The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

The nanny made Juliette laugh because Lia often complained that Luka acted like a monkey; the baby tried to crawl everywhere! He only stopped crawling because he ran out of energy. Lia would then pick him up and return the baby to his crib.

  Michael protested by crying, but his nanny was a coldhearted woman and ignored the baby's cries. After all, the sooner the little rascal returned to his room, the better!

  The baby seethed inside and became frustrated. How hard would it be for Lia to carry him and explore the family estate? Michael felt dissatisfied by Lia's work performance, and he resolved to dismiss her as soon as he could talk!

  Michael noticed a strange atmosphere among the maids, who often snuck into his baby room to visit him.

  "He looks just like Master Tsunka," one woman panted with weird eyes.

  "I wonder if he'll grow up with the same lecherous character!"

  "Tsunka jumped me in the west wing."

  "He took my first time in the kitchen!"

  From these conversations, Michael discovered an unsavory fact about his late dad: Tsunka had affairs with ALL the female servants in the family estate! But somehow, none of them became pregnant with his child. Moreover, his mother tolerated Tsunka's behavior and turned a blind eye! Soon, Michael learned why.

  "It's a shame that Juliette insisted Tsunka remain monogamous. Other dukes had several wives. Even the king has two wives," a maid lamented while adjusting the curtains to brighten the room.

  "The duchess comes from a commoner family with old-fashioned notions of marriage. She wanted to adhere to her parents' teaching of one husband and one wife. I can't blame her for that," retorted a colleague.

  "Well, look on the bright side! We all became Tsunka's lovers with the wife's implicit approval."

  "But it's a shame that none of us bore a child for the late lord."

  "I bet it's due to Goddess Altima's interference! She wouldn't want the divine summoner bloodline to spread easily to untalented commoners like us."

  "That's true! Juliette has plenty of magic power. I've seen her summon multiple ice fairies once!"

  Michael listened to these inane conversations between the maids while pretending to sleep in the crib.

  Chapter 2

  The Toddler Years

  As time passed, Michael eventually acclimated to his new life as Luka Heavensfell. He no longer paused or felt strange when someone called out "Luka." Also, he gained improved control over his young body. Once Luka learned to walk, Juliette made him exercise daily in the early morning.

  Mother and son walked together in the big courtyard until Luka lost his strength and sat down. Lia then scooped up the toddler and stood back as the duchess began her martial routine.

  Luka watched in fascination as the magic swordswoman summoned ice fairies to attack her! Each one was the size of a baseball and enveloped in a cold aura, which caused the air to turn chilly.

  At Juliette's command, these creatures sent a flurry of sharp icicles at her! But the summoner calmly cut them all down with quick slashes of her sword! Ting-ting-ting-ting! The pieces fell to the ground and began to melt into small puddles of water.

  Luka's eyes failed to track her arm movement because his body was still young and inexperienced.

  Undaunted, the magical creatures created ice walls to surround and trap her, but the target refused to stand still. Instead, Juliette kicked her heel against a wall and somersaulted over it. She landed gracefully on the other side and rolled along the ground to avoid the new barriers. The target zigzagged around the courtyard like a phantom, and the fairies could not create their ice walls fast enough to pin her in one spot.

  Although the cat-and-mouse chase seemed aimless to the servants' inexperienced eyes, Juliette was steadily moving toward her tormentors. When she finally got within range, the magic swordswoman jabbed her sword tip and pierced through the fairies like shish kabobs!

  The defeated creatures slowly dissipated and took the ice walls with them.

  Juliette calmly wiped her wet blade with a handkerchief and returned her weapon to its holder on her hip.

  Luka clapped enthusiastically at her performance, and Lia joined him.

  The mother smiled as she took her baby from the nanny. Juliette carried her son back inside the mansion. She kissed Luka's forehead gently before turning the child over to his primary caregiver. "Give him a small meal and then return him to bed," she ordered.

  "Yes, Your Excellency," Lia bobbed her head and carried out her employer's command. The nanny fed him pap made of bread soaked in goat milk before returning the toddler to his room.

  As Luka laid in his crib, his mind replayed this morning's exercise. Although he could (eventually) summon divine spirits, he also wanted to summon elementals because Luka thought they were useful to support daily living. For example, the servants fetched water from a well in the backyard. What if they could use water elementals to create water instead?

  Luka was an avid reader of fantasy fiction in his past life, and he assumed that the world of Zaleron possessed the four elemental magics of fire, earth, air, and water. Since his mother could summon ice fairies, she had a strong affinity with the water element. As her son, he probably inherited her magic talent as well.

  Luka once heard the maids talk about the Ceremony of Blessings held annually at the church for children reaching five years old. Luka would attend that event within four years. In the meantime, he resolved to exercise more and strengthen his body.

  Lia's duties slowly evolved as Luka grew older. She began to read picture books to him while teaching him the words. The nanny was delighted at the toddler's ability to learn and praised him to her employer and the household workers.

  Duchess Silverblade was happy to hear this because her late husband was an impatient student who often ran from his tutors. She worried that Luka would inherit his father's poor study habit. "Start teaching Luka math as well," she ordered.

  "Yes, Your Excellency," Lia curtsied.

  Luka was surprised when his nanny showed him a new picture book that taught numbers with depictions of creatures and things such as one rock, two rabbits, three men, etc. He sighed inwardly and pretended to take an interest in Lia's new math lessons. When Luka lost patience, he threw a tantrum by waving his arms and pushing the book aside. Lia would relent by letting him run around the room until the toddler tired himself out.

  These lessons continued daily and the subjects slowly advanced in complexity. The picture books eventually lost their illustrations. The sentences grew longer, and more complicated words appeared in the text.

  Although Luka showed remarkable intelligence, Luka's physical incapacity hampered his education to some degree. For instance, his baby teeth prevented the toddler from pronouncing the words correctly. And Luka couldn't steady his hands enough to write. Instead, he grasped a long piece of white chalk and doodled on the ground.

  The nanny watched closely and stood nearby in case the young child tried to swallow the chalk. Thankfully, Luka never put it in his mouth. When Lia saw that the toddler stopped writing, she would order maids to scrub the floor clean.

  Although Luka tried to draw, he discovered that he lacked artistic talent. The result was a mess that would never qualify as "art." Hence, Luka was relieved when a kind maid erased his failure before his mother could see it.

  Lia devoted some time to teaching Luka about his heritage. With Duchess Silverblade's permission, the nanny invited a bard to the estate and play songs about Tsunka Heavensfell. The minstrel, named Jocelyn Hide, was the third son of a baron in the duchy. The bard took advantage of the late hero's popularity to make a living by offering private performances to aristocrats.

  Although Jocelyn had a plain-looking face, he wore a flashy outfit consisting of a bright yellow cape over an orange tunic, a pair of light olive pants, and a green fedora. The bard arrived on a donkey.

  Luka clapped when the entertainer hopped off and removed his hat to greet the young heir. This curtesy revealed the growing bald spo
t on the musician's head.

  The guest quickly settled in the parlor room and took out his lute. He strummed a note and began to recite stories of Tsunka's unlikely friendship with Crown Prince Joram and their legendary mischiefs. The two pretended to be commoners and visited the capital city. They once got into a brawl at a tavern because a patron complained about paying taxes. The two also visited brothels as teenagers and earned VIP status due to their generous tips to their partners.

  But the most exciting story, from Luka's perspective, was when Joram and Tsunka both competed for the same woman -- Juliette Silverblade. They first met at the Morninglory Royal Academy as the highest scorers in the freshmen class. Juliette was the valedictorian, while the two boys placed second in the entrance exam. Tsunka and Joram garnered plenty of attention from students seeking to develop relationships with the two upper-class aristocrats.

  Since Juliette was a commoner, few people paid attention to her, and she became aloft. However, some noble students tried to get her to join their factions by bullying and harassing her.

  Tsunka and Joram publicly defended her and declared that Juliette was under their protection. The students implicitly understood that the two planned to take her as a mistress and quickly backed off.

  But Juliette was upset by their unilateral declaration and ignored their romantic overtures. In the end, she gave them an ultimatum: Juliette would marry either person as long as she was the sole wife. Joram couldn't agree to this demand because he already had two fiancées lined up. Tsunka, on the other hand, said yes to her request because the Heavensfell clan had close ties with the church, and many aristocrats feared this religious organization would take over their families. Hence, he didn't have a fiancée.

  However, Tsunka didn't anticipate what Juliette would do -- she curtailed his adventures with Joram altogether. Instead, she stuck close to him and made Tsunka study with her in the school library. Juliette accompanied him during trips to town and forbade him from visiting the local brothels. The fiancée also limited his contact with female admirers at the academy and prevented him from cheating on her; she dueled anyone who tried to indulge his lustful nature.

  Clap-clap-clap! Someone applauded from the doorway.

  When Jocelyn turned and identified the person, the bard bowed his head to cover his frightened face.

  "I've always wondered what the people think of my strict watch over Tsunka back then," Juliette remarked with mild amusement as she strolled into the room. "My son is tired. You may leave."

  "Yes, Your Excellency!" The entertainer almost ran out. He felt her murderous aura barely contained within her heart. If Luka wasn't present as a witness, the duchess might have executed Jocelyn with her ice magic for portraying Juliette as a jealous woman in his song.

  Juliette held Luka in her arms and turned her attention to Lia. "I changed my mind. I'm rescinding permission for bards to entertain my child. I don't want weird ideas to stick in his mind. Let's rely on textbooks and picture books to educate Luka for now," she ordered.

  "Yes, Your Excellency!" Lia curtsied. She felt relieved that the employer didn't blame her for bringing the bard to the mansion. The nanny hoped that Jocelyn would regale Luka with hero tales instead of nasty gossip regarding the child's parents.

  After the bard left, Juliette altered her daily schedule dramatically. She resolved to spend quality time with her son and teach him properly. Consequently, the duchess deferred a portion of her paperwork until after supper. Mother and son spent time playing hide-and-seek inside the mansion. They planted seeds and harvested crops with the farmers in the fields. Under heavy protection, the duo also hunted wild game in the woods behind the estate. Juliette's objective was to build her son's constitution and make him physically fit.

  Finally, Juliette began teaching Luka swordsmanship when he turned three years old. She pulled him out of bed before dawn every morning and made the child run around the courtyard for a few minutes to warm up his body. Then she made him swing a wooden sword customized for his small size. The trainer watched him closely and corrected his posture, stance, and arm movements until they were perfect.

  The duchess also incorporated noble etiquette in his lessons and hired an instructor for this purpose. She bought a small pony and taught him how to ride a horse because nobles must become competent in horsemanship as part of their expected duties.

  Luka dutifully practiced under his mother's watchful eyes because he appreciated the importance of these lessons. Otherwise, she would return to her study to continue her paperwork as the feudal lord of a vast dukedom.

  Although his teachers lavished praise on the child's progress, Luka thought these words were mere flattery to the duchess. He had no objective method to compare his progress with other children his age. Thus, Luka focused on perfecting his technique and sought ways to improve himself.

  Luka spent his afternoons sitting in the private library with a tutor while reading books aloud and answering questions to show his comprehension of the material. The student also learned arithmetic and solved math problems posed by the instructor. Afterward, he took a nap before Lia awoke him for dinner.

  Luka once asked Lia: "Why don't people visit our family?" After all, aristocrats frequently threw parties and social gatherings to form and maintain relationships with one another.

  The nanny grimaced at this challenging question.

  "Please tell me," the child insisted with watery eyes.

  Lia sighed. "I'll tell you only if you promise to keep this to yourself."

  He nodded.

  "The primary reason is to protect you and your heritage. You are Tsunka's sole child, and you inherited his divine summoning bloodline. Both Duchess Silverblade and the Divine Church of Light feel very protective of you. All the workers here are carefully screened and magically vetted to ensure that we don't harbor any malicious intent toward you."

  "Unfortunately, some rival nobles desire the demise of your Heavensfell duke house. The best way to achieve this goal is to end your life. That's why we rarely allow visitors to this mansion. And for the same reason, the duchess forbade you from leaving this estate without her," Lia explained.

  "I see," Luka's body shook in frustration because he was a bird in a cage!

  Lia saw his reaction and mistook it for fear. She hugged the child tightly to her chest. "Everyone here loves you, and we will protect you with our lives if necessary. So don't worry! Focus on growing strong and healthy and make us all proud!"

  "I will!" he promised.

  Chapter 3

  Belphesto

  These idyllic childhood days continued until Luka reached his fourth birthday. While the child slept that evening after a small dinner celebration, he awoke to a loud noise! CRACK! Luka turned on the lamp and saw a fine line forming in the air. It bulged like plastic as claws pierced through the invisible barrier. Suddenly, something burst out!

  A soft, furry object landed on Luka's head! The child instinctively slapped it away, and the intruder fell to the ground. Luka's eyes stared at a white creature that resembled a rabbit!

  The animal rubbed its chin where Luka had just hit it and stood upright on hind legs like a human. The rabbit grinned and revealed its sharp teeth. [Rejoice, little child! You have the honor of laying your eyes on Belphesto, the great Demon King! Hahahaha!] The small rabbit put his paws on his hips and puffed out his chest. Bel had secretly practiced this pose during his long imprisonment.

  Luka was shocked by the scratchy voice in his mind. But he couldn't help giggle at the rabbit's boastful words and exaggerated posture. "Are you insane? You're just a silly rabbit," the child scoffed.

  Bel became angry for being doubted. His pose failed to elicit the awe and fear he sought. The demon king's red eyes glowed as his figure exploded in size.

  Luka's jaw dropped as the white rabbit instantly transformed into a hideous-looking monster! It stood ten feet tall with a massive bodybuilder figure. Two rows of black horns protruded from its scalp behind its ears,
and obsidian, bat-like wings extended from his back. Bel's dark purple face etched in a cruel sneer, and two red orbs stared into Luka's eyes!

  However, Altima's blessing passively activated and enveloped the child's body with a golden aura. Thus, her divine protection negated the demon's fear-effect.

  [What have we here?] A voice asked in wonderment as Bel began to read the child's memories. [You are a Divine Summoner who received Altima's blessing! Our meeting must be fate! You have a purity inside your heart, and I relish the challenge of corrupting you. Hahahaha!]

  Despite these words, Luka wasn't frightened by the monster's sudden presence inside his bedroom or its hideous physical appearance. Instead, he felt a strange attraction to it like a moth to an open flame.

  [Although I am the demon king, Altima sealed my powers and imprisoned me for a thousand years. Now, I retain only one-billionth of my former glory.] Bel lamented as he returned to his rabbit form. He lacked the magic power to maintain his fiendish figure for long.

  "Are you going to kill me?" Luka asked. After all, this monster was a demon king!

  [No, I won't. I feel Altima's gaze upon us at this very moment. Her golden aura covering your body is proof of her favor. If I harm even a single hair on your little head, I will incur her divine retribution! Hahahaha! I think it would be amusing to upend her expectation. How about forming a familiar contract with me?] The monster proposed.

  "No, thanks! You will ask for my soul as compensation!" Luka rejected the offer immediately.

  [Not at all. Altima already laid her claim to your soul. You have nothing else of value to me. I've been asleep for a long time, and I wish to explore this world as your companion.] Bel explained.

  "You just want to be my travel companion?" Luka asked incredulously.

  [That's it!] The demon king replied.

  "What happens if I decline?" the child asked.

  [Then I'll look for someone else to form a contract. That woman sleeping on the east wing looks enticing.] Bel remarked. [She has a lot of magic power.]