Sometimes you just run into someone you'd never expect to meet so suddenly out of nowhere. At other times, you'd be searching for someone but never get to meet them. Life's like that at times." - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

"So, spill it," said Kino like a housewife in a gossiping mood, as she leaned backwards and looked at Kyara seated behind them with a wide grin on her face. "This one just a junior you happen to be showing the ropes? Or someone closer?"

"Ashani's my grandkid. Koru's second-oldest. She had always been a bit… fascinated with stories of the outside world since she was a kitten," answered Kyara with a fond look on her feline face. "She actually got the urges under control at fourteen. Real proud of her for that! Took her around the isles earlier this year, and since the tourney happens to be on…"

"That girl's facing Willa next round if she wins this one," noted Cal from her seat as she checked the order of the remaining fights. "Want me to have her pull her punches a bit?"

"That wolf girl's your disciple, huh? No, no need. Ashani could use someone who could knock her down a peg or two that's not from the tribe," replied Kyara with a mischievous grin. "Girl's got a bit of a big head still, typical youths, really. They haven't seen enough of the world to know better."

"I know what you mean quite well, yes," said Cal with a nod to the therian woman. They watched the rest of the fight as they made small talk with each other. Ashani won her fight after a long struggle, mostly because she had more stamina than her opponent, who tired and made mistakes first.

Elaina was also eliminated in that round of fighting. Her opponent - second son of a noble, Azturia said - had clearly splurged for quality gear, as he wore a suit of full plate armor from adamant steel, enchanted with anti-magic enchantments. His shield and sword were of the same material.

Cal had not blamed Elaina for losing that match. It was difficult for the girl to handle a fully armored foe with her spear, as she usually took care of those with magic. With her magic nullified, she was soon cornered and lost the match, unable to go through her opponent's defenses.

"Guess many of those who got this far wouldn't be too poor to afford proper gear," noted Cal with a nod. She had told her students that they shouldn't go all out with their gear so far, as she had not wanted them to be too reliant on them. She decided that she'd withdraw that restriction for the next round, though.

Ognar and Giselle both faced young, talented mages as their opponents, both of which were amongst the remaining favorites to win the tournament. Cal couldn't help but smirk when she heard the many groans from the crowd as her students eliminated both of their opponents.

Ognar's opponent was a lightning mage, who could only watch baffled as Ognar took every bolt of lightning she fired at him with only a mildly annoyed look on his face, and charred clothes to show for it.

Over the past years, Cal had Elaina and Sidonie train on her students regularly, so all three of them were used to being struck by lightning. In the end, Ognar's opponent yielded after she had expended all her mana in a panicked flurry while he just calmly walked towards her.

Giselle faced a magma affinity mage, and her fight went much faster and even more anticlimactically. The mage's efforts to strike her with globs of magma never touched even a hair of her, while she just quickly closed the distance and pressed a dagger against the mage's throat.

The round of thirty-two were carried out the next day. Kyara had joined Cal, Kino, and the Edelsteins in their section of seats. Elaina and Sidonie, as well as Fheeri had also joined them all to watch the rest of the tournament together.

Willa and Ashani were called up for the third batch of the day's matches. Cal noted that Willa still hadn't bothered to wear either her armor or her weapons, and went barehanded as she had done so far. Ashani eyed her with caution even so, and tensely held her daggers out before her.

The instant the gong sounded, the girl launched herself with a sudden burst of speed, her daggers stabbing towards Willa. Willa just stood still, and allowed Ashani to do so, without making any move to defend herself.

Ashani's pupils widened when she stabbed at Willa, her sharp daggers failing to penetrate her opponent's skin, backed as it was by magical reinforcements and steel-like muscles underneath. The young therian girl felt as if she just tried to stab a rock.

"Sorry 'bout this, girl, but your run ends here," said Willa with a grin as her hand snaked out and grabbed Ashani by the throat before the girl could even react. One quick fling later, and Ashani was thrown into the air. The girl managed to right herself and land on her feet, but outside the arena, which meant she lost the match.

"That student of yours is quite something," said Kyara with an appreciative whistle from her seat, apparently unbothered that her granddaughter had just lost miserably. "How old is she?"

"Willa? Just turned twenty-two this year," replied Cal with some pride in her voice. Out of her blood mage students, Willa and Ying Xiao were the two with the best potential by far, to the point that she would not be surprised if one or both of the two were to match or even exceed her in a few decades. "She's still growing. That girl's got the physique, and the potential. Wouldn't be surprised if she ends up stronger than me one day, even."

"That's quite high praise, if the stories I heard of you were even halfway true," said Kyara with an understanding nod. "What about those other two kids?"

Ognar was on stage now, Giselle already had her turn earlier, where she faced another mage - this time a fire affinity one - and used her real swords instead. The pair of high-purity adamant steel blades sliced through every ball of fire the mage sent out and dispersed the magic that kept them together, and she won her fight easily.

On the stage, Ognar faced the man who eliminated Elaina the day before. He didn't bother with his armor, but did bring out his shield and warhammer. His opponent tried to utilize his armor to push him back, but Ognar wouldn't have it. He pushed his opponent back instead, causing many dents to form on his opponent's shield with his powerful strikes.

Eventually he knocked his opponent out of bounds with a vicious strike that dented his opponent's chestplate, the blow so hard it flung the man - who was already near the edge - outside the stage. The man was alive, but clearly in pain as the blow must have broken several of his ribs.

"They're good kids, but neither has the potential Willa got," Cal replied with a sad shake of her head. "If they keep up their practice, I can see them reach archmage in a few years, but it'll be hard for them to go much further. Willa is already one now, and she's still growing."