Asterisk Academy was the oldest and best school of magic on the planet. From his conversation with Isabel, Max knew of Liliana’s dream college and understood the significance of the admission offer. With its rich legacy, the academy would be an excellent platform for their growth and most likely hold the answers required to solve the mystery behind his summoning.

“Hey! Who said you could decide?”

“What?” Max whispered back, “You don't want to?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Like a child who had managed to get the last chocolate at a store, Julius giddily laughed before he threw a smug glance at Diana and Lydia. “Good! Little Miss, come here and collect your acceptance letter.”

Lydia sat back down with a wry smile. Liliana was a decent candidate and the best she’d seen today. By jumping the rope, Lydia had been confident of pulling Liliana towards the Ancient Rune Academy. She hadn’t imagined that her co-examiners would display such a huge change of heart. Sighing, she curiously observed Diana, trying to comprehend the latter’s unusual reaction.

Diana opened and closed her mouth several times, words failing to take form. Ultimately, she gave up and dejectedly took a seat while ignoring both Julius and Lydia. She had lost all of the haughtiness from earlier. Sneaking a glance at the mage-familiar pair, she silently raged. “Why would Lord Alcatraz recommend them? This isn’t fair! What is it about them that caught his eye?”

Diana appeared in a daze until she felt Lydia gently hold her hand. The latter asked in a hushed whisper, “What’s wrong? You look a bit pale.”

“No - Nothing. I'm fine" Nobody would believe that the Empire’s Saint had telepathically ordered her to offer Max and Liliana admission.

“We win some, we lose some.”Julius mumbled loud enough for Diana to hear him and let out a light chuckle.

Diana bitterly smiled, apparently in no mood to argue.

Since Liliana and Max were now formal students of Asterisk Academy, nobody dared to make a fuss. Those next in line began their tests as Liliana was asked to proceed to a room behind the examiners for further instructions. Although whispers still pervaded through the crowds, it wasn’t as exaggerated as before.

As the duo approached the corridor, they were met with the expected nuisances. The various spectators had sent their recruiters with the hope of roping them in.

“Miss Lockwood, I represent Baron Griggs…”

“Miss Lockwood, I am here on behalf of Earl Ravenswood…”

“Miss Lockwood, Viscount Pierce would like to invite you…”

The recruiters used flowery words as they tried to entice the pair with promises of mansions, maids and the lives of a king. Their objective was simple - to get the pair that had been accepted by all three academies.

Looking at the group, Max couldn’t help but crack an amused smile. Have to hand it to you… you guys are pretty thick-skinned.

On the other hand, Liliana politely declined their ‘generous’ offers, all the while holding back a scowl and the urge to just shoo them away.

To govern the Empire more easily, the Saint had split its territory into five parts. The Empire’s largest region, located at the heart of its domain, was controlled solely by the Royal family. The surrounding areas were governed by the four Dukes and the noble families under them.

Like the position of the King, the title of the four Dukes, sixteen Marquises and the sixty four Counts had always been passed down among their respective families. However, it was rare to find a similar arrangement among the minor nobles. The various Barons, Earls and Viscounts, on the other hand, were as plentiful as the stars in the sky. Their titles had been earned through meritorious deeds and generally couldn’t be inherited by their children.

By promising even the common folk of the Empire influence and power in return for their accomplishments, the Royal family maintained a strong foothold in the Empire. With the people’s steadfast loyalty and with the Saint backing them, there was no one in the Empire who dared to rebel.

However, leaving aside their little political power, minor nobles also lacked military might. Facing such a predicament, they eventually started to try and recruit fresh talents, and the admission test was one such talent pool. It gave them a chance to gather la crème de la crème under their banner.

The corridor ended in a simplistic room filled with several well cushioned chairs. Five boys and three girls in their mid to late teens sat on a few seats. There was clear distinction between the two sexes; the girls had formed a group of their own while the boys had captured another part of the room.

As the door opened, the eight selected candidates simultaneously turned their heads. Eight pair of eyes landed on Liliana and Max, carefully scanning the duo in silence.

A girl walked up to initiate a conversation. “Hi! Guess you guys make ten. My name’s Rachael. What's yours?”

“Liliana. He's Max.”

Rachael seemed to ignore Max's presence as she dragged Liliana to her group. Max seemed amused by her actions. This was definitely a first for him.

Liliana sent a fleeting look at Max. She quietly chuckled as she watched him slowly drag his feet towards the other boys before she found a seat beside Rachael.

“Did that girl give you the cold shoulder? Don't worry about it… seems like she has a thing against guys. We got the same reaction.” One of the five laughed and patted Max on the shoulder. “Oliver... You?”

“Max.”

The group of six rearranged themselves to form of a circle. Oliver seemed to be the most talkative of the bunch as he went on to introduce the remaining four with great enthusiasm. “The tall guy here is Allan. This guy here who seems to worry too much about his hair is Dan. This one here is Ronald and you see him, he's Jason. Jason doesn't really talk too much… Guys this is Max!”

Max smiled as he nodded at the four. While each of the others also acknowledged his presence, Jason simply took a gander at Max before closing his eyes in disinterest.

“Man! What's your deal Jason? At least say hi to the guy! Would it kill you to say a few words? You've barely spoken since the time we've met and it’s already been two hours.”

Allan, Dan and Ronald snickered. Oliver was an amiable guy. Not only was he gregarious by nature, but he was also honest to a boot. He was the first one to enter the room. He had immediately tried to strike conversations when the others had arrived.

Jason groaned. “It’s because you speak enough for the both of us. Didn't you agree to stop talking if I hung out with you? You're giving me a headache!”

Oliver merrily smiled, not even slightly fazed by Jason's dismissal. “C'mon man! We're practically friends now. So what if we aren't going to the same academy? Alas! Those girls, they're too shy. Especially that girl you met just now, Max... It's like she wanted to wring my neck the moment I started speaking to her. She’s too scary!”

“Hmm... she completely ignored me, so I guess I got off easy.” Max grinned as he peeked at the four girls happily giggling amongst each other. “She must really hate you Oliver. What did you do? Try to hit on her?”

Oliver nearly choked and said, “Me? Flirt with that demoness?! Dude! Do I look like I have a death wish?”

Max and the three burst into laughter and even Jason couldn't help but crack a smile.

“So how did you do? Which academy picked you?” Rachael asked Liliana.

“Uh... Asterisk Academy.” Liliana answered, slightly embarrassed.

“Wow! Really? That makes you and Rachael. I wonder if you'll become classmates.” One the girls responded excitedly.

“Maybe.” Rachael replied. “That reminds me, Grace,” she turned to the last girl in the group, “you were telling us your reason for choosing the Royal academy even though you're interested in research. Didn't the Ancient Rune academy also offer you admission?”

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Grace sighed and elucidated, “My family isn't well placed financially. Even though I didn't want to, my parents forced me here by gathering almost everything we had. But research takes time and patience. On the other hand, I can develop as a magician faster in the Royal Academy and let my parents be at ease. Once everything is fine at home, I can always switch to research.”

“Sorry. We had no idea.”Olivia hastily apologized.

“Why are you apologizing?” Grace immediately waved it off and laughed. “Besides, I hear that the Royal Academy has a student exchange program with the Ancient Rune academy. As long as I show the aptitude, I should be able to get myself into the program. Then I can check out the Ancient Rune Academy for myself and get a glimpse at what I really want to do.”

“Right... That seems like a good plan.”

As the two groups continued to laugh and talk among themselves, a man in a gray cloak walked into the room. With messy hair and with a face full of wrinkles, he looked at the ten and said, “Congratulations! I'm sure that you're all eager to start your days at the academies, so I've come here to bring you a step closer.”

Almost everyone couldn’t hide their excitement. Only Max and Jason wore expressions of serenity. Jason opened one eye to take a gander at the man. It's about time!

The man nodded, but the motion seemed a bit too prolonged as his head began to resemble a ball bobbing up and down in water. Beaming, he continued to say, “To save you some time, we will be teleporting the students who have been admitted to Asterisk Academy. The freshmen of the Royal Academy are to continue to wait here.”

After finishing his piece, the man signalled at the students to form a line.

“Bye.” Rachael and Liliana bid the other two farewell. They had only known each other for a short while, but had already grown considerably close. Olivia seemed reluctant to see the two leave. She gave Rachael and Liliana a light hug before letting them line up behind the man.

Max and Jason got up at almost the same time. However, Oliver immediately stopped them, standing in their path.

“Man, you gonna leave just like that. No goodbyes?”

“Yeah.” Ronald nodded and said, “Don't leave us with the talking machine… How will we deal with him with the two of you gone?”

“Hey!”

Max and the four laughed while Oliver seemed disgruntled. He immediately approached Jason with arms raised and said, “I’ll deal with these guys later... C'mon Jason, give your old friend a hug.”

“One more step and I'll break your arms.” Jason grunted.

“Ouch! So cold! Alright then, a handshake. I hope to see you guys soon.”

Rolling his eyes, Jason shook hands and followed the man out. The group arrived at an open space with a huge circle etched into the ground. Max, Liliana, Rachael and Jason obediently walked inside and stood at an arm’s length from each other as the man made the preparations. “If you had brought any luggage, then it should have already been transported to your assigned rooms. Someone will be waiting for you on the other side.”

As the circumference lit up, the four disappeared and felt a momentary loss of balance. They struggled to find a firm footing until they found themselves in a different set of surroundings. With their backs facing a forest, they were greeted by a vast green plateau housing several buildings sporting what resembled Roman architecture.

A woman in a black dress greeted the group with a smile. She had smooth, silky black hair that fell down all the way to her waist. Black gloves covered her hands. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with enthusiasm as she lightly gestured and smiled. “Welcome to Asterisk Academy.”

While leading the four around, the woman began to talk about the Academy’s history. She proceeded to inform the four about their general curriculum, explaining how the classes would be divided. Since the freshmen were involved mostly in generalized courses which focused on theory, they had only been allocated four buildings. As the students progressed, they would be divided and sent to their own departments.

The group eventually reached a set of buildings that resembled apartment complexes. Standing in front of the gates, the woman made four books appear out of thin air. She handed them out and said, “This is where you will be staying. The one on the left is for girls.”

As soon as Max touched the small booklet, he felt a warm tingling sensation pass through his hand. Looking down, he found his name engraved on its cover.

“Each book became personalized to you, the moment you touched it. It is both your ID and a guide.” The woman explained when she noticed the surprise on Max’s face. “For now, it will have your upcoming class schedules, your dorm’s room number and a note of every formality you need to finish to complete your admission into the Academy.”

Watching the four nod their heads with understanding, she smiled and said, “Then this is where my job ends. If you have any further questions, you can look them up in your guide. It should be able clarify all of your doubts... Good bye!”

The woman seemed to teleport away and left the group in a daze. Rachael nearly squealed, “Grand Master Mage!”

Without a word, Jason quietly headed for the dormitory. Max watched the sixteen year old leave with a wry smile while Liliana softly convinced Rachael to go ahead, wanting a private conversation with Max.

Rachael frowned and nodded as she sent a glare at Max who responded with a bitter smile. What did I ever do to you?!

Liliana teasingly whispered, “Barely two steps into the Academy and someone already hates you. Heh! I’m truly in awe of you.”

“Yeah…” Max sighed before he slyly began to rub his cheeks. “I seem to have a knack of forming terrible first impressions. Remember the time I found you in the forest? I pretty much saved your life, and the first thing you did after you woke up was slap me.”

Liliana immediately became flustered, her face flushed red. Rolling her eyes, she lightly punched Max. “That was a misunderstanding, alright?! Didn’t I already apologize?! Are you going to keep that over my head forever?!”

“Relax, I was just messing around.” Max chuckled. “Anyway, why’d you send Rachael away?”

Liliana seemed to sulk as she asked, “Will you be completely honest with me?”

“Hmm? About what?”

“How strong are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask for a while, though I’ve been putting it off because of your amnesia.” Liliana explained as she suddenly became fidgety. “It’s just that I never expected a Grand Master Mage to initiate an attack during the test. It really gave me a fright.”

“Aw!” Max grinned and teased. “You were really worried about me. I’m touched.”

“Sh - Shut it!” Liliana barked with embarrassment. “If I had known earlier, I could have at least asked Bryan Argent to teach you some basics.”

“Bryan Argent, huh?” Max repeated the name and thought about his encounter with the man. “Well, don’t sweat it. Didn’t I come out just fine? Besides, Julius did say that it was a test, right? Maybe it’s not as crazy for the few other human familiars in existence, but I’m sure they have to go through something similar.”

“No. Most mages haven’t contracted familiars before they enter a school. They -”

“Wait! That can’t be right.” Max interjected with a frown. “I remember you telling me that you didn’t take up the offer from Taurus Academy because you couldn’t contract a familiar.”

“This is why you should’ve let me finish talking.” Liliana snapped back and began to explain.

The process of gaining a familiar involved two major stages. The first stage called symbol formation depended entirely on the mage. It involved the creation of the contractual insignia through the use of mental energy. The second step was the contract establishment – a process which projected the symbol’s power over a large area and allowed the mage to choose a familiar from among the beasts that had developed an attraction to the mental energy hidden inside the symbol.

“That’s interesting. I didn’t know that.” Max thoughtfully stroked his chin and glanced at his hand. “Then how do mages broadcast this symbol?”

“I don’t know how it exactly works, but most academies and even some noble households have these complicated mechanisms which can help mages accomplish that.” Liliana replied. “Once both parties have selected each other, the familiar is marked and teleported to the mage’s side.”

“Okay. So… What? You couldn’t form a contractual symbol in time for the academy test?” Pausing, Max recalled the words Liliana had said in the forest. Something about even settling for a mortal tier familiar? Puzzled, he asked, “Or did you find a way to broadcast it, but couldn’t attract anything to your liking?”

“No, that's not it.” Liliana mumbled, suddenly feeling rather depressed.

“What? I didn't catch that.”

“Ugh! I said that’s not it!” Liliana yelled out in frustration. Pouting, she answered, “I - I couldn't even form the contract symbol, that's why mom said I couldn’t apply.”

“You’re kidding. Is it that difficult?”

“It’s not, but I still can't figure out why I failed. Every time I tried injecting my mental energy into a symbol, it would crumble and disintegrate.” Liliana awkwardly answered before her eyes began to burn with indignation. “I even went through a ton of books, but they were useless. Then there was the time when a High mage visited the village and I went to him for advice. He was one rude jerk! He told me that if I couldn’t accomplish something so simple then I simply wasn’t cut out for magic.” Liliana suddenly smiled and added, “That’s why I was kind of happy when you became my familiar.”

Max chuckled and cheekily stated, “As I recall it, you were throwing quite the tantrum when you first found out."

“I did no such thing.” Liliana instantly avoided Max’s gaze and firmly denied the accusation.

“So? Why do you suddenly want to know how strong I am? I am admitted to this school now. Regardless of my present strength, I’m bound to grow stronger over time.”

“Isn’t it obvious? If I don't know how strong my own familiar is, how do you expect me to take decisions during a battle? I think it’s because I summoned you through the guardian talisman. If it was a regular soul binding contract, I’d have a rough idea for sure.”

“Well, alright. It’s not like I intended to hide it from you anyway.” Max looked to the sky and muttered. He slowly brought his face closer and whispered next to her ears. “I don’t know my exact level, but dealing with Premier Knights isn’t an issue.”

Liliana hurriedly took a few steps back, looking at Max with a complex expression. “Did you spar with Bryan Argent?”

“Where did that come from?”

“So that's why you were sent the herb. Fine, if you’re a Premier Knight, then you’re even stronger than me and I’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Huh?” Max frowned as he stared at his ‘master’ move farther away. He felt something amiss with the way she had bid goodbye.

Stepping into the lobby, Liliana seemed worried. Considering Max’s age and his strength as a Premier Knight, she had a foreboding feeling about his identity. She remembered the slight fluctuations in her mother’s expression when the latter had heard his full name and suddenly began to wonder if the surname ‘Walker’ had a place in the Empire’s noble hierarchy.

“You sure kept me waiting. What took you so long?” Rachael said as she noticed Liliana lost in thought.

Liliana apologetically smiled. “Sorry.”

“What’s wrong?” Rachael frowned. “Did that guy do something?”

“Hmm? No. Of course not!”

“That’s good. C’mon then! Let's go check out our rooms. Classes finally begin tomorrow!”

As Liliana got dragged inside, she decided to stop fretting about Max’s situation. The young man was already her familiar. Even if it was by accident, there was no way to change that now.