Chapter sixty nine

     The kid numbly accepted the cone of ice cream as if I was handing him the most precious thing in the universe, although close I don't think ice cream would occupy that spot so I concluded that the kid was still in shock . Then I heard the softest whisper coming from him.

               "You're him......you're Demonbane........the Demonbane..."

                 "I've been known by that name, most people just call me Tom, now what do I call you?"

                 "Anthony Ventus.... most people call me ant."

                  "Well I think that is more of an insult than a nickname, I'll just call you Tony, cool? Walk with me Tony, and don't forget to eat your ice cream, it's starting to melt and I'm pretty sure that wasted ice cream is a cardinal sin."

                   I just walked in the direction of Steelbender castle and Tony followed along eating his ice cream quickly, I think he took me seriously when I was talking about wasting ice cream being a sin.

                  "So Tony, what the hell was that back there? Why were those kids picking on you and why were you not fighting back?"

                  "They were picking on me because I wouldn't fight back and I wouldn't fight back because I wasn't allowed to fight back."

                 "What do you mean you weren't allowed to fight back, you aren't from one of those all pacifist monasteries or something are you?"

                  "Nothing that noble, I was told that I was not allowed to fight with any of the other kids in the academy because it might cause a negative impact on the relationships we foster carefully with the other families, at least that's what my older brother tells me."

                 "Well, I'm going to give you some advice , do you know Michael Steelbender? Well, he has a perfect phrase that I think could be a solution to your problem, you should tell your older brother to stuff it. What those kids were doing today will only get worse tomorrow , don't wait until you get seriously hurt before you act and if your brother cares for you at all he will understand," at that point we had already reached the front gate of the castle, " This is my stop. Goodbye Tony, I hope you find a good solution to your problem."

                   "Thank you Mister Demonbane , for saving me and for the advice you gave me, I'll think about it carefully."

                 After I finished talking to the kid I went into the castle. I liked Tony ,he seemed like a smart kid , he said he would think about my advice ,not act on it immediately which I found admirable. I hope he doesn't get hurt.

                  That night I was eating dinner with the entire Steelbender family plus Lidia ,when there was a sudden commotion outside. We all rushed out to see what was happening and outside the gates making a giant fuss was high adept Antonio Serafino. The moment he saw my face he gave a large bellow,

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                "You have some nerve doing that to my boy and showing your face in front of me!"

                 "Are you by any chance referring to one of the three fire mage boys that I sent home naked?"

                 "You admit it then? Why don't you stop picking on children and fight a real mage."

                  I stepped forward and started advancing towards the angry fire mage, "You know, you have my condolences, your boy is not only a poor excuse for a mage but also a poor excuse for a man, but I guess blood does really tell in the end."

                 "How dare you! You insolent swine I shall show you real magic, none of your parlor tricks!"

                  Suddenly a large stream of fire came my way but it was just as suddenly deflected by a shield that appeared halfway between me and him, "You think just because you know how to make pretty lights and some sparks it makes you a real mage ? No what that makes you is a one trick pony, predictable and ultimately just a bigger version of  your worthless son."

                  He intensified the stream of fire until the ground beneath him started to glow red and he started to sweat , but against a shield that was absolutely resistant to heat , it was useless.

                 "Now let me show you real magic."

                  A giant snake suddenly appeared and wrapped around the fire mage, restricting his movement and stopping his spell. He started breathing fire from his mouth but since the snake was one of my illusions it was completely unaffected.

                   "I want you to remember this feeling, this feeling of defeat and helplessness, of having your fate in somebody else's hands. I want you to remember this feeling when you think about being rude or condescending to me the next time we talk. I stopped your son and his friends because they thought it would be fun to burn the clothes off another kid's body while he was still wearing them, he is a bully, and I think you are too, but next time you get the impulse to mess with me or mine in some way remember I can end your life with a snap of a finger."

                 After making sure he got the message I made the snake disappear and he beat a hasty retreat from the castle, when I turned around everyone was looking at me in pure awe, there was complete silence in the courtyard, then both little Carlos and Michael simultaneously said,

                     "That was awesome !"