Once my name was chosen, Lein decided to immediately bring me to a merchant specialized in familiars. Her grandfather looked like he wanted to oppose her going out late, but gave up after he realized how excited she was. She took me under her arm and practically ran through the alleways until she reached her destination.

The place is in the middle of the commercial district, you wouldn't notice the door in that backstreet if it wasn't for the large wooden sign depicting a dragon and a fairy facing each other. The wooden door right unser it looks exactly like all the others you could find in that part of the city. Lein casually opened the door.

And the inside is far more interesting than the outside. A large hole in the middle of which you could acces a spiralling staircase who doesn't seems to have any end, with thousands of large cages filled with birds and drakes on the sides. It was obvious those weren't here for display as they had enough room to live and numerous feeders. Most of thoses species are unkown to me, though i recognize your occasional hunting falcon or fire drake. Some of the monster here are large enough to ride on, while others are smaller than my paws. Lein walked down the stairs without even minding the beasts. She probably is a regular. On the bottom of the staircase are even more cages, filled with terrestrial monster, blast tortoises, cinder lions, chimeras, etc. I can even hear and smell some water, there must be a pond for marine-type beast nearby.

Behind the cage of a gigantic blue snake, Lein opened a steel reinforced door. The inside seemed like a study of some sort, with papers and magic objects everywhere.

Without a warning she shouted: "Askan!! Wake up!"

A grumpy figure emerged from behind a pile of documents. He let out a dipleased grunt and scratched his back while getting up.

"What do you want Lein ? It's late already can't you come when the sun's up?"

He was a large beastman, wolf tribe from the looks. Light grey fur, pointed ears on top of the head and fangs that make mines look like child toy's. He was wearing leather clothes designed to raise beasts. One of his hand was covered in a thick leather glove, presumably for bird to land on. Several little bags hanged on his hips. From the smell, those are used to carry treats.

He was clearly tired, but still humored Lein.

"So you came for a beast contract i guess, some kind of cat?"

"Yup got my own amethyst cat now!"

"Good for y.. An amethyst cat? Like the wise beast kind that only royalty can afford?"

"Yup."

"What the fuck? Where the hell did you find it"

"Granpa found it in some ruins"

"At that point it's not luck anymore, it's fate, I don't know how, but you always seems to have the best outcome for yourself"

"Oh my, is someone jealous?"

"Anyway, you sure you don't want to sell it? You could buy a lot of strange monsters with the money."

"None will be as interesting as this one."

"I thought you were into lizards."

"That was just a phase. Now I like cats!"

"Whatever, you want it to be linked as your familiar?"

"Yes, please."

This might become a problem. I have no clue if a witch's beast can contract with a normal human, even more while using a normal binding contract.

Askan dug up a mana crystal from a pile of untitled books, one of them fell in front of Lein. She skimmed through the pages while I looked over her shoulder. Or "from" her shoulder. Not that it really matters. The book is filled with detailled pictures of different beasts and information about them. She snickered.

"Still working on your beast encyclopedia. The drawings may be good be i don't think it'll sell, the monster encyclopedia from the guild is already enough."

"The monster encyclopedia is designed for hunters, mine is for breeders. I don't think there are information about a cinder wyrm's diet in that guild handbook."

As he defended what looked like several lives worth of work about beast, he swept piles of paper from a table and installed the crystal on it and drew dexteriously magic circles around it. That's the common procedure for familiar binding, you make both the master and familiar put blood on the stone then use a binding contract. Then again, can I, the creations of ancient witches that wielded power beyond understanding, be considered a normal familiar? The answer is near, Lein is already droping blood on the crystal. Askan just graped my paw, he cut it so fast I didn't even have the time to react. The crystal is shining in a gentle white light. It seems everything is fine.

I should have shut my mouth. The light is turning red and gaining intensity. What is going on ?

As the light shone brighter and brighter, both the hand of Lein and her so called "cat" gave a burning sensation. A sigil appeared on both their hand, with the same pain and color as a burn. Askan instinctively poured a flower vase's content on Lein's hand.

"What the fuck was that? What is that mark?"

I don't know what happened but my paw hurts like hell and there is some sort of weird mark on it. Also I have that strange feeling. As if i was me, but not really. Like, more than that. As if I was more than me. And now that I've thought about it I feel like an idiot. That's the feeling of a magic link, a powerful one. It's a special kind of contract that allows power exchanges between both familiar and master. It also allows one to know where the other is through the same link. I had one with a banshee once, quickly terminated it when I reallised I would have to withstand the constant shrieking of that damn ghost.

You have signed a familiar contract! Lein Ardegarde(Human) is now your master.

Obviously. I can even see she's human.

I can see she's human? Does that mean she can see my specie too?

She answered Askan's inquiries with a calm tone.

"I have no clue, but it hurts a lot. Feels better now though. It's as if the contract was written on our bodies as a proof."

Askan seemed really bothered by her answer.

"I didn't cast the spell Lein. You and that cat created a bond without my help."

"Wait does that mean i came here for no reason?"

He ignored the light joke.

"I'm serious, I have no recollection of human and beasts being able to spontaneously make a familiar contract. I've known you for long enough to know you are a normal human, but that cat might be more than what meets the eye."

I'm in danger!

"That's even better!"

He lost his cool

"NO IT'S NOT! THAT THING MIGHT BE A DANGEROUS MONSTER! We need to keep it caged, it might hurt you."

I'm in danger!!!

"Don't worry, I don't know what it is, but this mark is more than just a contract, it's a link, and through it I can feel that this cat doesn't want to hurt me. It's scared of you though."

"Ir better be! I'm gona feed it to the drakes if it hurts you"

I'm really in danger!!!!

She stood between us.

"There is no way I'm letting you hurt my Fenrir!"

I'm saved!

"I'll be going home."

"Wait Lein it's too dange"

She interupted him.

"I know what I'm doing, plus it's not like having drakes and basilisk all around your house is safe either"

Without further ado, we both left the study. When we arrived outside, the sun was setting. Lein walked home in a casual matter while staring at the mark on her hand. She was surprisingly quiet.

And I wasn't sure if this was positive. My identity may have been discovered.