Chapter 40: Ripples in the Tournament Waters

With the drawings underway, we made our way to the stands, deciding to sit in the eastern part of the gym due to its proximity to Altaria. The first match started right away: Team Dream vs. Team Phantasm. Professor Princeton looked fierce as they both stood on opposite ends of the gym.

Eris announced, "Alright, let us get the first match underway! Altaria, our amazing principal, will cast her beautiful light magic to shield you, the audience, from any stray blasts, so you can enjoy the match worry-free!" A huge light barrier covered the perimeter of the arena, and it was shocking to witness just how effortlessly a grand mage could cover such an area. Eris yelled out, "Without further ado, let us commence the battle! No holding back, no rules. I must remind contestants not to aim for vitals, but there is a standby medical staff waiting, so fight without worry!" She raised her hand excitedly, "Let the first-round match of our grand tournament begin!"

Quinn whispered next to me, "Lucius, that guy gives me bad vibes." He pointed down at the prince who looked stern as he prepared to fight. Quinn continued in a hushed tone, "I sense rage in his heart, and from what I could glimpse of him, his rage is making his judgement go wild. I felt intense hatred for his brother's killers. I would imagine he will want to do anything to replace us as the party to take on the covenant." I sighed as another troublesome person appeared, "Thanks for the info, but we'll just do what we need to do. I don't care if he is the king's son; we won't hold back. I want to save Era myself, and I won't let someone else do it for me, no matter what."

The battle was now underway, and I was interested to see what Prince Sorbek was capable of. As the match started, he seemed uncaring, positioned at the furthest point in the back, which struck me as odd, considering he appeared more suited to a frontline fighter. I decided to examine the other team, the team of freshmen, Team Phantasm. Their professor was an odd character. As the match began, she summoned a dark ball in front of her. Pulling out a wooden chair she seemed to have gotten from a classroom, she now reclined, with her hands behind her back and eyes closed. I was close enough to hear her say, "Ah, my concentrated magic isn't good in this tournament anyway, but this will do."

Eris was caught off guard by the display, exclaiming, "What a bold display from Team Phantasm! Could their cockiness be their undoing!?" The other four members of their team were quite diverse. There was a young man with spiky silver hair with green eyes and an intense expression, a girl with green hair and purple eyes who sported an oversized magic hat, a boy with a cocky grin, neatly combed white hair, and red eyes, and a small half-elf with purple eyes and blonde hair who appeared to use a cane for support. It was hard to discern from this distance, but there was something peculiar about the boy's eyes, as if the light had faded from them long ago. I hoped to learn their names later, as they seemed like a relaxed and talented group.

Team Dream was playing defensively, not making their move just yet, and it seemed they were searching for an opening. The black ball in front of Professor Makov began to shudder and grow as water formed at its center. She chuckled with her eyes closed, "As your P.E teacher, I hope you kids are ready for something we've done before: dodgeball!" The black ball shot out orbs of water, striking the ground with force; getting hit by one would certainly leave a mark. These water orbs scattered all over the field as Team Dream scrambled around the arena in a bit of a panic. Prince Sorbek, however, seemed to allow them to hit him, appearing unfazed by the magic. His gaze remained unchanged, but I couldn't help wondering what he was waiting for.

Eris continued to hype up the situation, "What will Team Dream do? Professor Makov is giving them a real run for their money, and we've only just begun." To make the most of the water situation, the boy with silver hair at the front of the team laughed heartily, "Good job, teach, but I'll take it from here!" He leaped into the air with flair and quickly cast a spell, "Volt Volley!" He formed his hands into the shape of a gun and began firing electrical shots that landed on the water. The electricity zapped Kaiser, Arthur, and Princeton. The latter managed to block a few of the shots with a swift wind barrier. They found themselves on the defensive, but Gwen appeared to have something up her sleeve.

Before she could cast her spell, the boy with the neat clothes and cocky grin unleashed his own attack, yelling, "Viper Spear!" He fired giant earth lances at the group, but it seemed Team Dream was ready this time. Gwen smiled and remarked, "You left yourself open, Nuvus. Rookie mistake. Aurora Beam!" The white and black beam streaked toward the cocky boy, who looked surprised as it landed right on target, knocking him to the ground reducing his earth spears to dust. He was left sitting there, and it didn't seem like he would be getting up anytime soon. The standby medical staff rushed to his aid, swiftly preparing a stretcher and carrying him away. Eris announced, "An amazing turnaround from Team Dream! They aren't the tournament favorites for no reason."

I looked back at Prince Sorbek; he remained in the same spot, appearing impatient while awaiting something. With the volley completed, Arthur and Kaiser stepped forward with confidence. Kaiser unleashed his attack on Professor Makov, exclaiming, "Pandora Bubble Storm!" The spell flew towards her, releasing multiple bubbles aimed at her. Without even glancing, she casually burst the bubbles with the black sphere in front of her, never once opening her eyes. She taunted Kaiser, "There's room for only one water mage here, little Kaiser, and you're far too young to challenge my position." Her black sphere vibrated once more, and a forceful torrent of dirty water surged out from it. She seemed to mutter, "Murkshroud Torrent."

The water passed by Princeton, who was still casting his wind barrier defensively, landing directly on Kaiser. He collapsed into a puddle of murky water, struggling to breathe as he coughed violently. Carried off the field, it was now a 4-on-4 match. Simultaneously, Arthur made a dash towards an unsuspecting green-haired mage. He intended to strike her down with his flaming sword, but it seemed as though something halted his attack at the last moment. I noticed the young man on the right side of the gym muttering something, but no words escaped his lips. Within the gap of time, the green-haired mage cast "Wind Storm," which took Arthur by surprise, hurling him towards the eastern side of the arena. He collided with the barrier, impacting it with force and collapsing instantly.

Gwen sought to counterattack with "Rainbow's End," releasing multicolored beams in all directions towards the green-haired mage. The attack hit its mark, and she tumbled to the ground, emitting a wisp of smoke from the impact. Before the medical team could intervene, Princeton executed his own attack, "South Wind." It was a powerful strike, staking everything on a single blow, but the little man in the back offered a subtle smile. The wind dissipated, unexpectedly missing its intended target, Professor Makov.

In response, Professor Makov chuckled, "This is our freshmen's time to shine Princeton. Sorry, but I'll be ending this shortly." She rose from her chair, and her black sphere transformed into a structure resembling a cannon. The dark magic cannon aimed at Gwen and Princeton in a straight line. Professor Makov shouted, "Ocean's Horizon Cannon!" A torrent of clear blue water surged out, striking both Gwen and Princeton simultaneously, propelling them into each other. Princeton collapsed against the barrier beside Gwen, who remained standing with unsteady legs. She glanced at Prince Sorbek and pleaded, "Help..." However, he averted his gaze, completely ignoring her and proceeding towards Eris, who stood flabbergasted. He calmly stated, "I would like to surrender."

Eris expressed her surprise, saying, "Are you sure? You could still win this." Prince Sorbek responded callously, "No, it would be pointless. I want to forfeit." Eris frowned briefly but soon regained her composure, remarking, "I can't believe it, folks. In a stunning upset, last year's winners have been relegated to the losers' bracket in the first round. What an utterly unbelievable result!" The prince returned to the stands with an air of indifference as the medical staff rushed onto the field. Professor Makov seemed to intercept him, and I could make out her saying, "Cold feet?" It seemed she wasn't pleased with the outcome, and I shared some frustration over Prince's decision to forfeit after standing idle throughout the match.

Quinn shook his head beside me, "He decided to forfeit to conserve his energy, and from what I gather, he's determined to face us in the finals, but not before." Lysandra mockingly added, "Say what you want, but these royal types are all alike, only caring about their own desires. Selfish, if you ask me." Lulith concurred, "Certainly a display of poor sportsmanship." I chimed in, "Well, if we meet him in the finals as he wishes, we can express our sentiments then. Truly a disappointing match. But did you notice that little guy in the back?" Quinn frowned, "Yes, we better hope we don't have to face them, as that kid is formidable. If there's anyone to fear in this tournament, it's him." As the disappointment of the match settled in, we shifted our focus to the next match. With our impending showdown, my heart surged with excitement, urging a vigilant assessment of these potential new threats.