Chapter 82: News (2)

“It happened again?” A sing-song voice called from the corner of the room.

Bartholomew waved his hand, sending a burst of violet light towards the source of the sound. The attack reached the target, but before it could make contact—the space distorted before returning back to normal.

A figure appeared dressed in a crimson robe, a noble black dress beneath it, showing off the sultry curves of a woman. She had shimmering red hair that came over her shoulders, seemingly fusing into her robe.

“Is this the way you treat your beloved sister?” the woman crooned, wearing a small frown upon her face.

The headmaster glanced at his older sister, his rage subsiding considerably. “You seem far too young to be the sister I remember,” he replied briefly, turning his back on the woman.

“I should take that as a compliment,” she retorted, “though I’m sure that wasn’t your intention.” The woman walked from the corner of the room to the chairs in front of the mahogany desk, her eyes inspecting each one carefully.

After a few moments she chose the one on the left, gracefully sitting down and crossing a leg over the other.

“You’re still suffering from your mysophobia…” Bartholomew spoke, not a question.

While it looked that the woman was seated on the arm chair, upon closer inspection, her body was floating a fraction above the surface, making no contact with it at all. The feat itself was impressive—but the headmaster seemed more concerned than anything.

“Once you can delve into the microbial world, it is hard to ignore,” she stated simply. Her brown eyes narrowed as she studied the man behind the desk, “But we’re not here to talk about my flaws Bart…”

“I’m aware Sylvia,” he replied with some exasperation. “After three years its happened again—this time further inland on the continent.”

“At this rate…” he said, not finishing his sentence.

Sylvia Arcadius watched her brother intently, her gaze softening slightly as she responded, “Do you still think ’they’re’ behind it?”

Bartholomew’s expression turned savage as he turned towards his sister, his red and bushy beard glinting in the sunlight, “There is no other alternative!” he roared.

The woman did not appear intimidated in the slightest, in fact her sympathy only seemed to grow. “The king fully investigated the Arcane Church three years ago—”They found no evidence. Nothing. If they were truly involved, don’t you think someone—anyone—would have uncovered it by now?”

“The family suffered significant backlash after your accusations. It’s a wonder they still allowed you to remain headmaster during the fallout,” Sylvia added, her tone containing no emotion.

“Bart…” Sylvia rose to her feet, her voice softening, “mana springs dry up all the time, this is not anything new. The world always finds a way to redistribute the mana to other places—maintaining the balance.”

Bartholomew narrowed his eyes, “I’ve never heard of a naturally occurring dried up mana spring killing man, woman and child in a twenty mile radius.” He shot back with conviction.

At his words, Sylvia didn’t seem to have a response. It was true that a lack of mana could be the direct cause of death. Though mages used it in their every-day lives—it was not mandatory for survival—not like oxygen.

“I want to believe you brother… I really do,” she replied running a hand through his hair like she used to do when they were younger. “If only you could prove what their motive was—or even how they would cause so many springs to dry up simultaneously. Maybe then father could mobilize his support.”

A silence stretched out between them heavy and raw.

Eventually, Sylvia let out a sigh, crossing her arms slowly. “I have a few young spy’s I was going to put through the other academies, but I suppose I can send one or two into the Arcane Church. If there’s anything untoward happening, I’ll keep you informed.” She replied, giving him a small smile.

The headmaster looked at his older sister who was still looking after him after all these years and could only smile back—albeit a little tiredly. From the outside, it might seem that he was older, but that certainly wasn’t the case.

“Thank you…”

“Well,” Sylvia said, stretching her lithe and well-rounded figure, “Just keep your accusations for yourself for now until we get some concrete evidence. Our family might be a big fish, but if we cause enough of a stir, all the fish in the pond might turn on us.” She added cryptically.

“So it was father who sent you here then?” Bartholomew asked, not seeming surprised in the least.

“Can’t a girl come and visit her little brother on her own volition?” the woman crooned, however a smile pulled at the corner of her lips a moment later, “you know the old man—he’s even more uptight than when we were younger.”

The headmaster nodded, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “I used to think that this job would be far too tiring, but not having to be back home has its own perks.”

Sylvia laughed, catching his meaning. “Don’t get too comfortable though, your son or nephew is the next in line for the headmaster position. If you’re not careful, father might make you his assistant—then you’ll never get a break.”

“Stop it,” Bartholomew replied tiredly, “I’ve had enough bad news today.”

The laughter quickly dried up and they stood in companionable silence for a while.

“Are there any promising students in this batch of first-years?” Sylvia asked, changing the subject to something a little more positive.

“A few—but their identity is rather… special.” He replied cautiously.

“Melody Winterborne right? I heard Julius mention she was set to attend the academy this year.” She responded in turn.

“Mmm, and her fiancé.”

“Fiancé!? This is the first I’m hearing of her engagement?” she replied with shock and disbelief.

Bartholomew let out a hollow chuckle, “It is most likely a ruse setup by that man—but I bet he didn’t expect the boy in question to be so special. Otherwise he wouldn’t have used him as a mere pawn…”

“He is that special? Does he have a rare affinity or something?” Sylvia probed, her curiosity evident.

The headmaster shook his head, “He has a unique soul, one that I’ve never seen before. Who knows how far he can traverse the abyss within the Arcana…” he said, his voice trailing off wistfully.

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