The day began like most others so far. Aiden performed a variety of these morning rituals humans have and then ate breakfast. That is where the similarities end though.

For the first time in more than a month we were finally visited by someone. I say visited, but it’s more like they came to escort us to the opening ceremony.

Similarly for the first time, we had the chance to actually see the main building of the academy, the palace, up close. And even though I knew conceptually from my occasional night flights that the building was big, standing under it had a completely different feeling.

Masses and masses of people were slowly trickling inside through the giant front doors. Most of them looked similar in age to Aiden, probably other students. Some of them though, while they did vaguely resemble the others in shape and age, belong to completely different species.

Soon, we found ourselves in a great hall with a podium on the far side. On it, there were older looking people, mostly humans.

Aiden was nervous again, constantly looking around, though I couldn’t really fault him since I was somewhat nervous too. This did give me a chance to look around the room without leaving my hideout. Fortunately, everyone else also had their Familiar hidden as well, so at least I was spared some humiliation for now.

A couple minutes pass and as it looks like no more people will be arriving, the headmaster steps forward on the podium. Huh, I didn’t notice him there.

“Dear students, welcome to the Azunad Academy of the Arcane Arts! You’ve all worked hard to get to this point, and we’re all very proud of you for that. Here, your journey continues. You’ll…” He begins a long speech. Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper speech without the headmaster’s tired monotone voice.

Barely anyone’s paying proper attention. They could’ve at least provided some chairs for everyone. I mean, I’m not standing and even I feel tired from this.

Luckily, it doesn’t last that long and soon we’re moving on to more interesting topics. Apparently we’re going take some series of tests to ‘better judge our capabilities and separate us into appropriate groups’. Then we’ll be given schedules, maps, homerooms and a bunch of other information, the usefulness of which I am dubious of, before they send us home for the day.

So, with nothing better to do, and still somewhat nervous about having to reveals myself as not having advanced yet, we follow the giant mass of students through the various exits. Some more walking and some more waiting later, we’re in the examination room. Where, surprise, surprise, is the old Magus that delivered us here in the first place.

She, on the other hand, doesn’t recognize us and dully begins with the various tests. Which I do not understand why they weren’t part of the entrance exams or registration or whatever. Why they though it’d be a good idea to do all the students at the same time on one day I’ll never understand.

She had Aiden perform a bunch of tests, mostly of the magical variety. Show all the spells you know, how much control do you have, how much power can you exert with your magic, etc. Eventually, with an unimpressed face she eventually prompts him to take me out.

Which I promptly, though reluctantly, do. Which I immediately regret.

“What’s this?” she asks, a smidge of anger in her voice.

“My, my Familiar.” Aiden, ever the cowards, meekly replies.

“I know that. What I mean is, why is it still unformed? You should have had more than enough time to advance at least once.”

I knew that, but it still stings. The thinly veiled contempt in her voice doesn’t help either.

“Don’t tell me that you don’t know how to do that, “she start questioning, but quickly adds in a quiet murmur, “no, that’s automatic the first time, that’s not it.”

She throws a suspicious glance between the two of us. “Or have you been slacking this whole time? I don’t even know which one is worse!”

All the while I just float there, ashamed. I don’t even circle around the room as I usually do.

“Um, miss Magus, we have been training diligently, “ Aiden manages to stutter out, “for more than a month, even! The Advancement just didn’t happen yet.”

The Magus scowls at him, but turns to me and beckons me closer. Slowly, I comply. Floating not even an arms width away from her, I feel the unsettling sensation of her gaze analysing every fibre of my being once more. The moment, however long it may feel, eventually passes.

“Show me your process of edification!” she barks out.

I’m not left with many options, so I start to pull in as much mana as I can and then slowly let it all out. That doesn’t take me too long to do, and since that’s all there is to it, I also add that I know and practice the same spells as Aiden on a daily basis.

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At this, she orders me to run thorough all the same test that Aiden did, all the while her unsettling gaze pierces my very being. It doesn’t take me long to finish it all. I don’t mean to brag, but I quickly overtook Aiden in my spellcasting ability, at least in most areas.

At the end of this all, she observes me for a little while longer before falling in thought. And so, we wait. And wait, and wait. When I’m starting to believe that she died, she opens her eyes and declares:

“You have a defective Familiar.”

Which is just complete bullshit! Like, excuse me, but I am not defective! I am a genius little floating ball of light and you will address me as such! I gained in spellcasting abilities what took Aiden months, if not years! So no, dear Magus, I am not defective.

Aiden shares my discontent by immediately saying a somewhat diluted version of my own argument. But, as always, his shy delivery lessens the impact and he is quickly interrupted.

“By that I mean that as much as it may try to absorb mana, it’s reserves will never increase. It’s casting ability is excellent, yes, but you cannot advance purely on that. Furthermore, no matter how complex your spellwork is, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the mana pool to supply your magic.” She declares her verdict, damning me for eternity.

We both stand there, shocked beyond belief. I can’t believe this. Is she saying that I’ll forever be stuck as this boring ball of light? Never advancing, never becoming better, never becoming more? That, that can’t be possible.

Aiden too seems crushed by this revelation. I don’t know why, but it almost looks like his entire world has just shattered around him. His sagging shoulders, bowed head and slumped posture make for a sad sight.

Even the ever-stuck-up Magus softens up at this sight. “Look, don’t worry about it too much. It just means that you’ll have less magic support than other people. You can still become a powerful mage; you’ll just have to work harder.”

After a while, he clenches his fists and gives a determined, if somewhat weak, nod.

And as that is pretty much that there is to the examination, we’re on our way back to our dorm room. The whole way back both of us remain silent.

I feel like I’ve somehow betrayed him. Sure, I definitely did disappoint him somehow, what with my limited potential and all, but that’s not exactly my fault. I really hope that he doesn’t blame me for this.

As we arrive to our room, Aiden sits on his bed, deep in though. I can’t bear the silence long though.

“So, what now?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

He stays silent in contemplation for a while longer, before eventually responding. I guess a should be happy that he isn’t ignoring me.

“I suppose it’s like Magus Quinn said. I’ll just have to work harder than the other students.” He begins, resoluteness climbing back into his voice. “I’ll have to work at least twice as hard, which means I’ll have less time for the non-magical studying, which is where you come in.”

I nod my head, which is my whole body now that I think about it, so I just sort of bob in the air. I’m not exactly happy with where this is going, but I suppose it is something I should do.

“So, you’ll spend most of your time in the school library studying and when something is absolutely necessary teach it to me, while I’ll focus on magic.” He finishes his thought.

Yup, just like I expected. Once again, I don’t like it, but it’s for the best. If not for my personal development, then for our bond. Though the knowledge I will gain may be worth it on its own. And it gives me the opportunity to do actual research into what is wrong with me.

I just simply refuse to believe that I cannot advance. Something tells me that that’s impossible, and even my instincts are whispering that there’s been a misunderstanding. So, the first step is to figure out how this whole absorption of mana leads to advancement. If I understand the process, I should be able to figure out what is blocking me from achieving it, and from there it should be relatively simple in fixing it.

Of course, I won’t be able to focus purely on this endeavour of mine, as I’ll need to still help Aiden with studying. And while I’m doing all that, he’ll be working on mastering magic. Sigh, I’m envious.

By now night had fallen and Aiden’s already fast asleep. I decide that since I’ll be stuck in a stuffy library for the foreseeable future, I may as well do one last flight through the night.

I visit all my favourite spots I’ve found over the past month. The big wrinkly tree, a small crack in the school foundations, a large rock, and of course, the headmasters office.

Why the headmaster’s office? It’s of course because I need to ask his Familiar a very important question.

Once there, the same thing as every other time I’ve visited happens. He unlocks the window; I fly in and start flitting about until I eventually calm down and settle over Grintoa. I still can’t get over how weird a hybrid of a squirrel and a snail look.

“Hey, um, Grintoa? I have a question.”

“Ask away, ask away.”

“So, everyone can advance, yes?”

It shifts a bit to look at me. “Yes, every living thing, and some inanimate too.”

“Cool, cool. So that means that if, let’s say, someone couldn’t absorb mana properly or grow their mana pool, they could still advance, yes?”

At this a lot of movements happen, compared to the previous slight shift, and I feel an intense set of eyes on me. “Theoretically, yes. But we’re both spirits, so we don’t have to trouble ourselves with it.”

“Why not?” my hopefulness surely leaks into my question, yet I cannot help myself. This means I can do it after all!

“Because the reason for the apparent inability to advance is usually caused by a malady of the body or mind. Rarely, it may be cause by a special constitution or bloodline, but once again, we’re spirits. None of that concerns us.” Then, with a voice that causes me to shiver, I hear the its voice ask me a question. “Why, are you unable to properly grow? Or is it your summoner?”

I’m not really in the mood for answering that question, so out the window I go! I’ll be stuck in the library for some time, so it doesn’t matter if they won’t allow me to visit either way.

The next day, the academy’s curriculum starts for real, and nothing much happens. Just moving between a bunch of classes of varying boringness. After the day is over, we head to the library, where I stay while Aiden heads back to the dorm to practice the cool stuff, magic.

I start my search for information, both for my ailment and Aiden’s studies, but I can already tell it’s going to take a long time.

The next day differs only by the fact that I am at the library, so Aiden picks me up there, but then the rest of the day follows a similar structure to yesterday.

And so does the day after that. And the day after that. Just like that, a new routine is established for me, and I can’t decide if it’s better or worse than the month long lead up to it.