A wave of light enveloped the arena, and thunder cracked my eardrums as Cagney unleashed her lightning. One moment we had been standing side-by-side after I’d won the duel and the next, I was flying back. Stones gripped my clothes as I manipulated them to drag me across the air.

It wasn't necessary,

The first strike of lightning splashed against a veil that had appeared between Cagney and I. It was a sheet of water. It dug into the floor beneath my feet, leaving a cut deep in the earth and the lightning mana that squirmed in the air was forced into the cracks in the ground.

I landed a few meters from my starting position. If the lightning hadn’t been blocked, I'd have dodged it. This wasn't the first time I'd had to react quickly. Amanda could throw out ferocious whips and claws of flames that threatened to burn me at a glance. My defences were never down, especially when the mana shouted for me to defend myself and rose to aid me.

Cagney raised her eyes, lightning crackling within them. Another streak of lightning flew at me. I raised my hand, and a stone block flew out of my inventory, blocking her attack.

But something else got to her first.

A hand gripped her wrist tightly, and the symbols around the arena shimmered and glowed as Kyle activated them. There was a flash of yellow mana in the air around Cagney, and then her spell cancelled. The lightning mana dissipated harmlessly into the air, and I watched it flutter by me. It was apologetic for what had just happened, but I could see that Cagney wasn't.

"That's enough.” Kyle’s voice rang out through the arena. “Send through another challenge if you want to fight.”

Magic exuded from him in waves, stronger than I'd felt from any other student except Gerial. Water spewed forth around Cagney, lacing around her wrists and robes threateningly. I hadn't seen it appear, but it carved a path through the space around her.

Each stream had edges as sharp as blades. With the protection of the arena the threat was mitigated, but I saw a shiver run through her as the attack snuck through her defences before she could react.

"Very well." She spoke through gritted teeth. Then she turned to me. “I apologise.”

She couldn't have hurt me either way. The symbols of the arena were still active, and the worst that could've happened to me was that I’d be blinded for a bit longer. Judging from the way my eyesight healed so quickly, the arena was likely preventing and healing that damage as well to an extent.

Cagney had gained nothing from her outburst.

Her glare didn't disappear, but I didn't back down. Regardless of whether or not she still had a grudge, or was just caught up in bloodlust, I wouldn't benefit from fighting her.

Unless she wanted to give me more of her points.

"I'll always accept another challenge.” My voice was calm. “Right now is a good time.”

Not everyone accepted their defeat readily, or easily. If she had the points, then I was happy to show her the difference between us. Especially now that I had gotten a proper look at her abilities.

She didn't reply. Instead, she shook off Kyle’s hand and turned around toward the exit of the arena, lightning and communication mana gathering around her. Kyle’s magic retracted, water streaming away from Cagney’s robes as she stomped out the door.

Kyle’s magic hung by his side, the mana gazing at me curiously as it sensed my attunement. His expression returned to the mischievous smile that seemed to be his default and he clapped his hands together, dispersing the mana gathered around him.

In an instant the air became easier to breathe in. I hadn't realised how much pressure he’d put on me by simply casting a spell in my presence.

"Thank you." I said. “I didn’t realise she’d take it so personally.”

"You should tell that to your hair." Kyle looked above me and chuckled.

I looked up to see flames gathering above my head. They were violent red, the colour of anger, and billowed furiously as they formed a whirlpool of fire. Agni had already begun casting a spell before Cagney had struck, but I could feel her holding back from attacking. I gave her a reassuring pat and the flames died down.

Kyle nodded at me in appreciation.

"She will receive a penalty for her actions, but you should still be careful. Cagney is strong, and she should make it into the top ten for your year level. If I'd known how she would react to losing, I would never have accepted her challenge on your behalf.” His gaze lingered on the door before shifting to me. “She’ll likely be your competitor in the holy land.”

“Can she hurt me?” I asked, genuinely curious.

Koshima academy was an ordinary school at its core. Children were highly valued in the world. Maybe more so than on Earth due to the First Night. The academy shouldn't let anything happen to any of its students, each of them was destined to become an influential figure in the world.

“You'll all be under supervision so you can’t kill each other or anything crazy. That's why we have the arena.” Kyle confirmed my suspicions. “But having anyone as an obstacle in the holy lands is time wasted. It's not rare to have feuding clans and houses steal treasures from each other or try to hinder each other in other ways. With Cagney as your enemy, you could find the exact material you need to fulfil your dreams and a stray strike of lightning might destroy it before your eyes.”

Anger and annoyance rose within my heart. Sabotage was a major issue. Finding natural treasures inside the holy land was already tough. Having someone trying to actively destroy them before I got them or steal them from me was beyond annoying.

Cagney could do some real damage if she reached a treasure before I did.

Then again, I had a team of friends I trusted with my life. Even if Cagney wanted to attack, she would have to get through them first. And through me.

"It's nothing I can't overcome.”

My confidence flowed out through my voice.

“If she wants revenge, then she has to get through more than just me.”

"That's exactly the kind of confidence I like to see in freshman.” Kyle clapped his hands together, a hearty chuckle leaving his throat. "If you've got the mana for it, I can set you up with another match tomorrow at lunch. Remember to leave some for your classes.”

“I've got enough.” I assured him.

“Great. Let's get chaotic.” He grinned. “I’ll let you know what I tee up.”

After a brief glance to check that Cagney had truly left, Kyle made his way out of the arena and I sat back, thinking over my options. Kyle's last words had struck a chord in me. The only thing stopping me from dueling people one after the other was my manapool. If Kyle saw me using spells constantly it would raise suspicions. But he wasn't the only person that was offering to help me find opponents.

I took out my texting regent and found Berlia’s symbol. My cousin had offered to be my observer for matches earlier, but I'd told her I'd already had Kyle helping me.

[Hey. I think I’ll take you up on that offer to find me an opponent. Do you think you can get me something for tomorrow's first break? I've got plans for lunch.] I sent the text to her and gathered together the stone I’d dispersed across the arena.

Before I'd finished collecting my earth and stones, the texting regent lit up.

[Absolutely! Do you want me to find you tough opponents, or easy pickings?] Her message was followed by another. [Just kidding. They'll all be tough. Us Jâl don't shy away from fights and if you do, I’ll beat you in an official fight myself!]

I laughed and sent a reply back immediately. [That sounds perfect to me.]

The last of the stones that I had spread across the arena fell into my inventory and I made my way outside. In my hands was my ID card.

It used to read ‘Crijik: 14 points. Rank 165’. The words had changed even though Cagney had left before handing Kyle her card.

Crijik: 62 points. Rank 77.

I looked down at the card and a smile tugged at my lips.

Not bad.

In one fell swoop I had swapped places entirely with my opponent. I sent a text to Kyle for an update on her situation as well, to see how far away she was from reaching the top ten.

Cagni Grave: 16 points. Rank 160.

Her spells and abilities ran through my mind. Each one of them was designed for battle, and what she lacked in experience was made up for by the speed of her lightning. Koshima academy was a terrifying place where hidden dragons roamed the halls, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't see Cagney getting any lower than the top ten.

“Looks like we’ll have competition when we get into the holy land.” I murmured.

Agni chirped in agreement.

****

It had been a while since I'd arrived from school utterly exhausted. The sun hung low over the lone tree in our front yard, and Gold raced through the open doors of my house as I stepped out of the portal connecting Koshima academy to my home. I watched him zoom through the air with mild interest. The puffer had been acting strange ever since school had ended.

Maybe he was getting jealous of my time with Agni.

I paused and opened up my system, words floating across my vision. Now that I was out of school, I read the system messages that had appeared toward the end of the fight.

[Earthern Spear has reached Rank II Level 5]

[Earth Manipulation has reached Rank VI Level 2]

I dismissed the messages with a smile on my face. Cagney had been annoying, but I'd gladly face her a dozen times over if this was my reward. Battles really were the best way to level up.

"Get in here Champ before the food gets cold!” A voice called out to me.

My father was standing at the entrance and beckoning me inside. I gave the dirt underneath me a small push and it slid forward until I was at the door. I didn't have to use magic to move, but it felt great.

“Hey dad, what's— huh?” My voice cut off as I got a view of the inside of the house.

The kitchen had transformed. The wooden interior had always been dull brown, but someone had strung up ribbons that were all the colours of the rainbow. My father shuffled aside, and I noticed something on his head. It was a party hat made out of parchment.

"Look at him, he’s stunned.” My father said.

"Don't tease him darling, this is a big day." My mother’s voice floated into my ears.

She stood beside the table, and I saw a row of dishes laid out, the food fresh and delicious. Gold sat on my mother’s shoulder, his chest puffing out proudly. My mother was adjusting a tiny purple party hat onto his head, matching her own.

"And one for you too." My father said.

Before I could react, he raised his hand onto my head and pushed something onto my hair. A quick pat with my hand confirmed that it was another party hat.

"What's this for?" I asked. “I didn't miss my birthday again, did I?”

Gold tittered and flapped his wings. A single melodic chirp filled the air.

Surprise congratulations.

"Congratulations?" I asked. "For what?"

Surely my parents hadn't heard about my victory over Cagney. And even if they had, I don't think it was enough of an achievement to warrant a party.

"It's an attunement celebration!” My father’s joy echoed across the house. "Don't tell me you’ve forgotten that you’ve attuned to water already? I thought I taught you better memorisation skills than that.”

“Your father’s right.” My mother strode up to my side and swept me into a hug. “You’ve attuned to two basic elements. And even a mid-tier one! I can count the number of people in our entire family history that have done that on two hands.”

“And don't even ask about the Jâls.” My father added. “Sure, some of us practice magic, but most of us focus on symbols from the day we’re able to hold an inscribing pen. You're probably the most accomplished magician in our family and you didn't even have to give up being an inscriber. I don't have the words to tell you how proud I am.”

"Well, I do.” My mother said. “I'm proud of you sweetie.”

Her hug tightened and I couldn't help but smile. Gold chirped his congratulations as well, and I could feel his sincerity.

There was a moment of silence as we stood there. We were a family enjoying each other's presence. My parents had gone all out with the ribbons. And when I took a second look at the ceiling, I saw a banner had been placed onto it.

“Congratulations.” I read it out loud. “Thanks, mum, dad.”

A beak pecked at my hand.

“And Gold, of course.” I laughed. “I knew you were up to something. You were too eager to get back home.”

"Don't be silly, Gold is a great secret keeper. He’s been part of our planning committee since the beginning.” My mother scratched the puffer’s neck and he preened. "Not to mention the food committee. Which he made sure to attend every meeting for.”

She released her hug and we moved to the table. I could see that they had gone all out in creating a feast. Gold’s eyes darted from side to side as my mother introduced the various foods, and she laughed as he tried to steal my portion.

"Not yet." She glanced behind me. “Darling, our guests are arriving.”

The moment she spoke there was a knock at the door. My head shot toward it and my eyes widened as a familiar boy leaned against the doorframe, a giant grin on his face.

"You didn't think a single text message was going to be good enough for me, did you?”

My parents stood up in greeting, and I rose as well. I felt a tug within my chest as my Mark reacted to his presence.

It was Gerial.

“Even the Divines couldn’t keep me away from this celebration.”