Morning came. The sun rose from behind the mountains, slowly ascending into the sky. With the light came the people. As they awakened from their slumber, those living in Axium, or those who'd taken up temporary residence via an inn, began their day.

The last day of the tournament.

Julius was just like everyone else that day. He woke up, showered, dressed, and began his day. Unlike most people, who cheerfully chattered on about all of the exciting things that were happening, he could not enjoy the day. He hated it, this day, just as he'd hated every day since his humiliating defeat at the hands of that blasted peasant.

Ever since that moment, Julius's life had been a living hell. He'd become a laughing stock. People whispered about him as he passed, they laughed at him when they thought he wasn't looking, and some even insulted to his face. They'd say, "How sad is it that you were defeated by a peasant. I guess you just couldn't live up to your noble lineage!"

Damn them! Damn them all! They were all a bunch of cowards! They were too cowardly to face the strong head on, so they hung in the background, yet they still boasted about their own strength, laying claims like, "If it had been me fighting..." or "I would have never been beaten by..." He hated them. Everyone of them. He hated them all.

"You seem to be awfully angry," a female voice spoke in his ear.

Julius spun around to see a woman—a very short woman. She stood before him, her figure draped in a dark cloak, her eyes cast in the shadow of her hood. Even though he could see nothing of her appearance, even though he didn't know her name, he knew who this was.

"You!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Everything that's happened to me is your fault!"

The woman tilted her head. Her lips, the only part of her that was visible, quirked in a smile, as if she was amused by what he had said. "Oh? I fail to see how any of what's happened to you is my fault."

"You're the one who told me that Sol would be so weak I'd be able to win easily!" Julius raged. "You told me that he wouldn't be able to put up a fight!"

"I did, and he couldn't," the woman's reply was mild. "In case you hadn't noticed, Caspian Ignis del Sol had been greatly weakened during his battle with you. Victory should have come to you easily. It's not my fault that you're so weak you can't defeat someone who's been poisoned."

"Why you...!"

"But worry not, young man, for I have a way of getting back at the one who defeated you," the woman said.

Julius paused. He stared suspiciously at the woman. "Get back at him how?"

Smiling, the woman turned around and gestured for him to follow. "Come with me if you'd like to find out."

Watching the woman walk away, Julius quickly debated with himself before deciding to follow her. While he didn't trust this woman, the opportunity to crush Sol was too good to pass up.

Just wait, Sol, I'll destroy you for the recent string of humiliation that I've suffered, Julius promised.

***

It was the last day of the tournament. As Caspian sat with his friends, eating breakfast, he listened to Adesh as the boy lamented his unstylish loss.

"To think that I would lose just before reaching the finish line. Ah, I am so disappointed in my unstylish performance."

Even now, it still felt weird to consider any of these people friends. He didn't know Adesh that well, and while he'd known Christo for years, the idea that they were friends felt foreign to him. Caspian had spent so much time avoiding others that he didn't feel comfortable spending time with people like this—certainly he didn't feel secure spending time with nobles like these two.

"Still," Adesh continued to muse, "that man who fought me was quite the stylish one himself. He had a highly unusual style that I've never seen before. It made fighting him quite difficult."

Caspian perked up. He didn't know much about Darin, and not just because the young man was a year older than him. Almost no one knew anything about him. Supposedly, Darin had won every duel he'd ever fought in less than five seconds and only a single move. Of course, this was all just rumor and supposition, as only the people who'd fought him could attest to anything, and they were too ashamed to admit they'd lost in a single blow. If he could learn more about the man, it would be all the better for him.

"What kind of style does Darin use?" Caspian mused out loud.

Adesh stopped eating. He seemed to consider the question for a moment, and then shrugged and said, "I am... not one-hundred percent certain. The truth is, his style is so unusually stylish that I couldn't adequately get a fix on it. That's part of the reason I lost."

So, Darin uses a style that even skilled combatants have a difficult time grasping?

That wasn't good. One of the keys to defeating a skilled enemy was analysing their fighting style, discovering their style's weakness, and then countering it before they could discover the weakness to your own style. If a knight couldn't properly discover the weakness in his opponent's fighting style, then the chances of him winning dropped considerably.

"I guess that's why he's ranked number one in our academy," Christo said before slapping Caspian on the back. "Don't worry, I'm sure you can beat him, buddy. You just need to defeat Gustav first."

"Thanks for reminding me about that," Caspian muttered dryly.

Caspian had drawn the short end of the straw for the finals. With three people left, one of the fighters ended up getting a by to skip the semi-finals. That person was Darin. Meanwhile, Caspian would be fighting Gustav first. If he won, then he would go on to fight Darin.

I'll be tired from fighting Gustav, while he'll be refreshed.

It was an unfair advantage, especially since Darin was the number one ranked student, but that was okay. Caspian had always been given an unfair disadvantage. Having such a handicap in this tournament wouldn't change the outcome.

"Master Caspian," Cassidy grabbed his attention, holding up a tea kettle. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, thank you," Caspian said as he allowed her to pour him some tea. "Wait. Where did you get that tea kettle?"

"Oh, I found this in the kitchen when I was—WAAA!"

Cassidy screamed when, somehow beyond Caspian's comprehension, she tripped over something, and slammed face first into the table. The tea kettle was flung into the air, and it's contents came out, spilling all over Cassidy, who squealed in pain when the hot water splashed across her skin.

Caspian watched as the young woman ran about, frantic and yelling her head off, and then he casually turned back to his meal and sighed.

It was just like being back in Dorehan Tower.

***

"And the winner of this year's tournament is Caspian Ignis del Sol!"

As the winner was announced and the crowd cheered, Elincia stood in the viewing box, clutching at her chest, overcome with emotion. Caspian had just fought an outstanding match and been named the winner of the tournament. This meant that he would officially become her knight. Her heart thrummed pleasantly, and a thrill passed through her body at the thought.

However, even as she was about to jump out of the viewing box and congratulate Caspian, a shadow fell over the colosseum. She looked up to see massive storm clouds brewing. Blacker than night, they swirled around a nexus as if something was sucking them into this singular point. Seconds later, the clouds were blown in every direction as something bright burst through them like cannon fire. Elincia didn't have time to wonder what it was, for at that moment, the object struck the ground where Caspian was standing.

And Elincia's entire world came to an end.

***

"Come along, Lady Elincia. It is time to get up," a voice broke through the fog of sleep that surrounded Elincia. She groaned, but didn't rise, though her ears did twitch when the sound of heels padding along the carpet reached her. The noise went around her bed, toward the far wall. A moment later the sound of curtains being pulled back was heard, and light soon spilled into the room as well as onto Elincia's face.

Moaning in complaint, Elincia rolled over and tried to bury her head underneath the blanket. She didn't want to get up right now. She'd had a terrible sleep last night. Her mind was tired, and her body was telling her to rest.

"Lady Elincia, you must get up."

Unfortunately, the voice wasn't going to let her rest, and when a pair of hands grabbed her blanket and pulled it away, she knew that sleep would never come to her.

It's probably for the best, she mused with a sigh. There's no telling what sort of dreams I might have if I fell asleep again.

"All right. I'm getting up."

"Thank you. Now, come along, I have selected your wardrobe for the day."

As Lacy helped her get dressed, Elincia thought about her latest dream. She couldn't remember the specifics. All she recalled was a bright flash of light, followed by feelings of despair, and then nothing. She couldn't remember anything else. However, she did have a gut wrenching feeling that her dream somehow involved Caspian.

The gown that Lacy had selected for her was one that she could've done without. It was a long purple dress with white accents. A light purple bodice constricted her chest, even as it pushed her breasts up.

"I-I can't breath very well," Elincia complained. "Couldn't I wear something else? Something simple?"

"I know that you enjoy plain dresses, Lady Elincia," Lacy grunted as she pulled on a pair of strings, tightening the bodice further. Elincia thought she was going to pass out. "However, you are the sorceress for which this tournament is being held. It is necessary for you to look the part."

"I wish looking the part didn't have to—ahn!—be so painful!"

After the bodice was tightened—and Elincia properly felt like she was going to asphyxiate—she put on a pair of white gloves that went up to her biceps, then slipped into a pair of uncomfortable heeled shoes. Looking in the mirror caused her to grimace. Lacy, on the other hand, loved it.

"You look adorable. Truly, you are one of the cutest women I have ever met."

"I look like a doll," Elincia muttered.

"Exactly."

Heading out of her room, Elincia was eventually led into the dining hall—a large room with an equally large table. Sitting down, she was served breakfast, bread and honey with an assortment of fruits. As she slowly ate her meal, the doors opened and the Nueva sisters entered the room with their two knights.

Lady Aakarshana yawned loudly as she stumbled into the room. The large shirt that adorned her frame was askew, revealing a slender, dark-skinned shoulder. She didn't even bother fixing it as he plopped down on a chair, blinking as she rubbed her eyes. Elincia wondered if the woman knew how messy her hair was. It looked like a bird's nest!

In contrast, Lady Aakarshaka looked positively refreshed. Her white hair was neatly tied into two looping braids, and unlike her sister's choice of clothing, she was wearing a tight black dress with a slit that ran up the sides. The manner in which she sat, with her back straight and her hands in her lap, created a startling contrast between the two.

"Good morning, Elincia," Lady Aakarshaka greeted mildly.

"Morning," Elincia mumbled as she chewed on some bread.

"You seem rather displeased by something. Would you like to share?"

"I just don't like this dress," Elincia said, a half truth.

Lady Aakarshaka smirked. "You're not used to wearing elaborate gowns, are you?

"I prefer to dress simply," Elincia admitted.

"I've noticed."

"Would you two shut up," Lady Aakarshana moaned from where she sat, her head laying on the table. Standing behind her, looking exasperated, her knight sighed.

Moments later, the doors opened again, and Lady Akane, a dark red kimono lovingly draped over her feminine figure, strode into the room with an elegant gate. Kiriya Kisaki, her knight, trailed behind her, one hand resting on the hilt of his katana. Lady Akane sat down at the table and greeted everyone with a demure smile.

"Good morning, everyone."

A chorus of "good mornings" and a single "mornin'" greeted her. Lady Akane's smile remained in place as she turned to Elincia.

"How are you this morning, Elincia? Did you sleep well?"

"Um, yes, I slept well. Thank you for asking." When Lady Akane hummed and continued looking at her, Elincia shifted in her seat. "W-what is it?"

"It is nothing. You simply seem anxious."

That's because I am anxious.

It was hard not to feel a certain amount of anxiety when the next few hours would determine the future of herself and her best friend. She didn't want to say anything, though, as she'd troubled Lady Akane enough already.

"Are you worried about Caspian?" Lady Akane asked.

Elincia twitched.

"I bet you anything that's it exactly." Lady Aakarshana, who finally seemed to have gained cognizant's, grinned. "Ele here is probably worrying herself into fits over her boyfriend's upcoming fights. Not that I blame her. He's fighting twice today—if he wins his first match. That would make anyone worried."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me 'Ele,'" Elincia said softly.

"Why not?"

Under Lady Aakarshana's intense, red-eyed stare, Elincia could only shrink into her seat. "B-because I only like it when... when Caspian calls me that."

Lady Aakarshana's boisterous laughter filled the air, Ladies Aakarshaka and Akane quietly giggled to themselves, and even the three knights standing behind their sorceresses snickered at her. Elincia wanted to hide her face in her obnoxiously tight bodice.

It was during this time that Lady Sylvia swept into the room alongside Cleopatra. Pausing in the doorway, she took one look at everyone's mirthful faces and frowned.

"What is so funny?" she asked, which only caused the group to laugh more, much to Elincia's shame.

***

After breakfast, Caspian was taken to the colosseum with the other two contestants. He, Darin, and Gustav had sat quietly in the back, in uncomfortable silence. The tension had been thick during the ride there—so thick he thought he might have choked on it. No one had spoken, no one had tried to lighten the mood. Even Cassidy, who'd looked like she wanted to ease the thick atmosphere, had remained meekly silent.

When they arrived at the colosseum, they exited the MAFT, and were taken to the arena. As Caspian stood in the center of the arena with the other two contestants, he stared at the cheering crowds.

It looked like they had a full house today, same as yesterday. The seats were filled to bursting, a sea of heads that turned into an indistinct blur of colors. Even his sharp eyes could barely make out the details, there was so much information to take in—the multitude of hair colors, the plethora of faces, not even an elf could properly catalogue 100,000 faces packed together like a school of fish.

"Raise your hands and wave, you three," Instructor Murdok said. "This is your moment, so show the crowd how much you appreciate their support."

Caspian wasn't really used to waving or showing off, and, apparently, neither were Darin or Gustav. They remained silent, neither raising their hands nor giving any indication that they'd heard Instructor Murdok.

Over in the viewing booth, the headmaster stepped up to where everyone could see him. Caspian's heart skipped a beat when he noticed Elincia standing on the old man's left, dressed in a beautiful gown of purple, her hair drawn up in an intricate bun that left her vibrant blue eyes on display.

She met his stare and their eyes locked. Unlike a regular human, he could see her eyes just fine. Through them, Caspian felt like he could see her innermost thoughts; her worries, her hopes, her fears, her dreams. He smiled at her, as if to say "not to worry," that everything would be all right. He was pleased when she smiled back.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Headmaster Stratello's voice boomed across the colosseum. The silence left in its wake was impressive. "Thank you all for coming. Today is the last day of the tournament, and I hope you have enjoyed the showing so far. I'm not a man of many words, so I hope you don't mind if I give the reigns over to our newest sorceress."

As the headmaster stepped back and Elincia stepped forward, the crowd broke out into cheers. From where he stood, Caspian could see Elincia wince. Elf ears were quite sensitive to sound.

"There are many people I would like to thank this day," Elincia started, her voice containing only a slight tremor. "The knights for putting up such grand displays of skill and valor in my honor, the members of the Sorceress Council for electing me to become a sorceress, and all of you, the people who made this possible, for coming out to support these fine young men on their quest to become knights."

Elincia paused. The world seemed to become still. Caspian glanced at her lips. Elincia took a deep breath, and then slowly release it.

"And now," she said, her cheeks turning bright red as she spread her arms out as if to encompass the entire arena, "let the last day of the tournament begin!"