"Stop! I do know how to use this!" Principal Pine stretched out the golden staff with the orb attached at the end but kept his distance from the Molten Marauder, backing away.

With a bone-chilling glower, the Molten Marauder recoiled, surging back to the educational building. His colossal blade scraped against the wall, casting a trail of sparks as he charged like a tempest around the building. Overcoming the roar of the chaos, Principal Pine bellowed with an unbridled fierceness, the orb raised high towards the heavens.

A hypnotic, violet cyclone erupted around Principal Pine, the eye of this mystical storm. I saw the glow in his eyes, a vibrant purple pulse mirroring the swirling tempest, illuminating his path as he advanced undeterred towards the formidable Molten Marauder.

Suddenly, an iridescent beam, rivaling the intensity of a cosmic laser, erupted from the orb. The beam targeted the Molten Marauder with force so tremendous that it catapulted him straight through the building. The sturdy walls surrendered under the brutal impact, as the educational hall, once a symbol of tranquility and knowledge, gave way to the raw power, collapsing into a ruinous heap.

I cheered loudly after seeing the Molten Marauder cruise through the building, I thought for sure he was finished. But Principal Pine kept surveying the damage and sprinted towards the rubble. I couldn't believe a man his age could still run that fast. Professor Henderson rushed behind Principal Pine, and I emerged from behind the Unity Statue and kept a safe distance behind the two of them.

I felt like I had a front-row seat as Principal Pine began scaling on top of the mountain of debris. A layer of smoke clouded the destruction, but I saw a flaming hand shoot from the ground, like an angry zombie reaching through the surface. Principal Pine held out his orb again, but his posture slumped. His legs wobbled like cooked noodles as the Molten Marauder shot out of the ground. There was no way the Molten Marauder had space to move and jump, but somehow it launched itself at Principal Pine, and he wasn't ready. I had gotten close to Principal Pine, and I instinctually leaped at Pine and tackled him to the ground, Principal Pine wasn't prepared for an attack. The slice from the Molten Marauder narrowly went over our heads as the Molten Marauder landed on the other side. His armor had crumbled off, and I could see his massive upper body, chest, and abs appeared perfectly chiseled even though they were also a flow of lava.

Wendell! Give me the orb! Professor Henderson yelled. Principal Pine was out of breath but managed to whisper to me, "Rollie, please, throw this to Henderson."

Principal Pine handed me the orb, and I hurled it at Professor Henderson. I was slightly shocked hearing Principal Pine's first name and surprised at how heavy the staff was. It seemed like it wouldn't weigh that much, but it was like trying to throw a boulder. Nevertheless, I had a near-perfect aim, and Henderson caught it, but he recoiled backward and gasped. Professor Henderson fell to the ground.

I panicked. I didn't know what else to do, I checked back on the Molten Marauder, but he had his hand over his forehead.

"Halt! Cease! Venture no further! In tranquility, shall I leave thee, if only thou wouldst grant me the same courtesy!" the Molten Marauder shouted, glaring directly at me. The Molten Marauder took a few steps back and said, "Rothmirvigbaopbin."

It was gibberish to me, but he didn't break eye contact. Taking a few steps back, he looked up at the sky, and his wings emerged, dripping with molten rock. The Molten Marauder turned into an orange light and shot up into the air to the sky above. After a few seconds, the blood-red sky dispersed and returned to its usual sunset. Everything seemed restored except for the demolished educational building. I helped Principal Pine and Professor Henderson get back to their feet. They both had trouble walking, but Professor Henderson recovered the quickest. Principal Pine was utterly drained of energy. He couldn't form words.

"Rollie, let's take him to the medical hall," Professor Henderson said.

I nodded.

The three of us hobbled together, and Principal Pine was immediately taken to a room. On our way, a few students who stayed behind for spring break gathered outside and stared at the crumpled educational building. Their eyes bulged, and their jaws dropped.

"Don't worry, everyone. We all made it safely away from the educational hall. No one was hurt. The building was empty. Please return back to the dormitories, the situation has been handled," Professor Henderson said to them all.

In the medical hall, Ms. Susan took Principal Pine while Professor Henderson and I waited in the lobby. Neither of us said a word to each other, but I had a million questions. It didn't feel right to ask any of them as we waited for Principal Pine.

"Do you think Principal Pine is going to be okay?" I asked.

"Yes, of course." Professor Henderson nodded. "I just don't think his body is used to expending all that energy. I think it took him by surprise. There's something that's on my mind, though, that I can't stop thinking about."

"What's that?"

"The Molten Marauder said something before he departed. I believe it was an ancient language, but to be honest, I don't know of any ancient languages. Rothmirvigbaopbin. That's what he said. Any meaning to you?"

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I shook my head.

"Honestly, Rollie, I don't know what compelled you to join us, but I'm glad you did. That could have been really ugly. I feel like you saved Principal Pine."

I laughed uncomfortably. "I don't know about all that. I just did what I felt needed to be done. It was just like acting on an impulse, I guess."

"You're a good kid, Rollie. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Henderson gave a slight smile.

I wished other people felt that way, although my teachers at Attleton were pretty good about respecting me and my style. I still felt largely misunderstood, but I started to think that maybe I brought it upon myself. It was definitely my fault I didn't make the captain of the Dragonstryke team at the beginning of the year. Still, I had since done my best to improve my behavior. However, that mostly entailed being silent and being a dependable role-player.

Professor Henderson and I waited another hour in the lobby before Ms. Susan came out and guided us to Principal Pines's room. "I just gave him some rejuvenation potions and used magic from my health wand. He seems to be better and coherent, but I think he just needs some rest before he starts feeling normal again," Ms. Susan said.

Professor Henderson and I entered Principal Pines's room, and he was lying in bed, but he was upright, not a smile on his face.

"Wendell, hello, how are you feeling?" Professor Henderson asked.

"I'm feeling better, that's for sure," Principal Pine's voice was so weak it almost made me tear up. "Rollie, I am disappointed in you, however."

I felt attacked, I didn't know what to say, but I furrowed my brow.

"Wendell, what are you talking about? Rollie here saved your life," Professor Henderson said.

"I'm well aware. But Rollie, you did not listen to me when I told you to return to the Fyron Dormitory."

"I'm sorry, but that's preposterous!" Henderson snapped. "Rollie saved your life and did something that frightened off the Molten Marauder. You shouldn't be admonishing him, if anything, I feel like he should get a special medal or something."

Principal Pine didn't say anything.

"Did you hear what the Molten Marauder said before he left?" Professor Henderson asked.

Principal Pine shook his head. "I was on a pile of rubble. I didn't hear a word except for when he yelled stop."

"He said: Halt! Cease! Venture no further! In tranquility, shall I leave thee, if only thou wouldst grant me the same courtesy! And then he followed it up with this message: Rothmirvigbaopbin. Do you recognize that at all?"

Pine contemplated. "It sounds like it might be a gargoyle."

Henderson pointed a finger in the air. "Ah, yes. I should inquire with one of my gargoyle friends what the message could have been. I thought it may have been an ancient language, but I'm not familiar with any."

"Yeah, see what a gargoyle might have to say."

We stood there in a moment of awkward silence. Professor Henderson was bothered about something, though.

"I really think you should thank Rollie," Henderson said. "He saved your life, and probably my life, and the safety of the campus. The orb worked wonders and probably would have taken out the Molten Marauder with another blast, but you seemed pretty out of it after the first attack you dealt."

Pine closed his eyes tightly and opened them up. "Rollie, I appreciate what you did, don't get me wrong, but you disobeyed my request. That cannot be forgotten. Not only that, you witnessed an extremely sensitive event. I have in my position a mythological orb. The item we keep secret from students knowing is now known. It is confirmed, and I fear the consequences will be devastating."

"It's all right, I won't tell anyone. You can trust me, Principal Pine." I flapped my hand at him.

Principal Pine narrowed his eyes at me. "But it's possible that another student was watching from afar."

"Well, you can't blame me for that. You're the one who used the orb. I was just trying to help and make sure everything was okay." I'm glad I said that because Principal Pine pondered. Professor Henderson was also surprised to hear me talk to Principal Pine like that.

"Forgive me, Rollie, if I seemed calloused." Principal Pine put his hand over his chest. "Thank you for saving my life, but please, if you're ever in a situation like that again, and I tell you to leave, you leave. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." Principal Pine gazed at the ceiling and shook his head. "Just when I thought campus had returned to normal, we deal with another catastrophic issue."

Professor Henderson laughed dryly. "You're not wrong. It's been a hectic 2 years, that's for sure."

"Both of you may leave if you wish. I'd like to get some rest personally," Principal Pine said weakly.

Professor Henderson and I both nodded and left the room.

"Rollie," Henderson said in the hallway, "I will chat with my gargoyle friend and figure out what he knows about that farewell message. I'll let you know what I find out. Good luck with the up-and-coming Dragonstryke playoffs. Your team has certainly been quite impressive this year."

"Thanks, Professor Henderson."

Spring break passed by. I spent my days in the caverns of the practice field and studied in the Fyron lounge. Part of me hoped they would cancel school on Monday, but there were no plans to cancel.

As Sunday night came, my roommates returned to our suite, and I didn't say much to them other than say hello, but they wanted to hear all about what happened on campus the night the educational hall got destroyed, but I told them I didn't really know. I watched from the window and explained what the sky looked like, but that was it. After I was done, I climbed into my bed and listened to music with headphones on, trying to read and brush up for the final exams at the end of the month.

Mortimer and the others stayed in the common room, speculating about what had happened to the educational hall. I continued my seclusion, but Mortimer knocked on the door and entered our shared space.

"Hey, there's someone at the door to see you," Mortimer said.

"Who is it?"

"I think it might be your ex-girlfriend? You two aren't dating anymore, right?"

I took a deep breath, and it felt like my chest sank. My heart rattled. The last time we spoke was during our breakup. A big part of me still thought about her all the time. I didn't want to get my hopes up, though, whenever I saw her walking around campus with Orson, they were all smiles. And Orson was able to make her friends laugh. My jealousy was hard to control.

Going to our suite entrance, sure enough, Farrah was standing there, concerned. Part of me wanted to be mean, but another part of me wanted to be as kind as possible. Either way, I couldn't help but feel betrayed and upset standing a few feet away from her.

"Hey, I'm sorry to bother you," Farrah began, but I held out my finger. I could feel my roommates staring at us behind me.

"Let's go talk in the study lounge upstairs," I said.