Raven and Vivian walked out to opposite ends of the courtyard, facing each other. Vivian wiped her last tears with her sleeves, took a deep breath to steady her focus, then looked across the distance at her sister.

"Don’t think I’m going to let you win easily just because I was crying," Vivian called out boldly.

"I wouldn’t dream of it, sister," Raven replied. "Summon!" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

At the snap of her fingers, a glyph carved itself in the air. A fierce roar followed as the outline of the beast solidified. It was the Crimson Hellhound, a dog bigger than a horse, covered in igneous fur.

"Come out, Peaches!" Vivian cried as golden light flashed next to her, introducing the Seraph Leaper. The beast was a mix of a rabbit and a kangaroo, standing on two muscular legs, and wings attached to its shoulders. THUD! Went its feet as it bounced, ready to move.

Raven scoffed. She didn’t believe anyone would take Vivian seriously with such an adorable companion.

"Brim, open attack! Use Flame Burst!" she commanded quickly, pointing at her sister

The charcoal hound barked and launched forward with propulsion, leaving a trail of heat that warped the air. Vivian’s eyes widened. The beast was so fast!

"Peaches, evade!" she yelled, and her giant rabbit leapt into the air. As it jumped, its yellow wings flashed, creating a glowing barrier at its chest.

BOOM!

The Crimson Hellhound smashed into the barrier, causing an explosion enough to rattle the windows of the mansion. A shockwave of hot wind followed, whipping Vivian’s silver hair erratically. Meanwhile, the Seraph Leaper managed to stick the landing back on its feet, though the edges of its white fur were singed.

Vivian coughed through the smoke, her heart racing. Once she could see her sister again, she stared at her in shock.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Vivian yelled. "That attack almost hit me! Are you trying to kill your own sister during practice?!"

Raven offered no apology. Two more attacks from her beast were her reply.

"Keep the pressure on. Use Searing Howl, then follow up with Fire Claw Slash."

The Crimson Hellhound threw its head back and unleashed a sonic howl. The sound waves visibly warped into red ripples, tearing through the air to stun both Vivian and her beast. Immediately following the roar, the beast lunged with claws ablaze.

"Dodge it, Peaches!" Vivian countered in panic.

Like a pinball, the giant rabbit blurred left and then right because of its powerful hind legs. The unpredictable target wasted the Fire Claw Slash, as the Crimson Hellhound missed the rabbit entirely, leaving only red lacerations where it had been.

THUD!

The Hellhound landed to recover, and Vivian used that opportunity to land her own attack.

Using Light Beam Kick, the Seraph Leaper sent a million volts through its powerful back legs, knocking the snout off the dog and sending it flying into a bush of thorns.

"That nasty dog," Vivian muttered, proud of herself that she had actually landed a solid hit on her sister’s famous monster.

It was a big deal for her because Raven’s summon was unarguably stronger. Both the Crimson Hellhound and the Seraph Leaper were Elder-grade summons, but the hound was currently at a 5.6, while Vivian’s rabbit was only at 3.4, which explained Raven’s dominance.

However, the Crimson Hellhound had a potential of Elder 9.8, while the Seraph Leaper had the potential to break through the ceiling and become an Ancient beast with a fortitude of 2.1, if she trained it right. That higher potential might have played a role in how the tables just turned in the fight.

But Raven and her hound were not going to stay down after just one hit. The beast scrambled back onto its paws, shaking needles off its black fur as its red eyes burned even brighter with anger.

"Okay, play time is over," Raven said coldly. "Brim, Smoke Screen, then Fiery Backlash, and finish with Intimidation Roar!"

Immediately, a cloud of smoke shrouded the courtyard, denying Vivian vision.

"Peaches, use your wings to clear the smoke!" Vivian called out nervously as her eyes searched the haze.

The rabbit started flapping its wings like a fan, but before the smoke could clear, a shadow moved. The Crimson Hellhound didn’t jump at the rabbit this time. It burst through the black cloud, running at a weird angle.

Suddenly, Vivian realized the fiery dog was running straight toward her!

The dog unleashed its Fiery Backlash. Vivian tried to roll out of the way, but the scorching wind caught her shoulder.

"Ah!" she gasped as she tumbled, scraping her knees and elbows.

The Seraph Leaper rushed to her defense, slapping Raven’s summon back with a glowing whip, but the beast recovered instantly due to its superior vitality, and it made the rabbit pay by attacking its mistress again.

Bruised and disheveled, Vivian cried in frustration.

"Stop it! Stop the match right now!" she protested, glaring at her sister through the mist. "This is unfair, Raven! You aren’t even attacking my summon anymore—you are targeting me! That’s cheating! The beasts are supposed to fight the beasts!"

Raven raised her hand, and the Crimson Hellhound stopped running, disappearing into her soul space. She then walked slowly across the courtyard until she was standing over her sister.

"I’m not cheating, Vivian," Raven sighed. "I’m just teaching you to be conscious of your Tether.

If we were fighting rival hunters or monsters, they wouldn’t fight politely. Some might run right past your summon just to slice your head off. If you die, your rabbit dies too."

Raven was being truthful. Every summoner in the world is linked to their companion by an invisible thread called a Tether, fueled by Aeon, encapsulated in the body. Thus, if the body gets hit, gets low on stamina, or passes out from pain, the invisible thread snaps, and the beast dissipates irrespective of its grade.

Adept hunters understood this concept, and many employed it to take down their opponents before the battle could get tougher.

"It’s a stupid rule," Vivian muttered under her breath, "It just makes the strong stronger."

Raven laughed and offered a hand to pull her sister up for a well-deserved rest.

As they rested, a chorus of noise echoed over the walls in the courtyard. It sounded like clapping, cheering, and laughter; that’s because Adrian was currently hosting a little party for his lackeys there, making a scene.

"What is that idiot doing now?" Raven muttered.

"Let’s go find out," Vivian said.

The two girls walked out of the training grounds and made their way down to the bailey. When they arrived at its archway, they stopped in their tracks.

Sitting around a table was a gathering of about half a dozen noble boys from the academy. These were Adrian’s top lackeys and fellow wealthy heirs, seated around a table cluttered with plates and beverages.

When the boys saw the two sisters, they stopped laughing, captivated by their beauty.

At Montclair Academy, Vivian and Raven always seemed untouchable in their uniforms. Now, seeing them in casual home attire, that untouchable aura faded, revealing a side of them the academy clothes usually hid.

Firstly, their homewear highlighted their figures. Secondly, their silver hair was messy, and they were sweating and breathing heavily, giving them a wild, irresistible allure. All the boys forgot what they were talking about as they started to debate in their minds who was hotter.

Meanwhile, Adrian was too busy looking at his own phone, laughing like a maniac. When he heard his sisters arrive, he looked up and walked over to them, the smartphone in his hand.

"Hey! You guys came at the perfect time," Adrian said with a grin as he thrust the phone screen in front of Vivian’s nose. "Look at this. Luke is officially the biggest disgrace in the entire city. It’s all over the internet!"

Adrian showed his half-sisters a video compilation that someone had uploaded.

The videos were taken by random people in the city over the past few days. In the clips, Luke was roaming around the downtown streets. He was still wearing his Academy uniform, wrinkled and dirty. The video showed him walking past garbage dumpsters, standing near steaming sewer vents, "sleeping" in an eatery, and looking around the warehouse district like a homeless vagabond.

"Look at him!" Adrian mocked, tapping the screen to replay a clip of Luke looking tired. "He looks like a stray dog searching for a bone!"

"Delete this right now, Adrian!" Vivian shouted angrily as she snatched the phone. "He is still your brother! How can you sit here and laugh while he’s suffering ?!"

"Brother? He’s a failure who got banished by the Duke," Adrian sneered, snatching his phone back. "He doesn’t deserve my sympathy."

On Raven’s side, she couldn’t care much about the video, neither laughing nor getting angry.

"See? Even Raven knows he’s finished!" Adrian joked, pocketing his phone with a smug look. "We don’t ever need to worry about that loser Luke again. He’s out of our lives forever, and he’ll probably die in a trench anyway. Let’s toast to the new heir!"

The boys all raised their glasses, cheering for Adrian.

"To the new heir!"

"To the new heir!"

"To the new heir!"

However, Adrian and his circle were living in the past, operating under the assumption that the video reflected reality, not knowing that they would encounter a different Luke tomorrow morning in the academy.

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A/N: Thanks for reading!