Childish headmaster?

Helen was standing there holding onto Aria's hand. She asked, "What's wrong?"

Aria shook her head, "Nothing. Come on. Let's get you to where you will be fighting."

Saying this she went with Helen towards the direction she had seen Professor Iris take the students and had seen Jacob and Helen return.

Aria could see a small number of students gathering around a spot and deduced that this must be it.

She turned towards Helen and said, "Is this the place?"

Helen nodded. Aria said, "Well then, good luck. I'll come see you after my fight is done."

Helen smiled, "Good luck. Don't do anything rash."

Aria waved her hand as she began to walk back, "When have I ever done that?"

Aria reached the spot and found Professor Thomas had come back.

He was sitting leaning on a boulder with his eyes closed. As Aria approached, Professor Thomas said, without opening his eyes, "Hello Aria."

Aria stopped and said, "Hello Professor."

Professor Thomas opened his eyes and looked at Aria, "Aren't you going to ask me how could I tell it was you?"

Aria: "You were probably using wind bending."

Thomas: "So you can sense your surroundings too?"

Aria: "I specially need to concentrate for that. Anyway Professor, I wanted to ask you something."

Professor Thomas smiled, "Sure."

Aria: "How can I learn to bend elements using my will?"

Professor Thomas fixed his deep blue eyes on Aria, and seemed to survey her for a while before he spoke, "Why do you want to know that?"

Aria was a little taken aback, "You want a reason? Well, let's see..." She crossed her arms and thought. After a while, Aria looked at Professor Thomas and said, "I cannot come up with a reason. I just want to learn that."

Professor Thomas said, "You must know by now how difficult it is to do that."

Aria: "I don't cower before hard-work."

Professor Thomas smiled and leaned back, "How about this? If you can survive more than a hundred minutes during today's fight, I'll tell you."

Aria was dumbfounded. She never expected the headmaster to be so childish. He was actually making a bet with her.

Professor Thomas stood up and went to organise the students gathering around, leaving Aria standing there. Watching the headmaster leave, Aria's lips curved into a smile.

"I will get the answer. I will get it today itself. You want me to survive a hundred minutes? Fine Professor, you have got yourself a deal."

Aria thought as she joined the line.

Aria spent the next twenty minutes while Silver was fighting, searching for all the sources of water, small, large, nearby, faraway, everywhere.

By the time the fight finished, Aria basically had pinpointed the location of almost every source of water in the castle, in the forest, and in the whole of capital city.

After Silver went to the recovery ward and Professor Thomas called out the next person, Aria stepped forward, her hair glistening in the sun and a determined look on her face.

Many eyes followed Aria as she stood ten feet away from Professor Thomas and took her stance.

All the people around wondered what this girl, looking like a pure and fragile angel, could do against their so powerful headmaster?