"Damn, bro. You got beat by someone who didn't even hit back until the end." Bif slapped Lylas on the shoulder as he grinned.

"Yeah yeah..." Lylas shoved Bif's hand off of him as he looked at the rest of his friends. Everyone still seemed to look to him for what's next. It was reassuring...but Lylas knew they were in dire straights. Zero to three...their class lost three straight fights. He was sure that Zen and Grula were probably off fuming about it somewhere, but Lylas had to maintain himself.

"Excuse me...not to act like our mutt Keleman over there...But, if you want to even have a chance to keep this tournament going...I suggest you send Ventrix out to battle me." Iola stood at their side of the arena while on stage. She looked down straight towards Ventrix with a smile on her face.

"Hmm?..." Ventrix walked towards the stage. "You're awfully confident."

"Why wouldn't I be? This is a perfect scenario for me. We've won three matches in a row, and I get to be the one who wins the whole tournament for us...that is, of course, after I thrash you, cousin." Iola cockily shrugged.

"Do you really think it's going to be that easy?" Ventrix reached for his sword.

"Indubitably. Our record suggests it with it being...I think six to zero last time I remembered. You've never been able to beat me, but it's sad. You're probably the one with the highest chance in your class."

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"Look close, brother. It seems that we'll be getting the match between our children after all..." Ion looked to Velix, who seemed rather disinterested at the affair. "Come now, are you scared that Iola is going to toss Ventrix around again?"

"No. I think you underestimate my boy. He's grown quite a bit since the last time they battled." Velix shook his head.

"Oy, seems like that might not be the case anyways." George pointed down towards the gathering. "Take a look."

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"Ventrix..." Lylas looked to the ground. "Back off."

"Huh?" Ventrix looked back at him before turning to face back to Iola, who was now laughing.

"Oh lord!...you must be some sort of lapdog if you're going to listen to him. In fact, you're the strongest in your class, are you not? You should be the one giving orders." Iola stared down at Ventrix.

"What about you then? Aren't you taking your orders from this Calvas Zeritos in your class?" Ventrix pointed at her.

"My following of him is more respect-based, rather than being a matter of power. You might find that hypocritical, but I ask you...what is there to respect about your team?" Iola asked with a smug look upon her face.

"You dare?..." Ventrix narrowed his eyes and frowned.

"Who do you think you are anyways, bitch?" Bif walked forward to the side of Ventrix. "Where do you think you stand? You haven't proven anything to anyone yet by just standing up there."

"I am Iola Felsta. The daughter of Ion Felsta. And you might be correct in saying that I have not proven anything yet...but your team has proven a lot. They've proven that they're dim-witted, lack any sort of self-temperament, and are weak." Iola gazed over Olicia, Avures, and Lylas in that order as she spoke. She then looked to Bif. "And you appear to be nothing more than a dirty street mutt as well."

"Oh...is that how it is..." Bif curled his hand into a fist as he felt himself boil over. "Calling me a dog is one thing...but throwing shit at them?...you've got another thing coming..."

"Indeed. You've gone too far, Iola. Let's settle-" Ventrix was about to hop on the stage...

"Ventrix..." Lylas stood up and walked up to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Stand down. Bif will take care of this."

"...understood, friend." Ventrix took a step back.

"Ha-ha!...you truly are a lapdog, Ventrix!" Iola burst out in laughter as she walked to the center-stage. Bif jumped up onto the stage as well without saying another word.

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"I can't believe this. What an insult it is to make me fight some dirty, battered-looking cretin." Iola made her way to the side of Dulis.

"Better watch your tongue, or else I'll rip it straight out of your mouth." Bif took his place across from Iola. He pulled out the two clubs he loved wielding.

"You're an unwashed, uncouth barbarian. You might be at the Academy like the rest of us, but you're no better than the filth that litter the streets." Iola narrowed her gaze at Bif.

"Filth...huh?" Bif tightened his grip on his clubs. He gritted his teeth. That "filth" she talked about was the only family he had cared to have for most of his life. Bif looked around the coliseum stands. There were tons of people, and Bif knew that most of them were just common folk. Overall, the implications of the tournament could be damned to him. Bif knew that any ordinary people here, or those who grew up on the streets like himself, were here for one thing only. To watch the fights. That's what they were about. That's what he was about. It's because of her...that he had this passion. To Bif, this was something that was beyond any sort of forgiveness.

"Vermin, if you wish for a more solid word."

"And you're an insufferable cunt. So pretentious. Caught up in your own ego..."

"I'm surprised you used such a big word, and correctly too."

"I learned it a couple of weeks ago."

"Okay okay..." Dulis chuckled. "Settle down, kids, fight hasn't started yet. But it will when I jump back, okay?"

Both of them nodded.

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"This next fight will be Bif Drusel!...versus Iola Felsta!" Xilvas shouted throughout the coliseum.

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"Hey how the fuck-" Bif looked around as he heard that last name of his.

"Drusel? You mean to tell me you're descended from nobility? Yet, you purposely look disheveled and dirty, like a grungy mutt. Do you just hate nobility or something?" Iola raised an eyebrow as she drew her sword.

"Yes! I hate nobles! Fuck the Drusels!" Bif rolled his eyes as slammed his clubs against the ground.

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"Huh...how odd. From the Drusel household, but outright denounces it." Velix rubbed his chin.

"He's nothing more than a dirty beast who spits upon his heritage. Iola will humiliate this subhuman filth." Ion shook his head.

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The crowd roared in great excitement as Dulis made his leap backwards. The fight had begun. But, neither one moved. They would continue to stare each other down, neither side willing to make the first move.

"Have I not antagonized the beast enough? Why do you stand there and take my abuse?" Iola tilted her head.

"Call me what you wish, I'm not nearly as dumb as you think." Bif pointed one of his clubs at Iola. "The moment I make a swing, you'll dodge and counter with better speed with your lighter weapon. That's basic level fighting."

"Maybe so...though, I guess I can make that list a little longer now. Dim-witted, childish-temperament, weak, and now full-on cowardice." Iola waved her finger at Bif. "Tsk-tsk. You all are truly a lackluster bunch."

"Alright, bitch. How about this?" Bif dropped his clubs to his side and held his arms out. "You've pissed me off. I'll give you one free hit."

"Huh? Are you in any position to be this generous? How cocky..." Iola raised her sword and pointed the blade towards Bif's heart. She poised her stance.

"Oh trust me. After that one hit..." Bif's lips curled into a demonic looking smile as he bore his teeth. "I'll kill you."

"Tch...as if." Iola gave a half-hearted smile as she was completely caught off guard by the face Bif had made. Bif had seen many familiar faces in the crowd. Those he fought, those who fought with him, those who grew up with him, and those who looked up to him. Theatrics was something he enjoyed, but didn't practice well. However, for them, he was going to give them the best one-hit win they would ever see. And what better an opponent to have for it, than someone completely unlike them. It was an odd mixture of one part of him wanting to give some homage to the people he grew up with in the streets, and the other part legitimately wanting to kill Iola for what she had said.

Iola held her stance, but brought her free hand, the left one, upwards. Her arm started to shake as it glowed with a great, dark blue, intensity. This aura commanded forth great mana from her pool. Bif was starting to wonder about whether he should have even suggested the free hit idea. Not that he was scared, but this girl could attack him in any sort of way. And it would quickly become clear what exactly it was. Iola thrust this arm in the direction of Bif. He had no time to prepare himself as a sudden torrent of water coursed from below his feet and towards the sky above him. The water swirled and sliced all around him with a ferocity that left deep lashes and cuts all over his body as it kept flowing upwards into a single point. Bif's feet were firmly held in place from the sheer pressure of the water, and his skin became red and scalded as the temperature of the water reached higher and higher. A steam lightly danced off the surface of the water as the torrential stream of boiling water burned and lacerated him. Bif growled and shouted in agony, a great mistake caused by instinct as the water burned the inside of his mouth and cut the skin that lay within.

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Grula and Zen walked back onto the arena, exiting through one of the tunnels and stopping beside Fraythorn and his class. Fraythorn wore a smug smile as he spotted his fellow teachers. He stood up from his seat and walked over to the two who began to watch the fight unfold in front of him.

"Well...looks like this tournament was a clean sweep. What exactly are you two teaching them over there, huh?" Fraythorn stopped in front of the two.

"Hey. Maybe I missed something Fraythorn...but doesn't the fight have to end first for a winner to be declared?" Zen rolled his eyes.

"Oh c'mon, Zen. Your boy up there-...I think his name was Bif?...either way, he's just letting Iola hit him." Fraythorn pointed his thumb backwards towards the stage.

"Bif's a hard-ass like that." Grula shrugged.

"Well...either way, that bonus is as good as mine...so drinks on me tonight, ha!..." Fraythorn turned back to the stage.

"Hmm...is he actually going to?..." Zen whispered to himself as he watched on...

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Zen and Bif both stood in the forest behind the Academy. Zen rested his hand on Bif's head as it glowed softly.

"Ah!..." Zen yanked his hand off of Bif's head. He then put his hand to his mouth and started to blow hot air on it. Bif looked closely, seeing that Zen's hand looked almost purple.

"Oh. My bad." Bif scratched his head as he looked away.

"No-no. You're fine, Bif. Ya know...when you came to me saying Avures made you upset and you did something...my first thought was..."aw man did Bif kill him?"...We've already separated into two classes, and we don't even let you guys interact with the other class if we can help it. Why?-Because of stuff like that happening before." Zen blew some more hot air on his hand as he healed it as well.

"Right...but uh, were you able to figure out why that happens?...why anytime I get mad and try to use magic that it just makes everything cold?" Bif looked off to the side.

"Manadrosis...it's a condition you have. That's what causes it." Zen blew a little more hot air on his hand before relaxing it. "Basically, it's something that only happens in those who have extremely, well really unusually, high mana potency. The cause is a lack of mana venting. When mana flows throughout your body to a focal point, it travels in these metaphysical structures known as Ley-lines. Think of them like veins. When one does not regularly expend mana, these Ley-lines tend to shrink, or rather, become more solid in staying the same size."

"So...it's kind of like muscles then?" Bif tilted his head.

"Precisely. Those with low potency are usually unaffected by their Ley-lines being small. But, someone with very high potency won't be able to efficiently move mana around their body. This is because both the amount of mana, and the potency of it, play a factor in the flowing of it throughout your body. Ley-lines adapt to both the amount and potency. So, to finish the explanation...your Ley-lines are refusing the mana you're pushing through, and since you're trying to cast slash vent it out anyways...it expels forth from your entire being. All of it. At once. Which typically induces immediate Mana Exhaustion." Zen gestured to Bif's body, trying his best to explain it to the boy.

"That makes sense...wait. I have been using magic pretty regularly!...at least now. What gives? Shouldn't my lines be increasing?" Bif threw his hands up in confusion.

"What type?"

"Enchantment..."

"Bingo." Zen snapped his fingers. "A small lesson for you, Biffy-boy. Each type demands a different amount of mana use. Enchantment is extremely light on mana, and is very easy to use. It's why, even if it's not their specialty, anyone can make decent use of it without spending any potential. That, compared to something like Destruction...which demands a large amount of mana in order to break and hurt things...get what I'm saying?"

"I guess so..." Bif rubbed his chin. "So even the highest level Enchantment I like to use is just...a very small amount of mana."

"Yup. Potency weighs heavily in it too. The more potent your mana is, the less you have to use typically to achieve a desired outcome. Less mana equals less potency to deal with...but high potency can substitute less mana...there's a whole science on this stuff. Either way, in order to beat your Manadrosis...you need to find your point of tension with your Lay-lines, and slowly push its limits...I hope this helped." Zen shrugged and smiled.

"Man, I'm not really wanting to use more magic though..." Bif sighed. He was already in territory he didn't like, regularly using Enchantment magic now. But, if it would help him be better than her... "Say, Mister Zen...I've used this condition to help me win fights before...do you think there's any harm in...keeping it this way?"

"The reason it's considered a condition is because it ushers in an unwanted effect. That being, Mana Exhaustion. People who don't vent mana at all with this condition tend to suffer from an evolved disease originating from Manadrosis. I hear the pain is excruciating. But...if you're still venting mana...I don't suppose it would hurt you?..." Zen chuckled and tilted his head at the boy...

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"Oh...here it comes." Zen watched with a curious look on his face.

Still having maintained her stance, the time for Iola to strike was now. She poised her blade, holding it with both hands and holding it up to her head. Pointed straight at Bif's heart, she lunged forth and stabbed through her torrential destruction magic and straight through Bif. Solid contact was made. Iola slowly lowered the cyclone of water, uncovering Bif fully from the onslaught. Iola's eye twitched, as she saw that her blade was not, in fact, stabbed through his heart, but through the center of his torso instead. The only thing she could figure was that he had managed to move slightly even in her spell. That alone spoke volumes to Bif's strength to her, as she realized just how much trouble she could actually be in.

Even though the training gear, deep cuts and wounds were littered all over Bif's body. His skin showed a faint red, with a deeper red washing over it in the form of his own blood. His face had taken quite a beating as well. But overall, Bif had endured the full-on Destruction magic. Due in part, to his own Enchantment magic. After all, it was still a free hit if it landed. Bif's eyes slowly peeled open. His lips once again contorted into that smile he had shown once before, and he even held his mouth open. The inside of his mouth had blood slowly drip down from the roof onto his tongue and lips, like a cave with stalactites slowly dripping with water.

Iola found herself completely unnerved, and went to pull her blade out of his torso and back up...but her sword seemed to be stuck. She looked down to see the midsection of her sword gripped by Bif's bare hand. Blood started to trickle down the palm of his hand and onto the ground below as Bif gripped the blade of the sword with all his might.

"My turn..." Bif's grip shattered the blade of the sword into pieces, leaving only a cracked, short piece of metal left connected to the grip.

Iola jumped back several feet. Bif pulled the remaining pieces of blade stuck in him out of his body with his left hand. He reached down with his right, and picked up one of his clubs. Bif slowly tread forward, resting his club on his shoulder as he held it. Iola threw both her arms in the air, palms facing towards the sky as she channeled together most of her mana. A gigantic torrent of water, like the one moments prior, sprang up from the ground behind her. Steam emanated from the top of this tornado of water. Iola then threw her arms forward, commanding this great tide of liquid to strike Bif...but nothing happened...

Iola stood still in the same pose, her eyes shaking as the great tidal power she brought forth wasn't moving. Nothing was happening...why?...Iola's breathing escalated, and a visible mist escaped her lips as cold winds began to batter against her. She noticed that the light ahead of her was dimmer than it had been a moment ago. She slowly turned her gaze upwards...the great torrent she summoned, was completely frozen in mid-air over top the two of them. And then, it shattered, raining shards of ice all over the two of them. Though, to no detriment to either of them. Iola took a step back. With her water magic rendered useless in the moment, she went to raise her shattered blade...but her body didn't move at all. She couldn't move another inch. Her body...was frozen from the inside as it seemed.

Bif now only stood mere inches away from her face. Her beady, frozen eyes bore witness to Bif's own eyes. His ice-blue irises shone with great light. But the whites of his eyes were completely drained, instead, a black color surrounded his iris. These eyes seemed to drill straight through her soul. Bif raised his club high up above his head...and swung down with a force unmatched by anyone else in this event so far. A force that completely shattered and crushed the side of the stage they stood on below them. The edges of the stage collapsed, and the remaining pieces of earth slid into a new position, forming a slight slope. Bif stood at the top of this small, rocky slope...and Iola was at the bottom of it. The coldness faded...

At the edge of the slope, and touching the arena's ground itself...Iola lay on the ground completely bludgeoned and misshapen by the attack. Bones were sticking out of her body, or in completely wrong places all together. Her skeleton had essentially been mashed into a flat area, and a splattering of blood around the area made it clear as well as the small puddle her body resided in too. To add insult to injury, it was on the side with her classmates as well. She was completely disfigured...but the cruelty of it all was the fact of the enchantment on the arena itself, preventing death while inside of it...

"Winner by killing blow, and ring-out!...Bif Dru-" Dulis was yelling out to the crowd, only to be interrupted by Bif looking him dead in the eyes and shaking his head in disapproval. "The winner is Bif!"

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As Bif turned back to his side and started walking, he could hear a mixture of boos and cheers from the crowd. Though, the cheers seemed to be much louder, at least, that's how he chose to listen to it. Bif picked up his other club and sheathed them both to his sides. As he neared the edge of his side, his classmates looked up at him. He smiled...and then fell over the side. Ventrix managed to catch him, but struggled in dragging him over to a chair.

"Wow, muscle-brain...ya really did it." Lylas patted him on the shoulder.

"Ah! Fucking bitch!" Bif nearly leapt out of the seat. "You fuckin' idiot! Don't be touching me until I'm healed! Cunt fucking burned me good!..."

"Ah...right. My bad, bro..." Lylas chuckled.

"That was that same thing you did before..." Avures walked to Bif's side. His hands lightly glowed as he brought them up to Bif.

"Manadrosis...used in a fight...that's something I could only see someone as scrappy as Bif doing." Zen clapped as he walked forward to the boy's side. His hands glowed like Avures's own as Zen began to assist in the healing process.

"Good job, Bif." Grula came over and smiled at the boy. "I'm proud of you."

"Sorry...Not into you anymore." Bif breathed heavily as his entire body felt like mush.

"What?" Grula raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Bif looked around with a clueless gaze. Olicia and Lylas both giggled silently.

"Well...now we have to pick who's going out first..." Lylas looked at Ventrix and Rael.

"We've been pretty blessed so far...knowing a lot of information about them." Avures looked to Lylas. "The last two of them...the Numidis girl, and the Anti-Magic guy...I think Ventrix should go out next."

"The big problem is...the wind user girl is a bad match for Rael...I feel bad. Either way, you're stuck in a fight where your magic is kinda useless." Olicia looked to Rael and shook her head.

"Rael is kinda gettin the short end of the stick either way ya look at it." Lylas rubbed his chin. "Avures. What's your reasoning?"

"Well...it's a gamble either way. The fight we want is Ventrix versus Numidis. At least that way, Rael will be in a fight where neither of them can cast. So...Ventrix might as well step in. I guess this all hinges on whether or not the other class knows anything about Rael..." Avures shrugged.

"Then it's settled in my mind...Ventrix. You're up." Lylas looked over at his blonde-haired friend.

"Excellent." Ventrix wasted no moment in hopping onto the stage. He started to walk towards the other side, waving back to his classmates. "Wish me luck..."

"Assuming Ventrix wins...it'll all be on me then?..." Rael looked at her fellow classmates.

"Yup. Course, we saved the best for last..." Lylas smiled and gave a thumbs up to Rael. Rael weakly laughed and grinned at the confidence placed in her.

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Ventrix strode over to the other side of the arena. To the side of the other class. The old man from earlier finished repairing the crater-like destruction Bif had caused, and leapt off. As Ventrix stood at the edge, he looked down. Several people had surrounded Iola, using whatever healing magic they could to reshape her. They had worked fairly quick, and Iola lay on the ground with only a few bones still out of place.

"What are you doing over here?" Feren pointed to Ventrix.

"I'm just here to see how my cousin is doing." Ventrix shrugged. "I guess also to see who's fighting me."

Ventrix watched as the five of them gathered around in a circle and whispered among themselves. He looked down at his cousin again. Lots of healers made for quick work. As they finished repairing the last parts of her body, they carried Iola into one of the empty seats nearby, carefully sitting her down. She breathed heavy, still in a complete daze over what had just happened. She raised the palm of her hand and stared at it.

He could only think what an incredibly powerful enchantment this arena had to have to prevent death. Iola was completely crushed, yet the magic kept her alive. It'd have to be some form of three-way intertwining of enchantments done by several people. A complete impracticality for anything other than this.

"The only person who has a chance against Ventrix, is Malia." Iola turned her head to the whispering bunch.

"But Iola, the red-head still remains." Calvas answered back. "We have no idea what she's capable of. So, it might be better to save Malia to fight her."

"And just throw Feren in with the intention to lose and win later?" Keleman shook his head. "We could just win right now! Malia might win. Or, Feren might just win against the red-head anyways."

"I would also, myself, prefer to battle against the Felsta." Malia daintily raised her hand. Calvas sighed.

"I suppose...It seems that either way, we're in a position to win it. Go ahead, Malia." Calvas gave a thumbs up to the white hair girl.

"Oh, thank you!" Malia parted from the group and hopped onto the stage.

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"You know...Iola talks big game about how she always beats you up." Malia smiled as she looked at Ventrix. The two of them were walking center-stage.

"That's not surprising." Ventrix shrugged, not bothering to look back. "She used to always win our bouts."

"Humble, eh?"

"It's just the truth. However, our last real fight was well over a year ago."

"So, do you think you would win now?" Malia stopped to the side of Dulis.

"Maybe..." Ventrix walked to the other side of Dulis. Ventrix thought on the question. In Ventrix's mind, Bif destroying her was a product of two things. One, a disadvantageous element matchup. Two, Iola playing along with Bif's game instead of fighting him normally. However, there was no denying that Bif was the type to always hold back until his temper flared. With these things in mind, it's safe to say that Bif most likely would have won no matter what. But, comparatively to Ventrix, who rarely sparred with Bif...he just wasn't sure. Thinking about fights and match-ups like this was a waste anyways. After all, one person could easily beat another, as that person could with someone else. They key to being the best was to understand strengths and weaknesses.

"Well?..." Malia grinned.

"Nope. I don't suppose I'd fare any better than I had before." Ventrix shrugged.

"That's interesting. I guess for your sake then...you should know I'm way better than her." Malia slyly reached her right hand down into a pocket, and pulled out shurikens between each of her fingers. Ventrix drew his own sword and took a stance.

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"Oh! I can't be a judge because of Rael!...but fuckin Xilvas can be down there to watch his own granddaughter!" George rolled his eyes.

"It is his Academy..." Ion muttered, bowing his head down.

"Boy...you're still upset about that, huh?" George shook his head. "I'd be too if my daughter got crushed by a-uh...dirty beast?...subhuman filth?...course, I don't think myself that high and mighty."

"Watch your tongue." Ion turned his gaze upwards to George.

"Still, this ought to be the best fight coming up, eh?" George elbowed Velix.

"Maybe. I think Ventrix will do good." Velix crossed his arms and watched down at his son.

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"This battle is between...Ventrix Felsta!...and Malia Numidis!..."

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"Alright. Wait for my jump back, then start." Dulis looked to both kids. They both nodded...Dulis leapt back, and the battle began.

Malia hopped back while throwing the stars at Ventrix. The throwing stars whirred at Ventrix, but were deflected with great precision. Malia smirked. Ventrix's sword suddenly became unwieldy, as if the weight had increased one-hundred fold. Ventrix dropped the sword out of his hand, and it made a resounding thud as it hit the ground. He hadn't been attentive for a single moment, and it already put him at a disadvantage. It was clear that Manipulation magic was at play. Those shurikens most likely changed the properties of his sword the moment they hit the blade. Most surprisingly, the deflected stars didn't fall to the ground, but rather, kept whirring around in the air. Ventrix looked to Malia. The movement of these stars seemed to match the movement of her own hand. She quickly brought her hand up, and slashing back down. The shurikens responded, shooting into the air and soaring back down towards Ventrix.

Without his sword, Ventrix was forced to resort to magic. A circular barrier of light formed around him. The throwing stars bounced off of the shield, and then flew back around Malia. It was easy to recognize the small stalemate they were in. So, Malia let it go and decided to allow Ventrix to recover, seeing as she would only waste energy and mana by continuing to attack his barrier. Ventrix held the barrier up while bending down to his sword. With a quick bit of Enchantment magic, Ventrix was able to purge the effect from his sword, making it return to it's normal weight. He picked the sword back up in his hand, and released his barrier. This time, he'd lay his Enchantment aura over himself and his sword to prevent such a thing from happening again.

Malia threw her other hand up and moved it like the first. Another group of throwing stars leapt from her pockets. Altogether, it was like they formed a small storm of spinning metal. Without any hesitation, the storm converged on Ventrix's position. Refusing to stand in a single spot to defend, Ventrix ran to his left. His plan was to circle around and strike Malia while staying mobile and defending himself. And with his aura overtop of him, she wouldn't be able to do Manipulation tricks to him. As Ventrix dashed, the stars swooped in on him. A series of metal clashing and slicing against each other reverberated throughout the coliseum as Ventrix rapidly deflected the shurikens. What was troublesome to this plan was how fast it seemed Malia could redirect and have her stars recover. And even with his aura to stop any magic tricks, those stars could still pierce and slice him if his defense wavers.

With Ventrix having an opportunity to move again, he decided to instead go on the offensive. His blade shone a bright yellow and gold color. Ventrix aimed, and swung, unleashing a blinding slash of light from his blade which sliced through the air at great speeds to Malia. However, Malia remained smug, quickly maneuvering out of the way with her control of wind magic. As she was airborne and dodging the slice of light, Ventrix watched on with utter confusion as her figure slipped into nothingness. She was completely gone. He hardly had any time to gather himself and question what happened. The shurikens assaulted him once more. Without any direct target, Ventrix simply decided to deflect the stars in the fastest way he could. While he expertly weaved and countered the throwing stars, Ventrix tried to figure out what was going on. It was as if she vanished with the wind.

Ventrix concentrated, having heard Avures mention a mana trick which could be used to locate someone...but it was to no avail. He simply didn't know anything about it. He needed to find Malia...but it was her who found Ventrix first.

"Gotcha..." Malia's voice emanated out from behind Ventrix. To the sight of everyone else, Malia had suddenly slid back into sight, her left arm covered in a visible string of rapidly whirring winds. She brought this arm down in a slicing motion across Ventrix's back, cutting straight through his training gear and leaving a long, deep cut down his back. Ventrix grunted out in pain, but jumped ahead, facing the throwing stars head on. He sliced them all out of the way as quickly as he could. As he regained his footing, he looked back at Malia. She waived with that magic covered arm, before slipping again into nothingness. Ventrix gritted his teeth and cringed. This was going nowhere. He focused in on his free hand, wrapping it in a blanket of Protection and Enchantment magic. He touched this hand to his body, feeling the wound on his back end the process of bleeding. Any full amount of Healing magic would take a while, and it was time he didn't have. He let go of the magic and focused in on the matter at hand. The shurikens once again sliced through the air towards him. Ventrix sought to deflect them once again, but at the same time, Ventrix cast a half barrier with his free-hand. His backside was now covered over with a half-circle of light. As Ventrix knocked the stars away once again, he tried to wrap his head around any sort of strategy.

While he could keep at this game of deflecting and protecting his backside, it seemed that Malia was willing to play this game too. If anything, it indicated to Ventrix that he was the one at a disadvantage. Most likely, he was in a mana deficit this way. And if he couldn't tell her location...how could he win?...there was some sort of trick afoot. As he patiently deflected away her throwing stars and kept his guard up, Ventrix theorized what exactly was going on. She was clearly either invisible, or somewhere far away. Teleportation wasn't out of the picture...but if she was somewhere completely away from here, wouldn't she have been disqualified?...And it's not like some of the strongest people alive wouldn't have noticed, especially when they're the judges. So, she had to be invisible. And if so, Ventrix had a method to reveal her.

A lack of practicing actual techniques was something that Ventrix was guilty of. But, that didn't mean he was clueless. Particularly, he knew of a technique that required some Utility focus. But, Utility wasn't a heavy magic to delve into. True Light...the ability to create a light that reveals anything hidden. And when altered with other types, having their own effects as well. However, said other effects were unneeded in this situation. Ventrix took his free hand, and clenched it into a fist, before he slowly unclenched it. A small orb of light floated up to his index finger. He then whirled this finger around slowly, the orb moving with it and glowing brighter and bigger.

"True Light." Ventrix flicked the orb outwards towards the center of the stage. It expanded outwards in all directions as it traveled forth and floated upwards. The brightness of the orb flared as it rose higher. It stopped in the air, at least fifty feet upwards, and stayed at a consistant size. The radiating light coming from the orb shone down in a spectacular shower of rays. As it did, an outline, and soon a shadow, became visible. Malia became visible to everyone in the coliseum once more. She looked down at her own shadow with a defeated look.

"Aw. You got me." Malia pouted, but quickly put a smile on her face again. "I wonder how you can think yourself weaker than your cousin...even she falls victim to my power."

"It's a difference in fighting styles." Ventrix slowly walked forward, slashing away the stars with ease as he did. "Iola is highly aggressive. She will fall victim to a trick, and not take time to read the situation. But me...I'm patient."

"Do you not feel any urgency? Any push? Drive?" Malia put a finger to her lip.

"I'm cautious. Jumping into a situation head first is a great way to make yourself look foolish. The moment I throw caution to the wind and step forward, is the moment I realize the ground below my feet has given way." Ventrix posed himself, only a few feet away from Malia.

"And that caution is how you figured out my power...dear me...I think I'm going to lose to you." Malia threw her hands up and shrugged with a smile on her face. As she did this motion, the notable sounds of the whirring stars disappeared. Ventrix quickly gazed behind him. The stars were gone. He turned back to Malia.

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"Are you giving up?" Ventrix held still.

"No...I have a dream. So, I can't give up. Even if losing here means nothing to the ends of said dream...losing...giving up...those make dreams meaningless, don't you agree?" Malia brought both her arms to her sides. Bending them up at the elbows with her palms facing up, Malia grinned as that same, vortex-like magic wrapped around her arms.

"I could see that reasoning. Though, you picked an odd time to get poetic with me." Ventrix shook his head.

"But, you agree...right? You have a dream too, don't you?"

"...you could say that."

"Then that makes you..." Malia grinned widely, and positioned herself to leap. "The kind of person I like."

With a moment's notice, Malia appeared in front of Ventrix's face in a flash. She swung downwards with her right arm, he blocked with his sword pointed horizontally. The extreme wind magic on her arm clashed evenly with his blade, making a screeching sound as their clash continued. Malia then stabbed forward with her left arm, underneath of his blocking point. A golden barrier appeared forth, blocking her stab immediately. With it covering his front half from her attacks, Ventrix sought to slice forward with his sword, foregoing his block for a counter. But as he prepared to do so, a feeling of metal scraping against his back made him nearly double over in pain. The whirring of the stars filled his ears as Ventrix realized what was going on. He shouted, expelling a force of magic outwards, launching Malia several feet back, and dislodging several shurikens from his back.

He was none the wiser when those shurikens had initially disappeared. Rather, Ventrix realized that the conversation they had could have merely been a detraction or distraction from it. He saw it, yet he forgot. He was careless. But no more. Understanding that she was going to use whatever tactic she had, that was Ventrix's knowledge. Malia recovered herself, and leapt forth once again. She ferociously led with her right arm aimed straight towards his heart. Ventrix stood his ground, ready to counter, but she disappeared. Instead, suddenly appearing where she once was, were those shurikens. Ventrix rapidly swung his sword to deflect all of them, then putting a barrier at his back, where Malia had just reappeared. Ventrix lowered himself slightly and turned. As he finished his turn, he sliced upward at Malia and lowered the barrier. Malia leaned back, dodging the slice. However, she then clasped her arms together, catching Ventrix's blade between both of her forearms. Malia's grin grew even wider as she inched her hands closer to the blade while still disallowing Ventrix to disengage. Soon enough, she had a hold of his blade within her left hand. Her magic still keeping her hands and arms protected while weaponizing them too. Then, the unmistakable sound of throwing stars shredding through the air entered Ventrix's head.

Left with no other option, Ventrix shielded his backside, allowing the throwing stars to attack his barrier. However, this was to Malia's plan, as she took her right hand, and thrust down into Ventrix's gut. Ventrix caught her hand with his own left hand, but the wild wind's wrapping around her arm started to rip and tear away at the skin on it. Rapid bleeding and severe pain made Ventrix let go of her hand, allowing Malia to plunge it into his gut. As it went through, Ventrix retched with pain as the winds spun about, making a mess of his insides.

Satisfied with herself, Malia let go of his sword and stepped back, allowing Ventrix to fall to his knees. She watched the blonde haired boy grasp at the hole in his gut. She giggled, turning away from him and returning all of her shurikens to her pockets. She started walking to her side of the arena, when Dulis appeared next to her.

"Giving up?" Dulis tilted his head.

"Huh? Isn't it over?" Malia raised an eyebrow at the teacher, but then turned to look at Ventrix.

"Technically, one would not succumb to this wound yet. Not only that, he's healing himself." Dulis pointed to Ventrix. Ventrix's head was bowed down as his right hand glowed dimly while touching his wound. "It'd do you well, as a Lancer, to fully finish an opponent."

"Pf..." Malia sighed, walking back towards the center. She stopped some feet away from Ventrix. She eyed him, watching him heal his wound. It seemed as if he had little regard for her presence at all. She took a single throwing star in hand, and whipped it at Ventrix. A golden barrier appeared, bouncing the star away. She then sighed again, but smiled while doing so.

"True Light let's me see the invisible. But, your power masks sounds too. If I can't see everywhere at once, I can't make use of it in fighting you." Ventrix continued to heal his wound. The bleeding grinding to a halt as he finished.

"Not giving up, huh?" Malia tilted her head to the side as she watched him.

"You said it yourself...and I have to agree with your logic..."

"So, you do have a dream then?"

"...I do..." Ventrix picked his head up, looking straight up to the overlook where his father sat. Their eyes met...Velix knew his son's dream... But he could not grasp the full extent that his son was willing to go...

"I'm looking for..."The Architect"? Can you help me out?"

"Make as many friends as you can, and cherish them. Never let them go."

"My mother was everything to me...and she was taken too soon. She's influenced me so much, and even father to some degree..."

"He's always been distant to me...and it only got worse when mother died."

"One of our ancestors had met this person called The Architect. From what father has told me, he can grant you knowledge of any kind, as long as it's within the realm of possibility."

"Then throw caution to the wind, and go all out." Malia crossed her arms. "A dream is only worth the merits of the one who has it. If you can't bring yourself to follow through...it's nothing."

"I told you why I can't throw caution to the wind...I told you why I wouldn't...the moment I plunge forward...unaware of what's around me...it's all over." Ventrix slowly stood himself to his feet, gripping his sword tightly as he did. The wound in his gut was still there, but no blood emerged. "What good is a dream, what good is stepping into uncertainty...if nothing is there?...my caution doesn't hold me back. It's an end to a means..."

"Ventrix Felsta..." Malia's cheeks turned red as she brought her left hand over her heart. "I think I'm in love with you."

"I'll show you the path my caution has afforded me. The path straight to my dream. You'll regret challenging my merit, questioning my own worthiness..." Ventrix raised his right arm, and pointed his blade in to the sky. Malia watched, the tips of her ears glowing red as well. Her smile bled happiness, not smugness. Malia started to feel herself grow excited as she pulled her hand away from her heart.

"Show me it!..." Malia's arms once again were wrapped with wind, and the shurikens reemerged from her pockets, swarming the sky.

"Light of God!..." Ventrix's body glowed gold. The gold light coalesced up his blade, forming a bright, majestic orb at the tip of the blade. The orb shot upwards, merging with the ball of True Light Ventrix had conjured up earlier. The two balls of light became one, overpowering rays of light emanated forth, shining upon all within the coliseum.

The buzzing and slicing sounds of the stars were concealed once again. And even Malia tried to hide within her own power once more. He had explained it to her completely. He couldn't see everywhere at once, and the sounds were masked. In her mind, this was nothing but posturing. But even so, if it was, she loved it. Malia wanted nothing more than to break down Ventrix, and make his resolve her own. As she dashed around Ventrix several times over, he didn't seem to budge at all. Knowing he wouldn't openly take the initiative now, Malia leapt towards his backside, ready to slice down upon him. Her shurikens did the same from the front.

Several slashes rang out with a blinding flash of light accompanying each strike. All of the shurikens had been swatted away by slices of light, and Malia herself was struck away by some force. She rolled away on the ground as a great pain overtook her. As she lay on the ground, she spotted a blood trail that emanated from where she last was before the strike. She saw what looked to be her left arm over there. As she tried to force herself up, she coughed up a great amount of blood. Her eyes weakly looked down, spotting a great wound opened across her abdomen.

"Huh...?" Malia forced herself onto her knees, looking over at Ventrix who just now turned to look at her. The shurikens weren't done. They zipped down towards him once again, but the same thing happened. They seemed to all be struck away by a great force. And it didn't even seem like Ventrix had moved at all.

"Light of God...allows me to strike anything from anywhere, so long as it is touched by it's light. In that way, it's also the ultimate tool of perception, allowing me to know what is touched by it's own light. And when combined with True Light...makes it so nothing can hide from me." Ventrix inched his way towards Malia. He stopped, only a few inches away from where she sat.

"That's...beautiful..." Malia's eyes seemed to hold bright twinkling light in it as she stared at Ventrix. "However..."

Malia's lips curled into an evil looking smile as she suddenly leapt up from the ground, her right arm still encompassed by that wind magic. She aimed right for his heart...but a slice rang out once again, and her arm was flung into the air like her left one. Her eyes went wide, her pupils shrank. She was scared, but she was in love...Ventrix turned away from her...and a force hit her directly in the chest, launching her backwards and off of the stage. Ventrix walked towards his side.

"Malia Numidis is off the stage!...Ventrix Felsta wins!..." Dulis screamed out. The crowd erupted into applause, but Ventrix didn't care. He looked back up at his father. Their eyes locked again. Neither smiled, neither waved...Ventrix pulled his gaze away and hopped back down to his side, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

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"Ventrix never fails to disappoint." Zen gave his student a thumbs up, walking over to begin healing his wound fully.

"You had me worried for a sec." Olicia walked to his side. "She must have said something real interesting, the way you suddenly decided to go all out."

"That girl is a psychopath." Ventrix shook his head.

"It's always the pretty ones who are crazy...eh?" Bif nudged Ventrix, but the boy simply looked back at Bif with a deadpan stare. Bif then looked at both Rael and Olicia who were also staring at him. "I stand by what I said."

"Right...anyways...that just leaves Rael to go..." Lylas looked to the red-headed girl. "Avures, ya managed to catch a glimpse of the guy's past, right? Is there anything that might help?"

"Like I said, I just know he can use Anti-Magic. That's all I was able to gather. But..." Avures looked at Rael. She was already looking at him. Their eyes locked, but Avures pulled his gaze away out of shame. Still, he gulped. "I believe in Rael. She'll win this, no matter what."

"Mm..." Rael's face grew red as she held her breath for a moment. She exhaled and bowed her head down. But, she picked her gaze back up and smiled. "You guys don't have to worry about a thing!"

"Good! Now get in there!" Lylas gave a thumbs up to the girl. She gave one back to everyone else as she hopped up onto the stage, ready to fight.

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Rael looked around on stage. The perspective and feeling was most certainly different from when everyone else was on it. And with all these people watching...Rael felt the nerves kick in. She looked over at the other side. That Feren character was already on stage. Rael shrugged, supposing that they were the last two anyways. She skipped over to the side of Dulis, pulling out her battleax as she did. Feren did the same with his own weapons, gripping his katars in his hands.

"Anything to say?" Feren looked at her.

"Hmm?...Nah." Rael shrugged. "I dunno anything about you. I'm not really into this "trash-talk" stuff either."

"Huh. That would make a first." Feren rolled his eyes.

"Are you talking about your team or mine? Cause it sounds like that's your team." Rael pointed back and forth from herself to Feren.

"Hold on. Your team is as equally guilty as mine." Feren pointed to Rael's side.

"You guys started it. Plus, not all of my friends said anything mean." Rael frowned and shook her head. "What gives on that anyways? Why has there been so much trash-talk?"

"Well...I guess they just felt like it...plus Mister Fraythorn encourages it. He's real competitive like that. More-so than usual." Feren sighed.

"Yeah that sounds like him..." Dulis muttered under his breath.

"I don't suppose he told you about the bonus then?" Rael tilted her head.

"Bonus?" Feren tilted his head in response.

"Uh!...hey kids, let's get ready to start!" Dulis shot his hands up in between them, giving a thumbs-up to Xilvas at the same time.

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"Well...I'm at least glad a Felsta won today." Ion conceded.

"Indeed. Though, he had me worried for a second..." Velix sighed, looking down at the stage. "I guess it's time for your daughter now, huh?"

"Well, I dunno if ya can officially call her that..." George shrugged. "Adopted and all..."

"Come now, Mottis. She's just like you...except for the hair...and the fair skin...and the cute face...and-" Velix's lips curled into a tiny smile as George interrupted him.

"Alright! Alright!...I just hope she does okay." George watched down with great hope in his heart...

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"For this battle!...We have Rael Mottis!...versus Feren Kov!..."

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"When I jump back...you're both good to start..." Dulis prepped himself to hop back. Rael and Feren both locked eyes.

The truth was, Rael really wasn't sure what to do. She had heard about Anti-Magic once before, but it wasn't something she knew anything about.

"What does Anti-Magic even mean? Does it mean I can't cast at all? Or is it like, it saps the mana out of me? Agh! Avures could have been a little more helpful!" Rael thought to herself as they were moments away from fighting. She gripped her ax tightly, and guided her eyes down to Feren's weapons. Rael wasn't feeling so confident about this matchup. The katars he wielded seemed lightweight, and it looked as if there could be an easy way for him to guard her. But, she had no real experience against such a weapon either, so there was no guarantee she was right. All in all, Rael didn't really know what to expect at all.

But, the fight would start anyways, as Dulis finally leapt back...kicking off the fight.

Rael didn't waste a moment in testing her luck, immediately heaving up, and swinging her ax down at Feren. Feren bent at his knees, crossed his blades, and rose back up to block the attack. Feren's crossed guard caught the length of Rael's ax as he held steady. The two of them found themselves in a struggle of strength. Though, Feren's leverage under Rael's swing gave him the advantage in staving off her attack. Rael forced the envelope, bringing the ax head down further and further towards Feren. This would turn out to be Feren's benefit. He shifted himself to the right, and used his leverage and guard to shove Rael's ax to the left. Rael's swing slammed into the ground. This gave him a clear opening. Feren stepped forward with great speed, and took his crossed blades closer to Rael, then slicing in the other direction. Rael could only pull her ax towards herself and step back, still taking quite the damage from it. Feren's slice had left an "x" shaped wound right at Rael's collarbone.

Rael brought her hand to the wound, lightly grazing her fingers on it and bringing them up to her face. Blood. As if it would be anything else. Though, Rael wasn't discouraged, but she was still confused on what to do. Their single clash indicated one thing to Rael. Without any Enchantment magic, this guy could easily out-speed her swing for swing. She was stronger, but his weapons gave him an easy way to block and counter. So, she was going to try to use magic to at least to see what would happen.

Rael channeled her mana forth, trying to simply enhance her physical attributes. However, Rael was suddenly overcome with a feeling of stiffness. Not a physical stiffness, but rather like the current of mana within her completely stopped. Then after, the sensation of a draining feeling. Rael froze up in shock, the uncomfortable feeling being so foreign that she had no reaction to it. She looked to Feren, and was surprised to see what looked to be a faint, transparent lavender line connecting the two of them.

"It would probably be best if you refrained from using magic. For your best interests, of course." Feren gestured to the line with his blade.

"So that's Anti-Magic?..." Rael watched the line lightly glow for a single moment before disappearing.

"Surprised? That's fine. Most can go a lifetime without ever seeing it." Feren took a deep breath, and released. The same faint glow that was seen from the lavender line was now emanating from him. "However, unlike the fools I call my peers...I won't be explaining my ability. It's counterproductive."

"Heh...course..." Rael brought her ax up once more. She was almost hopeful that he might just spill it out for her. The only thing she could gleam was that his Anti-Magic was more than just that. Rael had thought it meant no magic whatsoever. But, she was still able to summon up mana. In fact, that stiffness...she could probably overpower it, but she'd most certainly have to use twice, or three times, as much mana. And she didn't want to suffer from Mana Exhaustion, knowing that it would most certainly lead to defeat.

However, the time for thinking was over as Feren closed the gap between them with blinding speed. Rael managed to bring her ax up just in time to block a downward swipe he had made during his rush. Something was wrong. He was so much faster than a moment ago. And, instinctively, Rael made a horrid decision. The stiffness returned, but Rael overpowered it for but a moment. Feren thrust his other blade forward towards Rael. But, Rael nimbly adjusted her body to avoid it, dropped her guard on the downward swing, and thrust the length of her ax forward, shoving Feren back. He stumbled back a few feet, taken back by the sudden force and speed Rael gave in return. But, he shook his head as the lavender line reappeared. The time, the glow was much stronger, and remained longer.

Rael, realizing what she had just done, stopped the flowing of mana. But, that didn't deter her from following up with another attack. With Feren still slightly off-balance, Rael's opportunity was at hand. She winded up a great swing, spinning around and using her hips and the weight of the ax to muster up powerful attack aimed towards the middle of Feren's torso...

What happened next was hard for most to see, but the result was clear. In a moment where it seemed like Feren would be cleaved in half...he was suddenly gone. Or rather, in the blink of an eye, he was behind Rael. As Rael was still following through on the empty swing, her eyes went wide with fear, knowing exactly where he was now. A sharp, extraordinary pain engulfed her body as Feren stabbed Rael several times over. The moment he appeared behind her; Rael was stabbed once in her upper-left back, once in her lower-right back, and sliced across the left side of her waist. Feren then appeared to her right side; Rael was stabbed in her right thigh, and sliced at the side of her torso under her chest. And as Rael's ax fell to the ground after the missed swing, Feren appeared straight in front of her; Rael was stabbed in the gut. And as Feren held his blade in her gut, he clenched the handle of his katar, activating a pulling-mechanism which split the blade open into three separate blades. This added extra injury to the gut wound, slicing her insides with what little leverage the blade could get while lodged in her.

Feren pulled the katar out, slicing away and enlarging the entrance wound with its wider blades. Rael retched, and a fountain of blood erupted from her mouth. As she weakly stood on her two legs, Rael panted heavily as she tried to bear the pain of it all. Feren scoffed as he watched her just stand there. He brought his katar up, ready to stab into her throat. As he thrust the blade forward, Rael locked eyes with him, and an explosion broke out in between the two of them. Rael was unmoved from it, but Feren was sent tumbling backwards several feet away. Rael slowly fell to her knees, dropping her ax. She brought her right hand to the wound at her gut.

"Is...this what dying feels like?..." Rael thought to herself as her vision started to get blurry.

"Hmm?...that wasn't mana? Odd." Feren stood himself from where he ended up, dusting himself off. "As pretentious as it may sound, allow me to finish this and deal a lethal wound. I can't imagine the pain you're in right now, and it would be cruel to prolong this."

"Don't...talk down to me..." Rael coughed, littering out tiny red specks onto herself and the ground.

"Look. You don't need to posture yourself. It was simply a bad matchup for you. Using such a heavy-handed weapon against someone like me...I know I said I wouldn't tell you, but since this is over..." Feren walked slightly closer to Rael and stopped. A faint, lavender orb appeared in front of Feren. "My Anti-Magic ability...it absorbs magic from any caster I designate within a certain range. It has it's limits to the absorption, and can even be overwhelmed, but...it converts any absorbed mana into physical power for me. This comes out in the form of extreme speed...get it?..."

"You think...it's over..." Rael looked to the ground. "This quickly?...I-...I'm such a disappointment..."

"And even after all of that too..." Rael thought back on her fight with Avures. All that struggling to stay, and all it did was put a severe strain on their relationship. And for what?...

"I recognize that you, most likely, have your own strengths. But as it seems..." Feren shook his head and sighed. "I don't think you have the moxie to fight a bad matchup..."

What Feren said struck some sort of synthesis in her. It was an idea that hadn't crossed her head. A horrid thought in all actuality. But it made too much sense for her to just ignore. Rael had been mostly silent any time it was discussed, but it always seemed that her classmates didn't want to "put her at a disadvantage". She could have fought any one of the first three people...but Lylas and the others insisted on someone else. Did they not trust her to win? And then they talked her up...only to throw her against this guy. Did they intend for her to be thrown aside? Used as a chip in a lost match, or did they plan on it not even coming to her?...the idea itself didn't make too much sense like that, but Rael felt that it seemed they hadn't trusted her to win these sorts of matches. Just like Feren said.

But what brought this on? Did she do something wrong? Why didn't they believe in her?...no, Rael knew deep down that her assumptions were just that. Assumptions. The only person not believing in her...was herself. They may not have trusted her with the other matches out of concern for her and their chances as a team, but they definitely believed in her. It was only Rael. She had truly never faced this form of adversity. And to be utterly slashed and stabbed up in front of everyone...it was heart-wrenching for her. It showed that she was weak, and talked up needlessly by Miss Grula and Lylas. She would be letting everyone down. Rael's confidence was nowhere to be found. What would Avures even think of her after this?...

Avures...they had hardly talked one on one since that fight, both of them. In fact, it seemed he never looked at her unless he needed to. She would look at him though. She would look to him. She would do anything for him. But Avures wouldn't do the same it seemed, not anymore. But when was that ever different from before to now after all of that?...-

Rael slowly turned her head to the side...and locked eyes with Avures. Was he staring at her...this entire time?...Avures's face looked to be filled with great concern for Rael. For one of the few times, it seemed his face had emotion. After a few seconds, he looked away...but then looked back. His face was serious now. Not his usual bored look, but one that seemed like he was fully focused on her. Something about it seemed familiar. It felt reassuring. It was almost as if...

Rael's eyes widened. Her lips trembled.

"Has he...always looked at me like this?..." Rael's mind seemed frozen in time. That look...Avures was invested in her. But more than that, he was expecting her to get back up. It seemed that he definitely still believed in her. But the familiarity of that look...

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"Hey Rael!...check this o-" A teen pointed down below him, but was interrupted as the red-head clocked him in the jaw with a wild haymaker. The kid was taken off his feet, stumbling back against the wooden wall of the building behind him and onto the grassy ground.

"Whoa! You're supposed to hit him!" Another boy pointed down at Avures, who was laying flat on the ground with a bloodied nose and black eye. Rael turned her attention to him and pushed him with enough force to knock him to the ground.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Rael looked between the two of them and the third one still standing.

"Oy-oy chill...we were teaching him a lesson." The one still standing put his hands up.

"Yeah-yeah! He was being a creep! You were just hanging out in the woods, and he was just watching." The one pushed onto the ground stood back up, helping the first one who was punched back to his feet as well.

"Go!" Rael pointed away from them. The teens all shook their heads as they walked on away. Rael waited until they were gone, sighing and looking at Avures. He was still laying on the ground, and was looking at Rael. "Is that true, Avures?"

"I was watching you." Avures sat up. He wiped the blood off his face, and then wiped his hand on his clothes. "Then they surrounded me..."

"Why were you just watching me?..." Rael put her hands on her hips. She thought back to what she had been doing. All she had done was sit against a tree, hum, and then mess around with some sticks and bands in an attempt to make a slingshot.

"I don't know...I guess...I was just invested in watching you. I didn't want to interrupt you either." Avures shrugged, looking to the ground.

"You know, Avures. You can just walk up to me. We're friends, after all." Rael giggled, sighing afterwards.

"Sure, but I actually-...well, it doesn't matter I guess."

"And you let those guys beat up on you...jeez." Rael got down on a knee and started to touch Avures's face. "Did you even fight back? I know you didn't cry or yell for help."

"Well...I didn't want to worry or cause trouble for anyone or you." Avures stared right into Rael's eyes. She stared back...

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That look...it's been the one he's always looked at her with. Maybe it's because of how long they had known each other, the way they always interacted with each other. Rael had always thought of it as the way Avures was towards her. The way he was in general. But no...Rael realized that it was only towards her. Could it be?...that as she was always looking out for him...he was doing the same for her?

It all came rushing to her. So many thoughts. So many realizations. Avures was right. She was selfish. She hadn't considered how he felt. Because the truth was...as much as she referred to him as her hero, Avures felt the same way about her.

Though Avures was wrong for never explaining how he felt, Rael could finally understand a portion of how Avures felt. She finally understood why he said those things. Because it was true. She was selfish, she didn't consider the fact that she was his hero too. That's why he looked to her like she did to him a lot. That was why he saved her life. That was why he was upset with her when she brushed him off. Avures had only just finally achieved the courage to begin even diving into how he felt about her. And regardless of how selfish he might have been acting in tandem...she didn't want to lose him now that Avures had finally evolved from never letting anything out.

That was why he still believed in her. Rael took a deep breath and released. It seemed as if everything around her was coming back together. She wasn't sure if victory was an option, but if she just went out on the ground like this...it would be unacceptable for herself and Avures. What she needed was power...Rael weakly grabbed the length of her ax. As she did, thoughts crossed her mind.

"When our bodies, and our souls become exposed to Flow, it activates the receptacle inside of us that would draw in the soul and essence of Woe..."

"It grants us a power stored within that would instead be reserved for Woe herself."

Rael already knew how to manipulate Flow to a certain degree. Having her own shade for the purpose of keeping it out of her, and for using it in a pinch...she could easily activate the receptacle, and win this fight using that power...Rael violently shook her head. It was an irresponsible idea. The mere contemplation of it made Rael feel sickly. After all, as far as she knew...she'd stop being herself. What Rael needed instead...was resolve. And, as silly as she considered it, this realization gave her the determination to make this a fight until the end. Her body was still heavily bleeding. The only way to make it stop, would be to use Enchantment magic. It wouldn't heal her, but it could keep her stable long enough to fight. Though, she'd have to use an overwhelming amount of mana. This, essentially would put her on a time limit...but considering her physical state...she was already there anyways. She had a plan.

"I'll show you..." Rael pulled the ax closer to herself. Feren stood and watched with a strange curiosity. The lavender line extended out from his body, and attached to hers.

Rael took her other hand. A magical whip of lava extended from this hand. She then sliced her ax with it twice. Feren tilted his head as he looked at the finished product. The double-sided ax had one side of it's head cut off, making it a single-sided. And, the metal length of the ax was cut as well, significantly shortening it's size. What was left was a make-shift hand-ax. A small, short weapon. But, importantly, it was much lighter and faster to swing around now. Rael stood herself back up to her feet, struggling to find the strength to do so. As she stood there once more, a great red aura encompassed her body.

"Not a good idea. You're only making me faster and stronger." Feren shook his head.

"It has it's limits to the absorption..."

Rael was willing to take this statement and put it to the test. With having to put twice as much mana forward to get over his absorption...it should mean that he can only take in so much at a time. Meaning, there was a cap to how much it could empower him. All Rael had to do was find that limit, and beat it. What at first seemed complex and impossible to fight, had now come down to a matter of Rael recognizing that all she had to do was hit harder; Her favorite method of fighting.

Rael spun the ax in her right hand by it's handle and grinned. Feren took this as a signal that she was going to come in swinging. A lavender glow enveloped his body as the tether between the two remained. If she wanted a final bout, he wouldn't turn it down. In a way, Feren was glad that she had mustered up the courage somewhere, but was even happier to tear it down.

Rael's body tightened, her aura growing brighter. This would give her the best chance to win, to go all out. She leapt forward and wildly swung the ax at Feren. The boy was slightly caught off guard by the sudden speed, even though he had just seen the magic and change to her ax. However, he was able to catch the swing right below the ax head with a single katar, his left one. Unlike before, his guard struggled. Even though the weapon she used was much lighter, it seemed as if there was more force. It was nothing more than Rael's pure will. However, she was open. And Feren still remained faster than her.

Feren pulled the same tactic as before, thrusting forward with his other blade. But, Rael anticipated it. Her free hand come from under, and grabbed a hold of his wrist. As the blade was only a few inches away from piercing her once again, it was stopped by Rael. They were now interlocked. Feren invoked as much of the power as he could, using the siphoned mana to empower himself greatly. However, as he seemed to get stronger, so did she. Rael was purposefully holding this position, raising her own Enchantment magic on herself to match whatever Feren would try. As Feren maxed out on using as much as possible, he realized what she was going for. The intent was revealed. Instead of trying to force his attack, he now looked to pull away. But, Rael kept her grip on his wrist, and kept forcing her attack on the other side.

Rael's grin went even wider. She had what she wanted anyways. The limit Feren had, or was willing to call his limit. As Rael had increased her aura, she realized how fast she was burning through her own mana. There was no more time to get locked up. But now, she most certainly had the advantage physically. In a way, she could also now better understand Feren's statement. Moxie...his Anti-Magic ability was meant to beat someone who wouldn't commit to such a double-edged strategy.

Rael forced his right arm downwards with her grip over it. Forced to either pull away his block, which he couldn't, or take it...Feren was forced to follow his arm, and subsequently lowered himself at the knees and waist. Rael brought her right leg up with great ferocity, and kicked Feren in the head, over and over again. Taking blow to blow in the face and side of his head, Feren decided to give this struggle. He removed his block, and used his speed to shift to his right, dodging the swing. However, this came at another cost. Rael's death-grip on Feren's right wrist grew stronger. Rael's grin grew even bigger, showing her teeth as she could finally level out the playing field to her extreme advantage. Feren realized too late that it wasn't any sort of pummeling that she was after.

With her newfound speed and ease of swinging, a single chop changed everything. Feren stumbled back, clutching his right arm to his chest. Rael held his severed hand by it's wrist in the air. Rael laughed aloud, her eye twitched, and she threw the severed arm to the side. It didn't matter anymore that he was going to be faster than her. He couldn't use that speed like he had before.

Rael ran forward, and swiped her ax from the side towards Feren's neck. He brought his left hand up and blocked the hit with his katar. Rael then brought her ax high and swung down. Feren stepped back and blocked it much like before. Rael reached with her left arm, trying to grab him once more. Feren took the other side when he shifted, dodging the swing once more, but following up with his own stab towards Rael's right. Rael couldn't keep with that speed, taking the stab at her side. She retched and choked up, but didn't stop. She had little time left.

Rael swung back towards her right side with her ax. Feren suddenly shifted once more with incredible speed. Rael placed this match on a last bet. She grabbed with her left hand...

Feren had went to her other side, and stabbed her in the same manner as a moment ago...which was predicted by Rael. Her hand managed to grab his wrist once more. Feren tried to pull his katar's blade from out of her flesh, but Rael's grip on his wrist was too strong. Then, he struggled in a different manner. Being to her side meant she couldn't directly hit him unless she wanted to get set off-balance. So, he started using his leverage to pull and yank her around.

Rael played along, doing the same thing in return. The two of them struggled back and forth, until eventually, they closed in on one of the edges of the stage. Rael had little to no mana left, but Feren didn't know that, not yet at least. So, both intended to beat the other by throwing them out of the ring.

Eventually, Rael gave Feren some leeway. He was able to pull his katar's blade from out of her side. This was according to her plan. She still had his wrist, and that was an undeniable strength. Feren thought he could finally maneuver her more freely, but he was surprised when Rael turned to face him straight. Struggling to keep his wrist still so she wouldn't be stabbed again, Rael lifted her ax once more. In this position, Feren had too much freedom of movement. He was able to use his legs more freely than before where he was forced low. So, Rael didn't bother with trying to sever this arm as she also needed to keep this grip to win. Instead, Rael dropped her grip on her ax to hold it below it's head. Then, she jammed the length of it into the grip area of Feren's katar. Rael then started to pry, using her ax and grip on his wrist to separate his weapon from him.

Feren wouldn't let her have it that easy. He struggled mightily. Feren brought his right leg up, licking her in the shin of her left leg. Rael gritted her teeth and flinched in pain, but held steady. Feren then used his left leg to kick Rael in her side, but she held. Then, he reset and brought his head close. He thrust his head into hers, headbutting with a tremendous force. Rael kept her grip, but weakly stumbled back. Seeing his advantage, Feren pulled with all his force once more. But, he was greeted with a return headbutt from Rael. Shouting in pain and recoiling, Feren couldn't keep a hold on his katar. Rael finally used the length of her ax to pry it off his hand. She then threw both to the side. Using both of her arms now, Rael held onto Feren's left arm tightly. She then slowly spun around, trying to muster what little strength she had left.

Rael managed to build some momentum with her spin, and used his arm as a way to pull and throw him forward as she stepped forward to the edge. She let go...Feren stumbled with the force of her throw...but he managed to keep his footing on the absolute edge of the stage. Feren panted heavily, keeping his balance. He looked at Rael, who simply weakly waved at him with a small smile on her face.

A fiery explosion appeared in between the two of them. Sending Feren off-balance and out of the stage onto the arena floor...

"Feren Kov was knocked off-stage!...Rael Mottis wins!..."

Rael chuckled as her vision became too blurry to see who was standing around her. There were people saying things, but she couldn't make out any of the words. Then, her vision went black...

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Rael reawoke in what seemed like a legitimate moment after she fainted. She panted heavily as she looked around. She was laying on the ground, and surrounded by her classmates and teachers. She sat herself up, realizing she was still on the stage. The crowd was practically going crazy.

"Holy shit...you went fuckin insane there..." Bif was practically overcome with a giddiness as he looked at the red-haired girl.

"Insane?...you mean like..." Rael's eyes looked uncertain.

"Not like that, don't worry." Avures shook his head. Rael sighed in relief. "Still...that was-..."

"It was awesome!" Olicia helped Rael to stand up.

"You know...for an Anti-Magic ability, it didn't really stop you from using magic, did it?" Ventrix looked puzzled.

"Actually, yeah...you could have been more helpful with that, silly!" Rael playfully shoved Avures as she fully came to. Avures looked a little surprised by her sudden shove, but he just shrugged.

"Anti-Magic doesn't mean anti-casting. It just means that it has unique ways of counteracting casters. It didn't seem his was very well developed. It's usually the reason we don't take those kinds of people anyways." Zen tilted his head as he watched Feren get healed as well. "Usually, it takes decades to master one's Anti-Magic abilities."

"Thanks to Rael's great effort...we're all tied up now. Three to three..." Lylas crossed his arms. "...what happens now?"

"Tiebreaker..." Grula sighed and shook her head. "Xilvas likes to change it up every year...so there's no telling what he might dictate for it."

"You're exactly right, Miss Grula Lakentos." Xilvas appeared in front of the group. "Can I get both teams front and center?!"

Everyone obliged, each team standing to one side of Xilvas each as he demanded the attention of everyone. As the classes met on the stage once again, the energy of the meeting felt different. The same hostility that greeted them before still lingered, but there was also a different sense of understanding between the two classes.

"The two classes have tied each other to a score of three to three! As such, we shall hold a tie-breaking event! The twist to this!...is that each team will pick the contestant from the other team! After which, the details of the event will be revealed!" Xilvas addressed the entire coliseum with his booming voice. He coughed afterwards, stepping back and pointing to Grula and her class. "As the winner of the last match, you get to pick last. Which means Fraythorn's class picks first."

"I already have a pick in mind." Calvas pointed straight at Lylas.

"Oy, you really want to make him fight? Why not the Avenue guy?" Keleman shrugged and pointed at Avures.

"After the limitation was lifted? No thanks. Besides...you got tossed by him after the rule was gone." Malia shook her head.

"It seems this is intended to out the weakest link on the other team." Iola looked over at them. "That would leave him I suppose. I agree with Calvas."

"I have to agree with Calvas as well. Though, I think underestimating them is stupid." Feren cast his gaze downwards.

"Then it's settled." Calvas turned directly to Xilvas. "We're picking him. Lylas Tynto, I think it was."

"Grula, your class may now pick." Xilvas turned to face Grula and Zen.

"Weakest link...huh..." Lylas held visible contempt on his face, but he sighed. "Maybe...but I'll be damned if Imma lose now. What do you guys think?"

"They're all strong in their own ways." Avures crossed his arms and looked at them.

"You definitely should not fight the same girl from before." Bif shook his head. "She might embarrass you again."

"Oh shut up." Lylas rolled his eyes.

"If I had to pick, I would say...him, or him." Ventrix pointed to Calvas and Feren.

"I was thinking the same thing." Olicia nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Avures." Rael walked forward and leaned into his ear from behind, whispering to him. "Give Lylas some help."

"Huh?...what do you-" Avures began to whisper back when he felt Rael slide her hand down his right arm...her soft touch slowly danced down the length of his arm, and pulled away. Her plan became clear to him. Avures was...surprised to say the least, but wouldn't question it in the moment. As everyone else discussed, Avures walked behind Lylas and to his left. He placed his right hand right below Lylas's right shoulder. Lylas looked at him in confusion as he watched Avures point towards Calvas.

"Ya think we pick em?" Lylas tilted his head to Avures.

"It seems like an intentional slight for them to deem you the weakest. It was probably also done to make a point." Avures sighed. "So, let's make a statement and pick their leader."

"Hmm...do you guys trust me?" Lylas didn't move an inch as he kept staring straight ahead at Calvas.

"I'd say your planning around their strongest fighters paid off." Olicia smiled.

"You didn't waver as far as I could tell." Ventrix nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

"Do ya guys trust Avures?" Lylas stayed still all the same.

"Pf...c'mon. Of course." Bif rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Always." Rael smiled and nodded.

"Then...we pick Calvas Zeritos." Lylas pointed at his spiky blonde-haired boy across from him. The rest of their classmates nodded in agreeance.

"Then it's settled..." Xilvas started to clear his throat.

"Lylas...use this..." Avures whispered as Xilvas was starting to explain the event at hand.

"Whaddya mean?-" Lylas felt a strange sensation overtake his body. It's as if some sort of creeping sensation leapt into his skin. And, for some reason, he felt the familiarity of it and associated it with the same feeling that he would get if Avures were around.

"For the tie-breaker!...we will have Lylas Tynto and Calvas Zeritos competing in a short contest!..."

"Flow and Mana..." Avures continued to whisper to him. "But not too much..."

"The two of them will be in a duel!...The first one to place the other in a near death-blow wins!..."

"Mm..." Lylas honed in on this feeling. His experience manipulating Flow...was very limited. He had tried it once out of curiosity, but had decided to hold off on using it until Zen mentioned it again. But it seemed that Avures had some sort of plan. And so, Lylas allowed a portion of his Mana and allowed a portion of Flow to channel through this sensation. The moment he did so, everything seemed to stretch on and come to a halt as his vision was overtaken...

Lylas hadn't been prepared for this at all. It was just all sudden. Hundreds of visions assaulted his brain at once. All of this duel. Every single one...a loss. But through each one, Lylas had tried different plans, or variations of the same ones. Each time he was put in a "death-blow" scenario, the pain of being stabbed, sliced, and everything in between was subjected onto his mind and soul.

When the visions all finally cleared from his head, Lylas felt...odd. The sensation Avures placed over him disappeared. Lylas shot a glance at Avures. Their eyes met...this was Avures's power...though there was so much more to all of it, Lylas felt like he finally understood a part of the boy. Lylas closed his eyes and turned forward. He had a plan.

"Thanks for your advice, Avures." Lylas stepped forward to meet Calvas in the middle. The power Avures had granted him...gave Lylas all the insight he needed to pull this off.

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"I hope you're ready." Calvas pulled his lance off of his back.

"Let's go..." Lylas pulled out two of his knives, one in each hand.

"Everyone back away!" Xilvas shouted. Everyone, including himself, backed to the edge of the stage. "When I say go, begin!"

Lylas's resolve sharpened. Calvas was ready to end this.

"Go!..." Xilvas's voice rang out through the entire coliseum. And in that moment...it was all over.

The blinding speed at which the events occurred was shocking, but made quite the spectacle.

The moment it kicked off, Lylas threw both knives to the side of Calvas. Calvas, however, aimed straight for Lylas. He stomped on the ground while thrusting forward. Lylas had hopped back, barely out of reach of the tip of the lance, but the ground beneath him became coated in that pattern color he had seen before during Olicia's match. It extended out from Calvas's feet to his own. Suddenly, a multitude of lances sprung out and stabbed into his body from every angle below him. Calvas scoffed, but then went wide-eyed as Lylas appeared to fizzle out. His form had lost all color and turned blue. He looked a lot like those clone-like constructs he made during the match with Vrela. Calvas had no time to react as the knife flying past him seemed to summon up Lylas. But, he didn't grab the knife. Instead, he stood there for a moment.

Calvas took his chances, seeing as Lylas had just stood there. As soon as the pattern started to spread out under his feet once more, Lylas threw a left-hook at a blinding speed. It struck Calvas straight in the face. He recoiled, stepping back a few feet when...the same impact with the same force struck him again. Calvas wasn't prepared for such a thing, and stumbled back farther. Shouting in pain, he quickly overpowered the sensation of agony as his nose bled. He readied his lance once more and stabbed towards Lylas. Only...he wasn't there.

"And it's over!..." Xilvas shouted out. Everyone looked on in surprise. Lylas was standing behind Calvas. Lylas's left side was to Calvas's back. Lylas held a knife with his left hand up to the boy. His knife's point was pressing down onto the skin of Calvas's neck.

"W-what?..." Calvas didn't bother turning around, only lowering his weapon and retracting the pattern back to his lance.

"I outmaneuvered ya. Out-planned ya." Lylas kept holding the knife there, not turning his head or moving at all. "I threw myself forward in time, while having a clone take my place. I never show all my tricks."

"This wasn't what I read from you...and then I couldn't read you..." Calvas closed his eyes and sighed.

"I know...seems we both had outside help, huh?..." Lylas smiled, lowering the knife. "What's a leader without his team?..."

"...well-met." Calvas turned towards Lylas, and extended his hand. Lylas nodded, and took his hand.

"The winner is Lylas Tynto!...and by extension...the class led by Grula Lakentos and Zen!..." Xilvas declared. The crowd erupted into one final applause for all as Lylas and Calvas shook hands...

The tournament was over...