Kai Atropos's Story

Kai Atropos

---

Lee watched as Kai gathered her things. He had waited outside of class to watch and see how she was doing, but she was the same as always. Quiet. The staff had already known not to ask her questions, and the children around her seemed to catch onto the fact that she wouldn’t reply to anything they said. All Kai knew to do was sit and listen.

Kai’s mind was nowhere and everywhere all at once. Today was the day of the club meeting, if you wanted to call it that. Other than her father and her ex-partner Josephine, Kai had never really met another mage. She wasn’t scared, however, or nervous or happy. She was somewhat curious, but for the most part, it was nothing special. She had known there were other mages out there, but never got the chance to meet anyone.

“Kai, it’s time to get going,” Lee said. “You don’t want to be late.”

Kai nodded at her little demon and scooped him up, holding him like she always did with her school bag in the other hand. People stared, most likely because of Kai’s astounding looks, but she didn’t look a bit interested in anything or anyone. All she wanted to do was keep walking till she got where she was going. She did pass by a fellow mage, one who she took Gym with, Iyana Liadon. Her demon, Izac, and Lee would always take it upon themselves to trip people when they were running or move equipment when no one was looking.

Iyana had waved and sped off to the West Wing, but Kai continued slowly but purposefully to the same destination.

“Kai!” A stranger’s voice came from behind. “Kai! It is Kai, isn’t it?” She turned around to see a boy with shaggy brown hair and bright green eyes waving at her. “I was going to talk to you after class, but I got caught up in some other stuff.” A mild blush appeared across his face as he did something Kai observed many males do. He reached up and itched his left earlobe, a sign of nervousness. “I was thinking, if you wanna go out for dinner sometime…cause your new and all, I thought I could show you around and,” but he was cut off by Kai’s turning and continuing to walk away. It was silent for a moment before the boy spoke again. “I’ll see you tomorrow then!”

What was his name? Kai had no idea. She could hear whom she assumed to be his friends teasingly ridiculing him in the background. Were all teenagers like that? After several days of observation, she had to conclude that they were.
“Kai, you could have said something to him at least. The people here are so nice, you should appreciate that they aren’t being rude or bullies.”

“Ulterior motive,” was all Kai said, the first time in months. But he knew exactly what she meant. It was because she was pretty. She knew they all wanted the same thing from her.

“Okay, let’s just go.” Lee said, leaning his head on the arm that carried him.

Nexon Vermillion

"Nex. Time to wake up, Nex. Classes are over." A gentle voice emits to his left. It was close enough to echoed to his right ear as well, but he couldn't deny the closeness of the voice. It was also always to this gentle voice that he had been waking up to every day and every time he sleeps. "Come on, Nex. You're gonna miss the club meeting." That's right. Today was the first ever meeting of the Henry Jefferson High's Magical Arts Club, or in other words, the Medieval club. The reason why the club had a cover up was because they couldn't afford to let the non-magics, as he liked to call it, to know of the magical world's existence.

Nex struggled to pull open his eyelids, but as heavy as it is, he could only open it halfway. He lifts his head up and rubbed his eyes, letting out a big yawn. He turned to the left and found the blue sky in the background obstructed by his demon, Noel. Her long braided brown hair was the first thing he saw, along with her usual clothing. She looks at him, relieved that he's awake. "Let's go, Nex. We have a club meeting to attend to." He stood up slowly and lazily, heading for the door after remembering to push his chair back into the desk.

With every step he took, he looked as if he had his chest and head held up high. He gave off a rather confident feel to his steps, and just as every boys he passes by looks at him with disgust and jealousy, the girls looked at him with charmed eyes and the desire to 'date' him and show off to their friends. Nex did not notice all these, or rather, he didn't want to. He could feel the immeasurable amount of expectations of him from the eyes of the students. He doesn't have any of them, excellent studies with high marks or an extremely fit athletics. Sure, he might look like a cool and handsome guy in the surface, but that's not what he was on the inside. No one truly knew who he really was, and all they say was just what he look like. He didn't wanted to look good, he never did. All he ever wanted was to just live normally like a normal person, without much expectations for him.

Noel soon discovers that Nex had gotten himself into depression again. She worried that he might place too much stress on himself without knowing it, so she broke the anxiety in him. "Don't worry. You don't have to bear all the burden. I'm with you." He turned and looked at Noel, whom the non-magics can't see, nodding at what she said. For now, he don't have to live up to the hopes people unknowingly placed on him. "Thanks... Noel... I think I'm okay now." Said softly the boy. It wasn't long that the duo had entered the forbidden West Wing. There was no one in sight seconds ago, but he saw a figure walking in the hall way in front of him.

It was a classmate of his. Kai Atropos, the extremely quiet beauty that which everyone had been talking about. The boys in his class, and perhaps, all over the school as well, had been talking about her. They spoke about how she had the face of an angel and that her voice must be so cute that just about anyone will fall in love with. Nex had caught a glimpse of her face once, but that wasn't enough to confirm whether if she really that kind of face. But, Nex wasn't interested to know of it. He quickly caught up to the small girl before he knew it. In her hands was a small raccoon-like pet with a leaf on its head, presumably her demon.

The hall was big enough to fit two people walking together. Noel was following tightly behind Nex, cautious of the human beside Nex. She was prepared if the girl dared to make a move. While Nex wanted to tell Noel to let up a bit, he couldn't do it. She was a mage and it can't change the fact that she might attack him as a possibility. However, he thought about it again. She shouldn't have a reason to attack him. He changed his mind and instead decided to approach the small girl with a small greeting. "Good afternoon, miss Kai. Heading to Medieval Club meeting?" He said, looking forward. Noel understand that he only wanted to have a chat with the girl, so she loosened up a bit and followed behind. She's still prepared for whatever the mage might do though.

Kai Atropos

---

Kai had been getting closer to the next turn when a presence neared and eventually stood next to her. She wasn’t worried about a sneak attack; it wouldn’t be her loss if it was. She looked at the male, her face the same as ever, curious as to what he required from her. Behind him was a demon who seemed just as cautious as Kai, but Kai was completely hidden about it.

"Good afternoon, miss Kai. Heading to Medieval Club meeting?" He said, looking forward. Kai looked forward herself, silent.

“Nexon Vermillion, right,” Lee asked from his master’s arms. “I believe he has a class or two with us Kai. Well, you anyways.”
Kai shrugged ever so lightly, she never quite noticed anyone in any of her classes.

“I apologize. Kai doesn’t speak, not even to me.” Lee squirmed in Kai’s arms until she let him down. He walked in front of the small group, leading them to the classroom. They arrived with barely anytime to spare.

“Mage,” muttered Kai before she sat down. If anyone had heard her they might have thought her dumb. But Lee knew what she meant, much like what she had said earlier. The room was full of mages, people somewhat like her. It was somewhat overwhelming; Lee could see the ever so slight joy that Kai felt. Lee jumped onto Kai’s desk and turned back to Nexon.

“Kai is a fire mage, and I ask,” Lee leapt onto Nexon’s desk. “She’s never been around people. Please forgive her if she comes off as rude. Kai doesn’t mean it.”

Kai reached back and grabbed Lee, putting him back in her arms.

You talk to much, Kai thought. She was here to broaden her knowledge of her mage abilities. Despite Josephine and Lee’s pleads to get to know people, Kai wasn’t going to risk anyone getting hurt of hurting her. Did she want friends? Friends to trade books with and go out to eat together? Yeah, but the science behind it seemed a lot harder when she didn’t speak or smile. Sure people talked about her and asked her to ‘hang out’ but they were bound to run out of things to say or ask once they realized she wouldn’t say anything back. If she ever did open up to anyone, what would she say? She spent most her life training and killing, no fun stories about theme parks or happy family Christmas’, just her putting a bullet in someone. If that didn’t ward someone off, they were just crazy.

Lee watched Kai contemplate, her eyes distant. “Let’s just hope for the best, Kai.”

♠Lilly Zephyr♠

---

The trip back to the class room was quicker than expected.

Right before Lilly took the turn that would lead to their new class of Mages, she paused with a realization she didn’t like. She shifted uncomfortably and itched her left shoulder. “I hate kids,” she muttered to her husband before entering. Then the clock hit 2:50.

Lilly walked into the room, tall and glaring. “Everyone in your seats, now. Before that clock even thinks about moving to this time you should already be in your seats. We are not a daycare; we won’t wipe your asses for you.” OZ followed behind Lilly until they arrived to the front of the room, that was when he took his position in the right corner of the room, watching the kids.

“Bryce,” Lilly stated clearly. “Take it away.”

---

---

Iyana Liadon

---

Iyana had migrated into the classroom, greeting and making small talk with her fellow mages. Many of them seemed fairly nice and seemed to be excited to work together. Then a familiar voice came through the door, calling to her.

“Iyana! What’s up?” Iyana turned to see her changed brother standing by her, smiling away. Iyana herself let out a squeal and jumped on her brother.

“I knew you could do it, Ciel! I just knew it! I’m so happy you are here, I don’t have to start this journey without you!” Iyana held her brother at arms length. “Why are you just now getting here?”

“Hi, I’m Yako! My partner is Melody, she’s over there pretending to sleep.” She said as she pointed her beak towards her friend. “What’s your names? OOOH! Can we be friends? I wanna be friends.” She said excitedly.

Iyana smiled at the bird demon, then looked over to her handler, Melody. “Miss Yako, I would love to be friends!” Iyana pulled her brother over to a desk next to the desk she decided would be hers, right next to Melody. “Hi Melody. I’m Iyana Liadon and I hope we have an amazing year together!”

“Everyone in your seats, now. Before that clock even thinks about moving to this time you should already be in your seats. We are not a daycare; we won’t wipe your asses for you.” Iyana turned quickly to the front, her face to determined. She didn’t want to be scolded on the first day. It would be unacceptable. The woman in the front of the classroom didn’t look at all old enough to be the Shadow Mage she had heard so much about from her family and grandfather. Lilly and Bryce Zephyr were among some of the most powerful Mages ever. Why they were teaching high school Mages? Who knew.

Iyana tried to keep her excitement contained. What would she learn today, how would her abilities grow? The possibilities were endless! Despite the terrifying Mrs. Zephyr and her soul devouring demon, he looked the title, Iyana was happy to have them here. Giving her their knowledge? Best part of being allowed to attend this mysterious club.

Bryce and Lilly were outside of the classroom just before 2:50 when she turned to Bryce. "I hate kids." Bryce stifled his laugh as they walked into the room as Lilly started yelling at the students. “Everyone in your seats, now. Before that clock even thinks about moving to this time you should already be in your seats. We are not a daycare; we won’t wipe your asses for you. Bryce. Take it away.”

Bryce smiled as Ikari jumped onto his shoulder. "Good afternoon students. First off, Lilly's right. We are not here to take care of you. While we will not flat out set you up for failure you will be challenged." Second. You will pay attention while you are in this classroom. What we teach will keep you alive, and if we judge you not worthy to go on the class "Field Trips" then you will stay here. Third. I understand that not all of you are what you would consider people persons. I encourage you to make friends. They can become the fuel that drives you to become as strong as you can be." Bryce smiled remembering back to him and Zach's fights.

He was distracted by his memories for a few seconds before Ikari pawed at his head snapping him back to reality. "Right, sorry. Ok so this semester I will be your Magic Spells and Creatures teacher while Lilly will be your combat instructor. Today being our first class I figured we could start out with something fun..." Bryce's smile changed to more of a smirk. "I know how all of you must feel. Coming to class and paying attention is a real drag. So! I'mma give you a chance to get out of class. If you so choose you can challenge me to a duel. If you manage to hit me you don't have to show up tomorrow." He smile looking around at the class's reactions. "And if that isn't good enough for you then you can challenge Lilly here to a duel. If you can hit her you can have the whole rest of the week off." He smiled and opened his arms. "Any takers?" He continued smiling as he scanned through the class putting names to faces, but there was one student he couldn't remember seeing in the papers listing off his students. His eyes flashed as he locked his gaze with him. 'Who are you that thinks he can sneak into my class unnoticed?'



Ceil smiled as Iyana jumped all over him happy that she was happy. "I know I've got a lot of explaining to do, but can we do it later?" He smirked slightly as a bright little bird flapped over to him and his sister twittering about being friends. Ceil's smile fell quickly. 'Friends? Why would anyone want to be friends with me?There's no chance anyone would want a failure like me to be a friend. I'm just gonna stick with Iyana. As long as I have her and Briar I wont need anyone else.' Iyana was able to reply, but before Ceil could form a coherent thought long enough to reply the teachers came into the room.

“Everyone in your seats, now. Before that clock even thinks about moving to this time you should already be in your seats. We are not a daycare; we won’t wipe your asses for you. Bryce Take it away.”

'This is one of my teachers? Who comes into class like this cussing out the students?! I have a strange feeling about being here... I really hope they don't notice I don't belong...'

Shortly after the other teacher spoke up introducing himself. "I know how all of you must feel. Coming to class and paying attention is a real drag. So! I'mma give you a chance to get out of class. If you so choose you can challenge me to a duel. If you manage to hit me you don't have to show up tomorrow. And if that isn't good enough for you then you can challenge Lilly here to a duel. If you can hit her you can have the whole rest of the week off. Any takers?"

'Challenging your students to a fight?! What kind of crazies are these people?' As Ceil was having his internal panic attack he felt like someone was watching him. Bryce had locked his gaze directly onto him. 'So much for going unnoticed... Only way I'm going to get out of this is to prove I belong here. Gods I really wanted to avoid having to do something like this.' Ceil stood slowly lifting one of his hands to the white half helm he wears on his head hiding most of his face from the other students. "I-I'd like to challenge Mrs.Zephyr."



Bryce's smile flashed as he kept his gaze locked on the boy. 'So that's your game then? Fight to prove you belong here. I'd likely be angry if he didn't remind me so much of myself, and besides Lilly most likely won't realize he isn't actually one of our students yet so she won't kill him... For now... I'll let him sneak along, but sooner or later he's going to have to do something.'

Nexon Vermillion

“I apologize. Kai doesn’t speak, not even to me.”
“Kai is a fire mage, and I ask,” Lee leapt onto Nexon’s desk. “She’s never been around people. Please forgive her if she comes off as rude. Kai doesn’t mean it.”

"Oh, no. I don't find her rude. I merely wish to better know of a fellow mage who studies in the same class as me. Trying to be friends isn't something you get, but something you strive to be. I only hope that I do not bother her with my presence. I may be one of the 'popular' kids in school, but I still want to have trustworthy friends like everyone else." Nex looked up into the ceiling and thought about how he had been living his life with those fake people who calls themselves his 'friend'. Already more than he can remember, he always sees a group of people together, laughing happily and teasing each other.

He 'escaped' reality by continuously clinging onto Noel, telling himself that all he needed was her. But that is not going to work. He need to have someone he can trust with his secret, someone who could probably mess up his life a little, but still be there no matter the circumstances. Ah, how I wish to be able to enjoy that too.

Before Lee or Nex could move on to another topic, the teachers had already announced their entrance, albeit a little extreme.

“Everyone in your seats, now. Before that clock even thinks about moving to this time you should already be in your seats. We are not a daycare; we won’t wipe your asses for you. Bryce. Take it away.”

The red haired teacher, with her bold way of choosing her words, surprised Nex. Although he couldn't refuse that she was a beauty, her manner of language contradicts this and completely breaks the beauty image. Nex didn't dared to move nor remove his eyes from her, due to her over-empowering aura and her beauty. He is a normal boy, after all.

"Good afternoon students. First off, Lilly's right. We are not here to take care of you. While we will not flat out set you up for failure you will be challenged. Second. You will pay attention while you are in this classroom. What we teach will keep you alive, and if we judge you not worthy to go on the class "Field Trips" then you will stay here. Third. I understand that not all of you are what you would consider people persons. I encourage you to make friends. They can become the fuel that drives you to become as strong as you can be."

The other teacher who was introduced by Lilly, the 'easy-to-angry' woman, as Bryce. He seemed to be much more cool-headed and doesn't go about yelling at others just because so. Nex felt more comfortable with this man. If anything, he wanted to take the class with him rather than Lilly. If, there was a choice.

"...I know how all of you must feel. Coming to class and paying attention is a real drag. So! I'mma give you a chance to get out of class. If you so choose you can challenge me to a duel. If you manage to hit me you don't have to show up tomorrow. And if that isn't good enough for you then you can challenge Lilly here to a duel. If you can hit her you can have the whole rest of the week off. Any takers?"

He took that back. Bryce is crazy as well. He's more of the quiet but sinister teacher type than the head on type. Anyways, this talk about a fight against the teachers definitely worked on some of the students here, mainly because there was already one who volunteered and one other not-so-healthy individual. Nex wondered why would he raise his hands if he was sick, why would he even go to school in the first place if he is? Well, everyone has their reasons. Nex chose to leave it alone.

That's what he thought at first, but he had doubts. What if that student was really sick? What if he couldn't hear what Bryce had said and raised his hand and needed to go to the washroom? The ideas all floated around his head, but he ultimately decided to ignore it. If something does happens, Nex will help him the first thing he sees it.

He turned to Lee and Kai, his face remained the same. "Well, doesn't look like we can go without trying either. Are you interested in taking a bet with me to land a hit on them, Kai, Lee?"

Iyana Liadon

---

"Good afternoon students. First off, Lilly's right. We are not here to take care of you. While we will not flat out set you up for failure you will be challenged. Second. You will pay attention while you are in this classroom. What we teach will keep you alive, and if we judge you not worthy to go on the class "Field Trips" then you will stay here. Third. I understand that not all of you are what you would consider people persons. I encourage you to make friends. They can become the fuel that drives you to become as strong as you can be."

Iyana bit her lip out of excitement, a habit of hers. The energy the two of them gave of was scary, but awe inspiring. Any mage that cared could see that they were highly respected.

"...I know how all of you must feel. Coming to class and paying attention is a real drag. So! I'mma give you a chance to get out of class. If you so choose you can challenge me to a duel. If you manage to hit me you don't have to show up tomorrow. And if that isn't good enough for you then you can challenge Lilly here to a duel. If you can hit her you can have the whole rest of the week off. Any takers?"

Even Iyana thought that if someone took that offer, they were nuts.

"I-I'd like to challenge Mrs. Zephyr." Ciel said as he slowly stood. Izac and Iyana’s jaws dropped, Ciel, who had always been the misfit in the powerful Water Mage family known as the Liadon’s, was about to challenge one of the strongest Shadow Mages of her generation. What exactly happened when she left?

She hadn’t noticed the two people behind her that had raised their hands. All she heard was people continuing to volunteer.

“If I may, I wish to duel you, Mr. Zephyr.” A boy with white hair said.

"I'll make an attempt to fight you Mr. Zephyr, but I won’t promise I'll be able to." a taller girl said with a pause, "I'd also not like to spar in an enclosed space, if that's a problem, then I retract my acceptance."

“All these people are crazy,” Izac whispered to Iyana, curling up in her lap.

“Or they really want the day off…” Iyana was internally debating on whether or not she should attempt at a match with one of the two. But her inner voice scolded her, saying she wasn’t ready for such a thing. “Yeah, I’m not going to try.” Iyana giggled with her demon as she poked his belly.

Kai Atropos

---

"Oh, no. I don't find her rude. I merely wish to better know of a fellow mage who studies in the same class as me. Trying to be friends isn't something you get, but something you strive to be. I only hope that I do not bother her with my presence. I may be one of the 'popular' kids in school, but I still want to have trustworthy friends like everyone else."

Kai was ever so obviously unaffected by the language use of her teacher. “Everyone in your seats, now. Before that clock even thinks about moving to this time you should already be in your seats. We are not a daycare; we won’t wipe your asses for you.” What really caught Kai’s attention was the woman’s demon, he was strange in a way. He reminded Kai of someone she had seen in a dream several times. The demon stood formally in the corner of the room, looking over the students, no doubt gauging their power.

"Good afternoon students. First off, Lilly's right. We are not here to take care of you. While we will not flat out set you up for failure you will be challenged." Second. You will pay attention while you are in this classroom. What we teach will keep you alive, and if we judge you not worthy to go on the class "Field Trips" then you will stay here. Third. I understand that not all of you are what you would consider people persons. I encourage you to make friends. They can become the fuel that drives you to become as strong as you can be." Kai shifted her attention to the male teacher whom had more to say than his angry partner.

He got distracted momentarily. "Right, sorry. Ok so this semester I will be your Magic Spells and Creatures teacher while Lilly will be your combat instructor. Today being our first class I figured we could start out with something fun..." the man’s smile changed to more of a smirk. "I know how all of you must feel. Coming to class and paying attention is a real drag. So! I'mma give you a chance to get out of class. If you so choose you can challenge me to a duel. If you manage to hit me you don't have to show up tomorrow. And if that isn't good enough for you then you can challenge Lilly here to a duel. If you can hit her you can have the whole rest of the week off. Any takers?"

Kai was intrigued by the offer, knowing she had an excellent combat background. She had killed plenty in her past. The one difference was that these people had was they could use magic, twenty times more powerful than any human she had slain.

"Well, doesn't look like we can go without trying either. Are you interested in taking a bet with me to land a hit on them, Kai, Lee?" Kai looked back at Nexon and nodded. She knew exactly who she wanted to challenge.

Kai raised her hand, staring directly at Mrs. Zephyr. “What are you doing,” Lee whispered quickly. Kai simply looked at her demon then back to Mrs. Zephyr. Lee didn’t know what had gotten into her, but Kai was looking confident. Confident she could learn something from the battle hopefully.

This is Scarlett talking.
This is Avery (her demon) talking.
This is Scarlett thinking.
Everyone else talking.

Scarlett Oliva Sinclair

“Today kids, there will be slightly chance of rain but no worries! We’ll have plenty of sunlight the next following days!!” Her alarm clock droned on and on about the weather.

“You know its actually gonna be sunny the whole day including today.” Avery corrected, "Stupid radio people. They don’t know anything.”

“Shut up…” Scarlett mumbled into my pillow, “Sleep. More time. Shut. Up.” There was a period of silence before laughter erupted. “What?!”

“You do know you’re over thirty minutes late for class.” Avery replied smirking.

“YOU IDIOT!!!” She screeched while flying off the bed in a hurry making everything on the bed slip off. “Move you idiot. Why didn’t you wake me up earlier.”

“Remember the first time I tried waking you up?” He replied crossing his arms and sat down on the only chair in her room.

In her closet, she browsed her eyes around her closet for a while before settling on her lazy clothes. Scarlett switched out of my pajamas’ into a madras, white band tee underneath, and ripped jeans with combat boots in the closest. By the time she came out Avery shook his head showing his disapproval in her choice of clothing for the day.

“Oh yea. Whatever. Works for me bro.” She smirked then grabbed her backpack and headphones. “Leggoooooo.”

“Legos? I wanna play with legos! Legos! Legos!” Avery cheered as he jumped in the air making her even late then she already was. Annoyed, she raised a hand then slapped him hard on the shoulder making him stop. “Ouch Scarlett! Was that necessary?” Raising an eyebrow, she dragged him out the door making him mutter a string of cuss words.

“Come on slug.” She muttered, glancing down at her palm for the classroom number. It was the first day of Magical Arts Club and she was already late. Waking up late was a daily thing for her on the break but absolutely not on school days.

Whilst searching the hallways for the classroom, Avery took a step back observing her curiously. “You’re nervous aren’t you?” He grinned teasingly, “There’s nothing to be afraid of darlin’.”

She patted her thigh discreetly wiping off sweat from her hands. “What? Nervous? Calm kid is my middle name.” He moved his arm around her shoulders in a comforting way and shook slightly.

“You’re gonna be alright kid.” He muttered just as they approached the classroom.

Scarlett quickly shrugged off his arm and replied, “Please behave Ave. Just for today.” He raised his hands up in alarm and nodded his head slightly. She placed a hand on the doorknob and twisted it slowly opening the door. Choosing a seat quickly with Avery following behind, Scarlett thought to herself. One thing I hate is being in the front row and being one of those eager beavers. I may make good grades but I am not that thirsty.

The tall guy in the front, who seemed to be the teacher, was talking when I sat down, "...I know how all of you must feel. Coming to class and paying attention is a real drag. So! I'mma give you a chance to get out of class. If you so choose you can challenge me to a duel. If you manage to hit me you don't have to show up tomorrow. And if that isn't good enough for you then you can challenge Lilly here to a duel. If you can hit her you can have the whole rest of the week off. Any takers?" Scarlett tried her hardest not to scoff at his little challenge. There was no way anyone in the classroom could take on the teachers. They were probably extremely trained and had a ton of experience.

Looking up at the teachers she took a moment to observe them. The girl teacher seemed tough, strong, and easily able to take down any student in the class. The guy teacher seemed the same way, but there was something about him that Scarlett felt that it would be easier to fight against. Avery glanced over from her right and smirked noticing she was deciding whom to fight. He bent down to whisper in her ear, “Pick the guy. You’re gonna go down either way.” She swatted her hand shooing Avery away from her ear. Scarlett had already begun to make her mind on not fighting anyone instead.

Several students had already begun to volunteer. She shook her after every challenger spoke up. She glanced down at her hands wryly and thought to herself, “Oh man, I better not have to fight because I came really late.”

Bryce looked over the class as they debated weather or not to accept his challenge. The first to accept was the boy who wasn't supposed to be there who'd challenged Lilly. 'I hope the kids good Lilly very well may end up hurting one of the students during this little game.' The next one to volunteer was Robin, the ice mage. 'This will be fun. My first fight as a training mage was against an ice mage. I wonder what kind of a fight he'll be able to be put up.' Robin's challenge was quickly followed by Minerva the earth mage who's only request was to fight in an open space. 'I knew we'd have at least one volunteer but I never expected so many of my students to have this kind of fire.'

The next challenge came as quite a surprise. Martin, the very sickly looking boy raised his hand seemingly looking at Lilly. Bryce only nodded to the boy as he continued scanning over the class not wanting to miss any of the volunteers. Bryce's devilish smile widened as the next hand shot up. 'Leo, it's been a while since I tried to teach you how to fight the first time. I can't wait to see how you've grown.' Not close to finished the class continued to offer up volunteers. Kai volunteered shortly after Leo challenging Lilly.

Bryce smiled looking over the class. "Alright now unless there are any other volunteers I believe we have a proper set up. Miss.Scarlett I'm going to have to request that you participate in sparing with one of us. This will be the only warning. Showing up late or inexcusably missing this class will drastically harm your chances of attending our Field Trips." Bryce smiled running through the challenge list in his mind again trying to decide where they'd be going. "Now I believe there are three challengers for each Lilly and I. Robin, Minerva, and Leo. You will be with me on the roof of the west wing of the school for our match. Kai, Martin, and Mr. Liadon. You will be with Lilly in the forest for your matches." Bryce had to smirk at the black haired boy's response to his figuring out his last name. 'I saw what happened when the two of you met. I can put that much together. "Scarlett you are free to chose either of us to be your opponent." Bryce looked back over the class. "Alright, those of you who chose not to challenge us you will need to choose one of us to watch. While you may not fight directly I expect you to pay attention to the battles. Learn while you watch. Demon will not be allowed to participate in the sparing matches. I don't want any of them getting hurt. OZ and Ikari will act as the judges during the matches. If anyone is wounded they will ensure that they are quickly delivered to the medical wing. So! If there are no questions I believe we should get the show on the road! Those wishing to watch me as well as Robin, Minerva, and Leo let's make our way to the top of the roof. Everyone else follow Lilly into the forest." With that Bryce walked out the door to the classroom his students following him closely.

Upon reaching the roof of the school Bryce turned and smiled. "Welcome everyone. This part of the roof is specially protected for sparing matches. We are completely hidden from view here. We will begin in order of challenge received. Unless someone really wants to go first and the others find it agreeable." Ikari stood next to Bryce and grew to her full size standing level with Bryce's waist.



Ceil's original calm began to fade as more and more students volunteered to challenge the teachers. 'Well this is what I have to do to prove I belong here.' After a few minutes of explanation he found that he would be fighting Lilly in the forest. 'Perfect. I'll be able to use the abundance of plants for an advantage.' He remained quiet but turned offering Iyana a small smile before following Lilly out to the edge of the forest.

♠Lilly Zephyr♠

---

Lilly smirked wildly as the students volunteered one by one. They were a lot braver than most the kids from the other years. Bryce smiled too, looking over the class. "Alright now unless there are any other volunteers I believe we have a proper set up. Miss Scarlett I'm going to have to request that you participate in sparing with one of us. This will be the only warning. Showing up late or inexcusably missing this class will drastically harm your chances of attending our Field Trips." Bryce smiled with a pause. "Now I believe there are three challengers for each Lilly and I. Robin, Minerva, and Leo. You will be with me on the roof of the west wing of the school for our match. Kai, Martin, and Mr. Liadon. You will be with Lilly in the forest for your matches. Scarlett you are free to chose either of us to be your opponent. Alright, those of you who chose not to challenge us you will need to choose one of us to watch. While you may not fight directly I expect you to pay attention to the battles. Learn while you watch. Demon will not be allowed to participate in the sparing matches. I don't want any of them getting hurt. OZ and Ikari will act as the judges during the matches. If anyone is wounded they will ensure that they are quickly delivered to the medical wing. So! If there are no questions I believe we should get the show on the road! Those wishing to watch me as well as Robin, Minerva, and Leo let's make our way to the top of the roof. Everyone else follow Lilly into the forest." With that Bryce walked out the door to the classroom his students following him closely.

Meanwhile, Lilly nodded towards the door, OZ following along with her challengers and whatever students wished to watch. Lilly was well ahead of the students, so whenever she turned a corner, she would disappear completely. She wasn't really planning on leading the students anyways, Lilly planned on them following OZ.

---

MINUTES LATER

---

Lilly had already made it to forest before any of the other kids, OZ had remained with them until they arrived to the clearing Lilly had spared in many times. Once the students came into her sight, Lilly went to explain rules about the forest.

"First off, the forest must remain in tact. If you are to destroy any of it, you will be severely punished. Second, in order to win, you have to hit me with your own fist. Thirdly, don't make this fight personal. Whatever your goal is, I do not give a damn. I am here to train you and that is it. If you want to go cry because you got your ass handed to you on a silver platter, feel free. But I will not tolerate any sort of emotional fluctuation in your fronts. Once we start Combat training, I expect you all to act as I say and do as I say. Anyone who doesn't follow my orders and guidelines will be punished." Lilly moved to the center of the clearing before facing the students once more.

"You," Lilly said, pointing to the boy who first volunteered. "You're first up."

---

Iyana Liadon

---

Iyana naturally wanted to watch her brother battle, so she followed behind the looming giant called OZ. He was an interesting character. OZ seemed to be amazingly obedient, but he may have also been one of the most terrifying demons she had ever seen. Aura-wise, that was. Iyana held Izac tight in her arms as she continued on towards the forest. She couldn't help but be curious as to how Lilly fought, if her brother would be okay.

"Excuse me," Iyana sped up till she was next to OZ. "Um, will my brother be okay? I'm worried about him ... I didn't even learn he was a Mage today. Sure I just got here, but we weren't really around each other at all. I'm the heir to the Liadon family, and my brother was pushed to the side most of the time. I feel bad." Iyana looked up at the demon.

"Miss Liadon, I guarantee your brothers safety. My Master might sound scary, but she knows when to stop. And if something were to happen, I would be able to stop her before it got serious. Your brother is in safe hands." OZ smiled down at the girl, his scary appearance dulling slightly.

"Thank you so much," Iyana said, smiling back.

(Italics for thoughts, Bold for other people speaking.)

When Bryce nodded to him he thought that it was an invitation to speak. When he was about to speak up however the teacher immediately spoke over him. "Alright now unless there are any other volunteers I believe we have a proper set up. Miss. Scarlett I'm going to have to request that you participate in sparing with one of us. This will be the only warning. Showing up late or inexcusably missing this class will drastically harm your chances of attending our Field Trips." The teacher informed the late comer who took a seat not too far from the back of the class, somewhat close to his desk. Practically no one was sitting in a desk adjacent to his own, not a big surprise to Martin. He was about to get a word in before the teacher continued but too late unfortunately for Martin.

"Now I believe there are three challengers for each Lilly and I. Robin, Minerva, and Leo. You will be with me on the roof of the west wing of the school for our match. Kai, Martin, and Mr. Liadon. You will be with Lilly in the forest for your matches." Martin waited silently for the teacher to finish. He was planning on speaking up now that he had the chance but that plan got sidetracked when he realized what he had just gotten himself into. Oh dear. He thought.
What have I just gotten myself into?


Martin wanted to explain to the teachers that he wasn't really volunteering to fight but he really didn't want to interrupt them and he felt rather nervous that if he did then he would create a scene. The idea of everyone's eyes locked on him while he had to explain how he needed to use the restroom and wasn't actually trying to participate made his stomach churn with butterflies, the last thing he needed right now with the growing pain in his midsection being in the state it was. All he could do was quietly um and ah in between the pauses between the teacher's sentences, not really loud enough to be noticeable sadly.

As soon as the teachers and his classmates all started to file out from the room he knew he was pass the point at this point. Committed to the duel now he was obliged to follow despite how reluctant he felt towards what was going to be a likely painful experience for him. He mustered all of his strength and attempted to push himself up onto his crutch. This attempt failed as his breath failed him and he sat back into his chair. A short coughing fit followed, Martin bracing himself on the desk with one hand while he coughed into the other. When he was done coughing and hacking he took two deep breaths and pushed himself up, managing to steady himself onto the crutch. By this point the others were out the classroom door by this point. He hoped the other two magi and his teacher would wait up for him. Although in some part of him he wished they would forget about him and go ahead without him he also did not want them to because he had agreed to this, willingly or not, and it would be poor of him to not follow through.


With a step of his leg and another step of his crutch he made his way out the hall through one of the back doors leading into the woods. Luckily for him his teacher and classmates were still in sight. The fresh breeze blowing through the trees was quite relaxing as he hobbled slowly along a good distance behind the rest of them. When the group following Mrs. Zephyr finally stopped at their destination it was only then that he was able to catch up. Trying to avoid catching his crutch on tree roots or putting it in a hole by accident he could only move significantly slower out in the wilderness than he could back in paved areas. At long last he made it to the destination, though he might not last long now that the real challenge was to begin.

Martin stood and waited for Lilly to speak, keeping as quiet as a young man with a severe cough could keep so she could be heard. "First off, the forest must remain in tact. If you are to destroy any of it, you will be severely punished. Second, in order to win, you have to hit me with your own fist. Thirdly, don't make this fight personal. Whatever your goal is, I do not give a damn. I am here to train you and that is it. If you want to go cry because you got your ass handed to you on a silver platter, feel free. But I will not tolerate any sort of emotional fluctuation in your fronts. Once we start Combat training, I expect you all to act as I say and do as I say. Anyone who doesn't follow my orders and guidelines will be punished." His teacher laid the guidelines down before selecting the strange looking student to fight her first. If he was feeling a little better than he was he might of smirked. Hit her with my own fist? This is going to end badly. Then again, this is all training. Perhaps I'll learn some valuable information? He mulled over the thought in his mind while he watched the duel between the unusual guy versus Mrs. Zephyr commence.

Speaking of unusual, another detail was brought forth into Martin's mind now that he thought about it. He was used to being basically the shortest one in any class. He was rather short for his age and though it made certain aspects of life difficult he had gotten used to looking up at everyone. This guy was one of the rare few people to actually be just as tall as him, an unusual detail indeed.

Nexon Vermillion

He was going to raise his hands, but once Bryce said that his demon, Noel couldn't participate, he hesitated. If Noel couldn't fight, why should I join? I can't do it. Bryce and Lilly is too strong for me alone. There's no way I can land a hit now, even with Kai helping. I don't want to do this. He thought and followed the group, cowering behind. He couldn't afford to walk in the same pace as everyone else. They were all brave and strong, some didn't participate because they wanted to observe the teachers and they're soon-to-be comrades and friends. Nex was being the pathetic self again, relying on Noel even when he decided he won't.

"I'm sorry..." Nex mumbled softly before separating with Kai and heading off to the 'spectators' side of the forest. Instead of walking with confidence like before, he now walks with his head held low. Noel, walking behind him, could sense his despair and attempted to comfort him. "It's okay. You know you're weak. That's what important." Hearing what she said, Nex felt a bit more relieved. That's right. I'm not running away. I know my limits and I don't dare to challenge. He stopped at the spectators area and stood a bit further to the back of the group. "Thanks again, Noel. I'm okay now.

He spotted a rather small girl waiting here as well. Her long blonde hair was quite attracting to his eyes, as most of his sight are focused on that part of the girl rather than her size. Nex decided to stand next to her and strike up a conversation. Just like with Kai, he wanted to chat with just about anyone so that he can make friends and stop relying only on Noel.

Only walking up to the girl he realized that she had a pair of small cyan blue eyes, with a smile always hanging on her face. At that time, he felt was if he saw a bright shine from the girl, although he know it was just his imagination. That was how much the girl's positive aura had appeared to him even though he hadn't talked to her yet. He was hesitant, but he did what he wanted to do anyways. "How do you feel about Lilly? I think she's a bit too hot-headed to be a teacher. Then again, there are a lot more surprising ones out there." Immediately, he found his topic for a conversation to be weird. What was that!? "I think she's a bit hot headed," my ass! I could had thought of something better! I hope she doesn't think I'm weird or anything. He thought, his pessimistic thoughts kicking in like always.

Though he had successfully stifled his wee little demon, Leo had not escaped the wolfish grin and searching eyes of his Uncle Bryce. Leo sighed. This class was slowly turning into a nightmare. Not only would he have to fight his uncle Bryce, he'd have to do it in front of all his classmates. "Ahh man, what a drag..." Leo whined, to no one in particular. His thoughts turned, rather darkly, to the embarrassing scene that was sure to follow his defeat at the hands of his uncle. All the while, Leo gripped his little demon tighter and tighter, his hands still covering the poor little thing's nose and mouth. Slowly turning from red to purple to outright blue, Hans could take it no longer. If this kept up, he would die. So, he did what he had to do. He bit Leo's fingers. "Yowch!" Leo shouted, standing straight up, and releasing his little demon, quite violently, into the air, and sending him up through the ceiling tiles and into an air duct. Sweet oxygen finally restored to him, Hans rolled up into a ball and rolled out of the hole he'd made upon entering the ceiling. Luckily, his landing was softened by Leo's skull, causing the poor boy to promptly sit back down. Leo rubbed his head gingerly. "Jeez Hans, what the hell was that for?" Leo griped. "You were suffocating me! I had to get out somehow. It's not my fault you're a brainless twit!" Hans countered. Stymied, Leo pouted, crossed his arms, and said nothing. This whole spectacle had, of course, taken place during the silence that preceded his uncle's announcement. Blushing bright red, Leo tried not to think about what an idiot he'd just made out of himself. It didn't work. Then his uncle spoke up.

Bryce smiled looking over the class. "Alright now unless there are any other volunteers I believe we have a proper set up. Miss Scarlett I'm going to have to request that you participate in sparing with one of us. This will be the only warning. Showing up late or inexcusably missing this class will drastically harm your chances of attending our Field Trips." Bryce smiled as he doled out the punishment. Leo only groaned. His uncle was such a jerk sometimes. Hans rolled back into a ball and rolled himself into Leo's lap. Leo, who had already forgiven the little demon, absentmindedly scratched and petted Hans, who reveled in the attention. Bryce continued. "Now I believe there are three challengers for each Lilly and I. Robin, Minerva, and Leo. You will be with me on the roof of the west wing of the school for our match. Kai, Martin, and Mr. Liadon. You will be with Lilly in the forest for your matches." Hans's ears pricked up, and he jumped back onto Leo's desk, which forced the red haired boy to stifle a chuckle. Watching Hans jump was one of Leo's favorite pastimes. Hans ignored Leo. Brace had said match. Singular. Was he intending on fighting them all at once? If so, now was a fantastic time for Leo to showcase his power. While the others were distracting Bryce, Leo might be able to get in a gravity pulse or two. If all else failed, also could take it up close and personal with Trick Room and Destiny Bond. Leo had only recently developed the skill and power necessary to fuel both techniques at once. Bryce still didn't know about it. Hans smiled to himself. Leo might actually be able to do it. Hans rolled back down into Leo's lap, allowing Leo to let him some more. "Scarlett you are free to chose either of us to be your opponent." Bryce looked back over the class. "Alright, those of you who chose not to challenge us you will need to choose one of us to watch. While you may not fight directly I expect you to pay attention to the battles. Learn while you watch. Demon will not be allowed to participate in the sparing matches. I don't want any of them getting hurt. OZ and Ikari will act as the judges during the matches. If anyone is wounded they will ensure that they are quickly delivered to the medical wing. So! If there are no questions I believe we should get the show on the road! Those wishing to watch me as well as Robin, Minerva, and Leo let's make our way to the top of the roof. Everyone else follow Lilly into the forest." With that Bryce walked out the door to the classroom his students following him closely. Leo slowly stood, and followed his classmates out as well. As they walked, Hans whispered his idea into Leo's ear from his perch Leo's shoulder. Leo agreed to test it out, but he still had his own doubts. Bryce was much more powerful than them. He was probably more than capable of handling a few T class students at once.

Upon reaching the roof of the school Bryce turned and smiled, facing the students. "Welcome everyone. This part of the roof is specially protected for sparing matches. We are completely hidden from view here. We will begin in order of challenge received. Unless someone really wants to go first and the others find it agreeable." Ikari stood next to Bryce and grew to her full size standing level with Bryce's waist. At that, Robin, Leo's classmate, and an Ice Mage, stepped forward. Leo had no qualms about him going first. Ice was a decent match up against Wind. Robin should be able to provide some sort of distraction. As they combatants took their beginning positions, Leo slowly walked over to where Ikari was, and took a seat. "Hello Ikari." Leo said politely, offering his hand to sniff, as was polite, before scratching her once or twice behind the ears. It was their customary greeting ever since Leo had been a little boy. After the second scratch, Leo took his hand away and clasped his hands in his lap. Leo knew that Ikari didn't like to be pet very much, and he wasn't in the mood to make her grumpy with him. "This is such a drag. I just wanted to use the bathroom..." Leo whined. Ikari ignored him, but Leo swore he heard the slightest of chuckles. "That's not funny Ikari!" Leo said, pouting, and crossing his arms. Hans only shook his head. "Heads up Leo. We'll be going soon." Hans said, clambering down from his spot on Leo's shoulder. Leo only nodded, swallowing hard and steeling himself for what he was about to do. In preparation, Leo began to channel his power. He allowed his strong magics to well up inside him, ready for use. Hans smiled with grim determination. Leo was getting stronger every day, even just a week ago his aura wasn't this powerful, every bit of the S class rank he'd only recently earned. Bryce would know Leo was coming, but he wouldn't know when. Not until it was too late and he was caught in Leo's Trick Room and Destiny Bond.

Kai Atropos

---

Kai followed closely behind as what students wished to watch Mrs. Zephyr spar moved to the forest. The clearing they came to was of fairly decent size, giving plenty of room.

"First off, the forest must remain in tact. If you are to destroy any of it, you will be severely punished. Second, in order to win, you have to hit me with your own fist. Thirdly, don't make this fight personal. Whatever your goal is, I do not give a damn. I am here to train you and that is it. If you want to go cry because you got your ass handed to you on a silver platter, feel free. But I will not tolerate any sort of emotional fluctuation in your fronts. Once we start Combat training, I expect you all to act as I say and do as I say. Anyone who doesn't follow my orders and guidelines will be punished."

If I destroy any of it, Kai thought to herself. That means I can't use my powers at all. I don't want to get in any unnecessary trouble. If it had been anyone else, they might have been significantly worried about not being able to use their powers, but Kai had been trained mostly to rely on her physical abilities and only use her magical abilities if she needed to. Mrs. Zephyr obviously skilled if she was the one teaching Combat training, Kai would have to talk to her about certain things. Seeing as Kai had eight or nine years of special forces combat training, she might not even need to take the class. Of course, fighting monsters and fighting humans is totally different. Humans didn't stand a chance against her. But a monster that could have the same abilities if not more. Maybe taking the classes was a good idea.

"I'm sorry..."Kai heard Nexon say before he wandered over to the area the spectators seemed to accumulate.

"Are you sure about this Kai?" Lee asked nervously as the teacher called forward her first challenger. "She seems like she won't go easy on you." Lee knew Kai was capable, but they knew nothing about this opponent. None of her weaknesses were clear, except maybe her husband, but there was no way they could use that against her.

"Wait," Lee said. "Maybe there is something." Lee crawled onto Kai's shoulder and began to whisper to her. "She is a control freak, Kai. If you can take control in someway, you might be able to land a hit. And since we aren't going first, you can watch and see what her bad habits are. Everyone has them. We might have a chance!" Kai nodded, her focus on the two that were battling. It wouldn't be enough to simply watch Mrs. Zephyr battle. She would have to watch for certain things the opponent did to trigger reactions from Mrs. Zephyr. It was what Kai was used to by now. When she worked for the government, she would watch her targets for at least a week before she made her move. Very rarely would she have to make quick observations, but it was practice, so she couldn't complain. She had only been in class for a few minutes and she was already improving.

Kai Atropos

---

Before Kai could completely engage, another boy had walked up to her. "Gabriel Levia- ... Gabriel Moriarty," he introduced himself. "Kai, I'm going to assume that you're smart enough to figure out Lilly's combat patterns. That's besides the point." Gabriel's voice and face were expressionless.

"Would you mind speaking to me after class is done? I can watch her fight as much as I want, but I'll never be able to get the information I need without actually fighting her." He paused. "Good afternoon by the way."

An exchange of information, she thought as she perked up internally ever so slightly. Kai nodded at Gabriel. Lee would be able to interoperate for her, seeing as he would be watching as will as along with Kai.

"Why do you want to know," Lee jibbed from atop Kai's head. Kai removed him and placed Lee in her arms, patting his head. "We don't know his motives! He could hurt her," Lee continued with a glare that was impossibly cute. Kai just continued to pat her little demon. It was the only things she could do to reassure Lee that it was okay. Mrs. Zephyr was perfectly capable when it came to handling herself as far as Kai was concerned. That was when it hit Kai. There was one move she could use that wouldn't destroy anything but some of her own energy. Dragon Wing. If she formed her wings, she could get the advantage of the sky, something Mrs. Zephyr didn't have. In her plotting, she forgot about the boy at her side and looked back to him. She was somewhat curious as to why he wished to know why he wished for the information only Kai seemingly could obtain by simply watching. She wasn't going to ask, obviously, so he just assumed it was for learning purposes, just as she was.

Iyana Liadon

---

"How do you feel about Lilly? I think she's a bit too hot-headed to be a teacher. Then again, there are a lot more surprising ones out there." Iyana hadn’t noticed the boy next to her until he had spoken up, making her jump up slightly. She looked at him and smiled, slightly embarrassed she had let someone sneak up on her.

“I think she seems like a nice person … somewhere deep, deep down. I’m just worried about my brother.” Iyana set Izac onto the grass, giggling at his rolling around. She was unbelievably worried about Ceil, but Izac was just too adorable not to laugh at. “Like I was telling Mr. OZ here,” Iyana continued, touching the demon’s arm lightly, “As far as I know, Ceil just got his powers. He had always been an outcast because he couldn’t learn Water Magic like me. I don’t know what exactly he was thinking when he volunteered…” Iyana sighed.

“Oh! I’m Iyana Liadon, heir to the Liadon Family Head, by the way, it’s very nice to meet you.” Iyana smiled sweetly to the boy, offering a hand to shake. She had always hated introducing herself as such, but it was how the young Mage was taught. Her mother had told her it was only proper, but to her it felt like she was trying to assert that she was ‘better’ than most others. “I hope we have a great year together and get to know each other.”

♠Lilly Zephyr♠

---

"Alright, I'm Ceil Liadon, Plant mage." He smiled hearing the murmurs from the surrounding students as he lifted his left hand pointing at Lilly. "Seed Bullet." Hundred of small super fast seeds shot out of his sleeve towards his teacher most of them fell scattering across the ground and quickly dug their way down into the soil.

Lilly jumped lightly out of the way, smirking at the young man. Oh, a Plant Mage. I'm terrified. It may have seemed harsh, but she had always seen any other Mage Types as weak. Or at least she thought of Shadow Mages as more superior. Bryce and Zach were the only exceptions to her philosophy. Lilly had discovered last year that if she stayed silent during a battle, it usually gave her more of an edge, and with a simple smile on her face, it was hard to know her next move. But something deep inside her always told her never to underestimate anyone. To keep on her toes. Even the simplest things would trip her up long ago. When he old teacher was still alive, Robert, that was one of the many things he had taught her. And then there was Jessie, the man she had spent endless months with to learn and become even stronger. Lilly hadn't heard from him in the longest time, just as she hadn't seen anything of Liam, her father.

The bigger the head, the harder the fall, she had heard many times. Some of the students from the previous year that were watching obviously didn't seem interested in anything that was going on. They were going to die young in Lilly's eyes. Only those who watched every chance they had would live long enough to put their powers to use. Boy it had been a long day. Lilly just couldn't wait to go back to the darkness.

---

ON THE ROOF

---

Lilly kicked her feet back and forth as she watched her husband spar with the young Ice Mage. Many of the students were looking at her oddly and one finally had the guts to ask. "Mrs. Zephyr ... aren't you supposed to be in the forest?"

"Yes I am, but if you kids cannot learn the difference between a Shadow Clone and the real thing, your dead meat. Besides. It's a tracking lesson. I lost all the kids that were going to the forest in the hallway so I could switch out with the Clone. In all aspects, the Clone and I are exactly the same. There is no way of telling I'm over here and the Lilly in the forest is a fake. Until she gets hit that is. Then she'll dissipate and I'll be there in a second flat." Lilly fluttered her pitch black wings behind her and smiled devilishly at the young student. "I think the only one who would know about my Shadow Clones is little Leo."

Lilly stared intently at the young Ice Mage, letting her mind wander. He reminded her a lot of Robert. And, in a strange way, it made her miss him. Despite all the awful words they had exchanged, they had an amazing bond. Lilly, yes the all powerful Shadow Lord, still had nightmares about what the three young Mages had to do in order to save the world.

Something about the young man reminded her of Robert, and it wasn't the Mage Type. What was it?

Kai Atropos

---

"Would it sate your curiosity if I said that I was simply a student eager to learn?" The boy had a sheepish grin on his face when Lee asked him a question. "Just kidding," Levi's grin faded, "The reason I want this knowledge is simple," Levi paused, "Ipsa scientia potestas est." Kai nodded.

Knowledge is power, she thought.

"To be more precise, I need a backup plan in case something goes wrong and our lovely-little teacher here loses control in the future. I also plan on speaking to those who have fought Bryce, but that's for a later time." Levi laughed when he heard the demon talking about his motives, "I'll let you choose the location, that way you don't have to worry about oh-so-terrifying me." Levi said with a hint of sarcasm.

Kai's attention whipped to the field as the battle begun. Mrs. Zephyr had jumped to her right. Maybe she favored her right? She wouldn't be able to tell from just that. "This is an epic battle that everyone is scared of? You better give all so I have something to watch," Lee grumbled at Kai. The pink haired girl looked down at her demon for a split second, but anyone could tell there was unspoken discipline in her stare. "We passed an old fountain on the way here. I think that will be good," Lee decided. "How about it, Kid?" Lee wasn't to worried about Kai, she could handle herself, but there was that five percent of his body that wanted Kai to keep to herself to remain stable. That was when he remembered something.

"What mage type are you anyways..."

Iyana Liadon

---

"Y-yeah. Nice to meet you too," He quickly shook his head and closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. "My name is Nexon Vermillion. This is my demon, Noel." He introduced himself, taking half a step back to reveal Noel hiding beside him.

Nex realized this. He place his hand on her head and gave a faint smile. "You don't have to be so tensed. Just say hello," Her head went down a little. The ears she tried to hide showed itself and lowered a bit, and her tail did the same, just like a dog. She took her time, but brought her head again. She faced the other way and spoke shyly. "H-Hello."

"S-She's a little bit awkward around Mages, so please don't mind her."

"I know I might look scary, Noel. But I would never hurt anyone." Iyana giggled. There was no way she could intimidate anyone. "Here," she picked up Izac and held him high. "This is Izac! He's got ears and a tail too! It's kind of funny, I'm a Water Mage and he's a Fire Demon." Iyana scratched the top of Izac's head then poked his nose. "He actually bites. But he's tiny, it doesn't hurt bad."

Iyana cocked her head to the side ever so slightly, curious as to why the demon might not be comfortable around other Mages. All the demons in her family were very sociable, maybe a little competitive, but very sociable. "If you ever need a girl to talk to, I'm all ears," Iyana said to Noel with a smile.

♠Lilly Zephyr♠

---

Lilly had noticed that Leo's power had been increasing, so she eyed him, curious as to what little Leo was doing. Then the worst possible things happened. Leo actually landed a punch on Bryce! But Bryce was quick to respond with a counter, sending their nephew far off into the forest, near where her battle's were taking place.

"Bryce you idiot," she said more to herself than anything as she flew off, following the scent of Leo. It didn't take long for her to find him, along with a blonde haired male sitting on Bryce's boulder. Leo looked fine, thank the Gods, but how? With the force of that hit, it was almost like Bryce was hitting ... Zac. Lilly dropped in front of Leo who was storming away from the man on the rock. "Are you alright Leo?" Her wings dissipated and for once, Lilly looked concerned. Bryce could have killed Leo, their family.

Wait till Annie hears about this... Lilly shuddered at the thought of angry Annie.

"I'll kick your uncles ass for this later, alright? Do you want to stay with my group for now or do you want to go to the infirmary?" Lilly sighed, letting her head hang as she kneeled down. "That was to close ... Bryce is going to die."

No matter how much Lilly wanted to confront the man on the rock, she couldn't. From far away, she wasn't sure if it was Zac. They had nearly identical scents, their aura was the same but stronger ... but it had been so long. Last time she remembered seeing Zac was 13 years ago. She didn't even remember if she had run into him since then.

All she knew was that her nephew was upset, so he was priority.

---

THE BATTLE IN THE CLEARING

---

Lilly, or the one that was battling anyways, smirked at the boy. What he was planning? She had no idea and didn't care enough to try and figure it out. The seeds weren't much of a distraction, but the vine swinging right at her was. It was aiming for her midsection, a harder place to dodge. If it made contact, it would go right through her, so she should make it look like it went through on purpose.

With that thought, she covered her body in the paralyzing Shadow Fire that could kill anything it touched if not controlled right. The vine passed right through her, no problem. Then she felt the real Lilly's presence enter the forest, a ping of worry hit her. Not that it was her fault if it was discovered she was a Shadow Clone, but it would ruin the surprise. The Clone looked over at the demon OZ, who shrugged his shoulder lightly and signaled for her to continue on.

The Clone 'popped a squat' on the ground creating the illusion of entering her Shadow State by turning her eyes completely black and chanting odd poems in Latin. Shadows emerged from everywhere, joining together in front of her to create an 8 foot tall mass of shadows, writhing about as they waited for a command from the higher ranked Shadow Clone sitting behind them.