The Festival

For the past month I've been working extra hard on my exercises and dueling Pandaya and Neili in all the different weapons. I can beat Neili now, but I can only tie with Pandaya at best. Pandaya tells me it's because I refuse to use magic but I'm not so certain. I still think that Pandaya goes easy on me during our duels. 

Miira's been telling me that I need to use magic, but I only make barriers for myself. I tell myself that it's because I'm afraid that I can't control my own powers, but deep inside, I feel like there's a more sinister reason I don't use magic.

Earlier this morning, I headed to the training grounds to be briefed on what the Festival's winning conditions were. Pandaya and Neili were there, as well as the woman who choked me at the bathing house last time. The rest of the people were Izamons that I didn't know but around the same age as Pandaya and I.