Three cute oldies

Arthur Caucel was pacing back and forth in the small room where a dozen mages were constraining him. The room felt crowded and many young mages, still wet behind the ears, were fidgeting, shifting from one position to another endlessly. The atmosphere was thick with anger and resentment, it was stifling and even to veteran mages felt uneasy.

Thanks to the ancient formations in each room, activated and maintained by several groups of mages taking turn every couple of hours, they were able, if barely, to keep the three fighting mages in check. It was all they could do to prevent the three of them from jumping down one another's throat or even literally going for the throat, going straight back to their battle. The damages near the Magic Academy's entrance and on the surrounding buildings were huge and it was notwithstanding the multiple magic barriers scores of mages had erected in a hurry. Usually, such high-level and highly-destructive fight took place in a deserted land or in the sky, on flying Spirit Beasts captured and raised as pets or familiars.

Although the three of them were mages from the Selnan Empire, they had been wrecking havoc due to a personal feud. Therefore, the Emperor was sure to demand compensation. However, it seemed to be the least of their worries, as many – if not all – mages looked down on people without any magic abilities. Nobody cared about mundane power when powerful magic could very well annihilate everything. It was a miracle and a blessing that there seemed to be no casualties for now. The tremors on the ground shook the whole capital and other aftereffects were expected, such as damaged building collapsing and so on. Maddened mages blinded by wrath could definitely not be let loose. It was a matter of life and death for the average citizens.

Except for the three prisoners, still seething in rage, the mages were serious and focused. They knew all too well that even with the help of the formation, they wouldn't stand a chance if one of their powerful prisoners suddenly went out of control and attacked the formation. Even though they were tense, being on duty to guard Arthur Caucel was still way better than the other two.

The three rooms were connected. The door between Caucel's prison and Soon-Yi's was wide open. It seemed to reassure Sir Arthur to see that Soon-Yi was energetic and that her injuries did not reopen. Even if he had done his best to heal her, the best of his abilities was not enough to keep her confined in her bed to rest. No sleeping pills, potions or spells of his could overcome her strong will and moreover, he did not wish to upset her. Rather than being afraid, he had to admit that he was a softy and he had an obvious soft spot for the Great Mage Soon-Yi.

Ever since he saw her again after such a long time apart, his unrequited love had been rekindled and even his reason and logical mind couldn't withstand his burning passion. He knew Soon-Yi and Cheng Hu had been enemies for eons. Even before they reunited in Selnan imperial court, when Soon-Yi arrived with Xian in tow to enroll as court mage. Cheng Hu was the Great Mage at that time, but he had been powerless to stop Soon-Yi's rise to power.

Although he looked like a spry and good-natured grand-father, Arthur Caucel was actually the youngest of the three. Who knew what had happened between the two older mages for them to hold such a deeply-rooted grudge towards each other ? Many things could have aggravated their relationships along the way, not many mages were powerful enough to survive several centuries. Somewhere at the back of his mind, Arthur Caucel knew that if he flew into a rage at the mere sight of Cheng Hu, it was not only because the latter wanted to kill his beloved Soon-Yi but also out of jealousy.

Deep in his heart, however, he knew where he stood, that is he had been friend-zoned for years and feared that the wound in his heart had festered. He was a coward, he never dared to ask Soon-Yi why she hated, even loathed, her predecessor. Sir Arthur knew for a fact that she had done everything in her power to take Chen Hu's highly acclaimed status as Great Mage. She had worked very hard to get back at him but the reason behind her scheme still remained unclear.

Aside from pacing, biting his nails, mumbling and over-thinking, the confinement location dedicated to Arthur Caucel was quite peaceful. However, the group of mages guarding him were still on pins and needles and utterly and stubbornly silent. They felt that a single wrong word could stir up a hornet's nest. Obviously, there were no threat more dangerous than these three mages. And even the youngest mage of the Academy knew not to judge a book by its cover. Sir Arthur seemed to be as hot-blooded as any other when someone stepped on his landmine, willingly or not.

By contrast, Soon-Yi's room was quite noisy. Even within the formation and with several barriers around her, Soon-Yi still managed to throw the place in chaos. Pieces of furniture were constantly hurled towards the door separating her from Cheng Hu. The whole room was a total mess, dust and splinters flying in every direction. Her usual cool and collected demeanor had disappeared. She was even bellowing and yelling insults and curses that could put any foul-mouthed delinquent to shame.

Both Arthur Caucel and Cheng Hu were not surprised in the least. They knew first hand about Soon-Yi double-sided character, she was a complex woman who lived far too long. The other mages had no time to feel confused. It was all they could do to remain unscathed and maintain the formation. Whereas a dozen mages were enough to keep Arthur Caucel or Cheng Hu in their respective rooms, Soon-Yi alone required more than twice that number. That her lifelong enemy dared to touch her Xian and sully him with his filthy magic was unbearable, unacceptable, unforgivable. She just couldn't calm down.

Had she been fighting fit, she would have already blasted this whole place – the revered Magic Academy or not, she couldn't care less. How dare they, these ants and would-be mages, confine her mighty self ? She raged to be unable to thrash Cheng Hu, but in the midst of her boiling anger, she kept a sliver of awareness, just enough to worry over Xian's whereabouts. She had seen her son with a petite woman who didn't seem to be Wei Lin. Soon-Yi didn't recognize Xian's companion and this worried her even more. She felt anxious and a bit jealous as well.

For a split second, Soon-Yi had been relieved to see Xian alive and kicking and the next instant, she was already seeing red when she recognized Cheng Hu. Nothing else but anger could reach her ever since. Even though she hoped Xian could take care of himself, now that his magic powers were somewhat under control, she felt guilty for letting him go by himself once more. He was still only fourteen after all, barely a toddler compared to the hundreds of years she lived before he was even born. Even if she had pledged to the former queen of Aliker, Xian's mother and Soon-Yi's benefactor, that she would keep him alive and she would protect him, Soon-Yi felt inadequate as a mother and it both angered and saddened her.

In the third room, aside from the glow of magic elements fueling the formation, only a single candle near Cheng Hu lit the book he was reading. He sat on the floor, as the furniture was used as weapons against Soon-Yi's antics. He couldn't cast any attacking spell due to the restraining formation but throwing the crockery and then the furniture towards Soon-Yi was rewarding in itself and almost harmless compared to the battle before. Contrary to Soon-Yi, he had calmed down and only used his remaining magic to send a couple of chairs, when the door opened to let the mages be relieved. It was his way to tease her, keeping everyone on edge, as he had no more anger to vent. It really looked more and more like an old couple's bickering and an evil smile appeared on his lips.

Actually, he felt a bit old to throw a tantrum but liked very much to mess with his fellow mages, and most of all Soon-Yi. At this age, he deserved to be self-indulgent once in a while and yield to his mischievous side with guilty pleasure.

True, he hated her to the core but knew when to stop. He would not engage in pointless struggles with Soon-Yi and basically, he knew he was no match for her. She was just so fun to bully and she had been the one who attacked first, in any case. She blew everything around him on sight, regardless of the other people, even her son. How rude could the woman be ? He had been the Great Mage of Selnan long before her ! She really ought to know her place.

Even if he could not teach her a lesson, he was really unwilling to let her have her ways. However, right now, he was only keeping Soon-Yi entertained by sending a few pieces of furniture and pressurizing the mages guarding him. His main concern was elsewhere.

Cheng Hu had his book opened, seemingly reading its content with interest. But in reality, his mind was following Xian, thanks to the spell he cast on him a few hours before. Cheng Hu's brow was slightly furrowed, otherwise, his face was expressionless. He had long mastered the art of concealing his worries behind a facade. Even though few people dared to scheme against a powerful mage, he didn't want his mind to be read so easily. Centuries of dissimulation had sharpened his control over his facial muscles and people knew to fear his occasional frowns and scowls as real threats.

His open book showed a map of the Selnan Empire and a tiny blinking spot on the map, heading South. The flickering light was not very bright, this was the reason why he asked to keep the lights in the room as dim as possible. Moreover, it flickered very slowly, only every ten to fifteen minutes. When the magic elements gathered by Xian and concealed by the spell on his headband were dispersed periodically in a flash, the spot on Cheng Hu's map lit up for a split second as well.

The wait and the monitoring was unnerving. The spot didn't move much since the map was small, thus according to the scale of the map, the smallest move was a significant distance in reality. Moreover, the blinking was irregular, from ten to fifteen minutes but it could be five minutes as well and it only flickered once. Cheng Hu feared he would miss the moment but he knew that he could not keep this type of monitoring up. The spell seemed to be working for now, maybe he could spend an hour or so to confirm the location once or twice a day. It would be consistent with Xian's speed since the beginning of Cheng Hu's scrutiny.

Then, all of a sudden, the map itself burst into flames. Startled, Cheng Hu let his book fall on his lap, closed. The mages in the room, who were starting to feel a bit bored, were shocked as well and started a commotion. They thought Cheng Hu was quietly reading but he had been using magic on this map to cast spell ? What was happening ? What had he done ?

Cheng Hu was oblivious of the other mages' fears. They couldn't do anything to him. And of course he wouldn't do anything to them either, as he had other more pressing matters on his mind. He hurriedly reopened his book, turning the pages frantically until he reached the correct, burnt map. He heaved a sigh, this magic book was one of his precious enchanted tools. Even though it was not a powerful artifact, he liked to use it. He could easily restore the burnt part of the map, it was only a small spot located right on the capital location. It had been an impressive and sudden burst of flame, but the book was only slightly damaged. However, what could cause such a manifestation ?

Just as he tried to figure out the reason, an alarm resounded in the whole compound. The Imperial Palace was under attack. The commotion quickly spread in the three underground chambers. The people outside seemed to be safe for now but a dragon was starting to wreck havoc on the already heavily damaged buildings. All the mages hurried outside and Soon-Yi, Cheng Hu and Arthur Caucel followed them.

But they were too late. The dragon's flames had already reduced numerous buildings to ashes and ruins.