The group slowly made their way to an inn owned by the local powerhouse, the Lions Family. As they arrived they saw brilliant lanterns glowing brightly as if beckoning for a master of arts to join them. The signboard above the inn depicted the head of a lion breaking a greatsword in half between its jaw. The atmosphere inside the inn was boisterous, alcohol was flowing wildly and mercenaries were engaging in conversations about the local magical beasts they had killed.

The children walked in awkwardly and asked for a table to fit seven. They were escorted upstairs to a quieter area and were given a large table against the wall. After giving the waitress their order, they all looked expectantly at Willem.

Nervously, Willem chuckled. "It is still quite embarrassing to be looked at this way." He fumbled his words as the gazes became more focused and heated.

"Forget that! Tell us everything, get to the good stuff!"

"Did you miss us? Did you make new friends?"

"W-w... Were there any girls there..."

Arin seemed particularly interested in Eleanor's last question as he sat right beside Willem, inching closer while waiting to hear about any women at the training grounds.

"Fine, I get it. I will tell you what happened."

As he began to tell them what had happened, their smiles changed to wide eyes and slowly shifted to frowns. Willem did not mince words or hide what happened to him in any way. As he finished speaking, he explained that he had made friends with some other apprentices whom had taken care of him during his recovery. The conversation became stale as they all contemplated the difficulties he had just gone through.

"Well in that case we are glad to have you back!" Craig shouted to restore the mood and wrapped his arms around Willem as they jovially expressed their approval of his strength. He clearly did everything he could during his training and they truly believed that he should have no regrets.

Willem wryly smiled as he downed his drink. Due to the fact that they were underage, they were not served alcohol but instead shaved ice with milk, with the ice being created from water magic. The shop owners daughter was renowned for her capabilities as a powerful young mage whom had received special treatment, though her spell list was still beginner tier.

Halfway during their meal, they were interrupted by the sounds of violent fighting downstairs. The boys poked their heads below, and they saw a group of thugs threatening the barkeeper. The mercenaries that had just been drinking heavily had all been defeated and were on the ground, some with life threatening injuries. With a quick glance, the leader saw the children above the stairs peeking their heads out and grinned.

He ordered for two of his men to go upstairs, with a motion that could only mean to kill anyone they find. Quickly the children ran to the window at the end of the hall in order to escape from the inn. Willem was the last one out and had almost made it but was caught at the last moment by one of the thugs.

As he was pulled back into the inn, Willem kicked and screamed while the thugs held onto him by his ragged shirt. They punched him and kicked him until all that was left from him were low groans. Just when he thought it was over, he felt the distinct feeling of cold steel pierce his stomach.

He let out a sharp pain that contained everything he had ever been through, and as his voice died down he felt hollow. As if there was nothing left, he curled into a ball and waited for death while cursing the heavens. Willem's blood flowed freely from the open wound on his stomach and left him feeling incredibly cold.

As the thugs started to leave, they stopped when they noticed a glint from the boy. It was the pendant that belonged to his Father. It had somehow fallen off his neck and rolled along the floor. While the thug bent over to grab it, he saw the boy also reaching for it with blood stained hands. The thug gave Willem another kick and pocketed the pendant for himself.

Willem did his best to remember exactly what the thug who took the pendant looked like.

After the thugs finished their business extorting the barkeeper, they left hurriedly before the guards arrived. Before long, the guards arrived and assessed the situation, giving priority to the severely injured.

By the time they had gotten to the small boy upstairs, they could barely feel a pulse. After a quick glance around, one guard kept watch as the other guard picked Willem's pockets as he was passed out. They noticed the scars on his arms that could only point to them being previously broken, and unanimously decided to give priority to the other injured when they were done with him.

After all, strength means everything.

The cold quickly enveloped Willem's body as he began to twitch from the lack of blood.

The guards focused on accommodating the richer, paying patrons whom required bandages and sterile cloth.

Seeing the unsightly boy dying in front of them, the rich patrons asked the guards to move his body somewhere else where they would not be perturbed. The guards were all too happy to oblige, and removed a barely conscious Willem from the room.

The guards tossed Willem's slowly dying body onto a broken cot in a nearby room and walked away as he continued to bleed out.

Fortunately for Willem, the young water mage happened to walk in to that very same room and saw that Willem had yet to be treated at all. Finding cheap gauze, she wrapped his stab wound and begins to chant an elementary water recovery spell. Though the spell method was crude, the release of gut-wrenching pressure from the stab wound caused Willem to wake up and cry out in joy.

Like having water splashed onto his face, the healing spell forced Willem wide awake. Willem frantically asked about his friends, but the water mage explained that she had not seen them. After having done her job of stimulating his life force with healing magic, the water mage took her leave in order to treat the other patrons, at the behest of the perturbed guards.

Willem remained completely still as a piece of the broken cot slowly pushed into his back. Even the slightest readjustment from Willem brought about a huge wave of pain. Willem was forced to internalize his pain, remembering back to how he dealt with his pain during his apprenticeship training. Willem did his best to breath in, hold his breath for a few seconds, and exhale again. He continued this method for a few minutes until the pain dulled.

His mouth began to pool with black blood that he was forced to spit out into a nearby wooden bucket, being careful not to reopen his stomach wound. A guard approached Willem in order to get his statement on what had occurred, and showed no interest when Willem asked about the welfare of his friends. In return, Willem told him nothing but the bare minimum to make him leave.

Willem sensed an ominous feeling welling up inside him, fear and panic flowing through his whole body. Unfortunately for him, he could not summon enough strength to even slightly move. He convinced himself that it was for the best that he not move since his life was still in danger. If the wound reopened, it was highly unlikely that someone would come to his aid again.

The feeling of fear and panic slowly died out and gave way to a huge surge of adrenaline. With nothing to do, Willem felt his heart beat like crazy while he struggled to not get up.

During the rest on the broken cot, an attendant came to speak with Willem saying that he can stay the night and that he would not have to worry about paying the fee. Feeling slightly relieved, Willem again asked about his friends. The attendant explains that she has not seen or heard news about the six children and quietly takes her leave.

The night passes with difficulty and the dawn of the morning comes sooner than everyone had hoped. Those with minor wounds are already around and moving, helping out the inn in any way they can to make up for their lack of strength the night before.

The richer patrons dropped a few silver coins on the table and leave without looking back.

Willem was finally awake but laid completely still, the attendant wiping his brow of the sweat that formed just from his body attempting to recover. Now that the majority of wealthy patrons were okay, they could spare a few attendants to take care of the meaningless non paying patrons of the inn, since it would be bad for business if any of them died while remaining in the inn.

The young water mage finally returns to Willem's side after visiting everyone else and gives him a small elixir, with a slightly blue tinge to it.

"What is this?" Willem ask immediately as it is forced into his hand.

He put it quickly into his breast pocket where the locket used to be as she looks at him with a pained expression.

"Your injuries were the most severe, some people had breaks and fractures but you were left to die. Truly I do not understand how you yet live and breathe after losing so much blood. This is just a small recovery potion, the first one of a batch I have successfully made. It is the least I can do for not being strong enough to help you and almost letting you die. As a water mage, there is no greater dishonor than having a patient die under your protection." The young water mage looked both ashamed and angry at herself.

She hung her head dejectedly as if saving Willem's life was not enough to make up for the events of last night. Nothing he could say would comfort her, and he especially knew that. Praise will not replace the gut feeling that you could have done something more.

Suddenly the look on her face is replaced by a steely determination, a small light of hope appears in her eyes and her fists tighten to the point that her veins became visible. It was as if she had resolved within herself that day to become a Grand Mage and challenge the evils of this world herself.

Willem could not help but smile upon seeing it, a young woman no older than fifteen with such strength of will.

"Hold still for me." The young water mage places her hand on Willem's sternum.

She begins to chant a long and complex sounding spell, and all of a sudden Willem's insides feel as if they are being twisted inside a warm whirlpool. It was an indescribable feeling, as if at any moment his organs would split, but also that the water rushing over them was sealing any cracks they had sustained.

Once the spell ended, the pleasant warm feeling retracts and his organs feel as if they had been completely invigorated. The look on her face had yet to change, and beads of sweat poured off her head.

"Some day soon, I will repay this favor you have given me." Willem says to her.

"Good luck finding me, I plan to devote myself entirely to the Magical Academy so I can learn stronger magic." She retorted, with gasps of breath every few seconds.

Willem wiped her brow of the sweat with a nearby cloth and took all the strength in his body, commanding himself to leave the broken cot.

For a moment the young mage looked as if she intended to stop Willem, but after seeing the struggle in his eyes she decided not to. Willem made his way down the stairs and into the street, determined to see if his friends are okay.