The sun was still high in the sky as Bryn and Armarni trudged their tired and weary bodies away from the training field, Armarni body was bruised and beaten from the second stage of the gauntlet but a misstep had ended his chances of passing the second stage and sent him tumbling to the earth below.

Bryn on the on the other hand was still holding the side of his face that has swollen up like a tomato that had been out in the sun for too long.

“God damn it, I don't understand why we couldn't just get the medics to fix us” Bryn complained as her tenderly touched his swollen eye but immediately regretted it.

“Lionheart Said that these types of injuries weren't worth their effort and if we had a problem with it then ‘get good’” Armarni said from the side as he tried to raise his arms to cup the back of his head but immediately changed his mind half way through.

“ugh” Bryn winced as his head throbbed, Bryn couldn't help but think it was all fine and good for Armani as he had just fell off the gauntlet, but he had been knocked out, shouldn't they be worrying about Concussions or something equally as bad.

The two walked on in silence, 'oohing' and 'arring' as they did some motion that their bodies were not happy about making, eventually they arrived at a split in the path and the two moved to go their separate ways.

“So, you're definitely going to meet up with me and Alexa to check out Rosewater after your class” Armarni said as he walked backwards down the path towards his dorm, he and Alex only four classed each day whilst thanks to his abnormal Mana Attunement Bryn had five.

“Yeah, I'll meet the two of you in rosewater at the cafe you told me about, I'll head there straight after class so I won't be that long” Bryn said as he started to walk away.

“great, have fun nerd” Armani joked before going on his way properly.

Bryn Stopped for a second and watched him go, whilst he was sad and not too much of a blockhead to admit, worried, that he couldn't go into town beside Armarni and Alexa, he was actually looking forward to his next class as it would eventually solve a lot of the problems he currently had.

'Spell Creation'

Walking though the same door as previously to enter Professor Blackwell's classroom, everything was almost the same as the last time he was here except for the distinct lack of students and all the Havoc he had caused had been cleaned up except strangely for the claw marks in the walls, he had no Idea as to why she had left those behind.

Professor Blackwell had noticed his entry and his line of side, she gave a small chuckle as she called out, “it adds an air or mystery and depth to the room so I decided to keep them” she said before motioning for Bryn to take a seat at the very front.

“So, due to your particular need to gain control over your seal as fast as possible, It's not really possible to teach you in the traditional way I would usually teach this class as it would be too slow and dangerous for all parties involved, as such I'm going to go a little off books with you alright” She said to which Bryn gave a nod.

“Good, well first off I think a bit of an introduction in necessary for you to understand what makes up this subject as whilst the class might be named spell creation, that is but the last step in what I teach” she said before a cloud of Mana rose from the centre of her palm.

“In techniques at the moment you are learning about Mana manipulation and what you can do with it, from your slightly widened eyes I can see that you haven't yet reached the point where you will learn to expel it from the confines of your body but don't worry, you'll be learning the how of it in the next few days I'm sure”

“anyway, Mana manipulation is the single greatest skill you will ever have or will ever get from [Aegis], it may seem weak and useless but that is only because you are not using it to its full potential” she said before the cloud of Mana started to transform.

At first it turned into a pillar of fire a foot in height, its flames so hot that Bryn could feel them from several foot away.

It then suddenly froze, the sharps lick of the flames and all, it looked like a piece of living art.

The Ice collapsed before waved of water collided together to form a crystal-clear ball of water.

Finally, the water turned a dark brown before its shaped jerkily changed, an arm reached out its centred before the rest of a small soldiers body followed it as the crystal ball collapsed.

The professor stood there with a miniature earth golem atop her hand whilst Bryn was entranced in his seat.

“Mana can be manipulated into any form or state so long as you know how, but control like mine is not just achieved, you have to work hard for it, practice and train constantly until your will becomes Mana incarnate, and we achieve this through the use of [Runes]”

“[Akashic runes], they are what form and control the very universe itself, they dictate how the sun shines and the earth turns, a Hero, many years ago came upon the knowledge of these runes within the [Aegis] system and saw its potential, he fought tooth and nail, completed one death defying mission after another until he finally had the right to attain this knowledge”

“For his Deeds and accomplishments, he was titled the [Earth’s First Wizard] and went on to change the world for the better, alas he died during the age of tyranny but even till today we follow in his footsteps and aim to make the world a better place through the knowledge he freely gave” she said before gently caressing the book she held on hip before refocusing.

“As I said before, Mana manipulation is not easy, far from it, however, empowering something such as a rune to achieve the same effect as Mana Manipulation, well, that's another story” she said as he raised he palm once again, but unlike before a single spark rose from her palm before it began to carve out a glowing line in the air, it twisted and turned before coming back to where it started, it a letter of some kind that he had never seen.

As soon as the spark connected with the initial start point the entire Rune began to glow with power before a small but still fairly bright and power fire began to float above it.

“As you can tell, using a rune is noticeably slower and less powerful, you will also note that I cannot freely manipulate the fire as I did before, this is the only state it will stay in until either the rune below it runs out of power or is destroyed” the professor said before crushing the rune with her hand causing the fire to go out.

“But do not think that this means [Akashic Runes] are weak, it is quite the opposite” She said before quickly raising both palms above her head and causing a massive spell array, containing hundreds of runes to appear.

The world tremored as a being of fire reached out from within the glowing Magic Circle, one arm after another grasped a hold of its edge before pulling its main body out, it was massive, tens of feet high, formed out of fire so dense it looked solid, its head possessed two curved horns that glowed molten, an eyeless face that was more mouth than anything else, it....

The spell collapsed and the being disappeared, it was only then then Bryn realised that his face was strained and back was as far into the seat as he could go before he was in the row above, his skin dripping with sweat whilst small fires burnt around to classroom due to how the atmosphere had been superheated by being in that being presence for but a few seconds.

Bryn had no doubt that what he had just witnessed was a being of incalculable power, but what did it mean that such a creature was under the control of the very teacher that stood in front of him now.

“Do you have any questions” The professor asks before pouring herself a large glass of water from a jug before cooling herself down.

Unable to resist, Bryn could help but ask “What was that?”

“That, That was a constructed being I made through the precise use of [Akashic Rune] and mana manipulation”

“So, it wasn't real” Bryn asked in surprise.

“well, Technically yes and no, there are such beings out there but I merely obtained the knowledge on how to recreate the elemental creature via [Aegis] and implanted a will subservient to me within it” She said before conjuring a few more spells that cooled the uncomfortably warm room.

Whilst the professor went about doing that, Bryn was still trying to get over his shock, he had seen Heroes use similar techniques on TV, but there was a difference between seeing it on TV and in person, it was so much more imposing and overwhelming, it was fight to simply accept he had witnessed what just actual happened.

“How?” was all he could speak with his mind in turmoil but it was all the professor answered.

“The [Akashic Runes] are not so dissimilar to the Alphabet, a single letter has a single meaning no different than a rune, but if and when you combine these letters together, that meaning changes, that single letter soon becomes words, then sentences, then paragraphs and eventually stories, the same context applies to the use of runes, what may have been small and weak in the beginning but the more you add to it, both in power and what you desire it to do or create, the more it is able to do”

“Do not forget that the entire universe is essentially written out of these runes, and I have no doubt that so is [Aegis] and the [Guardian] System”

Bryn sat there and tried to understand what this all meant, but it was too much, it was simply more than a young lad that was already going through so much could comprehend.

“Sy. Where do I start” he asks before the professor walks over with a large hard back book no too dissimilar to her own, “Right here” she said before dropping the large book down on the table with a heavy bang.

The Book looked old but not, as if it had been designed that way, it was brown leather with off colour white pages, simple designs were etched and imprinted into the brown leather and keep to a minimalistic degree, but a coat of arms larger than any of the other designs atop the book lay in centre of book, it took on the form of a lantern.

“This is...” Bryn hesitated as he was too afraid to ask, this book was far too nice compared to every textbook he had ever seen in high school and since he had come to the academy he had noticed a trend with a large majority of the students and from the class with the VP earlier today, he could hazard a guess as to what this book actually was.

The professor gave a sad smile and confirmed his suspicions “It is as you probably guessed, this Bryn, is the Grimoire of your senior” She said before motioning back for Bryn to investigate the book himself.

Hesitantly, Bryn reached for the book and started to look through its pages, only as soon as he opened the first one did he find himself in shock, the pages themselves were no solid construct and apart from the edge seemed to have no set depth, a bright and multicoloured light seemed to emit from the book whilst Runes freely floated across the page.

Bryn looked up to the professor but she merely smiled at the student in front of her that was truly experiencing the wonders of magic for the first time.

Bryn turned back towards the book and looked into the depth of the pages, letting the magic wash off him as he tried to understand what information was hidden within.

Minutes passed before a word began to appear within sight, no, not a word, it was the name of the spell contained within the page.

“[Signal Flare]” Bryn said before drawing away from the book to look towards the professor to see whether he had gotten it right.

“Correct” she said before moving on, “each of the pages within the [Grimoire] contains a spell or [Skill] that the previous owner of that book learnt across their time as an active Hero” The professor said but as she watched the downcast expression on Bryn's face, she knew he had understood the hidden meaning within her words.

“So, The person who this [Grimoire] belonged to, they're dead” He asked sceptically, almost wishing it to no be true as if it was, then he felt it would be wrong to continue using their [Grimoire].

Bryn moved to close the book and push it away from him but the professor stopped him, “Yes, The previous owner of this [Grimoire] is dead, she died almost a decade ago now” she said before pushing the book back towards him.

“Look at the very first page”

Bryn opened the book again and there it was, her status page, but also, her name.

“Amber Colin's” Bryn spoke out to which the professor nodded.

“I remember her, it was back when I first started teaching here, I had only been on the job a few months and she was a 4th year that loved to caused havoc, always going places that she wasn't supposed to, but still, she was a good kid”

Bryn continued reading the book, reading the status page, it still had the last information of its previous owner recorded on it.

“Ailments, Broken Back, Paralysis, Exposure” Bryn barely managed to speak out as he imagined what the words meant.

“I can't, it's wrong!” he said as he suddenly closed the book and pushed it away, his stomach ache already retching at what he imagined the girl went through.

“I think there is something that you first have to understand” the professor said as she picked up the book and gently thumbed through it, “The story I told you earlier about the Hero who first obtained the [Akashic Runes] and spread the knowledge freely wasn't a story, [Titles] have power but also stringent requirement to earn then, there would be no [Wizards] on earth if the first wizard hadn’t freely passed the knowledge of [akashic runes] to the next generation and the world would be the worse for it, that is why I, and many others believe in his ideals, we believe that the [Akashic Runes] is the true path to greatness but more so than that, we believe that knowledge should be shared even after we die, that the next generation should prosper from our efforts, that is also why you see so many people walking around with their own [Grimoires] in the academy, Because they too believe in such an ideal” The professor said before giving back the book.

“A trait unique to grimoires, different from its ability to store objects or record spells, is that when its owner dies, the grimoire will be transported to a person of their choosing, their inheritance is passed on to aide in the next generations plight”

“Amber was an orphan and like so many others, chose the academy as the final resting place for her [Grimoire] so that her knowledge may lead another on to greater paths”

Bryn took the [Grimoire] back and held it in his hands, it seemed heavier now that he knew the full story behind its existence.

“Why does it need to be a [Grimoire}, Why can I not learn [Akashic Runes] from a normal book” he asked.

“Amber was a wizard of the fifty-seventh degree meaning that there are a further fifty seven spells within those pages, although most of them are 'cantrips 'this is no ordinary book, a [Grimoires] has the ability to aide you in learning its contents, a normal book simply cannot compare to the benefits that come from learning from a [Grimoire]” the professor said before resting her hand atop of his.

The two stayed like that for a moment before the professor pulled away and opened the book to the correct page within Bryn's hands.

“You can ignore the rest of the book for now as the spells contained within it will not be useful to you until you have learnt the [Akashic Runes] System, only then can you start learning what else she left behind” she said before motioning for him to start reading.

“Wait, I'm going to learn the rest of the spells as well, doesn't anybody else need to use the [Grimoire] at all” Bryn asked in confusion but the professor only gave him a look of pity.

“I don't think you quite understand how many Heroes die every year, the book is yours until your learn all the spells within or graduation...we have more [Grimoires] than we could ever put to use” she said before walking off back to her desk, her last words still lingering in the air.

The rest of class was spent in a tense silence where Bryn focused on learning [Akashic Runes] whilst the professor busied herself with her own research, only stopping to answer any questions Bryn asked.

When the class finished Bryn headed back to his dorm to drop off the [Grimoire] before heading along the long dirt road to Rosewater.

The trip itself wasn't long, if he decided to run as fast as he could the entire way, he could see himself reaching the outskirts within twenty minutes but as he was only jogging it took quite a bit longer.

Exiting the forest bound path, Bryn got his first true good look at the small port town of Rosewater, its name no doubt due to the academies presence.

Like the academy, it too was built with designs and material that gave it an air of age, an age that he truly doubted that it had, much like the academy.

However, whilst the academy was on a single cultural design, the port was anything but.

Whilst the majority of the town was built in a similar design to that of the academy, with its location of being centred within a cove and the material used being of sandstone brick and red tiles for the roofs, there were several points of interest that were of obvious cultural dissidence.

Within the Dock were a number of small islands that each contained buildings that differed from the norm, a Japanese castle for example, whilst atop the highest hill within the confines of the town, sat a medieval castle with gardens that overlooked the port, as for why all the buildings had a similar nature of being a castle, or fortress related, Bryn did not know.

The path Bryn was on led beneath a large gate that marked the spot when the dirt path of the academy ended and the sleek and smooth stone floors of the port town.

Several student hung out in the square that was built around it, several cafes and bars making their earning of the students that hung out there.

The cafe that Armarni had mentioned to Bryn was further into the town and whilst most of the people there were going about their business, some of them had noticed him and from the looks they were giving him, recognised him.

Bryn decided to ignore them and headed further into the town, passing down a number of small streets before arriving at another courtyards similar to the square, only smaller and less densely populated.

Sitting outside a small cafe with vines running up the side of the building, Bryn noticed Armarni and Alexa laughing over a coffee as they snacked on a few deserts that the cafe was famous for.

“oi oi, how’s it going?” Bryn called out as he pulled to up a seat to the table, Armarni and Alexa smiling as he did.

“Not bad, how was class?” Armarni called out whilst Alexa's eyes widened in glee, “oh, were you a 'naughty boy' and got kept behind” she asked mischievously.

The table giggled whilst the Bryn motioned for the waitress that had noticed his arrival that he would like to order, she was all smiles and ready to take his order until she got closer, it was then that she used her tray to cover the lower part of her face before moving swiftly back into the store.

Thinking nothing of it, Bryn continued chatting to Armarni and Alexa about what he had been doing in class and what he had learnt about Grimoires, it was just as he was getting into the gist of it that the waitress returned, only by her side was an older gentleman dressed like a chef.

He was scowling.

The three noticed their arrival and just as Bryn was about to order the chef cut him off before he could say anything.

“Get up, you're not welcome here” the chef practically spat as he spoke to Bryn.

“Excuse me?” Bryn asked in shocked surprise, people had been hostile against him but none so verbally as the man before him.

“I said get out you piece of shit” the chefs shouted before grasping a hold of Bryn's jacket and with a strength that no chef should have, picked him up and threw him on to the paved road outside.

“What the hell?” Armarni called out whilst Alexa picked up one of the knives from the table.

“Shut up! Both of you, otherwise you'll be out as well you filthy traitors” the Chef said to Armarni and Alexa before focusing on Bryn, who was in the midst of standing up and holding himself back from charging the chef.

“Talk to me like that again and I'll have you're shop burnt down and entire family killed” Armarni said, his voice no longer angry like before, but cool and calm.

The whole shop went quiet whilst the chef took a step back to see the student that he had so casually dismissed.

Where before was a fun-loving student, joking with his friends, was a cold and ruthless gangster. With the academy being the way, it was the chef had seen many of his type before, all bark and no bite, but the way that Armarni looked at him, with zero hesitation, made him realise that the kid in front of him had the pull to make that threat a reality.

“My problem is not with you, but you're...'friend” The chef said as he stressed the last word, saying it almost as if it brought a putrid taste to his mouth by just speaking it.

“Fair enough, that is your right as the owner of this establishment, we will leave and go somewhere else” Armarni said before motioning for Alexa to drop the knife in her hand, but the chef had a small bit of joy in informing them of this next part.

“I'm sorry to ruin your plans but the 'Demon Spawn' over here has been blacklisted, ain't nobody letting his kind into their shop” the Chef laughed whilst goading Bryn with his eyes.

“Listen here you piece of...” Bryn tried to say but the chef went made, he spat in Bryn's face and shouted In rage “Don't you dare speak to me BEAST!”.

Bryn went still, his mind empty, a white-hot fury building within him.

Only a single thought was in his mind.

KILL HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bryn charged and the chef got ready to fight, he withdrew and meat cleaver from somewhere but before he could use it Armarni and Alexa had grabbed a hold of Bryn and weren't letting him go.

“STOP IT BRYN, STOP!” Armarni shouted in his ear but Bryn was resolute on killing the chef, both his Mana and mind wanted the same thing at this point, they wanted the chef dead!

“ENOUGH!” Alexa shouted before stabbing Bryn in the leg with the table knife she still had from the table, the cut was shallow and the pain momentary, but it was enough to bring Bryn back to his senses for a moment.

“Bryn, calm down and stop, there is nothing you can do, take a look around” Alex said before Bryn inspected his surrounding, the courtyard was small and held only a few small stores, but from each of those stores stood a person in the doorway, the only two things liking them being a bad mood and a weapon they were only too eager and thrust into one of Bryn's organs.

“Rosewater is made up entirely populated by active members in the Black Rose Guild, even if we let you go they would instantly kill you, you're too weak to do anything so stop!” Armarni said before letting Bryn go when he stopped fighting.

Bryn Glared at the chef for a seconds before stealing several napkins from another person’s table before walking off into the distance.

Armani followed after him whilst Alexa threw the table knife into the floor between the chef's feet, sashaying away as the cafe's other diners broke into hushed conversations.

Armarni and Alexa caught up to Bryn a few streets over, the road was empty and he was knelt against a tree, dabbing his face with the swiped napkins.

“You alright?” Armarni asked whilst he stood behind him, he wasn't quite sure what he was expecting, from the way Bryn looked back there he was expecting him to be mad, psychotic almost, but instead he watched as Bryn simply got up and let out a deep breathe before letting out a soft, defeated chuckle.

“I guess there are a few things I still need to get used to with my new fame” he said before patting the two of them on the shoulders as he walked between them.

“I'm going to head back, not much point in me staying here now” he said before walking off.

“Do you want us to come with you?” Armarni asked but Bryn waved them off, “to be honest, I could do with some time by myself” he said before disappearing down an alley.

“Should we have just left him like that?” Armarni asked Alexa but she just shrugged. “What else were we supposed to do, let him cry on our shoulders about how life ain't fair, about how he deserved better than that, I'm sorry but nothing we can say will do him any good, what happened back there is going to happen again and again, and he won't get through it if he starts depending on others for support”

Armarni wanted to refute her words, but he knew from his own experience that she was right, that no matter how much he wanted someone to depend on when he was younger, no one had come and he had learnt to get through his own trials by himself, and he was a better person for it.

At least, he thought he was.

Bryn had made a quick exit from the town and was on his way back to the academy, only he was not walking alongside the rest of the students that were making their way back, he had left the beaten track and was walking through the forest a few hundred yards away from the road, out of sight and out of mind from those that travelled it.

What had happened in town had left him angry, upset, sad, he wasn't too sure what he was currently feeling.

He felt like just falling down and giving up, or heading back into town and killing that chef whilst he slept, he felt so much and wanted to do so many different things, but he wasn't sure whether what he felt was because of his own emotions or the Mana that was surging through his veins.

The only thing he could tell was that he was not okay.

Bryn was halfway back to the academy when he noticed that something was wrong, his mind might have been in a bad spot but two guys suddenly appearing out of the brush tends to make a person refocus their priorities.

Just from looking at the two approaching men Bryn could immediately tell that they were both students of the academy but unfortunately they were not first years, they were older students.

“Now what brings a first year so far away from the path and into our neck of the woods” asked the male student with a British accident.

“I'm just trying to keep out of the crowds, just want to be by myself for a bit, you know” Bryn said as he tried to coax them into giving him a break, But it was not to be, nobody hid within a forest next to a well-used road for no reason.

“Well unfortunately these woods require a toll to pass through, now let me ask you this, have you paid that toll” the second student asked in a wannabe little john type of voice.

Bryn remained silent and did not answer, what the second student had said has essentially confirmed his suspicions, they were waiting in the woods to ambush first years who were just coming back from town.

Bryn looked to and from as he scoped out which way offered the best escape route, but he was too late, the second student spoke up before he had a chance to run for it.

“I, Dominic Blake, Do formerly challenge you to a duel” he said and Bryn succumbed to reality, there was no way he was getting out of this without a fight.

A fight that he was probably going to lose.

“Then I guess it is up to me to adjudicate this fight” the first student who had spoken said.

From this Bryn had figured out what their game was as it wasn't just anybody that could adjudicate a fight, only students from the Disciplinary committee or a teacher could adjudicate a fight, as he was on hand already it seemed like the two of them had teamed up to earn a quick credit during Hell week.

The first student moved off to the side to stand with his back against the tree, he was now in the between Bryn and Dominic but unlike the last time he was in a duel, the arena was no open space, trees covered most of the area but there was still a little bit of open space in between each one.

Depending on the second years skills, that might be a blessing rather than a curse.

“I, Felix Monroe, Do hereby declare this an official Duel, State your names”

“Dominic Blake”

“Bryn Lockhart”

“Begin!”

Bryn drew his pistol and shot without hesitation whilst diving for cover behind a tree however Dominic made no noticeable move to defend.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Bryn's aim was true but as the bullets grew close to Dominic it was as if they had struck some type of thick barrier, their speed fell before their momentum was completely gone and they petered out in the air.

“Ha-ha, not bad, tier 3 tech, that'll be nice to add to the collection” Dominic said before he began to walk towards where Bryn had hid, as the walk turned into a jog his body was hidden by a flash of light and the uniform he wore before was exchanged with a full set of black knights armour, and he wielded an abnormally large great sword.

It took Dominic barely three steps to cover a distance that would have taken Bryn ten, but in next to no time he was practically stepping on Bryn's toes.

Bryn dived away from the tree as Dominic swung his sword from the side, it bit into the tree and kept on going as if it was without resistance, Dominic paused as he causally removed the blade from the tree trunk, watching as Bryn scurried away whilst shooting bullets that may as well have been blanks at him.

“Run away, Run Away, oh why won't you play” Dominic joked as he continued his pursuit.

“Shit” Bryn Spoke to himself as he hid behind a tree, he holstered his pistol as he peaked at the second year that was getting closer.

His gun had already proven useless so he was down to his pilfered sword, but as he thought back to that strange power that Dominic had used to dispel the bullets he had shot, he had no idea whether it would work or whether it would go the way of the bullets.

First things first though, he needed to close the distance but Dominic's sword had more reach than his own, if he wanted to have a chance, then he would have to get creative.

A quick look around was enough for him to form a plan, he peaked the corner and noticed that Dominic was heading his way but just to make sure he unloaded a few more rounds from his pistol before hiding behind the trunk again.

Dominic ability made the bullets fizzle out before they reached him once again but he was getting tired of Bryn using the same old tricks, he launched himself forward and stabbed his sword through the tree and pierced through the other side ease, expecting Bryn to dive from one side or the other to dodge but He gasped in shock as Bryn fell down from the top of the tree with his sword ready to pierce.

With no choice Dominic abandoned his blade and dived out of the way before opening up some space between the two of them.

“Looks like that ability of yours doesn't work on everything” Bryn cockily said as he held his blade towards Dominic, a smug smile on his face as he noticed the sword still in the tree, “and it looks like you lost something” he said to which Dominic smiled.

“Oh little first year, you have so much to learn” Dominic said before holding out his hand to which his great sword appeared within.

Bryn was shocked and looked behind him for a split second, the blade was gone and he knew that Dominic had somehow retrieved his blade via teleportation.

Bryn turned back to Dominic and immediately knew that he had made a mistake, he should have never took his eyes of his opponent.

Myra would have killed him If she knew what he had done.

Dominic had already covered the distance and was mid swing, his blade bearing down on Bryn whilst his eyes shown in glee.

Bryn tried to move out of the way but for some reason his body felt slow and encumbered, the only part of his body that he could move freely, was strangely that hand in which he wielded the sword.

*CLASH*

The two blades met and metal collided, sparks flew and Bryn was overpowered, his back pushed up against the tree from his free hand pushed against the haft of the blade to prevent Dominica from cutting into his shoulder.

“Impressive!!” Dominic called out in glee, “Not only do you have tier three tech but an honest to god Aura Blade, I'm Impressed” Dominic said as he practically salivated over Bryn's Sword.

With a push of his blade Bryn was thrown to the side and sent rolling across the floor.

“I've got to say, your strong for a first year, I'm a strength focused knight and I'm actually having to try a little in this fight, you should be proud” Dominic said whilst walking over to Bryn with a large smile on his face but stopped as Bryn rose to his feet.

His smile was gone.

Bryn was confused, he didn't know why Dominic had stopped, for all intents and purpose the older student had been playing with him the entire fight, and now he was just looking at him.

No!

He wasn't looking at him, he was looking at something behind him!

“Wha...ugh!” Bryn tried to question as he turns but he was too late, the sword in his hand dropped as his looked to the sword piercing through his chest, it was no rapier like last that pierced to the side, but a thick metal blade that pieced through the centre of his chest.

Blood immediately began to die his clothes as with his hand shaking, reached up to touch it, to feel it, as if he needed to confirm whether it was real and true, but the one who wielded the blade had other plans, he pulled the blade from Bryn's back and let Bryn's limp body collapse to his knees before falling to the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dominic called out in anger before putting his blade away with a flash, no fear on his face for whether he would be targeted next, only annoyance that his fight was interrupted and their plan was ruined.

“Calm down, haven't you recognised who this is yet?” a student said as he came into Bryn's view, sheaving a dagger whilst walking towards his partner, it was Felix, the adjudicator for the fight.

“What, who is he?” Dominic asked as his friend put his arm around his shoulder whilst he smiled from ear to ear.

“This, my dear friend, is Gideon Bryn” He spoke as if he was a crooked salesmen offering the deal of a lifetime, “and he is our golden ticket” he said with glee that he could hardly contain.

Dominic's anger disappeared in an instance, he now looked at Bryn as if he was some type of side show attraction at a travelling fair, part amazement, part revulsion.

“So, this is the demon spawn, huh” Dominic said before kicking Bryn's limp body so hard that it went flying across the ground before colliding with a tree.

“So, what's the plan?” Dominic asked his friend as he depended on his advice in these type of situations, the two had been partners for a long time and they each knew their roles, he possessed the brawn whilst Felix had the sly mind.

“A lot of people will pay good money to see this kid dead, even more would pay to see him alive so they can do the deed themselves, but there is no shot we get this kid out of the academy alive, no, we'll kill him here, take his stuff and I'll clear the area of our presence so it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass” he said before dropping to his knee and holding his Holowatch at a certain angle.

“Say cheese” Felix said to Bryn who had begun to cough out blood before taking a photo with his Holowatch.

Dominic looked at him questioningly but Felix waved him off, “Evidence to send to the highest bidder” He said before he began to fiddle with his Holowatch, no doubt checking with his contacts as to who would be willing to front the credit.

“What are you waiting for, an invitation, Strip him” Felix said to Dominic who “tsked” before reaching down to pick up the dropped blade before moving towards Bryn.

Bryn tried to struggle, to move and fight back, but his action resulted in barely a wiggle, Dominic was rough in his search, his hand going into each of his pocked and patting down every part of his body.

He already knew about the tier 3 pistol that Bryn had already used on him in the fight but he was ecstatic at finding the gauntlet as well.

Dominic pulled and pulled but the Gauntlet wouldn't budge, annoyed, he removed Bryn's jacket without a hint of compassion, causing Bryn a massive spike of pain with every jerk of motion, but no matter how he tried nor how many layers he removed, he was simply unable to get the gauntlet off of Bryn's arm.

It was to the point that in the end, he had removed every piece of clothing off of Bryn's upper body in search of a strap as that was the only reason why the gauntlet may still be removing to budge, but there was nothing.

There was no reason why the gauntlet should not be able to be removed, and yet it would not budge.

“What’s taking so much time?” Felix called out from the side as he noticed Dominic struggling but when he noticed what he was trying to remove, he casually remarked, “just chop his arm off” before returning to his business.

Dominic Shrugged before rising to his feet and withdrawing his great sword with whatever ability it was he used.

On the edge of consciousness Bryn watched as Dominic raised his blade in anticipation of swinging down, and he knew that it was the end, that he had no way of getting out of this.

*SWISH*

An arrow aflame with fire shot through the air and pierced the blade at the precipice of his swing.

“Shit! Run!” Felix called out before disappearing into the darkness, Dominic took one look at his blade and another in the direction of whence the arrow came.

*Screech*

A Bird cried in the distance before a red light shown across to the top of the surrounding canopy, heading in their direction.

Dominic thought better of facing the incoming foe, he motioned with his hand and the blade disappeared from the tree, he gave one last look to Bryn before he too in turn, disappeared into the darkness.

With his eyes almost closed, his mind beginning to fade, Bryn watched as someone arrived, wreathed in flames, calling out his name, but they were too late.