The moment I agreed to train, the headmaster wasted zero time in throwing me into the fire.
"Your lessons begin tomorrow at dawn," he said, finishing his tea. "I expect you to be on time. Dismissed."
I barely had time to process before I was practically kicked out of his office. The moment I stepped into the hallway—
"THERE HE IS! GET HIM!"
Oh. Right. The angry mob.
"ARGONAX, SMOKE SCREEN!" I screamed.
My dragon, bless his lazy little heart, let out another puff of smoke—just enough to blind everyone while I ran for my life.
The Next Morning – Why Is Training So Hard?!
At exactly dawn, I arrived at the academy's private training grounds, exhausted but alive. The place was massive—an open-air stadium lined with summoning circles, obstacle courses, and battle arenas.
The headmaster was already there, along with another student.
A girl.
She stood confidently with her arms crossed, her long crimson hair tied back in a high ponytail. A sleek black uniform hugged her athletic figure, and two sharp emerald eyes locked onto me like a predator sizing up prey.
She smirked. "So, you're the so-called prodigy everyone's talking about?"
I blinked. "Uh… Who are you?"
"Lady Selene Von Astra," she said, tilting her chin up. "Ranked third among the academy's elite tamers."
Oh.
Oh no.
Headmaster Voss clapped his hands. "Selene will be your training partner. She'll help you not embarrass yourself."
Selene scoffed. "Doubtful. I bet this newbie doesn't even know basic beast synchronization."
I frowned. "Basic what now?"
She groaned. "Unbelievable. They really let anyone into this school."
Great. I already hated her.
"Enough talking," the headmaster said. "Kai, summon your beast."
I hesitated, then tapped Argonax's head. "Hey. Wake up."
The tiny dragon yawned, stretched its wings, then lazily floated off my shoulder and landed on the ground.
Selene raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"
I crossed my arms. "Yeah? What were you expecting?"
"A proper summoning." She exhaled, then raised her hand.
A golden summoning circle flashed beneath her feet, glowing with ancient runes.
Then, with a burst of light, a massive midnight-black panther materialized beside her. Its piercing silver eyes locked onto me, its muscles rippling beneath a coat of enchanted fur.
Selene smirked. "Meet Nyx."
The beast growled softly, sending a chill down my spine.
I gulped. "Nice… kitty?"
Nyx snarled.
Selene rolled her eyes. "I can already tell this is going to be painful."
Headmaster Voss clapped his hands. "First lesson—Synchronization."
I frowned. "What's that?"
Selene sighed. "It's the fundamental bond between a tamer and their beast. It allows them to fight as one."
I blinked. "Oh. That sounds important."
Selene muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like this idiot is hopeless.
Voss continued, "Selene, demonstrate."
Selene closed her eyes. For a moment, she was completely still.
Then—
Nyx moved.
Not just randomly. It was perfectly synchronized with her body, stepping forward as she did, eyes glowing with intelligence. The air around them hummed with an almost telepathic connection.
Selene smirked. "See? This is what a real tamer can do."
I gawked. "Whoa."
Voss turned to me. "Now you try."
I hesitated. "Uh. Argonax?"
The tiny dragon blinked at me.
"…Do a flip?"
Argonax stared.
Selene groaned. "This is going to take forever."
I sighed. I had a long way to go.