Ash sat near me, nodding his head as he focused on Vafaren. Bertin was right next to Ash, also focused on the Headmaster.

We were seated in the front row of the colosseum, but calling it such a word felt barbaric. Unlike a colosseum, the area was built more like a basketball arena. I say that because we were seated next to the designated area for matches — a marble floor. Similar to how players sit next to a court. The other three factions in my group also sat at the front but away from us.

The Headmaster stood tall, holding a microphone and speaking. "Before we commence, I'd like to address the rules of the match."

Humming emitted from the sky as a bird soared down, flying into the crowd of watchers, but it kept above, not hitting them. The golden yet small bird flew toward the Headmaster, landing on his shoulder.

"Two teams will battle one another," the Headmaster said, stepping forward. He looked at the participants, pointing his thumb at the bird. "The objective is to catch this bird before the other team can."

Ash leaned forward, looking at Bertin and me, but I remained calm, sitting down and reviewing my plan. I already knew the event's objective, so all I had to do was follow the plan. Follow the plan that I made with Tehla.

'Follow the plan,' I thought, twitching my leg.

"Participants, please pay attention to the bird's movements," the Headmaster said.

The bird flew a few feet above the marble floor, speedily moving across the match area.

My eyes lit up in surprise, expanding as I tried tracking the bird, but I could barely keep up as my head moved with the bird. The bird flew back to the Headmaster, landing on his finger.

The Headmaster crossed his arms, looking at the participants. "May all active groups designate their two members. I will announce the starting two group shortly."

The crowd started talking while the Headmaster conversed with two other board members.

Bertin stood up, walking in front of Ash and me. He clutched his hands, nodding his head and smiling. "I know how you both may feel, but keep your head high. You made it really far!"

Ash stared at the ground, looking up at Bertin. "Yeah, but we could have made it further with Allura..."

I placed my hands behind my head, closing my eyes. "I think that I have a plan."

"Let's hear it," Bertin said.

I opened my eyes and rubbed my chin. "I can catch the bird, but it needs to meet a specific requirement."

"What requirement," Bertin asked, tilting his head.

"Simply put, I need Ash to defend me while I focus on the bird," I said in a deep voice, attempting to emphasize my point.

Ash eyed me, then the other teams. "I don't think that's a feasible plan."

Bertin eyed the other teams, nodding his head as he looked back at us. "It would be difficult, considering it would be a one-person versus two."

I scratched my head, eyeing the swift golden bird, but I closed my eyes and affirmed. "It's our only way."

"What if I made a barrier, trying to capture the bird?" Ash asked.

"The other team would destroy it," I said, opening my eyes.

Bertin sat down, looking down at the floor as he got lost in thought. Bertin probably felt defeated, much like Ash. We lost Allura's skills, something no one could fill.

"Faction 107 and Faction 16, you two will verse," the Headmaster said, walking off the battle platform — marble floor. The other board members followed Vafaren but went toward the participants. They all now stood off the marble stage near a leveled platform.

One of the board members walked with Valis and his overweight friend — blob — up onto the marble platform. Behind them were the other board member and two elves — one male and the other female.

One board member positioned Valis's team to the left corner while the other positioned the elven team to the right. Both the board members joined Vafaren, descending the marble platform.

The bird flew off the Headmaster, fluttering its wings on the opposite side of the participants.

"The match will begin on my count down of five," Headmaster Vafaren said, taking a deep breath and continuing. "Five... Four... Three... Two... One... BEGIN!"

The blob jumped toward the elves while Valis created a barrier of ice, trapping the blob with the elves.

The elven boy launched a stream of fire onto the ice, but instead of shattering, the ice slowly melted.

The blob "ran" to the elven girl, hobbling his way to her.

The elven girl wrapped vines around the blob, but her vines slipped off from the blob's sweat.

Valis launched icicles at the bird, but it outflew Valis's forrays of ice, soaring around Valis.

Valis placed his hand on the floor, forming another ice barrier.

The bird flew into the ice barrier, shattering the ice wall and zooming through the shard of ice.

The ice melted into water, splashing everywhere. The sun shined through the water, creating an artificial rainbow, and dancing through it was a gold bird.

The bird stayed on its course, speeding through Valis's second ice barrier, breaking it.

The barrier shattering allowed the elves to move forward.

Unfortunately for Valis, the blob and two elves finished their fight. The blob was defeated, lying on the floor.

Valis's eyes lit in anger as his face reddened.

The elven team made their way to the middle of the platform. The elven boy stood in front of valis while the female stayed behind the boy.

The female elf launched her vines in the sky. The vines approached the bird as the vines created a loop around the bird, but the bird hurried up, dodging the vine traps.

Valis stood still, staring at the ground and gripping his fists.

The male elf neared Valis, forming a ball of fire in his hand. He extended his arm out, launching the fire at Valis, who stood motionless.

The bird flew into the vines, ripping them apart.

The female elf was left wide-eyed, sending another barrage at the bird, but the bird tore the vines apart from the sheer force.

On the other side, the fire struck Valis, but steam emitted from the hit. Valis held out his hand, blocking the fire with his hand.

The elven boy stepped back, yelling to his companion, who was too busy to help.

Valis's hand was burnt, red scar tissues showing, but he remained indifferent. He used his burnt hand to grab his head as he stood still.

The Headmaster stood up, getting ready to interfere, but valis turned his head to the Headmaster, almost as if Valis knew the Headmaster was going to interfere. Valis twitched both of his hands, water dripping down them, and the water trickled around the whole platform. "I... AM..." He clenched his teeth, yelling. "AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME!"

In an instant, twenty ice walls formed. Each ice wall formed in a separate area, and oddly, they weren't positioned in any specific manner — random.

The elves were divided, and though they tried to break the iced walls, their presence appeared null because of the chaos.

The bird flew its path, soaring into ice walls and shattering them. Hundreds of ice shards flared in the air, shining because of the sun.

The bird continued its path, breaking all the ice barriers.

The hundreds of ice shards melted in the air, dripping onto the floor, almost like it were raining, but the water turned into ice, freezing the elves to the ground.

The bird soaked with water tried flapping its wings, but it couldn't as ice froze onto it. The bird descended from the air, crashing onto the ground.

Valis neared the bird, grabbing it and holding it high.

The crowd was silent, but a few claps boomed into a round of applause. The crowd, in amazement, began shouting and hollering, but most just applauded.

Ash glared at the scene, then at me as he clenched his teeth.

"Ahem," the Headmaster cleared his throat. He applauded as he spoke through his microphone. "Quite impressive! The final round of the semi-conferences shall begin soon, once we have the battlefield cleaned, so until then, you may converse with one another."

The crowd erupted in conversation. My group was silent, watching a clean-up crew and medics.

The medics treated the participants, walking or carrying them off the marble platform. The clean-up crew attended to the battle area, sweeping it and making sure it was ready, and they cleaned the bird. Somehow cleaning the bird restored whatever damages Valis did since it flew in the sky with the same speed.

"Ash," Bertin said, glaring at Ash. "Can your magic hit the bird?"

Ash shook his head, staring at his hands, but he closed his eyes and sighed. "I think I could, but-"

I cut off Ash, grabbing his shoulder as I stood up. "He won't need to because I'll catch it."

Ash remained quiet while Berting yelled, looking at the platform. "Your plan is far too risky! Look what happened to the teams in front of us."

"I won't be using the old plan," I said, chin up. "I have a new one."

Bertin gripped his seat. "And what would that be!"

Before I could answer, Ash spoke. "Wryn, is it what I think it is?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Bertin asked, but he was forced to stop talking when a voice arrived.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the Headmaster said, speaking into his mic. "Faction 68 and 34 come up."

The crowd's eyes shifted onto us, watching our every movement.

'What a throwback,' I thought, growing a slight smile. I couldn't help but feel reminded of my days in the den.

The idea of people watching me while I fought left a sour taste in my mouth, but this time it was different. This time, I was the one in control.

Ash and I walked forward, a board member joining us as we walked.

We ascended the stairs, and behind us was the other group — a Khausfallian boy and Dwarven boy.

The board member placed my group in the left corner while the other team was in the right.

Ash glared in front of him at the bird. The bird was in the middle on the other side, far from us.

"Let's end this..." I held out my hands, cracking my knuckles as I looked at Ash. My eyes sparkled with a flash of lightning. "...In a FLASH!"

Ash tilted his head, his eyes widening. "Yeah!"

My magic erupted in my system, my sigh noticing all the ambient spheres. The bird was 2 feet away from a sphere.

The Headmaster counted down. "Five... Four... Three... Two... One... BEGIN!"

Lightning covered my body, most of it flaring on my legs, but my right shoulder harbored a lightning orb that slowly formed.

I stepped forward, spit spewing out my mouth as I yelled. "LINK!"

My eyes burnt in pain as I forced them open. Time felt slowed down as the bird's wings slowly flapped up and down.

My link connected to six ambient spheres, the last being two feet away from the bird, but each second caused the bird to stray further.

Still, the plan had all of that accounted for.

I made it to the last sphere, but as I did, the orb on my shoulder exploded, propelling me to the left toward the bird.

Time escalated back into normal, everything speeding up.

My eyes bleeding, I clenched my teeth as I grabbed out my left arm, reaching for the bird.

The right half of my body went numb. I inched my left hand's fingers, sealing them as I grabbed onto the bird's wing.

All I could hear was a buzz, and even my own thoughts were plagued by the buzzing noise.

I slammed onto the floor, clenching the bird for dear life, but the bird to freeing itself.

Using the last bit of mana, I turned my left-hand nails into lightning magic. Two of my nails punctured the bird, causing it to stop moving since it was dead. Ironically, the bird bled gold blood as it flopped into the palm of my left hand.

The buzz died off, probably because of my relief, or maybe my ears got used to it, but whatever it was, the pain in my body boomed.

"Faction 68 has won!" The Headmaster said.

Four individuals carried me up from the ground onto a stretcher, but every second of movement was an indescribable discomfort. A ferocious outpour of utter pain penetrated my body.

I opened my mouth, yelling, but I couldn't hear any words. Did I lose my voice? Or were my ears acting up?

I wasn't sure what was happening, but I did know one thing, I was feeling a genuine pain.

The individuals carrying the stretcher rushed me into what I assumed was another area, but with my limited view, all I could see was the sky. I decided to close my eyes because maybe it would ease the pain...

One of the medics touched my eye bag, glancing at my eye.

The medics positioned me onto a bed.

"AHHHH," I yelled, but I still couldn't hear anything.

A light shined onto my eyes, not allowing me to see much, but I could make out hands moving near and away from me.

'Why aren't they just healing me as Alren did?' I thought, the silence causing me to become more enraged. I couldn't help but feel anger because I couldn't do anything.

I did the same type of plan with Tehla, and nothing like this occurred. Maybe using multiple linkages strayed away from the plan, but a singular link wasn't going to keep up! It just wouldn't!

The pain shot up in my shoulder. It felt like someone was drilling a hole into and literally screwing my muscles into place.

Time passed, but the pain sure didn't...

"Wake up!" Someone shouted, slapping me.

I grabbed my face with my left hand and opened my eyes. Headmaster Vafaren stood above me, shaking his head, but he smiled. "Congratulations on moving to the finals, but your right shoulder is broken. And me saying broken is putting it lightly!"

I groaned, trying to sit up, but I couldn't.

Headmaster Vafaren helped me sit up as he talked. "You and causing me problems. Why can you not just be a good kid."

I winced, closing my right eye. "What about the finals! How will I participate!"

Vafaren shook his head, closing his eyes. "As usual, I will deal with it. However, I need you to heal up."

"Can't you guys just heal me with magic?"

"We 'guys' can only do so much with magic. Healing magic would screw your bone's positionings if we had a mage work on it, so we will wait to take you to Alren. He'll have his skilled team heal you while repositioning pieces."

"So, it's not over for me?" I asked, looking at my wrapped arm. My right arm had an arm sling and medical bandages around it.

"Other than your severe burns, broken bones, and nerve issues. Yes, you could say it is not over for you." He smirked.

Keeping a straight face, I looked up at Vafaren. "Nice joke."

He placed his hand on my head and smiled. "I want you to go home now. Do not even bother coming to school for a few days. I will have Alren himself come to you and examine you with his team."

"But what about-"

"Listen to me without question," he said, helping me off the bed.

I stood up, and surprisingly my legs felt fairly normal.

"Would you like help with your home?" The Headmaster asked.

I shook my head as I clenched my eyes from the pain of movement. "I can make it home by myself. I'm not a child."

The Headmaster leaned forward, lowering his body. "I hope I make myself clear, don't overdo yourself. You need rest!"

"Yeah," I said, looking at my broken arm. "What should I tell my parents?"

"We have already informed your head maid. I believe her name is Tehla." He said, nodding his head.

My eyes widened as I heard Tehla. 'She's going to kill me!'

The Headmaster strolled with me out of the building, walking me to the entrance's portal.

"Identification!" The guard asked, looking at Vafaren and me.

The Headmaster straightened his face, glaring at the guard. "Really...?"

The guard stuttered. "I-I-I-I..."

By the time he could even say a sentence, I lowered my left hand to my right and took out my ID. Of course, I did this without moving my right arm since If I did, searing pain was the only thing that would ensue.

I lifted my left hand, showing the guard my ID. He let me pass, and I stood by the portal, looking back at Vafaren.

He nodded his head once, ready to go back to his work, but I stopped him. I stared at the floor, yelling. "Thank you for your patience with me!"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, no, all the thanks belong to you. Thank you for allowing me to have some fun."

"Thank you," I whispered, walking through the portal.

"Identification," a guard asked. I showed him the ID, and he let me pass.

The moonlight shined in the sky, glistening with the stars. The night let a calm sensation pass as a soothing wind penetrated my nostrils, allowing me fresh air.

My mind relaxed as I eased my way to my house.

I soaked in the scene, stopping and staring at the sky. Lifting my left hand, I tried touching one of the stars, and surprisingly, my hand couldn't reach it. Still, I reached as far as I could, trying to grasp the star as I closed my left hand.

*SCREECH*

I turned my head to the left, hearing a death-defying noise. My heartbeat raced as I tried to find the source, but it neared closer and closer. The once soothing night twisted into a hollowed nightmare.

"Who's there!?" I yelled, running forward even though my arm was in pain. I clenched my teeth, rapidly trying to find the source. "Who's there!?"

It didn't hit me before, but the more I looked around, the surrounding was irregular. No one was around, not even the regular household members that would sit outside their house.

Someone slammed into me as I ran, glancing around. I looked up, and the man was in a black hooded cloth.

He grabbed me by the face, squishing my face as I tried to squirm, but he gripped me and jumped onto the roof of a house.

I breathed rapidly, thinking of a plan, but my eyes widened, losing all hope. Eight other hooded individuals stood on the roof.

Biting the man's hand, I escaped his grip and ran to the side of the roof. I breathed heavily, placing my left hand in the air as I tried to notice an ambient sphere, but none existed.

My mind raced, thinking of plans, but I wasn't sure. My lungs felt like they were missing. I struggled to properly breathe as I hyperventilated. Using all my strength, I created a lightning orb on my left hand and stuttered. "No... ONE... MOVE! I don't know who you guys are, but I know very powerful people!"

One of the individuals twitched their arm.

I launched my lightning at them, but one of the cloaked individuals walked through it, allowing themselves to get struck by the orb.

My eyes lit up in fear as I stepped back.

Somehow, two cloaked individuals approached me — one to my right and the other to my left. They grabbed my neck, choking me.

I squirmed, trying to escape as darkness ensued, but even the glimmer of light from the moon turned into pitch black. A deep slumber fell me.