A Demon’s Grimoire

Compared to the first two matches, the remaining eight bouts felt almost pedestrian by comparison. The summoned beasts on display were Astra-grade, capable and fierce in their own right, but lacking the gravitas and sheer power that had defined the earlier battles. The energy in the training ground had visibly dimmed, the audience's initial fervor settling into a more subdued curiosity.

Medea continued to watch, her Amethyst Basilisk coiled languidly around her shoulders, its many eyes half-lidded yet alert. Despite her outward focus on the matches, her thoughts kept drifting—inevitably—back to Aria.

Prime Eterna Divine and Miasma Beast: Heavenly Demon.

The name itself was overwhelming, as was the reality it described. Medea's mind turned over the implications again and again, unable to fully reconcile what she had witnessed. This was the first creature she had ever seen wielding both divine and miasma energy, a duality that defied the natural order.

And Aria wasn't just a rare anomaly—she was impossibly young, still forming her power. With only two cores, she was practically a fledgling. Yet, despite this, she had already achieved complete sapience, a level of intelligence even mature Luminara beasts rarely attained.

"Ridiculously strong," Medea muttered under her breath, her violet eyes narrowing slightly as she considered the implications.

It wasn't just Aria's strength, which had already surpassed many mature Luminara beasts. It was her potential, the promise of what she could become. At her current level, the only Luminara beasts capable of defeating her were those teetering on the edge of their biological peak. And that was without considering her future growth.

Her gaze flicked over the gathered students. Their awed expressions betrayed their thoughts—they, too, understood the magnitude of what they had witnessed.

Mary Greenward, Rank 5 among the first years, was one of the few who had dared to face Aria directly. As one of the four Gold-grade summoners in their class, Mary's Beta Luminara Divine Beast: Golden Lion was formidable. With two cores, its current power was only exceeded by Kael's Royal Dragon—a feat in itself.

But Mary's ranking was not based on current strength alone. The Beta Luminara status of her summon, while respectable, was a tier below the likes of Kael's Prime Luminara dragon and Prince Valkas's Omega Luminara boar. That gap was reflected in their ranks, even if their immediate capabilities were closer.

And yet, Aria had overwhelmed the Golden Lion with unsettling ease.

The memory of the battle played in Medea's mind. It wasn't just Aria's raw power that had stood out; it was the precision, the efficiency. The way she had shattered her opponent's attacks and neutralized it without overexertion or waste. It was the mark of something far beyond a mere summon.

"The sheer potential," Medea murmured, her fingers brushing lightly against the golden pages of her grimoire. She tilted her head, addressing the basilisk draped over her shoulders. "You agree, Vera?"

The Amethyst Basilisk uncoiled slightly, its telepathic voice slithering into Medea's mind. "I do. But you know as well as I that strength like hers comes at a price."

Medea sighed, her breath catching on the weight of the truth. To grow stronger, Aria would need to devour miasma and divine cores—a necessity dictated by her very biology. And those cores would need to come from powerful beings, the kind of beasts that most summoners could barely dream of confronting, let alone defeating.

"I may have to make an exception," Medea muttered, almost to herself. It wasn't just a whim—it was a necessity.

Elara Veylin was the first Diamond-grade summoner in the history of the Kingdom of Thane. The responsibility of nurturing her growth wasn't just a matter of duty; it was a matter of survival. For Elara and for the kingdom.

Her thoughts turned to the upcoming excursions, designed to take students beyond the kingdom's borders to hunt beasts and absorb their energy cores. It was a foundational part of summoner training, a way to grow both summoner and summon.

But there was a problem.

Aria wasn't just a step above the other first-year summons—she was leagues beyond them. Pairing her with any of the other groups would be absurd. It would be a mismatch of such magnitude that it bordered on dangerous, not just for Aria but for the balance of the groups themselves.

Medea's eyes narrowed as she considered the implications. The other students, still learning to command their summons, handled them with the sloppiness of inexperience. Aria needed none of that training. She didn't need to learn—she needed to act.

And Elara, too, would have to grow. Quickly. The challenges ahead weren't something that could be navigated with talent alone.

The basilisk shifted slightly, its many eyes glinting as it spoke once more. "What will you do?"

Medea's lips curved into a faint smile, though her eyes remained sharp. "What I must," she replied softly.

And for the first time since the start of the session, Medea's sharp, calculating gaze rested fully on Elara. The girl stood near the edge of the training ground, her Diamond grimoire clutched tightly in both hands, its crystalline cover shimmering faintly in the sunlight. Her posture was one of quiet tension, as though she were trying to make herself smaller despite the impossible task of blending into the background when all eyes were, inevitably, drawn to her.

She didn't yet realize the path she was about to walk—the weight of what she had become and what she would be expected to achieve.

But that was to be expected.

A Diamond-grade summoner. A rarity so profound that even the Empires, with their legions of Gold-grade summoners and untold resources, would hunger for such a talent. Empires built their legacies on the backs of Diamond-grade summoners, shaping entire eras around the power of their summons.

And now, here in the modest Kingdom of Thane, stood a girl who could rewrite its history.