Thronebound Summoner

Within the world of Elar'un, humans from Earth began to appear after the portals opened. Their arrivals were random, sometimes deadly. A portal might have opened in the middle of an ocean, or even inside a volcano. The lucky ones landed near or within a city, where they encountered the native humans of this world.

This, too, had its pros and cons.

Some Earthlings were welcomed and granted high positions thanks to their knowledge. Others were branded as slaves. A few were even killed for trespassing into forbidden areas or causing unrest.

The only certainty was that being in this new world gave most a second chance at life.

Many humans found themselves suddenly capable of wielding spirit magic, though not all were so fortunate.

For Biron, it was a blessing.

After the Project Aethergate Incident, he found himself in a new city—a thriving one—alongside twenty families who had entered with him and were all from the same shelter back on Earth.

The boy had been an orphan on Earth, but in Elar'un, he met a kind family who took him in—refugees, just like him.

He was fourteen, healthy, and strong enough to earn his keep back at the shelter on Earth. Even better, not long after his arrival, he was tested and discovered he could use the spirit magic of this world.

He was thrilled.

This was his chance to help his new family build a real home—something Biron had struggled with since losing his real family three years ago.

His adoptive family now consisted of four others: the twins, his little brother and sister, and their adoptive mother and father.

Sadly, only the twins possessed summoning abilities. Their parents did not. And while the twins had potential, they were still far too young to contribute.

Fortunately, Biron could, entering the local school to learn how to summon, not only provided them with education but also the funds necessary to continue studying and a higher position than the regular citizens.

Life in this new world seemed like it would not be bad—his adoptive father, who had been skilled in finances back on Earth, quickly found work helping the local merchants' guild.

The place they had arrived in was a bustling city of around two hundred thousand people.

Within it, a total of forty-something people from Earth arrived on the first day; however, more continued to appear every day—from the wilds, the mountainsides, and even from the sea.

"So, Biron, are you going to join the Great School of Summoning? I heard your siblings won't be able to attend until they reach the age of thirteen… which will be next year, sadly."

Biron looked at his adoptive father, Harris Marron, a man nearing thirty-five, with light brown hair with a bushy mustache, and light amber eyes, as he got ready to head off to his new job that very day.

The man looked worried—it was his first day at work—but he was also trying to grow closer to the boy his wife had taken in as a new son.

"Yes," Biron nodded. "Don't worry, I'll help you both pay for the food with my first payment. They said that after each week of study, we'll be given twenty silver coins—roughly a hundred bucks back on Earth, give or take. Not a lot, but at least the rent's cheap."

Biron, who had once earned barely a third of that on Earth and had to give half of it to the shelter just to be allowed to live inside the protective walls. He was ecstatic.

"Thank you, but let's see how it goes for me first. If possible, use that first payment to buy whatever you need for school first."

That was what Biron liked about his new family; they seemed to always look at the bright side of things. He nodded towards his adoptive father's words and finished putting on his insignia.

This would show that he was a new student.

He checked himself in the mirror—the only one the rental house had come with—and studied his reflection. His ash-black, mid-length hair was unevenly cut, as if he had trimmed it himself. He wasn't the most handsome kid. Thin and slightly lanky from years of poor meals, his build still spoke of hardship—but that would change soon. Or so he hoped.

His round face still held traces of childhood. His dark brown eyes looked too serious for his age, and his skin remained an unhealthy pale from spending so much time in the shelter.

Just as he was about to leave, he sensed the presence of both kids behind him. While his new sister was never particularly welcoming, his brother Terry had quickly become a close friend. The eleven-year-old, like his father and mother, treated Biron kindly from the start.

The two twins had inherited their father's features and their mother's beauty.

Terry wore his short hair cropped neatly—cut by their mother—while his sister's long, braided hair hung over her shoulders.

Both had the same light brown hair as their father, though a shade lighter, and shared the same warm amber eyes.

"I hope I can go to school next year, sadly, I can't quite feel my magic yet…" Terry tried to summon as they had taught them during the test; he was given a wand to practice and needed to use it daily until the magic inside of it ran out before getting it recharged for a small fee in the temple.

As for Biron, he had also been given one of the wands. He would soon learn to wield its power and complete what he had attempted to summon the day before—the moment they were brought into this world and tested.

Within a few minutes, he stepped out of the house, offering a quick farewell to his new mother, who was busy sweeping outside the small rented home they had been given.

They were considered one of the better-off families among the group of refugees, thanks to the three children who had shown talent in magic.

"You're leaving already? Did you finish all the food I served?" she asked, pausing her sweeping. "I don't even know what half of those vegetables were, but after living in the shelter, you should know by now—we can make something edible out of anything."

The woman, around thirty-two, with neatly braided hair much like her daughter's, gently placed her hands on his shoulders, just enough to show her concern for her new adoptive child.

"I ate all of it, thanks. I'll be back later when school's out…"

Biron was still a little tense around his new mother. He did his best not to seem distant, but the discomfort was only natural for now.

Sensing this, Wendy gave his shoulders a reassuring pat before letting go.

"Don't worry about it—and try to stay safe. We'll be here waiting when you return, alright?"

She winked at him and gave him another light pat on the back to send him off.

"Alright… see you later, then…"

Biron sighed and started running. In the distance, he could already see others like him wearing uniforms—children who were native to this world. To speak with them, he would need the help of the guide, a voice that came from the wand itself.

That was why he always carried it with him whenever he stepped outside.

As for direction, he just needed to follow those who wore the same uniform as him; they were all going to the same place.