After promptly naming the boy Lupos, Darius stood up and made his way towards the door. "Now Lupos from this point on I want you to watch very carefully to what's about to happen." Lupos looked very confused but nodded and followed his master to outside the hut. "Master.." began Lupos only to be made silent by Darius's raised hand.

"Silence boy," he said as he made his way out of the clearing and hid in the undergrowth, "do you want them to see us?" Lupos looked at him confused. "Them master?" At this, Darius raised his hand and pointed slowly to the path which led into the clearing, or more specifically the hunting party on it.

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Back at the hunting party the Lord fumed, they had journeyed into the centre of the forest two hours ago and were beginning to give up hope, when one of the soldiers spotted the hut. However, even with the hut in sight, the path was treacherous and filled with danger. Another half an hour later and the lord and his party finally reached the hut within the clearing.

"To the owner of this cottage my name is Lord Varet and we are currently following the trail of a fugitive which leads to your hut. If you hand over the boy immediately you will be richly rewarded and your life spared."

The Lord paused waiting for a response, silently cursing when none was forthcoming. "Fine," he snarled "have it your way, knights' tear down that hut!" The two knights started to move towards the house when all of a sudden they both fell over. "What in blazing hells are you doing? Get up, are you not knights?" Spat out the lord disgusted. However, after three minutes it was clear that they would never get up again.

"Now, now," said a sudden voice "why would you want to break my door in or destroy my home?" The knights and Lord turned around in shock to see an old man standing behind them. "We stated our intentions clearly - now hand over the boy if you wish to live."

Despite his calm words, the lord was panicking, what sort of monster could take out two elite knights in less than a second without anyone seeing? "Well now," said the old man, "if you are intent on doing me harm I guess this could be counted as self defense, correct?"

"What are you.." the Lord's question was cut off as the bodies of all the knights and the lone magician dropped to the floor with a thump, a single red line visible on all of their necks.

The Lord fell to the floor and scrambled back as he viewed this monster in human skin. The old man ignored the Lord and instead turned back to face the way he had come, "Lupos, come out here." The Lord could only stare as the boy they had spent the last day tracking emerged from the woods and bowed to the old man "As you wish master."

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As Lupos enters the clearing his eyes once again rested on the pathetic Lord who sat cowering in the dirt staring at the two in horror "Now," said Darius once again taking charge "I have a few we questions for you my Lord and I think it would be in your best interest to answer them." With this Darius turned to face the Lord who was nodding reverently. "Very good. Now my first question, what do you know about the first Academy of Magic?"

The Lord looked surprised at the question but didn't dare say anything "it is the most successful Academy in the kingdom and only accepts geniuses from age eight to ten, the requirement to graduate Is that young magicians must reach at least the lowest rank for a magician,which is rank seven. Darius nodded then turned to Lupos "Any questions you need answering boy?" Lupos nodded his head.

"Tell me about their headteacher, tell me about Mervyn Oakshield." The Lord lowered his head "A genius and powerful magician who is in touch with five of the six elements, all of them except darkness."

"Does he have any weaknesses?" The man shook his head in incredulous disbelief.

"No, not only is he the most powerful of all magicians alive today, his elemental spirit is a holy eagle, the most powerful elemental summons known throughout all of history. There is no one alive today who could combat that man." Upon finishing his speech the Lord grew quiet once more.

"Thank you," said Darius "you have been incredibly helpful." From this sentence, the Lord's face lit up, there was hope for him to survive yet. "Unfortunately your life isn't in my hands but in dear Lupos's."

The Lord's face fell as Lupos darted towards him sword drawn in an instant. One second later the Lord's head lay on the ground. "So master what now?" Darius stared at his young apprentice and made his decision.

"I will train you for the next two years in both fighting and magic. When you reach eight winters old, if you still desire revenge, you will enter the first Academy of Magic to find out all of the headmaster's weaknesses so as to exploit them and use them to plot his demise. Once the deed is done, you will return here and train until there is no one who can beat you. It will be hard, it will be terrifying and if you are not strong enough you will die. Are you willing to take the risk?" The youth looked back at him with determined eyes "Yes master." Darius smiled "We begin now."