*Ring-Ring-Ring*
Jingling the other bell in his hand, Callista let out a defeated sigh as she made her way to him. "On your knees. I'll say when you can walk." Jarren stood a few feet away from him,the two still in the void of mirrors.
Falling to her knees, she crawled her way to him. Her knees and hands kissing the jagged crystalline ground that made all kinds of cuts and bruises on her joints and palms. It was painful, degrading and without a doubt humiliating but she knew there was no other means in her glass cage.
Crouching to her level, the silver bell in his hand was attached to her collar. "I can't tell where you'll wander off so keep it on at all times regardless of where you are. Now let's get back." He pat her head and cupped her face like an owner with their dog and in a blink, they were back in the Arcane Archives.
She looked down at her neck, something choking her to realize that it was the collar. It's silver bells glistening in the light that managed to peer through the windows. He didn't bother with a pleasantry as he took his leave. Watching his figure depart, she could already feel the numbness grow back, the deathly silence wrapping around her figure once more.
She thought how she would explain the collar to her parents but the more thought she applied, the more pointless she realized it was. 'I'll have to be his mouse in my own glass cage.' The book he was urging her to read halfway through lay strewn alongside the other books. Picking it up, she took her leave and made her way back to her dormitory room.
...
Rhydian, the head professor remained seated in his office. Sure he was now blind but his senses made it easy for him to navigate with ease. He couldn't talk and the glyph embedded in his mind made it impossible for him to relay what Jarren truly was. The old man rose from his seat and opened the curtains letting the sun's rays fill the room.
The orange hues that trailed the sky now a thought in his mind. "Excuse me Professor Rhydian, but I have instructor Roland Blackmoor here wishing to meet your presence." The voice echoing through the receiver in his room, a luxury that he had treated as an afterthought. "Let him in." His tone gravel as he kept on facing at the academy below.
Sure his sight was gone but in his mind he could picture the scene. It wasn't long before the elevator came to the top and a man walked in. His attire a blend of medieval and modern, well kept hair, calm demeanor and a faint smile. "Professor Rhydian, it's certainly an honor to meet you."
His tone light and friendly as he made his way towards his presence. "Roland, what do I owe the pleasure of having you here?" Rhydian mused, his tone falling short to Roland's in terms of attitude. His was sharper and with an edge of hostility. Roland ignored it as he went on. "So far with the minor changes in the academy, I hope that matters are more to your liking."
Roland had been here before, offering to fully integrate the academy into an age of technology. A noble sent by the royal court to help with the academy. "They've been fine." Roland could feel the unspoken coldness that radiated from Rhydian. It was clear that he wasn't in a talking mood.
"Did I come at a bad time? I could always come back again." He had never taken a seat and without confirmation made his way to the door. "I accept your deal Roland." The air fell silent. "Oh, that's wonderful news Rhydian." Roland who had his hand on the knob released it and looked at the old man.
Never once had he shot a glance at him. "This will be beneficial for the academy and the students, a deal I'm sure that you won't regret." Roland perked up as he went on. "Here are the details." The folders appearing out of thin air came to his hands and placed them on the table.
"Can you read them to me?" Roland was puzzled hearing his request. Before he could voice it, Rhydian finally turned around explaining why he asked. "Rhydian, your eyes?!" His tone revealed his shock which was understandable. "A minor problem during my ascension. Don't stress yourself too much on it."
Rhydian chuckled but the unnervingness of the sight would be hard to ignore. "If you insist." Taking the folders, he began a proper detailed breakdown. Starting from the academy, the changes that would be implemented but what made Rhydian pause was the introduction of a new class.
"Yes, thanks to the rapidly evolving technology, anew class will have to be instilled for it. But it won't be mandatory as per the court decree." Rhydian found the introduction of a new class absurd before calming down. The world was all about change and it would seem that this was one of them.
"However the students will have to acquaint themselves with a bit of knowledge about the fallen world and the technology in it." Rhydian paused as he allowed Roland to keep on going with his folders. Sensing that he came to his end, he was glad however Roland had a crucial change for last.
"As for the tournament, there will be modifications to it. It will play out as per usual however this time the rewards will be different. The top five students of the winning and losing academies will be enrolled to participate in a sanctuary haven for further training."
The prize had been altered but the game was pretty much the same. "Just what exactly will they be doing there?" Roland paused, his tone still with the masquerade of lightheadedness. "That is above my class for me to know." Rhydian recalled Jarren and with a monster like him interacting with amuck would bring disaster.
A few more exchanges followed before the two came to an end of their conversation. "Thanks for your time." And with that Roland took his leave. The air grew stiff once more as Rhydian fell onto his chair and his mind spiralling into contemplation of what would occur. The unpredictability Jarren had around him was what bothered him.
'It's only a matter of time before the entire world knows what you truly are.' He knew Jarren's shroud and secrecy would come to light sooner or later.
***
The sight of two students clashing in an arena was prevalent. One wielded fire like armor, the other an expert in the arts of earth and water. It was Brose and Ingrid.
*BAM*
Ingrid was sent flying across the arena but his spirit remained unwavering. Using the ground as platforms to tread, he closed the distance between him and Brose who had his guard up, a playful smile on his face. "You have to do better than that." A comment that felt more like a tease rather than encouraging.
"Let's see if you're still going to be smiling after this." His figure leapt into the air and with it a spherical granite ball tumbled threatening to crush Brose. With a quick dash of his feet, he was out of the radius but Ingrid had something else up his sleeve. Using the water to slow him down was pointless as Brose's flames would evaporate the water.
Earth was his greatest asset when facing Brose as it would manage to cancel most of his attacks. The ground beneath his feet sank holding Brose in place then a hit to his back followed.
*Boom*
It wasn't lethal but definitely painful making Ingrid let out a laugh. Brose's body heated up, his clothes slowly charring as he shot a ball of fire at Ingrid who used the sphere as cover neutralizing the fire. 'Damn it Brose!' The sphere couldn't perfectly block it as tentacles of flames shot out to him forcing him to back up.
Brose on the other hand started to focus on getting out of his predicament. His body was now bathed in flames and with a yell, he managed to burn through the concrete and lunge at Ingrid who was still mid air. Ingrid hurled shards of rocks at him which he dodged closing the distance.
Ingrid's body was coated in armor of stone and water, ready to tank Brose's attack. A kick to his abdomen made him stagger but before he could regain his bearings, a punch to the face followed. Brose who was ready to land another hit was met with a platform burst thrusting his figure into the air.
Ready to regain his advantage Ingrid shot a water ball that instantly evaporated as intended covering the arena in vapor. Crouching and placing his hand onto the arena, he could feel the vibrations of movements tracking Brose.
*Whoosh-Whoosh-Whoosh*
Brose in the vapour managed to dodge the projectiles thrown at him as his figure kept on heating up clearing more of the vapour. "Stop it you two! The fight isn't a life or death situation for you two to be going so rough with each other." A voice echoed halting their movements.
The vapour instantly cleared thanks to wind magic and to the side a figure came into view. It was a professor over seeing the match. "We understand professor." The two simultaneously said. "I advice you two to focus more on your glyphs. Ingrid, you bring out a lot of attacks but you burn through your reserves way too quickly."
"As for you Brose, as much as fire is your strong suit, it would be better for you to learn another element. In that vapour mist, you were too prone to attacks." The two listened intently before the the professor took his leave. The pair looked at each other. "The one time I finally have an advanced over you it's snatched away from me."
Ingrid grumbled as the two made their way back to the dormitories. "Shame. However I can't be bursting out like that. My clothes are completely burnt from that stunt." Ingrid barely held his laugh as he looked at Brose before bursting into laughter. "You look like you've been through it. However the professor is right, if you had another element then maybe the situation would've been different."
Brose knew this however when he became the champion of flames, it came with it's own problem as well. He would be unrivaled in that field but his affinity with other elements would be reduced tenfold. What took the average person a day to master would take him ten days. This also depended on the complexity as well.
Thus he was forced to dedicating more into the fire element. "I know but I don't have time to start focusing on another element right now, I'll have to focus on my fire for now." Ingrid let out a shrug of acceptance as he knew that it would be pointless at the time. The tournament was the day after tomorrow after all.