When they arrived at the courtyard, the magical fluctuations from the array had intensified, and the air around them seemed to warp and distort. Dean Bruce kept a watchful eye on the array, his hand instinctively gripping his magical tool.
"Headmaster, could this be related to the events in Ghostly Valley?" Dean Bruce asked.
The headmaster paused for a moment in thought. "It's possible. Someone may have intentionally set this up."
At that moment, a beam of light shot up from the magical array, soaring into the sky. The light slowly began to coalesce into a hazy figure. Both Dean Bruce and the headmaster tensed, preparing for any possible attacks.
The figure gradually became clearer, revealing what appeared to be a young magician. However, there was something in his eyes—an ancient, weary presence.
"Good day. Sorry to interrupt," the young magician said, smiling, but his grin had a chilling quality to it.
"Who are you? Why have you created this magical array on our school's grounds?" the headmaster demanded.
The young magician chuckled lightly. "Who I am isn't important. What matters is that I've come to reclaim what is mine." As he spoke, his gaze fixed firmly on Dean Bruce.
Dean Bruce felt a shiver down his spine. "You mean the artifact? That was something we found for the school's assessment. We can't give it to you."
The young magician's expression darkened. "Hmph, it was mine to begin with. Taking it was an offense against me."
With that, he waved his wand, and the magical array flared with an even brighter light. Magical energy beams shot toward Dean Bruce and the headmaster. The headmaster quickly cast a defensive spell, and Dean Bruce immediately followed suit. Together, they held off the attack.
"Dean, we need to figure out how to break this array, or we'll be in serious trouble," the headmaster shouted.
Dean Bruce nodded, carefully studying the array's operation, trying to discern a pattern. Suddenly, he remembered the ancient book they had found in Ghostly Valley. It might contain information about this very magical array.
"Headmaster, I'm going to the library to find a book that might help us break the array. You hold him off for now!" Dean Bruce said quickly before turning and sprinting toward the library.
He burst into the library, quickly scanning the bookshelves for the ancient tome. At last, he found it in a corner, flipping through the pages as fast as he could. Sure enough, there were details on similar magical arrays and methods for neutralizing them.
Having memorized the necessary steps, Dean Bruce rushed back to the courtyard. By the time he returned, the headmaster was looking strained. The array's attacks had grown increasingly intense.
"Headmaster, I've found a way!" Dean Bruce shouted as he ran toward him.
He followed the method described in the book and cast a spell, attempting to disrupt the flow of magic within the array. The headmaster also joined in, focusing their attacks on the key points of the array.
With their combined efforts, the array's light began to flicker erratically, and the magical beams grew sparse. Seeing this, the young magician's face darkened, and his anger flared.
"You think you can ruin my plans?!" he shouted furiously, increasing the output of his magical energy.
However, Dean Bruce and the headmaster had already figured out the key to dismantling the array, and their attacks became more precise. With a loud explosion, the magical array finally collapsed, sending a powerful shockwave of magic outwards. Everyone was knocked back several steps by the force.
"Could this be the reason he believes the artifact belongs to his family?" Dean Bruce muttered to himself.
However, the tome didn't provide any details on how the family was betrayed or who the external forces involved were. Dean Bruce decided to share his findings with the headmaster, while also pondering whether it might be worth trying to communicate with the young magician and clear up the misunderstanding.
He went to the headmaster's office and relayed the contents of the ancient book. After hearing him out, the headmaster thought for a moment before responding. "It seems we'll need to approach this carefully. This young magician may not listen to our explanations. He's likely to only believe in the version of events he has already accepted as truth."
"Headmaster, I'd like to try to contact him. Perhaps we can clarify things and avoid further conflict," Dean Bruce said.
The headmaster looked at him with concern. "That's too dangerous. He's already shown a high level of aggression. If he doesn't listen to your explanation, you could be in serious danger."
"I'll be careful, Headmaster. I'll take all necessary precautions. But we can't keep defending passively like this," Dean Bruce said firmly.
The headmaster thought for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement. "Alright, but you must stay safe. If anything happens, use a magic signal to notify us immediately."
Dean Bruce began preparing to make contact with the young magician. Using a series of special magical rituals, he tried to establish a link with him. After some effort, he finally felt a faint connection.
"I hope this can be resolved peacefully," Dean Bruce silently prayed to himself.
Just as he was about to reach out and attempt communication with the young magician, an alarm suddenly blared through the school. Dean Bruce's heart sank. Could it be that the young magician was attacking the school again?
He rushed toward the source of the alarm and saw one of the school's academic buildings enveloped in a dark mass of magical energy. Students were fleeing the building in panic.
Dean Bruce cast a spell to disperse the dark magic and tried to approach the building to assess the situation. As he neared, he felt a familiar and powerful magical presence—it was the young magician's aura.
"Why are you attacking the school again?" Dean Bruce shouted angrily.
From the swirling dark magic came the young magician's voice. "You won't stop until you hand over the artifact!"
Dean Bruce's heart sank. It seemed that his chance to communicate had been lost. Another battle was about to begin. He quickly organized the teachers and students to evacuate while preparing himself to confront the young magician.
The young magician emerged from the dark magic, his eyes filled with fury and determination. "Today, you will return the artifact to me!"
Dean Bruce clenched his fists. "That artifact is for the school's assessment. We won't give it to you, and you may have misunderstood. We can talk this through."
"Hmph, there's nothing to talk about. Let's fight!" The young magician raised his wand and launched an attack.
Dean Bruce shook his head. He knew he couldn't engage in battle.
If he fought and lost, it would expose his lack of power.
Something that could not happen in front of the academy!
So, he looked at the young magician and said, "There's no need to fight. How about we try something a little different?"