17 Special Guest

"Good afternoon, everyone," the teacher greeted enthusiastically. "Today we have a very special visitor! You may recognize her as the woman from the assembly earlier today, but I'll let Miss Mai reintroduce herself again."

Zylith Mai stared intently at the class of students before her, and she couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. Witnesses from the fire incident had informed her that one of the mages was wearing the uniform to this school, and they had said so without a doubt.

She had taken it upon herself to schedule an assembly where all students would be present just so she could try to locate the person she wanted, but her efforts went in vain. After that, she visited every classroom one by one, but she still hasn't found him.

And here, she was in the last classroom that remained unchecked...and still, she couldn't find what she was looking for?

Just where was that cryokinetic mage? Did the witnesses get the wrong uniform?

"Miss Mai?" the teacher repeated in confusion.

Zylith snapped out of her thoughts to see the teacher and students all staring up at her, waiting patiently for her to speak.

"Ah, yes. Sorry about that," she said. She cleared her throat and straightened up, folding her hands behind her back. She didn't bother to smile, for she wasn't into such trivial manners such as her boss was.

"My name is Zylith Mai, I am the General Instructor of the MA Headquarters based in the capital," she began. And before she could even continue, the classroom erupted with excited murmurs and whispers between students.

A girl towards the back raised her hand in the air restlessly, her expression filled with anticipation. "Miss Zylith, are you really one of the top ten mages in the country?" she asked, her voice filled with giddiness.

All eyes grew wide as they flew back to the white-haired woman that stood before them, pleading for an answer.

Zylith sighed, but relented. The students were just curious, after all. "...Yes, I am," she said flatly as she continued to scan the room.

An echo of "whoa"s sounded through the class, and the teacher knocked on her desk to get her students to settle down once more.

"So, what's the purpose of your visit today?" the teacher asked politely, getting back on track.

Zylith shook her head and removed her glasses, a bit disappointed. The purpose of her visit was no longer valid as she couldn't track that ice mage. "Originally, I came here in search of a specific mage to take part in this year's recruitment-"

Again, she was interrupted as the chairs shuffled and squeaked. She looked up to see everyone giving looks of disdain and uncertainty towards a boy who sat in the middle of the room, the room growing silent.

Even the teacher seemed affected by her words as she inched closer to her. "You- you aren't here for Hayden, right?" she whispered in her ear.

Hayden?

Zylith narrowed her eyes at the boy with spiked brown hair and puffed out chest in the center of the classroom. He lounged quite comfortably in his chair with his hands behind his head and his feet perched on the table.

She had heard quite a lot about him from other teachers before the assembly, and she was disgusted to think that this boy thought he was supposed to be a recruit.

Eyes darted about, glaring at Hayden's way as he continued to sit with his nose held high.

Zylith smirked, amused. It wouldn't be a problem if she taught this boy a little lesson, right? She wiped her glasses and put them back on. "Hayden, am I correct?" she said out loud.

The boy's eyes flew open at his name, and he sneered up her. "Yes, I am Hayden. Do you need anything?"

Zylith only stared at him, unfazed by his daring words. "What type of kinesis do you hold?" she asked calmly.

The boy sat up and held up his fist, setting it alight in flames. "Pyrokinesis," he said haughtily.

Zylith closed her eyes a took a breath. This kid really knows how to exaggerate. From just a glance, she could see how poor his control was, and she could barely feel an inkling of power from him.

She turned to the teacher and gave a reassuring look. "No worries. The MA has no desire for those who have no discipline, especially those who terrorize civilians." She flashed the boy's sudden look of shock a cold glare and stared him down.

"This is a warning," she said coolly. "Don't think too highly of yourself. But of course, if you train up that mere firepower of yours, you could possibly enroll in our smaller branches in the future."

Hayden paled and shrunk in his seat, earning looks of triumph from the other students.

"He deserved it," a girl whispered to her friend.

Zylith let out a breath and brushed down her sleeves. She should leave, but she needed to make sure one last time. There was no way she could just give up now. "Are these really all your students, Miss?" she inquired. "Any absences today? Tardies?"

The teacher shook her head. "No, these are all my students," she answered apologetically. "I'm afraid I can't help you."

A boy in the back raised his hand. "Ma'am, you forgot about the prez," he called out. "He left for a student council meeting, remember?"

The girl next to him shushed him, pulling his arm down. "Yes, but Miss Mai is looking for a mage," she hissed at her classmate. "It'd make no difference if the class president is here since he's not a mage."

Zylith caught the words and snapped to attention. There was still hope, after all. "What's his name?" she quickly asked. "Your student president, what's his name?"

The girl flinched at her sharp tone. "Uh...h- he's-"

"His name is Emrys," the teacher finished for her. "If you want to look for him, I can help you call the office downstairs," she offered.

Zylith opened her mouth to say something when she caught onto something on her radar. No doubt was it another mage, slowly making their way closer and closer and closer...

A small smile appeared on her lips. She could feel the power burning with those light steps, chills running up her arms and neck. This person was certainly the one, with such an imposing aura about him at such a young age, he was definitely qualified.

Zylith waved a hand at the teacher, brushing aside her offer. "No need, he's right here," she said.

The door slid open, and a tall boy with black hair came into view, his head lowered to the papers he held in his hands. He went to step inside but suddenly froze.

His dark eyes flew up to see everyone staring at him, before settling on the strange woman that stood in front of him. He narrowed his eyes at her, sensing the presence of a powerful mage...just as his instructor has taught him.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice hostile. He took a step back, on guard.

Zylith turned to face him and held out her hand. Here stood the cryokinetic mage, and he was well beyond her expectations. The chairman would be delighted. "I am Zylith Mai, it is a pleasure to meet you...Emrys, I believe?"

Emrys stared at her, his expression filled with skepticism and doubt. "I don't know a Zylith Mai," he said coldly. "What do you want?"

"Ah, Emrys! Don't be rude!" the teacher cried. "This is a representative from-"

Zylith held up a hand and stopped her mid-sentence.

The boy darted his eyes between the two, growing more and more suspicious by the second. "What representative?"

Zylith shook her head. "Never mind that first...but..." She swept her hand to the side and a strong gust of wind suddenly roared around them, sweeping up papers and items in the process.

The students and teacher gave cries of surprise as the wind blew increasingly stronger, the air rumbling loudly.

"You don't mind for a little test, do you?" Zylith asked expectantly.

Emrys glanced at the wreck she was making around them, then stared at the students who flashed him looks of curiosity whilst they covered their heads with their arms to protect themselves from flying objects. Then he glared back at the questionable lady before him, still clueless on who she was and what she wanted.

Maybe she was another criminal who wanted to stir trouble in the school...

"...Fine," he dared. The stack of papers he held in his hand suddenly iced over, and he hurled the sharp block of ice directly at her face, gaining yelps of fear from his classmates.

Zylith caught it with her hand before it hit her face, but she quickly dropped it as the bone-chilling sensation crawled through her skin. The wind died down as the block shattered to crystals upon hitting the floor, and Zylith brushed her freezing hand against the pants of her suit, impressed.

She smiled up at the boy, something she would rarely do, especially towards one who attacked her.

Emrys glowered at her, ice crystals materializing above his hands. "I'll play your little game," he said. "But we'll do this outside, not here."

Zylith dipped her chin and agreed. "Very well, then..."