"The light element!?"

Bartholomew surged to his feet, his eyes shining as he looked at Michael fanatically. There was no greed, just an insatiable thirst for knowledge that bordered on zealotry.

Michael had never seen the headmaster react like this, not even when he had found out that he had a unique soul. If he didn't know the guy, Michael might feel threatened under such a gaze.

Sylvia's hand moved in a blur, smacking the back of Bartholomew's head with an unexpected swiftness and decisiveness. "Stop it Bart, you're scaring the poor kid," She chastised, like a mother protecting her young.

Eh?

Michael blinked incredulously, half expecting the man to get angry. However, he was surprised to see that not only didn't he appear angered, the headmaster nodded and bowed slightly towards him.

"Forgive me Michael, I got a little excited," he admitted with a wry grin. "Would you mind showing me these runes?"

Taken off guard by the dynamic between the brother and sister duo, Michael could only mutter a few words of confirmation before deciding to show the headmaster the runes. He'd drawn them plenty of times in the past three weeks so it took very little effort before the red runes were floating in the air in front of him.

Bartholomew walked forward and examined the runes with fervor, seemingly forgetting Michael and Sylvia's existence. The guy mumbled words every now and then, his eyes unblinking as if he wanted to burn every stroke of the runes into his mind.

After a minute, the mana began to dissipate, causing the floating runes to fizzle out of existence.

"Unbelievable…" Bartholomew said after a while, his eyes unfocused.

"It is." Sylvia stated in agreement. "I didn't know what to do with him, so I brought him here. If anyone gets wind of his ability…" her voice trailed off.

As if suddenly remembering something, the headmaster turned to Michael with wide eyes. "Your soul trait… Can you use it at will?"

Seeing the man's fanaticism return, Michael couldn't help but wear a wry smile. "Sorry, I've tried a few times to return to that dream so I could study the inner structure of healing spells—but the trait seems to activate on its own." He admitted.

Instead of looking disappointed, Bartholomew nodded, almost as if he'd expected it.

"You did well coming here Michael…" he said, patting him on the shoulder.

Well I didn't exactly come here of my own free will, he thought wryly, glancing at Sylvia.

Seemingly unaware of his musings, Sylvia stepped forward and addressed him. "Have you told anyone else about your ability?"

At this, the atmosphere seemed to turn tense as the brother and sister duo stared at him.

Pushing down his discomfort, Michael nodded. "Just Melody and Rudy. They've been trying to help me with constructing a spell to use the light element, though we haven't gotten anywhere."

Bartholomew let out a deep sigh of relief, "Thank the arcane."

However, Sylvia didn't seem to share his opinion, her expression laced with a frown. "Are they trustworthy? We can't have information of your ability reaching the wrong ears."

Michael felt a little offended and was about to reply, but the headmaster beat him to it. "They are, there is no need to worry."

Seemingly unconvinced, Sylvia raised an eyebrow.

As the two chatted back and forth, Michael was beginning to feel a little uneasy. He was currently in an unknown location with the headmaster and his sister. Could this be classed as kidnapping?

If he didn't return from the headmaster's office before long, both Rudy and Melody might come looking for him. He was sure that the last thing these two wanted was a manhunt within the academy walls.

"Er, headmaster… Where are we?" Michael interjected.

"Oh, my apologies Michael. We're at the Arcadius estate in the Rosa." He replied, apparently only now realizing the situation.

"I see… But why was I brought here? Couldn't you have met me at the academy if you wanted to discuss this?"

At this, Sylvia looked a little torn. She turned to her brother, as if getting his permission to answer the question. After a small nod from the bearded man, she let out a sigh.

"The academy isn't safe—or should I say, secrets won't stay secrets long…" she said mysteriously. Just when he thought she wasn't going to elaborate, the woman adjusted in her chair and continued.

"Though we vet every student that gets admitted into Arcadia, there are some that we have no choice but to let through thanks to their affiliation. Many spy's have affiliation with the elite noble houses, or places like the mage guild and the church…"

"While we're technically all at peace, tensions are high. Ever since the attack on Velmara and Claywall, things have only gotten worse—not to mention the recent happenings in Newhold."

Michael's eyes widened. There were spy's in the academy?

"Wait, didn't they already capture the culprits of the attacks?" Michael asked with a frown.

Sylvia turned to the headmaster, only for the man to let out a small sigh.

"You've been so forthright with us, so it's only fair that I reciprocate." He replied, shaking his head. "We—or should I say, I—believe that the Black night occult group were merely a pawn. I have reason to believe that it might be someone else pulling the strings from above…"

Michael swallowed, waiting for the man to continue.

"Though I haven't been able to prove it even now, I believe the culprit is someone with power in the kingdom. The Arc—"

"Alright Bart, there's no use in naming such a place until you've gathered enough substantial evidence." Sylvia cut him off, sending him a look.

"Michael, all you need to know is that tensions are high in the political sphere. With the vying for power amongst the noble houses and the recent attacks, there is quite a lot of unrest. This has extended to the academy—effecting the students and even some professors…"

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