"That boy is something."

Lord Jaya turned to his thirteen. He glanced over each of them until his eyes rested on the speaker, Bergan.

"You are normally silent in these meetings Bergan, what has caused you to speak again?" Lord Jaya smiled at Bergan.

"It must be because his precious rising star of a protégé is doing so well!" Celica spoke smirking.

"Oh, like you aren't proud of your little sister's improvement? And who does she have to thank for it." Sona laughed.

"Shut up old woman, your daughter's in the exact same situation."

"Cease." Lord Jaya interrupted the brewing squabble. "We are here because some students have decided to not honor one of our rules."

The mages sobered up. "Yes, the mages led by Yacob, they claim that somehow Faris cheated."

Farooq scoffed, "As long as no one dies there were no rules."

A mage even older than Rakus spoke up, "…True, but the boy's method of fighting was… unorthodox, and if everything is to be believed he didn't have the magical power to defeat them."

"Marquis Verudies?" Lord Jaya questioned, "Do you call to question the legitimacy of his performance?"

The old man chuckled. "Not at all, I am merely curios of the tools he utilized. He's proven a powerful mentalist and a competent melee combatant all at such ripe ages, though he is of course only fighting mere children, talented they may be."

"Of course, we know he's using some tools, which is perfectly within the rules, we just don't know what it is."

"What's the importance of his tools?" Bergan asked with ire, "So he's got a few trinkets? Don't we all?"

"The importance…" Verudies spoke slowly, "is that we are at war with a coalition many times our number and likely many times our strength, the only reason we have not been destroyed is because they don't have the ability to attack us from the sea, or from the mountains, and can only approach through the Narrow lands of the edge of Surda, and even then the wall nearly fell, the enemy's momentum would have taken the nation in a matter of weeks. The fact a boy, talented and skilled, but a boy still, defeated 10 opponents who were his seniors in strength experience and number, whatever he had that helped him, we would do well to learn of it and see if it could be replicated."

The other council members nodded. Farooq turned to Sona, "Did your tool elaborate as to the nature of his tools?"

Sona's smile dropped. "He has a mix of magical and nonmagical tools." She leaned back on her chair. "He deployed mirrors enchanted with draumr kópa (dream stare) and a quartz stone enchanted to raise the dust cloud, those were advanced enchanting techniques, especially the mirrors, as he would have to concentrate to keep his mind connected."

"What? Enchanting objects is a skill taught only to my guild disciples and members, only a few outside can execute it well!" Mortimer grumbled.

"He also utilized arrows, shot from a bone bow that matched dwarven make, but it was built for a large person, larger than he was."

"A dwarven horn bow?!" The mages mumbled amongst themselves. Sona patiently let them finish before continuing.

"He utilized the ward piercing techniques of my guild." Celica smirked. "He's got talent, mix that with that superb bow and he easily broke through the weakened wards, and he aimed for a crystal each time, cutting down their level of power."

"This is all interesting…" Lord Jaya said dryly.

"But we wish to know what he did on the end, what did he do to create that high power spell?"

Sona shook her head. "He cast fire."

"Fire?!" Rakus asked incredulously. "He had that much power available?"

"No, he used a tiny amount of fire, the magic activated near his forearm actually."

"So, he ignited something…" The elderly mage nodded in interest. "Perhaps we should speak to him."

"He dislikes us." Sona smiled, "Even when I speak to my daughter amongst them, he never lowers his guard."

Celica nodded grumpily, "Boys usually like pretty women, so I don't understand why he hates me."

"It probably has to do with you lot insinuating inappropriate relationships in and trying to separate him from Venka."

"Shouldn't that be water under the bridge?"

"Would you forgive someone doing that Celica?"

"I would disembowel the fools and choke them with their own entrails. Then I would…" Celica paused, then hit her palm with her fist in realization. "Ah! I'm surprised he hasn't poisoned me…"

"Not everyone is an insane psychopath Celica."

Lord Jaya cleared his throat. "We will try to curry his favor at a later date, we must now deal with the ten students. They can come in now."

The mages took a more formal seating stance as they turned towards the entrance to their grand chamber. As the doors opened Yacob and the rest of his group entered in. They had apprehensive looks as they bowed before the council.

"You may rise."

As Yacob rose up he stammered. "We receive your guidance Hallowed 13."

Lord Jaya waited for an uncomfortably long amount of time before he spoke again. "I have heard that you do not wish to honor the aftermath of your duel with Faris."

"With all due respect sir, it is in our opinion that he cheated."

"Oh?"

Yacob gulped, "Y-yes sir, his tools, and the magical ability he utilized, someone had to have helped him."

"I see, a compelling argument." Lord Jaya turned to the other student mages. "And you are all in agreement?"

They smiled at his seemingly kind and understanding expression, nodding enthusiastically.

Lord Jaya smiled widely. "Good good! You are all in agreement then! That makes things much easier and simpler, thank you."

The student mages bowed again.

"You are all dismissed."

"Dismissed from this meeting sir?" Yacob asked.

Lord Jaya nodded his head, "And from this school, you have 24 hours to vacate the premises and submit to the public masons registration."

The children looked at him with stunned silence.

"W-what?!"

"You heard me, you are expelled, expunged, terminated, we no longer require you.

Yacob twitched, he kowtowed before the council, prostrating on the floor. "Please reconsider Lord Jaya, give us mercy."

"Oh? But you've made your decision."

"But we believe he used illegitimate means to- "

"There are no illegitimate means, as long as you don't die, and… forgive me if I'm wrong." He glared dangerously. "You struck with enough power to bypass the blue crystal failsafe, you would have killed him."

"We, that was not our intention sir!"

Lord Jaya smiled. "Of course, no student would willingly break our rules? But please, state you didn't plan to kill him in the ancient language." His grin grew wider as the students did not answer.

"Lord Jaya! It was Yacob's plan! He strung us all up in it! I didn't want to do it sir! Please! Don't kick me out!"

Yacob stared stunned and furious with the betrayal. But Lord Jaya merely sighed.

"A touching story, please, would you reiterate it in the ancient language?"

"…"

"I thought not." He tapped his finger against his armrest. "Hmmm…. Attempted murder, and lying to the council, tut tut children, that is truly terrible, but, seeing how desperate you are, I won't forcibly conscript you into the masons."

The children sighed in relief.

"I'll have you all take the Vow of Abstinence." He laughed at their shocked faces. "You have 24 hours before you will be collected and taken to the hall. You are free to make your peace, just know, a third violation would have terrible consequences, feel free to make merry though and enjoy your power while it lasts. You are dismissed."

The children had no choice but to turn and leave, tears visible on their faces. Yacob's face in particular was a mask of extreme rage and hatred as he spotted a Fairth of Faris strategically placed right outside the grand hall.

"Well, they took that well." Rakus stated.

"I'm surprised they didn't make a worse outburst." Lord Jaya said amused. "Actually, I wish they had, I would have enjoyed beating some discipline into him."

"Would they be desperate enough to attack Faris or his compatriots? We have literally wiped away their future prospects, and aren't their families influential in this school and kingdom."

"If they did, if Faris could defeat them before, he should have no trouble, and on the chance, he has troubles. One of us swooping in to save his or his friends life should do much to endear him to us."

"Wouldn't a boy that astute believe something was up?" Celica asked.

"Of course, he would. But his friends wouldn't."

"You mean to tell me I have to put my grandchild in danger Jaya?!"

"Be calm Rakus, we will stop anything from seriously happening."

Lord Jaya waited until the rest of the council filed out before he reflected. As his mind wandered, he recalled just earlier, before he set the meeting up, the encounter with his daughter.

"You are in a good mood…" He smiled as he looked as his daughter, who practically skipped along.

"Am I?" She turned confused and bemused.

Lord Jaya smiled. "Did you find a student to extort? Or a new quarry to hunt?"

He looked confused as she shook her head. "Nope."

"Nope? Where did that terminology come from?"

"Well father, when in Rome…"

"Ah, so from Faris and his little friends."

"Yup!"

Lord Jaya chuckled. "You are getting attached to them."

"I do find the thought of killing them in cold blood a bit difficult."

"Hmmm… especially that Faris?"

He was taken aback when she beamed at him.

"I think he's marvelously amazing, he always finds some way to surprise me. In fact, just the other day he made a fairth of me and the rest! It was absolutely lovely!"

"I see…" Lord Jaya hid his feelings behind his wide smile. Seya pouted at him. "What?"

"I know that look father…"

"I just think perhaps this passing attraction may be going too far, my little girl shouldn't concern herself with relationships just yet."

"Do you hate me papa!?"

"What!" Lord Jaya stood back, as if struck. "Of course, not my precious!"

"Then don't meddle with my emotions or relationships."

Lord Jaya leaned forward, brooding. "Little punk-ass thinks he can woo my daughter? Better hope I get there early to save him from those students. I hope he chokes on his blasted Fairths."

"So… did you touch my fairths?"

Faris sat, covered head to toe in bandages as a group of healers attended to his arm. His friends gathered around him, faces ranging from excitement to worry.

"How're you holding up hero?" Morgan asked, smiling at him.

"What's with that name?" He asked, groaning as a healer roughly patted his broken arm.

"The bones were shattered to an extreme degree, healing it too quickly may leave complications, the fact you can feel pain now is a good thing." The head nurse flicked him on the forehead.

"Okay you can leave now mom!" Katya sighed. The nurse turned to her daughter, patting her on the forehead.

"Good job on your win young man."

Once she left Katya groaned. "Why she comes all the time…"

"Maybe she's just excited you're making so many friends!" Nya gushed while holding her fingers to her cheekbones."

"Faris?" Katya turned to Faris, who nodded, handing her his pillow. "Thankyou." She beaned it at Nya, who was caught unawares and fell to the ground.

"Oh, you'll pay for that!" Nya growled, getting up.

"Bring it!" Katya laughed and charged her friend.

"Wait guys!" Faris raised his hands to grab their attention, but they in their fervor ignored him, charging each other in the small room.

Seya sighed but Venka was faster, raising her hands and holding them in the air.

Faris flinched slightly as he gingerly leaned away from Nya's knee and Katya's fist, which had been dangerously close to his face and nether region respectfully. He leaned back on his bed, exhausted.

"Hey, guys, if you wanna fight, take it outside." Venka looked at the two girls dangerously.

They looked at her sheepishly before murmuring. "Y-yes ma'am."

Faris was able to recover within the next day due to the nurses' work on him. He had heard that the team he had faced had refused to give the first step of their energy, and that their families had backed them up, he didn't know the aftermath but no one had talked to them in a while. Faris did not care as he walked down the slums, he had visited the families of those effected by the gangs, and checked up on the old gang members he spared, he found that for the most part they turned their lives around. To the few who didn't he gave a painful reminder that he could not be lied to, placated, compromised with, or threatened. As Faris walked along he smiled as he remembered the look on Dustin's face when he came for a visit. Faris walked along until he reached the home of the deceased bandit leader. He knocked on the door, it opened a crack then shut rapidly.

"Get away from me!"

Faris stood there awkwardly for a bit before holding up a basket. "I have cookies…"

He stood there for thirty more minutes, occasionally taking a swig from his water skin.

"…Why are you here." The voice called out, tired.

"I just wanted to check up on you and your daughter."

"How dare you!" The voice was about to rise in anger.

"There where over 25 children's corpses, you heard the guards when they came to the warehouse, don't even fucking start with me."

The voice quieted.

"Look, I'm not here to attack you, or hurt your daughter, I just wanted to see you were alright."

"But why?" The woman opened her door, tears glistening but her face hard.

Faris shrugged. "I killed him, I'm responsible for the lives he was responsible for now because I have the power to help it."

"Aren't you just a boy? Or did murder make you believe you're a man all of a sudden."

"Ma'am, out of respect for the fact your husband somewhat cared about you, and that your daughter is eight years old, I choose to ignore the insults you hurl my way. And I may be a murderer, but the evils he committed make me look like a saint."

She looked down before glaring at him. "And who made you judge and king!?"

"And who made him judge and king over those children? Over their families?" She could not answer him.

"Mommy?" A voice called from inside.

"Nothing sweety! You should go to your room like mommy says!"

Faris widens his eyes as he sees the girl, she was an albino, with pure white hair and slightly scarlet iris's, her skin was opulent white, like milk. The girl hid behind her mother.

"Hey! You're the angel!"

"Sweety he's definitely not an angel." The woman said.

"No mamma! When I was coming back from school! The carriage was hit by this big booming thing! And then we all fell! But he saved me and my friends! And he waved his hands! And he fixed our booboos! And then he- "

"Saved you?" The woman turned to Faris, fear and confusion.

"I was keeping an eye on you guys for a bit, I wanted to understand some things. A coach ran into the coach your daughter was in, so I had to swoop in and save them."

"You were the state mage?!"

Faris nodded.

"Do you have those cookies!?" The little girl bounced up and down now.

"The ones with stars on them? Yes, I baked those, I'm just waiting to see if your mom will let me in." He turned to the woman, smiling politely. She glowered and let him inside.

"So, how are you."

"We, we are handling. Uglauw had a lot of wealth he had amassed from…"

"I already know." Faris leaned back and sighed. "The house seems a bit emptier."

"I sold some things, to help keeping us along, I've taken up housecleaning while Marlene is taking her classes, I hope to bring her up as a proper lady, not easily taken by any cruel rogues." She massaged her temples as she looked down.

"Look, what do you really want?"

Faris looked at her. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Because you men are all the same, you come in, swinging a sword like some hero, throwing around your weight like you've been anointed with divine authority and-" She was cut off by Faris's odd smile.

"I'm ten! Jesus lady! I'm friggin ten! Like! I don't think I'm biologically capable of doing that shit." He chuckled, "And let's be honest, if a mage really wanted to do something like that, there's very little stopping them, except the law of course." He smiled ominously at the woman, who looked away in worry. "I'm kidding!" He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Have you ever gardened ma'am?"

The woman shook her head. "My mother was a seamstress, that was my craft, and my father cobbled shoes."

"When I was a child"

"You are a child."

"Err… younger" Faris closed his eyes, and the woman felt like the boy before her had aged a bit, but his appearance was still the same even as he opened his eyes. "I used to garden, my parents were too busy for me, but a house aid tended to a garden, and I loved it. I had a little tomato patch, that I planted, seeded, and raised, day in and day out, it eventually began to grow and ripen. One day, while I was watching the garden, I heard a rustling, a raccoon had snuck into the garden, no sooner had I made this discovery had it struck and destroyed my plant, eating the tomatoes and stalk. Angered, I snuck up on it and struck it until it died. Leaping from behind the hiding place where its babies. I had killed the mother." He smiles sadly. "The next day, I found a half-eaten corpse at the foot of a tree, a fox had gotten to them, without their mother, they had no one to care for them and they died." He covers his face. "Maybe it's arrogant of me to think so, but I killed your husband as easily as I killed that raccoon." He shivered, holding himself, "I have that memory seared in my eyes, but equally prevalent is the children, beaten, choked, burned, starved, and…" He looked away angrily. "Perhaps in his own warped way he sought to take care of his own, that was what I heard in his mind, and his last thoughts were on you two…"

The woman looked at him, tears glistening, and anger apparent on her face. Instead of hurting Faris, it made him smile.

"I'm not a saint, I can't even really call myself a good person, but I'm no devil, no monster."

"Are you trying to justify your actions? My husband committed evils, but you murdered him."

"I'm not justifying my actions, I'm just telling you what I did, and why I did it, you were his wife, so you should know, it wouldn't be fair otherwise.

The woman folds her arms, "And what if I tried to kill you? To claim my vengeance?"

"Your husband attempted to kill me first, so I won't take it sitting down, and even then, if you do kill me." He frowned, "Before I die, I'd force you to reveal the truth of your husband's actions."

The woman felt a chill up her spine as the boy's words turned cold. "You wouldn't dare."

"I'd be a dead man, what's left to lose, and tell me, are the foolish superstitions people have on the mystical properties of albinos still true? Because there are over 30 families who would give no qualms doing every evil to you and your daughter that was committed by your husband and his men."

"Then why did you let some of them live?" She asked, suddenly exhausted, and fearful of what the young man before her would say.

"I only killed the ones who touched the children and held them down."

She cried softly into her hands. "Uglauw… why, how…"

"Ma'am, please don't pretend that you were completely ignorant of him, I'm sure at some point you realized."

She nodded, absentmindedly stroking her daughter's hair, parting it to reveal her face as she slept. "He stopped, paying attention to me, like he was bored. I knew he still loved me but that, that attraction was gone."

Faris sighed, "I want to hate you, but I can't, I took in all of Uglauw's memories, they tell me you're a good mother, and you love your daughter, and that the two of you would die for her happiness and comfort in a heartbeat, I'm not going to ruin a child's life to avenge 30 others, even if I want to. That's why I spared the majority of the men, and that's why I've spared you."

The woman smiled bitterly, "Are you sure you're only ten years old?"

"Well eleven in a few weeks."

"Oh, happy belated birthday then." She chuckled, "What now? Will you take your vengeance later?"

Faris shook his head, "No, what's next is up to you, one of the children died just as I reached them, my magic couldn't save her, so I had to attend to the others who were alive, without letting them know, I took in all her memories, and everything that happened, all in all, she's really similar to Marla over there." He smiles, "They were both cute perky kids who love their parents." The woman's tears flowed again. "I'm going to share her memories with you, from her birth to her too soon death, that's my punishment to you, you will experience it, and I will then separate it enough from you to keep it from destroying you, but you won't ever forget it." The woman looked at him with fear and awe.

"You can do that?"

Faris frowned. "I wish I didn't have to though."

After the lengthy procedure the woman thanked him, despite his best efforts she had been drastically changed by the experience and he had to use magic on several occasions to keep the revelations from destroying her and her daughter, as it was, he was thankful she had had the mental fortitude to shoulder the burden. He had had her swear by the ancient language to do her best to protect her daughter's comforts and happiness and ensure she grows properly, and he had gotten her to promise to protect herself as well, as long as it did not conflict with the protection of her daughter. As it was, she was softer with her approach.

"Do you? Do you have…"

"Uglauw's memories, yes I do, I remember everyone I've killed that I remembered to look into. Even if they decay, I'll preserve them in my memories until my time is up, and before my time ends, I shall commit them all into the written word."

"Can I see them?"

Faris frowned, "Not today, after what you saw, you wouldn't survive a second one."

"Priscilla died peacefully without pain, did you do that?"

Faris nodded, "I had to, I couldn't save her, so I bid her happiness and luck in the next life."

The woman nodded, "Priscilla could have been my daughter, Uglauw's daughter…"

Faris shook his head, "but she wasn't your child, none of them were, that's why you could turn your eyes, but Uglauw wasn't my friend, so in some ways we are in similar positions." He turned to leave.

"Will you visit again?" She asked, hopeful.

"Of course, I can't abandon anyone here."

As Faris cleared the slums he walked until he reached the school grounds, setting down his basket he sighed. "Come out… I'd rather deal with you lot now." He turned to see the ten mages he defeated just a day before, faces ranging from despair to vile hatred. "Hello Yacob how are- "

"Deyja!" He hissed in anger. Faris felt his wards drop slightly as Yacob's spell of instantaneous death clashed then failed.

"Oh…" Faris leapt to the side as a fire ball nearly burned him.

"His wards don't block physical manifestations!"

Faris felt his joints begin to lock as they began to exert magic to bind him down, he pinpointed each mage responsible, using a bit of his magic to bolster his mind the way Yacob had done against him he crashed past their defenses, ignoring his usual gusto. He again barely rolled out of an explosion of ice and got up to tumble out of an oncoming fire ball. The mages attempted to surround him but he was too nimble, keeping them all in front of him, even then they made a wide arc. "Oh please, I can handle you guys."

"There are ten of us, and you are spent on mana are you not?"

"Are you sure about that Yakky?"

Yacob hissed, "Don't play with me weakling! We'll kill you and discover how you cheated, if that power made you capable of defeating us!? Then with it we'll take over this school!"

Faris raised his eyebrows. Did Jaya provoke them? I didn't know not complying with energy donating was so important. "Look man I'm sorry I made you blow your load at me, and I'm sorry it was a terrible misfire, but you have to let it go, everyone has their off days."

"What are you talking about!? You made me waste 3 years of hard planning and meticulous effort! I clawed my way to this spot! You could have just lowered your head for one year! Then you would rule this school!"

"Let me ask you… if you lowered your head to everyone who believed they were superior; would you be where you are now?" He shook his head. "I didn't want to fight you, and you could have called it off, as the challenger you had the right to stop the duel, and besides, I didn't kill you right? Raising energy wouldn't be hard."

"We don't have a year anymore fool!" A mage yelled.

What does that mean? Faris thought as he leaped away from a strike. He had mana still, but he couldn't keep up all the longer. And I left my weapons home, and my crystals, all I had were cookies, and, oh wait! He pulled out his emergency jerky and took a huge mouthful, chewing the tough but savory meat and swallowing it noisily.

"Taking a snack break?" One of the mages asked sarcastically. "Or is this your last meal?"

Faris reached into his picnic basket and took out a butter knife and fork, gripping one utensil on each hand he glared at the mages. What he didn't tell his friends was that emergency jerky contained the ingredients for one of Angela's witch brews, the one for improving spell power for a short bit. He couldn't exactly admit that his master was the most wanted mage alive, so he could do little but watch them eat his food and suffer the aftereffects of extreme energetics and a bit of a zany manic rush. He hopped up and down, twirling his utensils before tossing one before any of the mages could react, the fork stabbed the shoulder of one of the brawnier mages, as Faris rushed him he struck down hard on his nerve endings before finishing him off with a strike to the groin. As he grabbed his fork he leaped out of the next impending strike, using the downed man's energy to bolster his own. His fists hung loosely in the air, matching his bouncy martial stance. "I am both not in the mood and very much in the mood to fight, I really would rather resolve this peacefully…" He tossed the butter knife at the mages before it burned his hands, it melted and splattered against their wards uselessly. "That was my favorite butter knife bastards! Okay… I'm going to break you."

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Afterword:

How's everybody doing? I hope you don't dislike this cliff hanger too much, I'll resolve it, next chapter, which will come out soon, probably. Thanks for all the reads! The reviews! The favorites! And the follows! They all really help out! Be sure to let me know what you thought of these past chapters if you find the time to do so! Anyways see you next chapter!"