The sound of Earth erupting and being cast about filled the battlefield surrounded by teenagers. Kicked up dust occasionally obscured the onlookers’ view, and at least a few thought the foregoing of a force cage was in hindsight a terrible decision.

Two figures, one clad in the green and the other in a grey cloak, clashed in a titanic battle of wills. Several pillars of jagged Earth towered above the ground, marred by blasts of ice which decorated the entirety of the battlefield.

The once pristine surface had been marred by small craters and the rock pillars, creating a visual of something reminding one of a desolate wasteland rather than a high school practice field.

Luna quickly darted around the field, prepared for the ground to erupt below her at any moment. While her opponent had improved quite a bit over the past eleven months, she still far outweighed him in experience thanks to her expensive tutelage by maguses from London. She’d also seen meaner streets than George had.

Thanks to her intense training in the years past, especially her Flight training, she had George on the defense for the entirety of the battle so far. It was impossible to gain an advantage on her because she was just too quick for him to react and adjust his spells. In addition to this, she could cast spells faster than him, taking about two-thirds the time to do so.

Her deeper pool of mana was what would ultimately guarantee her a victory. Her opponent likely had half the mana pool to draw from that she hid. There was no helping it though. She was an elf, so her mana pool was naturally larger.

“Earth Pillar.”

The bluette quickly darted to the left, narrowly avoiding a pillar of rock and dirt that burst forth from the ground with incredible speed. Joyfully, the sounds of the crowd complaining and yelling at George to do better filled her ears.

Joseph Banks Experimental School of Magic was known for its high rate of graduates moving on to become Maguses. George himself was an excellent prospect for a future Magus and even Tower mage if he so desired, because he had the talent necessary for such a role.

However, his eagerness to prove himself would also be his current downfall. In the pursuit of power, one must know their limits. That was something that Eden had once told her, just before she left. Throughout her experience in learning spellcraft, she knew her eldest adoptive sister was right. Getting in over one’s head was dangerous.

Currently all she needed was for the Transmuter to create a fatal opening in his defense where she could strike his shield with an Iceball or for him to run OoM, though the latter seemed more likely. While he wasn’t at her caliber, he certainly wasn’t stupid enough to let her get close enough for CQB. Playing the long game was a smart choice either. It would force her opponent to get desperate and overextend or wear himself out. Such was the state the battle was currently in.

“Earth Pillar.”

Another careful dodge allowed her to avoid a dangerous mistake.

What was the boy’s obsession with using Earth Pillar? Out of all the spells he could focus on, he stubbornly pressed forward with the Tier 2 Earth Spell, which had to be having a significant drain on his mana.

How was he not out of energy yet? He was fighting similar to a child who was kept inside all day and told not to play: bursting with energy and keeping her on edge. There wasn’t any logical explanation for the pillars which continued to pop from below her.

The only way he could cast so many spells was if he was utilizing mana potions, but that was against the rules. Surely the ref would have gotten involved if they suspected any cheating was occurring, right?

After thinking about it for a moment and dodging another pillar, she came to realize the answer was no. For someone like George to lose to someone from a school seen as inferior was more than just a small embarrassment for the student. It was an embarrassment for the school’s image itself.

Of course the referee would be in the boy’s pocket in that case, letting him slide with using things like Mana potions. Given that was likely the case, it would be best to start forming a new plan to achieve victory.

Since the boy had been aggressively defensive, it might be best to use that against him. If she could lure him into making an opening without him realizing, then she could capitalize on the situation and send him crying back to his mother.

She had all she needed to enact her plan. While the pillars of earth and rock appeared sturdy, if one looked closely they could tell there were layers where only dirt existed. If hit with a strong enough blow, they would collapse like a house of cards and certainly make a mess on the way down.

With the battlefield rapidly changing thanks to a falling pillar, she could chuck in an Iceball or Icicle and force a shield break, going further than that if the referee still refused to stop the match at that point.

Getting her opponent to strike one of the pillars was a daunting task in and of itself. Keeping him preoccupied with trying to attack and not realizing what she was doing wouldn’t be difficult. She just had to throw a few spells in his direction and the mounting pressure would hopefully give him a sense of tunnel vision.

Quickly dodging his attacks, which had now swapped to the Tier 1 spell Earth Spike, Luna darted around the battlefield, popping off several Ice Bolts and Icicles, which seemed to anger the boy. Sensing his rising ire against her, she made chose and pillar and prepared to dart towards it just before she felt like he was going to attack.

Just as she’d hoped, the boy fell for it

“Earth Pillar,” George practically screamed from behind another pillar.

Below Luna, the ground cracked and another pillar burst forth. Quickly dodging it, she made her way behind it so that the pillars separated her and her opponent, buying her a brief window with the dust that was kicked up giving her cover.

Instinctually, her favorite tier-three spell, Iceball, came to mind. Beginning her incantations, she prepared herself for what would happen next. She would have one shot to hit the boy’s mana shield. Once that broke, the fight would be over and she would be declared the winner.

Taking a deep breath, Luna prepared to take a painful blow to the chest should she miss. Then she began to count down from five. Once she reached one, she flung her arm forward and shouted, “Iceball.”

The glob of clear liquid burst forth through the settling haze of debris, bearing down on its target, who was frantically trying to get out of its path. Though the boy tried to run away, he was so panicked that he tripped, unable to defend himself against the deadly blast that was about to occur.

The burst of ice caused most of the student populace watching the fight to gasp in shock. The Ice Sorceress herself felt sick to her stomach, believing she’d just killed someone and knowing the repercussions would be harsh. She’d been so caught up in the fight that she’d forgotten her goal wasn’t to kill George but to beat him without throwing too many punches.

To her relief, the referee quickly spoke up after the dust kicked up from her spell settled.

“Shield Break, George. The winner is… Luna.”

A sense of accomplishment washed over her. While she’d beaten many people in the past, the feeling of beating a narcissist who thought so highly of themselves was something she was proud of.

The sound of the crowd’s disasppointment filled the air. Shouts were calling the duel rigged filled the air, while others were expressing their disappointment with the outcome of the match. A few even shouted for others to gang up on the Ice Sorceress.

This was the kind of atmosphere she reveled in. To crush an opponent who was well respected and held to a high standard felt good. It meant that not only had she conquered a foe that would earn her credit amongst peers of her age, but made her feel accomplished for doing so. It was similar to receiving higher marks than the rest of the class on a test.

The celebrations would have to wait though. The message she needed to delivery would have to be conveyed. It was one directed right at Nathaniel, though it would have to be passed through George first.

“George, I hope you haven’t forgotten our deal. A wager’s a wager, and you’ll be delivering my message,” she stated loud enough to calm down the duel’s onlookers, who were now intently focused on what was about to unravel before them, though they still chittered in low voices.

The Earth Transmuter clicked his tongue in response.

“Why don’t you give it yourself, bitch.”

Perfect. The boy was angry over losing to her. It didn’t matter to her whether or not he was a sore loser or not, just as long as he was angry. The following words would hurt all the more because of it. They would sting deeply, perhaps even into his astral soul.

“You’re not the reason I’m here today.”

“What?”

“You heard me. You’re not the reason I’m here today. Nathaniel is.”

“If this is about Zoey I-“

“It is not. That’s a different matter which we would have settled much more subtly. Instead, your uncle decided to drag an innocent cleric who was a bystander into the matter. And believe me when I say there will be blood.”

George stared back at her, confusion visibly overcoming him.

The murmurs of the crowd began to grow louder. The Ice Sorceress could have sworn she’d heard something about Lilith’s being mentioned.

“What are you talking about?”

“How have you not heard about what occurred at Lilith’s this morning?”

“I know that my uncle was sending his guards to retrieve his daughter. Something you should have kept your nose out of.”

“Funnily enough I did. I wasn’t even at school when they broke in and took Zoey. But that’s not all they did. Tell me, does your family understand the laws of our city?”

With hesitation, her replied, “Of course we do, why wouldn’t we.”

“Then why is it that your uncle decided not to inform our school’s headmistress of their arrival, and instead proceeded to order them to also rape Ren Isozaki?”

Gasps filled the air all around her, and the background chatter surrounding them grew much louder than the hushed whispers that had filled the air. All eyes fell upon George, who suddenly began to sweat.

“Th-that’s a lie. You’re trying to smear my uncle’s name,” he stuttered angrily. “You’ve staged this all. It’s all a plot to rescue your cousin and it’s not going to work.”

Instead of relenting, the Evoker decided to push onward. George was just trying to save his own skin at this point, relying on his family’s built reputation to protect herself. Despite her enjoyment of the moment, she knew that it was wrong. How she was treating George now reminded her of how her adoptive father treated her.

Backing down wasn’t an option though. That would ruin their plans for freeing Zoey of Nathaniel’s grasp. It was time to finish this with as much refinement as she could muster.

“I’m not here to play games, George. Not only is Lilith’s reputation on the line, what reason would I have to make such a bold lie? What could I gain from my friend, who has absolutely nothing to do with your family, being sexually assaulted?”

The boy didn’t respond to her. Despite his mouth moving, he didn’t respond. By now the crowd had become completely silent. She and the boy had everyone’s undivided attention.

Now was the time to deliver the message that Iris had helped her create earlier.

“Do you value your siblings, George?”

“Of course I do.”

“As do I. You’re going to tell Nathaniel that he and his family will know no rest until the blood debt he’s made has been repaid. There will be no mercy nor reprieves, and it’s going to take much more than HDMs to settle this matter.”

“You must be joking, what makes you think you have any right to lord over my family. If anything, you should be on your knees, begging for forgiveness.”

His reaction couldn’t have been any better. Not only had she somehow kept the bloke angry, she now had him right where she wanted him.

Embarrassing oneself so severely in public would undoubtedly have some form of repercussion. There was no avoiding that. The opinion that oneself gave others directly affected their upward mobility. The heart of Iris’ plan was revealing how awful Zoey’s family, extended or immediate, was. They would either damage the family’s reputation so severely they would become social outcasts or they would return Zoey to them with no strings attached.

“Is that so? I’m supposed to be begging the relative of the man who ordered my precious teammate to be raped? I believe we’re done here George. I’ve given you the message you need to deliver and have nothing more to say,” the Evoker said, turning to leave.

Despite George’s outburst behind her, she marched forward toward the gates of Joseph Banks ESM.

Behind her, the crowd burst into mostly silenced chatter.

“Did you see the way he treated her. I know we’re all striving to be the best but demanding she beg for forgiveness for his uncle’s actions? That’s way too far.”

“I wonder if the reason she wears that cloak is because something similar happened to her.”

“He told his goons to rape an underage Biomancer? That’s disgusting.”

“George deserved that ass-kicking. I want nothing to do with him or his relatives.”

From what she could make out, the gossip was ready to begin spreading and would do so soon. Within a day, it would likely be the talk of the school, and would probably spread far beyond that. Rumors that surrounded drama always spread like a wildfire. The best part was that this wildfire had the potential to quickly turn into an out of control inferno.

Smiling to herself, the Ice Sorceress began to hum a tune as she passed beyond the threshold of the school’s gates. She wouldn’t make it in time to see Eriza’s match, which would likely be starting any minute. As for Iris, she was likely finishing up about now as well.

All she could do was head back to Lilith’s, and hope everything was going according to plan.

Rosebay stood tall on Sydney’s coastline. The school was well known amongst others for its strictness. As with all the other private schools which required knowing a person to get into, Rosebay was known for it’s prim and proper well to do teenage girls.

When compared to Lilith’s, the difference between the two was almost like night and day. Whereas the students of Lilith’s had many liberties, the students of Rosebay were conservative and well mannered. That wasn’t to say there weren’t a few odd ducks out of the bunch like her friend Julia, but there also wasn’t an abundance of said ducks either.

It was actually unsettling to Iris. The thought of living inside a protected box, with the only expectation of graduating, being married soon after, having children and maybe developing a modest level of magical talent sent shivers down her spine. Perhaps it was because she came from a family where expectations were high, or it was her desire to rise above and beyond the average.

As she stepped out of the cab and looked at the front gates of the school, she prepared herself for what would come next. Until she got into a cab to leave, she would have to put up the façade of a proper young woman who was beginning to bloom. It was the only way that she would be able to fully convey her message.

“There’s a familiar face. Iris, it’s been too long since we last saw each other,” a familiar voice cheered as someone hugged her from the side.

Turning to her left, she saw the ecstatic face of Julia, who was clad in her habit-like school uniform. The unsettling sight of her friend acting like the other proper young Catholic girls who attended the school was something that betrayed her true nature.

In reality, she was a surprisingly talented Magma Transmuter who possessed a Wyvern Spirit and could polymorph into one as well. Furthermore, because she had access to both Transmutation and Abjuration, fighting her one on one was like fighting a General Tier creature solo.

“It’s been a while Julia. Sorry I haven’t visited much but you know, the whole family fiasco got in the way and its just been chaos since.”

“It’s fine, we still chat every few days so I don’t mind. We still need to fully catch up now that I’m back in town, but we can save that for later. After all, we’ll get to hang out more around New Years once the dust clears from this fiasco. Before we get busy, that is,” the Earth Sorceress mused, flashing her a toothy grin.

The Water Soreceress’ friend began leading her into the school, towards the practice field where today’s duel was going to take place.

“Is that so? Don’t think you're getting another one up on me. What is it now, four to five,” Iris asked as she followed her friend through the gates of the school.

“More like eight to three.”

“Of course, how could I forget all of the times you’ve daydreamed of winning.”

“Pffft. You know I’ve beaten you more than just a handful of times. We’ve officially dueled how many times now?”

“Dozens, and do you forget how often a tie has to be called so we avoid permanently injuring each other?”

“Ooof, guilty as charged. But you have to admit I definitely would have won some of those. That’s why I count them as wins.”

“In that case, its ten to nine.”

Her friend seemed enthused by her increasing her victory count, even if it was only by one.

“You better not tread lightly for the Inter-High. I’m not going to go easy on you, ya know?”

The Water Sorceress had missed the banter with her childhood friend. The only reason they didn’t see each other more often was that her Magma companion wasn’t allowed to visit Lilith’s, in part because of how the Magus and the students were at each other’s throats.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less than your best. After all, we have to prove who’s better. You might have a Wyvern spirit, but I have metamagic.”

“Oh come on, you’ve gotta share your secrets with me. You can’t harbor that grudge with Master forever. We made a promise to do our best to get stronger, didn’t we?”

That they did. It was a promise she’d since come to regret. That very same promise almost cost her Eriza and it had caused the Magma Transmuter to go to an entirely different school for nearly six years now. How would things have turned out if that foolish promise hadn’t been made?

“We did. I just… I want you to have the freedom to choose where you go in life, not have it dictated for you. That’s all,” Iris explained, then paused. “Sorry, I know you know the price you’re paying to get stronger and I respect your decisions.”

Julia seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, as she didn’t immediately respond. The Magma Sorceress looked at her with a concerned expression.

“Iris, be honest. Do you think I made the right choice?”

Before she could respond, the sound of a woman clearing her throat interrupted their conversation.

By now they had walked all the way to Rosebay’s practice field, where Layla was supposed to meet her, was instead the sight of a familiar Magus, accompanied by three sisters.

“Julia, I told you she was not allowed to visit again.”

“I’m sorry Master, but the circumstance-“

“What happens at Lilith’s is none of our business. You should know better. Now go with Sister Lynn while I deal with her.”

Julia painfully looked over at her friend, likely expecting a cold response of some sort.

They were friends though. The Water Sorceress would never do that to someone she considered a friend. If Stone wanted to play games then she would play the games and beat her back at the same time, regardless of whether the woman was a Magus or not.

“Julia, don’t worry about me. Stone’s going to have some explaining to do to my headmistress if she tries anything,” Iris reassured her friend with a pat on the back. “Go with the nun, I’ll see you around soon.”

Reluctantly, Julia nodded at her and walked over to the sister.

“I’ll see you again soon Iris. Before the end of the year, promise!”

With that, the elderly looking nun of the group led Julia away, likely to receive a punishment of some sort. While the Water Sorceress felt bad for her friend, she had a bigger problem standing right before her.

Iris focused her attention back on Magus Stone. Since the woman looked like she was raring for a fight, she would give her just that, though not in the way she expected.

“You didn’t think to tell me I was banned from visiting Julia? A poor decision Stone. You know I can’t be held accountable for being here if you act like a child.”

“The only poor decision is your obsession with my apprentice. You should know your place. Your parents aren’t going to get you out of this one.”

Iris stifled a laugh. The fact that the Earth Abjurer-Transmuter believed she relied on her parents was something that had always amused her when it was far from the truth. That was the price to be paid with her mother being a member of the Mageocracy’s nobility though. People always assumed that her status was a get out of jail free card for her children. In reality, she’d always had to pull herself out of her own messes.

“I assume you’re here to assure I don’t beat Layla?”

“That’s right. I heard about your little plan to harass Nathaniel’s family and I will not allow it. Not here, nor anywhere else. Why you didn’t return to London is beyond me. All I know is that you’re going to walk out of those gates or we’ll drag you out of here.”

Iris glanced about to see just how many reinforcements the Magus had brought with her. Aside from the nuns, no one was near enough to intercept them. In the distance, however, there were many students watching. They all must have been eager to watch a duel unfold between herself and Layla. The scene as a whole brought an idea to mind.

“Oh I will. You’ve already done my job for me and you haven’t even realized it,” the Water Transmuter-Abjurer hybrid replied, gesturing to the many students who were currently watching them. “They would still have faith in Layla winning if it weren’t for you personally coming out to protect her from my wrath. You’ve already likely started a rumor that she was spared from being humiliated by her own ambitions and thus done exactly what I was hoping to do. Congratulations Magus Stone, you just helped me cause what you were trying to prevent without even realizing it.”

In front of her, the Magus looked around the area surrounding the practice field and began to blanch.

The younger Transmuter could hardly contain her joy. To think that her enemy would do all the work for her. All that was needed now was time for the gossip to fester and begin spreading about.

In front of her, Magus Stone looked back at her with a grim expression.

“Why are you making things difficult? Is it because you couldn’t have Julia all to yourself that you have to go and ruin another’s life to ‘protect’ one of your friends? You and I both know her talent should not go wasted. We lost our chance with Eden, losing Julia was never an option, so why are you taking it out on Nathaniel?”

“You act like she’s bought and paid for. I assume you’ve forgotten the friendly wager I have with Magister Ferris?”

“As if you could ever succeed.”

“Careful, the rug can still be pulled out from underneath you. Especially when you consider a wolf lying in wait to be nothing more than a pup.”

“It would be such a shame if Lilith’s were disqualified on a technicality. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

The thinly veiled threat signaled it was her time to go. She’d done what she needed to do, though not how she expected to do so. Regardless, all that she could do was hope Luna and Eriza would be successful as well.

Turning around, she quickly made her way back out the gates of Rosebay and sent out a Message for a cab to come pick her up. Perhaps she’d even return to Lilith’s before dark.

The outcome wasn’t a fulfilling one though. She’d hoped to have a fun duel against another Water Transmuter, even if they weren’t as talented as herself. It was something that would have to wait until the inter-high, where Layla would hopefully compete. Mayhap she would even get the chance to battle with Julia again.

Her heart fell a little at the thought of what her friend had gotten herself into. While she accomplished her goal, the Magma Transmuter really shouldn’t have allowed her to come. Their ability to see each other in the future would be greatly impacted because of it, and there was no doubt Stone had something up her sleeve.

If she could just achieve her end of the bet with Magister Ferris, then she would be able to get Julia back. Losing wasn’t an option either. If she had to fulfill the Magister’s end of the bet, then she’d lose everything she was working so hard to gain.

Julia watched from a window of her Master’s office as the cab Iris had entered sped away from Rosebay.

Iris seemed to be more on edge than usual. It was understandable, given what she’d heard about what happened to Ren. Poor Zoey too, she had to do something to help her other friends out as well. That was the right thing to do.

With her Master being at odds with the group, the chances of that happening for the next few days were slim. Why couldn’t the two just get along? Why did her Master have to bicker so aggressively at Iris?

Then again, Iris was just as aggressive with her Master. The two naturally butted heads because they had differing opinions over what was best for her. I

ris believed that the less political affiliations one had increased the number of paths forward to become stronger. With hard work, many of those paths could be taken and allow one to become stronger and open up greater opportunities in the future. It was one of the reasons why, despite having a hybrid sigil with an excellently pair elemental affinity, she had yet to become an apprentice. She was searching for the right person.

While her Master agreed that power could be attained through hard work, she also believed that connections, both political and non-political, were a greater boon despite the restrictions that came with said connections. Furthermore, having a Master from an early age helped one navigate their way in the world with greater ease in the future, promising bright opportunities.

As for herself, she had no idea which path was better. She could no longer choose for herself even if she wanted to.

When she accepted the gift of the Wyvern Spirit without a second thought, she’d inadvertently sealed her fate as the apprentice of her Master, Magus Stone. By making that choice, she’d now found herself torn between the friends who’d always supported her since she was a child, and the Master who may propel her to new heights.

While she deeply cherished Magister Ferrister for everything she’d done for her and her kindness, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was just because of her talent.

Behind her, the sound of the door opening signaled the end to her time for thinking about such matters.

Quickly, she turned to bow to her Master, whom was visibly displeased.

“Julia, you and I are going to have a long conversation.”