Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ A Tantalizing Love ❯ A Unfair Challenge ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One

 

Her bare feet slapped against the wet cement as her breath was caught in the cool, autumn air.

She felt her heart pounding in her ears relentlessly, making her disoriented and panicked…but she had to get there before they did.

Turning in the courtyard of a rather large building divided in to 4 sectors, she ran to a pair of red-oak doors, her hands slamming against it as she reached them.

Bursting through the doors, she entered the part of the academy she, a black robed magi, was forbidden to enter.

But…she couldn't stop to and worry about that now. She had to reach him…

Her black robes fluttered behind her as she ran down the dead-silent hallway.

She slipped; her feet wet from her run outside to reach this sector of the Academy.

Lying on the floor for a moment, the cold, white moonlight casting her bright—yet oddly calming light cross the floors through large paneled windows, she heard a commotion behind her.

She didn't need to look back to see what—or who was creating the noise.

Her heart lurched as a dreadful feeling stole over her. She already knew.

Getting to her feet again with some trouble, she dashed down the hallway.

Bounding around a corner, she collided with a figure, whom wrapped their arms around her to stop them both from falling.

“Azure?” The figure asked, their voice soft—but perplexed.

It was him. The man she needed to see.

Her Mentor.
Azure grabbed his hand and ran; not explaining herself as the commotion grew closer. The pounding footsteps from the small group that chased her drowned out her's and her mentor's. They were not too far away from them.

The two turned down another corridor before they reached a dead end.

Hesitating, Azure suddenly yanked him towards a door.

They entered the room, her mentor walking to the center, looking about him.

Azure locked the door after a moment, letting her hand rest on the doorknob.

Finally, she turned to look at him.

Silence.

“Azure.” The man spoke, confusion an obvious note in his voice.

She turned, resting her glistening emerald gaze on him.

He was dressed in his red robes. His brown hair, which hung just above his shoulders, clung to his face. His fine complexion brought out his brilliant blue eyes.

He looked to be 26.

“Clark…” She whispered. Her voice quivered, her eyes glistened with unwanted tears. No. She couldn't loose herself now in the emotions that wrenched and tugged at her heart. She had to stay calm…She had to explain.

Clark hesitated, before stepping forwards and reached out with a hand, placing it gently on her shoulder as he titled his head.

“What going on?” He asked in a soft, quiet voice that he only used around her, his gentle gaze filled with concern.

“They…” She began, gathering her thoughts together. Finally, she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

“They think we're having a student-mentor affaire…”

This statement hung in the air that suddenly seemed heavier as silence fell on them again.
Clark just stared at her, before frowning.

“They are coming for me, aren't they…?” He asked in a quiet voice, still keeping his hold on her shoulders.

With a nod from his apprentice, he sighed and pulled her close in an embrace.

For a student and their mentor to have an affaire is a great offence—often punished by death or banishment.

Ah, what a mess he got himself into. He took this student under his wing to teacher her. She was being taught under the dark arts, but he saw something in her that he couldn't explain. Something that isn't supposed to exist when you go into the dark arts…

The two stood silently, before Azure pulled away.

“We have to leave.” She whispered.

“But your training—“

“I don't care.” She said abruptly, cutting him off. Her gaze was cold and hard as she stared at him.

This sent shivers down his spine.

After a moment, she quickly looked away.

“I don't want you getting punished for something that's not true…”

He smiled weakly. She was an odd character indeed. Harsh and cold one moment, soft and kind the next…That's probably why her dark robed mentor loved her…Maybe more then a mentor should love his student.

She proved a challenge to him. And Marcious loved challenges.

Because of her ability to be both compassionate and cold, Clark had approached her so many years ago and managed to befriend her. After that, he started to know more about her, and that only drove his determination to train her under the red robes more.

But now, here he was, standing before his apprentice, and being told he was being accused of having a Student-Mentor affaire with her.

Oh, how he laughed at this.

The Academy was corrupted. They had wanted to get rid of him for a very long time, and now…The opportunity presented itself in the most unpredictable way.

The two fell silent, before Azure sighed and turned, looking at the door.

It was silent in the hallway.

“We need to leave.” She whispered softly, repeating herself for the second time.

This time, Clark didn't fight. He nodded his head.

“Yes. Yes, we do. But where? How? They will hunt you down, Azure—”

“Your wrong…” She whispered, looking at him wearily, “They will hunt you down. But it's better then dying. We could go to the Kayn'dar region—”

Clark growled a little, making Azure shudder.

“I will not have you living like an outcast, Azure—”

“What would you like me to do?!” she snapped at her mentor, taking a daunting step towards him, “I refuse to stay here and watch you die because you thought you saw something in me.”

“Azure—”

“No!” she snapped again, her emerald green eyes narrowed to mere slits of brilliant green that seemed to flare with her frustration.

“Don't you dare ask me to go through that—I went through it once with my own mother. I won't go through it again.”

A heavy silence fell over the two as she stood there, staring at him.

Oh how her gaze was piercing. It was almost as if she looked into your soul…

Finally, Clark, sighed.

“Why there?”

“Cause it's the only region they won't look for us…” She said; her voice now softer as she calmed down a little. She stood up straight, her shoulders relaxing and her eyes going back to their normal emerald green.

Clark couldn't argue…She was right.

Kayn'dar was the one region all outcasts go to for refuge. However, getting there would prove to be a challenging task. It would take many days. And the terrain wasn't going to be any easier. They had to travel through the cursed woods, then across an open field to Valenore, then from there they would have to head East to the mountains. The two would have to travel through the mountains that was plagued with raiders and creatures, then they would have to go North-East and across the sea…

`Forget a few days.' He thought softly, `It would take a life time to reach there…And what would we do once we do reach it? We would have to establish a whole new life…'

Silence fell over the two as he turned the plans over in his head. Azure stood patiently. She knew the look in her mentor's brilliant blue eyes. She knew not to interrupt his thoughts.

Finally, he spoke slowly, as if going over the plans—the idea.

“This is absurd.” He muttered, “It would take us days…Weeks to reach there. Do you know how much trouble we'd be putting ourselves in?”

Azure chuckled softly, tilting her head, “We'll be fine if we stick together, Clark. We'll travel and take our time. Do the unpredictable…and if we encounter any trouble, support each other.” She nodded.

He wished he were so sure of himself.

The commotion started up again in the halls, making Azure look at the door, startled.

“They found us.” She whispered.

 

And indeed they did.

The door broke down. Clark grabbed Azure, pushing her behind him. Azure stared at him in horror.

What was he doing?

Three robed figures entered the room with 4 guards. The robed figures all had different colored attire.

The one in the center wore white. On his left was Marcious, Azure's black robed mentor and council member whom represented the black robes, and on the right was Marriet, the red robed mentor and council member whom represented the red robes.

Azure didn't care much for those two.

It was the center one she was worried about.

“Jacob…” She whispered, trying to move past Clark—But Clark stopped her.

“Clark—” She began, but was cut off abruptly when Jacob, the leader of the entire Academy…The white robed mage, spoke.

“Magi Clark Daniel, I am placing you under arrest in punishment of death.”

“Under what charges?”

“You have been caught having an affair with an innocent student and attempting to train her under a different teaching—Causing her to betray her mentor. We can't have mentor's doing that. Guards, seize him. Marcious, you may claim your apprentice.”

When the guards stepped forth, Clark looked back at Azure, smiling weakly.

Azure shook her head.

`I promise you won't be in there long…' she thought to herself, though knew he wouldn't hear. All she could do was stare at him with a pained gaze. Oh how she would've liked nothing more then to use her magick—to teleport them away from all this.

But all she could do was stand there as the guards took him away. Her black robed mentor stepped forth.

He was a fairly handsome man. Silver-white, short hair. Pale complexion, brilliant yellow eyes. He had a lean figure with some muscle, though subtle enough not to stand out. He was tall, and only 35.

Azure herself was only 23.

She fell silent as she gazed up at her mentor, whom glared down at her, then looked at the others, “I got her…You may leave.”

With a bow from the other two, they left, leaving Azure and Marcious alone.

He looked at her.

“You betrayed me.”

Azure didn't speak.

Marcious narrowed his gaze. What was it about her that drew him to her. She was a challenging person…He has been her mentor for many years, and yet has he been able to change her.

To make her a true black-robed Magi.

After a moment, he spoke again.

“You will return to your dorm. I will have two guards outside your door. You are under a strict teaching now.”

His words seemed to hiss slightly as he continued.

“I do not respect weak, unloyal students.”

With that, he grabbed her and turned, pulling her with him as they both left.

 

Azure sat on her bed. It had been hours since the incident. Her thoughts were on her Mentor…On Clark.

She raised a hand and ran it through her silver-azure hair, which drifted about her shoulders and draped down her back.

She didn't know what to do. Never has she felt so lost.

Well…

That was a lie.

There was the day of the raid in her village…

Shaking the thoughts and memory from her mind, she stood up. A guard stood in her room, watching her.

She just stared at him, glaring ever so slightly.

He just glared back.

Azure looked about her, then started to pace. Clark would be condemned in a matter of hours.

She didn't have time to waste—She had to get out.

Looking back at the guard, she smiled a little.

Confused, he raised both eyebrows, but then suddenly noticed the ball of energy forming in the palm of her hand.

It was a dark, cool energy that sent shivers down his spine in a most painful way. He shuddered.

Raising his sword, he went for the door, but Azure made it first and pushed him against the wall softly, though firmly, and thrusted her hand to his stomach.

The ball of energy exploded into that of light, then suddenly the guard crumpled to the ground.

He wasn't dead.

She looked at her hand. It stung, but she didn't care. He was easy to take care of.

Preparing herself, she waited on her bed patiently.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and the two guards stood there, looking across the room at the magi sitting on the bed, and the guard now lying at her feet in a deep slumber.

They both looked at her, and noticed a bright blue ball of energy hovering over the palm of her hand, which was held in front of her, palm facing up.

The guards were perplexed by how an apprentice could summon spells so quickly without barely muttering a word, but they didn't have time to think on that, for she had casted the ball of energy towards them.

One guard dived, but the other was struck in the chest and crumpled to the floor.

Whether he was alive or not was hard to tell.

The guard stared at his companion, though was completely oblivious to the advancing Magi. She stood beside him, her hand on his arm.

“Move…Tell a soul…Anything that could get me caught, and I'll come back and maim you…” She whispered in a cold voice that had the same effect her one spell did.

It sent chills down his spine.

With a nod, he simply got on his knees, dropping his sword, and bowing his head.

Azure placed a hand on his head gently, then turned and left the room.

 

She dashed through the halls again. She knew where he was being held—It was easy to guess.

The prison was down in the basement of the center building, which is where the council was usually held.

Azure had been there only once.

She dashed out the doors and bounded across the courtyard once again. It took her only a few minutes to weave through the trees and to the main building.

Pressing herself against the wall, she listened silently for heartbeat, her elven ears twitching ever so slightly as she forced herself to listen closely.

Only a few.

This should be easy.

Going to the main doors, she pushed them open and entered a large waiting room. It was bland, unappealing.

To her left on the very far wall of the room, was a stair well that would lead to the dungeons.

This was simple so far.

Azure walked down the staircase slowly, and upon reaching the bottom, she looked about her.

She was in the dungeons.

Walking along the aisle that ran between the cells, she peered into each of them through the bars.

The dungeon was dimly lit, making it hard for her to see…but, she managed it anyways.

“Azure!” came a whispered voice.

Azure turned, having just passed a cell she thought was empty.

A figure staggered to the bars.

It was her mentor…though he looked like he got quite the beating.

There was a large cut on his cheek that ran from his temple to his jaw. His lip bled, and he had a limp to his walk.

Her heart sank.

Quickly moving to the bars, she peered into them, frowning as she reached out and gently placed a hand on his cheek.

“Those cruel bastards…” She whispered softly, before moving away from the bars.

Clark blushed very lightly when she touched his cheek lightly, though he said nothing.

She motioned for him to move away from the bars, then held her hands out. A ball of light formed, and with a word slipping from her lips, the light expanded, filling the whole dungeon with it's blinding rays.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard as the lock combusted and the door broke.

Clark stumbled out, coughing.

“Couldn't be quiet, could you?”
Azure smiled sheepishly.

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him along the hall.

“It's odd they don't have this place guarded.” She said softly.

Clark looked around. Indeed, it was odd…

But the reason was obvious, much to their dismay.

Upon running up the stairs and reaching the waiting room, there in the center, stood Jacob with a few guards.

Though the guards were the least of Azure's concern.

Jacob was the head master of the academy for a reason.

Standing in front of Clark, she stared harshly at Jacob, whom stood there with a sense of calmness wrapping itself around him. He had his hands linked together in front of him, and his ice-cold gaze was resting on her.

If she didn't know better, she would be able to say he had the face of not only a killer…but one like herself.

A black robed.

For it was, indeed, that he was trained under two teachings—much like herself.

But what made him dangerous was that the teaching's he was trained under were considered the most powerful.

The black robes and the white robes.

His robes were white on the outside, but in the inside they were laced with black.

Black trimming was visible on the cuffs and seams of his elegantly styled robe that most white magi wear.

Silence.

The only noise was the shuffling of the guards.

Finally, Jacob spoke.

“Azure…You do know that I can't let you leave here with that man.”

Silence.

“He's been sentenced to death by myself. You're in no position to try and overthrow that ruling.”

Azure closed her eyes. She felt Clark shift behind her.

She opened them again, resting her brilliant green gaze on the head master.

“I challenge you.” She whispered.

Clark froze.

“Are you insane?” He hissed to her, clenching his fists closed.

Jacob laughed, causing Azure to tense up a little.

“You fool!” He called to her in a strong voice, a cynical grin crawling across his lips.

“Azure, my dear, I think you are becoming desperate.”

Azure just stood there, before stepping forwards and away from Clark.

She bowed towards Jacob, then held her hand before her, a ball of energy forming at her palm.

Jacob grinned.

“So be it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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