Extra Of The Magus Academy

'How interesting…'

Raven Nightshade muttered to himself as he watched the series of events unfold from afar.

He considered himself very fortunate for being able to experience what happened, as it was mere coincidence that he decided to drop in to check on the Akashic Academy and how they were settling in.

In all honesty, he wanted to observe Ashfelt Zephyr for a little longer, but he never expected to be able to get such a deep insight into his character as he was able to get this very night.

'Look at how expertly the boy added himself to the equation, then he expertly removed himself, added himself, and removed himself once again.' Raven thought, impressed. 'I had some doubts about the lengths of his capabilities, but now… those doubts have diminished.'

Asphalt Zephyr was a very intelligent and manipulative boy.

That meant there was a lot more to him than what he revealed to his classmates, to the Shadow Inquisitor, and ultimately to the Academy.

'I'm onto you now, kid…'

**********

[Meanwhile…]

Arius Inkwell walked past his Beta Class Dorm gate and located his room with a permanent scowl on his face.

"Tch… this is very annoying!" He muttered with suppressed rage.

He was just returning from the library, and even there he was treated to an inferior experience due to his new status as a Beta Student. To say he was growing increasingly frustrated by the second would be an understatement of magnanimous proportions.

Arius was very pissed off.

'Not only is my room very uncomfortable, but I won't be participating in the Exchange… this is bullshit!' His thoughts flowed. 'Everyone participating has already been moved to the Northern Wing of the Academy, yet I'm stuck here.'

Why?

Why was life so unfair?

'Damnit!' A part of him had thought that his father would sort something out before the Exchange, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen.

He was going to be a loser like this for what seemed like an eternity.

CREAK

He opened the door to his small and ugly room, his teeth grating against each other as he stepped inside. However, this disgust with his new abode was quickly replaced by something else.

It started with a feeling.

Subtle.

Something whispering to his head, causing the hair on his skin to rise as he looked ahead.

'Huh? Someone's here?'

As he thought that, the door behind him closed with a loud noise.

'W-what?!' Arius jumped, feeling his heart racing faster.

'[Spark]!' Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

He quickly cast a Spell, creating light at his fingertips so he could locate the light switch in his room. However, as he was about to go there, he caught something in his peripheral vision.

It resembled… a person.

"Who's there?!" He shouted, turning in the location of the shadowy figure.

He saw no one.

All he felt was the howl of winds as fresh breeze began seeping into his room from his bedside.

'What the hell?'

Arius swiftly proceeded to switch on the light switch, finally casting light to his surroundings.

That was when he noticed that his window was open, causing the breeze to filter in. That wasn't all he saw in his single room apartment, however.

There was something on his bed.

It gleamed with a certain lustre that seemed both hopeful and malevolent… a temptation to draw closer and see what it really was.

Arius obeyed his curiosity and walked closer to the object on his bed.

"An envelope? A letter?" He whispered.

He wasted no time in taking the envelope and unsealing it. He felt something else in the envelope, but the first item that he brought out was a letter.

And… it came from his father.

"Daddy!" Arius sighed in relief as he quickly unscrunched the fine paper and fed the content of the letter to his eyes.

~Dear son, I hope you are well.

I will get straight to the point with this letter, and I hope you can also act quickly to walk on the path that I have laid out for you. After thinking of numerous ways to help you, I have come up with the most optimal solution.

It involves the Nirvana Gate Academy.

The Nirvana Gate Academy is to the East, where our influence is strongest. I have connections in the Academy, which means they'll never be unfair to you, and you'll be treated with the utmost respect there.

Most importantly, the Nirvana Gate Academy is bound to win in this Exchange, which means you will be an influential student in the new top Academy of the Empire if you end up transferring there. That seems better than remaining a Beta Student in a failing Academy.

I love you son, and I want the best for you… but there's something you have to do as well.

Check the envelope, and you'll see a gem…~

Naturally, Arius poured out the content of the envelope on his bed.

That was when he saw it… a greenish black gem.

It seemed to warble slightly, having a creepy and completely disturbing vibe. It filled Arius with both curiosity and dread, so the boy took his eyes off it and returned his eyes to the letter.

~... It is a secret item that I procured just for you. Use it to prove yourself to the Nirvana Gate Academy.

It isn't a very difficult process too.

Just absorb the energy in the gem so you can grow stronger and rapidly overcome the current limits of your power. You can even use the power to have revenge on those who did you wrong in the Akashic Academy before you leave for your new school.

Remember to keep it a secret and also destroy this letter once you're done reading it.

Take care, son.~

A broad smile formed on Arius' face as he took another glance at the gem.

It still appeared creepy to him, but the allure of power somehow blinded him to the disturbing whispers that the object leaked out.

"You've really helped me out, dad… I can't let you down now."

He reached out to it, feeling an electrifying sensation the closer he got to the object.

Then—

FSHUUUUUU!

—It felt something was infused into him.

As he held the gem tightly in his palm, he could feel it—power was getting pumped into his veins. He felt the Magia within him rising and his Soul getting filled to the brim with the energy that existed in the gem.

And something else too.

'REVENGE! LET'S HAVE REVENGE!'

Arius felt darkness surface in his mind, and his thoughts became invaded with all of his negative thoughts—the ones he buried and the ones that kept surfacing every now and then.

'KILLING ONE BETA STUDENT ISN'T ENOUGH! WE NEED MORE!'

He shivered slightly.

Arius remembered the gory act he committed that night.

Even though he tried very hard to suppress his memories of that event, the power of the gem brought it to the light.

"H-he was going to join Alpha Class… for doing absolutely nothing! I couldn't allow it! I couldn't allow any more plebeian scum to join our Class!"

'TRUE! YOU DID THE RIGHT THING!'

Yes… yes he did the right thing.

"And now… with this power, I can keep doing the right thing!"

'EXACTLY!'

"I can rise above everyone else and show them precisely why they shouldn't have messed with me… why they shouldn't have abandoned me in this filthy Beta Class."

'INDEED!'

"And, to celebrate my transfer to my new life… I suppose it won't be a bad idea to ruin the old."

His thoughts chuckled evilly before responding in the most delighted manner.

'PERFECT!'