Zavier was clearly trying to get him to get him to play hardball. Lowering his gaze, he eyed Zavier suspiciously;
"I get it Zavier, I clearly have a lot to lose if this ever gets out. So why don't you tell me what you want in exchange for your silence?"
"Well, if you put it like that, you make this whole thing look transactional."
"Just tell me what you want, I get it."
Zavier highly doubted that Harry had the power to handle his problems right now. his problems were on a cosmic scale and could only be fixed by a divine hand. But there was one thing in particular that had been on his mind for quite some time now. Zavier couldn't deny that the moment was perfect for it. He coughed sparingly, and then proceeded with the shakedown of this very important man;
"You saw what happened on the battlefield a couple of hours ago right?"
Harry tensed. That was a very vague beginning, and it didn't even at all hint at what Zavier was asking. "Well, you have to be very specific. As I am sure you know this already, but today's battles were very spectacular. A whole lot of stuff went down."
"I know, but this is regards to the one regarding my team mate Shiranui."
Harry caught a sense of what might be going on, and protested. "Hold on Zavier! Are you asking me to try and influence the minds of the judges to favour your team? Look, even I don't have such sway over these matters. I sugge-"
Zavier rasped impatiently; "That's not what I am talking about!"
"Oh, what then?"
"You saw what happened to Shiranui yeah?"
Harry was confused. "I'm sorry, who?"
"Shiranui, my the girl with the flames incident."
"The girl from the Yamata clan? Yeah, sure. I saw that. But what has that got to do with me?"
Zavier pressed on eagerly; "What happened to her? I suspect that it had something to do with her powers, but I can't really say for sure. What was all that about?"
Now it was Harry's turn to pause. This wasn't what he had in mind at all. Knowing just how Zavier was, he had half expected him to ask something impossible. But this was a nice surprise because he had chosen a very peculiar path to tow.
Being an advanced mage, and as one who was at the top echelon of the mage world, Harry was one of the very few people on campus who might actually have an idea as to what the hell had happened to Shiranui. So Zavier knew what he was doing. But this was a hard ask. Not because Harry didn't know the answer, but because this information was a very sensitive one. The real truth regarding the Yamata girl was so precious that it had to be hidden behind a stream of lies.
This was a very serious issue. Normally, Harry shouldn't be able to give out such prime piece of gossip to an ordinary teenager. But he was indeed a difficult situation. Harry weighed the odds and settled at the fact that his reputation was more important than holding on to a ver high-level guarded family secret.
Assuming a very serious tone, and with a extra stern expression, Harry charged Zavier; "Listen up Zavier, this is no freaking joke okay? What I am about to tell you is a secret that had been protected for years by those at the top. I need you to promise not to spill the beans scandalously. Deal?"
Zavier was amused; "Damn Harry, you look even more serious than ususal."
"Promise me Zavier! Trust me, you're going to understand when I finally tell you. There's a whole lot you don't know about that family, and what is happening to your girl."
Zavier looked at the other man carefully, searching for signs of a fibber. He had good reason to be cautious. Harry was probably putting on a show just because he knew Zavier wanted this information. Zavier wouldn't put it past him to actually drum up all this drama just to lend credence to the nonsense that he was about to sell to Zavier. He just couldn't risk it. He had to know and he had to know for sure.
After a jiffy that was spent on gazing into the man's soul through his eyes, Zavier was convinced that Harry wasn't playing around at all. Whatever he had to say about Shiranui, it definitely had him shook. This only made Zavier even more curious than before. So, he gave Harry the assurance he was looking for.
"Fine. I promise not to make public this revelation. Now tell me."
Harry took a minute to organise his thoughts, and began his narration;
"You noticed the patterns that looked like tattoos right? The ones that formed on her during the er- incident?"
Zavier nodded.
"Well, to those outside the clan, they are simply referred to as the Yamata Pattern. They are only exclusive to the descendants of the clan who lucked out on the deepest variant of the Yamata's bloodline abilities. The official name of those golden flames is called the 'Chibiterasu!' As you probably witnessed from earlier on, this terrible flame is a very powerful ability."
Zavier absorbed every single word. Having witnessed the incident firsthand, he asked a very intelligent question. "Just how powerful is this flame?"
"On a scale of one to ten, probably one hundred and fifty."
Zavier shot him an unbelieving look.
"Oh you better believe it Zavier. Chibiterasu is a golden flame that can completely dissolve all tangible matter in this world. No matter what it is, whether it be iron, wood or flesh, it completely devours it all! It is a highly sought after technique. And in the wrong hands, any Yamata descendant that manages to unlock this potential will automatically become a weapon. This is the truth."
Zavier believed him now. It seemed like a very heavy fate for someone to bear. He wondered if Shiranui was really up to this. Even if she wasn't, he was more than willing to go all out for her. All he needed was more information. So he asked Harry;
"Well, how does one contain it?"
Harry looked at him with wide eyes as if he couldn't believe Zavier would ask him that after hearing just how dangerous this power was.
"Are you kidding me? Didn't you hear anything I just said? It cannot be contained! It can't be extinguished or contained. At best, it can only be sealed away or absorbed!"
That was one answer that Zavier had been afraid of getting. No wonder Shiranui was still in coma! All of that was just way too much for her. Especially after having to unlock it under such harsh battle conditions. The strain on her body alone must have been something on a whole other level.
As he struggled to come to terms with her new condition, Harry gave Zavier a strange look.
The young man was just full of surprises. When Zavier had begun with asking him if he had witnessed the battle, Harry could have sworn that Zavier had been trying to blackmail him into getting him to influence the results in his favor. But alas, he was asking about his teammate's new condition. It wasn't like he was asking out of curiosity or for some selfish gain. It was evident that it was way deeper than that.
Harry didn't know what to think of that. It was out of character for many young participants to think of anyone other than themselves.
"That was quite a strange ask Zavier…"
"What?"
"You could've asked for anything that would have been for your sole benefit. But instead, you asked about that girl. Why?"
Zavier wasn't about to get into any kind of mind game. He was still trying to digest the full information he had just been give, so he wasn't in the mood at all. Not wanting to give Harry a straight forward answer, Zavier simply shrugged.
But Harry wasn't about to let go either.
"You know, it's great that you fancy your team mate. But on the long run, I think it's best you keep things professional."
Zavier really didn't care for this perv's unsolicited advice. Harry saw the dark look in his eyes and sensed that maybe Zavier felt offended.
"Relax, I mean you no harm. However, since you've based your request on the well-being of your team mate, I'd like to help you out with something else."
Now it was Zavier's turn to to be surprised. His eyes, full of suspicion, he eyed Harry as if he was trying to figure out what he was trying to gain from such a noble gesture.
"What exactly are you yapping on about Harry?"
Harry pulled out the pipe from his mouth, and in a very dramatic fashion, he expertly blew curly wisps of white smoke into the air.
"No need to be on edge Zavier, just listen. This is about that cute little girl that is to be your next opponent…"
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