Jaylin stared silently at the duelers, considering the consequences of simply reclaiming his sword in front of them.

He would be in the mortal realm for the next few millenniums. It was much more enjoyable to explore while he wasn’t being hunted down by an entire continent.

It would be one hell of a show though.

As nice a it would be to imprint the image of his face into the brains of all surrounding, he could always use a disguising spell. The disguising spell was different from the concealment spell in that it didn’t completely hide the spell-caster but rather made it so one wouldn’t remember said spell-casters face after seeing them. Essentially giving everyone in the spells radius targeted Prosopagnosia.

Well that was enough planning. He wanted his sword back.

By the time he had made up his mind, the duel was over.

“Hmph, pathetic.”
Said the girl in her high pitched voice.

“You arrogant wench! You think you’re going to get away with this!? Sooner or later, someone stronger is going to put you in your place!”

“You think after all I’ve achieved, I don’t deserve to be arrogant? Stop being such a sore loser and get off the arena.”
The male dueler grit his teeth and stormed off the battlefield.

The teachers were still preparing for the next duel, when they noticed the female student still atop the arena.  The young lady stood alone on the battlefield and grinned slyly.

She didn’t seem the type to make this expression. Everyone who was fixated on her standing figure was quite shocked. It looked almost like she switched personalities.

While everyone was frozen still, she suddenly used a B-grade wind spell to fly over to Exilis’ glass case.

The head teacher who was on the scene yelled as she landed above the podium, “Hey! Young lady, what do you think you’re doing?!”

She landed lightly on the glass box, not making a sound,“Me?”She laughed softly,“I’m simply claiming my reward.”

“HEY! What!-“

She raised her hand and activated an A-grade strengthening spell. In the blink of an eye, a score of punches crashed against the case.

‘CRACK’

The glass case shattered, the fragments scattering into beautiful particles of mana as the sealing spell was destroyed.
Everyone seemed frozen. It could be said that most were frozen in shock that the spell was removed so quickly.
An eerie silence consumed the room. It was as if the sword wouldn’t awaken if they didn’t move.

Amidst the silence the head teacher shouted aloud.
“It’s a possession spell! The girl’s being controlled! Stop her from taking the sword!”

All the students went into a panic dashing toward the podium while Jaylin came to a realization.

Ah. So they were planning a heist on my sword...

 

 

I suppose it is my business now.

On Jaylin’s face there lay a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, not that it was any different from his usual smiles.

The girl seemed to be prepared for the massive pandemonium as she activated a B-grade ice spell and froze all the students.
The only ones unaffected were the more powerful teachers and Jaylin, who also happened to be out of range with Mr.E.
The girl laughed tauntingly while grabbing the sword and sprinting to the exit.

The head teacher saw Mr.E, who was next to Jaylin standing near the ugly double doors.

The head teacher yelled, “Teacher E! Catch her!”

The possessed Mr.E made a small sneer and continued to stand still.
The head teacher, seeing his inaction, grit his teeth and continued to chase the girl who was rapidly approaching both Jaylin and the double doors.

Jaylin looked toward Mr.E, or more specifically, inside of him.

Over the years Jaylin had learned that the soul could be found if someone strong enough looked hard enough.  It was most commonly located in the rib cage.  In a short glance, Jaylin saw Mr.E’s soul, bound by a glowing red spell. Mr.E’s soul seemed to be struggling as the spell binding him was slowly being worn away. With a closer look, one could see a second soul inhabiting the rib cage, controlling the body in Mr.E’s stead.

Jaylin looked back at the girl, who was speedily approaching him.

He stared at Exilis who was pathetically trapped within her grasp. Jaylin attention was drawn to one of the teachers, who decided to take a risk and use the rest of her mana on a C-grade wind spell.

The teacher shot forward, rapidly approaching the girl, who rationed her mana on a low grade sprint spell.

She was nearly there, preparing to snatch Exilis out of the girl’s hand, when Mr.E extended a clenched fist and fired an unknown spell at her.

Jaylin was somewhat intrigued. The man used corrupted mana in a spell. Corrupted mana was one of the many consequences of mana in the hands of humans. Corrupted mana would spread to any pure mana it came in contact with. It was extremely dangerous for possessed objects, who needed mana to keep their souls intact.
Jaylin had a hunch on what had been trapping Exilis all this time.

Unlike the usual varying shades of blue that mana possesses,  the corrupted mana used in the spell was a deep red color. The attack itself took on the shape of a blood red spear, with a very pointy end. There was a large explosion and Jaylin saw the woman get pierced in the chest as she slammed against a large beam.

Most everyone winced in unison at the sound of her shattering limbs when she collided with the pillar.

Jaylin looked curiously toward the possessed Teacher E, who had an evil glint in his eyes.

Humans have learned to make use of corrupted mana? Interesting.

The man was preparing a second spell, most likely to blow up the double doors before one of the teachers could lock them.  As little as Jaylin cared to see that happen, he had no plans to let them leave with his sword.

Jaylin stared at the blood red spear, larger this time, currently forming in Teacher E’s palms.

The head teacher, after directing the some of the other instructors to go and heal the injured woman, glared at Teacher E and quickly caught on to his intentions.

“Damn it! He’s possessed too!” The head teacher grit his teeth and began forming the locking seal on the double doors.

The double doors are special because of the inactivated seal placed on them. It was seal commissioned by some of the Rune-Masters at the High Magicians Tower. It could be activated with a substantial amount of mana.  The difficulty of starting it up was incomparable to the difficulty in breaking it down, creating a very efficient system.

Unfortunately, he was too late. Teacher E fired his spell and destroyed the seal.   While the doors were still in check, the seal, which when inactivated, is essentially just a powerless pattern of scattered mana, was destroyed.

Jaylin couldn’t help but feel it was a loss that only the seal was broken.

Shouts of protest could be heard from around the room as the young girl, who had been a distance away from the door waiting for her comrade to destroy it, dashed towards her escape.

She avoided the remaining instructors still pursuing her. Mr. E seemed to be nearly out of mana, however, it didn’t stop him from firing some low grade flame spells to slow her pursuers.

An elderly instructor was close behind her, nearly able to grab her, when she jumped up lightly.

Her healed boots slammed against the old man’s head as she used his face as a spring board.

The man’s face was covered in blood as he flew backwards. In a small explosion of debris the old man crashed through one of the weaker pillars and took another teacher who happened to be in front of it, with him.

The other teachers trembled seeing the old man slumped against the wall and the other instructor, caught in the crossfire and most likely dead, crushed behind him.

Many tried to wipe the image from their minds as they continued their chase.
She reached towards the now useless doors, Exilis in hand.
Blood, debris and particles of mana bestrew the ground behind her when a resounding snap echoed through the room.

 

And suddenly everyone was frozen in place.

 

Jaylin put his hand down and glanced around, he affirmed that everyone was caught in the radius of his spell, then put his hands behind his back.

“Well, wasn’t that a show.”

Everyone in the room, while bound in place, was still conscious. They stared at him, shocked.

“Exilis.”

Jaylin lifted his hand.

He willed the mana to go and bring Exilis to him, and so it did. Exilis flew out of the girls hand and landed in Jaylin’s grasp.

The possessed girl made a loud hum in protest, as her mouth was frozen shut.

Exilis stayed quiet, deciding to be majestic, silently.

“Hah.”

Jaylin laughed coldly.

“After all of this, you want to give me the cold shoulder?”
Jaylin wrapped a string of mana around his sword, wordlessly threatening to disperse the sword’s soul.

“OKAY OKAY!!!” Exilis, faced with his impending doom, spoke up.

The teachers and students alike temporarily stopped their attempts to escape Jaylin’s binding, and stared at the ‘ancient sword’ who had never spoken since it was found.

Exilis felt the continued threatening hold of Jaylins mana as it encroached on his soul, “I spoke! What else do you want dude?!”

Jaylin raised an eyebrow at the panicked Exilis, who was currently fidgeting within his grasp, “Dude?”

“Master!”

Jaylin sighed in mock sadness, “It seems our time in the mortal realm is gradually wearing away your regality.”

“You know, I thought I would be happy to be finally free, but now I feel it would be marginally better to be trapped in the glass box.”

“I can place your ashes in there, if you’d like.”

Exilis sighed, and in the most mocking regal tone he could manage, spoke, “Simply jesting Master. You may calm down, I shan’t force you to part with me.”

Jaylin smiled softly, sending chills down Exilis’ nonexistent spine. Scoffing at the swords reaction, he mocked, “You’re as cowardly as ever, Exilis.”

Exilis let some anger seep into his tone. Being called cowardly was his sore spot, “Ha. If I wasn’t so cautious, You wouldn’t have such a powerful sword today, Master.”

Everyone, the head teacher especially, stared incredulously at the two’s petty argument.

“Can we leave now? I’m so fucking sick of this place.”

“My gods Exilis, what has happened to your manner of speech?”

If Exilis had a human body, one would see a bulging vein on his forehead, “You try being trapped in a glass box surrounded by horny teenagers for decades!”

Jaylin continued the act and shot Exilis a disdainful look, “Don’t look at me like that!”

He chuckled quietly and glanced at the dumbfounded people surrounding him.
Staring at them silently for a brief moment, he exhaled sadly. He did not doubt that if he was to let everyone free at that moment, they would most definitely attack him, and he was never one to reject a fight. But he didn’t have time for that. No matter how powerful magic was, it could not stop the unstoppable.
He turned towards the double doors while he put the idea aside.

Disappearing faster than their eyes could see, he left without a word.