Get To Know

Everyone already rode a Garuda going back to Mystic Academy grounds, right in front of the Stygian Forest, near the forest's entrance.

Along the way, Professor Grisham explained to Darenn what he needed to know about Mystic Academy and what he is to expect as he stays there as a student as well.

He was told as what was told to new students during the orientation. Along the way, the question about his ordeal came, making Professor Grisham tell him that there would be a deliberation about his assessment so the academy could give him his rank.

"Since you chose your class the same as your Summoner, the only thing that we would have a concern on would be your ordeal as a student. You could have a private assessment, but what to do is decided upon the headmaster and majority of the professors."

"I understand," Darenn replied, nodding at the same time as Aranea wrapped her arms around Darenn.

"I'm new to the academy, too, so we would explore a lot of things together, Darenn," she said, the Earth Familiar nodding as a smile crept his face.

"Okay. Great."

In the first Garuda, Professor Grisham, Darenn, and Aranea were found. On the second Garuda, was Leonel, in the middle, Elenea, followed by Zann.

"Oh, jeez…"

Elenea tightly embraced Leonel, hiding her face on his back as she felt the wind kiss her skin as the Garuda flew.

"I really am afraid of heights," she added, Leonel, making her feel better as he patted her arm that was wrapped around his waist with his free hand.

"It's alright. You're in between me and Zann, so you're perfectly secured," he comforted, Elenea, nodding on his back.

Whilst for Zann, he couldn't help but eye Darenn from afar.

"I still couldn't believe that Aranea quickly got her third familiar. How many familiars can she have?" he mumbled and asked as he meant to talk to himself, but still, the Water Familiar heard him.

"I don't know… maybe they could have as much as they can? But that can be troublesome. However, I could see Darenn to be a great guy," Leonel answered, making Zann scoff as he rolled his eyes at him.

"At first, you didn't like the idea. What made you like the thought of him being Aranea's new familiar now?"

"Oh," Leonel exclaimed, a soft chuckle coming from him. "I don't know… he seems nice."

Zann narrowed his eyes at his answer, "Even then. With his background unclear to us, we have to be cautious about him. We have to learn how long he has lived and if he really came from Ravaya."

"Huh?"

Despite having the fear of heights, Elenea could not help but chime in to their conversation as what Zann said had completely piqued her curiosity.

"You think that Darenn is not from Ravaya, the world where familiars came from? Why? Don't all familiars come from there?" she asked, making Leonel sigh a bit before he answered.

"Well, as said by legends and by our elders, yes. But with Darenn's unexplainable background, we don't know where he came from. Since both me and Zann are not familiar about him."

"True," Zann chimed in, "Since back in our realm, Elemental Deities usually train together, we know too well that Darenn was not the Earth Familiar that we were training with."

"Oh!"

Elenea blinked her eyes a few times, her arms still wrapped around Leonel's waist as she still feared heights.

"If that's the case, why didn't Aranea summon the current Earth Familiar?"

Zann shrugged, "We don't know. Which is why we may have to suggest Darenn to come with us to Ravaya. Other than that, we have to be cautious and observe his actions. He may come from a different place in Ravaya," he added, making Leonel nod slowly.

"Also, I think Darenn may be related to the story that we heard from the elders."

Zann raised a brow, "Which story? I didn't like much the stories told by the elders and there are a lot so which one?"

Leonel stayed quiet for a while. He looked at the Garuda in front of them carrying the professor, their Summoner, and their fellow familiar. The Water Deity then sighed, his eyes turning serious as he answered Zann's question with what he remembered.

"Remember the story they said that one legendary deity didn't come home in Ravaya after how many years, his loyalty and vow towards his Summoner not wavering even though his Summoner had been long gone?"

"You mean…"

Without even Zann answering the question, his silence was already enough confirmation to Leonel's question.

Elenea, who was just listening to their conversation, started to connect the pieces together, making the three of them believe that Darenn might be the one the elders were talking about.

"Darenn lost his Summoner because she sacrificed herself to the people. Other than that, Darenn had stayed in the cave for how many years. Knowing that the old civilization was claimed to be more than a hundred years old, we could say that Darenn has stayed in the cave that long."

Zann furrowed his brows, "Is that even possible? I mean… they say when a familiar has been away from a Summoner for too long, or when the familiar has declined generations of Summoners, won't he or she cease to exist?"

Leonel's brows knitted together as well, what Zann said started to linger in his thoughts as he voiced out loud what he was thinking of as of the moment.

"You're right. If he had stayed in the cave for how many years, why is he still alive?"

Zann shook his head, "Being away from Aranea for too long since the year she has summoned me, I have been having headaches because I didn't renew my vows as her familiar. Other than that, I did not go home in Ravaya to void my summoning."

With Leonel and Zann already speculating things about Darenn, even Elenea couldn't help but wonder about the background of Darenn.

With them being suspicious of him now, Elenea started to doubt his kindness—if Darenn is indeed hiding a lot of things from them, making Elenea want to talk to her twin sister later on as if to warn her not to be trusting to the familiars she summons.

But with the thought of Darenn immediately sealing the pact between Summoner and Familiar, what could Darenn be possibly thinking to make such a big decision as if it was easy for him?

The only way to find out answers to these questions is to get to know the Earth Familiar himself…