Chapter 4: The Starting End of the Beginning

While Bobby, Isaac, Kai, and Emelia were busy dealing with the idealists, a man was busy snooping around near the dungeons. He knew their hideout was somewhere near the dungeons. He had been secretly stalking them for the past years and knew they always came to this corridor. He could not believe that Caleb stole his memories and yet he was still set on getting revenge on him.

He came across the dead end of the passage when he tried to mimic the tapping pattern they did to enter. Before he could fully finish tapping out the pattern a girl's voice sounded from behind.

"What are you doing," she asked, the tone sounding cold as he turned to face her.

"Ah, just walking around," he said, sounding stupid to himself as he knew it would be more than that to get rid off her.

She smirked a little, her pretty regal face showing amusement as she replied, "My oh my, Professor Taylor the genius snooping around the dungeons like some fugitive. I ask again what are you doing here," she finished with a glare, all amusement gone.

He gritted his teeth in anger, he fully knew who she was along with her background as he had done extensive research on them for the purpose of capturing Marielle.

"Princess of Lars, why are you helping the enemy, these people that will never see you as human," he asked with frustration as her eyes glinted with murderous light.

"What I do is none of your concern," she said as a blizzard began forming around her. The mention of her as a Princess made her madder as she intended on killing him.

"You won't attack won't you, your old Professor," he said trying to hide the growing fear inside of him.

"You are just a mere rat in my path," she said mercilessly as the blizzard of snow particles turned into daggers as she launched them towards him.

He was backed into the dead end of the passage with no way out as the daggers flew towards him covering his view. He screamed in dismay as the daggers buried themselves into his body. His skull was pierced, his nose was pierced, his neck was pierced as blood flowed through it. 10 daggers pierced his upper body covering it with blood, and his legs were pinned to the wall with daggers. In sum, he was covered with daggers as she went up to him, staring into his lifeless eyes. A mere rat indeed, she thought with pleasure as she spat into his eyes.

She knew he was the person who broke the seal that covered this castle from the common eye and she also knew that he was the person leaking information to the Idealists. He was too obvious and yet he didn't know that, how pitiful. She also hated how he called her "Princess of Lars", that name brought back all the memories of her childhood she wanted buried.

With that she walked away from the passage and ascended into a different flight of stairs that led to the East Tower. The corridor was crowded with students and professors herding them into groups as they looked in freight. She easily blended in with the rest when an old lady with a worried face called out to her.

"Takumi, is that you where have you been," the director of the Enteric House looked at her, trying to weave through the students.

Takumi shuffled her foot nervously as she tried to escape by pushing through the crowd when someone grabbed her on the robes.

A boy a few years older than her looked at her with warm gentle eyes as he said, "Takumi, it's fine don't be scared, the Professors will handle this."

Takumi gave him a small forced smile at him while answering, "Jackson, I am not scared. I just need to find someone right now," she tried to tug her robes away from him but he held on.

"Perhaps you are trying to find Caleb," he asked with raised eyebrows before continuing, "I can help you if you want."

Takumi pursed her lips and answered politely, "It's okay Jackson, I really need to go now."

Jackson tried to hide his disappointment as Takumi gave a little wave before disappearing into the crowd. She felt somewhat guilty at pushing Jackson away but she felt uncomfortable around him, he was too nice, something she was not used to while growing up. After she got past the students she ran into the corridors and the torches around her were all gone as she headed into the darkness. For a while, only her footsteps echoed until she saw a flash of blue in front of her. Screams sounded as the flash of blue jumped around in the darkness like some freak light show. More screams sounded. Suddenly, the flash of blue stopped in front of her and was about to charge at her when something grabbed her.

"Touch her and ya dead," the voice sounded otherworldly as its hand emerged illuminated by the blue, the hand was shaped like a claw as it grabbed the flash of blue.

Takumi, who looked anxiously, asked, "Wilmerpool?"

"Ay Ay it's me," said the troll as it put the figure down. The figure stopped charging electricity.

They were now in total darkness as a boy's voice said, "Wilmerpool and Takumi. I'm sorry, I didn't notice it was you guys."

She recognized Adam's voice as she replied, "It's fine Adam, you didn't see us anyways. So what about the mages earlier, what did you do?"

Adam sighed and explained impatiently, "I left Otter, Emelia, and Kai because Otter wanted to be a pussy and ran away so I went on my own and decided to fight the mages myself."

"Using thundergod boots?" Wilmerpool asked.

"You have no idea how amazing that ability is in the darkness," Adam replied heartily as Takumi listened intently.

"Where is everyone though," Adam asked as they fell into silence.

Takumi, who felt that everyone's mana levels were pretty suppressed, answered quietly, "They are fine, we just need to get out of here."

Wilmerpool grunted as he said, "Come on, glimmer boy show us the way. I don't have all day."

Adam yelled at the troll, "Call me glimmer boy again and we will be roasting troll meat tonight."

"Blah Blah whatever"

The blue flash appeared again illuminating the corridor in front of them. As they walked, they would occasionally hear muted grunts from the fallen mages on the floor as they avoided stepping on them. They eventually came to an end of the corridor as they exited into the sides of a courtyard which was getting bombarded with mages on brooms while a few students were trying hard to fight them off. Professor Cookly was in the lead while the two students backed him.

Takumi came nearer in sight to see who the students were. Felix Kira, the hybrid, and Edmund's twin. Takumi still couldn't get over the fact that there was a person that looked identical to Edmund but had an almost opposite personality. A steel wall provided a solid base of defense as Professor Cookly was sending spell after spell from behind. Felix too was contributing as ice sculptures surrounded the steel wall. The three mages flying around them did not give in as they sent a combination of spell, fire, wind, and lightning at them. The giant fireball with the enhancement of wind only made it larger while the electricity surrounding it, increasing its speed. The attack flew towards their defence as it easily blasted the wall to shreds along with the ice sculptures as they dived to avoid the explosion. But it was too late as the explosion destroyed the outer edge of the courtyard blasting it to smithereens. Takumi, Adam, and Wilmerpool stood motionless with awe at the scene as the three mages swooped down, collecting their brooms. The three mages then inspected the remnants of the courtyard, burnt black. They looked like they were discussing something but Takumi and the others could not hear them.

Adam whispered furiously, "Let's do a sneak attack on them right now," as he sprang forward ready to fight.

Wilmer grabbed him by the robes with his large hand and pulled him back with force, "Stop, don't be impulsive you might get us all killed."

Adam struggled a bit before he gave up when the mages started walking towards the crater away from them. In a flash of purple aura they were gone. Takumi looked in confusion and astonishment at them as Adam sprung from his position, heading towards the crater to look for the survivors as Takumi and Wilmerpool soon followed.

What they saw was devastating as toxic smoke flooded their senses. Slabs of concrete charcoaled in black as they saw a body laying down brutally disfigured, blood smeared all over him. The figure though barely recognizable was none other than Professor Cookly who jumped out to save Felix and Antione. They walked towards him, faces full of dismay as Adam pressed his ear closely to his lips to hear what he was saying.

"They...one guy....prophecy," he croaked as he stared with eyes full of panic at Adam who stared back at him, all serious.

"I will, Professor, I will," Adam promised him empitly, not aware of what he was promising. Takumi and Wilmerpool merely looked with muteness as Adam gently closed his eyes as Professor Cookly took his last breath.

Adam got up brushing his eyes as he looked at them, eyes bloodshot, "Let's go find the others," the others meaning Felix and Antione.

They walked slowly together not saying a word as they came across groaning and moaning from two people. Felix's curly hair was sprayed all over his face as a huge gash appeared on his forehead while Antione sat up groggily with a nosebleed. Other than those injuries, they were fine, saved by Professor Cookly.

Antione looked up at them with mild surprise as Felix layed there groaning about how life was so unfair.

"Professor Cookly is dead, he saved your sorry arses," Takumi said, not happy at the sight of them.

Antione didn't mind her attitude as he asked questionably, "Dead as in….," he didn't finish the word.

"Yes, dead," Takumi emphasized, her voice slowly rising along with her temper, something that was rare.

Antione nodded slowly as he stood up and nudged Felix on the face with his foot to wake him up. Felix's eyes shot up from the contact as he looked at the landscape, drastically different from what he had remembered.

"What the, what is this," Felix asked with hysteria, as he stood up quickly.

"Professor Cookly is dead, I think he saved us," Antione answered impatiently as Felix looked at him funny.

"Don't stay stuff like that, it's rude," Felix said with annoyance, clearly refusing to believe it.

Adam interrupted, "Felix, he's dead. I saw him with my own eyes."

"Nah, he isn't. Stop sprouting lies."

"I saw him with my own eyes!"

"Maybe you are just dense."

"Felix!" Antione protested, "stop, I haven't seen him yet but I don't see any reason on why they would lie."

Felix sniffled and replied, "Fine be that way, stoop down to the level of a commoner, inferior to us."

Takumi, who could not take it anymore, walked up to Felix and slapped him across the face with all the strength she could muster.

Felix looked at her stunned, his face red as he stammered, "Y-You."

Takumi glared at him, her eyes red as she said, "He's dead and yet you are here bickering whether he's alive when you can see it for yourself. I really hate people like you who look down on others and who refuse to look at reality. You are vile and despicable, and I finally took all my courage from all these years in delivering all my anger towards you. Thanks for letting me hate you less." With that she stomped off, her long black hair swaying behind.

Everyone looked in awe at Takumi's sudden explosion when Felix finally broke the silence, "Holy hell, I didn't know she hate me this much…."

"You wouldn't know," Adam snickered as Antione patted Felix gently on the back.

"Getting slapped by a girl is progression, Felix," Antione reassured him as Wilmerpool went to find Takumi.

Felix drooped his head low and sighed, "She has a point though. Maybe in trying to overcome my insecurities, I came off as an entitled brat."

"It's fine Felix, really," Antione said again as Adam watched the pair in amusement.

Adam knew Felix had a crush on Takumi since year 1 and he remembered that one day when Felix tried to impress her when they were both 12.

It was the first week of school when Felix tried to impress her by showing his optimizer badge.

"Look, my hand," he pulled out his right hand for her to see while puffing out his small chest, on top was the optimizer badge gleaning brightly.

Takumi looked at him with a bored expression as she took out her left hand, a gray magic circle engraved on it.

Since then, Felix has strived to succeed in academics and sports to stand out as much as possible so that she would eventually acknowledge him. But as the years passed, he came off as snarky and arrogant so Takumi never found pleasure with him.

Adam's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a yell that sounded like Wilmerpool as Adam felt something ripping through his intestines. A sudden flaring of pain pierced through his stomach as he felt like it was burning up.

Antione and Felix immediately ran forward as Adam clutched his stomach. Adam's vision went blurry as he felt the mana link in him being ripped to shreds as a foreign mana flowed inside of him.

The pain then subsided for a bit until the pulling began and then another tug but it failed. The link connecting Adam and the others was too strong, it was reinforced multiple times unlike Isaac and some others who feared the unknown. But Adam who studied the use and history of mana knew the dangers of mana link. He would not let something as simple as inputting mana break it. The link was much too strong to break, he thought smugly.

At this point, the pain has completely subsided as his link was left alone. He could feel Isaac, Takumi, and Marielle's presence disconnect as their links broke. He felt a sense of alarm as either Marielle got captured or something happened to Isaac.

He stood up as Antione and Felix looked at him with worried eyes. He glanced at them and said, "I'm fine but Takumi isn't. We need to find her."

—------

Their steps echoed lightly as they started walking over the numerous fallen concrete. Wilmerpool and Takumi were nowhere in sight as they looked frantically in all directions. Voices and murmurs sound as they see crowds of students walking on the passageway next to the courtyard, all looking in confusion at them.

An old man stormed out of the crowd confronting them as he yelled furiously, "What have you guys been doing?!!"

Antione looked at him with a poker face and said, " Calm down Fintley Professor Cookly was helping us but well…," he could not finish his thoughts.

"He's dead," Felix stated with sad eyes, not meeting them. Felix has finally accepted the truth after seeing his body and his inner emotions swirling around like a neverending whirlpool.

Fintley took all this in silence while looking down before saying, "Dead or not we must not take him to the healer's office for a proper burial so go bring out that body."

The students whispered rapidly to each other upon hearing this announcement and now many wanted to take a look at Professor Cookly's body.

"Quiet!" Fintley ordered with a glare at the crowd. The whispering immediately ceased.

One brave soul decided to speak up, a 3rd year boy with green hair, " Director Fintley, I wanted to ask if we could come too." The people around him tried to shush him but it was too late.

Fintley looked at him with vexation, said, "Are you hurt, are you sick, no you are not. Ray stop being stupid or I'm sending you to the healer's office myself."

Students around Ray laughed as he flushed with embarrassment.

Fintley looked back at them and saw Cookley's body being carried in the air by Felix who came beside him.

"We should go now," he said lightly as Fintley nodded. Adam and Antoine summoned their brooms at once as they came zooming down from the opposite directions. Meanwhile, Fintley and Felix looked at them, unable to use brooms.

"You guys get going now, Felix will meet you at the healer's office," Fintley said at once while Antoine and Adam nodded. The both of them readied their stance as they lifted off into the air and flew over the courtyard into the light gray sky.

Felix looked wistfully at them as Fintley produced a quill. He quickly drew a complex magic circle on the ground that glowed bright when Felix stood forward on it, his hand still controlling Professor Cookley's body. The brightness surrounded Felix and Professor Cookley as they vanished in an instant, going wherever Fintley wanted them to go.

Felix appeared right outside the door of the healer's office as the cauldrons produced a purple smoke causing him to gag. This place never changes, he thought with disgust as he lightly knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing Garth who Felix had never seen before. Garth looked him up and down then realized the person floating behind Felix.

"You must be that Felix kid, come on in," he said as he opened the door wide for Felix to come through. Felix stepped in quickly looking around at the spotless white room as he gently willed Professor Cookly to float inside.

Inside the room sat Adam and Antoine who were whispering furiously to each other. They were on the right end of the bench as Felix leaned in to hear their conversation. Garth stood quietly behind them as Adam and Antoine kept whispering, unaware of their presence.

"I swear that was Bobby," Antoine said with a look of concentration.

"How, since when did Bobby have white hair," Adam replied incredulously.

"I don't know but we saw Isaac and Takumi. Who else would it be!"

"Maybe an idealist?"

"Nah that sounds dumb."

Garth coughed, " If you guys are done arguing your friend is here," he gestured at a dispirited Felix who gave a half hearted wave at them.

Adam looked at Felix unconcerned while Antoine reached out to him, "Hey Felix you need to look at this."

Felix looked nervous as they led him while pulling Cookley out of the white room and into the passageway with Garth trailing behind. They walked fast until they saw a narrow window of the infirmary room where the sick and the hurt were occupied.

Antoine knocked on the window, startling Winnie who was dozing off on a stool next to a certain bed. She opened the door gently to them, pressing her finger on her lips, doing a shh gesture as they walked in. The infirmary looked small on the outside due to the narrow window but inside it was huge. 10 beds lined the back of the wall all on the same side as 6 of them were occupied.

Seth, Isaac, Bobby, Jamie, and Wilmerpool occupied them as all were deep asleep, some snoring, some sleeping peacefully. Antoine immediately went to Bobby and mouthed, "I told you so" to Adam who could not process his appearance.

Felix told Winnie a quick summary of what happened to Professor Cookly and she cupped both hands on her mouth in freight. She then took the floating Cookly and floated him towards the bed where he would be temporarily "sleeping" until a proper casket was found. Garth stood near the door silently watching as they went to greet their friends.

After inspecting Bobby, Adam moved on to Isaac who was sleeping on the next bed. His face was peaceful as he slept, so unlike Isaac he knew. All nervousness, triumph, anger, coldness, and resentment gone. Just a peaceful Isaac. He knelt next to his bed and put his hand on Isaac's forehead. It was cold.

"Is he dead," Adam asked out of nowhere, dreading the answer.

"No," Garth answered calmly, "he's in a coma to regenerate the mana lost. Same with Bobby. Both won't wake up for at least a year."

"A year…," Adam said with trepidation all over his face as he glanced at Takumi.

"Takumi too?" his voice rising in panic unable to stop himself. The thought of losing his friends for at least a year, became unbearable for him.

"We checked her mana levels and it seems like it would take at least 2 years for her to wake up," Garth stated matter of factly.

Adam started trembling as Felix shook his head sadly. Antione looked at Garth with empty eyes seemingly unable to feel anything at the moment.

"On the good note the rest will wake up soon," Garth noted as they noticed Jamie for the first time. Her long gray hair was combed nicely as she slumbered deeply.

"Who is this?" Adam asked Garth with anticipation.

"A girl we saved from Lars," Garth lied smoothly. Well a half truth really as they continued staring at her.

They felt uneasy looking at her as they moved on to Seth who was snoring quietly. Seth was Adam's first friend and Adam felt oddly protective of him as he stared at his tanned face, his blond curls all over the place.

He wondered where the others were, Bobby, Isaac, and Takumi were now forced into a yearlong coma while Seth was knocked out. What else would happen? It seemed like their group was slowly disbanding on this fateful day. He thought to himself 4 down and 8 more to go including him.

"So I wanted to ask how you got a spirit to Bobby," Garth whispered from behind as Adam whirled around in alarm.

"You see, I found Bobby while he was being consumed by a spirit and I was the one who saved him," Garth finished as Adam collected himself.

Adam knew there was no point in hiding anymore as he said nervously, "Bobby wanted to experiment the use of forbidden magic as he followed all the methods described in this book that was given to him which he shared with us," he stopped, unable to believe how much he just revealed.

His eyes darted around anxiously as Garth chuckled with amusement. "And who gave him the book," Garth pressed on, still smiling as he twisted his fingers together.

Adam was creeped out by his behavior as he answered slowly collecting his thoughts, "He…..This young man with white hair. Bobby said he met him on our journey to Spade-"

"The journey where the Idealists first attacked you guys?" Garth interrupted, seemingly now interested, smile all gone.

"Yeah, it was a day right before the attack," Adam answered as he went on, "Bobby said the guy told him something. Just two words," Adam stopped as he watched Garth's reaction.

Garth brimming with obvious curiosity asked, "What did he say?"

Adam sucked in a huge breath and prepared to answer when a gigantic boom sounded from far away as monstrous winds swept against the building causing the roof to be blown off the top. They could feel the cracks sounding in the building from the impact of the wind as they rushed out of the infirmary.

They raced across the hallway closely followed by Garth who was panting as he was out of shape. Finally, they came to the white room as the exit was blasted off its hinges from the wind. The door flew at Felix whose reaction time was too slow to do anything as it hit him square on the head as he crumpled on the floor without saying anything. Antione immediately produced a steel ball encasing them with it. The winds continued blowing in their direction as Garth and Adam fought against it, trying to make it to the open exit. They could vaguely make out of the outline of the towers in front of them as they squinted through the wind, eyes watching.

After a long time of fighting the winds, they finally broke free from its restraint. The queer thing was the winds suddenly stopped as the temperature around them dropped to a freezing cold as frost slowly spreaded towards them.

The trees around them were starting to freeze one by one at a rapid pace as they shivered from the cold. Another large boom occurred so loudly that a ringing began to occur in their ears.

They started running and running. The running became nonstop until they saw a clear picture of the scene in front of them. The 4 towers with everything connected to it were all frozen with icy frost. Except for one thing. Where the South Tower was usually there was a huge crater half a mile in radius. With a bunch of debris all over it. Smoke curled up from it, covering as they started walking towards it, mind in shock but face rigid.

They went to the crater and found all the debris in it, burnt candles all frozen, broken chandeliers, shards of grass everywhere, slabs of rocks and debris, and broken metallic pieces that looked suspiciously like bronze. On top of that, blood was everywhere. This was the only place not frozen as Adam started hyperventilating. Could it be…? No, no he refused to believe that happened to them because he went on without them.

Garth suddenly yelped and pointed at something. Huge bloodstained words were written all over the slabs of concrete.

Avenge me, it says

Eerily similar to the words the young man said to Bobby on that fateful day when he handed the book to Bobby.