Chapter 9

Once Lady Elvina opened the door to our room, where we would be able to obtain our familiar, the light illuminated from within. The room was like entering a lush, green paradise.

The ceiling was supported by big, creamy white pillars hugged by plants on either side of the wide green room.

In front of us stood two statues of angels, one on each side of the open window, holding a pot with water cascading out of it and out the window, producing a waterfall.

Lastly, a mountain cliff resembling that in The Lion King is placed beneath the angels.

Our mouths were agape with wonder, rendering us speechless; it was simply magical!

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is where you will receive your familiar." Elvina proudly welcomed us all as we entered, softly gesturing to the cliff with her hand.

"How does it work?" Joseph inquired avidly.

"To be blessed by the Gods, you must first drink a handful of the holy waterfall from the duo angels, then kneel, bow your head, and close your eyes. Do not open them until I request you to. The light will do its magic as it will choose your partner for you."

Even though it was an easy task to complete, it was extremely nerve-racking. Nevertheless, the ceremony began, beginning with Heric.

He walked up to the cliff, cupped his hand to scoop the sparkling water from the waterfall, and then drank it. He took a step back, kneeled, and then bowed his head with his eyes closed.

A ball of light floated down from the mirror ornament fixed on the wall above the waterfall seconds later. The light ball then glowed before entering Heric's body, causing him to glow as well.

The enchantment faded seconds later, completing the process of his blessing.

"You may stand, Heric," Elvina said, and he did so, turning around with a smile.

She had placed a wooden whistle on a serving platter for the individual to use as he was climbing down the cliff.

"You can call out your familiar by their given name, but since we haven't done that yet, please blow on this whistle; you won't be able to hear it, but your familiar will."

Heric gently grabbed the whistle from her and blew on it. We couldn't hear anything no matter how hard Heric blew on the whistle, as Elvina had said.

However, as soon as he blew on it, a creature appeared from behind him. A banshee had materialized, and upon seeing his master, the creature bowed in respect as a greeting.

"That is one large snake," Milton whispered with concern.

The sight of the banshee in front of us caused my team, from the boys first mission, to back away in fear. You can imagine how terrified we were when it was in its original little size.

We were terrified given that we were face-to-face with a massive one that spanned half the height of this structure, similar to Heric's familiar.

"You have to name him, Heric," Elvina reminded him.

While we all waited patiently, Heric came up with a name. It wasn't difficult for him because he had already prepared at least three names and chose the first one on the list. "Your name is Ash," he said, and the serpent gleamed as if it had been baptized.

"Lastly, check your partner's power to get to know their ability," Elvina said. "However, keep in mind that only the Master has the ability to check its partner's power; all you have to do is swipe your hand to the right in front of your familiar, and the information will appear."

When Heric did so, his partner's information box appeared in front of him.

Name: ASH

Gender: MALE

Creature: SNAKE

Breed: BANSHEE

Power:

(1) Strength

(2) Scale armor

(3) Vision - Can see through the dark

Weakness: FIRE

Master: HERIC FREEMAN

Heric was happy to find scale armor as one of its abilities in its information. It signifies that his familiar is strong and can endure any attack, and although it can get hurt a bit from it, he can rely on his friends to guard and heal him.

Next up, Sujin, and he were given a gigantic Arctic wolf. We all adored his partner, with its fluffy white fur and husky-like face, despite being twice our size.

Jaeseong inquired, "What are you going to name her?"

"Hmm...I know this is simple, but your name will be Snow," he said, and the wolf was baptized by the light shining within.

"I'm guessing you named her Snow because of her white fur?" Seungjae jokes.

"Yeah, because that's all I can think of."

"Sujin, please check your partner's power," Elvina instructed, and the youngster did so immediately, swiping his palm to the right in front of his partner, who sat patiently.

Name: SNOW

Gender: FEMALE

Creature: WOLF

Breed: ARCTIC WOLF

Power:

(1) Strength

(2) Ice - Can withstand the cold temperature

Weakness: FIRE

Master: YANG SUJIN

When he read his partner's 'ice' power in his information box, he wondered, "Does this mean I have to keep him at a cold room temperature every single day?"

"That won’t be necessary, but it's best for her to avoid fire; that way, she won't get hurt."

Next in line was Seungjae, and he was given a black panther. Its chic, midnight black fur and blue eyes, as blue as the sky in the daytime, swept us away at our first meeting.

Yejoon was overjoyed when he spotted the animal. "Is that a black panther?" he inquired.

"Do you want to pet it?" asked Seungjae.

"Can I?"

"Sure!" he said, nodding. "Just make sure it doesn't bite you."

Yejoon's eyes twinkled with delight as he approached the animal. He held out his hand for the animal to sniff, and when the Panther detected no danger from the youngster, he lent his head for the boy to touch.

When the Panther did this, the musician was overjoyed and delighted.

Milton inquired, "What are you going to name him, Seungjae?"

"Blacky?" guessed Minjoon.

"Pan from panther?" Jiho deduced.

"Black is good, but it's a little simple," Seungjae muttered as he pursed his lips, trying to come up with a new name for his familiar.

"Then why not say it in a different language?" Seongho suggested, sparking an idea in the boy.

"GeomJeong!" he exclaimed. "Your name is GeomJeong!" he said.

The panther then glowed.

The majority of the members were against the name Seungjae had given his companion, but Yejoon couldn't care less as he kept playfully calling out his name while rubbing his cheeks with a large smile.

Name: GEOMJEONG

Gender: MALE

Creature: LEOPARDS

Breed: BLACK PANTHER

Power:

(1) Strength

(2) Speed

(3) Shadow - Harms with shadow and can hide in shadows

Weakness: FIRE

Master: HONG SEUNGJAE

Reading his partner's skills, he discovered that he possessed one power that he did not fully comprehend and was perplexed as to how it worked.

"Whether it's from a human, a monster, or nature, they can use the shadows of anything as teleportation devices," Elvina explained. "Your partner can hide in your shadow too."

Seungjae became excited as he tested and witnessed his partner's ability, and everyone watching was amazed at what the panther could achieve.

Next up is Yejoon, and he was given a peacock. Instantly, the beauty of this bird astonished us, and we were all stunned.

It could be because this was probably the first time we'd ever seen a peacock, and being face-to-face with one was amazing.

"What are you going to name your familiar?" Jaeseong wondered.

"I've decided that I want her name to be something related to music," he added, and a slew of proposals began to pour in, including Musica, Music, and Melody, but none fit the image Yejoon had in mind for his companion.

He wanted a name that fit the peacock while also being related to music, as he is a musician. Then it dawned on him: "Oh, I know! Your name is Muse." The peacock then glowed.

Name: MUSE

Gender: FEMALE

Creature: PEAFOWLS

Breed: PEAHENS

Power:

(1) Sound - Can use sound to attack and find things

Weakness: FIRE AND WATER

Master: LEE YEJOON

Yejoon then recognized that his partner's power is comparable to his own, and that is 'sound'. But his vulnerability is screech, and if he tells his familiar to utilize her power, he will perish.

Nonetheless, he attempted reasoning and devising a plan, and he was confident that he could rely on his hunt-mates to protect him when he needed it. He only needed to remember his own weakness if he didn't want to die for the first time.

Jaeseong comes up next, and he was given a Panamanian white-faced capuchin, also known as a tiny monkey. His monkey was smaller than the previous familiars his hunt-mates had received.

He bent down to face his familiar, smiled warmly, and said "Hello!", greeting the animal. The monkey climbed onto his arm and sat on his shoulder when he held out his hand to the creature.

"What will you name him?" Elvina inquired as he rose to his feet.

"Your name is Oreo," he said promptly after being asked, and the monkey glowed.

"Oreo? Are you hungry, bro?" Seongho said.

"A little... but that's not why I named him that. His back fur is black and his face is white; it reminded me of an Oreo, so I named him that," he stated before testing Oreo's power. Reading the information, Jaeseong was ecstatic to discover that his companion is just as cunning as he is.

Name: OREO

Gender: MALE

Creature: MONKEY

Breed: Panamanian White-faced capuchin

Power:

(1) Speed

(2) Stealth - Can sneak 100% and steal without getting caught.

Weakness: SWEETS

Master: BAE JAESEONG

Minjoon comes up next, and he was given a common mole rat. Elvina, like everyone else, was horrified and appalled by its appearance.

However, no matter how strange it appeared, the creature in front of him was still his familiar, and Minjoon did his best not to offend it as he greeted it with a smile.

"Hi, what's your name?" he inquired softly.

"You'll be giving it a name, stupid," Yejoon pointed out.

"Oh right, I forgot."

As everyone waited in silence, he came up with a name. "Your name is Digger." And Digger glowed, being baptized.

Name: DIGGER

Gender: FEMALE

Creature: RODENTS

Breed: COMMON MOLE-RAT

Power:

(1) Ground - Excellent Digger

(2) Hearing - Excellent Healing

Weakness: SCREECH

Master: SEO MINJOON

Minjoon checked her strength, and strangely, it was beneficial to chefs like him. With her hearing power, she may assist him with farming and warn him of monsters.

Milton is up next, and he was given Canis lupus. When he called out for his partner, he was face-to-face with his chest. And we had to lift our heads until the nape of our neck was fully folded to see his face, whereas the creature had to look down to see its master.

"H-hi," Milton greeted, trying not to show how terrified he was of his partner. But when the wolf bowed at him, the unexpected action startled him, and he felt his heart beat wildly in fear.

"Don't worry, your partner regards you as their master, as king or queen," Elvina soothed the hunter.

"So, what are you going to name him?" inquired Seongho.

"U-uhm, since he's gray, maybe..." he paused. "Grey?" He then looked about at his hunt-mates, as if he were asking for permission to name his partner.

"I named mine Geomjeong, which translates simply to black in Korean," Seungjae shrugged.

This was enough reassurance for Milton, who cheerfully shifted back to his companion, who was now lying down on his tummy to be face-to-face with his master.

Milton grinned and stated, "Your name is Grey." The wolf then glowed, being baptized.

Name: GREY

Gender: MALE

Creature: WOLF

Breed: CANIS LUPUS

Power:

(1) Speed

(2) Strength

(3) Hunt - Never misses its target and has incredible vision.

Weakness: —

Master: HANS MILTON CHOI

Seongho is up next, and he was given a Friesian. We were all blown away and enthralled by the horse's elegance when he released his partner!

It was a black, gorgeous, mythical horse, and its hair was silky as if it were being cared for daily for a hair commercial, and even if you used a lice comb, it'd fall right through. It was just so smooth to look at and touch.

"Well, what do you expect from a knight?" shrugged Jeongmin. Because of his abilities, he had already predicted that Seongho would receive such an outcome.

Seongho approached his companion cautiously and softly, entranced by his own familiar. He, too, expected a horse, but not one as lovely as the one he received.

"What are you going to name him?" Jiho inquired.

"And don't say black, because I've already used that name," Seungjae replied swiftly.

"Black is too blunt for a beautiful horse like him," Seongho reflected as he continued petting the animal.

After a few seconds, he came up with a name and said, "Smoke. Your name is Smoke," and the horse glowed.

"Smoke?" Jiho inquired. "You mean the cause of suffocation and lung cancer?"

Seongho frowned in disbelief. "Don't make it sound so bad! The horse just had that vibe!" he cried.

Name: SMOKE

Gender: MALE

Creature: HORSE

Breed: FRIESIAN

Power:

(1) Fire - Fire will not affect its life.

(2) Smoke - Can teleport in small distances with smoke.

Weakness: WATER

Master: CHOI SEONGHO

He had a smug expression on his face as he read his partner's information box. Smoke's ability does, in fact, involve smoke, and he was overjoyed.

He revealed the details to us, and we were all taken aback. Who knew Seongho had such a keen sense of intuition?

Next is Joseph; when he got blessed and released his partner, everyone's attention was drawn to Jeongmin, who had his jaw dropped and his eyes enlarged as though he had been deceived by the member he trusted.

"YOU GOT A TIGER?" he yelled, appalled.

I knew he'd respond that way because he's always mentioned being infatuated with tigers in every video I've watched with Reina and Akari.

I was not surprised, but rather amazed, to learn from Reina that Jeongmin had a plethora of tiger plushies in his bedroom as if he was one with the tigers.

"I can explain…"

"HOW?"

"You just have to accept it; you're not a tiger!" Yuto reminded him harshly, making the child dramatically look away as he wept in astonishment.

"No! Stop! It's far too much for my tiger heart!"

"You mean, human heart?" Seungjae teased, his lips pursed as he heard the boy cry in denial.

Yejoon advised Joseph to name his familiar as soon as possible before Jeongmin cried in jealousy. It wasn't long until he came up with a name and declared, "Your name is Stripes." Then the tiger glowed.

Name: STRIPES

Gender: MALE

Creature: Tiger

Breed: Siberian Tiger

Power:

(1) Strength

(2) Speed

(3) Size - Can shapeshift size from Large to Small

Weakness: —

Master: KANG JOSEPH

Joseph was pleased with Stripe's talents after scanning them. He wanted someone to help him run faster because he gets weary easily, and since Stripes can grow in size, he can ride on him.