Chapter Twelve[XII]: Training, That's the Plan (III)

Xenos Waters looks up just in time to see a golden-feathered griffin dive-bombing at them. Xenos squeaks, panicking as he turns away from the griffen to Mr. Balanius. His panic immediately subsides seeing the fond smile on Mr. Balanius' face, arms splayed open like a father welcoming his child home from school.

"Sahil!" Mr. Balanius exclaims as the griffin, Sahil, lands in front of him, putting its forehead against Mr. Balanius' and cawing quietly in greeting. Mr. Balanius taps Sahil on the back of the head and it sits down, cawing at Xenos and Felix in what he can only assume to be greeting. Mr. Balanius smiles as he strokes the back of Sahil's head. "This is Sahil, she's been my familiar for over two decades now."

"She's very pretty," Xenos says in awe, watching as Sahi noticeably puffs up, looking quite proud and satisfied. She really is. Her golden feathers and fur seem to shine in the sunlight, her eyes blue like the sky and her horse-sized body seems lighter than a feather from her graceful movements.

"I agree," Felix says, boldly stroking the top of Sahil's head and receiving a pleased caw in return. "Her feathers are also very silky."

Mr. Balanius rolls his eyes. "Don't compliment her too much, her ego is already big enough." Sahil pecks Mr. Balanius on the forehead, fluttering her wings in obvious protest. Mr. Balanius pouts as he rubs his forehead. "So sensitive, you know it's the truth." She huffs, ignoring him and turning her attention to Felix, who's still petting her.

Felix smirks. "Don't listen to mean Mr. Balanius, he's just jealous he isn't as pretty as you." Xenos laughs quietly.

Sahil puffs up her chest once again, smacking Mr. Balanius in the face with her wing and making him snort. "Oh, go on and fly you oversized eagle." Sahil caws, smacking Mr. Balanius in the face one last time before taking off in the sky. Mr. Balanius shakes his head fondly before looking at Felix with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you want a familiar, Felix?"

Felix only grins innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Xenos snickers before asking, "Sahil is a giffin, right?"

Mr. Balanius nods, waving them to follow him. "Yes, she's also originally from the Acri Ventus Mountain Range. She can use minor and medium wind-based magic, shoot her wings' feathers like daggers, and she has very high offensive capabilities, making her above-average, a quartz-tier."

"She's also very pretty," Xenos adds.

Mr. Balanius smiles softly. "She is, isn't she?" He opens the door of the barn, letting Xenos and Felix step inside before him.

While Xenos knows this wasn't going to be a normal barn from the beginning the interior still surprises him. It appears to be at least two times the size of what someone will assume from the outside, and there are cages lining the walls. There are some cages that appear to look like typical horse stables, while other ones are made completely out of large sheets of metal, leaving no gaps to speak of.

"The metal cages house some of the more aggressive types of mana beasts, who will not calm down until their bond is found," Mr. Balanius says. Xenos notices different coloured sheens coming from the metal the cages are made of, some of them even have a silver sheen like Xenos' clothes and armour.

"What do those sheens mean?" Xenos asks, inspecting them.

Mr. Balanius looks surprised for a moment while Felix just furrows his brows in confusion. "Ah, right, you're assimilating with a dhabeho." He clears his throat. "These sheens just give the metal certain properties, like resistance to high or low temperatures, resistance against cutting attacks like your armour, resistance against blunt attacks, and a few others."

"Does that mean the more sheens a cage has, the more powerful the beast is?" Felix asks, squinting at the cages.

"No, that just means it has more versatility." Mr. Balanius points at one of the cages near the back that has a silver, brown, and red sheen on it. "That cage has resistance to high temperatures, blunt attacks, as well as cutting attacks. The beast inside is only gold-tier, meaning it's below average."

"Wait, so, how does this whole familiar thing work anyway? There are probably thousands of beasts outside of the ones in here, wouldn't the chance of finding your familiar be super low?" Felix asks, making Xenos glance up at Mr. Balanius, curious.

Mr. Balanius nods. "Well, if it was like the system in most movies or books where there is a specific beast made for you, then yes, it would be. However," he wags his finger, "our bonds work on a species basis, meaning that the first creature of a certain species you come across will be your familiar. We, of course, don't keep every single species in this place, but it helps narrow down the possibilities a whole lot if your familiar species is not here."

"That. . . actually makes sense." Felix glances around. "So, would it be possible to get two familiars in the case that you see two of your familiar species at the same time?"

"Well, there have been cases of people having multiple familiars, but never of the same species. If you see two or more of your familiar species at the same time, its usually the stronger one, or in rare cases, the weaker one, that becomes your familiar." Mr. Balanius claps his hands. "Enough talking, I think it's about time you actually get your familiars."

"But what happens after?" Xenos asks, not looking forward to sitting in that white room again.

Mr. Balanius grins. "Both of you are going to sit in that white room until you can sense your mana," Xenos almost protests but he adds, "if neither of you gets a familiar. If you both do, then we're just going to focus on physical training, since at that point, your familiar can help you with sensing your mana."

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Felix asks. "I was getting really annoyed with that white room."

"Because the Council only just decided to allow you both to receive familiars. They look upon both of you favourably because of your bloodlines, and I assume they want to make the Audition more interesting for the crowd." Mr. Balanius grimaces a little at the last part. "Anyway, close your eyes and focus on hearing your heartbeat, everything should come naturally after that."

Xenos raises an unseen brow but compiles, closing his eyes. He breaths steadily for a few minutes, concentration solely on his heartbeat until he can feel a sudden but faint pull. His eyes almost open from shock but he forces them not to, chest burning ever so slightly as the pull strengthens, making Xenos want to follow it.

So, he does. He takes a few uncertain steps forward, mindful that he currently can't see anything. The pull becomes stronger the more he follows it, but the burning in his chest lessens, instead replaced by a heartbeat that isn't his own. Xenos pauses, perplexed. He can hear both his and the other heartbeat, the other one is faster-paced, somehow he can tell it's anxious yet excited.

He suddenly realizes that he's walking up the stairs, moving closer and closer in the direction the heartbeat is as it's thumping grows louder in his ears, drowning out every outside noise. Vaguely, Xenos can feel himself turn, walking a few meters before stopping. He doesn't need to see to know that his familiar is in front of him, separated only by metal sheets.

Xenos opens his eyes, the cage in front of him glowing a faint silver and nothing more. He isn't disappointed, though. Instinctively, he can tell that no matter how weak or normal his familiar may be, he will not be disappointed with it. The heartbeat in the back of his mind is getting restless, so he places a hand on the metal door.

The moment he does that a plethora of emotions slam into him and he stumbles back, not from the emotions but the searing pain of the scales moving, consuming him. Xenos takes a breath, shaking off the hot coals that always seem to linger before placing his hand back on the door. This time, the emotions are much calmer, but there is some underlying anticipation and anxiety that both Xenos and his familiar feel.

"Interesting," Mr. Balanius comments, making Xenos jump from surprise.

He lets out a breath. "What is, Mr. Balanius?"

"What your familiar is."