by Za1d3
They left out the issue about Lord Varath’s proposition during their dinner talk.
The 3rd day came, and it was time to go back to the Academy.
The carriage had arrived sometime in the afternoon after lunch, and Kaidus was currently saying goodbye to his mother and sister before he departed.
“WAAAA!! WAAA!! No! Gai! No! SHTAY!” Anise was crying in Adalina’s arms, knowing that the last time something like this happen, he had disappeared.
“Anise, Kaidus needs to go now. Please be a good girl.” Adalina tried to console her.
“NO! NO! GAI SHTAY!” She screamed louder.
Kaidus walked up to his sister.
“Anise please don’t cry.” He gently stroke her head.
“NO! WAAAAA! PLEESH DONT GO!!!” She cried, grabbing hold onto Kaidus’s outstretched arm.
“I have to go now, but I’ll be back before you know It.” he reassured her.
“NO!” she yelled, not letting go of his hand.
“I promise.” He said tenderly.
After a moment, her crying slowly diminished.
“*HIC* *hic* p-pwomish? *hic*” she asked in between her crying.
“I promise. You be a good girl and stay with mom alright?” He gently petted her head as she let go of his hand.
“*hic* kay… *hic*” she managed a reply.
Having said his goodbyes to Troyle this morning, he gave his mother and sister a last hug before grabbing the small sack that Adalina had packed him, and boarded the carriage bound for the Academy.
———————
In the sack was a new set of clothes Adalina had purchased yesterday, the book Kargalls: Lords of the skies, and a lunch she had prepared separately for him.
He had also reluctantly accepted another green fer from Troyle, talking it down from three.
Kaidus took the book out of the small sack and begun reading.
“…secretive and dangerous, the Kargalls live in solitude. Each taking up residence in their own place of choosing, devastating everything around it. For reasons unknown, these mighty drakalls return every twelve years to Arauns Claws, specifically the Imperial Talon, to breed before dispersing into all corners of Lovis again…
… The Kargalls compete and kill each other for mates. Lesser males are quick to retreat out of the Imperial Talon, while the strongest males compete for the best territories. These alphas, having obtain the best territories and hunting grounds, could form harems of up to 10 females in a single breeding season… devastating and killing everything around for food, including other Kargalls…
…Lesser drakalls steer clear of Arauns Caws during this breeding season, and those unlucky enough to not flee the mountains, end up as food for these mighty creatures…
…are thought to be extremely long lived, increasing in intelligence as they age…
… during the beginning of the breeding season… records of smaller Kargalls teaming up to kill larger and stronger alphas before competing against themselves…
…While it is the younger and more virile Kargalls who come back year after year to contest for the chance of mating, there are rumors and stories of Elder Kargalls, known as Karugas. These Elders are rumored to be so great and powerful, that they can sustain themselves on magic alone…
…Natives of Unotus speaks of majestic beasts being sighted inhabiting lakes, mountains, large rivers, and large crevices in the earth, among various other places. One man spoke of his ancestor’s tales about a beast with wings so large, it filled a cave. Another spoke of witnessing a monster rising from the oceans, then flying off into the south. These people believe that the monsters can live forever, claiming to have spotted the same creatures generation after generations. Various sighting have also been confirmed of these Karugas in…
“Hasen.” He called to the entity in the ring.
“Yes… master…” the raspy voice echoed back in his mind.
“Do you have any knowledge of these Elder Kargalls, Karugas?” he asked.
“I… don’t know…” it replied back.
The phrases “extremely long lived… intelligence… live forever” caught him. He had merely bought the book out of self-interest, and had not expect to find anything meaningful. Yet, if these claims were not merely exaggerations, but possible facts, then these Karugas could hold some answers.
Hasen had not known, but legends and stories are there for a reason.
Kaidus made a mental note as he continued reading.
—————-
Having arrived back at the academy around dinner time, Kaidus returned to his room to stow away what he had brought, and ate the meal Adalina had packed him. Before heading to the library.
He needed more information about these Karugas.
Perusing the different isles of the first floor, many books about drakalls caught his attention, but none had any mentions about Karugas, elder Kargalls, or anything along the lines of ancient drakalls.
Disappointed, he gave up and left the library.
Following the walk path back to his room, the light posts around the campus were already infused with mana, giving off a dim light. Many other students were also making their way back to their rooms before it became completely dark.
“Master…” Hasen warned.
“Stay hidden there are too many people right now.” he quickly replied back.
As he took another step, he sensed a surge of mana.
In an instant, he pushed himself off the ground with wind magic, and leapt a small distance away from his initial position.
He looked, and a giant spike had emerged out of the ground impaling the spot he was just at, quickly disappearing underground.
“Who is it?!” Kaidus yelled out. He did not want another repeat of what had happened the other day.
Looking around, he saw some students looking at what was happening, but none of them were the one who attacked him.
The earth in front of him quickly rose up and transformed into a giant hand, attempting to grab him.
Unsure of where the attacker was casting his magic from, he used wind magic again and jumped even further back.
“Show yourself!” he screamed again, but the assailant remained hidden.
As if it the previous attacks were just to test him, an instant barrage of mana infused leaves—from the nearby trees—rained down and encircled him. Razor sharp with mana infusion, they were there to cut off his retreats. The ground underneath him suddenly swallowed his legs, and trapped him.
Suddenly, he felt another surge of violent mana.
Focusing mana to cover his body,
Kaidus blew out the ground that had been holding him in place, and using the force of the explosion along with earth magic, he blew away a side of the leaves and escaped the encirclement.
“…Master…” Hasen echoed again, his voice full of eagerness to come out.
“Stay out of this!” He told his familiar.
Cowardly attacking him with his back turned was one thing, but this attacker was blatantly trying to kill him.
Trying to hold his anger in check,
“ENOUGH!” Kaidus demanded.
Suddenly, a small orb of light manifested high above him, illuminating the darkening academy.
Students in the vicinity saw, as the sun reappeared.
Chapter 21 – Revelations
As the grounds of the Academy were illuminated,
“Very impressive! But the light will not help you.” a voice taunted him from all sides.
His dreadful instincts automatically honed in on the true origin of the voice, and within a split second, blasts of lightning rained down upon where the voice had been.
He turned to look, but there was nothing there.
The ground around Kaidus twisted, and softened as if to swallow him under.
With a single thought, the ground solidified again.
“Instantaneous cast speed and voiceless incantation! Truly marvelous!”
A j
et of water assaulted him from his left side, forcing him to defend himself with a mana shield. As the water hit the shield, a spire of flames instantly shot towards him from his right side. Kaidus extended his right arm out and blocked the flames with a wall of earth.
‘There are multiple attackers!’ He finally realized.
As soon as the realization hit him, a large fireball came straight at him from the front.
He was about to move back some more, but a large amount of mana could be felt manifesting behind him.
Surrounded, Kaidus closed his eyes.
A blinding flash of light, and everything in his immediate vicinity disappeared.
————————-
The old man had been in his office. His eagerness to meet the young boy who had exerted such bloodlust and magic the day before, was overflowing.
Yet, as the ryes came, and he finally stepped out of his room, he was disappointed to find that the child had left the academy grounds early that morning.
Three days later and near bursting with anticipation, one of his assistants brought him the news that he had been looking forward to.
“The child has returned, headmaster.”
“Where is he?!” Nylen had excited asked when the news came. Having made him wait, he was itching to test the child.
Yet another frustration. The child had gone straight to the library.
As he was thinking of how to lure the child out, another idea came to mind.
“Go get Hamin, Zaele, and Nion. There’s something I want them to do.” He grinned at his idea.
Hours later, and waiting on top of the admission building, they spotted the child coming out of the library.
As per the plan, the three masters: Hamin, Zaele, and Nion, would conceal themselves and wait until his orders to attack. While he would get up close to contest, and assess the child’s abilities.
Sensing the three masters in position, headmaster Nylen drew on the earth, allowing it to envelope him, and absorbing him into the ground.
Using his pride earth magic, he wove his way underground into the path of the child, and waited.
With voiceless incantation, he started invoking a spell as the boy approached.
Sensing the boy’s position via the earth, he fused the ground—molding it into a spike, and shot it out towards the child.
Living up to his expectations, the boy had instantly propelled himself backwards as soon as he noticed the attack magic.
‘Voiceless incantation, and instant cast… very impressive!’ he thought to himself.
He had not felt a single ounce of concentrated mana until that split second before the child’s position shifted.
Sensing where the child had landed, headmaster Nylen quick invoked an immobilization spell in the form of a hand to capture the child. But the child proved elusive, and evaded the hand.
Everything had been what he had expected so far.
Yet that did not satisfy him. He wanted the child angry, he wanted to feel the magic and bloodlust that he had felt the other day.
With pinpoint shockwaves, he shook the trees around the grounds, relieving them of some of their leaves. With wind magic, he blew the leaves over the where the child was standing, and infused mana into them.
Trapping the child in a storm of leaves, he invoked an earth immobilization spell, and rooted the child in place.
Suddenly, his immobilization spell disintegrated, and half of his mana infused in the leaves vanished. Surprised, he quickly moved himself a distance behind the child, and came out of the ground to see for himself.
Tucking his head out of the ground, he saw daylight—even thought it was bordering on bedtime. He quickly noticed a glowing orb revealing everything around the north-west section of the academy.
“Very Impressive! But the light will not help you.” He threw around his voice to agitate and confuse the boy.
Suddenly, he had a felt a frightening amount of mana. He quickly ducked underground and escaped, as the storm of mana obliterated the ground where he had been.
His old heart pounded with excitement. ‘The boy had started to get serious!’ he excitedly thought to himself.
Moving under the boy, he had attempted another immobilization spell, but as soon as he invoked the spell, it had been canceled.
Backing off a bit, he threw out his voice again, complementing the child’s prowess.
With discreet shockwaves to his three associates, he sensed as they each sent an attack of their own towards their target.
A water jet from Zaele, a cone of flames from Nion, and a fireball from Hamin.
As Hamin unleashed his fireball, headmaster Nylen quickly moved behind the child to block his only avenue of escape.
Thinking the child would jump back to evade the incoming fireball, he moved in and invoked an advance capture spell. Yet, the child never moved.
Suddenly, a torrent of mana could be felt expelling from the child’s position.
Headmaster Nylen turned and ran for his life.
———–
“MASTER NYLEN!!”
“HEADMASTER!”
He heard shouting.
‘Those must be Zaele and Nion…’ he thought to himself, half conscious.
*cough* *cough* He was no longer underground, but laying face up towards the brightly lit sky. Tilting his head, his location struck him. He was in a crater.
Looking to the epicenter, headmaster Nylen spotted the boy glaring at him.
Eyes, filled with animosity and rage. Glowing almost as brightly as the now silver hair on the boys head.
A cold terror instantly shot through him.
‘This is very bad.’ He thought, as he tried to push himself up off the ground.
Except, he could not. Bringing his hands up to his face, he could not feel his left arm, while his right hand was missing the tips of all his fingers except for the thumb. Turning to his left, the whole left arm had vanished beyond his elbow leaving only a bleeding stump.
The pain suddenly hit him. *COUGH* *COUGH* “Ha… Ha… Hahahaha….” He laughed. He had gotten what he wanted, and it came with a price. A price he had paid with blood.
With a quick chant, he seared his bloody stump to stop the bleeding.
Looking at the boy moving towards him, he tried to remember what had occurred in that instant.
He had not expected such a devastating magic.
Unable to outrun the flood of outpouring mana that was consuming everything, he stood his ground.
Stretching out his left arm to focus his mana into a shield, he stabilized the flow with his right. The intensity of the boy’s magic ate through his shield and left arm instantly, before threw him against the side of the crater that the magic had dug out.
“*Cough* Ha… *cough cough* Heheh… Getting too careless, Nylen… *cough*” he scolded himself. If he had not been so arrogant, and did not close in on the child to trap him, he would have easily escaped the radius of the magic.
“*Cough* Marvelous… way beyond expectations…” he spoke, as death approaches.
“YOU!” The boy shouted at him angrily, while edging closer.
Three figures jumped in between them.
————-
“Please, little one. That is enough.” Master Hamin spoke. Respect and awe in his voice, with a touch of fear.
Before him, stood three of the academy’s masters.
‘The perpetrators!’ his mind shouted furiously.
“All of you!” he screamed out.
“Allow me to apologize for this selfish incident.” Hamin spoke sincerely. As all three of the masters lowered their heads.
“You were all after my life!”
“Please- *Cough* do not blame them- *cough* …It was my idea.” The old man spoke up from behind the three.
Kaidus glared at the culprit.
“*Cough* Hahahaha… *hack, hack*… I apologize. I had only wanted to measure your- *COUGH*…strength, but it seems these old bones cannot kee
p up.” The old man spoke, a pained grin on his face.
“You endanger my life, all just to test me?!” Kaidus shouted.
“I had- *COUGH COUGH* …to be sure.” The old man replied. His eyes resolute, and earnest.
-people slaughtered for enjoyment.
-families ripped apart.
-death at the whims of the foolish.
-his brother…
The memories came roaring back.
“All of you, for your own self-interest!” a force of mana exploded in his right hand, forming into a flaming sword. “I SHOULD CUT YOU DOWN WHERE YOU STAND!”
The three masters edged forward, ready to protect the old man with their lives. Courage and resolve in their eyes.
“STOP!”
The old man shouted, his eyes watching Kaidus.
“*COUGH* my life is- *Cough* yours… The laws of combat dee- *HACK HACK* …deems the loser, at the mercy of the winner- *COUGH*. You may do as you will, young Dvitus.”
The three master’s faces distorted upon hearing what they had all assumed. Terror and reverence filled their eyes, as they looked at the child.
‘Dvitus’ an unknown word to him.
Within his mind, Kaidus’s anger cried out for release, but he could see that the old man’s words were genuine and held no ulterior motive. The old man was truly ready to forfeit his life.
“GGGRRRAAAHHHHH!!” he screamed out in rage, flinging his sword into the side of the crater. The fiery weapon sunk up to its hilt before vanishing.
“““!!””” the three masters were surprised by the action.
Sensing Kaidus’s murderous concentration of mana vanishing,
“Thank you- *COUGH* young one… and welcome to Zorin Academy.” The old man spoke.
“Headmaster, let us move away from here before more students show up.” One of the masters suggested.
His anger subsiding, it was only now that Kaidus noticed.
There were a small number of students gawking from the perimeter of the hole he had created. His hair still streaks its true color of silver, and the orb in the sky had illuminated the whole spectacle.
With a single thought, night returned.
“Do not TEST my patience. NEVER do that again.” He warned.
“I would not- *COUGH* …dare, in my state.” The old man replied. A jubilant tone in his voice.