"Doom and I are twins," Poison began, "and we were the first-born sons of our father, the Ancient king. Under our father's rule, we oversaw a golden age of magic and prosperity that would come to be known as the Age of Sorcerers. It was a time of great wonder and innovation, when magic was at its peak. During his reign, we were wealthy, powerful, and widely respected, and aside from our father, we were the only God wizards of our time. Our father was a ninth-rank God wizard - he was this close to becoming a true god! And we were following in his footsteps. We had several siblings, each of whom specialized in a different elemental magic. I was skilled in earth magic, while Doom was a master of fire magic. Each of us had our own strengths and weaknesses, and we all worked together to protect our beloved planet, Kreete. But then everything changed." Poison paused, and then continued with a heavy voice.
"Normagog, a mysterious, solitary wizard of immense power with no traceable origin, rose up against our father's rule. He was a dangerous adversary, and we knew that he posed a serious threat to Kreete. His ultimate goal was to bring to and end the practice of wizardry, which he saw as a perversion of true magic. 'Artificial magic,' he called it. But we had no idea just how far he would go to achieve his goals. Anyway, after the battle that followed and our father's death, Doom started behaving differently. He said that once he obtained the ancestor seal, Instead of using it to defeat Normagog, he intended to use it to empower himself and rule Kreete as a god. He suddenly grew ambitious, driven by his own greed and lust for power. But..."
Robert interrupted, "And you told me the ancestor seal was to seal your soul in the unconcious zone," he said with a hint of accusation in his mind voice, "and I really fell for it."
Poison chuckled and said, "I thought you weren't ready to know that I possessed you to kill someone that could kill the Ancient King. I just know that Doom has some stupid plan or Normagog has influenced him in a way. But searching for the seal has already become an unspoken competition between the both of us. The rest of our siblings, along with my father's most valued servants, Solomon and Martha, are doing everything they can to find the seal too. The consequences of Doom's success would be catastrophic, and we must stop him at all costs. If we could prevent Doom from achieving his goal, the world of Kreete will be spared from the consequences of his nefarious intentions."
With a note of playful skepticism in his voice, Robert asked, "How do I know you're not plotting world domination too?"
"Are you kidding me?" Poison asked with a tone of resignation.
"I'm kidding, but this is crazy! Poison, maybe it's time for you to find another posterity to continue this journey. I'm not ready to face someone who took out the most powerful wizard ever. I remember reading myths as a child that said the Ancient king became so powerful that he had to leave Kreete for the world of the gods," Robert said. "But now you're telling me he was killed, and I'm supposed to face the very same person who killed a god? That's completely nuts!" Robert laughed, though his smile was more of a grimace than a genuine expression of amusement.
"Please boy, don't you want to avenge your great great great great great great great great grand pa?" Poison implored.
"This is just crazy!" Robert thought back, shaking his head in disbelief.
"That's the end of class for today," Mr. Sam announced. "Remember to prepare for magic beast day on Thursday. If you need to take time off from school to obtain your beast, make sure to get permission from the authorities. Have a great day, everyone!" With that, Mr. Sam exited the classroom.
After the class ended, the students filed out of the room and dispersed in different directions. Some headed for the training grounds to practice the day's spell, while others headed back to their lodge. Still others went to meet up with friends from other elemental classes.
As he walked out of the classroom, Robert's mind was still reeling from the revelations that Poison had shared. But just as he walked through door, he caught sight of a familiar face - it was Zack, the boy who had mocked Alexander during the fiasco at the lightning class!
"You jerk!" Robert snapped, grabbing Zack by the collar. "Why did you laugh and make fun of Alexander? And what were you doing spying on the elite lightning class? Don't you ever go to your own classes?" He shook Zack roughly.
As the two boys bickered, the other students passing by glanced at them with a mix of curiosity and concern. It was an unusual sight to see two students arguing in the middle of the hallway, especially when one was gripping the other by the collar.
"I'm really sorry," Zack said with a sheepish smile, "I didn't mean to upset anyone. It's just that I had already mastered the practical that was being taught in my class, and I happened to be passing by on my way to my room to work on a project when I saw the commotion in your class. I know it sounds bad, but anyone else in my position would have laughed, too - the students who were accidentally electrocuted looked so silly!"
Laughing uncontrollably, Zack continued.
"As for Alex, I thought the two of you had some sort of conflict, so I thought it would be funny to tease him on your behalf. Sorry if that upset you. Oh, and by the way, I'm here to remind you not to fight Parker. It's really not worth it."
"To be honest, I had forgotten about Parker, but now that you mention it, I can't let someone who uses their power to hurt others go unpunished," Robert said with a determined look on his face.
From the moment he had arrived at Heiss Magic School, Robert had been annoyed by the arrogance of some of the other students. He couldn't stand the thought of Zack, the only nice person he had met there, being bullied. He felt like he had to do something about it.
"I have to say, the way you used an earth wall spell to block Suzy's failed lightning spell was really impressive," Zack said admiringly. "But there's one thing I don't seem to understand, how were you able to cast an earth spell, when you're a lightning wizard? Don't tell me it's your magic beast cus it's simply not possible for a contracted beast to be more powerful than it's master. And your earth wall easily blocked Suzy's spell, which means it was probably at least a seventh-rank common spell. But you're only a first-rank common wizard which proves that you couldn't have used a beast to cast that spell, and I don't even know if you have a beast," Zack pressed, eager for answers. "So how did you manage it? There has to be an explanation!"
Ignoring Zack's questions, Robert pulled out two gold coins and tossed them to him. "Take me to the garden," he said, "and show me where to find Parker."
Zack's eyes lit up as he caught the gold coins, greedily pocketing them. He must be in dire need of money, Robert thought to himself, amused by the boy's blatant avarice.
"You still haven't answered my question," Zack said, grinning mischievously, "but I'll figure it out eventually. Just you wait - you'll be sorry you ever crossed paths with the greatest magic technologist of all time!" With a wink and a grin, he turned on his heel and led the way to the garden.
"Wait a minute," Poison said apprehensively. "You're not seriously thinking of fighting someone using my earth magic, are you?"
"It'll only take a moment, and no one will ever suspect I've got an ancestor soul," Robert replied telepathically.
"Just be careful," Poison said, a note of caution in his mental voice.
_
The garden was a tranquil oasis, where the trees were covered in a canopy of lush green leaves, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. A pond glistened in the center of the garden, its surface dotted with water lilies and reflecting the sunlight like a mirror. Butterflies fluttered around, landing on the flowers that line the path leading to a gazebo, where the smell of jasmine and roses hung heavy in the air. In the distance, a flock of birds called out, adding to the tranquil atmosphere of the garden.
In the corner of the garden, a handsome boy wearing a nice black jacket and a pretty girl wearing a sky-blue robe stood deep in conversation, their fingers intertwined. The scene was picturesque, until a boy in a high school uniform entered the garden, accompanied by another boy with blonde hair and gold coins in his hand. The new arrivals disrupted the peace of the garden.
"That's the guy," Zack said, pointing to the boy in the nice jacket.
"Hey, you!" Robert yelled, his voice echoing through the garden. Everyone turned to look at him, but as soon as they realized he was just the high school troublemaker who caused someone to be suspended and the guy whose project blew up, they turned away and went back to what they were doing. Robert stood there, feeling foolish and ignored.
"Hey, you in the cool black jacket!" he called out, but no one so much as looked his way. He was like a ghost, invisible to everyone in the garden.
Frustrated by the lack of response, he felt his anger building. Purple magic energy began to gather at his fingertips, but still no one took notice. The magic wave that spread through the air, a telltale sign that a spell was about to be cast, went unnoticed by the other students.
"Listen, I know you're all ignoring me on purpose. Maybe it's because of my uniform, or my rank, or because you think I'm responsible for someone's suspension, without even knowing what actually happened. But if you hear KRAACK!! and feel a lightning spell coming your way, just know that I'm talking to you," Robert said, his voice firm and unwavering.
He threw his arm forward, sending a jolt of electricity arcing through the air towards the guy in the cool black jacket - Parker, who was talking to a girl wearing a sky blue robe.
As the lightning streaked towards him, Parker merely smirked. Just as he was about to counter with his own spell, the girl in the skyblue robe erected an ice wall, which shattered into a million pieces as the lightning hit it.
The girl looked at Robert in disbelief. A first rank common wizard like him shouldn't have been able to destroy the ice wall that she, a third rank common wizard, had just constructed.
"Just so you know, my power amplifies any spells you cast, which means they're two ranks stronger than they would normally be," Poison explained. "That's why your lightning arc was so powerful - it had the strength of a third rank common wizard's spell, even though you're only first rank."
"Wow, I don't need to borrow your power, then," Robert thought to himself, feeling a sense of relief.
"Parker's in the fourth rank," Poison added, a note of concern in his mental voice.
"Damn it!" Robert thought, dread sinking in.
"You absolute scoundrel!" the girl exclaimed angrily. "Why on earth would you attack Parker like that? Are you out of your mind?"
"I was only seeking justice for my friend, Zack. Your boyfriend assaulted him over a misunderstanding," Robert explained, his voice laced with indignation. "But I don't want to hurt you. You're way too pretty and sexy for that." Lightning crackled around him, accentuating his words with a show of power.
"If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me first," the girl said, an icicle forming in her outstretched hand.
"Isa, you don't have to do this," Parker said. "I can handle him myself."
"Don't worry about me, Parker. I can take care of him myself," she replied, her voice calm and determined.
"Can we just skip to the part where I kick your butts?" Robert said impatiently, tapping his broken gold watch and feigning annoyance. "I've got better things to do than stand around listening to this lovey-dovey garbage."
"Why don't you two team up and take him down together?" Zack suggested with a smirk. Robert glared at him, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Don't worry, bro," Zack whispered with a mocking tone. "I believe in you." He then took a few steps back, a sly smile playing on his lips. Since Robert wanted trouble, he'll give him a load of it!
"That would be a two against one," someone in the small crowd of students watching the confrontation said.
"Don't worry, Parker, I've got this," Isa repeated, her voice firm and resolute.
"Okay, fine," Parker said, giving Robert a look that said he was a dead man walking. Parker knew Isa all too well - she was hot-headed and ruthless.
The crowd of onlookers quickly backed away, giving the combatants plenty of room to fight.
"You gonna use that icicle you've been waving around, or what?" Robert taunted, a cocky grin spreading across his face. But before he could finish his sentence, the icicle came flying towards him, aimed straight at his face.