Academy of Magic

At the Eldoria Arcana Academy, every student was assigned a magical rank upon admission.

F.

E.

D.

C.

B.

A.

S.

And, in extremely rare cases, Legendary.

Rank determined each student's magical talent and their chances of receiving a powerful being during the Binding Ceremony—a ritual in which each student summoned a being to accompany and protect them throughout their lives.

The most talented students usually summoned dragons, noble demons, ancestral spirits, or legendary guardians.

The less gifted received weak or ordinary creatures.

And then there was Anna.

Rank F.

The student with the lowest magical affinity in the entire academy.

The ridicule was constant.

• He'll probably call the squirrel.

— Not even a squirrel.

— Perhaps the magic circle won't work at all.

Laughter echoed throughout the vast ceremonial hall.

One by one the students moved forward.

Ice dragon.

High-ranking demon.

Spiritual Knight.

Phoenix.

Applause filled the hall.

Then it was Anna's turn.

The hall burst into laughter again.

Anna lowered her gaze and slowly walked to the center of the magic circle.

She felt hundreds of eyes staring at her.

Some mockingly.

Others with pity.

Even a few teachers seemed to expect failure.

She took a deep breath.

Raised her hands.

And she began the ritual.