Chapter Six

"Your control and creativity in the combinations of your spells are excellent. As long as you stay cautious and know your limits, you will have a great future ahead of you, Mr. Wykes. I think it is safe to say that you can be placed into B-class. Do you agree, George?" She turned to the augmenters' examiner.

He gave a simple shrug in response, indicating he had no problems with it.

Whatever wrongful actions Lucas had accused the examiner of seemed to have disappeared into thin air as Lucas, once again, wore a smug grin at the final outcome.

"Woah!"

"Another little monster!"

"Damn, I just want to go home!"

"What is with today's crowd?"

The few members of the audience all cried out and complained in envy, as some of the other audience members that have already taken the exam murmured excitedly amongst their peers.

"What did you blundering apes expect? Did you guys think I was on your level?" Lucas taunted aloud as he dusted off his robe.

He made his way back to his seat before the examiner, who wasn't even tired, switched places with the augmenter examiner named George.

The scarred man got up, stretching his body like a lazy cat. Casually high-fiving the other examiner as he walked past her, he stared at his notes.

"Next examinee, Luna! Please come down!" He bellowed without looking up.

A girl stood up lazily, making her way down the stairs as she took one calculated step at a time. Locks of black hair with gunmetal streaks fell on her blank white mask, her emerald eyes glistening in a vibrant hue. Her stride was confident, every step brimming with sheer strength and vigour.

Making her way down her gaze surveyed the whole arena. Her long ears perked as she heard scoffs and words dipped in mockery,

"A little girl...."

"The girl thinks she's cool."

"She pretty tho–"

"A masked midget."

She sighed, her shoulder slumping for a brief moment. Taking in a deep breath she straightened her back. A surge of mana coursed through the arena making everyone's hair stand on its edge. The air thrummed audibly; her emerald eyes gleamed.

A bead of sweat ran down the examiner's face. It wasn't Bloodlust or Killer's Intent that intimidated him. No- it was a pure show of overwhelming talent and mana pressure. Despite being at a later stage in respect of core, he knew he stood no chance the moment she stepped into the arena. 

He gulped audibly, looking blankly as he tried to find a narrow opening in her stance. His experience kicked in but at the same time another feeling, a feeling far more sinister and contemptuous.

'She has no openings.'

He thought to himself.

"That's enough, George. You can go back. I just received a separate sponsorship for her. Hence, I will be testing her myself." A young man spoke as he walked towards the field. A rapier was attached to his waist and his hair trimmed neatly, a few strands falling on his face.

George looked at the man, The Guildmaster, Kaspian Bladeheart, and then at the mysterious girl. With a stern nod in Kaspian's direction, he walked away from the arena, casting a wary gaze at the girl.

"Your sponsor is quite impressed by you. It makes me curious as to how everything he claims about you is real." Kaspian said, his rapier leaving its scabbard with a slow metallic sound.

"He overestimates me too much. Nothing more, nothing less." She spoke in a monotone voice.

"Well then, let's begin," Kaspian announced.

Vines crept out of the sleeves of her loose robe. The vines intertwined with each other, turning into a sword made of thorns. Red and blue roses grew over the hilt that leeched over her hand. Kaspian's eyes widened as he saw the deviant attribute unfold in front of his eyes.

'The Wykes certainly are famous for interbreeding so they can produce powerful mages. However, their treatment with them is as inhumane as it can be. So why...? Why are the Wykes letting a slave elf accompany their youngest son?' Kaspian thought to himself.

"Brandish your weapons, please. The match has already started." The young elf, Tessia, spoke. Her tone carried no mockery or spite. Just sincere advice. She could've attacked him, but she decided against it. 

"My apologies for wandering off. Let us begin." As soon as the words left Kaspian's mouth, wind mana coalesced around her body. Her affinity became fine-tuned as she became one with mana itself.

Like a wind bullet, she bolted towards him. Manipulating wind mana, she removed any remaining wind resistance. She slashed her sword at Kaspian in an upward curve. The air whistled, her sword cutting through the air itself.

Kaspian's rapier pointed in her direction, wind mana gathering at its tip. The wind compressed into an elongated bullet shape as it traveled toward Tessia at a blinding speed. More mana trickled from her core, augmenting her limbs and sword.

An arc of green slashed the attack, slicing the wind bullet into two.

"Impossible!" Kaspian blurted, totally losing his composure. Although her face was hidden, he could still feel her smirking at him. His technique wasn't lacking in any sense. Nor did it have any flaws. The reason for his failure was the perfect harmony of Tessia with her elemental affinity.

It was like the wind favoured her.

He bit his lips in frustration, a morbid dread taking a birth at the pit of his stomach. "Damn it." He cursed under his breath. Siphoning as much mana as he could, Kaspian started chanting a spell. The strongest spell he had in his arsenal.

"Wind Twister" The environment turned dark as more and more wind mana gathered. Spinning clockwise it turned into a raging hurricane. The strong suction disrupted everyone's movements. The weaker mages held on to the nearest fixed objects to grab on to while the others just augmented their bodies enough not to get sucked in the eye of a smouldering cyclone.

A satisfied look appeared over Tessia's face, "This will do." She muttered.

The grin over Kaspian's face vanished in a near instant when he saw the ground beneath his strongest spell crumble, replaced by huge crevices. Titanic vines erupted from underneath the ground.

"Your spell's potency lies in its fast rotation... then all I have to do is disrupt the movement, right?" She spoke nonchalantly and the colour from Kaspian's face drained.

The vines attacked the cyclone that was making its way toward Tessia. Its speed decreased drastically with every passing fraction of a second. Using more wind mana, she launched a smaller cyclone which nullified the previous cyclone.

Dust and rubble spread everywhere. Desperation took the better of Kaspian as he attacked Tessia... or what looked like Tessia. His wind bullet passed through the fake form of Tessia made out of vines, slashing it into two halves.

"Fool... he fell for the bitch's tricks." Lucas spat and stood up; sliding his hands in his pockets he started making his way out of the arena.

A thorny blade pressed gently against Kaspian's neck, just enough that even the slightest movement or twitch of muscle could result in a cut on his neck.

"Yield." She spoke, her soft mellow voice somehow sounding like a threat from a demon. Kaspian dropped his rapier to the ground, his hands in the air.

"I lost." He admitted with a long sigh.

She retracted her sword and turned it back into vines that made their way back to the inside of her sleeves.

"Good work, Luna. Although you deserve an AA-adventurer rank, since you overpowered me, I can't give you that rank. So, I will give you an A-rank instead. Good work... LUNA. A-RANK" he announced as the crowd went into a frenzy. Mostly were sounds of envy and disbelief but the statement she wanted to give was delivered. A statement that taught everyone that she wasn't the frail child she looked to be.

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-- After a while --

A shallow sound echoed in the main hall of the adventurer's guild.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE", Lucas spats angrily as he slapped Tessia across her face. Her mask fell off revealing her face.  Her alluring emerald eyes were devoid of any emotions, her face neutral as she looked at Lucas dead in his eye.

"Hey what are you doing? How dare you slap a girl?" A black-haired boy came rushing towards them, fixing his glasses on the way.

"She is my slave. I can do whatever I want with her." Lucas said with a smug grin, his chin raised up.

"That still doesn't justify you hitting her just because she got a higher rank than you", the boy argued.

"Do you know who I am?" Lucas growled. a vein popping at his temple.

"A privileged loser with an inferiority complex." Tessia chimed in as she picked her mask up, slightly rubbing her cheek.

"What did you say?... say that again!"

Fire mana surrounded Lucas's hand as he got ready to launch a fireball at her. Tessia stood still, not even flinching... like she was used to all this now.

"Your spell cast is even more sluggish than before. Did you regress instead of improving?" She mocked him once again.

"I'll fucking kill you!" He screamed. The people inside the guild scurried in every direction, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. The fireball in his hands increased in size as he got ready to launch it at her.

"LUCAS!" A baritone voice startled Lucas.

An all too familiar voice.

His concentration wavered, the ball of flames turning into nothing but smoke.

"S-she was mock-"

"GET LOST" Bairon roared at him and stood between both of them. Lucas grumbled and went away, dragging his feet, and muttering incoherent curses.

Once he was gone, Bairon looked back to see Tessia and the black-haired boy standing close by. Bairon raised a brow at him. He flinched under his gaze but remained there.

"New friend?" Bairon asked.

"No"

"Yes"

"..."

"..."

"She said no, go away now," Bairon said, shooting him a glare. The boy looked at Tessia one last time before starting to go away.

"Are you hurt?" Bairon walked closer as he looked at her swollen cheek.

"Not at all. I am perfectly fine." She replied, getting ready to go after Lucas.

"Your face is swollen, bad. You should get treated first." He suggested, his sound getting softer and softer.

"Stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself." She replied with the same cold apathy.

"You know I am sorry for all that happened", Bairon spoke in a low voice, enough for her to listen.

"Ohh... you mean this?" She said, revealing her left arm covered in bandages. She was about to say something, but a frown formed on her face, a subtle tingle from her core making her stop.

"I never blamed you, Bairon. You were the only one who treated me like a living being. However, I also understand that you don't have what it takes to truly help me. You're lacking, Bairon", she said and started to move away.

"I am trying... I am very close to becoming a Lance. I can help you then", he said, emotions getting the better of him.

"You shouldn't mention family secrets out in the open." She deadpanned at him with the tone of a grown parent scolding a child.

"Haven't you conjured a barrier?" Bairon asked, pointing at a blank point in space.

She looked at him for a brief moment and then turned away.

"Go back, Bairon. I can take care of the fire monkey myself. So, stop worrying about me." She said and vanished away behind the door that led outside.

He walked towards a window as he saw Tessia catch up with Lucas. Lucas kept screaming at her while she kept on walking towards the portal that led to the Beast Glades.

"I hope you will be okay... you have to be okay. I have a promise to withhold, After all." Bairon whispered underneath his breath as he turned around too, making his way back to the Wykes Manor.

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(A/n Side-stories coming up after this. Closure to some questions will be given in that. Mostly about Tessia, why is she like this and what happened in 4 years. Also how is this fic a bit deviated from canon)