The wind in the courtyard stilled, thickening the silence like a shroud. Every breath, every slight movement from the gathered crowd halted, as if they collectively feared breaking the tension.

Ellie stood rigid, her heart hammering so violently in her chest it threatened to drown out every other sound. Across from her, Kaedin stood tall, his calm, focused gaze a stark contrast to the wild pulse of panic coursing through her veins.

The ground beneath her feet felt wrong, like it was shifting, unsteady. Her shoes scraped against the cobblestones, but there was nowhere to retreat. No plan. No strategy. Nothing but the faint flicker of magic at her fingertips, flickering against her will, betraying the storm raging inside her.

“Ellie, you’ve got this!” a voice rang out from the edge of the crowd, its tone filled with confidence that Ellie did not share.

She barely registered it, her mind swirling with fragments of thoughts—disjointed, scattered. The sword Kaedin held gleamed dully in the afternoon light as he shifted his stance.

He wasn’t in a rush; his movements were slow, deliberate, not intended to harm. It was a practice duel, after all. Just training. But every swing of his sword, no matter how controlled, felt too fast, too precise. Too much like the end of something she couldn’t face.

The crowd watched, expectant, and Ellie could feel their eyes, their unspoken demands. She wasn’t meant to win. Not really. But she couldn’t lose this, either. Not in front of them. Not in front of Kaedin.

Kaedin’s sword moved again, slicing the air, a glint of polished steel in the sunlight. Her feet stumbled back, clumsy, unpracticed. The stones beneath her shifted treacherously. She tried to avoid his blade, but her body betrayed her, her foot catching on a loose cobblestone. She nearly fell, her ankle twisting awkwardly as she lurched sideways to escape.

"Watch your footing!" someone yelled, their concern threading through the rising tension of the crowd.

Kaedin stopped mid-swing, his eyes narrowing in surprise. His brow furrowed as though he hadn’t expected her to falter so badly.

Her face flushed, hot with embarrassment, and for a moment, shame burned hotter than her fear. She forced herself upright, forcing her thoughts to clear, but they refused. The noise in her head wouldn’t quiet.

I need to end this.

The thought sliced through the chaos in her mind, sharp and cold. Ellie straightened, her fingers twitching as she tried to recall some simple spell, something harmless.

Just a breeze, she thought. A small push. Enough to create an opening, an excuse to stop the fight before it spiraled any further out of her control.

But control had never been her strength. The magic in her hands, tingling and restless, surged out of her without her permission. What was supposed to be a whisper of wind became a roaring gust, wild and erratic.

Air exploded from her hands in a spiral of force, far stronger than she’d intended. Loose dirt and small stones kicked up violently, stinging Kaedin’s face.

He flinched, lifting an arm to shield his eyes, his balance faltering. Panic surged through Ellie’s chest as the wind around her gained momentum, swirling faster, growing in power.

“No, no, no!” she whispered frantically, waving her hands to stop it, but it was too late.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The wind, now completely untethered, slammed into Kaedin with the force of a charging beast. His armor clinked under the pressure as the gust knocked him off his feet. He crashed to the ground, his sword flying from his grip and skidding across the courtyard with a sharp metallic scrape.

The world around her seemed to pause. For an instant, there was only the sight of Kaedin, sprawled on the ground, his eyes wide in shock. His fall felt like a slow-motion disaster, an echo of her worst fears.

The crowd gasped, a collective intake of breath that cut through the eerie silence like a blade. Ellie’s pulse roared in her ears, louder than the voices beginning to stir around her.

"She barely touched him—did you see that?"

"Was she holding back the whole time?"

"No way! She knocked him down with a spell that simple?"

The whispers rippled through the crowd, each one fanning the flames of Ellie’s horror. She hadn’t meant to—she hadn’t wanted this. Her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes locked on Kaedin as he blinked, stunned but unharmed, sitting up slowly.

Dirt streaked across his armor, and for a moment, his face was a mask of confusion. Then, something changed. A flicker of—what was it? Amusement? Respect?

He rubbed the back of his head, chuckling softly. “Well... I suppose I asked for that, didn’t I?”

The words fell from his lips like a casual joke, but they sent a wave of dread crashing through Ellie. No, no, this was wrong. He shouldn’t be laughing. This wasn’t funny—it was dangerous. I didn’t mean to. The words tangled on her tongue, sticking there as her breath caught in her chest.

Kaedin got to his feet slowly, his movements deliberate, as if testing his balance. He looked at her again, his expression now a mixture of admiration and curiosity. "Ellie Liddell," he said, shaking his head as if he still couldn’t quite believe what had happened. "You really are something else."

The crowd murmured in agreement, voices rising in awe.

"She didn’t even break a sweat."

"That’s some serious magic."

Ellie’s stomach twisted painfully. It wasn’t serious magic—it was a mistake. A fluke. A disaster masquerading as a victory. She wanted to scream, to tell them all that they were wrong, but the words wouldn’t come.

Instead, she stood there, frozen, the weight of their admiration pressing down on her like a suffocating cloak.

Kaedin extended his hand to her, his smile wide and easy, like they were simply playing a friendly game. “Help me up, will you?” he asked, his tone light, as if the entire courtyard hadn’t just watched him get tossed aside like a rag doll.

Ellie stared at his hand, a rush of confusion flooding her. Why was he being so calm? Why wasn’t he angry? Slowly, she reached out, her fingers barely touching his before he clasped her hand firmly and pulled himself up.

His grip was strong, reassuring, but it did nothing to ease the tight knot in her chest.

The crowd erupted into cheers, louder now, filled with excitement and admiration. Kaedin clapped her on the shoulder, his grin still fixed in place. “You’ll have to teach me how to do that sometime. I’ve never seen magic like that before.”

Her stomach churned. The crowd's energy seemed to be pulling her under, drowning her in a sea of praise she didn’t deserve. She forced herself to smile, though it felt like a mask that barely covered the panic simmering beneath her skin.

“I—” Ellie started, but her voice faltered. She had nothing to say, no explanation that would make sense.

Nothing that could undo what had just happened.

She had won the duel, yes, but not because of skill or control. She had won because her magic had flared out of control, and now they all thought she had done it on purpose.

Kaedin picked up his sword, sliding it back into its sheath with a casual, fluid motion. He turned to her, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Next time, show me what you’re really capable of.”

Ellie’s heart sank. Next time. The thought of facing him again—or anyone—made her feel sick. There would be no next time, not if she could help it.

She couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t let this happen again.

But Kaedin’s grin, the cheers of the crowd, their applause and admiration—it all swirled around her, a maelstrom of expectations she didn’t know how to escape.

She forced another smile, her lips trembling. “Next time.”

For now, she was trapped in the aftermath of her accidental victory. But next time? Next time might be the day everything fell apart.

And somehow, deep down, she knew it was coming.