The great iron gates of the Royal Academy loomed before me like the mouth of a monster ready to swallow. Intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes adorned every corner of the gate, their eyes seemingly following my movements with a judging gaze. Above the gate, glittering gold writing proclaimed: "Only the Worthy Survive."
Ironic. I wasn't even sure if I was worthy of stepping on the grounds of this academy yet.
Our carriage stopped right in front of the gate. After the incident with the bandits yesterday - which ended with Sol losing control and creating a golden fire that nearly burned down half the forest - the journey had continued with a tense atmosphere. Magistra Elena didn't say much, but I could see the worry in her eyes every time she glanced in Sol's direction.
"We've arrived," Magistra Elena said as she opened the carriage door. "Remember, you two are special students. Don't let anyone underestimate you."
Easy to say. Hard to do.
I got off the carriage on slightly shaky legs. Sol sat on my shoulder, calmer than yesterday but still alert. Her eyes kept moving around, as if looking for any possible threats.
Neris got off after me, hugging Luna tightly to her chest. Her face was pale, probably still shaken by yesterday's attack. Luna, the crystal fox, looked more at ease - her crystal tail gleaming softly in the afternoon sunlight.
"Oh, look who's here."
The mocking voice made the three of us turn. A group of students around my age stood not far from the gate, all dressed in neat academy uniforms - dark blue robes with silver embroidery on the sleeves and collar. On each of their shoulders perched a familiar that looked far more impressive than Sol's.
The speaker was a tall young man with blond hair and cold blue eyes. On his shoulder sat a large eagle with gleaming golden feathers. The eagle looked down at me with an arrogant look, much like its master.
"A country peasant and his strange familiar," the young man continued with a laugh. His friends laughed along, their voices echoing across the vast academy grounds.
"Kaelion, don't start," Magistra Elena said in a warning tone.
So his name was Kaelion. I committed the name to memory.
"Ah, Magistra Elena," Kaelion said with a fake bow. "I apologize, I didn't mean to offend... our special guest."
The way he said "special guest" made my ears burn. The Sol on my shoulder began to emit a thin smoke - a sign that she was upset.
"What familiar is that?" asked a red-haired girl standing next to Kaelion. On her arm was a blue snake with scales that glistened like sapphires. "A cat? A large rat?"
"A fox," Neris answered in a low voice. "Sol is Little dragon."
There was a moment of silence. Then loud laughter erupted from the group of students.
"dragon?" Kaelion wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "That? dragon?"
His golden eagle made a sharp sound that sounded like a taunt. Several other familiars also made sounds - some hissing, some roaring softly.
Sol straightened up on my shoulder. I could feel his anger through our bond. The temperature around me began to rise.
"Sol, calm down," I whispered softly.
"They're mocking us," Sol said in my mind. "Let me show you who I really am."
"Not here. Not now."
Kaelion stepped closer, his eagle flapping its large wings in an impressive span. "Listen, village boy. Maybe in your remote hometown, that little thing is considered special. But here?" He looked at me with disdain. "Here we have standards."
"Kaelion, that's enough," Magistra Elena said in a firm voice.
"Yes, Magistra," Kaelion said, taking a step back. But his cruel smile did not leave his face. "I just wanted to make sure... our new friend understood his place."
He pointed at Sol. "My Golden Eagle familiar, Aurelius, is a direct descendant of the Phoenix King who once served the first emperor. My friends' familiars also have noble bloodlines." He paused, his blue eyes staring at Sol with disdain. "As for that... whatever it is, it certainly doesn't fall into the same category."
Several students behind him nodded in agreement. I heard condescending whispers:
"Perhaps a defective familiar..."
"Or the result of a failed experiment..."
"Why does the academy accept students like this?"
My chest tightened. Not because of their taunts - I was used to being looked down upon. But seeing Sol begin to tremble on my shoulder made me angry. That little familiar didn't deserve this kind of treatment.
"Your familiars may have noble bloodlines," I said in a voice I tried to keep calm. "But bloodlines don't determine everything."
Kaelion raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what determines that, do you think?"
Before I could answer, a black-haired girl from Kaelion's group stepped forward. On her head was a white owl with sparkling violet eyes.
"Maybe we can do a little test," she said with a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes. "My Athena can see the basic abilities of other familiars. How about we see how 'special' your Little dragon is?"
Her white owl - Athena - let out a soft hooting sound and her eyes began to glow brighter. I felt something like a subtle pressure touching my mind, trying to get in.
Sol reacted instantly. His eyes flashed bright gold, and he let out a warning hiss. Small flames erupted from his nostrils.
The pressure on my head instantly disappeared. Athena recoiled with a startled sound, her feathers standing on end.
"What happened?" Athena's owner asked, her face pale.
"he... he resisted my magical investigation," the girl replied in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
A sudden silence fell over the courtyard. All eyes were on Sol who was still sitting quietly on my shoulder, though his eyes were still glowing gold.
Kaelion frowned. "A low-level familiar can't possibly resist Lydia's magical investigation. Something must be wrong."
"Nothing is wrong," Magistra Elena said as she stepped between us and the group of students.
"Sol does have a special ability to protect himself from magical investigations. That's why he and Nova were invited to the academy."
"Special ability?" Lydia still looked shocked. "But Athena has never failed before..."
"Maybe because your familiar isn't as strong as you think," Neris said suddenly. Her voice was soft but could be heard clearly in the silence. Luna in her arms gave off a soft crystal light, as if supporting her master's statement.
Lydia's face turned red. "What did you say?"
"Neris, don't," I whispered quickly. The situation was already tense enough.
But Kaelion had already stepped forward, his face angry. "Enough playing around," he said coldly. "You may have fooled Magistra Elena with cheap tricks, but we know a true familiar when we see one."
He raised his hand, and Aurelius flew off his shoulder. The golden eagle flapped its massive wings, creating a strong wind that made our robes flutter.
"Aurelius, show them the difference between a true familiar and a… toy doll."
The golden eagle circled above us, then swooped down with talons outstretched toward Sol.
Sol jumped off my shoulder and soared through the air. His small, nearly transparent wings flapped rapidly, making a buzzing sound like a bee.
Aurelius was much larger and more imposing, but Sol was more agile. He dodged the golden eagle's attacks with ease, weaving between the talons and beaks that tried to attack him.
"Sol, don't be provoked," I said worriedly. "Get back here."
But Sol didn't hear. Or maybe he was too angry. His eyes glowed bright gold, and more smoke began to pour out of his nostrils.
"Stop this," Magistra Elena said in a stern voice. "This is no place for—"
Too late. Sol breathed golden fire at Aurelius.
The golden fire wasn't big - only about the size of a tennis ball. But as soon as it touched the golden eagle's wings, the unexpected happened.
Aurelius' golden feathers that Sol's fire hit turned to crystal. Not burned, but crystallized. The eagle lost its balance and fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Everyone fell silent. Aurelius tried to get up, but his partially crystallized wings made it difficult to move.
"Aurelius!" Kaelion ran to his familiar with a panicked face. "What did you do to him?"
Sol flew back to my shoulder, his breath coming in short gasps. "I didn't mean to..." he said in my mind. "I just wanted to scare him."
Magistra Elena immediately knelt beside Aurelius, her hands glowing with healing magic. "Calm down. The crystallization isn't permanent. It'll wear off in a few hours."
"A few hours?" Kaelion stared at me with his eyes blazing with anger. "You hurt my familiar!"
"Sol didn't mean to—" I began.
"Didn't mean to?" Kaelion interrupted. "He attacked Aurelius with strange magic! It could have been life-threatening!"
The other students began to gather, whispers starting to circulate. I heard snippets of sentences:
"...a dangerous familiar..."
"...shouldn't be accepted..."
"...a country bumpkin with no manners..."
Kaelion stood up, leaving Aurelius still in Magistra Elena's care. He stepped in front of me with a cold, hateful expression on his face.
"Listen well, country bumpkin," he said in a low but piercing voice. "Maybe back home, you feel special with that strange familiar. Maybe the people there fear you because of a power they don't understand."
He moved closer, until I could see the hatred in his blue eyes.
"But here, in this Royal Academy, you're nothing. You're just a country peasant with a deformed familiar who somehow managed to cheat the admissions system."
he stopped right in front of me.
"And before this year is out," he whispered with a cruel smile, "I'm going to make sure everyone knows who you really are."
he took a step back, then said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear:
"You're not even worthy to step on these tiles."