The commencement of the match abruptly ended any discussion regarding the ice queen.

Almost immediately, the audience gasped as the blonde-haired boy charged forward, unleashing massive amounts of fire magic at his more seasoned opponents. The professors initially backed off from the brazen assault, and it appeared to Trey as if the mage’s raw strength was single-handedly winning the match, but the tide turned quickly.

Professor Mullins stepped forward to counter the fiery attacker with a splash of water magic. Then, in a blur, Jeffers came barreling toward the student, tackling the fire mage before he could react. Deprived of his wand, which had flown out of reach, the blonde-haired boy tried to blast his assailant with unstreamed fire, but Jeffers expertly weaved through his limbs, avoiding flares of flames while pinning the magic student in a defenseless position. The students made feeble attempts to rescue their trapped teammate, but Karl lunged forward with an onyx steel shield, blocking the wide variety of incoming magic. Jeffers' burly arm remained wrapped around the young mage’s neck, and the prey quickly succumbed to unconsciousness.

One of the students had taken advantage of the distraction and made a play for the flag on the pond. Trey saw her charge at the water at full speed only to slide across the surface to snatch the flag.

“Wow!” Skye exclaimed. “That Surfstrider spell was amazing!”

Once back on solid ground, the water magic student dashed forward, urgency fueling her strides as she raced to get back to her side. Before completing her escape, however, she was intercepted by Bree and the teacher wielding dual blades. A clash of fire, light, and water magic ensued. To Trey's surprise, the water magic student whipped out a wand, summoning dark magic that twisted ominously in the air, adding an unexpected element to the chaotic fray.

The bald professor had several boulders levitating in the air as he took aim. One after another, he chucked them across the field to the other side, turning wooden barricades into splinters. The students knew they had to make a play before their defenses were turned to rubble. Klemmons led a charge across no-man’s-land to ambush the earth magic teacher.

They didn’t make it far, however, before their attack fell apart. Jeffers and Karl targeted Klemmons, using a coordinated pincer move that was near impossible to defend against. THere was a brief melee skirmish, but eventually, the young guardian was removed from the fight with a bash from Karl’s shield. Amidst the skirmish, Dana skillfully launched a dark magic spell that caught Karl off balance. She immediately followed up her first attack by sending a fire bolt that slammed into his core with a force that left him reeling. Eager to finish him off, he cast a debilitating dark spell that sapped his strength, bringing him to the ground and leaving him motionless.

With the chaos escalating, and dark magic in play, the headmaster was quickly on the field with his elf companion on his heels. They pulled Karl to the side, and then the elf hastily pulled out a canteen. Trey watched with fascination as she wasted no time pouring water from the container. The liquid swirling around Karl’s torso, glimmering with a soft blue light as it began to heal his wounds.

“They’re using a student healer?” Trey asked, intrigued.

They saw Karl begin to stir as he started to regain consciousness.

“I guess she’s good,” Nora remarked with a shrug. “Otherwise, we might have needed a new weapons instructor.”

While they were distracted by the progress of Karl’s recovery, the battle raged on. The dark-water specter had been defeated, and the elf healer left the fallen guardian’s side to go triage her injuries. The stolen flag remained safely on the teacher’s side.

Meanwhile, Bree and Dana were engaged in a spectacular duel on the forefront of the battlefield. Fire spells collided midair, producing dramatic explosions and propagating immense heat waves that caused the occupants of the front rows to flinch. Occasionally, Dana would sneak in a dark magic spell to attempt to throw off her opponent, but Bree’s defenses were impenetrable.

While the two show-stealing mages faced off, the other four staff members orchestrated their assault on the students’ fortress. With Jeffers leading the way, the two student defenders could only hunker down as the water, earth, and light professors bombarded them with magic. The null guardian used a ramp to launch himself at the ramparts. In a surprising maneuver, his hands latched on to the top of the wall, allowing him to swing his momentum along the face of the wall. Demonstrating considerable upper body and core strength, barreled his armored form over the top and landed in a spot that gave him direct access to his objective. He snatched the flag from right under the defenders noses, then swiftly retreated. A few well-placed water spells covered him as he escaped the fortress.

Instead of regrouping, however, he sprinted toward the grove of trees where another flag awaited him, completely undefended. The students realized his plan too late and could only muster a belated and futile chase after the speedy guardian. Their fate was sealed as Jeffers trotted victoriously back onto his side of the field with a flag in each hand.

Gerald’s laughter could be heard from behind them. “Matches usually aren’t that quick. Jeffers kicked their ass.”

The Grand Oracle returned to his perch atop the platform, while the elven girl worked in the background diligently helping the remaining competitors fully recover.

“Who here believes the professors secretly – or not so secretly – took pleasure in dishing out punishment to their students?” the headmaster announced.

Laughter erupted among the students, with several eagerly raising their hands.

“That was thrilling to watch, but now it is your turn!” He pointed at the mass of students for emphasis. “Grab a registration form and form your teams. I am encouraging you to connect with other students and build relationships. Seize this great opportunity and discover your potential! Speaking of opportunities, I would also like to highlight some of our other extracurriculars available at Windrake. If you are interested in the dueling club, please speak with Professor Jiva. You can ask Professor Heron about the potions group. Spellcrafting is led by Professor Lokia, and don’t forget about showmagic with Professor Oberton. They’ll have booths out in the concourse for you to check out.”

He scanned the audience before continuing. “We now invite you to participate in the social hour where you can pick up a registration form, find potential teammates, and visit booths. You can take a tour of the playing field – which Professor Marlhoff has made a mess of with his earth magic. May we continue to have a fabulous semester. Thank you.”

Applause sounded as the headmaster vacated the platform. Skye turned to Trey, already entering planning mode. “So we have a null guardian – two, if Nora is joining us.”

"As long as I get to pick the uniforms," Nora interjected.

“We will need an artificer,” Skye continued, ignoring Nora’s request. “Trey, do you know anyone?”

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“I could talk to Kronar,” he suggested.

“Is he the only one you know?” Skye asked. “I thought you were attending the artificing class?”

Trey shrugged. “It’s not like we are sharing drinks at the tavern after class. I haven’t talked to many people. What’s wrong with Kronar?”

“Nothing, it’s just nice to have… options.”

“What about mages?” Trey asked. “Nora has been attending light magic classes. Maybe she knows a good light mage.”

“Am I not good enough?” Nora challenged with a grin, enjoying the chance to speak ambiguously with Trey.

“Trey’s right,” Skye said. “We need to find some mages. Let us know if you have any recommendations, Nora.” She peeked over her shoulder at her water mage friend and then lowered her voice. “Kayla isn’t very good, and we will want some variety anyway. Maybe we can ask Papa to help us choose a dark mage. That dark-fire specter that fought today was really good. There’s Jeremiah, who is in our class. He’s a specter.”

“Let’s go check out the field,” Trey proposed.

Skye, Nora, and Trey left their seats and descended toward the center. Unfortunately, many others had the same idea, and soon the notion of personal space vanished.

Once on the field, Trey led them over to the fort that had been decimated by the professors’ dominating magic. He reached his hand out and felt the jagged scars of a wall that had been blown apart.

“It’s amazing how much damage this arena takes,” a voice came from behind them, “and with the marvels of magic, it all gets put back together the next day.”

The group turned to see the Grand Oracle standing behind them. “Skye, do you remember me?”

The sorceress let out a short laugh before covering her mouth. “How could I forget?” she answered once she found her voice again. “Your visit was all anyone could talk about in Lovarn for a week. Who knows? They’re probably still talking about it.”

The headmaster chuckled. “Who are your companions?”

“This is Trey and Nora,” she said. “They’re null guardians and will be on my capture-the-flag team.”

“Two guardians on a team?” the surprised old man said. “That will cause quite a stir. Pleasure meeting you both, Trey and Nora. I’m planning on joining in on weapons training this upcoming week with Karl. Hopefully, I’ll get to know the new guardians a little bit better.” He waved farewell to them, but just before departing, his gaze lingered on Trey. An inscrutable expression flitted across the Grand Oracle's face, causing Trey's heart to freeze in his chest momentarily. The moment passed, however, and the headmaster continued to another group.

“That was intimidating,” Nora whispered to Trey, to which he whole-heartedly agreed.

More students were exploring the field, forming a lively sea of faces. Some were inspecting the traces of the battle they had just witnessed, while others were striking up conversations, trying to determine who had already pledged their loyalty to a team and who might be open to joining one.

Trey saw Dana approaching him. “You did well,” he complimented her. “Your fight against Bree – I mean, Professor Adams – as extraordinary.”

She grunted before responding. “I can’t believe that happened! I don’t know why Derrick charged out like that at the beginning. That guy is such an asshat. He ruined the entire match.”

“Give me some credit,” a voice came from behind Dana. “The battle was already heavily tilted in their favor. Our best shot was to make an early rush – perhaps we could snag a flag and hope someone could slip in a second one amid the chaos. Fiona nearly managed to grab the flag from the pond. If you would have watch my back—”

“And missed seeing you get demolished in front of the entire school?” Dana interrupted. “No way.”

Derrick smirked. “I’m not here for you, anyway.” He turned to Trey. “You, on the other hand, I can use. I’m generously offering you a spot on the most elite capture-the-flag team at Windrake—”

“No!” Dana once again interrupted the boy. “No poaching, Derrick. He’s mine.”

Trey's brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m just a first-year. Why are both of you trying to recruit me?”

Derrick chuckled. “I guess math isn’t your strong suit, but that’s alright – brutes like you don’t need to be smart; that’s what the mages are for.”

Trey frowned, while Dana scoffed. “Null guardians are the hardest to recruit,” she explained. “Every team needs one, and there are only thirty of you compared to four hundred magic users.”

“Thanks for that,” Trey muttered.

“This doesn’t mean I like you,” she said matter-of-factly. “I just think you’re less revolting than him – and I need a guardian on my team.”

“I think I already have a team, unless you have room for others?” he asked hopefully.

Dana frowned and shook her head.

“Sorry,” he replied.

She merely shrugged. “Your loss.” The dark-fire specter turned to Nora. “What about you? Do you need a team?”

“I’m digging the whole moody mage vibe,” Nora answered, “but unfortunately, I’m Trey’s bitch. I go wherever he goes.”

“You’re not Trey’s bitch,” Skye interjected. “You’ve only known him for a week. Nora is a valued member of Trey’s and my team.”

“You can’t have two guardians on your team!” Dana protested.

“Why not?” Skye shot back.

“Because that makes you greedy,” Derrick chimed in. If he thought his support would win him any favor with Dana, her scowl informed him that he was sorely mistaken. Just then, a flash of white hair caught his eye, and he smirked as he called out to the elf passing nearby. “Eva! Why didn’t you wear it?”

“Eat a bag of dicks, Derrick,” the curt reply came from the ice queen. She didn’t even grace him with a glance as she walked straight by.

“You should see the ‘healer’ outfit I bought for her,” Derrick said with a smug look. “I guaranteed her that she would immediately become the most popular girl on campus.”

“You should get me an outfit like that and see what happens,” Dana said, a subtle warning in her voice.

Derrick paled slightly. “No thanks.”

Trey’s eyes tracked the ice queen as she walked away from them. The stories and rumors that formed her reputation circled in his mind. He didn’t know what to believe, but he did have one advantage that no one else had.

Thinking it would be harmless, Trey decided to take a quick glimpse into her inner thoughts. He reached out with his mind magic for just a brief skim, but his intrusive spell encountered a mental barrier. Someone – Trey had a strong suspicion of who – had been training the girl to resist mind magic.

He grimaced. Goblin shit! That was not smart. Marvin will be pissed.

While there were no visible signs of resistance, the magical clash unfolding in the elf's mind sent an uncomfortable grinding sensation through his own head. The elf spun around, scanning the crowd for her aggressor. After an initial jolt of fear, Trey felt a wave of relief wash over him; the throng of people made it nearly impossible to distinguish him from the masses. However, his relief was short-lived as her striking blue eyes suddenly locked onto him.

Trey’s heart beat rapidly as he quickly considered his options. He exhaled, then casually turned and began walking in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?” Nora asked, but the retreating Trey did not have time to respond. He moved as fast as he dared, mentally calming his nerves and trying to blend in. He forced a smile and waved to no one in particular as he took his last steps off the field. He breezed through the concourse and headed directly to the exit.

Once he had made it out of the amphitheater, he risked a glance back, hoping to see only a faceless sea of students. His heart sank as he spotted the ice queen skillfully weaving through the crowd, intent on following him.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, quickening his pace. One advantage of his height was his ability to take long, purposeful strides, covering a lot of ground without breaking into a sprint. He reached the bridge and dared another glance over his shoulder. After finding no sign of his pursuer, he finally released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and continued. He cautiously watched his back as he crossed the bridge, his breathing gradually returning to normal.

Just as his confidence in his escape began to swell, he nearly collided with someone on the far side of the river. His jaw dropped in shock. Standing before him with her arms crossed was the white-haired elf, her piercing blue eyes freezing him in place.

“Did you think you could outrun a water mage using a bridge?”