"Explain, boy. Were you a part of the reason the Prowler attacked your group?"

"I had no control over who or when the monsters attacked. I was even attacked. If I was a part of them attacking, why would I let myself get caught up in it?!" Cedar asked in an agitated tone. "He attacked me first and tried to kill me, yet you're questioning me? Ask the man over there who forgot to mention to anyone he'd communed with the god of lightning," he finished, sneering at Damien.

The room they were in was shaped like a half-circle that didn't round out at the edges, standing instead around twenty feet tall all around. The three council members sat behind a reflective black marble desk, raised above the rest of the floor with their backs to the only straight portion of the room as they looked down on everyone. They were all Elven and from Damien's point of view when looking from left to right, they were female, female, and male. All appeared in their mid to early years but probably boasted ages similar to four hundred.

The first woman had long, golden-blonde hair and was thin. She sat with a stern look and gave off a feeling of danger, no-nonsense, and irritation. The lady next to her just looked tired, sitting with her hands interlocked. She had dark hair and was the only one of the three that looked as though she could have been a different race, if not for the ears. Purple eyes, slightly darker skin, and glasses were her most defining features. As for the man, he appeared the youngest of them all. White hair, a scar running down his cheek from his temple, a wider face than most elves had, and a beard all made Damien do a double-take. He'd never seen such a strange-looking elf, yet the ears, complexion, and litheness of the body all pointed to his lineage.

Damien himself was standing about halfway in between the door and where they were. He was a bit to the left of the center aisle while Cedar was to the right. Alexa, Kastra, Layla, Reinal, and Lemshire were all standing in the area behind them, taking up aisles with tables meant for guests or witnesses.

The floor between them all was a white marble, glossy and pure, that met dark trim where it connected with the walls, all the same material. The whole room was composed solely of these two colors contrasting one another.

No one except the council members were sitting, not even Lemshire. Not due to wanting likely, but simply that there were no chairs in the entirety of the place and creating any... well no one had, and Damien certainly wouldn't be the first.

"This is the first we are hearing that he was the aggressor," the man said. "Tresil, why was this not included in the reports?"

"Because it's not that important," the Dean said with a shrug.

"That is not for you to decide. We need everything, we've spoken about this before," the gentleman replied, looking exasperatedly at where Lemshire was standing. "Boy, do you swear by what you've said?" he asked, turning back to Cedar.

Cedar nodded while Damien scoffed.

'Of course he swears. He never even answered your question!'

"And you, do you deny his statement?" the man continued, looking at Damien.

"I mean he isn't lying, but-"

"Yes or no answers unless specified otherwise, please," the female sitting on the far left interrupted.

Damien closed his mouth slowly and after a moment, nodded to the man.

"Right then. From what we have heard so far, your group was attacked by Prowlers," the woman in the middle began. "It is confirmed Mr. Dremmel had placed an enticement enchantment upon your group and disappeared shortly before. The Prowlers were drawn to your group due to that and attacked you all. Mr. Tearen, using a magic you led all to believe you had no knowledge of before, and Ms. Ahlers, were able to kill two. After which, Mr. Farren took life-threatening injuries, which you managed to heal, not only saving his life but also reattaching a limb that should have been forfeit, once again, using a magic that you led all to believe you had nowhere near as much expertise in. Stop me if I say something incorrect, please," she said, looking into Damien's eyes while resting her chin on her two hands.

Damien said nothing, meeting the woman's cold, tired eyes.

"After healing them, you continued the use of lightning magic and managed to preserve the life of the third Prowler. Once it was subdued, Mr. Dremmel appeared badly wounded, claimed to have been the cause of the disaster, and drew the fourth Prowler to you. The monster fled most likely due to its instincts, and you proceeded to torture an already subdued Mr. Dremmel," she finished with a sigh. "I have many questions, but is this largely the truth?"

Cedar shook his head in the affirmative while Damien nodded as well. She nodded back.

"Is there anything either of you would like to add?" the woman asked.

Damien motioned to speak and she nodded at him.

"I'd like to know what you plan to do about the creature Kastra spoke of. The one that was potentially the reason for the tear in the barrier. Additionally, I'd like to point out there is a history between him and myself in which he has largely been the aggressor. I have tried to make amends, but he has refused me each time. While he has tried to injure me before, this is the first time he's been after my life, and potentially that of the other students had the Prowler not attacked our group," Damien finished.

"Noted. As for the creature she spoke of, it was probably a trick of the mind. We have decided to pay it no heed. The barrier was most likely damaged or had deteriorated over time leading to this incident, or the boy himself damaged a weak section intentionally to rip a hole in it," the lady in the middle said.

"No offense b-"

"[Silence]," she said with a wave of her hand, snapping his jaw shut as his vocal cords seized up. "Now then, since we are done here, we move for the preliminary decision of the execution of Cedar Dremmel and the excommunication of Damien Tear-"

Damien saw Alexa move out of the corner of his eye and tensed as she shouted.

"What! He d-"

"[Silence]," the woman commanded a second time.

She looked past everyone in the room and lifted her hand, making a beckoning motion. Seconds later, a loud creaking sound echoed out from behind them all. When Damien glanced back for the source, he found one of the large golems from outside entering the room. The silver monstrosity was ducking as it walked through the doors, standing once again to full height as it moved further into the courtroom and eventually stood in between Cedar and himself.

"If anyone speaks out of turn once again, you will be removed, and the proceedings will continue without your being here. You will be given a chance to speak your mind when we so choose, do not interrupt," the woman said with a glare. "Now then, we move for the execution of Cedar Dremmel and the excommunication of Damien Tearen."

"For Mr. Dremmel, the reasons are as follows: Abandoning his squad during an excursion while intentionally placing them in what could have been a catastrophic situation, even had a tear not occurred. Threatening the safety of unrelated students. Disregard for a fellow Elerian's life due to views not accepted by our school. Admitted attempted murder of three members of the student body."

"For Mr. Tearen, the reasons are as follows: Excessive, unnecessary aggression directed toward an already injured member of the student body. Multiple disturbances involving directly or indirectly disrespecting members of the faculty. Intentionally concealing information pertaining to a deadly, uncommon magic. Attempted murder of a subdued, injured, and compliant member of the student body."

The woman sat up, back straightening from where she'd been hunched forward and resting on her hands, then turned her eyes from addressing the room to addressing Cedar.

"Mr. Dremmel, do you have anything to say?" she asked, the other two judges holding impassive faces as they watched her handle the proceedings.

Cedar shook his head and shrugged.

"I thought I'd be killed, should have died out there anyway. Fuck you all; I hope my dad burns this place to the ground."

"You should have never come to this school," the woman on the far left responded to him with a shrug while shaking her head. "You'd think after hundreds of years and an even greater number of executions, idiotic families would understand our rules. Our views..."

"Mr. Tearen, do you have anything to say?" the middle woman continued, removing the magic from Damien's body and freeing up his vocal cords.

"Yeah, why? If you understand what he did was wrong, why am I being punished?" he asked.

"This school has no room for those who refuse to play by our rules. Your aggression, while warranted, is unwanted. You have lost our trust in not explaining your capabilities, and we will not risk losing a student to death because they threaten your life. You have been and are a source of resentment for many. We will not allow you to run rampant, judge, jury, and executioner for every negative encounter you may or may not run into from here on."

"Wait, what? He threatened multiple lives, not just mine. And if it weren't for me keeping my abilities hidden, we would have all died! Not to mention it's not written that we must share all of our abilities with the faculty."

"If you hadn't kept them hidden, he may have thought twice about doing what he did and Ms. Deathclaw may have placed you in different groups. What ifs can be used both ways, Mr. Tearen. The fact is you lied to the school, attacked another defenseless student with intent to murder, and have capabilities in healing beyond that which someone your age should hold. You are a vat of information on a magic we haven't seen in over a hundred years, but you have proven yourself too large a risk to the student body to keep. We do not need your potential past, future, or current problems bringing troubles to our peaceful existence. You are an anomaly, and unfortunately, that is a larger detriment than it is an incentive in this case. Be thankful we are giving you the opportunity to keep your abilities hidden." she explained, motioning towards Cedar. "On that note, should you live to see the day you turn thirty, we will be in contact with you off-site for consultation. You would be paid handsomely, of course. Your magic and knowledge is most intriguing," she finished.

Damien sat, feeling helpless. He didn't exactly need the school for anything, but he felt secure here. He wanted to continue learning here and this...

"I-"

"You're sentencing Mr. Tearen to death too, Minerva, and you know it," Lemshire interjected as Damien left his mouth open, confused at why his excommunication was a death sentence. "I say we keep the boy."

"Tresil, you are not permitted t-"

"I can do whatever I want, actually," he spoke again, interrupting the man who'd made to reprimand him. "I made rules limiting my power back when I cared about structure, but I also added in a few times I can supersede them. I'll use one here and sponsor him from this point onward. If he is involved in another incident in which he is the aggressor, he will be removed."

"Tresil," the councilman said, standing up to glare at the Dean.

"Yes?" he asked back with a smile.

The man took a look at the Dean's face and sighed before sitting back down. The three of them looked around from where they sat for a few moments, deliberating with one another.

"It is more complicated than just keeping him, and you know it," the woman with the dark eyes, Minerva, explained.

"We can talk later. It should be worth it, if only to satiate my curiousity" Lemshire said with a shrug.

"Should be?" the woman on the far left asked with a glare to which Lemshire shrugged again.

After another few moments of deliberation and Lemshire's silence, Minerva sighed and responded.

"Very well. I don't know what else we expected, allowing you to be present during the proceedings."

"Excellent. Damien, come to my office. You two are dismissed," he said, waving his hand in Alexa and Kastra's direction. "And don't kid yourself Minerva; I allowed myself to be here," Lemshire stated as he abruptly turned and motioned for Damien to follow him.

Damien turned to look back at the councilmen who were rubbing their hands over their faces, sighing, or just shaking their heads. He didn't really understand what had just happened, but he felt bad for them, even if they were trying to kick him out.

"I actually would like to get to class, if that's alright. Mr. Terrell will be less than pleased I had to take the few days off that I did already," Damien explained in a rushed attempt to save himself.

"That's quite alright, my boy. I'll speak with him myself," Lemshire stated with a smile.

"Really it's-

"Ladies, Mr. Croft," Lemshire interrupted, placing a hand on Damien's shoulder.

The instant Damien felt the Dean's hand touch his shoulder, the world folded in on itself, and Damien's stomach lurched. His body floated in the air through a plethora of colors and shapes he couldn't fathom inventing for what felt like a minute before finally hitting a hard surface, sprawling him out on the ground.

"What the he- ahhhhrrrrggggg," Damien moaned out after his mind had unscrambled itself.

"Sorry about that! Never really got ahold of transferring other people with me, haha. Practice makes perfect though! I'll get it one day," he exclaimed while Damien writhed on the floor, gagging. "Now, what do you know about Shades?"

Damien flipped onto all fours, facing down, and hurled. The vomit hit the floor and began to dissipate into the air instantly. It hadn't smelled or stained the floor in any way whatsoever, and as much as his body hurt, he couldn't help but be mystified by it as the particles twinkle upward and out of existence.

"Stop being a child; it's just a little pain. Get up for- oh! Neat isn't it? I actually custom made that alteration magic for my floors. Quite a bit of time went into that, almost two years of trial and error. Not much else to do with one's time when you get to be my age I'm afraid," the Dean rambled from up above.

"Please don't -hhhhhuuhhhhh- ever do that again," Damien said, pausing to wretch.

"How else would you have gotten here?" Lemshire asked innocently.

Damien looked up from where he was and scowled at the man.

"I could have been led here... like a normal adult," he shot back, swallowing hard in between his words.

"That would have taken longer. Stop distracting me," Lemshire demanded.

"Give me-"

"[Silence]," he declared.

Damien sat back on his legs and looked about before settling his eyes onto Lemshire. He did not look amused at all as he advanced Damien, a menacing glint in his eyes.

Damien pushed himself upward steadily and took a step back, stumbling into a desk. Suddenly, he felt his muscles freeze all over his body as a foreign mana slammed into him with the force of a speeding semi-truck.

"Interesting, isn't it? Binding magic. Silencing magic... Any magic, really," Lemshire explained as he moved to stand before Damien, who struggled against the binding. "So talented, aren't you? So gifted," he continued, reaching out and grabbing Damien by the throat. "Use those gifts to save yourself now."

Damien began to choke as the Dean lifted him into the air with his arm, squeezing down on his esophagus. Damien tried to generate as much electricity as possible but found all of his mana and energy being scrambled and thrown out of his body when he'd tried to utilize it, breaking apart and unable to form once past his skin. He began to panic.

"No good, is it?" Lemshire asked, tightening his grip. "Your talent only gets you so far, unfortunately. Everything else is determined by your age, how much time you've put into understanding, and how often you practice," he said, throwing Damien to the floor where he immediately began coughing and breathing deeply.

"What the... hell," he gasped out.

Damien gathered himself and glared up at Lemshire, who was standing over him with a smile again.

"Just a friendly reminder there, boy."

"'Friendly' my ass," Damien growled back.

"Get over it. Life isn't fair, and if you try to pretend it is, you'll die. Raw mana used in enough quantity and density can overwhelm literally anything, including the little zap you can use. In fact, that's why high-quality mana stones are so sought after. It's theorized that enough mana would even be able to overcome... well, that's a bit off-topic. No one ever heard from that woman again anyway, it's assumed she died."

"Back to the point though," Lemshire said, starting up again after staring into space for a few seconds. "You may be strong for your age, but you need to learn to watch your mouth and actions. Obviously, no one here will injure you, but as far as the rest of the world goes... If you stayed in the academy, at least until you were stronger, that would be most ideal. You don't plan on doing that though, do you?"

Damien sighed and shook his head as he lifted himself to his knees and glanced around the office, rubbing his sore neck as he healed it. The room was surprisingly immaculate. The color scheme matched that of the courtroom he'd been in, but instead of white and black, it was more of a dark mahogany colored tile floor with eggshell-colored walls. The couches and tea table matched the walls while the Dean's large desk matched the tile. It wasn't a large room by any means, but it was comfortably put together.

"Well, to each their own. Just know you'll probably die out there within a few years. Always happens... Now then, tell me how much you know about Shades," the Dean asked again as he moved behind his desk and sat in his large chair, motioning for Damien to take a seat across from him.

Damien gathered himself enough to move and carefully placed himself across from the man. His mind was racing, thinking of ways to escape and failing to come up with anything practical. The man before him was crazy, and now acting as if nothing had happened. They'd had a banter of sorts before but now...

Damien had no idea how to act around him.

"Well?" Lemshire questioned, reaching under his desk and pulling out a crystal container full of some brownish liquid.

"I've... never heard the term before," Damien replied, certain the man wasn't speaking about sunglasses as he pulled out two small crystal glasses.

"Most people haven't, especially those that are young," he continued, motioning one of the glasses at Damien.

'He's offering me... alcohol?' Damien wondered incredulously, shaking his head.

"It's not poison- well, it is in a way..." Lemshire said, laughing at himself for a moment before pouring his own glass as a thick, smokey, and strong alcoholic smell wafting into Damien's nostrils. "Shades are... complicated. No one is sure where they come from, but they've been around as long as we have, and all speak of a master they serve. There are many theories on who or what they may be, but the fact is that none ever reveal enough to really know what they are and when they are killed or captured, the creatures dissolve into the darkness. They cannot be interrogated. Many have tried different forms of traps, and none have succeeded in keeping it around long enough to torture it in any way, though we know they feel pain."

Damien followed along nervously, unsure as to why he was being told all of this. It seemed like information he shouldn't be made aware of.

"These monsters are every Lord or powerful man's boon, though. When someone becomes strong in their own right, whether it's ruling power or self-power, they'll be contacted by one offering its services. They offer a contract, giving full control over its activities and abilities for a price. They are used as spies, scouts, assassins, message delivery services... fast, stealthy, and completely loyal, though there are things they won't do."

He paused for a moment to down the entire glass of liquid he'd been swirling around his cup until now, almost making Damien gag at the thought of consuming so much at once, then immediately poured more of the liquid into his cup.

"Ahhh. That... That is good. Anyway, they won't attack another Shade or the owner of one. Ever. And if for some reason their true Master denies a request, they won't complete it no matter what you offer the monster. Mostly, those requests involve delving into what they might be. A lot of people theorize that they intentionally hide information about themselves in reports so that we don't find out about them, but there has never been any evidence on that and when it comes to their useful properties compared to their drawbacks, no one complains."

"The price they offer you, however," Lemshire said, motioning toward Damien with his glass as the liquid inside sloshed about, "is one that stops the few people that refuse their services. They must be allowed to share all they learn from you and your life with their master. At first, many people would refuse to cooperate with them because of this, but when a few lords and ladies began to accept their assistance and rise to power because of them, others began to as well. Now, it is seen as impossible to thrive without their assistance," Lemshire finished.

Damien sat thinking for a few moments about his time at the academy and everywhere else. If these things were super rare, it would make sense that he'd not seen one, but from the sounds of it more than a few people were in charge of them.

"If they offer their assistance to those who are strong, why haven't I seen any at this academy?" he asked.

"There are some here that have one in their services, but none that live here," Lemshire explained. "A stipulation of working or living on Eleram is that you are not allowed to command a Shade. Our country stays uninvaded and strong because our secrets are not available elsewhere, for anyone to find or understand, and because we are the only country that has wards covering the entirety of it that detect where Shades are at all times. Whereas there have never been recorded instances of those creatures sharing information across countries, it definitely happens, and we stay out of it."

"We let them on our grounds for very limited amounts of time, but they are never allowed to interfere with spell matrices or the public. We have a very fragile treaty with them that allows this, and all of their species know it. Any that break the treaty forfeit their lives and risk upsetting us enough to revoke their privilege. Though usually, they never speak or reveal themselves to anyone except their lord anyway," the Dean explained.

Damien nodded again. It made sense to him. It would be best to have it kept a secret that you had a Shade in your employ anyway if you were trying to do anything stealthy or gather information. It also made sense that, if you were independently strong enough as is, you would want to stay out of the dangerous waters that those monsters brought.

"Why are you telling me about all of this?" Damien eventually asked.

"Simple. It was a Shade under the Dremmel's employ that tore a hole in our barrier and allowed those Prowlers to attack you," he said with a shrug.

"What??" Damien asked, taken aback.

"For whatever reason, the Shade wanted you dead. Individually they are powerful, but it broke a hole in the sixth layer to try and kill you because of it's master's orders, thus breaking the treaty. We aren't sure exactly, but from what you claim the boy said to you, it sounds like it was the one convincing him to act. We actually owe you thanks. If it weren't for your magic's excessive noise level, we wouldn't have even known there was a problem. Because of it, when scrying the area, I was able to sic one of our esteemed golems spread out all across the country on it before it could escape. The monster was destroyed, along with any others unfortunate enough to be in the academy at the time."

Damien sat back in his chair with a huff, taking in all he'd been told. If the things wanted him dead before now, it made sense to him that they'd have attacked sooner. So what exactly had prompted them to attack now?

"Is there any way to sense them? Why attack now?" Damien asked.

"That Fae you keep with you is part of why. She can sense them, and I have no doubt that she would be able to kill them as well. Shades are very weak defensively, but impossible to sense through ordinary measures. Kastra has a means to sense them, and killing them, or dissipating them if they don't truly die, is simple enough to do once they are sensed. One just has to choke the life out of it using raw mana. Don't take that to mean that they are weak, though. A single shade has the ability to kill just about any person on this planet. Some are older and more powerful than others, that much has been confirmed, but offensively they are more than strong enough to kill what they need to. It's part of the reason our school and country is so thoroughly warded. It's also a good thing they refuse to act against the Fae, or perhaps you'd be in danger regardless of Kastra."

Damien nodded, sitting back in his chair a little more comfortably. While not done with the most tact, it seemed the man before him was, in a way, trying to impress upon him how dangerous things were and rein in his ego. Whereas from now on he could be lax around the school, whenever leaving the country there was a chance they could be attacked by one manipulating its contactor. If he didn't have Kastra around...

"Is there any chance they go after any family members of mine?" he suddenly asked, jolting upward in a worried manner.

Lemshire scoffed for a moment before waving his hand up and down while speaking.

"Na. Shades don't attack or do things on their own. They must be given an order. It's one of the reasons they are trusted so commonly. If it was found out that a Shade took matters into their own hands and killed someone, Elerians all over the planet would kill theirs in fear for their own lives or family. Cedar had to have given this one an explicit order to attempt to kill you, and it must have been given clearance from whatever master it serves to attempt it, risking its life and the lives of all Shades currently on campus to for it. The creatures have a rule about targetting unimportant members of houses, clans, kingdoms, or any other organizations, in the sense that they refuse orders that outright target non-related individuals, on top of not killing on their own. Why his father allowed him to control their families Shade, we won't know, and we believe it didn't go after you on its own because it wanted to get away with some information."

Damien breathed out a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure how exactly he was 'related' or what he was related to, but it was good to know that his parents and Vanessa wouldn't be targetted.

"Why would they want me dead?" Damien asked eventually.

"Why would Cedar want you dead?" Lemshire countered.

Damien considered the question for a few moments before replying.

"Alexa. He was... well, upset that I was a Human and so close to her, which... I don't know. Doesn't seem like enough?"

"Ah, well, perhaps he was convinced, or prodded, by the Shade. They may not be allowed to act alone, but they can certainly push an agenda. It definitely supports our reasoning for why it didn't kill you on its own..." Lemshire continued, eyes and words trailing off for a moment before refocusing on Damien. "Anyway. Celestials from Hylyu are very particular about those from the families, though, so that is something I would suggest changing. Overbearing and protective. Perhaps having her in your life while you are weak is not the best-"

"She is family," Damien interrupted before he could catch himself. "Sorry, I... She won't be going anywhere."

Lemshire's eyebrows raised.

"Afraid of me now, boy?" the Dean chuckled out. "And yes, well, Cedar almost had your life, and he didn't plan things out very well at all. Imagine what would happen should one of the more intelligent Celestials desire your life. Shades are an effective tool for the assassination of those that can't sense them."

Damien stayed silent as he considered the number of people that could potentially kill him because of his relation to Alexa. Her parents, Arion, and any number of others that she was related to or that wanted her. Solving the problem with her parents would fix everything ultimately, but until then...

Perhaps he should ask Kastra for lessons on how to use her wards. It was no doubt they'd want to stay together whenever they left the academy, and keeping Kastra attached to his hip at all times was not an option, no matter how much the Fae loved to be.

"In any case," Lemshire continued, "the reason I brought you here was to explain all of that and offer you asylum and a protective detail whenever you leave the country. While I doubt you'd be in danger with Kastra around, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Damien looked up and squinted his eyes at the smiling man.

"And what exactly do you want in return?"

"Haha, good! There is never a reason someone offers you something without playing an edge, boy. You might actually make it to one hundred..." Lemshire laughed out before his jubliant expression bled off, leaving behind one of complete neutrality. "I want to know why you can do what you can, answered under a spell of truth. Not to share, of course," he quickly added. "I am curious. I know you're hiding something. Usually, students only get stronger during winters with regards to the quantity and density of mana they can control, not with how they can manipulate and utilize it. Ms. Alexa, however, has been stagnant when improving her utilization and taking leaps forward each time she travels to your home. You are a fountain of knowledge of some kind, and if I hadn't already scanned you myself, I wouldn't believe you were eleven."

"Now, I could have taken this information forcefully. Easy enough to hire a mind mage to probe you or outright rip your memories from your head while sorting through the mess later," he explained, "But the last one I hired to look into you from afar couldn't understand any of your memories. Like they were being scrambled. She would see and hear too much to understand any of it and, in fact, almost got herself killed during the process. Can you believe that?" he finished with his arms in the air incredulously, as if he hadn't just admitted to prying into Damien's mind with magic. "A top mind mage. It only makes me more curious! And the prospect of ripping them out of your dead mind, risking losing this... anomaly! Yes. Anomaly. Minerva said it so perfect."

Damien's heart began beating hard, considering what the man would do should he turn him down. He assumed Lemshire wouldn't lie to him about being safe even without the protective detail, but he was... off right now. Seemed almost fervent. He wanted what was in Damien's head, so it made sense to keep him alive until he had that information...

But would the man before him actually let him ever leave this country?

The problem was whether or not it was truly better to be safe than sorry here. There is no telling what he'd want to know from such a deal and whether or not Damien would be willing to give him enough to satiate the man. And if he gave him anything under a truth spell, just a little would only make him more curious.

"You have a tendency to speak more than you should," Damien eventually sighed out.

"So I've been told," Lemshire responded from behind his desk with a wide smile. "I ramble when I'm enjoying myself, and I find it makes me more trustworthy."

"You're always rambling though," Damien shot back.

"Because I'm always enjoying myself."

"At the expense of others," Damien mumbled, shaking his head. "No."

"No?"

"My answer has to be no," Damien clarified. "I am sorry, but I do not trust you. You've been helpful since I have come here, but only in superficial manners and always with the purpose of fooling a country bumpkin into trusting you. I can't tell you everything."

"That is a shame," the man said, visibly deflating a bit.

"Maybe I'll tell you in the future when you're dying of old age," Damien said with a laugh. "Or when I've nowhere else to turn, when I begin to bore of life... who knows."

"That's if I ever die, my boy," Lemshire replied with a sad chuckle. "Old age is supposed to slowly make mana harder and harder to grasp, manipulate. When it slips completely from you, you pass on. It's why your body begins to break down in the first place... but what happens when it doesn't? That's been my question for over two hundred years and I'm still finding out. Why, if I cared to, I could look as young as you do. All it would take is a bit of external body modification," he said with a smirk. "But I let my body run its natural course and I've looked like this for over two hundred years. Old, but lithe and fit. It's anyone's guess if I'll die at this point! I've already communed with fire, water, and light, communed again with fire... doing any more would just be asking to die while giving me nothing more in terms of advantages. There are very few people in this world that understand my strength and can still tell me no without fear, in fact. Ah, living this long... at least it isn't a lonely existence here at Eleram. My faculty is my family and I do lov- it's rude to let your eyes wander so much when someone is pouring their heart out to you, you know?" the old man said, halting his rambling session as Damien's eyes re-locked onto the man.

"I was listening I just... have a tendency to... You should work on that."

"Indeed I should... Let's get you back. Class is still canceled for you for the day, but I'm sure you have much to talk about with your 'wives'. Good luck with that. Having one is hard enough, having two... I don't even want to know how you'll take it when one dies, my boy. Let alone both."

"No worries on that," Damien chuckled out as he began to stand. "If one dies, we all die. Or at least, we will when the pact matures furt-" Damien stopped speaking and froze in place, looking at the wide smile on the Dean's face.

He sighed.

"You... have a way of disarming people. I don't like it."

"It's only fair you tell me about your life anyway, I've told you so much," the man chided. "A pact huh? Interesting. Not a binding like the Fae usually do then. Truly, a lot of exciting things about you aren't there?" Lemshire asked.

"Sure. And wait, did you say you communed a second time?" Damien asked confused. "And with multiple elements?"

Lemshire grinned.

"Oh, you want to know?" His grin widened at Damien's confused nod. "Well, goodbye then," he said with a wave.

"What? Wait, no! DON'T TE-" Damien yelled out before he once again felt his stomach in his throat.

"You tell me everything I tell you nothing me me me me me... kids these days," Tresil lamented with a sigh, standing slowly.

He looked around with the same jovial smile he had on when the boy was still here and wondered about the possibilities the young man could bring. He was almost afraid to ask if he'd truly communed with lightning to learn so much about the element, but those that had communed had never been able to control it so much that they could paralyze things. They could never control it that finely...

Tresil grinned.

"Minerva, let's set up a meeting with everyone," he spoke to the air before him, orange symbols flowing out of his mouth as he said them. "I have a great idea, and I'd like to know why you tried so hard to give my toy to the Shades."

The characters finished flowing and glowed a bright orange before twisting themselves into the image of a small wyvern that cawed soundlessly before landing gently on the man's shoulder, wrapping its small tail around his neck. He lifted his left hand toward the ceiling and waved it sideways, the color in the room fading away almost wholly and leaving every object and piece of furniture barely visible, entirely transparent. The sun glowed brightly through the clear walls as his wyvern shot out of his hands through them, aiming for the courthouse. The King watched it go for a few moments before turning his eyes another direction, scanning the entirety of his campus from on high, grinning as he stared at a single piece of dark hair held between his fingers.