Tournament Day 3 Part 3

Principal Snow had completed announcing the rules, points' system and other related matters of the competition to everyone present and it was now time to announce who the other three judges would be. Principal Snow couldn't help but pause for dramatic effect. He looked on happily as everyone waited silently, overflowing with anticipation.

Then in three simultaneous puffs of icy mist, figures appeared. Those present couldn't wait to see who the judges would be this year. They eagerly looked on as they impatiently hoped for the mist to clear faster. Soon, the frosty mist cleared and the faces of the figures could now be seen. The other judges would be General Tilt, General Theon and General Willey. Loud cheers sounded as the judges were revealed. The attendees were especially excited to see General Willey as a judge. She was a young, beautiful and powerful talent that many admired despite her origins.

General Burke looked at the judges with a sour expression. Some of the other generals noticed this but brushed it off as him being a sore loser. General Burke didn't pay much attention to them however, as his mind went back to what happened earlier.

After Principal Snow had finished shuffling the glasses, each general took some time before selecting a glass. Once everyone had chosen, the room became lit and each general was invited to check if the small colored ball in their glass had a coin. Sounds and facial expressions of joy and dissatisfaction could be heard and seen a few seconds after they began, however, it soon became overcome by confusion and intrigue. The first two to reveal a coin were General Tilt and General Theon. General Willey was the next to reveal a coin then General Burke shortly after. General Burke grimaced as he saw General Willey also holding a coin.

"What's the meaning of this?" mumbled one of the generals.

"Will there be four additional judges this year?" mumbled another general.

Principal Snow smiled lightly as he looked at the generals before him. While he was smiling however, there was an undeniable chill which he emitted.

"What is this Snow?" asked General Burke coldly.

Principal Snow simply shrugged his shoulders in response. Seeing this General Burke could barely keep himself calm. As he was about to reproach Principal Snow however, General Willey intervened.

"Sir, if I may, was it your intention for there to be four of us chosen?" asked General Willey of Principal Snow.

Principal Snow maintained his smile. "Not at all. I never said there were only three balls… It's just that… there can only be three more judges. How do you suggest we resolve this?"

Principal Snow seemed to have hoped for such a situation to occur. He appeared to be quite interested in General Willey's response. General Willey thought about it for some time but before she could respond, she was interrupted.

"This is ridiculous! She's just a young pup that's still wet behind the ears. The last spot should obviously go to someone with more seniority. Do you take us for a joke Snow?!" growled General Burke.

Principal Snow's expression did not change much after hearing General Burke's response and he simply turned towards General Willey to hear hers.

Noticing this, General Willey quickly responded. "I suggest a method of a similar nature to decide who will be the third judge. Things have relied on luck so far, why not see it through until the end?"

Upon hearing General Willey's suggestion, many seemed to be in agreement, except General Burke who appeared annoyed.

"That won't be necessary," said Principal Snow.

Hearing his response, many eyes widened in disbelief. General Burke laughed haughtily as he looked at General Willey. General Willey, on the other hand, took a deep breath then acknowledged Principal Snow's decision.

"Now then, the other three judges will be General Tilt, General Theon and General Willey. My attendants will escort you to the judging area," announced Principal Snow as he smiled brightly.

At first there was complete silence. Hadn't Principal Snow rejected General Willey's suggestion? Didn't that mean General Burke would be chosen? Was there some mistake?

"Y-you, what do you think you're doing?" asked General Burke, still in shock.

"Well, it's simple General, the glass you initially touched didn't fit the criteria for you to be chosen, so naturally your second chance wouldn't count."

"What?!"

A few of the generals couldn't help but reveal mocking gazes as they looked at General Burke. The situation had been reversed. General Willey was a bit shocked at first but was pleased with the decision.

As the attendants were leading the Generals away, General Burked yelled out.

"This is a load of crap Snow! How dare you do this?!"

Principal Snow's smile disappeared. He narrowed his eyes as he looked coldly at General Burke. The room also became enveloped in a dangerous chill. Principal Snow touched one of the balls which was in a small glass on the table. After doing so, an ice shard appeared from the glass, pointing towards General Burke.

"Do you admit your mistake?" asked Principal Snow.

"W-what? You're crazy! Stop with your tricks!"

"I see…"

The ice shard gradually became longer as it stretched towards General Burke. It then crystalized a tassel which was hanging from General Burke's clothes. After completely covering the tassel, the ice began to spread upon General Burke's body. He couldn't even move. The ice spread like a serpent about to smother its prey.

The atmosphere was tense. At first General Burke tried to play tough but he soon realized that Principal Snow wouldn't back down. As the ice was about to wrap around his neck, General Burke yielded. Principal Snow removed the ice and General Burke fell to the floor, gasping.

"I hope there won't be a next time," said Principal Snow as he left the room.

Everyone now understood. It appeared that General Burke's tassel had touched one of the glasses before he chose another. Some of the generals looked at him in pity, while others could care less. They each made their way out of the room. The chill had left the room but General Burke was still a bit shaken. He was the last to leave the room.

Back in the stadium, everyone was now settled in and barely able to hold back their excitement. The atmosphere within the arena could get anyone energized. Even the participants were pumped up and ready to go. Principal Snow then announced the first two opponents. They were both fairly skilled nobles. The first to enter the ring was a petite young lady with a blonde pixie cut and after her a burly looking young man with his hair in a ponytail. A referee, one of the soldiers from training ground 20, commenced the match.

As soon as the match began, the young lady, surrounded by flames, rushed towards the young man. She was fast but the young man didn't seem bothered in the least. He covered his fist in wind magic and swung towards the young lady. His wind magic caused her flames to dissipate. Instead of dodging however, she grabbed the young man's hand and used it to propel herself upwards. She then pulled a blade from her boot while mid-air. The young man looked over his shoulder to see the glint of the young lady's blade. The young man panicked but he reacted quickly enough to release a large burst of wind magic, causing the young lady to be pushed back and almost falling outside of the ring. Despite this, she was able to keep a hold of her blade. The two looked at each other for a moment as they panted. They could already tell what each other was lacking. In the next moment, the young man decided to take the lead, using his wind magic to push him forward. The young lady's eyes widened as though in disbelief. The young man couldn't help but smirk. He was about to crush her.

As the two were about to meet, there was suddenly a burst of flames and blood in the ring. The young lady had released a burst of fire strong enough to cause the heated air around the young man to scatter and expose his body, allowing her to inflict a crucial but non-fatal wound. The young man grabbed his waist as he staggered, blood continually seeping through his fingers. The young lady wiped off the excess blood ,which was on her blade, on her boot. She then put the blade away, realizing that she no longer needed it. The young man turned and looked at her with blades in his eyes. He looked as though he was about to explode. He tried to rush towards the young lady but found that his moments had slowed significantly. His vision was also becoming blurry. During this time, the young lady walked over to him slowly. The young man, now on his knees, noticed the boots before him and he looked up to find the young lady looking down at him with a smirk on her face. This enraged him.

As though he mustered up his last bit of strength, he tried to pounce on her. In response, the young lady gave him a swift knee to the face then a punch to the gut. The young man was sent flying out of the ring. At the speed he moved, he hit the barrier and was bounced off, leaving the crowd in that section startled and him unconscious. The crowd then erupted with cheers. The judges also seemed pleased with the match as they decided on their scores. With that, the first match ended. The tone had been set and everyone was excited to see what would come next.

Back at the castle, it was not peaceful for some. Earlier, the Crown Prince tried to gather information from Lady Bodum but what he received were either lies or mumbles. It was obvious that she was hiding something. The Crown Prince quickly grew tired of this and decided to leave to investigate further. Before leaving, the Crown Prince glanced over at Viola. He wanted Viola to join him but he could tell that she had much to discuss with Head Priest Zaylin, so he decided to move forward on his own. Viola, on the other hand, did not pay much attention to the Crown Prince or many others in the room, she was solely focused on trying to trace the source of the shadow magic.

"Is there no trace left?" asked Head Priest Zaylin respectfully.

"It's very faint, however, there is something I could try…" replied Viola as she walked over to Lady Bodum.

Lady Bodum shrunk more and more as Viola approached her. "Wh-what do you want?" asked Lady Bodum in a trembling voice.

Viola didn't respond and instead raised her hand and placed it on Lady Bodum's forehead. No one dared to stop her.

"I-I asked what you were doing?" asked Lady Bodum, still in a trembling voice but also a bit impatient.

"This may hurt," replied Viola.

"H-huh?"

Soon ear piercing screams could be heard. Viola's eyes had a faint glow as she pressed her fingers onto Lady Bodum's forehead. Lady Bodum's eyes watered and blood could be seen coming from her nose. Faint glowing lines appeared where the grey lines previously were. Lady Bodum tried to claw at Viola's hand to break free but it was no use, she tore off her own fingernails in the process. Those present could only turn away and cover their ears. Viola seemed so cruel and yet so ethereal. This carried on for a few minutes until Viola's eyes returned to normal then she removed her hand. By this time, Lady Bodum fainted from the pain and fell onto the bed. Viola then turned away and walked towards Head Priest Zaylin. The doctor and a few others rushed to Lady Bodum.

"She'll be fine. That won't kill her," said Viola as she looked slightly confused by the reaction of the others.

They all simply nodded and thanked Viola for her words. They didn't dare to point out the difference between what a Blossom could handle and a normal human like them.

"I found something… interesting. However, it may be best that we discuss this in your office.

Head priest Zaylin looked at Viola with sparkling eyes filled with admiration. "Of course, Viola!"

The two soon left Lady Bodum's room.

Meanwhile, the Second Prince and his mother were still attending to their patient.

"How's she doing now?" asked Alexander.

Amelia smiled lightly. "She seems to be doing better now. She also kept down more of the medicine. She's a fighter, this one."

"That's a relief," said Alexander with a relieved expression.

Amelia noticed her son's expression right away. "You did well. She could've died if you hadn't been there."

"I didn't do much… I just wanted to do more than those bystanders, I… I didn't want to be like them and only care about myself."

Amelia's heart ached at her son's words. Who knows all that was hidden behind those burdened green eyes. *Sigh* "I understand how you feel… but not everyone is able to act without thinking of the consequences."

"But-"

"But, nothing, my child. The social hierarchy is clear. A commoner standing up to a noble is not something you hear about for a reason. What if they did intervene? Who would care about a little servant in this castle? All they'd be doing is putting a target on their own backs. There must come a time when the victim is willing to fight or resist and only then… can they inspire others to fight alongside them. There is strength in numbers but also strength in resolve. The world has never been fair."

Alexander couldn't refute his mother's words. One must also ask for help when they need it, even if it seems pointless.

"Oh, it seems she's waking up," said Amelia.

The young woman gradually opened her eyes, slowly recognizing the two figures before her.

"L-lady Amelia, Second Princ-*cough* *cough*"

"Oh my, you poor thing. No need to be alarmed or greet us. Just rest," said Amelia gently as she helped the young woman back into bed.

As the young woman lay in bed, Amelia gently brushed the girl's hair from her face.

"I, I do not deserve such treatment, my Lady," said the young woman.

"I agree… but I'm not referring to the treatment you've received from me."

At first the young woman was stunned but after hearing everything that Amelia had to say, she quickly understood.

"What's your name sweetie?" asked Amelia as she took a glass of water which Alexander handed to her.

"It's-"

Amelia stopped her for a moment and then had her drink some water. After the young woman took a few sips, Amelia lightly dried her mouth.

"Thank you. My name is Julie."

"Julie… What a beautiful name," said Amelia as she smiled sweetly.

Due to everything that had happened, Julie was unable to stay awake for long and soon fell asleep.

Alexander stood leaned up next to the door with his arms folded. He looked forlorn and almost as though he was in a daze.

"Are you thinking about Viola?" asked Amelia.

"Huh, uh, no, well… Is it that obvious?"

"Well, your face wasn't exactly keeping it a secret. Come let's sit over here."

"So… Talk to me"