A dome of mana spread out, covering the whole classroom. Jered noticed that it shared similar properties to his 'Low Conceal'—though Evelyn's worked on a larger scale. "Jered..." her tone was cutthroat, her eyes peering over steepled fingers. "You... can use magic?"
The question was right to the point. No sugar-coating it.
A lie was about to roll off Jered's tongue, but he figured she had already drawn her conclusion when their mana connected. "Yes, to some extent I can, and so can you, it seems..." he drawled out, not shying away under her pointed stare.
She nodded, leaning back. "Yes, I can... I learned the wonders of magic when I was very young. Fortunately, I come from a family of magicians, so my magical upbringing was fairly smooth." a troubled sigh followed her next words, "Anyway... I hate to say this, Jered, but you should consider going away. Eastford Town is not safe for you right now."
"Excuse me?" he frowned.
"This territory is under Ashy Petals' control; the organization I belong to. You must not be aware of this because you're still relatively new, but no magician is allowed to roam freely here. You either join us, run away, or you die. I know it sounds wicked, but no organization likes to have unknown magicians rummaging around right under their nose. Of course, I can vouch for you, and within a few days' time, you'd be part of us. You... have already unlocked your second vein?" it took a probatory pulse of mana to feel Jered's heart layout. "That's... impressive..." she remarked in a more subdued way.
A smirk lifted his lips, "So you're telling me that I have to abandon everything I have here, just because your superiors are paranoid?" he asked not to confirm what Evelyn said, but to emphasize how stupid that sounded. Granted, he could see where they were coming from. However, there was no way Jered was going to heed her words—hell, he had an organization backing him up as well.
What was there to be afraid of?
No, actually... that was not a good mindset. He had to see how strong Ashy Petals was for himself first. Akashka was still small, though Rainey's confidence made him more arrogant than he should have been. Not to mention his system's aid.
"They won't chase you off right away. No. They usually start with a recruitment procedure. If it fails, a warning will be given. If that fails as well, then... you'll find them knocking at your door... but as I said, it's nothing you should be anxious about. I can vouch for you, Jered. They haven't found about you yet. We still have time. We can report you to the higher-ups and... you'll become a member right away. They'll be pleased to have you in the organization. With their help, you could accomplish incredible things, Jered. Listen to me. A stray magician never lives for too long."
That didn't make him feel better.
Jered edged closer to Evelyn, "So you're saying that they haven't found about me yet?"
"Exactly. However, it won't take long for them to track your magical signature and—"
"And they'll find me..." he tapped the desk impatiently, "How strong are they?"
Evelyn knew what he was thinking. She sighed, shaking her head in disapproval, "It's not about their strength, it's about their numbers. Ashy Petals doesn't boast overwhelming power. We're renowned for our numbers. Anyone can join as long as they can manipulate mana. That's why you should join, it's a great opportunity for you. As an Adept, you'll be valuable to them."
He was not swayed by her bullshit. "Is Ashy Petals the only organization around here?" he had to make sure.
"Yes, Eastford Town is ours, so to speak. Of course, that doesn't rule out the probability of another organization challenging us over it, but the odds are slim to none."
Jered nodded slowly as he chewed over words. How did they not notice Rainey? Was it because of their strength gap? "I need to think about it," he said vaguely.
"I know you're not happy with the arrangement," Evelyn put more power into her voice, "But this is the best choice for you, trust me."
"This is an important decision... I don't want to rush it. Give me some days."
"You don't underst—"
"Oh no, I do understand, Miss Smith." Jered broke into a cheerful smile—so cheerful and forced, in fact, that it got under Evelyn's skin. She frowned, but he continued nonetheless. "Do you get some sort of privilege or reward for recruiting me? Hmm? There is no way you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart. You said that they'll start with the recruitment procedure first, right? Fine, I'll wait for them. I'll wait for them at my fucking door."
"..."
With a wave of his hand, the door was yanked open by an unseen force. He paused at the threshold, turned back, and winked at Evelyn, "Just give me a couple of days, okay?" and then he walked away. Evelyn's eyes stalked his figure until the door slammed shut by itself.
--
The more Kenny waited, the more he fidgeted. He was being devoured by his own fears. What he did last night was deplorable. It didn't help that his father saw him sneaking back home with a flushed face, crumpled clothes, and stained sheets in his hands. His mother was more sympathetic, but he knew his relationship with Liam had gravely deteriorated. Maybe it had already gone past the point of no return. He didn't care, honestly. He found himself caring way more about Jered's perspective of him.
He bit his bottom lip, stopping himself from smiling like an idiot. For all of his anxiety, his heart was being unruly again.
Jered stepped out of the school's gates, hands tucked inside his pockets. There was no expression on his face, as usual—only an attentive mind could descry how much the attractive teenager was lost in his thoughts. Kenny's eyes lit up. He waved a shy hand, "Umh, Jered!" he called out, hesitating. Jered's stride slowed down to a halt, his head barely turning to stare back at him. Kenny mustered some goddamn courage, and skipped towards him. "Hey..." he drooped his head low.
"Hey... are you okay?"
"Yes... I mean, no, I mean... I guess?"
Jered gave him an imperceptible nod, "I'm in a hurry, buddy. Is there anything you need?"
"Uhh... well... about the sheets..." Kenny played with his thumbs, "I haven't w-w-washed them yet, sorry..." a blush dusted his cheeks, and he brought his sleeved hands up to hide it.
"Ahh, haha, it's no worries, you can keep them."
"W-What..."
"Yes, you can keep them. Think of it as a reminder of what happened yesterday," Jered's chuckle was as beautiful as his cold, green eyes. He patted his shoulder, "I have to go now, it's rather urgent. Cheer up and enjoy your newfound freedom." he knew Kenny wanted to string out their conversation, but time was not his friend at the moment. He waved his hand, whipped around, and hurried away.
Kenny didn't try to stop him. He just stood there, a downhearted sigh sweeping through his smile.
--
—"Rainey?" Jered slipped into an alleyway, whereupon he cast a 'Low Conceal' on himself. He looked both ways beforehand, to ensure he was not being followed. He spoke close to his phone, hiding his mouth from view to avoid someone lipreading him. He may have been needlessly paranoid, but better safe than sorry. —"Can we meet up?"
A yawn went off on the other end of the line, before a whiny, drowsy voice grumbled out, —"Ugh, Jered... good morning..."
—"Yes, good morning, whatever... can we meet up?"
Rainey hummed, clearly taking her sweet time. "Ah, is it important?"
—"Very."
—"Like, 'you're about to die or something' kind of important?"
He slammed his head against the wall behind him, —"No, but it may get to that point..."
—"I guess I owe you a visit."
—"You owe me an explanation." Jered pointed out, —"... and more tomes."
—"Of course, of course..." Rainey cooed, her tone mellowing out, —"Anything for my most handsome underling. I'll be there right about nnnnnn—" a wave of heat rippled forth as a swirl of scorching embers fluttered around, belching out a silhouette that couldn't have been more familiar. "—oooow!" Rainey splayed her arms wide open, a shit-eating grin stitched on her old face, "Ta-dah!"
Jered clapped animatedly, "Wonderful entrance!"
"Why thank you," Rainey curtsied gracefully, "So, do tell good ol' Rainey. Who's bullying you?"
He stowed his phone back into his pocket, his eyes steeling up. "Ashy Petals. And don't fool me, there's no way you don't know about them."
There was no twitch on her stony expression. "Oh, so they finally contacted you? Hmm?"
"No, not really... apparently my math teacher, Evelyn, is one of their members, and she found out about me. She tried to recruit me on the spot."
"That's good news! I hope you accepted."
Jered blinked, letting the silence stretch out for a while. "I should have?" he asked incredulously.
"You. Cute. Idiot. Cupcake!" Rainey flicked her finger, and a weak bullet of pressurized air hit him on the forehead. He pouted. "Of course you should have! Ashy Petals is not particularly strong, but their leader is a Royal-Tier Magician. It's a pretty solid organization. I mean, look at you, you damn bastard unlocked your second vein... without my help. And you're what, 16 years old? Ughh... you would have easily thrived there!"
He dragged a hand across his face, "Makes no fucking sense! I'm in your organization already, why should I join a new one?"
"So that you can bring it down from the inside! Gain their trust! Show your talents! Go up in ranks! Become a valuable pawn!" Rainey listed off with a crazed grin, "And when you're the leader's right hand, you stab him in the back! You tear all of that shit down! You take everything away!" her cheeks had reddened from the excitement, her voice riding on strong momentum. "Ashy Petals is filthy rich! And they have soooo many tomes, Jered, oh yes they do! And they could be ours! But you must do it, because only you can do it!"