Earth

Bryce watched as Zac created his mountains and dispersed his swords along the mountains. He launched himself at Bryce fully intending to run him through. Bryce dropped in his stance and spun letting Zac fly over him. "Oh So close." Bryce jumped into the air creating platforms around him to deflect any projectiles. "Wind Blade: Diamond Formation" The air around Bryce began to harden into blades groups of four separating creating kite patterns sized perfectly to relive a torso from all of its surrounding body parts. After a few moments 16 different diamond blades had formed and were circling around Bryce. He punched forward sending one flying at Zac lined up to cut him into 6 pieces.

As Zac flew threw the air, having missed Bryce who ducked at the last second, Zac pushed off of one of his blades, turning mid-flight and flung his six swords at Bryce. However, as he flew threw the air, and landed on the side of one of his mountains, he pulled out another six swords from the ground. Still only holding on in his left hand. He looked up at Bryce to see him forming blades of wind only to have one set of four of them blast straight towards him. Zac exhaled calmly before gripping his sword with two hands. As the blades closed the gap Zac was picture perfectly still. He almost appeared to have become a statue. Finally, when the blades were about to slice right through Zac, he moved. All one would have been able to see, if looking directly at Zac, was him in one position, with both hands on the sword followed immediately by Zac holding the sword as if he were putting it in a scabbard. The wind blades dispersed as if the forces holding them together had simply vanished. Zac had sliced each of the four blades that made up Bryce's attack, four times each. Faster than the eye could see, Zac's blade had minced air. At that, Zac launched himself into the air. While he flew, Zac channeled the power from the swords he'd sent flying around the battle field. The air tasted of metal. The energy that Zac had stored in each of the blades, was electrical in nature. Zac had surrounded himself with a massive amount of lightning, all of it heading straight for his own blade. Zac quickly cast a silent spell to protect his body from the lightning and landed on the top of one of his mountains. Once more, Zac clapped his hands and channeled his power. The spell he'd seen Bryce do earlier, that shift, that short warp, Zac had seen through it, seen how to use it. After a brief moment, Zac warped out of existence, then directly back in, behind Bryce. "You're awful quick." Zac taunted. "How 'bout Lightning? Faster than that too?" Zac asked, pointing the blade at Bryce, and releasing the massive amount of stored charge directly at him.

Bryce expected Zac to stop his wind blades they weren't the strongest things after all. He watched as Zac bounced between his swords dodging as he threw some at him finally he stopped on top of one of the peaks. After and instant he blinked showing up behind Bryce. Bryce could smell the ozone building in the air he knew what was coming. "You're awful quick." Zac taunted. "How 'bout Lightning? Faster than that too?" Bryce turned and laughed taking the burst of lightning right in the chest moving his arms quickly he channeled the lightning through him and back at Zac giving it a burst of extra speed as it flew. "Yes Zac I am when I can feel it coming." He laughed and launched himself off of the platform he was standing on. He was panting slightly. Redirecting lightning was no easy task it took a lot of concentration and a good deal of energy. 'I'll probably pay for doing that one.' Bryce lowered himself to the ground charging up a spell to clear part of the field again. Once he dropped 2 of the mountains back to the ground leaving a bit of level area for him to stand on. There he kicked off his shoes launching them into a tree which promptly shattered at the impacting of the weighted boots. "By the gods that feels better I can finally move." Bryce stood there for a moment and four mini tornadoes appeared on his hands and feet. "Tornado Fist Tornado Kick combination. Lets have some fun Zac" Bryce jumps off of the ground launching at Zac a kick aimed straight to his stomach." As he launched there was a crack. "Your not the only one who can go super sonic."

As Bryce whipped the lightning back at him, Zac only smirked, reaching out with his sword hand and absorbing the lightning back into his blade. He dropped to the ground, only to find that Bryce had leveled two of his mountains. "Hm... that's not nice. That one was my favorite." Zac said, mock pouting. Regardless, that lightning sword was dangerous, better safe than sorry. He threw the sword into a nearby tree, it crackled as it struck, signalling that the lightning had dispersed safely, before the sword passed through the tree and sticking into a boulder behind it. "Much better." Zac said, just in time to hear a crack, as a pair of boots smashed their way through a tree, Zac chuckled. "Ahh, weighted training clothing, eh? We getting rid of that then?" Zac asked, dropping his jacket which landed with a massive thud, slightly cratering the earth at Zac's feet. As Bryce started to let loose, Zac smiled. "Now you're getting into it! Yeah, yeah, YEAH!" Zac shouted. He dropped his swords, seeing as how Bryce wanted to fist fight.

Once more, whirlwinds formed around Bryce's striking surfaces. He charged at Zac, with a boom as he took of, breaking the sound barrier. Zac sighed. He reached up with his left hand once again, braced his back leg against the earth for impact, and caught the flying Bryce's foot. The earth cratered behind him from the force of the impact. The wind tore at his hands, but they were sturdier than the steel he made his swords from, they weren't going anywhere. "So I see you can jump to super sonic too?" Zac asked, not really that surprised, Bryce was a wind mage, they did tend to do things like that first. "Well, well, well, this gets better and better by the second. Does this mean I can go all out too?" Zac asked, tilting his head sideways. For a brief moment, Zac held Bryce there, and reached over with his right arm and undid the belt around his own waist. It made a solid thud against the ground as Zac let it drop, his regular belt still on underneath his heavy training belt, that way his pants wouldn't fall down. Zac whipped his left hand away from his body, throwing Bryce into the side of a mountain. "Be careful, you shouldn't tempt a dragon's fury. They're powerful, scary beasts, made of fire and lightning, and harder than stone." Zac said, and with that he took a mighty inhale and blasted a jet of flame after Bryce, whose impact on the side of the mini mountain kicked up a cloud of dust. This jet wasn't made of the wet, roiling flames that you see coming out of a flamethrower. No, these flames were harsh, and concentrated, like the kind that come out of the back of a jet engine. Zac was fully intent on roasting Bryce alive. Then, abruptly, as if he'd changed his mind, Zac stopped. "Damn... the chain. I forgot." Zac said. "I take it you're just fine in there, eh?" Zac asked. "That chain of yours doing it's good work?" Zac asked Bryce.

Bryce smiled as he climbed out of his hole in the mountain. He lifted the sleeve to his shirt to look at the chain it was a quarter of the way filled. "Yeah it worked just fine." As he stood he started pulling his sleeved shirt off and deposited it on the ground it landed with a thud making a cloud of dust rise from the impact. "I guess we're really going to go all out." He smiled pulling his belt the last bit of extra weight off him. As he stood there he mimicked the spell Zac had cast earlier enhancing his physical strength, speed and reaction time. Once his aura settled he brought up another 4 tornado strikes. "Flame Whirlwind Tornado Combination" He smiled as it became apparent that the fire Zac had hit him with was now swirling inside of the tornadoes on his fists and feet. He dashed off the mountain resulting in another crack and he closed the distance to Zac and delivered him a side kick to the chest. Sending him flying off as the tornado stayed attached to the impact area burning and tearing at the skin and clothing. Bryce took up his combat stance again having regained his 4th tornado and prepared for Zac to come. "Lets finish this Zac!"

Zac squinted into the dust. He'd heard Bryce talking. Suddenly there was a flash followed by a crack and Bryce's foot had connected with his chest. Zac flew into a mountain of his own creation and stayed there for a minute. Sure enough, Bryce had managed to burn through Zac's weighted training shirt. Zac removed what was left and dropped it with a thud as it impacted the ground. Zac was actually impressed. "Something itches." Zac smirked. "Alrighty, I guess you're right, ain't no use holding back." Zac sighed as he removed his pants and boots, revealing gym shorts and socks. As he took off his clothes, Zac actually strained for a moment to lift them into the air with one arm. He dropped them, and they landed with such a massive impact, that they actually threw up a cloud of dust. "No more screwing around." Zac whispered to himself.

Zac clapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground. The Earth responded to him, opening like a giant maw, as if to reach up and swallow Bryce. Again and again, Bryce dodged the earthen jaws, but again and again, they snapped at him, trying to grab onto him and hold him still. While Bryce was distracted with the huge earthen jaws, Zac channeled his energy around his body and lifted his right hand up into the air. Slowly, the air began to swirl around Zac's palm, just like in his fight with Pitt. Zac breathed out slowly, and released the final restriction on his aura.

The bit about the hyper-speed combat aura was that it held in your power. It forced your body to hold the massive amount of aura close to your skin. This would protect you from the air resistance as well as reducing the damage to the body by negating some incoming damage. Even though the hyper-speed combat aura was containing Zac's power, Zac's aura surged outward, extending at least ten feet away from his body. The dust cleared, and the air around Zac swirled with such massive force that it tore massive chunks out of the mountains he'd made, and the dirt around him. So massive was the force of attraction to the small glowing ball hovering above Zac's palm, the the entire mountain range, and all the swords Zac had placed around the battle field were sucked into it and compressed. The dirt around him and the earthen jaws Zac had made were also being eaten away by the massive force of attraction.

Slowly, the entire area was cleared of all debris and landmarks, leaving a clear and open field in the old forest. "You've gotten stronger Bryce, but there ain't no way I'm losing to you. Congratulations Bryce, you've earned this. I never even used this technique on my teacher. I was afraid he'd say that it was too powerful and I shouldn't use it anymore." Zac said, deadly serious. Slowly, the massive ball of molten steel compressed into the size of a baseball, then shrunk once again to the size of a golf ball. Slowly, the ball elongated into a javelin, its point was sharp enough and hot enough to pierce the hull of an air craft carrier... without moving. "God Killer's Spear." Zac whispered. "Stay right there Bryce. Don't even move a muscle. I don't wanna miss with this, not even a little bit." If Zac missed, Bryce would die. At that, Zac flung the spear as hard as he could, three times faster than the sound barrier. The God Killer's Spear was about three times stronger than the Herculean Fist, however, after Zac's training, this new version would actually have the power to kill a deity. It was about six times more powerful than the old spear. The spear blasted through the air, faster than Bryce's reflexes could follow, even with his copied version of Zac's hyper-speed combat aura. It moved so quickly, its passing scratched Bryce's cheek from the air pressure alone. Luckily, Bryce was standing away from where Lilly and Annie were. So, when Zac missed, like he planned to, the spear would fly into the forest and do its damage somewhere else, and not hurt anyone.

"Turn around Bryce. Witness the difference between you and me." Zac said, completely solemn. The spear decimated the forest behind Bryce, sending a massive pillar of raw plasmatic energy into the sky as if the gods had gazed upon the area the spear had hit and decided it should no longer exist. An area roughly sixteen times larger than the last time Zac had thrown such a spear was gone. It was simply erased as if it had never existed. The resulting explosion sent a massive shockwave through the forest. Zac stood, completely unmolested by the shockwave. As the blast subsided, Zac cocked his head at Bryce. "Still feel like fighting?" Zac asked. "If you want more, I've got a whole hell of a lot more just waiting for you." Zac smirked. I gotta start conserving my energy. I'm about half done. Better start ratcheting up my game here. Zac thought to himself.

"Lilly!" Zac called. "Hey! How are you?" Zac shouted, blasting down the hallway and tackling the girl with a huge bear hug. Lilly was pretty much a statue when tackled, out of shock. "God it's been a while, you miss me? How'd you like my greeting? A little trick Horatio taught me." Zac said, laughing at his own silliness. Zac was, of course, referring to Master Horatio, his teacher. "God it's good to see you." Zac said with a smile.

"Well we just get home and you start all of this?"Lilly looked up to see Bryce standing in the doorway. Bryce made a platform of air between Zac and Lilly that lifted Zac into the air and dropped him on the ground on the other side of Lilly, face first. He then helped Lilly up, and pulled her into a tight hug. "I missed you."

Lilly smiled, hugging him back. “I missed you too.”

He led Lilly into the room. "Zac get off your ass Annie was excited to see you." He smiled as they sat on the couch, him holding Lilly close and Ikari sitting in their laps. Their conversation seemed to quickly turned for the ‘worst’ as they challenged each other. She was rather zoned out for most it, not fazed as Bryce removed himself from the couch. He looked over to Lilly, his face softening. "Ummm hopefully you and Annie wouldn't mind coming and watching us. There is a chance that one of us will get hurt so having some extra hands would be really useful."Lilly simply shrugged her shoulders.



Lilly had flown herself to the forest, assuming Annie could find her own way. She had made her place at the top of a tree. Some familiar faces were also there, observing the fight. “Jessie! Get away from that vermin!” She flew to where Robert and Jessie were also resting on the tree tops.

“I see you came to watch the fight as well,” Robert uttered. “Hope you are ready for things to heat up?”

“Whatever! I came over here to talk to Jessie, not you.” Lilly flapped over to Jessie’s side, landing on a branch next to him. It wasn’t too long before they had to move trees, the two boys going full force. Lilly was in awe with all the different moves they used, also silently cheering on the two, mainly Bryce. They were both extremely strong now, making Lilly wonder if she was as strong as them. She loved that they could protect her … but she wanted to be able to protect them. She had ranked up at least once a month while she was gone, to her excitement, but it wasn’t enough. So many new powers were made available to her, so many which were … mega powerful. But just because she learned them, didn’t mean she could fully perform them. Shadow Lord, her special, was something that she could never fully accomplish … but everything else was up to its max, or close anyways. The distance at which she could summon shadows had increased amazingly. With her Shadow Fire, she could paralyze a whole town now. She could use Dark Wing forever, and still be amazingly graceful. Not only could she summon Shadows from the underworld, but other creatures with dark powers, creatures much stronger than OZ. The amount of Shadow Clones she could make was at least up to one hundred now. Even what little fire magic she knew was amazing, at the least, along with what Jessie taught her.

“Hey, Lilly, you might want to pay attention,” Jessie said, pointing at the battle. She looked again, to see Zac doing something rather … fearful.

"Stay right there Bryce. Don't even move a muscle. I don't wanna miss with this, not even a little bit." If Zac missed, Bryce would die. At that, Zac flung the spear as hard as he could, three times faster than the sound barrier. "Turn around Bryce. Witness the difference between you and me." Zac said, completely solemn. The spear decimated the forest behind Bryce, sending a massive pillar of raw plasmatic energy into the sky as if the gods had gazed upon the area the spear had hit and decided it should no longer exist. Lilly’s eyes were wide with shock. He could have killed Bryce. "Still feel like fighting?" Zac asked. "If you want more, I've got a whole hell of a lot more just waiting for you." Zac smirked.

“You idiot,” Lilly screamed, jumping off the high up branch with her foot directed at Zac. Once it connected with his head, he flew across the clearing. If he wasn’t so strong, his head might have come clean off his shoulders. “You could have killed him! What the hell! How about I go Shadow Lord on your ass and tear you to god damn shreds!” Lilly was about to start at Zac again, when two pairs of strong arms wrapped around her, Robert’s and Jessie’s.

“Calm down. It’s okay, they are in the middle of a fight you shouldn’t be interrupting,” Robert said, puling Lilly towards the tree line.

“He almost killed my boyfriend you idiot! Why the hell would you tell me what to do! I’ll take this kid down!”

“Now now Lilly, Zachary is your friend too. No need to lose your temper.”

“That’s a load of bullshit!”

“You know it isn’t.”

Bryce watched as the forest vanished before him. He slowly spun on his heel watching Lilly being restrained and screaming after she had kicked Zac in the head sending him flying. "Lilly, their right. This is our fight." Bryce looked to Zac tears in his eyes. "You still have no idea do you Zac? I thought you learned control. You just destroyed acres of forest. You vaporized everything. The animals the trees. Their all gone Zac. You did this just to prove you have power. But why have power if it destroys what your supposed to protect. We are after all protectors of the earth aren't we?" He wiped the blood off of his cheek and resumed his fighting stance. "As long as I can still stand I'm not done." He began chanting in a low voice a summoning of sorts. The clouds began to darken and condense above them. After a few moments rain began to fall over their now clear battle ground. He muttered another spell again condensing his aura increasing his strength yet again. The tornadoes around himself grew covering the entirety of his arms and legs. He breathed out preparing for what he was going to do. He took off running directly at Zac making sure not to break the sound barrier. As he got closer he jumped throwing both his fists into Zac's chest.
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Annie sat in one of the bordering trees in shock she'd never seen them fight like this. They had their games but never fighting like this they were trying to kill each other.

"Shut up." Zac said, "Stop interfering." Zac said, gaining volume and momentum. He stood up, not even surprised when Lilly had kicked him. "The both of you. You make yourselves sound so self-righteous, like you've never done a thing wrong in your entire life. This is no mere contest between men, no friendly duel between classmates. If it were I'd have ended it a long time ago. This is a battle between mages. The Earth will shatter, lives will be lost. That's the way that battle is, if you weren't expecting it to be like this, then you never should have asked me in the first place. There is no point in even facing your opponent if you have no resolve to kill them. If you want to protect something, you fight much more differently than when you fight to crush something into the dirt. You're the one's who haven't learned anything." Zac said with a sigh. "I cannot bring those animals back to life, and I am sad that they will never come back, but the trees, the rocks, the dirt, that I can replace, and I will just as soon as we're done here. However, Bryce, you chose to ignite my will to battle. You chose to meet me here and fight like our lives were on the line. If you can't do that, you have no right to be here. This isn't some game. Whenever you step onto the battlefield, it's life or death. My control over my own power was only to facilitate that efficiency." Zac stated with firmness in his own beliefs. He was right.

As Bryce charged at him, Zac stood still, bracing back his legs in order to catch Bryce's charge. He'd done something to the weather, but Zac wasn't too worried. It was raining. Bryce closed the distance, slamming his fists into Zac's chest, once more, the earth buckled underneath Zac from the force of Bryce's charge, but this time, Zac did not blast away, instead, he took the blow, slowly bringing his hands up to grasp Bryce's wrists. A solemn look in his eyes, Zac stared directly into Bryce's. The two sat there for a moment, just staring at each other. "IDIOT!" Zac shouted, and slammed his head forward into Bryce's. With that Zac stepped away, looking at Bryce. "Why would you come here, to fight a battle to the death with me, if you weren't serious in the first place. This whole time, you've never once respected my dignity as a fighter by coming at me with your full strength. This is no game, Bryce!" Zac shouted, tears forming in his eyes. "What'll you do when it matters? What'll you do when there's no one around to protect you, and your life and the lives of your precious friends are on the line?" Zac asked. "Look around you!" Zac said, throwing his right hand away from his body, gesturing to the battle field. "This is battle, your own personal war with your opponent. It is desolate, it is destructive, it is horrifying, and sometimes, it's something you can't even run from. This is what you risk every time you step forward to fight. Can you risk the destruction of all those you hold dear by holding back in a fight?" Zac asked, the tears still falling from his face.

Bryce fell to the ground as Zac smashed his head into his own. He was done. He'd done everything he could but he couldn't do it. All he had left was his master ability but he wouldn't not on Zac. Not since he'd lost control the last time. His aura grew slowly as he slipped into unconsciousness. He laid there oblivious to the world around him.

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Annie jumped out of her tree and landed next to Bryce. She sat next to him instantly she started to work on bandaging his wounds. Glancing at his chained arm she noticed there was still 1/4 of power in it. She took his hand in hers and began pulling the fire energy out of his body. She dispersed it off into the ground below her. Once she had finished drawing the power out of his arm she stood picking him up and throwing him over shoulder. She looks around at Lilly Robert Jessie and Zac. "I'm taking him to the infirmary." With that she jumps into the air. Small flames appear on her feet as she runs through the air back to the school. Once there she takes Bryce straight to the infirmary and sets him on a bed. The nurse walks out seeing Bryce in the bed she shakes her head addressing Annie. "It's been quite boring in here without all of you here nobody does as much as the four of you so they never get hurt." After Annie gives her a blank look the nurse smiles and laughs. "That's my way of saying I misses you all." "Oh! I missed you as well though I'm sorry that you seem to always be taking care of my brother..." She takes the stool next to Bryce's bed and rests her hand on his shoulder.

As the battle drew to a close, Zac looked around, Bryce had been right. Sure he'd proved himself, but the forest was destroyed. Zac sat, only nodding at Annie as she came to pick up Bryce. Like he'd done this morning, Zac was once more talking to the earth. He felt regret, massive regret for destroying the forest. He explained this to the earth, asking if there was something, anything he could do to kick start the process of rebirth. The Earth, smiling at Zac, told him what he needed to do. Zac opened his eyes, and shifted to a kneeling position. He clapped his hands together and then placed them gently on the ground. Zac reached out with his aura, finding all the roots, seeds, and stumps of trees, feeling them with his whole body through his aura. Zac said only a single word, "Grow." At his direction, the plants all began to grow, slowly, but much quicker than it would naturally take. When the grass had spread to the other side of the blast zone, Zac sat back and let the earth spirits do the rest. They slowly took over, nurturing the plants and the dirt, willing there to be life once again. Zac sighed, breathing heavily. He'd used what was left of his power to bring back the plants. It would take a few years for them to be as thick and lush as they used to be, but this way there would no longer be a barren wasteland in the middle of a forest.

"Whew." Zac sighed. Looking over at Lilly, his eyes cast mostly down towards the ground, Zac spoke to her. "I'm sorry." Zac said, bowing his head. "I had no intention of killing Bryce. However, the pair of you had a lesson to learn. No one wins in a battle between mages. Battle and war, they are the most terrifying things on the face of this planet. As long as we live here, people will come up with spells like the ones I just used to maim and destroy and kill. It's how we are. If you enter a fight with someone, you don't do it for any other reason than to protect something precious to you. When you fight, when you fight to protect, you win quickly and you don't mess around. Battles aren't for enjoying like I used to think. Take your victory fast, then get out of there. They are desolate, destructive things. I don't mean to lecture you right after we get back, but you're strong now, Lilly. That power of yours has to get used in a specific way, to fill specific needs. Blegh, look at me, I sound Like Rob. Yuck!" Zac said, chuckling and raising his head. He tried to get up, but the second he took to his feet, Zac fell back to the Earth, completely passed out. He was exhausted from his battle with Bryce and his revival of the glade, and now he was most likely headed to the infirmary.

Lilly watched regretfully as the battle came to a finish. Annie quickly took Bryce to the infirmary, but Lilly didn’t follow, seeing as Zac was talking to her. "Whew." Zac sighed. Looking over at Lilly, his eyes cast mostly down towards the ground, Zac spoke to her. "I'm sorry." Zac said, bowing his head. "I had no intention of killing Bryce. However, the pair of you had a lesson to learn. No one wins in a battle between mages. Battle and war, they are the most terrifying things on the face of this planet. As long as we live here, people will come up with spells like the ones I just used to maim and destroy and kill. It's how we are. If you enter a fight with someone, you don't do it for any other reason than to protect something precious to you. When you fight, when you fight to protect, you win quickly and you don't mess around. Battles aren't for enjoying like I used to think. Take your victory fast, then get out of there. They are desolate, destructive things. I don't mean to lecture you right after we get back, but you're strong now, Lilly. That power of yours has to get used in a specific way, to fill specific needs. Blegh, look at me, I sound Like Rob. Yuck!" Zac said, chuckling and raising his head. He tried to get up, but the second he took to his feet, Zac fell back to the Earth, completely passed out.

Lilly carefully made her way to Zac’s side, throwing him over her shoulder. “I’ll take him to the infirmary.” Silently and slowly, she made her way back towards the school. “I … I guess I’m sorry too. I see what you mean … and if I let my emotions get in the way then I might die. I just don’t know how to control that yet …”

“Well, that’s what I’m here for,” Jessie’s voice came from above. “I’ll train you to the max! No way I’m leaving yet!” Lilly simply smiled up at her tutor as he landed next to her, putting Zac’s other arm over his shoulders. “With all this help, you’ll be an amazing mage lil’ Miss Lilly.” Once again, Lilly simply nodded. She truly loved Jessie, as a person, he was just amazing.

Zac's eyes snapped open. He was in the infirmary. There was no one else with him, not even the Nurse or Pitt. He sighed, and sat up. He felt ok. Sure his wounds were healed, and his energy restored, but he felt as grey as the clouds outside. It was still raining. He looked over at the clock. Three hours had passed since his fight with Bryce. Three hours in which he was passed out, unable to fully apologize to Bryce. It felt... sickening. The full consequence of destroying that forest lay heavy on Zac's mind. He spoke quietly, his voice cracking from under-use. "Bryce was right. I am a fool. There was no reason to use that spear. I'm not ready to be a keeper yet. Not by a long shot." Zac sighed. He slowly stood, finding his legs agreeable to walking. It was almost nighttime, but there was no setting sun, only dark clouds and pouring rain. Zac trudged through the school hallways slowly and listlessly. When he made it to the door, Zac cast a silent spell on himself. As he stepped outside, the rain stopped itself on an invisible dome of force a foot above Zac's head.

Still silently, Zac walked all the way back to the Old Forest, where he'd had his fight with Bryce. He looked around, feeling slightly better. It had only been a few hours, but the Earth Spirits were really working hard. All of the trees were back, even though they weren't fully grown, and the dirt was black and lush. The area no longer looked as if it had been vaporized. The rain was helping the process, Zac only chuckled. He must have known." Zac thought. Bryce was always so much more tactical than he was. All Zac had was stupid power, and far too much of it. Zac knelt to the ground; feeling the rain water soak in through the knees of his pants. Zac clapped his hands together and began chanting. 'I've done this much,I can at least finish what I've started.' Zac thought as he finished his spell. As Zac finished his spell, hundreds of little lights, like fireflies, soared out of the palms of his hands. As they flew along, they touched things. The ground, the grass, the trees, and the flowers, all were touched by the motes of white light. At their touch, the Forest grew. The grass grew wild and thick, the trees burst into the air, and hundreds of flowers sprouted from the ground. Zac used so much energy on the forest, his force shield dissipated. Zac chuckled, "Well, I've done right by you now. I'm sorry. I foolishly overused my power for my own selfish reasons. I won't do it again. I promise." As Zac finished speaking, he stood, and swayed ever so slightly. "It's gonna be a long walk back." Zac sighed.

When he finally reached the door to the dorms, Zac was soaked all the way through. His teeth were chattering, his skin was pale, and his teeth were blue. He slowly made his way up to his room, and before walking in through the door, Zac took off his wet clothes and rung them out in a nearby bathroom sink. He strolled into his room only to be tackled by Pitt, still wearing her pajamas. "Well hello." Zac said, a manic grin on his face. "If you missed me that much, why did you stay instead of coming to watch?" Zac asked. "You idiot!" Pitt screamed at Zac, her face bright red. "What if you killed him? What if YOU died? Didn't you promise?" Pitt screamed at Zac, tears staring to form in her eyes. "There was a lesson to be learned Pitt. The same one that Master first taught us. You remember don't you?" Zac asked, his tone steady and solemn. "Yeah," Pitt ceded, dropping her gaze from his face, and burying her head in his chest. "Battles are miniature wars with your opponent. They are vicious, cruel, and horrifying. Do not enter one light-heartily, or it will be your undoing." She said, quoting Master Horatio, her voice muffled. "Still," Pitt said. "You could have at least let him win. You know how much it would have meant to him." "Why?" Zac asked. "Why should I inflate Bryce's ego? What if something comes along that's stronger than him but weaker than me? What will happen if he tries to fight it, thinking that since I've beaten one he can too? That'll just get him killed, and then his blood will be on my hands. If that happened, Lilly would kill me. Hell, Annie would kill me. Even you would be cross with me." Zac explained. Pitt shook her head. "I..." Pitt said, trailing off and mumbling something Zac couldn't quite pick up. "What? Speak up please, I couldn't hear you." Zac asked. "I could never..." Pitt said, still mumbling, her quietness unaided by the fact that her face was still buried in Zac's chest. "Forget it," Zac said. "If you're not gonna tell me it mustn't be that important. Now lemme get up, I need to put on some clothes." At that, Pitt stood immediately. She rocketed into the air as if she'd never been lying down on top of Zac to begin with. Her face was beet red, and steam appeared to be coming out of her ears. "YOU IDIOT!" Pitt screamed and stomped back off into their room. Zac only shrugged and stepped into their closet.

Zac had enlarged the inside of their closet to store all of Pitt's arms and armor as well as all of Zac's things and a spare bed in case they had company. Zac walked over to his section and grabbed some clothes. He pulled on a white, long sleeved, thermal shirt, new underwear, jeans, wool socks, a graphic t-shirt, and some boots. He stepped outside and smiled, thankful for his clothes' warmth, and closed the door behind him. "Hey Pitt." Zac called up to Pitt, who was lying down in their bed, facing the wall. "I dunno about you, but I'm hungry, wanna go get something to eat?" Zac asked, tempting her with food. He didn't quite know what was up, but he knew food usually solved most of Pitt's problems. She stirred, and Zac swore he heard her stomach grumble, but she didn't move. "I was gonna go get some Chinese food. You know, from that one place with the awesome egg rolls." Zac tempted. "Pity, I don't know where Lilly and Bryce and Annie are. I figured it would be a good chance for us to go out on a date, just us two, but since you aren't hungry--" Zac was instantly cut off by Pitt throwing the blankets off of her body, jumping down from bed, sprinting into the closet, and emerging fully dressed and ready. "What are we waiting for?" She asked with a smile. "Let's go eat!" Zac chuckled, "Alright, I'll grab my umbrella. We can share." Zac said nonchalantly, causing Pitt to blush once again, but she hid her embarrassment.

The pair of them walked to a local place and sat down. They famously ordered the entire menu, twice, as they always did, and were soon having an unofficial, though apparently one-sided, eating contest. The pair was starved, but Zac seemed to be destroying Pitt, who usually showcased her hyper-sonic, black hole, instantaneous eating techniques during these kind of contests. Instead, she was using her chopsticks properly, and was using her napkin regularly. It surprised Zac, after all, she always won with ease. Further, she'd been blushing the whole time while they walked. She'd been all kinds of weird since this morning, and Zac had finally gotten curious enough. He set down his bowl of wonton soup, after draining it entirely, and spoke up. "What's wrong Pitt, not hungry?" Zac asked, genuinely concerned. He looked her up and down. She was wearing some of her nicer clothes. A knee-length, plaid skirt with black leggings and matching boots with a nice sweater over a plain white shirt. Pitt blushed as he did so. "Yeah, I'm hungry, I'm just... savoring it." Pitt said, looking directly into Zac's eyes. Zac smiled. "Hmm... That does sound better than finishing all at once. I suppose we only have to finish before the restaurant closes. Let's take our time then." Zac said with a smile, picking up his chopsticks and resuming eating, albeit at a normal pace.

The pair finished eating, and started walking back home, still sharing an umbrella. "Here, switch sides with me." Zac said, taking the side closer to the street. "That way if a car comes by, the splash won't ruin your nice clothes." Zac said with a smile, switching sides, and looping her arm through his. Pitt didn't say anything, she couldn't. Her face was too hot, and her heart was beating too fast. The pair walked in silence after that. They didn't say anything until they were nearly back to school. "Hey Pitt, why are you wearing such nice clothes?" Zac asked rather suddenly, causing Pitt to jump ever so slightly, and blush harder. "After all, you were just eating with me. I wouldn't have cared if you wore sweats and a t-shirt. Now that I think about it, you've been odd all day. What's wrong Pitt?" Zac asked. Pitt blushed, unable to say anything. Ever since she'd been tall enough to look Zac in the eye, she'd been feeling strange around him. She still loved him, they were still partners, but something was different. She wasn't as carefree with him anymore. Her chest felt tight whenever he was close, and she found it hard to speak when he was near. "Why indeed..." She whispered. "Hmm?" Zac asked, and knelt over, placing his forehead on hers, much to Pitt's embarrassment. "W-What the heck was that for?" She asked, her face bright red. "I was checking to see if you had a fever, jeez." Zac said. "Whatever, we're almost home. After we get back, I'm gonna sleep so good." Pitt only shook her head. 'He's really dumb, but he's still my Zac.' Pitt thought with a smile.

Annie sat in her room with Fenix and Ikari. Bryce had woken up shortly after Zac arrived in the infirmary he instantly stood up and told Annie to look after Ikari for him. He then opened the window of the infirmary and flew off into the distance. She was worried about him. "Fenix there's no way he recovered from his fight with Zac so quickly what is he doing?" "That isn't something we can worry about Annie. He is doing something that he needs to do. You simply have to trust that he will come back and not do anything stupid. He is rather smart after all." Annie curled up into a ball laying on her bed. "Your right Fenix I'm just worried about him..." Ikari sat at the foot of Annie's bed silently. She wouldn't voice what she was thinking. She knew what Bryce was doing he was going to fix the forest. He'd grown up there. Zac had destroyed his home to make a point. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. 'Don't over do it Bryce. I can't loose you.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bryce had woken with a start in the infirmary. Annie, Zac, Ikari, and Fenix were asleep and resting. He got up and went to talk to the nurse. "Thank you for taking care of me again..." Bryce bowed in thanking the nurse and left before she could reply. He walked back to his bed and woke Annie. "Annie watch after Ikari for me I have to go take care of something." After forcing Annie to agree he waked to the window and jumped out of it flying off to the Old Forest.

He could easily pick-out where the spear had landed through the heavy rain. As he approached he saw that the grass was back and the whole in the earth had been patched. 'Zac must have done this...' He looked around at the destruction that their fight had caused. The forest where he had grown up, where he had learned to use magic, met Ikari, his home... It was completely destroyed. There was nothing. Even the stone that he'd used for meditation was destroyed. He dropped to his knees and began to cry. It hadn't been much of a home but it had been his home all the same. After a few minutes the tears began to slow and his sadness became replaced by determination. He walked to the middle of the clearing and knelt down his hands touching the earth. He began to chant very softly a spell that would drastically quicken the growth of the plants adding his magic to the rain and earth. As he continued his spell he watched as years seemed to speed by trees began to shoot up bushes and brambles began to grow over the ground. He stopped his spell before he fell unconscious again. The earth and rain would continue growing the forest but he had one final thing to do before he was done. He walked to where his stone had been. He stood there for a minute. The small clearing looked exactly like it had the last time he'd visited. Only his rock was missing. Again he knelt down this time preparing to do something he'd never done before. Earth magic. He began collecting his power in the palm of his hand and after it had grown he slammed it into the ground willing it to remake his rock where it had sat. For a moment nothing happened then the Earth shifted. It was slow but as he watched a rock began to push out of the earth where his had sat. After a minute there sat his rock. It looked exactly the same as it had.

Thoroughly exausted he couldn't fly back to the school he began to walk back slowly enjoying the cool rain falling on his shoulders. He sent a message to Lilly via the spirits they still carried. "I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have fought with Zac. I shouldn't have yelled at you for trying to protect me. I don't know what came over me, but it's gone now. I'll be back at the school in a bit. If you see Annie let her know please." With that he fell silent for the rest of his journey. Once he got back to the school he saw Zac walking off towards the forest. He considered calling out to him but decided against it. He continued up to his room where he showered and changed. He looked over himself making sure there were no new cuts to get bandaged. For the first time he found none. He walked off to the girl's dorm where he could find Annie and Ikari. He walked in and sat on the foot of Annie's bed. "I'm back." Annie jumped up and hugged him. "I'm glad your alright brother." Bryce smiled and hugged his sister back. "Me too." They sat there waiting to hear from their friends.

After Lilly and Jessie had taken Zac to the infirmary, Jessie had gone off once again to find Robert. She had stayed in the infirmary for at least an hour before Jessie came back and, for some odd reason, gave her his trench coat. It had been two hours since then, and she couldn’t exactly remember what had gone on. OZ was with Robert again, apparently filling him in on what Lilly had learned. Lilly didn’t care for how much time OZ and Robert had been spending together, even when she was training. She was less angry now, at least most the time, so OZ could do whatever he want. Honestly, she didn’t feel it was important enough to care where he was. OZ was one of the most capable demons, maybe even more capable she could imagine. But he never really had shown her the extent of her powers.

Lilly had been wandering around in the forest for at least two hours, ways away from where Bryce’s and Zac’s battle had taken place. If anything, she was the furthest in the Old Forest she had ever been. The pouring rain seemed to make her feel better, even though she was soaked to the bone. Something she had learned from Jessie called Inner Fire was keeping her warm enough to keep going. “Where are you,” she mumbled, though she had no idea what she was looking for. She felt like she needed something, like something was missing, but she didn’t know what. She assumed she would know when she found it. “This sucks …” Lilly looked at a tree that was coming up, a rather tall one at that. It was alive with shadows in a way. The entire forest was with the sun blocked by all the rain clouds. Lilly dropped to the ground, sitting cross-legged. The pitter-patter of the rain wasn’t distracting, rather soothing instead.

“ Umbras tenebrosum,
Disperdite lumine.
Euelle de corde eorum,
Non casu ad pugnam.

Ostende mihi viam,
In tenebris noctis.
Dormientes interdiu,
Vos fugam capietis in tenebris.”

One of the many things Jessie had taught her was that many ancient Latin poems were often only disguised as poems but were truly summoning spells used by Shadow Mages, who used to be plentiful in the days when Latin prospered. The Shadows began to stir wildly as Lilly repeated her words. She had done this repeatedly while she was gone, and almost every time she had gotten the same result, failure. But maybe she could do something if she was a place that she knew better.

“Mas-s-s-s-s-ster,” they hissed. “We’ve been ex-x-x-x-xpecting you.” Lilly’s eyes opened, but they were different, completely black as most humans become when they are possessed by a demon. But this was normal for a Shadow Mage who was in Shadow state.

“More or less I have as well,” a man with a heavy British accent stated. He was one of the highest levels of Shadows … his name was Liam and he had been the one that raised Lilly. “You’ve grown so much, Vatalini. How have you been?”

“Skip the formalities,” Lilly hissed. She wasn’t sure why she hated the man, he had raised her, but something just made her skin crawl when she saw him. “You know what I’m here for.”

“But of course I do. You’re here because you missed me.” Before Lilly could say a thing, Liam charged at her, swinging his arm which she dodged. “It’s been more than a year since I’ve seen my little girl. Can’t you say hi to your Papa?” Lilly couldn’t answer as Liam kept swinging at her. “You only showed up because you want my power, is that correct? How selfish of you. A little birdie told me that you have been surrounded by men and even have a boyfriend. It saddens my heart that you didn’t tell me any of this yourself.”

“Like you care,” she snapped, throwing a punch of her own. She narrowly missed. Liam stopped to listen to her. “I want you to do what OZ won’t do. I want you to make me stronger. Become a part of me. Help me. With your power, I could do so much more than I can now!” She paused for a reaction that she didn’t get. “Look, I have a goal, others have the same goal! If someone accomplishes it before me, then I will have nothing to live for. So join me. Make a contract with me.” Liam looked at the girl he once knew as an arrogant girl who wouldn’t ask for help even if her life depended on it. Now she was more structured and much stronger. He simply nodded.

“I’ll sign a contract with you, but you know what will happen once you have completely reached your goal, right? If any insignificant obstacles block your way, I will not interfere. You will handle them yourself.” Lilly only nodded as Liam inched closer to her. “Alright, let’s get started.”

{OOC! Liam isn’t really her Papa.}

While they were sitting in the room Bryce's wind spirit hummed slightly. Their master had sent him a message. "Return to me shortly I have something to give the two of you as well as more to teach." Bryce looked to his sister. "Well Annie, Aella wants us to go back for training. It'll only be a few days I can make the trip in an hour so let's go. I'll leave Zac and Lilly a message so they know." Annie nodded slowly. "This bites! We just got back and she already wants us back! She better have something good to teach us!" Bryce laughed and sent a quick message to Lilly and Zac so they wouldn't worry. He even sent one to Robert so they wouldn't get in trouble for missing classes.

A few minutes later they had their bags packed and ready with Annie riding on Ikari Bryce prepared a wind tunnel to speed them to their master's training area. After a rather short hour of flight they stood again in front of Aella's house. They walked up to the door and knocked waiting for their master to open the door. After a few moments there was a loud crash of breaking pottery and muffled swearing as she opened the door. The woman who opened the door stood a few inches shorter than Bryce. She saw the two standing infront of her and she instantly forgot about the broken pottery and grabbed the two into a hug. "I missed you guys! How was school? Bryce you got your ass kicked already didn't you!" Once she broke the hug and he regained his ability to breathe. "We misses you as well master. We didn't have time to attend classes your driver was painfully slow. And I did loose a fight, but he was a level above me and a recognized earth mage." "Ah! Well you can't win them all. What about you Annie?" "Well, I watched the fight trying to learn but neither of them really used any magic I could use so I watched more of the tactics and how they were fighting. I figure I better learn how to think." "I'm proud of you Annie you've come a long way from when you first came here." Aella smiled at her two students and lead them to the yard behind her house.

Once they arrived at the training grounds she looked at them. "Now I'm sure you're wondering why I made you guys come back so soon after you left. I assure you there is a very good reason. While you were here I began teaching you each a different style of martial arts. That style will compliment the gift I am about to give you." Aella closed her eyes and focused for a moment then reached into the space beside her. Her hands disappeared for an instant and reappeared holding a Scythe and Katana in either hand. Bryce and Annie gasped as she pulled the weapons out of thin air. Bryce instantly spoke up. "That was a dimensional distortion spell wasn't it?!?" Aella smiled. "Your right. That's part of the reason I called you two back here so soon. You have to master the dimensional distortion to be able to store the weapons so that they will always be available to the two of you. These will become your best tools. The weapon was made specially for each of you by me." She walked over to Annie. "This Katana is like no other. The blade will never dull and rust will never grow. The blade is made of a special metal that will increase the power of your fire magic while you hold it. There are other qualities that you will discover as you go." She smiled and handed the blade to Annie who grasped the handle and pulled it out of the sheath. The grip fit her hand perfectly. She could feel the power of the blade. The balance was perfect. Annie for the first time in her life was speechless. She could only mumble a thank you and bowed low to Aella.

Aella then walked over to Bryce. "Bryce, this Scythe is yours. Like Annie's the blade will never dull and rust will never grow. The blade is shaped to amplify the power and strength of your wind blades as well as focus your other magical attacks. This Scythe will increase your wind magic abilities to their fullest extent. You will be able to control the weather and mold lightening. I taught you how to direct it and how to create it now you must only harness it." Bryce took the Scythe in his hands and began to spin it through one of his attack patterns. He'd never held one before but his control over the Scythe was amazing he didn't struggle at all as he worked through his most advanced combat patterns. Once he had finished testing his weapon he returned to his sister's side and bowed. "Thank you master. This gift is amazing. I don't know how I could ever thank you enough for this." Aella smiled and laughed. "I'm glad you like them and you don't have to call me master Aella is fine! As for paying me back. When you go and fight the council do me a favor and give em' all the hell you can. I want them to shake." Bryce stood and smiled. "I think I can do that." Aella clapped her hands and laughed again. "Alright now to begin your training you have one day to master this. I can't have you away from school much longer than I already have." She began to instruct them on how to do the dimensional distortion spells. Beginning with opening and closing moving to attaching a pocket to you so it would always be there. "The storage is limitless but the bigger the item you try to take out the more it will take out of you so be wary." The day moved on and they began to master dimensional distortion. As the light faded Aella called out to them to stop. "You two have done well. Your by far my favorite students. Rest well tonight and tomorrow return to school. I want you to make it to your club meeting. Give Robert this note. It tells him everything I've taught the two of you today." They followed Aella back into the house where she had dinner waiting for them. After they had eaten they went to bed.

"Bryce. Why do you hate the council so much?" Bryce didn't look up as he made his bed. "Annie they drove father to disown me. They forced me to leave the family. Because of them I grew up alone. I can't forgive them for what they did to me, or what they did to Zac and Lilly. Both of their lives have been much more difficult because of the council. We are going to stop them from hurting anyone's family again. Weather you join us or not is your choice." Annie looked down as she continued working on her bed. "Oh..." After a few moments she looked up at Bryce. "Your right... The council has no right to do that to families. Not all of them are bad but we can't let them treat people like this. I'll help yo guys however I can." Bryce walks over to her and pulls Annie into a hug. "Thank you Annie. I'm glad I'll be able to count on you." They broke the hug and went to bed. The next morning they awoke at dawn. Aella had a light breakfast waiting for them. After some quick good byes Annie and Bryce headed back to the school ready for what ever was coming.

Lilly had been outside, soaking wet, since it had been raining the past few days. Whether it had anything to do with Zac and Bryce’s battle, she had no idea. But it was nice. She had been outside every day since she had gotten back. Most of all, Lilly hadn’t slept either. A certain someone had disappeared with his sister to see his teacher, and Zac was … well, he was himself. She didn’t converse with anyone. Knowing her luck, she probably looked absolutely terrible, yet another reason she refused to go back. She could feel everyone’s presence in the school now. Bryce was back, had been actually, and Jessie was still there too. “But what to do, what to do,” she hummed to herself, hopping lightly from tree branch to tree branch. “OZ is with Robert … of course. And I’m all alone. So what to do, what to do.” She was now at the very edge of the forest, staring down at the school. “Guess I could go back …” Lilly leaned over the edge of the tree, falling rapidly towards the ground. More than four months ago, she would have been crying hysterically, but now … she was too strong for such things.

Her nightmare black wings formed on her back within seconds, thirteen feet across and glistening in the rain, truly a work of art in her eyes. Lilly pulled up in time to where she was merely inches from the ground. “Time to go.” She soared through the remaining trees and towards the school building, not caring much if anyone saw her. The boy’s dorm was her destination. Considering that was where they would most likely be. She had been there enough to know which window was theirs. Not too long later, Lilly was hovering outside their window. She couldn’t see inside due to the rain, but she could have sworn she saw something moving. Knock knock knock. “Anyone home?”

Bryce had been sitting in his room playing with his new dimensional storage unit. He could store anything in there even Ikari. That experiment hadn't lasted long. It didn't hurt her but the other dimension was different. To different just being there for to long could make any living creature go crazy. But he'd thrown some survival tools into the storage making sure to organize the stuff so he'd have instant access to his Scythe. As he sat there he heard a knocking on his window. "Wonder who that is Ikari." He jumped up and walked to the window looking through he could see the hazy outline of someone along with a large darkness to either side of the person. "That'll be Lilly I don't know anyone else who can make shadow wings like that. I'mma surprise her." He laughs and prepares to throw the window open. Once he got him self ready he threw it open and pulled Lilly in through the gap before she could react. Her huge wings momentarily dispersed only to reform folded up on her back as Bryce pulled her into a hug and kissed her softly.

After a moment he broke the kiss still holding her. "Missed you." He laughs and releases Lilly so she could stand on her own. "Guess what my master gave me!" After a few guesses he smiles and replies. "Nope watch." He focuses for a moment and reaches his hand into the dimensional hole by his left side pulling out his Scythe. "Isn't it awesome?!? Aella said it would make my wind magic even stronger and she's been training me to become a storm mage!" He smiles and flourishes the Scythe then places it back in the dimensional storage. "So what have you been up to?" He walks over and sits on the edge of his bed motioning for her to join him.

Lilly was slightly shocked when a pair of arms pulled her through the window and into a kiss, most definitely Bryce. Why he pulled away, she smiled up at him. He seemed rather excited about something, making her guess numerous times. Finally, Bryce had shown her what he had left for. It was a cool scythe, captivating really. He messed with it a bit before hiding it again with a dimensional spell. He sat on his bed, pating the spot next to him. She was still soaked, but she decided throwing her trench coat on the ground, picking up a random tee shirt from the ground and wrapping it around her was enough. Lilly sat down next to him, getting as close as she could. "That's really cool," she said with a smile. "I have a little something for you too." She leaned her head on his shoulder, trying to avoid his gaze. "I heard that ... that your and Zac's families are coming here." She wrapped her arms lightly around his. Some wet strands of hair fell in her face which she quickly brushed out of the way, only for them to fall back again.

Bryce's smile instantly fell. His face completely blanked in shock. 'My family and Zac's family... Why?!?' He slowly regained his composure and held Lilly a bit closer. "Do you know when their showing up? How much time do we have. And have you told Zac? He needs to know this isn't a good kinda surprise for him." Bryce wasn't able to hide his worry or anxiety especially not from Lilly and Ikari. He was running complete panic mode inside. 'Why would my family be showing up here. Do they want to see me? Do they even know I'm alive? Will they be proud or even more disappointed? What if they try to take Annie back? What if they try to get me to come back to the family? Infinite numbers of questions each more unrealistic than the last ran through his mind he almost forgot Lilly was there with him.

He felt her move adjusting her soaked hair. He snapped back to reality. "Sorry about that." He blushed deeply embarrassed about freaking out so bad. "It's just I don't know why my family would be coming here... I don't even think they know I'm alive..." After a few moments pause he summoned his wind spirit. "Take this message to Zac. 'Important Message: Your family and my family will be visiting the school soon. Lilly and I are in the room.' Alright go get it to him as fast as possible." With that the spirit hummed out of sight and whizzed off to deliver its message. "Well until he gets here I've done everything I can. I can't worry myself about this to much their coming could be completely unrelated to my being here." After a few minutes he notices that Lilly is still soaking wet. He laughs softly. He chants a quick spell under his breath pulling the excess moisture off of Lilly and sending it out the window leaving her completely dry. "There isn't that a bit better." He smiles and kisses her softly holding her close.

Zac and Pitt were chatting as they walked through the school up to their room. They had made it back to school, dripping wet as they'd lost the umbrella, but it didn't matter. Pitt was so happy. She was having such a good time. Zac was being so nice to her, he bought her lots of food, and he told her she looked pretty. Her cheeks were rosy and her smile was as wide as it could be. Zac was smiling too. It had been such a long time since he'd seen Pitt smile so freely. "This was so fun." He said. "We should do things like this more often." Zac suggested casually. Pitt felt her whole face heat up. "U-umm, ok." She agreed, her eyes on the floor. They were taking the last turn up to their room through the hallways when Zac felt the winds swirling towards him. Pitt looked up at him, confused. "What's going on?" She asked, he had a quizzical look on his face and it made her concerned. "A wind spirit message." Zac answered quickly. "It's from Bryce." The spirit whizzed up in front of them, bowed respectfully, then turned to address Zac, and spoke to him. "A message from Master Bryce." It said. The spirit was almost completely transparent, but from what Zac could make of it's facial expression, the message wasn't good. "The message is as follows. 'Important Message: Your family and my family will be visiting the school soon. Lilly and I are in the room.' He told me to get it to you as quickly as possible." Zac's face immediately turned stony and impassive. His shoulders slumped and his eyes shut. "Dad..." He whispered, trailing off. "Why on earth would dad be coming here?" Zac asked. He lifted his face back up to the spirit. "Tell Bryce: 'I'll be there shortly, I need some time to talk with Pitt in private. We'll only be a minute.' Thanks for the message." He said quietly, but loud enough for the spirit to understand, bow politely, and then fly away, off toward their room.

"Pitt," Zac said, his eyes filled with harsh determination. Pitt looked up at him nervously. The second that Zac had said "Dad", she'd been shaking with fear and uncertainty. The last time she'd seen Zac's Dad, he'd tried to kill her. "Pitt," Zac repeated. "We're going to see dad whether we like it or not." Zac said, cutting Pitt off as she tried to cut across him. "I know you don't want to, and I really don't want to. However, as respectful earth mages, as my father's son, and as a favor to grandpa, I'm going to meet with him. When you sense his presence, you barricade yourself in our closet, you don't come out until I come to get you. Only open the door if you hear me tell you these words exactly." At that point, Zac motioned for Pitt to step closer to him. When she did, he pulled her into a hug, whispering one of Master Horatio's teachings into her ear as quietly as possible. When he backed away, he smiled at her, patted her head, and then took her hand. The pair walked in silence to Zac's room, still holding hands when they came in the door.

"Hey," Zac said. Though he tried to come off as stoic and resilient, there was no fooling Bryce or Lilly. He knew they could tell he was upset. He walked over to the couch and sat, Pitt joining him after putting their wet coats in the closet to dry. "I got your message." He said quietly. "As crazy as this sounds, and I know I don't look it, I'm actually glad my dad's coming to see me. After all he's done, and after all he tried to do, I'm glad he's coming to see me. He's got a lot to answer for, and now I'm strong enough to take him." Zac said, his eyes dull, his fingers crossed in front of his face. He spoke quietly, and even though he appeared to be emotionally devastated, something about him looked determined. There was a resigned toughness about him, as if no matter what the world threw at him, he could take it. Pitt walked over to him. Her mouth was scrunched up, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, and her whole body trembling. She raised her hand and swiftly slapped him in the face. "You idiot." She said, the tears now falling freely. "After all you said, after all he's done, you plan on fighting him? He'd eat you alive. Dad killed a cerberus, Zac! For a short time he fought evenly with the Messenger of the Dragon Kings!" She screamed at him. "I don't care how strong you think you are! There is no way I'm letting you fight another counsel class mage who doesn't have the restriction of being your teacher. He'll kill you, then I'll die too. Is that what you want?" She screamed, still crying. Zac's face was painted with a look of utter horror and sadness. He stood, and hugged the fighting Pitt. "I'm sorry." He said softly. "I won't fight him." He said. Though it pained him, he agreed to not take his revenge on their father for Pitt. He turned and wiped the tears from his eyes, holding Pitt's hand with the other. "So," Zac said, trying to change the mood in the air after the drama that had just taken place. "That's my plan anyway. What are we gonna do about your parents, and why are our parents even headed over here anyway?" Zac asked.

~TIME SKIP: NEXT DAY~

Lilly, Bryce and Zac had gone off school grounds, going into town and we're just now getting back. Nothing happened yet and since she told them the news yesterday, no more word on it came. She thought that maybe they really weren't coming, maybe she was wrong. Lilly smiled up at Bryce, holding his hand tight. It stopped raining, but it was rather chilly. She did her best to stay close to him to share their warmth.

They were coming up on the gates, and it looked like people are just standing there. "What's that," she mummbled, looking closer. She had never seen those people before in her life. Time to go Lilly on them. "What do you crustations think you are doing. If your going to go in, do it. Other than that, leave. Your blocking my way." One of the men looked down at her, almost sneering at her.

"We are here on business young lady. And that is no way to talk to an elder. You should watch he way you speak."

Zac, Bryce, Lilly, and Annie had been off in town for a day away from school. It'd had been a wonderful Saturday. Bryce and Lilly had done couple things and they'd done stuff as a group. The rain had finally stopped though the clouds stayed close overhead. After they'd gotten done with dinner they headed back to the school. As they approached the front gate they noticed two figures standing at the gate appearing to be considering weather or not to go in. As they approach Lilly calls out to the pair. "What do you crustations think you are doing. If your going to go in, do it. Other than that, leave. Your blocking my way." Bryce glanced down at her quickly then looked up as he heard one of the men speak up. "We are here on business young lady. And that is no way to talk to an elder. You should watch he way you speak." 'Why does that voice sound so familar?...'

As they walk closer Bryce noticed that the man who spoke had bright red hair much like Annie's. He stopped dead in his tracks dropping Lilly's hand. "What are you doing here. Why did you come here." The man looked at Bryce. "Who are you to question my goals and where I choose to go?" Bryce stood a bit taller. "I guess after 9 years I wouldn't remember the son I disowned either. You probably expected me dead didn't you. After bowing to the council sending me from my home my family at the age of 7 why would you expect otherwise?" Bryce fell silent waiting for his father to reply. The man looked at him closely. "So your still alive then. Though I can tell that you have still failed your family. Why do you continue to disgrace us with this petty existence of yours? You should have died when you were sent away." Bryce stood in shock. After everything he'd gone through after everything he'd done. He was still worthless he still would be an outcast to his family.

Zac, Bryce, Lilly, and Annie had been off in town for a day away from school. It'd had been a wonderful Saturday. Bryce and Lilly had done couple things and they'd done stuff as a group. Zac had spent some good time with Pitt while Bryce and Lilly were spending private time together. Zac and Pitt were even holding hands as they walked back towards school. The rain had finally stopped though the sky remained overcast. As the group approached the front gate they noticed two figures standing at the gate appearing to be considering whether or not to go in. As they approach Lilly called out to them. "What do you crustations think you are doing? If your going to go in, do it. If not, leave. You're blocking my way." Bryce glanced down at her quickly then looked up as he heard one of the men speak up. "We are here on business young lady. And that is no way to talk to an elder. You should watch he way you speak."

Bryce stopped dead in his tracks dropping Lilly's hand. He appeared to have recognized one of them. It was strange really. The man looked very much like Bryce, but he simultaneously didn't. Bryce's features were just... different from the tall man with blazing red hair. He bristled at the man's voice. He was obviously very upset, but why? "What are you doing here? Why did you come here?" Bryce said, causing the man to turn away from Lilly and towards Bryce. "Who are you to question my goals and where I choose to go?" The man asked Bryce, who stood a bit taller. "I guess after 9 years I wouldn't remember the son I disowned either. You probably expected me dead didn't you? After bowing to the council sending me from my home my family at the age of 7 why would you expect otherwise?" Bryce fell silent waiting for his father to reply. The man looked at him closely. "So your still alive then. Though I can tell that you have still failed your family. Why do you continue to disgrace us with this petty existence of yours? You should have died when you were sent away." Bryce's father spat, a scowl on his face. The words seemed to have pierced Bryce's heart.

Zac was shocked. He'd heard from Bryce about his family situation. However, to experience it in person, with the lead offender standing right in front of him, it was so much more cruel than Bryce had made it sound. Zac stepped forward, still holding Pitt's hand, ready to rip that cowardly bastard of a father a new one, when he stopped. The other man had slowly turned to face them, and his visage made Zac's blood run cold. Zac felt the pit of his stomach drop. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he began to sweat slightly. The other man was his own father.

Zac grit his teeth, trying to keep his rage in check. Though he was trying, trying with all his might to honor the agreement he'd made with Pitt, he couldn't control the rage building within his body. It seemed like just being near the man was more than enough reason to blast him to smithereens. While his ire bubbled up inside of him, like a limitless pool of hatred, Zac found himself completely unable to control his magical pressure. His raw presence was fluctuating wildly. At moments, it seemed like Zac didn't even exist. However, it simultaneously appeared that they were in the presence of a Higher than Council-class mage. Zac gripped Pitt's hand tight. "Dad." He said. The word was curt, harsh, and completely devoid of all familial ties. "I have no reason to speak to you. Further, I have no reason to fight with you. I will be taking my leave of you now. Bryce, Lilly, you should come too. I won't stop you from staying if you want, but I'm removing myself from the situation. Grandfather always taught me to respect your elders, and killing them on the spot isn't exactly the definition of respect." Zac turned, forcing himself to walk away from the situation while reminding Zac's father of what he did to their family. "However," Zac spat, his magical pressure darkening and multiplying and rampaging about him while looking directly into his father's eyes. "If you come anywhere near Pitt again, I will kill you." At that, Zac turned to leave, his presence went wild around him tossing up small rocks, leaves, and anything that wasn't battened down. "Pitt, come with me. We're leaving." Zac said, holding his hand out for Pitt to take, who did so quickly, walking away from the memories of their father.

Lilly sneered at the two men. Both Zac and Bryce were clearly disturbed by their fathers presence. She had never seen the two of them so upset ... angry ... it was actually scary. And since she was Lilly, she covered her anger with hate and that never seemed to end well. Lilly stepped protectivly in front of Bryce, eyeing Zac as he left with Pitt. "Dont you dillweeds have anything better to do? I mean honestly, how cn I even come close to respecting some asswipes who only come around others to only cause misery and pain? If you want to go anywhere near those two, you have to go through me first! I may not be the same rank as them, but I can do just as much damage as them! I will tear out your souls and feed them to my dogs..." During the last part, Lilly's voice faultered slightly. It was her 'dad', Liam had butted in, his british accent heavy and dark. No one, not even Jessie, had know about her and Liam 'becoming one'. Her hand went under her skirt, where her dagger was resting in its holster. Liam had given her the motivation to stab and slice the crap out of the two men, but before she could move, arms wrapped around her and a now familiar scent floods her nose. Jessie's face rested on her shoulder, his smiling face gazing up at the men.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't my two friends drom the Council! I see you've met my adorable student! Isn't she absolutly thrilling? You see, she's the most talented Fire Mage I've taught!" He said, ending a wink to Lilly from the side. He was protecting her. This is why she was glad to be with her teacher as much as he was. "And it just so happens we have a training session right now. So if you'll excuse us!" Lilly grabbed Bryce's hand, pulling him into the gates.

"You're lucky ...," she said, glaring at the men. "Fu**ing bast-," she started before Jessie covered her mouth.

"Now now, lets hurry. If we finish early we can have tea together."