"My name is Blow. Awaken."

Every magician has a name of their own, and each can choose a new name or use his birth name to awaken. Once a name has been decided, it links the mark of a magician to the mana inside them.

To awaken the mana, magicians simply have to say their chosen names and undergo a phenomenon called the awakening.

Under the bright moon of the darkest skies, Rood awakened his black mana. No other magician has such a drastic transformation as his. His blonde hair turns black, his eyes glow an electric blue and his height increases by several inches. The clothes he wore were instantly transformed into black robes and a dark hood.

"Blow" is his magician name but since the incident in the Gahelpha forest, everyone calls him the black magician. Well, except for maybe just two people?

Now, Rood is on his way for his latest mission that the Master of Opion had assigned him. You would think by now that such a well-known magician should be receiving missions to slay high rank demons or quests that challenge his skills. However, this time, his mission is getting an autograph. An autograph from his Master's favourite singer, the famous Seren.

Darn it, Master........ Why do you keep sending me on stupid errands such as this?

Rood sighed as he stood atop a tree in the Lupen woods, watching out for Seren's carriage. He knows she would be taking this particular forested road after her concert. So he has been waiting for her arrival for several hours. Since he disliked the idea of asking her signature in front of the other magicians in the gathering where she was performing, there were no other options.

"Hello Black Magician!"

Rood's eyes widened as he looked down and spotted a figure in a grey cape. The person waves cheerfully up at him. " So you really are the black magician! What's up? It took me some time to find you. Guess I'm lucky to find you on my first try. Hehe." The person's face was partially covered by a hood and Rood stares down at him.

At that moment, Rood's mind was confused. Only his Master and Ren knew he was on this mission. Wait who's this guy? How does he know that I'm here?... Never mind doesn't hurt to ask. "Hey you. How did you know I'm here? Only the Master of Opion knew I am on this.... trip."

"How? Oh that's simple! I went to Opion to look for you and asked the magicians about your whereabouts. When they refused to say anything, I bribed them with medium class magic crystals. Ain't that smart? Oh and none of them had much information but some did say that the Master of Opion was shouting "Oh my god!!!!!!! I can finally get Seren's signature! I hope he comes back soon!" in his office. So I put two and two together. Guess I got lucky with my first try. Hehe^^"

Rood sweatdropped and mentally facepalmed himself. That darned master. He really doesn't know when to shut his mouth.

Wait a minute. HE WAS THE ONE WHO WANTED THE STUPID SIGNATURE?! THAT'S IT! I'M CALLING DIBS THE NEXT TIME HE DOES IT AGAIN. Rood sighed long and hard before looking down at Sky. "What is it you want from me? and who are you?"

"Well my name is-" A loud scream pierced the air, jolting the both of them into action. They made their way quickly towards the source of its direction. Recently, there has been a rise in the number of demon attacks in the city and both of them prayed that they wouldn't be too late.

A large demon looms in front of a small carriage. A high-ranking one and the magicians guarding the carriage were beyond terrified. "H-High ranking demon.... R-RUN!" As the demon raised its claws to attack them, a silver barrier rose in front of them deflecting the monster's attack. Rood quickly took the chance to kill it with a cross-shaped sword created from his black mana.

Once the monster's dead body falls to the ground, he turns to eye the hooded figure curiously. There was no doubt that the magic barrier came from him, and it was powerful enough to block a high ranking monster's attack. Just who the hell is he? A member from the association? A shiver ran down Rood's spine as he thought of Shicmuon and recalled their previous encounter in the Gahelpha forest. It was an unpleasant experience and he wished he would never see Shicmuon ever again.

After making sure that their surroundings were safe, the lady in the carriage came out to thank her two saviors. It turns out to be no other than Lady Seren and she repeatedly thanked him for saving her as her eyes beamed with gratitude. Deep down, Seren has always admired the Black Magician and now, he is finally standing right in front of her. Looking at the singer, Rood takes out a marker and a large board. In his mind, he thought about the different methods he would destroy the Opion Master when he gets back. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage.

"Lady Seren, may I ask for a favor?.... Can I have...... have your autograph?" Ugh this is embarrassing.

Surprise and excitement ran through Lady Seren. She thought that the black magician of her dreams had actually paid attention to her performances. Without hesitating, she signed her autograph on the board and drew hearts. With his mission accomplished, Rood bid farewell to the singer as he quickly left for the Opion building.

Something rustled behind him. Stopping, he turned around to see that person following behind him. Right mystery guy is still here. How could I forget him?

 ~ • ~ • ~

After watching him asking for an autograph, Sky was thoroughly amused. What sort of mission is this? It doesn't befit the black magician's great reputation. As the both of them stood staring at each other, Rood was the first to speak.

"What is your magician rank?" He asked her curiously. The silver barrier looked almost as powerful as one that he would have casted.

"I am a first rank magician, like you." Sky replied nonchalantly as she never intended to hide her rank in the first place. But Rood had his doubts. First rank magicians are extremely rare and he has never heard of a one who uses silver mana.

As if she could read the look on his face, Sky chuckled softly. "It is not that surprising, isn't it? You were just an unknown magician before that incident in the forest. I am just like you. Strong but hidden from the world until fate delivers an opportunity to show what I can do with my powers."

Well, what that guy said wasn't wrong. Before the Gahelpha forest incident, many thought I was just a magician in training. Rood nodded in agreement before turning his back to her. "Bye then." He replied before using a teleportation scroll and promptly disappeared.

Sky sighed as she wanted to ask him more questions, but then she already has a pretty good guess of where he is going. Taking out a long distance teleportation scroll, she chanted. "What I want is teleportation to Opion."

~ • ~ • ~

Meanwhile in the magician's gathering hub (the place that Seren just performed)...

After waiting for hours in the hub, Shicmuon still did not see the black magician's arrival. As his frustration builds with every passing second, he could not tolerate it any further. Storming out, he returned to the association. It was unlike him to leave the place as it is. But right after he returned to the association building, he took his anger out on the training room. Fortunately, no one else was using the training room at that moment.

"AHHHHH!!!! SHIC! NOT AGAIN! THIS IS THE SIXTH TIME THIS MONTH! The chairman is going to be angry!!!" Van shouted as he rushed over once he heard the explosion. In Van's mind, there is only one person in the entire association who would be causing explosions in the middle of the night.

Shicmuon snorted as he imagined the look on Lanoste's face if he actually saw the damage. Like real he will.......The old bastard will just smile it off. Although Shicmuon is Lanoste's son, he could never fully understand what's in his father's mind. Theirs was never a normal father and son relationship, but Lanoste still cared for him in certain ways. Van was assigned to Shicmuon as his watcher, and also his protector when the situation requires him to be.

Sighing, Van patted the young man's shoulder to calm him down. However, Shicmoun glared coldy at him. He was never fond of others touching him. Van remained unfazed by his glare as he had been watching over the boy since he was eight. He did not fear Shicmoun like the other members in the association.

"Shic. The chairman has a mission for us. We are in charge of guarding Shajarn's heart in an auction tomorrow. It is a magic crystal of the highest class so many people will be there." Van says as he stared out at the bustling city through the hole on the wall.

"Tsk....... Whatever." Came Shicmoun's reply.