Headquarters of the Magus Alliance
Emery went through the swirling portal together with Magus Xion and they arrived in front of a colossal palace. White pillars made of polished marble stood tall and proud, supporting the much taller buildings scattered around the place.
Julian looked around with obvious interest, as he thought the building somehow reminded him of home.
But their main surprise actually came from the humongous, triangle-shaped structure hovering high in the air.
"Master, is that…?" Emery stated.
Magus Xion looked up and said. "that's a battlestar-class ship. I guess the Imperium came for a visit today."
"That's a flying ship!?… It is as big as a city…"
The marvelous sight of the ship was an eye-opener for them.
Magus Xion led them across the street, while Emery and Julian both admired the place. All over the street, guards clad in shiny armor stood and walked around, each carrying high-quality weapons of various kinds. Even with a glance, Emery could tell that all the guards he saw were at least on par with him.
Noticing Emery's interest, Magus Xion smiled and said. "You can sense it, can you? None of those alliance guards are weaker than a rank 9 acolyte."
Emery and Julian stared at them again, this time with their mouths agape. Other than the armored alliance guards, Emery also noticed most of the residents wore the same kind of grey robes. Though the robes lacked color, they still looked luxurious.
Magus Xion explained that, although this place looked like a city, almost all the people passing through this place worked for what he simply referred to as 'The Council'.
These thousands of grey robes people were working as administrators to decide the fates of no less than ten thousand human planets in the whole quadrants.
Occasionally they would have meetings where decisions involving billions of lives on a planet were being discussed and decided. Meetings such as the one they are attending today.
"Remember, you two." Magus Xion warned. "We came only to observe. Always be respectful."
"Yes, Master." The two answered solemnly.
The building in the center of the area stood tall, dwarfing the others around it as if to show off its importance. Close to its entrance, many moving boxes constantly went back and forth in several different directions. The boxes were made of strong but light glass, allowing those inside to see the city from up above as they ascended.
The three of them picked one box and went inside. Slowly, the box rose up and, within a few minutes, they arrived at one of the topmost areas. The place looked like a massive balcony that was suspended inside an open-air dome. At glance, Emery thought the place reminded him of the arena he battled in during the Magus Games, except it was more tall than wide.
From the top, Emery noticed the place was separated into three parts. The top layer was where he stopped at, precisely the topmost part, where observers wearing various unique clothing seated.
The second layer, the mid part of the place was populated with those from The Council, the people in grey robes. Meanwhile, the bottom and centermost were part of the first layer. Each of those residing there had their own private seating space that could hover to the center.
"Emery, look on that side!" Magus Xion said, pointing at one of the private spaces. Julian and Emery threw their gaze in that direction and saw the headmaster Altus Dreyden standing inside.
At last, the centermost of the place, hovering in the air, was reserved for the chairman of the council.
From what Emery saw, there were thousands of people gathered in this building at this very moment. However, even though the place was packed, it was quiet and only the chairman's words echoed through the building.
Emery observed the council meeting and saw the way it worked. The chairman would call upon the agenda to be discussed, with each petition detail available to be accessed through the system panel all around the buildings
Those who had concerns regarding the petition would be called to the center of the room to explain their stance.
Afterwards, the councilmen would vote their decision in accordance with the information, and the result of the vote would decide if they agreed or disagreed.
From the looks of it, the meeting had already gone on for several hours, leaving Emery scrambling for bits and pieces whispered by the audience to know what was actually going on..
"Next is the list of planets that are at war and asking for the alliance intervention!" The chairman shouted.
The audience's panel started to glow and a list of planets, along with a short summary of their information and problems, were shown in front of their eyes.
"Emery, the way it works is, although the councils are the one who do the votes, only the people on the first layer were able to speak. As for the current petitions for example, the default is that the alliance would not involve itself in any war... except if there are any people from the first layer who speak on behalf of the particular planet. You see Emery? That's why having authority to be in the first layer is very important."
Next, Magus Xion pointed at some of the people in the first layer and talked about them.
One particular room in the first layer was filled with a group of people wearing massive yet well-polished, oversized golden armor. The armor covered their whole body, including their head, causing them to look like machine lifeforms when seen from afar.
"Those are from the Imperium. They rule a huge part of the quadrant and they favor technology much more than the power of the spirits."
Magus Xion then pointed at another group, one that consisted of people wearing brown, hooded cloaks.
"They are the Ancient Magus, one of the most respected groups here. They are the ones who created the teleportation gates"
Magus Xion continued to explain, pointing at the groups as the meeting went on. Most of the groups in the first layer were there to represent huge factions.
The factions allowed to be on the first layer were those who reached at least grade 4 or 5, meaning that not even the Wellenstein groups were allowed a seat on the first layer. If there were members of lower factions in the first layer, they were only there thanks to an invitation from a higher faction.
"You see, Emery. If you join the Wellenstein faction, your future as a Magus would be bright. Especially when their faction upgrade to grade 4"
"How about the Nephilim? Which grade do they belong to?" Emery asked.
"Do you really need to ask?" Magus Xion answered by holding up five fingers.
A few hours passed and a voting session marked the end of the discussion about warring planets. After a short break, the chairman announced a change of discussion.
"Next agenda is a list of planets who ask for a change in management, included in the information are details about potential new caretakers to be assigned to that planet."
"Emery, this is what we came here for," Magus Xion said.
Emery concentrated on the system panel and pulled one of the many lists as indicated. Among the worlds on the list, Emery saw the Earth was also petitioning for their freedom.
[Current caretaker: Nephilim Faction]
[New caretaker: Lord Izta]
[Petitioned by: Altus Dresden]
Below the data, there was a summary containing reasons for the change along with other necessary information. A detailed background summary about Lord Izta could also be seen.
"Now, we will wait and see if the Nephilims or any other people in the first layer dare to go against our headmaster's petition." Magus Xion smiled.
The meeting started and most of the planets' petitions were agreed upon without a hitch. The seamless agreements made Emery and Julian feel more confident that their headmaster would succeed.
But, when it was almost time for the Earth's petition to be reviewed, a ruckus started on the first floor.
They saw the people on the first and second layers had turned chaotic.
"What happened, Master?" Emery asked.
"I am not sure, but… something big must have happened"
From their place on top, Emery could see the chairman's expression also turn to panic, but he tried to calm himself before announcing..
"We have received very disturbing news, and thus, the meeting has to be adjourned. I repeat, the meeting-"
Before the chairman could finish, Emery could feel his heart skip a beat. The air suddenly felt heavy followed by his spirit core feeling conflicted as if his soul was weighed down by a gigantic rock.
He looked to Magus Xion for guidance, only to see his master was equally terrified.
Suddenly there was a bright light followed by a loud sound in the sky above that pierced his ears.
KABOOOMMMMM!!.
Debris rain down from above. Julian, Emery and Magus Xion unconsciously crouched down to protect themselves.
When the light and smoke subsided, Emery saw the large battlestar-class ship was on fire and tilted about to crash down from the air.
"What just happened, Master?" Emery asked, panic evident in his voice.
"We are under attack!"
The explosion was the first of many that followed right after. From where he stood, Emery saw the magus of the first layer started flying into the air, with the headmaster among them.
When they passed the layer Emery stood on, he could feel that most of them were Grand Magus and Supreme Magus level fighters. The pressure each of them radiated was comparable in power from the explosion earlier.
The skies that were full of smoke started to shine with various colors of powerful spells. Emery realized that a chaotic battle was happening at this instance. A battle that even his magus master unable to join.
"You two, we need to get out! NOW!" Xion shouted and Emery was back to his senses.
KABOOMMM! KABOOMMM!
When they were about to leave the area, Emery saw a huge, pitch-black cloud forming into a huge, shadowy face. It's terrifying form start to speak thunderous words in an ancient tongue he could not understand at all.
"A spirit attack!" Xion shouted in warning. "Quickly, protect your-"
Before Emery could hear what his master said, he felt something attack his mind. Emery try hard to perform the spirit defense into his mind as from the lessons he learnt in the elite class
But this particular spirit attack was beyond his capabilities at all.
Emery saw Julian passed out to the ground and before he could do anything about it. He also felt his consciousness start to slip and everything instantly turned dark.
Emery opened his eyes in panic. He quickly sat up and looked around, seemingly searching for an invisible threat.
Instead of opponents, Emery saw Klea and two of his friends waiting by his bed. Klea's eyes were wet with tears.
"What happened…? Julian…? Emery mumbled. He found speaking a little more difficult than usual.
"The Roman's fine, resting in the other room," Thrax said.
Emery took a deep breath and started to calm himself knowing he had returned back to the academy.
His friend started to explain the situation. It seemed the alliance meeting was interrupted by an attack from the elves. Many lost their lives in the battle. Fortunately, Magus Xion grabbed both of them and was barely able to get back to the portal.
"How.. How long have I been unconscious?"
"Three days Emery"
Three days would mean today is probably the last day of his second year academy.
"What about Magus Xion is he alright?"
"He is fine Emery don't worry."
Emery stared at his friends. It seemed there was something unspoken. "Then, what happened? Why are you all being weird…?"
"It's just… The headmaster, he… he was taken by the enemy."
"!!!"
"We actually also just recently learned of it from the academy announcement. We were all shocked."
His three friends told him everything he missed during the time he was unconscious. Some of what they said were official announcements and some were just bits and pieces of gossip spreading between the acolytes. But the gist was that the war between humans and elves had escalated.
"What does that mean for us? What do we do now?" Emery asked.
Unfortunately, none of them could give an answer.
A knock could be heard from the door and Magus Xion came into Emery's room, together with the pale-looking Julian.
After saying his gratitude for helping him and Julian, Emery ask about what happened
"You acolytes shouldn't worry too much. I believe the alliance has a solution ready for this." Magus Xion smiled.
"Master… What's happening to the academy now?"
"I can't answer that, as I'm not too sure myself. What I know is that Deputy Head Delbrand will fill in for the headmaster role for now"
Magus Xion turns silent for a moment before saying.
"Unfortunately, with what just happened, the Earth petition is currently on hold"
The five of them turned silent. Magus Xion sighed and spoke.
"I am not supposed to say this being an academy instructor, but.. there has never been an attack this magnitude for a thousand of years… and as for your question earlier, I believe the academy will also change"
"What are you trying to say, Master?" Emery asked.
Magus Xion stared at the five kids in front of him one by one, before speaking in a serious tone. "I'll make it simple. If you kids don't improve in the next 3 years, I would suggest against accepting the third year recall."
Emery and the others looked at each other, stunned and unable to reply.
"Alright, that will be all. Now, can you give me some time to talk with Emery?"
Still confused about the announcement, they all left without much protest, leaving Emery alone with Magus Xion. His master's serious face made him even more concerned.
"Emery, for you… it will be even harder"
Magus Xion explained he would have a difficult time due to his status as a half-blood. From the information he had, it seemed the attack was possible due to the betrayal of one of the bloodline races. This attack had caused the relationship between half-bloods and humans to become much more complicated.
Because of this, the Wellensteins also took away their offer.
"Without their support and with your dark core problem, it will be very difficult for you… I hope you think thoroughly about what I said, if you are not improving don't bother coming back for the next academy recall… you understand?"
Emery nodded.
"Emery, if it were up to me, I'd really hope this is not a goodbye… Maybe I'll visit you on Earth sometime." Magus Xion gave a forced smile and said. "Good luck, Emery"
The magus turned away to leave, but Emery stopped him.
"Master… Tell me, which race? Which bloodline?"
Magus Xion turned around and answered. "It's the Snake bloodline… All members suddenly left and cut off communications with us. The council had confirmed they already defected to the elves."
Emery startled, he felt as if freezing cold water was poured on his back. Now, he understood what Silva meant by her farewell.
Within hours, Emery would have to return to Earth and made sure all his preparation had been completed. He used his last few thousand spirit stones to buy a few spells and ensure the safety of the three items in the special box.
Void Crystal, Blood Moon Ritual Scroll, and the Caracas Seed. As for the seed Emery has a whole bag of them. However, at the last minute, he was told that he was only allowed to bring one seed.
He found such a rule stupid and for a moment he considered bringing home his Spirit Foundation Pill instead. But in the end, he decided to bring back just the one seed.
Emery picked up the box, along with his bag that he brought from Earth. Inside the bag, there was his Earth-made potions and the Moon Dagger.
Just like last time, there was a small ceremony to commemorate the acolytes' leave back to their own worlds, but this time it was led by the deputy head.
Emery and his five friends made a small circle, put their hands together and promised each other to be safe and improve themselves. The future seems much harder now and they need to get stronger.
"For us, for we are the Earth's greatest magus! Fight!"
A bright light engulfed them and they were gone from the Magus Academy.