(William)

William sprang out of bed, raised his fists in the air, and whooped. A broad grin split his face as he ran to the closet. He Levitated his clothes, hopped into his pants, and dove into his shirt.

The day for the Magical Competition had arrived.

He hustled down to the courtyard which buzzed with activity. The twins were already there. He waved at them, took a deep breath, and sighed with pleasure.

Baaacon!

He dodged a servitor that carried a tray piled with cheese and beelined toward the buffet tables.

A shifter always knows his priorities. Food!

He snatched a plate and stacked it with breakfast goodies. He had finished two slices of bacon before reaching Mary and John.

“How’re you feeling champ?” John clapped him on the shoulder. “Ready for the big day?”

“Ask me after my third plate,” he replied around a mouthful of food.

“Keeping eating.” Mary got up. “I’ll get you some more.”

“Sis, don’t bother with a plate, just get a tray.” Her brother pointed to one of the servitors.

“Good idea.” Mary dashed to intercept the hireling that carried a platter piled with pastries.

As they ate and chatted, more people arrived in the courtyard. Mary waved at Toby and Claire to join them.

“Where is Baza?” asked William. “I thought she was going to meet us for breakfast.”

“She was, but her father pulled her into a meeting,” replied Claire. “Lin is with them as well.”

“Pfft, a meeting just before the Magical Competition?” John shook his head.

“I’m sure they’ll make it before the behemoth blares,” Claire said and picked up an apple pastry.

“Yeah, no one is going to miss the magic duels,” Toby chimed in. “People are gonna go crazy as soon as they see you casting spells outside of the Nature discipline.”

“I know, right!” Claire chuckled. “I can’t wait to see the look on their faces.” She shifted in her seat. “So, am I the only one that finds the Monk Order fascinating? They’re all migrants from the three kingdoms and they live together in perfect harmony.”

“I respect the baldies even though they worship the old gods.” Toby interrupted. “Like the Mirens, they also worship trade.” He nodded sagely.

“Heh.” Claire shook her head. “The point is that they’ve got casters from all three schools of magic, which makes them tricky opponents.”

“I wonder what schools of magic they’ll use this year.” Toby flipped a coin. “The odds will be in our favor if they line a Nature caster against one of our shifters.”

They continued to chat. An hour later it was time to head toward the coliseum. Hark Bolt and Ivvy led a group of bloodstalkers ahead of the main party.

“Where are they off to in such a hurry?” asked John.

“They’re still taking precautions,” Toby explained.

“Do you think the Shadow Queen would attempt something on Eel Island?” Claire looked concerned.

“Probably not, but it’s always better to be prepared,” replied Toby. “In any case, I pity the fools that cross paths with Hark and Ivvy. They’ll riddle them with arrows and turn them into Scaran cheese.”

“I can’t believe Hark lost the finals yesterday,” William grumbled. “Stupid Shadow Lands.”

“He got robbed!” Toby growled. “Those judges didn’t count the points right. He lost two points in the Ring Levitation Course, but his arrows flew straight through without even touching the rims. I’m telling you that event is rigged.”

“Yeah, they even cheated Ivvy out of a point in the Parabola Path.” Mary’s eyes shot sparks. “That judge from the Evergreen Realm sucks rotten eggs.”

“I wish the Archery Event wasn’t so subjective,” Toby griped. “Style points are stupid. In the Sword and Magic Events, when you hit the ground and you can’t get back up, you’re out. Things are clear-cut. In a fair fight, Hark would destroy that weasel from the Shadow Lands.”

They ambled along, chatting, until they arrived at the coliseum. The crowd was being entertained by the pig jousters. The translucent magic barrier was already in place to protect the spectators. William saw the barrier shimmer briefly when a pumpkin collided with it. The laughter of children could be heard all around, and the crowd cheered.

“William, follow me.” Rose waved at him. “We need to get ready.”

He said goodbye to his friends and raced after Rose to the ground level.

“Hey, do you have any last-minute advice for me?” William asked as they approached the champion stage.

“Use your weaknesses to your advantage.” Rose winked at him.

“Brilliant, I’ve already perfected that strategy.” William chuckled.

“Wait, that’s not right.” Rose looked up and placed her index finger on her chin. “I think I’ve got that cockeyed.” She shrugged. “Aha, that’s right! Play to your strengths, grasshopper.”

“Scraps, what were my strengths again?” William jutted out his lower lip. “Let’s see, I’m pretty good with the slingshot, and I can burp the entire alphabet. Oh, and I can rip a good fart joke.”

Rose giggled. “Those are most impressive strengths.” She looked serious for a moment and added, “But you do have a few others. You have extraordinary raw magical power. You can see magical signatures and, most importantly, you can cast spells from all three schools of magic. Oh, let’s not forget that you also have a brilliant teacher.” She pointed to herself, and they both laughed.

“Welcome to the final day of the Spirit Competition,” the announcer’s voice boomed. “Today, the casters will clash in the Magic Tournament, followed by the battle of wits in the Mind Games. For the first event, each combatant will be outfitted with a VOP. As always, the last one standing is the winner.”

“Let’s go, Shadow Lands,” someone bellowed from the crowd.

“Monks rule!” a group of robed spectators cheered.

“Let’s welcome the champions,” the announcer continued.

“The Evergreen Realm will be represented by Zeal Gamoras, known as the Daylight Sentinel, and Rita Volto, the Starburst. The Daylight Sentinel is the reigning champion of the Scorpion River Trial, and Starburst holds the Continental Magic Defender title.”

The Evergreen Realm section of the coliseum jumped up on their feet and cheered wildly.

“Next, the Shadow Lands champions are the electrifying Deeeeeemon Twins.” the announcer’s voice blazed with fervor. “Here are Alecta and Vala Jade!” He gestured toward the champion stage. The twins stood up and lifted a clenched fist toward the Shadow Queen in perfect unison.

The Shadow Lands contingent responded with thunderous applause. The Nature Kingdom booed with equal fervor.

“For the Nature Kingdom, we have Rose Summerbreeze, the Bloody Thorn, and William Snow. Rose is the title holder of the Arctic Arcanum tournament. William Snow is making his first appearance in a ranked magical battle. He is one of the youngest contestants to ever compete in the tournament.”

William glanced at the Nature Kingdom section. His friends whooped and hollered. He waved gleefully at them. Everyone around them stomped their feet and cheered. Even Ivan was exceedingly animated.

“The champions from the Monk Order are Greta Forega, the Firefly, and Lao Zaratikos known as the Chomper.”

The locals stood up and roared for their champions.

“Hey, Rose! I need a cool nickname too,” William whispered after some of the clamor had died down. “Mary thought that the Snowmonster would be a good one but I’m not sure.”

“Win your first match, and you might get one before you know it.”

“You think so?” William looked unconvinced. Before he could ask another question, the announcer’s voice boomed throughout the coliseum.

“The first duelists are Vala Jade and Zeal Gamoras.”

William watched as the two combatants walked to the center of the arena. His knee was bouncing, and his stomach was in knots.

The Magic Competition had finally begun.

He was thrilled and terrified at the same time.

The Behemoth blared, signaling the start of the duel. Vala immediately unleashed a Lightning Strike, which Zeal countered with a Light-bolt. The two spells crackled and collided with a thundering explosion, knocking the combatants to the ground. Vala leaped up and conjured a dark vortex. The crowd gasped as they saw glowing eyes peer menacingly out of the void. With an earsplitting roar, a demon hound vaulted from the abyss. The creature was covered with red scales, and bony spikes protruded from its back. Smoke snaked out its nostrils as it growled menacingly. The crowd roared in approval. To counter the demon hound, Zeal summoned a Nature Sprite. The Sprite looked around at the spectators and twirled in delight. She danced and then blew a kiss to the hound.

Infuriated, the beast bared its razor-sharp teeth and charged. The diminutive Sprite darted away. Her musical laughter filled the arena. Like a dog chasing its tail, the hound raced in circles after her. She glided just outside of its reach and continued to taunt the fiend. The enraged beast and the frolicking Sprite were quite the spectacle. Surprising the crowd, the Sprite suddenly flew toward the hound and flung violet powder in its face. The beast was seized by a sneezing fit. It bellowed smoke and fire uncontrollably. The Sprite doubled over, laughing hysterically.

Meanwhile, Vala and Zeal continued to blast each other with spells. Disgusted and enraged with the hound, Vala glared at her summoned beast and dismissed it with a huff. The creature was swallowed by a shadowy vortex.

Vala snapped her fingers and enveloped Zeal in Cover of Fog. He cast Body Glow to disperse the fog but was too slow. Vala had already cast Invisibility and was nowhere to be seen. William used his magical sight to track her. Vala raced around the north side of the arena, trying to flank her opponent. Zeal blasted the area where she had been a moment earlier. His attacks became increasingly erratic when he failed to hit his target.

William watched Vala as she edged toward Zeal like a predator. She timed her attack perfectly as he momentarily dropped his Light Shield to cast an offensive spell. She slammed her palm onto his spine. The Shatter Touch spell exploded against his back, and he was flung across the arena grounds. Even though he was already down, Vala shot him in the face with a Lightning Strike.

The cheers from the Shadow Lands were met with boos from the rest of the spectators.

I guess blasting someone in the face while they’re already down isn’t very sportsmanlike, William thought. What a jerk.

“The winner of the first match is the Demon Twin, Vala Jade,” the announcer proclaimed. “She used a classic Invisibility offensive technique to finish the bout. Without any delay, let’s jump into our next match. The next casters are Rose Summerbreeze and Alecta Jade.”

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Rose stood up, winked at William, and walked toward the center of the arena. With each step that she took, chunks of earth Levitated, congealed, and rotated around her. By the time she reached her place, she was encircled by three spinning boulders. She dropped them on top of each other, so they looked like a weird snowman made of dirt. She snapped her fingers and her creation crumbled to the ground.

The Behemoth rumbled and the next duel began.

Rose instantly reformed her protective boulders and sent them spinning around her. Alecta’s Lightning Strike pulverized one of them a split second later. Rose reformed her earth shield as fast as Alecta blasted holes in it. A pebble shot toward Alecta’s head. Without turning to face the projectile, Alecta raised her left hand and shattered it. Meanwhile, she continued to blast Rose with Lightning Strikes with her right hand.

William gawked at the skill displayed by both opponents. He gulped.

“I might be in over my head,” he muttered to himself. He wiped his clammy hands on his pants.

For close to a minute, the two champions were at a stalemate. Alecta stayed on the offensive, while Rose continued to block her magical barrage.

A dark vortex appeared, and a demon hound leaped out of the void. At the same time, Alecta cast Invisibility. Rose shifted into a bear and pummeled the hound with a flying boulder. The summoned beast was knocked to the ground and tumbled over. A hit like that would have stunned a rhinodon, but the demon hound was not even dazed. It got up and knocked the boulder away with its tail. Raking the dirt with its claws and billowing fire, it circled around Rose. The bear stood motionless, while two boulders zoomed in opposite directions around her.

(Rose)

Rose knew exactly where her opponent was. Her bear shift was uniquely suited for detecting even the faintest scent. Few people knew that bears had an extraordinary sense of smell. The mint aroma that clung to Alecta mostly negated her Invisibility. Shadow Lands loved their mint. They used it to season their food, in their hair, in their bath, for healing, and even as a bug repellent.

At present, the Demon Twin was slowly maneuvering toward the south side of the arena.

Alecta believes that we’re playing a game of cat and mouse, Rose thought. She just doesn’t know that I’m the cat in this game. Rose grinned. She’s the invisible mouse.

The hound lunged toward Rose. In midair, the fiend was smashed between the two boulders. It howled in agony as it tumbled down.

She knew that this was the perfect time for Alecta to strike. However, Rose attacked first. A barrage of rocks smashed into Alecta, toppling her to the ground.

The Nature Kingdom spectators cheered.

“Rose… Rose… Rose!” they chanted.

She gave a little wave and skipped back toward William.

“What an amazing fight!” the announcer blared. “And this is just the beginning. For the next match, Light will clash with Nature. Greta Forega will face William Snow. What a show… what a show! History is being made today. Will Greta’s experience prove too much for her young adversary? We’re about to find out.”

(Greta Forega)

Greta smiled apologetically at William. The youngster looked confident enough to grin back and even wave at her. She tried to remember how proficient she had been with magic at his age. She had struggled with summoning spells. The other kids in her class had picked on her and that had driven her to practice relentlessly. All her hard work had paid off. The following year she had dominated the Academy Invoker Contest.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the Behemoth. She looked ruefully at William and blasted him with a Light-bolt. A large slab of earth burst up in front of the boy, blocking her spell. The youngster’s head popped up from behind his earth barrier and he blew a raspberry. Titters swept through the crowd.

William retaliated with a Lightning Strike. She summoned a Light Shield just in time to counter his attack.

Whaa? Greta gasped and her eyes widened. He cast a Nature spell and followed it with a Shadow spell. That’s impossible! Her jaw dropped.

She looked at William and noticed that he appeared surprised as well. The boy looked at her, down to his hands, and then back at her. His mouth slowly curved into a big smile and his whole face lit up. He looked like he had just cast his first spell.

There was a stunned silence throughout the colosseum.

How did he do that? her mind reeled. Greta did not understand what had just happened.

Stop staring at the kid and blast him, she chided herself. I need to finish the match. I’ll figure out what’s going on after the duel.

Maintaining her Light Shield, she summoned a Fire Sprite. The Evergreen Realm spectators and the monks cheered in approval. Greta was pleased with herself. She had summoned a higher-tier Sprite. It took talent and years of practice to summon the rare Sprites and she had worked diligently on her summoning spells.

The diminutive Sprite zoomed forward and cried out, “Balls of fire!” It rained orbs of fire down on William and cackled maniacally.

The boy cast a Light Shield and then summoned a Sprite of his own.

He just used Light magic and summoned a freaking Water Sprite… Whaa? She froze.

Greta knew that Water Sprites were the elite warriors that protected the royal Sprite family. Even the Fire Sprite was momentarily stunned, and it ceased its attacks. Greta’s Sprite bowed to the Water Sprite and then the two summoned creatures began dueling.

Vortexes of water and fire volleyed across the arena. The combined spells shattered the protective magical barrier, exposing the spectators to the shockwaves of the spells. The two Sprites looked at each other and grinned mischievously. They flew over the crowd and flung luminescent magical dust.

From the reaction of the crowd, Greta knew that the Sprites were tossing about Lust Dust and Louder Powder. The affected spectators hugged and kissed everyone around them, and others boisterously sang.

Amid the mayhem, the duel continued to wage. William lobbed chunks of earth at Greta and she incinerated most of them with Light-bolts. Her shield deflected the other attacks, but it started to flicker from the relentless barrage. William managed to further weaken her shield after he closed in and blasted her with Shatter Touch.

Greta needed to turn the tide of the match. She reestablished control over her Sprite and compelled it to attack. She went on the offensive. William was assaulted by Light-bolts from one side and fire orbs from the other. His Light Shield was pummeled. The boy was forced to encase his entire body with earth, leaving two slits for his eyes.

William charged toward her at full speed, like an earth golem from the fairytales of old. Greta braced herself as he tackled her and threw her to the ground.

She could not move!

He had her pinned and kept piling more rocks on top of her. Her Light Shield finally winked out and her VOP pressed down on her.

She grunted and tapped the ground in defeat.

That was the end of the duel.

The Sprites gave each other a high-five, made rude gestures to the crowd, and disappeared.

Many of the spectators, including the announcer, were still feeling the effects of the magic powder. The announcer ran across the arena and hugged William exuberantly.

“The winner is William Snow,” he sang into the Screamer Shell.

(Ivan)

Ivan was at the edge of his seat. He had been expecting pandemonium the moment William cast a spell outside of the Nature order. The full-blown uproar of the spectators was delayed by the collapse of the protective barrier and the Sprites mischievous shenanigans. After the duel, Ivan saw them resetting the protective barrier around the arena.

The Shadow Lands and the Evergreen Realm were outraged.

“He cheated,” someone bellowed.

“How did he do that?” another voice cried out.

“You can’t use other schools of magic!”

“Sure, you can,” someone from the Nature Kingdom countered. “If you can cast it, you can use it. You fool!”

“What kind of dirty trickery was that?”

“This is against the laws of magic,” a pompous robed man thundered from the Shadow Lands section. “Check him for artifacts and relics. He’s a cheater! He must be using a powerful magical item.”

“They check the contestants for magical items before each match, you dufus.”

Ivan listened to the heated discussions. The arbiters of the competition were deliberating on the ground level. William was checked and rechecked for magical relics and enchanted items. The judge from the Shadow Lands was pointing at William and gesturing angrily. Her face was beet red.

A group of arbiters closely examined the rule book. The head of the arbiters, the barrister, called the announcer over and whispered something in his ear. The announcer nodded and strode across the arena. He ascended the steps to the podium and cleared his throat.

“Distinguished guests,” he pronounced. “This has already been one of the most extraordinary Spirit Competitions. What a show… What a show! A once in a lifetime event, to be sure.” He cleared his throat again and puffed up his chest. “I have just received special instructions from the Oversight Committee, and I am eager to share them with you. The spells used in the last duel are being closely scrutinized. Right now, the judges are poring over the Spirit Competition rule book. A vote is expected within an hour to confirm if any rules were broken. Once a decision has been reached, the competition will resume. While you wait, please grab some food and refreshments. There is a special on desserts at the Buttercup Bakery on tier two and at Cliff and Jayne’s Confectionery on tier four.”

(William)

“A Lightning Strike.” Rose raised an eyebrow. “Wow, where did that come from?” She slapped him on the back. “You’re getting better and better. You looked like a proper Shadow caster. It’s like you’ve been casting that spell for years and not for the very first time.” She grabbed him around the shoulders and squeezed. “Way to go!”

“Thanks. Watching others cast spells is helping a lot.” William grinned. “I’m able to learn magic much faster now. Some people have to work for years to learn new spells and all I had to do was take a dip in the Lonely River in the middle of a lightning storm.”

Rose elbowed him. “Hey, remember how you wanted a nickname.”

“Oh, yeah!” William’s face lit up.

“You got one. The Shadow Lands are calling you the Spell Thief.”

“Ugh, that’s a terrible nickname.” William frowned. “I was hoping for something like the Spell Smasher or Swiftshifter. You know, a proper title. Pfft, Spell Thief sounds like a dirty cheater.” He looked back at the arbiters and shifted nervously in his seat. “Scraps, do you think they’ll disqualify me?”

“Well, if you were using an enhanced hearing shift, you’d know as much as I do.”

“What! You’ve been listening to the judges this whole time?” William looked incredulous.

“Well, not the whole time. I’ve also been snooping on the Shadow Queen and her sister Jane.”

“Forget about the Queen of Dirt,” William blurted. “What are the judges saying?”

“Ooooh, they just concluded the vote.” Rose leaned in.

“Aaaand?” William gestured with his hand for her to continue.

She leaned back and crossed her arms. “You’ll have to wait like everyone else for the announcement.”

“Roooose! I can’t believe you’re doing that to me. You gotta tell me.”

Rose flashed him a grin. “You better pay attention. They’re about to make the announcement.”

“Scraps!” He narrowed his eyes.

Rose winked at him.

The announcer lifted the Screamer Shell, and the arena was plunged into silence. He slowly adjusted his collar and cleared his throat.

William leaned forward and gripped the arms of his chair.

“Ahem! The Oversight Committee has conferred and concluded that no rules were broken during the last match.”

“What!” someone cried out.

“That’s a mountain of manure,” the same pompous robed man from the Shadow Lands section roared. Many around him shouted in outrage.

“It’s definitely a dune of dung!” someone from the Evergreen Realm bellowed.

“That’s a fair judgment,” another countered.

“Don’t punish the kid for being able to do something that no one else can.”

The boos were met with high-spirited ovations.

“This is the Magic Tournament, and any conjured spells are legal,” the announcer continued. “The rules are clear. There are no restrictions for casting any spells. William Snow did not use any magical enhancers. As such, the winner of the last match is the Triple Threat, William Snow.”

The spectators from the Nature Kingdom exploded. They jumped out of their seats, screamed, whooped, and hollered, easily drowning out the boos from the Shadow Lands.

“Woo-hoo!” William pumped his fist in the air. “I finally got a nickname. The Triple Threat.” He beamed.

“Congratulations.” Rose threw her arms around him and gave him a smothering hug.

The announcer cleared his throat again. “In the next match, Rita Volto will battle Lao Zaratikos. It is bound to be an epic clash of Light and Nature. Who will prevail, the Starburst or the Chomper? Please welcome the champions from the Evergreen Realm and the Monk Order.”

William stared at Lao. The man looked like your typical innkeeper who enjoyed sampling every meal before serving it to his customers. His massive girth bounced with every step that he took. After reaching the center of the arena, he wiped the sweat off his forehead. William was fascinated by the rotund man. He had never heard of a shifter being overweight. After all, shifting burned through a lot of energy.

“He’s one of several monks that wield Nature magic on Eel Island,” Rose told William. “He has the reputation of experimenting with weird shifts.”

“Wow, he’s… really big.” William gaped.

“I know, I love him. He’s unconventional. He’s a wild and crazy guy.”

The Behemoth blared and Lao encased himself with a wall of earth. Rita fired a barrage of Light-bolts and tore chunks of earth from his barrier. She continued to blast his shield, while keeping her distance.

“Wow, she’s good,” William whispered to Rose. “What’s he doing? I can’t even see him.”

The entire earth barrier exploded, leaving a cloud of dirt in its place. When the dust finally cleared, Lao was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did he go,” someone cried out.

“He’s probably using a small shift.”

William caught the movement before Rita did. A section of the topsoil near the center of the arena was rippling, revealing that something large was moving underground. The waves of dirt moved toward Rita, like the telltale sign of a beast swimming under the ocean’s surface. The Starburst surrounded herself with a Light Shield the moment she saw the rippling soil. She blasted the swelling earth. The underground movements stopped, and the audience gasped in anticipation. Everyone, including Rita, was looking around for any sign of Lao.

Abruptly, the ground underneath Rita collapsed. Her scream was silenced as a giant sandworm shot out and swallowed her whole. The alarmed shrieks of young and old filled the coliseum. The sandworm appeared to smile at the audience, as it fully emerged to the surface, and coiled around. Somehow, the VOP had stretched to cover the massive sandworm. William did not know that the VOPs could expand.

“Is he allowed to do that?” William asked incredulously. “Are you allowed to eat your opponent?” He chuckled nervously.

Rose shook her head. “I’m shocked as well! I thought sandworms were vegetarians.” William looked at Rose and cracked up.

“William, look! Something is happening…”

The grin on the worm’s face turned into a scowl. It thrashed from side to side. The creature belched, which sounded like a thunderclap. With a heaving motion, it forcefully regurgitated. Rita tumbled out of its mouth and landed on her feet. Her Light Shield was covered in dripping slime, and it shimmered weakly.

Enraged, she cast Blinding Light and immediately summoned a Sprite. The Sprite hurled chunks of earth and Rita resumed her Light-bolt assault. The sandworm attempted to burrow out of sight, but it did not get far. The combined attacks from Rita and the Sprite were simply too much. The sandworm finally transformed back into Lao, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Rose looked at William. “Hah, I told you that he’d do something crazy. That man has style.”

The audience erupted as the judges proclaimed that the Starburst had won the match.

“Let me reassure the younger spectators that the Vest of Protection would have safeguarded Rita even from asphyxiation,” the announcer bellowed. “That was a vile but brilliant technique used by Lao Zaratikos. Unfortunately for him, he could not stomach a strong opponent like Rita.”

Laughter filled the arena.

Rita waved at the crowd and her waning Light Shield winked out. Blobs of sticky goo fell on top of her, and she was drenched in slime.