"Coming from who knows how far is the mysterious boy in blue, Nate!" Ms. Key yelled.

I gasped. Wait, why didn't she mention his surname? She made sure to say both of Aurelius' surnames.

Nate smiled and waved to the audience as if he were some kind of superstar. Seriously, that guy rubbed me the wrong way. It didn't help that there was something off about him. Sonata's 'mysterious' sure was an understatement.

"On the other side is his opponent, the girl in gray, the one with the cunning mind of a thief! It's none other than Kinsei Kanja!"

I smiled awkwardly. Ms. Key sure had a way with words, making me sound like a big shot. The crowd sure seemed to love it as they burst into applause.

"Who will win the first match of block B? Let's find out! Begin!" Ms. Key yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Tekkyū!" I yelled, spreading my arms. A pair of iron balls flew out of the palms of my hands. The one on my right zipped over to Nate while the other I had orbit me.

Nate avoided the ball I threw at him and dashed toward me. I sent my other after him and repeated the spell, forming an additional two more. "Tekkyū Barrage!" I yelled as I cast Tekkyū over and over again.

Nate smiled as he avoided each one of my iron balls. How could I stop him? A smile dotted my face as I recalled Ling's match with Aurelius. She had used roots to stop him. I should do the same, but instead of wooden roots it would be metal coils! And I had just the spell to do it!

"Kinzoku-sen!" I yelled, slamming the ground with both my hands. Nate gasped as metal wires tore through multiple white tiles. A smirk crossed my face. Got him now!

He jumped back and clapped his hands. "Ignis Angelus!" he yelled. A fire angel manifested before him, melting both the wiring and the iron balls.

"Damn it!" I yelled, leaping back. What now? My metal magic's melting point was too low to take on that thing.

Nate smiled as he held his hand out. "No hard feelings, but I'm ending this now."

His fire spelled dashed at me and unleashed unbearable heat. The pressure alone was suffocating, adding the heat to it, made it feel like Cianio. To think that the difference between us was this big. No, that alone couldn't even begin to describe the size of our gap. Nate didn't appear to break a sweat at all.

Hot tears streamed down my face. It was still too early for me to fight against them! Ling was right about me. I was the weakest!

"Kanja!" Carter yelled.

I glanced at him. There was a look of despair in his eyes as if he were the one losing.

"Don't give up, Kanja!" he yelled. "Keep on fighting! Remember our training."

My hands twitched. I wanted to continue fighting, but my body felt like lead.

Carter furrowed his brow. "Kanja."

I smiled and collapsed to the floor.

"Kanja!"

Everything went blank around me. Even Carter's screaming and the heat from Nate's spell faded into the rearview mirror of my mind.

I'm so sorry, Carter. Maybe I'll do better next time?

"Is she alright?" I asked as Carter returned with Kanja.

Carter put a hand over Kanja's head. "She's feverish, likely because of Nate's spell, but I think she'll be fine."

"I can cool her down," Jude said, getting closer. Carter let go of Kanja's head and watched as Jude's eyes widened as he placed his hand on it. He let out a grunt and covered her from head to toe in a light blue aura. "She is burning up!"

I glanced at Nate. Just how powerful was his fire magic?

"Wish my magic was that strong," Carter mumbled as he sat Kanja down beside Ling and the still awake Aurelius.

I placed a hand on my armor. It was heat resistant, but if Nate used Ignis Angelus' full power, would it reach its limit?

"Worried I'll melt it?" Nate asked as he walked over to us. He'd kept his distance from Carter and Kanja for some reason.

"Something like that," I said in what was almost a whisper.

He smiled and laughed. "I don't know. It seems like it could keep up with them. If you win this match and the next, we'll see each other in the final."

"Not sure about Mira, but I'll be the one in the final!" Carter said, pointing at himself with his thumb.

"I can still win," Jude muttered.

I smiled. "Yeah, you can." Hopefully, I would be able to do the same. Or at least put up a good fight like Ling did against Aurelius. This would be my first time using my magic against someone else in years. Whenever things got out of hand, I would flee. Chances were I'd gotten rusty. This bulky armor didn't help matters either.

"My money is on the shortie," Huo said, folding his arms behind his head.

"Huo!" Lidia said, glaring at him.

Jude sighed. "I-it's fine. I-I'm used to it."

Huo smiled. "You certainly have the grit to take down fire mages. The thing you have to watch with Carter isn't the scope nor the complexity of his spells, but their heat."

"True," Aurelius said.

Jude nodded. "I know."

Carter looked back and forth between Huo and Jude. "Two geniuses are coming together to figure out how to beat me. I really must be amazing!" he laughed lightly.

I smiled. Hopefully, Aurelius or I could meet him in the finals.

"Good luck out there, Mira," Aurelius said, giving me a slight smile. He looked tired as if he could pass out at any moment. Surprised he hadn't.

"Thanks. You should drink that prana restoring elixir that Adela gave you. Think you might doze off during my match with Tamara."

He stared at the glass bottle Adela had given him and opened it up, taking a tiny sip. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. Au scrunched his nose. "It tastes weird. What's in this?"

"Akoli berry. Its taste varies between people. Guess that you got bitter or salty," Koukyuu said, snickering.

I looked forward. Now I was afraid to try it. Who drank salty stuff that wasn't soup broth?

"The third battle is about to begin!" Ms. Key yelled as Tamara reached the battlefield. "This time, it's the duel of the mysterious girls. First is the silver cutie with the poise of a princess from an unknown country- Here's Tamara! Her opponent is the armored girl who moves in the shadows, Mira!"

My cheeks heated up. Why did she need to announce things like that? It was embarrassing.

"Who will rise on top and face Aurelius in the second round? Let's find out! Battle, start!"

Tamara smiled and faded from view.

"Incredible," I said, gathering shadows around me to warp away. Before I could move, a strike sent me flying forward. Tamara had struck me in the back with some kind of sound wave.

Seems that running away won't do. I'll have to block.

"Noctis Praesidio," I yelled. The shadows contracted together to form a spherical barrier, but not before Tamara rushed in and hit me in the chin with a palm strike.

Even with my armor, her attacks made my entire body tremble. She might've been small, but she definitely wasn't weak. No, that wasn't it. It wasn't her physical strength inflicting pain but her magic. The rumors said she had sound. If so, the sound waves must've penetrated through my armor. Each strike against the metal produced sound waves, which she could take advantage of.

Tamara stepped back and blinked. She seemed perplexed by something. Could she be trying to gauge my well-being? She jumped up and kicked me. Before I could do a thing, she hit me with palm after palm. My ears felt like they would blow up from the screeching sound produced. I fell to the ground and spat out blood.

"Is it over?" Ms. Key asked, though her voice felt more distant than before even though the hologram screens continued to float overhead. Maybe she was just whispering.

My hand twitched. Did Kanja feel this powerless against Nate?

"Mira!" Carter yelled. His voice sounded more robust than the rest of the sounds around me. "Get up! Mira!"

I punched the ground and stood up. I wasn't going to surrender! "Noctes Angelus!" I yelled. An angel of darkness appeared behind Tamara and grasped her by the arms.

The girl yanked her left arm free and winced as my angel drained her prana. My spell transferred the stolen energy over to me, healing my wounds.

"You're crazy fast, but speed is meaningless when restrained," I said, smiling.

Tamara formed a sword and slashed my angel's arm away. Her eyes widened as the energy of her blade went into my spell.

"It doesn't need to touch you to absorb your prana."

Tamara nodded her head and dashed at me. She struck the air with her palm, creating a shockwave that scratched my chest plate.

"N-no way," I said, falling on my back. She'd managed to scratch it. To think that I thought I had an unfair advantage. Even if I did, Tamara managed to get around it.

"Mira," Carter said. Aurelius jumped to his feet and ran over as well.

I closed my eyes. "Seems I lost," I mumbled.

Tamara smiled and held out a hand toward me. I reached out for it, but before I could, everything went blank.

My eyes widened as Mira's outstretched hand fell.

"Mira?" I asked. I watched as Carter and Aurelius knelt and picked her up.

"Wonder if we can even heal her, given her situation," Koukyuu whispered to herself.

"What do you mean, Ms. Zettai?" I asked.

She sighed. "Her body is under a curse. When she joined us, she explained it's why she has to wear that armor."

My eyes widened. "A curse? What kind?"

"I'm not sure, she didn't say. But, if her armor is removed, her existence might fade."

I gulped. No...

"Good thing that her armor didn't break," Nate said, crossing his arms.

"I'm going to go help!" I said, running on ahead.

"No need, little man. We got this," Carter said as he and Aurelius carried Mira back. Each boy had wrapped an arm around their neck.

"Think she'll be fine?"

"I think so," Nate said, walking over. "Her body is healing itself."

Tamara clapped her hands and smiled as she joined us.

Robert leaned against the rail and smiled at her from where he sat. He'd been keeping his distance from us. Not that I blamed him, growing close to people one would be separated from soon was heartbreaking.

Aurelius chuckled. "She's glad." I was too.

"How can you tell Mira's healing?" Koukyuu said, glancing at Nate.

"Her body is made up of shadows. It reminds me of an abysmal's. Except, it's formless," Nate said.

Koukyuu sighed. "Her existence really is in a precarious state then."

"Now, for the final battle of today!" Ms. Key announced.

"Sorry, Au. I got to go. Please take care of Mira for me," Carter said, letting go of Mira.

"Here, I'll help," Nate said, grabbing the arm that Carter had released. "You two go and fight. We'll watch over her."

"Yeah," Aurelius said, nodding.

Carter and I smiled.

"Let's go, little buddy," Carter said, grinning at me.

I pouted. Did he have to call me 'little'? Was bad enough that Huo called me shortie earlier.

"Good luck," Hou said, waving.

"Try your best, you two!" Lidia said, grinning.

Carter grinned. "I always do!"

"The final two fighters are here," Ms. Key said as we reached the ring. "From Hoin is the boy genius donning a mask of iron, Jude Cantarella!"

My face flushed.

"His opponent is the young lion of the east, Cai Carter!"

Carter smiled and waved at the audience as he stepped into the ring. On the other hand, I lowered my head, wishing that there weren't so many people staring and cheering. Huo's hopes for me didn't help either, but I couldn't tell him.

"C-can we start?" I asked.

"Sure, as soon as Ms. Key gives the call."

"Let the final battle of today begin!" Ms. Key yelled, causing the audience to erupt into murmurs. Think they were betting on who would win.

Carter punched the ground, creating a massive crater worthy of an earth mage.

I leaped back and condensed the air around me into ice, forming a see-through barrier. Carter's fire was weak, but his physical attacks made up for it. Freezing his arm and legs was the best option. He probably would struggle to melt through my ice without the friction created when he throws a punch or a kick.

Carter took a deep breath and started jumping in place, punching the air in front of him. It reminded me of Mahoulympic boxing. The boxers would move around a lot to avoid enemy punches and land a lot of their own. But that was based on a point system. Here we were going for knockouts.

My eyes widened as flames emerged from his legs and fists. Wait, he's warming his body up!

Before I knew it, a flaming punch shattered my ice barrier with ease. I held Carter from landing a hit on me with my telekinesis.

Carter gasped as I ducked his fists and delivered a kick to his gut, sending him flying toward the ceiling of the barrier.

He gritted his teeth and propelled himself down by unleashing a stream of flames as he had in his spar with Robert. He struck the ground with a fiery kick as soon as he reached the ring. The resulting blast would've knocked me to the floor if I hadn't wrapped myself in ice.

Maybe I underestimated him. I closed my eyes and appeared behind him. Carter gasped as I slashed his back with an ice knife.

"How can a kid move like that?" he mumbled as he spun around. I dashed past him, slashing his side.

I snickered. "I might be young, but I'm not frail. If you keep on underestimating your opponents, you'll never win." Huo learned that the hard way.

Carter stomped on the ground, cracking it further. The flames in his hands exploded, sending me rolling.

"What was that?" I asked, standing up.

Carter strode over to me. His golden bangs obscured his eyes.

Something's off about him... I'm sensing a threatening aura from him.

"I will win. I promised Rob that I would," Carter said, raising his head. His eyes had turned a deeper shade of red.

I pushed myself up and gulped. "I'm aware of that, but just because you made a promise, it doesn't mean you'll be able to fulfill it."

"I will! I absolutely will!" Carter said. Black lines appeared on the edges of his eyes, and his teeth turned sharp like those of a lion. "Nothing will stop me from doing what I set out to do!"

I jumped as he appeared in front of me. He'd gotten faster! Had I stepped on a landmine by saying he would never win with the way he was acting?

"Where do you think you're going, little bud?" Carter asked. I gasped as he appeared behind me. His elbow dug into my back, causing me to yelp. My body crashed into the crater he had created earlier. The ground was still warm from the flames he had emitted.

This strength was greater than that displayed against Rob and Lidia. Had he held back against his friend? No, that didn't seem like Carter's way of doing things. Then again, I barely met the guy. On the other hand, he did claim to always 'give it his best' to Lidia. Well, perhaps it wasn't good to trust what he said at face value. He had shown to be one for bravado and chest-thumping.

My feet wobbled as I stood up. Carter stood over the edge of the crater with a fireball in between his hands.

"Glacius!" I yelled. I slammed my hands against the ground, covering the crater in a giant glacier.

"Woah," Carter said, stepping back from the edge. "How can you do that with a basic spell?"

I smiled. "Same goes for you."

He chuckled. "That mask is really bringing out your confidence. I might have to knock it off."

I warped over to him and impaled him with a multitude of ice knives. Couldn't let him do that, it would knock me down a peg.

Carter staggered back. His flames melted the knives. "Let my guard down again," he said, grumbling. He slashed the air with his hand as if it were a claw.

I winced as the flames seared my left shirt sleeve. If it weren't for my prana veil, I would've been burned. This was the second time today. I should've been able to dodge his and Huo's attacks. Perhaps riding on Mira's back dulled my skills. No, that was just an excuse! Mom said to never make them. I had to hold myself accountable.

I eyed Carter's arms as I built distance between us. During his spar with Robert, they had turned dark from overuse of his flames. Would his body be able to hold up with the increasing intensity of his fire?

Carter stepped back and panted. "Nice dodge, bud." Sweat rolled down his brow. Huh? Had he already reached his limit?

**Solar Note: Would like to get some feedback on this arc thus far. Have you been enjoying it? I know that some had complaints back when it was part of Blade of Ruin. While I might not be able to address every issue, it'll still help to hear criticism that could help me grow.**