It was as if the magical flood gates had opened. Baren’s power had been unlocked, then the very next day Mary came out with her own. She was through the door with her usual straight face. Vareth had begun to change up the order of emotions, he would surprise the student. He said it would help the body to instinctively unlock its power easily. This time it was also fear which unlocked the power. Mary was pressed against a corner, a flood of spiders flowing patrolling the maze that was laid out in front of her. They finally saw her, they climbed over one another to get to her but when the got close she disappeared. The tiny creatures stopped in puzzlement and then disappeared as Vareth ceased the simulation. Vareth was grinning again, as was everyone else but Lark. His face was a stony frown, he fumed at the idea that everyone would unlock there power before him. Than his attention moved to Blaze. Mary appeared, for once her face was lit up with a grin. Vareth moved over to congratulate her, and she disappeared again. But this time Vareth disappeared as well. Mary appeared again, Vareth’s face creased with puzzlement. “Sir? What just happened?” Asked Blaze. “It seems that Mary’s power has a supportive characteristic to it. The best way to describe it is Mary creates an invisible bubble, which hides anyone inside. Interesting,” Replied Vareth. “As before, the longer Mary decides to hold this power, the more strain she will put on herself. Okay, Blaze please ente the room.” Blaze stepped through the door. This was his fifth time inside, and he was ready. Initially Blaze had thought it would take weeks to unlock their power, but it seemed it was faster than initially thought. Blaze couldn’t help but feel exited, one afte the other Baren and Mary had unlocked their powers. Why couldn’t he? He entered the rooom, nothing but blank landscape stretched ahead of him. He had experienced fear twice, the first time with his family, second  was a scene where he was in a cage at the bottom of the ocean. He had experienced happiness and sadness, and the most recent was excitement. Now the room took on a deep red tinge, which he could only guess meant anger. He room flickered and Blaze saw a man before him, the same man who had killed his family. But as Vareth concentrated the image disappeared as he kept his word to not show any of those memories. Instead an image of Marthen popped up, and Blaze felt his face frown in anger and resentment. But just as the image began to move the Academy bells rang, shattring Vareth’s concentration, and in turn the image. Blaze sighed, so much for his turn. He exited through the door, just as Vareth was dismissing the class. As Blaze turned to leave he class he heard Vareth. “Blaze and Lark please stay a moment.” Reluctantly they both turned around and headed towards their teacher. “As I was one of the headmasters that surveyed your ‘encounter’, I know all about it. I do not tolerate this behaviour and am warning you that no further contact of this nature should be made. Do you both understand?” Chided Vareth. Blaze and Lark nodded their heads. “Dismissed,”

 Blaze walked down the hallway towards his room, it was early and no one was walking through the halls, but it didn’t matter. That just meant there was no one talking next door and he could read his book. It was a large book Vareth had given the class, it outlined many diffferent symbols and their sounds that they needed to learn to read the Academy’s books. It was a different writing language, it was meant to be universal and every student, no matter their origin, had to learn it. Every other book in the library was in this language. But as he went to unlock the door he was punched in the shoulder, he was knocked off balance but he still managed to turn around. But that only succeeded in letting him receive a punch to the gut and a second to the nose. Blaze had had worse when he was caught stealing, so he powered through and blindly threw his own fist, managing to clip his attacker on the side of the head, the attack stopped for a second and he had a second to calm his dizzy head. Then a leg came forward and slammed into his knee, buckling his leg and making him fall to the ground. Blaze then took a knee to the head dazing him again, his vision became blurry as he looked up at the face of his attackers. It was only then that he realised there were two of them. Lark and Marthen, “Search him,” demanded Lark as he leaned over to look at Blaze. “Wrong decision crossing me, and my new friend Marthen here,” gloated Lark as Marthen emptied his pockets. Not that he had anything. “I should have guessed, smug spoilt boys tend to stick together,” Blaze sneered back. But that only allowed another blow to land on his head. Blood dropped down into his eye, tinging his sight with a red haze. “Nothing is here, wait, our little baby has a picture of his mummy,” teased Marthen as he triumphantly pulled out the one thing he didn’t want them to find. It was an artistic sketch of his parents, his parents hadn’t been poor, but they weren’t rich. They could buy a sketch but couldn’t but a manor or the most glorious dress. “You like this?” Asked Lark, taking it and waving it in front of his face. Blaze nodded dazed, “Then don’t tell anyone.” Blaze didn’t dare, he had always had a fear of forgetting who his parents were, what they looked like, and what they meant to him. Even if it meant keeping quiet. “It’s only a little bit of blackmail, just stay quiet and you can have it back.” They left, but only after warning him one more time that he couldn’t tell anyone. Blaze smiled as he watched Marthen accidentally drop the picture. He crawled over and slipped the picture back into his pocket before laying on the ground. Blaze lay in half consciousness until Caren went to unlock his room across the hall from Blaze’s. He saw him lying there and ran to get help.

Blaze sat with his hand to his head, he had woken up from the hospital with a bandage around his head. Blaze had then been straight to the headmaster’s room. All five of them were there. As well as Marthen and Lark, Blaze did not remember telling Caren that it was them, but he must have as he slipped through consciousness. “Well, Blaze, could you please tell us what happened.” Said Vareth, each word like a hammer against his head, bringing his mind back to the present. “Sir, Marthen and Lark attacked me while I was going to my room,” Blaze managed to say through the burning hammer in his head. “What do you an Marthen have to say in your defence,” replied Vareth calmly, although his eyes burned into Lark. “We didn’t do it,” said Marthen, without giving anything away. “What do you think of this?” Asked Vareth to his other four headmasters. “Marthen is in the Sharks, although we haven’t had him for long, I don’t believe he would do this, but I didn’t believe ave that they did it last time. And Blaze has the bruises to prove it,” answered Morwa. “Is there any evidence that this happened, any witnesses?” Asked Skel, always one to study the facts. “As I said before I was heading to my room, I get their early so no one was around,” Blaze managed to wince. “And may I ask the reason for going so early?” Replied Skel. “I like to read the book Vareth gave us,” Garkot remained passive and quiet through the whole encounter. “I saw we give Lark and Marthen their, second warning, if there is any more troubles concerning them and Blaze they should get an extra harsh punishment. We can’t punish them directly as there is no evidence.” Xar chimed in. “Agreed,” Said Vareth. Blaze looked on angrily, no evidence, his bloody face was evidence enough. The rest of the high ranking teachers applied their agreement. “Dismissed,” Said Vareth. But as the three students walked out Vareth followed them. “Marthen, I wish to never see you in this room again. Now leave,” Martehn scuttled away while Lark and Blaze stayed. “Lark, it was only this morning that I said to stay away from Blaze. Why have you done this?” Demanded Vareth. Lark smirked, “But Sir, I didn’t do it.” Vareth stared furiously but waved him off. Then his face softened slightly when he and Blaze were alone. He put one hand on his shoulder. “I don’t like violence, but being defenceless is worse. I suggest a book in the martial arts section. Read it and learn, or don’t. You never heard that from me.” Vareth Said before moving back through the door. Blaze made sure to pick up the book on the way back.