Ezio entered the room but he was still curious so he looked outside the window and saw that his uncle and the people in white were speaking. His uncle looked pretty angry and his gestures were being forceful. It looked like he was pointing at the people and asking them to leave but they did not move an inch.
Jagan looked behind him and saw that his nephew was peeking through the window. He frowned but he let him be and faced the people again. Subtly he snapped his fingers and the space around the house shifted then a layer of an opaque barrier appeared before it slowly faded and became invisible.
"You really are persistent, I've already told you before not to look for me but here you are knocking on the door of death," his hand was ready to attack with a ball of lightning that he he had already conjured. "Do you really think that I will allow you to approach my nephew like that again?"
The air around him started to vibrate and his anger towards these uninvited guests cannot be hidden. He raised his hand and released the ball in his hands towards them. The man in front was not fazed, instead he defended against the attack by summoning a blue dome around them.
"We are not here to fight you, Grand Mage Jagan," the man started but before he could continue, another ball of lightning exploded in front of them.
"Don't call me that. I have long since buried that title in the past," he spat before conjuring a series of lightning that struck the group.
Smoke rose from where the lightning bolts landed but after it subsided the three men remained standing without any injuries. The blue dome was still protecting them.
"Grand Mage Jagan, stand down. If you continue to attack us we will have no choice but to retaliate," the leader spoke and the friendliness in his voice disappeared. His mana started to show and collided with Jagan's.
"You've grown stronger, Siron." Jagan eyed the man, he could feel that his mana was already comparable to that of a Grand Mage even though his rank was not yet there. "That snotty brat in the past is already ready to become a Grand Mage."
"Yes and if you insist on fighting us, it is not a guarantee that you can defeat us. Times have change, master. The Magic Tower is now more powerful and if you do not abide by it, then you will be destroyed." Siron retracted his mana and so did Jagan. He removed the hood covering his face and stared at his former master.
Jagan could tell that this brat who once followed closely behind him was now stronger but the arrogance shown in his eyes never vanished instead it became more pronounced now that he had risen in ranks. The older man admitted that Siron was talented but his personality was not that great. He had the tendency to look down on others just because they appeared to be weak and that in itself was a fatal weakness that can bring him destruction.
"It seems that you have forgotten my teachings," his eyes wondered around the other man's body before he sighed in disappointment. "You might be looking down on me now but even so, in my eyes you are still not worthy of that power and talent you have."
Siron's eyes twitched at Jagan's words, he thought that he had gotten over how overbearing the man was but even after many years, he was still getting into his nerves. When the man became his master, he gave him the same look and even shook his head like he was someone of no importance even though he was the most talented apprentice the Magic Tower has and even his achievemennts never impressed the man. It was frustrating, so when he left the Magic Tower, he was actually relieved and poured all his time in improving his strength until he could surpass his master. Now that he was as powerful as him, the man still looked at him like he was nothing, the condescending look was enough to make him hate the man even more but he controlled himself. It was not the right time to show Jagan what he could do.
"It seems that Grand Mage Jagan is not ready to talk, so we will leave first but this will not be the last time we will be seeing each other. We will be staying in this town for next couple of days while waiting for your response to the letter we've sent but if you still refuse, then we don't have a choice but to subdue you. This will be your first and final warning." Siron gave the man a nod before he and the other two with him disappeared which made it impossible for Jagan to refuse them.
Siron and his companions appeared in a corner of the town's plaza after teleporting away from Jagan's house. They have been tracking down his master for quite a while now and everytime they found a trace of him, they were always one step behind so now that they caught up with him, he decided to give his former master a chance for time.
"Are you sure about that Siron? They might take this chance to run away again." One of the men with him asked then he removed the hood of cloak.
"If they really wanted to run then he should have done so the moment he received that letter but he did not which only means one thing, they won't go anywhere," Siron smiled. The one who asked shook his head after he saw this sinister smile. He had known Siron ever since they were still apprentices and his sadistic tendencies had gotten worse over time.
"Are you really going to pick a fight against him? He is not only a Grand Mage but also a warrior. He know how to fight people like us if he ever runs out of mana." His intention was to remind the other that the person they were dealing with was not just somebody. Grand Mage Jagan was regarded as the best of their generation and he believed that no matter how many years has passed, his talent and skills will never wavered. Aside from that he was also an experienced fighter and mage, which they can't be compared with.
Siron frowned at his subordinate's words. He did not like his tone so he turned around and grabbed the man by his collar. "Astrophos, surely you did not forget who you are talking to. No matter who the person is, they will never be a match to me. Even if Jagan has the experience, I can still overwhelm him with my power. His era ended long ago, this time is mine. I will show him how different I am from him." He let him go as he pushed him back. "I don't even understand how a person with mediocre mana got the title of Grand Mage. Mine is more superior than his, so he did not have the right to look down on me. Did you see how he gazed at me?" His voice dropped a few octaves with his fists clenched tightly when he remembered how Jagan stared at him. "I will make him regret every humiliation I suffered because of him."
Astrophos looked at Siron in disappointment. The man was so full of himself that he never listened to anyone. On the other hand the other person witht them was nodding to whatever Siron was saying which made Astrophos even more disappointed.
"Of course you can defeat that guy, according to the other mages your mana is more potent and more powerful since it allows you to use powerful spells, so no matter how experienced the other person is, it cannot work against you!" He cheerfully supplimented which only added to Siron's ego.
He was Xavion, he entered the Magic Tower right after Grand Mage Jagan left, so he doesn't have any idea how strong the man was, if he knew Astrophos doubts that he would say those words.
Siron slowly relaxed after hearing Xavion's praise and the smile on his face returned, "You are right. Let's look for a place to have a seat first." He looked around and saw an inconspicuous shop that sells pastries. He walked towards the place followed by the other two.
They entered and was met with the aroma of freshly baked bread so without hesitation they chose bread of their own preferences and followed the instruction on how to place the order. They did not even notice that the shop was using magic.
"Oh, look at that I've got some interesting visitors." Cygnus looked through the surveillance mirror he had with the grin on his face widening.
"Master, please control your expression. Our customers might get frightened if you showed them that devilish grin of yours." The butler walked through the door then placed a cup of coffee in front of Cygnus.
"But my expression looks fine," he turned around and looked at his reflection on the mirror. He even angled his face from side to side before shaking his head. "I look especially handsome."
"Master," the butler interrupted because he already know where this was going, "you should decide what to do since they are already waiting."
Cygnus raised an eyebrow at the butler's question, "You should already know what to do."