They spent any free time they had for the next week discussing different strategies for their upcoming duels. Other than that they had to prepare for first term final exams.

"Ana, what was that dome of air you made last time?" Parker had been intrigued by how that had worked for her.

"That?" She laughed. "Really just a big bubble of air."

"But everything they tried couldn't get through it, how come?"

She thought about it for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know... I'd never done it before."

Alexis laughed, "You decided to just try something completely new that you'd never even attempted during a duel?" Ana nodded. "You're crazy."

"How did you come up with it?" Caleb asked.

"I thought about flying but keeping myself on the ground."

All four of them looked at her perplexed. "That makes no sense Ana," Parker said.

Hailee held her finger up. "No... It actually does make sense—" Now everyone turned their heads and looked at her perplexed.

"How does it make sense?" Parker asked.

"Think about the air around us when we fly. It whips around us really fast in order to lift us through the air. If you focus your thoughts on staying on the ground, the wind will just whip around you at high speeds, help deflects things that are shot at you. Although, in a duel, I would only use it as a last resort since it may not work at keeping the other Imperials out."

Parker laughed. "I mean, we could just practice. You know, since we have all of the elements right here."

"That's probably not safe—we still don't have complete control over some of the Imperials. We've got air down pat again, but fire is still tricky and water, we only have the basics." Alexis talked with a cautious tone.

They all agreed before heading to bed for the night.

-----

"The tournament stands as follows, The House of Gia with five members, The House of Kenna with six members, The House of Leith with two members and The House of Erion with seven. Now, we hadn't told you this yet," the masters looked back and forth from the remaining competitors. "The winner for each year, will be exempt from end of year exams in their applications classes." Murmuring broke out in each house. Some refused to believe that Master Sora meant what he said.

"So, just the winner or the house of the winner?" A boy in green robes asked.

"Just the winner," the master answered. Determination filled everyone's eyes. "There are only twenty of you left. Listen carefully for your name so you know when you go on next. Rounds two and three for second years will be completed today, so if you win, stick around."

Everyone headed to the benches that had been brought in for them. Name after name was called and the students would head out to their ring. The first wave of duels started and finished before they knew it.

"Parker Gray from The House of Erion versus Raelyn Foster from The House of Gia please go to ring three.

"Good luck!" Raelyn said. "May the best Imperial win!" They bowed and began. Parker was met with a rock the size of his head in the chest. It sent him hurtling backwards fast. He pictured a strong gust of wind from behind him. It hit his back and kept inside the ring.

Parker squatted to the ground and clapped his hands hard in front of him sending a strong wave of air across the ground. Raelyn easily dodged it by raising the ground in front of her so the air split to the sides.

She kicked the raised spot and it rippled through the field and sent Parker to his knees. Ana's move from her first duel popped into his head. He knew he was crazy to try it. They had figured that The House of Gia would be the worst house to use it again because air has little effect on stopping the ground from underneath it.

Parker saw that he got lucky and caught her off guard as the bubble of air quickly expanded knocking her out of the ring. "Point to Parker Gray!" Master Terra shouted.

They took their positions again and began. Neither moved, taking a moment to regain their composure. Parker knew that move probably wouldn't work again. An idea popped into his head that would be a similar attack.

He pictured a large wall of air moving towards Raelyn. The wind in front of him intensified but was invisible to the naked eye. The grass on the field moved a lot signaling Raelyn that something was happening. She raised a wall of rock in front of her that saved her from Parker's attack.

However, the wall blinded her from what Parker was doing next. He ran straight at her and jump kicked the rock as hard as he could. Normally that would have done absolutely nothing but hurt him. When his feet were close to the rock he focused on creating an immense burst of air from his feet that shattered the rock and sent Raelyn out of the ring.

"The duel goes to Parker Gray! Great duel you two."

Parker walked over and helped Raelyn up. "Great job Parker. I did not see that coming. I'll have to figure out a way to use that but not blind myself at the same time." Parker then went over and took a seat on the bench next to Caleb.

"That was awesome Parker!" Caleb clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks. When do you go on?" Caleb shrugged his shoulders.

"Not sure, but Alexis is on right..." he stopped his sentence as Alexis joined them on the bench.

"I take it you won?" Alexis asked Parker. He nodded and asked her the same question.

"So far, we've both won and so has Emma. If Caleb and Ana win, we'll have half of the third round which would be awesome!" With every word Alexis became more and more excited.

They watched the rest of the duels for the second round. They couldn't believe some of the moves they saw but they tried as hard as they could to remember what they were doing so they could dodge it later.

The masters summoned the remaining ten competitors to ring one. "We will continue with the third round after lunch. The current ranks are as follows; The House of Erion with five, The House of Gia with two, The House of Kenna with two and The House of Leith with one." Master Sora couldn't help but smile when he said he had five of his pupils still in the tournament.

Parker, Alexis, Caleb, Ana and Emma all sat together at lunch and discussed what they were going to do. "I hated having to face Oliver last round..." They all knew that they could end up facing their own house in the tournament but they had their fingers crossed that it wouldn't happen.

"Let's just count our blessings that none of us are facing each other next round. But that means after this round we'll definitely have to face each other if we make it through," Alexis pointed this out and they all looked at each other with determined and apologetic eyes.

"How does the next round even work with five of us remaining?" Ana asked. Everyone looked at her wondering the same thing. "It can't be a bracket style like we just did because there's an odd number. Maybe the one with the worst score from the previous rounds is sent packing?"

"I doubt they would do that. I mean if they've made it that far into the tournament they've proven that they're one of the best of the year." Parker seemed positive that he was on the right track.

They spent the rest of lunch talking about what they were going to do in their following duels. Clay stopped by the table to wish them luck and mentioned that it was the first time in years that one house has had the possibility of having all five of the finalists for the tournament. While he was at the table wishing them luck, Parker asked about the finals.

"Oh, yeah I can tell you how it works. They take the final five competitors and put them in one ring that is fifty feet in diameter."

"You're telling me that it's every man," he looked at Alexis, Ana and Emma, then corrected himself. "Or woman for themselves?" Clay nodded his head and left. "Oh—" was all Parker could muster before they had to get up and head back to the field.

When they arrived on the field the masters ushered them to one of the rings to explain the third round. Master Sora stepped forward and spoke, "The third round will be just like the last, however, there is one slight change. It is now three ring outs or a knock out in order to win."

The ten competitors looked at each other, doing their best to look confident and try to intimidate the others. "I'm sure you all know what the next round will be like by now so work your hardest in order to be a part of it." They looked at Master Keegan as he spoke with conviction in his voice.

"What would happen if all five from our house were to win?" Ana asked but quickly regretted it due to the glares she was getting from the other five competitors.

Master Sora smiled at the possibility of Ana's question. "We would put the five of you in the ring and wish you the best of luck. The House of Erion would be declared the second year winner but you would have to duel for the prize."

The five House of Erion members smiled and looked at one another silently cheering each other on.

"In ring one, Alexis Ayers from The House of Erion versus Tiffany Hayes from The House of Kenna." Master Kingston directed them to ring one and followed them there.

Master Sora spoke next. "Caleb Prescott from The House of Erion versus Rory Talbott from The House of Kenna." The three of them made their way over to ring two.

"Parker Gray from The House of Erion versus Yuko Miyagi from The House of Gia please make your way to ring three." Master Keegan followed them as they walked to their ring. Parker listen as he walked to try and hear who the others would be facing.

"Ana Rey from The House of Erion versus Zoey Hearth from The House of Gia, you will be in this ring. Emma Blackwell from The House of Erion and Levi Baumgartner from The House of Leith take a seat and you will begin when the first duel is over." Master Terra directed them to the benches so that Ana and Zoey could begin.

Parker and Yuko faced each other and bowed, ready to begin. Parker quickly jumped in the air as the ground split under his feet. Yuko shot rocks the size of baseballs at him as he hovered in place. He dodged the first couple but took many to the stomach before landing again.

She continued her onslaught of rock projectiles only managing to land a few hits. Parker shot wave after wave of air at her trying to knock her off her feet to sweep her out of the ring while she was off-balance

They both paused for a moment and Parker caught Caleb getting knocked out of the ring behind Yuko. The moment of distraction cost him as the ground under him pulled him out of the ring.

"Point to Yuko Miyagi!"

Facing each other again, they bowed. Parker dashed forward catching Yuko off guard as he sent two streams of air from his fists. They both collided with her stomach knocking her on to her back. Before she could get back up, Parker kicked the ground as hard as he could send a wave of air at her, flipping her out of the ring and into the moat of water by the wall.

"Point to Parker Gray!"

After a moment for Yuko to get back into the ring, sopping wet, they bowed once more. Parker went for the same strategy, hoping that it might work out for him again but was met with a rock the size of his chest flying at him. He jumped in the air so he was parallel to the ground and kicked with all his might. As the rock flew over him, inches away from his body, a surge of air came out of his feet and hit Yuko square in the chest sending her out of the ring.

"Point to Parker Gray!"

Parker walked over to help her up so they could start the next round. She lay still on the ground, unconscious. "Master Terra, she's unconscious, you should get her to the Medical Ward."

Master Terra cupped his hands and lifted them slightly. The ground underneath Yuko rose slightly and then began to slide toward the door. "Parker, you will advance to the final round, congratulations. Please send Miss Blackwell and Mister Baumgartner my way."

"Will do! And thank you!" He ran to the bench and told them that they were up. He wished Emma luck and made his way upstairs so he could watch the rest of the others' matches.

When he sat in the stands, he was congratulated by everyone in his house. He looked down to see how Alexis was doing and Hailee told him they were tied at two points each. "It all comes down to this!" Her voice showed how excited she was while being nervous at the same time.

The two girls bowed to each other for the final time. Tiffany launched fireball after fireball at her. Parker thought this would frighten her after what happened between them but Alexis didn't flinch. The fireballs seemed to divert themselves around her.

Tiffany stared at her confused as to why her attack hadn't worked. Alexis raised her hands to her side and clapped them together as hard as she could. Parker could hear the clap through the floor as he watched Tiffany fly out of the ring and land hard on the field.

"The duel goes to Alexis Ayers!" Master Kingston shouted. Alexis jumped in the air and pumped her fist. She ran upstairs to watch the others. When she got to the stands Parker gave her a hug before she could sit down.

"Alexis that was awesome! How'd you deflect those fireballs? You didn't even move!" Alexis thanked him but ignored the question and watched the others duel.

Parker turned to see how Caleb was doing to see him making his way toward the door. "Did you guys see if he won?" Both girls shook their heads. He turned to see how the other two were doing, surprised that they were still going. It had already been twenty minutes, which for a duel like this was an extremely long time.

Caleb took a seat next to him but said nothing. Parker could tell by his expression that Caleb hadn't won his duel. He decided it was probably best to say nothing. If he needed anything, he knew that Parker would be right there for him.

He turned his head back to the duel and saw Ana flying through the air. The ground under her feet had launched her out of the ring. As soon as she crossed the boundary line, Master Terra yelled, "The duel goes to Zoey Hearth!" They could hear the pride in his voice and see it on his face. He had one student going to the finals.

All that was left was Emma. The rest of the field was empty besides Master Keegan standing by their ring. The other masters had joined everyone in the stands to see the final results.

"I can't believe that Emma has the only point so far. This second round is taking forever!" Alexis said.

Every blast that Emma sent at Levi was met with a ball of water that would explode, saving him from being knocked out of the ring. It looked like he was trying to stall her out and make her tired but she wasn't giving up.

She ran straight at him, tired of the diversion tactics. When she was right in his face she put her hands to his chest and sent a burst of air through her palms. He flew out of the ring and landed hard on his back, flipping end over end until he came to a stop. He lay still on the ground as Emma held a hand out to help him up. Master Keegan walked over to him and raised his hand in the air.

"The last of the competitors for the finals is Emma Blackwell!"

The House of Erion erupted in cheers. "I can't believe that three of you made it to the finals!" Hailee was jumping up and down filled with joy. She caught Caleb's eye and saw how sad he looked causing her to halt immediately. "Caleb... I'm so sorry! You did so well though. Don't be so down. You're still one of the top ten of your class. That's amazing!"

"I know I did well, I just feel like I shouldn't have lost that duel!"

Hailee hugged him and said, "It'll be okay, I thought you looked great out there." Both of their faces grew red as they separated. They looked at each other for a minute and then joined in on the cheering again.

The five winners walked back to the field to hear the instructions for the next step. "Congratulations to you five on your victories. You dueled phenomenally. For the final round, you will all face one another." As Master Sora said it, they began glaring back and forth at one another.

"When are the finals?" Zoey asked.

"They will be at the end of January, close to the third term exams. Make sure that you practice and plan for the duel accordingly so that your studies don't slip either."

Everyone left the field and the stands and returned to their houses. The five of them met on the roof so they could talk without everyone listening.

"I'm so proud of you two!" Hailee chirped. Both Parker and Alexis had coy smiles on their faces. They were grateful for her applause of them but didn't know what to do while she applauded them. "So, what are you going to do to prepare for the finals?"

"I have no clue," Parker admitted. "But we've got plenty of time to plan and strategize."

"All I know is that me, you and Emma need to work together to knock the other two out first so The House of Erion gets the second year win. Then we can duel each other for the title."

"Good point Alexis, that's a great plan to start with. Then the three of you can plan how you'll take the other two out." Caleb was proud of his two friends for making it to the finals but was still struggling with the fact that he'd have to watch from the stands instead of inside the ring with them.

After dinner was over, they made their way out to the bridge to relax for a while before curfew. "I love looking out over the waterfall, no matter how loud it is." Everyone could tell how much Ana loved being at the school. They still couldn't believe that she had hiked all the way there on her own.

"I'm at the point where I barely even hear the waterfall, even when I'm right next to it," Alexis said. No one said anything else for a while. They each were enjoying the relaxation that came with sitting outside.

"What are we going to do for the next four days?" Parker asked.

"Whatever we want I suppose. We should probably practice our Omni class, even without Master Sora." Alexis suggested. "We should probably get all of our homework done as well."

"You would be the one to say let's do homework, but I definitely don't want to do any homework tomorrow."

"Well, be thankful that your birthday will always fall two days before the new year starts then...” Parker was very adamant about that.

Alexis gasped and said, "Oh yeah! Duh!" Everyone looked at her confused before she added, "I wouldn't want to do homework on my birthday either."