Taro stood on the arena floor, staring at Kaela. A nervous chuckle escaped him. "Didn't think we'd meet again this soon…"
Kaela barely glanced at him. "Are you done?"
Taro clenched his fists and raised them to his chin—his stance firm, his form that of a boxer.
Across from him, Kaela lifted a slender wand. "I want to finish this quickly," she muttered, eyes flicking to a man seated above the crowd.
He had the same white hair as her—though his was streaked with silver from age. The headmaster.
I'll become someone like him, Kaela thought. I'll prove them wrong. Both of them. I'm not weak… not a failure.
"Alright, let's gooo!" Kobe shouted from the sidelines. "Three! Two! One! START!"
A shimmering hourglass appeared in the sky, glowing faintly as it marked the countdown. Rin, watching from the stands, narrowed his eyes.
That symbol again... he thought. Where did I see that? Or maybe… I'm just imagining it.
Back in the arena, Kaela moved first—waves of water dancing around her like silk ribbons. The liquid twisted and flowed unnaturally, precise and sharp, moving with the grace of air but the power of a flood.
Taro kept dodging, weaving left and right. He lunged forward to close the distance, but the water snapped into position as if it knew where he was going.
"Tch…" he hissed. His fists burst into flame, trailing fire as he punched through Kaela's attacks, looking for an opening.
Then he found it.
Now! he thought.
Flames erupted from his feet, launching him forward with a burst of speed. He struck—his fist slamming toward her side.
But Kaela raised her arm—and ice wrapped around it like a shield, using her Elemental Trait—Ice.
Taro's fist collided with frozen armor. He staggered back, eyes wide. "W-what the hell? You already awakened your trait?!"
Kaela's expression didn't change. She raised her wand—and ice shards shot from the ground like deadly cave spikes.
Taro tried to dodge, but a few cut through, grazing his arms and legs.
This is bad, he thought, blood trickling.
Then space rippled.
A subtle distortion shimmered before him—the air shrinking, folding. The ice shards twisted unnaturally, pulled inward and compressed.
Taro focused, barely holding the distortion steady—it was like trying to pinch reality with trembling fingers. Space Control… He shrank the projectiles mid-air, others he dodged or smashed with flaming fists.
Gasps echoed from the audience. Teachers leaned forward, eyes gleaming with surprise.
Students whispered in awe.
"Is he shrinking the attacks?"
"No way…"
"Did she just use water and ice?"
Kaela and Taro stared at each other, panting, exhilarated.
Simultaneously, they smirked.
"This is gonna be fun," they said in unison.
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