The registration hall smells of incense and hot metal. Banners hang with Familia insignias. Each banner promises safety, blessings, and an easy path to glory. The fine print is small.
A clerk leads me to a wooden desk and slides the registration scroll across. "Which Familia do you swear to?" she asks. Her eyes are polite but not welcoming.
I want to pick the smallest Familia, the one that will not notice me when I make mistakes. My hands shake. The Summon Ticket in my inventory flashes like a mocking coin.
[SYSTEM]: Inventory: Summon Ticket ×1, Trial Blessing Token ×0.
Options: Freya / Sumeru / Ista / Hermes / Apollo / Icarus / Ares.
I eye the names. Freya sounds like prosperity. Sumeru sounds learned. Hermes sounds like merchants and thieves. Ista rings like crafts and blades. Apollo sounds theatrical. Icarus feels risky. Ares feels violent.
The clerk clears her throat. "If you sign with a Familia, you will receive its initial grace and the first trial date," she says. "Registration fee is two silver and a declaration."
Two silver. Not a lot, except my pockets are full of ramen wrappers and regret. I fish out the coins and sign the paper, but I do not pick a Familia yet. The clerk frowns.
"Newcomers may register and then select their Familia within twenty-four hours," she says. "However, urgent trials may be scheduled based on crowding. Expect a trial call within twelve hours."
Outside, the city hums like a living thing. People arrange their gear, bargain, and shout. A blacksmith hammers a blade, sparks flying.
I wander to the smith's stall and watch. The smith notices me and grins. "You look like a newcomer," he says. "Cheap daggers, only three copper."
I shake my head. "I have a Summon Ticket," I say, and the words sound absurd even to me.
"Then use it," the smith says. "Pull something useful. Or pull something you can sell and never see again. That is how the city feeds itself."
I find a quiet corner and open the system menu. The Summon Ticket glows. My thumb hovers. The system gives me a warning, short and dry.
[SYSTEM WARNING]: Using Summon Ticket in public may attract attention. Probability: common 75 percent, rare 20 percent, five-star 5 percent. Binding chance varies by rarity.
I press confirm. The air cracks like a pulled string and a small blossom of light appears. A creature materializes, floating like a lantern with eyes and a bell-like voice.
"Hello, human," it says, with too much confidence for its size. "I am your summoned guide. Name me, master."
A guide. Not a sword, not a five-star warrior, just a bright-eyed guide. Still, the people around us gasp. Someone points and whispers "summoned item." A Familia recruiter stares.
I have pulled a companion. The guide looks at me and tilts its head. I can feel the system watching, noting my pull, calculating binding odds.
I tuck the Summon Ticket away. For now, one small friend. For now at least, I am not alone.
Cliffhanger: A shout from the registration desk cuts the market noise, "Newcomer trial, assembled at the plaza, now."