⠀The emptiness around them was a bitter cold. They could see nothing. They heard nothing. Wherever they were, it was far away. From what? They did not know. As they existed in this nothingness, a thought came to their mind.
⠀Have you ever had anyone you could truly call a friend?
⠀For whatever reason, this thought started pulling their being together. The void began to feel more familiar, as if this were not the first time they had passed through this nothingness. Through this absence of everything, something resembling a voice, if that was even what it was, called to them. Safety and relief planted itself in their heart, and with as much willpower as they could muster, they wished to follow that voice to where it was.
⠀When they awoke, they were laying in soft foliage, a few leaves tickling their nose. The earthy smell of dirt and city air mixed together, and they painfully rose from where they were laying. They looked up to see lights in the sky, like those from skyscrapers. A nearby asphalt path was illuminated by lamps, along with what looked like a signpost.
⠀They used a metal railing nearby to help them stand, and they shuffled over to the white signpost. On it was a list of things you couldn't do, like starting a bonfire or feeding wildlife. At the bottom of the sign was the name of the park in Japanese and English; Shinjuku Central Park. Their surroundings, which were branching asphalt paths and plants of various kinds, made sense now. But how did they get here? How were they able to read the park sign so easily?
⠀Who...were they?
⠀They were holding something in their hand, and looking down, saw a phone with a yellow case. Before they even turned the phone on, they saw their reflection on the screen. They had brown hair, with a round baby face and golden eyes. The marigold yellow hoodie they were wearing had bits of leaves stuck to the hood, which they picked off. The phone didn't turn on.
⠀They sat down on a low metal railing, the distant sound of running water calmed them a bit, and they started to figure out what they did remember. After sitting in silence for a while and coming up with very little, they looked up at the black, starless skies and sighed. The park was empty of people, which they realized was odd for what seemed-and sounded like, judging by the nearby whoosh of cars-a very busy city.
⠀A high-pitched giggle from nearby scared them out of their thoughts. Jumping up from the railing, they looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the ominous laughter.
⠀"Have you finally noticed me? There's no reason to be afraid!" the child-like voice came from all around them, with no discernible source. Their gut instinct was telling them that no good would come from interacting with this person, whoever they were, but they needed answers.
⠀"Hello?" They cleared their throat to stop the crack in their voice, "Who's there?"
⠀"Don't worry about that right now! Take a look at your phone." they didn't need to see the owner of the voice to know that they were smiling, "Come on, don't be shy. The App's already running, anyway."
⠀They shoved the sense of worry down their throat and looked at their phone. The dark screen illuminated a soft blue as text appeared.
「Thank you for registering with Summons.
To finish registration, please tap the screen.」
⠀They hesitantly tapped the screen with their index finger, a bright glow enveloping them. Light blue pixels shot from the screen, morphing and forming into a shape no bigger than a baby in front of them. A hexagram flashed in the air just as the shape took on a more recognizable form.
⠀It was a small goat, standing-or, floating-on two legs with dark gray fur, small horns with a single golden band on the right one, and wearing a dapper twin-tailed tuxedo. In its hands were a heavy-looking brown tome nearly as big as it was and a golden staff with a skull at the end. Its left leg did not, for lack of better terms, load correctly. Past its thigh, the leg turned back into unloaded blue pixels, connected to their phone through a stream of pulsing and twitching colors.
⠀"Ta-dah! It feels good to be out of there! How can I be of service, Master?" It said happily, twirling its staff around like a baton. They stared at the floating goatman in shock, unsure of how to respond. What did it (he?) call them? Master? They've never met him in their life...right?
⠀At their prolonged silence, the goatman's face fell as it drew a bit closer, "There must be something! Your wish is my command, after all!"
⠀They took a moment to think up something good to ask, considering asking what it wanted before deciding that was too rude. The goatman waited patiently, staring at them with bright brown eyes until they finally asked their question.
⠀"Um, who are you?" they asked nervously, placing their phone in the large pocket of their bright yellow hoodie. The goatman was taken aback, making a comically exaggerated pose of surprise.
⠀"Who am I...? Master, that's cold! And you're staring too!" he whimpered, some tears welling up in his eyes. They stayed silent, looking at their phone awkwardly to give the goatman a moment to compose himself. The case was damaged a bit, they noted, like it had been dropped quite a lot. Just as they were about to inspect more, the goatman coughed.
⠀"You probably have no idea what's going on, do you?" He asked, dusting himself off and floating back up to eye-level. They nodded, and he twirled the staff in his hand before recovering his smile." Don't worry! I'm a level three butler, so I can explain all this crazy stuff! Hmm, where to start...."
⠀"How about your name?" They said helpfully, relaxing slightly now that someone was willing to explain things to them. The floating, talking goat in a tuxedo was still weird, though. They didn't think they would get used to it. The goatman nodded appreciatively at their recommendation.
⠀"Wonderful idea, Master. Ahem, I'm Salomon, you familiar and in-game assistant! Just tell Lil' Sal, the ever-adorable familiar, whatever your heart desires!" Lil' Sal grinned ear to ear as he did a little bow in front of them. They smiled at his enthusiasm, before realizing he had said something odd.
⠀In-game?
⠀"Lil' Sal, can I, um, ask you something?" They said, putting their phone in the pocket of their hoodie. They picked a random direction and started walking as Lil' Sal floated along beside them. They needed to find a police station, or somewhere they could get help. Maybe a hospital would be a better idea, they pondered.
⠀"Yes, what is it, Master?" they had such an excited tone in their voice, they felt once more as if they were speaking to a child. Yet...whoever Lil' Sal was seemed older than how he behaved, and that conclusion was gonna stick until proven otherwise by himself.
⠀"What do you mean by ‘in-game'? And what do you mean when you say ‘Master'?" they looked down the path to a wall illuminated by the various street lamps and a few ground lights. Curious, they headed towards it, hearing Lil' Sal scoff. It was more surprising than mocking, but it surprised them nonetheless.
⠀"Don't play dumb, Master! When I say Master, I mean Master!" Lil' Sal dodged the question completely. They frowned at him and continued walking, deciding to drop it.
⠀They drew closer to a sign posted near the wall which read ‘Shinjuku Shiraito Falls', but from what they saw of it, it didn't really live up to its name. They could see the wall had water trickling down it, with a small turtle pond at the bottom, full of exactly what they expected to be full of. They smiled happily as they stared at the turtles sliding off the concrete blocks and into the water.
⠀"Hey, Master! Are you paying attention?" Lil' Sal tapped gently on their shoulder with the staff, his arms crossed, "I asked if you knew what summoning was."
⠀They shook their head no and headed towards a bench near a statue of a mother and her child, which were pointing towards the skyscrapers nearby. They sat down, Lil' Sal sitting on the small armrest dividing the seats of the bench apart.
⠀"Summoning, like in fantasy and anime and manga! I love that stuff, it's unique to human culture!" After a raised eyebrow, Lil' Sal went back on course." But I digress! Parallel worlds are born from infinite possibilities and have distinct differences between them. They're alternate worlds, lands, dimensions, and the like. You would never be able to meet a version of yourself from a different world, where you might not even be human! But you're still you, straight down to personality and choices. But there is one way that these separate but similar entities can meet and that is...."
⠀"Summoning?" They asked, following for the most part. It was an interesting concept, but he would let Lil' Sal get farther in his explanation before reaching a verdict.
⠀"Correct, Master! Summoning can connect worlds through gates by identifying the ties that bind souls together and manifesting them. People who can wield this power are called Summoners, and the people, or things, that they summon are called Familiars!" Lil' Sal spun around in the air dramatically as he finished his sentence, small blue sparkles of light following his movements.
⠀"Am I a Summoner?" They asked, smiling at the dumb grin on Lil' Sal's face. He nodded enthusiastically.
⠀"Yes! Exciting, right? You're like a protagonist of a grand adventure! And, if you want more than just my word on the subject, that app with the magic circle is all the proof you need." Lil' Sal gestured with the staff at the small blue square with a blue pentacle in the middle of it. The app name was SUMMONS, the same app mentioned in the notification from earlier.
⠀"Summoners connect to each other through this handy tool. Under normal circumstances, one would need years of rigorous training to become a Summoner, but this makes all that training unnecessary! If you're here, then you're most likely a familiar of a Summoner somewhere. Though I don't see them nearby, which is odd, but maybe they went to the library...." Lil' Sal trailed off, humming to himself.
⠀They looked at the red brickwork below the wooden bench sadly, mulling over Lil' Sal's exposition. They didn't like it. Everything about being taken from their home without a good reason just didn't sit well. They had to get back home somehow.
⠀Lil' Sal floated down under their face, and stared, "You alright, Master? Something wrong?"
⠀They nodded their head yes and glanced at the time on their lockscreen while Lil' Lil' Sal continued. It was 10:37 p.m. They had stopped listening, instead focusing on the fountain and the sound of the city around them. It was only when Lil' Sal had stopped talking did they look up to see what was wrong.
⠀"You alright?" They asked Lil' Sal, who was quietly looking to his right in the direction they had just come. In the short amount of time that they knew him, he had an uncharacteristically serious expression.
⠀"There's an abnormal presence in that direction, like a summoned being.... Master! It's heading towards us!" Lil' Sal flew behind them quickly, visibly shaking, "Save me!"
⠀They put their phone in their back pocket, and ran out into the open, grabbing a stick to arm themselves. They heard a male voice screaming for help, and shortly after, an overweight guy in a school uniform ran in their direction. He collided with them, knocking them to the ground.
⠀"Ow, geez....H-Hey are you okay? I'm sorry I bumped into you!" He extended a hand for them, helping them up before realizing the danger was still trailing him, "Ack, wait, we've got better stuff to do, run!"
⠀In the same direction the kind teen had just run from, a large and angry red oni galloped into view. It dragged a black spiked club behind it, the small balls of fire on its shoulders giving it a terrifying appearance in the darkness.
⠀"Human flesh!" It bellowed, barreling towards them. They both ran in the opposite direction, with the teen heading towards a curving path past the end of the stone wall. He panicked as they drew closer, seeing that it was cordoned off due to construction.
⠀"It wasn't like this yesterday! O-Okay, uh, this way! Follow me!" The teen spun and started running down the other path, but the red oni was faster.
⠀It took a large leap over their heads, landing in front of them with a crack as the club broke the sidewalk. It stood tall over the two of them, grinning evilly as it mumbled unintelligibly. Lil' Sal watched the red oni carefully, waiting for it to make a move towards the two cornered kids.
⠀"There's no way to run!" The stranger hiccuped, tears pooling in his brown eyes as he stared at the monster blocking their path." Shiro was right...I shouldn't have cut across by the Gate side...."
⠀They looked at him, a pang of sadness striking their heart over the stranger's tears. A roar from the red oni made them look back at the monster, who was charging for them. They shoved the stranger behind them and pointed the stick at the Oni.
⠀"If one of us has to live, then it should be you." they said calmly, their hands shaking in fear. The stranger stared in shock, unsure of what to say, but perhaps out of fear, he stayed put. They smiled, then moved into the middle of the sidewalk to make sure the oni couldn't get the stranger.
⠀"You get in the way? Then I'll eat you first!" The monster said sinisterly, running for them. The stranger screamed in fear, before breaking out into a run after he was shoved by the other teen. They felt their hands shaking as the red oni lunged right for them, yellowed fangs shining in the flames. As they closed their eyes, they braced for pain. However, the only thing that they felt was a gentle pat on their forehead.
⠀"You've certainly gotten yourself in a pickle, Master!" when they opened their eyes, Lil' Sal was ruffling their bangs, "Don't worry, Master, I accelerated subjective perception and...Well, let's just say I stopped time!" Lil' Sal floated out of the way, so they could see the oni from before. They were completely still, it's body mid-jump. Lil' Sal giggled at his handiwork and twirled around.
⠀"Aren't I great? I'm a rookie demon, but a demon nonetheless! This is basic magic, and I'm sure you've noticed that you can't move either. You can still talk though, so don't worry about not being able to give me some thank yous!" He stared at them, his face becoming serious.
⠀"What now? I'm done for unless you have some way for me to fight them in that tome of yours." they said quietly, their voice strained as they tried not to cry. This was the scariest thing they had ever experienced. At least, from their lack of memory it was. Lil' Sal nodded.
⠀"I can see that you're scared, but calm down and listen carefully, Master. We have to fight that thing. Take a good look at this guy." He put a calm hand on their shoulder, pointing with the staff towards their attacker.
⠀They wished they didn't have too, but they had to get a grasp of what they were up against. A humanoid demon with bright red skin and horns growing out of its forehead, accompanied by short and greasy brown hair. It was built like a tank, with bandages around its wrists and ankles, and it wore a tattered piece of cloth around its waist. They felt their blood run colder the longer they stared.
⠀"It looks really scary...and strong." they said, taking a deep breath.
⠀"Yup, sure does! I'm shaking in my hooves! But, I'm not the one who has what you need to fight back. It's you who has that power, Master." Lil' Sal said encouragingly, squeezing their shoulder.
⠀"Do I really?" they asked, cracking a small smile. They didn't really believe it, but if there were monsters in Tokyo, then they supposed anything was possible.
⠀"Yep! Master, you're more special than you realize. Not only were you summoned by another Summoner as their familiar, but you can become a Summoner as well. So, you're like a hybrid! Exciting, right?" Lil' Sal opened the tome he had in his hand and started flipping through pages while they contemplated his words.
⠀"Is that how I'm going to beat them? But how will I know what to Summon? Or how?" they felt the panic coming back up their throat. Lil' Sal was putting an awful lot of trust (and information) on the back of someone who didn't even remember their name, and it was frankly all really confusing. What if they messed up? What if what they summoned wasn't that strong against something like...that.
⠀"Leave all the sticky details to me, Master! I'm certified at Level 3 in Summoning Apps. Besides, SUMMONS has an auto-match function." Lil' Sal grabbed their phone from their back pocket and started tapping away. After a couple seconds, he let out an excited hurrah and showed them the auto-match screen.
「Auto-Match Complete
Entity: Boundless Tail
Level: ☆☆☆☆☆☆」
⠀"It's managed to find a strong entity with a profound bond to your soul. All you have to do is follow my lead and we can get to summon it!" Lil' Sal reached the page he had been looking for, but just as he was about to start the ritual, an ear-shattering roar broke the silence.
⠀They barely had time to dive out of the way as the oni slammed the club into the ground where they were just standing, letting out a scream. It looked ravenous and turned to look at them. Lil' Sal was panicking as well and tried stopping time once more before loudly exclaiming he was doing the magic in the wrong order. They didn't have the opportunity to give him a disappointed look, as the oni swung once more, grazing their leg as they dove backward.
⠀"Lil' Sal, hurry! The Summoning!" they yelled, tripping on their shoelaces and falling backward into a bush. The oni laughed, turning and staring at them with pupilless yellow eyes.
⠀"Nowhere to run!" it bellowed, lifting the club onto its shoulder and grinning. They felt the color drain out of their face, trying to find something to throw at it or blind it with.
⠀"Hey, you! Stray Transient!" a familiar voice came from behind the Oni, and an empty can of Asahi beer flew past its head, landing on the ground with a clink-clank. It turned, giving them the opportunity to get back on their feet.
⠀On the path directly behind the oni stood the stranger, visibly shaking. He looked determined, and had another can in his fist, prepped to throw. The oni spared no glance at the smaller teen and grinned towards the stranger.
⠀"That human looks tasty." the red oni said, walking steadily towards the stranger, who squeaked." But this human...looks tastier!
⠀In a flash the red oni had leaped at the stranger, grabbing his arm and twisting it, making the stranger scream in pain. The amnesiac tried to run towards them, but Lil' Sal jumped in front of their face, arms extended.
⠀"Master, don't worry about him! We can run while he's distracting that Oni!" he said fearfully, the pixels around his body jumping around and glitching worse. They tried shoving him out of the way, but he pushed them back with a strength that didn't fit the size of his body.
⠀"But we have to save him, Lil' Sal! He's gonna die!" They pleaded, trying to move past him, but Lil' Sal was too fast, tripping them with his staff.
⠀"You can save yourself if you make a run for it! I can't just let you put yourself in danger, Master! Besides, that fat guy is a total stranger! You just met him, and you have no good reason to help him." Lil' Sal said matter-of-factly, but they tried standing anyway." You're not gonna take no for an answer, are you?"
⠀They ignored him, rolling into a crouched position before running towards the Oni. Lil' Sal begged them to come back and just run away, but they knew what they had to do. They grabbed a rock nearby and called for its attention. As it turned to see what it was, they leapt onto the guard railing along the path and jumped over the oni with impressive skill. As they leaped over its shoulder, they smashed the rock against its nose, making the oni thrash in pain.
⠀But it let go of the stranger.
⠀The stranger was sobbing and holding their gashed arm and stomach, looking up at the amnesiac who was helping them to their feet. They pulled the stranger away from the oni and ran down the asphalt path until they reached a fork in the road. They ran past the public bathroom building down a long path with a thick number of trees on both sides of the path, blocking any view the oni would have of them.
⠀They stopped to catch their breath near a crossroad of paths, one leading to a shrine, the other three leading into different areas of Central Park. The stranger winced as he looked at the wound on his arm and sat below a sign detailing the layout of the shrine.
⠀"You...saved me." the stranger said, sounding a bit surprised. The amnesiac nodded, looking around for a better weapon than the stick they still had in their hand.
⠀"Of course. But why did you come back for me? It was too dangerous for you to stick around." they asked, grimacing after being unable to find anything that would be good against that monster. The stranger chuckled nervously and stared at the asphalt.
⠀"Well, I was really scared. I was almost eaten alive, but I couldn't just run away. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I'd remember that I abandoned you for the rest of my life." he smiled at them before fixing the green lacquered thermos that hung around their neck." I wouldn't be able to enjoy a good meal ever again. Besides, isn't that why you came back for me?"
⠀The amnesiac nodded, sliding under the railing to help the stranger up. He grinned before his expression turned fearful. It looked like he was about to warn them of something but didn't get a chance to as a large black club knocked him away. The oni had found them.
⠀"Oh no!" the teen made to reach for the stick they had earlier but instead were punched in the stomach. The impact sent them flying across the small crossroad and against a tree, knocking the wind out of them.
⠀They gasped for air, balls of light dotting their vision as they looked towards the red oni. He held the unconscious stranger upside down by the leg, a deep guttural noise that sounded eerily like a laugh came from it as it lifted the stranger higher in the air.
⠀"Eat fat human. No escape now!" it said, grabbing the club from where it was propped up on the railing. They lifted themselves tentatively out of the bushes they had fallen into, and drug themselves over the low railing. Lil' Sal's words echoed in their mind as they coughed up a glob of blood.
⠀They didn't know this stranger. They didn't know his name or anything about him. Running away should have been an easy task. Yet, they couldn't. He had asked if they had come back for him because they wouldn't be able to live with themselves. Without realizing it, he had given them a reason to fight for their life instead of just accepting that the oni would kill them. They had heard his voice, and for a fleeting hour, had become part of his would. And he theirs.
⠀They would not have his blood on their hands.
⠀"Stop! Put him down!" they screamed, their voice cracking with desperation. The oni looked at them, surprised they were still alive. It dropped the unconscious teenager raised its black metal club into the air, before letting out a roar that shook the ground. They closed their eyes again, hoping that someone might save the stranger if they didn't make it.
⠀"Oh, Master...you're way too soft! Ridiculously soft!" they snapped their eyes open again to see that the oni was frozen once again. Lil' Sal picked up their phone and set it in front of them on the ground. He had his hands on his hips, angry and exasperated, "If I hadn't been here, you would've ended up a bloody pulp!"
⠀They looked away in shame, but managed a weak smile, "Yeah, probably. Thank you for coming back for me."
⠀"D-Don't look at me like that. I'm mad at you. Besides, I never left, I was just invisible." Lil' Sal sighed, sparing a glance at the unconscious stranger before looking up at the red oni, whose fire was slowly starting to move again." We don't have time to argue, and while I respect your decision to help them, I just...."
⠀They nodded, understanding how worried Lil' Sal had been about them." What matters is what we can do now to stop it."
⠀Lil' Sal grinned, "Right! It's do-or-die time, Master! I'm going to start time again and I'm going to need you to get on your feet as quickly as you can. We're going to start the summoning. All you have to do is repeat the words I say and the voice recognition on the App will do the rest."
⠀Time started once more, and they rolled onto their feet, wincing in pain, but managing to stand. The oni bolted in their direction, swinging the club. They ducked under it just in time and jumped backward to put some distance between them.
⠀"Let's see...Role of the Wanderer, Rule of Rending!" Lil' Sal said, and they copied him while dodging another attack, "Here we go, this is long but keep up!"
⠀"Got it!" they affirmed, sliding in between the Oni's legs to avoid a snap of its fangs where they were standing. How they were managing to dodge these attacks, they had no idea. It felt like muscle memory to them, like they had done stuff like this before.
⠀Lil' Sal took a deep breath before reading from the tome." Forged Reification! Thou who art nameless in this world and powerless to claim it. Deceive the world, hinder the world, and by thy false name, manifest in this closed domain. Avatar of the Serpent's tail severed by the Wanderer! Bare thy Rule of Rending and cleave all power and authority! Engrave mine name of Sora Watanabe unto thee and come forth! Boundless Tail!"
⠀They hesitated when Lil' Sal read their name, taken aback by it. It felt familiar, so they knew it was theirs, but something felt off about it. They couldn't place what, though.
⠀"Master, hurry!" Lil' Sal said, snapping them out of their thoughts.
⠀"Engrave mine name of...Sora Watanabe unto thee and come forth! Boundless Tail!`` As they finished the chant, a flurry of colorful lights appeared directly in front of them, causing the oni to halt its attacks to stare in awe. From the asphalt where he lay, the stranger had regained consciousness in time to see this occur and was taken by surprise.
⠀"...Huh...?" he mumbled, gasping softly as the beams of light shifted and morphed into a sword. The other two were just as surprised, with the Oni's eyes filled with something close to recognition.
⠀"This power is...summoning!" The red oni muttered, watching as Sora grasped the sword out of the air and turned it around in their hands, "It can't be.... You! Are you...a Summoner?!"
⠀Sora looked up at the Oni, who drew closer, though not in the same rage-filled frenzy as before. It was a curiosity like that of a wild animal. They looked the oni in the eye, holding the sword in front of them just to be safe.
⠀"I have looked for you since I came to this world. Always and always, without end." Sora's face crinkled with confusion at the oni's words." You unsealed me...from Kumano Shrine! I challenge you...to fight! I win, I will eat you!"
⠀The red oni stood tall over Sora, waiting for their response. They nodded, taking what they assumed was a good stance for a sword. It grinned, holding the club in its hands. The stranger watched them, propping himself up against the railing to watch. He shook his head in disbelief, wondering just what type of person they had run into.
⠀Lil' Sal pat Sora on the shoulder." This is where the fun begins, Master! Other monsters in the area are being drawn towards where you are right now because of the powerful summons you just did. You can do this, Master! Give ‘em heck, and uh, don't die, please!"
⠀Sora nodded nervously, their eyes spotting blue lines of code surrounding the small crossroads where themselves and the red oni were standing. Lil' Sal had disappeared, their phone's screen turning all black except for the ornate blue pentacle that was the SUMMONS logo. When they looked up, two boxes appeared above the red oni's head. One was a white bar stating that it had 159 HP, and another uncolored bar stating, ‘CP 0%'. Sora heard a small blip above their own head, and boxes mirroring the Oni's appeared, the only difference being that they had significantly more HP.
⠀"I can win this...." Sora mumbled to themselves, readying their sword and swinging at the red oni, who leaped to the left with a grin.
⠀"You forgot how to use it!" The oni smashed the club against Sora's sword, pushing them down. They didn't have enough strength to block the club with their sword forever, and they could feel their legs buckling underneath them.
⠀"What?" Sora asked, giving a solid kick against the Oni's stomach to attack and push themselves out of harm's way. The Oni's health bar dropped by two points. Sora grimaced, jumping out of the way in time to avoid a punch.
⠀"Sword! You don't remember how!" Sora didn't know why the oni was bothering to explain himself to them, but they appreciated it nonetheless. They gripped the oddly shaped wooden handle of Boundless Tail and jabbed the sword towards the Oni's shoulder.
⠀Their attack caused a huge gash, taking a good chunk of the Oni's HP along with it. Sora gasped as the oni grabbed the sword and ripped it out. It swung them hard against the blue walls before slamming them onto the asphalt. Sora's HP dropped by 170 points, the attack making them groan in pain. Their sword skittered away from them, landing behind the Oni. They stood and ran for it, getting grazed with a swipe from the Oni's gnarled, clawed hands. Sora's sword had a weird tassel at the end of it, two white strings tied together with a blue opalescent magatama at the end. They grabbed the tassel just as the oni yanked their leg out from under them, knocking them off balance. It roared, trying to swing them against the battle arena walls once more, but they grabbed the Oni's ankle and swung out of its grip.
⠀Sora swung their sword down hard against the Oni's arm, bringing its HP down to 45. They grit their teeth as the oni started punching at them with great speed. They barely managed to block or dodge them, panic welling up in their throat once more. Victory was a mere breath away, and a single solid hit would end it all.
⠀"Must win! Must eat!" the oni roared, knocking the club into their leg. Sora heard a loud crack, though they didn't feel anything. They crumpled to the ground all the same and used the sword to keep themselves from falling completely.
⠀"No! Not now!" Sora begged, figuring that his leg had probably been broken from the hit, but the adrenaline was keeping him from feeling anything. The oni laughed, grabbing Sora by the neck and lifting them high into the air.
⠀It opened its mouth wide in a hungered grin, its yellowed teeth large and sharp. They screamed, thrashing around and trying to free themselves from its grip. Sora swung their sword hard at the Oni's arm, doing minimal damage. It was starting to look like it was over for them. The oni dropped the club, grabbing Sora's swordless arm and twisting it. They felt tears pouring down their cheeks as they yelled for help, using all their strength to swing Boundless Tail.
⠀"Role of...the Wanderer, Rule of Rending! Engrave mine of Sora-." Sora choked out the chant for Boundless Tail as their arm started to tear at the socket." unto thee! Come forth, Boundless Tail!" Sora closed their eyes as they stabbed the sword in front of them, feeling what they assumed was blood spray against their face.
⠀The oni had stopped twisting their arm, the pain letting up. When they opened their eyes, Sora saw he had stabbed the sword into the Oni's eye, blood dripping down its face. A woman's disembodied voice echoed throughout the battlefield, stating the match was over. A blue plaque floated above the battlefield with Sora's name on it, stating that they were the winner before disappearing with the rest of the battle arena. The battlefield also left all the injuries obtained in the fight, with Sora's and the Oni's wounds healing instantaneously.
「Battle Concluded.
Winner: Sora Watanabe.
Congratulations. Thank you for playing SUMMONS.」
⠀The red oni set Sora down gently on the asphalt before falling to its knees. Lil' Sal jumped for joy upon seeing that Sora was the winner, as did the stranger, who clapped from where he was still sitting.
⠀"Flawless victory, Master! I knew you had it in you!" he hugged Sora the best he could, "We can rest easy now. The monster has used up its remaining powers, so its connection with this world is unstable."
⠀Sora gently pat Lil' Sal on the back before looking at the red oni curiously, "What will happen to it?"
⠀"It'll vanish, as most monsters do without a Summoner to control it." Lil' Sal turned to look at the Oni, who looked up at Sora with a sad but gentle expression. Sora put the sword through one of their belt loops before looking back at the Oni, not saying anything as they stared at each other. It was the oni who eventually broke the silence with a confession.
⠀"I wanted to serve...a Master...even at the cost of sanity. But now I die...in an unknown land...." The oni spoke in a halted fashion, its body starting to change into a soft light. Sora drew closer to it, extending a kind hand.
⠀"Would you be willing to let me become your Master, then? I can take care of you." Sora smiled at the red oni, whose eyes widened in surprise at the proposition. It took their hand, dwarfing it from the size difference.
⠀"Very well. Summon me...my new Master. I finally...go back home...." it smiled at Sora, the rest of its body morphing into a soft glow, "Thank you, Master...."
⠀The glow left by the oni flew into the sky before flying towards a large pillar of light in a nearby open area. Sora stared at it, confused as to why something like that was there in the first place. They turned back to check on the stranger, finding that they were hoisting themselves up off the curb. Lil' Lil' Sal flew into their field of vision, a perplexed look on his face.
⠀"You made a pact with it? That easily?!" Lil' Sal was waving his arms around in surprise, the pixels on his body shooting off in random directions. Sora nodded, not understanding why he was making a big deal out of it." Don't just nod, what you did was freakish! Normally the connection to one's original world can be weakened, but you fully severed it, which shouldn't happen!"
⠀"Oh...." Sora said sheepishly, grabbing the magatama and inspecting it to avoid eye contact with Lil' Lil' Sal.
⠀He sighed before fixing his tie and spinning his staff." Well, anyway, you managed to win and proved that you're the real deal in the process. A Summoner needs strength, otherwise your familiars won't obey you, it doesn't matter who you are. This one accepted you and the pact was successfully completed on both sides. And now you can summon it!" Sora nodded, not sure what expression to make based on how they were feeling. Lil' Sal picked up on this and raised an eyebrow.
⠀"I'm getting mixed signals from your expression. Are you mad? Upset? You don't look happy."
⠀"I mean I'm happy I can fight with him now, but, uh." they tapped their sword, "Aren't familiars supposed to be a living being, or at least moving? What's with this sword?"
⠀"No idea!" Lil' Sal clapped his hands together before squeaking in surprise as Sora narrowed his eyes, "Please don't be mad, Master!"
⠀"You're the expert on this!" Sora said, holding their hands out in exasperation.
⠀"Not really, technically this is a familiar's first-year textbook, so it doesn't have that much in terms of anything outside of Summoning. I've heard of things called Sacred Artifacts that act as vessels for divine beings, however. Not everyone can use them; only those who are meant for a Role can, and they're used to impose a Rule upon the world. I'm pretty sure that this sword is a Sacred Artifact tied to your Role and fate, so that's why you were able to summon it." Lil' Sal made a face after he finished explaining, and Sora stared at him.
⠀"You don't know for sure- "
⠀"Well, I'm just gonna excuse myself now! See you later, Master!" Lil' Sal spun away from Sora's face and started to morph into a bunch of blue pixels, but Sora called for him to stop. He turned nervously, expecting to get yelled at. Instead, Sora put their hand on his head and smiled.
⠀"Thank you, Lil' Lil' Sal. You did good work today." they put their hands in their hoodie pocket, watching as Lil' Sal started to re-pixelate into wherever he came from.
⠀"Th-Thank you, Master! I'm so proud of you for how you did! Call me if you need anything, I'll be around! Also, there should be some loot around where the battle arena was that you can use to boost and enhance your summoning powers and familiars! Catch ya later!"
⠀With a small bow, Lil' Lil' Sal disappeared, the blue pixels sliding back into the phone's screen with a blip. Time had apparently restarted much earlier than they realized, but the stranger was too busy picking up a small golden goblet off the ground to notice Sora speaking with Lil' Sal. They walked over to him, waiting for him to turn around before saying anything to avoid scaring them. He noticed them immediately.
⠀"That was so awesome! You summoned a sword, right? How'd you do that? And you defeated a Stray Transient, and it was an Oni! That's amazing!" The stranger was ecstatic, bouncing in place from all the energy. Sora was taken aback at how many questions he had asked them but giggled at how excited they were.
⠀"Thanks. I don't know how I managed it, to be honest. I don't know how to fight with a sword." Sora shrugged, tapping the hilt of Boundless Tail. The stranger nodded understandingly and held out his hand.
⠀"I should be the one thanking you. You really saved my butt back there. I'm Ryouta Yakushimaru. I go to Shinjuku Academy near here, the one in between the Station and this park." Ryouta smiled happily, shaking their hand.
⠀"I'm Sora Watanabe. Don't worry about it, but we do need to get you somewhere where you can get those wounds looked at, though." Sora pointed to the wound on Ryouta's stomach and arm. He nodded, looking up at the tall pillar of light nearby.
⠀"Y-Yeah, we should get out of here in case anything else shows up. Come on, follow me!"
