Chapter 47: A Tri-Mage's Resolve

The firestorm shot out from Rakoah, but the feminine voice from before yelled out, "Aurora Barrier!" The fire came to a halt as Gwen's hands glowed, creating a barrier of light in front of the two prone boys. Pylus still seemed to be biding her time; she was mainly a fighter that relied on countering. The two rose to their feet; Arthur seemed to thank Gwen, and even Kaiser bowed a little. Gwen shouted, "Alright, no more messing around. We're here to win this! Kaiser, Arthur, Princeton, formation thirteen." Like a natural leader, she stood in front of the other four, and now they all nodded their heads, ready to follow up.

Professor Berkley was ready to strike again, but by the time he was ready, Team Dream was on the move. Kaiser used "Pandora Bubble Storm!" on the boy with the glasses; the Professor followed with "East wind!" A wind came from his palms, pushing the bubbles forward towards both Rakoah and Nylon. They were battered by bubbles that stung every part of their bodies. Next was Arthur's attack. He yelled out, "Crescent Phesant!" His long blade pulsing with fire created a long-ranged crescent that slashed both Rakoah and Nylon. The slash knocked both of them down onto the the ground in a blaze of bubbles, and fire. Gwen turned her focus to Professor Berkley; in his haze, he only barely reacted to the beam she fired out, "Aurora Beam!" The beam shot past everyone, hitting him directly in the chest, but he had a spell at the ready. The Professors were adept at always having one last trick up their sleeves.

He yelled out, "Gyro Ball! Pylon, it's all on you!" Pylon jumped in front of the shot; she smacked it as hard as she could with the blunt of her blade. She yelled out, "Gyroblade Surge!" She slammed the gyro ball into three members of Team Dream; this was it. This was the attack they had used on us that nearly ended our match. Kaiser slammed into Arthur, who slammed into Professor Princeton; they were all held in place for Pylon. With her team on the brink of defeat, with everyone down but her, she made a miracle play. She jumped over Gwen in the front; she sprinted towards the Gyro ball as she brought her sword down. She yelled out, "Magnetosphere Crush Slam!"

Unlike with us, the attack was uninterrupted; she slammed her sword down on all three of them as the earth quaked. The slam was powerful, and all three members of Team Dream were destroyed; the ground underneath them crushed. The three members of Team Dream were left in a pile of blood and broken bones. It was a sorry sight to see; thankfully, the medical team was working miracles this tournament. Their wounds were still severe; they would need time to recover even after this match was over. But with a confident smile on her face, Gwen breathed deeply. She looked at Pylus, "I have never tried this attack successfully before. However, I am a tri-mage just like Altaria, my aunt." She looked over at Altaria from a distance as she stated, "This is all I have left. If you defend against this all-out attack, you will win, but I am stubborn. I will have to make this attack work right here and now."

She brought both of her hands together; Gwen seemed to focus even as Pylus decided to run forward. With her bulky sword, though, she wouldn't make it to Gwen in time as her veins pulsed, and power seemed to rise. She opened her eyes, "Team Dream has always been a team of wind magic, and I am no exception. From the brink of day's descent, I summon the Twilight Whispers to consume!" Wind, light, and darkness shot out in perfect harmony from her hands just as Pylon was bringing down her massive blade. Suddenly her blade stopped in mid-air inches from Gwen's face; I could see Pylon's eyes glazed over.

The silver energy touched her skin, and in response, her nerves seemed to shut down, her muscles spasmed. She dropped her sword, and then she dropped to her knees, and finally, she collapsed flat on her face. Quinn stated, "Amazing tri-magic; my memories are hazy, but I highly doubt I have seen much tri-magic ever. Darkness, light, and wind combined perfectly to create twilight. From what I can see, it puts the enemy to sleep; we'll have to watch for that spell." Eris shouted, "I can't believe it; in a twist of fate, and only one member on each team, Gwen with extremely high-level magic takes it. The great niece of Altaria, our very own principal, Gwen, once again proving why she is known as the young light of this new generation!"

With the match over, we began our discussion. Yuna, the most surprised, exclaimed, "A tri-mage, and so young. She needs to be taken care of." Lysandra cheered, "Incredible! I can't wait to test my new power on her!" I nodded, "We need a countermeasure to that spell; it seems extremely powerful. Even a touch of that magic will knock you out." Lulith frowned, "I am glad we got to see it first. If she had used that on the spur of the moment against our team, I doubt we'd have an answer."

We made our way out of the gym, taking a moment to collect ourselves before our own match. Having just woken up after losing, Pylus was in the hall. We could overhear an argument taking place as Mynus was in the medical ward still. The boy with the glasses, Rakoah, seemed to be yelling at Pylus, "If you had stepped in sooner, we wouldn't have had to deal with that attack—useless as always!"

Pylus seemed to be used to it; she had a frown on her face as she listened to the abuse. But before I could say anything, Lysandra stepped in. Lysandra, the gang leader, shifted into a no-nonsense demeanor. With one hand effortlessly holding Rakoah above the ground, she let her authority speak. Her eyes narrowed, and her voice carried an authoritative edge as she barked out, "Hey, knock it off! You think you can talk to our friend like that and get away with it?"

She tightened her grip just enough to make her point without causing harm. "You've got some nerve blaming Pylus. If you're looking for someone to blame, look in the mirror. You're a team, and you stand together. Got it? She's a powerful warrior, and you're just a humorless bandit." The intensity in her gaze made it clear that she wasn't going to tolerate any disrespect towards her friend. The boy cowered in her grasp, but Pylus said sadly, "Please don't. I deserve it. Please, just let him go."

Lysandra begrudgingly let the boy go. I spoke from behind, "Personally, I would much rather have a teammate with a unique skillset than a boy with a bad attitude." I glanced at him, a sly smile forming on my face. "But hey, everyone's entitled to their opinions. Just remember, it's not wise to underestimate the power of a Altaria and her friends."

Lysandra's intimidating presence lingered, and I could see a flicker of uncertainty in the boy's eyes. Without saying a word, Lysandra's demeanor spoke volumes, and it didn't take long for Rakoah to decide that a hasty retreat was in his best interest. Once he left, I said to Pylus, "Hey, you did great out there; we were rooting for you. That combo attack you did at the end was amazing." I cleared my throat, "Does he do that a lot?"

Pylus nodded, "I get bullied here a lot at school; usually, Mynus scares them off. A student with no magic studying with mages often leads to some hatred. They think that I don't belong here, but it never bothered me. I want to be strong; no, I have to be strong. I want to be just like my grandma."

Quinn smiled, "You looked plenty strong today." Pylus nodded, a weak smile on her face, "Thanks. I'll be rooting for you all. Crush every team here even if you have to crush a dream or two." She walked away back to the medical ward. I didn't need Quinn's mind reading to know she was crying. After this tournament was over, I will need to have a talk with a few people here; this discrimination isn't right.

We walked out to the courtyard to stretch our legs; we would need to be back inside in a few minutes. Like clockwork, Altaria was already waiting on a nearby bench, seemingly drinking tea. She beckoned us over, "A warning for your team before you go back inside." I nodded, "A warning?" Altaria looked up, a serious expression on her face, "Do you recall Eris saying that last year my barrier was also broken?" I responded, "Yes?"

Altaria explained, "I don't say this to boast, but my barriers are very strong. They are stronger than any cement wall in a city or any gemstone you may find. That boy Mynus broke it with the combined strength of Professor Berkley's magnet magic, and his own magic. He is no longer a threat since his team just lost, but last year someone else broke the barrier by themselves."

Lulith looked surprised, "Alone? Nobody else helped? Impossible." Altaria frowned, "Yes, one person broke it last year, someone you will be facing very soon. Professor Castweaver—she is by far the most dangerous Professor that I have on my staff. Her powerful fire magic is not something to underestimate; think of her hands as mini-bombs. She will be holding back here because if she let out her strength in full, she could easily kill someone. All of you looked great out there, but remember to keep an eye on her and that boy in the back with the white hair. His name is Light; keep your eyes on him, he is a tricky one. Take your eyes off of him, and he will try something sneaky."

As Altaria's cautionary words echoed in the air, my team absorbed the weight of impending challenges. The stage was set for encounters with formidable opponents. With a shared nod of determination, we left to go back into the gym, ready to face the shadows and sparks awaiting us in the battles to come.