Levi was sitting on the floor of the shower, watching his wound heal. It was a weird thing to observe and actively watch muscles reform, tendons attach, and skin heal. Usually, a slow process that could only be seen with a timelapse or not at all. It was beautiful to watch. Levi was transfixed by the healing that when it finished his mind went back to the realization that he had just won. The world was silent as he sat on the floor. His mind was empty, he expected this to feel great, but instead, he felt. He wasn’t sure what he felt.
Lonely. Upstairs Anna and Piper could celebrate with their families as they had made the journey here. Guild members could celebrate or mourn together or fans in the crowd. Everyone had someone that they could spend genuine time with. Levi, finally, cared about something and won a tournament but didn’t have his family to celebrate with.
He remembered when his older sister Hallee won her first volleyball tournament and was MVP. The family was so ecstatic they went out to eat and celebrate. They went and got pizza at a restaurant that had an arcade attached to it. Levi had so much fun and Hallee was so grateful and felt loved. Levi remembered sitting down with Hallee eating pizza and she talked about how cool it was to be loved and celebrated like this. She told him these would be the moments that she would remember and cherish the most.
Tears fell down Levi’s face, he never got that opportunity to be celebrated and loved like that. Until now, he finally won something and there he was sitting alone in a magical locker room, after a magical battle, where no one expected him to win, and he did. Inside his soul he could feel his familiars give him some encouragement and love. He smiled. It will never be the same as it was for Hallee, but it can still be something here. He needed to remember that as he prepared for the future.
This was his moment to get what he wanted, he had Piper and Anna, now Tycen. He could ask them to celebrate with him, he could form new traditions and new memories. He can fill that void that is in his heart, a family sized void. Pushing back a feeling of love and gratitude towards his familiars, Levi finally stood up. He dried himself off and changed into his casual clothes. It was a much nicer tunic with his cloak and some pants. Serenity and Anza defused to appear next to Levi. Serenity shrunk to the size of a cat and perched herself on Levi’s shoulder. Anza shrunk to the size of a tiger. The trio walked out of the locker room.
Levi almost ran into Piper.
“Oh,” Piper said.
“Hey,” Levi said awkwardly. Piper giggled and gave him a kiss.
“Great job, babe,” she said. Piper linked her fingers in his. “What was that ritual magic to summon that crazy big wisp?”
“It was a very specific summoning ritual,” Levi explained. The pair had been walking hand in hand towards Piper’s family. “Each familiar has their own but it’s not easy to draw or learn how to do it.”
“Oh wow, that’s crazy. Who can you do it with?”
“Willow & Crystal, obviously, and then Dameion. Anza and I are close,” Levi said.
“I didn’t even know you could do that,” Piper said. She looked at Levi, she noticed that the usual joy was absent from his face. “What’s wrong?” Levi stopped walking.
“I had a moment after winning, I felt really lonely that I didn’t have any of my folks to celebrate with. This was like my first major win of anything in my life and I didn’t have my fam here to celebrate it with me. I know you and yours are here which is great…”
“But it’s not the same,” Piper said.
“No, it isn’t,” Levi responded.
“I bet seeing my family would not be the most helpful especially after what happen last time you were around them.”
“It wouldn’t be ideal, no. But I want to celebrate you too. You fought really well and shocked a lot of people to reach this point.”
“Thanks Levi,” she said softly with sad eyes. Piper could not understand what Levi was going through. Sure, she was at this school, which was a few days away from her family but that was it for a few days. Levi had no way of knowing if he could go back, let alone how long of a journey that would be. Piper understood that Levi was strong, and Levi also pushed down his emotions. Even though he had been solemn it was nice to know that Levi had experienced some sort of emotions following the battle.
Piper didn’t know exactly what Levi needed but she knew that she was going to do what it took to have Levi feel loved and celebrated. She loved him a whole lot, a lot more than she had expected. To a degree that she would have to ask her mom what was going on.
“I love you Levi,” Piper said.
“I love you, back Piper. A lot,” Levi said. The two shared a passionate kiss, then continued on to the room.
“Congratulations Levi,” Leandro said. “That was a great display of fighting! Very impressed, very impressed.” The king shook the hand of Levi and went to hug Piper, booming his congrats to her as well. Anna was next and wrapped Levi up in a hug.
“Good job,” she whispered. The next few minutes were spent shaking hands, giving hugs, and accepting congratulations from various people in the viewing box. Eventually everything died down and Levi got to grab some food and sit in a seat overlooking the battleground. The scene hadn’t changed yet but Levi could see the places where his wisps had set their traps up.
“I know my family thinks you’re evil,” Karin said coming up to him. “I think you’re pretty cool.”
Levi chuckled at the young girl. Karin was a teenager, fifteen or sixteen years old, Levi wasn’t sure. She had long black hair, that was wavy and fell down to her midback. She had dark bronze skin like the rest of her family and the same Asian features. The thing that shocked Levi the most was she wore glasses. Levi assumed that magic made eyesight just better, Karin was a magic user. Maybe at higher ranks? She reached out a hand to pet Serenity, Serenity went and sat on the young girls lap.
“Thanks, Karin,” Levi said.
“I’m a magic user and my guild is still up for me to choose. I want to be a summoner, like you,” Karin said with a big smile. “Piper said you taught her ritual magic to help with her class evolution.” Levi stared at the youngest Onyx princess with teary eyes and a happy expression. “Do you think you could teach me summoning rituals?”
“I can, yeah,” Levi said. “I’m curious. Why a summoner?”
“You have these super cool familiars, and you can summon some really cool creatures too. I get lonely sometimes and I feel like they would make my life a little less lonely,” Karin said sadly looking down. “I just thought that if I can summon some creatures or even a familiar then… never mind, I probably sound crazy.”
“Not at all,” Levi said with a genuine smile. “I gettchu. There’s somethin deep inside your soul that is yearning for companionship. Not romantic, not family, but something different?”
“Yes,” Karin said with her eyes beaming. “That’s exactly how I feel!”
“Yeah,” Levi nodded. “I felt that way too a lot before Anza.”
“That’s so cool, like I want that, I want to be able to feel a deep connection with something that feels it back fully. You feel that right?”
“I do and I understand. I’m super lucky to have the ones I do. WITH your parents’ permission, I can teach you a basic familiar summoning ritual and we can summon your first familiar.” Karin’s eyes shot up and she looked at him with those wide eyes.
“Really?” Karin asked, almost yelling. By this point, everyone could hear her excitement and had turned to see what was happening. “Mom, Dad, can I do a familiar summoning ritual with Levi?” Leandro chuckled. He was still nervous about Levi and would still like to learn more about the young man.
However, the look on his daughters face was priceless. King Leandro was a lot of things which included doing what he could to make his children feel loved, seen, and heard.
“You’d need a familiar essence, sweetheart and that is not easy to find,” Alessia said.
“I have one,” Levi said. “I wouldn’t mind.” Alessia and Leandro shared a look then nodded with a small smile.
“Under one condition,” Leandro said.
“What’s that?” Levi asked.
“You do it where all of us can see it,” Leandro said with a smirk.
“Deal,” Karin said excitedly. “Can we do it now?”
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Alessia shook her head at the lack of decorum she had painstakingly taught into her daughter. Karin was not like Anna and Rayvin. The two were like Alessia, calm, stoic, and measured. She was like Leandro, loud, charismatic, and spontaneous.
“There’s plenty of room here to do it, sweetheart. Let’s get it over with so we can go back to displaying our manners,” Alessia said.
“Mom if you think that will happen after she gets a familiar you are sorely mistaken,” Rayvin chuckled. The rest of the Onyx family nodded in agreement.
“What kind of familiar can you give her Levi?” Alessia said, ignoring her daughter.
“Nothing, evil,” Leandro teased.
“Something magical,” Karin said.
“There would be no point if you didn’t have something magical,” Levi said to her.
“Don’t listen to uncle, Levi.” Piper said. “Give her something that can protect her and be her best friend like you and Anza.”
“Hey,” Leandro said mock hurt. Everyone laughed.
“I have an idea,” Levi said. “First lesson, Karin.” She snapped into attention eyes glued on Levi. “Summoning is a delicate art. Mixing materials can be dangerous but also quite useful. If using multiple materials,” Levi pulled out his wand and began drawing a familiar ritual circle. “Be sure to know which material goes where. Now, unfortunately I am going to have to do a 2-star ritual which means I’ll have to do it. I have to do that because I am adding an item and you’re technically for the purposes of the ritual will be filling in a rune circle, meaning we’d need at least two rune circles.”
“I’m following,” Karin said excitement full in her voice.
“The materials I’m using are magical ones, I just so happen to buy a crap ton of materials so I’ not short on any. The circle that I’m drawing will be made of three different materials,” Levi said.
“Why three?” Leandro asked. He was fully paying attention as he had never seen a summoner work before.
“It’ll create the highest chance of the creature I am thinking of,” Levi said. “Next rule of summoning, unless you have specific runes and the exact materials, getting a specific creature is very hard to do.”
“Are you going to give her the exact creature?” Alessia asked.
“No,” Levi said. “The potential beings that can be summoned with the materials I selected are all great. I’m using prismarine shard dust, onyx dust, and gold dust.”
“Those are expensive,” Anna mused. “Levi that is very generous.”
“It is,” Alessia said. “Thank you, we will pay you back in full.”
“Nah,” Levi said. “You’re my best friend’s family, we’re good. Karin, you see that middle circle?” she nodded. “Go stand in that circle, these are called rune circles.” She did as she was told. Levi walked over and pulled out a stone that was shaped like an anatomically correct heart. He placed it in the other rune circle. “As soon as I say, come out, come out,” Levi instructed. “I apologize to everyone else; I don’t need to use an incantation, so I don’t, you miss the fun sayings, I’m told happen with familiar summons.”
Levi touched his hand on the ritual circle, and it began glowing, “Come on out, Karin.” Karin left the circle to come stand next to Levi. The familiar essence started to glow the same colors as the summoning circle, it flew into Karin. Inside the circle where Karin was standing a bright aqua-teal sphere began forming.
A creature formed. It had four legs, webbed paws and scales going halfway up its legs. Fur covered the rest of the legs and the body and half of its face and none of its tail. It had a long mermaid-like tail that had spikes along the spine of the tail and its body. It’s face was more pointed like a lizard, it had a rounded snout and fins behind its ears. Two long curly whiskers on each side of its snout went towards the ears. The creature had black scales that glimmered gold, it’s fur was the same color. Rather than glimmering gold it had golden stipes that went horizontal across its body.
It had golden eyes that looked back at Karin with compassion and curiosity. “Nailed it,” Levi whispered under his breath.
“What is that?” Alessia asked. “I have never seen this creature before.”
“It’s a Depths Newt,” Levi explained. “They aren’t native to this world, but to a world made of mostly water. These little fellas stay near the depths of the one region of the sea and protect the rocks and minerals at the bottom from various things. They are powerful and loyal creatures.”
“Is that what you were wanting?” Leandro asked. “It has the color of onyx.”
“It was,” Levi said. Karin latched herself in a vice grip hug on Levi, she was trembling with how much excitement she had.
“Thank you, it’s perfect,” Karin said. The newt was staring at everyone cautiously waiting for Karin to do something. Karin turned its attention to her new familiar. “Hey, can you speak?” It made a gurgling noise. “I can understand you, wow.” Karin mused. To Levi’s surprise, he could also understand what the familiar said. Levi looked around in surprise to see if anyone else could understand what was said but it appears he and Karin were the only ones. Piper noticed the look of confusion on Levi’s face and saved that into the “what did you find out this time?” list of questions she had already.
“Are you a boy or a girl? Do you have a name?” Karin asked. More gurgles. “Okay, I’m going to name you Blitz,” Karin said. Karin walked up and gave her familiar a big hug. Blitz was about the size of an average medium sized dog. Absolutely massive compared to the newts on Levi’s home world.
Levi smiled wide at the excitement in Karin. She was so happy to have a friend and it was a quite cool familiar to have. Levi felt good that he was able to help yet another person see the benefits of summoning magic. He felt like he was genuinely making a difference in the world. Piper walked over and stood next to Levi as the Onyx parents approached Levi.
“We cannot thank you enough for the kindness you have displayed to our family today,” Alessia said. “Your insights into a magic that we had long thought ineffective and pointless has brought such joy to our family. I would be less scared now to send my daughter to the summoner’s guild here in Arcross. That is because of you and your generosity. So, thank you, once again Levi Winters.”
“I’m sorry, Levi,” the king said. “I have not treated you with any respect or dignity since we met. For that I truly apologized. Today you proved to me that you are a better man than I have been and that was humbling.”
“You’re welcome, Queen,” Levi said. “No worries, man. One of us was bound to be right and the other wrong. I’m just glad that it didn’t turn more violent than you were planning. I don’t know what your plans to have me taken out were, but I know they were going to happen soon.” The king looked away sheepishly but nodded slightly.
“They were but not anymore,” Leandro said. “You have become a royal ally to the Onyx family. Now I’ll let your parents, Piper, spend time interrogating Levi. Congrats again Levi, you deserved that win, and I am happy I was here to watch it.”
“My mom really needs to talk to us,” Piper whispered to Levi.
“Should I be scared?”
“Yes,” Piper said with a grin.
While Levi and Karin were talking about familiars and summoning. Piper had sought out her mom for some help and perspective. Maddi Vendular was a clergy for the church of fertility. This church was in charge of all things related to pregnancies, child-rearing, and birthing. Levi had learned that they pay for insemination of babies with the blessing from the goddess of fertility. Giving a strong, and easy pregnancy. To Levi’s surprise pregnancies here last two months. The first month the baby grows rapidly, the second month the mother is given magic coins to help with delivery and help develop the immune system of the baby immediately.
He thought about how wonderful that would be if that magic was present on the world he was from. He also wondered how many less babies there would be in the world. Magic was a crazy thing.
“What is it dear?” Maddi asked Piper.
“I think I want to marry Levi,” Piper said.
“So soon?” Maddi asked.
“Yes. I just, I have dated plenty of people that you have set me up with and they were all fine. Some of them I had fun with. But this is different. Something with Levi is different. It’s like I only want to be with him and today cemented that line of thinking.”
“Why’s that?” Maddi asked.
“He didn’t go easy on me because we were dating. Which is something I told him to do. So many of the guys that I dated or interacted with treated me like I wasn’t capable of fighting or holding my own. But that’s crap cause you and dad raised me to be this badass rogue and I am. Only Levi treats me like that.”
“I see. Tell me, what do you think of people claiming that he is evil? Does that not concern you?”
“Mom,” Piper complained. “No, he’s not evil at all.”
“But the prophecy-”
“Is crap mom!” Piper interrupted. “We’ve been waiting what 600 years and now we think its Levi?”
“Piper, honey, I don’t want you to have a split in the family because of Levi. Right now, tell me who would you choose, Levi or us?”
Piper paused for a moment. She took a deep breath knowing that this question was unfair, and her mom was testing her. She looked her mother in her eyes. “Levi.” she said. Maddi’s face paled and she went to open her mouth to speak, but Piper continued. “If our family is okay with treating someone who is lost, alone, and in need of help like how I have seen this past year that’s not a family I want to be a part of. Grandpa was rude as hells to him at dinner, Kai has been an ass since he met Levi, and dad arranged his kidnapping. KIDNAPPING! And you stand here asking about Levi being evil?
I have seen Levi cook meals for an entire village after they were attacked by barbarians. I have seen him give a magic essence to a young man for extremely discounted price, then give me and Anna the proceeds. I have seen him forgive our family, the royal family, again and again, when we don’t deserve it! Levi has shown me nothing but kindness and love in his actions. He doesn’t speak about it, he is it. You can look at his familiars and see world eaters, all-consuming entities, and scary creatures, and be afraid. Or you can ask yourself, why are all these powerful, powerful beasts wanting to be a familiar to this man? If I had to choose between Levi and you all, it would be Levi because he’s not the one splitting the family. It’s you.”
Maddi didn’t respond for several moments after Piper had finished speaking. She was shocked by what he daughter had just said. She turned her head as if someone was calling her name.
“Your daughter is correct, Maddi Vendular,” a divine voice said.
“Is Levi evil, my lady?”
“That is not for me to share. Ask yourself this, if a man sees a village being pillaged, abused, and overran by barbarians stops and saves the town after a long journey, is he evil?”
“Depends on why he did it,” Maddi responded.
“Does it? If a man saves a child because he wants a reward or because he wanted to save the child. Do the parents of the child who got saved care what the reasoning is?”
“No, they would just call him a hero.”
“Just so. Last question.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“When a mother is giving birth, is the birthing room in order or chaos?”
“Chaos, but it’s not bad chaos, there is just a lot happening.” Maddi felt the presence of her goddess leave without an answer. Maddi looked back at Piper who was staring at her used to the look when her mom was talking to her goddess. Maddi wasn’t sure what the goddess meant by that last question, but something pricked her mind about it.