Chapter 1
"Ria, stop running!"
Ria wasn't listening. She kept running. Otherwise, she would be caught. She didn't want to be caught. Because being caught meant - she shuddered thinking about it.
The paths winded together, and she realized that she would enter the forest area. That was her home ground. The forest area meant she could hide. Hide from the monsters chasing her.
"Ria, stop now. If you don't, I'll use my special move!"
Ha, special move. As if, it would work.
The person chasing her stopped and didn't follow her in. A wise choice.
Ria stopped running and panted. Yes, she had done it. She outran them. She was saved. At least, she was saved, for now.
She opened the satchel she had been carrying. The flap moved and a kitten came into view. The cute kitten had blue eyes and orange hair. Any cat lover would melt into a puddle seeing this look.
"Human, now put me down. Meow wants to go back."
Ria snorted. It wasn't that easy.
"Where's my payment?"
The cat meowed.
"You had the luck of carrying meow. What else do you need?"
Ria shook her head.
"No, no, no. That thing is different. I need my payment."
The cat sniffed.
"Okay, meow gives you hair. If someday, you are in danger, you can burn it. Help will arrive."
Ria thought for a while. Cats were tricky. She didn't know if she should believe it. But looking at the pure eyes, she relented.
"Okay, I release you. Go!"
The cat ran away without looking back.
"Now what?"
Ria sat cross-legged on the grass and looked at the Moon.
Ria, a Summoner who lost her powers, was on sick leave from the academy. What could a magical being without powers do? Her family was adamant about sending her back to study.
"Learn the other courses, you will figure out."
It was easy for them to say. Her parents were well-known Herbalists and her brothers were top of their fields. She was the only one who became a Summoner.
Summoners weren't considered heroic because all they did was stuff that resembled paperwork. But still, she loved it.
But she didn't want to do that. She wanted to be a Summoner. Everything started and ended with that fateful night.
Her dream was broken. Her vision was gone. She was just drifting now.
"Ha, caught you!"
Oh, no. How did he appear here?
"Brother, why are you here?"
She smiled at him.
Ryu glared at her. If she knew that Ryu was also here, she wouldn't have run to the forest. Her brothers had elemental powers. Ryu had earth and water powers. And her eldest brother who followed her had air and fire powers. And the reason he couldn't follow her in the forest was that she used one of Ryu's earth magic spells. It didn't allow him to enter the forest area with abundant earth magic.
"Come back with me. Your mentor is here!"
Oh!
"He says he approved your Student Withdrawal statement."
