The soldiers and guards at the gate were in an uproar when they had realised that the suspect had escaped the confines of his cell. There was no signs that he had forced his way out, no signs that he had been assisted. They were aware that his affiliation had been darkness, but were also aware that his abilities were limited. They did not suspect that he might be able to use them in some way, but even them, it was not as if they could place magic suppressants upon his wrists. They also remained bitter that they could not spare men to hunt him down, the guards had their duties and the soldiers had theirs, the gate needed to be guarded and the magi apprentices needed to be protected. However the veteran soldier was still determined to state firmly everything that had occurred on this journey, from the rapidly encroaching foliage and lack of man power to deal with it to the two strangers that had felled guards for still unknown reasons.
Elyas returned with the magi apprentices towards the city and the mage halls, his usual quiet self. No one was any the wiser that he had spoken to and arranged a plan with the fleeing man, who he had learnt was an Assassin. He was careful not to allow his eyes to wander to frequently to the man who had been the pair's paid target, his heart pitying him. Five could not tell him why he was supposed to die. He did not stand out beyond the other soldiers, he was not poorly skilled nor superior of technique. In fact, he was quite a plain man, simple, well liked for his easy going personality. He treated his comrades equally, though showed respect to the veteran soldiers and even to the magi apprentices. He was a good man, but Elyas could not say that he was a great man. The boy sighed. If this world was similar to when he was a prince, he would likely say that the soldier either had upset a personage of importance or that he had somehow obtained something that someone else wanted.
He dismissed his wandering thoughts, they were not serving him well and his task now was simply to bide his time and wait until he could reunite with Five and hopefully they both could locate Seven, who Yang reassured him was still alive and well. It was at risk of failing his mission that he had let Five go alone, but he felt that if he was to disappear also, there would be nothing holding the soldiers back from seeking them both. Five and Seven had created no real issues with their antics, in fact the soldiers and guards that had lost to them might train harder now so not to lose to others in the future. No one had lost their lives, although the soldiers believed the younger of the pair was lost to the forest. Apart from salvaging pride, they could not justify hunting Five alone at this time at the expense of returning the apprentices home safely.
Patrick also remained quiet this whole time. He feared not the retribution of his 'rival' but the poison of the little viper that had become attached to Elyas and seemed intent on protecting him. The girls in the group frequently sent coy glances his way, not wanting to get too close due to his little protector, but also willing the clearly powerful young apprentice to notice them. Only the chatty, ginger youth Lucil, and the older boy Philip treated him the same as they had on the journey out.
In truth, Elyas thought nothing of it as he fell into his familiar bed within the dorm that evening to enjoy past memories within dreams of his beloved. It was only the following day, when he was summoned to speak with Teacher Exalos in the teacher's conference room that he had an inkling that something might be off.
"You called for me, sir?" Elyas said softly as he entered the room after knocking upon the door. His eyes widened as he saw that the Teacher was not alone, several other Teachers and Elders were with him in that room. Elyas cursed inwardly even as he retained a quiet, unsuspecting expression.
"Good afternoon to you Elyas," the Teacher said, indicating that the boy should sit in the available chair. Elyas nodded, obediently taking the seat. "We have been made aware that there were unexpected circumstances on the surface that took the expedition unaware, although there was no particular harm done." Elyas kept still, not wanting his bitterness that they would not acknowledge the loss of his beloved one, but then he knew why this was. Seven was an unknown and not one of those sent to the surface by the kingdom's King and council.
So he quietly nodded, keeping his eyes slightly downcast and replied an agreement. "Yes sir."
"We have also come to understand," the Teacher continued, happy that the boy was showing humility and due respect, "that the events may have unlocked an unknown potential in you, which, you understand, we must now explore." Elyas had damned himself, he knew, with his unthinking response to the attacking foliage. He kept his eyes down and said nothing. "We first need to inspect your mark."
Of course you do, Elyas thought, but could not disagree to the request, but glanced upward in slight question. "Now?" he asked, he doubted he could delay revealing it, but was hopeful all the same. Once they knew, his own escape from the city would be that much more difficult.
"That would be best," Teacher Exalos agreed. Elyas did not reveal his reluctance as he swept up his sleeve, even knowing that this would not be enough for them. A white haired old man with a bent back waddled over, his hair was an indicator of his extensive age, rather than his talent. However it was also said that a mage past his peak would begin to decline in magic as well as body. The old man's bushy white eyebrows seemed to vanish into his hairline, which was still fairly generous as his eyes examined the markings. He deemed them quite unusual, but regardless, there was clear indication that the boy was a fire user. His eyes crept upward to note that the markings disappeared into his robes, his arm only revealed to shoulder point.
"Child," The old man said, "I need to see how far these markings go. Would you please remove the upper portion of your robe?" He was a sharp man, he clearly noted that the child was reluctant, but he felt that it was likely due to embarrassment rather than anything else. Elyas complied with the old Elder's request and heard several sharp inhalation's as his full mark was revealed.
"It covers the left side of his back," one man exclaimed.
"Why were we not informed of this?" Another snapped, with an edge of accusation to his words. "This boy's potential is tremendous and yet he is in the middle classes!" He sounded outraged and almost pitiful for the child. Elyas did not respond, the magi would never understand that he had always intended to keep his abilities a secret from them. He had never wanted power nor to be restricted by that power in his own 'best interests.' "Oh for the love of magic, this boy was even sent to the surface where we could easily have lost him!"
"I assure you, Teacher Vitalous," Elder Exalos was saying calmly. "No one was aware of this. Elyas' test scores and revealed abilities have always been fairly average." The Teacher was perhaps the only one to suspect the boy now, for even as he spoke these words, he was wondering if they hadn't in fact been too average. "Also our records stated that his mark only extended to the peak of his shoulder and no further."
"But that would indicate that either the records were wrong..." the man who had made the initial exclamation mentioned.
"...or that it has grown," Teacher Exalos finished for him.
"Well," The old man stated, having extensively examined the boy's back. "It's not completely unheard of, though it is extremely rare. The norm would be for it to cease growth within a week of the marking being placed. I would suggest that we be thankful to have discovered this now and not at a date that it was too late." The others nodded in agreement. Those in the middle classes might be allocated more mundane duties such as keeping the torches along roads and within villages lit as well as aiding summer expeditions when the plants were growing at their greatest pace. His potential bride would also have been of average talent rather than one with greatness to match his own. The Elders and Teachers were not the only ones to know this, Elyas himself did and was already mourning his lost average life.
"Then Teacher Exalos," Teacher Vitalous said, formerly. "I will leave it to your capable hands to transfer Elyas Sigmis into the S-class immediately." He paused before the boy, who glanced up at the man, noticing his deep, black eyes. Elyas somehow retained enough composure not to shudder as he gazed into depths that seemed to challenge a starless abyss. "I look forward to working with you, Elyas." The boy snapped out of the illusion and nodded in acknowledgement, but remained silent. The Teacher took this as a sign of respect and left the room content.
The others followed suit, leaving Elyas to recover and straighten his robes before turning to Teacher Exalos. "Elyas," The man was saying. "You are excused from afternoon lessons and chores. Please gather your things immediately and wait in your dorm. I will direct you to your new sleeping quarters and advise you to which classroom you should go for attendance. It has been a pleasure to teach you until now. You are dismissed." Elyas nodded and left the room with a small thank you. He trudged unhappily down the corridor back to his dorm, before speaking to the small viper still curled up in his right sleeve.
"Yang, I think I need you to pass on a message..."