The Box of Beloved Familiars is a small, nondescript box, varying in color, that allows its bearer to summon a creature dear to them. To summon said creature, all one has to do is hold the small box in their palm and think of a creature that they've interacted with. A tiny version of said creature will then appear like its real-life counterpart and act as it does in its real form for several minutes.
The Box of Beloved Familiars is created when the ashes of a loved, once living pet, are placed within a small box made out of a Grave Tree. The magic from the deceased pet's owner is then infused into the box. It is said that through one owner's loss and connection to their beloved companion, a million moments of joy can be spawned from this magical item.
Excerpt from Magical Items, Gadgets, and Weapons.
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"What do you do for fun?"
Gwyn popped a silver-y colored chip into her mouth. Elise assured her it was fine. But the salty snack was still suspicious, nonetheless.
"Fun?"
Elise looked confused, like she'd never heard the word before.
Gwyn looked warily at her new companion.
"Yeah, like. Having a good time."
"I know what it is, but I don't… really…"
"You're kidding."
"Not really."
"You just. What? Read and train all day?"
Elise gave Gwyn a blank stare as if to say, "Why would you want to do anything else?"
"Elise…"
"I sometimes go for walks to clear my head."
The young elf said, looking genuine and somewhat foolish. She failed to understand the error Gwyn saw in her lifestyle.
"Jesus."
"Who?"
"Never mind."
Gwyn shook her head and chuckled to herself. The question Elise had been dreading for hours had finally come up naturally in conversation.
"That's why you were out and about. Because you go for walks, that's why you were at the café."
"Yes…" Elise swallowed hard, she just realized what she was about to—
"Do you remember those questions I asked about earlier?"
Gwyn was trying to be a little coy with her intentions.
Elise immediately knew what she was referencing: her ex-boyfriend. Gwyn blatantly asked about it earlier, and Elise hoped that if she played dumb long enough, the conversation would drift to literally anything else.
"We've talked about a lot." She said through a laugh. "How could I possibly know what—"
"Artero, the man in the café who saved me. What happened between you two?"
"Fuck."
Gwyn cracked a smile and air forced itself from her nostrils.
"Sorry?"
"I mean... shucks... Well… ha. That's a funny story."
"You guys seem to hate each other."
Gwyn said with astute observation. Her arms were still a little tender from their match of tug-of-war.
A nervous laughter escaped Elise.
"Well, I can get a little… competitive."
"Competitive?" Gwyn snorted. "For what? What's the prize?"
At this moment, a surge of guilt flowed through Elise. To think of Gwyn as a prize didn't feel particularly empowering.
"Oh, nothing."
Elise popped a chip in her mouth and hoped that was the end of it.
The Chosen One could sense the tension in the air. This was clearly a sensitive subject.
I wouldn't want someone to bring up my ex-boyfriend either.
"So… why are you always bleeding out of your nose?"
"Oh," Elise exclaimed, surprised she would ask. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Gwyn nodded furiously.
Elise pleasantly smiled, even though the situation didn't call for joy.
"I'm cursed."
"Cursed?!"
Gwyn shot up from her spot on Elise's bed, nearly knocking the bowl of chips over.
"Are curses familiar to your kind?"
"Well… they are like a voodoo thing. Not like a generally accepted concept to be a tangible… thing?"
Voodoo? The word was foreign to Elise, but how it sounded was interesting on her tongue. "Well anyway... curses are real here. I have a pretty cool title. You want to hear it?"
An eager nod.
"The Bloody Princess."
"Holy shit."
"I know."
"That's sick as hell."
"I mean, it's not seen as a good thing; it's supposed to be derogatory. This may be unintended, but it sort of makes me sound like I'm known for beheading men in their sleep."
Gwyn eyed her suspiciously.
"Are you?"
A crease at the edge of her lavender eyes.
"I've been considering it."
They laughed. Elise accidentally placed her hand on Gwyn's thigh. A rush of heat swallowed the young woman.
Gwyn coughed nervously. There was something else she was meaning to ask about.
"What's up with the Head Whispering guy anyway?"
"Whisperer, you mean?"
Elise clarified.
"Yeah! He seems... weird, but… I don't know. Powerful? Is that the right word?"
Elise nodded.
"Powerful indeed." A particularly odd-looking chip was in Elise's hand. She inspected it before taking a large bite. "You want to know how to become a Whisperer?"
"I imagine it's a sort of rank you achieve." Gwyn thought of a general in an army. "Spend enough time training in magic and you will surely become a Whisperer."
Elise shook her head.
"Nope. It's nothing you can intentionally achieve."
"Really? How do you become one then?"
"You die."
"Die?!"
A loud crunch and a casually sweet tone.
"Mmhmm."
"And that's… normal?"
Gwyn was surprised all over again and reminded of how the rules of life and death are different on Keceo.
"I wouldn't call it normal; it isn't exactly a super old concept."
"What makes them so special? Why would anyone want to become a Whisperer?"
The conversation seemed to be steering in a direction that pleased both of them.
"I have to explain a couple of things first."
"I'm all ears."
Elise gave her a puzzled look.
"Is that really a saying where you're from?"
"What? Did I say something weird?"
She pointed at Gwyn.
"Well, one, you are maybe five percent ears. Two, your ears are small, I'm surprised they are used for anything."
Gwyn stared at Elise's pointed ears, which always seemed to be flushed pink whenever Gwyn was around, and how the studded earrings traced their edge. They looked soft, part of Gwyn wanted to nibble on them, but she felt as though that thought was not her own.
Gwyn placed a few strands of hair behind her ear, looking down.
"You were about to explain something?"
"Ah, yes. So. People who cast magic on Keceo are generally called casters."
"Pretty straightforward."
Gwyn learned this already, but was being polite.
"Yes, there are other names, but honestly, whatever. Who cares." Elise shrugged, reaching into the bowl of chips that was now empty. She clicked her tongue. "Anyway. There are a few ranks for casters. Nomage, which is someone who can't cast magic at all."
Gwyn looked as though that title resonated with her.
"Isn't that what I am?"
Elise looked as though she was pondering something.
"Technically? But every Chosen One is a nomage at some point. Nothing to be ashamed of."
Easy for you to say.
"What else is there?"
"Mage is next."
Gwyn laughed.
"Why was that so obvious?"
"I didn't make the names."
"What makes a mage what they are?"
"A mage is just someone who can cast magic. Every caster is a mage but not ever mage is a... you get what I'm saying."
"I don't know if I do."
A blank stare.
"Anyway. Then there are Orates, which are people who are skilled in the poetic component of spells."
"Poetic component?" Gwyn felt herself becoming lost. "What is that?"
"Have they taught you this yet?"
Gwyn thought back to her class.
"Uh… something about a wabbajack, that's kind of all I got."
"Wabbajack?!" Elise exclaimed, laughing. "Brutal little things, they are."
"Yeah, but kind of cute."
"Oh, extremely cute. Something about a little guy that strangles other little guys is so endearing."
For some reason, the thought of Elise's hands around her neck was a pleasant concept, but Gwyn shook her head, trying to bury that feeling.
"Poetic component, you were saying?"
"Ah, yes." Elise nodded, thinking of how to explain it. "Magic on Keceo requires a poetic component. Like a poem or a song, music notes, or a drawing."
"Shouldn't it be called an 'artistic component' instead?"
Elise thought for a moment.
"I sort of agree. But it's been taught as a poetic component since it was discovered, and it's what a majority of mages use as the basis for their spells."
Gwyn nodded.
"I get it."
"So an Orate is skilled at that."
"Orate, got it." Gwyn gave her a thumbs-up. "Should I be taking notes, teacher?"
Elise laughed.
"If you want. Is this the equivalent of you staying after school?"
Gwyn bit her lip, leaning forward a little. The fact that Elise was so knowledgeable was a turn-on for her.
"I suppose so… Have I been bad?"
"Bad? No, you haven't, you've been pretty good actually."
Elise said with a straight face, not catching on to what Gwyn was eluding too.
Gwyn rolled her eyes.
"Never mind."
A perplexed emotion crossed Elise's face. She asked her about magic and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to finish.
"Right. Then there are Susurrus. Which is what I am."
"Sorcerous?"
Elise shook her head.
"Susurrus. No fuss when you're a susurrus!"
She said the idiom excitedly.
Gwyn chuckled.
"What's a Susurrus?"
She made an effort to say the correct word this time.
"A Susurrus is someone who has mastered casting without the poetic component."
Gwyn furrowed her brows.
"But you just said it was required in casting."
"I kind of lied. It isn't technically required."
"Then—"
"Let me get there, I am trying to explain an incredibly nuanced system in which schools generally explain over several years."
Gwyn sat and pouted, crossing her arms.
"Fine."
Elise thought about how cute Gwyn looked making that face and felt an overwhelming desire to kiss her. If only the opportunity presented itself.
"Anyway." She said with a fake attitude. "A Susurrus is a mage who can cast without the poetic component, which makes them particularly good at surprising their enemies. Since they have no idea what you're casting."
"Wait… so when someone is casting, they are sort of declaring their action through their spell."
"Exactly! Which is why Orates are generally more powerful than Susurrus, but they lack the element of surprise. The poetic component of a spell essentially amplifies its power; the more complex a poetic component, like a longer poem with more rhymes, the more powerful it is."
Interesting.
Gwyn sat and observed Elise, who seemed genuinely excited to be spending time with someone.
"So an Orate is loud and a Susurrus is quiet."
"Basically, yes."
"That's cool."
"Then there's—
"There's more? I thought this would be quick how much—"
"I'm almost done."
Elise scolded.
Gwyn let out a loud sigh, but it was all for show.
"There is a Dyad, which is a combination of an Orate and a Susurrus."
"Someone who can cast spells both quietly and loudly proficiently?"
"Exactly!"
"Okay, that's pretty simple."
Elise nodded.
"And a Whisperer is someone who can do all of that, but doesn't require a catalyst."
"Which is like that orb over there."
Gwyn looked towards the blue orb that nearly gave her frostbite earlier.
"Exactly! See, you're smarter than you look."
Gwyn laughed.
"See, I know you're lying, because glasses always make someone look smarter than they are."
"And attractive."
Gwyn choked.
"Excuse me?"
Elise wanted to punch herself for saying that out loud.
"I meant… abstractive. They make you look… like…"
Elise was fumbling hard.
Gwyn laughed. She laughed for a long time. She laughed so long that Elise became concerned for her mental sanity.
The Chosen One placed a hand on Elise's thigh, her fingers gracing her bare skin.
"I'm having a good time with you."