Tanya demonstrated more advanced moves involving the entire body and jumps to maintain their interest. Meanwhile, Maya noticed that other groups were losing their enthusiasm and were discouraged by their lack of progress. No one had achieved anything yet, nor did they know what success was supposed to look like.

Eventually, a group of sophomores arrived on the field in unique uniforms, drawing everyone’s attention. They occupied the central part of the courtyard, which was set up for a sports game.

“Alright, girls. You can take a break now to watch the game,” Tanya announced.

First-year students sat on the grass to watch the game. The players were in position and Maya watched with curiosity. The field was marked with metal hoops on poles at each end, and large water basins were arranged around the perimeter.

“It’s Tachde-tu,” someone said, identifying the game.

Each team had eight students, two bearing each elemental sash. The team captains already held a ball each. The balls were small enough to fit in one hand, yet appeared hard and rigid. One was light, the other dark in colour.

The game seemed to be a modified form of handball played with two balls on the field. Maya wondered if elemental powers would be used.

The referee blew a whistle and all hell broke loose as the game started. The game indeed included elemental manipulation, which amazed the first-year students. For the first time in their lives, they were seeing elements fly through the air, disobeying laws of physics they were familiar with. They watched in awe.

The game itself was brutal. It required a lot of attention, skill, agility and luck. After the initial shock and confusion, Maya began to glean into the game rules by observing.

The game's principle was simple on the surface: to throw the ball through the enemy team’s hoop to score a point. However, the addition of two balls added complexity. One ball represented a point for the team, while the other was a negative point for the opposing team. Scoring was achieved with the light-coloured ball, but teams needed to be vigilant. The opposing team could simultaneously deduct that very point by scoring with the dark-coloured ball.

To win the game, a team needed to accumulate a certain amount of points. However, given the possibility of subtracting points, the game could extend indefinitely. A certain differential in points was required to mark victory.

Roles in the game were determined by elemental affinity. The Fire element was mainly used for propulsion to accelerate the ball, designating those players as attackers. Earth was used to set up the field, such as providing a ramp for the attacker and making it harder for the opposing team to intervene, making these players assistants.

Air and water were used for defence and support. Air players could act as attackers as they could also propel the ball and keep opponents on their toes with feints. Water appeared most valuable in defence. It could interrupt the ball’s trajectory and ‘catch it’, which was much harder to achieve with the other elements.

The key to the game was teamwork. It was a dangerous game, with risks of serious injuries and burns. Only the best could keep up with the pace and chaos. You had to be vigilant of various hazards while assisting your team, and also keep track of two balls.

As Maya watched, her awe grew. The more she understood the game, the more she became convinced that she wouldn’t survive five seconds on the field.

Keith played for one of the teams as Water. He was a skilled mage, which gave Maya the impression that being part of the team for this dangerous game was a highly regarded achievement. The team members were certainly proud and honoured to demonstrate what ‘bending’ truly is to the newcomers.

Whenever Keith scored a point, crowds of girls cheered and called his name, and his team patted him on the back. Maya soon recognized Keith’s popularity. He was not only the most attractive guy around, but also a member of the student council and a bender skilled enough to be on this game’s team. No wonder he was respected and well-known by everyone.

‘It seems even defence can score.’

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As Keith was being celebrated, he smiled at Elena, who was seated in the section of the courtyard designated for Water freshmen. She wasn’t making a fool of herself cheering desperately for his attention, but simply offered a coy smile when he looked her way. She gave out a radiance of reserved allure. It struck Maya once again that this misfit girl was dating the most popular guy in the school.

Maya was left wondering if they would ever look cool as the players here. Using magic was truly something that looked incredible.

While Maya quietly marvelled at the game, Tanya sat on the ground next to her.

“How are you holding up?” she asked with a hint of concern.

“I’m adjusting. I still can’t believe something like this could be real, and I’m looking at it.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool. Feels amazing when you’re the one actually doing it.”

Tanya’s statement led Maya to question if Tanya was also a player. This thought evolved into a consideration of whether it would be considered cheating, given that she was bipartite. Overall, Tanya joining her seemed opportune, so Maya decided to seize this chance to ask what was on her mind.

“I probably should know this already,” she began. “But why are there fewer third-year students than us, freshman? Don’t they recruit the same number of students every year?”

Tanya quietly looked at the ground. She lingered for a moment and then said:

“Over the past few years, the vampire attacks have gotten more frequent and ferocious…” Then, she suddenly looked at Maya putting a hand over her mouth. “Oh, gods. Have they even told you about vampires?”

“I’ve heard about them…”

‘At least Tanya showed a normal level of consideration compared to Elena.’

“But no one had informed you properly?”

She seems to have gotten the answer from Maya’s look.

“Ugh... Their unwariness is getting on my nerves. It’s frustrating how they hold off information from the students at times.”

“What did you mean attacks? I thought we were safe within the walls.”

Tanya looked at her with a hint of regret.

“Sometimes they attack in large groups and guards aren’t able to fend them off.”She shifted slightly and looked at Maya intensely. “Listen up. You need to know this…”

Tanya grabbed Maya’s hand.

“…The bells. If you hear bells ringing during the night, run here. Within the Academy gates is the safest place. Anywhere else you have no one to protect you. They are fast and they are strong—ferocious fiends. You can’t hope to fight them. Your best chance is to run and run where everyone else’s running. If you stray alone, you’re an easy target. Guards will group to the Main path, so that’s the safest route.”

Maya’s eyes widened, her pupils trembled. The sudden warning felt like a slap across the face.

“Does it happen often?”

“The attacks are supposed to be extremely rare. However, when I was a freshman, they occurred three times in a year. They claim that such a frequency of attacks had never happened before. Now, only about half of my generation remains, with nearly a third vanishing within the first year.”

“A third?! What happens to them? Do they eat them?”

“Feed on them? Sure. Also kidnap, kill and turn them. Whatever they feel like.”

Tanya gives Maya an apologetic look. She felt someone had to break the severity of the situation to her.

“Even outside the attacks, disappearances aren’t too uncommon. I said today that I am replacing a sick girl for another team, but the truth is… she’s missing. We can speculate, but it’s most likely she was taken by vamps.”

Maya turned pale.

“…After us, they recruited more and more,” Tanya continued. “I think this year has seen the highest number of new students in the Academy’s history. They were even accepting students a day before classes started,” she said, gesturing towards Maya as living proof.

“The issue is that there aren’t enough juniors to train everyone. Typically, the senior students have completed all their classes and are permitted to explore the world. It’s a transition year where we find our own path and prepare to sustain ourselves before our guardians’ financial support is cut off. I’m fortunate that they still need me here.”

Not only did she learn that vampires prey on students, but also that in just three short years she would basically be left to fend for herself in this world. Maya’s anxiety-prone brain has received a detrimental shock.

“This all sounds terrifying,” Maya admitted.

Tanya felt bad for scaring her like this. “Don’t worry. Living here and having magic is a dream come true. Things are not that bleak. Just don’t mind me, I was unlucky and am scarred by the circumstances. I don’t want you to think that this is usual.”

“I’m, so sorry.”

“It’s okay. You seem like a nice girl. As your mentor, I will try to prepare you to the best of my abilities. If you ever feel like in danger, even outside school, feel free to come to me.”