Leo looked at Mary his hold on her hand getting weaker, not believing what he just heard. Thinking that maybe he misheard something he asked “What?”.

“I said you would hate me.” She said looking down, pulling away from him. “I will go now.” She said walking away, her face in tears.

Leo looked at her, he felt at loss of what to do. ‘I wouldn’t hate you. Never!’ Thinking about what he said he clenched his fist and brought it up.

Mary heard a smack like the sound from behind her, turning around she found Leo with one knee on the ground his nose bleeding and cheek red. He used an enchantment on his arm and hit himself. It hurt but it cleared his mind.

“What are you doing?!” she said running up to him.

Leo looked at her and pulled her into a hug. “Sorry!”

“Eh?” Mary was lost. The moment she said the truth she expected to be hated.

“I won’t hate you! I promise! But let me ask, why?” he at least wanted to hear the reason.

“I… Max… This will be long.” she said looking at him.

“We have time, my parents are coming for me in an hour.” Leo said pulling two chairs from the stockpile in the storage room.

Mary sighed, wiping the tears from her face with her hand she sat on the chair. Looking at her Leo noticed that she had the same expressionless face as the day he first met her.

“Max was my half-brother. We were of different mothers but while his mother is father’s wife, my was just a mistress.” said Mary. Leo just nodded and looked at her.

“Father after my mother died, decided to raise me as his own child, I was five at the time. Max’s Mother was not alright with it though, so every time she could she would force me to work and belittle me. I thought I didn’t have any other choice so I did as was told. But soon Max picked that up too and he got physical with it, he would hit me if he got worked up.” She continued.

Max looked at her, his face was unreadable. “Did you tell your father?”

“I did… but my father has rules by which he lives and he believes that strong has right to rule over their inferior so I was told to deal with it myself.” she said. “In the end, I gave up and decided to preserve somehow and Max always had his mother on his side.”

“After that year passed without much changing, the school started and there he ignored me so it was a good place for me to rest as long as I didn’t stand out more than Max. Every time I did anything better than him by accident he would get violent at home later.”

Leo was silent but inside he was angry, both at Max and himself for not noticing anything till now. “Sorry I never noticed…” He said gripping his arms to the point they turned red.

“No.” she said shaking her head. “It’s not your fault. I never told anyone. Continuing, like that nothing, much changed till the tournament when he lost to you. He got really frustrated after that and he beat me nearly to unconsciousness and then… he… tried to rape me.”

Leo’ mana flowed inside of him unconsciously along with his anger and he broke the chair he was sitting on by pressing on it with his hands and landed on the floor.

“Are you alright?!” Mary asked.

“Yes…” Leo said pulling himself up. “I’m sorry…” he hugged Mary his own eyes filling with tears.

Mary got little surprised but said. “I said already it’s not your fault… and don’t worry I was rescued that day by one of the maids, so nothing happened. I still didn’t finish…”

“There is no need to remember anymore, I understand, I would have done the same had I known.” said Leo.

“You are kind Leo… you always were to me, but please could you listen till the end, I want to tell you…” she said asking.

“Ah, sure…” Leo said pulling another chair and sat on it.

“Well, that day of the attack…”

-*-

Mary stood on the staircase, no one seemed to be around but she was waiting for Max. He said that she had to wait here after she finished the test.

She wondered what he wanted, normally he didn’t pay a speck of attention to her in school.

“Good, you are here.” she heard Max. He arrived here after sneaking out of the classroom. He looked around “No one seems to be coming here, we won’t be disturbed, let’s go behind the stairs.”

Behind the stairs, there was some space that couldn’t be seen quite well from the outside. “I would rather not.” protested Mary.

“Shut up! I’m not giving you a choice here!” he shouted at her. “Tsk, don’t make me shout.” He said pulling her behind the stairs.

“Now, I know that you are a slut for that loser so I need to straighten you!” he said slapping her face making her fall.

“Loser that beat you.” she said to him.

“Shut up!” he said kicking her. “Tsk, really you shouldn’t be so cocky, you are just a slave. Now, get naked.” He said smiling.

“What?” both of them heard someone say from the front of the stairs. From there they saw Mr. Miles getting in their view, walking up to them. Upon noticing the situation his face twisted. “Max! What the hell are you doing here!?” he shouted.

“Shut up! Get out of here! You don’t want my father to deal with you!” shouted Max back at him.

“Look here.” Miles said picking him by his shirt. “I know your father well enough and want me to guess what would happen if he was here. He would say ‘You should have been stronger.’” He released him, making Max fell to the ground.

“Still I’m a teacher now, I won’t beat you. Now come I will take you to the principal and Mary to the infirmary. Can you walk?” He asked Mary.

Mary simply nodded and got up. Miles took Max’ hand and started pulling him despite the smaller boy protests.

Suddenly he stopped. “Shut up.” He said now more serious than before. Looking around he continued. “Go up the stairs and be silent.”

“Why should I listen to you?” complained Max.

“Just go, now!” shouted Miles.

“Oh, what do we have here? A teacher and two kids.” Three figures arrived from behind the corner. They wore full body armor and had magic guns with them.

“Who are you?” said Miles. He positioned himself in front of the kids.

“Hmm? You are… Miles? Right? We worked together once! It’s me from the bridge attack with the elves, Darvis!” said one of them.

“I remember you. So what do you want here?” Miles responded but he didn't relax at all.

“We came here to abduct the kids and make their parents pay ransom for them. Want to join us? You were great in the past! Always so ruthless, we could use your help! What do you say?!” he said excitedly.

“Hmmmm, is that all?” questioned Miles.

“Are you sure you should be saying all those things to him?” asked a guy in the back of the group.

“Sure! If he doesn’t agree we can just kill him, he is unarmed after all. You know! You will really like it! Come one!” Darvis persuaded.

“You know what.” said Miles “It’s quite enticing proposition.”

“Right?” he continued.

“Yes, so…” Miles said pulling all mana he could inside himself. “Die!”

He jumped and in instant arrived in front of the enemy punching the guy called Darvis with his fist. A powerful pressure created by concentrated air exploded on the guy chest tearing his armor apart and creating a big hole inside him. Turning around he shouted to the kids. “Run!”

Max jumped up the stairs but Mary hesitated. One of the attackers turned his gun at Miles, he wanted to jump away but with his feelings on the wind around himself, he knew if he dodged Mary would get shot.

He took the shot and coughed from pain. “Now! Go!” He shouted again.

Mary woke up from the surprise, she started running away and one of the attackers aimed at her. “You aren’t getting away!”

Before he could shoot Miles arrived in front of him and attacked him with his air bomb, blowing away his stomach. Then turned to the last person, he was shot at again and he tried to dodge but unfortunately, due to pain from the injury, he got shot in the shoulder. With his last ounce of strength, he used powerful wind gust that twisted the man around and broke his spine and bones.

Sighing, Miles relaxed “I’m too old for thi…” and second later he fell to the ground, his stomach has been pierced by something, there was a metal spike that slowly dissipated, like if an earth mage created something before being able to stabilize its form.

Turning his head around he noticed that the guy which stomach was destroyed had an outstretched hand that soon fell to the ground. Miles started chuckling. “I’m an idiot… aren’t I?” He said while slowly picking himself up from the ground.

“I need to find the kids, make sure they are alright.” He said taking few steps up the stairs before tumbling down. Sitting up he looked at his injury. “So this is it? I guess peaceful life was not something for me after all…”

Mary and Max were already away, hiding in one of the bathrooms.

“What was that!? EH!? What was that!?” shouted Max, clearly scared of what he just witnessed.

“You will gather attention shouting like that.” said Mary.

“Shut up! Don’t be smart now!” he said slapping the girl. Turning around he turned on one of the sinks to get water. “It’s all your fault anyway!”

Mary looked at him but soon stopped paying attention to him and thought. ‘Did that person die from Mr. Miles’ spell. Does that mean he is gone? Gone?’ She noticed the water coming out of the sink.

Standing up she walked up to the sink standing behind Max. She focused her mana, it always came easily for her to control it, she always just held back to make sure she didn't outshine Max.

Max was drinking the water to calm himself. Suddenly he felt the water getting colder which he welcomed, then he felt something strange in his throat. It was cold, he tried to take it out but he couldn’t. Then he noticed he couldn’t breathe. He tried to cough but nothing came out not even the air, his body started feeling cold. Falling to the ground he was thrashing around looking for help. Slowly getting weaker, looking up he noticed Mary looking at him with her usual expressionless face that always annoyed him, he pulled out his hand, begging for help, then he saw her smiling and slowly his vision faded away.

Mary looked at him the ice sticking out of his mouth still smiling. “So it was that easy?” she said to no one in particular.