ă€ŠArcanumă€‹


 1 Abducted

    "Miss Patel can you wake up???" An unknown feminine voice spoke to me. I reluctantly woke up groggily opening one eye slowly, my eyes were hit by a blinding white glare, "what the hell?" I cursed as it caused me to instinctively slam my eyes shut. I naturally tried to rub my eyes, but my hands felt restrained. Fighting the glare I forcibly opened both my eyes, as my vision slowly adjusted to the brightness there was a robed figure with strikingly long red hair a few paces in front me, the walls are pristine white emitting a white glow that made it impossible to grasp the shape and the size of the room.

    "What the F? This isn''t my room!" I blurted out in confusion. Instinctively I tried to jump to my feet, but my body didn''t respond. Instantaneously looking down I''m still wearing my pyjamas, but I''m seated on a chair immobilised with nothing physically restraining me. Keeping a watch on myself, I tried to move again. What the F, why am I paralysed from the neck down what the hell is going on? I thought to myself. I turned my attention back to the red haired figure, I saw a young woman of Asian descent, I can''t quite put a finger on it, but being in the presence or acknowledgment of her existence made the hairs on my arm and back of my neck began to rise.

    "What the F is going on, why can''t I move, what''s going on?" I barked at the red haired woman.

    "Miss Patel if you would just calm down and let me explain the situation, it may put you at ease, you may address me as Scarlet" She calmly replied.

    "What the F are you talking about, where am-"

    I suddenly couldn''t talk, I felt my mouth moving but no voice could be heard as if I was suddenly mute. At that moment I noticed that the room was completely silent, no sounds of wild life, and no sound of a draft or wind outside. Looking around there are no visible windows or doors, this feels like an interrogation room.

    "Please Miss Patel you are the last candidate I need to deal with and once this is done, I can finally rest, so I will very much appreciate it if you don''t interrupt me." Scarlet replied.

    She proceeded but lifting her left hand with an open palm, and suddenly out of thin air a large opened book appeared in her hand.

    "So it says here you are Emilia Patel, born in London, Indian descent, 22, recently graduated top of your class in law school with a job offer from the top 3 law firms in America, currently single, vegetarian, oh this is interesting your parents and siblings are normal but you seem to be the only person in your family history to be chosen, please nod if this is you." Scarlet asked with a raised eyebrow.

    How the F does this book know so much about me and my family and how did it just appear out of nowhere! What is Arcanum? Maybe if I pretend they have the wrong person they might just let me go or release me.

    I cautiously swiveled my head from side to side gesturing no that she has the wrong person.

    Scarlet raised an eyebrow, "interesting because u defiantly look like we have the right person," as she turns the book showing me the pages. The writing was illegible, but there was a picture of me on my graduation day. Slamming the book shut, "Anyhow since we are here now I might as well explain to you what''s going on. As stated in Act 19.5b any person showing the potential to harness Arcanum will be conscripted and trained to harness and manipulate Arcanum to defend the governing body or state that person is assigned to-" Explained Scarlet.

    Arcanum again, what the hell is it and what has it got to do with me? And what does she mean conscripting to a state? United Kingdom doesn''t have a compulsory enrollment into military services and how the F did the book appear out of thin air.

    "- ability to manipulate Arcanum will not be tested but your potential to harness Arcanum will be tested as this will accurately represent your potential, once examinations are complete you will be ranked against all the other candidates today, and will be assorted to the correct facilities to receive further study and training, although this will be the very first time for you to harness Arcanum please be aware you should try and perform to the best of your ability. You may now ask any questions u may have." Said Scarlet, patiently waiting for a question.

    "This is not even funny, I don''t even know what the hell you are talking about or why I am even here I''m not Emilia!" I retorted angrily glaring at her. What the hell suddenly I can talk again, what on earth is happening?

    "As explained earlier in act 19.5b you have shown the ability to harness Arcanum and thus have been conscripted and as a result you are here." Replied Scarlet unfazed by my attempt at being threatening.

    "What the hell is this Arcanum you are talking about and don''t I get a say in any of this?" I asked scarlet calmly.

    "Arcanum is the energy that is all around us, rare individuals have the potential to harness and manipulate it, which is why this process is so important, as an individual showing potential to wield Arcanum is particularly rare such individuals are forced to undergo militarisation and training." Replied Scarlet.

    "Well you got the wrong person! I''m not the Emilia Patel you are talking about!" I argued back.

    "Miss Emilia Patel, I assure you this process has been running for centuries with no incident of mistaken identity, and in the off chance you are the first mistaken identity we have procedures in place to deal with such accidents." She calmly answered my question.

    How did the book she had, know all that information about me and my family, and militarization? I wouldn''t hurt a soul.

    "Okay, say if I was this girl called Emilia you speak of please can u explain in detail or demonstrate what Arcanum is?" I questioned.

    "Hmmm we still have some time left I''m sure I can show you something." Answered Scarlet.

    Scarlet proceeded by tossing the book into the air.

    "Wellˇ­ I can show you something, but you need to promise me that you won''t tell anyone this happened" Scarlet requested speaking in a much quieter voice.

    "Um sure" I agreed

    She lifted her right hand pointing towards the wall to my left, palm facing down holding out her four fingers with her thumb tucked under her palm. Suddenly four red beams shot out from each of her fingertips hitting the wall she pointed at, even being a few meters away from scarlet and the impact zone being further away, I could feel my skin drying up from the extreme heat the four beams were emanating.

    "This is called Fire Beam extremely potent spell." explained scarlet.

    "What the?" as I gasped in a mixture of shock, confusion and amazement over what I just witnessed. Everything in my mind is telling me this can''t be real, but I felt the heat and I see the scorch marks left where the beams impacted the wall. What the hell is going on? It closely resembled a magic spell that I''ve read in fantasy books, but magic isn''t real its complete fiction.

    "This can''t be real I must be in some wacky dream!" I said.

    Scarlet slowly walked towards me, with each step my body started to feel hot, I could feel my forehead begin to sweat, my hands began trembling more and more intensely with each step, I could feel my heart beating fast and faster, my mind was telling me to run. She bent down so we were face to face, I could see her more clearly she had extremely dark black eyes barely being able to see the pupil in the middle of the iris, coupled with her soft facial feature and a smile she seemed extremely friendly, but what does my body make me feel like I need to run for my life. She moved her right hand towards my head, I slammed my eyes closed turning my head bracing myself. I felt a blunt impact on my forehead like an extremely painful flick, painful enough that I was sure it would leave a bruise. I opened one eyes cautiously, seeing her walking away from me and the my body started to slowly return to normal with each step she took, I instinctively tried to rub my forehead to help but my hands were still paralyzed.

    "Do you still think you''re dreaming?" She questioned.

    "I don''t think so." stuttering as my body is still recovering from this strange influence she emits from just being in proximity of her.

    "Good, then we are at an understanding, shouldn''t be long now before you''ll be called into the examination room" she replied and started to pace from side to side.

    Just as I was going to ask another question, a strange glowing blue light manifested in the air beside Scarlet drawing a large oval the size of a grown man, upon completion the inside of the oval looked as if It was another location, an eerie stone hall way lit with torches leading to a set of large double doors.

 2 Examiners

    "And that is the sign Miss Patel that our very short and amusing encounter has come to an end. Please if you may stand up and make your way through the portal and through the double doors."

    I hesitantly kept my gaze on her as I cautiously attempted to lift my hand, from the corner of my eye I saw my hand move slightly. I carefully stood up, totally confused at why all of a sudden I can move again. I could see from Scarlets grin that she was trying to stop herself laughing at my confusion. I began walking towards her and the portal, and that very familiar feeling began welling up inside with each step I took closer towards her. As I approached, she held her hand out with a smile gesturing for a hand shake. I held out my trembling hand to shake hers watching her closely, her expression of happiness and kindness was the completely opposite to how my body feels just by being near her.

    "You''re welcome." she beamed as she shook my hand with a surprisingly strong grip. As she released my trembling hand I turned and approached the portal, while trying to maintain a watch on her with my peripheral vision. I raised my hand to check the portal, I noticed I am wearing a black sleeve with golden embroidery on the end. In shock I quickly looked down at myself, my pajamas was replaced with a long black silk robe lined with red and golden embroidery around the ends of the sleeves and down the center and around the bottom of the robe, with the addition of a red and black sash, black belt and black leather boots. I must have been too distracted to notice when my clothes were magically changed. I looked back at Scarlet with as expression of total confusion, she smiled and gestured me to walk through the portal. Holding my breath and closing my eyes I courageously walked through the portal.

    Arriving through the other side felt instantaneous with no adverse effects which was a huge relief, I have read and seen sci-fi TV shows where these sort of things can go horribly wrong.The hallway had an extremely eerie atmosphere, the walls and the floor being made of large old stones lit with torches on the sides. I rushed to an opening in the wall, as I peered out an overwhelming feeling of warmth and comfort washed over me, as I felt the warmth of the sun, the sight of tress and the sounds of wildlife, the sense of familiarity was calming. I leaned over to inspect the building, I was in an extremely large castle above the surrounding treeline. The castle looked extremely old, the outermost walls being invaded by vegetation, the castle was made of up many complex layers of walls and buildings, similar to the designs seen in old history books.

    "It was nice to finally meet you Emilia, Good luck!"Scarlet shouted from behind, I looked back again seeing her smiling and waving. As the portal disappeared, so did the faint feeling of fear from being near her faded away, my body felt physically fatigued but it was a huge relief to be able to relax. I began walking towards the double doors, stopping at the door I could faintly hear voices coming from the other side. I froze as I remembered what waited for me on the other side. A feeling of panic quickly surged around my body, I began thinking about everything Scarlet said and stared doubting myself, and I turned around considering to run.

    "Miss Patel please enter its completely safe." An elderly male voice spoke through the door.

    I opened the door slowly not knowing what to expect on the other side. The room was oddly welcoming, the exact opposite to the eerie hallway, the natural light that came from several windows beautifully illuminated the entire room. Around the sides were unlit braziers made of bronze along with one large chandelier in the center of the ceiling made of gold. There was a red carpet with fine gold embroidery leading to an extremely large pearl orb the diameter as wide as my shoulders, held up wish a strange golden green metal fashioned in the shapes of waves rising and coalescing around the bottom of the orb. A few paces behind the orbs sat four imposing figures behind an extremely long wooden table.

    "Please come in so we can have a better look of you young girl." Smiled a slender young lady, her hair was white as snow fashioned neatly in a bun, her emerald green eyes glowed slightly, she wore a beautifully woven purple and green robe embodied with gold symbols along the outer edges of the robe, adorned with very beautiful gold jewellery each with a different colored gem that each had their own unnatural glow. It seemed as she puts a lot of effort in her appearance, from the top of her hair to her torso looking flawless and perfect.

    "Yes please, we still still have many more candidates to see after you" a young woman said, her appearance looked very normal, her short hair was extremely scruffy but did not obscure her vision, wearing a plain top and an extremely weathered brow jacket , but there was a large mechanical golem behind her. The golem had a humanoid shape and looked slightly bigger than an average human. Armored top to toe in thick large grey metal plating, underneath the armoured plates was a visible blue glow in its core and two bright glowing blue eyes.

    "Don''t be so harsh on the younglings, don''t you remember your first experience here?" the old man questioned the young woman. The old man wore a similar robe to the one I was given but extremely tattered, with an unkempt long grey beard and hair, wearing a tall pointy hat with a very long wooden staff on the table in front of him, the staff had a natural appearance it has twists and curves from top to bottom, the edges occasionally glowing with a faint green hue. His appearance closely resembled that of a wizard.

    The remaining was a man, he did not speak or even acknowledged my presence, his size was monstrous, if he was to stand he would easily tower over the mechanical golem, he hada thick mustache connected to his beard, his upper body was engorged with muscles, covered in scars of different shapes and sizes. He must have participated in countless number of fights.

    "So I assume the process of what will happen next has been thoroughly explained to you?" the old woman asked.

    "Um yes kind of but I''m not exactly sure on what I need to do" I hesitantly replied

    The old woman pointed at the orb, "Well its surprisingly simple just put your hands on the orb over there and let the orb do all the work" smiled the young lady.

    Nodding in understanding I closed the door behind me and slowly walked to the orb, as I approached the orb it started to react to my presence, with each step I took the pearl orb began to glow faintly and started to levitate a few centimeters above its stand. Placing my hands on the orb it began to hum, and a strange feeling overtook my body.

 3 Examination and Potential

    Something felt different, the world became clearer, all my senses were amplified, the world slowed, I could feel the gentle breeze from the window gliding over my hands, the faint sound of scribbling and pages turning, my eyesight became clearer easily able to see the birds flying outside. I could feel a new faint new sensation, the some of the examiners emitted this faint feeling, while the golem and the large man was emitted an almost overwhelming amount of this feeling.

    The orb began to faintly glow different colors randomly switching between blue, white, green red and grey. My vision went black, "I can''t believe you told them! I trusted you!" a familiar voice screamed, as the source of the voice gradually appeared, it was apparent my mind began dredging up a memory I wish I could forget, and I instantaneously forced myself back to conciseness. I slowly regained my vision the orb glowing was now glowing with an almost blinding intensity the orb became almost too hot to maintain my hold, before slowly dimming and cooling down.

    "Thank you Miss Patel, your examination is over, please exit the way you came in" Said the old man with a smile on his face.

    "Umm if you don''t mind could you explain what exactly is happening?" I hesitantly questioned.

    The old man opened a large old book, "well let''s see" replied the old man, turning the pages quickly, "Ah there you are, so you''re Emilia from the Consecratus. I''ll send a student of mine to better explain what is going on in a way you might understand" he smiled and gestured to exit the way I came.

    "Umm thank you, I guess this is good bye then." I waved and turned to exit the room, unsurprisingly but still a little shocking the door now lead to an extremely large banquet hall filled with several hundred people all dressed in different types of attire and colors, confidently I walked through.

    Closing the door behind me and releasing the door handle, the door faded away leaving a solid stone wall behind me. No one seemed phased by what just happened, either they were too engrossed in conversation or vanishing doors were an everyday occurrence.The room was illuminated with chandeliers and torches along the wall, piano music could be faintly heard in the background but with no direction from where the music was coming from, several large banquet tables filled the central parts of the hall, all filled with what I assume are varieties of foods and many Empty goblets.

    Walking around the banqueting hall was bursting with excitement and happiness, totally opposite to how I feel. Why am I the only one who feels lost among the hundreds of people? I felt like I was back in school again, I never found it easy to talk to people and make friends. Feeling completely lost I decided to look for the first seat free, my nerves got the better of me, I became a hermit shutting myself off from my surrounding,

    I began wondering if I''ll ever get to see my friends and family again, I didn''t even get to say goodbye, they are probably going crazy with my disappearance, the more I thought about it the more upset I became, the piano music also changed along with my mood. Tears began to fall down my cheek, I sat quietly sobbing into my arms. All I could think was my parents panicking and there is no way I can reassure them that I am alive.

    "Are you okay?" a female voice asked beside me.

    "Yes everything''s okay." I replied sitting up and wiping away the tears from my face with my sleeves.

    "Nice to meet you I''m Caroline!" she smiled

    "Emilia" I replied.

    "Let''s start with getting you a drink and let''s talk about what''s got you down okay?" the female voice offered.

    She grabbed two empty goblets handing one to me and keeping the other.

    Looking at the empty goblet "so where do I go to get something to drink?" I asked

    Caroline face looked a bit confused as if she''s never been asked such a question, "well you just hold the cup think of whatever water you want and it will fill up."

    Following Caroline''s instruction I thought of apple juice, the cup slowly began filling up with a yellow transparent liquid, I hesitantly took a sip, somehow the goblet manged to fill itself with apple juice. I then thought of grape juice, the liquid turned from a transparent yellow to a transparent purple. This is something I could get used to thinking to myself.

    "So what got you feeling so down not long ago?" Caroline questioned

    I smiled at her, "just the thought of missing my family and friends and them missing me." I replied.

    "Yeah sadly that''s the down side of being chosen I guess." Caroline signed taking a gulp from her goblet.

    "How do your parents feel about it?" I questioned with intrigue.

    "Well the village I''m from it is considered a great honor to be chosen, so no doubt my family will be throwing some sort of party." She smiled with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

    "I know what something that will help both of us!" I smiled grabbing both goblets and thought of Pinot Noir, as the goblets filled with the red wine, I handed one back to Caroline, "try this." I smiled. Caroline full of trust drank without hesitation.

    "Wow what is this?" Caroline beamed.

    "That''s a secret" I hummed as I enjoyed the tiny reminder of home.

    "Umm Miss Patel?" an unknown male voice came from behind me.

    "Yes that''s me." I turned around replying.

    "Hi nice to meet you my name is Timothy you can call me Tim." Tim holding out his hand for a hand shake. Tim was a young man, wearing glasses with short hair, he was relatively tall but was very skinny. He wore a robe similar to the one I am wearing.

    I reach out to shake his hand "Hi Tim nice to meet you" I smiled.

    "So my head teacher said that you has some questions to ask?" he inquired.

    "Umm yeah kind of." I hesitantly replied.

    Tim proceeded to take a seat beside me so I was in-between Tim and Caroline, "so what sort of questions do u want to ask?" Tim questioned.

    "Oh so you must be the student the old man said he would send to help me?" I inquired.

    "Yes that would be me" Tim answered.

    "Well I''m not too sure what''s going on here" I shrugged with a smile.

    "Well as stated in 19.5 B any-"Tim started to recite.

    "Umm sorry, I get all that, but I''m kind of perplexed about everything that''s happening" I politely interrupted.

    Tim looks at me with a look of confusion, he thinks for a little before opening a small hand book he had in his hand and started scanning for information. I couldn''t help myself but peek at the pages he was reading, it looked as if the book was written about me. "Ah I see now" Tim looked up at me with a big smile snapping is book shut. "Well this might sound crazy but you''ll just have to believe what I have to say." He smiled.

    "Umm sure" I hesitantly agreed

    "Well let me start with, the world you lived in before isn''t the only world out there, there are many countless copies of your world each with similarities and differences. We call these planes of existences." He explained.

    With a confused look "okay so like alternate dimensions" I hesitantly nodded in understanding.

    "Sure, I think" Tim hesitantly agreeing.

    Tim takes another pause thinking to himself again. "So the strange feeling you must have got from contact with the orb is basically Arcanum, this is the energy source all of use to produce magic!" Tim beamed.

    My jaw dropped in shock, I was speechless, I have read about magic in books and movies but that''s all fiction, this was beyond a dream come true. Suddenly everything strange that happened to seemed plausible.

    "Tim is it okay if I ask something?" Caroline requested.

    "Sure ask whatever you want." Tim smiled.

    "Umm what plane is Emilia from?" Caroline asked.

    Tim opened his book once again, "Umm it looks as if she is from Consecratus" replied Tim.

    Caroline looked at me with a face oh shock and amazement, "that explains why you was so lost and upset, Arcanum users from your plane are almost non-existent, there has been only six before you." Caroline explained.

    "Great that explains why I barely made an effect on the orb during examination." I sighed.

    "Actually rumors has it that although Arcanum users from your plan are extremely rare, the strongest four sorcerers that ever existed are rumored to be from your plane!" Caroline giggled with excitement.

    "Really? No way!" I gasped, wondering if I have heard of any one of them.

    "Yup and the 4th and 5th rankings aren''t even close, some say their mastery are unrivaled and beyond comprehension!" beamed Caroline.

    I smiled back at Caroline, it felt a little reassuring but Scarlet said the test was a measure of my potential, and my potential seemed abysmal. The thought of being in a world of magic, filled me with excitement like a child on Christmas day momentarily forgetting my previous troubles.

 4 Institutes and Legends

    "So what happen next?" I questioned Tim and Caroline.

    "Well now you wait till all candidates are assessed, then the four main teaching institutes will choose up to 50 students they want to take with them, the remaining students will get integrated to militia." Tim answered.

    "So the four figures at the examination room were the heads of the institutes?" I further questioned.

    "Yup they are the head of the institutes, well renowned for their mastery in multiple schools of magic; Egwene the Ageless Queen of Zessia, Abbraxsoth the Demon is current ruler of the Fighting Pits of Eshia, Hanna current Grandmaster Artificer of Aspa and lastly the institute I was enrolled to Bran the Headmaster of the floating fortress Atlantis." Tim explained.

    "Ohh which one is the best?" I asked.

    "In terms of military might, the fighting pits of Eshia tend to have the stronger combatants." Tim answered.

    "You don''t want to go there Emilia! it''s rumored to be a dark and cruel place, where the strong thrive and the weak are oppressed, you''d have to be some sort of sadistic dark soul to survive there!" Caroline warned.

    "God that place sounds horrible who would ever want to go there? How about the other institutes? I asked.

    "Well, I can''t speak for the other institutes but In Atlantis we focus more on the study and applications of magic, rather than solely combat magic." Answered Tim

    "To be honest I''d be happy if I get chosen by any of the other three, the fighting pits and the militia are the worst places to go to, the conditions are terrible and the death rates are worryingly high." Caroline answered.

    "Yes sadly that is true, outside the safety of the institutes and their protection the world is a pretty dangerous place." Tim signed.

    Tim and Caroline sat in silence staring into their goblets, as if they were contemplating on how flawed and cruel this system and world was.

    "So how did u manage to get our uniform Emilia?" Tim asked breaking the silence.

    "Oh during the introduction inside that blinding white room my interviewer went by the name Scarlet seemed to have given it to me. Do you know her?" I intriguingly asked.

    "Scarlet? Well I know of her, she doesn''t talk to many people and her friends circle is very small." Tim hesitantly replied.

    "No way you met Scarlet? She''s rumored to be the strongest fighter in all the institutes and currently undefeated! The only S rank student that doesn''t use spells!" Caroline beamed in excitement.

    "Yeah she currently the ranked 2nd strongest student in our academy, but rumors has it she''s quite scary and never get on her bad side." Tim added

    "Yeah my first encounter with her wasn''t the best either, she was scary in a weird way." I also added, wondering if anyone else got the same feeling I did being near her.

    "So why is the whole process mandatory? What happened?" I questioned again.

    "It''s a long story, but roughly a decade ago, there was a five year war against beings from another plane, ruthlessly killing everything and anything they come across, many lives were lost and many cities were razed. Until the four legendary sorcerers managed to repel the invasion and end the 5 year long war. The aftermath of the war brought back many old threats, we are at a constant battle for survival with other races and beings plotting to eradicate us." Tim explained

    "Yes and the four legendary sorcerers that changed the tide of the war, came from your plane Emilia!" Caroline added.

    "So what was so special about them?" feeling intrigued, maybe I might have heard of one back home, although very unlikely.

    "Well from the history books there were four brothers, Alaystin the Untouchable his specialty was to seamlessly move between realities and realms of his choosing, Morphling the Dreamer he could alter himself and everything around his with just his thoughts and imagination, Stryke the Time Lord harnessed the ability to control the flow of time and the lastly is Erath the Limitless he was able to effortlessly harness and use Arcanum." Tim recited.

    "Well I can safely say that I don''t know any of them, so where are they now then?" I asked, sighing as I lean on my hand in wonder.

    "Well after the battle there has been no documentation or sightings of them, the few people who interacted with them would be Egwene and my headmaster Branm, but they refuse to reveal anything about them." Tim answered.

    "Oh one day I wish I would get the chance to be in the presence of a legend!" Caroline said staring at the ceiling in wonder.

    "Sorry Tim, how rude of me, so what do you do in Atlantis?" I asked.

    "Me? I''m just 2nd year student in the engineering division, the engineering division are responsible to maintain the daily operation of Atlantis." Tim answered.

    "Tim? What about the family you left behind? Do we ever get to see them ever again? I need to know." I cautiously asked.

    "Well, I do miss my family very much, I haven''t had any contact with them since I was chosen by the program, and it really helps to make friends. Sadly there has only been three known sorcerers ever that had the ability to freely travel between planes one was Alaystin, second was Erath, and thirdly is someone in my school named Paul, but he''s been strictly forbidden to use it to reach other planes, Warp gates could be used but they are strictly guarded and only royalty and diplomats are allowed to use them. So in other words there are ways, but very unlikely for non-royals and diplomats to contact home." Tim replied with an expression of upset on his face.

    "Warp gates?" I questioned.

    "Yeah so warp gates are machine created portals that allow people who pass through them to quickly travel large distances, but that means of travel is also the most expensive so it is rarely used." Tim said.

    "So Tim and Caroline I''m feeling hungry, but I''m a vegetarian. " I asked as my stomach rumbled reminding me I haven''t had breakfast yet.

    Tim and Caroline looked at me again with a face of bewilderment, "Umm what''s a vegetarian?" Caroline politely asked.

    "Well it means that I don''t eat the meat that comes from animals." I answered.

    "Ohhh sure." Tim and Caroline replied simultaneously.

    Caroline and Tim proceeded to point out various dishes to try, much to my surprise the food was pretty good, one dish in particular smelt amazingly spiced with a taste extremely close to chicken which was heavenly.

    "So Emilia is there a particular reason you''re a vegetarian?" Caroline politely questioned

    "When I was younger I wasn''t vegetarian but when I grew older I became a lot closer to my religion and faith so I decided to become vegetarian." I answered

    "Ohh I see" replied Caroline as both Caroline and Tim nodded in understanding.

    Hours passed as we shared foods, drinks and stories. I found myself smiling and laughing, maybe Tim was right making friends did momentarily made me forget my previous life, but in the back of my mind I couldn''t help but wonder if one day I may be able to return home. I was torn between staying in my dream world and my family and friends, why must it be mutually exclusive?

    The atmosphere of the hall suddenly changed, the mixture of emotions were concerning, there was happiness and cheer, disappointment, shock, sadness some even openly cried out loudly. I noticed on the back of my left hand there is now a bold letter F on it. I wondered what this means as I turn to Caroline to ask her, I she her sobbing into her arms.

 5 Selection

    I turn back looking at Tim with an expression of confusion. Tim peeped passed me to look at Caroline and responds with a frown on his face.

    "Caroline what wrong?" I asked completely worried for her.

    "I was chosen to go to the Fighting Pits." She sobbed.

    "This can''t be right this is totally wrong, can''t we talk to someone to change or something?" I said looking at Tim.

    "Sadly, once chosen, that is the institute you will be going to" Tim quietly answered.

    "Please can you talk to someone? Maybe your headmaster or maybe Scarlet?" I frantically questioned.

    "I can try but I can''t promise anything I don''t really hold any position in Atlantis." Tim hesitantly agreed, as he stood up and started jogging through the crowd.

    I didn''t know what to do or even how to start comforting Caroline. So I decided just to hug her as she cried. Several minutes passed as Caroline slowly called down, "stay here I''ll try looking for someone." Caroline nodded in understanding, I immediately stood up rushing in the direction Tim headed, and I desperately searched for him among the crowds. He was nowhere to be seen, I began looking for someone without marking on their hands. Everyone in the hall seems to have markings.. I searched for several minutes unable to find anyone without markings, defeated I made my way back to where Caroline was, making my way back through the crowd I felt a hand grasp my wrists hard enough to force me to turn around.

    "Hey guys look it''s a Class F Sorceress must be one of the weakest this year!" A female voice shouted laughing with her group of friends.

    I turned to her full of rage, my anger now boiling up inside me, "Bitch I don''t have time to deal with this." as I used my other hand and ripped her thumb from my wrist, feeling the bone in her thumb crack in the process, she let out a small scream of pain and instantaneously releasing her grasp, I turned and carried on returning to Caroline.

    "Bitch you broke my thumb, do you even know who I am?" I heard her shout.

    I see in my peripheral vision a shadow behind me getting larger and larger, I defensively turn around to see what''s approaching me, I was petrified as one of her male friends is extremely close to me with his sword held high ready to cut me. The world slowed as I began regretting how I dealt with the situation, is this really going to be the end of me? I closed my eyes ready for my inevitable death. For the first time in my life I was face to face with death, it was terrifying I wasn''t ready, I''m still young I have so many years left to live.

    "Is there a problem here?" I heard a familiar voice speak out in an angry tone.

    I slowly peaked, opening one eye to see a crowd has gathered to witness commotion. Scarlet''s very distinctive red hair was in between us was holding the sword by the blade. The young man fell to his knees trembling, "I''m sorry Scarlet" in an almost inaudible quivering voice the young man begged.

    "Did you know the number one rule in Atlantis stats I am permitted to use lethal forces if anyone threatens the life of a student of Atlantis?!" She shouted as she effortlessly crushed the blade with her bare hand sundering the sword into two pieces. The young man now trembling uncontrollably and crying into the ground begging to be spared. "And you Princess of Arcadia! If you think your royal blood makes you exempt from our rules you are horribly mistaken! Now get the F out of my sight RIGHT NOW!" she ordered. The young man quickly scurried away on his knees into the crowd, but the princess was unfazed by Scarlet''s threat and just shot a glare at me and casually turned and walked away. "And everyone else get to your assembly rooms now!" she ordered the crowd. The crowd took a steps back in fear, I staggered back falling on my bum as my legs gave out trembling uncontrollably, her anger strangely emitted and extremely scorching heat, it felt different this time her presence was overwhelming I felt like was a small mouse in a sea of flames.

    As the crowd dissipated so did the heat and fear, Scarlet turned around smiling at me as always, "I came here as quickly as I could, some student called Tim said you was in need of help, but I didn''t expect you needed this sort of help" Scarlet beamed, it felt extremely uncomfortable as she was still a complete stranger to me with the most terrifying aura I''ve ever felt. She held out her hand to me to help me up, her hand was completely unscathed from catching and crushing the blade. I gestured to her that I''m okay as I slowly got up on my own while my body slowly recovered.

    "You really ought to be careful Emilia we won''t always be around when you''re in trouble" she beamed.

    "Um next time I''ll try not to cause a commotion." I replied.

    "Great so what is it that you needed help with?" She asked.

    "Um scarlet maybe you could help a friend of mine." I hesitantly questioned, her smile dulled as if she knew what I was going to ask her, she began looking at the floor avoiding my eye contact. "Well, my friend got chosen by fighting pits of something." I hesitantly explained, her smile turned to a frown.

    "I''m so sorry but once the selection process is done, it''s final. Even I can''t change or interrupt the process, I am so sorry!" She quietly replied

    Wow the way Caroline spoke about her I thought she would have at least be able to do something. "Are you sure? There is absolutely nothing you can do?" I questioned.

    "I''m so sorry, I really wish I could help" She quietly answered.

    "Wellˇ­. Is there any chance you can go see her? She was absolutely excited when I told her that I met you earlier today." I requested.

    "I''m so sorry but all Eshia students have already left." She replied

    Hopelessness washed over me, my arms went limp. The only person I made a connection with is now gone, and there was nothing I could do to help her. A tear started to roll down my cheek. Scarlet immediately approached me to wipe away the tear and hugged me. Her attempts at comforting me kinda helped me forget about Caroline, as my body now reacting violently to her being in contact with me, all I wanted to do was to break away from her and run. She lifted my head to meet hers, "I can''t promise that we can do anything but Paul and I will try everything in our power to help her"

    "Thank you" I quietly whimpered.

    "Let''s get going we are running late." Politely requested. As she turned and started walking in the direction the crowd did.

    Maintaining a small distance we quickly walked to the closest door, entering into a smaller room filled with many students each with letters ranging from A-C on their left hand and on the other hand a symbol identical to the one on mine.

    Scarlet turned around, "Stay here and just follow the headmaster instructions." Scarlet instructed smiling.

    "Okay, sure." I hesitantly agreed

    "Stay safe and don''t get into too much trouble!" Scarlet joked. As she made her way to the front of the room, the crowd parted for her as if they also felt the fear that I do. Looking towards the headmaster I froze in absolute shock and confusion as she went and stood next to someone that looks identical to my Ex-boyfriend Paul.

 6 Blast from the Pas

    Bran began to speaking out to everyone, "Welcome new Students of Atlantis! Now you all are officially students of Atlantis, there are many rules in Atlantis but only one rule is absolute, you will not take another life unless another life is threatened! Failure to follow this rule will result with instant dismissal. Now I know Atlantis may not have been your-."

    I didn''t quite know how to react, is this the same Paul back from my world? It would kind of explain why Scarlet friendly to me, but if there are alternate dimensions it could equally be Paul from another world he might not even be called Paul. I couldn''t get a clear view of him through the crowd. Seeing him again for the first time in over 5 years surprisingly gave me butterflies, I felt so conflicted, a part of me still felt hurt from the past, but why do I feel like a teenager seeing their crush for the first time? Scarlet looked at me and smiled, she began nudging Paul till she caught his attention and began motioning her head to telling him to look towards my direction. I froze as he turned to look at me, a part of me missed him terribly.

    As his eyes met mine I found myself smiling, a very nostalgic feeling overwhelmed me it felt pleasant, he always used to make me feel happy in a special way, but his expression didn''t change, did he not recognize me? My feelings quickly faded, as he turned to Scarlet with a confused expression, Scarlet now with an equally confused expression looked at me and then back at Paul then began swiveling her head side to side gesturing nothing.

    "Hi my names Jay nice to meet you." Whispered a male voice next to me.

    "Hi I''m Emilia nice to meet you as well." I whispered back, turning to take a look at the source of the voice, Jay was a slightly taller than average young man with an average build, his facial hair and hair style gave him a very scruffy look. "Umm you don''t happen to know who those three students behind the headmaster?"

    "What you don''t know Atlantis'' S ranked sorcerers? The Chinese guy in the middle with the black trench coat is called Paul the Black Dragon Slayer currently rank one in the schools leader boards, the girl on his right is Scarlet currently ranked 2nd and finally to his left is Travis currently rank 3rd." He answered.

    "Black dragon slayer?" I questioned.

    "Yes Paul''s most notable achievement is when he reportedly slew a black dragon during his first year in Atlantis, which is insane as even the strongest sorcerers would struggle to even scratch a black dragon also him and Scarlet are the youngest S ranked sorcerers, achieving S rank by their 2nd year." He answered.

    "Wait there are dragons?" I questioned in suprise.

    "Have you been living under a rock? Everyone knows all the S ranked sorcerers in all the institutes" He said.

    "Yeah pretty much, it''s a long story." I replied.

    "Looking forward to going to Atlantis?" he questioned

    "Yeah a little bit not sure what to expect though". I replied, a part of me still wondered how Caroline was doing, I wonder if the Fighting pits were actually as bad as the rumours were. "By the way has anyone ever switched institutes or ran away?" I questioned.

    "Switching institutes, I''m not too sure, but there has been reports of runaway students and solider, but it''s very rare as they would be a fugitive and most likely live a new quiet life. Why do u ask?" He answered.

    "No reason, just wondering" I replied.

    "Ohh come on we are friends now you can tell me." He insisted.

    "Hmmmˇ­.Well I had a friend that went to the Fighting Pits and she really didn''t want to go there." I said hesitantly.

    "Damn, that sucks, I hope he/she is okay." He said.

    "Is it really that bad?" I further questioned

    "Yeah that place isn''t the most pleasant of places, it''s pretty savage place if you ask me." He added.

    "Is there a way for me to contact her?" I asked

    "There are a few ways, you can send a letter, send message spell or use of mobile communicator device but you both will need one each." He answered

    I felt extremely hopeful that once I get the chance I''d at least be able to contact Caroline, I really hope she''s okay. I doubt Scarlet or Paul will help me now as it seemed like he didn''t recognise me at all.

    "So what rank are you?" Jay questioned.

    "Rank? I dunno how am I meant to know?" I replied.

    "It''s the letter you got on your left hand." He answered.

    "Ohhh I got an F." I answered.

    He turned in shock looking at my hand, and went back looking forward towards Bran, "Woah and u managed to get into Atlantis?" He said in total shock

    "I guess so the marking on my right hand is the same as yours" I added.

    "Interesting students that are C ranked would be lucky to get into any institute." He said.

    "F me how the hell did I manage to get in then?" I asked in shock.

    "No idea, my best guess is someone with importance in Atlantis really wanted you here, you should consider yourself extremely lucky." He answered.

    "Hmm I guess it could be Scarlet she has a strange liking to me, and seems to talk to me like we are friends." I added.

    "No way u know Scarlet? Wow she''s rumoured to be pretty scary and don''t really make friends with people." He replied

    "Yeah.... No idea myself, I''ve never met her before." I added.

    "Well I guess you have a guardian angel looking out for you." He chuckled.

    We stopped talking to a while and went back to listening to Bran''s speech. "- Once we arrive on Atlantis please separate yourself into three groups, for your tour of Atlantis, if you have any questions please feel free to ask either Paul, Scarlet or Travis during the tour.-"Bran instructed

    "Ohh and by the way I witnessed the commotion between you and Calista, you should be careful she may be stuck up, but her father is the King of Arcadia, and she is of royal blood so you know, with just a word she can make you disappear one day with no repercussions." Jay warned.

    "You mean that stupid bitch that grabbed my arm?" I asked.

    "Yup that''s her, best stay away from her in my opinion." He further warned.

    "Well it was her Fing fault she started it with me, wait is she a student here?!" I replied.

    "Of course Atlantis watches over and guards Arcadia. So the Princess of Arcadia would most certainly be a student here." He explained.

    Great of all the people that decided to have a problem with me, had to be the F-ing Princess of Arcadia, and she probably still has a vendetta against me for breaking her thumb. I guess I''m just gonna have to keep a low profile, none of that matters anyways all I want to really do is somehow contact and help Caroline. In the back of my mind I couldn''t help but wonder why Paul didn''t recognize me.

    There was a sudden large blue flash on the left side of the room as an extremely large portal appeared similar to the portal earlier today but much larger, large enough for several students to pass through simultaneously. The portal seemed to lead to courtyard with an extremely large slightly glowing tree.

    "- and that is the sign we are ready to leave to Atlantis. Children please calmly and orderly make your way through the Warp gate." Bran beamed. As Bran towards the portal. As Bran stepped through the portal everyone else slowly made their way through the portal, I tried to get a clearer look at Paul while the room emptied, he looked exactly the same as I remember he even wore a black trench coat and had a jade necklace that he always wore when we was together.

    "See you on the other side." Jay Said as he walked towards the portal. Making my way towards the portal, "Emilia!" I heard a familiar male voice from behind me, as a hand landed on my right shoulder.

 7 Atlantis

    I turned around to see Tim, "I''m so sorry I didn''t manage to get back to you! Being the only engineer here I had things I needed to sort out." Tim apologized profusely. As he pulls me to the side so we don''t hold up the line.

    "It''s okay I understand you have other priorities" I replied.

    "Did Scarlet provide any help? She left in a hurry when I said you needed help." Tim asked.

    "Ohh yeah, thanks for asking her, she couldn''t help Caroline either sadly." I said with a frown.

    "It''s okay we will try and help her any way we can." Tim reassured me.

    "Ohh by the way, do you happened to have a mobile communicator?" I questioned.

    "Well I don''t have any but Scarlet will have one, all S ranked students in Atlantis are required to have one on at all time for emergency situations, can I ask why?" Tim explained.

    "Well I was hoping to communicate to Caroline with it." I answered

    "Sadly it''s not that simple firstly Caroline would need one and then on top you will need to pair with her''s just to start communication." Tim explained

    "Damnit, why is it so bloody hard to contact people here?" I said in anger.

    Tim was speechless unsure how to respond. I guess I''ll have to send a message or use the send message spell. God this is stupidly infuriating, why the F are people forced to go to damn place that picked them. I began clenching my fist in anger, I punched the wall next to me, a resounding crack echoed through the room leaving a large crater where my hand impacted the wall.

    "Ummm...ˇ­. Emilia are you okay?" I heard time question me in hesitation

    My jaw dropped and my mind froze, "Tim? Did I just do that?!" I asked. Tim clearly just as shocked as I was nodded up and down. "How the F did I just leave a crater in the wall?!" Tim started gesturing to me to calm down.

    Tim grabbed my arm "we should get going" he instructed, as he pull me toward the portal pushing through the crowd, stepping through the portal I was momentarily blinded by the sunlight. "This is Atlantis" Tim proudly beamed. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold, we stood in a courtyard of a enormous large castle, with a beautiful sky above us. In the middle of the courtyard was a giant tree that had a strange rainbow hue, on the left side a medium sized building with what seems to be agricultural fields behind them. On the right is a very large Colosseum building, and in the far end a large aged castle with several tall spires.

    As we slowly strolled to the large tree,"magnificent right? this tree is one of the two that exist in this world, it''s called a world tree, this tree alone absorbs and emits Arcanum at such a vast rate by itself it powers everything in Atlantis! No one knows where Atlantis originated from or even how a world tree ended up here but its truly brilliant." As he stared at the enormous tree in wonder and amazement.

    "Hey Emilia!" I heard Jay shout as he jogged towards us.

    "Who''s that?" Tim asked.

    "Ohhh he''s my friend Jay we talked a little during the Bran''s speech" I answered

    As Jay arrived Tim held out his hand, "Hi I''m Tim". Tim introduced himself.

    Jay shook his hand "Jay" he answered. "So who''s tour we gonna take?" Jay questioned.

    A part of me secretly wanted to go on tour Paul''s, "No idea i have no real preference to be honest." I said not wanting to raise any questions.

    "Ummmm generally freshman take the chance to meet and talk to S Ranks sorcerers." Tim answered.

    "I wouldn''t mind going to with Scarlet''s group, she is gorgeous!" Tim chuckled.

    "Don''t let her hear you say that." Tim laughed as well warning him.

    "Sure let''s go with Scarlet''s tour! Since I can probably introduce you Jay!" I joked.

    "Sure! You gonna join us Tim?" Jay questioned.

    Tim laughed a little, "Sadly I''m not a freshman I''m actually a 2nd year" Tim replied.

    "Woah! That''s so cool! You''re the same year as Scarlet and Paul! How were they?" Jay asked in excitement.

    "Well scarlet joined as a 2nd year and well Paul was barely here during the 1st and 2nd year, he mainly hunted bounties. Tim answered.

    "Woah how did he become to strong?" Jay asked

    "No one really knows actually, nor has anyone seen him fight he''s only famous for taking on many tough bounties." Tim answered.

    "That sounds like Paul he usually tries to avoid conflicts." I added

    They both look at me shocked and confused, "you know Paul?" jay asked.

    "Ohh no sorry I got him confused with someone else I used to know." I joked playing with my hair nervously, they both looked at each other like they got a gut feeling that something strange is going on here.

    "Ummm, sorry guys but as much as I love making friends with freshmen I must dash, there''s tons of things that need to be done and setup today. I hope I see you guys around" Tim said Hugging me goodbye and shaking Jays hand.

    "Later bud!" Jay beamed.

    "Take care!" I replied.

    We both started walking towards the crowds that formed near the glowing tree, I saw some students take a glance at me and begin chatting and pointing, "Looks like you''re a celebrity." Jay chuckled.

    "Ohhh god, there goes the plan to lay low." I said face palming myself.

    "Ahh you''ll be alright, I''m sure all the hype and gossip will pass sooner rather than later." Jay replied. there were three distinct groups waiting for their tour to start, everyone was super excited. "Which one do you think is Scarlet''s?" I questioned looking at all the groups.

    "To be honest something tells me it''s the slightly smaller group that are primarily dudes." Jay said.

    "That does sound right to be honest considering her reputation, and boys will be boys." I joked as we slowly made our way to the group.

    "By the way? Why does everyone speak English?" I curiously asked.

    "English?...?" Jay responded in confusion.

    "Yeah the language we speaking now....." I hesitantly replied.

    "You mean Common?" Jay asked

    "Common?.... no I meant the language we speaking right now." I replied

    "Yeah in all the planes its called ''Common''." Jay answered.

    "Ohhh I see...." I replied.

    "Wait, where are u from?" Jay asked totally confused.

    "Well Earth? But I remember bran saying something like concen-somethingˇ­.." I hesitantly answered, he stepped back a little in shock, "see I don''t get it why does everyone react like that!" I said.

    "Because like only the most famous and strongest sorcerers came from there-" Jay explained

    "I know I know." I sighed.

    "Well when u get famous, don''t forget me." He joked.

    "You never know the fame and fortune might get to me." I joked in return.

    As we arrived at the group, I took a peep to see if Scarlet was there, I couldn''t catch a glimpse of her Red hair, to be honest I''m surprised I even tried to look for her, the absence of terrifying fear is already an indication that she''s not here yet. The group to our left suddenly became noticeably louder, looking to see whats going on, i caught a glimpse of Travis walking out of a building towards his group. This time I got a better look at him, and I must say he''s pretty sexy, his white vest did little to hide his hypnotizing physique the perfect muscular body but not too muscular he had the perfect upside-down triangle figure, he had some tribal style tattoos going from his shoulders down his arms, his hand were big and thick, parts of a large scar could be seen through his vest, his facial features were strong with some stubble that further exaggerate his strong jawline, even his walk exuded confidence which further increased his appeal. Just looking at him made me feel slightly hot and my throat parched.

    "Do u wanna switch groups?" I faintly heard Jay joke beside me.

    "Huh?... what?... no no this group is fine" as I try to pull myself together.

 8 Tour Part 1

    I caught a red flash from the corner of my eye, and as expected with the appearance of the portal, so did the very familiar fear feeling. Out stepped Scarlet with an extremely heavy sturdy looking breastplate with a giant crest of Atlantis on the front in gold, she also wore a pair of gauntlets and greaves which had a similar design as the breastplate, all over a simple plain sleeveless blue dress. She was armed with a long wooden katana attached on her side and an extremely long and wide sword on her back. If it was for her very unique red hair I could have easily mistaken her for someone else.

    The complete silence was a stark difference from Travis''s group when Scarlet arrived, looking closer at everyone they were all petrified, the boys closest were even slowly stepping back trembling uncontrollably some even losing balance and shuffling away, beads of sweat could be seen on the tips of their hair and trickling down their neck. I quickly pulled Jay further away from Scarlet till I couldn''t feel her aura no more. "You okay Jay?" I questioned.

    Several seconds passed with no response. "Whaˇ­ Whaˇ­ Wha.. What ˇ­. Was ˇ­. That?.." Jay responded still trembling. I can see his body slowly recovering, he clenched his fists trying to control his body.

    "I don''t know either but it seems to be some sort of aura she emits naturally." I answered

    "Myˇ­ Godˇ­. I .. Have never felt anything like that!" Jay whimpered.

    Not long after Paul also stepped out, wearing his familiar long black trench coat, with a brown leather waist coat and a white shirt underneath, along with dark blue trousers and a dark brown leather boots. He hasn''t changed much since I last saw him, it was oddly nostalgic. He turned to look around him, when his eyes met mine. Everything slowed, I could see his jade necklace which was one of the last remaining gifts from his mum and on his right hand the platinum ring inlaid with ruby and malachite I gave him on our first anniversary. I was certain now this must be the Paul I know! We stared at each other for what felt like minutes until he broke gaze with no change in expression again.

    "So which group do u wanna join now Jay?" I asked.

    "You know, after everything that happened i think we should go to the other group" Jay said still recovering, everyone else in the group had the same decision we did and similarly started walking towards Paul''s group.

    "Emilia!" I heard scarlet call out to me and she began jogging towards me, grabbing my arm. Jay turned around staring at us, and slowly backed up away from us towards Paul''s group. He was going to leave me with Scarlet! "Come, I''ll give you a personal tour!" She beamed, as I slowly turned around to face her completely overwhelmed with fear. She began pulling me toward the direction Travis group went. My body happily followed her instruction without my consent.

    "Ummmˇ­..Ummmmˇ­.. Ummˇ­.. Scarlet could you let go of my arm?." I whimpered.

    "Sorry I didn''t hear you, what did you saod?" Scarlet asked letting go of my arm and turning around to face me.

    "Ummˇ­.. I''m so sorry but could you take ˇ­. aˇ­ few steps ˇ­. away ˇ­ pleaseˇ­." I said trying to be a little louder and clearer.

    Scarlet nodded and complied with my request, the terror was noticeably different between being in contact and being a few paces from her. "I''m so sorry but you kind of give me this terrifying vibe from being near you." I tried to inform her, Scarlet gasped in shocked and took a few steps more steps back.

    "I''m so so so so sorry!" she apologized profusely. She had the most genuine look of innocent guilt on her face, "I''m so sorry! I just get so excited when I see you! I''ve heard so much about you! I kinda forget that thing I make other people feel." Apologizing profusely again.

    "It''s okay nowˇ­." I said attempting to reassure her that it wasn''t her fault. Even being a few more paces further she still made me feel extremely scared.

    From the corner of my eyes I saw Paul begin walking to his group, I couldn''t help but turn to watch him, as he walked a glowing blue hued book floated out of his coat and began flipping through its pages on it''s own, it stopped at a certain page and flipped itself to face the group, instantaneously everyone in the group froze and their eyes glowed vibrant blue. The book remained hovering in place as Paul went to the grassy area around the world tree and began lying down on his backs with his arms behind his head.

    "What''s going on there?" I question Scarlet in bewilderment.

    "Ohhhh that''s Paul being lazy, he put them under a illusion so they are taking an illusionary tour." Scarlet laughed.

    Turning to her in shock, "What the hell that''s possible? Is that even allowed?" I further questioned.

    "Yup, it''s not really allowed, but being S ranked we have looser rules." Scarlet answered

    I wonder what else can be done with magic, this is starting to get exciting! I cant wait to start learning and exploring the world!

    "So, shall we start the tour?" Scarlet kindly asked, with a smile I nodded in agreement.

    We began walking towards a large building on our left, "this is the Dorm rooms for the students. This building alone houses rooms for over 500 students of Atlantis. You''ll be get one by the end of the day once the engineering department assign everyone their rooms." Scarlet informed, the building defiantly didn''t look large enough to house over 500 students some sort of magic must have been involved! Maybe like a Tardis!

    We walked further left past the dorms, arriving at an extremely large area of farm land and very modern looking green houses. "This is the agricultural sector of Atlantis, because we are a floating fortress it is paramount to be self-sufficient, so we can easily produce enough food and water for Atlantis and a village." Scarlet informed me. In the distant I saw A extremely large tree with what seemed to have limbs and moving!

    "Umm what is that?!" I proceeded to point at what seemed to be a large walking tree.

    "That Emilia, is a Treant, we should also have a few dryads around but they are pretty shy so probably hiding somewhere. Treants and Dryads are races with a strong natural connection with nature, so they help Atlantis grow foods and plants faster and easier." Emilia answered.

    I''m absolutely lost for words, not only is there magic, there are races also! I wondered what other races are out there! are there Elves, Dwarfs. Gnomes, Angels, Demons....???

    "Do you want to get a closer look of him?" Caroline beamed.

    "Is it okay to? I don''t wanna disturb himˇ­.." I hesitantly asked.

    "It will be fine Tenderoot thoroughly enjoys meeting young students." Caroline smiled.

    We began walking between the fields filled with crops, I could have sworn I heard faint giggling and whispers with slight flickers of distorted light every now and then. "It''s okay you can show yourself" Scarlet shouted out. A beautifully slightly taller slender women slowly appeared in front of us out of thin air. Her skin looked like wood and her hair and clothing was made of leaves.

    "Hi Messelise this is my friend Emilia she is new to the school and wanted to see you!" Scarlet beamed with a smile

    "Hi Scarlet, its been a long time! you should come here more often!" The wooden figure spoke with a smile hugging Scarlet, "Ohhhh and Happy to make your acquaintance Miss Emilia" she turned and hugged me also.

    "Nice to meet you also!" I replied, to my surprise her body was soft like flesh, although it seemed as if she was made of wood.

    "Messelise is Tenderoot busy? Any chance Emilia can meet him?" Scarlet politely asked.

    "Uncle Tenderoot? You know he loves meeting new students! and he always favors you!" Messelise beamed.

    Messelise proceeded to grab a handful of soil from ground, holding the soil in her two hands she began whispering to it. Small green particles began coalescing from air around us into her hands, a small green sprout quickly grew out from the soil. She then buried the sprout into the soil while chanting an unknown language. Scarlet began to step back a few paces i followed suit as i didn''t know what to expect, the sprout very quickly began growing into a almost fully grown tree, Messelise looked at my face of shock and smiled, as her hands suddenly glowed green and began drawing a large symbol on the tree truck, causing a large bright green flash, blinded by the light I turned away shielding my eyes. As the flash subsided I turned to look back at the tree, suddenly now stood an extremely larger tree, with very noticeable wooden limbs.

    "Emilia meet Tenderoot, this is a Treant a very old and ancient species." Scarlet said as she pat his extremely large leg.

    "Ha.... not ..... as ..... ancient .. as... your... race.... Scarlet" Tenderoot chuckled, turning to look at me, he knelt down on one knee to take a closer look.

    "Whyˇ­.. Helloˇ­. thereˇ­.. youngˇ­.. girl...itˇ­.. isˇ­. veryˇ­..nice... toˇ­. meetˇ­.. youˇ­... careful..... you... don''t... wan''t... flies... flying.... into.... your.... mouth...." Tenderoot said very slowly smiling holding out his large wooden hand.

    I couldn''t help but stare at what I''m currently seeing, how can this be real? Its a living moving speaking tree! I''ve only read about Treant''s in ancient mythology and some fantasy card games. When I eventually processed what he said, I instantaneously shut my mouth in embarrassment.

    "Areˇ­.. youˇ­ okay....?...." he questioned.

    "I think she''s just a bit shocked she comes from Consecratus so she quite new to everything." Scarlet explained.

    Tenderoot chuckled slowly, "that ˇ­.. explainsˇ­. aˇ­. lot... wellˇ­.. there''sˇ­.. nothingˇ­.. to...beˇ­. scaredˇ­ ofˇ­. weˇ­.. are ˇ­.. veryˇ­. peaceful... here..." Tender root reached up to his shoulder and plucked a small branch from his shoulder, and held it out to me. "Hereˇ­. young.. girlˇ­.. takeˇ­ thisˇ­. as... aˇ­ giftˇ­." He smiled.

    Without thinking I accepted his gift, holding my hand out to take the twig, as my fingers came into contact with the twig, I began experiencing the same strange sensation when I touched the orb during the examination, I felt that strange presence again around everyone else, but this time I could also feel something channel through me towards twig. Tenderoot gave me a giant smile as he stood up and began walking away, "seeˇ­. youˇ­. aroundˇ­. younglingˇ­. comeˇ­. Messeliseˇ­. We ˇ­ haveˇ­ stuff.. toˇ­. doˇ­.. it.... was.... nice.... seeing... you... again.... Scarlet..." He bellowed out as he began walking away, his sheer size and weight shook the ground with each step he took.

    "You''re very lucky, Uncle Tenderoot doesn''t normally give gifts to people and Treant wands are among the rarest." Messelise smiled.

    It took me a few seconds to take in what Messelise said, I looked down at the twig I''m holding, so this is a wand? Is this the first step for me to start using magic?I began getting more and more excited, I cant wait to begin lessons.

    "Ummmm... can you tell Tenderoot I''m sorry for not responding I''m just a little shocked, and thank him for me?" I requested.

    "Sure I''ll let him know" Messelise smiled as she began walking the same direction Tenderoot did.

    "That was cool right Emilia?!, you''re so lucky to receive a Treant wand!" Scarlet said with excitement.

    "What else is there in this world?" I questioned.

    Scarlet chuckled "There is so so much!". As as we began walking to a building in the distance, "lets carry on with the tour, next stop the engineering Headquarters!!!" Scarlet enthusiastically shouted out.

 9 Tour Part.2 ARTIFICING!

    "Hey, Scarlet can I ask you something?" I asked cautiously as we walked towards a small buildings.

    "Sure ask whatever you want" Scarlet look back and smiled.

    "Ummm don''t take this the wrong way but why are you so friendly with me, this is the first time we''ve met right?" I questioned politely.

    "Ohhhh it''s because over the years Paul has told me so much about you and a friend of Paul''s is a friend of ours, so you''re basically family now." She answered.

    "Ohhh...ˇ­" I responded as I looked down, he must have told her about our messy past.

    "Don''t tell him I told you this, but he still cares for you dearly." She turned her head and winked at me.

    "Ohhhh... really?.... it doesn''t seem like it." I replied.

    "Trust me he does.... If there something I can ask you?" Scarlet requested politely, I began feeling my heart beat faster and faster, my mind was racing between what she could possibly ask me.

    "Ummm .... Sureˇ­." I cautiously agreed.

    Scarlet stopped and turned to face me and started to fidget with her hands and feet, "ummm... can we be sisters?" She asked quietly.

    "Sorry I couldn''t hear you very well, did you say sisters?" I politely questioned, Scarlets face slowly turning red, as she begun to fidget more, nodding up and down.

    "Of course!" I smiled.

    Scarlets faces beamed with a smile, as she lunged to hug me. My body instantaneous straightened like a plank and quivering uncontrollably. "Ummmˇ­ Ummmˇ­.. Ummˇ­.." I could barely utter a letter.

    "OMG I''m so sorry!!!" Scarlet instantaneously jumped backed apologising profusely again.

    "It''sˇ­. It''sˇ­. okayˇ­. you just got a bit carried away." I tried to reassure her and struggling to pull a smile.

    "I''m so sorry! It''s because I never really had any sisters or a girl friend, so when Paul spoke so much about you, I thought you''d be the best sister ever!!" Scarlet smiled from ear to ear. "Sometimes when Paul visits home he would always bring me, and we would watch movies and relax, and I always wished I has a sister like in the movies!" Scarlet explained, talking extremely quickly I could barely make out what she said.

    "Hold on one second? Did u just say Paul visits home? What did u mean by that?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

    "Well it''s very important no one else finds out but I can tell you because Paul said you guys were best friends and we are sisters now! Paul has a special deal with the King of Arcadia which grants him permission to travel back to his world on special occasions, so he would also take me and we would have a blast. I get to meet his family and friends, chill out, shopping, drinks, food and games. Your world is so amazing! I absolutely love it, specially movie and pizza!" Scarlet explained with a giant smile.

    What?! Paul is allowed to go visit home whenever he wants? OMG I might be able to return home or at least tell my family about everything that''s happened. My excitement rose with the possibility of reuniting with my family and friends, but then again he doesn''t even notice me, let alone helping me.

    Scarlet turned around and began leading the way again. "Oh and by the way, you can put your wand on your sash, there should be a slit you can thread it through." Scarlet informed me. Looking down at my sash there was two slits near the middle.

    "Is it okay to have my wand on show like that?" I asked, as I threaded my wand in place, it felt like having a loaded weapon on show.

    "Yeah it''s totally fine. If anything it would deter anyone who would think of doing something to you" Scarlet answered.

    The set of buildings we were walking to look very modern looking compared to the general architecture of Atlantis. The building was made of metal and glass with a very modern cubeish design and tinted windows.

    "Here we are." Scarlet spoke out as we approached a door.

    A small panel opened up revealing a small red circle, which appeared to scan scarlet, "Rank S Scarlet, identified, security level 10." A female robotic voice spoke out, as a door appeared and opened allowing her access.

    "Stay here Emilia! It''s important not to get any closer you might trigger the defence systems." Scarlet warned.

    Scarlet walked in, the door closing behind her and vanishing. This building looks very secretive, with security levels as well, I guess this is must be one of the most important buildings in the School. It suddenly dawned on me that she said earlier this was the engineering department, I wonder if this is where Tim is.

    Several minutes pass when a door appeared and she popped her head out, "sorry it took so long Emilia! I had to sign some documents and persuade a couple students to grant you access." Scarlet apologised and flicked a small coin to me, "catch!" she shouted. Catching the small coin, I could feel that strange feeling inside the coin but it was extremely faint. "This should grant you access." She smiled as she popped back into the door and vanishing again.

    Confidently trusting Scarlet I walked towards the wall, and as expect a door appeared and opened for me. Stepping into the building, the inside went far beyond my imagination. The inside was impossibly large, far larger than the building on the outside! "Scarlet... how is this possible?"... I questioned in wonder.

    "Basically we are in a different dimension at the moment it''s an extremely high level spell." Scarlet explained.

    "Ohhhh I seeˇ­.." I replied, but not quite understanding.

    "Come let''s go" Scarlet smiled.

    The building was filled with people reminded me of a busy train station, as Scarlet lead the way everyone began taking care not to walk to close to her, "So this is the Engineering HQ, basically the heart of the school. Students and Teachers here deal with the very important every day operations of Atlantis. Also this is where students that do high level Artificing will generally conduct their experiments." Scarlet explained.

    "Artificing?" I questioned, I''ve never read or heard about this as all.

    "Artificing is the making of gadgets and mechanical machines, and sometime infusing Arcanum..... hmmm...ˇ­ Oh during examination, do you remember Hanna Grand-master Artificer? She is basically the most famous artificer producing the more advanced and strongest machines and gadgets currently. The golem in the room behind her is personal bodyguard, that one in particular is rumored to be stronger then an S ranked Student, and the school has a small army of mechanized golems and other machines." Scarlet explained.

    "Woah that sounds pretty dangerous." I said worryingly.

    "Ahh it''s alright, Arcadia is pretty neutral when it comes to conflicts for lands." Scarlet explained as we began walking further in. "Come, I want you to meet someone, the last remaining member in our team Ashley, he''s one of the up and coming artificers" Caroline smiled.

    We walked to the middle of the entrance hall, looking up I could see well over 30 floors, each floor identical to the next with a very modern design. The whole building was filled with students and golems and flying machines. There was no sign of lighting, everything seemed to illuminate themselves. "Ashley can we get some help reaching you lab?" Scarlet spoke out, holding a finger to her ear. Blue runes suddenly began slowly appearing under our feet "stay within the runes Emilia we wouldn''t want you missing limbs." She warned, frightened with what scarlet said I straightened my body keeping my hands to my side ensuring I was well within the rune.

    As the runes slowly began connecting, they all glowed with a bright blue flash causing my eyes slam shut, opening my eyes and waving away the smoke the spell expelled, we was in an extremely large room filled with uncountable number of mechanical parts, gadgets, tools and materials. "Scarlet you really need to learn how to get here on your own! You just have to enter room 257!" I heard a male voice speak out from the other side of the room.

    "Yeah, but you know me, I like seeing you inventions at work." Scarlet replied.

    "You lie, you just like annoying me" The male voice spoke back.

    "Okay, I do just a little, but I do enjoy seeing your inventions in action." Scarlet spoke out and began walking to the source of the voice gesturing me to follow. "By the way I brought a friend!" Scarlet added.

    "WHAT?! You know you can''t bring new people here before I vet them! Why can''t u just follow one rule?!" The male voice complained, as we approached the source of the voice became more and more visible. The young man have a very clean cut and tidy hair, but his clothes was dirty I guess from all the tinkering, but the most abnormal thing about him, was that he has a robotic arm.

    "Yes I know but she''s special." Scarlet explained.

    "Doesn''t matter you know everything I do here is secretive and I don''t want anyone trying to steal or copy my experiment!" He responded.

    "But, the girl I have here is Emilia." She added.

    "Wait ''The'' Emilia?" his head shot up to take a look.

    "Yup ''The'' Emilia." She replied.

    Ashley instantly got up dusted off his clothes and began walking towards me, "Hi I''m Ashley part of Paul''s team nice to meet you." He said holding his hand out his robotic arm to shake my hand.

    "Ohh nice to meet you as well." I happily replied, hesitantly shaking his robotic arm.

    "Please take a seat." As he snapped his figures, several huge golems approached carrying chairs and a table placing them on the ground so we could sit, and walked away.

    "Wait so those golems move on their own?" I questioned.

    "Yup making a machine to help around the lab is the first thing most artificers learn to do." Ashley smiled. As they returned with drinking glasses and a jug of water, pouring out water and placing it on the table in front of each of us. "Would u like some food?" Ashley asked.

    "No thank you" I replied.

    "Ohh Ohh does your cooking bot still do those lovely bread rolls?" Scarlet asked.

    "Bread rolls please with butter." He spoke out, and the golems responded by nodding and walking away again.

    "So Ash? What you working on now?" Scarlet questioned with a cheeky smile on her face.

    "A: You know I hate that name and B: after the last incident you know I''ll never be telling you again!" he politely replied.

    I couldn''t help but stare at his mechanical arm, it was quite an engineering feat, that far surpassed technology back in my world, "are u interested in my arm?" he asked kindly.

    "Sorry for staring." I apologized quickly looking up to Ashley''s face.

    "Not at all, I understand it''s a bit abnormal." He added, looking at me very thoroughly, "So you''re Emilia? The one Paul talked so much about!" Ashley asked.

    "I guess soˇ­.. What has he exactly told you about me?" I asked, fidgeting with my hand slightly.

    "Well only good things to be honest, how you guys were great friends, yada yada, he used to miss you a lot, stuff like that. But it''s so great we can finally meet you!" Ashley answered.

    "Well I''m not all that great to be honest." I added with a lower tone looking down at the floor.

    "No one is perfect, but a friend of Paul''s is a friend of ours!" he smiled laying back on his chair relaxing. "You''re family now, so if you need anything please don''t be afraid to ask! But could I ask one thing?" He requested.

    "Sure" I happily replied, picking up the glass and taking a drink

    "Did u love him?" he asked with extreme confidence.

    My heart skipped a beat and almost sprayed out my mouthful of water, "Ummmˇ­-" I nervously spoke but was interrupted by the arrival of the robots again placing plates in front of us and a bowl full of mini fresh bread rolls, and a plate of butter with a knife. "

    "Ash you can''t ask a girl a question like that!" Scarlet spoke out.

    "You can''t? Ahhh I''m so sorry!, I don''t get out much" Ashley apologized.

    The room suddenly letting out a loud siren sound and began glowing amber, "Ohh crap this isn''t good" Ashley shouted.

 10 Amber

    "What''s going on?" I shouted in panic pressing my hands over my ears to dull the sound.

    "Amber means something triggered the perimeter alarms." Ashley shouted.

    Scarlet quickly scoffed down some bread rolls and put some into her pocket, and gave an affirmative nod to. Ashley began tapping on a panel on his robotic arm, and the same runes before began to draw beneath our feet at a much fast rate. The familiar blue flash occurred blinding me. As I regained vision we are now standing in a corner in a large room room filled with computers each with a student stationed at it frantically operating them, there was alsovery large table in the middle projecting a 3d imagine of what I expect to be Atlantis.

    "This is the ops room emelia, so please don''t touch anything." Scarlet instructed.

    A very stern looking woman entered the room walking quickly to the centre of the room.

    "Reports!" she shouted out to everyone in the room.

    "Unknown sources have triggered the furthest deference perimeter, number and identity currently unknown." One student spoke out.

    "Status of all new students and none combat students??? She carried on shouting out.

    "Paul is currently securing them all" another student answered.

    "Where''s Travis and Scarlet?!" she shouted.

    "Travis reporting in currently on route to investigate southern alarm triggers." A voice boomed out from somewhere.

    "Scarlet here awaiting for orders Deputy Headmistress!" she spoke out walking towards the woman.

    "Defense teams getting geared up and heading to checkpoints" another student spoke out.

    "Inner barriers have been breached! At two locations north and south east" a student shouted out.

    "Travis heading south east!" His voice boomed.

    "Paul heading north, Scarlet stay in the ops room, these guys are unbelievably fast!" Paul Instructed.

    His voice filled me with nostalgic feelings, even after so many years just hearing his voice brought back all the memories we shared, and how much I have missed him. This must have been the communicators that Tim spoke about earlier today.

    Several minutes passed with no response just silence, "Travis approaching alarm trigger, nothing to see here!" he reported.

    "Travis head back to the school and await further instructions." The Deputy Headmistress instructed.

    "Copy" Travis replied.

    "Paul here sensing several signatures seven to be exact." Paul reported.

    "Paul fall back you''re heavily outnumbered wait for support!" the Deputy Headmistress instructed.

    "Too late they have already enga..... ....." Paul''s message was interrupted with static.

    Scarlet shot a look to Ashley, which he understood and started to tap on his panel again, assuming he''s using the transportation runes earlier. A female hooded figure slowly rose slowly up from the ground exuding this very strange black glowing aura around her, her face pitch black with blue glowing eyes. Instantaneously Scarlet went on the offensive dashing towards her swinging her fist, some reason her fist passed through her with no effect, all the students seemed to be unaware of the risen threat. The Deputy Headmistress pulled out her wand from her robes and began firing off sparks of light at the assailant, I instinctively tried to back off and look for cover, but my body wasn''t moving.

    She was unfazed by Scarlet''s flurry of punched and kicks and the nonstop barrage of lights being shot at her. She seemed as if she was searching for someone looking around the room very slowly, until her eyes met mine, her posture changed as she began to walk towards me, I tried to run but I was unable to move. Slowly walking closer and closer, I began to panic, trying to call for help but my mouth did not happen.

    A small metallic ball rolled on the floor towards her and opened up unleashing a small blue explosion, the assailant jumped back avoiding the explosion. But Scarlet was clipped by the edge of the explosion, as the smoke cleared, Scarlet now standing between us and the assailant unfazed by the blast while her metal armour letting off sparks of electricity.

    Scarlet drew her large sword from her back and assaulted her with an unnatural speed, the assailant barely being able to keep up with her speed and combat prowess, was cut a few time by her blade, this time miraculously making contact and cutting her. The assailant posture suddenly changed as if she was ready for combat drawing out two pistols.

    It was impressive watching the fight, Scarlet maintaining her offensive pressure while evading any counter shots the assailant took at her, with the assailant equally as fast evading Scarlets attacks and the Deputy Headmistresses constant barrage of lights.

    A red flash appeared as Travis came stepping out a portal firing shots at the assailant catching her by surprise, one shot hit her in the shoulder piercing through leaving a hole. Scarlet taking advantage of the opening sliced off the same arm with one swift swing, her arm fell to the floor strangely the arm slowly fading into dark black glowing particles and eventually disappearing, she did not bleed from her open wound either, what the hell is she? The assailant now heavily outnumbered began to solely avoid Scarlets attacks while letting Travis and the Deputy Headmistresses attacks pass through her. The assailant leapt backwards spinning high into the air unleashing a torrent of dark black glowing daggers enough to fill the whole room. Unable to react, still trying to move with no avail, I just stood there observing my own fate with a flurry daggers flying towards me.

    Scarlet leapt back and began deflecting the daggers with her large sword, it was truly awe-inspiring how Scarlet being so slim and a girl could easily be so agile and swift with her heavy and clunky looking plate armour and a giant sword. In the middle of the motions she manged to also throw her wooden katana to intercept several dagger heading towards some other students near us side. The Deputy Headmistress also turning defensive as she waved her wand in a large circle making a huge blue glowing transparent wall on her half of the room. Travis also attempting to protect himself and the surrounding students began to shoot the projectiles.

    The daggers somehow passed through Scarlets wooden katana as if intangible like the assailant herself and the Deputy Headmistress'' wall, her face in total shock as why these projectiles passes the wall effortlessly and now her and the students she tried to protect defenceless from the oncoming onslaught. Travis''s attempts to shoot the projectiles were also futile as his shots although being on target didn''t have any effect on the projectiles.

    The constant blizzard of daggers proved too much for scarlet as a few managed to get past her now flying straight towards me. Why the hell can I not even move? Sitting here being a spectator to my own fate was infuriating. Ashley suddenly leapt into me holding me close, to shield me from the oncoming daggers. I heard the sickly sound of sharp blades piercing flesh, Ashley letting out a small grunt of pain. Suddenly in an instant the assailant was now standing directly behind Ashely, how did she cover so much distance in an instant? She effortlessly grabbed Ashley with her remaining arm and tossing him aside. "No you don''t!" I head Ashley shout out, as a section of his arm detached itself and letting out a beam of energy.

    "Tch" I heard the hooded figure let out as if annoyed by the hindrance of Ashley''s attack letting it pass through her, as she proceeded to reach her hand towards me, her face was totally obscured, it was pitch black like a void, all I could see was her intense glowing blue eyes. Her hands similarly just as dark slowly opening to grasp me, and Scarlet desperately trying to reach her swinging her blade.

    Several red flash appeared near every student, a strong force pulled me from behind and all the other students through their portals narrowly escapes the assailants grasp, Falling backwards I barely caught a glimpse of Paul walking past me stepping into the fray as the portal closed behind him.

    "What the hell?" one of the students spoke, totally unaware of everything that just happened.

    Screams of pain was let out from several students with open wounds in various locations on their writhing in pain. "WHAT THE F?" A student shouted out!

    Did they not see what I witnessed?..... How could they be totally unaware of everything that just happened? Looking around we were now in the courtyard totally encased in a transparent golden box. The dorm building was similarly encased in the same golden box but much larger, I guess that is when Paul secured the students.

    Two students both female began standing up and heading towards the more critically injured students and their hands began to glow golden yellow as the proceeded to touch the students, miraculously the wounds stopped bleeding and began to slowly seal itself healing without a scar. This must be some sort of holy magic....

    "This.. seemsˇ­ toˇ­ be.. oneˇ­ of.. Paul''sˇ­ barriers." An injured female student spoke taking breaths in-between words clutching her shoulder in pain.

    "Does that mean we was in trouble?" An unharmed female student gasped and spoke.

    "Most likely otherwise we would still be in the ops room, nothing to fear though no one has ever bypassed one of Paul''s barriers". A male student added as he struggled with one arm to sit up against the side of the barrier.

    "Nor has anyone passed the defence barriers, yet someone must have managed to get to the ops room." Another student added.

    In the distance I saw a dark blur appear from the wall near the top of the main castle screamingtowards us, with a red blur bursting out the wall in close pursuit along with several smaller blurs, "What the hell is that? It''s heading straight to us!" someone shouted.

    The blur passed the edge of the barrier effortlessly, everything began to slow down again, and I could now recognise the blur was the assailant heading straight for me with an outstretched hand. I tried to back away but my body didn''t respond again. A recognisable red flash appeared from behind me and another yanking feeling pulling me through. The red portal quickly closed cutting off the assailant hand dropping on the floor and fading away, like the arm Scarlet severed before. Looking through the hole in the wall, the black blur carried on passing through the ground, as the red blur impacted the floor leaving a large crater, and the several smaller blurs started rushing towards us. As the rubble and smoke cleared and settled Scarlet was left in the centre of the crater.

    "F***************" she resoundingly roared, as she punch the ground causing the crafter to deepen and several larger fissure cracked out.

    Paul proceeded to turn around and look at me, "are you okay?" he questioned me softly. As several books slowly floated towards him hovering behind him.

    Stunned by his caring demeanour and voice, I found it really hard to speak, so I just nodded yes.A few seconds past as we stared into each other''s eyes, I could see from his expression he was worried for my wellbeing, maybe he does care after all. He knelt down to inspect me carefully making sure I wasn''t hurt in any way, his hand firmly gliding over me and him looking at me closely made me feel extremely shy and hot, "hmmˇ­. Seems like you''re unscathed." He said with a smile.

    He then proceeded to walk to Ashley kneeling down again, his hands began to glow golden similar to the students before, as he began to hold Ashley''s non robotic arm with left hand, "Thanks bro, hope your fight went better than ours." Ashely spoke out.

    "There was a few but they weren''t too difficult, you did well though, she seemed quite formidable." He smiled. His right arm pointed at the Deputy Headmistress, two of his floating books flew towards the deputy flicking through its own pages again, then flipping around to face her, golden runes began to draw themselves in a circle on the floor around her, and a small golden flash was released seemingly healing the Deputy Headmistress of all her wounds, as she stood up slowly. The books closed themselves and flew back hovering behind Paul again.

    The aftermath of the fight was quite devastating, multiple students were injured including the head mistress and the whole room was covered in holes where the daggers impacted the computer, walls and floor. "Who the hell was the masked assailant, brave enough to hit us head on and willing to fight against two S ranks and myself." The headmistress spoke out.

    "No idea headmistress, but when I manged to subdue my assailants they vaporised into a black smoke for some reason" Paul answered. Scarlet joined us as she arrived through the hole in the wall she made.

    "And who is this girl that the assailant was after?" the Deputy Headmistress asked.

    She''s Emelia a freshman." Scarlet responded.

    "Who would be crazy enough to attack us head on for a freshman? And why is she so important to them?" She questioned everyone.

    "No idea Deputy Headmistress!" Paul replied.

    "Regardless everyone check yourselves into the infirmary, make sure you''re all okay!" she ordered.

    Paul Stood up and nodded, as the familiar red flash occurred again, on the other side of the portal the injured students in the courtyard, "you guys need a lift to the infirmary?" he asked politely. None of them responded with faces of shock, "hmmmm I''ll take your silence as a yes!" he smiled. As he forcibly pulled them through the portal with some unknown magic.

    "Ohh and someone set up a personal guard for this freshman, just as a precaution." The deputy head shouted as she walked out.

    A secondary red portal opened leading to a room with a counter and a student waiting there looking bored. A force then suddenly pushed us through the portal with Ashley closely following. Turning around to see if Paul followed, I managed catching a glance of Scarlet and Paul walking away as the portal quickly closed.

 11 A Small Gif

    "Oh my God what happened??!!" the girl jumped in shock with the sudden arrival of several students, some injured and some with signs of injury. Jumping off her seat opening the door next to her, "through this door." Take a bed I''ll call the doctor. We all made our way inside taking a bed each, the room was extremely large housing over twenty beds each with its own small bedside cupboard. Much to my surprise the walls and floor was made with thick stone slabs, a part of me would have expected it to lead to a more modern hospital design and layout, there were several other doors around the room. I purposely took a bed next to Ashley so I could talk to him more.

    Ashley laid down on the bed, "Great now we gonna double down on security and investigate how so many individual managed to breach our defences so easily, less time to finish my projects and research." He mumbled with a heavy sigh.

    "Thanks for saving me back there by the way, for some reason I couldn''t move..." I replied sitting on the side of the bed facing him. The mattress was extremely firm but had a little give, it was extremely comfortable helping me relax a little.

    "Wait u saw everything that happened?!" He turned to me quickly his eyes wide filled with shock.

    "Yeah it was weird, I could see everything that happening but I couldn''t move at all." I explained to him.

    "Well well well.... you''re full of surprises Emilia quite impressive for a freshman...ˇ­ so lemme explain when in combat we use Arcanum to boost our combat prowess. So from my understanding you was able to perceive everything, but your body isn''t trained enough to be able to utilise Arcanum for movement I assume." Ashley explained.

    "Can I also ask what the strange sensation I get when I hold this wand?" I questioned pointing at my Treant wand.

    "Hmmmm you''re gonna have to explain to me what exactly it is you feel...ˇ­.. Is that a Treant wand??!" He replied, surprised again when he looked at my wand.

    "Yeah, a Treant back at the fields gave it to me...ˇ­.Oh his name was Tenderoot." I explained.

    "Well count yourself extremely lucky, a natural occurring wand although rustic in appearance is far superior to an artificially created wand, they are more or less priceless." He explained, looking back at the ceiling.

    "And the strange feeling happened to me twice so far, once when I held the orb during the examination and secondly when I held the wand, I get this strange new feeling all around us but it feels stronger or denser around other people." I explained.

    "Ohhhhhhh I see now.....what you''re experiencing is Arcanum, and the reason it feels stronger or denser around people, is because everyone absorbs and exudesArcanum naturally, so the stronger the individual the denser the Arcanum, hmmmm you probably would have felt an insane amount around Abbraxsoth his strength is monstrous, enough to earn him his title ''TheDemon''." Ashley carried on explaining while staring at the ceiling.

    "Ohhh thank you! I''m starting to understand everything a bit better now!" I smiled at him.

    "If there''s anything else you can freely ask." He added smiling.

    "Ummmm... Could I ask for a favour?" I hesitantly asked.

    "Sure, but what do I get out of it?" Ashley answered with a grin.

    "Ummmˇ­.. I don''t really have anything to offer...." I quietly replied.

    He chuckled a little, "I was only joking, don''t you remember? We are family now."

    "Ohhh yeahˇ­." I replied scratching my head with one hand awkwardly, "Wellˇ­. Say if I wanted to contact someone in the Fighting Pits... how could I go about it?" I questioned him eagerly hoping his knowledge can help me.

    "Well not much sadly, communicating from the outside is near impossible, letters can''t be sent there, nor can you use ''send message'' spell or scrying to stop spies. I guess you could sneak in a communicator, but I doubt sneaking in a communicator into one of the most heavily guarded and the most dangerous school is a smart moveˇ­." he answered sighing, "I guess you know someone who went thereˇ­.?" He questioned.

    "Yeah I made a friend after the examinations, and she was chosen by the Fighting Pitsˇ­." I explained as sadness washed over me.

    "Yeah.... I understand, sorry there''s not much that we can do, even if sneaking a communicator in was possible, if it was discovered your friend would be tortured endlessly till she reveals who she was in contact with, then either executed or even worse, lobotomized and forced to become a slave, pretty hideous place to be honest. Then on top it could also start a war between our schools." Ashley answered, his smile now turning to a frown, lifting his robotic arm up looking at it.

    Silence ensued as we both began contemplating, Ashley staring deeply into his arm. Closing his fist he threw his arm down, his eyes showing signed of tearing up, filled with a look of despair and intense regret.

    "Something wrong with your arm?" I quietly questioned.

    "Ahhhˇ­ its nothing, just you reminded me of someone I lost long ago." He replied trying to stop himself from crying.

    "Ohhhˇ­ Im so sorry...ˇ­ Sorry..." I replied, laying down on my bed staring into the ceiling.

    Several minutes past as we laid down in silence, wondering how Caroline is doing, everyone describes the Fighting Pits to be a horrible placeˇ­..

    Several small spherical flying machines flew into the room through a door, each going to their own student, I immediately sat up with caution. It had a blue lens on the front with a helicopter rotary system on its top allowing it to fly. "It''s okay they are scanner bots they will check for any internal or external injuries." Ashley said seeing me react to the sight of them. The small robot in front of me began scanning me from top to bottom, then looked at me a smiley face appeared on the blue lens, followed by a zero.

    "I guess this means there''s nothing wrong?" I questioned Ashley.

    "Yup means you''re perfectly fine" He answered, as he began to stand up, shall we head out together?" he asked.

    "Sureˇ­.. my tour was interrupted so I''m kinda lost right now...." I replied.

    "Well we actually in the main building, 2nd floor." Ashley added as we walked out the infirmary, waving goodbye to the student at the counter. "Want me to call Scarlet?" he asked.

    "Umm I''m not sure... she seemed busy with Paul." I hesitantly said also waving good bye at the student behind the counter.

    "Well this building isn''t very interesting, this building is mainly used for lessons, infirmary and the dining hall for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, with the upper levels being the ops room." He said as we walked down extremely large hall ways.

    "So what is there to do in the spare time?" I asked.

    "Well it''s up to you really, have fun with friends, practice magic, sparring and training, anything really. So what I always do in my spare time, is teaching and experimenting Artificing with Paul as well as doing my personal projects". He answered.

    We came to a door which lead to a winding staircase leading up to multiple floors and down to the ground floor. "How is Paul doing? I haven''t met him in so long!" I questioned him.

    "He''s doing really well for himself, he''s pretty well off, and he''s a highly sought after body guard as well as doing extremely high paying bounties. He also very adept at many forms of magic." He answered.

    "How about Scarlet? They seem pretty close?" I questioned.... Secretly hoping they aren''t together.

    "She''s always with Paul because when Paul defeated the Black Dragonhe also saved Scarlet in the process, so she guards over him." Ashley answered.

    "A black draon? What are dragons like?....." I inquired extremely curious and excited to hear they exist.

    "Well dragons are almost extinct now, but if you ever encounter one, you better prey they spare you. Dragons are almost immune to all forms of magic, their scales are near impenetrable, not including their natural affinity to magic and their huge size and strength. No one know how Paul manged to kill the black dragon, but everyone knows Paul entered its lair and now it''s no longer there." Ashley said.

    "Wow.....So...what are those books that float around him?" I asked.

    "That''s his signature spell, he has seven books that he can utilize that each can cast spells on their own, that Paul controls mentally." Ashley explained.

    We now exited the main building coming back at the courtyard with the large world tree, "so all that''s left is the colosseum and the simulation building." He said pointing at two buildings in the distance. "The colosseum is where all student vs student duels are held, so students can rise up combat ranks, and the simulation building, is where people can go to simulate anything they want, from combat scenarios to relaxing walks in forests." He explained.

    The Courtyard was now bustling with life, full of students talking in groups and walking from building to building. There didn''t seem to be a uniform but everyone had a school crest on them. "

    "So if I missed home could I could I simulate a scenario of me at home?" I asked cautiously.

    "You could, the machine will scan your memories and will represent your family, Friends, actions and personality as closely as possible, but id advise not to do it. You don''t want to get attached to something that''s..... Not realˇ­... if you understand what I''m trying to say." he began explaining while beginning to head to the Engineering department. "Follow me I have something special to give you." He turned and smiled at me.

    "I understand...ˇ­ do you have family you miss?" I hesitantly asked walking alongside with him.

    "Yeah, a long time ago.... But they died when I was young, my child hood wasn''t... pretty. I''ve been pretty lucky to be honest.".... Ashley answered looking into the sky."

    "If you ever need to talk to someone about it I''m always open to talk to." I replied smiling.

    "Thanks, that means a lot to me." He smiled back at me.

    We walked in silence for several minutes, the setting sun lit up the sky beautifully the clouds reflecting the sunlight making them illuminate yellow in the fading orange sky. As we approached the building Ashley began to tap on his panel. I stopped a good distance from the building remembering Scarlets warning she gave me earlier today. "It''s okay I''ve already added you to my Dev team, so you can now freely enter the building if you want, but don''t go exploring!" He warned.

    "Ohhhh okay sure, but how do I know which room is yours." I questioned.

    "Hmmmˇ­. Good pointˇ­. Well don''t tell Scarlet this but I''ll do something special for you." He smiled.

    We entered the building and began walking to a clear area, the building was notably busier, with a lot of more chatter. Ashley began tapping on his panel and runes began to draw themselves on the floor again teleporting us to his lab. "Righto take a seat" as he pointed out at the seats that we were sat on before. He began rummaging through things taking different small parts from different shelves and placing them on a large table near me.

    "So what is it you''re trying to do?" I asked out of curiosity.

    "That is the surprise." He replied full focused on what he was trying to do, as he went to another shelf to grab some apparatus''. As he began to work on the small object, using various tools, I couldn''t really see what was happening, except he was grabbing small parts and fusing them into another.

    Looking around I could see several golems standing dormant, and an uncompleted one, this one looked far different, a lot thinner and closer resembles a human body. "Is that your current project?" I asked pointing at it in the distance.

    He looked up at me then at the direction I was pointing at. "Ohhh that? yeah currently is, it''s a battle suit I''ve been designing for a while now to help me in combat, Paul keeps telling me there''s no need I just need to keep training, but I love to research and develop things." He answered as he went back to work.

    "Ohhh wow that sounds pretty cool!" I replied

    "Sadly it''s nowhere near functional at the, so I have a long way to go. The recent attack doesn''t help either, they will be doubling shifts for defence patrol and have the school monstered 24/7 for a while instead of using alarms and triggers, it''s gonna be a pain in the ass." He added, while still working.

    Several minutes passed as he diligently worked on whatever he was making. "Almost done", as he stood back a little. He began typing on his robotic arm, as the tips of its fingers began to glow, pointing at the table he let off a small beam, hitting the object causing it to spark to life with a very faint blue glow. "Now we''re done!" he looked at me with excitement and walked to the table picking it up and showing me, "This Emilia! Is your very own personal communicator, as well as a personal teleporter to my Lab! And the last function I''ll let you test it out!" He explained with an extremely large smile, being extremely proud of himself. As he pulled up one of my hands and placed it in my palm.

    The badge faintly humming with energy, I could feel very faint levels of Arcanum inside it, "does it absorb Arcanum for its energy source?" I asked with curiously.

    "Yes but at very small amounts so nothing crazy can happen." He smiled.

    "So this tiny badge can do all that?" I asked in surprise.

    "Yup so much can be achieved through Artificing it''s amazing, and best yet it''s in the shape of our school crest so you can wear it where ever you go!" He beamed.

    "And I saved the best till last! You''ll thank me for this later! Give the centre button a short tap followed by a long hold!" he instructed with pure excitement.

 12 Chance Meeting

    Following Ashley''s instructions, I closed my eye and hesitantly tap and held the central button, I felt my body charged with Arcanum as it surged through the badge into me, the hairs on my body and my hair began to stand on end.A resounding thunderous boom echoed in my ears, as a faint blue flash beamed through my closed eyes, feeling normal again I hesitantly opened one eye waving away the faint smoke produced to get a clearer view of where I am.

    The badge transported me at the end of a well-lit hall way with several torches, the stones walls and floor made of beautiful flawless white marble, behind me and in the distance in front two large heavy looking wooden door with three smaller wooden doors going along the side of the hallway and windows on the other side letting it the orange sunset. A small thunderous boom echoed the hallways as I turned to see blue runes on the floor fading as Ashley stepped out the smoke smiling from ear to ear.

    "THIS is the S Ranked Dorms!" He explained with excitement and a gigantic smile.

    One of the large doors at the end of the hallways creaked open I turned to see Travis coming through with two female students his muscular arms wrapped around the back of their shoulders, laughing and giggling as, he lead them to the smaller door at the end of the hallway. As he opened the door letting the girls enter ahead of him, he turned to me and gave me a wink, he didn''t even try and hide it. His confidence and boldness was extremely hypnotizing, without realizing I began smiling back at him, my gaze fixated on his eyes, biting my lip slightly and straightening my body more than usual. My whole body burning up an overwhelming desire to approach him, aching for his touch. When he broke his gaze as he turned to the girls with a devilish smile walking in slamming the door shut.

    "You okay?" Ashely questioned.

    "Huh? ....What? Yeah I''m okay" As I quickly snapped back to normal barely being able reply with my parched throat my voice quivering ever so slightly.

    "Ummmˇ­.. Okay...." Ashely hesitantly replied looking at me with raised eyebrows with an expression of confusion and curiosity. As he walked passed me towards the central smaller door. "Come lets go we regularly chill out at Pauls room and have fun and food." As he lead the way.

    I froze in shock, "ˇ­.ummˇ­ ummmm I don''t think that''s such a good idea." I quietly said to Ashley, my body filled with nervousness, although every part of me wanted to meet him again, I wasn''t quite sure how he would react.

    "Nonsense you and Paul are best friends" Ashley replied ignoring what I said.

    "No you don''t understand...ˇ­ there''s a reason we haven''t seen each other in years...." I tried to explain myself without revealing too much.

    "Yeah because he was forced to come hereˇ­.." Ashley answered me.

    "Not exactly ˇ­.. We hurt each other really badly a long time ago....." I quietly explained looking down, trying to hide my face.

    "Look every friendships have their ups and downs, look at me and Scarlet she drives me up the wall, but even then when things get serious I know I can trust her." He explained.

    "Noˇ­ Noˇ­ I just can''t, can you show me to my dorm please?" I pleaded to him.

    He paused a little, loooking slightly confused at me "okay sure no worries, I''ll show you the way." As he began walking towards the giant door behind me. "You know he doesn''t hold grudges and he forgives people easily.... You know that right?" He added when he walked past me.

    "I know...ˇ­ I just think it''s a problem with meˇ­.." I quietly repliedˇ­. Almost in tears.

    "I''m so sorry I didn''t knowˇ­.. I thought you was gonna be excited to see him ˇ­." He tried to explain his actions.

    "It''s okay... I know you meant wellˇ­.." I replied quietly and following closely behind him.

    Ashley opened the large door, surprisingly with little effort. "Normal student dorms are one level below. Normally this level is off limits because S rank students are famous, so it''s to stop any disturbances. The floors above us is where you will find the teachers'' lounge and rooms, their offices are located in the main building though." Ashley exdplained turning his head to look at me.

    "Hello Senior Engineer Ashley!" a female voice spoke out from the direction of the opened door.

    Ashley turned his head to face the source of the voice, "Ohhh Hello Princess Calista, it''s been a long time." He replied.

    My body began feeling even more dreadful as I silently shuffled behind Ashley to try and avoid her vision. She was the last person I wanted to see, especially at this moment in time.

    "It truly has, been nearly 2 years I think." She replied.

    "Sounds about right, so what brings you up here?" Ashley politely asked.

    "Ohhhhh I have a date with Paul tonight." Her voices beamed making no attempt to hide her excitement.

    "Really? That doesn''t sound like him." Ashely replied sounding extremely confused.

    She chuckled slightly as Ashley''s response, "Ohh who''s that behind you?" she questioned.

    "Ohh this is my old friend Emilia." He responded stepping aside to reveal me.

    My heart sank, why I stupidly thought I could hide from her. "Hi nice to meet you." I lifted my head to look at her, pretending it was the first time I''ve seen her.

    "Hi nice to meet you too, I''m Calista Princess of Arcadia." She replied recognizing me causing her expression to change ever so slightly, holding out her hand.

    Not wanting to look rude I held my hand out to shake hers. She gripped my hand strongly purposely applying pressure to hurt my hand, realizing my hand after a few shakes. "So Emilia what brings you here?" She asked.

    "No special reason just showing her around." Ashley answered.

    "Well it was nice to see you again after so long Ashley! And nice to meet you too Emilia. I should get going I don''t wanna be late." She smiled and waved as she began walking towards the middle smaller door.

    Ashley carried on walking through the large door, I followed him closely but looking behind to watch Calista, she knocked on the door and not long after the door opened as she walked in. a sinking feeling washed over me, I know we haven''t been together or even contacted each other for over 5 years, but a part of me felt heartbroken. "Do you think she actually has a date with Paul?" I asked quietly.

    "Hmmmmˇ­.. I''m extremely doubtful, all the years I''ve known him he hasn''t showed any romantic feelings or relations with someone." Ashley answered, his answer made me feel a little better, but even then he was unsure. "You know we can always turn around and see what''s going onˇ­.. "He added as we carried on walking.

    "No.... It''s okayˇ­." I replied, I think I am the last person he would want to see.

    "Hmmm let me seeˇ­.." as Ashley began tapping on his arm, "looks like if you''re on the fifth floor" he said, as we walked down a series of stairs, "so S ranks are on the 8th floor, so yours would be three floors down." As we began walking down the series of stairs.

    "By the way, I don''t have any other spare clothes and stuff, what can I do?" I asked Ashley curiously.

    "Well tomorrow all freshmen will be taken to the local city, where u can buy clothes and supplies." Ashley answered.

    "Ummm, what if I don''t have any.... Money?" I quietly asked.

    "Hmmmm that''s a rather tiny problem..." He replied, thinking to himself as we carried on walking down flights of stairs, "Don''t worry about it, we will sort out something for you tomorrow." He turned to me with a smile.

    "Okayˇ­.. Thank you I guessˇ­.. Why with all the secrecy though?" I asked.

    "I don''t know, I just love surprises." He laughed, "here we are." As we arrived at a large wooden door that he opened. We arrived at a similar hallway, but this hallway was littered with doors on both sides, totaling to over fifty doors in close proximity. "Hmm I assume your room is where those two students are." Ashley said, as we walked to the two students in the distance. "I assume they are the guards stationed to watch over you till we think it''s safe." He added as we walked towards them.

    The two guards wore a black suit, with a glowing blue rifle on their back and one glowing blue pistol on their side, wearing a helmet with a pitch black visor so we couldn''t see their faces. "Hi" Ashley shouted towards them, they turned to salute him. "I guess you''re stationed to watch over Emilia?" he questioned, they both nodded yes. "Okay so here''s the deal Emilia here is a VIP, very close friends to Me, Scarlet and Paul. So if anything happens to her we would hold you both responsible, and call us if there is any trouble." He said to them, they both nodded again and assumed their previous position.

    "Let''s go." As Ashley opened the door "Madam I present to you, your new home!" he gestured taking a bow, allowing me to enter. Similar to the engineering building, my room was surprisingly big, despite the doors being extremely close.

    "Same type of building like the Engineering Building?" I questioned.

    "Yup, similar spell" Ashley answered smiling.

    The room was very bare, simple marble walls and floor, with a few bits of furniture and a large double bed.

    "You have a fully functional bathroom here." Ashley said opening a door in the side of the room, looking in, it was surprising that the bathroom was relatively modern compared to the rest of the room''s decor, there was a large bath with a separate shower and a sink with a toilet. "This room is yours, so if you want to decorate it to make it more homely feel free. And if there are any additional rooms you may need, let me know and I''ll see what I can do." He smiled at me. "The weekly laundry is collected at the start of the week, and will appear in your cupboard the following day, just dump your dirty clothes in that basket." He pointed at the basket in the corner. "Also when you''re free give the badge a double tap, and meet me at my lab ill add a function to allow you to teleport straight here." Ashley added.

    Resounding strong knocks suddenly came from the front door, "Ummmˇ­. Miss Patel, there''s someone here bearing gifts." Someone from outside the door shouted.

    I looked at Ashley with complete confusion, and he looked back at me equally as confused. "Ummmm ask them to leave it with you or at the door." Ashley shouted back.

    "Okay" the same voice shouted back.

    Ashley pointed to me to stand behind a wall as he walked to the door opening it, I assume to collect the gifts. Hearing the door close, I peeped out my hiding spot, to see Ashley holding a large stack of books. "Well this is a strange giftˇ­" He put the stack of books on a nearby table. "First we should see if there''s any traps in these gifts." He said holding his arm out to stop me approaching, so what I want you to do is pull your wand, and see if you can feel any Arcanum coalescing around the books, if they have been tampered with magically you should be able to sense faint traces of Arcanum.

    I proceeded as instructed pulling out my wand, and I began feeling Arcanum surge through me into my wand, closing my eyes I couldn''t sense any Arcanum around the book, but oddly sensing Arcanum on every piece of furniture in this roomˇ­.. "I don''t sense anything from the books" I said to Ashley.

    "That''s good, I didn''t sense anything either but it was good to practice, and eventually you wouldn''t need to use the wand." Ashley explained, lowering his arm allowing me to look at the books.

    Looking through the books, filled with excitement, reading happened to be one of my favourite pastimes. I began feeling happy excited to dive into the books.

    One book in particular stood out, it was a first edition Harry Potter book which happened to be my favorite series opening the pages to inspect the book, there was a short message written on the bottom of the front page addressed to me.

 13 Fresh Air

    Chapter 13

    ''Merry Christmas, I know we agreed not to get each other something but I couldn''t resist. Hope you like it. Love Paul'' the message read.My body filled with nausea, did Paul get this got me?

    "Hmmmm interestingˇ­. These all seem to be books from the library" Ashley said picking up one of the other books reading them. "Hmm they all seem to be books based on stories." He added reading the back of the book. "Seems like an odd gift if u ask me..." He said looking at me. Flipping through the pages and began reading deeper into the book, "hey look.... they are writing about krakens, we have those here!" He added closing the book putting it back on the pile.

    I looked at him in disbelief, as if what he said was witchcraft ....."You''re telling me Krakens are an actual thing here?!" I replied tossing my book back on the pile.

    "Yeah... you know.. giant sea monster with multiple arms that annihilates fleets... but they are pretty rare, there are far more dangerous and numerous monsters you could come across at sea to be honest." Ashely added.

    "Hmmm do you know what the time is?, I''m feeling a little tired." I asked Ashley.

    "Yeah it''s getting late its around 9pm..... I guess we should call it a night. The guards outside will be on watch over night, so you should be safe, also Paul should be on patrol around the school, so nothing to worry about." He smiled.

    "What time would I need to wake up tomorrow? So I''m not late for the tripˇ­.." I asked.

    "Should be around 8am. The guards or a teacher will make sure every freshman is present before they set off." He smiled.

    "That''s a relief, I guess this is goodnight then." I smiled.

    "Goodnight Emilia, anything happens tap the small button at the bottom of the badge, it''s a panic button, it will let us all know you are in troubleˇ­.." Ashley said as he began walking out the room, "Ohh and your room number is 509 by the way." He added as he opened the door to walk out, "Good night" He said one last time waving as he exited closing the door.

    The silence felt strange, for the first time today I was left on my own, picking up the book I looked at the message again, ''it''s too much of a coincidence this must have been from Paul, maybe he doesn''t hate me as much as I thoughtˇ­.'', I decided to hide the book under the mattress, the last thing I want is people finding out and getting the wrong idea, reading the message one last time before I put it away. I walked to the wardrobe to pick up my change of clothes and a towel, and walked into the bathroom, taking a look at myself in the mirrors, "Urghh" they could have at least brought my makeup with me." I spoke to myself. Turning on the taps on the bath, it was a relief that there was hot water, at least I can enjoy a nice hot bath. Undressing myself and folding my clothes leaving it in a neat pile, i slowly slid into the hot bath it was extremely relaxing, soaking in the hot water and the calming atmosphere, instantly putting me in a state of relaxation, this is exactly what I needed to end this crazy day.

    Feeling thoroughly relaxed I dried myself, the pajamas consisted of a plain large T-shirt and shorts simple but extremely comfortable maybe made from cotton, it felt disgusting using the same underwear for a 2nd day but I had nothing else to wear, I defiantly will need to buy more. Exiting the bathroom, I noticed that there were no windows it felt oddly suffocating, ''maybe I should ask Ashley for a window, see if he can do that for me''. As I laid in the bed staring at the ceiling, I couldn''t help but wonder what my family was doing right now, what they must be feeling. The only way for me to get back home is to ask Paul. meaning I''ll have to eventually meet him for the first time in years, and ask him for a favor which he I doubt he will be willing to do at the risk of his own life.

    Closing my eye trying to sleep, tossing and turning endlessly only exacerbated my restlessness, to the point it was even frustrating to lie down. ''Maybe I need to get some fresh air'' as I made my way to the door, upon opening the door the two guards instantly turned around, "is something wrong Miss?" one asked.

    "Everything is fine, I just wanted to get some fresh air." I replied.

    "Miss we can''t let you do that, its too dangerous." The same guard said.

    "Look I''ll be gone for only a little bit. I''ll be back soon you wont even know i was gone" I tried to reason which them taking a step out.

    Holding his hand out, "Miss I can''t let you go." He insisted.

    "Okay Okay" I pretended to agree, "Look all I''m gonna say is, you know I''m friends with a lot of highly ranked students if you scratch my back I will scratch yours." I offered.

    They both looked at each other, gestured to me to stand back and closed the door. A few seconds past when the door opened again, "we will give you 10mins, if you''re not back by then, we will drag you back ourselves." The other spoke out.

    "Promise id be back by then." I replied smiling, rushing out the room down the stairs Ashley took me to earlier. Hastily walking down I made my way to the entrance of the building. Through the doors I could see the starry sky and a bright full moon, bursting through the doors the world welcomed me with a relaxing cool breeze, it was still rather warm despite the time of day. The world tree look even more beautiful, its rainbow hue creating a small beautiful light show within its vicinity. The school felt very different in the night, dark and silent but the moon making just enough light to make it slightly visible. The sounds of crickets could also be heard in the distance, and the hooting of owls. Walking around a bit I picked a bench to sit on, looking into the stars I imagined stories in my head, where I was having grand adventures like those I''ve read in books.

    Losing track of time, it felt like I was out for way longer then the guards allowed me, in the darkness I could see two silhouettes approaching me, when suddenly it seemed they were sucked into the ground disappearing, I stood up to take a better look at what happened, when multiple flying projectiles narrowly missed me, I froze in a panic as a bright blue object flew towards me levitating a meter away in-front of me.

    "If you make a move, it will be your last." I heard a familiar voice in the darkness. A hooded silhouette slowly appeared from the darkness.

    In a panic, I quickly tapped the button on the bottom of my badge. "Now why couldn''t you just follow as instructed" the voice spoke out, as several vines burst forth from the ground attempting to constricting me, I tried to fight it trying to break free, but the sheer number and strength was overwhelming, constricting me so tightly causing me to fall hard on the ground like a plank of wood. "Shit!" He spoke out as he held a hand to his ear "Ashley where is she?!" He yelled.

    Finally recognizing his voice "PAUL?!" I screamed to the dark figure.

    "Oh Shit False alarm Ashley." As he lowered his hands and the vines releasing their grip slowly receding back into the ground.

    "Emilia?" He spoke out walking towards me.

    "Yeah...it''s me" I hesitantly replied, I never imagined our first time meeting after so long to play out like this.

    "What are you doing outside?! Where are your guards that was meant to be watching over you!" he yelled at me. "There is a curfew for a reason! Especially after an attack!" He yelled with a very serious tone.

    "I''m sorry... I didn''t know, I just wanted to get some fresh air" I replied as I helped myself up.

    "Where are your guards?" He asked.

    "I dunno they was over there" as I pointed in the direction where I saw the two silhouettes'' get sucked into the ground, "they got sucked into the ground over that direction." I replied dusting myself off rubbing my elbow that was still in pain from the impact.

    "OHHH F" Paul reacted,turning to their direction as the 2 silhouettes rose from the ground.

    The two silhouettes instantaneously drew their weapons and began firing at Paul. "Stop" I yelled but I was too late, barrages of light came screaming out their weapons directed at Paul. When suddenly a large stone wall rose up in-front shielding him from the oncoming fire. The immense amount of rubble and dust being released from the impacts caused me to back off turning my face and shielding my eyes and mouth with my hands in a panic.

    When the sounds of fire eventually stopped and the small bits of rubble settled, I looked to see if Paul was okay. "PAUL?!" I screamed.

    "I''m okay" he replied calmly as he walked to the guards.

    It was hard to see what happened but it seemed as if they were restrained by vines similar to how I was, completely immobilized and also holding their weaponry out of reach.

    The vines began receding into the ground, "stand down, it''s Paul the Black Dragon Slayer." Releasing them allowing them to regain movement.

    They both immediately dropped on their knee''s taking off their helmets "we are so sorry Paul we didn''t know!" begging Paul for forgiveness.

    Paul quickly helped them up from their knees "Please I should be thanking you two for doing your roles, you both acted valiantly and courageously." He replied to them.

    "Thank you Sir" They responded saluting.

    "I''ll take care of your remaining shift, you two go get some rest" he said, passing their weapons back to them.

    "Thank you Sir, so sorry for opening up fire on you!" they apologized one last time before walking away disappearing into the darkness.

    "Emilia! You okay?" He spoke out walking towards me.

    "Yeah I''m......" I suddenly began feeling woozy, as I felt a warm trickle of liquid down the side of my head, touching the side of my head to see what is was, red liquid stained my fingertips... as I saw myself falling to the ground. With a fading vision of Paul instantaneously appearing in front kneeling down yelling at me but I couldn''t hear anything, raising my hand to his face. "Help" I tried to scream.

 14 Complicated Love

    A sharp pain in my head caused abruptly woke me up, it felt like a sharp knife was stabbing me over and over, ''what happened to me?'' I spoke out as I attempted to sit up,

    "Careful, you received a pretty hard hit in the head last night" I heard a familiar voice speak out to me, as I felt two strong hands gently help me up.

    Looking up, I see that it was Paul helping me, "what happened?" I questioned him.

    "You took quite a hard hit on the head yesterday and fell unconscious... You had me really worried! You was out for hours!" he answered his face unfurrowed, "Thank God you''re finally awake" he said as his hand reached out to me lifting my chin and kissing me tenderly on my lips, my eyes shot open. I was completely speechless, my brain now total ignoring my stabbing headache. "Breakfast should be finished soon" he smiled as he walked into a room.

    Taking a better look around, the room was extremely large room, surprisingly there was a TV with sofas and bean bags, a small table surrounded with three chairs, several doors. "Ummmm..... where are we?" I Shouted to Paul.

    "Ohhhˇ­. you''re in my Room of course! Don''t you remember?" Paul shouted back.

    "Ummmmmˇ­. Not really what happened, why am I here?" I shouted back.

    "A chunk of rock struck you in the head really badly! And you fell unconscious from blood loss, but you should be okay now, I healed your wounds" he shouted back.

    Paul walked out with a breakfast tray opening it''s legs and placing it on top of my lap. I looked up to him, his kind eyes clearly worried about me, he looked back into my eyes and smiled, as he sat next to me and went to hold my hand with both is hands, "You''re alright now." He said to me gently kissing me on the fore head.

    ...ˇ­ I wanted to ask if he was stuck in the head as well but words wouldn''t come out.

    "Hope you''re hungry I made you Eggs Florentine, I know it''s been over 5 years but I still hope it was your favorite" he smiled as he began walking back to the kitchen.

    Fiddling with the duvet I noticed my clothes were changed, a smooth black silk night dress now clothed my body. "Ummmˇ­. Did you change my clothes?" I shouted in a panic.

    Stepping out with a plate of food and a knife and fork, "Ohh.. Yeahˇ­ Your clothes were drenched in blood so I had to give you a change of clothes." He answered smiling, placing the Eggs Florentine onto the table. I let out a large gasp, "I know I shouldn''t have, but I had no other choice and it''s not my first time seeing you naked." He added and walked back into the kitchen.

    He then walked out with a bottle of orange juice and a glass, "now I wasn''t quite sure what you liked to drink for breakfast so I got some orange juice" he said smiling. Pouring out a glass and placing it on the table and leaving the bottle on the bed side.

    He sat next to me for a few seconds looking into my eyes, "you okay, you''re acting strangeˇ­.." he asked me quietly.

    ''I''m acting strange? You''re the one acting strangely here! I don''t even understand why you''re behaving like this!!!'' He began picking up the cutlery and cut a piece of the food, making sure to pick up a bit of everything, and began feeding me. I subconsciously opened my mouth to accepting the fork of food, my mind still too stunned to even think about the taste of the food.

    "Is it good?" He asked smiling. I slowly nodded yes, "That''s great! It took be so long before I was confident enough to cook for someone else." He replied putting down the fork and plant a strong kiss on my lips again, this time lingering a little longer on my lips. Before he stopped and walked back to the kitchen again.

    ''Nope.... This is too weird! I need to get out of here!'' I decided lifting the table silently placing it beside me so I could leave the bed, I silently stood up struggling to keep balance as the stabbing headache came rushing back to me. I slowly staggered to the door trying to maintain my balance, finally making it to the door knob, I felt a firm hand gently grip my hip from behind.

    "Are you leaving?" Paul quietly asked me.

    "Yeah.... I need to ˇ­. goˇ­. to thatˇ­ thing todayˇ­.." I replied in a panic.

    "I don''t think you''ve full recovered yet" He said in a soft caring tone.

    "Noˇ­.. I need toˇ­. goˇ­.I don''t wanna be late" I replied putting my hand on his trying to gently push his hands off my hip.

    Using his other hand he gently turned me to look at him. His face frowned. "Please stay, I''m worried for you?" he pleaded.

    "I need to go to that trip to get supplies." As my mind remembered the reason for the trip today.

    .

    "Don''t...ˇ­ go...ˇ­.. I really miss you." He begged.

    "We can''t do this again Paul, we broke up a long time ago." I replied.

    He let go of my hip staggering back as if a thousand daggers just stabbed him, His body filled with defeat and despair. Seeing his reaction I instinctively rushed to hug him, squeezing him tightly. I felt the welling up of tears in my eyes as I hugged him tightly, ''why am I starting to cry?''

    "I''ve missed this the most." He quietly whispered wrapping his arms around me.

    I could feel his heart thumping loudly and quickly. ''Even after everything he still feels the same?'' Tear began to slowly run out my eyes. "I''m so sorry." I mumbled into his clothes wiping my tears on his shirt.

    "Don''t cry...ˇ­.. I still can''t forgive myself for what I did to you last time." He said gripping me tighter. "I know I hurt you, but what can I do to fix everything?" he pleaded with me.

    I remembered now......ˇ­ back when we broke up, I used our fight as an excuses to break up because my parents would never accept him but I never had the heart to tell him, because I wanted him to truly move on from me...ˇ­ I couldn''t give him the future he wanted. "I''m so sorry" I mumbled into his shirt wiping away the tears again.

    "Rememberˇ­.. I said you never need to apologies to me" he replied to my apology.

    "You''re insufferable, you know that right? I feel like such a bitch for everything that happened, and even worse I know our friends do as well" I said.

    "It''s okay, they don''tˇ­. I explained to them the whole story why we broke up. So they know It was my fault. It was all my fault you wasn''t wrong here." He replied to me.

    I looked up at him, a smile crept on his face. "You know I missed you for a long time hoping one day you''d message me....." I said to him and began burying my face into him again.

    "Not really...I still remember that evening I tried to see you without your permission after work, but you didn''t want to talk backing away from me every step I tried to take closer to you, as you hid behind your friend with that face of utter disgust and hate as you both walked away, and your message telling me to never ever contact you again as you blocked my number, so I waited for you to unblock me as that will be a sign you''re ready to talk to me again." He replied.

    I began sobbing into him, ''wow I am the worst person in the world, all this time I made you hate yourself because I wasn''t able to tell you the truthˇ­.." I felt him pull away from me slightly and bent down slightly lifting my arms over his shoulders one by one, I gripped him tightly burying my face between his neck and shoulders. Lifting me up I instinctively wrapped by legs around him to hold on tightly, one of his arms supporting me from underneath and other around my back holding tightly to his body as we moved back to the bed where he sat down, my legs releasing him resting on my knees beside him on the bed.

    His hands gripped my sides gently trying to persuade me to release a little, but I gripped him harder driving our bodies deeper into each other. He released his hands from my sides and wrapped them around me holding me tightly. We sat in silence for several minutes, his smell and warmth made nostalgic feelings and memories rush back into me. I began remembering how much we loved each other, all the times we walked the streets holding each other hands, all the kisses wrapped in each other''s arms and how he would always reply to me after months of ignoring him or telling him to leave me alone during university. Lifting my head away from him looking into his eyes, I closed my eyes leaning in to kiss him opening my mouth a little to let my tongue graze his lips. He pulled back his eyes widened looking into my desperate sorrowful eyes, he closed his eyes and locked lips with mine our tongues and lips gleefully meeting a long lost love again.

 15 5+ Years Overdue

    (WARNING/DISCLAIMER THIS CHAPTER ISN''T SUITABLE FOR YOUNG READERS.)

    "Iˇ­. Loveˇ­. Youˇ­.." he whispered between kisses. Ours body locked into each other, slipping my hands under the back of his shirt, gently caressing his back. I felt his hands run through my hair, gripping gently by the roots pulling my head away from him, looking deeply into my eyes, I turned away a little a hint of hesitation and doubt slipped into my mind my hands slowly releasing him.

    I felt his gently breathing along my neck, "No...-"I tried to whisper to him but I was interrupted by his gentle kissing on my neck sending gentle hums of pleasure through my body, "-Noˇ­ Noˇ­. Weˇ­ shouldn''t...." I tried to plead with him unable to resist his advance, my body melting back into his arms, my legs wrapping around his body clamping tightly to his abs, one hand left his back gripping the hairs on the back of his head and began driving him deeper into my neck, I didn''t want him to stop.

    I dug my nails deeply into his back as I felt myself slowly but inevitably losing control of my mind and body. He let out a small grunt, his arm around my back held me tightly, retaliating with a bite on my neck, I bit my lip holding in the pain. A stronger more intense pleasure blasted through my neck, the bite making it super sensitive, his kisses and the caressing of his tongue penetrated deeper into my body sending me into an euphoric trance. My body surrendering to his every whim.

    My head now fully under his control, he released my head gripping my hip tightly, turning us towards the bed, with him on top he thrust his hips down on top of me firmly sandwiching my body to the bed. Fighting my body I barely managed to pull his mouth away from my neck, biting me gently in resistance, forcing his lips to stop exploiting my neck. Looking deeply into his eyes, his carnal desire radiating form his eyes was intoxicating.

    Surrendering to me own ravenous desires the hesitation and doubt flew away, barely being able to contain ourselves we thrust our lips into each other kissing passionately and vigorously, our sexual desire for each other dictating every part of our bodies. My hips began rocking back and forth to which his hips began to also replicate. I could feel his fully erect groin desperately wanting to thrust deeply into me.

    One of his hands began feeling its way under my night dress slowly creeping up my night dress, slowly feeling his way up my breasts, his initial graze against my aroused peaks sent a small jolt of pressure throughout my body, finding his treasure he began rubbing it with his thumb sending jolts upon jolts of pleasure surging through my body causing me to moan loudly gasping for air. I kept getting distracted by the occasional chaffing of my clothes on my other erect tip, so I tried to take off my night dress without interrupting him. Slowly I edged my top to the bottom of my neck between motions, only to make things worse his shirt equally as distracting offset slightly by the feeling of his muscles and body heat.

    My frustration rapidly growing I released his head sliding my hand over his shoulders slowly pulling up his shirt, the feel of his emerging skin and muscles against me made my appetite for him more ravenous, my other hand began to help shuffling his shirt higher and higher. My body eagerly begging for the feel of his skin and sweat, until suddenly he released my body with both his hands and grasping my wrists. He looked at me with an extremely devilish smile, as he forced my hands together and pinning them down with one hand. The other hand quickly grabbing the night dress and stripping it off over my head and arms throwing it aside and sat up.

    He greedily and selfishly took in every inch of my almost naked body giving me nothing in return as he pulled down his shirt to cover himself, he calmed down from his desires, I could see in his eyes how much he longed to see my naked body again, relishing every second he could. His hands gently caressing my inner thighs, making them release him in pleasure. He began feeling his way slowly up my body feeling every inch of skin on my body, eventually reaching my breasts as he began caressing them gently slowly circling their way to the peak. I slapped his hands away just before he could touch them, denying him of his bounty without appropriate payment covering my breasts in the process. Snapping out of his trance, he looked at me his hunger for me began firing up again as grasped my wrists ripping them away from my breasts and firmly pinning them on the sides.

    "you''re so evil...-"I shouted at him interrupted by his sudden sucking of my breasts flicking the tip with his tongue over and over again, my leg gripping him tightly again and began to naturally gyrate against his groin again, "you''re... So.... Evil....." I looked down trying to tell him my speech being interrupted with every flick of his tongue forcing my eyes to shut and my mouth to gasp and moan. His other hand gripped my hips trying to push me off him, but my thighs and legs were tightly locked around his body gripping him tightly.

    His other hand released my hips and joined his mouth in pleasuring me, the surges now becoming a constant endless flow of pleasure, I felt my legs and thighs slowly releasing its hold as my body began quivering slightly in ecstasy, his actions became more erratic and firm driving me deeper and deeper into a sea of ecstasy. "You''re so evil" I struggled to mumble trying keep my eyes open, struggling against his control on my wrists I was able to free a hand,I reached down to the back of his neck and began pullinghis head, at first he refused biting down gently causing me to lose my mind again till he let go. Pulling his face to meet mine, I looked deeply into his eyes forcing him to kiss me on the lips again.

    Both his hands released me stopping himself falling on top of me, as we passionately kissed our tongues savoring every moment with each other, I quickly wrapped my free hand around his back holding him tightly to me. I pulled his head away from mine, looking into his eyes giving him an equally devilish smirk, as I turned his head and bit down on his neck, "No don''t" I heard him barely able to mutter as he grunted, I dug my nails into him again forcing another grunt. I started to kiss and suck on his neck "No.... No.... stop" he begged whispering. I began adding deep hard bites and caressing with my tongue along with the kissing and sucking, he began moaning and grunting in extreme pleasure.

    I could feel us lowering slowly onto the bed as the pleasure began to sap away his strength. His grunts and moans becoming more frequent, his hips began to thrust his groin into me over and over. His other hand gripped my head pushing me deeper into his neck his head fully turned and tilted giving it all to me, "stop" he tried to whimper. His one arm still propping up one side of him allowing his thrusting to continue.

    His constant pleading to stop but his body begging to carry on was an extreme turn on, the control over him savagely intoxicating making me want him all to myself. I began shuffling my hands under his shirt again, interchanging between scratching his back and digging deeply into his back pretending to struggle moving around his shirt. In a resounding huff he pulled his head away from me, and lifted his body up, hungry for his body I tore open his shirt sending the button flying everywhere, revealing his sweaty muscular body and abs, my eyes and hands greedily feeling and scanning every inch of his sexy body savoring every second before he took off his shirt and resumed out previous position my mouth happily kissing him again.

    Finally I felt his body on mine, our bodies entwined basking in each other''s warmth and sweat desperately trying to quell our endless hunger for each other. His smell and touch was mesmerizing, no one else could come close to turning me to such a ravenous best.

    My legs began feeling weak from tiredness, my legs finally uncrossed and my thighs released him, my arms barely able to hold onto him and my furious kissing slowed to gentle pecks. Paul equally succumbed to tiredness as he lay onto of me, both of us breathing heavily, still fondling me gently and kissing me every so often around my neck, making me giggle like a teenager again. "I''m so tired Paul." I whispered to him, both of us wrestling for control was extremely exhausting for the both of us.

    "Me too" he whispered back the feeling is breathe on my neck still turning me on. He started edging his kisses up my neck finishing with a long kiss on my lips squeezing my hip again, I playful bit his lower lip as he pulled away giving him a satisfied smile, "just relax, let me do everything else" I heard him whisper in my ear. I hummed and nodded in agreement. He lifted himself separating our bodies, the colder air rushed in giving me goose bumps as he began kissing his way down slowly down my neck down to my breasts halting as he began playing with them again.

    "Paul... Paulˇ­.. I''mˇ­. tooˇ­.. tiredˇ­" I begged, my body began tensing up again looking at him in desperation.

    He sat up, looking at my mostly naked body, I quickly covered my breasts and withdrew myself closing my legs, "Who''s the evil one now?" he smirked at me.

    "I still feel a little shy." I replied.

    He looked down at my panties pulling one leg back, "You''re absolutely soaking wet." He said gently stroking my panties with his index finger.

    "Of course, you cheated by kissing me on my neck, you know tahts taking advantage of my weakness." I replied to him.

    "Yes, I know I''m sorry" he apologized, grabbing my ankles and pulling me closer with renewed vigor, and laid down on top of me, slipping off his shorts in the process.

    "What are you up to now?" I questioned him.

    "Ohhhhh nothing" he smiled at me and began kissing my neck again. I tried to stop him but his hands pinned mine down. My body began to get aroused again my things involuntarily beginning to open wider for him, as I furiously tried to turn my head to stop him.

    "Noooˇ­ Noooo..." I begged as my body began to lustfully yearn for him again, every part of my body ached for him even more. "No ˇ­.. Paulˇ­.. you.... needˇ­ toˇ­. stopˇ­.." I pleaded as my body did little to resist him, slowly embracing him again.

    "I want to give you one last parting gift." He whispered silently in my ear and his hands slowly traced down my body.

    "You don''t need to I''m already satisfied." I replied trying to keep my moans in and recover my breathing. His hands edging lower and lower towards my panties, with the last bits of reaming strength I clenched my thighs and legs sealing away any further advance of his hand. He turned his hips allowing a small opening to fit his fingertips as it inevitably began creeping its way through, "You''re so evilˇ­. You know that right?" I said to him. His hands slowly advancing through my panty straps, when his hand stopped.

    "You want me to stop?" he whispered and nibbled on my ear lobe, as his hand began creeping to the tip of my mound my body involuntarily lessened its grip granting him entry eagerly awaiting his fingertips to reach its prized jewel. The slightest brush sent an intense shock wave throughout my body causing me to seize up in pleasure, giving me a small taste of what''s to come.

    "I..... want..... it...." I struggled to mumble, his fingers teasing me, rubbing mere millimeters away from it ensuring he never touched my jewel. "Iˇ­. wantˇ­.itˇ­.." I begged him, my hips desperately trying to chase his finger. Looking at him I could see he was having too much fun teasing me endlessly, reaching for his face I pulled him closer so he could see my desperate eyes, closing them I pulled him in for a kiss thrusting my tongue into his mouth, I felt him relax melting into me.

    I felt his fingers glide pass my lips towards my opening sending sweet pleasure radiating up my body, my head fell back my mouth opening wide with pleasure interrupting our kissing. His finger slowly entered me causing yet another but different pleasurable sensation radiate through my body, "Yesssss....." I mumbled with a slight quiver in my voice. I began feeling myself push down against his finger entering me deeper, my walls opening up for him. Pulling out his finger another waited patiently at the entrance ready for me to push down again, this one slightly bigger but gave me a fuller more intense sensation perfectly fitting me like a key to my lock. Feeling him pull out again, my body went for another pass anticipating another finger this time feeling nothing. I tuned looking back at Paul frustrated, "Must you tease me?" I said to him angrily.

    "I wasn''t teasing." He replied.

    "Yeah youˇ­..w-" he interrupted me rubbing my jewel, the sensation exponentially greater with his now lubricated fingers. Small quakes erupted throughout my body making me tense up and relax quivering."Paulˇ­ Paulˇ­. Paul....Don''t .... Stopˇ­." I mumbled quietly, each moment my tensing and releasing became increasingly more intense and rapid, my body now trembling uncontrollably quivering and tensing simultaneously, along with his increasing intense rubbing. "Yyyyyyeeesssssssssss" I mumbled about to reach climax, till he suddenly stopped. Quickly removing his hand from my panties, causing my almost climaxing sensation to rapidly fade.

    "I fing hate you! Why are you so evil to me?" I said my voice still quivering slightly, frustrated I managed to slip my panties kicking them off my feet, and began to reach to stimulate myself.

    "Noˇ­. Noˇ­ that would be cheating." Paul cheekily said grabbing my wrist forcing it down above my head again. Pulling his head to the side I retaliated by taking a big forceful bit in his neck? he let out a loud grunt. "Angry are we?" he chuckled, thrusting his groin deep into me and began rocking back and forth, my wetness making quick work in lubricating his boxers. I felt my legs wrap around him propping me up allowing him to hit the right spot. "Yes...justˇ­.. like... that...." I mumbled my jewel rubbing against the full length of his rock hard shaft, I moaned releasing his neck in pleasure my arms falling to my side.

    My body rapidly tensing up again, "Just ˇ­. Likeˇ­.. thatˇ­. don''tˇ­. stop... pleaseeeee" I begged between the tensing and relaxing of my body, almost climaxing the tensing of my whole body was at its literal limits my gentle quiver turning into strong large tremors, I began wrapping around his back again digging my fingernails deep into him "don''t stop....Please" I whispered begging into his ear and biting the area between his shoulder and neck bracing myself for the inevitable climax, my body exploded in euphoria clenching him tightly trembling into his body, slowly I became jelly my legs clinging on for dear life the quivering and bucking making my jewelgrazing along his erect shaft fiercely trying to extend this sensation as long as it could. The intensity gradually overwhelmed me, forcing me to release him falling flat on the bed, curling into a trembling tensing mess, but it felt sooooo amazing.

    "We aren''t done yet" I Heard a whisper in my ear unable to comprehend what he was saying, I felt his firm hands caress my inner thighs and gently spreading them open, my body doing nothing to resist him. His body began to lay on top of mine as he lifted one of my legs up and pinning it down to my chest, followed with a small nip on my neck pulling at my skin causing to become sensitive and another hand worked its way under my shoulder gripping my shoulder firmly. Simultaneously he began to kiss my necks his tongue caressing the sensitive area, and something began rubbing the over sensitive jewel. A rush of pleasurable pain surged through my body, every part of me wanted to ride it out and stay, but by body wanted to pull away. I quickly began quivering intensely again twitching, my body desperately trying to break his hold to free itself. "Its... tˇ­oˇ­..o...mˇ­u....cˇ­..h.." I struggled to say, as he carried on intensifying his motions. It became a game, my body desperately trying to avoid him, while he constantly stimulated sending cascading shock waves with more intensify strokes. Until i felt myself climaxing again and again over and over each time overwhelmingly stronger then the last, my mind ascended to a new plane of pleasure, while my body laid there anchored soaking in all the abuse trembling like an earthquake. My body deciding enough is enough, like a volcano the near endless build of intensity finally erupted throwing Paul off me, the endless cascade of climaxing launching me up "OHHH MY GOD" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

 16 The Morning After

    "OH MY GOD" I screamed at the top of my voice, my body erupting from the bed. The world froze as I recognized two people in front of me, Paul holding a fork of food in his hand with a very confused expression on his face, while Scarlet with a bucket of fried chicken looking at me with a big grin on her face.

    I let out a small scream quickly diving back into the bed pulling the duvet completely covering me ''was all that just a DREAM???!!'' my body still quivering slightly from the dream. I slowly lowered my duvet so I could take a peep at them, both of them still staring at my direction. I took a large deep breath and sat up on the bed, "sleep well?" Paul asked as he went back to eating food and reading a paper. "Sorry for last night. I should have shielded you as well." He apologized.

    I was speechless my mind still remember the dream in great detail, "Of course she didn''t Paul, she looks completely fine..... Why is you face so red Emilia?" Scarlet replied for me with a giant grin.

    "My face is red? Really?...." I replied trying to sound unconvinced.

    "Nice dream? You kept sleep talking all night." Scarlet looked at me chuckling.

    Paul was reading something that resembled a newspaper paying no attention to our conversation. "You need to get up and have some breakfast Emilia and get ready for induction day" He said still reading the paper.

    "Ummmˇ­ okay." I agreed, as I began making my way off the bed, pausing before the end looking under the duvet to see what I was wearing, the same pajamas I wore last night slightly dirtied from with some small spots of blood. A part of me hoped that the dream at least partially happened. Exiting the bed I took a better look at the room, there was quite a few sofa''s with a small table in the middle, a number of shelves took up one side of a wall filled with books, and several pictures with Paul in the with a number of people I don''t recognize Scarlet appearing in some of them as well. In a corner stood Scarlet''s huge sword and her smaller wooden one, an armor stand holding her armor pieces neatly and a large wardrobe.

    "Come Come! Take a seat." Scarlet said to me pulling out a chair next to her.

    "Scarlet I don''t think she can sit that close to youˇ­" Paul added.

    "Ohh yeahˇ­.Take a seat at the Sofas then." She said pointing at the sofas.

    "What would you like to eat?" Paul asked me still focused on the paper.

    "Ummm anything will do I''m not pickyˇ­.." I quietly replied to him.

    He stood up and began walking into another room, I assume to be a kitchen, "Cornflakes?" he shouted out the room.

    "Yeah sure." I shouted back replying to him.

    He stepped out holding a tray with a Honey Nut Cornflakes, a small jug with a bowl and spoon, placing it on the table in front of me. "Hope these will be okayˇ­.. I''ll bring some cinnamon cornflakes back we me next time I get the chance." He said walking away picking up his paper from the table, and headed to a closet. "I would love to stay but I have some things I need to do before my break finishes so I''ll see you around." He explained as he pulled out his trench coat from the wardrobe putting it on and exiting the room without waiting for my response.

    The moment the clicked shut, Scarlet instantaneously leapt up leaving her sandwich jumping on the sofa furthest away from me staring at me with the biggest grin on her face with raised eyebrows. "Sooo.... What happened?" she eagerly questioned as I tried to avoid eye contact.

    "Huh?..... Nothingˇ­ I went for a walk and some reason I fell unconscious last night." I replied to her as I began pouring out my cornflakes and milk and started eating.

    "Ohhhh that I knowˇ­.. Paul briefed me this morning. I was talking about you dream." Scarlet asked me.

    Some milk sprayed out my mouth, "What?.... nothingˇ­ I can''t remember." I panicky answered her.

    "Owww that sucksˇ­.. You spent the whole night moaning saying some lewd things and calling out Paul''s name nonstop." Scarlet replied with a frown.

    I tried hiding my face as I ate my bowl of cornflakes, by body feeling extremely hot suddenly. "Really?.... No idea why sorry." I replied to her pretending I have no idea, I could literally feel my face getting red.

    "Hmmmmmmm... okay...well it sounded like you had a very steamy dream" she informed me with a wink.

    She stood up and began walking to the wardrobe, her cropped top and shorts revealed her very sexy athletic physique, opening the wardrobe and taking a look inside, she stripped off her crop top revealing her muscular back and shoulders, she pulled out a sports bra and began putting it on tugging it really hard to fit over her breast,she then slipped off her shorts and put on a plain colored sleeveless purple dress on, "do you think this looks good tuning around to me and giving me a spin." She asked.

    "Yeah it looks great. You have a stunning body" I complimented her finishing off my cornflakes.

    "I do? Thank you! You''re very beautiful yourself!" She beamed turning to the mirror checking out herself and a small twirl.

    "Nah I don''t think so, I''m a bit pudgy at places sadly" I replied wishing I had a body like hers.

    "I dunno, I know someone who thinks you''re pretty perfect." Scarlet said turning her head and winking at me.

    "Hmmmm maybe you can introduce me to said person some time." I joked back.

    She laughed a little, "Hmmm really? I thought you was already taken judging by your dream last night." She joked raising and lowering her eyebrows rapidly. "Ohhhh by the way Paul made you some lunch today, he said finding vegetarian food might be a little difficult, it should be in the kitchen somewhere." She informed me, "odd when you''re around he doesn''t seem to take much notice but in an odd way he does seem to care about you." She added thinking about the situation.

    Packing up the food and cutlery into the tray and began making my way to the room Paul came out with it, "this is the kitchen right?" I asked Scarlet opening the door.

    "Yup it is" she replied watching me enter the room.

    Putting the tray on the counter top and the bowl and cutlery into the sink, I took a better look around the room. It was quite a big kitchen beautifully designed the center consisting of a large worktop, sink and tap and hobs, surrounded with an outside counter top a fridge and 2 ovens filled with all sorts of cooking utensils, almost like a dream kitchen. It was also stocked to the brim full of food, multiple boxes of cornflakes all different brands, some can foods, bread, spices everything I can think of was here. "wow this kitchen is well stocked." I shouted to Scarlet.

    "Yup Paul brings back loads of things back from his home, he loves to cooking." She shouted back.

    Looking around I found a brown bag on the side countertop with the word Em on the front, looking inside I saw a wrapped up sandwich a cheese and onion crisps, a bottle of water and a Snickers bar, "Found it" I replied to Scarlet, closing the bag and taking it out with me.

    Scarlet was at her armor stand beginning to put on a heavy looking black plate of armor, Clipping and fastening it in place. "Are they heavy?" I questioned her with intrigue.

    "Huh? These?.... Not really just a little heavier than normal clothes I guess." She replied to me effortlessly picking up her front breast plate attaching it to herself and fastening it on tightly.

    "Wanna try?" She asked steeping away from her boots.

    "Sure" I answered as I went and tried to lift a boot, "Jesus Christ these are heavy, just how strong can you possibly be?" I questioned her in surprise both my arms and all my strength barely able to nudge the boots.

    "Ohhhhˇ­ Yeah you could say I''m pretty strong" she joked as she lifted the boot away with one hand by her fingertips effortlessly. "Ohh by the way I have lots of spare clothes in my room feel free to enter and take whatever you like." She said fastening her boots tightly.

    "Are you sure it''s okay to borrow your clothes?" I questioned her.

    "Borrow? You can keep it! I always have way too much and Paul lets me buy whatever I want I love the clothes from your world!ˇ­..I''ll wait here and clean up the dishes while you pick out something to wear and then we''ll make our way to the meeting pointˇ­. Okay?" Scarlet asked me kindly.

    "Okay sure" I smiled at her making my way out the same door Paul exited earlier.

    "Door on the right Emilia" I heard her shout out to me.

    "Okay" I shouted back exiting into the hall way.

    I saw Paul talking to another student barely being able to work out who she was, till she tilted her head looking for the source of the sound. Seeing her clearly now it was Calista, her hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing a tight green sleeveless dress hugging her body showing off her thin waist, short enough to revealing her thick thighs. She glared at me in anger her face exploding in jealousy, watching me closely as I closed Paul''s door, scanning me from top to toe. I tried not to notice her quietly walking towards Scarlet''s room, opening Scarlet''s door I gave her a small wave with a grin as I walked in.

    Walking in I carefully let the door close but not fully, allowing me to open it ever so slightly to try and listen into their conversation. "Sorry I had to cancel yesterday, Headmistress got me on patrol during the evenings, so I won''t be free till the School decides we are safe again." He apologized to Calista.

    "It''s okay, it''s not your fault, I will be looking forward for when your evenings free up" Calista replied....."If you don''t mind me asking what''s your relationship with that girl that was in your room?" Calista asked.

    "Emilia? Nothing she''s just an acquaintance" Paul replied, a horrible sinking feeling washed over me hearing him say that, a part of me wishing deeply he was like the Paul in the dream.

    "That''s a relief I thought she was your girlfriend or somethingˇ­.." Calista replied.

    "Thanks for coming to see me this early in the morning, hope it wasn''t too much of a hassleˇ­.." Paul apologized to her.

    "It''s never a hassle to see you Paul, anyways I better start making my way, See you around." Calista replied, my curiosity needed to know for certain what''s exactly is going on, so I turned my head around the slit in the door peeping ever so slightly so I can barely catch a sigh of Paul. Calista leaned in whispering something to his ear and kissed his cheek and walked off.

    Keeping a close watch on Paul''s reaction, "Yes, Ashley? Wassup?" He spoke out. Holding his finger to his ear...ˇ­. "It''s done?... Wow that quickly? Thanks bud, She''s gonna love it." I heard him say I guess he was talking to Ashley with his communicator. I couldn''t help but linger secretly watching him endearingly. I saw his eyes slowly dart towards my direction staring at me from the corner of his eye''s, My whole body froze, it''s too late to hide, maybe if I stayed very still he might not notice me. "What''s wrong with me?" he spoke out as he smiled and began walking away.

    Turning around remember why I came in her nothing could prepared me for Scarlet''s room, it was absolutely filled with hundreds up hundreds of boxes, dresses hanging on makeshift hooks, everything seemingly unworn. Opening up various draws and cabinet''s and wardrobes, all filled with everything a girl needs to dress herself for every season and occasion imaginable, ranging from accessories, and jewellery to shoes coats umbrellas hats everything! I first began looking for undergarments.

    She had hundreds of undergarments of different types ranging from plain to sexy laced panties and bras ranging from famous brands to unbranded, all new completely unworn. I firstly picked out a bra that looked both comfortable and Strong enough to give me enough support and extremely soft plain white panties, to my surprise the bra fit perfectly but the panties was a little on the tight end.

    Shuffling and scanning through all the other pieces of clothing, for some reason a mint green plain summer dress called out to me, picking it out leaving it on the bed. I began to look for foot ware scanning through her large shelf of foot ware and checking countless number of shoe boxes until I found a pair of small black sandals with a small floral design on it seemed appropriate for today, both comfortable to walk in and stylish. Stripping off my clothes I was instantly wafted by my own body odor, the smell of sweat was overwhelming, ''I wonder if they had perfume or deodorant here''. Taking off my panties I could feel they were absolutely soaked the slightly nasty smell assaulted my nose overwhelming the smell of my sweaty pajamas. Quickly slipping on the clothes and folding my panties into my pajamas to mask the smell, I began tying my hair into a braid fastening it securely with the floral hairband.

    A part of me pondered if I should wear some accessories, but decided not too I don''t want Scarlet thinking I''m a free loader. I couldn''t help but take a peek at watches they were absolutely stunning, mostly elegant and small encrusted in various gem of different colors to match any outfit. Opening a set of draws revealed an absolutely overwhelming amount of jewellery, the necklaces ranging from plain leather cord to a very expensive looking diamond necklace with absolutely huge perfectly cut diamonds sparkling brilliantly in the light.

    She even had a section for rings, inlaid with all sort of color jewels, with countless number of designs and metals, I greedily began trying on some rings they look absolutely beautiful holding my hand out to see how they looked. A part of me desperately wanted to wear one but sadly they didn''t fit my skinny fingers.

    Another draw was filled with sunglasses, I couldn''t help but send a lot of time looking into a nearby mirror checking each frame till, I settled with a thinned rimmed frame with a fading pink lenses in the shape of a square with curved corners putting them in my head.

    Greedily exploring more I found a wardrobe of hand bags, opening another wardrobe filled with extremely sexy lingerie extremely tasteful, my body slowly began to heat up as I began imagining images of me wearing them, I slammed the wardrobe closed in embarrassment, ''Jesus why am I always thinking about this?''. I decided to stop exploring anymore and went back to meet Scarlet again.

    Walking back into Paul''s room Scarlet was waiting for me sitting on the bed, got up in shock "Emilia you look so beautiful!" she beamed.

    "Thank you for the clothes! You have almost everything!" I smiled back at her.

    "Yeah I know, I don''t actually know what to wear or buy, I''m not very girly" she frowned.

    "It''s okay I''m not very girly either" I smiled back at her walking in, "by the way where can I put these?" I Held out my dirty clothes.

    "I''ll take them for you" she said walking towards me taking them from me, my body seized up unable to stop her taking it from me.

    "Hmmm what''s that odd smell" she spoke out as she headed towards a basket with my dirty clothes.

    In slow motion I saw my panties fall on the floor. As she carried on taking a step it looked as if she didn''t notice. I began running towards it trying to kick it under the bed. "Ohh I dropped one" she said bending down to pick it up.

    I quickly changed my trajectory and dove into the bed face first into the sheets, hiding my face for the upcoming revelation. "My God panties are so wet, and the smell is so strong" she spoke out, I could literally feel my face turn red again, I refused to lift my face from embarrassment refusing to acknowledge her. I heard her dump my clothes into the basket and the sound of her opening the wardrobe and then closing it.

    "Put these on and let''s go, I''ll be waiting outside, come out when you''re ready" she chuckled leaving something next to me and walked out the door.

    I took a small peep making sure she left the room before I lift myself off the bed, ''can my day get any worse?'' I huffed. Looking at the items Scarlet left me, there was a pair of studded diamond earrings, and elegant small golden watch and the School badge Ashley made me. Slowly putting them on preparing myself mentally for the upcoming grilling, I stood up and walked out the room.

    Scarlet looked at me with an extremely large grin, "You forgot your food" she said to me before I closed the door.

    "Ohh crap" I went back inside to pick up the food Paul left me and walked out again.

    "Something on your mind? Emilia?" Scarlet looked at me winking.

    I looked down on the floor unable to answer her filled with embarrassment, "Maybe someone we both know?" she carried on teasing me, my face feeling like it was going to explode out of embarrassment. "Okay Okay I''ll Stop" she chuckled as we began to walk. "Ohh and you''re going to be needing these" she held out two small bags to me, "now one bag is filled with 100 Platinum coins and the other 100 Gold coins, One platinum is equal to 1000 gold, you''d want to start a bank account and deposit the Platinum into it for safe keeping in case you want to buy something expensive, most things are sold in Silver and Gold so keep the gold on you and maybe exchange one platinum for gold to buy anything you want." she explained.

    "Thanks" I quietly thanked her, as she began toss them to me, finding it tricky to catch as I didn''t want to look into her eyes.

    "Funnyˇ­..you also picked Paul''s favorite color Mint green." She said giggling at the situation.

    A part of me began dreading my decision to follow my gut feeling in picking out this damn dress.

    "I wonder how he would react if he saw you in it, he might just give you some more attention" she giggled.

    The vision of Calista and Paul burning in my brain I needed to ask Scarlet to put my mind at ease,"By the wayˇ­.. We saw Calista yesterday she said she had a date with Paulˇ­..is it true?...." I hesitantly questioned her.

    "Calista? Nah, he''s just personally tutoring her because her dad has extended him some special privileges." Scarlet answered.

    It felt like a huge weight was lifted of my shoulders, "Thank god for that." I replied.

    "Relieved are you Em''s..... That''s interesting? Don''t worry his heart belongs to only one girl" She said winking at me.

    We walked out the building, a large group of students were amassed around the world tree, as we began walking towards there. I saw multiple student interrupt their own conversations and looked towards us pointing making a huge commotion. It looks as if they were all excited to see Scarlet in person.

    "Emilia over here!" I heard a familiar voice shout out to me, a student waving to catch my attention, it was Jay with another girl.

    "Ohhhh I guess this is good bye then!" Scarlet Smiled.

    "Thanks for everything" I said smiling back at her, I motioned to hug her.

    A big smile appeared on her face as she gleefully hugged me tightly quickly and quickly backed off ".... Thank you for hugging meˇ­.. The few people I get to hug is Ashley and Paulˇ­. It means a lot" she started to tear up a little, "I Know you might have not enjoyed it but it really means a lot to me, Thank you Em''s" She smiled and started to walk off.

    "See you soon Scarlet!" I shouted out smiling unable to wave my body still recovering from her touch.

    I began walking towards Jay, noticing people were still looking at me and whispering to each other.

 17 Day One

    Jay spotted me approaching and quickly left his friend to walk to me, "morning" he said smiling.

    "Morning" he replied.

    "You made a new friend?" I asked nodding my head pointing my chin at the odd blueish looking girl he just left.

    "Yeah there was freshman gathering at the dorm last night, a small room party, come to think of it how comes you wasn''t there?" Jay asked curiously.

    "Yesterday got a bit hectic for me didn''t you see the amber alert?" I replied answering him.

    "Amber alert? no idea what you''re talking about.... Anyways before I forget, so I came to you because I wanted to warn you about a rumor floating around, apparently you was seen leaving Paul''s dorm room this morning, so you''re basically the talk of the school...." he quietly informed me.

    ''This must be Calista causing trouble again, why has she got it out for me?''.... "Is it stupid Calista again making up stupid lies, there''s nothing going on between us" I replied defensively.

    "I''m not judging or verifying the story, I''m just letting you know what news is floating around" he said holding his hands up in innocence.

    "Why does Calista have such a problem with me???" I questioned Jay.

    "No idea, but dont worry, let''s go I''ll introduce you to my friend." Jay motioned to begin walking to the blueish girl, "Ohh and by the way don''t freak out when you see her, I know you only have humans from where you come from." He turned his head quietly informing me.

    "Hey Daisy this is Emelia...-" Jay said to his friends abruptly pausing realizing he doesn''t know my full name.

    "Patel" I quietly mumbled masking it with a cough.

    "- Patel, Emilia this is Daisy.

    "Nice to meet you Emilia! Was that scarlet you was walking with a moment ago?" Daisy questioned her facial expression filled with excitement.

    "Yeah we are kinda friends...." I answered a little put off by her excitement and to my utter surprise she wasn''t human, and she has light blue skin and small short goat looking horns on her head with long flowing slightly off white hair. She wore a matching pure white tiny crop top with a tight long skirt with two slits on each side, tightly hugging her slender body, she also seems have golden tattoos flowing from her shoulders down to her legs, her eyes glowing slightly golden barely managing to make out her iris and pupil. From the corner of my eye I saw a tail with a triangular tip closely resembling a demons tail.

    "That must be so cool!!!!!" Daisy replied.

    "It''s nothing special they are friends like me and Jay I guess." I said trying to act normal in front of her.

    "Yeah but she''s an S ranked student, they are super famous practically untouchable and expert in multiple forms of close combat and weapons!, I would sell my soul to just even get a chance to speak and S rank." Daisy said say dreaming.

    "Well if you''re that desperate there''s always Travis, he''s always looking for fresh young girls." He joked.

    "Travis? I''d rather hang myself then be one of his glorified one night flings." Daisy hissed at Jay.

    "So what do I need to buy today?" I asked both of them.

    "Basic supplies is a good bet, a wand, some books and clothes." Jay answered.

    "How much do you think I''ll need?....." I questioned.

    "Hmmmm 10 maybe 20 gold should be more then enough" Jay answered.

    "Would it be okay if I shadow you guys???... I''m a bit unsure what I need to buy." I asked both of them.

    "Yeah sure let''s stay together." Daisy asked with a hint uncertainty on her face.

    "By the way... was it true that you stayed the night at Paul room???" Daisy hesitantly asked me but looked very eager for my answer.

    "Yeah it was complicated there was an incident and I woke up there." I answered her.

    "... No way!..... do you know him?! How was his room?! How was he?! Did you get to talk to him?!....." Daisy asked rapidly firing questions at me.

    ".... umm..... not really ....." I answered her a little overwhelmed by all her questions.

    "Someone seems to have a crush on him" Jay joked.

    "I don''t love him..... I just admire him... Not only is he the Black dragon slayer, he''s widely considered the strongest sorceress, his mastery in almost all forms of magic is second to none, also possessing the rare ability to open portals which only two other individuals showed the ability to use ..... and that''s just the tip of the iceberg !!!....." Daisy explained.

    "Yup I think that''s love." Jay joked.

    She shot an intense glare at him, which he paid no notice to. "So Emilia do you need some money??? If we buy the bare basics I should have enough for both of us....." he asked politely.

    "Well actually scarlet gave me like these small tiny pouches of Gold and Platinum ", holding my hand out to show him the two small pouches.

    "Ohhh nice so how much you got in total?" Jay asked politely.

    "hmmm she said inside was I think 100 each....." I said trying to remember what she said.

    "Wait..... wait... wait.... 100 platinum as well ???...." Daisy asked also showing interest.

    "Yeah I think so" nodding in agreement.

    They both gasped loudly taking a step back, the momentarily pulling the attention of other nearby students.

    ".... my family business barely even earns 2 or 3 Platinum a year!!! And you have 100?!" Daisy informed me in a lower voice still in shock.

    "Wait your family earns that much??..." Jay said to Daisy," I feel so poor with my 20 gold budget...." Jay added.

    "I mean if you guys need some money, I clearly have too much...." I said to both of them hoping not to offend them.

    "Just what sort of friendship do you have with Scarlet? That she would give you that much money???" Jay asked.

    "I dunno but she wasn''t really bothered by how much she gave" I replied.... "Although I wouldn''t mind a simpler way to hold all these." I said holding up the two pouches on one hand, and my lunch in the other.

    "What''s in the other hand?" the both asked.

    "Ohh it''s just some lunch for me because I''m vegetarian." I informed them.

    "Vegetarian???..." Jay asked looking totally bewildered.

    "Yeah I don''t eat meat..." answering him.

    "Ohhhhh..... Never heard of called that before" he replied nodding in understanding.

    "How long before we depart?" I asked them.

    "No idea, we should have been on our way by now" Daisy answered.

    "Hmmm maybe we are being held up for some reason....." Jay answered.

    In the corner of my eye I can still see people taking a peek at me and every so often a stealthy point. I also saw a noticeably larger group of people surrounding someone and other people eagerly trying to push their way in.

    "What''s going on over there I pointed with my chin. They both turned and notice something I didn''t.

    "Ohhhh..... That''s Calista" Daisy said rolling her eyes, apparently she was seen heading to Paul''s room last night and went to see him again this morning, I wish I could do that...." she said with a frown on her face.

    Jay turned to look at Daisy in shock, "Calista is actually here???... A royal??. I gotta go see." He said tuning around and sprinted into the crowd with excitement.

    A familiar red flash appeared nearby, causing everyone to turn and erupt in excitement, as expected Paul stepped out, and everyone began running towards him like a stampede, when suddenly they all froze in their positions. As he calmly scanned everyone as if looking for someone, "OMG it''s actually Paul!" Daisy yelled at me in excitement seemingly free to move. The yell pulling his attention, his eyes met mine through the dense crowd of students and a smile crept up his face. Suddenly all frozen people slid to the side leaving him a path to walk through, like the parting of the red sea.

    "Hey...ˇ­. Scarlet was acting a bit weird for some reason, so I had to give you this personally." He said to me when he arrived.

    "Ummˇ­ okayˇ­." I replied nervousness overtook my body.

    "So here''s a special bag, It has a near infinity carrying capacity, as long as it fits in the bag, all u need to do is just think about what you want to pull out and it will come out. For example" He explained to me. Taking the two bags off me and placing them into the large pouch he had. "So hold this bag" he said, holding it out to me.

    Hesitantly taking the bag, to my surprises it weighed like a normal large pouch, the two heavy coin bags didn''t seem to have affected its weight. I looked at him in shocked "how is this possible?" I questioned him.

    "Well you''re in a world of magic now, many things are possible that wasn''t at home." He smiledˇ­.. "Anyways place your hand in it and think of your 100 gold coin bag." He explained.

    I began thinking of the 100 Gold coin bag as instructed, I began feeling around and as if by magic my hands felt a small pouch, pulling it out and taking a peek inside was gold coins. I looked up in shock, with an expression of disbelief.

    "You can put your lunch in there as well." He smiled also taking out a small notepad form the inside pocket of his trench coat handing it to me, "I know you''re a little forgetful, so here''s a notepad to note what you have put in it, I have also written down some extra things I put in it for you." He carried on smiling. "Hmmm seems a bit bothersome for you to hold, but you don''t have a belt to fasten it to..." He said thinking." Your dress isn''t very functional." He added.

    "It''s okay I can hold it, it''s no problem." I replied taking the notepad form his hands, not wanting to be a burden to him.

    "Hmmmm" he was still thinking about the dilemma.

    "Honestly it will be okay, I can just hold it." I Insisted.

    "Ohhˇ­.. I got it" he said in excitement, he began undoing his own belt and pulling it off, and stepped towards me wrapping the belt round my waist fastening it tightly. And tying the pouch on the side, I''m sure it doesn''t suit your outfit but I don''t know it''s the best I can come up with."

    My eyes couldn''t help but wonder down his body reminiscing on the dream, every part of me wanted to hug him tight but I refused, he didn''t show any interest in me anymore. "Ummm thank you" I thanked him looking down at the floor, I was too afraid to look into his eyes.

    "You don''t need to scared, it''s going to be okay you''ll be very safe, just don''t stray too far from a prefectˇ­ okay?" He said as he finished fastening the belt and stepped back.I nodded in understanding still refraining to look into his eyes ''if only he knew what is really troubling me''. Until a red flash appeared as he turned to walk in and the portal and it closing behind him. Every student that was frozen suddenly regained their ability to move again.

    "I thought you said you didn''t know him." Daisy said rushing and standing in front of me.

    "I really don''tˇ­.. Anymoreˇ­." I said frowning, she stop pursuing the issue seeing my reaction.

    I could hear and see everyone suddenly look and talk about me and Paul spreading rumors and speculations. "OMG!!!! What did Paul want with you?" Jay asked jogging over to me.

    "What happened to you and Calista, huh?" I replied to him.

    "Forget her! What did Paul come here for?!" Jay asked again.

    "Nothing really just wanted to give me this pouch." I said pointing at the pouch.

    "Ohhhˇ­ was that it?" Jay said unimpressed.

    "It''s a Bag of holding" Daisy added.

    "WHAT?! NO WAY" Jay shouted and dove at the bag untying it and lifting it up to take a better look. "I have never seen or held one of these before! ASTONISHING!" Jay said still fixated on the bag.

    I snatched the bag form his hands slapping the back of his head as well and tied it back on my belt again. "Hands off I thought you was on team Calista." I joked to him.

    "Team Calista?!! You know I''m always on Team Emilia! I was........ just........ gathering information, apparently she and Paul are both dating" He informed us.

    "NO WAY!!! He can''t! She''s lying!" Daisy yelled at him.

    "Don''t worry Daisy I already asked Scarlet this morning she said he''s only tutoring her." I said reassuring her.

    "WHAT?! SHE GETS PERSONAL TIME WITH HIM?! And HE''S GONNA TEACH HER PERSONALLY?!!!! Shes so fing lucky..." She said yelling at me.

    "Children please gather around we will be heading off any moment now, please do not stray too far from us or get lost." The headmistress boomed, arriving sometime during or after the commotion. Beside her five male students on one side and five female on the other, each wearing the same special looking uniform with a side arm on them. They were wielding different weapons ranging from bows, swords, daggers, wand, staves and one in particular was a girl totally unarmed not even a sidearm.

    "We will be arriving at the town center, and make our way to the market district, there will be a lot of people so make sure you don''t stray too far." The headmistress carried on informing us.

    A large blue portal appeared behind he headmistress and the Prefect students, "follow me children" the headmistress yelled walking into the portal, as all the students slowly made their way across the portal.

    I quickly pulled jay beside me letting Daisy walk ahead a little. "Ummmˇ­ What is she?" I questioned him but not wanting to ask her directly no wanting to be rude or offensive.

    "Ohhh she''s a Tiefling but oddly she''s abit different because they generally have red skin." Jay answered and pulling my wrist to catch up with Daisy.

 18 Shopping

    "Stay close to us" Daisy said before steeping through the portal.

    Jay turned to me, "Ohhh daisy isn''t the only race you haven''t seen before, so try not to point or stare we don''t wanna offend people?..." Jay informed me before also stepping through the portal.

    Clenching my fist, I braced myself for the upcoming culture shock. We stepped out into an absolutely bustling city filled with many people, they all stopped in their tracks to look before carrying on with their lives. Pulling jay closer to me, "That''s and orc!!!!! I said in absolute glee to him in excitement recognizing their green skin pointy ears and tusks.

    "Yeah... okay..... Calm down...." he replied to me following our school.

    It was so amazing, the city was filled with many different races exactly how I imagined in fantasy novels. There were dwarves, elves, gnomes, a race that looked exactly Daisy but had red skin and normal eyes, there was even a woman with pointy ears and two antlers growing out of her hair like a Stag, everyone going on their day like it''s nothing special.

    We arrived at what seems to be a city a square surrounding by buildings and stalls selling all kinds of small trinkets and jewellery. "Increased reports of more kidnapping over the night keep your doors and windows locked!!!... Sightings of increased goblin activity near the base of the mountains and nearby villages!!!.... "A man shouting while loudly ringing a hand bell.

    "This can''t be good...." I heard Jay say to Daisy.

    "Yeah.... I wonder what''s causing them to leave the mountains." Daisy responded.

    "Guys is the news really bad???" I asked them, both excited and curious.

    "It''s abit bad, nothing to be worried about though I''m sure the King of Arcadia already has things planned." Daisy answered.

    I couldn''t help but stare and look at everything in wonder. Everything was so different, different races and things walking along side each other, the architecture of the buildings the bustling city life. There was even a rock monster and a man with a giant ice white furred dire wolf following him.

    We walked past a shop called Frank''s Fantastic Gadgets and Gizmo''s on the window display was various machines all doing different tasks, through the glass I could barely make out several objects all doing different things from glowing to flying and spinning. Walking through the city passing various building we eventually came to another town square filled with shop fronts.

    "Children this is the Main Market Square, Please do not stray too far, if anything happens please report it to any prefect or myself." The deputy head spoke out.

    Jay and Daisy turned to me, "So what shall we check out first?" they asked.

    "Defiantly clothes would be awesome, I haven''t got any" I responded.

    "Ohh?... I swear you wasn''t wearing that yesterday" Jay asked.

    "Scarlet borrowed me some clothes." I said to them.

    "She has nice taste" Jay added looking up and down and me.

    "Don''t even think about it" I pointed threatening him.

    He held his hands up in innocence again." I was merely admiring the clothing choice" he said innocently.

    Daisy pulled his ear causing him to wince in pain "You need to be more respectful of women Jay." She warned then letting go of his ear. Jay immediately started rubbing his ear in pain.

    "Let''s get going guys" she smiled.

    We walked to the first shop in sight with clothes on display, walking in we were instantly assaulted with a strong sent of floral scents.

    "Ohhhh new customers!!! Welcome Welcome!!! My name is Mavis!" a very flamboyant lady spoke out quickly walking towards us. "Such beautifullllll young girlsˇ­.." she said grabbing me and daisy inspecting us. "You must tell me your names!!!" she said. "You young miss! Where are you from?! Your skin colour is absolutely beautiful!" she yelled at me grabbing both my arms. "And you! I''ve never seen a Tiefling with blue skin before! You must be extremely special" she said looking at daisy. Both daisy and I looked at each other in bewildered by her extremely colourful personality. "Ahhh the shy type not to worry, I''m sure I have everything you will need in this store! Follow me!" instantaneously releasing me and briskly walking around her shop picking out various pieces of clothing and leaving them on a table in a neat sets.

    I began walking towards the outfits laid out on the table, each of them looks a bit extravagant, each with finely sewn details, "are they all hand sewn?" I asked curiously.

    "Yes I sew them all myself!" The shop keeper replied with a smile. "Ohhh and I also make custom pieces if you want, but depending on what you need it may take between three days to one week" Mavis added.

    Daisy quickly approached sticking close to me also began looking and feeling the pieces of clothing picked out of us. Looking back realizing that I totally forgot about Jay, he seemed completely lost, staring out of the window completely bored. "Ummm is there any way you can perhaps deliver these to Atlantis?" I asked politely.

    "Umm yes, all you will need to do is tell them you have a delivery from me and they will allow me to deliver it to you" Mavis smiled.

    "Could you just take our measurements?.... and just alter the clothing so it will fit and deliver it when you''re ready?.. I don''t want our guy friend over there waiting for us all dayˇ­.." I questioned.

    "Of course darling! What exactly would you like?" Mavis questioned.

    "Umm let''s just say 50 golds worth of clothes? anything you recommend." I requested.

    He mouth opened in shock, "Are you sure?... that''s a lot of goldˇ­.." Mavis questioned.

    "Ohh and we need undergarments as well if you can also provide them! Gold isn''t an issue." I asked with a smile.

    "I''ll have the batch done for you in a week!" She replied excited. "Come in the other room so I can take your measurements." She requested.

    "We will be a couple more minutes Jay." I shouted to him following Mavis into the room.

    He responded by smiling and nodding, and gesturing me to go. Daisy was surprisingly quite compared to her quite outspoken behavior earlier. We entered a large room filled with all sorts of fabrics and colors, jewels and accessories. In the corner laid numerable mannequins of different shape sizes and heights. "Sorry it''s so messy in here" Mavis added.

    "Not at all, do you make all your clothes here?" I replied

    "Yes, I do most my work here, otherwise the kids will ruin anything I make at home." She replied.

    "Ohh you have kids?" I asked.

    "Yes two boys and one girl, Zac, Tod and Grace, Grace offers to help but the other two are just pure devils" she laughed.

    "Yeah boys will be boys!" I laughed with her, reminiscing on the times I used to babysit my nephew and niece.

    She went to a draw and pulled out measuring tape, "Young miss let''s start with you." Mavis pointed at Daisy walking towards her.

    Daisy quietly nodded and held her arms up. As Mavis began taking down her measurements, "So what''s your name?" Mavis asked her breaking the silence.

    "Daisy" she replied quietly.

    "That''s a beautiful name." She smiled, "so you must be pretty special with your Light blue skin and golden eyes." Mavis added politely.

    "I''m not special, just a bit different because of my upbringing." Daisy replied.

    "Well darling everyone is special and different is good." Mavis smiled, "Nothing to be nervous about, we''re almost done." Mavis quietly added.

    ''I noticed that Daisy was surprisingly quiet, but I wonder why she''s so nervous.''

    Noting down Daisy''s measurements, she pointed to me to approach. "So what''s your name?" she asked me while measuring my height.

    "Emilia" I replied with a smile.

    "Very nice name, where are you from?" she asked politely keeping the conversation going.

    "Ohhh I''m from India, it''s a country from another plane." I replied.

    She froze a little in shock "Another plane?" She asked curiously.

    "Yeah, I''m a freshman in Atlantis" I smiled.

    "Ohhh that''s interesting" she replied as she began measuring my waist. "Where did you get this nice dress from? The material I have never seen or felt anything like this before." She questioned.

    "Ohh it''s a dress from back home, it''s made with a combination of materials." I answered her.

    "Ohhh that''s very interesting" she replied finishing up my measurements and noting them down.

    Reaching into the Bag of Holding and pulling out my pouch of gold. Mavis was a little shock at the Bag of Holding, "wow I''ve never seen one of those up close before" she said in shock.

    "Yeah they seem pretty useful." I smiled counting out 55 gold and handing it to her.

    "Ohhh thank you very much!! I''ll have them all done as soon as I can." She smiled.

    We began making our way back to the shop front, where Jay was still waiting by the same window for us.

    "Thank you for everything." I smiled as Mavis bidding her farewell.

    "No Noˇ­ thank you for the business, and if there''s anything else you need clothing related, feel free to stop by." she smiled waving.

    Jay joined us as we made our way out the door.

    "So where to next" I turned to them with a giant smile from ear to ear.

 19 Daisy

    "Jay don''t you need anything?" I asked curiously.

    "Not really just a wandˇ­." He replied.

    "How about you Daisy?" I asked her as well.

    "Hmm if we can stop by a black smith as well that would be nice..... hmm and maybe if you guys want visit my aunts tavern for food?..." She smiled.

    "Right so it''s sorted, I think we passed a blacksmiths on the way here." Jay suggested.

    "Sure let''s go! Lead the way Jay!" I smiled, excited to explore more.

    With Jay leading the way, it looked as if Daisy was more comfortable and relaxed now, "Daisy?... are you okay? You was a little nervous in the shop back thereˇ­.." I asked her quietly.

    "I just don''t like strangers very close to me..." she answered.

    "Hmmm that understandableˇ­." I nodded in understanding. She began frowning slightly and looking down at the floor.

    "How about when we get back, let''s chill out at Paul''s room! It''s pretty cool." I added in an attempt to cheer her up.

    "REALLY?!" She looked up in joy and excitement.

    "Yeah I''m sure it will be alright, me and him are friendishhhhhh." I answered her.

    "So how do you know him well?" she asked me in excitement.

    "In another life we were good friends..." I frowned.

    "Ohhhˇ­. I''m so sorry to hear that.... let''s forget visiting his room thenˇ­.." she said noticing my reaction.

    "Should be alright Scarlet has a weird liking to me anyways." I smiled.

    "So Emiliaˇ­.. What do you plan on becoming?" She asked.

    "What do you mean?..." I replied totally unsure what she was asking.

    "So Jay here wants to become a Sorcerer and I wanna be a Cleric, what do you wanna become?" she answered.

    "Hmm haven''t really thought about it reallyˇ­. Whats a cleric?" I asked.

    "Clerics are people who focus and specialize in Holy magic." She replied.

    "Ohh wow that''s so cool!!!!! Can you show me something you can do?" I requested in excitement.

    "Hmmmmm so my current training is pretty basic but this is pretty cool." She said, as she suddenly began glowing more golden, with a golden yellow symbol appearing on her forehead, as well as the tattoo''s all over her body began to glow golden. Then pointing in the air a large shield and Hammer appeared into the air, flying around and swinging.

    "WOAH...ˇ­" I was overcomewith amazement.

    "So this is called Spiritual Weapon, I can freely move and attack with them." She replied looking at me.

    Her golden eyes looking at me were extremely scary, as if she looked a little possessed.

    "Stop that!" Jay yelled at us causing Daisy to return to normal and the Shield and Hammer fade out of existence. "Magic is prohibited within the wall of the city!" He scolded Daisy, causing her to apologies profusely.

    "Freeze!!! A loud voice boomed out from the crowd.

    Looking for the source of the voice I now see Daisy has stirred up a large commotion, as five extremely heavily armored men appeared, four holding their spears pointed at us and one with a sword on his side and a shield on his back each with a red piece of cloth over their breastplate with a golden lion head as a crest on it.

    "Ahhhh SHIT" I heard jay mutter under his breath.

    One of the heavily armour men approached us, "Miss, Magic is prohibited within the walls of this city." She yelled at us.

    "Captain please forgive my friend here, she''s new to Arcadia, and she doesn''t know the rules of the city" I heard Jay speak out standing between Daisy and the Captain.

    "Step aside, your friend is under arrest!" the Captain said ignoring Jay and pulling out handcuffs ready to take Daisy

    "We meant no harm, this was just an honest mistake and my friend didn''t intend to cause any trouble." Jay said holding his hands up.

    The captain stared at him for a minute, before signalling her Comrades to stand down raising their spears. "Yes I''m so sorry! I honestly didn''t know!...." Daisy also pleaded with the captain.

    "Fine, but if you three cause any more commotion I won''t let you off so easily!" The captain begrudgingly agreed.

    "Thank you! Again I''m so sorry!" Daisy apologized.

    The Captain and her Squad turn around entering back into the crowd, as the general public went back to their lives after the commotion was over.

    "Im so sorry Jay! I really didn''t know!" Daisy apologized profusely to Jay.

    "Yeah we are so sorry!!" I also apologized.

    "It''s okay you guys didn''t knowˇ­.. Come let''s carry on heading to the blacksmiths." Jay accepted our apologies.

    It was surprisingly brave of him to stand in front of Daisy willing to defend her despite meeting her only yesterday. I soon heard the clanging of metal and the sounds of roaring forges. We approached a large open building surrounded by fencing, at the back stood several large roaring forges, several large heavy looking anvils and one large tank of water. Three burly Dwarves and two humans were working diligently crafting various metal weapons and items.

    "Good day, where can I go to buy a weapon?" Jay tried to yell at them.

    None of them responded, I guess his voice was drowned out by the booming sounds of the forges and clanging of metal work. Jay turned to us and shrugged like he doesn''t know what else to do. We both shrugged in return with no idea what to do also. Looking around I pointed at the door, "Maybe we should try there" I suggested.

    Walking through the door, we entered a shop front the sides lined with wall mounted weapons of different shapes and designs, large chests, bolts and many other things. "Greetings looking for anything in particular." A tall well-dressed man appeared from another room.

    "Hi, my friend was looking to buy something here." Jay responded looking at Daisy.

    "Hi, I was hoping to buy or have a Maul or Mace forgedˇ­" Daisy requested.

    The tall gentleman took a look at Daisy and had the most confused expression as if she asked for was absurd. "Ummˇ­. Sureˇ­." The gentleman walked out from the shop counter and picked up a small mace off a side wall for her, "Try one of theseˇ­.." he handed it to her.

    "Ohh sorry I wasn''t being very specific, I was looking for a two handed Maul or Mace." Daisy smiled.

    He was taken aback by her request, "Ummmˇ­ young miss are you sure, it''s a very heavy weaponˇ­.." he hesitantly asked.

    "Yes I''m sure" Daisy carried on smiling.

    "Ummmˇ­. Okayˇ­. let me just get one from the back" he replied stepping into another room. After a few moments the door slammed opened, as the gentleman struggled to carry out a weapon with a long handle and a large solid metal ball attached to the end, barely being able to lift it off the floor pulling it to the front counter. "Here you go miss." He said struggling to catch his breath and noticeable beads of sweat drip down his forehead.

    Daisy full of excitement lifted the weapon with one hand and began swinging it with both hands gently making sure not to hit anything. "This feel good" but do you have anything with maybe a Hammer shape so it''s easier to rest on the floor?" Daisy asked.

    Jay and I looked at each other, eyes wide open in shock from what we just witnessed. The shop keeper equally as shocked and even more taken aback by her request. "Ummmˇ­. Sure we can have it done in 3 days if that''s okay with youˇ­.." he hesitantly asked.

    "That will be fine thank you!" By the way do you also do repairs?" Daisy asked.

    "Yes ˇ­. You will just need to bring it in so we can inspect it and give you a quote." The shop keeper still confused how such a slender woman has so much strength.

    "That will be awesome! So how much was it for the Mace?" Daisy asked politely.

    "Ohhh... Sorryˇ­. It will be 25gold if that is okay for you?" He answered.

    "That would be great thank you." Daisy replied pulling out a small pouch from under her dress and counting out the gold to pay him.

    "Thank you miss here''s your receipt, are you going to collect it or would you like us to deliver it?" The shop keeper asked.

    "Pick up please, I need to get some pieces repaired anyways so I need to stop by and get a quote." She answered happily.

    "Very well thank you for your business Young madam." The shopkeeper smiled and bowed.

    Daisy bowed in return, and we made our way out the shop. "Thank you" I said to the shopkeeper and waving goodbye.

    "Let''s get some food! My Aunt owns a local tavern here!" She happily skipped ahead of us.

    "Ummm... Jay why is she so strong?" I asked him quietly as we began following her.

    "Beats me.... I''m just as lost as you areˇ­.." he replied.

    "So earlier Daisy said she wanted to be a Cleric and you want to be a Sorcerer, what does Sorcerers do??...." I asked a little confused.

    "Ohhhˇ­.. Sorcerers use Arcanum to cast spellsˇ­." Jay answered.

    "So like a Wizard?..." I replied.

    "Yeah kinda people often interchange the names, but generally a Sorcerer is born with the ability to use Arcanum, where a Wizard is a normal human who learns to cast spells but they need to use objects and reagents." Jay answered.

    "Ohhhh that''s interestingˇ­.." I nodded in understanding.

 20 Food

    "Do you happen to know what Scarlet specialized in?" I asked Jay in curiosity.

    "Hmmmm she''s most defiantly a fighter, her lacking in ability to you magic, but makes up for it with melee prowess." Jay answered confidently.

    "How about Paul?" I also asked.

    "He''s a bit odd, he''s defiantly a Sorcerer butˇ­. Unlike most sorcerers who specialize on a few school of magic, he''s shown prowess in numeral if not all schools of magic." He answered.

    "Yup he''s the best!... Not long now should be around this next corner!" Daisy added walking ahead of us.

    We arrived at a building called The Jolly Lion, with outside tables and benches set up, and the sound of faint music coming from inside. Daisy began sprinting at the sight of the tavern busting through the front door. Jay and I keeping our pace approaching the tavern, "COME ON GUYS!!!!!! I GOT US A TABLE!!!" Daisy stuck her head out shouting at us full of glee before popping back in.

    We entered an extremely busy tavern, the front bar lined with many seated customers drinking large mugs of what looks like ale or beer. The rest of the floor filled with numeral tables and chairs and benches, customers eating various foods and hot meals. Music coming from the corner of the room from a four man band, two girls and two boys playing a piano, flute, and two guitars.

    "OVER HERE! GUYS!" Daisy yelled in the distant waving her hand.

    We both noticed her waving us down in a corner table, approaching her we took great care in where we was walking making sure not to bump into anyone. "This place is very lively." I said shuffling behind Daisy taking a seat next to her.

    "Yupˇ­.. It''s very popular here! And the food here is pretty famous." Daisy said nodding.

    "OHHH there''s my Aunt! She''s coming this way!" Daisy said full of excitement. "I haven''t seen her for over 3 years!!!!" she added.

    A tall young human woman with brunette hair approached our table, "Daisy darling! So you made it into Atlantis?!!!" her Aunt said when she arrived at our table.

    Daisy leapt off her seat giving her a giant hug. "Aunt May! It has been far too long!" Daisy yelled.

    "Yes it has, how''s your mother? I hope my sister is doing well." Aunt May smiled looking at Daisy.

    "Yes Yes! She doing great! She also opened a Tavern, business was booming when I left for Atlantis" Daisy beamed.

    "That''s great! I''m glad she took my advice." Aunt May smiled. "Ohhh you brought company?! Hi I''m May, Daisy''s Aunt pleased to meet you." She smiled at the both of us.

    "Ohhh yeah! This is Jay and this is Emilia, they are pretty awesome!" Daisy introduced us.

    "HEEEYYYY Ben!!! I''m gonna take a small break!" Aunt May yelled at the aged human gentleman at the front bar and proceeded taking a seat next to Jay and Daisy taking her seat.

    "Ohh and that''s my uncle Ben! He seems to be super busy though." Daisy said, the Barman looked our direction waving and smiling.

    "So Daisy?! Did you manage to meet Paul yet?! I remember how you used to talk about him nonstop during your training in the temple" Aunt May asked smiling.

    "Nooo not yet sadly." Daisy said with a slight frown.

    "THE NERVE! Next time he comes here I''ll give him a wallop for ignoring my niece!" Aunt May responded full of anger.

    "No Noˇ­ don''t ˇ­. I''m sure he''s super busy that''s allˇ­.." Daisy tried to calm down her Aunt.

    "Fineˇ­.. But say the word ill punish him for ignoring you!" Aunt May added.

    "So Jay... What is your relationship with my Daisy?!" She shot a glare at Jay startling him.

    "Ummmˇ­. Urrrrrˇ­.." He stuttered.

    "WHAT?! MY NIECE ISN''T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?!" Aunt May instantly responded to his hesitation.

    "NO NOˇ­ She''s beautifulˇ­.." Jay tried to respond.

    "

    OHHHHH YOU THINK YOU''RE GOOD ENOUGH FOR MY DAISY NOW?!!!" Aunt May interrupted him.

    "Urrrrˇ­. Noˇ­.. Ma''amˇ­.." Jay stuttered not knowing how to answer Aunt May.

    "Stop it Aunt May!" Daisy chuckled.

    Aunt May burst out laughing "I''m sorry kiddoˇ­" Aunt May apologised to Jay.

    Jay still in shock didn''t really respond just laughed awkwardly with her. "Jay actually defended me when I accidentally used some magic and we got caught by some guards." Daisy informed Aunt May.

    "Ohhh really?! How noble of him. Thank you Jay for defending my Dear Daisy." She thanked Jay giving him a nod. "Daisy these are the type of Boys you want for a boyfriend!" She explained to Daisy.

    "AUNTY!" Daisy yelled, her face getting redder, which was surprising with her blue skin.

    "You know I''m only joking." She responded giving Jay a punch in the arm laughing. Jay laughed with her awkwardly.

    "Soˇ­. Ems what''s the deal with you?!" Aunt May asked me.

    "OMG She somehow knows Scarlet and Paul!" Daisy responded.

    "No WAY! So you can introduce Daisy to Paul! Don''t you dare try and take him away from her! Or I''ll make you the Chef''s special!" She threatened me.

    I laughed with her because I knew she was joking, but she kept her stern face making me feel uneasy. "You I''m joking?!" she said glaring at me.

    "Ummmˇ­ No Ma''am of course I''ll do my best." I responded in a panic.

    Aunt May burst out laughing as expected, "I love your friends Daisy!" Aunt may said laughing banging the table. Causing me to also laugh with her awkwardly.

    "OI BEN! GIVE ME TWO COCKTAILS! AND ONE OF OUR BEST BEERS" She screamed at uncle ben, to which he nodded and began preparing some drinks.

    "Now don''t tell your mother! Or she will have my head!" Aunt may notified Daisy.

    "I promise!" Daisy responded smiling holding out her pinkie, to which Aunt May responded my making a pinkie promise.

    "Now food, what do you guys fancy?! On the house of course!" she said smiling at Daisy.

    "Ohh Ohhh!! Your famous quiche and Roast chicken PLEASE ohhh and a saladˇ­.. !!!" Daisy said excitedly.

    "No problem! Do you want sides as well?!" Aunt May asked.

    "Ohh yes please!" Daisy replied.

    "Coming right up!" Aunt May said standing up with a giant smile. "I must get back to work and help in the kitchen, please see me again before you leave!" she added walking away.

    "Your Aunt is quite the lively woman." Jay said when Aunt may disappeared into some doors.

    "Yeahˇ­ she loves to joke around, it makes people drink more and that means more money." Daisy smiled.

    It was surprisingly relieving to see the relationship of Daisy and her Aunt. Reminded me of my fond memories with my own family members, especially my own nieces and nephews.

    "Umm Daisy is it okay to eat outside food here?..." I asked her in curiosity not know the etiquette here.

    "Ummm sure, but wait till you''ve tried the salads and sides first or my Aunt might get offended." Daisy answered.

    Shortly after Aunt may arrived with our drinks and some starters for us. "Here you goˇ­.. Your drinks, and some starters, assorted Peanuts, assortment of cheeses, seasonal fruits and our world famous jerky." She said giving me and Daisy our cocktails, and placing a large mug of Beer for jay. "Enjoy" she smiled walking away.

    "Is that "the" famous Jerky?!" Jay asked Daisy.

    "Yupˇ­ that''s our special honey glazed BBQ jerky" daisy nodded.

    Jay excitedly began chomping down on the jerky, "OMG It''s so good!!!" Jay said full of excitement and satisfaction.

    "I know right!..... I actually know the secret recipe." Daisy added also beginning to eat.

    "NO WAY!!!!" Jay responded to Daisy''s revelation.

    "Ohh you need to try the peanuts as well! It has special seasoning as well." Daisy informed Jay pushing the peanuts to him.

    Jays face lit up with happiness trying the peanuts. "If the cheese is as good as everything else, I swear I''ll never leave." Jay said trying some of the cheese.

    "I don''t think I''ve ever seen Jay this excited or happy." I said looking at him.

    "I know..." Daisy responded.

    I began eating some of the starters avoiding the jerky, and similar to Jay, the taste and flavour also made me smile out of happiness thoroughly enjoying the food. Taking off the bag of holding placing it on the table, I thought of the notepad Paul included and began feeling around. As if by magic I felt a small notepad and pulled it out.

    "What ya got there?" Daisy asked curiously while eating and began to also look at the notepad.

    "Ohh it''s just a notepad Paul included with the bag when he gave it to me." I replied.

    Opening the notepad, the front page listed several items. Wand, Scrying Orb, 5x Bottle of fresh Water, Jar of Gherkins, 5x Canned Ravioli, Badge, Rope, First Aid Kit and Cutlery set.

    "Ohhhhh that''s some cool stuff." Daisy said eating a piece of cheese.

    "What''s a Scrying Orb?" I said turning to Daisy.

    "It''s an Orb that you focus on and allows you to see the person you are thinking about. Ohh you already have a wand?" Daisy explained.

    "Yeah I was given one from a Treant" I explained.

    "NO way!!! You''re so lucky!" Daisy replied in shock.

    "Look!" I said putting my hand into the bag thinking of a wand, pulling out my Treant Wand.

    "Woahˇ­ May I?" Daisy asked politely.

    "Sure." I handed her the wand.

    Inspecting the wand closely analyzing each centimeter slowly, "Woah you''re so lucky!" Daisy said in awe. To my surprise Jay was way too occupied eating and drinking to even notice my wand. I guess once he notices he would be super excited.

 21 Jay

    "Jay slow down.... there''s still more to come! This is just the starter." Daisy said to Jay as he carried on stuffing himself.

    "But it''s so good!" He responded.

    "Don''t worry, we''ll take some with us back to Atlantis" I reassured him.

    He looked up at me for the first time since the food landed on the table, "Really?!" He asked.

    "Yeah it will be no problem, besides I still need to thank you for saving us earlier." I replied.

    What followed was an absolute surprise to me, tears began rolling down his eyes, and "Thank you...." he barely managed to blubber out.

    "No No.... it''s okay we are friends..." I replied in total shock, his sudden 360 spin in personality from cool and collected to a crying mess, I panicky looked at Daisy mouthing "Did i say something wrong?"

    Daisy looked back at me equally in total shock..... "Ummmmm Jay it really not a problem..." She tried to calm him down.

    At this point Aunt May came bursting in, "you guys ready for the main course?!" she yelled holding a tray full of food and another round of drinks. "Ohhh My God what happened?" she said placing the tray of food on the table taking a seat near to Jay cuddling him, "I''m sorry for the mean jokes earlier." she said to him, and then mouthing to us "what the hell is going on?"

    We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity till Jay managed to calm down and gently pushed himself from Aunt May, "I''m sorry guys..... It''s... just..." he began to explain but then stopped.

    "It''s okay you can tell us dear." Aunt may tried to confine with him.

    "Just...ˇ­.. no one has ever showed me or my family such kindness before, I grew up very poor and people don''t treat the beggars and the poor with much respect and dignity..... But we are also people too!" he began explaining.

    The three of frowning from hearing the pain in his voice and our eyes began to tear up.

    "And my parents they literally gave me all the money they had just so I can get supplies for School, and I don''t even know how they are coping without me....." He began to cry again.

    "Darling where are your parents staying right now?" Aunt May asked extremely hart broken by what Jay said.

    "They live in the outskirts of Arcadia in a small town called Thralkeld." He answered.

    "Darling I''ll find them and take good care of them okay?" Aunt May reassured him. "Now eat up be strong and do your parents proud okay? And you''ll be able to return to them a full-fledged Wizard.

    Me and Daisy was absolutely speechless at the revelation, none of us could have imagined that he had such a painful past before Atlantis.

    "I''m so sorry to hear that Jay.... On the first chance we get, we''ll pay your family a visit. I promise Okay?" Daisy replied.

    He nodded in silence wiping away the tears from his face, "And if you need anything just let me know okay? I''m literally sitting on 100 platinum with no idea what to do with it." I offered him. Aunt may look at me in shock surprised how I managed to amass such a fortune.

    "Thank you.... Truly." as he sat in silence.

    "Here eat and drink as much as you want." Aunt may said portioning out the food for him and placing another bottle for him to drink.

    "I''m so... sorry I made you guys feel this way....." He apologized to us.

    "No No... We are friends now, we will always be there for each other no matter what happens okay?" Emilia said comforting him.

    "Yes we are the Three musketeers now." I reassured him, Aunt May and Daisy looked at me like I just spoke alien to them.... "What I mean is we are family now." I correcting myself.

    "Thank you for everything truly....." he said quietly sitting there.

    "Come on let''s all eat up and get nice and strong." Aunt may tried to lighten the mood.

    Jay and Daisy and Aunt May began eating quietly hoping Jay would say something. A big part of me felt sad for jay, and what hurt more is that I''m absolutely powerless to help his situation. ''What if his parents are starving now, or wondering for scraps of food.... or getting beaten for being poor, I can''t just let this happen..... Not to jay.''

    An idea popped into my head, unsure if it would play out the same way in my head I decided to give it a try. "Umm I''m gonna go outside for a minute" I said shuffling behind Daisy taking my bag with me.

    Daisy and Aunt May looked at me in confusion as I walked away, I mouthed to them "trust me".

    Hastily exiting the tavern, I came face to face with Calista and a small group of students with her, ''You gotta be joking not now.''

    "OHHH hey rank F or G I forgot which it was so damn low, what brings you here? I''m surprised you can even afford anything." She gloated at me her smug face asking to get punched.

    I could feel the rage in my body bubbling, ''this silver spooned BITCH thinks she can talk down to me when she was probably born and the world was placed at her feet and earned nothing herself''. "Not right now I''m busy" I managed to contain my seething rage as I tried to make my way around the corner away from view.

    "Bitch didn''t I tell you before don''t turn your back to me." Grasping my wrist again forcing me to turn around.

    With my boiling rage and the momentum she generated I threw a punch directly at her face, I could feel something welling up inside me giving me way more strength.

    "Ohhh that''s quite a punch you got there...." Calista said sarcastically, as she effortlessly caught my punch with her hand. "Did you really think you could hurt me with such a lowly rank?" she laughed throwing my hand to the side effortlessly. "Learn your place scum! Atlantis and Arcadia doesn''t need weakling like you tarnishing our reputation." she said turning away. "I''d rather not eat at an establishment that caters to such filth."

    The anger still pumping through my veins my blood boiling with rage I lunged at her again throwing two haymakers at her, the second catching her straight in her jaw, when she tried to block the first hit, sending her a few steps back, spitting out some blood she looked up at me with equally angry eyes, you crossed the line now BITCH, as she drew her wand out and whispered something inaudible.

    The world slowed again as I saw a surge of energy pass into her wand as a mini tornado manifested from the tip of her wand screaming towards me, I was helpless again unable to react to my situation, just stand here idly waiting for it to hit me.

    The moment the spell was about to hit me, I closed my eyes readying myself for the impact. I felt my body forcibly flung several meters off the ground hurtling across the air. I felt my body impact various objects, my back slamming hard into something the pain surging through me like hot lightning forcing me to let out a scream of pain, until I rolled over the ground to an eventual stop.

    "Bitch I hope you learnt your lesson." The now blurry Calista spat on the floor and walked away and the group of students following close behind.

    I laid there for a little allowing my body to recover and get used to the pain radiating throughout my body. ''Am I in over my head? I''m just gonna die at this rate.'' I thought to myself. Few minutes passed as I laid there in defeat, various bystanders looked in horror, but refused to do anything and just walked on by. ''This is what Jay and his family must have felt...''

    I slowly pulled myself up, I can feel the burning of cuts and bruise throughout my body. ''One day I swear I will make her PAY!'' I began to pull myself together finally standing up, dusting myself off and taking a good look at myself, she really did a number on me, I could feel my hair was in a mess, my dress was tatters, ripped and cut in places, I''m fking missing a shoe and my belt has gone somewhere..... "OHHH SHIT" I gasped as I remembered what I came out to do.

    I frantically began rummaging through the debris on my bruised knee''s desperately trying find my belt and pouch. All hope seemed to be lost until I caught a glimpse of the bag laying there under remnants of a barrel totally unscathed. "Thank God I said to myself" as I slumped myself on a nearby wall. Opening the bag I thought about the school badge and pulled it out.

    "Hello..... Anyone there....." I asked holding the button waiting for a reply.

    "Heyyyy Emilia!!! Wassup?!! How''s the school trip?!" I heard Ashley speak with enthusiasm.

    "Wassup Sis?!" I heard Scarlet also reply.

    "Hey everything okay?!" I heard Paul speak also.

    "Ummmm Paul I wanted to ask you for a personal favour....." I hesitantly requested.

    "Sure? What is it?...." He asked hesitant as always when someone asks from him.

    "Ummm is it okay to request some privacy?" I requested hoping not to offend Ashley or Scarlet.

    "Guys you heard her." Paul responded.

    About 10 seconds followed with complete silence.

    "So I wanted to ask-" I began to explain.

    "Wait Emilia they are still here..." Paul interrupted me, "Guys.. There is literally a glowing dot showing each of us who''s still connected." I heard Paul speak out to them.

    "Owww... fine" I heard Scarlet reluctantly agree with a huff and a small blue dot vanished from the badge.

    "Damnit, why did I even install that function to begin with?!" I heard Ashley curse himself as another blue dot vanished.

    "Okay... you may proceed, it''s just you and me now..." He informed me.

    "I know you have done so much for me already, but I was hoping you could help a friend of mine...." I began to explain.

    "Go on." he replied.

    "Well, he''s quite poor..... And his parents were quite poor as well..... in fact they gave him all the money they which amounted to only 20 gold, to buy supplies and well I just want to make sure that his family are okay....They live in Thralkeld" I hesitantly requested.

    "Consider it sorted, I''ll go deal with it personally." Paul replied.

    "Thank you...." I hesitantly thanked him.

    About 5 seconds passed with no reply..... Looking down at the badge there was only one flashing light left......? ''Did he really just hang up without saying anything?''... Regardless I''m sure Paul has the power and influence to help... I better start making my way back in.

    I struggled to stand up as a sharp pain stung my right ankle, ''Ahh crap it must be sprained''.... I began using the wall as support to get myself up and slowly hobbled my way back into the tavern. Opening the front doors, Uncle Ben instantly caught my eye dropping down the glass in his hand and came rushing around the bar towards me.

    "Young miss are you okay?" he asked as he helped me back to the table.

    "OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Daisy screamed leaping off her seat allowing me to sit down.

    "Yeah I''m okay thank you..." as Uncle Ben helped me sit down as I hissed a little from the pain.

    "MY GOD what happened to you?!" Aunt May also screamed when she looked at me.

    Jay looked at me instantaneously knowing what happened, "That fucking Calista, I''ll make her pay as he dropped his fork and began to stand up knife in hand.

    "Oh my god Calista did this?!" Daisy gasped in shock.

    "Wait the Princess Calista?!" Aunt May tried to understand the situation.

    "Those Fucking Upper Class ass hole!" Uncle Ben shouted in anger rolling up his sleeves.

    "EVERYONE CALM DOWN!" Aunt may Shouted.

    Ben go back and man the bar, before you do something stupid and get us shut down for good. To which he reluctantly agreed stomping back to the bar.

    "And you... Sit your arse back on the chair before I force you to sit." Aunt May instructed Jay, Jay quietly and reluctantly agreeing he sat down still seething with anger strongly gripping the knife in his hands his knuckled becoming white form the strain.

    "Okay Daisy darling please sit down and don''t let Jay do anything stupid he might regret later" She instructed Daisy.

    "Now Emilia come with me upstairs... we''ll get you cleaned up and a new set of clothes." She said helping me and supporting me to the stairs. As we walked past the bar a rather muscular young man whistled as us as I limped pass.

    "Hold on...." Aunt may whispered to me, as she rested my hands on the bar top and walked up to the man. "You fucked up boy." I heard uncle Ben say before Aunt May grasped the young man by the back of the skull and with no restraint slammed his face into the bar, dazing him in the process as his arms went a little limp and began to slowly raise up to try and defend himself, blood gushing down his nose, and all over the bar where his face impacted it, and with another shocking act of violence she hammered his face into the bar again, this time knocking him completely unconscious his body bouncing off the bar falling onto the floor almost lifeless. She then gave him a giant kick to the kidney, as the young man horrifically screamed in pain back to consciousness. "I SWEAR TO GOD IF I HEAR YOU DISRESPECT A WOMAN LIKE THAT AGAIN I WILL END YOU!" she yelled at the young man withering in pain. She then proceeded to drag his body out the Tavern and reappearing a few seconds later. "ANYONE ELSE WANNA START SOMETHING?!" she yelled as the whole tavern now frozen in fear at the spectacle or gross act of violence. A young girl came running out the kitchen and began to help Uncle Ben clean up the mess.

    "Sorry you had to experience that Emilia, men like that need to be taught a lesson." As she grabbed my arm and began helping me up the stairs. "Let''s get you cleaned up okay?" she smiled at me.

 22 Family

    Slowly making our way up the stairs, limping step by step, "So .... How long was you and Paul together?..." Aunt May asked me.

    My jaw dropped and eyes widened looking at her in shock, "..." totally speechless.

    "Call it a woman''s intuition, don''t worry I won''t tell Daisy." She smiled.

    I let out a large sigh... "We''ve known each other for around 15 years..... We were great friends at one time, I had some family issues we were working past that. But then suddenly and abruptly he ended it, we tried to remain friends until he vanished from the face of the earth, which is when I assume he arrived here." I answered her.

    "Wait so you both are not from here?....." Aunt May replied taking extra care at the top of the stairs. "My room is at the end of the hallway, I''ll get a bath ready for you" she smiled.

    "Nah we from another plane sadly, and Magic is total new to me, I don''t know anything." I answered.

    "Ohh I seeˇ­.. You and him have a pretty complicated relationship..." she said as we slowly made our way down the hallway passing numeral doors on both sides, until we reached the last door at the end of the hallway. Aunt May left me leaning on wall and pulled out a small key to open the door. Helping me again we made our way into a very lavish room, there was a large bed, furniture beautifully decorated with etched patterns. "This way darling" as she led me to the bed helping me sit down.

    "One moment...." she said walking outside for few minutes and remerged with a stack of towels and a plain white old fashioned style dress. "I''ll prep the bath for you, just sit tight." She smiled entering into another room.

    "You know it''s quite a dangerous out there, outside the safety of the guards and cities.... " Aunt May shouted from the other room.

    "Yeah I know.... just that Calista she really pissed me off." I shouted replying to her

    "I know people like her only see use commoners as locusts." she said exiting the bathroom.

    "That''s so horrible" I replied.

    "Yeah I know.... but nothing we can do.... just so you know she''s apparently quite talented for a new wizard." Aunt May informed me.

    "And worse yet she seems to have a vendetta against me." I replied.

    "I absolutely detest bullying but I''d advise you to just stick around friends she, will then be less likely to pick on you." Aunt May advised me.

    "Yeah I''ll try to...." I agreed.

    "Besides I''m pretty sure my Daisy can mash her to a pulp if she ever tried anything in front of her "Aunt May smiled.

    "By the way..... How are you human and Daisy a Tiefling is she Half human as well?" I asked out of curiosity.

    "Ohhhhh...sadly I think it''s up to Daisy if she wants to tell you about her past." She said politely to me.

    "Ohhh okay.... I''m sorry....." I apologized

    "Nothing to be sorry about" she smiled.

    "The bath should be ready by now.... feel free to use anything you want in there as well." She smiled. Helping me up towards the bathroom and bringing in the towels and the change of clothes. "I''ll need to head back to the bar so I''ll be down stairs just come down when you''re done, okay?" She said smiling.

    "Okay.... sorry for all the inconvenience....." I apologized as I nodded hesitantly replying.

    "Don''t be silly, you''re family now" she said patting my head, exiting and closing the door behind her.

    The bathroom was pleasantly hot and steamy, I began the painful and slow process of undressing myself. Looking myself in a nearby mirror, I got hurt pretty bad, a large dark black bruise streaked across my lower back, cuts and scratches littered my body and a small open wound on the corner of my lip.

    Slowly sinking into the bath it stung like hell, the hot water washing across my open wounds, I forced myself to just lay in the bath tub sucking in the pain. ''I need to get stronger!'' Eventually the pain diminished to bearable level allowing me to begin cleaning myself, using a nearby sponge I began washing myself, taking extra care at spots where still had some open wounds. Thoroughly washing off all the dirt, dust and small bits of debris off myself, I submerged my head into the water to wet my hair, using a jug from a nearby shelf I began to rinse and clean out my hair.

    Spending some more time relaxing a little, soaking in the hot relaxing atmosphere, closing my eyes letting my brain fade away... I was suddenly interrupt with loud thumps on the door. "Emilia you okay in there?" I heard Daisy yell from the other side of the door.

    "Yeah I''m okay? why?" I shouted back.

    "ˇ­. It''s been about 30 mins and we haven''t heard a word from you, and we should be making a move on soonˇ­." Daisy replied.

    "FUCK! I must have dosed off!" I shouted, leaping out the bath quickly drying myself and my hair, hissing as I forgot to take extra care on my open wounds. Quickly slipping on my clothes, the dress was extremely modest, sleeves going down to my wrists, the bottom of the dress reaching my ankles and the top reaching my neckline. "I''m coming." I shouted to Daisy from the door exiting the bathroom quickly causing me to stumble as I was painfully reminded that I still have a sprained ankle.

    "Slow downˇ­." Daisy said as she positioned to catch me.

    "I''m sooo Sorry let''s get going." I said in a panic to Daisy.

    Daisy giggled a little, "It''s alright we have plenty of time." As she pat my back.

    Suddenly my ankle felt could hold the weight of my body and everything ached a little less. "Sorry I''m still a cleric in training so that''s all I can do for now" she smiled at me.

    "Ohhh wow! Your magic so amazing!....Thank you!" I said with a giant smile hugging her.

    "Alright now you''re healed slightly let''s start making a move, everyone will be happy to see you doing better" she smiled as we left the room together.

    Walking down the stairs I saw Jay and Aunt May and Ben at the bottom ready to greet me at the bottom of the stairs.

    "Feeling better? You defiantly look better" Jay said with a smile.

    Aunt May and Ben gave me a giant hug, "Make sure you visit often okay?" Aunt May said to me.

    "I''ve also packed a lot of foods and drinks for you as well." Ben said pointing at 2 large backpacks similar to one Jay has on his back.

    "Thank you so much!" I said as small tears of joy began to well up in my eyes.

    "Now make sure you take care of each other!" Aunt May instructed us, "You''re all family now!" she added.

    "Okay we''ll get going now." Daisy said with a smile. "Love you Aunt May and Uncle Ben!" she said giving them both a big hug.

    "We love you too." They both replied.

    "And you Jay, I expect to see you as well!" Aunt May pointed to him with a stern face.

    He smiled back and nodded with agreement and began leading the way out. With Daisy following close behind, I turned back to smile exiting the tavern.

    Outside the tavern we all turned to each other, "So the Wand shop next?" Jay asked.

    "Ohhh I forgot here''s you wand Emilia." Daisy said whipping it out of her bag retuning my wand to me.

    "...ˇ­." Jay looked at it eyes wide mouth gaping open absolutely speechless.

 23 Wands

    Jay stood there in shock silently staring at my wand... "Is that what I think it is?" He said pointing at it.

    "Yah it''s a wand" I answered him.

    "Is... Is.... that a Treant Wantd!?" he said still shocked.

    "Yah it is, a Giant walking tree gave it to him when I was given a tour." I answered.

    "NOOOO ..... IT GAVE YOU A WAND?! He said yelling hysterically.

    I nodded and handed him the wand, "Do you wanna hold it?" I asked him smiling. He instantaneously grabbed it.

    "OMG this thing is channelling so much Arcanum!" he said with a giant smile on his face, "guys come with me!" he said lifting his head a little coming up with a idea, and began walking around the corner.

    Daisy and I obliged follow him around the corner. "Woah.... what happened here..." I heard jay say form around the corner.

    "Woah... looks like a tornado came crashing through here." Daisy said turning the corner.

    "Yeah.... this is where Calista blasted me with some sort of spell...." I said quietly.

    "I swear if i ever get my hands on her I will beat her to a pulp!" I heard daisy curse her.

    "Let''s not get too ahead of ourselves... she is the princess. There would be major repercussions if we tried to do anything to her." Jay said calm and collected. "Anyways watch this guys!" he said as he pointed the wand at the wall and began focusing.

    A small blue outline of a door began so slowly draw itself around in a rectangle. My eyes lit up with excitement "JAY! I didn''t know you can make portals!" I yelled at him shaking him with excitement.

    Still focusing on the spell despite my shaking the doorway finished itself and the inside filled with a bright blue glow. "Let''s go guys!" he said entering the doorway portal thing.

    With absolute glee I jumped though, we entered another dingy looking alleyway. "Ohh where are we?" I asked Jay, while Daisy followed closely behind me. "The wand shop shouldn''t be far from here, I just saved us a little walking time." he smiled and began leading the way.

    "What spell was that?!" I asked him.

    "Dimension door." It allows me to make a door a certain distance from my location." he answered still walking. "Ohhh and here take you wand back" he said handing back my wand.

    "Thanks!" I said smiling, taking it and putting it back into my bag of holding.

    Exiting the alleyway, we came back to the busy market street. "Sorry guys I didn''t want to catch the attentions of the guards." he said turning right.

    "That''s... okay I don''t feel like going to jail" Daisy said.

    "Keep that wand safe Emilia, it''s very rare." he added.

    "Okay I will!" I answered him.

    We soon entered a very old dingy looking shop the door knocking a small bell above it letting the owner know new customers has arrived. The walls displaying various wands of different shapes and names, the wall behind the shop counter filled with many small boxes.

    "Welcome welcome!" A small old man came walking out slowly with a walking cane. "What can i do for you young kids?" he asked with a giant smile, adjusting his glasses to better see us.

    "Hi we was hoping to buy a wand please." Jay asked politely.

    "Of course young man." he said slowly making his way to Jay. "Please hold out your two hands for me." he requested with a smile.

    Jay looking slightly confused obliged and held out his two hands open palmed towards him. "Hmmmm..." the old man said holding Jay''s hand and seemingly looking deeply into them focusing on something.

    A few minutes passed of pure silence, Jay looking at me with confusion.... mouthing "I don''t know what the F is going on."

    I shrugged back "I dunno", turning my head to Daisy who also shrugged.

    "Hmmmm....." the old man said again letting go of Jays hand, you''ve got a lot of potential in you young man" he said slowly making his way to one of the side wands. "You have a very naturally ability to harness fire." he said scanning the shelves carefully. "Ahhh here it is!" This is crafted from the bark of a Burningwillow Tree." he said carefully taking the wand off the shelf and handing it to Jay to hold.

    Jay accepted carefully picking up the wand from him, instantaneously I saw the wand glow with a slight red hue. Jay was taken aback a little, his posture straightening slightly, "I can feel it...." he said looking hypnotized.

    I placed my hand on his shoulder, his body seemed to radiate a little more heat than usual. "You okay?" I asked worryingly.

    He snapped out of his trance, his body stopped radiating heat and returning to his relaxed posture. "What was that feeling he asked" looking at the old man.

    "That was you experiencing, Red or Fire Arcanum for the first time young child, because your body has a natural affinity to it the wand helped you generate a stronger connection." He answered with a smile.

    "Yeah I really felt that!" he said astonished, "No one ever told me about that!" he said surprised.

    "Yes yes, it''s a dying technique few of us wand sellers still possess." He said smiling.

    "How much is this wand by the way?" Jay asked humbly.

    "100 gold pieces!" he said with a giant smile.

    "Wow it''s so expensive....." Jay said frowning and handing it back to him "I''m sorry... I don''t have anywhere near that much gold." He replied.

    "I''m sorry to hear that young man." The old man said placing it back on the shelf. "Hmmm..." he began canning for another wand.

    "How about this one?" He said pulling out another wand from the display. "It''s made from oak infused with fireblossom, not as potent as the other wand but still good" he said handing it to Jay to try.

    "How much?" Jay asked, without even trying to hold it.

    "50 gold pieces." The old man smiled at him.

    "Ohhh damn..... I still don''t have enough....." Jay said notifying the old man.

    "Ohhh.... well how much do you have young man?" the old man asked.

    "Only 20 gold he said....." looking down slightly embarrassed.

    "Hmmmm well..... You seem like a nice young man I''ll sell it to you for 20 gold then" he said with a giant smile.

    Jays face lit up with a giant smile, "I''ll take it!" he said smiling.

    "Could I also buy something?" I asked the old shop keeper interrupting them, I wanted to buy the wand for Jay but I got a feeling he will object.

    "Sure young miss." The old man held out his hand awaiting mine.

    "Ummm Emilia you already have a wand...." Jay said to me quietly.

    I stomped on foot causing him to jump back in pain... "What the he''ll?" he yelped and quickly shut up as he saw my stern face.

    I turned a smiled and proceeded to place my hands on the old man''s.

    "hmmmmm" he began focusing again, then quickly letting go. "Hmmm you young miss is quite abnormal..... You don''t seem to have an affinity to any element..... You must be young to Arcanum, your body is open to any possibility." He replied to me.

    "For you I would defiantly recommend a training wand or a balanced wand." He smiled as he began to slowly walk behind the shop counter.

    He began pulling out various boxes showing me the contents of several beautiful wands, "these would be very appropriate for your magic level. If you use a wand too strong for you it will likely lead to harm of the user and the wand. Young students love using a strong wand thinking it will benefit their training, but the correct wand will always beat a wand not fit for the user" He warned us smiling.

    "Ohhh.... okay thanks for the advice." I smiled.

    "Is there anything else you happen to sell here?" I asked out of curiosity.

    "Hmmm.... "He began rummaging under the counter. "I have this spell book and basic spells." He added pulling out a large book the cover made of this brown durable leather. This is 10gold" he said and began rummaging more. "Ohhh ohhh here we have some fine quills and inks, and other blank books to write in." He said pulling out everything from under the table, with a few extras throwing them over this shoulder "ignore that" he chuckled.

    "So give me two spell books, four blank ones, hmmm ..... Two ink and quills....." I stopped in hesitation not knowing which wand to pick.

    "Take this wand... it''s a bit rustic but it will do you well." He advised.

    "Okay sure that one...." I said to him and began leaning in towards him "and the Burningwilliow wand please. I''ll pay you one platinum for it all if you also promise me to not sell my friend here a wand." I whispered him and smiled.

    "Deal he said holding out his hand for a hand shake." With a giant smile.

    "One moment young miss.... the fresh stock is at the back"he said playing along going towards the back.

    Pulling my platinum bag out my bag if holding I quickly pulled out a platinum coin without any of the other two seeing, ready to pay him. He came out from the back with a very nice decorated hand etched box. "Here you go.... that would be 127 gold pieces please. To which I paid him quickly with my platinum coin. "Thank you miss for your business he smiled.

    I began packing everything into my bag except Jays wand, turning around it looked like the two were engaged in some sort of conversation not paying much attention to what''s going on here. "Thanks you for everything." I said leaving the old man at the counter.

    The old man was inspecting the platinum coin very closely. "Ohhh ohhh thank you young miss" he said with a giant smile.

    Re-approaching them I overheard some of their talking , "are you excited for the S class demonstrations?" Jay said.

    "Ohhh my god yes!!! Especially Paul I can''t wait to see him in action." Daisy said with a giant smile.

    "Don''t count on it, I think he''s never performed in the demonstrations ever." Jay replied to her.

    "Really??..... But why???...." she asked hoping for an answer.

    "No idea.... all I know is that he doesn''t do any demonstrations." Jay answered.

    "I think he''s just too lazy too, if you ask me." I said joining in the conversation.

    "Ohhh you''re done?..." Jay said noticing me join the conversation.

    "Yup" I replied with a big smile.

    "Cool cool I''ll go get my wand." He said heading to the old man.

    "What''s got you in such a happy mood???..." Daisy asked me.

    "No reason." I smiled watching Jay and the shopkeeper.

    I could still see, Jay having a disagreement with the old man, the old man adamant not to serve him crossing his arms swivelling his head side to side. Defeated Jay walked back to us "apparently he said you bought my wand for me." He begrudgingly said.

    "Yup!!!" I smiled handing him his wand box.

 24 Bank of Arcadia

    Jay took the box off me opening it, shutting it quickly and handed it back to me. "Emilia.... it''s too much...." he said handing it back to me.

    "It''s okay Jay if anyone deserves it..... it is you." I replied to him pushing the box back towards him. Looking at Daisy for support.

    "Don''t get me involved..." she said lifting her hands up not wanting to join in.

    Looking at Jay he looked extremely saddened by my gesture. "Jay... it''s okay please take it....." I said worryingly.

    "I just don''t want to be a burden to you guys." he confessed.

    "Jay... we don''t see you that way! you''re like a brother to me" I said trying to explain to him.

    "Yes Jay, we are family." Daisy said hugging him, joining in the hug also hoping to cheer him up.

    A few second passed when he pulled away wiping away his tears. "I''ll accept it under one condition." he said to me.

    "Sure anything." I replied.

    "Promise me you won''t do anything to Calista till you''re stronger. I don''t want you throwing yourself at her and get hurt." He offered me.

    "I promise." I replied.

    Daisy face lit up with a smile, happy that we both came to a compromise. "That''s so great." Daisy said smiling.

    "Thank you." I shouted to the old man and began to exit the shop, the old man looking up from his platinum coin smiling waving happily.

    "Thank you." Daisy and Jay said also exiting the shop.

    "So what now?" I said happy I bought everything I think I needed.

    "Hmmm we could walk around and explore the city a little.... if you like..." Jay said.

    "Or we can return to the Deputy head and wait for everyone else to return." Daisy added.

    "Hmmmm..... Let''s walk around! I''d love to see more of the city!!!!" I said with a giant smile.... "WAIT I need to visit a bank!" I said remembering I needed to deposit my platinum.

    "Ohhh okay sure.... hmmmm one second." he said turning around re-entering the wand shop.

    I watched through the door as Jay went to the old shop keeper engaging in conversation.

    "Hey Daisy?..." I said turning to her to engage in conversation.

    "Wassup?" she smiled.

    "Are you half human?" I asked her hoping not to offend her.

    "Nope, full Tiefling here." informed me.

    "Ohh... sorry.. It''s because i thought Aunt may was human.... so I was just wondering.... how was you both related?." I asked politely.

    "Ohh a few years ago I was adopted by my Human mum and dad, and Aunt May is my mum''s sister." She smiled.

    "OHHHH it makes sense now...." I said nodding in understanding. "So where did you learn to be a cleric?" I inquired.

    "So it''s abit of a long story, but long story short I wanted to help people, so I joined the Temple of Serra in my city. There I learnt basic holy magic and basic combat skills." She smiled.

    "Ohhh that''s cool!" I said nodding.

    "Righto the Bank is about 10mins walk away, the shopkeeper said." Jay informed us stepping out the shop. "This way." he said leading the way through the city.

    Walking through the city, it was still exciting to see all the different races living side by side, even giant animals and their owners! The roars of a crowd in the distant pulled my attention,

    "Whats going other there?" I asked them both.

    "No idea." Daisy said still walking.

    Jay stopped walking for a little to take a look. "Hmmmm looks like people complaining about something.... prob the reports of recent sightings and goblin attacks in nearby villages.... that would be something I''d complain about." Jay said before carrying on towards the bank.

    "Isn''t there anything we can do?" I said thinking about those amazing adventures and fights in fictional stories I''ve read.

    "To be honest we would probably end up dead." Jay replied.

    "Hmm you''re right, I don''t know anything what was i thinking?" I said following them.

    "Don''t worry when we start classes, well will have loads of opportunities to practice sparring and simulations." Jay said.

    "How do you know so much...." I asked Jay.

    "No one notices or cares about a beggar or a beggar''s child so I heard many things growing up." He answered me.

    In the distance I could see a very large building, with a lot of traffic heading in and out.

    "That in the distance is the Bank of Arcadia." Jay said pointing at the large building.

    We soon arrived at the steps of the bank, underestimating the amount of traffic heading in and out the building, everyone bumping and pushing each other. Eventually entering through the large double doors at the front of the buildings, we entered into a vastly larger building on the inside, the floor made of beautiful natural white and brown marble, the entire foyer lit up with huge golden chandeliers, the counters made up of a beautiful dark brown wood.

    Somehow there are more people inside then outside..... "Lets go talk to someone over there." Jay said pointing at a group of four people standing behind a counter wearing the same uniform.

    "Excuse me, my friend over here wanted to open an account please." Jay said to a young woman standing at the counter.

    The young woman turned to him and gave him a good look up and down, "I highly doubt that," she said giving us a disgusted look and turning away.

    ''Wow the rich really are douche bags here....'' Pulling out my now platinum coin bag and dropping it on the counter in front of her. "I would like to open a bank account please." I said with a fat grin on my face.

    Trying to not looked surprised at the bag full of platinum coins, she quickly changed her attitude towards us. "Of course madam come this way." She said walking out fromm her counter towards a more senior looking man with elven ears.

    "Ummm sir.... this young lady and her friends wanted to open an account with us." she said quietly to the Elven man.

    "Welcome Welcome! to the Bank of Arcadia, please come this way.... you may go now Ophelia" he said in a very extravagant voice turning around and shooing away Ophelia. She scurried away looking down at the floor.

    "I am Zinmyar one of the managers of this branch." he said leading up to a door. Reaching out towards the door handle, the back of his hands glowed bright green with a symbol in the center, the door then began to also glow green the same green symbol also appearing at the center of the door, and proceeding to open. The door it lead to a small room with a table and a few chairs and a large book in the center of the table with a quill and ink.

    "Please after you." he said allowing us to walk in first.

    Walking in I took a seat on the central chair next to the table, Daisy and Jay taking the seats next to me. Zinmyar closing the door behind us taking the single seat on the other side.

    "So.... how much do you wish to deposit?" he asked opening the book to a blank page.

    "99 platinum please." I said hesitantly.

    "Okay...." he said scribbling it down on the book.

    "So first time you opened an account?" he asked me.

    "Yes....." I hesitantly replied.

    "Okay... so the process is pretty simple, I''ll fill some details about you, then we would need a bit of your blood to complete the process." He explained.

    "Okay..." I replied.

    He proceeded with taking my Name, Sex, Date for Birth, Place of Birth (to which he reacted oddly to) and my skin tone. "Okay with all this done all we need is tiny of your blood." he said holding out his hand.

    Placing my hand onto his unsure what to expect, he pulled out a small needle pricking my thumb and placing it onto the book page. Blood came trickling out of my thumb forming a strange blood symbol on the page, lifting my thumb off the page when the symbol looked complete. "Okay so the process is done." he said smiling closing the book. "So when you need to take out any money, just see one of the clerks and place your thumb on the device and it will allow us to access your account." he said.

    "Now if you would please, allow me to take you deposit and your transaction will be finished." he said smiling.

    I hesitantly handed over my sack bag of platinum coins, to which he emptied out and counted.

    "Umm I was wondering would it be possible to take out a 100 gold? I need some for spending." I asked still hesitant.

    "Sure lemme make some amendments." he said opening the book and changing the value to 98 platinum and 900 gold. "Ophelia can you bring in 100 gold for our new customer." He said, as if she was in the room.

    A minute passed when there was a knock from the door, with a gesture of his hand glowing green again the door opened. Ophelia came walking in with a small bag handing it over to him, "Thank you, Now you may go" he said looking away with disdain, waving her away like a dog.

    As soon as she left and the door closed behind her, he passed the bag to me. "Is that all Miss Emilia?" he said with a giant smile.

    "Thank you." I replied with a smile.

    Again he gestured for the door to open allowing us to exit back into the main banking area. "So if you ever need to take out any money or deposit, head to the clerks over there." he pointed at a set of counters with numeral clerks and customers waiting in line.

    "Thank you." I said with a smile and began making our way out, and ZInmayr began to walk around the bank slowly.

    On the way out I noticed two absolute hulking stone figures making a hallway with giant axes, and scattered throughout the bank were, some Minotaurs, huge Orcs, and a few Humanoid Lizard?... "Hey Jay whats that over there, I gestured to the Humanoid Lizard with my head." I whispered to him.

    Turning to take a look, "That''s a Dragonborn." he said proceeding to exit the bank. I stood there in awe staring at the Dragonborn, it was a very tall Humanoid lizard with a dragon looking head and a long tail having red scales instead of skin. "Stop staring." Jay said before pulling me out the bank.

 25 Black Clouds

    Exiting the bank, we were instantaneously met with large packs of panic crowds with a cacophony of bells ringing in the distance. "What''s going on I yelled at Daisy and Jay in a panic trying to shout over the panicking civilians.

    "This isn''t good.... "I heard Jay say.

    "The city is under attack!" Daisy yelled at us.

    "SHIT, let''s get back to the market and meet up with the rest of the school." Jay said grabbing my hand and began running, Daisy following closely.

    "We ran for about a straight 5 mins till we arrived back at the meeting point, leaving me immensely out of breathe, the Deputy Head mistress standing on a table keeping an eye out for students of Arcadia.

    "Don''t panic Children!" I can hear her shout in the distance.

    Arriving at the school group, just about all the students are confused why the city is in panic and why the bells are suddenly ringing.

    "Prefect take the children to the portal! And guard them at all costs!... I''ll wait for some stragglers." The Deputy Head shouted her orders.

    The prefects quickly formed up around us, "Follow me quickly!" The unarmed girl ordered, and everyone began briskly walking towards the location we first arrived from.

    In the distance I see soldiers also mobilizing moving the same direction we was. Looking into the sky there was a dense black cloud in the distance, our group walking directly towards them.

    "Get the Balistas ready! Archers Mobilize on the walls" I heard the captain shout orders while running with a group of soldiers.

    Everything seem to has descended to chaos, looking up the dense black cloud was getting larger and larger in a very quickly.

    "We better get ready for a battle...." One of the prefects shouted.

    "Yup they are getting closer at an alarming rate." The lead one yelled back..... "Be ready if anything comes to close" The lead prefect ordered..... "Contact Arcadia get the portal opened it''s gonna get HOT" She yelled, beginning to walk faster.

    I slowly fell further and further behind already being out of breath, looking into the sky the dense black cloud now looked like an unfathomable number of winged creatures.

    The sounds of inaudible shouting could be heard in the distance, as a Hail of arrows and large bolts flew into the cloud of flying creatures, sending several plummeting into the ground, but not making a visual difference to the black swarm of creatures.

    "We aren''t gonna make it....." A prefect shouted from behind me.

    "FUCK we aren''t, we just gonna have to fight." She yelled, "Every one stop and stay behind us!" She ordered us as the prefects took a formation around us in a circle.

    "You think it''s too many?" One of the yelled.

    "Nah we''ve handled worse situations" another screamed.

    The black creatures now close enough to see, were a dense cloud of dragon. A portion splitting off from the group dive bombing into the distance, followed by loud screams and shouting.

    Several came screaming down towards us a large number still flying over us deeper into the city. "INCOMING!!!!!" a prefect yelled, all the students began crouching down in fear.

    Eight dragons began plummeting down towards us their giant claws coming down directly towards us. Several beams of lights and arrows began screaming towards the dragons trying to connect with them. Two were shot down mid-air causing a loud deafening scream before plummeting and crashing into nearby buildings.

    The other six stopped their dive and swerved off landing near us with several huge earth shaking thuds.

    "Finally I can get some action." The leader screamed as she dove into one with immense speed, pummeling it with a flurry of kicks and punches while dodging its claws, tail swipes and bites.

    I felt almost sick in fear, the overwhelming number of dragons swarming the city, the sounds of screaming and crying in directions. "GET DOWN!" I heard a faint voice from my side. My brain unable to comprehend the order, as I see one dragon begin to dive straight towards me claws first.

    I felt something pull me from behind forcing me to fall backwards, and some inaudible shouting as a tornado manifested from beside me causing the dragon to back off. "If you don''t want to be Wvyren food you better stay down!" A familiar voice shouted as Calista came into view and started firing small bolts of fire at the hovering dragon.

    Looking around the Prefects were all engaged in combats with the six over Wyverns, one of them collapsing after being nailed with several beams of lights and a rain of arrows, letting out a deafening scream in the process.

    Several additional dragons began breaking off from the swarm and began dive bombing towards all of us. The students began to scream in horror not knowing what to do, large balls of fire came screaming from a distance behind me directly hitting the dragons making them let out a large scream before plummeting towards the ground in the distance.

    Turning around it was the Deputy Head and a few more students running towards us. "I told you to get to the portal" she screamed letting out more large balls of fire from her wand.

    "We wasn''t going to make it!" the prefects yelled back slaying some of their dragons and began moving onto the next.

    The Deputy Head took a look at all of us, shaking in fear and crying in terror, "WE GONNA START MOVING TO THE PORTAL!" STAY CLOSE!" as she began leading the way to the portal location still letting off spells from her wand.

    Recuperating myself, I looked at Jay and daisy..... "Should we try to help?" I shouted to them. Also seeing Calista helping fight the dragons.

    "Fk it let''s go!" I heard Jay shout back. Breaking off from the group pulling out his wand and throwing the box to the side letting out small bolts of fire from his wand hitting a nearby dragon.

    Daisy began focusing as her two large spiritual weapons manifested themselves in the air this time a bow and a shield, and began shooting at another nearby Wyverns and help blocking incoming attacks.

    Pulling out my treant wand. I began feeling immense amounts of energy course through me. "How do I cast I yelled to Jay?"

    "TRY ICIO-IGNA!" He yelled back at me.

    "ICIO-IGNA!" I yelled pointing my wand at the dragon, but nothing happened. "ICIO-IGNA!" I yelled again nothing happened again. ''Fk I am so useless!....''

    "One more time" I heard a familiar voice behind me as a hand gripped my wrist, "This time imagine a Fireball and FOCUS!" He yelled.

    Closing my eyes to focus "ICIO-IGNA!" I yelled, a strong heat manifested near my hand as a force pushed me back a little, opening my eyes I saw the charred impact of a fireball on a nearby wall.

    "Next time keep your eyes open, how you are meant to aim with your eyes closed." He chuckled releasing my wrists and walking in front of me.

    Suddenly the sky went dark as a humongous dark clouds manifested blanketing the city, the figure in front of me letting off sparks of electricity like Tesla Coil. With out stretched arms I felt a large release of energy, suddenly the large black cloud began unleashing an unnatural number of lightning bolts in quick succession the crackling sounds of over a hundred thunderous blasts echoing throughout the city from all directions. The nearby lightning strikes almost blinding me forced me to look away shielding myself from the light. The spectacle both awe-inspiring and terrifying, I screamed out in panic crouching down hoping nothing hits me.

    As the sounds of lightning subsided and light began piercing through the black cloud, I was brave enough to open my eyes, there stood Paul holding his hand to help me up. "Sorry I got here a little late, it took some time for word to get to me." He smiled.

    Happy to see him I accepted his help pulling me up, looking into the sky I can see the Wyvern flying away. "What in the world was that?" I asked him still a little shocked.

    "That was called Thunderstorm, it''s a very high level spell so it will take you some time before you can even begin to think about casting it." He answered me smiling.

    He began pulling books out from within his trench coat allowing them to fly away, one heading to nearby prefects and began opening itself releasing a golden spell seemingly healing them of their cuts and wounds. "Are you hurt?" He said quietly looking directly into my eyes.

    "I think I''m okay...." I said mesmerized by his smile.

    "Thank you for the assist." The Deputy Head thanked him walking towards us.

    "No problems, sorry it took me so long, I wasn''t nearby so it took some time for word to get to me." He turned around still smiling.

    "At least you got here to help." She said, before going back to the other students making sure everyone was accounted for.

    "Make sure you keep your eyes open next time, how do you expect to hit your target with your eyes slammed shut." he joked flicking my head in the process.

    "Are you gonna stay for a little?...." I asked quietly?

    "Huh?..... Ohhh yeah I should be staying for a little longer, I need my books to come back once they have tended to the critically injured." He replied.

    "Hey Emilia! Did you just see what....-" Jay shouted but stopped when he recognized it was Paul in front of me.

    I looked at Jay gesturing him to come, and started to look for daisy.

    "Why did those dragons come and attack the city?" I asked him still slightly worried it could happen again.

    "Hmm.... It''s a little odd... especially with these sort of numbers, wild Wyverns don''t normally hunt in numbers that large....." He said looking at them curiously.

    "Whats a Wyvern?" I asked curiously finally finding Daisy, who was too afraid or shy to come and talk to Paul.

    "Ohhh Wyverns are like lesser dragons except they are a lot weaker, Dragons are almost immune to most forms of magic and their scales are as hard as diamonds, drakes have similar properties but not as durable, Wyverns on the other hand are just dragons but considerably weaker." He answered me.

    I began gesturing Daisy to come over. "Hello Mr Paul." I heard Jay nervously greet Paul.

    "Hey..... I''m sorry I don''t know your name....." He turned looking at Jay.

    "Ummmm..... My name is Jay, Sir...." He answered him.

    "No need for the sir, just call me Paul" He smiled holding his hand out for a hand shake.

    Jay quickly shook his hand, "It''s such an honour to finally meet you" Jay said shaking his hand full of excitement.

    "No need to be honoured, I''m just a student and sorcerer just like you, by the way thank you for helping defend the other students" He smiled.

    "Ummm.... Hi Paul..." Daisy said extremely quietly behind him.

    Turning around looking slightly confused, "Ohhhh hey Daisy! long-time no see!" he said surprised to see her.

    Daisy lit up with a huge smile, "You remember me?!" she said loudly.

    "Of course! I see you''ve been doing well!" He said giving her a big hug.

    "Yeah I have! I really wanted to meet you... when I arrived" she said hugging him back.

    "It''s good to see you again after so long! So what have you chosen to pursue?" He said letting her go.

    "I''ve chosen to become a Cleric! That way I can help people like the way you helped me." She replied to him.

    "That''s so awesome! It really is great to see you doing well! Remember to always keep training, there''s no shortcuts to become strong!" He said to her.

    "Hey! Paul!" I heard a familiar voice call out to him.

    Turning around recognizing her, it was Calista walking slowly towards us, "Hey Calista you doing well?!" He replied to her.

    "Yeah..... I''m good! Did you see me in action?!" she said reaching him.

    "Yeah I did, it was very brave of you joining a fight as a first year well done!" He smiled.

    "It was nothing...." She said but stopped as suddenly began to collapse towards him.

    He quickly dove to catch before he hit the floor, "Silly girl you over extended yourself....." He said, as one of his hands began to glow golden and placed it on the top of her chest.

    After a few seconds she slowly began waking up...."Huh? What happened?" she said groggily.

    "You over extended yourself... you need to rest." He answered her.

    He looked up at a nearby prefect to come assist him, while that happened she turned to me sticking her tongue out at me, ''OMG did she really just fake that?! How petty...'' She quickly returned to acting as Paul explain to the prefect to take her back to the infirmary, as he carefully helped her stand up passing her to the prefect took and began slowly walking to the portal back to school.

    Slowly his spell books began returning to him one by one, putting them back into his coat. "Well that''s me done... I need to return to what I was doing before." He said giving me a wink before exiting a red portal he made in front of him. "Ohhhh and it was nice to see and meet you all" He said sticking his head back through and quickly returning back into the portal closing behind him.

    Daisy still smiling finally meeting Paul, and Jay waving in awe after getting the chance to meet and talk to Paul. "You guys okay?" I asked them....

 26 Aftermath

    Jay still stunned in awe and Daisy still smiling to herself gleefully. "You guys okay?" I asked uncomfortable with the silence.

    "How are you not excited? It''s not every day you get meet and shake the hand of an S ranked student and on top see them in action!" Jay replied to me with a giant smile of his face, "One day I wish I could be as strong as him.... that storm... it was truly amazing!" he said staring into the sky in awe.

    "Daisy???.... How do you know Paul?" I asked in curiosity.

    "Yeah..... A few years ago he saved me and set me on a different path." She said with a smile.

    "Is ever one here okay??....anyone in need of medical attention? A group of guards shouted running towards is.

    "We are okay here." The deputy head teacher shouted towards us.

    One guard broke off from his group and began approached us, "are you okay miss?." One guard said approaching me taking off his helmet revealing a young man with short blonde hair.

    "I''m good." I replied smiling.

    "It was quite a miracle that the thunderstorm came to save us." He said nervously his helmet clattering with his armor a little.

    "Yeah..... We were quite lucky." I replied.

    "Soˇ­....ummmm do you live around here?....." he asked looking to the side away from my eyes.

    "No sorry but I am currently a student of Atlantis." I replied with a smile.

    "RECRUIT!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU''RE DOING??? GET BACK HERE!!! WE STILL HAVE THE REST OF THE CITY TO SECURE!!!!!" A manly voice yelled from the distance.

    "Sorry but I need to get going..... It was nice to meet you!!!! I''m Brian by the way." He said jogging back to his regiment and waving me goodbye.

    "Someone has an admirer.." Daisy said nudging me with her elbow.

    "He was just doing his job guys..." I said paying no attention to her childish behaviour.

    "Yeah of course Daisy.... he came all the way here .... Away from his regiment just to check if Emilia was okay...." he explained to her laughing.

    "Now you guys better watch what you''re saying! Or I''ll shoot fire at you!" I jokingly threatened them pointing my wand at them, causing them to chuckle holding their hands up playing along.

    "By the way!!!! Congratulations on your first spell!" Jay said giving me a hug. "See nothing to worry about you''re a natural!" he said smiling.

    "You cast your first spell?!"Daisy said joining in the hug congratulating me.

    "Children it''s time for us to go now....." the Deputy Head shouted to all of the students. As a blue portal appeared back to the school. "Ohhh and make sure you visit the infirmary if you''re hurt or want a check-up." She said as the students made their way through the portal.

    We began making our way towards the portal, I noticed the charred remains of the Wyverns littering the town square, as the town''s folk slowly made their way back to their shops and homes to inspect the damage. Thanking the gods that a miracle occurred that saved us. Children quickly rushing to the remains poking them with sticks and throwing rocks at them.

    "Emilia... can I borrow something from you??" Daisy asked me as we were walking.

    "Sure what do you need??" I replied.

    "Could I borrow your Scrying orb?" she asked.

    What''s that?...." I replied a little confused.

    "It''s one if the things Paul gave you in the bag.... I explained it to you back at my aunt''s place." She answered.

    "Ohhh sure...." I replied feeling into my bag and pulling out a very large pearl white orb and passing it to her.

    "I''ll use it once we get back to Atlantis." She said smiling pushing it back to me.

    "Okay no worries, what does it do again?" I asked as I put it back in my bag.

    "When someone concentrates on the orb thinking of someone they have seen before, the orb will give you a small vision of them and where they are.... it will make total sense if you use it." She answered me.

    "Ohhh... okay....." I answered. "Maybe can use it to see Caroline..." I said quietly.

    "Who''s Caroline?" Daisy asked.

    "She was a girl I met but she got enrolled to the Fighting Pits" I answered her.

    "Ohh noˇ­ I hope she''s okay..." Daisy said with a frown.

    "Me tooˇ­.." I replied walking through the portal.

    Appearing in the same part of the school we left, "So what do we do now?" I asked Jay and Daisy.

    "Hmm that is for today I think, lessons will start tomorrow though, which will be super exciting" Jay Said.

    "Hmmm so what do people do in their spare time here?" I asked.

    "Study and practice magic I assume." Jay answered me.

    "Ohhhh Ohhh I got an awesome idea!!!! You guys wanna take a sneak peek into Paul''s Dorm room?" I excitedly suggested.

    "CAN WE??!!!!" Daisy squealed jumping in anticipation with a giant smile.

    "Although it would be super coolˇ­.. Are you sure it''s gonna be okay?" Jay the cool and collective one was a tad hesitant.

    "Yeah I''m sure it will be okay, besides aren''t you interested, he might have some cool spell books!" I answered them my offer peeking Jays interest a little, agreeing we began walking towards the dorm buildings, making our way up the spiral staircase to the 8th floor. Let''s be quiet, I''m not sure if you guys are allowed up hereˇ­." I said waiting before opening the giant doors.

    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jay whispered speaking extremely quickly with a hint of panic.

    "Jay chillˇ­ it will be alrightˇ­. We won''t be there for longˇ­." Daisy whispered with a smile on her face ready to help me open the doors. "Let''s go!" she whispered and began opening door slowly.

    Silently opening the door, we entered the hall way, I held up two fingers to them then pointing at the middle door. They both nodded and we all began slowly creeping towards the door. I could feel my heart pumping faster and faster.

    Arriving at the door I gently placed my ear on it, I tried to listen for any sound coming from the inside, both Jay and Daisy also placed their ear on the door, we all stood there silently for several seconds listening intently for any sound. We all left the door at the same time, both me and Daisy was nodding yes with giant smiles! Daisy nodding way more frantically then I, and jay began frantically swiveling his head no.

    I began reaching out to the door wrapping my hands around the door handle, Jay quickly grabbed my hand firmly swiveling no with a look of seriousness in his eyes. I responded by nodding yes and began turning the door handle slowly.

    "Click" the sound of the door handle made, causing us all to freeze. I waited hoping that the sound didn''t alert anyone if there was someone inside. Daisy placed her ear on the door listening for any sound, giving me the okay sign after a few seconds.

    Edging the door open slightly, I began peering through the gap to see if anyone was home, Daisy also crawling under me to check through the gap. Looking down at her satisfied that no one was home, we nodded to each other.

    Slowly we began opening the door a little more enough for us to stick our head through and take a better look. Jay began frantically tapping us on the back, still trying to tell us no. Ignoring him me and Daisy popped out head in to take a better look. It defiantly looked like no one was home, looking down at Daisy both our faces lit up with glee as we began to open the door fully slowly.

    Daisy slowly standing up I held up an open palm to them, as I slowly crept in to make certain no one was in. Taking a good look around I was satisfied our infiltration was successful I turned to them giving them the okay sign. Without hesitation Daisy and Jay began walking in, when suddenly a loud bang and a white flash erupted from the door, forcing me to cup my ears as a ringing sound reverberated in my ears also blinding in the process forcing my eyes to slam shut.

    Struggling to keep my eyes to open, I began trying to make my way back to them, the intense ringing in my ears messing with my balance I stumbled hard onto the floor, getting up on all fours I tried to quickly crawl my way back out the door. With my vision slowly recovering, it looked as if Daisy and Jay were flung back from the blast, "DAISY? JAY?" I tried to yell out to them the door slowly began closing between us.

    As my vision became clearer, I could see trickles of red and a small pool underneath them. ''FK is that blood?'', "HELP!" I began yelling out, "WAKE UP GUYS!!" I desperately yelled out trying to get up and reach them.

    Finally getting to my feet I made a race against the door staggering towards it before it closes. Missing my opportunity by a millisecond, my shoulder slammed straight into it causing a pain to shoot along my arm. Reaching down to twist the handle, suddenly the handle wouldn''t turn. Desperate I began using both hand I began trying to twist and pull the door open but it wouldn''t budge as a blue circular rune drew itself in the middle and worked its way around the edge. I began banging on the door, "JAY? DAISY?! ARE YOU OKAY?!" I kept yelling through the door.

    ''FK!!!! WHY DID WE DO THIS STUPID THING????!!! Full of anger I grasped the door handle with both hands and closing my eyes I began pulling, something felt strange in the motion when suddenly I felt something give ''OMG IT WORKED!'' Quickly opening my eyes, all I saw was the door handle in my hands and a hole in the door where the door handle used to be.

 27 Was it all a dream?

    Tossing away the door handle sending it clattering across the floor, without hesitation I pulled out my wand ICIO-IGNA I yelled pointing at the door, a small bolt of fire shot out my wand impacting the door, splintering bits of wood off the door. ''OMG IT WORKED A LITTLE!''

    Again and Again I kept firing off bolts slowly making a dent on the door slowly but surely making my way through. I felt my body getting extremely fatigued, ''is this what Paul meant about over exerting yourself?.... no matter I must get through the door to help them''. Ignoring the side effects I carried on pummelling the door with firebolts.

    Slowly all my sense began to dull, my leg barely able to support myself, breathing heavily, my vision fading to a blur. An inaudible muffled voice called from behind me, all my attention and will power focused on getting through this damn door!

    A hand grasped my arm and turned me quickly, without thinking "ICIO-IGNA" I muttered blasting the person straight in the chest sending him/her flying a few meters. I began feeling my body exhausted of all energy, slowly I saw myself collapse onto the floor, staring directly at the person I just hit. My vision slowly fading to back, "Sorry guys." I muttered before fading to complete darkness.

    "EM WAKE UP! I heard a familiar voice call out to me. Slowly I opened my eyes, "EM get up you''re late for your first day!" Mum shouted at me, my eyes widened at the sight of her ''WHAT THE F?'' as she began hitting me forcing me awake.

    "Okay okay....." I replied slowly getting up. "What time is it?" I asked rubbing my eyes.

    "It''s already 10 o''clock you''re late on your first day of work.... OMG when did I raise such a lazy child." she said storming out the room.

    Looking around to see where I am, my mouth dropped in shock... ''WHY am I in my old room?!'' I quickly got out of bed and sprinted downstairs.

    "Mum? Dad? BRO? Priya?" I yelled out to them.

    "Yes Em?" my mum exited the kitchen to see what''s going on, and suddenly got angry again. "WHY ARE YOU NOT DRESSED YET?!" she yelled at me walking up to me and hitting me in the back of the head, "GET DRESSED NOW SO YOUR DAD CAN TAKE YOU TO WORK, QUICKLY!" She yelled looking furious.

    "Was is all a dream?" I said to myself, the pain of the hit feeling so real.

    "Daughter what are you talking about?" My mum looking confused and concerned for me.

    Nothing mum as I went to hug her tightly, my eyes began filling with tears. "I thought I would never see you again." I said sobbing into her clothes.

    "What on earth has gotten into you dear?" she said extremely concerned patting my head.

    "I had this really weird dream, that I was taken away and they said I will never get to see you again!." I explained still crying.

    "What on earth are you talking about?...." She replied still confused.

    "Emilia, why are you not dressed yet." The familiar sound of my dad''s voice said.

    "Darling, can you call in her work place and say she''s very sick today?" My mum asked him politely.

    "Is there something wrong?" He said sounding concerned and put his hand on my back.

    "Shes just feeling a bit off today..." My mum answered him.

    "Okay fine, I''ll phone them now." My dad replied and began walking back upstairs.

    "I don''t know what on earth is wrong with you today, get cleaned up and I''ll make some lunch for you okay?" She said lifting my face up.

    "Okay....." I replied wiping away my tears and began walking back upstairs.

    Entering my room, slamming the door shut, ''WTF is going on?'' quickly scanning my room, everything looks just how I remembered...

    ''Fk it I''m gonna need to find answers.'' Quickly getting dressed, and gathering my things I quickly made my way downstairs, "I''m gonna go see some friends, mum." I replied in a hurry exiting before she can reply.

    "Wait... what''s going on?" I heard my mum try to reply before I closed the door behind me.

    ''Right, time to sort thing out.'' Walking to the Underground station, I opened up my phone to call my friend Stephanie.

    "Hey wassup? How''s your first day as a hot shot lawyer?" Stephanie greeted me answering my call.

    "Hey... it''s abit of a long story, but I need a favour." I asked her.

    "Sure no problems what is it?" she asked.

    "I need Jaymeh''s number I need to talk to him." I requested.

    "...... Has this got to do with Paul?" she asked worried for me.

    "No of course not...." I replied lying to her.

    "Hmmm abit suspicious asking for his number out the blue." She replied.

    "Steph it''s very important I''ll explainit to you later." I answered her.

    "Okay fine I''ll go against my better judgment, so I''ll text you the number." She replied

    "Thanks.... I gotta go, I''m at the underground station." I informed her.

    "No worries chat to you later." she replied.

    "Bye" I replied, hanging up the phone.

    Entering the train station making my way to Canary Wharf, intending to meet Jaymesh, Paul''s best friend he''s bound to know where the hell he is.

    Steph''s message came through to my pone still letting me know, she''s still a bit concerned but she still sent me his number. Exiting into Canary Wharf station, I immediately called Jaymesh.

    "Hello Jaymesh''s assistant Emma speaking, how can I help?" A female voice answered his phone.

    "Hi, I need to see Jaymesh." I requested.

    "He''s fully booked, he won''t be free till Thursday." She replied.

    "What day is it today?..." I asked her

    "Monday..." She hesitantly answered.

    "I''m one of his friend I need to see him now. Thursday is too far away." I said to her.

    "Hmm I can pass the message onto him if you''d like." She informed me.

    "Sure that will do, tell him Emilia wants to see him, it''s important and I''ll be there in 10 mins." I informed her.

    "Sure I''ll let him know." She replied.

    "Okay sure, Thank you." I thanked her.

    "No problems good bye." She replied hanging up the phone.

    I quickly made my way up to the ground floor, and walked outside the shopping centre and hastily made my way to Jaymesh''s Company Building.

    Entering I was instantly met with Security guards checking Identification of employee''s. I made my way to the front counter. "Excuse me I have a meeting with Jaymesh." I said to one of the receptionists.

    "Okay Miss..... Can I have your name?" she replied to me

    "Emilia Patel." I answered her.

    She began typing on her on her computer, "Sorry you''re not on the system" she replied to me after a few minutes of analysing .

    "That can''t be right, I''ve had this meeting booked for weeks." I replied to her.

    "Hmmm..... Lemme give them a call.." she responded, and began dialling a number.

    A minute of silence passed, "I''m sorry Miss no one is picking up." she replied.

    "You don''t get it... I really need to see him." I informed her.

    "I''m sorry Miss you''re not on the system there''s nothing I can do." she informed me.

    "There''s a waiting area over there, maybe you can sort out the issue and come back?" she suggested pointing at a large set of sofas surrounding a table.

    I began walking towards the waiting area, checking my phone, still no response.

    ''FK it'', I slowly strolled to the security and queued up pretending to be an employee.

    Arriving at the security guard, he held out his hand waiting for an ID card. I began faking looking for it in my purse, "I''m so sorry I''m sure it''s here somewhere." I began fumbling with my bag holding up the queue, everyone behind me and the security guard quickly began getting restless.

    "Can i stand over there and check my bag?" I said pointing past them at a nearby wall.

    He turned around looking at the empty wall and began nodding yes.

    Quickly I walked though and started to kneel down and pretend to look for my ID, keeping an eye on the security guard keeping an eye on me, the moment he looks away I''ll make a dash for it.

    A few seconds passed when my moment of opportunity appeared when he turned around to greet a beautiful looking blonde woman. Quickly and swiftly I joined the crowd and made my way to the elevators.

    Diverging off I snuck into my own elevator, and pressed the button for the top floor. ''He''s bound to be on the top floor since he is the owner.''

    On the way up, I began to think how I should act, should I pretend to be friends in the hopes he will tell me about Paul, or maybe be assertive and hope he crumbles under the pressure.

    "Ding" the elevator made a sound notifying me that we have reached the top floor. Walking out, I took a quick scan of the surroundings, there were several meeting rooms, some guards at a station, and a female employee at a desk. ''That must be Emma....''. I began walking towards Emma.

    "Emilia?" A familiar voice called me from my side.

    Turning to see the source of the voice, it was Jaymesh standing there a little shocked at the sight of me.

    "Jay..... Long-time..." I replied hesitantly.

    "What are you doing here?" He questioned and began walking towards me.

    "I need to ask you about something. It''s Urgent." I replied.

    "As urgent as it might be, I am a busy man, so please schedule a appointment with my assistant." He replied, notifying the guards to take me away and began to start writing something on his phone.

    "IT''S SUPER URGENT!" I yelled at him panicking as the guards got closer and closer to me.

    Ignoring me he began to walk away towards his assistance, as the guards came to escort me out the building. "Miss can you please come with us?.... "A large security guards asked but began to muscle me out the building.

    "JAY WAIT!!!!!..... IT''S TO DO WITH PAUL!!!" I screamed at him.

    "WAIT..." He stopped and shouted at the security guards, gesturing them to let me go.

    Listening to Jaymesh, the security guards released me and allowed me to begin walking to him.

    "In my office" he said pointing at a door near him, and closely followed behind me.

 28 Paul?...

    "Take a seat" he said pointing at the chair in front of his table. "I''m really busy so you have 5 mins." He said taking his seat on the other side of the table.

    Agreeing I took the seat in front of him, "So I wanted to see you, because I need to know where I can find Paul." I requested

    "Not gonna happen" he answers me.

    "But it''s very important!" I replied sounding very serious.

    "Doesn''t matter.... you guys parted ways years ago" He replied and began looking over some papers.

    "It''s really important, you must believe me." I pleaded.

    "Paul gave me specific instructions not to let you two come into contact." He informed me.

    "Okay.... okay.... can you at least tell me if he''s alive?? And here with us?" I questioned with him hoping for a compromise.

    "Well.... I suppose there''s no harm answering that.... Yes he is doing well" Jay replied to me.

    "Is here still here with us? I questioned again.

    He looked at me confused with the question... "Well if he''s doing well off he''s still alive if that what you meant by still with us." He replied.

    "...." ''hmmmm I really needed to know if he''s in Atlantis...'' "How about, you tell me where to find him and I''ll pretend it was serendipitous." I suggested.

    "Look you and I both know.... that I was always wanted you two to live happily ever after, but this is what you wanted years ago. I don''t get why you want to see him now after so many years, what''s done is done." He said still refusing to budge.

    "Jaymesh please its super urgent." I pleaded with him again.

    "..... Okay fine..... Tell me why it''s so important and I''ll see if it''s urgent enough." He offered.

    ''He''s gonna think I''ve gone mad if I tell him the truth....''..... I looked down as if afraid to tell him.... "I''m dying....the doctors said I have about 2 months, so can you please tell me" I lied to him acting as if I''m in extreme pain and began to cry.

    "Ohhh my god..... I''m so sorry for treating you so coldly...." he replied in shock and began scribbling on a piece of paper, "here''s his number..... If there''s anything you or your family needs please let me know. He added handing me a phone number.

    "Thank you so much....." I thanked him wiping away my tears and taking the piece of paper with both hands forcing them to quiver, and faking a sniffle.

    "So that happened?.... what are you sick with?" he asked looking extremely sad for my fake condition.

    "I don''t quite know myself they just said there''s something wrong with my body and it''s deteriorating..." I lied to him.

    "If you need money for any treatments or anything, please let me know..." he said offering help, it made me feel guilty lying to him, but it was the only option.

    A knock came from the door, "Mr Patel.... it''s time for your meeting." A female assistant informed him.

    "Thank you Emma. I''m sorry Emilia, I have a very important meeting, here''s my number if you want to talk or need anything, Take as much time as you need." He said handing me his business card and walking out with Emma.

    ''Finally I can clear all this confusion up.'' I unlocked my phone, dialling Paul''s number.

    "Hello?" Paul''s familiar voice answered my call.

    "Hey...." I replied.

    "Emilia?....." He questioned.

    "Yeah.... Don''t put don''t the phoneˇ­." I quickly answered him.

    "Why are you calling me?" He asked.

    "Can we meet? I want to talk." I requested.

    "I don''t think it will be a good idea." He replied.

    "Please?..." I desperately asked him, he would always do whatever I asked if I asked him sincerely enough.

    "...ˇ­.Okay...ˇ­" He agreed.

    "Where?" I asked.

    "I''ll message you the location." He replied and put down the phone.

    I began making my way out the building, waiting for his message to arrive. Exiting the building my phone buzzed letting me know his message arrived. Eagerly opening his message, "Caf¨¦ Nero ¨C Stratford." His message read.

    I quickly started to make my way to the train station to get to Stratford. Sitting on the train the journey gave me time to contemplate, ''Was Atlantis just a dream?..... It felt so real thoughˇ­.'' I felt so conflicted, I was so excited to be in a world of magic but then I''ll be losing my family. ''No point thinking about it before I clear things up with Paul.''

    Arriving at Stratford I quickly made my way to Caf¨¦ Nero, I wonder if he remembered this was the location we broke up...ˇ­ Arriving at the shop, I saw him in the corner on his phone, he looks exactly how I remembered, minus the leather boots and electrical sparks shooting off him. Quickly making my way in, I quickly sat opposite to him, giving him quite the surprise.

    "Hi...ˇ­.." I said hesitantly

    "Hiˇ­. ˇ­ how are you?" He asked.

    "I''m good I''ve just had one hell of a weird day." I replied.

    "Ohhˇ­. Well it''s good to see you''re doing well" He replied uninterested in what made my day weird.

    "ˇ­Ummm... have you been okay?" I asked in return.

    "Yeah I''ve been doing well, ohhhh and I hope you don''t mind but I already ordered a drink for you." He said.

    "Ohhh that will be fine thanks." I replied with a smile but he didn''t smile back.

    "So why did you want to meet me again after so long?" He asked.

    "I just wanted to ask you something in person... Something''s been messing with my mind driving me crazy." I replied.

    "Thanks for agreeing to meet with me by the wayˇ­.." I thanked him still smiling.

    "It''s no problem I''m free during the morning and afternoons." He answered still sounding distant.

    "One Iced Lemonade and One White Chocolate Mocha with cream." One of the baristas shouted.

    "That''s ours." Paul said standing up to get the drinks.

    Returning he placed the Mocha in front of me and sat back at the same location with his lemonade. "So what is it you wanted to talk about?" He said taking a sip.

    "So this will sound weird, but have u heard of Atlantis?" I asked.

    He looked at me totally confused, "Everyone hasˇ­. Mythological city that sank beneath the waves..." He answered looking at me totally confused.

    "Then how about Arcanum?" I asked another question.

    Looking at me even more confused, "generally in Fantasy Arcanum is like magic I guessˇ­." He answered.

    ''FKKKKKKKKKK he''s totally oblivious... was Atlantis really a dream?''

    "Did u really ask me here, to answer stupid questionsˇ­?" He said looking pissed off.

    "I''m so sorry, I just had the craziest dayˇ­. And I really needed to ask you those questionsˇ­.." I replied as sadness filled my gut.

    "I''m so sorry for sounding rude and cold...." He replied.

    "Do you want to likeˇ­ hang out for a bat?...." I hesitantly asked...

    "...ˇ­.." he didn''t know quite how to respond, "Are you okay?.... you said to never talk to you ever again and now out of the blue you want to hang out?.....ˇ­" He questioned.

    "Yeah....." I replied, suddenly remembering how I treated him after he broke up with me. "I''m sorry for how things turned outˇ­." I apologized.

    "I''m sorry too..." He also apologized, "Have you eaten yet?" He asked caringly.

    "No I haven''tˇ­.." I answered him.

    "Do you like Ramen?" He asked.

    "I''m good with any foodˇ­." I replied.

    "ˇ­..Okay lets go get some food I know a place near here that''s really good, but im not sure how their vegetarian dishes are thoughˇ­." He offered standing up.

    "Sureˇ­." I answered with a smile.

    As we both made our way out the coffee shop.

 29 Not a Date!

    Making our way to the Raman restaurant, Paul leading the way silently in front of me. An unbearable impulse overtook me, causing me to gently hold his hand. He slowed down noticing my hand, he began clenching my hand tightly interlocking our fingers but still walking silently. An overwhelming feeling of glee radiated throughout my body, causing a giant smile to appear on me.

    We walked for about 5mins till we arrived at the restaurant, letting go of my hand he held the door open for, me letting me walk ahead. "Hi just the two of you?" a waitress asked.

    "Yes please table for two." He answered her

    "Okay sure follow me." the Waitress replied leading us to a table for two.

    He took the normal chair letting me sit on the more comfortable padded sofa. "Here''s the menu.... and this is the drinks menu, we have Lunch Discount of 10%. I''ll be back in a few mins or just let me know when you''re ready to order.

    I excitedly open the menu looking at all the pretty pictures of the dishes. "Do you know what''s good here?..." I asked unable to pick what to eat, they all looked so good!

    "Yeahˇ­ I''ve been here a few times." He said looking at the menu, then closing it held his hand up notifying the waitress.

    "Hi.... Are you guys ready to order?.." The waitress came to us.

    "Yes please, can we have two Veggie Ramans, one Vegetable Gyoza, one salad and one veggie Bibimbap please." He answered her smiling handing her the menu.

    "Any drinks?" The waitress asked.

    "Hmmmm can we have.... a Jug of water, two cola and one apple juice please." He answered still smiling.

    "Okay sure, do you want the starters to come first or all together?" she asked one last question.

    "All together please." He smiled.

    "Okay... sure" the waitress smiled, taking his menu, and leaving us.

    I cautiously closed the menu, since he seemed to have already ordered for me, and placing the menu to the side.

    "So ... Paul... what you been up to?..." I hesitantly tried to start a conversation.

    "Nothing much.... still a geek and working..." He replied.

    "What do you do now?" I asked.

    "Accounting." He answered.

    "Ohhh nice?.. pay well?" I inquired.

    "It''s so so... pretty boring though." He answered, slowly engaging a bit more.

    "I can imagine..." I replied.

    "So what you been up to?" He asked me in return.

    "Hmmm well.... I was gonna start my first day at a Law firm but I had this messed up dream, so I didn''t go into work today..." I replied.

    "Messed up dream?" he asked.

    "Yeah.... I got kidnapped by a red head girl names Scarlet, telling me that I am a wizard. Got picked to go to a school called Atlantis, made some friends and surprisingly you was a very famous and stupidly strong wizard." I explained to him.

    "Woah.....sounded like a dream come true for youˇ­.." He replied

    "Yeah it wasˇ­. Kinda." I replied.

    "Well since the jig is up... I have something I need to tell you...." He replied.

    ''OMG I KNEW IT WAS ALL TRUE!!!'' I began leaning forward as excitement filled my body.

    "Only joking.... I''m not a wizard sorry.... I am in World of Warcraft and that''s a Shaman if that counts..." He revealed laughing at how excited it got.

    "That''s not funny." I growled at him scrunching up a tissue and throwing it at him.

    "I''m so sorry.... I couldn''t resist.... you should have seen your face..." He carried on chuckling.

    "That wasn''t funny!" I growled again and began ignoring him turning away.

    "Okay I''m sorry I went too far...." He tried to apologize.

    "Nope...." I replied still ignoring him.

    "Hi, so here''s your drinks...." The waitress came over with our drinks.

    "One cola and apple juice for her please, and just leave the jug on the table and one cola for me." He replied.

    "Okay"... she said placing the drinks in front of us... She said and began to giggle, "you two look pretty cute together" she said.

    "Ohhh we aren''t together, we are just acquaintances." Paul replied to her.

    "Ohhh I''m so sorry...." she said turning red and began to scuttle away quickly.

    I began to take a sip of cola, but still refusing to look at him. "Okay... Okay.... what can I do to show you I''m sincerely sorry....?" He asked.

    Still refusing to answer him, I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. He still has a smug smile on face. "Why are you still smiling?!" I yelled at him.

    "Because you still look cute when you pretend to be angry at me." He answered.

    "Pretend?!" I yelled grabbing a butter knife and threatening to stab him.

    "Woah Woah Woah..." he responded holding his hands up but still smiling.

    "I swear I''m very sorry....." He apologized sincerely.

    "Fine whatever..." I replied to him.

    "So how''s your family?" He asked.

    "They are doing well." I replied.

    "Did they forgive you?" He questioned.

    "Yes..." I answered him with a sigh.

    "....I''m sorry..." He apologized sincerely the smile fading from his face.

    "It''s okay..... It was for the best.." I replied trying to cheer him up.

    "I know..... You do know, I wished things turned out better...." He replied whole heatedly.

    "I know..... Let''s forget about the past." I said to him.

    "So how did you managed to get my number?" He asked.

    "Ohh Jay gave it to me." I answered him.

    "Really?.... that''s surprising..." he replied.

    "Yeah.... it wasn''t easy..... I had tell him something before he would even budge." I answered.

    "Really?.... what sort of thing could you have possibly told himˇ­" he replied totally intrigued.

    "That I was dying and only have 2 months to liveˇ­" I answered

    Paul leaned back a little his eyes opening a little bigger, "Wait is that real reason you suddenly contacted me?" He asked in shock.

    "Yeah..." I lied and began to cry into my hands.

    "Omg... I''m so sorry for the joke early." He said, I can hear him begin to stand up and go to hug me.

    "GOTCHA!!!!" I replied, making him jump back in shock.

    "That''s way past the limit.... you don''t lie or joke about dying!" He replied and went back to his seat.

    "Okayˇ­.That was too far I''m sorry." I apologized to him.

    "You know.... when we was together and I said you''ll never need to apologize to me.... is still in effect." He said taking a seat.

    "Ohhh... Okay...." I answered him.

    "So here is your food, sorry for the wait." The female waitress returned with another waiter, placing all the food on the table.

    "OMG.... this is too much food!" I gasped as the sight of the sheer amount of food.

    "It''s okay I''ll just take whatever is left over for dinner tonight he replied.

    The aromas of cooked food quickly reminded my stomach that I havn''t eaten breakfast or lunch today. "It all looks so good!" I smiled and began greedily devouring the food. "It''s so good!" I said between mouthfuls.

    "Calm down... there''s plenty of food, no one is gonna come and steal it." He replied smiling casually eating his food.

    "So.... have you met anyone since?..... You knowˇ­.." I asked casually.

    "Nope...." He replied paying no real attention to the question.

    "Me neither" I replied hoping to get a response.

    "How comes?... I would have expected your parents to have set you up with some rich dudes by now" he replied.

    "Yeah..... been on some dates but they all been kinda weird in their own way." I answered him.

    "Yeah but nobody is perfect..." He replied still eating slowly but still showing no strong reaction.

    "How about you? Any dates?" I questioned.

    "Nope.... been focusing on work and myself." He replied.

    "Ohhh that''s good... you look better..." I replied.

    "Thanks..." He responded... "You look great yourself." He added.

    "I do?" I replied.

    "Yeah....I just get this feeling that you seem a lot happier in life" He answered.

    "Yeah... some things have been going well." I answered him.

    "How are your friends doing?... Hope they doing well also" He asked.

    "They are doing really well, all of them are married now and some even have kids." I replied.

    "That''s good!" He replied.

    "Yeah, my friends and my parents keep pestering me on when I''m gonna get married...." I sighed.

    "Yeah we aren''t getting any younger...." He said.

    "Yeah.... but ....never mind..." I replied, as I began to remember how happy were together, and how he was the only one for me.

    "I''m sorry...." He apologized as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

    We sat in silence as we finished up all the food, which was quite surprising.

    "I''m so full!...." I said letting out a deep breath.

    He smiled at me, and help his hand up to grab the waitress''s attention, "Bill please" He asked waitress politely when she arrived.

    "Okay sure, I''ll be back with the bill." She said kindly with a smile.

    "Let me pay for half." I instantly said to him.

    "I make too much money anyways, but if you want...." He replied.

    "Here you go sir." The waitress returned with the bill.

    He pulled out his wallet and paid with a bunch of ˇę20''s... "Here you go and keep the change." He smiled and returned the bill to her.

    "Ready to go?.." He turned to me.

    "Sure..." I replied, getting up, "This wasn''t a date, you know that right." I added.

    "Of course, if it was I would have expected you to pay for me..... Since you was the one who asked me out." He replied with a chuckle.

    He let me walk ahead as we exited the restaurant thanking each staff member there on the way out, exiting the restaurant I stretched my arms and legs after being seated for so long. "So what you wanna do now?" I asked.

    Several seconds passed with no response, making me turn around to see where he went. He was still in the restaurant talking to the waitress who was serving us. She seemed to have given him something then he waved to her goodbye and began walking out the restaurant.

    "Hey sorry about that, the waitress wanted to give me something." He said when he reached me.

    A sudden rush of anger filled my veins, "What happened there?" I said fuming.

 30 Acciden

    Paul was taken aback by the sudden hostility. "Are.... you... okay?...." He hesitantly asked.

    "Nothing''s wrong!" I said still fuming and began walking off quickly.

    "Wait..." I heard him call out for me.

    Still fuming I ignored him and carried on walking. ''Emilia wait...." I still heard him trying to call out to me, I felt his hand suddenly grab my arm turning me around, and instinctively I used the momentum and threw a punch him dead on his nose.

    "What the fuck?....." he shouted instantaneously releasing my arm, grasping his nose as blood began to trickle down through his hands.

    Everyone around us looked up to see the commotion,three middle aged men wearing suits began to stand up and started to run towards us. "Miss is this guy harassing you?" one asked me, while the other two stood between us glaring at Paul threatening him to not come closer.

    "Noˇ­ NO it was just an accidentˇ­" I said to the man

    "Are you sure?... if he''s harassing you we can call the police and stop him."

    "Honestly it was an accident." I said to him

    Man more people began joining in asking if I''m okay offered to help me get away, I began to panic none of them was understanding or listening to me, everything started to spiral out of control. More members of the public began to gather around us yelling all sorts of profanities at him. "Stop, it was an accident I didn''t mean to hit him..." I tried to explain to the crowd but my voice was drowned out by the constant shouting and question of every around me.

    I began feeling something start to pull me away from him, I tried to struggle against it but it was too strong. "Stop... Stop... it was an accident..." I yelled trying to fight free.

    Paul was getting pushed back every time he tried to take a step closer, seeing him desperately trying to explain to them, but they kept pushing him back looking more and more threatening towards him.

    "PAUL..... I''M SORRY!!!!!" I tried to scream at him, not knowing if my voice reached him. Despite there being five men stopping him, he was still adamant to get past them, Paul suddenly became more aggressive and started to push them back shouting at their faces. Suddenly one came swinging at Paul, connecting right into his jaw.

    "STOPPPP!!!!!" I tried to yell still getting pulled away from him, I began to struggle harder fighting against their grip.

    Paul swang back at him also connecting with the guys jaw. Causing all the other four members to start beating on him like a Pinata, the image of him quickly vanishing beneath the five of them as they carried on throwing punches and kicks.

    I screamed in horror, and began screaming profanities at the people holding me, I began to punch scratch and kick, anything to make them release me. "GET THE FK OFF ME!!! I yelled at the top of my lungs. Slowly one my one they started to let me go as I tried to rake their arms and kick their legs.

    I quickly made a mad dash to the group of people that were still attacking Paul, stomping and kicking him. I violently began pulling their hair and scratching their faces forcing them to stop, till I found an opening and instantly jumped on Paul to shield him. A few kicks and stomps still hit me causing me to tense up harder, till it eventually stopped.

    The sound of sirens approached as a number of Policeman began arriving on the scene. I hastily stood up, "HELP!!!!!!" I yelled out to them waving him arms in the air, before seeing Paul''s condition. HE looked absolutely awful, blood was everywhere, bruising and swelling all over his body and his clothes littered with shoe prints, "Hey........ You''re okay now?..." He was barely able to mutter.

    "Yes... Yes... I''m okay... I''m so sorry!" I sobbed crying into him.

    "It''sˇ­. okay.... I''m..... Alright...." He muttered with a smile and began patting me on the head gently, before his hand went limp.

    "Paul?..... Paul???!!!!" I yelled to him tears now cascading down my face.

    "Someone call an ambulance please...." I begged holding him tightly.

    One Policeman eventually arrived gently easing me off him and began to check his pulse, "He''s gonna be okay." The officer said to me calmly.

    Another officer arrived to see the situation and began to try and calm me down. "Miss can you tell me what happened here?" He asked calmly.

    Anger began to well up inside of me again seeing Paul''s unconscious body. "THESE FKERS ATTACKED HIM FOR NO REASON!!!!" I jumped at the closest one savagely tried to scratch and hit him.

    An officers began pulling me off him. "I''M GONNA FKING KILL YOU!" I screamed at them as he ripped me away from him. The five men looking extremely confused at the situation.

    "YOU! NEED TO CALM DOWN!" One of the officers said to me firmly. "Your friend is going to be okay..... He''s just a little battered and bruised an ambulance has been called." He tried to calm me down notifying me what''s happening... "My colleague is trained in first aid, don''t worry just calm down, he will be fine." He calmly explained to me.

    I began to calm down, as the sound of an ambulance arrived. Paramedics came rushing in leaving no time to waste, double checking his breathing and pulse. "Can you help him please..." I cried.

    "He will be okay." The male paramedic replied. As a female Paramedic arrived with a stretcher, they both quickly began to put him on the stretcher and began moving him to the ambulance.

    "... Can I go with them pleaseˇ­..?" I asked the officer for permission.....

    "Sure go..." He said allowing me to go.

    "Thank you..." I whimpered still crying and started to run after them.

    "Can I stay with him?..." I asked the paramedics.

    "Sure come in and sit here." She pointed at a seat and closed be door behind me and fastening the stretcher.

    "Let''s go!" She shouted to her colleague, to begin driving.

    "Is he gonna be okay?" I asked her quietly.

    "He should be fine." She replied still checking him.

    Finishing her checks, she took a seat beside me and held one of my hands, "So I''m Susan and the one driving is Tom..... Your friend is going to be okay you have nothing to worry about." She tried to reassure me.

    "Thank you...." I thanked her quietly.

    "If you could..... Can you tell me what happened?" She calmly asked me.

    "So we were having lunch at a restaurant, then on the way out I got really mad at him for a stupid reason, so I began to storm off. He tried to call for me to stop but I refused, so he gently grabbed me to make me stop, and at that point I don''t know why I threw a punch at his face." I explained.

    "Okay...." she nodded in understanding.

    Then everyone around us started to get involved, then began pulling me away from him..... Even though it was a big accident, and then a group of 4 maybe 5 of them was stopping him form coming closer and got more and more aggressive with him." I carried on explaining

    "All... right" she said still nodding.

    Then suddenly one of them threw a punch at him, making him one back.... then the rest of them jumped in and started to beat him senseless to the ground and carried on kicking and stomping him...." I explained starting to cry again..... "It was all my fault..." I bawled.

    "Darling it''s not your fault..... It was just an accident. There nothing to worry about, he''s totally fine." she explained hugging me.

    Suddenly the ambulance came to a stop, and the doors flung open, with some doctors standing on the other side. They quickly took him off the ambulance whisking him inside relaying information to each other.

    I stepped out the ambulance, totally lost on what to do or where to go.....

    "Hi, sorry I didn''t catch your name earlier..." The male paramedic Tom came stepping out the driver seat and walked up to me.

    "I''m Emilia." I answered him still crying a little..

    "Come, I''ll take you to the waiting room...." He said leading the way.

    I quietly followed him walking into the hospital, wiping away the tears with my already drenched sleeves. We quickly arrived at a small well-lit empty waiting room.

    "Take a seat here, I''ll be back in 1 mins tops with some tissues for you." He smiled and quickly dashed off while I went to take a seat.

    I began to pray for Paul hoping that he will be okay, and that I am very sorry for everything that happened. Very quickly Tom returned with a box of tissues for me and sat with me.

    "Don''t worry he will be okay, it looked pretty bad, but there was nothing serious." He tried to reassure me.

    We sat in silence for a few minutes to let me slowly calm down.

    "I''ll be back shortly okay?... I''ll just ask the doctors see how he''s doing, Okay?" He asked me, I replied by nodding yes.

    It felt like an eternity me waiting here alone with no news of his condition, till the door opened again. It was Tom entering the room with two police officers. "Don''t be alarmed.....I spoke to the doctors they said he''s going to be fine, he''s just got a few broken bones and some cuts and bruises he will be fine." He explained to me calmly.

    The two officers came walking towards me slowly, "Ummm Emillia? Is it?..." A female police officer asked, I answered her with a nod.

    "Okay... so we are here, so we can take a statement from you on what happened earlier." She said calmly.

    I began explaining to them how it was all a big misunderstanding, and how the 4 or 5 people savagely beat Paul down to the floor and carried on beating on him.

    "Thank you Miss Patel." We will be nearby if you need anything." they said before all three of them exited the room.

 31 Ceremony

    I felt like I waited for hours the scene replaying over and over again in my brain. A part of me wanted to tell Jaymesh what happened, but he would blame me for it all.

    "Hi..... Are you Emilia?" A nurse asked entering the room.

    "Yes I am I replied.... Is Paul going to be okay?" I asked.

    "He''s going to be fine... nothing to worry about.... do you want to go see him?..." She asked.

    "Can I?...." I asked.

    "Yes you can... follow me" She smiled.

    She held the door open for me and began making our way to him. "So is he awake?" I asked.

    "Yes he is, he was asking for you.." She replied leading me down hall ways and corridors, "So... I just wanted to warn you.... that he does look in a really bad state, but it''s nothing significant just some stitches and swelling that will heal in some time." She notified me leading me through more sets of doors, "He''s just around this corner." She said leading me around the corner opening the door for me.

    Entering inside I instantly saw Paul''s face in front of me....."Emilia? You okay??!!!" He gently said to me.

    "Huh?... what?..." I mumbled.

    "Slowly... slowly.... you over exerted yourself ..." He gently cradled me.

    Noticing I''m now back in Atlantisˇ­.. "The... door....." I struggled to communicate to him.

    "It''s okay..... The assailants have been incapacitated." He replied.

    "Noooo..... Check...." I still struggled to speak.

    "..... Hmm... Okay..." He replied gently lifting me up and placing me on the bed and began making his way to the door.

    His hand began to curl, as fire started to manifest slowly growing to the size of a football, his right hand glowing blue making the door swing open.

    He quickly leapt out of sight, the door closing behind him. I found myself relaxing, as my eyes closed and my vision darkened.

    "It''s okayˇ­.. You can go talk to him." A familiar voice spoke behind me.

    Turning around I noticed it was the nurse holding the door open. And inside Paul was resting on the bed with an arm and leg cast. Is face so swollen it was almost unrecognizable.

    "Paul?...." I said walking inside slowly.

    "Hmmm?... Ohh hey Emilia." His face lit up with a smile, "I''m sorry for making you angryˇ­" He replied.

    "..." I didn''tknow how to reply.

    Walking beside him, guilt washed over me seeing him in this condition, I began to cry again.....

    "Don''t cryˇ­" He pleaded struggling to turn his head to me.

    "..." I began to lay on the bed hugging him....."I love youˇ­.." I said sincerely burring my face into him.

    His body jolted back a little in pain, "I love you toˇ­." He whispered holding me tightly.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ".... Emilia?....." A familiar voice spoke out to me inside the darkness.

    "I think she''s still recovering" A different familiar voice spoke out.

    "Hmmm.... is there really nothing we can do?" A third voice spoke out.

    "I mean..... I can use something to wake her up if you want...." A fourth voice spoke out.

    "Just let her rest....." The first voice spoke out.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Slowly I felt the energy to wake up, slowly sitting myself up I took a good look at everything around me. It looks as if I''m still in Paul''s room but no one was home. ''Hmmm.... how long was I out for?''.... The room looked completely empty. Slowly getting out of bed, I found my shoes on the side of the door. Putting them on I began making my way outside, the hallway completely void. The sun came shining through the windows, the warmth welcoming me back to reality ''was I out for the whole night?''.

    I made my way down the stairwell checking for any students on each level.... there was absolutely no one to be seen.... ''AM I IN SOME MESSED UP FKIGN DREAM AGAIN?!''

    Making my way outside knowing for certain that I''ll see at least one soul out there. Thinking of ways to check if I''m dreaming, I decided to pinch myself, ''Yup that defiantly hurt.... but does that even work?..... Eventually making my way outside opening the double doors there was still no one anywhere. ''Seriously... I am in a bloody dream?'' I sat down on the steps feeling defeated.

    ''Do I just wait for this stupid dream to be over?''... While trying to think of things to do. A faint roar of a crowd could be heard in the distant, too far for me to work out the exact location. Quickly running in the direction of the sound, it slowly became louder and louder. ''It''s coming from the simulation building.''

    Arriving at what seems to be the entrance, with both hands I grasped the door and swung the doors open, but they didn''t budge. ''What the hell?'' as I began to tug harder and harder trying to force the doors open, the sound of a massive crowd still roared from inside the building.

    ''OMG HOW CAN I BE SO DUMB?'' As I quickly searched my bag for my school badge, giving it a quick click, "Hello?..." I frantically spoke into it.

    "Heyyy you''re finally awake!" I heard Scarlet scream out to me in happiness.

    "Welcome back!" Ashley replied.

    "Are you okay?.." Paul asked.

    "Yeah I''m fine... where is everybody?" I asked.

    "Ohhh it''s the annual School demonstration! All A to S ranks demonstrate their powers to each and every student, it''s a way to hype to the new students!" Ashley replied sounding super hyped.

    "Where are you?... I''ll come and get you." Paul said calmly.

    "Umm... I''m at the doors I can''t seem to open them." I replied.

    "Stay there..." Paul answered as a red flash appeared beside me, looking through looking through the portal Scarlet, Paul and Ashley was seated in rows of empty chairs.

    "COME IN!" Paul shouted to me, holding his hand out to grab me.

    Grabbing his hand, he gently pulled me in, I entered in what I can best describe as an extremely large stadium, it was breath taking, hundreds of students all roaring in excitement! Suddenly Scarlet''s familiar aura of fear set in, my body slowly edged away from her.

    "Ohhh... Silly me." Paul said standing up and gently pulled me away.

    At a safe enough distance my body returned to normal again, looking around there was a large circle of empty chairs, which I guess no one dared to sit in.

    "Emilia!!! Are you feeling better?!" Paul asked with a smile.

    "Yeah..... I feel a lot better!" I replied..... "By the way what happened?" I asked.

    "Forget that I''ll tell you later!" He smiled, "For now! Just watch the games!" He said pointing toward the centre. There was four students down there fighting another set of 5 creatures.

    "..... Is Daisy and Jay okay?...." I asked distracting Paul from the event.

    "Huh?.... Ohh yeah... they are..." He replied as a red portal opened behind him and with a flick of his hand Daisy and Jay came flying through.

    They both looked at him in complete shock and silence..... "HEY GUYS!" I shouted happy to see them.

    "Hey...." They replied quietly still staring at Paul.

    "Are you guys okay?..." I asked desperate to find out what happened to them.

    "Yeah we are good..." They hesitantly answered.

    "Take a seat and enjoy the games!" He yelled at us pointing at some empty seats before walking back to sit with the others.

    "It''s good to see you''re finally awake!" Daisy said as we began to sit down.

    "Yeah you had us worried." Jay replied.

    "So what''s going on?!" I asked them.

    "This is the Atlantis Welcoming Ceremony! It''s an introduction of everything you can learn and study here!" Jay answered with excitement..... "So down there... is a prefect group, the unarmed one is what we call a monk, the one armed with a bow is what we call a ranger, the one armed with a giant axe is a fighter and the last one is a Wizard... you can tell because he''s using objects instead of a wand to fire off spells!" Jay answered in excitement.

    "Yes.... and they are fighting two ogres and three dire wolves." Daisy said looking on into the spectacle.

    Concentrating harder in the action at the center of the ring, I noticed they were some of the prefects that accompanied when we went to the city.

 32 Arena

    The crowd went ecstatic when the student wielding a large axe roared and began running straight into a large wolf, savagely swigging his axe down into it, the wolf savagely clawing and biting back, the other wolves began circling around his flanks.

    "Umm.... this is a bit.... brutal?" I commented, looking at the spectacle.

    "Ummmm.... would it be okay, if the creatures were actually holograms and not real living things?...." Daisy asked.

    "Hmmmmm a little... But the whole thing, people fight in an arena.... kinda barbaric?..." I replied.

    "Yeah I see where you''re coming from Emilia" Jay added, still watching on looking excited, "Ohhh Ohhh!!! Look!!! The Wizard used ''Slow'', on the two ogres." He explained pointing at the robed student at the back as he poured out a viscous liquid disappearing before it reached the ground magically causing the ogres to begin moving extremely slowly.

    The fighters locked into combat trading hit with one of the giant dire wolf, with each claw and bite sending him deeper into a raging frenzy. Fixated on the wolf in front of him savagely delivering and taking wound, the two remaining wolves taking advantage of his undefended flanks sprang into action, one biting his wrists halting his swings while the other lunged on his shoulder forcing him down to the ground. Frantically trying to defend himself vs the three wolves attacking him from all directions, a bolt of lightning crackled towards one wolf and bouncing to the other two causing them to leap back barking and snarling at the rest of the team. The ranger aiming her bow let loose an arrow striking the ground in front of the wolves, all of a sudden a growth of vegetation erupted from the group entangling the wolves subduing them as they tried to break free

    The arena erupted with cheer as the party began gaining the upper hand. The monk closed her eyes for a few seconds and began glowing with a very slight green hue. Suddenly she made her move at a blistering speed, sprinting head first into the two ogres, pummelling one with a series of blows, the large obese body flinching in pain several seconds after each blow.

    The arena erupted in roar again, as the fighter stood up and began walking towards the entangled wolves glaring at them in an unquenchable rage, with one big swing cleaved one of the wolves head in two causing it to disperse into glowing particles dissipating in the air and began making his way to the next.

    The ranger now concentrating on the ogres began firing arrow after arrow at the same ogre the monk was attacking. The battle look decisively over as the ogres were too slow to defend themselves or even attack back. Suddenly the other ogre let out a huge guttural roar, seemingly now moving normally, threw his club hurtling towards the wizard, the club seemingly the size of the wizard himself slammed him brutally sending him flying meters away. The ranger fired off two more arrows in quick succession and began rushing to the wizard''s aid. The two ogres now freed from the slow spell began fighting back ganging up on the monk swinging at her from both sides with their large club and fists, barely being able to dodge all the attacks, some barely glancing her but still hitting her with enough force to break her guard.

    Everyone gasped as the battle turned, the Wizard severely injured and the Monk stuck between two hulking ogres that can probably easily crush her like an ant. The wizard looking extremely injured pointed at the his bag barely out of reach, the ranger quickly grabbing it for him and helping him up, he quickly reached in pulling out a closed fist of something and tossed it into the air making a mist of red glowing particles that quickly dissipated. "OHHH wow! He just used Haste!" Jay yelled in excitement, pointing at the monk.

    The monk suddenly began glowing with a red hue, and suddenly started moving at lightning speeds easily dodging all the oncoming attacks hitting back with counter attacks making the ogres look slow and clumsy. The fighter now finished with the remaining moves made a quick run to the ogres raising his axe for a giant swing he embedded his axe deep into the ogres back causing it to writhe and roar in pain turning around to face the fighter. The ranger letting the wizard stand on his own let loose two arrows one after another towards the monk, with her hasted speed she leapt into the air catching both arrows and slammed them straight into the ogre''s eyes, forcing it to stumble back roaring in pain. Using the opportunity they focused all their attacks on remaining ogre swiftly dispatching it making it dissipate as it collapsed to the ground.

    The reaming ogre blinded by the arrows frantically swinging its club side to side in wide arcs in an attempt to defend itself. The wizard placed his hand into his bag again, and pulling it out his hand was no doused with a dark black ichor, with a chant pointing at the ogre a large bream of flame unleashed from his hand incinerating a hold in the ogres body, causing it to fall back on the floor dissipating into specs of light.

    "AND THE VICTORS ARE!!!! THE IRON HYRASSSSSSS!!!!" A voice boomed, the arena erupted in cheers, clapping and whistles, the prefects all stood together taking a bow in all directions to everyone, and raising their hands up high.

    "Did you see that?! Emilia!" Jay asked in excitement clapping.

    "OMG! That was so awesome!!!!" Daisy added.

    "I have to admit, that was quite thrilling to watch" I replied also clapping, a part of me began imagining battles of my own. "Hey guys do you think we will ever get into fight like that?" I asked.

    "Hmmmm depends if you want to go exploring for treasures and riches then most defiantly." Jay replied with a laugh.

    "Yeah! Who know what fate has installed for us!" Daisy smiled.

    From the corner of my eye I saw Paul and Scarlet begin to stand up, and began walking to an portal. As soon as the portal closed, Ashley got up and crashed on a chair beside me.

    "Yo Emilia!" he said greeting me.

    "Wassup Ashley?! " I replied.

    "Ahh nothing much just chilling enjoying the day off." He smiled, "Who are your friends over there?" He added.

    "Ohhh you haven''t met them yet?!.... This is Daisy and this is Jay." I answered him... "Guy meet my friend Ashley." I nudge them to catch their attention.

    "Nice to meet you" he said holding out his metal arm for a hand shake.

    "OHHH WOW!! COOL ARM!" Daisy yelled shaking the hand taking a very close look at it and feeling it with her other hand.

    "Thank you I made it myself!" He smiled.

    "Nice to meet you I''m Jay" Jay smiled.

    "So where did Scarlet and Paul go?..." I asked Ashley curiously.

    "Ohhh they went to prepare for the next event." He smile.

    "WAIT PAUL IS GONNA BE PARTICIPATING?!" Daisy practically erupted from her seat in excitement.

    "Yeah...." Ashley answered her.

    "That''s... odd I thought he doesn''t normally show off his abilities....." Jay asked.

    ...."Yeah normally he doesn''t... but this year apparently he made a deal with the headmaster, he wouldn''t normally." Ashley explained.

    "Ohhhh my Goddd!!!!" Daisy squealed in excitement grabbing a fistful of our sleeves jumping in excitement.

    "AND THE FINAL ACT!!!! THE ONE YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!! PAUL THE BLACK DRAGON SLAYER AND SCARLET THE INVINCIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The whole arena feel silent, even Daisy went silent watching in anticipation as two figures began walking toward the centre of the arena.

 33 S-Rank

    "PLEASE WELCOME TO THE STAGE!!!! PAUL AND SCARLET!!!!!!!" A voice roared to hype the crowd.

    The whole arena fell silent, as if just as shocked as Jay was, hearing that Paul would be participating. "By the way guys how long was I out for?" I asked them.

    "Hmm nearly two days..." Daisy said.

    "Yeah you already missed some classes but Paul already let the teachers know why." Jay explained.

    "WHAT?!!!! 2 days....!!" I gasped in shock.

    "Yup... Let''s not do crazy things again..." Jay offered.

    "Yeah... sorry about that.... are you guys okay?" I asked feeling apologetic.

    "Yeah we''re okay... Paul healed us when he found us unconscious." Jay answered.

    "Was he angry?" I asked.

    "He seemed a bit angry at first, but then he let the whole incident go." Daisy replied.

    "How comes Travis isn''t hereˇ­ He''s an S Rank right?" I asked curiously noticing he wasn''t down there.

    "Hmmmm I''ve heard Travis and Paul doesn''t get along...." Jay answered "But that''s just rumors I don''t actually know." He added.

    "Ohhh..... I wonder what their issue... is..." I pondered, as I wait for the event to start.

    "I CAN''T WAIT!!!!!" Daisy yelled in excitement waiting in anticipation.

    Scarlet and Paul began making their way slowly to one side of the arena, on the opposite side innumerably light particles began forming into a mass of humanoid shaped silhouettes. Slowly manifesting into hundreds upon hundreds of lightly armed goblins, heavily armored orcs and fives giants wielding humongous clubs at the far back.

    The whole arena gasped in shock witnessing the vast army versus Scarlet and Paul. The sound of drums began to echo through the arena, the army began thumping their shields in unison. In the centre was a larger than usual orc flanked with several heavily armored orcs, raised his sword and with a bellowing roar pointed at Scarlet and Paul.

    The faint sound of hundreds of twangs echoed as a rain of arrows were let loose from the rear flying high into the air arcing down towards Paul and Scarlet. Unfazed by the hail of arrows they just stood there watching the arrows screaming towards them. A yellow rectangle box suddenly encased them, blocking any direct hits bouncing harmlessly off the box.

    Another roar bellowed from the central orc, as the thunderous roar of hundreds of marching goblins began their advance, snarling with their disgusting sharp pointy teeth their eyes ravenous for blood. "OMG... do you guy think they are gonna be okay?" I asked Daisy and Jay in shock slightly concerned for them.

    "I''m actually not sure.... I heard they were strong but.... no way can they beat an army...." Jay replied in shock.

    "He will be okay!!! Just watch!" Daisy replied thoroughly exited.

    Paul turned looking directly into my eyes, "Be careful!" I instinctively yelled to him anxiety filled every nerve in my body escalating with every passing second. He gently smiled trying to reassuring me a little.

    Turning back to Scarlet, he gave her a nod and touched her shoulder as she began to glow with a red hue. With a sudden burst of immense speed she began darting head first into the army unafraid of the vast number of goblins marching towards her. A red portal suddenly opened up in front of her causing her to vanish out of sight.

    "IT''S ABOUT TO START!!!" Daisy yelled grabbing me in excitement.

    Jay silently looking intently on the edge of his seat. The whole arena completely silent seemingly waiting in anticipation.

    The sound of a giant screaming boomed, as one of the five giants screamed in pain collapsing to the ground kicking dust and dirt as it''s humongous body laid lifeless. "WHAT?! Was that?!" I yelled looking at Jay for clarification.

    "I don''t.... know...." he replied....as another giant silently collapsing as its head rolled off and body slumping down lifeless sending the back portion of the army in chaos.

    The marching goblins began to howl and snarl and started to recklessly charge their eyes fuelled with blood lust. "DON''T JUST STAND THERE!!!!! DO SOMETHING!" I yelled to him.

    Paul looking on, held out his left arm extended and slowly turned it around his palm now facing the sky and lifting it up. Slowly the charging army began to levitate slightly off the ground the goblins now all confused looking down at their feet.

    "No way...." Jay uttered in shock.

    The army started accelerating faster and faster into the sky until the stopped levitating high in the sky. Lowering his raised hand back down, the levitating army began to plummet straight back down, the cacophony of screams of chaos and panic was swiftly silenced as hundreds of thuds and cracks echoed throughout the arena.

    Looking on wards to the remaining army, looking directly at the leader, it roared as hundreds of heavily armored orcs began marching towards Paul in a huge formation their shields held up. Paul looking at them a small smirk or smile crept on his face, opening his jacket six books flew out of him and began flipping themselves open reaching a certain page and faced the orcs. Large balls of fire began rapidly each book and both of Paul''s hands, the orcs quickly vanishing behind the cascading chain of explosions.

    As the dust and dirt settled at the back after the last giant was felled, Scarlet''s distinctive red hair stood out from the crowd, as she cut down swathes of goblins effortlessly at a blistering speed. The goblins unable to react to her speed and attacks, effortlessly dispatching her portion of the army.

    Paul stopping his slaughter, slowly began walking towards their leader, overwhelmed in complete fear as Scarlet began cutting her way towards it and Paul walking towards him. Reaching the remains of the goblins that plummeted to their death Paul knelt down seemingly examining the bodies.

    Seeing an opening the leader began to charge at Paul sword held high ready to decapitate him. "PAUL LOOK UP!" I yelled in a panic as the Orc leader filled with purpose swung his sword down towards Paul''s neck intending to finish him with one decisive cut. "PAULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL" I tried to scream to him.

    When out of nowhere a green beam shot up at the leader, the devastating green beam disintegrating the leader and his sword completely into a mist of dust blown away in the wind. Scarlet effortlessly dispatching the reaming army, Paul portaled her back to him, as they began to deliberate about something pointing at the dead bodies.

    "......... I could never have imagined he was that dangerous......." Jay uttered still in complete shock.

    Daisy seemingly feeling the complete opposite was filled with glee, "DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?!!!" she yelled to us.

    ''What happened to you... after we broke up.....'' I stared at him in shock, he quickly took a glance at me sending me a smile and wink before going back to talk to Scarlet.

    "LET''S HEAR IT FOR SCARLET AND PAUL!!!!" A voice boomed, the whole arena roared in excitement and joy.

    "He casually dropped several high level spells, and those special books of his are able to use spellsas well?!!" Jay said to himself in shock.

    "I told you guys!!! He''s totally awesome!" Daisy said happily.

    Something felt odd..... Why didn''t the body dissipate into sparkling particles when they died?..... "Hey jay..... Why are the body''s still lying there?..." I asked.

    Jay didn''t reply seemingly still in shock at how strong Paul was.

    "Daisy?... why are the bodies still on the floor?" I asked her hoping for an answer.

    "Hmmmm no idea...." She replied.

    Looking down, I noticed all the blood getting drawn to a focal point......

 34 Demons

    "Ashley is it me?... or the bodies are meant to vanish once defeated?" I asked Ashley.

    "Hmmm they should do.... this seems a little odd." He replied staring intently into the coalescing blood. "Hmm I''ll go check out what''s going on be right back." He said walking out the seating area.

    My gut screaming at me that something bad is going to happen, some other students began noticing the pool of blood sucking up the surrounding blood. Paul and Scarlet still unaware of the large growing pool of blood, standing up and waving both my arms I tried to get their attention shouting their names.

    A few minutes passed until they finally noticed me. I began pointing at the direction of the large pool of blood. Looking confused they looked around noticing everyone else now was talking and pointing in the same direction. They began walking towards the direction for the large pool, when suddenly a large red wave erupted from the pool, causing Paul to summon his books and Scarlet drawing her large sword.

    Something appeared from the pool, an extremely large red clawed hand rose from the blood grabbing on the side, suddenly an equally large hand grabbed on the other side, whatever it was, it must be humongous.

    Paul instantaneously pointed behind me and mouthed what seemed to be "Run". Turning around to grab Daisy and Jay, they both remained sitting motionless, their faces looking paler than usual.

    "JAY? DAISY?!" I shouted at them shaking them frantically. Still motionless I looked back at Paul, he was thoroughly focused weaving his hands around a radiant white ball in front of him, Scarlet began charging into the pool of blood as innumerable human sized red skinned demons wielding very hideously looking weaponry came flooding out, while an impossibly grotesque humongous red winged daemon began pulling itself into reality, the sight of its bone white horned skull and hideous wings filled me with extreme fear.

    Daisy let out a loud scream making me turn around, he skin became pale white, and her eyes pitch black voids and crying thick black ichor, her tattoos now radiating a black glow. She dropped to her knees clawing at her temples. She began glowing with a faint black hue as an inaudible whisper echoed in my head. ''What the hell??''

    "NONONO... DONT BURN THEM!!! THEY AREN''T CURSED." Jay screamed from beside me, on his knees his arms behind his back as if bound by an invisible rope.

    Utterly lost I turned back to Scarlet and Paul, Scarlet and Paul''s books desperately trying to slow the flood of charge demons. The demons looking freakishly exited to fight and some even laughing manically as they laid on the floor dying.

    The grotesque giant demon now fully emerged wielding a gigantic flaming sword, slowly walked to scarlet stepping on and cutting any other smaller demons in its way. It yelled something in a different language causing all the lesser demons to back off Scarlet Running past her towards Paul. As Scarlet cut down one last demon as the looming hulking shadow eclipsed her, a smile crept on the face as she engaged the demon in a titanic battle. It looked like Scarlet easily gained the upper hand landing several deep cuts on the demon while remaining totally unscathed.

    The demon roared in anger after receiving another large wound from scarlet, momentarily switching his focus on Paul his other hand lifted a large finger releasing a green beam from it similar to the one Paul used earlier, Scarlet instinctivelydove in the way blocking the beam with her sword. The demon smiled and laughed as his other giant hand dropped its sword and grabbing scarlet like a toy. Raising scarlet to his eye level, he began laughing saying something in another language, and began squeezing the life out of her.

    "STOP!" I screamed as the demon began squeezing harder and harder, laughing manically at her struggling to break free from its hold. With a resounding crunch Scarlet let out a small scream as her head rolled back lifeless, tossing her lifeless body to the side like a piece of garbage and picking back up its sword set his gaze back to Paul.

    "PAUL RUN!" I screamed to him, as he remained focused on the pure white energy ball in front of him, his books now totally overwhelmed trying to defend him. I instinctively began running towards him down the arena. Leaping off the edge of the seating area into the field, sprinting towards him as quickly as I could. Paul''s hands stopped moving as he looked up at the hulking demon as it stared down at him completely silent.

    Paul turned looking directly into my eyes. "Ruuuuuunnn..." He yelled, as the demon raised his gigantic flaming sword and with one big swing cleaved Paul in half. His lifeless body split in half falling to the floor engulfed in flames.

    I let out a wail as I fell to my knees playing the last few seconds over and over in my mind, seeing him split in two. I slowly crawled to his lifeless incinerated body, pulling him closer to me weeping. The demon looked at me and laughed, its stupid fat obese body turned and walked away. Several lesser demons began to manically laugh approaching smiling with excitement. But I didn''t care.........

 35 Demon Lord

    Cradling his body close weeping.... "Fight...." I heard a whisper in my ear, opening my eyes I look down at him. "Fight....." He whispered again, his half charred body''s mouth moved.

    ''How is this possible?'' I stared at him in disbelief.

    "Fight...." He mumbled again.

    A demon manically laughing at us stood in front of me, its red eyes filled with bloodlust, snarling excitedly showing his sharp disgusting teeth, drew back its spear ready to pierce me. As it''s barbed spear came thrusting towards my chest. With an unnatural burst of speed my body instinctively dodged it dropping Paul''s body. "Fight." Paul voice now spoke into my head.

    The demon pulled back the spear ready for another thrust, my body reacted by pointing at him the tip of my finger glowed green releasing a green beam turning its head to ash, causing the demons body to fall to the ground lifeless. I instinctively rolled forward dodging some attacks from behind retaliate with both my hands pointing at two different demons shooting out more green beam carving out a large hole in their body causing them to scream in pain.

    The large grotesque demon now noticed the commotion and turned around looking at me. It roared something in another language, all the demons began to charge recklessly at me from all direction.

    "DIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed filled with determination holding my out both my index finger at him. I felt the Arcanum flow through me out my fingers, as I blasted its body and head with two green beams. It tried to shield itself with its hands and weapons, but eventually the beam turned his head and stomach to dust. Its body fell dropping the remains of its sword and began radiating a bright white light forcing me to shield my eyes.

    "Emilia?...." Paul''s voice spoke to me again.

    "Paul?" I replied opening my eyes, he was kneeling down cradling my head.

    "You''re okay now...." He said with a smile.

    "I....What happened... you died....." I asked totally confused at what happened.

    "Take a seat....." he said helping me up back to on the seat.

    "Scarlet?..." I asked quickly remembering what happened to her.

    "She''s okay..... She''s gone to get something to eat, as much as she wanted to help I''m scared she would cause more panic then good....." he answered.

    "JAY??!! DAISY??!" I remembered turning to them, Jay and Daisy was unconscious on the seat next to me looking normal.

    "They are gonna be fine....the illusion took a lot out of them....." He said looking at them both.

    "What happened?..." I asked still a little confused.

    "Something happened with the computer... some malfunction I guess and it opened up a scenario that it wasn''t meant to." He explained to me.

    "What was that thing?...." I asked.

    "It was the avatar of a Demon Lord....." He answered.

    "I saw you die...." I replied.

    An even bigger smile crept on his face, "This particular Demon Lord will make you see your worst nightmare... driving all who see him..... Or it..... Insane and incapacitated...then it would either kill you or you''d become so crazed you''d join his ranks" He answered.

    "How comes you weren''t affected....." I asked.

    "I''ve already witnessed my worst nightmare....." He smiled kissing me on the forehead, "It''s good to see you awake..." He said smiling. "I need to go and help the other students, sadly this isn''t something I can fix with a healing spell." He said smiling and leaving to begin tending to the other students.

    ''What was his worst nightmare I wonder.....'' as I stared at him floating away to the other seating areas.

    Several minutes passed when Daisy gasped jumping up holding out her arms looking at herself, with a giant sigh of relief she fell back on the chair.

    "Hey..... You okay now?..." I asked her remembering glow dark black crying thick black ichor.

    "Yeah I''m okay now.... what happened?...." She asked.

    "Paul said a Demon Lord made us experience our worst nightmare...." I replied.

    "Ohhh..." She replied still a little shaken from the whole ordeal.

    "What the hell just happened?" I heard Jay yell as he came into consciousness.

    "A Demon Lord tried to drive us insane by making us witness our worst nightmare." I answered him.

    "It was so vivid and real...." He said still shaking.

    "I know...." I replied turning to Daisy wondering if I should ask what happened to her. She seemed as if she was pray clutching her necklace tightly eyes closed muttering to herself.

    We all sat there thinking to ourselves contemplating on the ordeal that we all just went through. "You know what we need?" I said to both of them... "Let''s eat some good food!!!" I suggested trying to lighten the mood.

    "Sure let''s go!" Jay said.

    "Okay....." Daisy said quietly getting up.

    "I don''t care what you both have to say... I''m not going to Paul''s room again." He joked.

    Getting up I followed them as they led the way out the arena. "By the way.....Emillia have u decided what you want to focus on?" Jay asked.

    Remembering the illusion showing me shooting the green beams that turns things to dust, "Ummm what was that green beam Paul shot out on the Orc leader?..." I asked curiously.

    "That was called Disintegration ray." Jay answered.

    "I want to me a wizard!" I said excitedly, "I want to use spells!" I added.

    "So like me then." Jay answered with a smile.

    "I guess so." I replied.

    "By the way.... how comes Paul doesn''t use any wands or items to cast?..." I asked noticing he used spells with his hands.

    "No idea... I thought everyone needed to channel Arcanum through a wand or object...." He answered.

    "So how powerful was Paul?... " I asked Jay...

    "Well.... during the fight with the goblins when he made them float and then sent them plummeting to the ground was a high level spell called reverse gravity.... and his books.... I can''t even fathom how they work...." He said pondering on the fight.

    Daisy still quiet and shivering slightly, "Hey!!! You okay?..." I asked wrapping my arm around her shoulder to try and cheer her up.

    "Hmmm?... yeah...I''m just still a little shaken..." She replied quietly.

    "If you need to talk or need anything! Let us know! We are family now!" I said to her smiling....."By the way what time is it?...." I asked.

    Jay looked up at the sky.... "Hmmmm it looks like.... 3pm" He answered.

    Making our way back to the dorm building... "So whose room should we chill out at..?" I asked.

    "Let''s go to mine..." Jay offered leading the way.

    "By the way.... what was the white ball? Paul was focusing on vs the Demon Lord...." I asked.

    "No idea.... I didn''t even see the demon lord to be honest...." Jay replied.

    "Me too." Daisy added.

    Arriving at Jay''s dorm room, we entered a very plain room almost identical to mine. "So.... classes will begin again tomorrow so we have rest of the day free.." He said taking a seat on the bed.

    Daisy and I collapsed lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. "So what shall we do for the rest of the afternoon and evening?.." I asked.

    "Well dinner isn''t served till 6pm... So if you''re peckish we can snack on the food Daisy''s Aunt graciously gave us." Jay answered me

    "Also... we can go to the common room and meet other students of various years...." Daisy added.

    Remembering I still had Paul''s sandwich he made for me, and quickly dove down into my bag thinking about it pulling it out, foul stench followed the smell of rancid food and expired vegetables aggressively assaulted my nostrils forcing me to shove it back in the bag again.

    "WHAT was that foul smell?" Jay yelled in shock.

    "Woah..... What was that?" Daisy also yelled in surprise.

    "Sorry guys.... that was the sandwich Paul made me before we went to the city." I embarrassingly confessed.

    "Urrr.... yeah.... even though it hold near infinite amount of things... it doesn''t slow the flow of time." Jay joked.

    "Yeah... I guess I''ll toss it away when the time is right...." I replied.

    "Ohhhh Daisy do you still need my Scrying orb?..." I asked remembering she wanted to use it.

    "Ummm.... Not anymore I got word from my Aunt yesterday, she said she was okay after the wyvern attack." She answered.

    "You have a Scrying orb?...." Jay replied in shock sounding surprised.

    "Yeah..... Paul gave me one.....Not really sure how or what it doesˇ­...." I replied.

    "So... all you need to do is place your hands on it and focus on someone you want to see.... and it will show them to you if they are on this plane." Jay explained.

    "Ohhh... that sounds super handy!" I said excitingly.

    "Could I perhaps borrow it?...." Jay asked politely.

    "Sure" I answered him reaching down and pulling out my Scrying orb and handing it to him.

    "Can I?...I join you?" I questioned hoping to maybe touch the orb and share a vision.

    "Ohh you want to see what happens?.. " Jay asked.

    "Yeah.... is it possible?....." I asked quietly

    "Hmmm not sure.... worth a try...." He said holding the orb between us, "Okay now make sure you have your mind so you don''t mess up the spell." He explained

    "Sure!" I explained with a smile.

    Daisy sat up "Can I join?..." Daisy asked.

    "I don''t see any harm in trying." Jay replied placing the orb in between all of us, he put both is hands on it, me and Daisy hesitantly placing our hands on it also. Jay closed his eyes causing the orb to suddenly begin to glow.

    Following his actions I also closed my eyes trying to keep my mind blank. Miraculously my vision showed that I was high up in the clouds, descending down slowly into a town, down through building. I entered into a building of what seemed to be a decently busy bakery, a woman smiling happily serving customers, which a man was behind her baking bread and kneading dough. Both seemingly happy talking and baking loaves of bread and talking to customers. The sides of the shop lined with various beautiful loaves of bread of different colours and shapes. When suddenly the vision went black.

    Opening my eyes I saw Jay almost in tears completely quiet. "Are you okay?..." Me and Daisy asked him super concerned.

    "That was my Mum and Dad...." He said extremely quietly.

    "They seem to be doing well..." I said to him.

    "Yeah.... I know..... It''s a miracle...I don''t know how this could be possible....." He said completely confused but also looking overwhelmed with joy. "I will need to visit them as soon as I canˇ­.." He said sounding excited.

    "You can''t send them a letter?..." Daisy asked.

    "I don''t know the address... we were homeless...." He explained.

    "Do you think I can hold onto this Scrying orb for a couple days?.... Emilia?.." He asked me.

    "Of course!" I replied happy for him, and extremely thankful for what Paul did for us.

    "Let''s head to the common room!" I suggested exited to meet people.

    "Sure." They both agreed as we made out, Jay placing the orb onto his bedside table.

 36 Dinner

    Exiting the room, Jay led us down to the first floor opening the double doors. It revealed a humongous room, well-lit with touches lined with innumerable tables and sofas. One side connected to a vast library the other leading to what seemed to be a games room.

    "Surprisingly quiet." Jay said walking in.

    "Yeah I think everyone is still recovering from the Demon Lord incident." Daisy added.

    The room still contained some students, mainly small groups still looking slightly shaken from the whole ordeal, some even looking physically traumatized. Walking in some students looked at us and began chatting.

    "Hmmm.... How comes everyone is Human except Daisy?" I asked Jay noticing everyone seemed to be human.

    "That''s because other races tend to stay with their own race and schools." Jay answered.

    "Oh...." I replied, looking at Daisy worried she would feel alienated.

    "Meh... I thought this place would lighten up the mood...." Jay said scratching his head.

    "Let''s just take a seat and chat then." I suggested walking to the sofa taking a seat.

    "Sure." Daisy smiled following me taking a seat beside me and Jay on the other side.

    ''It was good to see her smiling again, I felt slightly worried for her seeing her in that other state base at the arena...'' "So what''s the world like?...." I asked Jay curiously.

    "Hmmmm.... normal stuff really... Many different race some good some bad.... Many Creatures..... Legends.... myths....." He answered beginning to make a list.

    "I''m sure there''s compendium of Historic events and lists of monsters and myths in the library and we have History Class." Daisy added.

    "Is that library?..." I pointed in the large area filled with book shelves and books.

    "Kinda... that just basic books. If you want to read about broader things then the main library in the main building is where you want to go." Jay Answered.

    "So do we all have the same classes together?..." I asked hoping.

    "Yeah First years we only learn some basic spells and fundamentals and in the later years we can pick additional subject." Jay explained.

    "That''s great!!! Does that mean we are gonna be together?" I smiled.

    "Yes we will." They both smiled.

    "Ohhh ... By the way did I miss anything? While I was out.... I was gone for 2 days right?.." I asked

    "Ohh yeah.... well remind me tomorrow, when we go to Basic Spell Casing class...So Professor Meha so you can get the Prismatic Pearl like the rest of us." He said.

    "Ummmm... Okay?.... What''s that?" I replied.

    "It''s a small pearl given to all students and throughout the day it will alter into the element you had an affinity to." Jay answered smiling.

    "Yeah Jay''s one became a small heated pearl, and mine became a shining golden pearl." Daisy explained.

    "Yeah as we saw in the wand shop.... I had an affinity to fire and Daisy as an affinity to divine and holy magic." He further explained.

    "Ohhh I see...." I replied.

    "Other than that not much....the past few days were a bit relaxed as was spent getting to know the professor and other students to make friends." Jay explained.

    "Ohhh okay... so what type of classes do we have?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmmm on Morndas we have Basic Spell Casting, Herbalism and Alchemy. Tirdas we have History, Culture Studies Creature studies. Middas Basic Spell Casting, Herbalism and Alchemy again. Turdas Physical Training and Class Outing and on Fredas the most exciting day! Sparring and dueling! Loredas and Sundas are days off" Jay Answered.

    "A whole day.... spend on sparring and dueling that''s a bit much?..." I asked.

    "Ummm... It''s the only day when students can face and challenge other students to raise their battle rank. It''s good to learn how to fight...." He replied.

    "I guess you''re right..." I pretended to agree, "By the way.... is Calista in our classes?..." I asked.

    "Sadly she is, our year is only split up into two classes and sadly she is in our class..." Daisy gravely informed. "But it will be okay! she won''t try anything if we''ve got your back!" Daisy said trying to cheer me up noticing me looking a little down.

    ".......... Ummmm what day was it today?..." I asked slightly confused, some reason I assumed they was going to use Monday - Sunday.

    "Today is Tirdas." Daisy replied.

    "Yup so we have Basic Casting Herbalism and Alchemy...tomorrow" Jay replied with a smile.

    "Ummm... could I meet you guys in the morning?... I don''t really know my way." I asked still slightly confused.

    "Yeah sure!!!.. We''ll meet you outside the dorm building?..."Daisy suggested.

    "Yeah that will be awesome!" I replied with a smile.

    A loud bell sound began to ring in my head, "Did u guys hear that?" I asked looking for the source of the sound.

    "Ohhh that means Dinner is being severed in the Great Hall." Daisy said standing up.

    Getting up we made our way to the great hall. "By the way do they serve vegetarian food?..." I asked.

    "Hmmm not sure... Maybe?...." Jay replied leading the way.

    "Can''t we just magically create food and water?.." I asked.

    "Umm you can.... but they aren''t nutritious..... They don''t sustain life." Jay answered.

    "Oh...." I pretended to understand.

    "Yah... it may help you feel full or quench your thirst momentarily but you can''t survive off magically created food or drink." Daisy tried to explain noticing my hesitant reply.

    "Ohh I see now..." I replied sounding more confident.

    The small walk to the great hall made me think about magical broomsticks as a faster mans of travel, "OMG do we get to ride on magical flying broomsticks?!!" I asked extremely excited.

    They both looked at me in complete confusion....... "...... What plane do u come from?.... you guys ride on flying broomsticks?..." Daisy and jay asked.

    "Yeah.... of course... you guys don''t?...." I said trying to play it off like flying broomsticks is normal.

    "Ohh.. okay.... Well that does sounds kinda cool..... But no we don''t have flying broomsticks, most forms of travel is on horseback... or carriages... there''s zeppelins for travel between major cities, and Ships for travel across sea and ports." Jay explained.

    "Ohhhh..." I replied feeling a little down I won''t get to experience flying.

    Walking towards the Main castle building, the population of the school quickly became obvious, hundreds of students slowly making their way for dinner. Most being human, very rarely noticing some students aren''t human.

    Entering into the Main castle, the huge double doors directly in front of the main entrance was now open, revealing a grand hall. Magnificently large, filled with tables and benches with innumerable number of delicious foods with plates and cutlery. Well-lit with large long hanging chandeliers and torches lining the wall of the room.

    "Ohhh there''s a group of seats over there!!." Jay said grabbing both our hands pulling us quickly to them.

    "Calm.. down... I''m sure there''s room for everyone." I yelled as he pulling us to the free seats.

    "Yeah of course but the later it gets the harder it is to find three seats free next to each other." Jay smiled taking a seat.

    Taking the seat next to Jay and Daisy on the other side of him, I got a chance to look around. There were several robots walking up and down the aisles, holding plates of food and refilling drinks. It looked as if on the far other side of the hall was a separate table which I assume where the teachers were as I noticed several older looking men and women.

    "Do you know if Scarlet or Paul... Eats here?..." I tried to ask Jay over the loud atmosphere.

    "Yeah... they should be on the S rank and A Rank table." He replied looking up and pointed at a large separate table near the teachers table.

    Looking into the distance, I noticed him next to Scarlet and Ashley talking and laughing thoroughly enjoying themselves. "Are we not allowed to sit with them?.." I asked Jay.

    "There''s no rule saying we can''t but I think generally you have to be an A or S battle rank to be allowed to sit there." Jay responded and began devouring his food.

    I began looking at the dishes looking for something I recognize or looks vegetarian, when sudden a shadow loomed over me. Turning around slowly, it was a robot that took the opportunity of the opening that formed, placing a plate of food in front of me and pulled out two more plates of food from its chest and placed them behind the first plate.

    "Ohhh looks like someone told the Kitchen you have a special dietary requirement." A girl said beside me.

    "I guess so..." I smiled, "Hi nice to meet you I''m Emilia." I introduced myself.

    "Nice to meet you Emilia!, I''m Grace and this is my friend Helen." Grace introduced herself and her friend beside her, giving a wave.

    "Ohhh... Nice to meet you, this is my friend Jay and Daisy." I replied leaning back to reveal Jay greedily scoffing down food and Daisy beside him.

    Giving jay a small jab on the arm to catch his attention and poking Daisy in the back, "Guys this is Grace and Helen." I introduced them.

    "Nice to meet you!" they both smiled waving at them.

    "Are you a freshman?" Grace asked.

    "Yes I am. Are you?" I asked in return.

    "Yes me and Grace are both freshmen as well." they smiled.

    "Have you two thought of what you guys wanna be?.." I asked curiously.

    "Ohhhh... I want to be a ranger." Grace replied.

    "I''m looking to become a druid." Helen answered.

    Jay suddenly stopped eating hearing their response..... Turning to them with a mouthful of food, "Ohh wow a druid?!" He replied.

    "Yes" she responded with a smile.

    "What''s a druid?..." I whispered into his ear.

    "Are you?.... an Elf?...." He asked.

    Helen smiled brushing back her golden blonde hair revealing her pointy ears with a smile.

    "Ohhh wow... it''s pretty rare to see an elf outside their own community...." He added.

    "Yeah..... I wanted to see the world.... and Atlantis is quite accepting of other races." She said.

    "Ohhh that''s so cool....." Jay replied.

    "Druids are spell casters like us except their spells lean towards nature and animal." Jay whispered into my ear.

    "That''s so cool!!!!" I said looking at her.

    "Do you happen to be an Elf as well grace?" Im asked.

    "Yes I am, me and Helen are from the same tribe, we are childhood friends." She answered.

    "Ohhh that''s cool" he replied.

    Taking a quick peek at Daisy making sure she wasn''t left out, it looked as if she was engaged in conversation with a young man sitting beside her. There was a young man sitting in front of me quietly eating his food, the two people beside him engaged in separate conversation. Noticing me looking at his slighting he looked up. "Nice to meet you I''m Emilia a first year." I smiled.

    "Hi... Ummm..... I''m.... Patrick..." He quietly and nervously replied.

    "Are you a first year also?..." I asked.

    "Yes..." He replied quickly and went back to eating his food.

    Not wanting to disturb him I went back to talking to Jay Grace and Helen. They were talking about Life in Elvish society.

    "To be honest I wanted to stay in Morena, but Helen wanted to go exploring, so sadly here I am making sure she''s safe." She said.

    "Yes!!!! But we are gonna have a blast!!! and we''ve already made more friends than we did back home!!!" Helen said hugging her gleefully smiling.

    "I hate you" Grace said to Helen begrudgingly.

    "No you don''t" Helen replied smiling swinging her side to side.

    The dinner lasted hours, all the way till sunset, spending lots of time getting to know Grace and Helen as well as learning a bit more about Jay.

 37 Day One

    Walking up the next morning with a strange bell running sound in my head. Exactly the same as the one notifying us that it was time for dinner. Groggily waking up I made my way to my cupboard opening the cupboards it was miraculously filled with several outfits and footwear. ''Ohhh the clothes I ordered must have arrived.''

    Putting on something similar to leggings shirt and a belt, I gasped in excitement as I saw a robe. Quickly putting it on and pulling out my school badge clipping it on, fastening my bag of holding on my belt and quickly made my way out doing my hair.

    Making my way to the entrance I caught the eye of various students that began taking a quick peek and began chatting quietly. ''I swear if Calista spread rumours again.... I''ll kill her....''

    Much to my surprise the no one was waiting for me at the dorm entrance. ''Hmmm I would have expected Jay to be very punctual.'' Taking a seat on a nearby bench I waited for them patiently, getting excited for my first official day as a wizard.

    "Good morning Emilia." I heard Jay'' voice shout out to me, wearing trousers, boots and a shirt.

    "Ohhh hey !!!!" I replied in excitement standing up to meet him.

    "Ohhh.... you''re wearing a robe?...." he said a little shocked.

    "Yeah.... that''s what wizards wear right?" I asked a little confused.

    "Only during outings or ceremonies so it easy to spot each other...." he replied.

    "Ohhh....." I replied a little embarrassed.... "Well.... I want to wear it!!" I said trying to sound confident.

    "Well nothing wrong with it to be honest." He answered.

    "So what first???!!!" I asked eager to start class.

    "Well first is breakfast at the great hall.... then classes...." he replied.

    "Heyy guys!!!" Daisy voice shouted out to us, looking similar to scarlet, wearing a dress with a plate breast plate and gauntlets with leather boots and her maul on her back. "By the way thanks for the clothes Emilia!" She smiled.

    "..... Dressed a fight???....."Jay asked as she arrived.

    "Yeah in case Calista tries something...." she said winking at me.

    "Yeah but still.... a little over the top??..." I asked.

    "kind of is but I need to get used to holding all my heavy equipment" she answered us.

    "That makes sense....." Jay and I replied.

    "Should we get going???" Jay asked.

    "Maybe we should we wait for Grace and Helen?" I asked.

    "Hmm we could wait a few minutes for them...." Jay answered.

    "Okay!!!" I smiled.

    "By the way.... wants so special about the world tree?" I asked pointing at the large tree in the middle of the whole school

    "It''s an ancient tree..... There are only 2 currently known in existence the one here and one in the great city Xoria they produce immense amount of Arcannum." Jay explained.

    "I seeˇ­" I replied in wonder.

    Slowly the courtyard began to empty, "Hmmm shall we just head out?" Jay asked.

    "Yeahˇ­ we waited enoughˇ­" I said standing up.

    "Sure let''s go." Daisy agreed

    Similar to last night we made our way into the great hall.This hall now being lit with the natural sunlight, we began looking around form empty seats together.

    "I think that Helen over thereˇ­." Jay pointed at a blonde hair girl waving at us.

    "Ohh lets head thereˇ­. At the very least there''s free seat." I said.

    We began briskly walking to Helen hoping no one takes the seat on the way there. "Good morning guys! We saved you some seats!" Helen greeted us with a smile.

    "Good morning guys." I replied taking a seat opposite to them

    "Ohh thanks for saving us seats." Jay said taking a seat.

    "Good morning!" Grace replied.

    "Hiii!" Daisy greeted them with a smile.

    Almost instantaneously Jay began grabbing plates of food and fruits, a bowl of porridge, and a large glass of milk and orange juice and began stuffing himself. Daisy also began picking out her breakfast but at a far calmer and slower speed then Jay.

    "Not going to eat?..." Helen asked me politely.

    "Wellˇ­. I''m vegetarian, so I''m kinda making sure I don''t eat anything I shouldn''t." I replied.

    "Aˇ­ What?.." Helen and grace looked up a little confused.

    "She doesn''t eat the flesh of animals." Jay answered.

    "Ohhhh I seeˇ­.. how very nobleˇ­" Helen replied, as a large shadow loomed over me again. Turning around another robot wasted no time placing three plates of food for me.

    "Thank you?..." I thanked the robot looking a little confused, showing no response and walked off. "Ohhh wow." I said looking at the plates of food, noticing one was eggs florentine.

    "Ohhh wow what''s that?!..." Daisy asked.

    "Yahˇ­ that looks pretty nice.." Jay said looking at it.

    "It''s a dish you''d find where I come from.." I replied still surprised that they have it here.

    "So Emiliaˇ­ what are you planning to study?" Grace asked making conversation.

    "Ohh I wanna be a Witch?..... Wizard?...." I replied.

    "Sorcoress...." Jay coughed.

    "Ohh yeah sorry a sorceress." I smiled.

    "Ohhhh that''s nice!" Grace replied

    "Was you a late arrival?.... We didn''t see you on Morndas." Helen asked.

    "Ohhh yeahˇ­ something happened so I missed the first day." I replied.

    "Ohhhˇ­ hope you''re okay now." Helen politely replied.

    "Yeah I''m good." I answered.

    "Was you guys there yesterday?... When everyone got suddenly stuck in their nightmares?..." Grace asked.

    "Yeah we wasˇ­.." Daisy answered.

    "Do you guys happen to know what happened?.." Grace asked.

    "Ohhhˇ­. Paul and Scarlet said... it was because of a Demon Lordˇ­" I answered her.

    "...." They both looked at each other a little shocked.

    "It''s okayˇ­. it wasn''t a real Demon Lord." I said trying to reassure them.

    Out of nowhere another bell sound rang in my head. "Ohh time for classˇ­" Jay said trying to scoff down the remaining food on his plate, pocketing some fruits in the process.

    "Ohh damnˇ­. I didn''t even finish." I said trying to quickly get some more mouthfuls before everyone began standing up.

    "Emilia?.. are you in the same class as us?.." Grace asked.

    "I hope soˇ­" I replied following them to class.

    Exiting the great hall, we turn left walking past several doors entering on at the end of the hall way leading to a complex maze of stair cases all leading to different levels and hallways. Following them up the complex maze of stairways we made to a halfway lined with several doors. The excitement building up with each passing minute, eagerly taking a peep into some open doors seeming students and teachers in active classes.

    "This is us." Jay said opening a large wooden door.

    One by one entering second to last last, I was met with an extremely full class room, the layout looked similar to a small Lecture hall or Auditorium, tables stretching the width of the room with each successive table raised slightly higher with benches for seats. Following my group, we walked up to one of the tables near the front shuffling to the centre of the table.

    Looking around I could see Calista at the far back, of course her row filled primarily boys and some girls. Quickly facing forward hoping she doesn''t notice me I excitedly waited for class to start.

    Everyone began bringing out their wands much to my surprise Daisy pulled off her gauntlets placing them next to her and pulling out a wand. "Jayˇ­ how comes Daisy and Grace has a wand?..." I asked him whispering to him.

    "Even though they don''t plan to use spells, it''s part of the curriculum of first years, so they still have to go through it." He replied.

    "Ohhh I seeˇ­" I whispered back.

    Looking closer at Daisy''s armour, it was amazingly beautiful, flawless shape with no dents and scratch, faint but beautiful etched designs and the edges lined with gold.

    "Excited?..." She asked noticing me looking at her.

    "Yeah of course!" I said eagerly watching who steps through the door each time it opens.

    Eventually, an older looking woman walked through wearing a Blue robe lined with silver, with blue and black hair entered the room. I felt my body straighten up excited.

    "Good morning children!" She shouted, causing the whole class to go silent.

    "Morning Miss Meha." Everyone replied.

    "Okay childrenˇ­. Today we will be carrying on from last week''s lesson on Cantrips." She announced talking loud enough to reach the back of the classroom.

 38 First Class

    Professor Meha pulled out her wand and with a small wave, books magically appeared on the table behind her and began levitating towards us. "What''s a Cantrip?.." I asked Jay quietly.

    "Generally... they are the Entry level spells, they are the easiest and least taxing spell to learn and use but also the weakest." Jay whispered back.

    "Ohhh I see." I nodded in understanding, delicately opening old worn leather book almost unable to contain my excitement, the pages looked extremely weathered,almost at the point of ripping just turning the page.

    Flipping to the contents page, it looked completely alien to me.... "Umm Jay..... What''s is ''Abjuiration''.....?" I whispered to him.

    "It''s... A school of magic... generally Abjuiration spells are used to protect and shield people..." He answered back whispering.

    "So like the barrier Paul made to stop attacks?" I asked.

    "Yeah.... that would come under Abjuiration School." He answered.

    Meha giving another small wave of her wand, a small teddy bear magically appeared in front of all of us. "Now children Practice away" she said returning to her desk taking a seat.

    The whole room began filling with lights and sounds, as students began casting savaging blasting the teddy bear with all sorts of spells, ranging from blue to ice to fire some lightning.

    Anxiousness filled me as my nerves took over, ''what if I can''t do this?... I don''t want the whole class to laugh at me..'' I began to start reading the pages as oppose to trying them.

    "You okay Emilia?..." Daisy asked noticing my lack of activity.

    "Yeah..... Just kind of nervous...." I confessed.

    "It''s okay..... We all feel nervous the first time we try, you just have to take it slow and steady she said smiling.

    "Okay....." I hesitantly agreed pulling out my starter wand, and flicked to the first spell of the spell book.

    ''Blade ward - ''Resio-Lentus'' - Draw a magical rune on the target bestowing them resistance to damage.... Okay I got this!''

    "Resio-Lentus." I said following the instructions drawing the rune in the air with the tip of my want pointed at the teddy..... Nothing happened, I quickly placed my wand on the table hoping no one noticed I failed. Luckily my failed attempt was drowned out by the rest of the class successfully casting whatever spell they wished, ''I''m hopeless''.

    Daisy noticing my failure put a hand on my shoulder, "don''t give up....... just keep trying don''t worry about anyone else." She said with a smile.

    Some reason this time around I felt more confident knowing it will work. Taking a quick look around making sure no one is watching, quickly picking up my wand. "Resio-Lentus" I said drawing the rune, trying a 2nd time. I felt a strange sensation throughout my body as a blue faint glowing rune was drawn on the surface of the teddy bear. ''Did I do it?''

    "You did it! Emilia!" Daisy congratulated me lifting her hand off my shoulder giving me a hug.

    "I did?..." I reacted in shock smiling hugging her.

    "Hey... you did your second spell!!!" you''re a natural." Jay congratulating me.

    Excited and filled with confidence I quickly turned to another spell school. ''hmmm... Ohh this sounds good! ''Conjuration - Mage Hand - ''Phasm-Defero'' - A magically phantasmal hand will appear controlled by your wand and thought. Can be used to do various tasks such as opening doors or retrieving objects.''

    "Phasm-Defero." I said pointing my wand above the teddy, magically a transparent bluehand appeared above the Teddy, using my wand and thought, I commanded it to pick up the teddy and drop it, exactly how the spell book described the Mage Hand quickly performed my commands. Quickly turning to Daisy and Jay in excitement with the biggest smile they looked at me returning a big smile. I was almost bouncing in excitement flicking through to the next school of magic.

    ''Ohhh I know this one! .... Evocation - Fire Bolt - ''Icio-Igna'' - Manifest a small ball of fire launching it at your desired target.'' "Icio-Igna" I said pointing my wand at the teddy, as a small ball of fire launched from the tip of my wand hitting the teddy, miraculously the teddy and the table remained unscathed by the hit... not even a sign of charred wood.

    The teacher stood up and began walking towards us, "Very good Chris." she said walking to the front table, "Well done Cassandra." she said making her way up the side towards the upper levels.

    Suddenly a Fire bolt came soaring over our heads causing all the students to duck in cover, "NATHAN YOU TWIT WATCH WHERE YOU AIM YOUR SPELLS!" The teacher yelled running past up to a table slightly higher up.

    "I''m I''m so... so... sorry I got a little nervous when you started to come around checking up on us." He sheepishly apologized.

    "You''re lucky we are only using Cantrips otherwise you could have seriously hurt someone!!!" she carried on scolding him.....

    "Im so.... so... so...sorry...." He carried on apologizing, looking extremely scared to the point where he was physically trembling.

    "Just be careful next time." She said to him one last time lowering her voice, turning back around she caught my eye, "You look new." she said with a smile walking towards our table.

    "Hi.... I''m Emilia..." I greeted her.

    "Nice to meet you, I am Professor Meha..... I hope you''re feeling better now." She smiled.

    "Ummm ohh yes...." I answered a little confused.

    "Paul said you missed your first day because you overexerted yourself because of an incident. Correct?..." She asked.

    "Ohh yeah ... feeling much better now thank you." I replied with a smile.

    "That''s great... hope you''re getting the hang of it..." She smiled.

    "Yes Miss..." I replied feeling a little panicked she might think I was lying.

    "Very well... Carry on." she said smiling and once again began walking back up the tables.

    "Very nice Calista, I see you''re progressing very quickly, your old teachers have taught you well." She said, just hearing her doing well and being praised made my blood boil. Turning back to take a peak, she was effortlessly swirling her teddy in a tornado spinning it round and round with a giant smile on her face.

    Distracting myself I began looking for the next spell school to cast... ''Transmutation - Minior Illusion Mino-Imago - Create a Sound or the Image of a small Object of the casters choosing for 1 minute. "Mino-Imago" I spoke thinking of the Teddy and pointing at Daisy''s table, instantaneously another teddy appeared next to her a perfect copy of the one in front of me.

    "Heyyyy you''re getting the hang of it!" Daisy smiled edging me on.

    "Looks like you''re pretty proficient in most school..... Pretty impressive for a beginner." Jay added smiling.

    The sound of bells rang in my head again, "Ohhh and that''s all for class today children." The teacher announced and wish a wave of her wand all the spell books magically closed and floated back to her deck.

    "Emilia! You did really well today!" Daisy said with a smile putting back on her gauntlets.

    "Btw Jay.... we need to talk to Professor Meha for the pearl thingy." I reminded him.

    "Ohh yeah lets go now." He said standing up.

    "Could we wait till Calista exits first?... I''d rather not catch her attention." I asked quietly trying to hide away from her.

    "Sure" he said sitting back down and positioning himself to hide me from her.

    "Just so you know... give me the word ill pulverize her." Daisy said punching her fists together.

    "It''s okay.... I don''t want to get you in trouble..." I replied.

    "Hey guys wanna go lunch together?..." Helen asked with a bubbly smile.

    "Sure...." we all replied.

    "Thank Gods the lesson as over, it was such a drag..." Grace moaned.

    "How comes?..." I asked.

    "To be honest, I''d be better off practicing with my bow." She answered.

    "Ohh I see." I nodded in understanding slightly distracted seeing Calista from the corner of my eye walking past, instinctively ducking down a little to hide myself.

    "Hiding from someone?..." Grace asked.

    "Yeah Calista..." I answered her raising my head noticing she finally left the classroom.

    "Ohh yeah.... I don''t like her either she''s like most Elven royals, fill with too much pride and think too highly of themselves." She agreed.

    "Yeah I get that vibe from her as well." I said, we all stood up and began making our way out the room.

    "Jay and I needs to see Professor Meha quickly. So we''ll meet out outside." I informed them.

    "Sure no problem, see you in a minute." Daisy, Grace and Helen replied and walked out the room.

    "Ummm sorry Professor Meha,Emilia wasn''t here on first lesson and was hoping if she could try the Prismatic Pearl..." Jay asked.

    "Ohhhh of course!" she replied with a smile heading around her deck opening a draw and pulling a small white pearl out of a pouch and handing it to me, "By the way nice classic outfit, it looks nice." She complimented me.

    "Thank you!" I smiled, pocketing the pearl into my robe pocket and began leaving the good, "Good bye Professor" Jay and I waved.

    "Come see me at the end of your day." She smiled waving good bye.

 39 Lunch

    Returning to the group we began making our way to the Dining hall. "You was totally awesome at class Emilia!" it took me at least one week of study to cast my first spell." Jay admitted.

    "Really?..." I asked.

    "Yeah.... learning to cast spells isn''t easy..." He said quietly.

    "Yeah..... I dunno why but it all seemed abit too easy...." I agreed and patting him on the back.

    "don''t get too over confident controls are only the start." he replied with a smile.

    "So what''s Elven society like?..." I heard Daisy ask Grace and Helen.

    "Annoying and boring..... Because we are.... born into noble families we were expected to learn and study other cultures and races so we can become diplomats for our city..." Helen explained.

    "Ohhh I see.." Daisy replied as we joined the group and started to make our way.

    "Hey guys" they greeted us.

    "So how about you?... I''ve never seen a blue Tifeling before..." Helen asked.

    "Ohhh.... It was a side effect when I began to study Holy and Divine magic, No idea why to be honest." She said as we made our way down the maze of stairs, other students began to emerge from various levels heading to the same destination.

    Finding a set of seats at the dining hall, we quickly began tucking into our food, I was surprisingly hungry despite not doing much physical exercise. "So Emilia where are you from??... I''ve never seen anyone with your beautiful skin tone."

    "Ohhh she''s from a small port town..." Jay answered for me.

    "Ohhh which one??" Grace asked

    "London." I replied.

    "Ohhh.... I''ve never heard of it before..... Is it a relatively new port town???....Grace and Helen asked.

    "Yeah.... I think it''s new..." I replied going along with the lieˇ­...

    "How about you Jay where are you from?..." they asked.

    "I''m from a small town in the outskirts of Acadia...." he answered.

    "Ohhh..... Are they.... safe??... I heard there has been increased activity of bandits and goblins...." Helen asked.

    "Yeah I think they are fine last time I checked.... they aren''t near the mountains." he replied.

    "That''s a relief." Grace replied.

    "Is there a reason goblins are attacking???..." I asked.

    "Well from what I''ve read.... they only leave the mountains.... if they are short on food... or something pushing then out their territory." Grace explained.

    "Ohhh ....." I nodded in understanding.

    "Previously goblins were enslaved by dragons..... But dragons haven''t been seen in years so.... it probably something else..." Grace said contemplating.

    "That sounds bad...." I replied.

    "We should be pretty safe if anything big happens Atlantis can step in... but the needless slaughter of goblins should be avoided if possible...." Grace said.

    "Aren''t goblins bad though???....." I asked.

    "Hmmm... it''s all about perspective to be honest." Grace answered.

    "That makes sense...I guess" I agreed contemplating.

    "What happened to all the dragons?" I asked.

    "It''s very long and complicated history.... but to summaries, most the lesser races banded together to eradicate the dragons. Now they are more or less extinct, aside from the black dragon Paul defeated a few years ago.... There hasn''t been any other sightings since." Grace answered

    "Ohhh.... interesting..." I replied....." Do you happen to know.... what a Demon Lord is?...." I asked another question.

    "I''ve only heard stories about the ancient times..... A long time ago... The forces of heaven were stuck in an eternal conflict against the Demons of hell. Eventually some of the Forces of Good were corrupted and became Devils. Then after that Devils and Demons are in a constant conflict for control over the hells, but this all happened many many thousand years ago....." Grace explained.

    "Ohh wow..." I replied in shock.

    "Yeah... any information on the Pantheons and Hells are all just stories...No way to know for sure if it''s all fact or fiction....." Grace added... "but there are many cults that worship evil Deities so maybe there is something there..." She explained.

    "Yup.... we spent way too much time learning about boring cultures and races and history, for example all elves lived in another plane but our ancestors migrated here many years ago." Helen informed us.

    "And Tieflings are normally red because a long time ago our king struck a deal with the Lord of Hell corrupting our whole race." Daisy explained.

    "Yeah.... I aunt got anything interesting about me sadly." Jay added.

    "Well to be honest, I found the Human history most interesting, especially the ancient technology that runs throughout the Floating Islands of Aspa and Atlantis, ancient technology fused with ancient magic, any and all attempts to even try and replicate them has all failed." Grace explained.

    "Are there any books I can read... or you and grace recommend?..." I asked curiously, getting extremely excited about everything I can read!

    "Hmm I''m unsure what books you have access to, or the library even has stockedˇ­.. So probably best to ask the librarian..." Grace answered.

    Finishing our lunch we made our way out together, "We still have 30 mins before class..." Jay said looking into the sky as we exited the main castle.

    "Ohhh.... do you know anything about the world tree over there???...." I asked Grace and Helen pointing at the world tree.

    "Hmmm... world trees are very rare not from this plane..... A long time ago elves gifted a seed to humans as a sign of peace..... But that one was planted in the grand city of Xoria... I have no idea how this one arrived here....." she answered also look curiously at it.

    "We can always ask it." Helen smiled.

    Daisy, Jay and I looked at her as if she''s mad..."You can talk to tree..??..." Jay asked.

    "Yeah it''s something druids can do...." she smiled.

    "Why did I not think of that.... of course druid can, being so akined to nature?" Jay said realising this mistake.

    "I don''t think it''s a good idea though...." Grace mentioned.

    "Why not ???...." Helen asked.

    "Because I assume it''s protected with some sort of barrier to stop any tampering...." Grace explained.

    "She''s probably right..... A student named Tim told me it practically powers the whole school...." I added.

    "Fine..." Helen agreed with a pout.

    "Lets start making our way to class." Jay said leading the way.

    "Grace what do you know about Atlantis??..." I asked, as we all began following Jay to class.

    "Hmmmm from what I read... no one knows the origin of it..... But there was one story back when us elves were still on our home plane, we was visited by a vast floating castle owned by a King who went by the name Soloman. He stayed for a few weeks conversing with elves, then left never to be seen again, no one knows why or how it ended up here or even what happened to King Solomon.

    "Woahˇ­. That so mysterious...!" I said in awe.

    Instead of re-entering the main castle, we went to the side of the school where I met the Treant and the Dryad. As we arrived at the familiar fields and forests we headed towards a nearby shed. Helen look extremely excited looking far into the distance looking for something. "Hurry up Helen we gonna be late!!" Grace said pulling her along as bell sounds began to ring in my head.

    "but but.... I heard there was a Treant and a few dryads here.... that happily left their grove to come here!!!! You don''t understand how rare that is!!!!" Helen tried to explain to her getting dragged to class.

    "There''s plenty of time to meet them another time! Silly girl!" Grace scolded her.

    "Good afternoon children please take a seat!!!"A middle aged woman wearing simple robes looking slightly scruffy welcomed us.

 40 Herbalism

    We entered a very rustic cabin, benches lined the edge of the cabin with a extremely large worn sodden table in the centre. All the other students were huddled around the table chit chatting waiting for the class to start.

    "Hello Hello everyone, please settle down, my name is Pofessor Courtney I''ll be your Herbalism and Alchemy teacher." The scruffy looking young woman with extremely large round glasses, spoke to the entire class.

    "What''s herbalism?... is it the same as Herbology?" I whispered asking Helen.

    "If Herbology means the study of plants for medicinal and alchemic uses then yesˇ­..." she whispered back...

    "Ohhh I seeˇ­" I nodded in understanding.

    "So children we will be carrying on from the previous lesson." Professor Courtney said to the class.

    "So we will proceeded further into healing herbs.... So who knows the best herb for healing burns with small natural healing properties?" Professor Courtney aske the class while exiting a set of doors behind her and re-emerging with a crate of a very familiar looking plant, sprouting out of soil with very thick fleshy skies leaves.

    "Aloeˇ­ Professor Courtney." Calista shouted out to her as she came back into the room.

    "Well doneˇ­. Princess Calista." She replied to her with a smile.

    Placing the large crate on the table one by one she began passing the pots to each student. "The gel is the most important part of the plant, applying the sap on burn wounds will help heal and smooth most wounds but is extremely effective on burn wounds." She explained snipping off a leaf cutting off the skin on the flat side and proceeded to spoon out the translucent gel with a slight hint of green.

    "We have this back at home.... it''s called Aloe Vera...." I said to Jay watching the demonstration.

    "Ohhh that''s pretty handy." he replied seemingly uninterested.

    "But why do we need to learn this is we have magic that can heal us??..." I whispered to him.

    "Well....casting spells is taxing on the casters body... We can only accumulate and store so much Arcanum so once we have exhausted our reservoirs, we will need to rest and eat allowing our body to recover and gather Arcanum againˇ­.... So in a pickle Potions can come in very handy." he explained.

    "Ohhh I see.... so that is why I fell unconsciousˇ­?" I nodded in understanding.

    "Yes that was what Paul said. Plus learning and mastering spells take extremely long time and effort so some people may just forgo learning healing magic and focus on certain schools and roles." Jay added.

    "Ohhh so because Daisy is learning Holy and Divine magic??... I can forgo learning to heal?..." I asked trying to understand further.

    "Yeah something like that ... so instead of being a Jack of all trades you can focus on a certain role." Jay explained.

    "Are you gonna learn some healing spells?..." I asked.

    "Hmmm basic spells might come in handy....but probably nothing too complicated..." he answered.

    "Ohhh.... okay..." I replied.

    "So children once all the flesh has been extracted from the plants store it in these glass beakers and then we will proceed to learning how to use it in medicines and potions." The professor informed the class with a smile, the whole class proceeded to follow the professor''s demonstration cutting the plants and spooning out the flesh into glass beakers.

    "Do you know anything about alchemy???..." I asked jay.

    "Nothing at all to be honest.... it''s not something someone can just pick up and experiment." he answered. "But I''m sure Helen and Grace would know.... the best alchemists are generally elves... since they are very knowledgeable when it comes to nature." he added.

    "What do you mean???.." I asked.

    "Well naturally elves are stronger druids and rangers.... there''s something about them that allows them to communicate with nature and understand animals and stuff better the other races." Jay explained.

    "Ohhh I see...." I nodded in understanding.

    "For example Daisy''s race Tieflings has strong connections to magic some say it was because of the blood pact made by their king ...." Jay added.

    After the whole class extracted beakers full of the aloe sap. The professor began tidying up the plants into the large crate and taking it out.

    "Talk among yourselves while I prepare everything we need to make use of the gel." Professor Courtney said walking into the other room and taking out several small crates handing it out to each student before returning to the other room to get more.

    "Okay children, so everyone please carefully take out each apparatus" Professor Courtney instructed also taking out each piece of apparatus.

    Taking out a pestle and mortar, a jar of thick yellow golden translucent liquid, a bottle of very thin brown liquid, and several smaller empty jars.

    "So the first recipe will be to mix the Jar of honey and Aloe in a 1:1 ratio in the pastel and mortar, make sure both ingredients are completely emulsified. This will result in an Aloe balm the honey will act as a preservative allowing the gel to last longer." She explained with a giant smile, demonstrating the process to the class.

    "Umm Emilia?... why is your badge glowing slightly??..." Daisy asked, looking down at my badge I noticed the slight blue glow.

    "Ohhh it''s nothing...." I replied silently pushing the badge to activate it.

    "Paul..... You need to take this more seriously...." I heard Ashley in my head talking.

    "You said it was just a malfunction..." I heard Paul reply to him. I carried on listening to the conversation while starting the procedure of making Aloe Balm.

    "It may look like a malfunction, but it''s all way too strange... to pass it off as a malfunction." He tried to explain.

    "Scarlet what do you think?.." Ashley asked her.

    "Does sounds suspicious... but it''s alright we dealt with the problem..." She answered him.

    "You both are so frustrating, how you guys are not worried that someone broke into the computer room, had a log in access to change and worse of all, and somehow added a new simulation." Ashley explained to them.

    "Well..... You''re the Tech guy....." Paul began to imply.

    "AND that''s why it''s so fishy! Whoever it was has intricate knowledge of the school and how it operates enough to even hide their tracks from me!" Ashley explained.

    "What do you want me to do?... Start a witch hunt?..... How do u think everyone will feel getting interrogated like a criminal?..." Paul asked.

    "I think he''s right Ashley...." Scarlet agreed with Paul.

    "I don''t even know why I try.... You''re always on his side anyways." Ashley replied sounding annoyed.

    "I''ll keep my eyes open and watch my back from now on..... Is that alright?.." Paul asked.

    "Fine I''ll try and do as much as I can from my end to find the culprit or culprits." Ashley added.

    "But Paul he''s not wrong it''s too much of a coincidence, that we were attacked for the first time in years..... And then there was a Simulation error.... and this all happened in under a week." Scarlet added.

    "Is there anyone who has a vendetta against you Paul?.." Jay asked him.

    "You mean who doesn''t have a problem with me?... Rumoured to be the strongest of all the Sorceressesˇ­.. I''m pretty sure everyone would like a stab at me." Paul answered.

    "Emilia.... I think you mixed that enough...." Helen said poking me in my side.

    "Huh?.. What?.. Sorry.... I was day dreaming.." I replied to her.

    "I think she meant your Aloe Balm is ready...." Grace said pointing at the postal and mortar I was stirring while eavesdropping

    "Ohhh crap..." I cursed as I began pouring it out into an empty glass jar.

    "Emilia?..." Scarlet asked.

    My heart skipped a beat, as I pressed my badge in a panic ending my connection in the conversation, hoping that they didn''t realise it was me.

    "You okay???.... looked like you wasn''t here for a moment..." Jay asked.

    "Yeah..... Yeah... I''m good....." I replied to them.

    "So next will try and make a minor healing." Professor Courtney informed us pulling out her wand and giving it a small wave, a small box containing several apparatus, magically slowly began to manifest in front of us with a blue glow. With another small wave of her wand, a small book appeared next to the apparatus.

    "Please keep these books on you at all time.... it will be your Alchemy books." she instructed the class.

    Picking up the book and flicking through to the contents page. It listed hundreds of potions all categorised in their own groups.... from miscellaneous, poisons, hallucinogenic, polymorphing.....

    "My God there''s so many.... potions...." I whispered to Jay flicking through the book.

    "Yeah.... alchemy is an art...." he replied.

    Looking at Daisy and Helen they both seem uninterested in Alchemy... but surprisingly Grace looked a little interested.

 41 Alchemy

    The professor walked into the other room and came back with two small crates one filled with a mushroom and flower heads and the other large flasks of water and empty smaller flask and vials.

    "So Aloe is a key material for two potions, an Elixir of Soothing and a potion of fire resistance, also a minor component for a healing potions..... So if you would all grab a dried Blood of Ellen, and a fresh Araksu." Professor Courtney explain pulling out a dried red mushrooms with white spots and a flower with purple petals showing the class.

    "Now if you turn to page 8 you will see instructions of a minor healing a potion...." she instructed us waiting for us to turn to the page, "Blood of Ellen is a necessary ingredient for healing potions fresh ones at the peak of maturity will give a more potent healing effect, this miraculous fungus can grow in all climates and season so they are always in abundance..... Then minor healing potions need one other supplementary ingredient, in this case we will use Araksu or Aloe. Now just follow the instruction and make your very first minor healing potions." she smiled at us and began watching the class closely.

    Looking down into the book, ''minor healing potions - one Blood of Ellen, one herb or spoon of minor healing properties, a preserving agent. Firstly grind all components into a fine powder then add a preserving agent with distilled water to make it drinkable.

    Following the instructions I placed the mushroom info the pestle and mortar and began grinding the mushroom into a fine dust, then added the Aloe balm and began mixing, slowly the mixture began to turn red and viscous, picking up a flask of water and an empty smaller round bottom flask, I combined the water and the red mixture into the small flask and began stirring it in circles till they both combined to form a red drinkable water.

    "Well done!!! Miss..... sorry I forgot your name..." Professor Courtney said looking at me and my success.

    "Ohhh sorry I wasn''t present on the first lesson.... its Emilia Patel.... Professor Courtney." I replied to her.

    "Ohhhh it''s okay Paul already explained why.... well it''s very nice to meet you Emilia Patel, well done on making your first potion." She smiled.

    The whole class began to start whispering to each other looking at me. Calista looking extremely furious, glaring at me as if she was trying to shoot lasers with her eyes.

    ".... guys... why does it feel like everyone is talking about me....." I asked quietly.

    "Because Paul is an S-ranked student.... and everyone gossipsˇ­.." Daisy replied.

    "Yeah remember you was the talk of the school because you was seen leaving Paul''s room early in the morning the other day??....and now he''s covering for you when you missed a lesson....." Jay whispered back.

    "Don''t worry about senseless gossip...." Grace replied.

    "Yeah!!!" Helen agreed with grace.

    "Remember children because the Aloe balm is already infused with preservative, you don''t need the goal of citric juice unless you used fresh Aloe." Professor Courtney said to the class noticing several students failing.

    "Jay .... If there''s no reaction sometimes applying some heat would help in making most potion...." she said to him noticing the lack of reaction.

    "Okay thanks Professor Coutney." Jay replied and reached for a small box amongst the apparatus pulling out some kindling. Pulling out his wand and holding the tip in contact with the kindling, he whispered something quickly lighting the kindling on fire. Holding the flask over the fire and gently stirring it in a circle. Slowly the red powder dissolved into the water producing a vibrant red potion similar to mine.

    "You did it!!!" I said in excitement.

    "Yeah...." he replied looking uninterested.

    "You don''t want to learn potion making?..." I asked.

    "It''s useful... but not something I''m interested in" he answered.

    "Ohhh...." I said looking at the other to see their progress.

    Helen easily creating several batches of potions with ease getting most out of the ingredients, whereas Daisy was a little slower reading the book carefully. Professor Courtney slowly walking around the class helping students who were struggling. Calista looking extremely furious that she failed multiple attempts.

    Grace was engrossed in the potion book, allowing Helen to make the healing potions for her. Curiously peeking over at what Grace was so interested in, it looked as if she had the book open on a different page, ''Caecus'' and then turning to another page.... ''Aegrus''

    Turning to the contents page of my own book, scanning down each Category eventually finding them under poisons.... Remembering their page number and flicking to them, ''Caecus - Used to cause momentary blindness in the drinker until the poison passes, normally lasts between 12-24 hours..... Ingredients - The flowering bud of a member in the Mayweed Family, add water and boil slowly over night. The concentrated remains can be applied on weapons and arrows and will dissolve quickly in water, leaving a small dark shimmer on the surface.''.... Flipping a couple more pages over I came to the next potion. ''Aegrus - Used to cause Nausea and Sickness, the drinker will feel extremely levels of nausea followed with offset volatile vomiting, normally lasts between 30minutes - 1 hour ¨C Boil the Root of a Eldlas plant for 2 days, and allow to evaporate into a dense green liquid, one drop is enough for a standard person.''

    "What you looking at?.." Daisy asked beside me, causing me to quickly slam the book shut hoping she didn''t notice what I was reading.

    "Ummm nothing much.... was just looking at random stuff..." I replied casually opening the book and flicking through the pages. ''I wonder why Grace is so interested in learning about poisons.....''

    The number of plants and herbs needed for all different potions are crazy.... "There''s alot of herbs....." I said to my group.

    "Yup..... There''s probably million if you include other planes of existence." Helen added.

    "By the way what do you mean by planes of existence... ??" I asked her in return

    "So..... This isn''t the only plane in the Cosmos... there are also other "There are infinite number of ''planes'' that had their own inhabitants and climates...." Helen explained.

    "Ohhh..... What are examples of other planes?.." I asked trying to understand.

    "So as mentioned before... there is the Planes of Hell.... so from the scriptures I''ve read..... Demons and Devils have an eternal conflict there for who reigns over it... then there''s the opposite.... the Heavens... the home where the Pantheon and their loyal followers of Angels and Celestial beings reside." Helen carried on telling.

    "But after ''The departure'' the Pantheon no longer resides there..." Grace added.

    "So the God''s just left?..." I asked.

    "Yeah.... Kinda all the scriptures and ancient text we''ve read.... never mentioned a reason... just that they left after a great battle against an unnamed evil....." Grace explained.

    "Ohh I see...." I nodded filled with intrigue listening intently.

    "There''s also... the Elemental planes..... Vast chaotic worlds filled with elementals, Planes of endless lava ash and fire... eternal winters... screaming winds....." Helen carried on explaining.

    "Is it possible to visit these planes?..." I asked Helen.

    "Hmmm.... depends.... some are easy some are hard, some are impossible." She answered.

    "Ohhh... I see.... there''s so much I have to learn...." I replied to them.

    "Don''t worry it will take time... There''s much to learn..." She smiled.

    "Wow I must be living under a rock.... I only studied about Ayena..." Daisy confessed.

    "Ohh the lesser god of healing, compassion and peace?.." Helen replied in excitement.

    "Yeah! You know about her?.." Daisy asked in return.

    "Yeah!... It''s been known that she takes good care of her followers even on occasions talk to them!" Helen replied

    "I haven''t heard from her in a while sadly.... but I know she''s looking after me one way or another...."Daisy replied.

    "Lesser God?..." I whispered to Jay slyly.

    "Ayena is a God... but there aren''t many followers like major religions... so she''s classified as a lesser god..." Jay answered quietly.

    "Ohh I see..." I whispered nodding with the conversation.

    "Anything cool with you?.." I asked quietly to him trying not to interrupt the others conversation.

    "No.. nothing...." He relied pulling his sleeve down lower.

    The bell sound rang in my head notifying us that it was the end of the lesson and the end of today''s lessons. "Children if you could please place the potions in the crate so we can store them for use." Professor Courtney shouted out to the class as everyone erupted in conversation and began packing up their books and bags.

 42 Inciden

    Quietly following everyone out, once again Helen was staring intently into the distance looking for Dryads and Treants. "Stop trying to look for them Helen.... you know they only show themselves when they want to be seen....." Grace said pulling her away.

    "I know... but I can still hope..." She said reluctantly getting pulled away.

    "They are there..... I''ve met one Dryad... her name was Messelise and a Treant called Tenderfoot..." I said to Helen.

    "Really???!!!" she turned to me in surprise with a giant smile.

    "Yeah they were super friendly and even gave me a gift....." I replied taking out my Treant wand from my bag.

    Helen gasped in shock, causing grace to investigate the commotion. "Ohh wow... you got a Treant wand..." Grace said in shock and surprise.

    Helen still in shock and awe, hesitantly reaching out her hands to touch it. "It''s okay... you can hold it if you want..." I smiled handing it to her.

    Still completely silent she accepted it carefully her hands quivering in excitement. As her hand held the end of the wand I felt an immense amount of energy channel through her side to my end of the wand. I instinctively let go as if it was a loaded gun ready to fire.

    "Emilia.... why don''t you use this wand?... it''s certainly stronger than your current one.." Helen asked mesmerized by it.

    "I don''t really know if I''m ready..." I hesitantly answered her.

    "You have nothing to worry about, it really likes you." She said passing it back to me with a giant smile.

    "It talks to you?..." I asked.... in confusion.

    "Kinda... it''s hard to explain, it''s more like a feeling then words..." Helen explained.

    "Ahh I see.." I replied.

    "So we have couple hours to burn before Dinner..... What you guys want to do?.." Grace asked.

    "Ohh Ohh had your pearl changed yet?..." Jay asked me suddenly remembering that I had one.

    "Ohhhlemme check!" I replied in excitement surprised that I even forgot about it myself.

    Everyone watched me as I reached into my robe pocket to pick it out. "Anyone want to guess what her affinity is?.." Jay asked.

    "No reaction!" Helen replied with confidence with a big smile and a wink at me.

    "Nah I heard she punched a crater into a wall... either Fire or Earth." Grace bet.

    "Nah she''s cool and caring I''d put my bets on Water or Divine." Daisy answered.

    "Hmmmmm... I''d say fire.... she was able to easily cast her first firebolt during the Wyvern attack at the city." Jay bet.

    "You guys tell me what it is!" I said closing my eyes and holding it in my hand showing them eager for their reply.

    They all fell silent with no reply... making me feel uneasy..... "Guys?..." I asked the silence making me feel extremely worried.....

    "Well..... Maybe we just need to give it more time.." I heard Jay say.

    "Yeah.... some more time will do it..." Grace agreed.

    Slowing opening one eye, dread and depression washed over me as it looked like it had no reaction. It looked exactly the same as when I received it..... "Yeah.... I''m sure I just need more time... quickly stuffing it back into my pocket a little embarrassed.

    Daisy noticing me looking a little saddened gave me a giant hug, "Nothing to worry about! You''re awesome!" she said attempting to cheer me up.

    "HAHAHHA not only if she a Rank F..... She doesn''t even have an affinity... you really are the lowest of the low!!!" The familiar dreaded voice laughed at me from the side.

    Daisy recognising her voice, turned in anger as she drew her maul from her back and walked towards her with purpose and resolve. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" she shouted at Calista.

    "Little demon girl you better watch what you say or I''ll send your kind back underground!" Calista warned her, her face looking serious. As two tall students walked in front of Calista. Calista pushed one of the boys forward issuing him to do something. "Step back." he warned daisy with a firm voice but his hands were physically shaking.

    "Step aside." Daisy warned him still advancing the tattoos on her body began to illuminate a faint yellow glow.

    The male student noticing Daisy''s refusal to back down in a panic he pulled out his wand and whispered something sending a small bolt of lightning screaming towards Daisy striking her directly in her breast plate letting out a blinding flash.

    Jay and I instinctively pulled out our wands ready for a fight. "You''re goanna need stronger lackeys" Daisy shouted to Calista and with a sudden burst of speed dashed towards the student and with a large arcing swing slammed her maul at his exposed rib, his body warped with the impact letting out a huge wail of pain as his body was sent flying a meter or two to the side, without warning and remorse she went for the 2nd student.

    Caught off guard he fell back trying to draw his wand. "Too slow!" Daisy shouted as she was in the process of slamming her maul down on his chest.

    Out of nowhere a barrage of lights were sent flying from the side, several impaling Daisy all through her body, leaving her standing there with thick white rods protruding out from her body.

    "Daisy!" I yelled to her worried for her safety, but she remains silent unresponsive holding her maul high in the air.

    "What is going on here??!!!" a much older man shouted running towards us.

    "Professor they provokingly attacked us!!!" Calista shouted back sounding and acting terrified with a very noticeable quiver in her voice.

    "First years already breaking the most important rules of Atlantis??!!! The professor shouted as he arrived on the scene. Noticing the downed student writhing in pain he quickly went to attend to him.

    "We are so screwed....." I heard Jay whisper...

    "Is Daisy okay??..." I whispered to him.

    "Yeah that is just one of many binding spells.... it''s just to restrain people... totally harmless." Jay answered.

    "Thank God." I Whispered.

    The professor stood up and with a wave of his wand the rods of light impaling Daisy lowly dissipated allowing her to move again. "Would someone care to explain what happened?....." the professor asked.

    "She attacked us" Calista accused Daisy.

    "SHE! Insulted my friend!!!" Daisy yelled back.

    "Yeah she insulted Emilia first!" Jay joined in on the argument.

    "Shut up!!!! You guys wanted to attack us the moment you saw us" the other student shouted.

    "They are lying!" Helen and Grace both shouted joining the argument.

    "How dare you accuse me of lying?" Calista shouted back acting shocked and innocent.

    "Silence!" the professor shouted, magically silencing us.

    "Calista and Douglas take your friend to the infirmary now!" the professor ordered.

    Both acting innocently, nodded and went to help their friend and then popped the biggest shit eating grin and sneer the moment the professor wasn''t watching.

    "Helen and Grace Leave now!" he ordered both them.

    Helen and Grace stood their ground "Your eagerness to defend and stick up for your friends is admirable but raising a weapon against a fellow students is grounds for expulsions so if you want to be added on the list be my guest." He threatened them forcing them to begrudgingly leave.

    "As for you three!" Detention all my office now!" He ordered us.

    "But...." We all tried to explain but we couldn''t get out a word.

    "Enough! Follow me." the professor shouted and led the way into the main building the three of us quietly following him, all the students looking and gossiping about what could possibly have happened.

    Entering the main building going up the maze of stairs we eventually arrived at his office, it was rather cramped room, seemingly a bit large but filled with many many trinkets books and things, in the centre laid a large wooden table and draped over it a table cloth with what seemed to be a red winged bird at the centre, with one large chair on one side and four smaller chairs on the other.

    "Please take a seat...." He said to use taking his seat at the other side of the table.......... "Now it''s a lot quieter please explain the situation." The professor asked.

    We both looked at Jay wanting him to explain the story.... "Well .... we just came out of Class not too long ago and was talking about how to spend the evening when, Calista overheard us and began berating Emilia for no real reason. Then she insulted Daisy calling her little Demon girl making her take matters into her own hands and teach her a lesson." Jay explained.

    "Hmmm...." The professor nodded in understanding and began thinking......... "Hmmmm..... well if anyone asks say I have given you Midnight patrols as punishments but please don''t raise a weapon on another student outside of duels there''s a proper process to knock people down a peg or two." He said with a smile on his face.

    "Wait you''re not gonna punish us?..." Daisy asked quietly.

    "Hmmm I would normally but there''s something about you three that I like..." He explained causing us all to look at him in shock.

    "Really?..." Jay asked.

    "Yes yes... now go and remember if anyone asks say you have to do midnight patrols." He said waving us away.

    "Thank you!" we all thanked him and quickly left before he could change his mind.

 43 Toes into the pool

    "I swear I''m gonna pound her to a pulp!" Daisy said angrily as we headed out to the courtyard.

    "Remember what the professor said as long as you make it an official duel." Jay Replied.

    "Yeah! I''m gonna show her not to mess with us!" She replied holding her fist in the air.

    "Yup! By the way where do you think Helen and Grace went to?" Jay asked.

    "Hmmm..... no Idea.... by the way... why do you think that professor gave us a special treatment?..." I asked.

    "No idea..." Jay replied as we began strolling around the courtyard.

    "So...ˇ­. is there any extra classes?... I can take to improve?..." I asked them.

    "Hmm no idea but you can always train in the simulation room." Jay said.

    "Ohhhh lets go there! I''d love to get into some action!" I replied in excitement.

    "Sure!" Daisy replied.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The simulation building had a very modern design on the outside. Walking in we was met with a large foyer where there were several groups of students chatting. There were several doors each with a computer system next to them.

    "Come let''s find a free room!" Daisy and Jay said with excitement rushing ahead of me.

    One by one we checked each computer hoping one would be free. Passing the doors I couldn''t help but take a peep inside, it looked as if students were using it for battle and recreational things and some the glass on the door was blacked out.

    "How comes some are blacked out?..." I shouted to Jay.

    "If the party inside wants to keep things private they can use a privacy setting." Jay replied.

    "How many floor are there?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmm I hope there''s more....they all seem occupied." Daisy said.

    "OHHH OHHH wait guys come back this one says Helen and Grace! It might be them!" I shouted out to them.

    They quickly came running back, "Really?!!!" Daisy asked in excitement checking the computer. I quickly peeped into the window trying to get a glimpse of them but they weren''t in sight.

    "Lets see..." Jay said pushing a button on the computer and waited patiently.

    "Hello?..." Grace''s familiar voice asked.

    "Hey.... Grace?... its Jay....." Jay replied into the computer.

    "Ohhhhh Hey!!! You guys okay?.." She asked us.

    "Yeah we are good!.... can we join you?!!!" Jay asked.

    "OF COURSE YOU CAN!" Helen replied shouting.

    Suddenly the door made an unlocking sound, quickly opening the door I entered eager to see what''s inside. We entered a flat grassy plain with Daisy and Helen approaching us, Grace had a bow on her back with curved ends and Helen with a Staff and a Large Emerald on the end of it.

    "HEY!!!!" Grace and Helen both shouted greeting us.

    "What you guys up to?!" Daisy shouted back into the distance.

    "Just doing some basic training! What brings you here?!" They asked.

    "Ohhh Emilia wanted her first taste of some action!" Jay replied.

    "Sure lets go!" Grace said happily drawing her bow.

    "So do we jump in the deep end?!!! Or dip our toes into the pool?" Grace asked looking more excited than I have ever seen her so far.

    "Lets dip our toes in he water!" Jay replied.

    "SURE! Computer! Difficulty Rating One, 5 man party, Scenario Random, Safety OFF." Grace yelled out.

    The computer made a series of beeps, as the ground and the sky in the distance began to change like a wave heading towards us the scenery changed from a bright summer day in the plains, to a sunset and the ruins of a castle appearing around us.

    "Woah..." I said looking around in wonder, suddenly I heard a series of howls in the distance.

    Everyone began pulling out their weapons eagerly waiting for the source of howls to arrive. Daisy''s Tatoo''s began to glow yellow as she summoned her spiritual weapons and drawing her Maul. Jay and Grace also drawing their weapons ready for a fight.

    Before long several silhouettes of giant wolves began appearing in the shadows amongst the ruins the whites of their eyes giving off their positions, their faint growling almost masked by the wind whistling through the ruins.

    "Here they come!" Grace yelled releasing two arrows simultaneously into the side of a wolf causing it to back off.

    Daisy broke off from the group running into a wolf with her spiritual weapon, slamming it with a giant golf swing up his head and her spiritual weapons slamming it back down into the ground, the wolf let out a high pitched cry in pain.

    Out of nowhere another wolf came running at me, lunging with both its large claws and its large serrated teeth headed right for my chest and head. I fell back pulling my wand out pointing at it, but my mind froze, unable to remember how to cast a spell.......

    "Remember Emilia! ICIO-IGNA!" Jay screamed to me, as a ball of fire and Daisy''s magical shield slammed into the side of the wolf causing its lunge to miss me by mere centimetres.

    Quickly shuffling back a little I pointed my wand at it "ICIO-IGNA" I shouted blasting it with a firebolt straight into its face. It winced from the pain but regained its focus and began staring at me, its teeth fully on show snarling readying its next attack.

    "Not a good time to freeze up!" Grace yelled out to me as a thick grey fog flooded over us completely hindering our vision.

    "I can''t see a thing...." I yelled out to them.

    "Don''t worry..." Helen yelled... when suddenly red sparkles appeared in the shape of wolves appeared all around us, as well as human figures appearing behind me and where Daisy was sparkling blue.

    The wolf in front of me began back off slowly circling a little now its vision was hindered. "icio-igna" I whispered sending more firebolts at the wolf causing it to cry in pain and forcing it to flee.

    Suddenly everything disappeared and we were all standing in a grey room. "Huh?.. What happened?..." I asked.

    "Computer what''s going on?" Grace asked.

    "Simulation terminated, School dinner will be served in 10 minutes." A robotic female voice announced to us.

    "Well that sucks...." Grace said putting away her bow and went to fetch her arrows that are now on the floor.

    "You okay, Emilia?... you froze up for a second...." Jay asked looking a little worried.

    "Yeah I''m okay ... just... kinda forgot what I needed to say to cast spells...." I replied.

    "Don''t worry!.... You''ll get the hang of it!" Daisy said arriving back with the group.

    "Yeah.... unlike us.... to you it''s all new." Jay smiled talking quietly to me helping me up.

    "Thanks..." I replied accepting his help.

    "So dinner?!!!" Helen said with excitement looking extremely happy.

    "Sure lets go!" Grace replied returning to us and we all began walking out.

    "By the way what was that you did back there?..." Jay asked Helen.

    "Ohh just a simple Fog spell... and Fairy Fire." She replied to him.

    "Ohhh nice... I don''t really know much about druidic spells." Jay said to her.

    "If you need help gimme a yell." She replied looking back at him with a smile.

    "Sure.... thanks" he replied back.

    Arriving at the dining hall it took us a while at finding a set of seats again. Eventually asking a few students to move a few seats to the side managing to fit everyone together. Everyone waited except Jay to get my food, instantly beginning to get his fill. "Jay where''s your manners?..." Helen asked.

    "Huh?..." He replied looking up from his food.

    "It''s customary to wait for everyone to get their food before we start eating." Helen explained to him.

    "Ohhh..... sorry....." He said putting down the cutlery and waiting.

    "It''s okay... you didn''t knowˇ­.. and I don''t mind" I whispered to him.

    "I really wish there was a way to get seats easier." I said as my food finally arrived.

    "It''s only chaotic at the moment till everyone get sorted into their Teams." Grace replied.

    "Teams?..." I asked slightly confused.

    "Yeah..... So students in Atlantis will be placed into one of three teams Phoenix, Dragon or Kraken. Once the ceremony is finished everyone would be seated in their teams." Grace explained.

    "Ohhhhh..... I see....." I nodded in understanding and began eating.

    "What''s the reason?...." Jay asked.

    "Just some in school Rivalry nothing too important." Grace answered.

    "We will stay friends even if we aren''t in the same teams right?..." I asked with a nervous smile.

    "Hmmm... I''m not... sure if I''m I get very competitive and I hate losing!" Grace winked at me.

    "Dunno about you guys.... but an extra boy or two won''t be missed in the group..." Jay said.

    "Why''s that?... I reckon you''d be the envy of the school!" I joked with him.

    "Yup who else can say they are friends with girls like us!" Helen added.

    "Yeah but..... At least one dude.... so we can talk and do guy stuff....." Jay tried to persuade us.

    "Wellˇ­. We''ll think about it." Daisy replied winking at the rest of us.

 44 It was meant to be

    "By the way Emilia..... Had your pearl changed yet?..." Grace asked.

    "Hmmmm lemme check..." I replied reaching down my pocket to take a look.

    "Nope....." I replied taking it out placing it on the table slightly frustrated at it.

    "Maybe it''s just faulty..." Daisy added.

    "Hmmmm nope..." Jay replied with his wand out seemly casting some sort of spell, Daisy quickly back handed him in the arm giving him a look.

    "What?.." He mouthed silently to her.

    "It''s alright Emilia it''s meant to be!" Helen said to me.

    Feeling defeated and down..... I just sat there playing with my food moving around endlessly thinking why I''m so cursed, ''how did I even get chosen to come here....''

    "So what team do you guys want to be in?..." Grace asked.

    "whats the distinguishing difference in them?.." Jay asked.

    "Hmmm all I know is... there is one S Rank student per team.....All of the information is kept in house..." Grace replied.

    "As long as we are all end up in the same team!" Grace replied with a giant smile.

    "Emilia.... cheer up!.... it will be okay!" Helen tried to cheer me up.

    "Huh?.." I replied finding it hard to concentrate on their conversation.

    "There''s nothing to be worried about!" she smiled.

    "I know... but this along with Calista saying how I don''t belong here... has really got me down." I replied.

    "In elven society things happen for a reason!.... Just go with it!" Helen replied with a giant smile.

    "Yeah! You''re meant to be here! Emilia!" Daisy replied with a giant smile.

    Quickly scooping up the pearl and placing it back in my pocket hoping that maybe it needed more time.

    "I''m sure the professor can explain more once you go to see her again." Jay said trying to reassure me.

    "It''s a bit embarrassing, I must be the only person ever!" I replied slamming my head on the table.

    "So what''s the plans after dinner?....you guys wanna chill out at one of our dorms?..." Jay asked.

    "Yeah sure that will be cool!" Helen answered.

    "I also wonder where we will be going tomorrow.." Jay said wondering.

    "For the Outing?.." Grace asked?.

    "Yeah..." Jay replied.

    "Hmmmm probably somewhere where we can encounter some creatures and practice combat... or helping people in need and stuff... some real world experiences.." Grace explained.

    "That sounds pretty cool!" Jay replied.

    Everyone around me suddenly went silent gasping in shock. "May I?" Paul''s nostalgic voice spoke to me.

    "Yeah of course!" Jay replied proceeding with the sound of shuffling chairs and feet.

    "Emilia?... you alright?.." Paul asked me causing me to lift my head.

    "Heyyy..." I hesitantly replied wondering why he came all the way here.

    "You sure?... you''re looking a little down....." He asked looking a little concerned.

    "Yeah I''m okay...." I replied to him quietly.

    Everyone in out vicinity was absolutely silent eavesdropping into our conversation, starring at him. "Home sick?..." He asked looking more and more concerned with each passing second.

    "Just a little..." I replied.

    "I''m sorry...." He apologized me to.

    "Why are you sorry?...." I asked.

    "That you''re forced to stay here and I can''t do anything about it...." He replied.

    "It''s not your fault...." I said to him.

    "If there''s anything... you need let me know okay?.." He said quietly to me patting me on the head.

    "Yeah sure...." I replied nodding.

    "Make sure you eat enough food! It''s important to keep healthy." He said standing up.... "Anyways I''ll get going.... looks like I caused a scene...." He said noticing everyone''s reaction. "Thanks for the seat Jay! And good to see you again Daisy!" He said offering him a hand shake and smiling at Daisy.

    "Later..." I said to him bidding him farewell.

    "Take care Emilia! Jay and Daisy." He replied waving goodbye and began walking back to his table.

    The instant he was out of sight the whole area busted with conversation. "You know Paul well?" Grace asked in shock.

    "Yeah... we were friends a long time ago....." I replied.

    "Ohhh..." She replied seeing my reaction.

    "I''m sure he''s not as great as everyone thinks!" Grace replied changing her attitude completely.

    "So... let''s do this!..... I''ll take Emilia to Professor Meha''s Class...to return the pearl.... then we can meet up and spend the night chilling out." Jay offered.

    "Sure that sounds great!.... meet us at mine and Helen''s room as it''s probably gonna be bigger." Grace offered.

    "Sure!... Let''s go Emilia!" Jay said offering his hand to help me up.

    "Okay... " I replied standing up.

    "See you guys in a bit!" Jay said bidding everyone farewell and leading the way.

    "Bye guys." I said to them following Jay making our way to Meha''s office.

    "By the way... sorry about earlier with the food.." Jay apologized as we traversed the maze of stairwells.

    "It''s okay really...." I tried to reassure him.

    "It''s just you know... I never really had friends.... and food was scarce... and my Parents would never take a bite of any food till I was full... so I used to eat as quickly as I could so my parents wouldn''t wait so long....." He explained.

    "Jay....." I said giving him a big hug causing him to tense up. "I''m sorry for making my small thing feel like the end of the world when you''ve had am much harder life...." I said.

    "We all have our own hardships..... Come, let''s get to Meha." Jay replied.

    "Sure..." I said letting go and began walking again.

    "So what is your relationship with Paul?.." He asked curiously.

    "I dunno, it''s complicated..... Friends I guess?.." I answered him.

    "Ohh okay... He does seem like a decent person...." He replied.

    "Yeah... He''s a pretty good guy..." I replied.

    "Here we are." Jay said knocking on a wooden door.

    "Come in." Professor Meha''s voice shouted from the other side of the door. Jay opened the wooden door creaking as it opened, letting me enter first. "Ohhh Miss Emilia" I was hoping you''d arrive soon!" Professor Meha greeted me with a smile. Jay still holding the door open unsure if he should come in, "Please come in as well Mr Miller." Professor Meha instructed him.

    Taking a seat at her deck is fidgeted nervously not wanting to show her my pearl. "What''s wrong? Miss Patel? Didn''t get a result you was hoping for?.." She asked.

    "Yeah kinda...." I replied to her quietly.

    "Yeah..... Hers failed to change..." Jay replied.

    "Really?.. That can''t be possible... Show me." Professor Meha replied a little confused. Reaching into my pocket pulling it out and placing it into her palm. "Fascinating..." She replied looking at it carefully.

    "Is it bad?..." I asked quietly.

    "Hmmm... It''s certainly rare..." She replied still inspecting it carefully.

    I struggled to reply as the thought of what Calista said went racing around my head bringing me to the verge of tears.

    "Ohhh... darling.... it''s not bad...." She replied seeing my reaction.

    "Really?..." I asked.

    "I didn''t believe it myself..... When it happened the first time." Meha explained.

    "It happened before?.." I asked curiously.

    "Yeah.... in all the years I''ve been teaching.... this has only happened one other time." She explained.

    "It has?" I replied feeling more hopeful.

    "Is it bad?.." Jay asked.

    "Certainly not.... at first I would have said it was problematic, but the only other person that had this same reaction was none other than Paul the Black Dragon Slayer." Meha Explained.

    Jay and I both looked at each other silently eyes wide open in shock.

 45 Technology

    "So what does it mean?..." Jay asked.

    "Hmmm not really sure myself.... maybe his ability to use almost all schools of magic seamlessly. If you can catch him at a good time you could always ask him how it was for him learning spells." Professor Meha answered.

    "I''ll try!" I answer her feeling a little more hopeful.

    "Well... if there anything else I can help you with?..." Professor Meha asked us.

    "I think that''s all...Thank you professor" Jay thanked her standing up.

    "Ummm can you give me tips as a beginner?...." I asked the professor politely.

    "Hmmm... I would say... take it slow... everything will come to you, and sooner or later it will be second nature." She smiled.

    "Okay! Thank you." I thanked her with a big smile waving goodbye.

    Closing the door behind us, "Wow! Do you think you''ll be as good as Paul?!" Jay asked frantically full of excitement.

    "I really doubt that.... I''ve never been amazing at anything..." I replied to him.

    "Don''t be silly! Didn''t you hear! This only ever happened to you and Paul!" He replied feeling way more excited than me.

    "Let''s go... and meet up with the others! I wonder what we could do..... By the way you know their room number right?.." I asked.

    "Yeah... Helen told me at dinner." He replied

    "Cool let''s go!" I said to him leading the way but then slowly slowing down letting him walk ahead of me.

    "It''s a bit fortuitous that you and Paul are friends as well so you can ask him about the pearl." Jay said making conversation.

    "Yeah.... kinda...." I replied.

    "So what''s life like in your plane?.." Jay asked.

    "Ummm..... Normal?... I don''t have much else to compare it to." I replied.

    "What''s it like having the strongest Sorcerers all coming from there?.." He asked.

    "Well... we don''t actually use magic there....." I replied.

    "Ohhhh...." he replied sounding a bit confused and unsure what to ask next.

    "We do have Technology... if that counts" I added.

    "What''s that?.." He asked.

    "It''s like... the weapons and some other stuff is what we call technology.... so back in my plane we use electricity to power things to do things....." I tried to explain but realizing that it made more sense in my head.

    "I see?..." He replied in understanding but sounding confused.

    "Ahh well if you ever get the chance to visit you''ll see...." I replied.

    "So just to make sure... No magic?.." He asked

    "Yup...." I replied.

    "That must be pretty weird.....how do you grow food.... or kill monsters... or power cities?..." He asked.

    "Well.. we rely on the natural weather to grow plants like rain and sun..... There aren''t really any monsters where I come from.... and cities.. Are powered with large factories producing electricity through various methods..." I answered him.

    "Ohh I see..." He replied struggling to understand.

    "How about here?...." I asked curiously.

    "Hmmmm so as you may know.... Arcanum is what we use to cast spells and enhance ourselves..... But the energy that powers inanimate objects are powered with Visium power cells....." He answered.

    "Visium power cells?..." I asked in return extremely curious.

    "So..... Inanimate objects can''t utilize or harness Arcanum.... so someone a long time ago managed to develop process where we can harness and store Arcanum in a different form inside a Visium power cell to be used in various things such as Computers." He explained.

    "Ohhh that''s exactly what Technology is in my plane.... we create electricity and store it and transfer it around the world." I explained.

    "Ohh that makes much more sense now." He replied nodding in understanding.

    Arriving at the dorm building making our way up the stairs towards Grace and Helen''s room.

    "Do they share a room?.." I asked.

    "Yeah... you can request to have a shared room." Jay replied.

    "Ohhh that''s pretty cool I wouldn''t mind bunking with someone....." I replied.

    "Maybe you can ask Daisy... I''m sure she wouldn''t mind." Jay added.

    "Yeah... maybe..." I agreed thinking, seeing the image in my head of Daisy crying black Ichor and Jay crying about his parents during the attack.

    Arriving at a door, Jay knocked on the door waiting for a response. "Come in! Its unlocked Daisy" voice yelled from the other side of the door.

    "So when you gonna go see Paul?.." Jay asked opening the door.

    "No idea... I guess if I bump into him..." I answered.

    "HEYYY!!!" they all yelled welcoming us.

    "Wassup!!!!" we both replied.

    "Ohhh you guys already changed?.." Jay asked.

    "Yeah!" Grace answered.

    "Nice room!" I said looking around at their larger room with two large beds, already furnished with making it look less bland.

    "Come take a seat!" Daisy said sitting on one of the bed patting the mattress beside her. No longer wearing her thick heavy plates of armour but now wearing a red silk sleeves nightgown.

    Taking a seat next to her I instantly noticed that the mattress wasn''t made of the same material as the one back in my room. Feeling noticeably softer yet firm.

    "Thanks for the clothes by the way." Daisy whispered to me.

    "No problem, nice nightgown I wish I had the body shape to make that work." I replied to her.

    "You would look great in anything, you''re gorgeous." Daisy replied to me wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

    "So what''s there to do?..." I asked feeling curious what people do in their spare time here.

    "Well it depends what you enjoy doing." Grace smiled emerging from a room wearing a black top and shorts and placing a bullseye on the wall. "For example I love practicing my aiming." she said as she began throwing daggers across the room in all different poses almost hitting the centre.

    "Yeah... Grace always takes training abit too seriously..." Helen said emerging from another room with wet hair and a similar top and shorts but in white.

    "Of course!.... when danger comes, you will wish you practiced more!" Grace replied to Helen.

    "She not wrong." Jay said sitting on the floor pulling out a small rustic book and began reading it.

    "Ohh what''s that you''re reading?..." Daisy asked him.

    "This was a spell book my first teacher passed down to me." He replied still focused on the book.

    "Kinda weird actually... back at the church I would do chores before bed time... haven''t really had this much spare time before..." Daisy said lying down on the bed.

    "Emilia so what was your life like?.. before coming to Atlantis?.." Helen asked taking a seat next to me.

    My gaze quickly shot to Jay for help but he was too focused in his spell book to notice, "Umm well..." I replied as I began panicking and started to think of a cover story. "Well my Dad worked on the port just a local fisherman, sometimes he would take me out to sea to help catch fish and hauling them back to the town to sell." I lied.

    "That sounds pretty awesome!... I''ve never been out at sea before..." Helen replied.

    "What about you?.." I asked her in return.

    "Elven life is pretty dull.... Once born your family name chooses the path you will takeˇ­..and your future in out society." She replied.

    "..... That sounds pretty constricting..." I replied.

    "Yeah it''s extremely dull.... Grace and I was always envious of other Elven societies where they had the freedom to choose their own paths and explore." She added.

    "Yup!" Grace added as she carried on throwing her sets of daggers while doing all sorts of acrobatic flips and spins still maintaining her accuracy.

    "Ohhh Helen... do you know much about the fighting pits of Eshia?..." I asked her.

    "Yeah I''ve read a little.... It''s the biggest of the cities in the Desolate Dunes of Eshia, a vast expanse of blistering hot desert. They believe the harshest of climates breeds the best of warriors." She explained.

    "Yup.... and they aren''t wrong..... It is a known fact that they have the strongest Students in all the school." Grace added.

    "Yup although Atlantis has the two strongest S Ranked Students the number of students they have that are S and A rank equivalent is dangerously high." Helen also added.

    "Is that a bad thing?.." I asked.

    "Sadly the diplomacy between our four schools isn''t peaceful, there''s a reason each school, year by year builds up their military might....." Helen explained.

    "So we are at war?..." I asked.

    "Not really... Arcadia and Atlantis stays out of any conflicts and only defends the lands we control... but the other three schools there''s a battle for influence, and even though it hasn''t happened yet but if one has a much stronger military I wouldn''t be surprised if they start a war." Helen replied.

    "And that''s not including Dark cults and Dark gods constantly trying to gain a foothold, and trying to rise to power...." Grace added.

    ''........ This world is alot more volatile then I first imagined....''

 46 Sleep Over

    "Ohhh we have some clothes you can change into if you''d like...." Grace said heading to a wardrobe pulling out a top and shorts.

    "Nah it''s okay... I have some back in my room." I replied.

    "Sure no worries." She replied putting the clothes back in her wardrobe.

    "By the way what happened with the pearl?.."Helen asked.

    "Ohhhh... Professor Meha said that it''s rare to have no reaction, but it shouldn''t hinder me at all." I replied.

    "That''s awesome!" Helen and Daisy replied with a smile.

    Pulling out his wand Jay closed his eyes whispering something pointing it at the bullseye Grace was practicing on. Suddenly two runic circles appeared in the air beside him shooting out a flaming dagger striking the target.

    "That''s pretty cool!" I shouted to him.

    "Flame knives! Not bad!" Helen smiled.

    "Not bad!..." Daisy smiled, and began pointing at the bullseye with her index finger, suddenly a bolt of light shot out her finger also striking the target, but also illuminating it.

    "Show offs..." Grace mumbled walking to collect her daggers.

    "Can I take a look at your book?..please.. " I asked Jay.

    "Sure!" He said closing it and chucking it towards me.

    "Thanks!" I replied catching it.

    "So Helen and Grace... how bad is the war between the Elves and Orcs?..." Jay asked.

    "Luckily while we was growing up there wasn''t any large battles, just some raiding parties." Helen explained.

    "If you don''t mind me asking is there a reason there''s a conflict between your races?...." Jay asked.

    "We don''t actually know..... They refuse any form of diplomacy and savagely attack and pillage innocent Elven settlements." Helen answered.

    "What of Orcs outside of tribes or Half orcs?.." Jay asked.

    "Well those Orcs have denounced their connection to any Orc tribe so they are viewed as Traitors, and well Half Orcs are also seen as a disgrace to their race, so I guess they are peaceful." Grace answered.

    "Interesting...." Jay replied.

    "What is your view on them?" Helen asked Jay.

    "Hmmmm... Humans are the same, there has been news of human settlements also pillaged from Goblin and Orc raids." Jay replied.

    "How about the relationship between Elves and Humans?.." I asked curiously.

    "We aren''t officially allies, just a mutual understanding, as long as humans do move into or invade Elven boarders then we are at peace and our doors are open for trade." Helen explained.

    "There has been some human settlements allowed to reside inside our lands, but its extremely rare." Grace added.

    "Ohhh I remember seeing a woman with long flowing red hair and Antlers on her head... what''s that?.." I asked.

    "Ohhh that''s an Elf, specifically a high noble Wood Elf...." Helen answered.

    "Wood Elves?..." I asked.

    "Yeah so there''s different Elves, Grace and I are High Elves, then there are Wood Elves and Moon Elves and Dark Elves." Helen answered.

    "Ohhh I see..... And are Dark Elves bad?.." I continued to ask.

    "Dark Elves were Elves that were banished from our lands because they Worship a Dark Elven god." Helen explained.

    "Interesting..... " I replied.

    "Do they not teach Races and Diplomacy? In human schools?.." Grace asked.

    "My parents were pretty poor and couldn''t afford school for me." I replied.

    "I''m so sorry..." Grace instantaneously apologized to me.

    "It''s okay...." I replied to her.

    "So any idea what tomorrows lessons will be about?..." I asked.

    "Tomorrow will generally be about training physically and then after lunch we will go out as a year group to somewhere." He replied.

    "Ohhhh....." I answered.

    "To be honest I don''t see why I''m forced to train combat skills when I''ll just be using spells." Helen sighed.

    "Because it''s also important to be trained in melee combat." Grace explained

    "Yup for example like me... where I can go toe to toe and use spells if needed." Daisy added.

    "I dunno I feel time will be better spent learning and practicing more difficult and higher level spells.." Jay said.

    "Yup I agree..." Helen said with a nod.

    "By the way.... How comes Daisy and Paul can cast without a wand or staff?" I asked.

    "Wow how did I not notice that?... How comes you can cast without a Spell focus?..." Jay asked Daisy.

    "Whats a spell focus?.." I asked.

    "It''s something that allows us to channel Arcanum through so we use wands and Helen has a Staff." Jay answered.

    "Ohhhh I see..." I replied.

    "Well.....When I began learning Holy and Divine magic... I first used a Holy symbol.... but eventually I didn''t need it... but I got a feeling it has got something to do with my tattoos." Daisy answered showing us her tattoos along her arms and legs.

    "Ohhh I see...." Jay replied.

    "That''s pretty cool!" Helen said.

    "It''s useful...." Daisy replied with a giant smile.

    "So was you born with the tattoos?..." I asked curiously

    "Ummmm I dunno actually, I haven''t seen anyone with tattoos like these and I''ve had them as long as I can remember." Daisy answered.

    "Interesting....." Jay said looking curious and interested.

    "Did you guys leave a lot of friend coming here?..." I asked.

    "Not really..." Jay replied.

    "There weren''t any girls my age living at the church..." Daisy answered me frowning.

    "Hmmmm..... We left quite a lot of friends and family, everyone in Elven communities are quite close... but after deciding to leave.... we were shunned for turning away from our duties to follow our dreams...." Helen answered.

    "Lucky we met each other than!" I replied.

    "Did you leave much behind?" Grace asked me.

    "Yeah I left a lot... Mum, Dad, Brother Sister, many friends...." I frowned.

    "You can always visit them if you miss them alot." Grace smiled.

    "Yeah..." I replied faking a smile...

    "Ohh by the way could I borrow the Scrying Orb for a little bit Jay?.." I asked.

    "Yeah sure lemme just go get it quickly I won''t be long." He said standing up.

    "Ohhh lets have a sleep over! so get changed into your sleeping clothes...!" Helen shouted to him before he left the room.

    "Ohh a sleep over sounds awesome! I''ll go get changed as well" I replied.

    "Don''t worry you can borrow some of mine!" Grace said.

    "Ummm.... Okay... sure....." I hesitantly agreed.

    "So any boy caught your eye?.." Grace said walking to her wardrobe to get the clothes.

    "Who me?..." I replied my voice sounding a little higher in surprise.

    "Yeah... you know the gossip going around.. Just wondering if it was true..." Grace asked.

    "What gossip?" I asked seeking clarification that they were talking about Paul.

    "You know... Words been spreading like wild fire that Paul has the hots for you." She said pulling out a set of clothes for me.

    "I really doubt that..." I replied.

    "Well... you do seem to be the only person he interacts with outside his team members..." Helen added.

    "Well he hasn''t asked me out or anything..... " I replied.

    "Ohhhh... okay..." they both responded sounding a little less excited.

    "He saved my life once..." Daisy replied out the blue.

    "Woah?!!! really?!!" We all responded in excitement.

    "Ohhh Ohhhh wait wait... lemme get changed first.... " I said quickly grabbing the clothes from Grace and quickly ran into the room Helen exited with wet hair earlier to get changed quickly. Changing into the top and shorts Grace lent me I quickly noticed that it was extremely soft and almost weightless. "What material is this?.." I shouted from the bathroom.

    "Elven Linen." Helen replied.

    "How is it so light and warm?..." I asked them stepping out the bathroom.

    "It''s a special property with Elven Linen. It also keeps you cool when it''s hot." Helen added.

    "Wow.. I need to get some of these..." I replied and jumped on the bed excited to hear Daisy''s story. Curious to hear what he''s been up to after our breakup and fight....

    "So do you want the details?.. or just the brief outline?" She asked.

    "DETAILS!" The rest of us screamed.

 47 Cults

    "Well spent most my early life in a cult." Daisy began to explain.

    "Ohhh.... nooo..." Helen gasped.

    "Yup... so life was pretty normal... or so I thought at the time, praying to a Deity, Blood Sacrifices and practicing Rituals and Dark Magic." She carried on describing.

    "That sounds pretty bad....." I commented on the story so far.

    "Yeah..... Cults.... are religious groups trying to reincarnate or summon their Lord into this plane." Grace explained.

    "Is that bad....??" I added.

    "Cults generally worship Evil beings and godsˇ­. And they are generally extremely powerful specially in the plane they rule." Helen explained.

    "So in our Cult worshiped an Unnamed God of the Abyss, it spoke to use in whispers and even at times possessed individuals. Granting us immense power allowing us to summon humongous tendrils and even mutated some followers into grotesque soulless mindless monsters, at the time that was considered a greatest sacrifice, to give one''s self to the Dark lord. Any attempt to escape or breaking of rules would result in mental neutralizing, they would draw a rune on their head causing them to lose any emotion and thought, becoming a mindless automaton that just responds to commands." Daisy carried on explaining.

    Suddenly the door opens, causing all of us to jump back. Grace instinctively threw her daggers at the individual entering.

    "Hey guys...-?!" Jay yelled out in pain as two daggers flew through the air impaling themselves deep into the side of his arm. "WHAT THE HELL!" He yelled staring at the two protruding dagger in his arm.

    "I''M SO SORRY!" Grace yelled running towards him.

    "No No No No don''t touch them!" He yelled at her as she instinctively attempted to pull out the daggers.

    "Ohhh God!" Daisy yelled standing up noticing the commotion, quickly running to him.

    "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Jay yelled at Grace the blood now soaking through his sleeves.

    "I''m sorry! You just startled us!" She apologized to him.

    "It''s alrightˇ­. I can help you..." Daisy tried to calm him down.

    Jay tensed his whole body slamming his eyes shut, as Daisy went to pull out a dagger. Grace placing the scrying orb on a nearby table held his other hand as he struggled to hold back the screams of pain as Daisy pulled out both daggers and quickly activating her tattoos glowing golden and placing her golden glowing hand on his wounds.

    "I''m so so sorry!" Graces carried on apologizing to him.

    "You''ll be fine now!" Daisy said giving him a pat, "The wound wasn''t too deep!" she smiled.

    "I''m so so sorry! I''ll pay for your clothes repair or a new top!" she offered.

    "It''s fine.... I''ve worn worse. Thanks Daisy." He replied seemingly less angry and accepting her apology.

    "No problems!" she smiled walking back to the bed.

    "May I?.." Jay asked Grace pointing at one of her daggers.

    "What?.. Sure!" she agreed handing it to him.

    "Thanks." he replied cutting out the blood stained part of the sleeve tossing it away and handing the dagger back to her. Pulling out his wand and pointing the end at the hole in his sleeve, muttering something his wand emitted a sparkling blue light traveling down the hole slowly repairing it in the process. "Right... good as new..." He said will a smile picking up the orb off a table, "And here''s your orb!" He said handing it to me.

    "I''m sorry! Jay!" Grace apologized profusely.

    "It''s alright.... it all turned out fine.... just watch where you throw them next time." He said brushing off the incident, "So what''s you all on edge?.." he asked.

    "Ohhh Daisy was telling us the story on she grew up in a cult until she was saved by Paul." I answered him.

    "Ohhhh really??!!!" He replied jumping on the bed ready to listen to the story with us.

    "So.... One day we was told we were infiltrated." She began to explain.

    "Woah Woah Woah wait..... At least someone brief me on what happened before this." Jay requested.

    "She was in a cult... they worshiped an unnamed being from the abyss. That grants them powers but also mutates people.... and anyone who is out of line was mentally neutralized." Grace summarized.

    "My God....." Jay replied his jaw dropped opened leaning back horrified.

    Daisy resumed telling the story, "So one Morning we were all taken into the main hall, after locking us in the lead cultist told us that we were infiltrated. She then yelled out to the infiltrator to show themselves. No one responded fearing the recourse if they gave the wrong information. Still refusing to show themselves the Leader ordered her ritualists to begin the ascension ritual. One by one she selected followers and initiates throwing, them through the ritual transforming them into grotesques purple monsters. After around 10 or so followers and initiates the large double doors locking us in were hit with a large earth shattering hits, causing the floor to shake and visibly splintering and splitting the door at places. With one final hit the large doors gave way to the individual behind it. Through the smoke and debris stepped a Young Woman with Scarlet red hair wielding a giant sword in one hand, her eyebrows drawn together grinding her teeth together, staring at the Cult leader advancing towards her."

    "Omg.... that was Scarlet?" I asked my jaw dropping in shock.

    "Yup but at the time I didn''t know who it was." Daisy answered. "The lieutenants drawing their wands fired off many spells at her even calling minions of the abyss to their aid, but without fear she advanced cleaving anything and everything in her way in two. Somehow even spells were cut and the few that even stuck her didn''t even scratch or phase her. The cult leader extremely afraid began to panic her eyes wide open staggering back yelling for everyone to attack her. The majority of us foolishly tried to attack her fearing the repercussions of standing idle was worse than death. We ran at Scarlet drawing our daggers trying to stab her, but the first of us passed through her like a ghost, then the 2nd then the 3rd. We stopped wondering why we couldn''t touch her, the lead cultist with a smirk began chanting the words to teleport, her body began glowing blue. Everyone gasped as to everyone surprise and her own after the flash subsided she still remind standing there. She turned to look at a cloaked figure holding out a pointed finger cursing the individual. Lowering his hand he pulled back his hood, the black haired young man notifying her of her of her wrong doings and she will be brought to Arcadia for a fair trial." She resumed telling her story.

    "OHHHH Ohhhh that must be Paul!" I interrupted.

    "The cultist leader laughed manically saying ''you''re damned soul is blacker then mine!'' she screamed falling to her knees holding her hands up. Scarlet begrudgingly arrested her slamming her hands with Anti-magic cuffs. They argued for a little Scarlet telling him that it''s too dangerous to leave her to the courts, as one more individual with a robotic arm entered through the doors. We instinctively tried to flee fearing death for worshiping a Dark God in a cult, but we were stopped by an invisible barrier. ''Everyone please clam down!'' the Black haired individual shouted to us. The robotic armed individual attached some more objects on our leader before tapping on his arm and then the black haired individual sent her away through a red portal." Daisy carried on telling ignoring my earlier interruption.

    "Omg that is Paul... and Ashley!" I shouted almost unable to hold my excitement.

    "Yeah they were..... Ashely then summoned some flying robotic contraption that scanned us and began illuminating our wrists with various colours. Then Paul started the long relocation process sending us to cities based on the colours of our writs, until I was the only one left with no colour painted on my wrist. Sending Scarlet and Ashley away he greeted me with a welcoming smile. He portaled us to a small city and spent the next few days with me, teaching me about life, etiquette and society before introducing me to a loving family who longed for a daughter but was unable to bear children. Before leaving he told me to visit a friend of his who was the head Priest at the local church. Eventually I found out his identity and made it my goal to get into Atlantis and see him again." Daisy concluded her story.

    "My lord... he manged to phase people that easily without them noticing?!" Jay asked.

    "I don''t know what''s Phasing..." Daisy replied.

    "It''s why you couldn''t touch Scarlet, it''s because he phased you and everyone else away while keeping all the hostiles ''in-phase''" Jay tried to explain.

    "I guess so...." Daisy replied.

    "Woah... he Phased maybe hundreds of people.... counterspelled the teleport and Portaled everyone... how strong is he?..." Helen questioned gasping in shock and wonder.

    "And how is Scarlet immune to spells?... and magically able to cut spells?.." Grace added.

    "Is that why you was so excited to see him?.." I asked Daisy.

    "Yup.... I trained especially hard just so I''d get into Atlantis!" she said with a huge smile.

    "How long ago was this?..." I asked her...

    "Hmmm maybe 3 or 4 years?..." She answered.

    "I wonder how strong he is compared to other strong sorcerers....." Grace wondered.

    "Yeah... compared to other renowned sorcerers." Helen added.

    "Well it''s pretty well known he takes on hard bounties and doesn''t fight unless needed. That''s why he didn''t do anything to the Cult Leader..." Jay replied.

    "Hmmmm.... but what did the Cult leader mean by Damned Soul?.." I asked.

    "No idea....." Daisy wondered.

 48 Insomnia

    "So Emilia what did you need the Scrying orb for?..." Jay asked.

    "Ohhhh yeah... I almost forgot... I just wanted to see how a friend was doing." I replied to him.

    "Ohhh okay.... all you have to do is thinking about the person and it should work." He replied.

    "Okay!" I said placing my hand on the orb and focusing on Caroline. I could feel the Arcanum channel through me into the orb, my vision going pitch black. I waited patiently for it to show me the sky, but nothing came to fruition. "I don''t think it''s working...." I said keeping my eyes closed hoping after waiting a few minutes.

    "Is this your friend that went to Fighting Pits?.." Daisy asked...

    "Yeah..." I replied still keeping my eyes shut.

    "You can''t Scry into that city sadly..." Helen answered.

    "Really?..." I asked opening my eye.

    "Yeah... Let''s just say they take their security very seriously." Helen explained.

    "Ohhh...." I replied feeling extremely down.

    "It''s okay Maybe you could request a visitor pass to visit them." Grace added.

    "Yeah it''s not easy to get into the Fighting Pits of Eshia..... Unless you join their gladiatorial games..." Helen answered.

    "Next year you''d probably get to see her during the Grand Magical Games..." Jay added.

    "That''s True.." I replied trying to lie as if I knew what that was.

    "I''m sure she''s fine..... Anyone picked by Abbraxsoth is bound to be super strong!" Grace said trying to cheer me up.

    "I guess you''re right..." I replied.

    "So... what''s the sleeping arrangements?..." Jay asked.

    "Well... me and Helen can share a bed... then I guess Daisy and Emilia can share... you can join us if you want Jay." Grace answered.

    "Ummm I think I''ll sleep on the floor..." Jay replied going extremely red.

    "We don''t mind." Helen and Grace offered.

    "No no... I''m okay sleeping on the floor." He replied lifting his hands reassuring them it''s totally okay.

    "Okay... well take these it should make it more comfortable." Helen said taking out two large duvets for him.

    "Ohh and take my pillow." Grace said throwing it at him.

    "Thanks." He said accepting it and making his bed to sleep on.

    Everyone said good night switching the light off and began trying to sleep. The barely audible breathing was surprisingly comforting in helping me relax to sleep.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Waking up randomly unable to tell the time, ''Arghhh.... I hate my insomnia...'' Spending the next few minutes trying to get back to sleep closing my eyes to no avail. ''I assume it''s still pretty late.... as everyone is still sound asleep. Hmmm what to do...'' Trying to sleep for what felt like hours.... I decided I should go for a walk. Carefully getting out of bed and navigating myself around Jay I made my way out the room and silently closing the door behind me. Making my way downstairs to the entrance it was defiantly still night time, the black starry sky and moon illuminating the courtyard.

    Tapping my school badge turning it on..... "Paul?..." I asked hoping for a reply.

    "Emilia?.." He replied.

    "Hey.... you also up?.." I asked feeling slightly happier that he replied.

    "Yeah... insomnia still messing with your sleep?.." He asked.

    "Yeah... sadly.." I answered.

    "Want me to cast sleep on you?.." He asked.

    "Ummm..." I replied not sure if he was joking or not.

    "I joke... but if you need I can...." He replied.

    "Nah I''ll eventually feel tired." I said.

    "Ohhh okay..." He replied.

    "How comes you''re up so late?.." I asked.

    "Because sadly I''m still patrolling the grounds." He answered.

    "Ohhh.. How long for?... " I asked.

    "Hmm maybe a month of two.... until the headmaster or mistress feels adequate time has passed." He answered.

    "Woah... that''s so long....." I said.

    "It''s alright..... I don''t have classes to attend to or anything so it''s all cool." He added.

    "What time is it by the way?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmm maybe 3 am ishˇ­.." He answered.

    "So what do you do exactly?.." I asked.

    "Well I just walk around and if I sense any abnormal amounts of Arcanum I''ll have to investigate." He answered.

    "Does anything happen often?...." I askedˇ­. Not taking a comfortable seat on the floor leaning back on the wall.

    "Nah normally is pretty quietˇ­. kinda boring..." He answered.

    "How have you been?....." I asked him sincerely.

    "I''ve been good..... You?....." He answered, asking in return.

    "Yeah I''ve been good.... All this kinda threw a spanner in the works.." I answered him.

    "Yeah.... same when it happened to me.." He replied.

    "How long have you known that you can use magic?.." I asked wondering.

    "Not long after our breakup. Why?." He replied.

    "Ohhh.... was wondering if this was a secret you kept from me" I replied.

    "You know I have always been open to you and honest... besides I know how much you wanted to be a wizard after reading your favourite books." He replied after a small chuckle.

    "Do you think.... I''ll be strong?" I asked my pessimism overwhelming my confidence.

    "I see you''re still pessimisticˇ­.. Of course you''re gonna be strong!" He replied

    "Are you only saying that because of me?....." I asked.

    "Not at all.... I have faith in you." He replied.

    I instinctively began to smile, my back straighten and started to imagine all the great things I can achieve. "Thanks...." I thanked him deeply, not quite realising how much I needed to hear him say that.

    "Is it true my friends said certain races are good at certain things..." I questioned.

    "That is true they have an easier time at things but as long as you stay dedicated and grow the sky''s the limit." He explained.

    "By... the.... the... way..." I said extremely nervous and hesitant to ask him something.

    "Yes?..." He replied.

    "Why...... did we break up.... everything was going so well..." I asked reminiscing on our past.

    "........... Do you trust me?....." He asked after a long pause.

    "....... Of course...." I hesitantly replied.

    ".....I can''t lie to you.... So all I can say is... You don''t want to know." He answered quietly is voice almost cracking.

    "Okay..." I replied feeling same hurt he was.

    "I''m sorry....." He apologised sounding very genuine.

    "It''s.... okay.... "I replied.

    "So did you manage to cast your first unassisted spell yet?.." He asked after an extremely long pause of silence.

    "Yeah! I did... I was able to successfully cast a lot!" I answered very proudly.

    "That''s great!" He replied sounding extremely happy.

    "By the way! I did the pearl test..." I hesitantly asked.

    "And you had no reaction?.." He replied.

    "Yeah....." I answered.

    "..... And I guess you want to know what it means?.." he asked.

    "Kinda..." I replied.

    "It means that you''re adept at casting all schools and elements of magic..... For example someone who has an affinity to fire ... will be weaker using water based spells." He answered.

    "Ohhhh I seeeee...." I answered sound a little lost.

    "It''s a good thing." He replied noticing slight hesitation.

    "Emilia?...." His voice now almost inaudible.

 49 Home.....

    The familiar bell running echoed in my head waking me up. "Morning!" Helen said with a giant smile.

    "Morning" I replied, my body sprawled over the whole bed. ''Ohhh crap I must have pushed Daisy off forcing myself to get up quickly, looking around for her. "Huh... Daisy is not here???...." I asked Helen taking a quick look around.

    "Ohhh.... Grace and Daisy went for some morning exercise." Helen replied.

    "Abit excessive.... we have physical training....today." Jay replied mumbling into his pillow still half asleep.

    "I dunno they seemed very dedicated to a morning exercise." Helen replied entering the bathroom and turning on the shower.

    "Sleep well Emilia?..." Jay asked me.

    "Was bit restless...." I replied to him, suddenly remembering that I was at the dorm entrance talking to Paul....'' how did I get back here???...''

    "Trouble sleeping???..." Jay asked.

    "Yeah most the time I find it very hard to sleep....." I answered him.

    "Ohhh..... Any particular reason??..." he asked.

    "Ummm not really just find it hard to enter the sleep state I guess.." I replied.

    "You can always use the sleep spell... but it''s kinda weird, willingly being out to sleep....." he informed me.

    "Nah it''s okay....I''m used to it. Did you sleep well??" I replied asking him in return.

    "Kinda.... I was a little restless as well..." He replied.

    "Any particular reason?..." I asked.

    "Just when I was young we needed to be light sleepers..." He replied.

    "Ohhh.... I''m sorry..." I instinctively apologized.

    "It''s okay it''s all in the past now. By the way where did you go in the middle of the night?" He asked with a smile.

    "Ohhh I couldn''t sleep so I went for a walk." I replied.

    "Ohhh okay... anyways I better get up and get ready for class." He said standing up. "Thanks for the bed Helen!" He shouted into the bathroom folding the thick duvet placing on the bed and returning the pillow.

    "No prob." Helen faintly replied.

    "I''ll leave with you, I need a new change of clothes anyways." I said getting up, "I''m gonna get a change of clothes! Be back in a few minutes Helen!" I shouted to her making my way out with Jay.

    "Okay see you guys later." She shouted back.

    Exiting the room, the hallways was already busy with students heading for breakfast and meeting up with friends, we made our way to the staircase linking all the floors of the buildings. "So how are you liking it here?.." He asked me.

    "I''m really excited... but I''m feeling extremely home sick...." I replied honestly to him.

    "Yeah.... Must suck to be someone from another plane..... Being unable to visit home and stuff...." He replied.

    "Yeah....." I replied imagining how everyone at home must be panicking.

    "Well this is my floor." Jay said.

    "Ohhh cool... sure mines a few more levels up." I replied.

    "Okaym, so meet us back at Helen and Graces room when you''re ready for breakfast?" He asked.

    "Sure... What room was they in again?" I asked stupidly not remembering their door and room number.

    "It will all be alright...." He said patting my back before leaving.

    Walking up to my floor into my room, I couldn''t stop myself thinking about everyone at home. Quickly taking a shower and getting dressed putting away my dirty clothed to be washed. Sitting on the bed I activated my badge to talk to Paul.

    "Paul?..." I asked hoping for a reply.

    "Heyyy morning Emilia!" Ashley and Scarlet replied.

    "Wassup?.." Paul answered back.

    "Morning all." I replied to them still feeling slightly glum.

    "Need any help with anything?.." Ashley asked.

    "Ummm not really just wanted to say Hi." I replied.

    "Glad you''re doing okay!" He replied.

    "Ummmm guys can you give me and Emilia some privacy I need to talk to Emilia about something...." Paul asked them politely.

    "Sure! I need to get ready for class anyways, Cya later Emilia!" Scarlet replied gleefully

    "Fine fineˇ­. I supposed I have important stuff to do alsoˇ­" Ashley replied sounding reluctant disconnecting his coms.

    "So what''s got you down?.." Paul asked.

    "How did you?..." I asked a little shocked.

    "I dunno gut feeling." He replied to me.

    "Just been thinking about home." I replied to him.

    ".......... I''m sorry...." He apologized after a light pause.

    "About thatˇ­. I was wonderingˇ­..?..." I asked sincerely.

    "I can''t take you home..." He replied interrupting me before I could finish my sentence.

    "You can''t?...." I asked almost coming to tears my voice cracking from the thought.

    "........ I can take you home for a visit.... but I can''t let you stay thereˇ­.." He replied.

    What he said brought me to tears, brawling into hands. Out of nowhere Paul came steeping out a red portal that appeared in front of me and closing behind him.

    "Don''t cry....." He said holding me close.

    "I really can''t see them again?..." I cried into him.

    "I can''t take you right now..... My next scheduled visit is not for another 2 months...." He replied to me softly.

    "Can you take me?..." I asked.

    "I can try.... but if anyone else finds out..... You''ll be putting you and your family and at risk...." He replied quietly.

    "Please take me...." I pleaded with him holding him tight burying my face into him.

    "Okay.... I will..... Lets just clam down for now.... and we can sort out the details sooner to the date okay?..." He replied taking a step back and whipping my tears with his sleeve.

    "You really can?...." I asked sounding more hopeful.

    "I can try.... but if we get found out....we will be in big trouble and there are certain rules we must follow." He replied.

    "How are they now?... because they must be going crazy with my disappearance..." I asked.

    "...........I actually don''t know myself... but we will come up with a good enough cover story when we do go back." He replied to me.

    "........ Can you give my parents a message?..." I asked.

    "...... Ummm.... I can''t really.... but I''ll defiantly stop them from panicking with your disappearance." He answered me.

    "Really?..." I asked feeling a little more hopeful.

    "Yes... I''ll try..... So just hold out for a few more months and I''ll take you back home for abit.... Think of it like a very long holiday or when you went universityˇ­.." He replied to me.

    "Okay...." I agreed wiping my tears.

    "We''ll sort out the details sooner to the date okay?....." He asked.

    "Okay..." I agreed.

    "You''re a very ugly crier, you know that right?" He joked wiping the tears away with his sleeve. Causing me to laugh a little and pushing him away. "Okay I deserve that." He smiled standing up. "You better get going! Breakfast is gonna be served soon." He informed me.

    "Yeah I''ll go meet my friends then may our way to the dining hall." I said to him.

    "It''s good that you made friends..." He smiled.

    "Remember our old group?.." I replied.

    "I''ll see you around." He smiled opening a portal behind him.

    "Ohhh and by the way, thanks for what you did for Jays Parents." I thanked him before he left.

    "It''s all good... Ohhh make sure you don''t tell them it was me." He said before leaving. "Cya later Emilia." He bid me farewell as he stepped through the portal closing behind him.

    "Only two months!" I said to myself feeling slightly better and making my way out the room to meet up with the others.

    "Heyyy! Still going with the classical Sorceress look, I see." Jay said as I entered Helen and graces room.

    "I dunno what you''re on about, I received plenty of compliments wearing this." I replied to him.

    "Hey Emilia!" Helen greeted me.

    "Hey!!" is Grace and Daisy not back yet?.." I asked noticing they aren''t her.

    "I think they are meeting us at the Dining hall once they are finished with training." Helen replied.

    "Sure shall we make our way then?..." Jay suggested.

    "Sure!" Helen replied with a smile.

 50 News

    "Shall we?.." Jay said to us holding the door open.

    "Sure lets go!" Helen smiled walking out.

    "So any ideas where we might be headed today?.." Jay asked.

    "No idea." Helen replied as all three of us made our way to the dining hall.

    "Ohhh Emilia ... you can have your Scrying orb back." Jay said to me holding out the orb.

    "Thanks." I replied putting it into my bag, "If you want to use it you can always ask!" I said to him.

    "Thanks, I will." He replied with a giant smile.

    "Hey guys!" Daisy and Grace greeted us as we exited the dorm room.

    "You guys are drenched!" Helen said noticing their hair was soaked with sweat.

    "Yeah we got a little too competitive." They replied with a laugh.

    "Yeah Grace is surprising agile and swift." Daisy said.

    "Well not wanting to be a racist but Elves are generally more agile and dexterous then the rest of us." Jay added.

    "You''re not wrong..... besides Daisy what you lack in agility you have in strength, my God how do you even pack so much strength in such a slender figure." Grace replied.

    "Aren''t you two gonna be too tired for class?.." I asked Grace and Daisy.

    "Nah I''m sure we''ll be okay!" Grace said giving grace a smile and nod.

    "Yeah we will be fine." Grace said with a smile.

    "Don''t you guy''s want to take a shower before class?.." I asked.

    "What''s the point we gonna have Training, we gonna be sweating anyways." Diasy replied.

    "True trueˇ­.. I never thought about that." I agreed.

    Entering the busy dining hall, surprisingly we seemed to have managed to grab the exact same seats we had for dinner last night. "Can you guys believe it?! I think this is the exact same seats we had last night! Completely free and open!" Helen said extremely happily.

    "Yeah.... no idea why everyone left these seat empty." Jay said looking around seeing if there was anything suspicious going on, "Emilia...?..." He said quietly focusing on something further away.

    "Yeah?.." I asked looking at the same direction he was.

    "Do you know those groups of girls looking at you?..." He asked.

    "The group of three girls looking at me weirdly and waving?.." I asked feeling awkward and not sure how to react.

    "Yeah...." He replied.

    "I have no idea... who they are....." I said to him.

    "Yeah no idea who they are.... but they are defiantly looking at usˇ­...." Helen said also looking at them.

    "I''ll just wave then go back to eating food." I said giving a small wave and turned away from them.

    "Well that was weird....." Jay said.

    "Yeah... by the way.....are there newspapers?.." I asked.

    "Ohh yeah.... you just have to ask a robot..." Jay answered holding his hand up for a few seconds then returned to eating. Soon enough a robot arrived to him waiting for a response, "Can we have two copies of Arcadia Today please." Jay asked the robot.

    With a nod it opened its chest cavity pulling out two crisp rolls of paper handing it to him and walking off.

    "Here you go Emilia." He said handing it to me.

    "Ohhhh awesome!" I said reading the headline." Says here the Goblin raids are becoming more frequent and larger....." I said reading the front page.

    "If it gets really bad I wonder if they will deploy first years?.." Grace asked looking excited.

    "I hardly doubt that.... would be way too risky....." Jay replied.

    "Wait?.... Why would we be deployed?.." I asked surprised.

    "We are technically students, but we are just glorified soldiers, so if Arcadia needs us they will request us for support or deployment to deal with situation too dangerous for normal soldiers." Grace explained.

    "Ohhh my godˇ­." I replied in shock.

    "Wasn''t you there during the Wyvern attack?.... the swarm was too large for the cities defences to deal with so there was a request for help." Helen added.

    "Ohhh I see..." I replied feeling a little uneasy being a glorified soldier.

    "I still don''t get why they don''t deploy first years! I''ve been in scrappy fights and encounters before!" Grace replied.

    "Yeah but... there''s a difference between small scraps and a full blown war...." Jay replied.

    "Yeah you''re rightˇ­. it is way too risky to send First years.... I think majority of first years aren''t combat ready." Helen agreed with Jay.

    "Yeah I don''t think I''m currently ready to be deployed." I added.

    "I suppose you guys are rightˇ­.. but I would like to be at least considered." Grace said.

    "What else is on the news?..." Daisy asked.

    "Hmmm...." I replied reading further into the newspaper.

    "Well to be honest I''m pretty sure Paul can handle any goblin attack...." Jay said to grace.

    "Yeah.... did you see him annihilate the goblin arm effortlessly during the show?" Daisy added.

    "Yeah... I must admit... it was impressive... he was tossing high level spells with easy and amble to manipulate them." Helen replied.

    "Manipulate?" I asked curious in what she meant.

    "So a normal Sorceress or caster can sling spellsˇ­. But a master can manipulate it to their will, like during the wyvern attack summoning a thunderstorm is very dangerous specially over themselves and otherˇ­. But he was able to manipulate it to only strike the wyverns." Helen explained.

    "Wow.... I seeˇ­.." I said nodding in understanding in awe at how amazing Paul is and what the hell happened to him after we broke up.... "Hmmmm say''s here along with the chaos of goblins there''s an increase in Syndicate activity." I said reading on.

    "Ohhh dear what are they up to now?" Daisy asked.

    "They seem to be offering protection for those who need it...." I answered.

    "That''s not good......" Grace replied hearing the news.

    "Hmmmm I wonder why they are doing all this..." Grace pondered.

    "But they are helping people who the State aren''t defendingˇ­" I said reading into the article.

    "Sadly the states resources are spread extremely thin right now so they probably haven''t go the man power to assist all cities and settlementsˇ­ But syndicate protection is not freeˇ­.. They have their hand in every cookie jarˇ­.. So this is just another ploy to gain more strengthˇ­." Jay explained.

    "Hmmm I guess you''re right shady syndicates never do anything for free..." I replied, reading on flipping to a new page.

    "I bet they are doing this to earn more influence during the elections.ˇ­" Grace presumed hearing the news.

    "Says here the increase in refugees are also causing extra stress on food, water and shelter....." I said reading a little into each headline. "There''s also something about winter festival....." I said still flicking through. "Ohhh this is interesting.... there''s a call for adventures to help in the effort to help protect settlements." I said reading into it.

    The familiar bell sound rang in my head, causing us to quickly finish breakfast and make our way to class. "How comes you''re not wearing your armour today?.." I asked Daisy.

    "Ohhh..... didn''t get enough time to change before class I guess." Daisy answered.

    "Do you train every morning?..." I asked.

    "Yup the one piece of advice Paul gave me was to never stop training practicing and improving." She said.

    "That makes senseˇ­.. hmmmmm" I replied thinking if I should do the same.

    "Shall we?.." Jay asked standing up.

    "Sure lets go!" Helen smiled getting up.

    "Ohh Emilia... you have incoming..." Jay warned me.

    Turning to see him the three girls that waved at us earlier were now approaching. They quickly greeted Helen and jay, walking past them before they could even reply, "Hi..." They quickly greeted me with giant smiles.

    "Hey?...." I hesitantly greeted them.

    "So I''m Natalie and this is Addison and Lilly." Natalie introduced us.

    "Hi?... I''m Emilia..." I introduced myself still feeling abit awkward, "You guys go on ahead I''ll catch up." I said to the group that was waiting for me.

    "Don''t take too long Emilia!" Helen said as they began to walk to class.

    "Do you happen to be friends with Paul?..." They asked waiting for our conversation to finish.

    "No sorry we are just acquaintances, why?" I lied to them but still a little curious on why they asked.

    ".... We was wondering if you could get an autograph do us...." They hesitantly asked.

    "..... You know what... if I do get the chance I''ll try okay?.." I agreed to help them.

    They all started jumping in glee smiling, "will you really?!" They asked again almost unable to believe it.

    "I can''t promise anything.... but I''ll try." I reassured them smiling.

    "Thank you!" They all thanked me.

    "We are gonna head to class now....Cya around." I said catching up with the group.

    "Okay, Thank you Emilia!" They said as I left them.

    "Hey guys!" I said catching up with the group.

    "Yo! What happened with the girls?.." Jay asked.

    "Nothing really.... Just wanted me to get Paul''s autograph." I answered.

    "Ohh cool!" Jay replied.

    "So where we off to?" I asked.

    "Think we need to go to the Colosseum." Grace said leading the way.

    "I''m gonna hate this lesson..." Jay said.

    "You me both." Helen said.

    "I wouldn''t mind getting into shape..." I replied.

    Entering the Colosseum we made our way through a tunnel at the 2nd was a set of double doors, Grace opened the doors revealing the Colosseum floor where there were already students ready and waiting for lesson to start.

 51 P.E.

    "Hello students!" A familiar female voice greeted us walking into the arena.

    Everyone gasped in shock, as the familiar red haired girl came into sight approaching the class wearing her familiar plate armour. "I''ll be your substitute teacher while the school look for a suitable teacher to occupy the role." She explained to the class.

    "Ummm Miss Scarlet?.." A girl held her hand up wanting to ask her something.

    "Yes?.." She replied to her.

    "Is it true that you''ve never lost a fight?" The girl asked.

    Scarlet smiled at the question, "Lets keep the lesson on track, and any questions you have about me personally you can ask after class or if you see me outside lessons, Okay?.." She replied to the girl''s question. "But in regards to your question yes I am currently undefeated." She answered. Making the whole class explode in awe.

    "Lets start todays lesson with some laps around the Colosseum with a gentle jog." She smiled to the class.

    Jay held his hand up, "May I ask why Casters would need to train for combat if they primarily use spells to defend themselves..." Jay asked Scarlet politely.

    "Good question!" Scarlet responded with a smile, "Assuming you''re a caster, and you happen to have exhausted your supply of Arcanum, and you are still engaged in combat with an enemy what will you do?...." she asked Jay.

    "I guess I would try and hit them with a weapon but that''s irrelevant if in a pickle I can get away from and run." He replied.

    "Good pointˇ­ but what if your college or teammate isn''t looking so great so fleeing is not an option?" Scarlet rebutted.

    Jay froze unable to answer. "I know you all come here with your specialties and dreams, but please all I ask is for everyone to be open minded, being out on the field and field experience is most crucial, you can''t draw up every scenario in your minds, let us give you the tools to thrive in life." She said encouraging the class.

    "So lets start with some laps around the Colosseum to get the blood running" She instructed the class. "So just jog a few meters behind me please, as she led the class in a jog."

    "Jay?...you okay?.." I asked jogging beside him.

    "Yeah I''m okay... she kinda right..." He replied pondering.

    "Did she manage to change your mind?..." I asked.

    "Nope.... not completely." He replied

    "Who do you think will win between Scarlet and Paul?.." I asked feeling curious.

    "I bet Scarlet.... Because Paul would be unable to hit her with any spell and rumors has it she is immune to spells and her sword can cut through anything." Jay replied.

    "Yeah but Paul is ranked one for a reason...." Helen said to Jay.

    "That is true... he is the highest ranked and most renowned for being the strongest there is...." Jay replied.

    "Where''s Daisy and Grace?" I asked noticing they weren''t here.

    "Ohhh they are up ahead." Helen said pointing ahead of us with her head.

    Looking forward, they both were at the front of the whole class seemingly in a competition with each other. I soon began feeling slightly exhausted after a few laps, looking around it looked as if there were a few students out of breathe but majority all still seemed fine. "I''m already feeling the burn...." I said struggling to catch my breath feeling a little out of breath,

    "Yeah I''m getting out of breath too..." Jay said.

    "Okay, I think that should be enough!" Scarlet shouted to the class slowing down. "Now if everyone can please make your way to the centre of the Colosseum" she said to the class walking to the centre.

    Slowly the class made their way to the centre trying to catch their breath ready for the next activity.

    "What we will learn next is the use of a sword." She said to the class. "Computer please can we have a box of short swords please." She yelled causing a wooden crate to materialize next to her. "Okay students! Now please take a sword each." She said cracking the top open with her hands and taking one out and taking a few steps back.

    Waiting for every student to pick up their own sword, "So this is a standard issue sword if you are on patrol duty you will be using a variant of this weapon, we will be practicing stances and styles with various different weapons over the years." She said explaining to the class.

    The sword felt surprisingly light weight holding it at the handle, slashing into the air but not really knowing what I''m doing.

    "Now I will show you some basic cuts and blocks." She said demonstrating to us how to assume stances, how to swing the sword along with feet movement and positioning, also showing us how to block deflect and parry hits. She began yelling the class to perform actions, walking around the class inspecting our progress.

    "Nice swing." She said pointing at a boy.

    "Watch your feet miss." She said pointing at a girl.

    "Nice footwork Emilia!" she said with a smile giving me a wink, causing me to smile back.

    "Okay students lets finish the lesson early, I don''t wasn''t to exhaust you all too much, make sure you all get enough rest!" She shouted to the class.

    "Computer please take away the weapons." She said causing the weapons to de-materialize into small glowing lights dissipating into the air.

    "So we still have some time before class ends so if anyone wants to leave early you can." She smiled to the class.

    Many students sat on the ground resting but quickly raised their hand to ask a question. "Yes miss?.." she said looking at a girl.

    "Is it true that you and Paul defeated the Cult of the Faceless?..." The girl asked scarlet.

    "Yes Me, Paul and Ashley worked together to topple the cult." She answered with a smile.

    "Yes?" She said looking at Nathan.

    "Ummmm.... what can I do to get as strong as you?.." Nathan sheepishly asked quietly, causing a few a students to giggle.

    "Bravery and training! Never give up!" she answered him with some flare in her voice.

    "What makes your sword so special?...." a girl asked when Scarlet looked at her.

    "Good question! It''s a legendary blade forged in Dragon Fire and enchanted with Ancient magic." She answered her causing the class to explode in awe.

    "Is it true that you can''t use magic?.." Another female student asked.

    "Yes it is true that I can''t use magic, but that just goes to show as long as you keep getting stronger and training you can be as strong as I am." She answered her.

    ''I could have sworn the first time I''ve met her she showed me a spell that shot rays out of her fingers...''

    "Miss who is stronger you or Paul?.." A male student asked.

    "Of course Paul is stronger there''s a reason why he''s Ranked One in the school." She answered him.

    The bell sound rang in our heads letting us know it was the end of the lesson, the remaining students who had questions begrudgingly lowered their hand standing up to leave for lunch.

    "Sorry everyone! Whose question I didn''t get to." Scarlet apologized to the rest of the class.

    "Goodbye Miss Scarlet." The whole class said before making their way out the Colosseum.

    "Goodbye students! Make sure you all eat and rest!" She said to the class bidding them farewell, giving me a wave and smile.

    "Goodbye Scarlet." I said smiling waving back.

    "Take care Emilia." She replied with a giant smile.

 52 Old World

    "I''m starving." Daisy said to the rest of the group on our way to the dining hall.

    "So what do you guys think about what Scarlet said?... about needing to learn how to fight close combat?.." Jay asked he group.

    "I think she has a point..." Helen replied.

    "Yeah... at least I can keep firing arrows....." Grace replied.

    "Hmmmmmm..... she kinda made sense to me as well...." I answered him.

    "Hmm I guess she had a point." Jay agreed.

    "I wonder if Paul..... Knows how to fight with weapons..." I asked the group.

    "Well... with the levels of spells he can sling he probably doesn''t need to!" Jay replied.

    "He does do morning training every day..." Daisy replied.

    "Really?.." I asked not quite believing her.

    "Yup.... when he was taking care of me he would always be up at sunrise training and practicing spells." She answered.

    In the distance I caught sight of Ashley in the distance talking to a group of Students wearing lab coats. ''I wonder what''s going on there'' as I tried to analyse the body language. Looked as if he was slightly annoyed with them for some reason.

    "So how about Travis?.. What''s he like compared to Scarlet and Paul?..." Helen asked.

    "Well.... Travis is one of the three children of Abbraxsoth." Jay replied.

    "He''s pretty dreamy as well..." Grace said beginning to go slightly red thinking about him.

    "Well he is Ranked 3rd so I assume he is weaker then Scarlet and Paul..." Helen said.

    "Yeah..... No way will Paul ever lose to him!" Daisy said with a giant smile.

    "Well.... rumours has it Paul never accepts a challenge from him.... so I think he''s just afraid." Grace replied sounding slightly pissed.

    "Yup.... he can''t openly challenge Paul for the rank one position without taking rank two off Scarlet." Jay replied.

    "How do you know?..." I asked Jay.

    "If there was news of an S ranked student fighting another it will plastered all over the news. Especially since it''s known that Travis hates Paul." Jay replied.

    "Is there a reason why?..." I asked.

    "Well.... the story goes thatˇ­. Abbraxsoth sent his three children one to each other school, and upon reaching Rank 1....They would leave the school and return to the fighting pits of Eshia.... and Travis is the only one of the three to have not yet completed this task." Jay replied.

    "Wow that seems a little... dramatic..." I said hearing the story.

    "Yeah... Abbraxsoth likes to show off his strength, so himself along with Two ex-Rank 1 students is a clear demonstration of the Strength of Eshia." Jay replied.

    "Wow.....So Eshia must be very powerful then..." I replied.

    "Yeah military wise they are pretty devastating if they were to pull the trigger." Jay replied.

    "What about the Grand Tournament?.." I asked Jay.

    "Well as far as I can remember Paul hasn''t participated in any..... Which results in our school scoring the lowest points.... but Scarlet remains undefeated." Jay answered.

    "Why does he not participate?.." I asked.

    "No one has any idea...." Jay replied.

    "When is the next Tournament?.." I asked sounding a little excited.

    "Next year." Jay replied.

    "Ohhh I can''t wait!" I replied to him.

    "Yeah it''s pretty great our family get special tickets to attend it." Grace added.

    "Yup watching Scarlet in action is truly a sight to behold." Helen said.

    "Just out of curiosity .... What does Travis use as weapons?..." I asked feeling curious seeing him in action but he never used any spells.

    "Hmmm from what I remember, he wields 2 pistols... right?...." Jay asked the group.

    "Yup he does, he wields two pistols crafted with ancient technology a relic of the old world, unlike current weapons which needs Visium cells. His is able to absorb Arcanum from the wielder." Grace answered.

    "Old world?..." I asked a little confused.

    "So stories has it.... a long time ago.... there was a race of humans with an immense connection to Arcanum able to perform spells even possessing the ability to make mould their own spells with devastating power, their leader a prodigy at the time rose to power but being the strongest sorcerer wasn''t enough. So he then looked to Godhood.... With the sacrifice of many souls and a very long ritual he attempted to ascend to Godhood but was denied by a Hero sacrificing himself to interrupt the ritual and the Arcanum backlash obliterated their continent sinking it into the sea. After that their ancient spells and technology was all lost in this one event." Helen told the story.

    "Ohhh wow...." I said listening to the story in awe.

    "Yup.... but the fates were even crueller on the survivors, legends say that the Gods were angry at this action a blatant mockery of the pantheon. Cursed the survivors with a devastating plague that swiftly put their civilisation to rest firmly placing them in history and legend. All that remains now was their floating city that is why have all the best artificers there trying to understand and replicate the vast complex ancient technology that runs throughout the city and islands." Grace added.

    "So when we talk about the ''old world'' it means before the ritural?..." I asked everyone.

    "Yup." Helen replied.

    Again somehow we manged to get the same seats oddly being left empty for us as we sat for lunch. "Okay now this is super weird now! How did these seats stay empty again and the exact number of seats we need." Jay said taking a seat.

    "Yup.... somethings going on...." Grace said looking around.

    "Hi sorry I''m so sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering why these seats were left empty..." Helen asked a male student next to her.

    "Ohhh.... because you guys are friends of Paul.... so everyone leaves the seats for you." He answered before going back to eating.

    "Wow... well... I''ll be sure to thank him next time I meet him!" Helen said hearing the news.

    "Yeah..... We are defiantly lucky you know you Emilia." Grace said with a smile and began to eat her food.

    "I must say..... I do like these privileges." I said also beginning on my lunch.

    Looking over at Paul''s, Scarlet''s and Ashley''s table it looked like as if Ashley was no longer pissed, ''I wonder if everything is okay....''

    "You okay Emilia?..." Jay asked.

    "Huh what?.." I replied.

    "Helen asked you a question." he said looking to the same direction I was.

    "Sorry I was day dreaming wassup???" I asked Helen.

    "Ohhh nothing..... Just wanted to know if you have any prior training of any sort before Atlantis." She asked.

    "Ohhh.... no I haven''t sadly... I was kinda thrust into all this." I admitted.

    "Really?... non at all?.." Grace replied in shock.

    "Yup I lived a relatively quiet uneventful life sadly." I replied.

    "So where did you meet Paul?..." She asked looking intrigued.

    "We were Childhood friends for a long time..." I replied.

    "Ohhh so you both are form the same city?..." She asked.

    "Yeah ... " I replied.

    "Hmmm interesting." she replied looking at me suspiciously.

 53 Sporean

    We all quickly began finishing our food as the bells rang in our heads notified us that our next lesson is approaching. "I''m pretty excited for this lesson!" I said to the group.

    "How comes?..." Daisy asked.

    "I would love to see the world and explore and things." I said with a giant smile.

    "Come to think about itˇ­.. you''re right Emilia, there''s so much to explore and learn!" Grace replied with a smile.

    "So where do we need to go?.." I asked

    "The meeting point should be at the world tree." Jay replied leading the way.

    Arriving at the world tree it looked as if we were the ones to arrive first. "Hmmmm are we early?.. " I asked.

    "Yeah I think so the bell rings a little earlier to allow students to finish what they are doing and begin making their way." Jay replied.

    "Hmm odd..... I haven''t see Calista recently after the incident... I wonder what happened to her..." Daisy asked.

    "Thank God..." I replied feeling extremely relieved.

    Slowly more and more students arrived waiting for class to start.

    "Hello Children!" The Deputy Head arrived with a few other students behind her wearing a school uniform, sounding very excited to meet the class.

    "How comes those students have uniforms and we don''t" I whispered to everyone.

    "No idea....." Grace replied.

    "So children today we will be visiting the Glowing Caverns. We will be paying the Sporean they are a small peaceful race of fungal beings, what help the school stay stocked in medicinal reagents. The recent increase Goblin activity has got us worried for their well begin so we are going to lend assistance as well as help them set up some defences." The Deputy Head informed the class.

    "Shall we get our first trip started?.." She said with a big smile, and pressed on her communicator in her ear, "We are ready to depart." she said to the person on the other side. Causing a blue portal to open up next to her. "Follow me!" she said walking through and one by one the whole class made their way through the portal.

    We arrived inside a vast cavern on top of a small stone pedestal, the cavern slightly lit with hundreds of illuminating fungi in all different shapes and sizes and bold colours revealing hundreds of small primitive huts made from sticks and straw with tiny openings. We were met with cute little creatures walking on two legs no bigger than a garden gnome, with large glowing eyes and small illuminating pores on their arms, back and legs. One with a small wooden staff came to greet us talking to the Deputy Head in another language, and what sounded like her speaking back to it in the same language.

    The little creature with the staff nodded, turning to its people giving them a small nod, causing a few to emerge with a tray of glowing light green mushrooms. "Okay children please accept their gift, the mushroom will help us communicate with them better." The Deputy Head said to the class.

    Slowly the cute little creatures worked their way around the class holding their tray above their heads distributing the mushroom to each student.

    "Thank you." I said to the one that reached me, kneeling down to save it from having to lift the tray above its head. Its eyes squinted smiling before moving along to the next student.

    "Well bottoms up." Jay said eating mushroom.

    I touched it with my fingers, feeling a slight bit more hesitant then everyone else. It felt very firm but brittle, the slightest touch on the cap left small luminescent green residue on my fingertips like glitter. "

    "Okay children let''s get to work!" The Deputy Head said walking with the one with the staff.

    Quickly eating the mushroom and everyone following The Deputy Head. It tasted surprisingly sweet with a soft centre but the cup left a very powdery texture in my mouth. Suddenly a voice in my head started to speak in English.

    "So the entrance is a small walk this way." A voice spoke out to me, with mutterings of faint smaller sounds in the distance.

    "What''s going on??..." I asked jay.

    "It looks like he''s the leader and he''s taking us to the entrance." Jay replied.

    "Yeah I get that but what is the voices???..." I asked feeling extremely concerned.

    "The voices in your head are Sporeans it seems as if we have link to them mentally after consuming the mushrooms...." Jay guessed.

    "Yup he''s right.... Sporeans communicate to each other telepathically.... so the mushroom somehow linked our minds together." Helen explained

    "Ohhh I see!" looking at aSporean walking beside me.

    "Hi!" a female voice appeared in my head, startling me causing me to bump into Daisy. "Ohhhhˇ­ i''m so sorry for startling you!" it apologized me.

    "No no.... it''s not your fault it''s just abit new to me..." I replied to it.

    "Ohhhh.... okay well I''m still sorry." It said smiling to me and went back facing forward.

    We walked for a few minutes finally arriving at what seemed to be the opening of the large cavern and the Sporean with the staff turned to our teacher.

    "I''m sure we are pretty safe down here, there is no reason for goblin to come this far into the caverns." it explained to the Deputy Head.

    "I''m sure you are right old friend but lets just take some precautionary measures." She replied to it.

    "As you wish old friends." it replied with a smile.

    "Okay children please help out any Sporean if they are in need of any assistance, while we finish applying some spells to the cavern entrance." The Deputy Head said.

    Soon enough everyone began dispersing making their way to nearby Huts and Sporeans. Looking to my left it seemed to be the same Sporean I spoke to earlier. It looked up at me with a smile.

    "HI, I''m Emilia." I said to it with a smile kneeling down.

    "Hello, my name is S''ffa." It replied to me.

    "Nice to meet you S''ffa, if there anything you need help with?." I said with a smile.

    "Do you want to come and gather food with me?.." It asked.

    "Sure!" I replied to it.

    "Guy sim gonna go help S''ffa here." I said to the group as I began following S''ffa down a different tunnel.

    "Sure no problems see you later." They all replied also heading off to finding their own companion.

    "So.... are there boys and girls here?.." I asked S''ffa.

    "Yes I am a girl... There are also other males here as well" She replied to me leading the way into a small tunnel.

    "Ohhh how do you tell the difference? You all look almost the same" I asked curiously.

    "Us girls during mating season will glow pink... but normally all of us just glow green and blue." She answered.

    "Ohhh that''s really cool!" I replied, "So where we headed now?.." I asked.

    "We are going to the Algae farm.... there is a delicacy there... but they only grow in deep water so it is sometime shard for us to harvest them." She replied.

    "Ohhh that''s cool! I defiantly can help you in that." I replied.

    "That''s great!" she replied as we approached the end of the tunnel.

    Pushing aside the long damp moss covering the tunnel exit we stepped into an extremely beautiful cavern with an underground waterfall and pool. "Is this some sort of underground farm?" I asked looking at a vast cavern used for growing vegetation with a large pool of water at the far back.

    "Yes this is our main source of fresh water which we use to help grow food." She replied walking to a green glowing moss pulling it out a little strand and eating it. "Would you like some?.." She asked.

    "Sure I''ll try a bit does it do anything special?" I replied with a smile.

    "Nope sorry, not like the mushrooms you had earlier, this one is just very nutritious." She answered pulling out another small piece to pass to me.

    Surprisingly it tasted how I expected, very raw leafy and chewy and wet, "Not bad" I replied trying to acquire the taste.

    She smiled at me and began walking towards the large pool, "follow me." She said leading the way, her tiny feet making cute splatter sounds as she walked over small puddles of water.

    The large pool was surprisingly A LOT deeper than I expected, the shallow parts looking a beautiful dark blue but the center just pitch blackness.... "How deep is this pool?.." I asked.

    "I don''t really know.. no one have ever reached the bottom...." she replied to me.

    "Ummm... are there any monsters or creatures that swim in it?.. " I asked feeling slightly nervous noticing some bubbles rising to the surface.

    "Yes there is one...." She replied to me.

    "Wait what?..!" I said in shock looking at her.

    "Yes....we call it Ancient one." She replied.

    "Does it eat Humans?..." I asked.

    "I don''t think so..... The only food here is Algae so we think it''s vegetarian." She replied.

    "Has it ever attacked anyone?" I asked feeling extremely scared.

    "None that I know of." She replied with a smile.

    "So where is the Algae you want to collect?..." I asked unable to see anything glowing in the pool.

    "Lookˇ­." She said pointing into the pool.

    Focusing hard I could only barely see a silhouette of something that resembled seaweed, swaying side to side. "Why couldn''t these glow?...." I said.

    "They just don''t I guessˇ­.." She replied.

    "I can barely see it..." I said looking harder into the darkness.

    "That''s no problem I''ll hop on your back and guide you." She replied smiling.

    "Sure sounds great!" I replied with a smile.

 54 Ancient One

    Knelling down to allow her to climb on my back, "ready to go?.." I asked her.

    "Yes lets go." she said sounding more excited.

    Taking off my robe I slowly lowered myself into the pool, it was surprisingly warm and felt extremely comfortable to be in. "wait do you have any goggles to use?.." I asked before I began to dive.

    "What''s goggles?.." She asked.

    "Of course..... You don''t have them here...." I replied, slowly lowering my head into the water I forcing my eyes open, fighting my natural instinct to keep them shut, to my surprise it didn''t hurt at all. Going back up to refresh my lungs with air, I went back down keeping my eyes again. "Hmmm looks as if I can keep my eyes open in this water!" I said to S''ffa.

    "Thank you for doing this for us!" She said with a smile filled with anticipation and excitement.

    "Lets begin." I said refreshing my lungs with air and began our decent. Swimming down felt extremely terrifying the black abyss manifesting all sorts of horrors from my imagination. She pointed to me into the darkness along the sides of the pool. With a nod I swam in the direction she pointed at, her bio-luminescent body barely illuminating the darkness in front of me. Arriving at the wall it was covered in a thick mesh of dark purple seaweed camouflaged in the darkness, Using my legs pushing off the wall I managed to loosen several extremely long strands of seaweed tearing out long strands and passing it to S''ffa to hold her giant smile filling me with more confidence.

    She pointed to another again a little deeper down, with a nod I swam a little deeper collecting more seaweed again. The bubbles rising to the surface strangely becoming more and more frequent filled me with anxiety. The deeper we went a stronger sense of fear began creeping into me sending shivers down my spine, also the feeling of an underwater current getting stronger and stronger. Eventually grabbing our twelfth S''ffa began pointing to the surface, with a nod I began making my way slowly upwards.

    "You smell like him...." a very old deep voice appeared in my mind.

    I turned to look S''ffa shocked at who the appearance of the voice, she began to frantically point at the surface, making me swim faster. Foolishly I stopped to take a look down below wondering what the source of the voice could have been.

    Within the darkness an impossibly large silhouette of a head seemed to be there, suddenly a large yellow eye opened with a large black slit for its pupil. "WHAT THE F IS THAT!" I instinctively screamed letting out over half my air supply. My whole body flooded with adrenaline and fear causing make me to make a break to the surface.

    "SWIM!" S''ffa screamed to me in my head.

    Swimming closer and closer to the surface, I couldn''t help but take another peek down. "WHAT THE HELL!!!!" I screamed as I looked at an impossibly large maw and snout. As we broke the surface I quickly tossed S''ffa off my back into safety before quickly climbing out, picking up S''ffa I made a mad dash to the entrance deep into the tunnel.

    "What in the hell what that?.." I said still trying to catch my breath keeping my eyes on the pool.

    "It was the ancient one!" S''ffa replied.

    "I thought you said it was vegetarian." I asked still out of breath recovering from the ordeal.

    "It has nothing else to eat here except algae." She replied to me, beginningtoportioning the Algae we collected into small rolls.

    Looking up at me she held a small roll to me, "would you like a taste?!" she said with a huge smile of her face.

    I couldn''t help but laugh a little how she was so unfazed by imminent death and looking so gleeful with our haul. "No thanks....I want your people to enjoy it." I said lying down catching my breath.

    "Daughter of Solomon leave this place NOW if you want to live!" the old deep voice warned me in my head.

    "WHO ARE YOU??!!" I shouted back at it.

    "I SAID LEAVE!!!!" It screamed at me again.

    Quickly grabbing S''ffa and grabbing the bundle of seaweed and made a quick walk back to the main cavern.

    "S''ffa.... do you know what the Ancient one is?.." I asked her.

    "Not really.... but some of us believe it''s a Sea Dragon." She said still giddy with the haul we made.

    "A SEA DRAGON?! and you didn''t think to tell me?!" I asked her.

    "You didn''t ask before." She said still distracted.

    "You know if you wasn''t so cute... I would be so angry at you right now!" I said to her finally entering the main cavern. "How did the Sea Dragon get here?..." I asked her.

    "We have no Idea... it''s has been here for many generations." She replied.

    The moment other Sporeans saw our haul they began looking excited, smaller Sporeans I assume younger ones came rushing towards us in excitement. S''ffa handed me a small roll to give to them. One by one we handed out small pieces to the young ones causing them to run and jump in excitement.

    "Whats got you so happy?!" Jay said walking towards us.

    "Nothing just seeing them so happy makes me happy!" I said replying to him watching them jumping around.

    "S''ffa?... do you know who Solomon is ?.." I asked.

    "Nope.... Sorry.." She replied to me.

    "S''ffa meet my good friend Jay." I said introducing him to her.

    "Hello." she greeted him but quickly returned to portioning the seaweed, still rolling them into small rolls.

    "Hello!" Jay greeted her with a giant smile.

    "So what did you do?.." I asked Jay.

    "Ahh boring stuff I was just mending things, you?.." Jay replied.

    "Mending?.." I asked.

    "Yeah repairing buildings and things." He answered

    "Didn''t take you for a manual labour guy." I joked

    "Manual labour?...." He asked laughing.

    "Yeah how do you repair things?..." I replied looking slightly confused.

    "Mending spell of course."

    Instantly face palming myself, "Of course there''s a spell to repair things... How silly of me..." I replied.

    Jay took a seat next to me, "I wonder what the others are doing...." He said placing a younger Sporean who was staring at him on his shoulder who began to climb up his head.

    "Beat''s me.... by the way do you know who Solomon is?" I asked.

    "Hmmm didn''t Helen and Grace mention him, some kind of king or something....." He answered me trying to remember.

    "Hmmm I guess I''ll ask them when they get back.." I replied subconsciously helping S''ffa making small rolls of seaweed.

    "So what did you do?.." Jay asked.

    "You won''t believe me if I told you...." I replied to him.

    "really?....." He said looking more curious.

    "Wellˇ­ we was swimming down this very deep pool, the bottom is pitch black. So everything was going great... when suddenly this voice spoke out to me in my mind. Calling me Daughter of Solomon, then suddenly from the abyss I large mouth was heading straight towards me!" I said to him.

    "NO WAY!!!" He said totally encapsulated into the story.

    "So we quickly swam to the surface running away from the pool and met up with you." I concluded the story.

    "So what was it?.." He asked.

    "I dunno ... it had yellow Eyes and a slit for a pupil, S''ffa said it was a Sea Dragon." I answered him.

    "No... Way.....dragons specially sea dragons don''t deep undergroundˇ­..." Jay said.

    "No joke... there''s something there though..." I replied.

    "Hmmm I''m gonna go check!" he said with a giant smile on his face, carefully taking off the tiny Sporean who was playing with his hair and gently putting him on the ground, before standing up and making his way through the tunnel.

    "Wait!!!! It tried to eat me!" I tried to inform him.

    "I''m sure it''s gonna be fine!" He shouted back disregarding my warning.

    Getting up leaving S''ffa I cautiously followed him back into the carvers, "Seriously Jay! Get back!" I tried to order him.

    "I can''t see anything!" He yelled back at me surprisingly further than I expected.

    Finally reaching him, I held on him hiding behind him. "It''s... deep... you won''t be able to see it..." I replied.

    "I literally can''t see it.... even with my Detect magic spell...." He said still staring into the depths of the pool. "Are you sure there''s a dragon?..." he asked.

    "Why would I lie about getting eaten?" I whispered to him still cautious to awaken the Ancient beast again.

    "Nope.... I definitely don''t sense or see anything." He said turning to me looking a little sad. "It would have been so cool to see and meet a dragon." he said slowly making the way back to the main cavern.

    "Well... this one wasn''t friendly and probably would have ended up eating you..." I replied still whispering and quietly walking back with him.

    "That was anti-climactic ...." He sighed.

    "Why would you want to get eaten?.." I asked.

    "I dunno it would be awesome to meet one..." He replied.

 55 Way of Life

    A young Sporean ripped his seaweed in half and holding it up to Jay. "Thanks buddy!" he said accepting it and placing the little guy on his head letting it play with his hair. "So what is the Deputy head doing?..." I asked seeing her walking around the edge of the entrance with her wand out casting something.

    "The Deputy Head is one of the few known to able to use Rune Magic...." Jay answered

    "Rune Magic?.." I asked.

    "Yes it''s different to the magic you and I use.... she is able to write runes on people and objects to cause different effects." He replied.

    "Wow ..... That seems pretty awesome." I replied.

    "It''s a pretty strong form of magic..." Jay added.

    "So we wouldn''t be able to use rune magic?.." I asked.

    "Rune Magic is what we callˇ­.. Old Magic, remember the ascension event and what came to pass?.." He asked.

    "Yeah" I answered.

    "Well we call that The Calamity, so old magic thrived Pre Calamity where each individual Sorcerers could use and manipulate magic creating countless different types of spells and effect, but after the Calamity.... all the kingdoms gathered and came to an agreement forging the first universal spell book, and forced all school to only teach spells in this spell book. Fast forward hundreds of years this old magic has faded away." he explained

    ".... do you know any Old magic?.." I asked.

    "No I don''t my first teacher was just an ordinary sorcerer and didn''t know any old magic I think" Jay answered.

    "You had a teacher before Atlantis?.." I asked curiously.

    "Yeah there was an old man who took pity on me I suppose and gave me my first spell book and taught me basic spells one day a week." He answered.

    "Ohh that''s really nice.... is he still around?" I asked.

    "I suppose so..... After a year or so he said he needed to get going and move onto somewhere new." Jay replied.

    "Ohhh I see.... So who do you know that can use old magic?.." I asked.

    "Hmmm Headmaster Bran knows of an ancient spell... he used it during the invasion wars, tales say that it was so devastating that it obliterated an army the size of a main city completely to ash in an instant, and apparently Egwene the Agelessˇ­. Being ageless is rumoured to know many!" He said.

    "How about Paul?.." I asked wondering.

    "Well no one has witnessed him using any old magic but I''m sure he has a few in his pocket." He answered.

    "How do you know so much?.... about everything?" I asked a little curious on how is knowledge is so vast.

    "Ummm.... I only know of things that appeared on the news or books.... and escapades... like Elves for example because they are such a secluded race my knowledge of them is extremely limited" He answered.

    "I see..." I replied.

    "By the way..... Cast levidis-efficio on your clothes and think about drying them." He said with a smile.

    "Sure!" I replied pulling out my wand and following his instructions, casting the spell thinking about drying my clothes. A sudden breeze washed over me quickly, slowly I felt a warmth sudden manifest around my clothes. "What''s happening?.." I asked.

    "That''s just a minor cantrip it does very limited thingsˇ­. Such as making food taste a little betterˇ­ or creating or putting out a fireˇ­.. Just simple stuff." He answered.

    "Wow that''s pretty useful." I said astonished.

    "So how does it feel to be in a world of magic?.." He asked seeing my reaction.

    "Huh?....A little boring.... nowhere near as exciting as here.... back in my world we would have all sorts of fictional stories where people had special powers defeating a grand evil and stuff." I began to explain in excitement.

    "Tell me more!" He said listening intently.

    "When I was a kid I loved reading books about magic and mysticism... I guess I had a boring and uneventful life, so it was like an escape for me.... imagining to be in a world.... like this." I answered.

    "So what''s it like.... life over there?.." He asked.

    "Hmmm... Well.... for one... we only have humans and animals.... nothing crazy like dragons and stuff..." I replied.

    "Is it big?.." He asked.

    "Yeah..... Pretty big... large continents and oceans and stuff...I think the human population was around 4 billion.... I guess.... " I replied.

    "Billion?.." He asked.

    "Ohh it''s just a very big number..." I answered.

    "Ohhh I see..... So what was life like growing up?.." he asked still look completely fascinated.

    "Hmmm well we get brought up at home and family... we go to school..... Till we are young adults then we find a job..... Maybe love and start our own family.." I answered.

    "Ohhh what do you learn in school?.." He asked.

    "Normal stuff.... English.... so that would be like learning to read and write..." I said taking a pause forgetting the language we speak.

    "Common!" He answered in excitement.

    "Ohh yeah common.... then we have math.... that like counting.... but it gets into very advanced stuff that to be honest I haven''t ever used in a real life situation.

    "Okay!" He answered nodding in excitement his eyes wide open engrossed in my answers.

    "Then when we grow older.... we learn more complicated stuff... health care.... economy..... Geography... art.... business... all sorts of stuff..." I carried on explaining.

    "Health care?.... is that to do with people''s health?" He asked looking fully perplexed tilting his head to the side with raised eyebrow.

    "Ohhh so where I come from... there isn''t magic.... to heal people... we have Doctors and nurses which specialise in healing people.... in a more natural way... letting the body heal on its own with some support...." I answered.

    "Ohhh we have people that do that! We call them Doctors! Because not everyone can afford the services of a magical healer..." He replied looking extremely fascinated.

    "So how do you... travel extreme distances?.... like to another city?.." He asked.

    "Well it depends if its close.... either a train or car.... trains are large long transportation vehicles that can carry hundreds of people at once traveling long distances very quickly." I explained.

    "And a car?.." He asked.

    "Cars are like hmmmm smaller Vehicles that travel on four wheels that carry around 4 to 6 peoples..." I explained.

    "I see.... so like a horse and carriage..." He answered.

    "Yeah.... sort of maybe a little faster...." I answered.

    "How about Zeppelins or air ships?..." He asked.

    "Ohhhh we have those... we call the aeroplanes... large metal flying machines that fly hundreds of people over great distances and oceans." I explained.

    "Wow!!!.....So what''s every day like?..." He asked.

    "Hmmm..... before I was brought here.... I guess my life was gonna be.... wake up in the morning.... go to work for most the day... Leave work in the later afternoon and then come home eat dinner watch some TV or read books and then head to bed and do it allover again..." I answered.

    "What''s a TV?.." He asked.

    "Hmmm it''s like a device that displays shows for people to watch..." I answered.

    "Fascinating!!! So theatres and plays but on a device?..." He asked utterly confused.

    "Yeah sort of.... We have actors and actresses that do plays but they are recorded and reproduced on a deviceˇ­." I tried to explain realising that I did a poor attempt at it. "It''s hard to explain but if there was ever the chance to ill bring you with me! And I can show you my world!" I said.

    "That would be so great! Listening to you describe it was already encapsulating enough!" He said with a giant smile.

    "It''s not that fascinating..... Pretty boring in my opinion... you can''t have adventures and epic battles and heroes like here..." I replied.

    "I dunno it sounds pretty awesome from here..." He said staring into the distance in wonder.

    "Yeah..... I think I''ll like it here..." I said also staring in wonder as S''ffa tugged on my top gently.

    "Wassup? S''ffa?" I asked her looking down with a smile.

    "You forgot your robe back in the cavern...." she said pointing at it.

    "Just leave it... it''s alright.." I said slightly concerned that the dragon may come at me again somehow.

    "I''ll get it for you!" she said with a smile.

    "No its okay... don''t worry about it!" I replied to her.

    "It''s the least we could do after what you did for us." she said with a smile and with a wave of her hand issued some young Sporeans to follow her inside. The young ones instantly tried to drag the robe back before S''ffa began hitting them in the back of the head as if scolding them them. Together they folded my robe and slowly brought it back to me not letting it touch the ground.

    "Thank you." I thanked them receiving my robe.

    "Hey.... S''ffa?" I asked as she sat beside me.

    "Yes?.." She asked.

    "Have you ever seen above ground?..." I asked her.

    "No.... our species can''t survive the intense sunlight.... we might be able to visit the outside world during darkˇ­." She answered.

    "Ohh no.... that''s so bad..." I replied.

    "It''s okay! Us Sporeans prefer peaceful and secluded lives." She replied with a smile.

    "Ohhh..... Do you think we can stay friends?.." I asked her with a smile

    "Of course! You''re the best!" she replied trying to give me a hug.

    Holding her in my hand I clutched her close." Jay is there a way I can communicate with her?.." I asked.

    "Yeah of course just use Send message spell and you can send her a message, I think the limit is either 20 or 25 words I can''t remember but S''ffa can also reply as well with the word limit of course." He replied with a giant smile.

    "Here that S''ffa we can talk whenever we want!" I said with a giant smile.

    "That''s great!" She replied.

    "If you ask I''m pretty sure you can join in some extra school activities where you can come here and help..." Jay added.

    "Really?.." I asked.

    "Yeah... The school needs to look after their friends I''m not sure what you can do exactly... but I''m sure there''s is one to help Sporeans." He replied.

    "That''s so awesome! Who would I need to talk to?.." I asked.

    "No idea... but the Deputy headmistress is always fond of first years... so you can always ask her." Jay replied.

 56 Elves

    "HEY GUYS!" Helens''s voice yelled out to us in the distance slowly walking towards us.

    "You know we need a cool name for our group!..." I said to Jay him with a smile waving back at Helen.

    "Hmmmm yeah a cool name would be awesome" He replied.

    "Hmmmm....." I said thinking of possible names.

    "Nothings coming to mind." Jay said after a short pause.

    "Yeah me too." I said unable to come up with anything awesome sounding.

    "Yeah probably let it all come naturally." He said.

    "Hey guys!" Helen greeted us.

    "Hey!" We both replied.

    "Had a good time?.." I asked.

    "Yeah it was fun!" Helen replied.

    "Ohh what did you do?.." Jay asked.

    "Ohhh used some Druidic spells to carve out some new caverns support by helping accelerate plant growth." She explained.

    "Woahhhh...." Jay said looking amazed.

    "Yeah.... it took a chunk out of me and a few other students but we got a good amount done." She said with a smile.

    "Ohh have some of this to eat then!....." Jay said unwrapping some Jerky.

    Helens face lit up with a big smile of glee, "OH MY GOD! is that Tripola World famous honey glazed jerky?!" She asked excitedly accepting it.

    "It''s world famous?.." I asked.

    "Yup!.... it''s very rare and extremely expensive to get outside Tripola! I''ve only eaten it once!" She said with a smile slowly eating it savouring every moment. "Thanks Jay!!!!" she said with a giant smile.

    "No probs.... We have loads..... Daisy''s Aunt made them for us." He said casually.

    "SHUT UP!!!!" She screamed in disbelief.

    "Yeah!!!" He replied equally as happy.

    "By the way have you seen Daisy or Helen?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmmm....If I remember correctly..... Daisy went to the healers hut and Grace went to the stock house...." Helen replied... "By the way did you see the Deputy Head mistress?!!! she''s using Rune Magic!" She informed us.

    "Yeah we saw it earlier! I explained to Emilia what Old Magic was." Jay responded.

    "Yup! It''s so fascinating!! Even though it''s not very useful in combat.... but it''s the best for defense." Helen explained.

    "Is that so?...." I asked.

    "Yup.... Atlantis is well shielded because of her Rune magic.... as well as almost all Elven societies are defended with runes inscribed on gems and stones which are a deviation of Rune Magic but less potent!" Helen informed us.

    "So elves know rune magic?.." Jay asked sounding surprised.

    "Umm not really... we have Runes.... that were places in the outskirts of cities.... I think the knowledge of making these runes were lost a long time ago...." She replied.

    "By the way what did you both get up to?..." Helen asked.

    "I was just helping mend things.... and Emilia went to help collect some seaweed and apparently met a Sea Dragon." Jay answered her.

    "Really?.... Dragons are believed to be extinct and.... Sea Dragons roam the sea..." She replied looking a little confused.

    "It''s true ask S''ffa." I said to them.

    "It is true! The Ancient One is believed to be a Sea Dragon." She said to them.

    "Hmmm..... maybe it could be another sea creature..." Helen pondered.

    "Other sea monsters??" I asked.

    "Yah Giant Squids, Sharks, Jellyfish, Chuuls, Sirens there''s loads.... what did it look like?.." She asked.

    "Ummm it was dark so I didn''t get a good look.. but it had a long snout, with scales like a lizard and it''s head alone was as big pool... Ohh Ohh it had yellow eyes with a black slit for its pupil" I described it to her.

    "Hmmm ..... That defiantly sounds like a Dragon.... but it would be extremely weird for it to dwell here..." She pondered.

    "I tried to use Detect magic... but I didn''t sense or see anything..." Jay added.

    "Hmmm that''s defiantly weird...." She replied.

    "By the way.... it called me Daughter of Solomon..... Do you know who Solomon was? I remember you mentioned him in passing earlier..." I asked.

    "Ohhh King Solomon?.." She asked looking surprised.

    "Yeah... I guess..." I answered her.

    "Ohhh so there has been stories of this man who went by the name King Solomon..... Extremely powerful sorcerer... Who used Atlantis traversing the near infinite planes of existence learning exploring and documenting." She said.

    "As in the Atlantis we are in?..." Jay asked.

    "Yup..... It used to be a Planar Traversing Fortress somehow...." Helen explained.

    "But how?...." Jay asked.

    "We don''t know ourselves..... All I know is there has been ancient texts speaking of a King Solomon arriving in our home plane with a floating fortress seeking knowledge and discovering the universe." she said.

    "Are you sure it''s the same Castle?...." I asked.

    "Hmm descriptions kinda match it Floating Fortress.....with large tall spires with a World Tree in the centre." She described.

    "Hmmm it does remotely sound like Atlantis..." Jay replied.

    "What else do you know?.." I asked Helen.

    "Hmmmmm... that''s all I know sadly." she replied.

    "If he met the Elves before they even migrated here..... His visit must have even predated the calamity....." Jay said.

    "I Guess soˇ­." She replied to Jay.

    "Why did the Elves leave your home plane???" I asked.

    "My ancestors left Ifellume because outside the city the fey is a very chaotic and wild place." Helen replied.

    "Wait Ifellume is real?.." Jay asked leaning forward as if he must have misheard.

    "What''s Ifellume?" I asked extremely confused.

    "It''s the legendary first Elven city where all Elves came from..." Jay replied.

    "Yup it''s certainly real....me and Grace haven''t visited there ourselves but our parents have. My staff was made there and the Gem on top was blessed by a number of Elven Deities." Helen answered him with a smile.

    "How about Graces bow?.." I asked.

    "Most certainly her Bow is crafted with special Fey wood crafted by an Master fletcher." Helen answered.

    "Wow... do you think we would ever be able to see it?.." I asked.

    "I highly doubt it....." Jay answered me.

    "Why not?" I asked.

    "Because only Elves are allowed to enter Ifellume." Helen Replied.

    "Why are only Elves allowed in?.." I asked.

    "Because almost all Elves aside from a few believe that lesser races shouldn''t taint the grounds.." She replied.

    "Why are we lesser races?..." I asked.

    "It''s something silly..... But because unlike other races who''s Deity made them in the image of themselves, we were born directly from the body of Yion bestowing up with longevity and innate ability to use magic." She answered me.... "but but me and Grace don''t believe in that way of thinking!" She instantaneous added.

    "It''s okay.. I didn''t think you was anyways.... but how long do you live then?.." I asked.

    "Around 300-400 years." She answered.

    Taken aback from her answer "300-400 years?!" I replied in shock unable to even comprehend what life would be like to live that long.

    "Yeah...." She said as she began to frown saddened.

    "Why the long face?.... if I would be spending so much time exploring and learning every little thing." Jay replied with a smile.

    "It''s because.... You, Emilia and Daisy was the first ever Non-Elven friends I''ve made.... and just the thought of us out living you.. And even the slightest chance of forgetting you guys... makes me feel so sad..." She answered us.

    "... Don''t be so sad.... the only way we can truly cherish something is by realizing it wouldn''t last forever..." I said trying to cheer her up.

    "Yup.... she''s right.... if we all lived forever.... we wouldn''t cherish each and every moment..." Jay agreed.

    "I know...." She replied still looking down to the ground her voice cracking slightly.

    "Let''s make a pact!" Jay suggested with a smile.

    "Sure!" I replied with excitement.

    "Once everyone get back! Let''s forge a pact to stay friends forever no matter what happens and to never waste a minute of our precious time." He suggested.

    "Yup lets." I agreed.

    "Okay...." Helen croaked still facing the ground.

 57 Zessia

    "What''s got you so down sis???" Grace asked appearing out of nowhere.

    "What the??..." I said totally surprised by her sudden appearance.

    "When did you... Where did you??..." Jay said also surprised by her sudden appearance looking around.

    "I''m sure you guys know I''m a pretty sneaky person....." she said with a smile. "Anyways what''s up with Helen???... what''s got her so upset???.." she asked us.

    "She''s just abit sad that you both are gonna outlive us...." Jay said quietly.

    "Ohhh..." Grace replied her demeanour instantly changing, "Hey sis cheer up....." she said sitting next to Helen giving her a hug.

    "Yeah...." she said looking up to us.

    "That''s the spirit! Besides I''m sure we can bring them back with some necromancy anyways." Helen said with a laugh.

    "Ummm don''t we get a say in that??" Jay replied to her.

    "Why do you care? You''d be dead anyways." Grace carried on laughing.

    "Yeah but I don''t want to be a rotting corpse bound to the commands." he replied.

    Helen began to giggle a little, "She was only joking..." Helen said quietly.

    "Or am I?" Grace said with a smirk.

    "Necromancy????... magic that deals with corpses and undead???" I asked.

    "Yup it is, practicing necromancy is band in all states except Zessia though." Helen said.

    "Yup Zessia is a truly horrifying place." Grace said.

    "How comes??..." I asked.

    "Wow you must have been extremely secluded not knowing what goes on in Zessia...." Helen said.

    "So in Zessiah the rich and powerful thrive extorting the poor...." Jay said.

    "Yup.....they extort the desperate for everything they have even their life." Helen added.

    "So they become a slave???..." I asked.

    "Far far worse..... Even leaving has a toll so the poor can''t even afford to leave..." Grace said.

    "Yup and when you can''t pay back your loan..... Then you''re forced to give the life of you or your family''s, and even in death you don''t escape your debt." Jay said.

    "Yup they will resurrect you into a husk of your former self forcing you to abide to their commands till their debt is paid.... but your debt will never be fully repaid....." Grace said.

    "How can that even be legal??" I gasped at the horrific story.

    "That''s just the way the state is run sadly...." Helen said.

    "And because of that Zessiah is the most profitable and productive of all the states." Jay said.

    "My God I thought the fighting pits was the only bad place...." I said.

    "It is true Zessia is run like that.... but on exactly how the school is ran is a well-kept secret..." Helen said.

    "We must have been the lucky one...." I said wondering what would have happened if I was chosen to go somewhere else.....

    "You could see it like that...." Helen said with a smile.

    "I wonder where Daisy is..... She''s taking her time...." Jay said looking around noticing most students have now returned.

    "Lets look for her! She went to the healers hut." Helen said.

    "Ohhh I''ll ask S''ffa for directions." I said turning around to see S''ffa dancing and playing with younglings. "S''ffa???...." I asked

    "Yes Emilia" she said leaving the children and walking to me.

    "Could you show us where the healers hut is???.." I asked.

    "Sure I''ll show you the way." She replied with a smile, turning around saying something to the young Sporeans making them gather all the seaweed and began walking off with it. "Lets go!" she said climbing up to my shoulder. "That way." she said pointing at the direction towards where we first arrived.

    "Let''s go guys." I said standing up stretching and following the direction S''ffa pointed.

    "Sure." They all replied also standing up.

    "So I guess she''s healing Sporean?... I''m guessing since she went to the healers hut....." I asked

    "Probably.." Jay replied.

    "Hmmm maybe... but we don''t get many injuries often maybe the few slips and falls...." S''ffa replied.

    "Ohhh.... I wonder what''s taking her so long then." I wondered.

    "It''s that larger hut in the back." She said pointing at a larger building in the background after walking for a good 5 minutes.

    "No way did she see a sea dragon..... Dragons are extinct and sea dragons especially don''t dwell underground.." I heard Grace said quietly discussing with Jay and Helen causing me to eavesdrop.

    "Yeah but she has no reason to lie....." Helen said quietly

    "That is true..... And what she described did sound like a dragon....." Jay said.

    "She has lied to us before though....." Grace said.

    "She has?.." Jay asked sounding very shocked.

    "Don''t tell anyone else, but did you know..... She''s from Consecratus..." Grace said quietly.

    "I told you not to tell anyone!" Helen said.

    "No way! Really?" Jay replied acting like he didn''t know.

    "Yup! The Wand told me back when she let me hold it." Helen explained.

    "Yup..... That would explain why she knows Paul and her story knowing him didn''t add up.... but I don''t understand why she would lie to us about being from here...." Grace pondered.

    "I''m sure she didn''t know..... How much of a big deal it is.." Jay replied.

    "Nope.... if she didn''t know she would have said it from the beginning... I think she''s hiding something..." Grace said.

    "Nah she seems honest and nice enough...." Jay gave his opinion.

    "Yeah she seems very nice and honest Grace." Helen agreed with Jay.

    "Maybe... but somethings dodgy....." Grace added.

    "You''re just overly cautious...." Helen said.

    "Did she not tell you?... she''s from Consecratus??" Helen asked.

    "Nope... she hasn''t mentioned it to me....." Jay replied

    "That''s odd you three seem super close...." She replied.

    "See even more of a reason to be cautious...." Grace added.

    Overhearing their debate about me filled with anxiety, ''how should I respond?.... since they know the truth now do I just come out clean???.....and seriously?.. The wand told her..... Is it alive or something....''

    Arriving at the larger hut it seemed to lack any sort of activity... "Hmmmm maybe she''s not here...." I said to the group.

    "Let''s ask someone inside." S''ffa said pointing at the doors.

    "Okay!" I said placing her at the front of the door.

    "So guys... looks like Daisy isn''t here...." I said turning around to them.

    "Hmmmm maybe she went off doing something else..." Helen said looking around for activity.

    "Yeah S''ffa said she will go inside and ask." I replied.

    "So what were you guys talking about on the way here?.." I asked.

    "Um what?... Ohhh just the dragon incident..." Grace replied caught off guard by my question.

    "Yeah... It was a little dark... but I''m convinced it''s a dragon..... Because S''ffa said so." I replied.

    "I''m sure you''re right...." Jay replied.

    "I know where she is." S''ffa said exiting the building climbing onto my hand.

    "Ohh cool where is she?.." Helen asked.

    "She''s just at another cavern gathering wood." S''ffa replied.

    "Wood?.." Helen asked.

    "Yah.... we have an underground forest..." S''ffa answered her.

    "Wait how?..." Helen asked.

    "Follow us." S''ffa said placing her on my shoulders following the direction of her pointed finger.

 58 Helping Ou

    Navigating through the dimly lit main cavern we came to a similar tunnel to the one I went through. "On the other side of this tunnel." S''ffa said pointing through the tunnel.

    "How do you even seen in the darkness?.." I said walking carefully and slowly.

    "We have evolved to see in darkness.." S''ffa replied.

    "Yup Me and Grace has night vision as wellˇ­." Helen replied.

    "That''s pretty neatˇ­." I replied.

    Walking through the dark tunnel the echos of chopping wood reverberated through the tunnel. "Wow how is it possible to grow tree underground?.." Helen said her voice raised with curiosity and confusion.

    Nearing the end of the tunnel the silhouette of a dense forest consisting of large thick trunk trees. Along with glow of several Sporeans resembling fireflies of different tones of green. Entering the immense dimly lit cavern, we truly entered a miraculously dense underground forest, the leaves shimmering in the darkness like schools of fish.

    "Woah....." Helen utterly frozen taking in the miracle. "How is this possible???..." she asked her voice stuttering in complete disbelief. "Tree''s need sunlight to grow..." She said stunned.

    "We don''t know ourselves... but there''s something about this area that allows for them to grow..... Trees don''t seem to grow anywhere else..." S''ffa informed her.

    The very faint sound of footsteps slowly became more and more apparent as what seemed to be lights emerging from inside the forest walking towards us. Like builders holding beams of wood there emerged several Sporean carrying a relatively long wooden beam.

    "Excuse me... have you seen a girl called Daisy?.." I asked them as they walked past us. One nodded and pointed into the dense forest quickly.

    "Looks like we found her." Jay said.

    Walking towards the sound of chopping, Helen was still absolutely stunned by miracle of tree''s growing without sunlight. Touching each and every tree she walked past within reach, a smile growing on her face with each passing tree.

    "What are the tree''s saying?..." Grace asked noticing her reaction.

    "They said they are happy here!" Helen replied Still communicating with every tree.

    "Don''t you feel it''s a little weird?... that everyone kills trees for wood?..." Jay asked her.

    "Ohhh.... yeah..... It''s very sad.... but that''s the cycle of life... even Elves use wood for houses and weapons" She answered him.

    "Ohhhh.... that''s one way to look at it..." Jay replied turning around. "Psshhh Emilia.... they know you''re from Consecratus" Jay whispered.

    "Is it that bad that they know?.." I whispered back still completely unsure what the big fuss is about.

    "Of course..... Every know sorcerer from your plane has been at the very least a S Ranked and above.... you know how highly sought after your kind are?.." Jay said.

    "I''m sure its fine... they seem like honest people.... I''ll tell everyone once we all get back." I smiled to him.

    "Up to you..." He replied with a look of disagreement is face his head turning from left to right.

    The sound of a feminine grunt could now be heard before each axe chop, "Daisy?..." I shouted out to her.

    "Emilia?..!" her familiar voice shouted back and axe chops and grunts now stopped.

    "Where are you?..." I asked trying to see her through the dense forest.

    "Hold on!..." She shouted back, within a few seconds an intense burst if light radiated out and a feeling of warmth love and comfort filling my body. "You must be able to see me now!" Daisy yelled out to me.

    "Yeah we got you!" Jay shouted back shielding his eyes, the light started to fade away and weirdly enough the feelings as well.

    "What was that?...." I asked Jay as we made our way to Daisy.

    "Not quite sure... I''m still new to Holy and Divine magic...." He replied to me.

    "You did get a strange sensation as well?.. " I asked.

    "Yup.... I did..." He answered.

    "Hey guys!" An extremely sweaty Daisy greeted us her vest absolute soaked, wielding a very large heavy looking axe, with a couple Sporeans behind her.

    "Hey!!..." we all greeted her.

    "What brings you guys here?.." She asked resuming her task swinging the large heavy axe with both hands with surprising accuracy, each strike cutting into the trunk with deadly precision send chunks of wood and splinters chipping off with each heavy impact.

    A Sporean tugged on her skirt causing her to stop as three more Sporean came with wedges placing them into the notch she cut and stood back. "It''s gonna get loud guys..." Daisy warned us and with one fell swoop slammed the wedges deep into the trunk. Slowly the tree leaned away from us slightly, followed with a cascade of popping and snapping bark as it accelerated to the ground with a ground shaking crash. "Wooooo" Daisy screams in excitement wiping the seat from her forehead as she began walking to the fallen tree.

    Some more Sporeans arrived with wedges and small axes quickly climbing up the fallen tree getting to work in pairs cutting a small notch and placing the wedges inside jumping on top of it to wedge them in.

    "I''ll make this the last tree..... Okay guys?.." Daisy said to us.

    "Ummm how many have you done so far?.." Jay asked.

    "Umm I think this is the sixth?..." Daisy replied looking at a Sporean next to her.

    "Aren''t you tired?..." Grace asked her.

    "Ahhh a littleˇ­. but its good training!" She said with a giant smile.

    "I feel so weak right now...." I said to Jay.

    "It''s okay.... I do as well...." Jay replied.

    "Anything we can help with?" I yelled to her.

    "Sure... if you guys want... we just need to hit the wedges in, to split the trunk..." Daisy replied.

    "Ummmm..... I''ll give it a go!" I said to Daisy.

    "Sure come on over." She said waving me to come, the trunk was a lot bigger than I expected the width being the height of my shoulder. "Take my hand." She said crouching down holding her hand out to help me. Quickly walking back to Jay and passing S''ffa to him and returned to Daisy to try and climb the trunk.

    "Be careful." S''ffa yelled out to me as I passed her to Jay.

    "Thanks." I said taking her hand and climbing up.

    "Okay take this axe." she said holding it out to me.

    "Sure." I said grabbing the axe, the moment she released it the axe fell on the trunk with a thud. It was a lot heavier than I expected. "Jesus.. how heavy is this?.." I asked surprised at the weight.

    "Yeah it''s got a little weight to it but it makes it easier... So what you want to do is swing down hitting these wedges into the trunked and work our way down the trunk till the trunk splits." She explained to me pointing at the flat side of the edge indicating where to hit.

    Holding the axe up high I was ready to drive it down the wedge, when suddenly an odd feeling made me aim little to the left as I swung the axe with all my might. A loud crack reverberated throughout the cavern as I stuck the wedge deep into the trunk.

    "Woah! Emilia you''re pretty strong!" Daisy said, as I felt the trunk split a little.

    Looking down there was now a large crack along the centre of the trunk running from the edge to more or less the middle of the trunk. "Did?.. I do that?..." I asked unsure if that was all me.

    "Yup that was all you!" Daisy said giving me a pat on the back, "I didn''t know you was this strong.." she said walking down the crack.

    "I didn''t either....." I replied to her pleasantly pleased with myself.

    Walking down to the next section of the trunk between the other edge and the crack ending. "You should be able to finish it if you can do what you did back there." Daisy said.

    Readying to swing the axe down onto the edge the same weird feeling guiding me a little to the side making me strike the wedge perfectly sending it deep into the trunk again. Creating another crack meeting the other at the centre causing the trunk to open a bit more slightly. "Well done!!!" Jay cheered.

    "Nice!!!" Grace and Helen screamed in excitement.

    "Thanks for helping me Emilia...." Daisy smiled jumping off the trunk.

    "I''m sure you or the others had something to do with it..." I said jumping off the trunk landing next to her.

    She didn''t reply to my comment just a small smile and wink before heading back to the others. "Sorry for the hold up!" she apologized to the others.

    "Nothing to be sorry about." They replied with a smile.

    "Is that all we need to do?.." I asked looking back at the sundered trunk, seeing a number of Sporeans climbing into the crack.

    "Yeah they will handle cutting it into small parts and cutting them into beams and planks." Daisy answered with a smile.

    S''ffa stood up on Jays shoulders hands held out like a toddler wanting to be passed over, I went to take her putting her on my shoulder. "You was so awesome!" she said taking a seat on my shoulder.

    "Thanks S''ffa...." I replied.

    "I didn''t know you was so strong!" she said with a smile.

    "I know I didn''t know either." I replied to her.

    "Shall we start heading back?.." Helen asked us.

    "Sure... I''m finished now." Daisy replied and turned back to the tree trunk, "I''m gonna head back to school now thanks for letting me help." She shouted to the Sporeans.

    Several Sporeans I guess around twenty popped their head out from within the tree trunk with smiles and waving goodbye.

 59 Rankings

    "Hey S''ffa... do you think you''re gonna be safe down here???...." I asked as we all made our way back to the main entrance.

    "We take extra care when expanding into new caverns.... making sure we don''t open ourselves up to many predators...." she explained.

    "Ohhh..... What sort of creatures roam around here??..." I asked.

    "Well we are currently still in a relatively shallow depth but deeper down.... there are Slimes, Umberhulks, Elementals, Dark Elves, Mind Slavers there''s many dangerous creatures once you go deeper...." she explained.

    "How do you defend yourselves?...." I asked.

    "There are some of us.... that can fight.... but generally we just hide." she answered.

    "Ohhh no ...." I replied worried for her

    "It''s okay..... Atlantais has given us a way to contact them in Emergencies and there''s an Emergency Response team if anything bad happens." She answered.

    "What sort of relationship does Atlantis have with you guys?.." I asked a little curious and slightly relieved

    "We supply Atlantis with subterranean Reagents, and in return they help and assist us if we are in need." She replied.

    "Ohhh that nice... is it..... Okay?....." I asked feeling a little insecure after hearing all the news about Zessia.

    "Yeah.... Life before Atlantis was a little rough... alot of Running and hiding...." She answered.

    "... Yeah but Atlantis doesn''t take advantage right?.." I asked again in another way.

    "Ummm no.... we still live a quiet peaceful life.... we do try to fill our quotas but nothing strenuous..." She answered.

    "Ohh that''s.... nice..." I answered feeling a reassured.

    "Don''t worry we are in good hands. We keep growing and growing instead of struggling for survival." She tried to reassure me.

    "That''s Great" I replied with a smile.

    "Yeah.... life is alot better for us now." She said with a smile.

    "I think we gonna need to speed up guys..... I think they are waiting for us." Jay said as we approached the pedestal we arrived at with a large number of students shuffling in to the portal.

    "Ahh crap..." Grace said starting a jog causing us all to begin a small run to the school group.

    "Come along children! It''s getting late!" The Deputy Headmistress yelled out to us.

    Arriving in the queue I held S''ffa in my hands, "Thanks for today S''ffa!" I said with a giant smile.

    "It was great to meet you, I had a great time." She said with a smile.

    Hugging her like a small pet I placing her down on the floor, "I''ll try to keep in touch!" I said bidding her farewell.

    "Bye Emilia! I hope we can meet again!" she said with a smile waving.

    "Take care! Look after yourself okay!" I said to her.

    "Of course!" She smiled.

    "Good bye!" I said following the students into the portal giving her one last look and wave before entering. In an instance we were transported back into the courtyard of the school, the World Tree glimmering in the sunset.

    "Come along children let''s head to the dining hall for dinner." The Deputy Headmistress instructed us.

    Slowly the whole class began making their way to the dining hall. "Man I''m starving!" Daisy said to us walking and stretching.

    "No surprise there.... you did alot to help them out." Grace commented.

    "By the way what did you do Grace?.." Helen asked.

    "Me?... I just taught them how to make bows and arrows and how to shoot them..... Simple boring stuff." She said with a big yawn.

    "YOU guys excited for tomorrow???!!!" Grace asked us excited.

    "Of course! We get to see other students duelling each other!" Jay replied.

    "What is so important about these "Ranks?..." I asked feeling a little uneasy.

    "Well firstly it''s like a status symbol the higher rank you are the more respect you get!" Daisy replied.

    "Yup .... Also you can take up bounties and missions that pay better at a higher rank." Jay replied.

    "Hmmmm..... come to think about it.. We are pretty tight on gold ourselves..." Helen replied looking at Grace.

    "I thought you both were royalty?... or Nobility...." Jay asked looking a little confused.

    "Yeah but remember our families didn''t like out decision... so we are basically on our own...." Helen replied.

    "Yeah..... We also went to a human School... instead of an Elven school.... so that made it much much worse..." Grace added.

    "Why did you go to a Human school?..." I asked looking a little curious.

    "Well.... it''s because we wanted to see the world with our own eyes...." Grace answered.

    "Yup.... we didn''t want Elven prejudices to influence us." Helen replied with a giant smile.

    Making it inside we quickly took the seats that were left free for us eagerly waiting for our dinner. "These reserved seats are so continent! Even arriving late they were still free" Daisy said with a giant smile getting ready for dinner.

    "I know right....." Jay added patiently waiting for everyone to get their food before quickly scoffing down food.

    "So are you guys going to challenge someone or wait to get challenged first?.." Daisy asked while eating.

    "I''ll probably wait to get challenged first... I don''t even really know who I should face off with." Grace replied.

    "How does the ranking system work?...." I asked.

    "From what I understand..... You''re ranked by position in school... say... 600th.... you jump positions based on who you beat that is higher than you.... you ascend one rank higher than them." Grace explained.

    "You also don''t get anything from beating unranked students or students below your rank." Helen added.

    "I see..... Can you just remain unranked?..." I asked feeling unwillingness to hurt someone.

    "Yeah... of course that''s fine." Helen smiled.

    "It might be harder to get into certain groups and Jobs but it''s completely fine." Grace added.

    "Yeah I''m the same..... I''m not really fussed with these ''ranks'' either." Jay said taking a pause from his eating.

    "This may sound selfish or shallow.... but I wanna be highest ranks as possible!" Daisy said with a giant smile holding up a balled fist, "Maybe I should challenge Calista!" Daisy yelled causing several students to turn their heads.

    "You shouldn''t be so cocky.... she''s apparently very adept at spell casting already." Grace said.

    "Yup..... She would have received prior teaching and training...." Helen added.

    "Yeah so have I! and I''ll still kick her butt!" Daisy replied dismissing their warnings.

    "How do you challenge someone?..." I asked.

    "In the Colosseum there will be someone there who you can talk to and issue a challenge..." Jay explained.

    "And how do you know if you''ve been challenged?.." I asked.

    "Generally you will have been given 1 weeks'' notice before you have to participate to you know... do some training and studying.... But I''m not sure how they issue it to you..." Jay added.

    "Can you refuse or decline the duel?.." I asked.

    "I don''t think so.." Jay answered.

    "Well that sounds a little stupid..." I replied.

    "Well you can just forfeit the duel once it''s started." Jay explained.

    "Can I just not turn up?..." I asked uninterested in this silly little popularity contest.

    "I guess?...." He answered.

    "I''m not too fussed about this whole duelling thing.... I''m just here to learn magic and have a good time." I answered.

    "Ummm it''s not all bad.... duelling is a great way to gain insight into fighting other people and style of fighting..... You''re not only going to be coming across creatures outside these walls..." Grace explained.

    "True but I''ll still rather study first and fight later." I explained.

    "You do have a point..... And you''ll be unranked so no one will gain anything from duelling you so you should be fine." Helen added.

    As soon as we finished eating five blue rectangles began manifesting themselves one for each of us.

    "What the...." I said in shock.

 60 Challenged

    "What''s this?.." I asked everyone as the spell finished itself, forming into an envelope.

    "No idea...." they all replied picking it up.

    "Interesting...." Jay said opening it.

    "It seems as if we''ve been challenged." Helen said reading the letter inside.

    "What?!" I said in shock opening the letter reading through it.''Emilia Patel - Current Rank:N/A you have been Challenged by Princess Calista - Rank: N/A, Term 1- 2nd Fredas - Position 10. Good Luck.'' My hands dropped on the table as I kept reading it over and over as an immense sinking feeling filled every part of my soul, ''of course the first chance she gets she will challenge me....''

    "Ohhhh crap.....We''ve all been Challened?..." Jay said in shock after reading his.

    "Why the hell are we challenged, being unranked does nothing to their standing...." Helen said in disbelief.

    "Someone''s gonna get destroyed!" Daisy squealed in excitement holding the paper close to her face reading it carefully.

    "This must be some sort of mistake or error?.. Who did you guys get challenged by?" Grace asked also reading her letter in disbelief.

    "No idea.... some C ranked Student." Daisy answered unfazed by her challenger or rank.

    "A girl called Lanah Stiz a D ranked student." Jay answered.

    "A guy D ranked student named Basam Possul....." Helen replied.

    "Well I''ve got an unranked student who goes but the name Min Xai....." Grace replied.

    "How about you?...Emilia" Jay asked sounding extremely worried at my unresponsive silence.

    "..... Calista..." I answered, causing Jay and Daisy to lean over taking a read of my letter.

    "That bitch.....I swear I''m gonna get her back!" Daisy cursed.

    "So this kinda makes sense nowˇ­.!" Jay said leaning back thinking.

    "Well... there goes the idea of trying to lay low... I just don''t understand why she has such a vendetta with me...." I replied the feeling of hopelessness just swallowing me whole.

    "Yeah.... I think she has a vendetta with everyone.... there is literally no reason to challenge unranked students..." Helen said.

    "Who gives a damn.... we''re gonna serve their asses on a platter..... They''re gonna get destroyed, every one of them and WE''RE GONNA MAKE THEM regret challenging us!" Daisy yelled angrily causing quit the commotion causing many students to look in our direction.

    "Yup firstly we need to research who we are up against... and devise the best way to defeat them." Jay strategized learning forward speaking quietly.

    "Yeah but how do we go about doing that?...." Helen asked.

    "No idea... maybe ask around... this should defiantly be our first step." Jay suggested.

    "Then we need to train and focus honing our abilities to best defeat them." Jay explained.

    "Sounds like a good idea." Grace said.

    "So it will be more difficult to gain information on Calista and Graces opponent being unranked students, but everyone else there must be some information out there." Jay summarized.

    "I''m sure I can handle my opponent!" Daisy said full of confidence, "Don''t worry Emilia! we are gonna be okay!" Daisy tried to reassure me.

    "I''m so sorry guys... This is all probably because of me... if you wasn''t my friends you defiantly wouldn''t have been challenged...." I apologized to everyone my eyes welling up with tears, blaming only myself.

    "Emilia it''s not your fault! You can''t blame yourself." Helen replied.

    "Yup.... Calista is just a bitch! And we''re gonna show her we aren''t no push overs" Grace cursed her.

    "Yeah! There''s nothing to worry about!!" Helen added trying to reassure me.

    Angrily I scrumpled up the paper tossing it over shoulder, causing one of the patrolling robots to stop, turning to look at me and back at the paper and proceeded to pick it off the floor for me and placing it beside me on the table before going back to walking around the dining hall. Frustrated I began thumping it crushing it flat under my balled fist.

    "It''s gonna be okay!" Jay tried to reassure me.

    "Is it okay if I take a walk and clear my head ??...." I asked.

    "Sure let''s go!" Daisy replied with a giant smile oblivious of my intensions to be alone for a little while, causing everyone to cough and swivelling their head side to side.

    "What??..." she said looking at them confused. Still swivelling their head Jay motioned with his hand for her to sit down.

    "It''s okay Emilia take your time..... Come meet us back at our room when you''re done" Helen smiled smiled.

    "Thanks guys." I replied waving goodbye and making my way out the Dining hall to clear my head.

    Starring up into the starry sky, I wondered what space and the universe was like in this world... or were we on a distant planet far far away from earth??..... What other planets are there in the solar system ?....

    "You okay sis???..." A Familiar feminine voice asked.

    In the distance Scarlets striking red hair still visible in the darkened school wearing her full set of armour with a bright smile, "Yeah I''m okay .... This is all just abit overwhelming...." I replied to her.

    "I get it...." she replied with a small frown, looking unsure if she should closer to comfort me or stay far enough back not to scare me.

    "....you do?...." I replied my voice still a little cracked and wiping away the tears with my sleeve.

    Gesturing me to come and follow she began walking to the Dorm building, "of course.... when Paul first took me back form where you and him was from it was crazy overwhelming!!!." she answered with a giant smil.

    "ˇ­.. It was??..." I replied in total shockˇ­. Unable to even fathom how she would be overwhelmed.1

    "Of course everything was so different!!!! And it was so hard to act ''normal''!!" she replied doing air quotations for normal making me laugh a little at her response. "It''s true!!!! like how I need to wait for the green man to appear before I''m allowed to cross the pathway where only the small metal boxes carrying people are allowed to go in! I don''t get why I should wait for them!" she added noticing my small laugh. "and and you know what''s worse??!!! I can''t beat up idiotic people! And I need to walk SO SLOWLY!!! And DO THINGS SO SLOWLY!" she said in a sarcastic voice obviously annoyed a little.

    "Thanks I needed that...." I thanked her for making me feel a little better.

    "huh....??.... needed what??.." she replied totally unaware.

    "Nothing..... so what brings you out here ??..." I asked.

    "Nothing special, after dinner there''s not much to do...." she said with a pout.

    "What''s the daily life as an S ranked student anyways..." I asked feeling curious.

    "hmmmm... nothing special.... help teaching... responding to things..... Training and fighting, that I enjoy the most and ohhhh on occasions some bounties and missions..." she answered.

    "Ohhh my God I heard about the sorry when you saved Daisy!" I replied to her in shock and excitement.

    "Daisy??...." she asked looking confused not knowing who she is.

    "Yeah my friend with the blue skin and horns with golden tattoos.... she told me you Ashley and Paul saved her from a cult." I reminded her.

    "Ohhh yeah I remember now... but she had black tattoos when we first met her..." she said with a smile looking a little puzzled.

    "They told me you''re immune to spells and you can even cut spells with your sword!!! How is that possible???!!" I asked in excitement eager to find out the truth from her.

    "Yes my armour protects me from spells.... similar to my sword it was forged with meteorite and dragon fire and enchanted with ancient magical enchantments." she explained.

    "How did you get such awesome armour??? Can I get one??" I asked in the hopes I might get something to help me versus Calista.

    "No I''m afraid not sorryˇ­... Dragons are extinct and so is the ancient magical enchantments placed on my weapon and armour." she answered me apologizing.

    "Is it true you can''t use magic???... Everyone told me you cant.... but I remember you doing scorch ray when we first met..." I carried on questioning her.

    "I generally hide my ability to cast spells.... because Paul told me I should always have a secret weapon.... so I don''t let anyone know that I''m also very proficient at spell casting." she answered.

    "Ohhh I see....." nodding in understanding, "what about Ashley???..... What does he specialise in?.... he doesn''t seem to use magic.." I asked feeling curious.

    "He''s an artificer.... unique individuals that''s merge technology and Arcanum together. We have quite alot in school but Ashley is defiantly the smartest out of all of them." she explained.

    "I see.... did he make all the robots that roam the Dining hall??..." I asked.

    "Nope those are extremely basic his golems are far more superior to ordinary ones." She smiled. "But generally on ops Ashley tends to prefer being support instead of getting his hands dirty, so it''s rare to see him in action." She explained.

    "How did you and Paul become friends?...." I asked.

    "He saved me from a very dark path..." her reply faded into silence starring up into the night sky." Anyways, I came here because Paul said he needed you for something...." she said after a small pause of silence.

    "Really?.. Why would he need me?.." I asked in total surprise.

    "No idea... he wouldn''t tell us either.." Scarlet replied shrugging her shoulders showing no ounce of suspicion or intrigue. "But he was thinking of ways to solve your issue back home." She added after a little bit of thinking.

    "REALLY?!!" I replied in complete disbelief almost jumping in glee and excitement totally forgetting about my upcoming dilemma next weekˇ­.

 61 A Plan

    "Did he find a way I can go home???..." I asked as Scarlet lead the way to Paul''s room.

    "You don''t like it here??.." Scarlet asked sounding worried.

    "It''s great... It''s everything I ever wanted.... but I have a loving family back home...." I replied.

    "Yeah..... Must be hard to leave your family behind I guess...." she replied

    "Do you have any family????...." I asked feeling curious as she hasn''t mentioned anything about her family before.

    "Aside from Ashley and Paul.... no family.... I don''t even know my parents....." she answered.

    ".... What happened??..." I asked feeling extremity worried for her.

    "Ummm as long as I can remember I was alone before I met Paul." she answered.

    "Ohhh..... I''m so sorry." I instinctively replied to her.

    "It''s okay brighter days now." she smiled.

    "That''s great." I replied.

    "I don''t want to scare you or anything but there''s a punishment for dissertation...." she warned me opening the door to Paul''s room.

    "Hey scarlet did you find Emilia??..." he asked as she entered.

    "Yeah.... she''s behind me." Scarlet answered him.

    "Great..." he replied sounding a little nervous.

    "What''s going on??? Anyways.... what''s with the hush hush???..." she asked him.

    "Hey Paul...." I hesitantly greeted him.

    "Hey.... take a seat... while we wait for Ashley to arrive." He asked sounding still sounding slightly nervous at my arrival.

    "Okay....." I answered him quietly taking a seat, "Ummm how comes you called me here ??..." I asked.

    ".... I kinda found a way to help your home issue...." he replied sounding very quiet as if hesitant to suggest itˇ­..

    "Really???...." I asked extremely curious on what he could try and do.

    "It''s not easy it will take a few hours.... but I could make a clone of you....." he sheepishly explained.

    "Okay...." I replied still unsure what he''s planning.

    "So.... we can either send your clone home.... and she will live your life for you there.... while you''re here...." he carried on trying to explain. "or.... you can choose to go back home... and I''ll fake your death with your clone.... and rewrite your memory so you don''t remember anything that happened here....." he finished explaining.

    "Paul that spell normally takes 12hours to a day to cast....." Scarlet asked feeling unsure.

    "Yeah I know .... I''ll have to burn a wish" he replied.

    "A wish???..." I asked.

    "Yeah.... it''s a powerful spell.... nothing like three wishes from genie extremely limited in scope and power." he answered me.

    "How many can you do??..." I asked in shock at the revelation.

    "At the moment six..... But it''s extremely taxing anything after one without a few weeks of rest will be extremely strenuous on me...." he answered.

    "So you wish for a clone??.." I asked trying to grasp the situation.

    "..... No.... I''ll use the wish spell to cast another spell called Simulacrum and hopefully make it faster." he answered me.

    "Wait wait wait.... you can make a clone of me??....any time you wantˇ­." I asked in total shock.

    "Kindaˇ­.... you will need to be there....so that''s why I wanted to see you tonight...." he replied.

    "and my clone.... what can it do???...." I ask slightly shocked and horrified at the thought.

    "Well I haven''t made one before but in my studies they say it should be near perfect copy..... Personality and all.... and will stay ''alive'' until it.... she get killed or I willing stop it''s exsistance..." he explained.

    "So you''re gonna make a clone of me that''s is almost like me but you have total control over it...." I asked as a whirlwind of emotions came flooding in.

    "No no no no..... I won''t do anything inappropriate with it.... if you''re wondering that..... It can basically mimic you.... and has your memories and things so it should theoretically fool your family and friends without raising an eye of suspicion....." he answered extremely panicked at my reaction.

    "Paul that idea is so wrong in many ways!" I honestly replied to him disgusted at the thought of him having total control over meˇ­ or a copy of me.

    "We can do some other options....." he asked.

    "There are other??..." I look at him cautiously feeling slightly fearful of what he can do.

    "Well I can alter your family and friends memories.... and put in a plausible explanation for your frequent disappearances." he replied.

    "You can alter people''s minds and memories??!!!!" I looked at him with a little fear on what he is capable of doing with his magic.

    "... I shouldn''t have said anything.... I''m sorry...." he replied quickly walking into the kitchen.

    "Paul wait...." Scarlet tried to talk to him before she was interrupted by the closing of the door.

    The room now completely silent from what just conversed. Scarlet took a seat opposite to me the expression of concern plastered all over.

    ".... I know you''re shocked at what we can do with magic in this world.... but.... I can assure you he has a good heart.... he would never do such a thing to people especially people he loves....." She explained.

    "I know... but he has the possibility to..... How would I even know if he''s done it to me??.... Or even you???..." I asked

    "He always taught me something very importantˇ­.. A quote from a Driderˇ­. Something about ''With Great power comesˇ­. Something''.... Anywaysˇ­you know.... it might have been years and maybe feel like another lifetime since you knew each other..... But look deep into your heart.... you know although he is capable of such actions he would never do anything like that with malicious intentˇ­" Scarlet said.

    I remains silent a part of me knowing what she said was completely true, and I just overwhelmed by the thought of his capabilities.

    "Besides I''m immune to Mind magic so he can''t possibly do such a thing to me..." she said with a smile.

    "What do you think I should do??..." I asked feeling out of my depth.

    "Well..... You said you didn''t like it here so I guess we can send you off home and fake you''re death with the clone...." she said after taking a small pause to weigh up the situation.

    "But do you need to wipe my memory aswell???" I asked.

    "Sadly.... because if you change your mind later... I don''t think we can miraculously bring you back to life..... And erasing your memory although is very heart breaking.... but it''s the best course of action....." She replied with a frown.... "Also.... if anyone was to catch you using arcanum then there would be so much backlash that even we wouldn''t be able to pull string or talk our way out of it...." she added.

    "Yeah but..... Having a clone of me living out my life back home.... that''s just crazy and absurd...." I replied.

    "I know... like we said it is literally a mirror copy of you." she answered.

    "But how.... I have a soul.... I have a mind and heart.... how possibly can it be a copy of me....." I asked in disbelief.

    "We don''t understand ourselves how a near perfect copy can just be created through magic but it does....." she informed me.

    "And what if I go home??....how do I know what she did while I was here...." I asked.

    "Well I''m sure you realised by now Paul and I can use mind altering magic..... We could fuse your memories..... Or project them for you to see..." she explained.

    ....I remained completely silent again unsure how to feel.... but defiantly feeling some sort of anger and disgustˇ­. The invasion of privacy being able to copy someoneˇ­.. able to dominate or alters people''s minds and memoriesˇ­ everything felt absolutely wrong.

    "..... I know this is all so overwhelming.... I can tell you''re feeling all sort of emotions after learning what we can do with magic." she said understanding me. "And trust me... Paul only wants the best for you... he only wants to help you whatever way he can...." she replied.

    "Can''t we just tell my family where I''ve gone???.." I asked her unsure why we have to keep it a secret.

    "Because we aren''t allowed to intervene in other planes.... the introduction of magic could have devastating consequences.... so there''s a laws setup to stop that and a special policing unit to even stop it from happening...." Scarlet explained.

    "But how will they know???..." I asked.

    "We don''t know ourselves that policing division it''s shrouded in mystery we don''t even know how many members there are where they operate .... We only know that the penalty is either death or imprisonment or worse" Scarlet answered.

    .... I remained silent shocked at how shockingly horrible this world was.

    "I know... I know..... Paul said he felt like that when he first arrived...." Scarlet informed me.

    "Hey guys!!!!" Ashley said bursting through the door with a large black briefcase. "Ohhh Hey Emilia!" he said with a jolly smile noticing me.

 62 Simulacrum Ritual

    "Paul''s not here yet??...that''s odd he''s normally the first one here....." Ashley said looking slightly confused.

    "He doesn''t care what other people think of him, but you are one of the only few that he does...." Scarlet explained to me ignoring Ashley''s entrance.

    "I''m sorry.... all this was crazy overwhelming and I was just shocked..." I explained myself to Scarlet.

    "I know that.... but it''s not me you should be apologising to....." she said to me.

    "Wassup...." Ashley said jumping on the sofa beside Scarlet.

    "I''ll go apologise to him..." I said getting up hurriedly rush into the kitchen.

    Knocking on the door twice before entering slowly opened the door, I hated situations like these.... very serious heart to heatsˇ­.

    "Paul???..." I asked hoping for a reply.

    "I''m sorry...." he said quietly turning to me unable to look at me staring at the floor.

    "..... ummm no... I''m sorry for reacting the way I did...." I replied to him

    ".... You know I''m not a monster right..... I would never abuse my powersˇ­." he asked extremely quietly as if ashamed to look at me.

    "I know I''m sorry.....it''s been a while." I apologised to him.

    "So do you want to go on with the clone plan?? There''s some other things I could do.... but this one is honestly probably the best and least intrusive....." he asked.

    "I trust you let''s go along with what you believe is the best way...." I replied faking a smile.

    ".....okay... please trust me... I only trying to help....." He pleaded for understanding still unable to look me in the eye.

    "I know....." I lied..... A part still slightly scared unable to tell if he was the same person he was before we broke up.

    "Okay let''s get started .... I don''t want everyone to be up all night..." he said walking past me entering back into the main living room.

    "Hey there you are!!! We doing this?..." Ashley asked Paul.

    "Yup did you get the stuff??..." Paul asked Ashley.

    "Sure did bro." he said pulling out his briefcase.

    "Scarlet pull out some heavy warm coats... for you, Ashley and Emilia. Where we are going is gonna be extremely cold. Paul ordered her pointing at the cabinet.

    "Sure!" she replied pulling out three thick heavy looking fur coats.

    "let''s go." he said opening up a portal, instantaneously a chilling breeze came blasting through with light snowfall sending shivers up my spine.

    Scarlet noticing my shivering body and folded arms tossed Ashley a coat and motioning her head towards me, "Here" Ashley said with a smile handing it to me.

    With a flick of his hands Paul''s trench coat floated towards him levitating open for him to put on, and boldly walked through his portal.

    Scarlet quickly putting on her coat turn back to give me a smile before walking through.

    "After you." Ashley smiled, putting on the coat and buttoning it up I stepped through the portal.

    Bracing myself I stepped through the portal into an empty barren landscape filled with deep soft snow, my shoes sinking a few centimetres before finding purchase. In the distance one side a vast mountain range, the other a dense forest covered in snow. Paul and Scarlet already a few meters in front of me.

    "Let''s go!" Ashley gave me a gently pay on the back walking towards them.

    "Ashley setup a perimeter." Paul shouted out to him.

    "Sure!" he shouted back opening his briefcase revealing several metal rods, pulling one out and stabbing it into the ground and began configuring it. "Go ahead and meet up with Paul he''s gonna need you over there." Ashley informed me.

    "Okay..." I hesitantly replied, clutching the coat tightly to myself the cold wind finding its way through any opening chilling me to the bone, ''a scarf would have been niceˇ­.'' .

    Eventually arriving near Paul and Scarlet, he looked at me straight in the eyes..... "Sure you wanna do this???.." he asked.

    His eyes piercing my hesitation and unease like a needle, filling me with a sense of calm and complete trust. "Yes" I replied with a smile.

    "Okay..... Let''s begin." he said smiling back at me, sending a warm nostalgic feeling radiating through my body.

    "Scarlet make sure nothing sneaks up on us.. " he informed her.

    "No worries" she replied with a smile and began walking off.

    "Okay.... once Ashley has the Arcanum dampeners and cloaking devices activated we should be ready to start." he informed me.

    "What and why???.." I asked feeling curious.

    "We are a long way from Atlantis..... and using a wish spell will expel a huge amount of Arcanum. So creatures or anyone else who had the ability to sense and track Arcanum will come and investigate..." he began to explain and began making a small mound of snow.

    "Okay...." I replied.

    "So..... We need dampeners and cloaking device to cover us while we finish the spell." he caused on explain.

    "But why???.." I asked.

    "The Rivalry between the schools is a power struggle. So if we are discovered we might have a fight on our hands and with me being out the picture we would only have Ashley and Scarlet to rely on. So I picked an extremely remote locations but with remote locations also comes the threat of extremely dangerous creatures." Paul explained to me.

    "Are we gonna be okay??.." I asked.

    "Ohhh of course." he said with a smile reassuring me.

    "Take a seat." he said looking out in the distance for Ashley''s progress. "Sorry about all this....." he apologised to me still keeping an eye on Ashley.

    "Sorry for what??.." I asked.

    "Sorry for everything....." he replied still refusing to look at me, as if he was trying to apologise for our breakup.

    "There''s nothing to be sorry about...." I replied to him trying to forget the past.

    "Hello???....I''m all set up Activating in 5 seconds." Ashley''s voice appeared in my head.

    "Okay thanks Ashley, go meet up with Scarlet in case anything happens." Paul ordered him using his communicator.

    "Sure no problemsˇ­." Ashley replied.

    "Okay." Paul replies to him, turning to me with a giant smile. "let''s begin." he said taking off his trench coat and tossing it on top of the mound of snow he created earlier, and began walking towards me rolling up his sleeves revealing some six tattoos three on each side of his outer arm between his shoulders and elbow, each very similar but with very minor difference between all of them. "Come" he said holding his hand out to me to help me up.

    Taking his hand a strange warmth radiated from it gentle but quickly warming me up making me forget the cold, instinctively following his request without hesitation.

    Leading me back closer to the mound of snow one of the tattoos on his should glowed a gently blue hue before fading away into the air. In that instant I felt a glimpse of the immeasurable energy Paul expelled, it felt almost other worldly far exceeding the Teachers I met at the induction test, unlike Scarlet''s unbridled fiery rage and power, his felt warm..... Caring..... Safe..... Before as quickly as it appeared it vanished into nothingness.

    He took a seat near the mound pulling my hand down issuing me to sit beside him. "We''re gonna need to keep our hands held for the duration of the ritual." he informed me and began to gently hold my hand firmly as if never wanting to let go.

    "Okay...." I replied his firm grip making me smile happily to him.

    "All you need to do is close your eyes and think of yourself..... And I''ll do the rest." he explained with one quick deep look into my eyes before looking forward and closing his.

    Closing my eyes I began thinking about myself, how I looked how I felt, my friends and family. After a few moments I felt his hands clutch me a little tighter, like how he''d always pulled me closer holding me a little tighter when we slept. I began thinking about us, and how everything was so perfect. Missing the way he looked longingly into my eyes, the way he always missed at me at the briefest moments of being apart, the complete and utter trust I had in him. I even missed the touch if his smooth skin, the smell of his body, his hair, his fingers, his kiss, our long discussions, our laughs and jokes..... Every part of me missed him dearly...

 63 Simulacrum

    Paul let go of my hand accompanied with the sound of his standing up. "Are we finished??..." I asked opening my eyes looking at him.

    He nodded looking at the mound of snow. The small mound of snow now sculpted into a human figure, slowly its appearance changed from the head working its way down. The surface changing from pristine white snow into a brown skinned human, its hair of snow magically becomes stands of real looking dark brown hair. Slowly it became a mirror image of myself wearing his trench coat.

    "You wasn''t joking.... about it being a clone...." I said in disbelief looking at a clone of myself standing in front of me.... "Wait why she is naked???!!!" I yelled at Paul.

    "I forgot.... to bring an extra set of clothes..... Besides.... that''s why I threw over my trench coat." he answered looking at me with a look of complete innocence.

    "Paul???.." it suddenly spoke causing both of us to look back at it. "It is you!!! I''ve missed you so much!" it screamed jumping at him sending both of them to the ground it hugging him tightly.

    Feeling awkward I turned to look for Scarlet and Ashley. Both of them also witness what just conversed stepped back in shock quickly turning their heads in different directions pretending they saw nothing.

    "One second." Paul said pushing it off him.

    "Sorry... I just got a little overwhelmed seeing you again after so many years..." it replied to him getting off him and standing up.

    "It''s alright..... I understand." he said getting up.

    "Anyways..... I want you to meet everyone." he said pointing at everyone else and signalling Ashley and Scarlet go come over.

    "I know who everyone else is! That''s Emilia, Scarlet and Ashley." it replied as everyone got together.

    "Hi...." I cautiously greeted is being unsure how to feel, looking at a clone of myself.

    "Hi!" it replied back with a smile.

    "Do you know....???..." I asked cautiously.

    "A clone?.... yes of course." it smiled.

    "Ummmm..... So what do we do now...??.." I asked Paul.

    "Well.... it all depends if you want to stay here....or go...." he asked me.

    "Can we go somewhere warmer??? It''s abit chilly here....." the clone asked her voice began to quiver her hands wrapped around her arms to try and keep warm.

    "Sure...." Paul answers it opening a portal which seemed to lead back to his room.

    "Scarlet could you help Ashley retrieve his equipment??..." he asked her.

    "Sure no worries." She answered with an amazing intense burst of speed she retrieved Ashley''s equipment within a few seconds even though the poles were placed very far apart.

    "Lets go." Scarlet said with a huge smile.

    "...ˇ­.So.... I''ll return the equipment we borrowed." Ashley instantaneously said the moment we all stepped back into the room waving goodbye.

    "Wait Ashley.. I need to give you the rods..." Scarlet yelled after him following him out the room.

    Paul stood there back turned towards us staring at the door as it slowly closed with a click, the room now completely silent. We all stood there for a few minutes completely silent waiting for Paul to react, I wouldn''t be surprised if a ball of tumbleweed rolled by.

    "So.... Let''s get started with the briefing." He said finally recuperating himself.

    "Sure!" The clone replied with a giant smile.

    "Okay....." I replied sounding and looking alot less jolly... ''I thought they said near perfect...''

    "So... Emilia... do you want to stay here or go home?.." Paul asked.

    "Ummm.....-" I hesitantly said.

    "She would like to stay here." The clone interrupted me informing him.

    I leaned back in shock as she interrupted me informing him how I felt.

    "Ummmm... If you don''t mind... can I maybe.... Hear it from the real Emilia?..." Paul hesitantly asked the clone without trying to sound too rude.

    "Okay sure!" she answered him with a big smile.

    "In the meantime go into my wardrobe and find something to wear." He ordered her.

    "Okay!" she said walking to his wardrobe.

    "So Emilia would you like to stay or go?.." He asked with a gentle smile.

    Turning to the clone, "Are you gonna be okay?... you''ll look after mum and dad right?.." I asked her.

    "Yeah of course I miss mum and dad too." She replied to me as she ruffled through clothes to change into the wardrobe doors completely obscuring her.

    Her reply reminded me how much I missed home, causing my eyes to being welling up. "I changed my mind I''ll go home.." I turned to Paul.

    "You sure?.." He asked me.

    The clone walked back wearing a Paul''s overly large shorts and shirt, "I know you miss home.... but I also know you really want to stay... don''t worry your family will be in good hands I promise." She promised me. "So I''ll go back... and you live your dream... Okay?.." She said trying to persuade me.

    I pondered for a few minutes my feelings in complete conflict with one another, she placed her forehead on mine "Don''t worry I''ll take good care of everyone." She whispered to me.

    "Okay..." I agreed, "Make sure Dad doesn''t get too stressed, and make sure Mum doesn''t work too hard.... and and..." I said scrambling for important things to remind her.

    "It''s going to be okay.... don''t worry, remember I''m you!" she replied with a smile.

    "Okay okay...." I broke away from her nodding. "Paul... I''ll stay...." I said to him.

    "You sure?.... you still look a little unsureˇ­" He replied looking saddened.

    "I am sure...." I replied to him

    "So I''ll brief Emilia Clone on what''s gonna happen..... and the story with my contact on the other side, if you want to stay you can.... but it''s getting late so I dunno if you wanna get back to your friends." Paul said.

    "Can I stay a little to hear your plan?.." I asked.

    "Sure of course you can.... Take a seat both of you, I''ll go get some snacks." He said heading into the kitchen.

    The clone wrapped her arms around my shoulder as we headed to the sofa taking a seat. Paul soon came out holding two bowls of crisps sweets and chocolates with a jug water and a few glass cups floating behind him. Placing it all on the table and pouring us a glass of water he took a seat opposite to us. The clone feeling comfortable with the situation began tucking into the snacks waiting for Paul to being. I couldn''t help but stare at her..... Looking at a literal living breathing mirror copy of myself.

    "So..... The plan is... I''ll send you back home I have some contacts that I''ve paid off to do me this favour. Once on the other side you will meet my best mate Jaymesh, he will have a cover story prepped for you and everything you need." Paul explained to the clone, the clone nodded in understanding completely agreeing with him.

    "Wait... Jaymesh... from college... your best friend?" I asked in shock recognizing his name.

    "Yes... so... You will from now on be working for Jaymesh, in his Legal Department." Paul replied.

    "He owns a company?.." I asked, remembering that I heard Jaymesh was doing well for himself.

    "Yeah... he''s the owner of a pretty big company." Paul answered.

    "Ohhh that''s nice!" I replied.

    "Yes so once you get home... He will meet you and brief you." Paul said to the clone.

    "Okay." The clone smiled at him.

    "So Emiliaˇ­. anything else you would like to add?.." I asked.

    "Umm just take care of Mum and Dad okay?.." She asked.

    "Of course." The clone replied with an endearing smile.

    "And of course... once Term is over and we get back.... She will switch places with youˇ­. and you can stay with me so nothing crazy confusing happens." Paul added.

    "Sure." She agreed.

    "Rightˇ­. So once we are all good... I''ll take you to my associate and we''ll send you back home." Paul informed the clone.

    "Sure." She replied again.

    "So Emilia... we are all sorted now.... so we''ll be making a move... stay as long as you want." Paul smiled at me.

    "Okay..." I replied.

    "Don''t worry Mum and Dad will be completely fine." She said one last time giving me a hug before standing up.

    "Don''t worry Emilia Everything will be fine." Paul smiled also getting up, opening a portal to another building. "Shall we?.." He asked the clone, the clone nodded and giving me one last smile mouthing Goodbye walking into the portal.

    "Take care Emilia everything back home will be fine there''s nothing to worry about now." Paul informed me with a smile before walking into the portal shutting behind him leaving me alone in the room.

 64 Briefing

    I sat there for a few minutes sitting by myself trying to grasp the whole situation. Wondering if she would be successful in being me back home.

    I laid down on the sofa snacking on the chocolates and crisps wondering, the silence oddly comforting, ''Ohhhh maybe I can find something here to help me with the fight versus Calista.

    Jumping up with a bowl of snacks I began wondering around inspecting the room. ''hmmmm everything looks normal here.....'' I thought as I carried on scanning around the room. It was oddly normalˇ­.. Just a bed a table... a few doors and a wardrobe nothing really magical or specialˇ­.. ''Hmm maybe the cupboard'' walking towards the cupboard opening it slowly filling me with anticipation.

    Opening both the doors I peered inside hoping to greeted with vast magical objects and books. To my disappointment it was filled with ordinary clothes and shoes and boots as oppose to vast number of magical books and items. Reaching in I gave the back a few taps in places hoping to maybe find something hidden deeper in or some sort of hidden compartment to no avail.

    ''Hmmmm maybe the other doors lead to a Magical vault.'' I thought hopefully, walking to the door next to the kitchen door. Opening it up slowly I peeped inside to see an ordinary bathroom, "Damnit....." I said. ''Maybe the other two doors...'' as I went to the other two doors on the other side of the wall.

    Clasping my hand around the door knob, I suddenly remembered that one time when Jay and Daisy got blasted back by that spell placed on the door, ''But then again for some reason I was unaffected by it.....''. Pondering for a few seconds wondering if it would be safe or not... I ultimately decided that I should be safe.... Taking a deep breath I Swung the door open closing my eyes in the process bracing myself for something to happen. Slowly opening one eye I checked if anything happened, letting out a big sigh of relief as seemingly nothing happened.

    In front of me was an extremely huge room almost four times the size of the standard room... all along one side of the wall stood an arsenal of weapons of all different shapes, sizes and types, the opposite side consisting of several different ranged weapons along with a few target dummies. At the back was a largish Sandpit and in the centre of the room is what I could best describe a big fighting arena.

    Stepping inside something instantaneously felt off, I don''t know what exactly but something felt extremely off. Feeling curious I walked closer to the wall lined with innumerable melee weapons. Like every other sane human would do, I put down the bowl and picked up a random sword, it looked medium in length comparing it to the other swords on display, but light weight enough to hold in one hand. I began slashing and thrusting the sword in the air as if there was an opponent in front of me.

    Content with playing around I placed the sword back on its stand. Walking further along the wall inspecting the weapons they seemed to gradually get bigger, heavier and more savage.....

    Taking a quick look at the sand pit the uneven surface showing signs of use, walking to the central arena there were two markers at the centre I guess to assign starting position, the floor lined with varnished planks of wood encased in logs setup in a circular fashion. ''This defiantly is his training room....'' I thought to myself as I made my way out the room.

    Still feeling curious I went to check the other room, turning the door knob slightly it clicked refusing to open, ''is it locked?'' I questioned as I tried to turn it the other way. ''Hmm defiantly locked'' as I tried to turn it both ways.

    "Emilia?.." Paul''s voice called out behind me making me jump.

    "Oh my god.." I gasped jumping around in shock.

    "You okay?.." He asked me chuckling at my reaction.

    "Yeah yeah... I''m good... did the clone get home okay?.." I asked beginning to relax.

    "Yeah I received word from Jaymesh that she got back on our plane okay." He replied.

    "Ohh that great...." I replied.

    "Was you trying to get into my room?.." He asked.

    "Huh?... yeah...." I quietly answered him looking down at the floor embarrassed that he caught me snoopin.

    "Well that room is off limits.... It has some things that I don''t want falling into the wrong hands." He informed me.

    "Ohhh... I see..." I quietly replied feeling curious but too embarrassed to question him more about it.

    "It''s okay everyone get curious." He replied with a smile, "You should head to bed though.... it''s getting pretty late." He informed me.

    "Can I ask you something?.." I asked him.

    "Sure wassup?.." He answered walking to his wardrobe to hang his trench coat.

    "Is it true that you''re giving Calista extra lesson?..." I hesitantly asked.

    "Yeah I tutor her sometimes, why?" He answered taking off his waistcoat and shirt and slipping on a T-shirt, I instinctively looked away respecting his privacy.

    "Ohhh.... Mind if I ask why?.." I hesitantly requested.

    "Ohhh... don''t tell anyone but her father has extended me extra privileges to visit home in exchange to help train her." He answered.

    "Ohhh...." I replied quietly.

    "Could youˇ­... turn around?.. I need to change into some shorts." He asked popping his head out from the wardrobe doors.

    "Ohhh sure.." I said quickly turning around, "By the way.... is there any chance you can help me?.." I asked feeling nervous of his reply.

    "Of course..... but what do you want help on?.." He asked.

    "Ummm everything?..." I replied.

    "Everything?..... That''s kinda a pretty broad subjectˇ­" He replied sounding confused.

    "Ummmˇ­. Like get better at spells and fighting and stuff?.." I asked quietly feeling a little guilty I keep asking him for help...

    "Did you find it hard to cast your first few spells?.." He asked the sound of him closing his wardrobe told me he was done changing.

    "Ummm no... It was surprisingly easy... I think I had no problem casting all the Cantrips in all the schools" I answered him turning around to face him.

    "That''s good! You''re progressing well!" He said to me with a giant smile.

    "Yeah.... but I was hoping to improve faster....." I hesitantly asked.

    "Hmmm .... There''s no shortcuts for getting stronger..." He replied.

    "I know...I''m not asking for shortcuts... I was just hoping to maybe improve faster by putting in the hard work..." I replied.

    "Hmmmmm.... sureˇ­. But it''s still gonna be a slow processˇ­" He replied after taking a few seconds to ponder on it and making his way into bed. "Come sit." he said to me.

    "You can??.." I asked again feeling more hopeful taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

    "Yeah sure.... but I''m not sure where we should start..." He replied.

    "Could you help me train for combat?..." I hesitantly asked.

    "Hmmmm I can do that... how often do you want to do extra training?" He asked me.

    "Hmmm I have no idea...." I replied to him.

    "Hmmm let''s do every other day... that gives you a day to rest." He suggested.

    "That''d be great!" I replied to him with a giant smile.

    "Shall we start on Monday?..." He asked.

    "That sounds good!" I replied.

    "Awesome." He replied with a smile.

    "So how does it feel knowing you can do magic?" He asked. "You''re a Wizard Emilia!" he joked.

    "You mean Witch" I corrected him laughing a little.

    "Hmmmm I don''t like the word witch... to me witches are generally bad...." He replied.

 65 Paul

    "Hey Paul mind if I stay a little longer???..." I asked him

    "Sure no worries." He replied propping his pillow behind his back to get more comfortable. "Wassup?????" he asked.

    "If you wanted to sleep I can go...." I replied to him sitting up.

    "No no... its alright.... I''m sorry I can''t spend more time helping and explaining everything....." He replied looking sincerely sorry.

    "It''s okay.... I understand you have alot of responsibilities here..." I replied.

    "So what did you want to ask?..." He said with a smile.

    "Just some stuff about you.....if you don''t mine.." I asked.

    "Sure no probs ask away." He said still smiling at me.

    "Did you know I was coming here?..." I asked.

    "No sorry..... I only noticed when I saw your name on the list when choosing students." He replied.

    "I see..." I replied.

    "So how come you can cast spells without needing a wand or speaking the spell??.." I asked.

    "One of my old teachers taught me the secret of Casting without a Focus.... and casting spells without speaking is pretty common in very proficient casters." He answered me

    "Ohhh I see... do you think I''ll ever get that good???..." I asked a little curious.

    "Of course you can.... but wait till you''ve mastered a few spells first." He smiled.

    "Ohhh ohhh by the way is it true that we get sorted into houses??..." I asked.

    He chuckled my excitement, "like your favourite book???" he asked.

    "Yeah yeah." I nodded impatiently waiting of his answer.

    "So we have three ''houses'', Phoenix: represents Teamwork and friendship. Dragon: represents cunning and intelligence and finally Kraken: represents power and strength.

    "So that means you''re in Phoenix right???.." I asked.

    "Sadly I''m not..... I''m in Dragon..." he answered.

    "But..... Dragon sounds a little evil no?..." I asked.

    "You know me I''ve always wanted to be in that house anyways." He reminded me.

    "That is true...." I chuckled, " I still think you''re a Phoenix though..." I added.

    "You''re not wrong I do rely on my friend''s alot..." he added.

    "What house do you think I''ll be in??.." I asked.

    "Defiantly a Phoenix." He answered.

    "Are your thing to say I''m weak???.." I joked.

    "Phoenix doesn''t mean you''re weak..... Phoenix although doesn''t consist of the strongest individuals their bond and friendship is what let them get past the most harshest of situations and get through the most devastating travesties." He explained.

    "So Phoenix are the best???..." I asked.

    "All of them has their own strength and weaknesses." He explained

    "By the way..... I was talking to my friend about ancient magic, because I saw the Deputy Head mistress use one....do you know any??..." I asked.

    "Ohhhhh..... Yes she uses ancient magic....I think rune magic" He answered.

    "Do you happen to know any???..." I asked.

    "Any ancient magic? ....I know a few...." he replied.

    "Really??? A few??!!" I asked in shock almost in disbelief.

    "Yup my first teacher was extremely proficient in a number of ancient and forbidden magic." He answered.

    "Ohh like what?..." I asked.

    "You know.... when I told you I can make clones and alter minds, you gave me this look of disgust and fear.... like I was a monster.... It made me hate myself and what I''ve become." He replied to me his face plastered with pain and guilt unable to look at me again.

    "I''m sorry..... I didn''t mean to....." I replied quietly feeling guilty for making him feel that way.

    "You know I would never do anything to harm you right...." he said quietly.

    "I know... "I replied not even knowing what to say to make him feel better....."Thank you by the way.... for helping Jays parents..... Again I''m so sorry.... I should have realized sooner that you''re still the same Paul..." I apologized to him.

    "..... I''m not exactly the same person..... But I try to be a good person...." He replied.

    "I know... I heard you saved a town from a Black dragon." I said.

    "Ohhh yeah.... that was what made me famous...." He said.

    "Yeah... people say that Dragons are almost impossible to kill...." I replied.

    He chuckled a little, "Is that how the story went?.." he asked.

    "Yeah... that''s what people have been telling me..." I replied.

    "Well.... I''ll tell you this secret.... I didn''t kill the Black Dragon that was harassing the area, I just gave it a better proposition." He smiled.

    "So it was all a lie...?.." I asked.

    "I guess so..... I understand why they thought I killed it though...." he answered.

    "So are you .... Strong?.." I asked.

    "What do you think?.." he asked me in return looking curious at my answer.

    "I dunno... But when you held my hand back at the snowy place... I felt ALOT of Arcanum pouring out of you..." I answered.

    "Ohhhh nice!!! You already can sense Arcanum?!" He asked with a giant smile.

    "I guess?..." I answered kinda unsure.

    "It''s a good skill.... generally the amount of Arcanum someone has is proportional to their power... so .... If you feel an individual have alot of Arcanum it tends to mean they are strong." He explained.

    "But does that mean you''re stronger than all the headmasters and headmistresses?.." I asked shocked at the revelation.

    "Well... not really.... in their case..... Raw powers doesn''t necessarily mean overall strength... Egwene is Ageless... some say she''s even immortal... Abbraxsoth is rumoured to be a descendant of a Titan..... And Hanna in terms of Arcanum she''s probably the weakest but no one really knows what sort of technologies she has in Aspa if needed to get her hands dirty." He explained.

    "So what sort of Ancient and forbidden magic do you know?...I promise I won''t do that face again..." I asked honestly adjusting myself to sit more comfortably on his bed.

    "The only other people who know this is Ashley, Scarlet and the Headmaster so you have to promise me that you can''t tell anyone..." He replied.

    "I promise." I promised him in return.

    "Well my arsenal of spell is quite vast..... And I have never used any so far..... But similar to the Deputy Headmistress I can use Runic Magic... but I also have a very strong Offensive version of it. Another extremely powerful one.... is I can create a Null-field.....-" He explained

    "Null field?.." I interrupted him.

    "So I can essentially instantaneously make a zone around me... we haven''t measured its distance yet but it nullifies everything that utilities Arcanaum within it." He explained.

    "So like an EMP?.." I asked.

    "Yeah like a lasting EMP for Arcanum.... so it will disable individuals from using Arcanum... even golems won''t operate.... but I''m unaffected so they will be hugely disadvantaged." He explained.

    "Okay that sounds ridiculous." I replied hearing him explain it.

    "Yeah.... so you can imagine coupling it with my Portaling.... it''s pretty much overpowered..." He added.

    "So that''s why you''re known as the strongest..." I replied in understanding.

    "Well that was only two of my Ancient and Forbidden Magic... but I''ve never used them in combat before... people have only ever seen me use Normal magic.... and my Portals." He explained.

    "Well your portals alone seem ridiculous..." I added.

    "It is... there are some high level spells you can do that does similar effects.... but they aren''t as instantaneous as mine..." He explained.

    "Do you think I''ll be as strong as you?.." I asked him feeling a little hopeful.

    "Of course!.... like I said before... everyone has potential... you just need to practice and train." He said explaining to me.

    "Do you really think that?.." I asked.

    "Of course...like you I started from nothing.... I was just as oblivious about magic as you was..." He replied, his answer giving me a little more hope.

    "I Went into the other room and saw loads of weapons and an arena.. Is that your training room?.." I asked.

    "Yeah... it''s my training room...me and scarlet use it when we want to spar or practice and training." he answered.

    "Do you?... know how to use weapons?.." I hesitantly ask not wanting to offend him.

    "Of course, why?.." he asked.

    "No reason..... Just generally people who use magic only use magic.. in movies and stories.." I answered him.

    "That''s true.....but I like to practice close combat... an over reliance on Magic and Spells is a weakness in battle.... Imagine if you met someone who can nullify magic... or make a null-field..... You''re gonna be screwed." he explained.

    "Other people can use Null-fields?.. " I asked in shock.

    "Well strong casters can use counterspells and counter magic..... but the only thing known to use something similar to a Null-field is a creature called a Beholder.... it had many eye stalks each doing something special... one of them being a Null-Cone." He explained.

    "Ohhh I see... it must be pretty dangerous...." I said hearing him describe it.

    "Ohh yeah..... Don''t ever think of fighting one ever!" He warned me.

    "Is there anything you might lose to?... it sounds like you''re unbeatable... " I asked.

    "You think I''m unbeatable?... there are a great deal of monsters of unimaginable Godly levels of power..." He answered me.

    "By the wayˇ­. what Gods are there in this plane?..." I asked.

    "Well... there are a quite alot..... The Pantheon it the main group of ''Good Gods'' then there are neutral Gods... and there are also bad ones.... but they dwell in their own plane..... They can''t physically manifest themselves here but they can help and have partial influence...." Paul explained.

    "How do you know so much?.." I asked.

    "My first teacher was very intelligent and knowledgeable, listening in class also helps as well." He joked.

 66 Friendship

    I awoke to the alarm bells ringing in my head. Wanting more sleep I pulled a pillow over my head in the hopes to block the sound. Till I remembered I never went back to my room...

    Jumping up in shock I awoke in Paul''s empty room. ''Did I fall asleep mid conversation???...'' reluctantly waking up, "Paul?" I shouted seeing if he''s still around but no reply.

    "I guess he''s already out doing S-rank businessˇ­..." I said to myself getting up. I was still wearing the same top and skirt from yesterday, noticing my robe was folded up on the table with a letter on top of it.

    "Sorry I had to leave early.... Sadly I have stuff to do..... Was a great talk last night. Grab some breakfast if you like and I left lunch in the fridge for you. From Paul" the letter read.

    ''Hmmm... I''ll pick up the lunch and quickly change some clothes and head down for breakfast....'' Quickly grabbing the lunch from his kitchen fridge and quickly made my way back to my room for a change of clothes, taking extra care no one notched me walking down from the S-dorm level and then making my way to the dining hall.

    "HEY EMILIA!!!!" Daisy voice shouted out to me the moment I exited the dorm building.

    "HEY!!!" I shouted back noticing everyone was walking to me.

    "What happened to you last night???" Helen asked looking worried, causing me to contemplate if I should tell them or not.....

    "Yeah!!! We waited for you and even went to look for you!!! You wasn''t even in your room!!!!" Grace said.

    "Yeah we was gonna sneak into the S-dorm but we got caught.... so we were sent back to our rooms." Jay informed me.

    "Sorry for making you guys worried..... Yesterday I met up with Scarlet in the courtyard and we talked little bit then I fell asleep in her room." I told everyone.

    "Well you can tell us everything at breakfast!" Daisy said wrapping her arms around my and began pulling me gently to the Dining hall.

    "Did you see Paul?.." She whispered.

    "Yeah I did! We talked a little." I whispered back to her.

    "OHH OHHH what did he say?! How is he doing?!" she whispered loudly unable to contain her excitement.

    "Yeah he''s doing well .... He''s really busy with stuff he told meˇ­.." I answered her.

    "Do you think you can take me next time?!!!" she whispered asking me looking extremely hopeful squeezing my hand tightly.

    "It wasn''t really a planned meeting... they just kinda turn up and said lets hang out..." I replied.

    "Ooooowww..." Daisy replied saddened at the reply.

    "If I ever get the chance to meet Paul I''ll defiantly bring you along okay?.." I suggested.

    "Yes please!" she said looking at me with a giant smile her expression flipping instantly.

    "So..... What did you guys get up to last night?.." I asked them once we were all seated in the dining hall.

    "Nothing really... planning on ways to get more information on our opponents." Jay said.

    "Hmmmm do you think the school keeps records of students and their capabilities?.." I asked.

    "Not sure..... But it would be extremely beneficial tactically if they catalogued each students and what they can do..." Grace guessed.

    "Because I''m friends with Ashley I''m sure I can ask him for help....." I replied.

    "Ashley?.." They all replied not knowing who he was.

    "Yeah.... Paul''s friendˇ­. The dude with the metal arm we met at the demonstration festival thingy." I reminded Jay and Daisy.

    Daisy gasped at me mentioning him...."was was... was.. He the guy that helped Paul save me in the cult?.." she asked me.

    "I guess so..." I replied...

    "Let''s go meet him! We all have a day off tomorrow anyways!" she suggested filled with excitement by the thought of meeting him.

    "I''m not sure... if he has time off... I think he plays an important role in the running of the school." I said.

    "Well.... He could defiantly be extremely helpful if he decides to help us..." Jay said.

    ''Hmmmm.... I wonder if Paul and Scarlet has time if they can help us...'' I thought to myself....

    "So what happened to you last night??!!" Helen asked me.

    "Ohh so I went outside... For a walk... and met Scarlet... she wanted to hang out for abit...." I replied.

    Helen looked at me weirdly as if she somehow knew I was lying or.... suspects me of lying, "Hmmmm Do u think Scarlet can help us train?..." She asked.

    "I dunno.... she''s really busy apparently....." I said.

    "Yeah.... I assume even though Emilia knows Paul and Scarlet.... I''m pretty sure they both are super busy protecting the school and stuff...." Grace added.

    "That would be so awesome though!... to even train with a day with them without being in a classˇ­.!" Helen said.

    "I know right... I would love to ask Paul on some spell advice...." Jay agreed.

    "I wonder if he knows Druidic spells...." Helen wondered.

    "I think he does..." I answered her.

    "He does??.. How do you know?.." she asked in shock.

    "When we met.... he somehow caused a burst of vines to sprout out of the floor to entangle and hold me..." I replied to her.

    "Holy crap.... How does he know Druidic spells?!!!" Jay said in awe and surprise.

    "No idea.... but was it a Druid spell?.. I assumed it was as it was to do with nature...." I asked.

    "Sounds like Grasping vines to me..." Helen answered.

    "That guy never fails to amaze me..." Jay said in awe.

    "Ohhh did you hear??... apparently there''s gonna be a big announcement in the Colosseum today." I heard a girl say to her group beside us.

    "So do you guys know who''s duelling today?.." I asked.

    "No idea...." they all replied.

    "It wold be awesome what to know what other people can do.." I replied.

    "Yeah it would be defiantly a good learning point." Jay agreed.

    "Wait wait....I just realized... so prior to Atlantis...you guys have had previous training and learning?..." I asked in sudden realization.

    "Yeah... Me and Helen has had some training.... not much though... we spent more time in books when we did in combat..." Grace replied.

    "Yeah... I''ve had quite alot.... The Cult had a very rigorous training schedule..... And the priests taught me a little...." Daisy replied.

    "Yeah... I had one previous teacher... he taught me the some basic spellcasting and spells..." Jay answered.

    "Damn....I''m the weakest here...." I replied.

    "Don''t think like that!!!" Daisy said instantaneously to my reply.

    "Yeah!!! We all started somewhere!" Helen replied to my comment.

    "By the way..... Emilia?.... are you from Consecratus?..." Grace asked out of the blue causing me to cough from the shock.

    "What what?.." I asked trying to catch my breath making sure I heard correctly.

    "Yeah... you said you and Paul were old friends.... but we all know he''s from Consecratus..." Helen added.

    Daisy gasped in shock...."Everything makes sense now.... why you and Paul have some sort of friendship!" Daisy said astonished.

    Fiddling with my clothes unsure how to answer, I gave Jay a glance for guidance on what to do next. He gave me definitive nod and smile. "Okay guys.. I''m sorry it was all my fault..." Jay confessed to them. Causing them to all turn to him in shock, "The reason why she kept it quiet it because I told her too.." He explained.

    "But why keep it a secret?! It''s such a big thing!" Daisy replied.

    "It''s because she''s still new here... completely new.... and I didn''t want anyone taking advantage of her... or you know kidnap her...." He answered.

    "Really?... you think that might happen?.." Helen asked.

    "Yeah... I would bet my life that any of the other schools would want to take her one way or another." He replied.

    "Hmmmm that would make sense..... Having two students from Consecratus must be pretty daunting...." Grace replied.

    "So I wanted her to keep it quiet till we knew we could trust everyone... and well..... Hope everyone could keep it hush hush." He replied.

    "Don''t worry my lips are sealed!" Daisy said putting an arm around me to cheer me up.

    "Same you have our word we shall never speak of this subject again." Grace said giving Helen a nod.

    "Yup!" She replied with a smile.

    "Wait so there''s like no magic where you''re from right?.." Daisy asked realising what Jay said.

    "Nope...Zero magic" I answered.

    "Ohhhh that explains so much.... wow life must be so different there..." She said looking into space imagining what life could be.

    "Wow.... it''s so crazy I''m friends with someone from Consecratus... Helen whispered.

    "Do you think you''ll be strong as everyone else from Consecratus?.." Grace asked.

    "Paul said I could be if I keep training.... but I really doubt it.... my score during the entrance exam was horrible..." I replied.

    "You really should have more confidence in yourself!" Daisy said giving me a hug.

 67 Colosseum

    "Ohhh are you guys done?!" we should finish early and make our way abit earlier to get good seats!" Daisy suggested looking at everyone.

    "Good idea!" Jay said quickly scoffing down the remaining food on his plate.

    "Yeah I''m pretty much done" the rest of us replied.

    "Lets go Daisy." Leading the way.

    "So what do you guys wanna do on our day off?.." I asked.

    "Hmmm... I need to somehow make some gold visit home." Jay said, "So.... I''ll probably take a visit to the schools bounty board.. Or the local towns bulletin board..." Jay replied.

    "Is it okay if I come along?.." I asked him feeling unsure as he only said he will be going.

    "Sure..." He replied.

    "We can all go!..... I''m sure we all need some gold anyways..... And I''m sure with all our abilities we can probably get alot done!" Grace suggested.

    "Yeah.... I want to experience and see what the rest of the world is like.." I added.... "But how do we get off Campus?..." I asked.

    "Someone told me there should be a small building setup to allow students to travel to neighbouring towns and villages." Jay answered.

    Entering the Colosseum we made our way through the foyer, it was filled with many bustling students all queuing up to several sets of double doors. "This line seemed to be going faster!" Daisy pointed and quickly running to the end of the line to hold the spot.

    "Everyone seems so excited..." I said looking at the loud excited atmosphere of all the students.

    "Aren''t you?..." you probably get to see first-hand the use of spells and fighting in combat!" Daisy replied as excited as everyone else.

    "You''re probably right... the S-rank demonstrations was pretty awesome..." I replied remembering how exciting and frightening it was to see Paul and Scarlet fighting.

    Looking carefully at the other students some had a Tattoo of the House creatures on their hand or shoulder, the Phoenix Tattoos seemingly more common in groups but the other two were in smaller groups of two to three friends or alone.

    "Eventually we arrived at the terminal before the double doors with a small computer. Taking peep over Jays shoulders to look at the screen, he typed how many members in our party and was then given a set of areas to pick from."Where do you guys wanna sit?" he asked.

    "Ohh Ohhh north side... so we don''t have the sun glaring in our faces!" Helen asked.

    "Sure." he said tapping on the north side of the Colosseum, and proceeded to lead the way through the double doors.

    We all followed him into the Colosseum magically appearing on the I assume the north facing side of the Colosseum, even arriving earlier then the bell the Colosseum was still pretty packed. It took us a few minutes but we eventually navigated our way through finding a set of seats we could all sit together Jay Daisy and I at the front and Helena and Grace behind me.

    "Woah..... This is crazy..." I said looking around the Colosseum at all the students spectating today, "Why does there seem to be more people here than the dining hall??.." I asked.

    "Hmmm maybe some members of public are allowed to join.. " Jay said also looking around after hearing my question.

    All this reminded me of an American Football game... there were even robots patrolling certain routes selling merchandise and Food, and getting paid with gold coins. "Hmmm looks like the school uses this opportunity to make gold..." I said noticing the robot.

    "Hmmmm Look like it..... Atlantis needs to make gold one way or another.... The other schools also have their ways to make gold...." Helen said.

    I began imagining myself down there ... in an epic battle absorbing the electrifying atmosphere and crowd cheering me on chanting my name.

    Around 10 minutes passed we chit chatted till the sound of bells rang in our head then waited a further 5 minutes when someone walked into the Colosseum from the side into the centre causing everyone to slowly fall silent waiting for her start her announcement.

    Suddenly a loud booming voice blasted out, "Welcome everyone to the First Later Summer Atlantis Games!" She yelled causing everyone to roar in cheer.

    "So this year we are gonna mix things up abit..... We will be introducing Team Battles, Battle Royal and Team Battle Royal!" The woman carried on Announcing to everything causing every to being chatting.

    "For the reaming weeks of Later Summer we will stick to the normal Schedule of One on One Dueling and introducing the changes on Early Winter, so all Students wanting to participate please register yourselves and your teams in the follow week!" She announced.

    "HOLY CRAP!!! We can do the TEAM BATTLES!!!" Daisy suggested looking extremely excitedˇ­..

    "OHHH man if we find a second Cleric..... we would have such astrong setup!!!" Grace added.

    "We have 5 C-rank duels as well as 3 B-ranks and 4 A-ranks lined up Today Lets give our first contestants a big hand of applause... "Rank 440 Jakob Fuchs" as a well-dressed student walks in with a long rob with a weird looking glove, "VS Rank 378 Perucho Martil!!!!" she yelled as another cloaked individual entered juggling a dagger in one hand with a long sword on his side. The whole stadium erupted in cheer and excitement as two students met at the centre taking a bow to each other before walking back a little assuming a stance ready for battle. The Announcer Girl took a good few steps back a fair distance away from the two "3...2...1.... BEGIN." She yelled as both contestants started their actions.

    Perucho instantaneously threw down a handful of balls causing a thick black smoke to appear obscuring our vision of him.While Jakob reached into his robe and throwing out a small metallic device causing the thick black smoke to dissipate into a thin mist revealing the silhouette of Perucho, instantaneously two daggers came flying out the smoke sinking deep into Jakob''s shoulder and arm causing him to step back a little in pain, but with a smirk he pulled out a trigger giving it a click causing the device to explode with a bright blinding white light bright enough to even make me look away slightly. Turning back Perucho scattered two handfuls of balls causing a larger wall of dense black mist to being manifest. Jakob still smirking put some goggles and a mask rolled in a handful of balls which instantaneous releasing a thick green smog barely visible behind the dense black smoke. Out of the smoke Perucho came running out Sword in hand swinging at Jakob savagely carving into him but causing no damage making Jakob instinctively step back lifting his hands to shield himself. Somehow a second Perucho came dashing out quickly flanking Jakob catching him off guard sinking a dagger deep into his exposed back straight into his kidneys, causing Jakob to let out a loud scream bending back in pain. Perucho still unrelenting in his attacks pulled the dagger out and sank it deep into Jakob''s shoulder the forcing Jakob to the floor, pulling out his long sword he held it above his neck for a few seconds before re-sheathing it back to his side and began walking off, the First Percho now standing there lifeless faded into nothingness as if it was an illusion.

    "And the winner is Perucho Martil!!!" the announcer spoke out causing the silent Colosseum to erupt in a loud cheer. Several students began rushing to Jackob applying bandages to his wounds while touching his with golden yellow glowing hands and quickly putting him on a stretcher taking him away.

    "Ohhh my God.... that was alot bloodier then I expected...." I said witnessing the whole fight slightly horrified and scared at the whole spectacle.

 68 Weekend plans

    "Don''t you guys think it was a little bloody?..." I asked on the way back to the dining hall for dinner.

    "Kinda normal.... it get gets real bloody when two melee fighters are at each other to be honest.... and that was kinda one sided..." Grace replied.

    "Do the other schools do anything like this???.." I asked.

    "Well Fighting Pits obviously does.... but the duel only ends once the opponent is either dead or unconscious." Grace replied.

    "Yah..... Unlike the other schools... I think this is Atlantis main source of income.... Eshia gets most their income off the thriving slave trade, Zessia sells alot of raw materials with their large labor force and Aspa sells technology to cities and other schools" Helen stated.

    "By the way.... did you guys know what was going on in the duels?.." I asked still slightly confused with some of the contestants.

    "Yeah.... most of them were quite normal roles for example the first two was a duel between an Artificer and a Rogue or Tickster...." Jay replied.

    "Yah quite a few of the others were normal wizards/sorcerers, fighters and Gunslinger." Grace answered me.

    "Ohhh I see..... Back in my world we never had Gunslinger in stories..." I informed them.

    "Stories?.." They asked.

    "Yeah..... Back where I come from.....magic and stuff are all fictional stories." I answered them.

    "What like in story in books and scriptures?..." Helen asked looking confused.

    "Yeah..... Like elves, goblins, orcs, magical artifacts... magic.... all stories where I come from..." I explained to them.

    "Ohhh wow..... What sort of stories?.." Daisy asked looking extremely curious.

    "There''s one where..... A group of heroes needed to take a magical ring to a volcano to destroy it... Chosen children defeating an Ice Queen despite the unbeatable odds....or my Favoritea boy discovers his a wizard and goes to a wizarding school defeating a one of the greatest evil wizards ever." I replied.

    "It all sounds pretty unrealistic..... I can''t imagine a bunch of kids or an untrained wizard ever beating a seasoned wizard..." Jay stated.

    "Whatˇ­. no?.... epic stories of archers?!! or Druids??!!"Helena and Grace asked in shock.

    "Well.... there has been some stories about elven archers... Druids I haven''t read about yet...." I answered them.

    Grace proceeded by giving Helen the biggest grin ever, while Helen walked slower looking defeated.

    "How about Clerics???!!!!" Daisy asked.

    "Nope..... No cleric either.." I replied to Daisy...

    "WHAT??!!!" Daisy collapsed on Helen also looking defeated.

    Jay chuckled at everyone''s reaction, "It''s alright for you.....!" Daisy hissed at Jay.

    "It''s not my fault... I have nothing to do with it!" he replied but still grinning with joy.

    "So What stories do you guys have here?.." I asked.

    "Hmmm... Historical battles... Battles between Gods.... Fabled tales of Mighty Heroes.... Kinda the same stuff... but a little more realistic..." Jay replied.

    "What''s wrong with Clerics and Druids???!!" Helen complained.....

    "I know!!! I can heal the wounded and you can command nature.... WHAT can be more awesome then that??!!" Daisy agreed.

    "I''m so sorry guys.... but I think you guys are super strong and awesome.... if that counts for anything.." I replied trying to lighten their spirit.

    "Yeah but not even one story about us?!!! That blows!!!" Daisy said complaining.

    "Okay okay calm down guys we''re entering the dining hall now..." Jay said turning to them.

    "Fine...." Daisy said returning back to normal.

    Entering the Dining hall slowly filling up with students we took the same seats we normally do, this time we all left a small mark on the benches to indicate the location.

    "Ohhhh so Emilia?... can I come with you to see Ashley if you''re going after dinner?..." She asked as we waited for all our food to arrive.

    "Ummm sure..... But I don''t know if the Teleporter he gave me can take 2 people..." I said.

    "Wait what a teleporter?!!" They all responded in a look of complete shock.

    "Funny you guys are more surprised than I am and I''m the new on here...." I chuckled and began eating.

    "Ummm because.... Personal Teleporters aren''t cheap!!!! And Really hard to get!!!" They all shouted at me.

    "They are?..." I looked back at the puzzled.... "Ashley just tossed it to me like it was worth nothing...." I replied.

    "Gosh you''re so lucky to know such amazing people Emilia..." Daisy replied.

    "I guess you''re right... I''m still new here so I don''t really know much..." I replied.

    "It''s okay it was just a little shocking...." Jay said.

    "Have they given you anything else?.." Grace asked her eyes wide open leaning forward and even stopped eating.

    "Yah... The badge is the thing that does the teleporting... I haven''t tried it yet.....It also acts as a communicator with Ashley, Paul and Scarlet... and Paul gave me a Bag of holding...." I confessed to them.

    The news even caused Jay to stop his eating momentarily ".... you have a personal communication device straight to Scarlet and Paul??!!" Jay said in shock his mouth still filled with food.

    "Yeah..... I know they are a little privateˇ­. so I wasn''t sure if I should have told you guys...." I hesitantly replied.

    "Yeah but... you can ask them to help us against our duels right....." Jay asked.

    "Ummmm I can try asking.... but I feel a little guilty...." I confessed.

    "How comes?..." They all asked.

    "To be honest..... Back in our plane Paul and I had a big fight and we wasn''t talking for years.... so I feel super uncomfortable if I ask him for help and stuff....." I confessed to them.

    "Ohhhh.... We''re so sorry... it must''ve been so weird the way everyone praises him and stuff.... we''re so sorry!" they all apologized.

    "It''s okay guys.... don''t worry about it...." I replied to them my confession obviously making them feel awkward and a little guilty noticing them fall silent and began eating quietly.

    "Soooo... so any idea''s which town we should visit tomorrow?" Jay asked trying to break the awkward silence.

    "Let''s go back to Triploa its moderately large so I''m sure there''s gonna be work somewhere.... and on top they have a Hunters Guild there..." Daisy answered.

    "What''s a Hunters Guild?" I asked.

    "It''s a place where people go to pick up bounties.... for creatures and parts." Grace answered.

    "Ohhhh I see... that sounds like it would be fun!" I replied feeling excited that I might be abler to see creatures and perhaps get into a fight or two.

    "Yah.... there''s a Help board if citizens are in need of help and stuff..." Daisy added.

    "Sounds good!!!" Helen said with a giant smile bubbly as ever.

    "Wait but am I ready?... I''ve only cast Cantrips so far..." I asked feeling a lot weaker then everyone.

    "Don''t worry Emilia! We''ll take care of you!" Daisy said with a huge smile wrapping her arms around my shoulder swaying me side to side.

    "By the way how is the food?... now you''ve had it a few times now...." Jay asked one of his eyebrows raised in curiosity.

    "It''s pretty nice.. But I really do miss Indian food..." I answered them, missing foods with a little more flavour and spice.

    "Indian?" they all asked with their faces filled with confusion.

    "Ohhhh sorry... it''s the country where I''m from..... Back in my plane my Family is born in a place called India.

    "Ohhh wow! What''s it like?!" Helen asked.

    "It''s a nice country.... Lots of people you can get anything there... the only problem is the Heat.... it''s always so hot there... so bad that in the summers we all tend to stay indoors where it''s cooler." I described to them.

    They all listened absolutely fascinated with what I had to say. "But what''s it like without magic?...Like growing plants?..." Helen asked.

    "Well tree and plants just grow naturally... very very slowly and we change what we grow depending on the season..." I answered her.

    "And what about hunting?....." Grace asked.

    "Hunting is normally done for sport.... we kinda have industries that mass breed animals for consumption." I explained.

    "Like a farm?..." Grace asked.

    "Hmmm yeah some are from normal farmsˇ­. But there as industrialised huge ones that grow vast number of animals." I explained.

    "But no one does hunting anymore?.." She asked again.

    "No people only do it for fun sadly.." I answered her again.

    "Hmm I can see why though.... the thrill of taking out a deadly monster is quite addictive." She replied.

    "How about healing people?..." Daisy asked.

    "Hmmmm we have medication... it''s things we take to speed up the healing process. It''s mainly doctors and nurses.... that identify what''s wrong then give you the right medication." I replied.

    "I seeee.... but not healing powers?..." She asked.

    "Nope nothing instantaneous like what you guys have here sadly...." I replied.

    "Well that sounds horribly slow..." Daisy sat there pondering on the subject.

    Finishing our dinner we retired for the evening heading to Helen and Graces dorm as always. "Hey Emiliaˇ­. Just wanted to keep you updatedˇ­. Your clone is doing fine nothing to worry about." Paul said through the communicator.

 69 Hunters Guild

    Waking up and getting dressed I happily made my way down knowing that everything at home is going great.

    "Morning Emilia!" Helen greeted me.

    "Morning! Everyone" I greeted everyone noticing I always seem to be the last one out.

    "Wearing the robe again?.." Jay asked.

    "Hell yeah! You don''t understand how much I''ve wanted to wear wizard robes!" I replied to his comment on my dress sense.

    "Robes aren''t worn where you come from?.." Daisy asked as we made our way for breakfast.

    "Nope.... we just wear ordinary clothes.... like coats, T shirts, Trousers and stuff.." I answered her.

    "No armours?.." She asked looking confused at me.

    "Yeahˇ­.why not at least wear leather armour..." Grace added.

    "Nope none... not really a need for it...." I replied.

    "But what if you get into a fight?..." Helen asked looking slightly worried.

    "..... What you mean?.." I asked looking confused back at them.

    "You know.... when you anger someone they pull a weapon on you... so armour should be worn...." Grace explained.

    "Ohhhh weapons are prohibited in public where I come from..." I replied.

    "But But... how do you defend yourself?..." Grace asked thoroughly confused.

    "There''s police to deal with disputes....." I answered.

    "But what if a giant attacks you? Or wyvernsˇ­. Or goblinsˇ­.??..." She asked.

    ".... We don''t have monsters where we come from.... maybe animals like lions and tigers... but they aren''t in cities." I answered her.

    "No monsters at all?.." grace asked.

    "None.... zero..." i answered.

    "... That must be so weird...." She replied.

    "..... It''s normal..." I smiled back.

    ".... Okay..." she replied taking a seat for breakfast.

    "So... What should we do today..." Jay asked.

    "Yeah... either we go to the Hunters guild to see if there are any bounties we can handle.... Or we go to the notice board and see if there is anything the city needs help with." Daisy asked.

    "Well whatever we decide... Me and Grace Needs to head back and collect our weapons." They replied while eating their food.

    "I think we should start with the notice board.... probably do some menial work...." Jay suggested.

    "I want to do something exciting!" I said my childhood fantasies getting the better of me.

    "Hunters guild it is..." Daisy replied with a giant smile.

    "I don''t think that''s a great idea..." Jay commented.

    "You''re always too cautious.... where is your sense of adventure?!" Daisy replied.

    "Last time we had a mini adventureˇ­ we got blasted but a protection runeˇ­" He commented.

    "Ahh everything turned out fine!" she smile disregarding his statement.

    "I''m sure we can have an exciting adventure without risking our lives." Grace added.

    "Well... I guess three votes beats one..." Jay begrudgingly agreed.

    Finishing up our breakfast we and made our way back to the dorm rooms waiting outside for Grace and Helen to retrieve their weapons.

    "Is it me or its getting slightly colder?.." I asked.

    "Yeah Its late summer soon... it will be early Autumn soon... so its gonna get slightly colder and more windy..." Daisy answered.

    "I see....." I replied.

    Jay remained silent reading his spell book, "What you looking at Jay?..." I asked.

    "Ahhh just spells I want to remember." He answered me.

    "Ohhh I see....." I replied.

    "Sorry for the wait good to go now!" Grace and Helen said quickly making their way back, both of them not dressed with a beautifully ornate leather vests embedded with patterns all along the edges fastened with three buckles along one side over their shirts.

    "Let''s go!" Daisy yelled loudly leading the way barely able to contain her excitement.

    Making to our way to the world tree, there was a huge crowd standing around a small kiosk with the occasional flashes of blue lights. "I guess we need to go there..." Jay said closing his spell book and placing them in his robe.

    Slowly we made our way closer to the kiosk. "Hey! Where would you like to go?!" A female student at the kiosk asked us as we arrived at the kiosk.

    "Tripola please!" Helen asked.

    "Okay sureˇ­. how many of you and what year?..." She asked us.

    Turning around counting us to make sure, "Five please! Year one." she answered her.

    "Okay ...." She answered Helen and quickly took out a dashboard flipping through some sheets, "Tripola is safe right now so it''ll be fine..... Keep these trackers on at all time!" she said to use handing us five bands of leather.

    "Sure thank you!" Helen answered.

    The student at the kiosk typed something on a computer causing a blue portal to suddenly open, "Please step through." She said.

    "Thank you!" Helen replied with a giant smile and walked through the portal the rest of us following her also thanking the student.

    "Take care." she replied to us watching us depart.

    Arriving back at Tipola, it looked as if repairs to the city was still underway form the Wyvern attack. Several buildings still having scaffolding set up and noticeable damage still on some structures. The town still busy as ever with several different races and animals all living and walking in unison.

    "So Hunters guild right?.." Daisy asked.

    "Yeah... but I still think it''s a bad idea.." Jay answered her.

    "Stop being so pessimistic!" Helen replied to his comment.

    "This way then!" Daisy said leading the way.

    "Umm do you guys think we need anything?.." I asked. As we passed what seemed to be the market district noticing a huge abundance of people crowding around open stalls and shop fronts.

    "Lets see what bounty we accept first before we buy supplies." Grace answered.

    "Ahhh okay..." I replied sill looking around in wonder and awe.

    Eventually we arrived what seemed to be a business district, the shops here being noticeably larger than those in the market with zero stalls but there were far less people. Larger premium real estate looing extremely clean and extravagant, with the occasional carriages carrying individuals to certain shops.

    One wide gentleman stepped out the carriage wearing extremely wealthy looking clothing adorned head to toe in golden jewellery, walking into a shop front being welcomed by two very beautiful young women dressed in very revealing clothing flaunting their hourglass figure. They welcomed him wrapping one arm around each of his sides giving his butt a squeeze and kissing him on his neck entering the building with giant smiles and giggles.

    "That''s called the house of Lady Favours....." Grace said noticing me watch them.

    "Lady favours?.." I asked turning to her looking puzzled.

    "Yeah.... Gentleman go there to ask Ladies for Favours in exchange for money...." She chuckled.

    "OHHHHHH I see!!!..." Instantly looking disgusted at the building as we passed it.

    Further on another building caught my eye, the interior lit up with a very mystic looking glow, the shop having various potions of all sorts of colours on display as well as weapons and armour. The shop keeper looking very busy counting stock wearing what I would consider a very standard wizard outfit wearing a pointy wide brimmed hat and a long blue and golden robe.

    "This is a magic shops right?.." I asked the group after we walked past it.

    "Yup that''s a shop that specialises on magical weapons armour and potions." Jay answered me.

    "Magic weapons and armours?.." I asked slightly confused.

    "Some armours are magically enchanted to be sturdier..... Resistant to types of damage.... and for weapons they could be enchanted with special magical properties..." Helen explained.

    "Ohhh i see." I nodded understanding.

    "Ohhh we''ve finally arrived!" Daisy yelled in excitement pointing at a large wooden building in front of us.

    "It looks like an ordinary building...." I said looking at the building Daisy pointed at.

    "Trust me it''s this one!" I she replied to me question.

    Arriving at the entrance Daisy pushed the large double doors open revealing a very busy tavern or bar, filled with many people and parties. "Lets get a table!" Daisy said as we entered.

    The people here are defiantly more diverse then in the market somehow there were more races here. There were Humans that stood only half or a third the height of a normal human, humans, elves, Tieflings but oddly red in colour and not blue..... Two Dragonborns and one beautiful young woman who was at least 6ft tall with pearlescent white hair.

    "EMILIA!!!" A familiar female voice shouted out to me over the ambient noise of the tavern.

 70 Bounty

    We all turned to see the source of the voice surprised that someone in this tavern would know me. Scarlet''s striking red hair made it extremely easy to identify sitting with Paul and Ashley on a table in the middle of a conversation. Ashley noticing me also began waving at me telling me to come over and switched seats so they were all sitting on the same side of the table.

    "Do you think we should go?.." Jay mumbled to us quietly.

    "Do you want to be rude to Scarlet''s invitation?.." Grace asked.

    "You''re right.... I guess we should got then." He replied.

    We slowly made our way to their table, Scarlet''s familiar fear thing hitting us as we got closer causing a shiver to run down our spin and straighten our posture. Slowly we all scuttled together on the open side of the table they left us.

    "Hey Emilia! and friends!" Scarlet greeted us with a big smile.

    "Hey..." We all struggled to reply back barely able to control our hands to wave back.

    Paul coughed loudly at our inability to act within close proximity of Scarlet.

    "Ohhh shoot... I forgot." Ashley said hearing Paul''s cough and began rummaging through his bad pulling out some coins and sliding one to each of us. "Take one each it should help." He said with a smile.

    We all hesitantly went to grab the coin Ashley slid to us, instantaneously it somehow stopped the frightening feeling Scarlet emits.

    "Thanks....." We all thanked him surprised how a simple coin was able to do such a thing. looking at it closely inspecting every millimetre, ''nope it looks like a normal silver coin.''

    "It only lasts a day sadly.... but it will do for now." He smiled.

    "So Hello ..... Emilia Jay and Daisy.... and.. sorry I don''t think we''ve met yet." He said waving as us and then stopped looking at Helen and Grace.

    "This is Helen and Grace..." I introduced them noticing that they were speechless after they failed to respond after a few seconds of silence staring directly at him.

    "Have you been training Daisy?.." Paul asked her with a smile.

    "Yes of course, everyday without fail like how we used to." She replied to him speaking very quickly with a smile.

    "That''s good.... and it''s nice to meet you Helen and Grace." He said with a smile and nod towards them.

    "So what brings you guys here???.." Ashley asked.

    "We needed some gold so we came here to see if there''s something we could handle." Jay answered Ashley.

    "Ohhhh.... as first years?..." Pauls said in shock.

    "Yeah I didn''t want to.. but everyone else wanted to go on an ''adventure''." Jay answered with air quotations causing Paul to chuckle slightly.

    "Well I''m sure you are all very capable.... so it shouldn''t be hard to find something." Paul smiled.

    "OHH OHH maybe they can come with us!" Scarlet suggested causing Paul and Ashley to turn to her in utter shock.

    "Are you crazy?... they''d be killed....." Ashley responded to her suggestion, "No offense" he said turning to us.

    "None taken.." Jay jay nodded in agreement with his statement.

    "Yeah it''s far too dangerous for them...." Paul replied.

    "Yeah but.. come on... we''ve done plenty of escort missions... protecting normal people... I''m it wouldn''t be much harder." She replied.

    "... Well I can tell some of you are excited to be here.... so I''ll let you guys decide.... It''s a little past mating season for Desert Death Worms..... so the females are gonna be very hungry and aggressive in search for food.... today we will be hunting them for their roe and scales and some other parts. So Emilia and Co what do you say?.." He turned asking us with a raised eye brow.

    "Absolutely not!..... Death worms are notorious for killing parties and caravans passing through the desert... specially after mating season!" Jay replied to him.

    "Woah woah woah... wait Jay..... Don''t you want to see them in action?.." Grace asked.

    "Yeah.... but they are Death worms!!!.... And way way more dangerous during mating season...." He explained to Grace.

    "Don''t forger females are stronger and larger than males." Paul added.

    "Yeah! That as well!" He nodded.

    "Yeah but Scarlet said they will protect us...." Daisy added.

    "Yeah... you''ll be 100% safe!" Scarlet said with a smile.

    "She''s being optimistic as always.... there is always risk..... But we should be able to protect you." Ashley said with a smile.

    "Ashley is right..... We should be able to protect you..... But things could easily go awry." Paul said.

    "I swear you guys are all insane...." Jay said to us causing Paul to chuckle.

    "I mean... it does sound pretty dangerous... and they are called Death Worms for a reason...." I said.

    "Lets vote on it!" Helen said.

    "Okay so all who doesn''t want to go hold your hands up." I said to which Ashley, Jay and I held up our hands.

    "And those who don''t?.." Helen said with a giant smile as Scarlet, Grace, Daisy and Helen held their hand up.

    "But Paul didn''t vote...." I instantly interjected.

    "Well I didn''t think our votes counted.... and on top I''m neutral." He replied.

    I looked at him angrily for not agreeing with me, "Look....it''s dangerous... but I''m not gonna lie Death Worm roe is a very expensive commodity so your money problems will be solved for a long time. I which is a reason why you came here..." He said.

    "So it''s sorted we are gonna join them!" Grace said with a smile in excitement which was slightly unnerving as I haven''t seen her so excited before...

    "Well..... If you guys do decide to come along we''re gonna need to take a pit stop back at school so we can get you guy some stuff to help you guys a little...." He explained.

    I looked at Jay defeated... "We lost the vote....." I said to him.

    "I know... the other three are crazy...." He replied.

    "Okay well.... Let''s get this adventure on the way then." Paul said with a smile clapping his hands together.

    "Scarlet can you get us some super healing potions?... then meet us back here?.... you always fetch the best prices..." He smiled.

    "Sure see you guys in abit" Paul and Ashley stood up to let her out.

    I watched her walking out as many patrons in the tavern dropped their drinks in shock as she walked closer behind them some even backing away slowly eyes fixated on her. "By the way..... Why does she always make me so frightened?.." I asked Paul.

    "It''s her thing...." Paul casually answered, "Right I''ll be right back I need to accept the bounty." He said walking off into a room behind the Bar, giving the barman a nod allowing him to enter.

    Ashley sat back on the bench sitting opposite to us. "So.... are you guys liking Atlantis?.." He asked.

    "It''s Great!!!" Helen, Grace and Daisy replied.

    "If you don''t mind me asking.... what made you two come to Atlantis?... Elves tend to stay in their own communities....." He asked curiously.

    "Ohhh... it''s because we wanted to explore the world.... and meet others." They smiled.

    "Ohhh that''s interesting..." He said....."So what do your parents think about coming to a human school??" He asked.

    "They pretty much disowned us...." They replied quietly looking down.

    "Well its abit fortuitous that you both got into Atlantis and didn''t get split up." He smiled.

    "If you don''t mind me asking.... can you tell me what''s gonna stop us getting eaten alive?.. or getting killed?.." Jay asked.

    "Well.... You might not know... but I''m a decent Artificer and because we know what we''re up against I have some stuff in storage that might help in our upcoming battle." Ashley replied to Jay.

    "Ashley?.... do you remember me?.." Daisy asked sheepishly.

    "Hmmmm....Sorry I don''t... oddly though... in all my adventures I''ve only seen one Blue Tiefling very briefly but she was in a cult we took down but I''m not sure what happened to her..... I had to take someone away at the time." He answered.

    "That''s her!!!" I informed him in excitement.

    "Wow really?....I''m so sorry for not recognizing you earlier..." He apologized to Daisy.

    "It''s okay... we didn''t meet for long.... but I wanted to thank you for saving my life...." She thanked him.

    "No need for thank you, living and being a good person is thanks enough." He smiled at her.

    "I will!" she replied to him with a big smile.

    "By the way.... Ashley.... what battle rank are you?.." I asked.

    "Me?.." he chuckled, "I''m currently unranked." He replied.

    "Can I ask why?.." Jay instantaneously asked with a look of worry on his face.

    "Because like Paul we don''t really care about this ''Rank''.." He replied with air quotations.

    "But Paul is ranked one...." Jay interjected.

    "Yeah he was placed there by the headmaster..." Ashley answered him.

    "So is he actually strong?..." Jay asked.

    "I dunno.... I''ll let you be the judge of that..." He smiled back at him clearly noticing his worry and playing around with him.

    "Don''t let Ashley''s Rank fool you.... I''ve seen him beat A or A+ ranks equivalent students when forced to lift a finger." Paul said walking back in, "So I have the contract... looks like we need to kill one Adult Worm assuming normal yield..... But if we need more money we can kill more." He said taking a seat beside Ashley.

    "So where are we going?.." Jay asked.

    "Well we''ll be going to the vast desserts of Eshia..." He answered.

    "So we''re going to one of the most inhospitable places as well..." He stated.

    "We''ll be fine...." Paul said with a smile his reply doing little to reassure Jay.

    "So while we wait for Scarlet to return.... Drinks? anyone?." Paul asked.

    "Sure!" we all replied.

 71 Preparation

    "Sorry for the wait!.... I had to visit a few more shops to get enough potions for everyone." Scarlet said arriving back after her trip.

    "Thanks for getting the potions." Paul thanks her finishing up his drink, "So we all good to go?.." He asked with a smile causing us to all take one last gulp before setting down our drinks.

    "We''re ready!" Helen said with a smile.

    "Great!" Paul replied smiling walking out the tavern leading the way, we waited for Scarlet and Ashley to follow him before following behind them.

    "Are you sure this is a good idea?.." Jay whispered to the group."

    "It will all be fine!" Daisy replied with a big smile.

    "Yeah I''m sure they will protect us!" grace said.

    "I swear before this you wasn''t such a big fan of his.." I replied to her.

    "Yeah.... but I would love to see him in action!" She said.

    "Yeah... don''t you?!" Helen asked.

    "We saw him already.... when he killed the goblin army..." I replied, but secretly a part of me wanted to see him in action up close in a real life situation.

    "Trust me.... knowing Paul and Emilia''s history i bet nothign will happen to us..." Daisy said.

    "You guys are gonna be the death of me..." Jay said as we exited the building to rejoin them.

    "You guys can back down... if you want it''s not too lateˇ­." Paul said opening a red portal behind him and stepped through.

    Ashley and Scarlet turned to us with a smile motioning us to follow before stepping into the portal.

    Helen Grace and Daisy jumped in excitement almost unable to contain their excitement. "We''re gonna get the chance to step through Paul''s portal!!!." They squealed and quickly jumped through, followed closely with Jay and me casually stepping through.

    We entered what seemed to be Ashley''s dimly lit Lab room noticing the large table he was working on when we first met.

    "Lights on" Ashley shouted causing the lights to suddenly shine brighter revealing the full extent of his vast lab. Filled with what I assume to be materials, gadgets and gizmos on the side a larger empty area. "Clear the Table please." He shouted again causing several lifeless mechanical golems to emit a small blue glow and come to life and began to walks to the table clearing it as Ashley and Scarlet went deeper into his Lab.

    "Eight Chairs please..." Paul shouted causing the robots to bring back eight chairs and carried on clearing the table.

    "Take a seat...." He said pulling out a book from his robes flicking through the pages before stopping at one and began reading through it whispering in another language.

    We all stood in anticipation watching him knowing that he was casting some unknown spell his eyes flashing with a very faint yellow tint similar to the colour similar to when Daisy casts her spirit weapon and shield. Snapping his book closed he placed it back in his robes as a magnificent feast of food, wine and cutlery materialized on the now cleared table.

    "You guys can take a seat...." he said taking out his wand and with a small flick all the chairs positioned themselves on the side of the tables and taking a seat at the end of the table.

    We all carefully took the seats on one side of the table looking at the magically created feast in front of us.

    "Don''t worry its safe for consumption, it will also help in our upcoming adventure he said."

    "What sort of spell was that?.." I whispered to Jay.

    "I don''t know myself..." He whispered back.

    "So..... Helen Grace?... what brings you here to a human school?...." He asked.

    "We came here because we wanted to experience the world outside of the Elven prejudices sir.." they replied to him.

    "No need to call me sir... Please call me Paul." He chuckled.

    "Okay Sorry..." They replied.

    "But let me take the time now to thank you all for helping Emilia and taking care of her, I am eternally grateful." He said his voice filled with sincerity, "And don''t worry about our upcoming mission I''ll keep you all safe." He smiled, hearing him say it washed away any anxiety and nervousness I had. "You''re safety is our top priority there''s nothing to worry about." He said as Ashley and Scarlet came back their arms filled with heaps and heaps of equipment.

    "Ahh there you guys are... did you find everything?.." He said turning to them.

    "Yup." They replied taking a seat on the other side of the table.

    "Okay... Lets eat and then we''ll get everything fitted and go through some basics and then we''ll head off." He smiled standing up holding up his hand for Jay''s plate and began dishing out food for everyone.

    "Aren''t you guys afraid at all?.." Jay asked them as Paul finished up plating everyone''s dishes.

    "Not at all.... We have handled much worse..." Scarlet said and began eating politely causing all of us to begin eating, with each mouthful I could feel there was something special about the food..... It felt like it slowly reenergised me somehow..

    "What was the nastiest thing you''ve slayed so far?.." Grace asked.

    "Hmmmm....It would be a tossup between.....Vampires.... or Mind Flayers.... in small numbers they can be extremely deadly... especially if they over whelm you..." Scarlet replied.

    "Yeah..... We''ve been in some very close calls..." Ashely agreed.

    "Yeah defiantly creatures with intelligence are quite deadly..... Innately Wild creatures are easy to predict...." Paul added.

    "Paul may I ask a question?..." Helen politely asked.

    "Sure ask away." He replied

    "Why do you never participate in the Grand Tournament?.. Every 4 years?" She asked him.

    "It''s because I don''t feel a need to prove myself to anyone..." He replied.

    "Will you ever participate?.." She asked.

    "You never know I might compete in the upcoming one." He smiled and gave me a wink causing me to look back at him completely confused.

    "Do you think you''ll take top place?.." Helen asked.

    "Maybeˇ­. But the top tier students in the other schools are pretty strong..." He replied

    It took us roughly an hour to finish eating up the magical feast, then it slowly dissipated into nothingness leaving the table bare and clean as if nothing was there to begin with.

    "Right lets get you guys all geared up... and ready to go." Paul said standing and walking over to the bunch of equipment.... "So I assume you all have your weapons?... Since Grace, Helen and Daisy has theirs." He asked.

    "Yeah we do.." Jay and I replied pulling out our wands.

    "Ohhh nice wand you got there Jay." Paul commented noticing it.

    Paul, Scarlet and Ashley spent some time sorting out the equipment and issued us to come over. Daisy grabbed me and pushed me in front of her to stand in front of Paul.

    He stood up holding up a leather chest piece, "So... this equipment is pretty rare and expensive so please don''t lose them..." He said placing it around me and fastening it tightly, "It should protect you guys from most the incoming damage the worm can do." He smiled at me.

    He proceeded to grab a pair of bracelets putting them on my wrists taking extra care when touching my skin.

    "Umm Paul can I just put the gear on myself?.." Daisy asked.

    "Sure.." He answered her moving to the side slightly to let her get past.

    Pulling out some ugly brown boots, "These boots they will help speed you guys up a little... I know they aren''t fashionable...." He chuckled placing them at my feet to put on.

    "Ashley do we have any.... of those Amulets that stop bleeding?.." He asked.

    "Ohh yeah... I think we have two..." He said walking off to a shelf picking up two shiny amulets with a bright red ruby on them.

    "Thanks" he said taking them, "So these will stop you from bleeding out in case we are a little far too heal you." He said with a smile, I parted my hair to the side to allowing him to put it on and handing the other to Daisy.

    "Hmmm what else could help.." He said to himself pondering.

    "Ohhh Ashley you got any of those Invisibility coins?.." He asked.

    "Yeah sure... I''ll go get them once I''ve done explain what these items do to Jay." He replied to him..

    "Sure..." Paul replied to him.

    "Ohhh maybe some weapons in case you''ve guys have ran out of Arcanum." He said smiling proud of himself for remembering. Disappearing behind some shelves for a few seconds he came back with some modern looking guns. "So this is a Standard Visium pistol.... It doesn''t do too much.. But better than nothing." He smiled and also handing one to Daisy, "Use this for when you''re out of melee range of anything okay?" He said to her.

    "Okay she replied attaching it to her belt.

    "Scarlet get Helen and Grace a pistol... Ohhhh and maybe get Grace some Siege arrows." He said to Scarlet.

    "Sure no probs." She said walking off to retrieve them.

    "You too Ashley remember to get Jay a Pistol as well..." He said.

    "No worries." He said still explaining everything to Jay.

    "Hmmmmm what else...." He said still pondering to himself.

    "Paul I think that''s all need...." I reassured him noticing him getting a little stressed at what else to do.

    "Hmmmm I think you''re right..." He said standing up giving me a pat on the head, "Excited?.." He asked.

    "A little?..." I replied feeling a little nervous and unsure.

    "We''ll be alright." He said trying to reassure me.

    "Right we''re all done..." Ashley and Scarlet said.

    "How many potions did You manage to buy Scarlet?.." Paul asked.

    "Ummm Ten Greater Healing potions." She replied.

    "Okay great... Give one to everyone... and give one extra to Emilia, Jay and Grace." He instructed Scarlet.

    "Okies." She said pulling out a potion out of her pouch handing it out to everyone.

    "You got the lures Ashley?..." Paul asked.

    "Yup...." He replied going to a shelf picking out long rods.

    "So just to brief everyone.... You should be quite well protected now... but please be wary of it''s mouth or its stinger those are its only forms of attack....so try to stay along its sides." Paul began explaining to everyone, they are extremely heavily armoured so save your attack till either Scarlet or Grace with siege arrows makes and opening in its plating." It mainly detects enemies through vibrations in the ground, so make sure you keep movement to a minimum so Scarlet can keep its attention but move if you must!" He carried on explaining.

    "Everyone Ready??!" He said with a smile.

    "Yes!" we all replied to him.

    "Hold on I need to get the coins." Ashely said quickly running off and coming back with a bag pulling out a Gold Coin and handing one to each of us. "These have three uses onlyˇ­. So just keep countˇ­" He explained to us.

    "Great let''s begin he said opening a portal behind him revealing a desert behind him with a gentle sandstorm blowing through.

 72 Death Worm

    We stepped into a vast barren dessert absent of any vegetation or animals, the blistering sun blasting down on us.

    "Welcome to the desserts of Eshia." Paul said as we arrived through the portal.

    "Emilia and co stay near me but not too close Ashley set up the seismic generators." he ordered us.

    "Sure." he said walking off a good distance away and plunging three rods in close proximity of each other into the sand.

    "How do Death Worms even grow here?.." I asked.

    "They generally stay deep underground but after mating seasonˇ­. Females are forced to widen their hunting zoneˇ­" Paul replied.

    Ashley quickly began walking back to use with a giant smile as if unfazed by our future battle.

    "So is everyone ready???!!" Paul said with a smile.

    We all nodded silently anxious with what''s about to commence.

    "Lets get this show on the road!!" he said giving Ashley a nod and placed his hand on Scarlet''s back.

    Ashley proceeded by pressing something on his arm causing the rods to vibrate in rapid succession causing the ground to vibrate slightly. "It''s quite an awesome designˇ­. I synced the Rods together so the vibrations from each rod combines making it go further and stronger." He smiled explaining to us.

    We waited and waited.... but nothing happened. "How do we know they are coming???..." I asked Paul.

    He turned around to me with a big smile as if excited by it all, "Its coming." he replied to me.

    As he predicted a larger set of vibrations started in pulses the delay getting shorter and short. "Remember the plan everyone!!!! It''s locked on us now!!!" He yelled to us as the large vibrations got stronger and stronger with no pause.

    He turned back facing Scarlet and began whispering something causing her to glow red and started vibrating rapidly.

    As Paul described a humongous brown armoured worm burst out from beneath the rods engulfing them in its large mouth whole, before arching back down into the ground. The size was truly frightening its full length must have been the height of a tall building.

    "Lets go!!!" he shouted causing Scarlet to pull out a weird potion guzzling it down quickly and began running towards the Worm in an intense speed, for some reason she seemed to be growing despite running away from us.

    "Lets dance!!!" catching the worm in it''s side before it fully submerging itself her sword cutting through it like a hot knife through butter.

    "You call that a fing worm????!!!! It''s bigger than a fing building!!!!." I screamed at Paul as my mind fully comprehended the sheer monstrosity we were up against.

    "Too late to back down now." Paul turned back smiling and whispered something under his breath his eyes emitted a slight white flash, causing all of us to also glow with a very familiar but extremely faint white hue.

    Daisy began glowing golden summoning her shield and sword. Grace drew her siege arrow ready aiming at Scarlet ready for the Worm''s next attack.

    "Here it comes!!!" he yelled and within seconds the Worm emerged again beneath Scarlet making her dive to the side to avoid it. As it rose from the ground missing Scarlet it arched down facing her ready for a bite.

    Turning her blade lengthways she blocked the bite holding the worm in place for a few seconds giving Grace a few seconds to launch her arrow.

    "She made you and opening!"" Paul yelled to Grace but she already knew, her arrow already in flight heading directly to the big gash Scarlet left it on its first attack.

    "Nice!!!!"Ashley yelled as the arrows impacted it with a large explosion causing the wound to widen and sending off chunks of flesh and scales as it pulled back writhing in pain.

    The worm backed off looking directly at where the arrow came from, directly at us.

    "Stay calm!!!!" Paul yelled to us fully aware it was trying to look for us.

    "Behind you!!!!" Daisy yelled as a stinger silently emerged from the sand behind us heading straight for Grace.

    "Ohhh crap...." Paul shouted as the sting landed dead on Graces chest sending her flying tumbling meters away. "GET it''s after attention Scarlet." He yelled quickly running to Grace.

    Scarlet went for a large swing cutting it deep in its back, but it was too late.... it was already heading straight to graces body.

    Daisy sent her shield sword and shield to distract the Worm but it was no use it just bounced off it like a pea shooter.

    Paul quickly pulled out a wand and dropping the tip down on the ground causing the Worms head to come crashing down on the ground completely missing both of them. He instantly placed a hand on her chest and muttered something causing his hands to glow yellow.

    "F.... that hurtˇ­." She coughed.

    "Is she okay???" I shouted to him.

    "She''s okay just a little winded!!!" He shouted back.

    Suddenly a large showed eclipsed me along with a disgustingly revolting smell, causing me to turn slowly to look behind me. Again for the 2nd time in a week I was meet with the open maw of a stupidly humongous monstrosity its rows of hundreds of razor sharp teeth ready to devour and shred into mincemeat.

    "Don''t move!!!!!" Paul yelled.... but it was too late my body instinctively began stepping back slowly. The moment I took my third step it locked onto me diving straight to me ready to devour me whole.

    Suddenly I felt a sensation pulling me back in the corner of my eyes seeing myself past the event horizon of Paul''s portal.

    "That was close...." he looked at me with a smile and a big sigh of relief.

    "Get the tracker on it!!!" He yelled.

    "Already done!!!" Ashley shouted back at him as the Worm burrowed back underground again.

    "Behind you!!!" Daisy yelled as a stinger rose from the ground again, the sharp point aimed directly at us.

    Paul quickly pulled me and Grace together to shield us with his body before the stinger went for a strike...

    "Paul!!!!" I screamed pulling him back stopping him for doing something stupid.

    "FU*K!!!" I yelled as a sharp searing hot pain shot out throughout my body, looking at my left shoulder was a gaping large wound as the stinger skewered through mine and Paul''s shoulder like tracing paper. I instantly began feeling tiredˇ­.. Extremely tired unable to keep my eyes open.

    "Don''t fall asleepˇ­." Yelling placing something on my shoulder, suddenly I felt okay again completely wide awake with his glowing hand on my shoulder.

    "OH MY GOD! PAUL ARE YOU OKAY?!" I yelled at him noticing that his large gaping wound was larger than mine bleeding profusely.

    "I''ll be okay." He smiled "make sure you finish this!" He instructed me.

    "Eat this!!!" Scarlet yelled as the shadow of her large form engulfed us and with one big cleave sundered the tail from the rest of the body causing it to fall to the floor writhing into the sand.

    The vibrations of the Worm shook the ground around us as it writhed in pain underground.

    "It a coming for you scarlet!!!" Ashley yelled causing Scarlet to roll to the side as the Worm burst out from the ground underneath her trying once again to consume her.

    Its head rose arched towards Scarlet reading for its next bite.

    As it went for its next bite Vines exploded from the ground forcing it to the ground before it could reach scarlet.

    "Great idea!" Paul yelled looking back at Helen and began whispering something and his eyes flashed green ever so slightly causing more vines to explode out front he ground entangling the Worm.

    "Now''s our chance!!!" Paul yelled.

    Scarlet drawing her blade plunged it down through the maw skewering it down to ground.

    "Lets finish this!!!" Paul shouted helping Grace up and handing her a siege arrow.

    With a giant smile and a face filled with purpose Grace let loose the arrow flying straight in the open wound chasing another large explosion. The giant worm began writhing in pain trying to break itself free from the vines and Scarlets hold.

    "The time is now!!!" Paul shouted handing Grace another siege arrow.

    Aiming my wand at the gaping wound I focused and began firing off firebolts.

    "Nice Emilia!!!" Paul said to me.

    The worms erratic writhing began to lessen and lessen as we pelted it with barrage of spells and attacks. With one last futile attempt to escape it dropped silently seemingly lifeless.

    "BRAVOOOO!!!!" Paul yelled in excitement placing a hand on his wound healing it completely.

    Looking at the lifeless body sent a mix of emotions running through my veins, I didn''t know how to feel.... I''ve killed insects and tiny things before.... but never something this big and living.....specially a mother...

    His smile turned to concern the moment he looked at me, "Emilia...???.." he asked looking extremely concerned.

    "Yeah...." I replied to him.

    ".....I''m Sorry....." He said to me looking concerned, "I think you need more time to adjust...." He said giving me a hug trying to comfort me.

    "Maybe...."I said hugging him back in return.

    "Umm.... sorry to interrupt but I''m gonna need to help harvest the Worm...." Ashley said interrupting us.

    "Sorryˇ­. I need to do this..." he whispered to me breaking away and taking out a book to flipping through the pages.

    "Okay..." I replied to him taking a smile.

    "You might not wanna watch this....." He said walking towards the corpse.

    "If you guys could keep watch for any incoming bandits or other creatures whole we harvest the good, it will be very much appreciated." He said asking us.

    "Sure we all replied." To him.

    "Okay go in pairs and yell if anyone is incoming." He instructed.

    "Okay...." we all replied walking in different directions.

    "Scarlet go with Emilia please..... " he asked her.

    "Sure." She replied to him joining me her hulking figure now slowly shrinking.

    Looking back Paul and Ashley were talking about something pointing at different points of the Worm.

    "You shouldn''t look back.... it''s gonna get very bloody if you''re squeamish...." Scarlet said to me as we walked away.

    "I''m not squeamish it''s just I''ve never killed anything before....." I replied to her.

    "I understand... Paul said he was like that the first time he came..... He''s adjusting but even now he still has a hard time." Scarlet explained to me.

    ".... How do you do it ???...." I asked.

    "This is a different world... where you''re from.... humans are the top of the chain..... But over hereˇ­. It may look like we are thriving but there are many things that can spell doom to usˇ­.. There was even a time even when dragons ruled the land enslaving humans treating them cattle....." She explained... "Just know we are doing the good fight....." She said smiling at me.

    "I''ll try....." I answered her.

    "This should be far enough...." She said taking a seat on the sand.

    Sitting beside her I could still barely see Paul and Ashley working their way through the Worm carving out scales and flesh placing them in large bags. Paul was right..... It did look extremely messy... the large beast requiring them to plunge their entire arms into the creature.

    "So what''s going to happen next??...." I asked.

    "Well there''s a reason why we picked a Death Worm.... we can sell almost all the parts so there''s minimal waste..." Scarlet explained watching them.

    "How was the battle.... for you???" She asked.

    "I don''t knowˇ­ at first I was extremely nervousˇ­. Then I was extremely worried for everyone seeing the amount of hurt it did with one hitˇ­.." I answered her.

    "Yeahˇ­. We did take you to something that''s way above what you guys could handle alone... we was lucky Paul was here playing support to be honestˇ­" She replied.

 73 Comotion

    Every so often he''d turned around giving me a wave and smile but something felt different, I felt like the more and more time I spent with him the more and more different he''s become.

    "You know.... this week you''ve been here I''ve never seen him so happy..." Scarlet said noticing his wave.

    "The more and more time I spend with him the more and more different he feels....." I told her.

    "Of course he''s a different person...." Scarlet answered me.

    A partof me wishes that he was still the same person back on earth... wondering what he has become.

    "What happened to him?..." I asked.

    "Life here is difficult... One days you''re alive and well and the next day something can just come along and end youˇ­" Daisy replied.

    "...ˇ­" I remained silent trying to imagine what happened to him all these years, fighting monsters and other people.

    "You complete him.... you know what right?" She said, those words echoed through my body causing nostalgic feelings to well up inside my mind and body instantly remembering back when we was together, causing me to smile a little, reminiscing on the old days.

    "But for some reason.... he refuses to do anything....." She said, causing the nice nostalgic feeling to disappearing into a deep void making me feel completely empty.

    "Why?...." I asked quietly...

    "No idea.... He loves dearly..... Yet here you stand and he does nothing...." she said starring at him.

    "....." I remained speechless.

    "Ohhh S*it..." Scarlet said standing up.

    "What?!" I said looking up at her.

    "That doesn''t look good...." She said pointing into the distance Jay and Daisy is running down the dune towards Ashley and Paul.

    "What''s happening?!" I said standing up with her.

    "No idea... but let''s move!" She said running to Paul and Ashley.

    As we got closer I could see Jay and Daisy pointing back at the dunes shouting something to Paul. He looked at them finally noticing them and instantly turned back to me with his face looking extremely worried. "Whatever happens stay calm!" Scarlet said to me, in an instant a portal opened in front of us pulling us through. Instantaneously we were all sudden together, Scarlet walked towards Paul.

    "What''s happening?.." Grace asked looking around totally confused.

    "Yeah what''s happening?.." I asked Jay.

    "Everyone whatever happens just stay calm.... and if anything happens your invisibility coins Ashley gave you." Scarlet and Paul said to us, as four white yellow light pillars fell from the sky surrounded us, with a big blinding flash we were encased in a yellowish barrier.

    "What the hell?.." Grace said looking at what we were encased in.

    "I''ve seen this before... I think this is Paul''s Barrier..." I explained to them.

    "I don''t know what''s happening but we saw a group of people heading straight to us..." Jay said.

    "Yeah..... So we came to notify Paul as quickly as we could." Daisy explained looking worried.

    Looking back at Paul, Scarlet went to retrieve her Sword from the worm and Paul held out his hand opening a small portal plunging his hand into it drawing out a long big scythe slowly from the portal and placing it on his back.

    The three of them waited as a group of eight people came over the dune quickly heading towards us somehow skiing on the sand as if the sand was carrying them. As they got closer it was obvious that they were dressed for the dessert, their clothes similar to the colour to the sand to camouflage them...

    "Stop!!" The one at the front shouted to us pull up her goggles and pulling down the bandanna around her mouth revealing a quite beautiful looking Caucasian woman with long brunette hairˇ­ but she has a large scar running through one eye and pass her cheek. .

    All but the lead one drew their weapons ready for action. "Please tell us why you''re here Black Dragon Slayer..." A feminine voice shouted to Paul their group maintaining a very good distance from us.

    "I''m here for a Bounty..." He shouted back at her.

    "Do you have adequate Documentation?..." She shouted back.

    "Yes I have a Bounty contract" He shouted, his demeanour and speech very serious and stern.

    "I need to inspect it." She ordered him.

    "Stay here... make sure the others are safe no matter whatˇ­." He said to Ashley and Scarlet, putting away his wand he walked to them holding his hands up showing no intention to fight, causing the other seven to lower their weapons.

    An intense silence ensued as we watched Paul pull out the contract for her to inspect passing it to her to read. Silently she read the contract checking its authenticity before passing it back to him giving him a nod, Paul nodded in return taking the contract and began walking back to us. The woman said something to him sneering causing the rest of the seven to laugh as well, Paul stopped and began reaching for his weapon. Scarlet began clenching her sword tightly and Ashley reached into his robe. He looked at me his eyebrows pulled together gritting his teeth in anger, instantly it dropped to a slight smile his hand moved back to his side and he carried on walking back to us again.

    "They said everything was fine." He explained to us dropping the barrier as soon as the eight made a good distance away from us.

    "Are you sure?.." Scarlet asked noticing the tense moment when he was reaching for his weapon.

    "Yeah.... everything is fine" he smiled.... "Thanks for notifying us Jay and Daisy." He said with a smile.

    "Let''s just finish up and get out of here." Ashley suggested.

    "Sure..." he said walking back to the worm corpse... half of it still remaining, holding out a finger and whispering something his eyes flashed with a small green tint as a green ray blasted out from his finger disintegrating the corpse entirely into dust. Ashley pulling out some vials collected several vials full of the ash pocking them into his bag.

    "Here is your share." He smiled pulling out a large jar filled with tiny bright vibrant orange and red eggs and handing it to me along with the contract. "You guys did well today he smiled, this should be a generous share for your hard work." He smiled.

    "What are you gonna do with the other stuff??" I asked looking curiously at the other bags.

    "Hmmmm we got tons of Meat that we sell and give out.... Scales we sell to Merchants..... Ash and some other internal organs we sell to Alchemists.... Ohhh I almost forgot, reaching into his pocket he pulled out several sharp looking teeth. Taking my hand and placing the teeth on it "A Trophy for you all to remember your first kill together." he smiled.

    "Thanks..." I smiled also nodding to Scarlet and Ashley pocketing the Teeth and Contract.

    "I''ll send you guys to the Hunters Guild back in Tripola just hand in the contract and Jar and they will pay you for your hard work.... and if you don''t mind seeing us tomorrow so we can take back our gear...." He smiled opening a portal.

    We all got together to say thank you and waving goodbye as we passed through the portal sending us to Tripola.

    "WOW that was AMAZING!!!" Grace burst out loudly the moment the portal closed as if she was holding it all in.

    "See Jay... I told you it was all gonna." Helen smiled to Jay.

    "Hmmm..." He whispered something causing his eye to faintly flash blue and looked at all of us, ".... He has an arsenal of magical items....We are decked out head to toe in magical items..." He replied looking at us.

    "That explains why that huge stinger didn''t mess me up as bad as I thought it would..." Grace added.

    "Too bad we need to return it tomorrow...." Helen said.

    ".... But.... we still have the rest of today.... and tomorrow to make good use of it..." Daisy smiled her eyebrows raised implying something.

    "You know... if Grace took an adult Death Worm Sting and survived... I feel extremely safe in this equipment." Jay smiled.

    "So let''s hand in this contract.... get some food at my Aunts inn and proceeded from there?..." Daisy suggested.

    "Sounds like a plan." We all replied.

 74 Contrac

    "How does this contract thing work?.." I asked.

    "We''ll go together." Daisy said leading the way.

    Entering the Tavern we walked towards the barman. "Hi excuse me." Daisy said grabbing the attention of the barman.

    "Yes young miss?.." The burly barman with a very long beard leaned on the bar with one elbow, "what can I get ya?" He asked with a smile.

    "We''re not here for drinks... we came to hand in a completed bounty." She said to him.

    "Ohh nice!!... Around the bar the door behind me." He notified us and went to the side to opening for us to walk past.

    We all thanked him as we walked past walking into the door behind the bar, we entered a well lit room relatively large with a large table and a big chair. A short man walked in with a suit adorned from top to toe in gold and jewels. "Hello Hello..... My Caleb... What can I do for you." He said taking jumping onto his big seat.

    "Hi we completed a Contract." Daisy said to him.

    "Hmmmm you all look new.... I''ve never seen you before...." he looked at us carefully with a raised eyebrow sounding very curious.

    Causing two large figures to emerge from the opening he came from, a Dragonborn with a huge axe and a Large man with grey skin with tattoos over his body.

    "Ummm... we are first years in Atlantis...." Jay instantly said to the man noticing the guards demeanor.

    "Ohhh.. and you''ve already completed a bounty?..." He asked.

    "Yes..." I said walking towards him slowly pulling out the contract and placing the jar on the table.

    "Ohhh Deathworm Roe... Impressive..... Tell me what is your name?..." He asked.

    One by one i pointed at everyone introducing them to him. "So did you do this all by yourself?..." He asked.

    "We had a little help." I replied.

    "Interesting...." He said keeping his eyes on me taking the contract.

    "Well..... a contracts a contract" He said passing it to his guards, causing them to walk back into the opening they came from.

    "So..... the equipment you all are wearing... any of it for sale?..." He asked with a raised brow.

    "No sorry...." I replied.

    "Why not?... i could give you a very generous offer." He said charismaticlly with a smile.

    "It''s not ours sorry we are borrowing it..." I replied to him.

    "Well..... if you ever change your mind let me know." He smiled leaning back on his char, "Is there a way for me to contact you?.." He asked.

    "Why?.." I asked in return.

    "In the future I may have a need for a team of your caliber." He said in a weird cryptic way making him sound extremely shady.

    "No thanks...." Helen replied to him.

    "Well if you ever change your mind..... groups on my payroll gain many benefits." He said with a creepy smile.

    "Here you go boss...." The Dragonborn came back with two large bags placing them on the table.

    "Here is your pay..." Caleb smiled pushing it towards us.

    "Thank you." Grace said quickly picking up the bags and left the room.

    The rest of us thanked him and left the room quickly wanting to get away from him. "Don''t forget my offer shouted before the door closed.

    "He was so creepy...." Daisy said as we left the tavern.

    "Yeah..... I think hes pretty shady..." Grace said.

    "Let''s forget about him and visit my aunts tavern!" Daisy said with a giant smile.

    "Any idea how much we made?..." Helen asked as we began making our way to Daisy''s Tavern.

    "Hmmm couple hundred gold...." Grace said handing the bags to me, "Put them in your pouch that way there''s no way we will lose it." Grace instructed me.

    "Umm... Sure..." I said taking it and putting it in my bag.

    "But what if someone takes my bag?.." I asked.

    "The only way you can take something out of a bag of holding is by thinking of what you want to take out... if they don''t know what is in it, they cant take it out." Grace smiled.

    "Ohhh I see..." I replied.

    "How do you hold gold back where you''re from?.." Helen asked me.

    "Ummm..... we give our money into a bank.... but we have a special card we can use anywhere for transactions." I replied.

    "Ohhh wow that''s amazing!!! Paying for everything with a card!!!" Helen replied wondering what it might be like.

    "You guys have banks here right?.." I asked.

    "Yeah but they only store gold.. and allow you to take them out at another branch in another city..." Jay explained.

    "Ohh I see." Nodding in understanding.

    "Ohh my God.... I forgot to ask Ashley if he could help us with the information gathering." I replied facepalming myself.

    "Ahhh don''t worry about it... it was a whirlwind for us as well." They all replied.

    "It would be awesome if they would loan us the equipment for the duel''s." Jay said.

    "Yeah.... Ohh what are do you guys think about joining the upcoming Team Duels?.." Helen asked.

    "I think it would be pretty sweet.... I wonder if they are gonna have a separate Rank for them ...." Grace pondered.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Entering the Jolly Lion Uncle Ben was tending to the bar, "MAY!!! we have special guests!" He yelled recognizing us.

    "DAISY?!!!" She yelled bursting out the kitchen.

    "AUNT MAY!!!" Daisy screamed running to to give her a big hug.

    "... they get so excited when they see each other..." Jay whispered.

    "Yeah..... even my family doesn''t get that excited...." I replied

    "So what brings you my way??!" aunt may asked leading her to a table.

    "Ohhhh WE KILLED A DEATH WORM!!!" she yelled in excitement.

    "WHY WOULD U DO SOMETHING SO DANGEROUS!!!" She yelled at her hitting her in the back of the head.

    "It was okay!!! we was completely safe! Paul was there to help us." She explained.

    "I Don''t give a damn if there was an army with you!" She carried on scolding her.

    ".... Aunt may meet my new friends! Grace and Helen.." She replied pointing at us.

    "Ohhh Heyy!!! please come sit down with us!" She said with a smile, "Nice to see you again Jay and Emilia!" added.

    "So how was your first week?!" She asked Daisy,

    "It''s great!!! guess what I also have my first fight this coming Fredas!!!" She said looking extremly happy.

    "No way..... they are gonna be so toast!" Aunty May replied, "Nice to meet you Grace and Helen." Aunt may smiled.

    "Hi nice to meet you too!" Grace and Helen replied.

    "So how was your first week???..." She asked us.

    "It was okay..... learning and settling in." we replied.

    "So who''s great idea was it to go kill a Dearth Worm???!!!" she said scanning our faces then resting resting her gaze on Jay.

    "Wait wait wait.... it wasnt me !!!!! I opposed the idea!!!!" he said totally panicked by Aunt May stare.

    "Yeah.... it was Paul''s idea...." I said to her.

    "You know.... next time he comes here I''m gonna clobber him!!!" She said looking pissed.

    "Aunty it was completely fine!!!.... Paul gave us equipment that made it safe..." Daisy explained to Aunt May.

    "What some pieces of leather and a necklace???..." Aunt May replied rehtorically.

    "It''s was completely safe look." Grace said quick slinging a dagger straight into Jay.

    "What the hell!!!!" Jay screamed.

    "Grace!!!" We all yelled at her, as the dagger flew into his chest, much to all our surprise the dagger harmlessly bounced off his armour and clanging on the table.

    "See it was safe!!!" Daisy said to her aunt.

    "Hmmm..... I''m still gonna give him a good talk!!" she replied still refusing to forgive him. "Anyways!!!! food everyone???.." She asked with a smile.

    "If it''s not too much of an ask.... we made alot of gold today!!!" Grace asked politely.

    "No problem at all." Aunt May smiled standing and walking into the kitchen.

    "But we didn''t order..." Grace said looking puzzled....

    "I know ... I wanted to try the Glazed jerky...." Helen added looking down and resting on her arms with a pout.

    p.

    "Don''t worry my Aunt will sort us out" Daisy smiled.

    "Ohhh let''s count how much we made today...." Grace said with a smile looking at me.

    "Sure." I said pulling out the two gold bags and sliding them to her.

    "Hmmmmm..." She said opening the pouch and began taking out the coins to count them.

    "Daisy do you think your aunt will know any local jobs we can help out on?.." Jay asked.

    "I doubt it.... she wouldn''t want me to get hurt.... shes a little over protective..." She replied to him.

    "And i swear does she have a problem with me?!!!" He asked her.

    "Ummm no..... she just doesn''t trust boys I guess...." She replied to him.

    "What the hell did i do??!!!" He said.

    "Its a mother daughter thing...." I said to him

    "Ohhhh..... Daisy... your pretty and things..... but I''m not interested you in those ways...." He said feeling instantly defensive.

    "It''s okay I know..... Jut my Aunt is like that with all boys I guess.." Daisy replied.

    "Yeah nothing you can do to be honest Jay.." I agreed with Jay.

    "Yup they aren''t wrong my dad was similar." Helen added.

    "Yup same here..." Grace added taking a pause from her counting.

    "We need another dude in the group....." Jay said giving up hope.

    Aunt May quickly took out some starters for us then the main course as bringing way too much food.

    "Ummm Miss May??..."Jay asked her.

    "No you can''t date Daisy." She replied to him

    "... no no... that''s not what I wanted to ask...." He said.

    "..... Aunty can you stop teasing him please.." she asked.

    "Okay....." she reluctantly agreed.

    "What can I do for you Jay??.." She smiled.

    "I was wondering if you know where we can find some work...." He asked her nervously.

    "Hmmm..... I heard outside the town there has been some see any sightings.... and there''s currently a call for adeventueres to help evacuated the putter cities before the goblins activity comes closer." She said.

    "Why isn''t the kingdom doing anything to deal with them???.." Grace asked.

    "No idea why those silly idiots aren''t doing anything." She complained walking back to the kitchen.

    "Girls do you need a drink???.." Uncle Ben asked.

    "Yes please!" Daisy replied.

    "Coming right up." he shouted back with a smile preparing the drinks brining two jugs to us.

    "Don''t mind my wife''s teasing she''s michevious...." he chuckled putting a hand on Jays shoulder.

    Daisy got up to give Uncle Ben a big hug. " Uncle Ben!!!! Is mum and dad doing well???..." she asked.

    "Yes they are doing fine.... by the way why was May making such a rucas when you came in???.." He asked.

    "Ohhh.... it''s because we had a bounty for an Adualt Death Worm today." she replied with a smile.

    "That''s awesome!!!! Was it exciting???!..." he asked

    "Yes it was so amazing!!" she said.

    "Ohhh who''s your new friends??...." he asked noticing Helen and Grace.

    "This is Helen and Grace." she introduced them to Uncle Ben.

    "Nice to meet you!!!"He greeted them with a jolly smile.pq

    "Hi!" They both replied to him.

    "I hope everything g is to your liking." He smiled

    "Of course!!!! did you know your food is famous among elven cities???!!!" Helen said jumping with excitement.

    "Of course I do.... That''s why I''m so fat!!!" he laughed jiggling his belly.

    Uncle Ben sat and talked for a few minutes till a new patron arrived, excusing himself greeting him and attending the bar.

    "The food is so much better theschool!!!!" Helen and Grace said.

    "do you think we can take some back???..." Helen ask looking extremely hopeful at Daisy.

    "Of course my aunt always sends me off with bags dull of food." She replied.

    "Really???!!!" Helen''s eyes lit up with joy.

    "Please stay a little longer !!!! its gonna some more time for me to finish cooking!!!" Aunt May shouted from the kitchen.

    "Okay!!!" Daisy replied.

    "So... you guys up for helping shoulders exvaxuate some villages and settlements ??" Jay asked.

    "why??..." Grace asked.

    "That way we can use Paul''s armour more and maybe meet a few goblins or ..." he replied.

    "Hmm good idea, I''d like to try something without Paul and co babysitting us ...." Grace replied.

    "So everyone agrees??...." Jay asked.

    "Yeah!!!" we all replied in excitement.

 75 Barracks

    Aunty May packed us a bunch of food like before but also made a package for Grace and Helen. We thanked Aunt May and Uncle Ben for their generosity, bidding them farewell and promising to visit as often as we could.

    "Stay safe!!!!" Aunt May yelled at us as we made our way into the city, Uncle Ben staying silent giving us a nod.

    "Can you believe how much food we have???!! Everyone at home would be so jealous!!!" Helen said full with glee.

    "Your Aunt is amazing for feeding us and giving all this for free..." Helen said to Daisy.

    "Yeah she''s awesome." Daisy replied.

    "Yeah... She did the same for us the first time we came around..." I added.

    "So where we off to???..." Daisy asked.

    "Hmmm probably ask some guards." Jay replied.

    "Ohhh there''s one!!" I pointed at a group of three similarly armoured men armed with spears and plate armour walking amongst the crowd.

    "Excuse me!!!" Grace yelled causing the guards to instantaneously turn around and walk to us.

    "What can we do for you citizen???!!" they asked as they arrived.

    "Hi we wanted to help in the evacuation operations." we replied.

    "Ohhh ....." they looked at us in shock.... "You will need to sign up at the barracks." they answered and proceeded to give us directions to the barracks.

    "Thank you!!!" we replied setting off.

    "Good luck!!" They shouted back.

    Making our way through the town it got less and less busy as we approached the Barracks, the high raised walls blocked our view inside, the sound of clanging metal and yelling could be heard within the walls. Looking around for the entrance we came upon two stationed guards on each side of a large gate.

    "Halt!" they yelled seeing up heads towards them, the other gave one a nod before bang on the gate causing three to appear on the wall with crossbows aimed at us.

    "Wait wait wait....." Jay yelled, "We came to help in the evacuation." He explained.

    The two outside looked suspiciously at us, "come closer he" instructed us. We carefully walked closer to the two at the gate making sure we didn''t look like we was doing anything dodgy.

    "Someone call the captain." One yelled over the gate, as they both walked up to us. "You want to join in the evacuations???.." they asked.

    "Yeah we was told by someone that there might be some Paid work...." Jay replied.

    "We aren''t paying much..... But the extra hands does help..... What experiences do you have??.." They asked.

    "First year Atlantis students." We replied.

    "Hmmm..... You''ll defiantly need to convince our captain....." they replied.

    "But you said extra hands would be nice..." I replied.

    ".... Atlantis students are very important.... and only allowed to assist if the king permits it." One explained.

    "Yup.... we can''t risk losing you precious snowflakes...." the other said sounding extremely obnoxious disliking us for no reason.

    "Now Now George stand down... there''s no need to be so rude to our guests." A tall armoured gentleman walked out of the gates adorned with very impressive looking ornate plate armour with a Tabard of a Lion, his long flowing golden blonde hair along with a full thick beard made him look very important almost aristocratic.

    The two soldiers instantly withdrew saluting as the captain came walking between then.

    "Sir this group-" One solider began briefing the captain.

    "Enough Private back to your posts." He said interrupting him and waving them off.

    "Greetings I am Captain Diaz, what brings you young Adult here?.." He asked.

    "Umm... Captain... Sir... we would like to help in the Evacuation efforts." Helen politely asked.

    "Please just call me Captain." He replied with a smile, "Certainly .... Do you have any previous training or combat?.." He asked.

    "Ummm.... We have been in combat... If that counts.." Helen replied.

    "Okay.. follow me we''ll talk somewhere more private" He said leading the way, one of the solders banged on the door a three times letting the solders inside know to open the gates.

    The barracks consisted of only large building filled mostly with men sparring and doing drills with swords and other weapons, it was similar to Paul''s Training room.. there was a large sand pit.... Archery Targets.... Assault Course. Some of the Solders whistled at us as we walked pass earning them clap to the back of their head. "Boys will be boys..." The Captain commented opening the doors to the building to let us in "Please ignore their childish behaviours." He replied. We entered into a hall way with more guards posted every few meters on both sides of the hall way, saluting as the captain entered.

    "This way." he said leading us through the hall way into a large room reeking of Tabaco. It was extremely messy in the centre stood a large rectangular tables, behind it stacks and stacks of papers and a large padded comfortable chair. Surprisingly one tidy cabinet stood on the side adorned with fine ornaments and ornate weapons, on top of it various small frames of beautifully drawn and painted pictures of people, one picture of a beautiful fair skinned blonde elf stood out standing with a young man with short golden blonde hair wearing simple clothes.

    The captain began ruffling through some papers, "Ahh here we are..." he said pulling out a stack of papers taking a seat.

    "So... what sort of combat experience have you had?.." He said looking at us clasping his hands together eagerly waiting for our response.

    "....... To be totally honest with you... we are First years of Atlantis.... Some of us have had combat experience." Jay explained to him.

    "Well..... That changes everything.... I''m sorry to tell you that we aren''t allowed to take you with us." He replied.

    "But why not we just want to help..." Helen asked.

    "I know it sucks... but that is the way we operate.... I can''t allow you to help us unless the King has or his council has allowed it..." He answered us.

    "But why?..." Grace asked.

    "Because Atlantis students are important..... Losing one is a big deal so I''m not allowed to put you at risk..." He replied, "If I was ever caught doing such a thing they would strip me of my rank." The captain explained.

    "Hmmm..... Okay... We understand..... Thank you for your time..." He thanks the Captain.

    "I''m sorry, my hands were tied." He replied with a wave.

    "Come on guys lets go..." Jay instructed us leaving the room.

    "Bye..." we all bid farewell to the Captain.

    "Well that was a waste of time...." Grace said as we made our way through the hallway.

    "Yeah just a little bit.... but there''s other ways we can find the information we need." He replied leading us back to the market district. "If I remember correctly there should be a town crier..... Somewhere..." He said trying to listen for the bell sounds.

    "Ohhh yeah... they normal yell the recent news right?.." I asked.

    "Yup..." Jay replied.

    "Ohhh I think I hear some bell sounds!" Grace and Helen said pointing down a crowded street..

    We made our way through the streets into what seemed to be another town square, huge crowds of people walking around, children playing on the streets, a small park area where children and family seemed to be spending their weekend.

    Near the fountain stood a slim man on a makeshift pedestal made of a wooden carrying box with a bell in one hand reading a sheet. "Ohh I think that''s him." I said pointing at the gentleman.

    "Ohh looks like it..." Jay said quickly running towards him. "Excuse me Sir!.... May I ask you a few questions?..." He asked.

    "You can ask anything for abit of coin." The gentleman replied to him.

    "Really?... you literally tell the news... to everyone." Jay argued.

    "Aye... but this seems like a perfect opportunity to earn some extra coin." He said winking at Jay.

    "Fine... How much..." Jay asked looking unamused.

    "Hmmm depends what information you''re looking for." He replied to Jay with a smile.

    "I would like to know which cities were most recently hit by goblins." Jay asked him.

    "Hmm..... that would cost you 20 silver..." He replied to Jay.

    "....... Fine..." Jay begrudgingly agreed taking out some silver coins and angrily putting it into his opened palm.

    "Thank you sir your business is much appreciated.." He said with a smug smile happily pocketing Jay''s coins in his shirt. "Well the most recent sightings Stonemill, Silvermoore, Pinecrest and Fairhill." He answered him.

    "Hmmmm they''re all still pretty far..." Jay replied.

    "What else is on the news..." Jay asked.

    The town crier gave him another smug smile raising his eyebrows leaving out an open palm without even saying anything.

    "....... how much to see your paper?.." Jay asked.

    "Hmmmm 60 silver." The town crier asked after taking a few seconds to think.

    "THAT''S RIDICULOUS!!! I''m not gonna pay that much!!!" Jay complained at him.

    "Well..... Looks like you''re not gonna see what''s on my paper." he replied to jay pulling it away from him, "Now go away I have a job to do." He said turning away from Jay.

    "How about I give you 1 gold for your paper." I offered.

    "Deal Madam." He replied handing me the paper courteously.

    "Thank you." I said taking it off him and flicking him a gold coin faking a smile.

    "A pleasure doing business Madam." He said taking a bow.

    Walking off we looked for quiet place to read the paper. "So what shall we do?.." Grace asked.

    "Hmmmm.... Sadly the places Goblins have been sighted are still over 3 days travel away.... so.... we can''t help out there...." Jay replied and began reading the news.

    "Says here.... increase disappearance of children, someone seems to be robbing the dead, increase in animal attacks due to the goblins....."

    "Ummm.... Excuse me..." A very small elderly woman wearing a brown cardigan and glasses said to us.

    "Hiˇ­. Yes?...." Daisy replied looking a little confused.

    "Hi... are you boy and girls from Atlantis?.." She asked.

    "Why yes we are...may I ask why?.." Daisy asked her politely.

    "Ummm..Ummm... could you help me find my son?.....please..." She asked

    "Ummm..." Daisy looked around panicked, quickly taking her hands she led her to some empty steps and helped her sit down.

    "Guys.... this lady needs help." Daisy said to us.

    "So I''m Daisy this is Helen, Grace, Emilia and Jay." She said to the elderly woman introducing us to her.

    "I''m so sorry to trouble you.... The Guards say they don''t have enough hands to launch a search party..... And I''m awfully worried I haven''t seen my son in over three days..." She said pleading us.

    "Okay... okay... calm down..... First tell us your name...." Daisy said with a smile trying to comfort her.

    "Ummm..... mmmm my name is Josalyn." She answered Daisy.

    Helen sat next to her to try and make her feel more comfortable, "Can you calmly describe to us what happened?.." Helen asked.

    "My son..... He told me he accepted a job to go into this cave not far from here... and now I haven''t seen him for days! Can you please help me..." She begged.

    "Don''t worry we''ll help...." Jay reassured her.

    "Could you tell us his name?.." I asked.

    "Tolum, Tolum Feathermore..." She answered.

    "Okay.... we''ll take you home..... And then we''ll head to the cave to search for your son okay?.." I asked.

    "Ummm.... Okay..." She quietly agreed.

 76 Tracking

    Following Josalyn home we walked into a very shanty part of the city..... There were many houses but the naturally looked small more run down, the difference in cleanliness of the streets was night and day a lot more discoloured, dirty and visible litter.

    "This is it...." Josalyn said opening a small wooden gate leading through a small pretty garden to a small very old looking house. The bricks look worn and discoloured, the window frames and door riddled with age.

    Josalyn pulled out a key her old shaky hands struggling slightly to thread the key through the keyhole. Slowly her shaky hands managed to turn the key opening the door.

    "NANA!!!!" Two childish voices screamed out to her as she opened the door.

    "Hello my darlings!" She said hugging them. "Guess what! Nana has found some friends that can find daddy!" she said to them.

    "Really???!!!" They said two small heads popped out the side of Josalyn a black haired young boy and girl no older than 7 or 8 looking at us.

    "NANA!!! Two of them are elves and there''s a weird girl with horns!!!" They said to her in total surprise sounding extremely excited.

    "Yes yes... the two elf girls are call Grace and Helen, the Horned girl is called a Tiefeling her name is Daisy..... The other two are named Emilia and Jay.... remember our manners..." She said to them.

    Out popped their heads again, "Hello Grace, Helen, Daisy, Emma and Jack!" They said before disappearing again quickly. Jay raised his hand as if to correct them, but then lowered his hand forgetting about it.

    "Will they really find daddy for us?!!" They asked Josalyn sounding extremely excited and hopeful.

    "That''s what they told me...." She answered them.

    The two kids instantly came bursting out giving Helen and grace a hug. "Can you find daddy for us?..." they asked.

    Helen and Grace knelt down like a mother talking to their child, "We will try our best." They said with a smile.

    "Thank you!" The children replied giving them another hug.

    "You know... this is the most affectionate I''ve seen Grace ever be..." Jay whispered to me causing me to chuckle a little. Grace turned around hearing him shooting him a glare somehow hearing his whisper.

    "Okay children.... go out to the garden and play... so we can talk about adult stuff." Josalyn asked her Grandchildren.

    "Okay!! Nana." They said letting go of Helen and Grace giving us one last thank you before running off.

    "Would you like some Tea?.." Josalyn asked.

    "No its okay.... I think we should get going soon.... it''s already been three days....." Grace answered her.

    "Ohh okay..." she replied remembering how long it''s been.

    "Could you tell us where the Cave is located?.." Jay asked.

    "I''m not sure myself... but I remember Tolum telling me it''s the forest near the west exit..." She answered.

    "Okay.... We''ll try our best!" Jay said.

    "Yes Nana don''t worry! We will bring him back." Daisy said.

    "Yeah... we better be making our way now...." Grace said.

    "Umm... okay.... good luck..." She said walking to the door to open it for us.

    "Stay safe..." Helen said kneeling down giving her a hug.

    Bidding Josalyn farewell and began making our way out the house towards the western exit.

    "Daisy you shouldn''t have promised her that we will bring him back..." Grace said to her the moment the door closed.

    "Yup... it''s been three days... there''s a good chance he may no longer be with us." Jay agreed.

    "...I''m sure he''s fine....." Daisy said with a smile.

    Taking the western exit we followed alongside the road. There didn''t seem to be anyone else walking. Only carriages and carts travelling on the road similar to how we have it at home, the road swerved around the forest. Every so often some children popping their head out pointing at Grace, Daisy and I.

    "Why are the pointing and staring at me as well....?..." I asked a little confused.

    "It''s because your skin colour is unique...." Helen replied.

    "Ohhh I see." I replied giving the kids a smile and a wave, they jumped in excitement tugging on their mother sleeve pointing at me. Their mother waved back and smiled while trying to calm down her children.

    "Life here is so different to back home...." I said to everyone.

    "How so...???..." they asked.

    "I dunno..... Everyone back home just kinda minds their own business....." I explained.

    "Hmmm I''m sure it''s not too different here." Helen replied.

    I looked up into the sky absorbing the freedom, being free of responsibility. A part of me really didn''t look forward to spend the rest of my life working living a mundane life.

    "So any idea where to go once we meet the forest??..."Jay asked.

    "Hmmm..... I can ask some animals.... if we come across one....and Grace is an excellent tracker..." Helen answered Jay.

    "You can talk to animals??.." I asked for some reason still shocked that those things were possible.

    "Yup is a relatively easy druidic spell." She said with a smile.

    "Ohhh would you be able to teach me???..." I asked.

    "Of course.... it should be easy." she replied smiling.

    Eventually arriving at the edge of the forest..... "Just an eerie forest.... what could possible go wrong..."I commented staring into it a quite empty forest.

    "It will be fine.... we''re so close to the city... there''s gonna be nothing dangerous here." Helen replied.

    "Say that to my body...." I said as chills began running up my spine, the eeriness filling me with anxiety.

    "Yeah just follow me...and stay close... I''ll keep a watch out for everyone" Grace said leading the way. "Oh and have your weapons nearby just in case." She smiled.

    Although eeriness was surprisingly peaceful..... Living up and growing up in a city I''ve never experienced such silence. The sounds of the wind whistling through the trees rustling the leaves, the small patches of sunlight that managed to pierce through the forest canopy.

    "Oi... Daisy why you running off?.." Jay asked.

    "I''ll be a minute!" She shouted back.

    "Okay.... don''t fall behind too much!" Grace said still carrying on walking.

    I stopped a little ahead waiting for Daisy, as everyone else carried on walking making sure she wouldn''t lose us.

    "Look what I found!!!" she said once she finished what she was doing walking towards me with something in her hands

    "What is it?.." I asked.

    "Its flowers!!! Isn''t it pretty?!" she said showing me some flowers she picked.

    "Yeah they are pretty!" I replied to her.

    "Don''t fall too far behind!" Jay shouted to us.

    "Coming!!!" Daisy shouted back putting a flower in her hair above her ear, and went to put on in my hair.

    "Thank you." I smiled at her.

    "Lets go!" she smiled.

    "What was you guys up to?.." Jay said when we caught up.

    "Nothing you would understand..." Daisy replied to him and went to Helen and grace.

    "How comes we stopped?.." I asked.

    "I think Grace found a track or something." He explained.

    "Ohhh I see..." I replied, Grace was knelt down on the floor looking at a small area of the ground.

    "Ohh thank you!" Helen thanked Daisy as she put a flower in her hair.

    "Hmmmm this is interesting..." Grace said.

    "What''s going on?..." Jay asked.

    "Well... this looks like we''ve come across several footsteps all leading the same way...." Grace explained.

    "That must be the way then....." Jay said.

    "Yeah... but there are some larger footsteps as well...." Grace explained.

    "Want me to ask a tree?..." Helen asked.

    "This is the only set of footprints we''ve come across after 3 hours.... this is defiantly... what we are looking for..." She said.

    "How many sets of footsteps we got here?.." Jay asked.

    "Looks like we have.... 5 maybe 6 unique set of footsteps.... and then two additional larger one..... Alot larger..." She informed him.

    "Hmmm that don''t sound good..." Jay replied.

 77 Heroes

    "Lets stay as quite as we can for now.... there''s a lot of them and we aren''t sure what the situation is." Grace notified us as she led the way following the tracks.

    We all silently followed her as she led the way ahead of us. "Do you think it''s safe?.." I whispered to Jay.

    "I don''t know..." Jay whispered back.

    Slowly we made our way following the tracks, the sun began to set in the background making the forest feel even more eerie as it darkened. Suddenly grace stopped and turned around. "There''s a small cave entrance up ahead...." She whispered notifying us. "Okay... so Helen, Daisy and I will go first we can see in the dark... Jay and Emilia watch our rear but stay close and remember.... to stay quite." She instructed us.

    Slowly and silently we made our way into the cave, the darkness forcing me to keep my left hand on the wall beside me guiding me through the passage way. We crept for what felt like half an hour going down the passageway till we saw a faint light creep around a corner ever so slightly returning my visibility to me. Grace issued us to stop with an open palm facing the ground as she proceeded alone and slowly peeked around the corner.

    She came back slowly to us again, "So.... I don''t know exactly what is going on..... But I see three armed men..... Accompanied with two ogres..... And a bunch of tied of kids....and what seems to be a warp gate...." She explained to us.

    "........ Do you think this is linked to the increased disappearance of kids lately?.." Jay asked.

    "I think so... the children are tied up..." Grace replied.

    "We need to save them!" Daisy whispered.

    ".... I know but there are two ogres there....." Grace said.

    "Yeah.... ogres..... Are no joke..." Jay replied.

    "We can''t just stand by and let the children get taken away!" Daisy said.

    "I know... but this is gonna get very dangerous..." Grace said.

    "...... Normally I wouldn''t try... but Paul''s gear should help us a little..." Jay replied.

    "Okay... so we are all gonna do this?..." Grace asked.

    We all nodded.... with confidence. "Okay..... I can take one of the humans out, but I have no idea how we are gonna deal with the two ogres...." She said.

    ".......I''ll try and keep one busy..." Daisy said.

    "Okay then at all costs everyone try to avoid the other one.... Daisy don''t you dare try and take both on at the same time." Grace said.

    "Can''t promise." She joked.

    "I''m serious... Ogres can probably flatten us with one hitˇ­." Grace said.

    "Don''t worry we will look out for each other." Helen said.

    "So.... Once I take out the first guard..... Daisy you go and occupy the ogre on the left..... Helen, Emilia and Jay you guys focus on the other ogre try dropping something to stop it getting to us quickly.

    We all nodded moving towards the corner pulling out our weapons. Grace carefully pulled out her arrow pulling back her bow letting loose an arrow followed with the sound so clanging metal and the sound of a body hitting the floor.

    "WHAT THE F?" A manly voice yelled.

    "Gogogo!!!" Grace instructed.

    Emerging from the corner we all quickly shot our spells at the ogre on the right, Helen using grasping vines razor sharp vines entangled it cutting into its this skin. One man looked at us surprised at our appearance, "Quickly! Activate the gate!" he yelled at another person who was on the nearby computer.

    Daisy quickly running out engaged the ogre on the left summoning both her spiritual weapons, with a yell she slammed her maul into his side causing ripples in its blubber. "Ha... puny human that tickled." It shouted to her. It raised its leg high trying to stomp on Daisy, her spiritual sword drove itself deep into its back causing it to roar in pain causing his stomp to miss.

    "You missed me fatty." She shouted to it slamming her maul at its knee causing it to fall on one knee.

    The ogre on the right ripping apart the vines Helen created made a run to us raising its giant club in the air slamming it down narrowly missing us, with a sweep it slammed me and Jay sending us rocketing into the wall knocking the wind out of us.

    "F..... That hurt...." He muttered.

    "Yup... that really hurt..." I mumbled my ribs takin the brunt of the impact, peeling myself from the wall I pointed my wand at the ogre''s eye shooting off a firebolt at it causing it to stagger back a little in pain.

    "DAISY we need your shield here!" Grace yelled, as Daisy''s shield quickly flew towards us.

    "QUICKLY!" open the portal!" The man in the distance shouted again and began trying to drag some children closer to the gate.

    "HELP!" A young girl screamed trying to fight him despite having her leg and hands bound together.

    "They are trying to get away!" I yelled to them.

    "Yeah but we are a bit busy!" Grace and Helen yelled their movements surprisingly fast and agile dodging the Ogres large slow swings.

    "You guys got this?!" Jay yelled grabbing me muttering something. Suddenly a blue doorway opened in front of us, pulling me with him we stepped through the doorway appearing between the two humans.

    "What the...." One man shouted drawing his sword, before he could swing at Jay, he quickly shot out three white sparkling missiles impacting the man straight in the chest sending him flying into a wall.

    "Get the other one" Jay instructed me.

    Sending out several firebolts aimed at the man on the computer, he yelled in pain still trying to activate the warp gate.

    "GET THE FK OVER HERE AND HELP US!" The human Jay was dealing with yelled.

    I mercilessly pelted the one human at the computer with firebolts till his back was charred black the smell of burning flesh flooding the chamber till his body slumped on the computer motionless.

    Turning around to assist Jay, a large hulking shadow eclipsed me as I saw a gigantic grotesque fat body charging into me. Before I could say anything it hit me lifting me off the ground momentarily till back felt the hard rock wall of the camber. I yelled in pain as the fat body of the ogre crushed me like a pancake into the walls of the chamber, I felt the bones in my body crack from the impact, as intense pain radiated throughout my body.

    "EMILIA!" Jay''s voice was almost inaudible as my whole body was wracked with intense pain.

    My vision quickly began to go blurry as I can feel myself fading, as the fat body released me from the wall making me fall to the floor. It turned to a slim figure which I assume was Jay..... "Jay .... Watch... out...." I tried to shout unsure if anything came out.

    The slim body was sent flying away as what I guess was its big club swatted him like a fly. My body paralyzed on the floor I began to try and feel around with my hands trying to find my wand. Another slim figure stood up and began to slowly walk towards me holding something grey in his hand.

    "Finish them off...." He yelled out as he came to me.

    "Good bye." he said plunging the grey thing in his hand into me. I yelled out in pain one last time till my eyes felt heavy and my vision went black.

 78 Heroes Pt.2

    Emilia??? A voice called out to me from the darkness.

    My eyes slowly opened to see Pauk staring back at me.

    "You okay???....." he asked his eyes staring directly at mine, looking worried for me.

    "What happened?..." I asked my body still numb with pain. "Omg how is Jay???!!" I yelled suddenly remembering what happened.

    "He''s okay don''t worry he''s just a little bruised." Paul answers me.

    "And the other??..." I asked.

    "A little hurt but nothing serious." he said touching the back of my head.

    "Did we save them???..." I asked looking around for the kids but they are nowhere to be seen.

    "The kids??...yes you did..." He answered.

    "Thank God...." I replied relieved resting my head back in his hand his arm.

    "You know.... you really should take better care of yourself..... I won''t always be around...." he said.

    "We had no choice they was getting awayˇ­. how did you know to come anyways???...." I replied.

    "Yours and everyone else signal bracket went dead.... so we came to investigate..." he replied.

    "My body still in alot of painˇ­. It''s even hard to breatheˇ­." I said to him clutching my sides turning a little to try and find a comfortable position.

    "I''ve already stopped most your bleeding and done some light healing but your injuries are quite severe" he replied.

    "How bad are my injuries???...." I asked.

    "Pretty bad.... you have an assortment of broken bones and I assume a minor concussion....." he replied. "Can you walk ??..." he asked holding out his hand.

    Taking his hand I tried to lift myself up, but my legs wouldn''t move.

    "You okay??...." he asked.

    "Yeah just my legs won''t move...." I answers him.

    "Hmmm..... can you feel this???" he said flicking my leg.

    "No....." I replied.

    Okay how about this???... He said taking off my shoes and flicking my toe.

    "Still no...." I replied now even more worriedˇ­. Knowing what this could be but in denial.

    Hmmm..... lemme try something.... he said opening his book flicking through the pages. He said something in an unknown language causing hands to light up golden yellow and touched me. "Okay try now...." he said.

    Trying again but my legs still refused to move, I swivelled my head side to side.... tears welling up in my eyes knowing what he''s about to say.

    "I think you''ve lost motion in your legs...." he said wiping away the tears and holding one of my hands.

    "You mean I''m paralyzed ...." I stuttered as I began to cry.

    "Lets not get ahead of ourselvesˇ­. I haven''t tried everything yetˇ­." He said trying to fake a smile but it was obviously clear that he was so hurt to see me like this. "... there some stronger spells I can try but they will take time a preparation and worse comes to worse I''ll use a wishˇ­ I promise you ill fix thisˇ­.." He answered.

    "Okayˇ­" I replied relaxing a little his promised filled me with a sense of relief, in all the years I''ve known him he will always try and keep his promises not matter what the cost.

    ".... One spell I haven''t used before.... and I haven''t really heard it can heal this type of injury... but it''s worth a shot" He replied looking sad at me.

    "Lets go.... I need to do some preparations." He said picking me up in his arms, I instinctively wrapped my arm around the back of his neck holding him close.

    As he stood up, "Hey Emilia good to see you awake!" Ashley smiled and returned to doing something on the computer, the dead body of the human beside him still smoking from my spells.

    "I''m gonna leave early.... tell me when you''re done here." He said to Ashley taking me out the chamber.

    "Yeah no worries." He replied waving him off.

    As we walked through the chamber the remains of a human body and the two ogres were still on the floor.

    "What happened to the ogres?.." I asked noticing one was normal while the other had its limbs severed and scattered in different places.

    "Luckily you guys took one out by the time we arrives.... and Scarlet swiftly dealt with the other one before any serious damage was done." Paul replied.

    "What happened to me?.." I asked.

    "Well you tell me.... when I arrived you was unconscious on the floor and a man was walking away from your body with a sword in his hand." He asked.

    "Last thing I remember... I got crushed on a wall then a mad stabbed me with something...." I said.

    "I thought as much.... When I arrived he was walking away from your body.... So I vaporized him." Paul replied coldly.

    "Thank you for saving me....." I said looking at him.

    "I didn''t really save you.... the armor did.... it stopped the stab.... and your amulet would have also stopped you from bleeding out." He answered.

    "Wellˇ­. thank you..." I said as we walked up the dark cave, being in his arms calmed my nerves in the complete darkness knowing that I was completely safe with him.

    "Where''s the others and Scarlet?.." I asked.

    "They are up above Scarlet is on perimeter duty and I had another friend with me at the time, she''s helping with some healing and talking to the children." He answered.

    "Someone I met before?.." I asked.

    "Hmm don''t think so...." He replied.

    "Hey Emilia!!!" Everyone yelled as we exited the cave, everyone was sitting around a campfire with bandages looking quite worn and battered.

    "Hey everyone!" I replied keeping a strong face trying to hold back my tears.

    "Are you okay?..." Jay asked.

    "Yeah she''s alright... she just needs some rest." He replied as he said it I realized that I felt extremely exhausted like my body was put through alot of strenuous activity.

    "Anna... I''m gonna be heading off first.... tell me once Scarlet and Ashley is ready I''ll come back for you guys and the Kids." Paul said to a girl who was tending to a bunch of kids.

    "No worries boss." She replied to him.

    "I''ll introduce you guys at a better time." He smiled at me.

    "Okay heroes with me.... I''ll take you guys back to Atlantis." Paul ordered them.

    Everyone slowly and carefully got up and walked to us. "Ummm sorry for all the trouble we caused.." Grace said looking down on the ground unable to face him.

    "Not at all... You guys did really well..... Defeated two ogres... saved a bunch of kids... and discovered an illegal warp gate used for human smuggling.... I think you guys did well for a first year." He replied with a smile

    They all looked at him unsure if he was being sarcastic or not... "Ohh and by the way... we can''t just go popping off and killing people..... Atlantis Students must follow a strict code of conduct before engaging in combat." He said to every with a jolly smile.

    "Sorry...." They all replied.

    "No worries... I''ve got you covered this time.... but please next time obey the rules okay?..." He asked.

    "Okay we will" they all replied like a naughty child replying to a parent.

    "Good lets go!" He said opening his portal behind him, "After you!" He said smiling at everyone.

    One by one everyone stepped through the portal, everyone including myself was surprised we entered Paul''s room, "So as much as I want to give you guys the credit..... You''ll be disciplined for breaking School rules.... so I can''t take you guys to the Infirmaries. So if everyone would just like to take a seat on the sofa''s... I''ll take care of your healing." He said with a smile.

    Everyone excited liked kids at a playground ignored their aching bodies and wounds and quickly dove on the sofa. Paul gently placed me on the sofa sitting me up right and positioning my legs for me.

    "So I''m gonna be using Healing Circle..... It should be enough for everyone.... but it takes time to cast and work.... so please just sit within the area till you''re all okay." He said with a smile pulling out one of his books. Letting go of it, slowly it floated to the table at the middle of all of us flipping through its own pages, landing on a certain page and began to glow golden yellow. Slowly runes began to draw themselves in a giant arc around us forming a circle. The moment it completed the circle glowed with a greater intensity but not too intense to blind us, I instantly felt the effect as it reduced the numbing pain in my whole upper body. Meanwhile Paul vanished in the Kitchen.

    "WOAH!!!! A spell self-casting spellbook??!! I''ve haven''t even heard of one of these!" Jay said.

    "Me either..." Grace and Helen said looking at it intently but not touching it.

    "Yup.... he has I think 6 of them..." Daisy replied.

    "What the hell??!!" the three of them looked at her in shock.

    "Yup..." She nodded, "but I remember when I first met him they didn''t work as well as they do now..." She replied.

    "Say what do you think are in the other rooms?.." Helen said looking around noticing several doors.

    "Ohhh he went into the kitchen... the room beside it is the bathroom.... then the other is his training room." I answered.

    "NO WAY!!!" Grace replied hearing the answer, "He has his own training room?..." She said.

    "Yup..... It''s looks nothing special... just a lot different weapons." I answered.

    "What''s in the last room?.." Helen asked.

    "No idea... it was locked when I tried to take a peek." I replied.

    "I bet that''s where he stashes all his powerful magical stuff!!!" Grace replied.

    "That would explain why it would be locked...." Jay replied looking curiously at it.

    Paul returned from the kitchen causing us all to abruptly stay silent and pretend like we weren''t talking about his secret room. "You guys okay?.... you look a little odd..." He asked with a tray full of bowls with some cups and jugs floating behind him.

    "Huh?... yeah... we were just wondering what your special book was..." Grace said.

    "Ohhh..... They were a gift from my old master." he said placing everything on the table.

    "Your old master?.." They asked.

    "He went by the name Jedediah.... he was very old by the time I met him.... but with the little time we spent together he taught me a lot..." He answered them

    "How many teachers have you had?.." They asked.

    "I''ve had alot.... the most important lesson in life is to never stop learning." He smiled and began pouring out a glass of water and juice for everyone. "There''s plenty of time for questions, rest up and drink up okay?.." He said taking a seat beside me.

    "How''s your legs?..." He whispered to me looking concerned.

    Trying to move my legs, it still didn''t budge... I swiveled my head side to side. "Hmmm....." he said contemplating. He proceeded to stand up and walk to his wardrobe pulling out a book and began reading it.

    "What''s he up to?.." Jay asked.

    "No idea..." I replied.

    "By the way what is this food?... why does some of it taste sweet and some taste normal?.." Grace asked looking at it nibbling at it first before eating it.

    "Ohhhh those are stuff you find back in my home..... The sweet ones are called sweets and the others are called savoury snacks...." I said noticing the selection of candy and chocolates as well as a selection of pies and finger foods.

    "Ohhh what''s this??!! It so crumbly and yummy!" Jay said looking super happy eating a sausage roll.

    "That''s called a sausage roll..." I replied.

    "What''s this??!!" Daisy said holding up a snickers bar.

    "That''s a snicker.... its chocolate with peanuts in the middle with I think caramel." I answered her.

    "My wordsˇ­the food is amazing why would you ever leave??!!" Jay said scoffing down everything he could.

    "Okay that does not taste good... and it gets stuck in my teeth..." Helen said placing a piece of fudge on the plate.

    "Ohh that''s fudge... Fancy proper fudge is nice... but the cheap stuff kinda blows..." I answered her.

    Looking down at the bowls I was shock to see some Hazelnut chocolate bars, in particular my favourite ones but they stopped making them years ago... how did he manage to get a hold of them?...

 79 Swamp

    "Closing his book he touched his ear, so I got one more thing to try...." he said to me the communicator projecting his voice into my head.

    "Sure anything...." I replied to him as quietly as I could.

    "Sure.... but we''ll wait a little longer till we have to leave." he said turning to me with a smile.

    "So Emilia are you feeling okay???..." Helen asked.

    "Yeah I''m great, why???.."I asked slightly panicked that they noticed I wasn''t moving my legs.

    "Ohhh... you took a pretty nasty hit from that ogre." she said.

    "Yeah I''m good." I replied with a smile.

    "How about you Jay???..." Helen asked.

    "I think I had some broken ribs... but I''m feeling fine now." he replied.

    "Did you guys get hurt???...." I asked.

    "I took some heavy hits but nothing too brutal...." Daisy replied.

    "Yeah only a few glancing hits here...." Grace said.

    "Lucky we had Paul''s armour though.... I think I would have died from the direct hit I received..." Jay said.

    "Yeah.... a shame we have to return it tomorrow...." Helen sighed.

    "Yeah..... Would be awesome if we could keep it." Grace added.

    "I mean.... there''s no harm in asking....." Daisy suggested.

    "I guess so...." Jay added.

    "So who''s gonna ask him.....???..." Grace wondered.

    They all came to the sudden realisation that if there was one person who would have the best chance for it to work, and that person would be me... as they all turned their gaze at me.

    "Me?..?" I asked.

    "Yeah!!!! Have you seen the way he treats you.... it a clearly something more than just friends." Helen said.

    "Why not Daisy???... Daisy knows him well too." I asked.

    "Yeah but he treats you in a special way!" Daisy winked at me.

    "Nah...." I said in denial.

    "You don''t think so???.....watch." she said to me. "Hey Paul???..." she shouted to him.

    "Wassup?" he replied still reading his book.

    "Do you have any more of these I can have ??..." she asked holding up a snickers.

    "Yeah sure... in the kitchen in the second cupboard on tour left. Help yourself." he replied.

    "Now you try...." Daisy whispered to me.

    "I''m telling you it''s the same." I replied to them. "Paul???..." I asked.

    "Yo wassup?" he replied closing his book.

    "You got more of those hazelnut chocolate???.." I asked.

    "Yeah sure want me to get you some now??..." he asked.

    "No...no....maybe later I replied to him.

    Everyone sat back looking at me with the biggest grin on their faces.... but I didn''t want to tell them he offered to get it for me because I''ve lost movement in my legs.

    "Fine I''ll ask him...." I reluctantly accepted..... "Paul???" I asked.

    "Wassup???...." he replied looking into his wardrobe.

    "Is there any chance we can keep the equipment you loaned us???...." I asked.

    "You''ll have to ask Ashley he''s the one that keep all our magical equipment to study..." he replied.

    "Ohhh.....okay we''ll ask him thanks." I replied.

    "Anyways if you guys don''t mind I''m gonna need to borrow Emilia for a little bit." Paul asked the group.

    "You can borrow her as long as you need...." they said looking at me with now even bigger grins.

    He walked over kneeling down in front of me so I can hold on his back. "Thank you we won''t be long, please stay as long as you need. He said opening a portal walking through it carrying me.

    We arrived in swamp bog some reason in daylight... the whole atmosphere reeking of death and decay, I instantly buried my nose into Paul''s back to reduce the putrid smell. "Where the hell are we?..." I asked revolted at the location we arrived in.

    "We are going to visit an acquaintance of mine.... avoid talking to her at all costs you do not want to piss her off..." He warned me.

    "Why would someone live here??..." I asked feeling scared of his warning.

    He began walking somewhere, "We are paying someone called Granny Matilda.... she''s very dangerous so don''t piss her off only answer with yes and no''s or silence...." He explained making me feel even more scared.

    "If she''s so dangerous.... why are we going there?..." I asked.

    "Because she''s as old as time itself.... if anyone would know what''s wrong she would." He answered.

    "What the hell?..." I asked.

    "Yeah.... she''s a worshiper of Old God and has Ancient and Bog Magic.... that even predates the current Pantheon of Gods..." Paul explained.

    "What the hell does that mean?.." I asked even more frightened and confused.

    "She''s older then the Gods themselves worshiping Old Gods that predate the ones people pray to todayˇ­." He answered.

    "Paul... I want to go back home...." I said to him unable to even imagine such a being.

    "It will be okay... whatever you do don''t anger her.... she can be reasoned with so it''s not too dangerous.... and she is the only person I know who could fix you...." He answered.

    "You can''t fix me?" I asked.

    "Trust me I''ve used most spells in my arsenal..... And if I was to use another wish spell so quickly will probably do something irreversible to me... I''ll never put your life at risk.... it''s just best if we didn''t pick a fight with her." He replied.

    "Okay....." I nervously responded to him.

    "Okay..... Greatˇ­. There''s nothing to be worried about. Don''t worry." He said.

    Looking around as we walked in the shadows I can see silhouettes of things keeping a keen eye on us, even in the corner of my eyes I swear I could see the trees and vines themselves affected by our presence slowly turning to face us, even the tips of roots and vines seemed to be pointing at us.

    "Don''t worry, we are safe from them....." He said somehow noticing my nervousness.

    "Okay...." I replied still feeling on edge keeping an eye out for us.

    Slowly we trudged our way through the thick murky misty swap..... More common than not the sighting of decaying matter or the long dead remnants of something previously living stripped bare to the bone in its final resting place.

    "Paul aren''t you tired?.." I asked noticing that he has carried me for almost an hour without slowing down or being out of breathe.

    "Nah..... You''re pretty light, did you lose weight?.." He asked.

    "Actually I think I got fatter..." I said to him laughing.

    "Hmmm well you feel lighter....." He said he chuckled at my bluntness.

    "So Paul.....do you think she will be able to fix me?..." I asked.

    "If she can''t then I don''t think anyone can.... but it''s so weird... you should have been healed from my healing spells..." He replied.

    "Hmmm..... I''m sorry for causing you all this trouble.." I apologized feeling guilty.

    "You know you never need to apologize to me, besides you know I thoroughly enjoy your company...." He replied.

    "Well.... I wasn''t so sure after our breakup..." I confessed.

    "I know I may be a little different.... but I''m still that same naive kid." He replied.

    "I know....." I said feeling a little saddened remembering that I called him stupid and na?ve during out breakup.

    "I''m the one who should be apologizing... you finally get your wish to be a wizard..... And I can''t even be around to help you grow....." He said.

    "... It''s okay.... you''re already taking time out to give me some personal lessons... people say that''s a really big privilege...." I said.

    "Really?..... I still hate being in the lime light though..." He said.

    "Yup you''re defiantly the same Paul I remembered." I chuckled.

    "So on a scale of 1-10.... How strong are you really?.." I asked.

    "Hmmm if 10 is uber strong..... Then probably a 9.5 or 10..." He replied.

    "Jesus...." I replied.

    "I may be strong but there are far more deadly things that roam this world..." He said.

    "Like what?.." I asked.

    "Well if I''m a 10... Then if Granny Matilda was to ever get serious in a fight she would probably be and 11.5 closer to a 12..." He replied.

    "Ummmm are you sure it''s safe?.." I asked feeling nervous again.

    "It''s okay... she''s not harmless but she is more of a talker then a killer..." He answered.

    "Why do you caller her Granny?..." I asked.

    "It''s what everyone calls her..... And how she wants to be addressed." He answered me.

    "So are you scared of her?...." I asked.

    "Nope not really.... but I respect how strong she is..." He replied.

    "By the way I met a dragon the other day." I informed him.

    "Really?... I thought they were extinct." He replied sounding curious.

    "That''s what everyone tells me but I saw a sea dragon I swear." I said trying to persuade him.

    "Where did you see it??" He asked.

    "In a cave.... in some underwater river pool thing." I replied.

    "That''s weird.... they normally only dwell in open waters..." He said.

    "I swear to you Paul I saw one!" I said.

    "Okay okayˇ­. I believe you..." He said.

    "By the way why are Dragons extinct?" I asked.

    "A very very long time ago... Two races dominated over all the rest..... Dragons and Titans.... there was a giant war that spanned over many years eventually they came to a truce but they put each other at the brink of extinction.... then a mighty mage called Solomon banished the remaining Dragons.... and the Titans... well they vanished somewhere." Paul explained.

    "Ohhh I seee....." I said extremely intrigued in the history of this world.

    "On a side not.... that''s why Abbraxsoth is nicknamed the demon..... Story has it that when he was young adult during his adventures he accidentally found himself in the remains of a long dead titan. Exploring deeper he discovered the heart of a Titan.... His lust for power caused him to consume the heart.... I don''t know why..... But they say it took him weeks to finish.... and upon finishing it he came back with the Strength and Immunity to magic similar to that of a Titan.... he also gained the ability to grow in size, his strength growing in proportion to his size. He got his Nickname because using his new found powers and his maniacal rage he single handedly in one night killed the current ruler of Eshia his family and all members in his command structure and crowning himself as the new ruler of Eshia." He said.

    "He sounds very dangerous..." I said.

    "Yup... he is.... also rumours has it no one has ever withstood a hit from him in his Demon form..... So he is very formidable." Paul explained.

    "Is it true that Travis hates you?.." I asked.

    "Ummmm yeah I guess so... He currently exiled from Eshia till he defeats and takes the number one spot in Atlanti." He replied.

    "Is he strong?.." I asked.

    "Yes he himself is also a very formidable fighter, he wields two legendary pistols.... and being the son of Abbraxsoth he also has a natural resistance to magic...." Paul answered.

    "Do you think he can beat you?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmm maybe.... but the reason I''m so feared or respected is no one has seen me serious yet and no one quite knows the extent of my magical prowess." He answered.

    "Have you ever gone serious in a fight before?.." I asked

    "Only once... and that was when I first met Scarlet... after that we sat down talked and became friends." He said.

    "That''s so weirdˇ­." I said.

    "Yeah it''s kinda weird but she''s family now." He said.

    "How about the other two leaders... I forgot their names.." I asked.

    "Who Hannah and Egwene?.." He replied.

    "Yeah.... You know..... I really do miss this...." I said.

    "Miss what???..." he asked.

    "The talking and stuff..." I replied.

    "Me too.... looks like we have to put this conversation on hold though... we coming up to where we need to be." He said making me look forward.

    In front of us stood a small cosy looking cottage with small puffs of smoke blowing out the chimney, with thatched roofing and a bubbling cauldron sitting outside it looked surprisingly peaceful but a small cottage in the middle of a bog of death and decay that could only mean one thing.....

    The hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand on end, knowing what is about to unfold.

 80 Granny Matlilda

    "Paul are we going to visit a witch??.... A crazy ones that live in swamps???...." I asked

    "Yeah.... kinda....." he replied.

    "Are you crazy... they are evil." I replied.

    "She knows things far beyond my understanding, whatever is wrong with you..... She will defiantly know...." he explained.

    "You''re gonna keep me safe right???" I asked needing a little reassurance.

    "Trust me..... I''ll give up my own life for you." he replied.

    "Okay.... " I replied still feeling extremely hesitant.

    Before we even reached the door, it began to open on its own letting out a long creek as it opened. "Come in dearie." the voice of an old frail lady spoke out to us as we entered.

    The interior was completely opposite to the outside, it was extremely unnerving, untidy shelves littered with what seemed to be organs, insects, weird liquids, some insects and small animals even living running around in their glass jars. Shrunken heads and innumerable dried things hanging off the ceiling. In the centre something that looked like it came from a horror film.... a rectangular table with restraints and obvious signs if dried Blood and crude operating equipment. The combined stench of everything made it revolting to breathe through my nose..... But the air felt stale and heavy when trying to breathe through my mouth.

    "Paul I don''t think this is a good idea..." I whispered to him.....

    The door instantly slammed shut trapping us inside. "What did you say dearie? My ears aren''t as good as they used to be." the old frail void said to us.

    "Please Emilia.... watch want you say here...." Paul pleaded.

    "Granny Maltilda I''ve comes to seek your help." Paul shouted out to her.

    "The Black Dragon Slayer needing help from little old me???... What could it possibly be???...." the old voice boomed with a maniac crackle of laughter.

    "Are you willing to help???" he asked her.

    "Of course Granny Matilda is always happy to strike a deal." She shouted.

    Paul placed his hand on the table and with a small blue glow all the stains on the table were erased and magically renewed with life making it look fresh and new and gently placed me on it.

    "Remember don''t offend her." he said to me, as adoor opened from one of the rooms and out stepped a grotesque hideously tall thin old woman. Her face covered with boils, warts and moles. What little hair she had left was extremely thin almost to the point of falling off, knotted and messy like it hasn''t been cared for in years. Her long bony fingers and hands also riddled with boils and peeling skin with extremely long pointy fingernails, wearing a long simple black robe, worn and tattered with age.

    "Granny Matilda is always happy to help someone in need" she walked out slowly limping as her name and age might suggest, looking at me with a creepy smile.

    Paul stood in front of me block her from my view. "Granny my friend has lost motion in her legs I want you to see what''s wrong and possibly heal her." Paul asked, speaking quickly and to the point unlike Granny Matilda who seemed to be revelling in our company.

    "Why so hasty???.... sit and drink.... it''s been a long time since me and my daughter has had visitors." She said to Paul, ''she has a daughter???!!!.....''

    "I would love to but it''s getting late in Arcadia so we can''t stay for long Paul insisted.

    "Okay okay.... So Black Dragon Slayer..... You say your friend has no motion in her legs???..... Is it from a battle?..." She asked.

    Stepping aside to let her see me, "Yes I''ve tried to heal her and even used a healing circle with no effect." He answered her.

    "Hmmmm that extremely peculiar ....." She said taking a step closer to me look and feeling my legs with her long bony fingers, if I wasn''t paralyzed I would defiantly be freaking out more.

    "Hmmm have you tried restoration??...." She asked.

    "Yup tried that as well..." Paul replied.

    "Hmmmm you''re defiantly a special case she said looking at me with a smile. Heading Paul''s warning I awkwardly smiled back.

    "Maybe I should keep her to study, take a better look at what ails her." She suggested.

    "Hmmm I don''t think the school would allow that...." Paul replied, "You don''t know what''s wrong with her??..." Paul asked.

    "Of course I know what''s wrong with her...." She said acting arrogant walking to a shelf of old worn books.

    "So we you''ve tried most healing spells.... and nothing has worked....." She pulled out a book blowing off the dust and wiping away the cobwebs.

    "Hmmmmmm there is only one answer" she said snapping the book closed placing it back on the shelf. "So before I tell you what ails her we should talk about terms....: she said with a giant smile.

    "What do you want in return???... a wish...?..." Paul asked.

    "Although very tempting I think you''re too smart to give me a wish without doing something to work around it" She said still smiling. "What I need is something only you and a few others can offer." She said walking to another door in the house.

    "Fine what is it????" he accepted.

    "Well you know my child is the right age to officially join a school now...." She said politely changing her demeanour opening the door. "Come out Morganna I want you to meet a friend of mine." She said caring like a mother talking to her child.

    "Wouldn''t she be better off in Zessia.... their unrestricted practice of any form of magic would benefit your daughter more...." Paul said.

    "That is true.... she may benefit more from Zessia or even Eshia.... but Atlantis will do." She said smiling. "Morganna come out listen to mother!" She shouted into the room.

    "I don''t understand why I need to join a school.... I can learn much more here with you!" A woman''s voice shouted back.

    "Stop misbehaving! And come out right now!" Granny Matilda shouted.

    A few seconds of silence ensued as Paul and I looked at each other feeling extremely awkward. Much to our surprise out stepped an ordinary look beautiful pale white girl with jet black hair..... Wearing black trousers, black boots, and very loose dark magenta vest, came out and stood next to Granny Matilda quietly.

    "Ummm... and how old are you?... Morgana?.." Paul asked sounding confused and very surprised.

    A few more seconds of silence ensued, "Well answer him." Granny Matilda ordered her.

    "Umm..... 20 years of age..." Morgana answered Paul Quietly shyly fiddling with her hands behind her back.

    "So do we have a deal?..." Granny Matilda asked.

    "...... What''s the catch?....." He asked Granny Matilda.

    "No catch.... I want a place in Atlantis for Morgana." She smiled.

    "But.. You can probably teach her way more than Atlantis could..." He questioned still sounding confused.

    "That is true..... But I want my Daughter to see the world.... instead of spending all her life with little old me.... in the middle of a swamp..." Granny Matilda replied.

    "But Mother... I want to Stay here!... This is home.." She objected.

    "Silence girl! Listen to your mother!" Granny Matilda quickly said telling her off causing her to fall silent again.

    "..... I guess I can pull a few strings and have her enrolled.... but it looks like she''s adamant to stay... what''s going to stop her just escaping at first chance and coming back here?..." Paul asked.

    "Morgana..... Do as Mother asks stay there learn as much as you can and experience life abit... I want you to have a life I didn''t." She said to Morgana.

    "Fine..... Mother..." She reluctantly agreed.

    "Okay..... One more questions.... what can she exactly do?..." Paul asked her.

    "I''ve taught her everything I know...." She said with a giant smile proud of her daughter.

    "Okay.... I won''t question anymore...." He said still sounding confused.

    "So we have a deal then?... You take my Daughter with you and enrol her into Atlantis and in return I''ll tell you what''s wrong with your friend here." She stated to Paul.

    "You have a deal Granny Matilda." Paul accepted her terms.

    "Okay..... Morganna please go with the Black Dragon Slayer.... and please try to behave." She ordered her.

    "He''s the Black Dragon Slayer?.... He doesn''t seem special at all....." She said looking at Paul.

    "Well don''t judge a book by its cover." Paul joked, "Anyways Granny can you fix my friend?.." He asked.

    "I can''t no.... You friend has a problem with something that go far deeper than a normal physical wound.... It has something to do with her mind and heart." She said.

    "Really that''s it?.." Paul asked again.

    "Yup....." She replied with a giant grin.

    "Well..Thank you Granny.... A deals a deal... I''ll take care of your Morgana for you, Thank you for your assistance." Paul accepted, "We''ll be waiting for you outside while you say goodbye to each other." He said picking me up and making our way outside.

    "So Emilia..... What''s wrongˇ­." Paul asked me sounding sincerer when we left the cottage closing the door.

    "I don''t know Paul.." I said confused also not knowing what''s wrong with me.

    "Hmmm..... well once we get back...we''ll suss out whatever is wrong okay?" He said to me.

    "Sure..." I said squeezing him tightly.

    "Hey.... I think your legs squeezed me a little tighter just now.." He said.

    "Really?.." I asked in disbelief.

    "Hmmm... I think so." He replied.

    The door opened behind us and out stepped Morgana looking emotionless, "So we heading to Atlantis? How long is the trip?.." She asked.

    "Well we need to walkout of your mothers defensive perimeter or if I was to portal us we''ll be turned to frogs, so roughly an hour walk." He answered her.

    "Okay.... then let''s get going." She said walking in front of us.

 81 Morgana

    "So Black Dragon Slayer..... What is your name?...." Morgan''s asked.

    "I''m Paul and this is my friend Emilia." He answered her, I don''t know why but for some reason this time around I felt saddened that he said we were only friends.

    "Are you sure you''re the black dragon slayer...??..." she asked.

    "I think so...???...." Paul answers her sounding confused.

    "I always thought the black dragon slayer would be abit more... bigger...." she said.

    "You think I''m scrawny???" Paul chuckled

    "I think you''re a little scrawnyˇ­." She said in return.

    "Am I scrawny?.." He asked me.

    "No.. I think you''re alright." I answered him

    "I thought I was above average...." He said to himself upset by our opinions .

    Morganna remained silent unamused by Paul joke..... "So what''s wrong with Emilia?.." She asked.

    "She''s seemed to lose movement of her legs..." Paul replied.

    "And mother said it''s something to do with her mind and heart?.." She asked.

    "Yup that''s what your mum said." He replied.

    "Hmmmm maybe deep down she doesn''t want to walk....." Morganna suggested.

    "But I really do want to walk..." I replied clearly not wanting to be a cripple.

    "I dunno.... sounds like subconsciously you don''t..." She said still walking ahead of us.

    "Sooo..... I don''t mean to be rude but is she really your mother?..." Paul asked.

    "Of course why?.." Morganna replied.

    "Well..... She''s a Hag... and Hags can''t have human children...." Paul replied.

    "She said I was abandoned as a child... but as far as I''m concerned she is my mother." She replied.

    "Ohhhh I see that makes sense.... So what sort of magic''s and knowledge did she bestow on you?" Paul asked.

    "Hmmm Bog Magic, Necromancy, Black Magic, Medicines, Poisons, Spirits...." She began to explain.

    "Hmmm okay.... I''m just gonna assume whatever she taught you is pretty much banned in Arcadia and Atlantis..... So if you could never use anything you mother taught you and only use what you''re taught in class.... especially with spells.... don''t use Necomancy, Bog magic or black magic!" She said to her.

    "Whatever..." She replied.

    "I''m serious!.... You could go jail or sentenced to death for practicing forbidden magic...." Paul explained.

    "Okay.... whatever...." She agreed or I think she agreed.

    "So once we get back.... I''ll let you stay in my room..... Till I somehow manage to get you officially enrolled and we sort out your own room." Paul explained.

    "Ohhh you didn''t come off as the forward type." She joked.

    "Don''t worry you''ll have you own room." Paul replied to her.

    "Owww.... and I thought I was going to get a chance to get to know the ''Black Dragon Slayer'' more personally." She replied all of a sudden sounding flirty.

    "Don''t get your hopes up.... we aren''t friends just yet." Paul replied totally oblivious to her hints.

    "Well if you ever want to know me better you know where my bedroom will." She said winking at Paul with extreme confidence.

    "She''s weird..." Paul whispered to me.

    "Yeah.... first she doesn''t care about you then she invites you to her room... so weird..." I whispered back.

    "So how much longer do we need to walk?.." Morganna asked.

    "Not too long now... just past those trees." Paul said pointing at a set of trees far away.

    "So what do you think about what she said?.." Paul asked.

    Shocked that he would even consider her "... I don''t think she''s your type..... But I''m not your girlfriend anymore... you don''t need to ask for permission...." I replied.

    "Not my type??? What do you think is my type???" he asked sounding both humoured and curious.

    "You know..... Normal.... kind and stuff." I replied.

    "So abit like you???" He chuckled.

    "Not me exactly..." I replied.

    "Nothing wrong with a goth girl.... who will sacrifice me and a goat to her appease her God while I''m sleeping." He joked.

    "You''re so weird I swear...." I laughed at his joke.

    "What I really meant was..... the subconscious thing...." He asked.

    "Ohhhhhh... I don''t know to be honest.... I honestly wish I could walkˇ­.." I answered him feeling extremely embarrassed.

    "Hmmm... I''m lost.. I don''t know what to do next..." Paul said.

    "Me too.." I replied.

    "If you''re truly the Black Dragon Slayer... I assume you should be adept at doing mind affecting spells.." Morganna suggested.

    "Yes I can but I don''t use that sort of Magic..." Paul replied to her.

    "It''d sure be easier if you went into her mind to see what''s wrong." Morgan''s suggested.

    "Yeah but I don''t like probing around people''s minds..... It''s like a breach of privacy." Paul said in response to her.

    "I guess you''re right...." She replied to him shrugging.

    "So how did you meet mother??? Acadia is on the other side of the world." Morganna asked.

    "I had a mission one time to investigate some strange occurrences in a local village not far from here....." Paul replied.

    "Hmmm I see... I guess you must be strong if mother shows you respect....." She said to Paul.

    "Thanks for the compliment." Paul replied.

    "So what''s life like here Morganna???" I asked.

    "It''s okay.... pretty peaceful.... just spend most my time collecting materials and reagents for mother, quite boring to be honest." She answered.

    "Isn''t it abit dangerous out here???." I asked.

    "Not really everything here is scared if mother so it''s pretty safe for me and her." she answered.

    "Ohhh I see." I nodded in understanding.

    "Yeahˇ­ her mother is a Hag... an immortal witchˇ­.. On top Hags have ranksˇ­. Aunt, Mother and then Grandmotherˇ­.. Aunt being the weakest although on its own still extremely dangerousˇ­ but as you can tell Granny Matilda is a Grandmotherˇ­. Very few Hags reach the level of Grandmotherˇ­. " Paul explained.

    "...ˇ­. This bloody world is so dangerous!" I said in shock.

    "You think that''s bad?.... one of the most deadly monsters I''ve heard of is something called an Aboleth a mind controlling sea monsterˇ­.. With several tentacles, dangerously intelligentˇ­ and if you was to get to close to itˇ­. Or hit by its one of many tentaclesˇ­ if will transfer something into you which will permanently convert you to only be able to breathe within a few meters of itˇ­. Essentially forcing you be near it for the rest of your life or die from drowning in water or air.." He said.

    ''A big nope appeared in my mindˇ­'' "Maybe I should have gone back homeˇ­" I replied.

    "It''s alrightˇ­. I''ve personally never seen one before so they are extremely rareˇ­.." Paul said.

    "They are alsoˇ­. A creature that predates the Godsˇ­ Mother said that they ruled the universe till the Gods came and destroyed their empire... and when killed they regenerate in another plane and come back with person memoryˇ­. So if you ever meet oneˇ­. I''d suggest to run away as fast as you canˇ­" Morgana added.

    "This should be far enough...." Paul said interrupting out conversation and opening a portal.

    "After you Morganna." Paul said.

    Arriving back at Paul''s room we was met with the sound of light snoring and low light. Paul gently put me down on the bed. "Looks like your friends tried to wait for you. I''ll be back soon." he whispered smiling walking out the room issuing Morganna to follow. He quickly came back with a stack of blankets one by one slowly placing them on Helen, Grace, Daisy and Jay one by one.

    "You want to come with me to fetch the others??" he asked with a smile.

    "Yeah sure if it''s not too much trouble." I replied.

    "No trouble at all he said kneeling down in front of me again.

    "Ready???" he asked.

    "Yup!" I said holding on tightly. "Wait what about morganna??..." I asked.

    "I told her to chill out at my room and pick out some clothes form Scarlet''s room." Paul replied.

    "Is everyone else gonna be okay with morganna here???..." I asked

    "Hmmm.... good point...." he said pointing at the others and suddenly the sofa area was encased in a faint golden barrier. "they should be fine now..." Paul said opening a portal and stepping through to the cave we was at earlier.

    "You''re a bit late...." Ashley said as we arrived.

    "Yeah my bad.... had something important to do that took more time than expected." Paul answered him.

    "Ohhh I also have a favour to ask Ashley." He requested.

    "Sure what is it??..." he asked picking up his equipment.

    "I need you to enrol someone secretly." Paul asked.

    "Really?? Bro I''m all for helping people in need and orphans..... But you know what we are doing is against school rules." Ashley said.

    "Yeah I know but this time couldn''t be helped." he replied.

    "Ohhh hey Emilia!!! How you doing???..." he asked.

    "I''m good." I smiled back.

    "Where''s scarlet???" Paul asked.

    "No idea..... Probably should call her back....." Ashley replied.

    "Scarlet I''m here to pick you guys up." Paul said speaking through his communicator.

    "Coming...." She replied and in a near instant she was walking towards us out from the woods.

    "Anna you done with cataloguing the children???..." Paul asked.

    "Yup we have names and locations on where we need to take them." she answered.

    "Omg I totally forgot.... we was looking for someone named..... Tolum..." I said to Paul.

    "Anna did you find someone called Tolum?..." Paul asked.

    "Ohh yeah there was one Halfling gentleman names Tolum.... he said he knew his way home so I let him go..." Anna replied.

    "That''s a relief.... we met a family whose father went missing for over three days..." I said to Paul

    "Hmmm he was the only adult among the kids?.." Paul asked ignoring what I said.. Or he didn''t hear me...

    "Yeah..." She answered Paul..

    "That sounds very strange... why they would kidnap one adult Halfling..." Paul pondered.

    "Hmm maybe they mistaken him for a child?.." Anna suggested.

    "Maybe..... But still sounds a bit odd." Paul still pondered.

    "Can we go home??... it''s getting late and I got a lot to do before we go to sleep." Ashley said.

    "Ohhh Ashley don''t worry about enrolling Morgana for now... we''ll do it tomorrow morning.... for now could you add an extra bedroom to my room for her." Paul asked.

    "Sure thing." He replied.

    "Who''s Morgana?.." Scarlet asked.

    "It''s a long story I''ll tell you guys when we get back." Paul replied opening a portal behind him, Anna you go on ahead to the infirmary get the kids a place to sleep and we''ll relocate them tomorrow." He smiled.

    Anna nodded and began waking up some of the sleeping children leading them through Paul''s Portal.

    "Sure thing.." Scarlet smiled.

    "Right time for us to head home." Paul said closing the portal once the last child stepped through with Anna and reopening another one.

    "By the way did u find any action while on patrol?.." Paul asked.

    "I wish.... was dead quiet..." She replied walking into the portal.

    "Don''t worry Emilia I think I know how to help you." He whispered to me.

    "Really??!!" I asked feeling extremely hopeful.

 82 Regenerate

    "Ohh we need to be quiet..." Paul said as we entered his room remembering everyone was sleeping.

    "Right I''ll be off and add your extra room as soon as I can.. cya guys." Ashley bid us farewell for the night.

    "Take care and thanks bro." Paul said to Ashley as he left.

    "Emilia?.. What''s wrong?.." Scarlet asked.

    "Nothing why?.." I replied.

    "Why is Paul carrying you everywhere?.." She asked.

    "She lost motion in her legs.." Paul informed her.

    "HOW and WHY??! She shouted.

    "Shushhhh not so loud..." Paul said pointing at everyone sleeping, "Into the training room." He ordered Scarlet.

    "Sorry...." She said quietly and opened the door for us, "Ohh I''ll get a chair..." She said as we walked through the door.

    As the door closed Paul set me down on the floor gently, "Don''t worry... we have loads of time to recover here." He said.

    "What do you mean??" I asked.

    "Time moves slower here.... approximately three times slower." He smiled.

    "What??.." I asked.

    "So 3 Hours here is like 1 Hour back in Atlantis." He replied.

    "How is that possible?.." I asked in shock and disbelief.

    "Magic... and this is a different plane to the one Atlantis is in." He smiled.

    "Isn''t it cheating?.." I asked.

    "Not really... anyone can do it if they fine the right dimension or plane.." He answered.

    "Are we gonna be training here?.." I asked.

    "Yup... so if we wake up one hour earlier... we can train here for 2 Hours... before class starts." He explained.

    "That sounds amazing, wait do we age as normally here?.... If I spend too much time here won''t I age faster then everone else?...." I asked.

    "It''s complicated but to make things simple in this plane we don''t ageˇ­" Paul said.

    After about 5 minutes Scarlet came in holding a chair but stood a little further away from us.

    "By the way do you have the coin?.. Ashley Gave to you?.." He asked.

    "I have two.... the invisibility oneˇ­. and the other one Ashley gave us at the Hunters Guild." I answered him.

    "Ahh good... give the one Ashley gave to you at the Hunters guild." Paul asked.

    "Okay.." I replied pulling out the silver coin he handed to us, "By the way what does it do?.." I asked.

    "It''s a coin that makes you immune to fear and being scaredˇ­ it''s quite useful in a lot of situationsˇ­. They only have 3 uses a day lasting an hour each useˇ­.." He explained.

    "Ohhh okayˇ­" I said looking at the ordinary coin.

    "At the momentˇ­ the other coin has only One use per dayˇ­ so make sure you use to wisely." Paul said.

    "How does invisibility work?.." I asked.

    "Like normal invisibilityˇ­. You''re invisibleˇ­. There are spells people can use to make you appear, and make them see youˇ­. But it only lasts until you do somethingˇ­ or 5 mins has passed" He replied.

    "So what''s the plan to help her?.." Scarlet asked now approaching placing the chair behind me lifting me with ease and placing me on the chair.

    "Have you tried to heal her?.." She asked.

    "Yup... Healing word..... Circle of Healing... and Restoration.." Paul answered.

    "Hmmmm.... How about regenerate?.." Scarlet suggested.

    "Ohhh crap how did I forget that??" He said.

    "Hmmmm..... You want me to try?.." Scarlet asked.

    "Well me or you both kinda the same." Paul replied.

    "Lemme give it a try." She said.

    "Okay Emilia... so Scarlet is gonna try Regenerate it''s a high level druid spell.... it will Dramatically increase your natural healing... but it will hurt.. alot.." He explained to me.

    "... Lets give it a try!" I said faking a brave face.

    "Okay..." He smiled holding my hand... "Don''t worry I''ll be here." He said gripping my hand tightly and gave Scarlet a nod.

    "Okay..... I''ll start I guess." She said walking behind me, "Sorry Emilia.." She apologized as I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

    An agonizing pain shot through my spine and leg making me instantly curl in pain, the sight of Paul''s smiling face quickly became blinding white as the pain intensified throughout my lower body and spine. Somehow through the pain I could still feel his hand holding tightly onto mine anchoring me from being lost in the pain. I could feel myself screaming in pain but I couldn''t hear myself, just the Blinding white light, pain and the feeling of Paul holding me.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "So who''s this Morgana chick you was talking about???..." Scarlet s voice appeared in my head.

    "She''s Granny Matildas daughter...." Paul''s voice replied.

    "How on earth did she have a daughter?...." Scarlet asked.

    "Apparently she''s adopted." Paul answered her.

    "really??... A Hag that shows compassion.... that''s rare...." Scarlet commented.

    "Yeah I know.... totally different to when we encountered her...." Paul answered.

    "So why is she here???...." Scarlet asked.

    "I went to ask her for help on Emilia and stuck a deal with her.... her daughter for the answer to heal Emilia...."Paul answered her.

    "... You know never to accept a Hag''s deals...." Scarlet said.

    "Yeah ..... I think I just got conned." Paul answers her.

    "Yeah maybe..... Wait till Emilia wakes ups and see if it worked." Scarlet said.

    "I''m sure it worked..... The spell caused her alot of pain.... I''m sure it worked...." Paul answered.

    "So... what''s the relationship between you two???..... You told me you was a little more then just friends..... But it''s clearly more than that..." Scarlet asked.

    "..... She''s kind of technically my ex-gf...." he hesitantly replied.

    "But it''s clear... you still love her why don''t you tell her??..." she asked

    "Much like me... to her family is everything.... and back where we are from.... her parents will never accept me..." Paul answered.

    ".... what do you mean by accept...??.." She asked.

    "Where we are from..... There are only humans.... and to some people our skin tone is very important..... Heritage and stuff..... So where she''s from is a land mass called India.... and where I''m from is area called China....." he replied.

    "Ohhh I get it... it''s like over here with same race relationships." Scarlet commented.

    "Yes exactly....." Paul replied.

    "But you''re the Black Dragon Slayer..... Saved countless number of families and children.... how is that not good enough???..."Scarlet asked.

    ".... back home I was a nobody.....whereas here I''m special....." he answered.

    "Ohhhh....."Scarlet replied falling silent. "Is that why you came here??..." she asked.

    "Yeah.... I was running away from her... back at home we have friends in common andthe internet.... it''s something that instantlytransfers information around the world..... So basically everyone kept telling me how well she''s doing without me..... and the internet there are these things called Social media sites, it makes it easier for people to tell each other what was going on in their lives it was a constant struggle to refrain myself from spying on her...., so I ran away ...ran away from everything" He explained to her.

    "Hmmmmm I''m sorry to hear that Paul..." Scarlet said her voice soft and low sounding uneasy and sad for him.

    "It''s all my fault really..... I was the one who broke up with her because I didn''t want her to choose between me and her family..." Paul replied.

    "Don''t be so sad..... You did it because you loved her..... And you''re a much better now..." She tried to cheer him up.

    "Yeah.... I guess it was some weird kind of Fate that she also came here..." He replied.

    "Yeah.... maybe..... Does she know you still have feelings for her?..." Scarlet asked.

    "She probably has an idea... but she deserves someone far better than me... I did something horrible to her..... I don''t deserve her forgiveness...." He confessed.

    "Just know that you''re a good person..... You shouldn''t care about what other people think about you specially if they don''t even know youˇ­.." Scarlet said.

    "I know.... I know...." His voice cracked and stuttered as if feeling unsure.

    "How do you feel now she''s here?.." She asked.

    "I''m not quite sure... I still love her to bits.... there''s nothing I can do..." He said.

    "No I meant.... You''re not gonna run away again?..." Scarlet asked.

    "No.. I don''t think so.... I think this time I probably need to deal with my feelings rather than running away..." He replied.

    "That''s good.." Scarlet replied.

    "Can I ask for a favour?.." He asked

    "Sure what is it?..." Scarlet replied.

    "Could you just keep an eye out for Emilia for me?... I think I''m gonna take a few days break at the castle or Take a mission..." He asked.

    "But.... How am I meant to protect you when I''m here?" She asked.

    "You know.. I''ll be okay.... don''t worry I won''t be doing anything stupid." He replied.

    "Okay fine...." She agreed.

    "Ohhh shoot... I forgot I was meant to start some extra training with her on Monday..." He said.

    "No worries I can cover you on that as well... by the way... what would you like me to tell her?...." She asked.

    "Tell her I went on a mission..." He replied

    "But I don''t feel comfortable lying to her.... I like her.." Scarlet objected.

    "Okay.... I''ll accept a mission that way you won''t technically be lying to her.." He accepted.

    ".... This still doesn''t feel good to me...." She said.

    "Sorry for putting you in this position...." He apologized.

    "It''s okay.... I''ll make up an excuse for you." She said sounding happier.

    "Thanks...." He replied.

    "You know eventually.... you''re gonna need to tell her or she''s gonna move on to someone else...." She said.

    "I think it''s better if she moves on to someone else.... someone more deserving of her...." He replied.

    "Sometimes.... I think you''re one of the smartest people I''ve met and then sometimes I think you''re the dumbest." She said.

    "I know....." He chuckled. "Thanks by the way ... for being such a good friend to me.... you really are family" he replied.

    "You''re family as well.." she replied.

    "By the way did you really get tricked by Matilida...?.." She asked.

    "I think so..... She got her Daughter enrolled for free when I could have easily cast regenerate on Emilia myself..." He sighed.

    "Do I need to keep an eye on her?.." Scarlet asked.

    "Hmm... maybe... but I don''t think she''s gonna make too much trouble.." Paul answered.

    "So how do you think I should train Emilia?.." She asked.

    "Hmmmm defiantly help her in spell casting.... at the moment I''ve only seen her use firebolt..... Ohh and maybe a weapon.... give her one from here... whichever one she wants.... except the cursed ones of course..." He said.

    "Hmmm sure thing.... normal training?... Pushups, Squats then running as well?.." She asked.

    "Yeah some physical training can''t hurt." He said.

    "Sure thing..." She replied, "You gonna be okay?... I''ve never seen you like this before." She asked.

    "Yeah....I''ll be alright...." He replied.

    "You humans.... are so weird.." Scarlet replied.

    "Yeah..... We are..." He replied.

    "What time do we start?.." Scarlet asked.

    "I got Ashley to change her alarm for 1 hour earlier than usual." Paul answered.

    "Ahhh okay cool.... I''ll put her to sleep in the extra room assuming Ashley has done it by now." Scarlet said.

    "Yeah sure.. I think I saw Morgana sleeping in my bed when we got back so my bed is occupied." He replied.

    "Tell the kids I said Hi when you get there.." Scarlet said.

    "Always.." Paul replied.

    "I''ll cya in a couple of days... make sure you keep in touch... or I''m gonna hunt you down." She threatened him.

    "Yeah I will.... I''ll also contact you if I need help." he replied.

    "Take care!!" Scarlet said.

    "Take care and thanks Scarlet." Paul replied.

 83 Ice Cream

    I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door. "What the hell?.." I said to myself groggily getting up my body still feeling a little weak.

    Sitting up and turning to the side of the bed got up walking to the door opening it. Instantaneously several people came barging in pushing me aside and slamming the door.

    "Emilia!!!!" Daisy''s familiar voice called out to me quickly.

    "Yes?..." I replied still trying to wake up rubbing my eyes.

    "Who''s the girl in the other room?..." Helen asked.

    "Huh?.." I said.

    "There''s a pale girl with jet black hair in Paul''s bed!" Helen said.

    "Ohh I think that''s Morgana..." I answered her rubbing my eyes a little more to clear up my vision... "What time is it?.." I asked.

    "It''s early morning... we woke up with her sitting on the bed watching us." They all replied.

    "Hmmmm....." I replied now fully wake, pressing on my badge. "Ummm Scarlet are you awake?.." I asked.

    "Good morning Sis wassup?.." She replied.

    "Umm what do we do with Morgana?.." I asked.

    "Ohhh she''s awake?... one moment Paul told me to show her around." She said.

    "Let''s go introduce ourselves to her." I suggested.

    "Are you sure?.. She looks a little creepy..." Helen said.

    "Yeah I''ve talked to her a little she''s not bad.." I said opening the door.

    Walking out I realized that I could walk again. It felt so good to be able to walk on my own again..... but I had to contain my excitement....Morgana was sitting on the Sofa staring into the wall, noticing us she quickly turned her head to look at us.

    "Hi... Morgana..." I hesitantly greeted her.

    "Hello Emilia." She replied with a weird smile making her look even creepier.

    "Had a good sleep?.." I asked taking a seat opposite her.

    "Yeah it was so so..." She replied.

    "Sorry that my friends rudely ran into the room....." I apologized for their behaviour.

    "It''s okay I totally understand, it was probably partly my fault anyways I don''t get to meet other people at the Bog." She replied.

    "You do?..." I said in surprise...."Anyways meet. Grace, Helen, Daisy and Jay." I said pointing to each of them they all still standing beside me. Morgana greeted each one of them with a hello and a smile. "Guys you can take a seat." I said to them causing them all to bunch up beside me on a couch the five of us fitting on one sofa made to fit three or four.

    "Are you also a first year?...." Grace asked.

    "I think so...." Morgana replied.

    "Did you enrol late?.." Helen asked.

    "Yes I did.." She replied with a smile.

    "No offense but why do I get some bad vibes off you?.." Daisy asked.

    "Maybe it''s because I spent most my childhood growing up in a Bog." Morgana replied causing Helen and Daisy to let out a loud gasp.

    "But but... only Hags and monsters lives in bogs and swamps...." Daisy said.

    "Yeah... my mum''s a Hag." Morgana answered her with a smile this time all four of them gasped in shock.

    "Don''t worry I''m alot nicer then mother.... I''m here to make friends." She said with a smile.

    "But but.. Hags can''t have children..." Grace asked.

    "Yah.. I was adopted, and technically they canˇ­. They need to eat a baby to give birth to a baby" she said causing them to gasp again.

    "But Hags normal eat children..." Daisy said.

    "No idea... but Mother didn''t and she took care of me." Morgana replied.

    "That''s very unusual behaviour for a Hag" Grace said.

    The door suddenly opened and Scarlet s strange aura came along with her causing all of us all to sit up straight.

    "Morning all..... Morganna I''ve comes to take you on a tour of the schools facilities" Scarlet said.

    "Sure no problem...." She said standing up and stood beside Scarlet.

    "Ohhh and remember to give your equipment back to Ashley. He said he''s waiting for you guys in his Lab." Scarlet told us.

    "Sure we''ll head around there now." I replied to her.

    "Sure.... I''ll meet you guys later." Scarlet said, "But pop by the main hall for breakfast first, or help yourself in the kitchen." she said before leaving with Morgana.

    "So breakfast here or main hall??..." I asked everyone.

    "Ohhh let''s have some breakfast here and explore Paul''s room." Daisy answered.

    "Yeah.... I''m interested what your people eat for breakfast." Jay said.

    "Ohhh yeah yeah!!!" Helen agreed.

    "Hold on lemme see what he has first." I said walking into the kitchen.

    Ever one else also followed me in the kitchen extremely intrigued in what they might find. Slowly they peeked in, their heads popped through the door looking into the kitchen.

    "Come in." I motioned to them as I checked out his fully equipped kitchen.

    Everyone walked in instantaneously looking around opening draws and cupboards. "What is all this stuff..???..." Helen asked.

    "Cooking ingredients....I guess." I said walking to her cupboard. "Ohhh this is spices... and baking ingredients." I said noticing many jars filled and labelled with all sorts of spices located around from earth. Everyone quickly huddled behind us peering into the cabinet intrigued.

    "Ohhh ohhh we have spices here as well." Jay said, they all began reaching out trying to read the label opening the jars to give then a smell.

    Moving over I opened next cabinet discovering that they were all filled with plates and bowls. Another filled with all sorts of cooking equipment and even cleaning products. Opening some draws I found towels, cloths, cooking and eating utensils.

    Walking to what seemed to be a chest freezer I lifted it open to see a freezer full of ice creams..... "Omg you guys would love these." I said to them causing them all to rush over to see what it was.

    "This machine produces ice???...!!!" Jay said both fascinated and confused.

    "Fascinating....." Grace said placing her hand into it.... "How does it produce temperatures similar to the frozen north??...." Grace asked.

    "Your world is amazing!!!!" Helen said looking deep inside the freezer.

    Daisy went to grab a tub if ice cream. "Hold on guys we can''t have this for breakfast..."I said to them, causing Daisy to let go of the tub.

    Opening the huge fridge beside it, the under compartment was a freezer filled with all sorts of different meats, the top filled with everything I could think of.... eggs, fruits, vegetables and condiments. "Okay.... looks like I can make a decent breakfast." I said to them.

    Opening some containers on the kitchen work top there was sugars, cornflakes, tea bags, coffee beans and other incidents. Checking the overhead compartments there were all sorts of cooking equipment. Paul really has everything here....

    "Right.... Helen can you grab me a couple of pans from that cabinet over there??...." I asked her.

    "Pans???.." she asked.

    "Yeah the circular ones with handles...get me three please" I asked.

    "Sure!" she said excitedly pulling out three none stick pans for me.

    "Okay I need you Jay to get a loaf of bread from that box for me... and the draw here will have a bread cutting knife.... I need you to cut me five thick slices please..." I asked.

    Picking up the loaf of bread he went to the draw but looked a little confused at what to pick up. "The serrated one there..." I pointed to him.

    "Ohhh what can I do???!!" Daisy asked lifting her hand like a student in class.

    "Umm in that thing behind you... it a fridge in the top compartments, I need you to break me Five eggs into bowl and give me Five eggs. I asked.

    "Okay sure!!!" she smiled filled with excitement.

    "Bowls are in the Cupboard down there." I said pointing to ehr

    "... Hmmm..... Grace Can you... make some tea.... so fill that thing with water...." I asked pointing at the kettle." Then get some cups from that cabinet." I said pointing at one of the overhead cabinets and then put these tea bags in it.... then fills it three quarters with water and then mix I some milk." I instructed her pointing at a small box containing tea bags.

    "Okay..." She hesitantly replied following my instructions.

    "Okay.... I''ll make you guy''s fancy toast.... and eggs and omelettes with tea." I told them.

    Together and a little help we managed to produce a breakfast I was extremely proud of. "Right let''s make our way to the sofas." I said placing all our food and drinks on trays and together we took then out.

    "Your world has the best things!!!!" Daisy said.

    "Yeah.... and the machine that freezes or chills things to make them last long is absolute genius." Jay added.

    "The food smells so good!!!!" Helen said smelling her plate of food.... and the bread.... I''ve never had bread like this!!!" she said.

    "Emilia?.." Grace asked while we started eating our breakfast.

    "Yeah wassup?.." I asked.

    "Umm.... do you reckon we can take a peek into Paul''s training room?.." She asked.

    "I''m sure there''s no harm in looking." I answered her with a smile.

    "Omg really ?!!" She said looking excited and quickly surprisingly began scoffing down her food at the same pace as Jay.

    "Wow you''re excited for once.." Helen said to grace.

    "Of course!!! Aren''t you interested in their training room?.." She asked.

    "Not really... I can''t imagine it being anything special..." Helen replied slowly savouring her breakfast.

    "You know Emilia.... if adventuring and being a sorceress doesn''t work out you can always open a tavern with this awesome cooking." Jay complimented.

    "What is this called by the way??...." Helen asked.

    "We are having French toast, tea, omelette and sunny side up eggs." I explained to her.

    "Ohhh ohhh can we try the things in the Cold box thing?!" Daisy asked.

    "Hmmm it''s abit early to eat ice cream.. but okay." I agreed walking into the kitchen to get some tubs of Ice crea once we all finished eating, and quickly coming out with spoons and several tubs. "Hmmm so we have my favourite ... Cookie Dough, Chocolate Brownie, Salted Caramel, Mint and Vanillia." I said putting the tubs in the middle of the table and retaking my seat.

    They all looked at me as if puzzled on what to do..... "I have no idea what you just said to us.." Daisy said.

    "Don''t worry just opening it up and try it." I said with a smile handing out the tubs randomly with a spoon. "We can also share the tubs around so u all can try different flavours I said with a giant smile.

    "THIS IS THE BEST COLD THING EVER!!! WHAT WAS IT CALLED AGAIN??!!!" Daisy shouted in excitement after eating a spoonful of Salted Caramel.

    "Yeah.... this is defiantly amazing!" Jay added.

    "I can say for certain this is defiantly the best thing I''ve ever eaten!" Helen said.

    "What is this called again?.." Grace asked.

    "Ice Cream." I answered her.

    "So.... it''s Ice and Cream... we should be able to make this!" She said looking down at her tub excited.

    "Ummm I think its abit harder than that sadly.." I told her.

    "What a shame... I wish there was a way we could reproduce this." She said sighing.

    "Damnit... I was gonna suggest we could take some more from Paul..... But then we don''t have the super cold box he does..." Daisy said almost jumping in excitement at first but then remembered we didn''t have a freezer.

 84 Bows

    "Can we check out the training room now??..." Grace asked like a child asking a parent.

    "Gosh I''m too full to go training...."Daisy said... leaning back happy she finished a tub of ice cream.

    "lemme return all the unfinished tubs and clean up, then we''ll check out the training room." I said with a smile and began clearing the table.

    "We''ll help." Daisy said.

    We all began clearing up after ourselves putting out used plates and pans in the sink and the unfinished ice cream back into the chest freezer. Turning on the taps I was about to start washing up, "Emilia what you doing??..."Jay asked.

    "I can''t leave his kitchen in a mess....." I replied slightly confused on why he''s asking.

    "There''s a spell for that don''t you remember??...." Jay said pulling out his wand and started casting a spell.

    The words he uttered rang a bell but I couldn''t quite put my finger on it..."What spell???" I asked.

    "Prestidigitation.... I''m sure you must have learnt it on our first spell casting lesson." He said. As he finished casting the spell the taps turned themselves on and the sponge began floating on its own and like in a movie began cleaning all the dirty dishes and cutlery.

    "Ohhh yeah...." I replied remembering.

    "Let''s check out the training room!!" Grace said full of excitement.

    We all made our way out towards the Training room door, Grace reached to open the door before being stopped by Jay. "That might not be a good idea... earlier this week me and Daisy got slammed by a protection ward pretty badly when we tried to enter Paul''s dorm." Jay warned her, causing Grace to retract her hand quickly.

    Opening the door there was an intense silence bracing for something to happen. The door click uneventfully, slowly I opened the door to reveal to everyone the training room.

    Daisy and Grace exploded in excitement seeing the innumerable selection of weapons. Grace went rushing straight towards the ranged weapons on display and Daisy went for the heavy looking 2h weapons much to Jay''s surprised nothing blew them back with an explosion and a blinding flash.

    "Aside from the obscene amount of weapons what so special?" Helen said walking in taking a glance around.

    "Hmmm something does feel odd though..." Jay said walking in and back out through the door over and over.

    "Are you sure?.." Helen asked stepping out and back in again.... "You''re right something does feel odd then we walk in." She said looking curiously as the door frame.

    "Emilia do you know anything else about this room?..." Jay and Helen asked.

    "Hmmmmm..." I said trying to remember if Paul mentioned anything about this room..... "Ohh yeah.. He said that time moves slower here and you don''t age.." He said after a few minutes of pondering.

    "WHAT?!" they both shouted in astonishment looking at me in disbelief.

    I shrugged, "I dunno that''s what he said." I replied.

    "HOW ON EARTH DID HE ACHIEVE THAT??!!" Jay shouted.... at me looking at me as if I knew the answers.

    "I dunno he said this room is in another Plane... he said.." I answered them.

    "Wow...." their voice lingering, staring at the room in awe.

    "WOW!!!!!..... Grace yelled... guys!!! He has a Sun Bow!!!" Grace yelled at us from the other side of the room.

    "NO WAY!!!" Helen yelled in return running to grace.

    "What is it?.." I asked as I arrived at both of them staring at the bow wanting to touch it.

    "Do you think I''m allowed to touch it?.." Grace asked her hands quivering eager to hold it.

    "Ummm..... Want me to ask Ashley?.." I asked.

    "Could you?!!" They both turned around pleading at the same time asking almost at the point of begging holding my hands.

    "I''ll try." I said. "Hey Ashley?.." I asked activating my communicator.

    "Heyyy Emilia wassup?.." He replied in the background noises of moving machinery and the sounds of sparks and metal work.

    "Ohh hey.... are you busy?" I asked.

    "Ummm not really.... Just you, know doing what artificers do best.." He replied.

    "Ohh okay..... I was wondering if I could ask you something." I asked.

    "Sure no problems ask away." He said sounding as jolly as always, I could almost imagine him smiling.

    "Ummm... We was wondering if we could try some of the weapons you guys have in your training room." I replied slightly worried at his reply.

    "Ummmm some of the weapons there are a little dangerous..." he replied.

    "Ohhhh... so strictly not allowed to touch them?.." I asked Grace and Helen looking saddened listening in on our conversation.

    "Ummm... Don''t tell Paul....." He said.

    "So that''s a yes?.." I asked.

    "Just wait till I get there I don''t want you guys hurting yourselves." He asked.

    "Okay sure thing we''ll wait." I replied giving Helen and Grace a thumbs up and with a smile nodding yes. Grace and Helen exploded with joy looking back at the bow again.

    "Okay I''ll be there in a minute." He replied.

    "Okay guy''s no one touch anything till Ashley gets here please..." I relayed his message.

    "Okay" they replied all still fascinated at all the weapons, even Jay was looking at the weapons assuming from the small faint blueish glow he''s giving off at the eye regions he was using detect magic.

    Suddenly in an open space near the entrance a runes began drawing themselves in a circle and upon completion a large blue flash erupted causing everyone else to turn around to see what happened.

    Everyone instantly shouted that they didn''t do anything or touched anything holding their hands up proclaiming their innocence.

    "Heyyy!" Ashley''s voice shouted out to us, as the smoke cleared.

    "Ashley!" Daisy replied running to him to greet him.

    "So I''m told you guys wanted to mess around with some weapons?.." He asked.

    "Yes yes! Can we! Can we?!" Daisy asked in excitement.

    "Okay okay.." He said trying to calm her down... "Just tell me what you want to try and I''ll get them for you." He said.... "But I can''t let you guys use the cursed weapons." He added.

    "What the hell is a cursed weapon?.." I asked in shock.....

    "Some weapons cause adverse effects.... if you was to wield them." He explained.

    "Ohhh I see...." I nodded in understanding.

    "Yeah they are harder to control." He smiled, "So who''s first?.." He asked clasping his hands together.

    "Ohh Mr Ashley Sir... can we try some of these bows?.." Grace asked.

    "Sure no problems which one?.." He said walking towards Grace.

    "How did you guys manged to get a Sun Bow by the way?..." Helen asked.

    "Ahhhh good question.... we helped out some high ranking Sun Elves... it was a given to us as a gift from the Princess or Queen I can''t remember exactlyˇ­.." He replied.

    "Woah.... what did you do to earn such respect from a high ranking Sun Elf?.." They both replied in shock.

    "Yah I know what you mean..... Sun elves are the most... racists of all the Elven tribes." Ashley said scratching his head, "But it was a few years ago.. I can''t remember anymore sorry." He replied to them.

    "You do know what a Sun Bow does right?.." He asked picking it up for them.

    "Yeah!!! It''s weighs as much as a feather and the power generated by the string is second to none!" Grace answered.

    "Someone has done their research." He said with a smile handing it to her holding it centre with one finger.

    "I''ll make a target for you." He replied, "Computer Moving target dummies please." He asked.

    "Yes, Mr Ashley." A robotic Female voice replied making several moving holographic moving targets going from side to side at an empty section of the wall.

    Stepping aside he gestured with an open palm for Grace to test the bow. "Ummm can I quickly get my quiver?.... I left it back at the eating area." She politely asked Ashley.

    "No need... just draw the bow string." He smiled.

    Slightly confused Grace looked at him for a second to see if he was joking. "Are you sure?..." She asked.

    "Positive." He smiled.

    "Okay....." She agreed hesitantly drawing the bow with an empty hand, as she slowly drew the string a faint yellow light appeared in her fingers like forming a Stick of light between her fingers and Bow. Noticing the light she quickly withdrew the bow causing the light to fade. "What the??!" She asked Ashley in shock.

    "What was that?!" Helen her voiced raised in shock and surprise.

    "This isn''t any normal Sun Bow... it''s one Infused with Magic that shoot''s light arrows." He answered them, "Go on try them on the target." He said edging Grace on.

    Hesitant Grace took aim and drew the bow string causing the light to faintly appear again, getting more intense as the string reached maximum torque, the stick of light now becoming a fully formed light in the shape of a radiant arrow. Releasing the arrow Grace missed her target completely hitting the wall behind, the arrow faded away on impact leaving a scorch mark on the wall at the point of impact.

    "WOAH!" I reacted seeing the speed of the arrow.

    "Yeah.... the arrows are a lot faster than your standard arrows... that''s probably why you missed sadly." He said to grace.

    "Not only that... there didn''t seem to be a dip in the fight path of the arrow either." Grace mentioned.

    "Sharp eyes! Very well spotted.... You are correct.... sadly the light arrows only have an effective distance of 50 yards.... and will dissipate beyond that... so that''s the downside of using light arrows." Ashley Explained.

    "So I won''t be able to shoot targets beyond 50 Yards?.." Grace asked.

    "Nope sadly the arrows will just vanish at 50 Yards.... but you can use normal arrows on targets further then 50 Yards." He said smiling.

    "How about the other Bows?.." Helen asked.

    "Ohhh we have a lot here... Some will ignite you arrow or turn your arrow into Ice when fired..... Hmmm... Ohh one of these is a crossbow I made myself... with special arrows it will imbue the arrow with Arcanum to give it a bit more of an explosive Bang if you needed." He smiled, "and there are some... normal but finely crafted bows and crossbows... try any of them you want." He smiled. "But don''t try and touch the two black ones here." He said pointing at two bows, one was a deep black bow it looked strange for some reason the bow didn''t seem solidˇ­. Like somehow it''s here and it isn''tˇ­. The other was also a deep black bow but the obvious difference was all along the bow it sparkled like the night skyˇ­.. but the stars seemed to somehow shift in random locationsˇ­.

 85 Magical Weapons

    "Ashley???...." Daisy yelled out to him

    "Yes..." he replied.

    "Can I try some weapons too??...." she asked.

    "Sure." he said walking to Daisy, I followed him to see what else Paul has here.

    "What''s a good weapon I can try???...." She asked as he arrived.

    "Hmmmmm what sort of weapons do you like to use???..." he asked.

    "Blunt Weapons." She answered him.

    "Hmmmmm" Ashley said walking to a large hammer that looked like it requires two hands to hold.

    "Try this." He said picking it up with his one robotic arm, his arm letting out a faint sound of mechanisms and gears working harder and handing it to her.

    "What is it?.." She asked holding it in her two hands.

    "You''ll see." He said with a smile.

    The instant he released it letting her hold it with both her hands the end of the Hammer ignited with fire, the intensity of the heat causing me and Ashley to take a few steps back but somehow Daisy was unaffected.

    "THIS IS AWESOME!!!" She said swinging the hammer side to side the flame remaining strong through the swing.

    "Same as the Bows... we also have some that Chill things on impact or Sends out a shock." He said.

    "Are there anything for casters?.." Jay asked walking towards us.

    "Hmmmm I don''t think so...." There are some useful items but.... generally your spells should be adequate enough." Ashley explained.

    "None at all?.." He asked.

    "Well.... generally because casters are well squishy.. Most try to use equipment to make them more durable." He tried to explain, "But I do have some nifty equipment back at my lab..... But nothing here..." He said.

    "Ohh you need to try this one Daisy.. You''re going to love it." He said handing her a beautifully made ornate maul made of silver..... With beautiful gold engravings down the handle, on the head a distinctive golden sun on both sides.

    "What is it?.." Daisy asked, reaching for the Maul.

    "It''s some weapon blessed by some God.. I can''t remember the name.." He said.

    As Daisy placed her hands on the weapon, her tattoo instantaneously lit with a blinding radiant yellow light causing me to shield my eyes. Looking back after my sight recovered I saw Daisy was standing there her Tattoos fully illuminated staring at the back of a large ethereal armoured being.

    "What the...."the three of us said staring at the being in awe.

    "What is it?.." Daisy asked Ashley turning around to him, and the Etheral being turning with her as if mimicking her actions.

    "So this Weapons in the hands of someone who worships and study holy and divine... an avatar will appear to help you in combat." He explain, "Now watch were you swing that weapon... the avatar will also swing its weapon mimicking you.... so don''t go swinging it around like a toy." He warned. "Paul said you can also dismiss it with a thought.." He smiled.

    "Sadly you guys can''t keep these weapons... they are far too valuable to walk around with." He said walking to the other end of the room. "Let''s try and find a cool weapon for You Emilia and Jay." He said motioning us to follow. "So.... What sort of melee weapons would you prefer?.." He asked.

    "Hmm I''m not actually sure..." I replied.

    "Hmmmm.... Maybe a sword?.." He asked.

    "Ummmm sure?..." I replied.

    "Let''s try hmm.... a very plain but almost flawless Rapier." He said handing me a long thin sword.

    "What''s so special about this one?.." I asked

    "Ummm nothing crazy like the hammer Daisy is wielding just a very well-crafted blade." He answered.

    Picking it up with one hand it was almost weightless, all along the blade was very fine detailed engravings only visible when reflecting light off the blade. The leather grip was extremely soft and comfortable to hold. Swinging it a few times it cut through the air with little resistance no matter how much force I put into it.

    "Careful.... that''s a very sharp blade.." Ashley said backing off slightly.

    "How is it so weightless?.." I asked.

    "It''s crafted from Mithril light as a feather, very durable and will never dull." He explained to me.

    "So Jay sort of weapon do you think you''d like?.." Ashley asked.

    "None really... I''ll just rely on my spells." Jay replied to Ashley.

    "You should at least have something..." Ashley said looking around, "how about something for utility???..." he asked.

    "Sure I guess...." Jay shrugged.

    "Alright let try these daggers." he said pulling out a bag with a set of four daggers inside.

    "What do they do???..." he said pulling one out inspecting the finely crafted dagger silver dagger, something was faintly inscribed in it all down the handle to the blade.

    "Throw it somewhere." Ashley said with a smile.

    Jay nodded throwing the dagger at a nearby wall. The sound of clanging metal echoed as the blade bounced off the wall clattering on the ground.

    "That''s alright..... Knife throwing is an art." Ashley said, "Okay... now call the dagger to return" Ashley instructed.

    Holding out a hand the dagger Jay, the daggers magically appeared back into his hands in an instant.

    "Not bad huh....??.... Imagine if you needed something to cut ropes

    ... or if your hands were tied.... useful right...?" Ashley smiled hoping to change Jay''s mind.

    "I have to admit it''s quite handy." My admitted.

    "Not only that it can do one for thing." Ashley said, "Throw another dagger somewhere." he instructed Jay.

    Jay tossed the dagger at nearby wall again, the dagger handle slamming into the wall sending the dagger clattering to the ground again. "Okay now focus on wanting to appear at the dagger trying to pick it up" Ashley instructed.

    In an instant Jay appeared at the dagger kneeling down picking it up. "What the hell." he said picking it up noticing he teleported to the dagger in an instant.

    "That is amazing!!!" Grace yelled out to him.

    "You''re right weapons can be extremely useful." Jay agreed with Ashley.

    "Ohhh Ashley we needed your help in something...." I asked.

    "Ohhh you do??...." he replied looking confused.

    "Yeah.... we wanted to know if you could get some information on a few students for us." I asked.

    "hmmmm.... can I ask why???..." he asked looking suspiciously at me.

    "We got challenged by a few students and wanted to know if you can get us some information on them...." I asked.

    "Hmmm..... I guess I might be able to help...." Ashley agreed.

    "If everyone can return the weapons and come to the location I first arrived in ... I''ll see what I can do to help." he said to everyone.

    Everyone one by one sadly put their weapons back and we all assembled near the entrance of room. "Okay all together now!! We don''t want any missing limbs." Ashley warmed us.

    "What the?......." The rest of them replied, with a few button presses on his metal arm runes began drawing themselves in a large circle illuminating blue as the runes finished. With a flash we found ourselves in Ashley''s labs.

    "You can teleport???..." Jay asked.

    "Kind of.... I can only do this form of transportation in chosen places where I''ve setup an anchor point." He smiled walking to his table.

    "Table, Five Chairs and Lights." Ashley yelled causing the room to light up and the sound of moving machinery in the distance.

 86 Help....

    Seeing is lab come to life on his command still never fails to amaze me, as the sound of big heavy hulking Golems came walking towards us holding chairs placing them around his main table for all of us to sit on.

    "So I was made aware some reason.... you guys were issued challenged?.." He asked.

    "Yeah... we think it''s Calista''s doing..... For some reason she has it out for Emilia and the rest of us." Jay said.

    "Princess Calista?.." He asked.

    "We think so...." We all answered him

    "Hmmm that''s odd she seems pretty nice to us..." He said talking to from behind some shelves.

    "I think that''s a fake image she puts out." Helen replied.

    "Well did she challenge all of you?.." He asked.

    "Well... no but she did challenge Emilia..." Daisy said.

    "Hmmm an Unranked challenging another unranked... I think you''re right.." He said, "and the rest of you got challenged as well?...." He asked.

    "Yah... we all got challenged by some ranked students as well..." They replied.

    "So we got a bunch of bullies in out hands... I see.." He said still behind some shelves.

    "Yeah so Emilia said you might be able to help us out in finding information on them." Grace said.

    "Hmmm Paul is gonna scold me for helping you guys..." He said to us.

    "Really?.." We asked.

    "Yeah.... he thinks we shouldn''t play favourites especially because of our standing..... We defiantly shouldn''t be seen getting involved directly." He said coming around the shelves back to us with a stack of empty baskets.

    "I''m guess we have to return the armour?.." I asked noticing the empty baskets.

    "Yeah sadly.... if you was to wear these the school would know we played a hand in helping you guys the headmaster would give us detention or Lord forbid extra workˇ­.. But you can keep the coins" Ashley said with a frown shuddering at the thought of getting into detention.

    "Okay...." we all agreed taking off the gear they gave us and placing them into the empty baskets provided.

    "Are you sure we can''t borrow something?.." Helen asked hoping for a miracle.

    "In terms of loaning equipment.... that''s a definite no no....." He replied.

    "But I can help you guys train...." He suggested.

    "Ohhhh what can you do to help us train?.." Helen asked.

    "Well... did you guys know that Paul''s training room is situated on a special plane?.." He said with a smile.

    "Wait what?.." Daisy and Grace said a little confused.

    "Yup.... we managed to anchor it in the Astral Plane....." He said with a smile.

    They all looked at him with blank stares..... "What does that mean?.." they asked.

    "So the unique property of the Astral Plane is that time moves slower there as well as individuals don''t age." Ashley explained.

    "No way....." Daisy said in disbelief.

    "Yup." Ashley said with a giant grin.

    Helen held her hand up like a student in class awaiting for the teacher to call her name. "Yes Helen?.." Ashley asked.

    "Ummm what''s the Astral plane?.." She asked.

    "Ohhh... the simplest way I can explain, it''s the area between the multiple planes of existence." Ashley said.

    "Like space?.." I asked.

    "Yeah...exactly space." He said taking two coins and placing them on the table a small distance away from each other.... "So here is Plane A... and here is Plane B..... In between is called the Astral Plane." He explained.

    "Ohhhh I see!!!" They all replied.

    "But why is time slower and people don''t age?.." Jay asked.

    "It''s just a property of the Plane.... like in the Plane of fire... its Hot endless arid desert with Lava for water." He said everyone began nodding in understanding except me.. I got kind of more lost. "So the best thing I can really do is permit you entry into Paul''s training room... to train.. and maybe let you guys keep borrow the well-crafted weapons..... If the school saw you using magical weapons on your first duel they will know something is up." Ashley explained.

    "They are going to be so toast!! We can fit in so much more training time!" Daisy said filled with excitement.

    "But Emilia... I have you''ll probably be in spot of trouble since Paul has already Trained Calista on and off a few day in that training room." Ashley explained.

    "Great..." I said slumping my head on the table.

    "You''ll be alright.... I''ll talk to Paul and he can come help." Ashley said noticing my reaction.

    "No don''t... I don''t want to trouble him." I asked him kindly.

    ".... Damned if I do damned if I don''t..." He said taking the trays and dropping them off in the arms of a golem. "Right so... let''s find out who your opponents are and what they specialize in." He said clasping his hands together. "Bring the terminal." Ashley shouted followed with the sound of heavy clanging metal and the shuffling of objects. "It''ll take a few minutes for the robots to assemble the terminal and bring it here." Ashley notified us.

    "So... what is it you actually do here?.." Jay asked.

    "I''m an Artificer...." He said with a smile.

    "Ummm.... What''s do artificer do exactly?.." they all asked.

    "So you know how you guys study Arcanum to harness it to cast spells.... and empower you?..... well I study Arcanum and ways to imbue it into things." He said with a smile.

    "So what''s some cool stuff you''ve done?.." Daisy asked curiously.

    "Well I have a number of golems here all made by myself.... Also this arm was made by me as well... with the help of someone." He said.

    "Do you have any cool combat stuff?!" Daisy asked again.

    "I have a few gadgets..... That can neutralize threats, in our team I specialize in information gathering and neutralizing other Artificers." He answered her, "But the current project my most ambitious is making a mechanized combat suit for myself." He said pointing at a half complete robot on a stand.

    "What do you mean?.." They asked totally confused.

    "It will be a suit I wear that will protect me and have integrated weaponry as well." He grinned with excitement.

    "Whoa...." They said in awe staring at it.

    "Eventually two golems came to our table holding a surprisingly modern looking compute causing everyone to look at it curiously.

    "Ummm Ashley how did you get that computer?.." I asked.

    "This?..Ohhh Paul gifted it to me a while ago.... Of course I had to modify it so it works with Arcanum." He said with a smile.

    "Okay.... So lemme check who you guys are matched with..... Lucky for you I''ve had my golems store School data in this for a few years now..... Otherwise we''d have to break into the school office and look for the right documents.... Sadly the school still old fashioned storing data into books and scrolls." He explained.

    Quickly turning it on and doing some typing, everyone eagerly awaited to see what he had to say, staring at this unknown object. "So it says here..... Daisy you''re up again someone called Groth Bahul..... he''s a fighter specializing in melee combat his weapon of choice is a big 2handed axe.... Ohhh a C rank picking on a freshman.... how sad..." Ashley said reading through it.

    "He''s no match for me!" Daisy said brimming with confidence.

    "... And Jay.... you''re up against Lanah Stiz Also a fighter... Favoured weapon Rapier..... Guessing she''s a fencer.... Rankd D.....Helen you''re up against Basam Possul a D Ranked Artificer specializing in potions and alchemy... And grace you''re up against Min Xai judging by the name shes from the eastern continents..... Expect a melee fighter specially a monk.... "

    "So is there anything you can do to help us?.." Helen asked.

    "Ofc..... Although I cant technically help you with equipment, I have a plethora of special coins I could loan out to you guys..... The effect and size should be small enough so no one would notice.." He said.

    "So what sort of things can your coins do??..." Jay asked.

    "So for Daisy and Jay I''ll loan out a coin of bless, Haste and heroism.... considering you both will be up against a melee fighter... Helen.....I''ll give you a coin of poison resistance, bless, Haste, heroism..... Alchmey lacks in power.... but makes up for it with versatility.... so just keep mindful of what your opponent is doing..... As for Grace an Emilia... I''ll give you the same stuff Jay and Daisy will get..... With an additional coin of elemental resistance." he explained with a smile.

    "... That sounds like alot...." Helen said.

    "It''s alright..... Just remember to activate them with a squeeze when the fights about to start." he said with a smile standing up and vanishing behind some shelves.

    "What does the coins do exactly....." I asked.

    "Hmmm Bless is a cleric spell low level.....that helps us do stuff better....." Daisy answered.

    "Haste is a sorceress spell that makes us faster a lot faster..." Jay answered.

    "Do you think it will make a difference??" I asked.

    "It''d defiantly help in our situation." Jay answered.

    "Right so I have all the coins you need right here..." Ashley came back smiling with a bunch of pouches, sitting down and sliding one pouch to each of us. "Now these have 3 uses per day... except haste... that one use per day.... So use it however you please.... But be careful with haste.....the burst increase in activity will seriously exhaust your body once the effect ends." He explained.

 87 Donst Shoot Firs

    "Ohhh and make sure you guys don''t miss dinner at the great hall today. The housing ceremony is tonight." Ashley said to us.

    "Housing ceremony??...." Daisy asked.

    "Yeah.... in the school we have three houses, Phoenix, Kraken and Dragon." Ashley explained.

    "Houses?..." Grace asked.

    "Yup every student in the school get placed in housesˇ­. Some trivial in school rivalry.

    "What do you think where we would be placed???" Jay asked.

    "Not sure really ..... You''ll just have to wait for the ceremony." He replied.

    "So.... what house are you in?....." Helen asked.

    "Me??... I''m a dragon...." Jay smiled.

    "How about Paul and Scarlet??..." Daisy asked.

    Paul is also a Dragon and Scarlet is a Phoenix." he answered.

    "I want to be Dragon then!!!" Daisy said hearing Ashley''s reply.

    "Soˇ­ there is one S-Ranked per House they act as the House Head, Travis and Scarlet takes it pretty seriously, but Paul doesn''t really care. The winning house at the end of the year get a free all expenses paid trip to the Golden Nebula Resort.

    "Noˇ­wayˇ­ that''s one of the most expensive resortsˇ­.." Helen said.

    "What''s the Golden Nebula?.." I asked.

    "It''s a very expensive Establishment in Aspaˇ­ you can do almost anything you want there!" Helen said looking extremely excited.

    "Yeahˇ­. Only royals or extremely rich individuals can afford to go there." Grace added.

    "How does your house win?" Jay asked.

    "At the end of the school term each House is scored on Battle rank..... S class doesn''t count.... 15 Points per prefect, 10points for each A..... 5 points for each B and 1 point for each C." Ashley answered.

    "So Dragons have never won?.." Jay asked.

    "Dragon did the few years Paul wasn''t S-Rank and actually participated in things." Ashley answered.

    "Does he not compete much anymore?...." Grace asked.

    "He doesn''t feel the need toˇ­. he spends most his time either helping other people or doing bounties..." Ashley answered.

    "Does he not need to attend classes?..." Helen asked.

    "Ummmm he shouldˇ­ but most the teachers thinks he doesn''t need toˇ­. same with Scarlet." Ashley replied.

    "How about you?..." Jay asked.

    "I''m part of the science divisionˇ­ and since I do Artificingˇ­ I''m left to my own accord doing research and tests." Ashley replied. "So... Paul said he''s out for this week... so I''m sure you guys can use our training room... I''ll just permit you guys to freely enter and leave his room." Ashley said with a smile.

    "By the way..... What is the room on the right of the training room?..." Grace asked.

    "Ohhhhh that room is where Paul holds all his sacred artifacts don''t try and enter there unless he''s permitted you entry..... There are defensive runes for anyone trying to sneak in." He warned us.

    "He must have such powerful items in there! If the Sun Bow didn''t make it in there...." Helen said imagining what could possibly be housed in the room.

    "Ummmm its pretty top secret so I can''t tell you guys what''s in itˇ­..." Ashley replied.

    "By the way where did Paul go?.. Is he on patrol again?" I asked.

    "He went on a mission by himself... which is a bit weird because he normally always does stuff with me and Scarlet.... and then he said he''s going to check up on his keep." Ashley answered.

    Hearing his answer it suddenly hit me... I remembered a conversation between him and Scarlet talking about going to his keep to visit his children. A wave of depression immediately washed over me..... I''ve always wanted him to move on from me and live his life..... But some hearing him moving on still hurt life daggers through my heart....

    "Woah... he has a keep?!!!" Helen said.

    "Yup... it''s kinda a shared keep... we''ll take you sometimes." He smiled.

    "How rich is he?.." Grace asked.

    "We''re pretty well off... various profitable business and we offer a premium protection service." Ashley answered. "Oh my God, How rude of me...." He said looking at the empty table. "FOOD AND DRINK PLEASE!" He shouted causing the sound of moving mechanisms and golems to whirl up again. Soon enough several golems came walking in with pitcher of water... glass plates and cutlery.

    "Your... robots can cook?.." Jay asked in shock.

    "Yeah... I programmed a few to cook... but it''s not quite perfect... It doesn''t really learn how to put the right amount of seasoning when cookingˇ­.. As you can tell it lacks taste buds." Ashley answered.

    "That''s pretty cool." Jay said smiling.

    "So... anyone here interested in artificing??!" Jay said with a giant smile.

    We all remained silent.... not really interested but not saying anything to avoid offending him and his speciality.

    "Really?... no one?.... not even an ounce of interest.." He said looking a little depressed... "Coins that can store and refresh spells, Golems that can be you battle companion or helper... Totally uncool...." He said to himself after we still stayed silent.

    "It''s not that we don''t like it.... we just feel it will be too hard to learn and master two things at the same timeˇ­." Helen nervously answered hoping not to offend him.

    "I understand you all are stuck in the old ways." Ashley shrugged.

    A few golems came with a magnificent roast and trimmings the smell of cooked food and spices wafting through our noses. "That smells absolutely amazing!" Daisy said looking eagerly at the roast set in front of her.

    "Yeah it feels like it should be around lunch time right now..." Ashley replied as the robots began dishing out food for us and carving the chicken into slices... or what looked like chicken.

    "Umm Ashley... I''m a vegetarian.." I said to him.

    "Ohhh don''t worry Paul already programmed one with vegetarian recipes..... It should rustle something up that should fit your dietary requirements." He replied.

    Soon enough a robot came beside me taking away the plate in front of me and placing a plate of food in front of me, a beautiful small pie with a decoration on top with roasted greens, mash drizzled with onion gravy. "Blood hell.... that''s better than anything I can cook..." I said looking at it.

    "Yah sadly I need to program these things.... they can''t really learn on their own...." He said.

    "Ohhhh you defiantly don''t want them to learn on their own accord..." I said to Ashley.

    "Paul told me that as well...." Ashley replied.

    "Why not?...." Everyone else asked.

    "In movies I''ve seen, it''s always a bad idea... to give Robot sentience." I replied.

    "Moive?.." Everyone buy Ashley asked.

    "Ohhh it''s a Consecratus thing.... they have these shows.... like Theatre... but SO MUCH MORE BELIEVABLE they look extremely realistic!!!" Ashely said full of excitment.

    "Really??!!" they all replied.

    "Omg... you must come to our movie nights! on Middas!!!!" He said inviting them with a giant smile filled with excitement.

    "What''s a movie night?.." They asked, for some reason getting hyped with Ashley.

    "Ohhh you have to see it to believe it.... Paul brought back something called.... ''A Projector?''..... It''s like a box that makes illusions... I managed to modify it so it uses Visium power cells.... We have popcorn... Hot dog.... movies drinks..... It''s an amazing night." He said filled with excitement.

    "..... I''m not a fan of eating dog..." Jay and Helen replied looking a disgusted at the thought.

    "Me neither no idea why they call it that... but it isn''t dog....its pig meat." Ashley replied.

    "Yeah.... he''s right... it''s called a Hot dog.. But it isn''t dog.." I added.

    "Thank goodness.... only savages would eat a Dog..." Helen replied.

    "So... about.... the Training room... let me first confirm with Scarlet on the times it will be free for you all to use... then I''ll let you all know." He smiled.

    "Okay..." we all replied.

    "Don''t worry I have faith you guys will come out victorious in your upcoming matches." He smiled.

    "I''ve been following Paul''s training diligently for years!!!! I''ll defiantly destroy my opponent." Daisy said with a giant smile.

    "Didn''t Paul teach you never to be over confident and never underestimate your opponent???" Ashley grinned.

    "Ohhh yeah..... He did....."Daisy replied looking down a little ashamed.

    "Don''t worry guys with Paul''s room you''ll have three times as much time as any other student has so you''ll all grow quickly." Ashley said.

    Thank you!" we all thanked him.

    "Also as an added bonus I can get some recordings of previous duels so we can analysis their fighting styles one night." Ashley suggested.

    "If you could do that it would be amazing!!" Helen asked with a giant smile.

    "Yeah I''ll free up some spare time to help you guys." he smiled.

    "So what happened to your arm, if you don''t mine me asking??..." Jay asked.

    Ashley''s smile instantaneously dropped and he began starring into the distance. "It''s not a good story.... maybe I''ll tell you guys another time...." he smiled scratching his head trying to play off his sudden change in mood.

    "I''m sorry.... my childhood wasn''t great either..." Jay apologised to him as if he understood Ashley''s pain.

    "Yeah.... Paul tells me..... What doesn''t kill us only makes us stronger." Ashley said.

    "Paul.... is so wise....." Grace replied, causing me to chuckle.... since he got that phrase from a famous rapper back home.

    "So.... what we''re you guys doing in that cave yesterday???.." Ashley asked.

    "Ohhh noˇ­ we were so caught up with what happened after the battle we totally forgot to look for Tolum" Helen gasped.

    "Ohhh me and Paul went back to the site..... Anna said they met a gnome called Tolum he was alive and made his way back home on his own." I replied to Helen.

    "Yayyyy that''s our first successful mission." Daisy said with a giant smile.

    "By the way...Ashley what was you doing at the console in the cave??..." I asked.

    "Well it''s an illegal warp gate...so I was trying to find information on who was using it, who made it, the other warp gates connected to it and stuff." He explained.

    "I see....." I replied.

    "Did I kill that guy...?...." I asked remembering the person I savagely launched firebolts, his smouldering remains lying beside Ashley.

    "You almost did.... when we arrived he was on the edge..... But we stopped him from dying..... Don''t worry he will be spending a long time in jail." Ashley replied.

    "Thank God.... " I whispered under my breathe.

    "Yeah.... as freshman please refrain from jumping into fights..... As well as killing people..... it''s against school rules.....We have a don''t shoot first policy... and.... killing people isn''t... good for the heart." Ashley warned.

    "What do you mean??..." Daisy asked.

    "..... Don''t be so quick to end someone''s life..... Everyone deserves a second chance... killing someone is easy but living with the consequences is hard....." Ashley said.

    "I think you''re right...." Helen said contemplating on what Ashley said.

    "..... Have you killed anyone Ashley???..." I asked.

    "A few.... but in self-defence....." he answered.

    "How about Scarlet and Paul???..." Grace asked.

    "We all try non-lethal courses of action.... unless we''re ordered to use lethal force or the situation calls for it." He answered.

    "He seemed pretty scary when you guys arrived...." Jay said.

    "Yeah..... Although he seems calm, calculated and friendly..... His emotions get the better of him when the people he care about are in danger." Ashley said.

 88 Unknown Enemies

    "How nice it was for Mr Ashley for being so nice to us, feeding us and even helping us." Helen said as we began walking around the courtyard.

    "Yeah.... aside form Emilia... we are all pretty much strangers." Jay agreed.

    "... To be honest we aren''t really close either... I only met him earlier this week..... I guess because Paul and I are friends..... through associations I''m friends as well....." I shrugged as we walked around the courtyard.

    "Let''s just take a seat here... lying downon the grass staring into the sky.

    "I''ll join you." Grace said taking a sitting beside Jay.

    "So guys....." I asked sitting beside Jay, "Have you guys killed anyone?..." I asked.

    "Nope not me.... I''ve seen lots of death and injustice... though..." Jay said with a huge sigh.

    "Me and Helen witnessed the barbaric nature of orcs... and goblins and kobolds...." Grace answered.

    "I was raised in a cult worshiping a dark God..." Daisy said.

    "...... mine was peaceful....." I replied.

    "Peaceful?... Mine and Helens was kidna peaceful..." Grace said.

    "..... where I''m from everyone is kinda more civil... so I''ve never really ever got in a serious fight with someone..... or been inalife of death situation..." I explained.

    "That''s so fascinating.... I wonder what it''s like to feel safe, walking around with no worry of imminent death by something like Giants or.... Wyverns..." Jay said.

    "Yeah.... do you think we can ever visit there?..." Daisy asked looking hopeful.

    "I would love you guys to..... but.... we don''t have blue skinned humans with horns... or elves walking around.. so you guys would be alien..... we only have humans back where I am." I replied.

    "What is Alien?.." Helen asked.

    "Alien is someone who isn''t native to our home plane?..." I replied lost on how to explain it to them.

    "Yeah but it will be alright.... your home is safe.... we''re just a little different..." Daisy replied.

    "Ummm.... yeah..... but generally most people aren''t friendly to.... abnormal things..." I replied to them trying to make it sound polite.

    "Well that sucks...." Daisy sighed.

    "Wait does that mean I can go?.." Jay asked.

    "Yeah you can..... aside from Casting spells you''ll be like me considered normal.." I answered.

    "Thats awesome!" He said with a giant smile.

    "Nah.... if you can''t go if we can''t." Daisy and Helen said looking slightly aggravated and jealous.

    "Doesn''t really matter anyways..... not like i can go home to be honest." I said ripping a hand full of grass from the soil.

    "Yah you''re right.... plane traversing warp gates are reserved for Diplomats and Royalties only..." Helen said with a sigh.

    "Aren''t your families pretty noble?.." Jay asked Helen and Grace.

    "Yeah they are.. but even then they aren''t allowed.. only members of the high council are allowed." Grace said.

    "I see..." Jay said nodding in understanding

    "....So what was the special training Paul taught you?..." Grace asked Daisy.

    "It''s simple really... Pushups till your body gives out..... then Squats till your body gives out..... then running till you cant run no more...." she said with a smile.

    "....... is that it?.." Grace replied.

    "Yup" Daisy replied still smiling.

    "you sure?.." Jay questioned sounding very skeptical.

    "Positive." Daisy replied still smiling her face filled with pride.

    We all remained silent for a little, wondering if she was joking or being serious.... but her reaction seemed so genuine that it felt serious and true, but there must be more to it.....

    "Yup!" He said like a house.... you need to have strong foundations to be strong." She said with a giant smile.

    "He''s kinda got a point..." Jay said after hearing her explain it.

    "I wonder how strong our opponents are...." Grace said.

    "Yep.... aside from our inital grading... we don;t quite know the power levels to rank ratio in Atlantis." Jay agreed.

    "Yeah... hope Ashley comes through in helping us, otherwise we''re gonna be going in blind." Grace said looking a little anxious.

    "I swear..... I''m gonna challenge Calista after my duel and smash her pretty face with my maul!" Daisy said furiously raising her hand up in a closed fist.

    "Maybe.... we shouldn''t be so quick to judge.... for all you know it might not be her doing..." Grace said thinking rationally.

    As the sun began to set the courtyard became noticeably more and more busier as it appeared as students has started to make their way back from their outings. Looking closer some students had either a Phoenix, Hydra or Dragon tattoo located on different regions on the body.... ranging from hands, arms, shoulders, legs and chest. Aside from carrying weapons and the fantasy style fashion everything looked rather normal. Students walking around in groups taking to one another. It was interesting looking at them from afar, looking at their equipment, one woman had an awesome looking ornate book attached to her hip, along with a very beautiful black leather gloves with a faint rune in the center.

    "Hold on one second... my Eye sight is perfect....." I said noticing I could see things clearly far away.

    "You normally wear glasses?.." Helen asked.

    "Yeah normally...." I replied.

    "Hmmmm.... interesting...." She replied.

    "Somewhere in this school.... are the people who challenged us..." Grace said looking around scanning the crowd.

    "Yup and its a good chance... they know who we are.... and we don''t know them..." Jay added.

    "Yup..... all we have is a name sadly... and no face to the name... so best to just relax.." Helen said lying down next to Jay.

    "I still don''t like the idea that they may be watching us.." Grace replied.

    "You really need to chill out..." Helen said to Grace.

    "I think you take things way too casually Helen, what if they are studying us right now.... watching our every move." Grace replied.

    "They aren''t gonna see anything just us lying here talking." Helen replied.

    "Yeah but they can spend the rest of the week watching our every move." Grace said.

    "I''m sure it will be alright... and on top I''m sure they cant spy on us when we are in Paul''s Training room." Helen said still relaxing.

    "What ever.... I still don''t like it...." Grace replied still looking for anyone suspicious.

    The familiar bell sound rang in our heads letting us know it was time for dinner. "Ohhh looks like it''s time to discover what House we are in." Jay said getting responding to the bell.

    "I can already feel it!!! I''m defiantly gonna be a dragon!" Daisy said standing up.

    "Hey Emilia?.... what house do you wanna be in?..." Helen asked.

    "Hmmmm I think I''ll be a Phoenix..." I said remembering what Paul said to me but a small part of me wanted to be in the same house Paul was. "How about you guys?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmm.... Phoenix sounds good to me..." Jay and Helen replied.

    "Kraken here." Grace said which shocked most of us except for Helen.

    "Whats wrong with Kraken?.." Grace asked.

    "Ohhh.... because Helen wants to be in Phoenix.... and you know we''ve been such a awesome group thought we would like to be together..." I replied.

    "..... Well.... Daisy... wants to be in Dragon." Grace quickly retorted.

    "I think she wants to be in Kraken the same reason Daisy want''s to be in Dragon..." Helen said nudging me.

    "Ohhhh I seee!!!" I said understanding what Helen said.

    "I hate you sometimes Helen!" Grace said looking extremely anger and embarrassed.

    "You know... Travis is like.... the..... Hit it and Quit it type of dude...." Jay said.

    "Yeah..... Boys like his are nothing but trouble." I said agreeing with Jay.

    "Yeah but have you seen him?!!! He''s so dreamy....." Grace said daydreaming just at the mention of him.

    "You know there''s a reason why there are rumors going around that he doesn''t ever spend more then two days with a girl..." Helen said to Grace looking cross.

    "yeah.. but.... but....." She said unable to give a proper reply.

 89 Houses

    Bram stood up, "Welcome Children of Atlantis, some of you may or may not know. Our founder, King Solomon created three great Houses each representing the best part of ourselves." Bran said his voice booming throughout the great hall.

    "House Phoenix...a majestic immortal bird symbolizing friendship, teamwork and kinship." he said lifting his staff higher a little causing the gem at the tip of his staff to glow bright blue running all the way down the natural crevices on the wooden staff causing several grand Phoenix to appear circling around him, the magnificent birds soared with fiery wings and glowing orange eyes looking both all-consuming yet beautiful.

    "House Dragon..... A creature that lives for over a hundred thousand years amassing great knowledge, intelligence and cunning." Bran said now manifesting one giant dragon with green scales, its size was humongous Bran barely taller than its foot. Its presence and gaze filling me with Fear and awe.

    "House Kraken.... A legendary everlasting beast that lives in the darkest depths of the seas unmatched in power and strength." He said manifesting a absolutely gigantic being a portion of its face only being visible, Bran being only as big as one of its eyes, and its tentacles poking through the walls of the Grand Hall.

    "My lord.... I knew Krakens were big but this is crazy..." Jay stared around in wonder.

    My heart began racing in my chest thumping harder and harder with each passing second like, eager to find out which house I would be placed in.

    "Let me introduce to you our S ranked Students, Scarlet the Indomitable." The whole hall erupted in cheer and applause as Scarlet came stepping out adorned in beautiful Silver and gold Ornate Armour and her familiar large sword attached on her back and her smaller wooden sword attached on her side, walked and stood at the end of the Phoenix Table.

    "Travis second Son of the Demon!" Grace eagerly tried to catch a glimpse of him her head popping up like a meerkat looking for danger and out stepped Travis wearing Ordinary clothing but with Armour plates on his chest and wrists, with two swords and pistols on each side of his hips and stood at the end of the Kraken table.

    "And lastly the one and only Paul the Black Dragon Slayer!" Bran said, in his ordinary fashion a portal opened and out stepped Paul wearing his long black trench coat with a leather vest over a shirt and boots to match. His long black cloak hiding any weapons or equipment he might be carrying with him.Giving the school a wave he slowly walked to the end taking his place at the end of the Dragon table. I found myself straightening up looking directly at him hoping that he will see me, but he kept his face turned to Bran and the other teachers.

    "Please can all freshman students please stand up and make an orderly line and we will start ceremony." Brann said pointing in front of him and with his other hand hitting the staff on the ground a beautiful pearlescent orb appeared at his location similar to the one during the first test.

    "Similar to before all you need to do is place your hands on the orb. Please Mr. Miles make your way to the orb." Bran smiled at all of us in the line.

    A young man stepped forward firmly putting his hands on the orb. It began faintly glow growing more intense as he held his hand on the orb. Slowly the orb began to change colour from white to light green to a strong dark green glow before dimming down to a strong solid green glow. Suddenly the orb began losing its colour, the green colour moving from the orb into his fingertips as if his body was absorbing it.

    "Nothing to be worried about this is normal." Bran reassured him.

    The green colour made its way up his arm disappearing behind his clothes.

    "Please everyone give a warm welcome to House Dragons newest member Andrew Miles." Bran bellowed the whole erupted in applause as he made his way to the Dragon table. Paul greeting him with a smile and a hand shake.

    One by one students went up to the orb behind placed in their houses.

    "I wonder which one I''ll get out in...." Jay said behind me.

    "Yeah.... be awesome if we were all together." I heard Helen say behind Jay.

    Looking at the tables I could see that in House Phoenix it was noticeably more friendly and social. Whereas the other two houses were noticeably less social and looked as if they had better things to do. Regardless for some reason I still felt an urge to want to be put in dragon.... the sight of him smiling and clapping welcoming his new members was heart-warming.

    "Princess Calista could you please step to the orb." Bran said pulling my attention away from Paul. Placing her hands on the orb, the orb began to glow white to green and a sudden feeling of dread washed over me. "Please welcome Princess Calista to house dragon." Bran said causing the whole dragon table to erupt in applause and cheer as she made her way to Paul. Her perfect model size body and dimensions jogging to him with a giant smile showing her flawless teeth.

    Paul clapping held his hand out for a hand shake like to any other student. Stopping before him Calista pushed his hand aside and jumped to hug him both legs fully leaving the ground. Paul in shock caught her and gently pat her back with his free arm, if I had a mouthful or water I would have easily released a gushing torrent soaking all the students in front of me. "I really hate her" Daisy said seething with rage from her voice along you can tell she was gritting her teeth and shooting lasers from her eyes.

    "Funny I thought he would have been able to avoid or dodge that...." Grace commented chuckling.

    Gently Paul placed her back down letting her go to join the rest of the students at the Dragon table, everyone was excited to see her as the table suddenly erupted with talking and laughter looking more sociable and welcoming.

    Eventually the student in front of me were placed in their respective houses. "Ahhh Miss Emilia it''s good to see you again, please step up to the orb." Bran said with a jolly smile.

    Hesitantly walking to the orb surprised that headmaster Bran recognised me I placed my hands on the orb. My vision was instantly thrusted into a dark room.

    "Hello....." A familiar voice welcomed me.

    "Hmmm hello." I replied looking for the source of the voice.

    Suddenly I saw myself appear before me. "Welcome." It said to me.

    "Is this normal???.." I asked.

    "Although this is a little odd..... Nothing too unusual." it replied.

    ".... so why am I here???.." I asked.

    "You''re here to decide what house you want to be in of course." It replied. Suddenly a door manifested behind itˇ­. "Follow me." It instructed turning around heading to the door.

 90 Choose

    As it opened the door a large flash appeared, I instinctively shielded my eyes wincing from the bright light. We arrived in the Atlantis courtyard not much changed except for some additional building but the world tree and the great castle was still here. The sun gleaming in the sky on a hot summer''s day the scent of flowers and nature wafting in the air. "Are we in Atlantis???...." I asked.

    The copy of me carried on walking forward with no reply. Directly in front to us was a large crowd of people all huddled up wearing black in the front a large statue covered in a giant black cloth. The clone carried on walking towards the statue passing through the people unnoticed, I followed the clone of myself wanting to investigate further.

    "Welcome everyone and ''thank you for taking time out of to pay your respects" I heard my voice from within the crowd.

    Trying to push aside someone my hand magically phased through them.... As if I was incorporeal.... "Excuse me." I said to the person in front of me with no reply.

    Hesitantly pushing my hands forward I once again phased through the person. Following the copy of me who brought me here I took a deep breath and walked through the crowd.

    Emerging from the crowd my heart skipped a beat instantly recognised what was happening...in the centre was a closed casket with a picture of Paul on top of it, at the front on a small pedestal there was another copy of me wearing full black funeral attire with a small child hugging my leg, " we are brought here today to celebrate the life Paul and all the good he has done for everyone he''s touched and bid one last farewell to my lover, father, friends, brother, sister, saviour, teacher, tutor." The copy of me said trying to look strong.

    "Very few people knew him as long and well as I do... but for all of you who barely met him, please trust me that he loved you with all his heart. So please don''t feel sad.... or mournful.... rejoice and be happy he was able to teach us passing on so many teachings and wisdom" I carried on saying but began chocking up with tears and sadness.

    "What is going on....?" I asked the copy of me that brought me here.

    "This is your inevitable future... the future you must face." the copy replied appearing next to me.

    I turned to look at the copy of myself giving the speech. I looked a little older but wasn''t sure how exactly older I was. I could recognise a golden Phoenix tattoo on the back of my hand, I was also wearing Paul''s ring and necklace. I watched myself as I tried to keep a brave face but slowly deteriorated unable to control the tears and crying. Scarlet walked up on stage looking as if she hasn''t aged one bit, giving me a hug and the small child a hug and helping us off the stage before carrying on with the speech.

    "Don''t let his sacrifice be in vein, we will overcome this loss. Paul once told me, what doesn''t kill us only makes you stronger. So let''s rejoice his passing and celebrate his seat among the gods in mount Celestia." Scarlet said holding up a pointed finger to the sky.

    Everyone in the crowd fell silent holding back their tears with a pointed finger to the sky.

    "This can''t be real.... the future holds infinite possibilities...." I said to the copy of myself in disbelief.

    "That is true.... but there are certain points in time which are certain to happen..... Call it fate..." it answered.

    I fell silent unsure how to feel... everything in my bones tells me this isn''t real.... but how can I be sure???.....

    "This is not all I have two more visions to show you." the copy said clutching my wrist.

    In an instant the scenery and everything warped stretching and contracting like a hallucination.

    Eventually everything became clearer and once again we was in Atlantis in a bright sunny day. With a few individuals standing in the courtyard one with a metallic arm and one with striking red hair. Once again the copy of myself walked closer towards them. "What''s happening now???..." I asked following myself.

    Silently she walked beside the individuals. ".... Don''t blame yourself.... everything he done, he done on his own accord..." Scarlet said to the individual at the front.

    "You don''t understand he did all this because of me....." my voice spoke out another copy of my future self turned around to talk to Scarlet.

    Again I looked a little older.... with a lock of pearlescent white hair on my fringe, wearing Paul necklace, ring and trench coat with a golden Dragon tattoo on my hand.

    "... No no.... you''re not to blame.....he was on borrowed time anywaysˇ­.." Ashley replied looking noticeably older.

    "... yeah.... don''t blame yourself...." Daisy added.

    "Don''t worry... my attempts to resurrect him revealed to me the truth behind everything....." I said to everyone.

    ".... This isn''t healthy...." Helen said to me.

    "No.... you guys don''t understand!..... Something or someone is holding his soul!!! That''s why my resurrections failed!" I explained how everyone.

    "....there are several reasons a resurrections might fail....." Scarlet replied.

    ".... No trust me this is the reason.... we need to unlock the secrets of Atlantis.... and then we will search for him.... whichever plane he''s on and smite any demon, angel or God that stands in our way." I said sounding confident and filled with complete purpose.

    "..... I promised him that I will always watch over you.... So if your heart is set then I will be accompanying you." Scarlet said.

    ".... I guess I''m tagging along.... you guys are useless without me." Ashley said taking a step forward.

    "A long time ago....he saved me from an Old God .... Now it''s time for me to repay the favour." Daisy said.

    "We did start thus adventure to explore new lands...." Helen and Grace said.

    ".... I guess I''m tagging along...." Jay replied.

    "I guess this is my chance to repay my debt...." Morgana said.

    "So it''s decided.... we''re going to scour the planes of existence till we find him." I said looking into the sky.

    "So this is the future install for me depending on which house I pick.....???..." I asked my copy.

    "... yes you are correct...." it replied.

    "Is there one with a better outcome where he doesn''t die?" I asked

    "There''s still one more for me to show you...." it replied wrapping the scenery again.

    Again we arrived in Atlantis but this time on a winter''s day a inch or two of snowfall blanketing the while school. An individual with pearlescent white hair walked out of the main building of Atlantis walking very quickly looking very stern.

    She turned to a small building that shouldn''t be there. Two armoured individuals stood at the door saluted the individual as she arrived. Again my copy walled to her following her.

    "Commander Emilia you''re scheduled visit is not for another month." One of the individuals asked.

    "Yes ... but new news has come to light so I need to question our prisoner." The future me said to them.

    "Yes, of course commander." they replied stepping aside for her.

    Three thick ornate books hung down each of her legs, a giant scythe on her back wearing a long lack trench coat with a golden Kraken Tattoo on her hand. We followed myself as she entered the building walking down several flights of stairs.

    "Commander Emiliaˇ­. We wasn''t expecting you today." Two individuals said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

    "I know.... I have some questions for our Prisoner." I said to them.

    "Yes yes of course" The two guards replied sounding a little panicked quickly opening the door for her revealing a dark room with a cage and individual knelling down in the centre.

    With a wave of her hand the whole room illuminated revealing a manky individual matted long hair from years of growing with zero care, it''s body hideously thin and frail all the bones on his upper body clearly visible with little to no muscles or fat, the trousers he wore were dirty and dingy covered in faeces. Large metal chains attached to his neck and hands and legs shackling him to the ground not letting him move.

    The future me waved her hand causing his tattered trousers to be cleaned looking spotless and new. "Since I''ve did you this favour maybe you can repay me with the answer I''ve been seeking for so many years now." I said to him.

    He slowly lifted his head to get a better look of her, his eye glowed with an eerie golden yellow and a pitch black slit for a pupil. Taking a step back in shock after spending a few seconds to try and recognize who he was. He replied in an unknown language but it sounded extremely evil and otherworldly just listening to it shook my bones.

    "STOP LYING TO ME YOU FILTHY DEVIL!" The future me yelled at him. "ONE DAY YOU WILL BREAK AND YOU WILL RETURN HIM TO ME!" She yelled at him.

    He looked back down looking as if falling back into despair incoherently muttering something "You may possess his body but that won''t earn you any mercy or compassion." She said calming down from her sudden outburst. With a wave of her hand a chair manifested behind her, she closed the door and went to take a seat at the edge of the bars.

    "Look..... We have been very hospitable to you.... keeping you here.... feeding you, giving you a roof to live under..... I could have easily slaughtered you like how I did the rest of your brethren. All I ask for is one answer..... WHERE IS HE?!" She said with a firm tone raising her voice.

    Again he replied with that chilling language but looking as if pleading for something, his eyes filled with sorrow welling up with tears.

    "Look.... I know he made a deal with you......... ergo you MUST know where he is..... Why not stop this needless suffering and killing and just return his soul to me." She tried to reason with him.

    Again he replied with the same words in his language.

    "I SWEAR YOU NEED TO STOP LYING TO ME!!!! I KNOW HOW INFERNAL CONTRACTS WORK! YOU HAVE HIS SOUL AND I WANT IT BACK!" She yelled as she began to emit an enormous amount of Arcanum causing the devil to try and cower in fear but was unable to move a muscle.

    "Well.... looks like you aren''t budging... I already warned you once before... but you left me no choice." She said standing up straightening her clothes. "We have found the remains of your.... kin... even your Wife and Children.... consider yourself the last of your filth..." She said and began to walk out. "Don''t worry their deaths will be quick and swift unlike yours... you will suffer for an eternity here till you give him back to me.... and only then will I allow you the sweet embrace of death." She said coldly with absolute authority.

    The devil let out a wailing howl of pain his eyes brawling with tears. "Funny.... I didn''t think Devils had the capacity to feel pain and loss...." She said chuckling.

    The devil tried to scurry closer to her repeating one short phrase over and over again. "Look.... I gave you a chance... yet you still refuse to tell me.... Now Now... grovelling won''t work..... I gave you the chance, now I need to show you I''m a.... Woman of my word... Let this be a lesson to you next time I visit I hope you would have by then reconsidered our... arrangement and stop prolonging yours and my suffering." She said coldly this time even sending a chill up my spine before slamming the door shut.

    He yelled the same phrases over and over and over again the tears flowing down his cheeks uncontrollably before the door opening giving him a moment of hope.

    "Ohhh I forgot to give you this....." She said tossing a flat device to him sliding through the bars in front of him. "Execute them.... Execute them all." She ordered.

    "Yes commander." Several voices appeared from the device sounding like Ashley, Scarlet, Daisy, Morgana, Jay and a few others followed with the sounds of gunfire and spells quickly followed with screams of pain and agony perhaps deaths.

    "Like I said please reconsider our..... Current arrangement." She tried to say to him past his wails of despair before slamming the door shut one more time.

    "You two take a break I''ll watch over the building till the next guard shift." She ordered the two guards at the door. Following her back up the scream of pain echoing through the building as we carried on walking up. Relieving the two guards at the door leading outside. She waited till the coast was clear before slumping down on the door.

    Ripping off her necklace she held it in her hand..... Staring down at the Jade Buddha and Ring Paul always wears. "I swear to you.... I will find you and Exorcise that filth from your body all I need is to find your soul....." She said clutching it tightly and began to silently cry sobbing into her knees.

    After a few minutes she wiped away her tears and stood up opening a portal and stepping through. Suddenly the scenery shifted into a room even though I didn''t step through the portal. The future me stepped out the portal arriving in a room similar to the interrogation room I first arrived here in, with a devilish woman and two young children minding their own business.

    Noticing her arrive they instantly stopped what they was doing and stared at her. "I''m sorry to say this... but your husband is still no cooperating...." She said to them drawing out her giant scythe in one hand. The devilish woman quickly pulled her children to her side falling to her knees crying saying something the language sounded similar to what Devil was saying back in the cell.

    "I''m so sorry... I really don''t want to do this but your husband has left me no choice..." She sad to her slowly walking towards her.

    The Devilish woman began shouting at her.

    "I don''t hate your kind.... One of my generals is a Tiefling..... And she''s my best friend she replied to the Devil woman.

    The devil woman began swivelling her head in disbelief quickly pushing her children behind her and began to plead.

    "I''m sorry.... the period of negotiation is over..... Okay I''ll let you see him...." She replied to her opening a portal beside her so she could see her husband bound in chains in a cell.

    The Devil woman quickly stood up and began running to the portal screaming something. "I''m sorry...." The future me whispered and in an instant the running began to slow till the body ran out of momentum collapsing on the ground.

    "You should have told me where he is...." She mumbled as the head of the devil woman rolled through the portal the scream of pain and grief erupting from the portal.

    She began walking towards the children who began backing to the edge of the room in total fear not even knowing what do to in such a situation, the yelling and shouting form the portal getting louder and louder each step she took closer to the children, before shutting the portal immediately silencing the screams along with it.

    "No one should endure seeing the death of their own children.... even I''m not that kind of monster..." She said to herself before raising her scythe ready to cut down the children.

    Suddenly everything froze and in an instance everything dissipated as it was just me and the initial copy standing looking at each other in a bright white room.

    "Choose.." She said to me.

    "How do I choose??!! They are all so bad!!!!" I said to her.....

    "Choose...." She said once again.

    "I''m not choosing I DON''T WANT THIS FATE!" I said to her.

    "Choose....." she said again.

    I began thinking back at everything she showed me........

    "You have chosen." She said.

 91 Placed

    I quickly found myself in the middle of the great hall an intense searing pain on the back of my right hand making me release the orb quickly. "Please welcome Emilia to House Phoenix." Bran yelled the whole hall erupted in cheer and applause, Scarlet was practically jumping in excitement, with her hands telling me to come to the table. Looking at Paul he was clapping with a giant smile on his face.... and a noticeable golden Dragon tattooed on the back of his left hand. I didn''t quite know how to feel.... not knowing if the visions shown to me was to come true or not..... Or if I should even tell him. Checking my hand that felt the intense searing sensation, now lay a black Phoenix tattoo on the back of my right hand.

    Taking a seat next to another freshman I decided to ignore the future shown to me and just enjoy the atmosphere looking at the tattoo on my hand. "Hi I''m Ben..." a freshman next to me introduced himself holding out his hand.

    "Hi I''m Emilia" I replied shaking his hand.

    He gasped in shock hearing my name.

    "Ummm is everything okay???..." I asked noticing his reaction.

    "Yes..... Just ummm.....it''s nothing..." he said with a smile disregarding his initial reaction.

    "No no... Please tell me.. I''m harmless..." I said trying to make him feel more comfortable.

    "Well.... rumours has it you''re the girl standing in the way of Calista and Paul." he whispered.

    I rolled my eyes hearing him say that....."Trust me there''s nothing going on between me and Paul.... it''s probably because he''s not into her and she blames me because of it." I replied.

    "Ohhhh I see....so where are you from?..." I''ve never seen someone with your skin colour?" He asked.

    "Ohhhh.... I''m from a small port town... really far away." I replied.

    "Ohh I see.... I''m from Allerwick.... it''s a small town up north..." He replied with a smile.

    "Ohhh .... But isn''t the north under attack by goblins?.." I asked.

    "Yeah sadly... my family had to relocate due to the recent goblin activity." He replied.

    "Are they gonna be okay?.." I asked.

    "Yeahˇ­. my family is okay for now." He replied.

    "Is it really bad up north?.." I asked.

    "Yeah.... don''t tell anyone..... But they only named it a goblin invasion as they didn''t want to cause much panic... but my parents told me it''s much much worse..." He said.

    "How bad it is?.." I asked.

    "Well it isn''t just goblins.... apparently there''s orcs giants and mountain trolls as well..." He whispered.

    "Woah... that sounds pretty bad..." I whispered back.

    "Yeah..... They don''t normally worth together... so it''s pretty strange..." He said.

    "Why don''t they ask Atlantis for assistance?..." I asked.

    "Well... to the outside world.... all the schools are at peace with each other.... in reality it''s more like a stale mate.... no side wants to lose too many students unnecessarily." He answered.

    "...I see....." I replied disappointed that I thought this land was peaceful.

    The whole hall applause causing us to abruptly stop our conversation and began clapping. Jay began walking towards our table. "Ohhh that''s my friend!!!" I said to Ben.

    "Ohhh that''s cool! Looks like he''s in our house." He said with a smile clapping.

    "Ohh and the girls behind him are also my friends.... The Tiefling is Daisy.... the Black haired Elf is Grace and the blonde haired Elf is Helen." I said pointing them out.

    "Ohhh you made a lot of friends...." He replied.

    "Yeah.... Did you make some friends?.." I asked.

    "Yeah... Ohh you can probably see them from here....." He said looking at the other tables. "Ohhh so the black haired boy and blonde haired girl on the dragon table over there..... Is Marcus and Sophia.... and there''s one more..... Ohhh the green haired guy in the Kraken table is Marco.

    "Heyyyy... looks like we are in the same house!" Jay said arriving with a giant smile.

    "Yeahhh!!!! Ohh by the way... this is Ben... we talked a little." I said.

    "Heyyyy." Jay said taking a seat opposite to him, "My name is Jay." He said holding his hand out for a shake.

    "Ben." Ben replied shaking Jay''s hand.

    "By the way.... not wanting to be too forward... but we''re looking for another dude to join our crew." Jay said.

    "What you mean?.." Ben replied.

    "Well..... See the four girls after me.... them and Emilia is our current group at the moment as you can seeˇ­ we are missing.... a few dudes... that I can talk dude stuff with..." Jay said.

    "Hmmmm..... Well... I do have my own friends but they are in other houses... but I''ll defiantly take your offer in for consideration." Ben replied chuckling.

    "Brother to brother.... please take this request seriously!!!" Jay said to him.

    "Of course" Ben replied laughing.

    "Oi we aren''t that bad." I said pretending to be offended.

    "Ohhh no.... it''s completely fine.... just I''d be nice to have another guy to about you know guy stuff." Jay said acting innocent but mouthed to Ben Thank you.

    "Ohhh your friend is about to touch the orb." Ben said pointing at Grace.

    Jay and I watched in anticipation seeing if she gets put in Kraken like how she wanted. Her orb began glowing blue, she began to smile seeing the reaction looking extremely gleeful, but suddenly the orb began to glow red. Every few seconds it would shift between blue and red.

    "What''s going on???" I asked.

    "Didn''t you see this happen to you???..... Yours kept shifting from red to green to blue over and over again for like a minute...." Jay replied.

    "Yah.... yours was quite interesting..... Most people only glow one colour.... and there were a few two colours.... but so far you''re the only one whose flash all threecolours.." Ben replied.

    "......yeah I didn''t understand it either....." I pretended.

    "House Phoenix please give a warm welcome to Aiyonyora Sunwalker!" Bram announced.

    "..... Sure her name us Grace???...." Ben asked.

    "..... That''s what she told us...." Jay and I shrugged but looking curious to ask her when she gets here.

    "Hey guys...." Grace greeted us nervously.

    "Hello.. Aiyonyora." Jay and I greeted her with a smug grin on our faces.

    "It''s a long story... we don''t want to be known for our real names." Grace said ignoring our smug faces.

    "Grace this is Ben... we talked a little when I sat down." I introduced him to her.

    Ben sat silently starring at grace as if entranced by her. "Hi.... I''m Grace.." Grace greeted him.

    "Ohhh sorry... I''m Ben... I''ve never seen an elf up close before." He said looking all flustered.

    Jay and I sat silently feeling a little awkward looking at each other wondering if we should say something or let the conversation run its course.

    "Nice to meet you Ben." Grace replied then turned to look at Helen now approaching the orb.

    "Never mind her..... She gives the cold shoulder to everyone." Jay joked.

    Grace instantly turned around shooting daggers at him with her eyes. Then turned back to watch Helen.

    "So.... bummed you didn''t get into Kraken..?.." I asked Grace.

    "I KNOW!!!!!! I''M SO BUMMED!!! But it was so crazy to see yours flashing three different colours!" Grace turned to me looking upset but then a little excited.

    "Yeah...I have no idea why..... I''m not special.." I said wondering if everyone got a vision like me. Turning around to look at Paul, he look totally normal unaware of his supposed future...contemplating on whether I should tell him or not... or would that just make the situation worse... or in doing so will send me along the path of the vision.....

    "Please a round of applause for Ashera Starseeker to House Phoenix!" Bran announced causing me to quickly snap back to reality clapping.

    "Hey guys!" Helen said running towards us.

    "Ashera huh?..." Jay said grinning.

    "Yeahh.... our names are pretty important in Elven society... so Grace and I gave ourselves a different name she said scratching her head like a child caught lying.

    "That''s a shame.... it''s a nice name." Jay said taking a sip of water.

    "Ohhhhh Daisy is the last of us!...." I said watching her eagerly.

    "Do you really we''ll all be in the same house?.. " I asked.

    "Hi! I''m Helen." Helen greeted Ben with a giant smile holding out a hand noticing him staring at her.

    "That''s Ben... he hasn''t seen an Elf up close before." Grace explained to Helen uninterested in starting a conversation with him.

    "Sorry.... I''m Ben, nice to meet you." He said taking her hand and shaking it.

    "Yeah... I invited Ben to join us... because you know.... an extra guy would be nice." Jay said giving Ben a nod.

    "Nope...." Grace said coldly still having her back turned towards her.

    "Don''t worry about Grace.. She''s the cold one between the two of us." Helen said with a giant smile.

    "So Ben.... want to join us?.." Jay asked.

    "Ummmm..." Ben replied looking extremely embarrassed looking flustered unsure how to answer.

    "Don''t worry sleep on it." Jay said giving him a wink.

    "Ohhh another student for house Phoenix Please Welcome Daisy Packwood." Bran announced as Daisy slowly walked to us looking a little upset taking a small glance at Paul.

    "Hey....." Daisy greeted us with little to no enthusiasm.

    "It''s alright.... I''m sure we can chill with Paul whenever we want he seems like a cool dude." Helen replied pulling Daisy down to sit next to her and hugged her.

    "Yeah besides.... you know he has the hots for Emilia." Grace said hinting something to her.

    Ben gasped hearing her say that and looked at me for validation. "He doesn''t these guys are making a mountain out of a molehill." I replied.

    "A what?.." He replied.

    "It''s a saying where I''m from.... it means blowing things out of proportion." I replied.

    "Hmmm that analogy makes sense Ben and Jay nodded in understanding and agreement.

    "Nah... You''re just oblivious..." Helen said with a cheeky smile.

    "This sucks... if I was in team Dragon... I would be allowed to train with him every morning and go and see him for help and advice." Daisy said lost in her imagination.

    "I''m sure... we can''t just go annoying the head of the house 24/7 otherwise they won''t have time to do anything." Helen said trying to cheer her up.

    "Leave me to my imagination! One can dream!" Daisy snapped at her and went back to her imagination.

    "We''ll be alright!" Helen said hugging her swaying her back and forth.

    "Man.... we''re really lucky.... that we are all in the same house." I said to everyone.

    "Yeah....." Jay and Helen replied with a smile, but Grace and Daisy replied with a small sigh.

    "Ohhh by the way Daisy... This is Ben." I said pointing him to her with an open palm.

    "Hi...." Daisy sighed.

    "....... Woah... a blue skinned Tiefling.... I''ve never seen one before..." Ben replied.

    "Me neither.... by the way where are you from?.." Jay asked Ben.

    "Allerwick." Ben answered.

    "Ohh dear... that''s a northern settlement.... everything okay over there?.." Jay asked.

    "Yeah... my family has already evacuated... but the news is grim around there though.

    "I wish you and your family the best of luck and hope Arcadia swiftly deals with this situation." Jay replied.

    "Thanks... I hope so too.." Ben replied.

    "So Ben... what''s it like in Allerwick?....." Helen asked.

    "Ohh.... so...so... boring and normal..... Nothing exciting... maybe the occasional travelling fair or merchants with stories of adventurers and adventures." He replied.

    "Ohhhh so what does your parents do?.." Helen asked.

    "Well before they were evacuated we were simple tailors." He answered.

    "Ohhh that''s nice maybe when your family gets backs we can get some items of clothing made." Helen said with a smile.

    "Yeah sure of course...." He replied in a panic looking extremely embarrassed.

    As the last student in the line was assigned a house, Bran dissipated the sphere with a small thump of his staff on the floor. "And now let the festivities begin!" He yelled lifting his staff high in the sky and with a bright blue flash a feast magically appeared in front of us and the robots began making their rounds, music appeared in our easy and up above us an illusionary show.

    Paul began walking along his table greeting students in his house, shaking hands signing things with the occasional spell being released causing laughter and smiles.

    Scarlet on the other hand found it hard to converse with her fellow Phoenix students her aura clearly making everyone near her shake and tremble in fear despite her attempts at trying to be welcoming and friendly.

 92 End of the Week

    "Hey guys.... I wonder what house Morgana was placed in....." I asked everyone as we made our way back to the dorms after dinner.

    "Hey Ben wanna join us ??... We generally just chill out a Graces and Helen''s room." Jay offered.

    "Ummm lemme try and catch up with my friends ... maybe I can join you after??..." Ben asked.

    "Sure I''ll come with you.... then o can show you to Grace and Helen''s room." Jay said walking off with ben. "I''ll meet up with you guys later!" Ben yelled go us.

    "Why is he so obsessed with having another guys in the group....." Grace sighed.

    "It''s a guy thing..... I guess...." I replied.

    "Ohhh I think Morgana was placed in House Kraken." Helen said answering my earlier question.

    "Hey.... you guys were talking about me?..." Morgana eerie voice asked from behind us causing us all to jump in shock.

    "Hey Morgana." I said with nervous smile.

    "Hey....." she said joining us but stayed silent uninterested in socialising.

    "So.... team Kraken huh..?..." I asked.

    "Yeah... don''t really care though..." she replied shrugging.

    "..... Umm do you wanna hang with us ??...." Helen asked.

    "Sure...." she replied seemingly uninterested.

    "So Ben told me... that the goblin army invasion... is much worse than reported to the public." I said starting a conversation feeling awkward in the silence.

    "Really???..." Helen asked.

    "Yah Ben told me that there were even trolls and orcs." I said nodding.

    "That''s kinda makes sense why it hasn''t been swiftly dealt with by nowˇ­..... Oddly it''s very rare to see their races allied together for a single causeˇ­." Morgana explained to us.

    "I wonder what''s got the working together to ally each other." Helen pondered.

    "My bet is something is forcing the out the mountain." Grace replied.

    "Or maybe someone crazy enough to gather an army...." Morgana suggested.

    "Do you think we''re gonna be alright??..." I asked.

    "Yeah we should be fine..... We have plenty of strong individuals in this school." Morgana answered.

    "By the way... you''re not a hagright ...." Helen hesitantly asked Morgana.

    "Of course not.... why?." Morgana asked.

    "I''m sorry I''m not very well educated on hags.." Helen replied.

    ".... Well you can tell I''m not a hag..... You can either use some sort of sense spell... or...when a human child is a hag, they change into a hag at the age of 15 and compelled to run awayˇ­. and I''m 20 and still human so I''m way past the threshold of transforming into a Hag." Morgana explained.

    "Ohhh I see...." Helen replied looking abit shocked and horrified at the process.

    "So who is your mother?..." Grace asked.

    "Granny Matilda." Morgana answered causing both Helen and grace to take a step back.

    "A Granny Hag?.." They asked in shock.

    "Yup..." Morgana answered looking unconcerned.

    "...How did she achieve the name Granny?.." Grace asked.

    "It''s a long story.... she was in a coven.... with a few Aunties.... Paul and Scarlet arrived with the mission to eradicate the Coven... My mother struck a deal with them, spare her life and she will absolve the coven herself and relocate away from Arcadia." Morgana explained.

    "Then what happened?..." Helen asked.

    "Mother killed the other five aunties in the coven.... and absorbed their soul and power and became a Granny...." Morgana answered.

    Helena and Grace fell silent looking at each other the fear and shock, if everything wasn''t so alien to me I probably would have felt the same way Helen and Grace did.

    "Don''t worry mother is really far away... plus she seems to have a lot of respect for Paul so she would never touch a student of Atlantis... I guess..." Morgana said to us.

    "You know what would be awesome... if we could like merge our rooms and have one big one so we can all just bunk together rather than being cramped in a small room." I suggested as we enter the dorm building. "So Morgana are you gonna chill with us?.." I asked.

    "If you insist." She replied but looking at her reaction she looked a little relieved that I asked her.

    "Awesome!" I replied with a smile.

    "So..... What sort of stuff can you do?.. exactly??" Helen asked as we made our way up the stairs.

    "Ummm.... anything up to 3rd level spells... also proficient in herbal medicine and potion making....." She said, "And I know a great deal of deadly Bog and Necromancy spells." She whispered to Grace and Helen.

    "Funnily enough... hearing your mother is a Hag specially a Granny... we''re not very surprised." They both replied.

    "By the way... where did the guy in your group go?.." Morgana asked.

    "Who Jay?.." I replied.

    "I guess..." She said trying to look uninterested but I can tell she looked a little curious by the way she looked at me when I mentioned Jay.

    "He''s out to help a friend.... he''ll meet up with us later.." I answered her as we entered Helen and Grace''s room.

    "Ohhh I see.." Morgana replied.

    "Make yourself comfortable anywhere." Grace said taking a seat on the floor.

    "Sure..." Morgana replied taking a seat on an empty space on the floor.

    "So excited to be in Atlantis?.." Helen asked.

    "Ummm I think.... Zessia would have been better for my skills.. And abilities... but Atlantis will do I guess." Morgana replied.

    "Are we allowed to visit the other schools?.." I asked.

    "Hmmm maybe the cities they are situated in.... but inside the school.... I really doubt it.." Grace replied.

    "So... Morgana what was life like in the bog?.." I asked take a seat on the floor.

    "It''s so so..... It''s pretty dangerous though.... so don''t go exploring bogs and swamps by yourselves." She warned me.

    "What sort of things happens there?.." I asked.

    "Plenty of dangerous things... there are swamp monsters..... Beings that had died and risen into mindless zombies..... Giant crocodiles..... Swamp trolls..... A plethora of dangerous plant life." Morgana began to explain.

    "Damnnn.... that don''t sound safe for a child....." I said in shock.

    "It was alright.... mother commands most the beats and monsters there so it wasn''t dangerous for me growing up...A matter of fact my best friend growing up was a swamp troll...." Morgana replied.

    Helen and Grace remained speechless like their minds were blown, as if hearing her story was totally unbelievable.

    "So you''re completely human??..." Helen asked.

    "Mother said I am...." Morgana answered.

    "that''s so weird.... hags are known for eating babies... in fact babies disappearing in a town or settlement is the first sign of Hag activity....." Grace stated.

    "Yeah..... I asked her about my parents but she said I was abandoned and she by chance came across me in a basket." Morgana answered.

    Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Ohhh that must be Jay." I said getting up to open the door, in the corner of my eye I saw Morgana sit up a little tilting to the side to takebetter look at the door.

    "Come in!!" Grace yelled as I opened the door.

    "Wassup guys!" Jay said entering the room.

    "Hi all!!!" Ben said walking in behind him.

    "Ohhh a new member in our group???..." Morgana asked.

    "Kind of... but I think I''m more of an intern or initiate..." Ben replied a little nervously.

    "Take a seat anywhere..... Jay" said taking a seat next to me on the floor, Ben quickly followed him taking a seat next to him.

    "So where''s everyone''s tattoos?.." I asked showing them the one on the back of my right hand.

    "Mine and Helen''s are on our right wrists." Grace said showing us the back of her wrist.

    "Mines on my thigh... but obviously I can''t show you right now..." Daisy replied.

    "Forearm here...." Jay said rolling up his right sleeve.

    "I can''t really see mine.. but I felt a burn on the back of my right shoulder." Ben replied.

    "Shoulder.." Morgana replied taking off her coat revealing her left shoulder a Kraken tattoo.

    "So what was it like on the Kraken table?..." I asked.

    "Meh.... bunch of kids talking about how strong they are and boasting about things they''ve done." Morgana answered.

    "Did you see Travis?..." Grace asked trying to act uninterested and cool but we all knew why she asked.

    "Yeah.... he looked pretty annoyed to be there....." Morgana answered.

    "See he''s a douche..." Helen replied.

    "Shush you!" Grace snapped at Helen''s comment.

    "By the way I was wondering do you think there''s anyways they could link our rooms?... or at least have a mega room for all of us to hang out in?..." I asked.

    "Magically I''m sure it''s possible... but I''m not sure... I''m sure your friend can answer..." Jay replied.

    "Who''s Ashley?.." Ben asked.

    "Ashley Pauls Friend." Jay answered him.

    "Hmmm maybe... ohh on that fact... I wonder how Tim and Caroline are doing...." I pondered to myself.

    "Who''s Tim?.." Everyone asked.

    "Ohh a 2nd year that I met on the first day... he was really nice to me and explained a lot to me... and Caroline was the first friend I madeˇ­ but she was picked to go Eshia" I replied.

    "..... You didn''t apply to be initiated?.." Ben asked.

    "Nope.... I kinda appeared here out of the blue.." I replied.

    "Out the blue?.." He asked looking confused.

    "It means out of nowhere... where I''m from.." I replied.

    "Ohhhh.... well... I''ve heard that only happens to exceptionally talented individuals..." Ben answered.

    "Ohhh I see..." I nodded.

    "I can''t wait to see you in the Colosseum." Ben smiled.

    "Heh..... You won''t be waiting for long! We all got challenged this week." Daisy replied.

    "Holy crap...." Ben replied looking slightly worried.

    "Yeah.... and I''ve personally trained with Paul.... I''m so gonna cream my opponent." Daisy said with a giant smile on her face.

    "Waoh.... Paul who?.." Ben asked.

    "Paul the Black Dragon slayer of course!" Daisy answered filled with pride.

    "No way.... so the rumours must be true...." Ben pondered.

    "What rumours?" We asked.

    "That you guys are friends with Paul and His group.... and getting special help treatment from them..... I''ve heard people are pretty envious..." He replied.

    "Pshhh.... I don''t see why everyone get excited over him..... I haven''t seen him do anything yet..." Morgana sighed.

    "Well... I''m gonna head to bed..... I see you guys tomorrow." I said bidding everyone goodnight and began heading back to my dorm room excited for my first day of training tomorrow.

 93 Gossip and news

    A heavy knock on the door and the alarm sound blaring in my mind forced me awake. "Comming.." I groggily woke up walking towards the door, in an instant as I approached closer to the door my spine stiffened and my body straightened out, the familiar fear feeling shocking me awake.

    "One minute... Scarlet!" I yelled taking a step back and rummaged my pockets for the coins Ashley gave me. Shuffling through them I quickly clutched the silver one holding it tightly to me and quickly went to open the door.

    "Morning Sis!!!" Scarlet yelled with a giant smile totally unaware of how she gave me a mini heart attack a few seconds ago.

    "Come in!!!.... I''m sorry I just woke up.." I said quickly heading to the bathroom to quickly get myself ready.

    "No problems!!! I was too excited and wanted to come wake you up, take your time we have loads of timeˇ­. If ya know what I meanˇ­." She replied sounding jolly.

    "So.... Where''s Paul?.. I thought he was meant to tutor me...." I asked through the door as I began to get ready.

    "He said he had important things to do." Scarlet replied.

    "Ohhh I see... what''s he up to?... he was here yesterday...." I said.

    "He''s on a mission .... He didn''t tell me what it was either... but he will be back soon don''t worry." She replied.

    Quickly brushing my teeth and taking a quick rinse in the shower I dashed out to get dressed. "So.... what we gonna do today?.." I asked as I went to the wardrobe to get dressed.

    "Ummm... Paul told me to do the basic physical training and maybe help you do higher level spells..." She said turning around to give me privacy.

    "By the way I was wondering why You and Paul don''t have House Tattoos..." I asked.

    "Ohh we do.... just ours is special... they are golden to represent we are S-Ranked and you can''t see them till you''re officially enrolled into the Atlantis Family." Scarlet answered.

    "Ohhhh how comes?.." I asked.

    "It''s so Freshmans can''t influence the Houses they want to be in." She explained.

    "Ohh I see" I replied, slipping on a simple dress and robe blue robe." Okay I''m ready." I said turning around showing off what I was wearing.

    "Ohhh the classical sorceress look.... I like it." She smiled

    "Yeah.... I''ve always wanted to wear witch robes." I said twirling in glee.

    "Hmmm a witchˇ­.. Generally witches are considered bad or evilˇ­.. We call male and female spell casters wizards, sorcerers or magesˇ­ anyways ready to go?" Scarlet asked.

    "YUP!" I replied filled with excitement.

    "Don''t forget your stuff." She said opening the door.

    Quickly grabbing my bag I followed her out, "By the way is it meant to be a secret that you''re helping me train?.." I asked.

    "Not really... but don''t go around boasting it... though.... always stay humble." She smiled.

    "By the way.... why aren''t we doing anything to the goblin invasion?.." I asked.

    "..... Headmaster Bran hasn''t given us the order to make a move." Scarlet answered.

    "Ohhh..... A friend told me it''s much worse than a goblin invasion." I said to her looking worried.

    "Yeah..... We know.... but still we aren''t allowed to act unless given the order... despite the loss of innocent lives and displaced families sadly..." Scarlet replied sounding a little down.

    "You want to help?..." I asked.

    "Yes I do....." She replied.

    "Then why don''t you just go and do something." I asked.

    "If there was no repercussions I would... but Paul said we can''t just go charging in blasting everything..... Stupid politics complicate things..." She said angrily punching a wall.

    "Politics?.." I asked.

    "Yup.... Arcadia... doesn''t like us if we disobey orders... they see us as loose cannons..... So the Arcadia council politically keeps us in check and that''s why Calista is so important.. She is here to help strengthen the trust between Arcadia Council and our School." Scarlet explain still gritting her teeth.

    "Do you know why the invasion happened?... My friends told me it''s weird... that those races are working together especially for once cause." I asked.

    "Yeah....Paul thinks it''s something to do with the other continents trying to create instability." Scarlet replied.

    "Other continents?..." I asked.

    "Yes there are other continents.... the closest to us a military state that controls a large army that worship Solius the God of the Sun... they believe that Humans are the only clean race and all other races should be purged by Light." She explained.

    "..... Humans like you and I?.." I asked.

    "Yes Humans.... Elves, Tiefling, Dark Elves Dwarves etc etc... Are considered unclean...." She answered.

    "That''s so horrible...." I replied.

    "Yup..... They consists of Humans and Aasamir''s they think the Aasiamir''s connections to the Gods mean that they are doing their God''s will therefore doing good." She said.

    ".... what are Aasamir?.." I asked.

    "They are like humans... except touched by Angels or Angelic beings... Opposite to Daisy...." Scarlet replied.

    "I see..." nodding in understanding.

    "Yup Paul thinks that the child smuggling operation you guys interrupted were children heading to them so they can indoctrinate them into their cult...." Scarlet explained.

    "Why don''t someone do something to them?.." I questioned.

    "We are a small school... and at best a kingdom including Arcadia.. Whereas they are a whole continent consisting of multiple Kingdoms....." Scarlet explained. "The only reason they don''t launch a large scale invasion is the fear that all four of our kingdoms unite... So they send Envoys for ''Negotiations and Peace''.... But there''s no mistaking where there''s an Envoy there''s an increase in kidnappings... but stupid politicians and the council don''t allow us to deal with them..... Paul says they have Diplomatic Imunnity." Scarlet said angrily.

    "Have you guys encountered them?.." I asked feeling curious.

    "Yeah we have.." Scarlet answered.

    "What happened???" I asked.

    "We was escorting a cargo ship..... We were ambushed by a ramming ship. We obviously made quick work of their Paladins and Clerics dealing with them none lethally... We even gave them a 2nd chance in life setting them free.... after a week we were called into the Arcadia council and had to explain our actions..... And then we got punished for it..... Punished for defending ourselves... how bloody stupid is that..." Scarlet sounding angrier then before.

    "But if they worship a God why are they bad?.." I asked.

    "I dunno how their God talks to them..... All I know is they are committing genocide and the way they even treat their own members are cruel... if I was allowed, I''d annihilate them myself." Scarlet muttered.

    "... By the way.... what sort of impression did you get from Morgana?.." I asked changing the subject noticing how riled up she was getting.

    "Well aside from Paul getting tricked by Granny Matilda.... which is quite rare.... he''s normally so calm collected and rarely skips a beat... but she''s a nice girl... Despite being the daughter of a Hag she''s still a human....." Scarlet answered sounding calmer.

    "Yeah.... I''ll try.." I smiled.

    "In this world... there are a great deal of people who have no control over their lineage or parents.... A baby born from a human and a baby born from the orc are the same.." Scarlet explained. "Ohhh!!.... By the way.... how comes you didn''t tell me?.." Scarlet asked.

    In an instant my brain processed what she just asked scrambling for anything that I kept secret from here and trying to process which one she was asking about.

    "What you mean?.." I asked.

    "Ashley told me that Calista already challenged you to a duel." She said to me.

    "Ohh that.... yeah...." I replied quietly.

    "You know what Paul would advise you to do in a situation like this?.." She asked.

    I shrugged not really knowing what he would say, "I dunno as long as you tried your best?..." I assumed.

    "Nope he would tell you to forfeit... because you''re not ready yet... Fighting for what you believe in and for the right reasons is noble, but if you''re not ready or can''t accomplish it''s important to know when to give up for the time being." Scarlet explained.

    "So I should give up then?.." I asked.

    "I don''t know..... Only you will know the answer to that...." Scarlet replied.

    "I personally think opposite to Paul... I think you should give it your all and try your best." Scarlet added.

    "How strong is Calista?.." I asked.

    "She''s not bad... a bit overconfident... but she lacks in fundamental..... She''s a good sorceress able to already cast some level three spells.... but lacks in everything else..." Scarlet answered.

    "Hmmmm...." I said to myself thinking on what I should do.

    "Don''t worry I''ll try my best to prepare you before your duel." Scarlet said turning around to give me a smile and a wink

    "By the way where is your Tattoo?.." I asked.

    "Mine is on my upper arm.. I''ll show you in the training room.. where I can take off my arm plates." She said.

    "Why''s is yours and Paul''s golden?.." I asked.

    A golden tattoo represents an S-Ranked student in Atlantis." She explained.

    ".... do other people see the tattoo?.... mines on my hand it''s kinda obvious..." I said lifting my hand looking at it.

    "Don''t worry..... Only Students of Atlantis can see it... and anyone one else who you want to show the tattoo toˇ­ but everyone else it will just be a plain handˇ­." She explained.

    "Ohhhh that''s pretty handy...." I replied.

    "Yah just remember..... Being a student of Atlantis affords many benefits but now you have to take into account the schools reputation when doing things." Scarlet added.

    "So don''t start fights and tarnish the Atlantis name?.." I asked.

    "Yup..... Unlike the other Schools.... Atlantis works with Arcadia together... so there''s bureaucracy and politics involved..." Scarlet explained.

    "And it''s not the same for the other schools?.." I asked.

    "Nope.... the other schools generally hold most the power in their kingdom..... So they are more free to do whatever they want." Scarlet explained.

    "Do we ever get to visit other schools?.." I asked.

    "Maybe the city... but the schools themselves probably not..... Paul and I have made some friends in high places but you know politics..... it''s complicated..." Scarlet explained further.

    "Is that why he''s helping Calista despite how horrible she is?.." I asked.

    "Yup.... not only does Paul owe her father for letting him visit home.... but also being in the good graces of the princess would be extremely helpful in the future...." Scarlet answered.

    "Do you think I''ll be able to beat Calista?..." I asked.

    "How badly do you want to beat her?..." Scarlet asked in return.

    "Ohhh so badly I want her to know not to mess with me!" I replied gritting my teeth remembering the first time we met and how much of an ass she was.

    "Don''t worry I''ll help you." Scarlet smiled, "Unlike the teachers..... I know where you''re from so I can help you a little more.." She explained.

    "Ohhhhh yes!!!" I said feeling excited.

    "Just remember..... Individuals from your Plane..... Have the greatest potential..... So make sure you keep it a secret where you''re from.... we don''t want the distasteful parts of this world to take you...." She reminded. "If any of the other schools could.... they would have kidnapped Paul and convert him whatever means possible." Scarlet added.

    "Are you and Paul the strongest S-ranked in all the schools?..." I asked.

    "Yeah we are..... The other School S ranks are formidable though....." She answered.

    "Who are they?.." I asked feeling curious.

    "So in Eshia we have Abbraxsoth''s Daughter Alexa, his first son Thomas and ''The butcher''..... In Zessia two Twins... Claudia and Malik and their third S-ranked student Remus. Aspa has Balzir, A sentient robot who goes by the name ''One'' and Lerra. Scarlet answered.

    "So each school only have three S ranked students?.." I asked.

    "Well... officially yeah... but you can have students equivalent to S rank in power and strength just not Ranked S." Scarlet replied.

    "Ohhh time to start your training!" Scarlet said with a large smile as we arrived at Paul''s door.

 94 First Step

    "Excited?.." Scarlet asked as we entered the training room, that slight weird feeling hit me as i passed the door way.

    "Yeah!" I said filled with excitement.

    "Alright.... lemme take off my armour.." She said taking off each piece of her armour and placing them on the ground. "See this is my tattoo!" She said showing me her Golden Phoenix tattoo on her Right upper arm.

    "It looks so nice!" I said as it glistened in the light.

    "I got the feeling one day you''ll have a golden Tattoo one day." Scarlet said with a smile.

    "Really?.. You think I''ll be S-ranked one day?.." I asked in excitement.

    "Of course or at least S-Rank equivalent." Scarlet smiled.

    "So let''s get some physical training started." As she stood up and began to stretch.

    I felt a little embarrassed that i never really took exercise seriously and only managed to maintain my figure through diet and some bits of walking, I awkwardly copied her trying to mimic what she was doing but didn''t really know what to do.

    i replied tot

    "You don''t really know what you''re doing right?.." Scarlet asked looking at me.

    Feeling extremely embarrassed I froze not knowing what to say, I could feel the temperature of the room rise by a hundred degrees..... "....Ummm.... not really..." I embarrassingly confessed standing up straight looking to the ground.

    "That''s okay... that''s what I''m here for!" She replied standing up and stood beside me. "Okay just copy me... we''ll start with something Paul calls lunges she said placing one foot forward bending her back knee. "So it''s important to keep your back straight and knees bent like the corner of a square." She said demonstrating for me.

    "Like this?.." I asked copying her.

    "Yes! Nice!! Ohh and make sure you don''t you knees go past your ankles.

    "Okay now we''ll do some leg stretches" she instructed sitting down with her legs stretched reaching for her toes and pulling them back gently. "Make sure you don''t bend your knees.

    The years of lacking any real exercise was starting to show as even doing stretches felt a little strenuous, to the point when after a few minutes I felt my breathing getting heavier.

    "Don''t worry... the more you exert yourself the more your body will learn to metabolise Arcanum." Scarlet explained.

    "What does that mean?" I questioned utterly confused.

    "So generally creatures and people here are slightly faster rand stronger then you expect because our bodies naturally metabolise the surrounding Arcanumˇ­.from what I understandˇ­ your home plane contains Arcanum.... But it seems like you guys went a different way."

    "Okay let''s start with 100 push ups." Scarlet smiled.

    "..... There''s no way in Earth I can do 100 push ups...." I said in disbelief.

    "Not with that attitude.... besides we aren''t Earth." Scarlet smiled with a cheeky grin. "Right let''s get started" she requested happily assuming a push up position beside me.

    "Okay...." I agreed hesitantly assuming a push up position.

    "We still have about two and half hours, just do as many as you can." She said looking at me with a smile and began doing her push ups at a very vigorous pace.

    Starting the push ups I began to struggle at thirteen my arms and stomach burning with pain, I began to feel my body perspire around my armpits and forehead. Despite my initial doubts I somehow managed to squeeze out another twelve before collapsing trying to desperately eek out one more.

    Turning around on my back slowly I laid there huffing and puffing the perspiration now feeling like a thick dense mist under my armpits.

    "You take a rest while I finish mine..." Scarlet asked, somehow she began doing them even faster without showing signs of fatigue or a bead of sweat.

    "..... I''m so weak....." I mumbled resting on my back, my arms aching to the point where I refused to move them.

    "Don''t worry... we all start somewhere...." Scarlet replied still going and without being out of breath.

    "What else?.... we have left?.." I asked dredging her answer.

    "Some squats and sit-ups then a few laps.... then we can begin some spell casting and weapon drills." Scarlet answered with a smile.

    I rolled my head away from her disliking her answer with a sigh. If I''m already knackered from the push ups how am I meant to survive the rest....

    "Okay done!! Ready for sit ups??..." Scarlet asked with a giant smile.

    "How are you not tired.... and not even sweating?.." I asked.

    "Ahhh you know... I''m used to it by now." She replied. "Sit ups now?..." She questioned.

    "Okay....." I begrudgingly agreed getting up assuming a sit up position and Scarlet went to hold my legs down.

    "How many?" I asked hoping she wouldn''t say 100.

    "100!" She answered with a giant smile.

    "Arghh.....okay..." I agreed

    "Don''t worry just do as much as you can... and as long as you keep pushing yourself you''ll defiantly feel and see an improvement." She said.

    To my surprise I did almost fifty before my stomach felt like it was gonna cramp up. Falling back exhausted trying to catch my breath and stop myself getting a cramp. "I swear I feel like dying." I commented lying on the floor causing Scarlet to chuckle.

    "Did you expect to magically be good at everything?.." Scarlet asked.

    "No... but I didn''t think it was this hard...." I huffed in exhaustion.

    "This is only the beginning of your adventure." Scarlet chuckled. "Paul told me that you''ve always wanted to experience a magical adventure...." She smiled, "What was that saying Paul told me..... " she began to ponder.

    "By the way.... do you think we have control of our future?..." I asked.

    "Yeah of course.... everyone has control of their own destinies...." Scarlet answered lying down beside me.

    "How do you know for sure?..." I asked turning to her remembering the vision what was shown to me that my future was set in stone.

    "In another life.... let''s just say I''ve done horrible things destined to walk a dark path.... until I met Paul... and he changed me..... Changed me to who I am today....." She said staring up into the ceiling as if contemplating about something.

    "Is he still a good person?" I asked similarly staring into the ceiling reminiscing on out past.

    "Yes he is... but he doesn''t look after his own interests enough... he always put himself second.... willing to make the sacrifice or sacrifice himself..... Sometimes when I look into his eyes it feels like he''s trying to redeem himself for something.... as if he''s he believes he doesn''t deserve good things." Scarlet added.

    The mention of sacrifice shook my soul connecting what she said to the visions I experienced..... Each one of them he was no longer here.... and I blamed myself..... In that future did he sacrifice himself for me?...

    "What about Ashley?....." I asked.

    "Yeah all three of us share a dark history..... His being loss of family and love.... when he was younger his village was savagely raided. Women and girls taken in as slave.... and the men and boys mercilessly slaughtered. That day hiding in a barrel with his childhood friend they watched as their village was torn apart.... his mother taken away and his brother and father slaughtered like cattle. Unable to hold back his cries he gave away their hiding place... As the men approached him his childhood friend ran to buy him time to escape running in a different direction. He turned around to take one look at her before she was snatched away... instead of pleading for mercy she screamed out to him to run and live... So he ranˇ­.. but he didn''t escape unscathed.... he was hit with an arrow in his arm. He ran, carried on running for days till his legs gave out on him and collapsed exhausted. He awoke on a bed with a missing arm... He was rescued by gnome inventor.... who barely brought him back from the brink of death, the arrow that struck him was no ordinary arrow.... it caused the wound to fester and decay so it had to be cut off. There is where he learnt about Artifcing." Scarlet recited the pain in her eyes more obvious than ever.

    "I would have never imagined that he had such a horrible past.." I said unable to even comprehend the pain and hurt he''s gone through.

    "Yeah.... the metal arm he has is a constant reminder of what happened to him... he hides it well beneath his constant carefree demeanour and smile..... But in the back of his mind he can never forget even at her last moment of freedom she told him to run and live and her sacrifice for him." Scarlet mumbled her voice cracking slightly.

    "So how did all of you meet?.." I asked.

    "Well.... Paul and I came across each other by chance.... I heard of his accolades and challenged him to a duel, he would only agree to the duel on the basis that if he won I will follow him and change my ways.... and if I won he will forfeit his life to me. Despite my best efforts he defeated me... It was close but undoubtedly I lost. So I reluctantly joined him, to my surprise he treated me like family despite my prior eagerness to defeat him and take his life. From there on he slowly changed me to who I am today. Soon after he enrolled me into Atlantis, Paul was fascinated with Artificing he says it something that reminds him of home, so he befriended a young aspiring Ashley and then we all became family." Scarlet said still maintaining her stare into the ceiling.

    "Was Paul already strong as he is now before or after he joined Atlantis?.." I asked.

    "Before.... way before... he has improved himself a little while he was here but there''s no way he learnt everything in Atlantis specially his Ancient Magic." Scarlet answered.

    "How did he get so strong?.." I asked.

    "No idea..... But individuals from your plane are extremely gifted.... and I guess he met the right teachers." She guessed.

    "Enough resting shall we get the rest of the work out finished?.." She asked.

    "Yeah... I think I''m quite rested now." I said getting up feeling slightly sore but no longer aching and out of breath.

 95 Weapons

    "So..... Now we are done with the work out... what you wanna do first?.... Spell casting or Weapon training?..." Scarlet asked.

    "Hmmmmm..... let''s find you a weapon...." Scarlet insisted walking towards the weapon stands.

    "So what weapon type calls out to you?.." She asked.

    "I dunno...." I shrugged feeling unsure.

    "Ahhhh this might be a little hard." She pondered biting her lip looking at the vast collection of weapons on display.

    "Ohhh do you wanna try Paul''s weapon of choice?.." She smiled with excitement.

    "The big scythe?.." I asked remembering him drawing it when we was at the desert.

    "Yeah..... It has good reach but its heavy with big predictable swings but it''s an extremely intermediating and dangerous weapons able to cut past people''s guards." She said walking towards a giant Scythe picking it up with one hand and handing it to me.

    As she released her grip on the Scythe it was extremely heavy..... I began to wonder how Paul even wielded it with one hand so easily. "Nope..... This is way too heavy and clunky...." I instantly said as I struggle to hold it aloft.

    "Ahhh okay,..." She said taking it off me and placing it back on the stand.

    "Do I really need a weapon?..... Can''t I just use a spells?.." I asked.

    "Ummm... it''s always good to have a weapon up your sleeve...." Scarlet answered. "For example for me... Very few people know that I can use magic..... Most the time people see Paul buffing me and I never use magic in public so people assume I can''t cast spells. So if I was to ever use magic to win a duel it would be such a surprise they wouldn''t expect it.... like a secret weapon." Scarlet explained. "Similar to why Paul always uses a wand when he''s in the company of others... except when opening portals." Scarlet added with a smile.

    "Hmmmm..... Probably a light weapon?.." I suggested as I had no real way of wielding the heavier weapons and swinging them.

    "Good point.... you''re gonna be primarily a spell caster.... Silly me." She said with a smile and shaking her head at herself for being so silly.

    "Ummm how about something for utility?.." I asked remembering what Ashley suggested for Jay to use.

    "Ohhh great idea!" Scarlet smiled in excitement rushing to an area filled with daggers. "So we have fire and acid daggersˇ­." She said holding two daggers... "Fire is great for cutting rope and starting a fire in cases when you''re staying overnight outdoors..... or Acid brilliant at corroding chains locks and metal things.... if none of them call out to you... we also have an electric one that can momentarily stun someone when you hit them... hmmmm.... or if not daggers.... maybe a short sword?... excellent for close combat." she suggested pulling out and placing back various weapons to show me.

    "Hmmm... can you teach me how to use any weapon?.." I asked curiously.

    "Yup... I can use all the weapons here on display really well." She smiled holding her chin up in pride.

    "Wow.... so anything''s dangerous in your hands...." I commented.

    "Yup....but obviously my preferred weapon is my extra wide Claymore and my smaller wooden sword called a Wakizashi" She replied.

    "Yeah.... why do you have a wooden Sword anyways?..." I asked slightly confused why she would have one.

    "Because we aren''t allowed to use lethal force unless they break the rules of Atlantis, I use the wooden one to cause less fatal injuries." Scarlet answered.

    "OHHH I see....." I replied nodding in understanding. "Let''s try daggers for now..." I asked.

    "Daggers.... sure let''s go...." She said walking up a stand and taking out two daggers.

    "Okay... So even though Daggers look rather simple to use.... they require a lot of finesse and speed to use properly.... Slashing someone wouldn''t cause much damage unless you aim for certain points on the body..... So you can always push someone to fight defensively with slashes and when there''s an opening quickly switch your grip and stab the target for a more serious wound." Scarlet explained showing me some motions and grip switching.

    "Ummm..... I don''t think I have the physical strength to fight someone up close...." I replied.

    "Well stick to some dagger training..... It''s an easily concealed weapon.... in case you need it for self-defence or other situations." Scarlet advised handing me two daggers. "These are magical daggers.... this one is a flame one... crafted from the smouldering core of a hell hound and this one is forged from the core of an acid elemental.... hold these in your bag for now...." she explained carefully and precisely to me.

    "Umm how do I activate them???..." I asked confusingly looking at both of them in my hands.

    "So magical items need to attune to you.... so keep it on your person for at least 30 mins then they are magically bound to you.... so when you wield them their properties will take effect. Scarlet explained looking excited for me. "You''ll also need to commission or buy some leather straps so you can conceal them close to your body and have them ready at all times or have a robe that has an opening with pockets..." Scarlet advised.

    "Okay!" I said taking her advice and pocketing the daggers.

    "Okay... let''s do some training.... take these two daggers for now...." She said handing me another two daggers and began walking towards the sand pit.

    "By the way.... you saved me on my first day here do you remember?.." I asked remembering how she sundered a blade with her bare hand.

    "Huh?...." She asked.

    "Yeah you caught a sword with your bare hand and somehow sundered and it didn''t even scratch you." I recited trying to remind her.

    "Ohhh yeah I remember.... damn punks..... Should have hurt him more." She replied.

    "How did you catch the blade with your bare hand and didn''t even get cut..... And crushing it into pieces and still never got cut?.." I asked curiously.

    "It''s a secret." She winked at me. "Besides that''s what makes me such an awesome training partner.... It''s really difficult to hurt me." She smiled.

    "Are you sure?..." I asked hesitantly kinda doubting what she said.

    "Yeah... look...." She said taking a dagger off me and began stabbing her palm. The dagger failing to pierce her skin.

    "What the hell...." I looked in shock.

    "Yeah..... Awesome right?.." She smiled and began slashing her palm and still her hand remained unscathed.

    "How...." I whispered in disbelief staring at her hand.

    "Ohhhh btw Ashley also mentioned that you had another incident that day." She informed me.

    "I did?.." I questioned totally confused trying to remember everything that happened that day.

    "Yeah he told me you punched a wall and you was stronger than expected." She revealed to me.

    "Ohh yeah that... I dunno why.... I just felt so angry... and punched the wall." I recited what happened.

    "Hmmm interesting...." She replied.

    "Jay was telling me that my body used Arcanum to momentarily become stronger.." I replied.

    "Jay''s right... we can also use it to make us faster.... increase our senses and toughness....It''s a technique where we cause our bodies to metabolize Arcanum to enhance our Speed, Sense, Strength, Smell and Hearing immensely." Scarlet explained like a teacher to a student. It''s good that you show signs of that at such an early stage.... even our most veteran and promising students only show these signs well into their years of studies in Atlantis." Scarlet stated sounding curious.

    "What does that mean?..." I asked.

    "Well for one... don''t let your anger get the better of you.... anger may give you strength but it will cloud your thoughts.... you won''t be able to assess the situation as clearly and correctly asses the correct course of action against very dangerous enemies they can use your emotions against you." Scarlet Advised.

    "Okay....." I agreed looking down feeling slightly embarrassed knowing that I should never let my temper get the better of me.

    "But it also means there is much potential in you." She smiled. "So the secret of fighting in close combat... is muscle memory and drills... as well as noticing micro twitches and behaviours in your opponent or opponents." Scarlet explained.

    "Ummm what?...." I questioned utterly dumbfounded.

    "Everyone, monsters and humans have micro expression and tells when it comes to anything..... Lying.... truth ... emotions... You can even read body language to tell when individuals are hostile based on posture or the way they speak... same with people attacking.... if you can read their body, you can read their attacks allowing you to be one step ahead of the enemy. Same with spells watch their wands listen for the spell." Scarlet carried on explaining.

    "Okay....." I said nodding in understanding.

    "For example in a heated situation a clenched fist and tensed arms signals hostility. One foot in front of the other indicates they may attack.... and which arm they are gonna swing with the slight pull back of the shoulder when about to swing. A dragon before using its breath attack will inhale deeply lifting its head up. A troll willing to take wounds and hits on its extremitiesˇ­ and avoiding fire damage as that will cauterize the wound and stop its accelerated regeneration revealing it''s weakness." Scarlet explained.

    "Okay." I nodded with confidence.

    "Niceˇ­. Let''s start with some drills then and I''ll teach you some tells when it comes to unarmed combat." She replied with a smile leading me to the sand pit.

 96 Spell Casting

    "So the last part of the lesson.... magic!!!" Scarlet smiled filled with so complete excitement.

    "Ummmmm.... could I get a drink first?..." I requested lying on the floor trying to recover.

    "Yeah sure." She smiled walking up to her armour and dipping her hand into it and pulling out two flasks out.

    "Here she said handing it to me and taking a seat beside me.

    "It''s embarrassing..... But my rank during the first exam I was ranked F... Calista said it must have been the lowest ever recorded" I confessed feeling down taking a small sips out of the flask of water.

    "Nothing wrong with that??...." Scarlet asked concerned at my reply.

    "Really?.... It seems pretty important to meˇ­." I quietly replied.

    "Don''t worry it''s only a preliminary test, it''s only because you''re from Consecratus is why your preliminary results were so low... trust me if you''re from there and you got picked.... you''re gonna be a great wizard." Scarlet explained.

    "That''s what everyone tells me... but I really doubt it." I replied honestly to her.

    "Sadly the process for you is abit longer and harder.... everyone else has an easier time because they grew up using Arcanum.... when you haven''t.... but you can go far beyond what everyone even what I am capable of if you''re dedicated enough." Scarlet explained.

    Despite her explaining everything the reason..... And knowing way more about this world then I do.... I was still felt very doubtful.

    "So... special individuals such as you, Paul and I have a very rare trait called Innate Casting. Humanoid races aren''t born with the ability to use Arcanum that is why we need to train our bodies to and require spell focus to channel the Arcanum unlike normal living creaturesˇ­. So most humans focus and channel the Arcanum through primarily wand or staves but there are also many other types of weapons that can channel Arcanum. Innate casters have the ability to use their bodies as the spell focus meaning there is no need for a wand or items to channel Arcanum through. This particular trait is something everyone in your plane seem to be born with." Scarlet explained.

    "... so does that mean I don''t need a wand to cast spells??..... If I''m understanding correctly..." I asked feeling like I understood what she said.

    "Yes but its far stronger then thatˇ­.. So to cast a spell off successfully there is a Verbal and a Somatic component as well as needing the adequate amount of Arcanum to cast the spellˇ­.. Innate casters like Paul and I who have successful mastered it can cast spells without Verbal a Somatic component and cast it through thought aloneˇ­. So you can imagine when in a fight how much of an advantage that is." She explained

    "Somatic?.." I asked slightly confused at the vocabulary.

    "Somatic is relating to the movement of the wand when you cast a spell." She answered.

    "I see." I nodded in understanding.

    "So how do I begin learning to cast without a wand??..." I asked a little excited at what I can do.

    "Heh slow down..... You need to walk before you run." Scarlet smiled.

    "By the way what are the 6 books Paul carries with him that seem to cast on their own??.." I asked remembering him use it during his school tour and freshman demonstration.

    "Ohhh.... that''s something his previous teacher gave to him.... Each of his books follows his commands and cast on their own accord." Scarlet revealed.

    "Ummmˇ­. Cast on their own like a separate wizard?..." I asked not really sure of her answer.

    "Yup." Scarlet nodded smiling

    "...ˇ­. Isn''t that a bit ridiculously strong?....." I asked

    "Yup.... it''s one of the reasons why I lost..... The amount of damage he can dish out is pretty immense when he gets serious..." She answered.

    "I guess there''s also something special with his giant scythe..." I asked a little curious about why he would wield such intimidating looking weapon.

    "Yeah..... It''s a cursed weapon..... That hungers for souls.... so anything cut by it will have its soul ripped from their body..." Scarlet answered.

    "That''s so gruesome..." I gasped in shock hearing her description shocked at why Paul would even consider using something so disgusting.

    "He only ever uses it if he can''t ensure everyone''s safety and will need to deal with the fight swiftly with minimal casualties, I''ve never seen him use it myself and we have been in a lot of scrappy close fights." Scarlet replied trying to reassure me noticing my reaction to her answer.

    "Still seems pretty evil." I argued quietly.

    "You''re not wrong..... It''s is a horrible way to die.... but like I explained he only uses it as a last resort. The reason he pulled it out in the desert is because Eshia houses the most S-ranked equivalent students of all the school..... that along with the increase activity of Death Worms.... if we were to get into a prolonged fight it would attract more students as well as more Deaths Worms sensing the battle, he only drew it out because if a fight was about to break out we would have ended it swiftly and prevent you guys getting hurt.... because he brought you guys there and your safety was his responsibility." She explained trying redeem his actions.

    "I see...." I nodded in understanding..... Remembering that the moment there was news of someone approaching he instantly placed us all in a barrier. ".....It''s still a terrible sounding weapon to wield.." I replied.

    "There''s no doubt... it''s quite a cruel weapon...." Scarlet agreed.

    "What other things does he use?.." I asked.

    "... Ohh wow... he really has a lot of stuff on him at all times.... he likes to be prepared...." Scarlet sighed.

    "Really?.." I asked kind of remembering how he would always be prepared for everything thinking of the infinity number of outcomes and preparing for the most probable outcomes, even when he first confessed his love to me.

    "Yeah..... Artificing in particular has him on edge, so he works closely with Ashley to specifically have anti Artificing equipment. He says that Magic and spells are oldˇ­..and that Artificing is what innovative new and unpredictable. That is why he works closely with Ashley learning the trade and understanding it. So his other equipment are small devices that help him neutralize Artificers as well as incapacitating enemies."Scarlet revealed.

    "Does he always incapacitate enemies?..." I curiously questioned.

    "Yes as the first rule of Atlantis he will always try and use non-lethal force unless the safety of innocent and other students." Scarlet answered smiling. "Anyways let''s start with spell casting!" She instructed.

    "Sure." I agreed standing up but still feeling doubtful.

    "So Paul tells me that you''ve only mastered Cantrips...." She said.

    "Cantrips?.." I asked slightly confused.

    "Yeah Cantrips are the lowest level spell....." Scarlet answered.

    "Yeah... I didn''t managed to cast them allˇ­ but I did manage to cast one from every group." I answered her.

    "Ahhh that''s great!!!..... Spell casting takes practice.... you need to perfect three components before the spell can be cast... the Verbal, Somatic and Arcanum requirement." She explained demonstrating each component. "Since like me you''re an innate caster... Imaginations and resolve is something you will need to practice as well......" She smiled.

    "Ummmm okay....." I hesitantly nodded in understanding.

    "Don''t worry you''ll get it... Today we''ll start with offensive spells." Scarlet replied with a smile. "So lets get started.... first we have three types of ways to deliver spells... Touch, Ranged and Area of effect." She explained walking into the central arena. "Computer Training dummy please." She shouted.

    The computer responded with a series of beeps and a Human materialized in front of us. "Okay now this spell is call Inflict wounds, Don-Vulnero!" She said firmly grasping the arm of the human dummy. As the spell finished green fissures violently erupted all along the arm throughout the entire body like cracks in the ground and suddenly the fissures erupted with blood momentarily.

    "What was that???!!!" I asked surprised.

    "Inflict wound... if you was to do it you''d probably only cause a limb to erupt with blood." She answered. "So that''s a touch spell..... A range spell would be a spells similar to your firebolt. An offensive area of affect spell would be something like fireball...." She said walking back from the human.

    "Igna-Maximus" she said holding out her hand causing a large ball of fire to generate in her palm and shot out hitting the floor near the test dummy, letting out devastatingly large explosion the heat and flash forcing me to take a few steps back turning away shielding myself from it. "That was a fireball similar to firebolts but much larger and more devastating.... but unlike firebolt you can aim at floor or objects and still hit the desired target or targets." She explained.

    "Okay." I said nodding in understanding listening intently making sure to absorb everything in.

    "Next we have buff and debuff spells... these spells momentarily bestow boons on your teammates to help them better in combat or curses the enemy to hinder them." Scarlet began to explain. "So during the Freshman Demonstration did you see the spell Paul cast on me causing me to faintly glow red and start moving at extreme speeds?.." Scarlet asked.

    "Ohhh yeah I remember! Jay said it was a haste spell." I answered proud that I knew what she was explaining.

    "Yeah so Haste is what we call a buff spell that only last a few minutes..... And the downside is that the individual will feel extremely exhausted once it runs out... so if you were to ever use it..... Make sure you end the fight quickly or make enough distance to be safe. The plus side it will make you extremely quick allowing attack more, cast more and be more evasive." Scarlet explained.

    "Then we have Debuff spells........ these spells are used to mess with your opponent, some will cause your opponents to doubt themselves, some will make them scared and one particulate spell that does the opposite to haste called slow... which will slow your opponent dramatically. You could also use a silence spell to stop amateur spell casters from casting as they cannot invoke the verbal component of the spell.

    "And lastly the type of spells are what we call CC spells..." She carried on explaining.

    "CC?" I asked feeling a little unsure of the abbreviation.

    "CC is short for crowd control..... When fighting large number of enemies Crowd Control spells are extremely effective at balancing the number or disabling particular or potentially dangerous individuals." Scarlet explained.

    "Okay..." I nodded.

    "So if you remember when we first met.... you was paralyzed on a chair?.." She asked.

    "Yeah I remember." I answered remembering the strange sensation of being unable to move but nothing restraining me.

    "So that was me using a combination of two spells on you... the first being a spell called Hold Person... it Paralyzes and individual making them unable to move..... So I''m sure you can tell how powerful that spell is when paralyzing someone with someone like me to finish them off. The second spell I used was-" She carried on explaining.

    "That must be the silence spell you explained earlier." I proudly answered interrupting her.

    "Ahhh good yes it was! You was listening." She replied with a smile looking proud at me. "Enough talking..... Let''s try some level one spells!" She said with a giant smile.

    "Yeah!!!" I replied super excited pulling out my wand.

 97 Improvemen

    "So it looks like you''re getting the hang of casting level one spells..." Scarlet smiled.

    "... is that good?..." I asked for some odd reason seeking some reassurance.

    "For someone who only learned about magic a week ago.... it''s extremely good." She smiled to me.

    "Yeah but I''m still pretty weak right now?..." I asked her noticing the way she answered my question.

    "Yes... Most students should be able to cast level 2 or 3 spells..." She said quietly to me.

    ".... It''s okay.. I need to learn to walk before I run right?.." I said trying to lighten the mood.

    "Don''t worry sis with me and Paul by your side you''re gonna achieve great things." She smiled.

    "How long do you think we got left before breakfast?.." I asked confused a little on the time flow thing.

    "Hmm maybe another 30 minutes here." Scarlet said taking a seat on the floor.

    Taking a seat next to her and taking a large mouthful of water. "How comes when I use Ashley''s coin I''m not affected by your Fear aura thing?" I asked.

    "The coin is imbued with a buff spell that makes you immune to fear for two hours." Scarlet replied.

    "Wow that''s pretty cool." I replied relaxing next to Scarlet.

    "Yeah Artificing is pretty cool... especially that thing Paul has that puts an moving illusions on a wall with sound!" Scarlet squeaked in excitement.

    "A projector?.." I asked chuckling.

    "Yeah!!! That''s the name of it!! So cool!!!!" Scarlet smiled swaying back and forth in imagination. "Ohh yeah and make sure you come around after dinner on Middas we do a weekly watching thing with the projector it''s totally awesome!" Scarlet smiled.

    "Yeah of course! We''ll defiantly come! I would love the group to see a movie! By the way... how does Paul play them?...." I smiled questioning.

    "Ohhh my lord!!!! You have to see it to believe it!!! It''s this tiny thing no bigger than a finger... and inside it is more things then a whole library can store!!!.... also also... he has this thing it makes things that look like paintings but they look so real!!!" She began describing in excitement make me chuckle at how excited she was seeing a USB memory stick and a camera.

    "OHHH OHHH and this amazing thing.. You put it in your ears..... And you can hear music!!! And other things! It''s so amazing!" She replied.

    "How do you normally listen to music?.." I asked curiously wondering how the world works here.

    "You''d have to go to a tavern... or a theatre or anywhere there''s a bard..." Scarlet answered.

    "A bard?.." I asked.

    "Yeah.... Bards are people who play music with instruments." Scarlet replied with a smile.

    "AND AND!!!! When we went back to your world... the huge buildings... OHHH OHH!!! And we went to this place.... that had glass walls and behind it was like an Ocean filled with fishes!!! Real fishes!!!! Of all different types and sizes it was so amazing!" Scarlet said still excited like a small child finding new discoveries. I couldn''t help but laugh imagining myself.... getting excited as her when I discovering magic can be used here...

    "By the way what do you know about the Sporeans?..." I asked remembering S''ffa.

    "Ummm small tiny race of shroomish humanoids.... excellent at growing things in the dark relatively peaceful race.... and they supply the school with alot of rare components and reagents." Scarlet answered. "Why do you ask?.." She questioned.

    "Nothing really.... just met one on our first school trip and wanted to help the school and them any way I could." I answered.

    "Ohhh that''s simple... as your House Leader I can do that for you." Scarlet smiled.

    "So... we normally have two groups go out to them, one today and one on Fredas both groups leave Atlantis at lunch, having lunch over there assisting in the village and in return we get a good supply of high quality underground components and reagents." Scarlet replied with a smile.

    "Atlantis is a good school right?.." I asked remembering how terrible the other schools sounded.

    "Hmmmm why do you ask?.." She questioned curiously.

    "Because I heard about the other schools.... and they sound really bad.." I replied.

    "Yeah... Paul told me you guys were from a more civilized world...." Scarlet commented. "But to answer your question.... we are a good school morally.... there are some grey areas.... but generally we are considered the nicest of them all.." She answered.

    "Grey areas?.." I asked now feeling doubtful of Scarlet''s answer.

    "Hmmm I shouldn''t really tell you....." She replied looking conflicted.

    "Is it bad?.." I asked.

    "Not really... you will need to promise you''ll never tell anyone this information." She requested.

    "I promise, I won''t tell anyone what you tell me now." I replied confidently.

    "I mean it... what I tell you can''t leave this room." She added.

    "I promise." I again promised her.

    "So the world isn''t peaceful as the world you came from.... there''s a constant tug of war Eshia and Zessia will bound to launch a war at any time if they felt they had a good chance of winning, Atlantis and Aspa chooses to take a back seat but we will take action if forced. That''s not including the other continent in the world... creatures from the dark abyss.... cults worshiping Evil Gods..... Other races plotting for world domination... Even God''s trying to enter this plane to take it over..... This world is volatile.... everything may look grand and beautiful but behind that facade is a land writhe with danger and at any moment something apocalyptic could happen." Scarlet explained. "So sadly even we have to engage in dealings, information brokering, spying and things... There are lines we do not cross but even though our hands are the cleanest..... They aren''t pristine...." Scarlet carried on explaining looking down talking quietly.

    "I see....." I nodded in understanding taking a big sigh.

    "Yeah....... life is different over here.... I preferred live over where you guys lived.... seemed so much more fun." She said.

    "It''s okay... not as exciting in my opinion..." I replied.

    "...... When you live in a world where loved ones can be lost at any moment.... you''ll really miss that quaint quite lifestyle." Scarlet smiled staring into the ceiling. "And don''t forget the clothes!!!! ohh my god the clothes are so amazing!!!" She smiled looking at me.

    "Ha that''s pretty funny because I quite like the clothes you have here." I smiled.

    "Although I never got the concept of heels.... they seem painful to wear... and girls complain about them.... why were them at all?.." She said confusingly.

    "It''s to show off our legs.... and it make short people like me a little less short.." I replied.

    "Ohhh I see....." She nodded slowly.

    "You don''t get it do you?.." I asked.

    "Nope!!! Why put yourself in pain?!!!" Scarlet replied still puzzled.

    "Ahh it''s a girl thing.... next time we are both back home... I''ll show you a good time!" I smiled.

    "You don''t do the same thing Paul does?.." She asked looking confused.

    "What does Paul do when he gets back?.." I asked.

    "Hmm..... So our next trip is gonna be winter... so we get together with his Family and we all have a big huge dinner..... Drink this horrible bitter drink and chat and laugh..... Also we play games and have fun with niece and nephews." Scarlet answered making me wonder how on earth do they deal with the feeling of fearˇ­.. but then again Paul is there he probably has something to fix that..

    "Yeah that defiantly sounds like him..." I replied a nostalgic warm feeling began pouring into my heart and before I knew it I was smiling happily. "But it''s gonna be a secret so next time we are both together back on earth come hang out with me okay?" I offered.

    "Okay sure." Scarlet smiled. "But that''s only if it''s okay with Paul... He tells me that I could get into serious trouble if people discover my strength and speed and stuff.." Scarlet replied.

    "Ahh yeah that''s true.... don''t worry I''ll look after you." I smiled.

 98 Travis

    "Let''s go your lessons will start soon." Scarlet said standing up lending me a hand.

    "Yeah, thanks." I replied taking her hand and standing up.

    "Same time tomorrow???...." Scarlet asked with a giant smile.

    "Sure!!!" I smiled in return.

    "Ohhh about your friend Caroline..... I talked to Paul.... he said he will try and do something for her.... if he can''t at least save her....he will try and make her stay there as comfortable as possible." Scarlet said quietly.

    "Really???!!" I gasped I shock wondering how long his reach was.

    "Yeah he has a few contacts there that owe him a favour." Scarlet nodded.

    ''.... Ummm do you think I''m too much of a burden on him....??... I keep asking him for things." I asked quietly feeling a little guilty.

    "Ohhh.... Emilia... you''ll never be a burden..." she chuckled giving me a small nudge.

    "I feel like he doing so much for me and I''m doing nothing." I replied quietly to her feeling guilty.

    "Don''t feel guilty.... you of all people should know that he''s a good soul and will help anyone in need. Besides his ability to teleport anywhere he wants means he can get alot done in little to no time." Scarlet explained.

    "How do you open portals??... Can you do it??...." I asked curiously.

    "I can only teleport to certain locations where an exit rune is setup. Whereas Paul''s unique ability allows him to teleport anywhere he wants as long as he''s been there and remembers the location." Scarlet answered.

    "So no one else has the ability to portal?..." I asked.

    "So most spell casters normally have something they are more attuned to.... making them a little stronger at one thing but weaker in another..... Then even rarer is when a spell caster manifest a unique ability.... such as Paul''s ability to portal.... there has only been one person with a powerful ability such as that..." Scarlet explained.

    "How do you realize you can do something unique like his??...." I asked.

    "Hmmm not sure... I haven''t got one myself so I wouldn''t really know..... That''s why the individual that attacked you was so dangerous..... She possessed a unique ability to phase through things.... and there was only one other person in history to show that ability....." Scarlet answered.

    "I see.....that sounds extremely dangerous." I replied.

    "Yeah it was.... we did learn a lot in the battle though." Scarlet replied.

    "What is it''s weakness?.." I asked curiously unable to even imagine that ability having a weakness.

    "Well... they can only phase their whole body... so they can either let things pass through them or let her interact with things... so if she wanted to hit youˇ­. She would have to make herself tangible so she is now vulnerable to attacks. Also the fact that she retreated from Ashley''s Electric grenade might imply that she''s using something from Artificing and the fact I can slice her with my blade means that she isn''t truly phased into another plane." Scarlet explained.

    "Also I saw her Hand dissipate into a black particles." I added.

    "Yeah.... we''ve never seen that before..... Our best bet was something bestowed that to herˇ­.. It''s common when individuals worship certain Gods the Gods bestow a gift on themˇ­. We assume it was a gift Deityˇ­. But not entirely sureˇ­" Scarlet answered.

    "By the way why does Paul and Travis dislike each other?.... wouldn''t it better if they both got along?.." I asked.

    "Yes it would greatly benefit Atlantis if they didˇ­.. but it will never happen." Scarlet replied.

    "How comes?.." I questioned

    "Hmmmm Paul just dislikes him as a person.... how does Paul describe him..." Scarlet pondered. "Ohh yeah Egotistical, Smug, Born with a silver spoon, looks down on people..... Basically everything Paul despises..... He also see''s defeating Paul as a goal rather than a comrade." Scarlet replied.

    "What do you think about him?.." I asked.

    "Yeah pretty much same as Paul to be honest...." She answered.

    "I''m sure he''s not so bad once you get to know him..." I questioned.

    "Nope... he''s a womanizer..... And worst yet for some stupid reason all the girls try and get heart broken and upset... Believe me stay away from him" Scarlet warned me sounding serious.

    "They say that he''s only staying here because he can''t defeat Paul and he''s not allowed to return till he beats him.... is that true?.." I asked.

    "Yup.... we believe so.... every week without fail for years he''s been Challenging Paul for a Duel but Paul refuses until he reaches Rank two position. Also both his sister and brother did that so we assume he would as well." Scarlet answered.

    "He can''t take Rank two position off you I assume?.." I Asked.

    "Yupˇ­ he tried onceˇ­. It was a no contestˇ­. So I guess he doesn''t want to try again to save face." Scarlet answered with a grin.

    "But if he can''t beat you how on earth does he think he can beat Paul?.." I asked curiously.

    "Well Paul beating me doesn''t mean that Paul will defiantly beat himˇ­.. There are many factors that determine a victory." Scarlet explained.

    "Do you think Paul can lose to him then?.." I questioned.

    "No way in the nine hellsˇ­.. Paul would cream him easily if Paul would fight him seriously." Scarlet chuckled.

    "Then why would Travis think he has a remote chance of winning?....." I questioned.

    "He believes Paul is a coward for not accepting his challengeˇ­ so he believes Paul is a weakling because Paul didn''t fight his way up to Rank Oneˇ­.. He was placed there by the Headmaster after the previous S-Ranked students graduated and went on to the Kings Guard. So a lot of the previous A+ Ranked students are bitter with Pauls ''Placed'' Rank One position." Scarlet clarified.

    "He''s also known at the Black Dragon Slayer......ˇ­" I said still utterly perplexed.

    "Wellˇ­. Some people argueˇ­ that it was a Young Dragonˇ­. And there was no corpse so they also believe he didn''t kill it." Scarlet explained.

    "Do you think he killed it?.." I asked.

    "The truth is he didn''t, he merely talked it into doing something elseˇ­.. Black Dragons are the vilest and evil natured of all the dragon coloursˇ­ so even that alone is an accolade as Black Dragons will kill lesser foes without remorse." Scarlet explained.

    "So he really didn''t kill it?.." I asked making sure I understood her answer.

    "Nopeˇ­.. He didn''t but if he wanted to I think he would be able to defeat an Adult Dragon easilyˇ­ maybe even an Elder Dragon." Scarlet added.

    "Woah..." I responded in awe imagining how strong Paul has become in such little time.

    As we exited the room the alarm sound began ringing in my head. "Ohhh looks like it time to start the day." Scarlet smiled.

    "Woah.... that room really is in another dimension...." I replied.

    "Dimension???...." Scarlet asked looking confused.

    "Where me and Paul come from.... that''s what we would call ..... A plane of existence..." I replied but still slightly confused what a plane of existence is...

    "Ohhh I see..... Well I''ll be heading off got some important things to do..... Take a snack or two from the kitchen...." Scarlet offered.

    "Okay" I replied with a smile.

    "Ohhh and I''ll put in an application for you to join one of the Sporean teams." Scarlet said before leaving the room.

    Being alone in the room all the exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave.... every inch of my body aching feeling extremely exhausted. My clothes were drenched in sweat smelling strongly of body odour. Walking into the kitchen I began searching for a snack or two eventually finding some healthy flapjacks and a protein bar. "I guess this can''t hurt.... I know all gym junkies eat protein bars...." I said to myself taking them both and a drink bottle before making my way to meet the others.

    Stepping out of Paul room towards the exit I hear the gasp of a girl behind me. Quickly turning around dredging the gossip that will come out of this.... the girl was just as shocked and fearful as I was.

    She quickly sped past me towards the exit looking extremely scruffy clutching her top close to her chest, looking down trying to hide herself.

    Taking a quick check where she came from, Travis leaned was leaning on his door with a cheeky devilish grin ogling his most recent triumph while she scuttled away, wearing nothing but his boxers his entire body resembling a statue of a Greek God.

    As he noticed me he quickly turned his gaze and began slowly walking to me with a curious grin his eyes fixated on mine. I could feel my legs weakening the temperature of air rising with each step. "Hey." He said walking extremely close to me forcing me to take a step back into the wall.

    "Hi..." I nervously replied my voice quivering in his presence.

    "So you''re Emilia...." He said scanning my body from top to toe.

    "Ummm... yes..." I answered.

    He leaned over me his left arm resting on the wall. "Been training????...." he asked and with his right arm picked up a small piece of loose clothing feeling it between his two fingers.

    "Ummm... yes....." I replied again.

    His head dropped down to my neck. I instinctively moved my head away from him. "You smell nice." he whispered into my ear his warm breath caressing down my neck.

    My eyes closed and biting my lip in anticipation as his right hand gripped my waist pushing me into the wall holding me firmly causing me to let out a small muffled moan.

    ''What are you doing!!!!'' I thought to myself remembering the girl earlier and everything the others said about him.

    "Stop..." I struggled to mumble fighting my inner urges, my left hand feeling up every ridge up to his chest before gently trying to push him away a little.

    "Are you sure??..." he whispered exuding with desire his nose gently grazing up my neck making me hum in pleasure forcing me to relax a little.

    My mind and selfishly considered it for a moment.... like an itch yearning to be scratched starving for his touch. I couldn''t even remember the last time I was with someone. My leg eased up opening slightly to welcoming the warmth of his body.

    Before long I felt my hand pulling him closer to me holding onto him like my life depended on it, his body grinding me up against the wall getting rougher and rougher with each pass sending me into a deeper into a carnal lust. My hands began to glide down every inch of back making him hum in excitement.

    Aching to be kissed I pulled his head back, he looked at me craving for more knowing I''m drowning in his desire, entangled in his web of lust.

    "Inside." he instructed peeling himself from me and began leading me into his room my body helplessly following his instructions walking behind him towards his room.

 99 Information

    Thankfully he released me giving me a moment of clarity, "sorry I can''t do this?" I said pulling my hand away from his.

    He looked moth open unable to utter a word as I quickly scuttled away. ''What was I thinking....!!! I can''t possibly do such a thing to grace and Paul.....'' Quickly making my way down to the entrance, I quickly checked myself straightening my cloths and hair.

    "Hey Emilia!!! How comes you''re so late????" Jay said noticing me.

    "Hey yeah.... I was training with Scarlet." I replied greeting everyone good morning hiding what just happened to me.

    "No way!!!!!!!!!! You got to train with Scarlet personally??????" Grace gasped in shock.

    "Yeah... today was our first morning training day. It was mean to be with Paul but he''s preoccupied." I explained.

    "Ohhhhh I see...." Helen replied.

    "Ohhh Ohhh can we join????" Daisy requested in pure utter excitement.

    "Daisyˇ­ maybe Scarlet wouldn''t mindˇ­ but With Paul I think it wouldn''t be a three player thing." Grace chuckled.

    I rolled my eyes at Grace''s joke.... "Guysˇ­.. There''s nothing going on." I insisted.

    "Sureˇ­.." They all replied still totally not believing me.

    "Let''s talk about it while we make our way to the dining hall." Jay instructed making his way to the dinning hall.

    "Ohh is ben not joining us???..." I asked curiously noticing he wasn''t here.

    "Nah he went back to his dorm last night but he should be at the dining hall. Jay replied.

    "Ummm by the way I didn''t get any time to take a shower..... Sorry if I''m a little smelly." I apologised to everyone.

    Jay looked back quickly pulling out his wand mumbling something causing blue sparkles to be released from his wand and began encircling me. "What the hell????" I asked looking at myself.

    "You''re welcome." Jay replied still leading the way.

    "Wow...." I replied in shock noticing my clothes was miraculously dried up and cleaned, smelling fresh with a hint of lavender.

    "It was just a simple spell." Jay shrugged proceeding to lead the way.

    "So what was it like???? What did you do with Scarlet???" Daisy asked extremely excited hanging on my arm.

    "Nothing special....some physical exercise and weapon stuff and I managed to cast many level 1 spells." I answered her but trying to not make a big deal out if it but deep down extremely excited that my childhood dreams to use magic came true.

    "Ohhh I wonder if Ashley managed to do anything to help us on our duels....." Helen looking up into the sky.

    "In sure he will let Emilia know when or if he does." Grace replied.

    "Hey friends." Morgana''s voice greeted us from nowhere causing us all just jump a little in surprise.

    "Heyyyy...." Helen replied nervously.

    "What you guys talking about?.." Morgana asked.

    "Ohhh just wondering about our upcoming duels and my training." I answered her with a smile trying to sound more welcoming then everyone else.

    "Ohhhh... need some help?...." Morgana offered.

    "What sort of help can you provide?.." Grace asked jokingly.

    "Hmmm curse your opponents..... Poison them nothing lethal... maybe make them nauseous and queasy..... Hmm what else..... Ohhh maybe a voodoo effigy." Morgana suggested.

    "That sounds so shady..... And super against the rules" Jay said hearing what she can do.

    "Well the offer is on the table." Morgana shrugged.

    Grace gave Helen a look, "No!!" Helen replied to her.

    "Why not?...They would clearly deserve it!" Grace argued.

    "Because that''s cheating and we aren''t gonna stoop down to that level." Helen argued back.

    "Ohhhhh we should go shopping again sometime soon..... Buy some coats early winter is arriving soon." Daisy mentioned.

    "Yeah that would be a good idea....." Jay replied. "Someone remember on our free day to get some winter robes commissioned." Jay added.

    "Ohh yeah..... A nice fur coat or shawl would be nice." Grace mentioned.

    "Fur?..." I asked.

    "Yeah like bear of wolf pelts..." Grace answered.

    I straightened in shock for some reason I was oblivious to how different this world was expecting some sort of faux fur...

    "Huh?... you haven''t worn a fur coat before?.." Helen asked noticing my reaction.

    "What do you wear.... being a Druid?.." Jay asked Helen.

    "Same stuff... Thick leathers and furs..." Helen replied.

    "Sorry for being so.... uneducated but isn''t it abit weird to use animal fur being a Druid?.." Jay asked.

    "We do love Animals... but we embrace nature understanding there is a natural cycle of nature... so we still eat Meat and use what we harvest off animals... it''s how nature intended." Helen explained.

    "Ohhh I see... thank you for educating me." Jay replied with a smile.

    "Yeah.... I assume most people think us elves are nature and tree lovers....." Helen joked chuckling.

    "Yeah sorry for my naivety..." Jay apologized.

    "It''s okay... we Elves don''t understand humans much either." Helen smiled.

    "Well if there''s anything you want to ask feel free." Jay offered with a smile.

    Making our way into the dining hall the seating seemed completely different now. Student''s sticking to similar houses like social groups in School. Naturally we were drawn to the Phoenix table finding a space to seat all of us, "Hey Morgana?.. You gonna join us?" I asked causing everyone to shoot a look at me.

    "Sure..." Morgana smiled which kinda looked a little weird... since she always seemed neutral and cold.

    Even when Morgana sat with us chatter around the table increased and glances towards us noticing I guess thinking she was in the wrong table. "I wonder if it''s okay for you to sit here..." Daisy asked noticing everyone''s reaction.

    "I''m sure its fine besides I''m not a fan of people in the Kraken table." Morgana replied.

    "OHH what''s it like?.." Daisy asked as we all began to eat breakfast.

    "Ahh a bunch of children competing on who is the strongest and who is stronger then who.." She answered.

    "Ohh I see..." Daisy replied.

    "And for some reason they don''t like The Black Dragon Slayer." She mentioned.

    "What why?!" Daisy gasped finding what she said unbelievable.

    "I dunno.... something to do with Travis being the true Rank One student of the school or something." She added uninterested in the gossip.

    "Please Paul would cream Travis to a pulp." Daisy exclaimed disregarding the Kraken student''s opinion.

    "Hey guys!!!" A familiar voice called out to us causing students to turn around to see who it was.

    "Ohh hey Ashley!" Daisy yelled back to him seeing him walk towards us.

    "Good morning guys." He greeted us squeezing between Daisy and Helen as they both edge over slightly to make room for him.

    "What brings you to the commoners table?..." Jay joked.

    "Ahhh you know.... it''s always good to see how the paupers are doing." He joked back issuing something to a robot.

    "Pauper?.." I asked confused with the vocabulary.

    "Another word for commoners." Jay replied with a smile.

    "Ohhh I see..." I quietened in embarrassment.

    "So you have good news for us?..!!" Helen asked excited to hear why he came here.

    "So I just wanted to keep you guys updated on what I''m trying to do, so you don''t feel I''m not trying to help." He smiled.

    "Ohh Ohh what is it you got planned?.." Daisy asked in excitement.

    "Well..... Once I''ve gathered enough data... I''ll then try and program some Simulation for you guys to try and have duels with to best prepare for their combat style and Spell preferences." Ashley explained.

    "Ohh my, that would be so amazing! How long will that take?.." Daisy asked in shock.

    "Hmm maybe one or two more days.... Luckily... I can get my robots to do most the programming." Ashley explained. "Ohh thank you." He thanked a robot that brought him food and a newspaper.

    "May I?..." Jay asked pointing at the newspaper.

    "Sure." Ashley smiled handing it to him.

    Jay began reading the paper intently with Morgana peering over his shoulder.

    "By the way..... Ashley do you know someone called Tim??" I asked.

    "Hmm... you''re gonna need to be more specific than that." Ashley replied smiling.

    "Hmmm I don''t really know his second name.....but he does work in the science department apparently." I replied.

    "Hmmm do you know what year he''s in??..." Ashley asked.

    "I think he''s a second year...." I answered Ashley.

    "Hmm I don''t think I know any second years....."Ashley replied.

    "Ohhh..... Never mind then" I replied.

    "If I find him, I''ll pass on a message." Ashley offered.

    "That''d be great thanks!!! Juts tell him Hi and I''m doing well" I replied thanking him.

    "Shouldn''t he be around here???..." Morgana asked.

    "Ummm... Science department students tend to stay in the science department...." Ashley answered.

    "Ohhh okay." Morgana replied.

    "This is interesting apparently Paul''s been spotted in Eshia...." Jay announced to us.

    "Ohhh.... that''s weird what''s he doing there..." Daisy asked.

    "Says here no one knows.... but speculations is that hes there for business and not for Atlantis." Jay read to us.

    "Well..... He''s super rich..... So do you think he engages in slave trade??....." Grace asked in horror.

    "Of course he doesn''t!!!" Daisy shouted offended at the accusation.

    "But we all know slave trade thrives in Eshia." Helen added.

    "We don''t engage in slave trade..." Ashley said ending the debate swiftly.

    "Do you know why he''s there??...." I asked.

    "Hmmmm he said he needed to help someone.... I can''t remember.... I''m always too busy to listen to him." Ashley recounted chuckling.

    "Ohhh this is also interesting.... apparently Arcadia is trying to forge an alliance with an eastern kingdom to help on the Goblin invasion." Jay announced.

    "I still don''t get why they don''t just ask us for help." Grace commented.

    "Yup me too.... I think we could have easily dealt with it...." Ashley sighed. "Now to avoid asking us for help they decided instead to forge a diplomatic alliance and who knows whats on the table for this alliance." Ashley added.

    "Is it that bad to seek alliances from another kingdom??" I asked.

    "It all depends on the terms of the alliance... but the eastern kingdoms are larger and unlike here where its small skirmishes the eastern kingdoms have larger scale battles and wars. So if Arcadia agrees to send soldiers to help, then they will be sending alot of people to their graves. Ashley explained to us.

    "Are Atlantis students really that valuable???..." I asked.

    "Sadly every day soldiers are just cannon fodder if either of the three other schools decide to send a full scale attack." Ashley replied.

    "Ohhhh that''s why that one soldier had some sort of hatred towards us....." Daisy replied.

    "Ohhh yeah.... he called us special snowflakes ..... Even though we didn''t do anything....." I said remembering that one distasteful solider.

    "Ignore people like them..... They don''t understand what would happen if we weren''t here." Ashley replied still focused on eating.

    "So how does Paul and you guys make gold????" Jay asked.

    "Bounties and assignments..... Helping people and some businesses." Ashley answered.

    "What sort of business?.." I asked wondering because back home he wasn''t the business type... he always preferred to do something he loved, defiantly didn''t seem like the entrepreneur type.....

    "Ummm... we sell the magical coins you guys have.. But they only have 5 uses and don''t recharge.... so that is really popular and profitable." Ashley smiled.

    "Can''t other people do the coin thing?.." Helen asked.

    "Hmm..... maybe.. But Artificing is tricky and hard.... so it''s a bit like art..... But right now it''s something only I can do." Ashley replied with a smile.

    "What else does he do?.." I questioned.

    "Hmmmm he help build communities and business...so he takes a little from various locations that add up to quite a sum... Why you guys in need of gold?.." Ashley asked.

    "I''m in need of gold..." Jay replied.

    "Ohhhh we can give you guys some..... Honestly most of our gold is just sitting in a bank... we have way too much." Ashley offered.

    "Ummmm... as much as I''d love to.. I''d prefer to earn the gold.... if that''s okay." Jay replied.

    "Hmmmm well in that case.... I do have something I might need some freshman''s to help me with..... We''ll pay you guys weekly..." Ashley offered.

    "What would you three need with freshmen??" Morgana asked looking very surprised.

    "Just some information gathering....." Ashley smiled.

    "Ummm.... what sort of information?..." I asked feeling slightly hesitant.

    Ashley leaned forward issuing all of us to lean in as well, "So I believe that the attack on the school and the malfunction in the Freshman Demonstration was linked, so my hypothesis is that it was an inside job.... someone must have sabotaged the school from the inside...." He informed us and leaned back and started eating again.

    "So..... I propose five gold a week for keeping your ears open.... and then another 20gold if you get Creditable information." Ashley offered.

    "Done." Jay instantly accepted instantly.

    "Sounds good to me....." Helen replied.

    "I''d do anything for gold right now... mother didn''t have much gold to give me.... and I''d prefer not to scare people into giving me stuff." Morgana admitted.

    "Sounds like easy gold..." Grace accepted.

    "Sure..." Me and Daisy agreed.

    "Then it''s agreed here is your gold for the week..... And just keep your ears open....." Ashley accepted handing out gold coins to us. "Remember.... only information gathering... no action!" He sternly reminded us.

    "Okay....." we all replied pocketing the gold before anyone saw.

    "Ohhhh... and if you can keep this a little hush hush form the other two I would be very grateful." He smiled... "They don''t want to put you guys in any danger.. But I think you guys can handle yourselves.... just remember only keep your ears open.... no need to sneak around trying to seek information." Ashley added.

    "Thank you for this oppotunity." Jay thanked Ashley sounding sincerely grateful.

    "Well.. I''m full.... see you guys around....." Ashley said taking his leave.

    "Bye..." We all bid him farewell.

    "So... what do you think is going on?..." Helen gasped the moment Ashley was out of earshot.

    "No idea... but when was the school attacked?.." Grace asked.

    "Ohhh so when there was an Amber alert on the first day... a weird girl attacked the school." I answered whispering to the group.

    "No way...." Helen gasped.

    "Free gold is nice." Morgana leaned back and smiled shooting a glare at two male students who were looking at her making them quickly look away.

    The bells rang in our heads letting us know it was time to head to our first lesson. "Ohhhh time to start the day." Jay said standing up folding some more bits of food and pocketing it before leading the way.

 100 Cantrips

    "Well looks like I''ll see you guys at lunch." Morgana bid us farewell as we exited the dining hall.

    "Wait you don''t have the same class as us?..." I asked.

    "Nopeˇ­. I think I''m in the other class so our lessons are different." She answered.

    "Ohhh... okay... see you at lunch then." I replied

    "By Morgana." Every said their goodbyes.

    "Emilia?.. Don''t you find her a little creepy?" Helen asked as Morgana disappeared into the flock of students heading out the main building.

    "A little.... but its fine...." I replied.

    "Really?.." Helen asked.

    "Trust me guys.... you should always try and make friends with everyone and don''t be prejudice." I answered her.

    "I guess you''re right." Jay said walking ahead of us.

    "Hey guys!" Ben greeted us exiting the Dining hall.

    "Hey Ben!" we all replied causing jay to come back and greet him.

    "You guys have Spell Casting lesson right now?..." He asked.

    "Yeah we do... are we in the same class?.." Jay asked.

    "Ohh looks like we are." He smiled.

    "Where was you?... we didn''t see you at the dining hall..." Daisy asked.

    "Ohhh we was at the end of the Dragon table.... because you know my other friends are all in different houses." He answered.

    "Well you''re always welcome to join us." Jay offered.

    "Thanks." Ben replied.

    "So... Ben what sort of spells can you cast?..." I asked as we made our way to lesson.

    "Well... too be honest... I''m not a very good caster sadly.... I can barely manage a few Cantrips." He admitted with a slight sigh.

    "Ohhh..." I replied a little shocked that he was even worse than me.

    "Yeah..... Spell''s aren''t my strong suite.... but I am good with a sword and shield." He added.

    "Ohhh that''s great!" I replied.

    "Yeah..... My settlement is on the outskirts of Arcadia... so we needed to learn to defend ourselves since guards were scare... and only came if we requested them." he said.

    "That''s so awful..." I replied.

    "Yeahˇ­. sadly that how things work..." He replied shrugging off my concern.

    I look down feeling saddened with each passing day I learn how even though this is a literally magical world, but it was so much darker then I imagined..... And how this world resembled some medieval era just with magic and a ton of dangerous monsters...

    As we arrived Professor Meha was outside the room greeting us and all the students as we entered, taking seats in the middle, our group taking up a whole row in itself waiting for the class to start. "I wonder what we are gonna do today." I asked everyone.

    "Hmmm probably more to do with Cantrips." Jay answered.

    "Shouldn''t we be studying or practicing higher levels??" I asked.

    "Yes we can but being able to cast a spell is very different from mastering it." Jay answered.

    "Mastering?.." I asked.

    "Yeah.... mastering a spell makes it both stronger and allows you to manipulate it." Jay added.

    "Manipulate?.." I asked.

    "Yes so spells are volatile in nature..... They need to be control by the caster.... for example remember in Triploa was attacked by the Wyverns, Paul summoned a thunderstorm..... He was able to control and manipulate the spell so it''d only strike the Wyverns in quick sucession even wyverns that he couldn''t see." Jay explained.

    "Ohhh I see...." I nodded in understanding.

    "Yup... I assume we would be focusing on Cantrips for a while focusing on mastering them and manipulating them." Jay answered.

    "But wouldn''t spending time on casting higher level spells be more beneficial?.." I asked.

    "Ehhh it depends.... casting high level spells are more risky, if you aren''t ready then it may be more detrimental... also.... your body can only cast so many high level spells before it needs to rest.... so low level spells are kinda the bread and butter...." Jay answered.

    "Or you can be like Grace and I and use a weapon." Daisy smiled jumping into the conversation.

    "Ohh I forgot ... Scarlet gave me two daggers!" I told everyone.

    "What really?!!!" Grace asked extremely excited.

    "My lord.... are they special??!! Can we see them?!" Daisy squealed.

    "Ohh lemme show you they should be attuned by now!" I said their excitement causing me to feel just as excited. Reaching into my bag I pulled out both my daggers, holding one in each had I held them tightly as if I was going into combat. Magically the blade on one of them ignited with an orange red flame and the other the blade glowed with a vibrated green glow like it was radioactive.

    "Wow!!!" Grace marvelled in awe.

    "... I''m so jealous..." Daisy gazed in amazement.

    "Cool right!!! It''s a Dagger of-" I said.

    "Emilia please out your toys away the lesson is about to start." Professor Meha interrupted me entering the room and went to the front of the class. Causing me to quickly release my grip slightly tuning them off and quickly shoving them back in my bag.

    "I must admit.... they are pretty cool" Jay whispered making me smile a little.

    "So class we will be carrying on focusing on Cantrips." Professor Meha informed the class.

    Several students lifted their hands up wanting to ask a question. "Yes Amy." the teacher asked.

    "Why are we practicing Cantrips wouldn''t it be better to practice higher level spells??...." the young girl asked.

    "Good question... even though most of you can cast higher level spells right now, it''s essential to learn to walk before you can run. Just being able to cast a spell is the first step, learning to master the spell is another story. For example." Professor Meha waved her wand making a large teddy manifest in front of the class.

    "Now class I want you all to shoot a firebolt at this teddy." she issued everyone.

    Everyone looked at each other slightly confused at what she was asking from us.

    "Go along children firebolts." she ordered us again taking a step away. "I want you all to aim at the stomach area." she added.

    We all slowly pulled out our wands aiming at the teddy. "We''ll start with Chris at the front and snake our way around the class." Professor Meha instructed.

    "Okay...." Chris replied shooting a firebolt hitting the teddy directly at the stomach didn''t even leave a scorch mark.

    "Nice aim.... but lacking in strength." Professor Meha replied. "You next John." Professor Meha instructed.

    The student nodded shooting off a firebolt hitting the hand and again leaving no scorch mark." lacking in strength and accuracy...." Professor Meha replied.

    One by one each student shooting their firebolts working their way around each row till it was my turn.

    "Emilia.... you''re next." she instructed.

    Nodding I shot a firebolt at the teddy striking it a little off centre.... but to my surprise leaving a small sized scorch mark. "Nice aim a little off.... decent amount of power." Professor Meha smiled giving me a pleased nod.

    "Jay, you''re next." Professor Meha smiled.

    "Sure." Jay replied shooting a blue firebolt strike the teddy in the middle of the stomach like a bullseye leaving a larger scorch mark then me.

    The class began to whisper noticing his spell. "Ohhh a blue flame.... very impressive Jay, blue flame casters are very rare." Professor Meha replied with a smile.

    "Helen you''re next please, I understand you''re a Druid.... so just do whatever spell you feel is appropriate." Professor Meha instructed.

    "Sure." Helen smiled pushing the chair back and standing up pointing the tip of her staff at the teddy bear saying something in another language, the gem suddenly glowed bright green as a thick green thorny vine sprouted out the ground sending chunks of flooring flying out and whipped it sending the Teddy Bear rocking back and forth a little.

    "Thorn whip.... nice aim and strength." Professor Meha smiled.

    "Grace you can pass if you''d like from what I understand you''re focusing on using a bow." Professor Meha asked.

    "I''ll Pass thank you." Grace smiled.

    "Okay you next Daisy... you''re studying to be a cleric right?.." Professor Meha asked.

    "Yeah Miss." Daisy replied.

    "Okay then proceed." Professor Meha asked with a smile.

    "Okay!" Daisy smiled, her tattoos lit up golden yellow along with her eyes and her necklace and pointed at the teddy bear, bright golden fire began enveloping the teddy bear for a second before dying down leaving several scorch marks around the teddy.

    "Nice Sacred Flame." Professor Meha Smiled causing Daisy to smile uncontrollably.

    Eventually each student had their turns at the teddy bear barely scratching it or leaving a mark. "How comes you do blue flames?.." I asked Jay.

    "No idea..... When I study and cast a fire spell enough... suddenly it becomes blue." Jay answered.

    "Hmmm interesting... did you know a blue flame is hotter than a red flame so that''s something." I explained to him.

    "Really?.." He asked looking at me in disbelief.

    "Trust me.. It''s science.... blue flame is hotter than red." I reassured him.

    "Hmmm..... okay.... what''s science?.." I asked.

    "..... Ummm.... it''s the study of the world and things... it''s confusing never mind." I said to him realising I didn''t quite know how to explain what science is myselfˇ­.

    "Okay....." He replied shrugging.

    "Okay children... Listen up.... I''ve been a teacher for a long time..... I''ve taught many students each student special in their own way, some more talented than others but they always ask the same question you all did at the start of the lesson." Professor Meha spoke to the Class.

    Pulling out her wand pointing it at the teddy bear. "Icio-Igna" She said launching a firebolt screaming into the teddy bear impacting it dead in the centre of the stomach burning a hole right through the teddy bear, the whole class watched in awe.

    "I know you all see and idolize very strong Sorcerers seeing them cast all these cool high level spells and stuff... but please be aware Learning and mastering the basics will get you much further than the race to higher level spells." Professor Meha began to explained, "Trying to cast higher spells when you''re not ready could easily back fire hurting you or even killing you... so please take your progression seriously and slowly." Professor Meha added.

    "So children.... Let''s practice Cantrips some more." Professor Meha smiled waving her wand making the Giant teddy bear disappear, the floor damage Helen made repair itself.... and a cute small Teddy Bear in front of all of us.

 101 Library

    (For the sake of brevity I''m gonna time skip to dinner).

    "Do you guys think we should stay on our table or mingle a little??.." Jay asked taking a seat.

    "Lets just stay in our house table... don''t wanna cause any unnecessary attention." Grave insisted.

    "Fine by me.... more time to eat food." Jay replied.

    "You guys wanna visit the library???There''s some stuff I wanna try and read up on." I asked the group.

    "Hmmm yeah we can do that after.... what sort of things you wanna read up on?..." Jay asked.

    "Ohhh just some stuff on creature...." I answers him lying through my teeth.

    "Bbooks on that shouldn''t be too hard to find." Jay smiled.

    "I''ll pass.... I''ll probably do some extra training and then join you guys after." Daisy replied.

    "Yeah I''ll join you Daisy." Grace answered.

    "Hmmm I''ll join you guys at the library.... I wouldn''t mind borrowing a few story books." Helen smiled.

    "How about you Ben..??..." I asked.

    "I promised my friends that we''ll always spendthe night together as friends since we are in different houses and classes." Ben answered.

    "Ohhh okay....." I replied.

    "Hey friends!!!" Morgana greeted us taking a seat with us.

    "Hey Morgana, good day??...." Jay asked.

    "It was boring..... I don''t understand why mother sent me here.....but Ohhh well..." She replied and began putting food on her plate.

    "Same here....I can''t wait for the end of the week though.I''d like to take a short visit home." Jay said.

    "Ohhh by the way... I overheard Calista talking about you guys." Morgana informed us.

    "What did she say about us??..." I asked.

    "Something about how she''s gonna defeat you guys and make a mockery of you...." Morgana answered.

    ''I hate her so much." I replied my blood boiling with rage.

    "From want I can tell she seems to be a pretty strong spellcaster.....and oddly enough she prefer to use wind type spells." Morgana answered.

    "Great.... even you think she''s pretty strong...." I sighed.

    "Yeah she seemed especially excited to duel you." Morgana added making feel dreadful regardless I had more important things to think about.

    Quickly finishing my food I wanted to head to the library before everyone else. "Hey guys shall I meet you lot at the library???..." I asked.

    "Sure the main library is on the third floor... you can''t miss it." Jay replied.

    "You''re eating fast today...." Daisy noticed.

    "Ummm yeah.... I''m a book worm...." I smiled to her.

    "... Books don''t have worms..." She replied.

    "Why would a worm be in a book..... It would just get flattened..."Jay asked.

    "Sometimes Emilia.... the stuff you say are strange....." Morgana chuckled.

    "Okay what I meant was I love to read." I answered them.

    "Ohhh ... still don''t get the worm thong though...." they all replied.

    "Don''t worry about it..... I''ll see you all later..." I said my goodbyes to every.

    "See you in the library." Jay yelled as I hurried away.

    Quickly making my way to the library walking up to the third floor jay wasn''t lying there was a large set ofwooden double doors looking extremely worn through time, with golden door handles in the shape of hoops and golden studs around the outer edge of the door.

    Assuming this leads to the library, I pushed the doors open they creaked slowly revealing a dimly lit room filled with hundreds upon hundreds of shelves, the sweet familiar scent of books and pages.

    Walking in, the library was vast... by far bigger than any I have ever seen, the entire library was lit with strange hovering lights dotted everywhere like fireflies but much larger and not too bright. Students walking in and out shelves looking for books as well as innumerable tables for students to read at.

    "Can I help you?.." A feminine voice called out.

    "Huh?..." I turned around looking for the source of the voice.

    "Can I help you?.." A tall female black haired student wearing large circular glasses asked me.

    "Ohhhh yes... how does the library work?.." I asked walking towards her.

    "Ohh freshman?.." She asked.

    "Yeah....." I replied noticing a Dragon tattoo on her wrist that seems fitting....

    "Okay.... shall I take you on a tour?.." she asked with a smile.

    "Sure that would be great!" I smiled.

    "Follow me then, by the way I''m Natasha." She smiled holding her hand out.

    "Emilia." I smiled shaking her hand.

    "Okay.... so this is the Grand Library of Atlantis, this library is the only library with and extensive collection of book on over 50 planes of existence. We had a vast collection of almost anything you need Monster Manuals, Environmental books, Artificing, History, Wildlife, Herbs and plants, Races and cultures, History and cities, so on and so on whatever you need just ask." She smiled. "Most shelves have their categories labelled at the end here." She added showing me a gold panel with History etched into it. "This section is mainly for Information..." She explained. "Over there is the section for stories both real and made up." She said pointing to a section of the Library which had the most traffic. "And over there is the section of Students own self-made material...." she pointed at a small area with little to no traffic.

    "Most books you can loan out... A maximum loan length is two weeks, If not returned by then the book with magically be returned by itself." She smiled still walking around the library. "This section is off limits.... you''re only allowed to enter this section if a teacher has given you permission to enter and books from that section aren''t allowed to leave the library." She notified me to a corner behind a set of bars with no students inside.

    "What is it?.." I asked curiously.

    "Those books are forbidden texts... I never been in there before but I assume.. Necromancy..... Ancient texts and stuff." She guessed.

    "Ohh I see..." I replied.

    "Soo what sort of books were you looking for?.." She asked me. "I assume that''s why you came here." She smiled.

    "Ummm.... I was hoping to read a book on Planes of existence...." I asked.

    "Ohhh follow me." she said walking back from where we came stopping at a shelf.

    "So.... are you looking for a particular plane of existence... or something more general." she asked.

    "Ummm..... I''d like a general one please..." I requested.

    "Okay sure..." she walked to a nearby shelf and walked in deeper.

    "Soo.... we have Planes of existence a general book.... that''s good as a starter... then we have Good neutral and bad planes of existence..... Then we have lawful, neutral and chaotic planes..... Then we have each plane specifically." She guided through the shelves pointing them out as we passed them.

    "Ohh what''s a good one to start with." I asked.

    "Then this one." She said walking back picking out a medium sized rather thick book for me. "This should be a good start." She said with a smiled.

    "The Complete guide to the Planes of Existence." I said reading the plain brown cover.

    "Yes so..... This sections and the few shelves over.... are the planes of existence that deals with other planes like heavens and Hells." She explained.

    "Do you have one on Consecratus??" I asked curiously.

    "Hmmm that one is very popular... but we can take a look." She said and began walking out and across to some more shelves. "So this section are still classified as planes of existence but they deal with planes similar to ours but different in some way..... For example how Consecratus is the same as here but they have no magic there." She explained walking deeper in. "Consecratus should be hmmmm...." She began looking for a book in very full book shelves. "Ohh you''re lucky..... They are usually always unavailable especially since Paul started participating more in school Activities." She said taking it out with a smile handing me a small brown leather book with Consecratus written on the cover.

    "Ohhh this is great thank you." I said accepting it excited to see how this world views home.

    "Anything else I can help with?...." She asked with a smile.

    "Ummmm is there a book on... hmmmm..." I began trying to remember my vision. "Inferno contracts?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmm" she began to ponder. "I''m sorry I don''t know what an Inferno contract is.... but we do have book on fire elementals..." She suggested.

    "Ohhh Ohhh a book on demons and devils.." I asked, her suggestion reminded me that I met a devil or demon in the vision.

    "Ohh sure we have a few book on those.... they are very brief though....." she said taking me to another section of library.

    "Hmmm..... Ahhh here they are." She said taking out two books from different shelves handing me two tiny books that were roughly the size of a Pocket dictionary. "So this one is on Devils and this one is on Demons." She explained.

    "There''s a difference?.." I asked.

    "Yes... Devils are beings of Lawful Evil.... they do evil to punish the sinful.... Demons are Chaotic Evil... they do evil for the sake of it because they feel like it and it''s in their nature." She explained.

    "Ohhhh interesting." I replied.

    "Careful though.... you don''t want to read too deep... there could be some messed up stuff in there... but that''s why they are probably so small." She added. "Actually I''ll get a introductory book on the Nine Hells.... that would be bit better as a starting point." She suggested putting the two books back and taking a larger one out.

    "Sure, Thank you." I smiled thanking her.

    "So... do you want me to send them to your room?.. Or do you want read them or take them with you?" she asked.

    "You can do that?.." I asked in shock.

    "Yup.... it''s just to make it more convenient for you." She smiled.

    "Could you send it to my room?.." I asked.

    "Sure follow me...." She said taking me to a nearby counter with a large old worn tome in the centre.

    "Righto... Name please." She asked.

    "Emilia Patel." I answered causing to book to open on its own flipping through its own pages before stopping landing on a page with a small still picture of me and some other details and my Dorm room.

    "Okay.... I''ll have them sent to you room." she smiled placing them on the table beside the tome. Pulling out her wand, she said something I didn''t understand causing a small blue ring to encircle the stack of books and with a small puff of smoke they vanished in front of my eyes.

    "Wow..." I instinctively responded seeing her use magic so conveniently like that.

    "Never seen a sending spell before?.." She asked looking at me weirdly.

    "Yeah... I was really sheltered..." I explained to her.

    "Ohhh okay..." She smiled.

    "So is there anything else I can help you with?.." she asked.

    "No... You''ve helped me enough already, thank you." I smiled.

    "No problems." She smiled and began to go about her own business.

    "Ohhh if it''s not too much trouble.. If some first year student named.. Helen, Jay or Morgana comes could you tell them I''m at the story section?.." I requested.

    "Of course." She smiled and waved goodbye disappearing deeper into the library.

 102 Library Part 2

    ''The Daring Trials and Tribulations of Ser Taryon Darrington..... A rag tag group of adventures on a journey to save the world..... Odd name.... but I''ll give it a try.''

    "Hey Emilia." Helen greeted me with a loud whisper.

    "Ohhh hey!" I replied to her.

    "Found anything good??..." Jay whispered joining us.

    "Only this one book so far...." I replied.

    "Ohhh I''ve read an extract of that one.... it seems so unbelievable but crazy intense." Helen replied.

    "What sort of stories do you enjoy???..." Jay asked Helen.

    "Romance stories....." she answered.

    "Like the princess and the stable boy and true love.... that sort of stuff???..." Jay chuckled.

    "Eyyy nothing wrong with that." I jumped in defending Helen.

    "What sort of books do you enjoy then???..." Helen asked Jay.

    "I enjoy learning things.... so informational books." He answered.

    "Well... if you was a sheltered as I was you''d understand." She huffed and walked off to look at some books.

    "What''s wrong with her?.." Jay asked.

    "It''s not nice laughing at someone''s interests..." I replied.

    "I was only joking..." He replied trying to look innocent.

    "I think you should apologize at least.." I advised him.

    "I''ll do it later..... Maybe after she calms down.." He replied.

    "No ... do it now...." I ordered him.

    "Fine fine...." He reluctantly walked off.

    ''Ohhh I wonder if there''s any book on Paul....'' "Excuse me." I tried to politely pull the attention of a nearby student looking into a book.

    "Hi?.." He replied turning to me curiously.

    "I was wondering if there''s any stories on Paul The black dragon Slayer.." I asked.

    "Ummm.... there should be a few.... but it includes everyone in his group..." He answered.

    "Ohhh could you show me?.." I asked.

    "Ummm.... this one... is decent... It''s when they were hired to search for a Paladin into the Under Dark." He said handing it to me.

    "Under dark?.." I asked taking the book off him.

    "It''s... like another world deep underground..... Except everything there is lawless and generally evil." He answered.

    "Okay sure... thanks... ummm...." I thanked him but mumbled not knowing his name.

    "Jason." He replied.

    "Thanks Jason." I replied.

    "No problems." He smiled.

    "I''m Emilia by the way." I said holding out a hand.

    "Nice to meet you." He relied shaking my hand.

    "Thanks again." I said making my way in the direction Helen and Jay went.

    "You''re joking right.... you want me to read this one?.." I heard jays voice over a shelf.

    "Are you sorry or not?.." Helen replied still sounding angry a little.

    "Fine...." Jay sighed.

    "You''ll enjoy it don''t worry." Helen said sounding extremely happy.

    "Hey.. Guys..." I said peeping around the corner.

    "Ohh Hey Emilia..." Jay greeted me.

    "Found anything good?.." I smiled.

    "Yeah.... Helen just wants me to read this silly story..." Jay sighed.

    "It''s a good book you''ll enjoy it." She smiled looking extremely happy.

    "Ohh what''s it about?.." I asked.

    "It''s about a half orc sailor on a path to discover his identity when he decided to flee his tribe." Helen explained.

    "Ahh interesting...." I replied.

    "Sounds boring... I''d rather learn about spells or monster." Jay replied.

    "Ahh it doesn''t hurt to give it a shot." I nudged Jay.

    "Are you taking out a book?" I asked Helen.

    "Ohhh yeah." She said grabbing out two random books from the shelves.

    "Not gonna see if you''re interested in it?.." I asked noticing how she randomly picked out books.

    "Nah... I enjoy most books...." She smiled and began walking with a giant smile on her face.

    "She''s oddly more happier than normal.." Jay commented.

    "Hmmmm..... that''s true I said following her.

    "So what did you loan out?.. " Helen asked me.

    "Ohh I got two books..... ''The Daring Trials and Tribulations of Ser Taryon Darrington and the other is a Heroes of Atlantis on the Search of Hayley." I answered.

    "Ohh what are they about?.. " She asked.

    "The first is a Party of adventures on the path of discovering some artifactˇ­.. And the other is Paul and his group going into the Underdark." I answered.

    "Ohhh.... The Underdark really?.." She asked.

    "Yeah... heard of it?" I asked.

    "Ohh yeah... totally barbaric place.... full of dark and dangerous races and creatures." She replied.

    "What can be found there?..." I asked.

    "Dark Elves.... completely sadistic and evil natured, Fire giants, Dark Dwarves, Mindflayers Evil Humanoid that mind control individuals enslaving them, Basalisks with just a glare will turn you too stone, Ancient Fire Dragon, Lava Slimes and Fire elementals. Plenty of deadly creatures...." She began to list.

    "Are they more dangerous then things above ground?..." I asked.

    "Well let''s just say imagine... 25 percent of above ground stuff are hostile... well in the Underdark its safe to assume 75% or maybe 80% of things would want to kill you." She explained.

    "Jesus.... why would anyone ever want to live there or even want to go?" I asked.

    "Citizens of the Underdark are generally... very shady people... or people who are trying to run away from something." Jay explained.

    "I see.... that totally makes sense" I nodded understanding.

    "Yeah.... it''s not a nice place." Jay chuckled.

    "Ohh we check out our book on that table." I said pointing at the table with the large tome in the middle informing Jay and Helen.

    "Cool lets go." Jay said pulling Helen in that direction.

    "Ohh where we going?.." She asked.

    "We check out the books over there." He answered.

    "Ohhh okay!" Helen smiled shouting back.

    We waited for a few minutes till a very talk male student appeared. "Hello how can I help." he asked waking around us and behind the table.

    "We''d like to take out these books please." Jay asked unenthusiastically.

    "Sure." the student replied. "Name and year please." He asked.

    "Jay Carvell, first years." Jay answered and the book began flicking through its own pages conning to as stop at his page.

    "Righto all looks good here. Would you like them sent to your room or you would like to take them with you??...." He asked.

    "I''ll take them with me please." Jay replied.

    "Sure." the student replied placing the book beside the tome pulling out his wand casting a spell causing a ring of runes to encircle it. "Okay done, here''s your book." the student said handing it back to Jay.

    "Thanks." Jay thanked him.

    "Ashera Starseeker, first year." Helen smiled nudging Jay to the side.

    "hmmmm Starseeker where have I heard that name....." the student pondered as the book began to flip itself. "Okay.... two for you miss." the student replied handing back her books.

    "Emilia Patel, first year." I said to him when Helen took her books and disappeared around a corner.

    "Okay here is your book miss." he handed it to me when the process finished.

    "Thank you." Jay and I thanked him and went looking for Helen.

    We eventually found Helen, sitting on the ground her knees up and back against the wall reading one book while the other laid flat on the floor beside her.

    "You okay Helen???..." Jay asked as we approached.

    "Huh???... Yeah.... I was just excited go start reading she said snapping the book shut. Her eagerness and appetite for reading reminded me of myself.

    "You sure?..." Jay asked noticing something I didn''t.

    "Yeah I''m good!" She smiled getting up. "Shall we head back?." she asked.

    "Yeah sure." Jay replied leading the way.

    "You okay?.." I whispered to Helen.

    "Yeah I''m good." She smiled.

    "Okay....." I smiled back.

    "So where we meeting the others?" I asked.

    "Hmm the usual, our room." She smiled

    "What did Morgana and Ben decide to do?.." I asked feeling a little curious what they''re up to.

    "Hmmmm..... Morgana said she was gonna go out for a walk.... and Ben said he''s gonna meet his friends but come meet us after." Helen answered.

    "Ohhh I see." I answered. "Are you a little worried with your duel?" I asked dreading mine.

    "Nah I think I''ll be okay... I''ve been trained in many fighting styles and been in a few battle myself." She answered.

    "Jesus... how old are you?.." I asked.

    "Who''s Jesus?... I''m 21 years...." She answered.

    "Don''t worry about Jesus ... it''s just a figure of speech." I answered.

    "How many fight have you been in?.." Helen asked.

    "Maybe two.... but it was just kicking... nothing too serious." I answered.

    "Ohhhh that''s why you''re so worried..." She replied.

    "Yeah... life back at home.... is different to here." I explained.

    "It''ll be alright.... it''s in a controlled environment... everyone loses every now and then." She smiled, "The trick is picking yourself back up after being defeated." She added.

    "Calista reminds me of the worst part of school life.... the rich privileged spoiled kid who looks down on everyone!" I seethed in anger.

    "Yeah her behaviour is distasteful..." Helen agreed with a sigh.

    "And worst yet.... I want to punish her so bad!!!!! But everyone that talks about her... she seems to be way stronger then me...." I complained.

    "Don''t worry too much about it.... you''re new as oppose to the rest of us.." She tried to comfort me.

    "Doesn''t help me in showing her not to mess with me." I replied.

    "Maybe not now but certainly in the nearer future." Helen smiled nudging me.

    "By the way..... Can I ask you something?...." Helena asked me.

    "Sure wassup?.." I asked.

    "Ummm.... what does it feel like when you see Paul?...." She asked.

    "Normal?.. I guess." I answered.

    "Your heart doesn''t race.... or you feel speechless or your mind goes blank?.." She questioned.

    "No.... why?.." I asked.

    "No reason....." She blushed looking away.

    "Okay....." I replied, "You know.... me and him have known each other for a while..... I certainly felt like that when we were young and stupid." I replied.

    "Really?.." She asked turning to me in excitement.

    "Yeah you could say that..... But for me it wasn''t sudden... he kinda grew on me." I replied.

    "I seeeeeee....." She nodded in understanding, "How did he court you?..... Did he ask you to dance..... Or sing to you.... or or..... Ohhhh did he confess his undying love to you." She asked excited.

    "Have you never had feelings for someone?.." I asked curiously.

    "Of course I have!" she instantly straightened like she wasn''t as interested as she was a second ago.

    "Well... He just grew on me slowly it was around maybe... one or two years before I discovered I had feelings for him, he didn''t do anything special..... Just spent a lot of time with me and was caring, made me feel special..." I answered her regardless.

    "I see..." She said still acting like she wasn''t bothered by my answer.

    "But when I do see him I always get this nostalgic comfortable happy feeling..... He does make me feel better.... but nothing like first love heart stopping type of stuff." I replied.

    "I see." She smiled.

    "Yeah..... Our relationship was hard... lots of complication but we got past them for a while..... Being together with him felt amazing." I nudged her with my elbow giving her the raised eyebrows. Causing Helen to squeak going red and ran ahead to catch up with Jay.

    "Young innocence..." I chuckled to myself.

 103 Black Magic

    "So we meeting the others?.." Jay asked.

    "Sure." Helen smiled.

    "Sure..." I replied but a part of me really wanted to start reading on inferno contracts... "I might leave early though..... Training with Scarlet in the morning and stuff.." I replied.

    "I wonder if we can join you." Jay wondered.

    "You wouldn''t enjoy itˇ­..most of it is physical exercise..." I chuckled.

    "Yuck..." He replied physically pretending to gag.

    "But I''ll ask her tomorrow morning." I smiled.

    "That would be so awesome!!!" Helen hugged me imagining.

    "Scarlet thinks I might have a chance against Calista.... but some reason I''m not hopeful...." I added.

    "You''ll be alright!!!" Helen replied.

    "Yeah!!! With personal training from an S class I''m sure you''ll beat her." Jay added.

    We all slowed down a little seeing a shadowy silhouette knelt down rustling some bushes as if looking for something. Causing us and several other students walking past giving the silhouette a wide berth.

    "I think that was Morgana...." Helen whispered to us after walking a fair distance away from the figure.

    "Are you sure??..." Jay asked.

    "Yeah.... most of her was hidden but from what I saw it looked like her." Helen replied.

    "Ohhh well we can ask her later." I said opening the doors to the dorm building.

    "I guess so if she meets up with us." Jay said following me in.

    "Do you think Grace and Daisy is done by now?" I asked Helen.

    "Yeah they are normally done by sunset." Helen replied.

    "That''s great!!!" I smiled as we made our way up the stairs.

    We knocked before entering letting know Grace and Daisy that we''ve returned. "Hey guys!" They greeted us as we entered Daisy sitting on the floor and Grace lying on the bed.

    "Find any cool books?.." Daisy asked us.

    "Yeah a couple, what you two been up to?" I replied.

    "Just some running and push ups and squats..... Then Grace asked me about my armour.... and we talked about out childhood a little." She answered.

    "Ohhh cool!" I said taking a seat next to daisy leaning my back against the wall. "So Daisy..... What other interests do you have aside from training?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmmm...." She pondered for a long while.

    "Paul of course!" Helen smiled causing Daisy to go extremely red funnily extremely noticeable through her blue skin.

    "Ignore her." I said noticing Daisy quieten.

    "Ummm..... Back in the Church we had many chores..... We would heal the sick and wounded, help defend the mistreated, Pray to Goddess Serra and spread her word, Normal chores like cooking and cleaning...." She replied with a smile. "It was a quaint life." She added.

    "Could you tell me about Serra?.." I asked.

    "Ohhh yeah.... she''s the Goddess of Life, Healing and light. She is one of the many Good deities also one of the oldest beings in the current pantheon." She explained.

    "Ohhh I see....." I replied nodding in understanding.

    "Do you believe in a God?.." She asked me.

    "Ummmm yeah but it seems way different to what you guys believe in..." I replied.

    "Ohh what is it?.." She asked extremely interested.

    "It''s a religion called Hindu, we believe in one true God called Brahman who encompasses everything in the universe." I answered trying to explain to her.

    "Ohhh I get it..... So stories say that a God names Inos created everything from nothing." She explained.

    "Yes that would technically be same or similar." I replied.... "But Paul told me that there are Things that predates the Gods... how is that possible?.." I asked curiously.

    "Hmmm..... no idea... maybe you should ask himˇ­. It sounds pretty interesting." She smiled.

    "Hmm yeah I''ll prob ask him when I see him again." I replied.

    "Yeah..... Maybe he meant that some things are older than newer younger Gods." Daisy added.

    "Ahhh that would make more sense." I agreed.

    "So was it Serra that gave you your tattoos??..." I asked.

    "Ummm.... no.... when I was in the cult I went under a ritual which gave me these tattoos.... they would normally glow black...but when I embraced the warmth of Serra they began to glow golden and yellow." She smiled.

    "Ohhh wow..." I said in amazement.

    "Yeah normally followers of deities are given blessings and boon to the followers." She added.

    "Ohhh I see, fascinating." I said learning more and more about this world.

    "Yah there''s loads of Gods here.... for example... there''s a good and dark Elven pantheon..... So Elves like Helen and Grace... good elves will believe in a group of good Elven gods..... And dark elves would worship a dark pantheon of Elven Gods." she explained. There''s also a pantheon for most races such as dwarves, human and gnomes." She added.

    "Ahh interesting." I nodded, "it''s the same as back where I''m from.... several other religions as well." I explained.

    "So our worlds are similar?" She smiled.

    "In some aspects I guess..." I replied, "What about the lights in the sky??..." i asked wondering what they think space is here.

    "Hmmmm I don''t know actually." She replied, "I''ve never really thought about the light in the night sky...." she answered.

    "Well where I come from.... through Science.... we discovered that each light in that sky is a sun." I began to explain. "And each of those stars would have a solar system each with planets like the one we live on....." I explained.

    "Wow.... so there''s so many earths around??...." she looked at me in amazement.

    "So we discovered there are as many planets as grains of sand on a beach..... But not all of them are habitable....there are so many requirements for a planet to sustain life." I explained.

    "I see." She nodded slowly in understanding but looked completely lost.

    "Don''t worry.... some things are hard to understand or even fathom." I smiled.

    "So does your God bless you with anything??...." Daisy asked.

    "My faith gives me confidence and strength of push forward and how I should live my life and treat others." I smiled.

    "Ohhh that''s great!!!!" Daisy switched to a giant smile.

    "Yeah..." I smiled in return.

    There was a sudden knock on the door, "It''s me Morgana." She shouted through the door.

    "Come in... its unlocked." Helen shouted back.

    "Hello friends!" She said smiling walking in taking a seat next to me.

    "Had a good evening?.." I asked her as she sat down.

    "Yeah was good..." She replied.

    "You got something in your hair." I said taking a leaf from her hair and pocketing it, being too lazy to picket it up if I missed throwing it into the bin.

    "Ohhh yeah..... I was scavenging for reagents." She replied.

    "Ohhh..... We thought we saw you earlier... but we wasn''t sure." Helen added.

    "Find anything good?..." Grace asked.

    "Not really..... I couldn''t find anything!" Morgana huffed.

    "Nothing at all?.." I asked Morgana.

    "There was some Mushrooms and flowers but the effort to make them anything useful is too much effort for little to no effect." She answered.

    "Well.... I guess they wanted the school to be safe.." I replied.

    "Yeah.... but I was hoping something at least a little potent.... so poisons are off the table sadly." She shrugged.

    "Ohhh you wanted to make poisons?.." Grace asked.

    "Yeah.... something to have if the need arises. Not to be used on anyone of course." She said defensively.

    "No... I didn''t mean it like that... I was wondering if you could teach me some Basic poisons..." She replied.

    "Ohhh sure... but again I haven''t found anything useful yetˇ­. but when I do I''ll let you know." Morgana smiled.

    "Thanks." Grace smiled.

    "So what is Voodoo Effigy?...." Jay asked Morgana.

    "Ummm... My mother calls its Black Magic.... So with a piece of hair of the target... I make a Doll and link the target''s soul, so when I inflict a wound on the doll it will do the same to the Targets body." She explained.

    "What the hell magic is that...." He said in shock.

    "Yeah Mother told me its Old magic.... highly illegal to use." Morgana replied calmly.

    "So what does Black Magic do?.." He asked.

    "Well..... Black Magic deals with spirits... I can request spirits to help me Haunt, Curse, Hex and many other things to people..... It''s not really good in the middle of combat it requires Time and rituals and request assistance from spirit." She explained.

    Jay remained silent, speechless seemingly unable to comprehend what she was saying to him. "It''s weird stuff... to do with spirits, ghosts and Loa''s." She explained.

    "Loa''s?..." Jay ask completely fascinated.

    "They are basically very strong spirits.." Morgana explained.

    "So how does it work?.." He further questioned Morgana.

    "So... If you want to curse someone or give them bad luck or something... I would set up a ritual and talk to a spirit requesting them to curse my target... If your relationship with the spirit is new you''d tend to need to give something in exchange.... like an Offering or a Task..." She explained.

    "Interesting...." Jay replied.

    "As I said before..... A voodoo effigy.... all I would need is a strand of hair and with a small ritual I''ll bind the targets soul to the doll spiritually.... so any wound inflicted on the doll is also inflicted on target..... But it won''t kill them outright...but it can cause minor wounds and inflict injuries to hinder them." She added.

    "Her magic is really creepy..." Daisy whispered quietly hoping Morgana doesn''t hear.

    "Yeah...." I agreed with her but not really surprised.

    "I see...." He nodded in understanding. "So..... How are you enjoying life in the school?..." He asked her.

    "It''s okay I guess... a little boring.... don''t really know what to do with my spare time.... Most my day used to be spent doing chores or collecting reagents." She sighed, "Also trying to adjust to ''normal society'' has been very hard..." She added.

 104 Heaven and Hell

    I''m gonna call it an early night guys.... got training with Scarlet tomorrow morning." I said to everyone.

    "Ohh okay.... good night Emilia." they all replied.

    Eager to start reading on the things revealed tome in my vision I quickly made my way back to my room. Entering my room placing my books on the bedside table, I proceeded to swiftly clean myself up getting ready for bed and a nice long relaxing read. Just the thought of being able to relax on a bed getting lost in a book was extremely comforting.

    Fully refreshed I wondered where the books could have ended up at, walking to my desk I totally forgot the stack of book Paul got for me on my first day... Quickly I searched for the three books i loaned through the stack but they were nowhere to be seen.

    Leaning back on the desk I pondered on where they could be looking around my room but nothing seemed out of place..... "Ohh maybe the wardrobe Paul seems to have everything he needs in." I said to myself walking towards it.

    Swinging the doors open there they laid on the top shelf the three books I borrowed before Helen and Jay arrived. Quickly grabbing them all of them I jumped in bed to get comfortable looking at both of them wondering which one I should read up on first.

    "Introduction to the Nine Hell''s, the nine levels of Torment for Sinners, Heretics and Evil Doers... Each layer more and more barren and harsh in their own ways. Each layer is ruled by their own Lord each equal to a God or Goddess within their own realms. Begin your journey as we venture down the River of Souls through the depths of the Nine Hells. Reading the back of the book.

    "Planes of Existence... Among the great vast Astral Plane lies the several Planes of existence as well as the unfathomable near infinite copies on the small rock we call Earth. Imagine yourself swimming through the Astral Plane as we weave our way around exploring the Heavens and Hells and everything in between.

    "Consecratus the Legendary Plane where King Soloman and his Floating Castle Originated. A strange land where Arcanum is unharnessed relying on a very primitive forms of Artificing, but somehow this Plane void of Arcanum users gave birth to the strongest and most impressive individuals to ever walk this plane."

    ''ARGHHHH where do I even begin?.... Is this what will really happen to Paul?..... If so doesn''t that mean the orb vision was true and I can''t even save him no matter how hard I try?...''

    I slumped on the bed staring at the ceiling contemplating on what to do..... So the first vision didn''t show much..... Except he sacrificed himself for the greater good, loved by many people and a small child by my leg....

    The second vision showed that he died again and somehow I tried to resurrect him but failed because something or someone had his soul and that we needed to unlock the secrets of Atlantis.... To find him and fight anything that stood in our way....

    Then the third vision he was possessed by a Devil or Demon.... and it had his soul and an Inferno contract... and that I was hunting them as a bargaining chip to get the information I want.....

    So judging by the tattoos the first vision is the one that would come to pass... and it being golden means it will occur after I achieve S-Ranked....

    .....Should I tell Paul of the vision.... or would that cause some weird paradox..... Or would telling him set him on the exact path I''m trying to prevent..... Maybe I should let Ashley and Scarlet know.... they would defiantly know what to do.....

    Hmmm maybe I''ll just start with planes of existence that seems like a good

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I woke up to heavy thumping on the door... ''Urghhhh what time is it?.." I groggily woke up.

    "Who is it?.." I struggled to shout still half asleep.

    "It''s me sis!" Scarlet shouted through the door.....

    Hearing her name I instantly woke and began to hurriedly grabbed my three books and hid them under the mattress. "One minute!" I shouted back to her as quickly scanned the rest of the room making they weren''t visible or anything suspicious.

    "Okay!" Scarlet replied sounding jolly and excited.

    Satisfied at everything I activated the coin and opened the door for Scarlet, "Morning, Come in." I welcomed her.

    "Good morning!" She greeted me with a giant smile walking in.

    "Is it tiresome to wear your plate armour everywhere?.." I asked.

    "Nahh..... You''d get used to it." She smiled taking a seat on my bed looking around.

    "You have a very tidy room!" She complimented me.

    "Yeah... I like to be tidy.." I replied getting a towel and clothes ready for the day.

    "That''s totally opposite to Paul.... he''s so messy and lazy when it comes to cleaning." Scarlet chuckled.

    "Really?.." I asked walking into the bathroom, "I guess he''s messy when I''m not bossing him around." I joked.

    "Hard to imagine him being sacred of anyone." Scarlet laughed.

    "So where''s Paul?... have you heard from him?." I asked a little concerned.

    "Yeah he''s okay..... Just busy helping some Orphans." She replied.

    "Ohhh..... Did he save some kids?.." I asked.

    "You could say that..." She replied.

    "Wait... I don''t need a shower... I can just use a spell to clean myself up right?." I asked Scarlet through the door remembering Jay was able to clean my clothes yesterday.

    "Umm..... If you''re talking about Thaumaturgy it only works on inorganic things." Scarlet answered.

    "Ohhhh." I replied turning on the shower, "I''ll only be a few minutes." I yelled to Scarlet.

    "No worries take your time." She answered.

    The alarm bells rang in my head causing me to finish up my shower quickly and get ready for training. "Sorry I''m late!" I apologized to Scarlet walking out the shower ready to go.

    "It''s alright.... we have plenty of time." Scarlet smiled.

    "Ohhh by the way.... everyone in my group wanted to ask if they could join us." I asked.

    "Should be great, the more the merrier." Scarlet smiled.

    "Ohhh can they join us today?.." I asked in disbelief.

    "Yeah sure, why not?" Scarlet answered.

    "Ohhh ohhh can we go get them?.." I asked almost jumping in excitement.

    "Nah... I''ll send them a message to meet us at Paul''s room should be more convenient." Scarlet smiled.

    "Ashley could you wake up... Helen, Grace, Jay and Daisy and ask them to meet me at Paul''s room please?" Scarlet asked putting a finger on her ear. "Yes of course we are talking about Emilia''s friends." She added after a few seconds. "Ohhhh one second." She asked and turned to me.. "Ummm what about Morgana?.." Scarlet asked quietly.

    "Ummm... Sure?.." I agreed hesitantly.

    "Add Morgana to that list as well" Scarlet asked Ashley, silently nodding listening to what I assume was a reply. "Okay sure...!" She replied to him and returned to normal. "Shall we?.." She asked me gesturing to leave.

    "Sure!" I smiled grabbing my things.

    "Sure!" Scarlet answered leading the way out my room.

    "Ummm.... so what''s heaven like here?.." I asked Scarlet as we made our way to Paul''s Room.

    "Hmm.... When individuals pass away..... They will be judged.... and if you''re deemed a good person you would be sent up to Mount Caelestis to live among Gods and Angels and Other good Denizens..... Now if you''re deemed a Bad person... you will be sent to one of the nine layer of hell.... to live in eternal torture, eventually bent and warped into a remnant of your former self living under the thumb of a whatever gruesome horror decided to claim you." She explained.

    "ˇ­.... hell sounds kinda ... normal.." I replied.

    ""Why do you ask?.." She questioned.

    "Ummm nothing really.... was talking to Daisy about Faith and wondered what Heaven and hell was like.." I answered.

    "Well there are other places you might land in the afterlife.... for example.... particular Orc Clans or war ridden races would end up in a Plane of Eternal war of fighting and battling." She explained.

    "Ohhh that weirdly makes sense..... Different afterlife for different ways of life." I answered.

    "Yes exactly that." Scarlet smiled.

    "Can we travel there?.." I asked.

    "Well.... travelling there is supposedly possible.... just almost impossible.... only legendary artefacts would allow individuals to traverse the Astral Plane, rumours has it there has been one spell that would allow someone to travel to another plane.... but it''s lost through time or no one have claimed that they know it." She added.

    "What about Paul?... Can his Portals Traverse the Astral Plane?..... He said he can visit home with it... which is another plane." I asked curiously.

    "Yes his portals traverses Planes.... but going between Earth Planes is easy.... there are several Warpgates that Royalty and Diplomates use to negotiates and trade with other Planes of Earth.... but to ascended or descend into the Planes we mentioned earlier is almost impossible....." She explained.

    "Ohhh okay..... So we can go to different Earths easilyˇ­. But if we wanted to visit Heaven or Hell it''s almost impossible?.." I asked.

    "Yup correct, unless you die of course then it''s easy to get there." She smiled chuckling.

    "Can creatures of another Plane get here?... like a Devil or Demon?.." I asked.

    "I''m not sure about every Creature or monster, I wasn''t a great listener in class.... but concerning Devils or Demons.... they need a body to possess them can''t Physical enter this Plane... They must first be Summoned or Coaxed.... then a Vessel is needed to contain them for them to stay." She explained.

    "Ohhh I see..." Nodding in understanding taking a step closer learning about my vision.

    "Do you know anything about Solomon?.... Grace and Helen said he was the Ruler of Atlantis a long time ago that was able to traverse Planes." I asked still curious on why a Blue Dragon called me a Daughter of Solomon.

    "Hmmmmm Solomon... Rings a bell... but I dunno.... best to ask Ashley or Paul... they listened more in class then I did." She sighed.

    "What do you think will happen to you?.... When you pass on?.." I asked curious on what Scarlet believes in.

    "Undoubtedly I''d be sent to the depths of hell....." She replied.

    "Really?....." I asked in surprise.

    "Yeah.... I''ve killed a lot of people..." She confessed sounding saddened.

    "Yeah but you''ve done a lot good now?.... Right?....." I asked feeling slightly.

    "Yes..... I try to do good now... and if the good outweighs my sins.... then maybe my soul would be saved." She replied.

    "What would you like to happen?.." I asked.

    "I want to see my mother." She said with a serious and harsh tone.

    "You don''t know who your mother is?.." I asked.

    "I do know who she is.... but I can''t remember what she looks like.... Nor have I ever met her." She replied.

    "I''m so sorry..." I instinctively replied.

    "It''s okay! I have a family now that I know will love me more than my mother ever would!" She replied smiling placing an arm around my shoulder.

    "Yes you do!" I smiled back.

 105 The Road Forward

    "Hey Emilia and Miss Scarlet!" Two female voices greeted us at the stairs.

    "Goodmorning!" I replied to Helen and Grace.

    "Good morning!" Scarlet smiled.

    "Umm..... We got a message to meet you guys at Paul''s room." They both hesitantly asked.

    "Yeah Emilia said you guys wanted to train with us." Scarlet smiled.

    "Yes please Miss Scarlet." They replied.

    "Please Scarlet will do." she smiled.

    "Wait for me!!!!" A female voice called out to us from a few levels below.

    "Ohhhh its Daisy!" Grace said looking over at the voice, "Hurry up!" Grace yelled down to Daisy.

    "I''m coming!!" She yelled back the sound of her armour clattering against each other as she hurried up the staircase.

    "Not so loud.... some students may still be asleep." Scarlet chuckled.

    "Sorry.... we are just so excited!" Grace whispered noticing she''s a lot more happier and excited then she normally is.

    "It''s okay, I understand!" Scarlet whispered back.

    "So Emilia? Excited to train with your friends?.." Scarlet asked.

    "Yeah!..... We do everything together!" I smiled.

    "It''s good to make friends and family." She smiled.

    "I''m soooo sorry I''m late." Daisy apologized profusely.

    "No No.... You''re not late...." Scarlet replied looking uncomfortable, "Okay let''s head to Paul''s room and start this thing!" She said with a huge smile. As everyone got together Helen, Grace and Daisy all froze in fear their eyes widened and hands began quivering uncontrollably. "... Oh my god... I''m so sorry!" Scarlet apologized profusely taking a few steps back.

    "Sorry.... I totally forgot to use the coin." Daisy replied her voice still recovering.

    "Yeah I''m so sorry! It was a shock and we were in a rush we totally forgot." Helena and Grace explained.

    "It''s alright... it''s my fault really..." Scarlet apologized feeling extremely guilty.

    "Let''s go I''ll have Ashley send some coin over." She replied leading the way.

    "Do you think Jay is gonna be joining us?.." Helen asked.

    "You know what I''m actually not sure..... Remember how much he disliked physical exercise." I answered.

    "Hmmmm that''s true...." Helen replied.

    "I''m sure he will arrive." Grace smiled.

    "Yeah... I wonder if Morgana is gonna join us." I wondered.

    "Yikes..... I hope not.... she still rather creepy." Grace replied following Scarlet.

    "She''s okay.... I''ve met far uglier people." Scarlet added.

    "What do you mean?.." I asked.

    "She maybe have had a different upbringing... but I feel she has a good heart....." Scarlet explained.

    "What makes you think that?.." I asked.

    "Hmmmm instinct." Scarlet turned and smiled.

    "So.... even though I agreed that you all can join.... once Paul gets back you''ll have to ask him if you can join him." Scarlet added.

    "Does he dislike us?.." Helen asked slightly worried.

    "Nah.... he''s just a weird person sometimes." Scarlet chuckled.

    "Ummm what is he up to..." Helen asked cautiously.

    "He''s just out doing stuff, he has some businesses and dealings that he likes to catch up on when he wants to clear his head." Scarlet smiled.

    "How comes he doesn''t need to attend classes?..." Grace asked.

    "Well.... Once you''ve learnt everything the School can teach you..... You either Graduate.... or Stay in the school and Help the school." Scarlet explained.

    "So he does whatever he wants?....." Grace asked wanting more clarity.

    "Ummmm..... So Ashley is in what he calls R&D so he technically works for the school. Paul and I do things to help Atlantis''s image." She explained.

    "So what sort of things do you two do?.." Grace carried on probing...

    "You know.... normal things.... Catching bad guys.... doing escort missions.... things to earn Atlantis a good name and reputation." Scarlet explained further.

    "Ohh I see." Grace nodded in understanding.

    "Don''t worry I''m sure you guys will be well on your way to graduating in a couple of years." Scarlet smiled.

    "How do you feel about the goblin invasion?.." Grace asked.

    "Sucks my hands are tied.... but I don''t get involved in politics... I''m a solider they tell me where to go, what to do... I do." She answered.

    "Did you know that your name is even known in Elven kingdoms as being undefeated?.." Helen asked.

    "No I didn''t.... am I famous?.." She asked chuckling.

    "Yeah.... you''re extremely famous... all the greatest Elven swordsman would love to have a duel against you." Helen explained in excitement.

    "Interesting..... They shouldn''t be so keen on throwing their life away." Scarlet chuckled causing us all to look at each other in shock. "I joke..... But Elven swordsmans are beautiful..... Extremely swift and graceful like art.... a beautiful danceˇ­. it''s very entrancing to watch." Scarlet added.

    "What''s your style like?.." Grace asked.

    "Mines more brutish.... I finish my enemies fast without giving them a chance to fight back..." Scarlet explained giving us chills.

    "Is there anyone who matches you in close combat?..." Helen asked.

    "There is only two I''ve ever met... First is Paul... and the other was an elf.... what was her name...." She pondered.

    "Is Paul good at Close combat?.." Grace asked.

    "He''s good...... AHHH that''s her name... Thessalia Dawn something..." She said remembering the other personals name.

    "No way..... Thessalia Dawnblade?!" Grace said in shock.

    "Yah!!! She had a special Sunblade with two blades, her speed and elegance along with her abnormal weapon is a very dangerous combination." Scarlet explained.

    "Thessalia Dawnblade Captain of the Sunelves?" Grace asked still in shock and disbelief.

    "...... Ummm not sure about the Captain bit..... But I remember she called herself Dawnblade.

    "Did you beat her?.." Helen asked in excitement.

    "Of course I did..... She did last much longer than most opponents though." Scarlet smiled.

    "So who''s the best?!!" Daisy asked.

    "I''d say it''s Me, Thessalia and then Paul." Scarlet answered.

    "Ahhhh so he does have a weakness.." Grace Smiled.

    "Not really.... His combination of Magic and Melee makes him extremely dangerous. Imagine if he blinds and deafens you in close combat.... you''re gonna knell extremely quickly." Scarlet warned her.

    "So don''t fight him gotcha" Grace chuckled.

    "You''re safe.... unless you betray the school..... He would give any student of Atlantis an option to explain themselves if anything were to happen." Scarlet replied.

    "Is there anything he can''t do?.." I asked.

    "He''s not good with a bow..... He''s okay with a crossbow.... but hitting distant targets he''s pretty bad..." Scarlet replied chuckling.

    "That''s hardly a weakness since he has spells though..." Daisy replied quickly defending him.

    "You''re not wrong." Scarlet smiled to Daisy.

    As we arrived on the 8th Floor Jay was already there sitting on the floor back against the wall with one leg stretched out and one leg bent reading a book silently.

    "Morning Jay!" We all shouted to him.

    "Morning guy" He replied closing his book and smiled at us.

    "Good to see you Jay..... Everyone was a little worried you might have not shown up." Scarlet smiled.

    "I was considering it... but I''m willing to give it a try before making a proper decision." He replied.

    "You know you could have waited in Paul''s room?.." Scarlet asked opening the door.

    "It''s okay I''m comfortable with the floor." He replied pocketing his book and stood up.

    "How''s the good?..." I asked with a giant grin on my face.

    "It''s so so...." He replied.

    "What bit are you on?!" Helen asked excited.

    "When the Boy finally meet''s the girl alone at a shop." He replied sounding uninterested.

    "OHHHHH that''s a great scene!!!" Helen yelped in excitement.

    "Ohhh I can''t contain myself." Jay said sarcastically, causing me to nudge him with my elbow shooting him a glare. He rolled his eyes mouthing sorry and followed up into the room Grace took a moment to look at the other two doors in the hall way before walking in.

    "Right let''s get started!" Everyone make your way into the training room and do some stretches while I grab us some water..... Emilia you can show them right?.." Scarlet asked me.

    "Yeah sure!" I said leading the way.

    One by one we all entered the room extremely excited, Daisy instantaneously began taking off her armour setting it aside, Helen and grace following suite putting their leather garbs and weapons in a pile beside Daisy''s. Taking it off my robe folding it up and placing it aside, I began to instruct and explain everyone the stretches Scarlet and I did yesterday.

    "This is gonna be such a great opportunity." Daisy yelped in pure excitement.

    "You''re lucky!!! You''ve previously trained with Paul." Grace replied.

    "Yeah... but... but... it''s been a while! And I want to be strong!" Daisy yelled.

    "Okay okay... calm down guys..." Jay said to them.

    "This is pretty awesome though." Helen added.

    After our stretches Scarlet came walking in with two large barrels in her hands with Ashley close behind with a tray of jugs. Scarlet placed the barrels beside us taking a jug and filling it with water. "Use this if you need a drink or cooling off." Scarlet smiled.

    "Morning everyone." Ashley smiled tossing Helen, Grace and Daisy a coin.

    "Thanks." They replied activating it.

    "Is Ashley gonna be joining us?!" Daisy asked smiling jolly as ever.

    "Paul says I should but I''m too lazy... I''m here to help train you younglings!" He said with a smile taking a seat on the floor.

    "Soooooo did you all finish the stretches?..." Scarlet asked.

    "Yeah we did." I notified Scarlet.

    "Okay! Time for some physical exercise!" Scarlet smiled.

    Jay hung his head back sighing in disappointment as if physically destroyed by the word exercise.

 106 Accomplishmen

    "So what'' the special training you all do????." Helen asked excited for the next part.

    "Push ups, Situps, squats and running.....this should build a good core exercises for everyone. After a while we''ll incorporate more exercises into it." Scarlet explained.

    "So we start with push-ups?...." Daisy asked.

    "Yup!!! Let''s all try and get to a close to 100 as possible." Scarlet smiled and began smashing her pushups extremely quickly.

    Everyone began doing pushup, me and Jay achieving the least... and Daisy being the only one apart from Scarlet able to finish 100.

    "Nicely done Daisy!! You must have done this before." Scarlet smiled.

    "I try every morning!!! Every day!!!" Daisy smiled feeling accomplished.

    "Nice keep it up!!!" Scarlet replied.

    "Not bad the rest of you... Sis nice to see you improving, already doing more than yesterday." Scarlet smiled.

    "Yeah I feel it!" I smiled.

    "Yes your body is starting to absorb and metabolize Arcanum." Scaled explained.

    "Is she different to us??..." Jay asked.

    "..." Scarlet remained silent for a few seconds looking at me a little worried. "Umm Sis?... can I have a word?.." She asked politely issuing me to come over.

    "Wassup?.." I said walking over.

    Quickly turning around so our backs were towards the group, "Do they know where you''re from?...." She whispered to me.

    "Ohhh yeah they know." I smiled whispering back to her.

    "Okay." She replied turning us back to the group. "So..... As you all may know where Emilia is from..... Arcanum users are nonexistence and individuals who have the potential to use Arcanum is scarce... so her body doesn''t know how to use it properly yet... so she''s a little behind." Scarlet smiled.

    "I see....." Jay nodded.

    "So what next?.. Spell casing or Combat?!!!" Scarlet asked with a big beaming smile.

    "Can we do spell casting....." Jay asked nicely.

    "Sure!" Scarlet replied.

    Jay suddenly looked extremely excited, "what shall are we gonna learn today?!" He asked quickly pulling out his wand.

    "Hmmmmm...So firstly I need to find out what everyone specializes in." She replied.

    "Text book Sorcerer here." Jay answered.

    "Druid." Helen replied.

    "Cleric." Daisy answered with a smile.

    "Ranger." Grace replied.

    "Artificer." Ashley chuckled.

    "Umm... wizard?..." I answered hesitantly.

    "Well this is gonna get complicated." Scarlet chuckled.

    "Right.... lemme first inspect your bow please Grace." Scarlet requested.

    "Okay!" Grace replied quickly retrieving her bow and handing it to Scarlet.

    Scarlet looked at her bow closely carefully examining every inch of it flicking it and tapping it, "Interesting smell! Definatly a whiff of Fey origin." She said taking a whiff of the bow. "Ohhh impressive!.... The maker of this master piece is a true Master Fletcher.... a perfect blend of Wildwood, Ironwood and Duskwood.... a truly beautiful weapon." She said handing it back to Grace.

    "Thank you!" Grace said accepting her bow with both hands bowing.

    "Don''t let this bow leave your sight.... A bow of this calibre is extremely rare.... I can only think of one Fletcher able to produce such a masterpiece." She said with a smile.

    "Does the wood blend make it special?.." Jay asked.

    "Yes.... Wildwood allows the bow to heal from damage naturally and is extremely flexible, Duskwood is used to make the bow as light as a feather..... And the Ironwood to counteract the flexibility and softness of the other two woods." Scarlet answered.

    "Could you look at my staff?.." Grace asked sounding extremely excited.

    "Sure!" Scarlet answered smiling.

    "Lemme go get it!" Helen replied quickly running for her staff and handing it to Scarlet.

    "Beautiful Staff!..... Also has a whiff of Fey origins." She said inspecting the staff, "Made of Wildwood and Ironwood... but the most interesting this is this gem... it feels special radiating life essence..." She said handing it back to Helen.

    "Do you know what the gem is?.." Helen asked taking back her staff.

    "Hmm....No sorry I wasn''t a good listener in classes." Helen chuckled.

    "I can take a look at it if you like.... but I''ll need to break it down." Ashley offered.

    Helen cradled her staff like a baby horrified at his offer, "No thank you." She replied.

    "I was only joking..." Ashley chuckled. "But it does sound extremely interesting." He added.

    "So.... I need to see all of your strongest spell or attack working your way down to your weakest... I want to see where you all are at." Scarlet smiled. "Computer five Training holograms please!" Scarlet shouted, the room responded with some beeps and five human holograms appeared beside her in a line across from us.

    "Right let''s begin one by one so I can properly analyse everything." Scarlet said walking to the side beside Ashley.

    "Ummm Miss Scarlet can I get my weapon please?.." Daisy asked holding up her hand..

    "Please just call me Scarlet and yes you may." Scarlet smiled.

    Daisy quickly ran to retrieve her maul. "Okay Jay you first let''s see what you got! Give us your strongest spell." Scarlet smiled.

    Jay nodded holding out his wand, blue flame appeared at the tip of his wand and began to glor very very quickly amassing into a large ball of fire before releasing it sending it screaming down the room towards the holograms causing a massive huge blue explosion completely engulfing three of the holograms.

    "NICE!!!!" Ashley cheered.

    "Wow a blue flame very impressive." Scarlet yelled in joy clapping loudly. "Helen let''s see what you can do!!!!" Scarlet screamed in excitement.

    "OKAY!!!!" Helen shouted filled with excitement canting something under her breath causing her staff and gem to glow bright lime green. With a yell she pointed her staff at the holograms causing the floor to rumble, huge earthen spike rose in random locations making a field of spikes, several skewering through all the holograms.

    "NICE!!!!! Earthen spikes!!!" Scarlet yelled in joy.

    "Looks like we got ourselves prime cut Rank C students here at least!" Ashley yelled.

    "Pshhhh..... watch this!" Grace said already nocking an arrow, closing her eyes she lifted the bow muttering something causing the bow string to glow an ethereal green spreading slowly to the tip of the arrowhead. Releasing the arrow it left an ethereal green trail lingering in the air till the arrow struck the hologram directly in the chest. Without warning the lingering green trail coalesced into several dense green spikes flying into the hologram impaling themselves into the targets chest.

    "Nice nice!!!! Strafe of arrows!" Scarlet yelled.

    "Well done!" Ashley clapped.

    "DAISY YOU''RE UP!!!!" Scarlet yelled extremely excited to see us all in action.

    "WATCH THIS!!!!" Daisy yelled hyped at everyone''s show of strength edging her on. The tattoos, eyes and the end of her Maul glowed bright radiant yellow, the bright yellow tattoos illuminating through her clothing running all down her body. She made a quick run to the hologram and with a loud definitive scream she slammed her mail down through the head of the hologram. A great bright white lightning followed her swing striking the target releasing a large boom and smoke.

    "Very impressive Smite....." Scarlet looked astonished.

    "Yep..... This one is super strong." Ashley said clapping.

    "Scarlet hurried back in line with the most giant grin and smile on her face.

    "EMILIA!!! YOU''RE UP!!!!" Scarlet yelled with her hands around her mouth projecting her voice further and louder.

    Realizing it was my turn made me feel a little depressed knowing I wasn''t going to be able to produce anything near as impressive or amazing as everyone else.

    "Fulgeo-Igna!" I yelled at the top of my lungs pointing my wand at the target but nothing happened. Everyone looked at me as the room fell completely silent.

    "....... You need to believe!!!!" Scarlet yelled breaking.

    "YESSS!!! BELIEVE!!!!" Ashley yelled out as well.

    I closed my eyes Ashly and Scarlet cheering me on echoing through my head, the thought of why I stayed here and the dreams of becoming a witch. "Fulgeo-Igna!" I yelled at the top of my lungs pointing my wand out, this time I could feel the Arcanum channeling through my body..... ''It was going to work!!''

    "Remember Keep your eyes open!" Paul''s whispered in my ear, instantly opening my eyes I was able to correct my aim before a beam of intense orange flame erupted from my wand like an unstoppable concentrated torrent of fire, the recoil catching me off guard forced my left foot back a step to keep my stabilised. Watching the beam incinerating through the Hologram filled me with a grand sense of accomplishment being able to put on a show comparable to everyone else.

    "I did it!" I yelled in excitement turning around to hug Paul.

    "YOU DID!!!" Scarlet yelled.

    "Nice...." Ashley clapped, "I''m hyped to see you all in action on Fredas." Ashley clapped.

    "Well done!!!" Everyone else cheered for me clapping with excitement but everything faded to the back of my head as I searched for Paulˇ­.. Searching for the source of his whisper, but he was nowhere to be seenˇ­..

 107 Prime Cu

    "You okay sis?!" Scarlet asked noticing my reaction.

    "Huh?.... Yeah did you see!!! I did it!!!" I yelled snapping me back to reality.

    "Yes you did!!!" Scarlet smiled.

    "I must say..... Atlantis is very lucky to have you guys." Ashley smiled.

    "Okay Guys.... next I want to see your intermediate spells.... Jay and Daisy for you that would your level two spell... and the rest of you a level one spell please." Scarlet requested with a smile.

    "Can I wait till it''s Daisy turn?.." Jay asked Scarlet.

    "Sure! Then you''re next Helen!" Scarlet shouted.

    "Okay!" Helen said rubbing her hands make them glow a bright green then with both her index fingers rubbed a line across her cheek and went on all fours. Her muscles began to swell drastically as white hairs began growing out from all over her body, her fingers began to widen and her hands became paws, her mouth and nose elongated to a long snout growing into large extremely sharp teeth. Helen let out a large wold howl in the air as she finished transforming into a giant wolf as tall as my hip, looking at Scarlet with her blue eyes.

    "Nice a Shapeshifter as well!" Scarlet clapped.

    "She can shift into animals!" I looked at her in shock.

    "Yeah... it''s a pretty common thing for druids." Grace answered.

    Helen walked up to me getting close to me rubbing her fur against my leg, running my hand down her back the ice white fur was extremely soft like a teddy bear. "Your fur is so soft!" I said kneeling down giving her a hug and a rub. Some reason I''m normally afraid of dogs... but knowing it was Helen gave me a sense of comfort.

    "You''re up Grace!" Scarlet yelled smiling.

    "Sure! This is pretty cool!" Grace said sheathing her bow on her back, pulling out a leaf and a berry and muttering something and placed it onto her mouth and began to chewing. After a few seconds she placed her hands around her mouth and began breathing out a thick grey mist covering all of us in a think dense mist rendering us all blind barely being able to see my hand in front of my face.

    "Ohhh not bad." Scarlet shouted through the mist. "Ashley could you?.." She requested.

    "Sure." He replied followed with clanging of metal on the ground followed with the sound of whirling gears, the mist began to thin as the sound of a vacuum started, before long all the mist was swallowed up but a small spherical ball that resemble the shape of a magic 8 ball.

    "Okay Jay and Daisy you''re up!" Scarlet shouted.

    Jay nodded mumbling something and touching Daisy with the tip of his wand making her illuminate blue slightly. Daisy suddenly grew twice as large, looking extremely daunting. Daisy gave Jay a nod and a thumbs up. Quickly stomping her way to the hologram with a large gold club swing the head of her mace glowed with a mixture of an orange flame and a white flame striking the hologram and causing it to ignite in orange and white flame for a few seconds.

    "Nice Enchanting your weapon with Holy and Fire damage!" Scarlet cheered, "Okay Sis you''re up! Remember to believe!" Scarlet yelled.

    "Glacius-Spculum." I yelled filled with determination pointing my wand at the central hologram. The air at the tip of the wand began to condense, the water vapour aiding in the manifesting of a large think frozen stake made of pure ice. As the spell charged with Arcannum my aim wavered as I struggled to maintain control of my wand. Releasing the spell the stake rocketed to the central hologram exploding on contact sending deadly ice shards outwards like a grenade impaling the other holograms innumerable tiny razor shard shards.

    "Nicely done!" Scarlet cheered, "Just remember these area of effect spells so it will also hit your friends so take care when using them." Scarlet added.

    "Not bad not bad.... you guys are a lot stronger then I expected." Ashley smiled.

    "So.... from what I can see... Jay and Daisy is a little ahead of everyone else.... but in terms of power and mastery ... you guys are pretty good." Scarlet smiled standing up. "Because I don''t want you guys burning up too much Arcanum.... we''ll focus on mastering Cantrips and level one spells for not till you all get better." Scarlet explained.

    "Mr Ashley can we see something you can do?..... Paul said you''re equivalent to an S Rank.... right?...." Grace asked excitedly.

    "So you wanna see what artificers can do?..." He said with a smile looking proud standing up and walking towards us.

    Helen howled hearing Ashley offer taking a seat on the floor. Taking a seat next to her I found out why everyone preferred real fur coats for winter weather, it was extremely soft and incredibly warm.

    "Okay.... so I use this to Paralyze things." He said pulling out a small metallic disk no bigger than a coin from his robe and throwing it at a hologram. It attached itself onto the hologram but appeared to do nothing....

    "..... Are you sure it''s working?..." Grace asked seeing nothing happen to the hologram or the disk not emitting anythingˇ­..

    "Yup.... it''s a hologram it can''t move anyways what did you expected." Ashley laughed.

    "I dunno.... something..... anythingˇ­." Grace replied.

    "Want me to throw it on you?.." He asked

    "Nono... I believe it works." Grace quickly replied taking a few steps back holding her palms out a little in defence.

    "It''s not painful... it just stops you do anything." Ashley said.

    "Sure!!" Jay replied holding his hand up.

    "Catch!" Ashley yelled chucking a disk on him. As soon as the disk landed in Jay''s hand he froze like a statue.

    "Jay?.. you alright?" Grace asked noticing his frozen state.

    "See I told you it works." Ashley said chuckling looking at everyone who was worried for Jay. "It''s fine the disk only has enough power to last an hour or two." He laughed.

    "WHAT??!! A couple hours??!!" I shouted in shock.

    "I mean.. You''re welcome to take it off him if you want." Ashley chuckled.

    "Will if stun me aswell??!!...." I asked in shock.

    "Of courseˇ­. Why wouldn''t it?..." Ashley chuckled.

    "Ashley stop distracting them!" Scarlet laughed.

    "Okay Okay..." He said walking up to Jay... "So you can switch off the device by simply touching the centre." He explained taking the dick off gay and showing us the red centre of the disk.

    "That was so weird!" Jay said the moment he regained his ability to move taking a step back.

    "What happened? How did it feel?" Grace asked.

    "It was so weird!..... I could hear you all... but nothing moved.... I couldn''t even talk or move my eyes!" Jay said in shock.

    "Yeahˇ­. this is a nifty gadget to catch criminals.." Ashley said taking the other disk off the hologram and pocketing them.

    "Want to see more?.." He smiled walking back to us.

    "Not now Ash.... Let''s not distract them too much." Scarlet insisted.

    "Okay fine..." He replied looking a little upset like a child not being allowed to show off his toys.

    "Right as mentioned before... let''s focus on cantrips and level one spells, I want to see you guys do as many as you can.... I would like to see a wide range of spells please." Scarlet requested.

    "Okay!" we all replied getting ready.

    Helen morphed out of her wolf form taking out her staff. "Can you talk in your forms?.." I asked her.

    "Nope... but I can only bark or growl... as a wolf." She replied.

    "How does it feel?." I asked curiously.

    "It''s feels a bit weird at first but I got used to it." She answered with a smile.

 108 Break

    "Not bad Not bad everyone..... Lets all take a rest before we do the last part of todays training." Scarlet said concluding the second part of the training.

    "So.... what we got next?" Jay asked.

    "Of course sparring." Scarlet answered with a smile.

    "Against each other?.." He asked looking a little worried.

    "Normally yes... but Ashley said he managed to program some hologram for you guys to practice against for your upcoming duels." Scarlet answered.

    "You did?!!" Helen asked Ashley in shock.

    "Yup! I did!" he said filled in complete pride.

    "That''s so awesome!" Helen said extremely happy.

    "I''m not one to brag.....but it is impressive." Ashley replied giving himself a pat on the back.

    "Let''s take a five minute break get a drink relax a little and then we can start the sparring process." Scarlet said to us.

    We all sat around in a circle resting trying to catch our breath with a glass of water. "So how are you guys enjoying the school?..... As your House Head I should understand what freshman think about the school." She smiled.

    "It''s okay I guess..." Jay replied.

    "Hmmm I don''t quite know what to expect to be honest." Grace and Helen answered.

    "I think the whole duelling thing is abit.... off.." I answered her.

    "Hmmmm..... sadly... although we are students of Atlantis... we are soldiers.... working in the defences of Arcadia." She answered.

    "I don''t think I''d ever be able to kill someone.." I replied honestly.

    "... I understand..... That''s why Atlantis is so passive when it comes to using a forceful hand.." Scarlet replied.

    "Have you ever killed another student in the other schools?.." I asked feeling slightly worried.

    "No I haven''t... The other three schools ''officially'' don''t try anything in Arcadia..... No border disputes, nothing...." She answered.

    "Why do they leave Arcadia alone?.... kinda weird that the other three schools are having problems but they leave Arcadia alone...." Jay asked.

    ".... Hmmmm Well I''m not too informed when it comes to the politics or reasons why we are untouched... but it''s just the way it is." She smiled.

    "That''s a relief..." I replied.

    "It''s not all peaceful though..... Other continents and creatures are still a problem." Scarlet added. "For example... Up north we have a goblin problem..... on the western border we have Vampire and werewolf problems, down south is the coast so naturally there''s piracy and goons... and on the east is the Eshia border so that requires alot of attention." Scarlet explained.

    ".... It doesn''t sound that bad." I replied.

    "Heh.... we are only used during dire situations.... The Arcadian army is stretched extremely thin." Scarlet replied. "But we do have students and other adventurers taking up bounties and missions to deal with most threats before they escalates." Scarlet added.

    "What did you and Ashley do prior to being a student of Atlantis?.." Helen asked.

    "Well I was an adventurer and Bounty hunter.... and Ashley....." Scarlet replied looking at Ashley for a few seconds.

    "I was an artificer, I worked with my father in a small shop making small gadgets and gizmos.... until I was enrolled into Atlantis." Ashley answered with a smile.

    ".... by the way... were you guys forced to come here?.." I asked curiously.

    "Nope... we all applied..." They all answered.

    "Then why the hell was I kidnapped?.." I asked completely perplexed.

    "..... From where you''re from..... It''s different... a special case...." Ashley answered.

    "Ohhh I see..." I replied feeling slightly annoyed.

    "How do you find the experience here?..." Daisy asked.

    "It''s fun..... Almost like a dream come true actually..... But didn''t quite expect it to be this dangerous." I admitted.

    "Dangerous?.." Helen asked.

    "Yeah..... I guess I was just being naive... you know... In the stories the heroes never get hurt and manage to get past troubles and triumph and stuff....." I answered.

    "Ahhhhh... how does Paul put it.... Life''s a bitch." Scarlet replied.

    "Life is a female dog?.." Jay replied.

    "..... I don''t get it...." Helen replied confused.

    "If I remember correctly Bitch is another swear word for him...." Daisy explained.

    "Yeah.... it means life is unforgiving and harsh..." Scarlet explained.

    "Ohhh I see.... that makes much more sense now." Helen said with a smile.

    "Yeah.... he''s quite right..." Jay replied.

    "So what was Paul like back where you''re from?.." Daisy asked me.

    "..... Well.... we didn''t talk for maybe 5 or 6 years...." I confessed to everyone.

    "Ohhh...." Daisy replied instantly regretting she asked.

    "But when we knew each other..... He was kind, very smart, inquisitive and very open minded.... But our worlds are completely different.... so it might be hard to see him the way I did." I replied.

    "Was he also a kick ass Sorcerer and fighter??!!! Like he is now?...." Daisy asked looking excited.

    Her question caused me to chuckle remembering our school life together, "actually quite the opposite.... Up until our falling out I think he had never been in a fight before.... or even know how to fight. He would always walk away from dangerous situations or talk his way out of things." I answered.

    "But..... What if something wanted to kill him." Helen asked.

    "Ohh Ohhh I can answer that.... so they live in cities.... and generally cities are extremely safe....." Ashley answered.

    "Ohhh.... so you don''t get shady people there?.." Grace asked.

    "..... We do get shady people... but they are rare..... But where we lived was quite okay..... There are some other countries and continents that are torn apart by wars and warlords, much more dangerous places to live.... but where we lived and grew up was relatively safe." I answered.

    "So what was ordinary life like?..." Jay asked.

    "Hmm.... we go to work... then after work meet up with friends and family have some fun.. Rinse repeat.... then on the weekends we don''t work... so we do our own things." I answered.

    "..... Sounds abit repetitive and boring.. But the safety would be a nice change..." Grace answered.

    "So what did you do for work..." Jay asked.

    "Well... do you guys know what a lawyer is?.." I asked.

    "Ohhh I do!.... Paul said they are rich people getting paid to defend bad people in a court of law." Scarlet answered completely proud she remembered.

    ".... Not quite.... but yes.... where we come from... there is a procedure to deem if someone is guilty of a crime or not.... So I am a professional representative to defend my Client of those claims." I answered.

    "Ohhhh we have those in small settlements and towns... but not the main cities.." Jay replied.

    "So what happens in the cities?.." I asked Jay curiously.

    "Well.... there are runes around a court... that stops people from lyingˇ­. So most case are dealt with swiftly." Jay answered.

    The lawyer side in me wanted to dispute how awful their justice system was but decided not to because they probably won''t understand everything wrong with their system.

    So where is Paul right now?.." Daisy asked.

    "Well..... He''s probably at his keep....." Scarlet answered.

    "Woah... he owns a keep?.." Jay asked astonished at the news.

    "Yup... we own a keep..... In a small town west of here....." Scarlet answered.

    "Ohh do you think we can visit?.." Daisy asked.

    "I''m sure it won''t be a problem on the weekends, just let one of us know so we can give you a tour." Scarlet smiled.

    "Ummm Scarlet what do you do in your spare time?.." Helen asked.

    "Lots of training... and sparring.... I thoroughly enjoy doing the Gauntlet in the training rooms." She answered.

    "Gaunlet?.." Grace asked.

    "Yes.... in the Simulation building you can try the Gauntlet where you''ll go through progressively harder and harder encounters till you fail." Scarlet answered.

    "Don''t you do enjoy anything else aside form fighting?...." I asked Scarlet.

    "Ohhh I LOVE EATING!!!" Scarlet smiled extremely happy, "OHH OHH and movies...." she added.

    "And don''t forget annoying me." Ashley added.

    "That''s true I do like to cause trouble here and there." She laughed. "Right this break should be long enough.... you guys ready to finish off training for today?.." Scarlet asked.

    "Yeah let''s do this." Daisy said standing up ready to start.

    "This is where I''ll hand you off to the capable hands of Ashley." She said with a smile.

    "So... I managed to gather enough information on your opponents to design some holograms that would hopefully be similar to the opponents you will be duelling." He explained. "So from what information I''ve gathered..... Daisy is up against a Barbarian, Jay is up against a Fencer, Helen is up against a Alchemist, Grace is duelling a Monk.... and Emilia is gonna fight against Calista a Aeromancer." he explained. "So me and Scarlet will hopefully teach you guys tactics strength and weaknesses and how best to fight the to hopefully beat them." Ashley smiled.

 109 Grace VS Hologram

    "Computer!... Secret hologram B7CJF please." Ashley shouted.

    The computer responded with a few beeps and began materializing five human holograms that looked like mannequins, each with their respective roles hovering above their heads inside the arena.

    "So these will be your sparring partners....." He explained showing us with an open palm with extremely big grin on his face.

    "So let''s start with Grace....." Ashley instructed, issuing us all walk towards the central arena.

    "Okay!" She said walking into the arena, similarly the monk hologram entered the arena.

    "Do you think we should start by giving them points ..... or let them spar it out first?." Jay asked Scarlet.

    "Let them spar it out first so we can gauge how well she fights." Scarlet answered.

    "Okay well.... a little heads up.... I didn''t get much information on Xin Mai, all I got was his application and his preliminary results... so he''s a B ranked Monk... the rank doesn''t really show much as it''s only based on all students that at the induction day. So this hologram I think is a little over tuned..... So when you''re ready" Ashley smiled at Grace.

    "Ready!" Grace replied cocking an arrow in her bow.

    "Computer begin count down!" Ashley yelled.

    "GOOOO GRACE!!!" We all yelled cheering her on.

    Holographic numbers appeared between them at 5 counting down to 0, Grace instantly shot off an arrow heading directly for the holograms head. The hologram still standing in the same position assumed a stance stepping aside catching the arrow at the shaft while still keeping its face focused on Grace.

    "No bloody way...." Jay said in shock.

    "Woah..... Is that cheating?.." Helen shouted.

    "What the hell?..." Grace said looking at Ashley and Scarlet.

    "Don''t let your guard down..." Scarlet shouted.

    The hologram noticing Graces distraction took advantage throwing back the arrow like a dart embedding itself straight in her left shoulder, "FUCK!" Grace screamed and began taking steps back launching more arrows in quick succession. The hologram began closing the distance with incredible speed dodging her shot in the process grabbing the last arrow and throwing it back at Grace.

    "DODGE IT!!!" Scarlet yelled causing Grace to dive backwards marginally dodging the arrow.

    "What the hell....." Jay said still astonished at the hologram.

    Backing up still on her back Grace kept on volleying the hologram with arrows to no avail, again the hologram dodged all of them and grabbing the last one to throw back at her.

    "NICE!" Scarlet yelled, as the caught arrow glowed bright green as magical vines erupted from it entangling the hologram stopping it dead in its tracks binding it down.

    "WOOOOO!!!" Ashley clapped loudly.

    "GO GRACE!!!" We all yelled, but she didn''t respond at all totally focused on her fight.

    "Dodge this!!!" Grace yelled jumping up and running to its flank shooting an arrow into the sky, with a bright green spark hundreds of arrows rained down on the hologram still trying to break itself free from the vines.

    "YEAHHH!!! We all screamed as the hologram was consumed under a rain of arrows.

    As the rain of arrows stopped the hologram was still standing with a few arrows protruding from its arm and shoulders, but now completely free from the grasp of the vines.

    "What the...." Grace said stunned in disbelief, the hologram taking advantage of the opening appeared in front of Grace with burst of unbelievable intense speed.

    "Watch out!!!" Scarlet yelled as the Hologram began throwing an onslaught of attacks, mixtures of punch and kicks at Grace barely managing to dodge and parry the blows slowly being pushed back to the edge of the arena.

    "Ohh damn.... how good is she in melee?.." Jay asked looking worried noticing Grace is being overwhelmed.

    "No idea I don''t think she hasn''t come across anything like this before." Helen replied worried for her as well.

    "DON''T GIVE UP!" Daisy yelled, as the hologram kept up its onslaught of attacks against Grace.

    Grace seemingly weaker at melee was on the rope..... Constantly trying to dodge and parry the attacks without being able to counter attack.

    "She''s in trouble...." Ashley said.

    "Let it ride outˇ­.. she need to experience the most dangerous ..." Scarlet said to Ashley.

    "Fine.... but I''m stopping it before it goes too far." He agreed.

    At that moment the Monks assault sped up landing an open palmed strike up Grace''s chin disorientating her, Grace instinctively pulled her arms in to defend herself but they were knocked back out leaving her wide open, it followed with two more hits one on her left shoulder and the other in her right arm, in an instant Graces arms went limp. The hologram followed by stepping forward pulling back its right arm ready for one stronger strike when it suddenly froze completely still.

    "Okay it''s over." Scarlet shouted quickly running to Grace, hitting her in shoulder and arm the same places the hologram did

    "What the hell was that?!" Grace said moving her arms around regaining movement.

    "This should help..." Ashley said walking to her and jabbing her with a small device.

    "What was that??!!" She yelled at him.

    "It''s just a healing serum... it''s more potent and faster acting than normal potions." He explained to her.

    "You did well." Scarlet said to Grace.

    "But I lost...." Grace said walking back to us.

    "You have to remember Ashley said it might have been a little over tuned, none the less he''s also from the Eastern continentsˇ­. So he''s probably familiar with wars and fighting." Scarlet replied.

    "Yes... noticing that when closing distance it grabbed the last arrow so you shot an Entangling shot for it to catch was extremely smart." Ashley said smiling.

    "Yes..... Monks are among the most disciplined of hand to hand combat fighter you will get, so the first thing most monks will do is begin fights defensive, analysing their opponent..... Their offensive styles and methods of fighting. As you saw when it started the duel standing still but maintained distances as you ran back." Scarlet explained.

    "They also specialize in catching and deflecting non magical projectiles so be very careful there." Ashley added.

    "Are you sure they can catch arrows?.." I asked.

    "Of course they can.... Alot of students that are quick enough can." Scarlet replied, "Look ... try shooting one at me." Scarlet requested looking at grace.

    "Okay..." Grace said pulling an arrow and quickly firing it at Scarlet.

    Without flinching or stepping to the side Scarlet caught the arrow at the metal tip with just two fingers. "See it''s possible." Scarlet replied.

    "You also lost focus when you was surprised." Ashley commented.

    "Okay..... " Grace answered sounding a little down.

    "Don''t feel so down..... You did well..... The problem is Calista has picked opponents that will have a strong advantage against you guys... so it''s an uphill fight." Ashley replied.

    "So.... the most dangerous things about monks are their pressure point strikes..... If they land a few precise hits in certain locations they will paralyze your body parts and even stun you momentarily... which would basically mean the end of the fight..." Scarlet explained.

    "Is that what caused her arms to go limp?.." I asked.

    "Yup.... the strike it was about to do before it stopped was a heart strike which will stun the opponent''s whole body for at least a minute." Scarlet explained.

    "I see..." I nodded.

    "So.. If I can''t shoot it... or right it toe to toe..... How am I meant to win?.." Grace asked.

    "Well noticing that it caught your last arrow so you made your last arrow an entangling shot was very intuitive, the problem was you then freed it with your rain of arrows...." Scarlet explained.

    "Yeah I thought if I just pelt her with a lot of arrows that would stop it from grabbing them." Grace explained.

    "That was a good idea.... but the problem was in the process you freed it from the advantage you gained." Scarlet explained.

    "What am I meant to do if it gets up close???... It was faster than me and far superior in close combat." Grace asked.

    "The problem here is, your opponent has an advantage against you, and monks are extremely deadly vs individuals such as yourself using a bow or some sort of ranged weapon....." Scarlet explained.

    "So is there any tips you can give me?.." Grace asked.

    "Defiantly obscuring yourself would be a good first step, using you enhanced Elven senses to locate your opponent, that way....it would find it more difficult to catch your arrows and locate you and analyse you." Scarlet advised her.

    "The way you used Entangling shot was extremely good punishing her for catching your arrow would defiantly work.... but after tricking it once, it might stop catching them." Ashley added.

    "Using a bow is also very cumbersome in melee... Is that what you''ve been trained to use?.." Scarlet asked grace.

    "Well... I have been trained to use a long sword... but I haven''t brought one with me.... it makes me less mobile..." Grace answered.

    "Hmmm that does sound right... we''ll stick with bows then." Scarlet nodded.

    "Well that''s all I can think of..." Ashley said looking at Scarlet.

    "Yup..... Try and obscure vision... and snare him is your best options..... That way you can maintain distance and keep up your advantage. Also whatever happens you need to dodge the paralyzing strikes... they can disable your limbs or if they hit your heart your whole body... whatever you do don''t let them hit these pressure points." Scarlet concluded also pointing out certain points of her body showing Grace the lethal pressure points.

 110 Daisy VS Hologram

    "So who wants to go next?.." Ashley asked us with a giant smile.

    We all looked at each other for a few seconds waiting for someone to step up. "ME!!!" Daisy yelled excited.

    "Come right up!" Ashley said with a giant smile.

    "Ohh lemme put on my armour!" Daisy said running to small pile she left her Armour in. "I''ll only be a minute!" Daisy yelled quickly putting on her armour and quickly rushing back into the arena fastening her gantlets.

    "Lemme helpˇ­.." Scarlet said walking into the arena behind Daisy checking her armour pieces fastening a few straps making sure she''s ready.

    "Thank you!" She thanked Scarlet.

    "Good luck." Scarlet said leaving the arena.

    "WOOOOO GO DAISY!" We all yelled making Daisy feel more confident with a giant smile on her face as the Barbarian hologram walked in wielding a large 2 handed axe.

    "YOU GOT THIS!!!" I yelled to Daisy, lifting her hand she showed us a thumbs up brimming with confidence.

    "Ready?....." Ashley asked.

    "Yeah!!!" Daisy roared lighting her maul onto her shoulder.

    "Computer begin count down." Ashley yelled, similar to Grace''s duel a number appeared between them counting down to zero.

    In an instant Daisy''s tattoo''s and eyes glowed golden yellow, also summoning her spectral sword and shield, keeping the shield in front of her and the sword charging towards the hologram.

    The hologram went bright red and began charging at Daisy. The sword took the opportunity to slash the hologram in its unguarded back. Without fear it ignored the gash and shoulder check the shield head on surprising Daisy knocking the shield into her making her fall on her back.

    "Man that was cheap." Daisy huffed standing up. "Lets go!" She yelled running into the barbarian her maul igniting with a fiery red flame and a separate radiant white flame. Running into the hologram using her speed and momentum she slammed the hologram in the side physically distorting its body, the speed and force sending the hologram tumbling to the side sent ablaze with orange and white flame.

    "She''s strong..." Ashley yelled.

    "Nice HIT!" Scarlet clapped.

    "Woah... she''s strong..." Jay mumbled.

    "WOOOO!!" I yelled trying to encourage Daisy.

    The hologram got up patting out the flames on its body and wielding its two hand axe ready to fight.

    "You should have stayed down!" Daisy yelled sending her sword hurtling to the hologram assaulting it.

    "She''s really in her element when fighting...." Grace commented.

    "She really is a strong fighter....." Helen added.

    Daisy made it look so easy completely dominating her opponent, Overwhelmingher hologram by flanking it in two directions with herself and her sword.... and her shield stopping it from doing any real swing with its axe.

    "Just stay down!!!" Daisy yelled sweeping the holograms leg with her maul causing it to trip. Quickly following it up with one giant head over head swing slamming it down on the hologram, also releasing a booming radiant white thunderbolt with the hit kicking up dirt and sand into the air.

    "Ouch that''s gotta hurt!!!..." Jay said watching the duel closely.

    "She''s pretty strong." Scarlet commented to Ashley.

    "Yup she''s really grown since we last met her." Ashley smiled.

    Placing one foot on the chest of the hologram pinning it down, "Is it over yet?.." Daisy asked looking towards Ashley and Scarlet.

    "Not till the Hologram dissolves." Ashley smiled as the hologram swept off Daisy''s leg giving her a massive kick up her chin, forcing her to stagger back falling.

    "Ouch...." Scarlet hissed seeing Daisy take a direct hit.

    "And she was doing so well...." Ashley commented.

    "That look like.... it hurt..." Jay said as Daisy staggering to her feet still dazed from the hit spitting out some blood on the floor.

    "Okay.... I must admit that hurt a little..." She said looking angered.

    The hologram got up as if unharmed by all of Daisy''s earlier hits.

    "It''s still got some steam left, ready yourself!" Ashley smiled.

    "GO DAISY!!!" I yelled getting more and more into it, watching all this was surprising exciting and addictive.

    Ignoring Daisy''s sword strike again, it began running towards daisy axe in hand barging past her shield. Swinging savagely at Daisy the weight and size of the axe barely slowing down its attacks. Daisy still dazed barely side stepped and ducked past its swings while slowly getting pushed back. Out of nowhere the hologram cracked her with a massive punch across the jaw, her head physically jerking to the side with the impact knocking her back to the floor again.

    "Get up!!!" Scarlet yelled.

    "She''s in trouble.... her weapon is not very good at defending herself while prone...." Grace said watching the fight closely.

    "And she looked so promisingˇ­." Ashley sighed

    The hologram unrelenting and unmerciful raised its axe ready to strike down into Daisy, holding out her hand shaking in desperation, her finger curled like a claw desperately trying to defend herself from the holograms finishing blow.

    "Nicely done!!!" Scarlet yelled clapping.

    "Nice recovery." Ashley added, for some reason the hologram is now frozen mid swing.

    "What happened?....." I asked looking confused and shocked at Jay and Helen.

    "It''s a strong spell called, ''Restrain'' she basically paralyzed the hologram." Jay answered.

    Daisy slowly got up dusting herself off, this must have been the spell Scarlet used on me when I first arrived that stopped me from moving. "So is this duel over now?.." Daisy asked Scarlet and Ashley.

    "Yeah should be now.... unless you want to finish it off..." Ashley replied smiling.

    "Is it really over from just one spell?.." I asked Jay.

    "This particular spell is extremely dangerous specially when alone... its affect can only wear off when the user loses concentration or the target resists its effect. The thing here is.... the hologram didn''t resist the effect so Daisy can basically execute the target with no way for the hologram to fight back or resist..." Jay answered.

    ".... That sounds extremely cruel....." I replied.

    "Yes.... being hit by this spell with no one to help you break it is basically a death sentence..." Grace explained.

    "Yeah..... It''s a particular deadly spell... that''s why you should never venture out alone!.... always be with a party or at least a pair." Helen added.

    "How would you train to resist this spell?..." I asked.

    "Hmmmm not sure..." Jay replied.

    "Miss Scarlet... Mr Ashley?..... Is there a way you can be trained to resist spells like that?..." Helen shouted asking them.

    "Pleaseˇ­. No need for the Mr or Miss..... Helen.... The answer is kinda yes and kinda no..." Scarlet replied.

    "What do you mean?..." Helen asked.

    "You can train your body to resist certain spells like Restrain and Dominate.... but spells like fireball and energy bolt... you''ll have to avoid it physically from hitting you." Scarlet answered.

    "How does one go about resisting the effect of spells?..." I asked.

    "Just generally trying to resist it and allowing your body to generate a natural defence against it." Scarlet answered.

    "Ohhhh like your immune system?..." I replied happy I understood it.

    "Immune system???..." They all asked me looking confused.

    "Yeah it''s when your body incrementally becomes more and more resistant to ailments building a natural immunity or resistance to it." I explained to them.

    "Ohhh so that''s how it works...." Jay and Grace nodded.

    "That''s interesting....." Scarlet pondered.

    "Wow you''re so smart!!!" Helen said smiling at me.

    "I''m not really.... growing up my peers thought I was very ..... Unintelligent....." I replied.

    "Don''t sell yourself short!!!! You''re garnered enough talent to be enrolled by Atlantis and grasped spell casting in a week!!! You''re amazing!!!!." Helen smiled.

    "She''s alright... don''t boost her ego too much" Jay joked chuckling.

    "Yeah..... Above average at best." Grace smiled.

    "Let''s just call the duel off..... I don''t feel like finishing it off." Daisy requested.

    "Sure..." Ashley said clicking his fingers making the hologram dissipated into light particles fading into the air.

    "So can anyone tell me what Daisy did wrong there?...." Scarlet asked entering the ring.

    "She was too over confidentˇ­ so she got rocked a few time." Grace answered scarlet holding her hand up.

    "Correct!.... Daisy you was over confident thinking the fight was over before it even started...." Scarlet explained.

    "You also have to remember that Barbarians are tough they are very resilientˇ­ as well as do a lot more damage than you''d might expect as you can see when even and kick or a punch was enough to send you back stagger." Ashley explained.

    "Sorryˇ­.." Daisy apologised looking very embarrassed.

    "No need to be sorryˇ­. We all start somewhere." Scarlet smiled.

    "Yeah don''t be so hard on yourselfˇ­. Learning take time and experience." Ashley agreed.

    "The use of Restrain was an excellent choice!" Scarlet complimented.

    "Thanks!!!" Daisy replied running back to us brimming with joy.

    "Yes and you did very well, excellent show of strength." Ashley smiled.

    "So who''s next?.." Scarlet asked.

 111 Jay Vs Hologram

    "Sure I''ll go!" Jay said getting up and nonchalantly strode into the arena.

    "Sure!!" Ashley smiled issuing for the fencer hologram to come over.

    "So am I allowed to do some precombat spells?..." He asked.

    "Sure... you''ll normally allowed to prepare spells precombat and during the countdown." Ashley replied.

    Jay pulled out his wand and began casting, causing him to go blurry his form constantly shifting like he was vibrating extremely quickly. With another spell three copies of himself appeared beside him mimicking each and every action holding his wand and mumbling another spell. Suddenly ten large fiery blue rocks swirled around him orbiting him likes planets.

    "Woah what is that???!!" I asked in shock.

    "Nice!!! You ready Jay???!!!" Ashley shouted.

    "Yeah yeah....." Jay replied unenthusiastically.

    "Right, computer begin countdown!!!!" Ashley yelled and again the hovering numbers appeared and began to count down.

    "Go Jay!!!!" we all yelled cheering him on but he remained focused on his opponent.

    As the countdown hit zero, Jay instantaneously shot of one of his first blue rock directly at the Hologram while shooting off a blue fire bolt with his wand while stepping backwards. As expected like the other holograms it jumped back from the first spell but was slammed directly by the fire bolt.

    "Nice prediction!!!." Ashley yelled.

    "That was cool!!!" I yelled with a giant smile watching Jay closely eager to learn from him.

    "Wow...." Helen said staring in awe.

    "Nice use maintaining range!" Scarlet yelled watching Jay keeping distant firing off his fiery boulders and fire bolts perfectly predicting it''s attempt to dodge, as it tried to close distance in an indirect path.

    "Ohhh he seems to be the best out of the bunch at the moment." Ashley commented with a smile.

    "He does seem to know how to fight...." Scarlet replied.

    "Awesome!!!" Helen yelled as Jay pointed his wand at the target making the ground suddenly erupt as a large earthen hand appeared grabbing the hologram restraining it in place. Now lifted off the ground totally restrained Jay followed up but pelting it with the remaining four fiery boulders and a devastating blue scorch ray burning through the holograms chest and through the earthen hand.

    The hologram went limp and dissipated into the air marking the end of the duel. We all erupted in cheer and applaud. Jay ending his duel extremely quickly without even breaking a sweat.

    "Well done... I personally thought you might have struggled but you seem very adept in fighting." Ashley clapped.

    "Have you been in some fights before?.." Scarlet asked curiously...

    "Only some.... but to be honest it all the advice you gave Grace and Daisy earlier really helped me out." He admitted.

    "Well excellent!...I''m glad you''re taking our advice seriously." Ashley replied with a smile.

    "Of course I would! Scarlet the Undefeated and Ashley S-Ranked equivalent." Jay compliments smiling.

    "Well..... Since we didn''t see the fencer in action..... We''ll try and best explain the strengths and weaknesses of fencer." Ashley smiled look to Scarlet to join in.

    "Okay....so Fencers are among the strongest of melee fighters... they fight with extreme agility and elegance..... Never engage them in hand to combat their ability to parry and riposte makes them extremely deadly..... Unlike barbarians who prefer large heavy swings to bypass defences with brute force, fencers have very precise quick attacks aiming for vital spots and openings in Armour plates." Scarlet explained.

    "And as you saw in the duel.... their main weakness is ranged attacks.... unlike Barbarians that can take a battering... Fencers are more fragile, relying in their speed, agility and swordsmanship to stop them taking damage." Ashley explained, "As you can see.... Jay excellently showed how to defeat a fencer with ranged combat..... Maintaining range, keep on the offensive and restrain them or make it difficult for them to approach." Ashley added.

    "Thank you! I have good Teachers!" Jay smiled accepting the compliments.

    "Did you have a previous teacher before Atlantis?.." Scarlet asked.

    "Yes how could you tell?.." Jay replied in shock that she somehow knew.

    "You know spells typically taught to second year students." Scarlet smiled.

    "Yes I did... he was an old Travelling Wizard." Jay replied.

    "Impressive teacher you have." Scarlet smiled.

    "Yeah.... but he had to leave for some reason.....sadly..." Jay replied.

    "So how comes Jay has blue flames?..." I asked.

    "Blue flame users are a rare trait in individuals.. It means they have a naturally strong affinity to fire based spells and attacks.... The blue flame burns hotter than a red flame." Scarlet explained.

    "Is it something you become?... or born with it?...." I asked.

    "From what I know.. It''s something you''ll have to be born with.... even Paul or Headmaster Bran can''t produce Blue flames." Ashley answered.

    "Does that mean his fire spells are stronger then Paul''s?..." Helen asked excited hearing about blue flames.

    "Not quite.... if they bother were to use the same spell on each other.... Paul will defiantly win because he''s more experienced and a stronger caster.... but if they were on the same level... then defiantly the blue flame will trump a red flame." Scarlet answered.

    "Ohhh okay...." I replied in understanding making sure I remember everything being taught.

    "So who''s up next?.." Ashley asked looking at me and Helen.

    "Umm I''ll go." I said hesitantly holding up my hand.

    "Sure! Step right up Emilia." Ashley smiled.

    Giving myself a quick check trying to unnerve myself I began making my way into the arena. "You''re gonna do great." Ashley smiled walking out the arena past me.

    "You ready Emilia?.." Ashley asked me as I entered the centre of the arena.

    "Not really.." I admitted.

    "hmmmmmmm......... never been in a duel before?.." He asked.

    "Not really been in a fight ever... to be honest" I replied nervously my hands physically shaking from my nerves.

    "Hmmm think this is gonna be a good idea?.." Scarlet asked Ashley.

    "Hmm..... Do you want us to give you a slightly easier opponent?.." Ashley asked.

    A part of me really wanted to take the easy route, maybe if I work my way up it''d be easier...... but then I won''t find out what I''m up against. "Keep it as it is." I replied confidently.

    "Are you sure?.." Ashley asked.

    "Yes I''m sure!" I answered again looking at Ashley, even Scarlet looked a little worried for me. Making me feel even more dreadful and nervous.

    "One second Ashley let me talk to Emilia quickly." Scarlet asked.

    "Sure." He replied.

    Scarlet quickly made her way to me, "Okay.... are you sure you want to do this?... there''s no shame in backing down." She whispered.

    "Yes is do.... i need to face me fears." I answered confidently.

    "Okay..... I know your nervous... and your opponent is gonna be very strong... but whatever you do have confidence and try your hardest!..... Remember you''re an innate caster.... your confidence and resolve is crucial to cast spells..... Look past your fear, look past your nerves, control yourself, regardless of the outcome and how hopeless it might feel.... the moment you lose the will to fight it will be the end of the fight." She explained.

    "Do you think I stand a chance?.." I whispered.

    "Nothing is certain...." She smiled at me, "You got this!" She smiled but it felt like she was lying.

 112 Me vs Hologram

    "Good luck sis you got this!" Scarlet whispered with a smile giving me a tap on the arm with a smile and began walking back to the edge of the arena with Ashley.

    "GO! EMILIA!!!" Everyone yelled trying to encourage me, as the hologram looking like a perfect replica mannequin of Calista stepping in.

    Watching it walk in reminds me of the times she''s bullied me, belittling me and just being disrespectful. My hands balled into fists shaking uncontrollably my blood itself boiling like lava, it would satisfy me so hard just to beat her putting her in her place!

    "Emilia..... When you''re ready." Ashley smiled.

    I began with casting Arcane armour on myself making me glow with a faint blue hue to make me tougher. The hologram responded by pulling out its wand and began casting something causing a strange air current encircling her swirling around her body like a miniature tornado.

    "Ready!" I yelled as a countdown appeared between us.

    "Icio-Igna!" I yelled the moment the number hit zero I blasted it with a firebolt testing what that swirling current around her does. My firebolt went shooting out of my wand directly at it. Unfazed the hologram didn''t even dodge it as my firebolt got caught in the current and was sent off course missing the hologram only slightly.

    The hologram countered with a flick of its wand sending an air wave "Damn... that''s fast...." I could hear Helen say as a thin wave of air screamed towards, trying to dodge to the right it was way too fast striking me directly on the shoulder sending me to the ground, blue sparks... erupted from the impact my arcane armour absorbing the brunt of the hit.

    "No time to think!!! Keep moving!" Scarlet yelled as the hologram kept up its assault sending more spells at me.

    Without thinking I quickly rolled to the right narrowingly avoiding the air projectile hitting the floor kicking up dust and dirt. Quickly looking down my body I aimed another firebolt off centre hoping that the air current around her will curve it back to the target.

    "Fuck..." mumbled as the firebolt marginally missed again.... The hologram flicked its wand again making me roll over marginally missing my again.

    "Admo-Tumul" I quickly said in a panic point at the ground in front of me and diving behind it as a small patch of ground began to rumble and rise into a small box creating cover for me. I can hear dull thuds as the hologram kept pelting my cover with spells, my cover physically cracking and rumbling with every hit..

    ''Stay calm and think.... what spell can I use here?...'' I thought to myself... trying to stay calm in the situation. ''Ohhhh I got it!!! I hope this works!!''..... "Orbis-Igna!" I yelled peeking around the corner pointing my wand at the hologram, a large orb of fire manifested next to the hologram the flame being whipped up by the wind, ''Seriously??!!! It didn''t work?.....'' I said as I ducked back into cover as it tried to counter with another spell aimed directly at my head.

    "Nice!!!" Scarlet yelled.

    ''It worked?...'' I questioned myself peeking back at the hologram as it looked like the sucked up flame made itself encased in a torrent of fire. ''So it looks like Aoe spells work better then singular projectile spell...'' I thought to myself thinking what spell I should use next. ''You''re such a genius!!!! I''ll use Tremor!''.... Peeking around pointing my wand at the torrent of flame, "Tremo-Humus." I said with a giant smile forcing the ground beneath the hologram to shake violently causing the hologram to lose balance and tumble on the floor.

    "Nice!!!" Everyone yelled getting me pumped up and filled with confidence.

    ''I might actually win this!'' peeking around the cover again seeing if she''s moved from my orb, suddenly the sound of her tornado shield dissipated..... And she was nowhere to be seen.

    "What the hell...!" I shouted in shock, as the slightest sound of a spell was released behind me.

    ''Ahhh shit...'' as I felt a familiar sensation again being thrown through the air my whole body sparking with blue Arcanum my Arcane armour reducing or absorbing the brunt of the damage.

    "Okay... that hurt...." I mumbled trying to get up, barely catching the sight of Air blades screaming towards me. I closed my eyes defeated every part of my body aching in pain, bracing for the impact knowing there''s no way for me to dodge them in time.

    As I waited for the spells to hit me, "Don''t give up...it''s your dream" Paul''s voice spoke out of the darkness, two figures manifested in view sitting at a coffee shop. It was a scene of my past when Paul persuaded me to follow my dream and study law despite everyone believing I couldn''t do it and standing by me every step of the way.

    Opening my eyes I can still see the three air projectiles still flying towards me noticeably slower, to my surprise I felt my hand moving trying to roll over. ''So this is what it feels like to be as fast as Paul and Scarlet.....'' barely managing to avoid the projectiles from hitting me as loud thud sounds erupted beside me.

    Quickly making another earthen mound for cover I can see from the corner of my eyes the Hologram barely being able to keep up with my movements. ''Bloody hell... I might just actually win!'' Hearing the faint mumbling I quickly popped out shooting a firebolt at the hologram seemingly interrupting it''s attempt to cast a spell.

    I smelt blood as I noticed it getting hit directly and stumbling back, moving my flame orb towards the hologram and running out of cover positioning myself so the hologram is between me and the orb, ''Fulgeo-Igna'' is yelled launching my strongest spell at the hologram. Maintaining aim I blasted the hologram straight into the flame orb burning it from both sides,to my surprise the hologram dissipated into lights.

    "By the light of Serra.....She did it!!!" Daisy yelled.

    "Well.... damn.. That''s unexpected." Jay said in disbelief.

    "WELL DONE!!!" Scarlet yelled in happiness.

    "Wow... impressive." Ashley clapped as shocked as Jay was.

    "Wow...." Grace said in awe.

    "I knew you could do it!" Helen shouted in excitement.

    I stood there triumphant but unsure how to feel, ''does this make me a real wizard now?....'' it all felt so different to how I expected, it felt easy and natural not very difficult at all.... Even though winning my match it felt unsettling and odd, as if I didn''t know myself anymore...

    "Are you okay?.." Ashley whispered noticing my lack of enthusiasm in my victory and checking up on me.

    "Yeah... this is just all so weird and new..." I replied to him not knowing how i should feel.

    "Don''t worry.... you did well..." He smiled leading me to the others.

    "Okay everyone what a thrilling duel!" He smiled to everyone.

    "Yes.. As you can see... Emilia was able to defeat an opponent far more superior then her in strength by using her brain!" Scarlet added.

    "Yes... her use of Mold Earth to create cover for herself in a generally flat arena was a brilliant use of the spell." Ashley carried on to explaining with a smile.

    "Yeah..... You''re duel with another sorcerer was very interesting..... I''ve never really thought of using spells the same way you did.." Jay whispered to me.

    "Thanks." I replied with a smile.

    "Also.... the use of a lasting Damage spell like Flame Sphere was also a good pick... Lasting spells and effects are crucial for extended and long fights..... Her use of tremor to stop or make it difficult for the hologram to move out of the orbs range and to get line of sight of her was an excellent tactical manoeuvre.... a perfect display of how to duel a target that is far superior then you" Ashley explained.

    "Nicely done!" Daisy said giving me a reassuring hug.

    "Thanks." I smiled but I still couldn''t shake this odd feeling I have.....

 113 Helen Vs Hologram

    "So Helen you''re up next I suppose." Ashley invited her into the arena.

    "Umm Mr Ashley is there any advice you can give me..?..." Helen hesitantly asked.

    "Well he''s still young when it comes to artificing.... currently he focuses on potions... that means you wouldn''t need to worry about golems, gadgets and gizmos." Ashley explained.

    "Potions???...." Helen asked.

    "Yes alchemy although different to artificing is the first step in the study of artificing.... it''s the most basic method of imbuing properties into things and the meticulous understanding of what produces certain properties." Ashley explained.

    "What sort of potions should I expect to come across???.." Helen asked.

    "Well from what I discovered is he doesnt normally engage in close combat but his knowledge in potions are vast... he also very intelligent in his recorded duels he has shown ample ability in countering and negating his targets offensive capabilities... being a alchemists there is no way he can produce potions on the fly..... So most probably he has researched you and have the correct potions to counter you."Ashley explained.

    "So what advise can you give me to beat him???...." Helen asked looking and sounding more worried.

    "So from my opinion you have two options.... do the unexpected... or blow past his stock of potions thus leaving him defenceless..." Ashley advised.

    "So don''t use druidic spells??...." Helen asked.

    "Well.... as you may know druids are also known to use normal spells as well... so he''s probably anticipating that as well." Ashley replied.

    "So what should I do then??..." Helen asked.

    "Well I''d suggest you to fight him in close combat with a weapon..... He hasn''t shown to be adept with a weapon so... how good are you with a weapon???....close combat fighting??.... That''s would defiantly surprise him." Ashley smiled.

    "Do casters often forgo close combat training???..." I whispered to Jay.

    "Yes..... We casters normally focus on spells over relying on close combat." Ashley replied

    "Ohhh I see...." I nodded in understanding.

    "Ummmm I don''t excel in close combat..... But I have received said training in an elven long sword..." Helen answered.

    "We have a couple of those spare right??..." Ashley asked Scarlet.

    "Yeah we do." Scarlet smiled quickly walking to the sword displays picking up a sword and walking back with a very elegant sword, it had a slightly curved edge with the brown leather handle curving the opposite direction. The wrist guard was almost non-existent compared to normal swords and my daggers. On the base of the blade and the bottom of the handle brandished a symbol of some sort.

    "Wow!!! A Blade from house Lylith...." Grace said in awe looking in shock at the blade.

    "What''s Lylith?.." I asked.

    "It''s a special Elven house that breed the best Elven swordsman.... their swords are crafted from a secret blend of mithril and adamantium. Their blades are almost unbreakable second to Scarlets unique sword...and as light as a feather" Grace explained to me.

    "Would this sword be adequate?.." Ashley asked as Scarlet handed her the sword.

    "Ohhh no.... I can''t..... I''m not allowed to wield a blade like that..." Helen refused politely.

    "I mean..... A lot of the weapons we have here on display are gifts from friends and family..." Ashley replied.

    "Don''t worry about it.... it''s only us in this place..." Scarlet smiled.

    "I... can''t..... Only a swordsman of Lylith may wield such a blade...." She insisted.

    "Okay Okay.... I deem you worthy." Scarlet said holding it out to her.

    "No.... I can''t really..!" Helen insisted.

    "Okay okay Scarlet fetch us a....." Ashley asked pondering.

    "I''ll get a Mithril long sword... they are different in shape but at least comparable in weight." Scarlet said walking back to the weapon stands.

    "So so sorry....." Helen apologized profusely.

    "No No.... it''s our fault.... sorry we don''t stock ordinary weapons here." Ashley apologized feeling bad that she feels the need to apologize.

    "Okay try this...." Scarlet said handing the sword to her.

    "Okay... sorry again." She apologized accepting the sword from scarlet.

    "Don''t worry about it, Do your best!" Scarlet smiled and exited the arena.

    "Okay.... so you''re gonna take out advise and do the unexpected?.." Jay asked.

    "Well so far all your advice hasn''t led us astray." Helen smiled as she tied the blade to her hip.

    "Well when you''re ready then." Ashley said with a giant smile on his face.

    "Okay!" Helen said nodding to herself.

    "Okay!" Ashley replied waving in the Artificer hologram. The hologram walked into the arena standing opposite to Helen.

    "You got this Helen!!!" We all yelled as she stood there looking nervous her sword already drawn nodding up and down.

    "Wow she''s really gonna try fighting without spells..." Jay whispered surprised at Helens decision.

    "Don''t worry..... She''s had some training with swords and other weapons." Grace said confident with Helens skill.

    "Ready?..." Ashely asked smiling.

    "Let''s go!" Helen yelled looking pumped.

    "Begin countdown!" Ashely yelled.

    The moment the countdown hit zero Helen went morphed into a wolf rapidly closing the distance between the hologram, before the hologram could even react Helen pounced on it knocking it down to the floor. Morphing out of her wolf form without warning stabbed her sword down into the holograms shoulder.

    The hologram began thrashing as Helen pulled out the sword for another strike, with a loud pop purple smog began spraying out the holograms hip expanding rapidly creating a dense thick fog making it impossible see inside.

    Helen came out coughing quickly falling to her knees heaving. The hologram walked out totally unaffected by the fog. It confidently walked slowly towards Helen pulling out a small dagger and cloth rubbing the blade in the cloth. Lifting Helen up by the hair it pulled its dagger back ready to stab her.

    Grace quickly drew her bow ready to fire at it, when suddenly Helen morphed into a huge grizzly bear knocking the hologram to the ground. Without giving it a second to recover Helen savagely mauled its arms and legs and went for a huge bite on the shoulder. Grace lowered her bow noticing that Helen was okay.

    "... So she can morph into an animal to make her better in close combat???..." I asked analysing the duel.

    "Seems like it..." Jay answered.

    "That''s so cool!!!! What else can she transform into?.." I asked curiously imagining what It''d be if I could morph into animals.

    "Not sure.... I''m sure Grace would know.... but there has been myths of some individuals shifting into a dragon." Jay answered.

    "No way!" I gasped looking at him in shock.

    "Well it''s only a myth... but apparently it''s possible..." he replied.

    "Hey grace what sort of things can Helen transform into?.." I asked.

    "I''ve only seen her transform into animals." Grace answered still fixated on the fight.

    Helen quickly dispatched her opponent savagely attacking the hologram, unable to withstand the raw strength of a grizzly bear. "Anddddd that''s a wrap." Ashley clapped smiling.

    "Well done!" Scarlet congratulated her.

    "So it looks like each of you are formidable students despite being freshman, which is amazing." Ashley smiled issuing us all to come in together.

    "Yup you all are quite impressive." Scarlet smiled.

    "Thanks for the sword." Helen said returning it to Ashley.

    "No problem, but to be honest you didn''t really need it." Ashley replied taking it off her.

    "Sorry..... I didn''t mention I could animal shape." Helen replied.

    "No no.... it''s a great skill!" Ashley smiled.

    "So as you can see..... The hologram had one strong counter for Helen..... Its poison cloud obscured Helen''s vision as well as choke her stopping her from casting spells. If it was able to set up on her, it would have been over before it even started, but Helen''s unrelenting offense forced it to dispense its poison cloud defensively." Ashley explained.

    "Yes.... your ability to animal shape really surprised the hologram." Scarlet agreed.

    "Are animal shapeshifters rare?.." I asked Helen.

    "The ability to shape shift is common among druids..... But there is a chance that the shifter won''t be able to shift back and remain as an animal forever..... So it''s not really practiced." Helen answered.

    "Aren''t you afraid of the risks?..." I asked Helen quietly.

    "Not really... my family are renowned shifters..... So it kind of runs in the family." She smiled.

    "You know.... I would have loved to learn to animal shift.... but after you mentioned the chance of never being able to shift back... I think I''ll pass." I chuckled.

    "Yeah.... that''s why shifters are rather rare.." Helen smiled.

    "So now you''ll have had a taste of your opponents, Ashley and I are extremely confident you guys will have a good duel." Scarlet smiled speaking to everyone.

    "Ummm.... can we still train with you in the mornings?.." Helen hesitantly asked.

    "Of course.... meet me here the same time every morning.... we''ll get some training done." Scarlet smiled.

    "Yes.... if you all need I can also tweak the holograms to make the more difficult if you all want a challenge." Ashley added.

    "So.... as always we have some spare time of resting before you guys need to head off to class." Scarlet smiled.

 114 Geography

    "So Helena and Grace where did you learn to fight?..." Scarlet asked them as we all sat together on the floor as a group.

    "Ahhh you know... basic self-defence and stuff... and going out on hunts." They both replied.

    "What''s the geography like here?.." I asked wondering world is like.

    "Well we are in a Northern landmass called Amias..... In the centre are the human Territories.... that consists of many races.... to the north we have the Dwarf and Giant Territories and the vast Shiver Mountains and the frozen Sea. We have one larger neighbouring militaristic continent ruled by the Clergy of the Sun. To the Far East is the extremely large eastern continent and islands a landmass rife with warring kingdoms and warlords. To our west is the dark isles it''s a large chain of islands covered in a perpetual thick mist extremely treacherous to travel through it''s almost entirely unexplored...." Ashley explained.

    "The Elven land we''re from is in the south!" Helen added.

    "Yes to the south is the Elven Continent of Isnelen.... travel there is impossible.... Krakens and various sea creatures and weird weather makes traveling there by boat and air impossible." Ashley explained.

    "Yeah... the whole continent is protected with weather globs and magical Pearls..... Only Elven ships can travel freely through the defences unharmed...." Grace explained.

    "So how did you guys get here?.." I asked.

    "We come from the smaller Elven cities on this continent." Helen explained.

    "Yes..... House Sunwalker and Starseeker are two nearby kingdom to our south closer to the coast, the houses themselves control a small piece of land pretty self-sufficient.

    "Wait so you two are princess?.." Ashley gasped.

    "No..... technically we are far from the line of the throne....." They answered.

    "Hmmm.... interesting..... And for Elves both women and men are treated equally right?.." Ashley asked.

    "Yes.... the next in line for House Starseeker my cousin PhelornaStarseeker even though she has a younger brother." Helen explained.

    "Ohhh I see that''s cool." Ashley replied.

    "How about the four School?.." I asked.

    "Well.... so in the human territories in the centre is the Grand city of Xoria, huge city... the city itself is the size of a kingdom. The four great schools are located North, East, South and West of Xoria. Arcadia is situated to the south so we deal with any and all conflicts south of Xoria.... Aspa is to the North, Eshia is to the East and Zessiah to the west." Ashley carried on explaining.

    "You''ve been around alot Ashley?.." Helen asked.

    "Yeah we''ve travelled many places." Scarlet answered.

    "Yes..... We generally tend to stay away from the warring eastern kingdoms, we don''t wants to pick sides and politics is messy. Most of our jobs are in Amias but we have completed some in the Isnelen...." Ashley answered.

    "How did you get there if it''s so well defended??..." I asked.

    "We was taken there by an Arch Druid..... Even Paul can''t open portals or teleport there..... Anyone who tries end up in a ransom location from where they came." Ashley answered.

    "Yes only Elves can travel freely and safely to and from there." Grace added.

    "Is it true that there''s a portal to the Feylands there?..." Jay asked completely fascinated.

    "Yes there is a Gateway there that leads to Ifellume because it is located in the same spot in the Feylands." Grace answered.

    "Same spot?..." I questioned.

    "Yes.... the Feylands are near identical to here... the continents are the same but also different....so in Isnelen the main city is Iyfeserin. In the feylands where Iyfeserin should be is Ifellume." Grace answered.

    "Ohhh I see.... is there something instead of Atlantis there then?.." I asked.

    "Ohhh there''s defiantly mirror copy of landscapes and continents.... but cities could have copies but Atlantis probably doesn''t." Helen answered.

    "So are all the school protecting Xoria?.." I asked noticing that we seem to be situated around it.

    "Yes.... generally once graduated all the top students will be incorporated into Xoria Society..... All the strongest students will become the Kings Personal Guard... exceptional students will be incorporated into the Xoria Army." Ashley explained.

    "I wonder what it looks like..." I asked in wonder.

    "In a few years is the Grand Magical games.... it occurs once every four years.... that''s when Xoria will be open to the public and school." Ashley answered.

    "Yes.... only Royal families or Families with high standing are allowed to set foot in Xoria." Helen added.

    "God.... that sounds like a horrible place...." I instinctively replied imagining it''s full of spoilt rich kids.

    "Yes.... filled with privileged families believing that because of their family name they are ''above'' us commoners." Ashley explained.

    "Yup.... pray that you don''t catch the attention of one... it''s bound to spell trouble." Scarlet warned.

    "Yes even Paul watches what he says and do when it comes into contact with a Noble of Xoria." Ashley added.

    "Yes even though it''s a kingdom of stunning beauty it''s also filled with ugliness and corruption." Helen added.

    "You''ve been there?.." I asked.

    "Of course... Helen and Grace are one of the great Elven houses." Jay smiled.

    "Yeah... we don''t normally go there.... we only went to see the grand magical games." Grace replied.

    "Ohhh which one was the one did you watch last?.." Scarlet asked.

    "The most recent one two years ago." Helen smiled.

    "Yes and you was so amazing!!! Too bad you couldn''t carry the whole school." Helen replied.

    "Ahh it''s alright..... Doing my best is all that counts!" Scarlet smiled.

    "Jay have you ever been to one?.." Ashley asked Jay.

    "No.... my family wasn''t rich enough to buy tickets..... I was only able to read it in the papers." Jay replied.

    "Ohhh... that''s a shame..... Well I''ll be sure to get you a seat on the next one." Ashley smiled.

    "Thanks! That would be awesome!" Jay smiled.

    "How about you Daisy?.." Scarlet asked.

    "Yeah a few.... I missed the most recent one though.... sometimes the church gets a generous donation.... and sometimes we don''t...." Daisy replied looking a little down.

    "What''s it like?..." I asked curiously.

    "It''s an absolute sight, seeing all the school together friendly competing with one another, seeing the strongest Arcanum users battling it out for pride of the school." Grace said with a giant smile.

    "I just like fighting against the strongest students in the other school." Scarlet laughed.

    "Is it just duelling?.." I asked curiously imagining what it could even be like.

    "It''s a range of challenges to push us to the limit but the final event the one everyone looks forward to is the direct 1 vs 1 duels." Scarlet smiled.

    "Yeah the games consist of four events.... the first three only one S-Ranked student can participate per event.... the first is always a situation where someone will need to be saved, the second is a show of raw strength, the third is a fight against creatures and as mentioned earlier the final one is a duel between the school where they pitch students against each other." Ashley explained.

    "Yup and Scarlet has constantly deafened all her opponents in a one on one duel!" Helen smiled.

    "I don''t like to brag but yes.... I''m undefeated." She chuckled.

    "How about Travis and Paul?.." I asked curiously.

    "Travis is ranked in the middle maybe 5th or 6th overall... and Paul has never participated." Scarlet replied.

    "Why hasn''t he?.." I asked wondering why.

    "As he quotes... ''I can''t be bothered.... I don''t need to prove myself to anyone''" Scarlet said impersonating Paul''s voice and care free demeanour and air quotations.

    "I mean... that does sound a little like him." I chuckled.

    "Do you think he will ever compete?.." Daisy asked looking hopeful.

    "Hmmm... hard to say..... Maybe he''s found a reason to." She laughed giving me a sly wink causing me to quickly look around hoping no one else noticed.

    "Hmmmm.... I see... maybe we might see the Legendary Black Dragon Slayer finial make an appearance." Jay laughed.

    "Ohhhhh wow this year must be special." Helen said noticing everything.

    "Ohhh I''ll defiantly save up for tickets this year!!!" Daisy yelled in excitement.

    "I mean he did participate in the Freshman Celebration this yearˇ­. " Ashley added with a giant grin.

    "Guys... there''s nothing going on between us!" I insisted to everyone but judging by their reaction they still didn''t believe me.

    "Sure....." they all replied with the biggest grin on their faces.

 115 Dangerous World......

    "Ohh should be time for class soon, you all should get going." Ashley smiled.

    "..... Would be so much better if we could skip class and just train all day..." Daisy muttered.

    "What class you all have today?.." Ashley asked.

    "History, Creature and culture studies." Jay replied.

    "Of all the classes I think those two are the most important." Ashely smiled.

    "I disagree." Scarlet replied.

    "Of course you do... you''ll just pulverise anyone that threatens you." Ashley replied. "Anyway ignore Scarlet... History is important because we should all learn from the past and past events, Creatures and Culture is very important.... unless you''re Paul or Scarlet who can just brute force any encounters with their strength and stature. Learning behaviours and weaknesses of creatures makes encounters easier and learning about cultures is great for negotiating and conversing with other races and cities." Ashley explained.

    "That makes sense." I agreed.

    "Or you could just intimidate them." Scarlet laughed.

    "Yes.... only take Scarlets advise when it comes to combat.... everything else take it with a grain of salt.... anyone who recognises her won''t ever dare to risk their life angering her." Ashely added.

    "Hey!!!!" Scarlet replied looking offended.

    "Ohhh and help yourself with any snacks in the kitchen.... I don''t think you guys have time for breakfast." Ashley smiled.

    "Okay!" we all replied getting up and making our way out.

    I quickly led everyone into the kitchen opening the fridge for bottle of water and an overhead cupboard.

    "Ohhh what awesome stuff do we get to eat???!" Helen asked looking over my shoulder extremely curious.

    "Hmm so much to choose from.... I''ll just grab a fistful of everything." I said grabbing a handful of breakfast bars giving them to everyone to hold.

    "This is abit much..." Jay said with his handful of different breakfast bars.

    "Yeah.... I don''t know your preferences... so I grabbed everything... besides they don''t go off for months." I smiled.

    "Months?.." They all asked looking utterly confused.

    "..... You don''t know what months are?.." I asked surprised trying to think of a way to explain to them what a month is... "Okay.... the bars last many season!" I replied hoping they understand.

    "So you''re telling me... the things contained in this weird materials last for more than one season?..." Jay asked examining one carefully.

    "Woah..... Let''s keep this materials and wrap all our food in it!" Grace suggested in utter shock looking at the package like it was some sort of miracle material.

    "That''s not how it works...." I replied chuckling.

    "What you mean?. You just said it lasts seasons!!!!" Daisy asked absolutely confused.

    "So the food is made in a particular way to make it last longer.... as well as the air tight seal makes it go off slower." I explained.

    ".... why does making it air tight make it last longer?.." Jay asked.

    "It''s hard to understand but there are very tiny things that eat away at food that makes it go off... so restricting the air supply for them makes the food decay slower." I tried to explain to them how bacteria makes food go off.

    "You mean bugs?...." Jay asked looking confused and slightly worried at me.

    "Sorta like bug but extremely tinyˇ­. Invisible to the naked eye." I explained causing them to look at me as if I was insane. "Just believe me.... it''s how it works." I replied.

    "Ohhh this taste so good!!!" Daisy said already scoffing a whole bar down quickly with a giant smile on her face, "It''s so sweet and mushy and chewy!" She smiled from ear to ear.

    "Ohhh lemme see the wrapper." I asked interested in what she liked. "This is a Cinnamon and Raisin Oatmeal bar." I smiled.

    "I could eat this all day and night!" Daisy replied looking extremely happy walking out the room.

    "Ohhh I''ll try that one!" Helen said reading the packages carefully trying to find the same one.

    Jay pocketed all the bars and pulled out some other pieces of food from his pockets and began eating those. "Jay you don''t like them?.." Helen asked looking concerned.

    "Not at all... just these things last so long! I should eat the other more perishable foods first." He smiled following Daisy out the room.

    We slowly made our way to lesson feeling slightly interested in learning more about this world, listening to everything Ashley explained made me even more excited to begin my journey. "The food from your world is so amazing!" Grace hummed in happiness eating a bar.

    "So what happened in class last week?...." I asked striking up a conversation.

    "I think the first term we are focusing on races and creatures that are commonly found nearby.... like the ordinary wild life..... Hill giants... Goliaths... Orcs etc." Jay explained.

    "Hill giants?.." I asked in shock.

    "Yah... Giants that wonder greener pastures..... Normally roam in groups of one to four.... they eat literally anything that they can stomach..." Jay replied.

    "............ more dangerous then trolls?..." I asked worried remembering how badly that ogre basically murdered me in our first fight.

    "Yeah.... they probably eat ogres for breakfast.." Jay replied.

    "Everything is so dangerous here...." I replied feeling extremely worried.

    "Giants are rare to encounter.... they stay away from roads and cities....they are very dangerous but can be easily dispatched by overwhelming them." Ashley replied trying to reassure me.

    "I''ve dealt with Ghosts and Demons..." Daisy said as we entered the main building.

    "Really?..." I asked in shock.

    "Yup..... Paladins and Clerics are normally called to deal with those sort of things." Daisy replied with a smile.

    "Yeah.... If you require help to deal with supernatural stuff..... Best to ask for help from a local church." Jay added.

    "Isn''t it scary?.." I asked in shock.

    "Not really.... the light of Serra protects." Daisy smiled.

    "........ Is that when your tattoos glow yellow?.." I asked.

    "Yes.... when they glow yellow it means the light of Serra is with me..... As long as I have faith in Serra I will be protected." Daisy smiled.

    "Interesting...." I replied contemplating about my own faith a little......

    "Yeah.... I worship Nyera Goddess of Nature." Helen smiled.

    "If you don''t mind me asking..... What does Nyera do?.." I asked.

    "She watches over nature and everything natural and opposes everything unnatural such as things necromancers do.... messing around with dead bodies making unnatural abominations..... But she is also indifferent." Helen explained

    "Ohh interesting.... so there are alot of God''s in this world?.." I asked.

    "Ohh yeah there are many Gods.... at least one for each major race in existence!" Helen answered in excitement. "There''s one for Magic.... Knowledge... Truth.....Dwarves, Minotaur''s the list goes on." She carried on explaining.

    "Wow that''s interesting." I replied with a smile thinking it must be so overwhelming to remember them allˇ­..

    "This is our class." Jay said opening the door to a class room.

    "Hello students! Please take a seat!" A very jolly male voice welcomed us but the teacher was nowhere to be seen. Following everyone to our seats I lingered on slowly trying to look for our teachers but I still couldn''t see him through all the students.

    Taking our seats together Helen and Grace in front of us while Daisy Jay and I sitting behind them. As each student slowly found their seats and the front of the classroom emptied, there stood a small man half dressed in a suit with a monocle and a thick black moustache with curls on the end and slick side parted hair.

    "Is that our teacher?.." I asked whispering.

    "Yeah he''s professor Doddle." Daisy answered.

    "Ummm is he a Hobbit?.." I asked noticing his small stature.

    "What''s a hobbit?.." Jay whispered quietly to not interrupt the teacher.

    "....... Nevermind what race is he?.." I asked curiously.

    "He''s a Halfling." Jay answered.

    "Ohhh I see..." I nodded.

    "Welcome class to your second lesson of History." Professor Doddle announced. "So who can recap what we learnt last lesson?.." He said with a jolly smile.

    A long haired blonde student stuck her hand up. "Yes Natalie?.." Professor Doddle asked her.

    "We learnt about the Formation of Xoria." Natalie answered.

    "Yes yes well remembered.... Now where did we stop?...." He asked.

    Another student held their hand up this time a male student with short black hair. "Sir we stopped when King Alaric and Queen Gwent as they began building the small settlement that would later become Xoria." The student answered.

    "Yes Eric well remembered." Professor Doddle smiled.

 116 History

    So carrying on from where we left off, King Alaric and Queen Gwyneth established a small settlement. The land surrounding Xoria was extremely fertile allowing their settlement to quickly expand, grow and prosper, but like all fertile land but the growth of Xoria didn''t go unnoticed there were nearby Orc tribes.... as you all may know Orc tribes love to raid human settlements taking men and women and incorporating them into their tribe.

    "Aren''t orcs friendly?.. I remember seeing some walking around in Tripola." I whispered to Jay.

    "Depends.... on the tribe... some orc tribes are friendly and some orc tribes are hostile..... For example most Orc tribes around Arcadia aren''t directly hostileˇ­.. But the mountain orcs are extremely hostile." Jay answered.

    "..... As you all may know.... King Alaric challenged the Warchief Grukk the Butcher in single combat.... Despite the odds fighting King Alaric defeated the Orc Warcheif in combat ending the Grukks barbaric rule. Appointing a young strong orc Grogguk as the new Warchief he forged an alliance with the neighbouring Orc tribe, offering food and produce in exchange for help building up the settlement. Year by year Orcs and humans lived in peace side by side, helping the Orcs with education, agriculture, animal husbandry and even basic blacksmithing.

    "King Alaric sounds like a good king..." I whispered.

    "Yeah some say he was the greatest King of Xoria." Diasy whispered back.

    "Because all his descendants were bad kings?.." I asked.

    "They just got progressively worse and worse and more corrupt..." Ashley whispered back.

    "Yeah.... The young king Thomas only aged 9.... Already married to queen Delphine aged 20, it''s kno surprise that Delphine''s home Town is getting favours from the king....." Daisy whispered.

    "Yes.... all the kings and queens of Xoria is just one big fight for the throne.... anyone with a right to the throne being used as a pawn or hatching plans to sit themselves on the great golden throne." Jay whispered.

    "... That''s not very surprising....." I replied feeling quite saddened by this news, how this world is filled with great wonder and magic, but still so backwards when it came to politics and culture. "How about the other kingdoms that surround Xoria?..." I asked.

    "Well you know the heads of the schools.... they are also heads of that kingdom as well..... Abbraxsoth the Demon current ruler of Eshia, anyone and everyone can challenge Abbraxsoth to a duel for rule over Eshia. Hanna Grandmaster artificer of Aspa.... generally Aspa is governed through a council but Hanna has the last and commanding word on everything. She was voted in by the council based on her knowledge, intellect and wisdom. Zessia is ruled by a council of ageless sorcerers.... Nine immensely strong sorcerers that are agless some speculate they are eternals..... Egwene being the most famous and strongest of the nine." Jay explained.

    "What about Arcadia?.." I asked.

    "Arcadia is ruled by King Edward and Queen Caitlin, they have two children Princess Calista and Crown Prince Callum." Jay answered.

    "I guess the Crown Prince is next in line for the throne?..." I asked noticing the title.

    "Yes... He is older.... and a Male heir... so he will be next in line to the throne." Jay answered.

    "How is Arcadia governed?..." I asked curiously.

    "Arcadia has a royal Family that has the Final say in things..... But Arcadia is split into several smaller cities governed by a council, once a year all the governing councils gather in Valares the capital of Arcadia to discuss politics for all of Arcadia." Jay answered.

    "What about Atlantis?.." I asked.

    "Atlantis is an academy to train students and the main military force to deter any of the other schools from taking territories from Arcadia." Jay answered.

    "But if we are all here to defend Xoria... why are we attacking each other?.." I asked.

    "The same thing that makes everything go around..... Money...." Daisy replied.

    "Yes sadly... Xoria doesn''t get involved in the politics between the kingdoms..... All they care about is the taxes each kingdom pay them and as long as their coffers are full they are happy with whatever happens." Jay answered.

    "..... This place is so backwards..." I mumbled.

    "Yeah... the only time the kingdoms united for one common cause was against an invasion from another planar threat." Jay answered.

    "What happened?.." I asked in shock.

    "It''s a long story I''ll tell you tonight... I''m sure everyone else will have an input on their side of the war." Jay smiled.

    "Is that the one where apparently four legendary sorcerers from my world intervened and changed the tide of war?.." I asked.

    "Yes Erath was rumoured to be able to use high level spells effortlessly, Stryke had the unique ability to manipulate timeˇ­.. Many have tried to study and discover his form of magic but none has come close to his level of manipulation..... before him we never knew there was magic that could affect time....., Morphling somehow with just a thought he was able to manipulate himself and things around him, he could sunder and raise cities and vast landscapes with just a thought, and lastly Alaystin he was able to freely and instantaneously travel between planes, some say he was even able to create pocket planes for himself." Jay explained.

    "Yeah!!! That''s why people from your world are all famous!" Daisy smiled.

    "I highly doubt that....I''m gonna be that strong" I replied.

    "You never know." Jay smiled.

    "Nah..... I really doubt it...." I replied.

    "Paul is amazing and you''re from the same place... so you''re bound to be great." Daisy smiled.

    "She''s not wrong... just about everyone from where you come from is a great sorcerer so I''m sure you''ll be great." Jay smiled.

    "Yeah... you just need more time.... we''ve had years and years of training ahead of you." Daisy smiled giving me a reassuring pat on the back.

    "How long ago was King Alaric?.." I asking listening to the lesson.

    "Hmm should be around a few hundred years ago..." Jay answered.

    "When did the that war you mentioned earlier start?.." I asked in response.

    "Hmmm.... little to under 30 maybe 40 years ago..." Jay answered.

    "Woah... that''s so recent..." I replied.

    "Yup... and that''s when all the kingdoms began a very strict at recruiting individuals who could harness Arcanum...." Jay explained.

    "Are there any other Planes the schools recruit from?..." I asked.

    "I''m not certain.... but I''d imagine soˇ­. If you came from Consecratus." Jay answered.

    "Hmmm I wonder what it would be like to live in your world.... lots of great food.... no dangerous creatures..." Daisy pondered day dreaming resting her head on her hands.

    "Ohhhhhhhhh Ashely told me that the simulation rooms can be used to replicate things." I gasped remembering that the simulation room, causing the teacher to turn around looking for the source of the gasp. Promptly causing me to go silent pretending to be a good student.

    "Ohhh lets go do that! After dinner!!!" Daisy whispered after waiting for a few seconds for Professor Doddle to turn back around.

    "Sure!!! There''s so much I want show you guys." I whispered back.

    "Did I just hear we have something awesome planned tonight!!!" Helen whispered turning her head back slightly.

    "Yeah... we was planning to hit the simulation room and probably do something from my world." I whispered answering Helen.

    "Ohh my that sounds awesome!!! I can''t wait!" She replied leaning over to Grace assuming she relayed the plan and went back to focusing in class.

    "The Friendship between Xoria and the Orc tribe lasted for over three generations until King Edward the Fourth King to rule Xoria.... made the choice to exile the Orcs as well as any lesser races from the kingdom of Xoria deeming all lesser races unclean." Professor Doddle explained to the class.

    A student held her hand up waiting for the professor to notice, "Yes Emilly." Professor Doddle asked.

    "Ummm..... Is that why no one except royal blood lines is allowed to set foot in Xoria?.." The young girl with raven black hair asked.

    "Yes..... From there on.... only Royals and Humans families'' with high status are allowed to enter and stay within the walls of Xoria." Professor Doddle answered with a grim face, "But once every four years the Grand Magical Games is on..... Where the gates and doors of Xoria are open to all races to stay for that week." Professor Doddle added.

 117 Pas

    Light bell sounds began running in mour heads letting us know it was end of class, "Ohhh looks like that''s end of class." Professor Doddle announced, prompting everyone to begin packing their things.

    "Where''s our next class?.." I asked Jay standing up.

    "After lunch we head to fourth floor... it''s pretty cool Professor Annabelle has a HUGE library of monster and creatures... It''s more of a hands on lesson.... we learn through interacting with simulations." Jay smiled.

    "Ohhh that sounds really cool!" I smiled back.

    "Yah!!! It''s defiantly more fun than these sit and listen types." Daisy making our way out the class.

    "Yah... incredibly boring lesson.... Helen and I already know most this stuff..." Grace yawned.

    "Yeah... I know what you guys mean... I''ve been in school most my life as well....I was really hoping that I would have grand adventures.... rather than trying to fit it in the weekend.." I sighed.

    "You''re really enticed with the adventuring lifeˇ­." Jay joked.

    "You guys won''t understand adventuring and discovering the the unknown is almost unheard of in my world!!!" I expalined.

    "You''re not wrong the thrill of adventuring is quite addictive, untold treasures and riches and stuff." Helen agreed as we walked into the dining hall.

    Morganna was already there sitting on the Phoenix table shooting a death glare at anyone who tried to take any seats near her promptly scaring off the students. "Hey friends! Over here!!!" Morganna yelled with a giant smile waving at us.

    "Well... at least we don''t have to find seats." Jay said walking in her direction.

    "Afternoon." We all greeted Morganna.

    "Afternoon! I saved you guys seats!" She smiled as we took our seats.

    "Thanks!" we all thanked her.

    "Ahh it was no problem." She smiled happily returning to her lunch..

    We all waited patiently till our food arrived, "By the way! I overhead some Kraken members talking about Paul and speculating what he''s doing over at Eshia." Morganna said leaning in forward speaking in a lower quieter tone.

    "Really what''s he up to?.." Daisy asked looking extremely interested.

    "So the older students have been saying that he''s gone to meet Travis''s older Sister." Morganna gossiped.

    "But for what reason??!!" Daisy asked almost green with jealousy.

    "No one knows exactly for what... but apparently they''ve noticed when she comes to the schoo.... they would at least spend a few nights together in his dorms." Morgana answered.

    "Nonono... that can''t be!!! He''s not in a relationship!" Daisy replied in disbelief.

    "Daisy..... They don''t need to be in a relationship to do stuff..." Grace replied to daisy sending her further and further into despair. I must admit even hearing that reply from Morgana sent a deep sinking feeling in my gut..... I know he''s not that kind of guy.... but a part of me thinks he could be..... There''s no other plausible reason.....

    "You okay Emilia?.." Jay asked.

    "Huh what?... Yeah I''m goodˇ­.. just you know worried about Calista..." I replied.

    "Nothing to worry about! You defeated her hologram and you''ll only be getting better with trining." Jay replied with a giant smile.

    "Yeah... Emilia you need to have more faith in yourself." Helen smiled.

    "Yeah I guess I do...." I replied lying to them till finding it hard to stay positive.

    "So Morgana what have you been up to?.." I asked.

    "Well.... currently trying to find ways for me to get some special reagents for myself..." Morgana replied.

    "Your Voodoo stuff?.." Jay asked curiously.

    "Yup.... since the school doesn''t grow them naturally, I''ll either have to visit town or see if there''s any dealers." Morgana replied.

    "You know what.... I won''t pry further it sounds all too shady." Jay replied.

    "So Jay have you read more of the novel?.." Helen asked.

    "Yeah.... almost finished it now." He replied causing Helen to have the most giant smile..

    "Emilia?... do you really think Paul is in a secret relationship with her?.." Daisy asked me quietly almost whispering.

    "No I don''t think so.. " I replied trying to reassure her.

    "Do you think they....." She asked taking a small pause trying to think of a way to word it, her face turning bright red like a tomato.

    "I''m sure they aren''tˇ­.. I answered her quickly saving her from the embarrassment of asking.

    "You sure?..." She questioned looking hopeful.

    "Positive..." I smiled even though I didn''t quite know myself.

    "Do you think he''s.... been with someone before?.." She whispered quietly as possible making sure no one else heardluckily everyone was either engaged in their own conversation while eating.

    "As far as I know... he''s only been with one person.." I answered her.

    "Do you think... my colour or race is an issue?.." She asked trying to stay quiet.

    "I''m know for sure know it doesn''t." I smiled.

    "Really?!!!!" Daisy asked again in almost complete disbelief.

    "Do you really like him??..." I asked Daisy politely.

    "Because he''s so amazing!.... He does so many great things for people.... a kind soul is hard to find." Daisy replied.

    "Yeah..... Even before he came here he was always a kind and nice person..... But I guess know you guys know him more time I do nowˇ­. How many years has he been here????..." I asked curiously.

    "hmmm..... I dunno.... he saved me about maybe four or five years ago....." Daisy replied.

    "Hmmm..... if I ever catch him when he''s free..... I defiantly need to ask him about all this stuff...." I replied to Daisy.

    "Does he have many friends back home ???... Is he famous as well???..." Daisy asked.

    "... We used to have a group of friends.... but when life happened and we all kinda went our separate ways...I''m really not sure about everyone else... but our world is very different..... I''m sure he didn''t have magic back then so he couldn''t help as much as he can now ....." I replied.

    "I seeeee..." Daisy nodded in understanding.

    "When you stayed with him did he ever tall about his life back home???..." I asked curiously.

    "Ummmm yeah I was really curious about his home and friends.... he would always tell about this girl..... But the life played a harsh joke with him..... And some other friends that he would happily ''take bullets for'', apparently they are metal projectiles that go super-fast and can kill people." Daisy answered with a giant smile. "What happened to you two that lead up to a falling out???...." she asked in return very cautiously.

    "We just had a disagreement... and I''m pretty emotional and got him emotional..... We both said things we regret....." I answered.

    "Didn''t you guys make up after??...." She asked looking concerned.

    ".... By the time one of us did..... I guess the damage was done and we was better off being strangers." I answered.

    "Ohhh... is it okay if I''m friends with Paul and you??...." She asked worryingly.

    "Yeah of course... I won''t let whatever happens between me and him to affect us.... also seeing him again after so long.... kinda made me forget our last fight." I smiled to Daisy.

    "I know you and him had a complicated friendshipˇ­" she replied a little concerned.

    "I know....." I replied.

    "Do you have any idea what he''s doing in Eshia???" I asked.

    "Hmmm not really..... But I''m sure he''s doing something to help people." Daisy smiled.

 118 Puxtonworth

    "Shall we start making our way to class?.." Jay asked.

    "Sure let''s go." Helen agreed.

    "I''ll see you guys after class?....." Morgana asked causing us all to look at each other in shock not knowing how to reply.

    "Ummm..... sure.... see you at the dorm room?.." Grace answered here after a moment of silence.

    "Ohh okay..." Morgana replied looking disheartened. ".....I guess I''ll see you guys later.." She said standing up and walking away.

    "We are bad people..." Helen whispered making sure Morgana didn''t her.

    "Yeah but we can''t exactly invite her.... we don''t know if we could tell her where Emilia is from....." Jay argued.

    "Yeah and her Mother is a Granny.... I can''t even comprehend how dangerous her mother isˇ­.. Even Aunty Hags are regarded extremely dangerous!!!" Grace said her face plastered with extreme worry.

    "But she has been making an effort to come off, all good and well..." I said defending Morganna.

    "Yeah... she does seem to be making an effort to be friends..." Daisy agreed with me.

    "Hmmm... I guess we should at least try and be friendly." Jay agreed.

    "Sure but just remember.... her Mother is a Granny Hag...." Helen reluctantly agreed.

    "Let''s just postpone our plans later and just spend more time with Morgana then I guess." Jay replied.

    "So what did I miss last week?" I asked curiously excited with their story of last week''s lesson.

    "You mean our next lesson?.." Jay asked.

    "Yeah!" I answered him with an excited smile.

    "Last week..... It was a pretty hard lesson..... Professor Annabelle dropped us into a gnome city with the objective to socialise and not cause a scene." Jay answered.

    "Ohh yeah.... we''ve read about gnomes but they were more hyper and crazier then i thought." Helen agreed.

    "So what happened?.... We visited a Gnome town like the Sporean Cave?" I asked curiously.

    "Nah..... Professor Annabelle''s Class room also is a simulation room.... so she set up a simulation for us to visit a Gnome town." Jay answered.

    "Ohhh cool.... I wonder what we''re gonna do today." I replied in excitement.

    "Ohhhh I wonder what humans think of Elven Society." Helen said to Grace with a smile.

    "Ohhhh yeah that would be interesting." Grace chuckled.

    "I wonder what Tieflings are like....." Daisy pondered staring off into the distance.

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    "Yeahˇ­.. Above ground Tieflings are Nomadic.... I haven''t heard or read about Tiefling cities above ground sadlyˇ­." Helen and Grace said with a small frown.

    "Yeahˇ­.. Paul told me that because of our lineage there is much distrust in our race..... But I didn''t ask to get born this way." Daisy replied.

    "Sadlyˇ­.. There is much unwarranted hatred to other racesˇ­. Because of past events." Jay replied also sounding a little down.

    "Yup even now Orcs and Elves are still in conflict because of a War long ago between our Godsˇ­" Grace added.

    "So... if you don''t mind me asking why are Tieflings so Distrusted?..." I asked hoping not to offend Daisy.

    "Ummmˇ­.. Do you mind?..." Helen asked giving Daisy a look for permission.

    "I don''t mind." Daisy replied nodding with a smile.

    "Soˇ­. What gives Daisy her horns and tailˇ­ Is at one point in her Lineage one of her ancestors is a Devilˇ­.. Or made a deal with a Devilˇ­. Either ''corrupting her blood line'', thus the horns and tailˇ­ a very common trait in many different types of Devilsˇ­." Helen Explained.

    "Yesˇ­. And sadlyˇ­ I don''t know any of my parents so I have no one to askˇ­" Daisy replied with a sigh.

    "Ahhh let''s not reflect on the falls of societyˇ­.... should be time for lesson soon." Jay suggested.

    "Sureˇ­.." We all agreed.

    Making our way to the lesson letting everyone else lead the way, I couldn''t help but feel excited for this particular lesson. Meeting and learning about other cultures and races, even experiencing them first hand through a simulation.

    Making our way through the sea of students, "Around this corner." Jay said leading the way turning the corner we arrived at a set of two large wooden double doors looking worn and old but licked with a new coat of varnish making it look relatively well kept. As the bell sound rang in our heads like magic the doors began to slowly creep open on its own revealing the inside of the class room.

    Slowly the class made their way in, stepping in the vastness of the classroom was staggeringly large compared to every other classroom we''ve been in before, to the left laid several shelves housing what must be hundreds books. On the right side of the vast classroom lined lines and lines of glass cabinets housing all sorts of creatures and objects much like the Hag''s hut but more clean and catalogued and organized, more like a museum then a hoarders hut everything seemed to be categorized into groups.

    In the centre a young woman with blonde hair tied in a bun wearing large circular glasses. She donned a large long robe similar to the style I liked except hers was a plain and simple. She has a huge thick book on her side attached to her belt, and on the other side a small wooden twig which I assume is her wand.

    "This place is cool right?!" Jay whispered to me.

    "Yeah..... Its.... cool...." I replied mimicking his reaction.

    "Imagine all the knowledge in this place! I could spend days on end learning about everything here." He smiled in glee.

    "There are things that books can''t teach." Grace commented chuckling.

    "Nonsense." He replied waving off Graces comment.

    "Is... that a pixie?..." I asked pointing at a small display with a very tiny humanoid butterfly.

    "Hmmm looks like it is....." Jay replied squinting in the direction where I pointed.

    "Please come in students!" Professor Annabelle welcomed us in welcoming us to the centre of the room.

    We all made our way into the rooms reaching Professor Annabelle, standing in the centre the full extent of the classroom or museum became apparant. A vast expansive library and a huge collection of various objects and things in glass containers and cabinets.

    "Professor Annabelle is pretty famous for her vast knowledge of many things.... and her personal collection of species that don''t even originate from this plane." Jay whispered in excitement.

    I couldn''t help but stare in wondering the vast amount of knowledge in this one class room... "For example.... see that pixie earlier?... they originate from the Fey plane.... where elves like Helen and Grace originated from..." Jay explained.

    "Ohhh I see..... But how do they get here?.." I asked slightly confused.

    "No idea..... Pixies are extremely rare here.... only seen in forests near Elven cities.... I''m sure Helen would know." Jay answered.

    "Welcome class! Let''s carry on from last lesson..... If you all remember, most of you if not all performed very badly when trying to fit in and socialize with gnomes." Professor Annabelle.

    "What happened?....." I whispered to Jay.

    "We visited Puxtonworth..... It''s a Gnome city in Aspa.... it''s an industrial city primarily populated with Gnomes and Dwarves." Jay quietly replied.

    "So remember all the tips I gave you all last time and try and incorporate them..... Let''s not start another riot or civil unrest this time." Professor Annabelle smiled.

    "Ummmm what sort of advice did she give?.." I asked hesitantly.

    "Ahhhh that would spoil the fun and learning experience." Jay smiled giving me a pat on the back giving me little to no reassurance.

    "Ahh don''t feel so nervous it''s gonna be a blast!" Daisy smiled noticing my reaction.

    "So... what''s a Gnome town like?.." I asked hoping to prepare myself.

    "Ohhhh... it''s so crazy.... totally opposite to Elven society..." Helen replied sounding nervous by just the thought.

    "Yeah..... Gnomes....." Grace added starring into the distance as if remembering a horrific memory.

    "Yeah..... We all did pretty badly last time....." Jay admitted.

    "I thought I did okay!" Daisy smiled.

    "What happened?.." I asked.

    "Ohh we went to a Tavern..... Then next thing I know.... fists were being thrown and a huge brawl started..." Helen explained looking totally puzzled.

    "I know right!!!..... I just don''t get how everything accelerated so quickly...." Grace added breaking from her trance.

    "Yeah..... Just watch what you say and do..... Gnomes are a bit crazy....." Jay warned.

    "Okay children!!! Round two!" Professor Annabelle yelled with a giant smile. Suddenly the ceiling and ground began breaking into square flipping over like tiles. The sky turning into a bright blue sky with hints of grey and the ground shifting from a class room into the great outdoors. Like a wave the change came rushing towards us with an intense speed, stepping back ready for the impact not knowing how to react. Watching my feet the ground tile flipped passing through my like a ghost becoming green grass on top of soft ground soil.

    "... how on earth does it feel so real?..." I asked in shock digging my shoes into the soft soil but knowing I should be in a class room...

    ".... I would say it''s an illusion.... but from what I know illusions should be just that something visual.... I have no idea how they make it feel so real." Jay replied equally confused.

    "Yes!!!..... Before we arrived... Grace and I were so excited to experience these... Elven School have nothing close to this! We would just be sitting in an old classroom which probably been here for thousands of yearsˇ­.. Where all the best elven scholars before us sat..." Helen replied looking bored rambling on.

    "Okay Children let''s get started!" Professor Annabelle walked pass us. Turning around the Puxtonworth city stood in front of us like magic.

 119 Sooty

    Ahead of us laid a huge industrial town filled with huge factory looking building and numerous industrial chimney bellowing out thick black sooty smoke creating a blanket of thick grey smoke above the city.

    As we approached the outer walls of the city the sheer size of Puxtonworth became apparent, arriving at two immensely huge gates made of on huge piece of solid metal easily as tall as a house. All along the top of the walls laid square holes in the overhang. Along the face of the wall lined humongous lifeless metal Golems standing side by side each holding a double sided axes facing the ground infused into the wall. With two noticeable larger Golems standing dormant beside the huge metal gate holding a large metal hammer in one hand and a similar double bladed axe in the other.

    "Halt!!!!" A Scottish sounding voice shouted out to us as five stout heavily armoured Dwarves walked out with two small gnomes in robes at the back. "Aye what brings you here." the dwarf at the front asked Professor Annabelle.

    "Just a school trip." Professor Annabelle answered him with a gleeful tone..

    "Aye could I see some documentations??...." The dwarfed asked.

    "Sure here it is." Professor Annabelle pull out a black piece of paper and passing it to him.

    The dwarf spent a few minutes reading over there paper. "Aye everything seems in order here." He replied passing the paper back to her. "When y''all enter just wait at the entrance while I sort out guards for your visit." the Dwarf replied smiling.

    The dwarf turned around giving the gnomes a nod. "All clear, Open the gates!." the dwarf voice shockingly boomed with the volume of A megaphone.

    Suddenly the door erupted with sounds of huge mechanisms in motion and before long the two huge doors began opening slowly outwards.

    "Aye of you all wouldn''t mind waiting inside while I sort out the papers for ya?" The dwarf informed us and began leading the way in.

    "Ummm thank you Mr..." Professor Annabelle questioned following him.

    "Captin Doldrun Ironbrand." The dwarf replied.

    "Ohhh very nice to meet you I''m Professor Annabelle." Professor Annabelle replied.

    "Aye nice to meet you too. Please be aware our town is a little.... hectic.... so brace yourselves." He chuckled laughing loudly walking into a side building.

    "Okay children..... Gather up." Professor Annabelle said to us. "Now safety is on.... but please be aware it doesn''t stop you from getting hurt.... so let''s try not to start trouble." Professor Annabelle warned us.

    "Yes professor." majority of the class replied.

    "Good good.... remember we are only here to socialise.... and maybe try and make a friend or two.... In fact anyone who brings back a friend gets extra points for their house." Professor Annabelle smiled.

    Starring ahead of us there was still another giant gate in front of us flanked by two large lifeless mechanical golems similar to the two outside.Numerous dwarves and gnomes heavily armoured and well-armed patrolled this huge entrance most likely linked to the outer walls of the city.

    From beyond the gate the sound of an extremely bustling city hummed through the door.... "Yeah the city is very busy and crazy....." Jay said noticing my interest.

    "Why are there so many lifeless robots statues??...." I asked curiously.

    "Ohhh I asked about that last time... apparently if the city was under siege or attack.... runes surrounding the city will activate causing them to come to life." He answered.

    "Woah....." I replied staring at them in awe.

    "Yeah.... dwarves and gnomes are known for their mechanical genius." Helen replied also looking at the statue.

    "Yup.... this city is extremely well defended." Grace said looking around.

    "This is so awesome!!!!" Daisy yelled in glee.

    "How are you still so excited??..." Jay asked her.

    "You''d feel different if you spent most your life like me stuck in a cult and in a church.... I never got to see the outside world much!!!" Daisy replied.

    "Yeah ignore Jay.... he''s never excited about anything." Helen chuckled.

    "I''m sorryˇ­.." Jay apologised to Daisy looking really upset with himself.

    "Alright!!!! Here''s your papers..... And here are your guards." The captain came out with a set of young looking dwarves guards clearly less experience and less armed." please do not stray too far from your guards and if any trouble arises please report to the guards as soon as possible." the captain informed us. "And without further ado welcome to our great city Puxtonworth." The captain said welcoming with an open palm as the large gates began to slowly rise open.

    "Okay children!!! You all have two hours!" Professor Annabelle informed us.

    "Where should we go???..." Jay asked turning go us.

    "The bar we went to was pretty fun." Daisy suggested with a giant smile.

    "Can we go somewhere else???..." Jay asked looking annoyed at the thought of returning.

    "Sure!!!" Helen said agreeing with Jay.

    Slowly everyone begrudgingly began making their way into the extremely busy town, somehow it was even busier than the trade district in Tripola.

    "The town is a little cosy." I said to everyone weaving through the immensely dense pavements, if it wasn''t for the majority of individuals being Dwarves and Gnomes I would have easily lost sight of everyone.

    The city was absolutely dotted with innumerable bars and pubs filled with drunk patrons having a blast.

    "So what happened last time??...." I asked Daisy.

    "Well you know Jay..... He somehow managed to offend a gnome..... And well this particular gnome was abit frantic.... and found what Jay said extremely offensive and punched him." Daisy began to explain.

    "Yup.... and then Jay fell into some stout dwarves knocking over their drinks." Grace added.

    "Yup then racial slurs began to getting flung and fists started flying all over the place." Daisy explained laughing.

    "It was all pretty fun watch." Grace smiled.

    "You all could have done more than just sit and watch taking sips of your drinks." Jay blurted out to them.

    "It was all too funny to be honest." Grace laughed.

    "Hey!!! I did help all I can there was just too many!!!" Daisy replied honestly.

    "So anything interesting in this city???..." I asked curiously looking around. "It''s so crowded...." I asked trying to weave my way through patrons giving the drunk ones a wide berth.

    "This is one of the main mining cities..... Aspa has a huge demand for metals especially rare metals." Grace answered.

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    Slowly our class began splitting off going their own ways into various buildings and bars.

    "Where do you think we should go???.." Helen asked looking back at us.

    "Ohhh can we check out one of the small ships with the cool little gadgets??...." I asked noticing the abundance of shops filled with tiny gadgets and gizmos.

    "Ughhh..... Another gnome...." Jay replied grunting.

    "Let''s give it a look!!" Helen said smiling pulling Jay to the shop I pointed at.

    "Sure sureˇ­." Jay agreed getting dragged in.

    The quaint little shop looked exactly like one of those old family owned toy shops, filled with one of a kind gadgets, gizmos and toys, with a small bell above the door ringing as we entered, the smell of antique wood and metal gently wafting in the air.

    "One moment please!!!" an elderly male voice yelled out to us from behind the counter.

    From the look of the shop it looked a little worn, shelves slightly dusty, displays are slightly untidy and the floors were riddled with age, worn and uneven. Just from a glance a small flying gizmo looked extremely similar to the ones in Arcadia Infirmary but more mechanical, a small glass face showing the intricate cogs and mechanisms lying dormant ready to be activated.

    "Ohhh hello!!!! A set of new faces!!!" A small gnomish old gentle man walked in dressed in a white shirt brown trousers and a big green overcoat, with a thick white beard and a pair of spectacles hanging off his neck by a chain. "What can I interest you youngsters in?..." He smiled getting up on a tall chair to see over his counter.

    "Hi!!! Could you show us around your lovely store?....." Daisy asked with a gleeful smile.

    "Well..... I have a great deal of inventions! For example I have this little fella!" He said pulling out a small form his pocket. "Now this little fella is designed to follow a unique substance that leaves some sort of lingering substance in the air." He explained pulling out a tiny device giving it a small click and dragging it along the table placing it on the other side. Releasing his hand revealing a tiny small bronze pill bug like machine. Like magic the pill bug sprang to life slowly following the exact route towards the transmitter at a surprisingly sprightly pace. "As you can see this little fella is extremely good for tracking people or things.... and their exact path they took...." He smiled.

    "Woah!!! So cool!!! And there is no Arcanum needed?" Jay asked in complete astonishment.

    "Yup.... this is all done mechanically zero trace of Arcanum requiredˇ­.. After an initial winding it also has my top secret design allowing its own movement to sort of recycle the energy to make it last much longer than ever thought possible!" He smiled extremely proud of his invention.

    "Follow me I''ll show you some other things I have." He said jumping off his stall walking around the counter towards us.

    "By the way I''m Jay and this is Emilia, Daisy, Helen and Grace." Jay said introducing us.

    "Ohhhh hello! I''m Balefire Tarren but people call me Sooty." He smiled to us and carried on leading us to a corner of the shop.

 120 Inventions

    "So why do they call you Sooty?.." I asked curiously as he began rumbling through his display, his face suddenly turned to me.

    "You haven''t heard of The great Sooty Balefire?..." He said looking extremely excited.

    "Wait the Sooty the Famous inventor who helped develop the weaponry for the War machines of Xoria???!!!" Jay and Helen gasped in shock.

    "Yup that''s me!!!" He said standing proudly.

    "What do you mean?..." Daisy and I asked slightly confused why the individual in front of us seemed like a renowned hero.

    "To be honest.... it wasn''t all me, my Son did most the work he has a greater mind then even me." He smiled with so much glee like the proudest parent in the world.

    "That''s weird there was no mention of your son in any of the stories and recounts." Grace asked.

    "Ahhh that''s because he''s lazy and doesn''t want to be well known." He replied chuckling shaking his has in disagreement.

    "Is this your son?..." I asked noticing a picture of two male and male gnome with a slightly taller male between them with a completely bandaged arm.

    "Yes yes... like his late mother he had a brilliant mind..... Sadly she up in the heavens now." He answered with a giant sigh.

    "So why are you nicknamed Sooty?.." Daisy asked.

    "Well this great man somehow managed to forge weapons that shot what could only be described as Hell flames....." Grace explained.

    "Hell flames?.." I asked in shock at the horrific name.

    "Yes.... the flames would carry on burning till there was nothing left..." Helen added.

    "Yes despite the enemies best efforts they weren''t able to extinguish it...." Jay also added.

    "That sounds horrible..." I replied in shock.

    "Yes..... Sadly it was one of the very few things effective against the invaders.... they all had incredible regenerative abilities....." Jay explained.

    "Yes.... those were very dark times..." Balefire replied looking as if remembering a nightmare causing me to remain silent unable to even comprehend what everyone went through.

    "Yes so after the war, I now reside in this small little shop following my love and dreams, to make small inventions for the everyday folk." Balefire smiled taking out a pair of goggles from the shelf. "These are one of my personal favourites.... no very important for you Elves and Tieflings, but you two might find it very useful." He said pointing at Jay and I. "Catch!" He smiled chucking it to me.

    "Okay?..." I hesitantly agreed holding it in front of my eyes trying to see what they do.

    "This is what I call.... Goggles of Dark Seeing!!!" He said smiling issuing me to try them on.

    Putting them on I instantly recognized this as some sort of thermal goggles as all of use appearing a mixture of green and orange.... and inorganic objects a pale grey and dark grey with everything we''ve touch glowing a dark blue momentarily as we passed on some heat.

    "Woah.... how did you make thermal goggles?.." I asked in complete shock.

    "OHHH my that''s an amazing name for them!!! ''Thermal Goggles....''." Balefire replied in awe waving spreading both is hands in the sky.

    "Thermal goggles?.." Everyone else asked confused.

    "Yes yes... the materials the lenses are crafted from..... A special compound of materials that can sense different temperatures in objects." He began to explain.

    "Yeah!!!!... And because everything loses and gains heat at different rates..... it basically allows me to see in zero light!" I replied in amazement.

    "Ohhhh aren''t you the brainy one!!!!!" Balefire replied in amazement and began shuffling more into a shelf.

    "Wow...." I said in wonder how he managed to imitate technology from back home as I carried on looking around.

    "Ohh can I try?.." Helen asked completely fascinated at them.

    "Sure I said taking them off and passing them to Helen blinking my eyes to adjust to the colour change.

    "Ohhhh this is amazing!!!!" Helen instantly beamed looking around frantically like a child. "This is way better than our dark vision! We just see normally in day and night... but this reveals thing that might otherwise be invisibleˇ­.." She explained still smiling from ear to ear.

    "Ahh yes yes this is great!!!!....I know another thing that will peak your interest!!!" Balefire said quickly running to get a ladder to reach one of the higher shelves.

    "Have you ever heard of Artificing?..." Jay asked inspecting small gadgets on another shelf.

    "Artificing?... is that when you youngsters infuse Arcanum or spells into objects, no?.." Balefire replied still rummaging deep into a shelf.

    "Yes I believe so..." Jay replied to him.

    "Ahhh Artificing was kinda my son''s thing..... How do you say it?..... You can''t teach an old dog new tricks." He chuckled to himself. "Ahh here it is finally!!!....." He said struggling to pull out something.

    "Need some help?.." Daisy asked with a giant smile.

    "Yes dear.... please take this.. Be careful it''s very heavy!" He said struggling to move a large heavy suit case.

    "Woah... you wasn''t joking this is a little heavy..." Daisy said taking it from him grunting a little form the weight and placing it down on the floor with a huge thud. "What is this?.." She asked utterly fascinated.

    "This magnificent creation I call it!!! The ''Cold box!!!!''." He said filled with excitement opening it up. "This magnificent creation!!! With the use of ice!!! It can keep the box at cold temperatures to keep anything in its contents from rotting!!!" He said extremely excited opening it.

    We all peered into the large suitcase with a tiny compartment to store maybe one small items to be kept chilled. "..... Ohhhhh we''ve seen something like this but much bigger and a lot more spacious." We admitted to Balefire causing him to look slightly down.

    "No way.... In all my travels I have never seen or heard of anything like this!!" He argued.

    "Maybe we was mistaken... by any chance could you tell us a little more about this city??.... why is everyone so crazy and drunk???.." Jay asked.

    "Ahhhh you see.... everyone who works in the mines or smiths use the drinks and parties as a sort of escape." Balefire answered packing away his mini fridge, after struggling putting it back on a shelf he pushed it to the side against a wall. "As for why they are so jittery... is because of this." he said running behind his counter pulling out a case of vials.

    "What''s that???..." We all asked, Jay and Grace picking up vial inspecting the light blue translucent liquid with speckles of silver and gold.

    "This is called Phoenix blood elixir....." Balefire answered.

    "They use Phoenix blood...to make these?....." I asked in shock.

    "Phoenixs don''t exist.... they are only legends...." Jay answered me.

    "No no ... it''s made from some plants.... it was given this name because it re-energizes the drinker making them feel refreshed." Balefire answered.

    ".... so everyone here takes it?..." Helen asked feeling worried.

    "Yes yes..... Well not me but almost everyone does... to meet quotas and increase productivity also, everyone drinks these to make more money.... and wellˇ­. To stay in the job aswelˇ­. Kinda a vicious cycle...." Balefire answered looking very grim.

    "So I guess there''s a very negative side effect??...." Jay asked noticing his reaction.

    "Yes sadly.... it''s very addictive and nothing can really replace real sleep and rest....." He answered Jay.

    "Surly such a drug must be illegal in Aspa." Grace asked looking completely surprised.

    "Nope.... this drug is totally legal.... in fact it''s heavily marketed to land cities of Aspa to increase productivity, giving the populace dreams of increasing wealth and standing." He answered taking a seat on his high stool.

    "But... I''ve never heard of such news....." Jay said in utter shock.

    "Lemme guess.... you hear about all the glitz and glam of the sky cities and the Grand fleet???...." Balefire asked.

    "Yeah ....." Helen, Grace and Jay replied.

    "Yeah..... Sadly people only hear and see what they want to..... No one cares about how Aspa maintains their production and the land cities that supply them." Balefire answered.

    "May I ask... why you decided stay???... I''m sure you could be a lecture or even a teacher in Atlantis or even head artificer in Aspa." Jay asked politely.

    "I chose to stay because I met my late wife here.....And this very workshop is where I taught and brought up my son." He said proudly with a hint of sadness. "This is my town, I can''t leave my town." He added.

    "So where is your son now??.... He must be doing amazing things." Jay asked.

    "My son?.... he said he wanted to learn and experiment more in Artificing..... Probably in the sky cities..... Sadly I havn''t seen him for a while..... But he sends back plenty of money for me to have no worries." Balefire smiled extremely proudly.

    "Would it be too much to ask for you to come see out teacher???.." Helen asked kindly.

    "Hmmm..... what if you tell me the secret to your ''cold box'', I''ll come with you." He smiled causing everyone to look at me hoping I could help.

    "I mean..... I kinda know how a refrigerator works and an ice box.... I''m sure I can...." I replied trying to desperately work out how they work.

    "Refrigerator????" Balefire asked looking confused.

    "Ahhh I mean cold box..." I replied correcting myself.

    "Ohhh so you can tell me???"He asked me looking extremely happy.

    "Sure....." I hesitantly replied frantically trying to remember how a fridge operates

    "Great lemme grab my things and close up." Balefire jumped in excitement quickly sweeping some things into his pocket and went around the back for a minutes or two.

    "Are you sure it''s okay to tell him about Artificing from Emilia''s home????...." Daisy asked a little worried

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    "I''m sure it''s alright..... Besides this is only a hologram anyways." Jay smiled.

    "Ohhh true true....."Daisy nodded in agreement.

    "Alright I''m all ready to set off..... Balefire came walking out learning the way out his shop and locking the door behind us.

 121 The War

    "So so how does your ice box work???..." Balefire eagerly asked me looking extremely excited.

    ".... ummm.... so how your box works..... If you have something called an icebox where the ice cools the box and the box maintains the temperature while slowing the inflow of heat..... I think." I answered him hoping my science was right. "Now imagine you have a system.... that circulates the air but in the process cools it down outside the cool zone and pushes the cold air into the cold zone..... And as the air warms up.... get pushed around to get cool again....." I tried to explain to him how a fridge works with my very limited understanding.

    "Hmmm that does sound interesting...." He said thinking to himself, "Why don''t you become an inventor???!!! You have a great mind like me and my son!.... maybe you can study and experiment with me." He smiled.

    "Thanks..... But I''m not very smart.... honestly." I confessed to him.

    "You have the mind of an inventor, if you ever change your mind my door is always open." He smiled.

    "I''ll keep that in mind." I smiled to him.

    "So where are you younglings from???.... A new adventuring group perhaps??...." He asked trying to keep up with us.

    "Yeah..... You can say that....." Helen replied with a smile.

    "Umm..... Mr. Balefire..... Would you like a helping hand???..." Daisy asked with a smile.

    "If you don''t mind..." He answered her with a giant smile.

    "Not at all." Daisy knelt down in front of him.

    "Thank you young one, what was your name again??...." Balefire asked getting up on Daisy''s back sitting on her shoulder.

    "Daisy." She replied standing up and began walking with again with us.

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    "No family name?...." He asked curiously.

    "Nopeˇ­. I don''t know my real parentsˇ­.." She replied to him.

    "Ohhh.....So your armour and weapons..... Are you perhaps a cleric??.... Or paladin??...." he asked curiously avoiding the parents topic

    "Yes.... I''m a follower of Serra." Daisy answered him with a smile.

    "Could you do an old widower a favour??..."He asked quietly with a smile.

    "Certainly what would you like???..." Daisy asked with a giant smile.

    "My wife..... She wasn''t a follower of Serra..... But could you perhaps you could pray for Serra to look over her?...." He asked Daisy politely slightly hesitant.

    "Certainly Serra loves all regardless of faith." Daisy smiled looking around. "Be right back guys...." Daisy said putting down Balefire.

    "Something wrong???..." Jay asked looking a little worried watching Daisy walk off into a quiet alleyway.

    "I think she went to make a prayer?....." I answered him a little unsure myself.

    Daisy proceeded to place her maul on the floor and kneeling beside it. Pulling something out of her chest she clutched it with both hands looking down into the floor. She began mouthing something as her tattoos began to glow golden, radiating a warm golden yellow glow sending a sense of warmth and comfort into me.

    "Excuse me....." Balefire quietly whispered as he turned around pulling out a tissue wiping his own tears.

    After a minute of two Daisy stood up dusted off her knees and walked back to us. "Your wife is doing well." Daisy smiled picking up balefire like a kid and placing him on her shoulders.

    "Thank you...." Balefire smiled wiping away the last trace of tears from his eyes and blowing his nose.

    We all began walking back to the entrance of the city in silence with a smile on our faces feeling the effects of Daisy''s prayer.

    I couldn''t help but wonder if her God actually responded to her.... is faith tangible here???.... Can someone truly feel the effects of their God?....

    "Welcome welcome!!!!" professor Annabelle greeted us as we arrived. "Ohhh and you bought a friend????!!!" she greeted balefire with a smile, holding out a hand to shake.

    "Mr Balefire." He introduced himself shaking Professor Annabelle''s hand.

    "Wait?.... The Balefire?..." She asked shaking his hand asking curiously.

    "Yup Sooty Balefire is what people mostly call me." He answered with a proud smile.

    "Great Heavens..... It''s such an honour to meet such an esteemed inventor!!!" Professor Annabelle replied practically gushing over him, "I saw your war machines in action personally..... You saved countless lives with your inventions!" She added excitedly shaking his hand.

    "Just a citizen doing his duty." Balefire smiled.

    "By the way.... the War wasn''t long ago..... But everything seems so.... normal.." I asked quietly to everyone.

    "Alaystin the untouchable was able to divert their forms of transportation into one continent." Jay answered.

    "Yes and that is where the last few years of the war was fought giving our world a fighting chance, now that all continents could focus their efforts all into one front." Helen interrupted.

    "Yes but even then it was a brutal struggle... huge casualties and sacrifices were made." Jay added.

    "Yes many stories of great heroism and great tragedy arose during this era." Helen said.

    "So how did it end???...." I asked curiously.

    "Apparently their leader annoyed at the progress stepped foot into our world..... His size was so immense, even I was able to see him and I was in another continent!!!!!" Jay explained sounding extremely astonished.

    "Yes..... And that is when the four legendary sorcerers enacted an unknown spell of cataclysmic proportions..... Banishing the enemy leader and its forces..... The sheer amount of Arcanum released from that spell was even felt in the fey....." Helen added sounding excited.

    "Yup all I saw was a huge flash and suddenly he was no longer thereˇ­.. everyone who was there said they saw a bright flash and awoke back in their home continents... but after many years of search the four legendary Sorcerers were nowhere to be seen and the continent remains unreachable devastated by all kinds of disastrous effects I guess the aftermath form the spellˇ­." Jay shrugged concluding the story.

    "Yes and because most the Elven houses decided to flee.... causing some tension between Elves and the races of this world....." Helen explained.

    "Is there a reason why Elves fled????" I asked in shock.

    "We aren''t sure ourselves... but we were there when all the cities activated their teleportation runes phasing out cities into the fey." Grace explained.

    "From there the Elves monitored the war effort..... Cowering away in their cities...." Grace angrily added.

    "It''s okay.... everything came out okay!!!" Daisy said with a giant smile.

    "Yeah ..." I hesitantly agreed.

    "Yeah.... it''s understandable what they your Elves royals decided.... or whoever decided to retreat to the fey." Jay smiled.

    "Still.... Elves should have still fought side by side with the races of earth..." Grace said still sounding irritated.

    "By the way....I also remember hearing there were two others from my plane... know anything about them????? I assume one us Paul....." I asked curiously.

    "Oh.... That would be Delphine..... Also another sorcerer of renowned status..... She is famous for her divination magic and necromancy..... And vanished after some serious crimes against the crown....." Helen answered.

    "Yeah.... rumours has it she''s so adept in divination magic.... she''s able to see a few seconds in the future at all time..... That''s why she has evaded capture and no one has seen her for years....." Jay answered.

    "What crime did she commit????" I asked I gasped in shock.

    "She was in some plot to overthrow the royal family... but despite her adept divination magic her plan was thwarted by Sir August the Grand Sorcerer of Xoria..." Jay answered.

    ˇăHow was he able to defeat someone who can see the future ????....." I asked in disbelief.

    "No one knows... but all we know Sir August was able to defeat her in a duel." Grace answered.

    "Wow I wonder what he''s like..." I wondered in awe.

    "Well like Paul he''s rumoured to be adept in several schools of magic.... as well as being one of Paul previous mentors...." Jay answered.

    "Woah.... I''m sure Paul would know a lot about him....." I replied in awe.

    "By the way, how do you know so much???..." grace asked looking suspiciously at jay.

    "Everyone knew..... It was a grand event.... everyone thought Paul would study under him and then become a king''s guard or at least be the next successor of Sir August" Jay answered.

    "Wow... there''s so much I don''t know about him....." I replied.

    "... Yeah he''s grown so quickly in the short time he''s been here..... But his practice room was both ingenious and kinda cheating" Jay answered.

    "Yah... the training time we''ve had there has definitely given us a distinct advantage....." Grace agreed.

    "Especially having Scarlet and Ashley as personal mentors!!!!" Daisy yelled in happiness.

    "I''m still a little worried to be honest....." I confessed.

    "To best honest..... You probably do have the hardest opponent of all of us...." Jay answered.

    "Yeah..... No doubt she''s been taught from such a young age.... especially from lady..." Helen answered pausing trying to think of a name.

    "Lady Irene." Grace added.

    "Who is that??? I asked.

    "Grand master of the sorceress council for King Edward Calista''s Father." Grace answered.

    "Separate to Atlantis??? I asked curiously.

    "Yup separate entity..." Jay answered.

    "Ohh I see...." I replied wondering what Paul''s life was like living here......

 122 Oblivion War

    As the rest of the class came strolling back, some groups more successful than other brining back a patron or two, waited patiently as Professor Annabelle was still engrossed in conversation with Balefire.

    "They''ve been talking for a really long time." Jay said looking at them.

    "Professor Annabelle is a famous researcher so she''s bound to be extremely interested in what Mr Balefire has to say." Grace replied.

    "... Kind of weird being a hero but still choosing to live a quaint quite life." I said looking at him.

    "Yeah..... That''s quite rare..... Most heroes went on to do great things and were even allowed to live in Xoria....." Helen said also looking at him "Goes to show how humble he isˇ­." She added.

    "Imagine if he became a professor or even went on to a state researcher.... He could have probably produced even more great and amazing inventions." Jay added.

    "To be honest all this is pretty impressive..... We don''t have anything like this at home." I said to everyone.

    "What do you mean?" Daisy asked looking confused.

    "You know.....whatever it is that makes this whole place look and feel like another location." I answer Daisy.

    "I dunno... if you had questions about Serra or some other religions I would know though....." Daisy smiled.

    "I assume it''s some sort of Artificing with Illusion magic... but the only form of illusion magic that I know that''s tangible is Moon Elf illusion magic... and that''s is only in the presence of a full moon..... So I don''t even know how Professor Annabelle was able to replicate it." Helen explained.

    "Yah..... This was one of the things we wanted to experience first hand." Grace smiled.

    "I find it hard to believe that Elves wouldn''t have this sort of stuff...." Jay commented rather intrigued.

    "Ummm.... yes we Elves are more attuned to Arcanum then other races..... Every Elf can naturally produce magic in one form or another..... But Elves as a race see no use for Artificing.... they think it''s an insult to generations of tradition." Grace answered obviously disagreeing with her peers.

    "So you mentioned moon elves..... Are you and Helen a special type of elf.... as well?...." Jay hesitantly asked.

    "Yes..... Grace is a Dawn elf and I''m a night elf." Helen answered with a smile.

    "So..... Do you guys have cool things like you mentioned earlier with moon elves.... and Sun Elf blades?...." Daisy asked in excitement.

    "Yes..... Night Elves can artificially creature an area of magical darkness snuffing out all types of light, and Dawn Elves can channel energy to produce a form of Sun beam..." Helen answered.

    "Okay class well done every! No mass city riots today so that''s a win..... Although I can tell some of you got into a few scraps. She said looking at a few dirtied students." Professor Annabelle said to the class. "I want you all to meet! Sooty Balefire one of the greatest Heroes and Chief Engineer of Xoria during the Oblivion War." She said smiling letter Mr Balefire walk forward causing everyone to gasp.

    "Ummm..... Hello everyone... I was never really good at speeches or addressing large crowd..... I actually prefer the quiet quaint life... but I want to thank you all.... looking at all your faces and the great people you will all become made everything during that dreaded time worth it." He smile taking a deep bowl in front of the class.

    The whole class fell silent taking a deep bow in return feeling truly humbled by his speech. "No..... Mr Balefire... we are truly thankful for your sacrifice..." Professor Annabelle stood him up and bowed deeply. Making Mr Balefire to start tearing up, Mr Balefire and the scenery around us slowly faded into light particles and the world began transforming back to our classroom.

    "100 Points to Phoenix for achieving the goal of the lesson and allowing us to all meet a Legend...." Professor Annabelle announced to the class wiping away a tear.

    "Umm Professor?.... what did you mean by sacrifice?.." A student asked the class.

    "Maybe one day you''ll hear his story and accolades in Mr Doddles History class." Professor Annabelle smiled.

    "What was sacrificed?...." I asked Helena, Grace and Jay.

    "We''re not sure....." They all replied.

    "They say... Those who were too close at the epicentre of it all lost their sanity by even catching a glimpse of the humongous figure...." Jay answered.

    "Yeah... there was tremendous losses... both innocent and solider lives....." Helen answered.

    "Yup even Head Master Bran lost his wife..." Grace added.

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    "Ohhhh no...." I gasped in shock.

    "Yes..... She was a well-known follower of Serra..... Apparently she was Serra''s Chosen Champion." Daisy nodded, making me feel really uncomfortable.

    "What happened to her?.." I politely questioned.

    "If I remember correctly..... She and other healers were trending to wounded soldiers near the front lines... when a Shapling detonated itself inside a Triage centre...." Helen answered sadden from recalling the story.

    "I see..." I nodded guessing a Shapling is something that can change its shape.

    "It was truly a great loss...." Daisy nodded.

    "Well should be about time for class to end..... Make sure you all remember everything you learnt today..... And next week we will be learning about Grassland Creatures and how to deal with them." Professor Annabelle concluded the class.

    "We''ll what you guys want to do for the rest of the day?" Jay said pulling out a notebook and began to note things down.

    "Do you think the simulation room would allow us to watch some of the events during the war?.." I asked curiously as we made our way out of class.

    "Hmmm if headmaster Bran allowed the computer to collect his memories form the events then I''m sure it would be there..." Jay answered.

    "Yeah.... but we need to look for Morgana first." Daisy reminded us.

    "Ohh yeah she seemed kind of bummed out when we made plans without her.." Jay replied.

    "Yeah..... Maybe we should be more considerate..." Helen added.

    "You''re right... someone''s destiny isn''t decided by their parents." Grace agreed nodding.

    "You know what would be awesome though?...." Jay asked us.

    "What''s that?" I replied noticing his sudden change in mood to excitement.

    "The Champions of Xoria." Jay replied in utter excitement.

    "Ohhh my god... let''s go!!! I''m sure the simulation room will have someone who''s been to a live match!!!" Daisy answered in extreme excitement.

    "Yes!!! It''s decided that''s what we''re doing this evening!" Helena and grace agreed also leaping in excitement.

    "Well let''s hope we can find Morgana at dining hall...." Jay said quickening his pace to the Dining hall.

    "What''s the Champions of Xoria?.." I asked trying to keep up with everyone.

    "Ohh my god... it''s a yearly championship..... All the greatest fighters across the land to battle it out and be crowned the Champion of Xoria." Grace replied extremely excited.

    "Who''s your favourite?" Daisy asked Grace.

    "Ashelia the Frost queen!! And yours?..." Grace asked Daisy back.

    "Aurelia the Blade Dancer!" Daisy answered.

    "Ohh yes.... she''s so amazing both gorgeous and her finesse in combat is truly beautiful." Jay agreed.

    "....... Would she beat Scarlet?..." I questioned noticing how much they adored her.

    "...... Hard to say....... but Scarlet is special....never seen her or even heard her receive even a scratch from anyoneˇ­..." Jay replied.

    "By the way..... Why is her skin naturally so impenetrable?....." I asked.

    "No idea you''re extremely close to her... maybe you should ask." Helen suggested.

    "Yes I wouldn''t mind learning that technique." Grace chuckled.

    "How about Paul?.." I asked immensely interested in how he would size up against others.

    "Hmmmm hard to say... very few people have seen him in combat.... he''s mainly famous because of his accolades and mythsˇ­." Jay explained

    "Of course if he competed he would win easily." Daisy yelled in his defence with complete and utter confidence.

    "That is true.... No human has ever been able to kill a Dragon before... specially a Black Dragon." Jay answered.

    "Also... his ability to make portals... I assume he can just banish people into another plane if he wanted." Grace added.

    "Yeah.... there''s no doubt he''s formidable..... Nearly all the Elven houses respect his accolades and his abilities in spellcasting some say he must be part elven because he has such an affinity to so many school and types of magic.... so that''s something. He''s even rumoured to have studied under several Elven Tutors as well." Grace added.

    "My God... what has he not done?..." I asked wondering.

 123 Yaksha Vs Bo

    "Hmm Morgana doesn''t seem to be on our house tables....." Helen and Grace said as we began recovering our dinner.

    "Hmm maybe we should check the Kraken table..." Daisy suggested.

    "Hey guys!!!" Ben waved at us from another table.

    "Hey!!!" we shouted back waving.

    Suddenly a ball of paper floated past me towards Ben. Turning around to find the source of the ball, Jay was holding out his wand pointed towards Ben. "Ohhh what''s on the paper??..." I asked curiously.

    "Nothing just telling him that if he''s free meet us outside after dinner." Jay answered.

    "Hmmmm....." Daisy hummed looking for Morgana.

    "Don''t see her??...." I asked after waiting a few seconds.

    "Hmm... don''t think so....." she replied.

    "Isn''t there a way to..... Locate her magically??..." I questioned everyone.

    "I would need to see her first sadly...."Grace chuckled.

    "Yah same here....." Helen answered also.

    "What I can do isn''t much help either... but I can give it a try." Daisy answered.

    "What can you do?"I asked curiously.

    "It''s a bit weird....but if I focus I can sense good and evil." Daisy answered closing her eye..... "Yup.....as expected too many pings..... I can''t tell which one is Morgana." Daisy answered Looking around.

    "If I could see her, I could mark her ... but I''ll need to see her first." Grace chuckled.

    ".... lemme go search for her....." I said pushing away my plate and stood up.

    "She''s probably gonna be at the Kraken table." Jay advised as I went to look for her.

    Just by glancing at the tables there was a common demographic between the tables.... Dragons seem to be rich and aristocratic, judging by the way they dress and sit, and Kraken''s seem like rowdy ruffians.... and Phoenix just looked like normal everyday people.

    "Ummm excuse me.... have you seen a girl.... her name is Morgana..... Black hair.... a little taller than me...." I said to the first student at the end of the table.

    "Take a look...yourself" he said gesturing for me to look over the table and went back to his dinner.

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    "Ummmm... okay thanks....." I said being kind to him despite his rudeness, taking a quick glance I decided to walk back to the other.

    "I don''t think she''s here...." I replied to everyone.

    "Hmmmm..... I wonder what she''s up to..." Daisy wondered.

    "I wonder if we really hurt her feelings earlier...." Helen questioned.

    "Yeah let''s be sure to have a good apology next time we see her." Jay said.

    "Agreed." We all agreed with Jay.

    "I wonder if the school even has any matched cataloguedˇ­." Helen pondered.

    "Yeah let''s make a move before all the rooms get taken." jay advised.

    "Yeah that sounds like a good idea." Grace answered quickly standing up.

    Together we all began making our way to the simulation room keeping an eye out for Morgana but to no avail. A part of me wondering what Paul was doing.... for some reason I hoped I''d see him around more, like when we used to go school together.

    "Ohhhh we''re in luck looks like most students are still eating." Jay notified us as he used the console. "Okay.... second floor room 4." Jay said touching the screen.

    "Let''s go!!!" Daisy grabbed me rushing up filled with excitement.

    As we entered the room it felt extremely weird, the pristine white floor, walls and ceiling melded together perfectly making almost indistinguishable unable to size up the true scale and size of the room.

    "Computer are there any Champions of Xoria matches stored?.." Jay yelled out asking the computer.

    "Yes we have a complete catalogue of the last five years." The feminine computerised voices answered jay.

    "Can we watch the most recent one???.." Jay asked.

    "Affirmative... we have two stored memories open for public use.... Paul Phu and Scarlet." The computer answered causing us to all look at each other in shock but also excited, "Shall we?..." Jay asked.

    "Sure!!!!!" we all answered.

    "Paul please....." Jay requested.

    "Affirmative." The computer answered as the room began shifting and that familiar feeling began creeping in.

    "Seriously????... Even in memories as well...." Jay cursed as he took out his coin.

    "What on earth is she...." grace said also reaching into her pocket. Similarly reaching for my coin also focusing to activate it, the feeling of dread and fear vanished.

    Looking around we was in what I could best describe was a private viewing box with just Paul, Ashley and Scarlet on the side of the Colosseum giving us a perfect view of everything.

    "Woah..... How rich are these guys???..." Jay said taking a seat.

    "Wow these seats are reserved for important people normally...." Grace and Helen said. "Even our families won''t be able to book these.." they added.

    "Woooooo" Daisy screamed getting pumped with the whole atmosphere of the Colosseum.

    I couldn''t help myself but stare at Paul a little... the small scar near his eye brow he got as a kid, the ring and cufflinks I got him.... even the necklace his late mum got for him.... I couldn''t help but wonder what happened to himˇ­..

    "Hey Emilia you Okay??....." Jay yelled out over the crowd.

    "Yeah all good." I answered him taking a seat with the others.

    "This is gonna be great!!!" Grace yelled as hyped as Daisy.

    "So how does this tournament work??!" I asked curiously.

    "So this is the top 16 fighters... all year participants attend different venues and duel other Contestants earning point. At the end of the Season the top 16 participants with the highest scores duel one on one in a knock out tournament." Jay explained.

    Fireworks and lights and sounds began erupting from the centre of the Colosseum and illusions began appearing in the air above us like large TVs. With a thunderous boom a well-dressed gentleman with goat horns on his head appeared dressed in every extravagant clothing and jewels, with dark redskin and purple eyes. "Welcome everyone to the annual champions of Xoria!!!" His voice boomed causing everyone to roar in excitement.

    "Without further ado lets welcome our first two contestants, Rank7 all the way from the Bitter mountains in the north Yaksha the rage of the North!!!!!!" the Colosseum erupted in cheer as an oddly grey skinned female human with long wavy pitch black hair emerged from a magical blue door similar to a spell Jay used, walked out wearing a leathery brown skirt, boots and brackets lined with white fur and a simple clothes wrapped tightly around her chest. Her physique was extremely muscular reminding me of Abbraxoths extremely huge and daunting physique, but with tribal tattoos running down the sides of her neck all throughout her body. Wielding a large double sided axe on her back and a slightly smaller hammer on her side with a coiled metal chain attached to the handle.

    "And her opponent from the far eastern isles Rank 5 Bo Master of the Seventh wind." The announcer introduced as an Asian female stepped out noticeably shorter than Yaksha. A part of me instantly wondered if she would even stand a chance..... She was noticeably shorter and obviously physically weaker..... Her body was more slender like the shape of a model with no visible weapon. All she wore was a simple crop top covering her chest with baggy leggings and bandages wrapped around her hands and feet.

 124 Team Paul.....

    "In case you''re wondering Yaksha is a Goliath..." Jay said noticing my intrigue in her.

    "Aren''t Goliath.... Giants??....." I asked in return.

    "Hmmmm..... Giants and Goliath are different races..... They do say Goliath''s are descendants of Stone giants... that''s why they are noticeably taller than us and greyish in skin colour." Jay answered.

    "They generally aren''t very wise or smart either." Grace chuckled.

    "Yes... it is kind of known that Goliaths are a bit like orcs.... not the brightest of races..... Unless it''s to do with fighting or brawling." Jay added.

    "She''s so awesome!!" Daisy smiled in excitement.

    "As you can see from her attire and skin tone..... Bo is from the Eastern Continent... most likely a monk...." Grace added.

    "Wait that''s the same type of person you will be up against right?...." I asked Grace in return.

    "Yes but she''s apparently a master level so I assume Bo is way above my opponents level." Grace answered.

    "Can she really win in a fight?..." I asked curiously.

    "Considering she''s ranked five..... I assume she''s pretty strong." Jay commented.

    "None the less.... she''s going to have a hard time..... Yaksha is pretty sturdy fighter.... she''s an absolute unit.....some say she took down a fire giant by herself." Grace added.

    Both fighters were surprisingly courteous to each other shaking each other''s hand with giant smiles on the faces and exchanging pleasantries before making their way back to assigned markers on the floor waiting for the match to start.

    "Who do you think is going to win?.." I heard Scarlet ask Paul.

    "I''m pretty sure Bo is going to win." Paul guessed.

    "What makes you think that?..." Ashley asked.

    "Although this generally tends to be a bad match up for her... she has a special fighting style, she''s yet to reveal yet." Paul explained.

    "And how do you know about it then?.." Scarlet asked curiously.

    "You can sense it right?... that slight bit of radiant energy she emanates..." Paul asked.

    "Is that it?...." Scarlet laughed.

    "Ahhh you and your nonchalant attitude...will be the doom of you" Paul sighed.

    The whole Colosseum fell silent as an illusionary countdown timer beginning 10 appeared in the centre, as well as a live view of the match appearing in the sky for the viewers further away. I sensed nothing of the special radiant energy Paul spoke about, only the normal new sensation that everything and everyone else but weirdly enough I felt nothing emanating from Paul... as if he wasn''t there at all....

    "Ohhhhh it''s about to start!!!" Daisy burst in absolute excitement.

    The exact moment the timer hit zero Bo appeared on the side of Yaksha with unfathomable speed and proceeded to lay an absolute devastating flurry of blows right into Yaksha''s unguarded side, with each blow physically forcing giant to take steps back stopping Bo flank her rear.

    "Wouldn''t it be more effective if she just used a weapon?..." I asked curiously.

    "You guys weren''t hit by one of those punches... but the hologram I''ve been training against its fists were as hard as rocks, I can imagine those punches just now being even worse, even to a Goliath." Grace answered.

    "Yup Goliath''s are renowned to be extremely sturdy and tough...so if those forced her back a few pacesˇ­. They must''ve hurt" Jay agreed.

    Yaksha looked up at Bo with a giant grin on her face letting out a giant roar that could even be heard from here, stepping forward returning swings back with absolute savagery with no concern for Bo''s safety.

    "Isn''t this a bit dangerous for the contestants?...." I asked noticing that Bo wasn''t pulling her punches or Yaksha swinging with enough force to cleave her in half.

    "It''s a bit unsafe but there are the best healers and stuff ready on standby for them when the match ends." Helen answered reminding me of that spell Paul used to fix my legs.

    Miraculously Bo appeared unscathed dodging and parrying her swings with upmost confidence allowing the axe to barely graze past her, even using an opening to land an elbow up the chin and a strong side kick straight to the abdomen but this time Yaksha was unfazed almost if those hits didn''t even land, her body didn''t react one bit.

    "She''s gonna be upset using it this early in the tournament." Paul said with a giant smile.

    Using an opening after dodging another swing Bo rolled back leaping backwards, assuming a different stance and closed her eyes. Suddenly her fists and body began a brilliant yellow similar to Daisy when she''s in the heat of a battle.

    "Ohhh this just got exciting." Daisy said edging forward on her seat.

    "Is that what you do??..." I asked Daisy curiously.

    Daisy concentrated a little, focusing on her..... "Nope this feels different... I defiantly don''t feel any blessings from her.....specially Serra" Daisy answered.

    "Hmmmmm..." I pondered wondering what it could be.

    "Can you do that?.." I overheard Scarlet asking Paul.

    Paul chuckled giving Scarlet a small dig in her arm, "You know I need to keep some secrets for the next time you decide to challenge me again..." Paul chuckled with a smile.

    "Ha you know... if we was to ever duel again I''ll be victorious." She laughed back with an equally giant smile.

    "Ohhh most defiantly..... You went easy on me last time and even then I barely came out on top." Paul smiled, "But no harm in keeping some stuff in the tank." Paul chuckled.

    "You know I''ll never challenge you again or even dream of hurting you...." Scarlet replied in a very solemn tone.

    "I know..." Paul smiled in a similar sombre tone.

    "By the way.... what''s the deal with Anna?.." Ashley asked curiously.

    "Well we all know it''s not easy to get into our team....." Ashley began to explain, "Like.... being exceptionally talented or strong kinda feels like the per-requisite.... but even then that''s not enough normally." Ashley explained.

    "Nothing special Ashley... just building a family here." Paul smiled.

    "Well rumours has it that the council isn''t happy with our ''Family''..... They are increasingly worried of our power level." Ashley replied.

    "Old bureaucrats are just worried of thing they can''t control." Paul sighed.

    "Yeah especially since you''re now a recently appointed council member of the Perpetua....." Ashley added.

    "Who cares if they have a problem, if they want they can come talk to us personally." Scarlet said pounding her fists together.

    "That''s the problem.... Scarlet.... they are afraid of a Coup.... especially now I have more pull as a council member." Paul replied.

    "A What?..." scarlet asked totally confused.

    "My bad.... it means overthrowing the council and royal with brute force." Paul replied.

    "That''s so absurd.... if they got off their asses and did a little research they would know that we aren''t even remotely interested in taking control of a city yet alone a nation.... We''re just too lazy." Scarlet laughed uncontrollably.

    "That reminds me why did you accept to be a member of the Perpetua council?..." Ashley asked.

    "Just so I''ll be freer to help those in need..... And it stops any of the other council members using the orphanage and school as leverage against me." Paul answered.

    "By the way..... What''s the pay for the next job?.." Scarlet asked.

    "About Ten Platinum." Paul answered.

    "No wayˇ­.. Ten platinum just to attend a social dinner?!" Ashley asked in shock.

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    "EASY MONEY!!!!" Scarlet yelled with a giant smile from ear to ear.

    "Yeah don''t let all this fool you, in the end they still see us as filth." Ashley said with disdain.

    "I know I know... But it''s easy money..... Plus gaining favour or two from a noble family might come in handy." Paul smiled.

    "Well.... as make sure you''re on your best behaviour!!! A healthy tip would be nice." Scarlet smiled wrapping an arm around Paul''s shoulder.

    "... All you care about is money....." Paul sighed.

    "HEY!!! Don''t forget fighting!!! But yes I do love money!!!" Scarlet smiled.

    "I mean some extra cash would go along way for my research and experiments." Ashley agreed.

    "Well.... Time for work." Paul sighed as the whole Colosseum erupted in roar and applaud.

    "And the winner is BO MASTER OF THE SEVENTH WIND!!!" the announcers voice yelled out.

    "Woah... I really hope Min isn''t anywhere near as strong as her.... the fact that she was able to shoot bolts of lights out of her hands and feet was insane.... and her speed....." Grace commented.

    "Yup being able to take down Yaksha was such a sight.... I''ve read she''s gone toe to toe versus giants...." Jay added in awe.

    "ONE DAY I WILL BE CHAMPION!!!!" Daisy shouted full of excitement, "wait are there any paladins in the tournament...." Daisy pondered.

    "I''m sure there are a few but none in top 16 sadly." Helen smiled.

    "WHAT??!!!!" Daisy shouted looking really upset and defeated.

    Smiling and nodding along with everyone and pretending to have watched the fight, I kept an eye on Paul as he bid farewell to Ashley and Scarlet and walked out the seating area..... A part of me wondering what on earth he''s up to.

 125 Scarlets Strength

    "Urghhh.... we defiantly should sleep earlier.... if we''re gonna be training in the morning." Daisy moaned as we all meet up for training.

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    "Yah... but it was so worth it." Helen smiled in glee.

    "...why do you and Grace looked so refreshed???..." I asked curiously also feeling the lack of sleep also killing me.

    "Us?.... we don''t need as much sleep as everyone else..... Elves only need a couple of hours and we feel completely refreshed." Helen smiled.

    ".....no way....." I replied in disbelief feeling extremity envious, that would have been so useful for my insomnia.

    "Good morning everyone!!!!" Scarlet greeted everyone with a giant gleeful smile.

    "Morning..." we all replied reaching into our pockets.

    "By the way thank you for storing the Xoria battles." Helen thanked her.

    "Ohhh!!! Yeah!!! We have a lot of stored memories in there for recreational purposes." Scarlet smiled. "Did you guys enjoy yourself??..." She asked politely.

    "Yes we did..... We might have stayed up a little too late...." Daisy smiled.

    "Ohhh no....I''ll lighten up on today''s lesson for today." Scarlet smiled.

    "Just out of curiosity what else is stored??..." I asked.

    "Hmmmm plays and musicals..... Ohhh maybe Ashley has some stored memories of Artificing events but those are super boring." Scarlet answered.

    "Any interesting fights??..." Grace asked intrigued.

    "Hmmmmm those aren''t for public use..... But we do have some stored... for personal use." Scarlet replied.

    "Can we perhaps see one??..." Daisy asked looking a little hopeful.

    "Hmmmm who would you like to see???.. Me, Paul or Ashley??." She asked with a giant smile.

    "Damn..... I''m so curious to see how you all fight...." Jay commented.

    "Yeah.... it''s too hard to choose." Helen added.

    "Hmmmm to be fair.... mine are quite quick and less flashy..." Scarlet smiled, "Paul''s tend to last longer because he always wants to learn the capabilities of his enemies and breaks them down." Scarlet carried on explaining. "Ashley on the other hand I would say is most exciting..... He uses all sorts of things to bring down his opponents but his fights also tend to be shorter." Scarlet explained.

    "How about Anna??.." I asked curiously.

    "Anna??... hmmm I''d have to ask her for permission first.... she''s very secretive with what she does." Scarlet answered.

    "Can we watch all three??..." I asked pushing my luck, but also dredging a training session with my lack of sleep.

    "Hmmmm....." Scarlet pondered looking at me. "Don''t tell Paul I''m giving you guys an easy day." She winked.

    "Yes!!!" we all smiled extremely excited.

    "...Hmm which one of my fights should I show you??..." Scarlet pondered. "Ohhh let''s watch an awesome battle when we thwarted an assassination attempt on an escort mission we had." Scarlet smiled. "Computer please load Assassination attempt on Princess Thalia." Scarlet smiled.

    The whole training room began transforming into flat grassland. Now in front of us a very fancy looking caravan pulled by four horses. It was extremely heavily guarded at least fifteen heavily armoured soldiers wearing extremely heavy metallic plated armour wearing a purple tabard with some sort of crest sewed onto them, each wielding a solid looking spear on their backs behind a shield and a sword attached to their side. In the driver seat another solider wielding no weapons and less armoured controlling the reins, on the other side an old solider with similar Armour but looks more decorative with just a sword on his side and between them a young looking teenage girl with blond hair. Paul and Ashley walking alongside the carriage with Scarlet walking behind.

    "Everything looks so peaceful and nothing in sight." Daisy hesitantly commented.

    "Yeah.... it also surprised us the level of planning used in this assassination attempt." Scarlet answered.

    "Can''t Paul just portal or teleport the princess and soldiers to where they need to go?.." Jay asked curiously.

    "Hmmm..... teleporting.... both method of travel are all similar..... How did Paul explain it to meˇ­...." She pondered. "Ohh yea!!! So basically to travel such a vast distance the gap is covered by passing through another plane, although it''s almost instantˇ­. over vast distances problems could occur." Scarlet answered. "Also Paul''s method of portaling is vastly different, along small distances is it also no problem, but one time when we traveled an extremely long distance something very horrible happened to someone accompanying us. From there on we never take anyone else other than ourselves over vast distance." Scarlet answered.

    "Ohhh..... Okay..." Jay nodded.

    "Computer please follow me." Scarlet asked.

    "Affirmative." The Computer answered.

    In a matter of moments circular pockets of shadows appeared getting larger and larger littered the floor around the caravan. "INCOMING!!!" the elderly solider yelled causing the caravan to stop and all the guards began drawing their weapons assuming formation, as small black projectiles shot out from the outside of the caravan intercepting the huge boulders and shattering them showering everyone with small rocks and pebbles.

    "Wow.... nice work Ashley." Paul yelled.

    Scarlet quickly ran to Paul, "They''ve gotta be Giant folk!" Scarlet informed Paul.

    Paul nodded, "Make it quick." Paul ordered putting a hand on Scarlet causing all of us to instantly change location but we were all still in an empty field.

    "Computer please switch on true seeing." Scarlet asked, suddenly around scarlet were six crazy huge Giants as tall as houses towering above her ready to ambush her.

    "Ohhhh my God...." I gasped at the sight Scarlet outnumbered six to one, all but two wielding large humongous clubs. The other two beside large pile of boulders.

    "Interesting..... How did you manage to gain invisibility?...." Scarlet said to herself and she made an extremely fast dash straight to a boulder wielding Giant readying to throw another boulder, dodging a large club swing and running between the legs of another Giant. In one huge bound and a swift slice of her huge sword she somehow manage to decapitate a Giant with ease in one swing. Letting go of her sword it flew into the other Giant readying a boulder easily slicing through its hand like a hot knife through butter causing the boulder to drop causing a small tremor. Landing with the decapitated body and a show of her ungodly strength she somehow chucked the body of the Giant like it was a sand bag toppling the remaining boulder tossing Giant.

    "What on earth is that strength she has?...that''s impossible...." Jay uttered in complete shock.

    "Wow....." Daisy said completely hypnotized.

    With a big swing one of the Giant swung its club at Scarlet like trying to swat a fly. Holding out an outstretched arm to the side she caught the club stopping it the moment the club met her open palm. Her hair and grass blowing to the side from the force of the swing. ".... that unbelievable..." Grace uttered shocked at the spectacle of Scarlet effortlessly stopping the club.

    In another outstanding show of strength she effortlessly disarmed the club from the Giant ripping the club that was at least twice the height of her away from the giant tossing it away behind her. Simultaneously grabbing one of the boulders with her other hand and effortlessly chucking it at the Giant colliding with its head knocking it unconscious instantly.

    Another Giant swung its club at Scarlet this time downwards, she stepped to the side avoiding the hit completely and holding up her hand up, her sword magically flying back into her grasp and with one big swing separated the hand at the wrist, proceeding a merciless diagonal swing sundered the giant in half in a single cut.

    "....... She''s so scary.... now I understand why she''s so feared..... Maybe that''s why our bodies always react so fearfully in her presence" Helen said in shock.

    Scarlet quickly dispatched the remaining Giants with ease in similar fashion cutting through their body and leathery armour like tracing paper. "So.... that was my part of the fight." Scarlet smiled. We all stood silent for a few seconds unable to even comprehend what we even saw.

    "I have so many questions..." Jay asked.

    "Yeah... I''ve never witness a singular being able to cleave through Giants with such ease..." Grace agreed.

    "Hah..... It''s all about training!!" Scarlet chuckled.

    "Something tell me even training a life time I will never reach that level of strength and agility... it''s beyond anything I''ve seen or heard of." Grace replied.

    "Ohhh.... it''s nothing....." Scarlet chuckled, "So who wants to see Paul next?..." Scarlet asked.

    "... How ridiculous is he?..." Jay said still in disbelief of how strong Scarlet was.

 126 Betrayal

    "Computer please reset the simulation and follow Paul please." Scarlet asked kindly.

    "Affirmative." the computer replied resetting everything back to the plain caravan leading up to when Paul teleported Scarlet away.

    "Ashley watch the Princess don''t let anyone in, I''m gonna deal with the other source of the boulders." Paul ordered before taking us to another location.

    Again similar to Scarlet he was surrounded by six giants in an exact similar formation. "Interesting..... More than two Giants.... On top Hill Giants and Stone Giants working together.....this is practically unheard of....." Paul commented with a smile.

    Another huge boulder was flung towards the caravan with no effect, again intercepted by a small black projectile shattering it into small rocks and pebbles.

    "Improved invisibility as well..... This is truly interesting giants possessing such magical ability comes once in a hundred years..." Paul said to himself, pulling out his wand and with a small flick tossed the closest giant readying an attack to the side sending it tumbling away

    "No way can a telekinesis spell move a Giant with such force..." Jay shouted in shock.

    Another Giant quickly stomped its way towards Paul swinging his giant club straight down at him. The giant trying to attack Paul as well as the remaining Giants froze as if Paul stopped time itself. Slowly small yellow piece of paper materialised on all the Giants forehead with the same illegible symbol written on them.

    "Now time to see what''s really going on here." Paul said floating up and touching the head of the giant and closed his eyes for a few seconds. Paul opened his eyes "lucky we took precautions." Paul said and quickly teleported us to Scarlet.

    "Scarlet we need to get back quickly, Ashley and the others are horribly outnumbered." Paul notified scarlet quickly walking to her.

    "Someone or something gave these giants invisibility." Scarlet informed him.

    "I know..... It''s not looking good!" Paul said quickly touching Scarlet teleporting us instantly back at the caravan. The area was littered with corpses consisting of both soldiers and caped individuals wearing black with a solider entering the Caravan.

    "STOP him!!!" Paul yelled.

    Before Ashley could even turn around the remaining soldiers drew their blades on the old man and Ashley.

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    "What are you all doing??!! I''m your Lord Commander, I order you all to lower your blades!!!" He shouted.

    "I''m sorry Lord Commander.... but this mission was given to us by the king himself." A solider replied.

    "Yes Lord Commander Gideon... The king ordered this personally." The young mage said and shot a spell into the air, instantly several robed individuals appeared out of nowhere walking towards the Caravan as a solider dragged out a young no older then 10 years old.

    "This isn''t good...." Scarlet whispered to Paul.

    "I know.... but they have the Lord Commander and Ashley..... And those are probably the individuals that cast dominate and invisibility on the giants..." Paul answered back.

    "Why would the King order an assassination on his own daughter?.." Scarlet asked shocked.

    "From what I saw.... the King is annoyed at his wife for not giving him a son...." Paul answered.

    "You''re fucking kidding me right?... He''s going this far because he wants a son..." She hissed in absolute anger.

    "Nope.... even worse is he also ordered the assassination on the Queen and the other two Princesses" Paul informed her.

    "Why now?..." Scarlet asked.

    "No idea..... But he''s paid these assassins handsomely for taking the blame for all this." Paul explained.

    "Yeah but he''s not gonna get away with this!!! The Lord Commander knows... and we know..." Scarlet argued.

    "What I guess they are gonna do... is alter memory the Lord Commander and we can''t get involved in other kingdoms politics." Paul answered.

    "This isn''t right..... We can''t let this happen." Scarlet whispered.

    "It''s too late.... for the Queen and the other two Princesses...." Paul answered.

    "Well whatever happens now..... We need to spring our backup plan anyways." Scarlet answered.

    "I know....We''re lucky Lord Commander Gideon voiced his concerns before we left... I pray he did the same for the Queen and the other Princesses..." Paul answered.

    A solider yanked the young princess pass Gideon towards the young mage and the robed assassins, "STOP you fool you don''t have to do this!!!" Gideon yelled out to him trying to struggle against the soldiers restraining him.

    "When do we spring into action?.." Scarlet asked.

    "On Anna''s go... you save the Lord Commander I can''t take down several soldiers without my spells." Paul answered.

    "Okay....." Scarlet answered seething in rage.

    "Remember on Anna''s go..... We still have the upper hand here." Paul reminded her.

    "The Great Black Dragon Slayer, Queen of Atlantis and Ashley the Metal Alchemist we meet again." One robbed figure said taking down hood shaking out her hair revealing a beautiful young woman with blond hair but with a distinct tattoo of a snake on her neck.

    "We let you live, giving a second chance to change and spat it back in our faces." Scarlet yelled.

    The robed woman laughed manically, "You naive fools!!! Disarm those two!" The assassins yelled.

    In an instant the Young princess magically became a teenager wielding two daggers. "Now!!" Paul ordered Scarlet. Before the four soldiers could even thrust their blades into Lord Commander Gideon their heads were severed from their body flying high in the sky before their bodies even hit the floor. Paul also as fast as Scarlet punched the one solider holding Ashley hostage cracking his metallic breastplate sending him flying away.

    The teenager in absolute calculated precision tossed a dagger at one of the robbed individuals and with the other carved into the solider with horrific precision cutting through the openings in his armor making him wail in extreme agony before dropping on the floor silence. In an instant Anna vanished appearing at her other dagger and dropped something before leaping back to a safe distance as a small explosion detonated within the robes of the assassin causing a horrific woman shriek out in pain before falling down to the floor smoke emitting from the corpse with a noticeable hissing sound.

    "We gave you a second chance..... But your participation in the assassination of a child is unforgivable. Nothing will save you from her wrath now." Paul yelled to remaining hooded assassins, as fast as the four soldiers around Gideon were slain, Scarlet severed the heads from the bodies of the remaining assassins holding her blade behind the nape of the neck of the unhooded assassin. "Irene you really should have taken the second chance we gave you." Paul advised her in a very sombre tone.

    "Damn You....." She screamed before Scarlet silenced her with a thrust of her blade executing her on the spot.

    "Black Dragon Slayer I order you to return the Princess RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Lord Commander Gideon ordered him.

    "As you wish..." He answered signalling a hand gesture to Anna, making her throw a dagger to the Lord Commanders feet.

    "Uncle Gideon!" The princess cried as she appeared at the dagger and ran into his arms.

    "Princess Thalia!!" He hugged her in return breaking into tears.

    "Want me to deal with the last one?.." Scarlet asked Paul.

    "No.... Gideon will deal with him." Paul said pulling out his wand and with a flick threw him to Gideon''s feet.

    Gideon moved Princess Thalia to the side and stood up tall saluting Paul, "Black Dragon slayer may I ask for one more favour?.." He asked with a stern voice.

    "You may." Paul replied.

    "Would you mind helping me take the bodies of the fallen soldiers back to the city so I may give them a soldiers burial and notify their family?.." He asked his eyes still red from the tears trying to keep them back.

    "That I cannot...you will be executed on the spot by the King..... Either for failing to protect the Princess or the Princess will be executed by the King if she is discovered to have survived." Paul explained.

    "If you won''t help me then I''ll do it myself!" Gideon replied prideful walking to a corpse and lifting it to the caravan, the disgraced solider looking down in shame went to help him.

    "Even after you kings betrayal you''re still loyal to him?.." Paul asked.

    "You won''t understand Black Dragon Slayer..... A knight is bound by their Oaths and my Oath is sworn to the king and the city." He replied to Paul''s question.

    "Even if you know he will execute you..." Paul questioned.

    "Yes!! Honour and Oath above all else Gideon answered.

    "Jesus your king don''t deserve good man like you..." Paul sighed heavily.

    "Ashley setup camp.... Scarlet make sure the area is cleared and we have no witnesses..... Leave the giants I stunned the charms should wear off in a day or two." Paul ordered.

    "Anna good work protecting the Princess, thanks for the help..... But you''ll need to make a move back to the school.... I''ll send you to a nearby town." Paul thanked her.

    "No problems Boss." She smiled her face finally came into view.

    "I''ll get Ashley to make you a couple more grenades when we get back." He smiled.

    "Sure Boss." She smiled holding her hand out to Paul.

    "Be safe, and stop calling me Boss" He said shaking her hand and in an instant she vanished.

    Paul sighed heavily a, "I hope one day you''ll be freed of your Oath." He said to Gideon lending him a hand.

    "And that''s the end." Scarlet smiled causing the room to change back to the normal changing room.

 127 Burden?

    We all remained still shocked at everything that happened, I began to start feeling light headed, my hands began to feel clammy and my forehead began to sweat a little...

    "Umm Scarlet what happened to the Princess and Gideon??..." Helen asked looking extremely worried.

    "It wasn''t a happy ending...." She answered Helen.

    "Are they safe?.." Daisy asked.

    "They are both safeˇ­.....Just... Gideon was banished labelled as a Disgraced Knight... the King remains unpunished and re-married." Scarlet answered looking extremely saddened. "As for Princess Thalia... we currently have her living a happy life as a commoner in our Orphanage..... And when she reaches the age of 12 we''ll try and get her into Atlantis or by 15 at the latest..... That would grant her immunity from her Father.... but she won''t be allowed to go back to her old lifeˇ­..." Scarlet answered.

    "What about Gideon?.." Daisy asked.

    "I''m not sure." She replied.

    "Why don''t you check up on him?.....I''m sure he would love to look over Princess Thalia!" Jay suggested.

    "It was his only wish for us to protect her..... We had to alter his memory or else the kings mages will be able to extract the truth form him eventually." Scarlet answered.

    "Surely you can take him to see her, now he''s exiled." Grace argued.

    "Like we said.... it was his final wish to protect her even at the expense of his own lifeˇ­...he said he will shoulder the burden no matter what the costˇ­.." Scarlet answered.

    I suddenly began getting second thoughts staying here..... I really don''t think I can survive in such a world. ''Ohh God no....'' I thought as the bowls of my stomach began to churn and the overwhelming feeling of vomiting took over, with no bin in sight I had no choice but to vomit on the floor away from everyone else.

    "You okay sis?.." Scarlet instantly appeared next to me holding my hair up as my body and lungs began to involuntarily heave emptying my body of all food and liquid.

    "Yeah...." I struggled to reply, "Just a little home sick I supposeˇ­" I explained.

    "I know.... I know.... Paul was the same at first he said." She replied rubbing my back trying to reassure me.

    Everyone surrounded me seeing if I was okay, Daisy even touched me with a glowing hand that made me feel better physically but didn''t remove the anxious feeling shaking my very core. Jay pulled out a wand casting a spell to get rid of the mess on my clothes and the floor magically making it all vanish.

    "Let''s all take a rest, and call it for today''s training. I forgot Emilia isn''t from here." She solemnly apologized taking us out the training room towards the sofas.

    "I would try and cook something for you all... but Paul keeps telling me that my cooking is more deadly than my sword..... So I think I''ll just get some of the ready-made stuff." She smiled walking into the kitchen.

    We all still sat in silence still shell shocked contemplating on what we just saw. There was several sounds of pots and pans clattering before Scarlet came out with a jug of water and juice with a bunch of candy bars and fruits.

    "Here you go....." She said passing out food and drinks for everyone. "OHHH wait!!! I''ll get some of Ashley''s fresh baked thingys and some jams, which never fails lift everyone''s spirits!!" she jumped in glee before entering the training room.

    "Seriously..... S ranks are in a league of their own." Jay said taking a drink.

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    "Yeah I honestly didn''t even know how strong they are!! It''s uncomprehendableˇ­.. How nasty must the other S ranked students beˇ­.." Daisy added in shock.

    "I guess that''s why they so respected in all socities..." Grace agreed.

    "What was that yellow paper thing Paul did to the Giants??..... Or those black projectiles that shattered the boulders...." Jay asked.

    "Not to mention their speed..... Scarlet literally took out over 5 targets in an instant and Paul managed to punch past plate armour in a single punch." Grace added.

    "By the way are you feeling alright?..." Helen asked looking extremely concerned for me.

    "Yeah..... Just..... Where I come from..... You would hardly ever see a person attacked yet alone decapitation or murdered it just so shocking." I tried to explain.

    "Ahh yes.. You did say your world was rather peaceful." She remembered.

    "Yeah... I''ve only seen people pass away from natural causes.... like old age..... So seeing Scarlet severing people''s heads and bodies was extremely nerve-wracking for me..... "I carried on explaining.

    "Yeah in our world.... we experience all this from a young age.... in fact it''s pushed onto all young Elves to prepare them for the conflict with Orcs." Helen explained.

    "Yeah..... my upbringing wasn''t the greatestˇ­....." Daisy added.

    "Same here... there was a lot of corruption in the town I lived in." Jay nodded.

    "I''m sorry for messing today up." I apologized feeling like a weakling vomiting from just watching what happened a simulation...

    "It''s okay.....we''ve all been there....." Grace replied trying to cheer me up.

    "Yeah.... it just take some getting used to." Jay agreed

    "I honestly can''t imagine myself doing what they did though..... How will I even survive?..." I asked.

    "You don''t need to... I''ve read stories of Paladins only slaying demons and devils and never living things." Daisy answered.

    "Yeah.... And I''ve head of some monks who never kill." Helen agreed.

    "Yeah don''t think about it too much! My first teacher was a traveller..... And you can always become a magic shop owner, there are many things you can do.... if adventuring isn''t your thing." Jay added.

    "Yeah!!.... A lot of paladins and clerics go on to be healers and priests... only a few go onto adventuring and cleansing evil." Daisy agreed.

    "Yeah!! Adventuring and mercenary work isn''t the only Job out there." Helen nodded.

    "Yup you can even go on to become a teacher if you liked." Jay smiled.

    Everyone''s kind words seemed all true but did little to calm my nerves.... "I guess....." I replied to them.

    Scarlet quickly came back with the familiar smells of baked pastries. "I''m back!" Scarlet greeted us.

    "Yo!" Ashley greeted us following closely behind.

    Scarlet quickly dropped a box on the table quickly opening it up taking out all sorts of freshly baked pastries. "Ohh my what are these?!" Daisy asked looking extremely excited.

    "How did you make these??!" I asked in shock picking up a vanilla crown.

    "Ohhh Paul loves baking so he and Ashley has designed a robot that can bake it." Scarlet answered.

    "Yes!!! It''s one of my greatest inventions!!! Imagine one of these robots in every town and establishment..... The income would be phenomenal!!!" Ashley smiled.

    Scarlet quickly began dishing out the pastries to everyone, "Here take abit of everything!" She said with a giant smile.

    "So I heard Scarlet showed you guys one of our missions." Ashley smiled taking a seat on the sofa opposite to us.

    "I''ve read news articles and heard stories about you guys but seeing it with me eyes is truly something else." Jay answered still sounding shocked.

    "Yeah... it''s not that great.... our services are in high demand despite the expensive prices we set..... As well as putting a target on our backs." Ashley sighed.

    "Who would even dare to attack you guys?.." Grace asked in shock.

    "Quite alot actually.... we''ve foiled many plans..... Defeated many strong opponents. Alot of people would like to see us dead or at least weakened." Ashley replied.

    "So what is Paul up to?.....We read he was in Eshia, is it to do with the Goblins moving south?.." Helen asked.

    "Ummm... Bran has told us to not anything directly to the Goblins until the council and King gives us permission..." Ashley replied looking annoyed.

    "Yeah.... Senior Atlantis students have helped with the evacuation efforts though....but we are ordered to only attack in self-defence right now" Scarlet smiled, "There''s nothing to worry about though..... Their progression is very slow and.... the Eastern Kingdoms are coming in for some support." Scarlet added.

    "When do you think Paul will be back?.." I asked a little worried and feeling a need to see him.

    "Hmmm Paul and Anna should be back in a couple of days... he said he had some business to deal with...." Ashley shrugged.

    "How often is he off Atlantis?..." I asked hoping to maybe stay with him a bit more.

    "Generally he prefers to stay on school grounds..... and we only go on missions during school breaks or weekends.... but this year he upset a lot of faculty members and one of the schools biggest financial supporters so he''s under pressure to make up for lost funds. Nothing he can''t handle though so nothing to worry about." Ashley answered.

    "Is he gonna be okay without you two?.." I asked slightly worried.

    "Ohh for sure!!! He never travels alone.... and never rushes into a fight unless he knows he can win." Ashley smiled with absolute confidence with Paul. "Now if we were to say someone like Scarlet.... then we might have to worry..... Her hot blooded temper and hunger for a good fight makes her a wild card." Ashley laughed.

    "Hey!!!" She argued pouting, "Well I''ll be fine anyways because I''m unbeatable! I''ve single handily taken down the best fighters and sorcerers with ease." She huffed, everyone nodded and smiled remembering her incredible strength and speed.

    "Do you ever think we''ll get as strong as you guys?.." Daisy asked honestly.

    "Of course!... People like to make it out like race or upbringing or bloodline plays an important factor in how strong one can become, but in reality it is how much one trains and hunger to get better." Scarlet smiled.

    Before long the bell announcing to us that class will begin soon rang in our heads. "We better get going!" We all said saying our goodbyes.

    "Bye!!!!" they both replied to us.

    "Ohhh and don''t forget to stop by later tonight for movie night!!! We''ll be waiting." Ashley reminded us.

    "Ohhh and Sis...." Scarlet asked me, "Do you want me to call back Paul early?..." She whispered to me.

    "Nah I think I''ll be okay." I replied back quietly.

    "It''s not a big deal.... I''m sure he''s done what he needs to." Scarlet smiled.

    "Nah I don''t want to be a burden..." I replied honestly causing Scarlet to grip my arm tightly.

    "Listen to me! Don''t you ever think that way?" She whispered in a very caring tone.

    "I''m sorry...." I replied but deep down that''s how I''ve always been.

 128 Movie Nigh

    "I really can''t wait for that thing Ashley and Scarlet invited us to after dinner." Daisy smiled as we made our way to the main hall for dinner.

    "You did quite well today Emilia!!!" Helen smiled.

    "Yeah...." I sighed taking a seat.

    "So what''s a movie again?..." Jay asked.

    "Hmmmm to put it in your terms..... it''s like an illusion and a theater production slammed together." I smiled.

    "Hmm that does sound intriguing..." Grace replied with a smile.

    "Did you guys read the news?.... apparently the negotiations are going well and we should anticipate Eastern kingdom reinforcements within weeks."

    "That''s great!! That would save al lot of innocent people." I replied.

    "To be honest we don''t know what King Edward offered to them in return." Helen replied.

    "Yeah I guess we''ll hear about the condition of the alliance in the upcoming months." Jay replied.

    "Is there any news on the Elven Cities?.." Helen asked.

    "No sadly.... it only focuses on news in and around Arcaida." Jay answered.

    "Hmmm... Mind if we borrow your scrying orb Emilia?..." Helen asked politely.

    "Ohhh sure!!" I said pulling it out my pocket rolling it to her, totally forgot I had some sort of spying orb.

    "Woah Woah Woah..." Jay instantly commented, "you don''t just treat a rare magical item like its some sort of ball." He commented on the way I casually rolled the Orb across the table.

    "Ohhh... sorry!" I appologised.

    "Ohhh Jay..... it''s alright magically enchanted items are more durable then normal stuff." Helen argued.

    "But still!!! magical items and artifacts need to handled with care." He insisted.

    "Yeah I''m sorry Jay, by the way have any of you heard from Morgana?.." I asked curiously.

    "Let''s use the orb." Helen insisted holding it in her hands and focusing on it. "Hmmm looks like shes talking to Ashley about something..... I can''t hear what they are talking about though..... " Helen answered after a few moments of concentrating.

    "Hmmm I wonder what they could possibly talking about." I wondered as Helen return to us.

    "Do you think she found news about something thats going on in the school?...." Grace asked.

    "Maybe shes looking for something.... Ashley does have a lot of stuff in his lab." Daisy suggested.

    "Yeah.... maybe we can ask Ashley when we see him after dinner." I suggested.

    We quickly finished up eating making sure we wasn''t too late meeting up with Ashley and Scarlet and began making our way to their room.

    "Come in!" Scarlet voice yelled out to us as the familiar smell of popcorn and hot dogs filled me nose.

    "Ohhh what''s this smell?" Daisy asked entering after me.

    "Ohhhh hey everyone! come in come in!!! take a seat!!" Ashley greeted us as all entered the dimly lit room.

    We all walked in in taking a seat on the sofas with bowls of popcorn and cans of soft drinks on the table. "Ohhh that''s all this stuff." Helen glanced at the table filled with all sort sof things she didn''t recognize.

    "That is popcorns... we have..... sweet, salty, butter and salted caramel." Scarlet pointed out to every taking a seat. "We also have fizzy flavored drinks." She said handing out some to everyone.

    "Scarlet ask if anyone wants Hot dog or Nachos!" Ashley shouted from the kitchen.

    "Ohhhh I''ll take Nachos... with cheese if possible." I asked Scarlet politely.

    "Hmmm Skip on the hotdogs just make a bunch of Nachos." Scarlet ordered Ashley.

    "Sure no problems." Ashley answered and withing minutes came out with two large trays filled with Nachos drizzled in sweet luscious melted cheese.

    "I love nacho!" I smiled in glee instantly digging in.

    "Ohh my this is truly amazing." Grace smiled also digging in.

    "So what''s this movie?... thing.." Jay asked Scarlet.

    "Ohhh let''s get the movie starts!!" Scarlet smiled, "Any recommendation?.." She asked looking at me.

    "Do you happen to have my favourite movie?..." I asked with a smile.

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    "The one Paul dislikes?..." Scarlet chuckled.

    "Yeah..." I Laughed.

    "Sure let''s do it!!! don''t tell Paul... but I''m also a fan!" She smiled at me.

    Ashley pulled out a suit case from under the sofas and opened it up pulling out what seemed to be a projector positioning it towards what I now notice is a plane large wall. With a few taps of his arm the room darkened and the projector switched on as the very nostalgic theme tune rang out, making me feel more comfortable as if I''ve mad another friend group one that I can trust on. In the back of my mind there was a niggling thought, how everyone back at home was doing now that I''m not there... can that weird clone Paul made of me really trick everyone into thinking that''s the real me?...

    "Woah!!!! everything looks so real!!!" Jay instantly commented.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Wow that family the child was with was extremely horrible... why would the Headmaster leave him with such a horrible family..." Helen commented after the movie.

    "It''s surprisingly interesting seeing how life is different in other planes." Jay smiled

    "It''s not a real plane." I replied to Jay.

    "What?.... where you come you don''t enter into a magical school by the age of 12?.." He asked shocked.

    "Nope... this was all fantasy... we don''t have or use magic." I reminded him, "This is just like a theater production." I added.

    "Yeah but according to the story you wouldn''t know if it is real or not." Jay commented.

    "Okay..... that is true but this is just a story of fiction... so we assume it was all fictional." I answered

    "Hmmmmmmm...." Jay pondered, "Well if we ever get to visit your plane maybe we would check for certain there''s no magic." Jay smiled.

    "I wonder if Atlantis has secrets like in the movie." Daisy wondered.

    "Atlantis is a very old fortress with unknown origins... we still have departments focused on unlocking and finding more hidden rooms and safeguarding the students." Ashley smiled.

    "Really?..." Daisy asked with a giant smile.

    "Yup we only uncovered most the surface rooms.... and this fortress being so big there''s bound to be something under the surface levels." Ashley answered.

    "There are some out of bound areas though... extremely unstable and dangerous so heed any warnings you might see." Scarlet warned us.

    "The movie was quite fun!" Grace smiled, "aside from the missing... hunters and ranger?!" She asked.

    "And the druids!!!" Helen agreed.

    "Don''t forget me!" Daisy added.

    "Sorry guys but it''s meant to be an epic tale of wizards only." I tried explaining to them.

    "Their forms of instant travel is so amazing... I wouldn''t mind learning a spell to instant travel...." Jay sighed.

    "Or the pets!!! I would love an owl!!!" Daisy smiled.

    "Helen is really good with animals being a druid" Grace replied gleefully.

    "Yup I can talk to animals and plants." Helen nodded.

    "What about the flying booms?..... do you get them here?.." I asked extremely hopeful.

    "Hmmm generally... Flying brooms are only associated with Hags..... so generally no.... and even flying on one would instantly spark a hostile response..... not to mention spooking the whole town." Ashley answered.

    "Owww man that really sucks..." I replied.

    "It''s not too hard to fly to be honest there are spells that allow you to fly for some time." Scarlet smiled.

    "Really?" I asked sounding hopeful.

    "The whole reason the floating cities and air ships floats is because of Runes and Artifacts that maintain the fly spell permanently." Scarlet answered.

    "I must say the long thing that carried the students to the school... was impressive." Ashley added, "Would make travel between cities so much faster and more accessible for the general public." Ashley smiled.

    "Ahh you mean a train?..... Yeah they are very useful to travel large distances very quickly." I smiled.

 129 Emergency Relief

    "Okay children!!! Gather up!" Deputy Head yelled out to us as we left the main hall after breakfast.

    "Any idea where Deputy Head Maria taking us for the field trip today?...." Grace asked everyone.

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    "Sorry?..." Jay asked breaking conversation with Helen.

    "I don''t really know anything, to be honest." I confessed to everyone

    "Last night was great fun though!" Daisy smiled.

    "Yeah it was a nice way to spend the evening." Helen replied with a giant gleeful smile.

    "I wonder what other things there is to watch." Jay asked.

    "Well the movie we just watched has seven other movies after that following the main character." I smiled.

    "Ohhhh that''s great!!" Helen smiled.

    "Are there any extremely evil people?.." I asked curiously.

    "Of course there''s several.... for example the leader of the Oblivion War... It goes by many names... Star Eater or Planet Devourer or Gods Bane..... There are also some that originated here.... there''s a famous wizard who goes by Lucious the Mad....." Grace answered.

    "What makes him mad?.." I asked truly interested.

    "Well at the height of his reign.... he decided to make over a hundred clones of himself....So when he died..... All his clones activated, and with that their sanity... being clones they have a deep seated need to kill each other..... This has sparked many wars and encounters, no one even knows how many are left or where they are and because they are all highly skilled wizards it''s extremely difficult to even defeat one or find them." Grace carried on explaining.

    "Woah...." I answered in shock wondering if that the same spell Paul did on me when I arrived.

    "Don''t forget Lichs..... Through history there has been stories of wizards turning to Lichdom to prolong their lives for eternity." Jay added.

    "Ohhh is that a bad thing?.." I asked curious to learn more about magic.

    "Yes.... Lichdom is an ancient very evil ritual....." Helen explained shuddering at the thought.

    "Yeah.... only the purest of evil sorcerers could achieve Lichdom." Grace agreed.

    "Hmmmm....." I began to ponder..... "Do any of you guys know anything about bringing people back from the dead?.." I questioned thinking about the visions I''ve had.

    "Resurrecting someone is impossible only a diet can reverse the effects of passing into the afterlife..." Grace answered.

    "I heard Serra''s chosen could bring back recently deceased people... So maybe Serra could also..... But God''s don''t intervene when it comes to the mortal affairs." Daisy added.

    "There''s also Queen Amanda Phoenix blood and Egwene the ageless, they''re quite interesting." Jay added.

    "Is she a Phoenix?.." I questioned judging by her name.

    "Not quite... well I think she isn''t.... But queen Amanda when she dies she burns to ashes and from those Ashes she is reborn back into a baby..... And well Egwene the Ageless no one really know... all that is known is she hasn''t aged a single bit in centuries." Jay answered.

    "Yup Egwene''s immortality is truly a mystery." Grace answered.

    "I see..." I replied wondering what else there is to discover.

    "Please children gather around!!!" Deputy Head Maria shouted out to all of us. "Today we have a special missions so if everyone could please pick up a relief kit from the nearby 3rd years." Deputy Head Maria smiled to everyone, causing everyone to pick up a small shoulder bag.

    Looking inside curiously my bag was filled with five vials that look like some sort of healing potions, a flask of water and a bundle of something in cloth. "Hmm are we going to help someone?.." I asked shuffling through everything.

    "Seems so." Jay answered also curiously looking through the contents of his bag.

    "Ohhh looks like we''re going to be helping people!" Daisy smiled.

    "Okay children!!! We''ll be heading to the City of Catavan... to help the general public and refugees..." Deputy Head Maria shouted to everyone.

    "But isn''t that one of the cities near the Mountains?..." A student shouted out.

    "Yes that is true..... But the city is well guarded and they have personally requested for our help." Deputy Head Maria replied causing a stirring of quiet talking among the students.

    "Is it dangerous?.... because of the recent Goblin activity?..." I asked as worried as the other students.

    "Well.... from recent news it looks like the goblins only seem to be hitting small settlements and towns.... completely avoiding the large cities." Jay answered me.

    "There is nothing to worry about!!! There are already higher year students there setting up several temporary teleportation way points. As well as several Class A teams helping in the defence of the city. We even currently have Scarlet deployed with the city guard on perimeter patrol and Travis on over watch. Don''t worry most of Atlantis has been deployed to help and ensure safety of the city and students." Deputy Head Maria explained trying to reassure everyone''s safety.

    "That explains why we only had Ashley train us this morning...." Jay added hearing the report.

    "Interesting... They sent out two of the three S-Ranked students to safe guard the city....." Helen replied.

    "Wow yeah.... it must be a very serious situation down there." Helen replied with a small frown.

    Funny..... I''ve spent so many years without even giving him a thought, but now we''re in each other''s orbit again..... I can''t stop thinking about him.... "Why was there no mention of Paul?..." I asked curiously.

    "No idea.... maybe we can ask Scarlet if we see her...." Jay answered.

    "You feeling okay?... something bothering you?.." Daisy asked looking concerned at me.

    "Huh?.... yeah.... I''m okay." I faked a smile toward her.

    "Okay Children we will be arriving outside the Church of Serra in the lower district, then make our way through the lower district towards the refugee camps located near the farming district." Deputy Head Maria ordered us. "Now in the unfortunate event of an attack or the sounds of guard horns please calmly make your way to your closest teleportation way point and make your way back to Atlantis promptly." Deputy Head Maria further explained, turning to another student in the distance giving her a nod she began to cast something causing a blue portal opened beside Deputy Head Maria.

    Following the class we stepped through the portal, the unnatural sensation of being stretched and contorted in all different directions in a millisecond forcing me to hold onto Daisy to centre myself.

    "You''ll get used to it." She smiled patting me gently on the head making me feel instantly better.

    "Hey.... Daisy you''re a sister of the Church of Serra right?.." Jay asked looking into a magnificently large pearlescent white marble church with a pristine large golden statue of a blindfolded angel holding out an open palm as if welcoming you in. Perfectly trimmed blossoming flowers filled the outer edge of the church and the base of the statue being tended to by a small young girl in a clean plain white robe.

    "Ummm miss can I make a quick prayer in the church?..." Daisy shouted asking Deputy Head mistress holding one arm up high in the sky.

    "Ohh yes..... You''re a follower of Serra right?..... Be quick!!! So you don''t lose us." She replied nodding to another student beside her.

    "Yes M''am" The student turned around walking towards us, he wore a long navy robe covering him completely with an odd small mechanism on his gloves.

    "Come on guys!" Daisy smiled pulling me towards the church quickly.

    The young girl stood up as we approached with a genuine happy smile, she was very young.... no older than nine years of age. "Welcome to the Church of Ser-...." Her welcome stopped when she noticed Daisy, starring up at her in awe.

    "Greetings sister." Daisy smiled kneeling down to talk to her.

    "Sister Daisy!!! We.....welcome..." She stuttered.

    "May we go in?.." Daisy asked politely.

    "Ohhh.... Yes!!! I''m afraid the head Priestess Verena and most the sisters are out at the moment helping the general public, it''s quite worrisome there has been an increase in monster activity lately..." The young girl began explaining opening the doors leading us in.

    "Ummm if you don''t mind me asking, do you have any idea why or what is attacking the city?.." Jay asked curiously.

    "Sorry.... I haven''t heard much.... just that we''ve been quite busy lately." She answered Jay. "But it''s great that Atlantis has come to help!!!." She smiled.

    "This really is beautiful....." I said in awe staring at the magnificent architecture resembling a traditional Christian church with a similar golden angel statue like the one outside and a large well.

    "Ummmm Sister Daisy is there any way you can stay here a while?.... all the other members would love to meet you." She smiled.

    "Sure!!! I''ll have to ask the Deputy Headmistress first though..." Daisy smiled.

    "By any chance do you both know each other?.." Helen asked curiously.

    "Ummmm not particularly..... But we are both worshipers of Serra so we are sisters." Daisy smiled.

    "Yes Sister Daisy is very famous!!! She was accepted into Atlantis!! That''s never been done before." The young girl smiled in absolute excitement.

    "Really?.... is that rare?..I must be so awesome to be the only one!!!" Daisy asked in shock but also clearly proud of her achievement.

    "Yes!!! Most paladins study and train within the church..... So Daisy studying in Atlantis is extremely controversial." The young girl smiled.

    "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!!!!!! CONTROVERSIAL??!!!" Daisy burst out in shock." I thought I was famous in a good way!!!" She sighed.

    "It probably is." I smile placing a hand on Daisy shoulder.

    "Yes sister Daisy! It''s a good thing!!! You''ve inspired many!!!" The young girl answered.

    "And what would your name be?..." Helen asked politely.

    "I''m Lilli!" She smiled.

    "Nice to meet you Lilli! I''m Helen and this is Grace, Jay, Emilia and Daisy." Helen answered her introducing us.

    Daisy silently solemnly walked towards the giant golden statue knelling before it bowing her head down. "So.... What is Atlantis helping out with today?" Lilli asked us while Daisy prayed.

    "We''re tasked to help with some refugee relief." Jay answered.

    "Ahhhh yes.... the city has been accepting all refugees from surrounding settlements and the increase in monster activity has been quite unsettling." Lilli replied.

    "Goblin attacks?.." Jay questioned.

    "Not sure but some wound''s I''ve tended to aren''t caused by weaponsˇ­." Lilli answered looking extremely worried.

    "That is very intriguing." Jay pondered.

    "What''s on your mind Jay?..." Helen asked.

    "Huh?.. Ohh nothing.... just me and my thought." Jay laughed.

    I couldn''t help but stare at Daisy knelling there praying... and that golden aura she emanates when she fights......

 130 High Aler

    "Ready to re-join the group?...." The student accompanying us asked as we left the church.

    "Do you know where they went?.." Helen asked smiling.

    "Yes follow me.... we aren''t too far, feels like they''ve stopped for some reason" He smiled leading the way.

    Find authorized novels in WebnovelŁ¬faster updates, better experienceŁ¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

    "So are you a prefect?.... As well?.." Jay asked starting a conversation.

    "Not a prefect sadly but you''re in safe hands.... I''m Rank 22 Sven Bovar, nice to meet you." He smiled.

    "Nice to meet you to Sven Bovar." We all greeted him.

    "Don''t worry they aren''t far maybe 5 to 10 minutes away." He smiled.

    "So what cool thing do you do? I noticed your weird mechanisms on your gloves." I asked curiously.

    "Ohhh these? They are my own inventionˇ­. If you look very carefully you might be able to catch a glimpse of my wires reflecting the sunlight slightly... so right now we''re just follow my wire that I''ve attached to the Deputy Head Mistress." He smiled.

    "Is that what you also use in combat?..." Grace asked extremely curiously.

    "Yes..... This is both my weapon and my shield." He smiled.

    "So are they enchanted strings or something?..." Helen questioned thoroughly intrigued.

    "Yes they are made from a special blend of displacement beat fur and giant spider silk, making them extremely durable and almost invisible properties." He answered.

    "OHHH wow that''s so cool!" I gushed in awe.

    "Really?.... Thanks." He smiled.

    "Hmm it is very intriguing how you would use them in a combat scenario." Jay commented.

    "I''m sure you guys will see me in the Colosseum eventually." He smiled.

    "We''ll look forward to it." Grace replied.

    "So what are we doing here today?..... Everyone looks like they are under alot of stress and tension." I asked looking around.

    "Well I''m not too sure... but the school has deployed two of the three S-ranked students and all prefects, as well as most the combat ready ranked A students and Several Faculty members.... so someone has put in a special emergency request for help." He answered.

    "Wow..... They must have deployed alot of students." Helen Gasped.

    "Yes it''s upwards of 40 students at least.... not including your class." He answered.

    "... Why was Paul not deployed?..." I questioned.

    "Hmmmm... House Leader Paul is most likely left behind to safeguard Atlantis and the other students left behind." He concluded.

    "So what orders do you have?.." Grace asked.

    "My strength is in defence so I''ve been ordered to keep watch of the perimeter of the camps as well as students." He smiled.

    "Thank you for looking out for us." I thanked him.

    "So if you don''t mind me asking..... What do you guys do?.." He asked politely.

    "Daisy is a Paladin, I''m a Sorcerer as well as Jay, Helen is a Druid and Grace is a Ranger." I answered him.

    "Ohhh.... if anything happens don''t leave my side..... Don''t try and be heroes okay?.." He replied.

    "Why do you think something will happen?.." Jay asked curiously.

    "I''ve been deployed before... and well we''ve never deployed so many students before so that means security is amped to the limit today. Catavan must have paid a lot for our services." He sighed.

    "We don''t normally assist cities in need?..." I asked feeling down.

    "Ummm... I not privy on school politics, but I know having most the school deployed must have come with a steep price...ˇ­ Also it''s not easy for Atlantis to help cities and regions sadly..... Unlike other schools Atlantis more or less an individual entity from the main state..... So we can''t just waltz in helping whoever is in need sadly, but since Princess Calista is now a student of Atlantis it has helped with the Schools image." He carried on explaining to us.

    "But it''s her family''s fault that we''re in this mess anyways." Daisy sighed.

    "Although I''m not very knowledgeable... Politics is fickle and complicated..... I''m sure they have their reasons for not trusting Atlantis..." He sighed letting out a deep breath.

    "What problem do they have with us?" I sighed.

    "Enough politic talks.... we''re nearing the rest of the group." Sven warned us, as we approached a large steel gate separating the city from the outside world.

    The school group waiting at the gate, the city looked like it was ready for a battle... the lookout towers filled with armed soldiers... the wall was filled with heavily armour patrolling guards, and a few large groups checking everyone entering and exiting the city.

    "I''ll let the Deputy Head mistress known we''re back." He smiled.

    "Are you sure we''re all safe?...." I asked feeling cautious about the whole situation.

    "Don''t worry... I don''t want House Leader Paul to scold me for not protecting you." He chuckled and making his way to the school group.

    "Something doesn''t feel right... why would the city request such a large number of students.... it doesn''t make sense financially...." Jay whispered.

    "What do you mean?.." Helen asked.

    "Well... if it costs a lot of gold to borrow Atlantis''s services and request a strong combat support.... they must know there''s an imminent threat or something...." Jay theorized.

    "All the soldier do look on edge..." I agreed with him.

    "Maybe they requested for help.... and Atlantis needing to ensure our safety had to deploy more students." Daisy questioned Jay.

    "That''s plausible.... but it all seems too much of a coincidence... increase guard activity.... patrols.... Atlantis students..... It''s all too much of a coincidenceˇ­.. Or maybe Atlantis already knows..." Jay pondered.

    "Do you think Anna or Ashley are deployed?" I wondered.

    "Anna most defiantly..... She''s an extremely capable fighter, but for Ashley I dunno..." Grace answered.

    "I''ll try my badge." I said trying to communicate to Ashley or Scarlet.

    "Any reply?.." Helen asked waiting a few seconds.

    "Nope..... I guess everyone is out of range." I shrugged.

    "I wonder if we could get a set of those for everyone..... They''d be super useful." Helen smiled.

    "Yup would be awesome to be able to communicate to each over them." Daisy agreed.

    "Is there some sort of spell that lets you send messaged to people?.." I asked curiously.

    "Yes... it''s called the message spell." Helen and Jay answered.

    "Do you think we''ll get to learn it?.." I wondered.

    "Sadly you''d have to be part of a special guild to learn the spell." Helen answered.

    "Ohhh that''s a shame..... I guess that''s something Paul can''t even do." I laughed.

    "On that topic... how on earth did his book cast a healing spell on us." Jay questioned.

    "Ohhh yeah I remember that..... I''ve never heard or read of anything similar to flying spell casting spell books." Helen and Grace agreed.

    "He did say it was a gift from a previous teacher." I remembered.

    "I wouldn''t mind having some artifact''s or artifact equivalent equipment." Grace sighed.

    "I wouldn''t be so sure about that..... I''ve heard that almost all artifacts have fatal drawbacks." Jay answered.

    "He''s right..... But I wonder what the drawback of Scarlet''s or Travis''s weapons are." Helen wondered.

    "So class gather around! Today we will be assisting in helping the refugees, in your bags you each have five vials of minor healing potions, some rations, bandages and medicinal herbs. The clerics of Serra and doctors have been overwhelmed recently." Deputy Head mistress began to notify us.

    "Sounds simple enough." Grace yawned.

    "Prefects will also be patrolling the area..... And in the unfortunate event of anything dangerous happening, we will have several students at temporary way points located around the refugee camps, they will make themselves known if the situation arises." She explained, "Follow me and we''ll all make our final walk there and begin our help." Deputy Head mistress ordered us and began walking towards a set of camps not too far away.

 131 Animal People....

    \"Ummm Daisy what race is that?...\" I said pointing towards two girls with my head, both the small girl dressed in dirty rags and with what I can best describe as triangular furry ears and a bushy tail resembling that of a fox.

    \"Those are animal people.\" Daisy whispered.

    \"Animal people?...\" I looked at her in shock.

    \"Yah... they show characteristics of animals.... the most common types are cats, dogs and foxes.\" Daisy answered genuine smile watching both of them play innocently together in the camp.

    \"Guys we''re going to head this way.\" Daisy notified the rest.

    \"Sure don''t stray too far.\" Jay said walking towards another tent by himself.

    Two men exited the large tent the two small fox girls were playing near with a small bag in their hands. With a sinister grin the larger one surprise kicked one of the little girls to the floor.

    \"HEYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!\" I yelled to him running to the two girls, the other girl quickly running to the other aiding her up off the floor and began kneeling their head buried to the floor of the two men as if begging for forgiveness.

    \"What the FUCK do you think you''re doing?\" Daisy yelled forcing one to turn around to face us.

    \"Who the hell?!\" The larger one turned around to look at us, their postures instantly changed as if scared of us.... their bodies straightened as if talking to someone of authority.

    \"We asked what the hell you was doing!!!\" Daisy yelled as furious as I was and pointed at the girls.

    \"No.....nothing....\" The smaller one tried to conceal the bag behind his back.

    \"What''s that?\" Daisy said forcing the guys arm from his back and taking the bag form him. \"What''s in it?....\" She said passing it to me without, her eyes not leaving the man she has a hand on.

    \"Oi that''s not yours.\" The larger one reached out for the bag instinctively.

    \"We''ll be the judge of that.\" Daisy ordered him grasping him at the wrist with her other hand.

    Quickly looking into the bag it looked like few pieces of gold jewellery and dried pieces of food and a flask, quickly relaying the contents back to Daisy.

    \"So..... I assume the tents you just left aren''t yours and since you left with the bag in your hands, I''m forced to assume you took them from this family.\" Daisy asked them in a forceful tone.

    \"No it''s ours!!!\" The large one said tried to reach out with his other hand.

    \"It is NOT!\" Daisy replied in anger giving the man a big boot sending him to the floor. \"Now I''ll let you both off this time, get out my sight.\" She said pushing the other one to his friend. Quickly helping his friend up they both quickly scurried away.

    \"Are you two okay?..\" I asked the two fox girls who were still bowing their head stoically without a word or sound.

    \"It''s okay you can get up now.\" Daisy said walking to one and reassuring her it''s okay to stand up giving me a nod it''s okay to do the same.

    \"Yes the bad men have gone now.\" I reassured them placing my hand on the other fox girls shoulder helping her up.

    \"Are your parents inside that tent?..\" Daisy asked softly kneeling down to face her but she remained staring at the ground.

    \"Are you hurt?...\" I asked noticing the boot print on the girl''s rags, but she refused to answer or even look at me similar to the other girl staring silently towards the ground.

    Concerned at their lack of response and silence to us, I shot a ''what do I do?...'' look towards Daisy. \"Ummm..... Here take this.\" Daisy said taking a piece of candy from her pocket and placing one in each of their palms. \"We''ll go see your parents okay?..\" She said standing up and giving me a nod to follow her.

    \"If anything happens come in straight away... okay?\" I told the two girly softly before following Daisy.

    \"Ummm Excuse me Miss.... are you in need of assistance?... We are students of Atlantis... we''ve come to help..... We''ll be coming in.\" Daisy spoke loudly and clearly to anyone inside the tent and lifting the flap to walk in.

    \"Hello?...\" We both called out walking in.

    \"We have nothing left...\" An adult female figure with similar fox ear and tail but coloured white in similar rags tidying up the tent that has seemed to have been ransacked.

    \"Ummmm miss... we came to return this...\" Daisy said causing me to lift up the bag to show her.

    \"Ohhhh thank the Gods...\" she fell to her knees holding out her hands, \"May I have it back please....\" She begged.

    \"No no no no.... you don''t have to beg.\" I said helping her up and returning the bag to her.

    \"Hello miss! We are students of Atlantis we are here today to help the refugees with food and drink and anything else you might need.\" Daisy smiled.

    \"No... That''s okay...\" She replied placing the bag under a bed and began tidying up the tent.

    \"Please.... Let us help.... Miss.....\" Daisy said helping up with some of the tidying.

    \"Please.... you don''t need to concern yourself with trash like us.\" She replied and began to cry taking a seat on the bed.

    \"Are you hurt?.....\" Daisy reached out to her instinctively with her glowing hand.

    \"...No ... just.... just.... Kindess is so rare nowa days....\" She sobbed.

    \"It''s okay..... We are all living beings.\" Daisy said sitting beside her.

    \"I''m sorry for all the hard ship you''ve gone through.....\" I replied pulling out my wand, \"Phasm-Defero.\" I said making a small magical hand that began picking things up off the floor and began helping the clean up a little.

    \"So I''m Daisy and she''s Emilia.\" Daisy introduced ourselves to her.

    \"Momma?...\" A young girls voice called from outside.

    \"Come in kids.\" She replied cleaning her face of her tears.

    The two small fox girls came running in, running straight into her arms and hid themselves behind her legs. \"It''s okay these two are from Atlantis..... They are here to help.... this is Daisy and Emilia.\" She smiled trying to get them to come out.

    \"Hi!\" We both smiled hoping that they''d show themselves.

    \"Don''t be rude.... remember what momma taught you...\" She smiled causing them both to pop their heads out, \"This one is Natsuko.\" She said putting a hand on the one with bright orange hair and ears, \"And this one is Keiko.\" Placing her other hand on the girl with black hair and black ears.\"

    \"Hello.....\" They both shyly replied.

    \"And I''m Aimaki their mother.\" The mother smiled introducing herself.

    \"So did the two gentlemen take anything else?...\" Daisy asked politely.

    \"No... You returned everything they took.... Thank you.\" She answered.

    \"So this is the first time they targeted you?....\" I questioned.

    \"Well.... they have been taking some of our rations but today they found some of my jewellery that I try to keep hidden.\" She answered.

    \"Does the city supply rations?..\" I wondered.

    \"Yeah..... But I guess the city is running out of supplies, since we seem to receiving less and less lately so they began visiting us weekly.\" She answered.

    The two girls began coming out from behind their mum''s legs slowly as the conversation carried on, their noses twitching slightly as if trying to locate or smell something.

    \"Ohhh..... We''ve brought some supplies to help.\" I said opening my satchel supplied by the school.

    The two girls slowly came closer as I knelled down peeping into the bag, their noses twitching clearly smelling something interesting. \"Here...\" I said pulling out the rations wrapped in white cloth. Their face lit up with pure excitement and joy quickly turning around to look at their mum.

    \"It''s okay...\" She smiled causing them to take the rations from my hands and quickly ran back to their mum.

    \"They are very cute.\" I chuckled.

    \"Yeah..... Life''s been quite hard recerntlyˇ­. But we''ll endure...\" She smiled and began to pull out a small table for them. They quickly keeled down at the table putting the parcel on the table waiting patiently.

    \"Here you go.\" She smiled opening the parcel and taking small piece of some dried meat and placing it in front of them and repackaging the rest, the two girls with giant smiles on their faces said something in unison and began eating the small bits of food they were given. The smiles and faces of pure happiness and joy was unforgettable.

    \"Ohhh.... you can have mine too.\" Daisy said opening hers and offering it to them.

    \"Ummm..... No thank you..... You should give it to some of the other refugee''s.... I''m sure they need it just as badly as we do.\" She smiled, her response brining me to the verge of tears...... her display of kindness and good will despite being treated badly was shocking touching the deepest parts of my heart.

    \"Ummm... well... please accept some stuff that I carry around for myself.\" I said opening my bag of holding.

    \"No no.... this is enough thank you so much....\" She kindly rejected my offer.

    \"Well.... take some water at least....\" I said pulling out three bottles of water from my bag.

    \"Thank you?...\" She replied accepting the bottles but absolutely surprised staring at the bag.

    \"I''m not sure myself to be honest.... it''s a magical bag.... it somehow holds a lot of things.\" I answered.

    \"Ohhh okay....\" She smiled opening the bottle and placing them for her kids to drink out of.

    \"So what happened.... that made you a refugee here? If you don''t mind me asking.\" Daisy asked.

 132 Dark Elves

    \"I was a lowly maid working for a wealthy family in a small plantation not too far from here, during the night more and more workers began disappearing mysteriously. So they fled leaving us all to fend for ourselves. Very few that made it here... Some fearful carried on making their way to the capital.....\" Aimaki explained.

    \"Could you tell us what attacked you?..\" Daisy asked curiously.

    \"I''m not quite sure..... They only ever struck at night.... they looked oddly elven... very tall very slim with elven ear and silver white hair\" She answered.

    \"Hmmm..... and did they murder your group?..\" She asked.

    \"Not all... most the time they slaughtered families and individuals without mercy... but sometimes they captured a few taking them away in the darkness.\" She answered.

    \"Sounds like Dark Elves...\" Daisy whispered to me.

    \"That''s bad right?..\" I whispered back.

    \"Yeah.... it might be smart to let a prefect or a teacher know.\" She replied.

    \"So do you know anything of what''s been happening around here?..\" Daisy questioned.

    \"Ummmm not much... but rumours have spread that there has been very dangerous creatures have begun appearing during the night..... Unnatural creatures.\" She replied taking a bit more food out for her children and patting them on the head gently causing them to purr in happiness.

    \"Is it safe for you here?..\" I asked curiously.

    \"I guess it''s been okay...I''ve been lucky to find work in a local tavern... so I''ve been reluctant to move to be honest.... and I''ll need to save up money so I can afford safe passage for me and my daughters.\" She answered.

    \"Where''s the father?...If you don''t mind me asking.\" I asked curiously.

    \"Ohhh....\" She answered looking down, \"Sadly we''ve lost him many years ago...... to make more gold for our family and wanting to provide more for our children... he went on a voyage transporting spices... the ship never reached its destination.\" She spoke quietly almost tearful.

    Seeing the hardship and pain she must have gone through brought me on the verge of tears.... \"Is there anything I can do to help?..\" I asked sincerely.

    \"It''s okay..... Just trying to keep an honest life.\" She smiled slightly.

    \"It''s not easy for non-human folks here.\" Daisy added addressing me.

    \"Yes even though... non-human races are kinda accepted here... we are still considered second rate races.\" Aimaki agreed.

    \"Ohh wow.... that''s really horrible.\" I instinctively replied.

    \"Yeah.... although it''s improving it''s still kinda bad.\" Daisy explained.

    \"Would you prefer to live anywhere else?..... Like where you''re from?..\" I asked curiously.

    \"Sadly I don''t even know where my race originated from..... But I imagine home would be pretty great, but Arcadia is okay... it''s a lot better than other regions I''ve heard.\" She smiled slightly.

    \"If you''re ever in need of any help.... the church of Serra is always open to helping everyone and anyone.\" Daisy smiled.

    \"Ohhh that''s be great!!.... Do they watch over children?.... I feel my boss although loves spending time with them... I would love to give her a break every once in a while.\" She asked curiously.

    \"Ohh yeah..... I''m sure they would offer such services.\" Daisy smiled.

    \"Well... thank you for talking to us..... I think we should make a move on unless there''s anything else you need help with?..\" She asked her with a giant smile.

    \"No.... thank you for all your help!\" She bowed stoically.

    \"If there''s anything that happens or you need help with come look for us or any other student.\" I smiled.

    \"I will.\" She replied.

    \"Ohhhh and take this.... I''m not sure if they liked it.. But I did give them some candy when we first met.\" Daisy smiled handing her a small bag of candy.

    \"Ohh thank you!\" She smiled, Natsuko and Keiko heads turned instantly the moment they heard the bag rattle their ears turning to face the bag.

    \"We''re going now.. bye....\" I waved at them.

    \"Sorry that they''re so quiet.\" Aimaki chuckled as they both stood up and silently waved goodbye to us with smiles on their faces.

    \"Byeee.... take care.\" Daisy smiled exiting behind me.

    \"I really wish I could do more for them.\" I said to daisy as we left to meet the other.

    \"Yeah same... sadly... we can''t help everyone...\" She sighed.

    \"I guess you''re right.... everyone here are probably in a similar situation to her.\" I replied.

    \"We''ve been quite lucky.... their lives feel so hard especially for Natsuko and Keiko.\" Daisy sighed kicking a small weed.

    \"I was wondering.... how much it would cost to get her safe passage to somewhere safer.....\" I asked Daisy.

    \"To be honest.... I don''t even know who to trust...\" She frowned.

    \"So what''s it like being a non-human in Arcadia?..\" I asked curiously.

    \"You know.... people giving you looks..... Being called names.... and just being treated differently...\" She answered.

    \"I see...\" I nodded in understanding. \"I wonder if there''s any way we can get her and her children some new clothes.... they were all wearing battered rags...\" I asked extremely concerned.

    \"Hmm I don''t think we can do anything right now.... we are in class..... But if we was to maybe take a trip on the weekend we defiantly could.\" Daisy answered.

    \"True true....\" I replied thinking of the idea.

    \"Hey guys!\" Jay greeted us as we approached.

    \"Hey! Did you manage to help anyone?..\" I asked.

    \"Yeah... there was an old man that needed some help with bandages and a family needed some extra rations..... You?..\" He answered.

    \"Yeah... we have to stop some punks stealing some stuff from a Fox family.\" Daisy answered.

    \"Wow! Fox people!!\" Jay questioned in shock.

    \"Yah.... they were pretty cute.\" I answered.

    \"That''s so awesome! I''ve never seen one before...\" Jay answered.

    \"By the way we also got some information on what''s been happening lately.\" Daisy told Jay.

    \"Ohhh I did as well.... I was told a lot of people and solider injuries are from natural weapons..... Like claws or bites.\" Jay replied.

    \"We found out that Dark Elves are also involved in some killings and kidnappings.\" Daisy answered back.

    \"Hey Guys!!!\" Grace and Helen greeted us.

    \"Hey...\" We all replied.

    \"So did you guys manage to help anyone?..\" Jay asked.

    \"Yeah... but it wasn''t easy.... a lot of people dislike Elves...\" Helen sighed.

    \"How comes?..\" I asked shocked at the news.

    \"You know..... Elves.... higher class..... Arrogant..... That sort of stuff.\" Grace explained.

    \"Ohhh I see.....\" I replied.

    \"We also found out..... The recent attacks have been made by natural weapons like claws and bites.... and Dark elves have been involved in some raids.\" Jay notified Helen and Grace.

    \"That''s not good.....\" Grace replied hearing the news looking extremely worried.

    \"What do you think is happening?..\" Jay asked noticing her reaction.

    \"Well..... Dark elves are very cruel and ruthless..... Did they take any prisoners?\" She asked.

    \"The Fox lady we talked to said some were taken... most were murdered.\" Daisy replied.

    \"Hmmmm so Dark Elves only takes prisoners for two reasons..... Slavery.... and torture for information.\" Helen answered, \"Are you thinking what I''m thinking?\" She asked Grace.

    \"Yes.... we need to go check out the wounds and see if we recognise the bite and claw marks..\" Grace asked.

    \"Yup.....\" Helen answered.

    \"Wait what''s going on?..\" I asked not understanding what''s going on.

    \"Well.... It''s a tactic Dark Elves use.... they send their creatures to cause chaos and unrest, with the stress and commotion slip in through the shadows undetected.\" Grace answered.

    \"Yeah... if our suspicions are right..... The city might be in bigger trouble...\" Helen agreed.

    \"Shouldn''t we tell a teacher?.. Or prefect?..\" I asked.

    \"I think it would be better....\" Jay agreed with me.

    \"Problem is..... If we get a teacher or prefect involved.... It might just cause them to take action.... they''d never suspect anything from normal students especially young new students.\" Grace answered.

    \"You got a point there...\" Jay agreed.

    \"So we''re gonna do this?..\" Daisy asked with a smile.

    \"We all got our weapons?..\" Grace asked.

    \"Yup.\" We all replied.

    \"Okay just remember they probably assumed the image of a human..... So watch what you say and do..... Don''t trust anyone other than us..... And watch each other''s backs.\" Grace warned.

 133 Infirmary

    \"So first we''ll need to locate the infirmaries.\" Helen planned

    \"Yah with Daisy and Helen.... and their healing spells.... they probably would accept our help.\" Grace agreed.

    \"Sounds like a good first step.\" Jay agreed.

    \"So head back into the city and ask some guards?..\" I suggested.

    \"Yeah let''s give that a try.\" Daisy agreed.

    \"So why don''t we learn healing spells?..\" I questioned Jay as we began making our way back to the city.

    \"So from what I understand... Daisy gets her powers from Serra herself and Serra specialises in healing.... and when it comes to Helen''s druid healing spells are also granted by her God... I assume one of the Gods of nature.... generally Druid spells focus on natural healing and accelerating the natural healing process.\" Jay explained.

    \"So we can''t learn them?..\" I asked curiously.

    \"Well I think you can..... But learning to master different schools of magic takes a long time usually..... So splashing into Druidic, Paladin or Cleric spells would be detrimental to your Sorcerer spells.\" Jay answered.

    \"Ahhhh a sort of jack of all trades master of none.\" I nodded in understanding.

    \"Hmmm yeah! But don''t worry though... we have a lot of bases covered with our group.\" He smiled.

    \"So do you think Helen or Daisy has met their God personally?..\" I asked out of curiosity.

    \"Most likely.... Many people throughout history have met their God in sleep or visions.... Why?..\" Jay answered.

    \"I dunno... back in my world... it was more like a faith... something you have to believe in.....\" I answered.

    \"Ahhh I see.... Well I''m sure there''s a reason why they might not be able to contact their followers as easily.\" He answered.

    \"Why''s that?..\" I asked.

    \"Umm well how the story goes here... There was a very cataclysmic event like a civil war between God''s you might put it... So after that event the God''s left the worlds and created their own Domains in the Astral Space and a barrier was formed to stop God''s directly with the mortal realm..... So maybe your God is just too far away... or can''t contact their followers.\" Jay explained.

    \"Hmmmm maybe.....\" I contemplated on his story but ultimately disregarding it, there''s no way their history can be linked to ours.

    \"Do you have a faith?..\" I questioned Jay.

    \"Me?... nah..... Not my thing.\" He chuckled.

    \"I get that.\" I smiled remembering Paul had no faith in and religion especially after the loss of his mum.

    \"Daisy you''re up.\" Grace smiled as we reached the gates and a group of guards.

    \"Why me?...\" She asked in shock.

    \"Well you are a Paladin of Serra.... and well Helen is a Elf.\" Grace answered.

    \"Okay fine....\" She replied and began to walk toward a group of guards.

    \"Are all dark Elves evil?\" I asked Helen and Grace.

    \"To be frank.... Most of them are... There are the rare few that aren''t but majority of them are sadly.\" They answered.

    \"Is there a reason why they are so different to you guys?..\" I asked curiously.

    \"They are the Elves that remained faithful to the Evil Elven God''s..... And was cast deep underground. Their insatiable hunger for power have driven them to very heinous acts...... Filled with slavery, back stabbing, and mindless killing.... all sorts of things.\" Grace answered.

    \"...... That explains why you both were so eager to act.\" I replied.

    \"Yeah..... We Elves know what Dark Elves are capable of.\" Helen answered.

    \"What are we gonna do once we get down to the bottom of this?...\" I asked worried that we''re way over our heads.

    \"We''ll let the Deputy Head Mistress know.....\" Grace answered.

    \"Ohh.... was kinda worried you guy might go barrelling in.\" I replied.

    \"Of course not..... Dark Elf assassins should not be taken lightly.\" Grace replied.

    Grace came walking back to us with a solider following by her side, \"So these are my friends that I mentioned earlier that came to help.\" Daisy introduced each of us.

    \"Nice to meet you all.... on behalf of the city thank you for your help and support, follow me I''ll take you to the infirmary.\" He said leading the way.

    \"So if you don''t mind me questioning.... what''s been attacking the solider and people?...\" Helen asked politely.

    \"Absolutely hideous creatures..... Heavily armoured insect creatures with giant mandibles and carapaces as hard as steel.... one particular one I''ve encountered looked like a big boulder at first but then began sprouting several tentacles and a gaping mouth with razor sharp teeth, it bound and caught most my party dragging them in to consume them... Not many of us made it back that nightˇ­..\" He answered physically shuddering as if traumatized by the event..

    \"......... They don''t sound natural inhabitants here.\" Helen replied.

    \"They defiantly aren''t..... It was the first time I''ve ever seen such a disgusting creatures.\" He answered, \"Reports say that there were giant insectoid creatures..... That let out a disorientating scream along with a mesmerizing gaze... armed with giant mandibles and giant clawed hands that could easily cut through our armour.\" He added.

    \"That definitely sound like Hulking Beetles.\" Grace answered.

    \"Have you fought them before?\" He asked in response to Grace''s familiarity of the creature.

    \"No sorry.... but we''ve read about them.\" She answered.

    \"Anything else you can tell us about?...\" Grace asked.

    \"Some reports speak of a weird darkness that appears where all but one member of a guard unit mysteriously disappears. The one surviving guards almost always seem to have been driven insane for somehowˇ­.. Blabbering about horrific visions.\" He added.

    \"This really doesn''t make sense...\" Jay whispered to me.

    \"Why is that?\" I asked.

    \"I dunno something doesn''t sit quite right.... why was Atlantis called in for this exact date.\" He questioned.

    \"You''re right.... So there has been attacks on the guard and some individuals... but how do they know that an attack was gonna happen today?..\" I agreed.

    \"Excuse me..... Is there a reason for all the amped security today?..\" Jay asked.

    \"Ohhh yes.... the commander said that the High Mage has received visions of an imminent attack.\" The solider answered.

    \"Ohhh I see...\" Jay nodded in understanding.

    \"So their High Mage must have used some sort of divination magic......\" He whispered to me.

    \"This doesn''t sound good..... Helen and Grace seem to know what the creatures attacking the guard are.... and now we''ve discovered news of an imminent attack....that the school probably don''t know aboutˇ­.\" I whispered back.

    \"Yes we''ll defiantly report all our findings once we''re done here.\" Jay replied.

    As we approached a large building a strong stench began wafting into my nose forcing me to gag, \"What is that smell?..\" I said holding my nose closed.

    \"It''s the ones that didn''t make it.\" The guard frowned looking down at the ground as if showing respect. Jay pulled out his wand casting a spell making the smell into fresh scented flowers.

    Opening the gate entering the grounds of the building there was a large area filled with many bodies laid down in neat order completely each covered individually in white sheets. \"This way....\" he said leading us through the main entrance into a devastating infirmary... innumerable bedswere filled with injured people..... Missing limbs... blood everywhere... howls and moans of pain.... many priests running all over the place..... Some even resting on a bench looking shattered or sleeping.

    \"I did not expect it to be this many...\" Daisy froze in shock.

    \"Hey you!!! Priest of Serra.... we need your help here!\" A man shouted out to Daisy causing her to snap into action.

    Helen quickly ran to another patient that seemed to be screaming out in pain with several individuals trying to restrain him down to a bed.

    \"I''ll make my way back to my post.\" the solider notified us clearly shaken at the sight.

    \"Thank you sir....\" Jay replied.

    \"Good luck and thank you.\" he said saluting to Jay and making his way out

    I quickly began passing rations to some priests, they''ve clearly must have spent themselves feeling completely exhausted. \"I thought it was only a few attacks...I never imagined it to be this badˇ­..\" I said to Jay.

    \"Same.... it clearly looks worse than we''ve been lead to believe....\" He also helping by giving out rations and drinks.

    Grace went to help Helen taking the opportunity to analyse the wounds and injuries. Daisy and eyes were already illuminated with her signature golden glow...

 134 Infiltrated

    \"Should we go inside to help?...\" I questioned Jay looking worried at all the hurt individuals.

    Jay looked inside at all the chaos... \"I think we should stay put here..... We don''t have any medical training or healing spells.\" Jay answered.

    \"Do you think Atlantis know everything that''s going on?..\" I asked worried for the safety of everyone.

    \"Maybe the school does know..... That is why they setup so many temporary way points and deployed so many students.\" Jay answered.

    \"Any idea why Dark Elves would be attack the city or how?....\" I asked worried about how all this will go down.

    \"To be honest..... I don''t know very much of Dark Elf Tactics.\" Jay admitted.

    \"..... Hmmmm.....\" I began wondering about all the books and movies I''ve watched on infiltration and sabotage.

    \"Yeah... no idea what they are planning........ but I''m sure once we notify the Deputy Head Mistress I''m sure she will know what to do.\" Jay agreed.

    Helen came out to meet us... \"Any update?\" I asked as she arrived.

    \"Definitely looks like the work of Dark Elves.\" She replied with a grimace look on her face.

    \"Should we check the bodies outside?...\" Jay asked.

    \"It would help if I could get a closer look... but it might pull too much attention....\" Grace answered. \"Besides let''s find the Head Mistress and let her know our findings.\" Grace added.

    \"Aren''t we gonna wait for Daisy and Helen?..\" I asked.

    \"Helen said she wanted to stay to help who she can... and Daisy said she will do the same also and to stay with her if anything happens.\" Grace informed us.

    \"Well let''s get moving quickly then.\" Jay suggested.

    \"I think we should be safe though... Dark Elves only attack the surface at night... their eyes are sensitive to bright lights due to living underground.\" Grace explained.

    \"That''s a relief.....\" I sighed, I clearly wasn''t ready for any of this.

    As we began walking through the city back to the refugee camps I couldn''t help but feel unnerved, anyone could be watching us from anywhere..... Anyone of these innocent looking civilians could be a Dark Elf in disguise.....

    \"Emilia stay close if you feel unsafe.....\" Grace said clearly somehow sensing my unease.

    \"Don''t worry Emilia we''ll be alright.....\" Jay smiled.

    \"I hope so....\" I quietly whispered to myself positioning myself between Jay and Grace.

    It was surprising how the general public... even though looking on edge still seemed to be living their life normally..... Shops still opening..... People buying things even children playing on the streets. \"Do you think the city knows what''s going on?..\" I questioned them.

    \"I wouldn''t be surprised if they didn''t to be honest... mass panic is never a good thing.... or fleeing is never good for any city or towns business... but nothing can stop the spread of rumours.\" Grace answered.

    \"To be fair.... they probably feel a lot safer now that we arrived.\" Jay smiled.

    \"You five are a little far from the camps... slacking off?....\" Sven said walking towards us with a giant smile.

    \"No no.... we have good reason....\" Grace said trying to defend our actions.

    \"Okay.... let me hear it...\" He smiled stopping in front of us.

    \"We have reasons to believe Dark Elves have infiltrated the city.\" Grace whispered to him walking up to his ear ensuring no one else can hear.

    \"Are you serious?...\" He whispered back his smile instantaneously fading from his face.

    \"Yes..... We heard rumours of monsters and Dark Elves attacking at night.... so we went to the infirmary to check the wounded.... it seems to all check out.\"

    \"Quickly we need to retrieve your other two friends.\" He ordered his hands flicking quickly.

    \"They are this way.\" I said leading the way.

    \"We also found out there''s and imminent attack... as well....\" Jay notified Sven.

    \"So the city must have a Master of Divination magic.....\" He concluded.

    \"Is there anything else??\" He asked as we quickly made out way to Helen and Daisy.

    \"So we know common Dark Elf tactics is sabotage.... so no doubt they have already implanted themselves within the general public.\" Grace informed him.

    \"Yes..... Why on earth would you leave the other two them by themselves knowing that.\" Sven asked.

    \"We needed to let the Deputy Head Mistress know.... and they wanted to stay and help...\" Grace tried to explain to him.

    \"I understand..... It''s your duty to help those in need.... but you should always look after yourselves first\" He replied clearly disagreeing with our decision.

    As we turned the final corner, \"slow down....\" Sven ordered placing his hand on my shouldered.

    \"What is it?..\" I stopped turning around.

    \"Act normal..... That group of four guards may very well be Dark Elves.\" Sven informed us.

    \"How do you know?..\" I whispered trying to not act surprised.

    \"See the one in the middle right?..... He has a small dagger hilt showing in his uniform.\" Sven explained very quietly and calmly still walking towards them.

    \"That''s a ceremonial dagger.\" Grace pointed out.

    \"Yes exactly.... most the guard''s I''ve seen in this town aren''t equipped with daggers.\" Sven pointed out.

    \"Is Helen and Daisy okay?.....\" I whispered.

    \"They seem fine.... no erratic movements..... But the fact this Guard unit hasn''t moved and seems to be guarding the entrance... Is very worrying..\" Sven pointed out.

    \"What''s the plan?...\" Jay said as we neared the Guard unit.

    \"Well let''s not start anything till we regroup with Daisy and Helen. Then we''ll get out and engage them on our terms..... We have no idea how many are inside either.... we could be very well outnumbered and surrounded.\" He instructed.

    \"Should we call for back up?..\" I asked feeling worried as every fibre in my body yelling at me to run.

    \"Back up won''t arrive in time... we need to get them two out as soon as possible.\" He instructed.

    \"Okay...\" Jay whispered sounding extremely serious.

    \"Grace and I will head get Helen and the two of you get Daisy..... We''ll exit through the front and once I start the first move... you all follow up okay?...\" He ordered with a firm commanding voice.

    \"Okay.\" We all answered.

    \"Stop!!\" the guard squad ordered us, causing us all to pause in front of them.

    \"We was sent here by out Teacher to assist in the healing.\" Sven lied to them.

    \"Okay sure.\" They smiled but looking closely I can sense some sort of sinister grin..... Rather than a genuine smile.

    \"Helen is nearby.... but Daisy is at the back.\" Sven quickly pointed it out to us as we entered the messy infirmary again.

    We quickly broke apart following the orders we were given walking deeper into the infirmary gently weaving through everyone desperately searching for Daisy.

 135 Sven Bovar

    \"I''m pretty sure that''s her.\" Jay said quickly pointing out a golden glow radiating out from a crowd.

    \"Let''s make it quick....\" I replied noticing there was quite the crow around her.

    \"Daisy! We''ve been ordered to meet up with the rest of the class.\" Jay quickly instructed Daisy convoying the urgency turning her around as we arrived.

    \"We are?..... What happened?..\" She asked looking shocked.

    \"No idea.... but Sven caught us slacking off so we need to head back to the refugee camp.\" Jay informed her.

    \"Really?.. How the hell...\" she said seemingly to power down her radiating aura slowly fading it to nothing. \"Sorry everyone.... but I need to go now..... Please everyone try your hardest and rest well.\" she smiled thanking and shaking hands of what seemed to be other followers of Serra.

    \"We need to hurry... or we''re gonna be stuck in detention for a week.\" I said trying to get her to hurry up.

    \"OHHH crap... I''ve never been in trouble before!!\" She moaned quickly picking up the pace. Without looking back or a second thought we quickly followed her out towards the entrance.

    \"Ohh you guys made it.\" Sven smiled greeting us. \"Everyone okay?..\" He questioned looking at all of us.

    \"We''re good....\" We answered.

    \"I''m so sorry!!!!!!! I was helping people who were in need..... I didn''t mean to break the rules!!\" Daisy instantly confessed as if she''s never been caught breaking the rules before.

    \"Ummm yes... you''re in big trouble..... I''m afraid you''re gonna be in detention for a week.\" he firmly said leading the way for our group.

    Daisy fell silent like a guilty criminal, looking down in shame following us out the front door. \"Don''t be so hard on yourself.\" Jay replied trying to cheer her up.

    \"I knew I should have left with you guys.....\" she mumbled to herself.

    \"Stop!!\" The lead guard stopped us as we began exiting the building.

    \"Anything we can help you with sir?\" Sven asked courteously.

    \"Just wanted to ask a few questions.\" He smiled in return with that same slither of wickedness in his smile.

    \"Sure.... ask away.\" Sven smiled.

    \"Umm if you don''t mind could we ask some questions in private?....\" He asked Sven politely.

    \"I''m sorry I can''t let that happen?..\" He smiled totally unfazed by the guard.

    \"You know I was hoping you''d say that....\" The guard instantly smiled his true colours came flooding out.

    \"I thought you would have.\" Sven smiled... and without warning all the guards were forced together and almost instantly after two fell lifeless slumping on the floor bleeding from the head.

    \"What the fuck!!!\" The remaining two shouted out before being silenced their necks making a hideous twisting noise as his neck and head turned in an unnatural way silencing them both with a resounding series of cracks.

    Instantaneously four more guards showed up walking to the silenced bodies looking near identical to the ones lying on the floor.

    \"Don''t worry Sven we''ll take care of the bodies.\" The new lead guard smiled giving us a wink.

    \"Ohhh don''t forget their ceremonial daggers.\" Sven smiled and nodded.

    \"What the hell just happened?...\" I asked in shock barely being able to come to terms with what happened.

    \"Don''t worry they are Atlantis students, thanks to your intel we''re now able to take steps in preventing in whatever they have planned.\" He smiled.

    \"What''s gonna happen now?\" Helen asked as we quickly rushed our way to the refugee camps.

    \"The Deputy Head Mistress wants a head count then you''ll be take back safely to Atlantis. So let''s make haste.\" Sven explained hastening the pace back through the city.

    \"What''s going on?..\" Daisy asked still in the dark.

    \"Those guards were Dark Elves.... we have reason to believe they have already infiltrated the city ..... Everyone is considered hostile.... even high ranked officials.\" Sven answered.

    \"So we''re evacuating?..\" I asked concerned for the refugees.

    \"We''ve received a message for all non-first years.... to locate and gather all freshman.\" Sven added.

    \"How did she know?...\" Grace asked.

    \"I sent a message through my strings.\" He answered with a proud smile.

    \"When?... How?... Grace questioned deeper.

    \"Via a language we designed through the tapping of my strings.\" He smiled.

    \"Wow your strings are way more useful than I expected.\" Jay confessed causing Sven to chuckle.

    \"Why thank you.... I aim to please.\" He smiled bowing his heads.

    \"Is that how you manged to locate us so easily?..... and Daisy and Helen inside the building?..\" I asked.

    \"Yes... I hope you all didn''t mind but when we first met.... I did attach strings to you all... just for safe keeping sake...\" He apologized.

    \"All of us?.. When...\" I asked checking myself for the string.

    \"Can''t feel it?..\" He smiled.

    \"No I feel nothing.....\" I replied causing everyone else to check themselves.

    \"The one''s I''ve attached to you all are currently only one strand thick...... it''s almost impossible to feel them unless I want you to.\" He smiled twitching a finger causing his mechanisms to move.

    \"Ohh my god I felt a slight tug.\" Helen and Grace said after waiting a few seconds.

    \"I don''t feel anything....\" I replied waiting a little longer.

    \"Wow impressive being able to feel the slightest of tugs on your clothing.\" He replied to Daisy and Helen.

    \"So who and what killed the guards?..\" Grace asked curiously for some reason the heightened Elven senses didn''t even see much.

    \"It was a joint effort between me and another student of Atlantis... I pulled them together with strings I already placed around them the first time we passed them..... But this time it was around hundreds of threads thick.... and the other was a shot from S-Ranked student Travis.... No doubt he''s camped up somewhere as over watch.\" Sven answered.

    \"No way.....\" Grace gasped in shock looking around the city for high locations.

    \"But I didn''t hear him shoot.\" I objected in disbelief.

    \"It''s part of his specialty.... training in hiding his presence and taking out or subduing targets from extreme range.\" Sven answered.

    \"How about the safety of the refugees?...\" I asked.

    \"What about them?..\" Sven asked.

    \"We need to keep them safe....\" I insisted.

    \"Well... I''m not sure what Atlantis is getting paid for....\" Sven answered.

    \"So I assume it''s not good.\" Jay answered.

    \"Sadly to the rich elite..... Refugees are considered like roaches and rats to the city.\" Sven answered accepting the grim truth.

    \"We can let that happen!\" I argued.

    \"It''s out of our hands Emilia.\" Sven replied.

    \"Whys that?..... We can do something if we wanted to!\" I argued.

    \"Because life isn''t that easy.... we can''t be seen giving free handouts.... otherwise we''ll lose sponsors and funding. Then who will pay for all the Atlantis''s expensesˇ­..\" Sven informed me.

    \"Why are we given these gifts if we can''t use them to save people the in need?...\" I argued.

    \"It''s the way the world works.... good will and nature can only get you so far...\" Sven explained.

    \"I''m sorry but I can''t just sit by and let the innocent and defenceless get left out for the slaughter for some stupid politics or money, lives are more important.\" I argued making a stand.

    \"You remind me a lot of the House Head.... besides I did say ''Seen''.....\" He smiled. \"He gets in a lot of trouble doing the good things going against teachers..... Stupid idealist..... But at least someone is doing the tough job making the hard choices.\" He sighed but I can tell by the way he spoke about him..... He deeply admired him.

    As we made our way through the town..... Suddenly my nervous feeling disappeared... replaced with a feeling that everything will turn out just fine........ Is that you Paul?.... Have you come to help?.....

 136 Disobedient Students

    As we neared the gates the Deputy Head Mistress was there with a number of fellow first years. \"Hmmm looks like all the First Years haven''t gathered yet.\" Sven said noticing the school group.

    \"Do you think they are okay?..\" Helen asked sounding worried.

    \"I''m sure everyone is okay. I let the Deputy Head know I''ve returned with you lot.\" He smiled leaving us with the school group.

    Overhearing the students they all seemed totally confused why they were all pulled back early..... Totally unbeknownst to what''s going to happen or happening. \"Umm the Head Mistress would like to talk to you all...\" Seven came back after a few minutes trying to keep quiet and lead the way to her.

    \"Welcome children!!!....\" Deputy Head Mistress greeted us with a giant smile.

    \"Deputy Head Mistress.\" Everyone else smiled bowing their head slightly causing me to do the same quickly.

    \"Thank you Sven.... Please if you don''t mind we need your string for reconnaissance..... We need you to watch the back and the flanks of the city.\" She ordered him politely.

    \"Yes M''am.\" He replied bowing his head giving us a wave and began jogging off.

    \"So I hear.... you five suspect the city had been infiltrated by Dark Elves?..\" She asked.

    \"Yes... Deputy Head.\" Grace answered.

    \"Okay.... so what was your findings??\" She asked Grace.

    \"Well we felt something off..... Like the city was on edge and things..... So we questioned the refugee''s as we helped them... They said that rumours have been spreading that there has been a number of attacks and disappearances outside the cities perimeter.... one in particular..... A Fox Lady Emilia and Daisy helped... said there has been kidnappings and merciless killing of refugees....\" She answered.

    \"Ahhh I see.... So slavery and information gathering....\" Deputy Headmistress concluded.

    \"Yes what we suspect too..... So using Helen and Daisy.... we persuaded the Guards, that we were told to help out in the infirmary so we could take a better look at the wounded..... Dark Elves have particular weapons that inflict maximum pain onto their victims while trying to keep them aliveˇ­.. On the way the guard escorting us said that they and guard units have been under attack lately by weird creatures.... Rocks with tentacles... Large insectoid creatures..... Magical Darkness.....\" Grace carried on explaining.

    \"Hmmm sounds like Lashers and Beetle Hulks common Dark Elves tactics....\" Deputy Head nodded.

    \"Yes.... so we proceeded to the infirmary.... Helena and I treated a few injuries.... some had Rope burns and bites from Lashers..... Others had limbs and broken body parts from large pincers and very large gashes from a rough weapons..... Nothing Dark Elf related which is strangeˇ­. So we assume they''ve infiltrated the city somehow.\" Grace explained.

    \"I see.\" The Deputy Head nodded.

    \"Some also muttered in broken speech Giant spiders and some horrible bipedal monsters with giant scythes for hands. Ohhh and also something like pitch darkness.... and now we are here.\" Grace concluded.

    \"Hmmm anything else?..\" She asked Grace.

    \"Well I''m sure Sven has briefed you... but we did meet a set of guards that had Dark Elf ceremonial daggers.\" Grace mentioned.

    \"Ahh yes..... Sven did mention that.\" She smiled.

    \"Well.... thank you for your intuition and initiative.... I also come to the same conclusion you all have, we''ll begin evacuation the evacuation process quickly.\" She smiled.

    \"So are we getting sent back?..\" I asked speaking out of place.

    \"Yes Miss Emilia.... all first years and support students will be sent back to Atlantis to ensure their safety.\" She smiled.

    \"How about the refugees?...\" I asked.

    \"Well Miss Emilia..... The primary objective will be to safeguard the city and it''s inhabitant...\" She answered me with a very stern tone.

    \"Ohhh... okay.....\" I replied a little scared deciding not to challenge her.

    \"If you would please keep your findings quiet to avoid panic and worryˇ­. And return to the rest of the class so we can get back in one piece.\" She smiled.

    \"Yes Miss.\" we all nodded bowing our head slightly and made it back to the group of students.

    \"Daisy I want to try and help the Fox family.....\" I whispered to her after making it back to the class.

    \"So do I... but there''s nothing we can do Emilia.... and that would be going against the Deputy Head''s order.....\" Daisy replied frightened of breaking the rules.

    \"Yeah... it''s extremely dangerous as well... some of the refugees might very well be Dark Elves as well....\" Helen added overhearing us.

    \"Scarlet are you here?...\" I asked trying to contact her but to no avail. \"Paul?...\" I asked hoping that feeling earlier meant something but that message also fell to deaf ears.

    \"They not responded?...\" Helen asked looking worried.

    \"Still nothing....\" I replied.

    \"Damn...... They should have sent message to her to come back by now...\" Grace said making me more worried.

    \"We all trained with her.....I''m sure she''s fine.... probably over indulging in an intense fight.\" Jay laughed.

    \"Are you not worried at all?..\" Helen asked Jay as if sounding angry or at least annoyed.

    \"We''re completely safe... and we''re gonna be heading back to Atlantis soon.\" Jay replied to her.

    \"Yeah but you see that look on Emilia?..\" She replied.

    \"I guess it means we''re gonna sneak off and help the refugee''s....\" He sighed.

    \"I mean... I want to..... But I don''t even know what to do yet..... All I know is I want to help them and make sure they aren''t left out by the systemˇ­\" I answered.

    \"Well first things first.... we need to sneak out of here...\" Jay said looking around.

    \"Not to mention avoiding other Atlantis students.....\" Grace added.

    \"And somehow avoid Sven catching us... somehow.....\" Helen also replied.

    \"Then.... what?.. Find the Fox Family.... smuggle them into the city and put them somewhere safe in a city we''ve never been to?..\" Jay sarcastically suggested as if this is almost impossible.

    \"We can decide later... Let''s get there first....\" Grace suggested.

    \"But but.... that will be breaking the rules....\" Daisy said looking worried.

    \"Come on Daisy.... Stop being such a stickler.\" Grace joked nudging her. \"Anyways.... how would Serra react if..... I dunno.... you left a family when you know you could have helped.\" Grace shrugged quickly slipping into a passing crowd.

    \"Damnit.....\" Jay said following her.

    \"Let''s go save some live.\" Helen said following closely.

    With a giant smile I looked at Daisy edging her to follow before slipping into the crowd like the others.

    As we followed the crowd nearing the main gate in and out the city, slipping into a nearby allay between two houses. \"I hate you guys!\" Daisy whispered angry at us.

    \"We''ll talk about it later.\" Grace chuckled. \"So we need a lie to get past the guard''s checking people leaving the city.... lucky for us they seem to be less concerned then those entering the city.\" Grace said to us.

    \"Well we can just lie...\" I suggested.

    \"Don''t think that will work..... They probably know most the inhabitants... so new faces will arise suspicion...\" Jay replied.

    \"Ohhhh..... I''m sure a Paladin of Serra would grant us some immunity....\" Grace suggested making us all turn to Daisy.

    \"What?....\" she question in shock suddenly becoming the crux of our plan.

    \"Ahhhhh yes yes.... let''s head to the Church of Serra so we can borrow some robes.....\" Jay suggested with a smiled.

    \"No No No..... breaking school rules... then pretending to be a Paladin of Serra... I can''t...\" She insisted.

    \"No No.... you''re already a Paladin of Serra..... We are just following you..... It''s not our fault it they think we are priests of Serra.....\" Grace implied.

    \"........... Fine let''s go.....\" Daisy begrudgingly agreed.

    Quickly making our way to the Church of Serra, Lilli was still outside tending to the flowers. \"Hey Lilli! We all shouted to greet her.

    \"Hi!\" She greeted us back waving her arm.

    \"We need your help Lilli...\" Grace asked her quickly.

    \"Sure what is it?..\" She asked with a smile.

    \"We need to borrow some priest robes...\" Grace politely requested.

    \"Ummmm.......\" She replied looking cautious and worried.

    \"It''s to save lives...\" Daisy informed her with a smile.

    \"Ummm okay.... I''ll fetch them right away.\" She nodded running into the church.

    \"So that''s step one.... sorted.... Step two.... how are we gonna save all the refugees?..\" Jay asked.

    \"We have to get them to move into the city.... it''s the only way....\" I suggested.

    \"Hmmm... That could work.\" Jay agreed.

    \"Here they are...\" Lilli announced coming back with a pile of plain robes.

    \"Thank you Lilly... Grace smiled taking them and throwing them to us to wear them.

    \"Thank you Lilly for your help.\" I smiled thanking her and began following the others making our way back to the Gates pulling over our hoods to shield our identities.

 137 Calm Before the Storm

    I dunno if it just me or everyone else but approaching the guards at the gate was extremely nerve-racking their official Armour.... their swords.... their weaponry... brought all this rule breaking into a whole new reality... We joined the queue slowly making our way out the city gates.

    \"Sister.\" The guards bowed their heads as they saw Daisy leading us, leaving a clear path for us to walk past without question.

    \"That was a lot easier than I expected.\" Jay whispered after making some distance from the city guard pulling down his hood.

    Daisy let out a huge sigh of relief.....\"Thank Serra.\"

    \"Well let''s get to work... We don''t know how much time we have but it''s still daytime.\" Grace reminded us.

    \"You''re right... Jay you''re with me.... Grace you go with Emilia and Daisyˇ­.\" Helen ordered.

    \"Okay... We got the left side you got the right... and work your way down.\" Grace agreed.

    \"If anything happens shoot a spell into the sky so we know where you are and we''ll head to you right away.\" Jay added.

    Quickly we began working our way through the refugee tents... trying to persuade as many as we could to pick up their things and head into the city as quickly as possible. Some refused to believe us putting more belief and trust on the city that didn''t care for them..... The rest heeding our warning and picking up their belongings quickly and began making their way to the city gates.

    Barely even making past the tenth tent.... An eerie feeling enveloped my body.... \"Do you feel that guys?...\" I asked curiously looking into the bright sky.

    \"This feeling... It''s not good.....\" Daisy replied also looking into the sky.

    \"We need to go back....\" Grace stuttered also feeling this strange presence.

    Is this what they call the calm before the storm?....... Everything was silent... strangely tranquil... \"Emilia we need to get back!\" Grace said grabbing my arm shaking me back to reality, her expression has never been so serious since we''ve met.... her eyes and voice filled with worry and fear.

    \"Not yet!!! I need to reach the Fox Family!!!\" I replied back to her.

    \"I''ll go with Emilia... we''ll get the Fox family!!! Grace you look for the other two and let them know!!! Shoot a fire bolt into the sky every so often so we can rendezvous with you.\" She order and without warning or waiting dragged me to the Fox Families tent, Grace gave one firm nod before running towards the direction of Helen and Jay.

    \"Emilia!!! We have no time to waste!!\" Daisy said beginning to run.

    \"What is that feeling?!!!\" I asked running after her.

    \"I don''t know but every bone in my body is telling me that something bad is going to happen.\" She answered without even looking back.

    \"I think it''s that tent!\" I yelled pointing at the tent I recognize we visited earlier.

    Quickly we bust our way into the tent causing the Fox family to jump in shock. \"Quickly we need to go!\" Daisy ordered them.

    \"Wait wait wait... what''s going on??!!\" The mum questioned in shock.

    \"We don''t have time we need to go NOW!\" Daisy ordered picking up one of the fox girls.

    \"Okay okay... lemme grab some things!!\" She replied.

    \"Quickly we need to leave right now!\" Daisy ordered her in a panic.

    \"Okay okay....\" The mum answered grabbing what she can and began to leave.

    \"Let me.....\" I said grabbing her things and putting it into my pouch.

    The mum quickly grabbed Keiko and gave us a nod. \"Whatever happens you need to make it into the city okay?... Fight your way through if you must!\" I informed her.

    Leaving the tent Daisy and Aimaki began running to the city gates, but a part of me couldn''t just leave all the other refugees to die..... But what can I do?... as thousands of stupid and ridiculous plans began whizzing through my head.

    \"EMILIA!!! WE NEED TO G O!!!\" Daisy yelled out to me.

    \"GO ON I''LL CATCH UP!! I NEED TO WARN EVERYONE ELSE!!!\" I yelled back.

    She starred at me as if to argue...\"MAKE SURE YOU COME BACK IN ONE PIECE!!!\" She shouted giving me a firm nod and began running back to the city.

    Taking a deep breath and calming my nerves I quickly began running back to the far end of the camp still unsure what I can even possibly do to even warn so many people at one time. \"EVERYONE PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE CITY!!! WE''RE UNDER ATTACK!!!\" I yelled at the top of my lungs trying to reach whoever I could.

    Some families came out their tents to check on the commotion, \"Please!!! Run to the city it''s not safe here.... And warn everyone you can!!\" I tried to communicate to them barley being able to catch my breath.

    \"Okay okay!!! They nodded and began making the way into the city spreading the word, but that wasn''t enough everyone at the end of the camp are still unaware.

    ''Fuck'' I cursed and carried on running trying to warn everyone, never before have I felt such fear... This feeling filling my bones with dread like my life would end soon. I could feel it... this is it.... the moment of dread...... Four gigantic pitch black beams shot up from the floor into the sky letting out a strange sound causing everyone to walk out their tents witnessing the spectacle.

    The sounds of drums and howling of voices began to echo throughout the surrounding area.... as the bright sunlit sky began to darken.... \"Was this their plan all along? Attacking during the day when we least expect it?...\" I thought to myself...

    The entire refugee camp began to scream in panic... \"QUICKLY TO THE CITY!!!\" I screamed at the top of my voice holding my wand out into the sky and began launching off firebolts into the sky trying to incite everyone to run to the city.

    \"RUN RUN!!!!\" I screamed to everyone..... As everything became a mad panic for survival.

    A nearby old man collapsed in the chaos being ignored by everyone running pass or over him..... ''What could have possibly changed in me that made me pick to help the old man I never knew over running from my life... Like I''m some sort of hero willing to sacrifice myself to help those in need......''

    \"Sir it''s okay!!! Quickly make it back to the city please....\" I shouted to him through all the commotion helping him up.

    It was hopeless... after helping up the old man there were just more and more people who needed help..... How can I possibly save everyone?..... Accepting the truth I turned around and began to run for my life like everyone else... In the distance I can see a blue firebolt launched into the sky and a Beam of yellow light nearby that must have been Daisy.... but they were so far away...... For the first time since I''ve arrived I was alone.... No one here to help me.... I must rely on myself.

 138 Casualties

    The beat of the wardrums echoing louder and louder and faster and faster in all directions with each passing moment.....

    "Scarlet?... can you hear me?... we need your help!!! There''s an invasion!!!" I screamed into my device hoping she could hear me.

    "Emilia?... I... They are.... I can''t hear...." her message was severely disrupted for some reason.

    ''Jesus Christ Is there no one that can help?.....'' My body instinctively running with the mass horde of fleeing refugees. ''Why is the city or Atlantis not fighting back?...''

    Looking around briefly the weird darkness created by the beams reducing my vision no further then I can throw a ball..... "Icio-igna" I yelled shooting out a firebolt into the distant lighting the sky briefly revealing several large panther like beasts each with several tails whipping in the wind.... their forms seeming to be shimmering weirdly... judging by their pace they will be reaching us within seconds no more than a minute.

    "HELP US!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs hoping that maybe the city have sent some solider or some Atlantis students. ''What the hell are they doing?... why would they leave us alone to get slaughtered like farm animals.....

    Running blindly to the city I braced myself for the sudden impact of the oncoming panther like creatures... and impactful they came..... As a cacophony of hideous screams and yells of terror and pain erupted everywhere and within a millisecond another scream..... Much closer followed with the feel of several body being launched into me sending me tumbling to the floor buried beneath bodies of dead or alive refugees.....

    Barely being able to wiggle half my body out, the sound of tearing flesh became apparent...''Fuck.....'' as the Panther like creature was attacking someone on top of me. "Icio-igna!!!" I yelled shooting a firebolt into it aiming for the centre of its body.

    The cat snarled with a high pitched scream jumping off the body and backing off, relieving me from majority of the pressure allowing me to wriggle out fully. "Icio-igna" I instinctively fire another firebolt at it one of the two shimmering panther like beasts in front of me. Passing through it like it wasn''t even there..... Like a damn illusion...

    ''Ohhh fuck....'' I muttered under my breath as I could see the two cats ready to pounce, the claws beneath their feet in full extension and leaning back on their hind legs.

    Out from the darkness the sound of a speeding projectile and a thud causing one of the beasts to disappear and the other to fall to the ground motionless.

    ''That must be Travis.... is he looking out for me?...'' "Icio-igna" I shot into the sky to quickly asses my surroundings. I was surrounded by dead or unconscious bodies.....riddled with deep bleeding gashes and puncture wounds.... the Panther like creatures killing refugees mercilessly. In the distant hundreds of humanoid figures in hooded robes... they must be the Dark Elves but luckily for us they don''t seem to be running towards us.

    There was another thud sound followed with kicked up soil like a bullet, passing through a beast like an illusion again. "Icio-igna" I pointed at the other one hitting it with a firebolt quickly followed with another thud as the creature was pierced as if it was hit by a bullet and collapsed on the floor causing the other one to disappear again.

    ''He needs me to identify the real ones!!'' I quickly deduced to myself and began making my way to the castle again firing firebolts at every Panther Creature I could see, and to my relief it quickly followed with another thud silencing the real panther whether or not I hit the real one.

    One by one we worked out way through all the panthers my spells both illuminating the way and distinguishing real from fake panthers.

    "Help..." an old man tried calling out to me for support his hands shaking in terror reaching out to me grabbing my leg.

    "Sir are you okay?.. can you walk?" I instinctively dropped down to him checking for wounds.

    "I think I broke my leg." He said as I looked down to his leg that looked normal.

    "I think you''re gonna be alright...." I said helping him up, "Quickly!!! Make your way to the city!! As fast as you can." I instructed him in a panic the adrenaline fuelling my body into overdrive.

    "Thank you!!" He thanked me waddling to the city with what seemed to be a twisted ankle.... there was no way he could make it in time.

    The sounds of moans and groans of pain and pleads for help suddenly engulfed my ears and innumerable hands reached up from the floor seeking help and even more laid there motionless in complete silence.

    "Somebody help!!!" I yelled at the top of my voice hoping for assistance as I grasped for the closest hand that I could reach. "Don''t worry!! I''m here!" I yelled out grabbing the small hand.

    "I''m stuck!!" I young voice called out from beneath some bodies.

    "Don''t worry! I won''t leave you." I shouted to her letting her hand go and began trying to move the bodies that were on top of her. "Quickly!!!! Get the city!!!" I ordered her pointing towards the city, she nodded in utter silence her face and hair soaked with blood. "Quickly you don''t have much time!" I ordered her again and quickly rushed to the next source person I could hear begging for help.

    This man looked in bad shape... a deep claw wound across his chest and a puncture through his torso..... "I''m here! I''m here...." I yelled to him over the other voices....

    "Please..... My wife...." he pointed at a body rolled on its side her back faced towards us utterly motionless...

    "Don''t worry..... Just ummm.... put pressure on the puncture wound... try and slow the bleeding." I instructed him imitating the advice I''ve seen in movies, tearing out my sleeve and pressing it against his wound making him hiss in pain.

    "Please help my wife..." he begged me placing his hands on top of mine to stem the bleeding.

    "Okayˇ­. Okay... save your breath.... just focus on surviving..." I faked a smile towards him and made my way to his wife.

    "Miss... Miss?..." I shouted to her shaking her body trying to wake her motionless body. Her body was still warm to the touch but I can tell there was no life... no breathing.... no movement of the chest... nothing...

    "She''s gonna be okay... she''s just unconscious..." I shouted back at the man as I tried to hold back my tears, despite being in immense pain maybe on death''s doorˇ­.. but he smiled a little before trying to relax maintaining pressure on his wound.

    "Sir keep pressure on the wound!!! I need to help others." I ordered him as I went to the next survivor.

    "I''m here, I''m here." I shouted grabbing the hand.

    "Thank the Gods.... Help I''m stuck." A lady explained as several bodies were on top of her.

    "Okay okay.... help me get the bodies off you." I instructed as we both worked together to push the bodies off her.

    "Can you walk?.." I instinctively asked.

    "I think I can..." As I helped her up.

    "Quickly to the city!!! I don''t know how long we have!" I ordered to her expressing my urgency.

    "Okay...." She wobbled, resounding crack echoed from her leg and fell into my arms. "Crap I think my leg is broken." She cursed in pain.

    "Damnit..." I uttered placing her down gently on the floor.

    ''Fuck fuck.... what to do?...'' I cursed to myself. "Okay.... whatever happens.... stay quite!!.... No matter what stay quiet and survive!" I ordered her and began pulling some bodies over her. "Pretend to be dead... and when all this crap is over... just survive..." I instructed her as I pulled another body to cover her. "I''m gonna go now.... there''s many that need my help... whatever happens survive... Okay..." I ordered her before going to the next cry for help.

    "Emilia?.." a voice called out to me in my mind.

 139 Pauls Plan

    "Ohh my God, Paul?!" I answered recognizing his voiceˇ­.. like a beacon of hope I felt like there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

    "Yeah!.... where are you?.... you and your friends weren''t with the returning group..." He asked sounding extremely worried.

    "I don''t have time to explain!!! We need your help!" I said in a panicked tone

    "What''s going on?.." He panicked hearing my voice.

    "There''s people here they need help...." I begged him.

    "Quickly explain to me the situation." He instantly replied.

    "There''s lots of injured refugee''s here.... They won''t make it to the city." I explained.

    "Okay.... I''m coming... This is very important.... I need you to or make an empty space around a meter in diameter and send me a signal." He urgently replied sounding more and more panicked.

    "Okay okay...." Instantly replied scanning the surrounding area... "I see one... I''m running to it now." I relayed to him.

    "Just stay calm.... I''m here with you." He replied speaking softly trying to reassure me.

    "Okay!!! I''m here..... I''m sending the signal now!" I told him speaking as quickly as I could.

    "Stay there!!! I''m coming!!! And cover your ears." He replied as if in a rush.

    I waited for a what felt like an eternity staring towards the city eagerly waiting for him, suddenly in the distance a small bolt of lightning flashed, then instantly another a little closer, then another and another in quick succession till one finally stuck the floor nearby, the lightning flash forcing me to shield my eyes.

    "Emila what are you doing so far out!" Paul''s void yelled out to me.

    "Paul!!!" I shouted back opening my eyes to see Paul in his usual clothing with a set of heavily armoured guards.

    "Are you okay?.." He asked me grasping my face gently looking into my eyes.

    "Yes I''m okay....." I smiled trying to hold back my tears of joy.

    "Okay..... Let''s go." He said grabbing my hand.

    "We need to save everyone..." I quietly requested.

    "......" He paused in silence for a few seconds, "Okay okay..... Tell me what''s going on." He requested.

    "We were attack by these panthers... and I stayed to help who I could... but they won''t make it." I explained.

    "Make it?.." he questioned.

    "Yes there''s over a hundred of Dark Elves approaching." I informed him the guards quickly stepped into action surrounding us weapons drawn, but one girl with long black hair wearing normal clothing with red leather finger less gloves stood still listening.

    "Jesus that must be a bloody full invasion....." He muttered appearing to think, "Fucking I did not bring the right people with me....." He cursed himself.

    "Emilia we have no time to lose!!!!..... Once you get back to the city you need to find the Deputy Head mistress.... tell her it''s a full scale invasion, they need evacuate the front of the city back to the middle district and you need to find Jila.... and tell her to pair with Emergency teleporter six in a large empty area in the middle district.... Six remember!! It''s very important." He quickly explained to me looking extremely stressed and worried, "Yuna!!!" He turned around to speak to the girl.

    "Yes sir!" She saluted him.

    "Take Emilia and get to the Deputy Head Mistress.... I don''t know how long you have..... I''ll try and hold off the main invasion force as long as I can." He explained to her.

    "But sir.... I need to protect you..." She insisted.

    "I''ll be okay... The guards here will be sufficient enough." He explained.

    "I don''t want to leave you.." I instinctively replied hearing he''s going to remain behind.

    "We don''t have time to argue..... You need to leave now!" He ordered.

    "I''m not going..." I replied firmly.

    "You need to go!!! It''s not safe here..... And I don''t know how long I can hold my barrier... Remember Six!!!.... everyone''s lives here depends on the teleporter pairing." He explained looking into my eyes completely serious.

    I nodded firmly reluctantly agreeing... "Come back alive okay?" I requested sincerely.

    "I''ll try..." he smiled happy I changed my mind.

    "Promise?.." I asked.

    ".... I promise...." He smiled.

    "Okay....." I smiled back.

    "Let''s go!!" Yuna waited for me.

    "Yuna where you see the last body draw the 7th rune on the floor and release a flare for me." He ordered Yuna.

    "Yes sir!" Yuna responded and began running towards the city.

    "Be fast and remember what you must do!!!" He smiled at me placing a hand on my shoulder causing an immense amount of Arcanum surged into my body.

    "Okay!" I nodded firmly and turned to Yuna surprisingly extremely quickly... my body extremely fast.....

    "Okay you guards I need each of you to head in these direct...." His orders faded as I ran after Yuna leaving Paul Behind.

    ''Is this the haste spell?.....'' I thought to myself barely catching up to Yuna. "What''s going to happen?.." I tried to ask Yuna as I reached her.

    "I don''t know myself.... But it''s going to be big if he wants to evacuate the lower city." She explained.

    "Run ahead and finish his plan.... I''ve gotta draw the runes and the flare a little ahead." She pointed out ahead of her.

    "Stay safe." I smiled nodding to her.

    "You too..." She smiled and slowed down to complete her mission.

    Within a few seconds I can see behind me a bright red light shoot up into the sky behind me, and within a few seconds a second slightly dimmer yellow light appeared. Looking back for a second, approximately where Yuna set the flare now laid a huge yellow cube almost exactly the same as the one seen on the first day I arrived.

    Within second Yuna was running side by side with me.... "Okay.... so I''ll run on ahead..... We''re gonna need to clear a path for you..... I will be setting off an Amber Flares, Amber flares are for students that require emergency assistance..... Once we clear a path.... you need to make it through and finish your mission." She instructed me.

    "Okay." I nodded.

    The silhouette of the city quickly came into view along with what seemed to me many humanoid figures. "Crap... Wait here." Yuna instructed.

    "What''s wrong?.." I asked a little concerned coming to a stop.

    "They seemed to have increased their numbers...." She pondered, "Now would be a bloody great time to have a caster right about now...." She cursed.

    "Are all those Dark Elves?.." I asked absolutely shocked.

    "Yes.... and no doubt if I set off a Flare we would quickly get over whelmed before back up arrives... and I''m not a caster so we can''t just jump into the city....." She whispered hiding behind some bushes.

    "Is Ashley here?.." I whispered hiding beside Yuna.

    "I don''t think so...." She answered.

    "Damn......." I cursed looking back at Paul...... His barrier seems under siege.... flashing in random intervals and an occasional big bright white beam beaming down on it. "We need to hurry..... It looks like Paul is in bad shape..." I notified her.

    "I know.... I know..... Damnit" she cursed thinking what on earth we can do.... "Fuck.... okay this is what we''ll do.... I''ll set off the amber flare.... once that happens..... stay behind me I''ll do my best to protect you at all costs... and once I give you the signal I''ll throw you to the city once the reinforcement members clears a small opening..." she instructed.

    "What about you?..." I questioned worried.....

    "Don''t worry about me...." She smiled.

    "You''re gonna survive right?..." I questioned extremely worried.

    "Don''t worry I''m not ready to die yet..... And once reinforcements reach me it should be okay..... but your mission is paramountˇ­.." She answered.

    "There must be another way!!! There''s no way you can hold of an army..." I argued...

    "You need to think about everyone in the city.... and Believe in Paul''s plan...." she smiled.

    "Okay....." I nodded bravely.

    "You''ve a good heart. Welcome to Atlantis." She nudged me smiling.

    "Are you ready?..." She asked with a smile.

    "Yes....." I nodded.

    "Okay....." she replied closing her eyes.

 140 Surrounded like Prey

    "Okay.... Ready....." She notified me, by the sound of her voice she sounded a little nervous reaching into her pouch she has attached on the back of her waist pulling out small stick. "Get ready for hell" she warned as she stabbed it into the ground making it shoot something into the sky, like a firework a large amber flash shone bright in the darkness.

    As she predicted..... A God damn ridiculous amount of silver haired pitch black skinned Elves turned around to see the source of the light..... And then looked down towards us, the amber flare illuminating us in the darkness.

    Utterly silent a wicked cruel smile crept on their lips knowing fully well we were sitting ducks. "Stay close...." She whispered to me and began getting ready for a fight making the Dark Elves smile even more wickedly with a hint of excitement. Grace wasn''t wrong... the sight of their weaponry filled my body with fear every piece of weaponry they wielded were filled with serrated blades and spikes designed to mutilate and maim bodies.

    "Icio-igna!" I shouted popping off a firebolt into a Dark Elf wielding two dagger.

    "Nice shot!" Yuna smiled reaching into her bag and threw something into another Dark Elf silencing him instantly.

    "Are you sure this was a good idea?...." I asked noticing they were slowly surrounding us smiling like demented predators trapping their prey.

    "Not gonna lie.... right now..... I kinda regret it but we''re in the thick of it now." She replied stepping into a Dark Elf that challenged us weaving though his attacks and landing a devastating two punch the second punch hit him with enough for to send him off his feet.

    "Icio-igna" I blasted a firebolt into the face of another that tried to take the opportunity to impale Yuna in the back with a serrated spear.

    "Behind you!!!" Yuna yelled pulling me back narrowly avoiding a slash from a serrated blade. "F--- OFF!" yelled landing a huge kick into his torso... the impact of the kick psychically distorting his body along with the sounds of his rib cage cracking. "Back to back!! Less openings." she ordered throwing her back onto mine.

    "Fulgeo-Igna." I held out my wand blasting a scorch ray through at least six of them, while Yuna deflected a spear thrust pulling the Dark Elf closer to her and with a devastating hook absolutely destroyed the Dark Elfs face dropping him to the ground lifeless.

    "Stupid weapons..." She cursed her hand bleeding from the serrated blades and spikes that dotted the whole shaft of the spear. "I''ll be right back." she shouted rolling forward to grab the spear and quickly thrusting it through the skull of another Dark Elf and retreating back behind me.

    "Orbis-Igna!" I yelled countering the attack of three Dark Elves that tried to simultaneously jump at me, straight into an orb of fire incinerating half their bodies to ash.

    "Bloody hell... you''re good for a first year." Yuna shouted.

    A searing pain shot through my forearm several punctures in a second flooding my wand arm in intense pain. "F---" I yelled in pain staring at a serrated spike whip embedded deep into my wand arm forcing me to drop my wand.

    "Crap!" Yuna yelled taking a quick thrust at the lady holding the whip but her attack was parried with a sword by another neighbouring female Dark Elf.

    Without mercy the whip holding Dark Elf yanked the chain forcing me out of position immobilizing my arm with unbelievable pain the blades of the whip tearing itself deeper and deeper into my forearm.

    "S---" Yuna yelled launching the spear like a Javelin into the whip holding woman. Without mercy or remorse she casually pulled a Dark Elf male in front of her taking the spear through the head and tossing him aside.

    Trying to free me from the whip Yuna went on the offensive throwing out attacks at the both of them but being two against one they easily parried and dodged her blows. Out of nowhere bright yellow lights began swirling around the Dark Elf woman holding the whip causing all three of them to back up in shock, suddenly a bright yellow beam shot up from the floor, the Dark Elf woman screamed in pain the sound and smell of her flesh burning slowly. Taking the opportunity of shock Yuna quickly kicked the other snapping her knee and finishing her off with a hook cracking the Dark Elf''s head and gabbing one of the swords and sundered the whip to free me.

    "We need to go now!" Yunna yelled wrapping the rest of the chain over the parts already embedded in my arms.

    Large echoes erupted form the city in quick succession and within seconds large humongous explosions detonated like mortar shells, devastating large numbers of Dark Elves sending bodies and body parts flying through the air.

    "They''re making a path!!!" Yuna yelled making a run to the city running head first into the few remaining dark elves between us and the cleared path. Moments before we collided with them a large blue ball of fire and a hail of concentrated arrows exploded and rained down on the remaining Dark Elves that blocked our path. "Thank the Gods...." Yuna yelled... "Emilia it''s time!!!" She turned to me and smiled.

    "What???" I looked at her in shock unable to slow myself down.

    "Hold on tight and prepare for an impact." She quickly ordered me grabbing me by the scruff of my robe, with a loud roar she spun her body lifting me off the floor sending me hurtling to the city.

    "Nooooo..." I screamed to Yuna as I flew through the sky the cleared path already filling with more Dark Elves by the second. I closed my eyes bracing for impact as the ground neared. My body crashed with a hard thud onto something softer than normal ground cushioning my fall, but still wracked my entire body in intense pain.

    "Quickly Bring her in!!!!" A manly voice yelled coupled with the feeling of my body getting dragged somewhere.

    "Close the gate!!!" Another voice yelled.

    "Wait we have another still out there..." Another voice yelled out.

    "We can''t let them breach the gate!!!" Someone argued.

    "Give me a GOD DAMN MINUTE someone yelled.

    "F---!!!!!!.... You and you!! Hold the left and right flanks! We''ll buy you as much time as we can." A man yelled.

    Everything was such a blur.... literally immobilised by the pain surging all throughout my body.... "Sven you need to bloody hurry up right this second I''m losing my shot!!!" a woman yelled.

    "MAKING ME PANIC IS NOT HELPING!!!!" He yelled back.

    "NO F---ing joke this is the very last second!!!" The female voice yelled.

    "OKAY!!! Make the shot!!!" Sven instantly yelled and a gunshot quickly followed.

    "This better bloody work!!" The female voice muttered.

    "I''ve got her!!!" He yelled as the sounds of strings twanged and the sound of a tumbling body landed nearby.

    "SEAL THE GATE FALL BACK!" A manly voice yelled out above the ruckus, followed up with the sound of a large closing gate.

    "DAISY!!! We need you down here!!!" Sven yelled.

    "On my way!!!" The familiar voice yelled back.

    "Emilia?..." Sven called out to me.

    "Is that you Sven?.." I coughed struggling to breathe from all the pain.

    "Everything is going to be okay...." Daisy spoke to me softly as all the pain in my body slowly faded and I could finally breathe without pain.... and my vision cleared.

    "Thank Serra you made it backˇ­. This will hurtˇ­..." She warned but gave me little time to ready myself, ripping off the chain imbedded in my arm making me scream out in pain. "I''ve got you." She smiled with the feeling of her hand holding my forearm smoothing the pain almost instantly.

    "There''s one more here Daisy....." Sven requested undoing his threads and unwrapping a mummified body revealing Yuna the side of her torso impaled with a harpoon.

    "This is gonna hurt...." He said sitting her up.

    "Do it." She closed her eyes bracing herself, with a firm grip Sven yanked the harpoon from her torso making Yuna scream and curl in pain.

    Daisy quickly placed her hand over the wound and began glowing quickly, sealing the bleed and healing the wound as it nothing happened at all.

    "Thanks." She nodded to Daisy.... "You could have at least shot me in the shoulder... Priscillaˇ­." Yuna suggested.

    "I would have if Sven took his sweet time preparing his strings...." Priscilla argued.

    "Yeahˇ­ blame meˇ­.. Like what I just did wasn''t like a bloody miracle" Sven laughed.

    "Nevertheless thanks for the save.... I owe you a meal." Yuna smiled.

    "Thank you guard captain." Sven stood up shaking hands with an old man in dressed in ornate silver armour.

    "Did Emilia make it?..." Yuna asked.

    "You mean the girl your threw?... yeah she''s over there..." Priscilla smiled pointing at me.

    "Ohh thank the Gods....." Yuna thanked and ran towards me.... "Quickly we need to finish off your mission or all of this would be in vain." She ordered.

    Being lost in the moment I totally forgot the orders Paul gave me earlier..."F--- we need to move!!" I quickly re-centered myself.

 141 Reunited

    "SVEN!!! Send word to The Deputy Headmistress..... We need to evacuate the front of the city!!! Back to the inner district!" Yuna yelled out to him interrupting the conversation between the Guard Captain and Sven.

    "What are you on about?.." He asked turning around.

    "They have hundreds more in the darkness!!! Paul said we need to retreat to the inner district." I explained to Sven.

    "Dear lord... can''t be?.." the Guard captain uttered in complete shock.

    "Captain..... You need to send word to pull back the front line." Sven answered.

    "Wait a second... this is suicide.... if we lose the wall and the front gate there is no way..... We''ll stop them taking the city." The Guard Captain argued.

    "I''ve already sent word to out Deputy Head Mistress..... No doubt within a few minutes we''ll be retreating to the inner district..." Sven explained.

    "You are all insane...why would giving up out most defensible position be the right move...." He questioned.

    "I can''t be certain what the plan is.... but Paul said we need to retreatˇ­ we need to retreat.." Sven said to him very seriously.

    "And how would you propose such a feat??.... The moment we leave the gates or the walls unattended they will scale and flood the city faster than we can retreat..... Not to mention there are still guard units securing the city." The guard Captain explained as if it was impossible.

    "Emilia we need to go and find Jila..... She''s gonna be the only way to bring back the injured." Yuna reminded me

    "Paul is here?..." Daisy gasped in shock.

    "Yeah he''s out there with a few soldiers holding up a barrier..." I explained to her.

    "We must hurry!!" Daisy insisted.

    "Hey Sven.... do you know where Jila is?.." Yuna asked.

    "....... head of transportation division?...." He asked.

    "Yeah....." Yuna replied.

    "She somewhere in the lower district helping evacuate anyone who stayed in the lower district." Sven answered.

    "Of course... one problem after another..." Yuna cursed. "So shes anywhere in the lower district?..." Yuna asked.

    "Yup that''s what I''m told." Sven answered.

    "What''s the situation in the lower district?.." Yuna asked.

    "I think almost all citizens and non-combatants have been evacuated deeper into the city.... so she and a few other students and a guard unit are checking for anyone left behind.... It should be safe but be on your guard... a few small contingent of Dark Elves did make it into the city with tunnel worms..... Over watch has been keeping an eye on the city." Sven informed us.

    "You don''t have a pin point location on her?.." Yuna asked.

    "Of course not...she''s relatively safe....." Sven answered.

    "Damnit... okay.... Tell Deputy Headmistress we need to retreat to the inner district... And we need a large open empty area for an emergency teleporter..... Message us once a suitable location is found and tell Jila to meet us there." Yuna informed Sven.

    "Okay... I''ll let the Deputy Headmistress know..." He smiled.

    "Let''s go we need to find Jila." Yuna ordered us.

    "Wait... Aren''t you gonna wait for her at the location?.." Sven asked looking confused.

    "No.... we''re gonna need to try and find her.... in case she needs help or she decides to put off the order to rendezvous with us." Yuna replied.

    "Ahh... you''re right....." He nodded..... "Good luck.... if I receive word on where she is... I''ll try and let you guys know." He said

    "Okay... thanks for the save.... Priscilla Stay safe." She thanked Priscilla and nodded to Sven.

    "Ohh and don''t forget your friends....." Sven said pointing at the wall towards what looked like Jay, Helen and Grace. "OI newbies!!!! Get off the wall and reunite with Emilia...." Sven shouted to them and with his head issuing an order to Priscilla.

    Priscilla picked up her sniper rifle, giving Yuna two pats on the shoulder and began making her way towards the wall.

    "Let''s get going...." Yuna ordered us and began making our way to meet up with Jay, Helen and Grace.

    "Emilia!!!" they all shouted with giant smiles running towards us.

    "Hey guys!!!" I shouted back as the feeling of relief and happiness filled my soul.

    "Thank goodnes you made it back!!! We were so worried! Lucky we saw the flare." They smiled checking if I''m okay.

    "Ohh yeahhhh!! That was so epic.....Umm this is Yuna she''s also a student of Atlantis she helped me get back ion one piece." I smiled introducing her to them.

    "Hi Yuna... nice to meet you!!! Thank you for saving Emilia." They all smiled.

    "It''s no problem...." Yuna smiled in return.

    "Yuna this is Jay, Helen and Grace." I introduced them to Yuna.

    "Nice to meet you..... Emilia brief them on our task as we move..... It''s nearing 10 minutes I don''t know how long Paul will last..." She insisted and began hastening her pace into the city.

    "Paul''s here?...." Jay asked in shock.

    "Yes... he''s out there currently trying to protect those who couldn''t make it.... we need to quickly find another student called Jila so she can teleport him out." I explained.

    "No way...." Jay sked in shock his jaw hung open.

    "Yes there''s still hundreds in the darkness....." I explained quickening my pace to catch up to Yuna.

    "Keep your eyes open.... we''ve been informed there may be some Dark Elves skulking around." Yuna informed them as they caught up.

    "Ummmmm....... I think I can do something to help..." Helen politely asked Yuna.

    "I''m up for any suggestions..... We''re in dire straits right now." Yuna accepted.

    "I can shift into a bird and get better view." Helen suggested.

    "That would be great!!! Can you communicate to us in bird form?.." Yuna smiled.

    "Ummm.... I''ll squawk once to tell you if I see something.... then followed with another squawk if they are friendly or a second squawk if they look hostile or Dark Elves." Helen answered.

    "That will be great... if you can do that for us...." Yuna smiled.

    "Okay!!!...." Helen smiled closing her eyes, her form began to glow green... and began to shrink slowly her arms began to change form into wings and her feet shrivelled into avian talons.... her nose and mouth elongated into a beak, shifting into a big Hawk. The transformation looked elegant, peacefuland natural... unlike the common depiction of transformations like werewolves or other monsters in movies and stories....

    "Ohh before you go off..." Yun asked holding her arm up for Helen to land on, Helen squawked landing on her arm. "This is just for safety...." Yuna smiled pulling out a gold pendant from her pocket with the symbol of an octopus on it and tied it onto Helen''s talons. "Be safe don''t do anything risky and don''t fly too far from us." Yuna informed her and raised her hand to let her go. With a squawk Helen beat her wings and began soaring into the sky.

    Grace stopped for a few seconds muttering something and pointed at Helen. "What was that?.." Jay questioned.

    "I marked her so I will know where she is at all times." She smiled.

    "That is great..." Yuna smiled.

    "Jay is there anything we can do to help?..." I questioned wondering what spell we could perhaps use.

    "Hmmmm none that come to mind sadly..." Jay replied.

    "Don''t worry we''ll find her." Yuna smiled leading us.

    "Daisy you''re a little quite..." Grace asked noticing that she hasn''t spoken in ages.

    "Huh... yeah.... I''m just a little worriedˇ­." Daisy said looking back at the city gates.

    "Don''t worry... He will be alright..." Yuna tried to reassure her....in the back if my mind I knew we needed to hurry..... We don''t know how long his barrier will last or even if it''s still up..... and I''m sure he would be overwhelmed instantly once it drops....

    "Is there any word on Scarlet and how she''s doing?.." I asked worried for her.

    "Sadly... We haven''t heard anything sadly... Grace and Jay replied frowning.

 142 Divisions

    "So what happened while I was gone?..." I asked everyone as we began scanning the empty city.... noticing some scenes of combat.

    "We don''t really know ourselves..... Once we got back we were orders to help hold the wall and gates...." They all replied.

    "Hmmm... see that large pile of ground over there that looks different to the paved ground?.." Yuna asked pointing out a distant large mound of earth.

    "Yeah..." I replied looking interested.

    "They must have used some sort of tunnelling system to infiltrate the city assuming the guards will all be stationed on the wall... I assume they''ve been sealed with either explosives or a spell." Yuna answered.

    "Ohhh... so that''s what Jay meant when they said there''s a small contingent that got past." I answered.

    "Yes... but don''t worry I''m sure overwatch has most the city covered." Yuna smiled.

    "What''s overwatch?..." I asked curiously.

    "Overwatch is what we call several elite team, each consist of three students designed for extremely long range combat..... A Firearms sniper..... A Sorcerer that specializes in sensory spells..... and a close to mid-range student that specializes in neutralizing targets quickly and quietly to protect the other two members from anyone who could have potentially discovered their position." Yuna explained.

    "Fire arms?..." I asked curiously.

    "Yes.....Firearms fire is easier to hide... and maintain their element of stealth." Yuna answered.

    "Can''t we just ask them where Jila is?... I''m sure they would know where she is." Daisy asked in a hurry to find Jila.

    "Sadly.... Once they are deployed they tend to stay out of communication so enemies can''t use magic to locate them. Even our students don''t know where they are deployed....." she answered.

    "Is this the first time you''ve been in a situation like this?.." I asked curiously.

    "Ummmm I''ve been on missions and things but nothing on this scale..... I''m focused on close hand to hand combat.... so I''m not very good in situations like these..... That''s why Paul probably picked me to go with him... since otherwise I''d be pretty idle..." She sighed.

    "So is teleporting division a set of students that focus on teleportation?..." I asked remember that Sven said earlier.

    "Yes Atlantis is split into many divisions... Each play an important role in situations..... Teleportation division members specialize in creating teleportation way points to help transport people large distances quickly.... Creating permanent way points is very time consuming and expensive..... I think creating a permanent one for example in a city takes upwards of 5 years..... And several students creating special runes with expensive inks and materials." Yuna smiled.

    "Are you in a special division?.." Jay politely asked.

    "Ummm not exactly.... I''m just a normal combatant like most students.... so you can technically call us the combat division?.." I guess she laughed.

    "Do you have to join a division?..." Grace asked.

    "Nope... you have the choice to study and advance yourselves which ever way you want... but divisions have special requirements... for example the Overwatch each member needs to master hiding their Arcanum Presence from other Arcanum users." She answered.

    "Arcanum presence?..." I asked curiously.

    "Yes.... everyone can sense someone''s Arcanum presence..... For most people it may feel like a gut feeling... like you can tell if someone is a wielder or Arcanum or not..... But extremely strong individuals you will know.... it would feel almost overwhelming unless they''ve trained in masking it or hiding it." She answered.

    "So do you use Arcanum.... I don''t see you use spells..." I asked curiously.

    "Yes I do.... Arcanum is like... a force..... How you wield it differs from person to person..... You guys harness Arcanum through the use of spells... for me I use Arcanume to enhance my abilities to fight in hand to hand combat.... I move faster... hit harder and toughen myself with the use of Arcanum....." She answered.

    "Like a monk?.." I asked curiously noticing the similarity.

    "Ummm of sorts... Monks use something called Chi or Ki?..... It''s something a little different.... From my very basic understanding Chi and Ki comes from the inside..... they utilize their internal force..... Whereas I kinda absorb Arcanum from around us and mould it to enhance my abilities." She answered.

    "Ohhh..." we nodded in understanding... but to be honest I had no idea what she was talking about.

    "Sadlyˇ­. I''ve spent most my energy for today..... Although I am very good in hand to hand combat... I can only enhance my abilities for 5 minutes before I need to rest for a few hours..... And I couldn''t risk getting seriously injured when we was surrounded earlier." She added.

    "Ohh my God... I thought that was amazing!!! How you so easily defeated all those Dark Elves in one hit." I gushed in awe.

    "Yeah luckily for us... they were mostly Men..... And someone diverted the attention of the two women buying me an opening... otherwise it would have been very hard trying to save you." She said to me.

    "OHH!!! That was me!!" Daisy smiled.

    "What on earth was that?..." I asked shocked never seeing her use that spell in our week of training.

    "It''s a spell I don''t use often... it called.... ''Consecrated Flame''." Daisy answered.

    "Ohh that was you?... thanks for the save." Yuna smiled.

    "Yeah and the fireball and Hail of arrows was from us." Jay and Grace added.

    "Ohh very nice for first years... A Blue Flame caster..... An Adept Paladin..... A shifting Druid and a very accurate Ranger... Paul, Scarlet and Travis picked well this year." She smiled.

    "Picked?.." I asked curiously.

    "Yeah!!! After the preliminary examinations... each institute takes turns picking the student they want to enrol into the Atlantis." She answered.

    "Ohhh..." I nodded in understanding.

    "So are the other institutes like Atlantis?.." Jay asked.

    "Well I can''t say for certain how the other Institutes are structured.... but I imagine so.... but unlike the others Atlantis doesn''t have a region to rule over, no economy to watch over...and civilians to take care of.... So we aren''t as wealthy..... But we do fine." She smiled.

    "What made you come to Atlantis?..... What was your life before this?..." I asked slightly interested.

    "Well.... Before Atlantis I was just an ordinary girl..... To be honest didn''t have much in terms of future..... My father was small time merchant and my mother was a tailor, some time when I was twelve much to our surprise we received a letter letting us know that I was eligible to be enrolled.... so when I was thirteen I was taken away for preliminary testing.... and to my surprise Atlantis picked me." She smiled.

    "Are you happy being taken away from your family??.." I asked a little worried in how she worded it.

    "At first I was scared.... I showed no ability to harness Arcanum... even now I struggle to cast even Cantrips..... And if you''re not picked by an institute.... you basically get enrolled into the milita.... which is probably even worse... but it all turned out okay.... I earn enough money to support my parents..... Every weekend if I''m not busy I''m free to meet them.... the closest way point is a little far.... but it''s worth the travel" She smiled seemingly extremely grateful and happy.

    "Is the mailia really that bad?.." I asked wondering what it could be like....

    "It really depends on where you stationed.... it could range from peaceful to extremely hazardous... some may even pay well like in the capital and in some cities probably no pay at all." Yuna answered.

    "Is that why the guards here treated us differently to the other town?.. I asked jay curiously.

    "You mean those guards that were rude to us?..." He asked.

    "Yeah that happens often..... If Atlantis didn''t pick them they''d probably feel that Atlantis and the system failed them and just have some sort of disdain against Atlantis....." Yuna answered.

    "Hmmm I see where they are coming from." I answered.

    "What about you?.... How''s Atlantis been treating you?" She asked.

    "It''s all pretty good!!! Food.... classes all fun." I smiled.

    "Enjoy it will it lasts... no doubt you guys will be getting detention." She laughed.

    "Wait what?..." Daisy and I asked in shock.

    "Yup all first years returned to Atlantis.... you guys should have been with them." She answered.

    ".........we''re doomed." Jay muttered.

    "Yup... Chain of command is important....." She laughed.

    This all felt so weird.... having a casual conversation walking inside an empty city with a war outside, but what else can we do.... Helen hasn''t given us a call nor have we seen a soul for the last 10 minutes.... Can Paul really last this long getting bombarded with attacks and spell?....

 143 Commander Jila

    Helen squawked flying over a set of buildings causing us all to snap into action. "Lead the way!" Yuna ordered causing Grace to begin rushing ahead of us.

    "Be on your guard it could be anything." Yuna ordered us as we ran through the alleyway between a set of houses the two of them easily vaulting over some fences and through some gardens.

    "Ohhh lemme help.." Jay said giving me a boost helping me over the fence, "Go on ahead we''ll catch up." Daisy smiled also helping Jay over the fence.

    Nodding I tried catching up following the direction we was heading until I arrived at a main road. "Over here!!" Yuna yelled waving to get my attention standing next to a group of guards with two different dressed individuals I assume are students of Atlantis and Grace standing near them with Helen on her arm.

    Quickly running to meet them, "So this is the girl that has a message for me?.." The female student dressed in a large long robe much like myself but coloured plain white lined with black. Her voice sounded extremely peaceful despite of the situation.

    "Yes commander Jila..." Yuna answered.

    "Okay.... Let''s hear it" Commander Jila smiled towards me.

    "Ummmm..... Paul said we need you to find an empty area in the inner district... and use emergency teleporter six..." I notified her trying to speak to her as quickly and clearly as possible.

    Her expression changed from calm to serious and quickly turned to the young blond male student beside her dressed a white suit, "You know what to do...." She ordered him.

    "Yes commander!" He nodded extremely seriously and with his gloved hand began drawing runes on the ground.

    "And how many are in your party?.." She asked politely with a smile.

    "Ummm....there six of us in total..... Including Yuna." I notified her.

    "Very well..... We''ll wait for them to catch up before we leave." She smiled looking into the distance for Daisy and Jay to catch up.

    "Umm hello..." Jay and Daisy said slightly unsure how to greet her.

    "Commander Jila.." Yuna coughed.

    "Ummm sorry Commander Jila." They quickly corrected themselves.

    "Don''t worry... it''s just a title....." Jila laughed covering her mouth maintaining her composure. "And where''s your last member?..." She politely asked.

    "Ohh sorry for the confusion commander the last member is the Hawk that led us here." Yuna notified her.

    "Ohhhh a shapeshifter?.." She asked surprised causing Helen to squawk perched on Grace''s arm. "Very well.... let''s get going.... Christopher... carry on my work here." She issued the order.

    "Yes commander." The blonde student nodded.

    "Ummm.... he also told us to evacuate everyone to the inner district civilians and guards and students..." I politely instructed her.

    "Christiopher..... How many temporary waypoints do we have positioned near the walls?.." She asked.

    "Umm right now just the one...." He answered her.

    "Okay tell everyone to setup more near the walls for extraction and pair them with extras in the inner district." She ordered.

    "Yes commander....." Christopher replied pulling out a wand and closed his eyes. "The orders have been issued." He replied after a few seconds of silence.

    "Okay everyone.... if you may please step into the centre of the runes... one by one.... Christopher has had a long day." She smiled looking at the guards first.

    "Thank you commander." They saluted her and one by one stepped into the centre and with a quick blue flash vanished from sight leaving a small mist.

    "Okay your party now." She smiled looking towards us. "And Yuna... what are you to do now...?.. Since your mission is complete." She asked.

    "I''d like to see it to the end.... if you don''t mind.... Commander." Yuna answered.

    "Very well let''s go." She smiled standing aside to let us go.

    Helen quickly shifted back to normal.... her clothes and accessories and weapon somehow un-melding itself from her back to normal and followed after Grace into the runes.

    "So tell me am I transporting just Paul himself?.." She asked me politely as Jay and Daisy walked past me giving me a smile walking into the runs and vanishing.

    "Umm no.... he''s currently out there trying to save injured refugees." I explained to her.

    "Ohh that''s why he wanted me help personally....." She said sounding a little discouraged or saddened. "Very well... after you." She smiled as Yuna went through the runes.

    "Yes commander..." I smiled taking a deep breath and walking into the runes.

    "I really hate that feeling..." I cursed the familiar nausea that follows every damn time I use means of instant travel.

    "Don''t worry it takes some getting used to." Yuna smiled helping me out the runes.

    Commander Jila followed quickly behind me. "So how many people are we moving?.... how big of an area we need?.." Jila asked leading the way the guards still following closely behind her.

    "At best I guess no more than one hundred." I answered her trying not to puke.

    "Hmmmm feeling sick?... reminded me to tell Christopher to work on his stability." She chuckled leading the way.

    "Commander do you know any suitable locations?.." Yuna asked politely.

    "I do have one in mind. It''s not too far from here." She smiled.

    "Woah the middle district looks so different." Jay said looking around.

    "Yeah... the conditions are much better than the outer district.... nice buildings more space.... and extremely clean." I answered.

    "Kinda cool to be in the rich district." Daisy smiled looking around looking extremely happy.

    "Yeah.... I''ve only ever seen the inner districts from behind a fence....." Jay gushed in awe.

    "Once we arrive in the park.... I need you all to draw these runes similar to the other ones we used earlier but in a large open area... no trees or large rocks that could kill anyone who lands here." She passed a note to all the guards.

    "Yes commander." they all nodded.

    "Do you think everyone is gonna be okay?..." Helen whispered.

    "I believe so... as long as Paul makes it back... I''m sure everything will be fine." I answered.

    "What''s the situation like out there?..." Jila asked as we neared a small park in the city.

    "There''s countless number of Dark Elves out in the darkness..... He said it must have been a full scale invasion." I notified her.

    "Really?.... what on earth made a Dark Elf settlement uproot themselves and attempt to attack a city on the surface?.....I wonder what plans he has to repel a full scale attack....." She pondered walking into a large empty area crossing her legs sitting on the grass and proceeded to close her eyes.

    "Let me know when you all are ready." She ordered as the guards began drawing the runes on the floor with a wand in the distance.

    "Commander we are all set." The Guards one by one notified her taking a few steps back.

    "Okay every one shield your eyes.... it''s gonna be a big flash." Jila notified us pulling out a wand.

    A thunderous boom echoed through the park along with a flash bright enough to shine through my eye lids as the smell of bodies sweat and blood filled the air.

    "Paul!!!" I yelled at the top of my voice opening my eyes to the sight of all the injured refugees and someone on his knees with two guards flanking him their weapons drawn ready to fight.

    "You did it!" Yuna smiled edging me to meet him.

    "Guards.... please notify the medical division we need assistance as soon as possible please..." Jila ordered as I made my way carefully to Paul.

    "Paul!!! You''re okay!!! I hugged him tightly on the verge of tears unable to contain my happiness.

 144 Triage

    "Paul...?....." I whispered looking at him noticing his lack of reaction. "Paul?.." I repeated myself shaking him gently.

    "Huh?..." He whispered turning to me..... "You did itˇ­" He smiled barely able to let out a whisper. "I need you to take me to the Deputy Headmistress..." He whispered before falling into my arms.

    "PAUL?!" I yelled shaking him harder to wake him up. "Wake up....please...." Tears began flowing down my eyes this was all my fault.....

    "....Don''t worry he''s just a little exhausted...." Yuna tried to reassure me placing a hand on my shoulder.

    "Are you sure?!" I asked in a panic.

    "He''s still breathing.... so he''s probably exhausted." Yuna explained.

    "Ummmm... okay....." My voice quivered.... "Is there anything we can do for him?..... I feel it''s all my fault..." I asked Yuna my whole body quivering at the thought of losing him.... "I don''t want to lose him." I whispered.

    "He will be alright....with some rest, come we''ll take him to the Triage Center." Yuna smiled picking him up from me and cradling him.

    "I can do that....." I instinctively replied feeling guilty putting him in this condition.

    "I''m sure you could..... But an unconscious body is much heavier." She smiled.

    "Is he okay?..." Jay asked as we met up with everyone else.

    "Yup he just needs rest." Yuna answered for me.

    "Is he hurt??!!" Daisy jumped seeing his condition instantly putting a glowing hand on him.

    "He''s just exhausted...." Yuna notified Daisy. "Let''s get him to the Triage Center I''m sure there are beds there he can use." Yuna ordered us and began walking off.

    Seeing him in the condition..... I couldn''t help but blame myself, if I didn''t ask him to help everyone he wouldn''t be in such a condition..... Risking his life trying to protect people from an army...

    "He''s gonna be okay... he just needs restˇ­.." Daisy placed a hand on me trying to steady my nerves.

    "Yeah... nothing to worry about Emilia." Grace smiled.

    "Yes Emilia... all that matters is that he''s here now and he''s safe along with all the other refugees you saved." Helen added.

    "I guess you''re right...." I lied to everyone faking a smile.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "The triage centre should be around this corner." Yuna notified us effortlessly carrying Paul without showing any ounce of struggle or being out of breath.

    We turned into a larger park then before turned into a make shift triage centre... several large open tents filled with innumerable injured individuals lying on beds covered in bandages and wounds.

    Four Atlantis students saw us approaching and gasped in shock, two of them ran towards another tent and the other two came running towards us, taking a slight pause as they neared.

    "What seems to be the problem?.." Both the female students asked taking a check over Paul''s body for any wounds of blood in his clothing.

    "He just over exhausted himself.... he needs a bed to rest on." Yuna notified them.

    "Yes come this way quickly..... The Atlantis tent is this way." The two students pointed at a distant tent and began leading the way.

    "How''s it looking?.." Yuna asked them both as we made our way to the tent.

    "Atlantis students are all doing fine... we save our strongest potions, elixirs and Healing magic for Atlantis students and the extremely badly wounded... So as protocol states they have around 5 minutes rest before going back out again... Normal soldiers on the other hand..... Some come badly wounded but most arrive with shallow to superficial wounds..." One of the two students informed us.

    "Thank you for your work." Yuna bowed to them.

    "Come in come in." The other two students welcomed us in as we arrived at the tent.

    "Please place him on one of the beds." they guided us through the tent, as the two girls mentioned earlier the Atlantis tent was a lot emptier. Some of the filled beds having a slight golden hue to them.

    "All combatant students please make your way to the inner district and await further update and order from the Headmistress." A voice notified all of us in our heads.

    "Don''t worry we''ll take good care of him..... And we''ll wake him up in 5 Minutes." The students notified us giving us a nod.

    "We need to go Emilia..." Yuna grabbed my arm gently noticing me staring at Paul, "He''s in good hands.... and we need to defend the city or all this is for naught." She attempted to persuade me.

    "He''s gonna be completely safe." Daisy smiled trying to also reassure me.

    "Ummm... okay..." I hesitantly agreed taking his hand into mine... there was still warmth in them..... ''I''ll be back as soon as I can'' squeezing his hand with a light kiss and placing his hand back on his body. "Okay let''s defend the city!" I replied surging with confidence Paul did his part.... now it''s time to do mine.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Yuna quickly led us to the inner district gates... It looked similar to the gates and wall into the city but much less defensible, the walls weren''t quite as thick and tall, less guard towers and a lot less cover.

    "Wow didn''t know Atlantis could mobilize this many students..." Jay stared in awe.

    "These are the only Combative students?..." Grace asked as if witnessing something unbelievable.

    "Of course..... You do know we need to be as strong as the other institutes to maintain the equilibrium." Yuna smiled walking towards the mass amount of mobilized students with great pride in every step.

    "No wonder why Arcadia''s ruling family is afraid of Atlantis...." Jay muttered.

    "What on earth did we sign ourselves up for?....." I asked in shock never really coming to terms with what Atlantis really was...

    "Students of Atlantis I''m sure you are all wondering why we retreated off the wall..... Paul the Black Dragon Slayer has ordered us to retreat from the front walls... He reports there are an overwhelming amount of Dark Elves outside in the Darkness, we suspect their initial assault was to trick us into thinking we were winning and trick us to strengthen our numbers on the wall... then smash the wall with siege creatures, breaching the wall and dividing our forces." The Deputy Headmistress informed us of the situation. "Currently the city guards are maintaining the wall..... They have been instructed to retreat through the teleports once they are overwhelmed, the wall has been laced with explosives and Trap magic... We''ll hold this inner wall.... the walls have been reinforced with my magic making it nigh impenetrable forcing them through strategically positioned bottlenecks. At that point they will be forced to engage in close combat in disadvantageous numbers while our ranged students whittle them from the wall. She carried on instructing everyone, "And remember any who is injured no matter what happen you must extract them from the fight." She reminded everyone. "Now everyone please report to your designated A-Ranked Captain and form up ready for the upcoming battle." The Deputy Headmistress ordered.

    "Well.... I guess this is goodbye for now." Yuna smiled.

    "Be safe." Grace and Helen replied to her.

    "You too." She smiled and walked into the crowd of students.

    "Crap.... who do we report to?...." Jay asked looking worried.

    "Let''s find Sven I''m sure he can assign us somewhere." I suggests.

    "Yeah... He is a high ranked student after all." Grace agreed.

 145 Trouble Makers

    Slowly the large jumbled crowd of Atlantis students formed into groups and formations positioning themselves, every student standing firm and confident without an ounce of fear or doubt, resembling trained soldiers rather than students of a school. The artificial darkness created but those weird beams having no effect on the student''s morale..... ''Is this what we will eventually become... trained soldiers for battle?....''

    "It''s so weird..... How everyone we''ve met so far seems normal.... but when the time comes they are like trained soldiers..." I said to everyone.

    "What was you expecting?...." Jay asked curiously.

    "I dunno.... Just seems kinda weird to me..... That they can be so normal..... Then suddenly switch into soldiers ready for a large battle without an ounce of fear or remorseˇ­...." I looked a little worried.

    "I guess you''re right..." Jay answered.

    "She''s not wrong... soldier do generally follow certain trends in behaviour and personalities." Helen stated.

    "Ohh I think I see Sven." Daisy said pointing towards the Deputy Headmistress.

    "Ahh crap..... What should we do...." Grace asked.

    "Let''s just go up there..... There''s no doubt the Deputy Headmistress knows we are here anyways." I suggested.

    "I guess you''re right..." Helen agreed.

    "Sven....." We whispered loudly trying to catch his attention but at a quieted tone to avoid the Deputy Headmistress form noticing.

    "Ohhhh it''s you guys." Sven smiled telling us to come over.

    "Ummm Deputy Headmistress..... The first years have arrived." Sven quietly notified her.

    "The trouble makers?....." She said turning around to face us, our postures instantly straightened standing to attention. "So did you manage to get Paul back in time?..." She asked sternly as if expecting an immediate answer.

    "Ummm yes Deputy Headmistress..... He''s currently resting in the Infirmaries." I answered her trying to talk clearly despite my nervousness.

    "And what did he do out there?.." She asked curiously.

    "Saving Refugee... Deputy Headmistress...." I answered again.

    "Very well... Sven watch over these trouble makers... make sure they don''t get hurt, they are now your responsibility." She ordered.

    "Yes.... Deputy Headmistress." he nodded and walked towards us. "Come, you all will be joining me on recon." He ordered.

    "Yes..." We all hesitantly replied.

    "Yes Captain." He ordered loudly but clearly smirking.

    "Yes Captain." We all corrected ourselves following his lead.

    "Where are we going?" Jay asked quietly.

    "Well firstly we''ll head to Paul see what he had planned as he issued the order to retreat....." Sven answered.

    "What are siege beasts?.." I asked.

    "Similar to siege weaponry.... but instead living creatures..... Big and durable designed to take down fortified structures." Sven explained.

    "Yes creatures like earth elementals have the ability to meld earth naturallyˇ­.. Or giants burrowing creatures like tunnel wormsˇ­" Helen added.

    "So what''s our duty?..." Daisy asked.

    "We''re gonna be recon and supportˇ­. Any we''ll keep a look out for tunnel worms and assisting flaresˇ­..." Sven instructed

    "S--- On alert....." Sven said as we turned the corner facing the triage tents.

    "What''s wrong?..." Grace asked extremely concerned.

    "I just saw a contingent of six guards enter the triage tent while the two guards distracted the Atlantis students at the front..." Sven informed us.

    "What''s the plan?...." Daisy asked furiously.

    "Grace lend me two arrows.... you and I will take out the guards immediately threatening the Atlantis students at the front... Emilia and Daisy you two go to the Atlantis tent make sure none of the guards broke off into that tent... and Helen and Jay you go into the solider tent... engage them if necessary but you''re outnumber so once you get their attention retreat back into the open." Sven quickly instructed and began threading his string onto the arrows Grace handed to him. "Okay can you make two shot at the same time..... I need you to pierce through the armour." He instructed her.

    "I''ll try my best." Grace nodded nocking the two arrows in her bow and pulling the string back.

    "Remember you four as fast as you can, lives are at risk...." Sven reminded us of the gravity of the situation.

    "When you''re ready....." Sven quietly instructed Grace patiently waiting, as Grace focused in her aim taking a deep steady breath.

    The moment the twang of the arrows rippled through the air into my ears I began to run. "Nice!!!" I heard Sven yell as the two guards came flying pass me the arrows impaled through their bodies.

    A magical door of energy appeared in front the soldier tent and with a flash Jay and Helen stepped out of it weapons drawn.

    "Emilia... my ranged spells aren''t as fast or effective as yours so if you see a target you need to hit them and buy me time to close the distance." Daisy notified me glowing with her golden hue ready for a fight.

    "Okay!" I replied drawing my wand.

    Entering the tent an Atlantis student was approach the two guards unknowingly walking into two Dark Elves. "Get back!!!! It''s a trap!" I yelled blasting off a scorch ray at the closest it one without hesitation or trying to ration my Arcanum.

    "What the?!" The guard in the rear shouted as the first one was caught off guard and sent flying out the tent.

    "Get outta here!!! And send an Amber Flare!!!" I yelled at the other Atlantis student causing him to flee quickly.

    "And here I thought today was gonna be boring." The guard said removing her helmet to reveal a surprisingly very beautiful charcoal black skin, long flowing silver haired elf..... Slowly she approached us leaving the Atlantis student to run, removing the clips and straps that held her armour revealing a very beautifully slender figure, wearing a slightly transparent silk black dress that doesn''t look fit for combat drawing two menacing serrated short swords strapped to her thighs. "Little Demon girl... I wonder what wonderful sounds you will make when I flay your skin from your flesh." She smiled menacingly assuming a very weird stance.

    "My name is Daisy Paladin of Serra.... and this will be the last name you will learn and remember." Daisy said drawing her large maul from her back, the Dark Elf effortlessly parried and dodged Daisy''s attacks beautifully with very artful steps and movements... almost like a dance.

    ''Shit..... Daisy can''t hit her....'' "Orbis-Igna" I shouted casting an Orb of flame behind her just as she tried to dodge another of Daisy''s swings.

    "F---ing witch." She cursed in pain as the orb burned her flesh stopping her dodge.

    "Dodge this." Daisy yelled finally connecting her with a large baseball swing quickly followed with a cacophony of two thunderous bolts one with pure white radiance and second with a darkened shadowy bolt sending her flying through the orb and out the tent. Her scream of pain laced with laughter like some sort of masochist deriving pleasure from the pain.

    "B----" You''re gonna pay for what you did to my hair." A voice spoke out behind me and a strange wet feeling like something licked my neck and the smell of scorched skin and hair.

    "What the?" I tried turning around seeing the long flowing strands of silver white hair.

    "Your smell... your taste.... it''s..... Intoxicating....." She whispered giggling menacingly before the feeling of a thud on my side quickly followed with the familiar intense searing pain. "Yessssssss I love it!!! Louder!!!! Your screams... is like beautiful music to my earssssss." She shouted as the feeling of her weapon effortlessly slowly cutting up my body tearing through me I felt like a piece of meat in a butchery, my vision began to go blurry my whole body paralyzed seizing in pain... "Dying so soon?.... Guess we''ll skip to the outro....." She giggled menacingly, "It truly has been.......... a pleasure..." She whispered seductively into my ear like this f---ing crazy psycho is getting pleasure from this, her other arm appeared in front of me holding a dagger to my heart........ "A shame... in another life you would have made a lovely pet....." She whispered licking my neck again.

    "NOOOO DON''T!" The muffled yell of Daisy running towards me dropping her maul lifting her glowing hand pointing out a finger to me but there was no way she would make it to me in time.

    I am truly F---ED........ trying to lift my hand to stop her..... But it was no use my body wasn''t responding to me.....

 146 The Plan

    "What the?.." The Dark Elf sounded in shock the hand holding the dagger shaking uncontrollably as if her hand was refusing to plunge it into me. In an instant her hand cracked backwards on itself the back of her wrist meeting her arm "What the hell!!!" She screamed in pain, in an instant her arm disappeared behind me coupled with the horrifying sound of cracking bones screaming in even more pain.

    Daisy paused a little at the spectacle as surprised as we was, the pain in my side intensified as the feeling of the dagger pulled out of me.... my body involuntarily crumbled into Daisy''s arm..... I can feel the blood gushing out of my body like a hose on full blast, but thank God Daisy was here.

    "You''ll be alright...." Daisy looked at me smiling the feeling of her healing touch bringing my vision back and making the pain fade away.

    Quickly lifting my wand turning around back to the Dark Elf, "Sorry it took me so long to wake up....." Paul was kneeling down on one knee holding out a hand smiling.

    "Is she..." I asked still worried how she appeared behind with no warning.

    "I''ve dealt with her." He smiled holding my hand and helping me up.

    "Daisy are you still good?..." He asked holding out his other hand.

    "Yeah.... sadly I''m spent on my healing today..." She admitted.

    "That''s okay thanks for helping." He smiled with absolute no worries for the two Dark Elves we just engaged. "How long was I out for?..." He questioned.

    "Maybe 5 or 10 mintutes.... are you okay now?.." I asked worried for his condition.

    "Hmmm to be honest could do with a longer rest..... But duty calls..." He smiled straightening his coat.

    "Daisy get your weapon... I need to update the Deputy Headmistress on the plan as soon as possible." He asked... his nonchalant attitude was extremely unnerving.

    "There were more Dark Elves... I notified him....." worried for the others.

    "They are fine..... I can sense them.... and there''s no Dark Elves nearby." He smiled, "How are you feeling?... still in a lot of pain?..." He asked looking and feeling my wound.

    "Just a little...." I admitted him.....

    "Hmm sorry I came here in a hurry... so I can''t really heal you at the moment...." He apologized.

    "Sorry for making you worry..." I apologized.

    "I will always worry.... but you''ve grown so quickly soon you won''t be needing me anymore." He smiled sincerely.

    "What happened to the Dark Elf?..." I hesitantly questioned.

    "Nothing to worry about.... I''ve dealt with her." He smiled.

    "Umm Paul... there was one more that we attacked is she still alive?..." Daisy questioned arriving back with her maul.

    "I can''t sense her so you two must have dealt with her.... Well done!!! Next time remember Female Dark Elves are extremely deadly more deadly than their counterparts... so engage Female Dark Elves with extreme caution." He answered.

    "Come let''s meet up with everyone else." He smiled leading the way stepping around a small pile of grey dust.

    Exiting the tent.... the others defiantly had more on their hands then we did looking more weathered then we was. "House Leader!!!" Sven shouted out to Paul.

    "Hey Sven.... What happened here?.." He asked politely.

    "We engaged six Female Dark Elves dressed as city guards..... Lucky over watch helped us or we would have been done for." Sven answered him.

    "Any of you need healing?... I''m afraid I didn''t bring my spell books with me so you''d have to rest up in the Triage Centre." He smiled.

    "No I think we can push on..." Jay said dusting off his robes a part of his sleeve was torn off to bandage a wound he received on his arm.

    "I can help you with that..." Helen said helping Grace up on her feet.

    "Umm hold off for now.... I''m sure we have some Medic Division students on the front line..... So save your spells for now." He instructed her.

    "Sven I want you to send a message to the Deputy Headmistress... we need a few students to guard the wounded.... and make sure to include one Sensory student..... Tell her that Dark Elves are willing to use dirty tactics targeting the wounded" He instructed.

    "Yes House leader." He nodded and began sending a message with his fingers like sending a morse code message.

    "Anyways well done you all... I''ll be sure to let the teachers know the lives you saved today despite being up against six well trained Female Dark Elf Assassins." He smiled to everyone with a nod of respect. "Let''s go end this battle." He said and began making his way to the frost line.

    "Ohh my God.... I''m sorry I didn''t take you to the Deputy Headmistress.... I remembered in shock." I apologized to Paul.

    "Ahh don''t worry about... just a minor setback." He answered with no sign of disappointment in his voice.

    "So what''s the status report on the wall?.." He asked.

    "As you askedˇ­. Guards are ordered to retreat through teleporters when they start getting overwhelmed, Atlantis students have already fallen backˇ­.. And the wall has been laced with bombs and traps. We''ve set up defensive position on the inner wall and bottle necks in several locations." Sven answered.

    "Ahh that sounds good.... have any of you heard the wall traps getting set off?....." He asked.

    "Not yetˇ­.. Butˇ­. Ummmm House leader.... what did you have already planned?... you must still be pretty spent...." Sven asked politely.

    "You''re right.... ideally I would have preferred being in a better condition and they also have around five priestesses and an High priestess which could render my spells useless.... but you know me Sven I always have a plan." He smiled.

    "And what plan would that be?.." He asked.

    "I''m gonna rain Hellfire on top of them." He replied, "By the way... anyone of you seen Scarlet?..... She could have easily forced to retreat...." Paul asked.

    "But you said they would render your...." He stopped himself finishing the sentence....."Ummmˇ­. No one has seen her since the left with guards on patrol.... and the artificial darkness has made it hard to see past the city outer walls.

    "And I haven''t been able to reach her with our communication badge either.... and the darkness also caused some static." I answered.

    "Odd.... if they were stupid enough to try and ambush her she should''ve been back by now..... Maybe she''s busy doing something." Paul pondered not even showing a bit of worry for her.

    "How many casualties?.... have we received?" Paul asked.

    "No fatalities so far for Atlantis students.... City guard has lost a good number.... and some key higher and middle class families have lost members.... But that all happened before we arrived..." Sven informed him.

    Paul stopped in his tracks suddenly...."Ohhhh... what you''ll witness is going to be extremely inhumane...... if you''re not ready...please.... look away..." He warned us, but it felt more directed to me..... With a stern caring tone like he had no other choice and began leading the way again.

    "Ummm.... Commander Paul....Dark Elves are fierce loyal fighters...." Helen tried to notify him.

    "I know... that''s why I need to show them extreme excessive force that they have no other option but to retreat....." He agreed in a sombre tone... "I need to show them a force so overwhelming so this will never happen again...So they''d never try and attack a city within the borders of Atlantis ....... Stop the killing of innocence and mindless deaths of soldiersˇ­.." He added deeply saddened by the role he has to perform.

    "Is he gonna unleash the black flame on them?.." Jay whispered me like I would have a clue.

    "I.... don''t know myself....." I replied staring at the familiar yet unfamiliar person in front of me.....

 147 Change of Plan

    "Deputy Headmistress..." Paul said letting himself known to her that he''s arrived.

    "Finally come to help?.." She asked not even turning to acknowledge him.

    "Yes... I''ve come to discuss about my next step." He replied to her talking in a very serious tone and manner.

    "What did you see on the outside?.." She asked him.

    "I sensed many Dark Elves easily enough to overwhelm a larger city..... But for some reason no siege creatures or weaponry.... but they also have a small force of Priestess and a High Priestess...." Paul notified her.

    "Alot of female warriors?..." She carried on questioning.

    "The male forces alone are enough to easily overwhelm our combined forces.... not even counting a battalion of female fighters." He answered.

    "What do you think is our best move?.." She asked.

    "Show them a force of overwhelming destruction they have no other option but to retreat." He answered.

    "You''re not gonna use ''His'' Spell are you?.." She asked in shock.

    "No.... I can barely control that spell myself..... And I''m in no condition to use it right now." He answered.

    "What do you suppose then?.." She asked.

    "Bombard them with non-magical projectiles... so the priests won''t be able to counter me." He answered.

    "What do you need?.." She asked seemingly accepting his proposal.

    "I need to send a message to a friend." He answered.

    "Eric do as he says." The deputy head ordered a student.

    A student beside her nodded and took a step forward to Paul, Paul pulled out a note..... "Send this message to High Admiral Yurika and Ruri... and ask them how long it will take." He asked handing him a piece of paper.

    "Yes sir.." He saluted and began casting a spell.

    "And you sure they will help?..." The Deputy Headmistress asked.

    "Yes we are good friends.... Plus they owe me a favour or two." He smiled.

    "Okay what do you need me to do?.." She asked Paul.

    "Seal off the bottle necks.... we can''t have any gaps... I don''t want to cause any more damage then I already have to." He answered.

    "And the rest of the student?" She asked.

    "Have them on standby..... But take cover if they are stationed on the wall...." He answered.

    "Very well... this better work." She said to Paul.

    "Umm Sir.... they said 10 minutes..." Eric reported as the sounds of smoke and thunder boomed behind us.

    "Damn.... thought we would have more time...." The Deputy Headmistress said looking back making the rest of us look back seeing retreating and injured Guardsmen exiting the teleporter runes.

    "THEY''VE SCALED THE WALLS!" A guard shouted towards us.

    "How long do we have before they get here?..." The Deputy Headmistress asked.

    "Approximately six or seven minutes..." A girl student beside her answered.

    "Well that''s a problem... we have ten bottlenecks across the defensive line..... It takes me three minutes at best to make a runic barrier at best.. Not including the time to get to the other..... And I guess you''re also pretty spent." She explained to Paul.

    "At most I can make two barriers myself..." He answered.

    "And I can make two maybe three but that''s the limit..." She answered.

    "Sven how strong are your strings?.." He asked Sven...

    "I Might be able to cover one up... but it''s gonna be nasty..... I''m gonna need students to hold off the attacks while I weave itˇ­." He answered.

    "So we need five hopefully four more...." Paul pondered.

    "Umm I can make one with earth and vines..." Helen hesitantly offered.

    "We''ll take it.... make it as strong as you can... and stand away from it when you see my portals..... In case it fails." He answered.

    "My guardsman will help barricade an opening with whatever we can find." The Guard captain offered entering the conversation.

    "So we need two more... any one got any idea?..." Paul asked hoping for solution but no one came up with any ideas..... "Damn looks like there''s gonna be more collateral damage..." Paul sighed.

    "I''ll Go set up my runes now.... I don''t have much time if I need to set up three." The Deputy Headmistress said leaving quickly with a group of five students.

    "Okay.... Sven, guard Captain and Helen.... you three setup your blockades the furthest three bottle necks in the other direction... you''ll probably meet less resistance on those sides." Paul ordered.

    "Ericˇ­. I need you to reroute the strongest students to that side.... they will need to buy enough time to set up the blockade and retreat at the last moment.....I''ll take command of the central four bottle necks...." He ordered Eric.

    "Yes sir." He replied.

    "Ohh and tell everyone to take cover on the 10 minute mark or when they see my portals open in the sky." He added.

    "Yes sir." Eric nodded.

    "You four stay with Helen but do not engage unless you''re forced to!..... Let the more experience Students hold of the Dark Elves." He ordered..... "Emilia you''re with me....." He instructed.

    Everyone nodded knowing what job they had..... Sven quickly began making his way to the wall... followed closely with Jay, Grace, Helen and Daisy. The Guard captain retreated to his solider issuing orders.

    "Let''s go Emilia.." He instructed me.

    Quietly following him we made our way to the wall, "Umm why did you ask me to come with you.." I asked quietly.

    "Because that way I know you''re safe." He smiled.

    "What''s going to happen with the openings?.." I asked curiously.

    "Most likely the blow back will cause extra damage to the cityˇ­. That I''ll probably have to pay for." He sighed.

    "Are you really gonna be okayˇ­.. killing that many people?..." I asked worried for him.

    "I''ll be alright.... it''s the only choice I have... Dark Elves don''t negotiate and will only accept utter surrender." He answered a little upset.

    "There must be another way.." I pleaded with him.

    "There isn''t..... But don''t worry I''ll be okay... alot has changed over the years." He smiled.

    "......for the better?..." I asked worried for him.

    "Some better... some worse... I''m not that innocent naive person no more.... This world needs me to be a little heavier handed... It''s different to home" He answered.

    "Do you wanna go out for food after all this mayhem?... catch up on things?..." I hesitantly asked him quietly.

    "Are you asking me out on a date?....." He chuckled at my offer.

    "You''re so infuriating!!!" I yelled at him kicking him as hard as I can in the shin.

    "Ouch...." He smiled pausing for a second and began walking again..."You know.... I''ve kinda missed those." He laughed.

    "You was such a perv..... You always tried to find a reason to hold me close..... and refuse to let me go... so I had to kick you all the time." I reminisced the days we were in school together.

    "Yeah... that''s probably why my shins are so banged up." He laughed, "By the way..... I''m sorry you got hurt ealier.." he sincerely apologized.

    "I''m sorry you risked your life saving the refugees...... and it was my fault.... I left myself open and defenceless..." I replied.

    "I''m sorry I haven''t spent much time with you since you came...." He apologized.

    "No need to apologize..... I understand you have duties and stuff... Ashley and Scarlet explained it a little..." I answered, "Besides I''m the burdenˇ­. Always asking for your help.... firstly helping Jays Family.... then Asking you to risk your life for some refugees." I added.

    He paused ignoring the urgency of the whole situation and turned to me, "Don''t you ever think that way..... You will never be a burden to me.... you make me whole." He smiled placing his palm on my cheek with the most genuine honest smile. "I truly am sorry for everything..." He said giving one last rub on my cheek with his thumb and began walking towards the wall again.

    Quietly following him..... Our excessive apologizing felt like we were making up for all the hurt we did to each other when we broke up and the years following..... Finally being able to alleviate a little the pent-up feelings and build up regret.

 148 Seals

    "Commander..." all the students straightened making a path for him to walk through saluting saluting.

    "Everyone.... Please make your way to the next bottle neck.... I will be sealing this one off..... All A-Ranked students please make your way to the other side and speak to Sven." Paul instructed everyone causing groups to split apart and head different directions.

    "Watch my back." Paul smiled instructing me.

    "Really Paul?.. You need me to cover you?.." I asked finding it funny that he wants me to protect him.

    "I mean..... I do get nervous when you watch me." He chuckled pulling out a yellow piece of paper. "Not to mention I''m still quite weak right now." He smiled.

    "How can you joke at a time like this?.." I asked shocked at the idea.

    "I dunno... you know me..... I don''t take things too seriously... besides.... It''s all going to plan." He smiled.

    "Do you think we can hold the wall for 4 minutes?..." I asked.

    "Yeah I''m sure the confusion of the sealed bottlenecks.... will buy us plenty of time." He answered.

    "Paul Do you miss home?" I questioned.

    "I do sometimes.... but I have a lot of responsibilities here... So it''s hard for me to go back." HE answered.

    "How many people know you''re here?.." I questioned.

    "Ummm... Just Jaymesh and Family..." He answered writing a symbol on the yellow piece of paper in a language I don''t understand.

    "So if I never came here I would never have known?.." I asked saddened by the thought.

    ".... I guess so....." He replied sounding saddened as well.

    "What if you died here.... I would never know.... all I know is that you disappeared....." I asked as if his decision was unfair.

    "... I''m sorry..... I honestly thought you moved on and didn''t care anymoreˇ­.." He answered.

    "..." I didn''t know what to say.... it all came back to me.... we didn''t speak for years not even a whisper...not even a small message on a birthday or Christmas... To be honest with myselfˇ­.. I didn''t even realised he disappeared off earthˇ­..

    He slapped the paper on the empty opening in the wall, like magic it seemed as if it was stuck in the air. He muttered something causing the rune on the paper to glow and slow the same rune word began spiralling outwards in the air. "That''s one done." He smiled.

    "What language is that?.." I asked as it was unrecognizable.

    "They say it''s the language of the Gods..... The Language used to create and make rules.... That''s why this ancient magic is so strong...." He explained.

    "Seriously?.." I asked in disbelief.

    "I''m not joking.... It is said this very Language is the same Language the First God used to create this reality..... Only the user can dispel the runes.... or the rune fades. The length depending on the user.... My runes can only last an hour at best... whereas the Deputy Headmistress''s hers last a month." He answered, "Right let''s head to the other one... this one should be safe now." He smiled.

    "Paul... are you sure?..." I asked feeling cautious since he dismissed all the Atlantis students.

    "Yup we''re totally safe..." He smiled.

    "Can you teach me stuff like this?.." I wondered as we made our way to the next spot.

    "This type of magic in particular is very hard... The only Word of Power taught is Word of Power Stun... and even then that''s a very high spell very few in the world can even use." He answered.

    "Is there anything else you can teach me?..." I hesitantly asked.

    "Worried with your upcoming duel?.." He replied.

    "Yeah..... A little I guessˇ­.." I answered feeling hopeful.

    "... To be honest..... There''s a very slim chance of you winning." He hesitantly admitted.

    "Really?... Even you think so?..." I replied feeling disheartened as the one person who always had my back thought that I couldn''t win...

    "Scarlet and Ashley has kept me up to date on your progress..... You''re doing very well.... but even then...She''s also very talented..... She''s been practicing magic since the age of 6.... Learning under High Magister August... who even at once tutored me.... and even after all that.... she''s also the champion of a Storm Giant..... She maybe a freshman.... but with all her training she will easily give most Rank-A students a run for their money....." He explained.

    "So it''s completely hopeless?..." I asked knowing it''s useless to fight her.

    "Well I wouldn''t say it''s hopeless.... you''re always one to surprise me." He smiled, "Just remember the most important thing is... your strength is the confidence you have in yourself." He reminded me.

    "Great..." I sarcastically replied.

    "Emilia..... You really need to be-...." He tried to say to me.

    "I know I know...." I interrupted him.

    "You know.... of all those things I wish you could change..... It would be that..." He replied with a frown.

    "You do have a wish spell...." I sarcastically replied.

    "I could also alter your memory..... But I''ll never do that to you..... I''d never use magic to mess with you...." He answered seriously.

    "So you won''t teach me anything?.." I asked.

    "It''s not that I won''t..... It''s that I can''t because you''re not ready yet... Like a building you need a good foundation." He explained... "Okay... I promise when you''re ready.... I''ll teach you something..." He promised.

    "Okay.....!" I smiled knowing that he has never broken a promise since the day I''ve known him.

    "By the way what does it mean to be a chosen champion of a Storm Giant?..." I asked wondering.

    "Well... that mean''s she''s somehow gained favour of a Storm Giant..... So she can borrow or ask for his power..... And temporarily get even stronger for a limited time." Paul explained.

    "Is that why you think I will lose?... Because I have beaten her in some Hologram fights..." I asked.

    "Yeah pretty much... A storm Giants blessing is nothing to sneeze at..." He added.

    "Great... why does she get everything...." I cursed.

    "Emilia... you have nothing to worry about... you will very quickly reach her level..... You just have to give it time.... you''ve only been here for two weeks." He tried to make me understand.

    "It''s just that she''s a stupid bully.... her smug smile really pisses me off." I growled in anger remembering that stupid silver spoon baby looking down on me.

    "Do you want me to tell her to stop?.." Paul offered.

    "I think that will make it worse..." I replied.

    "....Ohhh by the way..... When I do rain hell fire on the dark Elves... Please don''t look at me different....." He hesitantly ask but sounded more like a desperate plea.

    "Paul... nothing you can do will make me see you differently..." I earnestly answered him.

    "You say that now..... But there''s a reason why I''m so feared..... And I..... I.... I won''t be able to live with myself if you looked at me that way..." His voice cracked almost crying at the thought.

    "You''re still so silly." I laughed nudging him.

    "Wait if you can only make two barriers..... And you''re almost spent how on earth are you meant to protect me?.." I asked just now realising the situation.

    "Okay... I lied..... I just wanted to spend some time with you..." He confessed.

    "You know you never need to make an excuse to see me...." I replied.

    "I know...." He replied still saddened.

    Like before all the students stepped aside letting us pass following Paul''s orders to reroute them to the other bottle necks. "Okay.... this should just about do it..." He said placing another yellow piece of paper with a rune written on it in the air and similar runes began to spiral out of it.

    "Now time for the hard part.... Holding off a horde of fanatical Dark Elves for 4 minutesˇ­.. and I can''t even do much to helpˇ­." He sighed.

 149 Reminiscing

    "Quickly!!! All ranged casters and fighters make your way onto the wall!!! Stay in cover do not make a move till they engage us on the bottle neck." Paul ordered.

    "Most experienced Close combat students with me..."We''re the front line!" He instructed loudly and clearly to everyone. Then I want all the less experienced close combat combatants behind us.... Cover our openings and watch our backs..... Other mid ranged fighters try and hit who you can without endangering fellow students..... And remember to pull pack injured students!" Paul yelled out to everyone clearly causing all the students to being forming up.

    "Paul why are you going on the front line?.... you''re a caster.." I asked questioning his decision.

    "You do remember.... I''m also very good in close combat." He smiled.

    "You are?...." I asked totally surprised.... he was never really a fighter to begin with.... yet alone being good with his fists or weapons.

    "Don''t worry.... I''ve also trained in Monk fighting styles as well as many weapon styles." He smiled trying to reassure me.....

    "But you said you''re spent..." I objected.

    "Yeah.... I haven''t got many spells left in me.... but I can still fight..... Besides I''m the commander I need to be beside my fellow students." He smiled.

    "Paul... are you sure you''re gonna be okay?...." I asked worried for him.

    "That''s why you''re here..... You''re here to watch my back..." He smiled.

    "This isn''t a joke Paul..." I replied clearly angry at his no nonchalant attitude in a situation like this.

    "Okay look... don''t worry.... I''ve been in much dire situations.... there''s nothing to worry about..." He smiled.... "I have a special job for you.... When I give you the Signal... send off this Red Flare for me." He smiled.

    "Okay..." I agreed taking the flares from him.

    "AND ONE MORE SPECIAL ORDER.... WHEN YOU SEE A RED FLARE EVERYONE MUST TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY!!!" Paul ordered yelling as loud as he can.

    "Don''t worry!!! .... I''m gonna be fine...." he smiled noticing my worried expression.... "Ohh and take good care of this for me..." He smiled taking off his coat and giving it to me.

    "Is this the same one your mum bought you?.." I asked recognizing it putting it on over my robes..... His familiar smell forcing me to smile brining back nostalgic memories.

    "Of course.... Lucky for me... there are spells here that lets you repair clothes and things..... So now it won''t wear out." He smiled.

    "Do you remember this?..." He said showing me the white gold ring I bought him back when we were 17.

    "It can''t be.... you still have it?.." I lied pretending I didn''t recognize and it the first time I saw it.

    "Yeah.... a part of me couldn''t bear to take it off despite us no longer being together and stuff..." He replied staring at it spinning it around his finger.

    "That was a very .... Weird gift for a girl to give to a guy to be honest..." I admitted.

    "That''s true...Maye I should have been the one who bought you oneˇ­." He chuckled.

    "Really Paul?.... you''re still like that after all this time?.. And you was the one that broke up with me... I swear..." I replied to him.

    "Yeah... the one biggest regret of my life..... But I had something I needed to do." He replied.

    "Is that why you ended up here?..." I questioned.

    "Yes ..... It ultimately landed me here." He smiled, "To be honest I''m surprised you wasn''t married yet.... it''s been over 5 years.... and you know.... your parents wanted to marry you off....." He awkwardly asked.

    "Yeah...... I dunno..... Everyone who I ended up meeting was weird in some kind of way...." I admitted to him, I could tell from his reaction that he was over the moon but did a really awful job of hiding it.

    "Ummm.... yeah... I''m sure there''s someone out there..." He hesitantly replied.

    "Maybe... anyways let''s deal with the matter at hand...." I reminded him.

    "Yeah.... yeah.... you''re right..." He said gathering himself and began wrapping his fists with a piece of cloth.

    "Paul... are you a monk?..." I asked recognizing the wrapping on his fists like Bo.

    "Ohhhh Yeah.... I''ve also studied under a Monk Master....." He smiled.

    "So you can use Ki?.." I asked remembering Yuna very briefly describing it.

    "Yup.... I can utilize Ki as wellˇ­. And martial arts...." He smiled, "Is that why you was so worried?... you thought I was useless without my spells?..." He asked with a cheeky smile.

    "A little..." I admitted.

    "Well there is a reason Scarlet is training you guys in combat without spells and ranged attacksˇ­. I hope." Paul smiled.

    "Yeah I know it''s just so weird... that''s all." I answered.

    "See there''s nothing to worry about.... I''ll be safe." He smiled trying to reassure me as a series of explosions began erupting in quick succession along the outer wall.

    "Right everyone Prepare for battle!!! Remember my orders!!!" He shouted to all the other students.

    "Let''s go Emilia." He smiled making his way through to the front lines the student making a path for him saluting him looking excited.

    "So remember when I signal... send off the red flare..... And watch my back." He smiled.

    Everyone fell silent as we waited for the upcoming battle.... starring forward into the darkened outer district. The students on top of the walls kneeling down hiding themselves from sight as ordered by. Paul standing at the front... closely followed by a loose semi-circle of students around the entrance of the wall. With the rest of the students closely lined up behind them.

    "How do you know commander Paul?.." A male student beside me whispered.

    "Huh?... Ohhh we''re friends." I replied.

    "What''s it like to be friends with the commander?.." He whispered.

    "It''s normal..... He''s a pretty normal person." I replied focusing ahead as the sound of distant drumming began to resonate into my ears.

    "Is he really as great as the stories say?.." He asked looking extremely excited to be in the same place as Paul.

    "Well I myself haven''t seen him in action much but yeah he''s a pretty amazing person." I replied.

    "I wish I can do half the things he can." The student stared at him like worshiping an idol.

    "I''m sure you will..." I replied with a smile.

    The familiar silhouette of tall slim elves appeared in the distance.... but instead of charging they just stood there waiting.... something felt off... why weren''t they charging in???.... What where they waiting for?.......

    Suddenly even the wardrums fell silent quieting the battlefield to an eerie silence. Thousands of strange white particles began appears in the sky coalescing into several points creating a dense bright light.

    "Ground force fall back!!!" I heard Paul ordered everyone.

    Before we could even turn to run the lights released a Beam of light streaking towards us. The whole world slowed..... Everyone was trying to run.... some caught off guard just fell back shielding their eyes from the bright light... I instinctively looked at Paul standing there in front of everyone, barely being able to keep my eyes open from the bright light..... Slowly I watched his body became a silhouette of shadow.... and eventually engulfed by the beam of white light before I had to shield my eyes from the blinding radiance.

    "Paul..." I tried screaming out to him but I doubt he can hear me anymore.... Did I really come back to see him die in front of my eyes?.... Was I better off staying back at home?....

    "Commander!!!" The student beside me yelled as if running onwards towards the beam.

 150 Rain Hellfire

    "Paul!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs but the ringing sound in my ear stopped me even hearing my own voice, still blinded from the intense flash.... I felt the hands of two different people grabbing my arms and dragging me back away from direction Paul was. I intentionally began to fight them trying to break free from being dragged away.

    "Stop fighting!! We''re falling back!!" A muffled voice tried to instruct me as another set of hands grabbed my arms and began pulling me away faster.

    After what felt like a minute they put me down lying me comfortably on the floor. I waited a few seconds before getting up in all fours and began feeling my surroundings, there seemed to be what I guess are other students as I felt the feeling of clothing and an arm.

    "We need to help the commander!" I heard the muffled shouts of some students making me calm down a little knowing he''s still alive.

    "Follow his orders injured and harmed students first." Another student argued.

    "Look at him!! He won''t last much longer." Another student pleaded.

    "The commander instructed us to..... Pull back and evacuate the injured students!" The same student insisted.

    "God I need my sight back!" I cursed as my eyes slowly regained its vision. "Help... can someone tell me what''s going on?.." I shouted to anyone who could hear me.

    "It''s okay.... The commander is holding them off and managed to reduce their initial strike.... we''re not quite sure what the situation is in the other locations thoughˇ­.." A female voice informed me lifting me up.

    "Please... if you can see.. Is he giving me a sign?.." I asked unsure how much time passed.

    "I''m not sure... he looks a little busy right now.." She informed me.

    "Please its important! take me to him!!" I asked in urgency.

    ".... We''re meant to be pulling everyone back..." She hesitantly questioned.

    "Once I get my sight back I''m gonna head that way anyways... you might as well help me.... It''s important I stay by him!" I explained.

    She paused in silence for a few secondsˇ­ "... You''re the one who arrived with him right?..." She asked.

    "Yeah.... I did...." I answered her.

    "Okay.... I''ll help..." She agreed helping me up putting my arm around her shoulder and her arm around my hip.

    "Thanks...." I thanked her finding it slightly hard to walk for some reason...

    "Any idea what hit us earlier?.." I asked curiously.

    "No idea myself.... it just looked like a big beam of light." The student answered.

    "Was there much damage done?.." I asked worried for everyone else as my vision slowly came back to a devastated area.... bits a pieces of ground blasted away..... Fabrics of clothing..... Students helping one another off the gound.

    "It''s pretty bad... Paul seemingly took the brunt of it.... Most students near the front have only received minor injuries and most students seemed to have been blinded momentarily." She answered.

    "And Paulˇ­. how''s he doing?...." I asked in a panic.....

    "He''s seems to be holding them off with a barrier for now.... but he seems in bad shape....." She hesitantly answered.

    "How bad?.." I asked immediately.

    "Well I''m not quite sure.... but he''s on one knee..." She answered.

    "What''s stopping the Dark Elves?.." I asked as the panic set in.

    "I think he''s made a barrier spanning the entire left side of the inner district wall." She answered.

    "Is he giving me a sign?.." I asked hoping that it''s the time to release the flare.

    "To be honest... I don''t even know if he''s conscious..... He''s just kneeling on one knee." She answered.

    "How close are we...?" I asked immediately feeling more and more panicked.

    "Almost there....." She replied picking up the pace. "What do you plan to do?.." She asked her voice quivered slightly.

    "It''s all gonna be all right.... don''t worry." I answered her as my vision finally recovered to the point where I can see the bright yellow light of Paul''s large raised far into the sky.....

    "Bloody hell...." I starred in awe as my vision finally recovered...... his barrier raised high into the sky..... Absorbing the repetitive onslaught of arrows and the occasional beams of lights again.

    Without thinking I pulled out the flare slamming it down into the ground setting off a large bright red firework into the sky. "Paul!!!" I yelled out to him... red flares began shooting into the sky across the wall. He turned to me giving me smile.... He looked absolutely batteredˇ­.. His body on the verge of giving out on himˇ­. His clothes blasted to shreds.

    One delayed flare shot into the sky, he closed his eyes concentrating on something as three rows of innumerable large oval shaped portals appeared in the sky across the whole wall..... Quickly a large blue curved shape blanket appeared over the lower district... Without warning a light show rained down on the blanket like rain hitting the roofing of a tent. Large thick beams of concentrated colours letting out a devastatingly loud sound impacting the blanket letting off giant sparks of light.

    "What is that?....." The student muttered in awe starring into the sky.

    The blanket seemed impenetrable easily shielding the Dark Elves form the constant barrage of the large devastating beams. I stood in anticipation praying that the blanket would fall, deafening sounds of cannon fire erupted out the portals as hundreds of thick large spiked tip rods easily the size of busses came screaming out, the first imbedding itself into the blanket piercing into it a little.

    Then there it wasˇ­. The small spark of hope we needed, with each large spike imbedding itself deeper and deeper into the blanket, until one spike flew effortlessly through the blanket then anotherˇ­ and another... with each spike creating a large earth-shaking quake that most probably could be felt throughout the whole city.

    In that instant the battle was decided... the blanket quickly vaporized into beautiful light particles signalling the defeat of the Dark Elves... as the remaining large spikes now free from the blanket rocketed into the Dark Elf army creating a devastating earthquake shaking the entire foundations of the city.

    Without remorse or mercy millions and millions of small arms fire was added to the onslaught, raining down on the Dark Elvesˇ­.."Oh my God...." The female student stunned witnessing the bombardment of large beams, spiked rods and the constant rain of small arms fire. "What in the heavens could that spell is even be?....." The student muttered.

    Now it all came to me..... Making everyone fall back into the inner district...... he wanted to pull them into the city and confined them in there to halt their retreat while raining hellfire on them...... He wasn''t joking about raining hellfire on them..... And showing them an overwhelming amount of force.

    The slaughter was over kill... lasting for what felt like minutes, I really doubt whoever was stuck in the blast radius would have perished within seconds...ˇ­ and no form of surrender...ˇ­As the portals laid waste to the whole Dark Elf army with little to no remorse. In an instant the slaughter stopped as simultaneously his barrier and portals vanished from existence. The sounds of roars and cheers erupted throughout the city.... Even the nearby students were all cheering in joy.... but all the celebration quickly faded to an inaudible mumble as I saw Paul lying on the ground face down into the dirt.

    "Paul!!!" I screamed scrambled to my feet running straight to Paul as fast as my legs could carry me...... the sight of his final stupid smile flashing in my brain.

    "Crap..." The student behind me as the silhouette of Dark Elves emerged from the dissipating smoke and rubble walking slowly towards him... ''How did they survive????....''

 151 Is he dead?

    "Stay back!!!" I yelled at the Dark Elf pointing my wand at him the moment I reached Paul. "Paul.... Paul?..." I yelled trying to shake him awake with one hand whoel still keepign my eyes on the Dark Elf.

    The Dark Elf just muttered incoherently swaying form side to side aimlessly walking towards us. "I SAID DON''T COME ANY CLOSER!!!" I yelled at the op of my lungs pointing my wand at him ready to fire a spell.

    "Paul!! wake up!!" I shook him in a panick trying to wake him up but he still laid dormant.

    "WALK BACK NOW!!!" I yelled at the Dark Elf still wondering aimlessly towards us with no weapons drawn. A set of glowing chains shot past me nad in an instant coilded itself aroudn teh Dark Elf restiraning him completly forcing him to fall to the gound.

    "Is the commander okay?.." The student asked arriving by my side her wand still pointed at the entrance as the shillouete of more and mroe Elves began to appear.

    "He... He..... He''s not responding..." I struggeled to answer her the thought of him dying overwhelming every firbe of my body.

    "Okay.... first let''s get him back.... he in no condition right now.. and we have no idea what''s beyond those walls..." The student said withdrawing her wand and turnign him over. "We''re gonna drag him back.... I can hear students commign towards us.... just keep your wand pointed at the openign and help me with your other hand." She instructed tryign to calm me down.

    "..... Okay..." I answered maintianing my wand at the opening and grabbing his shirt at the shoudler.

    "Okay..... let''s go.." She instructed and quickly set off a white flare and begin to drag his heavy body while keepign a close eye on the Dark Elves.

    "What''s happened to the commander?.." a male student''s voice asked as he met us keeping an eye on the opening.

    "He''s not responding..... get the Head of the Medical division immediatly." She ordered the male student.

    "I''ll go now.... Theres more students arriving in a second..... just keep going." He informed us and quickly ran back into the city.

    "Do you think he''s dead..." I asked as tears began to flow down my eyes uncontrollabally.

    "I''m not an expert.... so let''s jsut focus on getting him safe and secure while the head of the Medical Divion gets here...." She replied.

    "He''s not breathing....." I said to her on the verge of breaking down.

    "Calm down..... I''m sure he''s fine.... he''s been through much rougher situations." She expalined.

    "What''s wrong with the commander?.." a few students asked lifting him him while the others watched the opening.

    "We''re not sure.... The Head of Medical Division should be here soon." She informed them as everyoen woerked to gether to swiftly bring him to safety.

    "Sir what do we do with the oncomming Dark Elves?.." A student asked.

    "They don''t seem hostile anymore.... arrest and detain them for questioning." A male voice orderd them as a set of studnets walked pass up towards the opening.

    Everythign became a blur once we fianlly returned to the saftey of all the other students placing him down softly on the ground. All the students stood in shock adn horor staring at his domant body.....

    "Okay evey able body student... we need to protect the bottle necks make sure no Dark Elves get through...... I also need ten pair of students to check on each bottle neck and report back on teh situation...." A student began to order everyone.

    "Don''t worry.... he''s gonna be okay..." The student helpign em put a hadn on my shoulder.

    "He''s not moving... not even breathing..... I can''t even sense him..." I replied to her.

    "Don''t worry..... this is the Black Dragon slayer.... I''m sure he has some sort of contingencies and things for situations liek this.... in a couple hours he''s gonna be completly fine." She smiled trying to reassure me.

    Kneeling down beside him.... I couldn''t help but blame myself for all this... if it wasn''t for me asking him to save the refugee''s he wouldnt have pushed himself so hard... "Can anyone help him?.." I poleaded looking at everyone.

    "I''m sorry.... you must be new... The medical students are makign their way as soon as they can." A male student knelt down to inform me.

    "Make way!!!" A older voice shouted causing a path of open in the crowd of student letting through an older gnetleman flanked with four othe rstudents all wearing white robes.

    "It''s going to be okay miss... He''s going to be alright...." He smiled placing a head on my cheek nodding to reassure me as the four otehr students began to examine him. "Don''t you all have something to do???!!! There''s still injured students to take back to triage and Dark Elves to detain." He ordered the otehr students into action.

    "Okay...." I wiping my tears but still cry and heaving looking at what they was doign to him.

    "Don''t worry about him.... he''s in good hands now..." He said diveting my attendion back to him. "I''m Doctor Macros head of the Medical Division... Now.... do you have an injuries?..." He asked me like a caring father.

    "... No... i dont think so..." I shooked my head.

    "Are you sure?...." he asked me again taking a check over me.

    "I think so... I don''t feel anything painful..." I answered him.

    "Okay...." He nodded and turned back to the other four students. "Is he ready?..." He asked them.

    "Yes..... We''ve set up the runes we can go wehn ready." One answered him.

    "Okay come along miss...." he said taking my hand helping me up.

    "Is... he alive?.." I struggle to string a sentance to ask him.

    "Yes he should make a full recovery." He smiled wlakign me towards Paul.

    "Okay send the flare." He ordered with a smile.

    "Yes sir..." they replied and let off a flare that glew red and amber.

    A booming sound erupted around us and in an instant we travelled into the Atlantis infirmary... Please take "Miss..... I''m sorry I didn''t ask for your name." He smiled.

    "Emilia..." I replied.

    "Miss Emilia to a bed and somethign to clean herself with and a full check up." He smiled as other students came running in with mobile bed and began putting Paul onto it.

    "Is he gonna be okay?... I asked one last time."

    "He''s in a very critical conition right now... but don''t worry we''ll try our best....." He smiled and nodded.

    "Is he breathing???..... it looks liek he''s not breathing..." I asked in a panic.

    "Nothign to wrory about Miss Emilia..... he will be fine." He smile as the students began to wheel him away in another direction.

    "You need to save him..... it''s all my fault...." I pleaded with him.

    "Trust me.... none of this is your fault..... he always proetects Atlantis sudents with everyhting he has." He smiled holdign my hand to steady my nerves.

    "The second he wakes up... I''ll take you to see him okay.." He smiled lettign go of my hands.

    "... okay....." I nodded and began to go witht the female student guiding me to a bed.

    "Is he really okay?..." I asked the female student escorting me to a bed.

    "He might look a big rough now... but don''t worry Doctor Macros is an amazing healer." she smiled sittign with me as I sad on a bed, she looked at anotehr student and did a hand gesture to her making her jump into action.

    "So what happened exaclty?.." she asked with a smile.

    "I''m not quite sure..... it all happened so quickly...... first there was a strange bright beam that seemed to have blasted alot of students but someoen said he took the brunt of it..... by the time i recovered.... he was holding a large barrier stopping the attack on the city........ after that.. he summoned portals that laid waste to the whole army and city....and whats when i noticed he collaped face into the firt totally motionless...." I explained to her.

    "Okay...." She nodded with a smile as anotehr student came with a bowl of clean water and a towl. "Right.... Let''s get you cleaned up and see if oyu ahve any wounds." she smiled taking my hands and began cleanign the dirt off my hands.

    "Can we get a robe?..." THe female student asked the otehr kindly.

    "So you''re name is Emilia right?.." She asked as she gently cleaned my hand.

    "Yeah...." i replied nodding still a little shell shocked.

    "I''m also a doctor in the medical divions..... My name is Alice." She smiled.

    "Thanks for helping." I thanked her quietly.

    "Are you new here?.. I''ve never seen you before." She smiled.

    "Yes..... I''m a first year.. I only arrived a few weeks go..." I answered her.

    "Ohhh a first year.. didn''t they call back all the first years?..." She questioned looking a little confused.

    "Yeah... me and my friends tayed because we wanted to help the refugee''s..." I answered her.

    "Ohhhhh......" she nodded in understanding a little intrigued..... "So you and Paul..... are you guys an item?.." She asked curiously.

    "No no.... we''re jsut friends...." I answered her calming down a little slowing going back to normal.

    "Ohhh... okay..... how do you knwo each other?.." She asked and begna clearnign my leg and knees.

    "Umm... we used to go school togther...." I Answered her and began to inspect my self for injuries.

    "Yeah you have a few cuts and scarpes... thankfully nothing deep..... nothign abit of bandaging won''t fix." She smiled.

    "Can you do healing magic?.." I questioned.

    "Yes we can most emdical division students can do healing magic..." She smiled as the student came back with a fresh pair of white clothing.

    "Okay... get changed into this and we''ll carry out conversation." she smiled taking the bed sheet and handing it to the otehr "Stay back!!!" I yelled at the Dark Elf pointing my wand at him the moment I reached Paul. "Paul.... Paul?..." I yelled trying to shake him awake with one hand while still keeping my eyes on the Dark Elf.

    The Dark Elf just muttered incoherently swaying from side to side aimlessly walking towards us. "I SAID DON''T COME ANY CLOSER!!!" I yelled at the at the top of my lungs pointing my wand at him ready to fire a spell.

    "Paul!! Wake up!!" I shook him in a panic trying to wake him up but he still laid dormant.

    "WALK BACK NOW!!!" I yelled at the Dark Elf still wondering aimlessly towards us with no weapons drawn. A set of glowing chains shot past me and in an instant coiled itself around the Dark Elf restraining him completely forcing him to fall to the ground.

    "Is the commander okay?.." The student asked arriving by my side her wand still pointed at the entrance as the silhouette of more and more Elves began to appear.

    "He... He..... He''s not responding..." I struggled to answer her the thought of him dying overwhelming every fibre of my body.

    "Okay.... first let''s get him back.... he in no condition right nowˇ­. And we have no idea what''s beyond those walls..." The student said withdrawing her wand and turning him over. "We''re going to drag him back.... I can hear student''s coming towards us.... just keep your wand pointed at the opening and help me with your other hand." She instructed trying to calm me down.

    "..... Okay..." I answered maintaining my wand at the opening and grabbing his shirt at the shoulder.

    "Okay..... Let''s go.." She instructed and quickly set off a white flare and begin to drag his heavy body while keeping a close eye on the Dark Elves.

    "What''s happened to the commander?.." a male student''s voice asked as he met us keeping an eye on the opening.

    "He''s not responding..... Get the Head of the Medical division immediately." She ordered the male student.

    "I''ll go now.... There''s more students arriving in a second..... Just keep going." He informed us and quickly ran back into the city.

    "Do you think he''s dead..." I asked as tears began to flow down my eyes uncontrollably.

    "I''m not an expert.... so let''s just focus on getting him safe and secure while the head of the Medical Davion gets here...." She replied.

    "He''s not breathing....." I said to her on the verge of breaking down.

    "Calm down..... I''m sure he''s fine.... he''s been through much rougher situations." She explained.

    "What''s wrong with the commander?.." a few students asked lifting him while the others watched the opening.

    "We''re not sure.... The Head of Medical Division should be here soon." She informed them as everyone worked together to swiftly bring him to safety.

    "Sir what do we do with the oncoming Dark Elves?.." A student asked.

    "They don''t seem hostile anymore.... arrest and detain them for questioning." A male voice ordered them as a set of students walked pass up towards the opening.

    Everything became a blur once we finally returned to the safety of all the other students placing him down softly on the ground. All the students stood in shock and horror staring at his dormant body.....

    "Okay every able body student... we need to protect the bottle necks make sure no Dark Elves get through...... I also need ten pair of students to check on each bottle neck and report back the situation...." A student began to order everyone.

    "Don''t worry.... he''s gonna be okay..." The female student that was helping me put a hand on my shoulder.

    "He''s not moving... not even breathing..... I can''t even sense him..." I replied to her.

    "Don''t worry..... This is the Black Dragon slayer.... If he can take on a Black Dragonˇ­. I''m sure he''s fine." She smiled trying to reassure me.

    Kneeling down beside him.... I couldn''t help but blame myself for all this... if it wasn''t for me asking him to save the refugee''s he wouldn''t have pushed himself so hard... "Can anyone help him?.." I pleaded looking at everyone.

    "I''m sorry.... you must be new... The medical students are making their way as soon as they can." A male student knelt down to inform me.

    "Make way!!!" An older voice shouted causing a path of open in the crowd of student letting through an older gentleman flanked with four other students all wearing white robes.

    He took a small pause at the sight of Paul and went straight to me..."It''s going to be okay miss... He''s going to be alright...." He smiled placing a head on my cheek nodding to reassure me as the four other students began to examine him. "Don''t you all have something to do???!!! There''s still injured students and Dark Elves to detain." He ordered the other students into action.

    "Okay...." I replied wiping my tears but still cry and heaving looking at what they was doing to him.

    "Don''t worry about him.... he''s in good hands now..." He said diverting my attention back to him. "I''m Doctor Macros head of the Medical Division... Now.... do you have an injuries?..." He asked me like a caring father.

    "... No... I don''t think so..." I shook my head.

    "Are you sure?...." he asked giving me a check over.

    "I think so... I don''t feel any pain..." I answered him.

    "Okay...." He nodded and turned back to the other four students. "Is he ready?..." He asked them.

    "Yes..... We''ve set up the runes we can go when ready." One student answered him.

    "Okay come along miss...." he said taking my hand helping me up.

    "Is... he alive?.." I struggle to string a sentence to ask him.

    "Yes he should make a full recovery." He smiled walking me towards Paul.

    "Okay send the flare." He ordered with a smile.

    "Yes sir..." they replied and let off a flare that glowed red and amber.

    A booming sound erupted around us and in an instant we travelled into the Atlantis infirmary... Please take "Miss..... I''m sorry I didn''t ask for your name." He smiled.

    "Emilia..." I replied.

    "Miss Emilia to a bed and something to clean herself with and a full check-up." He smiled as other students came running in with mobile bed and began putting Paul onto it.

    "Is he gonna be okay?... I asked one last time."

    "He''s in a very critical condition right now... but don''t worry we''ll do our best....." He smiled and nodded.

    "Is he breathing???..... It looks like he''s not breathing..." I asked in a panic.

    "Nothing to worry about Miss Emilia..... He will be fine." He smile as the students began to wheel him away in another direction.

    "You need to save him..... It''s all my fault...." I pleaded with him.

    "Trust me.... none of this is your fault..... He always protects Atlantis students with everything he has." He smiled holding my hand to steady my nerves.

    "The second he wakes up... I''ll take you to see him okay.." He smiled letting go of my hands.

    "... Okay....." I nodded and began to go with the female student guiding me to a bed.

    "Is he really okay?..." I asked the female student escorting me to a bed.

    "He might look a big rough now... but don''t worry Doctor Macros is an amazing healer." she smiled sitting with me as I sat on a bed, she looked at another student and did a hand gesture making her jump into action.

    "So what happened exactly?.." she asked with a smile.

    "I''m not quite sure..... It all happened so quickly...... first there was a strange bright beam that seemed to have blasted a lot of students but someone said he took the brunt of it..... By the time I recovered.... he was holding a large barrier stopping the attack on the city........ After that.. He summoned portals that laid waste to the whole army and city....and that''s when I noticed he collapsed face into the dirt totally motionless...." I explained to her.

    "Okay...." She nodded with a smile as another student came with a bowl of clean water and a towel. "Right.... Let''s get you cleaned up and see if you have any wounds." she smiled taking my hands and began cleaning the dirt off my hands.

    "Can we get a robe?..." The female student asked the other kindly.

    "So your name is Emilia right?.." She asked as she gently cleaned my hand.

    "Yeah...." I replied nodded still a little shell shocked.

    "I''m also a doctor in the Medical Division..... My name is Alice." She smiled.

    "Thanks for helping." I thanked her quietly.

    "Are you new here?.. I''ve never seen you before." She smiled.

    "Yes..... I''m a first yearˇ­. I only arrived a few weeks go..." I answered her.

    "Ohhh a first yearˇ­.. Didn''t they call back all the first years?..." She questioned looking a little surprised.

    "Yeah... me and my friends stayed because we wanted to help the refugee''s..." I answered her.

    "Ohhhhh......" she nodded in understanding a little intrigued..... "So you and Paul..... Are you guys an item?.." She asked curiously.

    "No no.... we''re just friends...." I answered her calming down a little, slowing going back to normal.

    "Ohhh... okay..... How do you know each other?.." She asked and began clearing my leg and knees.

    "Umm... we used to go school together...." I answered her and began to inspect myself for injuries.

    "Yeah you have a few cuts and scrapes... thankfully nothing deep..... Nothing a bit of bandaging won''t fix." She smiled.

    "Can you do healing magic?.." I questioned.

    "Yes we can most medical division students are trained in healing magic..." She smiled as the student came back with a fresh pair of white clothing.

    "Okay... get changed into this and we''ll carry out conversation." she smiled taking the bed sheet and handing it to the other student to hold up high to cover me changing.

    student to hold up high to cove rme changing.

 152 Small Talk

    "Okay..... So just rest here for a while..." She instructed me to rest on the bed.

    "Ummm.... okay...." I agree slipping into the bed... "I thinkˇ­. I''m okay nowˇ­." I said to her.

    "I''m sure you''re okay... but I''m just a little concerned you was a bit distraught when we arrived." She smiled taking a seat next to me.

    "Ohh you don''t have to stay..... If you''re busy..." I instinctively said to her.

    "Don''t worry..... I have nothing to do..... And I enjoy meeting students and chatting." She smiledˇ­. "Are you hungry or thirsty?.... I can ask for some water and snacksˇ­." She offered.

    "Ummmˇ­ I think I''m okayˇ­" I smiled... "So have you been in Atlantis for long?.." I asked trying to feel a little more relaxed and trying to bring up a conversation.

    "Yeah I''ve been here for five years now." She answered.

    "How many years do students usually stay in Atlantis?.." I asked questioned feeling curious.

    "So a student should be ready to leave after six or seven years... but Atlantis has a good program where you can stay in Atlantis and do work like a job." She answered.

    "So do you intend to stay in Atlantis?.." I asked.

    "Yes... I intend to stay in the Medical Division in Atlantis... The pay might not be good as cities but Atlantis is my home." She smiled.

    "So..... How many years have you studied here?..." I asked curiously.

    "I''m a fifth year student like Paul and Scarlet." She smiled.

    "Ohhh so you''ve been in the same classes as them?..." I asked curiously.

    "Ummm funnily enough..... They were meant to be in my class but I didn''t see them much..." She answered.

    "Why not?.." I questioned as curiosity got the better of me.

    "Ummmm... When Paul enrolled and Scarlet came a year later but was placed in the same year and class as us.... they were always very good in combat... and well there wasn''t much Atlantis could teach them..... So they kinda just adventure around and do good things in Atlantis'' name." She smiled.

    "Ohhhh?" I looked at her a little curious and confused.

    "So officially they are students of Atlantis.... but they don''t go to lessons and or exams..... They kinda just do their own thing." She explained in layman''s terms.

    "Is that a good thing?..." I questioned.

    "Yeah..... The things they do bring a good name to Atlantis..... As you may have heard the other two schools are a bit.... lacking in reputation..... But Atlantis does put a lot of effort into helping those less fortunate and those in need." She smiled.

    "So do you know why Paul and Scarlet is so strong?... it seems like they are on another level to every other student here...." I questioned.

    "You''re really interested in him....." She chuckled, "Well I can only go on word and mouth... but some say Scarlet not even human.... and Paul.... well he must have had a legendary Mentor before coming here.... some say it could have been Erath himself... but Paul does say is previous master was someone who went by another name... but I can''t remember." She answered.

    "Scarlet might not be human??.... is that even possible?..." I questioned.

    "Yeah..... She could be a Demi-god... or the chosen champion of a God..... She could even have come from a race from another world..." She tried to explainˇ­.. "But that''s all rumours" she chuckled.

    "Wow... so no one knows?.." I asked a little intrigued by the idea.

    "Well every time someone does.... she just laughs it off..... And well everyone I guess is afraid to push her on the subject..." She chuckled.

    "Are the student back at the city going to be okay??.... wouldn''t it be better if you went back?.." I asked feeling a little guilty.

    She just smiled at me with a genuine happy smile.... "Don''t worry.... Atlantis has a very big Medical division... and mental state is also a very important." She smiled.

    "Thanks... for staying with me.." I smiled.

    "No problems.... You do seem to be feeling better." She smiled, "So you said you and Paul used to go school together?... is that why you''re so curious about him?.." She asked.

    "Yeah.... we used to go to the same school..... Then suddenly he disappeared for over five years.... and a few weeks ago was the first time we''ve seen each other since he''s vanished..." I answered.

    "Ohhh I see..... So that''s probably when he began training with his previous mentor before enrolling in Atlantis." She replied rubbing her chin and crossing her leg, "And he met Scarlet in his travels on the first year he enrolled here." She commented.

    "So what was Paul like when he was here?.." I asked feeling extremely curious.

    "There was one more in their crew..... I forgot his name but he had a metal arm.... he''s very well known in R\u0026D though... I really can''t put a name to his face..." She pondered.

    "Ashley?.." I answered for her.

    "Yeah that''s his name!..... Well their crew were always nonchalant... coming top of class in combat and any duels... and acing every exam... despite their lack of focus and attitude.... I do suspect they cheated one way or another.... Ashley was a very intelligent student." She laughed.

    "How about Travis?... I heard he and Paul butt heads a lot." I questioned.

    "Yeah..... Travis he was very hmmm..... How do I put it?..... Well he was always the popular one... good looking charismatic.... the bad boy, if ya know what I mean." She winked at me raising her eyebrows..... "Well it is well known Travis is one of four siblings..... Their father sent one student to each school.... as a sign of strength and dominance, each child was tasked to become ranked 1 in their respective school and return to Eshia." She began to explain... "With Paul being ranked one and Scarlet being ranked two..... He''s considered a disgrace to his family and exiled till he completes this task." He explained.

    "Ohh..... Wow that sounds so stupid...." I replied in shock.

    "Yeah... you can''t challenge the top five students randomly..... Once you hit ranked five you must win against the student ranked above you.... so ranked two Scarlet is the one who can challenge Paul... It was a big commotion because Paul was placed first and Scarlet was placed second by the headmaster, when Atlantis'' Rank two and one left to become the King''s royal guard. Scarlet is also a bad match up for Travis.... he didn''t officially challenge her.... but apparently he said something to Paul or Scarlet and she went ballistic... humiliated him by beating him in one on one combat with just her fists.... she didn''t even use her weapon... so from then on he''s never dared challenge her, but that doesn''t stop him babbling his mouth about how he''s the true number one student and that he can easily defeat Paul." She chuckled.

    "Ohhhh I see....." I replied nodding slowly.

    "Yeah.... not to mention Paul doesn''t agree with Travis'' ...''conquests''..... So he has a natural distain to him....." She giggled maintaining her professional appearance.

    "Who do you''d think would win between the two?...." I asked feeling happy that Paul is doing so well here.

    "Paul defiantly...He doesn''t normally duel people or get into fightsˇ­. the thing''s he''s done are quite amazing." She smiled.

    "Slaying a black Dragon?.." I asked curiously.

    "Yeah that is what he''s most famous for... but he''s done way more than just that." She nodded and began to ponder..... "I heard Paul, Scarlet and Ashley managed to destroy a young Elder Mind nest before it matured.... rescued a small city from a coven of Hags and protecting an Archaeologist team researching a Storm Giant Temple." She began to list, "and that doesn''t include what he did todayˇ­. Assuming that was all him." She smiled

    "Yeah what he did today was quite amazing..." I smiled.

    "Do you happen to know what spell it was?..." She asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

    "No I don''t sorryˇ­. I''m still completely new o spell to be honest.

    "Ahhh I guessˇ­.. You didn''t know you had magical potential." She giggled.

    "Yeah coming here was a surprise.." I answered.

    "Ohhhˇ­.. A late bloomerˇ­. With no idea of you potentialˇ­ that''s pretty rare." She smiled.

    "What age do students normally com here?.. " I questioned.

    "Youngest are around 13ˇ­. Latest are around 18ˇ­ I would say." She answered giving it a few seconds of thought.

    "Yeah .... I''m 26ˇ­" I admitted to her.

    "Ohhh you''re my age." She smiled in shock.

    "Yeah guess I started late." I sighed.

    "That''s okay.... late bloomers are always betterˇ­. Being more mature and things." She smiled.

    "I guess you''re right." I smiled.

 153 Recovery

    "So do you know what''s wrong with Paul??...." I asked curiously...

    "You mean why he was in such a bad condition?....." She questioned.

    "Yeah....." I hesitantly replied my mind began rolling through the worse possible outcome over and over again.

    "From wait I saw..... He overextended himself too much..... I''m sure all he needs is a bit of rest." She smiled.

    "If he needs rest.... shouldn''t he be here??..." I questioned.

    "This ward is only for minor injuries..... For more critical conditioned students they are moved to a critical condition ward..." She answered.

    "Is there something special with the wards??..." I inquired.

    "Yes.... the infirmary wards naturally help in the healing process using the world trees energy... the critical condition ward is closer to the tree... allows patients to recover faster from procedures." She explained..... "How about you take a small rest.... and I''ll go see if there''s an update on his condition okay??....." She smiled placing a hand on mine.

    "Okay..." I nodded.

    "I won''t be long....." She replied straightening her clothes and headed out the way we entered. "Ohh.... Emilia... you have a special guest...." She looked back at me and smiled opening both doors.

    I cried in joy instantly recognising Paul getting wheeled in on a wheelchair by another student with that stupid smile on his face. "You''re alive!!" I yelled running to him and dropping to my knees before him... "I''m so sorry!!" I sobbed into his legs.

    "Hey..... Are you okay?...." She said lifting my head.

    "I... I... I... thought you died!!!" I sobbed uncontrollably.

    "Silly girl...." he said patting me on my head.

    "Is there something wrong with your legs?..." I asked still crying.

    "Nah..... just need some rest and recovery time." He smiled without an ounce of worry in him.

    "I was so worried for you!!!" I carried on sobbing.

    "I''m sorry for making you worry with a smile on his face.

    "Umm Paul may I ask a question?.." Alice asked politely.

    "Sure..." He accepted her request.

    "What did you do and how did you survive?.." She questioned sounding thoroughly intrigued.

    "You mean what I did to the Dark Elf army?..." He asked in a saddened tone.

    "Yes.... if you don''t mind me asking."

    "Luckily for us.... Emilia called me to help some refugees.... that allowed me to see the true extent of their forces...... High Priestesses and priestesses a battalion of Female warriors and a near endless supply of male fighters as far as I could see.... So I needed help from some friends..." He explained to her. "So as you can see Emilia.... you and your friends were the ones that actually saved the city and many students of Atlantis." Pauls lifted my head and smiled.

    "But you almost died...." I disagreed with him.

    "Yes how did you survive exhausting yourself so much?.." Alice questioned.

    "Ahhh ..... Kind of sucks to be honest..... I lost a really expensive artifact sadly" he sighed scratching his head..... "It''s a special amulet that upon the wearer''s death... their soul is contained in the crystal instead of moving on to the afterlife.... From there Doctor Macros knew what to do." He smiled.

    "What did it feel like?...." I asked hearing the story still blaming myself that he actually did die.....

    "It was like going to sleep.... and waking up again..." He explained.

    "Why was you so stupid?!!" I shouted at him.

    "It was a calculated decision... I had the artifact... and Atlantis and the city guards would have easily be overwhelmed....." He tried to explain.

    "YOU should have done something else!!!! Something that wouldn''t result in giving up your life!!" I shouted at him pounding his leg.

    "Ey ey ey chill outˇ­. Stop hitting a cripple..." he chuckled holding my hands, "I''m okay... and I tried to save as many lives as I could...." he smiled.

    "Are you gonna be like this forever?..." I asked him calming down a little.

    "Ahhhhh.... Hmmmm maybe in a week I''ll be back to full strength." He smiled.

    "A week???!" I looked at him in shock.

    "Well..... At least now we can spend more time together.... we have alot of catching up to do." He smiled with a cheeky grin.

    "You''re a stupid idiot.." I said standing up and kicking him.

    "Well Paul... It looks like you''re doing fine." Alice smiled.

    "Thanks for taking care of her Alice." Paul smiled causing her to look at him in shock, "Shocked that I know your name huh?" He chuckled.

    "A little...." She laughed.

    "Someone as talented as yourself.... I was surprised when I heard you joined the Medical Division.." He smiled.

    "I felt my talents were better used for healing...." She smiled.

    "You''ll become a great doctor and healer." He smiled giving her a nod.

    "Thank you.... Paul...." She smiled and took the other student away.

    "Let''s get going...." Paul said and began to pushing the wheels to move himself.

    "Let me..." I said grabbing the handles to push him.

    "Thanks...." he replied but I can tell that he was smiling.

    "Was there really nothing else you could do?.." I asked again now I calmed down a little.

    "Hmmm.... Maybe if I had more time.... but under the circumstances I feel this was the best way." He answered earnestly.

    "Don''t throw away your life so easily..." I pleaded with him.

    "....... We only just met again after 6 or 7 years.... you know I won''t throw away such an opportunity...." he laughed.

    "You''re such an idiot.." I replied slapping his head.

    "Owww!!! Injured person here!!" He reminded me.

    "Did you really... die?...." I asked him honestly.

    "You could say I did...... Barriers aren''t an impenetrable force as you might have initially thought...... them require alot of concentration..... And is extremely strenuous to the caster.... especially when under siege..." He explained to me.

    "And since you was forced to use two... that''s why you was spent?..." I asked nodding in understanding.

    "Yeah... Especially when I had to make such large ones and taking such heavy strikes from their moon beams.." He explained further.

    "So what was the thing that you shot through your portals?.." I asked curiously.

    "Ahhhh.... that was thanks to the assistance of two good friends of mine... Two high admirals in the Grand Sky Fleet of Aspa... Maybe one day I can bring you aboard one... it''s truly breath taking." He answered.

    "Grand Sky Fleet?..." I questioned wondering if it''s really what the name suggests.

    "Yup... they both captain a Titan class vessel... truly a sight...... Aspa''s Sky Fleet consists of hundreds of Sky Ships.... the Grand Admiral and the five High Admirals each pilot a Titan Class vessel who each alone carry enough firepower to level a large city." Paul explained.

    "And you asked for the assistance of two of those Titans?.." I questioned.

    "Yeah..... Luckily they owe me... a favour or two.... plus.... they are pretty nice girlsˇ­." He smiled.

    "What made the Dark Elves invade the city?..." I questioned.

    "I''m in the dark as much as you are to be honest..... Hopefully there''s some survivors for questioning..... But I don''t think there has ever been a time where a Dark Elf has tried to take a surface city to be honest." He wondered.

    "Is scarlet okay?..." I questioned worried for her.

    "I''m sure she is..... She''s probably busy handling another threat." He answered.

    "What other threat could there have been?..." I asked.

    "Well it''s odd that they didn''t use any siege creatures.... I would have expected them to use them to breach city walls.... Maybe she''s busy stopping them." He suggested.

    "How comes Ashley wasn''t there?..." I asked.

    "Ashley is better when given time to prepare and aware of the whole situation... besides I don''t have any say on which students and departments get deployed." He shrugged.

    "Paul did you use the runes on your arms?..." I questioned feeling worried for him.

    "Yes sadly..." He answered.

    "Honestly what are they?..." I questioned.

    "Hmmm how to best explain them..... They are like batteries.... I can expend them to give me a giant boost of power... I can only safely release one with little to no detrimental effects..... Releasing two is extremely taxing on me..... And anything more than three would most likely result in me signing away my life..." He explained.

    "Then why the hell do you have SIX??!! You stupid idiot." I yelled at him in anger.

    "My previous mentor drew six on me....... I dunno why....." He answered.

    "Is it something you need more training on?..." I questioned.

    "I would say so... But I''m very reluctant to try.... because you know.... the chance of death..." He quietly answered.... "It''s also pretty hard to train with it as it also puts me out of action for days...." He answered.

    "So you can''t do much for a week?.." I asked.

    "Yeah.... I should regain the use of my legs in a few days.... but I''ll still be pretty weak ...." He answered.

 154 Absolute Monster.....

    It was weird..... Everyone who was left behind didn''t seem worried at all..... Just carrying on with their daily lives like they didn''t know there was literally a war that just broke out....

    "Hey Paul?.." I asked getting his attention still pushing him around.

    "Wassup?...." He replied.

    "Are you completely defenceless right now?.." I asked a little worried for him.

    "Yeah pretty much.... I''m basically a normal human for a few days at least." He smiled.

    "I''m really sorry...." I apologised still feeling guilty.

    "A.... remember you never need to apologise to me... and B.... there was no other options... I did what I did to save the most lives." He answered.

    "Okay....." I replied to him still feeling guilty.

    "So..... About tomorrow... want me to move the match to next week?... I''m sure the Deputy Headmistress would understand that you and the other have gone through a lot today." He offered.

    "Nah let''s just get it over and done with." I answered trying not to think about it.

    "Ohhh lets rest at the bench." He said pointing at some benches overlooking a nice green area.

    "Sure." I smiled wheeling him there and taking a seat on the bench.

    "So how have you been.....??....." He hesitantly asked sounding nervous.

    "You mean before all this....??...." I asked.

    "Yeah...." he replied quietly.

    "Well... I went on to study law.... because you persuaded me to take it..." I explained putting a smile on his face. "Found some great friends......was doing well for myself till you know thisˇ­.. Happed." I smiled to him.

    "That''s great..." He smile back at me.

    "And you?..." I asked in return.

    "It''s a long story.... Left our world with my brother and three cousins.... went travelling for two years across planes learning discovering things... they went back home..... And I came here...." He answered making an effort to shorten his story.

    "Wait wait....... how did you even learn to leave our world?.." I questioned hoping to get more detail.

    "It''s very weird actually.... you would call us crazy at the time it all happened.... but when we was about 12 or 13 me, my brother and my two cousins..." He began to explain.

    "Peter, Steven and Phillip right?..." I questioned remembering the four of them were always very close.

    "Yes... that''s us..... Well when we attended the funeral of a close relative... there was a strange old man watching over the ceremony..... Well this strange old man also made an appearance during my mum funeral no one knew him but there he was standing in the distance overlooking the funeral..... And I don''t know if you remember..... I vanished for a month or two..... I told you guys it was funeral proceedings and religious stuff.... but I lied.... this old man was our first ever mentor.... showed us the amazing things outside our plane.... taught us a lot of magic and things.... we travelled for what felt like years...... learning studying discovering.... then one day we all awoke back in our bedrooms like it was all a strange dream that we all remembered..... but the weird thing was that our magic still remained and we was only gone for a month and a bit..... and our families didn''t noticed we disappeared either...ˇ­" He began to tell the story.

    "You''e joking right?..." I asked in disbelief.

    "No joke.... that''s what happened." He laughed.

    "So what made you leave?...." I questioned.

    "Well........ Someone gave me a clue to my mum''s sudden passing... pointing to a murder then a natural cause of death..." He began to explain his expression changed..... He looked saddened and full of regret by just even thinking of the past. "I couldn''t let it go..... There was so much anger inside me when I discovered it..... So much need for vengeance..." He began to explain when suddenly near several portals opened up. "Ohh looks like everyone is back... Let''s go see if Scarlet is back." Paul smiled.

    Dozens of students exited the portals helping carry the slightly wounded and weakened students. They all took a small glance at Paul in a wheel chair pausing slightly and gave us a nod and smile of respect and slowly made their way to the infirmary.

    "Do you think we lost any students today?..." I questioned worried seeing the amount of wounded students...

    "There was one I couldn''t save...." He whispered choking up at the mention of it.

    "............ Did you know him?......" I asked noticing his reply.

    "No not really...... I didn''t expect them to have so many moonbeams left after blasting my first barrier.... but I was wrong..... I was barely able to erect my barrier in time to absorb the most the blast of the moon beam... One student ran towards me instead of falling back..... He was caught in blast......" He explained sounding very saddened.

    "Paul..." The Deputy Headmistress stepped out the portal and recognised us... "And the trouble maker." She said recognising me.

    "Miss..." Paul answered her with a nod... "Sorry Deputy Head..." I instinctively apologised.

    "How are you feeling Paul?.." She asked in a very stern tone.

    "I''ll be back in a week or so..." Paul notified her.

    "Good .... I''ll let the city council know and setup a meeting." She nodded... "And next time.... don''t get yourself killed.... Atlantis needs both you and Scarlet." She commented before walking away.

    "Miss.... how many casualties and injured did we receive?.." Paul asked before she could walk off.

    "Most were only lightly injured thanks to your efforts..... We''ve lost one student... we''ll make preparations for a proper send-offˇ­. And notify the familyˇ­.." She stopped notifying Paul and carried on walking away again, Paul watched in complete silence as she walked away.

    "Are you okay?..." I asked him worried.

    "Yeah... I''m alright..." He replied still sounding saddened.

    "It wasn''t your fault....." I instinctively replied knowing how he was feeling.

    "I know........ Just..... Why did he run towards meˇ­.... I ordered everyone to fall back...." He muttered... I could tell he was running through a million scenarios in his head.

    That crazy predator and prey feeling washed over me again instantly making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "HEYYY!!!" Scarlet came rushing towards us as my shaky hands fumbled in my pockets for the coin to relieve me of my urges to run for my life.

    "Heyyy!!! You made it back!!!" Paul yelled greeting her as she ran to us he armour stained with huge amounts of dried blood, but still looking in pristine condition.

    "Ohh dear.... you went and used your third limiter didn''t you?...." She asked noticing Paul was in a wheelchair.

    "Yeah sadly I did.... I also used up the Amulet of Revival..." He confessed.

    "That''s alright... that''s what it was made for!! But we should train more so you can use them more effectively without killing you." Scarlet smiled unfazed by the loss of an artefact or his near death experience.

    "By the way where was you?.." Paul asked curiously.

    "Ohhh me?.... I was out with a set of Guards that wanted me to check on rumours of sightings outside the city.... by the way they were Dark Elves... I thought I''ll give them the chance of ambushing me..... Surprise nothing happened of course I dealt with them and their ambush no problem... the nerve... they only sent fifteen Female Dark elves and three Priestesses...... they had a few Blade Dancers they were quite interesting to watch and fight against..... Never crossed blades with one before..." She began to regurgitate what happened briefly..... Her nonchalant attitude was shocking... just like a child just retelling as tory with no care in the world.... "Then I sensed giant Arcanum in the distance away from the city..... so I went to investigate..... To my surprise they somehow managed to purchase or rent at least Ten Juggernauts....." She retold her side of the story to us.

    "Really?..." Paul pondered.

    "What''s a Juggernaut?...." I asked curiously

    "Giant constructs..... Usually made and powered by Dwarven technology... Dwarfs are proud honourable people..... So it''s weird how Elves.... specially Dark Elves managed to get hold of ten....." Pauls answered.

    "Yup.... and as per usual... once defeated their core overloaded melting themselves into a puddle of molten goo..." Scarlet nodded.

    "Yeah that''s why it''s so unusual... When Juggernauts are defeated or break down their core normally overloads causing them to melt..... So they must have got their hands on it through trade...." Paul explained.

    "Yup..... That''s what I said." Scarlet smiled.... "So what happened to you guys at the city?.." Scarlet asked looking confused.

    "Full scale invasion I think... had to request fire support from Yurika and Ruri..." He answered.

    "Weird.... normally you would easily be able to hold that off no problem...." She replied a little confused.

    "Something came up.... they had a lot of priestesses...." Paul answered.

    "Ohhh well..... I''m sure you did your best." She smiled. "So what you gonna do with your schedule?... now you''re out of action for a week. She began to ponder.

    "I dunnoˇ­. I''ll think of something tomorrowˇ­" Paul sighed staring into the sky.

    "Well whatever let''s get some food I''m starving!!" She smiled in absolute joy.

    "How does she not have a scratch on her...." I whispered to Paul in surprises pushing him towards the dorms following Scarlet.

    "Of course..... She''s impenetrable..... Each piece of her armour is made from dragons scales.... unlike other dragon scale armour.... which is scales stuck on armour which leaves openings and weak points..... Her armour is Dragonscales forged into an armour... so all of it is immune to spells and impenetrable to attacks." Paul answered.

    "Yeah but surly a scratch on her face or something...." I argued at the absurdity.

    "Yeah..... People who have never faced her properly.... would chalk her reverence and reputation in combat is because of her armour and weaponsˇ­.... but in reality she''s just as durable as her armour and her speed, strength and combat prowess is monstrous...." He chuckled but almost sounded like a little warning.

    "How?... and why?.." I questioned.

    "That''s her secret...." Paul laughed.

    It felt so weirdˇ­. She seems so kind and bubbleˇ­.. Yet beneath all that demeanour is an absolute monsterˇ­.. Easily taking on fifteen Dark Elf female warriors... along with three priestess then causally takes down ten juggernautsˇ­. That most likely must have had a regiment of Dark Elves.

    "Enough chit chat!!! I want food!" She said grabbing the handles to Pauls wheel chair and began wheeling him off to the dorms.

    "When your friends get back come for a visit!!!" Paul yelled as his voice slowly died away as scarlet raced to the dorms.

 155 Winding Down

    "Emilia!!! You''re safe!!!!" Daisy''s familiar voice yelled running towards me.

    "Hey guys!!! You all made it back!" I smiled noticing everyone was together.

    "Yeah..... We were a little worried.. Even though we knew you was safe with Paul..." They all smiled.

    "How is he?... He must be pretty spent..." Jay asked.

    "Umm he''s okay now..... There was a little scare but he''s okay now." I smiled.

    "SEE Grace!!! He''s the best did you see how he wiped them all out!!!! Travis has nothing over him!" Daisy gushed in awe.

    "Whatever... But I must admit though what he did was pretty amazing." Grace replied stubbornly.

    "How did you guys hold up?.." I asked a little worried.

    "Luckily Helen and Grace warned us about the moon beam before it hit..... We ran for cover but we were pretty lucky Paul''s barrier protected us to be honest." Jay explained.

    "Yeh I think we were all lucky there...." I answered.

    "You did well for a newbie." A voice I''ve heard before spoke out to us causing everyone to turn around taking a step back in shock. "Emiliaˇ­.. Right?..." Travis asked with a large rectangular case strapped to his back.

    "Ummm yeahh... how did you know?..." I asked in shock.

    "Remember we met last week." He smiled with a grin causing Grace to look at me in complete shock and betrayal.

    "Anyways just wanted say nicely done with the Displacement Panthers...." He smiled.

    "Ohh that was you?.." I asked remembering what happened.

    "Yeah..... And I used my Flak shots to clear your path....." He added.

    "Ohhh thanks for saving me." I faked a smile uninterested in becoming one of his numbers.....

    "No problems... you know my room... come by with dinner tomorrow, I''ll be waiting." He cockily demanded and walked away.

    "Wait what..." I replied shocked at his forwardness and the absurdity of it.

    "Its common etiquette in Atlantis to buy someone a drink or dinner if they save you." She yelled out without even tuning around and joining a pair of students watching him, and began walking off into Atlantis.

    "Emilia you have explaining to do!!!" Grace shouted in a whispered tone one they walked away abit.

    ".... Nothing happened... we just crossed paths I swear it...." I waved my hands in defence.

    "Well.... well well..... Both Paul and Travis.... you minx." Jay laughed so hard at his own joke.

    "Be respectful!" Helen said slapping him in the back of the head.

    "Emilia!!! This is unfair!!!" You can''t have bothˇ­.. You can have Travis and I''ll take Paul!!!" Daisy requested giving me an eager nod.

    "Wait what?!!" Grace looked at her in shock.

    "Woah guys..... Chill.... I pick no one..." I answered everyone laughing finding this whole school crush thing amusing.

    "Alright guysˇ­. You heard the Deputy Headmistress.... we need to go infirmary to get ourselves check out." Helen smiled pushing everyone to begin walking.

    "How did he save you?.. What did he do.." Grace gushed in excitement eager to hear what happened.

    "Nothing special.... there were these big black panthers with two or three spiked tipped tailsˇ­..... They came in pairs... and would shimmer oddly.... they attacked the refugees..... Me and him worked together to identify the real ones.... and he sniped them saving almost all of us." I explained to her..... "Then when I was trying to make it back to the city with Yuna.... there were a set of large explosive impacts blowing a hole for me to get back." I added.

    "Wow..... I wish that was me..." Grace gushed excited by the thought.

    "What did he mean by Flak?.." Jay asked pondering on what he said.

    "In my world... that''s normally a large cannon that shoots large explosive rounds normally." I explained.

    "Woah... how does he have a cannon!!!" Grace asked in shock.

    "I dunno... ask him." I said totally uninterested in him.

    "Pshhh... Did you not see what Paul did??!!! He made a barrier that extended through half the city!!!!..... Then opened up portals blowing away the entire Dark Elf army.... and you''re gushing over a few beast kills and some explosive shots..." Daisy pointed out like feeling the need to defend Paul.

    "I must admit..... He really does live up to his reputation..." Jay agreed smiling....

    "I agree..... I don''t even know what spell he used on them." Helen nodded.

    "It wasn''t a spell..... He explained to me it was a combined effort of his portals and the Aspa sky ship fleet." I answered.

    "Wait you mean the Grand Sky Fleet of Aspa?!" Jay gasped in absolute shock.

    "You know what it is?...." I asked surprised how Jay knows and he''s not even a citizen of Aspa....

    "Of course!!! ..... It''s literally fleet of hundreds of sky fleet..... And the Top five ranked commanders and the High commander pilot staggeringly large ones.... each with enough firepower to annihilate a city!!!" Jay explained in excitement.

    "Yeah... Paul said he was friends with two High Admirals..... And requested fire support." I answered.

    "Really??!!" he asked in shock.

    "Yup.... that''s what he told me." I smiled.

    "Wow....." He gushed lost in imagination.

    "I wonder how many students we lost..." Helen pondered noticing the sheer amount of injured students slowly entering into the infirmary.

    "I think the Deputy Headmistress said we had a lot of wounded.... but sadly one fatality...." I answered.

    ".... Wow that''s quite the miracle he performed... only one fatalityˇ­." Helen nodded.

    "You know what.... let''s just head back to the dorms..... I can regain abit of healing with abit of rest." Daisy suggested seeing the crowd.

    "Yeah.... to be honest I think we''ll just be taking up precious beds and space if we did end up going." Jay agreed.

    "Yeah.... I can cast a ritual to heal us... no problems." Helen agreed with a smile.

    "By the way..... did you see Scarlet?... we caught a glimpse of her on the way back to Atlantis." Helen asked me.

    "Yeah I did....." I smiled.

    "What was she doing?.." Helen questioned.

    "Apparently..... They tried to ambush her with a decent number... she effortlessly dealt with them... then proceeded to take on ten Juggernauts....." I informed them.

    "Wait.... what...." She asked in disbelief.

    "I meanˇ­. You guys seen and heard of her exploits?.... I''m not surprised to be honest." Jay nodded in agreement.

    "By the way what are they?.." I asked hoping to learn more about them.

    "Well you know the small golems we have in the school...." She asked me.

    "Yeah... the ones the size of us?.." I questioned.

    "Yeah well... Juggernauts are the Dwarves answer to big threats.... each one are as tall as a normal building armed with two giant fists able to demolish buildings in one punch..... And interchangeable weaponry spamming to small arms fire to large explosives...." Grace described it to us.

    "They are also notoriously resistant to all forms of damage..... Because they are forged with Mithril and enchanted with runes." Helen added.

    "Just how strong is Paul and Scarlet?..." I wondered in amazement.

    "There is a reason why.... that despite Atlantis being considered the weaker of the all the Institutes.... and have the least fire power.... that none of the schools dare to even start conflict in Arcadian Borders." Jay explained.

    "But how can two people stop an Army?..." I asked in disbelief....

    "Don''t know myselfˇ­. but maybe we can ask next time we see them." Jay smiled.

    "Hmmmm so I need to buy Jay and Yuna a drink of dinner huh?.." I ponder....

    "Don''t forget Travis as well.." Jay chuckled.

    "Forget him..." I disregarded his comment instantly anticipating what he was gonna say.

    "Well how about I pay for it?... and you give it to him?" Grace asked.

    "Nope.... don''t want him getting the wrong idea." I instantly shot down her request.

    "Pleaseeeeeeee..... I''ll make it up to you!!" She begged.

    ".... Fine..... But only if you add a note saying it from you..." I demanded after thinking about it for a few secondsˇ­.. Unable to resist her begging.

    "Yes of course!!!" she literally jumped with joy and quickly ran to Helen.

    "HELEN!!! What drinks do you think he would like.....???!!!" she instantly began to plan...

    "..... Elven wine???...???...." She suggested but sounded more like a question then an answer.

    "Jay!!! What wines do you humans like???..!!!!" She asked him demanding an answer.

    "I dunno..... I was never into alcohol." He laughed at the situation.....

 156 Just Chatting

    "By the way.... Paul did invite us to his..... If you guys wanna meet him." I notified everyone as we arrived at the dorms.

    "What he did??!!" Daisy asked in complete shock and excitement. "Let''s go!!!" She said pulling my arm forcing me to run up the stairs.

    "Calm down....." Helen yelled running after us.

    "Are you crazy???" She yelled back to everyone.

    "Ahhh we need more boys in this group..." Jay muttered finally catching up with us.

    "Which door was it?..." Daisy pondered looking at the doors.

    "This one....." I said leading everyone giving it a firm knock.

    "One second!!!" Scarlets voice yelled out from inside causing everyone to step back a little reaching into their pockets.

    "Yes?" Scarlet answered the door wearing a white shirt tucked into a medium length blue skirt and a blue ribbon necktie tied in a bow shape. "Ohhh!!! Hey sis!!!" She greeted me with a giant smile on her face and led us in.

    "Hey!!!" Paul greeted us in his wheelchair with a similar happy smile.

    Daisy was taken aback by the sight of Paul in a wheel chair, "Paul!!! Are you okay??!! I can heal you!!! Wait... I can''t.... I need to rest!!" She said in a panic rushing to him.

    "It''s okay... your healing can''t help me..... I need to recover naturally." He chuckled giving her a reassuring pat on the arm.

    "Ummm Hello..... Commander?.... Captain?..." Everyone else hesitantly greeted feeling a bit unsure what title to use.

    "Paul would do fine..... I''m a student like every one of you." He smiled chuckling finding their nervousness amusing.

    "Grand Master Scarlet would do!" Scarlet requested with a stern serious tone.

    "Ummmm Yes Grand Master..." They all replied causing her to laugh out loud.

    "I''m only joking!!! Scarlet is enough!!" She laughed uncontrollably making everyone feel uncomfortable slightly....

    "Take a seat!!! Make yourself at home!" She said leading us to the sofas where her armour laid on the floor on a large mat with a large bucket beside it.

    "So... I already put forward a word to Deputy Headmistress.... your Duels would be cancelled tomorrow and rescheduled for next week..... Since you guys got caught up in all this, I though you all need a rest." He smiled to everyone.

    "Ohh that would be great!!!" We all smiled back except me..... I just wanted to get it over and done with, so I wouldn''t need to worry about it anymore.

    "So Paul... wow that feels weird..... What happened to your legs?.." Jay asked politely.

    "Nothing really.... just pushed myself a little too hard... so my body needs time to recover." He smiled.

    "One second... I need to let Ashley know to bring more food up to us." He smiled.... "I assume you guys staying for dinner?..... I would normally cookˇ­. But I''m kind a bound to this chair." He chuckled.

    "Ummm that would be great...." We all agreed still feeling a bit uneasy...

    "Well.... back to cleaning my armour..." She cursed sitting on the mat cross legged and began to curb her armour.

    "Ummmm I can use a spell to help with that...." Jay offered.

    "Problem is... her armour is immune to magic and Scarlet has a sensitive nose." Paul chuckled causing Jay to stare at the armour analysing it.

    "Stupid armour.... stupid people....why did they have to go get blood on my armour!!!" Scarlet cursed scrubbing really hard with a sponge and soapy water.

    "Can I touch them?.." Grace asked looking at the pair of already cleaned boots.

    "Huh?... sure!!" Scarlet smiled and went back to scrubbing.

    Grace very carefully looked at the piece of armour, "What metal is this made out of?....." She asked starring at it closely.

    "That..... Is the scales of a Platinum Dragon." Paul whispered loudly giving it a more epic and ominous feel.

    "Impossible.... Platinum Dragons are a myth...." Helen and Grace looked back at him in shock and disbelief.

    "Well you tell me then.... what else can grant her armour immunity to spells and damage..... As well as being metal in nature and image." He questioned their disbelief.

    "But no one has ever seen a The Platinum Dragonˇ­. He''s only ever seen in dreams and visions" They both answered.

    "Well... how else do you explain itˇ­.." He questioned them chuckling at their reaction.

    "Can I pick it up?..." Grace asked.

    "Sure if you can." Scarlet replied sounding angrier by the second.

    "What in the....." Grace uttered in disbelief being unable to lift it with both her hands..... "How heavy is this thing?..." She questioned only being able to shift it a little across the floor.

    "No way...." Jay uttered walking to the boot and trying to lift it... "What the?...." He replied in utter shock causing Paul to laugh a little.

    "Here let me!" Daisy offered squatting down and giving it a huge heave, even with all the strength she only barely nudged corner off the ground by a fraction of a millimetre before dropping it back down almost instantly. "My God..... What is that thing made of?" She uttered sweating and out of breath. "How can you even walk in these??!!!" She asked Scarlet.

    "Easy put them on and walk." She smiled causing everyone to question how on earth she could possibly be that strong. "Look." she said with a smile effortlessly moving her two piece breastplate on the cleaned pile with one hand. There was no doubt the breastplate was much heavier than just her boots.

    "What are y-" Jay uttered before getting slapped in the back of the head by Helen giving him a widened eye look trying to convey something to him.

    "Ohhh interesting are you all Phoenix members?.." Paul asking curiously.

    "Yes we are." We all smiled showing him our tattoos with pride.

    "Nice.... waitˇ­. no one is a dragon?... wow that sucks....." He replied looking a little depressed.

    "You both have tattoo''s right?.." Helen asked making conversation.

    "Yes mine is a Dragon on my shoulder and Scarlets is a Phoenix on her upper arm." Paul answered her.

    "Thanks for saving us out there.... by the way." Jay commented taking a seat next to Helen.

    "Don''t mention it.... protecting Atlantis is my number one priority." Paul smiled.

    "By the way is it common etiquette to buy someone a meal or drink if they save your life?.. " I asked Paul remembering what Travis said.

    "Yeah generally it is..... It''s not a ruleˇ­.. But its common courtesy a way of saying thanks." He smiled.

    "Ohh okay...." I answered hoping it wasn''t true..... "By the way did Yuna and Sven make it back?.." I asked since we never saw them since they got back.

    "Yuna???.... Hmmm" He began to think.

    "The girl that you ordered to escort me back to the city..." I reminded him.

    "Ohhhh..... To be honest.. It was the first time I''ve interacted with her....." He apologised feeling a little guilty he forgot her name.... "And Sven?.... Sven Bovar?..." He questioned.

    "Yeah....." I answered.

    "Hmmm.... Sadly... I can''t really check which student make sit back or not.... but I''ll drop Ashley a message to get an update." He apologised scratching his head.

    "Umm Ashley can you get me an update on two students... Yuna and Sven Bovar..." Paul politely requested hearing his voice in my head.

    "Sure... Yun who?..." Ashley''s voice asked in return.

    "Not sure..... All Yuna''s if there''s more than one." Paul answered.

    "Okay sure.... I''ll take a quick pit stop." Ashley answered.

    "Thanks bro." Paul replied.

    "See you in abit." He replied.

    "Ohhhh wait... you need to bring.... hmmmm." Paul asked taking a slight pause to count us, "Meals for five more." He requested.

    "Really?... dude I only have two hands." He commented..... "Fine I''ll get it done." He sighed and cut the connection.

    "So how long are you wheel chair bound?.." Jay asked curiously as Daisy looked extremely worried.

    "Sadly I''m out of action for a week or so..... But I should be back on my feet in a few days." He answered him.

    "So you can''t use magic at all right now?.." He asked.

    "Sadly.. I''ve spent myself way too much today..... So yeah I wouldn''t be able to cast anything for a week at least and I''m still super weak....." Paul smiled.

    "Don''t worry I''ll protect you." Daisy offered sounding excited jumping at the chance.

    "No you''re not.... you''re a student... you have lessons to go to." Paul instantly declined her offer making her instantly depressed slumping into the sofa leaning on me.

    "He''s right..." I giggled patting on her on the head.

    "Don''t worry I won''t leave his side." Scarlet said and went back to scrubbing her arm plates and gauntlets.

    "Do you guys want to.... wear something more comfortable?..." He questioned noticing everyone was still in their armour and war gear.

    "Ummm we''d have to get changed and come back." Helen notified him.

    "It''s alright.... just pick some pyjamas out from Scarlets horde of clothes." He suggested causing Scarlet to shoot him an intense look.

    "Ahh don''t worry Scarlet..... I''ll let you take triple back next time." He smiled causing Scarlet to smile in glee and returned to clearing her armour but looked and seemed way more joyful.

    "And Jay right?.." He asked Jay.

    "Yes...." Jay replied.

    "Just pick something out my wardrobe... there isn''t much... maybe just shorts and a t-shirt he offered.

    "If you don''t mind...." He asked like he didn''t hear him correctly.

    "Nonsense pick anything." He smiled.

 157 Dinner and a Toas

    "I''ll show you my room..." Scarlet offered.

    "Scarlet..... You''re not gonna scare them into picking nothing are you?.." Paul questioned chuckling.

    "Okay fine..... Pick what you want." She reluctantly agreed sitting back down going back to cleaning her armour facing her back towards Paul like a sulking child.

    "Emilia... you can show them." Paul smiled.

    "Are you sure.... Scarlet seems a little upset..." I questioned not wanting to upset her.

    "Don''t worry.... Scarlet I''ll let you bring back however much and whatever you want." Paul sighed.

    "Really?!! She looked back at him with a joyful smile like a child given choice of all the toys in a toy store.

    "Yes.....but within reason!!!" Paul sighed.

    "You can pick anything you want!!" She gave us all permission and a genuine joyful smile.

    "Okay.... guys... follow... me?" I hesitantly asked everyone to follow me to Scarlets room.

    "Are you sure?.." They asked following me.

    "Yes before I change my mind." Scarlet replied.

    As soon as the door closed I quickly rushed to Scarlets room, "You really need to see this!! It''s amazing!" I squealed in excitement, with a big heave I opened the door revealing to everyone the absolute treasure trove of Scarlets collection..... It was like those scenes in a movie when a group of friends enter a rich friends walk-in wardrobe.... we all stared in awe walking in looking at all the different things she has collected.

    "My word.... this is more extravagant then my own..." Helen said in shock.

    "Wow..." Daisy just stared in awe... instantly running to visible dresses.

    To my surprise even Grace looked a little excited at seeing everything, "Okay so I''m sure the pyjamas section should be near the clothes section." I smiled walking toward the area that seemed to be for clothes.

    "Okay..... Pyjamas.." I said ruffling through things and checking wardrobes.

    "What is a pyjamas?.." Helen and Grace asked....

    "It''s comfortable clothes that you wear for sleeping." I tried to describe to them.

    "Ohhh so night wear." They smiled and began rummaging again.

    "How about this?!!" They pulled out sweat pants and a baggy hoodie....

    "Well they are comfortable." I smiled as they pulled out similar matching pieces to put on.

    "Emilia....." Paul whispered into my head.

    "Yeah?...." I answered.

    "Make it fast please.... I can literally see steam coming off her body." He chuckled.

    "Okay okay!!.." I said giving Helen and grace the nod to take those.

    "Daisy over here fast!" I whispered to her to come here and pick something, I quickly pulled out two tank tops and two shorts for me and Daisy. "Let''s go I think Daisy is getting angrier by the second." I warned them making us all rush out and close the door quickly.

    "We quickly scurried into Paul rooms.... "Ahh you''re back!! Get changed in my room and the kitchen." He smiled pointing to the rooms.

    We all nodded quickly getting changed to let the others get the chance to get changed as quickly as possible. We slowly made out way quietly to sofas and took a seat hoping to not annoy Scarlet further.

    "Thank god you are all backˇ­.. You can cut the tension with a knifeˇ­." He whispered his clothes already changed.

    "Scarlet can you get the plates and glasses?..." Paul requested politely. "I sense Ashley arriving.... Ohh and two more plates I think." He added.

    "Sure..." She begrudgingly agreed walking into the kitchen.

    A knock came at the door "Foods here!!" Ashley voice called out to us.

    "Ohhh the food, Daisy can you give him a hand please." Paul requested smiling.

    "Sure!" she smiled jumping up eager to help.

    "I''ll help." I instinctively added jumping up and following her.

    "Ohh Heyyy Daisy!!!! And Emilia!!!" Ashley''s unwavering optimistic smile beamed towards us.

    "Need a hand?.." We asked noticing his hands were not as full as we expected.

    "It''s alright I brought friends." He smiled walking in.

    "Yo! Good to see you again." Yuna greeted me with a smile popping her head out.

    "I''m here to!!" Sven''s voice spoke from the back also popping his head out to greet us.

    "What''s the hold up??!! I''m hungry here!!!" Scarlet yelled out.

    "Alright... alrightˇ­. let''s go in." Ashley instructed allowing us to return to our seats.

    "Ohh Hey Yuna!!! And Sven!!" Paul greeted them both as they entered. "Come in come in don''t be shy...." He smiled.

    "Commander are you sure?..." Yuna greeted him with a very serious tone like a solider standing to attention.

    "Please.... Paul would do... I don''t like titles, first time on the S-Rank floor?" he smiled.

    "Ummmm yes Lord Paul... I mean Paul...." she tried to said trying to adjuster herself.

    "House Leader." Sven nodded.

    "Sven!!! Thanks for helping out today." He smiled

    "It''s my duty....." He smiled but his smile quickly dropped as both Yuna and Sven shakily turned to see Scarlet exiting the kitchen with plates and cups.

    "Ohhhh I smell food!!!!" Scarlet said with a jolly smile like she completely forgot she was angry just a few seconds ago, happily walking towards us unaware of the affect she has on Yuna and Sven as they slowly backed off step by step quietly like a prey trying to escape.

    "Wow... her aura is terrifying even at this distance....." Yuna uttered in complete shock unable to recover from being close proximity to her.

    "Ohh shoot.... I forgot...." Scarlet gasped in shock quickly running to the other side of the table giving Sven and Yuna some time to take a breath.

    "Umm if you guys wouldn''t mind could you let them use your coin if they still have a change leftˇ­." Paul requested.

    "Sure." I said standing up taking my coin out of my pocket.

    "Use mine." Daisy smiled taking hers out quickly before everyone else could.

    "Here use these....." I said passing one to Yuna and Sven.

    Shakily clutching it in their hands they closed their eyes concentrating and like us I could see their nerves calming... and their bodies relaxed. "So that''s why everyone has to stay a good distance away from her..... I thought it was only rumours..." Yuna commented still remaining in the same spot.

    "I''m so sorry!!! I can''t help it...." Scarlet apologised profusely.

    "It''s okay I''m sure you didn''t mean it." Yuna quickly replied looking scared at her apologetic nature still afraid of her.

    "Well that explains why she''s never accompanied by other students....." Sven answered also remaining in position.

    "Okay everyone shuffle along make room for those two." Paul smiled edging them to take a seat.

    "So what is it that makes the terrifying aura?.." Yuna hesitantly asked.

    "Sadly it''s the side effect of how powerful she is...... she is so strong in fact that your body instinctively reacts fear... like how prey will always be afraid of a predator, despite your brain knowing she is friendly... your body knows what all that could change in an instannt" Paul explained.

    "How comes you''re unaffected?..." I asked Paul.

    "I''m not unaffected.... It''s just my body and brain know she is not hostile." Paul smiled.

    "Then do you have a similar aura?.." Yuna asked Paul.

    "Nope..... I''m a gentle soul." He smiled causing us all to look at him weirdly like he didn''t just open the gates of hell and devastated an entire Dark Elf army.

    "What?... I said gentle.... not clean...." He replied noticing all our reactions.

    "Yes Paul only kills when he has to..." Scarlet answer dishing out the plates and filling glasses without asking what anyone would prefer.

    "Yes..... You guys haven''t seen it yet..... But his ability to see the best in other is truly astounding." Ashley agreed sounding slightly cynical and began unpacking the bags for food.

    "Foolish if you ask me..... Set an example and non will dare to cross your path." Scarlet commented.

    "Everyone makes the wrong decision at one point in their lives.... I truly believe everyone deserves a second chance." Paul smiled looking at me directly in the eyes convoying that statement to me.

    "Ummm... Paul.. I''m vegetarian." I whispered to him hoping not to interrupt anyone.

    "I know..." He smiled giving Ashley a look.

    "Ohh yeah.." He said taking an extra bag out and passing it to me.

    "As the Lady ordered food that came from plants... in separate packaging." He smiled bowing his head.

    "Thanks!! You''re awesome Ashley." I smiled in glee plating the strange vegetarian food he packed for me.

    "A toast!!!" Paul said raising a glass, causing us all to raise a filled glass, "To the prosperity and good fortune of Atlantis!!" He yelled clinking cups with everyone.

    "To Atlantis." We all yelled smiling.

    "Let''s eat!!!" Scarlet said with a giant smile and began devouring her food unlike everyone else eating their food with a bit more poise.

    "So Yuna.... tell me what has your house leader been up to?..." Paul asked with a grin.

    "Ummm permission to speak freely?..." She questioned.

    "Don''t worry you can trust everyone here.." Paul smiled.

    "Well..... He spends most of his free time training in the simulation room." She answered.

    "Ahhhhhh must be his hunting groundˇ­" Paul chuckled.

    "Or he''s training to defeat youˇ­" Ashely suggested.

    "Yeah but there''s no way he can beat me." Scarlet laughed.

    "That is true....." Paul began to ponder.

    "Ummm Paul...." Grace hesitantly asked for his attention.

    "Yes..... Grace..." He answered taking a slight pause.

    "Umm where can one buy a drink or a meal for other students?.." She inquired.

    "Hmmm well.... If you would like... You can take a pick out of anything in my storage..... If nothing tickles your fancy.... you can always put an order in the Great hall during breakfast lunch or dinner..... Deliveries to the school arrives on Fridays... so if it doesn''t arrive on the nearest Friday it will arrive the follow Friday." He answered her.

    "Sorry... but what is a Friday?.." She asked looking confused.

    "Ohhh sorry.....umm.... what was the word again... Fredas." He smiled.

    "Ohh okay thank you.... Paul..." She replied still a little unsure if she use a title or not.

 158 Secrets and Regrets

    "As much fun as this evening has been... sadly I must make my leave." Yuna announced standing up and straightening her clothes.

    "So soon?..." Ashley asked with a giant smile.

    "Thank you Commander Paul and Commander Scarlet and everyone else for the fine evening.... but I can''t have rumours spreading that I''ve spent the night with my House Leaders main rival..." She respectfully informed us.

    "He considers me a rival?... I''m surprised I''m held in such high regardˇ­." Paul laughed and nodded to Yuna.

    "Thank you Commander.... personally.... I think you''ll cream him." she smiled and made her exit.

    "Ummm Yuna..." I said quickly catching up with her at the door.

    "Yes Emilia?..." she smiled.

    "Umm..... Thank you for saving me..." I thanked her earnestly.

    "No problems... it was my duty and my orders...." She smiled.

    "I am really thankful..... You was ready to give your life up for a stranger you didn''t even know..." I honestly said to her and began to tear up.

    "Emilia..... You are a student of Atlantis.... we''re family now..... Besides you was only holding me back, trying to protect you and fighting was cramping my style." She joked and wiped away my initial tears. "You''ve got a strong soul and a good heart.... You''ll do great things." She smiled giving me a jab on the arm forcing me to laugh and smile a little. "Have a good evening... and know that each Atlantis student would have done the same." She smiled and left the room.

    I closed the door turning around seeing everyone getting along like one big family... like stopping a war and risking your lives was an everyday occurrence..... Paul and Ashley exchanging things chatting away... Daisy and Scarlet seemingly having an eating competition..... Sven and Jay undoubtedly having some sort of intellectual conversation.... and lastly Grace still debating with Helen what drink to get Travis. Paul looked at me noticing me standing at the door for a few seconds and began to wave for me to come over.

    "Hey you alright?..." he asked as I walked over to him.

    "Yeah just you know... the whole thing is so overwhelming.... and crazy.... just a few weeks ago I was an ordinary person..." I said to him taking a seat on the floor leaning my back on the wheels of his wheel chair.

    "I know what you mean..... I felt the same when I first left Earth..." He said giving me his hand to hold.

    "You''re hands are still smooth and girly..." I joked feeling his hands with the both of mindˇ­. "They really haven''t changed at allˇ­" I said quickly holding his hand tightly as he tried to pull it away.

    "..... I am really sorry you got caught up in all this..." He apologised to me softly.

    "It''s kind of my fault for trying to protect the refugees..." I admitted to him.

    "You did the right thing...." He replied I could tell he was smiling proudly at me.

    "So if I was to go home..... I can''t utter a word to anyone?..." I asked him wondering.

    "It is best not to...." Paul answered.

    "Why? What will happen?...." I asked curiously....

    I''m not sure about the other worlds.... but on ours.... there is a rich and powerful secret organisation that safe guards the secrets of Magic in our world..." Paul answered.

    "Like the Illuminati?.." I joked like what he said was absolutely preposterous.

    "Yeah pretty muchˇ­.Don''t cross them....." he answered sounding a little serious.

    "Wait whatˇ­. For real?... How do you know about them then?..." I asked in complete shock unsure if he was joking.

    "Let''s just say.... your ex-fianc¨¦ told me....." He replied.

    "Wait who?...." I asked looking up at him trying to wonder who on earth he was talking about, and he just looked down at me urging me to remember. "Wait.... Raj?..." I questioned him in shock after thinking about it..... "Paulˇ­.. He''s not my ex-fianc¨¦..." I said to him in a serious tone.

    "I know..... But you guys were arranged to get married... you parents had it planned since like birthˇ­." He replied.

    I slapped away his hand, "I would probably be happy living in Dubai enjoying the sun and sandˇ­ instead I''m hereˇ­ almost diedˇ­.. And paralyzed.... bullied by a princessˇ­. shimmering panthers that can make an illusion of itselfˇ­.. alost crushed to death bodiesˇ­ what elseˇ­. Ohh yeah and to top it all off gutted like a fish by a very friendly a Dark Elf offˇ­." I said to him in spite.

    "I''m really sorryˇ­.. I just know he''s not right for youˇ­.." he said in a very saddened tone.

    "How do you even know.... you never even met him...." I asked questioning his judgment.

    "Trust me..... He isn''t...." He pleaded.......

    "Ohh and you was better?..... Breaking my arrange marriage .... making my parents disown me.... being a meat eater... and someone who rejects faith...." I joked to him knowing if I went back in time I would always pick him again in a heartbeat.

    "........I am sorry for everything..... I''ll make it all rightˇ­.... Once I''m back to normalˇ­." He apologised earnestly.

    "It''s okay.. I was only jokingˇ­. I''m sure in ever universe there is out thereˇ­ I will always pick youˇ­" I smiled.

    "Maybe.... when we get back home for holiday..... You can ask Raj and he will tell you everything?..." He suggested.

    "Why can''t you just tell me??.." I questioned.

    "I made a promise to him and your family I can''t speak a word of it to youˇ­." He explainedˇ­..

    "You and your stupid rule." I sighed but it was quite reassuring that he never breaks a promise.

    "Promises are law." He said to me looking down at me with a smile.

    "Are there any more secrets that you keep from me?..." I questioned.

    "I''m sorry I can''t be completely open to you.... there are things I cannot say even if I wish to...." He answered.

    "It''s okay... I know you''re a good person despite annihilating hundreds of dark Elves." I said to him.

    "I spared many.... like I explained before .... Dark Elves cannot be reasoned with... I needed to make them fear Atlantis...." He explained.

    "So what would happen now?..." I asked.

    "I recover in week... Convene with the council of the city..... Negotiate terms on how much I need to pay for in repairs......" He sighed.

    "Wait you saved everyone... and then you need to pay for repairs?..." I asked in shock.

    "Yes.... Atlantis is a separate entity.... the state will not pay for the repairs... so the city will need to pay for the repairs themselves.... and Atlantis.... ergo me..." He replied.

    "But if you didn''t intervene they would have lost the city...." I argued against his decision.

    "But that is not what happened... so I need to bear the burden." He replied.

    "What would have happened if you didn''t intervene?..." I questioned.

    "Well..... Sadly I was kept behind to defend Atlantis...... so once the word reaches me that defences and Atlantis was overrun... I would have arrived much later.... there would have been innumerable casualties... and well I would have been forced to use something more devastating.... He answered.... "Then that would be the spark that would eventually start an endless flame.... The Dark Elves would see Arcadia as weak.... and will constantly pillage and kidnap innocent people in small skirmish raids all over the region." He explained.

    "So in the end through sheer luck the best thing happened?.." I asked.

    "Yes.... the series of events did result in the best outcome." He smiled.

    "Paul..." I questioned him wondering I should tell him about my vision.

    "Yes Emilia?...." he said in a very caring tone.

    "...........Can you try to stay alive?..." I pleaded ultimately choosing not reveal my vision to him.

    "Like I said..... Now that you''re here.... I won''t be so reckless..." He answered in a sincere truthful tone.

    "Promise?..." I asked him knowing that he will never break a promise.

    "...... I promise I''ll try and stay alive." he chuckled.

    "I''m serious!!! Promise me you''ll stay alive." I asked him.

    "Emilia.... As strong as I am....even I don''t possess immortality.... I will die eventually...." He replied chuckling a little.

    "I just don''t want to wake up one day to hear you died on a mission or doing something crazy...." I said trying to prevent the vision shown to me.

    "I''ll make the promise again... I promise I won''t throw away my life stupidly." He promised smiling

    "Okay...." I smiled feeling a little more relieved.

    "Are you okay?.." He asked me.

    "Yeah why?..." I questioned.

    "You seem a bit off..." He questioned.

    "....... I Think I''m okay....." I answered him.

    "I''m here for a week at the least..... If you need me for any reason let me know okay?..." He requested.

    "Yes..." I answered him.

    "I know you hate the thought of being a burden and find it hard to ask other for help..... But trust me.... talk to me.. Or at least Scarlet.... at least okay?..." He requested.

    "I''ll try..." I answered.

    "As long as you try..." He smiled.

    "I''m happy to see you''re doing well here." I admitted to him.

    "Well..... Maybe if I take my money reputation and title with me back home maybe your parents might see me as a real person and a legitimate suitor." He chuckled.

    "Don''t be like that.... they are just stuck in their old ways....." I pulled his finger making him jolt in pain. "They are still my family you know...." I added.

    "The measure of a man is not based on his fame, fortune, name or religion... It''s his heart that is most important...." he said as if cursing them and their way of thinking.

    "Sadlyˇ­. Our difference in race and culture is also a big problem to themˇ­.. I confessed to himˇ­.."But all that didn''t matter at the time... that''s why I picked you....." I replied to him, I could feel his hand holding more tightly not wanting to let it go.

    "........ I''m sorry for hurting you...." He apologised in a hushed tone.

    "I know...." I said squeezing his hand back.

    "I''ll make it up to you..." He said with a smile.

 159 Pauls Treasure Trove

    A weird smell of incense woke me up from my sleep.... ''Where is this faint incense smell coming from?''.. I wondered stranding up quietly to not wake up the others, but to be honest if they were sleeping through Daisy''s and Scarlets loud snoring I''m pretty sure they can sleep through anything. I noticed Paul wasn''t here.... ''He must be in his room''.... I quietly and carefully crepted to his door opening it slowly and silently a possible. ''Hmmmm he''s not here either...'' noticing his bed was untouched and perfectly made. ''He must be where the incense smell is coming from....'' following my nose I discovered the smell was coming from his locked room that was left slightly open.

    "Paul?..." I whispered opening the door slightly to peer inside. I starred in awe quietly as it looked like a museum.... hundreds and hundreds of things on shelves and glass cabinets with the source of the smell coming deep within the room.

    Curiosity getting the better of me as always I silently slipped into room taking care not to open the door too much. It was truly amazing... I guess this is Paul''s personal treasure trove of items and equipment..... Slowly I made my way deeper into the room the smell of incense getting stronger and stronger. "Paul." I said noticing the back of someone that looked like they was in a wheel chair.

    "Emilia?..." He turned around to face his eyes red and swollen from crying.

    "Hey you okay?..." I asked worried about him walking closer.... "What are you doing?.." I asked noticing he had packs and packs of incense.

    "It''s my way of paying my respects to those who passed away...." He said in a solemn tone returning to face a large ash filled tray filled with stalks of completely burned incense.

    "Can I?..." I asked politely.

    "Yeah..... Here." He said taking out two stalks of incense and lighting them for me. "Just you know... Pray for them and hope they find their way to heaven..." He said putting them in my right hand and placing my left hand around my right to resemble praying hands. I closed my eyes praying they find a way to heaven and opened my eyes.

    "Now you just plant it into the ash tray....." He said guiding my hand to imbed the stalks into the ash tray where the two he lit earlier was still burning.

    "Are these all the Students of Atlantis that has lost their lives?..." I questioned quietly to maintain the solemn atmosphere.

    "Yes... All the students and individuals that unfortunately we lost due to my decisions and actions..." He answered closing his eyes taking a deep breathe.

    "I thought we only lost one student....." I questioned noticing we burnt two stalks.

    "We lost on students.... and one Guard bravely sacrificed himself to complete a task for me..." He explained as tears began to flow down his eyes. I instinctively pulled his head closer to me holding him tightly, ''just what have you been through all these years?.....''''

    He silently pulled his head away gently after calming down and pulled out a big handful of incense and began lighting them all in small bunches. "This set are for all the soldiers that I murdered today... I don''t know how many...." He said imbedding the incense into a larger bowl is alot more left over stalks.

    "Let me..." I said taking some bunches and began helping him to finish planting the incense taking care not to burn myself.

    We prayed in silence for a few seconds before raising our heads........ "Come let''s go..." He said with intense sorrow in his eyes.

    "You can''t keep blaming yourself." I said to him quietly and respectfully.

    "I know...... I tell myself that as well.... but I always wondered maybe if I was a little smarter or more prepared I could save lives on both sides....." He cursed.

    "Paul you did your best..... And that''s all anyone can ask for..." I said trying to comfort him. He nodded in silence but I can tell from his expression he''s punishing and blaming himself for everything that happened.

    "So what is this room?..." I asked after a few minutes of silence hoping to get his mind off things.

    "This is the room we have for extremely dangerous items and artifacts....." He explained wheeling through the room. "For example..... See that Pitch Black floating crystal encased in glass?.." He asked me pointing at it.

    "Yeah...." I answered.

    "Well that is.... a Black Soul Stone containing a fragment of the Shackled Oblivion.... merely being near it will corrupt and drive someone insane and become a servant to the Shackled Oblivion with the ultimate goal of releasing it back into the universe." He explained making me take a few steps away from it.

    "Can''t you destroy it?..." I asked feeling frightened of the evil it can cause.

    "Ohhh so small back story.... Shackled Oblivion Started a war with all the other Gods..... Wanting to bring darkness and death to everything that living.... It took the combined might of all the Gods to defeat it... and even then could only shackle it in the plane of Oblivion where it stays trapped for eternity, eternally fighting scheming and finding ways to unbind itself......" He explained.

    "So no destroying it?.." I asked.

    "I don''t think I have the power to..... Nor do I know what will happen if I did...." He answered.

    "We''re safe right?.." I questioned.

    "The glass case it''s in is protected with a null zone.... but even then going near it will cause very disturbing images." He answered.

    "Gotcha don''t go near it..." I answered, "You got anything that won''t spell disaster and doom to the whole world?.." I asked jokingly.

    "Ohhh this is cool..." He said pointing at a large egg encased in a similar glass case, it was beautiful.... all across the shell was bright lights of different intensities all flowing in one direction like the night sky as if I was peering into space itself. "That is the Egg of one of the rarest Dragons to ever exist.... A Celestial Dragon....." He smiled seeing my reaction.

    "A space dragon?..." I asked.

    "Yes..... A Celestial Dragon is an everlasting Dragon that lives in the Astral plane.... even I have never seen one... can you imagine?... the infinite knowledge it must have..." Paul explained in awe. "Anyways because time doesn''t flow in the Astral Plane..... The only way a Celestial Dragon can reproduce is laying an egg in a plane of existence... We came across this specimen when we cleared a Dragon Cult..." He smiled.

    "Will it hatch?.." I asked curiously.

    "Scarlet and Ashley say''s there is a Baby Dragon in there.... but we''ve had it for years and nothing has happened so far... even its mother hasn''t returned for it." Paul explained.

    "Wow... what do they look like?.." I asked curiously.

    "From what I''ve read.... they are like Serpentine Dragons similar to those you see in Chinese Mythology they are depicted to be etherealˇ­. Beautiful coloured in purple and blue." Paul answered.

    "Wow..." I uttered in awe my imagination going wild.

    "Ohh this is interesting..." He said pointing at an urn..... Encased in ice constantly spewing out blue and black smoke falling to the grounds of its confines.

    "That seems evil..." I instinctively said just looking at it brought chills up my spine.

    "Remember the object that kept the Evil person from dying in the books you love to read so much?..." He asked.

    "Yeah....." I answered.

    "Well that..... Is the Urn of a Lich called a Phylactery..... That is the only true way to kill a Lich... destroy the Urn and the Soul of the Lich contained within will die to." He explained.

    "Woah....." I looked at it in complete fear. "Who does it belong to?..." I asked.

    "Holding a Lich''s Phylactery keeps the Lich at bay..... It''s an insurance policy." Paul answered.

    "Why not just destroy it.....?" I questioned.

    "A Phylactery is one of the most ancient of Necromantic Rituals and spells... It has been noted that destroying a Phylactery will also result in the destroyer''s death regardless of where they are...... and not only that the immense amount of Necromantic energy in that small Urn will let out a giant Death nova rendering a huge area Lifeless for decades." Paul answered.

    "So earlier before.... about Scarlets armour being made out of Platinum Dragon Scales... what is that?..." I questioned.

    "It''s a long story..... There was One dragon the true God of Dragons....... It birthed two Dragon Gods... Bahamut the King of Dragons the only known Platinum Dragon to ever exist... and Tiamat the Queen of Dragons...... Bahamut and his metal coloured kin are normally considered good and fight for righteousness...... Then there''s Tiamat and her coloured kin..... They have normal colours like green black and red..... They are considered generally evil and selfish." He began to explain making me wonder was it a dragon that I saw back in the Sporean village. "As you remember Helen and Grace''s look of disbelief..... Since Gods can''t come here how is it possible to get the scales of a Platinum Dragon?" He chuckled.

    "So what is it made out of?.." I questioned.

    "No idea... to be honestˇ­.. It''s defiantly made from Dragon scale but how and what exactly.... I don''t know." He chuckled.

 160 Inhuman Dark Elves

    We all awoke to the sound of the school day beginning, with no Paul or Scarlet in sight.... "Did you guy see where everyone else went?.." I questioned noticing everyone was gone except me Jay and Helen.

    "Scarlet and Paul said they had to meet the faculty for a debriefing... and well you know Grace and Daisy doing their routine early morning competitive exercise." Helen answered with a smile handing me a glass of water.

    "How long have you been up for?.." I questioned.

    "Hmmm maybe two or three hours...." she smiled.

    "You live on such little sleep?.." I questioned looking at Jay who looked like he could live with some more sleep.

    "Us Elves only need half the amount for sleep human''s normally do..... We kind of sit in a state between being awake and asleep." She smiled handing Jay a glass of water, truly looking more refreshed then me and Jay.

    "So what other differences do Elves have to humans?.." I questioned.

    "As I mentioned before we do live for a few hundred years.... on average.." She answered.

    "Wait so ... when I grow old... say 40ish.... you''re still goanna look young for at least a couple hundred years?.." I questioned in jealousy.

    "Yeah.... generally we mature like humans..... And once we hit the age of 20ish... then we age similar to you guys but 10 years for you is more like 100 for usˇ­." She smiled.

    "Also.... I heard that Elves are resistant to some forms of magic." Jay added.

    "That is true.... because of our lineage..... we are immune to things that might force us to sleep.... as well as being charmed.... we can also see in the darkness and generally more perceptive and agile then humans." She answered.

    "What other races are there?..." I questioned.

    "Ohhh loads..... There''s the standard humanoid surface races... Dwarfs, Gnomes, Orcs, Goblins, Halflings, Half Angels, Animal people.. The list is quite extensive.... that not including.. Avian Races.... Sea Races and Underground races." She answered.

    "Blimy..... That''s a lot..." I replied in shock.

    "We''re in a predominantly Human continent though.... so seeing all of them would be hard to come by." Jay replied.

    "Are they all peaceful?.." I questioned.

    "Well yesterday as you can see... Dark Elves are the opposite to peaceful... but it just depends on the politics and way of life.... Orcs and Elves naturally butt headsˇ­.. But Elves and Humans can live side by side despite generally being wary of other races and Elves passive distain to other races." Helen answered.

    "So what Paul did to the Dark Elves was it the best option?.." I questioned interested in her opinion being an Elf.

    "His choice to leave survivors was an act of mercy they do not deserve." She answered.

    "Are they that different?.." I questioned.

    "It''s a long story.... So Inarath the Goddess of Evil..... She was once lovers of the Gehrasilon the leader of the Good Elven Pantheon.... Inarath jealous that all the Elves worshiped Gehrasilon and wanting worshippers of her own......through scheming and manipulation she gathered other lesser Elven Gods and caused a war between Orcs and Elves and also helping Vorgarah The Orc God by Enchanting his blade with poison......As well as a giant civil war..... The Orcs lost the war.... their God was gravely injured and Inaraths betrayal was brought to light.... Gehrasilon still in love with Inarath couldn''t bear to strike her down.... so he banished her and her kin deep underground......" She explained.

    "Okay....." I nodded in understanding.

    "Dark Elf society if very different.... It is ruled by one Council... there is a Grand Priestess she speaks to Inarath directly on how to rule over all the Dark Elves and Guidance.... then there are Ten High Priestesses.... that do the Grand Priestesses bidding without question... then there are Eight ''Great'' Dark Elven houses that act like a ruling family......" She began to explain making me listen closely completely fascinated. "So each of these eight families rule over a populace under the council''s orders but secretly constantly warring with the other houses trying to get a upper hand over the other." she explained.

    "And the council is okay with that?" I questioned.

    "Openly they aren''t... so if any house is caught doing something to another..... They would be heavily punished.... but otherwise anything is allowed as long as they aren''t caught." Helen answered.

    "What''s life like as a commoner?..." Jay asked.

    "As a commoner..... You either die young or grow up to be subservient to a house.... you''re just a means to an end nothing more nothing less..... You could always work your way up the ranks of a house.... but in the end you''ll still be an outsider." She answered.

    "And the people they bring back... the slaves.... what happens to them?.." I questioned further.

    "Exactly how you named them... they become slaves..... Men will be forced to fight in the Gladiatorial Arena with the false promise of a chance at freedom.... Females would be forced into brothels..... Being forced to do hideous and sadistic things the Dark Elves find pleasurable or exciting...... Everyone else...... would be forced into labour camps..... Where if they Creatures of the Dark don''t get you..... The starvation and fatigue will." She described the grim society of Dark Elves.

    "Damn..... That horrible..." I replied at how shockingly sickening they are.

    "And that''s not even the worse... if you bought by a member of the Homunculus Cult.... then you''ve arrived at the worst fate of them all.... The cult specialises in making monstrosities... torturing..... Implanting... experimenting.... fusing... mutating their slaves into horrors beyond imagination.... they say staring into the eyes of one horror is enough to drive anyone insane...." She explained warning us of the dreadful cult.

    I looked in shock utterly silent at what I just heard..... I didn''t even have words that could even describe my horrific shock in hearing something so dark and dreadful..... The inhuman nature of the Dark Elves........

    "Even their battle tactics are dark and cruel..... Infiltrating cities and towns slowly taking down the command structure till victory is ensured....." She explained.

    "So if Paul didn''t show up we would have been done for?.." I questioned.

    "Atlantis and the City was completely unaware of the Dark Elves plan to attack so most likely the city would have been lost." She answered.

    "I think we need to tell Paul...." I suggested.

    "Tell him what?.." Jay questioned.

    "Well he said there were several High Priestesses... There must be something big going on if they sent members of the council." I explained.

    "I''m sure he already know....." Helen answered.

    "I guess you''re right...." I replied... "So what do you think would prompt the Dark Elves to launch such a large attack?.." I questioned.

    "Could be many things.... Gaining strong hold on a surface world...... Testing the defences of a city... one thing is for certain.... If Inarath is involved they are scheming something.... I just hope what Paul did deterred them from doing anything further..." Helen answered.

    "So what would happen if say a Dark Elf kidnapped a normal Elf?..." Jay inquired.

    "...... We were taught from a young age... if you was ever to be taken by a Dark Elf.... you need to perform a ritual....." She answered looking down and saddened by the thought, "..... It''s basically a glorified suicide..... Because what they would do to an Elf is beyond imagination that choosing death would be a better fate." she answered.

    "That bad huh?.." He replied in understanding.

    "Yes they teach all Elven children... that this ritual would cleanse your soul of all sins and wrong goings and you''ll be granted passage to Heaven ... but it''s just a glorified sacrifice to escape what would come next..." Helen explained.

    "Let''s just skip that for now.... and head to Breakfast?.." I suggested having heard enough of Dark Elves for a life time.......

 161 Reputation and Standing

    "Hey guys!!!" I greeted everyone exiting the dorm building after getting a change of fresh clothes.

    "You really do like the traditional Sorcerer robes." Jay smiled.

    "You''d be the same if you grew up in my world." I smiled to him.

    "So..... Do you think our duels were moved over the next week?"

    "I hope not..... I''ve been training so hard! I''m so hyped!" Daisy said still sweating from her morning routine.

    "Do you not want to.. wash or change clothes or something?" Jays said taking the tiniest step away from her.

    "What do you mean?! I thought guys like the natural smell of women" she questioned slightly confused.

    "That''s a little too natural." Grace chuckled walking towards the dining hall.

    "I really don''t get it." Daisy sighed following us towards the dining hall.

    "What they mean is guys do find the smell of women appealing, but sweat and musk isn''t." I tried to explain to her.

    "What???s musk?" she questioned looking just as or even more confused.

    "I''m out, Jay you''re up." I said out of ideas to explain.

    "She means that the smell of sweat and.. whatever you smell like right now is not appealing." He smiled.

    "What? but the Sister Evelyn said we should be natural the way Serra intended us to be.." She replied.

    "Nope, Helen you''re up." Jay replied chuckling

    "Okay Daisy listen closely, most men like women to smell.. Pleasing and soft like a flower. Now because you exercised and stuff your smell is too concentrated so you kinda smell tough and aggressive.. Very aggressive." Helen explained in a slightly more elegant way.

    "Hmmmm so Sister Evelyn must have lied to.. Me.." She whispered pondering.

    "Who''s Sister Evelyn?" I questioned

    "Sister Evelyn was great! She taught us everything! From Serra to everyday life as a commoner!" Daisy said with a huge smile.

    "She sounds great, maybe off on a few things I guess.." Jay smiled.

    "She was so right.. I have so much to learn.." Daisy whispered to herself pondering on something

    "Jeez it''s alot busier today....." I said noticing the lack of seating.

    "Woah.. What''s going on today?" Jay said starring at the almost packed Dining hall.

    "No kidding.. Even Travis, Paul and Scarlet is here.." Grace said pointing them out.

    "Hey there little fella." Helen smiled at a small bug in front of her and flew away towards our house table.

    "I think it wants us to follow it." Helen informed us.

    "You can talk to insects as well?" Jay questioned.

    "Normally I can but this one I couldn''t.. For some reason, but I''ve got a feeling" she said walking towards our house table.

    "Ohhh I think I see Ashley!" I said noticing he was the only person with free seats around him with the fly in front of him.

    "Over here!!!" he smiled waving us to come over with Morgana sitting opposite to him.

    "Is it me or its busier today?" Jay questioned Ashley as soon as we took our seats. "Ohh and hi Morgana." He smiled taking the free seat next to her.

    "Yah.. Normally alot of departments tend to have their breakfast, lunch and dinner in their own department buildings." Ashley answered.

    "Hello friends." Morgana smiled towards us making her look a little creepy.

    "Hi!! Something special happening today?" Daisy asked in excitement.

    "OHH yeah!!!.. the school has invited a guest this afternoon as a token of our gratitude for their help." Jay smiled extremely excited.

    "Ohhh what guests?" I asked.

    "One of the High Admirals that helped us yesterday." Ashley answered.

    "No bloody way!!" I asked in shock.

    "Yup Bran was extremely grateful so he invites them to Atlantis for lunch.. But I don''t know how they will fit everyone." Ashley answered.

    "Who''s coming?" everyone else asked slightly confused.

    "One of the High Admirals.. of Aspa." I answered for Ashley. "Do you do you think we get to see their sky fleet?" I asked in pure excitement.

    "It''s truly a sight to behold.. Artificing at its finest.. I''ve seen it three time and each time I''m always blown away." Ashley smiled.

    "What really? The Gand Sky fleet of Aspa?" Jay asked in shock.

    "We''ll I''m not too sure.. But they were the ones that helped us so I assume so." Ashley answered.

    "Wait isn''t that dangerous? Since Paul is out of commission and Travis and Scarlet probably won''t be able to take down a fleet of war ships?" Jay asked causing all of us to look at Jay in shock hoping for a good answer.

    "Ohhhh you guys don''t know?.." He laughed.

    "It''s not publicly known.." He whispered leaning forward causing us all to lean in with him.

    "Hanna is the Daughter of Head Master Bran." He explained to us.

    "Ahhh she must have been the younger looking woman when I first came here." I nodded in understanding.

    "Really?" Jay asked in shock.

    "Yup..... There''s a long history behind it all but Atlantis are good friends with Aspa, so there''s nothing to worry about." Ashley smiled.

    "Is Atlantis in good standing with all the other schools?" Helen asked.

    "Aspa more than Eshia but Atlantis do have good standing with both." He answered with a smiled. "But Zessia not so much.. So if you ever find yourself there, whatever you do.. Don''t break any Laws!" He warned us with a serious tone. "Using Diplomacy to gain your release would be hard and forcing our hand might start a war we might not win." He added with a very serious tone.

    "Why Zessia? I thought Eshia would be the most hardest to negotiate with." Grace asked.

    "Abbraxsoth the Demon despite his title and name he''s a very understanding and kind of friendly man.. His Eldest Daughter the strongest of the three is also very fond of Paul.. and don''t forget his last remaining son is kinda here as well." Ashley answered with a giant grin causing Daisy to put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Paul has made some connections and friends with certain high ranked Zessia students but doesn''t account to much since the main ruling body is the Council of Nine." He answered.

    "Ohhh that''s a little reassuring." Grace said extremely relieved.

    "But there''s nothing to be worried about anyways... Everyone think Atlantis is the weakest of the four.. But we are formidable in our own right." Ashlry smiled.

    "Really?" Helen asked.

    "Of course! Atalntis is a floating fortress! It''s armed with its own defences, designed by none other than our very own R\u0026D department." He smiled extremely prideful. "All powered by the limitless World Tree..... that''s not including Head Master Bran has one spell that he can use that can wipe out an entire city in the blink of an eye." He smiled extremely prideful.

    "Wow that actually pretty reassuring." Jay smiled nodding.

    "Atlantis might have the least S-Ranked students of all the four institutes but Paul and Scarlet was the only two invited to Join the King''s Guard.. so they are in a different league compared to the other institutes." He answered.

    "They both that strong?" Jay asked.

    "Have you never wondered why Atlantis is the only institute not participating in a turf war?.." Ashley asked rhetorically. "It''s because their reputation alone is enough to stop any of the other institutes from doing anything to us openly and secretly..." Jay explained very seriously.

    "It''s hard to imagine that the both of them being so friendly to be so feared." Helen replied.

    "The take no pleasure in killing.. But they will to save lives." Ashley answered.

 162 Invitations

    "By the way Ashley what was you up to? During the fight?" I asked curiously.

    "Me?.. I was back at Atlantis making sure nothing happens here while all three of our top students were deployed. You guys really should take more care..... You guys are still first years, next time you all might not get out unscathed." He warned.

    A loud thud of a staff hitting the ground echoed throughout the hall above the sound of everyone talking causing everyone to go quiet turning to look at Headmaster Bran Standing at the centre roof the faculty table. "I know a few of you will be upset with the upcoming news..... But I will be postponing the duels today to next week..." Headmaster Bran announced causing a few students to start chatting amongst themselves. "I am also to announce that today we have special guests arriving in the new few hours.. We have invited High Admiral Yurika Misaru and High Admiral Ruri Hoshi of Aspa to Atlantis for their help and support in the conflict yesterday." Bran announced causing almost all the students to erupt in chatter. "Settle down if any of you are worried about the safety of Atlantis having two High Admirals of Aspa here.. Paul has reassured me that they are very good friends of Atlantis." Bran carried on announcing. "I would like to please ask everyone to be on your best behaviour Aspa still remain good allies and friends of Atlantis graciously helping us in our hour of need." Bran announced.

    "Are they really good friends?.." I questioned Ashley curiously.

    "Yah he''s on very good terms with two high Admiral and sort of friends with another, but like is said before Hanna is the daughter of Bran so all should be fine." He answered in a hushed voice.

    "Anyone interested in seeing the arrival of their air ships they will be arriving on the north side of Atlantis in approximately two hours." Bran notified everyone.

    "You guys defiantly don''t want to miss this." Ashley smiled to us.

    "Whys that?.." I asked.

    "Well it would normally take them at least a month or two to get here assuming they can run at max speed. So I''m sure they will be using their-.... Jump Engines." Ashley smiled in excitement.

    "What''s a jump engine?" We all questioned Ashley not knowing what on earth that could be.

    "Similar to our way points they need a small ship normally a fast one to deploy a signal allowing their Titan Class ship to jump to that location along with other ships in its fleet." Ashley explained.

    "A Titan?.." I thought they were extinct.." Helen asked.

    "Titan Class.. Not a real titan, it''s what they call the largest ship in their fleet." Ashley answered.

    "So how many ranks and sizes of ships do they have?.." Jay asked looking absolutely fascinated.

    "In all they have four sizes of Sky ships..... They have Frigates which are piloted by two students, Cruisers normally consisting of a crew from ten to fifteen, battle ships they are slightly larger than your everyday air ships normally requiring a crew of around thirty to fifty. Then lastly you have the Titan class needing a crew of over a hundred individuals to keep it running." Ashley explained to us making us all stare at him in awe. "Yeah titan class ships are no joke.. They have the population of a small town." He smiled.

    "So the weaponry they used.. The different coloured beams and the large stakes, were all from the Titan?" Helen inquired.

    "Hmm the beams could have been either the Titan or Battleship but the large stakes are defiantly from the Titans." Ashley smiled.

    "What on earth were they?" I questioned.

    "Ohhh that''s a good question..... The beams are created by several casters channelling their spells into an amplifier crystal.. And the large stakes are made with an extremely heavy metal relying on its weight to do devastating physical damage." He answered with an even greater smile.

    "How do you know so much?" Grace asked Ashley, "I''d expect their weaponry to be a close guarded secret." She questioned.

    "Ahhh now that is a great question... You''re looking at one of the founding members of the weaponry." Ashely smiled brimming with pride.

    "Wait you used to be a student of Aspa?" Daisy asked.

    "Ohhh no no.. Always been a student of Atlantis.. But I have on occasions helped Aspa in certain areas some of their top minds couldn''t crack." Ashley answered leaning back in complete confidence.

    "So what exactly happened?.." Morgana asked entering the conversation.

    "There was an Dark Elf invasion planned we managed to thwart it.. Paul spent a lot of energy shielding refugees then the city from moon beams.. Then opened portals for Aspa sky fleet to decimate the Dark Elf army." Ashley summarised the whole ordeal.

    "Wow mother was right to respect him." Morgana smiled

    "What happened to you?" I asked Morgana.

    "Nothing as exciting as what happened to you guys, we just went to a boring old city.. but I did manage to get some supplies at least." Morgana smiled. "I would l loved to have got a hold of some Dark Elf poisons.." She announced causing us all to look at her weirdly.

    "Wait how comes we didn''t get any sort of mention or thanks..... it was essentially us that discovered everything." Daisy said realising the impact we had on that day.

    "Ohhhh also along those line.... here''s your gold for the week." He said passing a sack of coins to us.

    "Ohh no no.. we did nothing that asked for." I rejected his money.

    "Don''t worry about it.. Besides a little extra gold means you guys won''t need to rely on work or missions and focus on learning." He smiled pushing the bag to me.

    Suddenly all the golems that normally served food began to spring to life brining out food and drink for everyone. "Ohh damn we missed the rest of the speech." I said looking at Head master Bran sit down.

    "It''s alright nothing special was announced." He smiled.

    "Umm Ashley." Daisy hesitantly questioned.

    "Yes Daisy?" He replied.

    "What happens if students break the rules or something bad happens between the schools, there''s bound to be some rivalry and stuff?" Daisy asked looking worried.

    "Students found breaking the rules or causing a commotion would be heavily punished by the respective institute.." Jay answered. "But don''t worry this has happened before we will have a solid set of students that will patrol the Atlantis grounds to keep the peace." He smiled.

    "So.. If something was to happen.. What does Atlantis have to defend themselves? Having two Titans parked outside can''t be a good idea." I questioned still a little worried.

    "Ahh that''s a trade secret.... but don''t worry!!! Atlantis has the world''s best Artificer, we''ll be safe." He smiled pointing at himself like it wasn''t clear he was implying himself.

    "So we''re completely safe??" Grace questioned.

    "I know you guys are a little worried...but like I said many times have faith in me and my department, we may be the most quiet of all but we''ve got great minds here." He smiled.

    "Would there be any chance for us to board there ship and take a tour? I would love to see how it operates." Jay asked looking extremely hopeful

    "I highly doubt itˇ­. It''s one of their main ships, I doubt they will let random students on board." Ashley answered.

    "Ashley? Do you know much about Dark Elves?" Grace inquired.

    "I''ve had meetings with some. Why do you ask?" He replied.

    "We suspect there''s bigger things going on." We explained to him.

    "Hmmm.. we''ll investigate further, I''m sure it would have been brought up in the debriefing, besides it''s not exactly an Atlantis problem." Ashley answered.

    "What do you mean by that?!" I asked in shock at his response.

    "We''re here to keep the peace between the institutes everything else is Arcadia''s responsibility." Ashley answered.

    "What sort of horse crap is that?!" I immediately objected his point of view.

    "Look.. it''s out of our hands.. Atlantis will no doubt forward our finding to Arcadia... but it''s up to them to deal with the threat on their lands that is the Royal Families decree. Like it or hate it we''re stuck." He shrugged and went back to eating.

 163 Titan Class

    "So Ashley did you make your own arm?.." Helen said looking at it as we waited together looking towards the north side of Atlantis sitting on surprisingly soft and natural smelling grass.

    "Yes I did." He smiled.

    "How far does it go?.." She questioned.

    "It''s about half way up my bicep.... but it forms around my shoulder" He answered showing us where his arm ended with his other hand.

    "Have you ever thought of getting it healed?" She questioned.

    "Hmmmm at times but this arm is kinda better anyways.." He answrrrrrrrrrrrrrrered.

    "So you can heal limbs?" I questioned feeling curious how far healing magic can go.

    "Arch Druids can heal lost limbs.." Helen answered.

    "With enough healing magic.. I can fix severed limbs if the other part is still there." Daisy added.

    "Is there anything that can''t be healed by magic?" I questioned.

    "Yes there are a few diseases that can''t be healed by magic.. one in paticular is devesating where the use of magic would actually accellerate the process shorteneing the patients life." Daisy answered.

    "Wow so magic isn''t the answer to everything." I replied.

    "By the way where did Morgana go?" Grace questioned noticing she didn''t agree to come see the arrival of the sky fleet with us.

    "Shes on a mission." Ashley answered.

    "Mission?" We all questioned.

    "Yes.. I suspect there''s a group of students planning something, I don''t quite know their motives yet but Morgana being a natural loner has its benefits." Ashely explained.

    "What? How? Why?" we all questioned.

    "So far we have no idea why or what they are doing, neither can I link their group to the attack on the school.." He answered, "I initially suspected their target was Paul or Scarlet as a Demon Lord was summoned onto them.. But they dispatched it with ease, so that doesn''t make any sense. So my next target possible target must have been a student''s.. Taking advantage of the commotion.. But there has been no reports of missing students.. So I''m at a lost." Ashley explained in a hushed tone. "All I know for sure.. Is that they must be pretty dangerous to have met a Demon lord and being knowledgably of the school system enough to change the simulations and erase their logs on the system.." Ashley carried on explaining.

    "So what has morgana discovered so far?" I questioned.

    "So far she''s identified five or so individuals that seem to be moving around Atlantis late at night when most students would be sleeping." He answered.

    "Where have they been visiting?" I questioned.

    "That''s also something puzzling they have never visited or seen going into any important buildings or departments in the school." Ashley answered.

    "Don''t worry Ashley we''ll get on it." Daisy answered with a giant smile.

    "Just do recon for now.. We don''t want to spook them." Ashely warned.

    "Have there been any incidents before?" I questioned.

    "A few but they don''t see connected.. Some attempts of sabotage and rivalries between student groups but nothing on this level." He answered.

    "So it''s got to be linked to this year''s lot of students." I concluded.

    "That''s what I suspect.. Something happened this year that has made them go into action.. Be it a target.. or more of their numbers arriving." Ashley answered.

    "What races are the identified students?" Helen asked.

    "So far all seem to be human.. But there''s only a handful of non-humans in Atlantis." Ashely answered.

    "We''ll keep an eye out, don''t worry you can trust us." Grace said to Ashley sounding very serious.

    "I know that''s why I had to ask you all for help.. Since you guys are also first years and well haven''t made a name for yourselves, well except for Emilia." Ashley chuckled.

    "Wait what?" I questioned in shock.

    "Well you see although Paul being quite friendly to all students of Atlantis he hasn''t really showed any favouritism to anyone in particular except Scarlet, Emilia and Calista." Ashley laughed.

    "Really....." I sighed instantly recognising the school drama love triangle.

    "Don''t think anything of it.. Just rumours and childish thoughts." Jay chuckled with Ashley, from the corner of my eye I could see Daisy fuming secretly.

    "OHHH I see something!!" Grace yelled out pointing into the distant light blue sky.

    "Ohh yeah something is coming towards us." Helen agreed causing the rest of us to look into the blank blue sky seeing nothing.

    Eventually a small black dot appeared in the distance glowing bigger and bigger by each passing second. "Ohh that''s the frigate." Ashley pointed point a smile of pure excitement creeping onto his face.

    As the frigate neared its wing span was tiny making me question how on earth it even flies. As it neared it released a dense green cloud into the air before making a smooth turn along the north side of Atlantis showing us the side of the Frigate. Its wings were in fact tiny almost non-existent making me question why there were wings on there anyways. It was armed with two set of turrets on each side on the front of the frigate. It was powered by some sort of thruster technology similar to jets from home. It looked very modern but also a bit rustic in design, very clunky looking not very aerodynamic in design.

    "Ohh its coming!" Ashley squealed in excitement as the frigate flew away making another pass along Atlantis releasing fireworks causing all the students around us to cheer in excitement. After its pass it began flying away from Atlantis ejecting a large looking purple glowing canister resembling a gas canister that levitated into the air, still traveling along the side of Atlantis it released a second canister with a grey glow and flew away gaining distance from the canisters.

    "Here it comes!" Ashely said in excitement, in one defining moment both the canisters opened shooting a bright purple and grey beam into the sky. An indescribable sound echoed through the air as hundreds of lights beamed towards the beams. Like magic or some sort of sci-fi warp technology as each light materialised into ships hovering in the sky in different design, size and shape all arranged in a circular formation with the centre empty.

    A much larger light appeared screaming towards us, as what Paul and Ashley hyped up so much appeared in front of us.. Two truly huge similarly designed sky ships defy all laws of physics arrived in front of Atlantis. The sheer size was awe inspiring easily dwarfing over the first set of ships that arrived, my mouth hang open in shocks staring at the sight before me. The size easily rivalled a small city, armed to the teeth with devastatingly large looking turrets, one of the having a really obvious huge central opening.

    Everyone stared in awe as the Titan class ships truly resembled their name, "Magnificent isn''t it?" Jay asked in complete awe.

    "How can something so big even fly?" Jay uttered in shock.

    The whole sky fleet let out huge bellowing multi coloured smoke letting us know of their arrival. Quickly followed with the release of a huge firework display lighting up the bright morning sky with all different flashes of colour. Paul wasn''t joking the sight was breath taking, the inspiring sight of the might of Aspa the humongous fleet of magically floating air ships in front of us. Specially the two Titan ship impossibly large in size and weight just how on earth does this thing move or even fly?..

 164 Flight and Teleportation

    "Ashley how on earth so such things even fly?" I curiously questioned him assuming some sort of magic must be involved.

    "So most air ships fly by two methods, magical and non-magical." He began to explained, Non-magical air ships use a giant balloon to keep it afloat along with sails or some sort of propulsion system to make it move in a certain direction." Ashely answered. "Then you have the magic ones like these, kept afloat with magical runes that deplete over use so it will need constant refreshing, but will also need some sort of propulsion system that allows it to move." Ashley concluded.

    "I''ve never seen sky ships without sails" Helen replied.

    "Yes.. The propulsion systems Aspa''s fleet uses is a close guarded secret but their unique system allows their airships to be more agile, fast, bigger and bulkier. Making their Air fleet probably unrivalled throughout the world I bet." Ashley answered.

    "It also help that Aspa sit''s vast deposits of rare materials and metals." Jay added.

    "Yes that''s true they do sit on top of an almost endless supply of rare metals and other materials." Ashley agreed.

    "Do you think we can get a tour on any of the ships?" I questioned.

    "Hmmm it won''t be easy sadly.. Even Paul and I would struggled to get permission to get aboard their ships. Unless they needed help and even then we''d be under guard and watch" Ashley answered.

    "That really sucks.. I would love to see how everything works." Jay answered.

    "I think that''s why they want to keep everything secret, but aside from the weaponry I''m sure the way it operates is close to any high class Airships." Ashley answered.

    "High class?" I questioned.

    "Yeah of course.. High class air ships that use magical runes which have a high running costs since magical runes need refreshing and recharging so their target customers are the rich and wealthy who prefer quieter and smoother journeys." Ashley answered.

    "Ohhh I get it. Since regular air ships must be nosier and rougher due to the way it operates and winds?" I questioned.

    "Yes exactly." Ashley smiled.

    "But if they are rich why not just use waypoints?.. The things that let us instantly travel to places." I questioned.

    "So waypoints are like flotation runes.. But worse per trip they deplete Arcanum at a rate that''s too unprofitable, so Waypoint use is strictly reserved for royalty and the ultra-rich." Ashley answered.

    "How do waypoints work?.." I questioned.

    "So far you''ve seen two types of waypoints.. Temporary and Permanent, for example the waypoints we use to leave and arrive in Atlantis and cities are permanent waypoints.. These take years to develop and requires constant flow of Arcanum to maintain. Travelling to and from Atlantis is easy as the World tree we have planted here provide the Arcanum necessary for instantaneous travel. So once the connection is established the World Tree would provide the Arcanum necessary to travel." He began to explain. "Now when it comes for instantaneous travel to and from other cities without the world tree.. The amount of Arcanum required becomes exponential, travelling to a nearby city would use up the Arcanum or maybe ten or twenty Atlantis students." Ashley explained in a very rudimentary way.

    "Ohh.. So the other institutes can''t instantly travel from location to location?" I questioned.

    "They can.. They would probably be like Atlantis and have a Transportation division that focuses on transporting their forces and students, but theirs would have to be larger or have stricter policies of use. The Arcanum required gets exponential with distance travelled. That''s why you guys are so lucky.. The world tree will let you travel to and from any Waypoint for free practically." Ashley smiled.

    "So we can visit anywhere as long as there''s a waypoint?" I questioned.

    "It''s a little complicated than that, have you seen the runes on the floor before waypoints activate?" Ashely questioned.

    "Yah.." I answered thoroughly interested in how all this work.

    "So when a student initiates the spell they need to match a series of fifteen runes to bridge the connection between the waypoints." Ashley answered.

    "Ohhh that surprisingly is understandable." I answered remembering a Sci fi show I watched operated in a similar method.

    "What if the runes are mismatched?" Jay questioned.

    "Well then it depends on many factors.. If there isn''t enough Arcanum supplied then the caster or casters are completely drained of their Arcanum and perishes without the bridge even being connected. If the connection is supplied with enough Arcanum then it all depends on the exit portal.. You could end up in a ruin, hostile city half way across the world.. Maybe even in another plane with no way to get back home, even the most strongest of individuals can only realistically perform one small trip without rest." Ashley answered.

    "Wow.... isn''t it dangerous for us then?" Jay questioned.

    "Yes there''s always the small factor of danger here when Atlantis use waypoints, but that is why we have a Transportation Division.. every form of travel to and from Atlantis is under constant supervision of the Transportation Division. Don''t worry there''s many safeguard to keep you safe when travelling." Ashley answered.

    "What about temporary way points?" I questioned.

    "Ohhh those are very special, I''m pretty sure they are unique to Atlantis.. Teams of trained and elite Transportation Division students have their own set of fifteen runes to use as a mobile waypoint.. It''s only usable in very small distances since a student could only perform the spell maybe two or three times without rest.." Ashley answered.

    "Why is it only unique to Atlantis?" I questioned.

    "That''s because along with the world tree.. And Paul it was possible to find these set of vacant runes that are unused. I guess other students could try but it''s a little dangerous and could lose valuable students." Ashely explained.

    "Ohhh wow.." Helen and Grace replied in awe.

    "And Paul''s way of transporting himself, how does that work?" I questioned.

    "His is vastly different.. I''m sure you guys have witnessed it.. But his portals are red in nature, that''s because instead of bridging the gap his portals travels through planes to arrive at a destination." Ashley answered.

    "And he doesn''t require rune pairing?" Jay questioned.

    "No he doesn''t.. He at will travel to anywhere he has been before or seen." Ashley answered.

    "And the cost?" Jay questioned.

    "That''s the thing it''s at will.. he doesn''t seem to have any adverse effects from travelling or spending vast amounts of Arcanum." Ashley answered.

    "That''s ridiculous.." Jay replied in complete disbelief.

    "See I told you all he''s the best!" Daisy smiled.

    "I''m somewhat understand why he''s so feared now." Grace replied.

    "So what''s it like in Elven cities?" Ashley asked curiously.

    "Durids and Arch druids can learn a spell that lets us and everyone in touch travel instantly through a tree we''re touching.. But the destination has to be a tree the caster has seen before." Helen answered.

    "In cities we kinda either walk or ride beasts to cover vast distances quickly but nothing instantaneous but similar to humans royals do have waypoints set up." Grace answered.

    "Ahh Giant Elks and Nightstalkers right?" Ashley questioned.

    "Yes! It''s awesome the rush of speed and wind through your hair it exhilarating." Grace smiled.

    "Are all their students going to land on Atlantis?" I questioned looking onwards towards the sky fleet imagining how many students must be on board the ships.

    "Hmm I really doubt it... we''ll probably only be visited by the Aspen students." Ashely answered.

    "Aren''t they all Aspen students?" I questioned shocked a little at the way he answered the question.

    "Most students stay in the floating city.. Only the high ranked and seasoned students command and pilot ships.. Most the crewmen would be normal individuals trained in engineering and other things." Ashley answered.

    "Ohhh that explains alot....." I nodded in understanding imagining it must be like some sort of military ship.

    "Surly it''s safe for them to come." Daisy asked.

    "I''m sure it would be, but I dunno maybe abit too much of a security risk.. The general public seems to take rivalries more serious than students do." Ashley answered.

 165 Ashley and Ruri

    "Are both the Titan ships coming closer?" I questioned as the large sky ship seemed to be getter bigger.

    "Seems like it... maybe that''s how they going to board Atlantis." Daisy answered.

    "Hmm lowering the shield would be very dangerous but I guess they don''t want the risk of using waypoints either." Ashley replied.

    Both of the Titans had a weird shape to them.. Both had what I expect to be a command deck above the main body of the ship, each with two notable large thrusters on the rear of the ship. The only major difference between the two was one had a noticeable opening into the ship flanked with two weirdly long protruding sections of a ship resembling the barrels of a gun. Whereas the other Titan was missing the opening into the ship and both the protruding sections were fused into one long big spike or barrel.

    As both titans neared turning their portside to face us groups of students began appearing out the top of their command decks all dressed in the same uniforms but some in different colours, I guess to represent rank.

    A bridge began extending out from their command deck making a very long bridge towards Atlantis. "Ohh this must be it." Daisy smiled.

    They waited patiently as two groups of Faculty members began making their way towards the bridges one lead by the Deputy Headmistress with Travis following closely behind, the other lead by Headmaster Bran with Scarlet pushing Paul.

    As the bridge landed on the grounds of Atlantis several students armed with hand guns and weaponry sprinted to the other side and began to scan the surrounding area and gave the rest of the students on the command deck a signal, causing a small group of them dressed in similar uniform but different colours to walk down the bridge.

    "The one in the white uniform with blue hair is High Admiral Yurika and the little young one in white with grey hair is High Admiral Ruri." Ashley pointed out.

    "But they grey haired one is so young." I questioned.

    "She''s young but don''t let her age fool you, she''s smarter than most adults and a brilliant tactician, if you ever get to meet her she''s surprisingly mature for her age." Ashley answered.

    "They seem friendly." Helen said watching them intently.

    "Yeah they are good people. Some other of the Admirals though not so much." Ashley laughed.

    "The others are different?" I questioned.

    "Yes.. Let''s just say the Grand Admiral is a bitter old veteran.. And the other three Admirals are abit more untrusting." Ashley answered.

    "I wonder what they are discussing about." I asked overlooking their conversation.

    "Everything seems to be fine High Admiral Yurika seems to be extremely concerned that he''s currently wheelchair bound." Grace replied.

    "So... what plans do you have for the rest of the day?" I asked Ashley.

    "Hmmm..... You know same as every day lab stuff, designing, perfecting and testing things." He answered.

    "So you don''t go to any classes at all?" Daisy questioned.

    "Nope.. I spend all my time in my lab or helping others." He answered with a smile.

    "Ohh.... Think we have a visitor." Daisy pointed out as High Admiral Ruri was walking towards us with a contingent of guards with her.

    "Ahh damn...." I heard Ashley cursed under his breathe.

    "What do we do?!" I panicked asking him quickly.

    "Just stand up and look orderly." Ashley answered standing up making us all stand up positioning ourselves behind him.

    "Proffessor Ashley.." High Admiral Ruri greeted him with a nod sounding very official and serious. She really did look extremely young no older then twelve or fifteen.

    "High Admiral." He nodded in return just as stern and serious for the first time ever seeing him without a carefree demeanour.

    "Just Ruri would be fine.. Anyways Aspa would like your assistance on something." She notified him causing a man next to her lean down to whisper something to her. "Your concerns are noted and dismissed." She replied to him.

    "Sorry for the interruption Professor Ashley but I would like you to look over some calculation and schematics for me." She asked in a very calm but still serious tone.

    "I''m sorry.. But my schedule is a little b-" He tried to refuse her ask for help.

    "I already spoke to your Deputy Headmistress she said that your schedule would be cleared and your tasks passed to other students." She interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. Causing Ashley to pause in silence.

    "I had plans with my friends.." He panicky replied looking back at us, causing us all to straighten up even more standing to attention.

    "Ashley, you know I''d hate to pull rank but your Deputy Headmistress did say you''d be happy to help." She replied to him.

    "Well, I guess I will be helping then." He sighed causing her very stern look to smile ever so slightly that even I doubted if it was a smile or not. "Just have the paper work sent to me and I''ll review everything." He instructed her.

    "Due to the delicate nature of it, I can''t allow it to leave my quarters." She answered.

    "Really?.. What a coincidence." Ashley sighed.

    "Follow me.." She instructed him.

    "Wait hold on I need my stuff." Ashley instinctively replied.

    "Nothing to worry about, you''ll be completely safe." She smiled, "Ohh and bring your friends.. I''m sure they would love a tour, especially since you''re doing me a favour." She added.

    "I knew I should have gone off site." He sighed. "Okay well let''s go then guys." He said gesturing us to follow them back to the ship.

    "No way!!.. We''re actually gonna be allowed on!" Jay whispered in shock.

    "I guess so?" Helen replied still at lost on what passed just now.

    "Ohh and if you don''t mind handing in your weapons to my guards before we enter the ship.. For security reasons." She instructed without even turning to face us.

    "That''s unacceptable my friends would be completely defenceless on your ship." Ashley objected.

    "Your friends will be in safe hands, I''ll have my top officer''s watch over them." She answered.

    "Still unacceptable, I don''t know who they are. I can''t trust them." Ashley argued.

    "Only security personnel are allowed to have weapons on board during peace times.. And I''m afraid your friends holding a weapon will be seen as hostile to my crew." She answered.

    "Is it okay with you guys?" Ashely asked looking at us for an answer.

    "I guess it''s fine.." We all answered handing our weapons to the guards with her. The one Daisy handed her maul to struggle to maintain his posture and pace while holding it.

    "Don''t lose them.. If I get any reports that they were tampered with or missing I''ll hold you all responsible and court martial you all." She warned her personal guard.

    "Yes Admiral!" They all answered in unison.

    "Is that a new arm? It''s changed slightly since we''ve last met." She questioned sounding a little less formal.

    "Only a few minor upgrades." He answered. "Did you really come all this way to just ask for help?" Ashley questioned her motives.

    "Of course not.. As a token of thanks your Headmaster graciously offered to recharge our ships with the World Tree.." She answered.

    "Ahh that explains why you both made trip here I guess." He answered.

    "That along with the company and change of scenery is nice." She answered a part of me knowing that she must be smiling from ear to ear. "So tell me Ashley what have you been working on lately?" She questioned.

    "Nothing I can divulge sadly." He answered her.

    "What a shame.. Your brilliance would be more suited in Aspa." She replied to him.

    "My brilliance? I''m afraid I''m not that person anymore." Ashley answered her.

    High Admiral Ruri stopped the instant she heard him say that, "Ashley.. You can''t hold yourself accountable for your creations. Your inventions are blessings to the world, breaking new grounds and pathing the way to the future.. Just remember that." She said in complete sincerity and began walking again.

    "What''s she talking about?" I whispered to the others.

    "No idea..." Jay answered.

 166 ASF Thunderer

    The Titan was truly staggering easily making an aeroplane look like an ant. "Now my crewmen are already expecting guests and have been specifically ordered to be on their best behaviour so nothing should happen." High Admiral Ruri explained to us as we set foot on the ship. "Welcome aboard my ship the ASF Thunderer one of the six Titan class Sky ships." High Admiral Ruri smiled welcoming us. "We''ll be entering through the top hatch straight into the command deck, please keep your hands to yourselves and follow me." She instructed giving one of her guards a nod, the guard approached the hatch pulling out a handle turning it like a dial lock and plunged it back down causing the latch to release and open slowly. One by one the guards climbed down followed by Ruri leaving two guards with us.

    "After you." They spoke out to use instructing us to climb down. The command deck was surprisingly basic compared the outside appearance, no computers at all.. Just lights buttons, levers and headphones attached to the walls.

    "How is the recharging process going?" High Admiral Ruri asked out loud to her large command crew all standing up saluting her.

    "Captain Engineers report an estimation of 6 hours." A male student notified her.

    "Very well.. Back to your posts.. Tell the rest of the fleet to remain on stand by and no active weapons." She ordered looking a little disheartened. "Ohh and let the entire crew know that we have VIP''s on board." She added.

    "Yes Captain!" they all replied in unison taking a seat putting on their headphones. "Let''s head to my quarters." She instructed us and began walking towards a door.

    "Hey Ashley.. They don''t have computers here." I asked him.

    "Yes.. Paul brought back computers from your world... that''s why Atlantis has them." Ashley whispered to me.

    "Oh...." I replied in shock.

    "Their systems are bit more rudimentary the light represents things like engineering failure or.. hull breech and stuff.... and the headphones are a directly line to different parts of the ship to receive and send messages." He added.

    "Like a cup and string?" I questioned.

    "Huh?.." He looked at me thoroughly confused.

    "Basic principle of how sound can travel through a string to someone listening." I explained to him.

    "Ahh yes yes... exactly like that." He nodded.

    "It''s hard to imagine that such a primitive ship can even fly or even have such devastating weaponry." I commented to Jay.

    "That''s the power of magic." Ashley smiled.

    It felt so weird being in such a militaristic setting, each crewman we passed would stop what they was doing entirely stepping aside saluting their captain and us, waiting for us to pass before carrying on with what they was doing.

    "This is it." High admiral Ruri notified up placing her hand on what seemed to be a normal metal wall of the ship. Without even speaking the words of a spell the wall opened up for her revealing the captains quarters.

    "Added a few new things I see." Ashley commented walking in.

    "Being Captain of a Titan ship isn''t as exciting as you might think sadly.." She answered taking out a bunch of scrolls and books.

    "Would your chaperons like a tour of the ship?.." She smiled.

    "You trust them?.." Ashley questioned her offer.

    "A friend of yours is a friend of mine, and like I said before you''re doing me a favour so I should repay in kind." She smiled.

    "Well if you can ensure their safety then if they want." He reluctantly agreed.

    "I''ll have my personal security guard and my second in command escort them." She offered giving us a look as if asking for approval.

    "Well... it''s up to you guys." Ashley offered.

    "Umm High Admiral Ruri.. We''d rather not get you in trouble of cause hassle." Jay answered her after we looked at each other for a few seconds unsure how to answer.

    "Nonsense I insist.." She insisted walking towards a nearby phone and began speaking into it. "I''ve asked for your escort to come.. Don''t worry you''ll be in safe hands." She smiled. "Feel free to enjoy any of the recreational activities we have on the ship or the food.. I''ve made it top priority to serve good food to my crew." She smiled.

    "Captain you called for me?" A male voice called out from the entrance flanked with two guards in black uniform and a sidearm attached to their hip.

    "Ohh Officer Jun.. Please come in." She asked him.

    "Yes Captain." The young adult male walked in taking a slight pause in his step when he noticed Ashely.

    "Everyone this is second in command Officer Jun Ono.. He will be escorting you around the ship your escort and tour guide." She informed us.

    "But Captain is it safe for you to be left alone?" He questioned her order.

    "Jun.. Ashley and I are good friends you have nothing to worry about." She calmly replied to him with a slight smile.

    "As you wish Captain." He nodded walking towards us holding a hand out to shake our hands.

    One by one we shook his hand introducing ourselves and began a tour of the ship, he seemed genuinely friendly harbouring no sort or rivalry to Atlantis students.. "Come along let''s get this tour started." Officer Jun issued us to follow.

    "So students of Atlantis?" He questioned curiously as we began making our way through the ship.

    "Yeah, just first year freshmen." Helen answered.

    "Right right.. So where would you like to visit?" He asked as we made our way downwards towards the main body of the ship.

    "So what''s life like on board this ship?" Daisy asked.

    "During Peacetime pretty mundane.. Drills, simulations and combat practice. Most days we just spend time flying around as a symbol of peace and safety. The assistance we helped with you yesterday was the only real action we had in months." He answered.

    "What happened last time?" I questioned.

    "Weirdly enough a little like you guys Dark Elves tried to invade a major city of ours, it was a little far so the trip depleted over 60% of our runes we was lucky we have enough left to reach Atlantis to be honest." He informed us.

    "How long does it take to recharge them?" I questioned curiously.

    "If we sunk all our resources into it then maybe a three or so months... but we need to maintain combat effectiveness so we can barely charge 5% a week." He answered.

    "It takes that much?" I questioned his calculations.

    "Yup and that''s after rerouting half of our students to recharging the runes." He added.

    "You guys were also attacked by Dark Elves?" Helen questioned.

    "Yup although quite a few months before you guys." He explained.

    "Did you guys get any information on why they attacked?" Jay questioned.

    "The information we managed to extract from survivors speak of a manifesting darknessness deep underground.." He answered.

    "Wow something that even frighten Dark Elves.. What could possibly do such a thing?" Helen began to ponder.

    "Your guess is as good as mine but there hasn''t been any Dark Elves sighting since." He replied.

    "The mess hall is just behind this door." He said turning the large circular door handle and began opening the large heavy bulky door.

    The mess hall was truly staggering in size several floors filled with crewmen all having fun and socializing, I would go as far to say as it felt more like a cruise ship then a military ship.. "Why are uniforms differently coloured?" Jay questioned.

    "Ahhh white like mine and High Admirals Ruri''s represents the Captain and officers in Command. Red represent gunners and operators of weaponry, Orange uniforms are Engineers, Yellow colours are the Cook, red and white represents Medical, black is security and lastly this badge represents crewmen on the Command Deck." He answered pointing at his badge.

    "Woah.. Aspa is very different to Atlantis.." I commented.

    "Ahh yes our structure is a little different." He answered taking us deeper in the mess hall towards delicious smelling foods.

    "So do you have like... Casters or fighters?.." Jay questioned.

    "Of course we do, we also have a lot of normal individuals as well, unlike the other institutes you guys only enrol Arcanum users right?" He questioned.

    "I guess so.. So what do what would someone like me do?" Grace questioned.

    "You''re a ranger right?... I saw you hand over a bow and quiver.. Your heightened Elven sight and aim would best be served in the gunner position." He answered.

    "Ohhh then what would I do?.." I questioned curiously.

    "Position for casters are more board, so you could be an engineer using magic to fortify or charging the many magical runes that keep the ship operational. You could even support the gunners by powering up the spell crystals, or if you can do healing the Medical team." He explained.

    "If you don''t mind me asking what were those large spike was you shot into the barriers?" Jay questioned.

    "Those are our Anti Shield Weaponry, they are made with a mixture of metals making it super heavy and strong. Unlike spells which dissipate after use doing little to no damage to strong shields... This type of weaponry is designed to put constant strain on the shields with each spike pilling in more and more pressure till the shield eventually breaks." He answered taking a seat on a table issuing us to sit as well.

    "Officer Jun nice to see you.. Are these the VIP guests Commander told us about yesterday?" A young male student in a yellow uniform asked.

    "Yes they are Kosuke please give us Six orders of your finest." Jun smiled.

    "Coming right up!" He smiled giving us all a bow of respect.

    "Umm sorry for being such a pain... but I''m a vegetarian.." I notified him.

    "She means she doesn''t eat meat." Jay instantly explained to them.

    "Ohhh okay.... I''ll try and think something up." Kosuke smiled and walked off.

    "So you don''t eat meat?... may I ask why?" Jun questioned.

    "It''s my religion." I answered.

    "Ohh understandable, I won''t pry further." He nodded.

 167 Ashleys Brilliance

    "Wow the high admiral wasn''t lying this food is great!" Helen commented on the quality of food.

    "Yeah it''s really good! Compliments to the chef." I smiled enjoying the food.

    "So Jun.. what sort of evil do u think spooked the Dark Elves to try and surface?" Grace asked making conversation.

    "Sadly not much, we haven''t sent a team down to investigate, but what we managed to extract form the survivors and the dead was some sort of ancient darkness.. It was hard to see and identify it but from what I saw, I can only describe it as some malformed giant grotesque baby that emits some sort of strange life sapping aura." He described looking a little concerned.

    "What on earth could it be?" I questioned.

    "We don''t know either.. We''ve never encountered anything of the sort before." He answered.

    "Nothing comes to mind either." Helen nodded pondering.

    "To be honest it doesn''t sound like an issue for us to worry about." Jun replied.

    "But what happens if situations get worse?" I questioned.

    "Then we''ll just deal with them if they try and surface again. Aspa won''t risk sending students and soldiers to solve an issue that clearly isn''t our problem." He answered.

    I wanted to argue with him on saving innocent lives, but ultimately decided not to since we are on his ship and being extremely hospitable.

    "Hmm I wonder if Serra would know what it is, life draining seems to go against Serra''s beliefs." Daisy pondered.

    "So Emilia?... are you from the continent of Zaksara?" He questioned intently.

    "Zaksara?" Jay questioned.

    "Yeah it''s a very distant continent.. Very dry and sandy, difficult to survive but it''s the only known continent where the human inhabitants are browned skinned a little like Emilia." He answered Jay.

    "Maybe?.. I was abandoned as a child." I lied to him answering his question with a question.

    "Ohhh apologies for being disrespectful, forget I asked." He apologised immediately in shock.

    "Are there any Elves in Aspa?" Helen questioned Jun.

    "Umm there''s hardly any in the sky cities... maybe one or two per floating city if you''re lucky... they tend to be magical item traders. The normal cities on the other hand I''m not sure." He answered her question.

    "If you don''t mind could I ask you all a very private question?.." He whispered.

    "Sure.." We all answered with a smile.

    "Is it true that Paul the Black Dragon Slayer will be participating in the Grand Magical Tournament next year?..." He asked quietly.

    "Yeah!! We''ve heard he might be." Jay answered.

    "No way!! We''re gonna be in trouble.. I''m defiantly paying front row seats." He relied in pure excitement.

    "Is High Admiral Ruri an S rank?" I curiously asked remembering she was able to shift metal with just a touch.

    "No No.." He replied with a small chuckle, "High Admiral Ruri Graduated last year youngest student to ever graduate Apsa." He answered.

    "Ohh so she''s technically not a student?.." I asked.

    "No no... Everyone in the sky fleet has already graduated." He smiled.

    "Wait so you''re not a student either?.." I asked in shock.

    "Sadly... not anymore I graduated last year also and she specially requested me to be her 2nd in command." He smiled.

    "So Aspa''s S-ranked students?..... do you have any?.." I asked.

    "Yes we have many that are S-ranked equivalent before they graduated... but yes currently we have five. Aspa does it a little differently.. we have a specially selected team of five students that will compete in the games.. and every other student will be trained to man an airship." He answered.

    "Interesting...." we nodded in understanding.

    "Can I ask a small question.." I requested politely.

    "Sure.." He smiled

    "What did Paul and Ashley do to help Aspa?.." I questioned curiously.

    "Well.... as you might have noticed Captain Ruri has a small liking to Ashley.. she said he''s brilliantly intelligent. Paul on the other hand he''s helped both High Admirals in certain situations where they was bound by duty and order." Jun explained.

    "Like saving lives?" I questioned.

    "Of sorts... you see Aspa is split into two sectors you have Hanna the Grand Artificer who manages the cities and the school, then you have the Gran Admiral who focuses on managing the sky fleet and maintaining peace." Jun answered.

    "Officer Jun would it be possible to see the weaponry you assisted us with yesterday?" Grace asked politely.

    "Hmmm.. it''s abit of a security risk to do so.. But Ashely practically pioneered most the weaponry anyways so I see no harm.." He answered pondering on it for a few seconds standing up with his tray walking towards some bins.

    "This is gonna be amazing!" Jay looked replied in excitement.

    "Daisy are you okay? You''re a little silent." Helen asked a little worried.

    "Yup all is great! Just listening." She answered with a giant smile on her face.

    As we slowly made our way to what felt like the sides of the ships, every few meters there was a small box with what looked some two cups on the end of a line, "Umm Officer Jun are those reporting stations?" I questioned.

    "Yes.. if anything happens we can report it in as soon as possible." He answered.

    "There seems to be less crewmen here." Jay commented as we walked through the corridors.

    "Yes you should mainly see engineers here.. But everyone is on break while we''re recharging.. There are some that should be patrolling and monitoring though." He answered still leading us through the corridors. "So behind this door is the gunnery ports." Officer Jun notified us opening hit large bulk doors revealing corridor of innumerable bulk doors on our left. "So this is what a standard gunnery port looks like." He said instantly opening a door on his left revealing a very big sizable room with a large cannon with a seat connected on it on top of some sort of mechanism.

    "I guess this is the amplifier?" Jay asked touching a large lens on the side of the cannon.

    "Yes that is a Spell Crystal Amplifier. It operates by having five students use their spells into the crystal amplifying it to devastating levels of power." Jun answered with a smile.

    "Where are the spikes you used last time?." I questioned noticing there was some sort of huge loading belt on the other side of the cannon connected to the wall.

    "So the spikes are here." He said walking towards the wall and opened a well-hidden latch pulling out the dial lock handle we saw earlier and plunged it back it after giving it a few turns. The sound of whirling mechanism activated causing the wall to slowly rise revealing the giant metal spike that was used to destroy shields.

    "Just one spike?" Jay questioned in a little bit of confusion.

    "No exactly.. As you can see this spike is larger than the loading bay so it wouldn''t fit." He began to explain.

    "So this technology Ashley solved and pioneered for us.. Otherwise it would be too heavy and impractical to store move and reload these giant anti shield spikes. So I can''t really show you.. But with a press of this button it creates a small beam of super heat, he called it.. Plasma and this plasma will cut the spike to the correct size to fit on this belt which loads it into the cannon. So then our casters will use the "Repair." Spell..." He explained.

    "The spell that repairs clothing and things?" I questioned remembering the use in class and jay using it sometimes.

    "Yes that exact spell... as you may know it repairs damaged things.. So the spell will repair the stump of the spike to make it reusable again." He smiled.

    "Woah.... that''s genius to use the spell like that." Jay replied in complete shock.

    "Yup.. Ashley really is amazing." Jun agreed.

    "Wow that extremely amazing use of the spell.. Also it''s even a low level spell so the casters can use this method many times and still have reserve to use proper spells in the amplifier." Helen agreed also amazed at Ashely''s idea.

    "He really is ahead of everyone else.. I only thought to use that spell to repair my clothes and things I break." Jay added making me see Ashley in a completely new light.

    "Yes it really is.. The space and weight it save from just needing one spike per port has allowed us to strengthen the bulkheads with thicker plating all throughout the ship." Jun added.

    "Are these guns fixed?.." Grace asked looking at it.

    "Not at all... Ashley also pioneered this technology as well...." Jun answered pressing a button causing the wall to descend down hiding the spike. "Jump on." He smiled offering her to jump into the seat.

    "Okay!" Grace smiled jumping on the seat.

    "Nothing to worry about everything is disconnected so the turret isn''t operational." He reassured her. "Now you see these pedals?..." He asked her.

    "Yup." Grace nodded.

    "Now left pedal makes the Cannon aim downwards and the right pedal makes the cannon aim up. "Your right hand goes here." He took her hand placing it on lever. "So this makes it go left and right. Finally your left hand goes here.. Placing her fingers on two buttons. This is the trigger to stop misfires both buttons need to be pressed simultaneously to fire." He explained to her. "Ohh and if you need to see further target we have magnifying lenses here above your head." He said pointing at a set of goggles hanging near her head. "Now give it a try." He said taking a step back causing us to also step back.

    "Okay.." Grace answered pressing on a pedal slightly to cause the cannon to lower ever so slightly.

    "Abit more." Jun smiled finding her hesitation a little humorous.

    "Okay.." Grace nodded pressing a pedal little more causing it to raise up faster.

    "Just move around abit in all directions." He instructed her politely causing Grace to move the cannon in all different directions showing us the shooting arc of the cannon.

    "So unlike other sky ships or normal ships.. The Cannons are fixed so the pilot needs to manoeuvre the ship in dangerous positions. So from my basic understanding the platform sits on top of many cylinders which raise and drop with the controls giving our cannons a better shooting angles then conventional cannons giving us an advantage in battles and the a bility to focus fire." He explained.

    "Wow this truly is impressive." Grace said enjoying the motion of movement in the gunner seat.

    "Yes Aspa has been trying to poach Ashley for years now.. but with no luck sadly no matter how much we offer him in benefits and pay." He notified us. "It really is thanks to him the Apa fleet is as strong as it is right now and the lives he''s saved with this technology." Jun smiled thankful for his contribution.

 168 Ring Figh

    "Thank you for beign so hospitable." We all thanked Jun for the tour.

    "No problems, Atlantis are good friends." He smiled.

    "Will we be seeing you for dinner?" We asked him.

    "Sadly.. I''ll need to stay on board, just in case something happens to Captain Ruri." He answered.

    "Really?.. But nothing is going to happen." We tried to explain to him.

    "We know.. But its protocol." He nodded.

    "So of the other two schools. Which ones do you have most problems with?" I questioned curiously as we began making our way back to the mess hall.

    "They both are as bad as each other.. Their students in particular are pretty strong in their own way.. And it doesn''t help that they are both located beside us." He answered.

    "I thought they''d be too frightened of your titans.. Even I''m scared of them." I replied.

    "They know we have a code, plus we can''t be seen open inly using our fleet on the other institutes or we''d face the judgment of Xoria." He answered.

    "It''s hard to imagine Aspa being afraid of anything having what.. Six Titan Class ships?" I replied.

    "You don''t know the strength of Xoria?" He questioned.

    "Not at all.." I explained to him.

    "Well.. Xoria recruits all if not nearly all the S-Ranked students that graduate and decide not to stay in their respective institutes. Not only that their General is the most feared induvial." He answered.

    "Wait someone stronger then Paul?" I questioned in shock as everyone only ever talks about Paul.

    "By far.... their Lord Commander, God Touched Gilgamesh.. A Demi-God and the Chosen Champion of over ten Gods.... then next in line you have Lieutenant Commander Artura Pendragon the daughter of the Legendary King Arthur and owner of two legendary swords Excaliber the legendary sword King Arthur used to cleanse Britain of Dragon and Fang of Bahamut. They also have an unknown unseen assassin in their ranks who without mercy will take out any target he or she''s been given." Officer Jun explained to me.

    "Wait why Scarlet is and Paul so famous then?" I questioned.

    "It''s because they do more in the public eye. Gilgamesh and Xoria hasn''t really done much outside Xoria.. but they still want the public to see that we are all in a united front" Jun answered.

    "So Gilgamesh is a Demi God... meaning he''s half human half God?" I questioned wondering if it had the same meaning here.

    "Yes His father was human and his mother is a Godess apparently." Jun answered.

    "And a Chosen champion of several Gods...." I asked looking at Daisy.

    "I dunno." Daisy shrugged "I''ve never heard of him and Serra hasn''t said anything about him either." She replied to me.

    "Same here, I''ve never heard of him either." Jay agreed.

    "Odd we haven''t read anything on him as well." Helena and Grace agreed.

    "Me too.. I''ve only heard of him through Captain Ruri.. And I''ve only seen him the few times spectating the Tournament." Jun agreed.

    "And Artura was it?... Daughter of King Arthur?" I questioned extremely curious of the folk tale.

    "Yes the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Britain if it still stood." Jun answered.

    "Wait what happened to it!" I asked in shock since I live in London back at home.

    "It was obliterated in the oblivion war.. Literally vaporised in an instant, the only survivor was a young princess Artura along with her armour an unknown sword at the time now called Fang of bahamut and Excaliber. No one knows how on earth she survived specially somehow landing on our shores." Jun replied.

    "Wow.." I listened in awe wondering what other similarities this world has to ours.

    "So any of you lot like to see some friendly sparring?" Jun asked us with a cheeky smile.

    "OHHH me me!!" Daisy and grace answered in excitement.

    "Ohh finally got something the quiet one might enjoy." Jun smiled to Daisy.

    "You look too refined to enjoy fights." I said to him a little surprised.

    He laughed a little hearing my question, "I don''t know why myself.. It''s like a guilty pleasure and a ways to get rid of some unwanted chores." He answered opening the door to the mess hall again.

    "Chores?" Helen questioned laughing a little.

    "Ahh yeah.. Instead of betting gold.. We bet on deck chores and jobs. Sadly I''ve amassed a few from some bad bets" He sighed causing us all to laugh.

    "That bad huh?" I questioned.

    "Pretty bad... I''ve accrued over a months of chores." He laughed.

    "Sounds like there''s cheating going on." Grace laughed.

    "Yeah I just take too much risk, but it''s not all bad.. on the plus side I do get to spend time with crewmen I normally wouldn''t have." He smiled, "Right it should be behind this door." He said opening a large bulk door, the moment the door opened slightly the sound of roars and screams flooded out the opening.

    "Wow this is more popular than I thought, I always thought crewmen of a sky fleet would be more.. Refined." Jay said noticing the large room filled with people and a bar.

    "Well this is what I expected to be honest." I shouted as the room literally resembled those sort of underground fight rings I would see in TV or Films.

    We walked to a slightly filled table, "Sorry guys we''re gonna need this table.. VIP guests." Officer Jun requested the group.

    "Okay.. Officer Jun." They saluted and left the table for us.

    "I''ll get drinks." He offered leaving us at the table.

    "Ohh let''s go see the action!" Daisy squealed in excitement pulling grace into the crowd.

    "So guys are we visiting Jay''s home town tomorrow?" I asked remembering our plans.

    "That would be great." Jay smiled.

    "I thought you''d want to spend more time with Paul." Helen nudged me a little.

    "Ohh that is true..." I said feeling a little torn.

    "It''s okay we can postpone it." Jay smiled.

    "No no... We''ll defiantly visit your family, we agreed ages ago." I smiled.

    "Ohh where did the other two disappear off to?" Jun questioned returning with drinks.

    "They went to see the match." I smiled.

    "Wait a second you''re all of age right." He asked quickly covering two of the glasses with his hands.

    "Haha I''m 23 sadly." I admitted to everyone.

    "Really? You look very young for your age." he smiled lifting his hand off the glass.

    "Why thank you." I smiled appreciating the compliment.

    "Grace and I are 20." Helen notified us.

    "What?... I''m the youngest I''m only 19." Jay answered.

    "I really doubt that... I feel Daisy is pretty young." Helen replied.

    "Yeah either that or just clueless about the outside world." Jay chuckled.

    "I think it''s just her upbringing." I suggested.

    "Ohh?.. What sort of upbringing did she have?.. I know her kind are normally travellers." Jun asked.

    "Ohh she was born into a cult?.. The name eludes me.. But she was eventually rescued by Paul and was then adopted by the church of Serra." Helen briefly described her back story.

    "Woah.... that''s pretty insane..." Jun looked at us in shock.

    "Yeah.... when we first heard it we were all blown away as well." I chuckled.

    "So how about you Jun?.." We questioned.

    "What about me?" he questioned with a sly grin.

    "Age and upbringing?" I questioned.

    "Okay I''m 27 life was pretty normal my parents were chief engineers in the engineering and power department of Aspa, my parent''s status got me into Aspa. Aced all my tests and combat simulation so now I''m here." He smiled.

    Daisy and Grace came back with giant smiles on their faces as if they thoroughly enjoyed the fight. "Ohh drink!" Daisy yelled in glee grabbing the glass and downing it before anyone could stop her.

    "Wait.." Jun''s futile attempt to stop her, reaching out for her drink was quickly quashed by the speed in which Daisy downed her drink.

    "Huh?" She questioned her face filed with a sly grin.

    "Just wanted to make sure you''re of age." He retracted his hand in defeat.

    "Ohh.. Umm.. 16." She confessed looking slightly guilty.

    "Ohh boy." Jun face palmed himself.

    "That funnily explains quite a lot." Jay chuckled.

    "No more drinks for you!" Jun said taking the glass away from her.

    "Sorry." Daisy tried to apologise.

    "Your sorry would be more believable if you didn''t still have a giant grin painted on your face." Jun replied to her with a slight smile.

    "It was a good brew.." Daisy complimented.

    "You''ve drank before?" I questioned in shock.

    "My parents and aunt and uncle are tavern owners.. of course I found ways to sneak a little here and there." She smiled.

    "She''s not wrong." Jay shrugged causing me to slap his arm.

    "What was that for?" He looked at me laughing.

    "Daisy underage drinking is serious! You shouldn''t do it." I warned her.

    "I''m sorry..." she apologised looking guilty.

    "Ease up.. We''ve all been there when we were younger." Jay chuckled.

    "Don''t listen to him Daisy.. You''re still a little young just wait a few years okay." I asked her.

    "Okay!" She smiled giving me abet of relief but a part of me feels she''d do the same over and over again.

    "Hey Officer Jun!! Come to gain a few more chores?" A Student in a black uniform came over. "Ohh the VIP guests Captain warned us about?" He questioned noticing us.

    "Yup Students of Atlantis." Jun smiled.

    "Ohhh... I''m Part of Security Yasu Hiraoka, Enjoying the tour so far I hope." He said with a big smile.

    "It''s great!" We all replied.

    "So officer Jun.. want to get rid of your extra chores?" Yasu tried to coerce Jun into some betting.

    "Nah I''m good thanks." he smiled.

    "Come on officer... where''s the fun in that?" Yasu tried to persuade him.

    "I''ll do it!" Daisy offered.

    "Sorry little girl but you don''t have anything to offer." Yasu replied looking oddly confused.

    "No I meant I want a fight." Daisy smiled.

    "Umm.." He hesitantly uttered looking at Jun for permission.

    "Are you sure?..." Jun said looking at Daisy a little worried.

    "Yup!!" Daisy replied with a giant smile of glee.

    "Okay... set a match for her.. Nothing too crazy we don''t want Captain Ruri and crucify us." Jun instructed.

    "Nope your strongest opponent please." Daisy insisted making Yasu look at Jun again nervously.

    "Are you sure?.." He asked Daisy.

    "Yes please!!" Daisy smiled nodding happily.

    "Well you heard the girl.." Jun looked at Yasu a little worried but gave him permission with a nod.

    "Okay I''ll see if she''s free." Yasu answered and walked away after giving us all a salute.

    "Are you sure?.. her record is like 14-0." Jun asked again.

    "Sure I''m up for some fun." Daisy nodded smiling causing Jun to look to the rest of us.

    "She is very strong." Jay addressed his worry.

    "Yup.. Don''t let her age and slim frame fool you." Grace agreed.

    "Really?.." He replied looking at Daisy carefully and held out his arm placing his elbow on the table.

    "Ohh an arm wrestle?" She said looking at him, agreeing she placed her elbow on the table gripping his palm.

    "3,2,1" Jun counted down then holding his breath and grunting trying to move Daisy''s arm.

    "No chance." Daisy smiled waiting a few seconds to gauge his strength not even giving him a millimetre, with one effortless motion the slowly pushed his arm down to the table showing little to no resistance despite Jun''s bests efforts.

    "Okay.. I''ll give it to you, despite your slim stature you are incredibly strong." He smiled.

    "So what''s the rules?.." She asked Jun.

    "So you''re out if you drop to the floor three times or if you can get up after a five second count. No weapons just fists and kicks.. No abilities or spells of any source." He explained the rules to Daisy.

    "Okay." Daisy smiled.

    Yasu returned quickly walking towards us, "So I''ve got her lined up, you''re up in five minutes, and umm Jun you''ll need to get her out of her armour." He insisted.

    "Ohh true true, I''ll get her a change of clothes." he nodded quickly standing up.

    "Come I''ll take you to the female locker room and a change of clothes." He said to Daisy issuing her to follow him.

    "Okay!" Daisy smiled following him with some pep in her step.

    "So what''s the fights like?" I asked Grace.

    "They''re okay they go easy on each other I guess to avoid any nasty injuries." Grace answered.

    "That''s a relief at least Daisy shouldn''t get too hurt." I replied worried for her a little.

    "There''s nothing to worry about, you''ve seen her in training she''s very durable and very strong." Jay reminded me.

    Daisy arrived back in a basic Plain black T-shirt and red shorts with bandages wrapped around her hands and feet. "Looking ready for a fight." Jay smiled welcoming her back.

    "What are the wrapped hands and feet for?" She questioned looking at them.

    "It''s to stop you muscles and bones from warping when hitting someone so you don''t injure yourself." Grace explained.

    "Ohhh..." Daisy nodded still looking a little confused.

    "Right let''s get you in the ring." Jun said leading the way into the crowd.

    Following Jun we made our way through the crowd to the ring edge. "You got this Daisy!" We all tried to encourage her.

    "Piece of cake." Daisy smiled with no worries and stepped into the ring making the whole crowd woo in excitement.

    "Any bets?" Jun said looking at us.

    "We can''t bet gold can we?" Helen asked.

    "Nah.. Sadly." Jun answered.

    "How about you who are you going to bet on?" Grace asked.

    "Sadly... gonna have to bet on Aspa here pride has got the better of me." He smiled as a human girl walked into the ring looking devastatingly toned and muscular like a real fighter. The whole crowd roared in excitement as the two stood in the ring staring at each other.

    "Can I make the bet for you? I''ve never done it before." Helen humbly asked Jun.

    "Sure it''s that guy over there." Jun said pointing at a gentleman and handing Helen a fist full of papers.

    "GO DAISY!!" I yelled in excitement but a little worry still lingered in my heat, her opponent looked like an absolute killing machine.

    Yasu Stepped into the ring, "TODAY!! WE HAVE A SPECIAL FIGHTER!!! DAISY A STUDENT OF ATLANTIS!!!" Yasu introduced Daisy making everyone boo in rivalry. "AND SHE DARED TO STEP ON OUR SHIP AND CHALLENGE OUR BEST FIGHTER MIZUKI THE DESTORYERRRRRRR!" Yasu introduced the Aspa fighter making everyone roar in cheer. "THREE.. TWO.. ONE.. FIGHT!!!!" Yasu yelled taking a step back.

    For the first time ever Daisy didn''t glow golden walking towards her, Mizuki smiled with a grin and began walking into Daisy with speed and purpose. Mizuki threw a standard three hit combo trying two straight jabs that Daisy effortlessly dodged and weaved, then followed with an obvious right hook Daisy ducked under landing her own right hook straight into her jaw knocking her out cold instantly in one devestating blow. Everyone fell completely silent expecting more of a fight.

    "What the hell..." Jun uttered in shock.

    "Told you she''s strong." Jay look onwards as shocked as everyone else.

    Daisy quickly turned Mizuki over and glowed golden to heal her. "I''m sorry...!" Daisy said as Mizuki slowly regained consciousness.

    "Blood hell... what happened?" Mizuki asked noticing she lost.

    "Sorry I went a little overboard." Daisy smiled helping her up.

    Yasu walked into the ring absolutely shocked like everyone else. "A round of applause for Daisy!" He said causing everyone to slowly clap for Daisy.

    "That was awesome!!" We all yelled out to her as she slowly walked to us.

    "Your welcome!" Helen said handing Jun the betting paper with a giant smile.

    "Wait so you bet on Daisy for me?" He asked looking a the piece of paper.

    "Yup you won some amazing odds." Helen smiled.

    "Wow..... I won''t need to do chores for half a year!" He smiled giving Helen a hug which surprised her.

    "Did you have full faith that Daisy would win?" He questioned.

    "No doubt.... Firstly she was trained by Paul at a young age and secondly we''ve been training alot lately." She smiled.

    "Wait Paul the Black Dragon Slayer?" He looked at her in awe.

    "Yup! And I''ve been diligently training every day since!" She smiled.

 169 Tour Over

    "This ship is truly amazing." I said making our way back to the High Admiral.

    "Yeah! It''s amazing how many facilities you have.." Jay agreed.

    "It''s pretty amazing, unlike conventional ships all the Artificing upgrades allows us to dedicate more space for recreational activities, thus improve crew morale." Jun smiled.

    "I must admit the improvements humans make are pretty amazing." Grace smiled.

    "Well it''s a good thing the three of you got into Atlantis, sadly Aspa and the other three are not so welcoming to other races." Jun answered.

    "Is High Admiral Ruri finished with Ashley?" I asked curiously.

    "Hmm not sure let me give her a call." He said walking to one of those phone stations on the wall and began speaking into it. "Well.. Good and Bad news." He said walking back towards us.

    "Ohh no what''s wrong?.." Helen asked.

    "The good news is... they are making good progress in whatever they are doing, the bad news is you''re still stuck with me for an indefinite amount of time." He confessed laughing a little.

    "Ohhh how is that bad news?" I smiled finding his candour amusing.

    "Well to be truthful.. There''s not much I have left to show you." He confessed.

    "Well this might sound crazy.. But we could show you around Atlantis, High Admiral Ruri is on board anyways." Jay suggested.

    "Hmm that does sound like a great idea, but don''t I need to let Atlantis know?" He questioned.

    "Nah I''m sure it will be fine, besides it would be like an all access pass." I smiled.

    "Well if you guys insist. I''ll make one more call let the security team know to bring your weapons and Daisy''s armour to the Command Deck." He smiled walking to the phone station.

    "Are you sure it''s going to be okay?" Grace questioned.

    "Yup, if something happens to Jun. It might be the spark of something huge." Helen agreed.

    "I''m sure everything will be fine." Daisy smiled disregarding their concerns.

    "Remember what Ashley said to us earlier today?.. There''s a splinter faction of Atlantis students planning something bad, this could be bad if they find out Jun in on Atlantis with no proper protection or permission." Grace explained.

    "I think you''re right." I agreed with Helen and Grace.

    "I think it should be fine, the group are very meticulous, the last attack was so well planned and executed even Paul and Scarlet didn''t suspect anything and Ashley is a step behind them. So I''m sure Jun should be safe." Jay argued agree with Daisy.

    "That does sound right." I agreed hearing Jay''s explanation. "On that topic should we also start some recon ourselves and try and identify the culprits?" I questioned.

    "Yeah we should do our part." Grace answered.

    "Yeah it''s the least we can do." Helen agreed.

    "Righto.. So they will have your things ready for you on the command deck so let''s make our way there." Jun notified us once he was done with his call. "Any chance you can take me to the simulation room?" Jun requested.

    "Ohh you don''t have those in Aspa?" I questioned.

    "We don''t sadly, is it really as great as I''ve heard?" He asked.

    "Well what have you heard?" I asked.

    "That it''s specialised rooms that can simulate and predict outcomes.. Makes illusions that feel realistic and it can copy past events accurately." He described in pure excitement.

    "Yeah its pretty good... we''ve only used it for two situations... recollecting a past event and a preprogramed simulation." Grace answered.

    "Yeah it feels very real it''s quite amazing!" Helen smiled.

    "Please take me there I would love to experience it." he requested.

    "Sure!!" Daisy answered.

    "Do you know how it even works? I assume it uses some sort of illusion to trick the eyes, but how on earth do they make it feel realistic?" Jun asked completely astonished.

    "We have no idea either sadly." I answered.

    Opening the door into the Command Deck, every crewmen stood up to salute Officer Jun, "At ease." He ordered them making them reassume their normal jobs.

    "Officer Jun the Atlantis student''s belongings" A set of six guards dressed in black handed our stuff to us.

    "Thank you and I assume they haven''t been tampered with?" He questioned.

    "Nothing of the sort Sir we''ve personally kept an eye on them." A guard replied.

    "Great these five are good friends of mine." Jun smiled and instructed us to take our gear with an open palm.

    "Emilia can you help me with my armour?" Daisy asked trying to put on her armour.

    "Sure..." I smiled following her instruction on how and where she needed help.

    "So Daisy how did you get this armour?" I questioned looking at the intricate design and decorative patterns on it, "It doesn''t look like off the shelf armour." I asked.

    "I won it in a competition." She smiled.

    "Ohh what type of competition?" I questioned.

    "The ones I''m best at.. Fighting." She chuckled.

    "Should have known." I pat her head like a younger sister.

    "We ready?" Jun asked seeing us all ready.

    "Yup." We all smiled back.

    "Right let''s go." He said opening the hatch the same way we entered.

    "So Emilia?" Daisy whispered to me as we made our way across the bridge into Atlantis.

    "Yeah?" I answered her.

    "Do you really think Paul is going to be okay?" She questioned with a look of intense worry.

    "What do you mean?" I asked her.

    "Do you think he will make a full recovery?" She asked.

    "Yes I''m sure he will be okay. He said he''ll be back to normal after a few day." I answered her.

    "Okay." She nodded looking a little relieved.

    "You really care for him don''t you?" I whispered to her.

    "Of course! He saved my life!" Daisy replied.

    "Have you ever you know.. Liked someone a lot other than Paul?" I questioned.

    "Hmm not really." She answered.

    "How does he make you feel?" I inquired a little.

    "My heart is always racing when I see him and when I''m alone or just being quiet I always find myself thinking about him." She answered honestly like an innocent teenager.

    "Have you told him how you felt?" I replied.

    "NO! Are you crazy?!" She answered in shock making everyone turn to look at us.

    "Don''t worry guy''s she''s just over reacting." I laughed causing them to shrug and returned to their own conversations. "If you don''t tell him how is he meant to know?" I questioned her.

    "I don''t know hope he notices somehow." She answered looking more and more adrift.

    "Trust me, he''s really blind when it comes to those things." I laughed remembering how afraid he was to even confess to me despite knowing I liked him back.

    "Have you ever liked anyone before?" She questioned me in return.

    "Me?... other than Paul? There was a few others." I answered her.

    "What were they like? How did they make you feel?" She asked curiosuly.

    "Well firstly there was Raj, he was a nice guy famous, very rich and was quite nice and funny. My parents wanted me to marry him, I''d say we was a good match but for some reason Paul really disliked him and well ultimately made me reconsider the marriage proposal and stuff." I explained to her.

    "Ohh no.. That wasn''t very nice of him." Daisy replied hearing my story.

    "I felt it was for the best, I was still very young at the time. I did meet up with Raj a few times after Paul and I broke up but nothing came out of it, I don''t know why but every time we met I''d always remember Paul warning me about him making it a little awkward." I answered.

    "Maybe there is something wrong with him." She replied.

    "Maybe.. But I don''t see it." I answered, "Anyways the other one I met at University when I was studying to be a lawyer, he was nice and well off, but my parents wouldn''t have liked it, so it wasn''t official and just didn''t end up working out." I explained to her.

    "University and Lawyer?" She questioned.

    "University is like Atlantis somewhere people go to learn and a lawyer would have been the thing I was studying." I answered her.

    "Ohh interesting, what''s was it like to be with someone?" She asked looking extremely interested.

    "It''s nice to have someone you can rely on when you need, to stay with you through thick and thin." I answered her.

    "Do you miss it?" She asked.

    "A little here and there.. Mostly because he''s the only person that I can confine to and relate to." I answered.

    "Do you still love him?" She questioned quietly.

    "Who?" I asked.

    "Paul.." She hesitantly replied.

    "It''s hard to explain and very complicated. We''ve known each other for a long time, I''ve been there for him when he needed me and he''s been there for me. I''m actually not quite sure." I admitted to her.

    "Do you think about him a lot?" She asked.

    "All the time. " I answered her honestly but questioning my own motives. "Well the one takeaway I want you to understand.. Is life isn''t a fairy tale.. You''re still young there''s millions of people out there in the world, so don''t just keep your eye son one person." I tried to advise her.

    "Fairies don''t have tails.... I''m lost." She admitted looking extremely confused.

    "I swear to God.... this world!!" I cursed, "Okay what I meant, is love isn''t like those you read in books and stories where there is one guy and one girl and they are destined for each other.. Love takes work and commitment.. and that if you spend all your time chasing and waiting for Paul you might just miss someone that loves you and you could love him." I tried to explain to her.

    "I think I understand." She nodded slowly.

    "Daisy?" I asked her quietly.

    "Yup?" She answered with a smile.

    "Do you know if we get a holiday soon?" I asked suddenly missing home a lot.

    "Holiday?" She looked at me a little confused.

    "We get time off Atlantis soon like a week or two?" I questioned.

    "I think so.. In the church we would often get a week rest after four weeks which coincides with big celebrations." She answered.

    "Ohh that''s great." I smiled wondering if Paul could take me back to visit home for a week or two.

    "Are you thinking of the other two.. Raj and Nicholas was it?" Daisy questioned.

    "Not really.. Paul warned me that I can''t tell them anything.. But I defiantly need to talk to Raj about something." I answered.

    "If you had to choose.. Would you prefer home or here?" She asked.

    "It''s hard, I have a lot of friends and family at home that I worry about, but then I''d worry about you guys as well if I was home." I answered.

    "It must be hard on you and Paul living in two different worlds." Daisy said looking a little concerned.

    "Yeah Paul did something to try and alleviate the worry.. But it''s still there." I sighed.

    "By the way do you know if Paul is seeing anyone?" I questioned.

    "To be honest I don''t, I don''t know if you remember but after he saved me and the church adopted me I didn''t see him again till I arrived in Atlantis." She answered.

    "Ohh yeah sorry I totally forgot.." I chuckled, "Ohh crap I forgot.." I cursed remembering something.

    "What''s wrong?" Daisy asked worryingly.

    "Nothing wrong just need something." I said to her. "Umm Jun?" I asked for his attention.

    "Yes Emilia?" He asked.

    "Is there a way I can get a few bottles of those drinks you bought us?" I questioned.

    "Yeah sure, how many you need?" He asked.

    "Can you get me like five bottles?" I requested.

    "Yeah sure, once I return to the ship I''ll get someone to send it over." He smiled.

    "One for me to please!!" Daisy requested laughing with a cheeky grin.

    "Noooo! I won''t make that mistake again." He smiled.

    "Hey Jun, just wondering can you cast spells?" Jay questioned.

    "Sadly in terms of combat effectiveness I''m not great.. I am good with a side arm but I totally forgot to bring it with me." He answered.

 170 Pauls Perspective

    "So this is the simulation building." Grace informed Jun opening the doors.

    "Woah what is that?!" Jun asked in shock seeing the computer.

    "Ohh that the equipment we use, it tells us which rooms are free and we can then book the room." Grace explained using the computer.

    "Amazing, truly amazing...." Jun uttered in awe staring over Grace''s shoulder.

    "Ohh looks like we have a room free on the third floor." Grace said pressing the screen to book it.

    "Let''s go!" Jun said rushing up the stairs.

    "The way everyone describes it I thought Aspa would be filled with these things." I said following him up.

    "I guess they have some things but not computers?" Jay answered.

    "Guess so." I replied.

    "This is our room Jun!" Helen called out to him as he excitedly began looking through the glass into the other room on the floor.

    "Woah.." He starred in awe at the room in complete shock, "So this room changes?" He asked.

    "Yup!" We all answered.

    "So what shall we do?" He asked filled with excitement.

    "It''s up to you." Jay smiled.

    "Ohh wow.." Jun began to think but didn''t know what to pick like a child in a candy store. "What can I choose from?" He asked absolutely lost on what to pick.

    "How about we go see what Paul did yesterday?" Jay suggested.

    "Sure we can try!" grace said.

    "Computer can we see the Battle in Catavan yesterday Pauls perspective Please." Grace shouted out asking the computer.

    "Please specify time of event." The computer asked.

    "A few moments before he enters Catavan." I requested.

    "Affirmative..." The computer answered as the whole room shifted into Ashley''s Room.

    "No way!!!" Jun said in shock look at how amazing this simulation is.

    "Can I touch stuff?.." He questioned feeling some of the things in Ashley''s room.

    "In recreations you can touch things but you can''t move them." I answered.

    "Aren''t you a little worried?" Ashley voice spoke out asking Paul.

    "A little.. but all the precautions have been made." Paul smiled leaning back on his chair.

    "What about the other class?" Ashley asked.

    "Think they are headed to Bruntson." Paul answered.

    "Ohh they should be fine then." Ashley answered.

    "Yeah.... relaxing day for me." Paul smiled leaning far back on the chair putting his feet on the table.

    "By the way what was you doing in Eshia anyways? Anna was with you right?" Jay asked.

    "Yup I needed Anna to make contact with an old acquaintance of hers The Ruby Trader." Paul answered causing Jun to gasp in shock.

    "Wait isn''t he rumoured to be a slave trader??" Ashley asked in shock.

    "It was a special request so I had to make some deals." Paul answered.

    "Wow didn''t think Paul would make deals with same traders.." Jun said in shock

    "None of this make any sense." I said to everyone noticing they all started pondering on something.

    "I thought something might have been off about him.. And how crazy rich he is." Grace suspected him of being a bad person.

    "Weird.. I sense a lot of students suddenly appearing.." Paul said looking at his watch.

    "That''s defiantly odd both classes aren''t due back for hours." Ashly said.

    "Hmm I''ll go check it out." Paul smiled standing up straightened his clothes and opened a portal for himself to step through. We instantly travelled to the court yard where all the students were exiting, Paul instantly walked towards a faculty member I haven''t met before. "What''s going on?" Paul asked looking worried.

    "A group of freshman said the city was infiltrated by Dark Elves so we had to evacuate the first years." He notified Paul.

    "Thank you professor Tuss." He thanked the professor and walked off to the side.

    "Ashley I got a bad feeling, can you cover for me on Atlantis?" Paul questioned talking into this magical communication device. "I don''t have time I need to leave now." He replied to Ashley, "Thanks bro I owe ya." he smiled and opened a portal to the city stepping through.

    "Wow just amazing his ability to portal around..." Jun said in complete awe.

    "What''s going on here? I need a report." Paul shouted out as scenery changed to the city of Catavan.

    "Commander?.." A student asked looking at him surprised at his arrival. "I''m not quite sure.. We were told to stations and fortify the outer wall." The student reported.

    Simultaneously the beam of darkness rocketed into the sky around the city darkening the sky, everyone stared at the sight unsure what''s happening. "Everyone get ready here they come." Paul said.

    Out of nowhere the ground began to tremble as four worms erupted out the ground signalling the beginning of the assault. "Shit." Paul yelled blasting two worms with two pointed finger vaporizing it into dust with his green beam. The sound of battle cries began to echo out as Dark Elves began to emerge from the holes weapons in hand. "I don''t have time for this." Paul said in anger and with one hand closing his fist causing the ground to shake quickly and the four holes closed themselves sealing the opening tightly. In quick succession Paul vaporised the remaining Dark elves and Worms with his sickly green beams that turns things to dust.

    "Wow he can cast without needing a wand?" Jun commented watching the whole event.

    Paul looked into the sky as a set of over watch fire shoot through the sky high over the walls instead of down into the city "Emilia? Where are you I can''t sense you!" He asked and began running down the city walls quickly blasting and vaporising Dark Elves and Worm where he could see them. "Seal the holes don''t let any more in here!" He ordered every student that he passed, and began running again "Emilia?" he kept repeating himself every so often.

    Suddenly he came to a stop and began looking around scanning his surroundings quickly. "Yeah!.... where are you?.... you and your friends weren''t with the returning group..." He asked sounding extremely worried. "What''s going on?.." He asked looking more panicked with each passing second. "Quickly explain to me the situation." He replied trying to sound as clam as possible. "Okay.... I''m coming... This is very important.... I need you to or make an empty space around a meter in diameter and send me a signal." He urgently instructed me over the communication device we have.

    Quickly he walked towards the closest student with gloved fists who I now recognise is Yuna, "Commander!" She looked at him in shock and surprise.

    "I need your assistance it might be risky." He requested her aid.

    "Yes sir what do you need done?" Yuna nodded.

    "You three with me!" He said pointing at three guards which ran towards him and nodded for some odd reason listening to him. "Stay close hold onto me!" He said as he waited staring eagerly into the sky. "Come on Emilia....." He uttered under his breathe getting very impatient. "Just stay calm.... I''m here with you." He replied to my message.

    It was so interesting to see everything going on from his side of the whole event. In the sky I could see the beam of fire I let out high into the sky to signal him. "Stay there!!! I''m coming!!! And cover your ears." He instructed me, lightning began to channel around him as small crackled of bolts flashed around them until one large boom struck down on Paul. With an Echoing boom Yuna, Paul and the guards were all transported outside the city with hundreds of confused Dark Elves looking at them.

    Before any of them could react there was another resounding boom and they were transported into an empty dark area with the city in the background. This occurred seven times in total making strides towards the signal I sent him.

    There I was in an empty area my clothes bloodied and dirty from everything that happened on the verge of tears that he''s here to save me. I really was reckless if he didn''t come to save me I would most likely be taken or killed. We conversed for a little before he ordered me to go with Yuna back to the city and quickly departed leaving him and the three guards to set up the teleportation runes.

    He closed his eye letting out a deep breath calming himself physically smiling a little before opening his eye again and waiting for Yuna''s signal flares. A total of four flares shot out in the distance before a bright yellow barrier erected at each of the flares shining brightly in the darkness like an impassable bastion.

    "Truly a sight.." Jun uttered while everyone remained silent like watching a weird movie of our lives.

    One by one each of the guards made their way to Paul side. Sir anything we can assist you with?" They questioned as Paul concentrated on holing his barrier his face and body physically showing strain with each Moonbeam that struck the barrier.

    "Quickly move any stray refugee I need....everyone densely packed a possible." He tried to issue his command while being blasted by a Moonbeam.

    "Yes Sir!" they all answered and went to work.

    At one point it looked as if his barrier was going to break the impenetrable cube began to warp and contort at locations with each moonbeam slamming into it. "Shit...." Paul uttered falling to one knee.

    "What can we do to help sir?" The guards asked running back towards him watching him kill himself trying to shield the refugees.

    "I''m okay...." He replied to them out of breath and closed his eyes, with a burst of energy Paul looked physically renewed and the barrier strengthen returning to its original impenetrable cube shape. "What was that?!" everyone else all asked in unison completely shocked at what just happened.

    "I''m sorry but I''m going to need to ask one of you to help me with something he asked calmly the Moonbeams striking the barrier doing little to interrupt his request this time.

    "Whatever you need sir!" They all replied to him.

    "It''s not that easy.. You''ll be giving up your life in the process." He informed them.

    "It''s our duty sir." They all answered with without wavering a millisecond.

    "You all are great soldiers.. Your city doesn''t deserve such honour and valour." Paul praised them as he struggled to pick one.

    "Sir... take me... the rest have a family waiting for them to come home, I wouldn''t be able to look at myself knowing their kids won''t see their father and grandfather again." The solider notified Paul.

    ".. Okay solider what is your name?.." Paul asked him sincerely like the whole situation outside the barrier was nothing but a mere inconvenience.

    "Seth.. Seth Dalehorn.." The solider answered him taking off his helmet revealing a young solider in his prime.

    "I''m sorry, I''m asking you to do this but I have no other choice." Paul apologised to him.

    "Sir I have one request if I may." The solider asked.

    "Please Paul from not on and whatever you need." Paul answered him.

    "I have a cousin and niece they are my last remaining family left." He informed Paul.

    "No need to say anymore.. I''ll personally take care of them, you have my word.. As long as I draw breath they will encounter no hardship and be looked after for." Paul nodded in understanding.

    "Thank you Sir Paul!" The solider thanked him on the verge of tears.

    "I''m sorry for this.... You won''t survive the journey even Arcanum sensitive users can only withstand this form of travel a couple times a day.." Paul explained to him, the solider nodded and kneeled down placing his sword on the floor and began to pray closing his eye.

    "Sir take me instead.. I''m old and already lived a long and fruitful life." A solider requested seeing the young solider praying to his Gods.

    ".. It''s been decided there no going back now.." Paul denied his request, one by one each of the soldiers laid down their swords and began to pray with him.

    "Sir I am ready." The young solider stood up walking towards Paul with no fear or hesitation in his voice.

    "I''m truly sorry asking for this sacrifice." Paul apologised to him sounding very sorry.

    "Sir if I may.. I''ve heard stories of how you help the innocent and less fortunate and now I saw you first hand almost sacrifice yourself for these refugees.. It''s is my honour to serve you." The solider replied.

    "I will make sure you''re gonna be remember as the hero who saved the city." Paul nodded to him, "Before you pass through close your eyes and keep them closed no matter what." Paul explained to him.

    "Yes Sir what''s my order?" He questioned.

    "You are to step through the portal with this note that is all." Paul instructed the solider pulling out a piece of paper with his one remaining hand and opened a red portal for Seth Dalehorn to step through.

    "When you''re ready Seth." Paul notified him.

    Seth closed his eyes taking a deep breathe, "May you ascended to the tops of Mount Caelestis along with other heroes of the realm befitting of your heroism." Paul announced before he stepped into the portal and closing behind him. "Sir what are we to do now?" The remaining soldiers asked.

    "We hold the fort and pray everything goes as planned if my barrier drops I''ll be dead or unconscious so it will be up to you to stem the tide of Dark Elves till we get saved." He said in a mournful tone holding back his tears.

    "Ohhh... so that was the message High Admiral Yurika must have received." Jun determined.

 171 Feeling Guilty

    "Hey guys, I gotta go." I said to every feeling the need to see Paul.

    "Emilia? What''s wrong?" They questioned.

    "I need to see Paul.." I said urgently.

    "I''ll come with you.." Daisy offered but was stopped by Grace.

    "Ummm okay." They all answered letting me go.

    "Paul can I see you?" I asked talking into my badge?

    "Everything oaky?" He asked sounding worried.

    "I just need to see you." I asked him.

    "Sure, where are you?" He asked.

    "Can you meet me outside the simulation room?" I asked him.

    "Sure I''ll be there soon." He answered me sounding concerned at my sudden need to see him.

    Quickly making my way out the building busting through the doors he was strolling towards wracked with worry. "Emilia? What''s wrong?" He asked as he neared.

    "I''m so sorry!" I apologised the feeling of guilt overwhelming my whole body.

    "Hey Hey Hey, what''s wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked sounding really worried for me.

    "I saw what you did yesterday.. How you almost died three times" I cried into his lap.

    "Hey... calm down.... you have a bad knee remember? You shouldn''t be on the ground like that." he said trying to lift me up.

    "I''m so stupid.. It''s all because of me that you almost died!" I cried uncontrollably.

    "Hey calm down.. I''m still here aren''t I?" He asked rhetorically.

    "I don''t know what I''d do if I lost you.. Especially if it was because of me." I cried pouring out eveythign to him.

    "I know.. I know." He patted my head. "Come we''ll sit on a bench and we can talk okay?" He requested trying to get me off my knees. "Come there''s literally one there." He said pointing at a bench a few steps away.

    "Okay" I nodded lifting my head.

    "There''s no need to cry.." He said wiping my tears with his sleeve and led me to the benches.

    "Here." he said taking out soft drink and handing it to me

    "Thanks." I thanked him.

    "So you saw what I did yesterday??.." he questioned.

    "Yeah, I''m so sorry Paul." I apologised again.

    "You know you don''t need to apologise to me." He smiled.

    "How can you be okay with almost dying!!" I asked.

    "You know when we broke up.. I was in a dark place for a long time, years I spent adrift blaming that on person for running my whole life, but what I actually needed was closure." He smiled, "I think I''ve found my purpose in life." He smiled looking happy as ever.

    "Helping other people?" I questioned.

    "Yes.. Like a super hero helping those less fortunate." he answered, "But you need to be more careful Emilia.. I wish I could watch over you but you I won''t always be there when you need me. This isn''t London anymore where you can just call me or something and ill drop everything to get to you." He tried to explain but sounded very sad.

    "I know.." I confessed to him, "But I didn''t want the refugees to be left behind because of the system." I tried to explain to him.

    "It''s great that you want to help those who are too weak and can''t but you need to understand.. You can''t save everyone. Even with my intervention we still had two losses and that''s not including the refugees that didn''t make it." He carried on explaining.

    "I saw what happened with that solider." I confessed to him making him let out a big sigh.

    "You saw that huh?" He questioned extremely saddened.

    "Yeah I did.." I answered him and went to hold his hand interlocking our fingers.

    "I really had no other choice... I needed to let the High Admirals know to assemble their fleet into formation and have their weaponry on standby, normally I would go myself but I needed to hold the shield up." He explained.

    "I know, if you ever need to talk, I''ll be here for you." I said to him holding his hand tightly to comfort him. "Paul.. Why did you stay here?" I asked him.

    "..There wasn''t much back at home for me.." He answered.

    "Wait what? What happened?" I asked in shock hearing him answer that way.

    "After I discovered and dealt with the person who murdered my mum.. I came home to find out my father wasn''t doing too well either." He confessed.

    "I never knew. I''m so sorry!" I said to him feeling sorry for him and the way I treated him.

    "You have nothing to be sorry about, we weren''t together or friends at the time so don''t feel bad." He replied to me making me feel even sadder.

    "I decided to stay here because there wasn''t anything left for me, both my parents passed away, you was no longer part of my life and I just needed to get away." He confessed looking extremely depressed.

    "I''m so sorry I wasn''t there for you." I apologised whole heartedly to him.

    "..It''s okay, I hurt you so badly when we broke up.. I remember the hate and anger you had for me, I had no right to ask you for support." He answered looking down in guilt and shame.

    "What no no, I wasn''t angry.." I tried to comfort him.

    "It took me many years to understand that Paul and Emilia wasn''t a thing anymore.. So you have nothing to be sorry about." He replied.

    "You know if you reached out I would have replied." I tried to explain.

    "I know I know but I had no right to." He repeated himself making us both sit in silence for a few minutes.

    "Ashley said there''s a small group of Students that seem to be planning something against Atlantis." I notified Paul.

    "Yeah he thinks the string of things that happened wasn''t a coincidence." Paul answered.

    "You think they aren''t?" I asked curiously.

    "Well the lady that attacked you and her group were weirdly intangible and faded into black particles when killed. I have been trying to search for information on them with no avail, even studies of certain religions came to nothing." He answered.

    "Do you think they would attack me again?" I asked in worry.

    "Maybe.. Maybe not sadly we couldn''t capture any for interrogation." He answered.

    "What if she attacks when you''re not here?" I asked feeling a little afraid.

    "All the prefects and teacher have been notified on how to deal with her." Paul answered.

    "She was only intangible but Scarlets Sword worked." I reminded him.

    "Yes but we believe that she can only be in a state of intangible or tangible.. So the key to defeating her to put her in a position where she can''t be tangible." He explained.

    "Ohh that''s a relief..." I replied understanding her weakness.

    "The only problem is that she is ''really'' fast.. For us S-Ranked students she would be easy to follow and fight against, but Prefects would only be able to keep up with her for two or three minutes if they even could." Paul notified me making me feel a little scared again.

    "There''s nothing to worry about though.. The fact I''ve haven''t heard that she''s resurfaced or anything means she''s most likely disappeared." Paul answered.

    "We also saw that you engaged with a slave trader. That can''t be true right?" I asked him hoping to hear the truth form his mouth.

    "Wow didn''t know you was such a fan.. Maybe I should keep my logs private.." He chuckled seemingly cheering up a little.

    "They aren''t normally?" I asked in shock.

    "It''s actually mostly private unless its public events.. But most things are open for you to see." He answered.

    "Me really? Why?" I asked surprised.

    "Just me being silly, if you ever wondered what I was doing or just wanted to see what I was up to. You can then always see what happened." He answered making me chuckle a little.

    "I remember you was always open with such things, giving me your phone pass code and stuff even though I never used it or even snooped." I smiled remembering how open and honest he was.

    "So about the Slave trader, I needed his help as a contingency." Paul answered.

    "Contingency? What sort of contingency requires the need of a slave trader?" I asked a little confused.

    "Yes.. If I ever needed to get someone out of Aspa he would be my go to contact." Paul answered.

    "But he''s a slave trade.." I objected his connection with someone like that.

    "Anna assured me he''s more of a Headhunter then a Slave trader. Besides it''s the ability for slave traders to get past check points and guards is why I specifically needed him." Paul answered.

    "I see.. Paul? Have you heard of someone called Gilgamesh?" I asked him curiously.

    "God touched Gilgamesh?" He asked in return.

    "Yeah him." I replied.

    "What about him?" He asked me.

    "How strong is he, is he really a Demi-God?" I asked.

    "Well I''ve conversed with him a couple of times... He tells me he''s actually two thirds divine and one third human." Paul laughed.

    "How strong is he compared to you?" I asked him feeling curious.

    "He''s two thirds God.. And I''m 0% God who do you think is stronger?" He chuckled at my question.

    "Ohh.." I replied realising how silly my question was.

    "I''m pretty sure he could kill me with a click of a finger.. Did you think I was the strongest person alive?" He chuckled at my question.

    "Well the way everyone goes on about you and the way you talk about yourself, makes you sound unbeatable." I explained to him.

    "That''s because no one has ever seen Gilgamesh fight or even take a fight seriously.. And that''s not inducing the Chosen Champion of Thirteen God''s and the blessings that come along with that." Paul added.

    "So have you met King Arthurs Daughter?" I asked him for clarification.

    "Ohh yeah I''ve had a sit down with her, the whole King Arthur story was pretty cool." Paul smiled.

    "Really Paul you met a real Legend and you use the world cool?" I looked at him in disappointment.

    "It was though.. She talked about her Grandfather King Uther purging England of their previous Dragon Rulers, King Arthur and the Round table." Paul explained.

    "So what happened? I heard it got obliterated." I asked Paul.

    "So in this tale of events Arthur had twins a Son and a Daughter, His son Mordred aligned himself with the Star Bane causing a cataclysmic explosion vaporising Britain in an instant." Paul explained.

    "Star Eater?" I questioned.

    "Ohh so during the Oblivion War their leader is called Calactus Star Bane apparently a God in his own right." Paul answered

    "Wait so the shackled Oblivion isn''t linked the Oblivion war?" I questioned a little confused.

    "Not at all.... but it is going to be surprisingly easy to explain to you." He smiled, "So Gods created everything in this universe, now imagine the Gods as matter.. Then the chained Oblivion would be Anti-matter a natural opposite to everything that is living and real." Paul began to explain, "Then you have Calactus Star Bane a God who wants to conquer and take over worlds and races. Well that''s that I interoperated from all the stories." Paul answered making it surprisingly simple to understand.

    "Ohh I get it." I smiled.

    "Feeling better?" He asked me sincerely.

    "A little.." I answered thinking about it still feeling a little guilty.

    "Well.. If you want my opinion.. You did the right thing.. Just you know, look out for yourself first." He said making me feel a little better.

    "Paul how did you adjust to this world?" I asked him honestly.

    "It took a little time small baby steps and not throwing myself in harm''s way unnecessarily. Emilia I know you want to save everyone, but sometimes it''s just not possible." Paul tried to explain to me.

    "I''ll try.." I answered him.

    "When you get stronger you can save more lives.. As long as you do your best." He smiled as a group of students walked pass us noticing we were holding hands and scurried away gossiping.

    "Urghh.. The one thing I hate about this place, the needless petty gossip." I sighed letting go of his hand causing him to laugh.

    "You make it sound like there was no gossip back at home." He asked.

    "There was but this is different." I tried to explain to him.

    "I''m sorry.. It''s only because of my status that there''s any involving you." He apologised to me.

 172 Demon Lord Khorcus

    "You know I''d love to stay, but I have you know.. Responsibilities.." Paul cautiously said to me trying to tell me he needs to go.

    "Yeah.. Don''t worry I''m good now." I replied to him

    "I''m free later if you just wanna hang." He said taking my hand and patting it one last time before strolling off.

    Watching him stroll off I couldn''t help but think about our past, what on earth am I thinking? My parents still hates him and would never accept him or agree to let us be together, Like that even matters my weird vision said he''s destined to die and I''m still alive in all the visions...

    Letting out a big sigh looking to the side towards the entrance of the building, everyone''s heads were sticking out the door looking at me slightly worried. "Really guys?" I asked laughing at the sight of all their heads piled up in a line.

    "Yeah well.. We couldn''t stop Daisy her being so strong and all, so since we were here anyway might as well see if you''re okay." Jun tried to cover for them.

    "So how much did you hear or see?" I asked as they took a seat beside me.

    "Most of it.." They all quietly admitted.

    "Wow.." I replied sarcastically shocked at their nosiness.

    "I didn''t even know you and Paul were like old friends!" Jun said in shock.

    "Yeah it''s complicated" I sighed answered him.

    "Well.. At least Atlantis is nice." Jun said staring into the sky looking around the school.

    "It is quite amazing." I answered him.

    "Is it self-sufficient?" He questioned.

    "Yeah.. In our tour they showed us that the School is generally self-sufficient." Jay answered.

    "Must be nice having a world tree. How did it get on Atlantis?.." He questioned.

    "We don''t have any idea either, they said when Atlantis was discovered it was already there." Jay answered.

    "So weird question on Paul." Jun said as if looking for permission, "So Paul and Emilia are exes?" Jun quickly asked.

    "Yup.." Grace answered for me.

    "And.. they still have feelings for each other?" Jun followed up his question.

    "Yup." Jay answered.

    "But she hasn''t seen him for a long time, she only saw him again when she got picked to go to Atlantis." Helen added completely updating Jun on the whole situation.

    "Wait what.. did you guys listen into all of conversations?" I questioned in shock.

    "Elven Ears..." Helen and Grace nodded.

    "I mean it''s kinda easy to read." Jay replied.

    "Daisy are you okay?" Jun asked.

    "Ohhh and Daisy has a big crush on Paul because he saved her life.. But he doesn''t seem to show any interest." Helen explained to him.

    "Dramaaaa." Jun laughed learning of the love triangle.

    "Ohhh and apparently Princess Calista also has a crush on him to." Grace added.

    "Ohh wow you both have no chance then.. A princess!" Jun chuckled at the drama.

    "Guys.. Some privacy please." I asked them to change the subject politely.

    "Sure, sorry sorry." Jun apologised.

    "Do you know what Paul and High Admiral Yurika are doing?" I questioned.

    "Well you have nothing to worry about she''s already married and madly in love with her husband." Jun explained to me giving me a cheeky grim. "They most likely just chit chatting talking about the drama with the other schools and defending the northern front." Jun answered.

    "Northern front?" I questioned.

    "Yes High Admiral Yurika is stationed on the northern side defending Aspa from the creatures and monsters of the Barren North." Jun answered.

    "I''m surprised anything can survive that harsh barren cold climate." Jay questioned.

    "Me too.. But there has been sightings of very monstrous creatures there." Jun explained.

    "Hey Jun after today would we ever see you again?" I questioned.

    "Sadly I really doubt it... unless you join Ashley and personally visit our titan.. Or you happen to be in the same Sky city we''re on during refuelling and recharging." Jun answered.

    "Well it was great to meet you." I smiled.

    "And it was great to meet you all." Jun smiled.

    "Did the simulation room meet your expectations?" Jay questioned.

    "Ohh yeah!! I wish we had a room in Aspa or on our Titans" Jun answered looking hopeful.

    "Well I guess you can ask for the design or something." I suggested.

    "I really doubt it.. Unless Aspa has something significant to offer Atlantis and considering Ashley is here and you have that awesome simulation room. I doubt Aspa is ahead of Atlantis as we initially thought." Jun chuckled.

    "Hey is that Morgana following some students?" Jay said pointing at Morgana in the distance keeping a big distance between her and a group of students.

    "Hey do you think it''s about the thing Ashley spoke of earlier?" I asked him.

    "Huh? Whats going on?" Jun asked a little confused.

    "We don''t know either let''s ask what''s going on." Grace said running to her.

    "Morgana." We whispered joining her behind the bush.

    "Hey friends." She said turning around to face us.

    "What''s going on?" Jun asked.

    "Who''s he?" Morgana asked in shock.

    "Hi.. Officer Jun and Second in Command of ASF Thunderer" Jun whispered holding his hand out for a shake.

    "Morgana Adoptive Daughter of Granny Matilda of the Ulborg Swamplands." She whispered shaking Jun''s hand.

    "Did she just say Ulborg swamplands....." Jay uttered in complete shock.

    "Nice to meet you.." Jun replied as shocked as Jay.

    "What''s the Ulborg Swamps?" I asked Helen and Grace who didn''t seem at all shocked.

    "It''s a large distant landmass writhe with deadly dangerous creatures and begins, apparently even the land itself seeks to snuff out life. Filled with tribes worshiping old ancient Gods." Helen described.

    "Forget the niceties what''s going on?" I asked Morgana splitting the awkwardly slow long hand shake between Jun and Morgana and closing Jay''s jaw.

    "I''ve Been following these students every few nights.. But this is the first time I''ve seen them out together in a group in board day light." Morgana notified us.

    "I''m sure they are just friends." Jun said taking a glance at them.

    "The problem is that they are friends.." Morgana said looking at them intently.

    "Whys that?.." Helen asked.

    "Well lucky for me they are also part of my class so it''s been really easy to track them and watch them closely without looking suspicious.. But on recent outings they have gathered some ingredients that might suggest something." Morgana answered.

    "What did they manage to get their hands on?" Grace asked.

    "Last week they managed to get a hold of the skin of a pale skin girl. That material in particular is very hard to get and they defiantly needed outside help to get it." Morgana informed us.

    "Yesterday they managed to get the Wings of an Imp and Vials of blood no doubt demon blood but I couldn''t identify which." Morgana informed us.

    "What do they do?" We all asked.

    "It''s the ingredients for a dark potion whereby the drinker is transformed and mutated into a horrific beast half demon half human and I''m not talking about Daisy''s kind." She informed us.

    "Hey!! I''m Half Devil!" Daisy said sounding a little offended.

    "Sorry.." Morgana apologised.

    "And their plans with such potion?" I asked in shock.

    "No idea yet.. But judging by the amount of people they have right now it might be going on today." Morganna theorized.

    "..Paul is out of action, and we have two Aspan High Admirals and their fleet here. Sounds like probable cause." Jay agreed.

    "They keep speaking of a target though.. I haven''t quite worked out what it is but they said it''s a child touched by their Dark Lord." Morgana informed us.

    That must be Paul I thought to myself.. The visions of his body being possessed by something evil.. It must be him.

    "There''s a small dispute among them." Morgana informed us.

    "What are they arguing about?.. How can you hear them?" Jay asked.

    "I have my spores on them.. I can listen to them through my spores." she explained causing Helen to gasp in shock. "They are arguing whether or not to follow the plan.. Hastening the schedule is putting everything at risk." Morgana relayed to us.

    "They seem really eager to execute their plan today of all days." Jay said.

    "So the question is who is their target?..." Jay pondered.

    "It could be Paul." I suggested to everyone.

    "Okay.. Reasons?" Jay asked looking at me.

    "He''s weakened to the point of being a normal human in a wheelchair.." I explained to them, not revealing the true reason why.

    "Good point but also you have to remember Scarlet is always with him, there is no way they have a plan to get past her." Jay offered his opinion.

    "How many of these potions can they make?" Grace asked Morgana.

    "No way to know for sure but at least five." She answered.

    "Maybe their targets are Aspans? Cause a conflict between the two institutes." Grace theorized.

    "That''s a possibility.. But we''d have to find out the name of all Aspen students and somehow find out who''s been affected by their God." Jay replied.

    "Well I let you all know now.. There hasn''t been a report of Demon possession of any sort in all Aspan Fleets." Jun answered.

    "Maybe the target or targets are just ordinary Atlantis students? Using the opportunity to spread chaos and distrust in Atlantis security and Atlantis as a whole?" Daisy suggested.

    "That could also be their plan." Jay agreed.

    "So many variables.." Jun pondered.

    "Have they said anything on when it''s all going down?" Jay asked.

    "No but I believe the best time would be during dinner where security is lightest and everyone would be in the Great Hall having their meals." Morgana guessed.

    "Okay so we know they are following the worship of Demons, so we can assume the demon attack on Paul and Scarlet and these guys are linked." Jay pointed out.

    "Yes I remember it was giant and grotesque, a flaming sword and its skin and wings were as red as blood." I described it to them.

    "Wait how did you guys see a Demon?" Jun asked in utter shock.

    "Not now.. We''ll explain everything later.." Jay informed him, "Helen Grace any idea what sort of Demon it was?... I''ve never read about any Demons." Jay asked them.

    "Hmmm Red demons with a flaming sword, defiantly sounds like Khorcus or a Demon of Khorcus." Grace nodded.

    "Yeah I concur." Helen nodded.

    "Okay so what does Khorcus preach?"

    "He''s the Demon Lord that loves blood shed fighting and killing." Grace answered.

    "Right.. So I guess it''s safe to assume that what they have planned is going to bring killing and bloodshed." Jun theorized.

    "Yes I believe so too." Jay agreed.

    "Jun do you think your fleets are going to be safe?" I questioned sounding worried.

    "Well Atlantis has also graciously offered to have meals prepared for the fleet as well." Jun answered.

    "Well that''s another potential target." I sighed.

    "This way over our heads... we need to tell someone." Helen said looking worried.

    "No doubt... there''s no way all of us can cover all those locations." Jay agreed.

    "But remember Ashley said we''re the only ones that can do it as any senior Atlantis member would spook them into hiding again." I reminded them.

    "Have they made the potions yet?" Helen asked Morgana.

    "They could have easily made it last night or in the process of making it now." Morgana answered.

    "This just gets better and better." I sighed. "So just to make sure, they worship a Demon called Khorcus, so we can safely assume they want to cause as many fatalities as possible, they also have one target in mind someone who''s been touched by their Demon lord. They can produce upwards of five vials...." I began to hone in all the important factors.

    "So if we were worshippers of Khorcus.. What would be the best course of action." Jay pondered.

    "Well.. Considering the amount of VIP and high ranked students and teachers in the Dining hall I assume a lot of vials will be reserved for there. Then I would have some snuck on the Aspa fleet to sow Chaos and mistrust." Jun answered.

    "So first thing''s first we need to watch them closely to see what they are up to." I suggested.

 173 Demon Incursion

    Well Well well.. Looks like we got ourselves a few trouble makers starting with suspicious activities." A familiar female voice announced to us making us all freeze up in fear.

    "Atlantis students as well... for shame." Another familiar male voice added onto the conversation.

    "Do you want me to arrest them?" Another unfamiliar male voice asked.

    "Nah it''s alright we know these kiddos." An arm grabbed me on the shoulder.

    "It''s only been a day and you guys are up to no good again huh?" Yuna turned me around to face her and Sven grinning with laughter.

    "Ohh Officer Jun we have no report of you being on board Atlantis." The other student wearing an Aspan uniform said noticing Officer Jun.

    "Wow you guys really are trouble makers." Sven said shaking his head, "Officer Jun you need to come with us right away.. So we can go through the proper channels and have a proper guard unit with you." Sven said lending him a hand to get up.

    "Thank you but I''m afraid a situation has arisen that requires your attention immedicably." He notified Sevn making him look at the rest of us.

    "Is this true?" Sven asked us with a raised eyebrow making us all nod in unison.

    "Okay let''s hear it then.. Since you guys did discover about the Dark Elves." Sven sighed.

    "There''s a group of secret students that are planning to transform students into Demons of Korcus." I explained to him.

    "You can''t be serious.." Sven said looking at me as if I just him something absolutely absurd.

    "It''s true Morgana has evidence." Jay added.

    "Okay well let''s see it then." Yuna asked.

    "Well it''s not physical evidence.. It''s more of something I saw." Morgana admitted.

    "Okay let''s hear it then." Sven asked.

    "So last week there was a group of students that went to an inn picking up a package containing skin of a pale individual." Morgana informed them.

    "Okay so contraband." Yuna nodded.

    "Then yesterday they managed to get a hold of Imp wings and vials of blood of unknown origin.. But we believe these students are connected to the Demon attack during the acceptance ceremony." Morgana added explaining slowly so they''d follow.

    "We also think because of the nature of the Demon they are followers of Khorcus, the Demon of killing and bloodshed." Grace included.

    "Morgana also listened to their conversation, there is talk about doing something today." I explained.

    "We believe it''s because Paul is currant out of commission and the Aspan fleets are also here." Jay explained.

    "And which students do you believe are involves?" Yuna asked.

    "So far.. I''ve identified the four in my class.. But there has been others who I don''t recognise because they aren''t in my year or class." Morgana answered.

    "Okay.. So the operation is much bigger than just a small group." Sven nodded.

    "I also think that they happened be visit the right cities to get the ingredients isn''t a coincidence." Morgana added.

    "Wow so a faculty member could be involved if this is true this is very serious." Sven replied.

    "Yuna you stay with them, Eric you come with me I''m going to report these findings to Paul." Sven ordered.

    "Sure." Yuna nodded.

    "Don''t do anything rash till we''ve decided the best course of action." He ordered and walked away with the other Aspan student.

    "Okay.. So where are they now?" Yuna asked looking over the bush.

    "They''ve gone deeper into the main building but they are blow ground level Grace and Morgana notified us.

    "Okay... we need to go investigate, Morgana is it? And Grace both of you lead the way." She asked.

    "Is everything going to be okay? Sven said don''t do anything rash.." I asked Yuna.

    "So far we''re just going to investigate but it''s not looking great at the moment, students shouldn''t ber going down below ground level of the school so that alone is a cause of concern." Yuna answered.

    "Are they talking about anything?" Jay asked Morgana.

    "They seem to be discussing how glorious the ritual will be, there''s defiantly going to be a lot of bloodshed if all goes to plan." Morgana answered.

    "Okay that doesn''t sound good... seems like whatever they are planning is going down today." Yuna replied

    As we entered the main building Yuna took us to a well-hidden archway which lead to a set of stairs leading down the building. "Wow I never realised that all our classes and rooms go upstairs." I said in realisation.

    "Yes the lower we go the more unstable the rooms are, we don''t know why but there has been situations of students going missing and other things so going below the ground floor is strictly restricted to teachers and veteran students." Yuna explained.

    "Why is that?" Jay questioned.

    "There''s something weird about Atlantis the deeper we go the wonkier reality gets." She warned.

    "Is it really that bad?" I questioned.

    "The first three levels are relatively stable but they get exponentially worse when you go deeper." She answered.

    "So why would they be down there?" Helen questioned.

    "Normally you''re not allowed so the fact they are down there is rather suspicious." Yuna answered.

    The atmosphere and the lighting became more eerie as we descended down the level, "I''ll lead from here." Yuna said taking point.

    "The air is really stale.." Helen said finding it very uncomfortable.

    "Yeah because of the risk Atlantis has ignored the lower levels." Yuna answered.

    "Can you tell how much further they are?" Tuna asked as we reached the second floor.

    "If they floor are the same approximately three more." Grace answered.

    "Hmm... we''ll go down to level three and see if there''s anything dodgy.. I don''t feel safe taking you guys further." she notified us.

    Slowly we made our way to the third floor being as quiet as we can, "Hmmm this floor still looks clear." Yuna said peeping through the hallway filled with undisturbed cobwebs and dust and dirt all over the floor. "Okay you all stay here.. I''ll take a peek on the lower floors." She said slowly making her way down the spiral stairs, peering down through the darkness she froze still and retreated back up to us. "Stay quiet and make your way back up now." She ordered us with a very serious look on her face making us all silently began ascending the levels till we reached the ground floor again.

    "What happened?" Jay asked at the sudden seriousness of the situation.

    "It''s not good... It might be Atlantis but I sense a lot of Evil magic going on down there." She informed us making us all gasp in shock.

    "What does that mean?!" I asked in shock.

    "I''m not sure but it defiantly brought chills up my spine just looking in the direction." Yuna answered.

    "So what should we do?" I asked.

    "We''ll watch this entrance for now... I''ll be sending Sven a message." Yuna answered us.

    "Did you see anything down there?.." Grace asked.

    "Yes.. Something I''ve never seen before, there were two guards wielding polearms there, they wore heavy bulky armour and seemed emotionless no breathing or sorts, wearing a weird white mask resembling a babies face." She answered.

    "What in the world is that?!" Grace asked in shock.

    "I have no idea but it gave me the creeps." Yun answered and began tapping her finger against Sven''s invisible thread.

    "Is everything going to be okay?" Daisy questioned extremely worried.

    "It''s a lot more dire then I initially thought, if they somehow managed to bypass Atlantis shielding and managed to get Demons on site we''re going to be to cleanse the area and wrok out how they managed to achieve it." Yuna answered.

    "What''s going to happen next?" Jay questioned.

    "Umm if it isn''t already clear Aspa is here if you need anything." Jun offered.

    "It might be safer for you and your crew to return to your fleet." Yuna informed Jun.

    "Well if you wouldn''t mind.. I''d like to see what happens." Jun requested.

    "Okay... hmm... if anyone asks, say you pulled rank on me. Do you have your weapons on you?" Yuna asked.

    "Umm I''m not great in combat." He confessed to her.

    "I''m so going to get in trouble for this." Yuna sighed, "Take this." She said taking a set of throwing knives out of her pocket. "Use them in close combat and throw them if you''re in dire need." She instructed him.

    "So how long do we need to wait?" Grace asked.

    "To be honest I don''t think you guys did all you can, it''s way too dangerous for even me." Yuna answered and went silent for a small amount for time seemingly focusing on something, "Okay so it looks like Sven has spoken to Paul and is sending reinforcements." Yuna informed us.

    "Ohh wow this must be really serious." I said in shock hearing the news.

    "When it comes to Demons and Devils you have to be very careful, they wrong move can damn your soul for an eternity or drive you insane." Yuna replied

    "Morgana what are they saying now?" I asked feeling really worried.

    "I can''t hear them no more.. I think it might be Atlantis messing with my network." Morgana informed us.

    "Just keep a watch on their location, if they manage to resurface we need to act quickly." Yuna instructed us.

    "Daisy I remember you''re a follower of Serra right?" She asked Daisy politely.

    "Yes I am." Daisy smiled.

    "Great.. Khorcus is a natural enemy to Serra''s ways so even though you''re gonna be effective against them, they will also hurt you more and most likely aim for you." Yuna explained.

    "I''ll be okay." Daisy smiled.

    "I''m serious, not only do they have Demons here somehow I don''t even know how many students they have and their ranks for all I know they could have some B and A Class students in their ranks." Yuna answered.

    "What a great time for Paul to be out of commission." Jay added.

    "It should be alright, we still have Scarlet." Yuna smiled.

    "Who else do you think will be arrive to help?" I asked.

    "To be honest I''m not sure but most likely Scarlet would be sent to get rid of the threat as quickly and swiftly as possible." Yuna smiled.

    "Isn''t it dangerous for her as well to descend the levels?" Jay questioned.

    "Probably.. But you know her, if anyone can descend the level safely it would be her." Yuna answered.

    "So somehow these students managed to summon Demons onto Atlantis grounds themselves?" I asked.

    "Well I assume so since I haven''t seen those Baby faces armoured things before and I sense evil things dwelling down there." Yuna answered.

 174 Resurface

    Scarlet''s familiar fear instinct began to tingle, my hairs standing on end and the sense of fleeing crept into my body. "Use this." I said passing my coin to Officer Jun and Daisy passed hers to Yuna after using a charge.

    "Hey everyone!" Scarlet greeted us with a giant smile donning her iconic armour pieces over a nice blue dress and her giant sword on her back.

    "Commander Scarlet!" Yuna saluted her like a solider saluting their commander.

    "So what''s the situation?" Scarlet asked giving office Jun a nod of recognition.

    "We believe there''s a Demonic incursion on the 5th basement floor.. There were strange armoured things guarding the entrance to the floor." Yuna explained.

    "We also believe they have plans on an imminent attack.. The target currently unknown." Jay informed her.

    "Anything else?" Scarlet asked smiling with no worry at all.

    "We believe they are followers of Khorcus." Grace added.

    "Great my favourite kind, up close and personal." Scarlet smiled.

    "We also have a small party of collaborators marked with Morgana''s spores and my hunters mark." Grace notified her.

    "Nice.. And they are still down below on the 5th floor?" Scarlet questioned.

    "Currently." Grace answered.

    "Good, I assume they will have other means of escape. If they leave before I can get to them, it''s up to you to intercept. Don''t let them get to their target." Scarlet ordered.

    "Are we gonna come with you?" I asked Scarlet feeling a little worried.

    "Sadly it''s far too dangerous, even with Ashley''s stabilizers and my protection you''d be relatively safe.. But I don''t know what''s down there if they have a Balron or a Pit Commander, they could literally kill you at a glance and I won''t be able to stop them." She warned us for once looking and sounding serious for our safety.

    "Are you going to be okay then?" I asked extremely worried that has no back up.

    "Don''t worry Sis! I''ve got this!" She answered with a giant smile with absolute no look of worry.

    "Are you sure it''s going to be safe what if a Demon Lord is down there?" I questioned her again to make sure.

    "Demon Lord aren''t easy to summon, they need a lot of blood sacrifices and a long complex ritual that needs a lot of ingredients and planning. Also if the Demon Lord was here we''d know." Scarlet smiled.

    "Okay be careful." I asked her.

    "It''s okay sis! Nothing can hurt me." She smiled and began descending down the level.

    "Stay safe! And come back!" I shouted to her.

    "I''ll see you in abit." She turn back to face me with a giant smile and waving goodbye disappearing down the levels.

    "Is she really going to be okay?" I questioned extremely worried for her as she left us with no worries at all.

    "See at this point I''d imagine you guys would sneak in and follow her.. But I''m afraid I can''t let that happen." Yuna informed us.

    "For once I think we should pass on this opportunity." Jay agreed.

    "But she''s on her own!" I instinctively objected a little worried for her.

    "I think in this situation, we''d be getting in the way if we got involved." Grace agree with the others.

    "I''m sorry Emilia, but Scarlet did say there are Demons that can kill us at a glance.. It''s far too dangerous and I''m sure she''s going to be okay otherwise she would have brought back up." Yuna put a hand on my shoulder to try and comfort me.

    "We should prepare... once they know Scarlet has arrived they will bound to scatter and flee." Grace informed us.

    "Let''s go.. We''ll head to the world tree, it''s the centremost point of Atlantis." Yuna instructed us and began leading the way.

    "Do you think we''ll be good enough to handle them?" I asked worried knowing that Demons and things is something you shouldn''t mess with.

    "We''re gonna need to be, we don''t know who else are collaborators so we can''t be certain who we can and can''t trust." Yuna answered.

    "This is insane how all this can happen?" I questioned.

    "We don''t know for certain but for now we know this is happening we can take steps and measures to stop and prevent it." Yuna answered.

    "But why would students collaborate with Demons?!" I questioned the absurdity of it all.

    "Like I said before, they must have been corrupted by some way or another.. Or they secretly wanted more power. We won''t know for certain till Scarlet cleanses the floor and discovers what''s actually going on down there." Yuna answered.

    "Do you think she''s actually going to be okay all by herself?" I questioned.

    "I''m sure she''s fine.. If you''ve heard the stories and missions her and Paul had completed you''d understand how strong she really is beneath that bubble exterior." Yuna answered.

    "One story that I loved is when Scarlet single handily brokered a peace between a Orc and Elf settlement by beating both the Orc Clanleader and an Elf Prince in single combat unarmed." Grace replied with a smile.

    "My personal favourite is the story of them taking out an Elder Mind nest, you know how dangerous Mindsappers are!! Yet Paul and Scarlet managed to wipe out a camp." Jun added in excitement.

    "Do you know much about the girl Anna?" I asked Yuna.

    "Who''s that?" she asked.

    "She''s a young girl who helps Paul abit.. She wears glasses." I answered

    "Ohhh her, I''ve seen her in some ops, she''s very good with all sorts of weapons and is a very deadly combatant, very swift and very efficient at taking out her targets." Yuna answered.

    "Is there anyone else in their team?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well there is Ashley who I''m sure you know but other than that not currently I think." Yuna answered.

    "Do you think we''d see anything happen while Scarlet is down there?.." I questioned at how peaceful everything up here is.

    "Maybe if she wants to cause a scene she probably could." Yuna chuckled.

    "By the way is she really as Invincible as people say?" Jun asked.

    "On the first day I arrived she saved me by catching a blade with her bare hand and crushed it with ease." I answered Jun.

    "No way!! That must have been so awesome!" He imagined in glee.

    "I do wonder.. If a Sun Blade can cut her." Helen pondered.

    "There is no way she can be immune to a Sun Blade, they are hot enough to instantly cut through any weaponry and armour." Grace answered.

    "I really wish I could witness what''s going down there." Jun said lost in his imagination.

    "That would be a good watch." Yuna agreed.

    "Have you ever dealt with demons before?" I asked Yuna.

    "Nope.. I''ve never encountered anything infernal in nature.. Trust me when I say they are extremely rare." Yuna answered.

    "So if we was to encounter anything, what could we expect?" I asked her curiously.

    "Well form what I learnt about Demons is that they are Chaotic in nature, unlike Devils there is no reasoning with them there is no greater cause or hidden agendas, they revel in the chaos of their Demon Lord. In this case of Khorcus expect melee fighters, despite being a demon and chaotic he and his followers revel in the thrill of the fight." Yuna explained.

    "So there''s a huge difference between Devils and Demons?" I questioned.

    "Yes very big difference, Devils are different their main agenda is to gather souls, for them it''s like their currency the more souls they have tied to them the more powerful they become. So rather than fighting and killing like Demons, Devils like to make deals where it''s a win-win situation, they either get what they want or get your soul so always be careful when you sign a contract with a Devil." Yuna explained.

    "Can''t you just go back on the contract?" I questioned intrigued to learn more.

    "Umm I can''t really explain it but once the contract is signed or even verbally agreed upon, it''s now set in stone there''s no going back or escaping the contract, the best way I can describe it is that you''re bound magically to the contract. Unless of course the Devil chooses to void the contract but I don''t see a reason why they would." Yuna answered.

    "And Devils and Demon from the same place?" I questioned getting as much information as I can.

    "So what I''ve learnt from Devils and Demons are that they are natural enemies of each other.. They wage a war in the Hells for control of their domains. Demons engage in open conflict with each other and Devils, whereas Devils fight on a united front but behind close doors scheme and plan to other throw the other." Yuna explained.

    "How do we know so much about Devils and Demons?" I questioned curiously.

    "Ohh it''s because the Library of Atlantis is vast, you do know the legend right?" Yuna asked.

    "Ohh what''s the secret?" I asked in excitement.

    "Atlantis was rumoured to be a planes traversing fortress." Yuna whispered making the secret sound more exciting.

    "Ohh that coincides with our records." Helen and Grace replied hearing the secret.

    "What is that?!" Yuna asked in shock.

    "Long ago before the Elves left the Fey Lands and began to live lives here they were also visited by a Grand Floating Fortress with a World Tree in the Centre, and the Man who commanded this Great fortress was someone who went by the name King Solomon." Grace explained.

    "Wow no way...." Yuna replied in shock.

    "What is it?" Jay asked.

    "Well in the library there is a sectioned off part where all the oldest texts and scrolls are held, apparently most of them was written by the same man who went by that name!" Yuna answered still in shock at the correlation of information.

    "You know guys... there was one weird that happened to me." I confessed to everyone making them all look at me extremely intrigued. "So when we visited the Sporean settlement.. I was attacked by a Blue Dragon." I began to cautiously explain as everyone''s jaws literally dropped at me telling them this news. "And it called me Daughter of Solomon.. Whatever that means." I finished explaining my bit.

    "No way..." Jay uttered in complete awe.

    "Wait so you''re a descendant of King Solomon?" Jun and Yuna asked.

    "Not that I know of.." I answered.

    "Wait so do you know of Atlantis before you came here?" Yuna asked.

    "Well..." I paused for a second realising that Yuna doesn''t know where I''m from. "Of course I heard of Atlantis being one of the four great schools." I answered.

    "Ohh silly me." She said laughing at herself. "But I could have sworn literally all dragons vanished." Yuna replied.

    "That''s what we thought." Grace and Helen agreed.

    "By the way why did they all vanish?" I questioned.

    "My mum told me there an ancient ritual was enacted banishing all dragons, she said the immense spell spread across the whole world." Morgana answered out of the blue being silent till now.

    "What.. no way." Jay uttered again like his mind was blown again.

    "Yup, that''s what mum told me." Morgana smiled.

    "Just how informed are you all." Yuna asked in shock.

    "Well we only know small bits, this was the first time we collaborated information." Grace answered.

    "So how long ago did all the dragons vanish? I questioned.

    "No one know for sure the exact time and date but it was a long time ago.. Predating the Oblivion war." Yuna answered.

    "For sure.. If the Dragons were here to help it they would defiantly have turned the tides of war sooner." Jay answered.

    "But what spell could banish all the Dragons in the world?... specially since Dragons are immune to magic." Grace asked Morgana.

    Morgana shrugged, "I dunno my mum just said she felt it the immense spell being cast." Morgana answered.

    "Wow.. daughter of King Solomon huh?" Yuna starred at me pondering.

    "Trust me I don''t think I''m anything special." I smiled to her.

    "Guys.. I sensed the party have resurfaced." Morgana and Grace said in unison with a complete change of attitude and tone.

    "Where?" Yuna asked jumping up ready for action.

 175 Arres

    "They are at the Colosseum." Grace notified us strapping her bow to her back.

    "Have they split up?" Yuna asked.

    "So far mine are also in the Colosseum." Morgana answered causing Yuna to sprint forward quickly followed by Daisy.

    "Why would they be there?" I asked watching as Yuna and Daisy blast past us racing toward the Colosseum.

    "It''s most likely the least populated area since there are no duels today." Jay answered trying to keep up.

    "Don''t fall behind! I''ll lead." Grace said racing past us her showing off her Elven agility angling her body forward and her legs racing at an unfathomable pace.

    "Get on!" Helen yelled to me as she went on all fours her body transforming into a silver furred giant wolf kneeling down to me as if she knew I''d won''t be able to keep up.

    Quickly jumping on and bracing myself for the intense speed squeezing my thighs against her torso as hard as I could and grabbing two fists full of fur, "Okay go!" I instructed her instinctively angling my body forward readying myself for the sudden acceleration.

    "What about us?!" Jun and Jay said their voices faded from distance as Helen began running at full speed keeping up with the pace of Yuna and the other. I didn''t dare look back in fear of falling off or losing my grip.

    It was impressive that Daisy could keep up with Yuna and Grace despite being clad in a full set of plate armour and a heavy maul on her back and even more impressive that all three were able to run as fast as Helen in her Giant Wolf transformation.

    "Don''t engage them straight away! We have protocol, only engage if I engage!" Yun ordered us shouting loudly so we could all hear her clearly.

    As we neared the Colosseum the great giant circular structure constructed out of stone perfectly chiselled and kept in pristine condition brought back memories of visiting the Colosseum of Rome without the ware of time. The silhouette of five students appeared in front of us seemingly in argument, no doubt arguing about being discovered.

    "Is that them?!" Yuna asked Grace as they spotted us racing towards them.

    "That''s them!" Grace answered her with a stern and definitive tone.

    We slowed down as we neared them, they looked absolutely normal uncorrupted at all in any way or form, no wonder why they wasn''t discovered till now. "Hey!" Yun shouted making her way towards them.

    "HI!" they all greeted her back masking their intension, totally unaware that we know what they are up to. As Yuna ordered we followed her giving her a bit of distance also similarly masking our intentions showing no signs that we are ready for a fight.

    "May I ask what you all are doing so far out?" Yuna questioned politely her voice soft and sweet showing no signs of suspicion.

    "I thought we were allowed to go where ever we wanted Yuna." A male voice answered her confidently with a hint of aggression in his voice showing signs of contempt.

    "Ohh Gregor nice to see you again." Yuna replied ignoring the aggressive tone he answered her with. "As you know security is tight today of all days. So if you don''t mind we need to escort you back to the courtyard." Yuna kindly requested them still masking our true intentions.

    "Under what authority?" Gregor asked balling his fists in anger, no doubt finding Yuna''s candor insulting or disrespectful. As Yuna stopped keeping a small distance between them and us, the other four students looked a lot younger than he did, two extremely young ones no doubt the freshman Morgana pinpointed earlier today, most likely coaxed or tricked by him to join his cause.

    "I''m part of the security patrol today, so I''d hate to pull rank but you''re gonna need to come with me." Yuna politely requested still keeping up the masquerade.

    With each passing second the less seasoned students seemed to be getting more and more nervous, their bodies fidgeting and hiding their quivering hands behind their backs and look down to the ground like a sign of guilt.

    "Very well." Gregor agreed walking towards Yuna pretending to be innocent walking weirdly through her.

    "That''s great to hear." Yuna smiled stepping aside one hand on her hip and the other outstretched gesturing towards the main building leaving her body wide open for him.

    "Still as oblivious as ever." Gregor uttered under his breath with a malevolent grin swiftly pulling out a dagger hidden under his belt trying to plunge it deep into Yuna''s open torso.

    "Are we the oblivious one?!" Yuna grinned back grabbing his forearm stooping the dagger in its place unable to reach its target. "I''m arresting you all for further investigation against Atlantis." Yuna order making us all jump into action.

    Helen took the opportunity biting one of the younger ones in the arm flinging her effortlessly away and pounced on her body pinning her down stopping her from doing anything. The other young one drew a dagger defensively, "Don''t." I ordered him trying to sound as confident as I could getting off Helen and pointed my wand at him pleading to God that he listens to me.

    "Don''t think about it!" Grace yelled ordering the two remaining slightly older student, her bow fully drawn with two nocked ready to let loose into the other two student''s making the freeze on the spot.

    "You''re out numbered, it''s useless. Just come with me peacefully and we can talk things out and you guys might have a chance to defend you case." Yuna warned Gregor as Daisy restrained his other arm.

    "So you knew all along huh?" Gregor asked Yuna with no hint of fear still ready to start a fight.

    "To think you''d stoop so low to worship a Demon for power." Yuna answered him completely disgusted at his choice.

    "Don''t pretend you understand me!" He yelled in complete anger, with one big kick forcing Yuna to block it but gave him enough of an opening to break free from her grasp but unable to free is other hand from Daisy strong grip. "I only need one hand." He smiled pulling out a vial with his newly freed hand downing a potion and dashing the vial on the ground. "You''re all F*cked now!" He yelled as he began to let out a horrific scream of pain.

    Before the two older students could reach into their pocket, with a look of deep regret and painful sorrow Grace let loose two arrows into the students her arrows imbedding themselves into the writs of one of their hands with pinpoint accuracy paralyzing their hand that tried to reach for into their pockets.

    "Don''t!" I saw the young boy look at me his demeanour suddenly changed to seething hatred and charged at me. My hesitation got the better of me unable to hurt someone as young twelve of thirteen who must have been tricked down this path. With no hesitation he plunged his small dagger down to the hilt deep into my abdomen sending me down to one knee as searing hot pain rending my body almost useless. "FU*K." I yelled instinctively in absolute pain grabbing the dagger imbedded in me stopping him from pulling it out and pointing my wand at him. "Icio-igna!" I yelled closing my eyes in deep regret and pain, shooting a fire bolt straight into his chest at point blank range sending him flying back a tumbling into the ground the smell of burnt clothes and charred flesh filled the air, with smoke bellowing from his still body gently rising into the rich blue sky.

    "Restrain them!" Grace yelled out causing Helen to quickly look at the two students Grace shot still trying to reach into their pocket with their shaky hands wracked in pain. To our surprise out of nowhere thick boggy sickly looking vines erupted out of the ground restraining those two students completely as the vines grew around their arms forcing them into full extension and pulling them down forcing them to their knees and bending their heads backwards forcing them to stare into the sky.

    "Ouch ouch." Jun and Jay''s voice let out as they came tumbling in as morgana entered the fray her form shifting back to human, but her appearance looked drastically changed, her body was littered with patches of light green stubble like fur resembling very short grass. The other parts of her skin began to dry forming distinct cracks in her skin releasing some sort of almost invisible dust particles.

    "Is she okay?" Yuna asked instinctively seeing all of us look at her in complete shock not knowing the answer.

    "She''s okay!" Helen informed us morphing out restraining the two remaining young girl and boy with thorny vines resembling rose stems. "She''s a spore Druid." Helen said looking at her in disgust.

    Gregor screamed in pain as his body began to bulge in the most unnatural way possible making Daisy release his hand taking a few steps back. "Blood.. Glory.. For.. My.. Lord..!!" He struggled to yell out the hideous and painful transformation interrupting his speech with cries of pain.

    No amount of prep talk could ready my resolve witnessing the hideous transformation of that potion, every part of his body looked wracked in pain as his bones cracked in the most unnatural ways and his muscles bulged and swelled in ripples like they were liquefied beneath his skin.

    "Kill it!" Yuna ordered in panic causing Grace to let loose an arrow into Gregor''s neck but with seemingly no effect his transforming body devouring the arrow in expanding muscle and flesh.

    "Icio-igna!" I yelled firing a fire bolt at it doing little nothing but charring a small chunk of skin that was quickly overlapped with fresh new unscathed muscle and skin.

    "Fulgeo-Igna!" Jay yelled blasting a ray of bright hot blue flame burning a large sizeable hole in Gregor or what''s left of him, right through the chest but again the hole was quickly covered with a mass of liquefied flesh that still carried on expanding.

    "Fall back!" Yuna order making us retreat a few steps leaving a big distance between us and Gregor but we still surrounded him.

    Morgana plunged her hands into the ground muttering something quietly forcing the ground beneath him to turn into liquid black bubbling tar sinking him slowly inside the smell and sound of searing flesh flooded the air causing me to hold my breath at the disgusting smell.

    Like a well combined team Helen chanted something in a language I didn''t understand making the black tar splash out the sides causing Gregor to sink faster and with a wave of her staff the spilled out tar fully engulfed him silencing his screams of pain as his mouth filled with hot boiling tar.

    "Is it over?" Yunna asked quickly grabbing Daisy and regrouping up into one group.

    Daisy illuminated yellow and began to focus, "I''m afraid he''s still alive and growing." Daisy notified us with a hint of fear in her voice.

    "Let me.." Helen said holding the handle of the dagger still deep inside me, the adrenaline now pumping through my body, numbing to the pain to a mere a strong sting.

    "Okay." I nodded to her holding my breath steadying myself for the incoming pain.

    Helen nodded holding me up with one arm yanked out the dagger forcing me to drop again as the pain shot out through my body. She quickly covered my wound with her hand whispering something that sounded and flowed beautifully like a song causing her hands to glow green numbing the pain in my abdomen.

    "Be ready.. He''s coming.." Daisy uttered as a giant bright red skinned hand emerged from the tar its nails elongated like natural weapons designed to tear through its victims.

    "Judging by its hand.. This thing is huge!" Yuna informed us pushing us back to lengthen the distance between us.

 176 Goat Horned Demon

    Yuna was right, If the red hand was anything to go on this thing would be the same size if not bigger than a bear. A second hand shot up emerging from the tar placing its large palm on the solid ground and began pulling itself up.

    "Okay, what now?" Grace asked Yuna letting loose an arrow into the hand with no effect scattering into pieces as it hit its target. "I think we''ve got a problem." Grace said letting loose another arrow with no effect.

    "Yup I agree.." Yuna said forcing us to step back more as it began pulling itself out a pair of upward facing long pointy Goat horns emerged through the tar.

    "So what now?!" I questioned in a panic as a literal bright red hulking demon emerged, it was huge, easily towering above us. It looked like an absolute killing machine, its body completely stacked with muscles it''s nails long and sharp like deadly claws. No part of Gregor''s humanity was left, he was completely and utterly fully demon, nothing of the Demon standing in front of us looked remotely human.

    It looked at us and laughed snarling happily showing its sharp pointed serrated teeth designed tear flesh from bone. It began saying something to us in a guttural harsh sounding language holding out both its hands. "I''ll try and hold it off.. You guys try and find help as quickly as you can. Find a Professor Caldor if you can." Yuna instructed us.

    "You can''t hold this off by yourself." Daisy said drawing her maul readying herself.

    "I''ve got a plan.." Grace suggested as both of the demons hands lit up in flames and slowly manifested two large deadly looking serrated swords.

    "Helen! I need some animals!" Grace yelled quickly in a panic.

    "Okay!" Helen agreed and began casting a spell in that other language causing small puffs of smokes to appear summoning several small forest critters. Morgana seeing Helen summon some critters did the same summoning critters of her own but more mangled and dirty.

    Grace kneeled down saying something to them all in another language and with a unified nod all the critters scurried away. "What''s that?" Jun asked.

    "They are helping me send a message to Professor Caldor." Grace explained.

    "Officer Jun.. I''m afraid I''ll need you to stand back. We can''t have anything happen to you." Yuna said as the Demon snarled in glee walking towards us with its two giant swords.

    "If it''s not already apparent don''t let this thing hit you, it could probably slice us in two with ease." She warned.

    "I know." I replied backing up with every step it took closer to us.

    "What''s the plan?" Jay asked Yuna as scared as the rest of us.

    "We''ll delay it, keeping it here till backup arrives." Yuna said trying to sound confident but we could all tell that she''s also out of her depth here.

    "Paul we need help!" I spoke into my communication badge.

    "What''s wrong?!" Paul answered instantly.

    "We''re up against a Demon of Khorcus we need assistance." I said to him in a panic staring at the Demon ready to kill us for his Demon lord.

    "Fu*k where are you?.. I''m getting you help right now." He said in a panic.

    "We''re at the colosseum we need to hold it off so it doesn''t run rampage in the school." I answered.

    "I''m getting you help now! Don''t.... do anything stupid." He replied.

    "Okay Paul''s getting help." I notified everyone.

    "I hope it come''s soon." Yuna replied steadying her nerves readying herself.

    "You''re not thinking of going in are you?.." I questioned.

    "Well we need to stop it heading into Atlantis, so I''ve gotta keep it busy." Yuna answered.

    "Yes but it can also cleave you in two and he''s at least twice the size." I objected her decision.

    "That''s if he can hit me." Yuna smiled.

    "Paul what''s the spell that speeds people up?" I questioned him.

    "You mean haste?" He questioned.

    "Yes!! I really need it." I answered him.

    ".. Festatio.." Paul answered with a pause of hesitation, "Just remember to focus and imagine the spell you want to cast." He added sounding extremely worried.

    "Thanks." I answered him nodding, "Festatio!" I said pointing my wand at Yuna focusing on making her faster imagining the red blurry effect Paul did to Scarlet several times.

    "Woah!!! Haste... amazing!" Yuna smiled at me filled with more confidence. "There''s no chance it can hit me now!" She smiled looking back at the Demon with renewed hope and vigor.

    "Lenartus!" Jay yelled pointing his wand at the Demon shooting a spell at it but did nothing.

    "Demons are resistant to spells." Morgana informed him. "But this one should work." Morgana smiled speaking a spell in a language that sounded similar to Helen''s. The Demon began roar in pain as one of its swords began to glow red hot like it was super-heated.

    "I''d hate to admit it.. But that was a great idea." Helen said casting the same similar spell on the other sword forcing the Demon to roar in more pain as his hands emitted bellows of smoke withstanding the searing hot pain.

    "I thought you said Demons are resistant to spells." Jay asked in shock.

    "Demons are but the swords aren''t." Morgana smiled.

    "Screw it.. Festatio!" He said pointing his wand at Daisy giving her haste.

    "Let''s do this!" Daisy said closing her eyes and concentrating a little causing a very faint shimmer to appear around herself and Yuna. "We''ll focusing on holding it off till backup arrives right?" Daisy asked.

    "Yes.. We just need to hold it off we can''t let it back to the school it will cause a panic and more casualties." Yuna ordered.

    "Jun stay far away... the rest of you keep your distance let me and Daisy hold its attention." Yuna looked at Daisy with confidence giving her a nod.

    The two bravely strolled into the striking range of the Demon, it snarled and smiled with excitement watching Daisy closely licking its lips at Daisy, towering above her Daisy bravely stared back at it with no fear in her eyes.

    "Bring it!" Daisy smiled as Yuna used his fascination with Daisy to stab two throwing dagger in the back of its knees forcing it to drop to its knees. With all her might Daisy swung her maul up the chin of the demon unleashing several bolts of holy light into it, making it roar in pain and physically injured. From one single blow she managed to hurt the demon physically destroying a part of its jaw.

    "Let''s get rid of these." Morgana grinned raising her hands calling forth two swampy vines, swiftly with her hand she controlled the vines to lash out grabbing the two swords and plunging them deep into the boiling tar, with a stomp of her foot the boiling tar shifted back to ordinary ground stopping the Demon from retrieving them.

    It roared in complete anger getting up, back handing Daisy away sending her flying it sprinted towards Morgana at an unfathomable pace that none of us expected and readying its giant claw to rend her to pieces.

    "Please make it!" Helen pleaded sending a vine latching onto Morganas leg trying to yank her away. Instinctively I slung a fire bolt into its face blinding him momentarily making him barely miss Morgana by a mere millimetres.

    "Thanks.. That was too close." Morgana thanked Helen regaining her composure.

    "This is too dangerous Emilia jump on!" Helen shouted running at me her arms changing to large wings and her nose becoming a beak. Nodding I ran towards her jumping on her back as she became a Giant Eagle big enough to carry me and soared into the sky to keep us safe.

    "Great idea!" Morgana shouted and ran towards Jay and Jun transforming into a giant pitch black crow picking them both up with her talons and soared into the sky circling around the Demon.

    "Guys buy me a few seconds!" Yuna yelled closing her eyes and began to focus on something.

    Grace began to rapidly fire shot at the Demon trying to find a weak spot, aiming for the face and joints but each shot scattered into pieces as they impacted the skin. "Arghhh!" Grace yelled in anger, dusting away whatever left over arrows were on him and began charging at her at a ridiculous speed. Grace dropped her bow and drew out both her Elven Daggers she rarely ever used ready to engage it in hand to hand combat.

    Just before reaching Grace it lowered it horns down towards her trying to impale her knowing it was too late to dodge in time. "Don''t forget about me!" Daisy yelled appearing suddenly infant of Grace swinging her large maul like a baseball bat slamming it straight into the skull of the Demon coupled with the divine bolts of lightning send it flying back motionless not even roaring in pain.

    "FU*K!!" Daisy yelled the impact forcing the maul out her hand narrowly missing Grace as she dived to the side to avoid it.

    "She needs help I think her arms are broken." I yelled to Helen noticing that Daisy''s arms have gone limp dangling down like drapes.

    "I''ve got her but that would be my last 3rd level spell!" Jay yelled pointing his wand at her casting a spell causing Daisy to vanish out of sight, "Don''t attack Daisy or you''ll break the spell!" Jay yelled at her.

    "He''s still not down!" I yelled noticing the Demons hands began to twitch ever so slightly.

    Yuna finally ready opened her eyes and ran towards the Demon jumping on top of it before it could recover and began pounding at it with her bare fist physically distorting its face and body with every punch. "Just DIE ALREADY!" Yuna yelled relentless pounding away are the motionless body trying to end the fight as quickly as possible.

    The Demons body looked lifeless sprawled over the floor with no sign of breathing or moments, Yuna dismounted the Demon looking extremely tired barely able to walk straight or keep herself up.

    "Emilia! Help will be there soon." Paul notified me.

    "It''s okay I think Yuna finished it off, it looks dead." I answered him with a sigh of relief.

    "Tell her to run.. Demons don''t die that easily they need to be banished!" Paul explained to me in a panic.

    "Yuna RUN!!!" I screamed at her as the hands of the Demon began to slowly twitch again. Yuna''s body slumped down to the ground slowly falling unconscious.

    "We need to pick her up!" I instructed Helen.

    She screeched acknowledging my command and began a dive to quickly pick her up off the ground. The situation quickly became dire.. The only two heavy hitters in our party out of action and the Demon still being able to regenerate.

    As Helen swooped down scooping up Yuna a giant claw narrowly missing me dug deep into Helen back causing her to screech in pain and suddenly morphed back into her Elven form sending the three of us tumbling across the floor.

    I looked up in horror as the Demon was standing up again it''s body battered and bruised but still being able to move.. What on earth do we need to do to take it down!

    Using the opening Grace attacked it from behind jumping on its back plunging her daggers deep into both sides of the Demons neck. It howled in pain reaching behind him grabbing Grace like a squash toy and slammed her on the ground. Grace screamed in pain as her body impacted the ground with enough force to make her body bounce.

    It snarled happily as it placed its foot on Grace slowly applying pressure making her scream in pain. "No!!" I instinctively yelled trying to think of a way to help her, "Admo-Tumul!" I yelled collapsing the ground beneath Grace relieving the pressure of it crushing her.

    Jay and Jun tumbled on the ground near us as Morgana dove towards the Demon shifting her form to a giant ape. Using her feet and the momentum of falling she rolled forward gripping the Demon with her feet and tossed it away from Grace and began beat her chest aggressively and began running towards the Demon.

    A small robbed figure holding a long sheathed slightly curved sword appeared in front of Morgana causing her to stop in her tracks, "Sorry I took so long.. You all have done well holding it off this long, rest and recover now I''ll take it from here." A girl''s voice spoke out to us.

 177 Anna

    "You can''t kill it normally you need to banish it!" I yelled at the robed figure standing between us and the demon.

    "I know." The girl answered drawing out long curved blade. The sword looked surrounded in a faint magical darkness rendering the blackened metal blade almost invisible, the demon for the first time stepped back in shock.

    The Demons eyes began to scan around quickly darting around looking in all directions his body physically quivering and turned to run. Before it could even make two steps all of its limbs were severed flying through the air, before it could scream out in pain the robed girl stabbed through the demon''s heart causing the body to slowly deteriorate into ash making a series of runes illuminate red down the side of the blade.

    "Sorry for taking so long.." The robe figure apologised to us again walking towards us. "I''m Anna nice to meet you all again." She smiled taking off her hood revealing a Caucasian girl wearing large round glasses with golden blonde hair.

    "Thanks for the help.." I thanked her while the others were tending to each other''s wounds.

    "Are your friends okay?" She questioned looking worried.

    "Umm I''m not sure best if we head to the infirmary." I answered.

    "Again sorry for taking so long. I''ll escort you all make sure you''re all safe." She answered.

    "Thanks for finishing it off." Helen said once she was finished bandaging Daisy''s arms.

    "Yeah thanks for the help." Jay thanked her.

    "Are you okay?" I asked helping Grace up.

    "Yeah just a little bruised. I think Daisy go the worst of it." Grace answered.

    "Yeah... I think my arms are broken." She answered trying hold in the pain.

    "Yeah I never imagined it to be so strong most of us couldn''t even hurt it." I replied.

    "It was a pretty strong Demon... you all did very well." Anna smiled.

    "Umm.. Helen or Morgana can you change into something to help carry Yuna and Daisy?" Jay questioned.

    "Sure!" Helen and Morgana answered changing into a giant majestic Elk and knelt down whereas Morgana changed into a giant Crocodile.

    "Okay was expecting something a little more welcoming..." Jay replied seeing Morgana transform placing Yuna''s still unconscious body over her back and sat behind her making sure she wouldn''t fall off.

    "Let''s go Daisy." Grace said helping Daisy onto Helen and jumped on behind her.

    "So you''re Anna Paul''s friend right?" I questioned as we made or way to the infirmary.

    "Yup!" She smiled.

    "So what is it you do exactly? We haven''t met properly yet." I asked her trying to strike up a conversation.

    "Umm nothing special.. I just help here and there." She answered.

    "If you don''t mind me asking how did you banish the Demon?" I questioned.

    "Banishing Demons are very hard, there are several ways to kill a Demon. One way is to use a banishment spell that will banish them back to the hells, another way is to destroy their hearts, demons range from having two to seven hearts depending on how strong they are. The stronger the Demon the more hearts they have. Then lastly the rarest way to kill a Demon using a soul sealing weapon or item." She answered.

    "So I guess yours was the 3rd option?" I questioned.

    "Yes even when you defeat a Demon they will simply reincarnate back in the hells unless you speak their true name when you destroy their last heart. Whereas with my cursed sword Muramasa, anything that dies to Muramasa will have their soul sealed within the blade thus stopping the reincarnation process." She answered.

    "Ohh so is that why it showed some fear when you drew it?" I questioned.

    "I guess so.. It probably sensed the curse of the sword." Anna answered.

    "So what does it mean by cursed?" I questioned.

    "It''s cursed because once you draw it a soul must be sealed one way or another." She answered.

    "What happens if you don''t seal a soul?" I questioned

    "Then it will seal the soul of the wielder." She answered making me gasp in shock. "Yes it''s why I don''t use Muramasa often, I normally keep it hidden well so that''s why it took me so long to arrive.. Sorry." She answered and apologised again.

    "So what if the soul of the Demon you killed previously a human?" I asked curiously.

    "What do you mean?" She questioned.

    "It used to be a student of Atlantis student called Gregor." "I answered her.

    "And he became a Demon?" She questioned.

    "Yeah he drank some kind of potion." I answered her.

    "I see... then yes his soul got sealed into my sword." She answered.

    "What happens to their soul once they are sealed in your sword?" I questioned feeling sad for Gregor.

    "I have no idea, all I know is his soul is now banished in my sword." Anna answered.

    "Did Paul send you?" I questioned.

    "Yes he did, there are very few people in the world who can deal with Demons and Devils." Anna answered.

    "How did you meet Paul?" I questioned curiously.

    "It''s abit of a funny story actually. My crew actually stole from him one night when he arrived in Millcliff, He and Ashley got pretty drunk. The next day when they realised they got robbed, Scarlet remembered our scent and caught us. Paul was impressed when we tried to defend ourselves so he bought our freedom from the Thieves'' Guild." She explained.

    "Ohh there''s others?" I questioned curiously.

    "Yes.. Paul moved us to his orphanage in Perpetua." She answered.

    "Ohh an orphanage?" I questioned further.

    "Yes Paul is very kind hearted he tries and helps everyone he sees, especially orphans." She answered.

    "Was you the only one in your group to get into Atlantis?" I questioned.

    "Yes sadly.. But my brothers and sisters don''t need spells or specialised training." She smiled.

    How many of you are there in total?" I questioned.

    "There was six of us in total." She answered.

    "So how old are you?" I questioned curiously.

    "Fifteen." She answered with a smile.

    "Ohh wow so young.." I replied in shock. "Do you mind if I ask what happened to your parents?" I questioned feeling curious.

    "My sister destroyed everything I held dear, killed my father, my mother and enslaved my uncle." She cursed balling her fist a clutching her blood red sword handle in hatred.

    "Ohhh no.. Why did your sister do that?" I asked in total shock finding it almost unfathomable.

    "She felt jealous.. And hatred towards our father." She answered.

    "What does Paul think about your... goal?" I wondered.

    "He said he will help me, but he keeps reminding me that revenge isn''t the only option and that killing her won''t bring everyone back." She answered still gritting her teeth making me regret that I even asked.

    "So how comes I don''t see you around Paul, Scarlet and Ashley as much?" I questioned.

    "I must train for my battle against my sister. I showed mercy once before and as a result everything was taken from me, next time I will not fail!" She answered with seething hatred and regrets of sorrow as if she was crying on the inside.

    "Ohhh..." I replied feeing even worse, does everyone have who live here have a troubled past...

    "Are your friends gonna be okay?" She questioned.

    "I think they will be alight, luckily for us we didn''t suffer any life threatening injuries." I smiled.

    "I am really sorry I arrived so late.. I really did try and get to you as soon as I could.. I just needed to retrieve my weapon." She apologised looking extremely guilty.

    "Don''t be sorry you arrived at the right time." I smiled.

    "Say how did you get that cursed blade?" I questioned curiously.

    "Ohh very deadly members of the Thieves Guilds each have their own cursed weapon.. It''s a big risk, if the weapon doesn''t accept you as a wieldier you''d die and your soul will get sealed." She casually answered me like risking her life to use such a sword is normal.

    "Why would the Thieves Guild accept to lose a cursed weapon and an important member?" I questioned curiously.

    "The Thieves Guild only care about three things Influence, Power and Money at the right price they''d sell anything or do anything." She answered.

    "So what do you think about Paul?" I questioned hoping to see him in a different point of view.

    "He has a good heart but he''s too soft, he believes everyone can be saved and blames himself if he can''t save everyone. He needs to understand that he can''t save everyone and some people are evil no matter what." She answered her grim past clearly shaping who she is today.

    "So how many years have you been in Atlantis?" I questioned.

    "I''m a second year." She answered.

    "Wow so you came at 13?" I questioned in shock.

    "Yes.. Paul helped me get in." She smiled.

    "Does Paul get to decide who gets into Atlantis?" I inquired.

    "Of course." she answered.

    "How?" I questioned further feeling extremely curious.

    "Hmmmm he told me that each institute takes turns picking the student they want.. And In Atlantis the S-Ranked students takes turns picking, so first Paul would get the first pick for Atlantis then Daisy and lastly Travis." She explained to me.

    "Ohh so that''s why I was so shocking that I was picked to come here." I thought to myself.

    "But they say this year he got a lot of flak... because normally the first three picks are very lucrative and pre-decided by the faculty members and Headmaster." She answered.

    "No way.. Did he pick me first?" I questioned in shock making me feel slightly happy inside.

    "I dunno." she shrugged, I don''t normally get involved in that stuff she answered me honestly.

    "So what does the rest of your friend you left behind do now?" I asked making conversation.

    "Umm the young ones still go to school learning about the world and things, the older ones have joined the police force using our shady past to be information gathers and catching the shadier and stealthier criminals." She answered.

    "Have you enjoyed Atlantis thus far?" I questioned.

    "Atlantis is a little boring to be honest.. Life is kind of mundane here, but it''s a necessary step to take to my final goal." She answered.

    "Have you considered another way instead of murdering your sister?" I questioned clearly overstepping my bounds.

    "No.. She must be punished for her sins.." She answered with pure contempt and determination.

    "Im sorry you have such a horrible past." I replied in the hopes to comfort her.

    "Thank you." She smiled at me, "Your group did very well holding that Demon in place, it was particularly very strong." She complimented us.

    "You killed it in an instant though." I said to her remembering the scene vividly.

    "Don''t compare yourself to me.. I was trained at a very young age to fight with a sword.. And I was a high ranked member in the Thieves Guild." She answered casually like she''s had a normal upbringing.

    "Is this the first Demon you''ve ever slayed?" I questioned.

    "Not at all.. I''ve sealed many demons and immortal beings, when Paul takes up a bounty or mission that requires my sword he normally requests me assistance." She smiled making me look at her in shock as how such a young girl is okay with such a life.

    "Have you ever considered living a normal life?" I questioned.

    "Maybe after I''ve avenged my family and nation." She answered with a smile staring into the sky imagining.

    As we reached the infirmary Anna bid us all farewell and a speedy recovery. I starred at the young girl as she walked away finding life so unbelievable, how such a young girl has gone through so much grief and pain with one goal in life.

 178 One Threat After Another

    "Emilia are you okay?.. I received word from Anna that the Demon has been neutralized and that you''re all okay." Paul asked still sounding a little worried.

    "Just a little hurt and bruised nothing life threatening, Daisy got the worst of it... she broke bother her arms." I answered.

    "Make sure she stays in the infirmaries till she fully recovers... I can''t help her regenerate." Paul answered sounding extremely worried.

    "Okay will do, thanks for sending Anna." I answered. "Wait ohh no we forgot about the student we detained." I said in complete shock.

    "Don''t worry Professor Caldor met up with Anna they''re gonna detain and check on the students. If you need anything else let me know." I can tell from the way he spoke that he was relieved to hear we were all okay.

    "Ahhhh" Yuna yelled waking up.

    "Ohh you''re awake." Daisy smiled her arms now bandaged in a brace.

    "Is it dead?" Yuna asked looking extremely concerned.

    "Yes.. Anna came and finished it off." I answered.

    "Seriously? I beat it to a pulp and it still survived?" She questioned in shock but began to relax into the bed.

    "Yeah Paul and Anna said Demons are hard to kill, they have several hearts that need killing or need to banished." I answered.

    "Are you all okay?" She questioned looking at all of us.

    "Yeah we all came out relatively unscathed thanks to you." We answered.

    "Sorry for being so useless." Jay confessed.

    "It''s not your fault Jay." Daisy smiled trying to comfort him.

    "I mean I was pretty useless also." Grace added.

    "What could we do next time? To you know be more effective?" I questioned.

    "Well for one, if I got some holy arrows that would help." Grace nodded.

    "Next time we visit a church of Serra we can request some." Daisy smiled.

    "What can we do then?" I asked Jay being absolutely clueless.

    "No idea.. By the way, who is Professor Caldor?" Jay questioned Yuna.

    "He''s the resident Professor specialising in Demons and Devils." Yuna answered.

    "When do we get to study in his class?" I questioned.

    "You don''t till third year, unless you want to specialise on Demon and Devil slaying." Yuna answered.

    "Ohh I wonder if Alice" Is here." I questioned looking around.

    "Sadly Nurse Alice is off today." A nurse replied overhearing me.

    "Do you think Daisy''s hands will recover in time for dinner?" I asked the nurse.

    "I can''t be certain how long the recovery process will take but I''m sure she will fully recover if she stays here. We will delivering dinner in roughly two or three hours." The nurse smiled.

    "Yup although painful I have regained use of my arms a little." Daisy nodded.

    "So we can''t just use healing magic on her?" I questioned making sure they gave it a thought.

    "So Healing magic only work on wounds like cuts and bruises, anything like severed limbs, broken bones or body parts like the heart, eyes or lungs can only be healed naturally." Daisy answered.

    "Or a high level Druid spell called Regenerate which works by accelerating the natural healing process." Helen added.

    "And I guess you can''t do it yet?" I questioned Morgana and Helen.

    "Nope not yet... I''ve got a long time before I''d be able to use it." They both answered.

    "So you''re also a Druid?" I asked Morgana remembering what Helen said.

    "Umm yes I am.." She answered giving Helen a quick glance.

    "Helen is there something wrong?" I noticed her distain towards Morgana.

    "Her type of Druid is a disgrace to the Druid Circles." Helen answered clearly angry or offended at Morgana.

    "What type of Druid is she?" I questioned.

    "I''m a Spore Druid.." Morgana answered.

    "Her kind is a disgrace to Druids!" Helen replied insulted by Morganas answer.

    "Helen.." I looked at her confused for the first time ever seeing her have so much hatred for something.

    "Her kind goes against everything all Druid Circles stands for!" Helen replied in anger.

    "I''m not going to pretend that I understand anything about your Druid Circles, or why you hate Spore Druids.. But my mother taught me how to do this and that''s all." Morgana answered.

    "Helen.. Let it go.." I''m sure she''s not related to Maribelle, she''s completely human." Grace said to her clearly knowing more than we do.

    "Who''s Maribelle?" Jay questioned curiously.

    "It''s a long story.. There are several Druid Circles that focus on different aspects of Life and Nature, Maribelle the betrayer against our God''s wishes studied the forbidden aspect of Death and Decay. Maribelle awakened a terrible curse that desolated at least 90% of the Druid population." Helen answered.

    "I honestly don''t know anything about this Maribelle you talk about or any sort of curse that killed your people." Morgana replied to her defensively.

    "Yes but you''re still following her ways!" Helen argued.

    "..Okay oaky.. Let''s all just calm down okay?" I suggested trying to calm Helen down.

    "Yes Helen.. She''s not related to Maribelle at all she has zero Elven features." Grace agreed with me.

    "I can''t believe you''re siding with her as well!" Helen yelled in anger and stormed out.

    "Helen wait!!" Grace quickly tried to ask Helen before she left the room.

    "I''ll go make sure they are okay." Jay said stopping Grace and chased after Helen.

    "Wow that got intense..." Jun said finally breaking his silence finding a time to speak.

    "I wonder how Scarlet is doing." I wondering slightly worried.

    "I''m sure she''s doing fine." Daisy answered with a giant smile.

    "So Grace about the Spore druid thing is it really that bad?" Yuna asked.

    "It''s pretty bad, the disease Maribelle unleashed on the Druid was devastating.. It was slow acting taking years slowly sapping away their life. It spread viciously just being near an infected Druid would result in catching the disease." She explained.

    "That''s so horrible!" I said in shock.

    "Yes! It also rendered All the Druid ancient groves uninhabitable changing them into deadly swamps." Grace answered.

    "So how did you learn to become a spore Druid?" I asked Morgana.

    "I dunno my mother had a book that she used to teach me." Morgana answered.

    "And you have no idea about this death disease?" I asked.

    "Nothign at all.. Like I said earlier I don''t even know who Maribelle is." She answered.

    "At a young age Helen loved her Uncle and Aunt but she had to watch them die as the disease slowly sapped their life away." Helen answered.

    "How long ago was the disease?" I questioned.

    "It was a very long time ago, but her Uncle and Aunt wanted to heal their ancient grove, but despite their best efforts they somehow caught the disease, they say it''s because of the spores from the fungus and plants that grow there." Grace explained.

    "Weird.. Humans always believed that Elves have an easy life since you all are so attuned with magic we could never imagine." Yuna said in shock.

    "We all may be attuned to magic but magic can''t solve everything.. Maribelle''s disease actually accelerated when healing magic or any form of magic was used to try and cure it. It''s so potent that you can''t even reincarnate or revive the person who died as a result of the Disease." Grace answered.

    "Reincarnate?" I questioned.

    "Yes very few Arch Druids who spent their entire lives studying Druid Craft could bring back the dead via reincarnation I''m not sure how it works exactly but it normally results in the individual becoming a different race." Grace answered.

    "Wowˇ­ and Maribelle''s disease even stopped that? I questioned.

    "Yes somehow it blocks the reincarnation process as well, it literally a death sentence." Grace answered making me reflect on my visions

    "By the way are you feeling okay Yuna?" I asked changing the subject.

    "Yup a little tired but overall I''m okay.. I kinda get what Paul''s going through now." She answered.

    "What was it you did back there?" I asked.

    "It a technique I explained to you yesterday, I can temporarily accelerate my rate of Arcanum absorption and consumption but it''s only temporary and after that I get extremely fatigued." She answered.

    "Could I learn that?" Daisy questioned.

    "You can.. But I wouldn''t recommend it, it is very risky to the user as you saw it rendered me unconscious." She answered.

    "Why would you risk yourself like that?" I disagreed with her decision.

    "Because Gregor was a Rank A student recently relegated to Rank B.. So he was already a strong opponent as it is.. I was barely able to defeat him last time we duelled, so if he took the Demon potion I surmised I needed to use my technique to even stand a chance to hurt him." Yuna answered.

    "I agree with his simple back hand was enough to wind me. Even hitting him with my maul was enough to break my bones from the sheer force of the impact." Daisy answered.

    "All this life threatening events, I''d be nice to have a few days of rest." I sighed lying on a bed.

    "I dunno I found today quite exciting!" Jun smiled leaning back on his seat. "Fleet combat is less exciting, its normally just open fire and the target is destroyed. Kind of boring to be honest." Jay commented.

    "Yeah I know what you mean....Yesterday was intense and today felt ridiculous." Yuna answered.

    "Is every day in Atlantis like this?" I asked.

    "Most days should be quite peaceful.. I don''t know what it is exactly but there has been a lot of incidents lately for some reason." Yuna answered.

    "I know, there''s the Goblin invading from the mountains.. Dark Elves from underground.. And now Demons in the school.. Why is all this happening?" I sighed.

    "About that, has Paul said anything about them?" Yun asked.

    "Hmm nothing yet.. But Jun did say that Aspa was attacked by Dark Elves as well, apparently there was this weird grotesque baby monster thing that has a life sapping aura around it, driving the Dark Elves to the surface." I answered.

    "Seriously?.." Yuna asked back in disbelief.

    "Yup, that''s what we got form interrogating the Dark Elf prisoners." Jun answered.

    "Well that''s even more disconcerting so if we want to stop any more Dark Elf attacks we need to remove this weird grotesque baby monster." Yuna answered.

    "Yup, the baby''s life sapping aura seemed pretty dangerous as well." Jun added.

    "Not to mention it''s dangerous enough to force an entire Dark Elf city to attack a surface city rather than dealing with that baby monster thing itself." Grace agreed.

    "Is there any chance you can tell Paul of this information? I think it will be very useful." I asked curiously.

    "Sure.." Jun smiled.

    "Hey Paul can you come and see us in the infirmary.. Officer Jun from Aspa has some very important information you might need to know." I notified him.

    "Information?" He asked curiously.

    "Yeah, apparently the Dark Elves were fleeing from some giant grotesque baby thing with a life sapping aura." I explained to him.

    "Hmmm that does sound interesting. Does he have any information on what it might be?" He questioned.

    "Hey Jun, Paul asked if you or Aspa has any idea what the baby monster might be?" I asked Jun.

    "No, no idea as at all." Jun answered.

    "No he has no Idea." I relayed Jun''s answer to Paul.

    "Well thanks for the information, I''ll have to do some research to see what it is and how to handle the situation. Tell officer Jun he has my thanks and if he needs help on anything feel free to ask." Paul replied.

    "He said thanks and that if you need anything to let him know." I relayed his message to Jun.

    "Do you think Paul is going to go down there and kill it?." Jun asked curiously.

    "Well, I don''t know him very well but I believe so." Yuna answered.

    "Wait no! It''s too dangerous!" I replied.

    "It is dangerous, but believe me Paul and his team are probably the most well equip and experienced when it comes to going down there." Jun answered.

    "And he will be saving lives on both sides." Yuna agreed.

    "I can''t let him do that! It''s practically suicide, I''ve heard how you guys describe it down there.. Every corner filled with deadly creatures, darkness all around and untold evils!" I argued.

 179 A Win For Today

    "Well it was great to meet you guys, but I''m afraid it''s time for me to head back, the feast is about to start so I''ll be required to be on deck." Jun unfortunately notified us.

    "Come visit us when you have time off!" I yelled to him.

    "Sure! You got a deal." He smiled and waved goodbye to us.

    "So we staying here for the feast?" I questioned everyone else.

    "I wish my arms would heal faster." Daisy looked at her arms kind of saddened.

    "Want to go the main hall?" I questioned.

    "Yeah.. Thought it might be good to meet other students." Daisy hesitantly smiled looking a bit nervous.

    "Ahh don''t worry! You have plenty of time to meet everyone." Yuna smiled.

    "I''m sorry that offended Helen." Morgana said feeling a little down.

    "Don''t worry it''s not your fault." I replied to her trying to make her feel better.

    "Yeah... don''t take it to heart." Grace said trying to make Morgan feel better.

    "I really am sorry, I would never do such a thing Maribelle did." Morgana replied defending herself.

    "We know." I answered her trying to comfort her.

    "Hi, I''m Nurse Cassandra just wanted to come ask if any of you have special dietary requirements?" She asked with a smile.

    "Umm Emilia doesn''t eat meat." Daisy answered for me.

    "Ohhh okay and the rest?" Nurse Cassandra asked.

    "Anything will do." Yuna smiled.

    "Okay coming right up." She smiled and walked back to her desk.

    "So Morgana tomorrow we''ll be visiting Jays home town care to join us?" I asked with a smiled.

    "If Helen is going to be okay with it." Morgana answered.

    "I''m sure Jay would be able to talk some sense into her and trust me I''m her best friend." Grace smiled.

    "Yuna want to join us?" I asked with a smile.

    "Sorry guy but I got plans myself." She smiled.

    "Ohhh anything interesting?" I questioned noticing her smile.

    "Just spending time with boyfriend." she smiled in glee.

    "Ohhhh a student of Atlantis?" I questioned.

    "Maybe." She winked at me with a sly smile.

    "Well I hope you guys have a great time." I chuckled.

    "Wait just to make sure what town is Jay from again?" I questioned.

    "Hmm I can''t remember..." Daisy confessed.

    "I don''t think he mentioned it me either." Grace answered.

    "Hmm I''m sure it''s going to be safe anyways I do remember him telling me that it wasn''t near the mountains." I replied.

    "I wonder what it gonna be like." Daisy wondered.

    "I wouldn''t expect too much he said it''s a small town maybe a village." I answered.

    "Yuna.. Good to see you''re alright." Sven said walking in.

    "Hey Sven!" Yuna smiled her face lighting up with a giant smile.

    "I heard you over extended yourself, you feeling alight now?" He said taking a seat next to Yuna''s bed.

    "Yeah where the hell was you?" She questioned him.

    "Sadly Paul ordered me to help detain students that Scarlet knocked out." Sven answered.

    "Ohh no there were more?!" I asked in shock.

    "Yeah there was I think thirteen other students... and that doesn''t including some that got away." He answered.

    "Any teachers?" Morgana asked.

    "None that I know of." Sven answered.

    "This isn''t over then." Yuna sighed.

    "Hey this is a win, you all done enough for today." He smiled leaning back on his chair. "Don''t worry we have ways to extract the truth out of people." He smiled.

    "You''re not talking about t interrogation." I gasped in shock.

    "That''s a barbaric way of thinking...." Sven chuckled, "There are other way to extract information, Mind reading, Zone of truth, friends, many spells to help in the situation." Sven answered.

    "That still seems wrong." I replied.

    "Well either that or we let the cult do what they want and corrupt more students and casualties." Sven shrugged.

    "I guess you''re right." I answered Sven still finding it a bit inhumane.

    "Did you go down to where Scarlet was?" Yuna asked sounding worried for Sven.

    "Ohhh no she told me no one should go there, in her words it was like the stuff of nightmares." Sven answered.

    "She''s doing okay though? We had a run in with Gregor and after he drank the potion he was insanely strong." I said to Sven.

    "Of course as always came out without a scratch, in fact she looked happy." Sven answered.

    "So are you and Yuna in the same year?" I asked as they seemed comfortable with each other.

    "Ohh yeah.. Yuna, Priscilla and I are all in the same year in fact." He answered with a smile.

    "Ohhh so what rank are you both?" I questioned.

    "I''m rank 22 A class." Sven answered.

    "And I''m rank 28 Aclass as well." Yuna smiled

    "Ohh so Sven is stronger?" I asked.

    "I''d say no, but we''re both A ranked so that''s all that matters." Sven smiled.

    "So what ranks determines your class?" Grace questioned extremely interested.

    "1-3 S-Class, 4-30 A-Class 31-60 B-Class, 61-100 C-Class, 100+ D-Class." Sven answered.

    "Ohh I wonder what Rank I am." I pondered.

    "I reckon you guys are at least rank C... Daisy defiantly Rank A or B student.. Judging by how she was able to hurt the Demon." Yuna answered

    "Woah Daisy is as strong as us?" Sven looked at her in shock making Daisy grin happily.

    "You should have seen her!! She''s devastatingly dangerous." Yuna smiled.

    "Well I have seen her in action when she went toe to toe with Dark Elves." Sven smiled.

    "So plans tomorrow?" Sven asked looking at us.

    "We was gonna visit Jay''s hometown." I answered.

    "Ohh nice! By the way where is.. Jay and Helen?" He questioned looking around to make sure that he didn''t miss them by accident.

    "Helen got angry and stormed out.. Jay followed her." Yuna answered.

    "Ohh about what?" he asked causing Yuna to give him a sign to drop the topic.

    "How about you? What you got planned?" I questioned.

    "Ohhh Yuna kindly offered to show us around her home town and a fancy dinner for saving her life." Sven answered causing me to give Yuna a raised eyebrow, making her blush giving me a wink.

    "So Sven seeing anyone?" I questioned.

    "Me? Sadly no, most girl prefer the more, you know bigger students." Sven sighed.

    "I''m sure someone appreciates you." I smiled to him.

    "Not going to the feast?" Yuna asked Sven.

    "Nah... Kinda feel a little bad that I left you on your own.. So thought I''d at least keep you company while you''re stuck here." He smiled.

    "So how did you guy take out the Demon? How many hearts did it have?" Sven questioned.

    "Not sure, but we did hurt it." Daisy smiled.

    "Yeah Anna came and helped us finish it off." I answered.

    "Ohh how so?" Sven asked.

    "Her weapon apparently seals souls so she banished it." I answered.

    "Wow... and she''s only a second year." Sven nodded clearly impressed.

    "You know her?" I questioned.

    "I know of her... She''s a Dragon house member... she has no friends nor does she attend class much, but she has been seen accompanying Paul every now and then." Sven answered.

    "Wow so students can freely skip classes?" I asked curiously.

    "It''s not advised but classes are kinda optional. As long as you pass your exams and teachers are happy with your progress." Sven answered.

    "Wow that pretty neat." I replied.

    "So what do you guys do to earn gold?" If you don''t mind me asking." I questioned them.

    "My parent parents give me enough gold to live on." Sven smiled.

    "Ohh that''s nice." I smiled.

    "On the weekends I generally work as a Tavern Guard." Yuna smiled.

    "That explains why you''re so good with your fists." Grace smiled.

    The nurse came over with a trolley filled with trays of food. "So here your meals, as requested one without meat." Nurse Cassanda smiled lifting the tray causing me to lift my hand. "Ohh no I''m sorry I didn''t notice we have one more guest." She gasped noticing Sven arrived.

    "Don''t wory he can share with me." Yuna smiled causing the nurse to give her a interested look.

    "Okay... I''m sorry Mr..." She apologised.

    "Sven.." He smiled taking a glass of water.

    "Sorry Sven I really should be more diligent.. I can order up another tray for you if you''d like." She asked politely.

    "No it''s fine don''t worry about it." He smiled making the nure shot another glance at Yuna with a nod of approval.

    "Here''s your cutlery and your drinks." Cassandra smiled handing us all our meals for the night.

    "I wonder what Jay and Helen are up to." I sighed hoping that Helen can look past Morgana being a Spore Druid.

    "So Morgana, how you finding Atlantis life and stuff?" I questioned realising I haven''t spent much time with her.

    "It certainly beats the swamps and daily chores, but I''m still finding it hard to make friends for some reason." She answered like she was extremely puzzled.

    "Don''t worry we''ll be your friends." I answered for everyone.

    "Yeah you have nothing to worry about." Grace smiled.

    "So you guys'' saying overnight?" I questioned Daisy and Yuna.

    "Yeah I think it''s best to, I want to regain use of my arms as soon as possible so I can carry on training." Daisy answered scoffing down her meal as always.

    "Maybe you should take it easy on training for abit, you might injure yourself more if you jump back into it too soon." I warned her.

    "She is right on that." Yuna agreed.

    "Will the Aspan fleet be retuning once the feast is over?" I questioned.

    "Yes on our itinerary they should be returning once the festivities are over." Sven answered sharing food with Yuna like a brother and sister, Yuna hilariously pretending she''s still a little weak.

    "And most of Atlantis are none the wiser on the Demon.. Incursion?" I questioned.

    "Yup, it was all kept as quietly as possible, no doubt whoever planned all this is still at large." Sven answered.

    "Shouldn''t all Atlantis students be informed?" I questioned.

    "There are things that all Atlantis students are privy to, but there are things we can''t tell students obviously to stop panic and things. In this case we don''t want other student''s getting the idea to join them or get mislead by their false promises. Trust me this time it''s for the best." Sven answered making me feel slightly worried on what other secrets are being kept from us. "If it help there''s nothing nefarious going on or anything." Sven added noticing my reaction.

 180 Chit Cha

    "Well I think it''s about time I head to bed." I said standing up feeling a little tired.

    "Sure I''ll walk ya back." Sven said patting Yuna on the shoulder giving her a smile.

    "I''ll join you guys, probably best of me to find Helen and see how she''s doing." Grace said standing up to join us.

    "Coming with us Morgana?" I asked.

    "Okay." She replied standing up.

    "Get well soon guys." We bid Yuna and Daisy farewell and a speedy recovery.

    As we exited the infirmary "Umm I just wanted to make sure you guys know to keep the whole Demon thing hush hush." Sven said letting out a cough to break the silence.

    "Sure." Grace and Morgana answered him immediately whereas I took abit longer to answer him.

    "Great great.. It''s for the best." He said looking for my reaction."

    "I know." I nodded to him still feeling a little hesitant.

    "Well this is my floor Good night the three of you." Sven said leaving us.

    ??So Morgana did Paul end up fixing a room for you?" I questioned.

    "Yeah he did, he got me a room out for me the next day after we arrived." She smiled.

    "So have you spent a lot of time with him?" I questioned.

    "Nope hardly any at all I don''t see him around much to be honest, but I have been meeting up with Ashley a lot." She answered.

    "Ohh you do?" Grace and I asked with a raised eyebrow.

    "Of course I need to report my findings and then he advises me on what to do next." Morgana answered making us feel a little disappointed

    "Good night Emilia." Grace and Morgana bid me farewell leaving for their room.

    I looked up the winding staircase up towards Paul''s floor, it felt kind of weird having spent more time and making more memories in his room then my own room. It felt odd the silence made me feel oddly weird, it felt more like I was living in a house by myself. Maybe I should spend some time personalising my room a bit more, make it feel more comfortable. With a big sigh I began getting ready for bed.

    After finishing up I laid in bed staring at the ceiling the complete silence driving me insane. "Hey Paul?" I asked turning on the badge.

    "Hey wassup?!" He replied sounding a little concerned at my random message.

    "Nothing to worry about, just wanted to you know chat.." I replied the sound of his voice making me feel at ease almost instantly.

    "You know I will always be here for you." He replied trying to comfort me.

    "I Know." I answered him smiling.

    "Anna told me you guys did really well today! The demon was nothing to sneeze at apparently." He said sounding proud.

    "Yeah, it was mostly Daisy and Anna.." I confessed still feeling a little useless.

    "Ahh yes Demons are resistant to spells right?" He asked.

    "Yes! How do you even deal with that?" I questioned.

    "There''s not much you can do to be honest, just hone your spells more or just use stronger spells and brute force it." He answered like it was an obvious answer. "And remember your only as strong as your team, as long as they have your back and you have theirs." He answered.

    "So what are you up to?" I asked him curiously.

    "Just in my room, a spot of reading. Scarlet''s here as well. Hey scarlet Emilia says hi!" He said.

    "Ohh hey sis!" Scarlets voice appeared in my head.

    "Ohh hey!" I smiled back.

    "Nicely done discovering the Demon incursion by the way!" Scarlet smiled.

    "That was more Morgana we just tagged along by chance today. How was it on your side are you okay?" I questioned.

    "It was AMAZING! There was so many Demons down there!" She answered clearly happy she was called to handle the situation.

    "Ohh and great tip on the cause of the Dark Elf attack." Paul added.

    "You''re not going down there are you?" I questioned.

    "Not till I find out exactly what it is first, I''m finding it hard to pinpoint what it is exactly." He answered.

    "Paul it''s too dangerous." I objected knowing he''s going to deal with it once he identifies it.

    "Don''t worry I won''t go unless I know for certain we can take it out." He answered trying to relieve me of my worries.

    "To be fair sis we''ve done way more dangerous stuff." Scarlet chuckled.

    "..... Scarlet not helpingˇ­" Paul instantly replied clearly annoyed at her honesty.

    "Emilia we''ll be fine if we do end up going we''ll be well prepared for anything." He answered trying to sound as caring as possible.

    "Paul.. Do you know how that copy of me is doing back at home?" I Questioned.

    "I have a contact that will send a message if anything drastic happens that requires us to return, so since nothing has happened thus far I assume everything is going great." He answered calmly.

    "Really all my friends and family can''t tell the difference?" I asked in shock a little disheartened that they couldn''t recognise it was a clone.

    "It does have your memories, mannerisms and behaviour." He tried to explain.

    "Surely someone must have noticed." I argued at how a clone can easily just imitate and live my life.

    "I''m sure they might have but they probably just pass it off as an off day or something." Paul answered.

    "When do you think we can take a visit back home?" I wonered.

    "Well in about two weeks they have what we call a half term. We can visit home for a week if you''d like." He smiled.

    "That''s a relief! Can we go?" I requested.

    "Sure! I''ll get the permission to go." He replied.

    "So how was your day?" I questioned wondering what they were up to.

    "Nothing as exciting as yours, just casual chit chat and sharing of food and drinks but it''s always good to catch up with friends." Paul answered.

    "Paul do you ever think about our friends back home?" I questioned.

    "What do you mean?" He asked.

    "You know Rashid, Sadhika and ruby." I questioned.

    "You''re still friends with them?" Paula sked in shock.

    "Not really but I thought you guys were a still friends." I asked

    "Nah not anymore.." Paul answered feeling regretful.

    "How comes?" I questioned.

    "Some people never change." He answered making me understand why they had a falling out.

    "So your only friend is Jaymesh?" I asked curiously.

    "Yes there are a few others but basically I only have three friends." he answered.

    "How about your family?" I questioned.

    "Well my cousins and brother knows.. But my Uncles and Aunts won''t really care unless I suddenly miss a gathering." He answered, "Don''t worry! In two weeks you''ll have time to visit everyone." He answered.

    "Hey Paul.. Can I ask you something serious?" I asked hesitantly.

    "Sure shoot." He answered.

    "Are you not afraid of dying?" I questioned feeling extremely worried for him.

    "To be honest, I am but remember last time I had a contingency." He answered.

    "What about the next time?" I asked.

    "Well I don''t currently have a contingency for next time so I''m gonna try and be safer." He answered.

    "Paul what happens when you die here?" I questioned.

    "Well from what I know, my soul would leave my body.. Then I hope it goes to heaven." He laughed.

    "Is there any way for someone or something to claim your soul?" I questioned hoping to find out what happens to him in the future.

    "From what I know it could be a number of things... Any number of artifacts can seal a soul, literally innumerable number of creatures, deities and that''s not including the way is don''t know. Why do you ask?" He questioned curiously.

    "No reason just wondering because Anna has a soul sealing sword that''s all." I answered back quickly.

    "Ahhh Muramasa yes it''s a very dangerous sword." Paul answered.

    "Your Giant Scythe also seals souls right? I remember Scarlet told me." I asked.

    "Ohh she told you about that?" Paul asked surprised I know about it.

    "Yeah she mentioned it, she said you only use it if the situation requires." I answered.

    "Yes it''s called Belial it''s different to Muramasa. If I was to severs someone''s limb with Belial, it doesn''t physically sever their limb but that part of the body will no long be usable." He tried to explain.

    "So if you was to cut a leg they can''t use their leg anymore." I asked.

    "Yes that''s how it works." He answered.

    "Woah for how long?" I asked in shock.

    "As far as we know its permanent." Paul answered making me feel slightly scared of him and what he''s capable of. "Let''s not talk about depressing stuff." He said noticing my pause of silence. "What you up to tomorrow?" He questioned trying to change the topic.

    "Ohh we''re gonna head to Jays home town and see his parents." I answered.

    "I remember, nice family good people. A shame what happened to them." Paul replied.

    "Wait what happened to them?" I asked.

    "They have what looks like nasty burns on their necks it''s a result of a disease called Blue Stigma it''s generally harmless to everyone else but everyone avoids it like it''s some bad omen or something." Paul explained.

    "If it''s harmless why does everyone avoid it or fear it?" I questioned.

    "Apparently back when Arcanum users was more abundant, this plague spread all across the world like a programmed plague, anyone afflicted loses their ability to use Arcanum." Paul answered.

    "Does it spread?" I questioned worried I might get it.

    "No it''s a weird phenomenon no one knowns why, but anyone can get it at random times of their lives it''s all just random sadly." Paul answered.

    "And that''s why Jay has such a hard upbringing?" I questioned.

    "Yes.... sadly people fear what they see as different and don''t understand so that''s why they were homeless and treated badly, it''s truly unfortunate that both Jay''s parents have it." Paul answered sounding a little saddened.

    "You helped them right?" I questioned sounding hopeful.

    "Yes.. I did as much as I could." He answered.

    "By the way how is Ashley doing? Last time I saw him he was with High Admiral Ruri." I asked.

    "What he isn''t with you?!" He asked in a panic.

    "What? No!!! Did they take him?!" I panicked back.

    "Only joking.. He''s doing fine I think he calling it an early night." Paul chuckled

    "That wasn''t funny!" I yelled at him.

    "Okay I''m sorry but your reaction was priceless. He laughed

    "I swear I''m gonna kill you when I see you PAUL!" I yelled.

    "Anyways I''m gonna call it a night goodnight Emilia." He said.

    "Goodnight Paul sweet dreams." I replied.

 181 Bad Dream

    "Emilia!!!" A voice spoke out to me in the darkness a giant sword erupted in flame revealing a blood red horned demon similar to the one we fought. Feeling a wand in my hand I quickly lifted my wand pointing at it flinging a fire bolt straight into its face. It didn''t even flinch or blink letting it hit its face without a care in the world. It said something in another language, it sounded horrifying and angry just hearing it began to make my blood boil and my mind go blank in anger. Pointing my wand at spoke words in its language somehow, I didn''t see a spell leave my wand but I could feel it, I sensed that I casted a spell but couldn''t see what. The demon fell to one knew its body slowly slumping down to the floor. It was laughing but not in some weird sadistic way, but in a way like despite it dying it has won...

    "What in the hell was that?!" I said jumping up awake in the darkness of my own room. Trying to ignore my dream I tried falling asleep again but the darkness in my own room and my imagination getting the better of me reminding me of the demon appearing in my dream. Taking a breath trying to relax myself knowing this is something that just in my mind I tried to force myself back to sleep again. "Emilia." The same voice spoke out to me in the darkness forcing me awake again.

    I instinctively put my shoes on and made my way out and began ascending the staircase. Giving it a knock I opened the door to his dimly lit room. Scarlet was sprawled over the sofas sleeping in some weird position like a giant baby falling asleep in the weirdest positions. Paul was in his bed sleeping soundlessly, creeping onto of the duvets. "Paul?" I quietly whispered to him hoping he would hear me, it was refreshing to see he was still a heavy sleeper. "Paul?" I whispered to him again but this time shaking him a little hoping that it would work but deep down knowing there was no way in hell it would. "Bloody hell... Paul!" I whispered shaking him a bit harder making him wake up in shock still a little drowsy.

    "Huh? What?" He questioned jumping up with a deep breath barely opening him eyes.

    "It''s Emilia.. I had a bad dream can I spend the night here?" I questioned quietly.

    "Huh what? Of course Em come here." He said still half asleep spiralling out his right arm for me calling me by my shortened name like the way he used to when we were together.

    Slipping into the sheets I rest my head and hand on his chest the sound of his heart beat, the nostalgic smell and wrath of his body instantly comforting me. "I''ve missed this." I whispered looking up at him.

    "Me too... me too.." He said clutching me tighter like he never wants to let me go ever again with a giant smile from ear to ear.

    "Goodnight." I whispered closing my eyes to sleep and grabbing his other hand holding it tightly.

    "Goodnight." He mumbled back falling asleep instantly, I was always jealous of his super power to instantly fall asleep within seconds.

    I woke up to the sound of clattering pots and pans guess it must be Scarlet since she''s no longer sleeping on the Sofas. Trying to get up Pauls arms instinctively pulled me in tighter. "Paul I need to get ready." I whispered to him with a smile causing him to mumble and begrudgingly holding me tighter for one more second before releasing me.

    I slipped out quietly making my way to the kitchen, "Scarlet?" I questioned peeking in.

    "Hey Sis!!" She smiled with an absolute trashed kitchen.

    "Need help?" I instinctively offered laughing finding it funny how she can easily slay demons and juggernauts but can''t even cook a simple omelette.

    "I don''t get it!!!" She answered on the verge of giving up.

    "Okay okay.. What do you want to learn to make first?" I asked and began to help clean up the kitchen to make it clearer

    "Anything!" She said in frustration making me chuckle.

    "Okay Okay... let''s start with what you was making just now..." I offered taking the burnt omelette and tried to throw it away.

    "Don''t throw away food!" Scarlet gasped and proceeded to scoff it down in an unfathomable speed almost inhuman making me stand in shock for a few seconds. "What? Food is food!!" She looked as my reaction defending her actions.

    "Okay.. So an omelette is simple, all you need is eggs, butter, salt and pepper. I proceeded to teach her and how her how to make a plain omelette plating it up for her to eat.

    "It''s so good!" She said easily devouring another omelette.

    "Scarlet? How much do you eat?" I asked realising that every time we''ve shared food together she eats an obscene amount.

    "Train hard eat hard!" She said with a giant smile.

    "So you want more?" I questioned her curiously making her nod rapidly like a child being asked if they want more candy or treats.

    "Okay okay..." I laughed and began to think of a filling breakfast and began to look into the fridge and cupboards. "Okay let''s start with porridge." I said pouring out a hefty portion of oats into a saucepan adding milk and salt. "Keep stirring this don''t let it burn" I instructed her making her take the spatula and began stirring it diligently with purpose in full concentration.

    "Can I have some meat?" She ask hesitantly like a child asking for permission.

    "Sure." I chuckled pulling out sausages and bacon from the fridge and began frying it up with two eggs. Pulling out some fruits and yogurt I dished out two portions of yogurt and fruit. Which Scarlet instantly began to reach for losing concentration on her stirring, "Keep stirring." I remained her chucking catching her in the act, making he withdraw her hand quickly like a guilty child. "Help me take the plates out." I said taking the finished breakfast to the table outside.

    "Okay Sis!" Scarlet answered quickly taking all the plates out. Leaving all the plates for her except one bowl of yoghurt and fruits. "All this is mine?!" She said filled with absolute glee.

    "Yeah." I chuckled smiling at how happy she was.

    "So when does Paul normally get up?" I asked starting a conversation.

    "He doesn''t wake up till much latter... he normally skips breakfast, he says breakfast give him very runny poo." she answered me making me chuckle at how straight forward and honest her answer was.

    "If you don''t mind me asking what happened with you and the Demons yesterday?" I questioned.

    "Ohh there were quite a few with these weird Baby faced masks, they were quite easy to kill they only took one hit each, but it was weird.. They have very mechanical movements but when I cut them in two they looked organic they had flesh and blood." She answered more concerned on her food then talking to me.

    "Was there like a command structure?" I questioned.

    "Ohh most defiantly, I encountered three other demons that seemed to be in command or at least a lot stronger than the other fry." She answered.

    "Ohh what sort of Demons?" I questioned.

    "There were three noticeably larger one.. One big red one similar to a Balron but smaller, another was a woman but with fox like features with several tails, and lastly there was another big beefy one with six arms." Scarlet answered.

    "What else was in there?" I questioned.

    "Hmm somehow they managed to smuggle a weird teleportation device I''ve never seen before. They also had quite a few prisoners, which isn''t good." She answered.

    "That''s a bad thing?" I questioned.

    "Yeah... We suspect there''s something impersonating the imprisoned students otherwise we would have known they went missing, so we need to identify them locate their copies and take them down in one swift operation so we can secure Atlantis." Scarlet answered.

    "Was there any casualties?" I asked.

    "There were a few students I needed to cut down but not many." She answered.

    "And the students you had to deal with.. There was no going back?" I questioned her choice of action.

    "I gave them the chance to go peacefully but they were fully corrupted I couldn''t get through to them sadly." Scarlet answered still scoffing down her breakfast.

    "How will you tell their families?" I asked.

    "I''m not sure.. Once we''ve secured Atlantis we''ll have a meeting to discuss what to do." Scarlet answered.

    "We think there''s a teacher involved as well." I said to her.

    "We know.. Professor Caldor dealt with that threat...." She answered.

    "So all is safe now?" I questioned.

    "On this threat.. Yes.. But there can always be more or other threats we don''t know about." Scarlet answered.

    "So what plans do you have today?" I asked curiously.

    "OH MY GOD! I have the most boring day!!! I''m stuck watching Paul and Ashley trying to identify a monster... I HATE READING!" She said fuming in anger. "So Emilia did you come in the middle of the night?" Scarlet questioned me.

    "Yeah.." I hesitantly answered making Scarlet give me a raised eyebrow look.

    "Nothing happened!" I instantly told her knowing what she was thinking.

    "Hmmm.." She replied still staring at me.

    "Nothing happened... I just had a bad dream felt really weird being on my own." I honestly explained to her but she still started at me closely. "He still has his clothes on." I said pointing it out to her.

    "True true.." She said nodding but still giving me a raised eyebrow.

    "How was the breakfast?" I asked noticing the bowls and plates were absolute spotless.

    "It was amazing Sis!" Thank you!! You''re the best!" She smiled with absolute glee.

    "When''s Paul going to be back to normal?" I questioned Scarlet looking back at him a little worried still.

    "Hmm he''ll probably be able to walk around tomorrow or the day after, then maybe a week or so before he get back to full fighting strength." She answered.

    "That long!" I questioned in shock.

    "Yeah his runes take a very long time to be usable again." She answered.

 182 Maynard Caravan

    "Ohh I think it''s time for me to meet up with the others" I said hearing the wake up alarm in my head.

    "No problems take care!" Scarlet said with a giant happy smile on her face.

    "Tell Paul I said thanks and goodbye." I smiled to Scarlet before exiting.

    "I will, take care Sis!" Scarlet smiled.

    Going downstairs taking a pit stop get ready for the day. "Morning Emilia!" Jay noticed me with a book in his hand as I walked out the dorm rooms

    "Hey! How''s Helen?" I questioned.

    "She''s doing alright, I think managed to persuade her Morgana isn''t to blame here." Jay smiled.

    "That''s great I''d hate if there was some tension between us." I smiled, "Seen the others yet?" I questioned.

    "Nah no one has come out yet." He answered.

    "So we heading to your hometown right?" I questioned.

    "Yeah." He smiled.

    "Excited to see your parents?" I asked.

    "Yup very much so, I do wish I could look over them somehow but that''s a little hard being an only child." He answered.

    "Nothing to worry about right?" I questioned.

    "I hope so my town isn''t normally in danger, but they are always in the back of my mind." He answered.

    "Yah I understand where you''re coming from, I worry about my parents as well." I agreed.

    "You''re an only child too?" He asked intrigued a little.

    "Nah I have an older sister and brother, but they are married and moved out so there was really just me living with them." I answered.

    "Ohh interesting." He smiled.

    "Arghhh I totally forgot to ask Paul if I could bring you guys back with me when I visit my home." I face palmed myself.

    "Hah yes, now that would be an awesome adventure." He smiled.

    "Ohh how are we gonna get to your home town? I assume there isn''t a waypoint there." I asked wondering.

    "Yeah we''d probably need to hire out a caravan or at least some horses to make the journey faster." He answered.

    "Sounds great!" I smiled.

    "Morning!" Helen and Grace greeted us with big smiles.

    "New look today?" I questioned noticing Helen wearing a more elegant and comfortable dress but still having her trusty staff on her back.

    "Yeah! We''re on break today it''s exactly like a holiday." Helen smiled.

    "Hello friends! Morgana greeted us wearing a more conserved look in very dark colours.

    "Hey Morgana.. Just wanted to apologise for yesterday''s outburst. I''m really sorry I over reacted." Helen genuinely apologised to her.

    "It''s okay you don''t need to apologise." Morgana smiled.

    "Awesome the crew is here! Let''s get Daisy and head out?" I suggested.

    "Sure." The rest smiled.

    "So what''s the plan today?" I asked Jay.

    "Well sadly we have a long day ahead of us, we''ll have to head to the closest city Maynard then rent some transport to get us to Thralkeld." Jay answered.

    "Ohhh a road trip." I smiled

    "Road trip?" they all asked confused.

    "It''s a term for all of us going on the road having fun and sightseeing." I answered them.

    "Sounds great!" Grace said opening the doors to the infirmary that is now filled with a lot of students.

    "Did something happen?" Jay asked walking in, a nurse writing on a clipboard noticed us and left her patient to greet us.

    "Hi I''m Nurse Faith, have you come for medical assistance?" she smiled.

    "Ohh no.. We''re just here to pick up a friend." Helen smiled.

    "Sure need me to find her or you know where she is?" Faith asked.

    "We can find her, you seem really busy." Jay answered.

    "Yeah they came this morning." Faith answered going back to her patient with her clipboard.

    "I wonder what happened." I said looking at the other students as we made our way to Daisy''s bed, they didn''t seem to have any external injuries like Daisy and Yuna... The sleeping ones seems to be restless tossing and turning constantly.

    "Hey guys!" Daisy and Yuna called out to us waving.

    "Feeling better?" we asked them both.

    "Yup much better." Daisy smiled showing us that she can move her arms.

    "Yup almost feel back to normal." Yuna smiled making me wonder why Paul didn''t stay in bed to recover faster.

    "Sven coming by?" I asked her noticing he wasn''t here yet.

    "Yeah he should be coming soon." she answered.

    "We heading out?" daisy asked.

    "If you''re okay to?" I questioned.

    "Yup! Lemme ask the nurse for my gear and get changed." Daisy smiled getting up and running to two nurses on a desk, one of the nurses stood up leading her to a back room.

    "So Yuna.. Any idea on why so many students appeared?" Jay questioned.

    "No idea... They arrived while I was sleeping." She answered.

    "Have you had breakfast?" I questioned.

    "Not yet." Yuna answered.

    "Ohh I totally forgot, you guys wanna get some breakfast before we head out?" I asked.

    "I was hoping to try food outside the Atlantis." Grace and Helen confessed.

    "It''s probably not gonna be as good." Jay answered them.

    "That''s okay, we just want to try." They smiled.

    "Right I''m good to go guys!" Daisy said walking back in with her plate armour and maul on.

    "Well Yuna we''ll be on our way. Take care and tell Sven we said hi." I said standing up giving her a hug.

    "Take care kiddos... don''t get into any more trouble!" She chuckled.

    "We''ll try." Daisy laughed and pushed us out.

    "SO!!! Where we heading?!" She yelled in excitement, "the infirmary was so boring!" she complained staring into the sun light taking a deep breath.

    "Right where to?!" Helen asked Jay.

    "Maynard." Jay answered seeing him smile slightly.

    "Right Maynard it is!" I smiled queuing up for the teleportation booth.

    "It''s kidna nice that Atlantis let''s students have a mini holiday every weekend." I smiled.

    "I wonder what the rules are for travelling." Helen asked.

    "Yeah no doubt they probably restrict travel to only cities in Arcadia." Jay answered.

    "Come to think about it, is it really that safe to have students travel around so freely." I wondered curiously what Atlantis has installed to ensure our safety.

    "I''m sure Atlantis has measures." Daisy answered.

    "I''m defiantly gonna ask Paul when I see him next.. Make sure we''re all safe travelling around." I smiled.

    "Hi where would you like to go and year please?" The two students at the booth asked us.

    "Five... Ohh no, Six of us, first years... Where we going again?" Daisy answered her but looked back at us forgetting where we was heading to.

    "Maynard." we quietly answered her.

    "Ohh yeah six of us, first years, going Maynard please!!" Daisy asked the students with a giant smile.

    "One moment please." the two students requested scanning down a clipboard. "Okay all is well. Take these leather straps and make sure you never take them off till you get back to Atlantis." She smiled while the other began typing something on a computer system causing a blue portal to open. "Have a safe journey, make sure you return by Sundas dawn." The two student smiled.

    "Thank you!" Daisy smiled.

    "Ahhh it must be these leather straps that do something to keep us safe." I said putting it on my wrist.

    "I remember last time the student telling us it was some form of tracker." Daisy said putting it on.

    "Well let''s go!" Helen said abruptly pulling Jay with her through the portal, One by one we all followed hem stepping through the portal into Maynard.

    "So know your way around?" I asked Jay looking around.

    "Nope never been here, but there is a road that leads to Thralkeld from here." Jay said looking around.

    "Excuse me sir! Can you point me to the stables please?" Daisy asked a random passer-by.

    "Sure you won''t miss is, down that road towards the edge of the city then take a left you won''t miss is." The man told us.

    "Thank you sir! May the Blessings of Serra be upon you!" Daisy smiled bowing to the man. "I got directions lets go guys!" Daisy said leading the way.

    "How big is this city?" I asked looking around noticing there wasn''t many buildings as other cities we''ve visited.

    "It''s not very big, this part of Arcadia is referred to as the poor side almost everyone barely making it by, the super-rich abusing the poor." Jay answered.

    "Why don''t someone do something about it?" I questioned.

    "Because they are just too rich and that brings influence and power." Jay answered.

    "We always found human greed and lust for power so despicable, if that was in Elven society they would be reprimanded and dealt with." Helen said looking at other humans with a look of distain and anger.

    "Yup.. Mother told me the easiest way to get a human to do something is to offer them power." Morgana added.

    "That''s a little unfair.." I instantly replied feeling offended but knowing that a part of what they said is true, even back home the rich and powerful just get richer and richer on the backs of the poor, a never ending cycle of perpetual poverty.

    "Helen.. you can''t say things like that until you walk a step in their shoes." Grace said with a sigh.

    "Ohhh I think I see the stables. Daisy said pointing at a long set of buildings that look like they are built to house horses.

    "Excuse me sir.. We need to rent a Caravan and Horses!" Daisy asked the first person who looks like they worked there.

    "Sure come on in." A lady said with a giant smile showing us into the main building and walked behind a counter. "Howdy I''m Christina nice to meet you! Young girl.. is there an adult I can talk to?" She asked Daisy politely, trying not to offend her customer.

    "You''re up Emilia." They all nudged me forward.

    "Hi I''m Emilia." I said holding out my hand for a shake.

    "I don''t mean to be offensive but a proper adult like a grown up." She said shaking my hand politely.

    "I''m 23..." I answered her still shaking her hand.

    "Really?.. You have really good genes.. you don''t look a day older then 18, but I''ll take your word for it. She smiled. "So darling what can I do for you?" She questioned.

    "We need transport to Thralkeld please." I asked her politely.

    "Okay... what would you like?.. We can do Caravan or horses." She smiled.

    "Umm what''s the prices for both?" I asked.

    "Well the caravan will cost around 5 gold per night.. There a deposit starts at 10 gold depending on quality, the deposit would cover the costs of caravan and horse if you don''t return. You can rent three horses, two to a horse that would cost you 1 gold per horse with a six gold deposit. Deposit will be returned once you arrive back any damages or anything would be taken out the deposit." She answered with a smile making me kind of thankful that Paul and Ashley giving us money a bunch of money.

    "Can I ask my friends what they would prefer?" I asked politely.

    "Sure sure go on ahead." she smiled genuinely as I walked back to the others.

    "So horses or caravan?" I asked everyone.

    "Ohh caravan sounds good! Would be nice and relaxing." Daisy said with a gleeful smile.

    "I agree." Morgana replied.

    "Horse back is cheaper though." Helen and Grace answered.

    "Let''s go with the caravan gives us time to chill and chat." Jay said.

    "Sure." I answered everyone walking back to the counter we''d like the caravan." I requested with a smile.

    "Okay.." The lady hesitantly looked at us. I took out some gold pieces from my pouch to show her we''re good for money. "Well okay then, right this way I''ll show you the caravans we have free right now." She said taking us into another room filled with caravans. "Quality get better the further we go." She informed us walking down the long showroom of caravans.

    "Wow.." I said in awe looking at the caravans like I''ve been take back to an era before cars were even invented.

    "As you see, the more expensive the Caravan the smoother and quieter the ride." She smiled.

    "We''ll just take the cheapest." Jay insisted.

    "Are you sure? We can''t persuade you to go with a higher caravan?" She asked me instead of replying to Jay.

    "We''ll take the cheapest." I smiled putting full trust in Jay making her look a little disappointed.

    "We''ll have your caravan ready for you in 20 minutes." She smiled.

    "Okay great." I smiled as she led us back to the main building. "By any chance do you have recommendations of a good breakfast establishment?" I questioned.

    "Why yes!! There''s a tavern not far from here... which way did you come?" She asked writing on some papers.

    "We came from the city square walking down a main road and took a left and arrived here." I informed her.

    "Ahh great the third best tavern is there along the main road, just got back the way you came near the centre is great eating place." She smiled.

    "Thank you." I smiled giving her some silver as a tip.

    "Thank you miss." She nodded with respect as we all made our way outside.

    "So why did we pick the cheapest one?" Daisy questioned.

    "It''s a scam, they get you to rent a expensive carriage then charge more on your deposit because it''s a higher quality build and more expensive to repair." Jay answered.

    "Ohh wow.." I answered in shock.

    "Lucky we have you today." Helen said giving Jay a big pat on the back.

 183 Hope and Pastries

    Entering kind of empty tavern a teenage girl came towards us. "HI! How many?" She asked with a welcoming smile.

    "6 Please!" Grace asked since she was closest to her.

    "Sure follow me, please." she said leading us to a round table.

    "Um can we take the ones with the comfy booth chairs?" I questioned pointing at the more comfortable ones.

    "Sure." She smiled leading us there to my surprise there wasn''t any menus handed out to us.

    "So what''s good here?" Morgana asked.

    "We have an assortment of dried meats, breads, fresh fruits and fresh juice." She answered with a gleeful smile.

    "We''ll have one loaf with butter and a bit of everything please and if there''s a special one of those." Jay said with a smiled.

    "Sure sure." She smiled and walked away, giving us a second glance before entering the kitchen.

    "I can''t believe they tried to scam us!" Grace said in utter disgust at the way the lady selling us the caravan conducted her business.

    "Don''t blame her, she''s only trying to make a living." Jay said defending her.

    "Here''s your fresh loaf." The teenage maid came over placing a plate in the middle with a whole loaf of bread still warm to the touch, "and the butter," she placed a plate with butter on it with a butter knife, "and lastly" our fruit spreads she said placing small jars on the table with a selection of different fruits and a small knife for each flavour. "Enjoy!" She said with a giant smile and walked away but quickly scurried back to us. "Um, if you don''t mind me asking are you all Atlantis students?" She asked in brimming in absolute excitement.

    "We are, how could you tell?" I smiled back.

    "We don''t normally get fresh faces around here.. and you all look the right age to be students plus you all have weapons on you." She answered. "Tell me is it really as great as everyone says it is?" She questioned in complete admiration.

    "It''s great." Jay smiled.

    "I wish one day I could go or at least visit there..." She rocked side to side in imagination.

    "I''m sure one day you will." I smiled.

    "If onlyˇ­ sadly I not blessed with the ability to use magic." She sighed, looking a little depressed.

    "Just keep your hopes up!" I smiled to her.

    "Hey Mary! the drinks are ready!" A voice shouted from inside the kitchen.

    "Oh that''s me! Be right back." She smiled, running into the kitchen, coming back out after a few seconds with a huge jug of fresh orange juice and several cups. "Have you met Paul the Black Dragon Slayer in person?" She asked in excited to hear our answer.

    "We have actually." I smiled.

    "Is he really as great as they say?" She questioned.

    "He really is something." Grace smiled.

    "I literally would die if he came to eat here and I could meet him." She said in total admiration.

    "Say what''s this tavern called?" I questioned.

    "Oh, it''s the Open gardens." She smiled.

    "Ahh delightful place. Is this a family-run establishment?" I questioned smiling to her.

    "Oh, no.. I just work here helping provide for my family, the owner was nice giving me a job with no experience." She smiled.

    "That''s nice." I smiled.

    "Between me and you is there anything I can do to get into Atlantis?" She asked quietly.

    "Just stay hopeful, keep that spark of hope." I smiled.

    "I''ll get the rest of your order." She smiled extremely happy.

    "Emilia.. you can''t give her false hope like that." Morgana whispered.

    "I agree.. she said she can''t use magic." Grace agreed.

    "Yeah but.. a little of hope doesn''t hurt." I answered them.

    "I agree with Emilia.. Everyone needs a goal or something to work towards." Helen agreed with me.

    "Even if the goal is unobtainable? You can''t just will yourself to use magic." Jay agreed with the others.

    "Yeha but there''re students in Atlantis that fight without magic and some students can''t even use magic." I argued quietly.

    "Yes, but those students aren''t just normal fighters, their bodies naturally use Arcanum giving them a higher peak." Jay answered.

    "I''m with Emilia, hope is strong even if she can''t make it to Atlantis maybe if she worked on it she could still be a strong individual and go on to do great things." Daisy explained making the three of them reexamine their views.

    "Let''s just forget it for now and eat some food." I said trying to cheer everyone us cutting a slice of break for everyone.

    "Okay.. here''s the rest of your order.. Dried cured meats, bowl of fruits and my personal specialty fruit pie. I hope you all are enjoying your meal." She smiled, placing on the table a beautifully cooked black berry pie.

    "Wow.." Helen and Daisy looked at it in awe.

    "You did this yourself?" I questioned in absolute shock.

    "Yup! it''s what we are famous for." she smiled with pride.

    "You know what you should do?" I asked her with a smile.

    "Oh, what else?" She asked with a smile.

    "Use this dough or pastry.. and make smaller fruit filled packets for individual customers to purchase so they don''t have to buy a complete pie." I advised her.

    "Woah.... that''s a brilliant idea!!" She smiled, I could tell that she was whipping up a storm of ideas.

    "Oh and brush the outside with egg yolk.. and sprinkle sugar on the top after they finish baking. Gives it a nice golden crust and a great appearance" I also advised.

    "Thank you, miss.." She paused, not knowing my name.

    "I''m Emilia... and this is Jay, Daisy, Helen Grace and Morgana." I answered also by introducing everyone else.

    "and I''m Mary." She replied with a giant smile, "So what brings you guys here?" She questioned.

    "Oh we''re here to visit Jay''s home town Thralkeld." I answered her.

    "Jay''s from around here?" She looked at him in admiration.

    "Yes, I am." He smiled.

    Another set of customers came in causing her to look at them giving them a 1 second sign, "I''ve got to go.. It was lovely to meet you all! If you ever come back, please come by for a visit." She smiled loooking, extremely hopeful.

    "We''ll try." I smiled to her.

    "Have an enjoyable meal." She said and ran towards the new customer and seated them.

    "I really hope one day she gets to go Atlantis." I said, wishing the best for her.

    "We all do.. we always wish the best for everyone," Helen smiled.

    "Well, let''s finish up and get on the road." Jay suggested finishing up his share of the food.

    ".. Human food is a lot nicer than Elven food." Both Grace and Grace stuffed themselves.

    "How far is Thralkeld?" Morgana asked.

    "Hmm should take us about four hours if I remember correctly." He answered looking a little nervous, making me remember what Paul told me about his mum and dad yesterday.

    "Say Morgana what was your upbringing like?" I questioned.

    "It was boring.. Mother always came back with so many ingredients that needed to catalogued and processed." She answered.

    "And your spare time?" I questioned.

    "Learning to do.. magic." She took a pause looking at Helen choosing a word that won''t offend her. "and potion craft and stuff." She answered.

    "What did you do for fun?" I asked.

    "Nothing you''d find interesting." She replied.

    "Surprise me." I answered her.

    "Well, my best friend was a swamp troll..we spent a lot of time hunting for food and gathering food together." She answered.

    "Oh, that''s nice..." I hesitantly replied knowing trolls are generally bad creatures.

    "Before we go Emilia heres my share." Jay said giving me two gold coins.

    "Oh, mine to." The rest replied giving me their gold coins.

    "Sure." I answered, taking the gold. "Um Mary, can we pay the bill?" I ask politely once I grabbed her attention.

    "Sure." She said with a smile coming to our table.

    "So.. in all everything would be... 34 silver pieces." She smiled.

    "Okay sure!" I said paying her two gold coins, making her look at me in astonishment. "It''s a tip keep the change." I smiled.

    "Thank you so much!" She said giving me an enormous hug and bowed respectfully to everyone else.

    "Remember, my advice I got a feeling it will work." I smiled.

    "Yes, thank you!" She said packing away the plates and bid us one last goodbye before going into the kitchen.

    "Let''s get this road trip started." I smiled, trying to hype everyone up.

    "Woo" Daisy yelled, mimicking my enthusiasm.

    Making our way back to the stables, the Caravan waited outside, both horses already strung up and saddled ready to head off.

    "Oh, you''re back." The woman said in excitement. "Everything is ready, I assume one of you can drive." She asked.

    "Yes, one of us can. How much will it cost?" I questioned.

    "How many nights will you be needing it?" She asked.

    "2 day''s please," I requested.

    "Sure that would be 20gold in total including deposit." she asked.

    "Sure here you go." I said passing her the gold.

    "Thank you for your business." She smiled, walking around the corner to show us the caravan.

    "Thank you." we all answered, jumping in while Grace jumped on the front with the reins.

    "Have a safe journey." The lady smiled walking back into the building.

    Helen and Morgana took both the horses'' heads towards themselves calming the horse while whispering something to them. "I''ll ride with Grace." Helen said jumping in the front next to her.

    "Sure!" Morgana said, jumping in the back with us.

    "Some more padding would be nice." I said, finding it a little uncomfortable.

    "At least they did an excellent job cleaning out the smell." Daisy said as the sound of a leash whip caused us to begin moving, starting our first ever journey.

 184 Paul and I

    "This place is beautiful!" I said looking out into the countryside, the bright blue sky and the picture perfect rolling green hills.

    "It''s so peaceful here." Helen said, looking around.

    "Are We There Yet?" Daisy said popping her head out the front.

    "We have no idea... Jay said follow this road." Helen and Grace answered.

    "Jeez it''s only been an hour... we still got a long way to go." Jay replied to Daisy.

    "But it''s so boring!" Daisy complained, "Hey Morgana what you writing!" She asked noticing Morgana was doing something trying to entertain herself.

    "I''m taking notes on plants and herbs I see, in case we need them or I need them later." She answered.

    "This place looks pleasant to live in." I said noticing it was remarkably peaceful compared to other places we''ve been.

    "Peaceful may be good to live in, but it not good for business." Jay answered.

    "How comes?" I questioned.

    "Well lack of monsters means lack of adventures, and adventures bring huge business, food, weapons, supplies, inns etc... so an area that''s peaceful is just stagnant." Jat explained.

    "Surly being peaceful means it would be good for farmland and animals." I questioned.

    "that would be great is the rich barons didn''t own all the land, stopping or restricting people from doing anything." Jay explained.

    "Ahh I see..." I answered.

    "Oh Morgana.. I need to tell you something.. but it''s a bit of a secret." I said to her, remembering I needed to tell her my secret.

    "That you''re from the same home plane as Paul?" She questioned without even a sign of shock still writing into her little notebook.

    "Wait how did you know?" I asked in shock.

    "It''s obvious Mother told me Paul isn''t from here, you and him seem to have more of just a friend''s relationship, specially to go out his way to make a deal with mother and got tricked because he was panicking. So I concluded that you guys must be from the same plane." She explained, still focused on her wiring.

    "Well, I didn''t know I was that obvious." I answered surprised as she worked it out the first day we met.

    "You not so much.... I feel your feelings towards him is a little different, Paul on the other hand he hides it poorly." she chuckled still focused on her book.

    "We''ve got a lot of time to burn. Tell us about you and Paul." Daisy asked with a raised eyebrow.

    "All right time to get up, I need to listen to this." Jay said sitting up.

    "Hey she''s finally going to talk about Paul?" Grace asked popping her head in.

    "Hey aren''t you steering?" I instantly questioned in shock.

    "It''s all right, it''s a straight stretch of road." She laughed.

    "So where are we starting?" How they met?.. or when they were together." Grace asked with a raised eyebrow.

    "Urghhh." Morgana sighed, "I''ll take the reins." She offered switching places with Grace.

    "Okay fine.." I reluctantly agreed. "He tell''s me we first met when we was 16 on the first day of college." I began to tell the story.

    "What''s a college?" Daisy asked curiously.

    "It''s a place you go to learn things a bit like Atlantis." I answered.

    "Oh, okay." She smiled.

    "He say''s he always remembers it vividly, I met his best friend before him because we both studied business studies together and his friend''s family was from the same country and village as my family so we naturally hit it off as friends. He told me that his friends introduced me to him and it was like love at first sight, for him like his heart skipped a beat and he could never forget my smile." I recounted to them.

    "And you didn''t notice him?!" Daisy asked in shock.

    "No, I didn''t at all, maybe he didn''t make a big impression on me or I''m forgetful but I did met many people that day maybe he just got lost in the mass of people I met." I answered her.

    "Oh, no." Grace answered, fully invested.

    "I''m sorry but I''ve got to listen to this." Helen said jumping in the back making herself comfortable.

    "So about a year passed where we didn''t really know each other he had a girlfriend at the time a Chinese girl who was in his class called Jade." I told them.

    "NO!" Daisy gasped in shock.

    "What''s a Chinese?" Jay questioned.

    "Chinese is a race, Paul is Chinese because his family is from a country called China whereas I''m Indian because my family is from India, over there everyone is human and where you come from is akin to races here. Generally people prefer to be with people their own race, my parents always preferred me to be with and marry an Indian person to keep traditions and stuff, and Paul''s parents would similarly prefer him to be with a Chinese girl." I answered Jay, trying to explain as simply as possible.

    "Oh understandable." Jay nodded.

    "So we didn''t really become friends till a year after, like some weird game of fates one friend dropped out of a trip our friend group was planning to go on. Just as we were discussing who to invite to fill the slot, Paul happened to pass by, his best friend noticed him and called him inside to meet us, everyone got to know him a little and agreed to invite him. He was a little weird at first, distance not very talkative but he was always there for us when we needed." I explained.

    "Wow, so it was fate that brought you both together." Helen said eagerly, waiting to hear the next part.

    "Slowly he got more and more comfortable in our group eventually becoming a great friend, everyone loved him, he was funny, smart, always willing to help and looked like he had everything planned out, but something felt odd like he didn''t want to get to know me too well. He''d always avoid conversation with me getting too personal. At the time my parents we''re pushing me to meet a guy called Raj, his dad was friends with mine very wealthy famous and he was Indian." I carried on telling the story.

    "Dramaaaaa" Grace laughed, listening intently.

    "Oh, no!" Daisy gasped, fully invested in my side of the story.

    "We had a group discussion about our partners and crushes which lead to my relationship with Raj and how my parents were looking to seal the marriage. Then like a switch Paul was suddenly invested in my life. He kept telling me what Raj wasn''t the right match for me and he isn''t as great as everyone thinks he is. He kept making these points that at first seemed ridiculous, but it gave me some doubts." I began explaining.

    "Like what?" Jay asked curiously.

    "Like he''s too rich you won''t have a fulfilling life, I wouldn''t like all the fame and limelight, he would spend all his time at work and no time for me and lastly I''d hate all the attention he gets from other women." I listed a few of the problems I could remember on the top of my head.

    "Interesting." Jay asked.

    "And he didn''t know this Raj at all?" Grace and Helen asked.

    "Nope, not at all, even till now they have never met or anything." I answered.

    "How would he know so much about him?" they asked.

    "No idea.. maybe a gut feeling or reading stuff on him.. Raj was a little famous." I answered.

    "And he didn''t have any magic at the time?" they questioned.

    "Nope, as far as I know he couldn''t use magic." I answered.

    "Weird." They both answered.

    "Then Paul and his girlfriend wasn''t doing to well and broke up, we all thought it was a bit sudden but he insisted they had underlying problems. We got a lot closer at that point, I was helping cheer him up over his breakup, we would always talk to till sun rise because I always found it hard to sleep." I told them.

    "And that''s when you both fell for each other." Daisy smiled, predicting the story.

    "Not quite actually, my parents kept pushing me to accept an arranged marriage, at that time Raj and I met a few times and I kinda liked him and he seemed so great so our family met with his family to accept the proposal and discuss wedding plans." I answered her.

    "Wait what?!" They all answered in shock.

    "Yeah.. I could really see my future with Raj, wealthy to the point where I wouldn''t need to worry about finances and have the freedom and time pursuing my dreams and travel the world with a loving partner and family. Also, best of all my parents won''t need to stress or worry about my future." I answered, chuckling at their reaction. "Soon after that.. Paul mother died, he was absolutely devastated at the time none of us knew, all we noticed was that he vanished for about a month of two, literally vanished no one could contact him or find him.. all I remember was a missed call and text one night, telling me that his mum passed away." I carried on telling them.

    "His mum died?.." Daisy asked in shocked sounding saddened.

    "Yes, sadly.. he told me it was sudden and unexpected... one moment she was here and then the next she wasn''t." I answered, remembering how saddened he was when he told me.

    "What''s a text?" Jay asked.

    "In my world we have a device called mobiles which let use talk to each other no matter how far we are, we can also send messages and these messages is what we call a text." I answered him.

    "So then what happened?!" Helen asked eagerly, ready to hear the next part of the story.

    He returned coming back to school like everything was okay and normal, like the time he vanished was the closure and time he needed to deal with the grief. During that time Raj and I wasn''t doing the best either, I missed Paul dearly while he was gone all the time''s we spent together in college and all the late nights. Raj being a full-time student and working in his Family business didn''t have much time for me, creating doubts in my mind that just kept growing and growing. Then like a whirlwind Paul came back into my life, he told me he loved me. At first I told him that my parents would never accept it and that I''m committed to Raj, but he didn''t care he said he loved no matter what happens even if my parents would never accept him. I concluded half the story.

    "And that''s when you realised you loved him?" Daisy questioned in anticipation.

    "And.. that''s the end of the story till now." I chuckled, making them all boo me.

    "You have to tell us what happens next!" They all begged.

    "The rest is boring stuff, really." I laughed at all of their disappointment amusing.

 185 Carvell Family

    "Emila can you please finish the story!" Daisy begged as we made our way to Thralkeld.

    "Nope." I smiled, finding her desperation amusing.

    "It''s not all that bad Daisy.. we know they aren''t together.. so maybe they never go together at the end." Helen replied.

    "You never know." I shrugged to Daisy, making her a little more frustrated.

    "Hey guys.. there''s something you all might want to see." Morgana shouted to all of us in the back.

    One by one we all stuck our heads out to see what''s going on. "Is that a checkpoint?" I asked noticing a bunch of adults in front of us with a make shift rode block haphazardly nailed together.

    "Yup but that''s text book bandits trying to take our stuff." Helen said pulling us all in.

    "Bandits? what the hell?" I questioned.

    "They are probably just desperate." Jay informed us.

    "Well.. Im sure they won''t be stupid enough to do anything to Atlantis students." Daisy answered.

    Our caravan came to an eventual stop. "Hey there." A manly voice shouted out to us.

    "Hello." Morgana replied calmly.

    "May I ask what you''re doing so far out?" The man questioned Morgana.

    "We are visiting Thralkeld." She answered him.

    "Oh? how many friends in total." He asked, his voice sounding intrigued and slightly excited.

    "Six of us including myself." Morgana answered.

    "Can you ask your friends to come out?" he requested.

    "Guys they''d like to see you." She requested, making us all exit from the back coming around the side to see them. They defiantly looked like bandits trying to look as menacing as possible, if I came across them 2 weeks ago I would have defiantly been intimidated. Their shoddy looking leather armour, degraded crossbow that''s barely functional and weapons that look more like farming or blacksmithing tools then actual weapons did little to unnerve me now.

    "No adults?" The man at the front asked seeing us.

    "No.. We''re Atlantis students, it''s out time off." Daisy answered, making one bandit in the back have a sword with their leader.

    "Fine." He begrudgingly accepted, "You may all pass." He said turning back to his men giving them a signal making them open pull the blockade to the side.

    "Thank you, sir." Morgana said with a smile as we all went back in and began making our way to Thralkeld. We all still held our breaths watching closely as we slowly rolled pass all the bandits looking at us like a missed opportunity.

    "Jeez I thought that would go sideways." I let out a sigh of relief.

    "Yeah same.. but just a small reminder, remember Paul told us that we can''t just start trouble and under no circumstances can we cause fatalties.." Jay reminded us.

    "There was nothing to worry about anyway.. their equipment was in bad condition and extremely worn.. I guess they were trying to intimidate people into giving them money." Grace answered.

    "We should go do something.. you know, stop them doing this to someone else." I said, feeling angered at the injustice.

    "Let''s not start something this weekend and just have a relaxing time." Jay insisted taking s more relaxing seat.

    "Fine for now.. but is something big happens we''re not letting it slide." Daisy argued.

    "You guys and your moral compass.. going to get us in trouble" Jay sighed.

    "Hey Jay, how long till we arrive?" Morganna shouted, making Jay peek out the front.

    "Oh, we should be there soon, maybe 30minutres." Jay smiled.

    "Finally!" Daisy smiled in absolute glee.

    "Coming from a different world it''s kinda refreshing to have journeys like this." I laughed.

    "What is your world like?" Helen questioned.

    "Its different... much like an enormous city but large with very tall buildings." I answered.

    "That doesn''t sound all that bad." Daisy answered.

    "I know.. but the green, the fresh air the peacefulness is truly something." I smiled, looking outside, absorbing the scenery.

    "Feeling excited to see your parents?" Helen asked Jay with a raised eyebrow.

    "A little." He smiled.

    "Do you think we''d ever get to see your family?" Daisy asked Grace or Helen.

    "I really doubt it... First we live in an Elven city and secondly.. we are kinda exiled." They both confessed.

    "Woah Joining Atlantis was a big deal, huh?" Jay asked.

    "Yes.. joining a ''human'' school was apparently a huge disgrace to the family name." They answered.

    "So how do you both know each other.. since you guys aren''t the same type of Elf and from different families?" I questioned.

    "Our families are very close, Helen came over often to visit and mess about, that''s when we decided to ..... run away and join a Human school." Grance explained.

    "Wait what, you guys literally ran away?" We questioned.

    "Yup, we had some help, but we got away." They smiled.

    "But why?" Jay asked.

    "Like we said before we want to choose our own destiny." They answered.

    "So your lives were like Emilia''s? family pushing you into a certain relationship?" Daisy questioned.

    "Kinda like we said before when Elves are born their status and name dictates what they will do in life for the good of the ''society'', being the daughter of a wealthy and important house, we were born to be diplomats and our families would marry us to broker relationships and forge alliances. Grace explained to us.

    "Damn... that sounds restricting." I commented.

    "Yeah, so that''s why we both ran away." They answered.

    "Aren''t they looking for you?" I questioned.

    "Most likely but they have no power to take away a student of Atlantis." They both answered.

    "Oh I think we arrived." Morgana said shouting to us.

    "We all popped our head out in excitement to see a tiny village. It was a lot smaller than most other cities we''ve been to, with several roads leading into the city and very small outer wall surrounding it made of stone.

    "Halt." a pair of ill-equipped guard stopped, our caravan and began peering inside.

    "Just a bunch of Atlatnis students visiting family." Morgana answered with a smile, causing them to look at all of us closely.

    "Atlantis students?" They asked curiously.

    "Yup that''s us." we replied.

    "Odd we don''t know anyone child that got into Atlantis." They questioned.

    "I''m Jay Carvell, you probably havn''t heard of me." Jay introduced himself.

    "Oh Carvell? the local bakery owners?" they questioned making Jay look at them in shock. "everything looks fine.. come right in you will need to leave your carriage at the stables, just follow the wall." They instructed Morganna.

    "Umm could you point us to the Carvell bakery?" I asked them politely as we pass them.

    "Sure beside the city square, impossible to miss." He smiled as our caravan pulled away.

    Staring back at them, they watched us curiously as a Guard came up to them to talk. "Hey Jay I thought you was unknown in this town." I questioned.

    "I was.." He answered, staring back at the guards.

    Arriving at the stables, a pubescent stable boy greeted us. We paid 8 silver for him to take good care of our caravan and horses, then began making our way to the city square. Jay looked around with a genuine smile like his memories was all coming back to him.

    "See that Tavern over there." He pointed out to us, "That is where I would hear stories of adventures and new outside the city." He smiled, "and over there the butcher was very nice to us giving us any scarps of meat that wouldn''t sell and was going off." He smiled remembering the kind people here.

    "What''s that building?" I asked pointing at a very large nice looking mansion.

    "That is Vancliff house.. the family and lord of the city." He explained.

    "This must be it." I said pointing at a very nice almost new build bakery, with a plenty of nice fresh loaves on display at the window.

    Jay peered inside and took a step back in shock as if he couldn''t believe his eyes making us all peer in. "Jay, Wrong shop? Daisy asked.

    "No, that''s them..." He uttered in complete shock.

    "Let''s go in." I said, pushing open the door.

    "Hi! Welcome to Carvell bakery!" Jay''s mother welcomed us with a genuine smile but looked in shocked as she saw Jay behind us. "Honey! Our baby is home!" She yelled in complete shock to his father, on the verge of tears.

    "Mum? Dad?" Jay asked in shock, also tearing up at the sight.

    "My baby boy how are you?!" His mum ran to him embracing him with an enormous hug in tears.

    "But how?" Jay questioned, looking at her in complete shock.

    "Our mark? and all this?" She looked around with a genuine smile.

    "Yeah.." Jay replied.

    "Jay?" Jay''s father appeared, looking at him in shock.

    "Dad as well?.. How?.. I thought it was impossible." He questioned his mum in shock.

    "It''s a lengthy story honey.. let''s find you and your friends some seats and some food and we can talk about it all ." She smiled within absolute happiness, making me miss my mum.

    "Honey clear a table." Jay''s mum instructed, "So baby, why don''t you introduce us to your friends." She smiled at the rest of us.

    "Yes, yes sorry." He apologised and processed to introduce the rest of us.

    "I hope you girls are taking good card of my baby here." She said with a big smile.

    "They are." Jay nodded with an enormous smile, still staring at his mother.

    "Come on in take a seat you must be tired, did you travel far?" Jay''s father instructed wiping the table suface with a damp cloth removing residues of flour.

    "Yeah, we took a caravan from Maynard," Jay answered while the other placed their weapons neatly in a free corner.

    "Oh, so a small journey.. hope nothing happened on the road." Jay''s father questioned before seeing the rest of us. "So son! which one of these pleasant ladies is your girlfriend." He grinned at his own joke.

    "None of them, they are like family." Jay smiled, taking a seat.

    "Mum dad.. how was all this possible? You didn''t take a loan, did you?" Jay asked, looking worried.

    "You know your dad and I will never take a Vancliff Loan." They both answered.

    "But how then?!" Jay asked, looking around in absolute shock like all of it was unbelievable.

    "We couldn''t believe it ourselves at first.. but it''s been half a month and our guardian Angel has asked nothing from us." She smiled.

    "Guardian angel?" Jay questioned.

    "It''s a nickname your mother calls him.. his name is Mr Wayne." Jay''s Dad answered making me chuckle.

 186 Carvell Bakery

    "So this guardian angle did all this for free? No strings attached?" Jay asked, finding the entire thing utterly unbelievable.

    "Well, he said when the time comes we need to do him a favour." Jay''s mum hesitantly answered.

    "What?!! what if it''s some criminal? Or something that will put you both at risk?" Jay objected.

    "Well.. at first he wanted to give it to us for free... but we couldn''t accept that so he gave us that offer instead." She confessed to him.

    "Don''t worry son.. we''ve spent a week with him it was outstanding, within the next day he brought in materials and helpers getting everything done in just a week while trying to teech us the basics of bread baking." Mr Carvell answered.

    "And your stigma? what happened to that... Mr Dildamzed said it was incurable." Jay looked in confusion.

    "Oh, something Mr Guardian Angel also helped us with." She plucked out a coin similar in looks to the one Paul gave us to counteract Scarlets fear aura but in a weird copper or bronze colour. "He called this a glamour charm.. it masks our stigma with an illusion." She answered with a giant smile.

    "And the rest of the town don''t remember you at all?" I questioned.

    "Nope.. as far as most the other residence are concerned we came into town with Mr Wayne." Miss Carvell answered.

    "No, no, this is all insane, do you know expensive glamour charms are? and the built this shop for you and taught you both how to bake and asked nothing in return?" Jay asked in complete shock, still finding it all unbelievable.

    "That''s why I call him our guardian angel, honey." She smiled.

    "Trust us, son, he''s coming over tomorrow for deliveries so you can meet him for yourself." His father tried to reassure him.

    "Yes, darling... he''s made our lives much better!" She said with a smile.

    "Look.." She said taking out a chest and opened it. "Every day we save a little money, so like other families we can help provide for you in Atlantis," she said taking out a bag filled with coins. "It''s not much baby.. we can only save 30silver a day for you." She said offering the small pouch of gold to him in tears of joy, making us all choke up at how amazing Jay''s parents were.

    "It''s okay, mum. I''m doing well in Atlantis, I''ve found a job we''re earning 5 gold a week and 20 if we do well." Jay answered.

    "Oh... I know it''s not as much, but maybe you can quit your job and focus more on your studies?" She tried to offer.

    "Honey.. I think Jay will be just fine without it." Jay''s father smiled, giving him a nod of respect. "We can use it to expand and make more money." Jay''s dad smiled while Jay''s mum put the coin pouch back in the box, nodding quietly.

    "So what do you do here? If you don''t mind me asking." I questioned them both.

    "Oh, we do loads! We make loaves of bread in unique shapes, sizes and flavours, we also do two types of cheese and fruit jams." Jay''s mum smiled with pride.

    "How did you learn to do so much?" Jay questioned.

    "Mr Wayne taught us." Jay''s father replied.

    "Wow, he really sounds like a guardian angel!" Daisy smiled.

    "And the Vancliff family.. they are all okay with this?" Jay questioned.

    "Well, they are a little angry that they sold the land and we are totally independent so they can''t strong-arm us but Mr Wayne somehow has some power over them." Jay''s parents smiled.

    "And how do you get all the ingredients?" Jay asked.

    "Every Sunday when Mr Wayne arrives with last week''s order, we also make another order for the following week depending how well the business is going." Jay''s mum smiled.

    "The Vancliff family must be really upset that you guys don''t rely on them," Jay commented.

    "I find this all unbelievable." Jay looked at everything suspiciously.

    "We did so at first... but it truly has been a blessing." Jay''s mum answered.

    Jay''s mum looked at us all for a few seconds then back at her husband with a worried look, "Honey I''m afraid we only have two bedrooms upstairs we won''t be able to house your friends for the night." Jay''s mum regretfully informed us.

    "That''s okay, we can shack up at a local Tavern." I answered.

    "Sorry, we don''t own a bigger house." The mum apologized regretfully.

    "It''s okay, don''t worry about it." I tried to comfort her.

    "So lunch?!" Jay''s parents both offered.

    "Sounds great!" We all smiled.

    "Hey, darling, take Jay with you and get some nice meats for our guests, enough for lunch and dinner." She instructed, I instinctively pass Jay my bag of holding.

    "If you need extra money," I whispered to him quietly with a smile.

    "Sure mum." Jay smiled standing up and joining his dad.

    "We''ll be back soon." Jay''s father smiled.

    "So you girls know how to cook?" She smiled, standing up.

    "I do a little," I answered whereas the rest stayed silent.

    "You, I like." She said smiled at me and went to a stove.

    "The rest of you come here." she said taking out a knife and showed each of them how to slice some vegetables.

    "Emilia is it? Come, you will help me with bread making." She smiled, showing me the process on how to make bread dough with I already kind of knew what to do. "So Emilia?.. what part of the country are you from? I''ve never seen a human with your complexion." She asked politely.

    "It''s a far continent called India." I answered her with a smile.

    "Oh, that''s nice... what''s it like over there?" She asked politely, making conversation.

    "Most hot and dry.. but family makes it all worth it." I smiled.

    "Oh, family-oriented." She smiled, looking extremely happy making me feel slightly awkward.

    "So how''s my boy doing in Atlantis? Is he safe, eating well, people treating him well?" She questioned.

    "He''s doing great, Atlantis is very generous proving all the food and water we need, lots of freedom and a brilliant place to hone our gifts." I answered her honestly.

    "You''ll look after him, right?" She asked me, looking keen, implying something.

    "Um to be honest Helen over there is the one who had been looking after your son the most." I hinted to her.

    "The blonde Elf girl?" She whispered to me quietly so she wouldn''t hear.

    "Yes," I whispered, nodding back.

    "Oh, she looks nice." Jay''s mum commented looking at her.

    "She''s a lovely girl.... with an enormous caring heart." I answered her honestly, making Helen perk up with a straightened posture.

    "Can... Elves and Humans.. you know.." She questioned me making me take a pause in realising, I never thought about it myself either.

    "I''m actually not sure." I answered.

    "So what about you? Young girl in her prime, is there a man waiting for you?" She asked like a mother interested in gossip.

    "Sadly no," I answered her with a smile.

    "Oh, there are a few boys I can introduce you to if you''re interested." She hinted to me.

    "Oh....." I answered back feeling a little awkward again, "To be honest it''s a little complicated right now." I honestly answered her.

    "Complicated?" She asked interested.

    "We broke up.. it''s the first time we''ve met after 5 years." I answered her.

    "Oh residual feelings." She looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

    "Kinda..." I answered her.

    "Well... I''m afraid to say maybe you still love him." She sighed.

    "Have you told him?" She asked.

    "Not yet.." I answered.

    "You know, men are dim-witted and oblivious, you need to tell him or they will never get it." She said to me like the solution was obvious.

    "It''s not that easy, I don''t know if he''s seeing anyone or even if he has any feelings for me.. I just don''t want things getting messier than it already is." I replied to her.

    "If we wait for men to make the first move, humans would be extinct." She chuckled.

    "I agree." I laughed with her.

    "Just make sure you tell him before it''s too late... otherwise, you''ll live with the regret the rest of your life." She warned me makimg me really look back at the visions of him dying or being possessed.

    "Okay, I promise I''ll say something when it''s the right time." I smiled.

    "Okay, deary." She smiled.

    "If you don''t mind me asking.. your guardian angel, what does he look like." I questioned.

    "He''s a well-dressed young man, tall dark-haired and very kind-hearted." She smiled, "Oh maybe I can set you both up." She gasped with a smile.

    "Somehow I feel we''d get along very well." I smiled at her.

    "Mum! We''re back." Jay said, opening the doors with bags of food.

    "Oh, do we have enough for a roast tonight?" Miss Carvell asked Mr Carvell.

    "We do honey, we do." He smiled.

    "Oh, you girls are in for a treat." she smiled with joy.

    Suddenly the doorbell rang over and over as several customers came walking in but looked more concerned on us over the fresh loaves of bread on display. Cleaning their hands, Jay''s mum and Dad went to serve the customers that seemed to erupt in chatter.

    "Jay what''s the matter?" Helen asked, seeing his reaction to all the customers.

    "Just, I recognise these peopleˇ­ they didn''t give a crap about us when we was homeless, but now they suddenly friendly and talkative." Jay answered, still glaring at them.

    "Jay don''t be so harsh on them, it''s not their fault maybe they had problems of their own, you said it yourself everyone is barely making getting by." I reminded him.

    "Their behaviour still disgusts me." He said.

    "JAY!" Well-dressed girl with very nice clothing that stuck out like a sore thumb compared to every other customer. She looked around eighteen waving at Jay trying to get his attention.

    "Ohh wow, she''s still here." Jay said in shock, noticing her and began walking to her.

    "Dramaaaaa." I whispered to Daisy, nudging, pointing to Helen glaring at her with seething jealousy.

 187 Lunch with the Carvells

    "Who''s that Jay?" Helen asked, gritting her teeth in jealousy.

    "Careful there Helen, I think you''re going green." I joked, making her shot a glare at me.

    "Don''t!" Helen warned us gritting our teeth making us instantly go silent.

    "Yeah who is she Jay?" Daisy questioned as he came back.

    "That is Jennifer Vancliff, a childhood friend and fellow apprentice just as good as I was." He answered.

    "Wait.. did you say, fellow apprentice? So she''s also a sorcerer." Daisy questioned.

    "You got nothing to worry about." I smiled trying to cheer up Helen finding our teasing a little too much. "Besides his mum like''s ya." I smiled at her, "Oh I have a great idea! Follow my instructions." I smiled at Helen and the others, looking around for basic ingredients.

    The amount of fresh fruit and veg and basic ingredients was refreshing to see. "So this is a simple sauce you can put on salads, to give it more flavour." I taught Helen how to make a simple tossed salad drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette, oven roasted cheese and tomatoes on rustic bread slices and simple garlic bread.

    "Now that smells fantastic!" Daisy stared, drooling over the food like Scarlet.

    "Sorry girls.. some customers were wondering what you were cooking there." Jay''s mum came to us whispering.

    "Oh, you guy seemed busy, so Helen and the rest of us made lunch." I smiled.

    "Do you mind?" She questioned asking Helen for permission to taste it.

    "Not at all!" Helen pushed the dishes towards her with a giant smile. Jay''s mum''s eye lit up in shock, looking at Helen with pure admiration. "Is it good?.." She hesitantly questioned.

    "It''s wonderful, maybe the best thing''s I''ve ever tasted!" Jay''s mum smiled with genuine admiration. "You must tell me your secret!" She smiled. "Do you mind if we let our customers try?" She questioned.

    "No no.. please do." Helen insisted.

    "I''ll help cut them into smaller pieces," I said making them into small mouthful sized.

    "Thank you, darling." She smiled, walking back to the customers with a plate full of bite-size portions.

    "Thank you." Helen mouthed to me with a genuine, grateful smile.

    "No problems, come let''s make some more." I smiled, making some more for lunch.

    "Once we''ve finish with the last few customers, we''ll shut the bakery for a lunch break." Jay''s mum smiled, giving Helen one more approving smile before walking back to the shop counter.

    "So how did you know what to make?" Helen questioned me, slightly curious.

    "The stuff they have here are like the things I have at home." I smiled, taking a seat.

    "Is there anything you can''t do?" Helen said, sitting beside me with a straightened posture.

    "Apparently beating a Demon and Calista is something I can''t do." I sighed.

    "Chin up.. we still have another week of training," Daisy replied taking a seat.

    "So what was stigma thing?" Jay mentioned Grace asked.

    "No Idea." I lied to them.

    "By the way do you get um.. Half-Elves?" I questioned curiously.

    "Yes, Elf and Human offsprings are possible but generally Half-Elves are also generally chastised being seen as impure or a stain on Elven blood," Helen answered.

    "Wow.. I''m starting to hate Elven culture." I said in shock.

    "Because we live so long, Elves see themselves as superior or more intellectual then younger races," Helen answered.

    As soon as the last customer left, Miss Carvell went to the shop front flipping the sign. "Sorry sorry.. we don''t normally have big rush like that but everyone wanted to see who the new visitors were." She smiled, taking a seat with us.

    "So Jay what did your friend want?" Morgana asked.

    "Ahh nothing.. just catching up." He answered her.

    "I tell you what though, you kids are the talk of the town everyone just had to come to see you for themselves." Miss Cavell answered.

    "Are we that special?" I questioned.

    "Absolutely! it''s very rare to have adventures come this way." Miss Carvell answered and Mr Carvell began taking out some ready-cooked meats for us and we began to eat.

    "Wow, this food is amazing!! and they were popular with the customers, any chance we can steal your recipe?" Mr Carvell asked Helen.

    "Won''t be a problem!" Helen smiled with pride, making Jay look at her in shock.

    "You never mentioned you can cook," Jay asked.

    "I have! Maybe you just forgot." Helen quickly answered him, dismissing his question. Making Jay stare upwards, recounting his conversations with her and us.

    "So Helen.. do you have a nice Elf boy waiting for you back home?" Miss Carvell questioned.

    "No sadly," Helen answered her making Miss Carvell smile.

    "And the rest of you young girls?" Miss Carvell asked.

    "I do! His name is Paul!" Daisy replied with a giant smile.

    "Oh, that''s nice, what''s he like?" Miss Carvell asked with a smile while the rest of us almost spat our food out in shock and Daisy''s forwardness.

    "Paul the Black Dragon Slayer!" Daisy answered in excitement.

    "No way!!" Miss Carvell questioned, making Daisy nod erratically.

    "She''s joking.. she just has a big crush on him," Grace said ending Daisy''s lie as swiftly as she made it up.

    "Young love." Mr and Miss Carvell chuckled.

    "Have you kids met the Paul the Black Dragon Slayer?. I remember Jay was always a big fan of his.. and this girl.. Scarlet something, he''d never stop going on about how great Scarlet was." She mentioned.

    "They are actually good friends of Emilia''s... Emilia and Paul used to be-" Jay tried to explain to his parents before I kicked him in the shin making him yelp in pain.

    "Yeah, we''re just friends." I quickly corrected him.

    "Your son is also quite amazing as well, he''s a Blue Flame caster," Daisy added.

    "Really?" She replied looking at him utterly proud of her son''s achievements.

    "So Morgana is it? How comes you''re so quiet." Mr Carvell questioned.

    "Me?.. I just have little to say." She answered, making Mr Carvell give her a weird look.

    "So tell me about yourself." He smiled, giving her some more meats to share.

    "My adoptive mother is a Granny Hag, I grew up in a swamp till the age of 18, then I went to Atlantis and now I''m here." She quickly and briefly summarised her life until now.

    "Oh, interesting." Mr Carvell answered.

    "She didn''t grow up around people." Grace explained to them.

    "Oh, no.. I''m so sorry, darling." Miss Carvell instinctively apologised.

    "It was okay.. I had a Toll for a best friend and many other creatures of the swamp." Morgana smiled making Mr and Miss Carvell look at each other weirdly.

    "Yeah.. Her upbringing is kinda unique." I chuckled.

    "And Daisy your tattoos is that a tribe choice thing?" Miss Carvell inquired.

    "Oh, these are special! At first they were a curse, an Evil God ''gifted'' it to me as a means to eventually take over my body. Till Serra cleansed them, purging them of the curse." She smiled showing them her arms and channelled her divine energy making her tattoos and her eyes glow radiant yellow.

    "Oh, wow.. that, is amazing.." They answered but leaned back looking into her eyes clearly a little scared.

    "And Grace, you''re a hunter I assume since you arrived with a bow and quiver." Mr Carvell asked. still feeling a little unnerved at Daisy and Morgana.

    "Yes, I''ve trained as a Ranger from a young age." She smiled.

    "Oh, interesting, maybe one weekend you can come with me hunting someday." He smiled.

    "OH YES! that would be great!" She smiled in pure excitement.

    "and you Helen?" He asked.

    "I''m a Druid in training." Helen smiled answering her question.

    "A druid being?..." He politely questioned.

    "Oh, so druid''s focus on nature and stuff... Like this!" She said walking up to some potted garlic shoots, forming a cup in her hands she whispered something and started to sprinkle bright green particles all over them making them magically grow to maturity in front of us in an instant.

    "WOW!" Miss Carvell looked in complete astonishment.

    "And you can do that to all plant?" Mr Carvell asked.

    "Well most, the smaller and faster the easier." She smiled retaking a seat at the table.

    "And you, Emilia?" Miss Carvell questioned.

    "Like your son, just more all-round on what I can do," I answered them holding my wand.

    "So how long will you all be staying with us?" Miss Carvell asked.

    "Um only today and tomorrow sadly.. then we need to back for classes," I answered.

    "Oh, what a shame.." She answered with a smile.

    "If there is anything you need.. please let us know." Helen asked them.

    "It''s great that you care darling.. but there just isn''t a way for us to contact you sadly." Miss Carvell answered.

    "Yup the Mail Guild only comes once a week here, so sending and receiving messages is quite a pain." Mr Carvell answered making me suddenly wonder how the mailing system works here.

    "So honey what did that Vancliff girl want from you earlier?" Miss Carvell asked Jay while taking a bite of toast and marvelling at the layers of flavour.

    "Oh, nothing special.. Just catch up on old times." He answered.

    "Whatever you do, don''t get mixed up with her again those Vancliff''s are nothing but trouble." His mum warned him.

    "I know mum, I know." He answered looking a little distracted.

 188 Thralkeld Marke

    "Thank you for lunch Mr and Miss Carvell." We all thanked them as I nudged Helen to help pick up the plates.

    "Oh, you don''t have to." Miss Carvel instinctively said, seeing us helping to clear up.

    "It''s nothing." We both smiled to her before taking the plates to the sink.

    "Um, just leave them in the sink, I''ll wash them later." Miss Carvell asked us.

    "Thanks," Helen whispered to me.

    "No problems I''ve got you''re back always." I smiled.

    "So What are you guys going to do next?" Mr Carvell asked.

    "Hmm probably book some rooms at the local inn." We answered.

    "Jay make sure you go with them! Five girls at an Inn by themselves." Miss Carvel instructed him.

    "You know these aren''t ordinary Girls.. they are Atlantis Students." Mr Carvell laughed.

    "Dad''s not wrong mum, these girls are capable. Especially Daisy every day she wears that plate armour and carrying her heavy maul." Jay smiled.

    "Still.. I don''t feel safe having 5 girls staying at an inn especially with the Vancliffs being here." She replied.

    "Sure mum I''ll rent a room with them." He answered.

    "Sperate room." She corrected him.

    "Yes yes mum, separate room of course." He replied like this wasn''t the first time this happened. "Come on, guys I''ll take you to the local Inn where we''ll be spending the night," Jay instructed.

    "Thank you for your hospitality." We all bowed in respect. The others went to retrieve their weapons.

    "No, thank you all for coming." Jay''s mum hugged Helen making her smile and embrace her back and waved us all goodbye. "Remember to stop by tonight for dinner!" She reminded us before we left.

    "So these Vancliffs really that bad?" I questioned.

    "Don''t jump the gun when it comes to the Vancliffs.. they are rich and powerful here," Jay replied.

    "I''m just curious besides we''re Atlantis student we have to make sure we can''t bring a bad name to Atlantis," I replied.

    "The Vancliff family owns most of the guards and probably have most families and men on their paycheck, it''s a family we really don''t want to mess with," Jay warned us looking very serious.

    "That explains why that Vancliff girl came and knew you arrived," Helen replied.

    "Well, if I see any injustice, I''m not going to sit back and do nothing," Daisy informed Jay.

    "Don''t... like I said they have the guards on a paycheck you''re going to end up getting yourself arrested it''s a fight you can''t win," Jay warned her.

    "Then I''ll beat up the corrupt guards!" Daisy replied, flexing her muscles, ignoring Jay''s warnings.

    "You know.. Paul would probably dislike it if he heard you breaking the law." I informed Daisy making her expression flip 180.

    "Oh, Daisy." Grace laughed.

    "So what did the Vancliff girl really want?" I asked Jay.

    "Nothing honestly just wanted to see how I was doing." He replied.

    "So who is she and what''s our history?" I questioned.

    "She was the other student of my first Mentor. We were just friends until her family found out and forbid her to interact with us and was forced to stop learning magic." He answered.

    "Interesting.." I answered.

    "Yeah, she wanted some spellbooks so she could train in secret." He answered.

    "And you told her no, right?" I asked him, assuming it would be dangerous to learn on your own without a mentor or teacher.

    "I said I''ll try but no promises." He answered.

    "So how many big is this Vancliff family?" Helen asked.

    "Their name controls a good portion of the lands around here, but this family has a mum, dad, daughter and two sons," Jay answered.

    "How old?" Grace questioned.

    "Forget them.. the more important issue is finding out who this ''Guardian angel Mr Wayne'' is and what he has planned for my family." Jay changed the subject.

    "I''m sure there''s nothing nefarious going on," I answered hiding the truth so Jay doesn''t feel indebted to Paul since he finds it so hard to accept goodwill from other.

    "I know deals like that never play out well," Jay replied, looking determined to find the truth.

    "I''m sure you''re right Jay.. but remember what your parents said at first he wanted to do it all for free." Grace reminded him.

    "No one does things out of the goodness of their hearts, there''s always an agenda." He answered.

    "That''s not true.. you even saw it yourself Paul, Scarlet and Ashley do things expecting nothing in return." I defended Paul.

    "That''s not true.. Paul runs on a favour for favour basis, Scarlet does it because she loves the thrill of a fight and Ashley might do it for fame or money." He answered.

    "No no.. you got it the wrong way," I answered him but found it hard to refute his argument.

    "Anyway forget this topic, we''re at the inn." He said opening the doors to a mediocre Inn.

    "What can I do you for kids?" The man at the bar answered us as we entered.

    "We''re looking for, wait what size rooms do you have?" He questioned the barman.

    "We have singles and doubles. 10 silver pieces for a double and 5 silver pieces for a single per night." The Barman answered.

    "We''ll take three doubles for one night," Jay answered.

    "Sure that will be 30 silver pieces." The Barman requested.

    "Here you go." Jay paid the barman as he wrote something down and passed him three keys. "Oh Emilia, here''s your bag, thanks for the help." He smiled, passing back my bag.

    "Anytime." I smiled back.

    "So I assume Helen and Grace will bunk up. Now the question is Morgana, where would you like to go?" Jay questioned.

    "I''ll join Emilia and Daisy, I''ll take the couch." She answered.

    "Sure, here are your keys," Jay said passing us our keys.

    "We''ll be back tonight," Jay answered.

    "Sure." the barman replied and went back to reading.

    "anything else we can do?" I questioned Jay as we exited the Inn.

    "Good question.. there''s not much to do here sadly." Jay said, looking around.

    "Ah, our esteemed guests." A very cultured voice spoke out towards us. "Hello hello, Edward Vancliff." An older plump, very cultured man wearing a finely woven dark black checkered suit with a long black cane with a big jewel-encrusted on the top, introduced himself to us with an outstretched hand. One by one we introduced ourselves to Edward Vancliff shaking his hand. "So the talk of the town is that you all are Atlantis students," Edward asked.

    "Yes, we are," we answered him with a smile.

    "That''s amazing.. what do you all do?" He questioned cautiously.

    "I''m a Sorcerer," Jay answered him, making Edward look at him with a raised eyebrow like he was trying to remember where he''s seen his face or name.

    "Have we met before? You look mighty familiar." He said slowly, shaking his hand.

    "I do? Maybe I just have a common look." Jay replied, hiding his identity.

    "Say son what''s your name again? I didn''t quite catch it." He asked again.

    "Caleb Willowghast." Jay answered.

    "Sorry, son my error maybe just my old age playing tricks on me." He chuckled, letting go of jay''s hand.

    "If you all got some spare time, maybe you''d like to visit my estate." He invited us with a smile.

    "We were planning to see the rest of the town first." I casually declined his offer.

    "Really?" He asked looking at me closely, at me closely.

    "Well, we have a town gathering tomorrow at lunch, everyone''s going to be there, come on by if you''re free." He said tipping his hat towards us and walked off.

    "he doesn''t seem all that bad," Morgana said after he disappeared into the city.

    "That''s what they always seem on the outside, Friendly and harmless on the outside but scheming and nefarious on the inside," Jay replied to her.

    "Come this way guys got some stuff I need to buy," Jay said leading the way.

    "Oh, shopping?!" Daisy asked in excitement.

    "Sure," Jay answered.

    After a small walk, we arrived at a marketplace filled with stalls, merchants and small vendors.

    "Oh!" Daisy instantly ran to a jewellery stall.

    "What ya looking at?" I said, leaving the others to join her.

    "Earrings!" she smiled, lifted them up to her ears to check them in a mirror.

    "Oh!" Bracelet''s she looked at them equally excited.

    "What do you think about the brow leather one?" Daisy said pointed out.

    "The one plane one that looks like a bunch of leather wrapped around repeatedly?" I questioned.

    "Yah!" She smiled.

    "A little boyish no?" I questioned.

    "I''ll take that one, please!" She smiled at the old lady manning the stall.

    "Sure thing, anything else young girl?" the old woman asked.

    "And these please!" Daisy picked out a simple small amber stud.

    "Sure thing." The old lady answered bagging them for her, "15 silver please." She requested.

    "Thank you!" Daisy smiled counting out 20 silver pieces and handing it to her, "And may Serra''s Blessings be upon you." She smiled and pulled me to the next stall.

    "Thank you!" The only lady tried to thank Daisy before she rushed to the next open stall.

    "Do you want to buy anything?" Daisy asked me.

    "I''m not sure, I''m not feeling it with this jewellery," I said, looking around at the merchandise.

    "Next one?" Daisy asked with a giant smile, pulling me to the next stall.

    "Hmm not here either." I looked at a stall of the most random stuff. "Oh, follow me!" I said to Daisy, pulling her towards a stall that had a pleasant mixture of smells coming.

    "What''s this?" She asked, looking at the filled bottles with liquid inside.

    "This young girl.. are perfumes! Helps enhance the smell of you." A very extravagant tall man answered her, with a very foreign accent, that looked like the same race as Daisy but had a dull red skin and different type of horns.

    "Can we smell?" I asked him politely.

    "Of course," he replied with very extravagant gestures.

    "What are these made from?" I questioned smelling each bottle finding quite a few very pleasant smelling.

    "These are all made from a complex blend of scents from all over the land ranging from essences of flowers or tree sap and some even the pheromones of creatures in heat." He smiled, proud of his craft.

    "And you make all this yourself?" I questioned.

    "Yup the bottles you find here you won''t find anywhere." He smiled.

    "I''ll take this one please!!!" Daisy said holding up a bottle.

    "Fine choice, that would be 35 silver pieces." The man smiled.

    "Thank you!" Daisy smiled, handing him the gold.

    "If you don''t mind me asking where are you from?" He asked, looking at her.

    "I can''t remember," Daisy answered him.

    "Because your skin is quite unique.. I''ve never seen our kind with blue skin." He looked at her closely, very intrigued.

    "Have you seen a lot of our kind?" Daisy asked curiously.

    "Why yes I have... I''ve travelled all throughout Amias and other continents as well and not once have I come across someone as unique as you." He answered.

    "I''ll take this one." I requested taking a bottle that smelt really pleasant, similar to the perfume I''d use myself back at home.

    "Splendid choice! That one will be 30 silver pieces." He smiled, bagging our bottles for us.

    "Pardon my nosiness, but do you happen to be from Zakshara?" He asked me politely handing me the bag, making me look at him utterly confused. "It''s a continent very far away from here the humans there are normally browned skinned such as yourself." He smiled.

    "I actually have no idea, I was abandoned as a child." I lied to him.

    "Ohh darling, I''m so sorry to hear that..." He replied, placing a hand on his heart.

    "I haven''t see you both around town, did you both arrive today?" he questioned curiously.

    "Yes, we came today to visit a family." I smiled back.

    "Oh, nice nice." He smiled, handing us our bottles.

    "thank you for the perfume." I thanked him.

    "Thank you! May the blessings of Serra be upon you!" Daisy thanked him and we left his stall together.

    "Am I really that unique?" Daisy questioned curiously.

    "Apparently so.. everyone seems to always ask about our skin colour." I chuckled.

    "Hey, guys!" Grace yelled out to us in the middle of the marketplace.

    "Oh, one second I need to find something," I said grabbing Daisy''s arm giving Helen and grace a sign to give us one minute.

    "What do we need?" Daisy asked.

    "Hmm did you see any stall that sells baking ware?" I questioned Daisy.

    "Oh, yeah, Follow me." Daisy led me to a stall with loads of pots and pans.

    "Hello young misses can I interest you in anything?" A man with burly arms wearing an apron looking like a blacksmith asked with a giant smile.

    "Yes I need bakeware, can I have one of those Wood peels, four loaf tins, two metal pots with the handles, oh and... two brushes please." I requested.

    "Woah so much.. planning to open your own bakery?" he chuckled, packing my thing.

    "It''s a gift." I smiled at him.

    "Well, they are very lucky to know you." He smiled.

    "Are they good quality?" I questioned.

    "You won''t find better anywhere in the land." He chuckled.

    "Great, I''ll take your word for it. How much?" I smiled.

    "That would be 1 gold and 14 silver." He requested.

    "Sure keep the change." I smiled, giving him two gold.

    "Why thank you kindly, miss." He smiled, handing over my goods.

    "Daisy help hold this for me, please," I asked her to hold the bag which I slipped all the items one by one into my bag of holding making the blacksmith go completely silent in shock.

    "Thank you! They better be the best in the land!" I joked walking away thanking him.

    "Why did you buy so much?" Daisy questioned.

    "Because where I come from.. it''s nice to get gifts for people." I smiled.

    "Oh, I see... You''re so kind-hearted!" She nodded smiling as we retraced our steps to meet Grace and Helen.

 189 Carvell Dinner

    "Did you guys get anything cool?" I asked, seeing Helen holding some small bags.

    "I picked up some seeds! to make our room more homely." She beamed.

    "I managed to place an order for some arrows, so I''ll need to collect them before we leave." Grace smiled.

    "Found nothing useful?" I asked Morgana noticing, her hands were empty.

    "Nah there wasn''t any rare materials sadly.. but there were a few things I''d like to forage on the way back." She smiled.

    "What you got there?" Daisy asked Jay.

    "A bundle of rope." Jay answered.

    "Rope? what do you need that for?" Helen inquired.

    "I''m going to capture Mr Wayne and see what he''s up to," Jay answered.

    "You''re planning to do what?!" I asked Jay in shock.

    "I''m planning to capture Mr Wayne and interrogate him myself." He explained.

    "Wait what why?" I asked in confusion.

    "I don''t trust this Mr Wayne person," Jay replied.

    "he does seem extremely suspicious that he did everything for nothing." Helen agreed with Jay.

    "I do things out the kindness of my heart." Daisy tried to interject.

    "Yeah, but you''re a Disciple of Serra he''s different," Jay argued.

    "Jay there are good people in this world..." I tried to persuade him.

    "Well, I''m sure he can make his point when we capture him," Jay answered and walked off.

    "He''s really determined to capture this Mr Wayne dude." Morgana looked as he walked away, utterly determined.

    "Oh, there''s a building I need to visit quickly," Jay said leading the way through the city, arriving at a very rundown building.

    He gave the door a series of knocks which sounded like some secret code, causing the door to open slowly as a very young dirty boy opened the door. The building stank of horrible, making all of us except Jay and Morgana recoil at the smell. "You guys can stay out here." Jay offered and walked in.

    "I would go but.. the smell is a little strong," Daisy said physically walking a good distance from the entrance.

    "I''ll watch him", Morgana answered, walking in.

    "What is this place?" I asked as the rest of us rejoined Daisy and getting away from the smell.

    "That looks like a place where the homeless gather," Grace answered.

    "What''s he doing there?" I questioned, everyone, shrugged with no idea. We waited for a bit before Jay came out with Morgana following behind him.

    "What happened?" we asked.

    "I guess that building is generally where most the homeless families sleep and live, I wanted to see if some of my old friends were around but they disappeared the same time Mr Wayne arrived, apparently arrived," Jay informed everyone.

    "Okay now I''m interested in what My Wayne is up to especially if he''s taking young homeless kids." Grace now joining Jays side.

    I panicked as keeping Paul''s secret was getting increasingly harder especially since we are planning to ambush him and question him on his motives, and he clearly didn''t want his identity known otherwise he would have come as himself.

    "Oh, before we get back there some more stuff I want to buy, is there a general store that sells a broad selection of things?" I asked Jay.

    "Sure it''s on the way back." He led us to the store.

    "I''ll be two seconds." I said rushing inside buying some more ingredient and walked out.

    "What you got there?" Daisy questioned, looking eagerly in the bag.

    "Just something to add onto dinner tonight." I smiled.

    "Where did you learn to cook so well?" Helen questioned.

    "Well, as a kid my mum always taught me how to cook, being old-fashioned she believes that all girls should be able to cook for their family and husbands. Also, when Paul and I were together, he would always cook for us so I learnt a lot from him." I smiled.

    "Paul can cook?" Grace questioned.

    "Yup." Paul''s cooking is the best, Daisy nodded.

    "You think whatever Paul does is the best." we all sighed at her reaction.

    "But the food he makes taste good though!" She argued.

    "that may be so but we''ll hold judgement till we taste it ourselves." Jay laughed.

    "Oh, wait for a second," I asked everyone as the shop front came to view. "This is yours," I said handing Daisy the Wood Peel, "Grace this is yours." I said handing her two brushes and a metal pot "and lastly this is yours." I said, handing Helen all the loaf tins and taking the last metal pot out for myself.

    "Emilia you didn''t have to," Jay said, looking moved by the gesture.

    "No problems." I smiled and gestured him to walk on.

    "Mum, Dad, we''re back." Jay said, opening the door to an almost empty bakery.

    "Did you guys get a room?" Miss Carvell asked.

    "Yeah and we did some shopping, and we brought gifts!" Jay smiled at his parents.

    "What? oh girls, you didn''t have to!" Miss Carvell gushed, so touched that she was on the verge of tears.

    "thank you for taking wonderful care of us," Helen said giving her the loaf tins.

    "Son, you''ve made some amazing friends here." Mr Carvell smiled.

    "I know.." He smiled, helping his mum accept all the gifts.

    "Come here, all of you!" She said giving us all a great enormous hug making Helen, Grace and Daisy look as if they were also on the verge of tears.

    "If you don''t mind could I add something to the dinner plans?" I questioned.

    "Sure just tell me what you need and I''ll get you sorted." She answered with a smile, walking into the kitchen.

    "Um is there anything we can help with?" Helen asked politely.

    "Sure thing come on over, I''ll teach you my secret recipe." She smiled as I began making Yorkshire puddings.

    Everyone placed their weapons in the corner again and putting on an apron to help cook. "Oh mum we need to make extra vegetables.. Emilia doesn''t eat meat." Jay notified his mum.

    "Oh.... sure thing, I''ll make extra vegetables." She smiled, but I could tell she was a little shocked.

    "So dad have you and mum been good?" Jay asked.

    "Yeah, we''ve been doing great after Mr Wayne came to help us, it was like you going to Atlantis was a big blessing." He smiled and let out a big jolly laugh.

    "Have you heard from Charlie, Derrick and Billy?" He questioned.

    "Oh yeah, when Mr Wayne came to help us he also took them as well apparently he sent them to an orphanage to help those in need." Mr Carvell answered.

    "If he''s so nice, why doesn''t he help everyone? There are still homeless people stuck here." Jay questioned.

    ".. He says he only helps those who want to change." Mr Carvell reluctantly answered.

    "Who in the right mind wants to be homeless?" Jay asked instantly getting frustrated at the thought.

    "It was hard for us to see at first.. but he is right, some people just have undesirable traits and constantly make the wrong decisions that keep them homeless." Mr Carvell answered but seemed like it hurt to say. "He said no matter how much gold you give some people.. all they would do is gamble it or spend it on alcohol and squander it." Mr Carvell added, making Jay go mute. "I know I know it was a hard fact for us to accept.. every week he visits he really tries to help as many families as he can, he really is a good man." Mr Carvell answered.

    "I''ll tell you what though when you left that Vancliff girl regularly comes to see if you''re back." He chuckled.

    "Really?.." Jay questioned.

    "Yeah she comes at least once a day and every time she arrives she would look back into the kitchen, you can tell she was looking for someone." Mr Carvell smiled.

    "Yeah.. she told me why she was looking for me," Jay answered.

    "Oh, and what''s that?" He replied.

    "She wanted me to help me train more in spell casting.. but I''m only here for one night and it''s not safe to have her practice by herself," Jay answered.

    "Can''t you get her into Atlantis? It''d get her out of her family''s influence." Mr Carvell asked.

    "Nah only been here two weeks.. and I don''t think I have any influence to even affect the picking process," Jay answered.

    "Poor girl... she''s a friendly girl.. a shame her family isn''t great." He commented.

    "What has the Vancliff family been doing?" Jay questioned.

    "Still taxing heavily everyone who uses their lands or tries to run a business and inflating prices." Mr Carvell answered.

    "Yup its lucky for us that Mr Wayne comes by with his deliveries every week without fail and gives us a good price." Miss Carvell added, still preparing everything for dinner with everyone else.

    "And Nathaniel and Gabriel?" Jay questioned.

    "Doing what they do best starting fights and leading the Vancliff mob when people refuse to pay or late." Mr Carvell answered.

    "They didn''t try anything to you guys right?" Jay questioned.

    "Oh, no.. one time they did but the day after their father forced them back to our shop forcing them to apologise and agreed to pay our repairs. Then the next time Mr Wayne was in town he handed Edward a letter that seemed to make him furious." Mr Carvell explained.

    "Wow, someone that can stand up to the Vancliff family.. he better be careful." Jay replied.

    "I''m sure he''s just a bigger fish then the Vancliff family." Mr Carvel answered.

    Slowly all our efforts bore fruit as one by one each dish combined into a perfect roast dinner, "The smells alone is making my mouth water." Daisy said, almost unable to keep control of herself.

    "Oh, watch yourself fresh Yorkshire puddings they''re hot!" I said, slowly tipping them into a sharing bowl.

    "Right.." Jay''s family held hands also grabbing ours making the rest of us awkwardly follow suit. "Thank you Bountiful Goddess Cevena for food on our table and may your blessings forever shine upon us." Jay''s mum said grace. "Okay, everyone time to eat!" She smiled as Mr Carvell carved out the perfectly roasted chicken, while Miss Carvell one by one filled everyone''s plates.

    Daisy''s eyes widen in shock when she tasted her first mouthful. "Careful mum that one eats ALOT" Jay joked making us laugh.

    "It''s so good!!" She mumbled, her mouth still full of food.

    "Oh my Lord these Yorkshire puddings are divine!" She said gesturing everyone to try.

    "Oh wow crispy and soft in the centre..." They all enjoyed in awe.

    "I must admit the roast vegetables are amazing." I smiled happily, eating the vegetables that was cooked for me.

 190 Attacked at nigh

    "Sure you''re gonna be okay alone?" Helen questioned sounding kind of worried.

    "Yes no problems, besides I''m only gonna be next door." He smiled as we made our way up to our rooms.

    We bid each other goodnight before making our ways into our rooms, "So Morgana, do you want the bed? I don''t mind sleeping on the couch." I offered her.

    "Nah it''s alright. I regularly sleep in the rough." She smiled walking to the shabby fireplace casting a spell creating a warm fire and went to lay on the couch.

    "So what was that thing you did when we were against the Demon?" I questioned Morgana starting up a conversation.

    "Ohh that would be my fungal form..." She answered.

    "What''s that?" I questioned curiously.

    "I allow the fungi to grow on my body letting me harness special spores," she answered.

    "Ohh I saw you release almost invisible specs of pollen," I replied in recognition.

    "Yes that''s my spore field, it''s deadly to people who I deem as hostile," She answered.

    "Deadly?" I questioned.

    "It''s a slow-acting poison if they inhale it." She answered.

    "Goodnight" Daisy yelled and falling asleep almost instantly like how Paul does snoring a little as well.

    "And you can also track people? I remember hearing." I questioned.

    "Ahh yes that''s my fungal network... I can attach spores to individuals and track them, up to a certain range." She answered. "And I can also do this." She replied speaking into my head like how Ashley''s badge works.

    "Woah... what." I asked in shock.

    "Yes it can also allow us to communicate in our heads." She answered again in my mind.

    "And I can reply back? Does this work?" I questioned back in my head.

    "Yes I can hear you." She answered.

    "That''s so cool!" I replied deep down wishing I could do similar stuff like that.

    "Well I''m gonna sleep now, goodnight." Morgana replied and went silent.

    "Good night." I smiled closing my eyes to dose off.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "I think that''s them." I heard a weird voice in my head.

    "What do we do with the extra one?" Another manly voice spoke out letting out a small cough.

    "Take her as well, if he doesn''t want her, we can still sell her." Yet another voice answered letting out a louder cough.

    "Sh*t!" I thought to myself forcefully waking myself up.

    "Silence her!" A man quickly yelled in a low tone forcing a hand over my mouth and two other grown men grabbed my arms, instinctively I used one of my free legs to kick one straight in the face causing a fourth to grab my legs and began binding them tightly with rope.

    Gagging my mouth with a piece of cloth they spun me on front silencing my yells for help, forcing my arms behind my back. "F*ck he didn''t tell us they were at Atlantis students..." One man whispered in a panic.

    "Don''t touch it! You''ll set it off." One of them ordered instantly.

    "What the hell is in the air?" One of them cursed struggling to talk a little as if he was suffocating slowly.

    "Let''s get the others luckily they haven''t woke up yet." I felt all but one pinning me down.

    "I''m gonna kill you!" I mumbled to him and trying to scream out at the top of my lungs.

    "Listen if you don''t shut up, I''ll make you!" He whispered in seething anger before letting out a very loud cough.

    "What the hell?!" Daisy screamed thankfully waking up from her slumber followed with the sounds of cracking bones and a large loud thud hitting the floor.

    "Get off her!" Morgana yelled at the top of her lungs as the force of the man pinning me down slowly began to loosen along with the sounds of him gasping for air.

    "She''s bloody strong!" One of them yelled out in shock as I spun myself seeing them desperately trying to hold Daisy down.

    "Frank Josh get the F*ck up." One very strong looking man yelled to two men on the floor.

    "Garret get her!" One of the medium built ones ordered.

    Noticing the one on the floor was coming back to his senses I threw myself at him knocking him back down and with all the force in my body bent my legs as far as I could, with my whole body I sprung my feet into the man jaw knocking him out unconscious instantly.

    "Fu*king b*tch!" One of them stupidly released Daisy''s hand in a panic and began making his way to me.

    "GET OFF ME!" Daisy yelled decking the man holding her other hand knocking him out in one punch.

    I tried turning myself kicking towards the man coming at me with a balled fist, his teeth and eyed filled with pure rage.

    "Stay down!" He yelled putting his whole body into knocking me out, I closed my eyes readying myself for the impact utterly defenceless as his body slid past my kicking legs.

    "Hey ass hole!" Daisy voice spoke out as I felt the man''s body rise back up pass my legs, followed with the sounds of cracking of bones and another loud thud.

    "Emilia!" Daisy yelled helping me up and began trying to undo my wrist restraints.

    "Morgana!" I tried to signal to Daisy to help her instead, the gag muffling my speech, as I watched the man grasping both of Morgana''s hands slowly overpowering her.

    "Sh*t" He yelled turning around seeing everyone in his group knocked out cold lying on the floor and turned around to face Morgana.

    With a smile Morgana let out a large cough as millions of obvious tiny multi-coloured spores left her mouth like a dandelion in the wind straight into the man''s face. He froze for a second in absolute shock before letting out a horrific scream of pain instantly releasing her hands and began clawing at his own eyes and face frantically trying to get off the millions of spores Morgana just released onto him.

    "Get it off!" He yelled staggering back falling to the floor in absolute pain.

    Within seconds his hands stopped clawing at himself and began to shake uncontrollably as his whole body began to seize up and shake uncontrollably like he was having a seizure before falling still lifeless.

    "What the hell is happening?" Grace yelled, as Grace and Jay bust through the door weapons drawn ready for a fight.

    "No idea.. They attacked us when we was asleep." Daisy said releasing me from my restraints.

    "Where''s Helen?!" I questioned the instant my mouth was freed noticing she was missing.

    "She''s outside but we need to quickly restrain them." Helen said running in pulling out rope.

    "Is this one dead?" Jay asked looking at a totally unconscious man his eyes rolled back lifeless.

    "Sadly no, I restrained myself but he''ll be out for hours." Morgana said creating vines form the ground to bind him tightly.

    "Blood hell your spores are crazy." I said in shock seeing her poison act and almost kill the man in under ten seconds.

    "Why were they even here?" Grace asked tying one up and throwing a bundle of rope to Daisy.

    "No idea... I woke up to one coughing loudly." Daisy answered.

    "I woke up to them whispering something about targets, like two of us were targets and one of us was an unforeseen complication." I answered Grace.

    "This must be the Vancliffs!" Jay cursed in seething anger.

    "This wasn''t us.." A girl''s voice spoke out as Jennifer Vancliff entered the room making Morgana, Daisy and I gasp in shock.

    "Prove it!" Helen said following her in unconvinced.

    "I agree with her.. It''s seemed like they were shocked that we were Atlantis students when they saw my band." I answered them.

    "What''s she doing here?!" Daisy asked stunned in shock.

    "We''ll explain later we have more pressing matters, two of you have targets on your back for some reason." Jay answered.

    "No we want answers!" Helen insisted in absolute anger.

    "She just wanted some help.. But we need to deal with this first. Jennifer have you seen them before?" He asked her.

    "Yes they are hired hands normally, I''ve seen them accept a few jobs from my family, but this wasn''t us!" She answered.

    "Are you sure?!" Helen asked again her fist balling in utter rage.

    "Believe me... no one in the world would ever dare get mixed up with kidnapping Atlantis students." She answered.

    "We can''t trust her." Helen said still furious.

    "Believe me.. The last time a guild messed with kidnapping an Atlantis students.. Their whole guild disappeared in one night, no news, no bodies, nothing." She answered in absolute seriousness.

    "Besides her father knew we were Atlantis students." Jay agreed with her.

    "Who the hell would attack us then?" Helen reluctantly agreed.

    "... I guess we''ll have to question them." Jay said looking at the five bodies.

    "Wait.. We''re not torturing anyone if you''re implying that." I answered in absolute shock.

    "Well, I doubt they will just tell us who sent them." Jay replied.

    "I can talk to some of my connections." Jennifer offered.

    "No use, we need to act fast.. There''s no doubt whoever sent them would flee the moment he/she has noticed they haven''t returned." Jay said.

    "I was taught how to extract information from individuals." Grace nodded.

    "No torturing! We don''t do things like that." I objected.

    "We''ll just have to bluff then." Daisy said taking out her maul from the corner of the room. "Line them up." Daisy instructed.

    One by one we lined them up against the wall arms bound behind their back and legs tied together and forced into a bent position to stop them kicking or moving. The one almost killed by Morgana we left near the fireplace after she reassured us that he won''t wake up for hours.

    "So what''s the plan?" Jay asked looking at all of them.

    "We bluff, we''ll make believe we killed their friend and if they don''t answer us we''ll kill them as well." Daisy answered, seeing like this is utterly unsettling like they''ve crossed a line that she cannot forgive.

    "Should we call Atlantis?" I questioned.

    "How can we?" Helen asked in return.

    "They said that they can''t touch our bands or it sets something off." I answered her.

    "Well we have it under control now, plus whoever sent them would defiantly flee if more Atlantis students arrive, and two of you will still have a target on your backs." Jay answered.

    One of the men began to groan as he slowly came to consciousness, Daisy instantly held her maul ready to cave a skull in.

    "What the F*ck." The man slowly opened his eyes and began to frantically fight his restraints.

    "It''s useless." Grace smiled, her bindings refusing to give his body an inch to move.

    "You''re gonna answer our questions or I''m gonna break one limb each time you refuse." Daisy said seething in anger to the point even I believed she was serious.

    "Fred!" He instantly yelled to the unbound almost lifeless one at the fireplace.

    "It''s no use Morgana killed him already." Jay informed him in a grim tone.

    "Let''s start with a name." Helen said pulling up a chair taking out her Elven dagger and began to play with it as it eager to cut something.

    "You don''t have the balls." He ginned as if he knew we was bluffing.

    "That sounds like a refusal." Grace ordered Daisy with a nod.

    "Sure does." Daisy smiled nodding placing her heavy maul on the man''s shin, the sheer weight of her maul on the man''s shin sent waves of fear up his spine as he physically began to quiver as beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

    "DO IT!" He shouted daring Daisy to do it.

    Daisy looked back at me and shrugged lifting the maul above her head with both her hands readying to put her whole body into the swing. "Last chance." Grace held a hand out to stop Daisy.

    "You haven''t go the BALLS!" He yelled with a grin but did little to mask the fear in his quivering voice and body.

    "You heard him." Grace shrugged withdrawing her hand, with all her body Daisy swung her maul down at the man''s shin.

 191 Interrogation

    The man closed his eyes bracing himself for the impact, "Daisy! How am I meant to interrogate him if you''re still half asleep?" Grace said as Daisy''s maul narrowly missed his legs grazing the side of it leaving a large crater in the floorboards.

    "I''m sorry I''m still a little sleepy, I won''t miss this time." Daisy apologised with a small yawn and began to lift her maul again.

    "Wait wait... I''ll talk." The man shuddered uncontrollably

    "Good, let''s start with your name so I know how to address you," Grace asked calmly like she was in her element.

    "My, my, my name is Malcolm." He whimpered like a scared dog unable to control his quivering voice.

    "Good, So Malcolm who was your target?" Grace questioned.

    "The Tiefaeni and the brown-skinned girl." He hastily answered.

    "And who sent you?" Grace proceeded to question.

    "We don''t know, we were given our targets and a bag of gold." He whimpered his eyes darting around the room look at each us with a quick glance.

    "Who gave you the targets?" Grace asked as calm as ever.

    "Our boss did, as usual, we were given our targets and where we can find them, half the payment upfront and half on delivery." He answered his eyes still darting around.

    "Don''t look around, eyes on me, just answer my questions and you''ll all come out of this alive. Well except your unfortunate friend over there." Grace smiled making him nod obediently. "Now your boss, what his name and how can we find him?" Grace asked.

    "I can''t, he''ll kill us." Malcolm instantly objected extremely panicked.

    "Well either you tell us who your boss is and where we can find him, or I''ll give you the option to pick one of my very talented friends here, and they will do something to you that you would find extremely unpleasant. For example that one of there is a blue flame caster he can melt your arm right off and cauterize the wound instantly." Grace explained to him making him panic as his eyes instantly darted to Jay. "Hey Hey.. Eyes on me." Grace suggested making him stare back at Grace, as Jay pulled out his wand lighting a small blue flame on the tip of it pointing it at Malcolm forcing him to stare at jay form the corner of his eye.

    "Okay!! His name is Nicolas, once we grabbed the girls we''re meant to meet him a mile out the city where he will be waiting for us with a caravan." He answered in utter fear.

    "Good good, now ordered the hit?" Grace asked.

    "I don''t know." He answered still shaking in fear.

    "Okay, do it," Grace ordered leaning back giving Jay a look.

    "Wait, wait! I really don''t know, only Nicolas knows who sets the hits." He answered in a panic.

    "And I assume if we ask any of your other friends, they will also give me the same answers?" Grace asked.

    "Yes! I swear!" He answered on the verge of tears.

    "Okay... so this is what is gonna happen, we are gonna take your clothes now and pay your boss Nicolas a visit." She informed him calmly. "Now you''re gonna tell us exactly where you was gonna meet your boss. Now if your boss isn''t where you tell us, we will find you and your friends and believe me we can, and we are gonna cause you and your posse a whole world of hurt." Grace smiled.

    "The east exit out the city, the firth dirt road leading east will lead you to an abandoned building where we are meant to meet him." He answered Grace.

    "How many of you would be with him?" Grace asked.

    "I dunno four maybe five of us." He answered.

    "And equipment? What might we expect?" Grace calmly asked.

    "A few cross-bow men and a few men with swords and clubs." He answered.

    "And the Vancliffs were they involved?" Helen questioned.

    "Not that I''m aware of, but the pay was substantially more then what the Vancliff''s usually pay." He answered Helen.

    "Ohh and one more thing, now if we ever get a whiff of you and your boys up to anything from now on, except a visit from us." Grace smiled giving a nod to Morgana, making her step up and blow some spores into his face making him quickly fall asleep.

    "So what''s the plan?" Daisy asked.

    "We take their clothes and impersonate them, we''ll have Daisy and Emilia tied up and ambush them." Grace suggested untying the bandits and stripping them of their clothes.

    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I questioned slightly worried.

    "Of course, we can''t let them mess with one of our own." Grace smiled tossing a set of clothes to Helen.

    Jennifer pulled Jay to the side seemingly having a disagreement with the whole plan, "So Emilia any idea who would want both of you?" Morgana asked.

    "No idea, I haven''t seen them before or heard of a Nicolas," I answered.

    "Yup, no one comes to mind." Daisy also answered.

    "How on earth did they manage to track us here," Jay added arriving back with Jennifer.

    "Is the Vancliff girl coming with us?" Morgana asked Jay.

    "I have a name." Jennifer replied to Morgana.

    "She thinks we''re in over our heads and should wait for a better time with more planning, but we can''t let whoever set the hit get away." Jay answered.

    "Why would they want you two?" Jennifer asked looking at both of us. "Well, you both do have rare skin colours." She said pondering on motives.

    "And what is that meant to mean!" I asked in response.

    "Well in the criminal underworld rare individuals are sort after due to rituals and medicinal purposes." She grimly informed us.

    "What the hell?" I questioned in shock finding her choice of words reminding me of old traditional medicine.

    "She''s right." Morgana nodded agreeing with her.

    "This needs to be stopped," I replied feeling extremely angry.

    "Don''t worry... they won''t know what hit them," Grace answered feeling just as angry as I was.

    "Lucky for us, there''s five of them and five of us excluding Emili and Daisy." Jay smiled putting on the bandit clothes.

    "Lucky for us it''s also dark so we might just pull off the hoax," Grace answered looking like a human bandit.

    "So what''s the plan?" Jennifer asked putting on the bandit clothes.

    "We go in looking like we completed the job, as always Daisy you''ll be upfront taking the brunt of the aggression. The rest of us aim to take out the crossbowmen as quickly as possible, we don''t want them peppering us." She informed us sounding extremely confident.

    "Are you sure you guys are capable?" Jennifer questioned.

    "Are you?" Helen asked her in return sounding offended that she even asked..

    "I''m as capable as Jay." She smiled extremely proudly.

    "We''ll be the judge of that," Helen replied challenging her like a rival.

    "Hands please," Grace asked Daisy and me.

    "What you''re gonna tie us up now?" I asked in shock.

    "Of course.. if they have lookouts we want them to think the job is done." Grace smiled.

    "Okay." I agreed holding out my hands.

    "Don''t worry, when everything pops off, just pull on this thread it will undo the bindings instantly." She showed us after tying Daisy and my hands together.

    "By the way, Morgana can help us communicate telepathically," I informed everyone.

    "Telepathic?" They asked back.

    "It means talking in our heads," I answered.

    "Like this," Morgana said in all our heads without needing to move her hands.

    "Woah.." Everyone took a step back in shock.

    "So we communicate with thoughts?" Jay asked in our heads.

    "Precisely," I answered.

    "Woah this is very advantageous." Grace smiled.

    "Morgana spore them one last time make sure they regret messing with us," Grace ordered her.

    "Sure," Morgana answered walking to them and blowing spores into their faces making them heave while still being totally unconscious.

    "Let''s go!" Grace orders and tugged at our ropes making Daisy and I begin to walk after her.

    "So what exactly can you all do? And how long can this talking in our heads last for?" Jennifer asked as we made our way out the inn.

    "I can do up to twelve hours a day," Morgana answered.

    "Helen and Morgana are druids, Grace is a Ranger, Daisy is a Paladin and Emilia and I are sorcerers," Jay answered Jennifer.

    "And what can you do?" Helen asked Jennifer in return.

    "Much like Jay I''m a sorcerer. This is gonna be just like old times." She answered with a smile.

 192 Jennifer Vancliff

    The moment we made our way downstairs the sound of clicks resembling a locking door echoed out the empty inn. "I guess the innkeeper was in on it as well," Jay said using our telepathic communication.

    "Pretty normal." Jennifer agreed.

    The moment we left the inn a patrol of four guards walked past us giving us a curious look then a nod of respect or understanding and walked off despite having Daisy and I tied up at the wrists. "Is this whole damn town corrupt?" I said to everyone disgusted that even the guards are corrupt.

    "It''s easy to see it like that but they are just trying to get by and probably supporting and protecting their family." Jennifer answered.

    "Yeah but poverty most likely caused by your family," Helen said in seething disgust.

    "Yes, that may be true, but it''s not my fault." She replied to Helen''s comment sounding extremely down.

    "Head''s up we''re being watched," Grace said giving another man on a corner staring at us a nod of acknowledgement, the shady man nodded back and disappeared into a dark alleyway.

    "The exit shouldn''t be too far, then a small walk and we should be at the meeting point." Jennifer said leading the way.

    "So Jennifer who is this Nicolas?" I questioned.

    "He''s one of the more known notable mob bosses," Jennifer answered.

    "There''s more than one?" I questioned.

    "Yes he and his goons are part of a larger organisations who operate under the name of The White Ravens, they operate mainly in non-human trafficking." Jennifer answered.

    "What they just take children and people away?" I questioned in absolute shock.

    "They are extremists that targets non-humans but will target anyone for the right price." Jennifer answered.

    "So is that why they wanted to take us?" Daisy asked.

    "I assume so." Jennifer answered as we made our way out the city down towards the meeting point.

    "So Jennifer you did you apply to go Atlantis?" I questioned.

    "I wanted to but my family didn''t want me leaving the family business and I didn''t want to risk going to the other schools of the militia." She answered.

    "So why was you here?" Helen questioned.

    "I wanted to see Jay for something." She answered.

    "She wanted to catch up, nothing special." Jay answered collaborating with her.

    "So Jay told us you both studied under the same mentor when you was younger." I questioned.

    "Yes we had the same teacher who taught us how to be sorcerers but my family didn''t like it when they found out, they kept me inside our estate under surveillance at all times, so I couldn''t practice or learn spells anymore." She clearly saddened by the event.

    "You don''t get along with your family?" I questioned noticing her mood and tone.

    "I do, they are family after all, just I don''t agree with their methods." She answered.

    "Have you tried to do something to, you know change their ways?" I questioned.

    "My father is too hungry for power and wealth and securing a family legacy." She answered with sounding extremely worried.

    "So what do you plan to do?" I questioned curiously.

    "I don''t know, my brothers are set to inherit the family business. I on the other hand most likely get married off to someone for political reasons." She answered.

    "Don''t you have any, dreams you''d want to pursue?" I questioned.

    "I would very much like to be similar to one of you, free to follow your dreams to learn and study magic, going on adventures." She sighed.

    "You can''t just go out and do that?" I questioned.

    "No, I''d be too hard to stay away from the reach of my family." She answered.

    "Maybe next year you can apply to go Atlantis." I suggested.

    "I would love to but there''s no way I''d be picked to go Atlantis." She answered.

    "I heard you can pay your way into Atlantis." I replied.

    "Ohh even with our entire family''s wealth wont even afford the 5th Atlantis spot." She answered.

    "Woah Atlantis spots that lucrative?" I asked in shock.

    "Of course everyone wants their Sons or Daughter to have the chance to study under Paul and Scarlet." She answered.

    "Ohh I see, so what sort of business does your family get involved in?" I asked politely.

    "The Vancliff name has its hands in most property and property development in Arcadia." She answered.

    "That doesn''t sound that bad," I replied.

    "Their methods of use are very underhanded," Jay answered.

    "Yes, sadly my family aren''t the cleanest when it comes to making deals when buying land." She answered.

    "So are you special? Jay''s a blue flame caster." Daisy questioned.

    "Nothing special." She answered. "So have you guys been in a fight before?" She questioned us.

    "Yes we have actually." I answered with a smile.

    "We''ve taken down a giant purple worm, stopped a Dark Elf attack and a thwarted a demon incursion." I smiled.

    "What no way?!" she gasped in excitement breaking character talking out loud.

    "Yeah it was quite cool." I smiled but still remaining in character still talking telepathically.

    "What was it like?!" She questioned still excited but remained composed going back to telepathic messages.

    "It was scary at first." Jay answered.

    "Yeah but you''ve always been pessimistic and cautious." She laughed.

    "Ohh he''s always been like that?" I chuckled.

    "Yeah, I on the other hand a little more hot headed." she laughed, "But tell me a giant purple worm? How and where?" She asked.

    "Hmm it was somewhere near the deserts of Eshia we joined Paul, Scarlet and Ashley fulfilling an order of purple worm scales and organs," I answered.

    "No way! You met Paul the Black Dragon Slayer and Scarlet the Red Death?!" She questioned in shock.

    "Red Death?!" We all asked in return utterly shocked.

    "Yeah! In the criminal underworld she''s renowned to show no mercy, if you ever see her red hair and armour hope and pray you''re not her quarry." Jennifer answered making us take a pause in utter shock.

    "Emilia is actually very good friends with both of them." Daisy answered.

    "Wow, I wish one day I could meet them at least once." She said in awe.

    "How did you hear about him?" I questioned curiously.

    "Everyone knows the two of them, Scarlet rumoured to be completely invincible probably a goddess or something. Paul the Black Dragon slayer the only known human still alive who defeated a Black Dragon. They are so revered that they even teach children who they are." She answered extremely excited.

    "Hey Jennifer what do you know about this Mr Wayne person?" Jay questioned.

    "He''s a very wealthy powerful trader a favourite for a lot of the richest houses and families." Jennifer answered.

    "And your family aren''t annoyed that he''s opened a shop here?" Jay asked.

    "Ohhh no they are livid, my father curses him with each passing days wondering what he''s planning to do next to take away our family''s power and fortune." Jennifer answered.

    "And your family hasn''t dealt with him yet? A little shocking." Jay asked.

    "My father can''t, I don''t know what it is but he has something that makes him untouchable, my father doesn''t dare to make a move on him." She answered.

    "So what does he do exactly that makes him so wealthy and powerful?" Jay questioned still feeling unsure.

    "He has many high profile customers as well as an enterprise that spans through all major cities around the continent." She answered.

    "And he''s utterly clean?" Jay asked.

    "I really doubt it, traders don''t get rich trading legal goods, especially traders for high profile customers, and they are bound to ask for hard to obtain potentially illegal goods and services." Jennifer answered.

    "So there is something dodgy going on with him." Jay pondered.

    "I heard he supplies goods to your families business, it''s good to see you all doing so well. How on earth did he also cure the Blue Stigma?" She asked.

    "Yeah but I don''t trust him." Jay replied.

    "I haven''t heard anything bad coming from joining his enterprise, if that helps. In fact business that join his enterprise in fact flourish as well as garnering his untouchable status." Jennifer informed Jay.

    "I see some men in the woods." Grace informed us making us squint into the darkness seeing absolutely nothing.

    "I can''t see anything." I instinctively replied.

    "It''s okay some of us have night vision, luckily for us it''s pretty dark so they can''t tell that some of us are girls." Helen replied.

    "They seem calm and relaxed, I don''t think they suspect anything." Grace said turning off into the dirty path.

    "Can you sense anyone?" I asked Daisy.

    "I can''t use that, it''ll make me glow golden yellow and would spoil our disguise." She answered me.

    "Make sure when everything goes down use it so we know how many we''re actually up against." Grace replied.

    "Will do." Daisy answered.

    "So what''s the plan?" Jay asked.

    "Morgana has very suppressive spores." I informed everyone.

    "I''ll start releasing my spores when we see the Caravan that way I''ll get a good coverage without spreading it too thin." Morgana answered.

    "Remember to watch each other''s back and focus one target at a time, each one we take out means less attacks coming at us." Grace devised our plan.

    "Remember we have to do non-lethal damage we can''t cause any casualties." Jay reminded all of us.

    "Well if I''m going through with this I''m going to need to hide myself." Jennifer said pulling out a black mask to cover her face and pulled a hood over her head.

    "You walk around with a mask now?" Jay questioned in complete confusion.

    "I need to hide my identity sometimes." She answered explaining to him.

    "Okayyy." Jay replied still kind of confused.

 193 Bandits in the woods

    "Lucky for us, I see only four crossbows men, two with swords, one unarmed in a suit he must be Nicolas and one more robed figure so he or she could be anything," Grace said as a band of humans came into view barely lit up by the four small lanterns on each corner of the caravan.

    "Morgana, do you sense anyone hidden in the trees?" Helen questioned.

    "I''ve felt the presence of two individuals moving through my spores behind us," Morgana answered.

    "So how is this gonna go down? do we try and impersonate those who attacked us earlier?" Jay questioned.

    "No point they most likely notice the voice difference or even already suspect something just by seeing my bow and Helen''s staff," Grace said still leading the way towards them.

    "I''ll take on the rear two, Morgana look after the others," Helen ordered sounding extremely serious.

    "As you wish," Morgana replied calmly without an ounce of hesitation.

    "Sure you can handle them by yourself?" I asked a little worried.

    "Don''t worry about me." She replied.

    "I''ll rush down a crossbowman quickly before he can do anything," Daisy added.

    "Okay the rest of us try and deal with the other crossbowmen," Grace ordered.

    "Hey! did everything go well?" A Nicholas shouted out to us.

    "Well the jig is up I guess," Jay said to all of us.

    "Yeah I was hoping to get a little closer before we blow our cover," Grace replied.

    "Yeah.. smoothly." Jay hesitantly shouted back causing all the men to stop and stand on guard reaching for their weapons.

    "Let''s do it!" Grace said pulling out her bow quickly firing an arrow into a man with an unloaded crossbow.

    "What the hell?!" Nicolas shouted seeing the arrow hit the man in the arm with deadly precision.

    Undoing my bonds and pulling out my wand Jay and I launched a firebolt into the same crossbowman. "It''s an ambush!" Nicolas yelled and began to run away towards the caravan, the crossbowman rolled behind a nearby tree making our spell miss him completely.

    "Protect them!" Helen ordered as she ran back towards the two bandits behind us followed with the sound of heavy foot stomps and a low guttural growl.

    The robed figure pulled out a wand pointing it back at us as fire began to coalesce at the tip of his wand releasing a large cone of fire expanding as it travelled towards us.

    "Behind me!" Morgana ordered pulling Jay and me behind her and standing in front of us as Daisy and Morgana took the brunt of the spell.

    "Morgana!" I instinctively screamed shielding myself from the heat and the flame that blew past Morgana and Daisy burning my arm slightly. The sound of mechanical clicks followed with the sound of two dull thuds came from Morgana''s body.

    "Noo!" I yelled using my wand raising a small wall of earth in front of us to hide behind and pulling Morgana down to me. "Morgana?! are you okay?!" I asked in shock taking a good look at her.

    "I''m alright." she smiled pulling out the two crossbow bolts that barely punctured past her skin and dusting off the ash and burnt residue off her fungus covered skin.

    "Get the Crossbowmen!" Daisy ordered unfazed by the fire spell charging towards the robed figure her maul drawn readying for an attack. Before even one of the men with a sword could react to, Daisy landed a large baseball swing to his side followed with her iconic bolts of divine energy. His body contorted with the maul before being sent flying to the side tumbling on the floor lifeless.

    The one remaining swordsman took a quick glance at Daisy''s heavily armoured body, using the opening he ran past Daisy running straight to Jennifer his sword drawn ready to plunge it deep into her torso. "Look out!" Morgana yelled barely being able to pull Jennifer back and intercepting the thrust with her bare hand. The sword pierced through her hand a few inches deep dripping some sort of black ichor. "You''re gonna regret that!" Morgana responded by coughing up her deadly concoction of spores straight into his face making a very hideous sound of dissolving flesh.

    The bandit recoiled in pain pulling out the sword staggering backwards, the sounds of two more mechanical clicks echoed from behind two trees as two more crossbow bolts flew towards Morgana. "Damnit we need to get rid of the crossbows!" Jennifer yelled pointing her wand forward making a strong gust of wind blow skyward in front of Morgana while pulling her back down behind cover making the bolts narrowly miss her.

    "You alright?" Jay asked looking at her hand as the sound of two more bolts cut across the air shooting over our cover making us duck lower.

    "I''m fine just watch yourselves." She answered unfazed by her hand bleeding black thick gooey ichor.

    "Where are they Grace, mark one for me!" Jay ordered sounding extremely angry.

    Grace nodded looking up and shooting an arrow quickly exchanging shots with the crossbowmen "Behind a tree I marked it with an arrow." Grace informed him quickly.

    "Screw this!" Jay cursed popping up pointing his wand, "Igna-Maximus!" He yelled as he shot a large blue fireball that illuminated the darkness followed with the sound of a large explosion and the sounds of cracking of a falling tree. "That''s probably one down," Jay said ducking back down.

    "We need to flush them out their cover!" Grace ordered us as more bolts screamed over our heads. "Now! she ordered drawing her bow looking over the cover.

    "Orbis-Igna!" I yelled popping out creating a flame sphere at the location where I saw the end of a reloading crossbow. He quickly fell backwards in shock attempting to get away from the sphere leaving him in the wide open. Grace let loose an arrow straight into his neck and long with a blue firebolt from Jay hitting him directly.

    Morgana held out a hand whispering something making it crackle with static electricity releasing a jolt of lightning into the bandit earlier with the sword making him scream and seize up in pain. Jennifer yelled the words to a spell I''ve never heard before blasting the same bandit Morgana hit with some invisible force impacting his body strongly sending him flying past Daisy engaging in combat with the robed figure.

    The robbed figure quickly glanced around at everyone, taking a quick step back his body began to crackle with blue electricity, with a resounding deafening boom a circular blue wave erupted from his body with enough force to send Daisy flying back to us and destroying my makeshift cover and blasting us on our backs

    "What was that?!" I yelled my ears ringing from the spell like I was just struck with a flashbang.

    Jay yanked at Morgana pointing at the robed figure fleeing towards the caravan. Morgana and Grace quickly shot a spell and arrow entangling him with a dens thick mess of sharp thorny vines. Out of nowhere the robbed figure erupted with a smaller fiery black and red explosion incinerating the vines to ash and jumped on the caravan and began fleeing the scene.

    "He''s getting away!" Jay shouted standing up about to give chase when a crossbow bolt impaled itself into his shoulder and another one narrowly missing him.

    "There''s still two more!" Jennifer pulled down Jay making him a smaller target and pointing at the bandits hiding behind the debris of fallen trees.

    You guys finish off the rest, I''m gonna check on Helen." Daisy said getting up and running back to support Helen.

    "Let''s finish this!" Jennifer yelled pointing her wand shooting out a ball of what looked like a ball of condensed fast-spinning wind obliterating the tree trunk one of the remaining crossbowmen was hiding behind.

    Knowing the fight was lost the two remaining bandits dropped their crossbows seemingly surrendering. "We surrender." They both yelled holding their hands up walking out into the open.

    "Well.. that was simple," Jay said standing up.

    Morgana quickly supposed some more grasping vines pulling them both to the floor restraining them in place.

 194 Sympathy and Guil

    "Do you think Helen is okay?" I questioned as Helen and the others went to gather the other bodies.

    "I''m alright," Helen said arriving back unscathed.

    "So what we gonna do with them?" Daisy said dragging two tied up unconscious bodies leaving them next to the two conscious surrendered ones.

    "What are you gonna do with us?.." One bandit asked his voice and body shaky as we silently gather him and his friends.

    "Well for one we''re gonna be reporting you to Atlantis." Jennifer threatened him making his look at us in utter shock,

    "No no please you can''t." He cried almost pleading for his life, "We''ll do anything.. what do you want?!" He asked in an absolute panic.

    A part of my felt extremely sorry for him despite being a bandit and trying to kidnap two girls for abit of gold...

    "What do we do with them now?" I asked everyone telepathically.

    "First let''s find out who ordered the hit," Jay replied back telepathically and walked up to them.

    "Right so let''s get this straight, you guys are the order of the white ravens right?" Jay asked, snapping the crossbow bolt in half leaving the tip still impaled in his shoulder.

    Both the bandits refused to say a word staring down into the ground, "they should have tattoo''s on the neck of a raven''s talons." Jennifer notified us pulling down one of their collars revealing a circle with a distinct raven talon in the centre.

    "Okay well that answer''s it." Jay replied, "So tell me who set the hit? was it the robed figure?" Jay asked, his questions falling onto deaf ears as they both still remained silent unwilling to answer his questions.

    "Any idea?" Jay asked us telepathically.

    "I''m certain the town guard won''t be much help either," Jeniffer replied.

    Taking a deep breath I walked towards them, "See these bands?" I said showing them my Atlantis wrist band making them all suddenly look up in horror and fear, "This means you guys were stupid enough to try and attack Atlantis students." I explained to them like I knew what the repercussions of such an offensive were. "So if you tell us what we want to know, we''ll let you off lightly." I said to them trying to sound serious.

    "We don''t know ourselves! Our boss said we had a job to take two girls." They shakily answered.

    "Which two girls?!" I questioned.

    "You and the blue-skinned one." One of them answered me.

    "Why were we targeted?" I asked.

    "We don''t know." He answered.

    "Think of a reason!" Grace said aiming an arrow at him.

    "We don''t know! All we know is he was willing to pay a high price!" He answered.

    "So it was a he?" I replied.

    "Yes when he spoke to us he had a male voice." The man answered.

    "I think it was the perfume seller." Daisy said to us telepathically.

    "What makes you think that?" I asked back a little shocked at her answer.

    "The way he incinerated the vines it''s something either clerics or my people can do, it''s called Hellish reprisal, its something we''ve inherited from our Devilish heritage allowing us to release Hellfire when we''re attacked," Dasiy answered.

    "What perfume seller?" Jay questioned.

    "He was a travelling merchant who sold us perfumes, he asked a few questions on Daisy''s and my own skin colour," I answered Jay.

    "Do you think that is how they also managed to locate us in the inn?" Daisy asked.

    "Yeah maybe they followed the perfume smells." I answered.

    "How much was he willing to offer?" Jennifer asked the two bandits.

    "It was a large sum maybe a few hundred gold pieces each." He tried to recount.

    "Woah, for an Atlantis student that''s pretty low but for an ordinary person that is very high and considering they didn''t even know you both were Atlantis students," Jennifer replied informing us.

    "Hmm did he mention any plans he had with us once we were captured?" Daisy questioned the two bandits.

    "No... He didn''t mention anything of the sort." they answered back.

    "Where were you all heading to in the caravan?" Jay asked.

    "We don''t know, only Nicolas and the robed man knew, we were here to guard the whole process, that''s all I swear!" They answered.

    "Great so the only two people who knew the bigger plan escaped." Jay replied in our heads.

    "Well I doubt they will be back, if we hand these guys over to Atlantis there''s gonna be repercussions," Jennifer answered back.

    "If we turn them over, what happens?" I questioned.

    "No idea normally anyone who targets an Atlantis student usually are never heard of ever again." Jennifer answered.

    "What so Atlantis kills them?" I questioned.

    "That or they lock them up in jail never to see the light of day again." She answered.

    "Do you think they deserve it?" I questioned looking at them still feeling a little sorry for them.

    "I don''t think anyone deserves it, but what can we do? release them and have them attack someone else, someone who might not even be able to defend themselves." Jay questioned.

    "I agree with Jay." Jennifer and Helen replied.

    "Morgana? what do you think?" I asked her.

    "Well if my Mum was in charge she would curse them till they learned from their mistake." She answered.

    "Grace and Daisy?" I asked.

    "As much as I''d like the punish them, no one deserves to die," Daisy answered.

    "I agree with Daisy," Grace answered.

    "Okay," I answered, taking a deep breath. "We have decided to forgive you all of your transgressions today." I spoke out loud to the two bandits making them look at us extremely hopeful and apologetic. "Now you see this orb?" I said taking out my scrying orb.

    "Yes yes.." They frantically answered in a panic suddenly afraid again.

    "This is a Scrying orb, it allows me to see whoever I was when I want, you get where I''m going with this?" I suggested to them a very obvious proposal.

    "We''ll change, we''ll never do a bad thing ever again." They nodded frantically.

    "Good to hear and believe me, if I ever see you or your friends going back to your old ways believe me Atlantis will come to take you all away," I warned them.

    "We swear on our families from now on we''ll change our ways," they begged.

    "Look after your friends, they''ve taken quite the beating tonight." I said and began walking away.

    "How did they talk to each other?.. they were utterly silent." One bandit whispered to the other as we began walking away.

    "They''re Atlantis students they can anything." The other whispered back.

    "So you met a Tiefaeni that sold you both perfume and has now for some odd reason wanted to kidnap you two?" Jay said in our heads as we made our way back to town.

    "Yeah, but he showed no ulterior motive he seemed very friendly." I replied.

    "Yes he seemed like such a friendly merchant." Daisy replied.

    "Well, whoever he is, he wants you two for something and he''s willing to pay a lot for it," Jay replied.

    "Think we''re gonna be safe tomorrow?" I asked.

    "Hmm looks like he was in a rush to leave, and probably thinks Atlantis will be coming to deal with the mess so I''m sure he won''t be coming back any time soon." Jennifer answered.

    "So we heard your father is holding some shindig tomorrow," I asked Jennifer making conversation on the walk back.

    "Shindig?" they all questioned.

    "A party." I corrected myself.

    "Ahh yes all the rich families will be around trying to look for a good suitor for me, how did you hear about it?" Jennifer asked slightly surprised.

    "Ohh your father saw us in town earlier today, invited us since we were the talk of the town," I answered.

    "Ahhh typical popularity manoeuvre." She sighed.

    "Should we go?" I asked.

    "Sure if you want to meet some overly rich pompus families and their spoiled stuck-up obnoxious sons." She answered disgusted by the thought.

    "Thanks for the help Jennifer by the way." I thanked her.

    "No problems, in fact, I should be the one thanking you guys, it''s been a while since I''ve actually done something good." She confessed.

    "You''re a good person." Jay instinctively tried to comfort her.

    "Doing nothing is just the same as committing the crime itself." She blamed herself.

    "That''s not true, you can''t blame yourself." Helen replied feeling overwhelming compassion for Jennifer.

    "You shouldn''t be so hard on yourself, the guilt you feel is a good thing." I tried to explain to her making everyone looks at me in some weird way. "The guilty you feel makes you human, a good soul unable to turn a blind eye to all the injustice in the world, the fact you feel this way is a good thing." I tried my hardest to explain to her how I felt when I was trying to save the refugees.

 195 Jennifers Dilemma

    "Alright I''ll set up an alarm spell so if anyone passes through our doors or walls it set off an alarm to wake us all up," Jay said pulling out his wand preparing a spell.

    "That''s so cool you need to teach me that!" I asked Jay.

    "Sure when we get back to Atlantis we''ll practice." Jay smiled as everyone turned to enter their room.

    "Where is she going?" Helen stared at Jennifer with a death glare, when they both turned to face Jay''s door.

    "There are some things I want to discuss with Jay." She answered Helen.

    "Jay you''re not sharing a room with her," Helen ordered out of jealousy.

    After a small pause, "We''re not, she''s gonna head back to her estate once we''re done." Jay explained like it was completely obvious.

    "Ohh boy," I muttered quietly.

    "Fine do as you wish," Helen said storming into her room pulling Grace with her.

    "Goodnight," Morgana said walking in with no care in the world.

    "This doesn''t sound great," Daisy whispered to me.

    "It isn''t." I replied grabbing Jay by the arm. "how about we make it a group discussion so everyone is happy." I suggested.

    "Do you mind Jennifer?" Jay asked.

    "Sure.. the last thing I''d want to do is cause a rift," Jennifer answered.

    I knocked on the door to Helen''s room. "Helen? they said we''ll discuss it as a group." I said opening the door to a Helen trying to look calm and relaxed with Grace in the back with a giant grin.

    Jay and Jennifer entered the room slowly and quietly sitting on opposite ends of the sofa leaving a clear gap between then. Daisy on the other hand casually strolled in taking the gap between them totally oblivious to the elephant in the room with a giant smile.

    "So... what is it you want from Jay? He mentioned earlier that you were in need of spellbooks." I questioned before Helen could say anything rude or aggressive.

    "Yes that''s true I''d like to train and hone my spellcasting." She answered very politely.

    "You know it''s a bit dangerous to practice spell casting without a mentor?" I asked her.

    "I know, but I need to improve." She said sounding very determined.

    "Do you mind if I ask why you want to lean spellcasting," I questioned trying to sound polite as possible.

    "It''s so I can help people." She replied.

    "You seemed very adept in out fight," I replied to her.

    "That is true, but that was equal numbers, I need to get stronger so I can win when outnumbered." She answered.

    "To be honest I doubt even we can win a fight if heavily outnumbered," I admitted to her.

    "But I need to, no one stands up against my family and their crimes." She answered making a little shocked.

    "You want to stop your family?" Daisy asked her also in shock.

    "Yes, while I cant openly stop them, one day I wish I can at least stop the henchmen they hire." She answered.

    "I know your cause is just and right but isn''t it a little dangerous? What if your family hire hitmen or something." I questioned.

    "Then I''ll deal with them as well." She answered completely determined.

    "As much as I''d love to help, I don''t want to be responsible for you jumping into a fight you can''t win. Maybe you should consider one of the schools? that way you''d definitely be trained the correct way and be ready to take on threats." I offered my opinion.

    "What do the rest of you think?" Jennifer asked the room.

    "I think its a great idea, providing you pick your fights," Daisy answered.

    "Well she cant enrol into Atlantis anyways and the more she practices now the better chance she has next year," Grace answered.

    "Sadly I agree with Emilia, it''s far too dangerous both your cause and practising magic without a mentor. She doesn''t really need to train either since the Orb estimates your magical potential," Helen answered.

    "Yeah but the orb doesn''t work very well, it gave me a super low score," I admitted.

    "That is true." Helen nodded.

    "You''d help me right?" Jennifer pleaded to jay clearly using their past to gain an edge.

    "Although I think it''s a bad idea like the rest of us, I do believe you''re better off with some help since you''re gonna put yourself in harms way anyways. Jay answered.

    "Jay that''s too dangerous!" Helen objected like she felt that Jay was taking Jennifer''s side over hers.

    "She''s gonna do it with or without our help, the way I see it is at least our help would be a point in the right direction." jay explained with a shrug.

    "He''s got a point, her pursuit might end up landing her in learning the wrong things." Grace agreed.

    "Yeah, but what can we do? we''re Atlantis students and only have the weekends free to travel." Helen objected.

    "So what happened to your old teacher?" I questioned

    "Master Dildamzed? He was forced to leave the town, I assume he carried on travelling." Jennifer answered.

    "Ohh... so there''s no way to contact him?" I questioned.

    "Sadly no, he said there was some sort of messaging spell but only certain members of a guild can learn it." She answered.

    "That''s a shame, what was he like?" I questioned.

    "He was amazing exactly like a loving father to his children!" She answered with a giant smile remembering her childhood clearly.

    "And what sort of magic did you do back there?" I questioned curiously.

    "Ohh Master Dildamzed unlocked my affinity to air and taught me everything I know, much like Jay who has an affinity to fire especially blue fire. He said we were a good match complementing each other." She answered with a giant smile making Helen look more and more jealous each passing second.

    "Pshhh anyone can do air spells," Helen commented quietly that no one except me and Grace seemed to have heard.

    Every part of my being, wanted to ask if she had the chance would she enrol into Atlantis, or ask Paul if he could help her since he did the same with Morgana, but Helen would probably see it as some sort of ultimate betrayal. "How willing are you to study magic?" I questioned her with a plan.

    "I''ll do anything." She answered in excitement seeing that I had some sort of plan.

    "What if it involved you leaving your town and family?" I questioned.

    She leaned back a little in shock at my follow up question like she never considered it before. "Umm... like forever?" She questioned.

    "Well, until you''re ready to go back I guess," I answered her.

    "I''d have to hear the offer first." She answered.

    "Okay I''ll see what I can do, I''m not certain myself," I answered back.

    "What are you planning?" Jay and Helen asked Jay looking curious but Helen looking upset that I betrayed her.

    "I''ll explain it to you all if I manage to pull it off," I answered.

    "Will it take long?" Jennifer asked a little impatient.

    "Let me see, I''d definitely try and be there when all this happens," I answered making everyone look at me trying to work out what I have up my sleeve.

    "Well, you can always join the Church of Serra." Daisy offered reminded me of many religious debates I overheard over the years.

    "I think a Cleric or Paladin isn''t the right path for me....." Jennifer politely declined her offer.

    "What?! Clerics and Paladins are cool!" Daisy replied taking the rejection a little too personally.

    "I know, I know! the way you took out one of the bandits instantly and took a fire spell to the face is incredible." She gushed like she was a fan of Daisy''s.

    "By the way why were you and Morgana almost unaffected? I got burnt a little even though you guys shielded me from the blast." I answered.

    "Ohh that because of my Infernal Heritage it makes me resistant to fire." She smiled.

    "When Morgana goes into her spore form, she lets funguses and other plant life take over her body granting her a slight resistance to damage a bit," Helen added.

    "That''s interesting so what sort of druid are you then?" I questioned Helen.

    "I''m specialised in Nature and life, whereas Morgana''s specialises in Death and Decay. Both a very integral path of nature." Helen answered.

    "That so interesting!" Jennifer smiled intrigued like a student learning in class, then turned her look to Grace.

    "Me? I''m just a normal ranger, but I have studied a lot when it comes to dealing with various beasts." She answered.

    "Wow, and like Jay you all choose your paths when growing up?" Jennifer questioned.

    "Well Emilia didn''t know any magic till she arrived in Atlantis but she''s really learning and improving fast," Jay answered.

    "Woah never practised magic and got into Atlantis you must be amazing!" Jennifer gushed in awe.

    "Not really, I''m just average," I answered her honestly.

    "Don''t sell yourself short.. you''ve reached our level in a matter of weeks," Daisy said trying to counter my pessimism.

    "So who''s the strongest out of all of you?" Jennifer asked.

    "Daisy." We all answered unanimously pointing at her.

    "Really?" Daisy looked at us in shock.

    "Yes... the amount of times we''ve seen you utter wreck people and things in one or two hit is phenomenal, and was even able to hurt a demon most of us couldn''t even scratch," I answered.

    "Wait you guys fought a demon?" Jennifer asked in shock.

    "Yeah long story, but we won in the end." I smiled.

    "That must have been quite a fight." She said lost in her own imagination.

    "It was a lot more dangerous then we expected but we did manage to finish it off with another student of Atlantis called Anna." I answered.

 196 Early Morning Planning

    "What the hell?!!!" I cursed waking up to the sound of roosters crowing in the distance.

    "Is it morning already?!" Daisy cursed needing more sleep.

    "Morgana?" I questioned jumping up since she didn''t respond.

    "Just sleep through it." She moaned trying to fall back asleep.

    "Guy''s wake up it''s time to make a plan today," Jay said knocking on the door.

    "It''s too early!!" Daisy moaned loudly back.

    "We''re coming in!" Helen said opening the door.

    "Nooo more sleep please." Morgana moaned.

    "Morning Emilia!" Helen woke me up sitting next to me.

    "Morning guys," I mumbled back wishing for more sleep or having the Elven sleep trait.

    "Daisy it''s time for training!" Grace whispered to her with an evil grin.

    "I''m up, I''m up," Daisy grumbled sitting up but still half asleep.

    "Okay, so we have roughly three hours before Mr Wayne arrives. My father told me he always takes the same road we took, so it''d be easy to intercept him." Jay informed us.

    "We still doing that?" I questioned still half asleep.

    "Of course! we need to find out what he has planned with my family." He answered.

    "Is Jennifer here?" I questioned.

    "Nah she went back to her estate before sunrise," Jay answered.

    "Ahh good good." I replied.

    "Ohhh remind me to visit Jay''s parents before we go." I''d like to leave a gift." Morgana informed still drowsy.

    "So I''d say we''d intercept Mr Wayne when he''s a mile or two out from the town, My dad says he arrives with no guards and is always alone riding a cart pulled by two horses," Jay informed of the plan.

    "Okay.... his own capabilities?" Grace questioned.

    "As far as I know, he has zero and he hasn''t been seen defending himself, but since he travels alone expect some form of self-defence," Jay answered.

    "Helen and I should be able to try and put him to sleep." Morgana offered.

    "That would be great." Jay smiled. "Now Daisy, I need you to be the distraction just do your thing and make him stop, do some Church of Serra speech or something," Jay ordered.

    "I don''t think Serra would like me using her name to kidnap travelling merchants." Daisy hesitantly declined Jay''s plan.

    "Okay, sorry that I didn''t consider that, Emilia you''re up." Making me wake up suddenly asking to repeat himself. "Okay, I guess." accepting to be bait or distraction.

    "The rest of us except Daisy try and restrain him but remember we don''t want to cause harm," Jay concluded laying out his plan.

    "So we gonna head out now or later?" Daisy questioned still half asleep hugging her pillow.

    "My mum invited us for breakfast so we should arrive before the shop officially opens," Jay answered.

    "So we can''t get some extra sleep?" Daisy questioned.

    "Nope get ready let''s go!" I''ll be outside Jay smiled standing up and leaving the room.

    "This sucks I need more sleep!" Daisy said slowly lowering herself back into bed.

    "Nope let''s go." Grace grinned pulling her back up and began to help Daisy put on her armour.

    "I''m so envious of you two right now," I mumbled putting on my wizard robes.

    "Let''s go," Helen said to Morgana pulling her up. "Thanks for looking after everyone last night." Helen thanked her.

    "No problems." Morgana yawned.

    "You didn''t get hurt did you?" Helen questioned.

    "Nah luckily nothing substantial." Morgana smiled showing Helen her hand.

    "You sure? no shame if you need some rest or healing." Helen asked slightly concerned.

    "Yup sure, my spore form took most the damage," She smiled.

    "So how does that work?" I questioned overhearing the conversation.

    "It''s like bark on a tree, my spore form gives me a small extra layer of defence but a strong hit could still hurt me." She answered.

    "I also saw you bled black blood..." I said remembering last night.

    "Ohhh that''s my spores also, it makes wounds and cuts a lot less painful." She answered.

    "So your blood is black when you''re in spore form?" I questioned.

    "Yes." She smiled pricking her fingertip and squeeze it showing that she bled red blood like the rest of us.

    "What you can all do is so phenomenal." I smiled walking with everyone as we left the room.

    "Hey, you''re one of us now you can spell cast!" Daisy smiled giving me a pat on the shoulder.

    "Yeah but, wow if my friends from back home could see you guys, they''d be so gobsmacked," I replied.

    "Gobsmacked?" Grace questioned.

    "They''d be amazed." I rephrased myself.

    "I wonder what a world without magic is like. It must be so basic like relying on our bodies natural healing process, no airships, fighting dangerous beasts with non-magical weaponry." Daisy pondered.

    "Remember she said her world is pretty peaceful there aren''t dragons and dangerous creatures there." Helen reminded her.

    "Yup, we do have dangerous animals like wolves, tigers and things but nothing crazy like Dragons or Demons and Giant Worms. I do think you all would love it over there, it''s very different." I smiled.

    "So how are plants grown? Are they all grown naturally?" Morgana questioned.

    "Umm, so in my world, they have something called science, it''s the study of the world and universe and how things work, so we mass-produce plants and food but through science also evolved plants so they''d have different traits like grapes without seeds, or even using machines to mass plant and water fields and fields of plants." I tried to describe it to her.

    "So how do you heal people?" Daisy asked.

    "Superficial things like cuts and wounds are generally cleaned with a chemical that kills the bad stuff to stop it getting infected then depending on the wound, either left alone to the natural healing process or stitched together to allow the healing process to begin. For more serious things like we have Medicines." I explained.

    "Ohh like healing balms and ointments?" Helen asked recognising the resemblance.

    "Yeah so unlike here where you use a mixture of herbs and ingredients, it''s more specialised in my world. We isolate the exact part of the plant or ingredient that help in healing and merge them together so they are easy to produce and less risk of any adverse effects." I tried my best to explain without confusing them more.

    "So is medicine better here or there?" Daisy questioned slightly confused.

    "Well... everyday medicine I would assume is better back in my world since medicine and doctors is a service almost everyone has access to, but your healing magic is phenomenal instantly healing wounds is amazing nothing in my world can even compare to that," I answered.

    "Would be an amazing experience," Jay said with a smile.

    "Jay and Morgana would be okay to come, but I''m afraid we don''t have Elves or Tiefaeni, your races would be only found in like fictional stories and folklore if you guys did come you''d draw too much of the wrong kind of attention," I answered.

    "What?!" Daisy answered looking a little saddened.

    "Yeah especially you Daisy, Devils in my world are kinda seen as the epitome of evil, you''d definitely wouldn''t feel welcomed." I tried to explain.

    "... I understand that." Daisy replied after a small pause.

    "It''s okay though, I''m sure if we can get ahold of those things Jay''s parents have you guys can appear as humans right?" I questioned.

    "Ohh yeah glamour charms, yes that could definitely work." Helen smiled.

    "Let''s not get ahead of ourselves, we don''t even know how to cross other planes of existence," Jay replied.

    "Well, Paul did say he visits home sometimes so I''m sure there''s some system in place," I answered.

    As we arrived at the main room the innkeeper looked at us a little shocked, "Good morning we all greeted him pretending nothing happened last night and left the inn. the town looked surprisingly nice, lots and lots of families shopping, smiles and conversing with each other.

    "Hi!!" a bunch of kids came running straight to us with giant smiles.

    "Hi!" Daisy knelt down greeting them. They all looked at her horns, their mouths opened wide completely speechless. "I''m Tiefaeni, my name is Daisy I''m a Paladin of Serra." She smiled. "Watch this." Daisy smiled standing up channelling her divine energy, she glowed goldenly and manifested around her the most beautiful display, around her appeared tiny swirling dancing flying tiny unicorns, falling stars and rainbows.

    All the kids instinctively giggled running into her display trying to catch the stars and unicorns. Two small girls remained staring at Helen and Grace. Helen and Grace both waved for them to come over, "Hi I''m Helen and she''s Grace." they said kneeling down to greet them.

    "Come." Grace smiled gently pulling one of the girls closer, "Shall I braid your hair?" Grace asked her politely. The girl nodded pointing at Grace''s hair, "Okay, we''ll do it like mine." Grace smiled.

    "Here," Helen said kneeling down whispering something to make beautiful plants grow out the ground and picked it placing it in the other little girl''s hair.

    The rest of us took a seat on a nearby wall, it was refreshing to see the smiled and happiness our magic could bring to children and the good we can do in this world with it.

 197 Different Perspective

    "Your parents are so nice! and their baking is so good!" Daisy said still stuffing herself as we made our way out the Carvel''s bakery.

    "You know bread makes you fat," Grace chuckled.

    "What?! No! How?!" She exclaimed.\u003cbr data-mce-bogus="1"\u003e

    "By the way what was you up to around the back?" Helen asked Morganna with a raised eyebrow.

    "Ohh, I just made a few mushroom patches," Morgana answered.

    "Ohh?" Helen questioned.

    "Yeah, though they might enjoy it or use it in their baking. They grow quickly and require almost zero maintenance and very self-sufficient." Morgana smiled.

    "So Jay maybe we could just sit down and talk to Mr Wayne wouldn''t kidnapping him be a step in the wrong direction?" I questioned.

    "do you think he will just tell us the truth if we ask nicely?" Jay rhetorically questioned back.

    "He honestly sounds like a very charitable person even helping the homeless." I offered to him my point of view.

    "To be fair there are countless of things he could have done with those people," Helen replied agreeing with Jay.

    "Yup he could be selling them to a cult or into slavery, necromancers and countless other inhuman things." Daisy agreed.

    "Okay how about we change our plans? Let''s first talk to him at least, get the gist of his personality and if any of us get the feeling he''s lying or untrustworthy we''ll try intimidation." Grace offered.

    "Thank you! That is a much better idea." I agreed, feeling relieved someone was on my side on this.

    "Actually I think that would be best." Helen and Daisy agreed.

    "Fine, we''ll try the diplomatic approach first but if anyone gets a whiff of dishonesty or hostility we''ll proceed with the original plan." Jay reluctantly agreed.

    "Daisy make sure you use that thing you do that senses good and bad people," Grace asked using all resources we had at our disposal.

    "I can actually make a truth potion, I think I saw the right ingredients on the way here." Morgana offered to open the small book she was writing in on the way here, making us all look at her in shock, "What? My mother taught me plenty of potions some good but mostly bad." She answered like it was normal.

    "Okay once we leave the city Grace you accompany her, I''m sure you''ll be much better than the rest of us at spotting things and watch over each other," Jay ordered.

    "Fine by me," Grace answered.

    "Ohhh and make sure you both mark us to find us easier once you''re done," Helen added.

    On the way out some guards showed some surprise giving us a double look seeing us making our way out of town unscathed, "I bet the bandits last night paid off a lot of the guards." I said noticing their reactions

    "Yeah, definitely almost all the guards." Grace agreed.\u003cbr data-mce-bogus="1"\u003e

    "Okay, we''ll start looking for ingredients. How long do we have?" Morgana questioned after we made a good distance from the town seeing some dense foliage nearby.

    "Roughly two hours," Jay answered.

    "Okay, we''ll see you soon." Morgana and Grace said leaving the group to hunt for ingredients.

    "Was you this suspicious when meeting your first mentor?" I questioned Jay as he led the way looking for a good ambush location.

    "Of course, for some strange reason he picked Jennifer and I specifically," Jay answered.

    "Ohh wow so he arrived in your town specifically looking for you two?" I questioned.

    "That''s what he said, he said that the two of use possessed special gifts, I guess it''s my Blue flame and Jennifers Air affinity. Over time he did earn my trust in the end." Jay answered.

    "Don''t you think you''re just overcautious or a little paranoid?" I asked politely hoping not to offend him.

    "Paranoid?" He questioned utterly confused.

    "Yeah because of your upbringing, you''re overly protective and cautious?" I questioned.

    "You''re still new to this world Emilia, no offence but you don''t know how this world works." He replied hitting me a little off guard as this was the first time we butt heads.

    "And what if you do this and the excessive questioning causes him to back out of your families business?" I questioned making sure the repercussions could potentially be devastating.

    "Then I''ll just work harder to provide for them." He replied ignoring my warning.

    I instinctively grabbed him by his arm forcing him to look at me, "I''m serious! your family has something good here, I also saw how happy your mum and dad were to finally be able to provide for you. You need to consider that you''re risking something far greater to your parents then gold and business, all because you''re paranoid and untrusting." I forced him to listen to me properly.

    "Although I''m a little like you Jay, there are good people in this world, Paul saved me from a cult and ensured I had a safe and good upbringing from then on." Daisy tried to persuade him.

    I could see Jay headstrong motivation waver a little but he still couldn''t let it go. "Look let me do the talking okay? maybe you''re just a little too invested in this to have an informed decision." I offered him but he looked unconvinced.

    "Jay, we''re all friends here, despite the very brief time we''ve known each other I''d trust you all with my life, I''d even go as far as calling you all family now. Maybe we should let Emilia take lead on this, I''m sure she has a plan, she even bought gifts for us to give to your mum and dad, trust me when I say she has your parents best intentions at heart." Helen agreed with me trying to sway Jay a little.

    "Okay." Jay loosened agreeing to let me take lead.

    "Thank you, Jay." I wholeheartedly thanked him, knowing how hard it must have been for him and relieved we won''t be ambushing Paul. "Don''t worry we''ll get to the bottom of this," I tried to reassure him.

    "So what''s the plan?" Daisy questioned me with a giant smile.

    "We''re just gonna be friendly. Just listen and watch for any conflicting information." I answered with a big smile.

    "Alright," Jay replied.

    "We''re just gonna ''bump'' into him and if he''s as friendly as everyone says then I''m sure he''ll strike up a conversation," I answered with a smile.

    We waited a while patiently waiting for Grace and Morgana to regroup with us. "You guys took a while," Helen commented as they arrived back.

    "Yeah... I think Morgana got a little over-excited collecting ingredient." Grace answered.

    "Yeah, sorry I took so long, but I got enough for several truth serums and other things!" She smiled.

    "Yeah'' we won''t be needed it anymore, we''ll just have a nice talk." I informed Grace and Morgana or the new plan

    "Ohh?" Grace asked giving Jay a quick look.

    "Yeah, we''ve decided to take the more diplomatic approach," I answered.

    "That sounds like a better idea." Grace agreed.

    "Just let me take the lead." I smiled at everyone.

    "So what do we do now?" Morgana asked.

    "We''ll just follow this path making it look like we''re on our way back," I answered.

    "Sounds like an Idea." Morgana smiled and began to walk.

    "So Morgana what did you find?" Jay questioned slightly intrigued as we began making our way down the road.

    "Quite a lot actually, I have enough for a couple heal potions, truth serums, an antidote or two for the native wildlife here a couple of very mild poison potions that make the drinker nauseous." She answered.

    "Hey Emilia," Helen whispered catching up to me.

    "Wassup?" I smiled back.

    "Don''t take what Jay said to heart, I think it''s great that you come from another world, I feel you can see things in a unique perspective compared to ours," Helen said making sure I wasn''t offended by what Jay said earlier.

    "Thanks, don''t worry I know he didn''t mean what he said." I smiled back.

    As predicted the silhouette of a singular man riding on a large Caravan appeared in the distance slowly making it way to Thralkeld, "I think that''s him." I informed Helen.

    "I''ll tell the others," She replied falling back to the others to inform them.

 198 Mr Wayne

    We all quickly turned around making it look like we were heading back to Jay''s home town. "Hello, travellers!" Mr Wayne yelled out making us all look back.

    "Hi!" We all answered back waving.

    "Nice to meet you all! I''m Mr Wayne." He smiled pulling his caravan to a stop when he reached us.

    "Hi!" I replied with a smile introducing everyone to him.

    "So what bring you this way?" Helen politely asked.

    "Ohhh I''m heading to Thralkeld have a business there I bring stock by every week, " He smiled.

    "Ohh same as us! we were visiting over the weekend but we spent the morning exploring the surrounding area a little." I answered.

    "Make sure you guys be careful there has been an increase in bandit and unchivalrous behaviour recently." He warned us.

    "Isn''t it a bit dangerous for you to be all alone?" I questioned.

    "Ah, being wealthy and well known has its perks." He smiled but deep down I knew he was fully capable of defending himself.

    "Nothing we can''t handle, we''re Atlantis students," I replied with a smile known that he''s Paul and that he already knows.

    "Ohhh Atlantis students? I know a few Atlantis students myself." He smiled.

    "Anyone we might know?" I played along with his deception.

    "Sorry I can''t really reveal my clients, they''d like to keep their identity quiet." He answered.

    "So is your business a bakery?" I questioned.

    "Why yes, it is how did you know?" He asked a little shocked.

    "Ohh just looks like you have flour and honey and other ingredients needed for baking," I explained noticing the goods he was travelling with.

    "Nice eye, are you a baker yourself?" He questioned impressed at my observation skills.

    "I dabble here and there." I smiled.

    "So you all on your way back to Thralkeld?" Mr Wayne asked us.

    "Yeah we''re heading back to the Carvell Bakery, Jay is their son," I informed him.

    "Oh so you''re the infamous Jay, I have never seen parents so proud of their son." Mr Wayne smiled.

    "Can we catch a ride back?" I requested politely.

    "Sure hop in if you can find a room, just find something comfortable to sit on." Mr Wayne smiled giving us permission.

    "Can I ride in front with you?" I questioned.

    "Ummm sure." He hesitantly replied shuffling to one side allowing me to hop on.

    "Hey, I know it''s you, Paul," I whispered to him with a giant smile sitting beside him, making him look at me in complete shock.

    "Umm, I have no idea who this ''Paul'' you''re talking about." He replied to me looking onwards towards the road. "You guys in the back ready?" He shouted back to everyone.

    "Sure you don''t." I whispered with a smile, "Thank you for helping Jay." I said quietly as everyone shouted they were ready to go.

    "So you taught Jay''s parents how to bake?" I questioned as the caravan began to move.

    "So what is it that you do exactly with the homeless children you take away?" I questioned curiously.

    "I take those who are willing to help themselves to a special orphanage." He answered.

    "Special Orphanage?" I asked curiously.

    "Yes, it''s a far journey, in a newly formed city on another continent. rest assured they will be looked after and allowed to follow their dreams." He smiled making me feel extremely relieved.

    "It''s good that you have a kind heart." I smiled gleefully.

    "He''s a great person," He replied still going along with the ruse.

    "You could have picked a better name then Mr Wayne, don''t tell me your first name is Bruce as well?" I chuckled.

    "Funnily enough I wasn''t born with that name, but yes I am Bruce Jason Wayne."

    "Wow,, you couldn''t make it any more obvious." I chuckled at his choice of name.

    "What''s wrong with it?" He questioned like he didn''t know the name is a very well known superhero billionaire.

    "I get it." I laughed realizing that Helen and Grace have an extraordinary hearing as we made out way back to Thralkeld.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "So you all gonna help me with my stock?" Mr Wayne looked back asking everyone.

    "Sure!" Daisy yelled out loud as we neared the Carvell''s bakery.

    "Ohh hi kids! didn''t know you all were friends with Mr Wayne as well!" Miss Carvell waved greeting all of us.

    "We just happened to cross the path and I offered them a lift." Mr Wayne answered her as we came to a stop.

    "Woah you''re a strong lass." Mr Carvell marvelled in awe seeing Daisy effortlessly carry two large barrels effortlessly into the shop.

    "Yeah, she''s super strong." Grace chuckled.

    "Let''s help." Helen nudged Morgana and morphed into a big gorilla effortlessly helping with moving the heavy good.

    "Sure." Morgana replied copying her morphing into a gorilla.

    "Woah." Mr Carvell looked at them both in shock.

    "Nothing to worry about, they are still themselves they aren''t wild at all, although they can''t talk anymore." Grace smiled grabbing some lighter things to help take them in.

    Miss Carvel came running towards me and quickly turned me around facing opposite to everyone else, "What do you think about Mr Wayne? He''s nice, isn''t he? Do you want me to start things off?" She questioned eagerly.

    "No no you don''t need to." I instantly replied.

    "Nonsense, it''s nothing." She smiled reading my response in the totally wrong way.

    "Mr Wayne, you''re not currently seeing anyone right?" Miss Carvell instantly asked dragging me towards him.

    "Umm not currently but I''m not interested in starting a relationship with someone currently." He answered scratching the back of his head.

    "Well, there''s no harm in just talking." She said pushing me towards him.

    "Umm, I don''t think she''s my type." He insisted.

    "Not your type? She''s strong, smart, a sorcerer, she is also an amazing cook." She smiled introducing me like a proud mother.

    "Yeah, I''m not really interested in finding someone right now," I confessed.

    "Nonsense, I''ll help the other restocking you and Mr Wayne have some time to get along." Miss Carvell insisted pushing us away leaving us alone and went to help the other restocking the bakery.

    "So, it''s good to see you''ve recovered," I said sitting on a nearby low wall.

    "What do you mean?" He questioned a little confused standing for a a bit then eventually took a seat next to me.

    "You don''t need to carry on pretending it''s just us," I replied still shocked he staying in character.

    "I''m honestly not Paul." He tried to persuade me.

    "Okay," I answered knowing what he''s up to. "So tell me about yourself." I smiled finding the roleplaying kinda a little fun.

    "There''s not much to tell, I''m just a trader that travels the land buying and selling goods and setting up a business." He answered sounding honest.

    "But you help people like the orphanage," I questioned.

    "Ohh yeah, that''s a personal request from a client." He answered, "So how about you what''s your obsession with Paul?" He questioned.

    "It''s hard to explain, just after seeing him again after all this time made me realised how much I missed his company," I answered playing along with his game.

    "Does he know?" He questioned curiously.

    "I think he does but he''s always been very reserved, he was never the confident type when it came to these things funnily enough." I chuckled.

    "Well if I was you, I''d just tell him to make sure he knows." He said giving me a hint.

    "Something bold?" I questioned finding the idea a little exciting.

    "If that''s your style he answered.

    "Hmmm I''m not really one for bold gesture myself," I replied ready to surprise him.

    "It''s not always about bold gestures and things if he''s the same Paul we''re talking about then he''s pretty oblivious to those things." He chuckled.

    "Ohh I get it." I smiled looking around making sure no one else was watching, my heart was pounding like it wanted to burst out my chest as I leaned in and pulled him closer to kiss him. It felt perfect like the stars were finally aligned, all those reignited feelings finally being out in the open.

 199 Farewell Mr and Miss Carvell.

    The feeling of two hands grabbed my shoulders pulling me away. "I really think you have the wrong person." Mr Wayne insisted.

    "Wait you''re defiantly not Paul?!" I questioned in complete shock utterly flabbergasted.

    "That is what I''ve been telling you all this time!" He replied almost in as much shock as I am.

    "Yeah but I, I thought it was like some sort of role-play thing," I admitted to him.

    "A what?" He questioned now adding confusion to the list.

    "Never mind, I''m gonna..... go, this never happened!" I panicked and began to back away quickly back into the shop.

    "Did everything go well?" Miss Carvell asked.

    "Yup I''m good, Mr Wayne wanted to see you both," I informed Mr and Miss Carvell quickly hoping that could finish their business transaction.

    "Ohh sure." They both answered walking out.

    "You okay Emilia? You''re a little red." Daisy questioned.

    "Yup great!" I quickly replied to her in a panic.

    "What did you discover about Mr Wayne? Nicely done getting him alone like that." Jay complimented me.

    "What? Oh, yeah he seems very genuine." I answered Jay making him look at for a few seconds expecting more of an answer.

    "What? is that it?" He questioned as if he was expecting more of an answer.

    "Yeah, he''s honestly there''s nothing nefarious about him," I answered

    "So what does he do with the orphaned children?" Morgana inquired.

    "He has an orphanage in a very far away city that helps those less fortunate," I answered.

    "Ohh?" Morgana instantly replied as if she noticed something.

    "If it helps he does show an overwhelming feeling of good, didn''t sense much evil coming from him, nothing more then the average person emits," Daisy answered.

    "Wait you can sense how good and bad a person is?" I questioned in shock.

    "Yup." Daisy smiled.

    "So, what do you get form all of us?" I inquired.

    "Well, you show an overwhelming feeling of good." She answered, "Helen, Grace and Jay a little balanced a little more good than evil and lastly Morgana shows a tiny bit eviler then good, but all of that can change and it''s only from Serra''s perspective." Daisy answered.

    "Serra''s perspective?" I questioned.

    "Well Serra is the Goddess of Healing and Life, so her views on things are very narrow in scope." She tried to explain.

    "I see." I nodded,

    "Don''t think too much of it," Daisy added trying to reassure everyone even though I was the only one surprised with the results.

    "Well, Jay what do you think?" Helen questioned.

    I guess we''ll trust Daisy and Emilia for now, but in time we''ll find out the truth I guess." Jay answered.

    "Did something happen Emilia? Mr Wayne was in a big rush to get outta here, he normally stays for some tea and some chit chat." Miss Carvell asked walking in with Mr Carvell.

    "Thank you for all the help girls. Although having the two of you transform was a little daunting." Mr Carvell thanked everyone.

    "Sorry, we didn''t warn you earlier." Morgana and Helen apologised.

    "I''m sorry that I don''t know much about gifted children like you all" He smiled.

    "So will you all be returning to Atlantis soon?" Miss Carvell asked and went back to work.

    "Yeah we need to get back before sunset," Jay answered.

    "So you''ll be leaving soon." Miss Carvell replied looking a little saddened.

    "Don''t worry mum! We''ll come and visit when we get a chance." Jay smiled.

    "Yes, Miss Carvell whenever we have a free day we''ll be sure to visit." Helen agreed.

    "It''d just be a bit more reassuring if we knew how you all were doing I suppose," She replied like a mother seeing off her children to university.

    "Honey, you have nothing to worry about! These girls are extremely capable." Mr Carvell smiled at us giving us all a respectful nod.

    "I do have a scrying orb I suppose you both can have," I suggested.

    "A what?" Miss Carvell asked looking utterly perplexed.

    "It''s an orb that allows you to magically see whoever you want," I answered pulling it out my pouch.

    "How did you fit that thing in your bag?!" Miss Carvell asked in shock.

    "Magical bag mum." Jay answered, "Also Emilia, sadly my parents can''t use that, they''d need to be able to harness Arcanum to use it." Jay informed me.

    "Ohhh, sorry I didn''t know," I apologised putting it back in my bag.

    "We''ll just have to live with sending letters every two weeks." Mr Carvell suggested making Miss Carvell look more saddened, "Honey, our boy is becoming a man now," Mr Carvell said putting a hand on Miss Carvell''s shoulder.

    "Um Okay, but every two weeks without fail! I want to know everything that happens!" she reluctantly agreed.

    "I promise mum." Jay smiled.

    "It''s getting late I think you all should start making your way back it''s a couple of hours to Maynard." Mr Carvell suggested.

    "I guess you''re right dad, if anything happens let me know as soon as you can." Jay agreed.

    "We will son." Mr Carvell pulling Jay in for a big family hug.

    "You girls to." Mr and Miss Carvell smiled to the rest of us giving us all a great big hug making Miss Carvell begin to well up in tears.

    "Are you going to be okay Miss Carvell?" Daisy questioned looking concerned.

    "Yes she''ll be fine, she just hates goodbyes." He said trying to comfort her giving up permission with a hand gesture.

    "Thank you for everything! We''ll be sure to visit when we can." We all thanked Jay''s parents and left saying our goodbyes.

    "Ohh think we can catch up to Mr Wayne? I''m sure Helen and Morgana can give us a lift to catch up." Daisy suggested.

    "Nah we need our deposit back anyway." Jay reminded Daisy.

    "True true." She replied.

    "Think we should visit Jennifer and say our goodbyes?" I questioned letting out a sigh of relief.

    "Nah, she''s probably busy anyways besides I don''t want Edward Vancliff to use us as some sort of display," Jay answered.

    "I suppose you''re right." I agreed with him as we began making our way to the stables where we left our caravan.

    "I wish there was some way to tell her." I wondered in awe as we made our way out.

    "I''ll write her a letter," Morgana suggested and began to scribble into her book.

    "But how will you get it to her?" Jay questioned.

    "I have my ways." She smiled and carried on writing a small letter.

    "By the way Emilia, what plan did you have for helping her?" Daisy asked curiously.

    "Well I was thinking of asking Paul to help her some way or another, but I''m not sure what he can do exactly yet," I answered.

    "What?!" Daisy asked in shock.

    "Yeah, I''m sure Paul would know a way to help her." I smiled making Helen look at me in complete shock.

    "He''s not going to get her enrolled into Atlantis, will he?" Helen questioned looking extremely panicked.

    "Would that be such a bad thing?" I questioned.

    "No no," Helen replied turning away from me looking a little annoyed and upset.

    "I''ll let you guys know what Paul does to help her if he even does," I replied trying to recover from the situation.

    Morgana silently slipped away to a nearby guard making him look at her a little confused, Morgana began to speak to him and handed him the note. The guard bowed deeply in respect and quickly rank to towards the Vancliff estate leaving his partner there absolutely flabbergasted. Morana proceeded to talk to the other guards for a few seconds and then walked back to us, "All done, the letter will be sent." She smiled.

    "What did you do?" Grace questioned her looking a little shocked.

    "Nothing much just threatened to bewitch and curse them." She chuckled.

    "Morgana!" I instinctively yelled at her in objection to her methods.

    "I joke I joke, I just used the friends spell and politely asked them." She replied defending herself.

    "Friends spell?" I questioned looking at everyone else.

    "It''s a spell that kinda makes people see you as their friend." Jay hesitantly explained.

    "Morgana that''s still wrong!" I scolded her again.

    "Okay okay, I won''t do it again." She agreed with a sigh.

    "Guy''s we shouldn''t be doing stuff like manipulating people for our own gain," I explained to everyone.

    "Alright, I suppose." Morgana agreed.

    "I also agree, unless it''s bad people and information we need to find out." Helen and Jay half agreed.

    "That sounds fair," I answered in return as the stables came into view and began making our way back to Atlantis.

    "This is gonna be such a boring trip back!!!" Daisy moaned.

 200 No Even A Rival

    "I can''t believe you still paid for the ''damages'' even though we already magically fixed anything out of place," Jay said as we made our way back entering Atlantis.

    "I''m just being charitable, besides I have more gold then sense, right now." I answered taking off my leather strap and returning it back to the students at the booth.

    "Welcome back, I hope everything went smoothly." different students then the ones in the morning greeted us.

    "Everything went well." I smiled handing back the band.

    "Great, If anything happened don''t be shy to report it, Atlantis take student safety as a top priority." they smiled and looked at the rest of our group.

    "Hey, Paul, you here?" I questioned into the badge.

    "Hey wassup? I''m here." She replied.

    "Nothing just got back from visiting Jay''s family," I informed him.

    "Ohhh the Carvell''s? they doing well I hope." He replied making me believe Mr Wayne and Paul were two separate entities.

    "They are doing great, thanks for helping them." I smiled back as if he could see me smiling.

    "No problems, always here to help." He replied.

    "So did you teach them to bake?" I questioned curiously.

    "Yeah, Just some basic stuff though and some pointers to get their imagination going." He answered.

    "Ohhh we also met Mr Wayne," I informed him.

    "Ahhh yes the merchant right?" He asked.

    "Yeah he was pretty friendly as well," I answered.

    "Yup he''s a great guy, we have done a lot of business together," Paul answered making me question if they were the same person.

    "So what you been up to all day?" I questioned.

    "Ahh nothing much recovering and a spot of reading." He hesitantly answered.

    "You and reading?" I chuckled at the idea since he was never the type to read books.

    "I know." He chuckled back.

    "Hey, Emilia we''re gonna head to the dining hall," Helen said catching up with me.

    "Sorry I''ll probably go check up on Paul since the whole reason we was so injured was because of me, I''ll catch up with you guys later?" I explained to Helen quietly.

    "Say no more I''ll let the other know, see you for dinner, we''ll save you a seat." She smiled giving me a pat on the back and retreated back to the rest of them.

    "Hey, Paul can I come to see you?" I questioned curiously.

    "Sure, I''m currently in the library." He answered.

    "The library? have you changed your appearance or something? you always draw such a crowd." I asked as waved goodbye to everyone and headed to the library.

    "Nah I''m in a secluded section." He answered.

    "Ohhh okay how will I find you?" I asked.

    "I''ll meet you at the restricted section." He answered.

    "The restricted section?" I questioned in shock.

    "Yeah, its a part of the library that''s off-limits to ordinary students." He answered.

    "Just doing some reading and research." He answered me.

    "Hmm, on that creature I suppose?" I questioned.

    "Yeah...." He hesitantly answered knowing that he disappointed me.

    "Well there''s no way I can stop you I guess." I replied.

    "It''s for the best, it''ll save most lives." He answered.

    "Yeah but risking yours and I guess Scarlet, Ashley and Anna," I explained my point of view.

    "I know it''s hard to imagine but we don''t just dive into situations blindly." He tried to explain.

    "Yeah but you''ve never even met something like this before and the Dark Elves and everyone else don''t have a clue either." I replied entering the library.

    "Yeah but we can''t have more Dark Elf raids especially since Arcadia is already dealing the Goblins as well." Paul answered.

    "I just arrived." I informed him about making my way to the restricted area.

    "I''ll meet you at the gates." He answered.

    As I arrived at the gate to the restricted area, Paul was there waiting for me standing with no sign of a wheelchair in sight making me feel extremely relieved. "Hey, you can walk again." I smiled seeing him a little better.

    "Ahh yeah, a few more day''s I''ll be back to perfect fighting condition." He smiled flexing his very small biceps making me chuckle.

    "You''re kinda, skinny for someone as strong as you." I laughed as he opened the gate for me and locked it behind me.

    "Yeah, over here actual muscles are not as important unless you can''t use Arcanum, this way." He said leading the way through the restricted area.

    "This restricted area is even larger than the actual library," I said in shock and awe at the almost endless rows of ancient bookshelves, scrolls and books.

    "Yeah, there''s countless almost infinite knowledge here on almost everything you can imagine." he answered showing me a table with a floating light to give it more illumination filled to the brim with books and scrolls.

    "Have you discovered what it is yet?" I questioned.

    "Well the life-sapping aura is quite unique very few creatures have a innate ability to sap creatures life." He answered.

    "Ohh?" I questioned taking a seat beside him.

    "So this large book here." He said opening a large dusty book in front of me and flipping it to a bookmarked page written in an unknown language.

    "You can read this?" I questioned in shock.

    "Ohhh no, I used a spell on myself call comprehend languages." He answered.

    "Woah can I do that?" I asked.

    "Well you have to learn it first, sadly I can''t cast it on you." He answered.

    "Ohh," I replied a little disappointed.

    "So this thing best matches what we might come up against, it says that there''s a creature that is either the result of a failed experiment in replicating a God or a failed attempt in making a new race." He said to me extremely excited.

    "Paul why are you excited?" I questioned.

    "I spent hours trying to look for this."He replied, "It''s more of a relief." He added.

    "So what can it do?" I questioned.

    "Well, this scroll says apparently it has innate ability to use necromancy, has a life-sapping aura that gets stronger the closer you are to it and..... a death stare." He answered.

    "Death stare?" I asked a little confused.

    "Some creatures cause death through just a look." He hesitantly informed me.

    "PAUL!" I yelled at him extremely angry.

    "It''s nothing to worry about, easily countered with a spell." He hesitantly answered.

    "Paul DEATH BY A LOOK ARE YOU INSANE?!" I looked at him like his plan is absurd.

    "Well technically he can only use it once a week and we have a spell called death warding." If that counts." He hesitantly replied still nervous at how angry I am at him right now.

    "Death warding?" I asked still angry at him and his plan.

    "Yeah it someone with Death Warding dies they are resurrected." He answered like an innocent child who was just caught doing something bad.

    "And that is meant to make me feel better?" I questioned.

    "Well, it kinda makes the fight safer for us." He hesitantly answered.

    "What happened to you? when did you become so crazy and reckless?" I asked pleading to him.

    "... I''m honestly not crazy and reckless, I plan a lot and think of all the outcomes and try and do good." He earnestly replied to me.

    "I know." I replied trying to understand him but still finding it crazy that he''s going through with his plan, "Can''t you let someone else do it?" I questioned.

    "To be fair no one from the other institutes are gonna get involved in Arcadia business. Sending normal soldiers will prob get slaughtered on the way down, and even if there was another Atlantis team that could, I think the team that would be best for the situation would be us." He tried to explain to me.

    "I understand, I just don''t want you dying that''s all," I confessed honestly.

    "I know...." He answered quietly, "You have nothing to worry about, Scarlet, Ashley and Anna. Are amazing fighters there''s nothing we can''t handle." He tried to reassure me. "Anyways forget about this for now, how was your day?" He questioned changing the topic.

    "We gonna discuss this again before you leave." I said to him seriously, "but anyway it was fun, by the way..... are you, Mr Wayne?" I pulled up the courage to ask him directly.

    "Of course not, there''s no way I can be a merchant along with everything else I do." He answered like my questioned as competently absurd.

    "But he''s literally called Bruce Wayne." I argued.

    "Yeah, we agreed to change his name as long as we run business together." He chuckled

    "Seriously Paul?" I asked back angrily.

    "What''s wrong with it?" He asked competently surprised I was angry at him.

    "Ohh nothing." I answered back with a huff.

    "So when I first met the Carvell''s I did impersonate Mr Wayne to teach them to bake and stuff but everything else after that was Mr Wayne." Paul tried to explain, "Did I do something wrong?" He questioned absolutely perplexed.

    "It''s nothing." I answered back still a little annoyed.

    "Okay...." He hesitantly replied unsure what to do.

    "By the way where is Scarlet and Ashley?" I questioned noticing he was alone.

    "Scarlet is either probably eating or burning my kitchen or killing things in the training room, Ashley on the other hand is trying to make some magic-infused armour he''s been working on for ages." He answered.

    "Ohhh I forgot about Anna." I asked in shock.

    "Anna is probably training as well." He answered.

    "What''s the deal with Anna and her cursed blade?" I questioned.

    "She doesn''t tell me details, just that she wants to kill her sister for betraying her family." Paul answered.

    "By the way what is it with everyone and some horrible upbringing?" I questioned.

    "Yeah I get what you mean, just a different world I suppose." Paul answered.

    "What about that rivalry between you and Travis?" I questioned a little intrigued.

    "What rivalry?" He asked back.

    "Apparently you both butt heads a lot and stuff." I answered.

    "Ohhhh, yeah I''m just annoyed at his behaviour, but it''s a bit of a stretch to call him a rival." Paul answered with a grin.

    "You can beat him?" I questioned.

    "Without a doubt, so much so that I wouldn''t even need to cast a spell." He answered.

    "Really Paul? He''s a son of that Demon guy in Eshia." I answered.

    "Yes Abbraxsoth maybe pseudo-Titan making his children pseudo-Half Titans, Travis will still be a walk in the park." He answered.

    "A Titan?" I inquired.

    "An extinct ancient giant race that wielded weaponry and magic that could defeat Dragons, in fact there was a very bloody war between the two races." Paul answered.

    "Woah..... so what does that mean to Travis?" I questioned.

    "It just means he highly resistant to magic and most forms of physical attacks and is also very strong and fast." Paul answered.

    "And you can still beat him?" I questioned again.

    "Yup, he''s only resistant, if he was immune like a Dragon or a True Titan, I may be in trouble." He grinned.

    "By the way, how comes people tell me that you can sense other Arcanum users, but with you I sense or feel nothing like you''re not even there?" I questioned curiously.

    "Ohhh that''s because I''ve mastered the art to mask it." He smiled.

    "Is there a reason why you''ve done that?" I questioned curiously.

    "Of course, It makes me harder to detect and track." He smiled.

    "Ohhh I see." I nodded.

    "Yes although Scarlet and I haven''t personally engaged in any conflict with the other schools, our abilities alone are enough to stop any of the school doing anything in Arcadia." He explained.

    "Hypothetically what would you do exactly if a school did something to us in Arcadia?" I asked curiously.

    "Well it depends if the matter gets solved diplomatically if we can''t solve the issue, school to school no doubt Xoria will have to step in, finally if that doesn''t resolve anything and they declare hostility to all students of Atlantis and Arcadia then Scarlet and I will have to get involved, and well beat them into submission." Paul answered.

    "Beat them into submission?" I questioned.

    "Well considering Scarlet can travel with me anywhere instantly, coupled with my undetectability we''ll be able to subdue them very quickly." He answered but had a look on his face like he wished for it to never happen.

    "Paul, you''d never kill anyone right?" I questioned a little concerned.

    "So far I haven''t killed anyone, I''ve arrested plenty but if a school did declare war on Atlantis and Arcadia there are a few unsavoury individuals I''ll be forced to take out before they hurt anyone," Paul answered.

    "Unsavoury?" I questioned.

 201 Current Top three Students

    "Yeah of course unlike Atlantis where I would say there''s aren''t any or few unsavoury characters. The other school have some very unpleasant students, like number four of Eshia is nicknamed ''The Butcher''. Eshia runs on a mentor-mentee system, the top 10 Eshia students tends to go through mentee very quickly, but the Butcher his training methods are both gruelling and punishing he has the highest mentee casualties." Paul answered.

    "And he''s allowed to stay in Eshia?" I questioned in shock.

    "He is in the fourth spot in Eshia making him very very strong," Paul answered.

    "So who are the first three?" I asked.

    "So Travis has three siblings, one sister and twin brothers, Helena being ranked number one who also achieved number one rank in Aspa which is no easy feat Elite Aspan students are strong individuals on their own as well as mastering Artificing, imagine Ashley with the fighting capabilities of casters and fighters" Paul explained. "Ranked Second is Thomas one of the twins who harnesses lighting rumoured to be as fast as a bolt of lightning, Third-ranked is the other twin Trenton much like their father he is very fast as well as very strong easily killing or incapacitating opponents in one punch." Paul described them with no-look on worry on him.

    "So can you beat them?" I questioned.

    "Well Eshians are bullies and even then they won''t dare touch Arcadia so they must be afraid of me or Scarlet." Paul chuckled.

    "What about the other schools?" I questioned

    "Well, I will warn you now, never visit Zessiah." He warned.

    "Yeah I heard it''s pretty bad," I replied remembering the brief descriptions of the place.

    "Yes, it''s a truly hideous place ruled by a very evil council." He warned.

    "Who Egwene?" I questioned.

    "Yes and her Council of ageless Sorcerers, you know what that means right?" He questioned me curiously.

    "That they cant die?" I answered a bit unsure what he''s implying.

    "It means that her council of nine sorcerers have each mastered necromancy and somehow overcome death, Necromancy is also the prefered school of magic there meaning that their students can use death magic." He explained looking extremely worried.

    "Why are they even allowed to practice necromancy? I thought it was banned." I questioned in shock.

    "It''s banned in most places I think except in Zessiah. So what have you heard about Zessiah?" He asked.

    "Just that its a place write with corruption," I answered.

    "Okay so Zessiah is the wealthiest of all the school, not only do they abuse their power to strip their populace of all their wealth, but they also raise those who die or owe a debt to serve as eternal slaves, so they even have a workforce that never stops eats or sleeps." He answered me making my jaw drop in absolute shock.

    "That''s so inhumane." I instinctively replied.

    "Then what of their S Ranked students?" I questioned.

    "Also formidable, I''m actually good friends with their current Rank one student Kay, a brilliant assassin and duelist as well as being able to manifest spectral forms of herself that can also attack and at will switch places with." Paul smiled.

    "I guess she''s a good person?" I questioned knowing there is no way Paul would ally himself with an evil person.

    "Yes, she''s a good person at heart unlike the Council of Nine." He nodded.

    "Their Second Ranked student is Tesa, her sword lets her summon all the souls she has trapped inside it." He answered.

    "Now that sounds evil." I instantly replied.

    "Yes shes not the most friendly of characters, also the souls she has trapped in her sword are all formidable opponents on their own." He warned.

    "So if she killed you, she''d be able to summon you?" I questioned.

    "Yes she''d be able to summon me at will and I''ll be forced to obey her every command." He answered.

    "I hope you and Scarlet never meet her." I shuddered at the thought.

    "Don''t worry Scarlet is indestructible and you never need to worry about me." He smiled. "Lastly is Marya, a True blood vampire direct Daughter of Dracula himself." He grinned.

    "What the hell Dracula is real here?" I questioned in shock.

    "Well, to be honest, I don''t know but that is what she calls herself, so far what I know about Vampires is that you have two types, True Bloods and Incompletes, there are fifteen known True Blood Vampire families each with a house head called a Primogenitor, Incompletes are individuals turned into vampires by a true blood vampire. Lastly, you get spawns Incompletes that turn individuals into vampires, spawns are more like mindless slaves more feral monster then vampire." He explained.

    "So Marya is a Vampire?" I questioned in shock.

    "Yes so apparently shes a True Blood, Daughter of Dracula the first Vampire." He answered.

    "Is she a Primogenitor?" I questioned.

    "So I assume Dracula is the Primogenitor of his family but she has said that she wouldn''t even stand a chance against a Primogenitor so if she''s Rank three in a human school, even I''d be worried fighting against a Primogenitor." He confessed.

    "Wow something you''re even afraid of, they must be dangerous." I chuckled

    "I''m serious, there is no information out there on Progenitors, I don''t know anything, weaknesses, strengths, tactics, abilities, how they fight, nothing, I don''t even know if they can even die." He explained with a very serious look.

    "What of Aspa? We had a great time with Officer Jun." I asked in the hopes to learn more.

    "Ahh officer Jun, High Admiral Ruri''s Second in command right?" Paul asked trying to remember where he heard that name.

    "Yeah he was very hospitable." I smiled.

    "Funnily enough I don''t even know, among all the schools Aspa is the most competitive when it comes to their Top three, literally changing every two or three weeks, unlike the other school who have had their top three remain the same for years," Paul answered.

    "What sort of fighters do they have?" I questioned.

    "Well one weird student he goes by the name Genesis, he studies in potions and alchemist I believe, before a fight he would take a concoction of potions that would allow him to best defeat his opponent. He a truly exciting to watch, one time I spectated him, he made his own blood poisonous so when he was hurt his blood would then land on the opponent infecting them and poisoning them, crazy tactic." Paul chuckled. "Hannah lead artificer Daughter of our headmaster, on the other hand, she''s quite amazing she firstly does a full set of a robotic combat armour seemingly impenetrable and similar to my spellbooks she has ten floating devices that shoot beams and projects shields that she controls individually. That doesn''t even include her personal guard unit of five golems she designed herself that alone can take down an S ranked student by themselves." He explained with awe and amazement.

    "So how would you describe Atlantis top three?" I smiled wondering how he''d describe himself.

    "Well." He grinned with excitement and confidence. "Not to toot my own horn, but Rank one you have Paul ''The black Dragon Slayer'', the only current individual known to defeat a Black Dragon by themself, Master in countless Forms of Magic and an unknown number of Forbidden and Lost Magics. His most notable weapons are Eight spell books that each cast spells on their own knowing just as many spells as their master, making a one on one duel essentially 9 vs one. Unlike traditional Sorcerers and Wizards, he also possesses mastery in many forms of melee combat, giving him the ability to go toe to toe vs any other melee fighter in single combat if magic isn''t working." He answered with a giant grin thoroughly enjoying describing his accolades as if he was trying to impress me.

    "Wow!" I sarcastically answered teasing him pretending to be in awe.

    "Ranked second you have Scarlet, despite having no casting ability she is unrivalled in speed, strength and swordsmanship that can only be matched by Gods, donning a Legendary Great-sword that can cut anything even spells, and impenetrable Armour making her impervious to damage. Making her the most feared fighter in all the school." Paul carried on describing Scarlet making me feel a little excited that I knew both of them.

    "Lastly you have Travis ''The Exiled'', currently the last remaining son of Abbraxsoth ''The Demon'' that hasn''t completed his task. Although pales in comparison to his peers is still a formidable S-Ranked student. Being a son to The Demon he''s highly resistant to spells and damage. He wields two Artifact rarity weapons, First being ''Pandora'' a weapon that has several forms the most famous being a giant flak cannon capable of shooting condensed Arcanum that can easily flatten buildings in a shot. The other being twin pistol called Judgment and Pacifier. His left pistol Judgement able to rapidly shoot condensed Arcanum, a single hit easily strong enough to take down any strong opponent, Pacifier his right pistol slightly weaker but it''s shot will always hit its target." Paul described Travis ability giving him much more respect then I thought he would.

    "Hey, when can I see you go all out properly?" I questioned with excitement.

    "All out? probably never." He chuckled.

    "Really?" I questioned feeling a little disappointed.

    "Sorry to disappoint." He laughed.

    "Well next year I will be participating in the tournament, so you''d defiantly see me go a little serious." He smiled at me.

    "Are you always busy doing stuff?" I questioned hoping that he''d stay for a little bit.

    "Sadly, I''m very busy most the time, once I''ve recovered I have to go see the family member of the solider that sent the message for me, then I''ll have to see the council to discuss the price of repairs and stuff." He sighed.

    "But you saved them," I said finding it absurd that he has to pay for repairs.

    "If I refuse to pay for the repairs or help in repairs it''ll just come out of the pockets of those who live there," Paul explained trying to make me understand.

    "That''s true I guess," I answered back understanding him a little.

    "So what''s your daily life like?" I questioned.

    "Luckily for me, Mr Wayne handles my business and profits. What I normally do is Mission, Job, special requests, I''m also a council member of a new distant city that I have responsibilities for. Also, I have Atlantis things to do." He answered.

    "Ohh." I replied feeling a little disappointed.

    "Don''t worry, you''re safe Scarlet is normally here, Travis also protects the school also Anna and Ashley will always come to help." He smiled.

    "Yeah..." I hesitantly replied saddened he didn''t understand what I was trying to convey.

    "Don''t worry in two more week''s we''ll have a two-week break, I''ll take you back home if you''re homesick." He smiled.

    "Yeah!" I felt a little happier excited a little to see all my friends.

    "Yeah, Sorry we can''t go back more often." He apologized.

    "By the way is there any way we can take my friends back so they can experience our world?" I asked hoping he would say yes.

    "Well, we could but it wouldn''t be easy, first we''d have to address their race issue, then we''d need to brief them about how people live and behave and stuff and lastly I''d have to sneak them back home and back here." He chuckled at the idea.

    "So you''d do it?" I asked sounding extremely hopeful.

    "You know I can''t resist that look of yours, besides I do owe you a bunch of birthday presents and stuff." He chuckled and began to think.

    "You don''t have to if it''s too much trouble," I confessed to him feeling a little guilty.

    "Nah don''t worry, we''ll try our best he nodded with a smile.

 202 Bands and Secruity

    "Paul?" I questioned hoping my next questions wouldn''t make him overreact.

    "Yes?" He answered looking a little concerned at me like he knew what i was gonna ask.

    "Do you know anything about human trafficking here?" I questioned.

    "Oh..... yes you get them here, sadly children and special or unique individuals get sold on the black market, be it for their body parts or into slavery, there''s a multitude of reasons, to be honest, Arcadia, as well as Atlantis, tries to keep it under control though but it''s hard to stop every incident." He answered.

    "Ohh... would there be any particular reason they would target me or Daisy?" I asked.

    "Did something happen? If something happened you need to let us know so we can deal with it swiftly." Paul answered very seriously.

    "There was a small incident, a man same race a Daisy''s hired some thugs to try and take us at night, we managed to defend ourselves and attempted to capture the man but he got away," I explained to him.

    "Any other pieces of information?" He questioned looking a little concerned but smiled at hearing that we were able to take care of ourselves.

    "He was red and he sold perfumes," I answered.

    "I''ll put out a search for him, he won''t get far for messing with Atlantis students, and the thugs he hired, were they part of a group or guild?" He questioned further.

    "Ohhh no I don''t think so," I lied to him trying to spare their lives.

    "And you didn''t get their names?" He asked.

    "Nope," I answered.

    "Okay, well just in case you didn''t know, when students go off-premises they are required to wear security bands, each band are intricate magic-infused bands if a non-Atlantis student with hostile intent touches the band they will instantly be hit with a very powerful stun spell that will render them useless for hours, allowing the Atlantis student to get away or fight back, secondly it will instantly set off an alert to the Security Department as well as give them a visual of where you are and what''s happening. From there a team of students will be instantly sent to the closest waypoint and quickly make their way to you, the team are specially designed at tracking sensing magic and travelling. Student''s can also rip off the band themselves, when this happens the band will encase the student in an impenetrable Ice Tomb impervious to damage and spells, then an emergency signal will be set off. In these cases, a team of prefect usually Rank A students or if I''m free I''ll personally respond to these signals." He answered.

    "Woah all that in one little band," I replied in shock.

    "Yes that is why our students are allowed to venture out and be relatively safe, but of course it isn''t full proof. If they ambush the student and stop them from tearing off the band, we won''t know what happened to them till Sunday sunset." He answered.

    "Ohh not then what happens?" I questioned.

    "How does the tracking party track you?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well, there are magical means and physical means, as your friend... Grace I think it was, she''s a Ranger she should easily be able to track people through footsteps like a hunter, then there are magical means like Detect Magic which allows the caster to see different types of magic, We can also use another spell that allows us to detect objects and Items, for example on the band, that will give the caster the direction the object is at. Rest assured we''ve put a lot of effort to ensure the safety of Atlantis students." He smiled.

    "Have there been any incidents?" I questioned a little worried.

    "Before arrived I can''t be sure, but after Ashley''s Bands and Scarlet and I joining Atlantis the incidents have declined to almost zero, but there was on serious one that I described earlier where a student didn''t arrive back on Atlantis before sunset." He answered.

    "Ohh no what happened, is the student okay?" I questioned in shock.

    "yeah everything went fine the student was swiftly located and rescued. They thought they were smart hiding him in an underground complex to stop us finding him as well as a nullifier to stop the band working, scry and message, but didn''t stop the dream so we manage to ascertain his location. From there Scarlet and I went on a warpath clearing out anyone who resisted." Paul answered.

    "Did they do anything to the student?" I questioned.

    "They could have probably if they had the chance." He answered.

    "Woah what happened?" I questioned.

    "When Scarlet and I arrived on sight I sent a telepathic message to everyone stating Scarlet and The Black Dragon Slayer of Atlantis has arrived, everyone has 5 seconds to drop their weapons of be mercilessly taken care of." He answered.

    "Then you cleared them out?" I questioned.

    "Yes After we waited five seconds we went in full speed with permission of extreme force, we cleared the area in under three seconds mercilessly taking care of anyone who still had a weapon in their hands without even giving them a chance to react," Paul answered.

    "You killed them?" I asked in utter shock.

    "Scarlet did, she takes the lives of Atlantis students very seriously. Myself on the other hand used spells that restrained and trapped them preventing them from doing anything." Paul answered.

    "How fast do you guys actually move?" I asked in shock.

    "Very fast especially with a haste spell." He laughed.

    "Have you really never killed anyone?" I asked hesitantly.

    He let out a big sigh, "Sadly my hands are also tainted, Even though I''ve never struck the blow myself I have sentenced many to death." He lamented with a deep sigh.

    "Paul...." I Instinctively replied seeing his sad expression.

    "I know... but what can I do if they refuse to change? I''ve given them a second chance and yet they still commit horrendous crimes, how can I just let them go again to do it to another unsuspecting victim?" He quietly replied defending his choice of action.

    "I''m sure they deserve it." I tried to console him, knowing he would never take a life without careful consideration.

    "Scarlet, Ashley and Anna all say I''m too nice for my own good and I feel this world is slowly changing me, but I can''t help but give people a second chance." He said almost in tears.

    "I know," I answered and went to hold him close.

    "I can''t sentence people to death for a mistake or a bad choice, that''s just too unfair but every time I''m forced to make that choice I always see the pain and sorrow the victims feel after and it gets harder and harder to believe the good in people." He cried.

    "You''re doing the right thing believe me." I whispered holding him close. "I''m here if you ever need to talk," I whispered hoping to comfort him.

    "I know." he struggled to whisper back and calmed himself down. "It''s a relief that you were able to defend yourself." He whispered making me smile.

    "I''m not as useless as you might think." I joked.

    "It''s not that, just in the back of my mind I always hoped that no harm goes your way even when you were back in our world, one of my worst nightmares was if I heard from some friend that you was harmed in some way and I was never there to save you." He confessed.

    "My safety isn''t your responsibility, especially when we weren''t together." I tried explaining to him.

    "I know but I''d still blame myself... I can imagine the pain and rage that will flow through me, I''d lose control... the utterly inhumane things I''d do to someone who hurt you." He answered.

    "You have nothing to worry about." I smiled still holding his head tightly towards me.

    "I know that now, you need to be careful in this world it is extremely dangerous compared to our homeworld." He pulled away from me to look into my eyes.

    "I know, I know." I smiled, "Besides Imagine being back at home as an ordinary person, I''d argue it''s more dangerous at home. I didn''t even learn how to defend myself properly until I came here." I joked.

    "That was kinda true for me too." He smiled wiping away the remnants of tears off his cheek. "So tell me everything that happened! Don''t skip anything!" He smiled like an extremely proud boyfriend.

 203 Small favours

    "By the way sorry for always asking so much from you but could I ask for another favour?" I hesitantly questioned.

    "For you, anything nothing is too much to ask." He smiled in return.

    "So we met a nice girl who is stuck in a bad family." I began to explain to him.

    "Okay, that happens often." Paul nodded in understanding.

    He''s also Jay''s childhood friend." I informed him.

    "Ohh the Carvell''s lovely family, they deserve much more than what life has given them." Paul instinctively replied.

    "So he has a friend Jennifer Vancliff." I carried on exploring.

    "Ah yes, the Vancliff family small fish in a tiny fish tank." He chuckled remembering them.

    "Yeah, so as you may know the Vancliff family aren''t the best..." I included.

    "Yeah, I can see how they come off like that." He answered.

    "Anyways Jennifer Vancliff like Jay would love to practice magic but her family won''t let her practice it or enrol," I answered.

    "Okay, did they have a previous mentor, or how did they manage to learn spell casting?" He questioned.

    "They had a previous mentor, but he''s no longer part of the picture," I answered.

    "Hmm, that''s very sad to hear, mentor''s shouldn''t abandon their students," Paul replied a little saddened by the news.

    "I''m not quite sure why their mentor left, I never delved deeper into it," I answered.

    "That''s a very irresponsible mentor, he should be out there watching over his mentee''s like children," Paul commented being extremely judgemental.

    "I think so too, but maybe he had something very important to do," I replied.

    "Maybe, but I still think it''s a little irresponsible, lemme guess you want me to get her a place in Atlantis like Morgana?" He questioned.

    "Umm, I''m not sure if that is advisable." I hesitantly answered.

    "And why''s that?" He asked curiously.

    "Well, I think Helen has feelings for Jay and is a little jealous of her and Jay''s past," I answered.

    "Elf and human relationship, that sounds dreadful." He answered.

    "How comes?" I asked a little shocked at his reaction.

    "Well Elves live for hundreds of years maybe, druid''s especially live thousands and we humans only live for 80, 100 if you''re lucky, I''d hate to imagine living hundreds maybe thousands of years losing every friend you make out living loved ones." He said making me begin to think.

    "Yeah that does sound pretty heartbreaking," I agreed with him.

    "Anyways forget about that what do you purpose then? Do you want me to look for their mentor?" He questioned.

    "Is that even possible?" I asked in utter shock.

    "Well, I can ask around maybe find out what happened to him or her." He smiled.

    "Hmm, I can''t quite remember their mentor''s name though." I began to ponder scanning through my memory. "I think their mentor was named Dildazed." I tried to recount.

    "Yeah, I think so." I jumped in the excitement that Paul knows of him.

    "Dildamzed, Master of the four elements?" Paul questioned with a look of shock.

    "I guess, is he famous? was he previously a mentor to yours?" I asked noticing how shocked her was.

    "No no, he wasn''t a mentor of mine, but I have heard stories of him, he only ever has four disciples who always seem to be strong in one of four elements fire, water, earth, air," Paul answered.

    "Woah really? Jay uses blue flames and Jennifer specialised in air spells." I said noticing the similarities.

    "Impressive, he probably left to find the other two disciples, I can definitely ask around to see if anyone has seen him." Paul nodded.

    "Have you ever seen him fight?" I questioned curiously as what a master of elements means.

    "Not personally, I''ve heard stories, apparently he can effortlessly control the four elements even to the point of throwing back fireballs and channelling lightning bolds back to the caster." Paul explained, speaking in a tone that showed extreme respect for him.

    "So aside from enrolling her into Atlantis, what else can you do for her?" I questioned.

    "Well, maybe I can visit her every so often and try and mentor her, but I''d doubt I''ll be better than her former mentor." Paul offered.

    "Nope, don''t like that idea." I instantly replied.

    "Do I sense a hint of envy, you''re going a little green." He chuckled.

    "Yeah of course! You don''t even help or mentor me, you''re always too busy." I ranted a little annoyed how he''s treated me thus far.

    "You''re right, I''m sorry. Do you want me to mentor you?" He chuckled.

    "I dunno you say you''re busy, yet somehow find time for Calista," I argued making him chuckle even more.

    "My agreement with Calista and her father was only so I can do more to help the people of Arcadia." He smiled finding my jealousy amusing.

    "Still wouldn''t mind getting some tip and training from Atlantis ranked number one ''The Black Dragonslayer''," I replied sarcastically making him chuckle more.

    "Okay okay we can do some training if you''d like, all you had to do was ask and it probably won''t be much different to everything Scarlet does anyways." He smiled. "Oh and on the Jennifer Vancliff issue, if you want I can try and make her a citizen of Perpetua." He answered.

    "What would that mean for her?" I questioned.

    "Well firstly it means she can live there if she wants, I''ll get her a nice apartment in the middle district, there she can find work and maybe a mentor in spell casting but they wouldn''t be anywhere near as good as what Atlantis can offer or Master Dildamzed." Paul explained.

    "That does sound a little better than the current situation. Can I come with you when you do decide to meet her?" I questioned.

    "Sure, then if you want maybe bring it up in your group see if they are okay with her enrolling into Atlantis, feels a little unfair to her." Paul offered his opinion.

    "That is true, it does seem rather harsh, especially since her or Jay show no feelings for each other." I added.

    "That''s great, I do hope your friends change their mind." He smiled.

    "Oh, I also have one more request." I politely asked.

    "Sure." He smiled.

    "In Maynard we meet a nice young waitress girl called Mary I think, who was super excited to meet Students of Atlantis, and it would make her dream come true if she was able to see you or Scarlet." I tried to persuade him.

    "Oh, well Scarlet doesn''t do well meeting other people, her ability to cause fear around her thing." Paul chuckled. "But I''d definitely make a showing, where is it?" He smiled.

    "It''s a small eatery called ''the hungry bear''" I answered.

    "Oh okay sure, I''ll make time for a visit." He smiled.

    "Thank you for all this." I thanked him.

    "No need to thank me, You know I like helping people." He smiled.

    "On that topic how are you doing?" I asked concerned for his well being.

    "It''s getting better." He smiled as if relieved that I asked the question.

    "You really shouldn''t blame yourself so harshly." I said reaching for his hand to comfort him.

    "I know I know, I can''t save everyone." He sighed.

    "You do take breaks, to recharge right?" I questioned.

    "Yeah sometimes." He smiled.

    "Also what happened to that soldier that sacrificed himself to deliver the message?" I questioned.

    "Ohh that''s a secret I don''t tell many people." He answered.

    "Oh?" I asked.

    "So you know how in sci-fi they have a common concept of travelling vast distances using sub-space?" He questioned.

    "Kinda." I answered.

    "Well it''s kinda the same here, have you noticed that most other people''s and waypoints are blue flashes or blue portals, but mine are red?" He questioned.

    "Yeah, I noticed that." I nodded.

    "Well, their''s are blue because they use safe planes of existence to travel through, whereas mine are red because they use unsafe and dangerous planes of existence to travel through." He explained.

    "So what happens?" I question.

    "Well Arcanum users can only sustain a few travels per day based on how strong they are, Non-Arcanum users, normal people the results are always catastrophic." He answered with a saddened look.

    "Catastrophic?" I questioned.

    "Yes once used too many time or a normal individual uses it, the outcomes vary from death, to utterly warped and mutations into nightmarish monsters, driven mad to the point of no return, complete possession, it''s all pretty bad." He answered.

    "I hope you''re immune to it" I asked knowing he would be stupid enough to risk himself.

    "Yes Scarlet and I and completely immune to these adverse effects, Ashley and Anna, on the other hand, aren''t but they can sustain numerous travels," Paul answered. "By the way sorry about that, I was a little excited when you came that I totally forgot the adverse effects of my travel, I had to be reminded by Ashley that it''s still very dangerous." He apologised.

    "Ohh that''s okay none of us seemed to have goten any of the adverse effects." I answered.

    "Thank God." He smiled. "Also how is Daisy doing?" He questioned.

    "I think she''s a little crazy for you." I chuckled.

    "I know." He smiled.

    "But she''s doing very well, she''s easily the strongest in our group." I answered.

    "That''s good, she''s also doing well mentally?" He asked.

    "Well aside from being crazy possessive and obsessive over you, she seems great, bubbly and full of optimism." I smiled.

    "That''s great," He smiled with relief.

    "Yeah when we was fighting the Demon she was the only one who could even cause damage to it and even then she broke bother her arms striking it with all her might," I answered.

    "That does sound a little like her." He chuckled.

    "On that topic, great job in discovering the Demon incursion." He smiled.

    "That mostly Morgana," I confessed.

    "Is she doing well?" He questioned.

    "Yes she''s fitting in, just finding it a little awkward," I answered.

    "That''s a relief I was afraid she might have just have done some bad magic on anyone who annoys her." He laughed.

    "Yeah, she''s still a little distance maybe she still trying to fit in and learn our ways." I laughed.

    "And the rest of your group, the two royal Elves and Jay was it?" He asked.

    "Helen and grace are going great." I smiled.

    "That''s a relief they are fitting just fine here." He smiled.

    "Are they really important royals?" I questioned.

    "They have some importance I think," Paul answered.

    "Jay is doing great as well," I answered.

    "That''s great, I got a feeling you guys would get far in the new team duels." Paul smiled.

    "Really?" I asked feeling a little excited.

    "Sadly you guys are a team of six and I think the party size is five." So you might have to have one player on the bench sadly." He informed me.

    "But overall you have a good setup, you have one very strong capable front liner Daisy who also doubles up as a healer, you also have Helen and Morgana druids are versatile and also heal, then you have Jay and yourself Wizards and sorcerers both function as ranged damage, support and crowd control and lastly you have Grace who most likely excels at sniping key target." He explained the basic dynamic of our party.

    "So if you entered what would you guys be?" I questioned.

    "Well we''ll have two front-liners Scarlet and Anna, Scarlet excels at being the tank since shes impervious to damage, Anna is a brilliant assassin but also very skilled duellist, Ashely and I tend to revert to support roles, often I''d support Anna and Scarlet making them even stronger than they normally are and Ashley would focus on crowd controlling VIP targets. If anyone tries to take me on in close combat will also be surprised that I''m also very adept in melee and most likely easily handle them." He explained.

    "You don''t have a fifth?" I questioned.

    "Currently we don''t but if I had a choice, I''d definitely prefer some sort of cleric." He answered.

    "Hey, do you wanna grab dinner?" I''m gonna meet up with the others for dinner." I smiled.

    "I would love to, but I''ll pass, I never get any peace when I show up in the Great hall." He chuckled.

    "I keep forgetting you''re super popular." I laughed.

    "Yeah it sucks, I would some peace and quiet." He sighed making me chuckle.

    "Well let''s make our way out." He smiled waving his hands making all the books and scrolls magically float away.

    "How did you do that?" I questioned.

    "It''s our innate casting, it allows us to do spells with a thought and hand gestures." He smiled.

    "When can I learn to use my innate casting?" I questioned.

    "You''re already using it, remember out the ability to cast spells isn''t linked to the words or the wand gestures, they obviously help at first but once you being practising it more and more you''d eventually be able to cast without it." He smiled. "Eventually you''ll be able to do this." He looked back and smiled and began levitating slightly off the ground and began floating ahead of me.

    "Show off." I grinned making him land back down on the ground.

    "Don''t worry just progress at your own pace, there''s no need to ever prove yourself or compare yourself to others, you do you." He smiled and opened the gate for me to walk past.

 204 One Step Forward

    "HEY EMILIA!" OVER HERE!" Daisy yelled out waving her hand high all the seated students.

    "Hey, guys!" I smiled taking the seat they left open for me.

    "How did your meeting with Paul go?" Helen grinned.

    "He''s doing great, seems like he can walk and cast spells again." I smiled.

    "Does he need any healing?" Daisy eagerly answered making us all chuckle.

    "I think he''s fine Daisy," I smiled. "On that note, I did persuade him to help out Jennifer," I informed everyone.

    "Really? What does he plan to do?" Grace questioned while Helen remained silent but eager to hear more details.

    "He said he can either enrol her to Atlantis, personally see over her training or bring her to his orphanage that will look after her and train her," I answered.

    "Ohh so what he did with me!" Daisy smiled.

    "On that topic why did he leave you to train under the Church of Serra? Surely it would have been better if he oversaw your training personally." Jay questioned.

    "Hmm.." Daisy pondered scanning through her memory, "Oh yeah! I can''t remember exactly why but he said he arrived too late and that he couldn''t heal or cleanse something that was ailing me and that I needed something much stronger then he was, so I''m assuming the power of a deity." Daisy answered.

    "Interesting." Jay nodded.

    "Yup and lucky Serra came to my aid." Daisy smiled.

    "So what is it that ailed you?" I questioned.

    "Dunno, all I know is that the moment Paul took me to see a Sister of Serra and I stepped into the church something felt different, it was like a weight as lifted that I never knew was there." Daisy smiled.

    "hmm, and you said that the tattoos were a way a Dark God could possess and control you?" Helen questioned.

    "That''s what it felt like, but at the time it felt more like a very strong suggestion," Daisy answered.

    "So I assume Serra must have cleansed the bond or connection," I suggested.

    "Sounds like it, and kinda explains why Paul wouldn''t be able to do much since it involves divine beings." Jay agreed.

    "So do you still get any thoughts, dreams or suggestions?" I questioned curiously.

    "Nope, I don''t anymore, the only time I''ve had any recently was during the Demon Lord hologram that caused some sort of nightmare in me where I had zero control of my body." She answered.

    "Woah that must have been harrowing," Grace replied in shock.

    "Yes, but it was only a nightmare so I don''t think too much of it." She smiled.

    "What did the rest of your experience?" Helen questioned curiously.

    "I saw Paul and Scarlet dying to the Demon, kinda obvious now that it wasn''t real." I chuckled.

    "My parents were punished for getting afflicted by the blue stigma." Jay answered.

    "When did this all happen?" Morgana questioned.

    "Ah, interesting and you say a Demon Lord was summoned?" She questioned.

    "Yes, it was a big fat grotesque red one with a large flaming sword." I answered.

    "Ah, that sounds like Khorcus, and his nightmarish aura." Morgana nodded.

    "What do you know about it?" I questioned curiously.

    "So in each layer of the Nine Hells are ruled over by one Devil Lord, who are also at war with a Demon Lord that used to reign over that area." She explained.

    "So there are Nine Devil Lords and Demon lords?" I questioned.

    "There is at least that many, but I''m sure there are more." She answered making me smile a little as I took my first step into trying to save Paul.

    "Do Demons and Devil''s posses people?" I questioned curiously.

    "Hmm they normally possess your soul, actually possession is possible but rare." She answered.

    "Why are you so interested in infernal creatures?" Jay questioned.

    "No reason just Devils and Angels are stuff was a concept back in my home plane but they were never real," I explained to them.

    "So there''s no eternal battle between Good and Evil?" Daisy questioned in shock.

    "We''ll there has been stories and fables about them but nothing really that could be seen or felt." I answered.

    "Interesting." Daisy pondered.

    "Ohh and even better news, Paul said he''ll try and make it possible for you guys to travel with me back to my home plane." I smiled.

    "Really?!" They all gushed in excitement.

    "But that''s only if you guys want to, I''m sure you guys have family and friends to visit." I hesitatingly replied.

    "This experience I can''t miss, I''ll just visit home a few days before we depart." Jay smiled.

    "We''re in exile." Helen and Grace shrugged.

    "Mother''s swamp is really far away so I don''t have an issue." Morgana smiled.

    "Hmm, I do wonder how my church is doing without me." Daisy pondered.

    "Don''t you remember Daisy that little girl said you were a role model but a lot of the senior sisters and priests? were a little angry at your decision to join Atlantis." Grace reminded her.

    "Ohh yeah, I''m bound to get scolded if I went back." Daisy shuddered at the thought.

    "So you said you''re exiled, is that from ever Elven city?" I questioned curiously.

    "Only from the cities we came from, I''m sure other Elven cities and settlements would be fine but they would be different Elve''s, I suppose," Grace answered.

    "Different Elves?" I questioned.

    "Yeah, there are many types of different Elves, such as the ones you''d most often see near human settlements would be Wood Elves, they generally prefer smaller settlements over big cities and tend to dwell in large dense forests." Grace explained.

    "By the way how do you guys see in darkness?" I questioned curiously.

    "Not sure, we can just see in darkness." Daisy smiled.

    "So Daisy can release fire when attacked, see in darkness and super tough. Grace can also see in darkness, unleash a sunbeam and super fast and agile with great hearing. What do humans get?!" I asked a little disappointed I don''t get anything as cool as them.

    "Don''t forget that Elves also sleep for 4 hours." Jay chuckled.

    "Well you might not feel it, but humans are pretty amazing." Grace smiled.

    "Yes Humans are amazing, despite being youngest race, humans have grown to be one of the most dominant species building massive empires and cities." Helen agreed.

    "Yup, unlike other races who quibble among themselves, the ability for humans to assemble to one cause is awe-inspiring, I can''t even imagine Elves ore Dwarves coming together to fight for a common cause.." Grace nodded.

    "There''s also a reason why Humans are seen everywhere with stories and fables of great kingdoms being built in the harshest conditions and most dangerous environments, they say because humans live such short lives compared to some other races is why so many humans strive to achieve such great heights," Helen added.

    "Humans are the youngest?" I questioned in shock.

    "Well there are some that are younger, like Daisy or Half-orcs, but Orcs and Devils have been around way before the first human was created," Helen answered.

    "Interesting." I nodded in understanding.

    "Oh food should be arriving," Daisy smiled as the mechanical golems began to spring into life and began to deliver food all throughout the great hall.

    "Where''s Paul he didn''t enter with you?" Helen questioned.

    "Yeah, he said he''ll be eating in his room," I answered.

    "Oh, he doesn''t eat with the rest of us, ordinary students?" She replied a little surprised chuckling a little.

    "He said he doesn''t enjoy all the attention." I laughed along with her.

    "Ha, to be honest, if you weren''t such good friends with Scarlet and Paul I''d imagine we''d be eager to see a glimpse of him." Helen chuckled.

    "I wouldn''t mind seeing him in some sort of duel against an equal opponent." Jay smiled.

    "Yeah so far we''ve only seen him destroy small fry which although very thrilling but I''d love to see him fight a more difficult opponent." Grace agreed.

    "Well if Mother shows him and Scarlet a lot of respect, I can tell you that he''s probably extremely capable," Morgana informed us.

    "By the way, not to sound offensive or disrespectful, but aren''t all Hag evil?" Grace questioned.

    "Um, I wouldn''t say Mother is Evil she might have done evil things a long time ago, but she seems to have reverted her ways. She does defend her land fiercely, once I saw her explode a band of Orcs who ventured into to our swamp." Morgana described.

    "On that topic also, are orcs and goblins evil?" I questioned knowing that they are generally deemed evil.

    "Um, it all depends." Helen hesitantly answered.

    "So as you know, us Elves have been in a savage conflict with Orcs for a very long time, but it all depends on the Orc and the tribe," Grace answered.

    "It''s hard to know how many exactly, orcs generally live in tribes and most are open to talk and trade, but of course you do get some that are very aggressive and enjoy attacking and pillaging, then you get those that are gathered into warbands such as the one''s that are in conflict with Elven cities," Helen explained.

    "Same with goblins but their civilisation are a bit more complex and vary greatly, but you do get some good goblins but they are still pretty rare," Grace answered.

    "Interesting.." I nodded.

    "So Helen and Grace where are you from?" Morgana questioned.

    "Both are cities are a little far away from here." They both answered.

    "Yup far west far beyond the Zesshia borders, you''d find our home cities," Helen explained.

    "How did you hear about Atlantis?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well, Elves and humans are on very good terms with each other, we also loved attending the Grand Magical Games and Atlantis although always loses because Paul is always absent, they still seemed the nicest of all the institutes," Grace answered.

    "Are there any Elves in the other schools?" I questioned.

    "Elves are most probably super rare sadly, even we haven''t heard of Elves joining a Human Institute," Helen answered.

    "So are there Elven schools equivalent to Atlantis and the other three?" Daisy asked.

    "They aren''t really the same as here, most Elven cities have their own institute for learning and studying so everyone tends to stay in their own cities," Helen answered.

    "It also why different Elves tend to stick to certain styles, for example, Sun Elves would focus primarily in sword fighting so Sun Elf casters are a little rarer," Helen explained.

    "That''s understandable." Jay nodded.

    "I do find it a little weird that Atlantis has gone for a route where everyone learns a bit of everything," I said.

    "Well I do know in the latter year''s students are given choice to specialise in certain areas and classes," Jay replied.

    "Ohh so this year is like a small taster so people can decide what they prefer doing and studying?" I asked.

    "Seems so, it would explain the reason Atlantis has so many divisions and all different type of students," Jay answered.

    "Ohh so we won''t be in the same classes next year?" I question feeling a little sad.

    "I guess so since Daisy will probably go on a study divine or holy things, Helen and Morgana would study nature and druidic if Atlantis even offers it and Grace would be participating on more physical activities," Jay answered.

    "Well, at least you and Jay will be in the same classes," Dasiy smiled.

 205 Travis Trap

    Bidding everyone goodnight for the night I went to my room with a small crate waiting for me. I instinctively froze wonder what it could be. Cautiously approaching it to investigate, it had a badge on the front with a distinct thunder strike. Opening slowly it was a crate of filled with bottles that Officer Jun must have acquired for me.

    Giving it a lift I was shocked it felt so easy to lift, despite being a small crate filled with 24 fully bottled drinks. Taking them inside and placing them on the ground I began getting ready for bed.

    I sat down to get a spot of studying, reading more on the difference between Demons and Devils, and that how they are drastically different in this world. Demons live in a society where the strongest rule over the weak, whereas Devils live in some weird power hierarchy but for some reason are bound by some divine law to abide contracts.

    Both are just as hard to kill, apparently both have a hierarchy of ranks and when they die, they simply reappear again in the layer of hell they originate from after a few hours but are one rank lower and weaker and thus work to get stronger again. They only truly die if they die at the lowest rank in the level of hell they originated from.

    I tossed and turned for what felt like hours, that nagging feeling stopping me from sleeping despite the perfect temperature of the room and softness of the mattress and cover. "For F*ck sake stupid brain." I angrily forced myself up and put on a robe over my pyjamas.

    Grabbing two bottles I angrily made my way out towards Paul''s floor, The emptiness and darkened hallways made the whole building feel extremely eerie for the first time ever walking around this late at night. Arriving on the S-Rank floor I quietly made my way to Travis''s room giving the door a knock and placed both bottles on the floor for him.

    "Ohhh didn''t expect you to come by so late." Travis''s smiled oozing with confidence with a small grin like he had won something.

    Picking up the bottles I handed them both towards completely uninterested, "Here, thank you for saving my life and the other one is from a friend who is a big fan of yours." I informed him with a stern look.

    "What''s with the demeanour? have I done something to you in the past? I think I would have remembered if someone as beautiful as you spent the night." He innocently smiled and walked into his room. "You can put them on the table," he said taking a seat on his sofa.

    "No thanks, I''m not interested." I rejected his offer and placed both bottles on the table and began walking away.

    "Honestly what have I done to you?" He questioned curiously.

    "Nothing just I''m not interested in dealing with your type." I hissed at him.

    "My type?" He questioned pretending to be shocked.

    "The bad boy frat house type." I said to him and carried on making my way out the room.

    "What is that?" He questioned sounding curious.

    As I reached out to open the door it wouldn''t open, with all my strength I tried to twist and pull the door open but it wouldn''t budge. "Open this door." I instructed him angry at his shenanigans.

    "How about I open the door once we''ve had a talk and a drink, I''m so interested in what I''ve done to receive such hostility." He smiled with a sly devilish grin.

    "Fine once we''ve finished talking you''ll let me out." I demanded.

    "Your wish is my command princess." He smiled with arms open like an innocently accepting the demands bowing his head.

    "And at least put a shirt on," I demanded angrily.

    "Ohh sorry, apologies normally my guests don''t have issues with me being topless." He said walking into another room to put on something.

    "Will this do?" He walked out with a really tight t-shirt making him look hotter then he did without it.

    "It''s fine," I answered.

    "So what''s a Frat boy?" He questioned curiously taking a seat opposite to me and cracking open both the bottles sliding one to my side of the table.

    "Childish annoying guys who think they are better than everyone else," I answered him making him fake a gesture as the words hurt him.

    "What? I don''t think I''m better than everyone else. I am better than most." He answered with another girn.

    "Whatever," I answered uninterested in his games taking a big mouthful of the sweet yet bitter alcoholic beverage Officer Jun got us.

    "So tell me, what''s your relationship with Paul?" He questioned curiously.

    "We''re childhood friends," I answered him which was kinda a lie, we''ve only known each other since we were 16 but it truly felt like childhood friends.

    "Nope that''s not it." He grinned looking at me closely.

    "We''re good friends, we''ve known each other for a long time." I honestly answered.

    "Nope that not quite it....." He carried on looking at me closely, "Ah, it must be ex-lovers." He grinned leaning back satisfied with his own answer. "Tell me who dumped who?" He grinned..

    "Whatever." I neither confirming nor denying it but didn''t want to play into his games.

    "You''re truly interesting, that would explain why he used the first pick of the school on you." He said to himself loud enough for me to hear. I ignored him taking a large gulp of the drink again not responding to him at all. "So what has he told you about me? How very low of ''the Great Dragon Slayer'', to make a girl hate me so badly though I''ve done nothing wrong." He sighed.

    "He didn''t say anything." I hissed at him in anger coming to Pauls defence instantly.

    "Ohh so you do talk." He ginned chuckling like I was played right into his game.

    "I''ve dealt with your kind before and I''m uninterested in your games," I informed him trying to finish my drink quickly.

    "My kind?" He replied but knew what I was talking about.

    "Yes your kind, use girls and ditch them to the curb when you''re done with them like a predator." I hissed at him.

    "How does that make me a predator? I''m merely fulfilling their fantasies, I''m providing a service," me smirked confidently.

    "Yeah at their expense," I growled feeling more vexed with each passing second.

    "They know I''m not interested in anything long term, all the cards are on the table and they know it." He explained himself like he was completely innocent.

    "Also spreading lies about Paul." I fumed coming to Paul''s defence.

    "Lies? He''s the one too afraid to duel me." He replied utterly confident in himself like he stood a chance against him.

    "He isn''t! He''s just can''t be bothered to deal with your childish games." I defended Paul but in reality, I had no idea why Paul won''t just destroy him and put him in his place.

    "My point exactly, if he wanted couldn''t he just quash all the rumours and lies by just defeating me, if he could." He replied as if it was a simple solution, one that even I couldn''t refute.

    "He''s too busy doing more important things," I said still defending Paul with even fibre of my being.

    "Well, that was a great talk, you''re truly an interesting one." he smiled finish his drink and placing it on the table. "I''m gonna head to bed make yourself comfortable, I''ll open the door in the morning." He said walking to his room.

    "WHAT?!" I shouted in anger making him stop in his tracks. "You open this F*cking door right now!" I yelled at him.

    "I said I''ll open it after our drink, I didn''t way when." He smiled.

    "Screw you!" I walked dup to him slapping him across the face anger at. He didn''t flinch at all, instead, my hand was wracked in pain like I slapped a brick wall was this his Titan physiology Paul described.

    "You shouldn''t do that you might hurt yourself." He smiled and walked into his room, leaving me with an extremely hurt hand.

    "Where the hell do you expect me to sleep?!" I yelled banging at his door.

    "There''s a guest room on the other side," he yelled out from the door.

    "If you think I''ll sleep in your filthy ass bed that you spend all your time with women on, you got another thing coming!" I yelled still holding his hand wracked with pain.

    "Ah, a girl of class, I like you." He smiled with his devious grin. "Don''t worry anything that happens occurs in my bedroom, that room is completely clean, you have my word as a man." He replied.

    "F*CKING ASS HOLE!" I kicked his door and went to try opening the front door again with no avail not even turning or budging slightly. "HELP!" I instinctively yelled banging the door screaming at the top of my lungs hoping Paul or Scarlet might hear.

    "That won''t work! just go to sleep already." He shouted back.

    "IT''S YOUR FAULT WHY IM STUCK HERE!" I hissed in anger.

    "Just get some rest already, you have my word no harm will come to you, nor will I lay a finger on you." He yelled back.

    "STUPID FRAT BOY ASS HOLE!" I yelled before giving his door one last big boot and went into the room he offered me slamming the door as hard as I could.

    It did look surprisingly clean and immaculate, like it''s never been touched before, with no scent of cologne or perfume in the air.

    I clicked my badge to see if anyone could help me but quickly turned it off dredging the thought of explaining myself to everyone, and how is all this crap even allowed? locking someone in their room. I didn''t even bring my bag and wand either so I''m just stuck here utterly useless.

    Reluctantly coming to the conclusion that I''m stuck here for the night I closed my eyes trying to fall asleep hoping that tomorrow morning would arrive sooner.

 206 Travis Planned this all Along

    "Hey, wakey wakey." Travis woke me up with his voice.

    "Stay away!" I jumped up from bed making sure he wasn''t near me.

    "I said I wouldn''t touch you." He grinned standing at the door.

    "let me out now!" I demanded.

    "You don''t want breakfast?" He grinned knowing I wasn''t interested at all.

    "No, let me out now!" I demanded.

    "Your wish is my command." He smiled opening the door for me to walk out.

    "Ass hole!" I cursed him as I walked out the door and to my shock and horror someone walked out the other door, the exact door that leads to Paul''s room.

    "Hey! Black Dragon Slayer." Travis yelled with a devilish grin wearing nothing but his boxers.

    Everything went in slow motion as my world came plummeting down from space, Paul head slowly turned from the book he was concentrating on, slowly turning to look at me as his expression of interest turned into complete shock, dreadful pain and hurt for a millisecond, he tried to hide his feelings but it was obvious to me that I just hurt him more then any physical wound could.

    "Morning Travis." He greeted him but didn''t greet me like I wasn''t there and he quickly made his way to the stairwell.

    "F*ck you! you planned all this!" I angrily cursed Travis.

    "You said ." He shrugged.

    "I''m gonna kill you!" I threatened him.

    "If you are, you''re gonna need to get stronger first." He disregarded my threat and went into his room giving me one last sly grin.

    I quickly began making my way to the stairwell to explain to Paul everything, when a sudden red flash pulsed from a lower level. "Damn it... He''s gone..." I cursed feeling dreadfully guilty that I hurt him despite nothing happened. I quickly activated the badge to talk to him, "Paul I can explain" I pleaded.

    "Sis? you okay?" Scarlet instantly replied filled with worry.

    "You okay Emilia?" Ashley asked but there was no response from Paul.

    "Have any of you seen Paul?" I asked in a panic.

    "Umm, he should be in his room," Scarlet answered.

    "Urrrrr sorry haven''t seen his today," Ashley answered.

    "Well if you see him, tell him we need to talk... please!" I pleaded with them.

    "Of course." They both answered.

    As guilt began to overwhelm me I began running down the stairs in a panic to find him and explain everything to him, if only I could explain that all this was a misunderstanding then everything will be fine.

    "Hey Emilia you''re up early." Daisy and Grace greeted me in shock seeing I was up so early.

    "Ohh hey guys!" I tried to act normally.

    "Come to join us in our daily run?" They both looked at me.

    "Ohh no, I just couldn''t sleep. By the way have any of you seen Paul?" I questioned desperately grabbing for straws.

    "No, we haven''t." They both answered looking at each otehr like I''ve gone mad.

    "Ohh okay... we''ll see you for breakfast." They both shouted.

    "Scarlet? Can I come to see you?" I asked in a panic unsure what to do.

    "Sure sure, where are you, sis?!" She asked immediately sensing the panic in my growing.

    "I''m outside I don''t know what to do!" I pleaded with her.

    In an instant, I felt her fear aura approach me as she moved as fast as a speeding bullet, "Emilia!" She greeted me looking extremely concerned.

    I reached into my pocket for my coin but realised it wasn''t here. "Ummmm" I begang to shake as she neared the fear manifesting in me making me feel like a tiny rabbit.

    "Ohhh no!.." Scarlet looked at me worried and began to look around quickly, in an instant the fear became almost unbearable thought I was gonna die from a heart attack but before it could it all suddenly vanished as Scarlet touched my shoulder.

    "What''s wrong?! You also forgot your coin." Scarlet asked in a panic extremely worried for me.

    "I desperately need to see Paul." I begged her as tears began to roll down my cheek.

    "I don''t know where he is sis but what''s wrong?" She questioned taking me to a nearby bench.

    "I wanted to give Travis drinks for saving my life because it''s the correct etiquette." I began to explain.

    "Ohh no you didn''t." She said in shock jumping to the conclusion that we did stuff together.

    "No, nothing happened, I swear." I defended myself instinctively.

    "Then what''s wrong?" She questioned.

    "Well, he trapped me in his room for the night." I began to explain.

    "HE DID WHAT?!" Scarlet questioned in anger her fists balling ready to punch something.

    "He didn''t touch me or do anything at all," I explained to her trying to calm her down.

    "I''m gonna kill him!" She said standing up.

    "Scarlet you need to help me!" I begged her making her clam down a little and sit down with me again.

    "So what happened, he woke me up and let me out finally, but as he did Paul also walked out at the same time and noticed me walking out and Travis quickly follow," I explained.

    "Noo... and Paul ran away before you could explain?" She looked at me in utter shock.

    "Yes! I saw a red flash I have no idea where he went, I need to explain to him, but I don''t know where he is." I began to cry.

    Scarlet held me close trying to comfort me, "Don''t worry Just give Paul some time to process things, he''ll be back, and when he does we''ll explain to him that it was all a misunderstanding." Scarlet tried to console me.

    "You didn''t see his face... he was so hurt." I cried into her.

    "Don''t worry, it''s just misunderstanding." Scarlet softly held my head close trying comforting me.

    "Can you contact or find him for me?" I questioned quietly trying to control myself.

    She shook her head, "Sadly he''s perfected making himself, even I won''t be able to find or sense him unless he wanted." She answered, "The only other way would be to send him a message, but that''s reserved for emergency purposes only like the wyvern attack on the city." She answered saddened she couldn''t help.

    "Maybe I can use my Scry orb?" I asked feeling hopeful.

    "Sadly he''s also immune to that also, he''s undetectable unless he wants to be found..." She hesitantly answered me. "Let''s not jump to conclusions, you did nothing wrong, so I''m sure it will all be okay once all the shock is over." Scarlet smiled.

    "I guess." I hesitantly agreed.

    "Besides you know he''ll always return to you. If I would bet my life on anything, it would be his love for you regardless of what happens." she smiled.

    "I wouldn''t be so sure.. he did disappear for years," I answered her.

    "He was here, if he could he would have contacted you." She smiled her bubbliness was comforting.

    "So you''ve been by his side for three years now?" I questioned trying to put my mind off things.

    "I don''t really keep count but I think so." She answered.

    "Do you know what he was up to before he met you?" I asked feeling hopeful to learn more.

    "Even before we met me he was making a name for himself, He was a very strong individual who''s mastered many techniques from many mentors." She answered.

    "Ohhh and that''s why you said you were interested in fighting him?" I asked.

    "Yes, he did beat me albeit beating me in a game of wits then physically beating me in a fight but a wins a win," She chuckled with a big smile.

    "Can you beat him?" I inquired.

    "It''ll be a close fight actually, even I''m not sure who would win." She smiled.

    "But you can''t be harmed," I questioned in shock.

    "That''s kinda true, only a few special techniques can harm me, Paul is adept with two techniques, but he said he will never use them on me." She answered still smiling.

    "Really? It''s hard to believe something can hurt you," I replied in disbelief.

    "I can''t remember the name of them they had weird names, but one of them he said he learnt in another plane and the other was an ancient one from here." She answered.

    "He told me he found out about the monster that caused the Dark Elves to surface," I informed her kinda worried.

    "Ohh yeah he briefed us on that, shouldn''t be too much toruble." Scarlet smiled as always not an ounce of worry in her when it comes to fighting.

    "Is it really dangerous?" I asked feeling concerned, remembering the abilities and words used to describe it.

    "There''s a little risk especially for Paul, Ashley and Anna, but there''s nothign to worry about, we have a plana nd precautions are being made." She tried to reassure me.

    "What sort of precautions are you guys gonna take?" I asked.

    "Well, Ashley is already researching ways to make its life-sapping aura less effective, Anna''s sword should be able to stunt it''s healing or slow it down," Scarlet explained.

    "Woah they can do that?" I asked.

    "Well Ashley is researchign ways to resist or counter necrotic damage, and any wound caused by Anna''s sword cannot be magically healed and must be healed naturally," Scarlet smiled.

    "Paul said it had a death stare that can kill you with just one look," I added.

    "Yes Paul will counter that with a Death Warding, should stop it from doign anything fatal to us, he''s also gonna be packed with counterspells to stop any form of spell casting is has. Killing it will be up to me and Anna, Paul is in support with counters, barriers and heals trying to protect us, Ashley is in reserve mainly protecting us from other monsters or Dark Elves that try to interfere." Scarlet explained their plan. "So everything if everything goes as planned we should be as prepared as we could be, obviously the scrolls he obtained the information from could be wrong or it could be the wrong monster, but nothing to worry about. I''ll take good care of everyone." Scarlet smiled.

    "I guess I need to start seeing him as more a superhero then that young boy I met in college," I replied.

    "I''m sure he appreciates someone out there worrying for him," She smiled, "but yes like me he''s very capable the four of us has come out through many battles and situations safe and sound, you''ve nothing to worry about." She added.

    "It''s so weird, being in a life-threatening situation is so rare where we''re both from," I answered.

    "Yes, I know... the city you''re from seemed very peaceful, nothing like what we have here." Scarlet chuckled.

    "You''ve been to London?" I questioned.

    "Ohhh yes of course! What is that place they call with lots of shops." She pondered.

    "A shopping centre?" I answered.

    "No no... it began with a W... That''s it! Westfield, so many shops and so many food options!" She smiled in absolute glee.

    "Ahh yeah, great place." I smiled remembering all the good time''s Paul and I spent together there.

    "Oh and theres this small place that does the BEST chicken skewers! you must try it." She smiled in glee.

    "I''m sure it is." I smiled her absolute excitement and joy was so infectious.

 207 Teachers and Mentors

    "Hey Emilia you okay?" Helen questioned.

    "Yeah, you''ve been rather silent in training and breakfast." Daisy agreed.

    "Nothing special." I sighed wondering when I''d get the chance to explain to Paul while nonchalantly practising spell casting.

    "So Grace do you use the same spells we do?" Jay questioned curiously.

    "Right now for cantrips, I do but once we progress to higher-level stuff I''d probably request to have Rangers Specialised spells.

    "Ohh, can I do that for Cleric and Paladin as well?" Daisy questioned looking excited.

    "Yeah, I''m sure you could." Grace smiled.

    "So what different spell do you guys do?" I questioned trying to get involved in the conversations.

    "So Rangers spells generally aim towards enchanting my arrows, making targets easier to hit or making us more hidden to surprise enemies," Grace answered.

    "So Duridic spells and your spells are generally the same, the only difference is mine tend to lean towards natural elements, like thunder and plant growths" Helen answered.

    "Mine obviously are more attuned to holy and fire." Daisy smiled.

    "Yup us sorcerers and wizards sadly have the most extensive spell list, meaning it will take a long time to master." Jay sighed.

    "Oh Jay, when I spoke to Paul he told me that he''s heard of your previous Mentor," I replied excited a little to tell him what I know.

    "Oh? and what''s that?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

    "Paul said that Master Dildamzed is a master of four elements and that he probably left in search of two more disciples for the other two elements," I answered.

    "Oh, so Jennifer is Air and Jay must be Fire what are the other two?" Daisy questioned.

    "I think it was Earth and Water." I struggled to remember.

    "That explains why he was always so good in casting Air and Fire spells when training us." Jay nodded.

    "He also said that he''d keep an eye out for any sightings of news of him," I smiled.

    "That would be really great, I would love to know how he''s doing." Jay smiled.

    "How comes I didn''t get an awesome famous mentor," Daisy mumbled clearly a little jealous.

    "Well, I''d say you have the strongest being deity." Grace chuckled.

    "She''s not wrong, I mean you have the favour of a God and powers given by a God, that''s so amazing!" I chuckled.

    "So who trained you two?" Daisy asked Helen and Grace curiously.

    "My Aunt and Uncle.." Helen answered quietly.

    "My teacher was Captain Themaer he was personally responsible for my safety and looked over me most my life." Grace explained.

    "Were they famous as well?" I questioned.

    "You wouldn''t have heard of my aunt and uncle, but they were very old Arch druids," Helen answered.

    "Ohh Paul told me that Druids live for a very long time," I added remembering what he told me.

    "Captain Themaer was a Captain of a small regiment renowned in expertise in fighting Orcs," Grace answered.

    "That''s so cool!" I replied at how everyone has had previous training from such awesome sounding teachers.

    "By the way, do you think the Demon incursion was fully dealt with or what we discovered was just a simple cell?" Jay questioned out of the blue.

    "Yeah, I''m surprised there wasn''t any effort put into letting the students know," Helen agreed.

    "Why would they keep it hush hush?" Grace questioned.

    "They probably don''t want to set the school into a panic." Daisy suggested.

    "I mean when we got stuck defending the city so many students were essentially soldiers, I ''m sure they would be able to handle the news," I replied.

    "Well, I''m sure Ashley will keep us informed if we should be looking for anything suspicious." Jay nodded.

    "And what is going on in the below ground level floor of the school," I asked in shock.

    "Yeah, it''s so weird." Jay nodded.

    "Well if Atlantis is truly the same floating fortress that met Elves generations ago, I''d assume the full extent and capabilities of this floating fortress is unknown," Helen answered.

    Her answer suddenly made me connect the dots with one of my visions, I distinctly remember a vision telling me that we had to unlock the full potential of Atlantis. "So you said Atlantis visited the Elves?" I questioned curiously.

    "Yes To be specific the Elven home plane in the Fey." Helen answered.

    "How do you get to the Fey?" I inquired.

    "It was surprisingly easily accessed through Archways in Ancient Druid groves, but they are corrupted now and unreachable. One more Archway is in the Elven main city Iyferserin." Gelen answered.

    "Hmm, so how did Atlantis get there?" I asked hoping to learn more.

    "I dunno, maybe it has the means to traverse into other plans, I guess," Grace answered.

    "Hmm," I began to ponder.

    "I do wish we''d spend some more time learning new spells." Jay sighed doing the same of cantrips are so boring.

    "Yeah, I do wish we spent more time learning new stuff." I agreed. "Scarlets training has made me stronger though despite being relatively simple," I added.

    "Yeah, we felt it too!" Daisy and Grace smiled.

    "When do you think we can get some cool equipment and items?" I asked feeling really excited.

    "Well, there should be a few magic shops in all the main cities and some larger towns," Helen answered.

    "Yeah and with the gold you have, you can probably buy a lot of nice gear." Daisy smiled.

    "Ohh with the money Paul gave me," I questioned.

    "Yeah, he gave you like an absurd amount, to be honest," Grace answered.

    "Ohhh... I was thinking of maybe earning it myself." I honestly explained to them.

    "Well we have a number of options, earn gold and rewards from bounties and requests, hunt for the ingredients ourselves and pay an enchanter to enchant or create magical gear, or loot dangerous dungeons and treasures." Grace chuckled.

    "Wow, you guys really do live in an RPG fantasy world." I laughed making them all look at me utterly confused.

    "What''s an RPG?" Jay questioned.

    "Oh, it''s... like a game where you play a character where you would collect loot and equipment and save the world." I gave them all a very basic explanation.

    "Oh? So our lives are like a game?" Hele questioned.

    "kinda." I laughed awkwardly since as everyone looked at me like I was a weirdo.

    "Some of the things you say are so weird." Helen chuckled.

    We all began to listen to Professor Meha as she began explaining the difference in Cantrip spells and how each one is for advantageous in different situations when suddenly out of nowhere an unbelievable large wave of Arcanum rippled over us. Causing us to instinctively brace our tables and chairs for an impact like an earthquake or something devastating would follow. I looked at everyone else in a panic feeling this new sensation, my heart beating quickly as adrenaline surged through my body.

    "What was that?" Other students in the class began to ask as more and more of these ripples began to pass over us in waves.

    "You guys feel that?!" I questioned in a panic as Professor Meha began to look towards the source of the rippling.

    "Miss are we under attack?" A student asked.

    "Calm down children, I''m sure it''s okay." Professor Meha smiled but even she had a hint of concern on her.

    We all began looking at each other extremely concerned, "How could something possibly attack Atlantis?" Jay asked like it was an absurd idea.

    "If I''m not mistaken that was a large release of Arcanum, but even I have;t felt anything on this scale before," Helen whispered.

    "Professor what should we do?!" I questioned professor Meha,

    "Don''t worry Miss Emilia, Atlantis is very safe since the founding of Atlantis its walls have never been breached, I just waiting for further instructions and an update on the situation." She smiled trying to keep us all relaxed. "But just in case if everyone could prepare to end the class early, just as a precaution." She instructed.

    "What the hell?! I questioned looking at everyone as the whole class began to prepare their things ready to finish class early each with a clam but worried look all over.

 208 Class ending Early

    "I have just received an update," professor Meha began to inform us with a smile, "Apparently Paul is training in the Colosseum today." Professor Meha explained to all of us, making me feel extremely relieved that he''s on sight so I can go see him and explain everything.

    "What Paul is training?!" A student asked in excitement.

    "Yes, that is what I''ve been told." Professor Meha smiled as noises of quickened footsteps erupted outside our classroom.

    "What''s going on, that doesn''t sound good I instinctively asked thinking that they must have been some sort of response team to a threat.

    "Do you think it''s just a ploy to keep us calm?" Jay questioned.

    "Could very well be." Grace agreed.

    A female student came bursting through the front door, "Paul The Black Dragon Slayer is in the Colosseum we''re all going to see!" A female student yelled to all of us.

    "Eleanor! Detention!" Professor Meha managed to squeeze in before Eleanor vanished back in the hallway seemingly running towards the Colosseum.

    The rest of the class looking a Professor Meha expectantly, "Well, I was prepared to end the class early if you want we can make our way and spectate our Ranked One in action, maybe he could breathe some motivation in all." She sighed but smiled.

    All the students quickly rushed out eager to witness Paul in action. "Wow everyone is so excited to see him," I said as I began running with everyone noticing there was an absolute horde of students maybe the whole entire school making their way quickly to the Colosseum as more and more shockwaves erupted from the building.

    "What on earth is going on in there?!" I questioned in shock.

    "I dunno but I''m excited to find out," Daisy yelled in excitement.

    As we quickly made our way into the viewing areas, we all remained silent in excitement and anticipations hoping that we could find some good seats. As we reached an opening to a viewing area that didn''t quite have as much traffic. We broke out the interior building arriving in the viewing booth the early morning sun illuminating the whole staging area perfectly.

    "Wow is the whole school here?" Grace asked looking around.

    "Damnit some closer seats would have been better." Jay cursed standing on the edge watching.

    "It''s really him!" I yelled as I saw Paul face off against over twenty of those weird beasts that somehow made illusions of themselves slowly circling him waiting for a strike. He looked extremely different, he looked fully focused unaware the whole school was here spectating him.

    Everyone in the Colosseum remained silent, "What spell was that?" I asked Jay in shock.

    "Even I don''t know..." Helen answered in shock.

    After a few seconds, a party of Dark Elves manifested in front of him, a mixture of what looks like two casters along with one wielding a longbow and two melee fighters one wielding two daggers and the other heavily armoured with a giant sword.

    Paul responded by charging what looked like a very intense fireball in one open palm before suddenly the spell vanished as one of the casters seemed to have stopped it. The two melee fighters took the opportunity to attack as the dagger-wielding one sank down into a shadow and appearing to rise up from Paul''s shadow, "Woah!" I think that''s how the assassin attacked me!" I looked in shock.

    Like a team, both of them tried to strike at Paul from two different locations, with an amazing display of acrobatics and combat prowess he managed to dodge and parry the attacks. Effortlessly dodging and parrying two fighters attacking him in flanking positions keeping him engaged in combat. Somehow finding a timing he punched and kicked the air somehow letting out two firebolts flying into the two casters staggering them as they got hit directly.

    As Paul carried on effortlessly stoping the two melee fighters hitting him, he carried on launching bolts of fire from his punch and kicks pummeling the two casters into submission, the Archer appeared from nowhere like he was invisible beforehand let loose an arrow into Paul as he shot two more firebolts. "Watch out!" I instinctively grasped, where suddenly spun in the air and somehow threw the arrow back a the ranger with deadly precision, killing the archer in one hit as the arrow piercing through its head making it dissipate into sparkling light.

    "Is he a bloody monk as well?!" Grace yelled in absolute shock and awe.

    Paul quickly dispatched the two casters with one final punch and kick releasing more firebolts interrupting any sort of spell casting they tried making them dissipate. All that remained was the two melee fighters that thus far couldn''t even land a hit on him despite being busy dealing with the rest of their party. As the larger one swung his sword Paul managed to use the momentum guiding with his hands to carve through the dagger-wielding one making it dissipate.

    With one last swing, the Dark Elf''s attack was easily swatted away with a closed fist as Paul countered with a punch from his other hand that utterly annihilated the Dark Elf through its armour obliterating it into light particles.

    "Wait what just happened? how did he shoot firebolts out of his hands and feet!" Jay asked like what he did was impossible.

    The next monster that spawned in front of Paul was a giant seven or eight-foot red-skinned ape that looked like a gorilla on steroids, it''s muscles were absolutely humungous, drolling in absolute rage beating its chest and ground. With two fingers pointed out like finger guns two thin rays of green light shot out his fingers boring a hole through its brain and heart instantly silencing the gorilla marking another end to an encounter.

    After a few more seconds two giant monstrosities, they had the heads of a lion, goat and dragon, with a snake tail and another with large long deadly looking barbs. "What the F?" I instinctively gasped unable to recognise the monsters.

    "Those are Chimeras!" Grace answered in excitement.

    One Chimera released a swarm of barbs with a whip of its tail as the other released a torrent of fire like a flamethrower with its Dragonhead. Paul countered the attacks with a life of his hand forming a blue shield that stopped both the attacks with zero sparks of stress, effortlessly stopping both attacks. With his other hands, Paul gestured a spell causing several bright lights to manifest behind him that launched over him and his shield raining damage on the Chimeras destroying both of them in the barrage.

    "That seemed like some modified Arcanic Missle!" Jay yelled in shock, is this what Paul meant about Innate Casters being able to cast and manipulate spells at will?...

    A weird winter storm appeared like a blizzard as an old woman''s cackle echoed for everyone to hear along with hundred and hundreds of blue glowing eyes appearing inside the dense snowstorm. "That must be a winter hag." Morgana''s voice said making us all jump in shock.

    "You could have let us know you arrived." Helen gasped.

    "I tried but you all were too occupied." She chuckled.

    "What in the...." Grace muttered as a raging inferno manifested seemingly incinerating and burning away the snowstorm.

    A white-hot flaming sword shot down from the sky making the ranging inferno flare in intensity as it imbeds itself into the ground releasing devastating fissures of magma. "Thank the God''s the shield is protecting us," Grace uttered in complete shock.

    "I hope Paul is alright, I can''t even see him in this inferno," I said a little worried for him, shielding my eyes from the brightness instinctively backing away from the flames.

    Our eyes were given relief as the roaring inferno began to coalesce into one singular point revealing Paul holding the embedded sword handle and pulling out the white-hot blade. All that was left was an old ugly looking woman who looked over a hundred but still stood about 7 feet tall despite having a huge hunchback,

    Although the Hag looked devastated by the inferno and magma the hag still managed to let out another menacing cackle holding out a finger as light blue Arcanum began condensing swirling around into her fingertip releasing a gigantic Icy tornado riddled with razor-sharp icicles. With a swing of his sword, Paul unleashed a huge inferno overwhelming the tornado effortlessly and engulfing the Hag completely leaving nothing but ash what slowly disappeared in the wind, along with his sword slowly fading out of existence.

    "What just happened?" Daisy asked shocked at the one-sidedness of the fight.

    "Well, Hag''s are usually never alone having their own minions sworn to servitude. So Paul must have annihilated all of them with the summoning of that sword thing and finished off the hag with the sword itself." Morgana explained.

    "What sort of sword was that?!" Jay asked in utter shock.

    "Sadly I have no idea." Morgana answered

    A strange mist began to manifest becoming a dense fog nearer to the ground, the ground slowly began to fill with water up to his ankle as the silhouette of a beast with five heads letting out a very ferocious roar. As each of the five heads revealed itself from the mist, their snake-like heads all attached to one humongous body.

    Paul''s hands lit up yellow like his hands were a star and began moving them like he was drawing or writing some runes, "What is that?!" Daisy said pointing up into the air as giant runes began appearing in the air like there were being written by him. In an instant, a rain of bright yellow lights rained over the monster that must have been a hydra, pummelling it into submission as the giant body began to slowly drop to one knee, then another before finally falling into the ground lifeless.

    "Why didn''t it vanish?" I questioned.

    "Hydras have very powerful regeneration," Morgana explained as the hole-riddled hydra began to slowly twitch back to life, as the wounds began to heal at an unbelievable rate. "He needs to use Fire or Acid to counteract the regeneration or...." Morgana''s answer was interrupted as an absolute gigantic sword dropped down from the sky decapitating all the head''s in an instant. We all looked utterly stunned, the sword was so humongous that I could only imagine a God could wield something so ridiculously huge, the blade of the sword itself despite being embedded into the ground still rose high into the sky, the hilt and handle almost invisible to the naked eye.

    "I could never imagine he could be so strong...." Jay uttered completely shocked.

    "I could only recognise two spells out of I don''t even know how many he used," Helen added just as stunned as the rest of us.

    Paul looked around for the first time noticing that he''s gathered quite the crowd, the Colosseum was only half full despite seating what I thought must have been the whole school. Paul starred into a location for a few seconds seemingly saying something. The sky went eerily dark like the sun has set but there was enough visibility to see what''s going on. Bones began to manifest littering the floor with hundreds upon hundreds of bones and skeletons like a graveyard. Opposite to him sat that same giant obscenely fat grotesque red Demon Khorcus, sat on top of a throne made of skulls, it''s firey sword left on the side resting on its side like it was some sort of mundane weapon to it.

    I readied myself pulling out my wand knowing what I need to do to overcome this nightmare again. It let out a laugh of humour slapping it''s large hand on the throne mocking Paul openly. With a tap of its finger crackles of tiny green electric energy shot out channelling through all the bones making them all begin to rattle. Slowly all the bones began forming together as hundreds upon hundreds of skeletons of all shape sizes and creatures began standing up slowly as if being brought to life.

    With a stomp, Paul let out a large ring of radiant energy vaporizing every skeleton that came in contact with ash, but just as many that he vaporized twice as many began to rouse to life.

 209 Challenge Accepted

    The demon stopped laughing and looked at Paul, it was still staggeringly huge compared to him, easily large enough to crush Paul with its hand or foot. Resting an elbow on the throne, like it was boring and held out a finger with its other hand and let out a sickly green beam similar to Pauls ability tearing a path through the horde of undead skeletons vapourising them to ash.

    For the first time ever Paul moved from his spot flying up into the sky dodging the beam completely. Looking into the same spot he did towards the crowd not even giving the Demon Lord any attention or respect, Paul held out both his hands outstretched together, as an earthshattering shockwave of Arcanum rippled out, this one felt different it, it felt like an overwhelming force of pressure pushing us down.

    A huge swirling rainbow cone released from his hands revealing each colour of the spectrum. "What on earth?" I looked in awe.

    "That must be some sort of prismatic spell, each coloured beam does a different type of damage," Jay explained looking closer as each colour seemed to annihilate a skeleton in a different way.

    "But it''s not affecting the Demon Lord at all.." Daisy said pointing at it.

    "Maybe he''s trying to deal with the small fry first," Grace replied.

    We all waited for his next move as the cone slowly got smaller and smaller growing in intensity as the colours merged together. "Is it me or does it look like it''s getting stronger?" I questioned noticing the intensity and environmental damage the narrower cone became.

    As the final strands of colour converged, a huge devastating singular beam of incandescent white light blasted through the skeletons in an instant impacting the Demon Lord directly. It let out a loud guttural roar as the beam enveloped it completely along with its throne.

    "How is that even possible!" Jay uttered in shock as Paul''s spell dissipated along with that weird pressure that seemed to push us down. Somehow the Demon Lord was still standing despite everything in its path completely obliterated, even it''s throne of skulls was nowhere to be seen. Luckily the Demon Lord did look extremely hurt, bleeding thick oozy black blood with an arm completely missing. It chuckled shouting something at him in a very evil sounding language, in his hand manifested a horrific-looking human spine with a skull attached on the end with a sickly green hue.

    Paul quickly reacted by dropping to the floor circling him in an extreme speed as the Demon lord tried to point the wand at him. A golden cube encased the Demon Lord along with a mass of yellow papers with writing on it flew onto the cube and began to glow with power.

    Layers upon layers of huge rings appeared in the sky in all different colours of the spectrum as runes began to appear around the outer edge of each rune. "What on earth?" I uttered in awe unable to even imagine what will come next.

    That feeling of tense pressure again came flooding is forcing us all to drop to our knees. "What is this?!" Daisy yelled as she dropped to one knee, "I can''t even stand...." She said trying with all her might even using her hands on the railing to try pulling herself up.

    The largest beam I''ve ever seen similar to those seen in alien movies blasted down if it wasn''t for that intense pressure forcing us to our knees we would have bound to be blinded from the flash alone. For the first time ever it looked like the shielding between us and the Colosseum fighting arena sparked with Arcanum seemingly struggling to hold back all the force Paul was releasing with his spell.

    "Is he trying to kill all of us or something?!" Grace yelled over the deafening sound of the blast.

    "Has he gone crazy?!" Jay shouted.

    "What is wrong with him today?!" Helen yelled.

    Luckily the feeling of pressure began to dwindle along with the deafening blast and blinding light. "Is it over?!" Jay yelled opening his eye to look at us.

    We all slowly peered over the edge of the viewing area to see if Paul standing there clearly out of breath and no Demon Lord insight. "Did he win?" Daisy asked looking a little worried.

    "I think he did," Morgana answered.

    "Is that the true power of The Black Dragon Slayer?" Jay questioned a little frightened at what he just spectated.

    Paul looked at the same location in the crowd for one last time and began to walk away. Everyone in the school remained silent just like the rest of us, unsure what just happened and how we should feel.

    "Defeating a Demon Lord all by himself, mother was right to respect his abilities," Morgana uttered in complete shock.

    ''Was he releasing all his anger because of what he thought I did?'' I instinctively stood up trying to make my way out to explain to him everything that happened but I buckled, barely being able to catch myself on a nearby chair. I looked down to see my legs physically quaking like Scarlet was nearby, ''Why am I so scared when I know he''ll never harm me.....''

    "You okay Emilia?" Everyone asked as they remained on their knees, their bodies also feeling the same effect we were.

    "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure he''s okay," I replied to them.

    "Yeah, something seems off, this seems so off character for him," Jay answered.

    "Yeah! there''s no way he would risk injuring others, there''s definitely something wrong!" Daisy agreed.

    I clicked my badge quickly realising he''s in the school now and can hear me, "Paul!" I yelled for his attention.

    "Hey wassup?" He replied sounding a little happy opposite to what I expected.

    "Are you okay?" I questioned a little worried.

    "Yeah, all is good." He answered.

    "Can we talk?" I requested.

    "Yeah, of course, where shall I meet you?" He answered like he was completely normal but I could tell it was just an act.

    "Wait for me outside the Colosseum," I asked him.

    "Sure," He answered, I began forcing myself to walk slowly staggering my way towards him.

    Thankfully the fear eventually faded allowing me to run to him, hoping that I''d get to explain to him before the rest of the school see''s him. As I arrived at the exit I could see him outside through the glass of the double doors waiting for me and luckily the rest of the school hasn''t replied yet.

    "Hey Emilia!" Travis'' voice called out right beside me causing me to turn in shock.

    "What the F are you doing here?!" I shouted at him in complete anger.

    "What? I was just making my way out..." He answered like he was completely innocent.

    I turned to Paul praying to God he didn''t see us together again, but of course, he''s staring at us eyes wide open in complete shock. I instinctively pushed Travis back away from me, "I don''t want to see or talk to you ever again!" I growled at him in anger and opened to the walking to Paul praying to God he doesn''t just disappear again.

    "Hey..." He hesitantly greeted me clearly unsure how to feel.

    "Paul I know what you''re thinking and." I Tired to explain.

    "Wait before you say anything, you don''t need to explain yourself to me, You''re not my girlfriend or anything anymore... whoever you spend your time with or decide to be with is up to you, you shouldn''t be worried how I would feel or how I would react." He earnestly explained to me.

    "Paul.." I heartfeltly replied to him touched by what he said.

    "What I''m trying to say is, I''m sorry for how I reacted earlier, I just want you to be happy." He apologised honestly.

    "... You know our lives are so entwined I don''t think that''s possible." I chuckled trying to cheer up the mood.

    "I know but I''ll try." He confessed.

    "Hey Emila thank''s for last night, see you around," Travis yelled out with a grin clearly still trying to antagonise us.

    That unbelievable pressure erupted forcing me down to my knees barely being able to hold myself up even my elbows we''re on the verge of buckling from the pressure. Paul instantly appeared in front of Travis grabbing him by his collar with a balled fist, "You show her more respect he growled extremely pissed, whatever aura Paul was releasing was suffocating, I began struggling to breathe, "Paul..." I struggled to mutter unable to tell him to stop.

    "Whatever." Travis tried to put on a brave face disregarding his threat but even I could see his body quaking in fear and the shakiness of his voice.

    "You apologise to her now!" Paul demanded,

    "If you beat me in a duel, I''ll apologise to her." Travis struggled to counter offer him but even he was feeling the effects of being in close proximity to Paul.

    "Fine, you will have your duel in 2 weeks, invite whoever you want to see, tell the world to come and see your humiliating defeat." Paul agreed and threw him aside like throwing away a toy.

    He turned to look at me almost dying just in being close proximity to him and in an instant, all that pressure that seemed to suffocate and subdue me vanished in an instant. "I''m so sorry are you okay?!" He questioned worryingly helping me up.

    "Yeah..." I answered coughing trying to catch my breath, "Are you okay?" I asked worried about how he must have been feeling.

    "I''m great, I just hated how he treated you like those other conquests, the way he looked at you and treated you, it just made me so angry..." He explained.

    "Paul nothing happened between us, I swear," I replied to him trying to tell him the truth.

    "It''s okay, you don''t need to explain to me or tell me." He smiled helping me up but my legs still felt weak.

    "Really! nothing happened you can even read my mind if you want." I desperately tried to make him believe me.

    "I would never use such things like that on you." He smiled but I still felt unconvinced that he believed me.

    "What was all that stuff that happened in the Colosseum?" I questioned.

    "Ohh....." he began to hesitantly answer, "Just letting off some steam." He answered.

    "That was letting off some steam?" I questioned in shock.

    "Okay, and a little threat to show Travis how much stronger I am." He confessed with a slight smile.

    "If you''re that much stronger then him, why have you never put him in his place?" I questioned curiously.

    "Because although I would enjoy putting him in his place and knocking him down a few pegs, like putting a bully in their place. I ended up deciding against it and ignore his petty comments and antics because if I put him in his place it, he may not be able to recover." Paul explained.

    "What do you mean?" I questioned him.

    "Come." He said leading the way to the dorm rooms, "So imagine you''re in his shoes, exiled and disgraced from one of the strongest families, for years you''re the only goal was to defeat one person. The only way he can validate himself to himself and everyone else is to live up to his family name, but despite all the benefits of being pseudo half Titan, all the training, all the research and preparation to defeat me, he''s still nothin but a fly that I can swat effortlessly, I fear I may put him down a hole he may never recover from." Paul explained to me.

    "I understand a little now," I answered him.

    "Yeah, but now I''m forced to put him down now," Paul answered.

    ''So that''s why he did all this, so he could provoke Paul into accepting a duel.'' as I pieced together everything, "I think he did all this on purpose." I admitted to Paul.

    "Maybe, maybe I just played into his plan this one time." Paul smiled.

    "Paul, why did being near you almost kill me?" I questioned.

    "Ohh yeah, sorry about that, sadly it''s a side effect when I lose control of my myself," Paul answered.

    "I hope you don''t lose control often." I joked, "by the way what were those insane spells you were using?" I questioned curiously.

    "What you saw just now weren''t all spells, they were a mixture of spells and abilities I have," Paul answered.

 210 One Step Forward Two Steps Back

    "Are you really going to duel him?" I questioned a little worried.

    "Well, I said I would." He smiled.

    "You''re going be okay right?" I questioned.

    "I''ll be alright, I feel he wouldn''t be. He doesn''t have many friends he can rely on, nor did he make n effort to have a meaningful connection with someone." Paul answered.

    "I think you may be right...." I replied feeling a little sorry for Travis, "By the way where are we going?" I questioned.

    "Ohh shoot, I totally forgot you still had classes." He smiled.

    "Yeah sadly, It all feels such a waste of time, why don''t they let us learn the higher level spells?" I questioned.

    "Professor Meha didn''t explain it to you?" He questioned looking a little shocked.

    "Ohhh about spells being stronger the more you practice and master them?" I recounted.

    "Yup," He chuckled at my attempt to sound like Professor Meha, "But she is totally correct, the more you practice on cantrips the stronger they become." he smiled.

    "Just saying that If you taught me some of those awesome spells you did, I''d be pretty cool," I mumbled.

    "I will when you''re ready, they aren''t easy spells, only a handful of casters would be able to cast them." He chuckled, "In fact, the Prismatic Beam is a very high-level spell that can only be achieved by individuals who master all the elements." He smiled.

    "What was that spell by the way?" I questioned.

    "Ohhh so the spell takes time to charge up to its the final stage, it has a very wide area of effect dealing all sorts of different types of damage, as the cone converges the area of effect is smaller but more concentrated, as the final stage is reached all the beams are merged into one devastating condensed beam." He smiled.

    "What about that sky stuff?" I questioned.

    "That''s a special type of magic called Heavenly Magic, it involves drawing runes into the sky invoking various devastating spells, all focused around large orbital strikes." He explained.

    "Are you also a ''monk'' as well?" I questioned.

    "Yes, I have learnt the way to manipulate chi." He smiled.

    "See I never really understood that," I questioned hoping that he''d explain more.

    "So how we cast spells is absorbing the Arcanum around us and manipulating it into spells and effects. Chi on the other hand is another energy source that comes from within the body. AS you may have seen earlier, the disadvantage casters have is when overwhelmed especially against several other casters, counter-spell can be extremely oppressive, so I used a special Monk technique that allows the manipulation of Chi to replicate spells in the process also making them un-counterspellable." He explained which made a little more sense.

    "What about those insane swords?" I questioned.

    "So how do God''s and thing''s work in this world?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well, they believe the God''s dwell in space, in their own pocket dimension they have complete control over and only allow to influence the world. The difference is there are many powerful and alien things out there, they may call themselves a God or see themselves as one, but they could very well be mortal and not a true divine being. Like the previous owner of Ragnarok, he called himself a Fire God, but I can''t be sure if it was or not, could have easily been an extremely powerful firey being." He tried to explain.

    "Did you kill it to claim it''s the sword?" I questioned.

    "Oh, no no, Ragnarok I looted from an abandoned temple." He smiled.

    "When would I ever get a chance to find such amazing stuff?" I rhetorically asked.

    "Well, you do have a lot of gold I gave you, that you could use to buy some nice stuff." He smiled.

    "I know but I kinda wanted to earn it on my own merits," I confessed making him smile with pride.

    "It''s still dangerous for you to adventure into dungeon and things," He smiled, "Patience is key." He smiled.

    "Easy for you to say, you''ve become so strong so quickly," I replied.

    "You have to remember I have had many many years over you." He chuckled.

    "By the way, Travis said you picked me first, is that true?" I questioned.

    "Yes, I didn''t want to risk you going anywhere else." He smiled at me earnestly like he didn''t regret the choice at all.

    "Did you get into a lot of trouble for that?" I asked feeling a little guilty.

    "A little, but don''t worry nothing I can''t handle." He smiled.

    "What on earth can you not do?" I joked.

    "I maybe be very strong, but even I pale in comparison to Headmaster and the other Heads of the other institutes, Headmaster Bran has a Legendary spell of the apocalyptic level of destruction. His daughter Hanna, despite focusing solely on artificing she is the child of two immensely powerful individuals, I wouldn''t be surprised if she surpasses me with easy." He smiled and began leading the way to the main building.

    "So how is Atlantis run?" I asked feeling intrigued.

    "So Atlantis is run like a council, faculty members and S-Ranked students have a vote and is privvy everything that happens, but ultimately Headmaster Bran has the final say no matter what." Paul smiled.

    "Is that why you never told the school about the Demon Incursion?" I questioned.

    "Yes it was voted by a majority of Teachers to keep it hush-hush, we also believe there is at least one Teacher involved since somehow a permanent teleportation way-point was established, so this has been going on for a long time and most likely at least One teacher involved. There''s nothing to worry about now, we are aware of the problem and we''re now keeping an eye out." He smiled.

    "What precautions is the school taking?" I questioned a little worried.

    "So we have a teacher who specialises in Demons and Devils, don''t worry he''s good at what he does, we also have Scarlet on patrol more, he natural true sight and smell should be able to flush out any more if they surface." Paul smiled.

    "You''ll be going away soon right?" I hesitantly asked.

    "Maybe in a day or two I still need to fully recover," He smiled.

    "Wait, you did all that and you''re still not at full strength?" I questioned in utter shock.

    "To be honest I''m almost there 90%ish." He chuckled at my reaction.

    "Could you really take out a Demon Lord on your own if you fought against one?" I questioned hoping to find out more.

    "So a Demon Lord can''t come here I believe, their avatar might be able to but their avatars are a lot weaker. Now if you''re talking about actually defeating one, I assume it would be almost impossible. Not only will you need to defeat them in their own realm where I assume they are almost a God-Like status you''d also need to go up against its endless horde of subservient followers." Paul answered.

    "Have you heard of a Demon or Devil possession or owning a soul?" I questioned curiously.

    "So from what I believe a Demon can possess your soul by force or willingly worshipping them, Devil''s, on the other hand, will own your soul through a contract that for some odd reason by some divine process or something both parties must abide the conditions of the contract," Paul answered.

    "Is there a way to free their soul?" I inquired.

    "Hmm not that I know of, but I''m sure killing them would solve the problem, but killing a Demon or Devil lord is probably almost impossible, you''d prob need another rival to usurp them but then you''re kinda signing away your own soul in the process," Paul answered making me wonder how on earth can I surpass Paul and be strong enough to free his soul, or even bloody find the Demon or Devil lord that contains or holds his soul...

    "You okay? you have a worried look." Paul questioned looking at me walking in silence.

    "Ohh nothing..." I lied to him.

    "It''s okay, you''ll get stronger, don''t compare yourself to me, I''ve had many many more years of training then you have." He smiled.

    "I know." I faked a smile pretending that it was that which was getting me down.

    "Paul, how is the time going to feel when we get back home? How much time would have passed?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well I think from here, it''s almost one to one, so two months here is roughly two months there." He answered.

    "Wait, so if I stay in Atlantis I''ll be like 30?" I asked in shock.

    "Yeah kinda, but its a bit different here, the Arcanum technically makes us age slower or deteriorate slower, so despite being old in years, physically we''d still be a lot stronger and fit." He smiled.

    "Wow..." I answered the thought of being here for several years, possibly more and the effect it would have on my life back home and here or even myself.

    "I''ve seen that look before, worried about all the friends you''ve made here and everyone at home?" He questioned with a smile.

    "Yeah... how do you cope?" I asked hoping he could make me feel better.

    "You know me, I''ve always been a loner, and I''ve lost many friends after I left college, through time and life. Luckily for me, my close family knows and understands." He smiled.

    "Paul..." I instinctively replied feeling sorry for him, being totally oblivious to his hardships when we broke up.

    "You shouldn''t feel bad like I said we weren''t together and I hurt you and broke your heart, I don''t deserve your sympathy and compassion." He replied. "But yeah, maybe you just need to find a balance." He answered me.

    I began to think how having both lives would be almost impossible, staying here chasing a fantasy while leaving my family and loved ones behind, or letting Paul the only person that felt right for me, die here and losing his soul forever.

    "Hey hey... what''s wrong?" He stopped and turned to me extremely concerned.

    "I don''t know what to do Paul, everything here, everything back at home, what do I do?" I questioned him almost in tears thinking about it.

    "..... I know what you mean, although the copy of you I made was just a quick fix band-aid, in the end, you''re still away from your family and friends, I''m truly sorry this has all happened to you." He earnestly apologised.

    "Did you know this would happen to me?" I questioned quietly hoping he wouldn''t say yes.

    "I had no clue, actually our worlds are one of the worlds that are actually on the restricted list," Paul answered.

    "Restricted list?" I questioned in shock.

    "Yup, that''s why students from our earth are so rare, we''re actually protected by something called Solomon''s Law that stops us getting taken away," Paul answered.

    "So how was I taken?" I questioned in shock.

    "That I have no idea, I was utterly shocked to see your name appear in the list when we reviewed all the potential students this year." He answered.

    "What''s Solomons Law? I heard Solomon also owned this castle and a Dragon called me Daughter of Solomon what is that?" I asked in shock.

    "I''m not sure myself, all I know is that Solomon was a Great king back in our earth, but aside from that no idea, and there''s a countless number of realms and universes I can''t even be certain it''s the same Solomon," Paul answered.

    What the hell, every time I take a step forward why does it always seem like I''m taking two steps back...

 211 Helping Jennifer

    "Ohh look like it''s time for class," he smiled, "It''s really great that you''re fitting in." He added.

    "Can I drop by later?" I hesitantly asked.

    "Sure, of course, you can bring your party if you want, you know my room is always open for you guys." He smiled.

    "Can you help me strategies a way to beat Calista?" I questioned feeling hopeful.

    "Most defiantly, If she chooses to use her Storm Giant''s blessing you''ll be in trouble but if she doesn''t it should be a fair fight." He smiled.

    "Great! I''ll see you at the end of the day then!" I smiled extremely happy.#

    "I''ll see you later." He smiled bidding me farewell.

    "And sorry for the Travis stuff," I yelled dot him.

    "Don''t worry about it." He smiled back and walked off.

    Walking into class I took my usual seat waiting for the others to arrive, "Hey Emilia." They all smiled arriving with all the other students taking a seat with me.

    "Did you see him?" Daisy questioned eagerly.

    "Yeah, is he okay?" Helen asked taking a seat.

    "Yeah, he''s doing great, just letting off some steam." I smiled.

    "Who would dare piss him off? the way he effortlessly destroyed everything was scary." Jay questioned taking a seat.

    "It was nothing special." I smiled and listened intently as class started.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "So what any plans for this evening?" Grace asked during dinner.

    "I''m gonna go and visit Paul, discuss a few things with him," I answered.

    "Ohh can I come?" Daisy asked eagerly.

    "Sure of course you can." I smiled.

    "Can I as well? I''d hope to talk to him about the Jennifer issue." Jay questioned.

    "Can I?" Morgana asked politely.

    "Don''t see why not." I smiled.

    "He doesn''t find us... a nuisance does he?" Helen hesitantly questioned.

    "No, No he''s not like that," I answered her.

    Yes, Paul is great, he loves meeting people!" Daisy smiled.

    "Are you sure, he doesn''t seem to come out in public often," Grace replied sounding unconvinced.

    "Yeah, he dislikes it when people treat him special, he prefers it if you just be yourself and treat him like a normal person like you and me." I smiled.

    "Well I''m pretty much done when you guys are ready," Jay said clearing his plate, causing Daisy to turn into overdrive and quickly scoff down whatever food she had left along with a few extras, making me look at her wondering how much exercise must she do to stay in shape...

    "I must say this food does taste infinitely better than the food from swamps," Morganna said still politely eating her food.

    "What sort of food did you have back in the swamps?" Helen questioned curiously.

    "Well... I think I''m done for tonight." Grace replied leaving her plate half full.

    "You guys are lucky you had food, growing up I barely had enough we were all live feeding off scraps," Daisy said still munching down more food since we all haven''t finished yet.

    "Shall we head out?" I suggested smiling putting down my knife and fork.

    "Let''s go," Jay said standing up giving Daisy a nudge to do so.

    "Okay, okay let''s go!" Daisy said filled with excitement.

    "You''re always so excited." I chuckled.

    "Of course! You''d guys would understand if you met your hero." She smiled leading the way quickly to Paul''s room.

    "She''s not wrong, we are meeting two great hero''s regularly, and being trained by one of them on a daily basis." Helen smiled.

    "Yeah, we are pretty fortunate that they both are so open if they were Elves, they wouldn''t even look at us," Grace answered.

    "Really?... I''m sure there are some decent elves." I questioned.

    "Some but more often than not they are stuck up and arrogant wouldn''t give us ''ordinary people'' the light of day," Grace answered.

    "I''m sure it''s not as bad as you describe it, you both are great." I smiled as we made our way to Paul''s room.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Ascending the stairs every fibre of my being prayed to God that Travis wouldn''t be there to greet me, "You okay Emilia?" Daisy asked quickly following up behind me

    "Nothing, nothing." I pretended walking up normally since the coast was clear. Knocking on Pauls door waiting for a reply. "Paul it''s us," I shouted through the door to him,

    "Ohh come in! It''''s unlocked." Paul''s voice called out from the other side.

    Opening the door we were greeted with Paul and his group eating dinner around his table, "Hey!" They all greeted us with smiles as they ate food together sharing from several large dishes together in the centre like a family.

    "You guy''s eaten?" Paul said issuing us to come over.

    "Yeah, we just finished and came over." Daisy smiled taking a seat with them looking at the food.

    "Still hungry?" He chuckled noticing her interest in the food.

    "A little." She answered him.

    "Alright, I''ll get a bowl," he chuckled walking into the kitchen. "The rest of you hungry?" Paul questioned as he opened the door.

    "We''re okay. Thanks." We answered him.

    "No problems." He smiled and walked into the kitchen.

    "Hey, sis!" Scarlet greeted me somehow still inhaling her food simultaneously.

    "Who cooked all this?" I questioned taking a seat.

    "Paul did of course," Ashely answered.

    "How does he find the time?" I questioned in shock at the sheer amount of food.

    "He says it''s a lot easier now he can use magic to help him cook," Ashley answered.

    "Ohh, Anna! Thank''s for the save against the Demon." Helen smiled to Anna who looked very regal seated with her back straight with a folded napkin on her lap, eating tiny mouthfuls and never overfilling her plate, looking very prim and proper.

    "It was nothing." She smiled making sure to swallow her food before replying to Helen.

    "Here you go Daisy," Paul arrived back with a bowl and filling it with rice, handing her a spoon and chopsticks along with the bowl of rice.

    "Thank you." She smiled politely accepting the bowl and taking a seat before jumping into action scoffing down food.

    "So Paul, if you don''t mind me asking what were those spell''s you used earlier?" Jay questioned.

    "That''s a good question, some of them were spells, some of them were weapons I had accrued over time." He smiled.

    "Do you all have legendary weapons and equipment?" Jay questioned curiously.

    "Not all, Ashley isn''t equipped with anything legendary or artifacts in nature, but every invention he uses or has equipped is unique and his own invention. Scarlet as you may already know to equip with Platinum Dragon Scale armour as well as a runic sword forged in Dragon''s Flame, and a wooden smaller katana for non-lethal situations. Anna has a very deadly arsenal, Cursed blade named Muramasa, Last Word a set of Daggers that let her teleport to them at will, along with several concoctions and other things that aid her in disabling an enemy or enemies." Paul answered him.

    Anna finishing her meal used the napkin to politely clean her mouth and stood up taking the empty dishes and bowls to the kitchen. "Right, Daisy and Scarlet finish everything off, I think everyone else is done." Paul smiled and began helping clean up.

    "So does Anna use any spell casting?" Grace questioned.

    "Sadly her spell casting capabilities are very limited," Paul answered coming back after clearing the table and collecting the remaining dishes and bowls once Daisy and Scarlet were finished with them.

    "That is true, I can only cast up to forth levels spells and even then the amount I can cast is very limited," Anna said taking a seat still maintaining a very straight and correct posture.

    With a wave of his hand, Paul magically cleared the table of any stains or scruffs making it look pristine almost new. "Mr Paul," I was hoping to ask you something if you wouldn''t mind," Jay requested the moment he took a seat and relaxed a little.

    "Yes, Jay what can I do for you?" he smiled.

    "I was wondering if I could hear from you personally, the options you offered to help Jennifer," Jay questioned.

    "Ah yes, so I believe I offered to be her mentor personally, or have her move to a city far away so she can carry on practising magic without fear of being caught by her family or parents," Paul answered.

    "What do you think is best for her?" Jay questioned.

    "Personally option two would be best, me mentoring her personally won''t improve her situation and between you and me, I''m not a great teacher," Paul answered.

    "So what does it mean if she goes away?" he asked.

    "Well, to be honest, it will be up to her if she wants to leave her family and old life behind, but it is very far away you will probably not be able to see her, the travel alone takes a week or so by airship or sea. I would make her a permanent citizen in the middle district, it''s a decent cushy life, good neighbourhood and decent size apartment. I also have connections whereby she can find someone to mentor her, obviously no one as renowned or as strong as Master Dildamzed." Paul answered him.

    "Will she be safe?" He asked Paul sounding extremely serious.

    "Well like all cities there is a level of crime or other threats, but no more in danger than being in a large well-guarded city, of course from what I''ve heard she''s also capable, she''ll be given a nice place to live and stay, work and friends are up to her, to be honest," Paul answered.

    "How much do you charge to keep a close eye on her to keep her safe?" He asked Paul.

    "Well, my services are extremely expensive no ordinary person can keep up with my prices, but she will be a citizen of a city that I''m a council member in, so I can easily keep an eye on her just it''s an invasion of privacy," Paul answered.

    "I just don''t want anything to happen to her especially now she will be extremely far away," Jay explained.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll have city guards keep an eye out for her when it comes to spying on her that is where I''ll need to draw the line. If you''d like I''d I''ll set up a meet between you two to talk and hash things out. I''ll give you her address when she settles in if you want to send letters to each other." Paul answered.

    "If there''s an emergency she''ll be safe?" Jay questioned.

    "The city is very well guarded, both city guards and adventuring groups protect the city and call it home, rest assured she will be very safe. If you''d like I''ll give her an emergency beacon, similar to the trip bands when you guys go off sight, if that is triggered I''ll respond to her distress personally." Paul answered.

    "If you could do that I''ll be eternally grateful," Jay replied to Paul.

    "Well, it all depends if she decides to want to go through with it if she doesn''t then my hands are tied," Paul answered.

    "May I come with you when you contact her?" He requested.

    "Of course, but from what I understand this is going against her family so we''d need to go during the night," Paul answered.

    "That''s fine with me." He replied.

    "Great, we''ll go tomorrow, since I''m not required to do attend a council meeting for two more days." He answered.

    "Thank you for this." He nodded respectfully.

    "No problems, I''m here to help." Paul smiled like it wasn''t an issue at all.

    "Um, Mr Paul?" Helen hesitantly asked.

    "Yes, Helen?" Paul smiled back trying to make her feel more comfortable.

    "Is there no way of having her enrolled into Atlantis?" she questioned feeling a little guilty.

    "Oh, like what I did with Morgana?" He questioned curiously.

    "Yeah...." Helen replied quietly.

    "Unfortunately, I spoke to Ashley he said we can''t enrol any more students secretly without pulling the attention from Xoria''s ruling body," Paul informed her sounding a little sad.

    "You can''t just enrol whoever you wanted?" Grace asked a little shocked.

    "Well there''s a process which is all very illegal, so we only do it for emergency situations and currently we''re being investigated for Morgana, but we''ve hidden our tracks well so nothing will happen." Paul smiled making Helen feel a little better. "That''s why all enrolling is done when you guys arrive, that is when and only when all the school can accept new candidates," Paul explained.

 212 Helping Hand

    "If anyone need''s some skulls caved in or a monster killed... I can help..." Scarlet offered to cause Paul to laugh.

    I''m sure Scarlet if they needed something handled they would ask you." Paul smiled.

    "So we''ll head off tomorrow evening, are the rest of you coming?" Paul asked.

    "Is it okay for us to come?" Helen questioned.

    "Well, I''d probably be better if I take as few people as possible." Paul hesitantly informed them.

    "That''s okay, as long as you keep them safe," Helen answered.

    "Don''t worry unless a Dragon attacks I''m sure we''ll be fine." He joked.

    "So Paul, what is your favourite movie?!" Daisy asked excitedly.

    "You know what a movie is?" Paul asked a little surprised.

    "Yeah they come over for movie night," Ashely smiled.

    "Ohh nice, hmm favourite movie... I would say it''d have to be one called Star wars, especially the first one has one of the best fights I have ever seen!" Paul said extremely excited.

    "Really Paul? after seesing what you can do, you thought that was great?" I questioned unconvinced.

    "Of course, the fight, the sheer confidence and demeanour, LOVE IT!" He smiled.

    "So Mr Paul," Grace asked.

    "Please Paul will just do." He smiled.

    "Um, Paul... is it true that you might be able to bring us back with you to your world?" Grace asked.

    "It should be..." He answered, "Ashley, Scarlet next time one of you hit a magic shop get six Glamour charms, or at least make an order for six," Paul questioned.

    "Hmm, shouldn''t we get Pumat on it?" Ashely questioned.

    "Ahh yeah good point we only have two weeks, get a rush order in on Pumat." Paul informed Ashely changing his mind.

    "I''ll go with you Ashley, Paul you''re gonna be on sight right?" Scarlet questioned.

    "Yup I''ll still be in Atlantis, I''m gonna be off in the evening to help Jay so be back by then." Paul smiled.

    "Great, Shopping day!" Scarlet smiled.

    "Glamour charms?" I questioned as the name rang a bell.

    "It''s normally an object when worn, changes the appearance of the wearer." Paul smiled.

    "Oh, so they can fit in?" I asked feeling excited.

    "Ohh wait, you, Jay and Morgana are human, silly me." Paul chuckled. "Ashley, change that to three Glamour charms," Paul informed Ashley.

    "Yeah, to be honest, six in two weeks was a bit of a stretch," Ashley chuckled.

    "Oh, and we still have those Earrings of Messaging?" Paul questioned.

    "Earring Messaging project..." Ashley began tp ponder for a while, "Oh yeah finished that ages ago," He informed Paul with a wave dismissing it."

    "Wait when?" Paul asked in utter shock.

    "I dunno I always have too many things going on." Ashley laughed.

    "How many did you make?" Paul questioned.

    "You asked for four for testing," Ashley answered.

    "My bad my bad..." Jay answered.

    "What''s an Earing of Messaging?" I questioned quietly.

    "So there''s a very rare cantrip, not many people know it, but it lets the caster communicate telepathically to a target. We managed to acquire a scroll of it, to which we hoped Ashley could research it and imbue it into some sort of inconspicuous accessory to allow us to communicate telepathically." Paul answered.

    "But we have the communication badges," I questioned.

    "Yeah but although the messages are heard telepathically we still need to speak out loud, as you can imagine being able to communicate utterly telepathically can be very beneficial in situations. Paul answered.

    "Also unlike the coins you use and other things, the infused spell is a cantrip so any Arcanum user can use it indefinitely, unlike say my coins of fireball that can only be used a few times," Ashley answered.

    "Woah, that sounds amazing." I looked in amazement.

    "It is a pretty amazing idea if it works." Paul smiled.

    "Also a very profitable item to sell." Ashley smiled.

    "How rich are you all?" Helen asked politely.

    "We''re pretty well off, I spend most my time off school grounds setting up businesses and doing missions and requests," Paul answered.

    "Especially particularly lucrative bounties and missions, they are especially fun!" Scarlet smiled.

    "Yes if there are particularly lucrative bounties or requests for rare expensive materials we also like to go hunting." Paul agreed.

    "We noticed that you have a Sunblade, how on did you manage to achieve that?" Helen questioned.

    "Because Sunelves, in particular, is one of the proudest Elven races, treating any Non-Elven races with extreme hostility?" Paul questioned.

    "Exactly that." Grace nodded.

    "Well, one thing I know for certain that all Elves value the lives of their own over their stubborn pride." Paul smiled.

    "So they were up against a threat they couldn''t defeat?" Helen questioned.

    "They were under threat of a large Magma Primordial," Paul answered.

    "What''s a Primordial?" I questioned.

    "Primordials are pretty difficult to destroy, they''ve been severely powered down but are still pretty difficult to deal with. This one in particular spouted an outer shell of cooled magma was had spell immunity, once you break that you''ll expose a chance to actually harm is but it''s still a very lot living magma core that can literally burn a mortal down to their bones or absolutely melt a weapon down to its hilt." Paul answered.

    "Does it have a heart?" I questioned curiously.

    "Yes, this primordial luckily only had one core, a small solid heart in its body surrounded by a mass of living lava," Paul answered.

    "They can have multiple?" Jay asked fascinated in Pauls story.

    "Yes, primordials normally have one or two, very large ones might have three," Paul answered.

    "How big as this one?" Daisy asked.

    "This one was probably the size of a small house," Paul answered making us all gasp in shock.

    "So what tactic did you use to defeat it?" Grace asked.

    "So unlike our normal tactic, we didn''t want to risk Scarlet''s gear, although they are very durable, lava although very natural and mundane has been seen to easily melt magical equipment with ease. So we had Scarlet make an opening in its magical shell for me to blast it with magic to locate its heart." Paul answered.

    "Did you kill it?" I questioned.

    "So from what I''ve been told, Primordials can''t die, when killed they will simply regrow or revive after some time back in their home plane of existence," Paul answered.

    "Yes we still don''t understand how or why, but despite destroying its core or heart, apparently their essence will simply regrow in the planes of fire," Ashley answered.

    "Also the heart net us a lot of gold and stature!" Scarlet smiled.

    "Yes, the Essence or heart of an Elemental is expensive enough already, a Primordial heart''s which are even rarer and harder to obtain is worth a small fortune." Paul smiled nodding.

    "What makes them so valuable?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well despite being dead the heart itself still produced a very strong intense heat naturally, very talented enchanters or Artificers can use the particular property to create amazing items and equipment, such as a heatstone that can keep individuals warm in very savage and cold climates. or a weapon with a fiery blade or armour with heat resistance and anti-cold properties." Paul answered.

    "Did you also sell its outer shell with anti-magic properties?" Jay questioned.

    "Yeah, although most of it was shattered into tiny insignificant piece, we did manage to net one or two larger usable pieces, but unlike their living specimen they only spouted magical resistance rather than magical immunity," Paul explained.

    "Did it have like a soul or personality?" I question wondering if such a thing was alive with a conscience.

    "It did, but Primordials are eternal and unforgiving, they still innately harbour a natural hatred to God''s and their creations because of a war long ago, so any form of negotiation is thrown out the window." Paul smiled.

    "So did they look for you or did you happen to pass by? I find it hard to believe they actively looked for help." Helen questioned curiously.

    "They actually looked for us, we were recommended by someone," Paul answered.

    "Wow, that''s very hard to believe," Grace replied looking extremely shocked.

    "We were too, but apparently they have lost many veterans and young soldiers," Paul answered.

    "How sure were you, that you guys could defeat it?" Helen questioned.

    "To be honest, I was a little cautious myself, I didn''t field Anna or Ashley since it was so dangerous. Lava has a very strong ability to destroy magical items and even my barriers so it would be hard to ensure everyone''s safety. It was a little sad that it took a while to swallow their pride and ask for help." Paul answered.

    "If you don''t mind me asking, what were those yellow peppers you used to reinforce your barrier earlier?" Jay questioned.

    "Impressive, you noticed I used them to reinforce my barrier." Paul smiled.

    "It was only an assumption, I noticed the language you wrote on them flare with intensity as the Demon Lord tried to break out," Jay answered.

    "Well spotted." Paul smiled, "Well that is also very old ancient magic from another world, the words inscribed on the notes denote their property. It''s very similar to Head Mistresses Rune magic but mine is written on the yellow pieces of paper, but faster but limited in uses." Paul answered.

 213 Stealth Op

    (Just for brevity I''d prob skip most class as they probably are uneventful. Give me a message or a comment if you''d like to hear classes as they would be good for lore or world development).

    "Are you sure you two will be okay?" Helen asked her hands fidgeting with worry.

    "Ohh yeah this would be maybe the first time we won''t be out as a group," Jay replied.

    "I''m sure we will be fine, Paul is coming with us and you saw how powerful he is." I smiled trying to reassure her.

    "I guess..." She answered.

    "Helen, you saw him yesterday! Paul was obscenely strong, the rumours and stories don''t even do him justice!" Grace replied.

    "See I told you he''s the greatest!" Daisy smiled with pride that she never lost faith in him.

    "Well actually he did say Gilgamesh is even stronger then he is and maybe his lieutenant Artura Pendragon." I told Daisy making her look at me in shock and betrayal.

    "So Grace what do you reckon? think Travis still has a chance after seeing Paul in action?" Jay asked fully aware that Travis is way out of his depth.

    "Well, don''t count him out just yet, did you see him siege the Dark Elves with extreme range and accuracy," Grace answered.

    "She''s not wrong, as much as I despise him, he did save my life taking out those weird illusion beasts with one shot with deadly precision, and shot a very high impact shell," I answered.

    "Yeah, but did you forget that he was able to shield the entire city from the front blast of several moonbeams from several Dark Elf casters? and held off a army of Dark Elves long enough for us to get him out with an emergency teleport." Jay replied making me remember that he risked his life for the school and the citizens and no one even knew.

    "On that note, why didn''t he blast the army, I''m sure he has many apocalyptic spells in his arsenal," Grace questioned.

    "Who knows, but I''m sure he had a good reason," Jay answered.

    "I''ll ask him, maybe he''ll tell me." I smiled.

    "I do wonder what else he has in his pool of spells," Morgana looked in the distance wondering.

    "He did say one of his most devastating abilities was erecting an Anti-Magic field," I answered.

    "That''s impossible!" Grace gasped in shock.

    "Yup, that''s what he told me," I nodded.

    "Why would he want to do that?" Jay questioned.

    "Well I can''t remember what he said exactly, but I guess it''s if he''s overwhelmed by counterspells and several casters, so he can then combat them with his hand to hand combat," I answered.

    "Wait is that what he used to defeat the Dark Elf casters?" Jay questioned.

    "That''s what he told me, he said a previous mentor taught him how to use his Ki to create spells but they aren''t spells," I answered.

    "What!!..." Jay looked at me utterly stunned.

    "That''s what he said," I smiled and shrugged.

    "Well this is us, he said he''ll meet us here." Jay smiled.

    "Hey Paul, we''re here." I spoke into my badge.

    "Ohh sure I''m coming." He replied and in an instant he a red portal flashed and Paul came stepping out. "Hello everyone!" He smiled greeting all of us and giving everyone a nod.

    "Hi, Paul! Helen is a little worried something might go wrong." Daisy instantly told Paul making us all look at her in shock.

    "Don''t worry Helen, nothing will happen, their guards and thugs are mundane humans, I''m sure even you guys would be able to deal with them easily." He smiled reminding me how despite us being ambushed we defeated the paid mercenaries surprisingly easily.

    "Anyways, I''ve got some equipment that will make or life a little easier." Paul smiled reaching into his pouch and pulling out two pairs of boots.

    "Hey is that the same as the one you got me?" I questioned noticing it could carry more than the actual size of the bag.

    "Yes this is the same type of bag he smile," Anways take this, sorry I have;t got anything that looks fancier on in your colour." He joked handing me a pair of boots.

    "Okay... what do they do?" I questioned as I put them on.

    "Helen and Grae would know what these are, just standard Elven boots, designed to be extra quiet, no matter how hard you try they won''t make footstep sounds." He answered with a smile.

    "Ohh wow that''s nice." Helen and Grace smiled as I began stomping my feet not he ground making no sound at all.

    "Wow, this is amazing but also very jarring," I replied.

    "I know the feeling." He smiled, "Okay, next is the Earring of messaging." He smiled taking out a set of earrings.

    "You know you should get Ashley to put some gems or something in them." I joked at the very basic metal design.

    "I dunno, bring it up with him, my understanding of Artificing is very limited." Paul chucked. "Testing testing," Paul spoke into our heads as Jay and I put them on.

    "Ohh this is weird," I replied back half telepathically and a half with my voice.

    "Wow, this will take some getting used to." Jay laughed.

    Paul proceeded to pull out what I can best describe as something invisible, "WHAT NO YOU HAVE A INVISIBILITY CLOAK!!!" I jumped in excitement.

    "Nah I was only joking." He laughed loudly.

    "IDIOT!" I punched him as hard as I could.

    "Ouch, that hurt." He flinched rubbing his arm.

    "If you really wanted, I could easily cast invisibility on you." He laughed.

    "You''re horrible!" I scolded him.

    "I''m sorry I took it too far." He apologised but was still smiling and giggling. "Okay, now here are some invisibility coins by yours truly Ashley." He said passing us both a coin. "As you may know these had three charges each, we should only need one." He answered.

    "Do you have something to help us see in the dark?" Jay questioned.

    "Hmm I don''t expect us to stay that long or even need it, but I''ll cast darkvision on you both if we do." He smiled. "Ohh and if anything dangerous happens to take these," He said taking out two pairs of gloves. "Now these are very rare gloves it allows the wearer to cast scorch ray without needing any Arcanum, but it only has five uses then they become mundane, so only use them as a last resort." He explained.

    "Do you think anything will happen?" Daisy asked looking at all the equipment we were getting.

    "Nothing should happen and even if anything does I''m almost certain I''ll be able to handle it, but no harm in being prepared." He gave me a smile.

    "How are we gonna get there?" I questioned him looking a little worried.

    "So from what I remember Maynard is the closest city with a permanent waypoint right?" Paul questioned.

    "Yes," Jay answered him.

    "So we''ll head to Maynard and from there. Wait no, that will take too long, I''ll just portal us there." He smiled.

    "You sure it safe?" I questioned.

    "You''ve been to Thralkeld? Jay questioned a little shocked.

    "Ohhh yeah... Emilia mentioned it to me so I went today to scope the place out." Paul quickly answered thinking on his toes. "And yes it should be alright." Paul smiled.

    "Well, put everything on and we''ll being heading out." Paul smiled. "Apologies to the rest, since this requires the element of stealth I''d prefer taking as few individuals as possible." Paul apologised to everyone else.

    "That''s no problem, we''re sure you know what you''re doing." Helen smiled.

    Paul nodded back in respect, "We''ll be a quick as we can so you''ll be able to get enough sleep and be ready for training tomorrow." Paul informed everyone. "So we''re ready?" He asked Jay and I.

    "Yes," We both nodded.

    "Okay let''s go." Paul smiled opening his unique red portal.

 214 Never a Dull Momen

    Stepping through the portal that strange feeling still making me nauseous as ever. "Did you get this weird feeling when you started teleporting around?" I questioned Paul needing to take a break to steady myself.

    "Ahh yeah, that was so long ago though." He chuckled.

    "So how do we activate the gloves?" Jay asked looking at them carefully on his hand.

    "So as you know Scorch Ray fires three beams of fire, so you just have to make a gun with three fingers and they will shoot out," Paul answered showing him the hand gesture to activate the glove.

    "Ohh okay...." Jay answered looking at the glove carefully, "So anyone can use these?" He questioned.

    "Yes, normal people can use them, that why they are pretty expensive to acquire. A small fact you might not have known, unlike the other schools most of Aspa''s military force is made up of normal people using equipment that can replicate spells as well as performance-enhancing drugs that enable them to become a powerful arcanum user for a very limited amount of time." Paul informed them.

    "Where are we by the way?" I asked looking around finally steadying myself.

    "We should be in the woods near the town unless something went horribly wrong." He chuckled and began walking in a direction I guess heading towards the town.

    "Wait we could have ended up in the wrong location?! I asked in shock.

    "Well, it hasn''t happened in a while now that I''ve gotten better at it but it could happen." He laughed.

    "So what''s the plan?" Jay questioned.

    "Easy, we''ll use the invisibility coin and make our way in," Paul answered Jay.

    "What about locked door''s and patrol''s and things?" Jay questioned.

    "Well that''s why we have Elven boots to hide our footsteps, and Anna has taught me a thing or two on lock pickings so gaining entry should be a cinch. The telepathic earrings should allow us to communicate without making a sound." Paul explained.

    "So how would you know exactly where she is?" I questioned as we made our way to the town.

    "All of us possess the ability to sense other Arcanum users, some more adept than others, with enough training and honing you can eventually become like me, where I can pinpoint and sense other Arcanum users and their power levels," Paul answered.

    "So how far does this ability extend?" Jay questioned.

    "Well it all depends on how much I concentrate, the more I concentrate the further my senses reach." He answered.

    "So is she okay?" Jay questioned.

    "Hmm well, she seems alright right now, very idle at the moment maybe she''s in her room or something," Paul answered.

    "Is this Rune magic?" Jay questioned.

    "Yes, it is." Paul smiled.

    "So you replicate spells by writing the runes on us?" Jay questioned.

    "Yes, think of it like I just wrote see invisibility on you, so now you can see invisible people, but like most magic, it wanes over time so it will only last an hour or two," Paul explained.

    "Amazing." Jay looked at the rune closely.

    "Okay time to use our invisibility coins and I''ll lead the way to Jennifer," Paul said speaking into our minds telepathically with a smile. As his form began to change ethereal almost like a ghost appearing semi-transparent with a light blue hue outlining his body. "Remember to take care and- don''t bump into people and things." Paul reminded us.

    "So these coins aren''t Rune magic?" Jay questioned.

    "No, this is done by artificing, unlike rune magic which fades over time, Ashley has infused the coin with magic, making a mundane item now magical which also allows it to recharge over time," Paul explained.

    It really was quite amazing how we made our way quietly through the darkened streets, the boots making absolutely zero sound allowing us effortlessly walkthrough totally unnoticed like we weren''t even there.

    "This is way better than a cloak right?" Paul asked chuckling.

    "You''re an idiot," I laughed back.

    "When we neared the estate, I''ll need you both to keep watch while I pick the locks," Paul informed us.

    "There isn''t a spell that can do it?" I questioned.

    "There is, but the spell is very loud," Paul answered.

    "Surely you can use a Rune to open it," Jay asked.

    "That is also a possibility, but I don''t want to leave any Arcanum residue that might trace back to me," Paul answered.

    "Oh, I understand now," Jay answered.

    "So you can trace spells back to the caster?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well not really, but the only known users of Rune magic is the Headmistress and me." Paul answered.

    "What do we do if we''ve alerted some guards?" Jay questioned.

    "Stand down, for now, I''ll put them to sleep," Paul answered.

    As we neared the huge Vancliff estate Paul gave us a hand signal to stop. "Everything okay?" I questioned.

    "Hm, something seems off..." Paul informed us.

    "What''s wrong?" I questioned.

    "Well, normally there should be guards here, something feels quite strange... I don''t know what it is but something feels different about her." Paul answered.

    "What''s happening?" Jay questioned.

    "I''m not sure, she''s on the move walking up to the highest point of the building, and I''m not sure if you both have noticed yet, but there''s a slight change in the wind... it''s more chaotic not at all-natural." Paul explained.

    "What could it be?" I asked.

    "I dunno, never a dull moment I suppose," Paul said and began advancing into the manor.

    As we neared the Vancliff building the wind Paul spoke about began to feel more apparent. "Is it me or it feels like the wind is swirling in a circle," Jay questioned.

    "You''re not wrong, she''s an Air caster right?" Paul questioned as we arrived at our first door and Paul began to pick the lock.

    "Yeah, she is," Jay informed him taking a look around the corners making sure they were clear.

    "Have you seen her do anything similar to this?" Paul questioned giving the handle a turn and entered the building.

    "Nothing like this at all," Jay answered as we both followed in close behind him, it looked like a tornado absolutely trashed the place, everything was out of place like it was tossed around and flung about aimlessly.

    "This doesn''t look good..." Paul uttered in shock trying to understand what''s going on.

    "What''s happening?" I asked.

    "Jennifer''s power level is rising at an alarming rate, and I sense several elementals in the area,;" Paul answered.

    "We need to hurry!" Jay said to Paul.

    "Yes we do," Paul said hurrying his pace ignoring the surroundings and unconscious bodies on the floor.

    "Paul there''s lot''s of bodies here," I informed him keeping up with him.

    "They are either dead or unconscious nothing we can really do for them now, but right now Jennifer might be in a lot of danger," Paul answered as we began to ascend the building. "Jay do you have any idea what''s going on?" Paul questioned urgently.

    "Not that I know of," Jay answered.

    "Do you have any idea what''s happening?" I asked Paul.

    "Well she''s now ascended to the highest point of the estate, and there are several elementals around, most the wounds received by the people here are is a result of a blunt force and since she has an affinity to air. I feel somehow her being here is either summoning or calling air elementals here suddenly for a weird reason." Paul answered.

    "Why is she ascending to the top?" Jay asked.

    "I have no idea, the fact she''s the only one still alive or conscience give me a bad feeling, when we encounter here she may be hostile," Paul answered.

    "There''s no way." Jay objected him.

    "I believe you, but it''s a possibility... I don''t understand why she''s the only one aside from us who are conscious here." Paul answered. As we ascended the estate the amount of Arcanum in the air started getting stronger and stronger swirling like a storm. "You guys feel it right?" Paul questioned.

    "Feel''s like we''re in a storm," I answered.

    "Yes, and it''s getting stronger with every passing minute," Paul answered.

    "Is Jennifer still awake?" Jay asked.

    "Yes she is, I don''t know what''s happening but she''s become immensely stronger now," Paul answered.

    "What do you mean by that?" Jay asked.

    "Well, she''s on par with an A-class student now and still rising..." Paul answered him.

    "There''s no way... how can she?" He asked in utter shock.

    "There are several ways individuals can boost their power but they are all very dangerous," Paul answered making me remember the student that allowed him to get possessed. "Your friend Jennifer is at the top of this tower..." Paul said stopping us at a battered door that''s been blasted off its hinges.

    "Why are we stopping?" Jay asked.

    "There are several elementals between us and her, there are three on the steps leading up with 10 elementals at the top along with Jennifer," Paul informed us.

    "Why are we waiting we need to save her!" Jay said trying to hurry.

    "They aren''t attacking her, in fact, she''s in the centre and seemed to be position in some sort of ritual," Paul explained to Jay.

    "There''s no way she wouldn''t do such a thing!" Jay objected.

    Paul grabbed Jay''s arm, "You''re smart for your age, you and I know that might not be her up there anymore." Paul explained to him seriously.

    "Let me deal with her." Jay looked back at Paul seriously.

    "You deal with her, whatever is happening you stop this ritual, Emilia and I will deal with the elementals." Paul nodded to Jay.

    Paul gave us a definitive and began cautiously ascending up the winding stairwell.

 215 Air Ritual

    "You both take out the one ahead, I''ll deal with the other two," Paul instructed us as I looked up seeing what I can best describe was a localised tornado slightly bigger than a normal human that seemed to be moving on its own with the two arms and its own sentience.

    "It''s that mini tornado thing right?" I questioned just to make sure.

    "Yes, that is the Air elemental," Paul answered.

    "Any idea what spell we should use?" Jay questioned.

    "A good Scorch Ray just focus all three beams on the closest one, I''ll attack on your go." He instructed.

    In unison, Jay and I held out our wand blasting out to intense scorch ray straight at the first tornado without warning. Instantly with unfathomable speed, Paul dashed passed the first elemental we attacked, touching the second elemental a little further above us making it vanish instantly and proceeding to the 3rd elemental punching through it dissipating it entirely. Finishing off the one we aimed at with a back kicking flinging a firebolt into it dissipating along with our scorch rays burning through it.

    "Right let''s go," Paul said as his invisibility faded and began quickly ascending to the top.

    "Are you sure we can clear the room?" I asked.

    "I should be able to clear the majority, so as long as Jay gets through to Jennifer I''m sure we''ll be fine," Paul answered.

    "Ohh wait for before we go in, we''ll need to do some preparations," He informed us.

    "More rune stuff?" I questioned holding out my arm to him rolling up my sleeves,

    "Yeah, I''m gonna draw some runes to make you both a little more resistant and stuff." He answered.

    "We don''t have time we need to go now!" Jay objected.

    "Look I know you want to save your friend, so do I but we need to be prepared, besides we need to wait a minute for one of my spells to come," Paul answered.

    "Fine." Jay reluctantly agreed, holding out his arms to Paul.

    "She''s gonna be okay right?" I questioned.

    "I hope so," Paul answered and proceeded to draw several runes on our arms resembling cool glowing tattoos.

    "Okay, you both should now be resistant to most forms of damage, as well as adverse effects that might affect your state of mind or body," Paul informed us as he finished the last rune on my hand. Paul looked at me directly in the eyes, "You both need to be careful, I feel an immense amount of Arcanum, she''s verging on the edge of S-Rank now, I''ll try to make the area as safe as I can for the both of you, but you need to look after him, if Jennifer tries anything you need to save him, I think he''s too invested in her safety to see sense." Paul spoke to me telepathically. "Are you both ready?" Paul asked both of us quickly.

    "Yes," we both nodded.

    Paul slammed his hands on the floorboards causing tiny black runes and lines to spiral out from his hand on the floor and in an instant, almost all the elementals instantly vanished except a larger elemental beside Jennifer which emitted small arcs of lightning with wrist bracelets and a more humanoid made of a tornado.

    The larger elemental looked at us and pointed its hand directly at us, Jennifer turned around breaking away from her ritual and held out her wand. "S*IT!" Paul yelled turning to use holding out a hand towards us as Jennifer unleashed a large spiralling tornado with arcing lightning and huge chunks of debris flew out of her wand.

    "Jennifer STOP!" Jay yelled as Paul''s golden barrier erected barely in time to save us from the spell.

    "Paul!" I yelled noticing he wasn''t in the cube with us as his body was blasted by the spell pinning him to the wall the debris cutting and bashing him as it slowly began to give way to the immense pressure of the spell of the tornado. "Paul! drop the shield!" I yelled to him banging at it, as the wall cracked and crumbled till it ultimately gave way and Paul was blown away plummeting into the night sky.

    "Jay do something!" I yelled to him as Paul''s barrier maintained keeping us safe from the spell.

    "JENNIFER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP THIS!" Jay yelled out trying to reach her.

    Either Jay''s plea reached her or her spell ran its course but eventually, the tornado dissipated along with Pauls barrier freeing us to act. "Paul!!" I yelled out running to the edge looking down into the dark looking for signs of his body.

    "Now you guys FING pissed me off!" Paul yelled as he appeared out a red portal above the large elemental. With a crushing motion of one hand, he instantly made another air elemental dissipate instantly and opened a red portal beneath the large one with his other hand and forcing it through with himself closing both portals behind him.

    "PAUL ARE YOU OKAY?!" I asked him desperate for a reply.

    "I''m okay, I think I took away her power source, stop the ritual!" He replied.

    "Jay, get through to her, I''ll deal with the elemental," I instructed with my wand casting a flame orb on it and with my other hand blasting it with three scorch rays using my gloves. Despite being hit directly and letting out a weird howl of pain, it survived holding out a hand towards me. A familiar gust of wind began coalescing in its hand, reacting faster then I expected, and recognising the spell Calista''s clone would use often, I dove behind a nearby pillar blocking me from the brunt of the attack.

    "Jay, you okay?" I shouted out to him.

    "Jennifer you need to stop this!" Jay yelled out trying to reach her as the whole room filled with gale-force winds.

    The wooden support pillar began to crack and splinter very rapidly under the pressure of the spell. Popping out my wand around the pillar I began shooting off firebolts towards the origin of the tornado until is hit it directly interrupting the spell, using the opening I popped around the pillar pointing out three fingers at it again blasting it with three more rays of scorching fire and with my wand I began launching firebolts at it while mentally pulling the flaming orb into it again.

    "Just die already!" I yelled out as it dissipated along with the gale-force tornado winds. I instinctively look at Jay as he cautiously approached Jennifer, the pure whiteness of her eyes reminding me of possession in a horror movie.

    "Jennifer, what are you doing?" He questioned her as I stood up and began making my way to make sure Jay was safe.

    "Can''t you hear him? Master is calling us, guiding us." She said sounding soulless and emotionless like she was utterly under the control of something.

    "What are you talking about?" Jay questioned utter confused.

    "We are the chosen, we will become the vessels for the princes." She answered as she went back facing away from Jay and the gale-force winds began to start up again.

    "Jay! whats going on?!" I yelled out unable to bring myself to harm Jennifer.

    "I don''t know, she''s spouting nonsense," Jay yelled back unsure what to do.

    "Guy''s what are you doing? You need to stop this ritual! no matter how many times I kill this thing, it won''t stay dead. I think the ritual is its anchor!" Paul yelled at us.

    Cautiously making my way to Jay. "We need to stop this if she finishes the ritual, who knows what will happen!" I said to him.

    "I know! but what can we do?" He questioned looking lost.

    I began to look up and down Jennifer closely, "It must be that." I pointed out a glowing dagger tied to her belt with glowing white runes inscribed all over the blade.

    "It must be!" Jay nodded and battled his way to Jennifer and pulling it out from her belt.

    "Nooo!" Jennifer yelled like the dagger was something important to her or the ritual.

    "Emilia catch!" Jay yelled throwing the dagger to me the tornado suddenly vanished again allowing the dagger to fly undisturbed towards my hands.

    "You need to see our destiny!" Jennifer yelled grabbing Jay''s face forcing him to look into her eyes.

    Jay froze instantly as if suspended in animation his eyes slowly becoming pure white like Jennifers.

    ''This can''t be good." I thought to myself and quickly began making my way to the door of the room. "Paul I need you here now! She''s doing something to Jay!" I pleaded for him.

 216 Ritual Trauma

    Paul reentered through a red portal, his clothes heavily battered and cuts all along one of his arms bleeding like he was cut thousands of times. "Paul are you okay?" I instinctively asked him as he joined me.

    "I''m okay, what happened?" He questioned.

    "Did you deal with the bigger elemental?" I asked.

    "Yes, just a moment ago, I came back as soon as it vanished." He answered.

    "I don''t what''s going on! Jennifer did something to him and now they both looked as possessed as each other.

    "At the very least the ritual has stopped." He answered watching them carefully.

    "She was talking about their master and something about princes." I tried to recall what happened.

    "Hmmm I really don''t know what''s going on," Paul answered.

    "Is there nothing you can do? Whatever''s happening can''t be right!" I asked him.

    "Well, I''ll try this...." Paul hesitantly replied and thrust out his hand, the feeling of released Arcanum rippled out of his hand like a gentle wave that instantly made them both collapse and the feeling of the magic Paul place of us fade from assistance.

    "What did you do?" I questioned in shock following Paul walking to them.

    "I just done a simple dispel magic, I assumed whatever was happening was magical based," Paul answered rolling over Jay''s body making him more comfortable.

    "Do you really think their master was the reason all this happened?" I questioned in shock helping Jennifer turn over so she''d be more comfortable.

    "I honestly wouldn''t know," Paul answered.

    "Ohhh I forgot.. we also pulled this knife from Jennifer," I said handing it to him. "It had white glowing runes when the ritual was active," I answered.

    "Hmm..." Paul said holding it as his eyes flashed blue for a split second. "Interesting this is a very ancient blade... Doesn''t originate from this plane and has its own sentience." Paul answered.

    "Like it''s own personality?" I questioned in shock.

    "Yes... you''d have to attune to it to be able to communicate to it, but I guess that''s what happened to Jennifer, so I won''t risk it," Paul answered.

    "So what happened?" I questioned looking for answers.

    "So I''m guessing somehow Jennifer got this dagger and attuned to it, whatever is in here possessed her making her summon Air Elementals," Paul answered.

    "Do they normally exist here?" I questioned.

    "Normally no, they only get her when natural disasters like tornados or hurricanes or storms appear," Paul answered.

    "But this time is different? Jennifer summoned them?" I asked.

    "Yes... now the ritual has stopped so did the freak storm we felt the moment we arrived at the estate, let me guess just before I arrived you both disarmed her of the dagger?" Paul questioned.

    "Yes, I think," I answered him.

    "So the dagger did all this?" I questioned in shock looking at the rather mundane looking dagger.

    "I assume so, it would also explain why her power level spiked so quickly, there must be something powerful embedded in here," Paul answered.

    "What are you gonna do with it?" I questioned.

    "I''ll keep it for now, and hand it over to a couple of contacts that might be able to give me more information," Paul answered.

    With a giant gasp, Jay woke up looking utterly terrified and in complete shock, "Wait what happened?" Jay questioned in shock clutching his chest.

    "Don''t worry everything seems fine now," Paul said trying to calm him down a little.

    "Jennifer?" said looking around for her and tried to reach out to her body.

    "She''s fine, she''s just unconscious," Paul answered him still trying to calm him down.

    "Jay, what happened?" I questioned him hope to find out more.

    "I don''t know, when she touched me she sent me to a place... ravaged with fire unbearably hot and barren. I saw living raging infernos and firestorms, even hot ash filled the air both burning and choking me." Jay answered like he was in some sort of nightmare.

    "Okay," Paul nodded listening carefully.

    "Then a weird ominous voice spoke out to me in a weird language I didn''t understand, then a red hot spark ignited inside me and began burning me from the inside out. It was so painful..." Jay describes his ordeal still holding his chest like what he felt was completely real.

    "Jay''s a blue flame caster and Jennifer is an Air caster, this can''t be a coincidence," I asked Paul.

    "Yeah, I know... and on top, their master is known to have always had no more than four disciplines, this must be connected in some way, but I''ve never heard of him doing anything bad like this," Paul answered.

    "When Jennifer said Master spoke to her. I don''t think she was talking about Master Dildamzed, he''s never done anything like this before." Jay answered.

    "She might be referring to whatever is in this blade or something else maybe she heard and understood the ominous voice that also spoke to you," Paul answered.

    Jennifer slowly awoke from her slumber and instantly began screaming incoherently like a women-driven insane. "Jennifer!" Jay instinctively dove to her, making her look at him but did nothing to reach her.

    Paul tapped her forehead gently as a yellow piece of paper with writing manifested on her forehead making her go drowsy and slowly fall asleep into Jay''s arms. "Is she gonna be okay?" I questioned in utter shock.

    "I''m honestly not sure... I''ll have to bring her back and spend some time sussing what''s ailing her." Paul answered.

    "Let me talk to her," Jay demanded politely.

    "..... I''ll let you talk to her when she becomes a bit more normal. I promise. He answered him.

    "I''ll get through to her." Jay requested.

    "And I''m sure you will, but right now I feel her mind is not quite herself right now, I imagine she was feeling the pain much similar to yours but for hours. "She''s been through a lot of trauma, just give me some time to help her get back to normal." Paul tried to calm jay down and persuade him.

    The moment she becomes normal I want to see her!" Jay requested.

    "The moment she''s back to normal, I''ll personally bring you to her," Paul answered nodding understanding completely what he''s going through.

    "Paul are you sure she''s gonna be okay?... her screams were... shocking," I asked him feeling a little scared.

    "I know someone in the school that can help her, rest assured I''ll give her the best help that''s out there," Paul answered.

    "Paul, are you gonna be okay?" I questioned holding his hand showing him his wounded arm that now stopped bleeding but still looked red and raw.

    "It''s just tiny wounds nothing serious." Paul smiled and opened a portal with Scarlet and the other, not the other side.

    "Scarlet and Anna I need you now. Ashley contacts Mr Wayne and gets him to make his way here, tell him the Vancliff family needs assistance." Paul ordered them.

    "Sure!" Scarlet and Anna walked through to us.

    "Hey, guys you alright?!" Helen and Daisy shouted out to us.

    "We''re alright nothing to worry about," Paul answered as the portal slowly closed shutting them off from us.

    "What happened here?" Scarlet questioned looking around.

    "I assume it was some sort of summoning ritual," Paul answered.

    "We''ll secure the area." Scarlet and Anna nodded as if they knew what to do.

    "Thank''s I''m not sure how many are left," Paul answered making them both walk off. "Ohh and administer some potions and healing balms to the injured," Paul instructed to them before they vanished down the stairs.

    "Due to Jennifer''s already weakened mental state, I''ll take her to Maynard and use the waypoint, I don''t want to risk her safety using my portals," Paul informed us.

    "I''ll join you," Jay replied ready to leave with him.

    "So, I''d prefer if you guys head back through my portals, I don''t want you both getting in trouble leaving school grounds on a school day and late at night," Paul confessed explaining the situation to us.

    "But..." Jay objected looking at Jennifer.

    "Don''t worry, she''ll be safe, I''ll look after her," Paul answered trying to reassure him.

    "Don''t let anything happen to her." Jay pleased.

    "I''ll protect her with my life." Paul nodded putting a hand on his shoulder.

    "Okay.." Jay answered softly placing her into Pauls''s arms.

    "Don''t worry, shes under the protection of Myself, Anna and Scarlet, even God''s won''t be able to harm her." Paul smiled with confidence.

    "Please... help her." Jay pleaded.

    "I promise I''ll do everything in my power." Paul nodded and opened a portal for us.

    "Thank''s Paul." I nodded to him with a smile and placed my hand on Jay''s shoulder to edge him with me through the portal.

    "Take care of her..." Jay said taking a small look back before stepping through.

    "With my life." Paul nodded as the portal slowly closed behind us.

 217 Hot Chocolate and Rituals

    "We''re not quite sure ourselves, but we believe Jennifer was being controlled and began an Air elemental summoning ritual," I answered taking a seat feeling tired calming down from the adrenaline-filled fight.

    "Emilia you''re injured!" Daisy gasped in shock touching me with her glowing hands making the shallow cuts in my arm heal perfectly without any scars.

    "Ohhh... I didn''t notice." I looked at my arm shocked that I didn''t even feel the pain at all, was it the Adrenaline or the heat of the fight or is this a natural part of my body adjusting here?

    "Is Jennifer okay?" Helen asked looking extremely guilty.

    "She''s okay as far as we know," I answered for Jay.

    "Yeah she''s under Paul''s care, I''m sure she''s safe," Jay answered sounding hesitant still.

    "So what happened?" Daisy questioned taking a seat beside me.

    "We''re not too sure ourselves when we arrived there was a freak localised storm around the Vancliff Estate when we entered everyone was already unconscious. Paul led us to Jennifer. discovering that she was possessed and casting some sort of ritual that was manifesting Air Elementals." I began to explain.

    "Air Elementals?" Grace questioned curiously.

    "Yes they looked like mini sentient tornados, but there was one which had a more human shape that Paul dealt with," I answered.

    "And you say she was summoning them?" Morgana questioned curiously.

    "Yes," Jay answered.

    "Do you know anything about it?" I questioned Morgana noticing that she had an inquisitive look.

    "Not Elemental rituals, in particular, but I am familiar with some other rituals that involve greater beings from another plane, you said she was possessed right?" Morgana asked bluntly.

    "We believe so," I answered her.

    "It''s not uncommon for individuals to be possessed and begin a ritual against their own will, that normally only happens when very powerful beings are involved." Morgana nodded.

    "So anyone can be possessed?" I questioned trying to find more answered.

    "Well, no.. they need a connection to the individuals, in case of a believer or disciple the connection occurs through faith, a little like Daisy and her God. In this case, if it was against Jennifer''s will something must have been used to connect her to a being, the most common case would be an item that contains a part of the being''s soul, so upon attuning to the item it will also create a bond to the being essentially like a possession." Morgana explained.

    "That must be the dagger we managed to take off her," I added.

    "And doing so stopped the ritual?" Morgana questioned.

    "Yes almost instantly," I answered.

    "Jay, you okay? you''re a little quiet." Helen questioned looking extremely concerned.

    "Yeah.." Jay answered looking very distant.

    "Jay also went through a very traumatic event, Jennifer showed him something before Paul subdued them both," I explained.

    "What happened?" Everyone asked extremely worried.

    "I don''t quite understand, I was in a barren desert the air was hot, unbelievably dry each lungful of breath felt like it was filling my body with burning hot ash and sand, the sky was red like an eternal sunset but there were immense firestorms instead of clouds and a stream of pure bubbling lava." Jay described.

    "What?" They all asked in utter shock at the description.

    "Then an ominous voice spoke to me in a language I did not understand, then out of nowhere my heart became unbearably hot like lava was melting me from the inside out but somehow I was kept alive and conscious." Jay described clutching his chest like he was still feeling some residual effects.

    "Do you think it''s linked to your affinity to fire?" Helen questioned placing a hand on his lap to comfort him.

    "I don''t know," Jay replied still shaken.

    "And Jennifer what was her experience like?" Morgana questioned.

    "We don''t know yet, when she awoke she screamed out in pain, so Paul subdued her again and said he will take her and help her recover," I answered.

    "I think the ominous voice was a being contacting you," Daisy grimly informed us.

    "Why do you think that?" Grace asked.

    "It''s happened to me before, well not exactly this, but when I was younger in the cult, every time we were forced to perform a ritual, I would appear in almost complete darkness, all I could sense was unfathomable unimaginably horrid creatures whispering to me in an incomprehensible language, their words somehow conveying emotion and suggestions subtly influencing my actions." Daisy tried to explain, an instinctive chill went up to my spine like listening to her experience was beyond anything I could fathom.

    "Bloody hell..." I uttered in shock at both their experiences.

    "Should we make that thing that Paul offers to cheer out spirits up?" Grace asked which was unusual for her.

    "Yeah, I think we all need some hot chocolate," I said standing up walking into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. As I reached out to get some mugs I noticed that my hands were quivering slightly. ''Is this because of Daisy''s story or my body recovering from a very intense event?''

    Trying to steady myself, I managed to bring down all the mugs and began making hot chocolate for everyone. "Need any help?" Grace said popping her head in first and walked in.

    "Yeah sure." I smiled hiding my hands behind my body like I was ashamed of it.

    "Crazy story Daisy described right?" Grace said making conversation.

    "Yeah, to have gone through so much at such a young age, it''s a wonder how she''s still normal." I agreed.

    "Yeah, maybe that was her way of dealing with all the trauma I guess," Grace answered.

    "Dealing?" I questioned

    "Yeah, you know... her bubble carefree attitudes and that eternal ray of sunshine," Grace answered.

    "Hmm." I began to ponder.

    "So this is how you make Hot Chocolate?" Grace asked looking into the mugs with the Hot Chocolate powder.

    "This is actually the quick and easy way using boiled water if I wasn''t in such a rush I''d use boiling milk, makes it much creamier and thicker," I answered her.

    "And that thing makes water boil?" Grace asked pointing at the kettle.

    "Yes... that is called a kettle back in my world." I chuckled.

    "How?" Grace questioned utterly fascinated at it.

    "Inside is a heating element, the kettle uses electricity to heat up the heating element in the kettle to build the water, similar to how an open flame heats water," I explained.

    "Heating element?" Grace asked a little confused.

    "Inside is something metal which we call a heating element, so electricity makes it hot like... a smith forging metal, and while the heating element is hot, it, in turn, boils the water." I tried explaining in a way she''d understand.

    "and what is electricity?" she questioned further.

    "It''s an energy source..... much like Arcanum, it''s an energy source that can be used in various ways to produce effects, but I''m not sure how it works here...." I answered.

    "What is this brown powder thing that looks like flour?" She questioned further.

    "So this powder is made from chocolate beans that have gone through some process to make the sweet chocolate flavour. I''m not too familiar with the process, to be honest." I answered her.

    "And mixing hot water makes the amazing flavoured drink?" She asked watching closely as I added water stirring the mugs.

    "Well, technically he does add marshmallows as well since he loves sweet things and desserts, but I''m not quite sure where he stashes them." I chuckled.

    "How comes he didn''t come back with you? and why did he ask for Scarlet and Annas assistance?" Grace smiled taking a whiff of the hot chocolate.

    "I think he called them for assistance in clearing the area and maybe healing everyone who was injured in the event," I answered.

    "Someone as strong as him and he still required assistance?" Grace asked in shock.

    "Yeah, I don''t know exactly what happened, he was able to easily dispatch a bunch of... I guess lesser elemental, but there was one with a more humanoid shape and features. He said he had trouble killing it till we stopped the ritual." I answered.

    "Hmm, so I assume the Elemental was bound to this plane via the ritual." Grace nodded.

    "That''s what Paul said, do you know anything more?" I questioned to find out more.

    "Well all I know, is that there are several elemental types and they all have a hierarchy system, the stronger the elemental the harder it is for them to establish themselves here. So the one he fought must have been relatively strong especially if Paul had trouble vs it." Grace explained.

    "I don''t know if he had trouble, but he was slightly injured on one of his arms," I answered making me wonder if S-ranked students are the pinnacle of human ability with unfathomable strength and power comparable to superheroes, yet there are beings out there that can still harm Paul and potentially kill him somehow.

 218 Arcanum and Ki

    "Good morning!" we all greeted with smiles.

    "Yes!!!" Daisy yelled under her breathe extremely excited.

    "I know you all might be a little disappointed having me over Scarlet this morning." Paul waited for us to come closer. "As you, all may know, I''m more of a caster then I am a close combat fighter... but I feel I should be able to teach a thing or two." He smiled rolling up his sleeves.

    "Umm Mr Paul.... may I ask Jennifer''s current condition??.." Helen hesitantly asked.

    "She''s doing fine... she''s currently resting. I have my best colleagues/associates watching over her." Paul smiled. "and please no need to feel nervous," Paul smiled trying to reassure her with a respectful bow of his head.

    "Is she gonna make a full recovery??..." Jay and I questioned a little worried.

    "She''s stable and doing fine now.... rest assured her recovery is on the top of my list." He smiled.

    "Is Scarlet watching over her?" Grace asked.

    "Yes, I can''t correctly assess the threat level of what happened yesterday. So currently I have Scarlet and Anna watching over her right now... as well as several other colleagues watching over her in pairs, till she makes a full recovery." Paul smiled answering our questions politely.

    "Is she in that much danger?" Jay asked instantly, extremely worried.

    "No no, I''m sure she''s safe, but as I said before, I don''t know enough to correctly assess what happened and things. So better to safe to be sorry." Paul tried to reassure Jay.

    "Is your arm okay?" I asked noticing it was completely held with no signs of scarring.

    "Ohh yeah I''m fine, they were only shallow cuts." Paul smiled looking a little happier that I asked him that question.

    "So what will we be doing today?" Daisy asked excitedly.

    "Well, I know you all have been challenged by a current mentee of mine and her friends. So I just wanted to ask how you all feel about that?" Paul questioned curiously.

    "Do you train them all personally?" Helen questioned trying to sound more confident.

    "No, actually I only mentor Princess Calista personally, but even then don''t get too disheartened, even the best mentor... it''s the student''s desire ann willpower that is most important." Paul answered as if sensing my nervousness and confidence in facing up against Calista.

    "Do you think we stand a chance?" Grace questioned

    "Of course, although her friends are talented in their own right. Scarlet did say you all are progressing and growing at a phenomenal rate, and to my understanding have a good chance in winning." Paul smiled looking extremely proud at our growth.

    "Yes the rumours are true, I will be accepting Travis''s challenge, in fact, I''m also scheduled to duel him the same day you guys are as the main event. The school will also be taking in guests and spectators, apparently, there''s a big interest in seeing the two of us duke it out and I guess taking the opportunity to see me in a fight." Paul answered.

    "How has no one seen you fight?" Daisy asked a little surprised.

    "Funnily enough I haven''t engaged in combat much. Generally, my name and accolades are enough to defuse most situations, injuring or losing an S-Ranked student or any student would hurt any of the schools." Paul answered still smiling.

    "Your name and accolades don''t even compare to what we spectated the other day," Helen answered.

    "Ohhh.... yeah... I did draw quite the crowd that day. I''m sorry you all saw me in such an uncivilised manner." Paul replied clearly disappointed in himself a little.

    "Not at all, it was eye-opening. Now I understand why you''re held at such high regard." Jay answered.

    "Thank you for the compliment." He nodded to Jay with a sign of respect.

    "So if you compare yourself to other S-Ranked casters what are their abilities like?" I questioned.

    "So Eshia, Ranked 1 Helena is a spellcaster, her unique form of magic is what I call Enchanting magic, she can enchant magical effects on anything around her," Paul explained.

    "So stuff like haste?" Jay questioned curiously.

    "Well that along with several others, unlike us who can probably only maintain one, I personally can only maintain two or three, she can somehow maintain several on a scale that''s almost unbelievable," Paul answered.

    "Several other effects?" Jay questioned.

    "Well, he most fatal spell is enchanting someone to absorb Arcannum at an insane rate," Paul answered.

    "Is that such a bad thing?" Helen questioned.

    "Well, If you can expend it, yes, but the rate she will make you absorb Arcannum will generally cause the individual to explode or their body decays rapidly breaking down from being overwhelmed with the amount of energy you absorb," Paul answered.

    "That sounds so horrible....." I replied in utter shock.

    "It''s a very horrible way to go yes, she can also cancel the effects when she wants at will, but even then I would adivese you guys to never cross her path," Paul answered.

    "So most the S-Ranked students are Combat focused?" Jay questioned.

    "Generally I think it''s an equal split but Melee combat fighters are more devastating in one on one combat, Casters are generally better for large groups of enemies," Paul smiled.

    "So have you ever encountered or had a duel with another S-Ranked student?" Helen asked politely.

    "Well, Helena and I do spare regularly when she visits Atlantis, but I haven''t had the chance to properly engage any of the current S-Ranked students. I have had encountered several S-Ranked equivalent students and Ex S-Ranked students." Paul answered with a smile.

    "Is there a reason you never make a showing in the tournaments? Surly boosting Atlantis from being the bottom institute would be extremely beneficial." Grace and Jay questioned.

    "It''s just personal preference really, I don''t do well in large crowds and well... I not really a showman," Paul answered.

    "Are there any students you can'' beat?" Jay questioned.

    "To be honest I''m not sure, I do try and keep tabs on every S-Ranked student and S-Ranked equivalent, but my information gathering isn''t perfect and always up to date." Paul smiled.

    "So have you also trained under a monk? I remember seeing you catch an arrow as well as using your bare fists and kicks as a means of combat." Grace asked.

    "Yes, what you witness specifically is a special martial art where I can harness the four basic elements using my Ki." Paul noded.

    "So you can cast spells with your Ki? as well?" Jay responded in almost utter disbelief.

    "Yes, it''s more like mimicking spells, the advantage of me using this technique over traditional spell casting is that mimicking spells using Ki can''t be countered by other adept casters." Paul smiled.

    "So there''s no way to stop you launching those ''spells''?" Jay questioned in shock.

    "Yes, there is no way they can be countered, but I''d like to reiterate that their uses are very limiting, such as being able to only harness the four elements and not all spells are mimicable." Paul nodded.

    "So you''re telling us.... that not only do spell caster like us usign Arcanum, but you also have a second reserve of ''Ki'' that you can also use?" Helen asked in almost utter disbelief.

    "Ummm kinda?" Paul answered with a chuckle and a cheeky grin like he was caught cheating.

    "Paul! Can I show you how how strong I''ve become!!" Daisy asked stepping forward extremely excited ready to prove herself.

    "You know what, since you''re all interested in my abilities, how about I set a small challenge." He smiled with a sort of devious gin.

 219 Pauls Challenge

    "Yeah.... just a fun game." Paul smiled.

    "Okay." We all hesitantly agreed, looking at each other a little puzzled.

    "Yeah, show me what you''ve learned." He smiled at us taking a few steps back. "So here''s the challenge," He said opening a portal pulling out a small-sized red gem. "So this is a magical item called a gem of spell storing, it allows the owner to store up to three spells into it, to be used later. Or it can also absorb one spell if it''s empty." Paul smiled. "Now I''ll keep a hold of it in my right hand." He said placing the gem into his right hand to show us. "So the challenge is, if anyone of you can get this gem off me, you can keep it." Paul smiled.

    "Really?... as if we have a chance," I replied to him utterly unconvinced we even had a chance.

    "I''ll make it fair of course, I won''t be allowed to hurt you guys and I''ll restrict my movements and abilities so it''s not impossible." He smiled like he was gonna enjoy this.

    "You''re on!" Daisy said instantly rushing into Paul with her weapon in hand.

    "Ohh, you''ve become a lot faster!" Paul smiled at Daisy taking a step aside to avoid her first strike completely along with several strikes that followed.

    Without warning two arrows flew straight towards him from Grace''s bow. "This might be a little fun!" Grace smiled. Learning from her previous practice matches, Paul dodged the first shot and caught the second arrow with his left hand that instantly burst into rapidly growing thorns that began growing all over his body entangling him.

    "Impressive!" Paul smiled as Daisy went for another swing at Paul with her maul while he was entangled.

    In an instant, Paul dissipated into dense grey smoke like some weird fog, as Daisy''s Maul swung through the smoke with no sign of Paul.

    "He''s in a Gas form!" Helen yelled as she lifts her staff causing dense swirling wind trying to pull Paul into a central location.

    "Well spotted!" Paul smiled as the smog began to coalesce and reappeared again.

    Jay quickly tried shooting off a blue firebolt at Paul hoping he couldn''t react in time. "Nice try." Paul smiled as two duplicates of him appeared beside him in front of the firebolt absorbing it completely. Paul Began to suddenly multiply creating innumerable copies of himself.

    "I''ll smell him out!" Helen said quickly transforming into a wolf and began to sniff into the air.

    "That would have worked if they were illusions." Paul''s clones chuckled as Daisy went to strike one making it dissipate into smoke.

    "They all smell the same!" Helen said changing back into her human form.

    "This is no use... we''ll never find the real one!" Daisy yelled as she let out a fiery wave from her body destroying several copies around her.

    "There''s gotta be something...." Helen smiled as she began to sprout roots all over the ground popping several copies.

    With zero ideas I took a shot in the dark closing my eyes trying to ignore everyone else. A warm comforting feeling emanated in the air off to the side above all his clones. Could that be him? "He''s up there!" I yelled pointing in the air at an empty space I felt that weird sensation.

    Helen quickly responded by casting a spell unleashing a flurry of small glowing particles like a wave of glitter that suddenly began to illuminate a human figure. "What the hell?" Paul replied in shock as his form landed and began to run as all his copies began to evaporate.

    With a point of his wand, Jay shot a scorching ray making Paul stop exactly in his tracks to avoid it the ray barely missing him by a few inches, making an opening for Daisy to strike him in the back. "It''s over! I''ve got you!" Daisy yelled in excitement as she swung her maul straight into Paul with all the might she can muster, along with the bright bolts of lightning she usually calls along with her strikes kicking up a heap of sand and smoke.

    "Not bad you''ve gotten a lot stronger!" Paul smiled with joy and admiration holding her maul with his bare hands as his form began to reveal itself from its invisibility, his arm still letting off smoke and steam from the bolts that follow Daisy''s strikes.

    Grace let loose another arrow aimed straight at Paul''s head without any concern for his safety. With a big pull, he quickly pulled Daisy closer, turning her towards us with an arm around her neck and the other arm restrained behind her back narrowly making the arrow miss the both of them.

    "What you gonna do now?... surely you won''t risk injuring a friend." Paul grinned shouting towards us.

    "You can at least fight him off a bit!" Jay yelled at Daisy.

    "He''s stronger than he looks!" Daisy yelled back but looked like she wants even trying to struggle against him.

    "This is useless he''s way above our capabilities, we can''t even land a hit on him, and he effortlessly blocked Daisy''s attack with his bare hand with no sign of harm," I whispered to Jay and Helen.

    "You''re right... even when I predicted his movements he just stopped in an instant making me miss." Jay agreed''

    "I don''t think we can win this challenge.." Helen grimly admitted defeat watching Grace still trying to find an opening to hit Paul despite him using Daisy as a human shield.

    "Knowing Paul this is some sort of lesson or test or something. I don''t think beating him a fight is a solution, we need to think outside the box." I explained to everyone knowing how Paul operates.

    "What''s outside the box?" They both whispered back a little confused.

    "It means something out of the ordinary," I answered.

    "Ohh then maybe subterfuge?" Jay suggested casting a spell to make two copies of himself and began running into Paul.

    "Commendable effort, but not quite what I''m trying to teach." Paul smiled giving Daisy a gentle push into Jay making them both collide into each other like he could tell which one was the real one.

    "Sorry!" Daisy apologized to Jay as both his images disappeared.

    Grace let loose another two arrows aimed at Paul''s head, dodging the first shot with just a tilt of his head letting it narrowly graze past him. As expected he caught the second arrow with his free hand and chucked it back at Grace with even more speed narrowly missing Grace cutting a few strands of her long black hair.

    "It was so fast I didn''t even get a chance to dodge it....." Grace uttered in complete shock and fear.

    "Come on guys..... there''s a lesson to be learned here." Paul smiled shouting to us egging us on to solve his puzzle.

    "I got it!" Helen and I simultaneously smiled at the same time replying to him.

    "What would you trade for it?" We both asked him simultaneously.

    Paul instantly straightened and smiled with joy. "Well done!" Paul smiled walking up to us and pulled out Helen''s hand dropping the gem into it.

    "Really?" We all looked at him totally surprised it was that simple.

    "Remember this lesson," Paul smiled, "Fighting isn''t the only solution for situations, sometimes an easy conversation or bartering could achieve what you need." Paul smiled explaining it to everyone.

    "So you didn''t want us to get it off you physically?" Daisy questioned looking a little disheartened she didn''t solve it.

    "Well I would have been surprised if you all overpowered me, but that was very unlikely," Paul smiled, "How every the intuitive use of your abilities and spells were very impressive. I can feel you all will become very strong students." Paul nodded to each of us with a very joyful smile.

    "How can you tell?" Jay questioned him.

    "Because the way you all used your spells and abilities trying to counter me was impressively fast and using them in special ways to achieve a certain goal is one of the foundations of a great student." Paul smiled.

    "Mr. Paul, how were you able to completely mask your smell?" Helen questioned curiously.

    "Ahh great questions, the ''illusions'' I made are actually real copies although very weak and evaporates in one hit, but the reason you couldn''t smell me is that they all smell look speak and feel like me exactly." Paul smiled.

    "And my mirror images?" Jay questioned.

    "Well like when we went to the Vancliff Estate, I am very acute when sensing Arcanum, I was able to sense the real you just by your Arcanum levels." Paul smiled.

    "Did I hurt you?" Daisy asked reaching out to heal his arm.

    "A little, overall not too much but I''m very impressed with how strong you''ve become. Anna told me you were able to hurt the Demon empowered Rank A student. You have grown so much since we last met." Paul smiled giving her a pat on the head like a father proud of his child''s growth.

    "Anyways, let''s wrap up training for today." Paul smiled clapping his hands together, "It''s not gonna be long before we''ll be unable to teach you guys new things." Paul smiled.

    "Really?" Grace asked unconvinced.

    "Well not really, but..... let''s put it this way, sometimes life lessons and real-life experiences are the best teachers." Paul smiled giving Grace a respectful nod.

 220 Small Updates

    "Wassup?" I smiled.

    "I think you should have the Gem of spell storing." Grace smiled offering it to me.

    "No no, Paul gave it to you and to be honest I have no idea how to use or what these things even do." I laughed.

    "I think you deserve it if it wasn''t for you we would never have passed the test." She smiled taking out my hand and placing the gem into it.

    "Okay... but how do I.... you know equip it?" I questioned.

    "Well, a gem like this you''d normally have to hold it to use it," Helen answered.

    "Seems a bit cumbersome needing to hold it everywhere," I said holding it in my hand.

    "Well if you take it to a magical shop or enchanter I''m sure you can commission it into something you could wear," Jay answered.

    "Ohh, I can? what could I fashion it into?" I questioned.

    "Well, most of the time it would be some sort of accessories, like a ring, earrings or necklace," Jay answered.

    "Ohh, earrings sound good." I smiled.

    "The only problem is that you''ve only got one so the matching pair would be a normal earring," Jay answered.

    "Ahh true, I''ll think of something," I said pocketing my gem into my magical bag. "Thanks for the gem, you didn''t have to.." I thanked Helen.

    "Nah it''s okay, you deserve it giving me the hint that the solution wasn''t as straight forward as we thought." She smiled.

    "So Daisy how long have you been this strong?" Jay questioned.

    "Hmm... to be honest after following Paul''s training for years, I feel I''ve been stronger than the average person for years now." She answered after pondered for a small while.

    "Feeling a little emasculated?" Grace chuckled.

    "Not at all, just wondering..... besides I have magic on my side." Jay smiled making a small burst of magic in his hands.

    "Daisy is surprisingly strong for such a slender figure though." I nodded.

    "Really?... I thought I''m quite big compared to another girl. Helen Grace and those girls we saw in class today are all so slim." Daisy replied.

    "Trust me you''re surprisingly slim and feminine shaped for someone as strong as you," I answered.

    "Ohh, we gonna visit Paula again after dinner?" Daisy asked excitedly.

    "We do seem to go there every day," Helen answered.

    "Yeah.... I wonder if he''s okay with it or not... he does tend to keep his feelings in." I wondered.

    "Maybe we should spend time in one of our rooms," Helen suggested.

    "I actually have something I need to ask him today, something that totally slipped my mind," I answered.

    "I also wouldn''t mind asking Anna and Scarlet how Jennifer is doing," Jay added.

    "They all generally seem happy to see and talk to us, to be honest." Grace agreed.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "By the way what do you want to ask Paul?" Daisy questioned.

    "Ahh just when he''s going to see the city council and what will happen," I answered.

    "Ohh... they still want him to pay for the repairs?" Jay questioned.

    "Yeah as far as I know," I answered.

    "That really quite unfair." Helen agreed.

    "Anyone home?!" I yelled knocking the door to Paul''s room.

    "Come in," Paul answered back giving us permission to enter. "Hey! you guy still hungry?" He asked looking back at all of us as we entered.

    "Sure!" Daisy smiled running to the table.

    "This time I was prepared!" He smiled handing Daisy a bowl and utensils.

    "WOW, you''re so awesome!" Daisy smiled and began devouring food.

    As we all sat down Paul quickly finished off his dinner and took a seat while Ashley and Anna finished off their meals and Scarlet finishing off anything that remained.

    As Scarlet finished and cleaned up her mess she sat down innocently on the floor, "Ummm Miss Scarlet... May I ask you a question or two." Jay hesitantly requested.

    "Of course!" Scarlet smiled innocently.

    "Can I ask you what Jennifer''s current condition is?" He asked politely.

    "Ohh yeah, you''re friend right?" Scarlet smiled. "She''s doing fine, Paul had been working a lot with her healing." Scarlet smiled.

    "Have you found out more on what happened?" I questioned.

    "So she told me that she doesn''t remember much what happened before and how she managed to get ahold of the possession dagger, but her experience almost mimicked your''s just a little different. I assume she experienced the plane where air elementals originate from and yours from the plane of fire." Paul answered.

    "So we''re connected to some powerful elementals?" Jay questioned.

    "I''m not too sure, I don''t think it''s a connection like Daisy and her God, but I feel something is tethering you both to your respective plane, that has no doubt to do with your previous mentor. I feel your previous master and his connection to the four elements has a hand in this." Paul answered.

    "Is she okay now?" Jay asked.

    "She''s getting better..... her ordeal will no doubt have long-lasting effects on her psyche that will take a long time to heal or might not even heal completely. I''ve had to put her into a magical sleep and use a spell to control her dreams to stop her reliving her ordeal through the healing process." Paul smiled but I could tell he was faking it.

    "Hey Paul, I just wanted to ask when you were gonna see the city council," I asked him quietly.

    "Sadly I''ll be heading out tomorrow morning," Paul answered.

    "Are you gonna be okay?" I questioned a little worried.

    "Yeah, I''m more or less back to full strength now." He smiled looking extra happy.

    "Are you going by yourself?" I questioned.

    "Umm it''s gonna be a boring day so I didn''t want to inconvenience Ashley and well, Scarlet and Anna are preoccupied, Princess Calista will be accompanying me though," Paul answered.

    "Why is she going?" I instinctively growled in shock and a little pissed.

    "She''s gonna use her position to help the city and maybe gains some favour for her family," Paul answered clearly looking a little afraid defending his actions.

    "Fine." I huffed at him clearly still a little angry that she got to spend time with him.

    "Honestly... she''s only coming with me to show the public she''s there to support them, honestly shes not that bad. She''s even using her own money to fund the repairs and helping the unfortunate." Paul desperately tried to explain it to me.

    "Hey, Ashley?" I asked ignoring Paul''s attempt to explain himself.

    "Wassup?...." Ashley hesitantly asked clearly feeling unsure of the situation.

    "Is there any way you can put this gem into something?... I remember seeing your lab filled with tinkering things." I smiled.

    "Hmm, what sort of gem?" Ashely smiled back clearing still looking a little nervous.

    "Umm this Gem of Spell storing," I asked taking for Ashley to look at.

    "Hmmm," Ashley said taking it from my hand and began looking at it closely as his eyes flashed with a tint of blue very quickly.

    "Well, it is defiantly a gem of spell storing." He smiled, "Should be an easy job... what did you have in mind? a ring? maybe a necklace?" Ashley questioned.

    "Hmmm, maybe a necklace or earrings?" I questioned.

    "Sure thing, I''ll get it done in a day or two." Ashley smiled.

    "Thanks," I replied.

    "Mr Paul, whereabouts is Jennifer located?" He politely questioned.

    "She currently in an unused part of the building that we''ve refurbished into a room that has multiple functions," Paul answered.

    "So she''s in Atlantis?" Jay questioned.

    "Yes... she''s in a secret room that only myself and my colleagues, know about this room and access so don''t worry she''s safe." Paul smiled.

    "Thank you for this." Jay thanks him.

    "No problems, I''m always happy to help." Paul smiled.

    "Mr Paul, are you really going to duel Travis?" Grace questioned.

    "Yes, sadly I let my emotions get the better of me this time," Paul answered.

    "Do you think he stands a chance?" questioned further.

    "I''m sure he has some tricks up his sleeves but he''s far from being able to beat me," Paul answered.

    "Is the power difference between you two that large?" Grace asked.

    "Umm, there are a few things I''ll need to be cautious about but I''m pretty sure I''ll be able to handle the encounter," Paul asked.

    "What are you most cautious about?" Grace asked.

    "Well, one of his pistol''s shots always hit its target, that I can''t personally avoid or ignore those so I''d have to reduce it''s effectiveness somehow. Next is his flak cannon, Although very slow and easy to avoid, if he finds a way to hold me still that will be very troublesome. Not to mention is resistance to damage and regenerative abilities, along with his superhuman strength and agility." Paul explained. "And that is all I''ve seen him use in encounters and fights." Paul sighed.

    "And you still think you can beat him?" She questioned listening intently.

    "Well, I know Scarlet defeated him, so his weakness must be melee combat." Paul smiled.

    "Yup... I quite easily overpowered him, he''s both weaker and slower than me." Scarlet added with a giant smile.

    "Yeah but that doesn''t help me at all, I''ve never seen anyone stand a chance against you when you''re angry. So I cant correctly gauge his strength." Paul laughed.

    "Well, he shouldn''t have said those mean things!" Daisy replied looking a little pissed.

    "What happened? If you don''t mind me asking." Helen questioned.

    "He said some mean things to Paul and called me Paul''s lapdog," Scarlet answered.

    "Yup, so Scarlet swiftly floored him with a punch that broke his jaw." Paul smiled.

    "But he''s literally rock hard," I said in shock remembering how he was unaffected by my slap.

    "Yup... and Scarlet managed to break his jaw in one hit, from that day on he''s never said anything to offend her." Paul chuckled.

    "Don''t worry... If Paul is strong enough to spar with Travis'' sister Eshia''s Rank one student. He''ll defiantly find it an easy fight." Ashley smiled.

 221 Tamers and Anti-Casters

    "Emilia, it''s Paul." Paul''s voice explained from the other side of the door.

    Quickly getting up and putting on a long robe to cover myself more, "Yes?...." I questioned still half asleep opening the door.

    "Can I come in?" He politely asked sounding a little unsure and uneasy.

    "Huh?.. Sure.." I opened the door wider for him to enter and took a seat on the bed. "What time is it?" I questioned finding it impossible to work out the time.

    "Sorry to wake you up so early, I know how much you love your sleep especially due to your insomnia" He apologized to me.

    "No, it''s okay." I groggily answered wiping my tired eyes with a yawn.

    "You was kinda annoyed yesterday when you found out that, I''ll be spending time with you know who....." Paul began to explain.

    "Urghhhh..." I angrily retorted falling back into my bed.

    "It''s just.... I don''t know what I can do to make it better." He questioned sounding very apologetic.

    "It''s okay. I''m over it." I answered him covering myself with my duvet.

    "You say that but....." He hesitantly asked but realised that the conversation was over. "Okay, I''ll be going off then, sorry for waking you up." He apologized and quietly exited the room.

    "Bye." I replied as he left quietly saying bye back before closing the door.

    Being reminded of Calista and my insomnia didn''t help at all putting me back to sleep. "Ah f*ck." I cursed sitting up and reached over to my bedside table pulling out the book on Devil''s and Demons and began to study a little more.

    The most interesting difference from back home was the fact that ''Devils'' and ''Demons'' are essentially a race of creature, that both have their own form of hierarchy and openly oppose each other. Both can seemingly possess souls and individuals, Devil''s resembling the textbook devils with horrifying bat-like wings with serrated spikes claws and weapons. Demons on the other hand look vastly different depending on which demon they are a subordinate to.

    Finishing up on the book I stowed it in my bag ready for returning and started getting ready for the day.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Putting on my iconic classic wizard robes and began making my way outside. "Emilia?" Daisy familiar voice called out to me.

    "Ohh, morning Daisy." I smiled back recognising her voice.

    "You''re up early..." Daisy said joining me at the stairwell.

    "What do you mean?" I chuckled acting a little offended.

    "Oh sorry, it''s still pretty early, you and the others tend to like to sleep in." Daisy chuckled.

    "Ahhh, yeah was having an off morning," I answered her.

    "Sure...." I agreed but secretly hoping I can find a way to get out and dodge.

    "Ohh Emilia you''re up early." Grace greeted us as we arrived at the ground floor.

    "Yeah, apparently she''s having an off morning." Daisy smiled.

    "So you both train in the morning and a second time with Scarlet?" I questioned a little shocked.

    "Yup." They both smiled.

    "So what do you both do exactly?" I questioned curiously.

    "just a light run around the Atlantis, it''s a very beautiful institute," Grace answered.

    "Yup, I''m always trying to work on my agility and dexterity at the moment, I feel I need to improve on that." Daisy smiled.

    As we exited the dorm room''s we were met with an absolutely beautiful sunrise, the warmth and sunlight breaking out through the twilight illuminating the whole sky in bright orange cresting over Atlantis.

    "How big is Atlantis? by the way.." I questioned in awe.

    "Hmmm, I would say the institute grounds itself is no larger than a small city, but there are also some small environments surrounding Atlantis," Grace answered.

    "Hmm, I do remember Scarlet telling me Atlantis is very self-sufficient," I answered.

    "Yup with the surrounding area as well, I''d say Atlantis is the size of a medium to large city," Grace answered.

    "Wow.... and it''s the world tree that makes it float and powers everything?" I questioned.

    "So from what I understand, Floating cities need an ancient artifact that allows it to float needing an absurd amount of Arcanum to keep it up and the world tree Atlantis somehow has sufficiently given off enough Arcanum to keep the artefact running and everything else, such as the healing properties of the infirmary, the barrier that stops anything going in or out the institute''s grounds.

    "Woah.... that seems insane," I answered in awe.

    "Yes, World Tree only gives off one seed in its lifetime so they are extremely rare. Which is why it''s so surprising that somehow Atlantis has one. " Grace answered.

    "So the floating cities of Aspa are the same?" I questioned.

    "I''m not quite sure what methods Aspa uses to make their cities float, I really doubt they have a World Tree though," Grace answered.

    "Wow... I would love to visit other schools." I answered.

    "The other two aren''t very friendly." Daisy reminded me.

    "Yeah I know but it would be great to at least see what life is like down there, and there are other continents!" I said in glee and wonder.

    "Other continents would be great to experience and see but they are all very far away. At least days worth of travel to get to the closest, there are also countless races and tribes you can experience as well." Grace answered.

    "Have you been to any?" I questioned.

    "Nah, only adventures get to travel, but I have read about other continents and things." She answered.

    As we exited the building we were met with a pair of older looking students. "Daisy Packwood?" The male and female student questioned looking very serious.

    "Yes?" Daisy questioned turning her body ever so slightly like she was preparing for a fight.

    "If you don''t mind coming with us, the Deputy Head Mistress would like to see you." The two students asked Daisy politely but with a hint of amusement.

    "Oh? may I ask what for?" Daisy questioned relaxing her stance.

    "The Deputy Head Mistress would like a special request from you." They answered Daisy.

    "May my friends come along?" Daisy asked in return.

    "Nothing stopping them from coming, but we''d have to ask the Deputy Headmistress if they could follow in the meeting." They answered.

    "You guys wanna come?" Daisy asked with a smile.

    "Sure." I smiled.

    "Follow us." They requested as they began walking towards the main building.

    "So are both of you also fellow students of Atlantis?" I questioned trying to make small talk.

    "Yes we are, but we''re not normal students. The Deputy Head Mistress oversees our teaching personally." They answered.

    "Ohhh, that must be amazing to be tutored by the Deputy Headmistress herself," I replied in awe.

    "It comes with certain responsibilities but it''s great to study under such a famed sorcerer." The female student replied.

    "I''m Daisy and this is Emilia and Grace." Daisy introduced all of us.

    "Nice to meet you all. I''m Rowan and this is my brother Will." The female student introduced herself to us.

    "Nice to meet you, what year are you both in?" I politely asked noticing that they both wielded a very ornate looking sword hilt and very beautifully jewel-encrusted scabbard.

    "We''re both third years, we were given the opportunity to study under the Deputy Headmistress when choosing our speciality." They answered.

    "Ohhh.... just out of curiosity what specialities are there?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well, there are the more broad divisions that the school has, as well as several other paths but you can choose anything really," Will answered.

    "So say if I wanted to study animals, would that be okay?" I shot an absurd question to them.

    "Of course, the cataloguing of beasts and monsters are very important, we also have a few members that we call Tamers, they specialise in the use of beasts and monsters in combat that they have formed a bond with." Rowan smiled.

    "Wait what?" I questioned again in shock that there was even such a thing.

    "Yeah, although not as useful in Atlantis due to out transportation system. Tamers are sort after in many medium and large cities, they offer great entertainment or various services like gryphon riding or even aid in the defence of the city with mighty and strong beasts." She answered me again.

    "Wow that does sound amazing," I replied stunned in imagination.

    "Right this way," Will gestured towards an area of the building we haven''t been before.

    "So, if you don''t mind me asking what sort of specialisation did you both focus on?... runic magic like the Deputy Head Mistress?" I questioned politely.

    "We are using a combination of Runic Magic and Swordsmanship specialising in countering casters." They answered with a smile.

    "So you both are Anti-Caster?" Grace questioned.

    "Yes, we both are very well versed at dealing with caster threats." They both answered.

    "I don''t like to be nosy but is it to do with your jewelled swords?" I questioned pointing at their ornate swords.

    "Yes, both our longswords are magical, it can absorb spells, dispel magics and also interrupt casters from using spells." They both explained.

    "So you also use rune magic as well?" I questioned.

    "Of sorts." They smiled walking through a wall effortlessly like it didn''t even exist.

    "Ummm....." Daisy questioned stopping in her tracks before the wall.

    "It''s gotta be an illusion..." Grace said holding up her hand but was stopped by a physical wall.

    "Are you sure?" I questioned Grace with a look of intrigue.

    "Well, that''s how it normally should work." She answered looking confused.

    Daisy cautiously eeked out her hand and somehow managed to push it through the wall, "Umm what?" Daisy questioned as half her hand effortlessly passed through the wall.

    "It must be some form of magic stopping us, since you were called upon personally," I answered.

    "After a couple of seconds, Will and Rowan came back out again, the Deputy Head Mistress said you both may come along." They both said emerging from the wall and pull out two very tiny wands, pulling out our hands they proceeded to draw a magical run on our palms, "Follow us." They answered walking into the wall again.

    "Yeah, but when did they draw a rune on me?" Daisy questioned looking all over herself.

 222 Special Reques

    "Good morning Deputy Head Mistress." We all answered in unison like children in school.

    "Rowan, Will that is all for now." She smiled making them both bow their head in respect and left the office.

    "Please, sit down sit down," The Deputy Headmistress instructed us with a wave of her wand making three chairs from around the room pul up in front of her desk.

    We all cautiously and quietly took a seat, not knowing how to correctly behave or what to say. "Marvelous students." She smiled leaning back on her chair. "So I assume you''re wondering why I called you in so early? Miss Daisy Packwood." She smiled.

    "Umm Yes Ma''am." Daisy quietly answered with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

    "Hmmm if you don''t mind me asking your family name is rather quite different then one would expect." She asked Daisy curiously.

    "Yes Ma''am I was adopted by humans." Daisy quietly answered.

    "Ohhhh, that makes so much more sense now." She smiled back to Daisy, "Anyways back on task, I am told that you''re a Paladin or Serra?" She asked Daisy trying to sound friendlier but looked like it had no effect on her.

    "Yes," Daisy carried on answering her sheepishly.

    "So we''ve been contacted by the Church of Serra requested you to make a showing in Catavan''s funeral processions if you don''t mind...." The Deputy Headmistress informed her opening a draw and pulling out a rather nice looking enveloped with a wax seal.

    "May I ask why?" Daisy quietly questioned still looking very uneasy.

    "They heard that a Paladin of Serra helped in the defence of the city so they wanted you to attend to heal the spirits and morale of the city, it''s also very beneficial for Atlantis as well." She answered Daisy.

    "Okay, when do I need to be ready..." Daisy quietly agreed.

    "Preferably in the morning, the processions don''t start until the afternoon, I assume you''d need to be briefed and things beforehand." She answered.

    "Okay... there are a few things I would need to take with me and prepare if you don''t mind." Daisy informed her.

    "Take as much times as you need." The Deputy Headmistress nodded.

    "It''s mainly my armour, I''ll need to clean and polish it up," Daisy tried to explain.

    "Let me help with that..." The Deputy Headmistress offered and with a flick of her wand made Daisy''s armour look completely new without dents and scruffs perfectly polished making Daisy look like an outstanding knight.

    "Thank you." She quietly replied.

    "Ohhh and both of you accompany her as well, she seems a little sheepish maybe some friends will help calm her nerves." She ordered us.

    "Never mind about your classes, I''ll notify your teachers of your absence." She smiled.

    "Sure." We both smiled at Daisy.

    "I''ll clear you three to travel today, there will be students waiting for your arrival at the world tree she smiled.

    "Thank you." We thanked the Deputy Headmistress standing up and began making our way our for her office.

    "You okay Daisy?" We asked her as we left the building making our way back to our dorms.

    "Yeah, I just don''t do well with authority," Daisy answered us clearly still a little shaken.

    "I understand, I was a lot like that when I was younger." I smiled trying to comfort her.

    "So what are the funeral processions like for Serra followers?" Grace questioned.

    "Generally we would offer prayers and bury those who passed in hallowed ground, but the general procedure for arctic regions is burning of the bodies because the areas are so cold it stops the natural process," Daisy answered.

    "Hallowed ground?" I questioned.

    "Yes, it''s holy ground that will stop anyone messing with the dead," Daisy answered.

    "We''re talking about necromancy right?" I questioned a little shocked.

    "Yes, being buried in Hallowed ground stops any magical tampering and also allows the soul to travel to its rightful place in the afterlife," Daisy answered.

    "And not being properly buried or ceremony has implications?" I questioned.

    "Yes, but only for individuals who weren''t ready or feel they were wrong or cheated, whereby they stay in this world and their souls become vengeful wraiths, ghosts or other ghostly beings." She answered.

    "Ohhh..." I nodded in understanding.

    "So we''ll meet up here when we''ve gathers our things?" Grace asked as we arrived back at the dorm building.

    "Sure, I''ll go let everyone know we''ve got other plans today," I informed everyone.

    "I got some stuff I need to gather." Daisy smiled at us looking like shes back to normal.

    "I''ll explain it to Helen and bring some supplies," Grace added.

    As soon as we split, I began making my way to Jay''s room. "Umm Scarlet?" I asked using my badge.

    "Morning sis!" Scarlet greeted me as sound cheerful as ever.

    "Umm we were given a special assignment today, the Deputy Head Mistress wants Daisy, Grace and I to head to Catavan to represent Atlantis," I explained to her.

    "Ohh... so you won''t be here for training?" She asked sounding a little down at the news.

    "Sadly we need to leave as soon as we can," I answered her.

    "Okay then.... we''ll be sure to see Paul, I think he''s in Catavan today and he''s always happy to see you." She smiled.

    "Thanks, Scarlet," I replied to her.

    "Take care!" She smiled and cut the conversation.

    Arriving at Jay''s door I instinctively reached out to knock on the door until I heard Jay''s voice having a conversation with someone. ''Wait what?'' I questioned leaning my ear to the door to listen closely.

    "What do you mean we can''t trust them?..... wait a second I think someone is at the door." Jay said stopping his sentence.

    ''Crap'' I thought to myself and began knocking on the door.

    "Who is it?" Jay asked.

    "It''s Emilia..." I informed him.

    "Ohh good morning." He smiled opening the door like he had nothing to hide.

    "Hey..... you okay?" I questioned.

    "Of course why?" He asked in return a little confused.

    "No reason, anyways I came to tell you that Daisy, Grace and I have a trip to Catavan to represent the school, so we won''t be in class today," I explained to him.

    "Wait what?! You get to skip classes?!" Jay asked in shock.

    "Yeah apparently," I answered.

    "Aww man, you guys are so lucky...." He replied a little jealous.

    "Can I come in?" I asked politely trying to find out who he was talking to.

    "Sure come in." He smiled opening the door letting me walk in.

    "You''re room''s a little bare like mine." I chuckled walking around noticing it has hardly anything personal inside.

    "Yeah you know, I didn''t grow up with much." He said scratching his head.

    "I tell you what, next time we head out together, we''ll buy some stuff to make our rooms feel more homely." I smiled.

    "Sure." He smiled back.

    "Also I''m sure Grace would have told her, but can you explain to Helen for us as well?" I asked.

    "Sure no problems, I''ll also tell Morgana." He smiled.

    "Ah yeah, Morgana too." I nodded.

    "Well, I better start heading out." I smiled.

    "Sure, make sure you take care." He smiled back nodding.

    "Yeah we''ll be fine, I also think Paul''s in town anyway so it should be safe." I smiled.

    "That''s great." He smiled as I exited the room.

    Making my way back to meet the others, Daisy was wearing her armour but this time with a tabard on top of her breastplate with a robed angel on the front. It looked beautifully intricate like it took a masters hand to even make such a thing, the condition looking almost unused extremely clean with no loose threads or hint of wear. "What''s that?" I questioned Daisy taking a closer look.

    "This is Tabard of Serra, the winged angel on the front and the back is Serra, all Paladins of Serra have one." She answered.

    "That''s awesome. What else do you have there?" I questioned noticing she had a small pouch.

    "Just some offerings to Serra." Daisy smiled.

    "Hey, guys!" Grace smiled walking out with her bow and quiver and a large side bag. "I brought some food and drinks and supplies just in case." She smiled.

    "Let''s head out. It''s gonna be a long day." Daisy informed us.

    "So what do we have to do once we get there?" I questioned.

    "Well, I''ll probably be taken away to help prepare the bodies for the ceremony and perform prayers to Serra. If you guys want to help I''m sure a sister would have a task or two they would need help in." Daisy answered.

    "Is thins going to be your first time?" I questioned.

    "I''ve participated in a few smaller ones, but never one this large." She answered.

    As we made our way to the world tree we were meet with three students with a large box beside them. "Daisy Packwood and friends?" They questioned as we arrived.

    "Yes, that''s us," I answered.

    "Great, We''ve got supplies and clothes for you to wear." They smiled.

    "Oh?" I questioned.

    "Yes, we have winter coats for you. These are official Atlantis robes," They all pulled out a very beautiful large thick hooded robe lined with a sort of natural fur with a red inner lining and helped us put it on. "We also have Atlantis badges," they said pulling out medium-sized badge shaped like a shield split into three equal sections with a very artistic representation of each house of Atlantis. "And finally some supplies and leaflets." They said pulling out a small satchel for us to wear.

    "Thanks, we all smiled." accepting them and putting them on.

    "When you''re ready to leave we''ll have the Portal activate for you." They smiled.

 223 Paladins of Serra - Catavan

    "Yeah, let''s quickly head to the Church of Serra and get some shelter," Daisy said leading the way.

    Looking around, it was the first time I''ve ever seen the effects of a city ravaged by conflict. "I hope the Church is safe, the lower district was hit the worst right?" I asked.

    "I think so, it was on the other side of most the conflict," Daisy answered and began leading the way.

    As we made our way to church, the general townsfolk gave us a mixture of looks ranging from anger to admiration. "Why do I feel we''re not so liked here," I asked Daisy and Grace.

    "No idea, but we can ask once we get to the Church," Daisy answered as we made our way through the city, despite being on the other side of the conflict it still showed small signs of battle.

    "Please Please, can you spare some silver?" I lost my house and husband in the attack." A begged walking up to use with gathered up rags to shield her from the cold.

    "Here take this," I instinctively handed her five gold and took off the school badge taking off my winter robe to give to her. My body instantly began shiver not realizing how cold it actually was here.

    "Thank you, Thank you." She bowed repeatedly as we carried on making our way to the church.

    A few more beggars bravely approached us asking for help. "Take this, I''m sorry but it will only last for three hours," Grace said performing some form of magic on a rock making it heat up magically, as well as giving them rations of food.

    "The people here are living in absolute poverty," I said in shock.

    "Sadly and the harsh climate conditions don''t help either." Grace nodded.

    "Please anyone else that needs help please make your way to the Church of Serra, regardless of your faith or beliefs, we will help anyone," Daisy called out to everyone.

    As the church emerged there was an absolutely overwhelming amount of citizens that needed help and lots of Priests of Serra helping hand out food and blankets, "My lord," I instinctively uttered lost for words.

    We began slowly making our way through the crowd to the closest priest. "Excuses me brother," Daisy said to a teen boy wearing a very bland thin robe that did little to keep him warm.

    "One second." He said finishing up helping a small family. "Yes?" He questioned looking at the three of us for a second and suddenly his expression changed to shock.

    "Hi, we came from Atlantis to help with the processions today." Daisy smiled.

    "Oh my... yes, yes come this way." He said leading us into the church explaining who we were to some other priests stopping the general public entering the church.

    "Hello brother Reece, I''m Daisy and these are my two friends Emilia and Grace." She answered him with a smile.

    "Sister Daisy, Sister Emilia, Sister Grace." He smiled bowing his head in respect.

    "Oh.. We''re not." Grace and I instinctively began to explain.

    "It''s okay, we''re all children of Serra." Daisy explained to us with a smile.

    "So right now most of us are out helping the sick and homeless while the Head Priestess Verena and Arch Bishop Francis are with the City councils and Royals in a meeting." He explained to us.

    "Oh, what is the meeting for?" I questioned trying to find out more on what Paul is up to.

    "It''s a meeting to determine how much Black Dragon Slayer compensates the city for damages, He answered.

    "Damages?" I questioned surprised how he answered.

    "Of course, he practically decimated almost half the lower district into dust, it was due to him we have such a large homeless population now, not including all the damages and lost livelihoods as well. He explained to us.

    "Yeah, but he saved the city," I argued back finding the whole thing preposterous.

    "Is that why some of the citizens have been giving us dirty looks?" Grace questioned.

    "Yes, he''s made many families homeless, jobless literally erasing everything they had." He carried on explaining his position.

    "Brother Reece that will be all for now, I''ll look after our guests." A maturer female voice joined the conversation.

    "Sister Seraphine." Reece turned to nod to her and made his leave, as a young human woman appeared donning a full set of chain-mail armour similar to Daisy''s but not as bulky.

    "Sister Daisy, I presume?" She asked looking at Daisy.

    "Yes that would be me," Daisy bowed to her with respect.

    "I''m Sister Seraphine, Daughter of High Priestess Verena. Odd mother told me to expect only one visitor today." She said looking at Grace and me.

    "They are my friends Grace and Emilia." She said pointing to us, making me give a very awkward wave while Grace bowed her head in respect.

    "Greetings," Giving us a nod of acknowledgement. "I am told you bravely fought in defense of the city." She said looking at Daisy.

    "Yes we all did, most of Atlantis was deployed that day." She answered.

    "Thank you for your assistance, we would most likely have lost the city have you not accepted our request for aid." She smiled.

    "I was told that my presence was requested to assist in the ceremony today," Daisy answered.

    "Yes, the city will be holding a special day in remembrance for all tho passed in defense of the city. As you probably already know, all bodies here need to be cremated and properly and buried in hallowed ground." Seraphine answered.

    "Yes, I assumed I''d be helping in prayers today." She answered.

    "Sadly we have more of a hands-on task today." She answered issuing us to follow her.

    "Really?" Daisy questioned.

    "Yes, we''re gonna meet up with the rest of my squad. Our task today is to sanctify the land where the cremation and burials will take place." She explained.

    "Ohh, it''s not being done in the church?" Daisy questioned.

    "Sadly there are too many bodies to hold individual ceremonies," She explained walking up to a large set of double doors and pushing them aside revealing a very large prayer room.

    "You found our guest." An older man with a set of thick white hair and white stubble wearing plate armour similar to Daisy''s smiled at us as we entered.

    "The famed Paladin that enrolled in Atlantis." A younger girl, maybe a little older then Daisy with golden yellow locks grinned as if she ready to compare herself to Daisy.

    "We weren''t expecting extra visitors," A young adult male with dark black hair and a clean shave smiled towards Grace and I.

    "You all know Atlantis students are never alone," Seraphine joked walking towards them.

    "Welcome, I''m Paladin Pichard." The older gentleman smiled holding out a hand to greet us.

    "I''m Daisy, and these are my friends Emilia and Grace." Dasiy smiled shaking his hand.

    "Hi." Grace and I waved back.

    "Thank you for your help in defending our city, I''m Brother Ezechiel and the other young one is Sister Laila don''t pay any mind to her rudeness." He smiled shaking our hands.

    "Who are you calling rude!" Laila objected.

    "Settle down, judging by the look of you two, we have a ranger and a caster," Seraphine questioned.

    "Yes, Emilia is a sorceress," Grace added.

    "Well, it might be a little boring for the both of you today," Pichard apologized.

    "I''m actually rather interested." I smiled.

    "Well it is kinda a spectacle but there won''t be much action," Laila explained.

    "So you all were also defending the town?" I asked politely.

    "Yes, we were deployed to defend the inner city districts." They answered.

    "We were pretty lucky that day that the Black Dragon Slayer and Scarlet were deployed, I heard they alone decimated the entire Dark Elf army and the nearby reinforcements." Seraphine nodded.

    "Why does the general public dislike his actions then?" I questioned curiously how they saw him in a different light.

    "You know politicians, they are the best when it comes to passing blame." Seraphine smiled.

    "He did it to himself, not only did he not speak up to defend his actions. He openly attended this meeting to finalise the costs. He practically made himself look guilty." Laila laughed.

    "You should be more grateful that he actually came and defended the city, I was told he wasn''t even on the initial roster of Atlantis students sent to help us," Pichard warned Laila.

    "Yeah he wasn''t initially meant to come that day, but he did once he heard the city was under attack, he also almost sacrificed himself to save the refugees outside the city gates," I answered.

    "Oh, that''s why the council are so out to get him" Seraphine chuckled.

    "Right, let''s make a move on, everyone ready?" Pichard asked arming himself with a sword.

    "Yeah, I don''t want to get scolded again." Laila sighed picking up one-handed flail from a nearby table.

    "Are we expecting trouble?" I noticed Seraphine equipping herself with a short spear and a large shield.

    "Nothing should happen, maybe a few vengeful spirits and things but nothing too dangerous," Seraphine answered.

 224 Cleansing

    "Yeah sure, we''ll grab you a spare," Pichard said heading into another room and coming out with a bunch of thick coats and tossing one to everyone.

    As we made our way out of the church the crowd of homeless opened a pathway for us to pass bowing their heads in respect.

    "So what happens normally in these ceremonies?" I questioned as we began making our way to the devastated area of the lower district.

    "So purifying an area will rouse any lingering spirit which we will need to clear before Serra can bless the ground," Seraphine answered.

    "Ohh okay, that makes sense." I nodded.

    "So where will the cleansing going to take place?" Daisy questioned.

    "It''s going to bear near the front gates to the inner district where the last stand was made," Laila answered.

    "So how many casualties were there?" I questioned quietly noticing the devastation Paul caused trying to defend the city.

    "Luckily we only lost a quarter of our guardsman, mostly those that stayed behind to hold back the Dark Elves while the majority of Atlantis and guards retreated," Seraphine answered as we approached the main wall. Flashbacks began to fill my mind of Paul practically sacrificing himself holding back the large beams that were used against us. The scene was absolutely horrifying, frozen remains of Dark Elves littered the ground along with the remains of what used to be the lower district.

    "Are you sure it''s going to safe to cleanse this area, there are so many bodies," I questioned them.

    "My mother told me it should be safe, Dark Elves souls generally return to their Goddess and don''t linger since they died in battle," Seraphine answered.

    "How long will it take to rebuild this part of the city?" I questioned.

    "To be honest I don''t even think I would see it rebuilt in my lifetime, I really doubt he would be able to move such a vast amount of resources and that''s not even including the manpower to have it all built." She answered.

    "Well he is the Black Dragon Slayer, I''m sure he has something planned." Pichard smiled.

    "So Brother Ezechiel I noticed that you don''t have a weapon, mind if I ask how you approach combat?" Daisy asked politely.

    "Oh! I have a hand crossbow, with a side quiver of holy bolts. I also similar to your friend Emilia cast spells but they are normally Divine spells." He answered parting his robe and his leather cape showing her a small beautifully engraved hand crossbow strapped to his side and on the other side a small pouch of bolts.

    "By the way, if anything goes awry, stand behind Pichard and me. We are trained in defence and keeping our opponents at bay." Seraphine ordered us, making us all nod in understanding.

    "It''s very big," I commented noticing the size of the cleared area was equivalent to a small pitch.

    "Yeah, think the council also plan to erect a monument as well," Seraphine answered.

    "So what shall we do?" I questioned.

    "Just help with dispatching some of the spirits." Seraphine smiled.

    I began closing my eye''s focusing on everything around me, I instantly began to relax as a tiny spec of warmth only made noticeable due to the extremely cold weather, radiated from what seemed to the central point of the city. ''I wonder who is with him today....'' I pondered.

    "Okay everyone, into formations Daisy you take the central point," Seraphine ordered as her group began standing in what seemed to be a square with Daisy in the middle kneeling down and began to pray. Instantaneously a fair yellow golden aura began to radiate out of them and began filling the area with a very faint yellow mist, giving off a very slight warm and safe feeling.

    "Back in my world, stuff like this doesn''t happen," I said to Grace.

    "What do you mean?" She questioned.

    "Well, where I''m from it''s like a faith, you just have to believe," I answered.

    "Yeah like how Daisy and the others they believe in Serra." She answered not understanding what I''m trying to convey.

    "What I mean is that in my world beliefs and faiths can''t really be felt, like here." I tried explaining better.

    "I''m not sure how your world works Emilia, but here once upon a time Mortals and Gods lived side by side together after defeating the Chained Oblivion the God''s left the mortal realm forever sealing off themselves and all Deities from their mortal races. Maybe in your world, it''s the same, your God cannot for some reason interact with its followers like how Serra can." Grace explained.

    "Yeah, I think Jay already explained that to me." I nodded still wondering what it feels like to actually feel the presence of a God.

    "Don''t worry trust me, there are Gods out there looking out for us, even now they still send envoys and visions to save mortals from peril," Grace answered.

    "They do?" I questioned.

    "Yeah, it''s a well-known fact that Svargmar is actual descendants of Celestial good beings and that often they will see visions and warning of upcoming events and what needs to be done," Grace answered.

    "Do you know anything about seer''s or fortune tellers?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well there are many, whether they are real or not, I can''t be certain." She answered.

    "By the way, if we are fighting ghosts and stuff are you sure your arrows can hit them? ghosts being incorporeal and stuff?" I questioned.

    "I haven''t come across Ghosts before, but my bow is made from Enchanted Fey wood so arrows I shoot using my bow are enchanted a little." Grace smiled.

    "Any my magic should be able to hit it right?" I questioned.

    "Yes only mundane and nonmagical attacks would pass through them, that''s why usually clerics and paladins are called upon for Exorcisms and cleansings," Grace nodded.

    "I see, by the way, can you sense if Paul is here?" I questioned curiously.

    "What you mean?" Grace questioned.

    "You know when we get that feeling when we meet another Arcanum user....." I tried to explain.

    "To be honest he gives off a very weird feeling like whenever I''m nearby he feels like a mundane human but I know he''s powerful," She answered.

    "Yeah, he explained that he''s trained in masking his presence from others. I don''t exactly know why but for some reason I can kinda sense him," I confessed.

    "What like right now?" She questioned.

    "Yeah, it''s very faint because he''s so far away," I confessed.

    "Interesting and you''re sure it''s him?" She questioned curiously.

    "I think so, it''s weird ever since we first met he''s always emanating this feeling to me, and for some reason, I can also to some degree tell how he''s feeling..." I confeseed.

    "I''m sorry, I''ve never heard of anything like that before." Grace chuckled.

    "Grace mind if I ask another question?" I politely asked.

    "Sure." She smiled still keeping an eye on the ceremony.

    "So if you have a vision that predicted the loss of a friend, what would you do about it?" I questioned curiously.

    "Have you had a vision of one of us dying?" She instantly questioned in shock.

    "No not at all, it''s just the premise of a story I''ve been reading and was wondering what you would do if you were in the same situation." I lied to her.

    "Hmmm, that''s a tricky one, on one hand, you can try and prevent it but in the process trying to prevent it ends up fulfilling the vision or prophecy. Or do nothing and the vision happens anyways..... fate and destiny are fickle sadly, but if I was given a vision of saying the passing of one of you guys, then I don''t think I can just sit idly by and let it happen." She answered her chin resting on her hand pondering it for a few seconds.

    I felt quite struck by her maturity at such an age, I couldn''t even fathom the difference in upbringings and how different each of our upbringings and just how different this world is.

    One by one Pichard, Daisy, Laila, Seraphine and Ezechiel stood up, each of their holy glow radiating outwards like the ground itself like a beacon of holiness shooting up into the sky. Reaching into their bags they pulled out a handful of what seemed like gold dust and tossed it into the air filling the sky with beautiful glowing gold particles. Each of their hands glow golden as they reached into their armour pulling out a small ornate dagger and plunged it into the ground.

    The strong golden yellow glow was suddenly met with a dark greenish glow that began to crack out the ground like fissures. "This is the final step, be ready team." Seraphine order with a loud commanding voice.

 225 Cleansing Ritual

    Grace letting loose the first arrow passing through the ghost with no effect. "They aren''t fully formed yet," Pichard informed us as he manifested a large golden triangular shield. Holding it up high defensively readying himself.

    "Are there normally this many?" I questioned holding out my wand readying myself.

    "A little more usual but nothing out the ordinary," Seraphine answered as she skewered the first ghost through its head with her spear as it let out a very loud ghastly wail. The tip of her spear glowed golden burning away at the ghost from the inside out as it shrieked in pain evaporating from existence.

    "Stay sharp there''s quite a few," Ezechiel yelled as he began dispatching ghost with his crossbow as a cacophony of wails roared out from each and every Ghost.

    With an outstretched hand, Laila shot out a golden bolt form her hand piercing through a Ghost dispatching it in one spell. Teaming up with Grace shooting firebolts in conjunction with her shots quickly dispatching ghosts one after another, but more and more ghosts kept forming faster then we could dispatch.

    "How long do we have to keep this up?" I asked as we began to back up to maintain our formation.

    "Not much longer," Seraphine answered letting out a bright flash from her shield against one Ghost that charged at her momentarily blinding it allowing Pichard to dispatch it with a swift slash of his sword.

    Adjusting her gauntlets Daisy picked up her maul and began to channel her energy as she walked forward and a set of six beams of light beamed down around her as six heavily armoured soldiers wielding great swords appeared readying their swords instantly swinging at any nearby ghost within reach.

    We kept this up for what felt like forever, Daisy Seraphine and Pichard holding firm in the front against what felt like an endless stream of Ghosts with the rest of us staying at ranged dispatching as many as we could.

    "What''s going on?... Are you sure this is normal?" I questioned again

    "No, it defiantly seems a lot more than usual," Seraphine answered swiftly dispatching ghost after ghost with her spear and shield.

    The sounds of horrified human screams could be heard in the distance suddenly, "What is that?" Laila questioned looking in the direction of the scream.

    "Must be scavengers, but what''s spooked them?" Ezechiel asked looking in the distance.

    "Laila, Ezechiel you two go check it out, we''ll finish the cleansing," Seraphine ordered making the two sprint off quickly.

    "This feeling doesn''t feel good," Pichard answered looking to the side and looking back at us with eyes of shock.

    Quickly looking at the direction he did, the horrifying scene of innumerable Elven bodies and body parts seemingly began twitching to life. "Seraphine this isn''t good," Pichard informed her.

    "Yes, I sense very dark necrotic energy as well." She answered still dispatching the ghosts in front of her. "Let''s end this, Daisy do you have a Sun Beam stocked?" She questioned Daisy.

    "Let''s do it," Daisy said dropping her Maul and began to meditate as her Guardians carried on protecting her from harm.

    "Pichard you ready?" Seraphine questioned as she let out a large flash from her shield that blinded all the ghosts momentarily even blinding me for a few seconds.

    "Let''s do it." Pichard agreed, dispelling his holy shield and began casting a spell in unison with Daisy and Seraphine. Three large beams of light struck down on the ghosts utterly vapourising them all completely.

    "Why didn''t you start with that?" Grace questioned stowing away her bow.

    "Don''t let up, whatever is stirring the Dark Elves awake is still going on, I have no idea what is happening," Seraphine answered.

    "Paul said they were fleeing from something a dark being, something of a failed God." I answered her in a panic.

    "Well... it would be great if Atlantis shared that information earlier with us," Seraphine answered

    "It''s bad I sense a lot of undead in the area, thankfully not all of them are being roused," Daisy informed us her eyes glowing golden yellow.

    "How about Laila and Ezechiel? what''s there situation?" Pichard asked.

    "They should be safe they are near the outer edge of whatever is happening here," Daisy answered.

    "Okay then, firstly we need to find the source of what''s rousing them," Seraphine explained as the corpses of innumerable Dark Elves began to slowly rise up like zombies slowly but inevitably making their way towards us.

    "Judging by the point of origin should be here," Daisy said taking a scan around.

    The green mists between our feet slowly became a dark black making us all slowly look back where the ghosts primarily spawned. The black mist began coalescing into a grotesque monstrosity, letting out an ear-deafening wail that shook me to my very core. "By any chance is that the dark being?" Seraphine questioned grasping her ears trying to shield her ears from the wail.

    "I''m not sure, but if it is we need to run!" I shouted back to her.

    "What do you know?" She questioned.

    "Umm...." I began rummaging through my mind trying to remember what Paul said, "It has a life-sucking aura, a death stare and magic." I answered in a panic trying to remember all I could.

    "Pichard Death wards Now!" Seraphine ordered in a panic hearing what I said, making Pichard cast a spell on all of us giving us all an almost invisible shimmering gold aura around us. "We''re retreating now! 30ft minimum." Seraphine ordered holding her shield readying to defend herself pulling Daisy back and making the rest of us fall back, clearing a path through the DarkElves making sure we were safe.

    Something felt off, for some odd reason the roused Dark Elves showed no hostility just slowly strolling towards us having no intention to attack us, just slowly strolling towards us. "Pichard send the signal!" Seraphine ordered making him nod causing him to shoot a large bright flare into the sky.

    "What''s the plan?" Grace questioned, her bow and arrow still aimed at the monster.

    "We''ll hold tight for reinforcements, we have no idea what we''re dealing with," Seraphine answered as more and more undead Dark Elves appeared.

    "Who''s coming to help?" I questioned in a panic.

    "Well we''re the most qualified outside my mother and Archbishop but we just need some more back up for the Dark Elves." She answered as numeral Dark Elves some even looking like odd parts forced together. "Grace save your ammunition for those in our immediate threat range, we don''t want you running out of arrows when that thing decides to act," Seraphine ordered pointing at what seemed to be fuelling everything.

    "Pichard hit it with a guiding bolt," Seraphine ordered making Pichard nod holding out his holy symbol shooting out a bolt of holy energy straight into the monstrosity.

    It let out a deafening gargled screech of pain as huge lashers erupted out of its body, without warning one shot out straight towards Pichard, "Watch out!" Seraphine screamed barging him out the way holding her golden shield up high bracing for impact.

    With a resounding crack, she took the impact miraculously only getting pushed back a step or two but her shield had a huge dent and crack just from one impact. "We need to fall back that thing is stronger than anything I''ve ever seen." She said dropping her now mundane looking shield to the floor and began pulling us back.

    I instantly began reaching for my badge, "Paul we need your help!" I yelled into it hoping I was in range for him to hear.

    All the lashers began violently lashing out at all the Dark Elves pulling them into itself..... and with each and every Dark Elf I could swear I can see a minuscule part of it became real along with a sense of pure dread.

 Chapter 226 - Time to Strike

    "Emilia I think you need to call Paul for help," Grace asked.

    "I already tried, no reply so far," I answered.

    "Are you talking about The black Dragon Slayer?" Pichard questioned.

    "Yeah, but I think he''s too far away," I answered.

    "Damn... it would be great if he came to help." He answered.

    In the distance, the sounds of blaring horns began to erupt as the city began to respond to Pichard''s flare. "We need to kill this thing before the city guards arrive I don''t think they will be strong enough to hold this thing back," I informed them.

    "I''m afraid in this case you might be right, this thing is beyond anything I''ve ever seen, encountered or read," Seraphine answered.

    Grace quickly let off two arrows into the heads of Dark Elves that were already in the grasps of its tentacles dropping them dead, before they were consumed by the monstrosity. "It looks like it''s feeding off them regardless of being alive or dead," Grace said noticing that it still consumed the bodies into itself.

    "Well on the bright side if Paul didn''t see the flare he would most defiantly hear the sound of the horns," Grace said giving us a sliver of hope.

    "So Seraphine, what do you suppose we do now?" Pichard asked.

    "I don''t know, I hate sitting here idly but then again even if it was at half strength it tore through my holy shield in a single blow, if any of those tentacles were to hit us we''re doomed for sure. Even if we were to hit it form range I''m sure we won''t be able to put enough damage onto it to kill it or out range the tentacles." She said gritting her teeth.

    "Captain Seraphine, your orders?" Grace asked again noticing she froze for a few seconds.

    "Yes... yes...." Her voice still a little shaky, "Well for one, there''s is no way we can tell how many hearts this thing has, so the only other way I know how to kill something is aim for the head." She began to explain pointing a the one head the monstrosity has.

    "Sounds like a plan," Daisy said tightening her gauntlets and legplates.

    "So before we start, I don''t want to presume.." She began to explain.

    "We''re here to help." We all nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah but this is very dangerous, my mother would have my head for putting Atlantis students in peril." She replied to us.

    "As you said earlier, we''re the most qualified here so it''s up to us," Grace answered.

    "Yes, Captain." We all answered nodding in agreement.

    We all looked up at the monstrosity as its numerable tentacles kept lashing out gorging itself on the surrounding Dark Elves mindlessly walking into a meat grinder. I kept taking deep breaths over and over again trying to steady my nerves, I can''t even imagine how Paul throws himself into perilous situations repeatedly without an ounce of care.

    "We''re gonna come out of this okay." Daisy smiled putting a hand on my shoulder.

    "I know... I know..." I struggled to reply to her trying to keep my voice steady. "Just be careful up there okay?" I asked Dasiy looking at the monstrosity.

    "Don''t worry, I''m not ready to see Serra yet." She smiled giving me a firm pat on the shoulder and walked towards Seraphine and Pichard.

    "I just wanted to say, it''s an honour to be fighting by your side." Seraphine smiled at all of us.

    "Don''t worry it won''t be your last." Grace smiled filed with confidence.

    With a definitive nod, they began making their way forward towards the monstrosity, Daisy instantly manifested a holy shield and sword following beside them. "Make sure we only attack the tentacles that attack them, we don''t want to draw unnecessary attention if we don have to," Daisy informed me, her bow and arrow drawn and ready.

    "Do you really think we can defend them against this many tentacles?" I questioned as counting upwards of twelve tentacles as doubt began to fill my body.

    "Emilia.... during trying times, don''t let doubt fill your body. We have one mission and one mission only and that is to protect our comrades and make sure we all live to see another day. I don''t know much about your past life, but what little time I''ve spent with you, you have grown leaps and bounds beyond anyone could ever have expected. You doubt yourself at every hurdle even though none of us doubts your capabilities one bit." She smiled at me trying to build up my courage.

    "Thanks..." I smiled back her words resonating in my soul, as flashbacks began flashing through my head. "Thanks, Grace.... that''s exactly what I needed to hear." I smiled back at her, holding out my wand ready to guard the others.

    As they neared the monster it has grown more than I could have imagined, it''s size alone was as big as a house. "How can they even hit the head?" I questioned noticing it dwarfing them.

    "Just have faith in them to complete their part of the mission." Grace smiled letting off four arrows rapidly that was readying to strike them making them flex back in pain. "It''s started," Grace shouted to me and began pulling back as several tentacles began to face us.

    "Crap!" I shouted in a panic and began to retreat with Grace creating walls of earth between us hopefully to stop the onslaught of attacks aiming at us.

    "As long as it''s focused on us the others will get an opening!" Grace shouted shooting an arrow up in the air.

    The sounds of the tentacles effortlessly crashing through my walls forced us to look back as Grace''s arrows rained down on them making them reel back in pain. "Fulgeo-Igna!" I yelled pointing my wand at two tentacles close to each other, using the spell like a laser cutter quickly severing two tentacles.

    "Nice!" Grace whispered into her drawn arrow letting off an arrow entangling one, grounding it to the floor. The monstrosity let our a deafening wail of pain that shook my balance making me drop to the floor. A total of Four tentacles erupted out the ground behind us the tip of the tentacles staring at us ready to strike. "We need to move!" Grace''s yelled as her voice dulled into something incoherent as I froze staring at our eminent end. In unison, all four of the tentacles went in to strike as Grace pushed me down to the floor and jumped on top of me closing her eyes.

    "No.... Don''t....." I tried to mumble trying to push her off me.

 Chapter 227 - Silver Knight of....

    I closed my eyes bracing myself for impact when the sound of earth-shaking thuds broke the silence. Opening my eyes one by one I made a double-take, as all four tentacles were now completely severed writhing on the floor like giant severed octopus tentacles. "What the heck?!" Grace and I asked gasped in utter shock and surprise scanning our surroundings to see what happened.

    The sounds of a set of galloping hooves echoed as a knight in pristine pure silver plate armour similar to Daisy''s and a perfectly white armoured horse rode past us wielding a giant very beautiful looking lance coupled with a huge shield, to which I believe is named a kite shield with a green and silver dragon painted on it. "Who is that?" Grace uttered in shock.

    Quickly flanking around the side he held out his lance pointing it at several tentacles facing him ready to strike, his lance began to glow brilliant white shooting out a pure iridescent white laser beam cutting off several tentacles. "My God what is that..." I uttered in shock.

    Quickly standing up grabbing her bow Grace began to rapidly fire arrows at the monster, "Emilia the fight isn''t over yet." She yelled making me quickly scramble for my wand and jump to my feet.

    The silver knight carried on blast away the tentacles, "We still need to protect the others, I think he''s too scared to hit the others." Grace said shooting more arrows hitting one readying an attack behind them. Taking the opportunity of it reeling back in pain I quickly severed it with another scorch ray.

    "I can''t really see are they near the head yet?" I questioned Grace.

    "They are almost there, running across the body now," Grace answered me still shooting off more and more arrows.

    Several tentacles began attacking the knight in rapid succession, somehow despite having no hold on the reins the knight and his horse rode in unison weaving in and out avoiding all the incoming attacks without losing balance or posture. "Wow...." I uttered in complete awe.

    As Seraphine and her team neared the head, Pichard and Serpahine stopped and began casting some spell summoning two large beams of light to pummel down on the head of the monster making it release a deafening screech of pain. "What''s happening I questioned?" Hoping Grace had an idea.

    "... you said it had a life draining aura right?" Grace questioned after a few seconds of silence.

    "I think so." I answered.

    "Crap, I think they are trying to weaken it, it must be regenerating from absorbing the surrounding life force." She answered and began rapidly releasing arrows into the air and with a green flash rained hundred upon hundreds of arrows in a concentrated effort to penetrate the creatures.

    "You gotta be kidding me? We need to overcome it''s regenerative ability?" I questioned summoning a Flame sphere at the location of the sun beams driving it down into the creature.

    With another hideous screech the monster''s tentacles suddenly for some off reason stopped spawning and the huge gash the knight tore through began to rapidly regenerate like it wasn''t hit at all, "What the hell?" I shouted as a sharp unbearable pain stuck my core forcing me to one knee almost making me lose concentration of my spell.

    "CRAP...." Grace yelled as she also fell to one knee also and began trying to drag me back, "I don''t know how but we''re in its range of is aura now!" She yelled at me in a panic and began to drag to try dragging me back.

    "You gotta be kidding me... " I muttered as my vision quickly began to blur as my life force was getting sapped from me.

    "This is not good we won''t last long in it''s aura." Grace yelled I could tell by her voice she was in an absolute panic.

    "What about the others...." I struggled to retreat the pain growing faster and faster numbing every limb.

    "We won''t be much help if we die here!" Grace yelled desperately trying to pull herself and help drag me to safety.

    I took a deep breath trying to ignore the pain focusing my eyes towards Seraphine and the others, I broke into tears seeing Pichard and Seraphine collapsing on the floor while Daisy was down to one knee struggling to even drag her maul her holy aura barely visible resembling a dying flame on its last flickers.

    Witnessing their life was literally getting s.u.c.k.e.d away from them. "Paul... if you can hear me..... we NEED YOU NOW... WE''RE DYING!!!" I cried in desperation into my badge praying to God that he would hear me.

    Something small and black flew into Daisy making her vanish from existence completely, "Noooooo!! DAISY!!" I cried as Grace''s grip on me loosened making me look back, "GRACE!" I yelled as she laid there still conscious struggling to breathe.

    "Save... yourself..." She barely conveyed to me between staggered breaths.

    "PAUL!!!!" I yelled with the last remaining strength and breathe I had left inside me as my coconscious began to fade.

    Out of nowhere a brilliant white huge beam of light shone out the monsters head making it let out another deafening cry of pain that somehow lessened the pain inside by a small fraction, "THAT MUST BE PAUL!! WE''RE SAVED!" I cried in pure happiness trying to keep myself on my knees trying to see him. Another bright yellow light shone out high above in the sky the warmth and energy was unmistakable, as a figure came screaming down from the sky in free fall.

    With one resounding crack the cry of pain instantly silenced as the monstrosities body violently vaporized letting out a violet shock wave blasting me on my back along with the shower of what I could best guess was blood and ichor. "Is it over?" I questioned using use the last slither of energy keeping myself awake and breathing, my hand instinctively reached out to Grace, "Grace say something!...." I prayed tears still flowing down my eyes uncontrollably. I let out a huge sigh of relief feeling a very faint but definitive slow severely weakened exhalation and inhalation of breaths.

    The sound of galloping hooves quickly rushed towards us, "Paul?" I questioned as joy and relief filled my body eagerly awaiting to hear his voice. The sound of rapidly stopping of hooves and the neigh''s of a horse along with the sound of clamouring plate armour, it must have been the knight earlier.

    "Thank the God''s you''re still alive... Take this, it''s not much but it''ll do for now." A feminine voice instructed lifting my head a little and began pouring a liquid into my mouth that instantly re-energized making it easier to breathe and move a little. "I''ll see to Grace now," she answered placing my head back down gently. "You''re safe now." The feminine said as the sound of a popping vial followed.

    The knight proceeded to lift me up and began moving me, "Please are my friends okay?" I pleaded her to answer.

    "Thank the God''s everyone survived." She joyfully answered picking me up and placing me on her horse. "Try and hold on, I''ll get your friend." She said giving me a firm pat on my shoulder.

    "Are you sure my friend Daisy, she disappeared amongst the fighting?" I desperately questioned her hope for an answer trying to look at her with my blurred vision.

    "She''s safe. Here we go." The feminine voice smiled as she lifted Grace onto the horse and jumped on behind us. Without even a word the horse stood up and began trotting back in the direction of the other.

    "Thank you so much for helping us." I thanked her.

    "You guys are really lucky I sensed trouble and came to investigated the bright light." She smiled as the horse very calmly trotted us back making the ride surprisingly comfortable.

    "Thank Serra!" Daisy voice yelled out as her blurred figure came to view.

    "I''m sorry I can''t heal you guys anymore, I only had a few healing potions on hand sadly." The female knight answered.

    "You did enough, no words can express our gratitude," Seraphine answered her sounding wounded and battered herself.

    "Here," Pichard said reaching out to grace and I and began muttering what sounded like a prayer making lessening my pain and restoring my vision. "Sorry, that''s all I can do for today." He smiled giving Grace and I a firm pat on the shoulder and a nod of respect.

    The horse knelt down to let us off, "Thank you, knight of... I''m sorry I''ve never seen your sigil before..." Seraphine began to thank the knight but paused unable to recognize her armour or faith.

    "No need for thanks, we''re always happy to help." The feminine voice smiled taking off her helmet fl.i.c.k.i.n.g her golden blonde hair in the wind.

 Chapter 228 - The Silver Knight

    "Anna?" Daisy Grace and I questioned in shock recognizing her in and instant as she took off her helm waving her golden blonde hair in the wind.

    "Good to see you all again." She smiled stowing her lance, shield and helmet on the sides of her horses, making us all gasp in shock that it was actually her.

    "Thank you for your help." Seraphine and Pichard knelt on one knee in respect and admiration despite wincing and a quiet grunt still showing signs of pain.

    "Please, stand up you both are still very hurt." She quickly went to help them both up off their knee.

    "So you''re a knight of Atlantis? I never knew Atlantis has knights." Seraphine asked a little surprised.

    "Not really a knight of Atlantis, but my Father and my uncles were all knights, some would say the greatest knights that ever lived, but sadly they all passed away in battle." She explained to us the pain of her loss family still very fresh to her.

    "We are truly thankful for everything you did today, we owe you our lives." Seraphine and Pichard both replied.

    "Please, please there''s no need. You all fought valiantly, like true heroes of the realm" She smiled nodding back at them as a sign of respect.

    "Daisy?!" what happened to you, last I remembered you disappeared." I asked her in a panic hugging her to make sure she was real.

    "I don''t even know myself! all I remember was a sharp pain in my shoulder when suddenly in a flash I was in the air in free fall falling towards the monster and Serra whispering and guiding me." She answered in a shock.

    "What happened?!" I couldn''t really see." I asked her to explain more.

    "Well I barely remember it myself, I just felt Serra guiding me, all i remember was swinging my maul at the exact right moment driving Anna''s lance through it''s head." Daisy explained.

    "Wow so that light was her?" I asked Daisy looking at her in shock and awe.

    "Yeah, I was surprised too I thought she didn''t know magic." Daisy said also looking at her.

    "And I thought she was more akin to a rouge..." Grace added as the three of use looked in awe, as she conversed with Seraphine and Pichard.

    "Umm Anna.." I politely waited for my opportunity to grab her attention.

    "Yes?" She smiled joyfully.

    "Ummm do you know where Paul is?... he didn''t come to help..." I began to try and ask her.

    "He currently stuck in a meeting with the council and leaders of the city, that''s why I came by myself." She answered.

    "Can we perhaps go seem him?" I questioned quietly.

    "Sure I can take you to him, he''ll defiantly be happy to see you." She smiled.

    "Please Knight Anna may you return with us to the church of Serra so we can tend to your wounds. It''s the least we can do." Seraphine offered.

    "I would love to but sadly, I must report back to my commander." She answered.

    "The black Dragon Slayer?" Seraphine questioned.

    "Yes, there is no doubt he''s eagerly waiting for my return and update on the situation." Anna replied.

    "Then please accept this token of gratitude." Seraphine answered taking off her necklace and offering it to her with both hands on one knee.

    "Thank you?" Anna cautiously accepted her gift.

    "This is my personal sigil, it''ll grant you access to all parts of the city without question of any guards, may it help you return to your commander faster." She answered respectfully.

    "Thank you." Anna smiled giving her a nod.

    I quickly walked back to the Daisy and Grace, "Hey guys if you don''t mind, I''d like to return with Anna to see Paul." I explained to them.

    "I understand." Grace winked at me with a cheeky smile.

    "Ow..." Daisy replied a little jealous.

    "I''ll see you guys later okay? I''ll met you guys at the church." I smiled, Daisy''s reaction making me chuckle a little.

    Walking back to Anna she gave me a quick glance and nod, "We''ll be making our way back now. I hope to fight by your side again some time." She smiled giving Seraphine and Pichard a salute of respect and nod.

    "May Serra eternally watch over you." Seraphine and Pichard replied giving us both a nod and smile of respect.

    "Grace and Daisy not coming with us?" Anna questioned noticing it was just me beside her.

    "Sadly I think they have some more duties to perform." I answered her.

    "Very well," She smiled and with a series of clicks her horse came over kneeling down for me to get on.

    "Ohh I can walk..." I instinctively said to her.

    "I know but you''re still wounded so if you don''t mind." She offered.

    "Okay.." I hesitantly accepted as she helped me up on her horse.

    "Ridden a horse before?" She questioned with a smiled helping me get more comfortable on the saddle and putting my feet into the stirrups.

    "Once or twice." I answered.

    "Great, there''s nothing to be scared of he''s very tame and loves to give rides." Anna smiled giving her horse a nice firm pat and a kiss on the nose.

    "Safe travels." Seraphine and Pichard bid us farewell.

    "Bye guys!" Grace and Daisy waveing goodbye to us.

    "Take care everyone!" We both smiled back and began making our way into the city.

    "Is it true that Paul is planning to rebuild the lower district?" I questioned her making small talk as she walked beside us guiding her horse without even needing to pull a rein.

    "Yes, he''s discussing how to best compensate those who lost family and their livelihoods.." She answered.

    "Is that why he didn''t come to help?" I questioned.

    "Yes he''s busy discussing how to best compensate the city and probably disrupting the meeting would makehis standing with the leaders and council more worse then it already is." She answered as a regiment of big regiment of guards began jogging past us full armored and ready for combat.

    "Ohhh..." I replied feeling a little saddened that he didn''t respond or come to my cry for help.

    "Still in pain?" Anna questioned noticing my change in expression.

    "A little." I answered.

    "Any external injuries?" She questioned giving me a closer look.

    "No, luckily I didn''t come to much harm." I answered her faking a smile.

    "Yeah... Sorry I only carry a handful of potions on myself normally." She confessed looking a little apologetic.

    "You was amazing by the way!" I said to her trying to force myself to think of something else.

    "Thank you. So were all of you!" She smiled.

    "Not as great as you." I answered back.

    "Don''t think like that, we all played a pivotal role in taking down that creature." She smiled trying to fill me with confidence. "I believe you played a very great role in protecting your friends from harm as they made their way up the creature." She smiled.

    As we reached a check point in the city, guards stood surrounded a giant gate leading to the inner districts checking papers of citizens queuing up. Anna proceeded to attach Seraphine''s sigil onto her b.r.e.a.s.tplate and proceeded to approach. All the guards gasped and began to make an opening allowing us to pass, they all stood at attention saluting as we traveled past.

    It was staggering, the difference between the lower district and the inner district, despite still looking a bit aged it didn''t look like a complete shanty town. "Is the meeting in this district?" I questioned looking around.

    "Nah we''re heading to central high district, we still have to pass the middle district and into the high district." She answered.

    "So what does Paul have planned? I heard it will take a miracle to get all the resources here and the man power." I questioned curiously.

    "Well, he hasn''t discussed it with us yet sadly." She answered.

    "He could just portal all the materials right?" I questioned.

    "Well... if he could move them through the portal yeah, or have Scarlet throw it all through the portal." She chuckled at the idea.

    "Teleport?" I questioned.

    "That would be he most effective method, I suppose. He''d simply need to teleport all the materials to Atlantis and then Atlantis to here, but then that''d would involve a lot of traveling on his end trying to gather all the materials from different locations, I guess." She smiled.

    Slowly we made our way through the districts, the high district was jaw dropping it quite literally looked like a winter paradise, the streets were dotted with these small camp fires with a guard standing over them tending to the flame, the builds were beautifully spaced like an artist designed the whole layout. The trees and bushes were all incredibly and perfectly cut mirroring one another and for some odd reason despite behind higher then the lower district somehow there was less wind making it pleasant to walk the streets.

    Walking past a final check points without examination or questioning, we quickly arrived at our destination as a beautifully constructed old fashioned bricked building that resembled a church but much larger surrounded by beautiful winter flowers and bushes and perfectly tended to trees with two large statues in the shape of knights giving way to the entrance of the building towards the entrance. "That''s where the meeting is being held." She pointed making me focus a little and without doubt Paul''s warmth and presence was inside radiating like a beacon to me.

 Chapter 229 - Anna and Emilia of Atlantis

    As we neared the establishment a set of four guards in pairs were standing around two campfires keeping themself warm while guarding the entrance. They all looked at us and with a firm nod opened the double doors allowing us to enter.

    Anna stopped her horse allowing me to dismount, attaching her shield to her back and picking up her huge very beautiful lance. Upon closer inspection, it had a unique design to it, around the edges it had some sort of threading, it was looked like ribbons of steel all weaving and winding together merging into one single-pointed tip "That''s an odd shape for a lance," I asked her.

    "This is my uncle''s weapon, this lance can detach it''s larger head to a more lightweight spear." She answered with a smiled fastening her shield to her back.

    "Is there a reason for that unique design?" I questioned in shock.

    So this form is used to take out large beasts and creatures, the threading makes it bore deeper into large foe if I was to throw it or imbed it deep into a foe. I can also detach the bulky head and use it as a spear afterwards or use its spear form for smaller combatants." She smiled showing me by cl.i.c.k.i.n.g some trigger and detaching the handle and drawing out a very beautifully crafted spear, for a deadly weapon it has a very elegant design, the most notable feature was it''s spear tip unlike a small diamond pointed blade, the blade was much longer at a glance maybe three to four-time longer then I would have expected with a split down the middle making it look like two separate blades attached to the spread handle.

    "So you fight as well with lance and spears as you do with daggers?" I questioned curiously.

    "My weapon of choice would be a sword, but I can also fight well with daggers and my spear." She smiled putting back the spear into its outer shell making it back into a lance again placing it on the floor. "Good boy!!!" She said holding the head of the horse giving it a hug and rub, the horse began to neigh happily as in an instant the horse began to evaporate into brilliant white light and started flowing into the shoulder plate of her armour.

    "What the...." I uttered in shock as well as all the guards began to look in shock as well.

    "I can summon my horse at will." She smiled showing me her shoulder plate that now has the classic horse pose on its back legs and the other shoulder pad that seemed to have a second horse but was black coloured.

    "Wow did you find that when adventuring?" I questioned in awe.

    "Nope not really, my father bestowed this armour to me before he passed." She answered.

    "Oh sorry, I didn''t know." I instinctively apologised.

    "It''s okay..." She smiled.

    "You don''t have Muramasa on you?" I questioned.

    "No, I don''t sadly, I don''t normally carry it around because it''s too dangerous. Usually, I have a set of two daggers, one was given to me by my mother and the other my father." She smiled taking out two ornate daggers, that despite having a very different shape, design and colouring design they still looked like a pair of daggers made for each other. My plate armour and lance are only when I''m on official business like today." She smiled.

    "That''s so cool!" I gushed in awe and glee imagining all the stuff I would eventually own, things beyond my imagination.

    "Just stay close to me." She smiled and began making her way into the building.

    "Please hand in your weapons inside, safety precaution." A male guard asked us politely allowing us to enter.

    To my surprise walking inside, we were met with a very extravagant tea party, over fifty grown a.d.u.l.ts and a few children chit-chatting over finger food and wine wearing very extravagant wealthy-looking attire.

    "If you please hand you weapons to the guards on the right." A man dressed in an attire resembling a butler informed us politely with a bow an open palm.

    Anna lead the way to a set of guards that seemed very bored, "Hi we''d like to hand in our weapons." Anna smiled politely making them all jump in shock.

    "Of course madam." A male guard said taking her shield and lance struggling to hold each of them even when using two hands. "May I take your name?" He questioned looking down at a pad and pencil.

    "Anna of Atlantis," She smiled making the guard look at us differently like some sort of idol or celebrity.

    "Atlantis?" He gushed in awe and looked back at her spear and shield in admiration.

    "Yup." Anna smiled back and stepped away allowing me to approach.

    I reluctantly pulled out my wand, "Emilia of Atlantis..." I smiled feeling a little hesitant there was such little security for our weapons and stuff.

    The guard opened both his palm ready to receive my wand treating it like it was some delicate ancient fossil that could crumble to dust in any moment, "Just come back here, state your name and we''ll return your weapons to you." He smiled delicately placing my wand in a storage box.

    "And your coat.." Anna coughed quietly hinting me to take off my coat.

    "Ohh yeah... and this if you don''t mind," I said taking off my coat to handing it to him. Upon seeing my uniform he looked at me like some sort of VIP of higher reputation and standing.

    "Thank you," We both thanked him and walked back to the initial butler.

    "Aren''t you afraid they might run with our stuff?" I whispered very quietly.

    "They wouldn''t dare, and besides we have students who can track items and people." Anna smiled walking up to the butler.

    "Anna and Emilia of Atlantis, Personal body Guards of Paul the Black Dragon Slayer." Anna smiled with a nod.

    With a cough and ringing of a small bell, "Miss Anna and Emilia of Atlantis, Personal Guards to Paul the Black Dragon Slayer." he announced loudly to everyone. In an instant, everyone looked at us and began to gossip and whispers, no doubt about both of us.

    Two guards began to quickly speed walk towards us taking care not to run, "If you both would please follow us." They informed us waiting for our answer.

    "Lead the way." Anna nodded.

    They quickly lead us up the main staircase that leads to the upper floors that overlooked the main atrium, reaching a set of large double doors, they both pushed it open revealing a more secluded party setting with slightly fewer patrons.

    "Ahhh Anna you''re back!" A giant of a man well over 6ft with a full lock of black hair and beard donning an ornate b.r.e.a.s.tplate ontop of some regal-looking clothing with an ornate cloak and weapon, greeted us noticing when we entered.

    "Greetings Commander Balthor sorry for my hasty exit earlier." Anna apologised to her as he broke away from his conversation to meet us.

    "Ohhh it''s fine! So did my guards handle the situation well?" He questioned with a jolly smile.

    "They performed admirably." Anna smiled.

    "So whos''s this fine young lady?" He smiled taking my hand and bowing down giving it a light gently kiss making me feel extremely awkward.

    "Emilia I''m from Atlantis." I answered a little sheepishly slowly withdrawing my hand not sure what two do or who to act.

    "So Commander Balthor I assume the meeting is over since everyone is out now," Anna questioned making conversation.

    "Ahh yes! not too long ago, in case I don''t see him again. Please send him my thanks for everything he''s doing for the city." Balthor smiled.

    "He''s not around enjoying the festivities?" I questioned.

    "Sadly, he was very quick to leave, he and the princess said there are more pressing matters they need to tend to before the evening ceremony tonight," Balthor answered.

    "Is that so.... well Commander if you don''t mind we''ll need to take our leave as well then," Anna informed him.

    "Sure? You don''t want to stay for food and drinks? Our mountain game meat is quite famous." He offered with a giant smile.

    "I would love to, but sadly duties of bodyguards and all," Anna explained.

    "I understand, tell him that he should try and employ some Male guards, people might think he''s just using his status to take advantage of you girls." He warned Anna and giving me a cautionary glance.

    "Believe me, he''s not the type of person." Anna chuckled.

 Chapter 230 - How to Slay a Dragon

    Bidding the commander farewell we quickly picked up our weapons and my coat making our exit back into the city. "Hmmm, now the trouble is, how are we gonna find Paul...." Anna began to ponder.

    "You can''t sense him either?" I questioned in a little curious if it''s just me that can kinda sense where he is.

    "No one can, he''s more or less perfected his ability to mask his presence even to the point of manipulating it to make him feel like a mundane human," Anna explained.

    "Ohh..." I answered nodding like we were in the same boat.

    Quickly trying to concentrate on his location, his distinctive warmth radiated from the middle district. "Let''s try... this way." I smiled pointing in his direction.

    "Sure." Anna shrugged.

    "So do you know what he''s up to?" I question curiously.

    "He''s most likely compensating those families that lost loved ones and lively hoods." She answered.

    "Can I help carry your shield or lance?" I questioned.

    "It''s alright just kinda annoying how c.u.mbersome my lance is." She sighed holding it resting it on her shoulder as we walked.

    "Ohhh do you think it''ll fit in my bag?" I questioned opening my pouch.

    "Oh! Let''s see!" She said excitedly passing her lance through the opening of the bag, "I really hope the opening large enough." She smiled excitedly.

    Like magic, the lance passed through the opening comically disappearing into the bag despite being only a fraction of the size.

    "Emilia you''re a lifesaver!" She smiled gleefully and proceeded to walk towards Paul.

    "So your lance shoots those white iridescent beams, or is that something you do?" I questioned making conversation.

    "That is something my Lance does," She answered.

    "Ohh so it''s a magical lance?" I questioned.

    "Yes, my lance belonged to my uncle before me and before him belonged to a great knight who fought side by side with my grandfather. Long ago during my grandfather''s era dragons reigned over our land enslaving humans and it''s inhabitants forging warring kingdoms. Until two dragons came to the aid of Humans one Gold dragon named-" She began to explain and added what seemed to be two names but in another language, I''ve never heard before that sounded very harsh with very weird hisses.

    "What language is that?" I questioned.

    "That is Draconic the language in which dragons speak." She answered making me stop and look at her in shock.

    "Dragons have their own language?" I asked in shock.

    "Yes.... many races have their own language, just the most commonly spoken language her is common." She answered.

    "I see....." I nodded in understanding.

    "So these two Dragons along with my Grandfather uspured each kingdom one by one and uniting the land under one rules. This lance belonged to one of my Grandfathers most trusted knights and was blessed by the two Dragons giving it Dragon slaying properties." She explained.

    "Paul told me Dragons are almost indestructible. Is that true?" I questioned.

    "Even in the texts of my kingdom said Dragons are nay indestructible, their scales are immune to all forms of magic, except dragon slaying magic, magic used by dragons themselves. They are also harder than any metal forged by mortal hands, only magical weaponry blessed by dragons and forged in dragon fire can pierce the scales of a Dragon." She answered.

    "Woah....." I uttered in shock how stacked the odds were to even defeat a Dragon.

    "Yes, fortunate for us Dragons have long since vanished from here, and the reason why any remaining dragon scale armours or weapons forged or imbued with Dragon claws or teeth are Legendary in status." She answered.

    "So there are a few things remaining?" I questioned.

    "Yes but very few, my grandfather was lucky that he was chosen by two dragons. The only other way to even craft such amour or weaponry, is by using the special organ dragons have that allows them to breathe fire, the weaponsmith or armoursmith must use the organ of a freshly slain Dragon to forge the armour or weapon within a day before the organ dies out." She answered making me instantly feel a little sorry for dragons. "But even then through the process of making such an item renders the smith''s hands useless burned beyond healing even through magical means." She concluded.

    "Surely no one would be crazy enough," I uttered in shock.

    "There are many that try and only a few succeed," Anna answered.

    "But you''d need a dragon-slaying weapon to even win a fight," I asked in disbelief.

    "Their scales are nearly indestructible, but between and under the scales, if you hit it at the right angle with enough force and a magical weapon you might be able to cause some damage and harm." She answered.

    "So how many weapons are out there that have these Dragon Slaying properties?" I questioned.

    "So the few I know of are, Scarlet and my armour are the only two in existence that is forged purely from Dragon Scales, mine was my fathers who were given to him by his father which was forged for him by two dragons, Scarlet''s armour is only rumoured to be made from pure Dragon scales, no one actually knows. There are also two scalemail armours, one made with several different colours of dragon scales and one made from green dragon scales. For weapons most famous would be Scarlet''s Sword, there''s also my lance, a Pair of long swords one called Caliburn and another called Excaliber. There is also Tatsumasa and Fang of Bahamut made from the fangs of a dragon." She answered making me imagine in awe.

    "Amazing..." I wondered in amazement.

    "And apparently Paul along with a few other notable sorcerers are the rare few who know Dragon Slaying Magic." Anna smiled making me smile in even more amazement.

    "So his magic can slay dragons!" I asked in awe.

    "Well I haven''t personally witnessed him use it himself, but I have no doubt he''ll be able to, one day you should spectate him, you''ll be wowed." Anna smiled as we made our way through checkpoints and guards letting us through without any question.

    "So you have any idea where we''re heading?" She questioned as we entered the slightly busier middle district, despite being very chilly there were still a lot of citizens walking around doing trades and conversing with one another. I closed my eyes and began to focus, his warmth began to radiate to me originating from the lower district.

    "I assume he''s heading to the lower district, if he really is here to help those in need, it would most likely be lower district citizens," I smiled

    "Ah, you make a good point." Anna smiled back and nodded.

    "So that creature we fought earlier, was that the same thing you guys are going to try and vanquish?" I questioned.

    "Well the description is very close to what Paul described and it''s abilities are nearly the same. So most likely." She answered.

    "Are you all going to be okay?" I questioned feeling a little worried.

    "We should be okay, we''re a lot stronger than your small team back there." Anna smiled.

    "You guys will take care though right?" I questioned.

    "You have nothing to worry about each of us alone are formidable individuals and we trained and fight together as well." Anna smiled.

    "So back there, at the monster was that all you?" I questioned.

    "Of course not, we all played a pivotal role." She smiled.

    "What I meant, was it you who destroyed the creature? The last thing I saw was Daisy vanishing from existence." I questioned.

    "Ahhh, that would be my fault, sorry for making you worry." She chuckled.

    "How?" I gasped in shock.

    "You know the two daggers that were gifted to me by my father and mother?" She asked.

    "I remember," I answered.

    "Like my parents love for me, they can never be separated, I can at will teleport to either of them or call them back to me." She smiled.

    "Right..." I answered nodding in understanding

    "It was a very quick series of actions, I firstly closed the distance between me and Daisy using one dagger while throwing one high into the sky, before teleporting to the one in the air, I quickly tossed the one attached to Daisy in the head of the monster. Sending her into the sky and then going back to the monsters head, I plunged my spear into its head. Since Daisy uses a blunt weapon, the force she would need to deal a fatal blow would be far beyond her or my means." Anna explained.

    "Okay, that makes sense," I answered.

    "So to counteract its regenerative ability I drove my lance through its head blasting it to weaken it and exposing its soft innards, allowing Daisy to land a strong enough blow driving my lance completely through its head." She answered.

    "Wow, and Daisy knew what to do, in that very instant?!" I questioned in shock.

    "To be honest it was a total shot in the dark, even when I managed to send her in the sky she was on the verge of collapsing, I don''t know myself how she was able to gauge what was going on and do the right thing," Anna answered.

    "Hmmmm...." I began to wonder, so it must have been Serra after all that guided her.....

 Chapter 231 - Another Task

    I could tell we neared Paul''s location, his presence always bringing in a large crowd as a small mass of citizens stood around the entrance of a quaint house eagerly trying to glimpse in through the windows. "Well, I guess he''s in there." Anna pointed.

    "Seems so, shall we knock?" I questioned.

    "Even if we tried, they''d probably won''t answer anyway and we would need to push our way through the crowd." Anna laughed.

    "What should we do then?" I questioned.

    "To be honest he''s probably sensed us arriving long ago so we just need to wait for him." Anna smiled making me think why he never came to help even though he should have been able to sense us.....

    "So we just sit and wait?" I questioned.

    "Hmm, let us look for someplace quiet, that way he doesn''t bring the crowd with him," Anna suggested.

    "Good idea" I replied following Anna down a small alleyway between some houses it was surprisingly clean for being in the lower district.

    As predicted a few minutes later a red portal opened out and out stepped Paul. "Emilia!" He smiled giving me a quick hug quickly sending me back to the old days when we used to go to school together.

    "Hey..." I replied hugging I''m back a little, surprised that he hugged me.

    "And Anna the Guard bells, nothing dangerous? I hope." He questioned.

    "Small incident nothing to worry about." Anna smiled.

    "Great, I got a little worried when I heard the bell''s thought it might have been something serious attack again." He smiled, "So Emilia what brings you here? Not bunking classes are we?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow with a hint of humour in his voice.

    "There was a request for Daisy to help today, Grace and I also came to help." I smiled.

    "Oh?" He looked at me curiously.

    "Long story I''ll explain letter, what about you how did the meeting go?" I questioned eagerly waiting for his answer.

    "Just agreeing to compensate everyone who lost something, also set up temporary residence for half the lower district, and bring in supplies and manpower to help rebuild the city." Paul sighed.

    "How are you gonna achieve such a feat?" I questioned a little shocked at how absurd it all sounded and how nonchalant he was.

    "Well that''s to come later, right now I have more important matters to deal with." He smiled.

    "So Paul what are you doing?" Anna questioned.

    "I need to visit each family that lost a loved one in the conflict," Paul answered.

    "To reimburse them for their loss?" I questioned.

    "Not only that, I wanted to apologize for not being able to save their loved ones who bravely and valiantly fought till their very last breath to save us and the city," Paul explained with a deep hurt look in his eyes.

    "Anything we can do to help?" I questioned seeing the hurt in his eyes making my eyes begin to well up with tears.

    "Actually there is something you can do to help." He smiled.

    "We can?" Anna questioned a little unconvinced.

    "Yes... I have a diplomatic mission for the both of you." He smiled.

    "Diplomatic?" I asked a little confused.

    "Yes, I have a meeting with some mountain Dwarves they should be arriving soon, I need both of you to arrange a deal for their building and manpower to rebuild the city." He answered.

    "Why Dwarves?" I chuckled a little.

    "Dwarves are amongst the greatest architects and builders, not only that they are more resilient to the cold then we are. I''m also trying to forge a stronger alliance between the Dwarves and the humans here." He smiled.

    "So we bring them to you?" I questioned.

    "Nah, I have too many families to visit. I need you both to negotiate a price and agreement for them to come over and help rebuild the city." He explained.

    "Are you sure that''s such a good idea?" Anna questioned.

    "As long as either one of you isn''t an Elf," He chuckled.

    "What do we have or what should we offer for their cooperation?" I questioned.

    "Whatever is needed," He smiled.

    "Yeah but... what''s the going rate of labour and stuff?" I began to question.

    "Don''t worry about that just get it sorted for me." He smiled and disappeared quickly into a red portal, "Sorry but I must rush of I''ve got a lot of families to visit before the day is over." He shouted before it closed behind him.

    I stood there totally gobsmacked at the speed of his exit, "Well looks like we have a job to do." Anna smiled.

    "Wait the idiot didn''t even tell us when or where we should be meeting them! Is he always like that? rushing off and things." I yelled in anger realizing we''re in a pickle.

    "A few times, it only happens when he has a lot on his plate. Come let''s head to a local bar in the lower district." Anna smiled and began to walk.

    "Why?" I questioned.

    "Dwarves don''t care much for niceties and things, plus their usual first stop is always alcohol, the cheaper the better." Anna chuckled.

    "So have you been with Paul in any previous negotiations?" I questioned making our way through the city.

    "I have been a silent witness of a few." She smiled.

    "What are they like?" I questioned hoping that they aren''t shady, intense or life-threatening.

    "He''s always happy to help but he''s very firm, he''ll never accept getting the short end of the stick," She answered.

    "Really?" I answered back finding it a little unbelievable, the gentle kind and conflict avoiding person I once knew would have just accepted anything as long as they were happy.

    "Don''t be so worried, in most cases the deals are pretty simple to negotiate." Anna smiled.

    "What do you mean?" I questioned.

    "Well, it''s not every day you get to deal with the Black Dragon Slayer and his associates." Anna smiled.

    "So normally ask for your skills?" I questioned.

    "Yup, exactly." Anna winked.

    "What sort of deals get arranged?" I questioned.

    "Kill beasts, giants, dealing with a criminal syndicate. The list goes on." Anna answered.

    "What is sort of price do you guys normally demand?" I questioned curiously

    "Hmmm, easily a few hundred platinum for a standard escort to standing guard for a week." She answered.

    "Jeez, your prices are no joke," I gasped in shock.

    "Of course, our name alone will scare off even the biggest of sc.u.mbag syndicates or even take down the most fearsome of beasts and monsters." She smiled extremely proud of their status.

    "Quick question, how sure are you these Dwarves would even recognize us. They certainly won''t recognize me." I questioned.

    "Hmm come to think of it they might not recognize me either, being the newest and quietest member..." She replied a little surprised.

    One by one we made our way to different establishments asking the bartender or any other patrons if they''ve seen a band of Dwarves anywhere. Eventually, we got pointed to a direction that sounded promising that was closer to the side of the lower district that got devastated.

    "This looks like the place," Anna pointed at an inn with a set of five magnificent mountain Rams were tied to posts, they were extremely fluffy, thick with fur ranging from brown in colour to a dirty white. Each had it''s own saddle to ride on and a small satchel to hold supplies, with a thick metallic helmet I''d assume to protect its head. A young boy came into view. His whole body shaking involuntarily from the cold trying to lug a barrel filled with water to fill a trough for the rams to drink from.

    "Woah!!! Dwarves ride Rams?!" I questioned in both shock and excitement.

    "Well, mountain Dwarves normal do, Rams handle the rocky and uneven terrain better than a horse and are more resilient to the bitter climate," Anna smiled. "Hey, kid!" She shouted pulling his attention and flicked a platinum coin to him. "Buy yourself something warm." She smiled and entered the inn pushing open the double doors, warmth and song and laughter radiated out the opening as a jolly well lit bar stood in front of us.

    "I guess this is where people laugh and drink to escape the bitter climate," I said walking in following Anna.

 Chapter 232 - Ironhammer Dwarves

    The whole tavern fell silent as we entered, every male patron and even female patrons looking at us in shock like we were completely out of place. "Why are they all staring at us?" I froze whispering to Anna.

    "Don''t worry just act like you belong." She smiled and confidently walked forward.

    Trying to act confident I began following her as all the patrons watched us their heads following us as we approached the bar.

    "Two water''s please." Anna confidently ordered for us and sat at a pair of free seats.

    "Here you go, ladies." The barman served us two tall glasses of water. "I haven''t seen you two before, adventurers?" He questioned curiously while wiping down the bar.

    "Of sorts, we''re Students of Atlantis," Anna answered making the barman gasp in shock.

    "Make sure you girl keep an eye out, there are some groups that aren''t happy with what happened to the city." He warned us quietly.

    "Don''t worry we are more than capable of defending ourselves." She smiled.

    "Is it dangerous to be here?" I questioned quietly a little worried.

    "I haven''t overheard anyone here openly show disdain, but just be careful girls." He warned us quietly.

    "Anyways we were meant to meet some Dwarves here, have you by any chance seen a band of them?" Anna questioned.

    "Ahhh yes, over there." He pointed to a distant table of six very stout looking Dwarves starting right back at us, who quickly turned away when we turned to look at them.

    "Thanks." Anna thanked the barman tossing him two gold coins for the drinks.

    "That''s far too much...." The barman refused, sliding the coins along the bar top back to her.

    "Don''t worry about it." She smiled.

    "It''s honestly too much, only 20 copper." The barman smiled.

    "Sure," Anna said handing him one silver coin, "Don''t worry about the change and stood up.

    "Thank you." I quietly thanked the barman and stood up with Anna.

    "Greetings I''m Anna Redrose and this is Emilia Patel, we are here in place of Paul," Anna informed them and pulled out a nearby stool and grabbing a nearby one for me.

    "Can we get both you girls a drink?" A gingered haired dwarf with a thick long beard asked us smiling happily with a comically Scottish accent.

    "That won''t be necessary thank you," Anna smiled politely declining his offer.

    "Fair, Fair." He nodded.

    "So the Black Dragon Slay sends his lapdogs instead of meeting us personally!" A black-haired dwarf looking noticeably younger if not the youngest among them, slammed his fist on the table clearly showing how angry he was turning away from us.

    "I assure you that he had no intention to offend, please let me introduce myself. The newest member of his Team and this is Emilia she''s a very close friend to Paul." She introduced both of unfazed by the young Dwarfs outburst.

    "Will ya shut your gob Thostraed." One Dwarf shouted over him. "Please mind my nephew he''s still young and hot-headed." An older Dwarf apologized for the recent outburst.

    "What how are you all okay with this?! He''s insulting our house and Name!" Thostraed argued.

    "Will you shut your pie hole!" One of the older Dwarves ordered.

    The oldest looking dwarf of all of them thumped his fist on the table silencing all the other Dwarves instantly and causing some of the other surrounding patrons to turn around.. "Thostraed Go outside and see our rams are properly tended for." The eldest dwarf ordered making the young dwarf murmur and angrily stomped out. "If you don''t mind me asking young Miss, what reasons does the Black Dargon Slayer have for not meeting us today?" Another a.d.u.l.t dwarf kindly asked.

    "He sends his most humble apologies, he currently occupied helping the homeless and those who lost everything during the incursion," Anna informed them.

    "A noble cause." the dwarf nodded and began whispering to the eldest.

    "Agreed, well since it''s our first time meeting, I''m Orrock Ironhammer current chief and leader of house Ironhammer, beside me is Orivreat Ironhammer my chief engineer and my oldest brother, to my right is Fograek Ironhammer my greatest fighter and head huntsman, and this is Thrasir and Nomrak Ironhammer." the eldest nodded introducing each and everyone and proceeded to pull out a scroll and began unraveling it in front of us. "So as far as what we can see from the rubble and remains this is what we believe the district looked like," he said pointing at parts of the map. "There as some problem areas, that we couldn''t identify as well as some improvements we can make, it''s layout and style is well a bit naff. Please take this to The Black Dagon Slayer and finalize the plans and arrange payment, we are only fifty dwarves strong but rest assured we will finish the job as fast as any other house." He explained and requested.

    "Paul has reassured me that your house is the best house for the task at hand." Anna smiled.

    "And the arrangement for supplies have already been finalised?" One of the dwarfs questioned.

    "Yes, he has assured me he will have the materials when needed, If you don''t mind could we have both plans the previous and the improved with a list of materials of each?" Anna nodded.

    "Very well." Orrock nodded making Thrasir and Nomrak began to quickly scribble and draw things out on a new scroll, "Then it is decided the House of the Iron Hammers will hereby accept your request." Orrock nodded causing Orivreat and Fograek to place two large mugs in front of Orrock Anna and I began filling it with some form of drink from a leather fur-lined flask.

    Annna reached out for the drink causing me to instantly follow suit mimicking the Orrock. without a word, he began to down the drinking making us both begin to take our drinks. As the alcoholic beverage neared my nose the strength of the beverage began to make itself clear as the scent of a very well-aged whiskey with a hint of Oak, I instantly began to regret my decision to follow suite as the strong spirit hit the back of my throat the warmth was welcoming and surprisingly smooth but I could instantly feel the alcohol rush up to my brain.

    All the other Dwarves laughed and chuckled at how quickly I had to put down my drink but was then suddenly silenced mouths gapped in shock and awe, as Anna without flinching finished the beverage faster than the head Dwarf and slammed her mug to the table completely finished with the Orrock following a fraction of a second behind.

    "Wow young lass! IMPRESSIVE!" Orrock bellowed in joy and approval as all the Dwarves pulled out more mugs and even topping up the small mouthful I had of mine.

    "One last one for me, I''m still responsible to guard the Black Dragon Slayer while he''s in town." Anna smiled and began to slowly drink her mug enjoying it more slowly.

    "So both you two young lasses guard the Black Dragon Slayer?" Fograek chuckled looking at us inquisitively.

    "Say is it true that you and his team cleared our a Bihyr nest all by yourselves?" An older Dwarf questioned.

    "That is true," Anna smiled making all the Dwarfs look at us in astonishment.

    "How many a.d.u.l.ts were there?" Orrock asked extremely eager to hear the answer.

    "There were six m.a.t.u.r.e ones in total with along with four young a.d.u.l.t ones." Anna causing all their jaws to hang open in shock.

    "But how?" Fograek asked.

    "That would be a trade secret." Anna winked raising her mug for a roast, making all the Dwarfs sigh and chuckle with laughter raising their mugs in suit.

    "Wow... six Bihyr''s and a nest must have been worth thousands of gold! not including the mission rewards." Two Dwarves began to discuss.

    "Unbelievable even our most experienced warriors would struggle with just two." They all answered in disbelief.

    "Young miss not gonna touch your drink?" Orrock asked me politely.

    "Sorry, it''s a little strong for my taste, but it is a very lovely beverage." I laughed awkwardly hoping i didn''t offend them.

    "Ahhh, Sorry young miss Dwarfven spirits tend to be very strong," He chuckled.

    "So was your travels far?" I questioned curiously.

    "Three day''s ride the journey was a little treacherous though." He chuckled with a smile like it was an ordinary occurrence.

    "If you don''t mind, could you pass on a request to The Black Dragon Slayer for me," He questioned politely.

    "Sure." I smiled.

    "If you could request him to maybe send some help to accompany my house members to the city safely, of course, I''ll offer a fair price for the service." He requested.

    "I am sure he will accommodate." I smiled.

    "My greatest thanks." He smiled giving me a small toast forcing me to take a small sip of my drink.

    As I put my mug back down hoping I wouldn''t need to take another sip, Anna''s hand gripped mine and with her other hand pulled my mug away from me, "I''ll finish it for you." Anna smiled like she could read my mind.

    "Are you sure?" I whispered hoping she wasn''t intoxicating herself on my behalf.

    "I''m fine, don''t worry." She smiled at me with no sign of flushed cheeks or even slurred speech like the alcohol had no effect on her.

    "Here are the plans and material cost of both, Miss Anna." Thrasir and Nomrak politely informed us handing us four sets of scrolls.

    "Thank you for your time and service, I regret to inform but Emilia and I must take our leave," Anna informed them making them all respond a little disappointed. "If you all would like to stay the night and travel back tomorrow, please accept the cost of rooms, stay and any other forms of hospitality on The Black Dragon Slayers behalf." Anna requested placing a small sack of coins on the table and stood up.

    "Please send the Black Dragon Slayer our most humble and deepest thanks for choosing us for this task." The Eldest Dwarf thanked standing up holding a hand out to shake.

    "Thank you, Orrcok Ironhammer and the Ironhammer clan, I hope this won''t be our last meeting" Anna thanked them and bowed solemnly causing me to bow in respect as well.

 Chapter 233 - Pauls Devastation

    "Do you think anything will happen? to us again." I questioned Anna as we appeared to be making our way to the sight we fought the monster.

    "Of course, sadly this world is very dangerous." She answered my obscure question.

    "I meant today, the near-death experiences...." I answered still a little shaken by the whole thing, still vividly remembering my own consciousness almost fading.

    She instantly looked at me with caring eyes as her posture softened pulling me in for a hug, "I''m sorry I can''t possibly fathom what you must be feeling, but you have nothing to worry about as long as we draw breath we will always be here. You will grow to become a great and strong sorceress." She smiled trying to cheer me up a little.

    "I dunno, it seems that trouble always follows me, like every time I leave the school something horrible happens," I questioned wondering why trouble normally follows me.

    "To be fair there''s always something going on sadly, maybe it''s because back in your world you weren''t able to travel to vast places in an instant and lack of monsters and things," Anna answered.

    "Hmm, maybe you''re right." I pondered. "Have you been back to my world?" I questioned curiously.

    "On occasions with Paul, at first he didn''t but eventually my constant badgering changed his mind." She chuckled as we made our way through the lower district.

    "How is it for you? Do you like it?" I questioned a little interested.

    "It hard to pin but it feels oddly welcoming like I belonged there." She smiled.

    "And are you..... as strong over there as you normally are here?" I proceeded to question.

    "I do feel stronger there but luckily it''s rather peaceful so I just relax and enjoy having fun. Have you ever been to, what do you call it, the place with loud music and dancing!" Anna smiled questioning excitedly I can see from the sparkle in her eyes how much she enjoyed it.

    "You mean a club?" I questioned a little unsure.

    "YES!!!!! It''s so fun! to just relax and let the music flow." She smiled closing her eyes in imagination.

    "I know what you mean," I smiled back.

    "What is the next best thing you love over there?" I questioned curiously.

    "Reading is quite awesome, especially fantasy novels," She smiled.

    "Like the stuff we''re living through?" I questioned slightly confused finding it odd why she thought it was interesting.

    "Yeah, they are a bit like the stories we hear and read but so much more wonderful and exciting a little unrealistic though." Anna chuckled.

    "I love reading too, never in my wildest dreams did I think something like this would ever happen to me." I smiled.

    "Coming to a world with magic?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

    "Not only that but other races, fantasy technology and wondrous things," I answered hoping she didn''t find me a little crazy.

    "Your world is just as wondrous if not more! Those big-box metal things that are like carriages with no horses, instantaneous messaging to just about anyone who has those small things with buttons, and don''t get me started with that projector thing Paul has and TV''s and movies! Also, those things you call taps that dispense drinkable water whenever you want, oh! and that things that can create fire to cook food on that seem to be powered by some dial!" She talked about her experiences with just as much excitement, "and do you know what the best thing is? it''s anything beyond my imagination! We have no stories nothing that comes even remotely close to your world, your world is truly something to behold." She smiled gleefully looking in wonder.

    "So, what are your plans when we get back this time?" I questioned curiously.

    "It all depends really, Paul sometimes has some jobs for us but defiantly I want to visit more restaurants and more reading." She smiled.

    "Jobs? like to earn money?" I questioned curiously.

    "Yeah he said we need to earn gold otherwise all our shopping would drive him homeless." She chuckled.

    "Ha, you guys spend a lot?" I chuckled with her.

    "That''s what he says, especially Scarlet, she loves just about everything." She laughed

    Walking through the streets observing the damage Paul did to the city was truly devastating, homeless people wearing inadequate amounts of clothing hovering around a makeshift bonfire trying to keep warm in just about every street corner. "Is there nothing we can do for them?" I questioned looking worried a the sight of even children maybe orphaned from the event hovering around a dying fire.

    "I''m sure Paul and Atlantis have a plan to help everyone, sadly something this large scale will take lots of time and effort from all parties," Anna answered.

    "Do you have any idea what Paul is up to?" I questioned as we arrived at the site that now looks a lot tidier and a makeshift huge temporary seating area made from wood, set up to seat what must be the majority of the city and what must be a few hundred bodies ceremonially wrapped and lined up neatly with their own small bit of kindling, there must have been over a hundred followers of Serra, one by one respectfully placing them in their rightful place all facing the same way ready for the upcoming ceremony.

    "There''s so many," I uttered in shock.

    "Yes, Paul''s plan was rather naive, he saved many lives but if the few guardsmen didn''t bravely hold the wall against the endless tide of Dark Elves hammering at the gates and walls for those extra crucial seconds we might have lost the city and even worse some Atlantis students," Anna answered looking at each humbly wrapped body.

    "Yeah, but why them and not us," I asked feeling a little uneasy and guilty finding it unfair.

    "Don''t think like that, each and every man women and solider there gave their lives to the city, bravely defending those who can''t protect themselves till their last dying breathe. Atlantis doesn''t feel like it, but we are soldiers ourselves." She answered still staring at each and every body with the dignity and respect they deserve.

    "I can''t help but feel if I was a little stronger-" I began to reply.

    "We all live with these ideals and dreams that if we were a little stronger, we could have saved more or perhaps all the casualties, but that''s not reality. Paul told me and your friends all bravely tried to warn the refugees to retreat into the city before the attack started, you all saved many lives that day, take that with you, you all cared for the safety of those who the city deemed as leeches ready to leave them there to get ruthlessly slaughtered." She interrupted me respectfully.

    "I guess you''re right," I replied to her but still feeling a little down.

    "Come, sit with Paul and I, we should be in the front with the rest of the royals." Anna smiled pulling me to the front row of the central seating area that looked much more comfortable and lavish.

    "Ummm I was like a tag-along so I doubt there will be a seat for me." I hesitantly answered.

    "Nonsense your Paul''s personal guard, I''m sure they can reallocate and move some members," She smirked.

    "Is there any chance we can get two more seats for Daisy and Grace?" I politely asked.

    "I''m sure it won''t be a problem." Anna smiled.

    "Can fifty Dwarves really re-build the lower district in ample time?" wondering if the task at hand was too much for the Ironhammer Dwarfs.

    "Paul has reassured us that they would be up for the task and not only that he''s also using his contacts to help alleviate other pressing issues," Anna answered.

    "But how?" I questioned feeling a little doubtful.

    "You should know that Paul''s level of meticulous planning, just have faith in him." She smiled resting a hand on my shoulder making me remember all those times he was always there for me when I needed him the most and was always the best at lifting my spirits.

    "Do you think he always had magic?" I questioned quietly wondering if he lied to me for all this time.

    "Well I first encountered him a few years ago, even then he was adept in many forms of magic and surprisingly extremely adept in combat as well, the only thing I know is, that he is surprisingly quick at mastering things he puts his mind to," Anna answered making me wonder more deeply. "Our seats should be here, Paul and I are a special guest to this event," Anna explained looking for our seats. "This is us," Anna said pointing at reserved seats with Paul the Black Dragon Slayer and Anna seated beside each other.

    "Are you sure this is gonna be okay?" I questioned looking at the two names beside Paul and Anna, my heart instantly sank as Calista''s name was beside Paul''s, totally forgetting that she was here as well. "Who''s Frederick Balthror?" I questioned noticing the name beside Anna''s.

    "Balthor''s Son, the council are trying to ship us together to establish an alliance." She sighed.

    "Are you sure it''s gonna be okay?" I questioned again not feeling so sure.

    "Yes yes... Frederick is a pushover and Calista won''t dare argue with Paul." Anna chuckled as I took Paul''s seat.

    I felt rather guilty watching Daisy and Grace working hard making preparations for the ceremony while I just sat here waiting for it to all start. A red portal opened up near us along with the freezing cold wind as out stepped Paul, "Meet me at the ceremony." Paul said to someone through his portal before closing it.

    "Paul!" I smiled.

    "Eyyy wassup?" He smiled taking a seat beside me with a giant smile.

    "Nothing much." I smiled back gleefully his presence seemed to always lift my spirits.

 Chapter 234 - Pauls Relief Plan

    "This is yours," Anna said handing him four scrolls we got from the Dwarves.

    "Ohh great! did it all go smoothly? Hope they weren''t too offended I didn''t meet them personally." Paul answered taking them.

    "One young did but the rest were more understanding," I answered him.

    "You should have known they would have been a little insulted." Anna sighed like she''s been through something like this before.

    "Thank God, don''t worry I''ll be sure to repay them for my rudeness." Paul smiled waving off his previous behaviour like it wasn''t a big deal.

    "They did what they could in trying to rebuild the lower district how it was before you flattened it, but they also suggested some improvements to the old design," Anna answered.

    "Ahh great, I''ll get the upgrades confirmed with the council and have the project started as quickly as possible." He smiled taking the scrolls and pocketing them into his coat.

    "Ohhh they also asked if they could have some sort of escort here," I added making Paul wince a little, as his eyes began to stray trying to think of what to do.

    "That will be fine, I''ll also make it free of charge as well." He smiled after a few seconds pondering on solutions.

    "You do remember, you promised us a holiday." Anna quickly reminded him.

    "I know... I''ll just get Daggerton and Esseric and their groups to help out," Paul answered.#

    "Who are they?" I instinctively questioned extremely curious.

    "They are a fellow adventuring party we are friends with, they should be willing to take the up task." Paul smiled.

    "You guys need help?" I questioned finding it a little shocking that they would ever need help.

    "They also questioned how you would get all the necessary materials as well," I informed him.

    "Yeah don''t worry, I''ve used my connections in Perpetua, I''m borrowing the Druid district." Paul smiled clearly proud at how easily he solved the dilemma.

    "What do you have planned with them?" I questioned curiously.

    He winked with a giant smile, "I have about twenty druids on route they will be able to mould the earth and grow trees to help with the rebuilding, they also have a Treant and an Earth Elemental." Paul smiled leaning back smiling. "So what happened with the alarm bells?" Paul questioned curiously suddenly remembering.

    "But aren''t elementals evil? like the air ones?" I questioned a little shocked.

    "Like us, they have a society so there''s are both evil and good ones." Paul smiled

    "I don''t know how but the creature we''re meant to be dealing with appeared here in some sort of aspiration I assume," Anna answered.

    "Hmmm, that does sound odd." Paul nodded beginning to contemplate on possibilities.

    "What happened with you?" I politely asked.

    "Ahhh it was quite the nuisance as much as I wanted to help they slapped some anti-magic cuffs on me so I couldn''t really do much." Paul sighed. "It wasn''t too much trouble for you right Anna?" Paul questioned.

    "It was actually quite troublesome, its life-sapping aura was much more formidable than we expected I believe it scales with the number of bodies around it," Anna answered.

    "I see, were there any casualties?" Paul asked sounding a little concerned.

    "Luckily we all barely survived the encounter," Anna answered.

    "Damn, was it that deadly?" Paul questioned sounding a little concerned for the first time since we''ve met again he looked a little worried.

    "I think it was because for some reason it raised a lot of the dead Elves and began to suck their life force or consumed their bodies," I answered him.

    "You was there?!" Paul instantly jumped up from his relaxed demeanour and began to lift my arm inspecting me for wounds, "Are you okay? do you need healing?!" he questioned and without even giving me a chance to answer pulled out two red potions and began edging me on to drink it.

    "It''s okay, we''re okay now." I smiled chuckling at his concern pushing the healing positions back to him.

    "I''m so sorry I couldn''t help, I honestly thought Anna would have been enough and the magical cuffs stop me from doing anything." He began to explain himself like he felt guilty he didn''t come to save us.

    "It''s okay Paul, we were lucky Anna arrived in time," I answered him.

    "Did you see her fight? she''s amazing right?" Paul smiled eagerly to talk to me about how prowess in battle.

    "Yes, it was quite amazing." I smiled.

    "Ohh that''s just the start! she has two horses she can summon at will, did you see her lance?!" Paul asked excitedly before Anna let out a loud cough, "Ohh sorry Anna." Paul jokingly apologized with a hand wave. "She doesn''t like me boasting about how strong she is," Paul whispered to me with a chuckle.

    "Thank you." Anna smiled.

    "Can she beat you in a fight?" I whispered to him.

    "Well actually before we became friends she actually managed to land a few hits on me." Paul smiled.

    "Wow really?" I questioned in shock.

    "Don''t be fooled... outside of Scarlet she would be the second-best swordsman I''ve ever witnessed," Paul answered.

    "Also do you have any plans to help the homeless, they are in such a dire situation," I asked hoping he had something planned.

    "Surprisingly that was the hardest task for me, but yes I have managed to acquire temporary accommodations for them that should ease their suffering till the lower district gets rebuilt," Paul answered.

    "You have?" Anna asked in shock.

    "Yup it''s not cheap either, this favour alone is gonna rinse over half our acquired wealth and some of our more expensive and rare items in our collection and a lot of sweet-talking and persuasion." Paul sighed.

    "Oh, what do you have planned?" I asked excitedly eager to know how he was gonna solve that problem.

    "That will be revealed later when the time comes." Paul winked at me with a smile. "HEY! Daisy, Grace!" Paul yelled out to them with a wave for them to come over.

    "Are you sure the Ironhammer Dwarves are enough?" I questioned a little doubtful of their numbers.

    "To be fair there are many far more adequate far larger Dwarf houses I could have contracted, but the Ironhammer Dwarves are in need of some help themselves, they''ve been slowly losing numbers for centuries now, so I took the opportunity to create an alliance." He smiled explaining himself.

    "But they are only fifty of them," I asked still slightly doubtful.

    "Don''t worry, I''ve inspected their work and it''s staggeringly beautiful, the extra time they may take will surely be worth the beauty and quality they produce, besides I''ve also solved the housing crisis so all is well." He smiled with almost no worry in his plans.

    Grace tapped Daisy on the shoulder pointing to us making them finish with one last body and began to talk to another priest of Serra seemingly asking for permission. The priest turned to look at us and literally took a step back in shock and bowed to us with respect and smiled at Daisy and Grace letting them come over.

    With a wave of his hand, Paul shifted the entire row of seats to the side parting them in the middle to make room for three more chairs and with another wave of his hand three unmarked chairs from the far back flew over to use filling the gap he created.

 Chapter 235 - Monster, Gods and Beings

    "Ohh I won''t need one, I''ll be taking part in the prayers and cremations," Daisy informed Paul.

    "Oh, you gonna be okay?" He asked looking concerned and with a flick of his hand one chair floated back and the chairs shifted together closing the gap.

    "I think I''ll be okay," Daisy answered with a forced smile.

    "You don''t need to do anything you''re uncomfortable with." Paul tried to explain to her.

    "No..... I feel I need to do this." Daisy answered bravely.

    "Very well, but if it ever gets too much, there''s no shame in backing away," Paul answered.

    "I will." She smiled.

    "So I heard you all encountered a strange monster and slew it." Paul smiled at Daisy and Grace.

    "Yeah, we did, it was the strangest thing I''ve ever encountered," Grace answered.

    "So what can you tell me about your encounter?" Paul questioned.

    "Its regenerative and fortifying ability was very powerful!" Daisy answered Paul.

    "Okay." Paul nodded.

    "Ummm this might be a little presumptuous, but seemed to lack any sort of battle prowess, it generally responded to threats and attacks rather than preemptively attacking us or neutralizing stronger threats," Grace answered.

    "Wow that''s a very important piece of information, thank you." Paul nodded to Grace.

    "We severed the head, there was no telling how many hearts that monster could have had and including its very quick and strong regenerative ability, I felt its head was the most effective and fasts way to slay it," Anna answered.

    "It also seemed to spawn more tentacles at will when threatened," I answered.

    "Paul do you know why it spawned?" Daisy asked.

    "Not really but how did this creature come about?" Paul questioned back.

    "It appeared when we made a prayer to Serra to bless this ground."

    Paul began to wonder scanning his brain for any feasible answer or reason for this occurrence, "Sorry but nothing comes to mind, Divine and Necromantic stuff I''m not very knowledgeable on those schools, and even then those schools are weird and very secretive." Paul said shaking his head coming up with nothing a little annoyed at himself.

    "So what reasons did Calista have for coming today?" I questioned Paul as the seating area for the ceremony began to slowly fill up and more benches were brought in.

    "She wanted to use her wealth to help those in need, giving a very generous donation compensating those who were impacted," Paul answered.

    "So she does have a soul or an ounce of good in her," I answered causing Paul to chuckle.

    "I''m not gonna pretend, I honestly don''t understand girls but I have warned her to back off the bullying. Just give her some time, she''s had a difficult life herself up until now with the wrong type of people influencing her from a young age." Paul answered.

    "Must be so hard to be born a princess and have everything given to you." I sarcastically answered back.

    "It''s not all rainbows and unicorns, you and I both know that individuals born into royalty have some sort of superiority complex embedded into them from a young age, as well as other people using you like a puppet to obtain more power and status. Please believe me, she''s trying to change just give her some time." Paul tried to reassure me.

    "Fine." I reluctantly answered him rolling my eyes causing him to chuckle and give me a couple of playful shoulder nudges trying o tease a smile from me.

    Eventually, my rival Calista arrived with four heavily armored guardsmen in full plate armor flanking her like she was some sort of queen. "Thank you for your service." She thanked them as she arrived beside us.

    "We''ll be nearby Princess." One guard bowed with respect and with military-style gesture they split into two pairs and went opposite directions.

    "Oh Hello Emilia, didn''t realize you were here as well." Calista greeted me with a forced smile but her tone was clearly sarcastic and an obviously faked.

    "Hello." I forced myself to smile while glaring at her.

    "Thanks for letting me help today Paul." She thanked him taking a seat beside him.

    "No problems," Paul smiled with a nod.

    "If you don''t mind, if anything else comes up which will help my situation could you please inform me?" She asked politely.

    "Of course. I should also thank you for helping as well, I''m sure your generous donation help improve the royal families standing and reputation." Paul smiled.

    "Are you sure I can''t interest you in visiting the capital when we''re on break?" She asked Paul.

    "Sadly I have prior arrangements with the team." Paul politely declined her offer.

    "Well, If you change your mind, let me know." She hesitantly replied.

    "I will do." Paul nodded.

    As the seating areas all began to fill up with royals and normal citizens alike the weather began to instantly calm, the breeze utterly stopped and the temperature somehow became a little less bitter. "Sorry guys but I gotta go." Daisy smiled and bid us all farewell except Calista.

    "Good luck! you''re gonna be awesome." Paul whispered to Daisy patting her on the arm for confidence.

    "Did something happen to her last time she did something like this?" I questioned quietly and privately making sure no one else heard.

    Paul waited for Daisy to walk further away from us a little before leaning in close, "You and I know she is strong mentally and physically, but the brain is a fickle thing and can easily be reminded of very traumatic events in the past. Ceremonies like this are one of the rare few things that have previously triggered a vivid reaction." He whispered.

    "Is she gonna be okay?" I questioned a little worried.

    "To be fair it hasn''t happened for a while now, but a part of me still worries. She always tries to put on a brave face when I''m around." Paul answered.

    "I think she''s always like that, to be honest, you''ve taught her to become strong and independent," I answered him.

    "I didn''t do much, to be honest, it was mostly the church of Serra and Serra herself, but can you, keep an eye on her for me?" He questioned.

    "What for?" I asked in return.

    "Just generally, she seemingly recovered from it all so quickly a part of me still worries she hasn''t properly dealt with her past." He answered.

    "I''ll keep an eye out, you really care for her don''t you?" I smiled at him.

    "You''re lucky you weren''t there, the horrible things they were doing to the children, even the mutations were horrible, mutating them into monstrosities, forcing us to dispose of them in cold blood. Some were so deeply scarred beyond my mind and memory magic could repair. Daisy was one of the lucky few, of all the one''s we have saved only three survived, the rest committing suicide after a few days driven mad by something." Paul answered.

    "What in the world?" I questioned in utter shock.

    "I don''t know myself all I know is that the cult worshiped some sort of ancient evil something that apparently predates the Gods even before ''The one'' that made everything," Paul answered.

    "The one?" I questioned.

    "So ancient scriptures speak of ''The One'' the first God that created everything and created all the other Gods thereafter. Somehow whatever they worshiped predates a being that created the begin of everything." Paul answered clearly as unsure and confused as I was.

    "How is that even possible?" I wondered.

    "I don''t even know myself, from the scriptures we gathered all we could decipher was that one description," Paul answered.

    "There''s surely some magic that lets us understand other languages," I replied to him.

    "That''s the crazy thing, even the spell that allows us to read and understand all languages can''t decipher the language, and this spell let''s us understand Primordic, Infernian and Divine," Paul answered.

    "What that?" I questioned curiously.

    "Those are the oldest language that ever existed, Primordic are what the Elementals and Demons speak, Infernian are the language of Devils and their spawn and underlings speak, and finally as u can tell by the name Divine is what the language the good deities and their followers and children and creations speak," Paul answered.

    "So... Daisy and people like us should be able to speak it?" I questioned.

    "Ohhh sorry no, Divine creatures and beings, like angels and unicorns and such, but Daisy should be able to speak and understand celestial, a requirement to be a Paladin of Serra is to learn and study Celestial and some Infernal and Primordic." Paul answered.

    "But why Primordic and infernal?" I questioned a little puzzled.

    "Because Devils and Demons and things are the natural enemies of the Divine, so learning their language and identify their symbols and stuff is important." Paul smiled.

    "Does learning the language corrupt you in some sort of fashion?" I kept questioning him.

    "Not really, but learning the language also allows you to connect to beings that can corrupt or influence you, obviously they can do that without you knowing the language but knowing the language makes you more susceptible" Paul explained.

    "That makes sense, so how about that ancient being?" I nodded.

    "After that, we struck a dead-end so we just catalogued the scrolls into the forbidden part of the library and called it quits." He nodded.

    "Did you stop them all?" I questioned.

    "I wish I could tell you I did, but these cults don''t operate under one organization. They are kinda just splinter group that operate under their own leadership so even I can''t tell you how many cults there''s are out there. That also doesn''t include the type of cults that worsh.i.p.s other beings or deities." Paul answered.

    "That''s so messed up." I gasped in shock.

    "Yeah, both a blessing and a curse when Gods and beings can influence, talk to and appear to individuals," Paul answered.

    "Yeah....." I answered him.

    "Didn''t think of it like that ey?" He smiled finding my nativity cute.

    "I guess so," I answered him back a little saddened.

    "Yeah I know, back when we had simpler lives it was so easy to pay attention to our own lives," He smiled looking up into the sky. "But now I have the ability to make the change and help people, I try my best when can." He sighed but also looked a little happy or content.

 Chapter 236 - Arch Bishop Francis and High Priestess Verena

    A low hymnic humming began declaring the start of the procession, roughly fifty priests and priestesses of Serra came walking out each wearing plain white but clean robes, clutching a lit golden lantern holding them with both hands. In the front two prominent figures lead the procession with Seraphine, Ezechiel, Laila and Pichard following closely behind in their very pristine silver regal armour, in the front a weird-looking man, his skin was a light grey tone like a stone, it was unlike anything I''ve ever seen before, and although being a little distant I could swear his eyes glowed with a light golden hue similar to Daisy. He donned a very regal looking robed lined with gold and red woven together intricately to create a very beautiful royal appearance but strangely having two pointed humps on each side of him rising above his shoulders. Around his neck was a solid golden thick large necklace with a pendant the shape of a robbed hooded angle.

    The second was a tall Caucasian woman dressed in a similarly designed red white and gold regal dress, but unlike the man leading the procession, her appearance looked completely human. the staff she wielded look like it was carved from stone or marble with intricate golden etchings throughout and an identical solid golden hooded robed angle on the tip.

    As they all made their way to the central ceremonial area, at each and every kindling a follower of Serra remained behind still chanting a hymn or prayer.

    "Is that Arch Bishop Francis and High Priestess Verena?" I whispered to Paul.

    "Yes, the grey-skinned one is Arch Bishop Francis, he''s a Svargmar remember how I mentioned there''s a race that is touched by celestials? It''s like the opposite to Daisy." Paul whispered back making me look at the Arch Bishop in wonder. "So from what I heard his father is a Celestial one of Serra''s trusted angels," Paul added.

    "Woah so like Daisy he can talk to Serra and Angels?" I questioned in shock.

    "Well I''m not sure about Daisy personally, maybe Serra does speak to her, but from what I understand Gods and Deities don''t usually reveal or talk to their followers personally.

    "So these Svargmar are opposite to Tiefaeni?" I carried on inquiring.

    "Kinda, Tiefaeni does have some sort of Devil blood or related to a Devil in some way or another, but in no means does it make them evil by nature like how Svargmar aren''t all good in nature." Paul tried to explain noticing my shocked reaction.

    "Really?" I questioned.

    "Yes, some Svargmar has turned their backs on their Celestial heritage looking at it more like a curse than a blessing and some just outright ignore it, choosing their own path in life. Like all mortal races we have our own free will to carve out our own paths." Paul smiled.

    "And High Priestess Verena?" I questioned in wonder.

    "She is what we call a high-level Cleric, access to spells and abilities what would make your jaw hang open." Paul chuckled.

    "Like Daisy?" I questioned.

    "Well Daisy still a beginner, but Daisy is also very unique, she is both a Cleric and a Paladin so Daisy has access to both Cleric and Paladins spells and abilities." Paul smiled.

    "Of course the girl Paul personally trained is somehow stronger and unique." I answered sarcastically chuckling.

    "Well, most people can learn to train in multiple roles, as long as you put in the time and hard work and training." He smiled.

    What are the differences between Clerics and Paladins?" I asked in return.

    "Clerics focus mainly on spells and banishment focusing mainly on staying at range, Paladins has access to fewer spells but are more offensively focused mainly on melee combat generally aiming to destroy and killing their enemies, and both have the abilities to heal wounds which is awesome," Paul answered.

    "So you''re a Cleric or Paladin also? I remember you healed us earlier." I questioned.

    "Not exactly, sadly Paladin and Cleric spell need faith in a God or Deity to heal, being an unbeliever I can''t really heal, no." He answered with a smile.

    "But how did you heal us last time?" I carried on grilling him on his capabilities.

    "It was a gift from a previous mentor of mine, he gifted me six spell books that were animated with a special spell even I don''t know. One spellbook for each of the schools of magic, so technically I can''t cast healing magic myself, but my animated spellbook which I command can." He smiled looking me directly into my eyes looking extremely overconfident.

    "Animated?" I asked kinda unsure what that meant.

    "Animated means, brought to life. So my spell books are awesome they are like living creatures." He smiled.

    "Can I see them? Do they talk? Are they like pets?" I questioned curiously excitedly to hear more.

    "They can talk, they all have different personalities and yes they are like pets but a little worse." Paul laughed.

    "Lemme see them!" I begged to wish to see something so wonderful.

    "Of course, I must warn you, once I tell them to show themselves to you. There''s no going back." He chuckled.

    "It''s okay I''m ready." I smiled.

    "It''s your funeral." He laughed.

    So can you cast spells yourself of does your spell books do all the work?" I questioned slightly confused.

    "Ohh don''t be mistaken we are unique as well, we are both a mix of a Sorceress and Wizard means we can innately cast many forms of magic if we studied and practised, but the spell books also allow me to cast spells that I wouldn''t be able to normally, everyone has a limit of spells they can cast before needing rest, my spellbooks give me more ammunition." He smiled.

    "What are the differences? between a Sorceress and Wizards?" I questioned a little confused.

    "So Sorceresses are born with the ability to manipulate and use magic, they are born with specialised types like how your friend Jay is a Blue Flame caster. Wizards on the other hand aren''t born with the ability to manipulate and use magic, but through intensive studying and practice and workarounds, they can use magic. Sorceresses have the innate ability to use magic but what they can use are a little limited like Jay will be, very week in water-based spells but also slightly weaker in spells outside the fire element, unless he begins to study the fundamentals of magic to boost his spell casting in the other elements. Wizards on the other hand require more work, study and practice but what they benefit from is a larger pool of spells they can learn and cast. You and I on the other hand are a mix of both, we can use almost any form of magic like wizards, but also casting spells comes innately like a sorceress." Paul tried to explain to me.#

    "Okay..." I nodded at his very complicated explanation, "But you can do other things too....." I began to question.

    "Yes, unlike almost all other casters, I also put time and effort in developing my prowess in close combat, so at any time where I''m maybe outnumbered where casters can nullify my magic or even magically suppressed, I''m still effective at defending myself." He smiled.

    "Has anyone ever told you, that you''re overpowered?" I chuckled.

    "Yes many time." He chuckled back, "Wait a second." Paul added and began to look towards the procession.

    All the priests of Serra began to set alight the surrounding kindling to cremate the bodies as the whole audience and all the praying fell to complete utter silence. A sudden gentle breeze began to blow past us lighting the fires a little stronger, everyone began to join in prayer as the fires slowly burned away the bodies and the sky began to fill with little bits of glowing ash and embers. suddenly everyone let out a gasp and everyone began to point into the sky.

    The embers and glowing ash somehow began turning into lights, barely visible blue sparkles that glowed with more intensity as they rose into the sky. "Paul, what is that?" I questioned in wonder.

    He remained silent looking up watching with the most genuine smile, slowly the blue lights stopped rising and began to coalesce into human figures slowly gaining very detailed human features, there were mothers, fathers, children, and soldiers all glowing with a spectral blue hue.

    "What in the...." I uttered in shock, everyone began to erupt in chatter and cheer as many of the human figures were wearing the same armour guardsman were wearing the day we were all attacked. "Paul are they the ones that passed away?" I questioned still shocked at the whole spectacle.

    "I believe so." He smiled staring up into the sky.

    All the ghosts began waving at us smiling happily like bidding us their last farewell, "It''s so beautiful." I gushed in absolute awe witnessing a miracle right in front of my eyes.

    "It really is." Paul smiled as each and every ghost one by one waved one last time and one by one turned away walking into the distance slowly fading out of existence into the afterlife.

    "Does this happen in all funeral procession?" I questioned Paul still in complete awe.

    "No, not really, this would be the first time for me as well." He smiled back.

    As the hymn and prayers continued and the procession seemed to come to an end, the followers of Serra all retreated back off the burial area. Arch Bishop Francis and High Priestess Verena stepped forward and began casting some sort of spell. Suddenly all the remaining ash began to glow golden and a gentle gust of wind scattered all the remains all over the area before slowly fading back to normal.

    Paul closed his eye for twenty or so seconds looking down as if in prayer, and then stood up. "Time to be a hero." Paul smiled giving me a wink and began walking forward towards Arch Bishop Francis and High priestess Verena as they also began walking forward to meet him in the middle.

 Chapter 237 - Marvarlos Marvellous Mansion

    The public citizens began to slowly erupt in anger and booing as they began to recognize Paul walking on the hallowed ground, I could even hear people yelling that he was the cause of all the deaths. "This is so unfair!" I exclaimed to Anna.

    "I know," She replied gritting her teeth, her fists balled up tightly trying to contain herself.

    Guards and royals began standing up trying to calm the city down. Out of nowhere a rock was thrown narrowly missing him. Causing everyone to go silent for a few seconds in shock as Paul suddenly stopped in place like he was gonna retaliate. More and more rocks began flying as Paul just stood still taking them, letting them hit him in the back doing nothing but accepting the punishment and anger.

    I instinctively began to reach for my wand but my hand was suddenly frozen in place refusing to move despite my best efforts. I tried to stand up but for some reason, every limb in my body remained frozen. "Anna I''m stuck!" I yelled at her in a panic.

    "Stupid fool." She answered me with anger still gritting her teeth with balled fists ready to explode at any moment. I quickly looked at Grace but it looked like she was frozen just like me.

    "He planned this all along didn''t he?" I asked in anger.

    "He said, he deserves this.... for all those he couldn''t save," Anna replied in seething anger.

    Amongst the anger and chaos, everything stopped in an instant as the unmistakable sound of a loud bang erupted out of the crowd. "Is that a gun?! I yelled out in shock as Anna suddenly appeared behind Paul in a flash, a round musket ball frozen in the air just a few inches from Anna''s face.

    Without warning or any movement, five long rifle-muskets were pulled from the crowd flying towards Paul and Anna extremely quickly coming to a halt when they met the bullet and suddenly they all dropped to the ground and crumpled into a dense ball.

    With the crowd utterly silent and no more rocks being thrown, Paul dusted himself off straightened his coat and carried on walking forward to meet Arch Bishop Francis and High Priestess Verena who were now waiting for him at the centre of the burial ground. The freezing force that kept me locked in place also released, as Anna in an instant vanished in a flash of darkness taking her place back beside me shocking a lot of the royals around us. "Stupid fool," Anna uttered under her breath.

    After conveying a few words Paul turned around to face the city. "Please everyone settle down." Arch Bishop Francis voice boomed out for everyone to hear clearly.

    "The Paul the Black Dragon Slayer has come out personally to address the current issues ailing our city and populace. He is personally funding both the materials and rebuilding of the lower city." Arch Bishop Francis announced which began another roar of anger as everyone began asking for compensation for lost lively hoods and things. "I have been informed that Paul has visited everyone who lost a loved one and offered compensation." Arch Bishop Francis added trying to explain to every. "Now everyone please gives him time, he will get to you, he has everyone''s best interest at heart." Arch Bishop Francis spoke out trying to calm everyone down.

    "We are freezing to death out here!" a woman screamed out at the top of her lungs.

    "I am sorry for everyone who has suffered due to my carelessness, please accept my sincerest apologies for how long I have taken and all the suffering and hardship I have caused." Paul began to explain with a similarly loud booming voice. "Please accept this token as the first step in me trying to fix the devastation I caused." With a flash of light and a booming voice, Paul pointed into the sky letting out a missile of bright light soaring into the sky as a magnificent skyship sailed through the air coming closer towards us. It looked like what I imagined a skyship would look like, unlike Aspian sh.i.p.s that looked more futuristic, this one literally looked like a medieval sailing vessel just with more sails flying through the sky.

    Everyone watched in anticipation as the Skyship sailed above us. "Please everyone welcome close friends of mine, Archmages, Khargar, Kerry, Belanar, Brennen, Jabari and Demelza." Paul announced as with a flash of light out six elegantly well dressed human wizards appeared four males and two females. "And that''s not all, please give a warm welcome husband and wife Arch Druid Aerith and Ailduin Ravarora of the eastern conclave." He announced as two very beautiful tall slender Elves arrived with a bolt of lightning holding hands waving to the crowd, they were both wearing strange antlers on their head with fiery red hair. "And finally my final two guests Grofrel Mithrilforge 2nd in line to the Mithril mountains and ..." Paul took a deep breath and paused pulling out a piece of paper. "Queen of the City of Glass, Liberator of the Crimson Chains, Uniter of the Sands, Usurper of the Possessed Sultan and ...." He stopped reading for a second and looked up.

    "Seriously?" He shouted up to someone.

    "Carry on." A feminine voice boomed out from the skyship with a chuckle.

    "And Consort to Paul the Black Dragon Slayer, her Highness Queen Seiriuphis." He announced as with a flash of smoke a small Dwarven Man dressed in very regal looking robes arrived laughing so hard he couldn''t even contain himself and very promiscuously dressed very tall slender Tiefaeni appeared wearing a very revealing yet regally designed dress with a thin golden headpiece that wraps around the top of her head attached like a diadem with a huge ruby that rested on her forehead, unlike Daisy her skin was grey like ash with pristine long flowing white hair.

    Everyone looked silently as stood before us must have been an assembly of extremely strong casters. "So I am aware that everyone has had to stuffer hard living conditions for the week it took me to set this all up, but please if everyone could gather loved ones, relatives, acquaintances and any other homeless citizen spread the good news. These friends of mine will be here to assist, anyone and everyone who is in need of warm and safe shelter we will provide." He explained to everyone one as each and every person Paul brought to the city began in unison casting a spell walking apart from one another leaving a large distance between them. Out of thin air large buildings began to appear behind them but didn''t seem very physical or real.

    "What is that?" I questioned Anna.

    Anna just smiled and pointed at Paul. "Each of these buildings can house a thousand individuals, so please if everyone can calmly make their way to their preferred host," Paul announced to them.

    At first, only a few citizens began to walk forward a little uneasy about the whole things but suddenly in an instant the crowd began making a huge run for the human wizards, "Oh for God sake." Paul''s voice boomed with a sigh as an intense feeling began pulling us all down to the ground like he increased the gravity somehow. Everyone began to slowly drop down to their hands and knees. "I said there is more than enough spaces to adequately house EVERYONE, so PLEASE CALMLY make your way to my associates. As Paul slowly lessened the magical gravitational pull, everyone slowly struggled to their hands and feet. With fear, they all looked at him and began to slowly walk to the human wizards. As a queue began building up Paul issued all of us to come over.

    "Let''s go," Anna said giving Grace and me a pat on our shoulders.

    "So what are those?" I questioned as I made our way to Paul.

    "So from what know, those are a high-level spell called Marvarlo''s Marvellous Mansion. It normally can only house a thousand individuals, so I don''t know why Paul thinks this is enough to house everyone." Anna answered.

    "Marvarlo''s Marvellous Mansion?" I questioned curiously.

    "It''s a spell that creates a magical mansion it last''s at the most 24 hours, the interior design and appearance are utterly under the control of the caster, there are magical servents that also tend to the needs of the inhabitants, Food and drinks are provided as well." Anna smiled.

    "I thought magical food couldn''t sustain us with nutrients," I questioned rather confused.

    "It all depends on the spell really, but only high-level spells with a very expensive reagent cost can create magical food that sustains the body. Druids have a rather low-level spell but it''s more like using magic to turn berries into a super berry." Anna answered.

    "Ohh? how do magical reagents works, I don''t remember being taught them," I questioned.

    "Well it''s a little complicated, Sorcerers don''t need basic spell reagents as you possess the innate ability to use Arcanum, Wizards on the other hand needs reagents for every spell even cantrips." Anna tried to explain to me, "There are certain special spells that require a magical reagent regardless of being sorcerers, generally it''s something with a high value generally like a tribute." She explained.

    "Okay..." I nodded understanding it a little.

 Chapter 238 - Finalising Pauls Relief

    "Hey!" Paul smiled happily his solution went down well.

    "You do know you''re like a couple thousand short." Anna reminded him after rejoining us.

    "Ah good question, this is why it cost me so much, I needed masters in Conjuration, only they would be able to bump up the potency of the spell, everyone here should able to house ten thousand individuals each," Paul answered. "Anyways, right now we need to persuade the public to head to my other associates," Paul explained as it looked like everyone seemed to favour the human wizards over the other non-human ones.

    "Why are they afraid?" I questioned a little unsure whats happening.

    "It''s only natural to trust your own race," Paul answered.

    "Alright, I''ll try and if you don''t mind can I speak to the Arch Druids as well?" Grace questioned.

    "Of course, unlike most Elves, I know this couple and her daughter and very nice and very open-minded." Paul smiled.

    "I''ll handle Queen Seiriuphis." Anna sighed.

    "Thanks, Anna," Paul whispered.

    "You owe me." She looked at him sternly and began to walk away.

    "Whatever you want!" Paul shouted out to her as she began making her way to the crowds

    "Come we''ll deal with Grofrel Mithrilforge." Paul smiled at me.

    "Sure." I smiled back, "So she''s your consort?" I looked at Paul with a cheeky smile.

    "She''s just messing with me, she enjoys embarrassing me." He laughed awkwardly.

    "Really? I remember a time when you was too afraid to ask me out, this should be a dream come true no?" I sarcastically joked.

    "Honestly, she''s far too forward for my liking," Paul answered with a shudder.

    "Didn''t know you were such a prude." I chuckled enjoying the situation.

    "I''m not a prude, just you know... I prefer someone down to earth." He smiled.

    Eventually, everyone disappeared into the spectral building, "Thank''s for the help." He thanked each of his friends personally before they disappeared behind the magical door.

    "Sure you don''t want to come and see our personal room?" Queen Seiriuphis joined us and asked him seductively pulling him close to herself looking deeply into his eyes,

    "As much as I''d love to, but duty calls." Paul declined her offer with a smile.

    "Well if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." She pulled him giving him a very tight hug feeling him all over and smelling his neck.

    "I know." He replied giving her the awkward hug pat and broke contact pushing her off him.

    "You''re such a tease, well cya," She winked before returning to her door and disappearing behind it.

    "My lord that was straight s.e.x.u.a.l harassment." I laughed.

    "See what I mean, way too pushy," Paul said straightening his clothes.

    After waiting for quite some time for any latecomers, explaining the situation and guiding them to the respective buildings. "So what is it like inside there?" I questioned Paul.

    "Well it all depends on how the caster wants it to look, and they can easily tailor it specific to each person with just a thought." Paul smiled.

    "Do you also know that spell?" I wondered.

    "Yes that spell I can also cast, but not as effective as my friends, they are far better trained and practised than I am." He smiled.

    "What would yours look like?" I smiled.

    "Hmmm like a giant mansion many rooms, defiantly decor similar to something we''d have back at home." He answered.

    "Many rooms?" I asked curiously.

    "Yeah, whatever you want would be in there, training room, wine room, kitchen, library whatever you want." He smiled.

    "No way!" I looked at him in shock, "Maybe..... we can spend one night there?" I hinted to him.

    "Yeah, of course, we''ll have to return to Atlantis of course though, I''ve only been scheduled to leave for a day." He answered.

    "So all the homeless are now safe now?" I asked as we made our way to meet the others.

    "Yes, I''ve accounted for the majority of the lower city plus some extra, assuming that they all heard what''s happening here. Actually...." Paul answered back and with a whistle, he caught the attention of some guards calling them over.

    "Black Dragon Slayer." They all saluted him with respect.

    "Take Princess Calista and walk scan the lower district for any leftover homeless who might have been too afraid or didn''t get the news, and make sure they get a spot." He ordered them and with a hand gesture issued Calista to follow the guards. "And explain to Princess Calista what to do and tell her to meet us back at Atlantis." He ordered.

    "Yes sir." They saluted and made their way to meet Calista who was engaged in conversation with all the remaining royals.

    "Oh and if you don''t mind increase her escort just in case please." He asked the guards before they left.

    "Yes sir." They answered back and proceeded to meet Calista.

    "Are you sure she''s gonna be okay?" I questioned a little worried she''d be here by herself.

    "Don''t worry she''s more than capable of defending herself, she''s also the chosen champion of a Storm Giant," Paul smiled at me genuinely clearly happy I had some care for her well being.

    "Hi, guys." grace greeted us.

    "Hey, did you manage to talk to Aerith and Ailduin?" Paul questioned.

    "Yes, I did thank you," she answered

    "Are they relatives or acquaintances of Helen?" Paul asked politely.

    "They have heard of her Aunt and Uncle but they don''t know her or her relatives personally." She answered.

    "Ohhh... is their Enclave safe from the Black Fungus growth thing?" Paul questioned sounding a little worried.

    "No sadly, She lost her Aunt and Uncle and the Ancient grove," Grace answered.

    "Ohhh no, I''m so sorry for her loss." Paul instantly apologised sending his condolences.

    "Is there anything you can do about it?" I questioned Paul.

    "Sadly contracting the spores is deadly to anyone and everyone, even I dare not to get involved or risk going near there," Paul warned.

    "How about your Arch Druid friends?" I questioned.

    "Even they said they can only stem the growth, but it''s so widespread now it''s too much to hold back," Grace answered.

    "There must be something you can do Paul," I questioned.

    "The thing is, it''s just so dangerous I won''t even dare send Scarlet near there if she inhales the fungus or spores, lord knows what could happen to her. Also, I have heard no news of anything that survives after contracting the disease, for me even to begin trying to discover a workaround." Paul answered me sounding kinda sad.

    "How about just annihilating it?" I questioned curiously.

    "Doesn''t work either, upon destroying any plant life or fungus or even disturbing the ground itself will just kick up and spread more spores," Paul answered.

    "So nothing lives in there? It''s desolate of all life?" I carried on questioning.

    "Well not really, there seems to be a lot of swamp monsters insects and creatures but they behave differently from what I have spectated, they move with a strange unison with an unnatural perception, natural predator and prey don''t hunt each other either which is very weird," Paul answered.

    "Is this place close to us?" I questioned.

    "None that are close, unless Helen''s Uncle and Aunts Grove was nearby, but there are two known central areas, which are called the blighted forests. One is spreading slowly through the enchanted forests on the Elven Island, and another is near Zessiah although a lot smaller and growing at a far slower pace, it still remains something that will need to be dealt with sooner or later and of course any enclave or ancient groves that are scattered throughout the land," Paul answered.

    "Hey, guys!" Daisy greeted us with a giant smile." Paul, what were those spells that those mages cast to help the city?" Daisy questioned the moment he greeted her back.

    "It''s a spell that can house many individuals, I''ve rented their help for a month or two to provide a constant living space for the citizens while the reconstruction is completed," Paul answered.

    "It will only take a month or two?" I questioned in absolute shock.

    "I don''t know how they do it myself but they are so naturally amazing and fast when it comes to construction," Paul answered with a look of absolute amazement.

    "Really?" I questioned a little unconvinced.

    "Well with the help I''ve enlisted that can get them the material in the perfect shape and size they want, I''m sure they will just breeze through the project. Once I saw a team of six Dwarves finish a house from scratch in just under half a day." He said with a smile of amazement. "and that included shaving and sculpting the materials." He added.

    "So why did asking for help cost so much?" I questioned curiously

    "Well, high-level casters are in constantly high demand, two of which is a Prince and Queen so obviously I need to make it worth their while," Paul answered.

    "Well, thank you on behalf of the city." Daisy smiled.

    "Yeah, I''m sure everyone is super grateful." I smiled joyfully.

    "I didn''t do much except fork out some gold and used some connections, anyways let us start making our ways back to Atlantis it''s getting late, Paul smiled.

    "OH!" Daisy gasped and pulled out a few small pouches of coins. "This is for you guys, Seraphine wanted to say thanks for the help today." Daisy smiled handing us all except Paul a small pouch of coins.

    "Here you go boss," Anna said tossing Paul her pouch.

    I said don''t call me boss!" He said catching the pouch and fastening it to the inside of his coat.

    "You can have mine." I offered him my pouch.

    "Nah it''s fine, your first piece of hard-earned cash." He smiled pushing the pouch back to me.

    "So how long till the rebuilding of the city starts?" Daisy questioned.

    "Oh yeah! be right back." He said opening a red portal stepping through closing it behind him and opening another red portal stepping back out after about ten seconds. "Thank''s for reminding me, Daisy!" He smiled giving her a pat on the back.

    "Wait what?" Daisy question utterly confused.

    "I needed to hand the council the plans for the new lower district, once all has been confirmed I can then proceeded with materials and labour and thanks you, you reminded me." Paul smiled.

    "Mr Paul, if you don''t mind can I ask you a question?" Grace asked politely.

    "Sure." He answered with a smile.

    "On that note what was the thing you did Anna?" I questioned as Grace asked Paul her question.

    "What do you mean?" She asked in return.

    "Vanishing to Paul in a whiff of darkness," I questioned curiously.

    "It''s a special ability I learnt when I was in the thieves guild, it''s called shadow step." She smiled.

    "You was a thief?" I questioned in shock.

    "Yes, before I met Paul, I used to work for very unsavoury people," She answered clearly regretting her past choices.

    "It''s alright you''re here now." Paul smiled interrupting our conversation throwing an arm around her shoulder and giving me a look to let the conversation slide.

    "So yeah don''t worry about Travis, he''s extremely durable but unlike his father and Scarlet if you hit him hard enough he will still get hurt," Paul carried on answering Grace''s question.

    "Wait so you can''t hurt her either?" I questioned in shock.

    "Well to be honest I haven''t really tried, but so far from what I''ve seen almost nothing has hurt her so far." Paul laughed.

    "How did you defeat her then?" I questioned a little curious.

    "Who knows." Paul shrugged with a chuckled clearly hiding it from me.

    As we arrived at the Waypoint, Paul began casting a spell causing certain runes to illuminate around the floor and with a flash a blue portal opened up for us to step through. Arriving back at Atlantis I gasped in shock at how different, and how irregularly full the school was.

 Chapter 239 - Helena, Thomas and Trenton of Eshia

    I was in absolute shock, the whole school has suddenly changed in what I can best describe as a night market filled with many different stalls offering all types of goods and items, filled with many individuals wearing all different types of uniform and clothes fashioned from other cultures.

    "What on earth?" I uttered to everyone in shock.

    "What is going on?" Dasiy and Grace agreed mimicking my shock and surprise.

    "Ahhh it looks like word of my upcoming fight has spread." Paul smiled looking a little excited.

    "What do you mean?" I questioned him.

    "It looks like Atlantis is using this opportunity to make some money and maybe put on a show on our power level." Paul smiled.

    "Where are they from?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well if you look closely at the students that look like they are wearing desert wear and natural furs?" Paul asked pointing at a group of four students three males and one female that wore dessert-coloured attire riddled with scars all over any part of their body showing, some with a distinctive scar running down their face or neck.

    "That is the badge for the Fighting Pits," Paul pointed at the emblem each of them wore on their clothing, it resembled a Gaunletted fist surrounded with a circle with spikes coming out of the edge.

    "And if you look over there," Paul pointed at a set of what I would describe as classical fairy tale wizard and mages, tall slender individuals each wearing a red robe with intricate black designs stitched into them.

    "Zesshian students are all spell casters and only spell casters, you can easily identify them by their uniform, they wear red mage robes with intricate black designs on them, and only they can wear such robes within Zesshia so everyone and anyone can easily identify them," Paul answered.

    "And their Badges, are the multicoloured thing?" I questioned noticing their badge, it consisted of an eight-pointed star, at the tip of each point was an inlaid oval-shaped gem of different colours, consisting of what must have been an emerald, pearl, citrine, white opal, ruby, a piece of glass, black onyx and amethyst.

    "Yes each gemstone represents a school of magic, that''s why it''s an eight-pointed star and eight gems." Paul smiled.

    In an instant, Paul''s whole posture tensed up like he was readying himself for something, before I could even react or even ask, I felt a jolt of extreme speed suddenly appearing beside Daisy and Grace with in a split second a golden yellow cube surrounded us. "What the heck?" I shouted in shock, as in a split second Paul had one hand outstretched facing us while his over hand caught the fist of someone who suddenly appeared in front of him, with Anna pointing a dagger to his side ready to strike.

    "Now now Thomas, you know the rules," Paul smiled warning him sarcastically with a c.o.c.ky grin.

    "Not bad," Thomas replied to him sounding just as c.o.c.ky and overconfident. "But I wonder if you can truly match my real speed." He smiled implying he wasn''t even trying.

    "There''s only one way to find out," Paul smiled clearly trying to provoke him, clearly unfazed by his immense speed that far exceeded anything I''ve witnessed at least Paul and Scarlet left some sort of a blur but even they were at least perceivable.

    Thomas kissed his teeth withdrawing his hand making Paul drop the shield protecting us and Anna withdrawing her dagger. "Maybe if you weren''t such a chicken and actually represent Atlantis, you''d be brave enough to face me." Thomas laughed off the whole situation clearly trying to provoke Paul back, Thomas looked at least 6ft standing taller than Paul by a few inches, he wore barely any clothes, only donning a pair of shorts and very tightly wrapped gloves and boots.

    In another instant, a very large opposing figure, wearing a little more and bulkier clothing than Thomas but their lack of any real amour proves that they probably don''t even need it, he towered over Thomas despite being taller than Paul by a small margin, but at least he left a blur when moving quickly. "Ahhh.... Trenton, you''re here as well, so the whole family is here?" Paul smiled.

    "Let me have a crack at him!" Trenton smiled, throwing a punch straight at Paul.

    "You oafs, father already warned you both not to start anything, he wants them both to be at one hundred percent for the fight." A female voice warned them as she floated into view and for some odd reason Trenton''s fist was frozen in the air mere inches away from Paul''s face, the force alone from stopping him was enough to almost blew us away if something didn''t magically hold us in place.

    "Ahhh Helena nice to see you, so the whole family is here," Paul smiled, Helena was a very beautiful looking woman, unlike other Eshians who are riddled with scars, they all have pristine unblemished skin. She wore a beautiful blue and thrilly wizard robe with black underclothing, clearly casting with her hands just like Paul.

    "Forgive my brothers for their excitement, they''ve been eager to meet you since you''ve become S-Ranked." She apologised for them, still somehow maintain her ability to float hovering over the floor by a few inches.

    "No offence taken." Paul nodded as Trenton retracted his fist. "So you are all here to witness Travis take his first step on his road back to Eshia?" Paul smiled c.o.c.kily.

    "Nah, I''m just here to witness the ''Black Dragon Slayer'', I want to see first hand if you deserve the respect and reputation everyone so freely gives you," Thomas smirked at Paul.

    "You''re lucky, if I struck back you wouldn''t be standing." Paul grinned.

    "You little Sh*t, is that a threat?" Thomas walked up to Paul face to face looking down on him literally ready to explode.

    "Half-Titan what makes you think you stand a chance against the Black Dargon Slayer," Paul scoffed at his threatening posture.

    "You''re dead!" He yelled out in anger but his attempt to strike Paul was stopped his body seemingly frozen in place struggling with all his might trying to break free.

    "That''s strike two," Paul warned him grinning at his inability to move.

    "You''re lucky you are Helena''s little favourite pet and under the protection of my father, I would have battered you to a pulp a long time ago." Thomas threatening Paul staring down at Paul ready to murder him in a split second.

    "Enough comparing sizes already, Father warned explicitly no rule-breaking or you''ll have to contend with him," Helena warned and with some magical force pulled Trenton and Thomas with her as she floated away.

    "See you soon." Helena bid us farewell.

    "I WILL FU*K YOU UP!" Thomas yelled threatening Paul as he was dragged away making a huge commotion.

    "What on earth just happened," I asked as they disappeared into the school, a little afraid to annoy them.

    "Just some rivalry between S-ranked students." Paul looked back with a smile.

    "So those are the Top 3 S-ranks of Essiah?" I questioned as they disappeared from view.

    "Yes, the two brothers and sister of Travis, the children of Abbraxoth ''The Demon''," Paul answered and turned to check if the three of us was okay.

    "He was so fast...." Grace looked onwards in complete shock.

    "Yes rumoured to be the fastest man," Paul answered.

    "Wasn''t he meant to be lightning or something?" I questioned.

    "That''s because he didn''t even use all his speed." Paul chuckled.

    "How could you even hit something so fast?" I asked finding it unbelievable.

    "Simple, using my head," He smiled pointing to the side of his head with two fingers.

    "Do all the schools hate us or something?" Daisy asked looking worried,

    "Not really, we''re liked by everyone or at least on good terms, but those two like want to prove their worth by beating me." Paul laughed.

 Chapter 240 - Quetzalcoatl

    "LITTLE BROTHER!" A female voice yelled in excitement as a very weirdly dressed woman ran out.

    "Oh, Sh*it...." Paul uttered in complete fear as she ran straight to Paul wrapping her arms around him, in instant golden barrier walls appeared between them trying to stop her from hugging him.

    With a giant hug, she shattered his barrier in an instant with no resistance, lifting him off the ground with enough strength to force the air out of his lungs, "Stop.... I can''t breathe...." He struggled to say suffocating to her insane strength.

    "SORRY!" she apologized dropping Paul down with a giant smile forcing Paul to his knees,

    "Not so hard please, it really hurt." Paul struggled to breathe and even recover himself stretching his back.

    "ANNA!" She looked at Anna running into her for another hug but she just vanished behind us in a black blur.

    "New friends?!" She noticed us gasping in pure excitement now approaching us for a hug forcing us all instinctively to step back. If she was strong enough to crush Paul without such little effort she could easily kill us by accident.

    "Please.... Quetzalcoatl... calm down...." Paul still struggling to breathe and recover, struggling up to his feet and grabbing her arm to stop her. She instantly stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself down, "Remember you''re still super strong...." Paul reminded her.

    "I''m so sorry! I just got a little carried away, it''s been so long since I''ve seen little brother and friends." She apologized, smiling at us making us, but her smile did little to calm our nerves as she effortlessly defeated Paul with just and hug and shattered his barrier like it was nothing even making Scarlet look weaker in comparison.

    "Everyone please meet Quetzalcoatl." Paul introduced her making my memory cogs whirl into action,

    "Wait Quetzalcoatl?" I questioned trying to remember where I''ve heard the name, "Isn''t Quetzalcoatl a God?!" I gasped in shock remembering who she was.

    "Depower God." She corrected me with a raised finger.

    "Depowered?" I questioned back instantly.

    "Still a God," Paul reminded us.

    "I''m lost," I answered back.

    "God?" Grace and Daisy asked in shock.

    "Okay... let me explain." Quetzalcoatl smiled taking a seat and crossing her legs issuing us to do the same, one by one we all sat in a circle crossed legged.

    "A very very long time ago, many God''s existed in the world walking side by side with their mortal creations and followers. We all lived peacefully for a time, till the Betrayer Gods and the way they treated their follower began to lose followers and as a consequence began losing power. Growing jealous that the other Gods they secretly hatched a plan with the Great Devourer. Using the Great Devourer they strategically took out God after initially consuming Lesser Gods and followers making it growing in power as well as weakening the other Gods. Once all the other Gods found out everyone chose a side, all the remaining Evil Gods joined the Betrayer Gods and all the neutral and good-aligned Gods joined the other. the Civil war was cataclysmic, countless Gods died and at least half of the land was destroyed and scattered. Many species and creations disappeared along with their God and countless others perished. Several Gods of great magical power enacted a spell that used the life force of eight Greater Gods, sacrificing their divine heart to power the spell eternally, sealing the Great Devourer for eternity. That one great sacrifice alone turned the tide of war causing all the Betrayer Gods to fall and flee. The Betrayer Gods were all banished and imprisoned, the devastation was immense and the responsibility was all ours, we did what we could to repair the mortal world. Then an edict was enacted by ''The One'' the one greatest of all the Greater Gods, all remaining Gods were given a choice, leave the mortal world for eternity and ascended to the Astral Sky where each will have their own domain with complete reign with their followers and a place for their followers in the afterlife. The other choice was to stay in the mortal realm with their followers and children but will now be severely depowered, our power limited to only fifty followers, weaker than even a Lesser God." She explained the whole history of Gods to us.

    "Wow.... so there was a time when Gods and mortals lived side by side?" I asked.

    "Yup, it was a wonderful time, till all the Betrayer Gods got jealous." She answered.

    "So how old are you?" I questioned in shock.

    "What''s that word you use Paul?" She questioned him trying very hard to remember the words.

    "Aeons." Paul smiled.

    "Aeons and Aeons and Aeons." She smiled.

    "Wow..." I looked at her closely, "A living breathing God." I whispered in awe, "So are you mortal?" I questioned.

    "I am as mortal as any other God, my existence is directly connected to my followers if I lose all my followers, my divine heart will cease to exist and with it, my existence or another being defeats me and destroys my divine heart." She answered.

    "So what is a ''divine heart''?" I question curiously.

    "A divine heart is the core of a God, only Gods have a divine heart." She answered my question.

    "So what brings you all the way here?" Paul questioned with a smile.

    "My trusted advisors heard that you''re going to be in an exciting fight and thought it would be great to go on holiday." She smiled.

    "Have you ever seen him fight?" I questioned curiously.

    "A few times, but when he''s serious its is such a joy to spectate, very rarely do you see someone as adept as him, normal only a handful every few generations." She answered. "By the way where is little sister Scarlet?" She questioned looking around.

    "Judging what''s happened, she''s probably with Headmaster Brann or Deputy Head Mistress. Having so many S-Ranked students here, she''s probably on guard duty.

    "That''s a shame," She pouted.

    "So how many other Gods remained?" I questioned curiously.

    "Very few," She answered.

    "That''s so crazy...." Grace and Daisy uttered in awe.

    "Yeah, I was amazed when she told me." Paul smiled.

    "So how did you both meet?" I asked feeling curious.

    "If I remember correctly..... Paul was investigating some cult, lucky for us he brought to light this underground cult that was secretly trying to invade my land and people." She answered.

    "Wow.." I replied stunned in absolute awe being in the presence of an actual God and her story of a time beyond anything I can even imagine.

    "Yup, that was my exact reaction when we first met," Paul smiled.

    "If you don''t mind me asking why did you stay?" I asked hoping it wasn''t a too personal question.

    Her demeanour became solemn, "Because I love humans, each and everyone as long as you''re not evil and respect life." She said as if feeling some intense guilty and a deep love for humans.

    "So what other Gods remained here?" I asked curiously.

    "Very very few, and even fewer betrayer Gods that fled and in hiding somewhere." She answered.

    "Oh, what''s another one?" I questioned completely enthralled in hearing more.

    "Sorry little sis, but they generally like to keep their identity hidden." She smiled.

    "So no one here knows you''re a God?" I questioned quietly almost in a whisper.

    "Yes, only Paul and his friends know, and my followers of course." She answered with a gigantic smile.

    "But how?" I questioned in shock.

    "Because no one knows or can''t believe that Gods still walk this world, psychological thing," Paul answered which made surprising sense.

    "Wait so that means you have seen Serra?" Daisy asked in complete shock.

    "Ahhh yes, Sister Serra, one of the only Gods whose love rivals mine," She smiled with absolute genuine joy, making Daisy gasp in complete joy and shock, "I can see a little tiny bit of sister''s light and love inside you." She smiled making Daisy burst into joyful tears.

 Chapter 241 - Atlantis- Funfair

    "Hey let''s go check out the night stalls," Paul smiled and with a spell altered himself to a caucasian human with blonde hair and blue eyes donning an Atlantis badge.

    "Is that really necessary?" I questioned sceptically that his appearance change was necessary.

    "Everyone here today is to watch me and Travis, they gonna have so many questions and stuff that I just can''t be bothered to deal with." Paul smiled.

    "I wonder where the others are," I questioned looking around hopefully trying to find them within eyeshot. "Hey, Paul can you sense them?" I questioned curiously.

    "That''s not really how it works, I kinda sense how strong individuals are. So I can easily sense other S-ranked students and very strong individuals, but average and above-average individuals, you all just appear like a sea to me." He answered apologetically that he couldn''t help me.

    Atlantis felt so different, more like a city market than a school with many different races and skin tones and genders just conversing with one another happily gossiping and buying and viewing. "Is it safe with so many different people?" I questioned a little worried that there''s a good chance a fight would break out, especially with what happened earlier.

    "Not really, everyone here would have been invited or paid a hefty price so I really doubt anyone would want to waste their money," Paul answered.

    "Are all the S-Ranks here?" Anna questioned.

    Paul stopped closing his eyes for a few seconds, "Most probably." Paul answered.

    "So all the other nine are here?" I questioned in shock.

    "Well, actually I sense more than nine so most likely they are all here." He smiled.

    "May I suggest we report to Headmaster Brann in case we are needed for something or the very least a debriefing," Anna suggested.

    "A...." Paul instinctively sighed extremely disappointed at the proposal.

    "It''s just a suggestion," Anna smiled clearly having the moral high ground.

    "Yeah I know, but we should report to Headmaster Brann." Paul sighed clearly torn on what to do, "Okay fine, you win." He reluctantly agreed.

    "Sorry Emilia but duty calls," He faked smiled clearly extremely disappointed.

    "It''s okay I know." I smiled back trying to cheer him up but feeling a little bummed out myself, "Besides we should look for the others anyway." I added looking at Grace and Daisy for approval.

    "Well as always, nice seeing you all today." Paul smiled with a nod,

    "Are all the guests staying on campus?" I questioned curiously since the week just started.

    "Yeah I think so," Paul answered.

    "Lemme guess the Mansion spell?" I asked hoping I had the right answer.

    "Well, as a matter of fact, it kinda is, unlike normal though ours if of course, powered by the world tree and an ancient spell focus making it perpetual so the near-infinite number of rooms are possible as well." Paul smiled clearly impressed with himself like he did all the hard work.

    "I do have to admit though, Atlantis is way more magnificent than anything I could have ever imagined." Grace smiled.

    "The joys of an ancient city with ancient technology and magic, and more recent technology." Paul smiled giving me a wink when then all of a sudden he paused for a few second, "Ohhh sorry guys duty calls, I''ve been summoned." He sighed bidding us farewell,

    "I will join you." Anna insisted.

    "But, but that means I need to walk then...." Paul complained.

    "With all due respect, with what just happened I think it would be best if you had company when venturing the campus till everything returns to normal," Anna explained herself.

    "Even alone I don''t they can do anything," Paul smiled without even an ounce of worry.

    "Is even such thing possible," I questioned finding it a little absurd.

    "It depends on the school, Eshians are proud and honourable, they would never do such a thing, Zessians and Aspians aren''t as predictable," Paul answered.

    "Aren''t you friends with both of them?" I questioned a little confused.

    "That is true, I have befriended most S-Ranked students, but their views don''t always align with the headmasters or their nation as a whole," Paul answered.

    "Are we safe then?" I questioned a little worried.

    "Don''t worry, Atlantis is a fortress, and not only that we are a floating fortress, even something were to happen they would have no escape so it would be unwise for anything to happen." Paul smiled.

    "But something could happen," I questioned his way for answering me.

    "In theory, yes but it would serve no purpose as doing anything will result in their capture, so unless they have a death wish I really doubt anything would happen," Paul smiled, "Besides only a small portion of the people here are under the banner of one of the four schools," Paul explained it makes me wonder why I didn''t notice it earlier.

    "Anyways enjoy the festivities, undoubtedly there will be exciting days ahead." Paul smiled bidding us farewell with Anna following closely beside him heading to the main building.

    "Let''s go check out the stalls!" Daisy smiled raced off dragging us into the crowd with excitement.

    "The atmosphere of the school felt so different, it felt more like a huge festive party. stall after stall offering all sorts of food, drinks, and trinkets. Some stalls even offer services and groups of students even handing out leaflets.

    "Hi, see anything you fancy?" A small group of Atlantis students greeted us as we passed by a stall selling all different types of items.

    "Ohh what''s all this?!" Daisy questioned in owner her eyes lit up in excitement and curiosity.

    "These are the rewards and loot we''ve gathered from work and dungeon delving that my party has no use for." A female student smiled at us.

    "How do you find the time?" I asked in surprise.

    "We generally find the time on the weekends, also older students can also request longer periods of absence for longer tasks." She answered us as the rest of her party dealt with the other customers.

    "So you can actually go on adventures?" I questioned extremely curious how it all worked.

    "We are all still students of Atlantis, any misconduct or reports of bad behaviour that are proven to be true will revoke our ability to work off school grounds for a period of time." She answered.

    "Wow...." I answered in awe, "So what does your party consist of?" I asked looking at the rest of her friends.

    "Well in our party here, there is me of course, I''m an Earth sorcerer, over there are our two fighters, one specializing in defence and the other in tactics." She answers pointing at two females and one male student, "And the one sheepish on there is our final member our resident alchemist and trapper." She smiled,

    "Wow..." I smiled in wonder.

    "And what rank are you all?!" Daisy questioned in excitement.

    "We''re currently top tier B ranked students working our way up to A rank." She smiled with pride.

    "Woah!!! so awesome!" Daisy smiled.

    "Hmmm, how much do these items cost?" I wondered pointing at a dagger.

    "That is a flame dagger, when the magical words are spoken it will light in flame." She smiled holding it up and speaking a word in a weird language causing the blade to light up with a small flame.

    "Wow, amazing..." I smiled but it didn''t look anywhere near as strong as the things in Paul''s possession.

    "This would normally cost around 300 gold pieces." She smiled pacing it back on the stands.

    "Woah... that''s a lot," I replied.

    "Of course, magical items are very hard to come by, obviously combat-orientated items are worth more than non-combative items. For example, this circlet allows the wearer to talk to animals, she showed us an ornate plain silver circlet. This would set you back roughly 200 gold pieces." She smiled showing us.

    "That''s cool, but sadly we have no need for that. We have a druid in our party that can talk to animals." Daisy smiled.

    The female student gasped in shock, "You guys are lucky enough to have the druid in your mix?" she gushed in awe.

    "Yeah, we have two Elves Grace here is an excellent archer!" Daisy said pulling Grace in front of her to show her off.

    "Woah! Elven druid and an Elven hunter! Truly a fearsome party you have there." She looked at Grace in admiration and awe.

    "It''s really nothing..... we''re the lucky ones to be here." Grace awkwardly answered her clearly looking very uncomfortable being the centre of attention.

 Chapter 242 - Uncle Themaer

    "Lady Aiyonyora!" An older clearly m.a.t.u.r.e looking elf dressed in very humble-looking armour, greeting Grace with a giant smile like we were familiar acquaintances.

    "Uncle Themaer!" Grace gasped in joy completely out of character running towards him for a hug.

    "Why does that name ring a bell?" I questioned everyone the name distinctly trigger a part of my brain.

    We let them both converse a little before approaching making ourselves known. "Oh! Uncle Themaer please meet my friends, Emilia and Daisy." She introduced us. "And everyone this us Uncle Themaer remember I told you about him the other day." She smiled

    "Ahhh my most humble greetings." He bowed his head with a giant smile one hand placed on his c.h.e.s.t like some sort of soldiers salute.

    "Ummm hi?" Daisy replied clearly a little unsure how to respond.

    "Greetings?" I answered back a little unsure myself with a very awkward hand salute back.

    "I young miss adjusting to the human society we?" He chuckled with a smile.

    "I''m doing very well thank you, uncle." She answered for us in an instant, "Besides what brings you all the way over here?" Grace asked pulling her uncle to a quiet spot where we could all talk.

    "Aside from asking a favour from your dad and spending a fair bit of coin just to get a ticket here. I wanted to see for myself how young miss is doing." He smiled.

    "It''s actually amazing here, way better than the life father and mother had planned for me," Grace answered back clearly showing some signs of resentment.

    "Don''t be so hard on your mother and father, they have been through a lot." He looked at her clearly disheartened a little but still defending her parents.

    "So you came to watch Paul in his upcoming duel?" She questioned curiously.

    "Actually I came to watch you." He smiled making Grace almost but into tears. "You think I''d miss young miss''s first-ever duel?" He smiled like a proud father coming to their child''s first football game.

    "You didn''t have to..." Grace answered sheepishly.

    "Nonsense I wanted to, besides I hope you''ve been training well! we don''t want you losing your debut match and giving us elves a bad name." He chuckled with a giant smile.

    "With your training and the best mentor in Atlantis, there''s no way I will lose," Grace answered jumping at the opportunity to tell him.

    "Oh?" better than myself?" He looked at her completely intrigued.

    "You know maybe just a little." She said pinching her two fingers egging him a little.

    "So who is this mysterious new mentor that I need to thank for looking after young miss''s training," He smiled, "Wait don''t tell me, the Black Dragon Slayer himself?" He gasped in disbelief.

    "I wish although I think his skill set doesn''t really match my style." She smiled.

    "Really? I imagined he was a man of many talents from what I''ve heard." He smiled.

    "I believe he forgoes the more traditional methods that we use in place of magic." Grace smiled.

    "Well, I can''t deny the advantages of magic." He smiled back, "So you have met the famed Black Dragon Slayer?" He asked with a raised eyebrow his voice filled with intrigue.

    "Well actually Emilia is like best friends with him and Daisy was saved by him when she was younger." Grace smiled.

    "Oh?" He looked at us curiously, "Tell me is he as capable as his accolades make him out to be?" He questioned.

    "Trust me this place and he is beyond anything I could ever imagine, we were visiting a city that was attacked by Dark Elves. He somehow managed to defend the city from a city-wide series of Moonbeams." Grace answered him in awe.

    "Wow really? all my himself? no support from other casters?" He smiled back at her thoroughly intrigued,

    "Nope none at all, all by himself," Grace answered him making him look at her thoroughly intrigued.

    "Have you met him before?" I questioned.

    "I haven''t had the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e no, I believe he hasn''t visited Enmnora so far." He answered me.

    "Oh that''s a shame, but I suppose it''s a good thing." I smiled.

    "Maybe so," He smiled in return, "So what are you up against in your upcoming duel?" He questioned Grace.

    "Rumors has it he''s a monk." Grace informed him.

    "Oh, that might be a difficult fight." He looked at her a little worried.

    "Yeah, his ability to catch my arrows is quite the predicament," Grace admitted to him.

    "So you have been working on your close combat and keeping your guard up so they don''t get a stunning strike on you?" He questioned.

    "Yeah, Scarlet and Ashley have been excellent teachers." Grace nodded.

    "Scarlet the Indestructible?" He questioned in shock.

    "Yep, that''s her," We all nodded.

    "Wow, Taltnis may have been the best place you could have gone to, being trained by such famed heroes." He smiled proudly.

    "Nowhere as awesome as you uncle." She hugged him with a smile.

    "Young miss, I also wanted to tell you something important." He said to her with a solemn tone.

    "What is it, uncle?" She questioned looking at him.

    "I met with some old friends not long ago, after a few drinks and talks, I''ve decided to leave your mother and fathers side and return to adventuring." He said after a few seconds of silence look very saddened by something.

    "Father and mother are okay with this?" Grace asked a little shocked,

    "Yes, they said this was okay." He smiled.

    "Oh," Grace answered extremely shocked at the news little unsure how to answer.

    "Don''t worry young miss if your father or mother requires my services they have ways to contact me," He smiled trying to reassure her.

    "But how can I message you?" She questioned looking very worried.

    "Remember when you were young, and we practised a spell that let creatures send messages for us," He smiled.

    "Of course, it was my first ever spell, mother was so mad I didn''t follow her footsteps." She laughed.

    "Well...." He smiled and with a high pitched whistle holding out his arm a magnificent brown eagle came into sight flying down landing on his arm, causing Daisy and I to lean back a little in surprise at how large the eagle was, its wingspan end to end was easier taller than me and when perched on his arm it was at least as tall as my legs.

    "Arina!" Grace smiled stroking and petting the eagle with familiarity and trust.

    "Ohh can I touch him?!" Daisy jumped with excitement making the eagle glare at her looking very ferocious ready to defend itself.

    "Oh... maybe not." Daisy cowered back into me.

    "Arina is just a little defensive when meeting new friends." Grace smiled. "Are you sure uncle? she''s been with you for as long as I can remember." Grace asked her uncle.

    "Don''t worry she''s bonded to the both of us." He smiled petting the eagle comfortably, "So I want you to take care of Arina for me, she''s bound to enjoy the freedom here and the new environment." He answered.

    "I can''t she too important." She rejected his offer.

    "Also I want you to have her so she can also protect you when I''m not around, and if ever you need to send me a message, she will always find me." He smiled.

    "Are you going far away?" She questioned a little worried.

    "You know the life of an adventurer, it depends where the life and adventure take us." He smiled.

    "Are you sure you''re gonna be okay? Mother and Father won''t be by your side." She questioned looking worried.

    "There is nothing to worry about, remember I am Commander of the King''s Guard and my other not so glorious title were earned through battle." He smiled.

    "That''s true...." She answered still looking worried, "So how is sister? is she doing well?" Grace questioned.

    "Yes, your sister is doing well, much like your mother she''s excelling very quickly in her studies and duties as a princess." He smiled.

    "Ughhhhhh, Is mother and father still angry at me?" She questioned a little down.

    "The fact you turned to a human school instead of following the path of most Elves? Of course, they are," He chuckled but the answer made Grace look more saddened, "Young miss, don''t worry I believe that you did the right thing, we shouldn''t live life to other peoples expectations. Do what you need to do." He smiled giving her a pat on the shoulder and ruffling her hair.

    "Does she still remember me?" Grace questioned looking at the eagle changing the conversation.

    "Of course," He joyfully smiled.

    With a whistle and a held-out arm reaching out to Arina she stepped onto Grace''s bracers her long dangerously looking sharp talons gripping on to Grace tightly. "I don''t even know if we are allowed pets," Grace answered looking at her.

    "Hmm, that could be a problem." He answered trying to think of something.

    "You can ask Paul!" Daisy suggested.

    "You can grant me ordinance with the ill.u.s.trious Black Dragon Slayer?" He asked curiously.

    "Of course! He''s my boyfriend." Daisy smiled making Grace and I look at her in shock.

    "Oh? you''re a little young aren''t you, judging by your horns....." He questioned her a little unsure.

    "Don''t worry I''ll get a meeting for you." She smiled giving me a nudge with her arm.

    "Oh, yeah yeah, he would definitely meet with you." I smiled in surprise trying to help out.

    "Only if it''s not too much to ask, I''m sure he''s busy securing Atlantis and training for his upcoming duel." He answered me.

    "I''m sure he will make time." I smiled reassuring him, "Also are you staying here for the week?" I inquired.

    "Yeah, I think we''re scheduled to leave the day after the duels, and apparently there''s gonna be an itinerary for each day till then." He answered.

    "Oh, I wonder what the school has planned." I wondered.

 Chapter 243 - Scarlet the Indestructible?

    "Are you sure it''s okay to visit the Black Dragon Slayer at such an hour? It feels like I''m intruding." Themaer questioned a little nervous and unsure.

    "Nothing to worry about! He''s very chill." Daisy smiled knocking on his door and opening it.

    "Hey!" We were all greeted by everyone with giant smiles.

    "Oh, a new face." Paul smiled looking at Themaer curiously, his eyes instantly began to flash and crackle with pinkish-purple arcanum.

    "Captain Themaer?" Helen questioned looking at him with a hint of recognition.

    "Oh, Lady Ashera how nice it is we meet again." He smiled at Helen welcoming her.

    "Your Highness sorry for the mess and formalities," Paul stood up straightening his clothes and walked up to him greeting him with a respectful bow. "I am Paul the Black Dragon Slayer, pleased to meet you, acquaintance." Paul respectfully addressed him.

    "Please please, I''m not a highness no more, I''m just a fellow man like you and me." He said picking Paul up.

    "I''m Scarlet please to meet you." Scarlet greeted following closely behind Paul with an outreached hand.

    "Ashley Head Senior Engineer of Atlantis." Ashley bowed to him.

    "Anna Redrose." Anna introduced herself as well.

    "Umm.... I''m Jay Carvell," Jay introduced himself awkwardly unsure what to do.

    "Morganna Lefey." Morgan introduced herself with a smile and wave looking just as awkward as Jay.

    "Greetings everyone I am Captain Themaer of Enmnora guard, please no need for titles, I''m just a humble adventurer like all of you." He answered.

    "Please take a seat," Paul said courteously clearly acting very differently than normal leading him to the sofas.

    "So have you eaten? A drink maybe?" Paul questioned.

    "I could do with a drink." Themaer smiled.

    "Sure Elven wine I presume?" He questioned.

    "Anything will do." He smiled back at Paul.

    "One moment," Paul asked standing up and making his way to the kitchen very quickly.

    "Ohh Paul I think we missed dinner!" I inform him before he disappeared behind the door.

    "Okay!" He shouted back through the door.

    "Very nice place, everything looks so interesting....." Themaer smiled looking around, as we all took seats on the sofa area.

    "Uncle Themaer, what brings you here?" Helen smiled.

    "To see the both of you in your debut duel." He smiled back.

    "Oh, you heard?" She gasped a little surprised.

    "Yeah, Grace messages me every couple of days." He smiled at both of them, "I also want to thank you Scarlet for taking care of you two." He thanks Scarlet making her jump a little in shock.

    "It''s nothing, they were well trained before arriving in Atlantis." Scarlet smiled.

    "Would it be possible to attend one of your training sessions? I would love to see the famed Scarlet in action." He smiled.

    "Of course, we start early in the morning around sunrise, but you might not see me in action if that''s what you intended to witness." Scarlet smiled.

    "Ahh that''s a shame, I would love to witness your legendary swordsmanship." He replied.

    "It''s nothing as glamorous as the stories tell." Scarlet chuckled.

    "So I was told you all helped in defending a city invaded by Dark Elves." He asked curiously.

    "We were, everyone here helped except Ashley, sadly it''s part of Atlantis policy to have most engineers remain on Atlantis." She smiled.

    "Uncle apparently she single-handedly defended the city from ten juggernauts," Grace explained to her in great excitement.

    "Woah." He looked at her in absolute amazement like she was a hero of legend or something.

    "It was nothing really." Scarlet tried to pass it off like it wasn''t anything special.

    "Nothing? A juggernaut alone is durable and strong enough to take on several experienced parties and that''s even if they knew how to deal with one of those mechanical monstrosities." He looked in absolute shock, "Their plates are forged mainly of mithril one of the strongest metals known to exist, two huge crushing hands with enough strength to swat and crush a mortal with ease like an insect. One hand equipped with a device that can shoot jets of molten hot magma and the other a device that rapidly fire musket balls at unbelievable speeds." He described the formidable constructs making Scarlets look even more unbelievable.

    "She also somehow came out utterly unscathed, not a dent or scratch on her body or armour," I added to the story.

    "Wow, so your famed invulnerability is real." He looked at her in astonishment causing Scarlet to shrug.

    "So how did you defeat the juggernauts?" He questioned thoroughly interested.

    "It was easier than expected, the magma they shot was surprisingly effective against each other. So I was able to cause a lot of damage just using their own weapons against themselves. They are also mechanical so their intelligence was rather basic, and well my sword can pretty much cut through anything even mithril." Scarlet explained.

    "Ahhh your famed sword, would you divulge me in what makes it so special?" He asked curiously.

    "Only if you keep it a secret." Scarlet winked with a huge grin.

    "My lady as a King''s Guard I swear on my Oath I will never tell another soul." He immediately swore to her with no hesitation.

    "Okay, well it''s an ancient weapon, forged from the metal harvested from a meteorite and Dragon Scales in Dragon fire and blessed with ancient enchantment magic," Scarlet explained.

    "My Lady, would you do me the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of letting me inspect such a sword?" He asked looking very eager to examine Scarlet''s sword closely.

    "Sure." Scarlet agreed, picking up her giant sword off the ground and placed it gently on the ground for him to inspect.

    "May I hold it?" He requested permission from her.

    "It is very heavy and very sharp you have to be careful." She warned him holding out the sword to him with one hand on the handle and her other hand on the other end.

    "Magnificent!" He smiled in glee looking at it closely like it was some sort of antique.

    With both of his hands, he gently tried lifting the sword but couldn''t even manage to shift it at all, "Wow, is this weight magical? can only the wielder and owner of this sword hold it?" He questioned in pure fascination.

    "I dunno," Scarlet shrugged, "It''s a bit like my armour they are so heavy I''ve yet to see anyone use it." She answered.

    Still mesmerised by her sword, he ever so slightly dragged his leather bracers across the sharp edge of the blade, cutting it effortlessly despite the minimal force and pressure applied, "This edge, it''s unlike anything I''ve ever seen or read..... I heard through song this fabled blade can cut through anything." He uttered in complete awe.

    "Yes, I have not come across anything that can withstand a cut from this sword, I can even cut magic and spell." She smiled.

    "Wow....." He uttered completely mesmerised by the sword.

    "And you? are you as indestructible as the songs praise?" He questioned curiously.

    "Well conventionally yes, this sword is the only weapon I''ve come across that can hurt me." She answered.

    "May I?" He questioned in shock.

    "Sure." She answered placing her sword down carefully. "Okay have you got something?" She requested from him.

    "Please if you don''t mind." He said pulling out two hidden beautifully designed daggers that looked similar with a subtle difference. "My sword was taken away for security reasons but I managed to smuggle past my trust elven daggers, masterly crafted with mithril and enchanted so the sharpness never dulls." She offered them to her with much respect.

    With a nod, Scarlet respectfully took one and like a magic show, she dragged the dagger along her other palm, making us all look in wonder and amazement as it didn''t even leave a scratch. Just to show how invulnerable she was she even took the pointed end and jabbed herself in the parm, the dagger stopping instantly the moment it hit her skin. "Wow..." He uttered in pure amazement.

    "No matter how many times you see that, it''s truly amazing to witness," Jay uttered in shock.

    "I obviously didn''t want to shatter or damage your beautiful weapon so I didn''t put too much force into it." She explained to him handing the weapons back to him.

    "So did the hot magma hurt you?" I questioned curiously.

    "Not really, it just felt a little warm but it just slid off my armour and skin." She shrugged like it was normal,

    "What the hell...." I uttered as my jaw hung agape in disbelief as apparently even molten hot lava cant hurt her.

    "What about magic?" He questioned thoroughly absorbed in learning about Scarlet''s abilities.

    "Well most people think I''m immune to magic, which is the case in most circ.u.mstances, but very powerful casters with very powerful magic and spells can inflict damage on me." Scarlet nodded.

    "And apparently somehow Paul the Black Dragon Slayer beat her once," Grace added boosting Paul''s status even higher than it was before.

    "Sorry it took so long, so I have food wine and all sorts of drinks!" Paul burst out with a giant smile holding a tray of food with several jugs of liquids floating behind him and many many cups.

    We all looked at Paul in shock as he appeared, hearing that only very powerful casters are able to hurt Scarlet. "Did I do something bad?" He questioned a little shocked at why almost everyone was staring at him.

 Chapter 244 - Rylaic the Lich of Drustenvar

    "Nothing just wonder how you beat Scarlet," I answered him as he began to place food and drinks on the table.

    "Ahhh that question everyone has when they find out. Sadly that''s confidential and a secret between the both of us," Paul chuckled.

    "So I head you guys missed dinner, sadly I couldn''t make anything in a pinch so I just grabbed finger food." Paul smiled, "I also have, beer, ale, wine red and white, water and lemonade." Paul smiled pointing out each jug to us, but personally passed me a bowl of warm pasta in pesto topped with crunchy nuts and onions. "Sorry, the only thing I had in a pinch." He whispered to me "So King''s Guard Themaer what brings you here?" Paul questioned curiously pouring out a cup of red wine for him, "Sorry for I don''t have any fancy dishware worthy of your status." He chuckled handing the mug to him.

    "Black Dragon Slayer Sir, between you and me I was never a fan of the luxury life," Themaer smiled grabbing the mug holding it up to clink with Paul''s.

    "Please Paul will be fine." Paul smiled.

    "My apologies Paul." He apologised with a bowed head.

    "A humble royal, you have my respects." Paul held up a mug clinking it with his. "Oi Daisy, don''t think I can''t see you, you''re having the lemonade." Paul quickly warned her noticing she was reaching for the ale near the lemonade.

    "Ow... but I''ve had some before!" She objected, making the rest of us chuckle.

    "That may be true but not on my watch," Paul answered her like a parent to a child.

    "I''ll drink a lemonade with you." I smiled so Daisy won''t feel left out.

    "Don''t you try sneaking her some," He warned me with a smile.

    "What? I would never," I laughed as he gave me the, ''I am watching you'' gesture with two fingers.

    "SoPaul from one guardian to another I wanted to personally ask you if Lady Aiyonyora could keep a pet on the institute''s grounds." He requested.

    "Aiyonyora.... that''s Helen or Grace right?" He questioned looking at both of them.

    "That would be me," Grace answered him with a raised hand.

    "Ahh gotcha," He nodded, "Um, if you don''t mind me asking what sort of pet is it?" Paul asked.

    "It''s an Eagle," Themaer answered.

    "Oh! that might be a small problem," Paul answered, "From what I understand Eagles are meat eaters, we do have normal animals that live on campus they are all herbivores, sadly we can''t have an Eagle flying around hunting the other animals here." He explained to him.

    "Well, she is a well trained Eagle." Themaer tried to explain.

    "Okay, I can''t guarantee anything but how about this, I''ll take Lady Aiyonyora we''ll visit the druid division along with the local dryads and see if we can come to an agreement or maybe they can do something to calm its more predatory instincts." Paul offered him.

    "That sounds brilliant to me." He smiled holding his mug up for a toast.

    "Then it''s agreed then." Paul smiled clinking mugs again. "So from what I understand all guests have been assigned a room on the same floor to avoid confusion and mingling with Atlantis students. If you''d like I can request Ashley to add a temporary room to Lady Aiyonyora and Lady Helen''s room. I''m sure you all would like time to catch up and things." Paul offered with a giant smile.

    "That if the young miss'' would accept me." He smiled looking at them.

    "Of course! Time with Uncle is always a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e." Helen smiled.

    "Young Miss Ashera how are you doing?" Themaer smiled.

    "I''m doing very well thank you uncle, and yourself?" She smiled back.

    "Things are going well, I''m also considering going back into adventuring." He informed her with a jolly smile.

    "Oh? Uncle aren''t you a bit m.a.t.u.r.e for such a life." Helen chuckled.

    "Cheeky as always." Themaer chuckled.

    "You do know King''s Guard Themaer has quite of a lot of Accolades himself." Paul grinned, "Isn''t that right Slayer of Rylaic the Lich of Drustenvar." Paul nodded to him with much respect making Themaer look at him with a surprised look.

    "How? that title is so old and before your time?" He looked at Paul utterly surprised and lost for words.

    Paul just grinned in return, "Rylaic the Lich of Drustenvar I would say that quite the notch on your belt." Paul smiled.

    "Whos Rylaic the Lich of Drustenvar, Drustenvar is a city isn''t it?" Jay questioned.

    "A very long time ago, Rylaic was a self-proclaimed King of Drustenvar, unbeknownst to the whole world he was also a Lich." Paul explained giving Themaer a nod.

    "Yes at first we were tasked to investigate his city, everyone''s utter complete subservience to Rylaic was a little concerning. "We discovered Rylaic controlled the city with a city-wide mind control spell that he must recast every day at dawn giving all the inhabitants only 10 mins of self-control before being controlled again." Themaer began to tell the story.

    "Is that a thing?!" I asked in shock.

    "Yes sadly, so whatever happens we have to slay him before dawn or be out the city before dawn or doomed to be under his control for the rest of our lives," Themaer answered.

    "He was even cunning enough to entice adventurers with rares and riches into the city just to control them as well giving him a very formidable army, even the citizens would be acting against you," Paul added causing Themaer to give him a shocked look. "But what the stories don''t explain is how did you know he was a lich? He managed to have the whole world fooled he was a righteous king." Paul questioned curiously.

    "It was fate that led us to that truth, we Elves live a long time, and by chance, we scouted Rylaic outside the city walls. Although many years have passed, we will always recognise that once young ambitious wizard anywhere." He answered Paul.

    "So you knew him before he was a Lich?" I questioned curiously.

    "Yes before, Human and Elves were close, close enough that we took in talented casters to learn and study from Elven cultures and our ancient libraries," Themaer answered me.

    "He was quite cunning also, the main body he moved around the city pretending to be a good king was actually a simulacrum, while the real him operated in the darkness away from the world''s gaze." Themaer described.

    "What''s a simulacrum?" Daisy whispered to me quietly.

    "It''s a clone or a copy of a person," I whispered back to her.

    "Ohhh." Daisy nodded in understanding.

    "Not only that but also a Lich can only truly die if you destroy their phylactery or they will simply be reborn after a short time," Paul added.

    "Wow, so how did everything go down?" Jay questioned.

    "Well lucky for us, Young Miss Aiyonyora''s mother, Queen Shalana or Princess Shalana at the time, as you may know, is a very powerful sorcerer and was able to identify our initial target was a simulacrum," Themaer explained.

    "So was his simulacrum like a fake to trick potential threats?" Grace questioned.

    "We assumed so, if anyone targeted him and defeated his simulacrum, the real Rylaic would go into hiding," He explained.

    "Wow, and on top, you have to find the real Rylaic, defeat him them somehow locate his phylactery?" I questioned.

    "That''s not all when we managed to locate and challenged the real Rylaic, he summoned his simulacrum meaning we essentially had to fight two liches at the same time," Themaer added.

    "Really?" Helen asked absolutely astonished.

    "Yup that''s what the stories say, must have been quite the encounter, facing off against two master wizard liches simultaneously." Paul smiled.

    "Yeah, that was one of our most dangerous encounters." He smiled looking back in the past with joy.

    "Did you have a paladin with you?" Daisy questioned a little sheepishly

    "I wish we did, but sadly Elven Paladins were kinda rare at that time, to my understanding paladins are very effective in combating undead abominations and unholy things correct?" Themear replied.

    "You should have seen her fight a demon, most of us was almost ineffective but Daisy was able to go toe to toe even hurting it," Grace answered excited to tell him.

    "Impressive." Themear looked at Daisy nodding with respect. "What is this stuff by the way? It''s tastes amazing!" He said eating food Paul laid out.

    "Well, sadly this stuff is only the snacks we have, delicacies from many different places," Paul answered with a giant smile.

 Chapter 245 - Paths of the Monks

    "Paul Black Dragon Slayer, could I interest you in a friendly bout?" Themaer smiled at Paul as we finished the first part of our morning training and walked into the ring.

    "OH? I don''t mean to be disrespectful but I may have a bit of an overwhelming edge over you," Paul tried to refuse his offer politely trying not to offend him.

    "I was thinking just using weaponry, I would love to land a hit on the Black Dragon Slayer and brush us on my swordsmanship." Themaer smiled.

    "You know that does sound a little fun." Paul smiled and accepted opening a red portal he pulled out a sword and tossed it to Themaer. "I believe your weapon of choice is a longsword." Paul smiled walking into the ring standing in position tossing him a medium length thin blade with a slight curve with the handle curving in the opposite direction and surprisingly no wrist guard.

    "An excellent elven blade, mithril I believe and this handle enchanted Oak." Themaer smiled drawing it out of its scabbard inspecting it giving it a few swings and spinning it around with both hands and one hand.

    "If you don''t mind I''ll be using a spear," Paul smiled pulling out a very basic metal spear.

    "That''s an odd weapon for a warrior to be using," Themaer replied assuming a very elegant looking pose readying himself.

    "I must apologise in advance, a fighter of your fame and stature I won''t be holding back." Paul apologised with a smile readying himself.

    "I would accept nothing less." Themaer smiled looking extremely excited,

    "Then we start," Paul warned him but without a second Paul closed the distance between them thrusting the spear at Themaer with insane speed and agility without holding back. They were so unbelievably fast I couldn''t even fathom how Themaer could even block and dodge every strike.

    "Your speed and strength are phenomenal your fame doesn''t do you justice." Themaer carried on blocking and dodging but slowly getting pushed back to the edge of the arena.

    "Paul''s really not going easy on him, Uncle has no chance to close the distance and strike back." Grace looked extremely concerned.

    "A man truly worthy of his title, any normal swordsman would''ve been hit many times under this pressure." Paul complimented him with a smile.

    "Be careful Dragon Slayer, I''m gonna attack now!" Themaer warned him and with a swift misdirection with his sword pushing it aside, Themaer went on the offensive making an opening for him self closing the distance on Paul before he could even react.

    "What!" Paul reacted in utter shock and without warning dropped his spear, and began to move his body with surprising agility and mystery dodging a flurry of swings aimed at him.

    "Dropping your spear, bold move but now you''re defenceless." Themaer smiled relaxing his stance like he''s already won.

    "I''m sorry to have deceived you up until now, it is very rare for me to use these, only the most exception fighters require me to use my monk paths," Paul said with a smile.

    "Ohhh this is gonna be good!" Scarlet whispered literally bursting with anticipation.

    Paul took a deep breath closing his eyes and began to focus, slowly a spectral light green mask began to manifest itself over his head, looked oddly human-like with a bald head and a spectral green blindfold over its eye holes. Two extremely large muscular arms similarly manifested beside him like he somehow magically grew two extra arms.

    "What the heck is that?!!" I asked in shock.

    "That is The Path of the Astral Soul, that is the physical manifestation of his soul, a small warning Themear they can both protect and attack for him," Daisy warned him.

    "Astral Soul, how is Master Anh Miao doing? she can''t be less the two hundred at least," Themear questioned.

    "Oh, you know Master Anh? at last check, she was doing well." Paul smiled as Paul began to assume a martial arts style of stance.

    "Sadly we haven''t met but I know of her story, the armless monk through mediation she developed a method to use her soul and willpower to create weapons and armour for herself. she must be nearing a hundred and fifty by now." He explained.

    "Yes, all the Great Monk masters are still alive and doing well, I will warn you though I am also a master in The Path of Elements, The Path of Shadows and The Path of Open Palm," Paul warned him.

    A bead of sweat and nervousness washed over Themear like a tidal wave of disbelief, "How have you mastered so many techniques?" He questioned in absolute utter shock.

    "That is true, for most it takes a lifetime to master even one path, but lucky for me I''m a quick study. Ready yourself I''m coming at you with two of my monk paths." Paul warned and began attacking the air with two fists and a leg swing throwing out two firebolts and an arc of flame.

    Effortlessly dodging Pauls fire attacks Themear backed up to the edge of the ring, "I guess I''ll have to equal the playing field," Themear grinned pulling out some scrolls tossing making them somehow catching alight, as they all burned to ash landing on the ground two black panthers and two black ravens appeared like magic. Without warning the Ravens flew down diving towards Paul''s mask and the panthers lunged to attack him.

    "Interesting choice," Paul grinned looking at the creatures he just summoned, the ravens bouncing off his mask with no effect, not even a flinch and the panthers were swatted away with his two large astral soul arms.

    Moving in a flash Themaer appeared in front of Paul with both hands thrusting his sword towards Paul''s c.h.e.s.t stopping himself just before piercing him, "Sadly I know when I''ve been outmatched so I only needed them to buy me a split second opening," Themear grinned.

    "Very impressive move, great use of an illusion and distraction." Paul smiled making his Astral visage and arms disappear.

    "I never imagined you''d be so strong." Themear smiled sheathing his sword and held out his hand. "If you were able to use magic at the same time, there would be no chance of me winning." He complimented Paul.

    "No no, your swordsmanship, prowess and intellect in combat are truly formidable your king must feel very secure to have you in charge of his guard. Your movements are almost silent, almost unreadable I''d hate to be an enemy in your sights and being a teacher of Grace your archery skill must be second to none." Paul smiled shaking his hand.

    "Your sword," Themear replied holding it out to Paul to return to him.

    "Please take this sword as a gift, a token of our friendship, it''s been enchanted to be as light as a feather and extremely sharp," Paul smiled with one hand gently pushing it back to him.

    "I can''t possibly take such an expensive magical weapon." Themear politely rejected his offer.

    "Please it''s nothing, from one adventurer to another let''s not pretend that it''s not dangerous out there regardless of how strong we might be. Please take it, it will at least ease my mind a little knowing this small token might help you in your travels and hopefully keep you safer." Paul smiled.

    "Well, then please accept my gift." Thermear accepted taking off a small badge from a pocket and handed it to Paul, "It''s not much, but it''s my sigil, anyone who recognises it will be a friend of mine and as a result a friend of yours." He smiled at Paul.

    "Then please take my sigil," Paul said taking out a small triangular black scale.

    "By the God''s I can not let myself accept something that valuable," He uttered in disbelief.

    "Nonsense you were generous enough to give me your friends and connections, it is only appropriate that I give you mine." Paul smiled tossing it to Themear.

    Themear inspected the scale intently examining it like it was some sort of rare artifact, "I might be mistaken but does this scale shift colour ever so slightly at different angles?" He questioned curiously.

    "Yes, that is how everyone can distinguish my sigil from a fake, only true owners of my sigil know the colour shifts ever so slightly at different angles." Paul smiled.

    "Is this a Dragon scale from the Dragon you defeated?" He questioned curiously.

    "That is, so it is very valuable and rare almost impossible to imitate." Paul nodded.

    "Thank you, Paul the Black Dragon Slayer." He bowed his head in respect.

    "The p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e was all mine." Paul smiled bowing his head similarity in respect.

 Chapter 246 - Danger Still Looms

    "Can Paul really have mastered so many things at such a young age?" Grace questioned taking a bite out of her very odd-looking breakfast.

    "I know, it''s almost unbelievable he has mastered things that take a normal individual a lifetime just to master." Helen agreed.

    I began to think how many years he must have been here somehow making a name for himself and training, we left for university at 18, so that makes it just five years. So in a matter of 5 years, he''s somehow achieved things that people spend lifetimes to achieve. Just how is it all possible, a shiver and a sense of overwhelming dread filled the pits of my stomach as the realisation of how he must have obtained so much power in such a short amount of time. "Guys, you know when that student was possessed by a Demon it made him extremely powerful." I began to ask.

    "Yes..." They all answered a little curious.

    "So individuals can swear themselves to a Demon to obtain vast amounts of strength?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well, it''s not just Demons, there are hundreds of very powerful beings that can grant power to their followers and things, for example, Daisy well she gets her power from Serra," Morganna answered.

    I nodded in understanding but it was all clear to me now, the contract his soul. He must have made a contract with someone or something in the return for all the power he''s gathered. I looked into the distance in shock.

    "Are you okay?" Daisy questioned putting her hand on my shoulder, "You''re not touching your breakfast," Daisy asked looking a little concerned.

    "It''s nothing, just something I remembered in the past," I answered her shaking myself back to my senses, knowing what I need to do now.

    "So where''s your uncle?" Jay questioned Grace and Helen.

    "Ummm I think he said the guess get to eat at a different hall to the rest of the students," Grace answered.

    "By the way how was classes yesterday?" I questioned.

    "Ohhh it was announced that there would be a change this week, classes would be cancelled and we can essentially do what we want for the week leading to the duel between Paul and Travis," Helen answered.

    "Really? that sounds great, so what did you guys get up to then?" I smiled wondering what we can do on our day off.

    "Well, actually Morgana said she still noticing some students acting shady in the dead of night," Jay answered.

    "Oh really? We should tell Ashley straight away!" I replied back instantly.

    "Yup," Morgana nodded.

    "We already did, he said Paul and the others will investigate further, he told us to keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Jay answered.

    "So what things have you been noticing?" I questioned Morgana,

    "Well, generally just shady behaviour and distinctly avoiding any night patrols and staying out of sight," Morgana answered.

    "Surely there''s gotta be a way to detect them, like Daisy''s ability to sense good and bad people," I replied.

    "Detecting the good and bad in people don''t necessarily mean they are worship a Demon Lord," Daisy answered.

    "Surely there must be some way," I said wondering what we could do.

    "I mean Paul''s crew is on it now, I''m sure they know what to do," Jay answered.

    "Yeah, but there are so many things they need to handle, potential Demons and that undead thing all before the end of this week." I sighed wondering if Paul is overextending himself.

    "Not to mention the Orc''s moving into Arcadia is still an ongoing problem and his upcoming duel." Helen nodded.

    I clicked my badge hoping Paul was in range, "Paul?" I questioned.

    "Hey! wassup?" He smiled.

    "Nothing just wondering do you need help on anything?" I asked feeling a little worried.

    "Not really? why wassup?" He questioned a little curiously.

    "Just thought you''d need some help, I''m sure you have a lot on your plate," I answered.

    "Hmmm well, there is one thing I might need help with." He answered after taking a few seconds of thought.

    "Oh, what is it?" I questioned.

    "Well, as you might know, we''ve been notified by your friends that there''s still shady behaviour during the night." He began to explain.

    "Yes," I answered back.

    "If you guys can keep an eye out more, and also maybe keep an eye out on during the day maybe some of the students that we saved maybe aren''t real students." He answered.

    "What do you mean?" I questioned in shock.

    "Well due to the temporal anomalies when we go to the bas.e.m.e.nt levels, we don''t know how far they''ve been corrupted or even if they have, what might be a mere day for us could =be months of even years," He answered.

    "Bloody hell really?" I answered in shock.

    "Yeah, it''s pretty wacky and weird magic that flows down there." He answered.

    "Have you tried reading their minds or memories?" I questioned.

    "Well I didn''t think I needed to, now it would be a little late since all the students have returned to classes and their respective dorms and stuff, I don''t want to spook the school either. It would seem we may still have the element of surprise on our side," He answered.

    "Okay, what are you gonna do on your side?" I questioned curiously.

    "Well sadly I''m stuck doing networking today," He let out a big sigh, "But we have Scarlet go back down again and give the initial site another check over maybe there was something she missed," Paul answered. "Ashley is busy doing Atlantis stuff, making sure nothing goes wrong while we have such important guests, and Anna should be on patrol, sadly a lot of S-rank students and S-rank equivalent are here so our strongest students are all on patrol to keep the peace," Paul explained.

    "Does anyone else know?" I questioned.

    "Sadly there''s no one else I can trust with this information, I don''t know how far the Demon''s corruption has reached, I fear the initial win was just a minor setback to their plans," Paul answered.

    "How about Sven and Yuna, they helped us last time," I questioned.

    "Hmmm good idea, keep them in the fold if you see them, Yuna is normally on guard patrol, tell her I''ve requested her and Sven to assist you guys on this till we resolve the Demon problem for good," Paul explained.

    "Okay, we''ll do our best." I smiled feeling kinda excited that we''re some kind of elite super-team that he can rely on.

    "Don''t jump into anything you can''t handle, though we may be busy, keep us updated at the very least Anna and Ashley will be free to help," Paul added sounding very serious.

    "I know, we''ll take care." I smiled.

    "Thanks." Paul smiled.

    "Okay guys so I spoke to Paul, he said we should look for Yuna and Sven, and investigate further into the situation," I explained to everyone.

    "So what are they doing?" Jay questioned.

    "Well sadly most of them are stuck doing Atlantis duties while VIP''s are on campus. Scarlet is gonna return to the initial site to double-check on things she might have missed." I answered Jay.

    "Did he happen to know where Yuna and Sven are?" Daisy questioned.

    "Yuna should be on guard patrol duty so she would be probably easy to find, Sven on the other hand no so much," I answered.

    "Morgana any idea what Demon worshipers would do during the day?" Helen questioned.

    "Hmm well, I assume they would be trying to obtain ingredients or keeping their head low to not draw suspicion." She answered.

    "Great so we should check the stalls," I answered.

    "Do you think the VIP''s may have arrived with contraband or things?" Helen questioned.

    "Hmm, that way very well be true." Grace nodded.

    "Hmmm but I remember Uncle saying there were searches and checks wehn he arrived." Grace added.

    "Damn... so the school security could also be under influence," I answered

    "Wait, holy crap, your uncle said there''s an itinerary right?" Jay questioned Helen.

    "He did." Helen nodded.

    "Well if all the VIP''s have an itinerary to attend, obviously if any VIP arrived with contraband or plan to do shady dealings should be missing from such events," Jay explained."

    "Holy crap that is probably true!" I agreed in excitement.

    "So what''s your uncle scheduled to do after breakfast?" Jay questioned.

    "I think today he mentioned that there was a meeting to discuss politics and business, then there''s a small lunch party to spend time meeting new people and making connections, then in the evening Aspens are gonna hold a small demonstration," Helen answered.

    "Ohh one thing." Pauls''s voice spoke out to me.

    "Wassup?" I questioned.

    "Drop by Ashley''s office get some silver-tipped arrows for Grace and some silvered weapons for each of you. Sadly there''s not much you can do to Demon and their resistance to spells but silvered weapons definitely will help." Paul explained.

    "Thanks and good luck." He smiled and turned off the connection.

    "Ohh Paul also just told me we need to take a quick pit stop by Ashley''s office and pick up some silvered weapons and arrows for us," I added explaining to everyone.

    "Ohhh he has spare silvered weapons?" Grace asked in shock.

    "Yeah what''s so special about silvered weapons?" I questioned.

    "Silvered weapons are a little more effective at supernatural things over mundane and normal weapons." Grace explained.

    "Oh, I thought that was just a werewolf thing," I asked a little shocked.

    "It also work for werewolves," Grace nodded.

 Chapter 247 - Preparing with Silver

    "Emilia would you come with me to visit Ashley? since it seems like you both already know each other," Grace asked as we made our way out of the dining hall.

    "Sure but to be honest I basically met him the same time you guys did, it''s just Paul for some odd embarrassing reason told them about me way before I came here." I chuckled.

    "Ahh yep, we''ve been there." Helen chuckled.

    "Should the rest of us look for Sven and Yuna?" Helen suggested.

    "Well, I was going to maybe walk around try to identify the same students I see in the evening and maybe attach a spore to keep track of their movements over the day," Morgana suggested.

    "It lasts a whole day?" I asked in shock.

    "Well, currently it''s roughly eight or so hours but generally should be long enough." She smiled.

    "I''ll join you, Morgana," Daisy smiled quickly as it seemed like Helen and Jay wasn''t interested in joining her.

    "So let''s meet back here after thirty minutes and we''ll finish up whatever needs to be done," Grace suggested.

    "Sounds great." The rest replied and with a wave goodbye we all went out separate ways.

    "So can you do your thing and contact Ashley?" Grace questioned,

    "Sure." I smiled, "Umm Ashley?" I questioned activating my badge.

    "Eyyy wassup?" Ashley greeted me joyfully.

    "Umm Paul asked us to stop around your office to pick up some silvered arrow and weapons," I explained to him.

    "Sure, come around the R&D building, I''ll meet ya at the entrance." He agreed.

    "Okay, we''ll be there soon." I smiled.

    "Oh who else is coming?" He asked curiously.

    "Ohh Grace would be with me as well, is that gonna be a problem?" I questioned a little worried.

    "Ohh no it''s completely fine, just some paperwork that''s all." He smiled.

    "He said it will all be fine, let''s get going," I explained to Grace.

    "Sure." She smiled.

    "Woah..... I''ve never been to this building before there''s no door....." Grace looked in shock as we arrived.

    "Hold on here, apparently there''s some defence system that triggers if we get too close," I instructed her to stop her in place back when Scarlet warned me.

    "What is this building for?" She looked in wonder.

    "So from what I understand Engineering or R&D building, apparently this is where most the research and the maintenance and monitoring of the Atlantis happens," I explained to her as we patiently waited for Ashley to arrive.

    Like before, suddenly a door appeared as Ashley stepped out and disappearing the moment the door closed, "Hello hello," Ashely smiled passing us two small coins, "These will grant you temporary access, they''ll disappear once you leave the building so don''t worry about returning them." He smiled and issued us to follow him.

    As we stepped into the building, Ashely gave a nod to the Students on guard at the entrance wielding futuristic armour and guns, "Woah....." Grace uttered in complete wonder looking around.

    "Ohh, you''ve only seen my office right?" Ashely smiled as we made our way through the busy building towards his office.

    "It''s bigger on the inside then the outside, is this some sort of plane magic?" Grace questioned.

    "Yes very similar to how most the buildings in Atlantis work, whoever first made this place made the interior of every building have in its own pocket plane," Ashley answered.

    "Woah who could have such amazing skill and power in manipulating magic," Grace uttered in awe.

    "Unknown to most, we didn''t actually make Atlantis, it was first discovered as an abandoned floating castle, we kinda just took it as our own it learning more as we go on," Ashley explained.

    "So there is no mention of its creator?" Grace questioned.

    "Well, there are very few records of its creator, there are more doc.u.mentations of his exploits and adventures than the creator himself. All we know is that he went by the name King Solomon,

    I gasped a little at the mention of the name remembering distinctly being called a daughter of Soloman, "You okay there Emilia?" Ashley questioned.

    "Yeah, it''s nothing..." I answered planning to mention it to Paul wondering if there''s a correlation.

    "Why do you guys have a black and white uniform?" Grace questioned.

    "Well normally you won''t see us outside this building but it''s so senior students can identify engineering students in case an emergency occurs," Ashely answered.

    "There are literally as many students here as normal students if not more." Grace looked in awe.

    "Actually there are more, one of the popular career choices students can choose is to join Atlantis R&D and engineering department, it pays well and you get to work here." He smiled.

    "So what happens here?" Grace questioned extremely fascinated.

    "Well we are split into many different groups, but generally we monitor everything within Atlantis making sure everything is working fine, Sadly most of Atlantis is Ancient Technology and Magic so if something does go wrong we need many brains on the problem, but we''ve somehow managed to keep a status quo on everything. We also have research and development, more or less artificing and trying to improve the world with artificing. And lastly potentially the most dangerous would be exploring Atlantis, currently, we''ve only really discovered the surface of Atlantis, we don''t know what lies deep below Atlantis and what whacky weird magic happens down there." Ashley smiled opening the door to his office.

    "Thanks." We thanked him and walked in.

    "Lights on!" Ashley shouted illuminating his office that seemed to have somehow grown larger. "Take a seat, my helpers to get what you need." He smiled gesturing us to take a seat. "Fetch the silver weapons and arrows" Ashley instructed something and with those instructions, the sounds of whirling gears and moving metal began to spring to life.

    "Woah! Is that a golem that follows your voice commands?!" Grace asked in shock as two golems arrived with two large boxes filled with silvered things.

    "Yeah this is pretty simple, even Aspa would have these." Ashley beamed with joy and smugness.

    "I''ve never seen one up close, only ever read about them." Grace looked at it intently.

    "Ahh yes Artificing is forbidden in Elven society, we''re even shunned." Ashely smiled.

    "Yeah, some nonsense about being an utter disrespect to magic and Arcanum," Grace answered.

    "Ahh, you don''t have the same view?" Ashley questioned curiously.

    "I don''t, I see it no different to advance Archmages developing new spells or discovering new spells," Grace answered making Ashley giving her a very impressed nod of respect.

    "So how many arrows can your quiver carry?" Ashley questioned bringing the topic back to focus.

    "Umm around thirty." She answered.

    "Okay here''s thirty arrows." Ashley pulled out a bundle and handed it to her. "And now weaponry, take this short sword also, but its human design and shape if you don''t mind." He slid a short sword to her.

    "It will be more than fine, thank you." She thanked Ashley.

    "And Emilia, you''re not great with weapons right?" He questioned me.

    "Sadly not very great as the others," I admitted to him.

    "Okay well You and Jay can have a Dagger then, won''t do much but at the very least it''s some form of self-defence and it won''t harm you if used wrongly." He smiled.

    "And Helen I assume she''s also received basic elven training?" He asked Grace.

    "Yes." Grace nodded.

    "Okay give her this short sword, and lastly give Morgana this mace, mix up the damage type a bit." He smiled.

    "Does Daisy need one?" I questioned.

    "Nah doubt it, she''s a paladin I''m sure she will be fine." Ashley smiled.

    "Thank you for all this." We thanked him, and with a snap of a finger and a wave, the robot took the boxes and disappeared deeper into his office.

    "So let me take the chance to repeat what I''m sure Paul already did, don''t go being heroes and getting yourselves killed okay? if it seems or feels too dangerous, retreat and inform us there''s nothing heroic about death, we''ll get whoever''s on hand right on the situations." Ashley explained looking a little worried.

    "We''ll be sure to take care of ourselves." Grace smiled.

    "Can I get you guys snacks?" Ashely offered generously.

    "No thank you we just finished eating." I smiled.

    "So how do you make these robots responded to you and things?" Grace questioned curiously.

    "Ah, that is the beauty of Artificing, with enough practice and studying artificers can kinda input series of commands to make them work and do things," Ashley smiled.

    "So they are like humans?" Grace questioned thoroughly fascinated.

    "Umm far from humans, they don''t really have a brain of their own, you can set them things to do if something happens and series of commands, but they will never have the intuitiveness and problem-solving skills of a human or living being with a bain." Ashley smiled.

    "And I guess they are powered by Visium power cell thing?" Grace questioned looking deeper into a stationary robot lying dormant on the side of a wall.

    "Well actually mine is a little special, my father was a specialist in creating mechanical devices, he taught me the beauty of complex mechanisms, mine are unique in that they use two forms of power when using Visium power it will store mechanical energy and when using mechanical energy also gather and store Arcanum into the Visium power cell, making them last much longer than any other golems before needing a replacement power cell," Ashley explained.

    "So they last forever?" Grace looked t him in complete shock like it was utterly unbelievable.

    "Sadly, I have tried to make them last forever, but I can''t seem to nail it down, they will always produce less energy than they use, so they seem to last almost forever but ultimately they will need a replacement power cell." Ashley sighed

    "That''s still a pretty amazing idea." Grace smiled.

    "I know," Ashley chuckled leaning back on his chair like it was no big deal but clearly loving all the praise he was getting,

    "Do you have anything that tracks Demon influences? like a sword that glows in the presence of them?" I questioned remembering a movie I watched where a sword glowed in the presence of Orcs.

    "Oh my God, that is actually a brilliant idea, I''m surprised we didn''t think of it ourselves." Ashley looked extremely shocked, "We do have one, it''s encased in Paul''s armoury but he and Scarlet are the only one''s who can freely access all the weapons so maybe you can ask when they are both free." He smiled giving me a very impressed nod.

    "We should be heading back soon, we''re scheduled to meet the other soon." Grace smiled.

    "Hold on lemme give you guys something, ''just in case" He smiled, "Bring some potions and spell coins." He ordered the robots again making them bring in two large crates.

    "Alrighty, as I remember correctly you have a bag of holding right?" He questioned me as he began shuffling through the crate,

    "Yes I do," I nodded.

    "So take seven healing potions and one greater healing potion for Daisy." He said pulling out seven smallish vials and one slightly larger one.

    "Thanks." I smiled as one by one I watched my magical pouch swallow up the potions with ease despite being only slightly larger than one potion bottle, it was still was crazy to observe a small pouch being bigger on the inside than the outside.

    "In terms of spell coins take a few blesses, and Aid spells. Try and get this off if anything gets dicey, it''ll defiantly help out." Ashley smiled giving us a small pouch filled with coins, "These are one use only and won''t recharge so they will evaporate on use." He explained.

    "Thanks for everything." We smiled standing up ready to take our leave.

    "No problems, stay safe and good luck." He smiled waving goodbye.