At last, the rituals were over and both boys were handed new clothes to wear.
The Mage with gold rings whispered something into the ear of the right silver Mage. Ashton watched both suspiciously hoping to get a hint of what the gold ringed Mage was saying. His eyes darted from the Mage's lips to the silver ringed Mage's reactions, but he couldn't grasp anything. Not even a single word.
"Administrative Mage!" The right hand silver ring Mage called, aloud. "The two new students are entrusted under your care."
And with that simple phrase, the three distinct Mages left the building, leaving Ashton and Jamil with the black cloaked Mages.
Subsequent to the departure of the leader Mages, a black cloaked Mage stepped out with two tablets which looked more like a to-do-list note. He laid his cloak's hood off his head revealing his face that had been hidden under the guide of the cloak.
He was one pretty boy. His hair was thick and dark, falling in waves across his forehead. His eyes were a striking gray, flecked with silver around the irises. Though he looked serious, there was a kindness to his gaze that belied his stern features. His nose was straight and finely shaped, and his jaw was chiseled, giving him an air of maturity and strength. All in all, he looked like he had been transmigrated out of a comic book.
'How can a man be so pretty?' Ashton thought to himself. 'I bet he's a lot older than I am. Maybe 25?'
The boy handed the two tablet to both Ashton and Jamil saying;
"Only girls are allowed to drool over boys. Unless you're gay or something. Name's Marcus and I am 19."
'Wait what? Did he just read my mind?' Ashton thought to himself again, firmly clenching unto the tablet he had just received.
"H-How did you know? Did you just read my mind?" Ashton eventually asked, his voice quirky.
"Well, that is what everyone asks me when they see my face so, probably you were thinking it too rather than asking to fuel your curiosity." Marcus replied back, with a small smile playing on his lips.
"You expect me to buy that from you? You can read minds!" Ashton said again with an arrogant expression.
Jamil tapped him so he could stop his crazy banter already, but he wouldn't listen as he was ready to know the truth about Marcus right there and now!.
Marcus' eyes gleamed and another smile crept elegantly on his face leaving Ashton to drool the more in his thoughts.
'How can one be this handsome?' he thought, clenching his fists behind him.
Marcus nodded and started to talk, ignoring Ashton's words.
"The tablets I just handed over to you both, fill it in with the things you could not do without when you were outside the walls of this academy." Marcus said, in his boisterous voice.
"On no account should you choose the things you find as fancy but couldn't get while you were still living in the slum. A piece of advice fellas, you cannot fool the Mages of this academy."
"Pfft"
Marcus turned, now walking towards the direction of the royal chair the senior gold Mage had sat on earlier.
"You can proceed to filling your request tablets."
Jamil's eyes were all over the place as he tried to study the movement of the other Mages. It seemed really unusual they had to pick the things they could not do without back home.
'Why would they want us to keep our comfort stuff when we are just here to train our arse's out?' Jamil thought to himself.
He shook his head and then turned at Ashton who had already started pressing some words on the tablet. He nudged him to stop and try to think about how implausible this request was.
"Ashton,"Jamil called, turning his back at Marcus so he could have a word with Ashton. "It really feels off. You cannot fall for it!"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm guessing these tablets are traps…a trap for us to give up the things we are accustomed with. They cannot just let us live here in comfort."
"Ha-ha-ha!" Ashton laughed. "You see Jamil, what's wrong with us getting a comfortable life here? This academy is not so bad at all_ we will have a comfortable life here alongside minor training. Bet you will fall in love with this place soon."
Jamil shrugged, still not satisfied with Ashton's words. "That is not the point Ashton, you're looking on the flip side of this. Comfort life? I do not think that is going to happen here."
"Relax bro, you are thinking it too much. Eventually, you will see I was right all along."
"How about this, we choose the opposite of what we loved outside the walls?" Jamil suggested. "Or you choose my stuff and I choose yours instead?"
Ashton rolled his eyes.
"That sounds plausible, but ain't doing that." He said, rejecting Jamil's offer.
"We do not have all night!" Marcus said from behind, raising his voice.
Jamil finally retreated and focused on choosing his stuff rather than disturbing the unconcerned Ashton again. He sighed exasperatedly as he chose, the tablet twinkling in his palm.
When they were done, the tablets were withdrawn from them and Marcus viewed their choices. A slight smirk escaped his lips as he read their choices.
"Jamil shall have his night rest at the eastern pavilion. He had passed the informal test on greetings and so, he shall have the slave Mages tend to him throughout the night." Marcus announced.
"What about me?" Ashton voiced out.
"Ahh…You will be coming with me to my pavilion."
"Do I get slave Mages to tend to me too?" Ashton asked again.
"You do not speak back to the Administrative Mage unless you are granted the permission to!" Someone from the circle said. Slamming his words at Ashton.
"Oh ye Mages, night has come, dawn is near," Marcus started again, now voicing at the other Mages. "Tomorrow comes briefly but now, dissipate!"
And with that, every Mage in the room loosened up and started to walk out in twos and threes, except two masked Mages who stayed behind.
Marcus signaled to two of them to get Jamil to his pavilion while Ashton should come with him instead.
***
On their way to Marcus Pavilion, Ashton refrained from speaking to him as it seemed he had started violating the rules of the academy without being officially officiated as a student Mage. The walk was getting longer and more tiring for Ashton but still, he did not make mention of his plight to Marcus as they walked.
'Damn!' Ashton cursed in his thoughts.
Eventually, they got to a very huge building that had plenty of floors in it. For Ashton, it was a rare sight as the city's hotel had just two floors in its building. The one he was staring at should probably have four floors at most but he could not count well as the lights around were dim and the moon was not rendering any help.
Another graceful long walk inside the building and then, Marcus finally turned at Ashton when they got to a door.
"Here, our shared room." He said opening the door.
"Shared room? With you?" Ashton irked.
Marcus nodded. "Yes, but unfortunately for you, you cannot get any rest in here tonight."
"And, why is that?" Ashton asked adamantly, folding his arms.
Marcus sighed and then finally, he snapped his finger.
SNAP!
Behold, the whole hall lights up at Marcus' finger snap. The light shone brightly that it sent Ashton momentarily blind. He strained his eyes as he tried to adapt to the bright lights. He turned his head to take in bits of information he could collect from his surroundings. Some boys were standing outside each room. Their eyes fixated into void like soldiers awaiting their enemies' attack. Ashton didn't bother to think more about why they were standing straight and still in the middle of the night. He subtly turned back at Marcus.
"And?..."he dragged his word like he was asking Marcus to fill the blank space.
"You will be standing guard outside this room as well, right here…in front of this door!"
"Why?" Ashton continued moronically.
"Because the mutants could raid in and attack us anytime." Marcus replied again.
Ashton scoffed again, still not grasping a word Marcus was saying to him. "Explain well so I can at least comprehend, Marcus."
"Ashton, you're the bait. You will be standing guard here for the night. Yes, you do not possess any powers yet, so that makes you an easy bait for those mutants."
"I will serve as bait for the mutants?!" Ashton exclaimed.