Weakest Summoner

Chapter 11: The Wolf Who Remembered

Luna had spoken.

Not through their bond.

Not through a magical message.

Not through the system.

She had spoken with her own voice.

"Master..."

Kael stood completely still.

For ten chapters, Luna had been his companion, his protector, and the first creature to believe in him when the world considered him worthless.

He had watched her evolve from a tiny Lesser Wolf Pup into an Azure Fang Wolf capable of fighting monsters far beyond her original rank.

But never—not once—had he imagined hearing her speak.

And now she was looking directly at him with eyes that held something older than the world around them.

"I remember."

Kael swallowed.

"Luna... what do you remember?"

The silver-blue wolf lowered her head.

For a moment, she looked frightened.

Then she stepped closer and pressed her forehead against his hand.

A warm blue light spread between them.

[WARNING: Abnormal Soul Resonance Detected]

[Summon: Luna]

Species: Azure Fang Wolf

Rank: E+

Level: 7

Bond: 4%

New Classification: Unavailable

Ancient Soul Signature: Detected

Warning: This summon may possess memories predating the current contract.

Kael stared at the message.

"Memories predating our contract?"

Luna closed her eyes.

"Not everything," she whispered. "Only fragments."

Kael knelt before her.

"Then tell me whatever you can."

Before she could answer, the Null Apostle let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh.

"No. No, that is impossible."

Its dark body flickered near the damaged Archive Core.

"The wolf was supposed to be nothing more than a vessel for your new life."

Kael slowly stood.

"What did you say?"

The Null Apostle turned toward Luna.

Its faceless head tilted.

"That creature was never supposed to awaken."

Kael's voice became cold.

"What do you know about her?"

"More than you do."

The black figure raised one hand.

A dark summoning circle formed beneath Luna's paws.

She cried out.

"Luna!"

Kael reached for her, but the floor erupted with black chains.

They wrapped around Luna's legs.

Her body glowed blue as she struggled against them.

The Null Apostle laughed.

"Let's see whether your precious companion remembers enough to save herself."

Kael's summoning mark burned.

"Release her!"

The chains tightened.

Luna snarled, but something about the sound was different.

It carried a strange resonance that shook the entire library.

Then she spoke one word.

"Enough."

The blue light around her exploded.

Every black chain shattered.

The Null Apostle staggered backward.

For the first time, its voice contained genuine terror.

"That command..."

Luna lifted her head.

Her eyes shone like twin blue stars.

"I remember that voice."

A circle of ancient runes appeared beneath her.

Kael watched as the Azure Fang Wolf's body began to change.

Her silver-blue fur grew brighter. Thin golden markings appeared along her legs and back, forming patterns that resembled ancient summoning script.

A crown-shaped symbol appeared on her forehead.

The system flashed.

[Emergency Evolution Event Detected]

Summon: Luna

Evolution Condition: Unknown

Ancient Bloodline: Awakening

Evolution Progress: 17%

Warning: Forced evolution may damage the soul.

Evolution suspended pending the Summoner's decision.

Kael immediately reached toward the message.

"Cancel it!"

The progress stopped.

The golden markings faded slightly.

Luna collapsed onto her front paws, breathing heavily.

Kael rushed to her side.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"No. But..."

She looked at him.

"I almost remembered everything."

Kael gently touched her forehead.

"Then we won't force it. Whatever your past is, we can discover it together."

Luna stared at him for several seconds.

Then she smiled.

It was a small, almost human expression.

"You're still the same."

Kael's heart skipped.

"What do you mean?"

Luna looked away.

"Nothing. Not yet."

The Null Apostle suddenly roared.

"ENOUGH!"

Black energy spread through the library.

The remaining magical constructs shattered. Books burst into flames, and the walls began to c***k.

"You cannot simply take her away from us!"

Kael turned toward the enemy.

"Take her away?"

His expression hardened.

"You've already lost."

The Null Apostle's body expanded.

Dark armor formed around its limbs. Several red eyes opened across its faceless head.

"You still believe this is a battle you can win?"

It pointed at Kael.

"You have three percent of your former authority. Your memories are damaged. Your summons are incomplete."

Its attention shifted to Luna.

"And that wolf is merely a fragment of something that should never have survived."

Kael stepped in front of Luna.

"Say whatever you want about me."

His summoning mark glowed.

"But leave her out of this."

The Null Apostle laughed.

"Then die protecting her."

It attacked.

### The Bond Beyond Rank

The Null Apostle crossed the chamber in an instant.

Kael barely raised his arm before a black blade struck him.

CLANG!

The Abyssal Iron Wolf appeared between them.

Its armored tail intercepted the attack.

The impact sent both creatures sliding backward.

"Thank you!"

Kael's second summon growled.

Dark-blue markings blazed along its body.

The wolf lunged, using Abyssal Fang.

The Null Apostle blocked with one arm.

A shockwave blasted through the library.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Even after restoring the Archive Core, the enemy remained incredibly powerful.

His Ancient Summoner Authority might have frightened it, but his body was still weak.

His mana was nearly depleted.

And his summons were exhausted.

He needed a different approach.

The system appeared.

[Combat Analysis Available]

Enemy: Null Apostle

Threat Level: S

Defensive Barrier: Active

Weakness: Unstable connection to physical vessel

Recommended Action: Disrupt the connection between the Apostle and its vessel.

Kael's gaze sharpened.

"Vessel..."

He remembered what the Null Apostle had said.

The wolf was supposed to be nothing more than a vessel for your new life.

If the Apostle was using a vessel, perhaps it wasn't truly standing in front of him.

Perhaps it was controlling something from somewhere else.

"Seraphina!"

The silver-haired mage emerged from behind a collapsed shelf.

"I can hear you!"

"Can you identify where its mana originates?"

She raised her staff and closed her eyes.

Blue runes spiraled around her.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then her expression changed.

"Kael! Its mana isn't coming from its body!"

"Where is it coming from?"

She pointed toward the floor.

"Below us!"

Kael looked down.

The stone beneath the Null Apostle was covered in a nearly invisible black circle.

The same symbol he had seen in his memory.

Three claw marks inside a black ring.

"The Void Court..."

Seraphina nodded.

"I think this is a summoning anchor!"

Kael immediately understood.

The Null Apostle wasn't merely fighting them.

It had connected itself to the Forbidden Archives.

As long as the anchor remained active, it could keep manifesting its power.

"Can you destroy it?"

"I can try!"

"Do it!"

Seraphina began chanting.

The Null Apostle noticed.

Its head snapped toward her.

"You insignificant mage!"

A spear of darkness shot toward Seraphina.

Kael moved instinctively.

"Resonance Command!"

Blue light erupted around him.

For one brief moment, he shared the senses of both summons.

He saw the attack through Luna's eyes.

He saw its trajectory through the Abyssal Iron Wolf's.

He moved before the spear reached Seraphina.

His sword struck the dark projectile.

BOOM!

The explosion threw him backward.

Pain ripped through his arm.

But Seraphina remained unharmed.

"Kael!"

"I'm fine!"

He wasn't.

His right hand was numb, and his vision blurred.

But he forced himself to stand.

"Luna! The anchor!"

She immediately understood.

The Azure Fang Wolf charged.

The Null Apostle tried to intercept her, but the Abyssal Iron Wolf slammed into its side.

DARK ROAR!

The creature's roar disrupted the Apostle's movement.

Luna darted past them.

AZURE DASH!

She struck the black circle.

CRACK!

A thin fracture appeared.

Seraphina thrust her staff forward.

"ARCANE LANCE!"

A beam of concentrated magic struck the same point.

The circle shattered.

For one second, the Null Apostle became completely transparent.

Kael saw something behind it.

A distant chamber.

A black crystal suspended inside a massive machine.

And a person standing beside it.

The person wore a white mask.

They turned toward Kael.

Even across the impossible distance, Kael felt their gaze.

Then the vision vanished.

The Null Apostle screamed.

Its body broke apart into fragments of darkness.

"No! The connection!"

Kael raised his hand.

"Get out of my academy."

The crown symbol on his arm flashed.

A blue summoning circle appeared beneath the enemy.

The Null Apostle looked down.

Its red eyes widened.

"Arven..."

The circle activated.

The creature was dragged into the darkness.

Its final words echoed through the library.

"The White Mask has already found the next vessel."

Then it disappeared.

Silence returned.

Kael dropped to one knee.

The system appeared.

[Combat Event Complete]

Enemy: Null Apostle

Manifestation disrupted.

True entity status: Alive.

Experience gained: 1,200

Level: 5 → 6

Mana restored: 10

New skill unlocked: Ancient Seal

Description: Temporarily disrupts hostile magical contracts and summoning anchors.

Warning: Effectiveness depends on the user's authority and the target's power.

Kael barely glanced at the reward.

He turned toward Luna.

She was standing in the center of the shattered summoning circle.

The golden markings on her body had almost disappeared.

But the crown symbol remained on her forehead.

"Luna?"

She looked at him.

"Master."

Kael approached carefully.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

She nodded.

Then she looked at the place where the Null Apostle had vanished.

"No. Something is wrong."

"What?"

Luna lowered her head.

"The enemy wasn't trying to kill us."

Kael frowned.

"It attacked all of us."

"Yes. But it was trying to make me remember."

A cold feeling settled in Kael's stomach.

"Why?"

Luna looked at him.

"Because my memories are connected to yours."

She paused.

"And because I was there when you died."

Kael couldn't speak.

Seraphina lowered her staff.

"What do you mean, Luna?"

The wolf closed her eyes.

"I don't remember everything. But I remember the battlefield."

Kael's heart pounded.

"The battlefield from my memory?"

She nodded.

"I remember Aurelius."

Her eyes became distant.

"And I remember a man wearing a white mask."

Kael clenched his fist.

"The White Mask."

Luna looked directly at him.

"He wasn't one of the enemies."

Kael's expression changed.

"Then who was he?"

Luna's voice trembled.

"He was the one who stood beside you."

Silence filled the library.

Kael remembered the ancient battlefield.

Aurelius had said they were fighting former allies.

The Null Apostle had mentioned the Void Court.

And now Luna was telling him that the person wearing the white mask had once stood beside him.

Perhaps the greatest enemy had once been his closest companion.

But there was something else.

Something Luna hadn't explained.

"Why were you there?" Kael asked quietly.

Luna looked down.

"I don't know what I was back then."

She lifted her eyes.

"But I remember what you told me before the battle."

Kael held his breath.

"What did I say?"

Luna stepped forward and pressed her forehead against his chest.

"You told me that if you ever disappeared, I had to find you."

Her voice became softer.

"And if you ever returned..."

She looked up at him.

"I had to make sure you never stood alone again."

Kael felt something tighten inside his chest.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Then he knelt and wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Then you did exactly what I asked."

Luna closed her eyes.

Kael smiled faintly.

"And this time, you won't have to search for me."

He rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm right here."

The crown symbol on Luna's forehead glowed.

A warm blue light surrounded them.

The system appeared again.

[Soul Resonance Confirmed]

Summoner: Kael Arven

Summon: Luna

Bond Strength: 4% → 8%

Hidden Trait Unlocked: Soulbound Memory

Description: The Summoner and a compatible summon may recover fragments of shared past experiences.

Additional Effect: Bonded summons may resist forced contract interference.

Kael smiled.

"Eight percent."

Luna wagged her tail.

"Still low."

Kael laughed.

"You're starting to sound like Seraphina."

"I heard that," Seraphina said from behind him.

For the first time that night, Kael laughed without forcing it.

Then the laughter faded.

Because the library had begun changing.

The shattered shelves slowly repaired themselves.

The damaged crystals relit.

And the Archive Core projected a new image into the air.

A map.

Kael stepped forward.

"What's that?"

Seraphina studied the glowing lines.

"It looks like a map of the ancient world."

Kael recognized the mountains.

The forests.

The ruins surrounding Ironroot.

But one location was marked with a brilliant golden symbol.

A tower standing beyond the northern borders of Elarion.

Beneath it were four words.

THE CRADLE OF SUMMONING.

Kael's system activated.

[Memory Fragment 3 — Location Identified]

Target: The Cradle of Summoning

Distance: Unknown

Access Condition: Recover the First Summon's Origin.

Additional Requirement: Ancient Summoner Authority — 5%

Current Authority: 3%

Kael stared at the map.

The next step was clear.

He needed to discover where Luna had come from.

But before he could ask another question, the map flickered.

A final message appeared.

[Emergency Notice]

The White Mask has initiated the Vessel Selection Ritual.

Candidate vessels detected: 7

One candidate has a confirmed connection to the Summoner.

Kael's face went pale.

"Seven vessels?"

Seraphina nodded slowly.

"What does that mean?"

The map changed.

A portrait appeared.

A young man with silver hair, pale skin, and a calm expression.

Kael recognized him immediately.

He had seen that face in the academy courtyard.

He had spoken to him only once.

Darius Valen.

Kael stared at the portrait.

"No..."

The system delivered its final warning.

[Target: Darius Valen]

Vessel Compatibility: 67%

Ritual Completion: 12%

Estimated Time Until Possession: 72 Hours

Kael's blood ran cold.

Darius had mocked him during the Awakening Ceremony.

He was an arrogant noble, an A-Rank Warrior, and one of the most promising students in Elarion.

But he was also a person.

Someone who had no idea that an ancient enemy was preparing to take over his body.

Kael clenched his fist.

"I have to find him."

Seraphina looked at the countdown.

"Seventy-two hours."

Luna stood beside Kael.

The Abyssal Iron Wolf emerged from his shadow.

Kael looked toward the academy gates.

He had spent his life trying to prove that the weakest Summoner could become strong.

Now he faced a different challenge.

Saving someone who had once treated him as worthless.

He didn't know whether Darius would believe him.

He didn't know whether Darius would even listen.

But he knew one thing.

He wouldn't allow another person to lose their life because of the ancient war.

Not again.

"Seraphina," Kael said, his voice firm. "Find out where Darius is."

"And if he refuses to cooperate?"

Kael looked at Luna.

Then at the map.

"Then I'll drag him away from that ritual myself."

Far beyond the academy, inside a chamber illuminated by black crystals, a young man stood before a mirror.

Darius Valen touched his reflection.

For a brief moment, his silver eyes turned completely black.

A second voice whispered from inside his mind.

"Soon, young warrior."

Darius staggered.

"Get out of my head."

The voice laughed.

"Your body will make an excellent vessel."

Darius grabbed the edge of the table.

"Who are you?"

The mirror cracked.

And from its dark surface, a white mask stared back at him.

"I am the one who remembers your true master."

Darius screamed.

The ritual advanced.

Completion: 13%.

Time Remaining: 71 hours, 59 minutes.

And the hunt for the next vessel had begun.

END OF CHAPTER 11 :::