Volume 1 Chapter 5: First Mission

Belson stared down at Satoru with eyes that were void of sympathy or care for life. His dagger floated above the fellow student aimed towards his skull, all without Belson lifting a finger. "It'd be best to answer me. I've done worse for less. What are you?" Satoru struggled to lift his head and stare into the eyes of the cold man. He lowered his head and smirked as his shaking stopped and his struggle disappeared. With ease Satoru stood himself up, his clothes pulling towards the ground. He stared into the eyes of Belson as the giant sword leaning against his wall began to gently glow a yellow light, but only enough to brighten the wall it leaned against. The heat of the area rose drastically, forcing Belson to cast a cooling spell just to be able to bare it.

"What am I? Nothing man. Just another student... but I'll say this. I personally don't care much for anybody here. Be it you, Serathin, Gonzo, Alkavoz, or any of the other students. You don't know what the real world is really like. You don't know war like I do. You don't understand the things mages go through on a daily basis. To me you're all insignificant children playing magicians, too weak and brittle to call yourself even adolescents. At any time of the day I could easily wipe out any of you three like I snapping a toothpick with a mountain." He raised his leg and stomped on the ground, breaking the magical circle with ease, something Belson had never seen. "A spell caster has nothing against a real mage. You're just mimicking what true power really is. All three of you put together wouldn't be able to make me use even 5 percent of what I'm really capable of. And that's being generous."

"Again you're lying. Ever since you came back your mana has been lowering constantly, even though this morning it was rising. You have no control over it, do you? Otherwise you'd obviously just make yourself stronger and stronger until you were invincible. At this rate by sundown you'll be no weaker than a normal person. You'll have basically no mana by that point, will you?" Satoru and Belson stared eachother down, the tension building greater and greater by the second. "You're only strong at certain times. At night you're like bug to us, so I wouldn't go around talking highly like you're some almighty god when you have a weakness." This comment only made the tension greater.

Satoru opened his palm out to Belson and the heat grew more and more rapidly. The other students were verbally complaining about it and Belson had to cast further Cooling spells just to bare with standing still. "Come on Spellcaster... don't tell me a little warmth is too much for your cold, brittle body. Where'd the big words go? I haven't even made an actual flame yet. Not even a little one."

"HEY!" Yelled a man from the hallway. Satoru closed his fist and disabled his heat entirely. The sword against the wall stopped glowing and Belson looked over to find Master Kazin standing there. Belson looked back at Satoru and walked away from the situation to his own room on the floor above. Kazin walked over and gave Satoru a death stare. He knew he was in big trouble. "No magic in the dorms. No fights in the dorms. Those are the rules. I don't care who you are or where you came from, you'll be punished as anyone else."

"But Master we didn't even do anything. All I did was use some heat, that's it. Not even a small ember was made."

"And yet he was forced to use cooling spells just to be able to stand. The other students will have sever sunburns from it and it could even be worse for the students nearby your room. We have to dispatch healers to ensure everyone's okay. So for causing a ruckus- Downstairs. Now!" Kazin would discipline Satoru with intense physical and mana exercises that would quickly bring him to his breaking point. Kazin even did them with him, and was perfectly fine. "Run faster! If I beat you it's another hour!" The punishment lasted for 7 hours, all the way till nearing midnight. Kazin wasn't exhausted in the slightest, while Satoru was beaten so bad that another healer needed to be there just for him. He was relieved and was told to write a 10 page essay by hand and still be at his first class at 7am. "Never.... Never again. Gods help the next who have to experience that..."

The next week went by smoothly with only minor bumps towards the groups team-building exercises. Satoru and Belson were at an indifference towards one another and while Serathin and Gonzo were able to easily connect it was harder to do so with the other two. Belson was distant, quiet, cold and sometimes judgmental. Satoru viewed the group as weak children and cared very little for their struggle. He was a bit of an asshole, but there were moments when he'd try to be nicer to everyone and be a team player. It was obvious that these 4 had a lot of work to do before they'd be able to actually be considered a team rather than a group.

On their 8th day of studies they were pulled into Master Kazins office and sat down for a brief. "Alright you know-nothings- whose ready for a mission?" Gonzo instantly rose his hand as high as he could. Serathin raised his as well but more natural and regular. Belson made a slight nod while Satoru stared out the window. "Well I don't care either way. You're first mission will be one easy for your ranks. You'll be boated out to the island of Sherin. There you will conduct reconnaissance and deliver reports on any strange findings you come across. The last 3 groups of mages sent were unable to contact us within only a few hours, by nightfall. You will remain undetected at all costs. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir" they all said in humble unison.

"Good. We've received reports that the dictator of the island is tyrannical and has begun doing public executions on people of all ages, including children and the elderly. She's began destroying the island for whatever reason. We've word of 4 generals under her. We don't know who they are or what they are capable of, but they are recorded to be anywhere from Silver to Crystal rank. That's why this is strictly a scout and report mission. You must avoid combat with these people at all costs. You're boat will leave in 2 hours. Better hurry."

As the group made their way towards the pier their boat is waiting, Gonzo decided to engage conversation with everyone. "So!... I say we properly give ourselves a chance to get to know one another. I already know Serathin so Belson, tell us a bit about yourself. Where ya from?" Belson responded with cold silence and a deep lack of interest. "...okay then. Satoru, what about you?" Satoru turned to Gonzo and looked him up and down.

"You're from Drummond Chofts Baug, right? Helluva place to live."

"Yeah I am! And it's not all bad, but it has its moments. The creatures are very friendly when you get to know them. We'd play tag all the time and roughhouse and we loved wrestling. Their the best!"

"... pretty sure they were just trying to kill you. But still, being able to live there as a Silver Mage is no joke. I'm honestly surprised you were able to live there for so long."

"Yeah. If any of you were there as long as I was you'd been dead for sure." Then everyone together said in unison "unlikely". Gonzo chuckled it off and left the group in an awkward silence for a brief time. Satoru exhaled and turned his head to Gonzo. "I'm from Donova. Atleast that's where I was originally from. After my parents passed away me and my brother were exiled and became nothing more than simple street beggars. Once I developed my magic I used it to get us some money with shows and brief spars. Afterwards me and my brother traveled the world and witnessed and learned all that we could. I haven't seen him for some time now, but I know he's alive. He's a great kid and I just hope I'll be able to see him again one day."

"Damn that kinda sucks. But hey you got travel the world huh? I know I wasn't able to do that." Said Gonzo. Serathin tuned into the conversation as well as Belson.

"I'm from Velior. Don't really have much else." Serathin said. "I've been a gladiator as long as I can remember. Our lords would throw us into the ring and, sometimes, you'd be forced to fight to the death. Honestly I'm just glad I managed to get out of there... but I want to go back to free the rest of them. Velior... it's a horrible place for anyone not of noble blood."

Belson hummed for a second before choosing to say one brief sentence. "I'm from Kopency."

"The country up north? No wonder you dress warm" said Gonzo. "What's it like up there?"

"Cold. Dry. Unforgiving. Ruthless. The average lifespan is around 30 years of age." He replied. Gonzo remained silent out of a lack of response. Gonzo thought to himself "These guys have totally different vibes than I do. Something bad has happened to all of them. I feel really bad for them but it kinda sucks how distant they all are. I glad I've gotten to become friends with Serathin, but the other two are just so different. Working with them is going to be difficult to say the least"

The group quickly arrived at the Valkaas Continental Pier. They were instructed to find a contact in white robes by the name of Sielus. He'd be waiting for them by their transport. The pier was the largest in the continent of Volkān and made it very difficult to find their exact contact to get to Sherin. As they walked around the pier they came around a certain bandit trying to mug a family in the alley between two buildings. Belson took the step first and stared directly at the man. "You all go look for Sielus, I'll be with you shortly." Serathin chuckled, along with Gonzo maintaining a laugh. "That's guys screwed"

While the others went searching around the pier, Belson approached the thin male wielding a dagger and had already prepared multiple spells. "Excuse me, sir. I'll ask you nicely to leave this family alone." A mother protected her two young children behind her while the man stopped his approach and turned to Belson. "Oh my, we got ourselves a hero, people. What are you, Bronze? Silver? Your mana readings are way to low to be anything else. I'll have you know I'm-"

"Crystal. Yes I can very clearly tell. So I'll ask again one last time... leave this family alone. It would behoove you to do this simple task before thing get ugly."

"My what a very cocky and arrogant fool you are to step up to someone two whole ranks above you. Your senses are sharp but that's about it. I clearly surpass you in every other category."

"Well then... prove it."

The bandit chuckled before his dagger grew bright and began emitting lightning. "You're dead, punk!" He charged at Belson full speed and was only able to make it halfway to him before he froze in the air. Not with ice or restrictions spells but it was as if he was frozen in time. "You're free to go now." Belson told the mother. "I'm very sorry this happened to you, but I'm glad you're unharmed." The woman grabbed her children and ran as fast as they could out of the alley. Belson looked at the Bandit as he floated in the air and snapped his fingers. The Bandit moved an inch forward and was felt a barrage of invisible, powerful physical attacks that knocked him around from wall to wall like a rag doll. Belson watched him and chuckled before snapping his fingers, releasing the bandit from this prison of attacks. He fell to the ground and, luckily, his head broke his fall. The bandit slowly caught his breath before strugglingly making it onto his hands and knees. Belson walked over to the man and stared down at his with murderous intent in his eyes. If the man made another advancement he wouldn't hesitate to kill this man painfully, and the bandit knew that just by his eyes.

"Crystal, you say? My my, very impressive. But that entire system means nothing to me. Rank is useless in my presence. Don't you understand that now? It doesn't matter what rank you are or what your mana readings are. To me it's all as simple to predict and overpower as reciting the alphabet. Rank. Means. Nothing." Belson turned around and began walking away before a dagger came out of his cloak and floated towards the man. "Consider this a warning." The dagger guided itself towards the bandit and sliced vertically over his left eye. The man screamed in pain and completely fell to the floor while the dagger retreated to Belsons body. "Good day."

Meanwhile the other three were making there way around the pier looking for the contact, Sielus. "You think that guys gonna be okay? Belson seemed a little more upset than usual seeing him tryna rob that family" said Gonzo.

"Honestly there's no telling with him. We haven't known him for long but he seems less restricted in the idea of harming someone if he gets the chance." Said Serathin. Satoru replied with a short hum and remained silent. Serathin wondered why the guy seemed so distant and cocky a majority of the time. He simply thoght he believed he was better than them, and after a quick scan of his mana he could understand why. He seemed stronger now than when he did the entrance exam and the rank evaluation. His readings were never the same at any point of the day.

They finally saw a man off in the distance with a small wooden ship, dressed in white robes and looking rather elderly. Must be Sielus. They walked over and Satoru sparked the conversation. "Are you the one called Sielus?"

"Yes I am. You must be the group Lord Kazin mentioned. I had no hesitation the moment I saw his face, taking you out to the island. Under most other circumstances I would've quickly declined. I was told there would be 4 of you however."

"He'll be with us soon. Found himself taking care of a bandit in an alley. We thought it was best to let him have his fun."

Gonzo: "So what's the place called? Seralin? Shermonin? Serious?.... Wait no that's not right-"

Sielus: "It's Sherin. A large island a days journey from here. You're lucky the weather has chose for smooth sailings. Otherwise we might not make it there at all. Once your friend arrives we will set off right away."

Shortly after, Belson made his way to the group silent as ever. "Did you kill him?" Serathin asked. Belson gave him a brief look in his eyes and walked onto the boat. "Alright, let's depart!" The ship was untied from the pier and quickly set off. Sielus used a form of wind magic to allow the ship to sail at faster speeds. Everyone made their way down inside the ship and found a place to rest until the morning. Soon night had filled upon the world and both Gonzo and Serathin were fast asleep. Gonzo sprawled upside down on a table and Serathin sitting properly in a bench with his arms crossed. Belson noticed Satoru was nowhere to be found downstairs and went to search for him. He walked upstairs and saw him standing against the railing, looking up at the stars. He walked over beside him and joined in his stargazing.

"You're mana readings are low. Lower than I've ever seen them. It's strange... during the day your readings are constantly fluctuating between horrendously high and continuing to rise, and sometimes it's consistently declining. What the hell is your deal? Right now their stable but lower than a regular civilian."

"...Belson if I tell you I ask you don't tell anyone else. I also ask you remove all the pre-prepared spells you've made since what I'm about to tell you may make you try to kill me and honestly I'd rather see Sherin."

"..." Belson disposed of his spells and brought his hands into the railings so he could see if Belson was preparing another spell. "If it's that big of a deal then why are you at the Academy? Why are the House leaders letting you stay around all of us?"

".... I use what's known as Sun Magic." Belsons eyes widened and he even gripped the railing harder.

"S-Sun Magic?!..."

"So I'm guessing you've heard of it." He said to Belson.

"Where I'm from we aren't particularly fond of conventional magic. We learned about all the different kinds growing up and Sun Magic was one of them. One of the most powerful and dangerous types of magic. So undesired around others it nearly became a Forbidden type of Magic. As the sun rises the user gets stronger and stronger, faster and faster by the second until noon. As the sun lowers they will gradually get weaker until the night, in which they became basically powerless.... Yeah I've heard of it."

"I never asked for this kind of power. It caused me and my brother to be exiled since the nobles didn't want me around. Granted at that time I didn't know how to control it, but we were still kids. It's led me into a life of hardship and caused me to fight a lot of battles I'd rather not have fought. When your born with power your open to opportunity, but it can greatly effect those around you negatively. Belson... you never heard this from me, alright? I don't want the others or anyone else to know. Once news gets out there's another Sun Magic user disaster will quickly follow behind it. Can I trust you?"

Belson understood the power and danger of sun Magic more than most people would begin to fathom. He knew what it could do, even at noon. He thought killing Satoru was the best option. The safest way. The only way to protect the others... but they were teammates. They had to atleast try to keep things in order. "Yeah... I don't even know what you're talking about. You sound like a mad-man." He turned around and began walking towards the stairs to the inside of the ship. "You should get some rest soon. We'll arrive in the morning."

Satoru watched him walk off and looked back up at the stars, staring at the brightest one he could find. "Hey Dad... keep watching over Takashi for me. I hope he's alright.

Meanwhile back at the Academy, Kazin and Ampharos met up to discuss the new students. "Well Mr.Kazin it's time for your first counseling of your newest students. First let's start off with Gonzo, shall we?"

"Of course, GrandMaster. Gonzo Dracu'ul. Age 17. Raised in Drummond Chofts Baug. Magic: Enhanced Fire. His senses seem to have been enhanced in order to better adapt to his lifestyle considering where he grew up, and they're easily the sharpest in the entire House. Blindfolded and deafened he was able to dodge multiple projectiles moving at high speeds with ease. Not much else is known about him, though we do know he has a strange blood type that the lab is still looking into incase he is connected to any sort of other species."

"Belson. No last name. Age 19. Raised in the mountain of Kopency. Magic: Unknown. We are unable to determine what current Magic he has within him, though he does primarily cast spells rather than resort to traditional magic. He tends to show darker tendencies and has a lack of regard for his fellow students and the staff. We always have a close eye on him 24 hours of the day in case he tries to do any serious harm towards any other individual in the academy."

"My what an unruly student. Do keep him under surveillance, Kazin."

"Satoru Yamada. Son of the late Iwata Yamada. Age: 18. Raised in Donova among the Nobles. Magic: Sun Magic. As the son of the late Alexandrite Iwata Yamada, he is gifted naturally with prolific mana pools and blessed with natural talent. He a prodigy in armed combat, a master tactician, and when it comes to battle he is unmatched currently as far as direct peers go. As a user of Sun Magic his levels of strength and power are always changing so it's impossible to actually properly train him since sometimes he's the weakest in the house and other times he could challenge and even overpower Alkavoz. We make sure he's dismissed during the hours of 1100-1300 due to his magic."

"Iwata was a great man. Strong, kind, good-hearted, and he always fought for those who couldn't. He was what encouraged most people to attend the Academy. I do pray his son will live up to his name."

"Finally, Serathin Ezranor. Age: 18. Family unknown. He tactically uses his basic Water and Lightning magic, which we expect to soon evolve. Was born in Valkaas as the heir to the throne but after the Attack of Jarnil he was kidnapped and taken to Velior. He seems to have been forced into the Gladiators ring, escaping death numerous times. He shows no knowledge of his heritage and has little knowledge of Valkaas. We suspect a memory wipe."

"Serathin... poor lad. We did everything we could in the battle all those years ago. You personally were assigned to protect the royal castle. I know how you felt after the knowledge of his kidnapping was released. Kazin- do not worry about that mistake. He is here now and assigned directly under you as a student. We will not press on about the past, but rather focus on the future and do everything in our power to help that boy. This is your chance to redeem yourself."

".... Yes Grandmaster..."

The other Adamantium mages shortly entered, including a sixth mage not yet seen before. He was much older than the other mages, around Ampharos' age. This was Kakuna Fuyuro. The eldest Adamantium mage and the current eldest active mage in the organization. They all sat down at the large round table and looked at Ampharos. "Good evening. You're likely wondered why I've gathered you all here."

"As you know the Cult of Eridanus has begun to make their moves around the continent. It seems they've spread worldwide and are slowly beginning to get closer to bringing that man back from the dead."

Hendricks interrupted. "So what if he's brought back from the dead? Any of us could easily take him on. It's not like he will be brought back with everything from the Elder Days. I'd enjoy seeing what he would be capable of myself."

"Unfortunately, Hendricks, we cannot allow it to get so far. The records we have from back then describe his power beyond all our imagination. Even the gods, even the Elder Dragons, hid away from him to avoid his might. It would be reckless of us to let him walk this world, amongst this realm once again."

Azazel spoke up. "Master it was my understanding that he wasn't just simply killed. Even such a fate as that was not enough to stop him. I thought his entire essence was destroyed, body, soul, mana and all. How could you even reverse such a thing?"

"Ms.Flamel, you forget who we are dealing with here. This cult is utilizing the mana stream in ways we've never quite predicted or even seen before. And while every aspect of his essence was destroyed, it seems that even that might no be enough. Upon further research we discovered that it's likely, due to his abilities, there there is still a minor speck of his presence and effect within the mana stream. That alone would be enough to create a platform for the complete reconstruction of his existence. Even now, after all these millennia, he still poses a threat to our realm."

Kazin stood up and stared down all his fellow mages and his Master. "I don't know about you guys but I don't plan on letting a catastrophe event like this happening while I'm around. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to let myself die before it happens. This cult is only strong in numbers. We are the strongest, most powerful and decorated mages this world has to offer. We are the only ones that we can allow to stop these people. If we don't then the fate of the entire world and even this realm itself is going to be thrown down a path of unfathomable destruction. This is simple! Either we hang up our duty and walk away or we do what we do best. Fight, protect and save?"

Kakuna stood up, stretching out his back. "Well I've made it this far without going to judgment day. Let's see if these oof bones got any kick left in them."

Next was Valentine. "I swore I'd never let any of my family in harms way. To me you're all my family, as well as the rest of humanity. Of course I'm in, without a doubt!"

Up next was Nick. "Mhm." A man of few words with a thousand meaning.

Next Azazel stood up. "God damnit, Mr.Hero. I've stayed by your side since we both started out as kids. I ain't left then and I ain't leaving now. You know you got me."

Finally, Hendricks. However, unlike everyone else, Hendricks remained seated. His mysterious smile on his face, his fingers interlocked beneath his chin, supporting his head.

"Hendricks. Are you in, or out?" Said Kazin.

"Hmmm... well the way I see it, if he does get brought back, me staying will be the only way I'll be able to kill him myself. It's truly a sore thing to know. I'd much rather be a freelancer, but we can't all get what we want now can we." Hendricks stood up, turned around, and walked out the room. "You've got me in, Kazin. But if he gets brought back and I find myself with him.... No one better try and stop me from my fun." The doors clashed behind him, leaving the rest in the room together.

"Very well. You are all my most trusted mages and you have every ounce of my faith. You'll receive your mission details soon. Dismissed."