"Luminary Bolt: Rapid Fire!" I shouted, firing a barrage of golden bolts at Eris.

She smirked, summoning a red barrier of crackling energy that blocked my shots.

I clicked my tongue in frustration, ducking as she suddenly dropped the barrier and hurled a bolt of red lightning at me.

With a sharp twist, I spun to the side, using the momentum to aim another volley of shots at her.

Eris jumped into the air, cartwheeling as she danced through the air.

"Nyeh heh heh heh! You can't touch me, little firecracker!"

I bit my lip, watching her movements closely as she landed on a nearby tree branch. She was quite a bit more agile than I was, and I had a feeling letting her get close would be a bad idea.

She spun her hands, summoning a dark orb of energy between her palms and firing another shot, which I ducked under, wincing as it slammed into a wall behind me.

Eris followed up immediately with a series of blasts that left me scrambling for cover behind a nearby decorative boulder, gritting my teeth as I took a deep breath.

Fuck, that was close.

She jumped high into the sky and summoned a massive bolt of lightning that crackled with energy.

"Sonic Drive: Ignition!"

The lightning wrapped around her body in a sizzling blast of energy, and she blasted off into the air, rocketing towards me.

I narrowed my eyes and sprung out from behind the rock, sending another burst of shots straight at her as she rocketed towards me.

She's fast!

A wave of electricity danced through the air, and my shots went wide as she weaved past my attacks.

"Time to end this!" she cried.

With a triumphant shriek, Eris slammed heel-first into my chest, sending me flying backwards and tumbling across the ground.

Or she would have.

Instead, a resounding explosion echoed through the air, and cloud of dust and debris filling the air.

"Tch," she spit in frustration as she left a smoking crater in the spot where she expected to see my mangled body.

"Get back here, you sneaky little bastard," she growled while standing beside my mirage. A perfect copy of me stood there in a crouch, staring up in shock.

She looked around with a frown, stomping her stiletto heel on the concrete and folding her arms across her chest as I stayed quiet, hidden behind a nearby tree.

Focus, Sienna. Breathe.

The second I exhaled, she twisted, launching a bolt of lightning that slammed into the tree and set it aflame with a crack and boom.

I reacted immediately, throwing up a luminary barrier and dove to the right, rolling into a crouch and firing a barrage of shots at her.

With a snap of her fingers, a wave of crimson energy exploded out from her, blasting me off my feet and knocking the breath out of me. I flipped in mid-air and landed gracefully on my feet, crouching as I lowered my head, shaking off the body shot.

She was fast - but she wasn't as fast as the absolute monster I'd fought during the Refuge Zeta incident.

She laughed, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I like you. It's not every day you meet a cadet who can keep up with the Dark Princess of Chaos. So tell me —"

She was cut off as I promptly fired a Luminary Beam at her, forcing her to step back with a hastily-raised a shield.

"You're annoying. Like really annoying," I snapped as the beam petered out, leaving Eris seething and grumbling.

"The nerve of some people. Really..."

Wait for it Sienna...

She launched another blast of red lightning in retaliation, and I caught in my left hand, immediately converting it into a golden beam of my own.

"What the—"

That was my opening.

She threw up a barrier out of reflex as I pushed my hand forward, adding her attack to my own. I fired the purified mana directly back at her torso, shattering her barrier.

The force of the hit was devastating. Her aura flashed a bright... pink?

And her body went skidding across the ground.

I stalked over towards her, aiming an orb of light in my hand as she struggled to get up, wincing.

"Oi, that hurt..." Eris complained as she rubbed her ribs.

"Get up."

She glanced at me, her expression somewhere between curious and frustrated. Then she snorted.

"Oooookaaaaaaayyyyyy," she sighed. "Guess I underestimated you. Good job, Harmonia Lux. You might actually have what it takes to be a real threat to m—"

She was injured, but I wasn't about to give her an inch. I fired a bolt of energy as she took her eyes off me for a second, slamming her into a nearby tree.

"Luminary Barrier!" I shouted, using the vocalized spell to strengthen the barrier that I formed around her body.

I didn't trust her for a second. I knew I had to take any real opening she gave me.

"Sheesh, you really play hardball, don't you?" she wheezed.

As I approached, I couldn't help but feel a tugging in the back of my mind. There was something strange about the aura radiating off her, and there were too many things about this that weren't adding up here.

Her aura was back to a smoldering black and red, and I had no idea what had changed to make it light up and pink for a split second.

I cautiously raised my palm, stepping forward as she grinned mischievously, relaxing against my bindings.

"Why are you here all the way from Pewterstone City?" I asked.

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She laughed. "Oh, you know. This and that. Causing mayhem and pandemonium is more a state of being than a destination."

"Coming all the way to Kaleidoscope Academy out of all places while there are gas shortages all over the place," I scoffed. "Don't play games with me, Eris. Why did you come here?"

Her face went serious for a moment, and her aura fluctuated once more.

Then she stuck her tongue out like a toddler.

"It's a secret! Can't have you stealing my thunder or whatever. Get it?"

Something definitely isn't adding up.

She wasn't answering my questions, and I was growing increasingly suspicious.

She sighed. "You'll see soon enough."

She suddenly sprung up, and I gasped in surprise as she yawned, shattering the barrier I'd bound her in as she stretched her shoulders.

"Let me tell you a secret. You see, I happen to specialize in barriers. Runs in the family, I suppose," Eris giggled, shooting a wink at me. "No matter how strong they are or what magical properties they possess, they can't hold a candle to my own."

She held out a hand, and a black orb crackled with red lightning between her palms.

"Now. Let's get serious, shall we? You're entertaining and all, but I've got places to be, people to pester," she muttered.

Without a hint of warning, she launched into me with blinding speed, planting her feet into the ground and throwing a palm strike that sent me flying through the air.

"C'mon! Show me what you got, Luxy!"

The way she'd said my name startled me, and I raised my arms defensively as she stepped closer. "You're pretty good at range. Why don't we test your hand-to-hand some more?"

She threw another lightning bolt that caught me in the shoulder, and I stumbled back, hissing as a numbness shot down my arm.

She charged in, her eyes glittering with mischief. Her fists began to glow red as she pulled one arm back and I hastily threw up a Luminary Barrier between us.

A white hot punch shattered it as if it was made of glass, sending me skidding backward into a bush. She stepped forward, and I hastily left a mirage clone behind as I bent the light around me.

Just as she raised her hand, I watched as her aura began to fluctuate again. This time, it flickered with pink and black, before going back to red and black.

She turned, throwing a spinning back kick where I'd stepped off cloaked to the side. I barely managed to brace myself, stumbling as her aura fluctuated and her foot slammed into my stomach with incredible force.

A pulse of energy exploded out from the impact, and I was blasted back through the air, hitting the ground with a wheezing grunt.

"HAH! Your instincts are passable, I suppose." Eris snorted as she marched over to my stunned form. "But you're no match for me."

I groaned, rolling to the side and glaring up at her as I huffed, struggling to recover my breath. I'd just had the wind completely knocked out of me, and I was desperately fighting an urge to vomit.

Her aura fluctuated and flickered with pink again, and it was driving me up a fucking wall.

What the hell was she playing at?

"Hmm. Why do I get the sense you still have some tricks up your sleeves, hmm? Something to hide?" She smirked. "Tell me, Luxy, are you holding out on me?"

She slowly lifted her hand up to throw a ball of crackling black lightning that glowed with menace, her aura flaring brightly again as she raised an eyebrow in anticipation.

Then, everything seemed to stop for a moment as she grinned and launched it at me.

I watched it grow bigger and brighter as it came closer and closer, my mind racing.

"Hopeful Heart Alchemy.... activate!" I cried, activating my trump card. "Shadow Art — Shadow Dance!"

Her lightning raced towards my unprotected form, and I blurred to the side.

Then, I dashed forward into a run, bending the shadows of the space around me and traveling with such blinding speed that it seemed like the bolt was moving through molasses.

As I reappeared next to Eris, her eyes widened as the shadows clinging to my clothes faded, and she froze.

"You have to be shitting me. The hell? Is that move—"

My eyes sparkled with a radiant golden light as the shadowy feathers radiating off my back matched Eclipse's own Dark Wave ability's. "Harmonizing Art: Eclipse Wave!"

A crescendo of magic burst from my fist, rippling with shadows as it collided with Eris. The swirl of orange and black energy blasting her backward as she went rolling to the ground.

A cloud of dirt and sand flew up around her, and she slowly got to her knees, rubbing the back of her head with a rueful grin.

"I underestimated you, Luxy. Good job!" Eris wheezed. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

I grimaced as my strength gave way, and my Shadow Dance dissipated.

I'd learned through experimentation after the Cataclysm that... however it worked — using Hopeful Heart Alchemy to 'borrow' Arts without the partner in proximity was a massive drain on my mana, and it left me feeling completely spent afterward.

Fuck it. Might as well play the role.

I smirked, standing with my arms crossed and a sly grin on my lips as the energy faded around my hands and aura.

She wiped her mouth and stumbled to her feet. I casually dusted myself off, looking back up at her. "Something like that. Are you done here?"

Eris shook her head with a smile. "Not quite. I have to say, this little sparring match of ours was serendipitous. It made all the trouble of coming down here worthwhile. More than worthwhile, in fact."

She settled into a fighting stance again, and I grimaced, knowing I didn't have much energy left to throw down.

Still, there was something about this girl that I was fixated on, and her aura still had that odd, off-color tinge to it that was bothering me.

Well, it couldn't hurt to try something.

I held my right hand out with an annoyed smirk. "Alright. Fuck this. Time to see what you're hiding, Eris. Luminary Conversion: Hopeful Heart Alchemy!"

My Signature Talent. The ability my Magical Knight powers revolved around was my Luminary Conversion. The ability to gather and transmute stagnant mana. It didn't quite work as well for active mana like those used of another magic user. However, Twilight Aster and I did discover that it could create small disruptions in active abilities.

A beam of pink energy shot out from my hand, slamming into the front of her chest, and her eyes shot open as her hair flickered a bright raspberry deep pink.

She reacted immediately, frantically focusing her aura inward. As quickly as it had happened, it vanished, and her hair was back to its original midnight black and crimson highlights.

She sighed, closing her eyes in concentration. Her expression was unreadable, and I stepped back, unsure of what to expect as her shoulders went slack.

Then she huffed, snapping her eyes open with a serious expression.

What happened next had me slack jawed.

An all-too familiar feathered wand with a heart-shaped tip was materialized in her right hand, and a soft, muted flash of red sparkled all around her. It wasn't exactly a match, but the source of inspiration for that wand would be obvious to anyone.

The smell of roses and lilac filled my nostrils, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Love's Call...." Eris growled almost inaudibly as a bright red energy surrounded the tip of her wand.

My eyes widened in recognition as I recognized the iconic stance, and incantation.

Anyone who'd ever seen the world's most popular anime would have recognized it in an instant.

"Love's Call," Eris repeated. "Heartfelt Bloom!"

An expanding red, rose-shaped web of energy shot towards me. I reacted instinctively, tapping into its famous natural counter.

"Shadow Art: Silent Fall of Dusk!!" I hissed quietly, causing a vortex of shadows to spin around me and disintegrate the attack with a deafening boom.

I huffed, shaking off the effects of using Hopeful Heart Alchemy again as she stood there, huffing and puffing as her body went slack. The two of us stood there for a long moment, facing off silently as we struggled to regain our breaths.

Then, she sniffled, wiping her cheek with her hand. "So. It really is true."

Wait, what's this all about?

A deep rumbling chuckle echoed out of her, and she shook her head. "Hahahaha! No wonder someone half my level was able to make me stop sandbagging."

She smiled, and the warmth in her expression was surprisingly genuine.

Then she snorted and started cracking up, falling to one knee as she started cackling again. "Pwahahahaa! Oh, man! You got me good, Magical Girl Harmonia Lux."

I stared at her bizarre behavior, dumbfounded, and shook my head as she grinned and looked at the horizon. I followed her gaze, and saw streaks of light in the distance rapidly approaching campus.

"Alright. Looks like the fuzz is coming. Time to make like a tree and bounce. Nyeh he heheeheeeeeh!"

She suddenly somersaulted away, and I felt a shiver down my spine as I broke into a run.

"Wait! Stop!!"

I'd come down here out of anger. Frankly, for something petty. To show Albert that I could protect myself now, and get my revenge on Eris for ruining my afternoon.

But in the aftermath of everything, as I stumbled forward, exhausted and confused, I knew that something had happened here that I couldn't let slip away. My brain couldn't make the connection, but I had a feeling it was imperative I figure it out.

"Eris! Who the fuck are you?!"

She glanced over her shoulder as she bounded away, winking at me as the shadows lengthened and she shot off in a bolt of red lightning, gone within moments.

I shivered as the last of her cackling reached me, and a creeping suspicion tickled the back of my neck.

There was something she was hiding.

Something important.

But in the moment, all I could do was collapse onto the ground, wheezing and heaving and utterly drained. I exhaled sharply as I felt a sense of tranquility wash over me.

"That girl's... something else."

I bit my lip, feeling an emptiness in the pit of my stomach. I had no idea what had just happened, but the tug in my mind that had begun a while ago had now fully formed into a nagging and annoying sensation that refused to go away.

And of course, there was one more thing.

That bitch still owed me a new pair of shoes.