Akari knelt near a window on the library’s top floor. These windows didn’t normally open, but Arturo had overridden those restrictions from the basement. Now, she just had to figure out the controls.

Most of the buttons did nothing. However, one caused the window to slide upward in its frame. Just a few inches, but that was enough to open a portal to the water tower. They’d abandoned Operation Poison, but there was more than one way to use a million gallons of water.

A wooden floorboard creaked behind her. Akari spun toward the sound, cycling pure mana in her palms.

“Hey.” Kalden held up his hands. “It’s me.”

“Oh.” Akari slumped her shoulders, pulling the mana back into her soul. “Thought you were building bombs downstairs.”

“I started,” he said. “Not much more I can do until Relia gets back.”

Akari narrowed her eyes as he strode across the chamber. Kalden looked the same as always, and even his speech and mannerisms were what she’d expected. But something was off about his stance.

Kalden normally walked like a soldier, with an upright posture, planting both feet firmly on the ground. His confidence often seemed forced, though, as if he’d been trained to walk that way from a young age but had never quite grown into it. Meanwhile, this walk looked entirely effortless. Almost as if this were an actor playing the role of Kalden Trengsen. This person knew how Kalden should look, but not how he really looked.

But how? They’d all watched Elise and Relia leave through the tunnels. Arturo had locked the hatch behind her, and Zukan had piled several crates on top for good measure.

Akari got to her feet and cleared her throat. “Hey, do you remember the names of your best friends back home?”

“That depends,” Kalden said without breaking his stride. “Which home are we talking about here?”

That seemed like a harmless question. In theory, Akari could be asking about Last Haven or the Archipelago. Even in their fictional backstory, they'd lived in multiple places.

But the real Kalden would never ask that. Darren and Maelyn were the best friends he’d had in either life. There was no point in clarifying. Akari could have called him out on this, but that would sacrifice her element of surprise. Better to play along for now.

“Good point.” She waved away the question with a small laugh. “Probably shouldn’t talk about that on live TV.”

He gave a knowing smile. “I get it. You’re making sure I’m not an imposter, right?”

“Something like that.” Akari kept her body loose as he closed the distance. The slightest movement could give her away. She relaxed her vision for a split second, and her Silver Sight revealed no mana flowing through the imposter’s channels. Then again, what did that prove? A perfect illusion would also hide the dream mana that powered it. Akari could try to break it, but her opponent would sense the battle of wills.

Still, Apprentices couldn’t maintain such illusions while they fought, which gave Akari a second advantage. Her spacetime mana was faster than almost any other aspect. She could form a portal long before her opponent shot a single Missile.

Akari swirled the mana through her soul, preparing to do just that. But she didn’t cycle yet.

By now, Fake Kalden was less than six feet away, and Akari closed the last few paces on her own. “So,” she began, “you really have a crush on Elise Moonfire?”

Sometimes, even trained fighters couldn’t help but drop their guard at absurd questions. And who didn’t perk up at their own name?

Akari cycled the spacetime mana to her palms. She aimed one hand at her opponent’s feet, and the other at the ceiling. From there, she would—

The illusion faded to reveal Elise holding a heavy black box. Instead of attacking Akari, she pressed the red button on top.

The anti-mana pulse ripped through the air, stopping the mana in Akari’s channels. She swayed on her feet, hollow and dazed. Even her thoughts went blank as paper.

But Elise had prepared for the pulse, stopping her own mana the second before she’d pressed the button. Now, she leapt forward, and her dagger shone golden in the light.

Akari tried to raise a shield, but nothing happened; her mana sat like dead molasses in her channels. She tried to dodge, but her body moved with the grace of a drunken boxer.

Instead, she twisted her head and let the dagger strike her glasses. Her old pair would have shattered on impact, but she’d upgraded those after midterms. This new pair was peak-Apprentice level, drawing constantly on her pure mana to sustain itself.

Elise’s blade glanced off her right lens and cut a hot line of pain across her temple. Akari collapsed on the wooden floor and Elise fell with her.

Akari’s mana returned in a rush, and she hurled a pure Missile straight from her chest. Elise lost her balance as she deflected it with a flash of her own pure mana. Akari rolled in a backward somersault and sprang to her feet, putting a few more paces between them.

Talek. How was this even possible? They’d all watched Elise leave.

No … they’d seen someone who looked like Elise leave. But Dream Artists could make simulacrums. Elend had done this in Creta even while he wore those crystal cuffs. An Apprentice could do the same.

Worst of all, Elise’s AMP had cut off the portal to Relia. That left Akari with no way to escape or call for help.

She could still make a run for the stairwell. Zukan and Kalden were downstairs, and Elise was no match for all three of them.

“That’s underdog talk,” Elend’s words echoed in her mind. “I want you to stop acting like an underdog and start acting like a top performer. That’s the only way you’ll make it through the Artegium.”

He was right, of course. Elise had beaten her once in Raizen’s class, and Akari had dreaded this rematch ever since. But things were different back then. She’d been a Gold with no aspect and no control over her own thoughts.

Now, if Elise Moonfire wanted to fight, Akari would give her one.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Her opponent threw another storm of pure Missiles, attacking her head, torso, and legs. Akari hoped she’d try her dagger again, but Elise had been watching her too closely this year. She knew Akari’s portals could counter weapons.

Akari dodged and deflected the attacks, hurling back several Missiles of her own. Blue light flashed between them as they exchanged more techniques, quick as blinking. Pure mana, she could deal with. Elise might be the second-best in their class, but pure mana had been Akari’s only friend for years.

Bookshelves toppled over as they dodged and scrambled for cover. Stray techniques disturbed piles of books, and clouds of paper wafted through the air. Akari stayed focused through it all, even as Elise quickened the pace.

Her opponent fought within a domed shield, leaving small holes for her attacks. These holes extended around the back of the dome as well. Clearly, she was baiting Akari into using her portals.

No such luck.

Akari would need those portals to win, but she’d use them on her own terms. Besides, Elise still hadn’t used her own aspect yet.

More Missiles flew back and forth between them, and Akari kept a close eye on her opponent. The last time they’d fought, Elise’s dream mana had emerged out of nowhere. She wouldn’t miss it this time.

A second AMP ripped through the room. Akari collapsed to her feet, fighting waves of dizziness all over again.

Talek’s tits and teeth. How’d the hell did she pull that off? Elise was all the way across the room, and the device was . . .

Damnit. The real Elise had slipped away in the chaos. Another simulacrum stood across the room now.

She whirled in time to find the real Elise standing behind her. Akari kicked her away, but Elise caught her boot and slashed with her dagger. Akari gritted her teeth as the blade sliced through her jeans and calf.

Akari kicked again with her free leg, aiming for Elise’s nose. The other girl dropped the blade and staggered back. Akari wrapped her fingers around the daggers hilt, pulled it free, then drove its tip straight through the nearby AMP device.

Her opponent seized the distraction and unleashed her dream mana.

The library faded, along with the arena itself. Akari stood in a grass-covered field, just like before their midterm exam. Then she saw a dark figure floating in the clouds above, solid black, and shaped like a man. Wings of shadow and fire stretched out around him, twice as wide as his arm span.

The weight of the Mystic’s power froze her in place, stronger than any pulse. Missiles like black shadows flowed out from his outstretched hand. They spread through the sky, covering everything in a veil of darkness.

No. It’s not real.

Still, her mind refused to listen, but Elend’s lessons returned to her.

“When you’re truly afraid, you can’t rationalize away that fear. Your primal brain takes over, and you’ll revert to your animal instincts.”

The Mystic’s technique grew wider, and the black veil stretched on for miles. It blocked out the sun, shrouding the world in a moonless night.

“Don’t think,” Elend’s voice said. “Face the fear.”

Akari drew in several breaths as her meditation training came back to her.

“Accept the outcome. Then the fear has no power over you.”

Her thoughts flowed like the mana in her body. Yes, she might lose her power someday, and even her friends. But she would keep fighting. Nothing would stop her. Not even this.

The Mystic still floated in the sky with his dark Missiles, but Akari saw the illusion for what it was. No different from a painting on the wall.

Elise approached with her dagger, but she stopped when she felt Akari fighting back. More dream mana struck her, too fast to block or dodge.

“Sleep,” Elise said with a snap of her fingers. Her voice was a command, deep in Akari’s subconscious. It brought her body to attention, and her focus shattered like an egg.

Why was she fighting, anyway? This was just a game. It wasn’t worth this much pain. She could wake up if she died. Things would get easier then. She could have a warm shower and sleep in her own bed. She was clearly pushing herself too hard. Even Elend had warned her about that.

No.

Master by twenty-one.

Every struggle mattered between now and then. Every moment was a choice. A choice to become stronger, or weaker. She’d rest when the game was done and not a second sooner.

Even that realization was barely enough to control herself. She’d spent dozens of hours this year in deep meditation, but her subconscious was like a massive dragon beyond her control. Elise moved that dragon with its deepest fears and desires. What was a pair of reins compared to that?

Akari thought of all the people she’d left behind on Arkala. How many of them had failed because of moments like this? How many took the easy choice and gave up? If she didn’t help them, then who would?

Stronger instincts kicked in as her body fell back into a combat stance. Sharpened mana flew out from her palms, straight for her opponent.

Elise had been utterly focused on her dream techniques until this moment. Now, she barely had time to dodge. One Missile cut a white line across her cheek, and the other struck her shoulder.

Akari could have pressed her advantage, but her own wounds were far worse. Besides, Elise was still the better fighter. Things might have been different at another school, but this was Koreldon University. Everyone here trained just as hard as she did, and no amount of practice could replace the years she’d lost.

Not yet, anyway.

Instead, Akari sprang to her feet and staggered for the window she’d opened earlier. Her wounds screamed at her with every step, and she collapsed a few paces from the gap

Elise shot a Missile, and Akari blocked it with a flash of pure mana. She reached her other hand out the window and shot a spacetime Missile above the water tower. She conjured the second half of the portal in front of her and crawled through. Sideways became down, and she Cloaked her body as she slammed into the tower’s steel roof. Talek. She could have aimed a little lower. Then again, she’d been lucky to get near the tower at all.

The morning sun shone bright over the campus, and the wind blew strands of hair across her face. Akari closed the portal behind her, but she didn’t destroy it. She’d need that to get back.

White light spilled out from her face and leg. Unfortunately, she had no healing potions or bandages, and things would only get worse as the blood loss effects kicked in. With a deep breath, Akari climbed onto the lip of the tank's opening. She opened the hatch and peered inside, trying to gage the water's depth.

Talek. This should be fun.

Akari removed her hoodie and glasses. The inside of the tank was pitch black, so the latter wouldn’t do her much good. With that done, she plunged into the icy water, shooting a pair of upward Missiles to force her body down. Her breath left her in a rush as she sank deeper into the darkness. Several long seconds passed, and she shot more Missiles at the ceiling. At least, she hoped that way was up.

Her boots eventually struck the bottom. There, she knelt and formed one-half of a portal on its steel surface. But didn’t connect it with the library portal. Not yet. Instead, she shot two pure Missiles at the floor, propelling her body back up.

She would have liked to say she swam gracefully to the surface, but that would be a lie. Akari wasn’t much of a swimmer, and she felt more like a desperate cat. Her body shook like a leaf when she finally emerged, and the morning air stung twice as hard as before.

She spent a full minute fumbling around for her glasses, then she struggled to pull her hoodie over her wet tank top. Her teeth chattered like fingers on a keyboard, and her muscles would be useless in a fight. More light bled from her wounds, and only adrenaline kept her moving.

Now or never.

Akari formed a portal on the ground and leapt back to the library. Pale blue mana engulfed her as Elise sprang her trap. It closed from every side. Akari tried stretching her limbs, but they wouldn’t budge. Elise had trapped her in a perfect sphere.

Dream mana swirled through the cramped space, bringing more visions and despair. Akari saw the dark figure in the sky above Last Haven, sending her back to that island prison. She saw Kalden forgetting about her, living his life as if she’d never existed. She saw Relia dying of her condition.

No.

Akari forced down the panic and separated the false thoughts from her own. Still, Elise’s sphere grew smaller, threatening to crush her bones. There wasn’t even room to make a portal.

The sphere rotated through the air, giving her a glimpse of her opponent. Elise stood to the side of the open portal, furrowing her brow in concentration.

Akari focused all her mental might on the portal, severing the Construct above the tower, reaching for the second one she’d placed within. At the same time, she pulled one edge of the half-formed Construct in front of her, rotating it several degrees until it faced Elise. This sphere might stop physical movement, but it couldn’t stop the bond between her and her own mana.

Finally, she bound the portal with the one inside the tank. She might not have Zukan’s raw power, but the environment was hers to command.

A liquid cannon shot out from the portal. It struck Elise like the fist of an Archangel, hurling her body across the room.