A terrible dizzy sensation overtook me and then my ears popped. At the same time, my surroundings changed from that sea of blackness into that of a dark room with a wooden floor. A pentagram seal was drawn on the floor and several people were standing around me.

It took a moment for my senses to fully adjust. When they did I realized exactly where I was: on a stage. In front of me, in that sea of darkness, were hundreds of teenaged children wearing a blue military-style robe uniform. A thunderous applause sounded.

“Congratulations, Miller, you’ve successfully completed your first summon,” said an elderly man standing on the stage near me. “It looks to be a holy knight, a spirit type monster that possesses a blessed suit of armor.”

There was a young man standing about a foot behind the pentagram seals on the ground. I could feel his magical power pouring into my body, fueling a strange formation. He was my summoner.

I drew my katana as fast as I could. The blade flashed through the air towards the boy’s neck.

I would not be controlled. If I couldn’t disobey his command due to Albyrra’s blessing, then I simply needed to kill him before he uttered a command!

However, instead of cutting flesh, my blade was stopped against the boy’s neck like it had struck steel. I could hear loud cries from the audience as the elderly man near me began casting restraining spells on me.

“Quick, boy, cancel the summon! Something’s gone wrong. The spirit is wild!” Cried the old mage.

“I’m trying, Professor,” replied the boy. “It’s not working. I can’t cancel it. It’s a permanent summon!”

Rage was surging through me. I wasn’t about to be controlled by some goddamn greenhorn student! I had a Demon King to slay, and I wasn’t about to waste time being a prepubescent teen’s pet!

“Quick, boy, while the summon binds still hold, command it to stop!”

“Summon, I command you to yield!”

A terrible surge of power flushed over me, and my body froze in place. No more pressure was being exerted on my katana. I couldn’t even blink.

“Gene, start casting a slave collar spell. We need to corral this monster now,” cried the old man as he slowly walked around me, casting several magics I couldn’t identify, no doubt binding me further.

A black-skinned man in his forties walked onto the stage and wrang his hands around the neck of my armor. A red color surged out and into me, but it wasn’t taking hold.

“The slavery collar spell isn’t working, Rak,” said Gene with a strange look on his face.

“That’s impossible,” replied the old man, “... Unless....”

The old man walked in front of my face and peered into the slits in my helmet.

“It can’t be...  Boy, command it to speak its name.”

“Professor? It’s a spirit…”

“Did I stutter, Miller!”

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“No sir! Summon, I command you to speak your name.”

That wash of power flooded over me again. My muscles began to involuntarily spasm and a terrible compulsion opened my mouth.

“Aria.”

A sudden silence filled the room. A terribly long hush converged that could be felt down in my bones.

“It’s not a monster at all,” mused the old professor with a laugh under his voice, “It’s a human. No wonder the summoning can’t be cancelled. You can’t exactly dispel a consciousness, after all.”

“Professor, what does this mean?”

“I don’t know, boy. Why don’t you try asking the summon itself.”

There was a long pause. I could hear murmurs from the crowd a short distance away. I couldn’t contain my raw hatred for the Gods that put me in this situation. I wanted my freedom. I wanted to murder everyone here. I thirsted to sink my sword into their necks.

A green glow began to form on my sword.

The more I wanted to be free, the brighter the glow became. I could feel the old mage’s spells shattering like glass hitting concrete… But one spell didn’t bulge. The Yield command, whatever magic it was filled with, didn’t even bend under my ungodly will.

“Summon, what are you? How did you come to be here?” Asked the boy. Once more I felt a terrible compulsion surging through me.

“I am a human, and I have been sent to this world by the Goddess Albyrra to slay the Demon King.”

The murmuring grew into quiet discussion in the background.

“Silence!” Commanded the old man, cutting the noise off entirely. “There is an ancient magic at work here, forcing this summon to obey your command Wilson. She shattered the summoning bonds and every bind I’ve put on her like they were bread… But this ancient magic is holding her fast. Ask her about it.”

“Summon… What is your name, and what is this magic binding you to my commands.”

“My name is Aria, and the magic is a slavery magic placed on me by Albyrra herself, forcing me to obey the commands of any with her blessing.”

“... Aria, then… Why did you attack me?”

“I desired my freedom,” I replied, “I need only obey your commands. If I could kill you before you issued a command then I’d have been free from this ridiculous binding. I don’t have time to play around with you, child, I need to set about raising an army to battle the Demon Horde.”

“Interesting,” replied the old man as he started tapping my armor and inspecting it. “Have her remove the helmet so we can get a good look at her, boy.”

“Aria, please remove your helmet.”

I reached my hands up and snapped the helmet to the side, loosening the clamps holding it down. Then I pulled it up and shook the back of my head, letting my hair unmat. I immediately heard whispers of the word ‘savage’ surge through the room.