The tournament was held in an arena much like the Dungeon Arena that they had seen on the viewing crystal, albeit not quite as grand. This arena was the training ground for the upper classmen and was especially useful since the special armor that was made by the Academy was linked to this Arena specifically. Normal enchanted armor used essence crystals to supply power to the enchantments and could be drained if enough damage was sustained without giving the crystal time to refill. The Academies armor, however, was linked specifically to this arena. The crystals placed in the armor were connected to large crystals surrounding the arena floor. Not only did those large crystals provide an essence barrier that separated the audience from the fighters, they also supplied a continuous stream of Essence to the armor, blunting the deadly strikes whether by sword or magic. An incapacitating strike would activate the enchantment causing minimal damage while transmitting the full amount of pain that would be felt. It was an effective tool for preparing the students and Life Mages would be on standby in case the enchantments failed.

Two hundred first years stood in formation on the hard-packed dirt of the arena grounds. In front of them was a large constructed platform where the Senior Instructors sat. Dean Marcus stood at the podium in blue and white robes and touched the glowing sphere atop it, enhancing his voice so that all the students and those in attendance could hear him.

“Welcome first years and guests to the Academy Tournament. Here you will test yourselves in all you have learned. While those of you may wonder how much these young students could have possibly learned in their short time here, I can assure you that most of those you see before you have moved far beyond our expectations. Students, the first year’s tournament is a rite of passage. The moment you entered the Academy, you have been improving yourselves and each other for the trials that will lay ahead. An Adventurer’s life is not to be taken lightly, the young and old, weak and strong, poor and wealthy have all died in the dungeons below. Make no mistake, the dungeons do not care what your family name is, they do not care if you have children waiting for you to return. The dungeons only desire, is to see that those who enter are destroyed. Here, we train you so that you may survive. Only you can push yourselves past your limits and grow to be a great Adventurer. This tournament is your first step. Many of you will feel fear cloying at you. The question is, will you face that fear or succumb to it? I pray to the thirteen gods that you may all find that answer favorably.” Dean Marcus finished his speech and sat down as a large dark-skinned man with shoulder length black and grey hair and beard walked up to the podium.

“I am Senior Instructor Williams.” He said after activating the sphere to enhance his voice. “I will be the Judge of this tournament. My word is law in this arena. Failure to follow those words will lead to severe punishment and possible death.” The first years all paled. “Your teams will enter the arena when told. You are not allowed to attack until I signal to begin. If your armor enchantment breaks, you are out and if able, will leave the arena floor. If you signal forfeit, you will immediately leave if able. If you attack or are attacked after you forfeit, there will be… consequences. If you are unconscious, you are out. A team wins when the whole opposing team is defeated. Once I signal the end of the match, you will immediately stop fighting. Life Mages are on standby in case of an emergency.” The Senior Instructor turned his gaze to the surrounding audience. “Any outside interference will be seen as a crime, punishable at the Academy's discretion. Few have tried and those who have, have been fined, thrown into slavery or sentenced to death. I suggest you all remember that no amount of ambition will save those who test the Academy.” The audience was quiet but a few sneers could be seen throughout the crowd. The Senior Instructor turned his attention back to the students. “The first match will start in ten minutes. The scheduled matches will be posted along the tunnels and waiting rooms of the arena. Dismissed.”

Dante collapsed when they entered the waiting room. He had tried to focus solely on Senior Instructor Williams during his speech but the audience and students’ emotions squeezed him like a vice.

“You okay?” Ferris asked while helping Dante to his feet. Dante just nodded but a sheen of sweat was covering his forehead.

“I will be fine. I think.” Dante said. “The pressure in the arena was unbelievable. I don’t know if I will have the strength of focus during our matches.”

The group gave a nervous look but Ferris just waved away the concerns. “It’s not a big deal. Just another day of training. Right?”

Dante laughed though it was strained. Kelsi entered after checking the schedule.

“Okay, we are the third match so we don’t have much time. Let’s check out gear and mentally prepare.” Kelsi said quickly.

“Do you know who we are facing?” Dante asked.

Kelsi shook her head. “Not sure, the team names are new so they could be a team we have worked with or complete strangers.”

“Why didn’t we go with my name choice again?” Ferris asked sulkily.

Kelsi snorted. “Because ‘We Have a Freakin Essence Mage’ is dumb.”

The group laughed as Ferris dropped his head into his hands. Kelsi could tell Ferris was just trying to break the tension. Whether he was actually serious about the name when he came up with it however was another matter altogether.

After a long discussion, it was Gretta who came up with their team name which was really no surprise to any of them. Serist De was Ancient Kahlean meaning Wanderer’s Oath or Orphan’s Promise. It was fitting to the group and they had all soundly agreed. Serist De was the promise they made to each other. The lost souls left behind who would rise together.

They checked through their borrowed armor, moving and flexing to feel for any problems. The light plate mail that Ferris wore was a combination of hardened leather and steel plates. It was lighter than full plate armor and more flexible as well. He needed the mobility for his Dash and his Wind Armor would act as a second layer of protection. Gretta wore light leathers that allowed her movement to play her violin and properly throw her daggers. She kept her wild reddish orange hair tied up in a braid which made her look like some warrior bard singing their way into battle. Jasmi wore medium leathers that provided her the movement and protection she would need if she had to fight in close with her dual daggers. Kelsi also wore the medium leathers and carried a staff. It wasn’t enchanted but it would provide some assistance if she had to fight as well. Dante wore heavy leathers with small steel plates stitched in to cover his vitals. Dante was worried about how his Empathy would affect him during the match but he didn’t have much choice in the matter.

As they walked out onto the arena floor, the pressure from the crowd hit Dante full force. It rolled over him like and endless wave of emotions and he nearly fell to a knee. He saw their opponent entering as well and he focused solely on them. The pressure eased enough to allow him to walk straight at least.

Across the arena stood the team so eloquently named, “Tower Death Squad.” The five male students that stood opposite from them were all in chainmail and carried large two-handed swords or dual swords. They were all Earth and Metal Mages and looked like they were all enhancement based given their armor and weaponry. Kelsi rolled her eyes at the team. They were trying to be intimidating but they came across as looking constipated.

“Keep in close formation.” Kelsi said to her team. “Jasmi, trip up the far right. Gretta, the far left. Ferris, Dante, take out the middle but adapt as necessary.” The group nodded as Senior Instructor Williams signaled both teams. “BEGIN!”

The Tower Death Squad ran full sprint to them while Serist De kept a slow forward pace, staying in formation. At the edge of their range, Jasmi and Gretta cast their spells. Gretta’s target stumbled to a stop as he glanced around in confusion. Jasmi’s target was pulled off his feet by skeletal arms ripping through the ground and grabbing the boy’s legs. Ferris saved his Dash and let the boy with the two-handed sword come to him as Dante intercepted the inner right opponent wielding sword and shield to counter the dual short swords. Jasmi quickly called her three spirits and sent them to deal with the student she had tripped up and intercepted the boy on the inner left that ran past Ferris.

Battle was met with a ring of steel on steel. The sound was so loud, Dante thought his ear drums would burst. He took a hit on his shield and swept low with his short sword. His opponent was quick and jumped back to avoid the blow. Dante advanced, pushing him to the left, leading with his shield. His opponent was very good at dodging his swings but he wasn’t watching his positioning. His opponent jumped back once more leaving Dante with enough room to swing around and land a strike to the back of the helmet of Ferris’s opponent. The boy stumbled forward and Ferris took advantage, quickly finishing him off and going back to handle the opponent Jasmi was facing. Dante spun back around with just enough time to raise his shield at a dual over hand strike.

Dante was already overwhelmed by the enormous crowd around him but when the blades hit his shield, his focus slipped and he crumpled to the ground. He was barely able to keep from passing out and held his shield over him as his opponent slammed into his defenses.

Jasmi and Ferris were handling the other boy with a two-handed sword and Jasmi’s spirits had finished off the one she had tripped. Gretta used her Dancing Blades to push Dante’s opponent off him and Kelsi rushed to assist. The boy had only been grazed by Gretta’s spell and it hadn’t broken through his armor so he jumped at Dante again, stabbing downwards. Luckily for Dante, Kelsi had shown up in time and slammed the end of her staff into his opponents face while he was still in the air. Dante pulled himself up, refocusing on his opponent when Kelsi slammed down on his chest. The strike bounced off as the protection enchantment in the armor activated flashing red.

“Serist De wins the match!” Senior Instructor Williams bellowed. The team looked around in surprise, realizing that they had won. Jasmi, Ferris and Gretta had already taken care of the other two opponents. With a look of relief, the team lined up and bowed to their opponents and then bowed to the judge and left for the waiting room.

As they entered the waiting room, Dante eased his way onto a bench. He was happy none of the other teams had decided to use this waiting room. It allowed him to deal with his frustration of his ability. He could see how Empathy could really be useful but it had been nothing but a detriment to him. His teammates let him be for the moment, knowing he had to work through the problem.

Dante urged the four of them to go watch the matches while he worked on his focus. They hesitated to leave but in the end, they knew they needed the information. The team took off their armor and stored it in the waiting room and headed to the student reserved seating to watch the matches.

Matches for the most part, were over within minutes. They had thought their match was considerably longer but apparently, they had the fastest finish time so far. Several matches showed poor decision in team make up. It looked like many of the first years tried to heavily depend on range or close quarters. All teams that had a decent balance won handily though there were a few close calls. In particular, five Fire Mages thought to just bombard their opponents with long range fireballs. The initial damage was high, but once their opponents spread out and closed in, they were able to win with only a few eyebrows being singed off.

Kelsi looked at her team. “Alright, now that we have had a little time to process, how are you all feeling?”

Jasmi turned to Gretta with a smile. “I can’t believe how well your Dancing Blades worked! That Metal mage went down with a single shot.” Gretta blushed a little at her friend’s praise.

“I was lucky.” Gretta said. “If they would have closed in, I would have been at a severe disadvantage. I think I will need a specially made violin in the future. Something I can use in a pinch but still works afterwards.”

“Jasmi, don’t forget your own work.” Ferris added. “Those spirits might not look like much but I think they are as big a threat as Gretta’s violin. You also did well to hold your own against the one that got past us.”

“I agree.” Kelsi said to the team. “I think we have a solid chance in this tournament.”

“What about Dante?” Gretta asked quietly. “He was doing really well but then went down quick when he lost focus.”

Kelsi looked at the team. No one wanted to bring it up but they had little choice. “I actually think he’s improving.” She said. Her teammates looked at her in surprise.

Kelsi continued. “Think about it. This arena is packed with people meaning he is dealing with more pressure than ever has before. But when his focus slipped, he didn’t pass out. He stayed aware enough to hold onto his shield and block his opponents attack which gave us time.”

Ferris nodded. “That’s right! He wouldn’t have been able to do that before. In fact, he wouldn’t have been able to set foot within a hundred feet of the arena before collapsing.”

“Exactly.” Kelsi stated.

Dante sat in the waiting room alone. The crowd could still be heard but the pressure was much lighter here than on the arena floor. At first, Dante felt the familiar pull of his thoughts turning on him. Frustration, anger and self-pity welled within him, threatening to break like a dam, but the Essence surrounding him pulled in tightly, reminding him of its presence and snapping him out of those thoughts. Instead, he focused on the pressure. He singled out emotions from the arena to see how it affected the pressure he felt. It was difficult because he was so much further away than usually when attempting this. He noticed how the difficulty of focusing changed as he centered on specific emotions. The pressure eased but not by much and since he was surrounded, he found his focus being pulled in several different directions. He tried concentrating on a specific part of the arena but it was too far away to work properly. He decided he would try it in the next match and could only hope he didn’t pass out.

The next match had Serist De fighting against a team named “Merchant Mercenaries.” They had a balanced team of melee and ranged fighters and a healer. A Metal Mage stood in front with heavy plate armor and a shield and sword. Next to him stood a Wind Mage with dual daggers and full leathers. A Water Mage, Fire Mage and Life Mage stood behind them all wearing robes.

“Watch the Wind Mage.” Ferris stated. “That’s Willis and he is really fast. Likes to dodge in and out to hamstring his opponents.

Kelsi nodded. “Ferris will take the Tank. Gretta, try to confuse the healer while Jasmi throws her spirits at the wind mage. Dante, I want you to head straight for the ranged Mages. Go in fast and use weapons that allow high mobility and damage.” The group nodded to her and waited for the signal.

From the moment he entered the arena, Dante settled his focus on the arena floor. Instead of trying to block out certain emotions, he looked for every emotion within the area of his focus. He opened his senses up and the pressure dropped considerably, leaving the audience as static noise in the background.

He could clearly feel every emotion on the arena floor. Though the team across from them looked intimidating, Dante felt their doubts and nerves hidden behind a façade of false courage. Dante almost tried to ignore his teammates feelings, fearing for a moment that he would feel rejection or pity but his focus started to slip at the first signs of doubt. He centered himself again and let his teammates feelings in. What he found; he couldn’t put to words.

Ferris’ respect for him was surprising. He respected Dante for facing problem after problem without flinching. His size made everyone think he was indestructible but he constantly worried that he would break. He saw Dante as an example of shear stubborn will, refusing to be held down.

Kelsi’s emotions were more difficult. She was their leader and was committed to keeping them safe but she only had pride for Dante. She thought of him like a big brother and pushed herself hard so that he would be proud of her too. She didn’t realize that Dante was already proud of her.

Gretta felt slightly ashamed. She was worried that he would get hurt but hated that the feeling wouldn’t go away. She felt like it was a betrayal of their friendship.

Dante turned bright red when he felt Jasmi’s feelings. He couldn’t shut them out for fear of losing focus again but he felt like he was spying into her secrets. She had a strong desire to either kiss him or hit him. She didn’t like it when he doubted himself. It was the main reason why she competed with him back at the orphanage. She saw a strong, handsome boy that was kind to her without caring about who she was or where she came from. Thankfully, Dante was pulled out of those feelings.

“BEGIN!” Bellowed the Senior Instructor.

The teams moved forward at a cautious pace. Once the Metal Mage readied his first strike, Ferris Dashed forward low, hitting the legs of the Tank and causing him to fall forward. The Wind Mage quickly closed in behind Ferris, aiming his daggers between the gaps of armor at Ferris’s waist. He was met with three spirits on all sides. Their hits weren’t enough to seriously harm him so he ignored them, continuing his strike but Ferris’ Wind Armor deflected the blades enough to miss their mark and score only minor cuts on his arms. Then the robed Mages started throwing their spells.

A fireball landed directly at Kesli’s feet. She rolled away but had to activate her healing on her burnt legs that were caught in the blast. The Water Mage sent slivers of ice towards Gretta. Gretta yelped as she ran to the side and away from the formation.

“Gretta, don’t go too far!” Kelsi shouted as she moved forward to heal Ferris.

Jasmi finished casting her False Flames onto the Fire Mage and went to attack the Wind Mage who had finally turned his attention to her spirits. Jasmi smiled. “Can’t ignore the spirits for too long or their damage increases.” She thought. The spirits started out no bigger than squirrels when summoned but now they were the size of cats and they were slowly stealing more and more life from the Wind Mage.

Dante had not been idle. He saw the fireball being launched but was too far ahead to see it land. He wanted to turn and see how his friends were faring but the robed Mages needed to be taken out. He reached the Water Mage first, thrusting out his staff towards the girl’s head. His staff stopped just before it struck. Looking past the Mage, he noticed that the healer was not stunned and was stopping his wooden staff from continuing forward. The Water Mage turned quickly and started raising her hands towards Dante. A smile appeared on Dante’s lips. The healer can control wood at a distance. That is quiet amazing, but all he needed to do, was not wield his staff. He shifted the Essence into dual daggers and not feeling the resistance of the healer anymore, ducked under the Water Mages arms and stabbed at her open torso. The robes offered little protection and a red glow surrounded the Mage as she screamed in pain. Dante flinched as her fear pushed against his mind but he didn’t lose his focus. He quickly checked his daggers, worried he really hurt the Mage but the tips of his daggers had only a small drop of blood on them. Dante sighed in relief. Unfortunately, that had caused Dante to forget his surroundings and was struck in the side of the head with the healer’s staff.

Dante’s vision blurred and he wanted to throw up but his training saved him. He quickly backed away and changed out his daggers for a sword and shield. Ducking behind the shield let him gain his bearings as the healer pressed his advantage. Dante took hits on his shoulder and legs but he kept moving so as not to be tripped up by the staff. Once he could see straight, he noticed the healer pulling his staff back like a club, prepared to bash Dante’s skull in. Dante pretended to fall back and saw the Life Mage fully commit to his swing. That’s when Dante made his move. He rolled backwards dismissing his sword and shield. When he rolled back up to his feet, the Life Mage was striking the ground where he would have fallen. Dante had already summoned a spear and struck forward to the healer’s chest. The blade hit solidly and the red flash and grunt from his opponent let him know he had won.

Ferris was having a hard time with the Wind Mage. He had taken a few hits while finishing off the Tank but the wounds were adding up and Kelsi couldn’t get close enough to heal him properly without being attacked. Jasmi, noticing Dante’s trouble had rushed the Fire Mage while he was distracted with her False Flames.

Ferris pressed his opponent but the Wind Mage just smiled as he danced around the attacks, occasionally scoring a hit with his daggers. If it wasn’t for his Wind Armor, Ferris would have already been defeated.

Thankfully, Gretta was able to move back into formation after dodging the slivers of ice. She saw Ferris being toyed with by the other Wind Mage and cast Dancing Blades at his legs. The invisible blades struck and the Wind Mage fell backwards as Kelsi jumped forwards slamming her staff into his chest for good measure. Looking up at the signal of their victory, they gave their bows and stumbled off the arena floor.

The team was quiet as they sat in the waiting room. Each going over the match in their head, looking for their mistakes and considering how to they could have handled it differently.

“Let’s go over the fight.” Kelsi said, pulling the team out of their thoughts. Gretta was the first to speak.

“I apologize for running out of formation. When I was targeted with those ice slivers, I panicked and started running. I should have just dodged left and right, taking a little damage but staying in formation.” Gretta said.

“Actually, I had a thought about that.” Kelsi said. “If you are using Ultrasonic Vibrations, would you be able to break apart things like ice and rock? I don’t think it would work with a fireball but anything with enough solidity should be affected.”

Gretta smiled. “I haven’t thought about that! I will look into it.” She said excitedly. The group chuckled at her switch in attitude.

“And it looks like someone had a breakthrough.” Ferris said happily, slapping Dante on the back.

“I…Uhm, yeah. I found a way to keep my focus centered.” Dante said evasively.

“How did you do that?” Kelsi asked.

Dante started to panic. If he told them what happened, they might get mad at him but if he didn’t tell them, it could hurt the team. A team needed to trust each other.

“Well, I found that if I open myself up to emotions from a specific area, then it mostly blocks everything else.” Dante explained.

“Really? So, what area did you focus on?” Jasmi asked.

Dante rubbed the back of his head. “The arena floor.”

“That’s great!” Jasmi said excitedly. “That mean’s you…you…the whole arena floor?”

Dante turned red. “Uhm yeah, I tried to block you all out but my focus started to slip. I don’t have enough control yet.”

The group was quiet and Dante wanted to crawl in a corner. Jasmi started turning as red as he was.

“Well.” Ferris said. “I guess that makes us a whole lot closer.”

They decided to ignore the previous conversation for the moment. They still had matches to watch and Dante was thankful, though Jasmi wouldn’t look at him for the rest of the day.

They finally were able to see Teron’s group fight. They had named themselves “Tower’s Light” and the match was brutally fast. Harold and Hector wore light plate armor and overpowered their opponents using their magic to enhance their physical abilities. While Harold’s metal magic allowed him to move quickly with the reduced weight of his armor and axe, Hectors earth magic was equally impressive. Hector used his magic to make him unmovable, like a mountain. One of his opponents attempted to rush Hector, slamming his shoulder into his side. The boy could have hit the tower for all it was worth. Hector just looked down as if finally noticing the student and slammed his mace into him.

Lani held her bow but continuously struck the ground at her opponent’s feet. At first, everyone thought she had poor aim, but then vines erupted from the ground and tangled up those caught. What most people couldn’t see were the small thorns in the vines that stabbed and ripped at the people trapped in them.

Mavis, the teams Enchanter, was still positioned at the back of the group. Halfway through the match, she had successfully charmed one of their opponents who turned and started attacking their own healer. Confusion had overtaken them and Teron casually strolled through the arena, finishing off one opponent after another with a quick strike of his duelist blade. He hadn’t used a single magic spell during the match.

A little unsettled by the outcome, Dante and the others left the arena to go over what they had seen. They had much to discuss and the next day would undoubtably be more of a challenge.