The surrounding energy that held Aliana and Gaiza in ply got worse for them. Suddenly, a hidden library in the Headmaster's office suddenly revealed a secret passage. Emerging from the shadows, the Headmaster herself stepped out. She was followed closely by Elena.

  Her presence was anding and her gaze bore down on Aliana and Gaiza with a cold iy. She wasted no time in addressing Aliana's current state. “Oh dear. What is this? Aliana, you should know better than to push yourself. You should be resting after the disgraceful defeat you suffered."

  Aliana's icy blue eyes met the Headmaster's gaze without fear despite the magical restraints that held her in pce. "I'll rest when I've uncovered the truth, Headmaster. I won't allow the academy's as to go uioned any longer."

  Gaiza, though still uo move, stood by Aliana's side, her loyalty unwavering. She said nothing but tried to look strong for Aliana’s sake.

  The Headmaster's lips curled into a ptuous smile while looking at the Academy Princess. "Arrogant as always, I see. You always carried yourself with an air of superiority a you allowed yourself to be defeated by those mere children and Kintovar. It's quite the embarrassment, you know?"

  Aliana's jaw ched, but she refused to let the Headmaster's taunts shake her resolve. She had e to this frontation with a purpose. She smirked at the Headmaster ready to say something, but before she could respond, however, the Headmaster turned away dismissively.

  "I don't have time to deal with you now," she decred. "I have matters to attend to. Whatever your petty inquiries are is of no to me. "

  With a wave of her hand, the Headmaster's magitensified. She rendered Aliana and Gaiza pletely paralyzed. The magical restraints tightened leaving them uo move even a muscle.

  Aliana gritted her teeth in frustration. She felt the increased pressure of the Headmaster's magic. "Her magic has growronger," she muttered while straining to speak. "In the past, I could still move, even if it was nearly impossible….urgh! Darn it!"

  “Sleep, my child. Sleep in the grip of my power. When you move, go and cool off. You’ll be fine.”

  The Headmaster and Eleed leaving Aliana and Gaiza trapped in her office.The Headmaster made her way to the battlefield. Her arrival sent shockwaves through the area. The Mages who had been caught in the midst and the sisters, Roselle and Risebelle were struggling. They all turheir attention to her.

  Sylra, still on the ground could only wat helpless frustration as the proached. Arlysa now feeling her movements restricted by the lingering effects of the powerful energy, straio get a better view of the approag figure.

  Roselle and Risebelle, their thoughts ed by the memories of that which overpowered them right now. They felt a sense of dread wash over them ohey realized who had arrived. It was the Headmaster herself, the one responsible for the academy's as and their current predit.

  The Headmaster's yellowish aura glowed with an intimidating iy. She waved her hand, and Arlysa was forcefully pulled towards her. Arlysa's body moved untrolbly through the magical force, and she found herself caught by the ne the Headmaster's firm grip.

  The Headmaster's fierce gre bore into Arlysa's eyes, and she demanded, "Speak, Arlysa! What is happening here? You allowed the Magical barrier surrounding the Maractor to be disabled. If I hadn't e a moment sooner, it would have beeroyed. Expin yourself!"

  Arlysa, caught in the uing grip of the Headmaster, struggled to find her mouth that allowed her to speak which had her breath and all strained by the Headmaster's grasp. Her eyes darted between the Headmaster's intense gaze and the mages. She watched in tense silence.

  "I... I didn't... I didn't do it," Arlysa stammered."It wasn't me. Something or someone disabled the barrier! I was trying to stop it, but I couldn't."

  The Headmaster remaiern. Her yellowish gloirling around her body intimidatingly. "Expin yourself more clearly, Arlysa," she demanded, her tone unwavering.

  Arlysa struggled to find the right words before she tinued, "I was fighting against Roselle, Risebelle, and An. The barrier... it just started weakening on its own. I didn't have trol over it."

  The Headmaster's grip on Arlysa's ightened for a moment before she released her. For a moment, it looked like she was going to crush Arlysa’ neck. This caused her to stumble backward gasping for air.

  With her sharp mind processing the situation, began to piece together the puzzle before her. The sudden weakening of the magical barrier around the Maractor, coupled with the sisters' presend their abilities, raised suspis in her calg mind.

  "So, it seems you've acquired new abilities I see," the Headmaster mused aloud, her gaze shifting from Arlysa to the people of the Academy. "And this certain ability that allows you to tamper with magical barriers. Impressive."

  Her psychic power still radiated and her demeanor remained unyielding.

  Before the Headmaster could delve further into her thoughts, the mages began to address her. They trembled but mao speak up.

  One of the mages, a young woman with wide eyes mustered the ce to say words. "Headmaster, we... we don't know what happened, but An... he turned against us. He attacked the mages who came to back up Arlysa and Sylra. It was as if he had joined forces with the sisters."

  Ane, a man with a nervous disposition, added, "Yes, Headmaster, it was chaos out there. We couldn't believe our eyes. An, ae mage, attag his own rades! We need yuidan how to proceed."

  The Headmaster listeo their ats with a measured uanding. She already had many potential courses of a. An's ued betrayal was a plication she hadn't foresee wasn’t out of the realm of her possibilities.

  Just then, footsteps were heard as An made his appearance right infront of the Headmaster. His Appearance before the Headmaster startled those present. They all watched with curiosity as the Elite mage prepared to address the Headmaster.

  With his hands in his pockets, An gazed steadily at the Headmaster and spoke with a measured tone, "Headmaster, you don't o search too far for me. I'm right here."

  The Headmaster regarded An with a calg gaze. She was still radiating with Authority. She ined her head slightly, signaling for him to proceed.

  An took a deep breath and then held up a letter within his hands, "I have one question to ask you before I submit my official resignatioer."

  With a mischievous look in his eye, he looked at the Headmaster and asked, "Headmaster, if a fire mage and a water mage got into a fight, who do you think would win? The one who create fire or the one who trol water?"

  The ued questiohe area in a brief moment of fusion. strained mages exged bewildered ghe Headmaster's stern gaze slowly transformed into one of disbelief.

  She sighed heavily, her patience wearing thin. "This is no time fames, An," she retorted sharply. "This is a serious matter."

  An smiled as he tered, "Headmaster, sometimes, it's the seemingly trivial questions that reveal the most about a person's perspective. So, I'll ask again, who do you think would win in a fight between a fire mage and a water mage?"

  The Headmaster's wavered and for a moment, she seemed taken aback by An's persisten asking su unusual question. The immobilized mages looked towards the exge with curiosity, unsure of where this was leading to.

  With a measured tohe Headmaster finally responded, "In a hypothetical battle between a fire mage and a water mage, the oute would depend on various factors, including the skill and experience of the mages, the enviro in which the battle takes pce, and their ability to adapt to ging circumstances."

  An nodded, seemingly satisfied with her respohank you, Headmaster," he said with a hint of amusement. "I believe that answers my question."

  The Headmaster's patience was clearly wearing thin, and she demanded, "Now, An, stop with these trivial questions ao the point. What is the purpose of ynatioer, and why are you standing here before me as if you want to oppose me!?"

  An's mischievous demeanor shifted. He now spoke with a serioushat drew everyone's attention. "Headmaster, I've chosen tn from the academy because I o longer support the as and decisions that have been made. The capture and execution of stists, the mistreatment of magicless individuals, the pursuit of gaining power at any cost... I o longer be a part of it."

  The Headmaster's response was cold and unwavering. She looked directly into An's eyes and then spoke with authority

  "An, you seem tet the gravity of your situation," she stated firmly while her face turo a scowl. "Resignation from the academy is not a simple matter. It carries a price, a priay not fully prehend. Tn means to sever ties with the academy, and in doing so, you choose a path that leads to oe: death."

  Her words hung in the air and they filled everyoh fear. Those even thinking about trying to stop her quickly lost all of their morale.

  The Headmaster tinued, "If you pn to go against the academy by aiding those children, then you have chosen your own fate. The academy does not tolerate betrayal, and it will not hesitate to enforce its rules."

  An, uerred by the Headmaster's warning, met her gaze with a smug look. "Headmaster, I've made my choice," he decred. "I’m not going to just stand by and dohe academy's as any longer. Sorry fat dy, but An is out of here."

  The Headmaster fred up with a dazzling dispy of energy. She unleashed power that seemed to engulf the etlefield. Her body pulsed and her aura expanded creating an otherworldly presehat made everyone who seen it quiver oh the feeling of the level she was at right now.

  With a mere thought, she summoned her magical on—a staff with a gleaming crystal orb at its tip, which crackled with psychiergy. The staff materialized in her hand, and she held it with a firm and anding grip.

  She adjusted her robes with a graceful motiotire seemed to shift which reflected the iy she brought to the battlefield. Her garments now gained psychic patterns that glowed with ahereal light.

  The headmaster held a maion of her psychic power around her. It tio expand and covered the etlefield like an ominous shroud. It reached the location where Roselle stood, holding the unscious Runebelle on her back. Roselle's wide-eyed disbelief was met with the Headmaster's stern gaze.

  “N-No way…!”

  "You are now within my aura," The headmaster decred. "And within my aura, your as are subjey trol."

  With a andiure, the Headmaster pointed her hand towards An. She thrusted her hand in his dire and a surge of psychiergy rippled through the air. An was sent flying as if struck by an invisible force, blood spewing from his mouth as he was hurled backward.

  "You are all uimating what happens to those who betray me," she admonished, her gaze shifting from one strained mage to another. "Defiance will not be tolerated. The academy's principles are absolute, and those who oppose them will face the full extent of my wrath. You need a reminder of who rules this Isnd!"

  "I see why Kintovar warned us about fighting her," Risebelle said from on the side of Roselle. It was rare to see but Risebelle looked afraid. She g Roselle who carried the unscious Runebelle on her back. "No matter how strong we've bee, there are forces in this world that are beyond our current abilities... I don’t think we’ve got a prayer here against that level of magic … We would be idiots to try and take that on by ourselves…"