Silence filled the stadium. Katy absolutely understood, she was just as speechless as everyone else after all. How could they not be? Of all the ways for the fight to end, she could confidently say that she hadn’t even foreseen this as a possibility. “So even with careful observation it still appears as if both teams were struck down at the same time, as such this will be listed as a double knockout, making the next match the finals.”
She sighed, so the result had been exactly what it looked like. Both attacks landed at the same time. She surely wasn’t the only one who was upset. To have a fight of that scale end without a victor was beyond unsatisfying, and even beyond that to have a finals match that would pale in comparison to this fight that had the 2 strongest teams eliminated before the end. The only thing stopping her from being more upset was the fact that both of the teams involved seemed more or less satisfied. Not happy with the result necessarily, but content with the fight itself.
Both teams shook hands without resentment, and exited through the opposite sides of the arena. She rolled her eyes. Good sportsmanship was fine and all, but she knew Azura at the very least was probably upset, and probably not just a little. Not counting his dealings with his father this would be the first time he didn’t achieve his goal in a fight. Or at least it was as far as she knew, which should remain true since he had promised not to keep any secrets of his own anymore.
“That was an amazing fight, Azura! I thought you had him for sure when that lightning flashed, but who would have thought his chimera was so fast.” Roran spoke in his normal excited way, and Azura gave a tired smile.
“It was my own fault actually. I never canceled the gravity spell I had put up to protect me, so once it had entered the range of the spell its speed significantly increased. I hadn’t seen him send any spells skyward, so I only checked every few seconds.” She laughed. Azura and the others gave her a strange look.
“Sorry it’s just kind of funny, the thing that decided the fight was a draw wasn’t his attack or yours, it was just when you decided to check skyward. If you had looked up when Gareth’s construct had first entered visible range you would have won, and if you had looked up even a split second later he would have won.” It probably wasn’t quite that simple, but she chuckled nonetheless. Victory or defeat, decided by a simple matter of timing.
“It’s hard to say. My timing was restricted for much the same reason his was. My lightning spell wouldn’t hit if he wasn’t focused on the giant metal lion about to crush him, and likewise his chimera wouldn’t have hit if I wasn’t focusing on my offense. It’s possible we both would have had to abandon our strategies if the timing was a little different. As it was, we took a gamble, and we both lost.” It was a brief flash, brief enough that most would have missed it, but she had known him long enough that the bitter smile did not go unregistered.
“It may have been a draw in the end, but don’t forget that you guys managed to topple Kaiser, even if the end result was a draw that alone is an incredible accomplishment.” Siara spoke with disbelief in her tone. She couldn’t help but agree, Watching Kaiser and Elsimera fight at that level had been an eye opener for her. Azura would reach that level without doubt, and if she wanted to reach it with him she’d need to dedicate herself to training.
“We would have been torn apart in an actual battle though. We would have been forced to stand still if we wanted to stay in Elismera’s protection, but Kaiser and his team would have no such restriction.” She sighed, leave it to Azura to take an incredible accomplishment, and act like it’s worthless because he used the circumstances to his advantage instead of fighting outright.
“I’m sure you would have come up with a different strategy that at least kept you afloat.” He smirked, indicating he already had. Normally she was annoyed when he acted like that, but this time it meant he wasn't thinking about the draw he had just been forced into, and that was probably for the best.
***
Azura wasn’t necessarily happy with the result, but it wouldn’t be right to say he was overly upset either. While he was perhaps a little bitter about the result he would say he was content with it for the most part. 3 double knockouts, he doubted anybody would have even considered that a possibility before the fight started, and they certainly wouldn’t have guessed he and Gareth would be the last ones standing. Honestly he hadn’t even predicted that as a possible outcome. Losing Elismera to take out Kaiser had been a possible part of his plan, but he hadn’t expected the 4th year to sacrifice himself to take out their defense, and Gareth had been prepared for that moment since his attack on Auros was immediate. Gareth knew he’d lose to Auros in a straight fight, so his rival made sure that wasn’t a possibility leaving the 2 of them to their rematch.
Rather than the outcome of the fight, the real reason he was upset was that whoever won the other semi-final round would get the prize they very much did not earn. Part of him even thought it might have been better if he had just given Gareth the win. At least then a team that deserved it would get the prize. Granted the other 2 teams to make it to the semi-final weren’t weak by any means, rather Kaiser and Elismera are just that overwhelmingly strong. “Honestly I’m more than satisfied with having taken Kaiser down, even if I needed help to do it.” Elismera’s voice was seeping with the very satisfaction she referenced.
“I can’t believe we managed to turn that hopeless match into a draw. If you’re simply looking at the difference in power between the 2 teams then we should have been completely defeated.” He wondered if his team mates also thought he was upset about the draw and were trying to cheer him up, or if they were simply expressing their feelings.
“I’m more than satisfied with our performance. I knew from the start Gareth and I were roughly even in power, so a draw with him is an acceptable outcome. Whoever wins the other semi-finals match becoming the overall winner just rubs me the wrong way, hardly anything worth noting.” He cleared it from his mind with a little effort. There was no point being upset about the results when the time for affecting them had passed. “So putting that aside, is anyone interested in getting dinner, I should be able to get us out of this subspace without disrupting anything.” All the subspaces he had been in lately had given him lots of theories and ideas, so it was only natural that he had studied them intently
“Wow didn’t think you, of all people, would suggest skipping the final fight. Not that I mind.” He sighed, Lily had a point. He was usually all for observing every fight between strong mages he could, but he knew that after his last fight watching the ‘finals’ would just feel hollow.
“Circumstances can lead to surprising decisions for anyone.” A shimmer from a ways off in the seating area caught his eye. Apparently Kaiser's team had the same idea he had, well maybe not dinner, but leaving at least. “Besides, I’m hungry so what’s the harm in not sitting through the last fight?” He didn’t actually get hungry anymore per se, but eating did help him replenish his energy still, if not his mana. It was odd physically despite being made of mana his body was exactly the same, yet there were still things that functioned differently. He had yet to figure out why, and that alone was a huge bother to him.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“I could do dinner, we have been watching these fights for a while. It may still seem like midday in here, but I would be surprised if it’s already started getting darker outside.” Luna cast her vote.
“But what about the magic on display for the last match? If there was any time for both teams to reveal their hidden cards, that's going to be it.” Roran unsurprisingly cast his vote in opposition.
“I’m good for dinner, any fight we watch now is just going to be anti-climactic after that last one.” Katy’s vote basically sealed the deal. That was already 4 wanting to go, so even if Cynthia and Siara both voted to stay they would still have more. Well he supposed Auros and Elismera might have a vote, but he knew neither of them cared either way.
“Sorry Roran, looks like you’re outvoted. As a consolation prize, I have some new research I’m looking to get started on, and I’d love to have some help with it.” Roran’s eyes lit up in curiosity as some of the others groaned. A quick enchantment created a distortion effect in the air. Thankfully unlike the last one this subspace was still connected at all 3 anchor points, so a full portal was not required for them to leave the subspace.
“Ooh! Quite the consolation prize! What kind of research? The last thing you came up with was very interesting, shame we haven’t quite figured it out yet.” He smirked, coincidentally enough this knew research, might just help be the missing piece to the last bit. He just smiled mysteriously and walked through the distortion. He would need to push himself even harder, after a loss like that, even if it was a double loss. That could wait for tomorrow though. Tonight would be a time to reward everyone’s hard work.
***
Elismera was honestly surprised at how quick the group of first years came to accept her and Auros' presence. She had been an enemy for them not very long ago, but once she and Azura had settled their differences the rest of the group acted like she had been part of it the whole time. Siara was even constantly asking her about tips for her nature magic. She hadn’t met many people dedicated to her branch of magic before, so she found herself sharing a lot of what she knew before she really thought about it. She hadn’t been a recluse by any means, but she wasn’t foolish enough to believe any of the people she had hung out with before were really her friends. She was elven royalty and one of the strongest in the school, so it was only natural many would try to get closer to her simply for that.
Azura had been the first to simply treat her like she was some random person, given that she was trying to hide the yggdrasil seed at the time, she had been angry about it rather than pleased. Still now that he already knew about the tree, and had actually been a huge asset in its security and growth she found him and his friends' lack of formality rather refreshing. Especially given that his friends included some big names as well. What with the heirs to both Silver, and Violet, not to mention the princess of the merchant guild. Not that the girl had told them about that. She only knew because as a guest in the human realms she had done a lot of research to make sure she didn’t embarrass herself.
“So you know we don’t know a whole lot about elves, so forgive me if this is insensitive, but is it true that all of you are vegetarian? It’s no problem if it is, just figure it’s important since we’re going out to eat.” Said princess of the merchant guild shyly asked her. She chuckled, she hadn’t spoken with many people that acted shyly, she was rarely the one to initiate conversation after all. Just another refreshing new experience then.
“Elves are not inherently vegetarian no. Many are, but far from all of us. I personally enjoy meat every now and then, though I could hardly eat as much of it as many humans do.” She wondered where that rumor had come from. Perhaps it had merely been the result of watching elves eat a vegetable once, or something equally asinine. Not like the elves were any better with regards to their talk of humans. She still hadn’t figured out where the rumor that they ate creatures and people that were still alive came from. She wouldn’t doubt that some insane human had done so in the past, but she doubted it would have happened anywhere near the elven kingdoms.
“Then perhaps sandwiches? Those usually are fairly light on meat, unless you order one with more meats on it anyway.” The girl beamed at her. Her eyebrows widened. She had merely responded to her question, hardly worth a smile like that. Azura had introduced his friends already, but she had found herself forgetting their names quickly. The only one she remembered outside of Azura, and Cynthia was Siara, because that one used the same kind of magic as her.
“I admittedly have yet to take the chance to eat outside of the academy, so I have no preferences, and will accept whatever is chosen.” What was the merchant princess’ name again? She always had been better with faces than names, and it was coming back to bite her. Hopefully she could simply talk around it until someone else called her name.
“Sandwiches sound like a good idea Luna, anyone opposed?” She resisted a blush at being read so easily. Azura had subtly emphasized the name, but even she would have missed it if he wasn’t smirking at her. She raised her head, and didn’t allow her face to shift from the easy confidence she normally wore. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of confirming that he had in fact read the situation correctly.
“We do seem to get sandwiches a lot, maybe we should go for something a bit more exotic. I hear there is a restaurant in town that makes seafood dishes from Valencia.” The purple haired one spoke. This one was the opposite of the shy one, loud and outgoing. Despite the minor annoyance of the overly loud statement, she’d be lying if she said that didn’t get her a bit curious. Valencia was a small island nation not far from the mainland, she heard they used raw fish for a lot of their dishes.
“Oh I’ve been there, I liked it a lot more than I expected to.” Azura lit up, apparently far more excited about the prospect of food than she would have expected. Then again he was rather famous for always bringing some kind of high quality food to classes, or rather infamous. Even she was a bit jealous at the sheer utility of his copies. Perhaps being part of a group would be an interesting experience.
***
“Have you found anything about the book we seek at the academy?” The imposing man with a black blindfold asked the person hidden in shadows across from him. Or rather the projection of said person, since their real body was still in said academy. He was met with silence for several seconds before the figure finally responded.
“Perhaps, I have a potential lead.” The voice was deep, but feminine enough to make it clear the speaker was a woman.
“I see, what of this lead?” The man didn’t seem to be upset, or rather he didn’t seem to care at all. Yet he patiently waited for a response.
The figure hesitated, remaining silent for several long seconds. “.. A young man at the academy, His abilities are far outside the norm for a mage his age. Not to say he is stronger than expected so much as taking a different approach.” The voice coming from the shadows was unsure. Whether from not wanting to share the information, or from not being sure how to word it no one knew.
“I see.” Silence stretched between the 2 figures for almost a minute before the blindfolded man finally broke the silence. “You have until the end of your first year to get confirmation one way or the other, otherwise I will have to see to matters personally.” The figure cloaked in the shadows bowed and then vanished, having dropped the projection magic.
“Her loyalties waver.” Another voice spoke, even though the room appeared to be empty aside from him. He sat in his chair unworried about the disembodied voice.
“So long as the seed is within her she will do as our god intends.” All things must end, and only from ash can new forests grow. She knew that, and one way or another she would help set things as they should be.
“Perhaps. The guardian of this world has proven to be strangely resilient, no perhaps that is not the right word, well I’m sure you will see for yourself soon enough.” The voice chuckled before fading away as if it had never invaded the silence to begin with. He sat in the now truly empty room, and waited. Patiently waiting… for the day of ruin to arrive.