Chapter 1: Old Rusty Dull Sword
"My grandfather brought this obelisk to establish Chambers City. He said this will determine the future of the city."
A black, obsidian obelisk stood tall at the center of Chambers City. It was often called the heart of the city, where the Beast Tamer King, Timothy Chambers I, planted the obelisk which began the rise of Chambers City to A-Grade.
The black, obsidian obelisk was significant in every city—it was an object acquired inside a space rift, where monsters flooded out. When the black, obsidian obelisk was planted into the earth and recognized a hundred souls standing below, the runes inscribed on its body would illuminate, enabling humanity to be connected to a mysterious dimension where they could summon and contract beasts.
At the moment, a hundred young souls—ages 18 years old, an age where the obelisk recognized that the young fledglings were ready to embark on their Beast Tamer journey—were standing below the black, obsidian obelisk.
For the black, obsidian obelisk to finally activate, the sun must exactly reach the peak. There was still half an hour left before it would activate, providing an opportunity for the current mayor, Timothy Chambers III, a Beast Tamer King, to give his speech.
He stood atop of his Stormcrowned Roc, having wide, massive wings that protected the hundred of people below from the heat of the sun.
The Stormcrowned Roc wasn’t flapping her wings. She hovered in mid-air in an imposing manner.
She enjoyed listening to her master’s voice.
"The city is in need of young talents. Beasts have become rampant. Space rifts often appeared from time to time, creating a beast wave that occurred once or twice in every year. Beast Tamers couldn’t keep up. The black, obsidian obelisk will remain in the city, but how long can we protect it?
How long can we protect our loved ones?"
A middle-aged man, with his signature french fork beard and a mixture of white and black hair crossed his arms, and shouted with his deep, low voice.
"All of you possess talents, but the real talent is yet to be discovered within you.
Talents means having a mental fortitude to overcome any adversities in your life.
Chase your dreams!
Manifest them into reality!
Whatever the result of the obelisk shouldn’t dishearten you from discovering who you are!
Even a person deemed by the society as worthless grain of dust can become a gold when he truly appreciates his value.
And a person that receives overwhelming expectations from society will inevitably drown in the course of history.
Don’t forget, your future is not determined by the result of the summoning.
Your future can’t be decided by society’s opinion of you.
Your future is in your hands!"
His last sentence echoed to every heart of the youths.
Felix Hill, among the youth who was about to participate on their first summoning, couldn’t help but clenched his fists tightly. His heart was toughened from the words of the city mayor.
"He’s great, isn’t he?" A feminine voice echoed in Felix’s right ears, startling him awake.
It was Krisha Chambers, the only daughter of Timothy Chambers III.
She was known for her beauty, becoming the school goddess of the Chambers Highschool.
Felix turned towards her and was struck by her beauty. Her shiny, silky black hair cascaded down her back and her oval face highlighted her attractive jaw seemingly leaving no flaws.
She put on light make-up, wore pearl earrings, but her most distinct feature that captured his whole attention was her eyes.
Elegant eyes that struck Felix’s heart.
He was about to reply when her scent slithering on his nostrils caused his heart to waver and the words stuck on his mouth.
He turned away from her and focused on Timothy Chambers III. He thought. Even when we were friends for three years, I still can’t get used to her beauty.
Krisha said, "Not only a great father to me, but a great father figure of the entire city."
Felix replied, "Seems like you have a problem with it."
Krisha shrugged. "If there is, it will be to him. Since when will he give birth to my little brother?"
"Is that what you really want?"
Krisha was silent.
Felix was aware that Krisha was worried about how the society expected her father to give birth to his successor—obviously, a boy. However, ever since her mother disappeared during the catastrophic beast wave by entering a space rift, her father remained single since then.
It occurred fifteen years ago. Hence, Krisha could barely remember an image of her mother. She was even resentful to her for leaving her and her father behind.
Seeing Krisha being silent to his question, he sighed and said, "If your father is unbothered by society’s expectations, why won’t you?"
Krisha remained silent, waiting until the sun levitated above the black, obsidian obelisk.
When there was a minute left, she turned towards Felix and said, "Quiet now and be ready for your first summoning. If you summon a one star beast, don’t ever talk to me."
Felix snorted and smiled. He knew that even if he summoned a one star beast, the chances of Krisha cutting her ties with Felix as her closest friend was slim to none.
He glanced at the black, obsidian obelisk and focused towards it. It would be undeniable he was nervous—Krisha’s words about awakening a one star beast echoed in his mind, amplifying his anxiety.
Finally, Timothy Chambers III concluded his speech and ordered his beast to finally leave the area of the black, obsidian obelisk domain, leaving hundreds of youth below, awaiting for their first summoning.
Although the Stormcrowned Roc left, at this moment, the shadow from the black, obsidian obelisk covered the whole youths.
The youths were accompanied by their parents, who were standing anxiously outside. Timothy blended with them after putting his Stormcrowned Roc to his beast space, greeting them with a smile on his face.
When he finally had time to stare at his daughter, like other parents, he was anxious of Krisha’s first summoning.
The black, obsidian obelisk’s runes on its body suddenly glowed, illuminating the whole city, as though an eclipse had appeared that covered only the whole Chambers City.
The hundred youths felt a pang of pain from unknown cause in their body, as they gritted their teeth and endured. They were told by their teachers that the longer they endured, the higher the star of the beasts they were about to summon.
One by one, a runic circle began to light up in front of each youth and different types of beasts manifested from it.
Some awakened a cub of a Grassfang Hound, a cub of a Frostmane Wolf, while Krisha Chambers summoned a beast chick with a three star.
A Frostwing Penguin.
In total, there were fifteen other more who summoned a three star beast.
Unfortunately, Felix was not included in the list.
He gazed at the beast... or should he say, an object he summoned in front of him.
He mumbled, "How is this even possible?"
Krisha heard his voice, so she glanced at him while embracing the Frostwing Penguin.
Krisha glanced at the place where Felix was staring.
She was utterly shocked when she saw what Felix had summoned.
"A sword?"
Eventually, when the black, obsidian obelisk deactivated and everything settled down, all eyes landed at what Felix had summoned.
An old, rusty dull sword.