The morning came sooner than I expected. The sound of horses and carriage wheels woke me from my restless sleep. Sol had been awake since dawn, sitting at my bedroom window watching the luxurious carriage stop in front of the house.
"They're coming," he said in my mind in a tone that was difficult for me to translate.
I got out of bed and hurriedly got ready. I had packed a small bag containing a change of clothes and some personal belongings since last night. There wasn't much I could bring - Magistra Elena had reminded me not to bring too many things.
"Nova, have breakfast first," called Mother from the kitchen in a voice that sounded forcedly cheerful.
"No need, Mother. I'm not hungry," I replied while carrying my bag.
Actually, my stomach was queasy because I was nervous. Today I would be leaving the house for the first time in my life, going to a completely foreign place.
Sol jumped onto my shoulder as I left the room. "Relax," he said, rubbing his little head against my cheek. "We'll face this together."
In the living room, Father and Mother were already waiting with anxious faces. They tried to smile, but I could see the worry in their eyes.
"Take care of yourself, son," said Father, hugging me tightly. "And remember, if anything happens, let us know right away."
"Yes, Father," I answered, holding back tears.
Mother hugged me longer, her hand stroking my hair gently. "You'll be fine," she whispered.
"You're a strong child."
A knock on the door broke our moment of separation. I opened the door and saw Magistra Elena standing there, already neatly dressed in her dark blue robe.
"Good morning, Nova. Are you ready?" she asked with a smile.
"Yes," I replied, lifting my small bag.
"Good. Oh, there's something I want to tell you. You won't be going alone. There are two more people who will be joining this trip."
I frowned. "Two more people?"
"Yes. They're already waiting in the carriage. Let's go."
After saying goodbye to my parents once more, I followed Magistra Elena to the luxurious carriage in front of the house. The black horses with bluish eyes were still standing quietly, occasionally stamping their hooves, leaving small sparks.
Magistra Elena opened the carriage door, and I saw two people already sitting inside.
The first was a girl about my age with long, black hair neatly braided. Her eyes were bright green, and on her lap sat a small white fox with a tail that sparkled like crystal.
The second was Reverend Wiranata. He sat stiffly, his face pale and his hands still clutching the thick Familiar Encyclopedia.
"Nova, let me introduce myself," said Magistra Elena as she helped me into the carriage. "This is Neris from Sungai Bening village. She also got a familiar that is... special."
The girl named Neris smiled kindly at me. "Hello, Nova. I've heard about your familiar. His name is Sol, right?"
"Yes," I answered as I sat across from him. Sol jumped off my shoulder and sat beside me, his eyes curiously observing the white fox on Neris' lap.
"This is Luna," said Neris as she stroked her white fox. "Crystal Fox Familiar. She can create weapons from ice crystals."
Luna, the white fox, let out a small bell-like sound. From her mouth came a cold breath that immediately froze the air and formed a small crystal sword on Neris' palm.
"Amazing," I muttered in amazement.
"And Reverend Wiranata will accompany you on your journey," Magistra Elena continued as she climbed into the carriage. "He is the best familiar encyclopedia expert in this region."
Reverend Wiranata just nodded stiffly. Since the incident three days ago, he seemed like someone who was still in shock. Maybe seeing Sol change the holy altar was too much of a shock for him.
The carriage started moving smoothly. I waved my hand towards Father and Mother who were standing in front of the house until they were no longer visible.
"How long is the trip to the academy?" I asked Magistra Elena.
"With this magic carriage, about two days," she answered while unrolling the map. "We will pass through the Mist Forest and the Blue Mountains before reaching the capital."
Neris looked excited. "I've never been out of the village. This is my first time seeing the outside world."
"Same here," I said with a smile. "We're both novice adventurers."
Luna and Sol looked at each other curiously. The crystal fox tried to approach Sol, but Sol backed away a little, still wary.
"Sol is a bit shy with other familiars," I explained to Neris.
"Luna was like that at first too," Neris said with a laugh. "But she gets along quickly once she gets to know you."
The journey was quiet for the first few hours. The scenery outside the window changed from the village rice fields to vast grasslands, then dense forests.
Magistra Elena occasionally explained about the places we passed, while Reverend Wiranata was busy reading his encyclopedia with tired eyes.
"Nova," Neris said suddenly. "Can I ask you something about Sol?"
"Sure."
"Is it true that he can produce golden flames? And turn stones into crystals?"
Before I could answer, Sol had already jumped to the floor of the carriage and let out a small breath. Thin golden flames came out of his mouth and touched the wooden floor of the carriage.
What happened next surprised everyone. The wooden floor beneath Sol's golden flames did not burn, but turned into small, sparkling golden crystals.
"Amazing," Neris whispered with sparkling eyes. "Luna, look at that!"
Her crystal fox let out a cold breath towards the golden crystals Sol had created. The ice and golden crystals met, creating a very beautiful mixed crystal formation - half sparkling gold, half transparent ice.
Sol and Luna looked at each other, then let out a small sound that sounded like... laughter?
"They're friends," Neris said with a wide smile.
"I guess so," I replied, patting Sol's head as he returned to my lap.
Magistra Elena studied the mixed crystals on the carriage floor with interested eyes. "A collaboration between familiars... this is very rare. Usually familiars of different elements can't work together."
"But Sol and Luna did it," Neris said proudly.
"Yes, and that shows how special your familiars are," Magistra Elena said as she jotted something down in her notebook.
The journey continued in a more cheerful atmosphere. Sol and Luna seemed to be getting closer, occasionally playing around by creating small crystals together.
But the calm didn't last long.
As we entered the interior of the Mist Forest, Sol suddenly straightened up with a glint of alertness in his eyes.
"Something's not right," he said in my mind.
"What?" I whispered softly.
"The smell of blood. And... evil intentions."
Almost at the same time as Sol's warning, the carriage came to a sudden halt. We were all thrown forward.
"What's wrong?" Magistra Elena asked as she opened the carriage window.
The coachman's voice came from outside: "Magistra! The road is blocked! A big tree has fallen!"
Magistra Elena frowned. "Strange. This morning the road was still clear."
Sol jumped to the window and peered out. His body grew tense, and the temperature inside the carriage began to rise.
"This isn't an accident," Sol said in my mind. "This is a trap."
Suddenly, screams came from outside. The coachman shouted in panic: "BANDITS! BANDITS ATTACK!"
The sound of shouting and running footsteps echoed around the carriage. Through the window, I could see the shadows of people in shabby clothes and weapons in their hands running around our carriage.
"Stay calm," Magistra Elena said as she took out a magic staff from her robe. "These are just ordinary bandits."
But Sol sent a different feeling to me. These were no ordinary bandits. There was something more dangerous.
The carriage door was suddenly forced open. A large man with a scar on his face and a large sword in his hand appeared in the doorway.
"Get out!" he shouted in a hoarse voice. "Hand over all valuables!"
Magistra Elena stood with her magic staff raised. "We are official envoys of the Royal Academy. You cannot—"
"We don't care who you are!" the bandit interrupted. "What we want are your familiars. Especially that little golden-flamed one!"
My heart was beating fast. They were after Sol!
"They already know about us," Sol whispered in my mind. "This isn't a random attack."
Neris hugged Luna tightly, her face pale with fear. Priest Wiranata trembled as he hugged his encyclopedia.
"Hand over your familiars, or we'll take them by force!" the bandit snapped as he stepped into the carriage.
Magistra Elena swung her staff, sending a blue beam of light flying towards the bandit. But it was deflected by something - perhaps a protective charm or defensive spell.
"Your magic doesn't work on us," the bandit laughed. "We're prepared!"
More bandits appeared around the carriage. I counted at least ten of them, all armed and looking experienced.
Sol suddenly jumped off my lap and stood in the middle of the carriage. His golden eyes flashed angrily, and golden smoke began to billow from his nostrils.
"Sol, don't!" I whispered worriedly. "There are too many of them!"
But Sol didn't listen. He let out a small roar that was louder than usual. Golden flames began to come out of his mouth, but this time it was bigger and hotter than before.
The temperature inside the carriage rose drastically. The wood on the carriage walls began to smoke, and small crystals began to form everywhere.
"What is he doing?" Neris shouted as she retreated to the corner of the carriage with Luna.
Sol continued to emit golden flames, but something was different. The flames this time were not as controlled as usual. Sol looked in pain, his body shaking, and his eyes glinting with intense emotion.
"Sol!" I shouted and tried to approach him, but the heat was too intense.
The bandits outside the carriage began to back away when they saw the golden flames growing larger. Some of them looked scared.
"Put out that fire!" the bandit leader shouted. "Before he burns everything!"
But Sol couldn't stop. The golden flames continued to come out of his mouth in greater and greater quantities. The carriage began to shake, and a strange rumbling sound could be heard from inside Sol's small body.
"He can't control it," Magistra Elena whispered, her face pale. "Young familiars sometimes lose control when emotions run high."
Luna suddenly jumped off Neris' lap and approached Sol. The crystal fox let out an intense cold breath, trying to calm Sol's golden flames.
Ice and fire met, creating a hot steam that filled the carriage. But instead of calming down, Sol's golden flames only grew bigger.
"This is bad," Sol said in my mind, his voice filled with panic. "I can't stop it. Something inside me is... awakening."
The carriage began to burn from the inside. The golden flames spread to the walls and roof, but instead of burning them away, they turned the wood into sparkling golden crystals.
Outside, the bandits began to scream in panic. Some of them fled, but their leader remained.
"Use the magic-absorbing net!" the bandit leader shouted to his men. "Catch that familiar before he burns the forest!"
I realized that this was no ordinary bandit attack. They had special equipment to catch familiars. This was a planned operation.
Sol looked at me with golden eyes filled with regret. "Sorry... I couldn't control it..." The golden flames around it grew wilder, and I felt that something big and dangerous was awakening from within the little familiar.