Knorah watched with elevating dread as a white fiery energy ball sailed towards her, burning away the oxygen in its path with a force she knew she would not stand, and gulped a mouthful of air. She carelessly weaved a countering spell in front of her, knowing she did not stand a chance against the magnitude and velocity of the ball of energy that was making its way to her.

Her sorry excuse of an attempt to erect a defense wall in front of her had the air particles around her waver slightly with the low thrum of her weak energy which assured her that she was fucked. She had just recently undergone puberty which allowed her to tap into her Fae and Mage abilities, but she was still learning the simple basics of not killing herself through the process of discovery.

"Defences up, Knorah!" The professor of her Arts in Arms course yelled at her in a warning.

Too late...

Knorah felt the energy slam into her, the full impact of the energy ball sending her flying across the room and onto the wall behind her. She landed with a loud thud that had everyone hold their breath for the fear that she might have broken something. The impact did break something alright...her courage. Every bone in her body reacted to the force and she felt as if her skeleton was reshuffled within her.

One moment a chill unlike any other bolted through her and the next heat bloomed within the gelid feeling and seared through her cells threatening to turn her into a charred mess. She ground her teeth as her entire being shriveled up with the intensity of the energy rippling through her body and causing chaos. It felt like death was clawing up her alley trying to get to her, but she escaped the claws by a hair-breadth.

"She's never going to get." Someone sighed softly.

"Noble daughter my ass!" Another snickered and his joke was greeted by a round of chuckles from the other students.

Knorah clamped her teeth and tried to get up but her body wouldn't have it. Sweat ran down her face as the professor came up in her line of view. He looked concerned, but it was only for a moment. He was not supposed to show her favoritism even if she were one of the two Noble children who were directly related to the Nobles.

She happened to be the daughter of a powerful Noble back in the Realm of Light. Her father, Noble Kheelan, was the Noble of the largest District after the capital in the Realm of Light. Her mother was Mage of Light--like the Lord Mage, but she wasn't even close to being as strong as he was.

"Are you okay?" The professor came to her, his muscles rippling under his T-shirt with power, and bent down to her.

Knorah managed a nod.

"Sit this one out, and see me after class." He told her then turned to the rest of the class. "Next team in the ring!" He called out.

Knorah sighed as her body trembled with the aftershocks of the energy. She could still feel it running through her blood veins. Because it was someone else's and it meant to harm her, she could not absorb it. It needed to be expelled or else it would make her sick.

Whenever the Mage finished their practice with other Mage or met sorcerers who were able to attack them with their energy, they had to undergo detoxifying afterward to get rid of the bad energy. For the strong ones like the High Mage, they were able to break down the energy without aid. Those who were still charm casters like her, they needed aid to get rid of it.

Knorah's parents thought it was a good idea for her to be introduced to her Mage heritage but ever since she arrived at that Heavens' forsaken place, she had been jumping from one heartbreak to the other. She couldn't make any other friends apart from her roommate because of her status.

Boys wanted to date her, and girls wanted to drown her. The Noble sons were always there to make her life a living hell since she refused to play their cat and mouse games and the other Noble daughters were only nice to her when they needed something from her.

It didn't take a genius to know that her light Fae nature was what made her so unpleasant to the Mage. It was not so long ago that the crazed Fae Ron, who was the younger brother to the former king Alston, declared war on the Lord Mage and managed to slaughter an entire Mage village in one of his many childish tantrums.

Presently, the world saw all light Fae as murders and proud creatures. The Mage never again supported the light Fae like before even though the differences were settled, and Queen Alana opened up the trade routes to the Realm of Spells once more. Many Fae who resided and worked in the Realm of Spells returned home and vice versa.

It was surprising that at one time back in the days, the alliance between the Light Fae and the Mage was the source of envy from the other Realms but lately, while the Light Fae stood on neutral ground, the Mage aligned with the Realm of Fire and Realm of the Dark.

Finally, Knorah gain feeling in her body and got up. She looked at the other students and everyone was deeply concentrated on professor Wruid and the son of the Opsan Forest Noble in the Central Sector of the Realm of Spells, Reid.

Of all the ten Noble children in that prestigious University, Reid was the one who had the best control of his abilities. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was a pureblood Mage and he didn't have to split his concentration between two dominating natures like her...or maybe he was just born that good--Knorah couldn't make up her mind.

He never ceased to amaze, and he was the one Noble son that Knorah was confused about. She didn't know whether he tolerated her or hated her. He was not much of a talker and sometimes he would disappear only to be found sleeping in one of the library isles. Knorah had caught him doing so a couple of times.

Whenever his pig friends would start picking on her, Reid would step in but that was as far as it went. He had never talked to her directly and even though they shared many classes, he never showed any interest in wanting to know her.

Knorah removed her headgear and caressed her slick black hair back from her face. She bit her lower lip in frustration. She tried with all her might to strengthen her defenses but every time she failed to erect a strong defensive wall. The books that she read made it sound so easy. The enchantments to concentrate her energy were always clear and she saw them in the air every time she prepared herself for defense. She saw the enchanted symbols shimmer before her, but it was as if they were taunting her, making her think that she was good when in fact, she was nothing but a charm caster.

If she continued that way, she was going to fail that class which meant she was going to have to carry the course next year. This meant that instead of studying for three years, she would have to do four. That was the last thing she wanted because she had planned on starting her training as a Historian--something her father didn't want to hear because he expected her to take over being a Noble after he retired.

She was quite good in her theoretical subjects, but the Arts in Arms course was sheer torture for her. She dragged herself up and removed her gloves before making her way to a bench nearby. She reached for her bottle of water from her backpack and emptied the damned thing down her throat.

Her body still spasmed with Professor Wruid's energy residue. If he weren't as hot and concerned as he was, she would have surely let him taste the wrath coursing in her blood at that moment.

Sometimes she felt he did that on purpose. Somehow, she felt he pushed her harder than everyone else. This meant one of two things to Knorah. It was either he hated her so much, but he was just good at hiding it unlike the others or he saw something in her and he wanted to force it out of her. She looked up at him and saw how concentrated he was with Reid, pushing the Noble son to erect the best defense wall he could. Sparks flew all over the place as the professor attacked Reid's defense wall, but Reid's wall held on with very few cracks in the edges. Rumors flew around that Professor Wruid was offered a place in the Mage Royal Army, but he turned it down and came to the university instead. No one knew the reason behind but Knorah found him to be one of the people who she tolerated and wished to know better.

Knorah saw her roommate break off from the other students and approach her and she groaned softly knowing what was to follow. The frown on her face told Knorah she was in for another episode of what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you featuring Billie, the Mage-Dragon half-blood.

"What the hell happened, Knorah?" She asked.

Knorah breathed in hard and turned away from her friend. "I don't know. I was nervous I guess."

"We trained for this last night, Knorah and you smoked it. What happened today?"

"I don't know!" Knorah exclaimed, catching Billie by surprise. She exhaled to calm herself down and said. "I thought I had it, but I got so nervous I just couldn't focus enough to make a strong defense wall."

"If this continues, Professor Wruid will surely fail you," Billie said quietly a little later. She must have seen how devastated Knorah was.

Knorah felt her throat thicken with tears. "I am doing the best I can, and you are not helping me by telling me I am going to fail my Arts in Arms course."

"Knorah, you are kicking ass in the course's theoretical part but for your practical part...." Billie brushed her chestnut curls from her face and gave Knorah puppy eyes. She had amazing forest green eyes that always left Knorah awed. "I'm sorry, Knorah. I guess I am being an ass again."

"Buy me lunch first and I will think about forgiving you." Knorah chuckled and the tears melted from her throat.

Billie chuckled. "I am always buying you lunch."

"Because you are always picking on me." Knorah nudged Billie playfully with her shoulder.

"You are the only Noble daughter that talks to me." Billie grinned. "Let's get out of here-"

"Excellent Reid!" They heard the professor compliment and when they turned to where they were, Reid was able to transform his energy into a large double-edged sword. "Keep your mind clear and focused."

The sword glowed in a pale blue color and looked like it was solidifying but then it splintered, and his energy flared in all directions leaving Knorah's eardrums feeling like they were about to pop.

Professor Wruid clapped his hands in applause. "Very good, Reid. With a little more practice, you will get it right."

The others applauded but Knorah rolled her eyes.

"Reid's energy is so concentrated with his focus. You should see what I see, Billie." Knorah narrowed her eyes as she watched the blue energy swirl around Reid in a very mesmerizing way. His technique was almost flawless, but energy flared around him clumsily every time he lost concentration. It was different from the professor's which was always synchronized with his mind. The professor was a pureblood Mage as well and if he were in the Mage Royal army, he would have been a High Mage. His energy burnt purple.

"I love him." Billie sighed dreamily not even listening to what Knorah said as she stalked Reid with her eyes.

"Get in line because you are not the only one," Knorah assured her as she got up and would have left if the professor hadn't called for her.

And here she thought he forgot. "I will see you in a few minutes. The professor wants us to make out in his office again." She teased.

Billie chuckled. "I'll disown you as a friend the day he hears you say that about him."

Knorah grinned and walked to where Professor Wruid and Reid were standing while the others dispersed and two pixies whizzed above her head.

"Breena! Rosalba! Walk before I deduct your assessment marks. This course teaches you all aspects of your nature and I know how much pixies hate taking their humanoid form, but you will have to as long as you are in these four walls unless I state otherwise." The professor called out to the two pixies and they quickly took their humanoid forms, grumbling as they stomped angrily away. The professor's energy levels were off the charts! He was like a bright star and Knorah couldn't even control what she saw, unfortunately.

"Knorah, I asked Reid to coach you until you get your defenses right. You cannot advance to offense and psych until you have accomplished this part of the course." The professor stated reaching for a tablet and scrolling down before showing her the results so her. "You are below the red line and without any progress, I will have no choice but to fail you."

"Oh, your dying devotion for my well-being is spot-on, prof. The I-hate-your-guts message couldn't be any louder." Knorah muttered quietly turning away because his energy aura was blinding her.

"She's never going to learn," Reid said in an as-a-matter-of-fact voice with his blue eyes boring into hers like beams.

She couldn't help but understand why every female in that university was practically falling on his feet. Not only was he very hot but he had the body and attitude to match. There wasn't anything he did that didn't look sexy just because he was the one doing it.

Knorah frowned up at him. "Wow, thanks for your vote of confidence, Reid. You're such an awesome coach." She taunted him.

"She's lacking the passion to learn." Reid sighed and turned to leave. "I'll see you at eight."

"I have classes tomorrow at eight!" Knorah called out.

"I didn't say tomorrow morning," Reid assured her before disappearing.

Knorah's eyes widened. "This evening?" She turned to the professor.

Professor Wruid chuckled. "Reid is right. You lack passion because you don't want to be here. It's as though you were forced to come--or is this self-sabotage?" He leaned in, eyeing her so closely as if he could read her mind.

Knorah moved away quickly and cleared her throat nervously. She knew she wasn't the only female in the world to have a crush on her teacher. "If you have ninety percent of the school hating you, believe me, you would be sharing my sentiments," Knorah assured him. "They feel like I don't belong here."

"Then prove them wrong. Work harder. Not everyone here has had it easy like you. This happens to be the best university for Mage courses in the entire Realm. Everyone you see here is struggling in their own way and they feel disadvantaged to have to compete with people who have their lives all figured out." The professor removed his headgear and his gym gloves.

Knorah swallowed hard. The lump in her throat returned. She didn't have her life figured out. She didn't want what her father wanted for her. She didn't want to settle down with some male she could barely stand in the Realm of Light. She didn't want to be the next Noble of Nevira.

Professor Wruid must have noticed her sudden change in mood because he sighed and asked. "How's your sight, by the way?"

Knorah pursed her lips. She couldn't tell him what she was going through because she didn't want the thousand questions that followed afterward. "It's getting better." She lied turning away again.

"Professor Xandov had told me about it before he..." Professor Wruid's voice faded.

Professor Xandov was a sore story for everyone because he touched so many people's hearts and broke them when he died.

The professor truly helped Knorah as she went through her age of maturity. He taught her history, but he was also her academic advisor. It was bad enough that Knorah had heterochromia irises all her life which was a rare condition that got a lot of people speculating about but one faithful day, she lost her sight entirely during one of his classes.

Knorah lost her sight for what felt like forever but when it finally came back, she found herself in his office unable to focus on anything because of how bright everything was in front of her suddenly. This went on for several days until finally on the day of the professor's class it went away for the longest time. Professor Xandov had a theory as to what was happening to her and he researched a lot about it.

'Please switch off the light in front of me, professor.' She remembered asking him.

'But all the lights are switched off...and the curtains are closed.' The professor had answered.

That was when Knorah discovered that what she was looking at wasn't light but rather, the professor in his true nature, an Ancient High Mage with all his energy. He had so much energy in him, beaming out like a bright star and making her eyes water. She was seeing the energy essence of people.

She explained to him what she saw, and he told her about the Mage of Sight. They were Mage that were born with the ability to see that which others couldn't see. She was glad when she realized that something wasn't wrong with her but then when the professor started having other theories, she wished he had just stopped. She wished he had not made her anxious by what he discovered about her later.

"Yeah, he tried his best to help me." Knorah felt the lump of tears thicken in her throat. He was like a father to her. She missed him terribly but there was a small part at the back of her mind that was relieved the professor couldn't continue his research on her.

"They are holding the cremation ceremony for him here tomorrow morning." Professor Wruid said, his eyes sorrowful like hers.

"I plan to go...pay him my last respects." Knorah and the professor walked out towards his office.

The professor nodded and said. "Make sure you turn up this evening for your first lesson with Reid. He is the best Arts in Arms student, so I trust him to take care of you. Besides you are both direct Noble children, so I expect you to get along with him better than the others."

"Reid hates me." Knorah was positive about it.

"Reid doesn't hate you. He just doesn't know how to have fun." The professor teased.

Knorah felt a smile itch to come out but she quickly pursed her lips. "He is such a bore really. I don't know how I will survive lessons with him."

"Think about your defenses and everything will turn out okay. If you don't progress with him, I will personally take over and you will hate me by the time I'm done with you." His dark eyes smoldered telling Knorah that he meant every word he said. "See you on Friday." The professor disappeared into his office.

"Yeah, I can't wait for you to zap me into oblivion again..." Knorah muttered to herself as she walked towards the cafeteria where there was the buzzing of excitement about something that had happened recently.

Sexy, bad boy professor. She thought with a smirk on her face.

"A University Residence? Are you fucking kidding me?" Byron looked around the massive building towering over him.

Storm chuckled as he got off the truck and joined Byron. "What did you expect, Merlin, a five-star hotel?"

"I wouldn't have complained so much if they placed us in the Royal Residence." Byron exhaled heavily and twirled his fingers in the air turning his breath into large snowflakes that reflected the light and looked as if the rainbow had fallen on the ground. The male lacked the patience for anything. He was deadly and he was posted in the Northern Sector under Drake but when Drake left and he was promoted to a Commander, he had to return to Agore.

Storm had seen him in action several times and Byron just couldn't play nice with the others.

"The Royal Residence is on the other side of the city. It would have been a great inconvenience for us. Come on, it's not that bad. The faster we find this fucker, the faster we can return to Agore." Storm moved forward towards the warriors who were waiting for them. Some of the warriors were the ones positioned in the Northern Sector, but others were fresh from Agore.

He recognized several Royal Army warriors including Alderon who fought with Ruvin and the Lord Mage in the human realm when Torin started feeding on the weakbloods and Tyfera and Sheila who fought Orisidia and Aleric in that sector and later in the Realm of Fire.

"Commander." Blaire, a feline like him, came forward to greet them. She was from the elusive Duma species in the Lore Highlands but a very good warrior and with her sheer determination; Storm could see her becoming a Commander soon. It would have been great if they had at least one female commander and he had several names he wished to pass to the Lord Mage as recommendations.

"Blaire." Storm greeted her. "I think you have been informed of what is going on and why we are here."

"Yes, commander." She nodded her head. She was a tall and slender female with auburn hair and brown eyes. Storm could see her agility in the lithe way her body moved when she walked. Such an elegant female with her feline movements yet so deadly. "We have been scouting around the premises and we tried to get as much information on what happened but so far, we have no leads. We sent a team into the city to try and monitor around for anything that is amiss."

"Gather the head scholars. I would like to have a word with them this afternoon and see if anyone knows anything." Storm said and turned to Byron. "We will split the team into two. While you continue with the debriefing and interrogations with the witnesses and any possible suspects, I will monitor the scholars."

Byron nodded, and they split their team into two groups.

"The scholars have been expecting you since this morning. They are in the meeting room as we speak." Blaire took the lead of Storm's team and made her way toward the scholars' offices on the second floor of the building.

Storm took time to appreciate the building because it was impressive in its grand stature. He could definitely see the Lord Mage studying there because he could not only see how grand and ancient it was, he could feel it to his bones.

It was a four-story Gothic Style building with a large atrium in the middle that terminated to a spherical skylight above them. The materials that made the ceiling, walls, and floor of the building were the finest found in the enchanted world.

Students loitered around, eyeing them excitedly and staring in awe as they made their across hallways to different parts of the school. This was not the type of place Storm expected to work in. He was used to battlefields, forests, and camps--not polished schools.

When they arrived in the meeting room and all the head scholars were sitting waiting for him. Most of them didn't look so happy because Storm took their time that day but these were not his orders. He knew if the Lord Mage had come there himself, those pompous scholars would have schooled their expressions better.

The meeting was well underway, and Storm was surprised at how collaborative they were suddenly. They answered his questions to the best of their abilities and one scholar offered to take him to professor Xandov's office later.

"Lastly, I would like a list of the Noble children in this university. In the case that there have to been evacuated from the school, they need to be accounted for." Storm concluded the meeting that went on for about an hour.

So far, he was quite sure there was no one in that room that wanted or had any reason whatsoever to harm professor Xandov. They all spoke so highly of him and most believed in his abilities to protect himself which went on to prove that maybe Professor Xandov wanted to die in order to protect whatever he was protecting for the late king Gregor. However, two scholars stood out more than the others because they knew intimate details about the dead professor which meant they were closer to him than the others.

"I can provide that. We have ten Noble daughters and sons, two of which are direct. The rest are either grandchildren or relatives of the Nobles in one way or the other." Scholar Elsa who happened to be the head of academics assured Storm. She together with another Professor named Gustin were the two scholars he had no choice but to put on his list of suspects.

"In the meantime, Commander Byron is scouting the premises and he will be responsible for any interrogations that we will find necessary in this case. I would like to take a look in the professor's office."

Another scholar quickly got up and straightened his tie as he moved towards where Storm was standing. "I can assist you with that. My name is Cooper and I was the professor's research assistant, so I had access to his office and library."

Storm gave the tall and slender male a nod before he followed him out while the rest went about discussing the turnout of events.

"When was the last time you saw the professor alive, Cooper?" Storm made idle conversation as they went out into the hallways where students shuffled about aimlessly since the classes stopped due to the meeting with their scholars.

"The evening before his death." Cooper muttered softly, and Storm watched as his hands fisted against his thighs. "I was the one who found him the next morning. I thought he was resting on his desk--but that was so unusual for him..."

"How so?" Storm prompted.

"The professor had a settee by the window that he always used to rest whenever he was tired. His back hurt a lot so he couldn't sit upright for long periods of time. I always found him resting on that settee when he spent long nights at his office--not on his desk." Cooper explained.

"There was nothing peculiar about him pulling an all-nighter?"

Cooper smiled fondly but shook his head. "The professor didn't have any other family other than his sister, Aryella, and the people at this university. It was the reason he treated all of us as his children. Spending the night in his office was something I had seen him doing over and over again. And every morning, he would start his day with a hot cup of ryion tea with warf caramel instead of sugar and thick cream. It's a recipe my mother taught me, and the Professor was fond of it."

"So, you made him his tea every morning?" Storm asked as they approached a different wing of the building where it was much quieter.

"Yes. I always made him a cup of tea before helping him schedule his classes for the day. He had so much going on that at times he would forget his lectures, so I helped put them down for him." Cooper slipped out a key from his pockets and opened the door to the right, far-end corner office.

It was dark, but Cooper quickly moved to the curtains and pulled them back, revealing a space Storm could see a retired Elder using for the rest of his remaining life.

It was quite large with solid wooden floors, a big black desk on a leather chair near one of the ceiling-to-floor windows, and rows upon rows of books and journals.

Some were as old as time itself while others looked quite new and shiny as if they had been recently polished by gimmy seed oil. Everything looked in place except for the two large volumes of books on the desk and an old cup of cold tea.

Storm took the cup and sniffed the contents...stale cream. His face scrunched as he looked around some more. There was no evidence that the professor fought for his life.

He was a very meticulous male with everything neatly piled in its place.

"How many people had access to this office?" Storm turned the volumes over to read their titles.

Mage categorization: Energy, Anatomy, and Attributes.

That didn't stand out as much as the other volume; Before Legends were Myths.

"Only I and the professor had the key to his office," Cooper assured him. "And I have never given this key to anyone because the professor never liked it when people entered his office without his knowledge. Somehow, he always knew when someone had done so. He was a very neat and tidy male and always knew where he put everything. It was funny how he forgot his classes but never forgot where he last placed his reading glasses."

"So, it's safe to say that whoever killed the professor was someone he trusted enough to allow him or her to enter his office. Someone who could open the door, kill him, then close the door behind as if nothing is amiss." Storm turned his narrowed eyes to Cooper.

He stuttered taking a step back. "Why would I kill him? He was helping me with one of the most important researches of my life. I needed him to the very end. Right now, I can't carry on with it because only he understood what I wanted to achieve and how to go about it in my research."

Storm hummed lightly and closed the volumes before he turned to the shelves. With the way everything was positioned, he was sure the professor categorized his books.

There was an empty slot in the Sciences category where Storm replaced the first volume, another one in the myths and legends where he replaced the Before Legends were Myths volume, and another empty slot just behind the professor's chair where what looked like ancient journals were kept.

"Did the professor lend his books and journals to the others?" Storm asked as he walked to the shelf and picked one of the journals from the shelf before perusing through it.

"Of--of course. Professor Xandov had a very impressive library and many scholars came here and borrowed books. He always kept a log of it." Cooper stuttered and moved to the desk and right beside the professor's computer was a thin tablet. He switched it on and scrolled down before seeing what he wanted and showed it to Storm.

According to it, the last book taken from the professor was supposedly returned a day before he died, and it wasn't a journal which meant there was a missing journal that wasn't recorded.

"Could it be that the professor forgot to record this particular book?" Storm mused.

Cooper shook his head but Storm didn't miss the sudden flicker of nervousness in his eyes. "The professor was very precise when it came to his books. He knew exactly how many books he had and their specific locations. He is not the one to forget a book or forget to log it in."

He was sure Cooper knew where the book was.

"Some of these journals are Mage manuscripts." Storm said in surprise that the professor would keep them so careless out in the open.

Mage manuscripts were known to hold the very soul of the owner and they could be used for evil if one knew how to access them.

"The professor had a protection spell for the Mage manuscripts," Cooper answered as if he read Storm's mind.

"Does that spell take effect even after the death of the Mage who wove it?" Storm replaced the manuscript back on the shelf and his question was answered by a silence that was full of uncertainty. "We have a missing manuscript. We need to find out where it is before the culprit decides to use it."

Cooper nodded vigorously. "I will mention it to the others."

"Was the professor normal in the days before he died?" Storm asked because he felt that if the professor died keeping whatever that he was keeping safe, then he would have known the danger was close.

Cooper frowned pensively. "Now that you mention it, he was a little agitated a few days before he died. He was always in a hurry to do his work, he canceled all the consultations with the students and some of his seminars."

"Did he receive any guest out of the university?"

"Not that I know of." He shook his head.

"Did he mention anything strange to you--about an artifact that he needed to protect?" Storm narrowed his eyes at Cooper not wanting to miss anything that could incriminate the young scholar.

He saw the way the tendons on his cheek jerked. "He--he was acting very strange. He talked about how the world has been rattled and how a greater evil was awoken. I thought it was because he was always busy that he was being delusional, but I guess this greater evil got to him...and I didn't believe him until he was gone." He turned to Storm with desperation written all over his face. "We need to find the person who did this before more people are hurt. We need to protect whatever it was that the professor was protecting."

Storm sighed softly. No matter how he looked at it, Cooper was only guilty of taking a Mage Manuscript without permission but he did not kill the professor.

Storm and Byron met up later that evening to share notes in their new quarters which were situated just outside the university while they had their dinner. So far, they had no leads. The corporation they got from the head scholars and the university guards was outstanding that it was almost suspicious, especially from Professor Gustin and scholar Elsa.

"I have a couple of students who speak highly of the professor. Many had him as an academic adviser. They don't think there is anyone here that could have harmed him in any way because he contributed a lot to the university. What about you?" Byron asked.

"I have a suspicious research assistant who stole a Mage manuscript from the professor's office, two suspicious scholars, and this." He placed the list of Noble daughters and sons in the university. "When push comes to shove, these children should be on the first train back home. The last thing I need is a bunch of stuck-up pompous prigs nipping on my ass about their precious kids."

"Easily said than done. They are just as nasty as their Noble parents-or is it, grandparents?" Byron's thick eyebrows came down in a frown. "When the time comes, you deal with them. I have as much patience to deal with rotten kids as I have for this mission; nada."

"The longer you stay here, the grumpier you get." Storm noticed about the High Mage.

"This whole place is crawling with ancient energy. It gives me the creeps." Byron shivered as he looked around.

Storm chuckled. "What about the rest of you? What have you learned about the university?"

"Something is off about this place." Alderon, a pureblood dragon, stabbed his steak and looked up at Storm. "Everything seems too perfect."

Blaire nodded. "For such an Elder to die, we expected chaos as everyone tried to find out what happened, but it feels as if everyone is already forgetting him--it's as if a forgetting spell has been woven in the university."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it has. Usually, when people have a hard time dealing with a tragedy, you can ease their pain by weaving a calming spell...but I could have easily recognized it if it weren't for the ancient energy residues in this damned school." Byron massaged his temple.

"What do you mean by that?" Tyfera, a pureblood shifter, bit into his fish fillet.

"A lot of Mage spent time here. They practiced weaving spells and manipulating energy. This leaves a fingerprint of some sort. Their energy is left behind even if they are no longer in this world. High Mage can feel the disturbances in the air. I think that Death Walker as well the reincarnated Mortal Locks would feel this too."

Amun and Sheila, who were the other high Mage on the team, both nodded in agreement.

"It feels like you are constantly passing through some sort of suffocating cloud or fog," Sheila added emptying her first bottle of beer.

"Payne felt it too," Alderon spoke about his dragon. "He was very agitated being in the university, but I am not entirely convinced that this is just residual Mage energy. I mean the Mage Fortress has seen more ancient and powerful Mage for generations than any other place in the entire Realm of Spells, but we have never felt this when we are there."

"You think there is something malicious underlying this energy?" Storm turned to Alderon.

He couldn't lie. He also felt the disturbance, but he quickly pushed it aside thinking it could be because of all those pureblood and half-blood Mage in that school.

"Yes." Alderon sat back and sighed. "At the moment, we can't really function in the school. We are constantly bombarded by this uneasy feeling that prevents us from working efficiently. What if that was the culprit's intent, to begin with? Maybe he or she knew the Lord Mage would send people to investigate and placed some sort of enchantment to keep us from finding out the truth while they work on finding the artifact?"

"It could be true. This must be some very old enchantments and not entirely Mage or we would have recognized them." Byron scratching his chin pensively, his dark eyes narrowing slightly then turned to Sheila and Amun. "But it will take a while, a few days at least for us to try and find this malicious string."

"We could always try." Amun shrugged his large shoulders. "Sheila and I will start working on it right away."

"Do that please." Storm sighed and got up before taking his bottle of beer and stretching. "And get some decent sleep because I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg. I feel something big is at work here."

"Sure thing." Byron and the others agreed, and Storm left to go to his chambers.