Sinbad awoke from his bench when an explosion occurred at the Marino family compound. He wasn’t a fan of that band of cutthroats and thieves. But they weren’t dealing in human trafficking or drugs, so he didn’t go out of his way to antagonize them.

In the Marino family, there are 3 practitioners and 12 fledglings. The late leader was the only expert in the family. Still, the practitioners were quite strong. Rumors said Beno Marino was near the expert rank.

Had the family stayed quiet and kept the activities low, if not non-existent, Beno could have become an expert, and then the family would have been untouchable. Sadly that was not the case. A chance like this only occurred once in a lifetime for most people but wiping out a family single-handedly was worth many points at his school. He could use the facts, plus it would piss off Midas.

Sinbad smiled as he got to his feet. That alone was reason enough. Like he’d let that attention hog stay in the spotlight. In moments Sinbad blurred as white gauntlets covered his hands, and his legs were covered by white bonelike appendages. Then, with a kick against the air, he was moving towards the location.

White-scaled wings popped out of his back, and he began to flap them. Increasing his speed as he flew. In moments he found a lone practitioner belonging to the family. Since it wasn’t Beno, he passed threw him along the way, him like a spear through tissue paper.

Pieces of human were all that remained. Then, as the torso fell from the roof, its intestines and other organs littered the ground. That was when the screams began.

Sinbad learned a long time ago that those who got awakened in these crime families have already killed a lot of people. Those who continued to gain power had to kill exponentially more. So what was the use of unused power? That is why Sinbad didn’t so much as blink. They would do the same to him if they got the chance.

Moving forward, Sinbad noticed a crowd of fledglings writhing on the ground clutching their throats in main. Had they not been wearing the regalia of the Marino family, he would have left them alone.

Sadly all four fledglings died with holes in their chest left by red balls of mana.

“One squad down.” Closing his eyes, Sinbad sensed another gathering of five closer to the blast’s epicenter.

With a dive, he landed on two of the fledglings, his clawed feet passing through their torsos, killing them instantly.

“The Sloth Devil!” The practitioner stepped back in shock before resolving himself and letting loose a black blast of mana.

Sinbad didn’t dodge, but he did grab the fledglings to his sides by their heads, using their bodies as living shields as both turned into burnt slag. The smell of decomposed flesh wafted through the area.

Before the practitioner could ready another blast. Sinbad had stabbed through their heart with a clawed hand.

“Beno, will avenge us.” Was all they could get out.

“Keep telling yourself that. Maybe you can place a bet in the underworld and make some coin if you’re lucky.” Sinbad flung the practitioner off his hand and crushed the heart before letting it fall to the floor.

A swarm of insects flew into the compound, and Sinbad followed. He knew he wasn’t the only one attacking. But for the life of him, he didn’t know how he would be so brazen as to attack a family compound.

As he approached, he noticed a paralytic poison in the air, and a scaled white mask appeared over his mouth and nose. The vent under his nostrils filtered the air and kept the stuff from seeping in. A black tattoo appeared briefly on the top half of his face before a white horned helmet connected with the mask and hid his appearance.

Sinbad sensed as four fledglings were slaughtered, their mana flowing into another source as though they were being absorbed.

“So we have a guest! Are you the one killing my men? Did you set this trap? If so, I’ll need to kill you.”

Sinbad stepped into the room and looked at the orange-haired man who had a maniacal look on his face.

“The white devil came himself! And alone. With your power, I could easily become an expert.” The madman charged forward, blue waves of mana cycling around his hands.

Sinbad stepped to the side to avoid the first slash before ducking to avoid the second. While he was on the ground, Sinbad kicked at the fellow practitioner’s chest, and the man was pushed back ten feet and slightly injured.

“That’s some kick you got there boy. But you’ll need to do harder than that to harm me.” Beno flung his hand forward, and water flowed along, cutting anything that got in its way.

Sinbad summoned red mana in both hands and put them together as a red shot forward and connected with the attack.

The magic clashed, and the epicenter of the collision was a large crater. Chairs were flung about, tables flipped over, and debris littered the room.

“Jokes on you, I have plenty of power left. And you have what two, maybe three of those shots left?”

“Wanna mess around and find out?” Two red balls began to grow in Sinbad’s protected hands as he condensed them into tiny beads and fused them together. This ball seemed much smaller and a lot less threatening.

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

“No.” The mouth of Sinbad’s mask opened up, and he swallowed the red bead. The white bonelike material shimmered as flesh and scales covered everything. His eyes turned from brown to purple, and his body seemed to condense as mana seemed to flow into him rapidly. The scales seemed to form into the Fibonacci sequence.

Time stopped briefly as a blue-haired man appeared in the room’s rafters. His presence was undetectable. He didn’t say anything, but he snapped his fingers as time flowed normally.

Sinbad charged forward.

Beno smiled as his form shifted to that of a blue eight-headed serpent and let loose a stream of pressurized water.

The strike seemed to miss by the narrowest of margins, and Beno rapidly moved to intercept him with one of his eight heads.

Sinbad quickly decapitated the head with a claw as he got into range of the torso and thrust his hand into the creature.

The other seven heads reached down and grabbed Sinbad, throwing him into the air and letting loose a blast of water that shot him through a wall. In seconds the head regenerated, and a second joined it. Making nine total heads.

“The more you hurt me the ssstronger we get.” Beno laughed a shrill laugh and charged up another attack.

Sinbad didn’t come back for more; moments later, all nine heads fell to the ground and regenerated into eighteen. Then thirty-six, and seventy-two. The heads continued to die and regenerate. The Hyrda’s brain was incapable of thinking long enough to move, and the loop continued until countless heads lay dead and on the ground.

Beno’s transformation faded. The man was now wrinkled, old, and motionless as it died countless times.

Sinbad appeared from behind Beno, where he had been for a while.

“You may be powerful but the moment you relaxed I had won. I have a gift of precognition. During battle I can glimpse possible futures and use them to my advantage I saw the pattern of your regeneration I kept triggering it until you ran out of mana while I searched for your core. I didn’t give you a second to realize what I was up to. Now where did you get the power to steal the lifeforce from others?”

Beno spat. “Like I’d tell you. The great Tay will bring back the power we lost!”

“Suit yourself.” Sinbad separated Beno’s head from his shoulders and looked around for loot. As to the victor goes the spoils. Placing everything of worth in his dimensional bag, he made his way toward the epicenter of the madness. The maelstrom of mana that gave him this opportunity. That was when the mana stopped rampaging.

“I’m being watched.” Sindbad looked at a flower on the wall that had begun to wilt.

“I don’t know any plant spirit masters capable of this outside of a teacher. Even then, I doubt they would get involved in something like this unless it was a part of someone’s training. Did he interrupt a training drill? Doubtful. He would have been intercepted long before if that was the case.

Where the mana had resided, a small pouch lay on the floor.

“What is this.” Sinbad picked up the pouch and red noticed a red embroidery.

Property of Kyrion. If found, please return it. If stolen, you will be cursed.

“That was the name of that red haired dude. He did say that his pouch was stolen. So he caused the disruption. Guess I was warned.”

“Oi Sinbad what the abyss is going on here! Did the Marino family piss in your lemonade or sumthin.” Sinbad recognized that flippant voice and cursed himself for knowing it.

“They pissed off an expert that loose a rain of magic on their stronghold. Apparently they stole his students bag and they didn’t appreciate it. I saw a chance to clean the streets and took it. The expert only caused damage.”

“A messy job as always.You left the human goons alone. Had to put em down myself.”

“Midas. They were humans. Most of them were in because of the family’s intimidation tactics.”

“Well maybe they’ll learn better.” Midas said before sauntering off. “I expect a cut for my help.”

Sinbad used the self-control that had been tempered for years at the academy and avoided striking the golden-haired boy.

“Fine. But we need to find him.”

“Oh thats easy. If he’s with an academy its most likely Drisil.”

“The backwater school?”

“Of course. In the middle of nowhere. The past few tournaments they participated in amounted to poor showings. Losing in the first few rounds is a tradition for them. Although I heard only experts are allowed to graduate, those who fall behind are drummed out. So the actual percentage of Alumni is low. They are nothing like our Emira.”

“A shame. Was looking forward to testing my mettle against someone strong.”

“Maybe you’ll get to fight my older sister. I heard she was top of her class. The weakling, doubt you’ll even meet my older brother, he can’t even hold a sword properly.” Midas laughed.

Sinbad knew better than to judge someone based on what they could do in the past. Especially when powers are involved.

“Are you coming jerkface? If so come along. I don’t have all day.” Midas headed towards the port.

The anchor was raised, and the ship started sailing when two intruders landed on the boat suddenly. Moving Kyiron from his stopper on the mast. Hel hadn’t moved and had just been staring at him.

In a flash, headmaster Caeden appeared in front of the intruders.

“This one greets you both. May I ask what two promising individuals from Emira’s Academia, are doing on our ship.”

“Oi! Which one of you gits had their bag stolen.” Midas yelled.

The students on deck looked around before the red-haired boy on the mast jumped down and entered the conversation.

“Oh Sinbad you retrieved my bag for me, thank you.” Kyrion bowed to Sinbad.

“I helped too. What’s the reward?” Midas said.

Sinbad sensed death for a brief moment.

“Whatever do you mean?” Kyrion closed his one visible eye and smiled cheerily.

“Sinbad did you discuss payment?”

“The man lost his wallet. Didn’t you find coins on the people you killed.”

“Of course.”

“That was probably his money. How can he give us something he doesn’t have.”

“Why did you do all of this then?”

“Easy points.” Sinbad tossed Kyrion his bag.

Kyrion nodded.

“So ontop of being weak you’re poor. Great. This was a waste of time then.” Midas turned around to leave when he noticed that there was someone familiar hiding behind a large man.

“Oi! Is that little can’t hold a sword Maxie? Ha! Enjoying a nice vacation before you get your asses kicked during the tournament?”

Sinbad seemed to sigh.

“N-no I no we are going to train before it begins.”

“Why even train. Weaklings like you will always be weak. Nothing strange about that.”

“Leave him alone Midas. You're out of line.” Sinbad crossed his arms.

“Dear sister, you’re here too? This must be all Drisil has to offer then. If this is all you have then father really wasted resources sending you to that backwater. If you’re the captain then you may as well surrender now.”

“I am not the captain, little brother. Sorry to say that I lost my top spot recently.”

“Ha. What was father thinking sending a woman to a school like that? We both know what you’re good for.”

Crack.

Midas had moved to make a rude gesture when a strong hand clamped down on his collarbone, snapping it with ease.

Midas let loose a string of swears before looking up at the red-haired boy who held him up.

“Now listen here, Dumbass. You should go before you make me angry. I’m happy you helped get my bag back, but those good graces are getting used up. Insult me if you want but leave my teammates out of this. Blink twice if you understand.”

Midas didn’t blink.

Kyrion moved his hand to the other side and snapped that one as well.

Another snap of a collarbone followed by a scream of more curses and a forced blink.

“There one. Do you un-der-stand?” The hand moved to his neck.

Those looking at Kyrion saw that the green in his eyes had gone dark, and the cheerness he generally had was gone.

Sinbad stared at him for a long moment. “Midas. Surrender now. You don’t have a chance at this moment. Train and fight him at the tournament.”

“Help me you idiot…Ahhh!” Krion applied pressure to both broken limbs as his hands inched closer.

Sinbad shook his head solemnly, enough for the headmaster to realize the current danger.

“That boy is the crown prince of this nation. Killing him will be problematic despite how much of an insolent brat he is. He is also important.”

Kyrion removed both hands from the shoulders and grabbed him by the head, sending mana through his brain and knocking him unconscious.

“Kyrion!”

“He won’t remember today whatsoever. The last 24 hours will be forever in a haze. Instinctively he may feel fear towards me but that’s a given.”

“What did you do?” Minah asked.

“I destroyed the pathways where memory is stored and healed them over as blank portions of his brain. There will be a gap in time but this is an injury that can’t be healed by anyone accept the person who caused it.”

Sinbad whistled. “Kyrion, I think I actually like you. And trust me when I say that’s rare. I’ll put in a good word for you with the king. Considering we jumped on your boat, we were trespassing and he could have easily ended up dead.”

“Dad will be pissed.” Max held his head.

“If you put on good enough of a show at the tournament he’ll probably overlook it. But know this, memories or not Midas will be training hard. Don’t underestimate him when the tournament arrives.”

“I never underestimate anyone. He must have a pretty good pain tolerance level. As captain of the Drisil team I urge you to bring your death for I will call forth natural disasters if necessary to win.” Kyrion then tossed Sinbad, the unconscious boy.

Sinbad smirked. “See ya later team Drisil. Glad to see the tournament won’t be too boring.”

Sinbad flew off, his wings flapping twice as hard as he headed to his school’s infirmary.