The clashes across the cutesy forest in the middle of the Colosseum go on for a little longer. Trees burn, lightning tears through the canopy, water washes away the underbrush, and the earth groans from time to time.

One by one, dirty or injured and dirt, students emerge from the suspicious greenery. All of them are wearing a pair of silvery bracelets, all of them flashing crimson. My educated guess… They're out, and the rest are still going hard.

We tend to take simple practice sessions way too seriously.

"Should only take a few more minutes." Melena waves for us the gather. "Second-year darlings of mine… You better wipe the floor with your opponents." She grins threateningly. I'm definitely not off the hook yet for arriving late.

This will be interesting, that's for sure.

August, Kayla, and Victor lined up side by side, wearing their game face as well as three other kids sent from Fort Karon. There's also Ava, a true shield-maiden and replacement for Hugo, Felix with his nasty chains, and Bella, a firemage. They're pretty well-rounded and definitely not opponents I'll take lightly.

On our side, we have me and Val – without Alwi because she's basically a baby – and even Gordon. Already an absolutely nasty trio of awakened. We're joined by a second-year free-for-all tournamentalist, a dueling candidate, and our most promising first-year free-for-all participant besides our overwhelming duo.

That should be a brawler, battlemage, spearman, ranger, knight, and another mage… Interesting. I can't really see the synergy, but I'll try to make this work.

"Elyssia, Valka, necklaces off. You have until the others finish to come up with a war plan." Melena issues further instructions. "Remember, this is a squad battle."

I'll never admit but that's a necessary reminder. I've already gone through about a dozen approaches on how to single out each opponent and take them down one by one… We're certainly at a disadvantage when it comes to teamwork or understanding each other's abilities.

I take the lead to speak first. "Quick introductions, please! I'm not good with names." I haven't fought any of my current teammates before, and they didn't seem interesting enough to learn their names.

The unimpressed glances don't bother me, and it takes only a few moments for everyone to cooperate. Laith is our ranger, Greata the valiant knight, and Sid the earth plus lightning mage.

"Alright, not the time to weigh our pride and egos, so… Who's gonna call the shots?" I ask, not exactly fond of the role myself. "Any experience, anyone?"

I slap Valka's hand the moment it even twitches, watching everyone else present with a radiant smile.

Laith raises a hand. "I have led-"

"Perfect! I'm used to the archer calling the shots anyway." There's no need to hear your life story, we're on a time crunch. "Let's talk formation."

"I'll take the vanguard." Greta offers with a grim look, as if she just made a great sacrifice. But that's not how it works here…

"No, that's my role." Val points out rightfully.

"You have no defensive Skills!" The knight rebukes, and I can already see where this is going.

"OR!" I raise my voice slightly. "We could do things differently, add a little chaos to the formula. In a straight fight, we're at a disadvantage anyway…"

Our teamwork sucks as it is currently apparent.

Laith proves himself slightly sharper than the rest. "I like what you're thinking. Are you sure, though? I've seen you fight, but this isn't a duel?"

"Beats me. But I won't go down easy." I shrug. "So, who wants to try something new?"

***

The snap-up greenery isn't exactly by the time the last participants of the fierce battle emerge. Trees litter the arena, upturned and burning as if an inferno had rampaged across the place. Even the falls of the pit didn't survive the clashes uschtaed.

I might be top-notch for my age, but this serves as a great reminder. If push comes to shove, nobody will give a rat's ass about how old I am or what's fair or not… I need to pick who I mess with carefully.

"That was a wonderful display…" Melena claps slowly. "Of personal prowess and showmanship, you idiots." Sarcasm is so thick in her voice it almost begins the dish out some tangible slaps.

Well, it's understandable… The result is a draw after minutes of playing tag and wasting everyone's time. Only two fighters remained standing on both sides, and the proper representative team didn't even play the role of it.

"How in the Abyss did you fall for such a simple bait and switch?!" Melena yells at the top of her lungs. "The mage positioned poorly? Well, that's because it's a trap, you fools. I understand that decisiveness is key, but that's a step above gathering proper information! They hid underground; it happens!" She took a deep breath. "I'll let you discuss the events amongst yourselves first. While you do that… Second round, prepare!"

So they played for their environment and lured them into a losing tempo… I can understand, grasping the opportunity and going for the small victory right in front of their eyes. But we cannot allow ourselves to fall into the same trap.

Victor is the mind behind their team, I have no doubt about it, and he'll mercilessly exploit any lapse of judgment, no matter his opponent. That is also the reason why I didn't want to assume the role of the leader this time around.

He knows me, and we'd lose for sure.

"Does everyone remember the plan?" I ask out loud, purely to mess with Victor and co standing nearby.

"Don't you dare die too early." Greta is wearing our combat uniform with some extra pieces of ice armor, wielding a fearsome zweihander.

"It's just practice." Laith remains just as boring and levelheaded as I hoped. We need some boring and standard thinking to create the most abhorrent and random tactic imaginable.

That's the only weakness of Victor's blessing I know of. The lack of information and certainty…

"Practice or whatever, I don't care. If you're trying already, then put in that little extra effort and go for the win!" A wicked smile cracks my face as I stare down my friends on the other side.

Kayla is only allowed three friends for the practice. August will most likely target me no matter what, and I've not felt Victor's eyes leave me since the teams were assigned.

This better be fun.

"Okay, kids, your battlefield will be the Trampled Town." Melena nods for someone, somewhere…

If not for the environment actually morphing, I'd think she's not alright in the head, to be honest.

But the trees do get swallowed by the earth, and dirt does roll back to its place, only for walls and streets to emerge in their stead. Gutted houses, crumbling walls, and dust rising obscure much of the view, but it's definitely a town. Or what's left of it after a catastrophe.

"The outskirts of a civilian area. This sort of environment used to be the bloodiest of all battlefields back in the day." Melena opens up once the stage is all set. "Maneuvering, ambush, demolition… It's all part of the game." I can practically see her eyes sparkling.

Well, after my months in Solermo, I certainly agree with her. Every single window, door, corner, or roof is an angle of attack one needs to be conscious of. In this type of environment, information is king above both numbers and strength.

"Any specific rules?" I ask because I haven't been paying attention.

"Well, I did request everyone to try and keep destruction to a minimum…" She drags her eyes over the battered competitors of the previous round. "But otherwise, it's the usual. Now stop wasting time and scatter!"

Like good students, we all scatter, each time moving to opposite sides of the… I don't even know what to call this. Our entire playground is only a few blocks away. The highest building still standing should be about three stories tall, and the rest is cut off by the confines of the arena.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

No barrier dome during this specific practice, which is a little weird, but I don't really mind.

"Let's make sure our dear Academy's team gets some good practice." Val rolls her shoulders as we arrive at the fountain marked as our starting point. "But won't they feel discouraged if we win?"

She couldn't call herself my best friend without that mindset.

"Nah, they'll just get pissed." I answer, having known the chaotic trio for the longest. "They'll just push harder to catch up to us. I think…"

A sharp whistle forces us to postpone the conversation.

"That's our signal." Laith pairs up with Greta. "Remember the plan and our targets. Good luck!" They split off to the left and dash out of sight.

"If you die too fast, I won't let you hear the end of it!" Val threatens instead, moving to the right with Sid in her wake.

"That leaves just us." I turn to Gordon, who nods with an excited smile.

We're the vanguard, the bait, the frontline, the main force… Why not the two meatheads? Because of our speed.

"Wait here, I'll see what they're up to." I step away from my partner a little, and flames ignite at my feet.

There's nothing barring me from taking a peek from above.

I shoot up to the sky like a fireball, accelerating freely and reaching way above the rooftop remnants in mere seconds. Even from my vantage point, it's difficult to locate even my teammates, but I do catch sight of something else.

It's Kayla's bird. I'm not good when it comes to avians – or animals in general, if I'm honest – but this one is green, big as a boar, has scary talons but a short beak, and is eyeing me with hostility. It's their scout, and it won't make it back if it's up to me.

The flames keeping me in the air burst to a new life and change my flight path violently, right towards the big green chicken. The bird is smart enough to recognize danger when it comes blazing at it.

It's quick, visibly aided by the wind in its flight and flapping its wings with hate, but I'm faster. Faster by a lot…

Now, I'm not a monster, however, I can't see myself catching the a creature of the skies – especially not with my unique flying style. So when I reduce the distance enough, a net of electric arcs bursts forth from my body and claim the air like cracks in reality.

The bird fails to defend itself and gets fried a little, but for its generous cooperation, I catch it mid-flight instead of letting it fall to its death. I've already accidentally killed a few friends of Kayla, don't want to repeat that again.

"Why are you so damn heavy?" I ask the unconscious bird.

More importantly, though, it has been flying in a very specific direction. Back to its owner, I'd assume, to a specific tavern with its second floor still standing. So I speed up once more to do some proper scouting and return the first casualty of today's battle.

But first, some protection. A simple ball of lightning, bestowed with the purple spark since no one can see it anyway, and a simple command. Attack, close, fast.

"Kayla, I'm dropping your bird!" I let the unresponsive body go above an open street.

There's already a large enough target on my back. No need to stick around longer than necessary if the mice are willing to come out on their own. When the flightless bird is already halfway to the bottom I do get a little anxious but Kayla doesn't disappoint.

She crashes through a window and catches her green friend before it can hit the ground, cushioning its fall and staring daggers at me. "You jerk! Kill her!"

What?

I only see a subtle gleam from the corner of my eye before the violent spark of energy hovering about my head lashes out with a loud thunderclap. The arrow is almost completely obliterated before it rashes me and crumbles upon impact, but now I'm defenseless.

Still, my job here is done.

Instead of flying high, I extinguish my flames and drop catch myself only slightly above the ground. Time to make a run for it.

My speed isn't anything impressive, although I doubt Victor will decide to give chase. Stone barricades rise behind me to cover my retreat, and bursts of explosions propel my steps. The dilapidated houses are on the brink of collapse on each side of the road, perfect to eliminate anyone who might be after me.

Even back in the day, the three of them struggled to catch me in the forest while grossly outnumbering me. That day, we banded together against Martha… Those were the good days.

"At least they definitely have their eyes on me now." I snicker and round another corner, only to see someone already waiting for me.

You left me behind. The words emerge from thin air.

"Sorry, I needed to deal with something." I admit my mistake. "But at least I found them. Ready for the harassment camaping?"

It's my specialty. Gordon grins in genuine mirth.

That's right. This isn't anything serious. There are no stakes besides Melena's ire, so we should have fun while it lasts.

"Wait a sec." I halt my eager partner and wrap my shadow around my fingers.

It no doubt looks just as disturbing as it feels. With someone watching my back and both hands hard at work, the lines materialize rapidly. The pitch-black symbols almost seem like I'm trying to summon something demonic, even though it's just a simple Repulsion Rune and another String of Silence.

The former crawls onto my arms while the latter wanders all the way down to my feet. When I turn around, though, Gordon looks at me like I'm some sort of abomination.

"What's with that look?" I raise my voice pointlessly. "It's just inscriptions. There's nothing to see here. Get moving!"

Please don't get any more ominous. He lets a message float and takes the lead. Or at least something that resembles him that is…

I feed some mana to the cold darkness, sticking my legs. In an instant, the echo of my steps goes completely mute. This one, I hope, won't interfere with my magic, because it's not me the mana targets but the area around it.

While Gordon continues on the street, I jump up to the second floor through a hole, aided by the wind. To walk uninterrupted, I deconstruct the walls in my path, gently laying the bricks on the floor and moving at a normal pace. This way, I can avoid becoming the primary target.

The streets are completely silent, and the time is ticking. We need to draw the enemy's attention but remain relatively passive to hold out long enough.

"I mean, he can't hear it anyway, so…" Instead of gently placing a brick, I simply hurl it out of the window.

It hits the streets loud enough for even the dead to hear, followed by an awkward silence before the storm. This might seem like I'm throwing my partner under the carriage… And that's sort of what I'm doing, but I'm here to save his skin if necessary.

It takes only a few seconds for the wolf-like creature to dash around the nearest corner and lock onto Gordon. It's fairly bulky, almost like a bear, spitting dark blue flames with every breath and tearing up the street with each stride.

Gordon is up in arms and does not back down from the beast, however, I remain inactive. This is a waiting game. They likely understand that Gordon is the bait and cannot afford to commit more, but it's also obvious that a lonesome animal can't beat the nastiest of opponents I've faced.

So the ball is in their court.

The beast swipes, hitting only thin air and receiving a hefty kick across its snout in exchange. Enraged, its blackish fur begins to glow in the same ominous embers of its flame before flooding the streets with heat. A real heavy-weight of a monster, resilient and destructive.

And yet, all the fire does is reveal a spear lodged into the ground, with Gordon balancing on its end above the hellish floor. He's having fun, I can tell.

The idea of setting up some traps in the area goes through my mind, but I expect this entire street to be deomlished soon, so that'd be a waste. Then I take a glance at the lines running all over my arms like so heinous tattoo and get a brilliant idea.

"Oh, Victor will hate this." I can barely contain my giggles.

Some doodling is necessary while the kids are making a ruckus outside, but I have a few seconds. Darkness paints the walls, adjusting itself every now and then to correct my mistakes. It's difficult to do a proper job with the ground shaking sporadically.

I'm not proud of the traps I'm drawing but they'll be really damn effective at slowing any chasers down.

Things get a little too heated outside before I can finish the last of my ideas and store them all comfortably. From the building opposite me, a pair of chains tear through the walls and tear the image of Gordon into pieces.

That's my mark to swing into action. And swinging into action, I do.

As a form of greeting, I send the entire facade of the building across the street, drowning Felix in stone before igniting a handful of flames. The world quickly loses its color around me as the radiant white embers shine brighter than even Solarie… But I still add a little more to the mix.

A tiny purple spark.

"Chase!" I whisper and unleash the purging fire upon the block before turning my attention to the beast.

Chains rip through the air helplessly to free their wielder and prevent the wall of white from melting the entire building to the ground. The bear-wolf puppy gets treated a little more gently as it wears no protective charm.

Not that a barrier could do wonders against the literal street curling up at my command. But the puppy is strong, and its fire is… Peculiar.

It eats away at the mana I'm using upon contact, as if the beast were bred against me.

I hop down beside Gordon to get his attention. "Let's get out of here!"

We're winning, but I don't like this. I don't like this at all.

And that's precisely why, instead of pulling back, I continue dashing straight towards where I discovered Kayla just minutes ago. It might be too late already. All this time, we've been biding our time and fighting only a single opponent.

A pillar of flames reaching past the top of the colosseum shoots up to our right. I can even feel the heat where I stand.

"You threw away your teammate just like that you piece of shit!" I growl as I realize Victor's intentions.

Gordon takes off to the right without a moment of hesitation, but I stay behind a little.

"One here, another here. And… yeah, this one might take him out." Lines and lines of darkness peel off my skin and hide in the darkness in alleys and corners.

Traps I've prepared in advance and carried on my body all along. This much ought to slow Felix down, at the very least. I can't see myself catching up to Gordon on foot, so I take to the skies.

My flames burn like a candle in front of the bonfire my opponents have called upon. But I just need to blaze brighter, faster, and be the variable even that cheat Victor can't account for.

The trail behind me grows longer as I accelerate, carrying me above buildings in the blink of an eye. And yet I'm still not fast enough. When I cut the thrust and slam heavily onto a roof near the source of the great fire, Victor is already waiting for me.

He stands there in the crater of the fierce battle with a pair of unconscious students at his feet and three others standing by his side.

"Hey, Eli. Nice of you to join us." He cracks a sinister smile. "Care to entertain me a little longer?"

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