Reya knew she wasn't like any other student here. It was a truth she had had to accept from the very moment she opened her first spellbook, but which had always been rather hard to digest. Maddison wasn't the first person she had ever encountered who doubted her abilities, and she certainly wouldn't be the last. It was amazing, truly, how people could so readily accept the existence of superhumans, people who could melt steel with projected beams of light from their eyeballs, who could lift massive tankers with their bare hands, who could control fundamental aspects of nature such as the weather or gravity itself. Yet these same people viewed spellcasters as charlatans.

The common consensus was that the very concept of magic was ludicrous. Yes, the Deva genes and magic functioned in a similar way, in that they allowed those who possessed them to be able to do spectacular things, but one was a thing of biology, of science. It could be studied (even though years upon years of that very study had been near fruitless). The other supposedly tapped into primeval forces people could neither see nor comprehend. On that front, she could understand why some people were skeptical of magic-users. Some people simply refused to accept something unless they saw concrete proof with their own eyes.

But another part of her couldn't suppress a suspicion that had been gnawing at her for years on end, the real source of not only the distrust, but the blatant dislike, of magic: envy.

Yes, some superhumans could weave storms from the surface of a perfectly serene ocean, or summon blazing infernos with a mere snap of the fingers. But sometimes that was simply all they could do. People like Reya, however, were the jacks-of-all-trades of the non-human community. They could do everything a regular superhuman could do, and more, and for the most part all it took was to know the right spell. On that note too she could understand why: these people trained for almost their entire lives, refining their skills, yet magic-users could replicate, and even surpass, their achievements simply by shouting a few words and waving their hands. She had to admit, if the situations were reversed, she would likely feel some friction with her kind as well.

Some believed that magic-users had no place in superhero business, that they weren't technically superhumans. Reya had had to fight for her place here. Well, that was rather an overstatement of things, but the process didn't go over quite as smoothly as she suspected it would have had her powers come from the same source as everyone else.

Still, she, like everyone else fighting in these halls, had a right to be here. Though no one was overtly making their thoughts clear as to how they felt about her, she had heard the rumours, and knew full well the true meaning behind the funny looks she was getting. She didn't belong here. She wasn't meant to be a superhero; her place was at a carnival, or a child's birthday party, doing parlor tricks. She had bided her time, however, held her tongue. Words would do nothing for her; her actions, her achievements, had to be what proved them wrong. What she was facing now was no doubt what most, if not all, of the magic-based superheroes today had to go through. In fact her favourite hero, The Jade Wand, had spoken publicly of even worse mistreatment. But he hadn't let that stop him, and neither would she.

Which was why she was currently floating through the narrow silver hallways, perched atop a spiraling rune-shaped platform of bright purple energy. So far she had faced three opponents. Of those three she had only secured two chips: the third had been driven away in fright, immediately taking flight the moment she conjured a massive water dragon to attack.

In truth, it had been a bit of an excessive move. She had been practicing her spellwork relentlessly, honing a myriad of smaller-scale techniques that would be easier to both remember and perform in this chaotic climate, but she remembered distinctly the filthy looks this boy had given her in her early weeks of school, heard the rumours of what he had said. She was not one to lose her temper often, but in the moments she did, the results could be devastating. That was another similarity magic-users and superhumans held in common: their powers were bound, for better or worse, to their emotions. That was the origin of what Charlie had explained to her to be called "Trigger Moments," and while Reya Ellsworth had never actually experienced such an overwhelming surge of emotion that manifested latent abilities, the destructive results of losing control of one's own mind were something that she had seen more often than she cared to admit.

Her eyes swiveled around as she soared through the halls, hunting for her next opponent. Many of the students here were the sons and daughters of heroes — not the majority, but a large amount. Even Charlie was the son of a well-renowned heroine, the goddess come to be known as Valkyria. Not a goddess in the same sense as Atropos, but simply because the woman radiated power and grace. Many of the students came here hoping to live up to the legacies they had been born into. Reya had a different mission, however. She had no family name to live up to, rather, she would be the one who brought that name to light. Like The Jade Wand, she would bring magic-users into positive attention.

"Helloooooo!"

An annoyed voice rang out, startling Reya out of her reverie so abruptly that she nearly went flying off her hovering platform. Jerking to a halt, she stopped and looked around. Down below, a girl was standing at the corner she just passed, arms folded and looking irritated.

"I thought you were going to zip right by me, just as I thought I finally found another opponent. Woman on a mission, huh?"

Reya turned to face her, bringing her platform down a few feet but otherwise keeping her distance. After three months at Helix, many faces were familiar, some more so than others. And while hers was such a face, she had no idea what this girl could actually do.

"Looks like you plan to stick around to entertain me," she said, with a smile. "In that case, I'm Stella, but you can call me Sunstorm."

Reya raised an eyebrow. "A superhero name? You realize we have to reach sixth year before we can even start thinking about choosing names, right?"

"Correction, we have to reach sixth year before we can officially implement our chosen names. We can still pick them beforehand, so long as they're not copyrighted. And as long as no one else shows up in the next six years to claim it, that's the name I'm going with."

Reya found herself actually admiring the girl's confidence. Wanting to reach the final year, and to graduate from Helix as a full-fledged Hero, was of course the most common dream held by the students here, and Reya was no different in that regard. But there was always a possibility, even the tiniest chance, that those plans could be derailed. For Stella to stand here, so far away from their goal, and claim that she had already chosen the name she would wear for the rest of her life, so confident she would be a Hero, was quite surprising, and somewhat inspiring.

"I don't suppose you have a name picked out for yourself? You can't tell me you haven't at least thought about it."

"I've been going over some options," Reya admitted. "Still undecided, though. Some of them are a bit too silly."

"Maybe you can bounce them off of me some other time once we're done here, then I can tell you what I think," Stella said, without any change in her casual manner.

Reya blinked, surprised. "Sure," she said, and she actually meant it. "That wouldn't be too bad, I suppose."

"Good, good. We still have to make it out of here, though." Stella winked theatrically, intending to remind Reya of their present situation. But she had not forgotten either, she was just waiting to get the initial greeting phase over with.

"Oh, I know."

Reya reared backwards, floating closer to the ceiling.

"If you're ready, then." Without waiting for an answer, she raised her arms and summoned a torrent of water.

It was a move similar to what she had done earlier against her Hades opponent, but less aggressive, at least in appearance. She had decided to use a plain jet of water as opposed to a seven-foot tall dragon this time. The water roared through the hallway, heading towards Stella, who had made no moves to dodge. Not that there was anywhere she could go.

The water barreled over where she had stood, swallowing her willowy figure as Reya watched from above. And just like that, it was over. It seemed almost surreal. None of her other fights had been as quick, and she'd actually been hoping for a decent show from someone confident enough to believe that she would undoubtedly be here in six years, and emerge among that years batch of new heroes. It seemed that confidence was simply arrogance after all. After a few moments Reya raised her hand, ready to let the wave collapse into the nothingness from which it had been summoned before her adversary could drown, when a spike of flame abruptly tore through the water.

She was so stunned that she jerked backwards, accidentally bumping her head against the ceiling. But the sharp flare of pain was quickly brushed off as she stared down at what was happening below.

A massive wall of blazing fire was spreading throughout the narrow hallway, climbing along the walls like a sentient force. That wasn't the strangest part though: the fire wasn't the typical orange and blue colour. It was a great pillar of bright, deep gold, ringed with an unnatural neon green. It ripped violently through the water, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of steam and a grinning Stella. She was completely dry, as if the water had never touched her.

Stella thrust her palm up, and Reya could tell what was coming next from a mile away. She veered backwards as a plume of that strange fire streamed up towards her; even as she ducked to the floor she could feel the heat enveloping her skin as it passed overhead.

This was no ordinary fire, not even by a superhuman's standards.

Reya circled back, zipping to the ground and shooting down the hall towards her foe. She didn't have to worry about falling: a simple adhesion charm ensured she remained rooted to her platform, which she was becoming increasingly grateful for as more and more streaks of fire shot towards her.

Reya threw up her hands, crossing the wrist of her right hand over her left. A clear barrier of dark purple energy bloomed in front of her, bearing the brunt of the next attack. That, however, was the first mistake she made during this fight. She had greatly underestimated the force behind this mysterious fire, as well as the intensity of the heat. She could feel her barrier failing within seconds of impact, feel the overwhelming heat caressing her skin. Then in an instant, the shield shattered and the force of the blast blew her off the platform she had been floating on, which now disappeared in a soft lilac glow.

Her golden hair messily sprawled around her head as she lay there, suddenly drenched in sweat. She was right: that was definitely no ordinary fire.

"You look a little parched," said Stella's taunting voice. "Maybe we should just call it a day and you go grab a water bottle, huh?"

Reya stood, pushing her hair out of her eyes and glaring at her opponent with renewed vigor.

"Still want to keep going, huh? My type of girl." Smiling broadly, Stella raised her arms once more, poised to fight. Reya watched her hands closely, ready to leap aside the moment another ball of fire reared, but again, that was a mistake. While the strange-looking flames blazing in her palms drew Reya's attention, another, larger ball of it appeared directly beside her, almost as if it had been woven out of thin air, and exploded into light, pushing her once again into the wall. She managed to find her feet again, but her reaction time was significantly slower this time. Those fireballs packed a punch.

Reya let out a gasp of shock as she looked around. Several balls of similar magnitude were hovering around her like miniature suns, all controlled by the girl in front of her. Stella had abandoned her smirk now; now the face that stared back at Reya was completely serious, screwed up in concentration and devoid of all emotion. Stella had checked out of this fight now — this was Sunstorm, a woman who might one day inspire the kind of fear in criminals and superpowered villains that she was now inspiring in Reya herself.

The orbs of light all closed in at once, crowding around her. Reya realized that her options were very slim. Her barrier could barely withstand the force of a single strike, it would certainly not hold under several at once. In sheer desperation, she attempted something completely different.

The balls of flame collided, igniting a brilliant explosion of bright yellows and neon greens. It remained that way for all of five seconds until Sunstorm gave a sharp wave of her hand, quelling the explosion. She lowered her hands, though still kept herself tense, believing the fight to be over but prepared in case she was wrong. Judging by the way her shield had melted earlier, there was no way she could hold out against this barrage, yet people like them had a knack for pulling off the impossible, and Stella hated surprises.

The flames cleared, and when they had, nothing but empty corridor stared back at her. That genuinely took her aback. She had expected to find the girl a collapsed heap on the ground, or at least standing, singed and panting, behind the remnants of a new, stronger barrier. This was something she hadn't accounted for, disappearing entirely into thin air.

"Now I understand," the girl's voice said; it sounded distorted, like she was speaking through a voice modulator. "I knew from the beginning it wasn't ordinary fire, but after seeing that explosion up close, I realized something."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Sunstorm stared around cautiously, determined not to be caught off guard. Invisibility or intangibility was at play here, maybe even both. But that wouldn't be enough to stop her.

"That fire isn't fire at all. It's plasma."

"Smart girl," said Sunstorm, still looking carefully around, arms raised and poised for firing. "But that doesn't do much to change your situation."

"True. But that's the fun part."

A gust of wind picked up in front of her, slamming into her body. The force was so strong Sunstorm was actually pushed into the wall, held there by a powerful breeze that had been conjured from otherwise serene air. Then several long, slender constructs composed of bright purple energy came sailing forward, accompanied by a cartoonish whistling noise. The objects struck various parts of her clothing, with such precision that not a single point touched her body. It was only as their movements stopped, pinning her to the wall, that she realized what they were.

Swords, made entirely of purple light.

"Nice trick." It was indeed an impressive feat, but it simply wasn't good enough to stop her. Sunstorm concentrated hard on the parts of her body closest to the swords. Most people assumed that people who could manipulate fire could only produce it from certain areas, like their hands or mouths. In truth, one with enough training could produce it from nearly any area of their body they chose. While she manipulated a different element entirely, there was still enough similarity for the same rule to apply to her as well.

Golden light glowed from the points where the swords dug into the wall and expanded outwards, slowly consuming the blades.

At last they disappeared, and Sunstorm leapt triumphantly to the ground. However, that proved to be her first, and last, mistake. Instead of solid metal greeting her feet, the soles of her shoes plunged into what felt like a mound of pudding. She tried to pull herself out, grunting in effort, until she realized that she was only pushing herself deeper in, much like a quicksand trap. By the time she settled herself, she was waist-deep in the floor.

"Damn it, the swords were just a distraction," she cursed. "You shifted the ground while I was pinned."

"I did," Reya agreed, still invisible. "I knew I wasn't going to beat you head on, so I tried something different."

"And I suppose using my powers will only make me sink faster too, huh?" Sunstorm sighed dramatically. She contemplated for a moment firing off several wild shots in the vain hope that at least one would make contact, but ultimately decided it would be a waste of effort. "Fine, I yield. I don't have time to sit here like an idiot for four minutes."

Reya instantly rematerialized. There was no worry of a double cross. It had been deeply ingrained in them since starting Helix that in any sort of practice match, a concession of defeat was final, regardless of whether the person in question actually meant it.

"You've got spunk, Magic Girl. I'll give you that."

"Thank you." Reya smiled, then turned her attention to the floor. Her eyes glowed with violet light as she chanted under her breath, then slowly, steadily, Stella rose smoothly into the air until the ground beneath her feet was solid once more. "Although I should say, my name's not 'Magic Girl.' It's Reya. Reya Ellsworth."

"Well pardon me, Miss Ellsworth." Stella was pulling out her compass, rifling for another chip, which she paired with the one she had tied to her belt. "But to be fair, you never actually told me what your name was. But I'll definitely remember that one. Reya Ellsworth, the girl who defeated me without even laying a finger on me. That's a story for the ages."

She dropped her chips in Reya's open palm, but despite the bitterness of her words, she was smiling. "Good luck out there. I would hate for the girl who beat me to drop out too soon. I do have a reputation to uphold, after all."

Reya let out a small laugh and nodded as her quarry stalked away, walking in a way that suggested that she was the victor. Reya clutched the chips tightly in her hands. So far, so good. One more and she would be off to Level 3. She was in such high spirits as she summoned another floating platform that she almost laughed aloud, feeling almost sorry for the next poor soul who ran across her path.