The two figures faced each other in a warped dimension, as if there were no existence outside the arena they occupied. Madalyn observed Luna with a fiery, piercing gaze. Without wasting a moment, she began to chant her spell. A radiant aura enveloped her body, forming a shimmering protective barrier that glowed with a spectrum of colors, radiating sharp, electrifying light.

"White Magic, Luminous Veil," she hissed. Her body now seemed to ignite with brightness, filled with boiling energy within. With this layer of light, her speed increased dramatically, absorbing any damage from Luna's attacks through her spectral shield. In a blur almost invisible to the naked eye, Madalyn lunged forward, chasing after the calm figure of Luna who stood her ground.

The magical energy she had gathered coalesced into a long sword of light in her hand. Madalyn didn't hesitate to swing it directly at Luna. But just as the sword was about to strike her opponent, Luna vanished from sight with a speed that was even more terrifying. Luna appeared several meters behind her, moving with a lightness and swiftness that seemed undisturbed.

"You can't keep dodging forever!" Madalyn shouted, her anger flaring. Without hesitating, she charged at Luna again, her glowing sword sweeping through the air with each strike.

Yet, her attacks continued to miss, slicing through empty air. Luna kept evading, but not in a rush. Each of her movements seemed preempted long before Madalyn even attacked, as if she knew exactly where Madalyn would focus her power.

"What are you—" Madalyn gasped as she noticed another version of Luna still standing where she had been. But hadn't Luna moved elsewhere? Where was her real body?

Luna softly chanted, "Blue Magic, Temporal Mirage."

The image of Luna, appearing to remain in the past, held its ground, misleading Madalyn into endlessly attacking the wrong target. Each time Madalyn swung her sword, she only shattered that illusion, nothing more than a mirage of time.

Madalyn's fury intensified. She felt toyed with, and it shattered her pride as a talented sorceress from the Naventhius family. "Enough with this illusion magic!" she screamed, her voice shaking with rage. Raising her hand high, she concentrated the energy of her light magic until it erupted into a powerful, vibrating burst of light. With a determined gaze, she moved her hand, sending a strong wave of light in every direction.

"White Magic, Radiant Rift!"

An explosion of light radiated around her, enveloping the room in sparkling, vibrant colors. The attack obliterated everything in its path, spreading rapidly and ready to consume Luna. However, just as the light was about to reach her, Luna stepped aside calmly, and the air around her shifted instantly.

The space surrounding Luna seemed to warp, elegantly redirecting the light. Parts of the light appeared to be absorbed by a dimensional distortion, moving the explosion away from her. Luna stood serenely amidst this distortion, appearing to exist in two dimensions at once, as if she floated between two layers of reality.

"What is that?" Madalyn murmured, unable to believe her eyes.

Luna recited her spell in a flat tone, "Blue Magic, Phase Distortion."

The light from the Radiant Rift attack, which should have obliterated Luna, was now drawn into the distorted space, as if transported to another dimension. Madalyn's eyes widened in disbelief, confusion and fear etched across her features.

"This... is space-time magic... What kind of sorceress are you?" Madalyn muttered, her gaze now filled with doubt. She began to sense something far greater than just an Interferer student standing before her.

Luna lifted her gaze, her eyes cold yet sharp. "Tell me, Madalyn... do you know about Evernoir?"

Madalyn was taken aback by the name. "Evernoir? You must be joking," she replied, her voice trembling. Evernoir was the name of a kingdom that had fallen three years ago, a legend filled with tales of the greatest sorcerers in history, on par with pillar families. "It can't be… You're lying!"

Yet Luna merely stared at her with an emotionless expression, neither attempting to convince nor deny her. That gaze was enough to make Madalyn feel intimidated to her core.

Rather than dwell on that thought, Madalyn shouted with emotion, "I won't believe you!" She refocused her energy, launching another rapid and powerful burst of light toward Luna.

Luna remained still, calm, showing no sign of panic. With a graceful movement of her hand, Luna opened a small dimensional rift, absorbing Madalyn's light attack and shifting it into another dimension. Attack after attack came from Madalyn, but each time, her strikes vanished without a trace.

Madalyn's anger and frustration surged. Her assaults were futile, while Luna seemed to protect herself without any significant effort.

"Is hiding behind that space-time magic all you can do? Face me!" Madalyn shouted, her rage overflowing. She couldn't accept that someone could so easily deflect all her efforts.

Luna looked deeply into Madalyn's eyes, her cold, sharp gaze piercing into Madalyn's soul, as if assessing every weakness and arrogance. "How do you plan to fight me, Madalyn?" she said calmly, her tone laced with subtle challenge. "You're merely a small pawn in this game, a pawn that only knows to follow orders without understanding true power."

Luna's words ignited Madalyn's anger further, but beneath that fury, a growing fear tightened its grip on her. Every attack she attempted failed, while her opponent danced between dimensions, folding space and manipulating time without a hint of fear.

Madalyn stood in the middle of the battlefield, her breath coming in quick gasps, her eyes blazing with a fierce anger. Her gaze was sharp, filled with hatred and deep-seated resentment directed at Luna, who remained calm and unyielding before her. Every attack Madalyn had launched so far had failed to penetrate Luna's defenses, merely a minor annoyance that seemed utterly inconsequential. The sight of Luna brushing aside her magic made Madalyn feel as if her pride had been ripped to shreds.

"Why are you just toying with me?" Madalyn spat, her voice trembling with repressed rage. "If you're really this strong, why don't you just finish me off right now?" Her next attack was a release of her feelings of helplessness, but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was one thing: she wanted to destroy Luna.

But Luna remained silent, letting Madalyn's words drift away as if they were just whispers in the wind. Occasionally, she sidestepped Madalyn's light attacks with ease, sometimes not even needing to move. With a mere lift of her hand, the space around Madalyn's magic warped, creating a dimensional distortion that redirected the spells back toward her. Madalyn quickly dodged, watching in horror as her own magic nearly struck her.

"Answer me!" Madalyn yelled, frustration boiling over.

Finally, Luna sighed, her cold gaze turning toward Madalyn. "Because what I want isn't victory, Madalyn. I seek a pawn who will be useful, a pawn who understands how to play her role in a larger scheme," she replied calmly yet with an air of authority. "You just need to comprehend your part."

Those condescending words ignited Madalyn's anger even further. Fueled by uncontrollable rage, she raised her right hand into the air, chanting a spell with fierce determination. "You won't be able to toy with me any longer, Luna. It's time for you to feel my true power," she spat, filled with hatred.

Stolen story; please report.

In an instant, glowing energy spread from her palm, racing through the ground like luminous veins, quickly branching out in all directions. The lights formed intricate paths around the arena, crawling along the ground in a pattern resembling bright, pulsing arteries. This was one of her best spells—White Magic, Spectral Vein.

Luna observed the approaching lights from all directions and gracefully floated into the air, avoiding direct contact with the spreading light patterns on the ground. But Madalyn had anticipated this moment. As Luna ascended, she quickly chanted another spell. "White Magic, Aurora Arc!"

Madalyn's new spell conjured a massive arc of light, powerful yet beautiful, curving elegantly through the air directly toward Luna. The light of the arc intensified, radiating in all directions as if ready to explode with tremendous force. At the same time, Madalyn chanted an additional incantation, focusing her magic in the sky above them.

"White Magic, Celestial Flare!" she shouted, her voice booming with triumph.

A dazzling beam shot down from the sky, emitting ultraviolet and infrared rays that raced straight toward Luna. In this double assault, the Aurora Arc struck Luna in mid-air, while the Celestial Flare descended upon her from above. The two spells collided, resulting in a massive explosion of light that engulfed the entire area with a blinding brilliance and intensity capable of obliterating the battlefield around them.

Dust and magical sparks filled the air, exploding in a dazzling flash of light. Madalyn smiled with satisfaction, convinced that Luna had been utterly destroyed in this combined onslaught. She lowered her hand, her breath shaky from exhaustion, but the smile on her face remained.

"Finally…" she murmured.

However, as the explosion subsided and the light began to fade, Luna's figure emerged from behind the dissipating radiance. She stood unscathed in the air, as if time around her had come to a halt. Particles of light from Madalyn's earlier attack hung suspended in the air, frozen within a bubble of time.

"What… What just happened?" Madalyn whispered, disbelief etched across her features.

Luna regarded her with a cold, mocking gaze. "Blue Magic, Statis Field," she said, as if merely explaining it to herself.

Madalyn could see that the area around Luna had frozen in a stasis of time. The spells aimed at her were trapped within that bubble, unable to advance or retreat. Slowly, Luna moved her hand, dispelling the magic. The trapped particles of light began to move again, streaking past where Luna had once stood, but she had shifted to a safe spot.

"No way! Even after all that, she's still unscathed?" Madalyn muttered, her fear escalating. "Could she really be from Evernoir…"

Luna looked at her with a calm expression that shattered Madalyn's courage. She continued to hover in the air, enveloped in an aura of power that seemed beyond the reach of ordinary strength. Madalyn's strong and furious spells felt like insignificant distractions to her.

"Actually, I've never been interested in obliterating you," Luna said flatly. "You're useful for my next plan, even in this state. You're merely a part of a much larger game. Your role is just that of a pawn."

Hearing Luna's cold, demeaning words reignited Madalyn's anger. She growled, but at that moment, there was nothing she could do. Her fear and frustration merged into one, wrapping around her in a shroud of darkness and despair.

Luna looked at her with a cold gaze and slowly floated down toward Madalyn, who was still trembling. With a simple wave of her hand, the ground around them began to tremble. The air felt thick and charged, as if a great force was compressing and enveloping them.

"You may not realize just how weak you are before me, Madalyn," Luna whispered, her words piercing sharply. "You think your power is strong enough to challenge me? You're nothing but dust in this game."

Madalyn found herself unable to respond, her despair and fear so overwhelming that her hands shook. "Princess… Evernoir… Could it be that you are…?"

Madalyn collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, her body shaking violently. The magical energy that once surged through her was nearly depleted, leaving only a trace of power that she could no longer wield. Her eyes stared blankly at Luna—or rather, the figure she had known as Luna. She still felt a deep-seated fear that gnawed at her bones, unable to believe the truth that was slowly surfacing in her mind.

Luna's words echoed in her ears: Evernoir. A name of a kingdom long lost to history, forgotten by most but preserved as a legend among those who knew. Madalyn, as a descendant of the esteemed Naventhius family, had heard tales of Evernoir—a kingdom rumored to have been destroyed by a mysterious force, causing its heirs to vanish from the world. Yet three figures were said to be missing, one of whom was a princess believed to possess magical abilities that surpassed her own generation.

"So… it's true? You are… Princess Ellora Evernoir?" Madalyn stammered, her voice trembling, barely above a whisper. Her eyes were fixed on Luna, who stood before her, radiating a chilling calmness.

Luna, or rather Ellora, regarded her with a serene yet frigid stare. Her expression revealed no hint of mercy. "Correct. You finally understand, Madalyn," she replied coldly, as if confirming something obvious. "Ellora Evernoir, the first princess of the kingdom you thought was lost. But I haven't gone anywhere; I've merely been waiting for the right moment to return."

In that instant, Madalyn felt her blood run cold. She was now facing a figure she had only known through stories, someone whose power even surpassed that of her brother, Marcus—the strongest sorcerer of the previous generation. Madalyn now understood that the helplessness she felt during their battle was justified; her opponent was no ordinary sorceress. She was a living legend.

"Wh-why?" Madalyn was forced to ask, her voice quivering with fear. "Why did you hide your identity at the Lupusrica Academy? Couldn't you have shown your strength from the beginning?"

Ellora raised an eyebrow, as if Madalyn's question were nothing more than a minor annoyance. "Why? Do you think I owe you an explanation, Madalyn?" she said in a voice that cut like ice. "You're merely a pawn, a tool to achieve a greater goal. You have no right to know my reasons."

That statement pierced Madalyn's pride, but she was no longer able to resist. Fear paralyzed her, leaving her feeling utterly powerless. She knew that no matter how strong her light magic was, the power before her far exceeded her capabilities. Trembling, she knelt, pleading with a terrified expression.

"Please… don't kill me," she sobbed. "I swear I will do anything you ask. Just… just let me go…"

Ellora regarded Madalyn with a cold, disdainful look. "You think I'll let you go just like that? No, Madalyn. I will make sure you become a pawn that is entirely subservient to me. I will crush any form of resistance within you."

With a flick of her hand, Ellora summoned Arianne, who immediately approached obediently. "Arianne," Ellora said, her voice low yet commanding. "Cast your gravity magic at low power. I want Madalyn to feel pressure in every part of her body."

Arianne nodded and began to chant, weaving her gravity magic, Orbital Crush, at low intensity. Instantly, Madalyn felt a heavy pressure slamming against her from all directions. The gravity magic wasn't strong enough to break her body, but the pressure was enough to compress her bones to the point of feeling nearly fractured. Pain shot through every muscle and bone, making Madalyn scream, her voice almost choked from the agony.

"Stop! Please, stop! I… I beg you…" she cried, her body shaking violently from the unbearable pain. Every breath felt like knives stabbing her lungs, yet none of those before her showed any sign of compassion.

Ellora watched Madalyn writhe on the ground with cold detachment, then with her chilling gaze, she cast another spell, her voice low but filled with power. "Blue Magic, Paradox Loop."

Suddenly, Madalyn felt something strange within her. The pain she experienced wasn't just from the gravity magic compressing her body; it stemmed from something deeper. The Paradox Loop, a spell that stretched across time, created a pain that engulfed Madalyn's body as if she had endured this torment since birth, extending into an infinite future. This pain was not merely physical; she felt as if every moment of her life was filled with crushing suffering, a torment that rooted deep within her soul.

In her fading consciousness, Madalyn realized that Ellora was destroying her mind with this magic. The Paradox Loop was more than just pain—it was a terror that spanned across time, etching suffering into her memory, making Madalyn believe that her life had never known happiness, only endless misery.

"Stop! I can't take it anymore!" she screamed, her cries breaking the silence.

Ellora merely smiled coldly, watching Madalyn roll on the ground, moaning in pain. "Do you understand now, Madalyn?" Ellora asked, her voice cutting. "This is the pain that will haunt you for the rest of your life. It's merely a reminder of the power I can wield over you."

Madalyn could only whimper, tears streaming down her cheeks. All memories of her own strength, ambitions, and determination now felt distant and futile. Before Ellora, all her courage crumbled into dust.

"I will never forget this pain…" Madalyn hissed, her voice choked. "I… I will do whatever you want."

Ellora regarded Madalyn with satisfaction, a thin smile forming on her lips. "Good," she said. "Remember this pain. Every time you think of resisting me, you will feel it again. You will remember who holds the power, Madalyn."

Arianne, standing beside Ellora, looked at Madalyn sprawled on the ground with an expression that bordered on pity. But she knew there was no fighting Ellora's will. Anyone facing this power would ultimately submit, and now Madalyn was just another pawn in the game being orchestrated by the hidden princess of Evernoir.

Meanwhile, Katya, who had been watching the confrontation between Ellora and Madalyn, couldn't contain her awe at the power of magic Ellora wielded, a sight she hadn't seen in a long time.

In the final moments, Ellora turned back, gently holding Madalyn's back as she cast another spell, leaving Madalyn sobbing in pain. "See you tomorrow at the Academy, Madalyn," she said.

With that, Ellora, Arianne, and Katya left Madalyn lying on the floor, broken, wounded, and devoid of her spirit.

***