Zeke stood by his designated arena, the awkward silence palpable. The other nine Mages of the first-year class shuffled nervously, unsure of how to proceed.

The departure of Viola Windtänzer had left them in a state of disarray. Their former leader, Samuel, was no longer someone they felt comfortable associating with too closely.

The situation was becoming more awkward by the minute. Nobody seemed to know what to do. The students didn't want to be witnessed being too close to Samuel. However, stepping to Zeke was also not an option for most. Many of these students had been among those who had bullied Zeke during his first few weeks at the academy. They were trying to avoid both Samuel and Zeke, shuffling in place awkwardly, with nowhere to go.

Yet, amidst this tension, three figures remained unmoving. The first was Zeke, who looked around with an awkward smile on his face. The second was Samuel, deep in thought. And Lilly, observing the scene with a panicked expression.

Before the situation could spiral further out of control, a staff member arrived. The man inadvertently interrupted the awkward silence that had taken root.

The students, including Zeke, welcomed the break in the tension. He had hoped that Viola would return before the fighting began, but he was fine with her missing a couple of the group-stage fights. The important fights would start later anyway.

As the staff member approached, Zeke took note of the man's confident bearing. There was an aura of authority that surrounded him. He discovered, upon closer inspection of his core, that the man was a Grand Mage. Zeke had gotten into the habit of scanning people's core when meeting them for the first time. He had been caught off guard one too many times as of late.

The Grand Mage took attendance of all the students in Group 24 and reminded them of the rules of the group stage. "Listen up, first-years," he boomed, his voice echoing across the arena. "Everyone here will fight against everyone else in this group. The two students with the most wins will then advance to the elimination round. If two mages have the same number of wins, they will fight for the spot. Is that clear?"

The Grand Mage swept his gaze around, waiting for an affirmation from the students. He received nods and affirmations from all around. Satisfied, the man went on.

"It doesn't matter if you get wounded during a fight, we have a healer on standby. Any normal injury should be patched up before your next match. I will try to stop the fight before any severe wounds are caused. The moment I tell you guys to stop, you will stop. Am I understood?"

Another round of nods came as a reply. Unbeknownst to the man, a crafty glint flashed in both Samuels and Zeke's eyes at the same time. He consulted his list and called out the first two names.

"Ezekiel von Hohenheim will fight against Lilly Luftschloss."

The Grand Mage scanned the crowd until he found Zeke, and then confirmed that he was the student he had called out. He then sought out Lilly and called her to the stage as well.

Zeke was surprised by the announcement of his first opponent Lilly. Though they had known each other since they were young, they had never before faced each other in combat.

He had noticed that Lilly only trained against Wind Mages in combat class. She seemed content with only sparring with her group of close friends. A choice that Zeke considered foolish. He believed that training against different affinities was important for growth. Despite this, he refrained from interfering with her choices and kept his distance. The two of them were no longer close enough for him to give her casual advice.

As he gazed over at Lilly, he could see the worry and apprehension written on her face. A part of him yearned to reach out and comfort her, to remind her of the close friendship they once shared. But he quickly quashed the impulse. Too much had changed between them, and the wounds inflicted by her betrayal still ran deep.

At this moment, Zeke had an epiphany. The sensation he felt when looking at his former crush had become all too familiar to him. The tightening in his chest, the rough breathing, the racing heart. He realized that his hesitation to get close to Sophia or Viola had its roots in the pain caused by his first love - Lilly.

A burning anger welled up in him at this realization. He clenched his fists as he made his way to the indicated spot. The scars caused by her actions ran even deeper than he had believed. He made a pledge to himself that he would not go easy on her when they stepped into the arena. The past was behind them and the sooner he could accept that there was nothing left between them, the better it would be.

Zeke strode into the arena, his staff in hand. The dragon-head carving gleamed in the light. He moved with the steady, confident gait of a seasoned combatant. Across from him, Lilly stood looking nervous, her eyes fixed on the staff and armor that Zeke wore.

Lilly tried to force a smile, but it was clear that it was a struggle. "That's a nice staff," she said, seeking to break the tension with small talk.

Zeke's face grew even colder at the mention of the staff. "Markus made it for me," he said. "A birthday present."

Lilly's expression fell at the mention of Markus, the other childhood friend they had shared. Her alliance with the nobles at the academy had cut her ties with Markus, just as her betrayal of Zeke had severed their relationship. She tried to speak again, but before she could, the Grand Mage in charge of the arena shouted out, his voice ringing across the arena.

"Are the two contestants ready?"

Zeke nodded, not deigning to acknowledge Lilly's attempts at reconciliation any longer. He knew that anything she had to say would only either distract him or make his task more difficult. He grasped his dragon-headed staff and shifted into a battle stance, ready for the first move. He had learned that the key to defeating a Wind Mage was to strike before they could create distance or take to the air.

Zeke focused on his [Perfect Body Control], pushing his honed physique to its limits. He intended to start the match with a bang. He planned on unleashing his newly acquired mind spell [Mind Fog] to slow Lilly down the instant the signal was given.

His gaze was unwavering, his focus locked onto Lilly. The boy was prepared to unleash all his power in a single attack as soon as the fight began. He was like a coiled spring, ready to unleash his fury.

Lilly just looked at Zeke, her eyes pleading. But Zeke's gaze remained steadfast, his focus solely on the impending fight. After a moment of silence, Lilly finally nodded to the staff member, indicating she was ready as well.

The staff member counted down, "The match begins in 3! 2! 1! Fight!"

The moment the fight began, Zeke sprang into action. He unleashed his mind spell while closing the gap between him and Lilly with lightning speed. A moment later he was upon her. His staff was already raised, ready to end the fight. But just as he was about to strike, he realized that Lilly had not been able to react to his attack at all.

Zeke cursed under his breath. Was he really going to break his own pledge just like that? Didn't he promise himself not to go easy on her? His eyes met the frightened gaze of Lilly for a mere instant. At that moment, he knew what he was going to do.

With a heavy sigh, he changed course at the last second, choosing to grab her neck instead. In a blur, Zeke lifted Lilly off her feet with a single smooth motion. The observers looked on in surprise. They had not expected Ezekiel to win in mere seconds. His struggle with fighting against Wind Mages was a well-known fact.

Even the announcer was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. He had not expected this level of physical ability from a True Mage. But it took him only a moment to regain his calm.

"Winner," the man started, "Ezekiel von Hohenheim."

Zeke put Lilly down and turned away, his back facing her. He considered tossing her onto the floor to show his disdain but ultimately decided against it.

In his opinion, that action would have said more about his character than anything else. Lilly, meanwhile, stood rooted to the spot, staring at Zeke's back as he walked away. She bit her lower lip to suppress a sob, before returning to her previous position beside Samuel.

The boy only glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. There was a disappointed look on his face. Before long, however, he ignored her again. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Zeke observed the other students as they took to the arena. He used this chance to assess the strength of his competition. Although he noted a few somewhat gifted Mages, he was not impressed. The strongest among them were roughly at the same level as Lilly.

The only one who posed any threat in this group was Samuel. He immediately stood out as Zeke's most significant challenge. Zeke monitored Samuel's performance closely. He was searching for any new tricks that might pose a threat during their inevitable showdown.

To Zeke's disappointment, he couldn't gather much information from Samuel's first bout. His opponent was laughably weak. It seemed like the girl was not even trying. The fights in this tournament, he realized, were likely fixed.

How would a girl from a small noble family dare to compete against someone from the Luftschloss family? This realization only further fueled his dislike for the nobility of the empire.

It was clear that Samuel was capable of defeating stronger opponents. But why bother putting him through the exertion? Risking fatigue when they could simply have his opponent not fight back?

Zeke's stomach churned at the thought of the self-serving behavior of the nobles. He yearned for the day when he would have enough power and influence to bring about even small changes in their ways. He could not bear the thought of experiencing their unethical behavior for much longer.

He was summoned to the arena for the second round of the group stage. His opponent was a Wind Mage who Zeke remembered with distaste. The Mage had frequently insulted Zeke during his first weeks at the academy.

As Zeke looked into the boy's eyes, he remembered all the boy's insults he had endured.

"Valorian traitor!"

"Blood scum!"

"Commoner trash!"

Time seemed to stretch as Zeke heard the calls of his former bully on repeat. An endless loop of insults and demeaning comments. His Mind Affinity had turned his already formidable memory into a torture device. Repeating the same phrases over and over again as if they had just happened.

For the fraction of a second, Zeke's pupils elongated. Before anyone could notice the change, however, they had already returned to normal. But there was a noticeable change in the boy. His posture had relaxed and he seemed to have a spring in his step.

As Zeke entered the arena, a fiendish grin spread across his face. He prepared himself for the fight in the same manner he had done with Lilly. But this time he was determined not to hold himself back.

His opponent seemed to sense his intentions and paled, but he still put on a brave front and took his position.

Once again, the announcer asked them both if they were ready. Upon receiving their confirmation, he began the countdown.

"The match begins in 3! 2! 1! Fight!"

Zeke launched himself forward with the fury of a storm. This time, he used the reach of his staff to catch his opponent in the ribs as the boy tried to dodge to the side. Despite being well aware of Zeke's plan, the opponent was not fast enough to escape the initial charge.

The blow cracked the student's ribs, sending him flying back across the floor like a sack of wheat.

Zeke had held back just enough. He had not wanted to inflict lasting harm or take a life. His knowledge of the human body allowed him to use his strength without the risk of causing permanent damage. The announcer called the match in Zeke's favor. The man still shot him a disapproving look. He was aware that Zeke could have ended the fight without causing such harm.

The boy ignored the gaze and walked back to his previous position with a smile spreading across his face. He had finally regained control over a part of his life that he had never realized he had lost.

For weeks, he had felt powerless to do anything as his fellow students tormented him. But this moment felt like a victory, and Zeke couldn't help but feel elated.

The other students observed Zeke cautiously. He had emerged from the arena with an animalistic grin on his face. The display made more than one student feel uneasy. Even the announcer seemed disturbed by Zeke's expression and behavior.

Just at this moment, Viola descended onto the arena and landed beside Zeke. She had inadvertently interrupted the tension before it could escalate further. The announcer initially intended to reprimand her, but upon recognizing her, he decided it was not worth the hassle.

Viola turned to Zeke with a joyful grin and asked, "How's it going?"

Zeke matched her smile with his own and replied, "Two fights, two wins. No surprises."

Viola nodded, satisfied with the answer, before inquiring, "Who did you fight?"

Zeke gestured towards the student who was still being attended to by healers. He had yet to regain consciousness. Viola's grin faded slightly as she took in the sight.

"Did you have to go so hard on the poor guy? He looks like he barely made it out alive. Are you starting to have a problem with Wind Mages, sir?"

Zeke chuckled at her lighthearted reprimand.

"Yes, Wind Mages truly are the worst," he said in a dramatic tone.

Still, Zeke felt like he had the obligation to justify his actions. He leaned in and whispered some of the insults the student had called him during their time at the academy.

Viola's demeanor changed drastically. She listened to Zeke's explanation without a word. Her anger was palpable as she turned to the boy who had just regained consciousness. The girl stormed over and got right in the boy's face. He seemed almost ready to faint again when he saw how angry she was.

"I hope you fucking die next time, you filthy scum! Do you even realize that your behavior reflects on your superiors? Do you think your family is so great that you can spit on others?" She yelled right into his face. Then after calming down somewhat, she addressed the rest of the gathered Wind Mages.

"I am truly disappointed by what I learned today. In my opinion, the entire first grade is a disgrace! Just so I have made myself clear: We WILL have words about this!"

She turned around and was about to leave when she addressed the crowd one more time.

"Ohh and Samuel, I hold you responsible for this fuck up!"

Zeke felt no sympathy for the pale-faced boy. He had long since found out that Samuel was one of the main instigators behind his harassment. He had long seen Samuel as a key figure in his suffering. He couldn't wait to face him in the arena. Though he didn't intend to take Samuel's life, Zeke felt that he needed to extract some measure of retribution to finally feel at peace.

Alexander, the true mastermind had already agreed to a duel to the death ten years from now. Zeke was now solely focused on settling his score with Samuel.