We strolled down a path, each side lined with beautiful hydrangeas and lilies. After a silent four minutes walk, we had arrived at a Grimm looking tower, that far contrasted the beauty of where it was situated.
The girl placed both hands on the tower entrance as a magic sigil formed on the door, spreading out and enveloping it in brilliant light. The door split into sections, entering the side walls of the tower. It was only then that I noticed the door had no door knob. We made our way up via a spiralling, seemingly endless set of stairs. At the end of the stairs was a door, which baffled me, since the space in the tower was narrow. Performing the same ritual as she did with the front door, we entered into a sub space, far too spacious to be a space in the tower.
This was the magic of the seven circle, witch- class mage, Audrey Claudette.
She sat on a rocking chair, swaying back and forth as the metronome on her table ticked in unison with her rocking.
She looked up at us, referring to the girl I had come with as, " Lucy".
" Ah!, I see you're back Lucy... ...
Young master Grimmseley Black, an honor to meet you... ..."
I was curious as to why she wanted to see me and also how she managed to replicate divine level spacial magic at her seventh circle.
She had a calm, almost unnerving air around her. Her eyes were fixed on me as if she was staring into my soul. She looked away after a while, keeping what she saw to herself. She had in her left hand, what looked like a copy of the answer sheets from the examination. When I saw it, I quickly realized what she was about to say, or so I thought.
" You, are ... ..., absolutely brilliant!!
Might I ask what inspired such answers from your test?, you've impressed me with your understanding of the theory of mana circulation".
At that moment, I felt underwhelmed. What I was expecting had not occured. Instead, I was being praised. I wondered whether the look she gave at the beginning was to see my aura. Its good I have a habit of suppressing it then.
I chose to give an honest lack luster explanation to her question in an attempt to show my disinterest in the conversation. Sensing my need to head to class, she decided to find me later. Her choice of words made me wonder just how far she'd go.
With a wave of her hand, I was transported back to the flowery walkway and I made my way to class, shock still riddled on my face.
At that time, my exasperation was to pungent to notice the gaze of an unfamiliar presence in the shadows.
For junior year magic swordsmanship, our instructor was Sir Maximus, a renowned swordsman with exceptional talents. Since the school had not registered our year batch as eligible for outdoor classes, we were to go through a lesson on basic magic swordsman qualifications.
" For a Magic Swordswoman, there had to be at least one or two magic circles, as well as a good grasp on imbuing magic spells into weapons or using magic weapons that worked with infusion arts.
As such, a magic swordsman may replicate a magic sigil or circuit symbol on their weapon to create the flow bridge between his or her inner circle and that of the sigil on the weapon".
I found the class interesting but basic, since I had already grasped that level of understanding from the old textbooks in the manner. After an hour more of talking, the teacher finally ended the class, much to the excitement of the majority. It was now time for morning breakfast.
Out of habit from my secluded past life experience, I simply bought a loaf of I'll be it, dry bread and teleported to the top of the school's clock tower once more to enjoy the meal. That place had become my safe haven. From my sitting position on the clock tower, I felt the same unfamiliar gaze I hadn't noticed before. This time, it felt far. I looked down, trying to identify my stocker among the hustle and bustle of students.
My gaze however was detected easily and my stocker vanished into shadow.
Deciding to ignore it for now, I teleported back into the crowds and made my way to my next class. On my way, I saw my sister. She was in a heated argument with a group of rather uncivilized seniors. They mocked my sister for having to repeat a year due to her absence, attributing it to failure rather than circumstance.
Of course, knowing my sister could handle herself, I decided to ignore. However, something deep within just wouldn't let me. I found myself standing Infront of my sister, eyes narrowed as I shuved her behind me for safety. She was shocked, her baffled gaze tinged with hints of admiration.
The bullies were not about to be stood up to by a freshman. With a curling of their leader's fist, he attempted to humiliate me with a beating.
His fist carried strength and subtle but noticeable hints of mana flow. I decided to make him regret his life choices and released a tenth of my murderous aura. My golden eyes seemed like the light of last breath as the bully recoiled, voice choked from the sheer fear of death he felt.
In a cold and calculating voice, I threatened.
" My sister might turn a blind eye and humor you fools, but I won't!!! Touch her and you'll meet the goddess early... ...!!".
The threat was enough to send chills down the spines of on lookers who weren't even involved. In a fearful tone, the bullies apologized, running as fast as they could to escape the situation.
I felt the same gaze once more, but chose to ignore, prioritizing my sister's safety.
My sister was still baffled, looking at me with both curiosity and lingering questions. It was at that point that I noticed that I had accidentally used my hidden power Infront of my sister.
She thanked me, choosing to address her hypothesis another time and left me to my thoughts.
At home, she was a clingy, overbearing big sister. But in school, she felt distant.
The first school day had ended, and I was worn out from the rigorous pursuit of knowledge and trying to avoid Miss Audrey's conversations.
I took a walk through the main district of the imperial capital, admiring the low glow of the setting suns, paired with the luminescent glow of magic crystal powered street lights.
As I passed by an arm-linked couple, I couldn't help but over hear their conversation.
There had been recent kidnappings in the capital. The strange thing was that, each victim was either a child or somehow related to nobility.
I surmised that these kidnappers might be looking for connections to the Night Cloak. I decided to have Checher make an appearance that night as I dressed up in my new cloak and dark assassin gear. I made them myself from the materials I had gotten from hunting in the forest of the Vansneath domain.
On a high roof top in the main district, I basked in the light of The Five Moons of Grandiose. From behind me, I felt the same gaze. This time, I knew it was from a powerful potential foe.
At that moment, the only thought that came to mind was to eliminate him or her to prevent the information of my identity from being revealed. I suspected it might be one of the recent kidnappers, even going as far as to link it to the holy knights themselves.
I called out into the darkness, my voice masked by the Cheshire mask.
The figure, pale white hair with black side burns and glowing crimson eyes, walked out in what I could only describe as office wear. He smirked slightly, unnerving me with his long and pointed fangs, slightly covered by his growing black beard.
He spoke with a cold, hypnotic and seemingly comatose-induced voice.
" Mr. Grimmseley Black, might I urge you to return to your dorm room, or could it be that you have been colluding with the kidnappers this entire time?!".
Shock washed over me like a child placed in the path of an incoming wave and left to suffer it's effects. The only words I mustered out of fear were; " how do you know my name...?!".