*Scritch* *Scratch*

The rough scraping of chalk against wood echoed inside a small, worn-down house nestled deep in the forest. The night was dark, but the moonlight streamed through the cracks and holes in the walls and windows, revealing a child crouched on the floor, intently writing. Though the room was dim, he moved with ease—he was used to the darkness.

He had lived alone in this fragile cottage for years. Of course, he was accustomed to it.

With a single thought in mind, he continued to drag the chalk across the floor.

"I hope this works…"

Minutes passed. The once-chaotic room, cluttered with scattered furniture, now held something new—a completed magic circle. The child carefully checked it, comparing every detail to the instructions in the old book he had copied from.

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

"It’s perfect."

His dusty fingers traced the circle in the book as warmth filled his chest.

"Just one final step… Mom, please guide me."

Flipping to the next page, he searched for the chant to activate the magic circle. This book—written by his late mother, a summoner—was his only treasure. She had gifted it to him on his sixth birthday, hoping he would one day follow in her footsteps.

It had been two years since she passed. Two long years of solitude. He had spent them in this house, unable to leave, longing for companionship. His mother had always been close to her summoned spirits. If he could summon one just like his mother, perhaps he wouldn’t feel so alone anymore.

Clutching the book tightly to his chest, he took a deep breath and began to read the chant.

As he spoke, the magic circle lit up. A black fog spilled out, creeping across the room like a living shadow.

Then, from within the fog, two glowing red orbs appeared.

A low, rumbling voice followed.

"Oh? You are… the summoner?"

The child trembled, unable to respond. His eyes remained fixed on those eerie orbs.

But as the fog slowly dispersed, the figure revealed itself—not a monstrous being, but a small, white rabbit.

The rabbit stood within the glowing magic circle, its tiny form adorned with an animal skull headpiece, a gray vest, a red bow tie, and a different magic circle floating behinf it. It smiled at the child, its crimson eyes twinkling with amusement.

Fear melted into confusion… and then excitement.

"Are you the spirit that answered my call? Are you my summoned spirit?" he asked eagerly.

The rabbit’s smile never wavered. Lifting a hand, it conjured a wooden staff from thin air and pointed it at the boy.

"Close, but not quite," the rabbit replied. "I did answer your call, but I am not your summoned spirit. I am the guardian of all spirits, especially Guardian-type spirits."

"Guardian-type spirits…" the child whispered.

He knew about them from his mother’s book. Most spirits were elemental, forming the foundation of the world—the earth, wind, trees, even light and darkness. But Guardian-type spirits were different. They weren’t bound to nature’s elements, and each possessed a unique, irreplaceable ability. Unlike elemental spirits, they were rare, and little was known about them.

But nowhere in his mother’s book had he read about someone guarding them.

‘Is he a Guardian-type spirit, too?’ he wondered.

The rabbit gestured to the magic circle glowing behind him.

"This circle is meant to summon your Guardian spirit. My duty is to assess summoners, to determine whether they have the qualifications to form a contract with a Guardian-type spirit. If you fail… I will simply leave, and no Guardian spirit will appear."

The boy’s heart pounded.

"Assess!?"

He hadn’t read anything about that! Then again, he hadn’t read the entire book yet—only the parts where he could summon, since those were what his mother kept reading for him.

The rabbit turned to face him fully.

"In simpler terms, I am A JUDGE."

The soft, casual tone from before deepened, layered with the same low voice that had first spoken in the fog.

The child clutched his loose, white sleeves over his chest. Saying he wasn't afraid of the rabbit would be a lie. But more than the reabbit, he was more terrified that he might not be qualified.

‘If I don’t qualify… does that mean I can’t summon a spirit at all?’

His mind swirled with panic. But before he could drown in his thoughts, the rabbit spoke again.

"And as a judge… I declare you QUALIFIED!"

The ominous voice vanished, replaced by the rabbit’s usual cheerful tone at the end.

The boy blinked in shock.

"I… qualify?" he asked hesitantly.

"Congratulations!" the rabbit chirped. "Shall we summon your Guardian spirit now?"

Excitement overtook uncertainty. He nodded eagerly.

The magic circle behind the rabbit flared even brighter. Shielding his eyes from the light, the boy squinted as a figure began to take shape.

When the glow faded, he slowly lowered his hands—and gasped.

The spirit standing before him was unlike his mother’s animal-like summons.

This one… had a human form.

Long black hair faded into white at the ends. She had the tall, developed figure of an adult, with sharp, ruby-red eyes that resembled those of a snake.

The boy stared at her. Her gaze initially darted around the room frantically and when her eyes landed on him, she stared back.

Then, her expression twisted into irritation. 

"Where the hell am I?! And who is this kid?!" she snapped.

The boy flinched. Before he could react, the woman spotted the rabbit and lunged forward, but the rabbit casually tapped her with his wooden staff, freezing her in place.

"This is your Guardian spirit," the rabbit stated, completely unfazed.

The woman scowled. Though her body couldn’t move, she could talk.

"What the hell are you talking about?! What Guardian Spirit?!" she spat. "Why do I have to do that?!"

The boy’s heart sank.

Spirits were free beings—they choose their summoners just as summoners choose them. If she refused, no contract could be made.

Before he could plead, the rabbit spoke first.

"You don’t have a choice," it said matter-of-factly. "Fate has already decided. He is the only one who can contract with you."

The woman’s scowl deepened. The boy, however, felt something entirely different.

"A spirit… just for me?" he whispered.

The rabbit’s grin widened.

"That’s right! You two are bound by fate. So, shall we make it official?"

The boy hesitated, glancing at the woman. Her expression screamed refusal.

He wanted to respect her choice, but before he could second-guess himself, the rabbit added, “You won’t be able to summon any other spirits if you refuse this one. Every time you try to summon a spirit, she will be the one to always appear. So, unless you make a contract with her, no other spirits will respond to your call boy. Fate is strong.”

Upon hearing that, the boy’s resolve hardened.

He turned back to the rabbit and nodded.

With a flick of the rabbit's staff, a thin yellow string appeared and wrapped around both their left index fingers.

"State your names to finalize the contract," the rabbit instructed.

The woman exhaled sharply. She clearly had no choice.

"Acel Sweets," she muttered bitterly.

"Raquel Cappet," the boy responded.

Their names floated into the air, glowing before sinking into their chests.

Acel clutched at herself, confused—until suddenly, pain gripped her heart like chains tightening around it.

"What the—?!" She gasped, doubling over. Her breath hitched as the pain grew unbearable.

Raquel stepped forward in concern, but the rabbit spoke first.

"Relax. She’ll be fine. This happened because she wasn’t fully willing. It’s a rebound."

Raquel turned to him. "Rebound?"

The rabbit gave him a sorrowful smile.

"She’s new to this. Teach her, and she’ll teach you."

And with that, the rabbit vanished like dust in the wind.

Raquel was left alone… with an unconscious Acel.

What was he supposed to do now?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A pair of ruby-colored eyes fluttered open, and Acel tried to sit up by using her arm as a stand, however she couldn't move her hand at all and it felt heavy. She then looked at her arm only to see a child was curled up as he tightly gripped on her arm.

She frowned, confusion washing over her.

“What the hell is going on? And where even am I?” she muttered, rubbing her temples.