Bolts of fire whistled through the air.
Shards of white stone flew in the air, blocking any vision.
"Embers, dance through the night and illuminate with your holy light."
A bright red light encompassed the arena as she glided with her fiery gauntlets wrapped tightly against her pale skin.
The cool mask of stoicism had long since been stripped away, replaced by a smile that could only be described as euphoric.
"You might want to cool it a little! People are staring!!"
Vicius quipped as tendrils of shadow sprung from the debris. But she was no state to listen.
The release of magic was not simply the emptying of one's core using spells as a medium. It held a slightly intoxicating feeling. Most are able to resist the temptation, while others succumb to its effects.
So Evie poured her mana out endlessly. Each bolt of light scouring every inch of ground Vicius could be on.
If this was a battle of sheer firepower, then Evie would take the cake. But Vicius was far more, experienced.
A smirk etched itself onto his lips, the shadow dispersing from the boulder he hid behind.
"Gotcha!"
Ten tentacles of ethereal shadows wrapped themselves around Evie's limbs. Her sharp fiery gauntlets flailed to sever the connection, but it was over.
The fire retracted and the arena settled at last.
Two figures huffed and puffed. Walking toward the seating area.
But by the end of the battle a crowd had formed on every side of the protective barrier. Each itching to talk to those responsible for the insane perfomance.
The ginger girl from the previous night jumped the queue, grappling Vicius's head.
"I didn't realise you had allat! Fight me next!"
Vicius managed a faint smile, sweat dripping down from his brow. Evie's gaze was fiercer than her battle prowess.
"Haha…sure. Just give me five minutes."
His eyes shifted to a floating panel in front of his eyes.
[Quest Complete: Kiss a member of the opposite sex.]
'Strange…I don't remember seeing this quest earlier…But all exp is good is exp.'
He smiled to himself before turning at the crowd.
'Now…how do I deal with these people?'
As if reading his mind, the short ginger girl flashed her wand at the crowd and erupted a massive wall of smoke.
"Follow me!"
She led Evie and Vicius out of the training arena, and delivered them on the roof of the building.
Cold winds made the three shiver, but the smile on each of their faces kept their hearts warm.
"Thank you-"
"Sherry. Call me Sherry."
The ginger girl smiled while storing her wand away into thin air.
There were countless students at the academy, most with unique circumstance and backgrounds. Most hailed from noblety. Some from peasant households. And lastly, some came from different Empires entirely.
"Those fire bolts were gnarly! I wish I was a fire mage to cast them too. But I've been cursed with smoke and wind magic." She seemed slightly distraught.
But that didn't last long. Instead she was already jump;in around, wanting to ask more questions.
"So, what magical afffinities were you two blessed with?"
Both Evie and Vicius stared at each other before summoning her wand.
A ball of fire and one of wind circled her wands like planets around the sun.
"And I was blessed with fire and shadow."
He summoned a flame and encased it in a shell of shadows.
"Damn, you guys got pretty lucky!"
Vicius shook his head and smiled.
"There is no best combination for the magic you are born with. You simply have to adapt to the hand you are given."
He formed a pillar of fire several feet away then shrouded it with a casing of shadow.
"As you can likely feel, the warmth can still pass through this cloak. Shadow magic is often well received in exploration groups for its ability to cloak members in case of an emergency. And fire is an allrounder element that can help survival and also used to fight with."
Vicius nudged Evie. And she cast three platforms of compressed air.
"Wind typically allows for easier travel and even passing insurmountable obstacles."
In the blink of an eye Vicius sprung to life and drove a punch towards Sherry's head, barely missing as she leaped back.
"You are a hybrid. Allowing you to use mana on both spells and your body. Additionally you are a close quarters fighter. Your smoke magic is great for creating distances and setting up surprise attacks. And your wind spells can help you reposition quickly and safely. SO all things considered, you got some pretty great elements for your fighting style."
Sherry seemed a slight bit stumped. Not sure of what to say after the impromptu lesson.
"Thanks, I guess. I'll consider interweaving spells into my fighting."
Despite her rough and tomboyish exterior, Sherry knew when to act sensible.
"And sorry about not getting to duel today, I promise sometime this week we can try it."
Vicius raised his fist. And Sherry finished the motion.
Evie meanwhile could not hide her smile. Like a doting mother, happy her child could make a friend. But the other side of her burned with fury, an anger that bubbled could burst at any moment, simply from the fact another girl touched 'her' man.
Soon after Sherry left, Evie claimed her spot in Vicius's arms again. Wriggling into him as if he were a blanket in the dead of winter.
"People could see us if they came up here-"
"Let them. I don't care..."
She looked up at him through her white bangs, crimson eyes flashing at him.
"...after all, you are mine."
She smiled sweetly, rubbing her cheeks in his shirt.
'This girl is a maniac. But a cute one.'
And he pulled her closer into him.