After the class had been dismissed, Zen stuck around with Rael and Avures to heal them before sending them off. The truth was, both Zen and Grula hadn't expected this whole thing to be so unpopular with the other students. Not to mention, they didn't realize just how bad it would get. But, it was also a necessary evil in that way. Compared to the other four, Rael and Avures had never truly been in a life or death scenario...at least to their knowledge.

It was still early in the day. Lots of things that everyone could do...but Avures decided to go back to his and Rael's room. He wasn't sure where everyone else exactly was, being that him and Rael had to stick around to be healed. But, that wouldn't stop him from just reading quietly in his room. And that was what he did. He needed to cool down anyways. He had lashed out with real anger, and Avures felt that it didn't really suit him. He had allowed himself to indulge his anger...he allowed himself to stand up for his dreams. But, it didn't feel right...

As time passed on and on, Avures noticed that Rael hadn't come back. Although it was probably better that way, Avures still felt a slight bit of worry. Perhaps he was a bit too heavy-handed in telling off Rael. Avures was going to finally stand up for what he believed in, and how he felt...but if it came at the expense of his friends...Avures heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Avures continued reading his book at the desk.

"Yo, got a minute?..." Lylas stepped through the door and shut it behind him.

"Sure. What's up?" Avures shut the book and placed it on the table.

"Well...the two of ya didn't come down for lunch, so I figured I'd check on ya." Lylas leaned on the door. "I found Rael first, oddly enough. I talked to er and then I wanted to talk to ya to piece this together."

"What's there to piece together?" Avures shrugged.

"Look. The last thing I wanna see is a fallin out between both of ya. Especially not after how happy the two of ya looked after that one night." Lylas sighed and downcast his gaze. "Ya were supposed to be childhood friends...what gives?"

"What gives?...she's selfish...rude...uncaring...she asked me to forfeit for her because she didn't want to have to fight me." Avures shot a mean glare to the floor. He could feel the anger building up in him again. "She never considered my thoughts and feelings in this."

"Did ya ever make it known to er? Your thoughts and feelings?"

"I doubt she'd care. It's all about what she wants. If she wants to walk all over my dreams and passions, she'll just do it." Avures shot up from his chair. "I mean, if I didn't want to be here still, I would have left a long time ago..."

"Avures...don't ya see the issue? Ya haven't talked to er about how you feel. Regardless of making sense of not, she doesn't know what ya want." Lylas shook his head. "Ya need to go talk to her about it. It seems like a lotta unresolved grievances too."

"So this is just my fault?" Avures slammed his fist against the table. "It's my fault for not letting her walk all over me? I've put my life on the line for her!...I've been there for her all the time, even if she claims it's the other way around!...what did she say to you?"

"She told me that it's not fair for ya to get angry when ya don't tell er things." Lylas shrugged and shook his head, then looking at Avures again. "I can't disagree with that myself. But, she said that ya calling her selfish was hypocritical too."

"So, we're just repeating ourselves then..." Avures sighed and sat down on his bed.

"Ya sound frustrated. I get it. But I gotta be honest...anger doesn't really suit ya, Avures. I'm glad you're showing something...but that something shouldn't be blowin up on the people ya care about."

"This wouldn't be an issue if she just trusted me in the first place...if she trusted me to be able to improve...and then going behind my back to issue a challenge in my name..."

"Well, ya could look at it like this. She really does want to make sure ya succeed."

"Trying to throw me into a death-match with Miss Grula definitely sounds like the opposite of that."

"Look, trust me when I say...no one is happy with the way that all went down. Nobody likes what Miss Grula and Mister Zen did with that, knowing full well ya never issued a challenge yourself...but go clear it up."

"I'll do it when I feel like it."

"Avures...if ya wait too long-"

"I'll do it...when I feel like it."

----------------------------------------

"Ah. You're back I see." Xilvas shuffled some papers together on his desk as a distraught and heavily-wounded Meius walked through the door. He took a look at Meius and scoffed. "You look horrible."

"Thanks...here." Meius tossed a brown, bloodied bag onto Xilvas's desk.

"Now now. You're being melodramatic. I know you can heal your wounds...am I to assume this is?..."

"Godan's head?...yeah." Meius brought his left hand to his wounded areas. A light glow came forth as his body's healing process was aided significantly. "Believe it or not...he admitted to everything."

"What? How did you manage to get a confession out of him?...wait, so it was him?..." Xilvas sat his papers to the side and picked up the bag.

"He was definitely the leaker. That much he admitted. But...no motive. He wouldn't budge." Meius sighed as the last of his wounds closed up.

"Hmm...that leaves a big hole." Xilvas stroked his beard. Meius had the truth as his shade indicated, but it was still all amiss. "That battle lays as a sour spot. The cultists had every chance to realize they were outmatched...it doesn't add up...but we are down one traitor in our midst. So, job successful. Good work, Meius."

"Thank you, sir. The integrity of this institution is once again, preserved. And speaking of the Academy...I'm glad I got to make it back in time for the New Age Tournament. I'd have hated missing out on watching our two first-year classes pummeling each other." Meius sat down and relaxed in a wood chair opposite of Xilvas.

"Two more days...I hope we have a good showing." Xilvas reached into a drawer and pulled out what looked to be a bunch of papers clipped together. Throwing the bagged head to the side, he put the papers front and center. "This is supposed to be the best set of new students we've had in a while."

"Are those the dossiers?" Meius pointed to the papers. "Oh boy, I do love the combined efforts of several Academy Assistants spying on our students! Read them off!"

"Alright alright. Whose class do you want to start with?"

"Let's do Grula and Zen's class. I ran into them once, but I haven't got a single clue about who any of them really are." Meius kicked back again and listened.

"By their order of best to worst...first we have...Ventrix Felsta."

"Already with the pedigree? Jeez."

"A young prodigy, son of Velix Felsta. From what we know, his swordsmanship is comparable to none in the Academy. A rare sight, and unexpected considering the skill level of our staff. He's a Light Magic user, and has considerable talent in using Enchantment and Protection magic. With a slight knack for Destruction as well. Another bit, his ace is this inherit ability he has named "The Light of God"..."

"Oh man...that's...gaudy...pun possibly intended."

"From what we've indicated, he creates an extremely bright spherical orb. Anything that the light of this orb touches, he can strike with his sword from any distance. How it works is beyond our understanding, but such is the nature of the Felsta Family's inherit abilities. He's also very polite from what our spies say."

"No wonder he's considered the best among them. Next?"

"Olicia Yulva. A nobody as far as the records and histories are concerned. But, she's a natural at combat, wielding a set of chains all enchanted by herself. An Earth caster who specializes in Artifice and Enchantment, with traces of Utility...she sports a relatively high battle intelligence, and decent instincts. As far as we know, the only special ability she wields is granted from a demon sigil. Temperament is said to be slightly unpredictable, but teeters towards sarcasm."

"A demon sigil?...and a Felsta?...that sounds like a fight waiting to happen. Who's next?"

"Hmm...next is Rael, in parenthesis, Mottis."

"So, George's daughter?..."

"Not quite. There's no bit of clarity at all about her origins. But, she's reported as being "prodigy in the making". Her element is Fire, and her types are Destruction and Enchantment. She's quite physically powerful from what all the reports say, and her fire magic is very unusually potent. An excerpt of a conversation that was listened in on reports that she has a second pool of mana that she can't normally access. Though, that is but a theory. Further confirmation needed...temperament? Happy-go-lucky from what's reported. Very light-hearted."

"Huh...quite interesting. I assume she's the red-haired girl I've seen before...no resemblance to George at all...next?"

"The next three are very loosely tied together in the same levels according to all info...Lylas Tynto. And yes, he is related to Cynthis Tynto...so try not to let him know what you've done."

"Yikes...well, it had to be done I suppose. Tell me about him."

"A Lightning element caster who specializes in Artifice, Time, and Protection...while his mana pool is abnormally large compared to most of his peers...his potency isn't so great. However, just about every source remarks him as a genius. This due mainly to his strategic ability to map out everything going on around him in mere moments."

"That is quite smart. If you know your potency isn't great, those types get you the most out of your mana. But why is he so far down on the list?"

"He's just not as strong as the other's before him. And we haven't seen any sort of ace from him. That's all I can indicate. Not to mention, he's apparently quite the class-clown and loudmouth. However, it also highlights that he has some leadership qualities. Next we have...Bif Drusel."

"Drusel? Really? I'm surprised they would send their kid here and not through some fancy training to become palace guards."

"The report makes very clear that Bif has not had any association with the Drusel family since he was at least five years old. This, coming from census office reports, not our own. Instead, he fought for his life on the streets. I particularly remembering getting a lot of recommendations for him from some other students."

"So, riches to street urchin to Academy...wouldn't be the first I suppose."

"He's incredibly fast and strong. His element is Ice, and his types are assumed to be Enchantment and Utility. The key word here is "assumed", as he rarely uses any sort of magic aside from the basics needed to conduct combat. As far as an ace goes, reports indicate that he has something, but won't show it. His attitude is incredibly crude, and aggressive. And apparently, he did not know how to properly read or write until a week ago."

"Amazing...I'm speechless. What a character...and lastly..."

"Avures...Kovar?..."

"Kovar?"

"Yes...our report here says that he bears a striking resemblance to his supposed late father, Avuran Kovar...and, like the Kovar line, has a time-related inherit ability."

"How...interesting...why is he at the bottom of this class?"

"Well...he's apparently a Dark element caster. His primary types are Enchantment and Manipulation, with a secondary of Protection...wow...sources say that he's mastered Perfect Dark, and knows about every single technique for the Dark element."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Again...why at the bottom then?"

"Written down here...it's apparently because he's quite a...weak fighter. Both teachers, and spies remark that he's smart, but hardly has any fighting instinct whatsoever. His sword skills are also lackluster compared to his magic prowess. But, once again, this is also contradicted by a low mana pool. However, in his favor, they write that his ability to learn and retain information is extraordinary. Not to mention, his ability to deduce and discover new things. He's also very well-mannered, but quiet and shows no apparent emotions."

"A stoic? Huh. That would be like his father...if we are to believe that. Though, I get it. Being a weak fighter tends to get you placed at the bottom no matter what. But oh man, this is some juicy stuff. What about the other class, Xilvas?"

"Well..."

----------------------------------------

The day had come and gone. The orange hue scarcely lit up the sky as the sun began to set. Out in the forest behind the Academy, Rael sat with her back against the tree. Still in her beaten up training gear, Rael calmly watched the sunset as she lightly grazed her fingers upon the grass next to her. Her other hand was latched onto the necklace Avures had made for her.

She was stuck in a mixture of anger, sadness, and frustration. Ever since that fight early in the day, she had just wasted away out here. Rael wanted to muster up the courage and will to go back into her room, but it was futile. Avures's words had stung her deep. She couldn't deny that perhaps she was slightly selfish, wanting the best outcomes for her all the time. Anytime she didn't like what she heard, she'd lash out. But in the end, all Rael really wanted was Avures to remain by her side. If that was so selfish...and called out as selfish by that very same person...did that make her a bad person?

He wanted to be by her side too, right? So, why was it selfish? Because he wanted it to be on his own terms? Rael could only think that if Avures had it on his terms, he'd be gone. After all, she couldn't forget that day where he almost gave it all up for nothing. Which also begged another question. Were they even as close as she thought? Did she truly know Avures? Did he care? She cared...but in hindsight, in the worst way possible.

According to Avures, she was a selfish monster. She tried in earnest to help his cause, and that made her the bad person. There was fault to be had in that she hadn't trusted him...but to be lashed out at so severely by him...it almost had broken her heart.

Rael heard footsteps crush leaves and brush aside grass. She didn't bother to look, but she knew someone was standing beside her. She knew who was standing beside her, looking at her. She kept gazing at the sun, taking in it's warm embrace.

Avures stood there. He looked at Rael. His gaze fell upon the red-haired girl who looked so despondent. He did take his sweet time in deciding to talk to her, but why should he have to say anything? Still, if neither of them would talk, nothing would get done. In the end, there was no harm to their place in the world done by their actions. The only harm that came was to each other.

"Rael."

"Hey..."

"..."

"Avures...why do you hate me?" Rael brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. Avures sighed, slumping against the side of the tree and sliding down.

"I don't hate you. I-"

"Liar."

"Then why do you hate me?" Avures closed his eyes and rested his head against the hard bark of the tree.

"You don't tell me anything. You would have thrown me to the side in the there..."

"And you didn't try to do that to me?"

"But I thought you hated being at the Academy? I thought you only wanted to be here because I brought you along."

"I don't know what gave you that indication. But you went and just assumed things. And if that were the case anyways, why did you lie in the first place about the challenge? You were all for the challenge and having me stay until it meant that you might have to leave."

"Okay fine!" Rael shot up from the ground and turned to Avures. Avures stood up all the same. "You got me! I am selfish! Happy?"

"Rael...I don't understand you." Avures sighed and shook his head.

"I don't understand you, Avures!" Rael grabbed Avures by the collar of his shirt. "Why do you hate me? What dreams of yours have I crushed? Why won't you tell me anything?"

"You want to know?..."

"Tell me!"

"I never felt like I des-" Avures was immediately struck with a punch to the jaw. The force gripping his collar was gone, and he stumbled back a few steps before regaining his footing.

"Avures! Stop! Stop saying stuff like that! It pisses me off!" The fire had reappeared in Rael's eyes as she held her fist up. "If I felt like you didn't deserve to tell anyone, I wouldn't let you speak! I wouldn't ask for you to tell me! You stupid...I-!"

"Fine!" Avures clenched his fist and walked up to Rael. He was a mere inch away from her as they locked eyes. "I never told you anything like this because I figured you wouldn't take me seriously!"

"What gives you that idea?!"

"I told you about that vision I had of you being dead! And you shrugged it off! I confided in you after I worked up the will to do so! And you know what?! I was right to be worried! But you were no help!" Avures put his hands onto Rael's shoulders and gripped on tight.

"So what? It turned out okay in the end!"

"Rael!...Do you know...how hard it was...to tell you that? Every second I had looked at you...from that night, and even to now...I still occasionally see that vision. It drives me insane, Rael...and you shrugged me off." Avures's entire body was shaking. Rael could feel the trembling from Avures's arms. But she relented, shoving his hands off of her.

"Fine then. I'm taking you seriously now. What else?" Rael's eyes rolled lazily as she stood there. "What sort of dreams of yours did I crush?"

"A-are y-y-you..." Avures felt an anger bubble up inside him comparable to none other he had ever experienced. "Are you mocking me? After you wanted to hear what I have to say?"

"No. I'm telling you to go ahead." Rael sighed. Avures's eyes went to the ground. He took a deep breath, and began.

"You're the reason why I don't draw, write, or do anything artistic anymore."

"What?" Rael shook her head and raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You probably don't remember, you would just act in the moment, but I still remember you mocking the drawing I made. The poem I tried to write...you-"

"Avures..." Rael grinned ear to ear as she tried to contain her laughter. "We were kids...ha-ha...Ha-ha-ha-ha! Are you serious?"

His anger was doubling over. Avures felt it all boil inside of him. His head started to feel lighter and lighter as he clenched his fist.

"That was so-Ha-ha! That was so long ago! Does that really-" Rael stumbled back as a tremendous force hit her in the jaw. She brought her hand up to the spot of impact as she looked at Avures. His teeth were clenched, and his normal expressionless face held nothing but rage.

"This is why I fucking hate you!" Avures slammed his fist against the tree. The pain reverberated throughout his entire arm, but he didn't care. "Take me seriously! Stop disregard-"

Avures stumbled back. Rael threw a punch back which hit him straight in the nose. What was a conversation quickly turned into a punch-out much like the brawl they had earlier.

The two of them relentlessly and senselessly darted through the woods as they traded blows and punches. As the light of the sun slowly faded out, embracing the night time sky, the two of them still fought. Swing after swing, attack after attack, the two of them were neck-deep in the forest.

Eventually, Rael got sick of it. As they pummeled each other, Rael tackled Avures to the ground. However, Avures wasn't content to just stop here. Instead, he forced his will on her, as the two of them started to roll around in the dirt and leaves.

"Those things were the only activities I liked doing!" Avures rolled overtop of Rael. "When you made fun of me...it destroyed my will to even do it!"

"Avures...we...were...kids!" Rael forced Avures into her position, pinning him underneath her as she held his wrists down. "Get over it!"

"Take me seriously!" Avures rolled his torso as best as he could, and shoved Rael off of him. The two of them split apart and got up onto their knees. "Why do you not take me seriously? Why don't you trust me? And why did you destroy my passions?"

"Oh my god, shut up! You wanna see me destroy your passion?" Rael brought her hand up to her neck...and ripped downwards...a mess of painted clay orbs fell off of the broken string and bounced onto the ground, rolling away. Rael threw the rest of the necklace onto the ground. "How's that, huh?! You're a fucking child!"

Avures was completely still as his eyes tracked the makeshift pearls rolling around. On his knees, Avures sat there...no more anger, no more anything. His face had contorted back to that empty, expressionless appearance. Rael stood herself up, panting in exhaustion as it seemed the two of them were done fighting. She angrily stared at Avures...but he didn't look back.

Instead, Avures slowly crawled on his hands and knees, recovering as many pieces of the necklace as he could find. Rael watched, her anger depleting with each fake pearl that Avures picked up and held in his hand. That rage of hers started to convert into guilt. The sight of Avures just picking up the pieces around her while ignoring her wracked her brain with sorrow. Her chest started to tighten up as she kept watching.

As Avures finally collected all of the pieces, he rested on his knees and legs again, cupping his hands together with all of the pieces laying within. His gaze was centered in on the pieces. He felt empty. He wanted to speak, but his voice choked up. He felt something tingle in his eyes, but he closed them. He made a mistake. Avures was wrong to listen to Avura. Look where her words got him...heartbreak.

"Avures...I didn't mean to-"

"No...you were right earlier...I am nothing..." Avures solemnly clenched his hands, and pulled them in towards his chest. "I made this for you...it-it hurt-it doesn't matter. I'm sorry for putting my feelings on you. I should have just let it all go."

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you...I'm sorry that I've been selfish...I'm sorry for hurting you..." Rael's eyes started to well with tears.

"Are you?...you don't have to be. It's my fault for not being better than this." Avures stood himself up to his feet. "Goodnight, Rael..."

"Avures..." Rael watched as Avures meandered his way back towards the Academy, still clutching the pieces of the necklace to himself...

----------------------------------------

"Good morning, whelps!" Grula's voice echoed in the arena. All six of them were present. "As you may or may not know, today is the last day of the year!"

"That's right! Tomorrow starts the new year! And, with it, the New Age Festival!" Zen wildly shook his hands in the air.

"For the uninformed and-or forgetful...you all will be fighting in a tournament tomorrow." Grula crossed her arms. "It's tradition that the first year students kick off festivities with a class versus class competition. It'll be our class versus Mister Fraythorn's class."

"Question." Olicia raised her hand.

"Answer." Grula pointed to her.

"Who exactly is this Mister Fraythorn? And why have we never met this other class?"

"Odds are you may have heard someone mention the other class once...but if you haven't, that's fine. Due to previous issues, and generally for this event as well...classes and schedules are purposefully made so that you are extremely unlikely to run into anyone from the opposite class." Zen answered.

"What sort of issues?" Olicia asked again.

"Ha...fights, sabotage, fraud...murder-but that one was the absolute worst and taken care of immediately!" Zen cautiously scratched his chin. "And Mister Fraythorn is a teacher like us. He's a pretty nice guy too."

"Ah...eesh." Olicia crossed her arms.

"Now, there's some rules to this tournament. Firstly, it'll take place on a square arena. Get knocked off, you lose. You can't use premeditated items either like poison or explosives. Don't be afraid to hold back. We'll have all sorts of staff on standby, plus there's an enchantment on the arena. Basically, killing blows are allowed." Grula put a finger up.

"Killing blows? This is a public event, right?" Ventrix asked.

"To quell your concern...there was a specific enchantment made for the arena. It disallows dying as long as it's not dispelled. This gives us time to heal any normally fatal wounds after a fight." Zen explained. "Try not to think about it too much."

"Speaking of enchantments...they'll be making you wear a special bracer on each arm. So, secondly, you must use roughly equal parts magic and martial fighting. If you use too much magic, or not enough in proportion to your physical attacks, you'll be disqualified." Grula put a second finger up.

"Why? That seems dumb." Bif shook his head.

"The core value of a Lancer, of being a specialist, is being proficient in both a weapon and magic. Relying too much on one is a bad thing, regardless of your skill in either..." Zen looked between Avures and Bif. "The bracer will emit a blue light if you're using too much magic. It will emit a red one if you aren't using enough. It will stay a purple-like color if you are balancing them well."

"Thirdly, and the main reason we're here...it will be one on one. Meaning, one person from our side fights against one person from theirs. These fighters are chosen by a Team Captain. Which brings me to something fairly important. The six of you need to pick a primary and secondary leader among you." Grula put up a third finger.

"Higher level Lancer work may tend to be done solo, usually based on the skill-sets of the lancer...but, you will often be working together more than not. For your second year, when you'll be allowed to do contracts on your own...you will all do them together. No exceptions. So, it's important to pick one or two people who relay orders." Zen explained.

"So, you will all vote on who should lead you. With you all knowing each other for a while now...I trust you shouldn't have issues in making a choice. The only rule is that you can't vote for yourself...are we clear?" Grula uncrossed her arms. The students all nodded in agreeance. "Great. I'll go one at a time. When I point at you, tell me who you're voting for."

"Lylas." Ventrix pointed to his classmate when gestured to by Grula.

"Bif." Bif confidently answered when Grula pointed to him. Grula sighed and shook her head.

"Are ya serious? Ya dipshit! She just said ya can't vote for yourself!" Lylas leaned forward and looked to Bif.

"Oh...uh...Lylas..." Bif shook his head and smiled.

"Lylas." Avures responded to Grula's pointing at him.

"Avures." Lylas patted Avures on the shoulder after being prompted. The two of them looked at each other. Lylas smiled.

"...Avures..." Rael cast her gaze to the ground as she answered.

"Lylas." Olicia shrugged.

"Four votes Lylas...two Avures. Then there it is. Lylas will be your captain, and Avures will be second-in-charge in the event Lylas isn't around. Pretty simple." Zen nodded, not really seeing anything bad about their decision.

"Hey fellas...why me?" Lylas shrugged and looked around at his classmates.

"You're always kind of in the middle of things. Solving disputes and all." Ventrix shrugged. "Besides, it really only could be you or Avures. No one else here has the intellect or initiative."

"Ahem..." Olicia coughed loudly. "Nah...I'm kidding. Less pressure for me anyways."

"I trust your judgment." Avures replied. "Why'd you vote for me?"

"Dude, c'mon. You know why..." Lylas rolled his eyes and smiled. Avures scoffed a little, remembering that moment before.

"Anyways...with that settled...do you kids have any questions about tomorrow?" Grula looked around the room.

"What time and place?" Avures raised his hand.

"The coliseum. There will be a carriage for us to take there around the same time we normally meet for class. Come in your training gear." Grula answered.

"What happens after the tournament?" Ventrix raised his hand.

"You guys will get a week off. Basically, you get to celebrate the week-long festival, and then come back officially as second-year students. Pretty cool, huh?" Zen answered.

"Is there any sort of prize for our class winning?" Bif raised his hand.

"Well...remember the armor requisition forms you turned in?" Grula watched as her students all nodded. "Yours will get priority. Instead of a two month wait, you'll get them as soon as you come back from the week off..."

"...is that it?" Bif lowered his hand a little, seeming disappointed.

"Okay, look...I shouldn't tell you this...but..." Zen rubbed the back of his head as his mouth formed into a sly grin. "The teachers of the winning class get a huge bonus...so...if you could get us that, you know, for us...I-"

"Split it with us." Rael pointed at Zen.

"Rael...honey, I adore you...but don't make demands of your superiors." Grula shot a death glare to Rael.

"Well...you see...I could just accidentally, trip over my boots and fall out of the ring..." Rael put her finger to her lip and innocently looked away. "But if I had some more incentive..."

"Dammit Zen! Ah! Okay! You kids will get a split. Besides, I'm sure some of you would like some spending money for the festival, huh?" Grula smiled as she came to an agreement. Rael grinned wildly.

"Then it's settled. Don't overwork yourselves today." Zen said.

"You guys know the drill. Tomorrow...we win!" Grula pumped her fist into the air...