Relia stumbled through the front of the library with Elise’s limp body over her shoulders. Mana soared through the chamber beyond, and Zukan’s footsteps echoed through the high ceiling as he chased down the stragglers.

Relia kept running the other way, ducking behind desks, shelves, and filing cabinets. Azul’s ashes. The audience must be so confused right now. Some might see this act as selfless or heroic. Others would see an elaborate Death Artist plot to gain more power. Most people would just call her stupid.

The truth was, Relia had hardly spoken two words to her little sister, and this was the closest they’d ever been. She cherished this moment, as bizarre as it seemed.

With the others distracted in the main vestibule, Relia snuck into a study room and locked the door behind her. Better her friends didn’t find out about this yet. Elise had betrayed Zukan and Arturo, and she’d rallied everyone up against Kalden and Akari. They all had a right to be angry.

With the door locked behind her, Relia crossed the room and lowered Elise on a plush sofa. She’d half-expected to find her sister unconscious, but a pair of confused blue eyes stared up at her.

“Hold still,” Relia said as she pressed a hand to her sternum. “This is gonna hurt.”

To her surprise, Elise didn’t even wince as Relia pushed the life mana into her body. She was probably using dream mana to ignore the pain. Elend did that, too. Especially for times like this, when the pain was nothing but a distraction.

Elise tried to speak after several seconds, but the words got caught in her barren throat.

“Here.” Relia used her free hand to pull the canteen from her belt, then she used her teeth to unscrew the cap.

Elise narrowed her eyes at the offering.

“It’s just water.” Relia took a long drink to prove it. “See?”

Her sister eyed her for several more heartbeats, searching for some sign of deception on her face. Finally, she accepted the canteen and drank. Her breaths grew deeper after that, and far more steady.

“Well,” she finally said, “this is awkward.”

“Yeah.” Relia felt a sad smile spread across her face. “We’ve hardly talked until now.”

“Why would we?” Her sister’s voice was cold and careless, but Relia didn’t blame her for that. She’d grown up in the Moonfire estate all alone, with only the household staff for company. After that, she’d used her dream mana to make friends, encouraging people to respect and follow her. But Elend had tried this same tactic in his younger days. He’d claimed it left him feeling guilty and hollow. Such feelings were far worse than having no friends at all.

“Guess I’ll owe you for this,” Elise said. “I’m afraid to ask what you want in return.”

“Nothing,” Relia said as she worked.

“Bullshit,” Elise snapped. “We’re enemies.”

“We’re not enemies,” Relia said in a soft voice. “This is all a stupid game.”

Her sister scoffed. “What? Did you sign up by accident? Forgot to read the fine print?”

“I’m here to train,” she replied. “To do my best, and to spend time with my friends.”

Her long-term survival was also a factor. The harder she trained, the longer she would live. And while this combat might be simulated, they still spent mana to fuel their techniques. That mana would be used to power the arena, but it would translate to real gains when they left.

But Relia didn’t bother mentioning this to her sister. In all honesty, it didn’t matter at this point. She’d done the math, and she’d never reach Artisan in the next month.

“We’re still enemies,” Elise said. “I showed that footage of you in Creta. That will cause you problems. Real problems.”

“I know.” Relia let out a long breath as she pulled her hands away from Elise’s wound. The white light had faded now, and nothing but pale, smooth skin remained. “I forgive you.”

~~~

Kalden climbed the stairs and found the library in shambles. Fortunately, the oaken doors sat firmly shut, and Zukan and Akari jogged over to meet him.

“Hey,” Akari said as he crested the staircase. “Is Relia down there?”

Kalden frowned. “I thought she was with you.”

Akari shook her head, gesturing toward the front doors. “She chased some random guy that way and never came back.”

“Damnit,” Kalden muttered. “Was she carrying any equipment? Anything she didn’t start with?” Contestants kept their clothing and starting prizes when they died, but they dropped anything they found in the arena.

She furrowed her brow, considering. “A water bottle on her belt.”

Zukan stepped into their conversation. “What did it look like?

“It was pink,” Akari said. “Can’t miss it.”

“I’ll do another sweep,” the dragon said as he set off.

“Let’s check the study rooms.” Akari gestured to the row of closed doors near the librarian’s desk. “Maybe she made some new friends?”

“Guess that wouldn’t be so bad,” Kalden said. “As long as it’s not—”

A door swung open, and Relia emerged into the library’s main chamber. Another young woman followed close behind. She was about Relia’s height, with long blonde hair. Kalden was still processing the sight when Zukan formed a flaming spear in his hand. Akari leapt forward in the same moment, gathering pure mana in her palms.

Elise Moonfire.

“Wait!” Relia raised her hands. “She’s with me.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Kalden said.

“I’m serious.”

Her sister shuffled out beside her, looking awkward and intimidated. It was all an act, of course. Elise controlled every aspect of her appearance, down to the smallest facial ticks. Even when she wasn’t at ease, she knew how to fake it. That meant she could fake the opposite as well.

Akari muttered a curse under her breath, and Kalden relaxed into his Silver Sight, searching for any strand of dream mana between Relia and Elise. He found nothing, and Elise’s channels were as still as a winter pond.

“Look …” Elise stepped forward before anyone else objected. “It's crystal clear how this game will end. You five are—”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Five?” Kalden narrowed his eyes at Relia.

She raised her hands defensively. “I didn’t tell her anything!”

“Please,” Elise said. “Arturo’s clearly around here somewhere. No offense to Zukan, but he didn’t vanish into thin air by himself.” The outer doors shook as someone stuck them with a technique. “He also didn’t reinforce those shields.”

Kalden didn’t waste his breath with denials. He couldn’t lie to Elise on a good day, much less after twenty-four hours in the arena. Besides, Akari and Zukan were both honest to a fault.

Elise cleared her throat. “As I was saying, you five are obviously going to win this game against all odds.” She met each of their eyes as if seeing the deepest desires of their hearts. She even turned back to Relia for a moment, exposing her back to the others. “I want in.”

Akari snorted at that, and Kalden had to agree with her assessment. Meanwhile, Zukan waited like a poised snake, never lowering his golden spear.

Elise continued, unfazed. “You still have an empty spot, don’t you? Imagine having the best of all three armies together. We’d be the strongest team this school has ever seen.”

“You think we’re stupid?” Akari blurted out. “You’ve been screwing us all semester.”

“What’d you expect?” the other girl retorted. “I’m not running a soup kitchen here.”

“This was personal,” Kalden said. “Your projection in the sky—”

“A bit dramatic,” Elise agreed. “But chaos was my goal, and it worked. Look me in the eye and tell me how we’re different, Kalden Trengsen.”

Kalden’s gaze flicked toward Relia. He saw nothing but determination now, but he remembered the pain in her eyes after Elise’s speech. “I draw the line at hurting people in real life,” he said. “That’s how we’re different.”

Elise winced, finally breaking his gaze and finding a sudden interest in her boots. The look was completely earnest, as if Kalden’s words had shown her the errors of her ways. She let out a long breath and met his eyes with visible reluctance. “I got carried away, and—”

“Bullshit,” Akari interrupted. “I’ll bet you wrote that speech weeks ago.”

Fair point. Elise obviously had that footage of Relia in her back pocket, and she’d spent the beginning of this game gathering intel when she could have been fighting. This hadn’t been a moment of weakness or panic.

No … Kalden didn’t fall for any of this, but Relia did. Despite everything, Elise had wedged herself between them, getting in a perfect position to sow more chaos. Not to mention her personal vendetta against Akari. He saw her plan as clear as a written promise. Unfortunately, seeing it wasn’t enough to stop it.

I should put a blade through her heart right now.

But of course, Relia was the fastest one in this room. She could heal any damage he dealt, and their team would be in a worse position than before.

“Alright,” Kalden looked Elise in the eye. “You want to join us? Then prove it. Let Zukan kill you right now.”

“What the hell?” Elise said.

“You’ve already gained enough points to qualify, haven’t you?”

“I won’t sit on the sidelines while you make history,” Elise said. “These scores will be on record forever. Our children and grandchildren will see them.”

“What a surprise,” Akari muttered. “Guessing you can’t call off your minions, either?”

“Why?” Elise cocked her head to the side. “Arturo got the shields working, and I’m guessing your plan involves a big explosion. Moon Army’s right where you want them.”

“Wow.” Kalden blew out a long breath. “I think we’ve officially ruined the faction system.” Betrayals had always been part of the qualifying rounds, but he’d never seen a game where all the leaders betrayed their own factions. The surviving second-years must be having a field day with this mess.

“You’re right,” Elise said. “I never should have led an army. I paid my officers and my bodyguards to follow me. We were never a real team. But you are. You’ve fought together in the real world. You trust each other in a way no one else here would understand. That’s why I want to join you. I’m sick of these games and hollow victories. I want something real.”

Oh, she was very good. Deep down, Elise probably believed her own words and wanted exactly what she claimed. But she was lying. Despite her words, Kalden knew the truth in his bones. A few more plans took shape in his mind, but it would be too easy for Elise to turn those to her advantage. Instead, he met Relia’s eye. “Can we talk in private?”

Relia nodded once, stepping toward Akari and him. When she did, Kalden turned to Zukan. “Mind keeping an eye on her while we’re gone?

The dragon never took his eyes off Elise. “Gladly.”

He led Relia and Akari to a cluster of tables and set his camouflage device on the marble floor. This already came with a built-in sound suppressor, so there was no need to travel more than a dozen paces.

“Did she mess with your head?” Akari asked Relia once they were alone.

“Of course not,” Relia said. “I think I know what dream mana feels like.”

“Dream mana’s not the only way to screw with someone.”

Kalden nodded. “Maybe Elise didn’t get injured on purpose, but she clearly turned things to her advantage. This betrayal couldn’t be more obvious.”

“Yes,” Relia said. “I’m not stupid, Kalden. I know she has her own plans.”

“You just don’t care,” Akari noted.

“She’s my sister. If there’s even a chance …” She trailed off, then shook her head. “I want to take it. It’s worth the risk.”

“Have you heard the term ‘conditional love’?” Kalden asked. “Because if this hinges on her joining your team …”

“So what?” Relia glared at him. “Maybe she does see everything as an exchange, but what do you expect? My parents abandoned me as a baby, and Elise spent eighteen years living with those same people. Think about it. What if no one’s ever been nice to her before?”

“You can’t fix that in one day,” Kalden said.

“So what? I should just give up?”

Damnit. He wanted to tell Relia she was outvoted. Akari and Zukan obviously agreed with him, and Arturo would, too. But then what? Would they send Elise on her way? Fight her right here in the library?

No … Elise would see the crack in their defenses and wedge herself deeper between them. They had to present a united front. At least that way, they could lure her into a false sense of security. Maybe even make the first move.

They talked for several more minutes and finally worked out a compromise. With that done, Kalden retrieved the camouflage unit and returned to where the others waited

“Here’s our offer,” he said to Elise. “We need some supplies from the Alchemy Building—”

“What kind of supplies?” Elise interrupted with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ll make you a shopping list.”

“What are they for?”

“You don’t need to know that yet.”

“You’re building a bomb,” Elise guessed. “But what would that do? The Alchemy Building won’t have enough …” She trailed off, then backtracked. “Unless the bomb’s powered by mana, like the one from our Midterm exam. Arturo’s accessing the power lines. That’s how you got in here. Through the maintenance tunnels.”

Kalden kept a paizho face, but Akari and Zukan both stiffened.

“You’re reinforcing the library while the others attack,” she continued. “Then you’ll divide the power when they close in. Half the mana will power the bomb, and the other half will make a shield to protect you.”

Great. She already knew enough to return to Moon Army and plan a counter strategy. For the second time that day, Kalden thought about stabbing her on the spot. If Relia could forgive Elise’s speech, then she could forgive him for that.

Zukan’s eyes darkened as he turned to face Kalden. “Arturo and I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”

“I know.” Kalden held up his hand in a placating gesture. “We’ll have a proper vote when this is over. First, Miss Moonfire needs to prove herself.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Elise said. “I can take the maintenance tunnels and make myself invisible when I get there.”

“Fine.” Zukan crossed his massive arms. “But someone should go with her.”

“No argument here,” Elise said. “I make a terrible pack mule.” Her gaze shifted innocently toward Akari. “What if Zeller comes with me? Can her portals take us back?”

“Sure.” Akari rolled her eyes. “Us two alone in a dark tunnel. What could go wrong?”

“Don’t worry.” Relia stood on her tiptoes and raised her hand. “I’ll go with her.”

“Okay,” Elise said with a frown. “But we’d move a lot more supplies with a portal.”

“I can make portals on objects,” Akari said. “Take something with you, and call me when you’re ready.”

“Oh.” Elise blinked, looking genuinely surprised by this. Then again, Akari had never shown off her mobile portals in Raizen’s class. She’d used them against Arturo that morning, but Elise hadn’t seen that fight.

In hindsight, Akari probably should have kept this ability to herself, but it was too late for that. She’d spent a long time being weak, and she couldn’t help but brag sometimes. They’d need to work on that later.

“Alright,” Elise said. “Then let’s get ready. The sooner we go, the sooner we can win this thing.”

Kalden nodded. “I’ll find some paper and write up that list.”

They all went their separate ways after that, but Akari followed Kalden over toward the librarian’s desk.

“So,” she whispered. “We gonna take her out?”

Kalden ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly? I don’t know what to do.”

From a purely moral perspective, Relia was right. Showing kindness to her estranged sister had value beyond this game. Then again, Elise’s plots extended beyond this game as well. She’d been sabotaging Akari all semester, and this seemed like a blatant attempt to get closer to her. Kalden didn’t know her endgame, but he’d rather not find out the hard way.

And the qualifying rounds were more than a game. Their alliance with Zukan and Arturo hinged on Zukan's victory. Without this alliance, they might never compete in the interschool battlegrounds. The battlegrounds were a chance to push themselves against stronger opponents, gaining both skills and mana along the way. They’d need both if they wanted to free their home.

Then again, he’d used that same logic to justify poisoning the water supply, and that would have been a mistake.

“We shouldn’t attack without a reason,” Kalden finally said. “We promised Relia we wouldn’t.” The trust between them had been built over many battles, but it could break in a single moment.

Akari crossed her arms, waiting for more.

Kalden leaned over the desk and began searching for a pen. “But if you have an opening, and you feel threatened …”

“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Akari said. “Felt that way since the first day of class.”