[Earlier in the Day]

I placed a picture frame on my nightstand, finishing decorating my side of the room. In the picture were all four members of our team. Iah had an arm around my shoulders and Lei's as he grinned at the camera. As the shortest member, Adela stood in front of us. I glared at the prince while Adela and Lei laughed. We had taken the picture at the end of last year, just before we had left for winter vacation. Who would've expected that so much would change at the end?

I laid down on my bed and pulled my legs toward my chin. If only I had paid more attention to Iah. I thought that my words had reached him, but they couldn't reach the depths of his anxiety. They failed to bring lasting light into the darkness he kept falling into.

Hopefully, Iah wouldn't succumb to Ratmir's power again, but who knew how long the seal Kun, Adela, and me made would last. Elliot had told Adela that if not for Yanyu, it would've been broken in Sera. If only we had more energy when making it.

Would being apart from us help? Or would it make things worse?

I slapped myself and got up. The time for moping around was over. The new year was about to begin. I had to give it my all. If fighting Ratmir-Iah taught me anything, it was that my light magic was still too weak to stop those creatures.

Plus, it would help should Iah be possessed again.

I strode over to the door just as someone knocked. Standing outside my room were Vermeil and Sarah.

"Hello," Vermeil said, waving.

"Hey, what brings you two here?" I said, smiling.

"We're about to head to the arena to have the first of the matches. Since Adela, Yen, Hikaru, and Lei aren't here, we won't be able to do them all, but we can at least get a head start on them.

"Who will be the referee?" I asked. Last year it had been Koukyuu.

"Mr. Mizu no Kin. I know, it's kind of odd to have a language teacher do it."

"True," I said, chuckling.

Sarah furrowed her brow at me.

I blinked. "Something wrong?"

She grabbed my hand and pointed toward my face.

"Were you crying?" Vermeil said, inclining her head.

I wiped my face. "I... hadn't noticed." Really, I hadn't.

Vermeil swung her arms behind her back. "You were thinking of that dumb prince again, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but I decided to focus on my studies just before you knocked."

Vermeil smiled. "That's a good idea." She sighed. "It's what kept me sane while An was in his coma." She smiled. "Can't wait to see him."

"You haven't yet?"

"Yeah, he hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully, he will soon."

Sarah moved her finger across my palm.

"Hal and Orion haven't either? That's odd. Those three aren't proctors," I said.

"That further limits the matches we can do," Vermeil said.

"Do you know who will be facing who?"

Sarah nodded.

"The first match we can conduct is the one between you two," Vermeil said.

My eyes widened. I was going to face Sarah!

Vermeil put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "What's with that look? Sarah might be in a wheelchair, but she's stronger than ever! You, of all people, should know that, considering you spent winter vacation together."

I smiled. "Yeah, I know. What I'm surprised isn't that, but that it came so soon. I prefer fighting friends last. It gives me more people to cheer for."

"Oh. I see." Vermeil smiled. "Well, in addition to Sarah, you have Adela, Lei, and me." She wrapped her arms around me, bringing me in for a tight hug.

Sarah tilted her head at us.

Ver chuckled. "What? You don't know that Ny and I are besties?"

I laughed. We weren't, but whatever made her happy. Vermeil hadn't been her cheerful self since An got hurt, so raining on her parade would feel wrong. Plus, I understood her better than before.

"So, who are you up against?" I asked.

"I'm facing Arima."

My eyes widened. "Up against the previous champion from the start, yikes."

Vermeil scoffed. "I can take her on. Apart from Alto and Ulissis, I probably know her the best out of everyone here."

"Right, you are teammates." Though, I still felt she was closer to Sarah's group than her own.

She smiled. "Plus, facing off against Arima gives me the chance to see if my training over these past couple of months has bared any fruit. After all, she was the one who took down Alto, Hal, An, and Iah."

She had a point there. The latter two were among the four finalists among us first-year transfer students alongside her and myself.

"Good luck. You're going to need it," Xue said, walking toward us.

Vermeil frowned. "Sounds like you lack confidence in me."

Xue closed her eyes. "Perhaps, but I'm just stating things how I see them, nothing more."

"And you think that you'll be able to win against Adela?" Vermeil asked, leering at her.

The lunar knight reached for the hilt of her sword and nodded. "Adela might be strong, but I have a few new techniques up my sleeve that should turn the tables to my favor."

"Who knows, knowing Adela, she'll probably come back with some new techniques of her own," I said.

Xue tapped her sword and chuckled. "Probably, it's what I'm anticipating."

It sounded like she was crazy prepared. She did manage to take down Ayawamat last year, whom Lei's failed to take down. If An hadn't caught her off guard, she could've taken him down too. Who knew, maybe she would've won the whole thing.

Not that Adela was any slouch. I narrowly defeated her. Could I do so again? My light and water were a bad match up against her wood. I could try to overwhelm her again, but considering I already pulled that on her and Cizi, she'll likely be ready for it. Plus, she might resort to using her fire to evaporate some of it should I attempt it anew.

"Come, let's hurry up! We have to get this show on the road!" Vermeil said, running off with Sarah.

"Hey, you're going to get yourself, and the princess hurt!" I yelled, running after them.

Xue snickered and followed after us.

***

The four of us arrived at one of the three stadiums on the island.

"This place sure has a familiar vibe," I heard a girl say. She had deep black hair and indigo eyes. The back of her hair was sticking out, making it resemble an avian tail.

"Hey, Sowk, here to see the matches?" Vermeil asked. I had gotten a ticket for her too, but I still wasn't sure why she wanted to come with us.

Sowk glanced at us and waved. "Well, if it isn't Ver, Xue, Sarah, and Ny."

"It's Nyima," I said, glaring at her.

She chuckled. "But Lei called you that. Speaking of him, I've been meaning to ask why you didn't accompany him—heard that he's a proctor. Think it was a good idea not to join him? Yuzu and Adela are there, or do you not care if they snatch him away?"

My face heated up. "Why are you talking to me like that? We aren't friends, so don't pry!" Though, she had a point. Was it a good idea not to have gone with him? No, being insecure wouldn't help. Plus, I had no right to watch over him. It wasn't like we were dating, to begin with.

Sowk raised a hand to her mouth and snickered. "How cute."

"C-cute?" I asked, glaring at her.

"Reminds me of my dear friend." Her eyes darted around. "Surprised that he isn't here yet. That guy loves battling."

"Your friend?" Vermeil asked.

"Think she means Ayawamat," I said. "However, I'm not sure if he is her friend. That guy loves to stick alone."

Sowk nodded. "Yeah, he sure does. But that doesn't mean that we don't have a history together!"

"Who is here anyway?" Xue asked, glancing at the seats. Most of them were empty.

"Looking for me?" Arima called out. We jumped as she appeared behind us.

"Creepy!" Vermeil mumbled.

"Creepy? I think it's cool!" Sowk said. "How did you do that?"

"I assume it's some kind of teleportation spell," Xue said.

Arima snickered. "Sort of."

Sarah tilted her head at her as if asking, 'What does that mean?'.

Last year's champ shrugged. "I'll let you figure it out. It's more fun that way, no?"

"I think so too," Sowk said, grinning.

Why did she make it sound as if she were going to participate?

"So, why are you here? You never answered," I said, crossing my arms.

Sowk giggled. Raising a finger to her lips, she said, "That's a secret!"

I grumbled. A secret, huh? She wasn't going to be joining us, was she?

"Looks like almost all of us ladies are here," a voice called out. A silver-haired girl smirked as she walked into the stadium.

"Aria? Are you going to participate this year?" Nahimana asked, jumping out of the seats directly above us.

Aria nodded. "Yeah. I opted not to do so last year, considering I didn't expect a challenge would come. I figured I would join this year after watching you gals and the guys grow from the shadows."

"You've been watching us?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Now that's creepy," Arima said, backing away.

"Indeed," Vermeil said, crossing her arms.

Aria smiled slightly. "Well, I was tasked to do so."

I blinked. "By who?"

"Aria," Nahimana said, grabbing her by the wrist.

"Sorry, can't tell," Aria said, waving at us as Nahimana dragged her away.

Based on Nahi's reaction, it seemed it had to do with whatever her group was up to. But what would they want from us? And why would Aria need to watch us from the shadows when Kun, Nahimana, and Tahoma interacted with us?

Sarah rubbed her chin as she watched Nahimana talk to Aria from afar.

"Sense something is off?" I asked.

The princess of Sera shrugged.

Was that a no or an indication that she couldn't figure it out?

"Where are the boys, Arima?" Vermeil asked, turning her attention back to her soon-to-be opponent.

Arima smiled. "They went to get some snacks with Wanikiya and Zelde."

"Did you say Wanikiya went with Zelde?" Nahimana asked, popping in front of us in a pillar of light.

"Y-yeah," Arima said, startled.

Nahimana gritted her teeth. "Great, I turned my back for one moment, and that Zelde tries to make a move on His Highness." She vanished into a pillar of light, leaving everyone but me wincing.

"What's with her?" Xue asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Seems that she's smart, unlike a certain someone," Sowk said, smirking at me.

I formed a fist. "Do you want to fight? If so, then I'll give you a fight!"

"Calm down, Nyima!" Vermeil said, grabbing me by the shoulders.

I sighed and lowered my arms. "Fine."

Sowk chuckled. "It's so fun messing with you!"

I grumbled. Great, I'd played into her hands.

"Sowk? What are you doing here?" Sowk and I turned to see Ayawamat walking over to us.

Sowk tilted her head. "Aya? What happened to your hair? It's short now."

"I had Nyima cut it for me," he said, averting his gaze.

Sowk glanced at me. "You cut hair?"

I nodded proudly. "Yeah, I wish to become a hairstylist."

"Not the Magus Maximus?"

I sighed. "I don't have such lofty ambitions, unlike some people."

"Really? You should dream bigger," Sowk said. "Like maybe instead of a simple hairstylist, you could aim to create the largest chain of barbershops in the world!"

That wasn't a bad goal...

"I think it's fine to have a simple objective. Whatever makes her happy," Ayawamat said, walking over to the stands.

I smiled. His words just now reminded me of the conversation we had during the games while fleeing from Adela.

"That Aya, he would never have said such a thing before. He's sure changed," Sowk said, scratching her head. "Hopefully, he's still fun to tease."

"No wonder Ayawamat doesn't see you as his friend," Xue said, sighing.

"Yeah," I said, leering at Sowk.

Sowk grinned. "Hey, he pokes back too, so it's not one-sided."

I laughed. It made me think of Iah for some reason. He always loved to tease me, but I would sometimes tease him back.

Iah, where are you?

"Don't look so glum. Didn't you say that Iah's recovering?" Ayawamat said, peering down at me. "Or is it that you don't believe in him?"

"I want to, but Ratmir's a wild card," I said, averting my gaze. Plus, those people he went with...

Ayawamat sighed. "You said he managed to fight back against that abysmal in the end. Surely, he can do so again. Willpower is a powerful thing. Sadly, most are lacking in it. They prefer to play the role of victims and fail to overcome what's haunting them. If Iah were a passive guy, I would worry about him. But he's not."

That's right, despite all of the negative thoughts agonizing him, Iah rose against Ratmir in the end. The dark side of his mind wasn't enough for Ratmir to retain control.

I smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Ayawamat nodded. "I usually am."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He sure was full of himself.

Sowk smiled slightly and ran up to him. "Aww, you've become such a nice guy!" she yelled, grabbing him by the arm.

"Let go of me! Why are you even here?" Ayawamat snapped, trying to get her off of him.

I laughed. Sowk wasn't wrong. He had become a nicer person since we first met. Hopefully, he would apologize to Lei one day for all the hurt he had inflicted on him.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter. This is the start of the Second-Year Arc! Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?**