"Hmmm," Alex considers.

"Is something the matter, Master?" Stella inquires while walking beside Alex.

"Oh, it's nothing, but I'm curious about what grandma's familiar looks like. I think we haven't seen it in three years," Alex responds.

"Hmm, familiars tend to outlive their masters, and I'm certain you can ask her the next time you run into her," Marcus comments, walking alongside Alex.

"Huh, 'Outlive their masters' looks like we'll be together for a while," Alex smiles, glancing at Stella.

"Yes, master, but this is starting to feel tedious," Stella replies, continuing to receive hugs from the other familiars.

"Don't believe for a moment that we're letting you go this quickly; it has been years since we last saw you," Shadow remarks, still wrapped around Stella.

"Yes, but what happens when it's bedtime?" Alex asks Shadow, making a point.

"Then I'll pull her into my Master's room, and we'll all sleep together," Shadow responds, realizing in shock that he had utterly forgotten about sleep. 

"Excuse me, no, Stella will be staying with my Master," Ta-pera hisses like a cat.

"No way, to my Master's room," Thunder replies, flapping his wings to tug at Stella's ear playfully.

Listening to the familiars bicker about wanting Stella to spend the night, she feels annoyed and is pulled around like a doll.

"NIGH!!!" Stella exclaims, teleporting away from the other familiars.

"Meow!" Ta-pera hisses as she lands on her feet.

"What was that for?" Shadow asks, wiping away a tear from a minor fall.

"Ah!" Thunder gasps, slingshot away from Stella's ear.

"I'm Staying with my Master; we can meet again tomorrow during classes," Stella answers, hiding behind Alex.

Alex and his friends realize that Shadow and the other familiars have recovered and are prepared to confront Stella again, but they find themselves in a difficult situation.

"We're doomed," Alas says, expressing concern about the familiars wanting Stella.

"Agreed," Kimberly adds with a smile.

Startled by footsteps behind her, Stella turns to see her master encountering a formidable sorcerer.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Brightbeard asks playfully.

"Headmaster!" Alex gasps as he turns around to see him.

Alex sees that traveling with Headmaster Brightbeard's familiar; he recognizes it from Japanese folktales.

"That's a Kirin, right, Headmaster?" Alex asks.

"Impressive, Mr. Griffin. *Petting his familiar* Mist needs a stroll, so I'm taking him for a walk," Brightbeard replies with a smile. "So, what seems to be the problem?"

"All the familiars wanted to be with Stella," Alex replies.

"They went wild just from seeing her again," Marcus chimes in.

"I understand, so let them spend the night in Mr. Griffin's room," Brightbeard replies with a smile.

"Wait, what?" Stella asks, surprised.

Out of the blue, Shadow, Ta-pera, and Thunder became thrilled at the news of having a sleepover with Stella, although it will take place in Alex's room.

"No tricks, Shadow," Marcus warns.

"You too, Ta-pera," Kimberly responds.

"I suppose I have nothing to contribute, huh?" Rex jokes.

"We won't, masters," Shadow, Ta-pera, and Thunder reply, smiling.

"Enjoy yourself, Mr. Griffin," Brightbeard remarks as he departs.

With the headmaster departing and Alex's friends heading back to their dorms, it's time for Alex and his familiars to go to his room.

Once they enter his room, all the familiars feel at ease, though some are astonished by the dragon decorations. In contrast, Shadow's master's room features a snake and Japanese-inspired decor.

"Wow," Shadow says.

"Did you design this room?" Stella asks.

"No, it was like this when I got here yesterday," Alex answers, setting his things on the desk.

"I'm going to shower," Alex adds, walking toward his bathroom.

While the shower runs, Stella and her friends look around Alex's room and observe his sparse belongings. Thunder rushes past the dresser, catching sight of a family photo that includes Alex, his mother, his twin brother, and a headless man, set against a mansion in the background.

"Hey guys, look at this," Thunder says.

Stella, Shadow, and Ta-pera team up with Thunder to see the picture of Alex and his family.

"Check out that mansion," Ta-pera remarks.

"The mother in his picture is beautiful," Stella replies.

"That headless figure gives off a terrible feeling," Shadow interjects.

"I wonder where his brothers are now?" Thunder inquires.

"Thank you," Alex replies.

Startled, they turn to see Alex in his pajama pants, towel-drying his hair after just getting out of the shower.

"Oh my, you're here with two ladies, and yet you wander around without a shirt," Ta-pera playfully remarks.

"I sleep better without a shirt," Alex jokes, teasing her back.

"And before you ask, yes, that mansion belongs to us. My mom passed away three years ago, my brothers are currently at Charms Magic High School, and that headless man was my stepdad. He's in jail because of drugs and violence," Alex replies, addressing all their questions before they have a chance to ask.

While sitting on the bed, Alex observes their astonished faces following his nonchalant reply to their question. Stella passes by and playfully nudges his hand while smiling.

"Thank you for informing us, master," Stella replies.

Alex smiled as he patted Stella on the head. He quickly got up from bed and gathered some items for the familiars' beds. Seeing all the blankets and a small nest made from pillowcases, he found they were ready to sleep as Alex returned to his bed.

"Goodnight, everyone," Alex says with a smile.

"Good night," all the familiar voices reply as they start to fall asleep.

Once Alex turns off the lights and lays his head down, he feels tired from today's events with Rex and getting his own familiar. Closing his eyes, Alex falls into a deep sleep.

In the deep darkness, Alex gasps for breath, confused about his direction and who pursues him. Suddenly, flames erupt from the ground, casting an ominous glow. Behind him, he hears the terrifying roar of a monstrous creature. 

Suddenly, dark purple tentacles emerge from the flames, encircling Alex's arms and feet and lifting him off the ground. Alex is unable to see what is happening around him. He feels as if those tentacles are leading him somewhere until a sudden alter appears to place him on top. 

The fires surround the altar, and Alex suddenly sees what is chasing him: a shadowy dragon silhouette, its eyes glowing with an eerie purple light.

"This can't be real," Alex says, panicking and studdling to break free.

The ominous dragon opened its mouth, releasing dark purple flames that seeped through its teeth. Alex trembled, realizing the dragon was about to act against him. As it opened wider, fire shot out, rushing toward Alex at the altar.

"AH!" Alex screams.

Alex suddenly feels pain and opens his eyes to find a controlled fire positioned directly beneath his belly button, causing a stinging sensation in the area. As the fire dissipates, he notices a peculiar marking— a heart with dragon wings adorned with strange runes. It glows pink and pulses like a heartbeat, leaving Alex feeling strange as the dragon approaches him.

"At last, the legacy of the Golden one is mine," the dragon says, his eyes expressing pleasure.

Tears stream down Alex's face as he dreads what the dragon intends to do with him. Suddenly, the ground around the altar begins to crack, with light seeping through. Alex's eyes glow golden as he screams at the top of his lungs, "NO!" The ground erupts in a brilliant flash of light, leaving the dragon stunned by the spectacle.

"What?!" the dragon says, shocked.

The light envelops the darkness, defeating the dragon in this realm as he screams in agony from the light's touch.

"NO!" the dragon resounds before vanishing.

Alex awoke, startled from a terrible dream, sweat streaming down his bare torso. Looking around, he realized he was back in his dorm room with all the familiars fast asleep. He got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to cool off, arriving at the sink to splash water on his face.

Feeling somewhat improved, Alex glanced in the mirror and was suddenly shocked, dropping the towel. As he looked at his reflection, Alex noticed that wicked mark right beneath his belly button. It happened; that dragon did something to him.

"I-it truly happened. What was that dragon, and what legacy? *sigh* Okay, let's take a breath. I need to speak with Grandma tomorrow; perhaps she can help me make sense of this," Alex murmurs to himself, attempting to regain his composure. 

Alex climbed back into bed in his main bedroom, worried the dragon might return and disrupt his sleep. He yawned, realizing how exhausted he felt, and as the heaviness took over, he slowly fell into a deep slumber.

Stars illuminate the vast cosmos and the enchanting Galaxy surrounding Etheria. Magic envelops this realm, where twelve constellations shine brilliantly, each recognizable by its characteristic form. On Earth, these constellations are known as the Twelve Zodiac signs, which are associated with astrological fortune. Each zodiac sign appears human-like and often bears animal traits linked to its identity. 

They are adorned in gold accessories and toga-style attire. For the males: Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, and Taurus. For the females: Aquarius, Aries, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, and Virgo.

"That blasted dragon! How dare he go after our Lord's Hier?" Leo announces in anger.

"If only we could have killed him on the spot," Scorpio adds, smashing her fist together.

"We have an opportunity now," Taurus states.

"Let us welcome our young master and assist him in this hour of need," Virgo wishes.

Each of the twelve zodiac signs radiates a beam of light, crafting a magical item: a golden ring adorned with symbols of every zodiac along its rim. The ring's face resembles a golden dragon's head clutching a jewel in its mouth. They create a ring box and send it off to their young master.

Traveling like a shooting star, the ring case magically appeared at the boys' dorm. As the star shrank, it materialized inside Alex's room, landing gracefully on his desk, and a letter magically appeared.

As Headmaster Brightbeard looked out his window, he noticed the falling star entering Alex's room while he walked back to his desk, stroking his beard.

"So they have returned; this can only mean that Mr. Griffin is the new heir, but can he handle it?" Brightbeard asks, as if he's speaking to himself.

"Only time will tell, master," Brightbeard's familiar replies.

"You're right, *grabs a letter* let's see what they should do," Brightbeard says.

Returning to the window, once he opens it and throws it out into the wind, Headmaster Brightbeard begins to cast a spell.

"Draconic Mist Deliverous," Brightbeard says.

As the letter ignites and transforms into a mist, it dances with the wind, journeying to a destination known only to the headmaster.

"Best of luck to you, Mr. Griffin," Brightbeard says.