As soon as the words left the headmasters' mouth, hundreds of these phone-like devices started appearing right out of thin air, each floating a few centimeters anterior to every person. The screen itself was completely blank, designated with a thumb print outline engraved in the middle.

Before I could open my mouth to ask, Paige said, "I bet you're wondering what that thing is, right? Well, this little device, is called a cibus; its essentially what you use to get food here. So how it works is quite simple. First, you put your thumb on that thumbprint. Then, you hold it until the device verifies your thumb; once you're verified, all you have to do is speak into that slot on the side of the cibus and order what you want to eat."

I looked at her in shock. "That's it? I thought it would be more complicated than that."

"Well, not really. The thing is, the cibus is pretty smart in the fact that it can truly determine how much of the food you would probably eat, so it'll give you the amount that you actually will eat, as contrast to how much you initially want to order. That way, little to no food would go to waste."

"Wait...so after I order, would the food just automatically pop out of the air?"

Maia snorted. "Well, not necessarily 'pop' out. It would just appear in front of you in a plate with the amount that you're going to eat. Of course, if for some reason you suddenly lost your appetite, you won't get penalize for that. Though if you wanted to order something else, you better do it during meal time since the cibus' usually disappear right after every meal."

"Alright, I got this. It doesn't sound too hard," I replied, rubbing my hands together.

After placing my thumb on top of the print, a green check appeared, indicating a verification. A variety of food then started jumbling into my mind, many of which looked absolutely mouthwatering. After clearing my throat, I placed my mouth near the slot, announcing, "Honey-glazed chicken breast with basmati rice and homemade mashed potatoes, please."

Less than a second later, a very visually-appealing plate materialized in front of me, filled with massive amounts of deliciousness.

"Wow, you must be really hungry, if even the cibus gave you that much food," Maia remarked.

"Well, it's not wrong. After all the walking and stair-climbing and even the lack of sleep from the night before, would obviously build up a huge appetite," I retorted, digging in hungrily.

After a while and no one spoke, I slowly glanced up to the realization that they were all staring at me. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just...you eat quite different for someone who lived in America," Veralyn sniggered.

Maia nodded her head furiously. "That's true, even if I live in Elucaen America, we still eat typical American food, unlike somebody here," she said as she gestured to her own plate, which had a perfectly round beef burger with a side of curly fries.

I glared at them playfully. "Whatever, stop judging me, clump nuggets. But speaking of the Elucaen world, how does schooling work for you guys before coming here?"

"I'm pretty sure it's the same for us as it is for humans. Like we would still learn the same subjects and stuff in middle school, except our world just have the daily elemental magic that the human world lacks. If a person is discovered to be an Elucaen, then instead of going to 'high school', they would just go to one of the Elucaen prep schools located throughout the elemental world," Lily explained.

"Wait....why?"

"I don't know, I guess so people can be know more about the human world. Believe it or not, many Elucaens does choose to give up their Elucae in order to be permanent humans due, so I think it's to give them a chance to see if they truly wants to be an Elucaen or not."

"I think you're right, that actually kind of made sense. And Veralyn, what were you saying about Alipari? Something about familiars?"

"You'll see soon enough, and its Alespar, not whatever rubbish you just uttered out. But stop asking so many questions, I thought you're hungry," she replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Wow sue me, can't a girl be curious about her mysterious, magical life?" I countered.

"Well, I doubt you would be so curious if you knew that you only have about eight mins left of dinner before all your beloved food disappears."

I gasped. "You're kidding...time already flew by that quick?"

Maia stifled a laugh. "It does for people who talk too much, so hurry up and eat. We really fancy not hearing your stomach complaints disturbing our beauty sleep all night."

I scowled at her before ungracefully shoved bits of food into my mouth. I guess desperate times does call for desperate measures.

"May I have all of your attention, please?' a middle-aged blonde woman announced from the front of the caeno, "I would like to dismiss all dorms with the exception of fourth years, who should all remain for the Alespar ceremony."

Lily clapped her hand together in delight. "Yes! It's finally time for the senior ritual."

"Who's that lady?" I whispered to Paige.

"That's madame Auclair. She's head of the house of Aer, the second-in-command to Professor Millengarf, and the leader of all ceremonies. But since she's from Elucaen France, it is sometimes hard to understand her strong accent, but don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Before I could speak or ask any more questions, Madame Auclair started, "Now that the younger students have all left, I shall begin the ceremony."

"As most of you already know, each and every one of you would be getting your own personal Alespar tonight. An Alespar is essentially the same thing as a familiar, in which they all possess a certain magical quality. They are an Elucaen's most prized companion, and every single Elucaen school out there has this ceremony in which a young Elucaen in their fourth year is assigned their Alespar, whom is already fated to be their volant companion the minute they stepped foot inside this school."

"Oh...so that's why so many people in Embergarde had some kind of bird perched on their shoulders,: I muttered as the thought finally hit me.

A blonde girl with pigtails seated at the table next to mine raised her hand. "Why only fourth years? Why don't we get them our first year at this school?"

Madam Auclair smiled. "Well, just like you and everyone else, they all need time to grow and mature too, you know. That's why you only get them in your senior year, since that's when they're fully grown."

"So, some of you must be wondering, what exactly is the purpose in getting your own flying companion? Well, like I said, they are your companions for life, if you don't choose to be a complete human, that is. And not just that, but throughout this year, they shall aid you in all your duels, dorm competitions, and so much more. However, their main purpose is to guide and offer you advice regarding your powers; however, only you can hear your Alespar, and that goes for everyone," she continued.

I gently nudged Paige. "Woah, really? We get to have our own animal friend that has their own magical powers?"

"Uh, that's a strange way to put it but yeah, basically."

So that's why mom and dad doesn't have their Alespar...because they gave up their powers.

"Now, there are significantly only four kinds of Alespar, and they each respectively symbolize one of the four elements. The phoenix represents ignis, the eagle represents aer, the baby dragon is for aqua, and the faerie represents terra. What type of Alespar you ultimately get is based completely on what house you are and the Elucae that you yield."

I raised my hand. "Wait, if you said every Alespar is fully grown, why is there a baby dragon? And why does a dragon represents aqua when they are known for breathing out fire?"

"That's a very good question, Ms. Mesineux. The baby dragon is kind of an exception since that's their maxinum growth limit. They all grow in mind and spirit like the others, except their physique remains miniature. But think of it this way, wouldn't it be quite strange if there are gigantic dragons flying around the Elucae world?" she smiled.

"And to answer your second question, in the Elucae world, dragons differs from the 'typical dragon' you see in myths and fairytales due to the fact that they breathe out water, not fire. Therefore, that's precisely why aqua Alespars has blue scales, instead of red or other colors."

Lily then raised her hand. "Madam Auclair, what kind of powers does each Alespar possess, exactly?"

"I was just getting to that. So like I said, aqua alespars can breathe out water, and they can, additionally, also turn certain objects to ice. On the other hand, an ignis Alespar, or the phoenix, can put certain objects on fire, instead of ice, with just three claps of its wings. Since the eagle represents aer, they can summon balls of wind and lastly, the faerie from terra can utilize some nature magic, such as summoning roots, trees, and so forth," she explained.

"Wicked!" Veralyn whispered excitedly.

"However, there is a catch," she said, to which everyone simutaneously groaned, "every ability that I just mentioned has a time limit. For instance, an aer Alespar can't just summon balls of winds every single second; because it takes a lot of their stamina, they need time to eat and rest too. That's precisely why I advise you all to let them use their powers only in times of need, and not just out of boredom," she said, all the while glaring at the boys, who then started nudging each other.

"Well, now that we got all the introductions out of the way, who's ready to get their Alespar?" she asked with a smile.