Power Price

I wince at the sun coming through the window. I must have fallen asleep on the bench with Mizuki. I move a blanket off me glancing over to see Mizuki in her uniform with an apron on.

   She gives me a bright smile. "Good morning Ren I hope you slept well."

    I get up stretching heading towards the bathroom. "Morning, I slept alright once I got to sleep. You didn't have to make breakfast."

    I come out after taking a shower she hands me a plate while fixing my tie. "It's only fair you've done so much for me already now eat before it gets cold."

    I laugh slightly jokingly saying. "If you keep this up I'm gonna have to start saying Yes dear."

    She giggles poking my nose. "Don't tempt me darling."

     We eat and lockup she walks with me to the courtyard pointing towards a different part of the school. "My Berserker class is this way I'll see you at lunch right?"

    She looks up at me with puppy dog eyes I pat her head. "Of course you will now go do your best."

    She nods happily running off. I hear a voice behind me. "You two seem to be getting along well."

    I turn it's Victoria one of the assassin teachers. "Yeah, I'm just trying to get use to all of this."

    She motions towards the administrator's building. "I would like to discuss something with you if you have the time."

    I follow her towards the building she glances at me. "Mizuki is a very rare case in the Academy having two classes is unheard of but she's not the only student with a rare talent."

   We go into the building through a secret entrance. "This place take a significant amount of power to run and all of it comes from a single student."

   We enter a room full of crystals incased in a blue crystal is a women with long wavy white hair. She's beautiful. "She can't move?"

    Victoria shakes her head. "She sacrificed her mobility to power our operations. We owe everything to her that doesn't mean we cant communicate with her though."

    A screen appears in front of us and the women is sitting in a fancy room with a revealing black dress on drinking tea. Her hair is tied back in a fancy bun and she looks over at us. "So this is the powerless student?"

   Victoria nods explaining some thing's about me. "Young man?"

    I look at the women. "Yes?"

    She smiles. "I can awaken the power within you but it won't be a pleasant experience dispite do you still wish to continue?"

    I smile. "I do."

    She sets her cup down. "Good answer, Victoria you know the only way to bring someone into my dreamscape is through the Trial of Mirror's."

    Victoria looks nervous. "Is there no other way you know that's only used for traitors he-"

     She speaks up. "This is the only way I'm afraid he agreed and it will show the Academy his resolve as the weakest any power he receives will be better than nothing the students will have a respect for someone who would willing enter the Trial knowing the risks."

     Victoria agrees as we start to leave the women speaks. "Young man."

     I turn and she smiles. "I'm Lilith, if you can remember come find me within the dreamscape I would love to meet you in person."

    I nod following Victoria out, she explains that the soul mirror is used to show the different sides of anyone who looks into it. It puts you into different circumstances based on your personality showing everyone in the Academy who you really are deep down. It also releases all your magic power letting you operate at full capacity.

    If the mirror finds you repugnant and evil it will spit you out as a grotesque monster the true form of your soul but if you're a good person you will unlock your true potential. This is risky because even good people have dark hearts. They tried using it to awaken people but it had the opposite effect they then decided to use it as a punishment for traitors.

    That's why it's feared all around the Academy. I head into a massive courtroom kneeling in front of a black mirror and chains bind my arms.

    Screens appear above the mirror showing me. I think this is the broadcast to the academy Victoria and the other administrator's explain the situation. A magic circle appears below me and everything goes black.

    I run through the thick snow with Titan in tow. We are being followed by snow bears I'm running low on food and energy. I glance back seeing the glowing eye's of the bears gaining on us.

   I turn my head seeing a bear rise from the snow down this slope my foot slips as the snow gives out from under us.

   We start to slide down the slope fast I swing my ice pick down into the snow hopping it will catch on something. I start to fall off the cliff into a deep chasm with the bear.

    Titan slides over head I reach out catching him by his paw we are hanging my a rock. I breath heavily looking up the rock gives and we drop I yank titan up wrapping my arms around him bracing myself for an impact.

   I hit a surface sooner than I thought I would I groan letting titan go we hit a small cove 10 feet below the cliff. I limp into the cove to catch my breath starting a small fire.

   Titan lays his head on my lap I pat his head giving him a slight smile. "Don't worry boy we will get out of here together."

   He wags his tail as much as he can before going back to laying still to conserve energy. I look over my display I only have enough food to last for today that's just for myself.

   I split it between me and titan a while passes I look at my hunting knife gleaming in the dim light of the fire. My stomach hurts maybe if I-

    I grab the knife throwing it into the dark abyss below. I walk back over sitting down laying my head against my knees. I must have fallen asleep I wake up to a cold breeze and no light in the cave.

   I glance around in the dark Titans eye's are glowing red he's got a deep growl. His primal instincts must have kicked in I knew I couldn't keep the contract going for much longer.

    He charges at me and I lay over he slams his body into the wall above me making a massive hole. I crawl away as he recovers red lightning arcs off his body lighting parts of the cove.

    He jumps over barely missing my head but bitting into my shoulder I wince feeling around I grab a sharp rock lifting it up.

    I stop for a moment looking at his red eye's letting the rock go. I pat his head looking up at the ceiling. I turn my head slightly seeing a mana flower in a small hole I rip it out tossing it across the room. Titan rushes over devouring it.

    I breath heavily as my body heats up, am I going to die?

    That's the last thing I remember thinking before I wake up in a warm pool of blue mana. I sit up titan is laying on the bank with his head down whimpering.

    My arms healed I smile. "Did you bring me here?"

     He wags his tail I reach over patting his head. "Guess we aren't ourselves when we're hungry huh?"

     He hops into the water laying in my lap splashing around. I laugh slightly getting up looking around. This is a Crystal cove all these mana crystals are thousands of year's old just one of them could power a city for decades.

     I hold my hands out looting the crystals out of the walls throughout the cove. A door is revealed behind a large Crystal. This is a old ruin gate that leads to the basement of the academy they said these where used by the gods a log time ago to come to earth.

    I walk over trying to activate the lock the door shifts and a blast of wind blows me back across the room I land in a pool of water groaning. I sit up a legendary horned snow bear is standing in the way between me and the exit.

   I try several times to get around him but his attacks are insanely powerful. Titan barks running in I reach for him but just miss his tail. "Titan get back here!"

   He gets the bears attention I run towards the gate and hear titan yelp I glance back the bear bites him tossing him onto the bank. I look at the gate.

   What am I hesitating for?

    I turn holding my hand out the bear swings his paw down at titan. "Get away from him!"

      My eye's glow gold a ball of chains surround titan blocking the hears attack. He turns roaring at me I jump high into the air attaching two chains to his horns yanking myself down slamming him into the mana pool beneath him.

   I flip backwards landing on the bank he gets up opening his mouth to use frost breath I kick his mouth shut. "No you don't!"

   My veins glow gold I grab his horns lifting him off the ground. "Die!"

    I slam him into a large jagged rock puncturing his body. He bursts into gold light flowing into my chest. I stumble through the water out of energy as the chains vanish around titan. "Titan!"

   He's breathing heavily but losing blood fast. "Stay with me buddy."

    I hold my hands over his chest a voice echos around me. "Warning critical mana levels reached casting this spell could cause severe damage."

    I grit my teeth. "System override use my health and stamina as substitute!"

     The spell activates I wince as red mist comes out of my body flowing into titan. I try to stay conscious my body is absorbing all the mana in the pools around the room. Having my mana drained and restored over and over is mind numbing.

    Titan grows to a massive size as his wound heals. The spell finishes and I fall forward laying on his chest. He turns his head slightly. "Master are you okay?"

    I turn my head breathing heavily. "Yeah just need a nap."

     He sits up a bit. "Why'd you do that!?"

     I reach over patting the side of his face. "I said we where getting out of here together didn't I?"

     He wags his tail and supports me as we walk over to the gate stepping through.

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