The Star House

He held the message in his hand and walked hurriedly towards the room. He knocked upon the heavily wooded door. Only after being commanded to enter did he do so.

“Head, we just received word from our informants. It seems the team of Zero Province Students has gone missing. It's believe they left to go to some unknown location to train. The only information we have so far is they stole a carriage and horses. They were spotted heading west. It seems they sold the horses and bought new ones along the way but after that we lost them, as did the Cloud house.”

The head of the Star house grabbed the message from his minion's hand. He read every word. “I want to double the amount of assets we have in the area. I want them doing anything they have to do to get information. Give them gold for bribes and tell them to break some fingers if need be. I want to know where they've gone and what they're up to.”

He tossed the paper on the ground in anger. “I want to have some men following the Cloud house investigation as well. Keeps tabs on them. Who they talk to and where they're going. They might even be able to lead us to them. Is that special unit I told you to get ready in place?” He was referring to the order he gave a few days ago to get a small group together as a potential assassination squad.

“Yes head, they are standing by on the border of province zero waiting for a location from our investigators.” The group of 3 wizards was small but powerful. Due to being a small unit they were able to move quickly. While not true members of the Star house they have long since been bought. Each was a talented and deadly A ranked wizard.

“Good, I want them to move into position when we know where they are. Tell them to use their own judgment on what action is required. The unknowns and oddities around this situation are only growing. I want it dealt with.” The Head went to his desk and began to write messages on small pieces of paper. Nothing must be left to chance.

*****

The Old Wizards's house

Mid sun had just passed. River had already been gone for nearly half a day. The entirety of Class 5, Peter and Alura were at the old wizards house. He told them that if they wished for his teachings they must be prepared to come early and leave late. He was not about to waste any of his remaining years on students who were not committed to learning.

He looked over at Tom's training. “I read in Lee's letters that he wanted to instill a lot of agility in you. That seems very wise to me. You lack a natural knack for wind magic or so I have been told. Is that correct?”

“Yes, even though my families ultimate technique requires wind magic it takes me a long time to create it.”

“I see, I was also told you can freely use fire, earth and water. How do you feel your skill with each is?”

“Pretty good I guess. But when I see how well Lee uses wind magic it makes me see how silly I was to think I'd really mastered how to use 3 elements. Once I saw how he fought with just one it made me realize how much I lack in each.”

“I'm glad you see it that way. For the next 2 months I want you only to focus on using 1 element. That element will be water.”

“Yes sir, but why water instead of fire that can do more damage or earth which has better defense?”

“More damage or better defense all depends on how you use your skills. As for why water; it's the best fit for you to learn right now. You move freely and quickly. Earth magic for defense is good but it won't be as useful if your style involves a lot of moving around. Fire is powerful and can cause a lot of damage over a large area but it won't offer much protection if you fail to dodge an attack.

Water isn't spectacular in any one area but it is the most balanced of all elements and is flexible like your movements. It can be a fail safe shield and a strong attack.” The old man told him this while he was watch a bird peeking away at the trunk of a tree. It was almost as if he said it like he was repeating basic math to a small child. Only after he was done speaking did it he back at Tom.

“I have a book on water magic I'm going to lend you. Every night when you leave here I want you to read it. Read it until you can remember ever piece of information in it. That is the training that is best for you right now. Keep up on your agility too. A movement target is the best kind to be.”

“Isn't it better to be no target at all?”

The old man gave him a small smile. “Yes, but that isn't always an option those of us who walk the path of magic have. A wizard that doesn't know he's a target is even worse than a still target. You can pick up your book when you're done training for the day.”

“When will I be done though?”

The old wizard laughed. “When I tell you you're done of course!” He walked away and Tom went back to his mana training. He came to Derrick who was practicing earth magic. He watch him creating dust and trying to control the density of the earth walls he created. Making them thin but very strong and at other tons large and soft.

“So you're the wizard who taught Lee, frankly I was wondering what kind of man you'd be.”

“Oh you were? Well what's your opinion of me so far?”

“I don't know, you show a lot of different faces to different people. You sometimes come off as comical and aloof but other times you sound rather profound. If it was all an act to throw people off I could understand it. But I don't think it is. If I had to say what kind of man you are I would say complex and mysterious. But a good person.”

The old man rubbed his chin. “Lee is dense about some things but he tends to be a pretty bright boy in other areas. He was able to tell be a good deal about you in his letters. You're a very clever and sneaky one. A lot of people think only dumb people or easy to understand. I personally believe usually people who are clever are just as simple in their own way.”

Derrick stopped his training “Are you saying you can see through me or that I’m easy for you to understand? That would be a first.”

“I'm just going to give you advice as one clever man to another; no matter how hard you try or how well you prepare things won't always go as you want. People look to the clever ones to make the best choices. When we succeed it is expected because we're clever. When we fail it's because we're lazy or incompetent. The more clever we are the more our failures hurt us. When you fail, and you will some day. Don't let it break you.”

Derrick had long stopped his training and stared at the old wizard. “Did your failures break you?”

The old wizard ignored the question. “As for your training, I see you're trying to experiment with magic and you have a lot of great schemes. Frankly, you lack powerful magic. From everything I read from Lee you don't possess a single attack that you can rely upon to turn the tables in your favor. While I know it goes against your nature a bit. Brute force is something we can't neglect. I want you to focus on earth magic.”

“What kind of spell do you want me to learn to use with earth magic?”

“That is for your to decide. As long as it is big and powerful do what feels natural. Tonight I'll give you a book on earth magic. Learn every bit. Earth is often used for defense but when used for attack it can be devastating if used right or a massive failure and mana drain if used wrong. You'll just need to find a way to be clever and not fail when you use it.”

He left Derrick's side without saying another word and went over to see Amanda. She had already got her running in for the day and was practicing mana control. “Hello Amanda. It's so nice to finally get the chance to talk to you. I heard a lot about you from Lee. He told me you can keep up with his running and your mana training is going very well.”

“Y-yes, I can keep up with him running and my mana stamina is good I suppose” She blushed and didn't look the old wizard in the eye.

“He also told me you're shy when meeting new people for the first time. I can understand that. You seemed like quite the fun character when we first saw each other. I hope you get use to me soon!”

“W-well we were around all my friends then and I felt more comfortable. Talking to a new person one on one isn't easy for me.”

The old wizard summoned fire in his hand. “I very much understand how that can be tough. To be totally honest, I'm not a fan of meeting new people either. I guess with age I just managed to get more use to it but it's never easy. Lee told me you use fire and water. Is that correct?”

Amanda nodded and summoned fire and then water in her palm to show the old man. “I see. Most people who favor fire tend to be just as fiery on the inside. You're no exception I can tell, even if you're a little shy at first. Once people get to know you your personality burns brightly.”

Amanda blushed a bit as his words. “But your shyness and timidness can be things which cause you to get hurt or get others hurt. Lee told me if the first match in the school tournament you had a moment of hesitation. That's fine for a school match but in the real world against a skilled opponent it can get you killed. Your talent and stamina are good but need to learn to take the pace and overwhelm from the beginning.

Winning a stamina battle is difficult and against multiple opponent's a bad strategy. From now on you are to only use fire. It's a flashy element and powerful. With great stamina it can be an overwhelming force. You personally don't have the ability to dodge or have enough time to learn enough able water to make it be a good defense. So your path is to have confidence is your stamina and set the tone from the beginning. You can't be shy or nervous around crowds or hesitate. Not in the tournament or the real world.”

With that he left her side and went to see David. He was practicing his martial arts with Alura. Even being bigger and stronger he was constantly getting thrown around. He had long abandoned any inclination to hold back. Any punch or kick he attempted was redirected uselessly and every hold he tried to use was counter.

“Alura, would you be willing to train on your own for a bit while I talk to David?” She agreed and walked over to a near by tree. Treating it like an opponent as she dived in and out landing strikes.

“I see your martial arts training is going well. Don't be too discouraged. Alura has been training since she could walk. You have only been at it for 6 months. Of course you still have a long way to go. As far a your magic I heard about it in Lee's letters. I'm sorry to hear you are having troubles and your growth is slower than the others.

I think once Lee returns with the Black Rose I'll be able to do something to help with that. It won't entirely fix the problem but ut it could help shrink the amount of time you need to do build up your base a substantial amount and give you an outside chance to keep pace with your friends.”

David stood on edge. Even with his martial arts practice he felt himself only fall further and further behind his friends each day. If that was some way to help him,eEven if only a bit, he would jump at the chance. “That would be great if you could do anything at all. Thank you so much sir!”

The old wizard waved his thanks away with his hand. “Don't act like it's entirely charitable. It's being done for my benefit as well and Lee is the one actually journeying to get it. Once I have the black rose it'll be very easy to make what I need. If anything you should thank Lee when he comes back. Now moving on to the more important topic. Your preferred magic is the lightning element correct?”

“Yes sir, that's correct. I'm trying to learn more elements but lightning is what I've been using my whole life.”

The old man gave him a smile. “You're a very respectful young man. You've certainly changed a lot since the first few letters I received about you. Lightning is a wonderfully powerful offense magic. For defense it's fairly useless and so it as recently fallen out of favor in most circles. I think that's because most people don't understand what to do with it. They charge up very powerful magic spells and are left vulnerable. That is why you are no longer going to use magic in that way for the next 2 months.”

“So what am I to do then?”

“You are going to focus on creating small and quick lightning spells. Do not focus on the damage or power. You are to focus on speed and size of the the spell. Most wizards when they use lightning believe the best action is a single bolt of raw power through a wizards heart. While this can be deadly the time to set it up is too long and a single shot can be dodged. If a wizard is on guard.

Think of your lightning from now on as making large quick webs of lightning that branch out. Don't worry if they don't contain enough power to do serious damage to an opponent. Just stunning them for a moment is all you need to do. After all, that would allow you to close the distance or back away. It's a way for you to use lightning as defense and offense. Not by making a shield or wall but by stopping our opponent's movements even if just for a moment. I'll give you a book on lightning magic to read.”

With that he moved on to Mary. She practicing various kinds of wind magic. She gave him a look over her shoulder and continued to train. “Are you here to give me some pointers too? I watched you going around to everyone else.”

The old man chuckled. “Do you believe you're too good to receive some advice?”

“Of course not. I came here to get better after all. I don't care if help can come from the worlds most powerful wizard or a first time magic user. If it can help me in my goal to become the strongest I'll happily take any help I get.”

The old wizard scratched his short white beard. “So your goal is to become the strongest. I've heard such was the case Ms. Saint Cloud. I'm curious about your obsession with being the strongest. Why is that so important?”

Mary stopped her training for a split second and started again. “To bring new glory to the Cloud house of course.”

The old man shook his head. “You don't need to tell me the real reasons if you don't want to. You're a bad liar but only cause you dislike to lie. That's why I know you're a good person and so whatever reasons you have I'm sure that are not malevolent. As far as your training goes, as of now I have nothing I can teach you at the moment except one thing.”

Mary was a bit disappointed to come all the way just to learn one thing. “And what's that?”

“That you should stop doing the magic techniques everyone teaches you. I don't mean your mana training. That should stay as is. I speak of the way in which you use magic. I would say in all of your years you've never tried to develop anything for yourself. No doubt you were taught by strong wizards as a child and told what was the proper way.

When you saw Lee fight your first inclination was that he must have all the answers and instantly asked him to train you. Once you heard I trained him you came here to receiving training from me. You have always looked to others to show you the way not realizing if your goal is to be truly strong you must eventually look to find new paths for yourself.”

“So what your saying is your not going to teach me anything?”

“No young Ms. Cloud. I will teach you and show you the way. I'm not saying you shouldn't listen to me or others. All information we have is passed down and gathered for us by our ancestors after all. However, if we don't push to discover the new then we will never advance beyond a certain point. During your time here I want you to develop a magic spell that is entirely your own. I'll give you a book on wind magic. You can learn from it and use it as a reference to develop an attack of your own.”

Mary was about to ask how she would go about developing her own attack but the old wizard had already moved on. It made him sad that he needed to leave a student who came for him to help without any answers but knew it was the best thing for now. He motioned Peter Leaf over. A signal he was ready to start their daily session.

Peter gave a look around to all the kids. “I don't know why but I was expecting you to be doing more drills and hands on training. This seems much more relaxed than some of the things Lee described.”

The old man gave a look over the crowd of young people. “This is what they need for the moment. I don't plan to go soft on them forever. Besides they're still a bit exhausted from the travel. Before I make them regret coming here I need to give them time to recover.”

Peter looked to the horizon. “I wonder how River is doing.”

“He'll be fine. There's a reason I wanted him to go. While he could grow stronger if he stayed this is also the best training for him. He's fairly sharp but naive and ignorant of many things. My hope is him seeing more of the world might do him some good. This town has always been a notoriously conservative area. I think it's time he got to see certain realities up close.”

Peter laughed. “Province 6 is known for being anything but conservative. Maybe if certain practices are thrown in his face enough he may get a clue.” He looked to Mary and then gave Alura a long look. “So your saying as strong as Alura's come on he's never thought about those things? She certainly isn't trying to be subtle.”

The old man shook his head. “The poor girl. Hopefully Lee comes back with a new appreciation for how lucky he is. But even if that's the case it looks like she now has some competition.” The old wizard gave a look to Mary.

“She actually thinks she's hiding it well you know. In her defense, the Cloud house is highly conservative too. I doubt she ever got to interact socially with a boy before coming to school. She really is a great girl though. Most people don't know about it, but I know enough about the Cloud house to know just difficult her life has been and I admire how hard she is fighting her fate. Frankly, I'm rooting for her.”

Peter laid down on the ground and the old man put his arms over his chest and stomach and started to force his mana into Peter's mana system. “Alura has fought against her own status as well. She is an incredibly hard worked and will be the first women to enter the elite guard force in nearly a decade when she's finally ready to join.. She has helped teach and supported Lee every step of the way. A very sweet girl. Frankly, I’m rooting for her.”

The pain started to run through Peter. He felt his mana system being pulled, stretched and ripped away from it's currently location slowly but surely. The old man didn't lie about how much this treatment hurt. “Well, we'll just need to wait and see. Interfering with these matters is one of my dislikes.”

The old man saw the grimace on Peter's face. He grew a bit concerned. “I can take this easier on you if you'd like. This looks even more painful than I thought it be.”

Peter looked to the old man. “If you take it easy will it make succeeding less likely?”

“Only by a very small amount.”

“If you make it hurt worse will it make succeeding more likely?”

“By a much smaller amount and the pain will be twice as much.”

Peter grabbed a small stick and put it above his mouth. “Please do what gives me the best chance to succeed. This small amount of pain is nothing. Frankly.. argh. I'm about to fall asleep here.” He put the stick in his mouth and bit down.

The old man gave his head a small nod. “I'm starting to see why Lee was so insistent on trying to help you.” He poured more magic into Peter. Peter bit down hard. A vein on his neck pulsed. His eyes bulged and sweat started to drip off of him. To the old man's surprise he didn't make a single sound the entire 2 hours.