Sir Elton sat in his study room late at night when the entire palace was quiet and asleep. It was the perfect time for him to focus on what required his complete attention. The scouts he'd sent north a month ago were finally back with a report of the situation. Most of it he had already predicted, but the complete calm in all the lands that the scouts reported was unnerving. It had been years now since he had sighted or fought one of the dark demons. Such a long time that people all over Amargon were starting to become complacent. The Inter Clan Ranking Examination used to be a soldier recruiting system. Now it was turned to a sport that people loved to see Conjurors displaying their magic.

Peace was somehow a drug that his people were hooked on. The general had no idea if disrupting its supply would render him a heretic to the people or their saviour from the looming danger ahead. But his father had once told him that a kingdom needed soldiers who were labelled as lazy and freeloaders. When soldiers didn't work, it meant bloodshed was starved. But he knew about the enemy to the north. He knew about the evil that dwelt in the Ancestral Lands. The enemy was not defeated in the last war they fought.

It was simply bidding its time as its targets become complacent with false thoughts of victory.

"Come in," the general said as he got up to place a book back in its place on the shelf behind his desk. There was a loud sigh as the door to his study opened and Captain Star entered. He knew the girl disliked him reading her aura but it was a habit he was already too used to.

"You could at least let me have the courtesy of knocking, Sir."

"Perhaps next time you should diminish your Aura more when you come to see me."

The girl huffed in irritation and took the seat opposite the general. He was just realizing how much the girl had grown. The first time she and he met was years ago in a small village north of the Jade Palace. There was such wonder and joy in those brown eyes then. The curiosity was now replaced with the permanent frown that coloured her face. But Star had seen too many horrors in this life than any child was supposed to see. The general couldn't very well be surprised with the effort she took to be joyful.

"I heard the scouting unit came back with no changes to the unnatural calm in the north."

"Yes. It seems we still have peace in Amargon."

Star said nothing of this as she fidgeted uncomfortably in the chair. It wasn't common for the girl to actually behave as she was now. The general thought it was such a shame that only he could see how beautiful her face looked when she wasn't displeased by the world and its occupants.

"I assume you know the reasons for my visit here today, Sir."

Unfortunately, he had known Star's agenda for a while now. The general knew nothing could make the girl's mental state sway so wildly aside from his daughter's presence in this castle. He also knew the two girls wouldn't exactly be quaint with each other, but the abrasive air that stands between them has made it very difficult for the general to navigate. He never imagined his adopted child would detest his biological daughter to this extent.

"I wouldn't be much of Sage's leader if I didn't."

"And?"

"And I think you have every reason to resent the notion of being in the same environment as Trinity. But for the sake of everyone in Sage, I cannot grant your request to leave for the lands of Zodium."

The frown drew itself back on Star's face as she stood to head towards the door before stopping halfway. The general didn't know how else he could word it. Star was crucial to the plan he had. She was needed in fostering the coming generation's strength to fight an evil he was sure would plague them sooner or later. It would be at the cost of her happiness, but he knew the girl could live past this. She is far stronger than he was at her age.

"What about my sake? Is my well-being not a factor to you anymore?"

Her question was a difficult one for the general to answer. It did seem like he cared little for the girl. Nothing could have been further from the truth though. He cared for her ever since the death of her parents and loved her like she was his own daughter. Putting her through this pain was more than he had any right to. But it was necessary. Not just for the people of Sage, but also Star's mental wellbeing.

"You are in all essence my daughter, Annabelle. I have trained you in every manner I know to make sure you can fend for yourself in whichever corner of the universe you find yourself in. Your well-being is my top priority in every decision I make concerning you. It is our duty as Alphas of Sage to shepherd the young ones. And I also believe you will see a benefit in this endeavour as time progresses."

Her real name felt alien to her own ears. Star had been serving in the Sage army for three years now and only her adoptive father cared to remind her of it now and again. She knew the general held nothing but her best interest at heart. He did everything in his life with the greater good concept in play. If he said this was the best way, it was after a lot of analysis on the matter.

"I will stay, but I am not happy with your recent decisions, Father."

"Well, that's another thing you and Trinity have in common."

* * *

Trin felt like a sack of bricks was weighing heavily on her back as she and Kay Lee were getting ready for the tournament. She hadn't slept well the previous night. When all was quiet, she usually got to thinking how this tournament was the worst thing she could have signed up for. There were four levels of ranking in the Sage Clan; Rookies were the lowest and currently in training. Cadets were graduates with little to no real-life combat experience. Betas were seasoned conjurors that made up a good majority of the Sage Clan fighting force. And then at the very top sat the elusive Alphas, so good at their craft that just one of them was enough to slay an entire horde of undead demons.

Trin had grown a healthy amount of respect for these titles the few weeks she had been learning about Conjuring. Alphas were the golden standard that anyone aspired to be. All the top-ranking officials came from that elite pool of talent. But the task seemed daunting to Trin because according to Kay Lee, in the last five years of holding the Inter Clan Raking Exams, Captain Star was the only addition to the rank's numbers.

"Feeling better?" Kay Lee's concern did nothing to lessen the weight in her stomach. She had convinced Trin that entering this tournament was good practice to learn her Conjuring in actual combat. That might have been true, but Trin did not fare well with large crowds such as the one gathered to see this tournament today.

"That depends on your definition of better. Does yours entail feeling nauseated at the sound of cheers?"

"Pretty much. We're up next."

Trin sighed quietly as she followed her friend down the ramp and into the arena. It amazed her at how much the Training Grounds had changed overnight. The clear fields were now a large open coliseum filled with multitudes of people. The grounds seemed like fields that were tilled and ready for seed plantation. Several places had holes in the ground and some fallen trees, a sign of previous battles waged before their arrival. From the sounds she heard in the waiting area, this was definitely going to be a painful experience.

Trin's balance swayed as someone rammed hard into her shoulder on their way past her. It wasn't the first time her opponents had been aggressive today, but she still thought it was over the top. The two girls seemed ecstatic to see both their names drawn against hers and Kay Lee. It looked like the reputation of her as a darkness bomb preceded outside the training academy too.

The one who rammed a shoulder into Trin's was codenamed Karma. She was a recently inducted Beta who seemed too insistent on trying to outshine any other individual of her rank. Her companion was named Gypsy. She was a Cadet rank who from Trin's first impression seemed more civil looking than her partner. But Trin had read up on both of these individuals. Both of them had participated in a form of combat that wasn't controlled by an instructor. This was not going to be an easy fight.

"The tenth and final match is about to commence," the announcer's voice came sounded and the entire stadium grew silent, "As per the rules, incapacitating your opponent to no longer be able to fight is the only route to progressing for the individual battles."

There was a clam in both the arena and in the crowd that unnerved Trin. She was just about to ask Kay Lee what was going on before her vision was obscured by a large mass of blonde hair and she was tackled to the ground. She didn't need to ask for an explanation when the huge boulder landed inches where she previously stood and the crowd erupted in wild cheers.

"What happened to 'ready, set, go'?"

"There are no countdowns in a real fight, Trin."

Kay Lee slammed her fists on the ground and a barrier of rock rose to shield them from another attack from Karma.

<Gypsy's gone missing> Val's information came a second apart from Trin glimpsing the girl behind them and the vines racing towards her. It took everything she had to avoid them, but that got her in the path of Karma's conjures which knocked the wind right out of her.

Kay Lee was remarkably quick on the offence as she grabbed hold of the vines and tagged Gypsy up close to her, a hand-to-hand combat ensuing between the two. Trin wanted to help her friend but Karma seemed relentless in hurling every rock present in the vicinity at her.

"We can't win head-on!" Kay Lee's spoke as she was back beside Trin, winded from fending off Gypsy's attack and the latter's disappearance again. Trin knew she offered very little in terms of support to her friend. Her opponents had such a simple attack plan that it irritated Trin how well it was working. Karma was on a full-frontal attack, peppering any defence conjure that both of them made. While their concentration was focused on her, Gypsy would manoeuvre her way to sneak behind their defensive line and catch them unaware.

"I have an idea, but it might get one of us hurt badly," Kay Lee's grin was enough to convince her that the girl was on board with anything she was going to try. The rest would be communicated telepathically to avoid their enemy picking up on it.

Trin was out of her hiding place and charging straight towards Karma. From the little she had seen of Karma, Trin knew she prioritized overpowering an enemy as a means to both attack and defend. Any type of conjure Trin would throw her way would just be met with another counter that was probably much powerful than hers. That's exactly why she knew the girl would easily focus on any incoming attack over anything else.

"Earth Arts: Infinite Refuge!"

The soil erupted in waves from beneath Trin's feet, but it didn't head towards the alluvial of rocks that Karma flung at her. She chose to have the wave of soil swallow up the magic of the vines Gypsy was aiming at Kay Lee. The surprise of the situation was enough for Kay Lee to knock out the girl, but the stones were a very hard hit for Trin to take.

Karma was not the slightest bit phased by her teammate's incapacitation. If anything, she seemed razed to retaliate harder. And retaliate she did as the girl charged straight at Kay Lee with a burst of maniacal laughter and a stone dagger in hand.

The next ten seconds of what happened after that have always been a mystery to Trin. She remembered the pain the rocks had done to her body. She remembered Kay Lee's guard not reacting fast enough for the first dagger that plunged into her left arm.

But she didn't remember how it came to be that Karma was six feet away from her friend, a stone golem levelling a spear at her throat.

"That was totally awesome, Trin!"

Kay Lee's cheers were barely audible with the deafening noise from the audience. But Trin was glad all she did was create the golem. She wasn't thinking when she did that conjure. Her mind was only focused on protecting her friend from danger. The fact that the stone statue was moving meant she had infused Gim into it. This was the second time she had conjured with no knowledge of how it occurred, and she doubted it would be the last.

"The first round of battles has concluded," the general's voice boomed to quell the crowd's enthusiasm, "Now the second round will be decided by the will of Sage."

There was a slight rumble as the crowd waited in anticipation. Trin was fending off another hug from Kay Lee when the sound came through the entire arena. It sounded remarkably similar to Val's voice, but the content of its words made Trinity unaware of the similarities.

Destro vs. Godson.

Guzman vs. Law

L.J vs. Zero

Princess vs. Toner

Crystal vs. Kay Lee

Star vs. Trin

It seemed a dream as Trin stared up at the scoreboard and saw her name registered right next to the captain's to fight. Kay Lee was flipping out beside her to everyone who would listen. Her argument about Star being a captain and an Alpha seemed irrelevant as Law was also a Rookie and facing the same situation with Captain Guzman.

But to fight and win against Star seemed an impossible task. She was the prodigy of Sage. The highest bar for any conjurer below the general and the Alphas to beat. How could she, someone who did conjures without realizing, supposed to best this unstoppable force?

"She could always quit," Star's condescending voice answered Kay Lee's protest and Trin smiled to herself. She knew this was probably the only time she'd have permission to actively attack her superior. It seemed the conflict that the captain started back in that History lecture was reaching its climax.

"Only you would think of backing down from a fight, Star." The sly smile on the captain's face told Trin that the girl would enjoy this very much. Sometimes Trin wondered if she was a sadist. But that thought had to take backstage as the first match began.

It was terrifying watching the individual battles. Captain Destro seemed insistent on engaging his opponent in a hand to hand combat. Val had informed Trin that Godson was a Beta who was a seasoned fighter under the very same captain he was battling. They seemed very even in their fistfight until Destro decided he was tired of the shenanigans. The conjure he did had soil snaking its way around his b0dy and pulsing green as if alive. It seemed to be an enhancement of some kind because there was little Godson could do to avoid the crushing blow from his captain.

Captain Guzman's battle was abnormal to the very least compared to Captain Destro's. He did no such thing as engaging the enemy head-on. If anything, his arsenal of attacks existed purely of the small army he produced out of the soil to battle Law. The Rookie was unbelievably agile to withstand the captain's attacks with nothing but his twin rock blades. He had slain a respectable number of them before advancing to the captain, who was prepared with even more soil creatures to hurl at him. In the end, stamina was Law's greatest weakness and the captain claimed his respectable victory without much exertion.

Law was the first one to receive a round of applause even after his defeat. Kay Lee wouldn't admit it but Trin knew she was impressed by the jerk's skills.

Trin was surveying the arena stands when her eyes landed on Star, casually lounging like she was already done with the tournament. The girl irked her to no end, but there was little doubt to everyone, herself included, that their fight's victor was anyone but the captain.

<I believe we can still do something about it if we try our best, Trin> Val's encouragement was well-meant, but even she had acknowledged this as a mountain too high for any Rookie to climb. Star was the first person in Sage to become an Alpha in just three years since her enrollment in the Sage Ranks at seventeen. She did this by defeating the Beta rank Crystal that Kay Lee was supposed to battle today among other achievements. From Rookie to Alpha in just three years. No one could rank close to that level of progress.

Well, no one aside from the general. Trin spotted him with the other elders watching over the proceedings of the tournament. Even with the elders trying to engage him in conversation about the event, he seemed to be looking at something far away as he stared at the arena. She knew this because she had done this so many times to Angie and Mike back in high school. It was only a month now since she left there, but it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I'm next," Kay Lee's comment turned Trin back to the arena. She had missed L.J's fight which didn't seem to last long with Zero unconscious and L.J basking in the crowd's adoration.

"Go show them what Earth girls can do."

Kay Lee didn't say much as she drew Trin in for a hug before stepping out to the arena. Her opponent was a Beta. The match was obviously a hard one and it went to prove just how capable Kay Lee was that she managed to stay on even footing with her opponent. The conjure Kay Lee employed seemed very similar to the soil amour that Captain Destro used. But Kay Lee's only clad around her arms, making her fingers seem clawed like an animal's as she went about hacking and slashing at the opponent's conjures.

That was Kay Lee's Primal Fusion Conjure. Trin knew her friend wanted to use it as a trump at the main examination, but Crystal must have been too much for her to hold back any kind of power. It seemed to be too much for Crystal who admitted defeat when Kay Lee had her claws around her throat. A medical team was ready to take the two for treatment, but Kay Lee refused to leave the arena until she saw Trin's battle.

"At least you made it. I can always try next year right?" Trin's attempt to lighten the mood didn't work at all. Kay Lee couldn't find it in her to lie that she was going to win this. That's why she sent out her best friend with the promise that she would be here for her no matter the outcome.

Trin was about to enter the arena when her father was in front of her. It was scary that he had made it to the entrance from where she had spotted him in the stands moments ago.

"A word of advice?"

She needed any form of help she could get. Her mind and Val both knew this to be true. But she would rather look like a fool out there in front of thousands of people than have her father offer her anything.

"Thanks. But I'm good."

His response was a curt nod and a brisk walk away before melting into the shadows. Trin sighed in exasperation as she made her way out to the arena. She was had given up trying to understanding the general a long time ago.

<Do you think I can do this without his help?> Trin directed this to Val as she took in the multitude of people cheering for what was going to be her crushing defeat. Without Kay Lee by her side, the stadia suddenly seemed to have multiplied about 100 times in size.

<Logically, no. But statistically, there is always a chance for the unlikely to happen.>

That was less encouraging than Trin expected. Even her own conciseness knew she stood little to no chance against Star. But that was what Trin thought made the difference between her and the Captain. The fact that she was willing to stand up to an overwhelming force was proof that she was no coward.

"Our famous Rookie graces our presence. Do you honestly believe there is any form of existence in which you can best me in combat?"

Star was so good at talking smack that Trin knew it was the number one reason most people didn't dare face her in any kind of combat. She knew the girl was a powerhouse though. This needed strategic thinking if victory was ever going to be an option.

"I obviously think I have a shot at this thing since I'm out here."

"A shot? You believe this to be a game? Very well," Star casually waved her right hand and several trees erupted out of the ground, sprouting to full growth within seconds. The murderous look in her eyes gleamed more when the lives on the trees shed and started gravitating around the girl.

"Earth Arts: Jade Rain."

The rain of leaves was impossible for Trin to avoid entirely. Most of it she shielded against with a dome of soil but the few that made it past sliced through her skin so deep that blood was already pouring out of her arms just a minute into the battle. Trin understood why the girl was impossibly strong. With every conjure she threw at the captain, it was met by a wall of leaves that seemed solid enough to withstand a barrage of boulders. But the same wall was agile enough to break apart and rain on her like millions of tiny blades.

"Stings, doesn't it?"

So the captain was specialized in long-ranged attacks. There was no guarantee that she would be poor in close combat, but Trin saw no other way to win this battle. There was no way to penetrate the leaf sanctuary that Star erected around herself as she rained hell on her. Defence and offence all in one conjure. It was impossible to create a distraction without someone else. Maybe even then, this still would be hard to do.

But Trin was never backing down from this fight. She simply had too much to lose if she ever let the captain have the satisfaction of beating her in a fight.

"You know, Star. I was planning on taking this easy. But now I'm just going to kick your ass."

She could see the cool composure of the captain slowly start to crack as the girl put more effort into controlling the leaves. Trin was anticipating that Star was using an insane amount of Gom to carefully control the tensile strength of the leaves. The fact that they were also being moulded into objects for defence and attack in the blink of an eye meant some bit of Gim was involved in there. So there was going to be a moment... one crucial moment when there would be some fault in the captain's aura flow to the element.

And Trin took full advantage of it when the leaves didn't close off every available path for the pebbles she threw at the captain's torso. The crowd was now silent as Star clutched her midsection in pain. No one expected Trin to land any one of her attacks on Star today.

"Yes, Trin! You got this!"

Kay Lee's distant voice brought a smile to Trin's face. She was still on her side. And that was enough for Trin to believe she could do this. But Star quickly reminded her why she was an Alpha with the leaves that wrapped around the advancing Trin like ropes and the captain's foot connecting squarely with her jaw.

The match dragged on in the same fashion, the crowd showing their appreciation of how well Trin was keeping up with the seasoned captain. But she was wearing out faster than Star, the evidence in her conjures no longer possessing enough power to properly inflict damage on the captain. She was barely hanging on when the foliage took form as hundreds of fists and knocked her through a tree.

There were deafening cheers from the crowd that barely made it past Trin's comprehension. She couldn't fathom why she was putting herself through all this pain when no one but Kay Lee was valuing her struggle. Being a champion seemed small compared to endure this much pain. But she valued defeating Star. She valued that more than anything right now. That was probably the only reason Trin struggled back up to her feet.

Star looked sick at the sight of Trin. She knew the girl was powerful, but for her to withstand this much of her conjures was unfathomable. She needed to finish this quickly before her energy ran out. But the captain didn't have time when Trin was upon her in close combat, the stone fist missing her face by inches. She couldn't believe the girl still had more to give. She needed to quell the rookie's urge to fight even if it meant using most of her power.

Everyone knew Star never used her gloved left hand to conjure. Most people thought it was her ignorance to not think anyone worthy of her full attention. Star never really cared what her opponents thought. All of them never could defeat her, to begin with. But Trin was working on her last nerve with her refusal to quit fighting even when she was barely making a dent. This was reckless. Combat needed logic just as much as it did power. Aimlessly lunging at the enemy was not going to provide victory in any form of battle.

She needed to purge this kind of thinking with every ounce of magic in her being so the stupid girl and all present today would comprehend this.

"Aura Balance: Enchanting Star!"

Trin heard about this from Captain Guzman when she was in the Infirmary that time she lost control of her magic. The captain joked that everyone was lucky Trin couldn't do an Aura Balance because nothing Kay Lee conjured would have been able to guard it. An Aura Balance was the purest form of magic any conjurer could wield. The balance of both your Gim and Gom at their peak output produces pure energy without the medium of an element needed.

The difficulty of manipulating Gim meant not a lot of people could use it. Seeing Star with her outstretched arms to the sky being bathed by a brilliant yellow light from the heavens mesmerized Trin to immobility. There was no use trying to dodge it. She needed to try and match Star's power or she was going to be blown away. Maybe she could tap into something she had within her...

<Trin!> Val's concern went unheard by Trin as the latter saw the brilliant yellow light condense into the silhouette that was Star and level both its hands towards her where a giant golden burst of energy erupted. It was now or never. Trin knew she could do it. There might have been many things she was incapable of, but she knew this she could do.

And it was that single point of intense focus that brought about her visions again. Everything was gone around her. No Star, no crowd, and no Kay Lee cheering her on. Instead, the violet demon that plagued her nightmares stood in front of her. But Trin was ready for her. She was not going to run from this terror her entire life. She was going to use every ounce of magic in her and the knowledge of how to use it that she learned since coming to Sage to destroy it.

The exploding force between the two girl's magic colliding shook the very earth everyone stood on. Kay Lee knew that magic Trin just used. It felt similar to the time she lost control and spewed that blue energy at her. The dust in the arena was clearing to reveal both girls lying still on opposite ends of a huge crater between them.

There were a few moments of dead silence when Star stirred and gingerly made her way back to her feet and the crowd came alive again. The use of her Aura Balance was a rash decision. For someone who prided herself to be level headed in combat, Star couldn't believe this rookie had pushed her to this point. But what shocked her more was that conjure the girl did to counter her. That wasn't an Aura Balance, and it didn't seem like an Earth Conjure either. It looked and felt like a Fire Conjure. And it was powerful enough to limit the destructive nature of her Aura Balance.

This girl was going to be a terrifying monster once she tamed that power. But the job today was done.

Star had her back towards the crater when she heard the cheers lessen in intensity. She couldn't believe it. Nothing was left standing when she used her Aura Balance. She turned around to see Trin struggling to stand on her feet. This girl was relentless in infuriating her.

"Stay down... Rookie!"

Trin didn't plan to wake up again. Her body and mind ached so badly from not just Star's conjure but also the horror in her head and expending that unstable power within her. She knew she couldn't do anything else now but stand on her feet. She would stand as many times as it was needed to make sure neither Star nor this demon in her head ever won.

"My... name... is... Trinity."

The crowd could not get enough of the two warriors in front of them. This was panning out to be one of the best battles anyone had seen for a very long time. But the performance displayed by the two seemed enough for the lands to make its verdict on who was deemed worthy of having a chance at becoming a Champion of Sage as the booming sound drew everyone's attention to the scoreboard.

Champions of the Sage Clan;

Darell Smith codename Destro

Gavin Suman codename Guzman

Justin Long codename L.J

Annabelle Voster codename Star

Kimberly Lee codename Kay Lee

There was a general round of applause for Kay Lee who was by Trin's side along with the medical personnel tending to her. Most people didn't think that she would make it as far as she did in a match with a Beta Rank. Trin was happy that Kay Lee had done everything that she had set out to do today. But no joy resided on her friend's face as she held her hand, not particularly caring about the blood on it.

Levi Aticas codename Law

There was another smart round of applause from the crowd. Even with Trin's incredible display of power, Law had done very well to stand up against an Alpha. He was beside himself with pride on the stands and Trin was smiling at her friend's audible displeasure of having the guy qualify as the final transmission came across.

And Trinity Taylor codename Trin.

Trin thought that the last part was a hallucination. Her head was pounding so hard that she was sure there was no way she could've heard right. But Kay Lee's delightful yell and her incredibly painful hug were proof enough that she had actually managed to squeak by.

"What? But I won my match!"

The angry shouts drew Trin attention to the stadium entrance where Sir Elton and his elders had gathered. The rants were from a heavily bandaged girl who barely cleared the general's shoulder. That's when Trin remembered she hadn't seen Princess' fight with the Cadet ranked Toner.

"I am sorry, Toner but victory is not the only evaluation of a champion in Sage," Trin could have sworn there was a look of pride on his face as the elders were busy condemning the Cadet for questioning the will of Sage. Her head was still pounding too hard to start wondering who her father felt any pride for. So she permitted Kay Lee to help her up to her feet to the cheers of the stadium, a Champion of the Sage Clan.