13

Tap, tap, tap.

Kim's eyebrow twitched and he suppressed his annoyance at the constant tapping of Damian's feet on the stone floor.

They were sitting outside on a wooden bench in the hallway, sunlight coming in from the large glass windows and kissing the tips of their shoes. The compound outside the north building of the academy was vacant since the classes had ended about an hour ago. The students were either in their dorms or in the sports ground cheering for their football teams and here they were. Two boys waiting outside the academy's court room for the decision of the council about a lion spirit who had a fairy's core inside his body. A taboo of the magical world, a cursed technique condemned in all domains.

That explained the anxious state of Dammy, his furrowed eyebrows, his blankly staring eyes and his constantly tapping feet.

"Ugh! Stop that!", Kim snapped, getting up from the bench.

Green ankle boots appeared into Dammy's line of vision and he lifted his head to find an annoyed Kim frowning at him, the green bow tie around his neck complimenting his forest green eyes.

"Sorry",he whispered, stopping his tapping feet.

Kim's frown deepened. He found himself irritated at the shortness of the boy's response. Any other day and he would have argued with the elf and even called him a shorty to make him mad.

What a pain, Kim thought.

He stretched out his palm, saying,"Give me your hand."

"Pardon?", Dammy said.

"I'll turn both of us invisible so that we can go inside. Now give me your hand."

Dammy raised an eyebrow,"Why would you do that for me?"

That question caught Kim off guard and he rubbed his neck, saying,"Um... I... Because I have a kind heart. Yes. I even help the annoying and rude brat who pisses me off everytime he opens his mouth."

Dammy's lips curved up in a smile,"Who might that be?"

"Take a guess", Kim said, suppressing his own smile.

Dammy took his hand and stood up.

Though two years older than him, that elf barely reached past his shoulders. He bit his lip, fighting the urge to call him a shorty. He saw him close his emerald green eyes and a slight gust of wind began to surround them.

INVISIBILITY.

A green magic circle appeared on Kim's chest and before his very eyes, that elf's body began to turn invisible. Then the spell fell upon him, starting from his hand which was in Kim's and turning him translucent as well.

"Whoa!", Dammy cried, awestruck.

"Shh! People can still hear us", Kim said placing a finger on his lips. Dammy nodded like the obedient boy he wasn't.

Kim looked around them and then placed a finger on the wall of the courtroom.

PERMEATION.

The wall turned soft and they went right through it; from the corridor to the courtroom and what a magnificent room it was. There were two large desks of dark hardwood, one on either side of the room with three wooden chairs behind one and four behind the other. The space between them was left vacant.

In front of the north wall was a small pavilion and placed upon it was a big wooden chair with red velvet cushion and academy's insignia carved in its backrest. The walls had huge portraits of the three royal bloodlines of the magical world- a fairy, an elf and a dwarf.

Dammy tightened his hold on Kim's hand when he looked down where they were standing. The floor was made of glass like the ceiling over their heads, the evening sky outside visible through it. Kim grinned at the amazed expression of the boy beside him. He had had the same reaction when he came their for the first time. He pulled Dammy by his hand, crouching behind one of the stone pillars and pulling him down beside him.

The large double doors in the west wall were pushed open and two persons walked in. One was a green-eyed elf girl with pointed ears, her long snow white hair knotted back into a ponytail. The other one was a boy with spiky raven black hair, a headband keeping them out of his honey gold eyes. Untying her uniform cape from around her waist, the girl wore it properly over her white sleeveless shirt.

"I hate council hearing", she whined, sitting in one of the four chairs,"I have to look proper for it."

She crossed her ankles, her combat boots touching the table's leg. The boy took the seat next to her which was closest to the pavilion.

"You say that every single time, Hana. Get used to it already", he said.

Unlike Hana he was following the proper dress code; a white shirt with a black necktie and black trousers. He was dressed properly if one ignored those unruly hair of his.

'They are Hana and Takashi. Senior imperial Kages. Fifth years.'

Dammy was startled and looked at Kim who raised an eyebrow.

'What? Don't tell me you have never used TELEPATHY before.'

Kim's voice echoed in his head. He shook his head and Kim sighed.

'Just think about me and what you want to say to me. Okay?'

Dammy nodded and thought about saying hello to the elf. There was no response. He tried again. No reply. He tried different phrases.

How are you?

This room is great.

Hello?

Hello, Kim.

'Hello, shorty.'

'What the heck, Dammy?'

Kim glared at him and Dammy placed a hand on his mouth, shaking his head vigorously. Why did it have to work at that thought?

'Sorry. Sorry. I was just testing.'

'Ugh! Leave it.'

Kim looked over at the center of the room before Dammy poked his arm.

'What is it?'

'Who's that man? The one snoring over there.'

Kim looked at the mentioned person.

With both of his hands resting on his wooden cane, that old man dressed in a black kimono was sound asleep in the middle one of those three chairs. His head bent forward and it broke his sleep. He looked around the room with his hazy green eyes before closing them once again.

'Professor Virion. He's the headmaster of defense studies.'

He had wrinkled skin, trembling hands and a thick moustache as white as his short hair.

'How old is that guy?'

'86 but don't let that fool you, Dammy. He is the one who invented the SAFE HAVEN spell.'

'Really? Impressive!'

'Indeed.'

"Hey!", a man said, throwing open those heavy doors. He seems to be in his thirties; a bald man with a dragon tattoo on his scalp. He wore a black tracksuit with a gray shirt that matched his gray eyes. With a wide grin, he waved at the two Imperial Kages before taking his seat near the pavilion and on the right of that snoring professor.

"Guess I'm not late today",he said, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Loud as always, Drakes."

She had walked in through a magic circle, teleporting herself in the middle of the room. Her ocean blue cardigan fluttered in the air along with her long black hair. Kim smirked as Damian's mouth hung open.

'She's.. she's..'

"Lady Miya, what a pleasure to see you again!",Professor Drakes said, him and the Kages standing up to offer their greetings to Lady Miya. She nodded at them before taking the vacant seat beside Professor Virion.

'You can close your mouth now.'

Dammy pushed his jaw up, still surprised.

'Miya san is the head of the taming art and the only human in this room.'

'The only? Really?'

Kim nodded.

'Professor Virion and his niece are white haired elves, Takashi is part wolf and Professor Drakes is a descendant of giants.'

"Am I the last one to come?"

He had appeared out of thin air; a tall man in a white, well pressed suit with a brown vest. Heads turned to him as he took his seat on the pavilion, his leather boots clacking on the glass floor.

"Greetings, President", the Kages and the professors said in unison placing a hand on their chests. Even professor Virion had woken up from his peaceful slumber.

That man was strong. Damian could feel it from the absence of his aura and the calmness of his features. His long auburn hair were tied back in a braid and he had a confident smile with sharp brown eyes that seemed to look right through one's soul.

'Behold, the president and the chairman of this academy, Sir Arthur Bladeheart.'

The ground rumbled under their feet. The vacant space in the center of the room began to glow with a bright gold luminosity. A large crystal globe came out of the glass floor, vines snaking around it but it was the one present inside it that made Damian gasp.

'Brother!'

Kim pulled the boy, covering his mouth with one hand. A single head turned towards them and Kim found his eyes locked with those sharp brown ones.