Once they were in the office, Dean Seig gestured to the water hand, which dropped Robert onto a nearby stool. The Dean fixed Robert with an angry stare, then waved his hand to dismiss the water hand. It melted into a pool of water at his feet and evaporated into wisps magic energy which faded into nothingness.
"What did you think you were doing?" Dean Seig asked angrily. "You could have been exposed! Manhawk told me everything and begged that i keep an eye on you, to make sure you didn't do anything reckless. But the moment I turned away, you were already restraining your classmate with a mystic earth spell. Are you out of your mind? Do you really think no one else knows about the existence of ancestor souls? Do you realize how quickly those kids could pass on information to their families? Do you know what they'd do to you if they got hold of you? You are a treasure Robert, you're more than this. All these kids here are weak, nothing, compared to you, and you could be the most powerful wizard anytime in the future, don't blow it by exposing yourself. Many are willing to risk it all just to rip your ancestor soul from your body. And right now you have no excuse to cover up the fact that you have two elements!" Dean Seig barked angrily.
"Unless, of course, he gets a magic beast!" Zack said as he burst into the office, his magic sound amplifier clutched in his hand.
Robert and Dean Seig froze in shock, their faces turning pale as they stared at Zack in disbelief.
"Zack? Why must you follow me everywhere?!" Robert yelled, already knowing that Zack had eavesdropped on his conversation with Dean Seig using his magical contraption.
Dean Seig glared at Zack for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh and sat back down in his chair, massaging his temples.
"Sir, is everything okay?" Zack asked hesitantly, fearing that he had overstepped and was about to be punished. He had recklessly barged into the Dean's office uninvited! If he was suspended, his sponsor would be furious - maybe even irate.
"I'm just thinking about how to make sure that this stays a secret," the Dean said, still rubbing his temples. "If it were up to me, I'd either have you strangled to death or have Robert do it."
Zack's legs turned to jelly. He shot a horrified look at the two, who could easily kill him without batting an eye. And if they did, no one would care, not even his sponsor - who'd probably be relieved.
"And I choose to handle you myself," Dean Seig said, his eyes hardening as he raised his hand. Suddenly, a giant black scorpion erupted from a tattoo on his neck, its many-legged body exploding into the room with such force that the air shuddered. It stood there, its massive claws and tail poised, its eyes burning with a malicious intent. It was enormous, nearly the size of the Dean's office. It turned to face Zack, its black eyes glinting malevolently. With its enormous pincers, it reached out and snatched Zack up like a rag doll. Then its tail arched over its head, the stinger aimed right at his heart.
Zack stood frozen, his heart racing in his chest as he gazed in horror at the creature before him. He looked as though he might wet himself, his face contorted with intense fear.
"No, wait, please!" Robert pleaded desperately, as the scorpion's tail inched closer to Zack's chest. "Can't we make him promise not to tell anyone?"
Dean Seig looked at him and chuckled softly.
"You think I'm going to kill him?" Dean Seig's laughter was soft, but cold. "No, no, I'm going to curse him, so that he can't tell anyone who's not trusted about the ancestor soul. If he does, then the curse will take effect. Don't worry, he's not in any real danger - I just need him to keep his mouth shut." The Dean's eyes were filled with amusement as he watched Zack tremble with fear, completely unaware that the scorpion's stinger was not actually a threat, but only a scare tactic.
After the scorpion let Zack go, he could barely speak. His voice trembled as he tried to ask, "Wh...wa... what happens if i say something about it to someone?"
"Oh, it's gonna be really bad! So you'd better keep your dumb mouth shut, kid! And if I catch you spying on me or anyone else again with your device, you'll be in big trouble. Do you understand?" Dean Seig warned sternly. He looked down at the scorpion at his side and patted it gently, almost affectionately. The scorpion seemed to respond to his touch, its body moving in what looked like a purr. It was a bizarre sight, but Zack couldn't take his eyes off of it.
"Now you two, scram!"
The two left the office in silence. It wasn't until they were outside,
underneath a massive tree with bright blue leaves and unusual creatures scurrying across its branches, that Robert finally spoke.
"I guess I'll be going then," he said.
"Hey, thanks for fighting for me back there," Zack said with a smile. "I really appreciate it. No one will give me any more trouble now."
"No need to thank me," Robert said with a dismissive wave. He noticed how disheveled Zack's hair was, and couldn't help but smile. Zack looked like a sad, bedraggled little puppy. "You're very creative, you know that?" Robert continued, "I have a suggestion - why not use your magic tech skills and knowledge to build something that can help you fight off enemies? Maybe a magic battle robot or a magic lightning gun, you know, like the ones in movies and sci-fi shows?"
"That's a great idea! why didn't I think of that," Zack said excitedly.
"I'll catch you later!" Robert said and transformed into a cloud of sand and blew away in the wind.
"Wow," Zack watched in awe as
the cloud of sand faded into the horizon, until it was gone from sight. Then, he turned and headed back to his room. The classroom block was already deserted.
____
"Wow, it's great that you've become friends with that money maniac. Considering his age, I think he's really talented at creating magical devices. Maybe you could share some magic ideas with him from time to time. You can tell from his aura that he's been through a lot," Poison said as Robert drifted through the air in his sand form, heading back to Axille.
"Yeah, I just feel bad for pitiful people, and it makes me want to stomp on everyone else who's happy," Robert said. As he was speaking, he noticed some snowflakes flying in his direction. "Hey, look at that! It looks like a cloud of ice, kind of like Oliver's elemental form, and it's coming right towards me. I wonder what he wants?" Robert's 'mind voice' rose in pitch as he noticed the cloud of ice getting closer and closer.
"Hey, it's me, Oliver!" the ice flakes spoke telepathically. "You need to get back to school, Dora won't stop asking me where you are!"
"I'm already on my way," Robert thought back. "You didn't need to go looking for me! Oh, and by the way, have you found yourself a girlfriend yet?" He couldn't help but tease Oliver a bit.
"See you at school. Your little girlfriend can't stop asking about you," Oliver said, disregarding his question as the ice shards flew towards Axille.
"Hey, Oliver, wait! What's going on down there?" Robert cried as he noticed a commotion on the ground below. People were running around in a frenzy, and something seemed very wrong.
A group of magic enforcers were locked in a fierce battle with a massive, yellow, fox-like magical creature. The enforcers' spells were proving ineffective against the beast, and several of them were already injured. There was no sign of reinforcements, and it seemed like the enforcers were in trouble.
"I think we should lend them a hand," Robert suggested.
"They can handle it, now let's go!" Oliver replied, his iceform swirling impatiently.
"C'mon man, I know Manhawk took you to a different magic school in Bening. Wouldn't you like to gain more experience and advance quicker?" Robert said, attempting to convince him.
Oliver took a moment to consider and then responded, "Alright, let's go, but we'll make it quick."
They materialized at the end of the street and sprinted towards the battleground. Suddenly, they were stopped by a magic enforcer in a black uniform.
"Hey, you two! Get out of here," the enforcer yelled. "This is a restricted area, it's not safe for you to be here, we are handling this situation."
"Sir, actually we're here to assist!" Robert insisted.
The man's face hardened. "Assist?That's not funny! I'm not messing around here. This is a restricted area, and you both need to leave."
"Watch out!" Oliver yelled as he saw a blazing fireball flying straight towards the enforcer, who was only five feet away from them. The enforcer spun around, but it was too late to cast a protective spell. He shut his eyes tight and braced himself for impact, thinking, Maybe I'll get lucky and survive this.
"Ice dome!"
"Earth wall!"
Oliver and Robert both cast the most powerful defensive mystic spell from their ancestors' element at the same time. The fireball crashed into the earth and ice wall with a deafening boom, leaving deep cracks on it's surface.
Oliver and Robert were as powerful as 1st rank mystic wizards when harnessing their ancestors' elements. Though Oliver had achieved the peak level of a first rank common light wizard within just two days of attending school, and Robert had attained the peak level of a first rank lightning wizard, they currently only had access to their ancestors' first rank mystic powers. However, as they continued to progress, they would gain the ability to utilize more of their ancestors' powers.
When the man opened his eyes, he was amazed to find himself still standing, unharmed. The defensive barrier had dissipated, and he saw the boys running towards the battle, where the remaining enforcers were fighting the beast.
"Those two boys just saved my life with a mystic spell - how is that possible?" the man thought, stunned. "I'm a third-rank mystic wizard, and I'm 32 years old, but they're already first-rank mystic wizards at such a young age. By the time they're my age..." He stood there, awed by the implications of what he had just witnessed.
While the man was still in shock, the two boys had already reached the other enforcers and joined the battle against the level 16 Yellow flaming fox. Robert stood a safe distance from the beast and cast his spells with precision and skill. Oliver, on the other hand, took a more casual approach, standing atop a building and lazily tossing powerful ice spells at the fox.
The boys' arrival turned the tide of the battle, and the enforcers were finally able to defeat the Yellow Flaming Fox. But by the time the battle was over, the boys had already vanished into thin air, leaving the enforcers in a state of wonder and confusion as they searched for the young heroes who helped them defeat the level 16 yellow flaming fox.