Dmitri brought his hand to her cheeks and said tenderly, "What if my wife gets hurt? I will not be able to tolerate." He kissed her softly on her cheeks. "Your powers are the main weapon against all those wizards and witches. You have used them in the past to get out of dangerous situations and now you have to use them to your benefit. So don't think twice and use them."

Adrianna smiled. She nodded much to his satisfaction. Suddenly she remembered her dazed moment from yesterday. She asked him pensively, "Yesterday when I was in the academy, I thought I had teleported into the main hall of our home in the werewolf kingdom for a second. I saw you wearing a towel and there were two other girls standing right behind you."

​​

Dmitri was shocked. Even he saw her and thought he was dreaming. He didn't reply because he didn't want to disturb her for the next day. Adrianna looked at his expressions and laughed. She thought she was dreaming and so Dmitri was shocked to hear her dream. She went back to writing her notes about the strengths and weaknesses of all her competitors.

The day passed with the two of them charting out the strategies that were feasible. Rest all depended on the spur of the moment. She had to decide what action had to be taken according to the spells her competitors casted.

"So how will it be decided as to who wins?" asked Dmitri.

"Either the opponent surrenders or they are captured," she replied.

"Do you think any opponent would surrender?"

"Nope, because all of these people are the top students of the academy. They have reached this level after a lot of hard work. They wouldn't submit so easily."

"True…" Dmitri became very worried. This was going to be the longest days of his life.

"So what is the surprise Dmitri?" she asked him again.

He laughed. He tousled her hair and said, "You will see tomorrow."

Adrianna sighed.

In the evening they went out to stroll in the garden. Dmitri was keeping her mood very light so that she stayed positive. They slept early. Next day Adrianna woke up in the morning. She was very excited.

After she had dressed for the academy, she said to Dmitri, "The competition is open for all to see. Will you be coming?"

"Of course," he replied as he jumped out of the bed. "When does it start?"

"In an hour's time."

"Adri, tell me one thing. What happens if the two opponents are unable to finish the competition within the academy time?"

"Well, they continue to compete until the other one is down even if taken them more than a day. However, the ministry has kept a time limit of two days. So in case there is no decision, the wizards have to stop and it will be considered as a draw between them. The winner would be announced on the basis of the points."

"Hmm… in that case you better finish them off by the evening max, okay?"

Adrianna laughed. "Sure!" she said and headed outside. Dmitri followed her. Just before she was about to leave after breakfast, he hugged her and said, "Wish you all the best!"

"Thank you!" she said excitedly and climbed the carriage.

---

All the competitors lined up in two neat rows according to their pool in front of the academy garden. Isidorus was there to announce the opponents and commencement of the competition.

All the students were looking forward to it. They had already formed their favorites and were ready with placards and banners to cheer them up. Some of the students had even practiced dancing to cheer their favorite wizard or witch.

All the professors had lined around Isidorus. Adrianna noticed that Professor Ziu was back there on the podium standing right next to him.

Isidorus announced the names.

Adrianna had to face George in the first round. George was a sharp looking boy with brown eyes and brown hair. He was the one who had rescued Adrianna in the second stage of the competition after she was terribly injured by the red foxes.

Adrianna pursed her lips. How could she defeat someone who had rescued her? This was the test of her willpower.

Rest of the names was announced.

All the competitors walked to the main field where it was supposed to take place. All the eight pairs were given huge spaces, which were all protected by powerful spells around them so that none of the spells casted could escape the bounds. When they reached the field, they found that the sky was overcast with clouds. There were a large number of audiences all around the field.

The competitors took their positions. Adrianna noticed that their names were displayed on the top of each segment. Along with George, she went there. When all students had reached their places, they took their spots. Adrianna was waiting with bated breath to begin. She saw that her segment had maximum number of people watching. Suddenly, they heard Isidorus' voice on the speakers, "You May start."

Adrianna looked at George. She had already delved into his mind. When she read his mind, she knew what his strategy was and she decided to defend herself.

George didn't wait for her to begin and suddenly pointed his wand at her. Sharp shard-like icicles started coming towards her. All the audience gasped when they the speed at which they were coming towards Adrianna. But Adrianna was ready and she formed a shield of fire in front of her strong enough for them to melt.

George was surprised at her agility to create the firewall. Once again he pointed his wand towards her and cast the "Hypnosia" spell. However, Adrianna was once again ready for it and she effectively dodged it with the help of her wand. Adrianna knew the list of spells George was going to cast. She had made her plan to dodge all of them. However, by dodging all the spells, there was no way that the competition would end soon.

Every time, she dodged a spell the audience cheered. They would wave huge banners or shout her name. She could see them but she couldn't listen to them, although she didn't have the time to see them properly.

She realized that she was only wasting time with George while on the other hand, George was amazed at the speed at which she was avoiding all his spells. He didn't know as to which spell should he cast to give her some resistance. Somehow he already knew that she was only playing with him.

In the entire field the audience could see various types of lights coming out of the wands. It was an enthralling site. Everyone was very excited. Slowly one by one as the time went by, the results started coming out. By the time it was 6PM, only three pairs were left in the field and one of them was Adrianna. She could have finished the entire competition within an hour of starting it but she was learning the spells, which George was casting on her. Each spell was a learning experience for her. In the end George became very tired. Adrianna smiled and the moment she noticed that he was tired, she casted the "Hypnosia" spell on him. George threw his wand on the floor.

Adrianna smiled and looked at the audience. With so many spells cast at her all the time, she hadn't looked towards them until then. However this time as she looked at them, she found someone sitting over there along with Dmitri and her eyes were full of surprise.