In the grand marble hall, the tension had thinned to a brittle silence. It was a relief, as everyone whispered, that Rivera had not been hurt.
The air is still thick with the smell of burned mana and scorched dust.
However, the sudden impact of what had occurred had not left any of them unaffected; stares slowly turned, inevitably, to the small animal that had caused this stir.
A rabbit.
It crouched in the center of the circle of summoning, ears flicking in a nervous tempo, with wide, wet, and confused green eyes.
Every noble, every attendant, every member of the Dalmenton family observed this as if attempting to decipher a riddle penned by the God himself.
Rivera's gaze fell as shame weighed upon her shoulders like a pair of iron weights.
"Father… I'm sorry…," she whispered. She wasn't even sure if he could hear her, as her voice barely left her lips. Her fists clenched as her nails dug into her skin, her gaze fixed upon the floor.
"The thing I summoned is not only weak, it is the weakest possible thing I can summon. A prey beast."
It meant failure, humiliation, and scandal to her. This daughter of Alvin Dalmenton, the greatest beast tamer in the kingdom, had summoned a rabbit.
If the rumor spreads outside, the family name will be tainted for years to come.
The air in the room was filled with the muffled rustle of silks and the scrape of boots. But before her tears could fall, a firm hand touched her shoulder.
Alvin Dalmenton stood beside her, his tall body straight and calm. "Don't worry, Rivera," he whispered. "I'll take care of everything."
Her throat constricted. "Yes… Father… " The words came out in a whisper.
"Come, sweetheart." Rose encouraged, her complexion pale but her voice calm, as she drew the girl into a brief motherly hug. "Let Daddy handle this."
Rivera complied unwillingly. Rose led her out of the circle of magic, positioning her beside her brothers.
She glanced back over her shoulder as her father turned towards the rabbit, the circle of light coloring his face with red and gold.
What is Father going to do…?
She wondered. No, he was her father. A powerful one at that. A leader. So if he had promised to see that it is taken care of, then everything will be fine. Maybe he only wanted to assess it, to gauge what kind of potential it had in store. Maybe he had the skills to develop it into something greater. Every Magical Beast had the chance to evolve, maybe even a rabbit.
"Yes. It will all be fine."
A servant appeared, placing something bundled in a cloth in Alvin's hands.
It was the Sword of Nullification.
Rivera thoughts wavered the moment she saw her father pull out the sword.
The weapon glinted purple. A curved sword shaped like a beast's tooth.
Fleming, Rivera's brother, came forward, a look of alarm crossing his face.
"Father, are you seriously going to..." He stopped in mid-sentence, wondering if he should butt in.
Alvin's face had been set in a granite mask. He came to the edge of the summoning circle, his footsteps slow. The runes on the ground pulsated as the sword's power touched them.
Rivera's chest constricted in alarm. Her eyes went wide in horror as comprehension struck her. She had only ever glimpsed that sword once, behind a barrier where touching it is forbidden.
"No!"' she exclaimed, her voice breaking.
"Rose, hold her!" Alvin barked, his voice slicing through the air like thunder.
"Don't, Rivera," Rose cried, swinging her arms around Rivera's waist before the girl could dash ahead. Rivera wrestled in her grasp, her tears clouding her vision.
"PLEASE, FATHER, DON'T! PLEASE!" Her cry reverberated through the hall.
Alvin remained unmindful of his surroundings. He clutched his sword harder. The sword of nullification was no simple artifact. It had been crafted from the remains of long-extinct beasts, capable of slicing the powerful bond between a tamer and his summoned. Every time one of those uses is employed, the life of the user will be shortened by half.
The rabbit looked helplessly up at the giant of a man.
Seriously?! Ethan thought. This much drama over me?! I'm such a big threat?! He looked down at his body: paws that quivered, fur that looked softly white.
Alvin clenched his jaw. "I must." Alvin's voice rumbled deep in his throat, his determination weighty as he continued, "Or the family's name..."
"Father, I Don't Want You To Die." Rivera shouted
Her words slapped Alvin in the face. For a moment, his gaze relaxed. He looked again at the bunny, and the hardness came back. "It has nothing to do with my life," he continued. "I can't let a rumor get out that the Dalmentons can't even cast a proper summons..."
He restrained himself. The edge of the sword glowed brighter.
Rivera screamed again. "FATHER, PLEASE! YOU WILL DIE."
The sword went up, vibrating with a thrumming bass that sent the rabbit's fur bristling. Alvin closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He knew what the price was, and he raised his sword nonetheless.
"STOP HIM!" Rivera yelled, struggling against her mother's grip. "PLEASE, MOTHER, STOP HIM!"
Tears sparkled in the corners of Rose's eyes as she spoke
"He won't listen…"
Ethan looked at the man, the sword, the light. This wasn't how his day was supposed to go. It had started with him bouncing around his apartment in excitement over a new maid skin he'd purchased for his favorite character, looking forward to a long night of gaming.
He wanted to scream, to yell that this is a mistake, that he is human, that he doesn't belong in this place, but every time he tries, he lets out only a squeak.
Alvin clutched the hilt tightly. Energy surged through the sword.
The circle of summoning shook. Rivera's cry changed to a sob that shattered like glass.
In that moment, Rivera knew that she could not alllow her father to dissolve her bond with the rabbit, as well as not allow her father to reduce his life to half. She had to do something.