Invitation

Within the boy's eyes, Novin saw a version of himself he thought he had long conquered.

In the vision-like mirage, he was no longer the powerful Sage-class practitioner he was today. Instead, he was back in his hometown, a forsaken place he thought he had long forgotten.

Instead of casting heaven-defying spells, he was wallowing and scraping for mere crumbs of stale bread, destined to live the rest of his pathetic life in mediocrity and everlasting sadness.

"No! No! No!" Novin screamed as he held his head woefully in his hands. All his hard work... Had it all amounted to nothing?!

Novin trembled in fear as he crouched on the floor in the fetal position. Gone was the brave and confident man who first entered the Greycastle.

Suddenly, "Hade!" Castus's voice boomed in the hall.

Astonishingly, the loudness was enough to break Novin out of the trance. The man discovered to his astonishment that he was sweating and out of breath.

'What the hell was that?!' Novin exclaimed in his head.

Meanwhile...

"I'm sorry, I...I forgot," Hade stammered.

Castus sighed as he stressfully massaged his brows. Isabella looked on worriedly while Dedric and Bartholomew exchanged meaningful glances.

...The pitiful Novin was still trying to catch his breath.

Castus glanced at his wife. And then, "Do it," he said decisively before Isabella slightly nodded her head.

"Wait..." Hade tried to stop his mother but it was too late.

Isabella's brown eyes flashed azure for a split second and Novin seemed to spasm before all returned to normal.

Hade grimaced as his parents looked at him sympathetically.

In no time at all, Novin had recovered, however, he was also confused. He could not figure out why his heart was pounding so hard and why he was so out of breath.

'What just happened? No, what was I saying?'

 The last thing he remembered was looking at the goateed man and the teenager... That was it.

"You were stating the purpose of your visit," Bartholomew reminded him, his face as indifferent and as stoic as ever.

"Oh," Novin replied. For some reason, his head felt fuzzy.

'It must be due to the nerves,' he concluded.

It took him Novin a while to retain his bearing, which was quite the embarrassing ordeal for him, but luckily, none of his hosts pressurized him. They waited patiently as he got his sh*t back together.

'Who knew the notorious Ronens aren't actually bad people on the inside?' Novin marveled internally.

After a few seconds of breathing exercises, he finally got back on track. He cleared his throat:

"Lord Ronen, Lady Ronen, young master, and fellow practitioners, my name is Professor Novin Oakenheart and I am a professor from the Five Imperial Schools.

"I was sent here on behalf of the First Imperial School to invite Hade Ronen to become a student of said school this coming semester."

Immediately, the hall descended into pin-drop silence. This stole all the remaining attention from what had happened earlier.

Hade was stunned, and so was everyone else.

Castus furrowed his brows:

"Since when do the Five Schools send out invitations? And via professors no less? Students have always applied to study at the schools."

"That is correct," Novin affirmed.

"And they still will," he made sure to add.

"However, education standards have dropped in recent years. Therefore, as professors, we agreed to scout out youths with high potential and personally recruit them to the schools."

Castus did not respond immediately. Novin's reply had been quick and precise... like something that had been practiced and recited.

Intrigued, Castus leaned back in his seat, submerged deep in thought. Even he hadn't been aware of these developments. The whole thing was not only odd but also sudden.

Something bigger was definitely at play here...

Noticing the Dragon Lord's rising suspicion, Novin quickly added:

"The young master of the Ballard family and the young lady of the Oxborn family have also been recruited... among many others, of course."

'Ahh, there it is!' Castus smirked.

Damned politics!

Screw whatever standards Novin was blabbering about... this was a political move, nothing more, nothing less.

However, even Castus could not help but admit... whoever's idea it was, it was pure genius. Akin to striking three birds with one stone.

Suddenly though, "Professor, we would like to discuss this in private," Isabella interjected.

Curiously, there was no trace of empathy or guilt at all on her face for what she had done to the man earlier.

Novin bowed as he excused himself.

Once he was gone, Castus looked at his youngest son, Hade, who was still processing the professor's news and what it could mean for him if he accepted.

The Five Imperial Schools were not just the best magic institution in the empire, they were among the very best in the whole continent.

'This could just work,' Castus thought to himself.

Despite his best efforts, he had failed to find anything even loosely related to Hade's law. In fact, no one in his extensive network of connections had even heard of the ability.

That said, if anyone would be able to help Hade, it would have to be the Five Schools.

Moreover, there was also the matter of Hade's possession which was inevitable at this point.

If anyone could help his son, it would have to be that man, Castus thought to himself as the image of a certain individual with black hair and white irises popped up in his head.

Pros and cons aside, Castus was not going to force his son to do something against his will...

"Hade, what do you think? Would you like to attend the Five Imperial Schools?" he asked.

"Castus," Isabella cut in, feeling apprehensive.

She was worried and rightly so. If Hade went to that school, she knew that sooner or later, he would cross paths with his elder brother, and considering their not-so-cozy relationship, things were bound to implode.

If Isabella had any say in this, she would definitely decline the invitation. However, seeing that her husband was not totally against the idea, he must've had his reasons.

Ultimately, the final decision rested in their son's hands.

"I want to go," It did not take Hade too long to make his decision.

Although Greycastle was the only home he had ever known, the world was also bound to be so much bigger than just Harlston... Right?

...

Two minutes later, Novin was called back into the hall.

The relatively young professor tried his utmost best to remain calm and cool-headed. He had done his part and all he could do now was pray and hope for the best.

When Castus informed him of Hade's decision, Novin could not help but let out a huge sigh of relief. In all earnest, convincing them had been a lot easier than he had anticipated.

Nevertheless, he was just glad that his mission was successful.

School semester started in a week. Novin would accompany Hade to the Five Imperial Schools in five days.

"Professor, before you leave, I have a question for you... And I advise you to answer truthfully," said Castus.

Immediately, Novin's muscles tensed. Although he was not afraid that Lord Ronen might suddenly attack him, Sage class and Supreme class were still two very different ranks.

Novin's strength, although scary out there, in here... was like a drop in the ocean compared to the power of the man before him.

If a fight was to break out, his life was pretty much forfeit.

However, Novin was still a Professor of the Five Imperial Schools. Even Castus Ronen could not afford to take his life without just cause.

The Five Imperial Schools were just that powerful.

"I will answer to the best of my capabilities," Novin finally replied to which Castus nodded, "Good enough."

His question was actually quite simple. He just wanted to know whose idea exactly it had been to scout and recruit students into enrolling at the Five Schools.

Novin could not help but be humbled by the man's insight. Clearly, Lord Ronen was not just all brawn and no brains.

The dilemma, however, was if he should reveal the truth. Novin took some time to ponder carefully. Once again, no one rushed him.

In the end, he decided to tell the truth. It wasn't like anyone would be hurt if he did anyway.

"It was Teshak Savtron," he replied.

"The young prince?" Castus' eyebrows arched up in surprise. No wonder he hadn't known about their plans... a royal was involved.

"I'm afraid that is all I can say," Novin bowed before turning to leave.

"Young master, I will see you again in five days."

Novin found it weird that the teenager did not reply and even went to great lengths to avoid meeting his gaze.

Novin just shrugged it off as being shy. The good-looking ones were usually naive and timid after all.

'The schools will eat him up,' he mused to himself.

Before Bartholomew escorted him out, Novin thanked the Ronens for their time. He also sent a complimentary nod of respect to acknowledge the other Sage class expert only to find the large man fiddling with his nails.

Novin sighed dejectedly to himself as he departed. No one at the Schools treated him this way.