He looked around at the blank nothingness surrounding him. He was currently standing in nothing, if you could call it standing that is, there was after all no floor. Or walls or a ceiling for that matter, it was all just an endless nothingness.

Where was he?

Who was he for that matter.

He found he could not remember anything except some scattered memories that slipped through his mind like sand between his fingers.

He was dead wasn't he? That meant that this was the afterlife.

But that couldn't be right could it? There was nothing, absolutely nothing, where was the golden streets and the angels? Or the fire and demons? So was he in purgatory awaiting his trial to see if it was heaven or hell for his soul.

After an immeasurable amount of time he nodded, he had to be waiting for the decision.

A powerful force started to pull him. “Hm, heaven or hell?” he wondered. The nothingness started to brighten around him. “White light, hmm, that’s a plus, I’m glad it isn’t red.” A searing pain ran through his body, and he fell down onto all fours. His body convulsed and rippled, the pain was unbearable, and he heard a sound, an inhuman cry of anger pain and rage. It took him a moment to realize that that sound was his own voice.

The pain was excruciating, with a roar he was unaware he could even make he opened his eyes. He found himself bound in a shallow pool of blood or so he assumed it was from the sticky feeling and the dark red color.

Archaic writings surrounded the pool. ‘so, I am actually going to hell huh?’ he thought bitterly. He raised his head and started to look around. There were creatures surrounding him. To his surprise however they were not demons or hell spawn waiting to torture him, rather they looked like normal people, no horns or claws or hideous deformities to be seen.

He took a closer look at the people as they stood just out of the pool of blood. They all looked to be around 17 or so, almost like high schoolers. No high school ever had a uniform like they were wearing however.

They were all clothed in matching robes, the majority of which was a fiery red, accented by yellows and oranges.

They all looked the same with their hoods up and there faces concealed deep within the folds. With the exception of two older people that is, one man dressed in white with a long black beard and hair that reached down to the middle of his back. And a woman who looked like she was in her mid-forties with auburn hair.

The crowd around him started to murmur and chatter excitedly as they looked at him. He found he couldn't understand what they were saying, though that might be a combination of his current confused state and the low volume they were currently speaking in.

“Huh? What?” he heard a person make a few sounds, he couldn't understand her but he could hear the surprise in her voice. Looking over he found one of the robed younger people was standing closer to him.

It was a girl that almost looked like an elf, standing roughly five feet tall, with silver hair that came down to her shoulders, a beautiful angular face, golden eyes, and a slim frame and form that gave her a doll like appearance.

She was currently holding a short stick and pointing it in his direction. Wand, that was the only thing that could be he thought to himself.

“A human?” one of the robed people said. “Lira summoned a person as her familiar?” he looked at the crowd of individuals, who were currently staring at him in shock.

He attempted to stand up, only to receive a particularly painful shock that ran through his entire body. He fell to the floor writhing in pain. But as soon as the pain had faded it was replaced with something else.

Rage.

With a snarl he shot up, out of the pool of blood and threw himself against the fetters and chains. Pain shot through him but he ignored it, focusing only on the anger that was burning inside of him like hell’s own inferno.

The crowd of people jumped back in fright at his ferocity. “Don’t worry students, he can’t escape from the circle, those chains are capable of holding S class familiars.” stated the older woman. Just as she was comforting her students there was a terrifying sound.

rrrrrrrrr…

The chains groaned in protest from his onslaught. “Wha?!” she said, turning back to the trapped man in disbelief, just as a crystalline sound rang out as the chains holding his arms and neck broke. With a roar he rushed forward.

He roared in anger and rage however before he could reach the woman who had now fallen over in the pool of blood, staining her white robes red, a wall of blood rose in front of him and caged him in. He threw himself against the new barrier, roaring in rage and anger, his teeth bared in a primal threat as he relentlessly threw himself against the fluid wall, to no avail.

“Agrond? How was he able to do that?” The woman yelled looking at the older man, who was currently kneeling with one hand in the pool of blood, a bead of sweat rode down his forehead and dripped off of his nose into the pool.

“Evacuate the students, Mitra I doubt I can hold him for more than five minutes.” The man named Agrond growled, as more sweat dripped off of him.

“Everyone out! Now!” Mitra yelled pushing the already panicking students towards the exit. Everyone exited the room as quickly as possible, everyone except one girl.

She walked forward, towards the raging man.

“Lira, what are you doing?” Yelled Mitra as she frantically reached out to grab the young girl, but Lira ignored her.

“I understand,” she said softly to the raging man, who paused in his assault and looked at her. “You are confused, and no one is explaining anything to you.” She placed a hand on the wall of blood. She spoke softly, and though he couldn't understand what she was saying he felt something stir inside him.

Even on the other side of the barrier he could hear her perfectly. “I can answer those questions, I can tell you many things about this world, and if you agree to be my familiar I can promise you will not be a slave, but a partner.”

Mitra had stopped moving and looked back and forth between the familiar and the small fearless girl. He had stopped his rage, and was currently staring deeply into her golden eyes “I do not have riches to give, nor anything else material. However I need your help so I will give you myself, everything I am and will be is yours, and all I ask is that you help me achieve my goals.”

The man looked into her eyes, there was no deceit or ill will to be found, just determination.. He backed up off the wall. He had no idea what the girl had just said, but he found himself trusting her, even against his better judgment.

He looked over at the man who had his hand in the pool of blood, he was breathing heavily his brow soaked in sweat, and back at the small girl on the other side of the barrier. With a sigh he decided to trust the girl, for good or ill he sat himself back down in the blood well away from the barrier.

“Professor Agrond, can you let the barrier down?” Lira asked looking back at the man.

“I can’t Lira, it is too dangerous, I doubt I could get the barrier back up in time to protect you if he decides to attack again.” The man croaked in a hoarse voice.

“Very well then, I will just enter it myself.”

“No! Lira don’t! ” Mitra yelled lunging forward to grab the girl. But she was too slow as Lira pushed her way through the membrane of the barrier.

“To seal the pact there needs to be an act of acceptance, a slave kisses the master’s foot, a serf kisses the hand, a partner kisses the lips.” her cheeks burned red as she slowly approached the man.

Not knowing what she was doing he allowed her to put her hands on either side of his head. With a quick movement she leaned in and placed her lips on his. An electric shock ran through his body as their lips touched and surge of energy that rendered him unable to move. His vision started to go black, and before he could react he fell back into the pool of blood unconscious.

Lira hissed in pain and held the back of her right hand. Slowly letting go she inspected the spot that had just flared up in pain. There on the back of her hand was a newly engraved symbol.

It was a Lion’s head with a flaming main.

She looked down at the man currently lying unconscious in the pool of blood. He was around the age of twenty or so she would guess, with a handsome face that was adorned in red hair and a short matching red beard.

He was also stark naked.

With a blush she pulled off her outer robes she covered him up, but not before getting a good look however. She sighed as she looked at him, what was she going to do now? No one had ever had a human for a familiar, not that she had known of at least.

Was he human however? That strength, and add that to the fact she had never seen or heard of a human that had red eyes and hair. Other than those features he looked human, this would require more research…