Lily Bedford's Story

Bryce was quite pleased with how his first class was going so far he couldn't help but chuckle as Ikari began telling the students the rules she sounded so much like Kira during their first class all that time ago. He'd finished up by asking his students if they had any questions. Before he could look around Asami spoke up on Kyouko's behalf. "Hmm? Ah, yes. Excuse me? The first rule...does that mean she's also banned from tending to her regular obligations outside of this club? She's an Onmyōji and per her tradition, she has to do all these rituals most of the time. Is she allowed to continue? Or must she abstain from it? Personally, I think she's fine since normal people are already exposed to it and they do not make much of it, seeing it more as a cultural norm. A magical invocation in the guise of a traditional ritual. She even conducts exorcisms."

Bryce thought for a moment before replying. "I think the rituals will be fine, but I'd prefer if at all possible no exorcisms. I don't want her being tired for her classes and as I understand they can be quite draining." Looking around again he noticed another student with a question. This time it was Mizu.

She must have been really excited about the question as she jumped off of the top of the desk she'd been sitting atop. "Who are you?" Before Bryce could dodge the question saying "I'm your teacher I just told you." her demon spoke up clarifying the question so he couldn't get out of it. "What they mean is it possible they know you from anywhere?"

Bryce thought carefully before beginning to reply. Just as he was about to someone burst into the room bringing quite literally a chill over the room. The boy didn't stop in the doorway he walked right up to Bryce taking his shirt in a chilled fist. "Bryce Zypher, I am Cathal... son of Robert. And today you die. I challenge you to a dual! To the death!" He dropped his hold on Bryce returning to the door saying, Meet me in the field where you've battled before. I'll be waiting." With that he left the room taking the unnatural chill with him.

Bryce looked to Ikari who nodded stiffly. "Well students it seems I have something to which I need to attend if you'd all follow me then." He began leading the students out to the forest. "This isn't going to be a sparring match so once we get there you all need to stand to the back edge of the clearing I don't want any of you getting hurt." He ignored the questions as he continued leading the students and their demons to the clearing. "Ikari you stay back too he challenged me I'm not going to hold back on him."

After a few minutes the group arrived at the clearing. "Alright students stay here and observe. This is why you should always think before issuing a challenge." Bryce stepped forward to the center of the clearing where Cathal was waiting. "Hello Cathal. I'm guessing there is nothing I could say to make you rescind this challenge is there?" Cathal offered him no response instead moving into a fighting stance. Bryce nodded his acceptance reaching into the air next to him pulling out his Scythe then taking a stance himself.

"You issued the challenge so I'll give you the first move. Better make it count though, it's the only one you're going to get." Bryce's voice stayed level almost sounding sad at the prospect of having to fight this kid. The sky began to grow dark clouding over as silence grew in the clearing. Cathal took his chance creating his ice blades charging at Bryce slashing with one arm at his stomach the other at his throat. Bryce simply lifted his scythe both blades strongly impacting the handle of the scythe. Bryce lifted his free hand to the sky. The air grew still Bryce's and Cathal's hair began standing as if statically charged. An instant later a lightning bold crashed down from the sky impacting Bryce's Scythe rushing through Cathal's blades throwing him back dissolving them instantly. Cathal rolled to a stop 30 feet back. Before he had a chance to recover and counter he was impacted from the side by a wall of air throwing him to the ground. Bryce walked up to him raising his Scythe as he went. Cathal wasn't quite finished yet freezing the ground in front of him he pushed off sliding out of range of the strike quickly jumping to his feet. "You asked for this Cathal." Bryce swung his scythe opening a wind tunnel to Cathal the sonic charge of the wind stunned Cathal. Jumping into it Bryce flew at him faster than most eyes could follow. Bryce raised his scythe preparing to finish Cathal as soon as he reached him.

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Lily Bedford

Three Days Earlier

Lilly had woken up with a jolt, like always, dressed in odd clothes covered in blood. By now, she didn't even question it. Her demon Oz appeared next to her bed, holding spare clothes and a towel. The only question Lily ever had was why couldn't she ever remember where she had been and why she woke up covered in blood every time. Even Oz said that he wouldn't be able to find her. That is until the moment she would regain consciousness. Lily had rid herself of Liam long ago, so thee was no way it was him. The Shadow Mage always thought she was running from the Council, but what if she was really doing their bidding? The only people strong enough to pull off what was happening to her was a Council Member.

"Three months, Master." Oz stated lightly. "It's time to go back."

"Where's Bryce now?"

"I've been tracking him and it appears that he has taken up Robert's old position. I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you again." Lily nodded, letting out a sigh. It had been three months since the last time she saw Bryce. He had to have been getting tired of her constant disappearing.

Lily quickly showered and dressed, ready to leave the hotel.

Present Day

Lily and Oz weren't much further away from the school when a sudden burst of magical energy made Lily falter mid-air. She would know such an aura from miles away, but why was he going all out? It was then that the Shadow Mage felt a much smaller energy. She looked to Oz with a worried look in her eyes, there was no way he was using this much energy on a student. Lily flew top speed towards the opening in the forest, to see what was going on. It was exactly what she had thought. She was lucky to have made it when she did, Bryce was about to murder the poor kid.

Lily tucked in her wings, dropping in between the two, bracing to take all the impact. With a swift round house, Lily sent Bryce in the opposite direction.

"You idiot! What kind of teacher are you!" Lily rushed to the boy behind her, checking to see if he was okay. "Kid, are you alright? Here, I'll take you to the nurse." Lily helped the boy stand, putting his arm around her shoulders for support. "The rest of you head back to the classroom! That's an order!" Oz slowly moved to Bryce, his usual blank expression on his face.

"We're home sir. Nice to see you again."

"What were you thinking? You must have picked a fight with him. He's -B Rank, you don't mess with him," Lily said, making her way to the infirmary.

Without warning the door was flung open and the temperature dropped. By the time Mizu looked up the male who had just entered had grabbed the instructor by the collar. If they tried hard enough they could see their breath come out looking like clouds of smoke.
"Bryce Zypher. I am Cathal ... son of Robert. And today, you die," he said, "I challenge you to a dual! To the death! Meet me in the field where you've battled before. I'll be waiting."
No sooner had he entered he left, leaving a blanket of ice covering the ground near him.
"It sounds very fun!" Mizu chirped walking up to where Cathal the son of Robert stood, looking down at the icy ground.
They did wonder who this Robert was but as of now Mizu was more intrigued by the ice. They stepped onto it, sliding a bit before falling down into a sitting position.
"Well students it seems I have something to which I need to attend if you'd all follow me then."
Mizu looked up happily, they had never seen two Mages fight before and the mere thought made them giggle slightly as they got up, using Pavati as a sort of rope much to his distaste.
"This isn't going to be a sparring match so once we get there you all need to stand to the back edge of the clearing I don't want any of you getting hurt."
They half skated from the class room, close on Bryce's trail. Soon enough they neared a forest heading in, then coming to a clearing.
"Alright students stay here and observe. This is why you should always think before issuing a challenge."
"Okie dokie!" Mizu smiled, glancing over to Cathal.
They watched the two spar, intrigued by the whole thing. Pavati wasn't too interested, not until Cathal was seconds away from his end.
To his disappointment and Mizu's a female appeared practically from thin air, dropping down and kicking the new instructor away.
"Oh well... That was... Disappointing," Pavati muttered, annoyance slipping into his tone.
Mizu sighed,"Isn't that cheating?"
The woman seemed pretty angry with Bryce for some reason as she began yelling at him before helping Cathal up and turning to the others watching.
"The rest of you head back to the classroom! That's an order!"
"Aww but you can't te-"
"Mizu. Let's. Go," Pavati snapped, knowing this woman wasn't to be messed with,"There's nothing else to do anyway."
Mizu pouted slightly, turning away from the clearing, not happy with the way things turned out.

"I think the rituals will be fine, but I'd prefer if at all possible no exorcisms. I don't want her being tired for her classes and as I understand they can be quite draining."

Their instructor finally told them his verdict on Asami's question. Ritual rites were still allowed for them but they were forbidden from exorcisms. "Okay..." Kyouko managed as their session went underway. As their first lecture was about to begin, Asami felt a sudden change in their atmosphere. Sniffing the air around, she glanced just in time to see another boy enter the room; harbinger of the cold aura.

"Bryce Zypher. I am Cathal ... son of Robert. And today, you die. I challenge you to a dual! To the death! Meet me in the field where you've battled before. I'll be waiting."

He seemed to have a beef with their instructor though what he said was a rather intriguing one. "Ara? A duel to the death? This should be interesting. First time I'll see how measly humans handle my territory." Asami remarked, referring to her own element. They were instructed to follow, to witness their battle. "No problem. Kyouko, this should be an eye-opener for you." When Asami looked at her though, she seemed a little uneasy. "Can't forget the past eh?"

A clearing outside the premises. It's nothing if not exposed and Asami thought if their instructors are allowed to violate their own rules. They soon started, with their instructor wielding a scythe of all things. His young opponent opted for blades instead.

"Wind and Ice...The thing about wind is that he won't find any area where he's at a disadvantage, I guess." Asami glanced down at Kyouko who was intently watching the battle. Noticing the dark sky, a lightning bolt struck down the Ice mage. "Ah! That could have been fatal--" Asami was about to yell out when Kyouko stopped her.

"They did say a duel to the death..."

"But this isn't a duel Kyouko. More of a one-sided killing if nothing else."

As their instructor was about to deliver the finishing blow, a woman interfered, bringing her demon in tow. She got in the way of Bryce and his challenger, immediately ending their battle. She yelled at them to return to their classrooms, with the serpentine demon Pavati complaining about the outcome.

"So what have you picked up from all this?" Asami asked as they made their way back. Kyouko shrugged.

"Western magic is...rather straightforward." She replied, Asami knowing full well what she meant.

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Lily Bedford

Lily finally arrived to the nurses office, who immediately recognized her, even after all these years. "It's so good to see you're doing well."

"Yeah, it's good to see you too. But I've got someone who needs you." Lily jerked her head to the nearly unconscious boy leaning on her. The nurse quickly reacted, having the older Shadow Mage help set him on a bed. While the nurse tended to the young mages wounds, Lily proceeded to question him. "Alright kid. What the hell is wrong with you? Who are you?"

"He ... he ..." It didn't seem like he was strong enough to talk, so Lily got up to leave. "He killed my dad." Lily stopped mid-step, in shock. How come she hadn't heard of this? What was Bryce doing while she was gone.

"Kid, who was your dad?"

"Robert ... Robert Bekenfield."

What the hell?! Robert had a kid?! Lily looked down at the floor. No doubt about it. Now that she looked back at the kid, he was for sure Robert's kid. A familiar presence appeared next to Lily, and Oz materialized.

"Indeed, this is Cathal Elmslie, whom, according to the students, waltzed into the class and challenged Bryce to a death match. Master, if you ask me, he was asking for it. He said to the death, so you should have let Bryce finish it." Oz left without another word. Lily however could feel her heart pounding a mile a minute. To kill Robert had torn her up enough as it was, now to find out he had a son? There had to have been some other way to save Robert. Lily had done so much research over the years, trying to find out if they could have saved him. But she would disappear and black out before she could find anything.

"Cathal, you have to understand. The reason your father was killed ... he had to be. Bryce, Zac ... Bryce, Zac and I saved a lot of lives that day. And if you don't think it's hurt us, then your wrong. Cathal, I grew up without any parents but Robert treated my like no one had. Bryce, Robert, Zac and their demons became my family. We had to kill our teacher, our mentor, our father. Cathal, don't go challenging people unless you know one hundred percent they are guilty beyond a doubt. Why don't you go after the source, the real reason your dad had to die." Lily dug into her dimensional pocket, a neat trick Bryce had taught her long ago, and grabbed a piece of paper. "This is all the research I have so far on what happened that night. Use that and not your hate for us. Got it?" Lily looked to the nurse and gave her a look that said send him back to class when your done.

Ceil was quite in shock the standard introduction to the class as interrupted not by questions the teacher had asked for those but by a tall boy who walked up taking the teachers shirt by the collar. Then challenged him to a duel not only a duel but to the death. Ceil was expecting the teacher to refuse as the boy was storming out, but he accepted telling all the students to follow. Ceil followed behind the rest of the students Briar sitting atop his head as they walked out at a brisk pace. Upon reaching the clearing Bryce told the students to stay at the edge and watch so Ceil jumped up into a tree to get a better view.

The fight if you could call it that didn't last long. Cathal charged with ice blades hitting Bryce's scythe. Suddenly a lightning bolt crashed down knocking Cathal back Bryce charged but Cathal slid away with a quick burst of magic the Bryce ripped open a whirlwind disappearing for what would be the killing blow. Before he could land it something crashed down throwing Bryce into a tree across the clearing yelling at him before telling the students go go back to their classroom. Not wanting to anger the woman who just face kicked their teacher into a tree he jumped down with Briar quickly walking his way back to the classroom waiting for the teacher or anyone else who would tell them it's ok to leave.



Closing in to end this duel Bryce was readying his scythe for the final blow when something appeared in front of him for all he could tell kicking him out of the whirlwind through a tree. Bryce we stunned there was no way Cathal could have gotten a kick like that off from the position he was in. As he unburried himself from the tree a voice spoke to him. "We're home sir. Nice to see you again." Pushing the trunk of the tree off of his chest he managed to cough a reply. "Oh OZ nice to hear you too I take it Lilly was the one who sent me through the tree then." Taking a deep breath Bryce flooded his lungs so he could breath regularly again. "Nice to have you home any chance you know anything about where she was this time?" Looking around Bryce saw the students were already gone headed back to the classroom if he'd heard Lilly right through the sound of a tree falling on him.

Bryce started to walk doubling over in pain at the first step. "Ribs, I think my right arm, and definitely my nose. Well Lilly's certainly not lost out on any of her abilities. He groaned deciding to head to the nurse to let her patch him up. Her healing magic was finally stronger than his. "Ikari will you go to the classroom and tell the kids we're done for the day if they have any questions tell them to find me tomorrow I'll be in our office." "I'd rather stay with you Bryce it's been a long time since you've been beat up like this." Bryce nodded. "I know but I've lived through worse. Please go take care of the students." She nodded gruffly running off to the classroom.

Bryce began limping to the school casting an illusion spell so he appeared to be walking normally without the growing amount of blood. 'I'm going to have to talk to Lilly about this no doubt she plans on killing me next time she sees me.' It took 30 minutes or so for him to gimp his way up to the nurse. She saw through his illusion instantly. "What the hell happened to you!? I haven't seen you like this since your 3rd mission. I told Robert you weren't ready for Chimara." Her voice dropped as she realized what she's said. "I-I'm sorry I know what you went through that night Bryce." "No, no it's fine not talking about him isn't going to change what happened. The least we can do is remember who he was and what he did for all of us." The nurse nodded guiding him to an empty bed that happened to be right across from Cathal's where Lilly was also sitting. Choosing to let it lay Bryce ignored them for the moment. "So do you think you can patch me up? I could have tried but you're a lot better at this healing stuff than I am.

The Classroom

Ikari walked into the classroom seeing that all the students had made it back up. "I'm glad you're all here." She stepped in front of the head desk. "Class is finished for the day if any of you have questions." Seeing a few hands shoot up. "I will NOT be answering them today. Bryce and I will be here tomorrow for anyone who has questions. So that will be it for today you are all dismissed." With Ikari walked out of the room heading as quickly as she could to the infirmary.

Once she got there she saw Lilly sitting with Cathal and Bryce being frantically looked over by the nurse. "Broken ribs, your right arm is almost shattered, your nose, and your left leg has a fracture. What exactly happened to you Bryce?!" Ikari looked over at Lilly before walking to Bryce's side. "Well he was challenged to a duel by that young man over there. As Bryce was about to... end it Lilly jumped in and sent Bryce through a tree." Ikari shrunk down quickly jumping onto the bed curling up in the crook of Bryce's neck licking his cheek softly. "He's going to be alright though isn't he?"