The golden sky seemed to shine. Beneath its glow, a boy appeared. He lay on the cold stone, unconscious. His black hair was messy, his eyes dark. He wore a leather tunic and soft fabric pants.
Next to him lay a broken dagger, its tip covered in rust. Could it even be used to fight anymore? He lay on the cold, wet stone in a canyon. Above him, the sky shimmered gold. It almost looked as if the sky held a secret meant only for Lux.
A few minutes later, Lux jolted awake. His dark eyes snapped open as he sat up suddenly. His head throbbed, and he had no memory of how he got here. Slowly, he stood up, picked up the dagger, and looked around.
"Where am I? What is this? Why is the sky golden?"
As he looked to the right, a divine light suddenly blinded him. It was so bright it stole his sight. But instead of pain, Lux found himself somewhere else.
A classroom.
It was half full of teenagers his age. Lux had no friends and no family, so he was usually quiet, just waiting for the day to pass. He had no hobbies, no goals. No real purpose of his own.
Lux sat still at his desk while the teacher spoke at the front. He listened for a few seconds.
"Yes, and Beast Slayers grow stronger through three things. Training, experience, and so called contracts. Do you know what that is? No? You should, because we are writing a test. Right now. Lyria, come and hand them out."
The class reacted with shock. Whispering spread through the room.
"A test? Now?"
The girl the teacher had called stood up and took the papers, handing them out. Lux remained lost in his thoughts.
He remembered a promise he had made to his brother months ago. Now his brother had been dead for about two months. His parents too.
Lux closed his eyes painfully and whispered,
"I miss you. And I promise, I will keep it."
He opened his eyes again and saw a slender figure standing in front of him. It was Lyria. She wore a short white sweater and black pants.
"Um, what promise?" she asked as she handed him the test.
"Just forget it," Lux said quickly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"I need to stop thinking out loud," he muttered, once again saying it out loud.
Lyria simply nodded and moved on. Lux said nothing more.
He had barely spoken to anyone since his family died. Slowly, he was forgetting how. But maybe that was fine. If he cared about no one, no one could break his heart.
Lux shook his head and focused on the test. He picked up his pen and read the first questions.
[Test of Class 1 Magic]
[What is used to summon tamed beasts?]
Lux wrote calmly. He knew all of this, thanks to his older brother Elias. But thinking about him made Lux sad, so he pushed the thought away.
After some time, only two questions remained.
[What is a contract?]
[What are beasts?]
Before Lux could write, the teacher spoke again.
"You have five minutes left. Hurry."
Lux blinked, bored, and began writing.
[Beasts are magical creatures. They come from another world. When a relic entered our world through a portal, more portals began to open and flooded the cities. Magical beings crawled out, and now we live with them.
We fight with them and against them. An important fact is that portals are divided into levels.
Level 1 to 3 are basic portals. They are blue.
Level 4 to 7 are mid level. They are red, representing danger.
Level 8 to 9 are purple. They are the strongest, and only Level 1 Beast Slayers may enter them.
Level 10 is a golden portal. It represents legendary rank, and inside is a legendary beast.]
Lux glanced at the clock. Two minutes left. He quickly answered the final question.
[Contracts are the most important bond between beast and human. When a beast offers a contract, their souls fuse. New abilities are unlocked, and both can evolve together.]
As Lux finished the sentence, the bell rang. The lesson was over.
After school, Lux packed his things and hurried down the street. He was only a few meters from his apartment when he stopped.
Two boys stepped out from the bushes with cruel grins.
"Hello, freak," Daniel laughed.
Daniel had brown hair, blue eyes, and a mocking smile.
Lux stopped. He knew exactly what they wanted. He knew them too well. They bullied him every day, stole from him, insulted him. They made his life hell.
Daniel and Alex.
Both were well built and hated Lux. Why? Because they thought he was weak.
Alex laughed and stepped beside Daniel.
"How weak are you? Want to find out?"
Suddenly, a punch came from the side. Without warning, Alex struck. Lux could not react. The fist hit his cheek and knocked him down.
He fell to his knees in pain. They gave him no time to recover. Daniel kicked him in the face. His cheek turned red instantly as he collapsed onto the ground, unable to move.
He fell face first into the dirt.
"Look at him, Alex. What a loser. Take a picture," Daniel said, laughing.
Suddenly, a voice echoed. Only Lux could hear it. It was not here, yet it was.
Lux opened his eyes. He was somewhere else again. Not the park. He was back in the canyon. The dagger lay beside him. His head hurt.
Then he heard the voice. It was bright, not human, yet calm and beautiful.
"What… Who is that?" Lux groaned, holding his head.
The divine voice spoke.
[Lux, I ask you. How weak are you?]
Lux looked around. No one was there. The sky seemed even more golden now.
"How weak I am? I… I do not know. Very weak, I guess."
He spoke the truth. A painful truth. He was the weakest in his class, maybe even the entire school.
The voice returned.
[Lux is correct. He is weak. But this does not have to remain so. Your past has drawn me to you. You show promise. Will you accept my contract?]
Suddenly, a golden portal appeared in the sky. A golden throne emerged. A silver sheet floated down, along with a golden pen, landing before Lux.
"What? Are you a beast?"
There was no answer.
Lux stayed calm and picked up the paper.
[Contract Throne Lux
Sign: Lux Tyl]
As soon as he finished writing his name, the pen disappeared. Lux had chosen to sign. Everything pointed to a legendary beast. The golden sky, the throne, all of it.
Even if not, he would take any chance to become stronger.
But then the paper flew back to him.
[Contract requires blood of three individuals.
Lux
Daniel
Alex
Once the required blood is gathered, the contract will reappear.
Accept this gift.
Blessing of the Throne obtained.]
Lux was speechless. Everything happened too fast. A contract? Blood? What kind of beast was this?
He wanted to speak, but suddenly felt a pull.
His body was dragged back and forth between worlds. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the park where the bullies had left him.
It was raining. He was completely soaked.
Full of questions, Lux stood up. He had only one goal. Go home and sleep.
The next morning, Lux prepared himself.
He had made a decision.
He would get the blood.
No matter what it cost.