"Now!" the professor continues, "This year we're going to take a deep look at summoning rituals. We'll start off with the summoning ritual that's most familiar to you: the Rafik summoning ritual. I imagine this comes as good news to many since most of you are looking forward to the Yearly Riaf Tournament.
"Most of you have already gone through it and acquired a Rafik." She nods slowly but then pauses and glances at certain faces, mine included. Her lips purse and she sends us disappointed looks.
She starts again, "For the others, I strongly advise you to get on with it! You need to work on your bound with your Rafik before the tournament. It is after all the creature that has the most affinity to you and will be in the future a requirement for advanced spells.
"Think of ways to encompass them in your usual fighting style. Try different combinations of spells adding their Riaf to yours. The tournament is only a week away!" She breathes out and the class buzzes with murmurs.
Her words only make me feel all the more conscious of my recent failure to acquire one.
"That said," Batta cuts through the energetic buzzing of the Irsal* students, "What do you know about your Rafiks? Do you even know why these elemental creatures are called as such?
"So what is a Rafik? And what makes this creature special in comparison to other summons? Who can answer me?"
The class goes silent. Batta looks over the rows of hesitant faces and sighs disappointed when no one volunteers.
The Professor adds as a second thought, "I will gift the best answers with extra points in the coming oral test."
I reach up to answer at that, but one hand, attached to a very familiar stupid face, promptly sticks up from the third raw.
"Heni Kabil." The professor calls out my enemy's name and the tall blonde stands up from his seat shortly. Stupid deep set eyes glance at me and I fight the urge to snarl at him. Heni's lips pull up at the edges in a badly hidden smirk, and he dusts off his pants. The smug bastard.
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He replies confidently, "In the old language, Rafik means friend. A Rafik is a familiar type creature and an Apprentice Class summon. In addition, this creature is endowed with a certain level of consciousness and intellect, which makes it superior to other summons. Sadly, a Rafik* does not immediately serve its caster gladly."
Heni pauses, probably for some stupid dramatic effect, and the little baby monkey sitting on his desk nods almost approvingly. For an annoying douche, he sure has a very cute Rafik.
He continues, "They require gifts otherwise called Hadeya* to be swayed. As a sign of accepting said gift the Rafik will pour some of its Riaf into it, therefore enabling the caster to strengthen with it their own spell work afterwards. These are referred to as Contracted-Rafik*."
"Great as always." Batta sends him an approving smile. I feel a little irritated and try to ignore Heni's self satisfied smirk.
"Anyone else?" the professor turns around to the rest of the classroom. I stick out my hand quickly this time and almost hit the professor as she stands a foot away from my desk.
"Khaled." She calls my name with a heated glare.
I apologize profusely. Heni's ogre like laugh soon followed by my other classmates' snickering reaches me and I tighten my jaw.
I jump out my seat and start, glancing at Heni and quickly back to the professor. "A Rafik does not have a specific appearance. They can range from small animal-like beasts to humanoid creatures.
"They are attuned to their caster's affinity with the elements and are regarded in folklore as embodiments of Anasir*. While a Rafik's link to Elginn can be easily destroyed by rendering the caster unconscious, a Contracted-Rafik can only be unlinked by destroying its Hadeya*." I finish.
"Good good. You have a good grasp of the technicalities." Batta nods. I feel my lips stretch and glance back at Heni kabil to find him staring at me annoyed.
We used to be friends once, or started as such, when we first met in first year as a couple thirteen-year-olds. He is the son of a long line of important State Hamis and had already proven to be quite talented at Riaf manipulation while I suffered from a restricted Riaf and am the first to attempt the Hami Academy in my family.
Still we got along alright up until second year when, for some reason that I now don't remember anymore, we had our first fist fight. We both ended up in the infirmary and with a week's detention each. The animosity between us only increased through the years and these days we can't stay in the same room without one of us jumping at the other's throat.
If I was to describe our relationship in two words it would be: bitter enemies.
A/N:
*Hadeya: gift
*Rafik: Familiar
*Inter-Bab: Teleportation portal connecting small neighbouring cities and villages together
*Irsal: Telekinesis
*Toukous: Ritual studies
*Anasir spells: Elemental spells