The morning after the Spirit Confluence Zone felt... different.
Not just because I had a magical beast coiled in my shadow like a smug secret, or because I now technically shared my soul with something that could freeze time in its true form. No, it was the way the academy itself seemed to hold its breath. As if it knew the battlefield had subtly shifted.
And that most of the players were too dumb to notice.
I strolled into the courtyard with hands in my pockets, trying to appear like someone who definitely didn't just form a contract with what might be the most powerful creature to ever nap in a kid's backpack.
Speaking of…
"You're walking too slow," came a voice in my head, silky and ancient, threaded with cold amusement.
"I'm trying to blend in," I replied mentally, eyes flicking to my side. Nestled on my shoulder was a creature no bigger than a cat, though far more unnerving. A silver-scaled, fox-like being with draconic eyes, feathered ears, and a tail that shimmered like frost under moonlight. Four tiny star-like orbs orbited her gently, pulsing in rhythm with my mana.
"You blend like a black rose in a wheat field."
"You're very poetic for someone who eats mana storms for breakfast."
She yawned, teeth gleaming. "Poetry is the prelude to destruction."
"Talking to yourself again, Yoru?" came a too-familiar voice.
I glanced to the side and found Akari leaning against one of the white archways, arms crossed, her red-gold hair tied back in a high tail, embers flickering at her heels like pets. Perched on her shoulder was a small creature that looked like a winged ferret made of fire and scales—its gaze sharp and curious.
"No," I said. "Talking to my invisible entourage. They say hi."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, tell them to shut up. We're late."
"For what?"
Her smirk was entirely too gleeful. "First lecture on mana beast synergy and battle applications. Kaien's teaching."
I groaned. "Wonderful. An entire hour of 'bond with your creature, or perish in glorious flames.'"
Akari started walking, her beast curling around her neck like a flaming scarf. "Just don't say anything too sarcastic and you might survive."
"That's like asking a storm not to be windy."
—
Professor Kaien stood in the center of the Training Hall, his usual stern presence amplified by the fact that he now had a beast of his own beside him. A sleek panther with streaks of shadow trailing its fur like smoke. Classy.
"All of you have now bonded with your first contracted mana beast," he began, eyes sweeping the room. "Some of you are still in one piece. Good."
Nervous laughter rippled among the students.
"Today, you'll learn how to communicate with your companion, how to synchronize mana in battle, and most importantly, how not to accidentally blow yourselves up when you try a fusion cast."
I subtly glanced around. Most students had their beasts perched nearby, all of them in miniature form—Academy Rule #12: no full-size summons on school property without a seal permit. One kid had a sapphire wolf pup with mist trailing from its paws. Another had a strange hummingbird-shaped creature with glowing eyes and translucent wings.
And then there was him.
Rei Valen.
The golden boy.
First-ranked in the year, top of every combat trial during orientation, and apparently now the proud partner of a beast that looked like someone spliced a storm wyvern with a tiger and gave it a superiority complex.
He stood alone, his presence immaculate—uniform crisp, hair silver-blonde and flawless like it had never known wind. His beast sat beside him, a lean predator with electric-blue fur and lightning running beneath its skin like molten light.
I hated him already.
Not because he was good.
Because he knew he was.
"Today's exercise," Kaien continued, "will be a test of affinity resonance. Your goal: channel a simple spell through your beast without destabilizing the connection."
He snapped his fingers, and a row of targets rose at the edge of the hall.
"Form pairs. Begin."
Akari turned toward me. "Partner?"
Before I could reply, a voice like cold rain cut through.
"Yoru Mikazuki," said Rei, now standing a few paces away. His tone was polite. Too polite. "Would you care to spar instead?"
I raised a brow. "Bold. We've barely spoken."
He tilted his head. "You impressed Instructor Niyara. I'm curious."
Curious, my ass. He wanted to measure me like a blacksmith tested a blade. And yet…
Akari gave me a look that said, Don't be stupid.
I, of course, was.
"I'd be honored," I said sweetly.
—
We stood opposite each other on the dueling platform, our beasts behind us.
Rei's partner crackled with energy, lightning dancing between its claws. Mine?
Mine blinked lazily, curled around my shoulders like a smug scarf.
"You're going to let him swing first, right?" she asked.
"Obviously. We're the mysterious type."
Kaien stood between us, raising a hand. "You may begin."
The moment he dropped it, Rei struck.
A bolt of lightning arced from his palm, channeled through his beast, which roared as the spell twisted into a spear of crackling blue light. The crowd gasped.
I didn't move.
I simply raised my hand and let the cold flow.
My mana synced with hers instantly, effortlessly. No hesitation. No resistance.
A wall of ice erupted from the ground, curved and crystalline, the lightning shattering harmlessly against it in a shower of sparks.
Gasps turned to whispers.
Rei narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting," he said.
"You sound almost surprised."
He summoned a second strike, faster this time—three shards of compressed air lined with static. Precision-crafted.
I stepped aside.
Barely.
The attack clipped my sleeve.
My beast growled.
"Permission to maim?"
"Denied."
I held out my hand again and this time, sent a pulse of mana through her body, letting her shape it. Tiny frost flowers bloomed along the floor, then exploded upward in a flurry of shards, forcing Rei to dodge.
He landed, graceful, and called a stop.
"I've seen enough."
Kaien stepped in. "That was acceptable. Resume standard practice."
Rei met my eyes briefly.
Then nodded once.
Respect. Or warning?
Hard to tell.
Either way, it was a start.
—
Back in the dorms, I flopped onto my bed while my beast floated in a lazy orbit above.
"You didn't even try," she mused.
"I didn't need to."
"You like him?"
"No."
"You respect him."
A pause.
"…A little."
She grinned—well, the emotional equivalent of it. "Good. You'll need rivals. Keeps things interesting."
—
Later that afternoon, we had our secondary lecture in the Mana Theater—a domed room with illusion-cast diagrams and instructor-led visual magic. This one was led by Professor Mirei, a calm woman with ash-gray eyes and a slow, deliberate way of speaking.
"Magical beasts are not tools," she began. "They are extensions of your being. Your strengths. Your flaws. Your secrets."
She gestured, and a glowing projection appeared—an enormous bird of light.
"This is an A-rank phoenix. Note the mana threads between its heart and the mage's core."
We watched as the image moved, showing joint spellcasting, communication methods, fusion stances.
I glanced around.
Most of the students looked stunned.
Most of them wouldn't last a week in the wilds.
Then again, most of them weren't hiding a creature whose true form could likely rewrite the weather.
"I could sneeze and end the harvest," she said cheerfully in my mind.
"Please don't."
—
As the sun dipped low, a bell rang across the campus.
"All first-years, report to the Arena tomorrow morning," said a voice through the crystal intercom. "Combat evaluation. Group trial format. Attendance is mandatory."
Well, that sounded ominous.
Akari found me just outside the dorm.
"Ready for tomorrow?" she asked.
I shrugged. "It's just another test."
She snorted. "Right. And I'm just a normal girl with a flaming lizard scarf."
We stood in silence for a moment, watching the stars emerge.
"You're different," she said quietly. "But I don't think it's a bad thing."
I didn't answer.
I just watched the stars.
And for the first time since I got here, I felt the stirrings of something dangerous.
Purpose.
---
The classroom designated for magical beast studies was unlike any other in the academy. Instead of clean desks and smooth walls, it resembled a miniature forest enclosed in crystalline barriers. Strange plants glowed faintly in the corners, and the air itself shimmered with residual mana.
Professor Vaelis stood at the front, a lean man with half-moon glasses and robes that trailed behind him like ink in water. His voice, though quiet, carried the same weight as thunder.
"Your bonds have been forged, but you are only at the beginning. Magical beasts are not tools. They are partners. They have wills, instincts, and in some cases, intellect far surpassing your own."
He paused, glancing at a student whose griffin familiar was currently gnawing on a chunk of enchanted iron.
"Sometimes, they even have better manners."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Beside me, my own companion stirred.
"Is he talking about me?" the voice slithered into my mind, velvet-smooth and vaguely amused.
I didn't answer aloud. I knew better. Instead, I tapped my fingers on my knee.
My partner—currently curled around my neck like a frost-tinted scarf—gave a soft snort. Her miniature form, no larger than a kitten, resembled a blend of serpent and dragon. Sleek, crystalline-blue scales shimmered subtly with starlight, and her four wings folded in like delicate shards of ice.
"I could teach that griffin manners, if you'd like," she offered mentally, voice purring.
"Tempting, but I don't think the professor would appreciate spontaneous dismemberment before lunch."
"Coward."
I smirked.
Professor Vaelis continued. "All of your familiars belong to a class ranging from F to S. There are rare exceptions…"
His eyes brushed past me, lingering just a second too long.
"...but for now, what matters is understanding your companion's strengths and limitations. We will begin practical lessons next week. Today, we focus on communication and mana resonance."
He waved his hand, and a glowing circle appeared in the air.
"This is the Resonance Seal. It will allow you to temporarily synchronize your thoughts more clearly with your companion, provided the bond is stable. Try it."
Around the room, pairs of students hesitantly stepped forward. Akari was across from me with her own beast—a fox-like creature wrapped in gentle flames. It stared at her with bright golden eyes as she whispered to it.
It responded with a nod.
My eyes moved past her.
The strongest student of the first year was easy to spot—Rei Valen. He stood a head taller than most and carried himself with the confidence of someone used to power.
Our eyes met briefly.
He gave me a look—not hostile, but probing. Measuring.
I gave him a smile.
The smug kind.
He didn't return it.
"He thinks he's better than you," my companion whispered.
"Most people do. Until they're not."
"I like you more when you're cocky."
"Then you're going to love me today."
The resonance exercise began. I stepped forward and placed my hand on the floating sigil. A tingle ran through my arm, like static charged with frost.
"Are you ready?" I asked mentally.
"You were born ready. I'm just here to make sure you don't freeze the floor."
A pulse of mana passed between us. For a brief moment, I felt her entirely—her pride, her cunning, her ancient, slumbering power. Even in her sealed form, the weight of her essence was staggering.
"You're holding back," I thought.
"Of course. I like watching you squirm first."
The circle flared, and Professor Vaelis raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting," he muttered.
Once the exercise ended, he dismissed us with the warning: "Train well. The Convergence Trial is in five days. You'll need your partners more than ever."
Great.
Another death trap disguised as a school assignment.
---
Later that day, in the open-air dueling yard, we gathered again—this time for combat fundamentals. Professor Kaien himself led this one.
"Now that you have your familiars, you will learn to fight in tandem. Magic is not simply about throwing fireballs or summoning wind. It's about flow, intent, and control."
He gestured. "Yoru Mikazuki. Akari. Step forward."
Oh, wonderful. Nothing like being used as a living example.
I walked into the circle. Akari joined me with a wink.
"Try not to die. It'd ruin the curve for the rest of us."
"Please, if I die, it'll be because your hair caught fire and I suffocated on ego fumes."
Professor Kaien smiled faintly. "Simple exercise. Defensive coordination. Familiars may assist, but do not transform."
Akari's fox circled her ankles like a comet, and my icy serpent stirred.
"I like this one," she said, eying the fire-beast. "She's got spark."
"Focus," I muttered.
The exercise began. Akari launched forward, fire blooming from her palm. I raised a wall of frost instinctively, diverting the heat to the side.
Her eyes narrowed, impressed. She feinted, then tried a sweeping flame burst.
I spun, summoning a cold mist that dampened the intensity.
Our familiars danced at the edge of the field, weaving energy like threads.
Eventually, Professor Kaien called it.
"Enough. Good synchronization. Poor communication. You'll need to speak more in a real battle."
Akari grinned. "He doesn't talk much."
"He should. His technique is above grade."
I raised a brow. Praise from Kaien? Huh.
As we stepped down, Rei passed me again. This time, he spoke.
"Nice frostwork."
"Thanks. Nice walking furnace."
His chimera growled softly. He smiled. "We'll see what really burns in the Trial."
Challenge accepted.
As the day ended, I sat near the edge of the training grounds, my familiar curled on my shoulder.
"So," I asked, "what did you think of today?"
"You were showy. But good."
"Thanks. I try to be modest."
She snorted. "You fail. Spectacularly."
I smirked and looked up at the stars.
Five days until the Convergence Trial.
Time to sharpen my blade.
And chill the competition.