Daneel immediately tried to jump to the right, but he was just too slow. The destructive ball that had fire at the center with electricity crackling all around it made its way toward him, as if to mark his inevitable demise.
A bald man with a strong back suddenly stepped out of the space in front of him. He was wearing the clothes of a lumberjack, with a leather coat and grey trousers. For some reason, seeing this visage made Daneel feel safe.
The man simply waved his arm and the ball was deflected, impacting a tree a few feet away where no one was present.
The explosion that followed shocked Daneel. Just the shock wave made him fall on the ground, bewildered as he felt his hair being buffeted by the pure waves of destructive force.
It had been a tree so thick that 2 men would have been required to hold it, and there was now nothing left it.
Only the grim, burnt shape of the tree was present which collapsed into dust from the wind. The ground itself was scorched and there seemed to be a static electricity in the air, making the hair on everyone's hands stand up.
The man bent his head, gazing at the lawn where all the kids sat. One kid, with tanned skin and torn clothes, screamed before being lifted off the ground. Something seemed to be pressing down on him from all sides, which made him undergo a grotesque transformation.
His legs and hands grew in front of their eyes, causing blood and skin to quickly wither and fall. His head became larger, morphing into that of a man.
Eventually, a fully grown man in torn clothes that were threatening to burst was in the air, bleeding from almost every inch of his skin.
"Glory be to Axelor!", he screamed with anguish and pain on his face, before his body started to burst apart. An ominous feeling was felt in the air as Daneel was reminded of suicide bombers back on Earth.
The man who had just appeared simply flicked his hands and a visible, transparent bubble appeared around the kid who had just morphed into a man. Time seemed to stop in that bubble, as the disintegration and possible explosion of the man's body was stopped in its tracks.
Stopping time! This was such a legendary power that Daneel had thought it wouldn't be possible no matter how much one trained. Although it was only in a small area, Daneel was awed by this tremendous display of power.
The ball immediately vanished in the air before the man turned towards Daneel.
"Good thing I recently developed a clone, otherwise a young man of such incredible talent would have been taken from my kingdom. Daneel, isn't it?", he asked, stretching out his hand.
The man had strong, blocky features with dark skin. Although he was bald, a short beard was around his mouth, somehow accentuating the ruggedness in his image. His shoulders and back were huge, more than half as wide as Daneel was tall.
Daneel shook his hand in a daze.
"That was a spy from the neighboring kingdom of Axelor. Using forbidden techniques, one's age can be reversed while maintaining their power albeit at the extreme cost of one's lifespan. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself! I am Kellor, court mage of the Kingdom of Lanthanor. My magic exists to protect the people of Lanthanor, be they commoners or nobility. I report only to the king, and he is the only one in this kingdom who can command me. Kid, it is nice to meet you.", he said.
It was the fabled court mage! A man above all in the kingdom but below only one!
Daneel had heard of the stories. The court mage's journey in magic was a peculiar one. He had been a woodcutter, who loved his work. With years and years of concentration and constant honing of his techniques, he had learned by himself how to control and coax wood elementary particles to give way to his ax.
A passing mage had seen this phenomena and been shocked. Then 23 years old, the wood cutter was immediately taken to the kingdom and tested for comprehension. He had an incredible Crimson level comprehension that awed everyone!
Since then, the previous court mage had groomed him before going out into the world after leaving him in his stead. He still wore the clothes of a lumberjack because that was what he was most comfortable in.
Known as the second strongest man in the kingdom, he was said to be wise. Yet, he was not strong enough to oppose the king's wishes, he could only comply with them.
Seeing Daneel still staring at him as if he had seen a ghost, Kellor chuckled before turning to the kid who was glowering at the side and saying, "Showing off again Laravel? Didn't I tell you to take the test in the palace? Why are you here?".
The kid had been staring at Daneel with a harsh glare. Hearing the court mage's words though, his expression quickly turned into one of fear.
"Mr. Kellor, I was just taking a walk and wanted to check out the test. I'll take my leave now.", he said, before immediately turning around with his whole retinue and leaving. His back though, seemed to be shaking and Daneel felt that the story between them wasn't over.
The man who had placed the bet before also turned around and tried to leave but try as he may, his legs seemed to be rooted to the ground. Understanding why, he turned around and bowed to Kellor before leaving the bag of Gold Lans on the ground.
"You won that money kid. I was watching your performance. It does feel good to oppose and smack people like these in the face, but be cautious, making enemies is not wise. This kid though is not one you need to worry about. He's just a little too concerned about his face. He had 2 hours to see the same scenes in the palace but still he chose to come here and show off. I should teach him a lesson, but that's the King's job, seeing as how he is his son after all.", he said in a low voice that only Daneel could hear.
Daneel nodded before walking up to the bag and retrieving it. It was very heavy, and Daneel did not regret challenging the prince. For once, he just could not be bothered about the consequences. As for being cautious? If the court mage knew that he could show Gold potential and give everyone a heart attack but still chose a pseudo-legendary potential, he would definitely shut his mouth and not speak about caution anymore.
After Daneel's return, the man stretched out his arms as if to welcome him and said,
"Welcome to the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor!"