Dick

Ordinary familiars don't speak human language. They can understand their master, convey emotions, use simple sounds, or communicate mentally. Rare familiars can partially communicate: through emotions, images. Legendary familiars usually have full intelligence. Mystical familiars are fully sentient beings with their own personalities, memories, and opinions.

However, all familiars without exception, in childhood, even mystical ones, are not able to speak, but legendary and mystical ones gradually learn to speak in the future, and some are rare.

A dragon familiar is connected to its owner not only by magic but also by emotions. It senses its owner's state, detecting fear, pain, rage, stress, despair, and joy. When at peace, a dragon can act as an affectionate, loyal, and curious companion, enjoying physical closeness, perching on its owner's lap, shoulders, or beside them, purring, demanding attention, and constantly remaining close. However, when its owner is threatened, its behavior changes instantly: it becomes aggressive, focused, predatory, and ready to attack.

For a dragon, their owner is the most important person in the world. They perceive the bond as absolute and can become jealous if someone gets too close to their owner or tries to take their place. However, a dragon doesn't necessarily have to be malicious: more often, this manifests as wariness, possessiveness, constant surveillance, and a willingness to interfere. The stronger the bond, the more the dragon tends to prioritize its owner's safety over rules, orders, and the opinions of others.

If the owner is seriously injured, the bond can destabilize: the dragon becomes enraged, loses control of its power, or, conversely, weakens sharply due to overload. If the owner experiences strong emotions, the dragon can react to them before the owner even realizes their state. Therefore, owners of powerful dragons are taught not only magic but also self-control.

A familiar's awakening occurs in the 10th grade during the official blood ritual. The student donates blood, after which the magical system determines the creature linked to their soul. The procedure is usually peaceful, but in rare cases, it can be accompanied by energy surges, malfunctions, intense glowing of the circle, temperature changes, cracks in the barrier, or reactions from the teachers. The more dangerous and rare the familiar, the more noticeable the ritual's effects can be.

Upon awakening, the familiar and student undergo registration. The school is required to assess the threat level, the strength of the bond, the creature's temperament, and the risk to others. Owners of common and rare familiars are subject to few restrictions, but if a legendary or mystical class appears, the administration, magical services, and sometimes government agencies begin monitoring. This is done under the guise of security, but in practice it can mean constant monitoring, inspections, tests, and attempts to determine the limits of the familiar's power.

Society views powerful familiars with mixed feelings. Some admire them, others envy them, and still others fear them. At school, a rare or legendary familiar quickly makes a student the center of attention. A mystical familiar, especially a dragon, evokes shock, rumors, fear, and unhealthy curiosity. Some will try to befriend the owner, some will exploit them, and still others will provoke them to test how dangerous the creature truly is.

Dragons are extremely rare among familiars. Even a rare-class dragon is considered a sensation, while legendary and, especially, mystical dragons are virtually unknown in modern history. A dragon familiar is not just a large combat creature, but a distinct category, combining intelligence, magical power, high vitality, loyalty, and the ability to evolve. Dragons grow alongside their masters and rarely retain the same personality throughout their development.

At the beginning of its life, a dragon familiar usually has a compact form: the size of a kitten or a small dog. At this stage, it is already intelligent, understands speech, and can speak or communicate telepathically, but its power is limited. With age, accumulation of magic, and a strengthening bond with its master, the dragon becomes larger, smarter, and more dangerous. In adulthood, it can grow into a massive creature capable of engaging in combat, protecting its master, using powerful magic, and overwhelming other familiars with its aura alone.

Dragons have distinct personalities. They can be affectionate with their masters, but extremely suspicious of strangers, jealous, territorial, and possessive. Almost all dragons perceive their bond with their masters as absolute, and a threat to their master as a personal threat to themselves. Mystical dragons are considered particularly dangerous because they often possess ancient memories, rare elements of magic, unconventional development, and strength that is impossible to accurately predict.

All familiars are divided into classes of rarity and power. The basic ranking system is: common, rare, legendary, and mystical. Common familiars make up the majority: they are animals, minor spirits, harmless magical creatures, and weak combat forms. They are useful, but rarely possess destructive power. Rare familiars are significantly less common and often possess unusual abilities, high intelligence, powerful magic, or a rare form of bond with their master.

Legendary familiars are extremely rare. They typically possess powerful magic, unusual nature, ancient origins, or extremely dangerous combat abilities. The appearance of a legendary familiar makes the individual a prominent figure in school and society. The Mystic class is practically a myth. Such familiars are rarely encountered; many people consider them fairy tales, exaggerations, or phenomena of the past. A mystic familiar can grow in power far beyond standard limitations, influence surrounding magic, possess a will of its own, possess ancient memories, or possess anomalous abilities that are difficult to classify.

A familiar's class is determined immediately after the ritual, but this isn't always the final determination. Sometimes, a creature may reveal hidden potential later. However, a mystical class is exceptionally rare, and can lead to scrutiny, fear, control, or exploitation of its owner.

In this world, every person has a familiar—a magical creature connected to their master's soul, potential, character, and destiny. A familiar isn't chosen manually; it's determined through a blood ritual performed on all teenagers in 10th grade. Familiars aren't awakened before this age, as some can be dangerous, aggressive, too powerful, or unstable for young children. The ritual is performed in schools or special academies under the supervision of mages, doctors, and teachers.

After the ritual, the familiar materializes in its original form. For most people, these are ordinary animals, birds, snakes, spirits, or rare magical creatures. The familiar is magically and emotionally connected to its master: it senses their state and can sense fear, pain, stress, joy, and strong emotional outbursts. The stronger the bond between master and familiar, the faster their magic, synchronicity, and combat potential develop.

A familiar is considered a personal companion and is officially registered. It cannot be simply transferred to another person, sold, or "traded." If the owner dies, the bond is severed, and the familiar's fate depends on its nature: some disappear, some hibernate, and some die along with the bearer of the bond. In society, familiars are considered normal, but particularly rare and dangerous species are controlled by governments, schools, and magical organizations.