Two weeks had passed in a flash. It was Tuesday, November 16th of the year 513 P.I.R.
In other words, it had been 513 years since Emperor Anax, the last host of Destruction, reigned supreme within the world.
But it has also been 13 years now since Markus Windwave was born. It was his birthday.
The day was usual for him. Mathematics first. Then reading, literary studies and history lessons.
At lunch.
Markus grabbed a food tray and went to sit next to Helen on her right, who seemed to be waiting for him.
"Finally! You take ages for a wind user, you know that right? Honestly Markus—" she said, digging into her food.
"My bad- but I'm here now. Let's eat." He said, also eating his food.
'The voice hasn't said anything in a while. Is it because of that long conversation..?' He thought while eating.
"Hello? Earth to Markus? Are you there!" Helen asked, waving her fork in front of him.
"Huh?" He asked
"You looked really lost there for a moment. Are you good?" She asked
"Yes… just thinking about some stuff." He said, zoning back in.
"Hey- so how goes your weapon manifestation." She asked
"Miss Fallie said I need to be patient. Practice my flow of essence and grow accommodated to being a learner. She said my body will begin to push again when it is ready to advance again." He said
"So you think weapon manifestation is your condition to advance to learned? Just like mine was?" She considered
"Probably. But since my element is different, I won't need to create my own construct like you did to remain fluid and versatile. Apparently creating a construct is very rare."
"It consumes more essence but it will surprise your opponent. Did you feel surprised when you faced wavy tentacles? Of course you did." She said with pride and a smirk, pushing her shoulder into his.
"So you created a construct and it allowed you to create a wavy weapon like the construct… so for the wind… I need to master inner control and outer submission? Submission to create a weapon for me?" He thought aloud
"Maybe. But your wording is off. You'll consolidate your learning of essence control and submission. Mastering it would mean you're trying to become a master— and you are not even an expert, much less an elite looking to advance." She said, teasing him about his low rank.
"Okay okay- you get what I mean. So I guess I need to learn more control and submission with the wind. Maybe training with the upper years?" He asked
"Good luck finding one who is available and good enough to learn from. The good ones are busy preparing for spring elections." Helen said
"But it's winter…" Markus looked outside at the clouds
"Exactly. Elections are half politics and half strength! They can win public support but that will crumble if they're too weak. And they won't waste time training you." She said, finishing up her food.
"Hmmm… then I have three options. Either I wait and slowly advance. Second, I ask for unconventional support. Or third… I will take part in the election. Which will mean I will fight in the tournament. If I get lucky, I will fight wind users and learn from their essence what it is to control and submit." He said, with a weird sense of confidence
"Did you eat something funny? A learner? You realise quite a few of these people are experts! How do you plan to deal with that?" She asked, with outrage at his casual approach
"I don't plan to win. Just to learn from failure." He said with a shrug
"Wha about that unconventional method? The instructor?" Helen guessed
"Yes… but she's a flame user. I don't think it will work. And I haven't heard anything about it, so I don't know. Between waiting and running for election- it's pretty clear which one I should do right?" He said, with a smirk on his face
"Oh boy- you really don't think things through!" She said, nudging him to finish up so they can leave
They finished up lunch and went out to the courtyard.
Earlier however…
A group of thirteen adults had breached the academy walls and entered the courtyard. They all wore black demon masks and twelve of them were cloaked in black, whereas one wore a brilliant white cloak.
The guards rushed forth and began to engage in combat but before even a few attacks could be exchanged, the expert guards were incapacitated and sent flying.
"Find him." The man in a white cloak said.
But that was the moment Markus and Helen stepped into the courtyard and it was also the moment the alarm was finally rung.
The man in the white cloak recognised Markus.
"Happy Birthday, Markus Wind—" was all he managed to say before flashes of white and crimson flew across the courtyard, attacking him.
The white flash was Charlotte Windbourne stepping through the paths. She was already about to pierce the white cloak however her attack was blocked by an instantly manifested wind blade.
The two swords clashed with each other in perfect balance. The white cloaked man was an elite.
Meanwhile the red flash was engaging the others. It was none other that Bailey.
It were as if fireworks had been released as flashes of red, white, blue and brown clashed against each other.
"We need to go—" Helen turned to say to Markus who was mesmerised by the blade work between the white cloaked man and Charlotte Windbourne.
She was aggressive, fast and precise. He on the other hand was passive but he was slightly faster and sharper with his movements.
"Hiding behind a mask?" She asked him, cold anger was seeping through her tone.
"Just let us take the boy, Headmistress. None of us need to die here today." He said with a calm tone.
"Well, except him. He needs to die." He said, pointing his finger toward Markus as he released a whirlwind bullet.
Helen instantly summoned tentacles and waves to protect them both but she was slower and weaker. Before the constructs could completely solidify into ice, the bullet roe through them as if they were paper and struck.
Only it did not draw blood.
A tall man with pale skin and slicked back hair into a manbun placed his palm in front of Markus' heart and caught the bullet, almost effortlessly.
"It seems her prediction was true. What terrifying intuitition." He said, inspecting the bullet before crushing it.
Charlotte and Bailey seemed to freeze. So did the cloaked intruders. It was a normal response… after all, the man was the queen's hand, Enrique Ballion.
"I will handle this. Fall back." He said with unusual ease.
Thirteen enemies, most likely of the elite rank was a serious force.
Few elites in the world could handle that. Even fewer to repel it.
But Enrique Ballion could do more.
With the mere lift of a finger he created stone platforms under all thirteen enemies and created stone boots around their feet, locking them in place.
He the lifted all platforms high up and inverted them.
As they were inverted, the cloaked combatants shot forth a myriad of attacks, all toward Markus and Enrique.
Enrique did not care. With his arm extended forward, parallel to the ground, he flexed his wrist downward and pointed to the ground with his index finger.
The platforms all crashed down like meteors, only that they were protected by human cushions. He then stomped the ground and small pebbles arose which shot through the attacks like homing missiles, destroying them all and leaving nothing behind.
Charlotte and Bailey had retreated and kneeled behind Enrique.
Bailey yanked Markus down and emphasised he should kneel, making him to. Helen followed in suit.
From the rubble of the crash site, Enrique created stone coffins and encapsulated the thirteen combatants. They were alive… but death would have been a mercy.
He then turned around as thirteen coffins floated in the air.
He looked down at the four kneeling people and observed Markus specifically.
"Consider this as my gift to you, Markus." He said as he threw Markus a scroll.
He then created a platform under his own feet and floated away with thirsteen coffins in tow.
"Holy crap! Do you know who that was!" Helen said with a glint in her eyes
"Uh? No?" Markus admitted awkwardly
"That was the Queen's hand! Her personal attendant! And he is also a master! That is a literal rank 6!" Helen squeaked in excitement.
"And he protected me! How lucky I must be!" She continued
'… I am the one he was here for but anyway…' Markus exhaled inwardly.
"Wait- you got a gift from him! And today is your birthday too? What did he give you!" She said, her eyes sparkling at the scroll
"I think this is the most normal I've seen you be… but what's inside the scroll is my business. I'll tell you if it's unimportant." He said, putting the scroll in his jacket's inner pocket.
"No fair!" She pouted
Meanwhile Charlotte and Bailey had stood up and realised how bad the situation would be for them both.
Bailey had not often seen the hand of the Queen but whenever she did, only bad things were happening.
Charlotte on the other hand was having a panic attack. The imperial vessel she was in charge of had nearly been killed- it would have been killed had the hand not been there…
Both her career and life were in danger.
"Take Markus to my office and see what the scroll says." Charlotte told Bailey as she was heading in another direction
"Sure but where are you going? What's wrong with you?" Bailey asked, noting her paler than usual complexion
"I'm going to be sick—" Charlotte said, going to the washroom to throw up.