Chapter 23: The Ceremony pt.2

Slowly but surely, the bright colors begin to disappear in little sparks that fuzz out. The entire auditorium is shrouded in silence as Evan shakily gets up, having been thrown down by the sheer force of magic that surrounded him and the others.

Evan isn't sure what exactly happened by this point, as he can't even pinpoint what magic he has. It isn't one the others have gotten, that's for sure. Evan should be feeling glad and yet, he feels like he just became even more of an abnormal existence. One of his goals while attending the academy was to NOT draw attention to himself as he already needed to be cautious as it is but that was thrown out of the window the second his crystal basically exploded.

Looking out into the crowd, Evan notices how the others are gazing at him in awe, jealousy, and confusion, the last of which he understands. It only takes a second for everyone to break out of whatever spell they were under as the roars of applause fill the outdoors, making Evan want to hide away.

He watches as principal Mies slowly walks upon the stage himself, with Evan as his target. Evan wants to back away but he is frozen in place by the intense stare on him. Shaking, Evan stares right back, noticing the inconsistent emotions on the principal's face. Relief, fear, fascination, and despair all appear on the man's face at some point, yet the stare never wavers.

The first thing principal Mies does is put his hand out towards Evan for a handshake. Evan cautiously puts his hand out as well, slowly grabbing the principal's hand before shaking. He feels as though he has just signed his fate away in some form but has no idea how. Averting his eyes from the intensive stare, Evan looks out towards the other students, searching around for Cole. Once he spots him, he isn't really surprised by the cockiness exuding off of him. He's sure that if he were closer, he'd hear Cole saying how he's his friend and all that.

Principal Mies steps away from Evan and instead turns towards the microphone, seemingly preparing for a speech. "For the first time in my 300 years of both teaching and being the principal of this lovely institution, I am proud to say that we are now home to the third ever Blessing Magician. Truly, this is a magnificent moment for us!" He states, disregarding Evan's feelings on the entire matter.

Blessing Magician? What kind of sick joke is this? What could he even do, buff others?!? Evan feels defeated by the notion. Principal Mies is hyping him up but, he feels as though he is weak without an offensive magic. Can he buff his luck? He could use some right now.

Evan easily notices how envy is still visible on many of the student's faces, yet awe is ever more present. Clearly, the concept of a blessing type magician is a rarity of sorts but, Evan has heard nothing about them. Not a single peep. He glances back towards the principal, noticing a 'follow me' sort of gesture. A bit confused, Evan slowly follows the principal to wherever he is being led to. He hopes he hasn't shot himself in the foot somehow and was discovered for being a hybrid, because that would be a complete disaster. He may even have to run away.

It takes 30 minutes to arrive at a large building that exudes gaudiness to the extreme. In big bold letterings, the sign at the top of the large wooden doors reads "Staff Building". Feeling nervous, Evan follows the principal inside, really just wanting to run far, far away. He is taken to the second floor, where the furthest door from the right is actually the principal's office. Sweating bullets, Evan follows the man inside while glancing around.

If he had to choose one word to describe the office, it would be..colorful. There was almost no coordination between furniture, with gadgets galore filling up the many, many shelves within the office. The office feels larger than the first floor of his home.

When the principal sits behind his desk, he beckons Evan forwards to the seat in front of said desk and once he sits down, he sigh. "I'd like to apologize in advance for what i'm about to say, but you've fulfilled all the requirements." Principal Mies says, confusing Evan even more. "I'm sorry, what requirements do I fill exactly?" He questions, cursing the luck he has.

"3,000 years ago, a prophecy was foretold, telling of destruction and an unlikely group of saviors, with a specific magician being at the very forefront. This was not necessarily publicized, as it would have disrupted the peace between the kingdoms, though plenty of wars still broke out." He stated, in a fairly dire tone. Evan wanted to curse whatever deity was screwing with him. A prophecy?? 3,000 years ago?? What kind of bs is this.

Grinding his teeth, Evan slowly asked, "What..did the prophecy say exactly?" He needed to know what exactly was going on, because he's unsure if it truly meant him or someone else with the same set of magic. Principal Mies sighs, before beginning the prophecy,

"Destruction and Darkness is foretold,

A being of blessings leads the light,

From a body not their own,

They will fight for what is right,

But alone they shall not be,

For a man of darkness will fight at the seams,

And a group of unlikely heroes will stand together,

For if they do not,

The world will find itself within the darkness forever."

Clenching his fists, Evan can tell exactly where this is going. He doesn't ask why the portion about a "body not of his own" is not questioned because he is sure the man knows, somehow. The prophecy is so vague that Evan isn't even sure when it'll happen. Has it been sent into motion because of his arrival? Could it be why the riots are happening? He isn't sure he truly wants to know. "Apologies if this comes off as rude but, what am I supposed to do about it? There is no indication of when this darkness or destruction will come, nor do I know who the "man of darkness" is. How am I even supposed to prepare?" He cried out, unsure what he is supposed to do anymore. He came to the academy to fulfill the old Evan's dreams, but now he is suddenly stuck in some destined prophecy he isn't sure he can really get out of.

"Well, when the prophecy was foretold, the prophet mentioned there would be 3 years before destruction would commence once the conditions were met. Therefore, I and other staff members would help you learn on the side as you are still a student of our establishment. When you meet trusted friends, i'd like to meet them formally to see if they'd be able to fit the bill per say." He states, his gaze as strong as ever. Evan feels baffled by the entire meeting. Why is he suddenly being placed as some figurehead or savior? He understands that he fits the requirements but, he has 3 years to supposedly become strong enough to save the world?? Who even is his enemy?

"What exactly am I supposed to do? I don't know who i'm fighting or what i'm fighting, nor how I am supposed to save everyone." He blurts out, still peeved at what is happening. "There are other prophecies that came out after the first one, but it is too early to talk about those. I will contact you a few weeks after classes begin, to allow you to learn some and make some connections. Now go on, I have work to do." He shoos Evan out, ignoring the clear outrage present on his face. Once outside the office, Evan feels anger coil in his gut. It makes no sense to not tell him of the other prophecies at all.

He cannot believe that just happened. Taking a deep breath, Evan quickly leaves the building, unwilling to spend another second near the principal. The man is far different than what he presented himself as and honestly, Evan felt his instincts screaming at him to be careful. Of course the man is dangerous and it makes him question why all hopes are being placed onto his shoulders. The 3 years of education that Evan will receive are nothing compared to the 300+ the principal has.

Having walked for at least 10 minutes, Evan realizes his mistake. He has no idea where he is, whatsoever. Groaning, Evan does the next best thing, which includes searching for anyone to help him. Luckily, he finds Cole roaming around anxiously and it makes Evan feel better knowing his friend is worried about him.

Running over, Evan calls out to Cole, who immediately notices him. "Hey~ Where did you go?!? I was worried about my favorite friend.~" Cole pouts, holding onto Evan's arm. "Well, let me tell you about the most angering thing.." He trails off, before explaining the entire encounter he just had.

Cole seems marginally angry but then brightens up. "Well!~ I better be introduced to our lovely principal then. If you're going into danger, then I might as well follow. There never seems to be a dull day when you're around." He states, clearly intent on joining in on the entire journey. Evan is happy that Cole doesn't plan to abandon him per say and gladly accepts, unwilling to really meet the man alone anymore. He makes his skin crawl.

Evan is about to ask Cole for help, when he remembers that Cole is also a new student. Groaning, Evan lets Cole follow him around in search of someone who knows. The two search around for about 15 minutes, before stumbling upon a prefect who seems happy to help them both out.

The two part when Evan is brought back to the Moosha dorms with a promise to text each other later that night. Evan only has one goal on his mind, to take a nap and shower to clear his mind as anger still coils within him.

He dashes up to his dorm using the stairs, quickly opening up the room before planting himself on his bed, not caring for anything else. He sets an alarm to wake him up a few hours from now to eat dinner, shower, and talk to his parents and Cole.

Before he is even aware of it, Evan is fast asleep.