Tryouts!

Sir Sebastian stood before the students on a black wide floor in the Arena. The students were seated round in the bleacher. He and the other instructors with him all wore dark blue training suits. The students all wore white vests tucked into black trousers. On the white vests, the names of the students had been printed on the front and back.

"Good morning, students." Sir Sebastian said. The Arena was laced with magic that caused his voice to be heard well from where he stood at the middle. "With me here are the instructors of the Tactics Department." He nodded to the instructors. The dark one stepped up, "I am Sir Brad, your instructor for Unarmed combat."

The redhead next to Sir Brad followed immediately, "I am Sir Pit, for Archery." The brunette stepped up after him. "Princess Josie, for Knife Combat."

Girls cheered all over the Arena. "We love you, Princess!" A guy shouted from the back.

"I am Sir Chase, for Spearsmanship." The last man said. He looked like he was in the same age bracket with Sir Sebastian. The others all looked to be in their late twenties.

Sir Sebastian continued, "I am your instructor for Swordsmanship." He excused himself and cleared his throat a little. "Your tryouts today are strictly unarmed combat. You will be measured and scored accordingly. The top two scorers will be selected as the captains of Tactical department for your set." He turned to Sir Brad. "Over to you, sir." He said and walked off the black floor with the other instructors, leaving Sir Brad alone in the middle.

When all the instructors were safely off the black floor, Sir Brad stamped his left foot twice in the floor and a crack started from he where he stood. The crack went straight forward and backward. Then he stamped again, another crack went eastward and westward. Sir Brad's eyes shone green and the floor divided into four separate wooden floors. As he raised his hands, display boards for each floor came up out of the ground.

Sir Brad clasped his hands together suddenly. He began to bring his hands apart slowly. A green glowing ball was spinning and gaining width in between his hands. Soon it was so big and he dropped it to the ground. The ball began to enlarge and increase in height, after a few seconds the ball shattered. Standing in its place were four beings. They looked so much like human beings, only that their skin colors were green. Two of them had masculine forms, the other two had feminine forms.

Sir Brad tapped each one of them on the back and they came alive. "Hi, I am Jeff, a tactic dummy."

"Hi, I am Trink, a tactic dummy."

"Hi, I am Steph, a tactic dummy."

"Hi, I am Pink, a tactic dummy."

Sir Brad clapped and the four dummies distributed themselves to the four floors. Sir Brad turned back to the students, "Each one of you will spar against the dummies. I have preset them with the criteria by which they would measure you. They would score each one of you accordingly. The ladies would spar with Steph and Pink, and the guys with Jeff and Trink. Once your name comes up on the display board, run up to the floor. Don't waste time when it's your turn."

"What if you can't do anything?" A girl asked.

Sir Brad laughed. "The scoring is to know what level you should be placed in. What I need you to do is to get on the floor first and protect yourself from being beaten up. You can run off, that will be scored too. Don't worry they won't hurt you so much." He looked to Sir Sebastian, and Sir Sebastian gave him a nod. Sir Brad smiled to the students. "Let the duels begin!!" The display boards lit up immediately with the names of the first four students.

The duels ensued, going on for about an hour and half. Some students actually won their duels against the dummies. There were some students though, that ran off the floor after getting a few slaps.

The instructors moved about the floors to watch the students and conversed about their observations.

Soon, the other instructors of Dalphia came into the Arena. Headmistress Natasha had told all the instructors to be on ground at the Arena so that they could help the students once their magic wells started giving off.

Headmistress Natasha walked in with the Queen Mother of Paxisia, the mother of King Lucien Whitmire and Princess Melissa Venus, the Royal Secretary of Paxisia and the King's half-sister. The Queen Mother wore a flowing purple dress and her hair was pinned up duchess-style to make a balanced seat for her golden crown. Princess Melissa Venus wore a pale blue dress and was adorned with lovely silver jewels.

Dignitaries were welcome to visit Dalphia during the day time. They watched the students' sessions and sometimes they gave out opportunities and gifts to students that impressed them.

Soon the duels were over and Sir Brad returned the four floors to one as it was before. The tactics instructors and the tactics dummies stood on the floor together. The students returned to the bleacher. The staff and the dignitaries also sat.

Sir Sebastian stepped forward. "Before we go on, let's acknowledge the presence of Queen Whitmire and Princess Melissa Venus."

The students stood up and applauded. The dignitaries stood and waved at the students.

"Paxisia!!!" The Queen Mother cried.

The Paxisian students knew the response to that call. "Great people we are! Arms of Strength! Pillars of Power!!!" They roared back.

The Lavenian students did not want to be left out. "Lavenia!" A Lavenian student shouted.

The Lavenian students clapped twice. "The sun rises only to set again. But we rise only to go higher!!! Hoo, Hoo, High!! High, High, Higher!!!"

Finally the students fell silent and the dignitaries returned to their seat.

Sir Sebastian smiled at the students. "You can have your seats." The students sat. "Your tryouts were lovely to watch. Some were the kind of stuff I am looking for and some were comical. Anyways, well-done to you all." He turned to Sir Brad. "You know what I want."

Sir Brad caught the message. Sir Sebastian was asking for the top two. He nodded towards the tactic dummies. Each of them had papers in their hands with the scores of each student they had measured. The dummies gave all the papers to Jeff. Jeff speedily scanned through all the papers and brought them to Sir Brad. "Sir Brad, the highest two scores are 92 and 95." Jeff said in his weird hoarse voice.

Sir Brad looked to Sir Sebastian. "How do you like those scores?" He grinned.

Sir Sebastian smiled back. "Just the kind of scores I want. Call them out."

"Actually, there are two high scores but three high scorers." Jeff said.

The whole discussion was followed by the students and staff and dignitaries at the bleacher.

"Where's the tie?" Sir Brad asked Jeff.

"On score 95." Jeff responded.

Sir Chase chuckled. "I'm loving this."

The Tactical instructors huddled together. "Do we drop the scorer on 92?" Sir Sebastian asked them.

"I think we can. We agreed on taking two people." Princess Josie said.

"I think we can make changes this year. The workload of a captain in this department can be a lot." Sir Chase said, he looked genuinely concerned.

"I agree to that. I was a captain in my set. Let's take the three." Sir Pit said.

Everyone looked to Sir Brad for him to say something. "Princess Josie's right in us sticking to what we'd said earlier. But the students already heard that it's three people."

"Let's go on with the three." Sir Sebastian said and they all returned to their former position, facing the students. "Jeff, call them out."

"Ricky, Jayden and Kelila." The students came forward as they heard their names. "Ricky on 92. Jayden and Kelila on 95." Jeff announced.

Sir Sebastian turned to Princess Josie as the students made their way to join the tactics instructors. "What was your own score at your own time?" He whispered.

"52, I was a mess." She chuckled lightly.

When the students got on the big black floor, Sir Sebastian recognized the girl as the one he had seen dancing the night before. Her green eyes caught his and quickly turned away. She had her hair pulled tightly in a bun. As Sir Sebastian looked at her, he wondered if he had seen her somewhere else before the garden because she looked somewhat familiar.

Before Sir Sebastian could speak any further, a guy stood in the bleachers. "Yo! I challenge the scores. You know, we can't really trust your female dummies because they are just like females...dumb!" And the guys around him chorused a sneering sound that showed they agreed with him and they laughed together.

Sir Pit heaved a sigh, "I can't believe we have to deal with brats this year again."

Sir Brad clicked his tongue and shook his head. "It always irks me."

Sir Sebastian, visibly annoyed, pointed to the student, "You, come down here." Everywhere was silent, the students wondered what he would do. All around the Arena, the female students were discomfited. The guy walked down the stairs with no remorse. He seemed proud of what he had said. He was a big guy with a sturdy build.

"Please, Sebastian." The Queen Mother said as she stood to her feet gracefully. "Let me."

Sir Sebastian gave her slight bow. The Queen Mother arrived the black floor at the same time with the guy. She went over to where Kelila stood, "Sweetie, can you go another round for me?"

Kelila looked at her and then at the instructors. She wondered if it was appropriate. Princess Josie gave her a positive nod. Kelila turned to the Queen Mother. "Yes, Your Highness."

The Queen Mother looked at the guy and back at Kelila. "I need you to give him a good whooping for me."

"I'm not sure our definitions of whopping are the same, Your Highness." Kelila said.

"You use your own definition riding on what he just did." The Queen Mother smirked.

Kelila bowed her head slightly and stepped forward to face the guy.

"Travis," Sir Sebastian took the guy's name from his vest, "and Kelila. You can begin." The others moved off the black floor to give them space.

Kelila and Travis stood facing each other, their eyes locked with an intensity that spoke of their determination. Travis already felt confident that he will win this fight. He scoffed at Kelila's lithe figure.  Kelila was unfazed by Travis' stature as instructions from training with Madre and her mother began to ring in her mind. The Arena buzzed with anticipation, the air thick with excitement.

As the combat began, Kelila swiftly moved, her lithe form a testament to agility and speed. She unleashed a series of lightning-fast strikes, blending her martial arts expertise with a relentless flurry of punches, kicks, and evasive maneuvers. Her movements were fluid, displaying a harmonious synergy between strength and finesse.

Travis, who had been caught off-guard by Kelila's initial onslaught, relied on his stature and formidable presence. He defended skillfully, expertly parrying and blocking Kelila's strikes with calculated precision, making use of his strength to create a formidable defense.

Undeterred, Kelila continued to press forward, utilizing her agility to swiftly maneuver around Travis. She showcased her versatility by seamlessly transitioning from strikes to grappling techniques, using leverage and speed to gain the upper hand.

With precise timing and a surge of determination, Kelila seized an opportunity. She anticipated Travis's defensive opening, launching an acrobatic move that caused him to lose his balance. Exploiting the opening, she executed a decisive strike, delivering a swift and measured blow that landed precisely on Travis's vulnerable point.

Time seemed to stand still as Travis faltered, his defenses crumbling under the impact. He tried to hold himself up but his knees failed under him and he fell to the floor. Kelila's training and honed skills had paid off, and her victory was apparent. She stood tall, her self-assuredness radiating through her posture.

As the fight drew to a close, a sense of admiration and respect filled the room. Many students cheered and applauded. The friends of Travis tried to hide their faces. Kelila extended a hand to Travis, helping him back to his feet.

The instructors returned to the black floor with Ricky and Jayden. The Queen Mother came to the floor too and faced Travis, "So who's the dumb one now?" She chuckled. "A fool is not known until he speaks. Child, you should be careful what you say. Be careful what you do. The people you trample on today can become your worst horrors tomorrow." The Queen Mother stared deep into Travis' eyes, making her words bore into his soul.

Queen Mother Whitmire turned to the students. "Many times we feel because we are bigger or higher than another, we can insult them and treat them as we like. This is not right. Every human being ought to be accorded respect. The person beside you is worthy of respect simply because he or she is a human being. We may have a title greater than another but that does not make us greater than the other. You all should have respect for yourselves. Pejorative words should not be found amongst us. Love every human. Honor every human. And our world will be a better place."

The Queen Mother smiled at Kelila and opened her purse. She brought out three gold cards and handed one to Kelila. "You were amazing." Kelila bowed. The Queen Mother gave another card to Jayden and she stopped when she got to her grandson, Ricky. "Do I need to give you that which is already yours?" She chuckled. "Well, you won it fair and square." She gave Ricky the last one. The Queen Mother turned to Sebastian and nodded to him and she walked gracefully of the stage. Sir Sebastian bowed curtly to her.

When Sir Sebastian straightened, he looked at Kelila and wondered about her. He had not expected that level of mastery from her. That made him excited about Jayden and Ricky. If Kelila was that good, that means the captains of this set could really be of great help to the instructors. He noticed Kelila massage her left side and when she moved her hand, he saw a little blood stain.

He put two and two together. That should be why she had been favoring left side when she was dancing last night - she had an injury.

"Travis," Sir Sebastian turned to Travis, "join the eighteen people that came late this morning to report to Sir Pit for detention." Then he turned to the students and looked hard on them. They should showing off signs of their magic soon.

Stretching out his arms to Jayden, Kelila and Ricky, Sir Sebastian announced. "I present to you the three captains of the Tactics department for 100th set of Dalphia." The students applauded and Sir Sebastian went on with his announcements. "Students, do not leave the Arena until you hear the bells. When you hear the bells, move to the cafeteria for your brunch. Instructors, please move to the entrance for a brief meeting." Sir Sebastian said and began to leave also. The instructors were going to get their sed guns. A sed gun, unlike a real gun with bullets, was armed with sedative shots. The instructors needed it in case any student went wild with their powers. The instructors walked out after Sir Sebastian.

The students scattered from their coordinated position and moved about, mingling with each other.

Travis walked over to where Kelila stood with Jayden and Ricky. "You're really good at this combat thing." He extended a hand to her for a handshake.

Kelila gave him a curt nod, "That's true." She took Travis's hand.

Jayden and Ricky looked at her, they had not expected such answer from her. Even Travis hesitated before he released her hand.

Kelila withdrew her hand and stepped back to leave, but she bumped into another girl coming from behind. She lost her balance but Jayden caught her and steadied her. Jayden gave her a reassuring smile before she stepped away. Travis left them then.

Ricky had caught the other girl. She was a gorgeous girl with model-like figure. She wore her dark hair very long, reaching her waist. She was absolutely gorgeous. She chuckled as Ricky steadied her. "Thank you, Frederic." She straightened and faced them. "But why do you have 'Ricky' on your vest and not 'Frederic'?"

"I prefer Ricky." Ricky said. Jayden and Kelila watched the exchange, the two obviously knew each other.

"If it is a short you wanted, you could have used 'Eric'. That would've been better than..."

Ricky cut her off. "It's fine, Andrea." He turned to Kelila and Jayden. "Forgive my manners, Jayden and Kelila. This is my cousin, Andrea."

Andrea turned to them. "Hi, nice to meet you, Kelila and Jayden." She put a little drag on Jayden's name and flashed him flirtatious smile. "Since you're friends with Frederic, you're friends with moi." She jabbed a finger in her chest. She whipped her head quickly in the direction of where the Queen Mother stood with Princess Venus. "That's my mom and grandmother." She said to Jayden and Kelila. "Excuse us, please. We've got to go say hi."

She pulled Ricky along with her.

As they left, Kelila scanned the Arena for Star or Maddie. They had parted during the duels and had not returned to each other again.

"You know..." Jayden began to speak beside her but he soon stopped talking as they both caught sight of a girl with a whirlwind stirring around her. The girl screamed as she began to rise in the air. Soon she darting in every direction of the Arena, causing chaos. Sir Brad ran in and pulled his sed gun. He shot at her with clean accuracy and the girl dropped. Sir Devon, another instructor who was close to the girl, caught her and helped her land safely.

Some students shouted in horror. "There's no cause for panic." Headmistress Natasha said to the students. "She was just given a sedative shot."

All over the room, different things were happening to the students. A girl had a fountain of water coming up from the top of her head. A boy suddenly had fireballs chasing him. There was a girl that had branches growing out of her head.

"What is all this?" Jayden asked. Kelila turned to him and she noticed he was glowing.

"What's up with you? You're glowing." Kelila told him.

Jayden noticed himself too. "Now this is crazy." He laughed.

Sir Sebastian walked up to them, "Take a deep breath, Jayden." He smiled, his hand ready at the trigger of his sed gun hanging on the waist of his suit in case Jayden also went wild. But Jayden did not. As he took the deep breath, the glow went out. "Good job, Jayden. You've got light magic. The two of you, come with me to my office." Sir Sebastian turned around and walked briskly. Kelila and Jayden followed him.

"What I was trying to say earlier, Lila..." Jayden said as they walked together.

Kelila cut him off immediately. "It's Kelila." She continued on ahead.

Jayden grinned at her. He did not correct himself but went on with what he was saying. "I was saying that you have a rather unique way with compliments."

"How do you mean?" She asked him. She wondered where he was going with this.

"When I told you you're pretty, you told me that it's not news. Like who says that?" Jayden laughed. "And Travis complimented your skill earlier and you said that it is true. Girls usually blush and hesitate a bit when they receive a compliment. Everyone says thank you when they get a compliment."

Kelila stopped walking and faced Jayden. They were already out of the Arena. "Well, for starts, I am not everyone. It also did not seem spectacular to me because you were telling what I already know. That's like...um what do they call it...yeah, stale information." She smirked.

"Now that was so smug, Lila." Jayden smiled back at her.

"I dislike how you address me, Jayden." Kelila frowned at him.

"You're even prettier with that face, Lila." Jayden teased as they continued walking. Ahead of them, Sir Sebastian was turning a corner. They jogged up a little to catch up.

"The sun's glow is lovely. What do you think, Lila?" Jayden continued to tease her. Kelila ignored him and walked faster.

Soon they were in the Tactics Department Building and headed for Sir Sebastian's office.

⭐🌷🌷⭐

Sir Sebastian pulled out a little first aid box from his desk drawer as Jayden closed the door behind Kelila and himself. He wanted to help with Kelila's injury. He had called Jayden to come along so that Kelila will not feel so uncomfortable with him. She and Jayden looked like they were friends. He straightened and turned to them. "You have an injury on your left side, Kelila." He smiled to reassure her but she suddenly looked embarrassed. Jayden looked at Kelila with concern. That's when Sebastian realized he had made a mistake about their relationship. They had probably just met at Dalphia. But I said it already, Sebastian thought.

"May I look at it? I may have something here that should help." He waved his first aid box in his head.

After a long minute of hesitation, Kelila nodded. She came closer and pulled up the hem of her shirt from beneath her belt to reveal the cut on her side.

Jayden sucked in air when he saw it, but he did not say anything.

Sebastian bent and examined the wound. It was not that deep and it seemed to be healing already. "It seems it has started to heal. Maybe it opened up while you sparred. You should have come to me or Princess Josie, so you would have been exempted." Sebastian's eyes met Kelila's eyes. His eyes held deep concern as he genuinely cared about his students. He opened the first aid box. Using the scissors, he took a little wool and dipped it in disinfectant. He dabbed at Kelila's wound with it. Then he went back to his drawer and took out a little plastic case.

It was a lotion Dr. Meyer had prepared and given to him at the White Fall Festival. White Fall Festival was a festival to mark the winter season. My Gwendoline. Sebastian smiled at the thought of her, Gwendoline still occupied a special place in his heart no matter how much he told himself to get over her. He pushed away thoughts of Gwendoline and focused on what he was doing. It would do him no good now to be contemplating a married woman.

Sebastian lifted the lid and showed it to Kelila who was staring at him with questions in her eyes. "This lotion will help it." Sebastian smiled to reassure her.

Kelila stayed still and let him. He applied the lotion to the wound and waited. The wound began to glitter and then with a twinkling sound, the wound completely healed without leaving a scar.

Sebastian looked up at Kelila's face. She was in awe. "Whoa!" Jayden exclaimed as he came closer.

"The pain's gone too." Kelila said. Sebastian now saw her face up close. She was pretty with her lovely green eyes. It seemed like she was really familiar.

Sebastian moved back and straightened up, "I hope that encourages you that you can share your problems with us, your instructors."

Kelila adjusted her vest and nodded.

"You're both dismissed." Sebastian said to them. They both hesitated. They thought he had called them for another reason, but when he said nothing more, they left.

Sebastian grabbed his sed gun and followed after them. The instructors still had to watch the students for some time before releasing them for their brunch.