11 Arthur Bramford

The Five Imperial Schools were founded around the same time the Edin empire united under Taman Savtron, the first Imperator.

No one remembers the name of the Schools' founder but it is well known that he gave his entire life to furthering the education and training of future magic practitioners.

Salancans

Hade sat frozen by the wall of the dome, blood trickling from his mouth as a result of the injury he had suffered earlier.

His eyes were fixated on Wil, whose mangled body lay still in a puddle of blood a couple of meters away.

Hade's mind could not process what had just happened. It was as if his brain had shut down due to the shock.

"And then there was one..." Nobu's raspy voice jolted him back to reality.

Hade faced the fiend as his body trembled in fear. Never in his life had he felt so small, so weak and so terrified.

It was as if the man's hood was the gateway to an everlasting abyss... a hell that was full of all things evil.

Nobu approached Hade slowly, with a swagger to his walk. He was like a predator toying with its cornered prey.

The black scythelike claw adjoined to his right arm also glistened in the artificial twilight created within the dome... garnished with Wil's blood.

"You know it's a pity," Nobu croaked.

"Your friend did not necessarily have to die. If he had tried to escape at the beginning I wouldn't have stopped him. My goal after all... was to kill you. However, your friend was stupid. He chose to sacrifice himself in a fight he never had any chance of winning."

Nobu was now so close to Hade that the teenager could smell the thick scent of Wil's blood stained all over his apparel.

"And you," Nobu hissed coldly.

"I don't know what sort of trickery you used to take my hand but that was my fault. I underestimated you... Believe it or not, I actually respect strength above all else, and maybe, just maybe, had you been a decade older, then this fight would probably have had a different conclusion.

"Unfortunately," Nobu cackled.

"The world does not operate on maybes."

Hade now barely had any reaction to the man's words. His eyes were blank and soulless.

Nobu did not seem to mind as he continued: "So little boy, today is the day you leave this world. Be grateful that you had such an entertaining and blissful send-off."

Nobu stood over Hade, raising his scythe high up into the air.

"I am going to kill you with the same hand that you took away from me... Consider it poetic justice."

In one swift motion, he swung his scythic arm straight down!

Hade closed his eyes as he felt a searing pain on his forehead.

'Is this it, is this death?' He wondered.

Perhaps in another life, in another universe, he would've been strong enough to deal with the cloaked man. But as the fiendish foe had said, the world did not operate on maybes.

The only thing he could do now was close his eyes and hope for the best. Who knows? Maybe he would be reincarnated, or even reborn.

'Tch, what absolute bogus,' Hade chided himself. Perhaps because he was so close to death, his mental capabilities had already started to deteriorate.

As he waited to feel the gruesome pain of having his head decapitated, Hade was dismayed when intolerable anguish never came.

'Am I already dead?' He wondered to himself.

Unbeknownst to Hade, just as Nobu was about to send him to the afterlife, he suddenly froze in his stance.

For a few seconds, all was still, as if he had blacked out. The sharp edge of his scythe had only just lightly grazed the frontal part of Hade's forehead.

All of a sudden, Nobu's hands started shaking with rage. Oh, how he so desperately wanted to take the little ant's life!

But he had taken too long, the mission...

Had been cancelled.

Nobu angrily retracted the black scythe as he grabbed the boy by his neck.

Hade's eyes sprang open as he felt the choking grip on his throat. He looked confused as he gasped for air and blood oozed from his forehead.

"Boy, look at me," Nobu hissed menacingly. "Whether it is just luck or something else I don't know and I don't care, but mark my words, the next time I see you, I will kill you."

Nobu clicked his tongue as he carelessly flung Hade away to the side like he was a useless piece of junk.

The black dome slowly began to disappear as he walked away.

Hade did not have the luxury to think about whether he was dreaming or not. The instant he realized that he had somehow survived, he began to crawl slowly toward the body lying still in the distance.

Unfortunately for him, before he could reach it, his vision began to fade.

'Just a little more,' Hade told himself but sure enough, he began to lose consciousness.

However, by the time darkness finally swallowed his vision, Hade had already seen what was necessary... Wil was as pale and as cold as a corpse could be.

ONE WEEK LATER

At night, in a very tall tower whose summit was high above the clouds... on the topmost floor and in the only room occupying that floor... were two men.

One sat behind a desk that had been made from a beautiful type of dark wood and had mysterious engravings on it. The desk had a peculiar magical feeling to it... making it feel almost... alive.

The man sitting behind the desk had short, neatly combed hair and a clean-shaven face that hinted at youthful good looks.

His companion, however, could not be more... diverse.

Although they looked roughly the same age, the second had long white locks and a face that could also be considered handsome, if it weren't for the scruffy beard that adorned it, and the ghastly scar that ran horizontally across his forehead.

Currently, the two appeared to be in a heated discussion.

"Arthur! I told you it was a bad idea to recruit the sons of those self-righteous aristocrats. Now look at the mess you've gotten us into," the man with the white locks spat.

"Oh please, Wendell, don't act like you predicted this outcome. If anything, this whole incident was nothing but a hapless affair," Arthur, the handsome man, responded calmly in a hoarse voice.

He was sipping red-leaf tea, a beverage notoriously known for its unbearable bitter taste, yet looking at his facial expression, you would think that he was eating the sweetest honey instead.

"Unfortunate?!" Wendell exclaimed.

"The Dragon Lord's son's life was endangered in our hands, in the hands of a professor no less! What will our patrons think?! That they can't trust us with their children?! That defeats the whole purpose of why the schools were founded in the first place. You should never have agreed to participate in this madness," he spat.

"Will you relax, the plan was a success," Arthur shook his head as he tried to calm his old friend down.

"All scouted talents save for Castus Ronen's son attended the orientation. Lots of potential too, or so I've heard... especially in the First and Second Schools."

Unlike Wendell, Arthur saw only benefits and this time, the benefits were invaluable.

"That said, I do agree that there should be some sort of repercussions for this incident. Professor Oakenheart's conduct was indeed unacceptable and it has shamed this institution. We shall deal with him... accordingly."

For the first time in the conversation, Wendell nodded his head in agreement.

"Nevertheless," Arthur continued.

"The chances of the Ronens retaliating are almost nil, at least for now, of course. Harlston is very far away from the capital. It will take a lot of effort on Castus's part to try and harm us."

"Castus Ronen already has an influential son here or have you forgotten?" Wendell scowled.

"Oh?" Arthur arched an eyebrow.

"Kain Ronen," Wendell clarified.

"Castus' eldest son. He's a third year at the First and a very powerful one at that. According to August, only the Prince and Clay are capable of defeating him in a one-on-one."

"Oh now I remember him," Arthur grinned.

"Hard to forget someone with such a rare elemental law. Like father like son I guess," he shrugged.

"Wait a minute, didn't the young Ronen request to return home to visit his indisposed younger brother?"

"Hmm... that is weird now that you mention it," Wendell massaged his beard in thought.

"He didn't. In fact, August said that the young man didn't even bat an eye when he heard the news."

It was baffling. Why wouldn't an older brother wish to visit his younger sibling who nearly just died?

"Hahaha!" Arthur suddenly burst out laughing.

"I guess we had nothing to be worried about after all. Speaking of August, where the hell is that bastard?! Does he even know that he is still a professor here?!"

Wendell was about to reply when suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Subsequently, a soft female voice sounded from the outside.

"Pardon me Principal Bramford, it's Sonya," it said.

"We've just received a message from Harlston province. It is from Lord Ronen, sir."

"Speak of the devil," Wendell could not help but mumble.

"Come in," Arthur ordered.

A pretty silver-haired woman in her late twenties entered the room and bowed.

"Well, get on with it, will you?!" Wendell yelled, which was something he was quite popularly known for.

Even so, Sonya still looked at Arthur first, as if to confirm.

"It's ok, Sonya,'' said Arthur with a lazy smile on his face.

"He doesn't matter."

Wendell glared at him distastefully.

Nodding, Sonya began:

"Lord Ronen sent a message saying that he will keep quiet about this whole event..."

Wendell looked at Arthur with surprise evident on his face. That was certainly something he did not expect.

However, Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"Is that all?" He asked.

"No. Uhm..." Sonya looked hesitant. She cleared her throat as she tried to muster enough courage.

"Lord Ronen also said that the Ronens may forgive but the Ronens never forget. He said that the Five Schools owed his family a favor and that when the day came for them to collect... it would be wise for Principal Bramford to repay."

'A threat!' Wendell realized with dread. Castus Ronen had just threatened the Five Schools!

He immediately turned to Arthur.

For the first time that day, Principal Arthur Bramford had a deep frown etched onto his handsome face.