Beast Contract Day had arrived, and as tradition demanded since the destruction of the world three thousand years ago, every four years teenagers were brought before the Rift of Beasts—rumored to be a gateway to the Beast Kingdom, a realm of magical, dimensional creatures.
**
Everyone sat inside the Great Hall, a towering white structure etched with ancient sigils. The banner of the city, Greenthorne—a bird with two crossed swords behind it—hung along the walls, both inside and out.
"Kai? Kai!" Meena hissed, snapping him out of his thoughts. He startled, then forced a broad smile.
"What is going on? What are you thinking about again?" she whispered as the announcer—a tall, broad-shouldered, white-haired woman—called names, summoning students forward to place their hands on the portal stone.
"Nothing," Kai said, still smiling. But that wasn't true. His only real fear was what would happen when he drew a worthless beast. The fear wasn't random. Nothing in his life had ever gone right. His parents had died ten years ago in a god raid. The entire district had been reduced to ash. Their bodies were never found. Meena tugged at his shirt three times, pulling him out of his thoughts again.
"You spaced out again, Kai," she said, he usually did that ...the spacing out, it was a normal phenomenon to him, he used it to escape reality...A thunderous applause erupted, They turned toward the platform. Billy Armstrong—the all known bully—had just pulled an S-rank beast.
" A Phantom Tiger" Meena muttered to herself, The Phantom tigers were ranked in the top 10 beserker beasts of all time and was pivotal in the war against the gods! Kai looked sternly A glowing white tiger cub stepped forward, its body marked with scattered stripes and luminous dots. Even as a cub, its potential was obvious. They both sighed. Billy was a menace, and they both knew that unless they drew something strong enough to rival him, the next few years would be brutal... especially for Kai.
"Don't worry, Kai," Meena said, her confidence blooming. "I'm sure we'll be stronger than him." Why wouldn't she be? Meena Rosegold came from a powerful noble bloodline—protectors of the city for generations. Every member of her family had bonded with an S-rank beast. "Yeah," Kai muttered. "Easy for you to say." She nudged his arm with her elbow.
"Meena of the Rosegold family, step forward," the woman announced. Instantly, all eyes turned to her. Meena rose, the weight of expectation following every step. The city needed new protectors—and she was a sure bet. She smoothed her skirt, lightly touched Kai's cheek, gave him a subtle wink, and walked toward the portal.
"Place your hand on the stone," the announcer said. The hall fell unnaturally quiet. Then rose-gold light erupted—so bright people shielded their eyes. Kai didn't. He strained to see. Meena began to glow, and slowly she lifted off the ground. Kai's breath caught. This hadn't happened in over three hundred years. He had read about it in the library. The mark of a legendary contract. He smiled. "Yeah, Billy," he muttered. "You're dust."
The light fractured and collapsed inward. The hall dimmed, then the glow vanished. Meena turned back, her face unreadable. A golden bird laid on her hands which were cupped, it had three crown of feathers and beautiful designs etched around its body, it was little...a hatchling if it will, but many knew the potential of this beast.
"No way," someone whispered.
"That's a phoenix!" another boy shouted, his gecko-like beast clinging to his shoulder. "A phoenix?" A roar of murmurs swept through the hall. Kai jumped to his feet and began clapping, and soon everyone joined. The cheers thundered. A legendary beast—something no one had summoned in centuries. Kai waved at her, but she didn't see him. Moments later, medics rushed her away, likely the Contract Verification Authority.
Then the hall fell silent. "Kai Lannister." His name echoed. Conversations quickly resumed. No one cared much what a boy with no lineage would receive. A few curious eyes followed him, but most looked away. Kai climbed the steps toward the summoning stone. The portal swirled with a soft green glow.
"You know what to do," the white-haired woman said, her indifference unmistakable. She wasn't subtle. Kai shook his head. Insignificant—that was how they saw him. As he placed his hand on the stone, a thought surfaced. Was he the only one like this in all of Greenthorne?
For a long moment, nothing happened. Murmurs rose—judgment and pity. Get down. You're wasting time. He heard the taunts even though no one said them aloud. Just as he began to pull his hand away, something grabbed him. A pull. Deep. Powerful. His bones shuddered. His teeth rattled. The hall vibrated with him. A deep, relentless hum rattled his ears.
"What's happening?" the woman said, her shoulders tensing. The portal darkened. Green faded into shadow, then into void-black.
A violent wind tore through the hall. "Is he summoning a devil?" someone shouted. "What the hell is going on?" Then something stepped through—a small, dark-scaled creature with thorny wings, no bigger than a cat.
"A dragon!" the woman cried. The hall erupted. "A legendary beast?" someone asked. Beside him, a man clicked his tongue as his wind sparrow shrieked. Every beast in the hall screamed. "Not legendary," someone said. "Ancient. Evil." "When was the last dragon summoned?"
"Three thousand years ago," another voice answered.
"in the beginning."