Koya entered the room and immediately took in his surroundings.

It was surprisingly simple for an official examination space.

Bookshelves lined the walls, stuffed with thick leather-bound volumes and what looked like research papers stacked haphazardly on every available surface and a small desk lamp cast warm yellow light across the cluttered workspace.

The whole setup gave off the vibe of a professor's personal study rather than a testing facility.

Koya closed the door behind him with a soft click and walked forward, settling into the chair opposite the balding proctor.

The man adjusted his thick round glasses with one stubby finger with the lenses magnifying his eyes slightly as he peered at Koya with analytical intensity.

"Before we start anything official," The proctor said. "how do you feel about the Mid-term exams so far?"

Koya leaned back in his chair, considering the question.

"They're nice," Koya said honestly. "But it would be a little bit nicer if they got shorter."

The proctor raised an eyebrow. "Shorter?"

"Yeah," Koya continued, warming to his complaint. "If this was a book where all the chapters of my story were locked, then readers would be spending a lot of money to unlock chapters where I'm not even the main person most of the time."

The proctor blinked slowly, processing that bizarre statement.

"That's... an interesting way to frame your academic experience…" The proctor said carefully and Koya shrugged.

The proctor waved one hand dismissively, clearly deciding not to pursue that particular line of conversation any further.

"Well, I can assure you there's only one more day left of testing," the proctor said. "After that, you can live the rest of your life normally. In fact, I have a feeling something really special is coming up soon… Something that might involve you being split in half."

Koya's head tilted slightly with his expression flattening as he shook his head and sighed.

'What is this man even talking about?' Koya thought. 'Split in half? Is that supposed to be a threat or a prophecy or just senile rambling?'

"Can we just start the test already?" Koya asked cutting through whatever weird tangent the proctor was building toward and the proctor nodded, apparently relieved to get down to business.

He tapped one hand firmly against the wooden table and immediately, a rush of mana exploded outward from his body like a shockwave.

The sensation washed over Koya's skin, raising the hairs on his arms and neck as the small cluttered room around them completely transformed.

The walls, floor, ceiling… everything dissolved into pure white nothingness. They were suddenly floating in an endless blank void, with only the desk remaining solid beneath them, hovering in the empty space as if held by invisible hands.

Koya's eyes widened in recognition.

'This is exactly like when Riffi uses her Mini-Domain… except hers is black' Koya thought. 'Or when that Todd guy used his Domain Manifest during that incident...'

The memory sent shivers down his spine. It was still deeply traumatizing to remember how close he'd come to dying. Without Riffi and Tori's intervention, he would have been killed that day.

…No question.

The proctor noticed Koya's reaction and nodded knowingly.

"This seems to be familiar to you," the proctor observed. "Good, that will make the explanation easier."

He cleared his throat, settling into what was clearly a well-practiced lecture.

"You're just in Class 5, so you probably wouldn't understand the full technical details yet," the proctor began. "But when someone reaches a certain level of Mastery with their affinity, they unlock the ability called Domain Manifest."

As he spoke, the books that had been scattered around his study began appearing in the void, floating in organized stacks around them as they glowed with stored mana then a brilliant light broke away from the proctor's chest. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

A very long snake Familiar materialized in the air with its body easily ten feet from head to tail.

It coiled smoothly around the proctor's neck and shoulders, though it clearly wasn't constricting or causing any harm. The creature's head was distinctly skull-like, with hollow eye sockets that somehow still conveyed awareness.

The snake gave a loud sound.

"Hisssss~"

The proctor reached up with one hand and patted its head affectionately.

"Domain Manifest," the proctor continued, "isn't a technique where the user constructs an enclosed space like a barrier or shield. Rather, it's the act of manifesting your inner world into reality. Your mana bleeds into your surroundings and rewrites the fundamental rules of the space, allowing the owner of the Domain to remain supreme within it."

"So in essence," Koya said, "you control what happens in the Domain, right?"

The proctor nodded approvingly.

"Of course," the proctor confirmed. "Once you reach a high enough level of Mastery with your affinity, you can manifest your own Domain as well. Though that typically takes years of dedicated training and study."

He adjusted his glasses again with the lenses catching the ethereal white light.

"Within Domain Manifest," the proctor continued, "there are two distinct categories. First, there's the Mini-Domain, like what I'm using right now. It's a limited manifestation… it's smaller in scale and less mana intensive but also less powerful overall."

The white void around them pulsed slightly as if to demonstrate.

"Then there's a full Domain," The proctor said. "A properly manifested Domain is far more powerful and extensive. When a Mini-Domain encounters a full Domain, the Mini-Domain can only hope to defend itself… not attack. The power differential is simply too great."

"And what about two full Domains?" Koya asked. He was interested in hearing it since he didn't see that in the manga and the proctor's expression grew grave.

"When two full Domains collide," The proctor explained. "the stronger one dominates completely. It breaks apart the weaker Domain like shattering glass and the losing party often suffers severe mana backlash and potentially damage to their ability to manifest again."

The snake around his neck hissed in agreement then the proctor paused, then seemed to realize something as he shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"Why did I even do such a lengthy explanation on Domain theory?" the proctor muttered. "I'm not your professor. I'm just a proctor for the practical exams."

He coughed into his hand, clearly embarrassed by his own words.

"Anyway," the proctor said, getting back on track, "I expanded my Mini-Domain specifically because you have multiple Familiars registered. This controlled space will help me test them all properly without any outside interference or distractions."

He gestured broadly at the white void around them.

"Now," the proctor said firmly, "bring them out."

Koya let out a small sigh and focused inward. His chest began releasing a deep, warm glow that intensified with each heartbeat then, immediately, several bursts of brilliant golden light beamed out from his sternum, arcing through the air and landing on the floating desk.

His other three contracted Familiars materialized one after another as the first to appear was Cinder.

The silver-furred Cindervix cub materialized mid-lick with her small pink tongue pressed against her paw as she groomed herself. The moment she fully solidified, she perked up with an adorable high-pitched squeal as her fluffy tail swished excitedly.

Next came Rion.

The Embermane Lion cub let out a mighty roar the instant it manifested… or at least, what it probably thought was mighty. The sound came out more like an aggressive kitten's yowl.

Its fur was predominantly black with striking red streaks running through the mane and along its flanks, giving it a fierce appearance despite its small size.

Last was Kiri.

The Silkstrike Mink appeared sitting in a perfectly meditative posture, her weasel-like body upright and still. Her eyes were closed in concentration, and tiny sparks of lightning occasionally crackled along her whiskers.

The old balding proctor examined all three Familiars with an appraising eye, then nodded with genuine approval.

"You really have excellent choices for Familiars," the proctor said, sounding impressed. "Rare breeds, good elemental diversity, and strong potential for growth. Now I just hope you've been treating all of them well."

He tapped his hand against the table again and immediately, a brilliant golden light spread outward from the point of contact like a massive shockwave.

It rushed across the entire white void of the Domain, painting everything in warm amber tones.

Koya's instincts kicked in instantly.

He extended his mana outward, forming a protective barrier construct around himself and his Familiars as the translucent shield shimmered into existence just as the golden wave reached them but then the old man laughed and Koya opened his eyes cautiously, realizing that the golden light wasn't an attack at all.

It was soothing.

The light washed over everything with gentle warmth, like afternoon sunlight filtering through leaves as the oppressive white void became softer and more welcoming even the air seemed to smell sweet.

Koya retracted his defensive barrier, feeling slightly foolish then the snake Familiar coiled around the proctor's neck opened its mouth.

"Yo." The snake said in a distinctly casual male voice and Koya's brain came to a screeching halt.

"The fuck?" Koya blurted out, staring at the snake. "Did that snake just say 'Yo'?"

The old man chuckled, clearly pleased with Koya's shocked reaction.

"This is one of my specialized spells," the proctor explained, gesturing at the golden light still suffusing the Domain. "It's significantly amplified when cast within my own Domain… The ability grants temporary human speech to all Familiars present in the space."

Koya's eyes went wide as the implications hit him. He slowly looked down at his own three Familiars sitting on the desk.

Riffi could already speak fluently, so she wouldn't be affected differently but the other three...

Cinder immediately perked up, her silver ears twitching. She licked her paw one more time, then nudged at Rion with her nose.

"Hey Rion," Cinder said in a surprisingly girlish high-pitched voice. "Why do you think Master is looking at us like that?"

Her voice was pretty and delicate, like a young girl's.

Rion's head swiveled toward Cinder, and when she spoke, her voice was equally feminine… though it was slightly deeper and more confident.

"Master has to be basking in my wonderful beauty," Rion declared proudly with her small mane flickering with tiny flames and Cinder's face scrunched up in obvious disagreement.

"Hmph! I'm way cuter," Cinder countered, puffing out her chest. "That's exactly why Master chose me first."

Koya's mind was reeling.

'Isn't Cinder supposed to be shy?' Koya thought in bewilderment. 'I chose her specifically because she was the smallest and seemed the most timid! Why is she actually the most talkative?!'

And more importantly…

'I thought Rion was a guy!' Koya's internal screaming continued. 'The aggressive roaring, the fierce appearance, the way she acts… why are ALL of my Familiars female?!'

"Both of you, shut up." Kiri's voice cut through their bickering like a knife. The Mink's tone was sharp and exactly what Koya had expected from her personality.

"This is exactly why you're both weaker than me," Kiri continued smugly. "You're too busy arguing about appearances instead of training."

Koya nodded internally.

'Yeah, Kiri is pretty much exactly how I expected her to sound.'

Then Riffi hopped off Koya's head where she'd been resting in her white cat form as she landed gracefully on the desk between the three other Familiars with her tail swishing.

"Girls," Riffi said calmly, "Master can understand everything you're saying now."

All three Familiars froze mid-motion. Cinder's paw stopped halfway to her face, Rion's mouth hung slightly open and Kiri's meditative posture became noticeably more rigid.

They all turned to look at Koya simultaneously with their eyes going wide but before any of them could react further, the old proctor chuckled loudly and clapped his hands together.

"Welcome," the Proctor said, his voice suddenly amplified and echoing through the Domain. "to my Domain: Familiar Haven."

The white void pulsed in response to his words.

"I will ask you all a few questions," the Proctor continued. "Answer truthfully, and you'll be free to go with excellent marks."

Then the proctor raised both hands dramatically and the Domain responded to his will.

His face was suddenly cast in deep shadow despite the golden light everywhere else, and a single harsh spotlight beam shone down on him from above like stage lighting and his voice boomed with magical amplification:

"I AM THE GOD OF FAMILIARS!" the proctor declared. "IF YOU LIE TO ME, YOU WILL BE PUNISHED SEVERELY!"

The dramatic declaration hung in the air and all four of Koya's Familiars stared at him in complete silence then, in perfect unison, they all responded.

"...Yeah, sure."

The aesthetic lighting and dramatic effects immediately disappeared as the proctor's shoulders slumped slightly.

'Why are these beautiful Familiars as blunt and disrespectful as their Master?' the proctor thought in despair. 'What has he been doing to them?'

"Spikey," the old man muttered to the snake around his neck, "are you seeing this?"

The snake's skull-like head bobbed.

"Yuh," Spikey responded in his casual drawl and Cinder's ears perked up immediately. She dropped the paw she'd been licking and stared at the snake.

"Who the hell names their partner 'Spikey'?" Cinder asked incredulously. "That's such a boring name. 'Cinder' is way better."

The snake's hollow eye sockets somehow conveyed offense.

"Fuck you," Spikey hissed back and Cinder gasped smugly.

"Spikey, language!" the old man scolded immediately, smacking the snake lightly on the head and Koya raised his hand, pointing at the proctor.

"Hold on," Koya said. "Aren't you supposed to be some kind of big shot? You can use a full Mini-Domain and everything so why can't you keep his own Familiar under control?"

The proctor's eye twitched as he pointed right back at Koya with equal accusatory energy.

"You're one to talk!" the proctor shot back. "You're the one who can't keep your Familiars under control!"

Koya and Cinder both shrugged their shoulders at exactly the same time with the gesture eerily synchronized.

"Hey, at least my Familiar didn't curse," Koya said.

"Yeah," Cinder agreed. "We have standards."

The old man gritted his teeth and took a deep calming breath.

'This is nothing,' the proctor told himself. 'This is nothing compared to dealing with my own granddaughter. I can handle disrespectful students and their sassy Familiars… I'm a professional.'

He forced a smile back onto his face.

"Alright," The proctor said while visibly restraining himself. "Here's how this examination will work. I will ask the Familiars several questions, and then I will ask the owner… that's you, Amagi Koya… four questions as well. If all questions are answered truthfully, you'll receive excellent marks and be dismissed."

He adjusted his glasses with the lenses tilting.

"I have a specialized ability that allows me to detect when Familiars are lying," the proctor added. "So I will know if anyone is being dishonest."

Koya nodded simply.

"Sure," Koya said. "Go ahead and start whenever you're ready."

The proctor straightened in his chair, adopting a more formal posture.

"First question," the proctor announced, looking directly at all four Familiars. "This goes to all of you."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"Do you love your Master?" the proctor asked seriously. "If you don't, speak up now and tell me why. I can arrange for your contract separation immediately if there are legitimate grievances."

He looked at each Familiar in turn with his expression turning grave and attentive.

"Now," the proctor said. "You may speak freely."