The Test

The towering beast's golden eyes remained locked onto Boy as silence stretched between them. Then, with a slow deliberate motion, it stepped forward.

"I am called Zephiron," the beast finally spoke, its telepathic voice carrying a weight of authority and wisdom. "And you- what shall I call you?"

Boy hesitated for a moment before responding, "Boy."

With a small nod and no further explanation, Zephiron turned and began walking deeper into the stronghold. Boy hesitated but in seeing all the other beasts, formed a path for him, he quickly followed, his curiosity outweighing his caution.

He followed him through the stone corridors, past the eyes of the watching beasts and lingering aetheric energy, and Boy got to see the interior of the stronghold.

It was unlike anything he had ever seen. The fortress stretched far beyond the outer walls, revealing vast chambers of stone and metal. The air intensified in the smell of iron, sweat, and latent aether. And as they walked through the interior, there were training pits carved into the stone, where larger, more experienced beasts sparred against each other in vicious displays of dominance.

Upon making it past this area, Zephiron spoke again, "This is the Stronghold of Baltyr."

"It is a fortress, a remnant of a war that never truly ended. The beasts that you see here, they are not here by mere chance… They are warrior summons."

Boy's ear perked up at the mention of war, "Summons… for what?"

Zephiron replied with a low chuckle, "For battle, of course. This place is linked to Terranis, summoners from all across that realm call upon the beasts of this fortress to fight in their wars, in their conflicts. And in return, those who are summoned and prove themselves- gain power."

Boy's eyes narrowed as he processed the information, "So we're just tools for them?"

Zephiron stopped walking and turned to face him directly, "That depends on how you see it… Here, in Baltyr, we do not fight for nothing. We fight for strength. We take every battle, every kill, and we grow. That is why these beasts stay. That is why they queue to be summoned."

As they walked and Zephiron had just said this, to their side, Boy noticed a group of beasts gathered near a massive summoning circle, its arcane symbols glowing more intensely than the others. Boy could instinctively tell it was different as the arcane energy emitted by the circle was way more intense and felt strangely purer.

And it wasn't just that, unlike the other summoning circles that he had seen before, this one was enormous, large enough to fit at least a hundred beasts within its boundary.

"That's not a normal summoning circle, is it?" he asked, turning his gaze back to Zephiron.

"No, it is not…" he began, "That is a Group Summoning Circle. It is used when multiple summoners perform a mass summoning. That particular circle leads to a battlefield."

Boy felt his fur bristle, "A battlefield?"

"Yes," Zephiron replied, "Our stronghold is deeply connected to a summoning contract with the Kingdom of Eldoria."

"For generations, our warriors have fought in their battles. They provide us with a path of growth and in return, Baltyr ensures a steady supply of powerful summons for their wars."

"So you guys are tied to them?"

"To an extent…" Zephiron replied, his eyes gleaming, "But the strong always find a way to rise above. Many come here seeking to be summoned by the strongest of summoners. If you prove yourself, you will be sought after."

Boy observed the beasts near the circle as they prepared to enter the circle, "Are they treated well?"

A low growl suddenly sounded from behind Boy, making him turn. A scarred beast, larger than him, met his gaze with narrowed eyes.

"Many do not return," it said in a gravelly voice, "Summoners are not always kind masters."

Hearing these words again, it stuck with Boy as he was reminded of the nature of how deep the system of summon exploitation ran.

As he was busy thinking about this, another beast approached Zephiron, bowing slightly and they seemed to communicate.

"The next summoning cycle is approaching. We will need to assign positions," Zephiron spoke as he nodded and looked back at Boy, "I can see that you are conflicted. You do not need to decide now. But if what you wish for is power, join us, and we will grant you strength beyond what you can grasp alone."

Boy hesitated once again, "Why me? There are plenty of other beasts here, stronger and more experienced than I am. Why am I the one being chosen for this?"

"Because you are different… You have intelligence and strategy that make you different from others. I saw it in your eyes from the moment I first saw you, you have a lot of potential," Zephiron began, answering, "Many of the creatures here are strong, yes, but they are simple, driven by only instinct. I could already tell from your eyes that you are different."

Upon saying that, Boy's tail flicked behind him as he was told that he was special. It was nice to hear. He began prospecting over joining…

"I have never seen a hyena that had telepathy before."

"Alright," Boy said finally, "I'll do it."

Zephiron let out a satisfied growl, "Good. But strength must be earned. Your test will be simple."

As he said this, he walked towards a new group summoning circle which was beginning to light up, "Get yourself summoned. Fight and survive. Make it back."

Boy's ears twitched at the task, "That's it?"

Truth be told, he was expecting something a lot harder.

Zephiron merely grinned at Boy's reaction, "If you cannot do that much, you are not worthy of Baltyr."

Thus, with his decision made, Boy made his way to the circle and stepped onto the Group Summoning Circle, his eyes locking onto the glowing runes that pulsed beneath the gathered beasts.

The energy that was being radiated from it sent a shiver through his fur, a deep instinctive sense of warning emerging but he forced any form of hesitation down.

Zephiron watched with amusement as he looked down at all the beasts that were filling up the rest of the spots, "Good. The next summoning will happen soon. Stay alert, and remember- once you step into battle, there is no retreat until the summoners release you. Fight well, or perish."

The summoning circle began to activate as the runes beneath Boy began to burn brighter than any he had encountered, shifting and intertwining in ways that seemed almost alive.

A low hum followed, filling the air as it steadily rose into a deafening roar. Around him, the other beasts tensed, their forms flickering under the growing energy surge.

Unlike a normal summoning, this one wove its power around dozens at once, synchronising their fates into a singular pull.

Then, in a blinding explosion of light and aether, the summoning circle activated fully. 

And the world around him disappeared.