There were about twenty four cadets on the field, scrambling around as they followed their tethers to find their teams. Elysia flashed me a brilliant smile, and I couldn't help but return it as my anxiety slowly settled down.

Getting confronted by Raging Sparrow and her team like that had set my nerves on fire. But now that the ice had been broken, and we were finally getting a glimpse of what this exercise would be like, I could feel a sense of excitement and wonder creeping in.

"You okay?" Elysia spoke gently, touching my arm.

I jolted, nodding. "Yeah, yeah. A bit nervous, but it's a good nervous. I'm actually kinda glad Frostburn jumped in like that the way he did."

She frowned, her eyebrows twitching with confusion. "Really? Who is he, anyway?"

I let out a soft sigh. "He's another emergency contract holder, and he came off as a total ass at orientation. The guy grates my nerves, but I think he's more complicated than we think. That looked like it was calculated to make Sunlit Majesty throw the first punch and get the heat off me. Not sure why he went that far, but I wonder."

She snorted, shaking her head. "Well, either way. If he hadn't stepped in, I would have had to say something. And trust me, it could have gotten far uglier."

Her eyes twinkled as she turned to smile at me, and I could sense a hint of playfulness in her voice.

Elysia was still a bit of an enigma for me.

She was the strongest girl in this class by a significant margin, but she seemed to almost downplay it. She had been so nervous when she approached me and Strawberry during orientation, but here she was, all smiles and confidence.

Even though we were magical knights, everyone seemed to have their own weaknesses and insecurities.

It was refreshing, in a sense.

She'd offered to meet in our civilian identities in a group chat with Strawberry, but Strawberry hadn't been comfortable with it. I was also leery. Just because someone seemed friendly at face value didn't mean we could fully trust them.

Elysia bent over, looking at me with a concerned expression. Then, I blinked in surprise as she turned to glare at Raging Sparrow and Sunlit Majesty who were being led away with Frostburn at the center of the group.

"They are so not getting away with that," she hissed as Tesseract lifted the barrier to a training field, gesturing for the three to step through.

"Hey, it's no big deal," I shrugged, fidgeting as we followed our tether to the field entrance. "They're just three magical knights with egos."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Oh, come on. They could have at least picked a better time or place to strike. Seriously."

Frostburn turned back, flashing me a sneering smile as he waved goodbye.

"Maaan those two are going to be the death of me..." Ace suddenly spoke from my side, glancing at me with a strange look.

I shook my head, "Hey, they're your teammates. You gotta keep them in line somehow, right?"

She blushed, grinning sheepishly as she fidgeted with the buttons on her magician's outfit and her domino mask. "Ha! You got me. I'm the most levelheaded, but Sparrow's a real handful. And Sunlit Majesty is a bit of a diva. I trust them with my life and try not to get in the way too much when they get like this, but geez. You really can't blame me, right?"

I nodded, watching as the rest of the class filed out through the entrance into the barrier-covered fields.

"Well, I'm going to find the unlucky folks I'm partnered with. Ciao!" Ace spun around, waving goodbye as she scurried over to a group of three confused-looking standard admissions students.

Elysia and I looked at our purple tether, and shared a simultaneous nod. It was time to find our last partner for the exercise.

"I wonder who it's going to be?" Elysia mused, tapping her chin as she spun around to walk backwards as she talked to me, her eyes wide with wonder. "Do you think it's someone from the emergency contracts like you? Someone who came in with a team?"

I shrugged. "Who knows... but we'll find them quick, don't you worry!"

She giggled, and turned to walk ahead with a bounce, leading the way.

The barrier opened to reveal an open field that cut through a full length of the isthmus the academy was located on, with rocky terrain and jagged cliffsides on the left side of the field. At even a cursory glance, it was obvious the school had set up a massive obstacle course, and Elysia's eyes lit up as she spotted a stream running through the right side and flowing through the center of the field.

"That would make for an interesting teambuilding exercise..." Elysia smirked, crossing her arms as she appraised the layout.

I turned, furrowing my brows in curiosity as I followed the tether toward a massive tree that lay collapsed over a bend in the river.

And then, I paused, my gaze drawn to a petite, blonde-haired girl dressed as a stereotypical angel, eyes closed with a serene smile on her face in a prayer position. I recognized her as one of the magical girls at the emergency contract orientation. I'd talked to her briefly, but hadn't gotten her name or even a bit of her personal information. She'd been quite tight-lipped.

I slowly approached her, tilting my head as she hummed to herself, her aura a warm, pink and yellow light. She didn't seem worried or hurried at all.

"Hey, there," I grinned, giving her a friendly wave.

She blinked, turning to me with a confused look on her face, before she noticed the tether connecting us. "Oh, hey there Lux. Looks like we're on a team, huh? I didn't get to introduce myself the other day, but I guess I go by Love Angel Aurora these days. It's a pleasure to finally talk to you."

Her voice was soft, and there was a peaceful aura around her that was difficult to place. Like she'd been in seclusion for her entire life, but had just emerged to a newer, brighter world. It was one of the weaker auras I'd seen, but it had a distinctive quality that seemed to envelop you with warmth and understanding.

Elysia waved, strolling over to stand beside me as she noticed Aurora. "Hi there! I'm Elysia. Pleased to meet you?"

She tilted her head curiously, taking in Aurora's serene appearance. "I guess we're a team for this exercise, huh?"

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Aurora nodded, smiling gently as she stood up and raised her wings. She was small and slender, and stood right around my height. "Yes, I suppose we are. And I'm curious to see how this exercise will play out. Let's make sure we learn well and work well together, shall we?"

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

As awkward as I'd felt just a minute ago, I felt like this would be a smooth and entertaining class. Aurora gave me the impression that she'd be very easy to work with, at least.

I smiled, nodding nodding at Elysia. "Looks like we got another friend, hmm?"

Aurora giggled, shaking her head. "Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to be working with you.

Then, she smirked, her eyes twinkling as she nodded to Elysia and me. "I can't help but feel curious about something. You two seem to be friends. Were you surprised to get partnered up?"

"Surprised? Uh, well, yeah. I guess you could say that," Elysia mused, biting her lip. "But it's good to mix it up a bit and see what we can do in different combinations, right? I just hope we'll get the chance to run as a real team someday."

She leaned forward, a mischievous smirk on her lips as she whispered, "Hopefully after we get these egomaniacs in check..."

I chuckled, nodding. "You're talking about Sparrow and her team, right?"

Elysia rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Those idiots are just the tip of the iceberg, Lux. I've noticed that there's some real tough competition amongst the standard admissions students here, and they were giving you the stink eye after that debacle back there. But... it shouldn't be that much of a problem for us, right?"

"Us huh? Well, I guess I can see why you're optimistic." I smirked, blushing as I shifted uncomfortably. It looked like Elysia had thrown her hat in the ring with me. It was a little flattering, but I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy with it.

She'd latched on to me, and I could tell that she took some kind of strange enjoyment in the time we've spent together. It wasn't bad, but it still tickled my brain for some reason.

After all, we didn't know each other that well. There was something there that was bothering me, but I wasn't sure what.

And yet, it was nice to have such a capable and determined ally in my corner.

She continued, winking at me with a knowing look. "Not that we can underestimate the chaos and complications that come with real magical knight teamwork. I have a feeling our esteemed instructor split us up the way we are for good reason, don't you?"

Aurora tilted her head, her eyes wide with wonder. "How insightful! I wonder what kind of arrangement she has in mind."

I folded my arms, trying to ignore the lingering questions and concerns in my mind. It wouldn't do me any good to get wrapped up in worrying now.

Elysia suddenly paused, her cheeks blushing with excitement. "Oh, right! Aurora. Sorry, I forgot to ask you something. I was wondering if you'd mind talking about our powers while everyone else finishes setting up?"

Aurora nodded, glancing at the barrier entrance to the training field. There were still a few cadets milling about, getting organized and settling in with their teams.

"Sure," Aurora whispered, a small grin playing on her lips. "Go ahead, Elysia."

Instead of speaking up, Elysia turned toward me with an encouraging smile. "Why don't you take point, Lux? It'll be good practice."

I swallowed nervously, shifting my weight to my other leg as Aurora beamed at me.

"Me? Are you sure?"

Elysia smiled, shrugging as she fluffed her dress. "Sure. It might be fun. After all, I think I've already figured out what this whole exercise is about. It's just a gut feeling for now. Anyway, how would you best summarize your abilities and mine?"

I paused, scrunching up my face as I considered her question.

"Well, I'd say both Elysia and I are long range fighters. Elysia... well to be blunt, she could probably take down any individual cadet in this class of twenty-four down in a one-on-one. She has some wide-area frost abilities, and an outrageously vicious hand to hand combat style that rounds out her playbook. I'm also a long range fighter, and I have a pretty standard low-level skill set with beams, rapid fire bolts, barriers, and some light manipulation. I do have a couple of trump cards I'm reluctant to play that will completely drain my pool in seconds, though."

Elysia beamed, clapping her hands gently. "A fine summary that reveals just enough of your fighting style while not giving away too much."

"Right, thank you."

"Aurora, what about you?" she whispered, glancing at the petite angel. "Do you have a sort of... team strategy in mind, or anything that could blend well with ours?"

Aurora cleared her throat, averting her eyes as she blushed. "Well, I'm a long-range girl like you two, but my abilities center around support. I took the emergency contract to protect my family during the Cataclysm. And we had to depend on my older brother who is a Pioneer and lifelong kickboxer. My best skill is an elemental buff that amplifies the physical parameters of everyone within its radius, and my other abilities have to do with protection. I can create shields and heal, but I'm not really much of a fighter. I do have a unique ability, but it's not something that's consistent..."

She grimaced, biting her lip.

"It's difficult to have faith, with the supposed gods of multiple pagan religions running around for a few hundred years. I'm still a devout Christian, though, and do believe I was given this opportunity by the grace of the Lord. My Signature Talent allows me to pray for providence and receive immediate blessings and insight — including prescience. The blessings have been pretty arbitrary with varied usefulness, but it has always allowed me to cleanse the corruption of the demons that attacked us during the Cataclysm. It is what triggered my first transformation and saved my brother's life. We had been ambushed on a back alley by the demonic beasts, and I transformed on the spot when I prayed for our safety and his survival as the corruption began to take him."

Elysia raised her eyebrows, turning to me with an impressed look. "Whoa. That's a pretty unique ability. Lux, would you be able to tell us how you could combine your skills with hers?"

I tilted my head, frowning. "Hmm, well, I guess my shields and illusions would offer her some extra protection. It sounds like she would be the heart of our team, with both of us acting as the brawn and brains to her defense and support."

Elysia nodded. "Excellent! Aurora, how about that?"

She shrugged, twirling a golden orb of light over her palm. "It sounds like a good way to approach our strategy. We still have to hear from Miss Tesseract about the specifics of this exercise, but I'm sure that's going to give us more insight."

I smiled, looking back over at the crowd. It looked like everyone had more or less settled into groups, with some students sitting down and chatting amongst themselves. Elysia walked up beside me, and smiled as she just stood in silence with me.

The back of my neck prickled as I felt like someone was watching us, and I spun around to see Aurora studying me with a curious look in her eyes. Her golden aura was tinged with pink, and seemed to be working with some kind of active skill. Then, she glanced over at Elysia with a slightly concerned look on her face.

I furrowed my brow, whispering to her. "Hey, is there anything you want to add, Aurora?"

She fidgeted, shaking her head as she opened her mouth and then closed it again, sighing.

Just what was going through her mind?

There was a small part of me that wondered if there was something I was missing. She was so serene and focused, and even seemed a bit suspicious as she evaluated us.

But Aurora giggled, waving her hand. "Please, don't mind me. I just had a couple of thoughts on my mind."

She nodded to the other cadets, shrugging as she let her aura fade back to normal. "Anyway, we still have some time until this training exercise gets started. Any other questions?"

"Nah, I'm good. I think we're ready for whatever's going to come our way," I grinned, my chest swelling with pride.

She smiled back, and I couldn't help but find myself relaxing as I saw her aura settle down.

No wonder the angel motif worked for her so well. She really did seem like she was in tune with something or someone greater than herself.

It made me a little jealous, in a sense.

"Oh, don't worry, dear." She blushed, shaking her head. "I'm not as confident as you and Elysia seem to be. I just believe in following the path set before me. It's not often that one encounters such wonderful and talented friends, but I hope we can work well together."

Elysia tapped my shoulder, and I turned to see her pointing up at the sky as Tesseract appeared in a flash of silver light around twenty yards over the field.

"Alright, kids. This will be quick, and hopefully enlightening. I do apologize for the bumpy beginning, but as long as we get to the exercises, we should be golden. And remember, this is just a dry run. I'll be watching closely for any discrepancies and surprises."

She nodded, giving us a thumbs up before she zoomed off towards a jagged, rocky area at the back of the field. Then, she summoned a concrete wall spanning across the field out of nowhere with a wave of her hand with eight entrances. The tethers that had led the three of us together suddenly split and led us to the entrance on the right end.

Then, she yelled from a distance, "The goal of this exercise will be simple. Gather in your teams, split up through the gates my tethers lead you to, and make it across the obstacle course we've created. That's all."

I blinked as a slightly foreboding sensation crept up inside me.

Elysia giggled, gripping my arm. "This sounds like it's going to be so much fun. I'm gonna let you take point, okay, Lux? Show us what you got!"

Why did I have a feeling that we were in for one hell of an afternoon?