Sparks of a Flame (5)

The fire in the library was soon put out, though the professor, other academy staff and Lady Luna found it rather unsettling and odd that two of the five corpses seemed to be missing. Nought but ashes had remained of them. Not even their bones were to be found.

Aether was instructed to sit and wait, and so he did. His gaze not once left the ground, yet he followed Lady Luna's every single move with care and interest. Who was this woman who seemed to be able to use holy magic?

Sitting cross legged on the ground, he fiddled with some blades of grass as he waited to be excused. A short while passed before Professor Cross finally approached him.

"Are you wounded anywhere?" She gestured towards his slightly bruised arm. "Aside from that?" She added.

Aether hesitated. "Nothing too serious. I got kicked around a little, and I hit my head earlier, when the explosion happened." He touched the back of his head. His hair had all been stuck together with the dried blood. "It's just a scrape though." He felt the need to add as the Professor's expression changed to one of worry.

"Head wounds are not to be underestimated." Professor Cross sighed. "We should get you to the infirmary, come on." She gestured him to get up, but a voice stopped them both.

"No need," Lady Luna said as she approached. She stopped perhaps an arm's length away from Aether, the reached towards him. Her cold touch startled him as she gently placed her hands on his cheeks.

"There's really no need," Aether began to speak, trying to keep his voice as emotionless as possible. He couldn't let that hint of panic show.

"Divine Grace, heal!" She declared. Her magic flowed from her body to her hands, and from her hands to Aether.

The young man's wounds healed. He forced a smile as he felt his insides burning up. As the waves of holy magic washed over him, it took every last drop of willpower he had not to step away.

"Thank you," He said with a catch in his voice once Lady Luna finally pulled her hands, and her magic, away.

"The young must be protected," She replied. "Such is our creed." She smiled, then turned her gaze over to the remains of the library. "Tell me what happened, the events that took place. How you ended up trapped inside, and why you remained behind as the young woman escaped."

Aether nodded, swallowed the blood that came to his mouth, and then began explaining. His story was a simple one, without any spirits, or heroics on his part. And since all the men were dead, none remained to dispute him.

He talked, and they listened.

Iris bit her lips as her gaze lingered on the distant smoke. A fire had broken out in the library a while ago. According to some upperclassmen she overheard, an incredibly powerful person had come to help put down the fire.

Everything is fine, people told her. Yet she couldn't get rid of this dread handing over her. For some reason, Aether crossed her mind. Where the hell was he? Wasn't he supposed to be protecting her? Not that she really needed any protection, but still, he shouldn't slack off.

With a sigh, she pushed her chair back and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Seth asked as he and the rest of their classmates looked at her.

"I need to find the Professor." She said absentmindedly.

"Let me come with you," Seth offered as he scrambled to gather his belongings. Iris rolled her eyes. "No need, Seth. I'll be back in a bit." She turned her back on them and left. Her lips curled downwards as she left their field of view though – ever since she had garnered this following, these people looked at her like puppies looked at their owners.

It was quite fun and refreshing, since a particular guard dog always looked at her with defiance and pride in his eyes. She made her way over to the gardens behind the dorms. She liked the scent of the flowers here, and the sunlight that pierced through the treeline.

As she walked among the trees and plants, a sudden voice startled her. Someone gagged and moaned. The pained whimpers were low, yet Iris immediately recognised the voice.

She hastened her steps and followed the voice.

"What the hell happened to you?" She exclaimed as soon as she lay her sights on the young man.

Aether didn't even raise his head to look at her. He spit out some blood, then wiped his mouth with a piece of cloth.

"Hey!" Iris knelt on the ground by him. "Answer me!"

The young man sighed. "Holy magic." He replied before pressing his palm against his forehead. "There is a powerful person. She can use holy magic." He coughed.

"How did you get affected by it though?" Iris reached for him but stopped herself at the last second. What was she doing? She couldn't show any weakness, any emotions. Especially not affection. "Wait, the fire-"

"She healed me." Aether grimaced. "I couldn't exactly say no." He clenched his fists. "Fuck, it hurts."

Iris opened her mouth, then closed it again, not knowing what to say. She had never seen Aether so vulnerable before. It almost made her hatred melt away.

"I'll contact Father." She said with a decisive tone. "You need treatment – it's not something I can do." She bit her lip. She couldn't let him fade away. That was the one responsibility she had.

"No!" Aether grabbed her arm before she could cast the spell to contact home. "No, I'm fine." He wheezed. "Just give me a moment. I'll be fine." His voice outed him as a liar already.

"Aether…" She shook her head. "I can't let you die. The Clan can't afford to lose you." She spat out the words.

"All I need is a moment of rest." He hissed. His voice was now coarse. Iris flinched as she turned her gaze on him again. His slit eyes were shining bright. His complexion became ashen for a moment, but all of a sudden, colour returned to his face.

"What did you do?" She asked.

He grimaced. "I told you, I just needed a bit of time." He spat out a bit of blood, the stretched his arms. "It hurt like the seven hells though," He added with a sigh. "You don't need to contact the Clan. The holy magic is out of my system. I'll need a couple hours of rest to be back to normal, but that's nothing to worry about."

He didn't let Iris speak, and instead got up and helped her up as well. "Your little group must have startled looking for you. You don't need to concern yourself with my wellbeing." He bowed, then left.

Iris immediately regretted even worrying about him the slightest.