I hesitated opening the door to my dorm, as loud shouts reverberated from inside. I couldn’t really make out what they were saying, but it was definitely something I shouldn’t get involved in. Maybe I could go around back, jump over the fences, and get in that way.

As I debated my options, the door suddenly opened in front of me. I stumbled back and fell over.

“Oh, oops. Didn’t see you there. You alright?” A lethargic voice called out. A beautiful woman stepped out of the dorms, and helped me to my feet. She had a sleepy, easygoing attitude about her, and her hair and clothes looked like an unkempt mess. Despite that, she had a certain… charming aura to her. Or maybe I was just intimidated by her height. I couldn’t tell.

It took a while to realize I was kind of just staring slack jawed at her. “Ah, um, yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” I bowed.

She smiled. “You must be one of the new kids here. I guess that makes me your upperclassman. I’m Settie. It’s nice to meet you.”

Loud footsteps echoed from inside, followed by angry shouting. “Hey! Get back here! I’m not done talking to you!”

“Oh, and the guy screaming our ears off is Roland. Also a new kid. No idea why he’s so mad at me, though.”

“You know damn well why.” A man puffed out of the dorm. Contrary to his loud voice, he looked more the prim and proper type. Long hair, fancy clothes, that sort of thing. If it weren’t for that mean glare behind his glasses, I wouldn’t have taken him for the kind of person to start fights. “This asshole over here refuses to move all her shit out of my room!”

“Aww, c’mon. That room’s been my secret storage for the past year now. I can’t just move everything out and ruin all my organizing. Besides, all the rooms look the same. Just take any of the empty ones. The school won’t mind.” She was clearly enjoying messing with him. Roland just seemed to fume more and more.

“What kind of fucked up sense of organization do you have? The whole place is a pigsty!” He kept yelling. There really wasn’t any need to be so loud. We all could hear him clearly. “Besides, that’s not even the point! It’s about the principle of it. I was assigned that room, so that’s where I’ll be staying. So get your stuff out of there. Now.”

It felt really awkward to be on the sidelines of something like this. Eventually, the discomfort I felt standing there overtook my shyness, and I spoke up. “U-um… I’m Monika! It’s really nice to meet both of you! I look forward to us living together!” I stammered out, before forcing a smile. I thought I had learned how to smile without it looking weird, but that glare from Roland said otherwise.

“Aw, don’t give her that look!” Settie tried to comfort me. “You’re scaring her. Keep that up, and you aren’t gonna make any friends here.”

“I didn’t come to this school to make friends,” he replied. “Especially not you two.”

I shied away. She, I could understand, but that was still uncalled for. What the hell did I do?

The two of them kept arguing for a while, as I remained awkwardly perched outside, too afraid to scoot past them. I didn’t want to come off as rude or anything. Especially if we were going to be sharing the same roof for the next couple years.

Finally, my saving grace arrived. Miss Rilona arrived from behind the dorm, wearing a pair of thick gloves and a dirt stained apron stuffed with a bunch of gardening supplies. Looking at her now, you’d almost mistake her as just a normal, kindly old gardener. “Oh my, what seems to be the matter here?”

“Finally.” Roland glanced over at her and smirked. “Settie! I challenge you to a duel! That’s how we’ll settle this.” It was clear from his tone that he really just wanted to start a fight.

Settie sighed. “Fine, suit yourself. Don’t come crying to your momma once you lose, though. Rilly, can you set up the usual?”

Rilly? Wait, did she mean– “Miss Rilona, aren’t you going to stop them?”

She just smiled at me. “Oh, dearie, there’s no need for that. Duels are a time honored tradition here at the Academy. As long as both parties agree to the terms, I don’t see any problem with it.”

“B-but school hasn’t even started yet! Isn’t this kinda dangerous?” I protested.

“Oh, don’t you worry. No one’s dying under my watch.” She looked like she had a sudden flash of inspiration, and grabbed my hand. “Actually, why don’t you come watch? It’ll be a great learning experience for the both of you.”

She led us to a large clearing, a short walk away from the dorms. In the middle was a circular dirt arena, its boundaries marked in faded chalk. Embedded all around the arena were protective glyphs, though they didn’t seem that strong. Off to the side was a small shed filled with an assortment of wooden training weapons.

I stood at the sidelines, watching my two dormmates prepare for battle. They stepped into the arena as Miss Rilona activated the glyphs, and a shimmering barrier surrounded both of them. The barrier seemed to flicker on and off, as if a light breeze could shatter it. This… was safe, right?

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Roland tore off his jacket and stepped into a low, boxing stance. I couldn’t see any weapon on him–was he really just going to go at it with his fists?

He scowled. “Oi, don’t screw with me. Where’s your weapon?”

“Oh?” Settie giggled. “I should be saying the same to you.”

“Don’t fuck with me. You know what I mean.”

Settie was only carrying a simple round shield. It looked like there was something else hidden underneath her robes, but I couldn’t tell from where I stood. “I don’t see the point in using anything more than this for you.”

“Fine. Don’t come crying to me once I beat your ass into the dirt.”

She yawned. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get this over with. Rilly, could you do the honors?”

“Oh, how exciting! The first duel of the new school year I get to oversee.” Rilona spoke with unexpected excitement. Though I guess considering who she was, getting this worked up over a fight would make sense. It was rumored that the Witchblade never turned down a duel, and won every single one of them. I made a mental note to ask her if that was true after this whole mess was over.

“Alright! The duel begins once this hits the ground! Get ready!” She threw a wooden stick high up into the air. Both duelists stared straight at each other. Roland’s eyes were full of fiery excitement. It made me think all that arguing was just pretense, and he just wanted any excuse to fight. Settie, meanwhile, looked completely above it all. Leaning back with a smug expression on her face, like it the winner was already determined. The tension was so thick you could taste it. This was supposed to just be a friendly duel, right?

The stick hit the dirt with a dull thud, and a chill ran down my spine. Not out of fear, or excitement, or anything like that. But because the temperature had completely dropped. It was obvious to see why. Condensation gathered around Roland’s fists, enveloping them in a ball of water. Then, they froze solid. Heavy blocks of ice, like a gigantic pair of gloves, covered both his fists. He pointed one of them at his opponent. “Here I come.”

Despite what should’ve been heavy weights attached to his body, he danced as light as a feather, bobbing and weaving as he approached. Despite his bravado, he had his arms up in a purely defensive stance, watching out for any incoming attacks.

But Settie just stood there. She didn’t even put on her shield properly. Just carrying it by its edge.

“Watch closely now. Despite her appearances, Settie is a brilliant student. She’s a second year for a reason.” I heard Rilona speak from behind me, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. “I see so many students like him. Full of bravado and looking to prove themselves. But overconfidence just leads to an early grave. Keep that in mind, okay? And hopefully he will, too.”

The sound of ice shattering reverberated throughout the arena. Settie hadn’t moved a single muscle, but her shield still deflected the blow. Oh, I see now. She didn’t need to move. Her shield floated in the air, poised to intercept any attack.

“Don’t look down on me!” The ice fists reformed as quickly as they shattered. He unleashed a flurry of blows, punch after punch. But none of his fists found purchase. Each and every one of them were blocked with ease.

Telekinesis was considered one of the most basic forms of magic. Any dedicated mage could learn it, regardless of their elemental affinity. But I had never seen it at this level of speed and precision.

Settie yawned, pretending not to pay attention. “Oh, sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Could you speak up?”

“You–” Roland grunted. He launched a right hook, but raised his left hand up, not to throw another punch, but to complete a magic gesture.

She jumped backwards, and a pillar of ice pierced through the ground she had just stood on. “Nice try.”

Moisture coalesced into spikes of ice around him. Each was the size of a halberd, eager to fly off and pierce their target. “Try blocking this.” With a flick of his arm, his ice flew straight as an arrow.

But they all sliced into pieces before they could even find their mark.

Something slithered from under Settie’s robes. It was a chain. A long, metallic adorned with thin blades, coiling through the air and cutting anything that got close. Though she gripped its handle, the strange weapon whipped through the air without her swinging.

He cursed. Then, he began chanting. A four part chant of arcane hymns. With each syllable the temperature dropped further and further. This was way beyond just a friendly duel. If this wasn’t stopped, then…

But Rilona assured me it would be fine. This was all still part of her makeshift lesson. As my breath started coming out in white puffs, as frost began to crystallize on the dirt below us, Roland finished his magic chant.

“Absolute Zero - Ice Coffin!” The whole arena was enveloped in frost. Hundreds upon hundreds of sharp icicles formed all around the arena, all pointing directly at Settie. Then, they all collapsed upon that one point. A barrage of icy spears. As soon as one was launched, a new one was formed to take its place.

But all I could hear was the clashing of metal. Her strange whip of blades flew through the air. A tornado of razor sharp metal surrounded her, slicing through icicle after icicle. Dust and water vapor obscured the arena. All I could hear was the continuous screech of metal.

Then, it was quiet. “Did… did I get her?” Roland panted. That had to have been the highest level spell he knew. Didn’t he know anything about restraint? Still, the match seemed pretty definitive. It was already clear who the winner was.

Something whirred through the air. He tried to put his arms up to defend, but he was too tired and it was too late. The shield bonked him straight on the head. In an instant, he fell over, unconscious. The dust settled as Settie emerged without a scratch.

“I guess that was good enough to wake me up.”

As Rilona announced the winner and rushed to help up Roland, all I could do was watch in awe and horror. This was what the Academy was like. This was what the students were capable of. This was what I had to go up against.

A lump formed in my throat, and I struggled to swallow. I felt a hand on my shoulder. “He wasn’t half bad, for a first year.” Settie greeted me with a lethargic smile. “Makes me look forward to seeing how well you’ll do.”

“U-um, yeah, you’ll get to see how, um, powerful my magic is. Soon enough.” I forced a smile, as I felt a new sort of pressure weighing upon me.

School hadn’t even started yet, and I already felt way out of my depth.