Chapter 19

“Oh my stars.” I openly gaped at the magic that was swirling around. A mere lightshow. A low grade ability that even I can do flawlessly. Nonetheless, I believe it was still something to marvel at.

Magic was a sight to see. No matter how small.

“Amazing isn’t it?” Sungul grinned proudly, “To know that you’ll soon have a familiar in your grasp.”   

I’ve seen other witches wandering around campus with theirs. Random floating objects or a slew of different animals saunter around with their witches. Some were as small as a pixie while others stretched high towards the ceiling, towering over the lot of us. There have been moments when I’ve thought what mine could possibly be. 

“Do you have one?”

“Of course I do.” Reaching under her cloak, Sungul tugged on the collar of her dress. As a tattoo quickly began to appear on her skin, it began to glow a muted purple. An odd color for Sungul to conjure. I’ve never seen her magical energy manifest in a purple hue. It's normally some range of light blue. Nothing remotely close to the dark purple that I was seeing. 

A mist poured from the tattoo, slowly morphing into a solid, blue beam. It wriggled and squirmed, wrapping around her arm in a loose hold. As the light began to dwindle, dark blue scales replacing the dimming glow and a pair of dark eyes peering from the mist, a snake appeared before me.

She hissed.

“This is Azul.” Sungul proudly presented. 

“Pretty.” I cooed. Carefully extending my hand towards the reptile, I watched as Azul eyed it warily. The snake bumped her cold snout against my fingers, slimy tongue darting out to smell me. 

I laughed at the feeling.

“You're very pretty.” I continued. She nuzzled against my palm, “I thought your energy was blue.”         

“I know I don’t usually showcase my powers, but I assure you that it's always been purple.”

I shrug.

I really didn’t care enough to argue with her. It wasn’t like it would affect me in any way.

As Azul returned back to Sungul, a gentle hiss rumbling from her snout as she coiled around her master, Sungul continued. “Your next lesson is to summon a familiar.”

“How do I do that?”

“There are different ways to summon one.” Sungul explained as she wandered to her desk. She shuffled around with papers that laid about, picking up a few sheets before placing them back down. I impatiently waited for her to find whatever she was looking for, which she finally did with a triumph huff. Sungul quickly wandered back over to me, “Read through this list and pick which one you like best.”

I accepted the list and quickly began to read through it.

With how impatient Sungul is, I’m sure she isn’t going to allow me to leave today without having some grasp on this lesson. Most of these weren’t something I think I could achieve in one session. Probably because the purpose of these weren’t meant to be done in one bout.

I flashed Sungul a glare, “Interesting choices.”

“Are they?” Sungul asked. 

“They are.” I eyed her suspiciously, “Are these really all the ways to summon a familiar?”

“Of course not.” Sungul scoffed, “I just picked the ones that I thought you had an actual chance of doing successfully.”

“How sweet.” I responded sarcastically.

“I’m aware.”

I countered her smugness with a blank stare. She was too enthralled with herself to notice the look I was giving her. An usual occurrence when it came to my self-centered teacher.  

“Anyway. I think…” I pondered, “Mediation.”

“Fair enough.” Accepting the paper back, she returned to her desk. Rummaging through the drawers, Sungul pulled out a few items. “You’ll need to draw a circle and sit in the middle of it. Choose whatever candles you like.” She handed me a basket filled with chalk, salt, candles, and matches. I accepted the basket, taking a peak at the many colorful candles. “As you're chanting this,” She hands me a sheet of paper, “You’ll take whatever crystal you like and fill it with your mana. There's plenty at the bottom.” 

I took another peek into the basket. 

She was right. Hidden beneath the bag of salt and chalk laid an array of smallish, clear crystals.

Sungul continued, “Once a familiar appears, you’ll give them a crystal.”

As I skimmed over the paper that held the spell, Sungul carried on, “You need to remember that you have to stay concentrated during this. Breaking that concentration before offering the crystal would mean breaking the link. You’ll have to start all over again.”

“Well….” I trailed off quietly with an exasperated huff. I never knew how much work it took to summon a familiar. “Does it matter which crystal I use?”

“Maybe.” She shrugs.

When it comes to my teacher, I try to hide how I honestly feel when it comes to her mannerisms. The only thing my anger does is amuse her. I never understood why, nor did I want to figure out why she was like this. 

My job was to learn as much as possible before I’m thrust into the world as an independent witch. Not try to dissect her aloof traits.