As Allen followed the student who grabbed him from his class, he wondered what William was like now.
Although it's only been two years since he last saw William at the end of Allen's training, has William changed since then? After all, he's apparently the head director of the very same academy he recommended for Allen to attend.
I'm sure he hasn't changed at all, knowing him, Allen thought to himself, as he couldn't help but smile.
"The head director will be at his office; that is where I will be taking you," the student council girl told him, putting Allen out of his thoughts.
"Sure," he responded, while still following her.
They walked by several classes, which Allen took interest in. Some of them were rather loud, while others were more on the quiet side. In addition, some of them seemed to have fun teachers, while others had more serious teachers. While you may think the rank would play a part in the classes, for the most part it did not matter. It really fell to whoever the teacher was in the class.
"Do you know why the head director wishes to speak to you?," she asked, giving him an inquisitive look.
Allen wasn't surprised that she, or his friends, were curious. After all, the head director wants to speak with him on the very first day.
"I have some idea as to why Wil- I mean the head director would," Allen responded. He had to catch himself for a moment there, as he doesn't know how people would react if they knew that Allen knew William. He slightly cursed himself for telling Thomas and Cecily. For now, talk to William and then find out what would be okay and not okay to tell people.
"Hm, alright then," the girl responded, staring at him for a moment. Allen was surprised she decided not to pry further, despite her suspicious glances.
While he did tell her he had some idea why William was requesting him, the truth is he has a very good idea. After all, William was Allen's mentor from the past. He probably wanted to catch Allen up to speed of what he has been up to, including why he is suddenly a director at the academy. In addition, he probably wanted to go over Allen's conditions that he was given.
"We're here," the girl announced, as they approached the entrance into the offices.
When the two of them entered, they saw William sitting at his desk, writing some paperwork. His desk was filled with stacks of paper, which Allen guessed he had yet to get to. There were a few chairs in front of his desk, probably for students when he has to talk to them. His room was a decent size, despite the various clutter scattered about.
He's the same as always, Allen thought, laughing to himself. Still can't keep clean at all.
Shortly after entering the room, William noticed them and looked up.
"Ah great, thanks for coming in Allen. Please, take a seat," he pointed to one of the chairs sitting in front of his desk.
"Excuse me, I'll take my leave," the student council girl nodded.
"Yes, thank you for bringing him," William nodded back as she closed the door behind her.
"Take a seat, Allen," William reminded him, as Allen had yet to take his seat.
"Right"
Allen took his seat, and waited for William to start talking. He figured William would know what to say first.
"So, I take it you've been well?," William asked, giving him a curious look.
"You act like it's been longer than two years," Allen shook his head.
"Has it really only been two years? I've been so busy, I lost track," William scratched his head.
"Sounds about right," Allen rolled his eyes, but laughed a little.
So he really is the same as ever, Allen thought, glad William hasn't changed. It's like no time has passed at all since I've last seen him.
"Now then, I take it you can probably guess why I called you here, Allen?," he asked while moving aside his paperwork. And it was a lot of paperwork, it almost fell on the floor.
"Is this about what happened at the entrance ceremony, the conditions I was given? Or better yet, why are you the head director at the same academy you told me I should go to several years ago?," Allen asked in a blankly, yet jokingly manner.
"You are correct; I wanted to explain why I am the head director here, as well as go over why the conditions I gave you were necessary," he confirmed, resting his chin of both of his hands. It was a common thing he did, when he started a conversation.
"And of course, those conditions being that I was accepted in as an F rank, must make it to C rank, and win four consecutive duels in the tournament later this year?," Allen asked, raising his eyebrow.
"You're right, those are the conditions that were necessary. Care to guess why?," he asked.
Allen gave himself a minute to think things over before responding.
"You needed to propose such conditions so that the other two directors would agree with your decision. In addition, you would also need the teachers to agree to not cause backlash," Allen suggested.
"You are correct," William nodded, giving Allen a slight smile. "If I hadn't proposed such conditions, even though they are harsh, they may not have accepted you. Even if they did, that isn't to say the other teachers would agree with it. That is the unfortunate state of the academy"
William closed his eyes, shook his head and let out a deep sigh for a moment.
Unfortunate state of the academy?, Allen thought. Seems like there's more going on than I thought. I should hold off on asking about that for now.
"But, do you feel like I can pass such conditions, given their difficulty?," Allen asked, wanting his opinion. Although it was William who came up with such conditions, knowing Allen's levels of magic, that doesn't mean that Allen is guaranteed to succeed.
"Well yes, but actually no. I do believe you can accomplish it Allen, as you are a strong individual. However, there is no telling how the tournament will go," William explained, his hands seeming to tighten in frustration.
"What do you mean by that?," Allen asked for clarification.
"Well for starters, there's no telling who you will be up against. There will be many different opponents you could be up against, which can range in rank and year. The matchups are normally random, to make things fair. However, I feel like this year may be different…"
"What, do you mean that they won't make it random?," Allen asked.
"That is definitely a possibly, given your participation in the tournament. What it really falls to, is what's currently going on the academy"
He brought it up again. Something about the academy, Allen noted.
"Let's just say, not everyone will be pleased with your participation, even if your participation is forced. It will certainly help, but participation is still participation," William added.
"Not happy with my participation? In what way? And who would not be happy?," Allen asked, confused.
"All I can tell you is that there are certain individuals who wouldn't be happy with your participation in the tournament later this academy year. They may or may not attempt to do anything about it, I honestly can't tell you because I don't know," William shook his head. "As my role as head director, I can do my best to defend your position, but-"
"You can't take favoritism with any student, including myself," Allen pointed out.
"Correct. Although I know you from the past, I can't let everyone know about that. It's important that I do not show you favoritism to limit the amount of people who may find out. I will do my best to help you, but just know things are uncertain at the moment"
As I suspected, it will be important I be careful who I tell that I am acquainted with William, Allen thought. I probably shouldn't have told Thomas and Cecily, but there's nothing I can do about it now.
"Is it possible the Council of Magic could take action? Or perhaps your own family?, Allen asked, curious who the individuals or groups involved could be. The Council of Magic did establish and owns the academy, after all.
"Council of Magic?", William asked, a very confused look on his face. "Ah I see, I didn't tell you. Let's just say the Council of Magic was, well let's just say disbanded…"
"Wait, then who or what is the current governing figure on elemental magic then?," Allen asked, completely confused.
Allen's knowledge on the Council of Magic has been for the most part, limited. The information he was aware of he heard from William during his training. From his understanding, the Council of Magic is the figure that manages elemental magic use.
After the Fire Outbreaks in the early 1500's, approximately 40-50 years ago, the Anti-Fire Order was issued. This completely banned the use of fire magic, and those that went against this order were imprisoned and usually executed.
In addition, William did mention there was infighting within the council before and after the Fire Outbreaks, but nothing about it being disbanded.
Perhaps he didn't want me to worry about that stuff, Allen thought. Or, there were things he couldn't tell me, knowing him.
"Hmm, where to start?," William began, closing his eyes in thought. Perhaps he is giving it thought to be careful about what he tells Allen going forward?
"Shortly after the Fire Outbreaks had taken place and the Anti-Fire Order was issued, infighting had of course happened within the council. Those that represented fire magic were not pleased, and were forced out of the council, regardless of their thoughts on the matter"
So, not even a single fire mage was able to do anything about it, regardless of their status, Allen thought.
"Sometime after the infighting, a single individual managed to bring the council back together. Things were going well, until this new leader died approximately 15 years ago…"
And just who was that?, Allen thought, hoping he heard the answer somewhere. William would normally say who it is, but it seems like he's dodging away from the answer. I'll probably find out the answer eventually, anyway.
"After the death of the new leader of the Council of Magic, once again the infighting happened. However, shortly after her death, a new leader arose and took power, changing the council entirely…"
"A new leader entirely?," Allen asked, his attention entirely focused on William. "Is this who is in control now, perhaps?"
"You are correct. This new leader changed the Council of Magic to what is now the Triumvirate. The name change was to help represent that only three elements are officially recognized, being: air, earth, and water. The leader is my brother, Solomon Windblade"
It seemed like the last part of his explanation wasn't easy for him to say, given his facial expression. It had a sort of sadness to it, mixed with feelings of regret. Just what is William's relationship with his brother?
"Wait, your brother? Your brother is the leader of the now Triumvirate?," Allen asked, completely surprised. After all, this was big news to him.
"You're right. My older brother, Solomon, took power as the leader of the Triumvirate when it was formed approximately 15 years ago. Ever since, he and the rest of the Triumvirate have been leading assaults on locating and killing off fire mages. Which is why you need to be careful of yourself. You need to make sure you only use your air magic. If you use your fire magic, whether accidental or intentional, and especially within the tournament, you'll be no doubt captured and killed"
William's last words hit Allen pretty hard. After all, something that he has no control over, something he was born with, could be the reason for his own death. He knew all of this going in, and he knew William was doing his best to help Allen, but it didn't help him feel much better about it.
"So I understand I have to be careful with my magic and how I use it, but even without using my fire magic, would the Triumvirate intervene at the academy?," Allen asked, curious.
"It is possible, but not certain. The Triumvirate views air magic as being the supreme element, stronger than the others. If suddenly a mage with weak air magic started to win duels in a huge tournament, there are measures they may take. As for what they could or would do, I have no idea. They are very unpredictable…"
Allen could tell there was a lot going on that was most likely out of Williams control. He could tell the whole situation bothered William, as shown by his facial expression. Allen never could really understand or read what William was thinking, but he certainly knew when he was upset.
"Well, is there anything you could do about it? I'm guessing not, but Solomon is your brother, isn't he? Couldn't you just try to talk or negotiate with him?," Allen asked, hoping there was something good that could come from this.
"Well, that's the thing and what I was about to get to. Why I am a director here," William continued, his facial expression returning to normal. "Allen, allow me to ask you this: do you know what my family is? The Windblade family? Or perhaps the other two big elemental families? Rivertide and Terrastone?"
Allen instantly recognized the last one he said: Terrastone. It was Thomas' last name. He made a mental note to remember that for the future.
"Honestly, no. I do not know anything about these three families. All I know is Windblade is your last name, and now I know your brother Solomon is the current leader of the Triumvirate. I'm guessing your family and these other two hold some form of power?"
"Windblade, Rivertide, and Terrastone. All three of these families are the highest prominent families with elemental magic," William started to explain, putting three fingers up.
"Air for Windblade, water for Rivertide, and earth for Terrastone. These three families are not only in charge of the Triumvirate, but also have the most influence over all of England"
So there's one big family for each element, Allen thought, as he listened to William.
"In addition, children born from these families tend to be born with great amounts of magic respective to their type, and almost always turn into excellent mages. However, there are some children born from these families who are considered… exceptions"
"What do you mean, exceptions?," Allen asked, interested. Just what does he mean by exceptions?
"As in, irregulars. They tend to lack the 'gift' the other children possess. This could mean they aren't born with all the magic their siblings are given, or perhaps their magic is much different from them as well. Those that lack all the magic are usually considered failures, while those who have different magic are considered the exceptions. Their families end up ignoring them, or worse, kicking them out entirely"
Could Thomas be considered an exception or an irregular? Is that why he's in F rank with me?, Allen thought. Assuming that's true, things would make more sense. But what about William?
"So then, what about you?," Allen asked him, curious. "You have said before in the past you are a bit different from your siblings"
"Sibling," William corrected him. "Solomon is my only sibling, as of late. I used to have an older sister, and she was the eldest of the three of us. However, she is already gone…"
Allen could tell there was more to that than just her death. Something might have happened that impacted him quite a bit, considering the look of sadness and regret on his face. Normally his glasses give him an almost default intimidating look, but not this time.
"As for myself, I was considered an exception. I was not a failure, as my magic is not weak, however my magic is much different than my siblings. Since my use of magic differs from theirs, I wasn't exactly 'kicked out' from my family , but they certainly ignore me. With my irregular magic, and how I am as a mage, I was given the nickname 'The Mage in Glasses'. So, if I tried speaking to my brother, I doubt he would listen"
Mage in Glasses? First time I've heard of that, Allen thought, intrigued. So, he's more well known than I thought.
"So then, what about your position of head director here at the academy? When and why did you do that?
"I knew you would ask that, and I told you I would answer you," William nodded. "Two years ago, shortly after my training with you, the academy needed a new head director. They needed someone who was highly capable in using magic, as well as suited for overseeing things here at the academy. Since I am not involved with my families' affairs, and given I fit the qualities they needed, I took the position here. How ironic I ended up as the head director of the same academy I recommended you to"
The two of them laughed a little. After all, the very same academy William told him he should attend is the same one that he ended up as the head director for. Allen reunited with William in a way unexpected, but Allen is just glad to be able to see his old mentor again.
"In addition, in my position as head director, I have a sort of 'influence card' I've gained from it. It makes it much easier to do the things I need to do in London," William added.
"Like what things?," Allen asked. Just what would William be up to?
"Ah, of course you would ask," William lowered his head, as if he said something he shouldn't have. "However, it seems like we are out of time for today"
William pointed out towards his office's window, to which Allen noticed it was already sunset. One of the academy's rules is that students needed to be in their dorm rooms by nightfall, unless they had special permission.
"Well, I think we've talked enough, and it's time for you to head back to your dorm," William advised him. "After all, even the head director has to abide by the rules"
"Fair enough," Allen crossed his arms, hoping to talk to William more. But, he knew he would have more chances later on.
"Now then, if you would, you can excuse yourself," William motioned to the door to his office.
"Right," Allen reluctantly agreed, as he got out of his chair.
"Oh, and do be sure to send your parents a letter," William added. "They would probably like to know you actually passed, and you are doing well at the academy"
"Of course! I was already planning on it!," Allen grinned. Of course he couldn't forget about his folks at home.
"Good on you then," William nodded, smiling. "Make sure to tell them I said hello"
"Of course I will!," Allen gave him a thumbs up as he opened the door to the office.
William gave him one last smile before getting back to working on his paperwork. Who knows how long it would take him to finish all of it.
"Hey William?," Allen asked, right before he left. There was one last thing he wanted to say to him.
"Yes? What is it?," William looked up, a pen still in his hand.
"Thank you. For training me back then. But not just that, but helping me get into this academy. Because of you, my path to becoming a magical knight could be a reality," Allen looked back, giving him a look to show he was genuinely grateful.
William sat there for a few seconds, looking at him. It was if he was considering what Allen was thinking. He closed his eyes for a moment, before responding.
"There's no need for thanks, but I'm glad you feel that way. Now then, head back to your room before we both get in trouble," he started to shoo him away.
"Yeah, yeah. I will!," Allen waved as he closed the door. He finally started to make his way back to his dorm room, careful to move quickly. Last thing he needed was actual trouble on his first day.
William leaned back into his chair before closing his eyes again and letting out a long sigh.
"If only he knew why I decided to train him," he said, opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling. "If only I could tell him the truth; who his real mother is…"
He shook his head to get out of his thoughts so he could get back to his paperwork. However, he couldn't help it, as he delved once more into the thoughts of his past.