"Have you checked out the other items?"

 

Misaka swiped her hand in the air and brought up a menu displaying the contents of Edwin's satchel, which she carried over her shoulder.

 

"They were quest items for quests I don't have yet."

 

"Not only that but he had this as well."

 

She placed her finger on the screen and selected an item called Shard of Aurana, and held it out, spawning it in her palm.

 

"Kirev. Take this. It's a memento."

 

"Don't you want it?" I asked.

 

"I'm fine for Summons, and you'll need one if you plan to get Freya back."

 

"That's right. You already have Odin and Pele."

 

"And Jörmungandr now."

 

"The world-serpent? Really?"

 

"He's just a baby though. Got him from a special event, actually."

She placed the small obsidian shard in my hand, transferring it from her inventory to mine.

 

"You won't be able to rely on your skills as a fighter all of the time, Kirev. You need a Summon or you'll wind up dead."

Asla'ati Summon Gained!

★★★★★ Zelet'se (Hunter-class)

 

I had just received my second Summon.

Zelet'se, a god from a forgotten mythos.

 

"He must have not realized that the Shard of Aurana was a memento," I said.

 

"No, he must've known. I'm betting that they didn't know the verse of a Hunter to initially summon her."

 

"That's right. They were new players. Saying the verse is required to summon."

 

"Do you remember it?"

 

"The Hunter's verse?"

 

"Yeah," said Misaka shaking her head.

 

"Sanasaga - Slayer, Kosakira - Spellcaster..."

 

"You don't remember it, do you?"

 

"I'm drawing a blank," I admitted.

 

"The verse of the Hunter: Ni - Ra - Ki - Ro. You don't remember the nursery rhyme?"

 

"Darkness, Light, Power, Sight. These are what give the Hunter his might... I remember. I still think it's a stupid rhyme."

 

"You think everything is stupid. Hurry up and say it so we can meet your new summon!"

 

"NI - RA --- KI --- RO!"

 

A burst of light shot out from between my fingers. The small Shard of Aurana broke free from my tight grip and hovered into the air before me. A bracelet made of cedar bark materialized around my wrist, with the small obsidian shard bound to the bracelet. My first memento was now locked around my wrist.

 

A being became to appear from within the bright shining light. A short silhouette of a petite girl wearing a scarf of fur.

 

Was this Zelet'se of the Asla'ati Mythology?

The girl hovered down, touching her feet into the grass.

 

"Nyaaaa~~"

 

What I thought was the girl's scarf from the silhouette appeared to be a living creature, a furry companion. It was like a light-brown fox but had long slender ears with a white diamond in the center of its forehead.

 

The girl spoke as she bowed her head with respect:

"Greetings Summoner. My name is Corrin Nagalia. I am of the Asla'ati people -- we are often called the people of the Sun, worshippers of the Red Bird. I have come to serve you."

 

"It's nice to meet you," said Misaka with a smile.

 

"Nyaaa! Yip-yip," chirped the fox on her shoulder.

 

"Nawa says 'It's nice to meet you as well,'" said Corrin.

 

"You can speak fox?" I asked.

 

"Of course. I can speak a manner of tongues. Jerobi is a pretty easy language, actually..."

 

"Nyaaa-yaa!"

 

"You said your name is Corrin? I thought we summoned a god named Zelet'se?"

 

"Athame Zelet'se, the Many-Tailed Fox Goddess.  Together Nawa and I are capable of fusing into her -- although it only lasts temporarily."

 

"And you are a Hunter-class summon?"

 

"I am, " she answered.

 

Misaka looked the girl up and down. She observed her ceremonial black, white and red face paint and beads in her hair. She lifted up Corrin's ashen hair and touched her face.

 

"You just seem so young," said Misaka.

 

"You don't have to be a senior to be a summon! I may have only reached godhood last year but I know the duties of a summon!"

 

Corrin pointed to her left sleeve, which was a long oversized glove fashioned from thick black fur. It had thick black claws covering her fingers.

 

"This arm is one of several pieces of my garments made from the Hamatsa demon. The Hamatsa was a demon that terrorized my nation for generations... Killing it is how I reached my godhood status," said Corrin proudly, "The Asla'ati always wear the material of their finest kill. I am the only one permitted to wear this because I'm the only one to have slain the Hamatsa."

 

"Why would they let a little girl fight a demon? You could've been killed," I asked.

 

"Don't let my appearance downplay the achievement of slaying such a demon!"

 

"Aren't your people immortal or something?" asked Misaka.

 

"My people are immune to ailments while the sun shines on us. That is the only reason for my youthful appearance, OK."

 

"...You are immune to negative effects in the sunlight?" I questioned.

 

"The Great Sun Goddess protects the Asla'ati from disease and protects us from ailments while in her warm embrace. Only in the shade do such things as sickness and aging affect my people. Because of this, my people live much longer than yours do. Six hundred is a very common age for my elders to take their final rest  -- passing on their mana to the young."

 

"Six hundred? I'm looking at only living to eighty if I'm lucky!" I said.

 

"Oh, that's not many years at all! You better live large while you can...Time can often feel short..."

 

"Great Sun Goddess. Don't the Asla'ati have a really interesting name for her? I can'ť remember it off the top of my head, but I studied your culture before at the Academy" said Misaka.

 

"She is called 'The-Sun-That-Drinks' in my culture. You know of the Asla'ati?" asked Corrin.

 

"I know that they hunt demons for meat, and I have read about the many wars between the Asla'ati and the Oro'ati," said Misaka.

 

"Mhm. My people are often in conflicts."

"Nyaa-nyaaa" said Nawa.

 

Corrin sniffed the air.

 

"You're right, Nawa. He does smell weird."

"I just spent a night tied to a tree..."