Chapter 4: The Red Bolt Of Fate

"I am sorry, Rena Alaister. I cannot fulfil your wish because you haven't specified who you want to know about." Longwang replied.

"What do you mean?" I snapped as I grew agitated.

"You must know the face and the full name of the person."

I hate requirements.

"Well then, Longwang, King of Dragons, how will you help me?" I asked the voice.

I didn't get an immediate response which implied that the voice was thinking but what it was thinking about concerned me.

A dragon of such a title cannot be all-powerful however it is extremely powerful. Perhaps beyond levels I could even fathom.

"Rena Alaister, do you even have the slightest idea of who your family is?" The dragon asked.

"I did just receive information on who my family truly is which is something I am still trying to wrap my head around but I did have some idea of information." I replied.

I heard a low growl and could feel the dragon's warm breath on me. I couldn't see the dragon anywhere but I could feel its breath and hear it breathing. His breath did not smell which surprised me because the books and stories I've heard of the dragons said that their breath alone could kill a person.

"How are we communicating?" I asked the voice.

"Magic I guess."

There isn't a single universe where I could've thought of that. A dragon and a girl such as myself spoke without even being near each other.

"Speaking to oneself is a sign of intelligence."

I almost jumped in my seat when I heard a male voice speak. I turned my head only to see a man inches away from my face. He then took a step back and stood almost as if he was presenting himself to me.

"I am Azreal." The man said as he bowed. "I am one of the high-ranking generals of the empire."

The man, Azreal, wore a black and white tailcoat. He also seemed to have a few dozen badges the size of coins on the left side of his chest. He also wore a dark emerald waistcoat underneath his long tailcoat. He also seemed to have shortened his hair.

"Well, my name is—"

"There is no need Miss Rena Alaister. Your father was an extremely powerful and kind man." Azreal said with an affectionate smile.

"You knew my father?" I asked hoping that I could finally have some more information about him.

"Of course not! How old do you think I am?!" Azreal chuckled which made my face bright red.

"I don't know…" I muttered as I tried to hide my embarrassment.

"Well I'm eighteen." Azreal said as he smiled.

"EIGHTEEN?!" I exclaimed. "HOW ARE YOU ALREADY A HIGH-RANKING GENERAL?"

"Well I was part of an experiment which experimented on children gifted with mana." Azreal replied as he looked up at the ceiling as if trying to remember while his head only moved slightly towards the ceiling.

"I'm…so sorry…"

"It's fine. It wasn't that bad."

HUH?

"Leave the girl alone, Azreal." A person spoke as a girl then walked into the room. "She doesn't want to listen to your depressing stories."

"Well she probably doesn't want to listen to your stories either." Azreal replied calmly.

The girl was wearing something an assassin would wear. It wasn't fancy or anything like that. She wore a dark hooded cloak and two gloves which matched the colour of her cloak. She showed almost no skin apart from her face however what was unusual was that her hair colour was a bright gold colour which would stand out. If she was an assassin then her hair colour wouldn't help her in any way. She also had pointed ears which meant she was an elf which was rare nowadays.

"Oh, Aesira. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm fine, Rena. I'm sure you're bored with Azreal's childhood."

"No! It's not like that!" I replied hoping that Azreal would believe me. "I found it interesting and a bit sad."

"See, Azreal! They're depressing!"

I sighed out of frustration. Although I had just met them, I had already grew tired of their bickering. Suddenly, the doors of the hallway were opened and everyone fell silent. I watched as both Azreal and Aesira's bodies started to tremble. They didn't need to look back to see who it was.

"Azreal." Levantes called. Azreal's head instantly turned around and his eyes were transfixed on Levantes as he walked towards them. "Socrates needs you."

Azreal slowly turned his head towards me and then smiled.

"Sorry I have to go."

I watched as his expression completely changed when he looked back at Levantes and started to walk towards him. I caught them exchanging glances at each other as Azreal passed Levantes.

"You lie a lot don't you?" Azreal spoke as he stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"What do you mean?" Levantes replied.

Azreal then turned around however Levantes only turned his head slightly to look at Azreal.

"I won't fall for your tricks!" Azreal yelled as he then conjured a ball of fire from his fingertip and threw it at Levantes.

The ball was around the size of a person's head. The ball seemed to reflect off no light as if it absorbed it. I felt my mana being drained from my body only leaving the required amount to stop me from dying.

Levantes leapt to the side dodging the ball which was then heading towards me. Azreal quickly tried to stop the ball but he seemed to be struggling. Levantes then held his arm out and seemed to be grabbing onto something. He didn't seem to be struggling like Azreal and had complete control over the ball. The ball only stopped a few inches from Aesira and me.

I could've sworn that I saw Levantes's eyes flicker between his normal purple and a blood-red colour. Although it was for less than a second I saw it.

I knew exactly what it was. It wasn't because Levantes was struggling to hold the ball of destruction but because he was resisting the urge to kill Azreal.

"I advise you not to try to kill your beloved friends, Azreal Novel Arnoux." Levantes then closed his hands and the size of the ball became the size of an eyeball. He then pointed at the ball and then moved his finger in Azreal's direction. The ball followed his finger and was now a few centimetres from Azreal's face.

"I've suffered more than anything you could give me!" Azreal yelled as he glared at Levantes from the corner of his eye.

"Levantes stop—" Aesira yelled as she tried to leap out of her chair but was then pushed back into the chair. Aesira then started to float in the air. Levantes then walked towards Azreal and Aesira floated to him. None of us could move.

The chair Aesira was sitting on was then thrown towards me but before I could react it was erased. I then looked at Azreal whose hand was pointed in my direction.

"Even when I am restraining you you are still somewhat powerful." Levantes spoke with a slight change in the tone of his voice. "How interesting."

The ball was then reshaped into two dagger-like objects. The blades of the two daggers each touched Aesira and Azreal's throats. I watched helplessly as I saw blood start to drip from them.

"STOP!" I yelled. Suddenly a bolt of light was shot out from my fingers and was heading in Levantes's head. Levantes quickly turned around and put out his arm with his palms facing the bolt and his fingers spread out.

Levantes then sighed and the two daggers disappeared and Aesira and Azreal fell to the ground. I then ran in between the two to see if they were hurt however their injuries were already healed.

I then looked up at Levantes who seemed to be analysing the bolt of light which was now a deep red colour.

"What the hell was that for!" I yelled at Levantes. I imagined the bolt then pierce through Levantes, killing him in the instant but it didn't happen. "Answer me, Levantes!"

"A test, Rena." Levantes replied calmly. "Yes it was necessary and yes it did have something to do with you and Azreal."

"You read my mind again." I said, still angered.

"No, I didn't. I simply observed your facial expressions and everything that has happened." Levantes then turned around to look at me. The blood-red bolt of light was still stopped in the air. The bolt then went into Levantes's hand as if it was water. A gemstone then appeared in Levantes's hand. It was the same colour as the bolt.

"Did you just make that bolt into a gemstone?" I asked.

"Yes." He said as he then handed me the stone. "Use it whenever you're in a tight situation."

"So you planned to almost kill her and now you're trying to protect her? Make up your mind." Azreal sighed out of frustration as he then sat up.

"I only wanted to test your deduction skills." Levantes answered. "You're going to go to the academy as well."

"HUH?" Azreal exclaimed. "I graduated from there six years ago!"

"You're still going." Levantes didn't even ask if Azreal wanted to or not but then again he must've had a plan. "You're going under the alias of Laertes Doyle Tepes."

"Who the hell picked that name?" Azreal sarcastically chuckled.

"I did." Levantes replied.

"I-It's a good name." Azreal nervously laughed.

"What about me?" Aesira asked.

"You're not coming with us." Levantes replied.

"Noooo! I want to!" Aesira cried.

"Alright fine." Levantes sighed.

* * * * * *

"So you four will be going?" Valentina said.

We all looked at each other with a few concerns before Levantes answered.

"Yes, the four of us will be going."

It was confirmed. The four of us will be going to the academy. It was times like these where you get the feeling that everything will change. Some for the best and some for the worst. Everything will change and I won't regret it at the end.