Aspiration to the Heavens: Becoming the Supreme Mage Vol 2- Descent of Darkness

[Revised/Edited] Episode 10: A Familiar Visitor

-"People come in and out of one's life. Sometimes for worse, other times, for the better."

*Nyima*

"Do you hear something?" Adela asked as we were fixing our beds.

I looked up from my blue covers and turned around. Slowly, I approached the window as Adela pulled the navy curtains open by a notch. The sun was barely rising so a lot of things were covered in shadows.

"Is it a bird?" I asked, trying to see what was outside.

Adela formed some vines around the window, narrowing her red eyes. She was glaring at whatever, or whoever. was outside. "No way. What are they doing back here? Did they escape?"

I pulled the curtain away completely. Two teen boys stood on the balcony, though one of them had his eyes closed and was leaning on the other as if about to pass out. The other had circles around his eyes which made it look like he should be the one getting sleep.

The one with circles under his eyes waved at me with a slight smile on his face.

"Yuuta..." Memories filled of the time we had spent talking about crafting magical tools flashed back... but so did the pain of his betrayal. I had grown to trust him... trust that he was a friend. Even though it had seemed that we had truly grown close, that wasn't true. If it was then that friendship wasn't strong enough to dissuade him from attacking me and the others.

Adela's focus was on the other boy, Ren.

"Go and warn the others, I'll distract them." I cut the vines and slid open the glass door and raised my hands into the air.

"I didn't think that we would see each other so soon," Yuuta said as soon as I opened the door. He flashed me a gentle smile. The same gesture that would once put me at ease whenever I thought of the possibility that he was one of the eight who wanted to kick us out of Nine Petal Academy. An ease that was unwarranted, for Iah was right in having suspected them.

I took out a newly-made seal.

"What do you want?" I leered at him. "Four months have passed since we last fought. I think I can take you on by myself now."

He raised his hands into the air. "I'm not here for revenge. I came here under the orders of Prince Boukyaku's friends."

"Why would the prince send you here?" Was Boukyaku not actually on our side? Or was it Lucette who wasn't?

"Well, I'm not actually sure if they are his friends, but one of the girls who took us here told me that he asked them to watch over the darkness following the destruction of the tower during our clash four months ago. You see, a great darkness is heading to Nine Petal Academy from the frontier," he responded as he collapsed to the floor. "Please...believe us."

I dashed forward and caught him in my arms. "Yuuta? Hey, open your eyes. What do you mean by 'great darkness'? What happened to you?"

"We teleported here," Ren responded for Yuuta as he opened his eyes. "The others used all their strength to send the two of us to the Kyuu Seishinian capital. However, we were attacked by Mr. Obi. Currently he's fighting Yen and her friends. Some of them teleported us to this realm to retrieve you. They supposedly received an order from Prince Boukyaku to protect Kyuu Seishin from the encroaching darkness."

"Why should we believe you?" Adela asked, appearing next to me. She grabbed Ren by the collar of his shirt. "You eight did nothing but make our first days in Nine Petal horrible! Even until the end, you laid a trap for us at your secret hideout. Lei and Nyima nearly died! I told Mayu that if any of you dared to hurt Lei again that I would kill you! That applies to the rest of my friends as well."