The Seven Demon's Tamer

The next morning...

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The sound pierced through Ryder's sleep with annoying intensity, dragging him from the depths of unconsciousness where he'd been reliving his encounter with Hollow and the Dracogon for the third time that night.

His eyes snapped open, adjusting instantly to the morning light streaming through the window.

"Ryder?" his mother's voice drifted from downstairs, tinged with concern. "Are you expecting someone?"

He wasn't. In fact, the last thing he wanted was visitors. After yesterday's emotional moment with his parents and the realization that his life had changed forever, he'd been hoping for at least one quiet morning to process everything.

Besides, he never really had someone he could call a friend.

Dragging himself out of bed, Ryder caught his reflection in the small mirror by his dresser and nearly jumped.

His white hair had gained a striking contrast, as if it had its own inner light, and his pupils had become blood red.

His appearance hadn't changed too drastically; however, these little changes had done something significant. Even in his disheveled state, he looked like someone who could attract attention.

There was something different about his posture and body structure—straighter, more confident.

'Well, would you look at that,' Luxy's voice echoed in his mind, taunting. 'The great demon contractor can't even manage his own bedhead.'

"Shut up," Ryder muttered under his breath, running his fingers through his hair in a futile attempt to tame it. "It's not about my bedhead; everything about me has been upgraded."

'Oh, you acknowledge how much I have changed your life by simply binding with your soul.' Ryder could picture Luxy exhaling visibly as he spoke. 'I wouldn't mind your praises—bring them on.'

Despite everything, Ryder found himself smiling. Having Luxy's constant commentary in his head was like having a sarcastic best friend who never left—no, who could never leave.

The knocking came again, more insistent this time. Three sharp sounds with unnecessary force.

Walking toward the door, each step felt so odd, so free, which reminded him of how different he was now.

When he opened the door, the morning sunlight momentarily blinded him, unlike the minor reflection through the window earlier, but his enhanced vision quickly adjusted, revealing a sight that made his blood run cold.

Standing before him was a troop of men dressed in identical uniforms that practically screamed military. The fabric looked expensive—a navy blue so dark it was almost black, with gold threading that caught the light, reflecting vividly.

However, it wasn't the uniforms that made Ryder's heart skip a beat. It was the stars.

Three golden star slots adorned each shoulder of every single man, including the leader, who stood slightly ahead of the group.

"This uniform—I recognize it," Ryder said aloud.

And he did recognize it. The uniform of the Federal Summoner Guild, owned by the federal government of his own country.

This wasn't usually referred to as a guild but more like a police force—if the police force was made up entirely of people who could summon creatures capable of devastating enemies.

On the planet Terra—a planet of summoners—there were major security forces like the police, soldiers, and an extra force—FSG, which stands for Federal Summoner Guild.

The FSG wasn't actually the extra force; it was more of the major force among them because they took charge of duties that were beyond the capabilities of other common security forces.

They were the strongest, because it was an association made up solely of summoners—not just random summoners, but the strongest, smartest, most valuable ones.

They didn't recruit summoners with beasts from the brown marks, but only recruited from the orange and red marks—mainly the red.

Before taking summoners in, they carefully selected those who contracted beasts with the most valuable affinities that could help in carrying out operations.

The uniform they were wearing was a suit of navy blue and gold that spoke of formality and authority.

The suit included a pair of trousers that seemed to be cut from fabric that was clearly not ordinary, an inner shirt that moved with the wearer in harmony with his skin, and a jacket atop it all.

On the jacket were two rows of golden buttons that ran down the center of the chest, glittering despite the fact that the officers were mostly backlit by the sun.

Most importantly, the buttons on the jacket had an emblem which caught Ryder's attention and made his memory trigger in a flash. He nearly panicked, until he saw it wasn't what he had imagined.

It wasn't quite like the Dracogon with seven heads.

It was the skeletal head of a beast with four small skulls arranged around it in a perfect circle. Quite a lot of detail in just one button.

On the shoulders of the jacket were straps that contained slots for stars—rank indicators on every single officer's uniform. On the left shoulder, there were slots for a total of three stars—the same on the right.

Knowing about star rankings was fundamental knowledge for every individual. However, Ryder had rarely ever heard of an officer with six stars.

One star represents a junior summoner, two stars represent a senior summoner, and three stars represent an advanced summoner.

All the members of the troop of summoners that came to visit Ryder—a total of twelve that he could count, though his enhanced senses suggested there might be more positioned out of sight—all had three stars on their left shoulder.

All except the leader who was speaking to Ryder, who had six stars total—three on each side. This man was giving off quite an aura of danger.

"Good day, sir. I am Lucian, the commander of FSG division 77." The commander's voice was authoritative but somehow smooth.

"We are officers from FSG and we wish to have a word with you. Can you please come with us?"

This wasn't a request; it was barely even a polite demand. The commander spoke in a tone that made everything he said sound more like an order than a request, the kind of tone that suggested he wasn't used to being told 'no' and wouldn't react well if he was.

"You can come in if you want," Ryder gestured toward his family lounge, trying to project a calmness he absolutely didn't feel.

The last thing he wanted was to conduct this conversation in front of curious neighbors who were already peeking out their windows at the unusual visit by these unusual people.

"It seems like you still do not understand the code of the FSG," the commander spoke, his voice slower this time. "When we wish to have a word with you, we want to do so at our base. We want you to come with us."

Ryder was a bit hesitant; every instinct he'd developed over his eighteen years of life was telling him that going anywhere with these people was a bad idea, but he really didn't have a choice. "I'd rather prefer if you give me some idea of what exactly you want me for; I cannot come with you cluelessly, you know."

"Do you have any idea who we are? We are officers sent by the federal government itself." Commander Lucian's voice carried the weight of authority, the kind of tone that tolerated no argument and expected immediate obedience.

"We do not present our requests as questions but as orders that require no objections. Everything necessary will be explained to you at our base. Come with us now, or I am sorry, but we might have to resort to violence."

'You know,' Luxy mused in his mind, 'this is the part where most people would wet themselves and comply immediately. But we're not most people, are we?'

No. They weren't.

A slow smile spread across Ryder's face—not the nervous one he might have worn just a day ago, but something more prideful.

"Oh my, such a cocky attitude toward the possessor of the strongest familiar in this modern age." Ryder stretched his arms above his head with casualness, making sure the movement displayed the lean muscle that had seemingly appeared overnight.

Then he yawned and completed with a muffled voice, "I am pretty sure you are aware of that."

'Aware of that? The sole reason why we are here is because of that,' Lucian thought inwardly.

Commander Lucian began to have second thoughts after Ryder spoke.

"With my current power level and familiar," Ryder continued, his voice carrying new confidence, "shouldn't you all have been on your knees, begging?"

'Hey, chill dude.' Luxy's voice suddenly cut through Ryder's growing confidence like a bucket of cold water. 'I appreciate the whole 'confident badass' composure you are trying to prove with my shared capability, but don't get carried away.'

'Chill! Why should I chill with people threatening me? I hate bullshit,' Ryder responded internally to Luxy alone.

'I've lived my life mostly in my room, away from others on purpose. Not because I am an introvert, but because I know how crazy I can be sometimes.'

'Back then, I'd rather stay at home during my leisure time because I was not a summoner, and outside there are countless cocky summoners. If they piss me off, I'll retaliate, and I could get myself hospitalized.'

'Now I have the power, I will not fall back and watch myself being ordered around.'

All of my crappy lifestyle is in the past now. A gust of wind blew past, and simultaneously, all the FSG members dropped to the ground on their knees deliberately.

Twelve elite summoners, each capable of feats that would be considered extraordinary, on their knees before an eighteen-year-old boy who had awakened his mark just yesterday.

"We beg of you, greatest one," Commander Lucian's voice came out strained, as if the words were being pulled from him against his will.

"Please, we would like to take a bit of your time if only you approve of us. We apologize for our rudeness toward you earlier. Please, do you permit us to take some of your time?"

Ryder smiled in satisfied silence, purposely taking his time to stare at the summoners on their knees. After years of being overlooked and underestimated, having twelve elite government agents kneeling before him felt pretty good.

"Yes, you may," Ryder finally replied, his voice carrying casual authority.

With his approval, they all set out. All twelve soldiers were respectfully marching side by side with Ryder—six on his left and another six on his right. Not even Lucian, who was a summoner with greater privilege, was given any special treatment by Ryder.

They reached a clear field a few yards from Ryder's house, then—

*Summoning Art*

A thick red fog erupted from Lucian's left shoulder, billowing and coiling, and shortly later materialized into a tangible creature.

"We will be traveling with that," Lucian stated. "It is my wyvern familiar."

The wyvern lowered itself, allowing the humans to climb aboard. Ryder noticed that despite its fearsome appearance, it was absolutely obedient. It didn't look like it would ever protest against whatever order Lucian gave to it.

He knew with quite some certainty, despite not having contracted Luxy for too long—there was no way Luxy would tolerate something so undignified.

With that, they set out.

The flight was quick and peaceful. The wyvern's wings erupted and sent them coursing through the sky on its back with just its first flap, taking them high and far until buildings became small collections of toy buildings scattered across the surface.

The FSG base came into view in less than a minute. Landing platforms elevated within the base, designed to accommodate familiars of all sizes, were in view as the wyvern descended with gentleness onto one of the larger platforms, folding its wings afterward.

After a long march through pristine corridors, they finally reached their destination.

The office where Ryder was wanted was unlike anything he'd expected. The room was a white expanse of mostly empty space, bigger than a typical office should have been. To Ryder, it felt less like an office and more like an interrogation chamber, in all honesty.

At the far end of the vast white space sat a figure waiting, even in the overwhelming emptiness of the room. She sat with interlocked fingers and a serious expression.

There was a table demarcating the space between her and a vacant chair positioned to face hers.

The woman looked to be in her thirties, with stoic, seemingly unshakable composure. Her dark hair was pulled back in a severe bun; her uniform was just like the others', however, with no slot for stars.

Just upon Ryder's entrance, her seemingly unshakable composure broke as she was taken aback slightly.

It wasn't Ryder himself that fazed her, Ryder realized. It was the soldiers.

She had clearly expected Ryder to be brought in under very different circumstances.

She had anticipated someone in restraints, being escorted by officers, possibly roughed up during transport to establish dominance.

Instead, he walked in like royalty with a trailing escort of elite officers beside him.

Upon reaching the vacant chair, Ryder made a move that would have been unthinkable just two days ago.

Instead of sitting meekly as intended, he pulled the chair back leisurely and relaxed into it, stretching his legs forward and resting his feet on the expensive-looking table between them.

All twelve elite FSG officers stood at attention, and not one of them moved to correct his behavior, including Lucian.

The lady who was sitting there—Elena, according to the nameplate on her desk—watched this display with sincere bewilderment. Her eyes twitched as she raised her head toward the guards, clearly expecting one of them to restore proper order.

However, they didn't move an inch. They stood at attention like statues, their eyes forward, their expressions suggesting that Ryder's behavior was, in fact, acceptable and expected.

Her eyes fell on Commander Lucian, who was standing in the midst of the others, surprising her even more, and Ryder could see her shock increase exponentially.

Lucian, of all people, was someone she clearly respected—and feared. Commander Lucian ranked among the top summoners in the entire country. Sometimes, he was even given the privilege to attend to the federal government in one-on-one meetings, which were live-streamed.

Just what the hell had gone on between this young man and these FSG officers?

"Are you going to quit staring around and say something?" Ryder's voice cut through the silence with casual authority. "I'm beginning to feel bored."

"R-right," Elena stuttered as she quickly took out her pen and flicked through the pages of one of the files on the table.

"What is your name, please?"

"Ryder."

"Age?"

"18."

"What is the color of your mark?"

"Black."

With that, she dropped the file on the table after inputting the details.

Black mark. The first confirmed case in over centuries. The implications were staggering—not just for Ryder, but for the entire planet.

Black mark summoners were theoretical, legendary, only heard about in ancient stories. And now one was sitting in her interrogation room with his feet on her desk, looking bored.

Elena raised her hand upward and double-clapped; the sound echoed through the vast space like a gunshot.

The door opened immediately, and two figures stepped into the office. Ryder turned his head to stare at them.

"This is Kyle and Lucas," Elena said, gesturing to the identical-looking men, "the two who guided you in the conjuring room into contracting your familiar."

These were the Gloomy Guses from the conjuring room—Kyle and Lucas, the two who had guided him through the ritual that had changed everything.

Seeing them again brought back memories of that terrifying platform, the purple energy, and the moment when his soul had been yanked from his body and hurled into the Astral Shadow Plain.

Ryder stared at them for a while, carefully observing their faces. He had never seen their features before; back then, they had both worn cloaks that hid everything except a small portion of their faces.

Now, in the harsh light of the interrogation room, they looked surprisingly ordinary for men who had appeared so spooky back then.

Kyle and Lucas didn't appear much different from each other; they looked almost like twins.

Their brown hair was combed in the same style, their eyes were both oddly slanted, and all their other features were ordinary.

"Ryder," Elena continued, her voice taking on the formal cadence of official procedure, "rumors have been spreading about you—that you contracted a devil beast from the Astral Shadow Plain, among other things.

This is something that we unfortunately find hard to believe, which is why we brought you here for proper interrogation."

Stretching her hand toward a device in front of her, Elena then activated it. It was a small, oval-shaped technological device pulsating with blue light—a recording device and a lie detector.

"You see, this over here is a recording device and a lie detector," Elena explained. "There have been several cases where people make false claims about contracting beasts from black mark planes and all that, which is why this interrogation is necessary."

"Thanks to this lie detector and recorder, we will have no problem conducting a thorough interrogation among the three of us."

"So I will begin with the questions. Ryder, tell me, when did you visit the conjuring room for the contract?"

"It should be early in the morning, yesterday," Ryder responded, still maintaining his carefree composure.

Turning toward the duo, they both nodded in approval at what Ryder said.

Turning toward the identical duo, Elena questioned, "When he came into the conjuring room, what was the color of his mark?"

"It was black," Lucas responded.

"After your soul returned from the Astral Shadow Plain, what was the first thing you did? Did you hurt or kill anybody?" Elena, once again, directed the question to Ryder.

"I never killed anybody, but I noticed something strange that happened due to my presence." Ryder turned toward the identical duo.

Right now, everything that Ryder was about to say wasn't something from him but was something dictated in his mind by Luxy.

"I noticed..."