I adore this story, I have no intention of rewriting it. I just went through a bad writing slump, I am back though.

I could not enjoy this chapter more.

Two Years of Training with Hex-

"What is it that you needed, Talisman?" Hex started, walking into the library, bathed in moonlight. The boy was sighing, a sad look in his eyes that immediately disarmed Hex entirely. So much so that he barely noticed the runic formation that burned into existence underneath his feet. "What is the meaning of this I-" He screamed, what felt like electricity burning in his body, racing into the safe haven of his mind.

"Expurgate memoriam !" The boy declared, his tone strong, and absolute and Hex felt the magic wash through him, burning away and sealing all memories of his time with Talisman. "I am sorry, dear teacher, but this is for my best path. I cannot have you messing with me or my successes. I will be serving precisely no one bar myself. I will be creating and casting for only me."

Hex screamed, the betrayal hitting home and yet he felt a sense of pride. Pride for the boy's progress, ideas and execution. "You thought this through but you cannot have the power to overcome-" Red vapor slithered up from the runic formation and Hex knew he had lost. " My blood, but how?"

The boy laughed. "Your hair actually, ground up and used to extract your DNA and connect to your magic. Your magic is the magic binding your memories, so you cannot block it. I am sorry, but this is how it has to be." The boy said, smiling softly. "I will miss your company, but this is for the best. Goodbye, forever Hex."

Hex screamed out once more as the memories burned out from within and he collapsed onto the hard ground, never knowing what the hell happened to him... but forever wondering what had been the source of his pain.

""""

Sighing, Talisman hurried out of the library of Hex and out of the man's mansion. He had spent the last three months looking for possible allies and other such things all in the pursuit of power. He had managed to find out several things, several places where he would be safe, but first he had to get allies. He had located a surge of mana and dark energy not that far from he was, in a local college town. He made a point to hurry to that location, hoping beyond all things that it would be the thing he would need in the long run... and serving in a world he now knew was full of evil, power and rage. Of beings that could and would destroy all life just because it could...

It took him three days to reach the college town by foot, armed with his bag of magic and quite a bit of collected money in the bank. He wore a comfortable set of enchanted black soft pants and a hoodie shirt hybrid not unlike Hex. All black and covered in powerful runes for durability, temperature resistance and self-repair. They were hard as hell to create and he did not want to lose them.

He was walking on a highway, making his way to the college in question where his locator spell had picked up such a potent energy signature, listening to tunes on his phone, when a massive crass drew his attention. Looking up, he saw that a semi had veered into a pillar, destroying it and causing an entire top part of the road above to start to collapse.

He sprang into action, only to freeze as saw a girl, beautiful as the day was long, throw out her hands and create a pure construct of mana out. He focused on her aura and realized that while he was not looking for her, she was a master magician in ways that even Hex was not, and yet her aura was that of a novice... it was the strangest thing. That stopped mattering as a boy, that looked a lot like her, turned into a freaking dinosaur and screamed. "Humongasuar!" Before holding the bridge up.

Rushing forward, unable to stop himself, he ran to the boy. "Hold the bridge for a moment longer, I can make it easier on you!" He saw the boy's strain.

"WHAT?"

"JUST DON'T MOVE!" Channeling his mana, pulling as much as he could with each breathe, he threw out his hands. "Frigidus in loco!" His hands glowed a soft purple before a blast of icy water shot from his hands into the bridge above. It spread, sealing the bridge in place, creating a more solid backdrop for the dinosaur boy to hold up. The magic moving along the cracks, sealing safely along the entire structure. It was exhausting, magic was better suited to using natural materials not making them but this was an emergency.

"THE GIRL!" He heard the girl casting the constructs say.

"BEN!" Another boy said.

"Hands full!"

It was then that Talisman felt the energy he was tracking appear, flying at fast speeds a boy cloaked in a golden mantel appeared and scooped up a pretty black girl that Talisman had not been able to see from under the bridge, and scooped her up. Amazed, he almost stopped with his icy spell, only need kept him continuing it until the girl said.

"Everyone's okay." He turned then and shot icy as the burning semi, stopping the blaze entirely. Swaying and had to sit down, holding his head. "Ouch..."

"You okay?" A boy with a deeper voice said, he turned to face him and saw a handsome face with black hair and a strong body.

"Not used to manifesting such potent magics. I'll be fine, just give me a moment to ground myself, not all of us are made of magic like your friend over there. I have never met someone with such a potent aura, not even my old master and he was a true master of the mystic arts." Standing. with the boy's help, he moved over to the black girl and the golden boy. " Her aura is weak, thready, she feels... drained." He reached for her and placed his hands on her, without words he instantly saw things that horrified him... all the results of his divination training, the training he excelled at more than any other aspect of magical education.

The golden boy, grabbing onto her with the facade of a loving embrace only to drain her energy. He felt the sear of her lifeforce draining out of her body, and still it connected them. He felt her mind fade, her body gained a craving for power... and he knew that she would die without it.

The man, the Golden boy moved close, but before he could touch him, Talisman moved with two years of Judo and knocked him on his back. Grabbing his head, he slammed it into the ground hard enough to knock him out.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" A boy garbed in green screamed.

"Saving the girl." Grabbing the black girl's hand as well as the golden boy's, he focused hard. "Redi quod ablatum est!" A spark of lightning shot from the Golden boy's body into the girl's and her eyes cleared. Then, to even Talisman's shock, balls of energy shot from the boy's body and shot into the air. The boy's beautiful looks evaporated into nothing but a zombified, aged appearance complete with grey hair and emaciated skin.

"MICHAEL!" She screamed, shaking. "It was him, he was hurting me, us... taking from us with his filthy hands!" She shook, and Talisman took her into his arms.

"I can bind his powers, he won't hurt anyone ever again. His powers though, the authorities will never believe it and might actually just give him more access to victims. I can deal with him... you were tied to him, you should be able to sense the other victims getting their lifeforce back."

She nodded. "I can feel it... thank you, so much, thank you! My name is Trina, I cannot thank you enough!"

He kissed her cheek. "Kick him in the balls and we will call it even."

She giggled and then used perfect soccer form to destroy the boy's family line. He felt it in his own sack, as did the other boys present. "Thank you..." And like that she hurried away, eager to restart her life.

Placing a finger on Michael's forehead, he focused his energies into a final spell. "Liga omnia lux!" And his magic seared into a rune on the boy's forehead. "There, now he cannot abuse any more girls."

The girl with the master's aura moved closer. "What did you do, how did you know that? Why did you do that?"

"I read the girl's weak aura, saw that he was acting the part of the incubus and was violating girls for power. I cast a spell to return the energy stolen to the victims, then I sealed him powers up. As for how, well, while your aura is masterful, you are very untrained. I am the opposite, I am very well trained but am not a knack at mystical energy."

She frowned. "What do you mean I am a knack at magic, and how could you see so much? I have to focus so hard just to get a glimpse of anything."

"Again, I am well trained. I excel at clairvoyance and divination. Just repeat my spell and touch him, with your aura you should be able to easily see what he did. As for your knack, your aura is pure magic, I have never encountered anything like that."

The girl nodded and hesitantly put her hands on Michael and repeated his spell. Her eyes glowed a strong purple and then she growled. "That monster!" She stood and kicked him once too, only much harder than the girl before. Michael whimpered. She turned to the other boys. "I saw what he did, he was abusing so many girls, draining them of lifeforce and... he was turning them into less than Zombies. He was going to play us. He is the son of a Plumber, I saw that too... but he was raised by his mom and stepdad. This badge was his stepfather..." She took the badge from his waist. "And to think I was thinking he could have become an ally to us."

"Wasn't a total waste, I can be your ally." They all turned to Talisman. "I am a powerful sorcerer, I can show you to use your powers and I am allergic to injustice. Besides, I am so curious as to your aura that I kind of feel like I have to help whatever you need help with... or at least teach you to use your powers. I also need a place to live, I am sort of homeless..."

The girl beamed and held out her hands." I can take care of that. My name is Gwen Tennyson. This is my cousin Ben and my... friend Kevin Levin."

"Talisman. Yes, it's a fake name, mages do not share their real name easily, names have power." He shook the girl's hand. "It is really nice to meet you, all of you."

"Same. Now... let's go home. My parents have my brother's old room, I am sure they'll let you stay."

"Sounds great, I can quiz you on magic on the way over. Test what you know, then we can spar to see where you really lie in terms of magic. Also, it really is nice to meet you all, I know I am just talking it Gwen but really it is a delight to meet you all."

Ben nodded with a smile. "Same, really."

"Yeah, I guess," Keven said and Talisman sensed jealousy.

"Don't worry, Kevin, no need to be jealous, you are more my type than Gwen is." The boy burned red as they all moved back to the car, laughing it up at his expense, leaving Michael in the road like trash.

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was a blast to write. I really, really enjoyed writing this.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.