Their Familiars!

The excitement in the hall still hadn't faded when the next chosen one stepped forward to present her familiar. It was none other than the vice president herself — Shanny.

She stood with her usual composed elegance, though if one looked closely enough, they might have noticed the slight tension in her shoulders. With a small nod, she raised her hand, channeling a ripple of mana that danced with dark, graceful threads.

Out of the air emerged a sleek shape that seemed carved from midnight itself — a black panther. Its fur was glossy, almost iridescent under the glow of the hall's enchanted lights. The creature moved with silent, fluid grace, muscles rippling beneath its coat as it padded to Shanny's side and sat proudly, tail curling around its paws.

"This is my familiar," Shanny announced, her voice steady despite a faint tightness beneath it. "He is an A-Class mana beast. A black panther."

The crowd's delight

"Awwww, look at it! So gorgeous!"

"That fur — I just want to pet it forever!"

The girls were practically swooning. Meanwhile, from a group of second-year boys came a different string of comments.

"Whoa, she's pretty. Think she's single?"

"Forget it, like someone like her would ever look at us."

Aether leaned slightly forward in his seat, resting his chin on his knuckles. That's a fine mana beast. Not just beautiful — it's probably incredibly fast. Panthers are made for silent assassination. With an A-class bond, it must be terrifying on the move.

The rest of the chosen ones' reveals

One by one, the remaining chosen ones of year five brought out their familiars. The third seat summoned a wolf with pristine white fur, its blue eyes sharp and watchful. Though only BB-Class, the sheer vitality in its aura made many students gasp.

Then came the fourth seat — an enormous eagle, wings spread wide enough to nearly span the dais, its feathers shimmering with faint mana sigils. A BB-Class as well, but undeniably majestic.

The fifth seat's familiar was an owl, its eyes deep gold, posture stately. It gave off an almost scholarly air, though Aether could sense powerful detection magic swirling subtly through its presence.

Next was the sixth seat, who summoned a sinuous, iridescent snake. It uncoiled from around his shoulders, lengthening and thickening until it was nearly as tall as a man, then shrank back to coil neatly around his wrist. Its BB-Class energy flexed and contracted with eerie ease.

Then came the seventh seat, Clestia. Her familiar was surprisingly powerful — an A-Class aardwolf with striped, bristle-like fur that bristled with tiny arcs of static mana. It nuzzled her hand affectionately, earning more than a few coos of delight from the audience.

Finally, the eighth and ninth seats presented their familiars. A massive Akita Shepherd stood loyally by the eighth's side, tail wagging but eyes sharp, while the ninth commanded a slender, reddish Foxhound that darted playfully in circles.

The hall buzzes

By the time all nine familiars had been revealed, the hall was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Ohh, did you see that? So many powerful mana beasts — and some were just adorable too!"

"Yeah! I want one just like that when I get my own familiar!"

"They looked so bonded, it's almost unfair…"

Aether's wary analysis

But Aether wasn't caught up in their awe. He simply leaned back, lacing his fingers and resting his head against them, half-lidded eyes observing everything with a faint, amused curve of his mouth.

Damn. Even though most are 'just' BB-Class, they're on the stronger end of that tier. Looks like this academy really doesn't hold back when picking out its top ranks.

His gaze moved lazily from beast to beast. It's also a perfectly balanced team. They've got powerful attackers, assassins, scouts, healers, haze-casters, teleporters… even two solid defense types.

His eyes narrowed slightly. And if the bond between mage and familiar truly multiplies power the way the old books say, then fighting all ten of them together would be suicidal. The synergy alone could crush me.

Then he exhaled, lips quirking dryly. Well. Good thing I don't plan on taking them all on today.

Shanny's dread, Olivia's hope, Lucas's hatred

Off to the side, Shanny's expression remained troubled. She kept glancing toward Luke, clearly unsettled by something that had been gnawing at her all morning.

"Now that we've shown our familiars… what is he planning to do next?" she fretted, heart twisting. She could practically feel something brewing behind Luke's calm smile — something ugly.

Meanwhile, Olivia's eyes sparkled with barely restrained excitement. Will I get a familiar like that? Something powerful, something graceful… oh, I can't wait.

But across the room, Lucas's face was twisted with shadowy resolve.

"Nice. Soon, at the familiar choosing ceremony, I'll pick the strongest mana beast available — and then you'll be my first target, Aether Ryens. I'll pay you back for humiliating me in front of the entire academy…"

His fists clenched so hard they trembled.

Luke's calculated speech

Luke took a step forward, hands clasped behind his back. His lion lounged at his side, tail lazily swishing, golden eyes ever watchful.

"Having a familiar aids a mage greatly," Luke began, voice smooth as ever, echoing across the now-silent hall. "They can improve your mana flow, become your sparring partners, alert you to dangers even you might miss. With them, your potential only grows."

He paused, scanning the crowd, his smile gentle — almost fatherly. "But remember this well. Familiars are living beings. They trust you, bond with you. They're not tools to be used for petty things, or forced into harm without reason."

Shanny and Aether's private disbelief

Shanny's lips parted, a horrified thought almost slipping out.

How is he able to talk like that? Doesn't he feel any guilt after what he did — commanding his lion to nearly slash open Aether's face?

Meanwhile, Aether merely stared at Luke, an eyebrow quirking up. Bruh. Are you serious right now? You literally tried to slice my face open an hour ago. "Don't use familiars for petty things?" No comments… absolutely no comments.

He sighed, sinking deeper into his seat. Guess I'll just sit back and watch this circus. No point getting angry — not yet anyway.

The sinister turn

Just when Aether began to relax, thinking maybe things would simply wrap up, Luke's honey-smooth voice took on an almost playful lilt.

"Since we're all gathered here today," he announced, "why don't we show you how we work with our familiars — our power combined. You're lucky, actually… we didn't even do this for the year twos or threes."

Gasps of excitement burst around the room.

"What?! They didn't get to see this?"

"Ohh, we're so lucky!"

Shanny tries to stop it

But Shanny stiffened, eyes widening. This hadn't been discussed. This hadn't been approved.

"Luke!" she blurted, stepping forward sharply. "This isn't what we—"

He turned to her, placing a single finger over his lips, smiling so serenely it made her stomach twist. "Shh. It's alright, Shanny. We're just going to show them. Nothing bad's going to happen."

Shanny swallowed hard, her hands curling into fists. "No… that's not it. I know you. What are you really planning?"

"How are you going to 'show' them?" she asked, voice clipped, suspicion sharpening every syllable.

The trap is sprung — Aether's name again

Luke's smile stretched wider, touched with something sly — almost hungry.

"Simple," he drawled, turning slightly toward the crowd. His golden eyes glinted, landing right on Aether. "We'll ask our academy prodigy here — Aether Ryens — to create us some mechanisms. Then we can demonstrate our power properly to all the new first-years."

The hall freezes

"Huh?" Aether's head tilted slightly, mouth twisting in a half-smirk, half-grimace.

Shanny tries to save him

"No!" Shanny cut in, stepping in front of Luke's line of sight to Aether. Her voice was urgent, almost cracking. "He's only a first-year, Luke. You can't possibly expect him to create something that could withstand the combined power of all your attacks with your familiars."

"This is what he was planning all along… to bait Aether into revealing his capabilities. And if he fails — or worse, if they decide to 'test' him too roughly — he could be crushed. I can't let that happen, not today."

Her eyes burned with determination.

Luke's calm menace

But Luke just tilted his head, a small sigh escaping him. "Oh, come now, Shanny. Where's your faith in our little genius? Didn't you all say he created mechanisms that rival year threes? Surely he can craft something simple for a demonstration."

His lion let out a low, rolling purr that sounded far too much like a growl, its golden eyes fixed again on Aether.

Aether's wary grin

Aether leaned back in his chair, arms now folded loosely across his chest. He let out a short breath that might've been a laugh.

So that's your angle, huh? Trying to lure me out — see what I can really do under pressure. And if I slip up? That'll just prove how "harmless" I am. Or… you'll get your second shot to leave a mark on me.

His eyes flicked to Luke, a sharp glint of challenge dancing in them. Alright then, president. Let's dance your little dance. But don't think for a second I'm not two steps ahead of you.