23: Sent To The Underground Prison

Evelyn was gently carried towards a spacious healing pool, with a rectangular basin measuring about ten feet in length, six feet in width, and four feet in depth. Filled with a pale green liquid solution, it resembled a serene and inviting bathtub.

As her body submerged into the soothing green liquid solution, a floating green crystal orb above the pool began to emit a radiant glow. The glow enveloped Evelyn, its healing energy penetrating every inch of her being, scrutinizing her body, and mending her wounds. The liquid simmered, creating a hazy mist that swirled around the basin, blocking the view of the others.

After five minutes, the glow of the orb dimmed and the greenish mist dispersed, revealing Evelyn still unconscious in the pool. However, the marks and bruises that marred her skin before had vanished, leaving behind a radiant, velvety complexion. Her beauty seemed to intensify under the faint glow of the orb, her wet black hair cascading across the green liquid's surface.

Cedric stood there, his gaze fixed on the damsel before him. It was as if he had never truly seen her beauty until that moment.

"Hey, you can go now. Come back to check on them later," the healer interrupted, noticing Cedric's captivated state and redirecting his wandering mind to the infirmary.

"Okay... I hope she will be okay?" Cedric asked, his concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, she will probably improve even more after a few more minutes," reassured the healer. Her gaze shifted to Cedric, who still seemed dazed as he looked at Evelyn.

"Uhmm, okay! But what about carrying her back to the bed? Don't you need my help?" Cedric inquired.

"No, I have other junior healers here. They're not around at the moment, but they'll be back soon..." she said. As she spoke, a low shriek came from one of the nearby beds.

The sound came from where Elvis was lying, and the two rushed over to check his condition.

By the time they arrived, Elvis had regained consciousness and was sitting up in bed. He rubbed the back of his hand against his eyes, and memories of the recent events began to flood his mind.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay now?" The healer asked, her concern evident. Elvis nodded in response.

Satisfied that he was fine, she left the two boys to attend to other patients.

Although marks and bruises still marred Elvis's body from the lightning bolts, he had already begun to recover. Perhaps he had been healed internally during his time unconscious.

"What happened? How did you manage to save me from that scoundrel!?" Elvis's voice seethed with anger, as a deep hatred brewed within him.

"Hey... Calm down first... Before I tell you how you were rescued from that 'battlefield,' you need to tell me what you and your sister did to provoke Wilson like this..." Cedric interjected, trying to diffuse Elvis's fury.

"E-Eve-Evelyn was hurt too? She wasn't there when it started... Where is she now?" Elvis interrupted Cedric, his concern for his sister evident. Cedric pointed toward the healing pool, where Evelyn was still immersed.

"She is being treated. She was in a worse condition than you when I brought you both here... Once she's out, you'll also be immersed in the rejuvenation solution," Cedric explained.

Elvis proceeded to recount the events that led to the fight. When he finished, Cedric shared his own account of arriving at their location after hearing a scream and finding them both unconscious.

"That bastard did this to her," Elvis seethed with anger. "I had promised Evelyn that I would protect her from bullies, but it seems the opposite is the case. She was the one who came to my aid."

Seeing that Elvis had regained consciousness, Cedric excused himself to check on Zoya and the progress of the fight. As he left, Elvis staggered towards the healing pool, kneeling beside the basin and tenderly stroking his sister's hair. Hot tears streamed down his face as he made a vow to become even stronger in order to protect his beloved sister.

—— — ——

A female teacher and a group of four students stood in front of the headmaster's office door. Among the four students, only one was a girl.

"Four of you can go in now," Mrs. Xora said, motioning for them to enter the office. She then turned around and left them there.

Wilson was the first to open the door and step inside with an air of nobility, followed by the other three students. Zoya was the last to enter.

As they entered, the headmaster's gaze slowly lifted from the book on his table, sending chills down their spines.

"You four are the ones causing commotion in the department," he addressed them, his voice carrying an intimidating tone. The students nodded in response. "Do you know why I have summoned you here?"

Silence filled the room as none of them dared to speak in the presence of the imposing figure of the headmaster.

But it seemed that their silence had exacerbated the situation, as the headmaster unleashed a terrifying pressure that forced them to kneel, struggling against the invisible force that weighed them down.

"Sir! I know w-why. We fought inside the department... It violated the rules and regulations of our academy," Zoya managed to speak out, her voice trembling.

As she spoke, the pressure subsided, allowing them to stand upright. Their legs felt weak and their faces were covered in sweat.

They knew they could have used their elemental abilities to conjure barriers and reduce the pressure, but they didn't dare attempt it in front of the headmaster, fearing he would make the pressure even more unbearable.

"So you were aware of the rules, yet you decided to act recklessly. Not to mention, it was your first day of tutorials, and a teacher was interrupted during her class," the headmaster's voice carried a hint of anger. "Who started it all?"

The others who were not present during the initial altercation turned their heads towards Wilson.

"It was him!" Troy spoke up, pointing at Wilson. "We intervened to save our friends who were beaten unconscious by him... We didn't intend to fight against him, but he wouldn't let us leave with the ones we wanted to protect." Troy's audacity to speak so casually before the revered headmaster surprised Zoya, who stood beside him, flashing him a glance as if asking with her eyes, "Did you really call them "your friends"?'

Mr. Timberley, although not a Zeccammon, was aware of the genius of the Zeccammons. However, he cared less about it. He was a man who believed that respect is earned, not inherited. As he looked at the arrogant young student, the lines on his wrinkled face deepened.

"The four of you have violated the academy's third rule, and you will be punished accordingly." As his words sank in, Zoya couldn't help but shudder. She was already aware of the punishment that awaited them, having read the academy's rules and regulations. They were to be sent to the underground prison for two nights as their penalty.

"However, because you are still first-year students and today was your first class, I will reduce the punishment to just one night in the underground prison," the headmaster declared.

After delivering the verdict, he turned his attention back to his paperwork.

A second-year student entered the office and led the four students to the underground prison, where they would serve their punishment.

—— — ——

Wilson, Steve, Zoya, and Troy found themselves in the dimly lit outer section of the underground prison, where the punishments were relatively less severe compared to the inner sections.

The air was stale, and the walls were cold and damp.

Wilson chose to sit alone at one edge of the room, his stern expression reflecting his annoyance with their predicament. Steve embraced his solitude, lost in his own thoughts. Zoya decided to sit close to Troy. She was curious about who Troy was to her roommate. A boyfriend? She smiled when this thought crossed her mind because, to her, it was highly probable since he protected Evelyn.

She turned to Troy and asked in a low voice. "Do you know Evelyn and Elvis before? Are they really your friends?"

Troy, unwilling to reveal his true intention of protecting Evelyn, as he cannot allow these guys to become aware of the special mission entrusted to him. He flashed a mischievous grin and turned to Zoya. "Well, I only met Evelyn today in the fire elemental section, but let me tell you, she is absolutely stunning. I couldn't let such a damsel suffer at the hands of a certain fool."

Zoya, disappointed in his response, distanced herself from him. "What a flirtatious idiot!," she muttered.

Wilson's frustration reached a breaking point when he heard Troy call him a 'fool'. With a surge of electricity, he launched a lightning attack towards Troy. However, his impulsive action triggered the mana-draining mechanism embedded in the outer section of the prison.

An invisible force siphoned the lightning attack and engulfed all four of them, rapidly depleting their mana. Their bodies went limp, collapsing to the ground as their elemental energy was sapped away. The room fell into an eerie silence, except for the faint sound of water dripping from the moist ceiling.

Panic and fear spread across Zoya's face. "You ignorant bastard. Don't you know that using your elemental abilities here will activate this fucking thing to drain us?" she shouted intensely, glaring at Wilson as she struggled to move her weakened body.

The four students lay on the cold stone floor, drained of any trace of mana in their bodies. They will probably spend the night here like this.