“Scarlet Margic High School, let’s enroll him there,”Varrick suggested.
Darwin kept shut, before he began to giggle. “You’re joking right?” he asked. “I mean, you are not serious, right?” Varrick glared at Darwin. “It’s the safest palce to keep him and at the same time train him. He can also be able to get comrades who will assist him and support him in his journey,” he insisted. Darwin was not convinced. He did not want to get Leo out of his sight, mainly as a tribute to Abigail. “We can’t take him there. It’s not a place for someone like him that has an unknown background,” Darwin replied. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself, let’s leave him with us here, at Heio forest.” “DARWIN-” “VARRICK?” he interrupted. “You know I’m not wrong.” “But, he is also not safe here. He can also be traced and captured here. Let’s just take him to the high school, after all its an academy for learning magic. It’s better than us teaching him,” Varrick said. “No, he remains here. That’s final,” Darwin replied. “I refuse. And I hope it’s not because of your biased thinking towards the school that you don’t want to take him there. That school was the best thing that happened to Abigail, you and I. Our bond grew stronger and that is something Leo really needs at this point of his life,” Varrick repsonded. Darwin knew what it meant to be stigmatized because of the type of background you come from. Scarlet Magic High School is a school filled with children from high ranking Magical families, from the Royal family to the Magic council. For someone with an unknown background, enrolling in a school in that level, he would go through a lot of stigma. “Leo cannot go to Scarlet Magic High School,” Darwin said, his voice stern with his mind made up. “Why can’t I?” Leo suddenly asked, as he slighlty pushed the room door open and walked in. “I’m sorry to have eavesdropped but it was about me, so I couldn’t help it. But Matser Darwin, why can’t I go to Scarlet Magic High School?” “You just can’t. Your life is a t risk. A lot of people are after you and we can’t risk it,” Darwin replied. “Just stay here with us.” “We can all go to Ivandale. There’s nothing in particular that we’re actually doing here,” Varrick chipped in. “Varrick, please. Ivandale is a very big place. We left there because of the same reason Leo is here. You don’t know who is truly your friend and who is truly your enemy. It will be safer for us and Leo to stay here,” Darwin kept on persisitng. He was hell bent on staying in Heio forest. He did not want to risk losing Leo, after being unable to protect Abigail. “Master Darwin, they already know where I am. Even if I dig a pit today and hide inside, they wold still find me. Going to Ivandale and mixing with a lot of people will reduce their chances of releasing a large scale attack and with more people around me, they can also protect me,” Leo said, his voice soft and serene. “Learning how to control my magic power’s will be very beneficial when it comes to me executing my perfect revenge. Gaining more allies will be really profitable to me. So please, reconsider.” “Darwin, if we both put a good word for Leo, he can easily enter into the school. We can give him our surname and form a background for him. Something not too out of the ordinary,” Varrick spoke, his tone convincing. “Just give it a try and have a little trust in Leo.” Leo stared at Darwin with a smile and so did Varrick. They tried to convince Darwin. Meanwhile, Darwin who had already made up his mind, started having second thoughts. “Leo, do you know who the Fang of Chaos are?” Darwin asked as he stared at Leo. Leo glimpsed at Varrick. “No, I don’t. But who are they?” he answered. “The Fang of Chaos, as their name implies is a babarric and evil group of rebels or should I say left overs. After the death of the dragon king, the present magic king took over and he cleaned the entire Ivandale, by getting rid of all of the dragon king’s loyal followers. Now, those group of people came together and they formed an alliance, so that they could find a way of destroying the new kingdom of Ivandale. These group of people are malicious and wicked, most especially evil. But, they walk around like normal citizens, petending to be good people. They might be part of-” “Enough Darwin. You’ve said more than enough,” Varrick interrupted Darwin. “But I’m only try-” “…trying to scare him off. Yes, I know. Leo don’t listen to him please. If you are willing to go to the academy and you are positive that you won’t fall into any trouble, so be it,” Varrick said. Darwin sighed. “No one ever listens to what I say, Oh well!” he exclaimed, lying down back on his bed. “I want to rest, you all should kindly excuse me. “So Master Darwin, I’m taking that as a yes. We can move to Ivandale and I can enroll in the magic high school, right?” Leo spoke, excited. “Sure, sure but don’t come whinning to me later. Now, leave,” Darwin commanded. Varrick smiled with relief and Leo jumped in joy. “Thank you, Mater Darwin,” Leo responded as he walked out of the room with Varrick. None of them knew that the journey of a thousand miles just began.As Varrick and Leo walked out of Darwin’s room, Varrick glared at Leo. “Do you truly want to move to IVANDALE? Anyone could see through your deceitful smile,” said Varrick. Leo stopped walking and he glimpsed at Varrick before looking at the ground. “Your silence says it all, Leo. Look, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Varrick spoke, his voice serene. Leo took a deep breath and flashed a smile at Varrick. “At first, I thought about the death of my mother. Going back there might bring memories that I would like to forget but then, I have to face my pain. I am willing to do whatever it takes to reach the top and get revenge for my mother,” Leo replied. Varrick was pleased to hear what Leo had said. “That’s the spirit, young lad,” Varrick said, patting him on his back. After the talk with Varrick, Leo went up to his room to gear up. He went in search of Varrick and that’s what made him eavesdrop on Varrick's conversation with Darwin. “Scarlet Magical High School,
After hearing Darwin scream, Leo paused. He slowly turned to face Darwin. “I-I was not-not actually going to run away. I forgot something in the forest,” he stuttered, trying to make an excuse. “Oh really,” Darwin said, as he suddenly appeared in front Leo. Leo gulped hard as he faced Darwin. “I’m so…sorry,” Leo stammered. Darwin sighed, brushing his hand against his hair. “Don’t do it again. You know there are a lot of people who are looking for you. Now, you see the reason why I cannot allow you move to Ivandale,” Darwin spoke, his anger subsiding. “It was just a one-time mistake. It won’t repeat itself again, I promise,” Leo pleaded. “You were partially at fault too, Darwin. You did not warn him,” Varrick defended. Leo nodded in agreement as he continued to glare at Darwin. Darwin looked away and did not mutter a word. He walked up to the front door and closed it behind him. “Will he be fine?” Leo asked, worried about what was going through Darwin’s head. Varrick did not
“…then he walked right out and started laughing,” Leo explained, leaving both Darwin and Varrick in laughter. Leo described the dream he had when he was a kid, as they travelled down to Ivandale. “Leo, it’s time we tell you about Scarlet Magic High School and how we got into it, although our backgrounds were not well known,” said Varrick, as he pulled out a mini pocket sac of water and took a sip. “I was going to ask but I forgot. Please, tell me,” Leo requested, as he stared at Varrick. “Abigail, Darwin and I are childhood friends. We grew up together, and we trained together but Abigail’s magical affinity surpassed ours, making her the strongest among us three,” Varrick spoke. “I was a little bit stronger, though,” Darwin raised his voice, speaking from the front of the cart, where he sat and he controlled the horses. Upon hearing what Darwin said, Varrick began to laugh. “Only in your wildest imagination. Remember when she flung you across the class when you asked her o-” “
Leo stared at Sydney after he introduced himself. He wandered who she was to Darwin and Varrick. Syndey casually let go of Varrick and Darwin and walked up to Leo, and held him by his cheeks. “You’re such a good boy, where are you from?” she asked, rubbing his cheeks with her palms. Leo tried to reply but he could not because his fondled cheeks was a nuisance. “Let him be,” Varrick said, removing Sydney’s hands from Leo’s cheeks. “I’m sorry,” Sydney chuckled, taking a step back from Leo. Leo let out a great sigh of relief and he glared at Sydney, as he held his cheeks which had turned red. Sydney looked at him with a smile, giving off an innocent aura, which made his annoyance subside. “He’s a child we found in the woods, and we adopted him and took him as our student,” Darwin said, heading towards the couch to take a seat. He sat on the comfortable couch and let out a sound of relief. “This is it,” he said, his mouth widening from side to side. Sydney could not believe wh
“Now that this is solved, Syndey please help him,” Varrick pleaded as he walked shoulder to shoulder with her. Sydney let out a loud sigh and halted. “Hey, Leo boy, follow me,” she said as she slightly glimpsed at him. Leo gazed at Darwin, who folded his arms, and he nodded positively. Leo hastily walked towards Sydney and followed her. “I really hope they will be fine,” Varrick thought to himself as he watched them walk away. As Sydney and Leo walked together, Leo hummed a song. “Where do you know that song from?” Sydney asked, realizing that it was Abigail’s favorite song. “SHOOT!” Leo thought. “She can’t know I’m Abigail’s son or else Master Varrick and Master Darwin would kill me before any other person.” “Well, my two masters normally sing it. That’s how I know it,” he replied to her, flashing a sarcastic smile. “Alright then. Moving on, what’s your magical affinity?” she questioned, as they walked into an underground garden. “Woah!” Leo exclaimed. The globe ceiling, w
“Is Abigail actually your mother?” Sydney asked, staring at Leo. “Well, uhm…she,” Leo stuttered, unsure on whether to tell Sydney the truth or not. “I already guessed so, there’s no need to lie about it. As soon as I saw the pearl necklace around your neck, I already knew but I don’t get why Darwin and Varrick would lie to me,” she replied, storming out of the flower garden. Leo followed her as his thoughts wandered. Was it a bad thing for Sydney to find out about his mother? “DARWIN, VARRICK!” Sydney exclaimed, barging into the common room where they sat. Varrick and Darwin glanced at themselves in confusion. “Why are you screaming?” Darwin asked, as he gazed at Sydney who stood at their front and crossed her arms. Sydney did not mutter a word. She stared at them, coldly. Suddenly, Leo popped out in front of them. “She found out,” Leo said under his voice. “Found out what?” Varrick asked, standing up from the couch. “Abigail is his mother and you found it best to
“The current magic king and the very first magic king is Alex, Abigail’s first love when she entered into Scarlet Magical High School. I will never forget their love story. They were the most beautiful couple at that time,” Sydney spoke, reminiscing about the past. “Yeah, right,” Darwin responded, flinging his face away. “But, you cannot deny the fact that it is true,” Syndey said, gazing at Darwin. Varrick laughed, watching the two argue. “I never knew my mom had a first love,” Leo said calmly, as he looked at her pearl necklace, placed on his neck. “I won’t say first love, but he was like her only love,” Sydney added. “But when he came, things fell apart between them.” “Who is the he?” Leo asked. “There’s no need for you to find out. It’s all in the past now,” Varrick said. “For now, let’s find our way to the Maho Jo. They all got ready to leave for the Maho Jo. Leo was more excited that anyone. He stepped out of the brothel and looked the sky. The sun had begun to set and t
“Alex!” exclaimed Varrick as Alex descended from the stairs. It was the 2nd Magic King of Aranthia, Alex Maho. Alex walked up to them and gave them a warm embrace. “You finally came back to Ivandale after many years of your disappearance,” Alex said as he stepped back. “Let’s continue this talk on the dining table, I planned a welcoming party specially for you guys.” “I’m touched, Ale- I mean, Magic King,” Darwin spoke as they walked to the table. After they arrived, the chefs began to arrange the food on the table. They sat down comfortably before Alex realized that they had an extra. “Who is that?” Alex asked. Leo was captivated by the interior of the Maho Jo, he did not hear Alex talking to him. Varrick kicked his feet a little. “Back to Earth, Leo,” he whispered to him. “Sorry, what did you say?” Leo asked, as he slightly gazed at Alex. “Introduce yourself, young lad,” Alex said as he carried a glass cup of water and drank. “I’m Leo Hu and I’m 17 years old,” Leo respon
Sylvia and Leo walked side by side through the crowd, neither saying a single word. Leo would always turn several shades of red, even if their hands simply brushed against each other."Friday was amazing, by the way. We had a lot of fun," Leo said, breaking the awkward silence."I don't think your friend thought so. Do you think she hates me?" Sylvia asked, staring at him intently."Who? Anaya? Of course not. She just doesn’t warm up so easily. Don’t take whatever she says to heart—she’s mean to everyone," Leo replied plainly."I see..." Sylvia murmured, thinking deeply. She shook her head as if making a mental note and then continued to ask Leo about how he had been doing these past days and how he was adjusting to school life. She proceeded to ask about his family and other personal matters, seemingly engrossed in his everyday life and wanting to know more by the second.She was essentially asking intrusive questions that Leo couldn’t answer without thinking deeply. He still had to
After dinner, Jason reminded Leo of how upset Anaya was yesterday and thought it would be best to apologize to her sincerely tomorrow. Leo knew that Anaya wouldn't forgive so easily and wondered what would be the best way to apologize. Sydney advised the boys that if they really wanted her forgiveness, they needed to do something incredibly thoughtful and sweet, like baking a cake. They loved the idea, but the only problem was they didn't know the first thing about baking.Sydney sighed at their ability to fight beasts and conjure up magnificent things, yet they couldn't do something as simple as baking a cake. She rolled her eyes, wondering how Varrick Darwin or Alex couldn't teach them such basic skills, but then again, how could they teach what they had no knowledge of? She agreed to help them out, and they stayed up all night just to prepare it.The boys always found a way to mess up the cake in the blink of an eye. Sydney was even afraid to blink, worried they would add too much
Anaya walked into an ancient building filled with cracks of time and layers of heritage. She entered her coldly colored room, took off her uniform, freshened up, and placed the white book on her study table, ready to analyze it as she had done for the past few days. While engrossed in the letters that only she seemed able to see, Anaya once again found herself puzzled by the book's secrets and enchantments.A figure slowly emerged from her slightly ajar white wooden door."Anaya, darling..."Anaya turned to see a woman in her late seventies with beautiful long white hair and wrinkles that spoke of a life well-lived. She smiled brightly as the woman walked in."Are you back from school?""Yes, Ma. I'm back," Anaya replied."How was it? How are your friends?" her grandmother asked."They're fine, Ma. Everything's fine," Anaya answered simply."I'm sure my darling Anaya is so popular and has lots of friends. Do you want food? I'll make it," her grandmother offered."No, Ma. You've been o
Leo, Jason, and Anaya made their way to the detention room with sad and solemn expressions, taking measured steps toward three hours of boredom and annoyance."Can't you just make the Dean fall asleep again?" Leo asked hopefully."And what will we do about Derek?" Anaya countered."Can't you use a sleep spell on him too?" Jason suggested."Believe me, I've tried, but he has some super strong force field on his mind," Anaya replied, frustration creeping into her voice."Is it impossible to break?" Leo asked, curious about the kind of magic required for such a spell."Yeah, if you're an amateur. But don't worry, I'll deal with it soon enough," she said confidently.They stood by the door, hesitating between staying or running back home. The Dean walked by, spotting them instantly. He quickly pulled out a wand from his pocket, pointed it at them, and yelled,"What are you three still doing there? Time for detention!"They sighed and groaned, lowering their heads as they shuffled into the
---When detention rolled around and the four students sat quietly as the Dean watched them closely. Anaya and Jason hadn’t spoken a single word since Leo left them earlier, and their silence made him rather uneasy.Derek, being his usual self, tried to get Anaya’s attention as much as humanity would allow, but his efforts were anything but fruitful. The moment the clock struck five, Anaya left without sparing them a glance. Jason let out a sigh and placed his books in his bag. The Dean told them to leave as soon as possible so the workers could clean in peace. Derek picked up his bag and sneered at them before leaving with the Dean.Leo and Jason stood on the steps in front of the school's main gate, only to realize their carriage wasn’t there. They glanced at the row of fly cycles parked nearby and remembered Varrick’s words: They needed to start traveling on their own; the school run was over.Jason sat on the stairs, not in the mood to ride home just yet. Leo joined him and sugges
Leo got home with a solemn expression on his face. He had barely eaten his dinner and didn’t even flash his famous smile. Anytime Darwin, Varrick, or Sydney asked about school, he would only give one-word answers, which was unlike him. Darwin and Varrick assumed it was just the stress of school getting to him, so they didn’t press further. They were certain Leo couldn’t have been bullied—he was stronger than most of his peers and knew exactly when to fight and when not to. Sydney, on the other hand, thought otherwise and decided to speak with him after dinner.The night grew quiet once dinner was over. Darwin and Varrick, exhausted from running around Ivandale with Alex, quickly lay down to rest. The only sounds that filled the air were the night critters and animals, adding to the soothing sounds that come with the night.Leo had already snuggled under his covers, and the oil lamp was about to be blown out when two light taps came at his door. Instinctively, he said, “Come in.” Sydne
"I'll be back," Leo assured his friends, getting up to follow Sylvia.They moved to a quiet corner, and Sylvia struggled to get her words out."Why..." she began but trailed off, her mouth opening and closing with hesitation."Why are you hanging out with her?" she finally managed to ask."Who?" Leo asked, confused.Sylvia, too ashamed to clarify, looked away. Leo followed her gaze, his confusion growing when he realized who she meant."Anaya? She’s my friend. And if you really think about it, she’s the reason I’m in this school to begin with. Besides, I’m hanging out with Jason too," he explained, trying to clear up any misunderstanding."Please... please stop hanging out with her," she stammered, still avoiding his eyes."Why?""Because you can’t." Sylvia slapped a hand over her mouth, shocked by her own outburst. Her face flushed as she noticed the curious stares from nearby students."You don’t have a reason?" Leo asked, growing more puzzled by the second."I do! But... I can’t te
"What are you three doing together?..." the Dean echoed, grabbing Derek by the collar. They immediately dispersed and took their assigned seats. The Dean shook his head, too tired to even nag."You have a new inmate," he said, emphasizing the word inmate so sadistically it felt like they were in some inescapable prison—as if they wouldn’t leave in the next two hours and be tortured for his entertainment. He casually shoved Derek forward and pointed to a seat."Take a seat and be quiet..." he snapped. "Taking out a book or two wouldn’t hurt either," he added taking his sat at the table right in front of the class.As he took a sip of his coffee, Anaya stared at him intently and unwaveringly. The boys noticed this and became increasingly curious. After mere seconds The Dean yawned for a moment before completely passing out.Anaya couldn’t help but feel annoyed at how long it had taken her to perform a simple spell and make the man fall asleep. She silently promised herself to get better
---"Hello," she said with a smile."Hi?" they replied, clearly unnerved by her sudden friendliness."Candy?" she asked, offering a variety of sweets in her palm."Yes, please!" Leo exclaimed, eagerly taking one. Jason followed suit, unwrapping his piece and popping it into his mouth."It's poisoned," she stated with the straightest face.Their eyes widened in panic as they stared at her."I'm kidding," she said, laughing hard. "Goodness, you two are so gullible."Leo scoffed. "That's not funny.""You have to admit, it's a little funny. You should’ve seen your faces," she added, laughing even harder.This was the first time they’d ever heard her laugh, and it was so infectious that they couldn’t help but laugh along with her. It was impossible to stay mad."Did you find anything new in the book?" Leo asked, grabbing another "poisoned" candy."Not much," she admitted. "I found a few strange codes and some vague riddles.""Like what?" Jason asked curiously.Anaya opened her mouth to exp