"The battle had lasted weeks, No side wanting to give up the victory. The smell of burnt corpses permeated the battlefield leaving a stinging sensation in the nose of those nearby. The battle of good and evil had always been a reccurrence in the history of man, but this battle was like no other. The two titans that were engaged in the battle left lasting scars on the people and the planet. Mountains were turned to flatlands and beautiful bustling cities were turned into nothing but a memory in history. The side of good had help in the battle, but his comrades weren't enough to tip the scales in their favor."

  The sudden sound of a bell prevented the teacher from finishing his tale to his class of thirty students.

  "Well, maybe next time I won't start a story so late into the class." Mr. Graves said with a laugh.

  Mr. Graves was an older man in his late thirties who always wore a checkered vest over a white button up. He taught all types of students at Greenville Academy.

  Greenville Academy is the most renowned in all of Angel's province for its guidance to educate the students to properly master their magical abilities as well as helping them get real world experience through missions.

  Since it was lunchtime and the cafeteria was serving tacos, most of the students hurriedly rushed out of the classroom. All that was left behind was Mr. Graves and four other students.

  "Oh? You guys aren't going to lunch?" Mr. Graves asked, curiously.

  Lilith, a girl who had vibrant purple hair and cat ears was the one who answered, "I had some questions about the story; Also we are waiting for Leon to wake up." Lilith pointed to the boy with blonde hair and pointy ears behind her.

  Mr. Graves looked over Lilith's shoulder to see Lillia and Benjamin trying frantically to wake up Leon. He laughed and said, "Sure what did you want to know about the story?"

  Without skipping a beat Lilith asked, "Why did the battle in the first place start?"

  "Well, since your the last of your kind, you should know?"

  "My father doesn't really like to talk about my kind." Lilith replied.

  Mr. Graves could sense her curiosity. "Ah. Well in the past your kind was beautiful and prosperous, their mastery in the arts of magic was like no other. One day a conflict arose between your kind and the destroyer that ended up leading to all their deaths."

  Lilith now shocked, replied, "No way! Did someone really have that kind of power?"

  Mr. Graves let out a sigh. "Unfortunately so. No one could stop him in his rampage. Other than the Hero and his comrades. By the time they arrived to stop him, it was already too late."

  Lilith was taken aback by her teacher's words. “Who was the hero and his comrades?”

  “Nobody knows who the hero was, but the comrades were none other than the four captains.”

  “Wow, father fought against such a powerful evil?”

  “He sure did,” Mr. Graves replied, his patriotic tone clearly noticeable.

  Leon finally woke up and fell backwards after Benjamin pinched his nose, preventing him from breathing.

  Lilith thanked Mr. Graves for his time and the four students went out to lunch.

  With annoyance in his voice, Leon asked, "Why did you have to pinch my nose? That really hurt."

  Lillia, a girl with long flowing black hair and two buns atop her head was the one to answer, "Because you wouldn't wake up no matter what we tried, and I didn't want to miss out on the tacos just because you didn't get enough sleep last night."

  Leon stretched his achy muscles as he talked, "It's not my fault that yesterday's training went on too long."

  The group finally made it to the Cafeteria. The smell of delicious meat instantly entered their noses as they waited in line.

  The inside of the cafeteria was massive with beautiful marble tables with seats to match, The floating chandeliers, and music really set the tone for this prestigious school.

  The group gathered their food and went outside to their usual table. The patio had the same tables that were on the inside, but the view is why most students chose to eat outside. The patio overlooked a small lake surrounded by vibrant green trees that let off a sweet aroma when the wind rushed by.

  Lillia, Benjamin, and Leon sat down to eat, but Lilith kept walking and ended up sitting down beneath a tree facing the lake. Lilith wasn't the only one sitting beneath the tree, a man wearing a torn hood was looking out at the lake seemingly mesmerized by it.

  Lilith spoke which broke the man's concentration "I brought some food for us."

  The man clearly was not from the school that Lilith went to. His clothes were ripped and dirty, and his shoes had holes in them but despite his appearance, he did not give off an odor. The man thanked Lilith in his raspy voice and began eating off the plate Lilith handed him.

  Lillia and the others looked at Lilith before going back to their conversation. "It's been a whole year and Lilith is still sitting with that bum," Leon said while being clearly annoyed.

  "Not everyone is as fortunate as us Leon, besides what Lilith does during her lunch break is her own choice," Lillia said with a smile.

  Benjamin, an orc with a muscular build and silky black hair added, "Besides, Lilith has always been like that. Always helping anyone she can."

  Leon reluctantly agreed and changed the subject, "Have you guys heard of the rising tension between Angel's province, and Sol?"

  Lillia, in a sad tone replied, "Yeah, my mom and dad were telling me about it when I visited them last week. They were saying the negotiations were not being upheld on their side, and that the corruption was making the lives of the civilians hard."

  Benjamin added to what Lillia was saying, "I heard from my dad that there were attempts to stop the corruption in Sol, but they didn't want the help that Angel's Province was offering. I can't imagine what they are going through just because their chairmen want power."

  Leon let out a sigh, "It feels like any little thing will set off a war. We are most likely going to fight in it too."

  The silence was audible, but was broken by Lilith who sat down next to Lillia. "What are you guys talking about?" Lilith asked.

  "The rising tensions with Sol," Lillia responded.

  "Yeah, I heard about that. It sounds tragic."

  "What happened with you and him?" Leon pointed at the man Lilith was sitting next to. "You're usually with him until lunch ends."

  "He ended up falling asleep after he finished his food."

  "To be honest I'm surprised the school hasn't kicked him out," Benjamin said, curiously.

  "Yeah, apparently he is far enough outside of school grounds for him not to be a problem. He also hasn't caused problems for anyone either." Lilith replied.

  A sudden slam on the table jolted everyone. "Your 'pal' over there might not be causing any problems, but he is an eyesore. It brings shame upon the school for allowing a bum to be near the premises." Lilith looked over to the upperclassmen that was sitting on the adjacent table.

  The upperclassmen was a student named Dylan who came from a well-known family that was revered for their power and natural talent.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Hey man we're all adults, can't you just be respectful to the less fortunate?" asked Benjamin.

  "The less fortunate shouldn't be around here eating our food. He should just go to the city and get a job. Cause of you Lilith he hasn't left since he knows you always give him food." Stated Dylan.

  Annoyed, Lilith began to raise her voice, "Just because you're not willing to help others doesn't mean I don't have to."

  Without saying a word Dylan sat up and made his way to the tree where the man gently slept. Lilith quickly got up and followed close behind. "What are you doing?"

  The commotion caused the students on the patio to circle around the tree to watch what was about to unfold.

  Dylan's yelling woke the man up from his sleep. "Excuse me mister I'm going to need you to leave this area and never return! You're not welcome here."

  The man rubbed his eyes and without saying a word, he stood up and started walking away.

  "What is your problem?" Lilith pushed Dylan, enraging him to the point where he swung at her.

  Although Lilith was good in hand-to-hand combat the swing was too fast her to dodge. The man suddenly appeared in front of Lilith, catching the swing before landing one of his own.

  Dylan fell to the floor with a stream of blood flowing down his nose. He wiped the blood of his nose and shot up, launching a barrage of attacks in the process. The man easily dodged and landed a sidekick onto Dylan's head, knocking him out instantly.

  The commotion caused school officials to appear and restrain all who were involved.

  Lilith was released quickly but it took hours before the man, and Dylan were taken care of. When Dylan was released he had a sour look on his face and his body language clearly conveyed he was angry. As for when the 'bum' was released, he came out in a school uniform.

  Apparently, the eyewitnesses explained what happened. Feeling guilty the school offered the man a full scholarship basically as hush money and as an apology for their student's actions.

  The man was wearing a black button-up with gold trim around the cuffs and collar. The coat he was wearing had a scaly design throughout, and the pants he was wearing were of the same design, but despite their looks, it didn't hinder movement. His face was clean-shaven, his eyes were jet black in color, and His hair was neatly cut and combed to the side.

  Lilith hugged the man and said, "Nice to meet you, my name is Lilith."

  The man responded in a gentle tone, "Nice to meet you, Lilith. My name is Alastor."

  The bell rang loudly causing Lilith to let go. "So what classes do you have?"

  Alastor handed Lilith his schedule and she realized he had the same classes as her.

  "Well, let's go to practice before we get yelled at more than we already are."

  Lilith extended her hand out and Alastor took it as they ran to their class.

  Practice was a class where the students would practice their magic or hand-to-hand combat with other students, and learn new techniques.

  Practice was held inside the dojo. The dojo had various weapons decorating the walls and had an abundance of space to let the students fight to their heart's content. The dojo had a reinforced base that would withstand the toughest of attacks, and the walls were equipped with anti-magic seals.

  When the two eventually arrived, the students were already in the middle fighting each other. Alastor entering the dojo caused everyone to stop where they were and face him. The air surrounding the dojo suddenly felt heavy and quiet.

  Lilith understood why, Dylan stepped forward and pointed at Alastor. "I want a rematch. You won't be lucky this time around."

  Lilith tried to convince Alastor not to but her efforts were to no avail. Alastor accepted the challenge.

  Everyone in the school had heard what happened so everyone was eager to see this rematch.

  The students lined up against the wall allowing the two students to fight it out without any worries or interruptions. The teacher of the class, Mr. Solomon, allowed the fight and acted as the referee to ensure no one went too far.

  The teacher Mr. Solomon was a seasoned warrior who fought in the military of Angel's province, so he knew that sometime's people just have to fight it out, which is why he allowed this fight to happen.

  "First let me tell you guys the rules. One, Magic is allowed. Two, Weapons are allowed. Three, No foul play. With that out of the way, let the fight commence." stated Mr. Solomon

  All the students were betting to see who the victor of the battle would be but Lilith was the only one hoping that no one got hurt too badly.

  Dylan got two swords for his weapon, but Alastor went in barehanded.

  The two started fighting immediately

  Without hesitation, Dylan used his magic which allowed him to raise any stat of his body at will. Dylan increased his speed to get behind Alastor. Dylan increased his strength and then swung at Alastor. Alastor jumped out of the way of the attack and kicked Dylan's shoulder, causing him to let go of his sword.

  Alastor caught the sword and thrust it at Dylan. Mr. Solomon tried to stop the sword from colliding but Alastor was too fast. The sword stopped right before touching Dylan's neck. "Hit," said Alastor.

  Dylan dropped to his knees, nobody other than Mr. Solomon and Lilith could perceive what had happened. Alastor turned his back signaling his victory but Dylan wouldn't accept his defeat.

  Dylan cranked up his speed to the max and began unleashing a barrage of violent attacks. Everyone in the dojo could sense the killing intent being radiated.

  Alastor successfully blocked most of the attacks and even landed an uppercut, this however had little effect because Dylan maxed out his defense at the last second.

  Alastor sustained three cuts while Dylan took a tiny bit of damage. Alastor touched his wound and looked at the blood staining his fingers.

  Alastor calmly wiped the blood onto the sword he was wielding causing it to burst into flames.

  Mr. Solomon tried to interfere after sensing the power behind the flames, but Alastor put his hand up signifying it was alright. Mr. Solomon reluctantly let the fight continue.

  Dylan started laughing, "You really think some mere flames are going to stop me? Fire is the weakest of the four elements." Dylan wasn't wrong fire was the weakest of the four elements.

  To prove his point Dylan created a powerful tidal wave. The seals on the walls protected the students that lay upon it from harm.

  The heat coming off the sword instantly evaporated the water in one go. Everyone was shocked, Dylan was a master of all the four basic elements so his attacks being neutralized were no small feat.

  Without hesitation, Dylan unleashed an attack of spikes made of rocks and used wind to propel them faster. Alastor swung his blade releasing a wall of fire that instantly liquefied the rocks, he followed up with another attack which burned away the lava before it could land on the floor.

  Dylan maxed his speed to dodge the flames and appear behind Alastor, but before he could dodge, he was suddenly looking at the ground with Alastor’s knee jammed into his back.

  Alastor bent down and whispered in Dylan’s ear, "You maxed out your movement speed but not the speed of your perception. I bet you didn't see what happened did you?"

  Alastor was right no one in the dojo, not even Mr. Solomon or Lilith could keep up with what had just happened. Alastor backed up to the other side of the dojo and pointed his fiery weapon at Dylan.

  In a serious tone, Alastor said, "Yield here or I will make you yield."

  Dylan got up and took a step to run at Alastor, but he wasn't fast enough. "Fine".

  Alastor released his flames which took the shape of a dragon and passed through Dylan. The force of the attack sent Dylan flying into the dojo wall.

  This all took place at the same time Dylan took his first step. Needless to say, no one in the dojo could comprehend what just took place.

  The force of the impact onto the reinforced wall knocked Dylan out cold.

  Everyone stood in silence trying to take in what just happened.

  Alastor was the one who broke the silence, "If you guys have a medical bay you should probably take him there."

  Without hesitation, Dylan's friend picked him up and took him to the infirmary.

  Everyone except for Lilith stood clear of Alastor. "You did amazing against him." Lilith cheered.

  "Yeah, he wasn't that strong so I didn't really have anything to worry about," Alastor exclaimed.

  The whole dojo fell silent once more. "Actually, Alastor, Dylan is one of the strongest students in this school," Lilith said, her worry clearly audible.

  Alastor shrugged.

  Mr. Solomon went over to where Alastor and Lilith were sitting to ask a question, "You were in the military before, weren't you?"

  "No" Alastor replied

  "Where did you learn to fight like that? Because that was a beautiful display of power and skill."

  Alastor let out a laugh, "I'm self-taught. Just working hard, you know?"

  "I have another thing to ask as well. You were holding back against Dylan, weren't you? I saw when Dylan was attacking you, you thought about whether to take the hit or not and you ended up deciding to take it."

  Everyone was staring at Alastor now.

  With a sigh, Alastor said, "Yeah, I was. As to why? It was because if I went all out then it probably would have destroyed the dojo and possibly put the other students in danger."

  "How strong are you?" asked Mr. Solomon

  In a sad tone, Alastor replied, "Not strong enough."

  For the rest of the class time, everyone indulged in Mr. Solomon's teachings on how to better control magic and prevent it from running rabid, and how to be more proficient in hand-to-hand combat.

  Alastor personally trained Lilith on how to get stronger. Evidently, Alastor's teachings were more informative and useful in aiding Lilith than Mr. Solomon's teachings. Everyone eventually caught on and decided to join in on Alastor's training.

  By the end of the session, most of the students actually increased their proficiency even if only by a little. Lilith however increased her magic control by a lot. Her magic had a lot of untapped potential but the thing limiting her was her control over her seemingly limitless magic.

  Nearly all of the students ended up wanting to challenge Alastor to a fight, which he accepted. He took all of the students at once and single handedly won without breaking a sweat.

  In a professional tone, he pointed out where each student could improve their combat and where they excelled.

  At the end of the day, Alastor made his way to the spot underneath the tree. He looked out into the clear blue lake enjoying the peace and tranquility. The sweet smell of the trees, and the soft gentle breeze that gently caressed his tan cheeks brought him back to the old days when things were much simpler.

  As Alastor looked out into the lake everything suddenly went dark as if someone turned off the sun. The clear blue lake that sat in front of him was now like a bottomless sea of pitch black, the trees that surrounded him began twisting into itself until the inside was outside. The smell they gave out went from sweet to pungent and rancid.

  Alastor let out a sigh, "What do you want?"

  A man with an athletic build stood before Alastor. His dark black hair flowed in the wind and his emerald eyes met Alastor's. His expression was unreadable but Alastor knew his intentions.

  The man smirked and said, "It has been far too long Alastor."