Familiar Spirit Summoning Exam

The Familiar Spirit Summoning Exam is an annual exam at Tristain Academy of Magic during the sophomore year of its students. It is a ritual that requires the students to summon their familiar spirit who shall be their eternal protector and partner. The exam also determines the magical affinity of the students depending on the nature of the familiars they summon. For instance, Kirche von Zerbst, a fire user, summoned a fire salamander; Guiche de Gramont summoned a giant mole befitting his earth affinity; and so on.

Familiar spirits summoned by their masters are bound to them through a contract. In the case that a human is summoned, the master shall kiss the human to form the contract; as a result, a rune shall engrave the human in any part of its body. An example is Saito Hiraga, whose runes ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ (read as Gandálfr) appear on his left hand after having a contract with Louise de la Vallière. Moreover, whether the mage prefers the familiar he had summoned, the ritual cannot be redone, as it is considered to be blasphemous — it is a belief that the familiar is the rightful and destined partner for the master.

Known Summons
It is unknown since when the exam had existed, but the most recent exam commenced was led and officiated by Professor Jean Colbert. The following known summons are as follows:

Several unnamed familiar spirits are also shown, such as a bugbear, a cat, a tortoise, a parrot, and a dog among others.