Williams stood before the floor to ceiling glass wall behind his desk, hands clasped neatly behind his back, his silver eyes narrowing behind his glasses as he watched the students’ recreational activity unfolding across the school field below. The smile that usually rested on his lips had quietly vanished.
He adjusted the pinstriped tie of his navy blue business suit, its subtle red accents catching the light. His tailored trousers carried not a single visible blemish, a small but telling reflection of his careful, disciplined neatness.
That reputation was precisely why he had come to be admired throughout the city as one of its most modest, well kept headmasters. Many parents openly wished their own children could mirror his composed lifestyle, though privately, he would never actually recommend it, fully aware of just how much hardship it had taken him to reach this particular stage of life and adopt such habits in the first place. Even now, the storm surrounding him was far from over, only just beginning in earnest.
Mary sat nearby, sifting through heavy stacks of file documents spread across his polished desk, her expression carrying an eager, focused intensity as she worked. Noticing his continued stillness, she finally paused, concern creeping into her voice as she checked on him.
"Williams, what’s wrong? Is something bothering you? I’ve noticed it ever since that combat class session."
She held up two separate papers, narrowing her eyes as she compared them carefully before setting both aside among the growing pile of discarded files.
"It’s difficult to find a dossier that fits him properly. No one else quite matches. You should remember that everyone is genuinely distinct, in their own way."
Williams glanced toward her from the corner of his eye. "Just as I suspected. He had been completely ordinary, weak even, as a mundane, yet for some reason he still remained here, right up until today. He’s already surpassed a fair number of summoners who had their powers since early childhood. Isn’t that enough reason for me to worry about the two very different directions his path could still take?"
Mary stayed quiet, understanding well enough to respect his position as headmaster in that moment. Things had never been easy during his tenure here, not once. Countless complicated cases had passed through this office, some even reaching outward into interactions with other international schools. But this recent incident had detonated like a ticking time bomb, piling fresh tension squarely onto his shoulders.
"He was an ordinary mundane just days ago, and now, seemingly overnight, a genuinely powerful summoner. That’s both marvelous and terrifying, in equal measure. He could become a truly prominent asset to the academy’s future progress, one capable of helping us prevail across countless competitions and challenges against rival academies throughout the region. Amstral Academy could finally reclaim its rightful crown from those who’ve stolen it from us."
His expression turned solemn as heavier thoughts settled over his features.
"But then there’s the other path, the one his father walked, or the one the Dark Summoner walked. Those who rose to incredible heights of power through hard work and prosperity, only to eventually become immense threats to the entire world in return. Individuals capable of wiping out an entire city, ours included. The kind the authorities and their agents watch with genuine caution and restraint. That’s the other version of him living in the back of my mind. Two entirely different futures, two entirely different worlds, and I honestly can’t settle the dilemma between them."
Mary folded several loose documents into neat stacks as she began sorting them back into the drawers of the polished desk.
"Well, you’re forgetting that our school has far more talented scholars than you’re giving us credit for right now. They’re equally strong, equally capable of brightening this academy’s overall image. Kai’s wyvern alone is a symbolic advantage worth celebrating, It’s on the brink of evolving, and let’s not forget the top juniors: the school king and his inner circle, the high numbered ranks. The seniors are also nearly back from their decisive campaign in Antarctica. And we’ve just gained a new sophomore from one of the strongest families in the region. It’s practically a blooming miracle, one worth holding onto carefully."
She stood, smoothing down her fitted skirt as she rose. "And don’t forget the freshmen either, they represent our future. Their potential and value rest firmly within our administration, so we simply need to stay steady and prepared. There’s genuinely nothing to worry about here, whether Mark ultimately turns out to be a hero or a menace."
Williams rested a hand thoughtfully against his chin, a small smile forming as he finally exhaled.
"Thank you for that lovely little speech, Mary. It’s exactly why I’ve always valued you as this school’s advisor and counselor." His smile widened slightly. "Hmm, tell me, what’s your honest opinion of that new sophomore girl who’s apparently been spending time with Mark lately, according to the class reports I’ve received?"
Mary shook her head firmly as she finished packing the last of the file documents back into the drawer. "That’s a student matter, and we shouldn’t be interfering, even as the rightful authorities here. It wouldn’t be appropriate."
Williams chuckled softly, recognizing the slightly irrational nature of his own question. He simply hadn’t been able to help himself, the intrusive thought nagging persistently at his mind until he finally voiced it aloud, hoping for some kind of answer.
The idea of two figures, each carrying tremendous potential and power, one born into it, the other only recently awakened, felt almost like an impossibly lucky coincidence, one that should never have realistically happened. And yet, somehow, it already had.
"By the way, Mark’s existing dossier needs a prompt update. It’s genuinely vital for his documentation going forward, if we truly want to understand and properly monitor whatever this strange anomaly of his actually is," Mary added, addressing Williams directly.
"Oh, yes, of course. Make sure to inform the records and documentation staff about that, so everything’s properly prepared. And let it be..." His voice trailed off suddenly at the sharp sound of a knock against the outside of the door. His head turned toward it, a puzzled expression crossing his face.
Just who would be out of class at this particular time, let alone wandering into the administrative block of his office? Perhaps something urgent and serious had come up, something requiring immediate attention.
He didn’t need to say a word before Mary was already on her feet, moving toward the door and opening it just enough to see who stood on the other side. A brief, quiet exchange followed before she finally opened it fully, allowing the visitor inside.
Williams’s eyebrows knitted together, and he blinked in mild surprise as an auburn haired young man in an Amstral School jacket stepped forward, hands casually shoved into his pockets.
For a brief moment, Williams worried the boy might have overheard part of their earlier conversation, aware of just how devious some students could be these days. But the calm, entirely unbothered expression on Mark’s face quickly dismissed that particular concern from his mind.
He had known Mark since his freshman year, and the boy had never once struck him as the type to eavesdrop deliberately. Still, people could change quickly, as recent events had already proven all too well.
"Good morning. There’s something I need to ask, and it’s fairly urgent, so I hope you don’t mind me bringing it up directly."
The headmaster considered him for a moment before nodding, granting permission to continue. He settled back into his seat behind the desk, fingers laced together after a brief adjustment of his glasses.
"I’d like to file for a permission card covering roughly a week, maybe two, for certain personal matters I need to attend to."
"And what exactly has led you to this particular decision? I’d like to hear something logical, something genuinely convincing, before I consider it."
Their eyes locked for a long moment before Mark finally exhaled and pulled out his phone.
"First and foremost, it’s about my situation, and I want to handle it away from school grounds. I can’t keep living under constant suspicion, treated like some looming threat or judged endlessly as some kind of anomaly. It’s genuinely taking a toll on me, and I think I need some real personal space. On top of that, I’ve been dealing with a chronic headache lately, ever since my detention, or maybe even a little before that."
Mary glanced briefly at Williams, who returned the look with one of his own. She had already made sure to tuck Mark’s dossier discreetly among the other files, careful not to reveal anything or draw unnecessary suspicion toward either of them.
The headmaster glanced briefly toward the ceiling before settling his gaze firmly back on Mark.
"Very well then. You’ve presented a clean, rational basis for your request, and it will be honored. You genuinely need time to recover from the stress you’ve been under, especially with next month’s competition only a week away now, one that determines both class rank and, eventually, valedictorian status. We need our students healthy and strong for these kinds of activities, and if a brief period away serves that purpose, then so be it."
"That said, understand this isn’t a full week or two of leave, only two days at most. We also can’t allow our students to miss out on any scheduled school events," Williams added, peering over the top of his glasses with a firm, measured look.
Mark simply nodded, his expression remaining entirely unchanged, his emerald green eyes steady and calm, gleaming faintly like polished gemstones.
"Thank you."
***
Later that same day, Mark made his way into his dormitory, bag slung casually over his left shoulder, headphones resting over his ears as a lively Brazilian funk track played through them. The faint smile on his lips vanished the instant he spotted his roommate blocking the path ahead.
Pausing the music, he let out a tired, exasperated sigh, one that clearly failed to register the same way with his upperclassman roommate, who only smirked in response, one fist smacking lightly against his open palm. His neck cracked audibly, muscles clearly itching for a fight.
Derek Dricks stared him down with crystalline brown eyes that caught and reflected the light, framed by jaw length, edgy forest green hair paired with natural black roots, the sides shaved close in a textured, cropped style.
His build was lean, standing a little taller than Mark through both the head and shoulders, a difference that had always made his presence genuinely intimidating in the past. Well, that had been true once. Right now, things were considerably different.
"Well, look who’s early for once, unlike all those other times you sneak in late. Wonder what changed."
Mark’s eyes gleamed sharply, his jaw tightening as Derek stepped forward. They had been roommates ever since his freshman year, though the arrangement had rarely felt like anything close to comfortable, more often bordering on genuinely harsh.
Already targeted by bullies on campus for being a mundane, he had somehow ended up with his own roommate as yet another persistent source of torment.
It had honestly felt like living through a small, personal hell at times, though to his own surprise, he had never been treated quite as severely from the other bullies.
There had never been that much consistent heat between the two of them, more occasional flare ups than any relentless, ongoing torment.
And it seemed his sophomore year was shaping up to follow that exact same pattern all over again.
Jade green crystalline armor materialized suddenly across Derek’s arms in a brief shimmer of twinkling light. "Good. Now that you’ve actually grown into a proper summoner, we can finally take this to another level."
"Seriously, Derek? Is this really all you’ve ever wanted? Just taking your frustration out on other people? That’s not right, and you know it." Mark’s fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"Sounds like you’ve grown a bit of audacity along with your new strength, huh? Don’t let that fool you though. It’s still nowhere close to matching mine."
He lunged forward, his jade gauntleted fists shooting out like a pair of launched projectiles. But Mark simply tilted his head at exactly the right instant, letting the blow sail harmlessly past him, before driving a brutal knee strike straight into his opponent’s frame, the force sending Derek crashing backward into a nearby door, which splintered apart under the sheer weight of the impact.
It was only a small demonstration of the martial arts he had spent so long training and refining, more than enough preparation for exactly this kind of situation.
"Stay down, and don’t ever try that again." Mark walked past him calmly, hands returning to his pockets as he stepped into his own room. He glanced briefly around at the familiar furniture before beginning to gather a few select items, already preparing himself to leave.
A/N: please care to mind me of any inconveniences; this book’s my first shot.
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