Chapter 9: Encounter
A few weeks later. Summer.
"So we're classmates in just history, basic magic and basic alchemy class? That sucks!" Paige said in trivial disbelief. "But, anyway, I guess that's a chance for you, Shiro."
"Chance for what?"
She widened her eyes and raised her arms. "Chance to get to know other people!" she exasperated and then grinned mischievously. "Or maybe find some handsome boy you'll come to like." She wiggled her eyebrows.
I laughed and shoved her off. "It's not like I'm a complete loner, Paige," I said. "And I am not a fan of romance, too."
She rolled her golden eyes at me. Adjusting her cloak and putting her hood down, she revealed her lavender colored hair. After she did that, Paige reached out to my cloak's hood and put it down as well.
I could feel the heat of the sun hitting the top of my head. We were out in the school courtyard right now, on our way to basic magic class and the weather was blazing hot which is why we had our hoods up.
My long black hair popped out of my hood like a waterfall and I could hear Paige sigh. "What I wish to have black hair like yours and Professor Axel's, Shiro."
"What'd you do that for?" I asked. "It's really hot right now, you know."
She shrugged. "You should put it down more often. This way, boys— I mean, people will notice you more. It's rare for people of your race to be here in Goras, after all."
Oh yeah, I forgot. Master also told me to lie about my race. He told me he used an alibi that he was from a foreign continent's kingdom where people had rich raven colored hair and dark colored eyes. And since I'm his "relative", I have to stick to that story as well.
"Well yeah," I uncomfortably replied. "But it's embarrassing, Paige. I don't want attention."
"Well, you're getting some," she said before pointing to a group of boys standing in the distance looking our way.
"Ugh," I grumbled, pulling my hood back up and walking faster towards the spot where we'll be having our class.
Once we got there, I made sure to be discreet and silent as possible, standing at the back of the class crowd. Paige followed behind me with a suddenly newfound spark in her eyes and a wide grin. She didn't look like that when we were talking.
"What's with you?" I asked.
"Our basic magic class's teacher is absent on a leave. Probably for two months, I heard," she said with a smile. "Guess who's the substitute?"
I raised a brow and thought about who could possibly be the substitute that Paige would be so happy to have in our class.
That's when I heard the voice.
"Alright, you brats, listen up."
Oh no, I inwardly groaned and facepalmed myself. Not him.
"Just because this is basic magic class doesn't mean that all you're going to learn is basic magic," he spoke in a haughty tone. This is one of the reasons most teachers hated him. He acts way too rowdy with the students. When he said that, I heard whoops of excitement from my classmates. I couldn't see where he was since I was at the very back but I knew that voice anywhere. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"
Then the cheers of excitement erupts. Annoyed, I backed away a bit, a sour look on my face. He was so good at riling people up but, once the real thing starts, hell breaks loose. None of my freshmen classmates knew just how brutal he could be.
Well, not until we were halfway through the lesson.
Today, Master decided to teach us how to sense other magicians in our surroundings using our magic sense. To do that requires a great amount of concentration and inner peace. As freshmen, we weren't even taught how to achieve inner peace yet. In fact, this lesson wasn't basic at all! It was for ADVANCED magic class!
He made it a setting where individual magicians were taught forcibly, efficiently and quickly enough. From the crowd, he would choose a person, make him come up front, give him instructions and then give him three minutes to sense the hidden magician that he says is hiding somewhere in the school forest adjacent to us.
Whenever you couldn't do it, he'd yell at you with a shower of insults and tell you to practice more before proceeding to the next person. He's already on the 29th student and no one has managed to sense the magician yet.
His face was still blank and he almost seemed bored but I could see the determination in his eyes. I've been training under him for five years already which means I've already memorized some of his habits and gestures.
"Alright, next," he said, looking back at the remaining crowd. His eyes then met mine before shifting to the person next to me. "You, with the purple hair."
Paige made a small squeal in delight as she walked towards her favorite and idol professor. Master whispered instructions to her and she just kept nodding. Then, when she was about to start, someone behind us called out.
"Professor Axel! The headmaster wants to see you right now," a young man in a senior's uniform called out. "He said it's an emergency."
I could see Master give out an annoyed look before sighing. Then he turned to us. "We'll have a ten minute break," he said before walking away.
Paige walked back to me with pink cheeks and a grin. "Did you see that? He was so close!" she squealed. "Gods, I could just die right now. That's the closest I've ever been to him."
I laughed at her reaction. She really did like Master, after all.
Everyone else dispersed around the courtyard and it was just me, Paige and couple more students left at the spot by the forest. We were all simply chatting under the shade of the trees and waiting for Master to come back when it happened.
Paige was seated with her back to the forest while I was directly in front of her. It happened all too suddenly.
Big hands suddenly emerged out from the bushes behind her and grabbed her by the arms before any one of us could react. She immediately disappeared into the bushes with a scream for help. I yelled after her and, before I knew it, I chased after her.
It all happened as if in slow motion.
Out of the bush now, I was running after her and the figure of the boy carrying her. With my experience from training, I dodge through all the roots and branches, running as fast as I could, until I managed to catch up to them.
I grabbed Paige's outreached hands, her face contorted in fear, shock and desperation, and pulled her.
Because of the sudden force, the boy fell on his ass, consequently losing his grip on Paige. I pulled her to me and made sure to keep her close.
"Can you run?" I asked.
She nodded and we immediately ran back. But it was then I remembered how awful I was at directions so, after running a while, instead of the courtyard, we ended up by the lake. In my panic, I grabbed Paige and made a run for the gazebo that was at the center of the lake, connected by a bridge to the land.
"Shiro, I don't think that's a good idea!" I heard Paige say.
"Don't worry, I have an idea!" I said but, in actuality, I didn't have an idea.
We were so screwed.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone