The Sixth School

Author's note.

1). Feedback from my readers is my fuel to keep writing. If you enjoy my work, please take the time to let me know in the comments. It does wonders for my motivation to write. Without it, my pacing usually suffers a lot.

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All Characters in the story are 18 years of age and above...

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Chapter Twenty: Not if I have something to say about it...

Greg was tempted to ask the familiar to stay in her corporeal form beside him. He, however, understood the importance of keeping her hidden for the time being. After all, a hidden blade was much more dangerous compared to one that was out in the open and exposed to one's opponent. With everything in place, Greg took the time to take a deep breath and calm his nerves. If he could avoid tipping off his foe that he was aware of them, then he could maintain the element of surprise when he struck. Pulling the door to the room he'd dived into open, Greg calmly stepped out and moved towards the entrance to the infirmary.

The sun was still up in the sky when Greg stepped out of the infirmary. By Greg's estimate, the time was around four in the evening. People were still moving about in the town, probably organizing what they would have for dinner. One who casually looked at this scene would have no way of knowing that there was danger lurking here. Greg, however, wasn't calmed by the seemingly normal evening. If Olivia was on edge, then he'd stay alert for anything, until she made it known that the danger had passed. Greg didn't have to look for long. He'd only taken a few steps from the infirmary when he caught sight of his cousin, Nolruk.

His cousin had been leaning against a house close to the infirmary, watching as Greg approached. Because of this, Greg had no way of avoiding the guy or acting like he hadn't seen him. In his cousin's eyes, Greg couldn't help but notice that there was a look of pity. It was almost as if he was looking at a dead man walking. A cold fury began to burn in Greg's chest. Was this the same look they had shown the first time around when they'd killed his father and tried to kill him? Unable to suppress the fury he felt, Greg made no attempt to hide the fact that he was aware that his cousin had been waiting for him. "I hope I didn't keep you long," He offered with false politeness, all the while his eyes were trying to bore holes in his cousin's head.

His cousin, however, didn't respond to him, instead, he simply pushed up from the wall and said, "Come with me," As he started towards the forest.

His cousin didn't look back, as if it was a foregone conclusion that Greg would comply and follow him. Greg, however, made no move to follow. Olivia had already warned him about allowing himself to be pulled into the playing field that his uncle had set up. If he wanted to come out on top, he just simply couldn't allow himself to be led by the nose. Saying nothing, he watched as his cousin walked some distance off before he realized he was on his own. There was some measure of anger in his eyes as Nolruk was forced to come back to where Greg had remained standing. He had expected Nolruk to snap at him angrily for not following. His cousin, however, maintained his cool and spoke plainly. "Father said to tell you that you have a choice as to where this fight takes place," His cousin said. Once again, both in his voice and the way his cousin looked at him, it was as if he was looking at a dead man. As if, regardless of how Greg struggled, the outcome would be the same. "It can be out in the forest, or at your home," Nolruk continued. "However, he'd hate to see either your sister or mother come to any harm, so he'd highly recommend that you come to him," His cousin said before turning around once more. This time, Greg could see it in the resolute way that he was moving that his cousin wouldn't be coming back a second time.

There was nothing subtle about the threat to his family. There was very little doubt in Greg that if he didn't follow, his sister and mother would be pulled into this fight. From how strongly Olivia had reacted, Greg knew he couldn't underestimate the threat posed by his uncle. If he arrogantly believed that he would be able to protect his family, and then failed to do so, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. At the back of Greg's mind, he always remained cognizant of the fact that he was an imposter. His mother and sister weren't actually his mother and sister, they were Roka's. He had simply been swapped out with the real Roka. As such, from a cold and detached point of view, he had no obligations to anyone. What happened to either Roka's mother or sister, had nothing to do with him. There was no reason that he should risk his second chance at life for their sake. But for whatever reason, sound as the logic was, Greg just couldn't bring himself to act on it. For better or for worse, in this life, they were his family too. Greg owed it, if not to them, then at least to the Roka that he'd replaced to protect them.

'What was the danger that you picked up on?' Greg asked mentally to his familiar even as he cautiously looked around to see if there were other hidden threats around. Who knows? Perhaps his uncle was trying to lure him away so he could do something to his family.

"It's the aura clinging to the boy," Olivia answered without delay. The familiar was aware that Greg was in a pinch and needed all the information available to the both of them to make a decision. "It's the aura of powerful magic," She declared. "Without your mana core awakened, you can't pick up on it. I can, however," Olivia explained. "The aura of magic, in and of itself isn't that concerning," Olivia went on to say. "It's the fact that I can't tell anything about the source of the magical aura other than the fact that it's powerful, that's really concerning," She stated. "There are only two reasons that would be true. The first is that, it's the aura of a being at tier four or higher," She stated. "In which case, even with all the preparations we've made, your chances of surviving that encounter are next to nil," She declared.

'Wait, but didn't you say it can take anywhere from five years to two decades to become a fourth-tier mage?' Greg posed, unable to help the confusion even in his mental voice. 'If my uncle had been a mage for the last half a decade or more, I am certain I would have noticed,' He went on to add with certainty. From all his memories of the man, there was just no way that he could have been a mage in hiding. It was only recently that he began to exhibit changes. Before that, everything about his uncle had been as normal as can be.

'Believe it or not, him being a fourth-tier mage was the better of the two possibilities,' Olivia said much to Greg's displeasure. "The other reason is that there is a being involved of higher life order than myself," She stated. Knowing that he wouldn't know what she was talking about, Olivia didn't wait to be asked before explaining. "Think of all life as occupying different ranks. Life forms with no intelligence or instinct like most plants, occupy the lowest rung of this ranking. On the other extreme end of this life order ranking, are deity-like beings. The kinds that people form a religion around. The kind of beings with enough power to destroy worlds if they so desired," She explained. "How and why different life forms are ranked in the way that they are, is a rather intricate subject that we can dig into some other day when we have the time, but for now, all that you need to know is that I occupy a much higher ranking in terms of life order compared to humans. The only way your uncle would be able to hide anything magically from me would be if he too was working with a being that occupied a life order equal to or higher than mine," She explained. "And if that is the case, you are in even bigger trouble than if he happened to be a fourth-tier mage," She informed him.

'By 'working with, do you mean that he too has a familiar like me?' Greg sought clarification.

'That's just one of the many possibilities," Came the reply from Olivia. "He may have a particularly powerful familiar, he may have become enslaved by such a being, he may have somehow contracted such a being, he may even be working with a third party that is the one with the link to the higher order being," Olivia listed out.

Greg couldn't help the grim smile that crossed his lips even as he summarized the situation before him. "So, basically, what you are telling me is that my chances of coming out of this alive are somewhere between improbable and impossible?" Greg posed rhetorically. Anyone paying attention to the young man at that moment would have noticed that his gaze was growing increasingly cold even as he watched his cousin walk towards the forest. "Not if I have something to say about it," He ground out through gritted teeth.

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Zarek calmly stood in the grove with the staff that had changed his life at his side. The magic had taken a great toll on his body, no one was more keenly aware of that than he was. The pain sometimes got so bad that he wanted to just curl up on the ground and never move again. He, however, had always prided himself in his iron will. As such, despite it all, he made it a point to never let it show even when he was by himself. Which was why he could maintain a calm demeanor as he watched the boy approach. This time, the boy didn't have his mask on. As such, Zarek could see the full extent of the damage that had been done to the boy's visage. Not that he cared either way. His gaze moved to either side of the boy as Zarek noted the fact that his son wasn't with the boy. There was a slight tinge of worry that squeezed at his heart when he noticed that Roka's hands were bloody. The useless feeling, however, was very quickly quashed! Despite his best efforts to make him stronger as a person, his son had always been weak. If he had fallen as a result of his weakness, then it was his fault for doing so.

The other reason Zarek didn't allow himself to worry about his son, was because of the boy before him. For whatever reason, his instincts, both as a new mage and as an old hunter, had been warning him against the boy. Every time he'd been on the cusp of making his move, he'd get the feeling that it would be a fatal mistake. This was why he'd forced himself to withstand the pain of summoning the dark crawlers. Whatever was up with the boy, he hadn't been willing to leave anything to chance. Which was why, Zarek had two of the dark crawlers stay right below the boy as soon as he caught sight of him. For worms that had grown to the size of about five humans in length, the things could be surprisingly stealthy while underground. The boy was calmly approaching Zarek like everything was in his control, not knowing that he was already in the palm of Zarek's hand,

"Where is my son?" Zarek asked when the boy came to a stop a few meters before him.

A chilling smile spread on the boy's face. His disfigurement making the smile even more ghastly than it would have otherwise been. "Probably writhing in pain and crying for his father, where I left him," came the calm answer. There wasn't even the slightest hint of emotion as he spoke of what he'd done.

An equally cold smile crossed Zarek's lips. "That boy hates me," He reported with no shift in his emotions. One would have been forgiven for thinking he was talking about a stranger and not his own son. "He would sooner die than call out for me when in pain," He added.

The smile on the boy's face widened, almost as if he'd been expecting this exact answer. "You'd be surprised how honest with themselves people can be when in pain," He replied. "Who do you think a boy that has so desperately been craving his father's love all his life will cry for when driven right to the edge?" His brother's son posed with a sadistic gleam in his eyes. Zarek's jaws couldn't help but clench as he was forced to consider the possibility of his son crying for him even as he was tortured. Unconsciously, his hand clenched into a tight fist and his gaze turned murderous as he regarded the one before him. However, given the lack of reaction from the boy before him, either he didn't notice the change in his demeanor, or he just didn't care. "Now, now," Roka spoke up moving his bloody hands in a placating manner. "No need to get angry. I'm not cruel enough to permanently separate a father from their son," In spite of himself, Zarek couldn't help but shudder at the amount of venom that was laced into that statement. "Soon enough, the two of you will be together, writhing in pain as a family," He added in a glacial tone.

A derisive snort left Zarek even as the ground beside him bulged up into a heap before being pushed aside by the gigantic head of the one dark crawler that he'd kept by his side, just in case of anything. He hadn't planned on bringing it out so early in their encounter. However, seeing the look of shock and fear on the boy's face, wiped away any qualms he might have had with it. For a moment, he even considered letting the boy know that there were currently two dark crawlers under him, just to see what expression he would have. He, however, chose to keep that ace hidden. One thing years as a hunter had taught him was to always respect his prey. Overestimating oneself, or underestimating one's prey has on many occasions been the cause of many a hunter's death. "Am I supposed to be scared?" Zarek asked even as he placed his hand on the head of the terrifying monster beside him.

Despite the fear that had momentarily clouded the boy's expression, he quickly regained a determined expression. Zarek could see that this wasn't an attempt to hide the fear he felt. It was the resolve to fight despite it. "Before I send you to explain it to him, I need to hear it myself," Roka spoke up. "Tell me, was my father not kind to you at every possible opportunity?" The boy asked, causing a sharp stab of guilt to strike at Zarek's heart. "Was he not your brother?" Roka continued, piling hot coals on the wound that Zarek had been doing everything to ignore. "Weren't the two of you orphans? Didn't my father take care of you when the two of you had no one else to turn to? What great sin did he commit that you would take his life?" Roka posed. "And what about me?" The boy further pressed. "What wrong did I do you that you would do this to me?" he asked, raising a hand to indicate his disfigured face

A harsh sound that was meant to pass off as laughter escaped the man's lips. "Tell me Roka, how do you plan to send me to explain to my brother?"

"STOP AVOIDING THE QUESTION!"

Roka's shouted reply made him flinch in spite of himself. The boy had clearly seen right through his weak attempt at deflection and was having none of it. There was a long silence between the two of them. A part of Zarek wanted to ignore the boy and avoid the question. A bigger part, however, felt compelled to answer. Not just for the sake of the one before him, but for his own sake. The look of complete shock in his brother's eyes when he realized that his very own brother was to be his killer, had haunted Zarek every time he closed his eyes. Even worse than the pain that he'd been forced to suffer since he first picked the staff up, was the silent 'why?' that had been in his brother's eyes as life left him. Unbeknownst to him, when forced to face and answer for his actions, Zarek said something that would always stick with Greg throughout his journey to the top. "You may never get to understand this Roka," The man spoke with forced calm in his voice. "But power requires sacrifice," He said simply. "It may not be what you want to hear. It may not be satisfactory in your mind, but that is the simple, brutal, and honest truth of the matter," He stated. "I killed my brother, not because he was a bad brother to me, not because he deserved it, but simply because it's what I needed to do to gain even more power," He explained.

The more the man spoke, the calmer he became. It was almost as if a weight had been shed from his back and he had obtained a new clarity in the way he looked at life. As he looked up at Roka, his gaze was no longer cold. Instead, it was just indifferent. Just as there was no need to coldly look at the step in a set of stairs that would help one climb to higher ground, there was no need to coldly look at the boy. He was simply a step on Zarek's journey to the top and nothing more. "It is for that same reason that you will die, Roka," He stated plainly. "Not because I hate you. Not because you have wronged me in any way. But simply because your death will help me gain more power," He calmly declared.

Zarek calmly watched as an almost deranged smile crossed the boy's expression. "You think just you and one worm will be enough to kill me?" he asked reaching behind him and pulling out a dagger. As soon as the dagger came out, Zarek couldn't help but seriously assess it. Mundane as the thing looked, alarm bells had started going off in his head the moment he saw it. It's almost as if, on an instinctual level, he knew that it posed a lethal threat to him. "Bring it on then!" the boy half-growled, half-shouted as he suddenly shot forward.

Zarek's eyes went wide at the speed of the boy. There was no doubt that if the worm at his side hadn't instinctively reacted to the threat to its master, then the boy would have killed him in one move. As soon as the boy took his first step, his whole form disappeared in a blur of speed. The worm beside Zarek, however, shot forward at almost the same instance as the boy had moved and met him in the middle of his charge. The man couldn't help but worry that the dark crawler beside him would kill the boy directly. For his ritual to work, he needed the boy alive. Fortunately for him, the worm seemed to instinctively understand what his master wanted. Owing to this, when its pincers closed, it wasn't around the boy's midsection which would have split the boy in two. Instead, the dark crawler's pincers closed around the boy's knees.

The forward momentum of the boy caused his body to keep on flying forwards despite losing his legs from the knees down. Zarek couldn't help but respect the boy's dedication as he completely ignored the excruciating pain he must have been in and pulled his hand back in midair, ready to stab him at the end of his flight. The man, however, had no plans of giving him the satisfaction. Taking a few quick steps backward, he allowed the boy to fall face down on the ground before him. Pushing up off the ground, the boy turned his dirtied face in his direction. In the boy's eyes was a single-minded desire to kill. Even with his legs cut off, the boy didn't allow himself to utter even a groan in pain. Instead, he just dragged himself forward, his legs leaving behind two trails of blood behind him, as he tried to get to him.

Strong as the boy's desire to kill him was, however, Roka only managed to make it within a meter of him before he collapsed. Having summoned the things using his own flesh, the man was perfectly aware of just how excruciatingly painful the things could be. Despite the boy collapsing and slowly bleeding out, Zarek wasn't willing to approach him. After his introduction to magic, the man knew that Roka didn't necessarily need to strike at a critical point of his body to leave a lethal wound. If the dagger the boy held in hand was enchanted, then perhaps, a nick from it would be all that was needed to do him in. Summoning the dark crawler that had taken the boy's legs, the man had it take off the hand that was holding the knife. With a sickening crunch, the pincers of the dark crawler closed around the elbow of the boy's hand. With the loss of half his arm, the boy finally seemed to break as a cry of agony tore out of the boy's throat.