13 Familiar Friends

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Iremn, Academy of Mages familiars sanctuary

The darkness really is ominous under its own right, but at the same time there's a caring side to it as well. There are no false shadows or bright futures within the void, only the dark truth of all things. But even within such a chilling gaze of darkness there was a warmth wrapped around one's self and as the darkness starts to take form, you feel a pull. A tug towards a gateway the size of a grand tower. Behind this barred gate are two strange flames, one dark blue barely keeping up its signature, the other a bright white. This one burns hotter but extinguishes just as quickly, going through the cycle over and over until you reach towards both of them. Now with each flame over your paws, you hug the both of them and heal their flaws.

Seraph would slowly open her eyes to reality, she laid over a bed of grass surrounded by trees and shrubbery. She'd yawn and get on her hind legs to look about before noticing her third tail. She'd stare at it very deeply for several minutes until the unexpected happened. She lunged for her tails and snuggled with all three at once!

--five minutes--

'Ok that's enough snuggling. Where the heck am I?' Seraph would search around, hopping from tree limb to tree limb to see where she was until a few hundred meters out she finds a magical barrier in front of herself. She lightly pawed at it, it was a displacement magic that gave an image over an object. Every time she pawed at it a concrete wall would appear from the magic dispersing away from her paw.

'Oh this is weird, this is like a cell or something?' Seraph would follow around the pathway of the wall until a few strange creatures caught her attention. She stood there analyzing them, debating if they were friendly or not by how much fluff they had on them.

'Hello there, strange one, I am Quartz, a mini dragon that specializes in earth magic.' The dragon was no bigger than her and pretty skinny. She had a little back fluff which might just be her hair.

'Hewwo? My name is Seraph, what is this place?' Seraph noticed more familiars started to show themselves after the mini dragon gave them confidence.

'This place is a sanctuary for familiars without a pact. We're a part of an academy of mages who we judge to become their familiars.' Quartz was acting more relaxed once the conversation started rolling. Some of the other familiars gathered around as well. Each one introduces themselves to the newcomer. 

'Ok so i've been kidnapped by hoomans that want to to take care of some child going through schooling. I guess it could be worse so I'll see where this goes.' Seraph rolls up into a ball of fluff with eyes popping out. All the familiars aside from a few stood at awe in the display of cuteness.

'So when will humans come to have us select them?' Seraph would roll about out of boredom.

'It usually depends on the season, but I'm fairly certain a big event will happen sometime tomorrow for familiars to form pacts with students.'Quartz would create small quartz constructing a Colosseum of sorts.

'Forgot to mention this before, how do we choose our pacts in this society?' Seraph had an idea but wanted to confirm just to be safe.

'By fighting the students that challenge you until someone loses. If you lose you make the pact, if they lose they'll probably get laughed at and ridiculed.' Quartz would swirl her tail around the quartz construction to watch it turn to dirt.

'Sounds brutal for an academy. But also fun to let loose, has anyone ever died in these sorts of things?' Seraph doesn't know if killing is ok or not so better to ask now than have an "oh no" moment.

'Nah, there's magical restraints they give to both parties to dampen our magic, along with a protective barrier crystal just above the Colosseum to protect both the fighters and the crowd watching.' Quartz attempted to roll into a ball like Seraph only to fail with some familiars giggling.

'Well that's awesome to hear. So I don't have to hold back since things are doing it for me.' She'd unroll herself and hop on one of the tree branches to overlook the many familiars. After watching them chat up a while she decided to fall asleep by landing on the grass and snuggling up against a tree.

--nine hours--

Seraph would open her eyes to a bunch of familiars up and about, all looking towards a new doorway. Several elderly mages would start leading the familiars through the doorway. One of them picked up Seraph and walked her out the door. Seraph would turn her head to look at all the decor the academy had to offer. The flooring is an orange tinted glass with strangely cut black and white slabs of marble, and to top it all off is semi filled with sand that seems to move about whenever the humans and familiars walk over it. From where she was looking underneath herself, the sand stopped moving every turn they made. After a bit she paid no mind to it, enjoying the strange human decor. Many paintings of old peeps and younger peeps plastered across the walls, some ornate windows overlooking what seems to be a huge city surrounded by tall walls. Finally after some distant walking made by the effort of this human she was placed with other familiars in an open room, on one side was the familiars, the other humans no greater then the age of 17 aside from the elders watching over.

Seraph would walk about looking at all the lil humans, wondering how this process works out. After a few minutes of them talking to their elders the elders point towards us familiars. They soon start walking our way examining us with some sort of magic circle thing. Maybe another form to tell one's magical talent?

Many skipped over Seraph, mainly going for Quarts or other dragon type familiars. Seems like the popular choice or something. But two girls and one boy walked up to Seraph and did their little magic. Each one had a concerned expression but decided to challenge Seraph. After a few more minutes one other girl opened the doors to enter the room.

'Ooh a late comer, probably some important peep.' Seraph would stare at the girl who promptly stared back and pointed at Seraph casting the same spell as the others.

'I will only fight this one.' The girl seemed to have two shiny medals over her left side along with a red braided rope looping over her right shoulder. The old teachers didn't seem to mind so she walked off outside the other doors into the arena, where some bleachers for the familiars and humans can sit before heading out into the actual arena.

'This should be interesting to say the least.' Seraph hopped over to the bleachers and sat down at the front enjoying the view of the sandy desert themed arena hearing a roaring crowd just above her.