Robert left the classroom with a puzzled expression on his face. Why was principal Carve taking him to her office? Was it another visit to the hospital? Or had he been found out? At the thought of that, his face paled. Whatever the reason, he had to follow her. He nervously walked down the corridor, wondering what was about to happen.
As they entered the principal's office, Robert swallowed hard. It was common knowledge that if the principal requested to see someone, it usually meant trouble. His anxiety level began to rise as he surveyed the office - it was his first time here.
The office had a citrusy aroma, and on the walls behind the principal's desk were shelves lined with trophies of various shapes and sizes. The principal's desk was covered with stacks of files, the city's flag, and various office supplies.
Robert promptly noticed the two men dressed in black suits seated across from the principal's desk. He thought one of them looked familiar, though he couldn't quite place him.
"Mrs. Carve," the familiar-looking man said in a familiar voice, "could you give us the room, please?"
"Certainly," the principal replied with an overly polite, but clearly nervous smile. She turned and left the office, closing the door behind her.
"Please, take a seat," the other unfamiliar man said, gesturing to the chair behind the principal's desk. Robert looked at him in disbelief.
"What the...?" he started to say.
"It's okay," the familiar man interjected. "Just take a seat." Hesitantly, Robert sat down in the principal's chair.
"Holy cow!" he thought, trying to process what was happening. "I can't wait to tell the guys about this!" It was hard to believe that just moments ago, he'd been sitting at his desk in class, and now he was sitting in the principal's chair! He struggled to believe that this was happening.
"This is going to be the most interesting story to tell the guys," he thought. "I'm going to be the coolest kid in school!"
The familiar man cleared his throat. "We meet again, Robert," he said, taking off his hat.
"Manhawk?!" Robert exclaimed, staring in disbelief. No wonder he looked so familiar. The hat had covered parts of his face, but his distinctive goatee almost gave him away, and Robert would have never expected him to be wearing a wig!
"Yeah it's me," Manhawk replied. "And this is Charles Currie, an archeologist and eighth-ranked Mystic wizard," he said, as Charles shook Robert's hand.
"You know, you're not exactly what I was expecting to see in the principal's office," Robert said dryly, shaking his head. "It's not like I've been waiting for you for over three weeks now." He forced a chuckle, looking away. "But anyway, to what do I owe the visit, Manhawk? Why did you come looking for me during school hours? And please can you talk quickly, I really need to use the bathroom," Robert mouthed the last sentence with closed teeth.
"Alright first, don't call me Manhawk, because no one knows Manhawk's real identity. He is a top official in the Magic council and an 8th rank Legendary wizard and no one outside the Magic council is supposed to know who he really is, do you understand?" Manhawk said sounding a little stern.
"But you're Manha..." before Robert could finish, a blazing and deadly looking fire ball appeared on Manhawk's fist.
"You were saying?" Manhawk asked, unfazed by the flames.
"I meant, go on, Mr Stevenson," Robert said, his voice quavering slightly.
"Enough joking around," Manhawk declared, dispersing the flames with a subtle gesture. "We're here for two reasons. First, we'd like to offer you a place at Heiss Magic School. And second, there's something you need to know about your situation, something you're currently unaware of. My colleague, Archeologist Currie, and I have learned that your body is housing the Earth Ancestor soul. We've learned that if this information were to become public knowledge, you would be in trouble - I mean, very serious trouble. The Krix'ixar, or rather, The Black Fraggers, a horrific international terrorist organization and the most destructive and diabolic group of nuisances the world is facing has already gotten information of you and Oliver. The information we've gathered from their low level members I captured yesterday indicates that what happened at the wheat field was, in their words, 'a confirmation of the fact that you two are possessed Ancestor souls.' Based on this information, we believe that you and Oliver are in danger. The Black Fraggers terrorist organization is extremely dangerous and destructive, and we don't expect you to be familiar with them, 'cus, besides New Anthlers, I haven't seen a place more ignorant of magic than Axille - some still think wizards are fairy tale. Nonetheless, we're concerned that the Black Fraggers may try to target you and Oliver." Manhawk paused, his expression turned grave as he spoke, his tone filled with concern.
"Now, Mr Currie's got some insight on Ancestor souls that you should hear." Manhawk finished.
Robert switched his attention to the middle aged blonde man who had a thick beard.
"Robot..."
"It's Robert."
Mr. Currie smiled. "Forgive me for the lack of clarity, Robert," he said. "I am Archeologist Charles Currie, and I'm from Axille, just like you. My mentor and I were investigating the ruins of your Ancestor soul when we discovered that the soul of Gabor had gone missing from its cursed chamber, ("Cursed chamber? Archeologist and their inaccuracies," Poison scoffed) along with all the other Ancestor souls that had been cursed by the Ancient emperor in the Age of Sorcerers. We began searching for the Ancestor souls and through our research, we traced the earth and ice ancestor souls to you and Oliver."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "As we all know, each of the Ancestor souls posses different elemental affinities and we know yours is Earth. The relationship between an Ancestor soul and it's chosen descendant is termed a symbiosis - as it should be. Ancestor souls are very powerful and hard to come across and can grant you abilities far beyond those of the average wizard. Also, you'll have a very great chance of advancing past the Formidable level. Very few Ancestor souls have been discovered and their elemental affinities are; Water, Plant, Light and Shadow. The Water Ancestor soul occupies the body of one of the Magic Council's Superior Wizards, while the Plant Ancestor soul inhabits the body of Higlar's king. The Light Ancestor soul resides in the body of the High Priest of the Illumination Temple, and it is believed that the Shadow Ancestor's soul is in the hands of the Black Fraggers. Now, about the importance of the Ancestor souls, they're diversified and complex. And while I can't tell you everything about them, I urge you to learn more about yours in particular. It's crucial that you protect yourself, and keep your Ancestor soul's presence a secret because if the wrong people get their hands on you, they'll exploit that power for their own ends. Knowing how powerful Ancestor souls are, they'll surely try every possible means to extract it from your body. Please, understand that you have a future full of both opportunity and peril ahead of you, Robert."
Robert's nod was a silent acknowledgment, his eyes narrowing as he processed the revelation. His thoughts swirled with unease: Poison's warning about his brother now seemed trivial compared to the looming threat of a terrorist group.
Mr. Currie looked over at Manhawk and gave him a nod, indicating that he was finished.
Manhawk leaned in, carefully watching Robert's expression. "I need you to fill out this form," he said, waving his hand. A silver ring in his finger glowed, and a parchment appeared in his hand. He handed it to Robert.
"What's it for?" Robert asked, casting a brief glance at the silver ring.
"This form costs 60 thousand gold coins, which probably only rich families can afford, and the average family would have to spend years saving up to pay for it. But don't worry, the cost is already taken care of. I just need you to fill it out so that you can be admitted into Heiss Magic School."
Robert hesitated. "Manh... Mr Stevenson, I'm honored, but I think I need to talk to my family about this first..."
Manhawk cut him off. "It's crucial that you enroll in the school as soon as possible. You can tell them during the break," he explained. "The first session for the magic school is almost over, and we need to act quickly, there's no time to loose. We need to take you there right now."
"Now? Tomorrow's our midterms - I can't afford to blow it!" Robert protested.
The two men exchanged a meaningful glance, their eyes locking for a moment. Then Manhawk turned back to Robert.
"We need to speak with Mrs. Carve," Manhawk said. "Can we step outside for a moment?"
Robert nodded, and the two men left the room. A half hour passed before they returned, Mrs. Carve in tow.
"Robert," Manhawk said, "we have an idea. You can attend classes here as usual during the day, but in the evening, you'll 'sneak out' of school with your elemental morph ability and come to Prixeo - the town where the magic school is located, just next to Axille - for night classes. No more night preps for you. What do you think?"
Robert considered the proposal. "What time would the night classes end?" he asked.
"The night classes would end an hour after midnight," Manhawk replied. "We realize that this is unconventional, but we believe it's the best way to keep you safe while ensuring that you receive the best possible magic education."
"Very early in the morning, huh?" Robert mused, furrowing his brow. "It's not ideal, but I'm willing to try. What about Oliver, is he going to be attending a magic school as well?"
Manhawk replied brusquely. "Already taken care of."
"You've met with him?"
"Yesterday. Different school."
"Mm..." Robert's expression turned thoughtful. Why Oliver first? he grumbled internally, feeling a pang of jealousy, but his attention abruptly shifted to Mrs. Carve and he noticed she was looking at him, smiling. With a jolt, he realized he was sitting in her chair. He stood up so fast that he knocked the chair over, causing everyone in the room to chuckle.
"I'm so sorry," he stammered, scrambling to pick up the chair. "I didn't mean to... I'm such a klutz!"
He placed the chair upright and turned to face Manhawk, trying hard not to look at Mrs. Carve.
"All right, let's get going," Manhawk said.
"Get going?" Robert asked. "Where are we going?"
"To the school... the magic school," Manhawk replied.
"But you said I'd only attend evening classes," Robert said, confused.
"That's true," Manhawk replied. "But we need to get you enrolled."
Robert thought for a second. "Alright," he said, "but I need to hit the bathroom real quick."