ᴀ sᴛᴇᴘ ɪɴ ᴛɪᴍᴇ | ᴛᴏʙɪʀᴀᴍᴀ sᴇɴᴊᴜ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

14. ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇᴀ

Yet that is all in the past. Your heart moved on to a less than savory paramour, Izuna, but you bear no ill will towards your childhood crush. It was probably for the best that he removed himself from your spiraling mess of a life. 

The design of this library continues to imbue memories of your childhood, tearing your attention away from the book. You have read the same first page at least a hundred times before you finally decide that a change in scenery is needed. 

You stand up and head for the door, where Hisa waits by the entrance. "I'm going to read outside," you inform her.

She nods her head and leaves to ready the garden for your arrival. You select a few more books to hide the nature of your investigation before heading towards the same garden you used with Mito. Tea is served as are the sweets, and the past releases its hold on your thoughts, allowing you to plunge into your research. 

You open the book and scan the appendix for topics that call for your interest. If it has enough secrets to tell, you'll read the entirety of the section. Sure enough, there are many topics that catch your attention, and you begin at the first chapter, digesting each sentence with ravenous inquiry to learn the basics of your power.

'Summons are the children of deities. They have their own will despite their purpose already in place. Summons are created to wield power over an aspect of life. Whether it be an element, wildlife, fertility, or time itself, they are defenders of the world's balance. 

Should a human enter a pact with them, they will be loyal to their master's demands even if their actions cause an imbalance to their purpose. Summons who create blemishes within the world perish after their master is deceased. (For example, if a fertility summon kills another life, that would cause an imbalance within their purpose which is to create life.) Their pact forces them to go against their nature. Because of this, summons are rarely subjugated by an average human.

The royal lineage of Vandala are the only known humans who are capable of wielding any summon freely. (please see chapter 23 in regards to the Vandala family)

You flip the pages over to the section about your family while keeping an index finger on the chapter about summons.

'The Vandala family is a royal family that dates back to the inception of the Indigo Empire. They are believed to be humans favored by a deity who gave birth to all summons. Because of this, the Vandala royal family can call upon a befriended summon to their side. Their will is believed to be the will of the deity, and so their commands are immune to killing their summon.'

"So I just have to befriend a summon?" you mutter to yourself.

'Because of their long lineage, they keep their summoning secrets reserved. Much of their customs are not known within the secular unit, but with thorough investigation, it is believed that most of the princes and princesses do not wield any summoning power as it is reserved for only the crowned child.

Exceptions to this notion only come to be during a time of war. It is shown that several princes were given the right to summon during the Period War of Year 482 when Prince Spritz, Prince Elture, and Prince Zachary used their individual summons in battle. After the war, Prince Spritz ascended to become Emperor while Prince Zachary continued on as General and Prince Elture perished in war. Prince Zachary was forbidden to birth a child by Emperor Spritz, citing war crimes as reason. 

The Vandala royal family have an arsenal of summons that keep all enemies at bay and the Indigo Empire in eternal peace. They employ the magic of the Pultz family to subjugate any beasts that try to touch their lands. (Author's Note: A union between the Vandala and the Pultz will surely entail a strong breed of children. There hasn't been any tie within their families since the publishing of this book, but I believe that there will be a time when the Pultz's reputation finally rises to wed into the Vandala family. And there will be a time when they will attempt a creation born of their blend.)'