Ethan searched frantically, trying to find where the mysterious voice had come from. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, swallowing everything around him.
He turned left.
Then right.
There was nothing.
"Hello! Is someone here?" he shouted into the void.
His voice echoed faintly before fading into silence.
No reply came.
The emptiness only made the place feel even colder.
A strange sense of disappointment crept into Ethan's chest. Whoever had spoken to him before was now completely silent.
As he looked around again, something caught his eye.
A chain lay on the ground nearby.
It looked ancient, its dark surface faintly reflecting a dim light that seemed to come from nowhere. Curious, Ethan slowly stepped closer.
"Where does this lead…?" he muttered.
Without thinking too much, he reached out and touched it.
The moment his fingers brushed the chain—
CRACK!
A violent electric shock shot through his hand.
"Ow!"
Ethan instantly pulled his hand back, shaking it in pain.
"What the hell was that…?"
He stared at the chain with suspicion, but it remained completely still, as if nothing had happened.
Then his gaze shifted forward.
Not far away stood a throne.
Ethan slowly approached it.
The throne was black.
Not ordinary black, but a deep, endless darkness. It looked as if it had been carved from stone, yet Ethan immediately knew it was not marble, not granite, and not any material he recognized.
It was something… unknown.
The throne had no jewels.
No decorations.
No precious stones.
It was completely simple.
And yet—
Something about it was captivating.
An invisible energy radiated from it, pulling at the deepest parts of Ethan's mind. Anyone who looked at it would feel an overwhelming urge to claim it for themselves.
To sit upon it.
To make it theirs.
Ethan unconsciously took another step closer.
Then another.
Suddenly—
THUD.
His knees slammed into the ground.
A terrifying pressure descended upon his body like an invisible mountain.
His entire body trembled.
Even breathing became difficult.
"What… is this…?"
Struggling against the crushing force, Ethan slowly lifted his head.
And froze.
Standing before the throne was a gigantic figure.
It looked humanoid, but its size was monstrous—at least twenty meters tall.
Ethan stared at it in terror.
The being's body looked vaguely human, yet something about it felt ancient and incomprehensible.
Then Ethan noticed something horrifying.
It had no face.
Where its head should have been…
There was a universe.
Endless stars spun slowly within it.
Galaxies drifted across the void like cosmic storms.
It was as if the entire cosmos had been placed inside the creature's head.
The being looked down at Ethan.
Then it spoke.
"A mere mortal… standing before the Throne of the Absolute… and does not kneel."
Its voice was calm, yet it carried an authority so overwhelming that it shook Ethan's very soul.
Even the space around them trembled.
The being slowly raised its hand.
Dark energy gathered around its palm like a storm forming in the void.
Ethan felt a deep sense of dread.
It was a curse.
A curse powerful enough to crush his existence.
The being moved its hand toward Ethan.
Just as the dark power began descending—
---
Ethan suddenly woke up.
He shot upright in his bed, breathing heavily.
Sweat covered his entire body, and his heart pounded violently in his chest as if he had just run ten kilometers.
"What… was that dream…?"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, trying to calm his breathing.
Before he could think further, a voice came from downstairs.
"Ethan! Wake up! The summoning ceremony will start in a few hours!"
It was his aunt.
"Just a few minutes, Aunt!" he shouted back.
Still thinking about the strange dream, Ethan quickly got dressed. He wore a navy-blue shirt and black trousers before rushing downstairs with messy hair.
When he entered the kitchen, he saw his younger sister Lily still eating breakfast.
Their eyes met.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Lily said while chewing.
Ethan walked over and gently patted her head.
"Stop talking while eating, little brat."
Lily puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.
"I'm not a little brat! In two years I'll have my summoning ceremony too. I'll summon a powerful beast and become stronger than you!"
Their aunt looked at the two of them and sighed.
"You two are still arguing this early in the morning? Stop talking and finish eating. The ceremony will start in two hours."
---
Some time later, they arrived in front of the gates of Aetherion Academy.
The academy grounds were filled with students and families.
Today was the day of the summoning ceremony.
"You should head to the stage," Ethan's uncle said. "We'll find seats in the audience area."
Ethan nodded and began walking toward the stage.
As he walked, his eyes suddenly fell on a girl standing nearby.
She was beautiful.
Her long white hair flowed down her back like snow, and her blue eyes shone like clear crystals. Her skin was smooth and pale like fresh milk.
She looked like a snow maiden descended from heaven.
Anyone who saw her would lose themselves in her beauty.
Behind her walked a boy surrounded by several bodyguards.
He had red hair, black eyes, and a confident smirk on his face.
Ethan leaned toward a student standing beside him.
"Who are they?" he asked.
The student stared at him in disbelief.
"You don't know them? Were you living under a rock?"
He pointed toward the white-haired girl.
"That's Lucy Wen, the only granddaughter of Wen Sheng. The Wen family is the most powerful family in the south."
Then he pointed toward the red-haired boy.
"And that guy behind her is the second young master of the Zhang Li family. The Li family are business tycoons."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Oh… Wen Sheng's only granddaughter."
"That explains the noble aura around her."
Ten years ago, during a catastrophic dungeon break, Wen Sheng had saved thousands of people.
His summoned beast was the legendary Jade Python.
Just then an announcement echoed across the academy.
"All students who will participate in today's summoning ceremony, please come to the stage."
Ethan walked up with the other students and stood among them.
Soon an instructor stepped forward.
"When your name is called, step forward and place your hand on the pillar," he explained.
"If the symbol on the pillar glows, the summoning process will begin. If it does not glow, you have failed. Any questions?"
No one spoke.
The ceremony began.
The first student stepped forward and touched the pillar.
Moments later, he summoned a lion.
Applause echoed through the crowd.
Then another student stepped forward.
He touched the pillar.
Nothing happened.
"You failed," the instructor said calmly. "Please move down to the stadium."
Student after student stepped forward.
Some summoned beasts.
Some failed.
Then the instructor raised his voice once again.
"Next… Lucy Wen."
Immediately whispers spread across the courtyard of Aetherion Academy.
"The Wen family heir…"
"The granddaughter of Wen Sheng…"
Lucy stepped forward calmly.
Her long white hair flowed gently in the wind, and her expression remained completely composed.
When she reached the pillar, she paused briefly.
Then she placed her hand upon it.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
The pillar exploded with blinding golden light.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Ancient runes covering the pillar began glowing violently as if responding to an immense power.
A massive summoning circle appeared beneath Lucy's feet.
A powerful wind surged across the academy courtyard.
Students struggled to remain steady as the pressure in the air changed.
"What is happening?" someone whispered.
The sky above the academy darkened slightly.
Then—
A deep, ancient cry echoed from the summoning circle.
It sounded like the roar of the ocean itself.
From the brilliant light, a gigantic shadow emerged.
First came enormous wings.
Then a massive body resembling both a bird and a fish.
Its feathers shimmered like liquid silver while deep blue energy flowed across its body like ocean currents.
The creature spread its wings.
For a brief moment, it looked large enough to cover half the sky.
The instructors froze.
Even the academy principal stood up.
"Impossible…" an elder whispered.
The instructor near the pillar spoke with a trembling voice.
"Kun… Kunpeng…"
"A legendary beast."
The entire academy exploded into chaos.
"Did he say Kunpeng?!"
"That's a mythological creature!"
"Only ancient bloodlines can summon something like that!"
The massive creature slowly shrank, its gigantic form condensing into a smaller spiritual body before landing beside Lucy.
Despite shrinking, its presence remained overwhelming.
Its glowing eyes calmly scanned the academy before settling on Lucy.
Then the legendary beast lowered its head.
Acknowledging its summoner.
Lucy gently touched its feathers.
Her expression remained calm.
But the crowd was stunned.
"The Wen family truly produced a monster…"
Lucy stepped away from the pillar.
Her gaze moved briefly across the stage—
Until it landed on Ethan.
For some reason, she looked at him a moment longer than the others.
Then the instructor called the next name.
"Next… Ethan."