Voices call out from all directions, but I am a master of maneuvering in the chaos. Hearing them shout in the future, I change directions before anyone even spots me in the present. Like that, I vanish amidst a gap in the formation. Behind me, I hear footsteps, I’m sure my deception can’t last long. Silently thanking Romy for spending so much time training my body, I fling myself down rocky corridors and dart up the stalk of a pillar. Swarming up the side using silent Gusts, I abruptly leave the ground level behind and disappear into a cave. The footsteps chasing me below run by, stopping for a second as whoever it is, realizes they can’t hear me anymore. However, I’ve left the ground so fast that they can’t imagine where I’ve gone and run past.

Lost them.

I wonder if Meera got out?

Well, I did everything that I could. If she can’t escape after a distraction like that, that’s on her.

Stowing that particular worry in a separate compartment, I focus on calming down and getting a handle on my situation. This is ridiculous. That had to have been at least ten…twelve…no with the original, that’s fifteen or more candidates. And I think they were all from the Rainstopper Sect. How the heck did that Lee guy even convince them all to work together? He wasn’t that strong…

Annoyed, I can hear outside the cave that people are still searching for me. Now that I’m alone, sleeping is going to be a hazard, although I suppose I can just set up another booby trap. No…the real problem is that they know I can use magic now. And for some reason, they’re hunting together. Hopefully they find some other candidates and go bother them soon. Sitting back, I analyze the previous battle. It went better than I anticipated. I was worried that none of my attacks would be able to penetrate their bodies, but obviously even Number 7’s Qi wasn’t strong enough to protect him from a surprise shot. If that’s the case, I can fight it out no matter what the numbers are. Only…I had to limit the power output to avoid killing people. If they come at me in a group like that, there’s no guarantee one of the weaker ones won’t get unlucky and walk into one of my shards. I could be disqualified then…I have to avoid a group fight at all costs. As long as it’s only a few people at a time, I can use that at least…

On my own, I begin to quietly make modifications to the cave I’m in. Once I’m certain there’s no one nearby, the chant for Meld rolls off my lips and I move my hands back and forth. Carefully…I seal off the entrance of the cave, except for a small hole I leave open for air. It’s dark in here. Really dark. But I’m no stranger to that. Satisfied that for now, I should be concealed, I sit down, cross my legs and put my back to the wall. Feeling uncomfortable, I even use Meld to shape the stone into a suitable bed with a backrest. Now then…I can get water from Chill, but there’s the minor problem of food. The jerky I have will only last me a few more days. I suppose I could just starve my way to the end of this stage of the trials. But that wouldn’t leave me in any condition to fight at the end. Damnit, this is just discrimination. All the Rainstopper candidates probably knew how long this trial would be and packed accordingly. Meera had a bunch of food on her. But none of us outsiders knew…

Realizing that I can’t wait here forever, I shake my head. It’s too hot out there right now. They’re still searching for me, and I don’t want to fight a big group. I’ll wait a few days, then pop out and go hunting. Damnit though, none of the people Meera and I fought were from the Rainstopper Sect. So they didn’t any food I could loot. In order to get food…I’ll have to take out someone from the Sect. They better not all be hunting as a pack…

*Drip*

*Drop*

*Drip*

There’s a bit of condensation coming off one of the stalactites on the ceiling. It’s driving me mad, but all I have is time to think in here. I plan and plan. Continuously rewind the last battle, committing the weapons, reactions, and any usable information I have on the previous combatants to memory. In the darkness, when I feel up to it, I brush up on the spell techniques which I think will be most useful based on my new info. Still, the biggest question remains to be answered. How strong are the best candidates? Are they on the same level as Romy?

#

*Drip*

*Drop*

*Drip*

No one finds me, although I do find people passing by outside from time to time. After two full days, the food situation begins to get low to the point where I don’t want to risk waiting here much longer. My guess is that anyone passing by outside is still hunting. Which means that they’re fairly strong. Which would also implies they’re members of the Rainstopper Sect. And they’ll have food. The next time I hear footsteps passing by underneath, I’m ready. A silent Meld on the makeshift earthen wall I’ve constructed at the cave entrance collapses it entirely. Like a shot, I pass outside. And stare down at the Rainstopper Acolyte down below on the ground level. He stares back, not a hint of surprise on his face, even though I just appeared out of nowhere.

[Frozen Wind of My Soul, Come Forth-Chill]

[Stormy Breeze of My Loneliness, Gather Forth-Gust]

*Kacha* *Kacha* *Kacha*

My ice shards accelerate bolstered by the wind from my palms. Three of them jet out and though I aimed for non-lethal areas anyways, I already know they won’t hit. In the future, my target sways out of the way below me, moving his vulnerable areas so that everything misses. One shard goes under his raised leg, another over his shoulder, and the last brushes by his wrist. He’s…strong!

I know that this guy has to be Rainstopper candidate. His technique and reactions are too similar to Perideen’s, and I begin plan B. One of the things I discovered after training for a long time is that essentially, melee fighters are weakest around the legs, and if you pressure them there, they’ll often take to the air. Once there, it’s much harder for them to dodge. I already have one of his feet off the ground, and his golden blonde hair sways as I cast another spell-

[Frozen Wind of My Soul, Come Forth-Chill]

It should have worked. But the future tells me otherwise. I’m forced to watch as the possible realities swirl and I see that instead of jumping, this guy narrows his eyes and simply stamps his raised foot to the ground and then blasts towards me. Confidently, he knocks away my hasty ice shard, correctly judging that he needs to close the distance. The movement is so Perideen-like that if I didn’t know better, I’d guess this guy’s trained with a mage before!

Back! BACK UP!

I change my cast midway, ignoring the half-formed ice shard in front of me, as the badge on my enemy’s chest comes into view. He lands halfway up on a ledge to my left, and the light streaming through a gap in the rock pillars hits it-

Number 3?!

*Boom*

I jerk as in the future, the ten-year-old boy comes hurtling at me like a missile! The ground shakes and a rolling dust cloud explodes from his feet when he jumps. He doesn’t quite flicker and disappear, but it’s still so fast I only have time for one spell even with warning-

Can’t let him get close!

[Flaming Ember of My Desire, Burst Forth-Burn]

Shouting it out, my spell finishes at the same time as the boy begins his crazy leap. An inferno torrent of flames which could probably seriously damage any weaker candidate shoots out of my hands, but I’m taking no chances. Silently yelling Gust in my head, I feed the flames more oxygen while flying backwards to gain space. A blade slices through the fiery inferno, and for a second, I actually get worried. He’s really…capable of standing that?

*Swoosh*

However, as I also land on a higher ledge, the boy drops away, his black robes smoking. Shrugging out of them, tinder pink singed skin is revealed on his forearms and he finally shows some surprise on his face. The short sword in his hands lowers as he crouches and I expect to be jumped again. But then from all sides below us, numerous shadows rush in at the ground level. More?!

*Tap*

*Tap*

*Tap*

My worse fear was that the big group from earlier would find me again, and it seems they have. However, I’m confused because when Number 3 sees them, he doesn’t seem happy. The frown on his face in the future tells me that they’re probably not allies. Abruptly, instead of going for me, I see him leap down towards the nearest oncoming shadow! For whatever reason, he’s prioritizing them-

I’m okay with this!

Targeting the other two he won’t go for, I prepare to take some kids candidates out. First, I chant, my target, the ledge beneath me.

[Frozen Wind of My Soul, Come Forth-Chill]

[Muddy Stone of My Endurance, Move Forth-Meld]

Planting the trap, which I’ve reduced in power to the lowest form possible, I then summon additional ice crystals. It’s difficult to hold the future, an Icebomb, and other spells at the same time so I reduce the amount of my Foresight to just under one second ahead, and don’t use Gust to increase the penetrative power of the Chill’s shards.

[Frozen Wind of My Soul, Come Forth-Chill]

*Kacha Kacha Kacha*

When they hear my chanting, and see me, to my surprise, the three of them who had initially targeted Number 3, switch targets to me, immediately! With the exception of the one which my enemy-turned friend, smashes into, the other two leap upwards at me. Imagining looking around in the future, I catch sight of more shadows closing in and know I need to be quick.

*Puff Puff Puff*

The ice shards I summon are unleashed in a three-crystal volley. Aiming at their legs as they rapidly scale the rock pillar towards the ledge I’m on, I try to disable their movements but they jump off to adjacent rock pillars to dodge. One of them is the kid with the throwing axes from before. He chucks one at me, but with a full second of warning, dodging is easy and I sway out of the way, not moving from my perch. The other one, a kid with some sort of chain-like weapon in his hand, pounds his feet into the rock pillar to my left, running around the back-side, out of view. When he reappears, he’ll be on my level-

I need them to arrive at the same time!

Still mentally holding the Icebomb below me, I pre-emptively silent cast Chill again and target the ledge he’s going to pop out on-

[Frozen Wind of My Soul, Come Forth-Chill]

The strain of so much magic is starting to make me sweat, but well rested as I am, my mind can take it. Come on then…just a bit closer!

*Tac Tac*

A surprised candidate whips his silver-chain around to defend himself as ice crystals seemingly appear right as he peeks his head out. Mr. Axes, scaling the pillar below me, puts on a burst of speed and nods as Mr. Chains also jumps into the air. Both attempt to synchronize their attacks onto my position at the same time. It’s going to be their undoing. One jumps from below, the other jumps from afar. I raise my palms as if to cast magic and they both tense defensively in mid-air. However, instead of attacking them, I snap both hands directly below me and chant-

[Stormy Breeze of My Loneliness, Gather Forth-Gust]

Jumping straight up myself, I watch a stream of emotions rush over their tense faces as they process that I’m trying to “run” away. Immediately, they arrive at the same conclusion.

‘I need to chase him’

Both land without a care in the world underneath me, not understanding that the ground beneath a mage’s feet should never be taken lightly. I let go of the Icebomb finally and continue to soar up while watching the fun below me.

Got you.

*Crack*