Mr. Verim's eyes are torn open, perfectly surprised. Melody, who has her eyes trained on Mr. Verim notices his expression change and steps closer to him. Sam also steps in close to Mr. Gentus and Mason but butts head with Melody.
"Gah!"
"Idiot."
The two rub their heads, panicked.
"Mr. Verim knows something…"
Melody quietly says to Sam, under her breath to not alert anyone.
"Yes, Mr. Gentus is acting too suspicious in the face of this."
Sam tries to keep his mind calm now, knowing Mason would only hit him if he lost his cool.
Keeping his cool for the three of them, Sam rests his hand on Melody's shoulder and squeezes.
"You feel it too, right?"
Melody doesn't say anything.
Mr. Verim quickly comes into Mr. Gentus' space now, walking through the thin wall of flames and grabbing onto Mason's back now too, cupping his hand around Mr. Gentus' grip.
"You're an idiot."
"What? I'm not the one who attacked at full power, I had to use up what I could just to defend against you."
The two of them argue, matching powers at their grip. Mr. Verim increases the power flowing into Mason's core, and Mr. Gentus has to adjust his own so that the three of them can be equal now.
Sam rereads his notes, looking for an answer to their attempt at cancellation. Quickly scribbled in between lines just a moment before,
"Cancelling someone's magic is possible, but only safely through using the same type of magic"
"Only safely…!"
Sam realizes, nudging at Melody as he does. Melody follows Mr. Verim as he strutted over behind Mr. Gentus. Taken into Sam's eyes, Melody looks at his surprise and bordering excitement.
"They have a way!"
Sam yells, alerting the students around. The general feeling surrounding the classes is cautious. The Cursed are occupied worrying about their own manifestations going berserk, while the Blessed worry that having the Cursed in their space is a danger to them always from this point.
Melody lightens a touch, realizing the two clearly powerful men have some sort of plan ahead of them. Sam reasons that it must just be dangerous for them to use Blessed energy to counteract his raging Cursed power, but that it can be done.
Before long, the towering steam starts to falter at its edges, lowering and slowing to a halt. Sweating from the effort or the extreme heat, Mr. Gentus and Mr. Verim stand up from their kneeling and back away from each other. Mason is crumpled forward, his burnt clothes fall away, and quickly, Melody and Sam throw another jacket over him. The two friends lower to him and try to get a response.
"Mas!?"
"Mason!"
In unison, the two teachers throw their healing spells towards the boy,
"Grace!"
"Mend!"
Their spells have similar effects, working to recuperate his stamina, health, power, etc. Mr. Gentus' Mend does another though in fixing up his clothing while it's at it. Still tattered and missing spots, the clothing suddenly closes and hides his healing skin underneath.
Finishing their casting, Mr. Verim storms away from the Cursed class, dragging his Blessed class behind him, taking them down the stands and away without any answers.
"What's happening?"
"Mr. Verim?"
"Are we done for the day?"
"Awwwh! I really wanted to fight!"
Melody stays at Mason's side, waiting for his chest to heave with living breath. Mason's body feels cool despite his infernal showcase a few moments ago, but his lungs fill slowly and shallowly. Sam and Melody look at each other, scared for their friend.
"What happened to him!?"
They yell at Mr. Gentus, who's currently busy telling his own class to move on, guiding them towards the opposite end of the colosseum to wait for him. As if they planned on moving everyone away quickly, the two teachers silently pass the scene on as if it hadn't happened.
"Paghk!"
Mason belches, immediately throwing his sword away from his soft grip. Melody and Sam lean into him, picking him up to sit forward. Mason looks around tersely, frustrated by not knowing what just happened. Fully healed now, Mason looks at Sam and asks,
"What the-"
Sam nearly chokes Mason by hugging him so tightly, Melody finishes choking him by leaping in now too. The two of them wipe away tears quickly.
"Okay! Get off!"
Mason quickly returns to himself, throwing them off of him and standing again. A short distance away, returning from ridding the class from this sight, Mr. Gentus turns and juts his hip to the left.
"Hmph. Whatsup, kid?"
Mr. Gentus nonchalantly places his hand on his hip and flourishes his hand above his face, casually asking the boy what he wants.
This only serves to piss Mason off more, deathly curious about what's happened and why he's in this state, his clothes still slightly torn and feeling almost depleted of his power.
"What did you do to me?!"
Mason yells aloud, slamming his fist into his chest.
"Mason!"
Melody shouts, turning Mason with her volume. Melody jumps up and grabs his left hand with both of hers. She puls on him to make him smarten up.
"Mr. Gentus just saved you for all we know!"
Mason keeps his hand in hers, slowly turning to the cocky teacher. Mr. Gentus stands upright now, nodding his head towards them all, confirming that he only meant to help.
"Tch."
Mason pulls his hand away now, facing Gentus fully. Mason leans his torso forward, bowing with as little respect as he can show.
"Dammit."
Mason curses under his breath as his face is away from Gentus.
Sam joins the two friends and finishes putting his notepad back into his bag.
"Mr. Gentus, what-"
"Actually students… I think it's time we all returned to our classes. Hmm?"
Mr. Gentus' words seem inviting, but his tone and thin smile lend to an order or command. Like his patience is run short, not by them, but by another nagging persistence. And surely enough,
"Melody, please join us at this end of the grounds…"
Mr. Verim's voice reaches into her head, pulling her towards him.
Melody nudges at Mason's side and she presses her hand into his right side shoulder. Melody looks to Mr. Gentus and nods at him, thanking him for helping Mason's dire-looking situation. Mr. Gentus nods back, then over to the other end of the colosseum's grounds- a plan set in motion.
Melody runs ahead of Mason and Sam and turns on her heel, bubbly bouncing along as she ever does.
"Okay, guys! Be seeing you!"
Melody's hand darts from side to side rapidly as she backs away from them.
Sam watches her body, bouncing away, and intently, Mason shoves into his side with his pained elbow.
"Gah!"
The two of them cry out, then share a laugh.
Mr. Gentus follows behind them, his hands lightly held behind his back, his pom-pom-pen in between several fingers. Skipping once, Mr. Gentus hides his excitement for what comes next as best he can.
Continued in PART FORTY-FIVE…