It has been three days since the incident, and everyone could still feel the tension in the air, waiting for the tightly stretched tightrope to snap at any given moment. The principal had dealt with the imminent fallout; Christopher was expelled for magic abuse, an unprecedented action that baffled all the students.

Jack, however, had been put under tight supervision; his every movement was watched closely like an eagle eyeing its prey.

The school’s reputation has taken a serious hit.

Christopher’s expulsion angered the public. Students like him, rare and powerful, were hard to come by.

While Christopher had overstepped, the public was outraged at the school for choosing to side with Jack, a non-magic person.

The public has shown its message; those who were gifted were valued, and those who were not were thrown away.

***

In one lesson, Jack struggled to focus; his mind was thinking about what happened a few days ago. He couldn’t remember anything after Christopher used his magic on him. The principal had questioned him, but his memory was hazy.

“Jack. Jack.” The teacher called out on him, but it barely registered in his ears.

“Mr Oat!” The teacher raised her voice.

“Huh?” Jack snapped out of it, “Yes?” Jack replied with a nervous tone.

“There is a person who wants to speak with you in Test Room 2. Please go there immediately."

Jack obliged, standing up. His classmates watched him leave the room, and he could hear them whispering under their breath as he walked past them.

As he slowly walked toward Test Room 2 an uneasy feeling washed through his mind. Something wasn't right; his instincts were telling him.

“This is getting really weird.” He thought to himself.

Arriving at Test Room 2, he noticed a figure leaned against the door, wearing casual clothes rather than his usual tuxedo.

“Sir, what are you doing here?” Jack asked, scratching his head.

“It appears that due to the recent event that you were involved in, a few governing officials are demanding to meet you. That being said, I am here to accompany you as part of my responsibilities as the principal of this school. Don’t worry; your parents have been informed about this meeting. Shall we begin?"

Jack nodded.

The principal opened the door, revealing two gentlemen standing near a table. Both of them were wearing black suits. The black hair agent was checking his tablet while the brunet agent was preparing his computer on the table.

“Good morning, it’s nice to see you again, Cygam. It's been a few years since the last time we met. How is your life on the other side?" The black-hair agent greeted the principal, shaking his hand.

“Good morning to you too, Shadow. To be honest, there are ups and downs. On the plus side, I can see what future generations are capable of."

“Well, even if you have the greatest power, it will be useless if you don’t have discipline. You just expelled a student for using magic on another student, right?"

“Yes, Mr. Christopher has been warned multiple times before. But because of his rarity, he thought he was invincible from any kind of repercussions. But not even him can run away from their own consequences." Cygam remarks on the recent event.

“Alright." Shadow turned to Jack, gestured to him to come inside.

Walking inside, he saw the brunet greet Cygam before turning his sight towards Jack.

“Good morning, Jack. First of all, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Orzair, and this is Shadow. We are from the government in the branch of Unusual Magic Activities. You have been called here because you have developed your magic at a very late stage. So today we will conduct some tests to detect any form of anomaly that is inside you. Do you understand?"

Jack nodded, at this point, that was all he was capable of doing.

“Very well, then let us proceed with the test." Orzair moved to the table, leaving Shadow to lead the test.

“So let’s start with the basics. Can you tell me your name, age, and the last time your magic power was tested?"

“My name is Jack Oat; I’m 17 years old; I was 3 when I was tested."

“Ok, the next question is: Do you remember what happened during your altercation with Mr. Christopher?”

“I’m sorry,” Jack shook his head. “The only thing I remember is right before the fireball was about to hit me."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Very well, let's continue," Shadow said as he wrote on his tablet.

Orzair monitored Jack intently, his eyes sharp on every movement as Jack underwent the magical test. The first test is the spell-casting test. While Jack managed to do the perfect enchantment, sadly, nothing happened.

Unfortunately, this pattern repeated on each and every other test. The medical test ended with failure. Elemental yields zero result. Summoning? It was another disappointment.

By the end of the test, Jack was utterly drained. He slumped, his expression a mix of annoyance and fatigue. But Orzair reassured him that he expected this to happen.

“No need to be annoyed, Jack; I expected this to happen. Now for the final test. Please choose one of the following items." Shadow gestured to the table in front of him.

The table was filled with a collection of items, a set of knives, a yoyo, and a deck of cards.

Standing in the corner of the room, the principal observed Jack’s actions closely.

Without hesitation, Jack reached for the deck of cards and held it firmly.

“A deck of cards, eh? Tell me, Jack, what made you choose the cards.” Shadow question as Orzair scribbles on the same tablet.

“It felt like the cards were calling out to me." Jack was seen running his thumb on the edge of the cards.

"Alright then, can you do something with the cards?"

Jack fiddled with the cards, his awkward movement showed his inexperience. As his left hand touched the card, four pieces shot out from the group, hovering around him, waiting for his command.

Surprised, he swung his left arm, and the card followed his movement. He froze for a moment before carefully moving his arm. The card mimicked his movement precisely as it was an extension of his arm. His expression deepened as reality sank in; he could control the card.

The cards moved freely around Jack; their movements were fluid and seemed mostly out of this world. Then, one by one, it fell to the ground. Orzair and Shadow exchange puzzled glares; Jack showed no sign of fatigue.

"Is everything alright, Jack? Do you feel hurt or something?" Orzair asked. But Jack stayed silent, ignoring his question altogether. Orzair moved closer to Jack, noticed the boy was in a daze and looking at his fingers. He noticed something. His left eye was twitching.

Reaching for the boy, he tapped on his shoulder.

"Huh?” Jack came back to his sense, seeing Orzair looking straight at him; confusion was seen on the boy's face. “Is something wrong?" He questioned.

"Are you ok, Jack?" He put his arm around the boy, checking for any physical changes. "You've been quiet for quite a while; we thought something had happened," Orzair said as he removed his hand from Jack.

"Oh no, it's just..." Jack's gaze fell on his left hand. "I was thinking. What is this? I have never read anything like this in any book. Something is off, I'm sorry. I want to stop. Please." he begged.

Orzair’s gaze shifted to Cygam, waiting for an answer. The principal nodded, signalling that he agreed with Jack's request.

“Very well, Jack; you may return to your classroom. Now please take it easy, sometimes we need to understand why this is happening." he was patting Jack on the shoulder and trying to cheer him up. "Just keep your heads up, you still have a lot of time in front of you. Unlike that ugly geezer at the table there." Orzair was pointing at Shadow.

"Oi, we are the same age, bastard," Shadow showed his fist. Orzair laughed at Shadow, who was completely livid.

Jack remained silent and proceeded to leave the room. As he left, Cygam looked at Ozair. “You’re thinking of the same thing, right?"

“Yes, if the theories were true, that means Jack would be in huge trouble. It’s better to inform the higher-ups about this situation." Orzair informed as he closed his tablet.

“You also feel it too, right, Orzair." Shadow rose from his seat, roaming around the room. "The boy’s magic level is unreadable, but he was emitting a huge amount of aura. I was surprised that this place did not even crack with the pressure alone." Shadow was running his finger on the walls.

“That’s true. The last time I felt that kind of pressure was when we were tasked with destroying that demon pillar years ago. I will inform the church to be ready at a moment's notice."

"One thing that I don't understand is why Jack decided to stop. Isn't he supposed to be happy that he finally had magical capabilities?" Shadow placed his finger on his chin.

"I believe he had his reason, but he must be examined more carefully next time."

A portal opened, and Orzair and Shadow walked through it.

“Let's meet again in better situation.” Orzair waved his hand to Cygam.

“Sure." Cygam returned the gesture.

As the portal closed, Cygam was seen holding his cane as he walked out of the room. He reached out his hand for the door, and it glowed, a blue pentagram appeared at the door. Placing his right hand to the pentagram, he commanded.

"Release!”.

The room shook violently, the glass windows cracked, and a few vases were shattered. The principal stayed calm and waited for the storm to end. Suddenly, a crack appeared before the ground sunken on the same spot where Jack was last standing.

"My god." The principal inspected the damages.

"He managed to do this much damage at this barrier level, huh. I better contact her to investigate further. Also, someone needs to fix this."

He closed the door and left an 'out of commission' sign on the door handle.

***

A tall figure sat on a throne, dressed in a full dark attire and wearing an animal skeleton necklace that gleamed under a dim light. His piercing gaze bore down on a man kneeling before him, his clothes tattered and his body bruised.

“So, what did you say happened, Christopher?” The figure asked, his voice cold and measured.

“I already told you, the fucker was shielded by a deck of cards; are you gone deaf after all this time?” Christopher spat back.

The figure's expression darkened, and with a switch motion, he kicked him in the stomach, forcing the air from his lungs.

Collapsed, Christopher silently grunted in pain.

“Now, now, no need to be rude.” The figure said, his tone dripping with mockery. “Perhaps you need some time to think in your room." He gestured at the two assassins. Both of them stepped forward, gripping and dragging him toward a separated chamber.

The figure leaned back on his throne, toying with the skeletal necklace around his neck. “Call the assassins. Tell them it’s time; the Lord is returning." His lips twisted in a sinister smile. “It’s about time you show up, my dear. We had unfinished business to settle.