A semicircle of white a dazzling bright in the scorching rays of a mid-afternoon sun.

Amanda was dripping sweat everywhere from head to toe, you could practically see the struggle on her face with every droplet of sweat dribbling past her brow. The strain in her eyes too, half the time I worry if they're just about to bulge out of their sockets at any moment from pure concentration alone.

She nodded once as Irene and I passed her by. Got a little sneak peek of the circle too, still unfinished, but just that brief glance was enough to tell that a lotta care had been put into it. So many intricate parts, lots of wiggle lines everywhere too, even got some runic symbols of some kind following along the outer edges.

Amanda's seriously got that fantasy aesthetic down to a literal art form.

"You're actually going through with this..."

Irene remained looking as if she was drifting along with the tides of a very lucid, very woozy dream that she was hoping to wake up from any time now.

"World ain't gonna save itself," I said, bringing us to the more secluded side of the room so as not to break Amanda's zen-like focus all the way on the other end. "Just tell me what I need to do."

"Master..."

Ash was there too, I found out... cradling a paw-swiping Mr. Black in her arms, flailing the long white strands of her hair back and forth like a pinata. As endearing as it was, that wasn't the highlight here.

She's got those eyes again, the nervous-looking ones. Haven't seen those in quite a long time it feels. Almost seems like she was mimicking Irene or something, but knowing her, I'm sure her apprehension was far greater than anyone else's... certainly looks that way from where I'm standing.

"I know it is improper of an Elf-Knight to be questioning their Master's decisions, but," She held on to Black even closer. "I am... just unsure if this really was the right choice to make after all."

It took a lot out of her to say that, I could tell it did. Her little furtive glances here and there, the pursing of her lips... even the little, "Forgive me," she whispered afterwards - they really could not mean anything else.

I'm sure the normal response for a master would have been to turn livid at such a shameless display of disobedience. Not in my city, not to my servant, things like that... well here they deserve nothing but a reassuring pat on the head - like so.

"Doesn't matter if it's the right choice or not," I told her, feeling my fingers sailing right through her silky locks. "It's the only choice."

If only quelling her unease could be as simple as that. Really, it wouldn't have mattered what I told her, Ash probably knew as much about these things as Irene did. The risk, the outcome…

Ash hung her head. "There must be something I can do."

I think she thought that there was absolutely nothing she could do to help me in this. Fortunate for me, that's where she was wrong, dead wrong.

"There is," I said. "You've done it before. Think you can do it again?"

"For you, Master," Her drooping ears perked slightly, the glow of her eyes shimmered bright. "Anything."

Look at that, she was halfway doing it already, and she doesn't even have the faintest clue, but something else was still missing, something to complete the set.

I lifted her chin, met her eyes… in them, my expression was all she could see, and just like that she finally understood.

"Keep smiling for me," I said, drawing myself and my hand away.

Thought I was being a little cool there but Irene was rolling her eyes otherwise and now I just felt silly.

I already had to bury my embarrassment like six feet under to even finish that line, don't think I did a very good job at it cause I can feel trying to claw its way back up to the surface.

I moved on from Ash before that happened, practically shoving an unimpressed Irene forward with me to that little quiet spot I was referring to.

Wasn't sure at first how well I did at cheering her up from her slump… then I chance a glance back and saw something that turned that uncertainty into not-so-uncertainty.

Ash kept her chin up. No smiles yet, but that's no problem. After all, there really wasn't any reason to be smiling yet… but that can be easily rectified. I'll give her that reason.

Just gotta have to wait a bit longer.

Strangely enough, I thought I wouldn't have to deal with any more doom and gloom when it came to Irene. I don't know why I was thinking that, that's so stupid - her lesson was just as doom and gloom as her expression was.

Misery loves company, and I'll tell you what: Irene was an open invitation. I try not to let her deter me, which was especially hard since she wasn't at all trying to be subtle about her opposition to any of this either.

Nine out of ten would not recommend. Malpractice of magic. Death very likely. Sorcerer's discretion advised. Yaddy-yaddy-yadda…

I can take the hint.

Once she had finally done reading out the label warnings, Irene finally delved into the meat of the concept. Wish I could say that the process was as simple as combining the lessons I've been taught so far - well, it was that - but it was also much more nuanced than that while at the same time being so much more complex than anything else.

I'm no master magician, but I'm sure even a once-in-a-millennium prodigy would be scratching their head till they break the scalp trying to comprehend it all the first time around.

Needed to ask for a second rundown, then politely also a third… sheepishly a fourth - by the sixth reiteration, I somewhat was able to get a gist of what exactly I was supposed to be doing.

I'm not even gonna attempt to summarize it, I'm not even close to being well-versed enough to offer a rendition of my own.

Only know that if we were to line up ten of Kronocia's most gifted magic-users, offer them their own summoning circle, and gave them the same task as I - seven would have failed, two would have died pushing their limits but succeeded, and the last one would have been my mother.

Take a guess how'd she end up faring.

That comparison was, I'm pretty sure, another underhanded attempt at my confidence, trying to get it to falter. Irene must think she was pretty clever thinking that up.

She wasn't.

"Guess that means I got a fair shot, then," I said, confidence unfaltering.

If you need an example of instant regret. Crop out her face just then, stick it in a dictionary. Perfect sample.

'Take this seriously'

That was what her eyes kept telling me. Every gaze my way, little glances, long ones - they really didn't like how I could sit there, leisurely watching the afternoon skies gradually tint to the hue of blazing orange.

Amanda had done drawing the circle long before the evening even fell, as I recall it, Irene was just midway through explaining the do's and don'ts of summoning when over in the distance the clatter of a half-broken paintbrush and a croaky half-dead groan rippled throughout the room.

The finished product was less a circle and more of a ring encapsulated in a larger, more intricate ring which too was also enclosed in a border even larger than it.

Ring itself spanned a huge portion of the room, the space it took up could so easily fit a car, with enough room to spare for a motorbike on either side. She did all that work all the while holding a broken paintbrush, seriously if that's not talent, I don't know what is.

Right then, I thought I should get it over with while daylight while still burning bright outside. But it was Irene, once again, who stood firmly in opposition to my proposition.

That's why now, we all fell into our own secluded corners of the room, why the liquid white of the summoning circle continued to just be left out to dry, why we let daylight burn away into darkness.

Because we needed that darkness.

Theory was solid enough. The night was black, and black was a color well-suited for this kind of ritual. No guarantees it'll have the desired effects, but every little bit helps right?

No one was up for much chatter the whole time. Everyone had already said what they needed to say. Yeah, no talks… but there were certainly a lot of glances thrown around here and there.

And call me crazy, but I have a feeling I was being watched here more than any other. Just a hunch, though.

Amanda had this peculiar stare going for her. It felt like she wanted to say something, but at the same time, didn't. As the night rapidly approaches, the instances became more frequent and apparent.

If I had to guess, I think she overhead the countless risks that this impromptu, improper summoning would carry and was starting to have second thoughts.

How I was so sure? Cause Irene was staring at me the same way - that 'take this serious' gaze, it always there looming… disapproving of my laxness, casualness. The way I could breathe the air so light and easy.

Here's a little secret though - I wasn't. I'm fucking terrified. I'm shaking inside, suffocating inside. I know how dying felt like it, and knowing that made it even scarier, that's a feeling you don't want to feel like again.

People say it's just like falling asleep. That isn't true. Dying felt like drowning. You're struggling to keep yourself up the surface while you're being pulled from under. You try to fight it, but you lose… you always lose. Then before you know it, you're under.

Not the best feeling.

Was that something they should know? Should I just further affirm their stances by telling them I was scared? Will that really make things better?

I was making light of things being I didn't feel light. I didn't take it serious because I was taking it serious. I didn't look scared, because I am scared.

More than anyone could ever know.

Can't back out now, can't look for any alternatives, I have to see this through - I needed, against all odds, to persevere.

Cause ready or not, here comes the night, darkening the grey concrete all around to a foreboding black.

That's my cue.

I stood up, and everybody did too. Once again, stares all around as I made my way to the middle of the room.

Irene's.

Amanda's.

Looking at Ash's was always the hardest. They always glimmered their best in the darkest of nights, and it was especially dark tonight. I don't think I've ever mentioned to her how beautiful her eyes were.

After tonight. I'll be sure I'll tell her that after tonight. That'll be her reason to smile.

For now… I was back to kneeling at center stage, holding my hands out at the border of an empty circle.

Now that I think about it, it's kinda funny...

I'm about to summon a fantasy villain to the modern realm to help save the world from a dangerous calamity.

This is seriously all sorts of backwards.

Sera Nas.

You better be worth dying for.