21 A Planned Surrender (2)

The closer Zain Amina was to 373, the smaller 373 looked. The grin fell off her 373's face and the younger girl's expression turned serious. The little female gathered energy on both her palms and prepared to cast a spell. She was an image of perfect calm as she stood with her feet apart and both her hands dangling at her sides. Unlike the surprised girl who could only dodge Zain Amina's spells, 373 seemed to have changed into someone unrecognizable.

Zain Amina continued to advance towards her fearlessly like a battle god – unafraid of everything in her way. When the other female was only a few steps away from her, 373 rolled on the ground and touched the grassy field. The energy around her stirred as the wind seemed to become sucked towards her position. Zain Amina recognized the spell. The complexity of the spell unfolding in front of her made Zain Amina's heart flutter.

Aer Gurges? Zain Amina's eyes widened in surprise. She snapped out of her amazement and without wasting a single second, she sent a well-aimed kick towards 373's face. 373's right hand went up to block Zain Amina's attack. Flames danced as they got caught in the whirlpool of air. But the velocity of the vortex only got stronger and Zain Amina found herself being pushed backwards.

The older girl was too busy trying to stay rooted to the ground. She didn't see how 373 had used her other hand to gather a fist full of soil and throw it towards the taller girl's direction.

Gusts of air carried the grains of stone and earth. Zain Amina could only close her eyes as the particles reached her face. In that moment, 373 chose to close in. Lightning cackled and hissed before Zain Amina. The dark-skinned girl blindly jumped sideways to evade the attack. Brown hands frantically brushed the particles away from her eyes. When Zain Amina finally opened her brown orbs, she wanted to vomit a mouthful of blood at what she saw.

373 was standing at the exact spot where she had been, a fulmen spell in one hand and an ignis spell in the other. Although both spells were basic spells everyone in Elisium knew, to be able to cast, control, and disperse two spells at the same time was a feat no one had achieved. And yet, 373 stood calmly and did just that. What was more infuriating was how the child quickly dispelled both spells like it was the most natural thing in the world!

The ignis spell on Zain Amina's body burned even brighter as she turned and attempted to attack the other female. This time, 373 didn't stay put. The moment Zain Amina took her first step and put her foot down, 373 had disappeared before quickly reappearing at her right side.

"Fulcio."

"Aer Gurges."

With a single leap, 373 had managed to close the distance between her and Zain Amina. In that short frame of time, the smaller female cast a spell. Gusts of wind roared and sent Zain Amina soaring through the length of the wide field. Zain Amina tried to get her bearings in mid-air and managed to brace her feet on the wall. She bent her legs and propelled herself towards the small girl who was standing still and looking up at her with eyes glinting in laughter.

Again!

Zain Amina launched herself towards her opponent, her flames growing brighter and more unstable. Her heart beat grew frantic as the seconds passed. More sweat poured down her back drenching the back of her shirt. But 373 disappeared just like she did last time. And unlike Zain Amina's head-on and direct approach, 373 moved tactically –choosing to attack from the sides or from behind.

An Aer Gurges struck Zain Amina from behind. It wasn't as strong as the first Aer Gurges 373 had cast, but it was enough to kill the flames on her body and send her rolling to the ground.

"Face me seriously!" Zain Amina gritted her teeth as she stood and glared at the girl with black eyes. Unbearable frustration welled in her chest. She couldn't accept being toyed with – not like this, not after all the effort she had put in to be number 1!

"Are you sure?" The little girl quirked her head to the side innocently. And with a nod, she said, "Okay."

In a split second, 373 was before her.

Zain Amina didn't have time to be shocked.

A fist was heading towards her at an amazing speed and Zain Amina raised her arms to block it. After she deflected 373's attack, Zain Amina sent an attack of her own which 373 dodged. They attacked, parried, and exchanged blows while their pace slowly increased. The destructive force behind each spell became more powerful. The gaps between each attack decreased.

Until suddenly, Zain Amina couldn't match the tempo.

A Fulmen spell caught her off guard and Zain Amina crashed to the floor in pain. With difficulty, she forced herself off the floor and continued to attack 373. But every time she would try to cast a spell, 373 would attack at that exact moment and interrupt her cast.

Uncertainty clouded Zain Amina's heart. The longer the battle drew out, the more panicked she became. Among the five most fundamental spells they had been taught, 373 had only used Aer, Ignis, Fulmen and Fulcio. On the other hand, Zain Amina had used almost every spell in the book and she knew more spells than anyone in her class! The more she thought about 373's skill, the more her heart raced in her chest. What Gabriel Fernandez said was true.

373 was a monster.

373 was a threat.

Zain Amina gasped as she tried to catch her breath. 373 also stopped a good distance away from her, dark eyes studying Zain Amina with a sharpness that made the other girl take a step back. Zain Amina took a glance at the teachers that were watching at the side and her mood dropped. She had been and had always been the object of the adult's pride and excitement. But now their fascinated gazes weren't on her: they were on the little female who was fighting against her.

The attention and love of the adults – the slot for Elisium's Sanctuary – those belonged to her! Zain Amina gritted her teeth. The dark-skinned girl still had the strength to attack. She still had an ace in her sleeve. Zain Amina still had her most powerful spell. She doubted the small fragile-looking girl could do anything to counter it.

Zain Amina's lower lip trembled. She didn't notice the tremors, but the girl in front of her did. The energy around them fluctuated. The loose rocks on the surface of the ground seemed to hum and resonate with the fluctuation. Their teachers cried in alarm. Within a few breaths, a strong barrier isolated Zain Amina and 373 from the rest of their peers. In the next moment, the ground beneath them shook as Zain Amina cast her spell.

"Mutatio Terrae!"

The effect of the spell was instantaneous. The floor below them warped and turned into a treacherous landscape. A patch of land erupted and turned into a valley of thorns and crags. And because Zain Amina couldn't control the spell properly, the ground beneath her feet shot up and changed into an unstable platform that she struggled to maintain. Beads of sweat formed on Zain Amina's forehead. But because Elisium had given her a second chance in life, Zain Amina didn't mind risking her life to prove herself in Elisium.

That was her resolve.