of the three, which doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s often called Matter too since it revolves around transforming one thing into another. As for Space, it’s rare, but you witness it through your mate’s draconic ability. And a tiny bit in Summoning Magic.”

“Anyway, good to hear that.” Grea nodded to herself. “I’ll try not to go insane after not being able to reach you mentally for a month if that does happen.”

“You will always be able to sense your True Mate so let that reassure your worrying heart.” Althea rested a hand on her shoulder. “No matter the distance and restrictions.”

“Thanks.” The crimson-skinned woman sighed softly. “You should go before I second-guess myself. I really don’t want to be a bitch about this.”

Asterios stole one more peck from her. “I love you too.”

Everyone gathered around the raised platform, with only Ast’s current party standing on top of it. He took a deep breath and went through all the necessary steps, letting his energy and will lead the technique. It took a moment to lock onto his desired destination, but after sensing the connection, Asterios stabbed his finger into an invisible canvas and slowly dragged it down.

Immediately, everyone could tell how much more pressure this realm exuded on him. The progress was painfully sluggish and tedious. As the breach grew in size, deep darkness seeped from it, seemingly absorbing the light from its surroundings. The Asgeirs and Spellsongs activated their array, supported by Bryn. After about three minutes, the crevice could fit a common humanoid entity. Only shadows swirled over its jagged surface.

“Here goes nothing.” Asterios exchanged looks with his companions and glanced over his shoulder. “Be well, friends!”

Holding hands, they charged into the unstable window.

Everyone felt like their bodies and souls were being dragged in a million directions at once. They could hear each other’s grunts and groans from everywhere as they traversed through a swirl of dark shades. Something tried to hold them back, but it couldn’t succeed, bested by the draconic energies supporting the spatial corridor.

After what felt like hours, Asterios and the others fell out of the breach on the other side, stumbling and crashing onto the ground. Everyone focused on quickly regathering their bearings, with him instantly activating a rejuvenating spell.

“I’m truly back…” Abyss’ whisper reached their ears and they looked up.

For the first time, they could note a trace of emotions in the mocha-skinned woman’s visage. Her face briefly relaxed in wonder before returning to its stony expression soon after. But, they didn’t pay much attention to it for too long.

They now stood on top of pure black grass that emitted smoke of the same shade as it tilted under the nonexistent force of the wind. Above them spanned an equally dark sky filled with purplish dots. Those glowing points bathed the entire place in the slightest violet tint, allowing their eyes to differentiate between the parts of this world.

Thankfully, not everything was just black.

There existed elements resembling earth, rock, and floral formations but all in various shades of dark gray. They often seemed almost abstract, releasing some kind of particles or smoke. Nearly everything felt slightly foggy and hazy. But, it was material as far as they could tell. Ignoring the spooky composition, it was a realm like many others, simply inhabited by strong shadowy beings.

Out of which one began gathering itself right behind them.

Asterios and the girls jerked around as the darkness pooled into one place and grew exponentially. The swirling blob soon towered over them multiple times, reaching the height of a two-story house. Then, it burst, enveloping them in a chilly smoke, which after it faded, revealed the massive shape of a raven with purplish, fuming eyes.

“Welcome to the Nethernight Realm,” Umbra said with a jovial tone. “I hope you brought snacks because we have a lot to see.”