It's been a while since such nice weather....thought Elias as he sat at his desk, which was three places from the front and just beside the window. Why do I have to sit through a lecture today of all days? It must be so nice to lay down on the roof. He was annoyed of coming to school everyday.
He sat listlessly staring out the the window towards the skyscrapers in the distance, his head resting upon his folded arms on the desk, paying no attention whatsoever to the professor's ongoing lecture. He was just barely fighting the urge to doze off and not wake up until school was over. Though, eventually, the urges won and he drifted off to sleep.
He was about to go into deep sleep when he was suddenly stirred awake by a loud sound. Ahh...that damn bell, he muttered under his breath, taking care not to be heard by his classmates. The lecture had ended and luckily, he was not called out by old Professor Landstaire for sleeping through it.
He then sat upright on his chair and kept staring at the blackboard with a blank expression, thinking what was next. He soon realized that it was lunchtime already but made no effort to go to the cafeteria and buy himself some food. So, he just sat there in his chair and watched the others eating lunch, talking to friends and lovers and enjoying their youth. Elias never had any such fantasies or thoughts even remotely related to teenage romance and he had developed a habit of looking down upon people who engaged in such youthful and stupid frolic without any concern for their futures. He firmly believed that such feelings were unnecessary and that humanity would be stronger than ever if they could just abandon all of that dead weight.
He came to this realization gradually over the course of the last three years, owing partly to his brother who was four years older than him and partly to the fact that he went to quite an elite school despite having a relatively mediocre family background.
He was biding his time away when he heard the chime of the PA after which came the announcement-
"Mr. Elias Denver, please report to the Chancellor's office. I repeat, Mr. Elias Denver, please report to the Chancellor's office immediately."
He was a bit surprised at first, but he paid no heed to it and proceeded reluctantly towards the Chancellor's office.
Elias stood at the big brown wooden door to the office, unwilling to go inside. After a few moments he made up his mind and slowly knocked on the heavy door three times and the next moment the doors swung open automatically. It was a very large and magnificent office. The wall on the right was covered almost entirely with bookshelves housing ancient books and manuscripts. The left wall was covered with tapestry of the most lavish sort and boasted paintings by world renowned artists. At the far end of this hall, rather than an office, Elias saw the huge desk and the ten-foot tall chair that he had always admired and the man that sat in it, the Chancellor. Suddenly, a cold chill ran down his spine as the Chancellor glanced at him before pouring himself a cup of tea.
"Mr. Denver. Please have a seat", he said with a calm and soft voice that did not seem to match his intimidating appearance and aura at all. Elias silently obeyed.
The Chancellor, Sir Anton van Helcrest, was a grave old man with a magnanimous appearance. His complexion, hair and beard were all white of the purest kind. On the bridge of his nose rested a pair of silver-framed spectacles that gleamed in the soft light of a majestic chandelier hanging from the ceiling above. He tall demeanor was covered by black robes that rested on his broad shoulders and which trailed behind him on the floor as he walked about. Evidently, he was physically very fit despite being known to be well over 100 years old at present.
The Helcrest School for Magical Refinement and Advanced Magiotronics, or Helcrest Academy, for short, was founded over 150 years ago as an institution for training young, powerful and righteous mages for service to mankind, by the Helcrest House of Mages - one of the Five Progenitor Families.
"I suppose, your studies are going well?", asked the Chancellor as he walked over to the the little tea table before taking a seat opposite to Elias.
Elias, modestly accepting the cup of tea that was handed to him, replied, "Yes. Thank you."
"In that case, I shall cut to the chase. Do you know why I called you here today?"
"I do have an idea, yes. It's already time for this year's International Magus Festival and the Council has chosen Helcrest Academy as the venue for the Final Stage, am I right?"
"Indeed. And word in the air is that this year your older brother has high chances of being one of the final candidates. In that regard, I want you to hold a meeting, of sorts, with the academy's team. Give them an idea as to how your brother fights and about his battle tactics."
On hearing this, Elias became visibly displeased, and for good reason. It has been three years since his brother moved out of the country to join Ravens Academia, who have been the victors of the International Magus Festival for five consecutive years. Although Helcrest itself was a very well-known and prestigious school, the Ravens seemed like a different breed altogether. Even among the Five Progenitor Families, the Ravens House occupied the top spot. To earn admission into the most advanced magiotronics institution on the planet was in itself an outstanding achievement. And Elias' brother earned it all on his own.
Elias did not exactly hate his brother, but he also did not like him very much. Although Elias was academically bright, it meant nothing if one could not use magic of the most basic level. On the other hand, his brother was as mentally gifted as he was magically. He was what one would call an 'ideally prodigious mage'. When he received his admission letter from Ravens Academia, following the events of a most remarkable district-level competition, despite being below the required age, his parents' joy knew no bounds. They happily agreed to send him off to the faraway land at the very beginning of the following year.
Elias had always been a bit proud of his brother, though he did not want to admit it. At that time he was genuinely happy for him. But, after a few days, the brother that he had known since birth suddenly changed- he became arrogant, aware of his true power, and came to be known far and wide for his magical prowess. He almost stopped talking to his cherished little brother and spent all day either studying or preparing himself for Ravens Academia. He was no longer the same caring person he had always been.
"So, what do you say?"
Elias suddenly snapped back to the present.
"I need some time to think about it. To be honest, I don't want to deal with anything related to my brother, but if it is necessary, I shall do it."
"I can understand why you're reluctant, I really do", said the Chancellor with a soothing tone, "but it's a fact that you are the only person in the entire academy who has even the slightest bit of information about your brother. And right now, we could really use some of that."
Elias looked up at his face, so calm and gentle that it took away his anxiety, and said, "I shall let you know by the day after tomorrow."
"As you wish. I'll be waiting, Mr. Denver."
Elias finished his tea, got up and walked straight out of the office without another word and returned to the same position he was sitting in before leaving the class. He had already started daydreaming and thought about the 'what', the 'how', and the 'when' as he sat looking at the distant skyscrapers again.
Lunch break was almost over and he was lost in these kinds of contemplations when he heard two familiar voices at the door of his classroom. Turning his head he saw two boys approaching his desk. These boys were Thaddeus Artemio and Roger Magnolf, his only two friends in this school boasting more than a thousand students. As soon as they entered, the classroom went silent and everyone watched the three of them talking at Elias' desk.
This sort of reaction was nothing new to the three of them. After all, Thaddeus and Roger did happen to be Princes.