Chapter 168 National Competition Final

'Was I tricked?', Clayton came in contact with a man who was a distant member of the Royal family. So distant, in fact, it could barely be called a member of the Royal family. Not that it mattered to Clayton, he was offering to give him a precious island to be used in the competition. It was apparently made to gift the students chances of immense growth. 

At first, Clayton just saw it as a way for the Royal family to boost their popularity and make their citizens stronger by giving them opportunities. Yet now, he could only think that this was somehow orchestrated. There was no way for his school to lose so many students with that much intel. The only way they could lose now was if the info was all wrong. 

'Was he even a Royal member? Why couldn't the Prince or Princess just given it?', Clayton never bothered to think about it, but now it felt as if he was misled. It didn't take long before he waved away the strange ideas, since one look at his students filled his heart with sadness and anger. 'All my work, vanished in an instant. Who did this?', his academy was doing great, but the amount of money put into his students had all vanished.

Clayton could genuinely not understand why things went awry. By receiving the island he also gained all the information of it, sharing pieces with the directors, he never shared the whole story. While he had been struggling to grasp reality again, the award ceremony took place. Kael didn't need to wait, he wanted to get over the first years as quickly as possible. 

All the slates lightly floated in the air, the energy started to move around as each person who still had a slate gained a number above their head. The bigger the number, the higher and brighter it floated. 

All the directors quickly scanned everyone in a mere second and knew the ranking in an instant. Kael and the other directors couldn't believe their eyes, as number 1 and 2 were both present in the lowest performing school. Dean had played them. Kael looked at Dean and his mocking smile said everything. 

Kael wasn't in the mood for entertaining the old man, the first years might've been bad, but he still had two more groups who were much more promising. He couldn't throw in the towel now. 

"Welcome back everyone! We've had a lot more casualties than usual, so please check with your neighbors to see who is still left! Sadly, the mourning will have to take place on another day, because we first need to reward those who have survived!"

"In a surprising twist of fate, the first place will go to Blue Fire Academy due to Conrad! Please congratu-!"

Kael could barely finish his sentence before an extremely powerful pressure arose from Clayton, his aura started to leak out, tinting the surroundings light green. Kael was about to react, but seeing the absolute hatred in Clayton's eyes and who he was staring at, he acted as if he couldn't interfere, standing at the side with a hidden smile. 

"You! You did this didn't you!?", Clayton roared his anger out and was about to take action!

Lucas felt his body almost break down from coming in close contact with the aura. He felt as if the world was about to reject his existence.

Dean quickly unleashed his own aura to defend his students, his light purple aura formed a perfect shield, other directors followed his example and started to deploy their own aura to make sure that no single student would come in contact with it.

Glancing at Carl, Dean expected him to step up while he was defending his own students. Carl knew that if he didn't step up now, he would openly throw his pride and image away out of fear. Plus, if he could resolve the situation, that would only benefit him in the end. 

"Clayton! Calm down! Retract your aura! The students will die if they come in contact with it!", blocking his way, Carl tried to talk some sense into the man, but his eyes were focussed on one certain blond individual. 

Dean didn't just float there doing nothing, he had gathered enough energy to open the portal leading back home. He trusted Carl to resolve the situation, it would only take a few moves, but those very moves could kill every single student present.

"Everyone, I'll make sure you'll get your prizes, please take your slates and go back home! The pressure of a Rank 3 is deadly for you, so please, hurry to safety!"

His students didn't have to hear it twice, as everyone rushed into the portal, no matter how nauseating the initial feeling was. 

Lucas was one of the first to jump through the portal, he knew perfectly well what Dean was talking about. Barely coming in contact with such a power almost killed him, he couldn't imagine what a fight between Rank 3's would do to the environment. 

While the students hurried back, the other directors started to open up their own portals. Staying here any longer than needed would only cause more problems. With Clayton slowly starting to lose his patience, Carl had to step up to hold him back. While the fight between Rank 3's would be extremely beneficial for the students, they couldn't see anything, and if they did, they wouldn't be alive. 

Landing back in the Blue Fire Academy, Lucas could feel the magic beacon inside him start pulsing. 

'Is it... sending a signal?'

'Whatever it is, we need to get out of here!'

Lucas felt inclined to agree with himself as he hurried towards the mountain. Perhaps the cottage or the strange clearing at the top could protect him. He had no idea how to get rid of it, so his options were limited. 

He could only think of who it was sending that signal to. It had to be someone powerful enough to withstand the strange darkness on the island, a Rank 3 at the minimum. If someone with so much power chased after him, he would be dead without a doubt. Hell, he couldn't even stand next to them if they unleashed their aura.

Asta saw Lucas rush away but left him alone, he didn't know Lucas perfectly, but the look he on his face was enough to tell him something was about to go wrong. Asta looked around before entering the academy, if there was a single place that would be the safest, he deemed it to be the magical school.

The mountain climb went easier than expected, the snow storm was nothing in the face of Lucas's newfound might. Being at Peak Rank 1 made the elements feel negligible. He barely had to heat up his own body to make it through.

Entering the cabin, he found Elam standing near a bookcase. For once, the lazy teacher wasn't sleeping or resting in his free time. Before he could even turn around, Lucas was already overwhelming him with his accomplishments. 

"Elam, I fulfilled my end of the deal! I reached first place!", Lucas took out his slate and handed it over to him. His statement, while joyous, his demeanor didn't hold the same enthusiasm. 

With his eyes closed, Elam placed the slate on a nearby table. His actions felt lifeless, as if he was exhausted and could easily collapse. Lucas didn't really know what to say first since his mind was racing, but the deal they agreed upon so long ago was finally behind him, making him free once more.

"But I guess you need my help with something?", his words, barely hearable, were filled with a sense of fatalism. Lucas knew something was off, but hadn't the time to figure it out. He chalked it up as one of Elam's tired moods. 

"Yes, I think someone placed a beacon on me. It's... pulsing, I think it's sending some sort of signal. Can you remove it?", Lucas was pretty calm despite being exhausted from the last couple of days. He tried to stay composed as possible, but deep inside him there was a spark of fear of what was to come.

Elam slowly opened his eyes, the black irises and dark red pupils finally coming in contact again with the open air. He looked at Lucas and, like he already knew, he closed his eyes again with a frown and walked towards the bookcase with some speed in his steps. 

"I can't get rid of that, you need to get rid of it yourself. There's nothing I can do to help you. That beacon will bring someone here in a matter of minutes, considering the strength of the signal, I don't think you'll stand much of a chance. Lucas, if you want to live, run.", Elam pushed his bookcase aside to reveal a door without a doorknob and a keyhole.

His words were spoken fast and contained a hint of panic. The man was nervous for once. Taking a key from his pockets, he opened the door. Gesturing towards Lucas to hurry.

"This was something I prepared a long time ago, an emergency exit. It will lead you to a strange place, the magic there is different and sometimes chaotic, but it should throw the signal off for the most part. Still, you should watch your back. Now, go! Hurry until you reach the opening in the ground, jump into it.", Elam wasn't waiting for any kind of action from Lucas's side, he grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door.

Things were moving too fast, Lucas was just about to ask him so many questions, but the door was shut in front of him. Without hesitating for a moment, Lucas pushed against the door, yet it didn't budge. Pressing harder, nothing moved. "Elam, why..."

"Lucas, there's no time, I can already sense someone approaching. Run, I'll try to distract whoever's coming, only come back when you've gotten rid of that signal. Or else, you'll be on the run for the rest of your life. Don't worry about me, they're not after my life, but if you stay too close they'll find you. Just run.

And Lucas, good luck out there, my student."

Lucas knew that now wasn't the time to start thinking things through. He started to run away from the door and cabin. The hallway was dark without any light. A tunnel with a clear path, stairs appeared sporadically, but he just jumped over them, creating the biggest distance he could. 

Lucas wanted to look back, but following Elam's advice, he kept going until he reached the opening Elam spoke off. 

In the cabin, Elam waited until he didn't hear Lucas's footsteps. "Go, my Sapling, show the world what you're capable off.", while seeming panicked mere moments before, now Elam was as calm as a lake. He moved towards his couch and removed one of the cushions. A small box covered in pearls and gems was kept hidden there. 

The box itself could easily buy you a whole mansion, yet it was being kept in a trodden down cabin. Elam opened the box and found a single syringe and a tiny note. "A parting gift.", the words were so elegantly written, Elam could tell who made it. Taking the syringe, he kept it in his pocket.

"Come out!", a booming voice came as if from nowhere. "That's a lot earlier than I thought, you must've really pissed them off, hahaha.", Elam couldn't help but chuckle at what was transpiring. In truth, Elam had no idea that someone was coming, he was just following his instructions. 

Taking his time to open the cabin door, the icy snow storm conveniently stopped at the door frame, unable to get in. 

"Hello there sir, how can I help you?", Elam said as he tilted his head up, not that it made him see any better. A tall man with a large gray beard was floating effortlessly in the storm. It seemed as if the winds and snow were even going out of their way to make a detour to avoid him. 

His robes as gray as his beard, the only thing that stood out was the cane he held in his right hand. 

"My name is Godfried, tell me where he is hiding! I can feel he is here!", his voice reverberated throughout the mountains, even the students at the academy could hear him. Everyone in town went outside since such a powerful voice wasn't heard so often. 

"Sir Godfried, I don't know who you're talking about. You're welcome to come inside my humble cabin, you'll find that it is quite empty.", Elam had to at least try to make peace. Fighting against a Rank 3 while being Rank 2 was just plain suicide. If there was a way to survive, that would've been great, but Elam knew perfectly well how this would end. 

The stronger a person became, the less respect and tolerance they had for weaker beings. Only people on their level or higher were worthy of any kind of sympathy and respect. Since Elam wasn't part of a larger group or had any affiliation to anyone, he was nothing but an ant that was blocking his way.

"Stop playing games!", Godfried waved his hand, blowing half the storm aside, making the cabin almost fall apart. All the magic circles and engravings it had were nullified and destroyed. The wood and pieces of furniture flew everywhere, leaving the lone owner standing on a pile of snow and cracked pieces of wood. The cold now enveloped Elam, making him lose the warmth he had been keeping safe for so long.

The cabin was something Elam made to repent for his mistakes, to remove himself from the secular world, yet now, it was nothing but a few broken planks. Elam felt a hint of sadness as he saw his precious couch being reduced to mere feathers and cloth. 

Godfried looked in the rubble and like Elam said, nobody was there. The strange door that Elam revealed to Lucas was gone, there was no tunnel leading deeper, like it never existed in the first place. Still, Godfried knew what he felt, the killer of his son was here, his tracking spell never malfunctioned before.

"Where have you hidden him!?", Godfried started to lose his patience. His aura started to leak out, a small amount to the man, but it pressured Elam enough to immobilize him. The snow in the air evaporated, while the ground started to shake as if a small earthquake was happening. 

'So it's come to this? I guess he had a point.', doing his utmost, Elam reached for his pocket to take out the syringe, Godfried looked at him with a puzzled look. Elam wasn't special, he was halfway through Rank 2, and stood no chance against him even with some random artifact. 

Plunging the syringe in his neck, his pupils dilated for a second, not that anyone could see. Elam could feel his core experience changes, it started to get influenced by the liquid he injected. His core started to gain more runes, his power got boosted to its absolute peak. 

"Aah, so this is what it feels like?", the pressure coming from Godfried, now nullified, Elam felt fine under the monstrous power. Opening his eyes, he looked straight at Godfried, who looked angrier than before. His own aura spread across the mountains, pushing Gofried's back. 

"How dare you! An insignificant worm like you dares to fight back!"

"Normally, I don't like doing anything, but for once, I hope you're prepared.", newfound energy found itself in his eyes. He could see everything so clearly, his powers were bordering Rank 3, he had a fighting chance. 

"Don't be ridiculous! You know as well as I do that you stand no chance! I'm willing to spare your life if you tell me where you're hiding him!", with the last shred of sympathy, Godfried was willing to be merciful. 

"As if I would be alive after telling you.", yet Elam knew how these mages thought. Godfried's evil smile said enough. Rank 3's were beings who grew so far beyond that there were few ways to keep them constrained. Only kingdoms like The Holy Empire knew how to keep their mages from doing evil.