Chapter 6-5: The Howling Winds

The first to arrive was the Tenth. Battlemage Warthorn stepped onto the weathered stones in a hurry and almost ran towards Ren and Principal Auria. His furrowed brows, frown, and generally dark expression would be enough to strike fear into most people's hearts.

"Warthorn," Principal Auria greeted him with a nod. "Where are the others?"

"Fiora is on her way. I don't know about the Professor." He said dismissively. "How did this happen?" He asked as he gestured towards the barrier. "Why did it break?"

"It's not broken." Principal Auria chose her words carefully. "It's weakened. The High Council must be notified and-" Before she could say more, Battlemage Fiora arrived, along with Professor Doran.

Unlike Battlemage Warthorn, their steps were slower. They seemed to be calmer, though that might have also had something to do with the Professor's older age.

"Fiora, Professor." Principal Auria greeted them as well. "The situation is as follows…"

She started explaining the chain of events that led them here as Ren simply waited and watched them. He could see how each of them reacted differently; The Professor was calm and intrigued. Battlemage Fiora was worried but tried to not show it. Battlemage Warthorn was also worried, but unlike the others, he was very loud and clear about the worse case scenario.

"What are we supposed to do when wildmagic starts seeping in?" He shouted, pointing at the weakened point in the barrier.

"We will act accordingly when and if that happens." Principal Auria said with a sigh. "And it will be the High Council who decides on our next course of action."

While they bickered, Professor Doran approached Ren. "Ren, was it?"

"Yes, Professor." Ren answered. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Perhaps. I have one question to ask." The Professor asked with a low voice. Ren felt his whole body tense up as he nodded and waited for his question. "Did you do this yesterday?"

He flinched. "No!" He cried out. "No, I-"

"When your mana ran wild again, could it have done this?" The Professor's cold voice and emotionless expression didn't change one bit.

"No." Ren said with clenched fists. "My mana didn't touch the barrier." Were they going to try and blame this on him?

The Professor stared at him for a short while, then nodded. He seemed satisfied. "Good." He said with that same emotionless voice and went back to join the Battlemages.

Ren breathed out in relief. He knew it wasn't his mana, because if it had been, that spot would have been much weaker. But then how had this happened? The barrier wasn't something that would randomly start weakening.

Several footsteps distracted him. He looked up, to see a group of people approach.

About a dozen uniformed men and women were approaching. Their dark blue cloaks and uniforms were well known throughout Arkon. They were the Imperial Guard. The imperial sigil was embroidered on their clothes. They all carried longswords with them – their military grade conduits.

They were accompanying a man who didn't look older than his thirties. He was tall, thin, and handsome. He wore his black hair in a ponytail. His fancy, dark blue clothes were decorated with silver embroidery.

"Your Highness," Principal Auria bowed. The others also followed her lead as Ren fell on one knee.

"Battlemages, Professor. Please, you may rise." The man said with a faint smile. He glanced at the Imperial Guard. "Make sure the courtyard is inaccessible." With a nod, the guard scattered and took their positions at the very edges of the courtyard. Their quick actions showed how well trained they were.

"The Archmage will arrive shortly, along with the First. He will reinforce the barrier, so this crisis will not last long." Prince Aon said calmly. "Until then, please observe this weak point. The Guard will keep the students away."

"Thank you, sir." Principal Auria said. While her voice didn't show it, it was clear from her eyes how relieved she felt.

"I will excuse myself for a short while." Prince Aon glanced at Ren. "Ren, with me."

The young man flinched. "Yes, your Highness." He stood up and followed the prince towards the main building. His body felt tense, his mind was already a mess. What did the prince want?

They soon entered the path through the woods. A short while after they were out of earshot distance from the Imperial Guard, the Prince's steps slowed to a halt.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." He softly said as he turned to face the young man. Ren flinched as his eyes met with the Princes'. His crimson eyes seemed to see through him, right into his very soul. He quickly averted his gaze and shook his head.

"I'm just glad you listened to my request. Please, don't worry about me. There are much more important matters that demand your attention." Ren said with a catch in his voice.

"Right." Prince Aon sighed. "Of course, there are." He shook his head. "But that doesn't mean I will ignore everything else." He glanced towards the barrier. "Soon, the Academy will do a special kind of training for those in class I. The High Council supports these, and you are allowed to participate in them." He hesitated.

"You mean my participation is mandatory." Ren softly said. Prince Aon flinched, then nodded. "You've grown so much, in such a short time, Ren."

"I wouldn't know." Ren mumbled. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" He didn't want to be part of this conversation any longer.

"Take me to Iris, would you?" Prince Aon said with a grin. "There are a few things I want to talk to her about."

Ren hesitated. He had no clue where she was. He quickly said that, then added; "I can try to find her if you wait a little." He was ready to bolt off, but Prince Aon chuckled and shook his head. "Let's look for her together, I'd also like to see how much the academy has changed since I attended here."

Hesitant, Ren nodded. "As you wish,"