Chapter 29 - 29: Informal education

Dinner was a delicious yet somewhat strange affair. It's one thing to eat stew with bread and pickles, it's another thing when the aforementioned bread and stew was made with magical monster flames. It was clearly the recipes of my parents, but it had this indescribable aftertaste I couldn't figure out. On top of that, Magni and Aura had joined us dinner for the first time...for me anyways.

Did they need to eat while they were in the drajule? Did my parents just feed them after I went to bed or was out doing errands? Inconsequential questions to be sure, but I couldn't help but think about these things now that I knew my parents were binders.

After we had finished dinner and placed away the dishes, my father told me to come back and sit at the table with him while my mother put Oren and Jasmine back into their main crib. Ellie the Effigy followed at her feet, leaving a wet trail behind her.

Using my Maji' Eye, I decided to take a closer look at Ellie. Despite having never bonded with an Effigy, a full detailed description of it appeared before my eyes.

[Name: Ellie

Species: Effigy

Grade: Silver

Affinities: Water/Mystic

Trait: Voodoo

Health: E Strike: B

Protection: B Magic: B

Discipline: C Speed: C

Brawn: C Talent: C

Description: Effigy are tiny monsters that look similar to a mundane rag doll. However, a closer look reveals various pins piercing it and a constant stream of tears flowing down its ever smiling face. They despise direct conflict and prefers to flee after confounding opponents. Most binders don't willingly seek them out due to the constant aura of unease around them. Misunderstood or magical power, nobody knows for sure.

Addendum: Effigies are oddly protective of human children, but only when they're truly in danger.]

Mom did mention that Ellie kept watch over me in my baby years. Perhaps just being in long proximity with a monster is enough to learn more about them? Whatever the case might be, I was shaken out of my train of thought after my mother returned and sat in the chair next to my father.

"Silvia", my father began to say with a stern look in his eyes, "You are now able to bind majimonsters, but that doesn't mean you're a binder. Not officially anyways".

"Due to you being only sixteen years of age, by Imperial Law we are to send you to the New Capital so you may register as a binder and begin formal training at the Royal Academy, three months from now", my mother stated.

Stunned at the revelation, I couldn't help but to ask, "Wait, what, why? Can't I just learn from you two? Why do I need to register"?

My mother took the lead this time. "Well we can teach what you know, but a formal setting will help provide you a more stable foundation in how you'll develop as a binder. At most we can teach you some tricks of our respective paths, but you'll stagnate otherwise. However, we'll also be teaching you what we know before the time comes. We went through such rigors before, and we won't have our little girl be bullied because someone else think they have the bigger fist".

"Also, you'll need to register so that you may benefit from the empire", my father followed up, "It'll also make it so you can travel between cities and towns with little trouble. A binder with an imperial mark can get into a lot more locations than a wandering one".

I silently contemplated about my parent's statement. I've never left my home town before, and now I had a chance to not only go beyond the forest and see what else the world had in store.

(You should go), I heard Voxea pipe up in my mind. (The Wildlands is a big place and one can learn much from traveling it, besides, you can always come back home when you're done).

It was a radical change of life to be sure...but my father always said when opportunity knocks, kick down the door!

"Alright", I said, "When do we start"?