Chapter Twenty-Nine: Strange
A crack, shaped like a flower, formed at the sky above them that shattered slowly like it was glass. It's the portal to the interdimensional realm created by the Dark Mage that locked them in.
All eyes looked up at it, and when it got smacked again, the petals grew wider. The Dark Mage moved back. "He finally found us. I knew you guys will be useful."
The boys watched the portal shatter away, with their jaw dropped. To save time, the Dark Mage dissolved the realm and slowly everything returned to the normal environment of autumn trees and paved streets.
Zenith landed from the height, munching on the bread in his both hands. He glanced at his students and then back at the Dark Mage. "What were you three doing?"
That was the strangest question the boys had ever heard. What were they doing? Well, narrowly escaping dying? Didn't he come to save them… while casually munching on snacks?
The Dark Mage folded his arms. "Seriously, what were they doing when they waltzed into my barrier like it was no one's business? Privacy, boys, privacy."
Zenith nodded with a straight face. "Really?"
"Of course, they didn't even believe you'd come for them because they wanted to defeat me alone. You seriously shouldn't waste your time with these children looking for trouble."
Alez and Alexandria stared at the Dark Mage in disbelief. He'd blame them for what happened? He had pulled them into the barrier! How could they enter the barrier of S-Class Dark Mage so freely?
Alez found the situation especially odd.
Sir Zenith's causal demeanor wasn't too strange as he could've been pulled from his comfort zone to fight a Dark Mage's weaker than he was.
But why did the Dark Mage not feel fear? And he had been waiting for Sir Zenith? He should be begging for his life at the moment?
Zenith exhaled, and finished the bread he had on one hand. He pointed at the boys and used a separation spell to remove the blood droplets and the stench of blood from their skin and clothes.
They felt refreshed and almost forgot what it used to smell like in the sea of blood. The presence of the SSS-Rank Dark Mage became imposing but the boys found themselves being able to withstand it.
"Is Alexandria alright?"
Alez turned to his friend, who rested on a tree tiredly. He nodded. "He expended a lot of essence, that's all."
Alez noticed another thing. Their teacher was still in his usual S-Rank without removing any bands. Did he feel very confident that he could defeat the Dark Mage without being SSSSS-Rank first?
"Okay," Zenith turned to the Dark Mage, "you didn't have to kidnap them when you knew I'd come back," he looked around, "and did you clean the dead birds?"
The Dark Mage's smirked. "I added them to my army of the dead and why not? They're really useful."
Zenith regretted using them. Those birds would cause trouble for other Mages trying to teach him a lesson. "Escanor, don't repeat this. These are just students."
Alexandria opened his half opened eyes to see the Dark Mage named Escanor. His older brother had fought the Dark Mage before and nearly won but Dark Mage suddenly raged and broke a rank in front of his older brother making the battle challenging.
The Dark Mage had escaped and his older brother found out that he was a teenager named Escanor Akane from Asteria Clan.
His older brother never stopped talking about it for a long time, as it was the first time he saw a Dark Mage enhance. Typically, they rarely did after joining the Dark path.
Seeing the Escanor, Alexandria couldn't believe this Dark Mage was only nineteen and already at SSS-Rank, and could Sir Zenith's closeness to him be because he wanted him to be his apprentice?
"I'm overthinking it, he's already chosen the Dark path." Alexandria tried to convince himself but the thoughts flickered in his mind often.
He had to be strong enough to reach S-Rank, at least, before Sir Zenith finishes with his class. He needed to show that he was better than any Dark Mage apprentice.
Alez saw Sir Zenith give the Escanor a pack of his bread and said something to him, then the Dark Mage disappeared to thin air.
The boy couldn't believe what he's seeing but the shock slowly left him. Sir Zenith seemed not to mind Dark Mages.
To relate to psychopaths, didn't that make him more of a psychopath than he had accused him to be?
"Can you guys walk or should I carry—"
"Carry us!" Alexandria yelled dramatically. "We can't move a muscle. Our bones were crushed by one look in his eyes and our heart still pitter patter and—"
Alez left the ground, and walked away from his friend. He turned and bowed to Sir Zenith. "Thank you, Sir, for coming to rescue me from the near death situation Alexandria's stupidity put me in."
Alexandria looked down in regret. This had really been his fault. Alez left after that and Zenith let him, he turned to Alexandria. "You should learn how to pick your fights. I'm sure Escanor had offended you first because he's really bored."
Alexandria forced himself to stand up, still keeping his head lowered. "I'm really sorry, sir. This wouldn't happen again and I'm ready to take any punishment."
Punishment? Zenith thought about it. As a teacher, he should give punishment in such situations, shouldn't he? But in retrospect, Escanor's presence had been his fault and if he didn't abandon him in a barrier, he'd not have stolen students to get his attention.
He had been eating the new edition of the panda bread when he felt the ominous presence of an interdimensional realm being opened.
He knew exactly where to go and that's what brought him, even if he had taken his time.
"I'd think of a suitable punishment for you, maybe by tomorrow." He said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulders, a glow of light from his palm seeped into the boy's body.
Alexandria was astonished when he felt stronger and stood easily without hunching. "You can heal too?"
Zenith waved his hand dismissively. "I can only heal myself. All I did was transfer essence to you, I don't plan to send you home so kindly walk yourself."
Alexandria's shoulders slumped but he nodded. That's been his plan, to make the Mage visit his home, but he must've seen through it.
He picked his bag from the ground and stared at it, it still had the stench of the sea of blood. "I need to stop at Alez's place first."
Zenith walked away from him, hands in pockets. "You should, since you accept that you were wrong. And tell me, did he do anything to recklessly expend his essence?"
Alexandria paused to remember, then shook his head. "He didn't do anything at all. It wouldn't have helped, even I expended my essence for nothing."
Zenith smirked. So that Alez actually took advice and wanted to train his essence to avoid making unnecessary attacks? "That's alright then. Good bye."
Alexandria nodded with a reply. He stared at his palms and remembered his powerlessness against the Dark Mage Escanor.
He saw him as a rival to being Sir Zenith's apprentice, and he had to win.