The warm, radiant sun beamed down, raining its sunlight upon the park in the Vail's neighborhood. Elianna and Nicholas stood facing each other, looking at the other intensely, with a pole that had a ball tethered to it separating them. Elianna held the ball in her hands, with her lips curved into a smirk.

"Well, Nick," Elianna chuckled and raised the ball to eye level. "It seems we may have found something you're not so good at."

Nicholas grinned, "Don't get cocky, you're only two games ahead."

Elianna simply shrugged, "That's true. But you need to win these next two times to win." She returned Nicholas' grin, "Think you can do it, Nicky?"

Nicholas' eyes narrowed, and Elianna mentally chuckled since she knew Nicholas hated being called Nicky. Nicholas got into a stance, placing his left foot in front of his right with a determined expression.

"Ready when you are," Nicholas said, his voice thick with his competitiveness.

Elianna smiled, loving how competitive they both were. There were times they would playfully argue with each other about who was better at a game or event, but they never got into any serious verbal fights. In fact, it was times like these that she could see why they got along so well. They were both competitive and loved to win, but would always support each other in the end.

Elianna got into her stance, tossed the ball into the air, and quickly smacked it with an open palm. The ball swung around to Nicholas' side, where he promptly hit it back toward Elianna. Elianna's eyes were locked on the ball, tracking it wherever it went, and promptly hit it back toward Nicholas.

They continued like this, hitting the ball back and forth repeatedly, neither wavering as they were both set on winning the game. Watching as Elianna hit the ball, Nicholas' lips curved into a mischievous smile as an idea came to mind. He raised his hand to hit the ball back to Elianna while simultaneously flicking his free hand, creating a small gust of wind under Elianna.

Elianna yelped and closed her eyes as wind and dust blew up around her, waving her hair around. Taking this opportunity, Nicholas quickly hit the ball and it rapidly wrapped around the pole, securing Nicholas' win.

"Ha!" Nicholas cheered and raised his arms. "I win!"

Elianna's eyes shot open once the wind and dust died down. The first thing she noticed was the ball wrapped around the pole, and she eyed Nicholas with an accusatory, narrowed gaze. "That was cheating!"

Nicholas gave Elianna a sly smile, "I haven't the faintest idea what you mean."

"Oh?" Elianna challenged and crossed her arms. "So that was just a convenient gust of wind that got me distracted so you could win?"

Nicholas innocently shrugged, "Perhaps."

"Uh-huh," Elianna said flatly, seeing through his deception. "Well, I guess it comes down to this game then."

Nicholas grinned, "I supposed it does."

Nicholas stood straight and grabbed the hem of his shirt. He raised the bottom of his shirt, and Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas' abdomen as it came into view, revealing his well-sculpted eight-pack. Elianna's cheeks burned, turning apple red, and it wasn't from the sun. She could tell that Nicholas' training with his uncle these past few years had really paid off, as he had become quite muscular.

Nicholas used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face before dropping it back down. He looked at Elianna casually before his brows raised, seeing her face was flushed. "Lia, do you need to sit down?"

Elianna's eyes flicked to his, and her blush deepened slightly as she met his gaze, "W-What?"

Nicholas looked at her, a little concerned, "Your face is red. Do you need to drink some more water? Or, maybe you need to sit down."

Elianna quickly cleared her throat, composing herself, and smiled, "I'm fine, don't worry." She took a deep breath and looked at the ball, "Let's continue."

Nicholas eyed her for a moment, "You sure?"

Elianna gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm sure." She brushed some of her hair out of her face, which was now all over the place because of the wind.

Elianna began to brush her hair back with her fingers, which was starting to feel like a hassle, so she decided just to tie it back. She took her hair tie out of her spacial ring and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

Nicholas watched Elianna as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and the nape of her neck came into view. Nicholas' cheeks turned a little red as he watched her let go of her hair and let out a breath.

Elianna felt a little cooler with her hair tied back, and she looked up as she rubbed her neck, feeling the sweat. "That feels a lot better." Her eyes flicked to Nicholas, seeing he was looking to the side and his cheeks were a little red. Her brows furrowed, remembering his cheeks weren't this red a moment ago, "You okay, Nick? Maybe you're the one who needs some water."

Nicholas' eyes flicked to Elianna, and he smiled, "No, it's okay. I'm fine." He cleared his throat and gestured to her, "Ponytail, huh? Taking this last game seriously?"

"Maybe," Elianna chuckled before she shrugged. "The little gust you claim that wasn't yours messed my hair up, so I tied it back." She grabbed and twirled her ponytail with her finger, "I know I usually have it like this for training, but the situation called for it."

"I mean," Nicholas began, looked to the side with his face red, and awkwardly cleared his throat. "You could just keep it like that."

Elianna raised a brow, "Like what?"

"The ponytail. You could just keep it like that."

Elianna eyed him curiously, "Why? So I don't need to change it whenever I train?"

Nicholas' eyes slowly flicked to her, "And because it looks nice."

Elianna's brows raised, and her eyes widened slightly. She picked up her ponytail and looked at it, "You think my hair looks good in a ponytail?"

Nicholas shrugged slightly, "Y-Yeah."

Elianna eyed her ponytail, her lips curved into a small smile, and she whispered, "Good to know."

Nicholas looked at her curiously, "What was that?"

"I said I'll see," Elianna chuckled warmly before she looked at Nicholas again. She smiled happily and gestured to the ball, which had since unwined, "Ready for the final round?"

Nicholas grinned, "Ready when you are."

Elianna grabbed the ball and jestfully grinned at Nicholas, "Just don't cheat this time."

Nicholas playfully rolled his eyes and took his stance, "You can't prove that was me. Just hit the ball."

Elianna grinned mischievously as she pushed mana into her right arm and hit the ball as hard as she could. Nicholas went wide-eyed and stepped back slightly as the ball flew past him, wrapping around the pole once.

"Oi!" Nicholas yelped. "No augmenting!"

Nicholas stepped forward and hit the ball back toward Elianna with a loud smack just before it wrapped around the pole for a second time.

Elianna chuckled and lightheartedly said, "I don't know what you mean."

Elianna hit the ball back toward Nicholas, and he decided to play fire with fire. He gathered wind magic in his hand and rapidly hit the ball back toward Elianny. Elianna stepped back as the ball whirled past her, and she competitively gritted her teeth as she hit the ball before it wrapped around the pole for a second time.

"Two can play at this game!" Nicholas chuckled.

Nicholas hit the ball back toward Elianna, and she smirked as she thought of a devious plan. She again augmented her arm and hit the ball as hard as she could. The ball went flying around the pole, and Nicholas stepped back to avoid getting hit. He narrowed his eyes as he stepped forward to hit the ball again, but Elianna had other ideas.

With Nicholas distracted by the oncoming ball, Elianna took this chance to form a ball of water in her hand and threw it at Nicholas. Nicholas' eyes flicked to Elianna just as she threw the ball of water, and his gaze widened in surprise. He quickly formed a mana shield in front of him, blocking the water before it hit him. Nicholas quickly looked back at the pole, and despair washed over him, seeing that the ball had completely wrapped around it.

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Elianna raised her arms into the air and cheered, "Wo hoo! I won!" She playfully pointed at Nicholas, "In your face!"

Nicholas canceled his shield spell and narrowed his eyes on Elianna, "That doesn't count; you threw a water ball!"

Elianna innocently shrugged and smirked, "You can't prove that was me."

"I literally saw you!" Nicholas explained, pointing at her accusingly.

Elianna put on a dejected facade, "A-Are you calling me a liar, Nick?"

Nicholas' eyes narrowed, "You're not fooling me with that act, you know."

Elianna grinned and chuckled, "Can't blame a girl for trying." She tilted her head slightly to the right, "But, I do believe this means I win the game."

"Nu-uh," Nicholas protested and crossed his arms. "You cheated."

"You used magic too, remember," Elianna said and raised her chin proudly. "I guess this makes me the tetherball champion."

Nicholas grumbled, "Let's have a rematch. Without magic this time. Then, we will see who the tetherball champion is."

Elianna competitively smiled, "So eager to lose again? Okay, we can play on-"

"Oh, look who it is."

Elianna's stomach dropped, and her smile immediately faded at the familiar voice. Nicholas frowned at seeing Elianna's expression, and he looked toward the voice.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else to hang out," The voice said.

Elianna slowly looked toward the voice, and a wave of emotions washed over her as she noted the three individuals approaching them. Tyler and Dylan walked side by side, with Sarah walking behind them. Tyler and Dylan had their usual contemptuous smiles as they eyed Elianna, while Sarah's eyes were a little downcast.

Uneasiness filled Elianna as she watched the three of them approach. It had been a while since she had seen the three of them again, and she'd always tried to prevent Nicholas from having to interact with them, which is why they usually didn't spend time outside in her neighborhood.

Tyler snickered, "We wouldn't want to be a part of another freak accident."

Elianna flinched at the word, and her blood began to simmer. Nicholas' eyes widened as the word rang inside his head like a bell, and realization slowly dawned on him, realizing who these people were. Anger washed over Nicholas as he remembered the stories Elianna had told him about her old friends and how they treated her horribly.

"Ah," Nicholas said, looking Tyler and Dylan up and down, assessing them. "You must be Tyler and Dylan."

Tyler and Dylan looked toward Nicholas, eyeing him curiously. "And who are you?" Dylan asked, his voice snappy.

"Who, me?" Nicholas asked and placed his hand on his chest. He smiled, gesturing to Elianna, "I'm Lia's friend."

Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas, and she smiled warmly.

Tyler raised a brow and scoffed, "Friend?" His eyes flicked to Elianna with disdain, "Didn't know the freak had any friends."

Dylan snickered, "He even gave her a pet name. How cute."

Elianna's eyes darted to Tyler and Dylan, anger washing over her, "He's a better friend to me than any of you were."

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Does he even know about you? Did you tell him about how you awakened?"

"Hey, new guy!" Dylan yelled, and Nichols raised a brow. "A word of advice: don't get too close to her; she has a habit of blowing up."

Elianna gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Her blood was coming to a boiling point, and her core was feeling warmer by the second. She opened her mouth and was about to speak her mind.

"Blowing up, huh?" Nicholas said nonchalantly, and Elianna's eyes flicked to him. Nicholas smiled, "I think that's pretty cool. In fact, the only freaks around here are you since you can't see how amazing she is."

Elianna's brows raised, and her lips went slightly agape when she heard Nicholas's words. The anger she felt rushing through her veins subsided, replaced with a fluttering sensation in her stomach.

"Excuse me?!" Tyler spat and looked at Nicholas angrily. He stepped forward, pointed at Nicholas, and spoke through gritted teeth, "Who do you think you are talking to?! Do you know who my family is?!"

Elianna eyed Tyler, seeing the anger and frustration on his face, and his body was tense. Dylan, who was standing beside Tyler, also looked irritated, with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Sarah, however, had an uneasy look in her eyes, with her gaze darting between Nicholas and Tyler.

However, when Elianna looked at Nicholas, she couldn't help but feel impressed. Nicholas stood poised, with his hands cupped to the small of his back and his chin held high. He showed no signs of anger, and his expression was calm and elegant.

"Why?" Nicholas said and smiled humorously at Tyler. "Do you not know?"

Tyler sneered, "I am of the noble house of Pooglia! Show me some respect!"

"Wow, impressive," Nicholas said sarcastically. "I didn't know we were in the presence of someone of such high status."

Elianna couldn't help but laugh a little at Nicholas' remark, and Tyler's anger-filled eyes snapped to her.

"Shut up, you freak!" Tyler yelled.

Elianna's and Nicholas' smiles faded, with Elianna's blood beginning to boil yet again. However, she was the least mad of the two. Anger washed over Nicholas like a tidal wave when he heard Tyler yell at Elianna and the insult he hurled at her. He knew how much she hated that word and how much these people had hurt her in the past. But, he maintained his calm expression, even though on the inside, he was filled with rage. Elianna opened her mouth to speak, about to give Tyler a piece of her mind.

"You know," Nicholas said calmly before Elianna could say anything. Elianna and the others looked at him. He gestured to Elianna, "Lia here has told me about you two, and I must say, I'm not impressed."

Tyler's eyes narrowed, and they spoke ominously, "What?"

Nicholas chuckled, "You're what, two years older than her? Yet," Nicholas looked at his core, "You only have three stars." He smiled proudly and gestured to Elianna, "She's fifteen and achieved her fourth star and formed her second elemental core not long ago." Nicholas grinned, "Really shows your shortcomings."

Tyler's eyes widened with fury, "Excuse me?!"

Nicholas gestured to Elianna, "You're just jealous of how amazing she is." Elianna's lips curved into a smile, and her fluttering sensation grew as she looked at Nicholas.

"I would never be jealous of that freak!" Tyler snapped loudly.

Nicholas rolled his eyes, "And there you are with the insults again. Pathetic. Shows how simple-minded you are."

"Pathetic?! Simple-minded?!" Tyler spat, igniting his hands on fire. "How dare you speak to me like that!"

"Tyler," Sarah said softly, looking at him cautiously. "Maybe you should calm down."

"Shut up!" Tyler snapped, looking at her over his shoulder, and Sarah flinched.

Elianna felt uneasy about how things were escalating and looked at Nicholas, "Nick, let's head back."

Tyler's head whipped toward Nicholas, "No, Nick. Stay." Tyler raised his right fist, enlarging the fire coating his hand, "Allow me to bestow upon you a lesson! Let me show you how we duel in Tri-Union Academy!"

Tyler took a step toward Nicholas, and Elianna tensed. She began to push mana into her sapphire and silver cores and directed the elemental mana to clash in her abdomen. The water and wind magic fused together, turning into ice magic. Elianna began to push the ice magic toward her hands, preparing to freeze Tyler in place if necessary, as she would not allow any harm to come to Nicholas.

However, before Elianna could react, Nicholas promptly took out his wand as Tyler began to advance on him. Tyler's eyes flicked to the wand and went wide-eyed as Nicholas raised it toward him. A blast of icy wind shot out from Nicholas' wand like a cone, knocking Tyler back, covering him in a thin layer of frost, and extinguishing his flames.

Tyler landed on the ground harshly and grunted as he clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. Elianna's lips curved into a smirk, as she had to admit, it felt good to see Nicholas knock Tyler onto his behind. Her eyes flicked to Nicholas, and her cheeks turned slightly red, with her chest feeling warm, seeing him standing there confidently with his wand at the ready.

Dylan paled as he looked down at Tyler and yelled, "Ty!"

Tyler's eyes slowly opened, and he sat up, with his anger-filled gaze locking on Nicholas. Tyler looked Nicholas up and down, seeing how physically fit he was, and grew a little confused, "Y-You're a mage? I thought you were an augmenter."

Elianna smirked at Tyler, "Looks can be deceiving."

Tyler gritted his teeth and began to get up but froze as his eyes filled with a sense of wariness. Elianna followed his gaze, noticing Nicholas glaring at Tyler, with sparks of lightning magic forming at the tip of his wand.

"Thank you for the lesson, Tyler," Nicholas said, with an air of confidence around him. "Now leave, and don't disrespect my friend again."

Tyler scoffed and shot up to his feet. He took a step toward Nicholas, and Elianna began to form ice magic in her hand when Dylan quickly grabbed Tyler's arm, stopping him.

"Ty, don't!" Dylan yelled, holding Tyler back. Dylan glared at Nicholas, "Let's just go."

Tyler grumbled, "Fine." Glaring at Nicholas, Tyler began to back away slowly, "But this isn't over."

Tyler whirled around and began to walk away, with Dylan following him. Elianna smiled at the sight of Tyler walking away in defeat, but when her eyes flicked to Sarah, her smile faded. Sarah was standing there, her eyes wide and gleaming, and her cheeks were a little red as she looked at Nicholas. Elianna grew a little irritated at the sight, and she narrowed her eyes on Sarah.

"Sarah!" Dylan yelled. Sarah started and looked toward Tyler and Dylan, who were already across the road, glaring at her. "Let's go!"

"C-Coming!" Sarah yelled and ran off.

As soon as Sarah ran off, Elianna let out a relaxing breath and canceled her magic, feeling her elemental and mana core calm down. She looked at Nicholas, who put his wand back into his spatial ring as he looked at Elianna.

Nicholas eyed her a little worriedly, "Are you okay?"

Elianna smiled and nodded, "Yeah." She began to walk over to Nicholas, "What about you?"

"Yeah," Nicholas nodded. "I'm fi-"

Nicholas was cut off, and his eyes widened in surprise as Elianna brought him into a tight hug. His cheeks grew warm, and he stood there motionlessly for a moment.

"Thank you," Elianna said, her voice full of warmth.

"F-For what?" Nicholas stuttered, and he swallowed hard. He had hugged Elianna plenty of times in the past, but feeling her pressed against him right now, it felt different, and his heart was racing.

"Defending me," Elianna said.

Nicholas' eyes widened with realization before he smiled and finally returned her hug, "Of course."

Elianna's smile grew, and her heart fluttered as she felt Nicholas' arms wrap around her.

Nicholas chuckled, "And you were right. Tyler and Dylan are jerks."

Elianna giggled, and she and Nicholas broke the hug, "Told you." She jerked her chin, "Come on, let's head back to my place."

Nicholas nodded, and he and Elianna left the park and began their walk, walking side by side on the sidewalk.

"So, what would you want to do for the rest of today?" Nicholas began and looked at Elianna curiously.

Elianna hummed and shrugged, "I don't know. Any ideas?"

Nicholas looked up, thinking, "We could watch an illusionaire."

Elianna thought about it and nodded, "That sounds good." She looked at Nicholas and smiled, "Have you heard of that new illusionaire that just came out? I really want to see that one."

Nicholas looked at Elianna inquisitively, "The one that's in the theatre?" Elianna nodded. Nicholas smiled, "Wanna go tomorrow?"

Elianna smiled excitedly, "I'd love to! Though, I'd have to ask my parents first."

Nicholas laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I'll have to ask my aunt and uncle, too. But I'm sure they'll say yes."

"Sounds like a plan!" Elianna chirped. She gave Nicholas a little grin, "Now come on, the last one to the mansion loses."

Nicholas returned her grin, "Oh, you're on!"

Elianna laughed as she bolted toward the mansion, and Nicholas jovially chased after her.