“Zach, class is over!” Yaoyao’s high-pitched voice brought him back from a pleasant dream.

Zachary looked around with bleary eyes. The lecture hall was almost empty. Many people were looking at him strangely as they passed by. He knew nobody at school except Minah and he had yet to make any friends. The class was about the classification of species of Ensouled. He already knew much of the subject matter from books at home. It wouldn't get interesting until later in the school year.

“Well, time to meet this father of hers that popped out of nowhere.” He muttered.

He left the lecture hall and met up with Minah at the campus gates. Together, they walked several blocks to an up-scale restaurant in a high-rise building. They were led into a private room and there was only one person inside.

“Father,” Minah greeted and walked over to his side.

“Mr. Yoon,” Zachary performed the customary summoner’s salute, raising his hand, palm inward, to his forehead.

Dohwan Yoon peered at Zachary with sharp eyes. The older man was short and had a slender build. However, he emitted a suffocating aura akin to a giant. It was the suppression of one’s soul when faced with a much more powerful existence. Zachary felt like he had regressed to a toddler or even a baby who could only blabber nonsense and drool over himself.

“What a rude man!” Yaoyao snorted, rising from her resting spot within his soul sea.

Her soul power surged through him, supporting him in this moment of weakness. It only took a split second for him to regain his wits. Her soul power swept away all traces of external influence like an icy wind.

“Interesting, very interesting. Minah, your friend is quite strong.” Dohwan Yoon’s expression changed and a warm smile appeared. “Come, sit. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a very long time…”

The meal was a slow, awkward affair. The dining table was round but very large. Zachary sat on one end while the elder Yoon sat opposite him. Minah chose to sit somewhere in the middle although her position was much closer to her father than Zachary. Multiple courses were served with long gaps in between.

Her father asked about school and how the two youngsters were settling in. Zachary replied that it was going well. He didn’t mention that Minah often slept over at his apartment and thankfully, she also didn’t feel like revealing that tidbit.

The topic of conversation moved to the two’s shared past. Zachary asked a few pointed questions and Dohwan revealed that Minah’s mother was one of his mistresses. That was why she was sent away to live in the seaside town of Warton. Only after Minah came to New Calum did she meet her father for the first time.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“So, Zachary,” Dohwan Yoon said, swirling a glass of blue wine in his hand, “You have quite a strange resume. You won the novice competition in Plymouth County at the age of twelve, breaking the record as the youngest champion by four years. Then you disappeared for seven years before reappearing to ace the admission exam to James Calum University.”

“Impressive but also strange… Tell me, for a person such as yourself, do you have the confidence to court a daughter of the Yoon Clan? Do you have the ambition to stand above the rest? Or the strength to overcome future challenges? Or… are you just an ordinary summoner?”

Zachary frowned. Considering these questions truthfully, if he didn’t have Yaoyao, he wouldn’t be able to answer any of them. He glanced at Minah but her face was lowered and difficult to read. He wasn’t sure what was going on.

“Mr. Yoon…”

“Hahaha!” Dohwan Yoon’s laugh cut Zachary off, “Please don’t mind my rude questions. Minah has told me a lot about you. If she believes in you, then I can only acquiesce. However, I have a small request. I have heard about your unique summon named Yaoyao, can you bring her out for me to take a look? It will satisfy this old man’s ceaseless curiosity.”

“Sure, Mr. Yoon. Yaoyao, come!”

A surge of light landed on the ground beside Zachary, revealing a white tiger with fluffy wings. Yaoyao sat on her haunches, looking around curiously with wide eyes. Every breath she took was filled with sparkling ice crystals. Her long fur was thick and glossy. She had grown a lot over the years and now was as big as a person.

“Oh my eternal, what a wonderful Ensouled.” Dohwan Yoon’s expression brightened as if he had seen a treasure, “Amazing… beautiful… how in the world…”

He continued to stare fiercely at Yaoyao, muttering under his breath.

“Zach, this guy is weird. He looks at me like I look at my steaks. Creepy.” Yaoyao complained through their soul bond.

“Mr. Yoon,” Zachary spoke up loudly, “Is this good enough? Yaoyao is very shy, she is not used to strangers.”

Before Dohwan Yoon could reply, Zachary directly recalled Yaoyao into his soul sea. The older man’s expression darkened. Minah also frowned slightly.

A moment later, Dohwan Yoon laughed and was all smiles again. He exchanged some casual pleasantries with Zachary before finally rising from his chair, casually throwing his napkin on the plate.

“Well, Zachary. It was very nice meeting you.”

He held out a hand and Zachary shook it.

“It was nice to see you too,” Zachary replied politely.

“Minah, take care of Zachary. You two, work hard in your classes.”

“Goodnight, father.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Yoon.”

Dohwan Yoon left the room and Zachary finally let out a sigh. He glanced at Minah, hoping she would give him a grade on his performance or offer some consolation if he failed. However, there was a deep frown marring her perfect features and no words came out of her mouth.

“Well, it’s getting late, I’ll walk you back to your house.” He said.

“Mmm.” She nodded.

The two of them walked out of the restaurant and onto the quiet streets of the city. The sun had set not long before so the sky was still tinged with an orange. They headed to back campus in silence, strolling side by side. Minah seemed lost in thought so he didn’t bother her. Instead, he argued with Yaoyao inside his soul, trying to convince her that cooked steak was far superior to raw steak. She vehemently resisted his every argument and refused to hear reason. She was stubborn like a pig and he loved her for it.

“Hey!” A sudden shout interrupted their steps.

Three dirty men appeared out of a dingy alley directly beside them. They leered at Minah before glaring at Zachary. One of them revealed a shiny blade while the other two showed off their summons, a mangy wolf with abnormally long fangs and a bear-like creature that stood on two legs.

“Hand over your summoning cards. Quickly, unless you want to die!”