"Useless. That's your official rank."
The announcement echoed across the academy hall.
Thousands of students watched the crystal glow above the stage—waiting for their summoning results.
One by one, spirits appeared.
Flames. Beasts. Knights. Angels.
Cheers erupted.
Until—
A boy stepped forward.
Silent.
No confidence in his eyes.
Just exhaustion.
"Name?" the examiner asked.
"…Kael Ardent."
A pause.
Then murmurs spread through the hall.
"Oh… that's him."
"The weakest summoner candidate."
"I heard he failed basic summon training three times."
Kael heard everything.
But didn't react.
Not anymore.
He placed his hand on the summoning crystal.
Nothing happened.
The crystal flickered once.
Then turned dull grey.
Silence.
Then laughter.
"NO SPIRIT DETECTED."
The examiner sighed.
"This is unprecedented… but your rank is confirmed."
A pause.
Then the final verdict:
"F-RANK. UNSUITABLE FOR COMBAT SUMMONING."
The hall exploded with laughter.
"F-RANK?? That's basically a civilian!"
"He can't even summon a slime!"
Kael slowly removed his hand.
No anger.
No tears.
Just emptiness.
But as he turned to leave—
Something happened.
A sound no one else heard.
A whisper… deep inside his mind.
"Finally… someone touched the seal."
Kael froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
The summoning crystal cracked.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just a single thin fracture.
Like something inside it had woken up.
A second voice followed.
Older.
Heavier.
Not human.
"After ten thousand years… we are free again."
Kael stepped back.
"What's happening…?"
The examiner didn't notice anything.
The crowd was still laughing.
No one saw the shadow spreading under Kael's feet.
No one except—
The broken crystal.
Which now reflected a figure behind Kael.
A silhouette with wings that shouldn't exist.
CRACK.
The crystal shattered completely.
Alarms should have triggered.
But didn't.
Because every magical system in the academy… had just gone silent.
And inside Kael's mind—
A final message appeared.
⚠️ SYSTEM ACTIVATED
UNKNOWN AUTHORITY DETECTED
WELCOME… HOST OF FORGOTTEN LEGENDS
Kael's breath stopped.
"…Host?"
Behind him, the shadow moved.
And whispered again:
"We were erased from history… but you just remembered us."