“Tch..” Peter fidgited his backpack straps as his boots crunched softly on the cobblestone path through Bu Garden. The csses had ended for today at the Fas Olu Academy for Prodigies, and students were making their way back to the dorms. The sun casted warm orange light over the artistically pnted flowers and gently swaying trees.

  A girl he has known since they were children, Danie, walked beside him in silence.. Her short, snow-white hair framed her and her navy blue eyes were calm, like a frozen ke that never cracked.

  She wore the Faas Olu Academy girls’ uniform perfectly. There wasn’t a wrinkle on her grey bzer, or white colred undershirt, with her white tie pulled tight to her chest. Her pleated white skirt swayed slightly as she walked. Her bck pantyhose clung to her thick thighs and toned legs, each step precise and measured. Despite her height reaching just below Peter’s shoulders, she carried herself as someone with dignity.

  On her shoulder was a white raccoon with a striped tail and a halo above it’s head.. The fur of the animal seemed to have its own glow, as if it had descended from heaven. It seemed to have it’s eyes fixed on Peter,

  Danie didn’t speak until they were nearly past the central fountain. “You look anxious,” she said, simply.

  Peter flinched. “Huh? N-No I’m fine.” He knew that Danie was a bit aloof when it came to small talk, but it still fightens him.

  Danie did not respond, she seemed like she was just waiting for him to continue.

  He exhaled from Danie’s pressure, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s just… everyone’s already summoned their familiar already.” He stopped walking after that thought. “And—and forget about making it into 2nd Year. You’ve heard what Professor Lovell said…To even pass The Trials, you need a familiar. I’m already behind, Danie.”

  Danie turned to face him fully. Her expression didn’t change much, but her voice was softer. “You’re not behind.” Peter looked up at his friend, doubtful. “Your combat ability is strong, and your mana theory grades are some of the best in our css. Don’t forget, you’ve been praised by Professor Lovell too.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything if I can’t—” He clenched his fists. “If I can’t even do the basic requirement... what if I’m just not meant to have one?”

  Danie stepped a little closer. “You’re overthinking again, Peter. You’ll get it. Sometimes things come te, but they still come.”

  The raccoon on Danie’s shoulder then jumped onto Peter’s shoulder and started rubbing itself on his cheek. Seeing this, Danie couldn’t help but giggle. “See, even Frie believes in you.”

  Peter wanted to believe her words, but all he could do was nod and force a smile as they reached the gates of the garden. “Yeah…thanks..”

  “Mm,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll still be an Elite-Css Sorcerer at the end”

  “W-who told you that?” Peter blushed.

  “You did?” she cocked her head. “When we were little.”

  “Oh…right.” Peter begged, csping Danie’s hands on his own. “Please don’t tell anyone else.” It’s true that the entire reason he’s in Faas Olu Academy is to become an Elite-Css Sorcerer. The fame and money that comes from that title is unrivaled, and their name would be written in the history books.

  The only issue is that all the Elite Css Sorcerers have had multiple familiars, and are often recognized by how strong their familiars were. How can a mage be an Elite-Css sorcerer when he doesn’t even have one? That’s just asking to be humiliated.

  Suddenly, a shrill voice yelled in the distance. “DANIELA!”. The two then looked towards the direction of the sound to see a blonde haired girl with tied hair resting on her shoulder. She stood smugly with her hands on her hips and her chest protruding in front of her.

  “Ah, sorry Peter. I forgot that I had pns with Rina today.” she said, calling Frie back to her shoulder.

  “That’s okay.” Peter smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. “You two have fun.” Danie then hopped over to Rina, turning back to give Peter a final wave. However, Rina didn’t spare a moment to talk to her friend, unaware of her surroundings.

  “Why do you hang out with him, Danie? You know he can’t even summon a familiar, the easiest thing to do! You know he’s not going to make it next year!”

  After overhearing that, Peter simply dropped his head, and continued walking to his dorm.

  ***

  “Hmm…that won’t work.”

  It was two in the morning. Despite the dorm being quiet—Peter was still wide awake. Luckily, tomorrow was the weekend and he didn't have anything pnned. Or at least, he hoped so. His room was more like a war zone than a student's bedroom at the moment. Crumpled paper bnketed the floor, all of which were failed attempts, shaky diagrams, and calcutions that made no sense. His bed was buried in open books, most of them about magic theory. Candlelight flickered wildly, with shadows crawling across the walls as he crouched on the wooden floor. A stub of white chalk trembled in his fingers.

  He stared down at the magic circle he had been working on. Every line and symbol was pced with care, but it looked nothing like the standard summoning circles they’d been taught. Custom made magical circles were an advanced concept due to the many variables at py, but to Peter, this was nothing. He then stood, cracking his knees as he rose. He dusted his hands on his pants and turned to the mirror on his desk.

  His reflection looked...awful. There were deep bags under his eyes. His colr was undone and crooked. Chalk smeared across his hands, wrists, and the front of his shirt. His messy bck hair now stuck out in every direction.

  Also on his desk was a rather hefty book. There was no title on the cover, just a bck leather binding caked in dust. The word "FORBIDDEN" had been stamped onto the open pages. The circle’s instructions had been hidden on that page, with barely legible symbols and faded ink. It had taken him hours to sneak the book out of the Madame Elvira Library, and even more to decode the text. Luckily for Peter, patience was his virtue.

  He stepped toward the circle. He took a deep breath as he raised his palm at it, ready to release his innate mana. “Okay,” he whispered. “Let’s see if this works…” The circle then started to glow as Peter focused. He slightly opened his eyes to see that the glow seemed to be stable, meaning that his mana flow was at a constant rate.

  However, as he stepped back one more step, he heard the crunch or chalk. His heel dragged across the floor, adding an extra white line to one of the outer symbols on the circle.

  “S-Shit—!” The circle’s glow shimmered, and then it spiked. The light suddenly shot up Peter’s arm. “Ack?!” he cried, stumbling back as the circle seared into the back of his hand. A swirl of heat and pressure erupted from the center of the circle, and before he could even breathe, a feminine looking creature started to appear from the circle.

  Before Peter knew it, he was standing face to face with her. Everything about her radiated allure. From the sharp glint in her eyes to the slow, deliberate way she stretched as she emerged, like a wild animal waking from a long nap.

  Her body was a mature, powerful build, with wide hips and thick thighs that pressed against the sheer white fabric of her outfit. Her rge chest rose and fell with every breath, and the harem outfit she wore barely clung to her curves, leaving almost too much skin visible. Gold bangles wrapped around her wrists and ankles, softly jingling as she shifted her weight.

  Her crimson hair spilled down her back in thick, elegant sections, tied into a high ponytail that still reached her waist. Golden ornaments glimmered in her hair, catching the flicker of candlelight with every slight movement.

  But what truly set her apart were the fox-like ears perched on top of her head. Covered in soft, red fur with snowy white tips, they twitched once as she adjusted to the room's air, flicking toward the sound of his shocked breath. Not only that, at least six thick, bushy fox tails curled and swayed behind her, each one glowing faintly at the tips. They moved in a hypnotic motion, brushing against her legs and the air.

  But then, she smirked. “Ara~ This is interesting~”