Going to The Iron Owl on the evening of 5th day was an eye-opening experience. Valar had gotten a seat at the bar, as the establishment didn’t tend to offer entire tables to single visitors. Still, that was completely understandable. Getting every table full of single diners would've been bad for business.

  Besides, the service at the bar was excellent. The waitress Valar had already met, Sadie, was manning the bar and took Valar’s order after only a few minutes. He ended up ordering a dish of fried chicken and crispy potatoes. Valar wanted something really savoury and Sadie recommended that specific dish. Apparently the dish was quite big, but Valar took the challenge head on. No meal was going to defeat him!

  In addition to the fried chicken, Valar ordered a glass of juice that he wasn’t familiar with. The green juice was a pleasant of mix of sweet and sour, and the waitress recommended that he save most of it for the dish. The sourness could cut through the fattiness, or so she said.

  When the dish came from the kitchen at the back, Valar had to rethink his choice of meal. When Sadie had said that it was big, Valar had expected to get a dish that was comparable in size to the vendace one he had gotten with Viktor, but he was sorely mistaken. Chicken was much cheaper than a fish like vendace, but the meal had cost a little bit more than the fish dish. That could only mean that Valar was getting fleeced or…

  The meal was absolutely massive.

  And Valar really meant it. Looking at the gargantuan plate of food with enough chicken to feed a family, Valar shook his head in confusion. Even worse, the other people sitting at the bar and even the tables were snickering quietly between themselves. He was even pretty sure that some were placing bets among themselves on if he could finish the dish.

  Valar shrugged. “I guess there’s nothing to do but eat.”

  That’s how the biggest meal in Valar’s life began. He started strong by finishing a good amount of the chicken and potatoes, the accompanying aioli helping as a dipping sauce. After only fifteen minutes or so, the teenager was halfway through the meal.

  After that, eating became a challenge. Still, he suffered through it. The patrons of the restaurant started cheering for Valar when he was almost done. That’s when he figured out that he had been duped. Valar was not eating a normal meal, but a special challenge. He was damn near to completing that challenge though, so he continued with fervor. Every bite became harder and harder to stomach, but the teenager’s stomach was an endless void.

  An orphan boy wouldn’t say no to food in front of him. He would finish this meal!

  Three more bites, two… One…

  To Valar’s great surprise, the whole restaurant erupted as he ate the last bite. Nobles, adventurers, merchants and other high rankers cheered for him. The raucous atmosphere evolved into people dancing on tables, lots of drink orders and a happy restaurant owner. Sebastian cheered for him just as the others, walking towards Valar.

  “Great job, young man! Needless to say, since you completed the challenge, this meal’s on the house.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that!” Valar was shocked. Did I get that massive meal for free? This is amazing!

  “Wait… You ate the meal without knowing that?” Valar’s nod made the owner break out in laughter. “You’re getting the meal for free and I’d like for you to sign your name on the wall there.”

  Sebastian pointed at one of the restaurant’s walls. Valar hadn’t noticed it before, but twenty or so names were written across the wall in big letters—numbers written beneath the names.

  “Your performance was actually one of the faster ones. Not the fastest, but still up there,” Sebastian explained. “There have been two people who were faster than you.”

  The restaurant owner pointed at two names on the wall. “They were actually from the same group, visiting just before they left on their first adventuring mission. Rodrick Steelheart and Ciel of team Cookie Sandwich.”

  Wait… “I know them!” Valar exclaimed.

  “Oh? That’s a nice surprise then. Do you want to write your name near theirs?”

  Valar nodded with excitement. “Yeah!”

  Valar’s name joined the two adventurers, his time lagging just behind Ciel. Rodrick’s time was multiple minutes faster than even that; His achievement was unassailable. I thought I ate fast, but that time… Ten minutes for that mountain of food? Impossible!

  He didn’t spend a lot of time in The Iron Owl after his meal. Valar still planned to get some training in before he went to sleep, and the evening was progressing fast. He said his goodbyes to Sebastian, Sadie and the rest of the staff and patrons. Valar smiled as he left, as he could still hear the patrons cheer his name even though he was already out the door. Strangely enough, he felt like he had accomplished something great.

  What am I even thinking? I ate a damn plate of chicken and I feel good about that? I should be training…

  He started walking to the academy. Instead of choosing the main streets, Valar opted for a shortcut instead. The alleyways weren’t a place Valar had explored before, but he was sure they would give him an easier way to the academy. What could go wrong?

  Apparently, a lot...

  Valar knew immediately that he was in trouble when he noticed that a man was following him. It was quite obvious, really. Even though Valar turned left and right, snaking through the silent alleyways, the rough-looking vagrant kept appearing at his back. It could not be a coincidence.

  The boy sped up, walking faster and faster through the alleyways. Eventually, the fast walk turned into a run, but the man followed him everywhere he went. He was silent, but his intentions were clear.

  To rob and kill, or something even worse...

  The last nail in Valar’s coffin was struck when he turned left and was met with a dead end. No chance to run away, no chance to jump over walls.

  He was trapped.

  Valar retreated further into the dark and dreary alley, but eventually his back hit the wall. He was out of options. “Hey, look. I’ll give you my money! Please just don’t-”

  The man chuckled and pulled out a knife. With a quick glance, Valar thought that it was rusty, but he was wrong. The dark coating wasn’t rust. It was dried blood.

  “Oh, I caught a good one,” the man chuckled. “I’m going to have lots of fun with you…”

  Valar’s attacker wasn’t at a higher rank. He was an iron ranker just like the boy, but he was much larger than Valar. The man used his bulk to his advantage as he slammed against Valar, leaving him with no time to defend himself or even react.

  Valar felt something crack in his chest as the man struck him and he fell down on the ground. He felt even breathing becoming painful as he sucked in a lungful of air to scream for help, but the vagrant’s following kick to his stomach silenced him.

  The boy fought back with everything he could, throwing punches and kicks at the bigger man. He even tried biting the his attacker’s hand as he grabbed Valar by the face, but his attempt only led the man to slam Valar against the ground.

  “That hurt, brat! I’m going to make it last because of that little stunt, you little fucker!”

  Valar sported a few shallow slashes, but nothing life-threatening just yet. That was about to change.

  The man raised his knife and pointed it at Valar’s thigh. “A slow death it is!”

  The knife came down. Valar expected to feel his flesh tearing, to hear a squelch and feel excruciating pain. That pain never came.

  Cling

  The boy felt a blunt force against his thigh instead of the stab he expected. His attacker cursed as his hand slipped and caught on the blade, causing a deep wound and distracting the man. For the first time in the ‘fight’, Valar was able to grab the initiative.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Faced with few options, Valar’s mind raced. He could grab the knife, punch the man, try to run away, or…

  This man was truly evil. He was trying to kill Valar for no more reason than his own enjoyment. In addition to that, he was going to make that death hurt. Running away would leave the man alive. Stabbing would be an easy death. Kicking and punching would never be enough.

  Valar was not cruel by nature. In fact, he was quite a meek kid who generally wished well for everyone. The life affinity fit him perfectly… Until it didn’t.

  The strange thing about magical affinities was that they affected their user in some ways. Usually these effects were minor as the mana ran through the user's body at all times. They got used to the effects quickly and would not be noticeably affected. Still, life mages tended to care for nature, wind mages could be flighty and so on.

  Fire was a temperamental affinity. It burned bright, amplifying emotions if not controlled right. That effect was relatively minor when the mana flowing through a person’s veins matched their rank. So pretty much always, right?

  Valar’s fire didn’t have a rank. It came straight from the soul.

  When Valar’s rage against the man attacking him was amplified by this fire, it overpowered everything else. He desired nothing more than the man’s death. This man would burn.

  The man, too immersed in his own injury, didn’t notice Valar’s hand moving up to meet his face. He didn’t see the hand nor did he see his eyes. They were a mix of orange and red, all semblance of green or brown covered by the fiery visage.

  Unlike with the umbral terror, Valar did not laugh. That time, a different emotion had taken over. Then, he had been fearful but excited. This time he was fearful, yes, but anger dominated his mind..

  Valar drew on his soul. He wanted everything it could give to him. His soul, feeling the same rage as his mind, gave him just that.

  The burning pain that flowed through Valar’s body, into his arm, and out of his hand, almost made him release his grip on the man’s face. He did not let go.

  Valar’s attacker had no time to scream, but that didn’t mean that his death was painless. It only meant that his vocal chords were fried nearly instantly as the bright flames flowed into his head.

  The burst of drawn fire was short, lasting under a second. Still, it was plenty for such weak prey. Valar’s soul desired the death of his attacker, but not the death of Valar himself. Pain and injury were an acceptable cost—death wasn’t. And gods, was there pain…

  Valar let out a guttural scream of fear, pain and rage as the man’s head erupted in flames. He let go, and collapsed.

  As the fire left Valar, he was left laying on the ground, looking at what he had just done. His attacker was burning, but hadn’t died yet. Instead, he was twitching on the ground. The man’s hands were at his sides, burned nearly as badly as his face. He had evidently tried to grab his face, and his attempt had been less than stellar.

  Valar looked at the dying man for a few seconds… Then he threw up. He retched and cried on the abandoned alley, holding his newly burned hand with the healthy one.

  This was his first kill. In Valar’s mind, the umbral terror or the rat didn’t count. They were beasts, but this man had been human. Now he was dead, and Valar had taken his life.

  I… It was self defence, right? He tried to kill me, so I had every right to defend myself! He knew that, but it still felt wrong. I still killed him… I killed him… I…

  He retched once more.

  I have to get out of here. I need Elaine’s help… I need healing!

  Valar rose up from the ground. At first he tried using his right arm to get up. It was a mistake. The whole arm felt like it was still on fire, and he let out a whimper. I can’t go through the city and academy like this… I need to hide the arm.

  His attacker—and victim—had a cloak. It was scorched but hadn’t burned totally. Once Valar got up, he ripped the cloak off the man, retching once more at the accompanying squelch. Still, he now had a cloth to hide his arm. Wrapping it around his arm hurt like abyss, but Valar managed to hide his burns well enough. The boy left like demons were at his heels, heading for the academy and Elaine.

  In his rush, Valar went straight towards the academy. Luckily, he could see it easily above the buildings around him, and headed straight for the middle tower. The fact that he was so close to the academy felt like a bad joke. A few more turns would have led him straight to the entrance building, but he had managed to find the dead end just before he reached safety. Who am I kidding? He would have just ran if I’d been close to getting away...

  The nobles and other citygoers that saw him didn’t comment on his appearance, but Valar got lots of weird looks as he walked. He was a thirteen-year-old boy with clear signs of crying, shallow wounds and a cloak wrapped around his arm. Of course that would garner weird looks. Nobody came to help though…

  As Valar got into the academy, he rushed past the entrance hall at top speed. There was no time to sightsee on the skybridge either. He blazed past every stray student. He didn’t care who they were. They weren’t Elaine, and they couldn’t help him.

  He heard somebody call his name. That voice isn’t Elaine. They don’t matter.

  Elizabeth Wendir was left looking at the crying boy in worry.

  The last challenge before Valar reached Elaine was the stairs. He scaled floor by floor, but got more and more tired as he went. Valar’s strength didn’t fail him though, and he reached the right floor just before his legs would have given out.

  He limped to Elaine’s office door and knocked. No sound came. He knocked again… No answer.

  Valar struck the door with all his might and let out an accompanying scream filled with all his current pain. After that, he collapsed and passed out.

  Elaine was enjoying her evening tea and reading a book on recent advances in her field of magic. She had to admit that it wasn’t that interesting of a read. If something grand had been discovered recently, the read would have been much more enjoyable. Now the text was all about bone structures, slight optimizations on basic mending spells and the like. The experience was still quite therapeutic, giving her a chance to wind down from the hustle and bustle of the past week.

  She heard a faint noise but ignored it. Somebody was probably running across the hallway. Annoying… She continued her tea and reading until the sound came again. Seriously, what is happening out there. Do I need to go yell at students again? The distraction was minor though. She would let it slip for this ti-.

  The slam against her door and the scream of pain were more than enough to alert the professor of life magic. She slammed her book shut, put her tea down and rushed to the door. When she opened it, Elaine gasped.

  Valar’s unconscious body, full of cuts and wrapped in a dirty cloak, was laying in front of her office door. She felt his aura fluctuate rapidly, not in mortal danger but seriously injured. “What in the abyss?”

  It seemed that Elaine’s relaxing evening was coming to a rapid end. She picked up the boy gently and carried him to the sofa in her office. How is he this light?

  She cast a basic spell meant to analyze the current state of her patient. Oh gods… What have you done, Valar? The spell gave her all the information she needed, including the severe burns on his right arm. He had used his fire, and it looked like he had needed it.

  The blunt trauma and slashed across his arms and body told a simple story: Valar had been attacked in the city. How does he manage to land himself in these situations? No academy student has been attacked on the street for years!

  She got right to work as soon as she finished the analysis. The blunt trauma and slashes were relatively easy to heal, as even a basic iron or bronze rank healing spell would be enough for them. The burns were a more difficult task, but Elaine wasn’t a gold ranker for no reason. She had healed burns before, and knew that her gold rank spells would make short work of even the internal burns.

  First, she used a lower rank spell on the smaller damage. Elaine didn’t want to waste a part of the much more powerful spell on those wounds, as only partly healing the burns would be a massive mistake. The effects of fire magic were often hard to heal because the wounds cauterized, making healing difficult. Healing burns became much easier when she could heal all the damage at the same time and leave no cauterized spots behind.

  When the slashes were healed, Elaine breathed deeply in preparation for her next working. Hundreds of overlapping and connected life runes appeared across her arm and continued down her back as she started casting a gold rank healing spell. The spell would be potent enough to heal him completely, and even prevent most of the potential scarring. Valar’s arm would probably receive a bit more of that, but she was no god of healing. That didn’t mean that she didn’t try her best.

  “Supreme edict: Restoration”

  The edict series of spells was a set developed by the royal researchers of Leoria. It started from bronze rank and had spells for every rank except diamond. The spells weren’t easy, but every single spell of the edict series was an efficient, simple spell that utilized the full power of the mage using it.

  They weren’t publicly available, but promising citizens of Leoria would often receive the spells as they progressed through the ranks. Elaine had been lucky enough to receive the healing edicts, and this wasn’t the first or last time she would use them.

  The edict of restoration wasn’t a particularly fast spell, but it used the life mana given to it efficiently. Practically no energy went to waste, and Valar benefitted from that fact greatly.

  As the seconds turned to minutes, the boy’s burns healed, leaving little to no scarring behind. He would feel phantom pains in that area for a day or two, but otherwise his arm would be fine to use. She was more worried about his mental state…

  Elaine left the boy sleeping on the sofa. She was glad that he had come to her first, but Viktor needed to be there when Valar woke up.

  The abandoned alleyway was dead silent. No guards came to check on the corpse, no wandering citygoers saw it. The silence was only broken after more than an hour.

  The click of shoes on the ground rang out. The sound continued until the man reached the site of destruction. “Oh dear, Thomas,” a soft voice rang out. “It seems you finally reached the end of the line….”

  The man stuffed the corpse into a large sack, grunting as he lifted the heavy load. “Giving you free reign over this part of the city was a mistake. Judging by the scene, you were about to defile and murder your victim… A swine through and through. You were supposed to just rob and cause some chaos, not drug yourself and kill innocents. Good riddance.”

  Sebastian Vern carried the sack into another alleyway and tossed it in a big heap of trash. “At least I didn’t need to kill you myself. The question is… Who did?”