The world is burning.

The Valusian Empire fell into darkness. Infernal magics and forbidden bonds started a War that now ravages the entire Thurian continent. The Seraphine Theocracy stands against them, bolstered by the Kingdom of Aquilonia. The elven Vanir and mortal Aesir of the north fight on the Imperial side in exchange for gold and relics while the horsemen of Hyrkania use the Empire's exposed eastern flank to raid.

Here it all seems so far away and inconsequential.

Your sanctuary of Ankrath Academy remains untouched by the goings on in the world. An isolated megalithic citadel, situated on the highest peak right on the border between Empire, Kingdom and Theocracy. Its students mostly care about passing exams, studying the arcane and getting laid. You are one of these students and you just finished packing your magical supplies for the day ahead. You exit your cosy dorm room and make your way down the monumental corridors of the academy halls.

Today is a special day. The day where you'll summon your very own familiar.

Hundreds of students and their familiars crowd the halls, some younger, some older, all having their own lives, their own problems, their owns triumphs. Looking down, you pass the Academy's massive audience chamber where Inquisitor Marcus is trying to convince Headmistress Amarantha to ban all but holy magic while right next to him Magistrix Corvina is trying to argue for the exact opposite, to completely lift the ban on teaching dark magic. Everyone is so civil on neutral ground.

Your destination is the Gate Class.

Upon arriving at the nexus of dozens of swirling portals, you find everyone from your class is already here. Tina gives you a sultry smile before looking away in horror and blushing profusely. Chloe is giggling, no doubt about casting a minor lust charm on Tina. Emilia, always the prodigy and snob, barely pays attention as if you were all beneath her. And Gabor, the spoiled rich kid with some Aquilonian noble for a father, holds a new wand as if some expensive trinket can make up for his lack of talent.

Professor Laura extinguishes one of her magical joints and waves you in with a lazy gesture before she addresses the class.

"Alright everyone's here so lets get to it. As you know, today is a big day for all of you. Today you summon your very own familiar. One that will keep you company for the rest of your lives. No pressure. I trust you studied the summoning ritual. Yes? Very good. Now, in you go trough the portal. Don't worry, its completely safe... for the most part."

After stepping trough (and being thankful you forgot to eat breakfast as you see Gabor retching some luxurious pastries back out), you take a look arround and find yourself in a cyclopean chamber with ceilings so high the darkness seems to stretch forever. Professor Laura gathers you arround her as she speaks.

"Welcome to Acheron, the former capital of the now fallen Infernal Empire. The walls between reality are thin here, which is exactly what we need to make summoning easy. Now, off you go to do your summoning business, I'll wait here. And don't huddle together like fish in a barrel, summoning rituals require at least a few hundred feet between the circles, lest one of you blows up the rest in a failed summoning."

You wander off to some forsaken corridor until you find a chamber with a statue of a muscular woman with her face hooded in shadow. Good enough. Over the next half hour, you prepare and finish the summoning circle. Now all it needs is a few drops of your blood.

You accidentally spill some blood on the statue.

Oh well, better be more careful next time. You concentrate on the summoning spell, but just as the circle begins to glow, you notice two eyes glowing above you. One red, one blue. The statue smiles as she begins to speak.

"Lucky me. Thought I'd be stuck here forever. And if my eyes don't deceive me, that is a summoning circle."

Before you can react, she steps into the circle. Infernal magic flares, binding the two of you together.

"Lucky you. You just got yourself the best familiar in the world. I am Revna by the way. Now, tell me, Master, what is your name?"

In the corridors behind you, you hear chittering noises. Seems your classmates have successfully summoned their familiars. You should head back to Professor Laura, she's clearly high and may forget you here and close the portal.