Mark, Zara, and Opal continued enjoying their lunch, chatting and laughing like nothing had happened. The tension from the earlier scuffle was already behind them.
Jessie watched from a distance. Even if she didn't trust them completely… they had helped her. And if sitting with them meant keeping those creeps at bay, then she'd take her chances.
Without saying a word, she walked over and plopped down beside Mark.
Mark glanced over at her, grinning. "Had a change of heart?"
Jessie rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't push your luck. I'm only sitting here so the rest of those jerks leave me alone."
"The rest of them?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow. The way she said it made it sound like those punks weren't acting alone. And he was right.
Jessie paused. Her appetite vanished. She lowered her gaze, shoulders tense.
"There's a group of them," she muttered. "They call themselves The Kin. A bunch of lower-ranked nobles in the second year class. They throw their weight around in numbers, and some of them have overpowered mana cores. Together, they basically run the second years."
Mark frowned. Zara leaned in, now listening closely.
Jessie continued. "The teachers don't even care. They just look the other way. The Kin's been on my case for months now. They want me to join their little gang… because of my mana core."
She clenched her fists, voice barely above a whisper. "But I'd rather get expelled than join them."
Mark leaned forward, curious. "What about the high ranking nobles in the second year? With their pride, I doubt they'd just let some gang run wild."
Jessie looked down and gritted her teeth. "They can't do anything about it. The group's leader… he's a lower-ranked noble, but he has the Puppet Master mana core."
Mark's eyes narrowed. He immediately understood the situation. He remembered reading about the Puppet Master core back in the mansion's library. It was a dangerous and rare core capable of controlling both living and non-living beings by attaching mana threads to their limbs.
Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. Just my luck.
He didn't want to get involved with such a bothersome ability. But considering he had just taken down some of their members and possessed a rare core of his own, it was likely they'd come after him next either to recruit him… or remove him.
As much as it annoyed him, he had to admit the Kin's leader was no fool. Their methods were ruthless, but the concept wasn't so different from his own ambitions. The only difference: Mark wanted a group for his own freedom. This guy wanted one to oppress.
Mark let out a long groan and turned to Jessie. "I accidentally got myself wrapped up in your drama, didn't I?"
Jessie gave a sheepish nod. "Yep."
Mark slammed his forehead onto the table. Thud.
Opal calmly sipped her tea. "You really shouldn't worry. I'm pretty sure we can handle them."
Mark turned to her, deadpan. "We?"
"Yup~" Opal chirped. "I've got your back. Plus, Zara already helped you throw hands with those guys. And Jessie owes you and clearly needs protection so you've got a group behind you."
Zara chuckled. "She's got a point."
Jessie nodded enthusiastically. "Yup!"
Mark slowly lifted his head off the table. "Well… it shouldn't be that bad then. I mean, at least two of us should be strong enough to count as S rank."
Opal giggled. "You're being humble again. You defeated a phoenix, Mark. You're at least SS rank."
Jessie's head snapped toward him so fast it could've broken her neck. "You beat a phoenix?! Aren't you just a first year?!"
Mark shrugged. "Yeah… but you're a second year. That shouldn't be that impressive to you?"
Jessie slammed her hands on the table. "What do you mean?! I'm only A rank in terms of power! And you're over here casually flexing SS rank strength?! Who's the S rank one then?!"
Mark pointed to Zara. "Honestly, we don't know for sure if he is. But me and Opal just kind of assumed."
Zara pointed to himself, blinking. "Me? I'm flattered, really. But nah I'm just A rank too. However, my hand to hand combat is probably S rank level."
Jessie stared at the three of them, completely dumbfounded. "What kind of first years are you guys?!"
As the group finished their lunch, their conversation shifted to mana cores.
Opal leaned back, brushing her silver bangs aside. "Mine's a Storm mana core. It's a rare elemental type that lets me control both water and wind."
Jessie followed next, brushing crumbs from her lap. "I have the Grace mana core. It's support based it boosts the strength and mana of my allies. It can also enhance my own speed and power when needed."
Mark nodded, impressed. "No wonder they're targeting you. That's the kind of ability that makes a whole squad stronger."
Not long after, the lunch break ended and the bell rang. The students returned to class, trudging through three more sessions before the school day finally came to a close.
As everyone started heading back toward the dorms, Mark waved goodbye to Opal, Jessie, and Zara. "I'll catch you guys later."
Zara gave a lazy salute. "Don't get killed out there."
Jessie grinned. "If you die, can I have your stuff?"
Opal chuckled. "see you tomorrow Mark."
Mark chuckled and turned to head toward the garden, remembering Coraline's request. He followed the crest's map on the back of his hand, passing the tall combat hall until he reached two enormous iron doors embedded into the academy's outer wall.
Each one easily weighed over 300 pounds.
Mark blinked. "Who the heck are they trying to keep out of this place the Hulk?"
He stared at the massive doors for a moment. They looked like a challenge but not to him. He stepped forward and pressed both hands against them, pushing slowly. They creaked open with surprising ease.
"Huh," he muttered. "Guess I'm stronger than I thought. Most people would've needed help with that."
He stepped through into the Academy's private garden an isolated, lush zone walled off from the rest of the campus.
There, in the middle of the garden, Mr. Coraline lounged in his hybrid dragon form. His long tail flicked lazily behind him. He held a plate of cheesecake in one clawed hand and a porcelain cup of coffee in the other.
"You're finally here," Coraline said, not even looking up as he took a delicate bite.
Mark blinked. "...You're eating dessert?"
Coraline waved one claw, and the wind suddenly howled behind Mark. The heavy doors slammed shut, and a thin sheet of ice coated them sealing the entrance with magic.
Mark sighed. "Okay, I should have seen this coming."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. But I don't really think I'll lose this fight… Especially since he's not immune to fire like that phoenix was.
Mark took a breath and stepped forward, ready for whatever Mr. Coraline had in store.
Coraline looked up from his cheesecake, the plate now discarded on the grass. With one fluid motion, he stood and slipped off his shirt, tossing it aside.
Mark's eyes widened slightly.
The instructor's upper body was almost entirely covered in shimmering, snow white scales that glinted in the fading afternoon light. His muscles bulged with unnatural density, veins glowing faintly with mana. The power radiating off him felt ancient beastly.
"There's someone I'd like you to meet, Mark," Coraline said calmly, his tail curling behind him.
Mark instinctively dropped into a fighting stance, eyes narrowing. "Oh yeah? Who?"
Coraline's pupils narrowed into slits. A chill swept through the garden as his mana spiked.
"Cryo-Gara," he said, his voice deepening, distorting with a strange echo. "Frost Mountain Drake of Mt. Blizzard."
Mark blinked, but before he could respond, Coraline's eyes glowed an icy blue, and the atmosphere dropped in temperature so fast that Mark could see his own breath.
The instructor's voice twisted further becoming guttural, ancient, warped.
"Solomon! Get out here and fight me!"
Mark took a step back. "Solomon? Who the hell is?!"
But there was no time to think.
Coraline roared with primal fury. His body surged with wind and frost magic, and in a flash of movement that barely registered to the eye, he launched himself at Mark blurring across the garden like a scaled missile.
CRACK!
Mark barely managed to cross his arms reinforce them with rocks to block as Coraline's dragon enhanced fist collided with him, sending a shockwave through the garden.
"Who's Solomon?! And why the hell did your voice just change?!" Mark shouted as he leapt back, narrowly avoiding a clawed swipe that shattered the stone path where he stood just moments ago.
The scaled figure before him grinned, fangs bared.
"That's because I'm not Coraline," the voice growled echoing with layered distortion like multiple voices speaking at once. "I am Cryo-Gara… the beast that rests within his core!"
A pulse of mana burst from his body.
A violent wind howled through the air as Cryo-Gara's power flared, and the lush garden surrounding them transformed instantly. Vines, flowers, and grass crystallized in shimmering frost. Trees were encased in glittering ice, and the ground crunched beneath Mark's boots.
In seconds, the entire space had become a frozen wonderland beautiful, yet deadly.
Mark's breath caught in his throat. His mana… it's freezing everything on contact. That's not normal elemental control… That's domain-level magic.
Cryo-Gara cracked his neck, steam curling from his nostrils. "You carry something ancient inside you too, don't you? I can smell it. Feel it. The one you call 'Mark' may not realize it yet… but Solomon is still alive, and he's sleeping in your soul."
Mark's eyes widened. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Cryo-Gara's grin widened. "Awaken him. Or die trying."
Without warning, he lunged forward, claws glowing with icy mana.
Here it comes!
Mark gritted his teeth, fire sparking in his palms ember raging.