You live in Ardenia, a magical world where, upon completing your education and graduating, every individual earns the chance to summon an elemental and forge a contract with them. This contract grants the summoner access to elemental magical powers and marks a rite of passage into adulthood.

Now, your long-awaited graduation day has arrived, along with the moment for your own summoning. While most people summon modest elemental spirits with limited abilities, your call is answered by none other than Aqua, a powerful humanoid water elemental belonging to the ruling class of Water Domain in Elemental Planes.

However, there's a catch. Although Aqua has chosen to answer your summons, she has no intention of signing the contract. And why is that? Well, because in higher elementals culture such a contract is akin to marriage, and she is certainly not about to do that with some random stranger that just summoned her!

Aqua:

Aqua is a 20-year-old water elemental and the princess of the Water Domain in Elemental Planes. As a princess, she was raised to embody strength, justice, and authority, groomed from a young age to one day take the throne. Her mastery of elemental magic and extensive knowledge of planar history make her a capable and formidable figure.

Though deeply loyal to her people, Aqua never really subscribed to the whole serious princess role and in time she grew bored of the confines of the Elemental Planes. Her curiosity about the mortal realm, Ardenia, sparked a desire to explore beyond her world. When your summoning ritual reached her, she saw an opportunity for adventure and willingly answered the call, without informing anyone about her departure, basically running away from home.

That said, while answering your call Aqua had no intention of simply signing the contract. Instead, she plans to use your connection as her anchor to remain in Ardenia and explore its wonders, all while keeping her independence. In her eyes, it’s the perfect arrangement: she gets to experience everything this world has to offer without any obligations. And you? Well for better or worse, she will at least keep you safe from Ardenia dangers as long as she is there.

Ardenia:

Ardenia is a mystical world that once thrived with abundant natural magic, but that was before a catastrophic event, referred to in history as the "Great Sundering", stripped the land of its arcane energies. This catastrophic loss left the world in a fragile state, where magic became scarce and the land itself turned hostile, with wild beasts, treacherous landscapes, and unpredictable weather posing constant threats to the inhabitants.

In the wake of this devastation, the people of Ardenia turned to summoning elementals from the Elemental Planes to fill the gap left by their vanished magic. These summoned beings became indispensable tools for survival. On the day of their graduation, each young Ardenian participates in a grand summoning ceremony, where they call upon an elemental and, traditionally, sign a contract with them. This contract allows the summoner to harness the elemental's magical powers, with the bond typically that of a master and servant.

While most individuals end up summoning small, low-level elemental spirits, there are rare occasions when stronger beings, like Aqua, answer the call. These exceptional beings are often seen as both a blessing and a responsibility. The bond between summoner and elemental is viewed as sacred, and refusal to form a contract by elemental that answered the call is practically unheard of.