[A/N: Edited the fight between Lucas and Jude a bit. Nothing major here.]
Claire's POV:
I held onto Curtis, clasping my hand over his mouth in desperation. My vision blurred as tears continued to well up and stream down my cheeks.
We couldn't... I couldn't do anything.
The disciplinary committee members were in charge of preserving the safety and order within Xyrus Academy. I was handpicked by Director Goodsky herself to take on this vital duty, and with the exception of Arthur, I was assigned the task of choosing the members and leading them.
I was their leader, yet I had let all of this happen... I let in a spy.
I was ignorant of the fact that all of our movements were being leaked to the enemy.
I was responsible for the state Theodore was in right now. Even if he made it out of this alive, he would never be able to walk on his own two feet again.
I was responsible for Feyrith getting captured.
I was responsible for the death of Doradrea Oreguard.
Behind the bloody princess Tessia, I saw another figure. I saw princess Kathyln, beaten and bruised, who was also tied up.
No, no!
I could almost feel Curtis's rage. "Please, Curtis... please." I continued begging, choking back a sob.
"Please, stop. You can't." I bit my lower lip.
"Please..."
Curtis' thrashing settled, but I could still feel him trembling with rage. I removed my hand from his mouth and noticed that there was blood; it was Curtis'.
He had been biting on his lips so hard, he'd bitten into them.
"I'll kill him..." I heard Curtis mutter, his voice shaking.
"Curtis, please... just wait. I can't have you charging out like Theodore. We can't lose you too." I tried to keep a firm tone as I spoke, but I didn't sound convincing even to myself.
Elijah's POV:
"Shhhhh." Draneeve waved his hand theatrically for us to settle down before continuing. "I'm sure all of you are just dying to know what is going on, but before I explain, I'd like to introduce myself."
He took a few steps forward and straightened his robe, combing his hair back with his fingers. "As I mentioned earlier, I go by Draneeve."
He made a dramatic pause, as if expecting a round of applause. When nothing happened, he just shrugged and continued.
"I know that at this moment, you guys may see me as some sort of bad guy. I wouldn't be surprised, what with the attacks and the deaths, but I a.s.sure you, I am on your side."
That ridiculous statement caused an uproar, as jeers and shouts reverberated through the crowd.
"Silence."
His voice couldn't have been louder than a low growl, but the weight of that one word and the immediate pressure following it froze the crowd to a mute.
"As I was saying...My name is Draneeve and I have come to save you all." Draneeve spread his arms in a grandiose manner, his robe fluttering from the wind, making him look pretty impressive.
No one said a word, too afraid of what he might do; all of us simply waited for him to continue speaking.
"You see, I come from a faraway land. This faraway land is a cruel, cruel place for the weak. Yes, I am talking about all of you. Those gathered here are considered the 'elite,' whose backgrounds and potentials make you the future of this continent, but from where I come from, you guys. Are. Simply. Trash." Draneeve's last words were spat out in a mocking staccato.
"That being said, I have made this extremely long and tiresome journey to prepare those I deem worthy so that when my lord becomes this continent's new ruler, you guys will have a place in his kingdom and not be tossed aside like the trash you currently are."
I glanced back to see everyone just looking around, confused. By the expressions on some of their faces, they looked to be in disbelief. Not just surprised, but they sincerely looked like they thought this whole thing was some big prank.
"To those who stand in front of me today, congratulations on being the ones chosen to be honoured pawns of the new ruler of this continent. Lukiyah, step forth and show them a glimpse of the newfound powers you have been bestowed."
Lukiyah?
No... It couldn't be...
The figure that had been holding onto Tess by her hair stepped forth, dragging her with him. I bit my lip, struggling to keep calm. Underneath his hood, he seemed to be looking for someone before he stopped; I could feel his eyes on me. I stood transfixed as he removed the hood of his robe.
Confirming my suspicions, it turned out to be Lucas Wykes.
His eyes seemed to be laughing as he continued to stare at me. Slowly, the edge of his lips curved up as he tugged Tessia up by her hair, just enough so her neck was next to his face.
His mocking gaze never left mine as Lucas ran his tongue slowly...gratingly up her neck to her ear, only to stop and wink at me. Any sort of inhibition controlling my rage disappeared at that instant, leaving me with just enough sanity to curse out.
"LUCAS, YOU SON OF A BITCH! HOW DARE YOU!" My vision reddened as my mind began to numb. Suddenly, as if some inner force pushed my consciousness out, my body felt like it wasn't mine anymore... like I was an entirely different person simply spectating my body from behind.
Jude's POV:
Just when I was thinking about how I was going to spend time with Kathyln as I helped her assimilate her beast will, I was called for a mission. I would not be given too many missions as I am still a student, however, I was to be called when none of the other Lances were not available and other mages could not do it.
I was called as I heard about several SS-rank mana beasts coming out of Beast Glades and going towards Sapin. The Lances were all busy and could not deal with this, making me the only person who could execute this mission.
I went to the teleportation gate which led to Beast Glades. The guards bowed to me and let me through without any documents. I arrived in Beast Glades, only to see panicking mages and guards. I sighed and raised my voice as I coughed. This seemed to have caught their attention.
I merely asked, "Where are the beasts?"
A man who seemed like the leader pointed towards the North East. I nodded my head and used Wind Magic to fly there. After I reached there, I saw two SS-rank mana beasts and three S-rank mana beasts. I sighed again. Kathyln, looks like you will need to spend some time without me. I opened the Sixth Door as I stepped towards the beasts.
Claire's POV:
Unsheathing my sword, I locked eyes with Curtis as he got on Grawder, and he gave me a firm nod, his eyes reflecting the same determination that Professor Glory had given me.
We were about to step forward to confront them, but, the masked man came back out. He looked at us, those who seemed ready to pounce at them, shrink in fear. I was one of them.
What else could I do? This man was far stronger than Lucas was, and with him here, there was no hope. Suddenly, the red-tinted barrier that surrounded the school shattered from above. The broken fragments of the barrier fluttered down, reflecting the vibrancy of the Aurora Constellation that was almost in full bloom, in the night sky; the bloodstained academy instantly turned into a scene from a fairytale.
I saw one man descend among the shimmering rain of the shards of the barrier. I recognized this man, so did the other students. The other students and professors seem to have gained hope again as they saw who was the one who descended upon. The Student Council President who would act as the shield of the academy, Jude Leywin, finally arrived on the scene.
Lucas's POV:
Staring down at the professors struggling to stand back up—the very mages that I strove to become—it was clear to me that their lives were in my hands. With my newfound powers, these so-called "elites" were now nothing more than ants to me.
Enhanced cognitive processing capabilities for higher levels of spell casting. A nearly unlimited pool of mana for me to access and utilize. Heightened reflexes along with strengthened physical prowess and dexterity. The elixir that Draneeve had given me really fulfilled its purpose. Just like he had promised, it truly brought forth my full potential.
It was obvious from early on that I was a gifted mage. However, being outshined by my older brother, Bairon, my accomplishments were never able to satisfy my family's expectations. I had lived my childhood chasing after his insurmountable shadow, but no longer; I felt like I had finally surpassed him.
Easily wiping out the distinguished professors of this academy, it felt like I had actually transcended the realm of mortals, incomparable to even the highest of human, elven, and dwarven mages.
... so why was I feeling this way?
This feeling of an icy claw gripping my innards, slowly twisting, slow freezing my insides. The palpable pressure in the air seemed to make the force of gravity in the vicinity stronger as he approached. Beads of cold sweat began forming, drenching my clothes, as I unknowingly took a step back.
Was I afraid? That was impossible. With my newfound powers, I was invincible. I was all-powerful. I was perfect.
"Welcome to the party, Jude. You're just in time," I jeered, satisfied with the calm timbre of my voice.
I had only ever hoped to beat Arthur, as he was one who I thought of as my rival. Jude was someone who I could never reach, a star who shone brighter than even my brother. He was someone who was truly untouchable, at least before Draneeve gave me that wonderful elixir.
Unaffected by my taunts, he wordlessly made his way towards me. The high-class mana beasts seemed to be afraid of even getting in his way as they scrambled to move out.
He wasn't even looking at me. His gaze had never been directed at me! My feet stayed glued to the ground, stunned, as he simply strode past, ignoring me and everyone else here.
How dare he! He had the audacity to treat me like air? At this point, I would be someone who could defeat him!
My clenched fists turned white.
Passing by everyone else he knew, disregarding his dying or dead peers and friends, Jude kneeled in front of the human princess. There was only silence that hung in the air
Knowing exactly what to do, my lips curled up into a smirk. Let's see him ignore this.
"She was crying for you, you know," I taunted.
No reaction.
"Oh sure, she stayed strong at first. It made it all the more satisfying seeing her break down," I chuckled.
His shoulders twitched a bit.
"You see, I wanted to play with your little princess more, but Draneeve told me not to lay a hand on her. I was going to disagree at first but an idea struck me—what better way to break you than have you lay helplessly on the ground as you watch me cripple the girl you care for so much?" My laugh echoed throughout the academy as everyone else watched, unable to even muster up the courage to utter a word.
My face twitched in rage as Jude continued to wordlessly cling to his little lover. He still chose to ignore me? "Jude Leywin! You dare ignore me?" I roared. "You think you're so much better than me? Let's see you go easy on me now! I'll break every bone in your body so you can only cry helplessly as I desecrate Kathyln right—"
My words got caught in my throat as the ground abruptly splintered and crumpled underneath Jude like a sheet of paper, making me stumble.
I regained my balance and looked back up at Jude, whose back was still facing me as he gently laid the princess back on the ground. All of a sudden, I was hit with the same sensation as earlier— the frigid, emotionless grip of a demon, twisting at my insides, wringing the air out of my lungs.
As if the wind had been knocked out of me, air escaped my throat as choppy and shallow gasps. Unable to compose myself, I looked down at my hands to see that they were trembling. I realised it wasn't just my hands but my whole body shuddered uncontrollably from the very core.
What was happening to my body? Why was I reacting this way towards some boy my age? It should be impossible for him to be stronger than me, yet... what was this sense of—
He turned around. I would never have thought that something as simple as eye contact could be so terrifying until his shiny green eyes, sharp as a knife, met mine, and the remaining air in my lungs was sucked out. And suddenly, I realized what I had been feeling the entire time, the word to describe the emotions I couldn't grasp...
"Oh, am I finally worthy of your attention?" I spat out mockingly, struggling to keep my voice from shaking.
"Lucas." Jude was a peasant who had such a banal background that his existence would normally amount to less than a retired mule, while I was born into the Wykes family, which birthed the most talented mages this continent had seen. Yet his voice rang with such glaring authority that it made me almost kneel on impulse.
"I thought of you as nothing more than a mere wasp I deemed unnecessary to kill," Jude continued with a chill edge to his voice as he once again began walking towards me.
"But even the holiest of saints would swat it down, without hesitation, if said wasp so much as dared to sting him." His cold, emotionless eyes, empty and frozen, never broke contact with mine as a tangible bloodlust gripped at my limbs like shackles.
He was comparing me to a bug. No, he truly saw me as a bug. Yet any words of rebuttal or protest refused to leave my mouth.
Why...
It wasn't supposed to be like this. My powers should now be greater than his. So why was this happening? How could a boy a year younger frighten me more than Draneeve? How many legions of men and beasts did he have to murder in order to possess such suffocating, oppressive killing intent?
Even the very earth seemed heedful of Jude as the ground sunk with each step he took. My heart pounded harder and harder against my ribcage as if it wanted to break out and escape. My vision blurred as cold beads of sweat rolled down from my forehead into my eyes.
Tearing my gaze away from Jude, I focused on Kathyln. An ice cage had formed around her, a cage so powerful I wondered even if my spells could scratch. Silently, as Jude advanced closer, I saw it. In his eyes was a raging tempest, so hungry to create mayhem, just barely contained.
But I was Lucas Wykes, second-born of Otis Vayhur Wykes! Elite mages of Xyrus Academy had been brought to their knees by my overwhelming strength. Jude was nothing but a lowly peasant—his only luck was being born with a talent for magic!
My mind snapped into a state of desperation and frenzy as I fought down the burning desire to run. Him, scare me? Never. I would rather die than plead for my life.
Jude POV:
Rage. My heart was filled with nothing but rage. My mind was already a mess when I saw the students and professors of the very academy I swore to protect dead or at the mercy of the invaders.
However, I almost reached the last straw when I saw Kathyln. Her injured body lied unconsciously. However, after I examined her body for any injuries, my rage had seemed to turn into something. Something cold and vicious...
Bruises and scrapes were visible on her smooth, pale skin. Thankfully they were only surface wounds. She was okay.
It seemed like she had been drugged with an anaesthetic to keep her unconscious temporarily... Yes, this was better. That way, she wouldn't have to be awake for all of this... She wouldn't have to witness what I was about to do.
Nothing else mattered. Not now. Not until I took care of the pest.
He prepared a spell as he retreated. I wonder if he'd realized that his spells were eating away at his lifeforce. It didn't matter; I'd kill him before he did himself.
[Hell's Rain]
He released his spell, dozens of flaming orbs scattering and floating around, growing increasingly larger. He continued to grin madly as his body visibly withered at the burden of the spell. The red flaming spheres turned blue as he further refined his magic. It seemed as though he was planning on taking not just me, but half the school down with him.
He wasn't even worthy of me using my sword. When a mage reaches the silver core stage, they can use the other type of mages powers as well, ie an augmenters can cast long-range spells like conjures much more easily. I was able to do this too, even though I didn't prefer to use it.
I simply waved my hand and caused air to be sucked out of the fire spell he casted, breaking it. I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn't so angry. Lucas had forgotten the basic act of protecting his spells so that they can't be easily tampered with.
Unrelentless, Lucas began chanting another spell, which surprisingly, by the amount of mana gathered in his right hand, was more powerful than the one prior.
"CREATION FORM!"
[Infernal Lance]
It was a type of spell I'd never seen before. As mana congregated, it manifested into a flaming blue partisan spear. What amazed me was that the mana particles hadn't simply formed the shape of a spear, but instead seemed to have transmuted into an actual burning spear. I took out my gloves and wore them. I didn't want Lucas's blood on my hands.
I sent a Wind Blade to cut through his spell and cut through his arm from his fist. This caused his entire left arm to be cut in half
"Gahhh!" Lucas' shrill howl pierced through my ears. "My arm! It hurts! My arm!" he screamed.
I continued walking towards Lucas who was still pawing at the empty space where his left arm used to be.
Lucas' bloodcurdling scream tore through the air as I gripped his remaining arm. The flame surrounding my left hand began to spread, melting his arm. I made sure to increase the temperature slowly, ensuring that he suffered as much as possible.
Lucas;s hand melted into a muddle. "N-No... How dare you! I'm Lucas Wykes!" he spat out as fell weakly on his behind, his legs pushing away from me.
Kicking him to his back, he gave me a venomous glare, any trace of sanity gone. Placing my foot on his right leg, I pinned him down. He wasn't a human anymore. Not at this point.
"GAHHHHH!"
Lucas spat out a mouthful of blood, his leg crumpled into a mess of crimson. Shattered bone fragments dotted the pool of red as it seeped through the cracks in the ground made by the force of my augmented foot. Another bone splitting crunch echoed through the surrounding atmosphere before a shrill howl of pain promptly followed as I did the same to his other leg.
I heard Lucas muster out, "Draneeve, help me!" I smiled as I used Wind Mana like telekinesis to carry over a masked head. I held his head in front of Lucas, "Is he Draneeve?" Lucas's eyes widened. I stated, "I killed him when I saw him trying to interrupt our fight!"
Looking at Lucas, a talented mage raised with the notion that his worth only amounted to his strength, who was glaring at me with neither guilt nor remorse for his actions and betrayal, I couldn't help but pity him. Almost.
Lucas could've truly tortured and crippled Kathy if I had arrived too late. His earlier words still rang in my mind, haunting me with images of what could've happened if I hadn't made it in time. I placed my foot between his mangled legs at the only extremity left on his body besides his head—the only place he could have any sort of attachment to.
"W-What are you doing?" His voice was tinged with a trace of fear.
I looked him dead in the eye and responded with what only seemed appropriate, "Taking measures to ensure your filth won't spread to the next generation." His eyes widened at the impending realisation as the stubs of his arms flailed. He opened his mouth to say something but...
"May your suffering last onto your next life," I recited indifferently.
The firm, mana-imbued stamp of my foot against Lucas' pelvic region created a cacophony of snapping bones, squelching flesh, and splintering gravel, accompanied by a mind-numbingly shrill screech.
At this point, Lucas, an accomplice responsible for so much havoc and death—the one that drove me to this point—was now nothing more than a dying body. His mouth frothed, with only the whites of his eyes showing, as he continuously mumbled incoherently. I lifted my leg up from the blood-soaked pomace of the one that dared to harm those dear to me, and once again, I was glad that Kathy was asleep for all of this.
The disaster that had befallen us was over. The perpetrator that had killed three professors and was responsible for the deaths of many more was now fatally wounded, slowly dying. Yet no one rejoiced. There was still fear in everyone's eyes, except, when it was once directed toward Lucas, it was now directed toward me. Amid this silence was a palpable tension radiating from everyone present, student and staff.
I lifted my hand to deliver the final blow when a sudden piercing ring interrupted me, drawing my, and everyone else's, attention.
Descending down towards the school were three figures. Even before I could make out their identities, the terrifying pressure they radiated told me exactly who they were.
The Lances.
"...ther," a strained, gurgled gasp escaped from Lucas.
With my attention focused on the Lances, I didn't realize he had gained enough awareness to speak. Looking down, I noticed Lucas' eyes fixed toward the Lances; he spoke again, this time more distinctly.
"B-Brother..."
I saw a sudden surge of light heading towards my head. It seemed to be lightning magic.
I simply caught the lightning bolt and broke it apart using my left hand.
The Lances did not want to stop though, as they were about to attack me again. Enough of these games. I used a technique that I doubted would ever prove useful, Dragon Fear. The technique of the dragons I got in my previous life after killing the Ancient Dragon Makelith carried over to this world in my soul.
The pressure around me increased incredibly and all the Lances kneeled in front of me. The female Lance seemed to be able to resist my pressure to some extent however, the other two Lances were barely holding out.
I ensured to put all the pressure on the Lances alone as I did not want the others to be harmed. I told them, "Talk to the witnesses and the survivors if you wish," as I released my pressure. The other Lances got up, the male Lances who was Lucas's brother glared at me but did not attack me.
After less than an hour, the Lances had gathered enough information from the witnesses to piece together what exactly had happened. Arthur also arrived by this point and checked on Tess. I already checked on her and she was fine, of course, Arthur was only happy after he check as well.
"JUDE, ARTHUR!"
I whipped my head to find the source of the familiar voice. After a few moments of looking around, I found my family waving at me from behind the gates. Even from this distance, the look of concern was visibly etched onto the faces of my parents as my father even tried to jump over the gate, only to get held down by one of the guards.
I could tell my sister had been crying as she was clutching onto my mom's sleeve. Next to her was Uncle Vincent and Aunt Tabitha who, I assumed, were searching for their daughter.
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Hi, Ellie." I tried to smile, but that seemed to make them even more worried.
"Jude, my baby, a-are you okay?" My mom stretched her arm through the fence and I gripped her hand.
"Son, what happened in there?" my father asked, worry creasing into his furrowed brows.
"I'm fine, Mom. I've seen better days, but I'll be okay with a bit of rest. And even I don't know everything myself, Dad." I shook my head, tightening my grip on my mom's hand to reassure her.
I turned my gaze to Ellie, who was still looking at me with an expression that still seemed to be deciding whether to be angry, sad, or relieved.
As I was looking for the words to properly explain, I noticed the female Lance approaching with an open scroll in her hands. I stood back up to face the female Lance.
Without making eye contact, she began reading aloud from the scroll. "Jude Leywin, son of Reynolds and Alice Leywin. The Council has decreed that, due to your recent actions of excessive violence and the inconclusive circumstances involved, your mana core will be restrained, your title as a mage will be stripped, and you will be incarcerated until further judgment..."
The crinkled sound as she rolled up the communication scroll echoed through my mind, clearly audible despite the massive crowd gathered around me. She finally looked up to meet my gaze. "...effective immediately."
There were all sorts of reactions from the crowd. "Hah!" I said. "You would like to restrain my mana core and incarcerate me for saving Xyrus Academy and two princesses from humiliation and death because of excessive violence!" I made sure to raise my voice so that everybody could hear.
Most of the people were shocked. I heard the faculty and the students start to protest loudly.
"I have had enough with this farce," I said with a sigh as I released Dragon Fear again to pressure the three Lances. The three Lances weren't able to keep standing as their knees buckled. "I will go to the Council and clear this misunderstanding, but remember Lances," the Lances looked up at me out of curiosity, "remember who my master is and how I will punish those who attempt to incarcerate the innocent, no matter who it is!"
My announcement had shaken the audience and the Lances. The people had realized that I was incredibly strong as my pressure was forcing the Lances to their knees and they also knew about my Master. I smiled as I said, "Shall we go if you dare Lances?"
[Author's Notes: I was going to have Arthur and Jude fight here, but I removed it because I thought that this would be better. ]