Lilly Zephyr's Story

♠Lilly Zypher♠

---

The late summer breeze blew Lilly's bangs into her field of vision, causing her to jump back in case he came at her again. "I'm telling you! I've dealt with monsters since I could crawl! I should teach Creatures and Spells this year!" It had always been the same since they started teaching at Henry Jefferson. Bryce would insist on instructing the Creatures and Spells while Lilly would get stuck with Combat Training. Not that she minded, she got to hit kids and spar constantly, but something inside her made her think Bryce doubted her ability to teach a Spells class.

"You're being an ass like usual!"

Lilly swung at her husband, but the hook punch missed. She threw several more, only hoping to land some. One landed and she quickly backed it up with a roundhouse to his side. Lilly knew what he would say. Bryce would tell her to grow up, to act her age, that she wouldn’t always get what she wanted. In the years they had been married, they had fought to points where one would think they were getting a divorce. But marrying Lilly was like marrying a donkey. She never gave in easy.

Lilly received a kick to the stomach, sending her back onto the grass.

"You know Master; it would be a lot easier if you settled for Combat. You obviously like to fight." OZ hovered close to Lilly, biting his lip. He had been ordered long ago to stay out of their little fights, but it was hard for him. He knew Bryce would never hurt Lilly in his current state, but just seeing her like that made him want to stop it. Lilly wasn't nearly as spoiled as she had been in the past, but she still got a little too worked up when she didn't get what she really wanted.

"It's not that!" Lilly yelled. "Any idiot can throw a punch!"

"But they cannot do it with as much skill as you. That is why they need you, Master. Trust me."

"What am I? An idiot? Never trust a shadow." Lilly rolled her shoulders, popped her neck and got back into the fighting position.
"Most of all never trust a Shadow Lord." OZ whispered. Lilly had taken Liam's place as Lord of the Shadows, something she still didn't know herself. "There is a lot she needs to know."

Lilly hit Bryce with a quick uppercut then dropped her fists, a thought occurring to her. She took whatever blow he dealt then looked up at him.

"This is stupid," she began, tearing her fingers through her knotted hair. "OZ is right. If I'm so eager to fight, then I should just...teach Combat." She had given in. They had been scolded many times by the principle for fighting. He had said if he found any trace of them fighting, Lilly would get put on probation. She wasn't a kid. But she also didn't want to bring the Council into this. Bryce didn't like them one bit, for some reason, but she wasn’t going to try and find out why.

Bryce shook his head as the breeze blew through the clearing he and his wife were standing in. I'm telling you! I've dealt with monsters since I could crawl! I should teach Creatures and Spells this year!" For the past two years Lilly and Bryce had been co-teachers for the secret Magic Arts club. Lilly taught the students how to fight and Bryce tried to get them to think creatively and learn about the creatures they'd have to fight.

"Lilly, We've been over this before. You're the better fighter. If we want the kids to be as good as they can it makes more sense for you to teach them how to fight and for me to teach them about the creatures and the different ways to use their magic."

"You're being an ass like usual!" Was her reply shortly followed by her closing the distance trying to catch him across the face with a right hook. Thanks to the slight wind barrier Bryce always had a round him dodging the blow was easier than ever. Not to be put down Lilly began swinging wildly trying to connect with Bryce's face. After 4 or so punches Lilly finally connected the blow dampened by Bryce's barrier.

'If I weren't so cautious when fighting with her like this that probably would have snapped my neck.' He chuckled as she spun launching her leg into his side he bent over wincing. "Lilly look at this. We're married wouldn't it be easier to talk rather than going through this every year? Besides we both know you don't want to have to draw up a lesson plan or deal with the council pertaining to the missions we'll have to take. I'm letting you have the fun job." He sighed as he started countering Lilly's attacks. He ducked under another side kick and jumped back up spinning with some assistance from the breeze hitting Lilly squarely in the stomach sending her sprawling onto the grass.

Oz decided to try to talk Lilly out of the fight. "You know Master, it would be a lot easier if you settled for Combat. You obviously like to fight." He was standing close to Lilly remembering what happened the last time he got involved in one of their lover's spats.

The pair started to argue about the fight. Meanwhile Bryce dusted off his suit trying to get the boot print off of his side. While he was distracted he didn't notice Lilly closing in again and took an uppercut right to the chin. As he fell back he pushed off the ground with his feet and brought both of them crushing into Lilly's stomach as he fell on his back sending her skidding a few feet back across the grass.

As he picked himself up he heard Lilly start to laugh. "This is stupid. Oz is right. If I'm so eager to fight, then I should just... Teach Combat." Bryce smiled thankful that the fight ended somewhat peacefully. Neither of them were going to have any visible bruising to show what had happened.

Bryce chuckled and walked over to Lilly pulling her into a hug. "I'm glad we're done with this." He smiled holding his wife close for a moment before he heard a slight buzzing by his ear. "What is it?"

"Bryce, it's already 2:40. Class is getting out and the students are going to be making their way to the club room soon." He chuckled and thanked the wind spirit. "Lilly it's time to go meet the students." He smiled and took her hand as they began walking towards the school. "Hmm I have an idea for our introduction this year." He smiled one of his devilish smiles. "Remember how my first day of class went?" Lilly instantly understood what Bryce meant and they both started laughing as they walked to the classroom holding hands.

♠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.

Yako chirped and tweeted as Iyana responded, "Miss Yako, I would love to be friends!" as she exclaimed this she pulled her friend to a desk next to hers. [b] "Hi Melody. I'm Iyana Laidon and I hope we have an amazing year together!" the girl exclaimed as Melody lifted her head off of her desk. "Great, Yako went and introduced herself, and by extension me, to some of the other kids. I'm gonna have to have a serious talk with her when we get home." She thought as she looked to her classmate.

"Huh. ... oh." Melody grunted not really paying attention. "MELODY! That's not nice. When someone introduces themselves to you, you need to be polite. Say hi!" Yako sang, although despite her cheerful tone it was clear that she was scolding her friend. "Dammit, now I've gone and upset Yako, well I guess it won't kill me to say hi." She decided. "Ugh, fiiiiiine. Hello Iyana, I am Melody. Happy Yako? I introduced myself, I was pleasant. Are we done?" Melody reluctantly responded. Before Yako had a chance to respond a man and woman walked into the room. The woman scolded the class screaming "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." Melody's head, which was already drooping back down towards the desk, snapped up at their new teachers words. Iyana was obviously excited for some reason, but Melody didn't know why, she had no idea who these "teachers" were.

After the threat had passed Melody relaxed again, she sat upright in her desk her arms folded on her lap. Her eyes were open, but expressionless, she was paying no attention to anything. Yako fluttered around the room chirping and tweeting happily as the class started.

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.'

"You really scared me there, meanie." Said Levi after Robin jumped in front of him, which made him at the very least chuckle. He knew it was impossible for him to sneak up on anyone unless in a snowstorm, and his face was majorly faking it, which made him laugh all the more. He said hello and Paws lifted her head at the names of the two teachers of the year. "From what I've heard, Bryce is the smarter and more controlled one, while Lilly is the stronger and less controlled one." This made Robin’s head tilt. He had heard something about the teachers, but being him, he didn’t look into that much that was Paws job.

” I’m sure they aren’t that bad. Besides, I doubt you have anything to worry about, you master anything you touch. I’m the one who needs his demon to remind him to not drink milkshakes.” He laughed at his own expense a little, remembering last week when she did stop him from ordering it at a Sonic. He knew he wasn’t the best, and was a bit of a freak overall, but he did try, and with at least one friend like Levi, he felt better than ‘Snowflake’ as his nickname went.

“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.” Said a woman suddenly, making him jump a bit. ‘These must be the teachers, scary……’ He thought and then walked to where Paws was laying, and put her in his lap to listen to the husband wife pair. ”Robin, I shouldn’t have to say it, but please avoid getting into trouble.” Said Paws, making him pet her head. “No promises.”

"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?" Said the man, Bryce. Robin was just thinking how cool it would be to duel with such a powerful person, and Paws interrupted saying to him quietly. ”No, no, no, NO! Robin Aaron Jayson, you listen to me. There is no way you are fighting either of those two.” ”Why not??” He whined. Paws sighed and said, ” These two are powerful, very powerful. Both rank B. You wouldn’t be lucky to hit them, you’d be lucky not to end up in a coma. She is a Dark mage and he is Wind.” She pleaded with him.

”Paws, if I step up, even if I get my ass kicked, I stood up. And who knows, if I hit one, then I get to take a nap tomorrow!” He smiled, and then saw someone challenge Mrs. Zephyr. ‘I need to do it.’ He thought, and began to raise his hand and stand up. When fully up, he spoke, ”If I may, I wish to duel you, Mr. Zephyr.”

Oralee's eyes wandered about the room. She sat when she was instructed, watching the teacher walk in, and looked immediately at the ground.

She started talking quickly, leaving Oralee to her thoughts, which she liked. She knew that she would pay no attention, after all; how could she have possibly gotten into the academy in the first place? Oralee must have been invited to be the kid who is always laughed at, or just someone to watch fail. She could imagine no one, who in their right mind, would invite her to an academy. And for mages, too.

"Ora!"

"Aki."

"Shut up." Akiari frowned, and bit on the plastic spoon. "Are you paying attention? You should be. This is very important, and I know you'll want to go on those field trips! You can find pretty places to go play harp, and you can find me a new flute, too." She grinned.

The old flute had an interesting ending, so she thought. The poor thing had been ran over by a car several times in its life, leaving it to a...rather horrid end. It had sailed on the Titanic, survived by being carried off by a passenger in need - Isaac Woods, if she remembered rightly - had traveled all over Europe, being played by Akiari, had been fixed by the best Chinese flute player she ever met... It had such a fantastic life, and it was melted away by a volcano. To her own fault, she had let Akiari play on the side of the flames, and scared her bad enough she dropped it; it was her fault, and she may as well replace the flute. (Because, if she was to be honest with herself, Isaac was a very cute man whom she would have loved to meet and must please his spirit by replacing the poor thing).

"...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?"

"Never, by the grace of the Gods..."

"Good choice."

"Nobody asked you." Oralee snatched away the ice cream, and shoved it into the cooler. Akiari sighed, and shifted into the phoenix, curling her tail feathers around Oralee's arm.

Martin Siec (Last named pronounced See-Ehk)


A couple minutes earlier...

---

The bell rang, the end of school came at long last. About time Martin thought, pushing himself up from his desk and onto his crutch. He knew that everyone would be heading straight to their clubs now that regular school classes were done. Between his hacking cough and his lame leg he was the last person out of the math classroom. He knew he needed to show up for a club he too was signed up for. The Medieval Club, less commonly known by select few as The Magical Club. Ordinarily he wouldn't of signed up for a class like this. It sounded a little too much like something out of a Harry Potter copy cat novel. Truth was that he wouldn't of made it into a school like this if it wasn't for them vouching for him under the requisite being his attendance to his magical arts classes. That and they were offering free food and a room to stay at. Who was he to say no to all that?

Thus, in these hallways he did walk. His destination: The Magical Club. The hallways were packed, filled with young adolescents flooding from their classrooms like blood pumping straight from the heart. Occasionally he would receive a push here or a shove there despite the fact it was clear he was handicapped. The halls were crowded so it made a certain sense he supposed. The comments from a few others however was nothing if not ill intentioned. Walking past some students who were evidently jocks, forgiving the fact that he does not like to judge people based on stereotypes these certain folks lived up to them quite well, he could hear from behind them making derisive comments at his expense. He couldn't really distinguish what they were saying but he could tell it was derisive based on the tone and the subsequent laughter. He disregarded them, preferring to simply keep to himself rather than confront anyone about this issue.

Eventually, he made it to some halls that were rather empty with the exception of a small gathering of similarly aged students. Even at the same age as he was, he was still the shortest amongst them. Well, the shortest human at the very least. These people were each accompanied by strange companions of some variety. Some were more animalistic while others were basically people like their human cohorts. He would be a bit surprised by all this if the concept of demons wasn't explained to him back when he interviewed the magicians for enrollment. While all these people whom he assumed were going to be classmates had their companions out and about with them he believed he was alone in coming here. He had accepted that his demon was confined to the mirror from the very instant that he learned of demons. There was one little detail about that presumption that Martin did not know however.

His demon was totally not confined in the slightest. Advocate had been following him the entire way invisible to everyone, human, mage and demon alike. He was not going to reveal himself and spoil the surprise he had for Martin. He would let Martin know how little he knows about him in good time. For now, Advocate was incorporeal and invisible to all. If it weren't for the fact he could see and hear everything that was going on around him he wouldn't even exist.


Present time.

---

Martin had found a seat way back in the far left corner of the room, the farthest seat from everyone. He figured he could sit there and not bother too many people around him with all his coughing and sneezing and the general air of sickness about him. With some effort he finally managed to get himself from his crutch to his seat without falling over. That would of been embarrassing indeed. Instead he managed to remain relatively unseen for the duration that it took for the class to start, a box of tissues at his side constantly proving to be a worthy investment every time he bought one.

People were already socializing and starting to make friends and such. He faintly hoped at some point in this school year he might actually make a friend here at some point. It was exactly that though, a faint hope. Martin had long since resigned his attempts to socialize beyond standard living affairs. He had quickly found that very few people can tolerate a guy as sickly and rather unseemly as he for too long. Living on the cold streets with fellow homeless people, many of which were alcoholics or drug addicts, was the closest he got to people that could relate to him in some sense. That time of his life is where he got a majority of the ailments that plague him even today.

The teacher, a rather grumpy seeming sort named Lilly Zephyr, introduced herself and her husband, Bryce Zephyr, rather tactlessly before letting Bryce start the class off for her. Martin was trying to concentrate on the class but his headache was making it hard for him to concentrate. He may have had a fever as well but he hadn't checked as of recently so he didn't know for sure. The teacher was talking about some nonsense about hitting or something along those lines. Seeing as how his stomach was starting to hurt more he figured he was probably going to throw up soon. After the teacher was finished talking he stuck up his hand, hoping to ask the teacher if he could be granted a temporary leave to use the bathroom. He was pretty sure they probably wouldn't ask as to why.

Little did Martin know that the teacher had just opened the challenge to all students to choose if they wanted to duel their teachers until first contact. He didn't know raising his hand made him look like he was volunteering to combat.

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.

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.”