"Fuck!" Edwin cursed silently as he cleaned off the line of blood trailing down the side of his lips. He slowly rose up to his feet from his kneeling position, his gaze fixated on the three boys walking away in their white and black uniforms.
They were among the recent few who successfully summoned a subsequent. In this world where mythic beasts dominated 80%, only those with subsequents had a higher chance of survival.
Subsequents were constellations– gods from the heavens who willingly approved to help the humans. A ritual requiring the blood of the human was done and if it pleased the constellation, an everlasting pact would be formed.
A pact that could only be severed by death of the human or complete vanquishing of the constellation.
Some absorbed the full powers of their bonded constellation, using it to make powerful weapons. Some constellations stayed in their human forms, fighting alongside the humans. Some transferred their mana core into the human, giving them insane stat enhancement.
Of course, the type of constellation summoned by a human varied based on the mana output in the blood during the ritual.
So it was normal for anyone if they awakened a weak constellation, it would be because of the output placed during the summoning process. Although the constellations were way stronger than the summoners but because of the mutualistic relationship and the benefits enjoyed, the humans were treated as superior.
The three boys walking away were lucky summoners. Their constellations were weak but they had the potential to grow as they advanced in mana cultivation.
The only setback was the fact that the boys would rather spend time with Edwin, reminding him of his pathetic self.
Three days ago, Edwin was among those selected by the academy for the yearly ritual to select the new Subsequent bearers. The whole ceremony went fine until Edwin dropped his blood into the ritual circle.
It was the most humiliating day of his life.
The ritual process failed. The teacher in charge of the ritual did a poor job consoling Edwin and only ended up making it worse. A few students had a good laugh at the whole situation.
This was the fuel other bigger bullies needed to make life terrible for Edwin. Because of their superiority over their subsequents, the bullies would order the constellations to enhance their power outputs enabling them to easily overpower Edwin.
"I promise to become stronger!" Edwin furrowed his brows, stretching one arm forward.
He picked up his backpack, cleaned off the dust on his black trousers and tucked in his tattered shirt before adjusting his collar.
On the left side of his white button up shirt was a shield shaped badge. The watermark of Velthorne Academy, the most prestigious academy in the whole of the continent, Arcanth.
The continent housed three countries; Nythera ruled by king Lysander Ironwill, Xandoril ruled by Kharion Rynel and Kaelwyn ruled by Caelis Willowmere. The three countries shared one capital, Orivane. Velthorne Academy was overrun by the elders of the three kingdoms.
That said, most of the things done were monopolized.
To summon stronger constellations, the top families used stats enhancement boosters to spike the mana of their children.
"I will change the system. Then, no one will laugh at me for being the weakest anymore." Edwin muttered under his breath as he walked home, nursing the pain that cuddled his whole body.
Even at dinner, Edwin's mom could tell her son wasn't fine. He barely ate anything, he just stirred his food over and over.
"Edwin.." his mother's soft voice jolted him back to reality.
Once he raised his head, his gaze caught hers. It was impossible to hide anything from her. Her gaze said it all– she wanted answers.
"Is it because of your failure to summon a constellation?" She asked. Her tone said it all– if it were up to her, she would've disciplined the children that bullied Edwin herself.
"You remember what happened after your father summoned a constellation. It's best if you don't summon one." She walked to him and wrapped her arm around him.
She was right.
Arnold Flamehorn, one of the mages recorded to ever summon an insanely powerful constellation. In his quest for a stronger opponent, he followed his constellation into a rift and never came back.
"You're right mom."
"You're right–" his voice got lower progressively.
There was just something about today that wouldn't agree with Edwin's resolution. He broke off the hug, and stood up from the chair.
"I'm not hungry."
With that he walked upstairs to his room, shutting the door behind him. He walked to the window and pushed it open to behold the moon. The thought of going to school tomorrow haunted him. They would hit him even more, taunt him and even remind him of what it felt like to not own a subsequent.
A slight frown crept on his face.
He wasn't ready to be the weak link in his family. His father summoned one of the strongest constellations ever known. His mother was a renowned healer and a seer. Edwin had made up his mind– he would rather die than live a life without a subsequent.
"You're weak."
The words of his classmates shadowed his thoughts. Edwin didn't waste time. He snuck into the kitchen, grabbed a knife and went outside.
The night was quiet. Just as he wanted. Using the knife, he drew the ritual circle. He hesitated at first, waiting for the next discouraging thought. He let out a sigh.
"O heavens."
The moment he spoke, the ritual circle was instantly illuminated by a faint blue light. Edwin's eyes widened slightly but he wasn't surprised. This was the same feedback as the last time and yet it still failed.
Edwin knew it was a risk without any supervision and there was a high chance his chant could backfire and cost him his hand or worse, his life.
Yet, he persevered.
"Heed my call. Soul and body have I offered. My heart and blood have I relinquished. In return, grant me your soldier."
He cut his palm open. Once his blood fell into the circle, the light shone even brighter.
"To protect, to serve and to fight… even until death." With a low hum, the light slowly faded away.
Once again, Edwin failed.
"Fuck!" he yelled.
He fell on his knees and pounded the ground loudly, muttering curses under his breath as tears flowed freely. Just now, he'd tried to ignore the stinging pain in his palm but the failure seemed to have amplified the pain.
"Are you…"
"...the mongrel that summoned me."
The voice was low, feminine, graceful and authoritative. Edwin's heart sank, his gaze widened and his jaw dropped. He slowly raised his head.
"Edwin!! What are you doing out there!" That was his mother.