Chapter 29 - Erza's reaction

Erza did a spit take at the table she sat as she heard those last words. The principal was his biological grandfather? "How? How is that possible and how does he know?" Erza asked into her phone. Her voice was filled with concern, doubt and caution as she waited for the rest of the story. 

"Well, he summoned me to the office to discuss the fights with Bradley. I would have bet everything I was about to be kicked out," Gavin responded. "But the first thing he did when I entered and sat down was say I was the spitting image of his son, my father. Plus, there's more," Gavin said, and he told her the rest of the other dreams he'd been having about his parents in the forest. He told her the physical characteristics of the couple matched the appearances of both his mother and father. 

Erza sat back on the bench where she was eating her food. She was beyond stunned right now. "Not even at the academy for twenty-four hours and yet you've gotten into three fights, been summoned to the principal's office like a middle school child, and found a long-lost relative," Erza began, chastising him. He was being too reckless with everything. She shouldn't have left him alone. She should have found an apartment or something near campus to be his back-up and keep his head straight. 

"Yeah, I know, okay" Gavin said quickly as he tried to soothe her anger. "I suck and need extreme supervision," he admitted as he faced Erza's wrath. 

She shook her head as she moved the phone from her left ear to the right one. Her long hair was down and moved back and forth as she adjusted her position. "If you get into any more trouble, I will find a way to stay up here and babysit you again," she said, then laughed gently as she realized the inner pun she unknowingly made. 

Gavin caught on as she said those words. He was grinning as he sat on the bench outside his dorm building. He regretted making her worry so much. But the lack of venom in her tone and anger in her words made him feel at ease. "Yeah, I know baby. Your boyfriend is a humongous doofus that can't be left unattended. I should make a sign or T-shirt to wear that says something cute, like can't be left unattended." He laughed softly as he tried to lighten the mood with her. 

Erza didn't want to admit how easily he could charm her, even over the phone. She was still angry but was smiling to herself inspite of her frustrations with her wolfboy. "Darn right," she said as she finally gave in and laughed. 

Gavin grinned. He knew he could charm her any time he really tried. She couldn't avoid his special charms even if she tried to. "But no, seriously. This day hasn't gone the way I expected it to. I can't believe that the principal, who is such a powerful Magi, is my biological grandfather. He knew both my parents," Gavin said softly as he leaned forward. This news was the biggest shock of the day. He was still trying to process everything that happened in such a short period of time. 

"The funny thing is, he doesn't know that I can use all six elemental magics. But he told me to go all out during the tests tomorrow to determine status and ranking at the academy," he informed her. He wanted to impress his grandfather, but still wasn't sure if going all out was the safest option at the moment. "On the one hand, it would be nice to show off all that hard training you put me through. But on the other it could make me a pariah that others fear or despise, because I doubt anyone else here can use all six elemental magics," he spoke softly into the phone as he looked around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear.

Erza was quiet for a moment and then finally spoke up. "I think you should do it. Show everyone just how powerful my wolfboy is. Don't worry though, baby. If your head gets too big with the power, I'll come up to knock your ego down to size," she responded softly with humor as she teased him. She wasn't worried. He was the last one to be expected to let some power change him. At least she hoped. 

Gavin's heart felt lighter as he processed her words. "Alright then. I'll go all out tomorrow. Show all the magic, full shift. Everything. Probably frighten the pants off some people. But it'll be worth it if he is impressed." He decided after a moment of contemplating her words. This would be the first time he has revealed everything to people besides at the training camp. In truth, he was beyond nervous. He knew there were going to be plenty of mixed reactions. People with his skill at magic were few and far in-between. Add to that his werewolf clan-shifting abilities, which are a rarer phenomenon, and he will be bound to stick out like a sore thumb tomorrow. 

"Hey, I got to get back on the road so call me tomorrow and tell me how everything went alright?" she asked him as she headed out of the restaurant and back to her car. 

"For sure baby, I cant wait to find out my rank and tell you how much butt I kicked," Gavin said as he thought of the upcoming trials. 

"Awesome, sounds good. I love you," she replied. 

"Love you too, baby," Gavin replied as he hung up the phone. He slipped the phone back into his pocket as he went inside the dormitory. There weren't as many students mulling about as earlier. Most seem to have settled into their dorms for the time being. He looked at the wall of the hallway where he fought Bradley just a few hours ago. The impact crack was still there from where he slammed Bradley against the wall. Gavin felt the heat of embarrassment creep up his neck as he realized just how out of control he really was. If Jackson hadn't intervened and gotten through to him, this hallway would be spattered with the punks' blood. 

Gavin continued walking past the spot and headed for the elevators to take it up to the third floor. Gavin was about to open the door to the dorm when he got a whiff of something that instantly set him on edge. He could tell his eyes were glowing red as he sniffed the air a few times in front of the door. It smelled so familiar yet foreign at the same time. Whoever it was, they were inside his dorm with his roommate. He was about to rip open the door and track down the source of the scent when it opened from the inside and a disheveled-looking short girl with short blue hair almost ran into Gavin. Her clothes were a wrinkled mess, and she had a shade of red creeping up her cheeks. Her eyes glowed a barely noticeable red in response to seeing Gavin's glowing eyes. 

She let out a surprised squeak as she apologized and moved past Gavin. Gavin noticed the smell that was so foreign yet familiar came from her. Judging from the red in her iris, Gavin was going to assume she was a werewolf shifter as well. Most likely from another clan. Gavin let his eyes fade back to normal and entered his dorm with a sigh as he shut the door behind him. 

"New friend?" Gavin asked Jackson, who was in the kitchen without a shirt on. 

Jackson wiped around in surprise and grinned like an idiot at Gavin. "Her name is Helena Jaeger. She's a fellow freshman like us," Jackson said as he pointed between them. "I met her earlier and got her number. I was bored while you were gone, so we had a little fun," Jackson said without any remorse in his tone. 

"Gross dude. Please tell me you guys were in your own room, and not on, say, the couch," Gavin asked him as he glanced at the couch as if he expected to see a pile of fluids somewhere on or around it. 

Jackson caught site of where Gavin glanced at and laughed. "Relax, we haven't tagged the couch yet," Jackson said as he comforted his friends' worries. They may have tagged other areas while he was gone, but not the couch yet. His little Helena had an amazing appetite that rivaled his own. Jackson smiled fondly at the memories of the past few hours. 

"Ugh gross dude. Too much information," Gavin said as he shook his head to clear the mental images from it. The girl had flushed skin and a thin layer of sweat on her forehead when she walked past him earlier, so that explains the condition she was in when she left. 

Jackson grabbed his shirt from the back of the couch and put it on. "Enough about my personal encounters, how'd it go with the principal, are you expelled?" Jackson asked suddenly. 

Gavin sobered up instantly as he debated how much to inform him. Jackson already knew some of his history but not all of it. In the end, Gavin decided to tell Jackson everything. "Are you sure that you want to know everything? It's a long story," Gavin asked him. He didn't want to get started, then have to stop midway through. 

Jackson nodded as he grabbed a soda off the counter and went to sit on the chair facing the couch. "I'm all yours brother, tell away," Jackson said. 

So Gavin did just that as he went to sit on the couch. He told Jackson everything. He started by telling him he was adopted, how he shifted for the first time and the fact he had already killed two people with his own claws. 

"Damn, so if I hadn't stopped you earlier, you really would have killed Bradley?" Jackson asked suddenly as he realized just how ruthless his wolf could be. 

Gavin nodded grimly as he confirmed his answer. "Yes." he replied coldly, without any emotion. "Most of the time, I can control my shifts just fine. But when he breaks out like that, in certain conditions, all that I can feel or think is the bloodlust and desire for carnage my wolf feels." Gavin answered Jackson's question.

He went on to explain how when he was out cold from the mana depletion, the god Koray appeared to him and issued him quest and a command. "Woah, that's some seriously heavy stuff there, man," Jackson said as he leaned back and let out a soft whistle of surprise. "To think that the gods are actually real." Jackson said as he rubbed his face. 

Gavin nodded, his face set in grim determination. "I have to find the other alpha clans, I have to gain the strength needed to protect them from more tragedies." Gavin responded as she clasped his hands in front of him and leaned forward. "But this is not something I can do alone. You said your family were historians, right?" Gavin asked him suddenly. 

Jackson snapped his head to meet Gavin's eyes, instantly aware of what his friend wanted to ask. "Yes, we are," Jackson replied calmly. Internally, his heart was racing. He had a feeling he knew what Gavin was about to ask. This sounded like one of those action comics he read growing up. Full of lies, deception, battles and trickery. He was so in. 

"I can't find these clans alone. Nor can I protect them solo. I was wondering, man, if you would join me on this ridiculous task that blonde jerk gave me?" Gavin asked Jackson. He rubbed his hands uncertainly back and forth against each other as he awaited his friend's response. 

Jackson beamed like a kid on Christmas day. "Oh you know I am in. This sounds like such an amazing adventure man. Count me in," Jackson instantly agreed. 

Gavin felt his heart lighten a bit as he now had a comrade in arms in this fight. With the resources and knowledge his family possessed, Gavin was sure that Jackson would be a huge asset during this mission from Koray. 

"Awesome, then our first task is to do well during the trials tomorrow," Gavin said with a grin on his face as he offered his fist to Jackson and gave him a brotherly fist bump.