(Young Rayner) “Mom! Dad! What’s happening?”

(Rayner’s mom) “It's alright darling, everything will be ok!”

(Young Rayner) (scared) “ Mom I don't know what's happening with me!”

(Rayner’s dad) “Son, just calm down. You have to stay calm.”

(Young Rayner) “I can’t. My body hurts, it's like I’m burning up. AHH!”

(Rayner’s mom) “Don't worry, it's going to be...AAAHHHH!!

(Young Rayner) Mom! Dad! NOOO!

September 10th:

(Rayner) “Huh? This dream again?” I didn’t have this dream for a while now. However, it's been happening more frequently as the night goes on. Nevermind, time to get ready because it is a big day! A ‘date’ with the most beautiful girl in the academy. Her name is Emilia, a gorgeous girl with long blonde hair and glazing red eyes.

My name is Rayner, a 17-year-old freshman at the Edinburgh Academy of Magic. It's been around a week since I joined the academy to learn how to control my magic. Before joining the academy I was always on the move, never staying in one place for a long time so I wouldn’t do anything as I did ten years ago. After a while, I decided to join the best magic academy, hoping that they will be able to help me control or get rid of my magic.

Around one week ago: September 1st

(Rayner) "So this is the academy, huh?"

The academy has three main buildings plus the dormitories. On the left side of the academy are the Boys’ Dormitory and the Gymnasium where the students practice their magic and combat skills. In the middle and the right side, the classrooms can be found along with a nice and cozy park between the two buildings. Behind the main buildings is where the Girl’s Dormitory is located. The main building is covered with big, clear, light blue windows and looks old due to the red brick material. However, when I first looked at it, I thought it was a freshly-opened school due to its cleanliness.

(Rayner) “Since this is my first day at this school, I shall find someone and ask them where I should go to take the entrance exam.”

(Rayner) “There! She could help me.”

(Rayner) "Excuse me, could you help me? Where can I find the entrance exam room?”

(A second-year girl) "Uh, yeah sure. It's in the library. Turn right, go straight then take a left and you should find it. The door has a giant sign that says ``Library and that’s where the exams are being held."

(A second-year girl) "I wish you good luck."

(Rayner) "Thank you,” I said, then looked up at the clocktower. Then it hit me like lightning. “Crap, I’m running late."

(Rayner) ‘She said by the library right?’ I looked around and finally saw it.

I went inside, spotted an empty desk, then sat down to take the test. The test took around 45-60 minutes. It had two parts; the first part was about the four main magic types which are: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind or Air questions. The second part was a little bit more personal so I only answered the required questions; like why do you seek to join the academy. After the test, the teacher told everyone to head to the main foe to check our homerooms. I did as I was told and looked for my homeroom. It was on the second floor so I headed up the stairs and accidentally bumped into somebody.

(Rayner) "Ouch! I am so sorry."

The next thing I heard was the sound of the book that hit the floor. I didn’t have time to help the guy pick up his stuff because I was late as usual, so I just kept walking towards my homeroom.

(Ashford) "My books! Watch where you're going, idiot!"

(Rayner) "Sorry, I gotta go, I'm late."

(Ashford) "Wait, you jerk help me pick up my stuff off the floor."

(Rayner) “I’m sorry, I have to run!”

(Ashford) ”You’re gonna pay for this scumbag!”

I don't know how much time has passed since the exam, but I finally arrived at my destination. The teacher was in the middle of giving the instructions to the other students, so I slowly opened the huge wooden door. The classroom was pretty big with 30 or so students. The desks were arranged in rows upwards with three stair paths that lead to the desks. The teacher’s desk was at the bottom of the front of the class with the board behind her. Four big rectangular windows on the right side of the classroom gave the room the perfect amount of sunlight and fresh air. The students were scattered around the desks with every student at least two or three desks apart from each other. When I entered, she stepped towards me with a cold expression on her face, then told me:

(Itori Sensei) "Mr. Rayner, you are 5 minutes late..."

(Rayner) "I am sorry sensei, I got lost on the way here and--"

Before I could finish she interrupted.

(Itori Sensei) "No need to explain, just pick a spot and take a seat."

I did as I was told and picked a desk at the back then sat down. After 10 minutes or so a guy came in as well.

(Itori Sensei) "Oh, Mr. Ashford, you are 15 minutes late. Any reasons why?"

(Ashford) "I’m sorry for being late sensei. You see I was on my way here when an idiot hit me, dropped my books, and left without helping me pick them up."

(Itori Sensei) "That's no excuse, Mr. Ashford! Now pick a seat so we can start."

(Rayner) ‘Oh no, it's him. What's he doing here? Maybe if I hide behind my book he won't see me.’

(Itori Sensei) “Okay everyone let's start by introducing ourselves. My name is Itori, But you can call me Sensei.”

A guy stood up in front of me. He had green hair with dark brown eyes which made him kind of handsome. I bet tons of girls have already fallen for him. Anyway... he looked around the classroom then began his introduction.

(Reiyi) “Hello my name is Reiyi Nieldic, I am 19 years old and was born in Edinburg and have lived here ever since. My parents run the best blacksmith shop in the city, so if you ever need a good weapon you know where to come.”

Everyone greeted him then he sat down. After him, a girl with beautiful purple hair and bluish-purple eyes stood up. She looked like a doll, small and breakable.

(Lily) “Hello everyone, my name is Lily Wedgewood, and I am 18 years old and from here. My parents own a restaurant near the market and--”

Then the guy who I bumped into suddenly stood up and interrupted her.

(Ashford) “Yeah, yeah, no one cares. I am sure you’ll know how significant and prestigious MY family and I are. So I’ll make this quick for all you normies. My name is Ashford Spencer Weston and I am here to get into this academy’s elite students. Heck, this academy should be honored to have someone like me here.

Wow, this guy sure is arrogant, I bet his ego is bigger than his IQ... After a few seconds of silence he sat down and a girl stood up. She had gorgeous, long blond hair wore in a ponytail and crimson red eyes. Her appearance was mature and elegant but at the same time, she was shy which made her look like a princess.

(Emilia) “Hello my name is Emilia and I am 17 years old, I’m from a town named Morland and my father is the Mayor. I’m looking forward to studying with you all.

She sat down than the teacher looked at me and said:

(Itori Sensei) “Mr. Rayner it's your turn, please introduce yourself.”

(Rayner) “Ahh, yeah am sorry. “ My name is Rayner and I am 17 years old. I’m from a little village called Valnesse.”

(Ashford)“ Wait for a second, you are that guy that tackled me in the hallway and made me drop my books.”

(Rayner) “ I don’t know what you are talking about.” I tried to talk myself out.

The rest of the class went like this, everybody introduced themselves. After the introductions, the teacher told everybody to go and explore the campus.

(Itori Sensei) “Go and have fun.”

As the students moved out of the classroom they started to talk to each other and make groups tour the facility. Slowly the classroom became empty so I made my way as well.

On the hallways:

(Rayner) “This place is enormous and there are so many rooms.”

After walking up and down which looked like an eternity I finally made my way out of the building to the nearby park where all the students chattered and laughed. A few minutes of walking later I found myself at some kind of fountain at the end of the park and sat down to rest and collect my thoughts. As I sat there something weird hit my ears.

(Rayner) ”Huh? “What's that sound? It’s coming from over there.”

I got up and walked towards the source of the sound. As the distance between me and the noise got smaller the more I could hear and understand. By the time I arrived at the back of the school I saw Ashford and another guy talking to Emilia. I didn’t want to bother them so I slowly started to walk back when I heard what the conversation was about.

(Ashford) “Come on, I know you want to tour the school with me, I mean, who wouldn’t”

(Emilia) “I already told you, I don’t want to.”

Hearing this, my mind changed so I turned back and started to walk towards them quietly so they wouldn’t hear me. Meter by meter I closed the distance between us when I saw Ashford grabs Emilia’s hand by force and pulled her towards him.

(Ashford) “Yes, you want to now let us go.”

(Emilia) “ Are you deaf, I said no you stupid jerk.”

Ashford’s expression changed quickly from a smirk when he heard this and became very angry. You could hear in his voice that his patience ended and was about to do something. Ashford raised his hand probably to slap her. “I have to act, act but what? I can’t use magic, it’s prohibited without a supervisor on the first day, and I would probably lose control again.” I thought.

(Ashford) “ What did you call me bitch!?”

I had no other choice but to rush him and tackled him 5 feet from where Emilia was. Ashford hit the ground hard and groaned. I took a quick look at Emilia to make sure she was okay then I turned towards Ashford and stood up into my defense stand.

(Rayner) “It’s not courteous to call a lady a bitch, so learn to hold your tongue you bastard.”

As Ashford got off the ground slowly I glanced at Emilia one more time. She had a shocked expression due to sudden actions.

(Ashford) “How dare you touch me you bastard… Wait for a second!! It’s you! The asshole that tackled me before!”

(Emilia) “What…?

I heard Emilia saying something but I couldn’t understand it because a saw Raymond in the corner of my eyes launching a punch toward my face. I quickly pushed Emilia away to prepare for the impact.

(Raymond) “You bastard!”

Luckily his punch was bad so I could quickly react and deflect the punch and grab his upper arm and toss him onto the ground.

(Rayner) “You bastards should be ashamed of yourselves. Trying to force her to tag along with wretched people like you two.”

Ashford charged at me with a lower punch but I managed to dodge and kick him in the stomach. Both of them seemed to give up the fight and just lay on the ground. I sent Emilia to get a teacher while I stayed and looked at those two idiots. A few minutes later she came back with a teacher and we explained everything that happened.

(Rayner) “Phew! That was interesting. Are you okay Emilia?”

(Emilia) ”Yeah, I guess I am now, thank you.”

(Rayner) “Those guys didn’t seem to know when to stop.”

(Emilia) “Yeah.”

(Rayner) “Are you sure you’re okay? Your face is all red.”

(Emilia)(Ba-dum) “Yes, sorry but I gotta go.”

Time skip:

The next few days went normal everybody sat at their desks and studied. Four days after the incident, I was sitting in the cafeteria during lunch when Emilia came to my desk and sat down. We sat in front of each other for a few minutes then she said.

(Emilia) “Rayner was it? I want to thank you for the other day.”

(Rayner) “You don't have to. I just happened to be there, and I think anybody would’ve done the same.”

(Emilia) “Probably but still, please let me treat you for a drink. It's the least I can do after

the trouble I caused you.”

(Rayner) “You don’t--”

She didn’t listen to me and continued talking regardless of what I would say. She wanted to pay me back in some way so I gave up.

(Emilia) “I know how I can show you my appreciation! Meet me at the market two days from now.” She said it with a bright expression.

(Rayner) “Okay,” I accepted.

Then she left. I was sitting there, thinking about why was she acting so strangely. ‘Maybe I scared her? No that’s not it. Maybe this was the way she acted after such an event had taken place dragging her into it. Maybe I am just overthinking it.’ After lunch, I didn’t have any classes so I went up to my room finished my homework, and fell asleep. The next day was pretty normal, magic lessons and practice, lunch, afternoon classes then going home and rest. The day after, the same.

Present days: September 16.

(Rayner) ‘Ahh? This dream again? I didn’t have this dream for a while now. Nevermind, I don’t have time to think about it. I have to get ready fast or I’ll be late and she’ll be angry. What outfit should I choose? I can't just attend my school uniform!’ I looked around in my room for a few minutes then spotted the ideal outfit. I picked a black shirt along with a black and purple hoodie, and lastly a pair of jeans.

(Rayner) “There! This will be perfect.”

I swiftly changed into them then I put on the most attractive pair of shoes and headed down to the main gate. The main gate is located right beside the park between the buildings. I made my way towards the heart of the city, the region where the market should be. Edinburg is the Royal Capital of Woodhearst, so it isn’t a small town like the one I lived in before. On my way to the market, I got lost and wandered between the very narrow roads. Luckily I was able to find a map of the city on board right in front of the Adventurers Guild. It took around half an hour just to arrive at the entrance of the market.

(Rayner) ‘Well, it seems I arrived earlier than her somehow.’ I thought while looking around the place.

I stood there for around 45 minutes, then I saw Emilia arriving near the fountain. I quickly made my way to her then greeted.

(Rayner) “Good morning,” I said (it was close to 10:00 am.)

(Emilia) “Oh! Good morning Rayner. When did you get here?”

(Rayner) “Just a few minutes ago”

(Emilia) “Okay, then shall we go?”

(Rayner) “Yes, but where are we going? I thought we’ll visit the market.”

Not even saying another word she grabbed my hand and we made our way to a coffee shop. The shop was small but cozy with maids running up and down to serve the guests. We went in and ordered two coffees with cookies then sat down outside. I just sat there and watched the busy street when a maid came up to us and put down the things we ordered.

(Maid) “Welcome Master and Miss here are what you ordered. My name is Aura and I'll be your maid for the time being. If you need me just call me. Enjoy your stay!”

We thanked her then she left. The cookies were running out quickly so I ordered another round of them. We sat for a few seconds then Emilia faced me and began the conversation.

(Emilia) “I want to thank you for saving me from those jerks last week, and also I want to apologize for troubling you in something you had no business in.” She said in a shy manner.

(Rayner) “I told you it was nothing and please don’t apologize.”

Meanwhile, Aura brought the cookies and put them on the table. We thanked her again then she left. I looked at Emilia, who had something troubling her. So I asked what is bothering her:

(Rayner) “I can see something is troubling, why don’t you just tell me?”

(Emilia) “Sorry, I just noticed your tattoo on your left arm. May I ask what it is? [ᛞᚱᚫᚸᚣᚾᛋ ᛒᚢᛋᛏ]

‘That's no good, I can't tell her about my tattoo, what should I say? I have to come up with something fast!’

(Rayner) “Oh, this? This is something I got when I was a child. It’s nothing special.”

(Emilia) “Oh, Okay. How about your hair. Was it always silver, because I never saw anything like it before.” She said in a very curious tone.

(Rayner) “No, it wasn’t always silver. It was black, until one day I got my powe--(cough), I mean it turned into silver.” ‘I hope she didn’t hear what I said!’ I said in my mind.

(Rayner) “Anyway, we should probably head back to the academy soon,” I said, hoping she would forget it.

Luckily she stopped asking. We packed our stuff together and started walking back to the academy. On the way back we agreed to stop by a fruit stand to buy some fruits for her friends. We were about to pay for our stuff when we heard the alarm bell ringing in all the temples which could only mean one thing. Emilia looked at me then said:

(Emilia) Did you hear that? Isn’t it the Alarm bell?” she said in a worrying tone.

(Rayner) “ Yeah, I hear it too. Something must be wrong, I can feel it.”

What could this be? Nevermind whatever it is, it's not good for sure. Behind us, I heard something big moving so we looked that way. A giant, made out of rockburst through a building reducing it to gravel along with anyone inside it. Once the dust settled I could finally see it. It was a Golem.

(Emilia) “ Ahh! What is that?!”

(Rayner) “ It’s a Golem! Everybody get out of here!” I shouted.

‘We have to get out of here as soon as possible and let the Royal Guards handle this.’ I thought.

(Rayner) “We have to get out of here now! ” I said then grabbed her hand and started to run.

(Emilia) “Right! ”

“Come on, where is the way out of this place! I need to get Emilia to safety before the guards arrive. We will be just a burden to them if we stay here.” I murmured underneath my breath while looking for a way out.

(Rayner) “This way Emilia! ”

I found a way that leads out of the market into a safe place to hide. It was not far from the coffee shop we went in before. Luckily it was empty so we hide there. I could hear people screaming so I covered Emilia’s ears but the voice of the panic come closer which means that the Golem is nearby. ‘This isn't good, I have to do something or a lot of people will get hurt!’ I thought.

(Rayner) “ Stay here and don’t move, I’ll be back. ”

(Emilia) “ Wait, What?! I can’t let you go out there alone. It’s too dangerous for you to go out there! Let's just wait for the guards they will handle it .”

(Rayner) “I am sorry Emilia but if I wait any longer, a lot of people will get hurt!” I said then I heard the golem coming my way.

(Rayner) “Quick, let’s go down this hallway,” I told her then we made our way. We moved deeper into the hallway, as we ran I thought something didn’t seem right. ‘Why did a Golem attacked the city? I mean if I remember correctly this city is far away from the forest where all the monsters and demons are. There is no way, a giant pack of rock made all the way here without anyone noticing it.’ Nevermind, I looked back then I saw the Golem destroying buildings while it tried to get to us.

(Emilia) “It's a dead-end! What should we do?!”

(Rayner) “Ah, shit! I don’t have any choice.” ‘At this rate, she will get hurt for sure if I don’t do anything!’ I thought.

(Rayner) “I am sorry Emilia, please get behind me!”

She did as I said and got behind me. The Golem was almost right in front of us. There was no more time to waste. ‘I hope nobody is here’ I thought.

(Rayner) “ Okay, here we go…” That being said, I faced the hallway where the Golem was and said:

My left arm started to ache and I could feel the tremendous power spreading through my body.

(Emilia) “Rayner, why is your tattoo glowing purple? Wait, why did your eyes turn red!?” Emilia trembled in confusion and fear, for she was witnessing something she had never seen somebody do.

I looked at Emilia and smiled, then faced the golem who was in front of me by then, so I released this power, and my arm caught on fire...

(Rayner) “BURN TO NOTHING.”

Emilia’s POV:

(Rayner) “BURN TO NOTHING!!)

I looked at Rayner when he said that, from his hand, a very abnormal looking fire came. It was ‘dark purple?’ The flames engulfed the Golem from its legs up to its head. Rayner, just stood there with his hand on the Golem’s leg as it slowly incinerated away into nothing while in the presence of the purple flames. I looked at Rayner after the monster disappeared and saw a dragon-like wing on the right side of his back. He looked at me then collapsed, so I rushed to him. By the time I arrived beside him the wing where nowhere to be found as if it wasn't even there.

(Emilia) “Rayner!? Talk to me please!”

(Rayner) “I’m okay, just need a little rest.”

We rested for about half an hour, then went back to the main street. We looked around and saw that people were cleaning up the debris of the attack. An old lady stopped in front of us and thanked Rayner, for saving them. In the corner of my eyes I saw the guards arriving, they spread across the market and helped the people. The commander spotted us and walked up to us with a confused face than said.

(Commander) “Are you responsible for this?”

He looked at Rayner in a somewhat furious way, probably thinking that he was the one who did this. Rayner looked at him, and closed the distance between them, and said.

(Rayner) “No sir, it was a Golem but it's already been defeated.” His eyes widened as these words left his mouth.

(Commander) “ What! How did yo--. Never mind are you guys okay?”

(Emilia) “We are now, I guess.” I looked at Rayner. (Ba-dum) `Why did my heart started pounding?’ I thought.

The commander didn’t say another word and walked away. After he had taken his leave we decided to go back to the academy. On the way back Rayner didn’t say a word and walked quietly in front of me. ‘Just what was that wing on his back. It had emerged from his back and looked very scaly and rough, like a dragon’s wing.’ I thought. The sun was already set when we made it back to the academy, so there wasn’t anybody on the courtyard or the park. We made our way to the nurse's office hoping that she was still there. I knocked on the door and thankfully the nurse was still in.

(Nurse) “Yes, come in.” She said.

We went inside and Rayner collapsed on the nearest bed and fall asleep. The teacher came by and asked:

(Nurse) “What happened with him?” she asked in a very curious tone.

(Emilia) “Well, it's a long story.”

Time skip:

I told the teacher everything except the purple flames and the wing. She seemed to believe me, but I could see some confusion in her eyes, she knew that I wasn't telling the full story. She took of Rayner’s clothes and examined him.

(Nurse) “I don’t see anything weird, he just needs to sleep.”

A few minutes later she left and I was left alone in the room with Rayner. I felt tired so I sat there for a few minutes then left. The next day, Rayner didn’t come to class so I decided to visit him after school. I was on my way to the nurse’s office when Reiyi stopped me and asked.

(Reiyi) “Hey Emilia! Are you going to the nurse’s office?”

(Emilia) “Hi, Reiyi. Yes, I was going to visit Rayner”

(Reiyi) “Do you mind if I tag along?” He asked as he leaned closer and whispered.

(Reiyi) “I heard a rumor that he had purple. Is that true?”

My heart skipped a beat when he told me that. how in the world does he know that? I thought. He looked at me then smiled.

(Reiyi) “Never mind, let us go.”

(Emilia) “Yeah sure,” I said.

Rayner’s POV:

(Rayner) “Wha- what happened?” I opened my eyes and noticed that I was in a room. I looked around and saw shelves with medications of different varieties on them as well as medical posters. ‘This must be the nurse’s office.’ I thought. I slowly sat up and looked around. The room was quiet, and big, at the other side of it, was the nurse’s desk with a huge pile of paper on it. On the left side of the room was a door with a small window. Right beside my bed was a chair with clothes on it. I looked down at me and saw that I was *****.

(Rayner) “Why am I *****?” I said in a tired tone.

I picked up my school clothes and noticed something strange about it. A hole...a hole on the back of my shirt. It must’ve ripped when I was fighting with the Golem.

(Rayner) “The Golem, what happened! Where is Emilia? I have to find her!”

I put my clothes on and walked towards the door when it suddenly opened, and Emilia and Reiyi came in. I rushed up to them and hugged Emilia, pushing away Reiyi. She turned bright red like a polished apple but I didn’t care and hugged her tighter.

(Emilia) “Ray- Rayner, you are awake!”

(Rayner) “Emilia are you okay? You are not hurt are you?” I said and looked at her in the eyes. She looked at me then turned away with a bright red face.

(Emilia) “Ye- Yeah I am okay thanks to you.”

I let her go and sat back on the bed and wiped off my forehead. She looked at me then to Reiyi, who just stood there quietly and grinned.

(Reiyi) “Well if it isn’t cute. By the way, how are you feeling? You slept for a whole day!”

(Rayner) “A whole day! What happened while I was out? The last thing I remember is me walking back to the academy.”

(Emilia) “Yes, we came back to the academy after the fight and we made our way to the nursery and you collapsed on the bed.” She said then she turned around and went to the table across the room. She picked up a folder with papers in it and handed it to me.

(Rayner) “What is this?” I asked her then looked at Reiyi who stood beside me and also looked at the folder.

(Emilia) “It’s the report the nurse did on your condition.”

I opened the folder and read what was inside.

᛫ ᛋᛖᛈᛏᛖᛗᛒᚣᚱ ᛫ 16ᛐᚼ ᛫

(September 16th:)

᛫ ᚱᛖᚾᚣᚱ ᛫ ᛏᚢᚴ ᛫ ᛞᚪᚹᚾ ᛫ ᚣ ᛫ ᛋᛏᚩᚾ ᛫ ᚸᚩᛚᚣᛗ ᛫ ᚫᚾᛞ ᛫ ᚱᚫᚾ ᛫ ᚪᚹᛏ ᛫ ᚣᚡ ᛫ ᛗᚫᛞᛄᛁᚴ ᛫ ᚻᛁ

(Rayner took down a Stone Golem and ran out of stamina.)

᛫ ᚾᛁᛞᛋ ᛫ ᛏᚢ ᛫ ᚱᛖᛋᛏ ᛫ ᚣᚾᛏᛁᛚ ᛫ ᚻᛁᛋ ᛫ ᛗᚫᛞᛄᛁᚴ ᛫ ᛈᚪᚹᚣᚱ ᛫ ᚱᛁᚴᚣᚡᚣᚱᛋ᛫

(He needs to rest until his stamina recovers.)

(Rayner) “The report seems not to be fully accurate,” I said.

20 minutes later we heard a knock on the door, and Itori-sensei came in. She walked up to us and looked at me in relief and said.

(Itori-sensei) “Rayner, you woke up! What a relief!”

(Rayner) “ Oh, sensei, actually I woke up a while ago.”

(Itori-sensei) “ I see. Well, it's good to hear. The headmaster sent me to tell you that he is expecting you in his office once you wake up.”

(Rayner) “Why would the headmaster wants to see me?”

(Itori-Sensei) “He heard about the incident. He would like to hear what really happened from someone that was there first hand and can explain the incident in detail to him.”

(Rayner) “I understand. I’ll go and see the headmaster right away.”

(Itori-Sensei) “Alright, I’ll take you to him.”

That being said she headed to the door and opened it. I picked up my stuff and hurried to follow her. The headmaster's office was on the other side of the building, so we walked through the main hallway. The hallway was full of people who stared my way and mutter. I walked quietly behind Itori-sensei when I heard the girls whispering.

(???) “That's the guy who defeated a Stone Golem in one blast.”

(???) ”Yeah, and I heard that he had purple flames instead of red ones.”

(???) “Is he single?”

(???) “I hope he is.”

I looked at them, and when our eyes met they caught their heads to the side, blushing. Not wanting to pay any attention to the glances and mutters, I just followed Itori-sensei until we arrived at our destination. I knocked on the door twice then I heard somebody saying “Come in please.” In a very odd tone. I swallowed and opened the massive door to reveal a boy sitting behind a huge desk. I looked around. The room was quite big with lots of books and scrolls as well as a variety of skulls and herbs. Behind the desk laid a big window with mysterious patterns in the glass. The kid looked at me and said with a smile on his face.

(Headmaster) “Welcome Mr. Rayner.”

I looked at the sensei and said.

(Rayner) “Umm… Sensei? I don’t want to be ill-mannered or anything but, whose child is he?”

Her eyes widened and said.

(Itory-sensei) “Mr. Rayner please let me introduce you, this is Xavier Loxtercamp, the head principal of the academy.”

(Rayner) “Wha-(cough).(Bow) Pardon my manners Sir it’s a pleasure to meet you!!”

(Xavier) “You don’t have to apologize, I get that a lot from the students.”

(Xavier) “Anyway, I summoned you here because I heard about the incident on the market and that you were the one who defeated the Golem, right?”

(Rayner) “Yes sir, the Golem attacked the market area and I was the one who defeated him.”

(Xavier) “I see.”

He turned around and walked to the window in such a manner that he appeared to be older than he seems. He gazed upon the courtyard to witness the students heading towards their dormitories. A minute later he turned around to face me, and looked into my eyes and said.

(Xavier) “Mr. Rayner, your records say that you can only use fire magic, am I right?”

(Rayner) ”Yes.”

(Xavier) “I heard rumors that your blaze has an uncommon color. Is that true?”

(Rayner) “Yes sir, it’s purple for some reason unknown to me,” I said

(Xavier) “So you don’t know the reasons behind why your flames have such an odd color.

(Xavier) “Interesting. May I see those rumored flames of yours?

I nodded then moved to the center of the office. I took a deep breath and lifted both my hands and close my eyes to concentrate. Then I thought of the flames, then they emerged from both my hands changing the temperature of the room with its blazing heat. Both the sensei and the headmaster were left speechless after gazing upon the distinct flames. I quickly put out the flames and put my hands back in my pockets. the sensei looked at the headmaster and they both nodded then they looked at me and said.

(Xavier) “Thank you, Mr. Rayner, you can leave now.”

(Rayner) “Did I do something wrong?” I said with a confused look on my face.

(Itori-Sensei) No, you did nothing wrong. It’s just that it’s already too late and we have some work to do, that's all.” She said in a slightly worried tone.

I exited the room very confused about why after I had demonstrated the flames to headmaster and Itori-Sensei, I was told to exit the room and go to my dormitory because of unknown reasons. ‘They must be hiding something’ I thought. However, I decided not to worry about it for now and headed back to the Boy’s Dormitory.

Inside the Office:

Itory sat down on the couch behind her, closed her eyes, and signed. Xavier walked to the bookshelf on the right side of the office’s door and pulled out a book, and opened it. He flipped the pages for a few seconds until he suddenly stopped and started to read it. He read the page but he couldn’t believe what he saw in it. Itory opened her eyes and noticed the frozen Xavier looking at the book in his hand. She walked up to him and glimpsed in the book.

(Itori) “What is it, Xavier? What did you find?”

The book looked ancient and was covered in dust. The name engraved on the leather front cover was blurry due to the immense amount of time it had been stored away for. The pages were yellowish and they were so delicate that you had to flip the pages slowly.

(Itori) “Do you think that maybe he is. Could he be?”

(Xavier) “I am not sure. However, we have to keep an eye on him and find out more about his past.”

They both looked at each other wanting their assumption not to be true. Then they looked outside the window on the courtyard where Rayner walked towards the Boy's Dormitory without a worry.

A few days later:

It’s been a few days since the meeting with the headmaster. I was sitting in my classroom, listening to today's lesson when the teacher suddenly stopped and looked at the class.

(Itori-Sensei) “ Before we end today’s lecture class I have something to announce. A month from now we are gonna hold a duel among the classes.” This duel is to determine where your current magic level is at. This is done to prepare you for a mission in the future. Also after the duel, we will go to the Hot Springs near the castle.”

As these magic words left the teacher’s lips the whole class began to go psycho over the great news. The boys instantly imagined all the girls in swimsuits. Some of them got a nose bleed from the mere imagination of the girls playing in the water, splashing the hot water to each other making them all wet.

We looked at each other with Reiyi who sat beside me, then I looked at Emilia who seemed a little annoyed but frightened at the same time. She noticed that I was looking at her so I gave her a smile and she smiled back with a light pink like blossom tint on her face then looked away. I faced forward once again to listen to what the teacher was about to say.

(Itory-Sensei) “Okay, class please calm down. As I said, the duel will take place on the 23rd of October. I understand your excitement but the class is still going, so be seated.”

We sat there for another 5 minutes or so when the bell rang, meaning that the lunchtime had arrived. The student stormed out from the class towards the cafeteria which was on the first floor. A few seconds later I was the only one remaining in the class. I was about to leave the class when a man in shiny armor and sword walked in. He stopped right in front of me and asked.

(Knight) “Mr. Rayner?” he said with a serious and intimidating look on his face.

(Rayner) “Yes, that would be me.”

After I confirmed that it was me he took out a paper scroll and opened it.

(Knight) “Rayner, the king has summoned you to the royal palace immediately.” He said it with a neutral look implying that it wasn’t good nor bad.

(Rayner) “ I can’t go now I have classes to atten--”

(Knight) “You don’t have to worry about that. The headmaster was already informed, and your classes for the afternoon were dismissed.”

Without saying another word we walked downstairs past the cafeteria and outside of the academy. We arrived at the main gates and a carriage stopped in front of us. The carriage looked new, it was painted white with gold stripes around it. At the back of it, the royal coat was painted along with the country’s flag.

At the castle:

After we arrived at the castle we headed towards the main room where the throne was situated. We entered the main chamber and saw a red carped that stretch from the door to the throne where the king was awaiting us. As we walked towards the king, I looked around and saw many paintings on the walls of landscapes and valleys. The ceiling and part of the walls were white with a golden part on the columns. When we got close enough to see the king clearly. He was wearing white fur, and a long red coat and on top of the throne a painting of him. I knelt down onto my right leg and bowed my head.

(King Mateus lV) “Raise your head child,” he said in a very deep voice. I raised my head and looked him in the eye.

(Rayner) “May I ask why did you summon me, your majesty?”

(King Mateus IV) “I was informed that a Golem attacked the market district a few weeks ago and you were the one who defeated it. Is this true?”

(Rayner)(nervous) “Yes, your excellency it was I who defeated the Golem,” I said looking into his cold eyes.

(King Mateus IV) “I see. So it is true.” He then stood up and walked to his desk and picked up something from it. It was a small crimson red box with golden stitching and with the royal crest on its top.

(King Mateus IV) “Please accept this small gift as a token for your service from the royal family and the people of Edinburg.” He said while holding the small box towards me.

I took the little box from his hand and put it into my pocket. I bowed again and thanked him then left the castle and went back to the academy.

At the Academy:

It was late when I got back from the castle so I headed to my room. Students watched me on the hallways and whispered.

(???) “Why was he summoned by the king?”

(???) “I heard that the king wanted to verify the person who defeated the Golem the other day.”

(???) “Yeah, I heard about the Golem attack. Do you think he might have been there?”

(???) “I bet he was the one who let the golem in and defeated it to look good in front of the king.”

It was a long day so I just walked past them. On my way towards my room, I bumped into Emilia. I smiled at her and walked past her. A few minutes later I finally entered the Boy’s dormitory, walked up to the third floor where my room was located and opened my door to reveal something very strange. ‘There is a maid in my room. Why do I have a maid in my room?’ I thought.

(Maid) “Welcome back, Master!” She said with a bright smile on her face.

(Rayner) “Sorry I think I’m in the wrong room,” I said. Then turned back and started walking outside when she grabbed my hand and said.

(Maid) “No master, this is your room!”

(Rayner) “Okay,” I said then walked up to my bed and sat down. I closed and rubbed my eyes then faced her.

(Rayner) “Can I ask who are you and more importantly, why are you in my room?”

(Maid) My name is Vivian Warf, and I am your personal maid assigned by his majesty.” She said with a delicate voice and a sincere smile.

(Rayner) “ Was this part of the reward I got from the king?”

(Vivian) “ Yes. I was told to introduce myself to you but I couldn’t find you, so I came to your room and waited until you would arrive.”

(Rayner) “I see. Well, I am tired so I’m off to bed, could we talk tomorrow?

(Vivian) “Yes but about what?.”

(Rayner) “Well about you being my maid.”

(Vivian) “But Maste--”

(Rayner) “ I said tomorrow. By the way, do you have anywhere to sleep?” I asked because when I entered the room I saw unfamiliar luggage, suggesting that she doesn’t have anywhere to go.

(Vivian) “Yes I can find a pla--” I interrupted her because I already knew where this was about to go.

(Rayner) “There is a bed in the corner that you can use tonight.”

(Vivian) “I can’t possibly ask--”

(Rayner) “Don’t worry about that just use it.”

(Vivian)(blushing) “Thank you, master,” She said in a sincere voice.

I nodded then slipped into my bed then slowly fall asleep.

The next day:

It was already the middle of the day and I was in the cafeteria eating my lunch. Reiyi sat in front of me looking at me with curious eyes as he ate his lunch. He kept staring at me so I looked into his eyes and said.

(Rayner) “She is my maid assigned by the king. Don’t ask.”

(Reiyi) “You know dude, right now I am very jealous of you.” He said.

I just kept eating my lunch and when I finished it and was about to take the plate back, Vivian suddenly took it from my hand and walked back behind the counter and washed it. The other students watched her washing the plate, then looked at me. The male students gazed at me with extreme jealousy and anger as I tried to avoid their looks.

(???) “Since when did he have such a cute maid?”

(???) “What a lucky bastard.”

I called for Vivian, who ran to me as soon as she heard her name and went back to my classroom. The rest of the day went normally. After school, I went to the park and sat down to take a break and clear my thoughts. I sat there for half an hour when somebody sat down beside me. I looked over and saw Emilia sitting on the other side of the bench.

(Emilia) “I see you became quite popular since the incident. The boys from the whole school are talking about you.”

(Rayner) (sigh) “Yeah.”

(Emilia) “It's been a while since we talked. I was wondering if you'd like to talk?” She said it with a slightly red face.

(Rayner) I took a deep breath then began. “You know, when I first came to this school I never wanted this. All I wanted was to learn to control my magic and find answers about my flames, like why is it purple.” I said it while looking at the stars. “Don’t get me wrong I would save you again if you were in da--” I stopped and looked at her. “Hey, Are you okay?” I asked in a worrying tone because she just looked at her feet.

(Emilia) “Can I tell you something? She asked. I nodded then she continued. “When you used your flames to defeat the golem, I saw something emerge from your back,” said Emilia with a worried tone still looking in front of her.

(Rayner) “ What do you mean by...something emerged from your back?''

(Emilia) “ Well... It’s a little hard to explain. When you were battling the golem, shortly before you defeated it you grew a dragon-like wing on the right side of your back.

(Rayner)(surprised) “It's a little hard to believe, but that would explain the hole in my shirt because after I took a closer look, it looked very strange. ” I said then I remembered something about my past and spaced out.

(Emilia) “Rayner? Hey Rayner?” She said in a worried tone.

(Rayner) “So-sorry, I spaced out for a second.”

I looked at her and gave her a kind smile showing her that I was okay then stood up and said.

(Rayner) “Well it’s late so I think we should head back,” I said then yawned.

(Emilia) “Yeah, you’re right. Tomorrow we have a test so we should rest as much as we can.” She said with a forced smile on her face hiding the fact that she was worried about me. We said goodbye to each other then headed to our rooms.

A month later: October 22.

It’s been a month since I talked with Emilia in the park. The duel is being held tomorrow in the forest behind the academy. It was originally planned to be held in the gymnasium but last week a student had an accident there and now it needs to be repaired. Apparently, that particular student used too much of his magic without the barrier up and blow up half of the gymnasium.

Today we went out and set up the place where the duel will be. Students who specialize in protective magic set up a magic barrier with the help of a student council member from earth and wind. Three students built up a 13-meter high wall while the other four students with the council member cast Wind-Shield magic on top of it so it would reflect all magic that would go out of hand back to the arena. After we finished up the last adjustments for the arena we went back to the academy.

Shortly after we arrived back to our room we got a paper that said our opponents plus the order we are gonna go by. I quickly peeked in the paper looking for my name. I was to be the 14th, so this meant I would get to see my fellow peers duel before I would. After class, I went back to my room where Vivian waited.

Third-person POV:

Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, two dark unknown figures talk to each other with their hoods on to avoid anyone discovering their true identity. The taller one holds a folder in his left arm while the smaller one sits on a fallen tree.

(??) “You got what I asked for?”

(??) “Yes, sir it’s here. Everything I was able to find is in here.” He says while handing the folder to the other guy. Not taking another minute he opens the folder and starts to read it then closes it.

(??) “It won't be long until all his dark horrific secrets will lighten up and everybody will know what kind of monster he really is.” Then he starts to laugh in a menacing psychopathic manner as he walks away from the other masked individual.

The Day of the Duel: October 23.

Rayner’s POV:

I was sitting in my homeroom along with all my fellow peers as Itori-Sensei was giving the last details about the duel.

(Itory-sensei) “As you all know this duel is about to assess your current knowledge about magic and martial arts. Usually, it would be held at the beginning of the semester but this year due to some circumstances we had to postpone up until now.” She said then turned around and started to write on the board. “You will each fight with your assigned adversary. The duel will continue until your opponent yells or becomes unable to fight. There will be nurses to take care of the injured ones so you don’t have to worry about the injuries you get.” She said. After a little while, she turns back facing us and then points to the board.

(Itori-sensei) “Yesterday I gave you a paper which said your assigned opponent, and number. However, if you lost that paper then you can see all the information on the board.” She said it then sat down.

I pulled out my paper and looked at it once more because yesterday I just checked my number but didn’t care to look who my opponent was. I unfolded the paper then looked for my name. Once I found it I looked to the right side of my name and saw my opponent’s name. I couldn’t believe my eyes upon seeing who was my opponent. “Why him of all the students in my class? (big sigh)... It had to be that arrogant ****, Ashford.” I murmured underneath my breath. I took a deep breath, then looked at Reiyi who sat beside me as usual ever since the market incident. After the meeting in the nursery, we became friends so we always sit beside each other.

(Rayner) “Hey, who’s your opponent?” I asked.

(Reiyi) “Apparently I got your buddy’s friend, Raymond.” He said then smiled. “It will be a piece of cake.” He said with a smirk on his face.

(Rayner) “Yeah right.”

Time skip:

I was waiting outside the arena by the hole like entrance where the competitors go in. I was the next in line to compete so I took some deep breaths. A few moments later the teacher in charge called for my name which means that I can go in now. I went inside and looked around. The roof and wall glowed because of the extreme concentration of wind and earth magic in them while transparent so the viewers could see and not be harmed. At the top of each corner, levitated one high-level third-year student trained in the arts of defense and protection meditating with full concentration to keep the barrier up in order to keep the fight in the arena so the viewers would not be harmed while watching the fight.

I went all the way into the center of the arena and stood where the teacher showed me to stand. After that, he called for Ashford’s name and a moment later he came in as well with a very odd expression. As he walked towards me, he never took his eyes off me. Once he got closer I could see his face and he was grinning.

(Teacher) “You know the rules. The match is over when the loser is not capable of fighting anymore or the opponent surrenders,” He said then, with that he flew up meaning that the match started.

I quickly jumped backward and stood up into my defensive position. However, Ashford didn’t move at all, he just stood in the middle of the ring. A few moments passed by before he finally moved, moved but instead of attacking me he grinned then turned towards the student and said.

(Ashford) “My fellow classmates and teachers! Let me tell you something about my opponent Rayner here!” He said it then pulled out a folder from under his coat and opened it.”He is not the person who he claims to be.”

(Rayner) “What are you doing Ashford? We are in the middle of a fight here.” I said with a confused look.

(Ashford) “Don’t worry Rayner I’m just gonna reveal your dark evil secret!!”

My heart skipped a beat when I heard that. He looked at me and chanted a magic spell. “What the!?” The floor beneath suddenly cracked open and two roots curled around my arms holding them down behind my back then he continued.

(Ashford) “You see our Rayner is a psychopathic murderer who slaughtered his entire family and village!” He shouted towards the student.

Upon hearing that I could feel rage within my awakening. My legs started to shake and I clenched my fists.

(Rayner) “Ashford I think you should shut up!” I said it in a very angered tone.

(Ashford) “He brutally slaughtered his parents and his LITTLE sister when he was seven using the same purple flames he used to incinerate the Golem!.”

(Rayner) “Shut up you don’t know anything!” I said while the anger consumed my heart.

(Ashford) “His little sister was only five years old and he burned her to death!”

(Rayner) “Shut up!”

(Ashford) “Tell me, Rayner, how it felt to slaughter your sister and parents in cold blood? I bet you enjoyed it, didn’t you?!”

(Rayner) “SHUT UP, BASTARD!!” I shouted at him with rage.

I heard the crowd’s gaps and I could feel their fear and anger towards me.

(????) “You! How could you kill your own sister!!!” Somebody yelled.

(????) “You are a remorseless monster!!”

(????) “How can such heartless people exist.”

(????) “We thought that you were a good person for defending the city!”

I looked up, and saw Emilia with tears in her eyes and holding her hands in front of her mouth. At this point, the rage and anger fully filled my heart and my vision became blurry, up until I couldn’t feel my body and everything went black.

To be continued…

Ashfords POV:

I looked back at Rayner and what I saw was terrifying. A very dark purple aura was around him and his eyes glowed red. Two dragon-like wings emerged from his back and with one move he broke free from my spell. He slowly walked towards me. I cast water and wind magic at him, but he deflected them with his hands.

(Ashford) “Wha--what is happening?! How can you deflect my magic?” I said with a frightened tone. The students on the balcony watched him shaking in fear.

(Ashford) “Stop don’t come any closer!!” I shouted at him but he didn’t listen. “I am warning you!!”.

Third-person POV:

Rayner kept walking, getting closer to him. As he did, Ashford slowly stepped back, each step taken regretting what he had just said. Rayner’s eyes blank with a facial expression that frightened Ashford to his bare core and a dark aura darker than a gloomy night.

(Ashford) “I said don’t come any closer you freak!!” He said trembling.

Ashford cast another spell hoping to stop Rayner’s advance, and this time he combined Wind with Fire magic. However, Rayner blocked his fireball with his wings, then he started flapping them and flew up while increasing the dark evil aura around him.

In a dark place:

(Rayner) “Where am I, what is this place?” He said with a confused look on his face, wondering how he got there. He looked around and saw a gate not far from where he stood. Gathering all his courage, he walked up to the mysterious gate and opened it. Rayner stepped in and suddenly he was in a cave.

The cave was dark and gloomy, but once Rayner took a step it light up and there was a very large tree full of other plants and vegetation around it with a small river flowing peacefully with beautiful fish inhabiting it.

(Rayner) “What is this place?” He said underneath his breath.

(???) “You should learn to control your emotions.” An unfamiliar deep voice said echoing in the cave.

(Rayner) “Who are you and what is this place?”

An enormous shadow that overlooked everything stood up in the silhouette of a dragon. The shadow faced Rayner and spoke.

(???) “I am you or rather, I would say you are me, Rayner, and we are inside our mind.” He said with a neutral tone.

(Rayner) “I don’t understand. What do you mean I’m in our minds? And what do you mean by that I am you?” He said puzzled.

(???) “I know you have a lot of questions but I can’t answer them right now. You have to wake up or you’ll hurt the people you care about again.” he continued “Now go and wake up Rayner, wake up!!”

Rayner’s POV:

(???)(echoing) “Rayner--” Ah this voice, I know this voice… “Rayner please---” So sweet, calming, and warm… “Rayner I know you are in there please you have to wake up---” Emilia... is that you? “---Come back to me please, RAYNER!!!”

Hearing this, my vision came to a clear. I looked down and saw Emilia hugging me and crying, her clothes were burned and dirty. I lifted up my right arm and put it on top of her head. She looked up at me and stared into my eyes, I gave her a gentle smile then I felt a very hard knock on the back of my head so I collapsed on the ground and lost my consciousness.

Time skip: (one week) October 30th

Third-Person POV:

Xavier, Itori, and Emilia are inside the headmaster’s office discussing the recent incident. Xavier sat behind his desk with Itori standing behind him both looking at Emilia who sat in front of them.

(Xavier) “Ms. Emilia according to your explanation, Mr. Rayner went into that state because Mr. Ashford angered him. However, this doesn’t excuse the fact that Mr. Rayner isn’t human or not completely.” He said with a serious look on his face.

Xavier looked at Itori and nodded. She nodded back then went to the same bookcase and took down the exact same old book and handed it to Emilia. She took it from Itori’s hand and opened it at the marking.

(Emilia) “I don’t understand, what does this have to do with Rayner. This is a book of ancient creatures that ruled this world centuries ago.” She said she did not understand why they gave her that book.

(Xavier) “We believe that somehow Rayner made contact with that creature you see there.” He said pointing on the drawing in the book.

The page contained a drawing of a dragon and a few lines underneath it. According to the notes, the dragon had a skin color of purple and red eyes. The notes also say some measurements about how big it was and some basic information about him.

Race: Dragon/???

Height: 5m

Length: 20m (Including the tail)

Wingspan: 14m

Power: ???

(Emilia) “I think I’ve heard of him in bedtime stories my mother used to tell me.” she continued “Wasn’t his name Rogar the most powerful dragon of all time?” She asked.

Time skip:

Rayner’s POV:

(Rayner) “Ouch my head, it hurts.” I woke up in a room, again. However, this time this wasn’t the nursery that much I could tell after opening my eyes. ‘It looks like I’m in some kind of cell?’ I thought. I looked around and saw grids on the window below my bed. I sat up so I can have a clearer view of the room. I tried to move my hands however, they were chained to the wall behind the bed. I tried to pull it but as I assumed it won't let go.

(Rayner)(sigh) “I see then I don’t have any choice, do I,” I grabbed the chains, a few seconds later they began to glow red, then yellow until they melted away and dripped onto the floor. Luckily I am resistant to fire and heat so it didn’t hurt at all when I heated up the chains.

(Rayner) “Okay, now that this is done let’s figure a way out of here,” I said then flipped it to its side underneath the window and stepped on it. I looked outside and it seemed that I was no longer in the Academy. It looked like I was somewhere in the middle of the forest. I smashed the window with the now cooled down chain piece and melted the grids.

Emilia’s POV:

I was on my way towards where Rayner was kept until he regained his consciousness.

(Emilia) “The Headmaster said that they transported him into the forest near where the arena was made.” I murmured underneath my breath.

I almost arrived at the house where Rayner was and reached for the handle to open the door when I heard somebody breaking the glass inside. I swung open the door and saw that the room was empty, the melted chain on the floor, and the broken window and the grids on it also melted.

(Emilia) “Nonononono where did he go?” I said with a worried tone. I rushed up to the window and looked out.

(???) “I didn’t go anywhere yet.” A voice said behind me. I turned around and saw Rayner standing in the door looking down at the floor.

(Rayner) “How are you, Emilia? Did I hurt you?” He said, still looking down.

(Emilia) “I’m okay don’t worry but nevermind that, how are you?” I asked him and started walking towards him slowly but he kept going backward.

(Rayner) “NEVERMIND THAT? How could I nevermind that I almost killed you too.”

‘You too? so it is true that he killed his family?’ I thought.

(Emilia) “But you didn’t kill me so please calm down, come inside and let’s talk okay?”

He didn’t respond for a few seconds, but finally, he walked inside the house and sat down onto the bed. I also went inside and closed the door behind me. I whispered something then sat down beside him.

(Rayner) “What do you want to talk about?” He asked, knowing what I would ask him.

(Emilia) “What happened back there? Why did you become like that?”

(Rayner) “I don’t know, it was different this time but I would say I lost control again.” He said, “And almost killed everybody again.”

(Emilia) “Wha--What do you mean different,” I asked curiously.

(Rayner) “I guess there is no point hiding it anymore huh?” He said then stood up and walked by the door and stopped.

(Rayner) “When I was seven years old, one day my hair turned silver and my body changed,” he stopped for a minute then continued “my body...it-it felt like it was on fire. I screamed in agony when my mother and sister entered my room they saw me on the floor, unable to move because of the pain, screaming.” Rayner stopped again and turned around to face me. “Luckily due to the pain, I would soon after losing consciousness. When I woke up, my dad was hugging my mom and sister, they were crying together in a group hug. After two days the pain faded away but my hair stayed the way it is now.” he opened the door and walked outside, I followed him, it rained. “We thought that it was over, but on the fourth night after my change, the pain came back, my parents and sister rushed to my aid.” Rayner walked up to a nearby tree and put both of his hands on it. “My mom tried to calm me down, she said that ‘everything was okay’ and ‘it will go away’, I told them to leave me but they never did, in fact, they hugged me,” Rayner punched the tree with his right hand enraged in the painful memories he had remembered from a past of agonizing pain“ I screamed at the top of my lungs and

screamed then---” he stopped.

(Emilia) “It’s okay Rayner you don’t have to continue if yo--” He interrupted.

(Rayner) “My body caught on fire with the same purple flames. They tried to get to me but it was too late. The flames burst out of my body until it created an explosion destroying everything around me, killing everyone dear to me.”

Then his right hand caught on fire and punched the tree again. The tree burst out of the ground and flew away, destroying the other trees and everything behind it. I just stood behind him shocked, I’ve never would've imagined he had such bad memories. Soon I could feel tears dropping onto the ground from my eyes.

(Emilia)(sob) “I-I am sorry I didn’t kno-”

(Rayner) “Don’t apologize, it was a long time ago…”

(Emilia) “But what happened after that? What did you do?”

(Rayner) “After that, I lived alone in the Black Forest until the start of this school year,” he stopped for a second then continued, “It's late you should go back before it gets dark, and also your clothes are soaking wet.” He said facing me.

(Emilia) “What about you? Aren’t you coming with me?” I asked him

(Rayner) “No, I can’t go back,” he stopped, “It was foolish to think that I could control this power.” he murmured underneath his breath. He then walked up to me and picked me up bridal style.

(Emilia)(blushing) “W--What are you doing Rayner?” I asked while my heart beat really fast.

(Rayner) “Taking you back of course,” he crouched, “Hold onto me.” And with that, he jumped. The force was so strong that we soared up above the forest and I had barely enough time to hold onto him.

A few minutes later we landed in front of the Girl’s Dormitory and Rayner, set me back down onto the ground. I let go of him and tried to walk but my legs were shaking. I looked at Rayner, who stood in the small crater that he created with his landing force. In the background, I saw Vivan coming towards us with the laundry in her hands.

(Vivian) “Good afternoon Master and Ms. Emilia,” She said cheerfully.

Rayner looked at the ground beneath him silently not paying attention, only thinking deeply.

(Emilia) “Hey, Vivian are you doing the laundry?”

(Rayner) “.......”

(Vivian) “Yes, actually I just finished them so Master Rayner can wear them tomor--”

(Rayner) “It won’t be necessary,” He said with a strange tone.

I couldn’t see his face due to the setting sun, but I could tell from the tone of voice and his posture that something was off. ‘What did he mean by it won't be necessary’... He then looked up to me in the eyes and smiled in a very sincere way.

(Rayner) “This is goodbye,” then he jumped up again creating an even bigger crater. I tried to say something but he was gone within the blink of an eye. I dropped onto my knees and gripped my shirt where my heart was.

(Emilia) “He left…” I stayed on my knees, holding my shirt. ‘What is this feeling? It’s like my heart broke into pieces.’

(Vivian) “Miss Emilia, what happened? Are you okay?” She said kneeling in front of me but I couldn’t answer her, then everything went black.

One week later:

Vivian’s POV:

It's already been a week since Master left us. The students around the school have been talking about the recent incident on the duel. Ashford had been suspended due to the actions and school rule violations he committed when he revealed Rayner’s past to the other students. Sir Reiyi and Mr. Xavier put together a search team to look for Master Rayner during day time. Unfortunately, as the night falls all the beasts and magical creatures leave their nests and hideouts and wanders in the forests and fields so the search team has to come back.

Ms. Emilia… She had gone every day at dusk to look for master Rayner without the other’s knowledge. However, ever since I found out I stood by her side and helped her look. She would go on until dawn looking for him restlessly until her body couldn’t keep up with her desire to find him.

Tonight she was about to get ready to head out and continue her restless search for Master. She picked up an all-black outfit containing a black sweater; pants along with a black pair of shoes. When she finished her hair, she went to the other side of the room and picked something up. It looked like some kind of necklace. Then she walked to the door and was about to open it when I decided to intervene by standing in the doorway.

(Emilia) “Could you excuse me Vivian?” she asked politely looking into my eyes with a smile.

(Vivian) “With all due respect Miss, I think you should stop this before you get yourself hurt,” I said with a worried tone suggesting my concern for her. Her gentle smile slowly faded away then looked down with shadow covering her eyes.

Flashback: This morning:

Emilia’s POV:

I was sitting in the classroom, listening to Sensei’s lecture about how to manipulate your magic power to protect yourself or in other words cast a shield spell. She said that depending on your ability to manifest your mana or magic power, the shield could protect you from tier 1,2, and 3 magic attacks. When so finished what she had written in the past 10 minutes, she turned around to face the class once more and pointed onto a girl with white and blue hair. Itori asked the girl to display what we had just learned.

(Itori Sens) “Miss Isabella, may I ask you to please demonstrate how to cast shield magic?” She asked while looking over the class to get the other students' attention.

(Isabella) “ Yes teacher, right away!” She said while speed walking towards the front of the class in a nervous manner.

Once she arrived at the center of the podium where usually the teacher stands, she stopped and faced the others. She delicately put her hands in front of her and began chanting. Since I already learned these back in my hometown I swiftly looked down onto the book I received from the Headmaster and read a passage about the purple flames.

Time skip: after school with the search group

I was headed towards the meeting point when members of the group walked past me. ‘Where are they going?’ I thought to myself but I just shrug it off. after a minute I finally arrived at my destination and met with Reiyi.

(Emilia) “Hey Reiyi, where did the others go?” I asked looking around.

(Reiyi) “They...they went home saying it’s stupid to search for him. They said that he is probably dead anyway.” Said Reiyi, with a sorrowful voice. My eyes broadened when I heard that word, DEAD.

(Emilia) “What do they mean he is dead anyway!”

(Reiyi) “ Look, Emilia, I am sorry but let's face the facts. We have been out there searching for him for the past week or so. Even the headmaster in his days couldn’t even last four days in the forest and he is powerful.”

(Emilia) “But I can feel that he is out there somewhere,” I said, “He told me that he lived in the forest for a while an--”

(Reiyi) “Look I know he is strong and all, but I can’t put the others in danger because he ran off.”

(Emilia) “But--”

(Reiyi) “No buts Emilia, we can’t go and that's it.”

After that, Reiyi left. I just sat there for an hour thinking about what he told me. (Ba-dum) ‘Ach!! This feeling again...What is this?’ ‘ever since he left I have been at an unease.

(Emilia) “No! I can’t give up yet!”

Flashback end:

Vivian’s POV:

(Vivian) “Miss Emilia are you okay? You have been quiet for a while.”

(Emilia) “I can’t stop now Vivian, so move away!”

Then she pushed me away and burst out of the door and headed towards the main gates.

Rayner’s POV:

Meanwhile somewhere in the Black Forest:

(Rayner) “Why are you doing this Ashford? why?!” A powerful blast came to my direction so I jumped onto a nearby tree.

(Ashford) “Now that I have this power I’ll kill everybody in that worthless school full of weak links!” He said it in a terrifying tone. “Flame Burst!!”

The attack hit me in the guts and sent me flying into a hill, making a huge crater. Then from above me, he launched a red and black energy lacer. I barely dodged it when he suddenly appeared in front of me and hitting me with his fist. I managed to dodge it and jumped up into the sky. Then he re-appeared above me and kicked me into the ground, destroying the surrounding area around us.

(Rayner)(cough) “That was a powerful one I gotta give you that”

(Ashford) “Is that all you’ve got hero boy? After I finish with you, I’ll go and kill everyone else”

‘I can’t let him get to the Academy’ I thought. I stood up and was about to launch an attack when a strange and powerful feeling hit me and I collapsed onto the ground.

(Ashford) “I guess the curse is starting to take effect huh?” He said then laughed.

(Rayner) “What did you do to me you bastard!”

(Ashford) “OH believe me nothing special, just put a curse on you which allows me to temporarily drain all of your power.” he said, “I’d really like to continue this chat with you, but I’m afraid I gotta go and kill the others now.”

(Rayner) “I will not allow you to do tha--” Unfortunately I was cut off with a blast that looked like a snake. I tried to block it but it was too powerful…

Third Person POV:

*BOOM* An extremely big explosion hit Rayner and he disappeared into nothingness.“I guess my work here is done,” said Ashford “I should hurry the sun is rising”. Then he formed a shadow gate and disappeared into it.

At the Academy: \~7 a.m.

A shadow gate appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the park. The students, teachers, and the staff who just woke up recently looked surprised when they saw Ashford coming out from the gate. The Demonoid formed two, red and black flames in his palms then he threw them in the student’s direction. However, two of the staff members, as well as some of the stronger students, were able to react and put up a defensive shield. Although they were able to save themselves from the magic, its blast still broke the barrier and crushed the building behind them.

(Ashford) “What a bunch of weaklings,” he said in a very deep voice.

Itori and the headmaster heard the explosion and went to the scene. As soon as they arrived and saw what had happened they rushed to the injured students and started healing them. Once they finished and made sure they were okay Xavier walked up in front of Ashford and prepared to fight.

(Xavier) “What is the meaning of this, Mr. Ashford?” he asked, still holding up his attack stand, “why are you doing this?”

Not saying a word, Ashford smiled in a fearful way then held up his left hand pointing in the way of the headmaster. from the tip of his finger, a red magic ball had formed. And then when it seemed to gather enough energy, he shot it towards the Headmaster. As the beam shot in the direction of Xavier, it shatters the ground underneath it.

(Xavier) “Miss Itori, please stand behind me and make sure that the others are there too,” He said.

The sensei did as she was told to do and made sure all the now conscious students stood behind Xavier. When he saw that everybody was safe he then crossed his hands in front of him, creating a protective field around them. “Everybody gets ready!” was his last words before the impact. The attack was so powerful that it destroyed Xavier’s principal coat, leaving him in a shirt and his pants.

(Xavier) “That is an immense amount of power..(panting)... I barely managed to avoid it before it could get to us,” he whispered exhausted. “How could somebody...Wait!....Don't tell me?”

(Ashford) “It seems that you finally figured it out!” (menacing laughter) “After I got suspended, my anger grows so I went out to kill some monsters,” he continued, “That’s when I met with this guy in a cloak,” he stopped for a second, “He said that he could sense my anger and offered me this power so I could get revenge on the school” he finished.

(Xavier) “How foolish of me,” he said, “How could I not notice your true nature to thi--” He was cut off by Ashford who changed his form from human into something terrifying.

(Ashford) “Save your breath old man,” he said, “Let’s end this and just die!”

With Emilia and Vivian:

(Vivian) “Miss, I have a bad feeling. I think we should go back now.” She said with a worried tone.

(Emilia) “Yeah, I think we should. I have this feeling,” she said.

They walked in the direction of the Academy when suddenly the ground started to shake. From behind the woods where the school should be, a gigantic explosion could be heard that made the birds fly out of their nest away from the outburst, into the woods.

(Emilia) “What was that?” she asked with an alarmed voice.

(Vivian) “I don’t know but it came from the Academy’s direction.” She stated while pointing towards the source of the sound.

The two girls looked at each other with a worried look and decided with a nod that they should go and check it out. As the girls proceeded towards the school’s main gates another explosion occurred behind the main buildings. As the dust seemed to clear for a bit two figures, a taller and a shorter one could be seen in the air. The taller one on top had wings on his back and he emitted a very dark, terrifying aura. The shorter one was under, beaten and his clothes almost completely ripped. The one with the wings punched the smaller man and disappeared. Then in the blink of an eye, he reappeared in front of the direction where the other man flew and kicked him in the guts with such power that it made a sonic boom.

(Vivian) “Miss Emilia, watch out!” The maid yelled and pushed away from the blond girl.

Not long after a body crashed into the ground where the two girls recently stood. After the dust and debris had settled down, making it clear to see again Emilia went into the crater to check on the victim. When she arrived at the bottom of the pit her eyes widened when she recognized who the body belonged to, the Headmaster. He was in a very bad condition, his body had burn marks on his hands, chest, and on the legs. He opened his eyes and coughed up blood.

Emilia POV:

I rushed beside Xavier to ask what happened here and with him. Once I arrived I dropped onto my knees.

(Emilia) “Headmaster w-what happened here? Are you okay?”

(Xavier) “Miss Emilia, (Cough) you have to leave before he gets here,” Ge said and wiped off the blood from his mouth.

(Emilia) “Who...who gets here? That man, who is he?” I tried to ask. However, he simply pushed away. A moment later a similar figure appeared in front of him and punched him with black flames covering his hand, making him cough up blood.

(???) “Well, I guess he wasn't as tough as I imagined...”

The guy said while he held up the Headmaster by his neck, choking him. “Wind-Slash” I launched an attack while he was occupied with Xavier. However, he must’ve sensed my magic because he deflected it with his wings. He dropped the Headmaster and turned around to face me. Once I got a clear look on his face I almost threw up. He had two black horns with red ends, his eyes glowed red and the most terrifying thing along with his smile. He had a terrifying smile on his face which reflected his bloodlust to murder, no matter who or what. My legs started to quake in fear, my stomach cramped. He carefully stepped over the unconscious bodies and made his (or rather its) way towards me.

(???)(Devilish voice) “ But look who it is,” he said, “ The one and only, Emilia August, the weakling’s ‘girlfriend’” he finished while gazing at me from a distance.

(Emilia) “Wh-who are you and why are you doing this? I asked with an apprehensive voice. His smirk grew bigger, he closed the distance between us in an instant which made me fall onto the ground.

(???) “Oh my apologies” he laughed, “I should’ve guessed that you won’t be able to recognize me in this form, can you now?” he said looking down on me.

He took a step back and created a black fog. Within the black fog, his size diminishes and his silhouette became smaller and smaller, as the horn withdrew from his head. As the fog dissipated, he started to speak in a familiar voice.

(Emilia) “A-Ashford? What are you doing?” I asked with vexation and fear filling my heart.

(Ashford) “I am just getting revenge on everybody who dared to disobey me!” He said then burst out in laughter.

(Emilia) “Obey you? Since when did you become so import--”

(Ashford) “Silence!” he yelled and backhanded me across my face. “I am a high ranking noble of a prestigious family. EVERYBODY has to obey me!”

(Emilia) “You are a psychopath!” I shouted at him with anger and sadness. I wiped off the blood from my mouth and looked back at him.

(Ashford) “Now, now don’t get so worked up,” he said as he leaned closer to me, “You see back at the entrance ceremony, I’ve taken a liking to you so let’s make a deal okay?” he grinned. “If you come with me and obey everything I say I’ll leave this school and let everybody live,” he stated. My heart skipped a beat when I heard that. Obey everything he says?

(Emilia) “And what if I say no?” I asked.

(Ashford) “Well let’s just say that nobody will see tomorrow and I’ll take you away by force.”

I looked around the park, students and teachers were lying all around on the ground. Those who regained their consciousness were staring in this direction with fear filling their eyes, some of them cried in pain.

(Ashford) “Hurry up and decide, we don’t have all day!” He said, “If you can't decide, then I’ll just kill a person for every ten seconds you take, starting with that maid!” He announced.

(Emilia) “Wait no! I-I am begging you!”

Ashford formed a flame sword and pointed at Vivian. “The clock is ticking Emilia,” he said.

(Emilia)(sob) “What should I do Rayner, please help me,” I whispered lowering my head.

(Ashford) “Oh don’t you worry about him,” he told me, “He won’t come anymore.”

(Emilia) “W-what do you mean he won’t come...?” I asked.

(Ashford) “He won’t come to rescue you or anybody else because ...I Killed Him,” Then he burst out in laughter.

(Emilia) “No...you are lying, I don’t believe you!” My heart halted, I could feel my face heat up and tear dripping down on my cheeks.

(Ashford) “Now” he holds my chin making me look into his eyes, “Do you want everybody else's fate to be the same as his? I recommend you choose wisely.”

Third Person POV:

Ashford held Emilia’s chin up, looking into her terrified, teary eyes. The blond girl was about to say something when one of the braver students attacked Ashford from the back. Annoyed, he let go of Emilia and faced the boy.

(???) “Leave! Runaway I can handle th--” said the student. However, in the blink of an eye, Ashford appeared in front of him with his demon form. The Demonoid grabbed him by the neck and held him up, choking him.

Emilia rushed over to them and grabbed Ashford by his left arm. With teared up eyes she begged to let him go.

(Emilia) “Please let him go! I-I-I’ll go with you, just stop this please!” She cried. The demon let go of the boy, making him fall unconscious onto the ground. He then grabbed Emilia’s hand and held her up until their eyes met.

(Ashford)(devilish voice) “Good choice,” the demon said then he ripped off her black clothes, leaving her in her bra and panties.

(Emilia)(shocked) “W-what are you doing you jerk!” she yelled.

(Ashford) “I said you’ll have to obey me right?,” he said, “I need some pleasure after this boring fight,” he grinned. The demon then pushed her down onto the ground and with his long, pointed tongue began to lick her neck. Emilia struggled to break free from his grip, but unfortunately, he applied more and more strength every time she tried to get-away.

(Emilia) “No! Stop it, I don’t want to do it. Especially here…” She tried to talk, but Ashford closed her mouth with his hands.

(Ashford) “Silence, I don’t care what you want or don’t want,” he said, “You are my slave so you do as I say!” Then he stood up and from his back pocket he took out an egg. He dropped the egg onto the floor, then sent a small amount of magic power into it. The egg hatched and five tentacles grew out of it. Four of them grabbed Emilia by her legs and arms and held her up in front of Ashford.

(Emilia) “What is this!” she cried, trying to break free from the grasp.

(Ashford) “It is really annoying to hold you down so this will keep you from escaping,” he stated, “Now, let the real fun begin,” he said while approaching the helpless girl.

(Emilia) “No, no, no! Please, somebody, help me! Please, Rayner!” She yelled.

Before Ashford could touch Emilia, a purple Flame wall emerged in between them separating the demon’s right hand from its body and destroying the tentacles. From above a sonic boom could be heard.

As the sound wave made people collapse, the floor was shaking as the mysterious flame arrived but in an instant. This force sends the demonized Ashford meters from where he once stood. The flame made the silhouette of a man covered with a blazing aura.

(???) “DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!!” a familiar voice said.

Before Emilia passed out she got a glance at the person who came to her rescue.

(Emilia) “R-Rayner…”

To be continued...