An hour later, it seemed like everyone had heard about how I "got into trouble" and would be dueling some guy named Ernest. Whoever he was, I was certain he would win. Still, I was going to give it my best shot.

  I entered the arena and heard dozens of people talking, none of which I could make out. I could see the square arena before me, clear walls surrounding each side protecting the people on the benches behind them from stray magic, I supposed. It almost reminded me of the gym at my school, but much smaller and more square. And darker. The stage was the only thing lit. This place had obviously remained since the original manor's construction, as the color scheme and architecture matched that of the main hall.

  "Ella! What happened?!" I felt someone poke my shoulder. I turned to see Aidan standing there, a frumpy frown on his face.

  "Maverick set me up," I said through pursed lips.

  "That bastard!" Aidan clenched his fists, and I realized just how scary he could be when he was angry. "If I were stronger, I'd...!"

  "It's okay, I'm sure I can get through to Sylvis later." I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Something tells me this was partially her plan as well..."

  "So they're making you fight just because?!" Aidan looked even angrier.

  "It's probably some sort of training."

  "How do they expect you to defend yourself when you can't use magic?! You're a sitting duck!"

  It was then that it hit me that I had no idea how this worked. Surely there would be some sort of safety precautions, right? I wouldn't have my arm singed off and reattached later, right? "What did I just agree to?" I bit my lip.

  "Y-You should start getting ready. T-They should go over the basics with you. Enter from over there," Aidan pointed to a doorway to the right. "G-Good luck..."

  "Thank you." I smiled before taking a deep breath. My hands immediately iced over at the realization that this was actually happening.

  I entered the area that Aidan had pointed to, to see that it was some type of break room? There were benches in the middle as well as a water fountain and a giant statue of a woman with long hair and a draping gown. Was this Alina?

  "You're here." Sylvis smiled at me. "Since this is your first time, I'll go over the rules with you. First, touch this statue," Sylvis motioned to the giant statue.

  I reached out towards it and felt a warm sensation throughout my body.

  "The statue bestows a blessing that will absorb any magic that hits you. You'll still feel the impact, but you won't take any harm."

  "Oh good..." I sighed in relief. "I was really worried about... you know, losing a limb."

  Sylvis chuckled. "I want my students to grow, not to endure cruel and unusual punishment. As for the rules of the match, any magic is fair game. When the blessing wears off, the match ends. Should you continue going, you will be forcefully removed from the match and receive harsh punishment."

  "Punishment?" I raised an eyebrow.

  "In one rare case, someone was expelled." Sylvis watched my expression before she quickly caught on to what she had let slip. "I'll double the time you're here if that's what you're thinking, Elaina!"

  "No! I promise! I wouldn't want to intentionally hurt someone!" I shook my hands back and forth in defense.

  "Good." She smiled confidently. "Now, in you go." She pushed me to the other doorway that I assumed led out to the arena.

  The light from above the arena nearly blinded me from how dark the ready room was. I could instantly hear cheers and unintelligible ramblings from the spectators. How was I supposed to focus with all of the noise?!

  I took a deep breath and set my gaze on the guy in front of me. Honey brown hair and sharp brown eyes. Good thing he wasn't even remotely attractive; at least that was one less thing to distract me.

  "State your Talent magic," I could hear an authoritative voice boom throughout the arena. Was that Sylvis?

  "Miniaturization," Ernest stated.

  "I don't have one," I stated as loudly and surely as I could. Silence immediately ensued, followed by a couple of chuckles and cackles. Great.

  "You don't?" The guy looked at me quizzically. "You know it's against the rules to not—"

  "Take your places," Sylvis' voice interrupted. "The duel will begin in three... two... one... Start!"

  Immediately, Ernest shrank himself until he was barely the size of a quarter. Okay, what was I supposed to do now? Step on him?

  I lifted my foot above him and immediately heard Sylvis yell, "Stop! Causing bodily harm — or even worse — killing someone, is against the rules, I'll remind you."

  Right, the blessing only absorbed magic, not physical damage. It was like an RPG, okay. If stepping on him was out of the question, then what? The worst thing was... He was just standing there, taunting me! Is this why Sylvis picked him? Because he doesn't do anything? Reminds me of one of my favorite action adventure bosses... And Maverick.

  I bent over and picked him up with my index finger and thumb. I quickly placed him into my palm and just... stared at him. Maybe if I could get my hands to ice over I could win...

  I instantly felt a buzz in my hand that caused me to drop the little man. He must have used magic... Wait, if his magic is still as strong as it normally was, what was stopping him from attacking me?!

  Nothing, apparently! A tiny ball of fire hit me in the ankle with enough force to send me stumbling backwards. Once I recovered, I quickly took a few steps back, creating distance between me and him. I'd have to stay extra focused to even see him casting magic with how tiny he and it were...

  He sent another ball of fire at me that I just narrowly dodged. What it lacked in size, it made up for in speed. This was impossible! If I couldn't use physical strength because of how tiny he was, how was I supposed to win? The only other option was magic, which I lacked.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I dodged fireball after fireball, but was caught completely off guard when a bolt of lightning struck me in the back. Not fair! How am I supposed to dodge something I can't see or predict?! I was hoping the stress of everything would cause my hands to ice over. Then I could just pick him up and freeze him in place. Unfortunately, frustration was the winning emotion, and frustration causes... I'm not even sure what element it causes.

  To my surprise, Ernest returned to his regular size. "You're not going to fight back?" He seemed almost pissed.

  "I can't." I bit my lip. "I don't know how to use magic."

  "W-What?!" He gawked. "Then what are you doing here? Is this some kind of joke? I get it. You're trying to humiliate me!"

  "No! I'm not! I just can't—" I tried to explain to no avail.

  "Well, I'll teach you to take me seriously!"

  Another strike of lightning to my back. This one paralyzed me in place. Even though the blessing was absorbing the magic, it still physically hurt like I had been slapped on the back by Hulk. The paralysis also left me terrified. If he used another spell just as strong, I'd feel even more pain...

  I don't want to feel pain. I'm not strong, I'm weak. Why did I ever agree to this? Why did I set myself up to get hurt over and over? Why did I let Maverick and Sylvis win?!

  And there it was. Ice.

  Once I was able to move my body again, I tackled Ernest to the ground. I placed my hands against his chest and watched him grimace in pain. Just a little longer, I hoped, then this blessing should wear off...

  Unfortunately, my body was blown off of him by a gust of wind. I pushed myself off the ground but was immediately sent back down by a stroke of lightning. I felt the warmth in my body leave, as well as my will to get back up.

  "Ernest wins the match!" Sylvis' voice boomed throughout the arena as people cheered.

  Yaaaaay, I'm in deeeeebt.

  I continued to lie there on the ground, my body sore and tired as if I had just been struck by— oh wait.

  "Elaina?" I heard someone's voice, but I refused to move. Slowly, my body was picked up off the floor and I realized it was Maverick carrying me bridal-style. That had to be intentional.

  "P-Put me down!" I demanded as soon as we entered the ready room. He unceremoniously dropped me on one of the benches. "Lightly!" I shouted.

  "You didn't have to be so dramatic." Maverick crossed his arms, and I blushed, realizing how stupid and weak I must've looked just lying there.

  "So, our plan didn't work after all." Sylvis sighed.

  "You both set me up," I mumbled furiously.

  "Can I ask why you picked someone who's exceptionally skilled at elemental magic?' Maverick asked Sylvis.

  "Huh?" Her eyes widened slightly. "I had no idea. I was thinking about his Talent magic and how Elaina could use that to her advantage."

  "In which case, you should've chosen Arden."

  "Aidan," I corrected.

  "Then Elaina would have gone easy on him." Sylvis crossed her arms. Wait, was she spying on me too?! The little stalker! I thought she had stopped once I arrived here.

  "I'd appreciate it if we kept my training out of the arena, and preferably involve me in the decision-making." I crossed my arms. Ugh. My body still ached.

  "You should get some rest now, Elaina." Sylvis walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. Almost instantly, I felt the aching in my body dissipate.

  "Thank you, I'll do that." I pushed myself off the bench and walked out of the ready room. I felt so humiliated...

  "Hey! A-Are you okay?" Aidan immediately ran up to me, his concern clearly written across his face.

  "I'm fine, it's just my ego." I sighed.

  "Maverick will pay for what he did to you." He clenched his fists. "A-Anyway, I-I was wondering if maybe... you w-wanted to hang out?" He glanced away from me. It was hard to believe he was so confident just a few seconds ago.

  "I'd like that a lot." I giggled.

  I led him back to my room, which happened to be just two doors down from his. Cool. Now I can show up unexpectedly at his dorm.

  "Are these people you know?" He picked up a drawing I had left on my desk. Crap, I should have put that away.

  "Yeah. My best friends, mom, dad, brother...and boyfriend." I sighed.

  "Y-You have a boyfriend?!"

  "Yeah. We had just started dating when I got kidnapped." I frowned, taking the picture and sitting in the desk chair. I stared at the crude drawing, wishing it were an actual photo of Matt. We didn’t even get to finish our little date outside Carol’s house…

  "That must really suck... T-They won't let you even visit?"

  "Visit?" I looked up from the picture. "I hadn't thought about that. But... How would I even explain my situation? ...How am I going to explain it when I return home?"

  "They didn't give you any time to come up with an excuse either. My sister thinks I'm off at university right now... Sylvis was generous enough to provide funding so we could keep our house while I'm gone and out of work."

  "Wait, how old are you?" I tensed. I thought he was younger than me?

  "Fifteen." He moved to sit on the edge of my bed.

  "Fifteen?! University? Work?!" I shouted in confusion.

  "W-What are you confused about?" He chuckled nervously. "Fifteen is an adult back in your world, right?"

  "No! That's eighteen! And half the time, you still can't do adult things like drinking and car rentals until you're twenty-one!"

  "R-Really? I wonder why it's so late..."

  "Because that's way too young to know what you want to do with your life!"

  "I think it's a reasonable age." Aidan looked lost in thought. "I don't see many people at my age overwhelmed by their responsibilities," he paused. "Have you and your boyfriend ever...?"

  "N-No!" I shouted way too quickly, and my cheeks went red. It totally looked like I was lying. "C-Can we talk about something else?"

  Aidan nodded, his cheeks red as well. "You said you have a brother? W-What's he like?"

  "He's two right now, so a nightmare. He's mommy's little boy and gets everything he wants." I crossed my arms and huffed to Aidan's amusement. "He's my half-brother."

  "I see. My sister isn't even actually my sister. W-We were both orphans. Grew up on the streets together."

  "Really?" I frowned.

  Aidan nodded. "Once I was old enough to get a job, I saved to afford a house that we lived in until I moved here, actually. I-It wasn't much, but at least we had a roof over our heads and something to block the cold! Sylvis was kind enough to give us funds for a better house. E-Even then, she couldn't offer too much without it looking suspicious."

  "I'm glad she's looking out for you two. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that... I can't imagine how hard it must have been."

  Was it just me, or was he blushing?

  "I-I'm going to visit her tomorrow morning. D-Do you want to come with?"

  The offer was too soon; I barely knew him... I was fine talking to him one-on-one like this, but meeting his sister? It was too much.

  "I think Maverick will freak out if I miss my training tomorrow. But I'd love to meet her some other time," I tried to compromise.

  Aidan nodded. "T-That would be great. H-Hopefully your training goes better than it did today."

  My hands iced over again at the thought of what he and Sylvis put me through. "What were they thinking putting me in a fight without even explaining how fighting with magic works?! I mean, how was I supposed to dodge lightning that appeared out of thin air?!"

  Aidan blinked at me in surprise, sputtering a few times before finding the words to say. "D-Did they seriously not teach you how to dodge...?"

  "No? I thought dodging involved... Dodging... Like, moving out of the way from magic that's coming towards you."

  "Y-Yes, but magic can be unpredictable. Lightning was a good example. Before it strikes, you should be able to feel the ether in the air a couple of seconds before. I-It's really hard to dodge, which makes it an excellent choice in duels."

  "Feel the ether?" I repeated, unsure of what to make of it.

  Aidan nodded. "I-It's like... Ugh, how do I explain it?" He seemed frustrated with himself. "You know how when you're sitting next to someone you can feel their presence?"

  I nodded, having felt that sensation many times before, including now.

  "It's like that, but with ether. Y-You can feel the energy of ether where the magic is going to strike. Um, I'll summon a small amount of lightning and aim right above you in case you don't dodge in time. I-If that's okay?" His expression looked hesitant yet hopeful.

  "Of course. I want to learn," I replied with vigor.

  He nodded and instructed me to stand up. Right, he probably didn't want to misalign his magic to where they zapped my pictures. I quickly put those in the drawer before standing up.

  It was only a matter of seconds before I could feel some sort of energy above my head. I moved out of the way just in case and saw the tiniest bit of electricity fizzle in the air right above where I had been standing. Maybe slightly lower.

  "I felt it!" I exclaimed with excitement. "What else can you teach me?!"

  "I-I don't know," Aidan's voice cracked with nervousness. "I-I'm not that good at magic—"

  "You don't have to be! You're already teaching me more than Maverick has!" I thought back to his stupid swimming analogy and the vase.

  "I'm sorry, there's really nothing else I can teach you." He frowned.

  I sighed and sat back down in the desk chair. Maverick it would be.