The nurses moved Faris back to his bed, he was silent the entire time, his first few attempts to shake them off fruitless. After doing so they tried to usher Venka and the other first years out of the room.

"It's fine," Faris smiled, "They're my friends, they can stay." After the nurses left an uncomfortable silence took hold of the room. Eventually, Katya spoke.

"They… they said…"

"That I don't have magic, anymore right? That whatever connection I normally had was severed? But that it's a miracle I'm still alive." Faris stared at them with his ghostly eyes.

"Its…"

"Not all bad?" Faris retorted semi-mockingly. "I know, I never had the greatest magic to begin with… I'm sure in your eyes even if I've lost my magic, I can still make do." He smiled confidently, "Yeah, I'll just up the ante, hit them hard where it hurts, and keep them from using magic right?" His friends looked at his enthusiastic look with shock and surprise. "Are you seriously going to believe my bullshitting?" He smiled sarcastically," They returned it with hesitant, sad smiles. Faris scoffed, "Pfft… I thought so," Turning to Seya he asked her dryly, "When's daddy frowns-a-lot coming to kick me out of his school?"

Seya glared angrily, "My father lost his position!"

"Oh? They finally got him for incompetence." Faris didn't flinch as Seya grabbed him by the shirt.

"Why are you acting like this!" Seya's eyes glowed gold in her rage, which increased as they met the dead eyes of Faris, he looked at her with no regard whatsoever, and that coldness and lack of emotion made her angrier. She cocked her fist back to strike him, only for the rest of his friends come to stop her, Seya eventually tearing Faris's shirt as they were separated.

Their eyes zeroed in on his chest, a scar, pinkish and ugly was over his chest, slightly to the left of center. Faris looked at them all evenly. "I'm sure you all don't think it matters much, I only lost my magic, big deal."

"We know it's a big deal Faris!" Venka started.

"Then why the fuck didn't you come earlier?!" Faris screamed, "Is it because of this?!" He pulled at some of his red hair, tearing it quickly from his scalp. His friends looked in alarm at his self-mutilation. He stared at each of them until they averted their eyes. Venka lasted the longest, but her turning away, the horror on her face, that hurt him the worst. "Ugly isn't it." He touched his chest and arms. "These scars, these injuries."

"We aren't that superficial Faris!" Nya retorted.

"You were enough to judge me when I had little magical prowess." Faris laughed, "Now I have nothing, so get the fuck out, you don't need me anymore, by the time I recover my body will be too weak to keep up with the regiments I had you on, I'll be back to square one. But this time missing part of myself."

"It doesn't matter Faris…" Morgan began, "We don't care about that we-"

"Are my friends?" Faris said mockingly, "Sure you are, but you also fear me now." He laughed, "But I'm harmless, I couldn't so much as kill you unless you were beyond stupid, or asleep."

"Faris…" Venka began.

"Oh, shut up, I don't need your comfort right now, I don't need any of your friendship right now, get out of my room, let me rest in peace."

"Oh? That's a rude way to treat your friends." They turned to see Yacob enter the room. "You've fallen quite deeply Faris, a shadow of what you use-" He was interrupted as Faris tackled him, pummeling him with all his meager might. No movements were waisted, he immediately struck him in the eyes, nose, side of the temple, then clapped him between the ears hard, causing him to scream out in pain. His friends struggled to lift him off of Yacob, who started shouting curses. Eventually Yacob cocked his fist back and stuck Faris, who's arm went limp from blocking it. As the nurses rushed in to see the commotion, they helped separate Faris from Yacob.

"Faris!" Venka spoke, angry, "Yacob helped us! He's the reason we could find you! And the reason the court acquitted you!"

Faris's only reply was to spit his blood and a bloody tooth to the floor. They looked on with concern as the nurses yelled at them to leave. Trying to push them out of the way Yacob shouted, "You moron! Attacking like some cornered injured beast, what the hell's your problem?!"

Faris widened his eyes, incensed, the void in his mind, normally filled with a chorus of different voices only served to allow his single thoughts of hatred and malice to dance around in his head. "They're gone…"

"Who's gone?" Yacob asked, wincing as he began to heal his wounds, Faris on the other hand was a wreck, he was drenched in sweat from that movement, and several of his wounds had torn open and had begun to bleed again, wounds from shades healed slowly, even with magic. Faris didn't answer his question, he merely turned away.

"I didn't ask for any of your help." Faris said, angry, "And I don't need any of your pity." He clenched his fist, "That bastard Rembrant…"

"My father's dead." Yacob said, face hardening.

"Good." Faris said, "I wish I had the balls to do it when I had the chance."

Yacob scowled, "Look, I have inherited my father's estate, anything you want, I'll do it for you if it's within my power, riches? Wealth?"

"Can you restore my magic?" Yacob's silence elicited a smile from Faris, "Oh? Then I have one thing I want you to do." Yacob looked at him, curious as to what would appease Faris. "I want you to find the person closest to you, you don't necessarily have to love them, neither familiarly nor romantically, but if either of these traits match the criteria then all the better. This person must be an important part of your life, a staple of your existence. Someone you would have to say you owe at least part of who you are to. Your younger sister perhaps?" He smiled maliciously, "I want you to kill that person you care for, kill them quickly, no chance for pain or understanding, then I want you to cut it from your mind. When that happens, I'll call us even." Yacob's face hardened.

"Now listen here y-"

"Shut the hell up!" Faris interrupted, "You don't deserve to be in the same continent as me, if I had wanted to, I could have killed you, If I had wanted to, I could have let you die, and if I had wanted to, you could have lost your magic." Faris seethed, "But here I am, I was 'kind' I felt 'sorry' for you and your father who gauged his love based on his son's performance, with exemplary performance netting neglect at best." Faris knew what that was like, Yacob to him was a possibility, something he could have become. Now he wanted to bury that boy and his family under burning rubble. "You likely came to my friends late into my arrest." He nodded knowingly as he saw his friend's shocked gaze. "I've overheard all the nurses' gossip over the events that transpired. You helped clear my name, and helped condemn your father." He laughed, "Well aren't you a bastard, betraying your father like that." He grew increasingly agitated, slightly scratching at his wounds, drawing blood, they hurt for some illogical reason, despite merely being scabs as he spoke to and talked to his 'friends' he couldn't help but remember and feel all the torture he had been through. Them even being in front of him angered him irrationally, and that mixed with the phantom pain drove him to try and drive them all out. But Yacob, Yacob he needed no excuse, he despised that young man, and the family he was spawned from.

"Faris stop!" Venka screamed, tears beginning to well, "He was evil yes, but he was Yacob's father, Yacob still helped us, and he's lost his father because of it!"

"And I should cry over the death of a piece of filth like Rembrant?!" Faris laughed, "Or are you letting your emotions get the better of you, are you feeling sorry for him because you feel a kindred connection?!" Venka's face of shock was the first tell in knowing he was about to say something he'd regret, but at this point he didn't care. "What? Do I not get it because my dad's not dead?!"

It surprised him that the fist that connected with his face was Nya's and not Venka, regardless even as his face snapped to the side and exploded with pain, he made sure to retaliate, striking her hard in the joint. Nya screamed out in pain as he did. Morgan's face twisted in fury, he and Katya charged him, his rude words and cruel actions allowing them to forget how injured he was, it wasn't until he didn't get up after their first two attacks that they began to panic. The nurses rushed into the room again, demanding to know what happened.

"I fell again." Faris said, smiling as he looked up at them, coughing blood.

"Explain those bruises then." The nurse said, looking at his friends with distrust.

"My rock, I was reaching for it and fell on it." Faris smiled, hiding his true emotions behind an innocent mask. His former friends, disgusted with his actions began to turn to leave. "By guys! Thanks for visiting!" He didn't try to block or dodge as Venka smacked him hard, tears in her eyes. He merely stared at her evenly. His desire to protect her he realized had gone away, but he had sworn through the ancient language, it could only mean something about him changed enough to change his true name. Venka looked like she was about to speak, but turned and ran out before the nurses could stop her. Yacob was the last to leave, anger on his face.

"Why would you so stupidly push them away? They care about you, even if you are crippled, you should have seen the effort they put to save you."

"I saw…" Faris said, wavering a bit he looked away. "I know how much they suffered…" He tried to scratch at a bandage, but his hand was slapped away by a Nurse.

Yacob observed him, "What the hell happened to you in there? That you know they care, but you'd do this?"

"I don't want to see their faces, it hurts too much." Faris smiled, even as his voice carried no mirth;

Yacob opened his eyes in a more understanding way, "Oh, so you're too scared to face the mirror? Coward…"

"Takes one to know one…" The nurses herded Yacob out of the room, they dressed Faris's wounds as quickly as possible, leaving just as quickly. They clearly had no love for the boy, Faris didn't care much for any of them either, not them, not Yacob, not his friends... not Venka. He didn't need the pity, he didn't need to see his destroyed form before their eyes. He already knew what had happened to him. Turning to face the window he spoke again. "Did you enjoy the show?" Materializing as if out of thin air Lord Jaya stepped out from the corner.

"Daddy frowns-a-lot?" He inquired, smiling.

"I'm in no moods for your games Jaya, kick me out and be done with it."

"Well… normally the punishment for murder and unlawful use of magic is your magic using privileges revoked, and execution depending. It seems that punishment has already been underway. But I am surprised, I had expected more from you. I didn't think someone like you would have been destroyed from not being able to use magic."

"Have you ever asked?"

"What?"

"Have you ever asked me, what I felt, how I felt, about any of my life? How I feel that I and the girl I cared about have to navigate through such bull shit and subterfuge. How I felt being the subject of ridicule through rumors you had spread about me and Venka? How I felt being humiliated at the hands of Seya? How I felt looking at those slums? Looking at the children's corpses? How I felt as I rotted in a jail cell, whipped and bruised and beaten. Then when that bastard put burrowing worms in me, and tried to turn me into his puppet."

"Should I have? You aren't my responsibility."

"Then why do you care to make a judgement? You said a mage must learn to exercise restraint, right? Well I'm no mage, not anymore, so why should I care about that?" Faris looked at him. "What if I told you I wanted to kill you, so badly, I wanted to kill you painfully, make you beg, scream for mercy, then kill Yacob, then find and murder that Judge who let me rot, then the guards who chained and beat me, the prisoners who brutalized me. Then find the monster who took my magic. Huh Jaya?" He smiled, "I already know according to you, and according to my friends, while my magic loss is tragic, its much like losing a limb, life changing yes, but nothing more. But what you don't understand, and never will understand, is that losing my magic is more akin to losing a brother. It's been a part of me since I was born in this world." His eyes glimmered as he thought of Damien, "Even if it was a lie, it was a good lie, it was a lie I wanted to believe in. But it's gone, I couldn't even say goodbye. Now you all come here, and the first thing you all do is remind me of what I've lost?"

"You must face your loss if you want to grow past it."

"Shut your fortune cookie bullshit." Faris turned away.

"As it is, I'm not the one kicking you out of the school, my replacement is."

"Coolio." Faris grinned, "So I'm being shipped back home? I can promise you Venka won't miss me, I've made sure of that."

"So, I noticed, you also made sure to catch my daughter's ire." Lord Jaya frowned.

"If you want to kill me for that just do it." Faris stifled a chuckle.

"Why so quick to rush to your death?"

"Because I want to do terrible things to a terrible amount of people, and the only thing keeping me from that is the fact I'm too weak to get away with it." Faris stared at Lord Jaya evenly.

"I certainly can't send you back to your parents then, they'd do a lot of damage our kingdom, they and Angela and Elva." He shook his head, "No, you're being recruited into the military academy. Perhaps learning to be an anti-mage knight will be up your alley."

"Not interested." Faris started.

"No? Then I guess you aren't interested in the platinum signet."

Faris looked at his expectant face with disgust, "I don't know what the fuck that is, and I'm in no mood to humor you."

"Fine, the platinum signet goes to the best student of the graduating class, it is a powerful enchantment embedded into the user, allowing them to cast and use magic even if they previously had been unable to."

Faris widened his eyes, then narrowed it. "What's the catch?"

"Caught your attention? The enchantment is lengthy and difficult, it requires hours of dense recitation and engraving. Followed by a month of nonstop sorcery, then more work, not to mention the work required to craft the thing. Then it's enchanted to enter and be absorbed by the body without being destroyed, or destroying the body. It awakens parts that you would never think you'd have before. Some of our best combatants were platinum signet receivers. And while their magic isn't anything to brag about, raw power has never been your style. Perhaps you can earn it, you simply have to become the best of the graduating class."

"Oh? And why can't you just give it to me?"

"Because if I did right now, you'd be dead, there's a lot of prep that needs to be done to you to allow you to absorb the signet and its enchantments." Lord Jaya smiled, "And I'm not the head of the Mage School anymore, so I can't request it from a military General, nor can they just give it to you, you'd have to pass their basic training, and be placed in classes. Your skills will quicken your graduation speed. You're only 11 I believe, so it will take you maybe 4, 5 years."

They can literally make mages now. Faris smiled, "4, 5 years? You have that much faith in me?"

"You think your recovery is slow simply due to the shade wounds?" Lord Jaya smiled, "I have a few allies who can quicken your healing, you'd be able to take their exam and enter their ranks as a trainee in a week."

"Wouldn't they reject someone so young, weak-looking, and controversial?"

"No, not likely, you're famous, everyone knows you've suffered after doing something ultimately heroic. You're like a martyr, and an amazing political tool. No, they'd do everything in their power to break you, but you won't break, no, you won't break and start following them…"

"And why's that…" Faris asked.

"Because following someone doesn't suit your personality, and because you're going to owe me for healing you, you're too prideful to allow your mind to be compromised then, though you should start to worry about being poisoned or assassinated by mundane means now."

Faris chuckled, "And what if I refuse?"

"Nothing, nothing at all, you continue to heal slowly."

Faris yearned to leap at that chance, any chance to regain his magic, he'd lie with the devil if he had to, but even then. "…I have demands…"

"Oh?" Lord Jaya smiled, "What? Do you want to ensure the safety of the two women and their children who almost died due to Rembrant's silencing attempts?"

"Thank you for reminding me," Faris smiled, "I want 20% of taxes from Rembrant's estate to go into fixing the slums, not just that one, but all of them. I also want an extra 5% of those taxes allocated to me, for my discretion and my purpose." Lord Jaya nodded, Yacob had sworn fealty to him, so it would be simple to get the boy to acquiesce. Anything to calm Faris's temper would likely be a good idea for the young lord. "I am not finished, I want records of all the criminals Rembrant has arrested, and any that I review that I deem so, I want pardoned."

"Odd, but doable."

"I would also like an audience with Rembrant's guards, if they are still alive, as well as the judge who conducted my sentencing while waiting for a trial, and the inquisitor who arrested me in the first place."

"I warn you to take care not to allow emotions and vengeance to cloud your judgment, your status as hero and tragic martyr are fragile."

"I'll take care." Faris sighed, "Lastly, I want my former friends to have no idea of what is going on, or where I've gone, I don't want anyone to know, not even your daughter must know, they must believe I've left to undergo some form of rehabilitation."

"That seems troublesome, why?"

"Because I don't have the time to talk to or work with them, the sooner they get over me the better."

"And you feel antagonizing them to a confusing degree is the best option?"

"I'd rather suffer their wrath than their pity. Pity has done me no favors. It doesn't matter whether I've helped them before, or if they're thankful, I'm a greater danger too them." Faris clenched his shaking fist. And I don't need to look at the fear and distrust in their eyes. He lay back down, the exertions he made, coupled with his weakened form made sitting up tiring.

Lord Jaya nodded, getting up he turned to leave. "I'll have Farooq here to help you, and you'll recover physically in about a week, as for that mental state though…" He shook his head, "Time will be your best healer, whatever loss you experienced, time will heal it as the wounds fade."

Faris shook his head, if only I could forget…

.

.

.

Afterword:

.

.

.

Hello everybody, the last chapter I didn't include an afterword because I felt it thematically appropriate to let the chapter stand alone. Right now, Faris is suffering from PTSD. And the loss of Damien and the others is messing him up quite badly, much worse than any temporary lull due to losing his magic. All of this, his trauma of the torture and what atrocities he committed as Tartarus, the phantom pain of his healing wounds, his loss of the magic spawned egos of Damien as someone separate from him, and the others are giving him a level of loneliness similar but not at the level of a rider losing their dragon, or vice versa, this is all coupled with loosing his magic. The thing that made him desirable as an asset to may people, even if he's forgiven Nya's original stance on magical power defining a mage's worth, he understands its importance, and knows his friends, and the entire school utilizes it almost as a currency. He is no longer part of that world, his friends did not stand with him in solidarity, but in pity, all of these negative emotions are welling up within him. And with nothing else to do he drives away his friends, he doesn't want to reveal these vulnerabilities, so he'd rather mask them in the self-hate he feels using it to turn against them. Thanks to Idhun's Durmgrist Feldunost for your comment! The loss of Faris's magic is a growth arc for him. While I can't answer if he'll get back his magic, if you remember, one of Angela's first lessons was for him to never rely too much on magic. He seems to also be suffering from mild survivor's guilt. As unbelievable as it may sound, humor will return in his life, humor always returns, and the story will pick up soon. Aright, it was 12 AM where I am typing this all out, I'm going to bed.

.

.

Peace Out