"What was with your personality change?" asks Arthur.
Azrael appears from the shower, steaming. "As you know, I am the God of Death. Contrary to my moniker, I love life even more than my twin sister." Or, that's at least what my siblings told me.
"Your twin sister, Gaia, I presume?"
"Yes. Gaia, the Primordial Goddess of Life, and I, Azrael, the Primordial God of Death, were born after the other four. Gaia would often say I should have been the one governing life; however, my role as the Death God has given me a new perspective on life. That is why I love humans. And when I lead a class of prospective students, I know we can change the world."
Arthur stares in awe at Azrael and his lofty goal, then starts laughing. "Sorry, sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to laugh at you or your goal. It's just not something I would expect a Death God to say."
"Yes, whenever you humans… No, whenever anyone – angels, demons, even gods – speaks of death, it is always associated with evil. However, death brings completion. Without death, you will live a long, unfulfilled life. As far as anyone is concerned, I believe death to be the most important part of life."
Arthur stands there speechless. Death. I never thought about it like that before; however, Azrael has a point. Humans strive for immortality, but for what reason? Living a life of eternal solitude. Nothing can be more torturous.
—Two weeks later
"Good morning, class," says Azrael.
"Good morning, Professor Azrael," replies the class in unison.
"Today, we will discuss sealing spells." He looks around the class and says,
"Amanda Vlad, can you tell me the different types of sealing spells." Seat rank four: Amanda Vlad. The only examinee to finish the entrance exam in under ten minutes. The examiner was a world-renowned magician; however, he completely changed after encountering her. She was the first to complete the exam but she is ranked fourth. This girl is a complete mystery.
The black-haired girl stands. She stares into Azrael's eyes with cold, red jewels. "There are two types of sealing spells. Binding spells and Imprisonment spells."
"Thank you. As Amanda said, there exist two forms of sealing spells. Binding spells are quick to use, but they are weaker. At best, detaining a strong opponent will last a few seconds. On the other hand, imprisonment spells require longer chants; however, they can detain anything and everything—including mana." He walks to the board and says, "Arthur, let us demonstrate a sealing spell."
"Sorry, sir, but I can't perform seals with my probability magic."
"No, I will be the one demonstrating the sealing spell."
Why do I get the feeling that I'm not safe as Azrael's guinea pig, thinks Arthur.
"Then, let us begin. I will demonstrate a binding spell first. Nether Arts: Mime Seal."
Nothing happens.
"Huh? Did the spell fail?" asks Arthur. He walks forward and bumps into an invisible wall. "What was that?" he asks, rubbing his head.
"Mime seal casts an invisible, rectangular prison around its target. This binding spell can expand, depending on the amount of mana or nether aura you pour into it." Azrael snaps his fingers. The box enclosing Arthur shatters like glass. "Next, I will show you an imprisonment spell." The air surrounding Azrael becomes heavy. Arthur nervously backs away. "Hades, the river of the underworld. Red to sight, warm to touch. Trap this infected soul in your perennial stream. Nether Arts: Seal of Hades." Red water appears below Azrael in a vortex. It fires at Arthur and surrounds him in a spherical water prison.
Arthur touches the water. "Aarrgghh!!" he screams as he pulls his burnt hand away.
"As you see, imprisonment spells can injure the target if they try to escape." He snaps his finger again. The water becomes clear blue and disperses. He hands Arthur a vial and says, "Use this. It is a healing potion."
Arthur drinks the pink fluid in the bottle, and his hand starts healing. The charred hand heals entirely after a few seconds.
Calliope raises her hand. "If we find ourselves in a situation where we are on the receiving end of sealing magic, what do we do?"
"If you do not specialize in sealing magic, the only way to escape is by pouring a large amount of mana to break the seal. There are also magic items you can use to unseal yourself. Any other questions? None, then the class is dismissed."
Azrael rushes out of the class.
"Hey, Arthur, why's the professor in such a rush?" asks Tyson.
"I don't know."
"He doesn't have a class until the afternoon," says Calliope. In the past two weeks, these three have formed a bond of friendship.
"So, he's rushing for his break?" snickers Tyson.
"Yeah," laughs Arthur. I can't tell them about our infiltration or that Azrael is a Primordial God. Without any proof, we will seem insane.
Azrael walks through the school premises but finds nothing. He lets out a sigh. "I can feel the presence but cannot pinpoint its origin." He walks past a door and suddenly stops. The presence is most robust through this door. He looks up and reads, "Headmaster Ubel Zagan." He smiles, "It had to be his office." I will have to search when the headmaster is out.
Azrael walks away. The door creaks open, and Vice-headmaster Elizabeth peeks through the crack. "Professor Azrael? Just what did you mean by that?" she asks herself.
Afternoon arrives, and Class A has practical studies once again. However, this time around it is a joint session with Class B.
"As you see, we will have a joint session with Class B today. Yukio, Scarlett and Arthur please step forward. You three will be facing off against the top three of Class B: Kailani, Arial, and Harry."
"If we lose, do we get demoted?" asks Scarlett.
"No, this is a mock battle; it does not affect your ranking. But know this, as the top three of your year, you should prove your strength."
Arthur pulls Azrael aside and whispers, "Is it necessary to use my full power?"
"No, continue with your 'act'. Your true power will be needed in the future."
Both teams and their professors step forward. "Let's have a good match, Professor Azreael," says Elizabeth, holding her hand out.
"Likewise," says Azrael, accepting her gesture. The two teams draw lots to decide their opponent.
"Remember!!" shouts Elizabeth, "this is a mock battle. The rules are simple, force your opponent to submit or knock them out. Killing your opponent is forbidden. If Professor Azrael or I determine you are going overboard, we will put an immediate stop to the match, and it will disqualify the aggressor. Are my words understood?"
"Yes, m'am!!"
"Good. Then let us start the first match between Seat rank one, Yukio Blaze, and Seat rank twenty-eight, Harry Azalea."
The other contestants step back. "Hey, Yukio. Remember me?" asks Harry as they stand before each other.
"Sorry, I don't remember the faces of every bug I crush."
Harry, irritated, screams, "Mother Earth, Gaia. Create spears of the earth to—"
"Freeze," whispers Yukio, sending a vicious tsunami of ice at Harry. Harry's entire lower half, as well as the entire arena behind him, freezes. Yukio slowly walks to him. With a murderous glare and in his soft voice, he says, "I'm sorry, you were saying?"
"I-I give up," says Harry, frightened.
"Winner is Yukio Blaze!!" says Elizabeth.
Everyone stares at Yukio with awe. He looks up at Arthur's indifferent expression and clicks his teeth. After Azrael melts the ice, the second match begins. Seat rank two, Scarlett Flare vs Seat rank twenty-seven, Arial Sky. Unlike the previous fight – which ended after ten seconds – this match starts with Scarlett chanting, "Ifrit, lend me your strength. Scorch the seas. Part the heavens. And bring light down on this endless darkness. Fire Magic: Ruthless Sun!!" A giant ball of lava forms above Scarlett. The scorching heat dries the moist sand instantly, turning grains into glass shards.
"Nether Arts: Enchant – Heat Protection." Everyone is covered in a faint red glow. "With this, no one will be affected by the heat," he says to Elizabeth, who readied herself to end the match. She steps back, albeit reluctantly, and continues observing.
"How vulgar," says Aerial. "Is the A class only filled with braggarts?"
"Braggarts!?" Scarlett sends the sun-like ball towards Aerial.
"Roaring oceans, sailing ships. Great wind, carry this impurity along your currents. Wind Magic – Tornado Storm." Four tornados form around Aerial. The mighty winds lift the fireball and send it flying into the sky. The tornados move forward, lifting Scarlett as well.
Scarlett grits her teeth. "Ifrit, lend me your strength. Create in my hand a sword of flames to burn through my enemy's magic. Fire Magic: Creation – Ifrit's Flame Sword." Scarlett tightens her grip on the flaming sword, appearing in her hands. She swings the blade, which slices one of the tornados in half. Scarlett falls to the ground but quickly gets up. She destroys the other tornados with ease and charges Aerial.
When she lifts her sword and gets within striking distance, Aerial raises her hands and says, "I give up. You win."
"What?" asks Scarlett, surprised, as she halts her attack before hitting Aerial.
She takes a step back and clenches her teeth. Then, she walks toward Aerial, infuriated but stops after Azrael says, "Winner of the second match, Scarlett Flare." Scarlett turns to Azrael, shocked. "Can both contestants return to their respective corners?" he says.
Scarlett walks away, furious. Returning to her corner, she says, "That girl was going easy on me."
"Yeah," says Arthur, "she wasn't taking the match seriously." If she had, Scarlett might have been on the losing side. This is what she finds infuriating.
"What are you doing!?" screams Harry. "You had her beat."
"It's all good, my dear Harry. I let her win so that she may save face. However, I also let her have the win to put myself on her radar. I aim for the top position, and she is a mere obstacle in my charge towards Yukio."
"But if you beat her here—"
"Shut up, loser," she says, revealing her sadistic nature. She covers her mouth and says, "Oops, I let that slip out."
Harry remains silent. He looks at Kailani – whose head is in the clouds – and mumbles, "We're losing this."
"We will begin the final match. Can Seat rank three, Arthur Pendragon, and Seat rank twenty-six, Kailani Nuit, please step forward?"
Arthur stares down the girl – whose concentration is captivated by the clouds. He takes advantage of her being distracted and leaps toward her. "Are clouds not cute?" she asks Arthur. Arthur stops his charge and jumps back. What is this feeling? This girl seemed ditzy at first glance; however, when she looked me in the eyes, I felt like I was staring at an angry Azrael. "Who are you?" he asks, cautious.
She looks to the sky again. "Fall," she whispers. The clear sky is filled with dark clouds. Rain starts pouring. Kailani spins like a child in the shower, stomping on the puddles that form. Her innocent smile captivates the hearts of all in the arena.
"Did she just change the weather?" asks Arthur. He shakes his head, then grabs a deck of cards from his pocket. Azrael said I shouldn't use my true power. That makes this much more difficult. He watches Kailani dance in the rain and smiles. "Hey, Kailani. Want to see a magic trick?"
She looks at him and says excitedly, "Magic trick!?"
I knew it. She has a child's personality. So, if I use that, I can win, he thinks to himself. He places each card face down in the air before him.
"Hey, hey! That's cool! How are you making it float like that?"
He places his finger over his lips and says, "A magician never reveals his secrets." After all the fifty-four cards of the deck are placed, he says, "Pick a card." She stares at the deck intensely and finally decides. She points to a card, and it floats up, facing her. "Now, remember this card," he says. All the cards gather in his hand. He shuffles them and says, "I will now pick your card, and if I pick it correctly, you will give up."
"What the hell is that!!" screams Harry. "How is this a match!?"
"Harry!!" reprimands Elizabeth. She glares at him and he backs down.
"Don't worry. If I pick incorrectly, I will give up. That makes it fair, does it not?" Harry nods, albeit reluctantly. "Now, I will place the cards down again and pick your card, okay?" Kailani nods her head. Arthur slowly places the cards down. After he finishes, he stares at the cards intensely. After contemplating it, he points to a card saying, "This is your card." The tension in the air is high. Kailani can barely retain her excitement. As the card flips around, Arthur says, "Your card was the Queen of Hearts."
Kailani says, surprised, "Yes. That was my card. How did you know?" He places his hand on his lips. She says, smiling, "Oh, right. A magician never reveals his secrets."
"Correct," he says, patting her head. This was a disadvantageous match-up for me because I couldn't bring myself to fight an innocent child.
"Arthur," she says, "you can stop now."
"Oh, sorry. It's a force of habit," he says, pulling his hand away. "So, as we promised."
"Yeah, I give. You win."