Disciplinary Committee

Tessia sat down beside her brother before answering, "I was a bit anxious about the speech, but I think I did fine. How about you, how was your first day at Xyrus Academy?"

"Nothing much, I got shown around the campus and met my roommate. That reminds me," he turned to the red haired boy, "Nathan, this is my sister Tessia, Tessia this is Nathan Ambers."

"It's nice to meet you." Tessia extended her arm for a handshake.

Nathan returned the gesture silently.

Time passed quickly as they talked and exchanged stories, Fayden was surprised to know Arthur had reached the mid silver stage, even more so when Nathan claimed to be on the same level. On the other hand, Elijah almost fell from his seat when Fayden revealed his status as a white core mage, but his own initial silver core was no joke.

During the walk back Fayden and Nathan settled into a comfortable silence, yet as soon as they entered the room Nathan confronted him.

"Explain." He spoke only one word.

Fayden sighed, "What's there to explain? I awakened early and kept training until I reached the white core."

"I meant your quadra-elemency."

"Ah…that. I have no explanation. I guess I'm just an anomaly." Fayden wouldn't reveal the existence of Noctis to him just yet.

Nathan raised an eyebrow, "You're an elf, I don't think it's possible for elves to use fire magic."

"Maybe it has something to do with the way mana reacts around me? I really don't know." Fayden sounded genuine, but he did have a theory.

After all, his awakening was by no means natural.

Nathan sighed, "I suppose that's all I'll get out of you."

"Yep." Fayden dragged out the p, a grin plastered on his face.

No more questions were asked, and soon the two were deep asleep.

.

.

.

A boy not much older than seven walked the streets, the twilight sun lighting his way, but it would soon be dark and he had to return.

Yet, before he could turn, an invisible force pushed him down. All around him glass shattered and screams filled the air.

Coughing, the boy pushed himself up, turning to face the direction the explosion came from.

He didn't think it was possible for his heart to drop so fast.

And so he ran, leather hit stone and within minutes he was there. The place he had called home for so long.

The metal doorknob was hot to the touch, but he braved the heat, swinging the door open.

Orange. All he saw was orange, with a reddish hue. He stumbled in, calling out to his parents. His father who had always made sure he had a smile on his face. His mother, the one he was closest to, who would sacrifice her own happiness for him.

He refused to think about the worst. Yet, when no one answered back, his resolve faltered.

"Father? Mother?" He said quietly, opening the door to his father's study.

He would never forget the sight that greeted him.

He fell to his knees.

There was so much… red.

.

.

.

Fayden awoke with a start, gasping for breath. His shirt soaked in cold sweat.

Not wanting to disturb his roommate any further, he walked to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face.

"That memory…why am I remembering it now..?" He whispered to his own reflection.

It didn't answer, obviously. Instead, he sighed, wiping his face with a nearby towel.

He never noticed his reflection staring back, yet looking far different. Black dominated over silver on his head, his eyes a mixture of black and blue.

But by the time Fayden glanced back, it was back to being his own reflection.

'Why are you awake at this ungodly hour?' His bond spoke telepathically; he could feel the tiredness oozing from him.

'Go back to sleep Zeke.'

'Don't mind if I do.'

Changing into his school uniform, Fayden exited the room, making sure to close the door gently.

Once outside, he inhaled deeply, relishing the fresh air. It could get a bit suffocating inside their room at times.

Walking around the campus for a bit, Fayden figured he might as well go to the Disciplinary Committee room.

"What maniac is awake at this hour?" Fayden muttered as he neared the building; he could sense two mana signatures inside, flaring ever so frequently. "And they're sparring."

Once at the door, he didn't consider informing the two members inside of his presence, as such the moment he opened the door he was met with a flaming rapier and a rock covered fist.

Fayden leaned back, narrowly avoiding getting skewered, barbecued, and smashed to a pulp.

"That's some welcoming ceremony you've got." He grumbled. "You mind letting me in?"

"Fayden!" Claire exclaimed, sheathing her weapon.

"You know him?" Theodore inquired, reluctantly receding his fist.

Claire nodded, "Yeah, he's a new student, he's in our year."

"Oh."

"Sheesh, do you usually try to kill uninvited guests?" Fayden dusted his shirt, earth magic always soiled his clothes.

"Hehe, sorry about that." Claire smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

Shaking his head, Fayden made his way inside the building, following his new comrades.

"So, what brings you here?" Claire turned back to face him.

Fayden shrugged, "Thought I'd get here before the others wake up. Today is the day the Disciplinary Committee is made official, no?"

"But you aren't a member?"

Fayden raised his hand, brandishing the ring on his finger.

"You're the secret member?!" Theodore spoke this time, he couldn't say he was happy with the Director's decision.

"Apparently."

"Oh right, Fayden, this is Theodore Maxwell. Theo, this is Fayden Eralith."

Theodore scoffed, "You. Me. Duel. Now."

Fayden blinked, "Uh sure?"

But Theodore had already begun walking towards the arena.

Claire sighed, she really wished he didn't do this to every new member.

The ground tore free of the earth, revolving around Theodore's arms before snapping together in a stone gauntlet.

"Bring out your weapon." He demanded, more than a bit annoyed at how relaxed Fayden was.

"No need." Fayden said, a tint of disappointment in his voice as he walked away. "I have already won."

"Arrogant-" Theodore's voice died in his throat, he couldn't move.

An inch-thick layer of ice covered everything below his neck.

'No, not like this!' He would not be defeated so easily.

A guttural scream tore itself free from his throat, earth mana trembling in his veins as his body vibrated vigorously.

*Crack*

The ice began giving in, cracking and shattering under his force as he left the ground, lunging at his adversary.

Fayden glanced back, noticing the rocky fist coming his way, he raised his hand.

*Boom!*

Theodore remained suspended in the air, shocked his vibration magic had no effect.

Earth mana swirled in Fayden's channels, his own vibration magic cancelling out the burly boy's.

Fayden grinned. "Now that's more like it. You've got some life in you now, don't you?"

Regaining his composure, Theodore focused on his magic once again.

"Hm?" Fayden felt a slight pressure trying to push him down. "Gravity magic, eh? Although this…are you even trying?"

Theodores eyes widened, but his surprise didn't remain for long, "Hah, good you can manage 100x, but what about 1000x?"

"Theo don't! You've never gone that high!" Claire yelled from the sidelines, but Theodore wouldn't listen.

The young Elf narrowed his eyes. "Come."

Mana filled every vein and channel in Fayden's body, and when the spell came, though it was merely for an instant, he only felt a slight pressure, not enough to make him kneel, but enough to make standing difficult.

It didn't matter though, as not even a second later, Theodore dropped like a sack of potatoes.

"Theo!" Claire jumped in, rushing over to her teammate.

"He'll be fine in a few hours, the backlash from the spell hit him hard." Fayden reassured her.

It was then that a knock resounded across the room.

"I'll get that." Claire hurriedly got up, leaving Fayden alone with Theodore's prone form.

Once she was gone and the coast was clear, Fayden got to work. Greenish-black flames washed over Theodore, and even unconscious he relaxed. The healing took effect, and what would normally take him around six hours to recover from, would now only take an hour.

"Allow me to introduce you to our newest member." Claire's voice brought him back to reality.

Fayden turned around, and four newcomers had entered the room.

A dwarf girl almost as tall and bulky as Theodore, her short cut straw-colored hair with a single braid towards the right.

A human with slits for eyes and shoulder length strawberry-blonde hair. Something about his mana signature felt off, and somewhat familiar. Fayden decided to be careful around him.

Lastly, a boy and a girl, siblings by the looks of it. The boy had wild maroon hair, while his sister was adorned with silky black. Fayden knew who they were, he had been informed of the other royal families after all.

"I did not expect to see you here, Prince Fayden." Curtis' face was a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"Likewise Prince Curtis," he turned to face the sister, "Princess Kathyln."

"Please, we are allies now, no need for such titles." Curtis was similar to Fayden in that regard, neither liked being treated differently because of their royal heritage.

"Sure, if you reciprocate in kind." Fayden smirked.

"So you're the twerp." Doradrea walked forward, attempting to be intimidating but faltered upon noticing Theodore on the ground, "Wha-?"

Claire chuckled, "He beat Theo in a duel."

"You did?!" Curtis couldn't mask the shock on his face.

"Didn't break a sweat." Fayden boasted.

"Kekekekeke, interesting. Very interesting." The silent boy finally spoke up, even the way he spoke was creepy.

Fayden perked up, sensing a familiar mana signature headed his way.

'Morning Father.'

'Morning Zeke.'

And if Zeke was there, that only meant…

"I'm coming in!" Nathan's distinct voice came from behind the door, right before he swung it open and stepped inside.

"Ah, there you are!" He exclaimed upon noticing Fayden among the group. "I was wondering where you ran off to."

Fayden shrugged, "I didn't want to wake you up."

"And I thank you for that."

Claire looked between them, "You two know each other?"

Fayden nodded, "We're roommates."

At that moment another knock sounded from the door, the person behind letting themself in soon after.

Fayden's eyes widened, it was a face he knew well.

Feyrith Ivsaar III, the current heir to the Ivsaar family, and one of the only ones which had supported him in the near civil war of Eleanoir.

"Huh? P-Prince Fayden!"

"I told you not to call me that." Fayden deadpanned at him.

Feyrith chuckled, "True, true. I see you've enrolled yourself in the academy; it's no wonder the Director chose to recruit you."

"I'm surprised she chose to recruit you." Fayden grinned coyly.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Fayden only chuckled in response.

.

.

.

Fayden left shortly after; he didn't want to be seen coming out of the DC building. And besides, he wouldn't be walking out with them in the announcement anyway.

Fayden watched from the back row as his sister spoke, inviting the DC members to the stage. He wouldn't lie, it was extremely boring to sit alone, but there was nothing he could do about it, other than making new friends.

He quickly dismissed that thought when he heard their comments about his sister. It seemed he would have to personally 'train' some of the students.

After the presentation, students had the rest of the day free. Classes wouldn't begin until the next day.

The rest of the DC had been ordered to patrol the grounds, and the Student Council had their own responsibilities.

As such, Fayden had time to kill, yet here he was walking aimlessly through the courtyard.

His saving grace came in the form of a woman in her early twenties.

"Excuse me, are you Fayden Eralith?"

Fayden turned, an eyebrow raised, "Yes, and you are?"

"My name is Rena, I've been informed of your status as a member of the Disciplinary Committee, so I'm here to show you the way to the underground training grounds." She spoke in a stiff formality.

Fayden sighed, "Relax, you don't need to be so formal around me."

"Are you sure?"

Fayden nodded.

"Well, follow me then." She turned, heading to the library building, Fayden followed close behind.

There were two entrances in the library building; one to the actual library, the other to a sort of waiting room to all of the training facilities. Opening the entrance to the waiting room, they walked in before arriving at the front desk.

The receptionist there understood the situation as soon as she saw them, or perhaps she had been informed in advance. She brought out a tablet etched with numerous inscriptions, "Please place both your palms on this stone. Make sure all of the tips of your fingers are flat on it."

Following her request, Fayden placed both of his hands on the flat surface. A numbing sensation spread across his hands as the device activated.

"Now that you're registered, you can enter the training facility any time." She informed.

Fayden nodded at her before following the other woman as they approached spmething that looked suspiciously like an elevator.

A scarred spearman guarded the door. It turned out that it was indeed an elevator and Fayden was genuinely impressed by how advanced this world could be at times.

"Here we are! Make sure to remember how to get to your room." She said as the elevator doors opened once more, and they began walking down a hallway.

The doors at the end of the wall piqued Fayden's interest, "How am I supposed to open a door without any handles?"

"If you place either of your palms against the door, it will open automatically. If you need any further assistance, there is a communication device inside where you can contact me. If you are hungry, I can also send someone over to bring you some food." She bowed while waiting for him to open the door.

"Thank you." Fayden said politely, placing his right palm over the gate.

A noise similar to that of a steam engine came from the door as the area around Fayden's palm began glowing, streams of golden light branching off from it. As the light dimmed, the doors slid open, fluid as a well oiled machine.

Fayden blinked in surprise, this was certainly not what he expected. Green grass covered the entire floor, a waterfall descended into a clear pond at one edge, trees grew in the meadow-like space and boulders that stood like titans complete the look.

"I gotta say, I did not expect it to be this beautiful." Fayden commented, but when no answer came, he realized she was gone.

"Ah well, let's see how long it retains its beauty."