The last lesson of the day came to an end, and Initor was relieved when he stepped out of the classroom. He was glad that he could leave those whispers about Aless and him behind, and he was able to focus on their training. Ixis was going to train Aless, and Raldor and himself were going to focus on wood. Aless and the others were waiting for him down the stairs, she had a beautiful smile upon her face. Which warmed his heart, she was in one word beautiful. Not only in appearance, but also in nature. She was kind, willing to educate and help people in need. But she also had a temper that now, with her fire element unlocked, matched his own. Or his matched hers, now that he had unlocked the water element. Which was also a strong, and likely possibility. Her face light up the room when she saw him coming down the stairs, reaching out her hand, which he took without a second thought.

 "You guys are so sweet," Ixis said, looking dreamily at their joined hands. "I wished I had someone to hold hands with."

"You can hold my hand, if you want," Raldor offered, but Ixis narrowed her eyes.

"And why would I do that?" she asked. Initor started to chuckle, and Aless joined him. Raldor raised both his hands in surrounder.

"I only offered it, there is no need to bite my head off, because you do not like the offer." He replied, Ixis shook her head with a big sigh. "Anyhow, let us be off. The weather is good today, but some air elementals told me that there is a snow storm coming our way. I can feel it too, only not as strong as they do." Aless nodded in agreement, so she was able to feel it too.

"I can feel the wind picking up, but I can not feel what type of storm it is. That might be because I haven't unlocked the water element yet. That is, maybe Raldor can feel the type but not what is coming." Aless explained. Which made a lot of sense, but if this was true than they needed to get moving. So they left the main building and made their way to their cabin. Owyn and Asitiye told them they needed to bring their familiars to every training. So that they become stronger as well, and it also helps with bounding. He grinned his bound with Rapid, the large black stallion, was already deep. But that was because they have being together since he was ten. And was his only familiar until Aless helped him connect with the eagle, crab and rat. But truth be told, he hasn't spent that much time with them. Unlike Aless who has spent a few hours of her day playing with hers. She even wants to make them treats inside the schools' kitchen. He smiled when he thought about that, this was so like her, and he needed to follow her example. And he will start with that today, directly after training and dinner, he would spend some time with his familiars. He didn't know if they liked playing, but there were other things he could do with them, like grooming. He would come up with something for them to do. While he wasn't paying much attention, he dumped into Raldor who stopped in the middle of the road.

"What, in the name of the elements, is wrong with you?" Initor said loudly. But Raldor didn't reply, he stared towards their cabin. Or rather, towards what was up the roof of the cabin. There was a black bird of prey, at the spot where normally his eagle sat. The mighty creature looked around, and spread it wings, flew up and came towards him. As his eagle would have done, wait a second. He stretched out his arm and the black eagle landed. Was this his eagle? But his eagle was not black, it had a white head and brown wings. What was happening? Wait, where was his brown rat, and his red crab. With the bird still resting upon his arm, he rushed inside the cabin and into his room, where the other two animals lived. And they, too, were completely black. Just like his eagle, they changed color. And now they were so similar to Aless's familiars, who were all white. "Can someone tell me what, in the name of the elements, is happening." The others had entered the house and saw his familiars as well.

"Umm, I have picked up a book about familiars." Ixis said. He turned towards her as she grabbed it and started to flip through the pages. "Ah, here it is. Sort of. Familiars can be found in various shapes and sizes, this is because there are a lot of variations inside the species. It is very rare for a familiar to change color. And it only happens, what history as called the Princess of Light and the Prince of Darkness." 

"The what?" Raldor asked, and Aless next to him gasped for breath. All attention turned towards her.

"You have heard of it?" Ixis asked, and Aless slowly nodded her head. But she also pointed towards the book. "Wait, is there something wrong with this book?"

"Other than that, I have sourced the whole library for a hint of the Princess of Light and Prince of Darkness. And didn't find it, then no. And at the same time, yes, this book is not approved by the council. So it shouldn't be present in the school library at all." Aless said, and then she sighed. "I only heard the title Princess of Light in a dream. A few nights ago, a small snow fairy flew up to me and called me that. They told me that I needed to get stronger before I was able to unlock the light. What ever that means." Initor frowned.

"That explains why your familiars are all white, that doesn't explain why mine all have turned into black." Initor said.

"He will appear to you in due time, that is what the snow fairy told me about the Prince of Darkness. She also said that.  'There are more dangers that await you, after you defeat the rogue rebel. But do not worry, train, learn, live, trust your friends, and you will survive each and every obstacle.'" Aless said. He didn't like the sound of more dangers to come. He understood that his brother was the rogue rebel. But what other things were out there that they needed to fear.

"So if Aless is the Princess of Light, the person she is in a romantic relationship with will be the Prince of Darkness. Because all the elements need to be balanced out. And it also explains why Initor's familiars changed color, Aless has chosen her as her partner." Ixis said. Initor nodded slowly, that somehow made a lot of sense.

"Can, someone, tell me what those other dangers are. And maybe what a snow fairy is?" Raldor said.

"A snow fairy is a very small bird, it is pretty rare. And what I can only guess what those other dangers are. But the fact that I was not able to find anything about the Princess of Light and the Prince of Darkness, until now. In a book that is not authorized by the council gives me a pretty huge hint." Aless said, holding up the book. "There is also no indication of the author." Aless closed the book and looked at the cover and spine. "It was also not on the title page. So, who ever wrote this, knew that they would be in big trouble if the council found out about this."

"Why would the council withhold information?" Raldor asked. Initor knew that this was not a real question, but one that solidified Aless's theory. The council might be their biggest treat, which was not a great comfort to him at all. The will to train their elements had left them, and so they stayed near their cabin. Ixis, Raldor and Aless brought their familiars out of their rooms, and they all started to play with them. Surprisingly enough, there were other students who copied their actions, and soon all the animals were playing with their elementals or with each other. That was until the first snowflakes started to fall, and all the students left for the main building to get dinner.

"Who knew that playing with our familiars was so much fun?" Ixis said, rubbing her cold hands against each other. "By the elements, what do I long for, a cup of hot cocoa." They sat down at the table and next to every plate there was a mug with hot cocoa.

"You were apparently not the only one." Raldor remarked. Ixis chuckled, and sat down. Directly grabbing the mug with both hands.

"This feels so good." Ixis said. Initor and Aless looked at each other, they were not really bothered by the cold. This was because of the fire element. But there was no way that he would say no to hot cocoa, when it is offered. Maybe he would prefer it with some red pepper, but the warm drink was enough for now. Diner was as usual pretty good, and the atmosphere inside the cafeteria was pleasant. So different from the heavy pressure during breakfast and lunch. Students were talking about some games they want to try out with their familiar, others were making play dates so that their familiars could play together. It even surpassed the elements, which was a nice change. This is how the academy should be, free open ready to make more connections with the other elements then the one you were born with. Aless took his hand, and slightly squeezed it. She was feeling it too, gone were those gloom and doom thoughts about the dangers they might face in the future. Right now they had each other, they had Ixis and Raldor, and they had this carefree afternoon to look back on.

*******

That night he was not able to fall asleep, he wanted to jump out her bed and go into Aless's room. He moaned and was ready to do just that, when a knock landed on the door. He didn't need to guess who it was. Aless opened the door and softly smiled when she saw that he was still awake.

"I already was afraid that you would be fast a sleep." She whispered. He shook his head, and made some space for her. She laid down and closed her eyes when her head hid the pillow. "I do not know why, but I feel at peace when I lay next to you."

"Same here, I just wanted to come to you," he admitted, and she started to chuckle. He placed his lips on her forehead. "But I am glad to have you here," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. "In my arms." She chuckled again, but at the same time snuggled against him. It didn't take long for the both of them to fall asleep. 

********

A knock on the door woke them up.

"Alright, I know that Aless is in there with you. I do not know in which stage off undress." Raldor said on the other side of the door. "But there was a letter taped at our door, informing us that there will be no lessons today. Instead, we have a familiar health check." Aless jumped up, rushed towards the door, pulled it open. Raldor screamed in shock, which sounded a lot like a little girl. But he wouldn't hold that against him. Someone else inside the living room chuckled loudly, apparently Ixis didn't seem to share that same mindset.

"Let me see the letter," Aless said, Raldor hold it up, and she snatched it out of his hands. Her eyes darted over the words and started to groan. This startled him a bit, because it was the first time he heard her doing that. But before he could ask her why she did that, she showed him the letter. At first, he didn't see anything strange, but then he saw the stamp on the letter. "My grandmother is here." His heart started to beat rapidly, their last interaction was not all that pleasant. Raldor looked at first confused. She showed him the letter, more than that she showed him the stamp at the bottom. It was not from the school, it was from the council. 

"Why those the council want to see our familiars? There are already records of every single familiar that is connected to an elemental. And our teachers see them from time to time in class, maybe not always the larger once. Like Initor's horse, but they see them." Raldor spoke his thoughts out loud, and Initor's eyes went towards his now black familiars. Raldor's gaze followed his, and he shook his head. "No, they can't suspect that. Just in case, we need to hide that book. Ixis do your thing." Ixis was already on it, but this all unsetted Aless. Initor stepped out of bed, his hands landed upon her shoulders. He placed his mouth against her cheek. Which made her relax slightly.

"Do not worry about it too much, we can always play dumb." he said. "Go take a shower." He pushed her towards her own room. "We will be here waiting for you." She smiled, which didn't reach her eyes. But she closed the door of her room behind her. Initor waited until he could hear the water streaming, it was at the same time when Ixis came back into the living room.

"You know that this is very suspicious, right?" Ixis asked, and he nodded. Glad that he was not the only one that saw it. First his brother is released earlier, now the council is showing up at the school. Alright, then again, they only suspected that the council was against the return of the Princess of Light and the Prince of Darkness. They still didn't know why, but this inspection of the familiars, didn't do anything to dispel the suspicion.

"Raldor feed the inside familiars, Ixis you do the once outside. I am getting a quick shower," he said, they nodded and quickly went to work. When he returned, Raldor was busy brushing Aless's white bunny. The animal now had a light blue bow around its neck. It looked more cute, that way. "Thank you, Raldor." he said. Raldor simply shrugged.

"Ixis and Aless are currently grooming the animals outside. According to Ixis they were not the only once who are doing it." Raldor said while he walked off to his own room. He quickly grabbed another coat, because his was currently filled with white bunny hair. "The first cabin's already have being inspected, but they are not allowed to talk to us." He looked at the smaller animals around them. "But these guys are ready, they are brushed, fed. And we also look like fresh. Ohh, if you're hungry, you are allowed to grab one of Ixis's granola bars. She already gave Aless and me one." Raldor pulled his coat straight while he placed the smaller animals in their carriers. "We do not want to waste our energy by summoning them one by one." He explained before Initor could ask why he did that, it made sense. But what is the council wanted to see their summoning skills, well that was not what they requested to see. They wanted to see their familiars. The door opened, Ixis and Aless entered.

"We are up next," Ixis said. "I am going to change into a fresh set of clothes. And wash my face, that horse of yours was a bit dusty." He nodded, Rapid didn't like being washed and all of that. A knock landed on the door, right when Ixis came back. 

"Here, let me dry you off, before you set foot outside." Alessa said, Raldor went towards the door and opened it. A man he didn't know was standing on the trash hold.

"Cabin fourteen, it is your turn," the man said, they all nodded and started to grab the carriers for their respective animals. Aless's little silver owl was flying on his own. The larger animals followed them, as if they knew what was going on. The council's man looked at them stunned, Initor didn't know why, but this made him feel proud. Headmaster Gritt, smiled as they turned the corner. His glance went from the carriers in their hands, to their uniforms, who were up to code.

"You four make an old man proud," he said. While he stepped aside, so that they could enter the main building. "The inspection will take place in the cafeteria." Without a word, they entered. Even without the headmasters instructions, they would have found the council members. All with their clipboards and stern faces.

"Cabin fourteen, Ixis Stowne," an old lady said. Ixis stepped forwards and with the help of Aless got her squirrel, and bunny out of their carriers. "She was born with the Earth element, she has unlocked the Metal and Wood element. Her familiars are a bunny, tiger and squirrel." There was a table set up in the middle of the cafeteria, a few council members were standing behind it. Ixis placed her smaller animals on the table and without saying anything to her tiger, he just sat down next to it. Initor smiled slightly when he saw that, this indicated that Ixis had a strong bond with her familiar. But then his smile vanished, there she was Lady Cerulea, Aless's grandmother.

"Alright, let me see, their coats are shining, and they are seemed to be well-fed. And it also seems to me that they are obedient, indicating a strong bond. Did you name them?" Lady Cerulea asked. Ixis nodded, but she didn't give the names of her familiars. "Good, giving a creature a name strengthens the bond even more. You have done well, miss Stowne." Lady Cerulea stepped back.

They did the same song and dance with Raldor's familiars. While Aless and he unpacked their familiars. 

"Initor Fenix, born with the Fire element. He has unlocked Water, Air and Wood. His familiars are a horse, crab, eagle and rat." the old woman said. He walked forward with the crab in his hands, the eagle was holding the rat carefully while flying it towards the table. Rapid took the place of Raldor's tiger, and lay down. The eagle let go of the rat. Lady Cerulea looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Mister Fenix, somewhere deep down I hoped never to see you. But here I am, and so are you." Lady Cerulea said. She then looked at the familiars on the table. "Your familiars look healthy, and I hate it to say it strong. I have being told that you already had a familiar when you entered the academy."

"That is correct, Lady Cerulea. Rapid and I bonded when I was eleven." Initor replied. "The horse," he added quickly.

"That is so strange, considering your family history." Lady Cerulea said. But he didn't reply to that. "Do you know what a horse familiar says about the elemental?" He wanted to shake his head, but then the words of Aless about the eagle echoed through his mind.

'Eagles are symbolizing strength, but also pride.'

Which made sense, Rapid also had a fierce temper.

"I believed that, someone told me that they're symbolizing a fierce temper. I honestly do not know if this is true or not, I was pretty young." Initor said, and Lady Cerulea nodded.

"Do you also have a theory about the color of your familiars?" she then asked, and he shook his head. "Alright then, well I believe that we only have one person left and that is my beloved granddaughter." Initor picked up his crab and the eagle once again took the rat. Aless was already behind him, shaking like a leaf.

"You can do this, you have a stronger bond with your familiars than, the rest of us have with ours." He said, she nodded. But she didn't stop shaking.

"Aless Cerulea, born with the Air element. She has unlocked Fire, Earth and Metal. Her familiars are an owl, hedgehog, and raccoon." The older woman said. Aless placed all the animals upon the table, Initor saw directly that a few council members started to whisper. They knew, after they had seen his familiars. He held in his breath, while Lady Cerulea looked at the familiars on the table.

"As I suspected, nothing but perfection. You are my granddaughter, after all. But all of them are white, which is just as unusual as the familiars of mister Fenix." Lady Cerulea said. Then Lady Cerulea shot up and turned towards her fellow council members. "I believe we found them."