Elara felt a cold fury, sharper than any she had known. This was not just childish bullying; it was an attack on the very essence of Life Magic itself, on the vulnerable, and on the innocent. Her cover, her measured approach, threatened to crack.
She strode towards them, her boots making soft thuds on the damp soil. Her voice, when she spoke, was low, calm, yet carried a terrifying undercurrent of steel that cut through the boys' laughter.
"What, precisely, is happening here, Master Valerius?"
Cassian turned, his sneer dissolving into a flicker of surprise at her proximity. "Just a small accident, Professor Thorne. Faelan here is rather clumsy."
"Clumsy?" Elara's voice was deceptively soft. She reached out, her fingers brushing the wilting fronds of the Moonpetal Willow. A faint green glow emanated from her touch, and the plant slowly, visibly, began to regain its vitality, its luminescence returning.
Cassian's eyes widened. "This Moonpetal Willow has been intentionally poisoned by stagnant water, Master Valerius. And Master Faelan has been subjected to a deliberate act of cruelty." Her gaze, sharp and unwavering, fixed on Cassian. "This is not merely clumsiness. This is malice. And it will not be tolerated in my class, or in this arboretum."
Cassian puffed out his chest, regaining some of his arrogance. "You overestimate things, Professor. It was a prank. And Faelan is hardly worth this attention."
"Every student in my class is 'worth attention,' Master Valerius," Elara stated, her voice hardening. "And you, with your casual disregard for life and respect, have much to learn. You will remain here after class and clean every drop of this stagnant water, and then you will spend the rest of the day tending to Master Faelan's Moonpetal Willow until it is fully recovered. And if it does not recover, you will face formal disciplinary action. As for your friends, they will assist you."
Cassian's face flushed crimson, outraged at being publicly reprimanded. "You can't treat me like this! My father—"
"Your father's name holds no sway in my classroom, Master Valerius," Elara cut him off, her gaze piercing. "Here, you are a student, subject to the rules of this academy. And you will learn respect, one way or another."
The raw power simmering beneath Elara's controlled demeanor was palpable, silencing not just Cassian, but the entire section of students. Faelan looked at her with awestruck gratitude.
Later that afternoon, as Elara was heading back to her quarters, Professor Mark once again intercepted her, his face a thundercloud.
Professor mark a well known traditional elemental mage always has interveen whenever I have confronted Cassian he always been advising it is right to bow to their prestigious family.
"Professor Thorne!" he boomed, his voice echoing in the stone corridor. "I have just received a complaint regarding your conduct in the arboretum this morning. Master Valerius reports that you humiliated him, and subjected him to undue punishment!"
Elara met his furious gaze, her own eyes cold. "Master Valerius was engaging in bullying behavior, Professor Mark, and directly harmed another student's project and well-being. I merely enforced the academy's rules and the principles of my discipline."
"Principles!" Mark scoffed, his face contorted in anger. "You show disrespect to a scion of one of Eldoria's most esteemed families! His father, Lord Cassius Valerius, is a close acquaintance of the Headmaster, and a generous patron of this institution!"
"Then perhaps Lord Valerius should instruct his son in basic decency and respect for magical ethics, rather than relying on his status to excuse his behavior," Elara retorted, her voice sharp with a disdain she no longer bothered to hide. "My duty is to teach, not to tolerate arrogance and cruelty, no matter the lineage."
Mark's face was apoplectic. "You go too far, Thorne! Your relentless challenging of Master Valerius's character, your inquiries into their family history—it is clear you have an agenda!" He jabbed a finger at her. "You are treading on dangerous ground, Professor. The Valerius family will not tolerate such affronts. You have made powerful enemies."
"Then let them be enemies," Elara said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, her true self, Elara Vance, shining through the mask of Elias Thorne for a brief, terrifying moment. "Truth often offends those who prefer to live in darkness, Professor. And I am simply shedding a little light." She pushed past him, leaving the enraged Professor Mark sputtering in her wake.
As she walked away, the confrontation left her shaken, but also energized. Mark was clearly a pawn, or perhaps a loyal dog, of the Valerius family.The Valerius family, and their dark history, was indeed the core of the conspiracy. Cassian was merely a symbol, a vulnerable point in their armor.
Later that same day, as she made her way to the refectory for a late supper, Elara passed by the courtyard where Elemental students often practiced. Her eyes fell on a young man standing apart from the others, his vibrant crimson robes seeming to crackle with an innate, restless power. He wasn't practicing structured spells; instead, he seemed to be communicating with the very air around him, his hands moving in fluid, almost wild gestures. A miniature whirlwind coalesced at his fingertips, then dissipated into a whisper of wind.
He had the distinctive, almost sharp features of the Kaelan family – Baron Kaelan's second son, she recalled from her research. His magical signature was different from Cassian's, raw and untamed, hinting at a less controlled, perhaps more primal, source of elemental force.
Rhys Kaelan. The second name on her list. Baron Kaelan, known for his vast landholdings and his surprising rise to prominence around the time of the Vance family's demise. Two targets now, both been identified.