"So... what am I supposed to do next?"
Sera's voice echoed in his mind (Focus on it's essence. Let it flow through you. You are its master now.)
Closing his eyes, he followed her instruction.
Then, all of a sudden, everything around him disappeared.
Darkness surrounded him on all sides.
For some reason, he didn't panic.
Maybe it was because this wasn't the first time he suddenly ended up in a strange place.
"It's too dark…" he remarked.
(Yes, it is,) Sera replied from behind him.
She had taken on her human form now, and just by standing there, she brought a lot of colors into the gloomy space.
"Is this your doing?" he inquired.
(No, this place exists inside your beast's consciousness. Our souls are linked—that's how I was able to appear here with you.)
"I've never heard of summoners entering their contracted beast's consciousness. This is a first for me."
Sera let out a long, deep sigh, her figure flickering for a moment as if the space around her couldn't hold her presence.
She rolled her eyes before speaking.
(I don't doubt it,) she muttered, her tone dripping with disdain.
(The so-called summoning you're so familiar with? It's nothing but a weak imitation of the real thing. Too many limits, too many chains.)
"Let's say I believe you. Why would the gods give us a fake one?
"Those beings...gods, goddesses, whatever you want to call them, are terrified. Afraid that their creations might rise up one day, and overthrow them. Such cowardice."
Just before he could ask more about her hatred toward the higher beings, a small flicker of orange light appeared in front of them.
At first, it was no bigger than a candle flame. But then it grew, quickly growing larger until the shape of a fiery imp began to form.
The imp's body burned with fire, its skin glowing like hot lava.
Its wings spread wide, like those of a bat, as it fully took shape.
He backed away without thinking.
The imp's presence was suffocating. It felt like standing in front of a furnace.
"This... This isn't a bound rank at all,"
In the books, the imp didn't have wings, and its skin wasn't made of actual flames.
(It's a common imp. I am not sure why you're so surprised.)
"No, that's not an imp. This creature is at least predator rank. Imps don't have wings, so there's no way I got it wrong. And judging by its skin, it might be a unique type."
There was a moment of silence between them before she finally spoke.
(I see. So their restrictions weakened the beasts trapped in that prison world of theirs. No wonder you reacted so strongly.)
(You should be careful of the knowledge you got from those books. They were designed to mislead humanity.)
"I..." Kash didn't finish. He didn't fully believe her, but it was hard to argue when the evidence was right in front of him.
Still, his reaction was reasonable.
There was no human in this world who wouldn't be impressed by a beast that defied the norm.
'Forget it, I don't have time for debates.' He shook his head and turned his attention to the imp, now staring back at him.
'I don't have time to waste,'
"I am your master now, and from this moment on, you will obey me!" he declared, expecting the beast to bow.
Instead, it scoffed and grinned at him widely.
It was like the imp was mentally saying, "Idiot"
"You little..." A scowl crossed his face. Part of him wanted to swing at the little brat .
But he would really be an idiot to hit a creature literally on fire.
"Sera, why isn't this thing listening?"
(Because you're acting overbearing. This isn't like your usual summon. Even though you're its master, you need to show it respect. It has its own free will.)
Kash didn't argue. He simply approached to apologize.
"I'm sorry for coming off as arrogant. It's just that I'm in a hurry to save my family. Please, can you help me?"
The imp paused, eyeing him from head to toe.
Then, with a small huff, it flicked its tail, sending a trail of flames into the air.
Just as quickly, it stuck out its tongue, curling it in a mocking manner, then raised one hand and made a crude gesture—its gave him a middle finger.
"This…" He was left speechless by the sheer audacity of the imp's attitude.
From the side, Sera couldn't help but softly giggle, amused by the exchange.
This only made him more annoyed, but he kept his temper in check.
The imp, however, continued to be rude and refused to back down. It took pleasure in watching him grow frustrated, like a child acting out just to get attention.
'Calm down'
'Calm down'
'Calm down'
Some words are better repeated, like a mantra, for greater effect.
After what felt like twenty long minutes of back in forth, the imp finally nodded and gave him the thumb sign, though its fiery eyes still showed mischief.
In that moment, he found himself back in his cell.
'So, that's how I use it.'
Confidence surged as he clenched his fist, a plan was now forming on his head.
"Mother, I have a plan to escape this place, but you all have to trust me."
"Son, don't be impulsive. They might do something bad to you if you resist," Kaden was against it.
"Father, it's too late for that. You know how the politics work in the empire. They'll execute us to make an example. If we don't escape, we will all die like dogs."
Sounding so negative in front of his sister felt wrong, but there was no time to pretend otherwise.
"What's your plan, son?" Kaden asked.
Depending on the answer, he would decide whether it was in their best interest to escape.
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Authors Note:
If you're enjoying the story, a Power Stone vote would really mean a lot. It's a good way for me to know that you're liking it and that I'm on the right track.
Thanks so much for reading .