When Damion stepped out of his dormitory he saw the crowd of students and families had started to empty out of Silver Spire's great hall. Still, most of them were milling about outside the spire. The graduates were introducing their families to each other and friends were saying their farewells, exchanging promises to keep in touch or visit.

Making his way to the school's entrance, Damion hoped to slip away unnoticed. Unfortunately, he did not. Just as he was getting to the gates of the campus, Thomas Sorin approached him. Today, unlike all the other times Mage Sorin approached Damion, he was alone.

"How does it feel Mage Wells, to set a record no one is likely to ever beat?" Mage Sorin shouted from behind causing Damion to stop and turn to face him.

"Is that what important? Records?" Damion questioned.

"Your name will go down in history as the youngest B Rank mage ever."

"Does that make you jealous? Is that why you chased after me? To make sure I was aware of your jealousy?"

"Don't act all high and mighty just because you are a B Rank. I know why my cousin fled the school. And once I report to my grandfather what I know, he'll spare no expense to hunt her down."

"I really don't know what you are talking about," Damion lied and turned to leave.

Damion was a few meters past the gates of Silver Spire when he felt a something hit him in the back of his head. Turning, he saw Thomas had continued to chase after him and was already casting another spell. He could hardly believe the Wind mage would be so stupid as to attack someone two Ranks higher than him, but then he realized that Mage Sorin was likely goading him to fight back.

Phil jumped into action and was circling around ready attack, but Damion warned him off.

'Hold. We must not fall into his trap.'

Phil said nothing back, but Damion could sense the Snow Hawk's displeasure in not being allowed to strike back.

"So, when you don't get your way, you attack someone from behind?" Damion said, raising his voice. They were some distance from the crowds in front of the school's main spire, but his voice would still be loud enough for the stronger mages present to hear.

"Don't play your games with me. You are no longer a student of Silver Spire and since you are no longer under the protection of the school, I can do whatever the hell I want. Now fight me!"

Mage Sorin cast another Whirlwind Sphere at Damion. This one, like the one before, hit Damion and even though he was unarmored, the spell did little more than feel like a tap on the shoulder.

"Are you really so crazy that you would risk death just on the off chance your grandfather can save you?"

"I don't need my grandfather's protection! Vacuum Bubble!"

Mage Sorin moved to cast another spell. However, this spell was different. Instead of sending an orb of condensed Wind magic at Damion, the spell started sucking all the air away from his body. At first he was not sure what the Wind mage's spell was doing, but then he realized it was exactly as the name suggested, the spell was sucking all the air out from around Damion in an attempt to suffocate him.

This was a spell he had not heard of before, but given the nature of what it did, Damion guessed it was likely a tier 4 or a tier 5 spell. High tier spells were guaranteed to have an enormous mana cost, so Damion was a bit surprised Mage Sorin was actually able to cast it. Still, the spell had a huge weakness. All he had to do to avoid suffocation, was to move out of bubble of no air.

'Keep your distance,' Damion sent to Phil via their bond.

Seeing an easy way out of the attack, Damion walked forward a few paces and after feeling the change in air pressure from passing the edge of the spell, he took in a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. Mage Sorin's eyes bulged when his nemesis simply walked out of the spell's range. A moment later, the Wind mage collapsed on the ground, apparently having run out of mana.

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"Thomas Sorin!" Came a shout from above.

Damion, along with the crowd that had slowly moved closer to watch the apparent show, looked up to see Mage Teft hovering a few meters above the ground.

"You have attempted to assassinate a high Rank Mage. As this is not your first attempt on the life of Mage Wells, I sentence you to death."

Before anyone in the growing crowd could say anything, Mage Teft cast her spell. The spell hit Mage Sorin in the foot and at first, Damion thought it was a poor bit of aim from his mentor, but he quickly realized it was intentional.

Mage Sorin's foot became incased in ice and a moment later, the young mage was screaming in agony. Damion watched as the ice began to spread up the Wind mage's leg and as it did so, the parts of his body trapped in ice were eaten away.

"Dean Teft! What are you doing?" Shouted Headmaster Sorin. "You are not a member of the Justiciar. You do not have the authority to punish or to execute!"

As much as the Headmaster would have liked to save his grandson, the only thing he could do was convince Teft to cease her attack. If he had arrived a few seconds sooner, he perhaps could have severed Thomas' leg to separate him from the attack, but the ice had already reached the young man's hip. The only hope of survival now was for Mage Teft to terminate the spell.

"Your grandson orchestrated the assassination attempt against Mage Wells in the labyrinth. And now, he has attacked Mage Wells multiple times. Likely in hopes of goading him to fight back, forcing you to retaliate. You have no one to blame for this but him."

"It was you that killed Mage Bianco then!" Headmaster Sorin realized.

"That was Mage Bianco's second attempt on Damion's life as well. I gave him a warning, just as I gave one to you and your grandson. I will not tolerate the targeting of my student."

Thomas Sorin's screams intensified as the ice encircled his waist. It was both fascinating and horrifying to watch as Mage Sorin's body inside the ice slowly began to shrivel. The foot where the spell first hit was now just a shriveled hunt of flesh and Damion could see it quickly dissolving just to bones.

"Dean Teft, stop this at once," another voice commanded.

Turning, Damion saw it was Justiciar Straus who was followed by a dozen armor clad Justiciars.

"Or what?" Mage Teft mocked. "Will you attack me, a common born S Rank for defending my common born student against repeated murder attempts?"

"Headmaster Sorin, surely you can stop her," Justiciar Straus said, looking to the Headmaster.

"If we kill her, that spell could very well run out of control and destroy this entire area. We need an Ice mage or another Water mage that knows the Frost Fire spell. Only once we know we can extinguish the spell can we move against her."

"Move against me?" Mage Teft laughed. "If you had properly taught your grandson, this would not be necessary. But you, who think noble blood is all that matters, have failed too many students to count. I should cast Frost Fire on you while I am here, but you have not attacked my student, so I will merely give you a final warning. Don't."

"Please, Helga, I'm begging you. You have already crippled him. No healer will be able to repair the damage you have done. Release him and we will overlook this incident, and I will speak on your behalf to the Rubrum council regarding Theodore Bianco's murder."

"You really are dense. Theodore Bianco was executed for multiple murder attempts of my disciple and complicit in who knows how many other evil deeds. I will not be judged by corrupt nobles who seek only to expand their own power. All these people here witnessed your grandson attack Mage Wells from behind and then repeatedly attack him with intent to kill. For those of you who didn't, here is a recording."

Mage Teft tossed down a tablet that began projecting the incident between Damion and Thomas Sorin. The commoners in the crowd gasped, but the noble born merely shook their heads in dismay. The proof was absolute, they could offer no objection, save that it should be the Justiciar to carry out the sentence, not Mage Teft.

"The proof is absolute. But that does not give you the right to…" Justiciar Straus started but was cut off.

"Doesn't it. If I had turned him over to you, how long would it have been that he would be released. You claim to be impartial, but seldom do I see you act against the interests of the noble families. Today I take the responsibility away from you."

The Frost Fire had expanded up to Thomas Sorin's mid chest and Damion could only imagine the pain the young mage would have been in had he still been conscious. Fortunately for him, the Wind mage had passed out and was momentarily free of the torment.

"Remember Damion. Show no mercy to those who wish you harm. Doing so will only bring you more trouble in the end."

With a flick of her wrist, the Frost Fire expanded quickly and completely encased Thomas Sorin. After a few seconds the spell completely consumed him and then the Frost Fire simply vanished.

When the ice vanished and left only the shriveled remains of Thomas Sorin, it took everyone a few moments to take their eyes off the corpse and look to Mage Teft, who was still hovering in the air.

"Arrest her!" Justiciar Straus shouted to his men.

Headmaster Sorin was already jumping into action, producing an artifact that let him start rising from the ground to reach Mage Teft. However, before he had covered half the distance, Mage Teft took out an artifact from her pocket and pressed a button. When she did, a portal opened in front of her, and she jumped through. Once she was through, the portal closed and everyone in the crowd was suddenly in an uproar.

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