Year 1023 of the new calendar, Month of the Sun, 11th day

I had an aching headache at the moment, not only were the negotiations supposed to happen in a few days, with my birthday coming up on the 28th. The negotiations are headache inducing, but that wasn’t enough, Mike just landed himself in some hot water. Looking around my apartment on the Lendenburg estate, I searched for my phone. It was in a clutter of books I already forgot the names of, books that I was required to read in my youth.

I called the official mage organization under the police, bailing someone out was easier than many other things, and making someone stay was just as easy. The chief of the department answered me, “Hello Your Grace, Arianna. What is the occasion, why did you call me?”

“Release him, now. Make sure no one knows about this.”, he already knew that I was going to call him. With a sigh, he answered “Your Grace, you know that doing this can make me lose my job. Could you, in your generosity, please spare me?”

A slight frown came over me, “Anthony, you know as much as I do that you can’t refuse this for your family’s sake. Don’t test me, do it. Now.”, hmmmm, some anger leaked there, not the best thing for my image but he can’t do anything about it, “Yes, Your Grace. It will be done immediately.” he said, a bit of reluctance in his voice could be heard, but it was within acceptable limits. “Good” I began, “Now, what do you know about the girl that was with him?”

My tone of voice was filled with edge, and Anthony picked up on it, he replied smoothly with “We don’t know much about her, as far as we could find out, she was a slave girl named Ava, no last name, with a history of prostitution, theft, and, weirdly enough, the possession of a drug named ‘Firecracker’. The trafficking of slaves is well known, but firecrackers are a weird possession for someone like her. They are only found in mage circles, and are extremely expensive, used to stimulate the mana inside them and make it easier t-”, I cut him off then with, “Yes yes, I know all that. I have used it before, what is its civilian use?”

I could feel his nod, even if I couldn’t see it, and so he continued smoothly just as before, “For civilians that have untapped mana potential, it is used as a drug to kickstart the process to become a mage,” Interesting, what would a street urchin like her need it for, “And-” Anthony paused for a bit, piquing my curiosity, “and what?”, I asked again, impatience was swelling inside me. “Well, it can be used to stimulate the sexual urges of a male, though the side effects are severe, including nausea, dizziness and loss of breath f-”, ah, that was the reason the little rat had it, then she planned to-the thought didn’t finish, the mana inside me swelled and my phone bore the brunt of it, burning to ash. That little bitch of an urchin. Looking down at the little left of my phone in my head, ashes, I sighed.

Better control over my mana when I’m emotional has to be a priority, but that can be left for later. I stood up, walking to my elevator and scoffing at my earlier behavior in the process. A phone destroyed over some emotions, oh well, I have a spare anyway. I stood in the elevator, deciding to head to the roof and take the family Griffin out for a spin, a good intimidation piece for the little rat, no, urchin? A better name for the little whore had to be made. The elevator opened, revealing the roof that held many different things but the largest and grandest of all was Ts’yvelir, our Griffin.

The behemoth with a 30 meter wingspan and 7 meters long from beak to tail, it was a rare melanistic one as well. Completely black from head to toe, the sleek eagle's head with the talons that comes with it was intimidating, yet beautiful. Its royal blue eyes, a contrast from the black body, were mesmerizing to look at, the deep and vivid blue captured the attention of anyone looking at him. The color of a Griffin and its eyes indicated the power inside of it, unlike races like humans, and those similar to us that have pure mana that we mold into different forms. Mythical creatures have one or two forms of mana inside of them that they use, Ts’yvelir’s own shadow and water mana were versatile.

Its piercing eyes looked straight at me, time felt to slow down at that moment. The gaze it put upon me was measured, steady and controlled, it was an intelligent animal that had to be treated with respect. Slowly walking up to it, the sheer size dawned on me once again, it is hard to wrap my head around just how massive Ts’yvelir is. My arms raised in a non-threatening manner, and my head lowered, a sign of respect towards the Griffin, a creature of royalty. Ts’yvelir nodded and turned his head around, a sign that I could hop on. Taking the opportunity, I climbed upon the back of the majestic beast.

Its black plumes and feathers were comfortable to ride on, he was so large that a saddle was neither required nor practical. The feeling was amazing, being atop a beast as large as this one, and the plumes felt like no other. I was sure that they would have been hunted to extinction just for these plumes were they not as powerful as they were, and proficient in hiding so well. Ts’yvelir reared up on his hind legs entirely on his own accord, taming one was hard and Ts’yvelir was not wild, yet not fully tamed either. He opened his beaks, I could feel the massive amount of power held within him, a cry broke out from it. Majestic, booming, powerful, yet I know that he could do more.

Ts’yvelir was holding back, a full-powered cry from an adolescent griffin like him would rupture the internal organs of any human not protected by something to dampen it. Going back down to 4 legs, Ts’yvelir readied his wings as I readied my body. I exhaled all the breath in my body, just in time as Ts’yvelir flapped his mighty wings, going straight up into the air. Exhilaration, excitement and a little dose of fear was all I could feel at the moment. The speed we were going at was something I did not know, but it was fast. Savoring the experience of the air hitting my body, the feeling dampened by the slight mana shield around me. I could not bear the full brunt of this speed, but I damn well would try.

I reached out my right arm, scratching the plumes right above Ts’yevlir’s right ear, a sign to slow down for him. He nodded in the air ever so slightly, slowing down and eventually stopping in the air, the roof we flew from was still visible, if barely. “Good boy” I said to him, Ts’yevlir had no response to my praise, but I expected it. With an exasperated sigh, I turned to look back at him, “Take me to the school Ts’yvelir”, another barely noticeable nod was had, and he started flying, a little slower this time around.

The Griffin was immediately noticeable in the air, and I could see many of the regular citizens looking up to see what I was riding on. What did catch my, and Ts’yevlir’s, eye was a person going to the Academy on a Blemdorf, a simple, non-magical creature that has 4 wings. Unlike Ts’yevlir and his wings that have feathers, the Blemdorf was a scaly creature that had a lizard-like body, a jaw that held some smaller teeth used to eat the medium-sized insects, and it was small, at only 5 meters long, with 4 membrane wings. It was an inexpensive option at only around 200 pounds, nothing for me, but a sizable chunk for the middle-class. It was a good way to traverse the air for a fair price, but what caught my eye is that Ts’yevlir was looking directly at it.

“Ts’yevlir, don’t attack it, keep flying to the academy.” is the direct order I said to him, but he did not listen, only choosing to fly closer and closer to it. I could see the rider, who looked to be a girl aged 15, at most, getting more and more scared. “Ts’yevlir, last warning. Turn back now, or else.” the Griffin stopped in the air, Ts’yevlir looked to be contemplating the risk and reward, after a minute, he shook his head and snorted, flying slowly again. “Good, Ts’yevlir, here's a reward.”, I said to him as I took out a large chunk of Basilisk meat, the favorite of any Griffin. I threw it off the side, Ts’yevlir promptly took off after the morsel, catching it gracefully in the air.

“Good boy” I said, a gentle purr could be heard from him, I continued “Now, want to do something fun?” He nodded, we did this maneuver plenty of times, so he knew instantly. Ts’yevlir tucked his wings in, as I extracted my own mana into a shield around me. Exhaling is the signal Ts’yevlir knew that would signify the start of this. He shot up into the air, getting higher and higher. We reached so high up in the air that the skyscrapers down below were small, we could touch some of the clouds up here. I could see storm clouds forming around an area in the grasslands, weird, but it wasn’t all that uncommon. Maybe some idiot tried to get the eggs of a Tempest Ailea, a fun thought.

“Ts’yevlir, go.”, I said and Ts’yevlir immediately complied. He tucked in his wings, diving down at a speed that would kill any normal person riding. He flew down in the direction of the girl riding the Blemdorf, stretching out his talons, and emitting a shrieking cry. I could see the girl, and the girl could see Ts’yevlir as well, her eyes widened and she hastened her mount. Well, I couldn’t blame her, a 30 meter Griffin diving after you is sure to scare. Ts’yevlir reached behind them easily, his speed and agility in the air unmatched by anything else, and on my command, he stretched out his wings, making him stop right before the Blemdorf. Ts’yevlir is just a meter off from the back of the Blemdorf now, the girl had already stopped her mount and looked up at us.

I could sense the start of a spell forming, and that was the worst case scenario. Ts’yevlir was yet to be tamed and any form of hostility against him would be answered back the same as a wild Griffin. Ts’yevlir, adolescent he may be, was still stronger than me and him rampaging around would kill enough people that I couldn’t just cover it up. “Hey, hey! Stop your spell!” I yelled out, she seemed to heed my words and stop the mana inside of her from forming into a spell.

“Ts’yevlir, lift her up here. Gently.” was my next order to the massive Griffin, and he complied smoothly, bringing his talons up gently, as gentle as a mothers hand on her newborn child, and picking her up with his talons and placing her next to me. The Blemdorf that was stationary was also held onto by Ts’yevlir and his monstrous talons, catching it as if it were prey. It was held in its talons, unlike the girl. The girl next to me was, understandably, shaken up a little by the whole ordeal. She was a regular human, with long black hair, brown eyes and some glasses. Her fair skin contrasted her black hair, and she can only be called average in terms of looks. I had never seen her in the Academy before, weird, I should know everyone.

“Sorry for the bad introduction between us. Let's start anew, I’m Arianna, you are?” I started with a simple greeting, and the shaky girl before me looked at me again, this time with a scrutinizing gaze. After only half a minute, she quite literally jumped into a kneeling position, near yelling out “Your Grace, Arianna, Upcoming Duchess of Lendenburg. Please forgive me for my rudeness.”, I just waved my hand and said “No need to be so formal with me, I am not the Duchess now, just a fellow student.”

The statement was hindered by the gigantic royal Griffin I was riding on, but I hoped that what I said was clear. “Uhhh-I'm not even a student yet, and you’re the Duchess. I don’t dare to treat you as an equal.” and my hopes were immediately dashed. Sighing, I answered back “No no, just treat me normally.” to which she shakily nodded, though I had a sneaking suspicion she did it just to appease me.

“On this, what's your name? I haven’t gotten it yet.” I asked in a friendly tone, she replied with “I’m sorry, I’m Abigail Larsen. I’m not a student, I just want to visit it during the open house, see the facilities and such.” My friendly tone made Abigail relax, it seems, which was nice. I forgot today was an open house, “Ah, alright. I wish you the best of luck. Would you like to go to the Academy with me?”

“No, no. I could not bother you with such a trivial task.”, I need someone to talk with on the flight, so I countered with “It's my treat.” while having a small smile on my face. “Well…, ok. If it's your treat, I can’t refuse.”, I began to talk with a smile “Good, Ts’yevlir, go to the Academy. Fly slower.” A conversation can’t be made when I reach the Academy too quickly, so Ts’yevlir had to go slower, and it would alleviate the tiny bit of fatigue he had accumulated.

“Ts’yevlir? That’s his name? A beautiful name to fit a beautiful creature, I suppose.” she said, a smile took over me, Ts’yevlir is definitely a point of pride for the Lendenburgs. Even if it was an adolescent, it had already bested the adult Griffin owned by Marquis Buesboon in combat. Ts’yevlir definitely lived up to his name, a name said to be possessed by the legendary Gladiator that could beat those that were said to be unbeatable.

“Yes, he certainly is a beautiful boy, aren’t you Ts’yevlir.”, a gentle purr was heard from him, signifying the comfort felt by him. We both smiled, this wasn’t the best of ways to get introduced to someone, but it was a way to. Judging by her demeanor, I can ask her a question without worrying about it being spread to the ends of the world.

“I have a question for you” I started, the topic caught her interest, she was looking at me intensely “Say you have a boy you like, and they start to talk to another girl. What do you do?” I asked, “this is for a friend.” I added a second later. She had a weird look on her face but started to talk “Right…. For a friend? I would say it depends, if he doesn’t know that you like him, then he did no wrong- '' Wait, that's right. He doesn’t know I like him, so he wouldn’t see talking to someone else as wrong. Problem is, I don’t know how to tell him that I do, it’d come out of left field.

“So, how does one confess to a boy?” I asked, Abigail looked at me and shook her head before saying, “I don’t know either, I’m not some authority on this subject.”, ah, “That’s a problem.” I said a bit gloomily, she replied just as gloomily “Yes, indeed a problem.” We were silent now, and before we knew it, we arrived on Academy grounds. We both hopped off, the Blemdorf that was silent in the talons of Ts’yevlir cried once he was released and ran towards its owner.

“Hey hey boy, calm down. You’re fine, you’re fine.” Abigail said to him as her mount was in her arms. I waved her goodbye, she nodded to me as well, the short ride seemed to break down some of the walls between us so that was good. I went to the dorm rooms, opting to head to Mike’s room instead of trying to find him anywhere else. When I reached there, the door was closed and locked, signifying someone was inside. Good, I knocked on it and waited for a response.,

After a minute or so, Mike opened the room and he had ruffled clothes. Ava was on his bed with the same roughed up clothes, and I could see the bottle of firecracker on a desk. The mana inside me was simmering, I felt boiling mad yet I contained it as best I could. Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Mike who had just closed the door, and asked with noticeable anger “What exactly are you doing?”

Mike had a moment of reflection before what I was asking about dawned on him, he answered with a slightly shaky voice, “Look look, I know it looks bad but I swear nothing bad is going on. We just arrived here from the hands of the official mages, and I didn’t even have time to change my clothes or tidy up.”, right. “Ignoring that,” I said, which was severely hard at the moment, my boiling mana was a hair's breadth away from exploding outwards, but I continued “What the hell were you thinking when you started a fucking fight in the middle of the city?!? What went through your mind that you thought it was a good idea!?”

My voice was quite loud, but Mike did not seem fazed in the slightest, just replying briskly “You know that serial killer running around?” I nodded, but I didn’t know what that had to do with this “He was the one that attacked me, talking about something called advancement, do you know what that is?” I shrugged my shoulders, I knew nothing about such a thing. What was more interesting was that the serial killer was a mage, which explains why no one caught him yet. “Alright, that's fair. Just don’t escalate it, I can’t bail you out haphazardly. Now, get out of the way, I have something to discuss with that slave girl.”

He complied almost instantly, moving out of the way. I opened the door the moment he moved, going inside of the room and looking around. I chose to go to the firecracker first, Ava was shy, and not the most assertive, I could tell from first glance, so she did not do anything to me as I walked up to the little orange bottle filled with some rocks, and burnt it to ashes. The moment I did such a thing, though, was when she opted to talk.

“Why’d you do that for? That was a gift for Mike.” she said in a quiet voice, timidness filled her tone but I didn’t care. “A gift you say?” I asked, she nodded and started to explain “He-my master saved me from the slave trade, and the only skill I have now is-” I cut her off there, “Yes, I know. I know all about you, Ava.” She did not seem that surprised, just continuing on smoothly and saying “Yes, that is the reason why I had it.”

Narrowing my eyes, I moved a bit closer to her. She shrunk back, even if she could speak back a bit, her nature is as timid as the lowliest prey. I moved closer and closer, reaching so close that I could lean in to say things into her ear, which is exactly what I did. “Listen here you little wench, you are a rat that belongs to the streets. Even if you try to, you will never escape your slave past, it will always be a part of you. You are not worthy of him, your whoring past is a stain. He is mine.”

After my little statement, she was on the verge of crying, not having expected my words. “Should any of this get out, I will burn you to cinders” I left as my final statement before I left the room, walking to my own. I saw a handsome black-haired man talking with a girl about the same age as me on the way there, but I just disregarded it. The scene was far too common here for me to take note of it. Now, with that little bitch dealt with for the time being, should I wear a dress or a suit to the negotiations. Decisions, decisions.