Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Zeph, Lili, and Ivy walked into their classroom. Class 3-V was on the third floor. The 3 on the door indicated that it was a third-year class. All classes on the third floor were. The V meant that it was the class focused on students who wanted to become valir. There were several other classes on the floor. They were categorized by the types of students that attended. 3-M classes were for mages, and 3-W classes were for warriors. These classes were further broken down by the letters A through C. The A through C was only used to separate the students into more manageable groups, instead of separating them by talent or grades. The class across the hall from theirs was class 3-WA. It seemed like warrior students were a rowdy bunch, because Zeph could hear them making a lot of noise.

The only class that had extra requirements, on top of what the school required for admission, was the 3-V class. It was the only valir prep class in the middle school, and the students needed to have top marks in both magic and physical fitness to qualify. Kids in this class may not be able to cast tier one spells, but they were closer than any of the other kids in school. Zeph, Lili, and Ivy never took the placement exam for this class, nor did they ever attend the school before. So when they entered the room, everyone was surprised to see them.

No one expected the three strangers to show up. In fact, everyone in the class at least recognized one another from either the exam or classes from previous years. They were the elite of the middle school, and seeing three new kids show up out of nowhere caused a few of them to scoff. Some of them thought Zeph and the girls entered the wrong room.

A haughty looking girl with dark blue hair walked over to the trio and before they make their way over to some seats. "Excuse me, but I think you three have the wrong classroom. This is for valir students only."

Zeph looked at the girl. Definitely, a kid that was used to getting her way. She was arrogant and condescending. 'Another cliché,' Zeph thought. He sighed, and then looked at her. "We're in the right class. So, if you don't mind please move aside and let us through."

The girl was annoyed at the dismissive sigh and surprised at what the boy said. "I don't remember seeing you three in the entrance exam." She didn't move aside.

Zeph held his arm out and stopped Lili from walking forward. He was pretty sure he knew what she was about to do, and he didn't want to ruin their first impression. "That's because we didn't take the exam. Now if you don't mind, I think I see a window seat over there with my name on it." Instead of waiting for her to move, Zeph just walked passed the girl. Ivy and Lili followed.

Most of the students were amused by the little event, but a couple looked angry. One boy got out of his seat to block their way. "I don't like your attitude," he said to Zeph. "You should apologize to Ms. Avery." The boy cracked his knuckles and tried to look intimidating.

"Avery?" Zeph looked at the boy curiously.

The girl walked up from behind the group and joined the boy in front of them. "That's right Ashley Avery," she said and patted the boy's shoulder. "Thank you Jasper"

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Zeph tilted his head.

Surprise swept across the room. Ashley looked at him like he was a bug. "Avery, as in the distinguished Avery clan." She could see recognition in Zeph's eyes. "I see you understand your place now."

Zeph chuckled condescendingly at the girl and boy in front of him. "I understand why you act like a spoiled brat now." He laughed a bit louder. "It's funny that you think that you're better than other people just because you come from a clan of mages."

Ashley and the boy stunned for a moment but quickly became furious. The boy beside her looked pissed off as well. He closed in on Zeph. "You're gonna regret that smart mouth of yours."

Zeph watched as the grey-haired kid threw a punch. It was aimed at Zeph's face. The fist made contact, striking Zeph in the jaw and made a loud popping noise. A wide condescending smile spread on Jasper's face, but it turned to a look of shock a moment later. His fist stopped after it made contact. There was no follow through, and Zeph didn't even flinch.

Zeph stared at the annoying couple in front of him. Brushing the fist off of his face, he looked at them angrily. "I get that you're trying to impress miss bitch over here, but… you done goofed."

Jasper and Ashley screamed as they were suddenly lifted off of the floor and pressed against the ceiling. Zeph smirked. "Now you two stay up there, be quiet, and think about what you've done." Then he walked over to the front row seat by the windows before sitting down.

Lili wanted a window seat and sat behind Zeph, and Ivy smiled while she took the seat next to him. Everyone in class watched the three in silence. Ashley and Jasper started to shout at Zeph and demand he let them down. Instead, Zeph muttered a little spell and all the noise coming from the two disappeared. Bianca taught him that little trick. His fox teacher taught him a lot of spells that could be used for hunting, fighting, and dealing with annoying situations. Silence spells also helped when she wanted to sneak up and scare Semara, so she taught it to Zeph when she had the chance.

More and more students started entering the class and choosing seats. Most of them didn't even notice the two kids stuck on the ceiling. A few with more developed magic sense looked up and traced the magic back to Zeph, causing them to be surprised. Zeph was looking around the room, waiting for class to start, when a boy with brown hair approached him. The children in the class were making small talk, and most of them ignored what was happening around Zeph. They were used to small confrontations like this.

"Hello, I'm Drew Bennet. I love how you decorated the place." The boy smiled.

Zeph laughed. "Thanks, I think it gives the room a more carefree atmosphere. My name is Zeph. It's nice to meet you." Zeph shook hands with the boy.

"That's a pretty powerful telekinesis spell you have on them. I'm surprised you can keep it going for so long. You don't even look like you're trying." Drew took the seat behind Ivy.

"Well, it's because I'm not." Zeph laughed.

Drew whistled. "Remind me not to get on your bad side then. Still, you might want to let them down soon. The teacher will be here in a minute."

At this point, everyone that wasn't already aware of the situation finally realized what was going on. Many of them laughed. Ashley acted like an arrogant priss, throwing her family's name around like it gave her a free pass to act however she wanted. The kids in class were already used to dealing with her, and ignored the girl most of the time. Jasper started following her around recently. Everyone knew he developed a crush on the girl. He had always been a bully and everyone was happy he was getting a taste of what he deserved.

Drew introduced himself to Ivy and Lili. He seemed like a good kid, and Zeph was starting to enjoy his company. Listening to Drew's advice, Zeph let his spell go on Ashley and Jasper. He figured the two were in the valir class, so they should be able to handle the small fall. Jasper reacted quickly and landed fine, but Ashly was surprised. She almost fell face first into the ground but Zeph caught her and set her up straight with his telekinesis.

Jasper turned to Zeph and started to walk to him, his magic flaring up. Zeph knew the kid was going to be a problem and sent a telekinetic flick to the boy's forehead. A small thumping sound came out and Jasper grabbed his forehead, wincing in pain.

"Easy there Jasper, you should back off. I don't feel like dealing with you at the moment, and class is going to start." Zeph sent the boy a glare. "And you, Miss Priss, don't mess with me and I won't mess with you."

Ashley harrumphed and walked back to her seat. She was pissed, but she wasn't an idiot. The boy didn't even lift a hand to slam her against the ceiling, so she knew he could do a lot worse if he wanted. Jasper, on the other hand, was reluctant to back off. The school bell ringing caused him to finally go back to his seat.

The other kids in class were muttering and talking about what happened between Zeph and the two bullies. Ivy, Lili, and Zeph decided to talk to Drew some more. It took three minutes after the bell rang for their teacher to show up. She had long black hair, a small mole under her left eye, and she was dressed business casual. Her clothes were black, but she wore a light blue shirt under her blazer.

Zeph caught himself checking her out after his eyes drifted past the knee length skirt. He glanced to the side and noticed Ivy was looking at the teacher with a hint of jealousy. Drew made a small fist pump and whispered, "Yes!" Lili, Ivy, and Zeph turned to him, a curious look in their eyes.

"What?" Drew looked at them.

"What are you so excited about?" Lili asked.

"We got Ms. Davis as our teacher. She was my teacher last year, and she's totally cool. The old 3-V teacher retired last year and I was worried we'd get some new guy who'd be a stick in the mud. It looks like she got promoted."

"How is she cool?" Ivy asked.

Drew smiled. "Well, she helps you if you're having problems. You can ask her for advice anytime you want. She doesn't give out a ton of homework, and she's my cousin." They watched as the teacher made her way to her desk.

"Okay kids, settle down." Ms. Davis tapped the blackboard behind her and her name appeared in large letters. "I'm Ms. Davis, and I'll be teaching the valir preparatory class this year. I expect all of you to conduct yourself kind and respectful manner. She sent a quick look to Ashley and Jasper. Their reputation was well known among the teaching staff. "Now we'll start with introductions. We'll go down the rows, and you'll introduce yourself to the class. Let's see…" Ms. Davis tapped her chin with her pencil. "Let's start with you." She pointed to Zeph.

Zeph stood up. "Hi everyone. My names Zeph. I like playing games, studying enchanting and magic engineering. I have a pet cat. I hope to get along with all of you this year." He sat back down.

Ms. Davis smiled. "That was a nice introduction Zeph, but you forgot to give us your last name."

Zeph rubbed the back of his head. "Oh yeah, I forgot. My last name's Malston."

"Thank you, Zeph." Ms. Davis was about to point to Lili behind him but froze for a second. "You said your last name was Malston?"

"Yeah, Zeph Malston."

"Like Lord Malston?"

"Yeah, I'm his grandson," Zeph replied like it was no big deal. The room went completely silent, and he expected to hear a cricket chirp.

"WHAT!!" everyone yelled.