After Aether was discharged from the nurse's office, he stepped outside and saw Freya and Lithia waiting for him. Freya noticed him and turned with a smile. "You're okay!" she exclaimed, but her eyes drifted to his right hand, wrapped in a sling. "Well, almost okay. How do you feel?" she asked, examining his hand.
"I feel okay, just a bit exhausted, and my right hand feels stiff as a board..." Aether explained. Suddenly, Akira approached the group. "You managed to take on a minotaur all by yourself. I'm impressed, 'outcast,'" Akira complimented with a smirk.
"Oh hey, Akira. What's up? Did you just come here to compliment me?" Aether asked with a smile. Akira shook his head, his expression turning slightly serious. "Professor Viper wants to have a chat with you. I can't say it's gonna be good, though," Akira said quietly, making sure no one else could hear. Freya looked at him, confused. "Why do you think that?" she asked. Akira turned to face her. "Because I think he's planning to get you expelled with a test he created himself. I eavesdropped a bit after Lucas finished making his report. I saw Professor Viper go into the headmaster's office, so I took the chance to overhear what they were discussing," Akira explained in detail. The air grew tense.
"That's insane! Aether just saved Lucas and fought a minotaur, and now he has to take a test?!" Freya said worried but also angered. Akira raised his hand, motioning for her to calm down. "Wait, why are you even helping Aether?" Freya asked, realizing Akira didn't seem to dislike him as much as she thought.
"I don't dislike Aether. I don't like anyone, really. I just find it 'amusing' that a teacher would hate a student so much he'd try to set him up to be expelled. Do what you will with that information," Akira said as he started to walk away.
"What are you going to do? If you lose this 'test' Professor Viper set up, you'll be expelled! Not to mention that Professor Viper is really strong—he can use two types of elemental magic," Freya explained as they made their way to Aether's locker.
Aether opened his locker, retrieved his rapier, and sheathed it. "Well, if I don't fight, I'll get expelled anyway, right? But no matter what, I'll win. I promised Lyria I'd climb the tower to see her, and that's what I plan to do!" Aether said with determination. Freya sighed at his cheerfulness, wondering how he could stay so calm and upbeat when his future was at stake.
Aether put his hand on Freya's shoulder, "Don't worry, I never go back on my word" and he walked towards the door where Professor Viper held his little test for Aether, Freya and Lithia watched from the balcony above, they couldn't do anything but hope and pray Aether beats Professor Viper.
Aether opened the big door to the arena where Professor Viper had been waiting patently, eager to defeat Aether and get him exiled from this school forever, Professor Viper had to say something though.
"Tell me, why do you attend this school? Knowing full well you can't even use magic" Professor Viper asked Aether, his face was a bit gloomy but Aether answered "Because I want to be by my childhood friend in the tower of the Grand Mages!" Aether yelled.
Professor Viper maniacally laughed, "That's a foolish dream you hold, You? A mage who can't even use high level magic let alone any magic at all think you can achieve that goal!? And even if you do graduate from here you will surely suffer up there and crawl back to us in no time." Professor Viper explained, but Aether gripped onto his rapier tightly with his hand that's in a sling.
"You plan to fight me with an injured hand? You know, if you could cast magic you could easily beat me with just one hand, but you're using a heavy object with an injured hand, how do you plan to defeat me with your full strength?" Professor Viper asked Aether, but Aether didn't hesitate to stand up against Professor Viper, Aether raised his rapier and the tip of the blade pointed towards Professor Viper, "Don't think just because my hand is injured means I won't be able to go all out on you, I don't plan to get expelled. I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face and earn my credits" Aether said with confidence.
Professor Viper gritted his teeth. "Then let's see it, outcast! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN DEFEAT ME!" he yelled, raising his wand as ten magic circles appeared above him. "Pierce my enemies with water! RAPID WATER BULLETS!" Viper chanted, and all ten magic circles began firing water bullet shapes toward Aether. Aether reacted quickly, darting around the arena to avoid being hit.
"Is running all you plan to do?" Professor Viper mocked as the water bullets kept coming. Aether quickly took cover behind a sturdy pillar, though he knew it wouldn't last long. He used the moment to think of a way to stop the barrage. Peeking around the side of the pillar, he realized he was close to Professor Viper.
"I could charge him, but he might have some kind of barrier. Damn it, what do I do?" Aether thought. Then, an idea popped up in his head. "These water bullets are tracing my movement, firing at me regardless of whether they can hit me, I think I can do this!" Aether thought as he prepared to run off. But the pillar was chipping away, shrinking as more bullets struck it. One grazed Aether's arm, drawing blood, but it was nothing he couldn't walk off. With time running out, Aether dashed into the open to test his theory. Sure enough, the bullets continued tracking him. Seizing the opportunity, Aether sprinted straight toward Viper, who stood confidently, believing he couldn't be touched. Viper's expression changed as Aether closed in. "You ready to be hit by your own spell, Professor?" Aether said as the water bullets slammed into Viper while Aether skillfully dodged them.
After a moment, the spell ceased. "Agh! You're clever. You knew my spell would track your movement, so you ran toward me, making it hit me instead," Viper said a bit hurt and he was holding onto his right arm where the bullets hit him, but he grinned. "Let's see how you handle this!"
Aether assumed a defensive stance, positioning his rapier diagonally in front of him. Viper began chanting a powerful spell, large enough to cover half the arena. "Burn my enemies to ashes! Show no mercy! PHOENIX RISING!" he yelled, summoning a massive Phoenix made out of flames and Aether was stunned to see Professor Viper's wielding two elements.
Taking a deep breath, Aether flipped his rapier in the air and caught it with his uninjured hand. "I've done this before, but only against a monster. I don't know if I can cut this spell, but I have to try!" As the fiery phoenix charged toward him, Aether positioned his arm back, preparing a powerful thrust.
As the phoenix closed in, Aether let out a roar as he thrusted his rapier in the middle of the phoenix's body and split the fiery bird in half. The heat scorched him as the flames pressed forward, but Aether didn't back down. Within seconds, the phoenix dispersed. Exhausted, Aether huffed, but he remained standing.
"Impossible! You cut my phoenix! Damn you!" Professor Viper shouted, shocked by Aether's feat.
Aether saw his opening. With blinding speed, he closed in on Viper and thrust his rapier at him. Caught off guard, Viper dodged at the last second, and Aether stumbled as he hadn't expected him to evade. As Aether fell to the ground, Professor Viper prepared to cast another spell at the defenseless boy. But suddenly, a cut appeared on Professor Viper's right cheek, halting him in his tracks.
Viper sighed and walked off in anger. "Damn you. Here, take your filthy points, outcast," he muttered, tossing a piece of paper to the ground, signifying Aether's victory.
Aether collapsed to the ground in relief, catching his breath. "Phew, that was close..."