Students had finally begun flooding the hallway.

The second period had just ended, and the sudden rush of voices filled the air… It finally felt like this place was alive.

Azel leaned against the wall.

He was genuinely bored.

Throughout the downtime, he had focused entirely on practicing his Rune Projection.

Sylvia being better at it didn't really bother him… not that much anyway but it did push him to work harder.

'I can perform the new runes we learned today pretty quickly,' he thought, staring at the trails of mana around his hand.

The key, he'd realized, wasn't just memorizing the shapes but controlling their angles… every curve and intersecting degree mattered.

Simple ones like the Rune of Logic were easier to form since they were supportive, not destructive.

But the moment he tried something like the Rune of Cancellation, things got trickier.

One misaligned stroke and the rune's output would implode, scattering mana violently enough to make his hair stand on end. Something worse would happen if he was to attempt an Elemental rune.

He sighed. "At least I'm improving…"

Just then, his watch chimed with a sharp ping.

[Familiar Studies]

'Nice,' he thought. 'This is the first time I'm having this class.'

He straightened his uniform and followed the path his watch displayed, weaving through the crowd until the glowing blue line on his screen stopped at a door labeled [Familiar Studies].

He turned the knob and stepped inside.

The room was empty.

No students and no professor...

"I guess I'm early," he muttered and took a seat near the middle.

Resting his elbows on the desk, he conjured another rune in the air, practicing quietly while waiting for class to begin.

The delicate lines of mana traced through the air like glowing threads… one circle, two triangles, a connecting line—

The door suddenly opened.

Azel dispelled the rune instantly as a stream of exhausted students stumbled through the doorway.

Most of them looked like they'd crawled straight out of a warzone rather than a PE class.

Their faces were pale even though they had taken baths.

Azel almost pitied them.

Almost.

They slumped into seats one after another, groaning softly.

Then came Sylvia.

She walked in gracefully as though the chaos around her didn't exist. She didn't look exhausted in the slightest.

"Welcome, Sylvie," Azel said as she approached. "You don't look exhausted."

Sylvia sighed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well, Azel…" She paused deliberately, watching for his reaction to her using his name so casually, "Although the exercise was quite brutal, having a bath afterward was truly refreshing."

Before they could continue, the door opened again… this time, with a slow creak.

The professor entered.

He was a young man, maybe in his late twenties, with messy black hair and heavy dark circles under his eyes that made him look half-asleep.

He carried a staff, though he leaned on it more like a walking stick than a magical tool. He walked to the podium and cleared his throat.

Despite his tired look, his voice carried through the room with surprising clarity.

"Welcome to Familiar Studies," he began, scanning the room with a lazy gaze. "I am your professor, Rudolph."

He paused, tapping the staff once on the floor.

The crystal tip glowed purple. "Before we begin, tell me… what is a familiar? What do you see a familiar as?"

The class went quiet.

After a moment, Rain raised her hand and he nodded.

"A partner to lean on anytime," she said simply.

Several students turned to her, whispering.

One even snickered softly.

Rudolph smiled faintly. "That's exactly right."

The murmuring stopped immediately.

"A familiar's meaning can vary from mage to mage," Rudolph continued, walking slowly between the rows of desks. "But that is the broad truth… a familiar is a partner. Someone, or something, who fights beside you."

He turned back to the front of the class, resting his staff against the desk.

"Now, I didn't bring you all here just to talk," he said, a small grin appearing despite his tired eyes. "What kind of enlightenment would it be if you didn't experience it yourself?"

There was a rustle near his shoulder.

Something small climbed up onto it… a round, furry creature about the size of a melon, with tiny ears and button-like eyes.

A soft "squeak" escaped it.

Then everything went purple.

A wave of mana exploded from the creature, washing over the entire class in an instant.

Azel blinked

…and suddenly he wasn't in the classroom anymore.

He stood on a wide, sandy shore.

The sound of crashing waves filled the air, and the salty wind brushed against his face.

Ahead of them stretched an endless ocean, and behind them rose tall cliffs covered in glowing moss.

Dozens of griffins stood across the beach with their feathers rippling in the wind.

Each of them looked magnificent with intelligent eyes.

"Be quick," Professor Rudolph called out from ahead, already mounting one of the griffins. "We have no time to waste."

Without hesitation, his mount spread its wings and launched into the sky, kicking up sand and wind as it soared upward.

The students stared.

Then panic set in.

"Quick! Follow him!" someone yelled, and chaos erupted.

Several students dashed toward the nearest griffins, clumsily trying to climb on.

A few actually managed to mount their beasts only for the griffins to take off before they were ready.

One unlucky student screamed as his griffin soared upward and then he slipped off mid-air, plummeting straight into the ocean with a splash loud enough for everyone to hear.

Azel sighed, watching the chaos unfold. "Idiots."

He walked calmly to a griffin standing near the edge of the sand. Its eyes watched him cautiously but didn't move away.

"Good boy," Azel said softly, placing a hand on its neck.

The feathers beneath his palm were warm...

He patted its head gently, earning a small chirp before pulling himself up onto its back.

The griffin shifted its wings and balanced herself.

Rain had already mounted hers nearby, tightening her grip around the beast's neck.

Then Azel noticed Sylvia.

She was still standing exactly where she had appeared when they were teleported, staring nervously at the griffins.

"What's wrong?" Azel asked, calling out to her.

She bit her lip slightly.

"I… I do not possess much experience with these flying mounts," she admitted. "I am quite unfamiliar with the art of… controlling a creature in midair."

Azel chuckled lightly. "It's not that hard. You just need balance and trust."

"I possess both, but…" Sylvia's gaze lingered on the griffin's wings, which easily spanned over five meters. "The height is… considerable."

'Ah she's afraid of heights?'

Even the prodigy had to be scared of something…

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