Chapter Ten: Parting

No one would guess what had occurred in the headmistress's office by Lezard's face. He looked perfectly calm and poised. His pigmy dragon was perched on his shoulder and it too seemed at ease. Lezard was to report to class shortly, but there was little point in doing so now that he was expelled. Instead he headed back to his room to pack up his things. His calm demeanor was no mere façade: he truly felt no qualms about leaving the school for good.

For him, the classes were becoming increasingly more tedious and pointless. He had advanced far above what he was being taught and loathed the time wasted away from important research. He wasn't especially bothered about being cut off from the school's library, either. Mystina was still in school, and if he needed anything she would provide it for him. He doubted he would have much need for them now that he possessed volumes from his recently deceased teacher.

All in all, he was glad to leave the school behind. Outside of its walls he would be free to do as he wished. His new goal of seeking out the Philosopher's Stone would not be an easy thing to accomplish. He would need more knowledge in arcane magic if he hoped to procure it. The books he now owned would be an excellent start, but already his mind thirsted for more.

Lezard packed away everything he owned and vacated his dorm room. He took a nostalgic stroll through the halls, bidding goodbye to it all. He knew already he could not go home with an expulsion hovering over his head. He would have to find a place to store his belongings. But first, he thought to see Mystina before he left the school. It didn't seem proper for her to hear of his expulsion from outside sources.

He found the girl in the library, of all places, poring over a volume. He smiled a little to himself and tapped her on the shoulder. She smiled and held up the book she was reading. It looked to be a potion book. He nodded, motioning for her to follow him out of the library. Mystina marked her place and followed her friend outside.

"Mystina, I thought you should be the first to know that I have been expelled."

"You WHAT?!" she shrieked. Luckily there weren't many nearby to hear her, though she still looked embarrassed. "Lezard, what are you talking about? You're one of the best students in the school! Why on earth would the headmistress expel you?"

"If you must know, it is because I exhibited a gross misuse of my abilities," he replied. "The school does not tolerate such things." He was skirting away from mentioning exactly how he misused his abilities; for some reason he was reluctant for Mystina to know he was a murderer.

"Misuse… what did you do?" she asked him. He sighed heavily and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"That, my dear Mysty, I do not wish to say. I am quite certain our dear headmistress will let it be known in time. For now, be satisfied knowing I felt the action necessary to proceed with my desire for the Philosopher's Stone. I will do whatever I must to get what I want." His familiar gave a soft screech in agreement.

"Hmph, I don't doubt that," Mystina said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Best of luck to you. I still think you chasing after the Stone is foolish, but you're too stubborn to change your mind. I just hope you'll keep in touch!"

"I shall certainly try," he assured her with a bow. The two friends parted with a handshake, and went their separate ways. He was certain this would not be the last time he would speak with Mystina. However, he hoped that when they did meet next, they would be walking two separate roads.

He had no place of his own to seek refuge. For the moment he would have to store his belongings in an abandoned place until he acquired something more appropriate. He would have to get Sophos from home as soon as possible. Sooner or later he would have to face his father as well. Lezard wondered if the headmistress would tell his father exactly why she expelled such a bright student. He doubted he would have to wait very long to find out.

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Back in the academy, things were going along the same as ever. The first person other than Mystina to even notice Lezard's total absence from the school was his roommate. Once he knew it took very little time for the word to spread around. For Lezard to leave the campus was not unusual, but for him to move out completely was a shock. Everyon knew he was one of the best students in the entire school. What could have possibly prompted him to leave? Speculations flew through the hallways.

Lorenta knew she could not hide the truth from her students for long. She was also reluctant, however, for them to know the exact nature of Lezard's expulsion. She called on her teachers for help in this matter. It was finally agreed that they would call a school assembly where she would acknowledge the expulsion and give part of the reason for it. The issue concerning the dead teacher was harder to solve. They couldn't keep pretending he was ill, and they couldn't admit his death so soon after Lezard's expulsion.

"We will simply have to worry about this at some other time," Lorenta concluded. "What is important now is for me to address the students on Lezard's expulsion." The other teachers agreed to this and made sure to let all of the students know of the assembly.

They chose to have the assembly outdoors, as it provided more room for the students and would allow them to feel more at ease. They gathered at the appointed time and sat expectantly. It was rare for there to be school assemblies, so they all knew that something important was to be announced. Lorenta watched them with her hands folded in her lap, gathering her thoughts as she waited for everyone to arrive. At last the entire school was sitting before her. She rose to her feet, and immediately the students fell into a respectful silence.

"I thank you all for coming to this assembly," she began. "I apologize for taking time out of your school day, but I believe what I have to say is extremely important. Some of you may have already noticed that one of our numbers is missing." Those words drew the attention of nearly every student, and they leaned forward expectantly. "I am sure you may all be wondering why this individual has left the school. This assembly is meant to explain what has happened, and will hopefully act as a discouragement for similar behavior." She paused and allowed the words to sink in before she proceeded.

"As you all know, we at this school have certain rules that we expect every student to follow while within our walls. I regret to say that this individual has chosen to disregard the rules. The skills you are learning here are very powerful and must be used wisely. This individual has used his powers very unwisely, casting spells in anger for selfish reasons. It is because he has chosen this that he will no longer be in the academy. Please take this as a caution to all of you as you continue to grow in your powers." She folded her hands and sat down again.

The student body erupted as one in chatter. Again speculations flew as to how exactly Lezard could have misused his powers. Mystina was uncharacteristically silent. She rested her chin in her hand, her eyes fixed thoughtfully on the headmistress. Something about the way Lorenta explained the situation made it feel unjustified to Mystina. Perhaps she thought so because she was a friend to Lezard, or perhaps because both were so vague in explaining how exactly he misused his powers. Whatever it was, she didn't trust Lorenta and was the only student who left the assembly feeling dissatisfied.

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Lezard sent his familiar ahead before venturing to approach his house. He was not wishing for a confrontation with his father, though he knew one was inevitable. Drache returned with the report that Lezard's father was indeed at home. The teenager heaved a sigh and proceeded within. He decided it would be easier to deal with his father right away and be done with it.

His father was sitting in the parlor studying some papers. Lezard knocked before approaching. His father glanced up on his approach, and his mild expression drastically changed to one of intense displeasure. Lezard's familiar fluttered its wings in agitation but its master tried remaining poised. He still could not tell how much his father knew, and would not speak until he had more information.

"Lezard… explain yourself," his father began. He angrily shook the papers in his hand. "I received a note earlier telling me you've been expelled from Flenceberg Academy!"

"That is true, sir," the son replied.

"You were an exellent student! How could you have been so foolish! It says here that you exhibited 'a gross misuse of magical abilities' and also 'showed a blatant disrespect for authority'. I didn't raise you that way!" Lezard said nothing, fighting against a smile. That "disrespect for authority" bit was a nice touch. He had to admit that the headmistress had impressive ingenuity. "What are you planning to do with yourself now that you have this stain on you?"

"I have my plans, I assure you," Lezard said. "I merely came back to get Sophos, and then I will be on my way."

"How exactly do you think you're going to support yourself?" his father demanded.

"I will get by. There is no need for you to worry about me any longer. You may denounce me as your son if you wish. It truly makes no difference to me. I shall not be seeing you again." Lezard's voice was cold and harsh, and his father shivered hearing it. He had to take a few moments to compose himself. Lezard did not allow him the last word, exiting the room before his father could say a word.

Lezard did not hate his father. He always held a certain respect for the man but because he spent so much of his life away from his paternal half, Lezard could elicit no affection for his father. As he headed back to his room he passed some of the servants. They were surprised to see the young master home at such an hour but as usual he ignored them. Sophos was waiting for him and greeted him with a happy purr.

"Yes, I missed you too," Lezard said, scooping up his pet tenderly. "You shall no longer have to wait for me to come home." He carried the feline out of the house. His father was standing near the front door waiting for him.

"Lezard…!"

"Goodbye, Father. You would do well to think no more of me after this moment." Lezard gave his father a respectful bow and left him.

There was still one last piece of business that had to be attended before Lezard set out on his journey to find the Philosopher's Stone. He allowed Sophos to walk beside him and Drache hovered on his other side. With their master in the lead the three walked through the town. He did not know where his journey would take him, but he had a feeling he would never come to certain places in Flenceberg ever again. He wanted to take leave of those places before setting out. That is what brought him to this place.

"Well, hello," he stated. "Didn't expect to see me, did you? I hope you do not think I am here out of any respect for you. I only came by to bid you goodbye. You will be out of my thoughts once I leave." The person he addressed was silent as the grave but even thinking of her stirred his anger. "Father says that I am stained… I know that he is right. I am stained with blood, my very first conscious murder." He lifted his hands as if he could almost see the blood.

"I worked very hard to discover if I killed you," he continued. "I could never discover the truth. I hope that I did, though. It would be a sign of my great power. I had power enough at the age of thirteen to snuff out your pathetic life, you miserable woman! I had power enough at the age of sixteen to perform a successful summoning of a demon!" He lifted his hands palms upward, now speaking more to himself. "Now I seek to become so powerful I can obtain the Philosopher's Stone. There will be no limit to what I can do!"

He began to laugh. It started out as a soft chuckle, slowly rising in volume and intensity. It twisted and changed until it was no longer an exclamation of joy. Lezard was no longer laughing. What could be heard now in the air was a maniacal cackle.