'—at.'

Rain froze.

Her egg was gone.

The bowl she had spent her entire, miniscule allowance on was gone too…

Even the enchanted sponges she'd splurged on, the ones designed to scrub hardened surfaces had vanished without a trace.

She stood there, staring blankly at the bubbling water where the Floating Bowl had once been, as the realization sank in.

Everything she had spent her savings on was gone in a single gulp.

A sharp vein pulsed at her temple.

"…You've got to be kidding me."

Holy energy began leaking out of her body, golden light rising like heat waves.

Her irises vanished, replaced with glowing white as her pupils disappeared completely.

Mana distorted the air.

The sand beneath her feet cracked under pressure.

Several enormous lances of holy light formed in the air above her, each one pulsing with destructive force… enough to pierce through the waves, the sea floor, and whatever monster dared to eat her belongings.

She didn't hesitate to aim them.

Until a desperate voice called out from the shore.

"Ah… Rain, wait! Wait! Don't do it!"

Professor Rudolph was sprinting down the beach, his staff held above his head as if that would stop the spears of holy light raining from the heavens. "Stop! He's helping you!"

Rain turned slowly. Her glowing eyes locked on him, and the professor felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine.

'Why do the new students this year have to be this scary?!' he thought, half-tripping on the sand as he waved his arms like a man begging for his life.

"Helping?" Rain's voice was low and sharp, her lances hovering in the air like loaded weapons.

She turned back toward the water, finally getting a proper look at the creature floating before her.

It wasn't some abyssal monster after all but a large, round fish, its body puffed up like a balloon.

Steam puffed gently from small pores along its sides, giving it a misty appearance.

Rain blinked. "That's… it?"

The blowfish-like familiar blinked back with beady eyes. Its cheeks bulged and then, with a loud huff, its tongue rolled out.

The missing Phoenix Egg dropped onto the wet sand, followed by the Floating Bowl, the sponges, and a few half-dissolved leaves.

The egg was still radiating heat, but perfectly intact.

Rain stared for a moment, her glowing eyes dimming back to normal.

"Th… thank you," she muttered quietly, her earlier fury vanishing. She extended her hand, wrapping the egg and her items in a thin film of holy energy before hovering them back toward her side.

The blowfish familiar bobbed in place, puffed its cheeks once more, and made what could only be described as a proud nod.

It then splashed playfully before submerging into the water again.

Rudolph sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Always confirm your target before you start trying to smite something that's helping you," he said, shaking his head. "Holy energy or not, overkill is still overkill."

"Yeah, yeah…" Rain mumbled, cheeks slightly red.

As the professor walked off, muttering something about needing a vacation, Rain's gaze drifted back toward the beach.

Her eyes fell on Azel.

He was crouched near the shoreline, brushing out the last few feathers on Erblim's wings while the Royal Silverhain Furry sat beside him with its tail flicking proudly.

The sunlight caught in his silver hair as he worked, looking annoyingly calm… like the world couldn't touch him.

Rain bit her lip. 'Why does he look good even when he's doing something dumb like grooming a bird?'

She then smithed the thought… She was not trying to fall for Reinhardt, she would rather romance another woman.

Then she began to march toward him.

…

Azel dusted his hands off and stood up. "And… done. How does it feel?" he asked, stepping back to admire his work.

The Royal Furry yipped cheerfully, fluffing up her clean fur.

Erblim, on the other hand, spread his wings dramatically, shaking off a few droplets of water.

"Hehe… I look dashing," the crow said smugly.

Azel snorted. "You look wet."

Erblim ignored him, preening a feather like a vain nobleman.

When Azel looked over, he saw Sylvia kneeling nearby with her own Silverhain, surrounded by a full grooming kit that she had probably pulled straight out of her storage ring.

She had brushes, combs, powders, oils… the works.

Azel blinked. "She's got a salon set up…"

"I take familiar care quite seriously," Sylvia said without even looking up. "A creature's comfort reflects its master's discipline."

"Sure, sure." Azel chuckled. "I'll just stick with the classic soap-and-scissors method."

Before he could pack up, someone's shadow fell over him. He looked up and froze.

Rain stood there, her Phoenix egg hovering behind her.

Her expression was unreadable.

"Oh hey, Rain," Azel said, genuinely surprised. "It's been a while."

"Same here." She crouched down beside him, her expression softening. "How're you doing?"

"Fine, I guess. You?"

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair.

Azel blinked, caught off guard. "Uh… Rain?"

"Hold still." She plucked out a few small pebbles tangled in his silver strands, probably from Erblim's earlier splash attack. "You had stones in your hair."

Azel turned sharply to glare at Erblim, who was snickering behind his wing. The crow looked delighted.

"I swear…" Azel muttered, sighing as he smoothed his hair back into place. "Erblim's a troublesome bastard."

Rain chuckled under her breath. "Seems like it."

He reached a hand toward her, and she hesitated before taking it. He stood up, dusting off the sand from his clothes.

"Well," he said, smiling faintly, "you're being awfully helpful today."

"Hmph…" She crossed her arms and looked away. "Don't get used to it."

Still, there was a blush at the edge of her cheeks.

She glanced at her egg again. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

Azel paused for a second before answering.

"Honestly? No." He lied easily. "Where did you find it?"

Rain's lips turned into a small smile. "Can you believe it was just lying around in the forest? Almost like it was waiting for me."

"That's… something."

"I don't know what it is yet," she continued. "but I can tell, it's going to be strong."

Erblim hovered closer, eyeing the egg warily. "That's not just strong… That's a Phoenix egg."

Rain's eyes widened.

"Shhh!" She pressed her palm against his beak before he could squawk again.

"Phoenix?" Azel repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Rain gave an awkward laugh. "Don't mind what your bird's saying. It's a… bird brain."

Erblim mumbled something unintelligible into her hand, sounding deeply offended.

Rain quickly pulled her hand back, straightening up. "Anyway, I'm going to report to the professor. You should too."

She turned and started walking away, her egg floating gently behind her.

But halfway there, she suddenly looked back over her shoulder… her eyes narrowing as they flicked toward Sylvia, who was still kneeling by her Silverhain.

"And, Azel?" she said.

"Yeah?"

Her lips pressed into a frown. "Avoid that elf bitch."

Then she was gone, marching off toward Professor Rudolph.

Azel blinked, genuinely baffled. 'Does she have some kind of beef with Sylvia?'

He sighed, running a hand through his hair again.

That's when Sylvia appeared right beside him out of nowhere. "Avoid elf what?"

He nearly jumped. "How… how do you keep sneaking up like that?!"

She smiled sweetly. "Light steps are part of royal upbringing, Mister Azel. Do elaborate… what was she saying about me?"

"Ignore her," he said quickly, scratching his neck. "How'd your grooming go?"

Sylvia's Silverhain pranced beside her, fur shimmering like spun silver.

"Flawlessly. Although…" She gave him a polite smile. "Yours still looks better. I might have to learn your methods sometime."

"Yeah," he said, lifting his own Royal Furry into his arms. "Anytime."

"Then," she said, smoothing her skirt, "let's report together."

Azel nodded. "Let's."

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