Footsteps began to echo in the distance, and Chris immediately realised his mistake. They set off a large mana explosion on campus. Chris was so distracted by Kathryn being annoying that he forgot that they had already been targeted by a special squad prior. Suddenly they were surrounded by several high ranking staff at the school. They encircled the group, slowly pushing them towards the center of the battle area.

Edwin and Kathryn snapped out of their crying fit, and began to freak a little. Jenny and Lily clung to Chris and Haven as they were slowly pushed towards the others. The men and women were barking orders at each other and the children, slowly pressuring them into a small area.

Chris could tell what they were up against, ‘There are around twenty physically enhanced, as well as several high ranking mages who were placed on the roof of the school, ready to fire when the signal was given.’ Chris whispered to his friends, “No one say anything, this was my mistake, and I’ll deal with this.”

Edwin stood up, “No, I launched that attack, this was my fa-” They were interrupted with a large man approaching, “Might you tell me what you were discussing?” He smiled, but it was definitely a threat. This man had buzzed short blond hair, a rigid jawline, muscle packed on muscle, and he was tall. He towered over them now. “With a blast like that we expected some normal sized terrorists, but to think our own students,” he feigned sadness,” Anyways, you all need to come with us.”

Chris was flabbergasted, “You think we’re terrorists? What kind of crazy talk is that? What evidence do you have of that?” Chris stood firm, placing his arm as a sort of barrier between his friends and this lumbering man before him.

The man leaned in close to Chris’ face, “If that blast I saw wasn’t an attempt at terrorism, then I don’t know what is,” he sneered. Chris puffed up his chest, “If you think that a terrorist would miss so hard that they didn’t deal any damage, then your idea of terrorism is a bit skewed, sir.” Neither of them backed down.

Chris sighed, “But, as we attend this school, we must follow protocol in situations like these,” Chris nodded to his friends, “So we will come with you to get this sorted out as you are mistaken about the situation.”

The gruff man grumbled under his breath, itched his beard, and waved them to walk. After a few minutes of trudging the man was alerted by one of his subordinates. The man grew frustrated, his face visibly red. “She asked for what!? Fine.” Their course changed, and they trudged onward. Within just a few minutes they stood in front of the center of the entire school.

They entered the tallest building on campus, a large stone tower, with a large spiraling staircase to the top. They continued marching up the stairs, and came to a large wooden double door. The handles were a black metal, seemingly stamped into the reddish brown planks. The doors were opened and a display of wealth and importance Chris had not gazed upon in his life sat right in front of him.

From the white colored furniture, the well made plates and cups, the sprawl of a tea set on its own table, and the layout of the room in general. It was all meticulous, polished, and forceful. In the side of the room sat a large round table, and sitting at it already was the headmaster and only the headmaster. She motioned Chris’ group to sit as well.

The headmaster snickered, “It seems like you’ve made quite the fuss. Normally I would hint at all the terrible consequences of your actions, only to give you reprieve by letting you know that your power is a special case, but you’re already aware of that, aren’t you Chris?”

Chris nodded, “I apologize for this situation as it must have startled many people, but if I had deemed the situation dangerous I would have stopped it. You have my deepest sincerity.” Chris bowed before sitting down along with the rest of the group.

Everyone in Chris’ group seemed a bit shaken, but breathed a collective sigh of relief. Edwin spoke up, “I apologize for the disruption, as it was a quarrel between me and my sister that caused this mess, and I would like to take full responsibility.”

Kathryn piped up, “No, it was I who-”

The headmaster interrupted, “Do you fools not have anything but magic running through your heads, I already stated there will be no direct consequences for this occurrence. I just have a few questions and info I need corroborated. Is that clear?” Her commanding voice boomed outward. Everyone shook their heads nervously. This woman put off an aggressive aura, one of experience and power.

“First, was it your group that was practicing in the woods a ways out from campus?”

Chris decided lying wasn’t going to work out, “Yes that was our area for training, as the spells we had been developing were dangerous for on campus as you have now found out.”

The headmaster nodded, “Next, was it you who prevented Edwin’s kidnapping a few months ago?”

Chris was a bit nervous at how she knew that information, “If I might ask before we continue, how close is this academy to the Church?”

The headmaster glared down at Chris, eyes focused, like she was peering into his soul. She leaned towards him, and then laughed, “Ohh those quacks, they’ve been causing us so many issues, begging for information, attempting to bribe us. Honestly, they're a real pain in my ass. I only knew about the kidnapping due to our own security on campus finding traces of unidentified magic, as well as there being a single witness report of seeing some people jump through Edwin’s window.”

Chris sighed, “That was us, yes.” Chris began thinking about the corpse he left in their botched plan’s wake. The blood pooling on the floor, the expressions of horror on everyone’s faces. The seering difference between his care for his friends and his desire not to be “a bad guy” all flowing through his head, like a torrent of - “Chris, answer me boy,” The headmaster snapped her fingers in an attempt to get his attention.

Chris shook his head, snapping out of this trance-like state, “I’m sorry ma’am, could you repeat yourself.” The headmaster sighed, “I asked you to explain your group’s exponential growth. I think I already know the answer, but I want to hear it from you.” She lifted a book from her lap, and rested it on the table. It looked distinctly in the same style as the book Chris possessed; however, it was stamped with the symbol of Dymenthion’s followers. A book stamped with the symbol of more books. The whole symbol was silly to Chris, but based on what he read, Dymenthion himself never decided on that.

Chris nodded, “Haven was being harassed by an Orcish Boar in our village. I had been training swordsmanship, and was overconfident. I charged the boar and defeated it, but in the process I was gored. Suddenly, like a miracle, a wandering healer came, and prevented my death. He gifted me a similar book to the one you are holding, but without the religious symbology. My friends and I had been using this book to train, as well as spending hours each week working on our crafts.”

Haven nodded in agreement, “Chris made me study so hard on stuff that made no sense for over a year before coming here.”

The headmaster nodded, “The final question I have for you is, Chris, how strong is your group, and how strong are you specifically?”

Chris chuckled a little bit, throwing his hands in the air, “I guess we don’t have any choice if the headmaster is asking us, are you guys in?”

Jinny was grinning ear to ear, thinking about the praise she would receive from the headmaster. Haven was brimming with excitement. Lily was a bit nervous, but still hopeful. Edwin asked, “Do I need to show off, as we are here because of my best move after all?” The headmaster shook her head, “You will do it again dammit, I want to see the process.”

“We will be taking a Fenix to a wide open location, where it will be safe to display yourselves, is that clear?” The headmaster barked.

They then walked outside to see the creature. Magically and scientifically created birds. They were raised on a mountaintop that was frigid, far too frigid. There were also massive predators like bears and such. They were constantly pumped full of mana by outside observers, as to stimulate their growth. Their size was unmatched, as a single bird could easily carry ten people. They were used in the last war between Verkiv, and their nickname was the Feathered Dragon.

The group climbed on and were launched at speeds that they hadn’t experienced before, Haven and Lily screaming the whole way. The wind whipped everyone’s hair in a frenzy, and breathing was difficult. When they landed it was clear the headmaster had quite the expectations of them, they couldn’t see anything but wide open plains for as far as the eye could see in any direction.