2 Battle

10,000? Are you fucking kidding me? Sorry for the language but was this not just hazing. The fire mage laughed as he noticed my finger shaking.

"Tough luck kid, I ain't cleaning the shitters again."

I rolled away as I felt a presence advance toward me. A block of ice big enough to cover my body suddenly appeared were I once was. I took note of the brown haired female standing next to the fire guy. I bit my lip as an arc of lightning shot from another short blonde haired kid. The bolt connected with my chest and sent me flying backwards. I skidded to a halt a few feet away.

I knew from just the pain that this was something I would have to take seriously. If I did not treat it like real combat, I'm out for the count. I breathed in as hard as I could, making sure I could feel the Mana inside me. The one thing I could say I was confident in was using my head, actually the only thing I could be confident about.

I pushed myself to my feet and faced the trio before me. To the left of me an actual explosion of orange took up the battlefield. I ignored it and focused on just my battle. I noticed beyond the three there was an alley way created straight to the entrance. If I could somehow best them, I might be able to make it. I pointed at the other two, the female had a power level of 880 and the shorter male had 760.

With their pools combined I was looking at over 11,000 Mana I had to deal with. My 400 was looking rather small. I let myself stop shaking before I advanced toward them.

"Looks like he is done crapping his pants Gerald." The girl said with a smirk.

The short boy smiled as he pointed toward me, "So it seems?"

"Strike!"

A bolt of lightning once again arced in my direction and I easily evaded it. In the same instance the flame guy dashed forward. I would have to stop his momentum, he was the most powerful. I was moving into position until I felt a cold sensation on my right ankle, it was encased in ice. Damn, they had great teamwork, something I could not relish in.

I have to use it don't I?

Ever since the thought of becoming a mage sprouted in my mind, I had always thought of a way to use my magic. My magic was simple, I had the ability to control the temperature of the air around me. It was called "Temperature Regulator". I could create spheres of heat,cold, or any where in between. I was technically a human air cooling unit and heater combined into one, the easiest way to put it.

Usually such an odd power would soon die out and not be useful but not under my will. Knowing how much my father had to work and become strong, I could not just give up. So with the power of technology and my mind, I created a way to use my magic both offensively and defensively.

A single spell I created over years of hard work and practice. I even came up with a cool name.

The ball of fire edged closer and another bolt came toward me.

"Fire Breaker,"

The guy said through his fire smile that was visible on his face. Suddenly all the fire that consumed his body fizzled out, he was just a regular looking person, red eyes still focused on me. His crimson hair resembling flames on his head.

An orange hue exploded on his left hand as it was caught ablaze. A threatening red fire encroached on his forearm. He closed the gap and cocked his flame fist back,

"Sorry about this, its gonna reaaaaallly hurt."

I could see his confident grin and for some odd reason, I did not falter a single inch. I stood my ground and waited.

As someone who relied on smarts, I researched anything about the weather, looking for a way to somehow make my magic useful. Months of browsing online and double checking sources I confirmed my theory. It was really simple in fact, if really cold air and really hot air meet, they do not mix. It actually creates phenomenon over looked by most. In the same way a cold front meets a warm front to create a tornado, if any intense heat meets freezing cold head on, wind pressure occurs. It happens when you superheat cold air.

And since I had heat coming right at my face, it was just asking for me to take advantage. It wasn't even the ace up my sleeve, it was just my mind at work. I did not rely on my magic like some, I relied on skill and mindset.

"Frigid Sphere: Temp Three."

I gritted as I felt the intense heat closing in. The breathe I took in scratched the moisture out of my mouth, almost making me pass out.

I created a blue sphere of below freezing cold air just above my palm, the sphere was only the size of a baseball. In the same instance I put a hot layer around my fingers and forearm so the cold would not affect me.

I quickly dropped toward the ground in hopes his fist missed, lucky it did, zooming through the air and singeing the tips of my silver hair.

Just as he missed a iron grip was placed on my shoulder, shoving me hard against the ground. So much so that the ice anklet exploded into shards of ice. I smiled, check mate. He brought his fist down like a hammer and I stretched my sphere toward his fire. Our hands connected for a brief moment.

An explosion of wind pressure and steam engulfed the surrounding area. My back was pushed vigorously against the grass, my bones threatening to crack under the extreme pressure. I was forced to close my eyes as the big explosion of air echoed through the battlefield, all went quiet. Hundreds of sets of eyes fell upon my scenario. The once 10,000 strong fire Mage was flying straight up into the air, his body limp from the impact. I sighed a deep breath as the commotion started, the air filled with struggle once again.

The flame guy's body was quickly encased in ice before he hit the grass, it shattering as he did. The man was unconscious, lying on a pile of ice.

I won

"Holy shit, a first year just took out the twentieth ranked Second Year."

Gerald bounded backwards and the girl followed suit.

"Looks like we got ourselves a catch, I'll have to scold Blake about being beat."

I shockingly managed to stand, an imprint of my body in the grass. I did not say a word to them, I always had the problem of being too quiet, my mind only focused on the task at hand. I looked down at My Codex, 250 was all I had left. I gritted my teeth as I flexed my arm, it already being sore from being blown back by the force.

"I don't even know what his magic might be , what was that?"

Gerald said as his fingers sizzled with electricity. The girl shook her head as her hands looked paler then usual,

"I do not have a clue, be careful."

The duo now stood confidently, ready to resume battle. I fully hoped they would flee or give me slack after defeating the most powerful of the group, I guess I wasn't that lucky.

From the few spells they used, I already knew how there team operated. It was distraction, then immobilize, then strike. The key factor being the last one, now that it was gone, It was truly a spell battle. Experience over brains, which would exactly win? I did not have the slightest clue, I only knew that I could not disappoint father, losing was not an option.

"Tri-Bolt,"

Gerald moved three fingers forward and in the same moment the girl chanted her spell.

"Ice Walk."

The grass in front and around me froze instantly, the soles of my sneakers buried along with it. I would of left my shoes there but I had no time as three bolts of electricity advanced toward me. Hot air fled down my leg and quickly heated the area around them. The ice started to melt but it was already too late. I dodged to the left, one missing by centimeters. The other two easily hit my right shoulder and forearm. I winced from the impact, but oddly enough, no pain came from it.

Gerald smiled, "Paralysis, got you"

My arm went limp, He did get me. I may be smarter and more quick on my feet but there was one thing no one could account for, the unknown. I would have never been able to calculate how expansive his spell range was. Usually most people have twenty hard trained spells when they graduate from any Academy.

My dad had fifty that he offered to show me and I could guess that they had at least five. I only had three and one needed two arms to use. The ace up my sleeve crumbled as my use of it was now impossible. Damn him, I usually am never outsmarted or played.

My feet were freed from the ice and I leaped forward, even if my arm was not in my control, it did not mean I couldn't still use it.

"Ice Block!" The girl screamed as I advanced toward her. I moved my body quickly away from were I felt the cold air, my arm flung upwards into it. Bingo, I said in my head, my right arm was now a block of ice. From common knowledge I knew ice made from pure water was a horribly conductor of electricity. I smiled as I swung my ice arm toward Gerald. He quickly aimed at me and fired a bolt, it connected with the ice, only for nothing to happen at all. I planted my right foot and swirled around, doing a complete three sixty turn. My arm got momentum and is crashed against the short boy's shoulder, sending him to the floor. He yelled in pain as he clutched his arm. I did not account for the brutality of such a move, I was just trying to survive. The ice no longer covered my arm and I dove away as another block of ice formed vertically were I stood. Close, but not close enough. I turned and pointed at her with my left index finger, luckily I had the Codex Watch on my left.

115

I did a roll before coming to my feet, I pointed at Gerald who was groveling in pain.

90

It looked like I won, the tides now in my favor. I did not notice the grin that formed on my face. The girl breathed hard as she looked at me, the thought of giving up stained on her face.

I win.

I sprinted toward the archway with all of my might, not a single thought except of my father. The biggest smile on his face as he saw I got accepted into King Academy.

"Not so fast."

I looked up, a muscular green haired student in front of me. He had a nasty scar that halved his face and a morning beard to sell his appearance.

"My name is Gonnar, I am to stop anyone who makes it past the first level. I am surprised you were able to beat Blake, a great feat indeed, but that doesn't matter, you still have to fight me."

First level? They actually organized the fights, it was not just randomly placed students. Jeez, how bad was cleaning the bathrooms and animal pens. I discretely pointed at him.

500

I sighed internally, he was not as bad as my first encounter, not in the slightest. The sense of safety fled as I focused on the single man standing before me. The Archway was only ten feet away. I was so close but yet so far, that did not matter though. I refuse to lose with the name of my Father. The Sky family will never be disgraced by all means, especially if I dictated it.

I truly don't even know why I was so fired up, the adrenaline must have an affect on me. I only ever spared with my brother, and those never got nasty or out of hand. That would make this the first time I really was fighting.

"Beast Roar!" He boomed as he showed his beast like teeth, sharpened for good measure.

His muscles flexed and his uniform threatened to tear. I inhaled and noticed I had feeling in my right arm. Was now a good time to use it? The ace I wanted to keep secret, was it worth it being known?

It was only common sense to assume this was being broadcasted to the rest of the students or at the very least the teachers. It was just too risky either way. Use it and lose the secrecy of having such a powerful spell or chance not using it and failing. I swallowed before making my decision.

I was not going to use it, the weigh of it was to great. I had to think of another way.

Think...

The memory of Blake flying in the air struck me. An idea forming in my head, I was going to make a new spell on the fly. As long as I had a good base for how to use it, a spell could easily be created and added to your Codex. All I had to do was preform it successfully and then it would become muscle memory because of the technology. I just needed to do it right. Right?

Gonnar howled again before running toward me like a mad man. Could you even call him a mage if all he did was run at you like that? I trashed the thought as I started toward him.

Another thought popped in my head.

"What does it mean to be a Mage?"

My dad looked at six year old me with the biggest smile,

"I was waiting for you to ask that."

He easily picked me up and set me on his lap. We were in his study, the lights dimmed as he set his laptop on his desk.

"Well um, lets see..."

I noticed his sky blue eyes and his silver hair, the same features I possessed, only I had my mother's nose instead.

"Being a Mage can be a lot of things. It could be the fact you protect the weak, or how you master spells, or maybe advancing our Magical understanding..."

He trailed off as he took note of my frown,

"What?"

"What does advancing mean?" Stupid six year old me said.

He laughed aloud as he patted my silver locks,

"I almost forgot you aren't one of my students. Well son, What it means to be a Mage is to be-"

I cut the memory off as I was closer to the beast-man, a smell of bananas and sweat tickled my nose.

"Strong, what it means to be a mage is to be powerful, so protecting the weak is natural and mastering spells is common to the point you understand magic more than anyone else."

I smiled.

I slammed my hand to the floor and created the biggest sphere of heat I could muster. This one being easily the size of a basketball. With my other hand however, I created a basketball sized sphere of cold air. I kept the hot sphere down and brought my other one to it. The spheres collided and once again, a boom took up everything.

I almost puked as I found myself twenty feet in the air, arcing toward the entrance at accelerating speeds. I zoomed over the feet in a second and the arch way was so close. The beast-man cursed as he dug his soles into the dirt,

"Beast Jump!" He roared and was upon me almost instantly. A muscular arm stretched toward my white tie, my eyes growing wide. I was to busy thinking about how to land I never factored in his speed. I was only a foot away from victory and now, I was inches away from defeat. My mind burst with so many calculations it was useless to think in the moment, I had to act now. Brain power was not going to help so I did what anyone would do,

I yanked my tie off before he could. The knot coming out quickly and his hand grabbing nothing but air.

We crashed to the stone path that indicated the other side of the Archway.