Pete led the group to the back of his house, where a rather odd-looking wagon awaited them. A small boat sail was replacing the section where you would hitch it to a beast of burden. Lily and the two boys shared a confused glance between themselves before turning expectantly to Pete.

"You didn't expect us to walk there, did you?" Pete asked, followed by a chortle. This is my ride; you should have seen what a piece of junk the first version was. Oh, and a little tip if any of you have an entrepreneurial mindset: You can earn some good money on the side by coming up with an idea, magical or otherwise, to help students get to Kaeling and back."

"I could probably copy your idea," Arthur said, pointing to the sail. "Since wind magic is my specialty."

"Once I get us moving, maybe I'll let you have a try at the reins," Pete offered.

"Damn. I shouldn't have slacked on my wind magic," Thomas sighed regretfully.

"At least you have wind magic," Lily said with a sympathetic smile. "Although maybe I can replace it with a good wind glyph…"

"Or you can find other ways to make money, assuming you need it," Pete pointed out. "I just mentioned this since it worked for me, but I had a classmate who sold potions and another who ran a laundry business."

Oh, potions! I would probably make Camilla happy if I did that.

"Laundry? Really?" Thomas frowned.

"Oh, trust me, once you've had a water-fire mage combo do your laundry, you'll never want to go back. They can get your clothes so deep cleaned that they will feel better than new and dry in seconds! Now hop in."

Everyone climbed into the wagon and, to their surprise, discovered it even had cushioned seats. Then Pete began casting a wind spell that created a small swirling vortex of air. It sat right behind the sail and, at his command, began releasing wind in his chosen direction. The wagon came to life, and soon, they were racing towards the castle, Regarth, in the distance.

"This is even faster than a horse," Lily commented.

"And it's why I could charge good rates," Pete replied with a wink.

They made small talk during the trip, and at some point, Pete let Arthur have a try. Lily was curious to see another student cast magic, as she'd only seen what the orphanage kids could do. Arthur had a much different approach than Pete, and instead of creating a controllable vortex, he made a few vague gestures, causing a stream of wind to energy from his fingertips to the sail.

This was faster than Pete's approach, but after about twenty minutes, Arthur had to relinquish control back to the staff member.

"You'll either need to work on your endurance or efficiency. Either of those will work," Pete offered as advice. "Still, what you could accomplish at the drop of a hat is impressive. I guess that's the aviania blood for you."

Arthur nodded, looking quite proud.

"Wouldn't the Familiar bond also work in this case?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, although you'd need to dismiss it once you get to Kaeling. Remember, it's a secret outside of the walls of Regarth."

The three of them nodded.

It wasn't long before they reached a large closed gate, but rather than slowing down, Pete pulled out a badge. He held it up to the sky, causing it to glow with radiant light. The gate responded and swung open with a loud creaking noise.

"You'll get your own badges later today," he explained. "Although unlike my own, they will track your coming and going. Also, there is a limit to how many times per week you can leave, although that increases yearly, with good behavior or through accomplishments."

They rolled up to an open courtyard, where a large stable housed plenty of wagons, carts, other vehicles, and various domesticated animals.

Lily had expected adults to run the place, but instead, it was other students who ran it. They waved at the newcomers while yelling out congratulations.

"Like I said, there are other ways to earn money if you want," Pete said, gesturing to the kids feeding and maintaining the animals.

His cart finally stopped in an empty spot with his name on it, and he jumped off with a flourish.

"Welcome to Regarth!"

Lily and the boys grinned, feeling triumphant—they had made it.

They all followed Pete closely, not wanting to get lost. Lily, however, couldn't stop her eyes from wandering and kept glancing at the various students or staff walking about.

I wonder what job Rose did. If she still destroys clothes on the regular, then she probably needs extra money.

Their destination was a small classroom in the open courtyard, separate from the castle proper. Entering, they were welcomed to see a girl sleeping at a desk.

"Rebecca!" Pete shouted. "We've got new students!"

The girl jumped as she was woken up, the pages on the desk stuck to her face from drool.

"I'm awake!" she cried out.

"Excellent," Pete nodded. "This is my assistant, Rebecca. Despite her unkempt appearance, she's in her third year, so she's your senior."

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"Nice to meet you, I'm Lily."

"Thomas, it's a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca,"

"Arthur."

"Um… nice to meet the lot of you," she said awkwardly.

"Please show them the ropes on how to use the circle to summon their Familiars for the first time," Pete requested.

"Do we have to use the circle all the time?" Thomas asked.

Pete shook his head, "No, it's a crutch; you'll learn to summon them without it. However, we want you to start bonding with your Familiars immediately, and to do that, they need to be out and about while you attend classes."

"Makes sense," Arthus said, nodding in agreement.

"Okay, listen carefully. I'll only repeat it once, but it's pretty simple thanks to the circle," Rebecca said, appearing to finally be awake.

She walked over to the circle, cleared her throat, and began an incantation. It was short and to the point, without any tricky words from Lily's vague estimation. With each word, the circle lit up as if it was guiding Rebecca through the process.

Lily and Arthur were listening intently while Thomas was scribbling down as fast as he could

A hole opened, and a strange creature with elongated limbs crawled very slowly out of it. Rebecca quickly picked it up off the ground, and it hung from her arm like a bundle of mossy fur. Its long limbs curled tightly around her arm, and its small face held a sleepy, almost puzzled expression.

"Is that a sloth?" Thomas asked.

"Is that what you call that creature?" Arthur added.

"Yes, it's a sloth. Oddly fitting for Rebbeca, wouldn't you say?" Pete said teasingly.

Rebecca glared daggers at Pete, and neither Lily nor the two boys dared agree with him.

Pete awkwardly cleared his throat, "Moving on… do we have a volunteer to go first?" Pete asked.

"I'll go first!" Thomas said as he looked down at the notepad in his hands.

Pete nodded and gestured for him to approach the circle. He strode up to it, and after taking a deep breath, he began reciting the incantation while consulting his notes. He gradually gestured towards the circle with his free hand as he read.

The circle came to life, and a recognizable hole appeared momentarily before a pitch-black cat with bright, emerald green eyes shot out of the hole with a screech. It bounced around the room before it finally pounced at Thomas, landing on top of his head and striking a triumphant pose.

"Oh, a cat," Pete said with excitement. "That's almost the customary Familiar species, that or owls, for some peculiar reason."

"Owls specifically?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, although other birds can occur. But for whatever reason, the Familiar ritual really likes owls," Pete explained. "But enough about owls, have you decided on a name for your Familiar? I'm sure he or she will appreciate it."

"It's a girl. I think I'll name her Yona," Thomas answered.

The cat let out an impressive meow and began kneading atop Thomas' head, causing him to wince with each paw.

"That's a wonderful name," Rebecca said, writing it down in her ledger.

Pete nodded, "Indeed. So, who's next?"

Lily was about to raise her hand, not wanting to be last, but Arthur beat her to the punch.

"I'll go!" he exclaimed and walked to the circle.

Thomas vacated the area and stood next to Lily. Still refusing to leave his head, Yona gave Lily a predatory gaze.

Silly cat.

Arthur wasted no time in making his attempt. He began his recital of the incantation. When he started making a few obvious errors, she and Thomas shared a worried glance, but neither Rebecca nor Pete said anything.

The circle eventually lit up, and the hole appeared. A melodious chirp was let out, and a rainbow of colors emerged. When the light faded, a massive songbird with plumage in full rainbow coloring was perched on Arthur's outstretched arm. It ruffled its feathers and let out another majestic chirp.

"Oh! That is a beautiful bird," Rebecca praised.

"Mrwar!" Yona cried out, glaring daggers at the bird.

"You're beautiful too, Yona," Rebecca quickly added.

The cat nodded, and the bird released a squawk in response, startling her. Then the two stared down at each other, each glaring daggers at the other. The bird fluffed out its feathers while the fur on the cat started to rise.

I see what they meant about Familiars not being ordinary creatures. It's like those two are fighting over who gets to be the boss.

"It looks like a songbird, but when it comes to Familiars, appearances can be deceiving. Very fascinating!"

"Her name is Sphii," Arthur said proudly.

"Another girl? This is really proving the opposites attract theory," Rebecca noted.

"Of course, that's excluding Familiars that are just… its,"

"Such as?" Thomas asked.

"Elementals, slimes, plants… there was one kid who summoned a rock, and before you ask, yes, it was real, and yes, it could even move itself," Pete answered with a chuckle.

"Well, I'm certainly glad I didn't get a rock. Or an owl," Arthur said as he affectionately petted the bird on his arm.

"That just leaves Lily," Rebecca said expectantly.

Pete nodded, "I'm very curious to see what our star mage bunny has brought into this world."

"Um…" Lily hesitated. "Just so you're aware, it's a little… odd."

Arthur laughed, "We just heard that someone summoned a rock. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Lily nodded and walked over to the circle. Then, to everyone's surprise, she pulled out a book and placed it there.

Rebecca opened her mouth to say something, but Pete shushed her with a gesture.

I hope you're ready, Arakil.

Lily began reciting the chant, and to her surprise, the circle started glowing. She wasn't sure if it was really her or if Arakil had found some way to interact with it. When she was nearing the end, she started feeling nervous and prayed that Arakil would come through.

Suddenly, the book flew into the air. Its cover opened wide, and its pages shone iridescent as they fluttered in the air. The book grew one, then two sizes bigger, when the glowing pages stopped and slammed shut. It stayed there, hovering in place before it floated over to Lily's side.

The two boys and their Familiars stared at the book with eyes wide as saucers. Rebecca dropped her pencil while Pete dropped his jaw.

"What is that?" Pete asked, finally breaking the silence.

"It's a floating book?" Arthur replied with confusion.

"No, but she brought the book out beforehand," Thomas pointed out.

"Then it must be something inside of the book!" Arthur retorted.

"His name is Arakil," Lily answered.

The boys looked at Lily like she had sprouted a second head. Meanwhile, Rebecca and Pete looked like they had come to terms with Lily's bizarre Familiar.

"Oh? A him and not an it; what made you decide on that?" Rebecca asked curiously.

"I didn't decide on it. He told me his name himself," Lily explained.

"The book can talk?" Thomas asked, tilting his head.

"Please tell me you're joking," Arthur replied.

But Rebecca and Pete looked very excited by what Lily had just said.

"Oh! A talking Familiar from the start!" Pete said excitedly. "If you're unlucky or neglectful, that can take years to develop. Having full communication with your companion is a massive boon."

"This also further proves my theory; it's wonderful!" Rebecca cheered.

"But what even is it?" Arthur asked. "What lives inside a book? Isn't that too weird?"

"Well… why doesn't Lily ask the book, err… Arakil for us?" Thomas suggested.

"An excellent idea," Pete agreed. "Lily, if you'd do the honors?"

Lily nervously nodded and lamented her poor acting skills, "Um. Arakil, what exactly are you?"

She couldn't resist swallowing after she finished speaking.

I hope they bought it.