Stellarum

Prologue: The Summoning

19 years ago

Miles underground in a dark basement stood a man. Blood covered his body, and at his feet lay a man, er, the corpse of a man. On the ground was a summoning circle, filled with both ancient runes and Latin, written with the blood of the corpse. The man was speaking in Latin, the ancient language of the gods, and blue tendrils of light filled the basement. At the center of the circle a woman was forming, with purple hair and pallid skin. The man chanted harder and faster, and the woman became more solid with each passing moment, as the blue tendrils glowed more intense. Finally, after an eternity, the man's chanting ceased, the light faded, and the woman, fully formed, bowed before the man.

The woman opened her eyes, which were purple, and instead of pupils had white circles in the center. She began to speak, her voice melodic, and reminiscent of honey, "Master, I am the lady of sorrows, the maiden of the stars, the witch of the waters, the..."

"Yes, I am aware of who I summoned. I am William Mauro. You may refer to me as Master, or Sir, if we're in the company of unawares," The man, William, interrupted harshly.

The woman averted her eyes and nodded, embarrassed at the interruption. She noticed the body that lie of the floor and sighed, "Master, if I may be so bold, who did you kill to summon me?"

"A criminal, if you must know. He killed my sister, and this was his punishment. It seemed appropriate. Now, do you have a name, besides your full title?"

She shook her head, "No Master, I do not. I am just a spirit whose purpose is to aid my summoned, and I have not been summoned previous to this occasion. Do you wish to give me a name?"

William looked her up and down for a moment and nodded, "What do you think of Sakura?"

The woman beamed at William, "I like Sakura! So, Master, why have you summoned me, other than to make this man beneath your feet pay?"

William grimaced, "My peers view me as weak. They see me as a lesser mage, despite my lineage, and I wanted to prove that I was strong enough to summon a spirit as powerful as you, that has not been summoned before. I believed it necessary."

"I apologize, Master. I did not wish to impose. I only want to aid you in the best way possible, and to help you accomplish your goals. You are my master, and I am your summoned. I am yours to command," Sakura said.

"Ah, I see. Are you ready to make the contract, to bind yourself to me permanently?"

Sakura held her hand out towards William, and he grasped it. They both spoke in Latin, forming a contract that would name Sakura as William's slave, and William as her owner. This was detailed to highlight William's dominance over magic.

A blue X, matching William's eyes, appeared underneath Sakura's right eye, to let everyone know to whom she belonged, and the white circles that replaced her pupils turned blue.

William held Sakura's hand and led her into upstairs. They were in a luxurious living room, with windows for walls that showed the brilliant night landscape of a bustling city. The furniture was white and gilded, and the room seemed like it belonged to royalty. In one corner of this room was an elevator, and he led her to it.

They rode up, and arrived in a penthouse suite, which had to be William's room. A gigantic four-poster bed had black wood, and black and red sheets stood in the middle of the room. Every decoration was black and red, the polar opposite of the living room downstairs.

On one side there were two doors, and William instructed Sakura to "Wait here," as he delved into the right, which was a closet, in search of clothes. Sakura had none, as she was a summoned, though this did not bother her. She was only slightly uncomfortable from the cold that permeated the condominium.

William returned with underwear and one of his t-shirts, and handed them to Sakura. She put them on promptly, and waited patiently as he went into the door on the left. She wandered around his room, taking in everything. She was fascinated with the human world, and swore that would take in everything she could before she left. She eventually decided that her limbs were tired, and that the bed looked like a nice place to rest while she waited for William to return.

She laid down on the bed and looked out the window, at the city and stars. Those stars had chosen her long ago, back before, to help people.
William walked over and cleared his throat, his hair wet and in his eyes. He had a pair of pants on, but no shirt, and his hand rested on his hip.

Sakura blinked, "Was I not permitted to sit on the bed? I apologize, Master. My limbs needed rest, and I thought to alleviate them. I will move."

William sighed, "No it is fine. I overreacted. Come to bed with me. It has been a long day, and tomorrow we meet with the others. They will want to inspect you, and we both need rest for that," and crawled into bed with her. He clapped his hands and whispered, "averte."

Sakura sidled next to William and they went to sleep.