Storm is Approaching (1)

Once, in a land barren and unkind, there lived a traveler named 'Merlin'.

He was no ordinary man, but one cursed by the world—branded a witch, shunned for the mahika in his blood.

Wherever he went, eyes filled with disgust and fear followed. No village would take him in.

No kingdom would call him its own. And so, he walked alone, cast aside by those who did not understand him.

One day, in his endless wandering, he came upon the ruins of a great tower.

Time had long since reduced it to rubble, its walls were broken, and its purpose was forgotten.

Yet, as he stood among the fallen stones, he did not see ruin. He saw a beginning.

With new goal in his heart, he set to work.

Brick by brick, spell by spell, he raised the tower from its slumber.

But this time, it would not be a place of ambition and folly—it would be a refuge. A sanctuary for those like him, who had been cast away for the curse they were born with.

And thus... it gave birth to the...

'White Tower'

******

"Woah! Good job Princess! We finished way faster than I thought~!"

Elijah grinned, clapping dramatically as he admired the massive pile of neatly stacked leaves beside them.

Victoria, on the other hand, was not celebrating. She was too busy staring at the sky, her face drained of color.

"Y-YOU MANIAC!! LOOK AT THE SKY!!"

Elijah lazily tilted his head upward… and finally noticed the giant crack in the sky, shimmering like fractured glass.

He blinked.

"Oh wow. New kind of aesthetic?"

Victoria's eye twitched. "AESTHETIC MY ASS!! WE JUST BROKE THE BARRIER!!"

Before Elijah could even process that tiny detail, a group of students in crisp uniforms and red neckties approached with heavy, ominous footsteps.

The Student Council.

"The Headmaster requires your presence."

A thick silence hung in the air.

Then—

"Humu, humu, there you go, Princess! Off you go!" Elijah said cheerfully, patting Victoria's shoulder like a proud older brother sending his sibling off to war.

Victoria snapped her head toward him, eyes wide in betrayal.

"Why are you celebrating?! we might get expelled, you know!"

Elijah blinked, feigning innocence. "Eh? I wasn't the one who cast the tornado spell, right?"

"Y-YOU ABSOLUTE TRAITOR!"

Before she could strangle him, one of the Student Council members adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

"Mr. Shaharazad, your presence is also required."

Elijah's smile instantly dropped.

"Booooooo."

******

The Headmaster's Office.

The moment they stepped inside, the headmaster—Percival Winterhold—spoke without even looking up from her desk.

"So… you two might have some idea why you're here?"

At lightning speed, Victoria collapsed to her knees, forehead pressed against the floor, trembling like a sinner at the altar.

"I-It was an accident, madam!!"

Percival raised an unimpressed brow. "How, exactly, does one 'accidentally' casted a tornado?"

Elijah, meanwhile, stood completely relaxed, arms crossed, as if he were just visiting for tea.

"You don't seem nervous," Percival noted.

"I have nothing to be nervous about, madam."

Percival's lips curled into an intrigued smile. "Oh? And why's that?"

"????!"

Victoria snapped her head up, looking at Elijah like he had just offered himself as a human sacrifice.

"Please raise your head, Ms. Fleur. And take a seat."

The two complied, though Victoria's legs continued to violently shake while Elijah crossed his like a bored noble.

"I will accept the punishment for using Mahika inside the school grounds," Elijah replied smoothly. "However, we will not take responsibility for what happened to the 'Aegis.'"

Percival's eyes gleamed with intrigue. "Not many know the true name of the barrier."

"I simply know my academy's history well, that's all."

Victoria blinked rapidly. 'Wait… What's happening? Is he actually negotiating with the Headmaster?!'

"So tell me, Mr. Shaharazad," Percival leaned forward, "what makes you think we'll simply let this slide? Do you believe being a baron's son and a royal princess grants you immunity?"

"Of course not." Elijah shrugged. "But I do know that a mere B-rank spell isn't capable of breaking the Aegis, which took Merlin decades to construct."

Victoria was now completely lost.

'Why am I even here…?'

Percival chuckled. "You're good. So, tell me… What should we do then?"

Elijah hummed, rubbing his chin.

tic… toc… tic…

After a long, dramatic pause—

"Dunno."

Victoria and Percival both stared at him.

"Huh?"

Elijah shrugged. "Why are you asking me? I'm just a student. All I know is that I refuse to accept any unfair punishment."

Victoria gasped. "Y-You bastard! Don't talk so arrogantly to the Headmaster—!"

At that moment, Percival suddenly burst into laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! I like you, kid."

Elijah simply nodded, satisfied.

"Very well then," Percival said, wiping a tear from her eye. "For your punishment, you are suspended for one day. Repent, and return to class after."

Elijah and Victoria stood, bowing politely.

"Thank you, madam."

"That's it, go back to your dorms." Percival waved them off.

As the two students left the office, Percival's smile faded. Her fingers drummed against her desk.

"Monitor those two—especially the boy from the Shaharazad household."

From the shadows, a voice responded.

"Understood."