Leave.
Never had such a simple word sound so intimidating to her in her entire life. It was almost as if he were telling her to go and die... a threat more than a request.
What the hell happened back there? She was so sure that coming to Cille for merely two unregistered mages was just a simple task, that the only thing she needed to do was so convince them into joining their association as new recruits.
Now it seems that this supposedly easy task was going to prove to be more than a challenge.
Especially that guy...
She shivered as she recalled the infernal, menacing look in his eyes, like the terrifying dark look of the devil's. How could someone so young possess such the eyes of a killer? Even his aura was overwhelming...overwhelming to the point where she, Zylith Mai, ranked seventh on the country's charts, was forced to leave without a word.
Absurd.
That young man was a no-namer, yet in one glance, Zylith wasn't certain if she could win against him in a fight.
With such a powerful and mysterious presence in Cille, there was no way she could just keep silent. She had to report this to headquarters soon. If they could get someone like him on their side, it would be a promising win. She could tell that much.
Though her attempt had failed, this trip hadn't gone all in vain.
She'd managed to locate the cryomage and identify his name; that already was enough of an accomplishment. But the fact that he was merely a high school student was what she found astonishing. He was so young, yet he was able to release a considerably large amount of power compared to others at his age...and even many who are years older than him. Such progress was rarely heard of.
And to say that she wasn't at all affected by their little duel was far from the actual result. Her legs and hands were numb, her muscles buzzing underneath the skin that came in direct contact with the ice.
The tips of her fingers were tinted blue, a remnant of when she caught the ice block with her bare hands. It stung like crazy, chills running up and down her hand nonstop.
It was an unpleasant anomaly. Even if she hadn't fought with many ice mages in the past, she knew this wasn't how their powers were supposed to work. But this kid...it was like his powers were alive...like, alive with its own mind and consciousness.
Zylith gripped her cellphone tightly in her suit pocket, contemplating what she should do next.
Those two mages she'd just encountered...they seemed to be acquainted. Perhaps the one who stopped her from further action was the one who'd been training that kid all along; there was no way that that high schooler was able to get that far without help.
Then she remembered the picture of the burned down building she'd showed the chairman back at the headquarters. She remembered clearly that the evidence left behind was that of an ice mage and a water mage.
It means that the kid somehow had connections with the other one she was looking for.
Was the young man that stopped her the one that wielded hydrokinesis?
She frowned, rubbing her temples in confusion.
What was going on? She vaguely recalled noticing a small crackle of electricity before the ice shards were blasted to tiny atoms back at the school, there was no way that he was a water mage.
"Tch."
A buzz of her cellphone pulled her away from the mess of her thoughts, and she stopped in her tracks to answer the incoming phone call. "Chairman," she said as she held the phone to her ear.
"My dear General Instructor!" cried Julius' obnoxious voice. "Have you found your two Unregistered's?"
Zylith brushed a strand of her hair out of her face as she glanced behind her shoulder back in the direction of the school. "...Yes," she answered, partly true.
A sharp intake of breath was heard from the other end of the line, and the chairman spoke again, his voice filled with concern and curiosity. "Hm...did something go wrong? Where did you find them?" he asked, suspicious.
"In a school," she replied shortly. Only then did she realize that luck was on her side, considering that it will be easier for her to locate him in the future since he was a student. They say students are easier to deal with...yes?
"Huh?! A school?" he exclaimed. He chose to put aside his complaints about her dry responses for the time being. "Did I hear wrong? ...wait, wait...did you wreck the school? Knowing your temperament, I'm sure you did."
Zylith sighed and ran her hand through her hair in frustration. Though she didn't mind working for such an attentive boss, she couldn't stand how he always knew everything. "You can say it that way...but that's not what's important right now."
"Oh? Do tell me. I'll send someone from the lower branches to take care of it later."
Zylith pursed her lips, the devil's cold glare appearing in her mind once more. A chill ran up her arm as she decided to continue up the streets, her heels clacking on the rough pavement.
"I think I've found a third Unregistered...I'll warn you. He is not normal..."
_______________
The students around her cleared a path as Jade bolted down the stairs and through the halls. The principal had just announced early dismissal for the day, and she was relieved.
After all that just happened, there was no way that she could sit still through two more hours of classes without running off. She needed to get out of there.
She was mad.
Mad, worried, scared, nervous, and relieved at the same time. Was Emrys okay?
That woman, Zylith Mai...she must be crazy. Indeed, crazy. There was no other word to explain it.
Just how could she do something like that?! Is this how people from the capital act? Like they could do whatever they want because of their backing?
Jade rushed through the hallway and almost made it out the door when someone grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop.
It was Manning, and she didn't look too happy. Jade tried to shake her off, but the girl's grip was tight around her wrist, keeping her from escaping.
"Can't you say something?" Manning hissed sharply, drawing eyes from onlookers. Her contorted expression was demanding, a smile of disbelief plastered onto her face. "What is wrong with you?"
It's been more than a week since the two girls had talked, and Jade truly did feel guilty for not giving her a proper explanation for distancing herself with Manning's group of friends. But she couldn't bring herself to talk to them after seeing the disdainful looks they've been giving her; being confronted in a situation like this couldn't have been more pressing and awkward.
She managed to pull her hand free and retreated a step, uncomfortable with the way Manning spoke with her with others watching from the side. "There is nothing wrong with me," Jade mumbled, desperately wanting to get away. "Can't this wait till later? I need to go find-"
"-find Emrys, right?" the golden-haired girl finished for her.
Jade didn't answer, she only dropped her gaze, looking anywhere but Manning's blue eyes filled with resentment. This didn't seem like a perfect time to get her to listen, and Jade could only wait in silence to hear what Manning wanted to say.
Manning nodded begrudgingly as she took a step back, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "Ever...ever since that day you've been absent, it's like you've suddenly become best buddies with that guy!" she yelled, running her hands through her hair in frustration.
"You left us for some weirdo who doesn't have any friends!" she blurted, exasperated. "How does that even make sense? Am I not your friend too?" She shook an accusing finger in Jade's face and continued with her rant. "What is up with you?! Is he your boyfriend or something, for you to stick with him all the time? And also, who's this 'Gray' that you were talking to over the phone?"
She narrowed her eyes up at the taller girl and crossed her arms angrily. "Girl, you better tell me. What other secrets are you keeping from us? Spill everything," she demanded.
Jade froze at that last sentence. Secrets? She wanted her to tell her all her secrets?
Seriously?
She scowled in disgust at that daring remark. Other than telling her about their school crushes and afterschool plans, what have Manning and her friends ever told her? They've never included her on their personal likes or traits, let alone secrets, so why should she share her personal information with them? It's not like they ever considered her opinion either.
Explanation?
Jade shook her head and looked Manning right in her blue eyes. She plucked up her courage, her mind made, and firmly said, "No. I don't need to tell you anything."
Forget the explanation. They were no longer worth her time. She had had enough of them telling her what to do and what to wear and what popular places to hang out after school. She wanted to be free with her own choices, to be able to enjoy the time with her friends until she graduates in the next school year and goes off to who-knows-where.
Who knows? Maybe she could go to med school, just like Milo, and become a nurse or doctor, something that she'd wanted to do since she was young. Or maybe with Gray and Emrys both being mages, she could somehow find herself a well-paying job within the M.A. and get an early start with her career.
Anything...anything would be better than just throwing away her money at malls for expensive, trending attires and listening to pointless gossip all day long.
Manning stared at her with her mouth open, dumbfounded. She scoffed as if she couldn't believe her words. "You...did you know what you just said?" she said scornfully.
Jade held up her chin confidently, unfazed even as she was faced with a completely different Manning from which she'd known for almost three years. "Yes, I do," she said matter-of-factly. "Now if you'll excuse me-"
She turned and pushed open the door that led to the school quad, a gush of wind blowing in with a loud whoosh. "-I'm leaving. Have fun with your other girlfriends. I'm sure they'll be more interested."
Then she left without another word, the door closing behind her with a loud bang.
Now that she had gotten over with it, she suddenly felt as if a huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders...nothing could've felt better. She scurried her way over to the lonely figure in the middle of the icy palace with a renewed manner.
Emrys turned around at the sound of her footsteps and let out a sigh of relief. He pursed his lips and waved his left arm in the air. "Gray fixed it," he said. Other than the scratches on his hands and tiny cuts on his face, he seemed completely fine.
A grin suddenly broke out across Jade's mouth, and Emrys raised an eyebrow. Even she was surprised herself, and she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, imagining how ridiculous she must've looked.
"Did something...good happen? You seem very happy," he noted as he brushed down his sleeves.
Jade could only bite down on her bottom lip to keep from smiling. "Yeah...yeah, you could say that."
She was free.
"Where's Gray?" she asked promptly, noticing his lack of presence. She turned around, expecting him to be lurking in some corner waiting for them, but he was nowhere in sight.
Emrys brushed a finger across the tip of his nose and cleared his throat. "Uh, he left," he told her, his voice strangely uneasy.
Jade turned around and looked at him in confusion, her giddiness fading away as she saw Emry's disturbed expression. "...what's wrong?"
Emrys stared out the school gates and furrowed his brows. "He said he was going back to work...but I don't think he did..."