A meeting with the headmaster

As you awoke you saw a note with the Ash Forest seal on it tied to your crow’s leg. Sighing you reached for the note. Reading it quickly you dragged yourself into the shower before you made your way to the headmaster’s office.

You yawned as you knocked on his door and entered upon hearing a “Come in.” from the other side. Closing the door as you entered you sat down in a chair in front of the headmaster before he spoke again. “Its been a while Nathan how are your classes coming along?” You yawned before replying “My classes are fine I have A’s all of my classes except Dr. Haas’s class but I think he just doesn’t like me.” You shrugged

“Good good thats great what about friends have you made any yet?” The headmaster said he continued filling out paperwork. You smiled before replying. “I have a girlfriend already.” Caught off guard the headmaster looked up immediately before smiling. “Well I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried when you first arrived about making friends but I see my concerns were not warranted however there is some important business we need to discuss.” He said setting aside his paperwork.

“Have you been hiding anything from me Nathan?” The headmaster said inquisitively. You looked around contemplating your options on the once hand you try and lie but then again he was one of the few you trusted here on campus aside from Harmony. Sighing you took out your pocket watch before setting it onto his desk.

“I guess you want to know but don’t tell anyone but I created and unlocked time magic.” The headmaster looked you in the eye looking for any signs of deception and finding none examined the watch opening it and examining it before closing it and handing it back to you. “Show me.” He said. Asking for his hand and a pen you clicked your watch freezing time before demonstrating the same way you did with Harmony using the pen that you weren’t lying. Before clicking your watch again and putting it away. The headmaster gestured for you to hand over the pocket watch reluctantly you did. The headmaster clicked watch but nothing happened. “It appears the watch is only a tool for you to channel time magic good.” He said before handing it back to you.

The headmaster seemed surprisingly relaxed about it before continuing. “I knew something was wrong the minute William Patterson was in the nurse’s office for a beating with no explanation aside from talking to you seconds before he was beaten.” The headmaster leaned back into his chair before speaking. “Anything else you would like to share Mr. BlackThorn?”

You considered saying that was all before you lifted up your shirt and channeling mana made the red sigil appear on your stomach. “This is gonna take a while to explain but I hear voices, have painful memories and other horrible memories unless I maintain this sigil. However lately its been acting up my temper has gotten shorter, I am starting to have nightmares now and I can’t walk around without hearing his laughter.”

The headmaster’s eyes narrowed before he spoke. “Who’s laughter specifically Nathan?” You only sighed before replying. “The old bastard my father.” You scowled with anger evident in your voice. Concerned the headmaster looked over the sigil in amazement before summoning an owl. “Get Dr. Price in here right away tell her its urgent.” the headmaster said as the owl flew out a window.

The headmaster looked over the sigil before Dr. Price came running in. “I came as soon as I heard whats wrong?” She said concern evident in her voice. The headmaster quickly explained the situation to Dr. Price before she too was examining the red sigil on yours stomach.

“I have never seen nor heard of a sigil such as this the fact that you are even alive is groundbreaking Mr. BlackThorn!” You stared at Dr. Price confused before she spoke. “Remember how one of the first rules I gave you when writing sigils was to never apply one on a human being? Well the reason being that the sigil could potentially strain a person’s mana to the point it kills them unless it was time based sigil like the timer sigils I use. But this sigil is something I never even thought possible much less witnessed in my years as the head of the enchantment department.”

After a few more minutes of scrutiny and questioning eventually Dr. Price applied a another sigil just below the red sigil before before it burned itself onto your skin causing you some discomfort only for the sigil to turn red as well before fading completely with the other sigil.

Amazingly the voices, the discomfort and the laughing stopped. “Remarkable truly remarkable it appears that this sigil has been on your person for a number of years Mr. BlackThorn tell me when did you first discover it?” Dr. Price said as she began frivolously taking notes.

“I um discovered it when I was ten before then the voices and laughing were all that I dealt with and then after watching someone tighten a sigil I copied it and then it stopped for the first time in years my mind was quiet.”

The headmaster and Dr. Price looked sad as you finished before the headmaster spoke breaking the silence. “Well Mr. BlackThorn things have become only more complicated with the reveal of your sigil does anyone else know about it?” You replied “Aside from Harmony no and I know she wouldn’t tell anyone at least willingly.” Smiling the headmaster patted you on the shoulder before speaking once again. “Thats all that I needed to here you may go now Mr. BlackThorn.”

With those words you exited the door leaving Dr. Price and the headmaster along in his office. “Well Dr. Price did you see what I saw?” Dr. Price’s grim expression said it before she spoke. “A containment sigil and that red sigil only one person was capable of that caliber of sigil.” It appears we may have finally found a clue as to your sister’s disappearance.” The headmaster stated before snapping his fingers.

A black cloaked humanoid figure rose from the floor without a sound. “Follow Mr. BlackThorn do not let him see you and only intervene if his life is at risk.” The hooded figured nodded before descending into the stone floor it had emerged from. The headmaster hoped he was just overreacting but he couldn’t take the chance not when the stakes were so high.