It was fairly obvious that Wendy enjoyed showing off her hover skill. Either that or she liked it when I clung to her as she threw herself off of the roof.

I kept my eyes open for once and enjoyed the scenery while we slowly descended to the street below.

You don’t have to walk me all the way to class this time. I know the way.

She smiled and grabbed my hand. Don’t worry. I don’t mind at all. Besides, I’m already heading that way.

Thoughts of my next class drifted through my head as I tried my best not to dwell on what Kalliphae was doing. I allowed Wendy to walk me to the door. When we arrived, she flashed me with her trademark smile, and then the girl was gone.

Just like the previous day, the class was already assembled by the time I walked in. Mrs. Peletier motioned for me to sit and turned to say, “Welcome back, Melvin. How are you feeling this morning? Do you feel up to trying again?”

I grinned and sat down.

Are you ready to make your debut, Byakko?

Kalli surprised me when she excitedly replied. What are you about to do?

Byakko yawned loudly in my head. Do you want me to just jump out, or are you going to make a speech first?

Before I had a chance to reply to either of them, the teacher’s eyes widened and she asked, “Where did you get that tattoo?”

I subconsciously touched the tattoo and replied, “This tattoo was made by what I summoned.”

The shock on my teacher’s face was apparent, “That tattoo is the symbol for the king. Do you mean to tell me that you summoned one of the four guardians?”

I sighed, “Don’t tell him that. It will go straight to his head.”

Byakko took that as his cue to spawn. The white tiger cub materialized at the feet of the teacher. Byakko yawned and announced, “My name is Byakko. Does my bond pass your test?”

The other students in the class gasped as Byakko strutted around the room. Mrs. Peletier was speechless. She leaned forward in her seat to get a better look at the glowing tiger cub.

Byakko was looking scandalized as a few of the students moved in to pet the cub. He gave me a weary look and sat down, resigned to be treated like a house pet.

The teacher finally found her voice and asked, “You summoned this? All by yourself?”

Byakko chuffed, “Do you truly call yourself a teacher? One does not summon a guardian. I choose who I bond with. It was I who found him worthy, not the other way around.”

Some of the kids squealed and jumped back when the tiger started lecturing the teacher. Mrs. Peletier quickly backtracked, “I’m sorry, Sir Byakko. I meant no offense. I am not a summoner. I’m a conjurer. This is a basic summoning class. I do not have any real experience with higher beings.”

My summon stood abruptly, shaking the other students off like drops of water from his fur, and said, “Well. I guess we’ve learned all we can here. Shall we be on our way?”

Mrs. Peletier also stood and tutted at Byakko, “Perhaps you are correct. Be that as it may, Melvin is still in my class today, and I will do my best to instruct him. While I may not be familiar with the upper echelons of summoning hierarchy, I do have a thing or two to teach my students about basic summoning. Melvin is clearly new to the class, so perhaps you can indulge me, Sir Byakko, just for the day.”

Byakko yawned and laid back down, “If you wish to use honorifics, my proper title would be Lord Byakko, Guardian of the West. You are right about the whelp though. He is wet behind the ears. You have my permission to teach him.”

The teacher turned her attention back to me and asked, “Is this what you were working on yesterday when you fainted?”

Byakko chuffed at her, “You speak of the time when I summoned the boy’s consciousness to my realm. I had to meet him to be sure of his worth. Unfortunately, I could not bring his body. Fear not, there was no lasting damage.”

Mrs. Peletier kept her eyes locked on me and continued, “Very well. What else can you tell me about your ability to summon him? How long are you able to sustain the summon? You seem to be comfortable having him out. Many students in the beginner class can only last a few seconds.”

I felt Byakko’s small tug on my mana pool. Whatever the cost was, it was not greater than my natural regeneration. My mana pool was full. I was about to explain when Byakko cut me off again, “He can barely last 20 seconds in my true form. Still, I must concede that is a significant amount of time for a novice.”

Mrs. Peletier’s eyes widened. She asked, “This is not your true form?”

In response, Byakko began to grow. I felt the increased pull on my mana flow as he grew. While he was not a 20-foot-tall tiger, he had become a fully grown tiger. Several of the other students screamed, and one of them ran from the room.

The teacher tried her best to calm them, “It’s okay everyone. He isn’t going to hurt you.”

Byakko chuffed, “That’s correct. My bond instructed me not to eat the students.”

I sighed, “I told him not to eat anyone.”

The fully grown tiger tilted his head, “Bad people were a bit of a grey area.”

Shaking my head, I firmly said, “No exceptions. We were pretty clear about that.”

Mrs. Peletier asked, “Who do you mean by we?”

The question reminded me of Kalli who I saw was in her fire magic class. I wondered what Alex, who was a rogue, was doing in that particular class. Shaking the thought out of my head, I admitted, “Kalliphae told him not to eat anybody. I agreed.”

The teacher turned her attention back to Byakko, “Okay. How many forms do you have? You mentioned that Melvin can only maintain your true form for 20 seconds. Can you show that to me?”

Byakko and I exchanged a glance and I nodded. He replied to Mrs. Peletier, “You might want to move the rest of the cubs back. I assure you that my true form is quite spectacular.”

Byakko didn’t give the teacher any time to carry out his request. He immediately began the transformation. It felt like the floodgates of my mana had been opened. The connection which had previously been a steady trickle of mana was now flowing out of me like a geyser.

I told Byakko, “No more than 15 seconds. I don’t want to pass out again.”

Kalli’s concerned voice rang in my ears. What do you mean pass out? Don’t do that.

I marveled at the difference between group and mate chat. The fact that I wasn’t broadcasting meant that Wendy wasn’t picking up on what I was doing. It was hard to hide anything from Kalli if she was watching.

I smiled and sent Kalli reassurance.

Don’t worry. I think I got the hang of this.

Kalliphae groaned in response. Telling me not to worry is just going to make me worry more.

Byakko towered above us as he had when I first tried summoning him. He looked down at Mrs. Peletier who stood frozen under his maw and asked, “Is this a sufficient demonstration? Are you satisfied?”

She nodded and replied, “Yes. Quite satisfied. I see why they call you Lord Byakko.”

With a puff of smoke, the massive tiger vanished and was replaced once again by the cub. It was just in time too. I felt my mana rapidly begin to refill a nearly empty core.

The rest of the class involved the other students demonstrating various summoning’s which includes more weapons and household items as well as a few generic pets. Nothing stood out like Byakko.

Mrs. Peletier had me practice summoning a frying pan. She explained, “Picture the item you wish to summon. Even though you aren’t a conjurer, your class exists within the same family of classes so basic conjuring should be possible for you. I plan to go over the basics with you during your time with me in this class. We will start with a simple item.”

While I could have easily edited something, I decided it was best to learn what she was trying to teach me. At first, I attempted to create a frying pan from my home out of mana. I formed the ball of light in front of me in the same manner that I watched the other kids in class.

Molding mana into a frying pan was no easy task. I used the same method that I had with wind and fire to give my mana a metallic aspect. Even though it felt wrong, I had come too far to give up. I used more mana to mold the metallic mana into a form that I thought looked right. Then I willed it to harden.

When the light faded, I was left with a lump of metal with a crudely made handle hanging off of the end. Mrs. Peletier scooped it up off of the ground and said, “This does not look like something you summoned. Did you just try to make this out of pure mana?”

I sighed, “It’s not like I can make a pact with a pan to summon it. Don’t I have to create it?”

Mrs. Peletier shook her head, “That’s not how it works. It was very impressive that you were able to do what you did. I am sure there are some crafting applications for that skill. Molding mana into objects is not a very common skill. However, for summoning, you need to trust your magic. Think about what you want to summon and apply mana through your skill. Let the magic do its job.”

Byakko chuffed, “Do my ears deceive me? Are you teaching my bond to use magic without thinking? Would he not grow to be a better summoner if he learned proper summoning techniques?”

Mrs. Petelier turned her attention to Byakko, “You are wrong, Lord Byakko. I am teaching him to think. The summoning skills are a valuable part of every summoner’s arsenal. Knowing how to summon something just by thinking about it is invaluable. Doing it manually is both more difficult and somewhat obsolete in the modern world. Melvin may choose to learn advanced techniques but first, he must master the basics.”

Byakko padded his way over to me, “Learn to use this crutch if you wish. I will show you how to walk when you are finished.”

Without saying another word, the tiger cub vanished and became a tattoo on my forehead again in a flash of light. Mrs. Peletier seemed flustered but continued instructing me, “Very well then. Now, picture the frying pan and focus on attempting to summon one. Do nothing but supply your mana to the skill. The pan will appear as you see it.”

I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut. With my focus on my favorite beat-up pan from back home, I pushed my mana into summoning one. I felt it before I saw it. With my eyes closed, I felt the rubber-coated handle on the pan as it materialized in my hand.

Once the sensation of mana leaving my body ceased, I opened an eye to peek. There it was. My old pan had found its way into my hand, scuff marks and all. I asked the teacher, “Does that mean my mom is missing a pan now?”

She laughed and replied, “No. It doesn’t work that way. You summoned a copy from the ether. You did a good job remembering the details of the pan. The summoning is significantly more efficient if the item exists already. Keep in mind, you cannot summon magical items in this way. Not without a regent at least.”

Byakko chuffed in my ear. Congratulations on learning how not to summon.

Kalli questioned me as we made our way out of class. What did you do wrong?

I used a skill.

Byakko couldn’t resist adding his thoughts. It was more than that. He used a skill in place of actual summoning. Without the skill, he would have failed.

Kalliphae decided to question my bond. Isn’t that the purpose of skills? To help us do things.

The tiger seemed rather patient with the girl. Skills and spells are man-made constructs that allow lesser mages to use magic. If my bond is worthy, he will not need such shortcuts. I will teach him the proper way.

The pyromancer seemed interested. Do you think you can teach me how to use my magic without spells?

Byakko debated for a moment before replying. I might be able to assist you. You would have to be with Melvin though.

I could tell that Kalli was pleased when she sent waves of happiness through the connection. Great. Would you like to join us for lunch Melvin?

I felt a sudden wave of nervousness which I realized was my own.

Who is going to be there?

Kalliphae motioned to some boys behind her. Just some of my new friends from class.

The first person I recognized was Alex. I decided that I was going to have to get used to sharing Kalli with my new classmates.

Sure. Where are we going?