I knew he hated me. I didn't need to look at his face to know that he was looking for a way to knock me out of the top position, and take the benefits I got as the top student. One on one training with Magnus himself as well as a nice cushy allowance for materials, and weapons. I had no idea why he would want one on one training with that man. His training was a horrible barbaric method, and largely ineffective.
I had no idea how the man had managed to fuse with his element. He kept on forcing more, and more mana into his body constantly. I didn't know how he was even alive. He had to have a large reserve. It was the only way I could think of that would allow him to survive the abuse he'd done to his own body.
He was a brutal creature. Accustomed to killing his students almost as often as successfully training them with little to no remorse. Everything he did was forgiven because he was powerful. Because his students were considered powerful.
"I don't care what you want," I snapped, "Just get away from me."
My seething rage slipped through my normally calm exterior. This startled Jack. I'd never snapped at him before. I was always the quiet talented one. I never wanted to show them my anger.
It was a break in character. Jack backed off. I didn't bother explaining my outburst. I let him back off as I tried to contain my rage. I rolled my shoulders slowly before moving on to the tasks I was assigned.
Even a quiet submissive person could snap occasionally. He would write it off as just that. It was obvious that I'd been stressing over the course of the month. I really hoped that he would let it go. I didn't have time to deal with Magnus applying pressure.
*****
I turned my eyes back to the boy who was desperately trying to convince me to send him back. He didn't have many good reasons. He wanted to protect his friends. A few worthless humans that would die under the weight of their own race. Two young dragons that were far too young, and weak to take the burden of the crown.
He was the only dragon strong enough to lead them right now, and he wasn't even a true dragon. He was a creation made by a foolish creature who'd decided on death for all dragons for reasons I didn't care to know. I'd made a mistake giving her my blessing. I was too close to death to wait for another to be raised up. This false dragon was my last hope at survival, and that was an abysmally bad choice in itself.
Once my consciousness faded a new one would take my place. Whether it was made from pieces of my own mind or entirely new was yet to be decided. All I had to do to be released from my suffering was ignore the false dragon a little longer.
"You can't keep me here!" he shouted before running away from me toward the black that encircled us both.
He stopped at the edge of the black. Seeming to know that this blackness wasn't good for him. I found it interesting that he could even see it at all.
*****
Looking into the black felt more like standing on the edge of a cliff so high I couldn't see the bottom. It was death in a physical form. At least that was the way my mind was interpreting it. I looked back at the impossible woman. The darkness had been closing in for some time now, and she had refused to say a single thing about it.
In fact it felt more like her mind was elsewhere most of the time. I backed away from the black, and walked back toward her. She seemed weak. No weak wasn't the right word. Resigned.
Like she'd already submitted to what was coming. If she was the world then how could she submit? I didn't understand it. Why would she keep me here, and allow herself to die? Coward.
She should fight it. Tooth, and nail until there was nothing left for her to fight with. I felt my body ripple. Changing again so that I was back in the peak human body I took whenever I pretended to be human. I didn't know what these changes meant, but they seemed to interest her.
*****
It wasn't difficult to get clearance for my vacation. Fifty soldiers came with me along with ten of my students. The trip was taking longer then intended since my students insisted on stopping several times. Which was how we ended up with two shuttles with nearly thirty people in each. Now came the hard part.
Concealing the shuttles so we weren't noticed by the towers. The clever technopath on board had already scrambled both of the GPS's so there was no way to know where we actually were without someone physically laying eyes on us. It took a great deal of focus for me to create a barrier of water that hid us from prying eyes so my full focus went to that single task. Making us drop from view as we hurtled toward our destination. I couldn't hide us from radar, but thankfully no one would be looking out toward the sea while there was a massive mana anomaly going on within the forbidden zone.
Alexandria tapped my shoulder gently. Preparing me for the sudden acceleration of the craft without breaking my concentration. Some nervous murmurs made it to my ears, but I largely ignored them. Taking in what they were saying without processing it as actual speech.
"I don't know if this is a good idea," One such voice spoke in low tones, "I mean the military has classified this dragon as a high level threat."
"I trust the water great's judgement," a second feminine voice spoke up, "If she's right then we'll have a beast on our side fighting with us for once instead of against us."