The Reawakened Mage

Chapter 4: Damsel in distress

“He’s alive?” Aira arched a brow, her legs gracefully crossing over the other.

“Are you sure about that?”

Jinx nodded meekly, her head lowered in shame. “He showed up to class as if nothing happened, he didn’t even have any bruises and….”

Aira sat up, her sharp gaze causing a chill to run down Jinx’s spine. “And?” She pressed on.

Jinx hesitated before speaking, choosing her words carefully.

“He was different…more powerful.”

Aira threw her head back and laughed, but there was no humor in her tone. “That puny weakling? More powerful? What a funny joke.” She laughed some more.

Jink chewed on her bottom lip. “He spared against me, President Aira. Logan managed to break my shield.”

Aira stopped laughing, and suddenly the air in the room stilled. Jinx gulped her spit, too scared to raise her head.

“What?”

“I-It’s true…”

Aira regarded Jinx in silence, and then she slowly stood to her feet, her expression giving nothing away.

Aira's eyes seemed to bore into Jinx's soul, making her squirm under the intense gaze. "I want you to find out what's going on with Logan," Aira said finally, her voice low and menacing. "Watch him carefully and find out how he survived that incident."

Jinx nodded hastily, relief washing over her that Aira hadn't punished her on the spot. "Y-yes, President Aira. I'll find out."

Aira's gaze lingered on Jinx for a moment before she turned and strode out of the room, leaving Jinx to breathe a sigh of relief.

Aira tried her best not to appear shocked, but she couldn’t fathom how Logan had survived. Was he hiding his potential all along, or was it something else?

Even with the speculation, Aira couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the corners of her lips. If he survived, then she would just have to take her time to torture him to confess the truth.

Meanwhile, Logan was walking down the hallway, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment that he'd never felt before.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself.”

Logan flinched as Caelus materialized beside him, floating in the air with his legs crossed nonchalantly.

“You still have a lot to learn.”

“Could you give me a heads up before you suddenly appear?” Logan sighed, holding onto his weak heart. He didn’t think he would ever get used to Caelus’s presence.

Caelus chuckled dryly. “Are you asking me to ask for your permission?”

Logan sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Not necessarily, but I would appreciate a little warning.”

“You should appreciate that you're breathing the same air as me, child.”

“Okay okay.” He surrendered, not willing to start an argument with an ancient god. Never in his life would he have predicted such a scenario.

“Tell me, child.” Caelus straightened up, lowering himself to the ground. “How did you get the precious stone?”

Logan blinked at his question, his heart sinking as he thought of Miss Von. “It was given to me by a good friend, but as a potion, I didn’t even know it was a stone.”

He was sure Miss Von didn’t know she had bought and given him something so precious, but then again did everything happen due to a simple coincidence?

“Ah.” Caelus nodded. “The stone only reveals its true form in the presence of the vessels it chose.” He explained.

Logan slowed to a stop, the gears in his head turning. “So does that mean you had other vessels before me?”

“Yes.” Caelus shrugged his shoulders.

“What happened to them?” Logan couldn’t help but ask if Caelus had other vessels, then he should have found his body already.

“It’s simple.” Caelus gestured, turning to Logan with a thin smile. “They all died.”

Logan's eyes widened in shock, his skin paling. "They all died?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

Caelus nodded, his expression unchanging. "Yes, child. They were not strong enough to withstand the power of the stone."

Logan felt a chill run down his spine. He had been so focused on his short victory, that he’d forgotten about the gravity of the power he possessed.

"What happened to them?" Logan asked again, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Caelus sighed, he faced forward, and Logan could see untold stories in his eyes. "They were consumed by the power of the stone. It drove them mad, and they eventually destroyed themselves."

Logan swallowed hard, panic settling in. What would become of him then? If he failed to retrieve Caelus’s body, then would he also run mad? Just the mere thought of it made his blood run cold in his veins.

"Don't worry, child," Caelus said, his voice softening. "You are different. You have a strong spirit.”

Logan nodded, feeling a sense of comfort from Caelus’s words.

As he turned a corner, he collided with a girl who was rushing in the opposite direction. Her books went flying out of her hands, and he apologized profusely as he bent to pick them up.

The girl helped him gather the books, and as they stood up, Logan found himself face to face with a beautiful girl with round brown eyes and long, raven black hair.

"I'm so sorry," Logan apologized, feeling a flush rise to his cheeks.

The girl looked disoriented, and her chest heaved as if she had been running from something.

She snatched the rest of the books from Logan and sped off, her figure disappearing along the hall.

Logan just stared, disappointed at the outcome, while Caelus tried his best to suppress his laughter.

“What a charmer.” He mused, and Logan’s cheeks burned red with embarrassment.

But little did Logan was oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. Jinx followed closely behind him, her brows etched together as she saw that he was talking to himself.

“We’re being watched,” Caelus noted, but before Logan could turn around, Caelus dissipated, his voice echoing;

“Don’t look back, and be careful child.”

Logan slowly stood, trying his best to act unaffected as he kept walking. He wondered who could be trailing him, as he had not forgotten what he heard from Jinx during the sparring session.

He guessed it was her, and it could only mean one thing. Aira Flynn.

Meanwhile…Jinx reported what she witnessed to Aira.

“Talking to himself huh?” Aira stood on the balcony of the Student Council villa, a cigarette between her red lips.

“How interesting.”

*****

As days passed Logan continued to learn how to use Caelus’s powers and soon the news of his sudden growth in power spread around the academy.

He who was always looked down upon, started to gain equal footing with those who belittled him. Logan was also on the edge. He expected Aira to confront him, but she hadn’t come to bully him like before.

Jinx still followed him around, but he was more careful, and Caelus didn’t appear while he was in the academy.

“This isn’t working.” Logan flopped in his bed, coughing out at the smell of smoke clouding the air. “My room is a mess.”

Logan's training with Caelus had been intense, but it quickly became apparent that his room wasn't the best place to train. Logan's blasts had destroyed his furniture, turning them into ash.

“Do you have a better idea?” Caelus suggested, and Logan pondered a bit before answering.

“There’s an abandoned library in the dorm, we can use that. Most of the books have already been cleared out.”

“Alright child, lead the way.”

As they made their way to the spot, Logan heard a commotion coming from the hallway. He exchanged a concerned glance with Caelus, who nodded for him to go and check it out.

He thought he was being trailed again, but as he stealthily moved around the hall, his heart pounding in his chest, he was shocked to see a group of boys rough-handling a girl.

It was the same girl he had collided with a few days ago, the one with the round brown eyes and long, raven-black hair. It was strange, girls were strictly forbidden from entering the boys dorm.

Logan's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. The boys were laughing and jeering, while the girl struggled to break free.

“You think you can act however you like because you’re pretty?” One laughed, grabbing her by her hair.

“How dare you reject me! You should be grateful I even considered you to be my bitch.”

The girl glared up at him, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. “Go to hell.”

“Why you!” The boy readied his spell book, his magic taking the shape of a sword.

Without hesitation, Logan ran forward, unleashing the spell Caelus just taught him to create a force field. He hugged the girl close just in time, and the sword was deflected by the field.

The girl gasped, staring at Logan with wide eyes and tinted cheeks, but Logan kept his gaze on the group of boys.

"What is wrong with you!" Logan shouted, his voice echoing down the hallway.

The boys turned to face him, their eyes sneering.

“Aren’t you the weakling?” One of them scoffed, “You better move along before you regret it.”

The boy who forged the sword stepped forward, his face twisted in disgust. “You’re touching what’s mine, bastard.”

“She doesn’t belong to you, you have no right to treat her like your property.” Logan’s voice was surprisingly firm, but the group erupted in mocking laughter.

“Oh yeah?” The leader c****d his head to the side, a smirk playing on his lips. “What’s a weakling like you going to do about? Don’t get cocky just because you managed to add a few pages to your spell book. You’re no match for me.”

Logan's eyes flashed with anger, and he raised his hands, ready to cast a spell. But before he could, Caelus's voice echoed in his mind.

"Wait, child. Don't use your magic. Not yet."