A Reason

We transported to a room that looked like an office of sorts. It was a huge room with a ceiling to floor window on one entire side, overlooking the courtyard and forest. There was a mahogany table with a leather chair just beside the window while tall shelves full of books and files occupied the walls on both of my sides. At the center were two leather sofa chairs facing each other and a glass table between them. Behind me was a tall wooden double door.

Whosever this office was was surely a high-ranking faculty of the academy. I was pretty sure it wasn't Master's since he shared his office with other teachers.

"Master, where is this place?" I asked.

Master was currently pacing back and forth in front of me, a confused yet thoughtful look on his face. "Headmaster's office," he briefly replied.

Headmaster's office?! What?!

"Why?!" I asked in shock and nervousness. "Did I do something so bad to—"

"No, no, not like that," he said, still pacing without looking at me.

"Then—"

"Oh, Axel! You're here," a full female voice suddenly spoke.

I turned around to see a beautiful woman enter the office, shutting the door behind her. She had a voluptuous body and a foxy look at that. She wore a rather formal attire — a dress shirt and pencil skirt — and her fiery scarlet hair was tied up in a high bun. Her eyes were a bright blue.

"Headmistress," Master greeted with his usual blank look. "I've come to talk to you about an important matter."

Wait, headMISTRESS?! The headmaster of the Academy wasn't actually a headmaster but a headmistress?! Do the people outside know about this???

"Wait, before you say anything, I have two questions," she said before smiling warmly. She then walked to the desk and sat on the leather chair. "First, has the Hitherstone kidnapping shenanigan been solved?"

"Yes," Master replied, glancing at me for a second before turning to look back at the headmistress. "It's been fully taken care of."

The headmistress sighed as she freed her hair off the bun and let it down. It fell in elegant red waves. "Good. Now, my second question is," she said. Then she suddenly eyed me.

Her eyes — they looked like they were about to eat me up. I gulped and exhaled a silent and shaky breath. She could kill with those piercing eyes.

But then she suddenly grinned. "Is this the beloved apprentice I heard you took in?" she happily asked, her eyes twinkling. "How come I only got to see her now? You didn't need to hide her from me all these years, Axel."

Master, who was usually calm, looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable at that moment. It was really a sight to see. I could tell he had trouble with the headmistress's straightforwardness. Little did I know that the cause of his discomfort was something else entirely.

"Er, that's because you would have... Never mind," he dodged the question. "Anyway, I need you to help me confirm something."

"Ooh, the great wizard Axel, asking help from me?" she exaggerated. "What ever could I help you with?"

For a headmistress, she was quite cheeky or childish for her age. But even then, as a twelve-year-old, I could tell it was all just on the surface. Beneath that was a ferocious and patient beast.

Master looked at me. "I don't think she'd be able to do it voluntarily yet," he said. "But I know of a way to force it out of her."

That's when the air dimmed. The headmistress stopped smiling and her face was full of nothing but seriousness. "You mean to say," she started. "That she is... exhibiting THAT?"

Master nodded curtly. "She's too young to know everything but we can still teach her how to control it especially at her early age," he said.

"What is... THAT, Master?" I asked as he gently grabbed my wrist in his hand.

"Your magic, Shiro," he calmly spoke.

"Wait... I have magic?"

"Didn't I tell you before? You had potential but it was still weak. Frankly, it still is but now it's beginning to show."

"Did she really do it, Axel?" the headmistress suddenly asked. "Did she really manage to... 'steal' someone else's magic?" She had a curious look on her eyes as she watched us. Watched me.

It was then I realized that the master and headmistress must have talked about me for a while. I also realized that they both somehow already knew something about me that even I didn't know.

"Yes. I didn't see it with my own eyes how she stole those powers but I helped her return both of them back to their owners," he replied.

Suddenly the headmistress slammed her palms on the table, her face full of surprise and delight and excitement. "You mean to say she stole TWO? On her first try?"

Master simply nodded.

"A-mazing," the headmistress gasped as she laid back on her chair.

"Now, brat," he spoke to me. "I'm going to amplify your power just like I did last time but I need a test subject." He then turned to the headmistress with a certain look.

"You want me to be the test subject?" she asked with an incredulous look. "You've got to be kidding me."

"You could call a student if you don't want to," Master suggested.

And that's exactly what the headmistress did as she reached for her telephone.

While she was calling, Master turned back to me. "Are you scared?" he asked.

"A little," I replied reluctantly. "But it's alright. I'm actually happy that I have magic but..."

"But?"

"But what did headmistress mean, Master?" I asked. "What did those boys mean? Is my magic... really capable of stealing others' magic?"

He pursed his lips then. "Yeah, it is."

I thought harder until realization came to me. "Is that why I'm here? Is that the reason you and Vita spoke of that day five years ago? Am I really here for a reason?" I asked.

Truth be told, ever since I realized I couldn't do magic, for the past five years I struggled to find the meaning and reason of my coming here to Goras or why Master agreed to take me in as his apprentice. I knew Master was still pretty young — probably about 21 years old now — so why did he agree to take care of a child like me? I knew there was a reason it had to be him but still. Why didn't he just give me off to a nanny or another wizard who'd take care of me? Why did he have to personally do it?

Was I really here for a reason?

He looked at me with observant eyes then. His eyes still held no light or reflection but I could see the shift. He looked at me with kindness and gentleness. "Well, eh sort of," he answered nonchalantly.

"Master!"

And then he laughed. That was the second time I saw him laugh. "Well, it is true though but still not entirely the reason," he said, smiling. "You'll know soon enough, but not today, kid." He patted my head.

After a while, he returned to his usual insensitive and blank self.

"Alright, I've found you a test subject," the headmistress spoke as she put the telephone back. "He'll be here at any moment."

And that's when we heard a knock.