Chapter 6: We Changed

Sunlight slipped through the gap of the muntin windows while the light lays on Eric's skin, the sound of chopping wood echoed through the Dood Forest, and finally the smell of fresh sheets. Eric stretched his arms as he climbed out of bed. Eric then lazily walked over to his desk with a waiting bowl of warm water and towel. After Eric washed his face, he walked over to his drawer grabbed the clothes prepared for him. Eric wore a white cotton shirt, long brown pants and black leather boots. Eric finally wrapped his long blonde hair into a messy bun while he held it up with a decorative moss green stick hair pin.

Eric soon ran down the stairway, pass the kitchen and to the outside. Eric then saw a woman with crocodile scales up her neck and shoulders. She had a scaly tail that was three meters long, two left arms, and several yellow eyes on the right side of her face.

Eric smiled as he waved. "Master! Good Morning!"

"Good Morning!" Solomon waved back before dropped a pile of logs next to the door and then she gave Eric a hug.

After the hug Solomon grinned as she pinched Eric's cheeks.

"Ow! Master, that hurt! What's this for?" Eric pouted.

Solomon chuckled. "Sorry, I can't help it. I just can't believe how six years just flew years by. Where is the little rat I picked off from a slave trader go?"

"I'm not rat! And stop calling me little, I'm almost as tall as you!" Eric pouted.

"Key word is "almost". I'm still twice as tall as you, thus you are still my little one." Solomon teased as she bopped Eric's nose.

"I'm not little!" Eric growled.

"Sure you're not." Solomon said as she kissed Eric on the forehead.

Solomon then picked up the logs and walked inside. "I'm going to make breakfast now, so don't explore too far okay?"

"Yes, Master Solomon." Eric said as he rolled his eyes.

"I may be shorter but at least I have a social life." Eric muttered to himself before he was quickly hit by a clay pot.

Solomon yelled. "I heard that!"

"Ow! What's wrong scaly? Can't take a little insult? And here I thought you were above of all that!" Eric laughed as he was continually thrown by every daily objects.

"Just get out of here! You little rat!" Solomon yelled as she threw some flaming red crystals.

"Ow! Hot! Hot!" Eric screamed as he jumped from branch to branch of the tall Dood Forest trees.

Eric ventrally slowed down as he rest against on a branch. Things have changed quite a lot through the pass six years, for both Eric and Master Solomon. For Eric, he isn't the helpless little boy anymore. He's vastly stronger than he was six years ago. Eric is even allowed to go out alone now, and he doesn't need to worry about getting eaten by giant monsters since Eric actually knows what he's doing. Not only that, he has grown quite a lot. Though he was still quite short compare to Solomon, he was still well over from six to seven feet tall.

For Solomon on the other hand, has changed in a more drastic sense. Beside the visible mutations across her body, she also changed within her personality. Instead of the aloof, cold-hearted lone wolf, Solomon has become more kind and outgoing, as well she learned to be more friendlier with others around her. However, Solomon is still very blunt with her words while also being her typical sly self.

While Eric rested, he heard a group of voices. Eric opened his eyes and saw humanoid creatures surrounding him. Eric smiled as he sat himself up.

"Hello everyone." Eric said with a gentle voice.

"Good Morning Eric!" spoke a upbeat voice.

"Morning Ash." Eric replied to the scarlet-red joyful gorgon.

"Morning Buddy Boy." another gorgon said with a lazy tone.

"And a Good Morning to you, Kai." Eric said to the spider-black sleepy gorgon.

"Morning Eric. Did you eat breakfast yet? I'm starving." said a basil-green gorgon that rested themself onto Eric's lap.

Eric chuckled. "Good Morning, Lux. No, Master is making it right now. So, you all have to wait."

"Aw~" the three gorgons groaned.

Eric chuckled again as he played with the gorgons snake hair. "Today is a special day, could any of you guess why?"

"You're going to explore a place of the Dood Forest?" Ash guessed.

Eric shook his head. "Nope. It's something outside of the forest."

"You going to Veilig Town?" Kai guessed.

Eric chuckled. "Not that either, try again."

"You're going to a city?" Lux guessed.

"Very close, do you guys give up?"

The three gorgons stared at each other before they nodded their heads in agreement. Eric grinned widely as he held the gorgons hands and said.

"I'm going to enroll into Umeadora Academy." Eric beamed with joy.

"You mean that Wizard School?" Kai said.

"That's today?" Lux blurted.

"Oh No! I don't have my congratulation gift! I'll be right back!" Ash said as she slid down the tree.

"Yep! That's today, since I've finally reached the age of sixteen! I can enroll myself into Umeadora Academy." Eric said as stood up.

"ERIC! FOOD'S READY!" echoed Solomon's voice.

"I'M COMING!" Eric yelled as jumped from branch to branch.

"I wondered what Mother made for breakfast this morning?" Kai said as he swung himself on the branches with his tail.

"Well, since it's Eric's special day. My best guess is salamander eggs with bull deer bacon." Lux said with a watery mouth.

Kai hummed. "Or maybe she made some chimera sausages with a side of snaptrapper porridge."

"Shut up! You two talking about it makes me more hungry!" Eric yelled as his stomach growled at him.

When they finally arrive at the tea house, the intense aroma of food flooded Eric, Kai, and Lux's senses. The three of them rushed inside and an entire feast display across the table. Just before they were lay a single finger upon the food, they immediately froze underneath Solomon's death glare.

"Wash your filthy paws before I displayed them on my iron pan." Solomon threaten as she pour some oil on the burning pan.

"Yes Ma'am!" the three of them sheeked as they went up the stairway.

When they reached a glass door with a black metal door frame and handle. Eric twisted the handle and opened, when he did he could see Ash was already drying her hands.

"Ash?" Eric blurted.

Ash turned around and smiled. "Eric! I placed your gift on your bed, I hope you like it! See you door stairs."

After that, Ash slid passed Eric, Kai and Lux to down stairs. The three boys looked at each other before fought who would get the soup first.

"Master?" Eric as he packed his bags.

"Yes, Eric?" Solomon said while she prepared some potions for the trip.

"Are Ash, Kai and Lux coming with us?"

"Of course they are, they are your familiars. Why did you ask?" Solomon giggled.

"I'm just worried because Lux hates going on carriage rides."

Solomon hummed. "That's fair. But I'm going to give him some medicine so he'll sleep through the trip."

"Lux hates taking sleep medicine, he won't accept that."

"Well I never indented giving him a choice in the first place." Solomon sighed.

"One more thing Master."

"Yes?"

"What would the academy be like? How does the system work?"

"Well, after you enroll (which is a week long wait to gain the results) you'll be set up with one out of four groups of students. After that, you'll be lead to your dorm and your possible roommates." Solomon explained.

Eric spoke loudly. "No. Not that. I mean, what should I do when I enter? How should I behave or act? How--"

Before Eric could finish, he flicked on the forehead. "Ow!"

"You don't need to act or behave a certain way, just be yourself. That's the best way to gain "real" friends." Solomon chuckled.

"What do you mean by that Master?" Eric said as he rubbed his forehead.

"When you have your guard down and they don't decide to manipulate you, when you laugh and they don't judge you, when you give them kindness and they don't take advantage over it. Then and only then when you'll realize that you have truly made a real friend." Solomon said with a sorrowful smile.

"Wow... that's so surprising you know that since you don't even have friends." Eric said before he got punched out of the window.

"Cheeky Rat!" Solomon yelled.