Nagan | Broken Time Series: Book One

Chapter 25

Warning: A bit of violence but nothing to write home about.

"So you think you and your tainted blood is worthy to hold the Elvar name?" Lyram hissed and gripped into Nagan's shoulder harder. This was something that happened to him surprisingly often(Maybe it's because of my size, he thought begrudgingly). He can take it.

"Considering it's the name my parents gave me, I think I'm more than worthy of it," Nagan spoke coolly, "But I wouldn't mix it up with your kind."

"You--brat!" Lyram all but roared at Nagan's face, but there was already the hints of a smug smile at the corners of Nagan's lips.

"Oh? I thought you'd appreciate me clarifying the difference." His eyes sharpened into something dangerous. "We may share the same name, but know that I am nothing like you and wish to never be associated with it either. My advice to you, Master Lyram Elvar, is to release me and walk away while you still can."

Lyram snarled and moved his hand to clench around Nagan's throat. It took every ounce of willpower for him to not react. "Do you honestly think you are in a position to be commanding me, brat? Mommy and Daddy aren't here to protect you, and you are the only one left in your family. That doesn't give you a pass to play master now." His grip tightened and there was a slight glow coming from his other hand. Slowly a knife started to materialize from the air, and he made sure Nagan could see it. "You see this here? That is what you call forging magic. The ability to summon a weapon from nothing. I was supposed to start teaching your class the basics of it, but it'd be a shame if you couldn't attend..."

Despite the growing lack of oxygen, Nagan laughed drying and managed to sound clear as he said smoothly, "Yet here I still stand. Besides, I was trying to warn you of a bigger threat." His eyes trailed further down the hall in the direction they came to where the threat stood.

Almost instantaneously Lyram's eyes widened and his grip slackened as his head whipped in the direction of where the said threat was. There was nothing. Nagan didn't hesitate. "Sor!"

The familiar bell chimed and he shoved Lyram away from him. He released the spell early, letting Lyram attempt to catch his decent, only for Nagan to spot the opportunity to disarm him. With a well-aimed kick, the knife was sent flying from Lyram's hold and into the wall, shattering on impact.

Lyram gave an indignant squawk before finally regaining his balance and cradling his hand against his chest. Many emotions flashed across his face, from surprise to fear to anger, but he made no move towards Nagan again.

Not wanting to be around Lyram any longer, Nagan jabbed his thumb the opposite way of where they came. "Continue down this hall until you see a staircase, go down two floors, and make a left. From there it doesn't take a genius to spot it. Now if you will excuse me, I want some breakfast." he strode past the still man as wary eyes followed his every movement. With the eyes of a snake, Nagan added snidely, "You'll see me again."

Heading back the way they came, he turned the corner and out of Lyram's sight.

Lyram stared after Nagan with a sour expression. He hadn't heard that spell in a long time and wished to never hear it again. With a huff, he continued down the hall, following the boy's directions, grumbling the whole way to the combat arena.

Right as he rounded the corner, Nagan settled against the wall next to where Master Dagmire stood. There they silently waited until they could no longer hear Lyram's steps and temper tantrum.

"So how long have you been standing here?" Nagan asked without even sparing Master Dagmire a glance.

"Not long," he glanced down to Nagan's neck where a bruise was slowly forming. Pushing himself away from the wall, he stood in front of his apprentice and carefully laid a hand on his neck with the murmur of a spell and a golden orb. "That should reduce the visibility. Is there anywhere else you were hurt?"

Nagan shrugged. "Right shoulder, but that'll heal on its own."

Master Dagmire hummed and took Nagan by the arm to get him to walk alongside him before settling his hand on his bruised shoulder, using the same minor healing spell as they walked. Nagan let out a snort before saying with a slight grin, "Maybe you should teach me this spell. I seem to be a magnet for trouble."

He didn't bother dignifying that comment with a reply. Instead, he changed the subject. "How did you know I was there?"

"Easy," Nagan said, "First, I knew you'd follow us eventually since Master Elvar isn't very subtle, and second, I saw your magic presence around the corner, and the humming stopped."

Master Dagmire raised a brow at the last point. "Magic presence?"

"You know," Nagan gestured to the ceiling. "Those lights that usually hang out near the ceiling. It's harder to see in hallways and open-air, but in a room, it looks like colored light orbs orbiting around. Yours is a bright red and the other orbs seem to like to orbit around yours. But there's also this humming in the air gets quieter when there's more magic in the area. I think that's more of the castle's doing though."

"Remarkable..." he laughed, "That ability is usually present with divination talents. It appears you have a magic affinity."

The words confused Nagan, and he asked with a curious tilt to his head, "You mean I'm better at magic than most?"

"Not exactly." They turned into the hall that led to the cafeteria. Students gave them a few baffled looks since it wasn't common knowledge that Nagan was Master Dagmire's apprentice, but it wasn't a secret either, so the two of them continued on without a second thought. "It's more of you're well attuned with your surroundings and can pick up on magical currents."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. Does that mean I should go into divination instead?" They stopped just before the entrance.

"If you wish to develop your ability into something that can predict the future, but it's also fine as it is now. By the sound of it, you can also see how powerful your opponent it, correct?"

Nagan nodded. "The brighter the light, the more powerful they are." He thought briefly about the thought of becoming a divination expert before shrugging his shoulders. "I'm alright with what I have now. Incantations are really interesting and the combat training helps me focus better I think."

"If you're happy with what you have, no use trying to change it then," Master Dagmire ruffled Nagan's hair lightly, ignoring his protesting, "Good luck with your next class. Professor Fai should still be around to stop any fights from breaking out."

With a snort, Nagan replied sarcastically, "Is that supposed to reassure me or tell me to behave?"

"Both."