Author's Note: Check out the rest of the Crew. They are amazing.

~

Suzie dropped her book upon hearing a door slam somewhere in the dorms. Her brother yelled out from the dorm beside her as she tried to process where the slam came from. It sounded like it came from below, but who was below her? A knock followed before her brother slipped in.

"You good? I heard something drop." She nodded before picking up the book.

"Just startled. Do you know where that came from?" He shrugged.

"It sounded like it came from below. Probably just Malorn." Suzie looked up at him.

"Malorn is above us." He fell silent before frowning.

"Who slammed their door then?" The twins were silent before another knock followed and Electra poked her head in.

"I'm not the only one who heard that, right?" Artur turned as Suzie shook her head.

"That came from below, right?" Electra nodded.

"Did you guys hear the screaming that followed?" Artur raised an eyebrow. "Not yours, dimwit. There was a muffled scream that followed yours." Suzie paused.

"Then no. We did not hear that." Electra hummed.

"Well, I'm gonna-" She paused. "Drat. I can't check. I got a class." Artur hummed.

"Ceren's probably looking now. We'll go join him." She nodded as the three storm wizards left.

~

Ceren was standing outside a door, trying to coax whoever into opening it. He nodded to the twins.

"This is the only room with anyone inside." Suzie gulped as she looked at the name. Duncan Grimwater. "The door is damaged, but he still was able to lock it. You can hear him still inside." Suzie sighed before taking his place.

"Duncan!" The noises went quiet instantly. "Can I please come in?" The death wizard stayed silent, almost trying to stay under her radar. "Duncan, I know you're in there. Let me in." Nothing. She sighed. "We'll have to wait it out. He is confident about not opening the door this time." Ceren gulped.

"Malorn has been looking for him. He wasn't in class." Artur sighed.

"Duncan won't leave easily. And when he does, we won't know. It's easier to tell when he comes back." Suzie nodded.

"Let's wait it out. We'll hear him return."

~

It was around midnight when Artur was awoken by a noise from below. Taking a moment to shake the sleep away, he got up and went to check. He found the death wizard curled up outside his door. While the door was unlocked, the damage made it stuck, and Duncan clearly didn't have the physical strength to unstick it. Artur sighed before kneeling down and shaking Duncan, gaining his attention.

"Do you need help?" There was a huff before he got up, allowing the storm wizard to get to the door. It took him a second, but he was a lot stronger, so the door gave up and opened. Duncan fled to his bed before Artur sighed.

"Don't... just don't..." Artur hummed.

"Two things. One, we want to talk to you about earlier when you're ready. Two, you need to go see someone about getting your door fixed." Duncan pulled the blanket over his head before Artur closed the door, making sure it was able to be opened again.

~

Duncan did go see them in the common room. It was clear upon seeing him why he avoided them. He had a mark on his face and hid in a blanket. Ceren immediately went over, prompting a hiss from the death wizard. Both twins watched in amusement as Ceren tried convincing Duncan that he was not going to kill him (that was not what Duncan was hearing). Suzie finally spoke.

"Ceren, you are about to lose an arm. Back up." Ceren glared at her before Duncan changed spots, moving to the other side of the room. Artur sighed.

"Duncan, you can hide with me." There was a look, but Duncan moved beside him, sending a glare at the life wizard. Ceren sighed before sitting down across the way. Suzie hummed.

"What happened yesterday?" Duncan purred.

"Duel went bad."

"Duncan." He groaned softly. "You don't slam your door because a duel went bad. You throw the opponent in a pond." He stayed silent for a minute, slowly realizing what she was getting at. Artur purred.

"If you think we're going to get you in trouble, we can ask Ceren to leave." The life wizard glared at him.

"I'll keep my mouth shut if I can treat the wounds." Duncan scanned him before he sighed.

"You guys know the Cabal?" Suzie purred.

"You mean the group who you insulted because they have too many puns in their members?" Duncan nodded. "Yeah we know them. I don't think we can forget the lecture you gave about their members." He snorted.

"I'm trying to join their ranks to insult them more." Ceren snorted.

"I don't think you need to do that, but you do you." Duncan glared at him. "But what does that have to do with slamming your door?" He sighed softly.

"To get in, they are having me protect a diary that would reveal something. The problem is, I think I know my opponent." Suzie gave a look of confusion.

"You haven't faced them yet?"

"No, last I heard, they were fighting a titan." Artur paused.

"Wait... you think the wizard is your opponent?" Duncan nodded.

"Polaris was a Cabal mission that the current leader had led. It wasn't meant to be Cabal heavy. There's a more Cabal heavy coming up in Mirage. That diary has information about something in connection to that mission." The others stayed silent before he sighed and sat up. "The Eye of History."

"Wait..." Artur paused. "Malistaire's Diary?" Duncan nodded.

"Finding the location of the diary is not the hard part. I have seen it a dozen times. Just... closed instead of open. I haven't moved it because I am going to use it to bait out the Arcanum's forces. The problem is-" He gulped before Ceren completed his words.

"The Wizard is a part of the Arcanum." Duncan nodded.

"I... have been in the arena trying to figure out a defense strategy. I didn't mean to slam the door when I came back, but I was frustrated. How do you survive something that walked up to Morganthe and fought against the Song of Creation itself?" Ceren raised his eyebrow.

"That's the example you use? Dude, they took out Malistaire without help. Cyrus was unable to help them, and they survived." Duncan shot a look at the life wizard.

"There wasn't a lick of sanity left in him. I'm sure if he was thinking straight, that fight would've been different. You do realize there's only one person in the entire spiral that can fight Malistaire and win without losing all their mana, right?" There was a moment of silence before Duncan added. "That person's dead too. Right."

"What?" Suzie giggled at Ceren's face before Duncan blinked.

"Why do you think I avoid the Life School? Sylvia had the power to almost wipe out Ravenwood Academy with how strong she was."

"No she's not."

"Ceren, the only person who could take her power head on is Professor Greyrose because she has the resistance of a titan. Malistaire and Cyrus are afraid of her. She took out teachers in duels with a single spell. Don't you dare say anything." Artur paused.

"So wait... who was stronger? Malistaire or Cyrus? If Sylvia was the strongest Drake, who was second?" Duncan paused.

"I think that was Malistaire. Cyrus was smarter, though. So when they dueled, it was Strength vs Wits. I don't know who ever won those duels because of it. But raw strength, Malistaire usually won." He then hummed as Suzie paused.

"So that rumor about Cyrus outsmarting Malistaire back in their school years is not impossible?" Duncan glanced at her.

"I will never say that Malistaire was the smartest person in the spiral. I may have looked up to him, but even Nolan agrees that his only strong suite in wits was memorizing ghosts." The twins chuckled as Ceren's eyes widened.

"Should I be concerned? Malorn has started to do that."

"Yeah, you may need to go check on him." Worry followed as Duncan sighed. "Still. The Wizard was lucky when they fought Malistaire. He wasn't at his strongest. He was far from it. Which is why I used Morganthe instead. Sure, they had help, but when comparing the fights, they fought an immortal in Khrysalis. There's a difference." He then paused as Suzie paused.

"You're worried about not being strong enough? Dude, you are the strongest kid in school." He shot a look at her.

"I didn't go fight an immortal being just to save the spiral. I quite frankly was hiding during that time. And... making fun of Cabal Agents." They chuckled as he gulped. "But we are now on two different levels of strength. Technically, I only got the title of the strongest wizard in school because they graduated." He gulped before getting up. "If you want to heal me, Ceren, I'll be in my room." He left as Ceren frowned. Suzie then paused.

"He seems distressed about it..." Artur hummed.

"He's kinda right. Technically, the title of the strongest wizard in Ravenwood was given to The Wizard. Duncan was second place until they graduated. Then, with no one else, he was given the title." He then paused. "That might be it. Now that he has the title, it's weighing down on him from who had it before." Ceren went after Duncan as a sound came from above. Suzie gulped.

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to help? The strongest Wizard from Ravenwood against the current Strongest Student. We stand no chance." Artur paused.

"Duncan mentioned Cyrus's wits. Of three Drakes, Sylvia was the strongest, Malistaire was second. But Cyrus could keep up with Malistaire with wits. Who is the smartest in the school?" Suzie took a second before humming.

"Nolan." He looked at her. "I can't confirm it, but people always say him."

"You literally ace all your courses."

"I don't go toe to toe with the strongest in the school and keep up." She paused. "Nolan has never been seen in the dueling circle. So we don't know." Ceren joined them and paused.

"Yes he has." They glanced at him as he returned to his spot. "Nolan fought and won against Malorn." The twins looked at each other.

"Was anyone watching?" Ceren shrugged.

"I just heard it from Malorn himself. It was an intense battle." He paused. "Let's go ask Nolan. Maybe he would know something." The other two nodded.

~

The myth wizard didn't need to look up from his book when they started asking him questions.

"So... what do you know?"

"Malistaire went easy on The Wizard and Cyrus back in Dragonspyre, which constitutes that they shouldn't have won against him in the battle. They only won against Morganthe because they had an army of support behind them. They didn't come close to her strength realistically. If this is about whether Duncan will beat them in a fight, he has a better chance of winning than they have touching the diary." He finally looked up as the trio looked at each other. "I had a minion near the door so that I could hear you guys. I can also tell you that Mindy is still plotting to put snow down someone's back and Sabrina's getting overrun in the infirmary. You did not hear that from me." He went back to the book as Suzie gulped.

"How do you know Duncan would win?" Nolan lowered the book and looked at her.

"The Wizard never was strong. They were fast. Which is how they won most of their battles. They kept their health high enough to where it felt like they had infinite health. They fire spells at a speed that most Wizards can't reach." He hummed. "Duncan is a death wizard, the only school that can fight them. If he can't win, then he went easy on them." Suzie gulped as Ceren paused.

"But you just said that most wizards can't keep up with them." Nolan looked at him.

"That's because most wizards can't heal and attack, which is what you need to do in that fight. Either you do a 2-on-1 and have a healer and a hitter, or you're a death wizard." He stood up and slipped the book into his back. "Trust me when I say this. The only other person who can pull off that fight would be Malistaire. He let the Wizard win. Duncan just needs to not look up to them and he has this." He hummed. "If Duncan doesn't believe he can do it, tell him to come find me. I'll show him." He then went as they looked at each other.

~

Duncan gave a look as he tried to research more ways.

"I'm not stronger than someone who defeated an immortal. And I'm standing on that ground. Who does he think I am? I'm not some godly hero who has conquered nations. I'm just a kid who won't stand in the sun for longer than an hour!" Ceren snickered from the doorway as Suzie sighed.

"If you want to argue with him, no one is stopping you. Don't shoot the messengers." The trio left as he grumbled something under his breath.

~

Duncan took a deep breath as he approached the house. The Wizard was currently inside, no doubt at the Diary. The others were cheering him on from the school, so he felt some confidence. He gulped before entering, feeling the faint aura.

"I can do this... I can do this..." He took a deep breath before entering the study, alerting the hero. Their eyes scanned him before stepping away from the diary, their deck out and checking spells.

"You... What do you want?" He took a steady breath, trying to keep calm. He couldn't freak out now.

"You're not leaving here with that diary. Whether you leave at all is another story." They looked unimpressed, but he didn't let that get to his head. He had to focus.

"Even if the diary doesn't come with me, I got what I need. Move."

"You go through me." There was some hesitation, which surprised him.

"Fine."

He immediately casted a global spell before the first round of spells hit. Nolan was right. The wand hits flew quickly, but barely left a big mark. He casted a Scarecrow to hit them down, giving him a chance to see what they would do.

They healed.

Watching the Rebirth get casted, he realized that all of the speed from the fire and storm spells were to allow them to have a constant stream of healing spells.

However, what they didn't realize was that he didn't cast a global to deal more damage. He casted a global to prevent healing. So he fired three blades and a feint as they were looking over the heal amount. Confusion crossed their face as he sent out a Call of Khrulhu at them. It must've clicked for the hero as they were drained of their remaining health.

As they collapsed, Duncan was steadying his breathing. He did it. He defeated the supposedly strongest Wizard in the spiral, the hero of the spiral, the one that defeated Malistaire and Morganthe. He instantly ran over to the desk, closing the diary and slipping it into his bag before running out, not planning to stick around for what would happen next.

~

He kept his head down as he met up with the twins and Nolan. The myth wizard smiled as the storm wizards congratulated him.

"I told you." Duncan smiled before a voice followed.

"Should we be concerned?" They turned as Ceren tried to convince Malorn and Mellori that they weren't up to anything. Nolan smirked.

"Malorn, when you can defeat me in battle, you can decide what's concerning or not." The student teacher's head dropped as Mellori scanned the other death wizard, who was slipping away.

~

Apparently, the Wizard was unresponsive until Mellori went after them. She guided the hero to the infirmary as they trembled. Duncan hummed as he saw their condition. Did he do that much damage or were they that weak?

According to Ceren, they had no energy and could not remember the battle. They knew there was a battle, but that was as much as they had memory wise. Duncan watched from afar as Mellori reminded them of their task. Confusion followed.

"Ok... I got that much. But... there was nothing there..." Mellori paused.

"But there were rumors of a Diary." The Wizard's face said a lot.

"I... didn't find one..." Nolan went over to the death wizard as the duo tried to uncover what happened.

"I told you." Duncan smiled. "What did the Cabal say?"

"They were surprised that it was as easy as weakening their healing ability." Nolan glanced at him.

"Really? I knew they kept their health up, but-" Duncan nodded.

"They used Fire and Storm spells to keep a constant firing power at the enemies. Meanwhile, their pips were stacking up and were being used for healing. That's how they won." Nolan purred.

"Smart. Slow, but effective. No wonder they took their time when helping around the spiral before their fight with Malistaire. They didn't have the mana or gear to hold all their spells. They also didn't have the experience to cast the higher leveled healing spells, which was their goal. Join the Life School and use their training points on small level Fire and Storm. Interesting." Nolan hummed. "I'll mark that down in my strategy book in case I have to draw my wand at them. Where's the diary?"

"My room. And they can get it when they remember their opponent." As Duncan said that, the wizard made a remark about something going wrong with their healing before Mellori started listing spells, none of which got her mind rolling. Mellori then hissed.

"I've only been here for a day. Help me out here!" The Wizard looked at her.

"I don't remember the battle!" Nolan blinked.

"What spell did you use?"

"Doom and Gloom with the Healing decreased. Their face was perfect when they learned their fate." He then paused as he noticed Nolan go over.

"I couldn't help overhear. Need help?" Mellori paused.

"Do you know a spell that can decrease healing without alerting someone?" Nolan hummed as the Wizard gave the new girl a look.

"I heard Declan talk about a Doom and Gloom that could do that. You can't tell the difference between the two." The look on the Wizard's face was perfect.

"Wait... Declan the death wizard...?" Nolan nodded as she started mumbling. "Was that who attacked me... it's gotta be-" Nolan snuck a glance over as Duncan slipped away, a big evil smile crossing his face.

~~~

Hope you enjoyed the story!