Celeste

  Sometimes, the best course of action is to take a deep breath, let the stress of your current situation wash over you and just go for it.

  That's exactly what I did when I came face to face with the winged girl who had been bullying my darling little Lux.

  I'd never really liked bullies, even as a child. I'd trained martial arts since I could crawl, and I had intuitive understanding of the games catty girls would play. I was no stranger to dealing with them and cutting them off before they got any funny ideas about taking advantage of me. Having a reputation for beating up the more vicious boys and girls certainly helped. But this one...

  I let out a long sigh as the instructor called the start of the round. I was going to need every ounce of willpower in me not to give her the beat-down of a lifetime, and to maintain the facade that this was just a friendly sparring match. Lux... Sienna was sitting on the bleachers and watching me, after all, and the last thing I wanted was for her to be afraid of me.

  Sparrow had rubbed me the wrong way.

  Walking up to Lux in the middle of a field earlier, posturing like some kind of thug, had been enough to get under my skin.

  But to be quite honest? She'd gotten under my skin even before then, acting like she owned the training room. The girl had a very, very short fuse. She had no business acting so aggressively toward a junior that was small, inexperienced, and clearly out of her league. Especially not in front of half the whole first-year class. That was just...

  It was unspeakable.

  This girl was not worth it.

  The instant Strike had announced the start of the spar, my blood froze.

  She looked nonchalant and lazy, twirling her weapon before holding it laxly on the ground, but it was clear that this was an act.

  Her aura had flared up, and her wings twitched slightly as her posture shifted. It was subtle, and her body was moving in a steady rhythmic pattern with her brerath. A pattern that indicated she was completely relaxed, and displayed perfect control of her breathing and posture. She was prepared for battle. Her eyes locked onto me as she stared me down like I was a slab of meat.

  Despite the lazy stance, she had no openings to exploit, and was poised for combat. I could see the faintest hint of a sadistic smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

  I was impressed, in a sense.

  If I just charged at her, I would be immediately open for a counterattack. We'd seen each other fight just once, out in the training exercise where we fought side by side to defeat those monsters.

  She was an absolute powerhouse of destruction, a walking engine of chaos and carnage.

  Her weapon, that massive stone maul, had a deceptive range. She could extend its range with aftershocks and the explosive aura that she generated from every strike. And she could take into the air as she wished, which greatly complicated the usual strategy of staying in close to deal with a maul or polearm user. She could probably close the distance in a heartbeat too, with those massive wings.

  She wasn't the strongest I'd ever faced. But that didn't change the fact that she was — as much as I'd hate to admit it, probably close to my level.

  "BEGIN!" Instructor Strike bellowed, seconds after the barrier formed. The grassy field didn't change to a forest or anything this time. Instead, the ground around us shifted as small hills and a couple of large boulders emerged. Perfect for an open battle.

  An untrained eye probably wouldn't have been able to spot our subtle shifts and movements as the round started. To an onlooker, we were just breathing and staring at each other, sizing the other one up.

  I'd been taught to fight by the world's greatest fighters. The world's most dangerous living magical girl, and her allies, including the most feared and respected member of the Justice Brigade and a world-famous, multi-generational martial artist. Most battles started at distances like this, and I was trained in both melee and ranged combat.

  But that's besides the point.

  I'd already made the first move, and I'd done it so quickly and quietly that I knew Sparrow couldn't have possibly noticed. She was moving, too.

  Her aura was practically radiating off her like waves, but her expression remained unchanged.

  This wasn't going to be a simple spar. I knew that for a fact.

  Sparrow was gauging my effective reach based on what little she'd already seen of me, trying to determine whether she'd close in or try to bait me out to make a move. Her expression was unreadable. I didn't like that, either.

  The way she was staring at me, her body language and the way her aura rippled around her — I could see that she was itching for a fight.

  But I'd gotten the first strike. My spell was already weaving itself around us, almost invisible. Sparrow was so focused on me she didn't even notice.

  And then, she exploded at me like a comet, the grassy hills rippling from the shockwave as she flew towards me.

  I released the spell and dodged to the right, and a blast of air rushed past me.

  She's fast!

  The ground beneath me exploded in a cloud of dust as her massive hammer slammed into the earth. I anticipated the follow-up attack as the shockwave from the blow expanded outward.

  I immediately jumped to the side, and I felt a surge of pain rush up my leg.

  A split second later I saw the rock that had slashed into my ankle as it landed in the grass nearby.

  Without even letting me process what she'd done with that move, she twirled her hammer and swung it upwards, narrowly missing my shoulder as I immediately brought a barrier up, anticipating the follow-up blow.

  My barriers could probably stop the force from a speeding train or a direct hit from a tank shell. Heck, they'd even stopped a serious jab from Strike in a one on one bout. The first blow from the maul didn't so much as make a scratch.

  The shockwave, however, was a completely different matter.

  My barrier cracked like an eggshell as the shockwave continued through it and sent me tumbling through the air.

  I quickly regained my composure and flipped back upright before I hit the ground, landing on my feet.

  Raging Sparrow didn't let up for a second. She was already on me with a follow-up attack that had her flying towards me like a boulder shot from a catapult.

  My training with Tanya had given me some insight into how to deal with her kind of attacks, and I had to resist the instinctive urge to meet her with a counterstrike.

  I jumped to the left, narrowly dodging a blow from her hammer. It was aimed low, sweeping at my ankles.

  If I hadn't dodged that attack, my leg would probably have been broken. But the follow-up shockwave...

  I flew back and slammed into a rocky outcropping with enough force that the rocks cracked on impact.

  I let out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of me and my back exploded with pain.

  She was already charging at me again.

  I jumped forward, landing on the grass below me and spun around, bringing my hands up to face her. My dress and armor were scuffed, but otherwise, I was fine. My back hurt like hell though, and the muscles on my right side felt bruised.

  But the pain was a good motivator, and my mind was already racing to come up with a counter-attack.

  "Sorry..." I whispered, my hand outstretched towards her.

  "Frozen Flare!"

  The air in front of my hand glowed a bright white as I fired a beam of sub-zero frost at her. Even though it was a simple attack, the beam of pure light that erupted was a powerful and deadly attack that would freeze anything in its path. The beam raced toward Raging Sparrow and hit her dead on. Her entire torso was engulfed in the beam, freezing her wings and body with solid block of ice. Her momentum carried her forward as the beam propelled her through the air and she slammed into a rocky outcropping behind me.

  Whew, that's it I gue—

  The icy tomb she'd been encased in exploded as her wings burst out. The force was powerful enough that it shattered the entire cliff face she was pressed into.

  I threw up a triple-layered barrier and winced as the shrapnel and ice pelted me.

  She flew out like a cannonball, and the earth beneath me crumbled as she slammed her fist into the ground where I stood moments earlier.

  "Cryo Variation: Lighting Overdrive!" I shouted.

  I could not use the technique at its full potential while transformed into Elysia. The Soul Compartment created by this transformation was too different from my main form. Still, I was still strong enough to use a weaker version that could be used for close range battles like this one.

  Frosty blue lightning crackled around me, and I felt my muscles surge with raw power. The world slowed as my mind accelerated.

  She charged me again, her face contorted with rage and determination.

  Her wings flapped, sending her forward like a bolt of lightning.

  I could see it now. Her aftershocks were controlled explosions of air that she released with every strike. They weren't confined to the maul either — her wings and her legs were just as much of a pain in the rear.

  Her body blurred with motion as she spun her hammer in her grip. The ground beneath my feet trembled from the shockwaves.

  She's not as fast as me. But fast enough.

  I leapt up and grabbed onto a nearby outcropping with my free hand. Then, with my feet planted on the rock, I launched myself upwards at an angle, spinning to dodge her maul and landing a few feet away from her on a patch of grass.

  "Heh," she smirked, twirling her weapon around her and slamming the butt of the handle onto the ground.

  The ground beneath me exploded, sending me hurtling through the air again. The force of the blow threw me back, but I rode it, spinning in the air as the earth erupted around me. I landed in a roll and jumped back to my feet.

  She charged at me with a swing from above.

  I narrowed my eyes, summoning my mana to shape itself and thrust out with both arms.

  "Glacial Armaments!"

  The ground below us frosted over, and the air chilled. Two swords formed and floated in the air. I gripped the two weapons and swung them down in front of me. The force from my blades clashing against her maul was like a bomb had gone off, sending shockwaves rippling outward in every direction.

  My swords shattered in my grasp from the force. The blades disintegrated into shards that were flung outwards, leaving a cloud of ice particles that shimmered in the air.

  I threw up a thick wall of frosty ice, blocking the brunt of the blast as it slammed against it. And another, cracking the ice as I jumped back and raised my arm.

  Her eyes widened and her pupils constricted, and I could see the realization dawning in her eyes as she burst through and immediately recognized that I'd created an opening.

  "Shit!"

  I wasn't done yet.

  "Frost Flare!" I yelled as I aimed at the ground beneath her and unleashed the sub-zero attack at point-blank range.

  There was a sound of ice shattering as her aura clashed against my attack, resisting the pull of heat from my frost. She brought her arms up in a defensive position to protect her face and neck, letting out a roar as her body froze solid and she was flung backwards into the rocky cliff behind her.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  I took the opening to resummon a weapon.

  "Rime Blade!" I called, raising my arm to grasp the handle of the icy greatsword that materialized in my hand. I charged forward and swung it with a powerful swing, but Sparrow had already broken out of my frost prison again. I immediately raised a barrier as she thrust her foot forward, halting my momentum with a shockwave.

  "Not bad," she said. Her eyes narrowed, her expression twisted into a smirk.

  "Thanks." I said, taking the compliment at face value and catching my breath.

  Elysia was a persona I'd created before coming to Kaleidoscope Academy. It wasn't easy to create one with my Signature Talent. My magic revolved around changing myself to bolster the hearts of others, and it was easier to do when I had an existing image to base it on. A character to slip into. Elysia's entire identity was a carefully crafted lie, built to match the kind of Magical Girl that people expected from Stella Matsudaira.

  I was a Snow Queen — an ice and cold user. A prim and proper aristocratic lady who's elegant and refined. Beautiful, cold, distant but inspiring.

  Elysia was the complete opposite of who I truly am.

  I was just an average high schooler, who was a slacker that spent most of her free time painting figurines, gaming, or reading. Or both.

  But that was a different matter altogether.

  "There aren't too many in this lot who can give me a challenge," she admitted, grinning. "And you're one of the few who's made me break a sweat in this little cohot."

  Her body glowed a bright red and I saw the shockwave of heat that rippled outwards from her.

  "But I can tell you're still holding back on me, Princess." she said. Her body began to glow with a blazing aura, her wings shimmering.

  She grinned manically as the heat she was radiating intensified. She raised her maul, holding it in a defensive position and taking a stance with her feet firmly planted on the ground. Her muscles tensed and her body shifted slightly.

  She was inviting me to go on the offensive.

  Her initial blitz had been serious. She'd wanted to test how I would handle being on the back foot, and she was now curious about my skill on the offensive. She'd seen some of it in the training exercise, but she had no clue how powerful I really was, and what my magic was really capable of.

  She didn't have a clue about the other things I could do, or my other transformations. And I wasn't going to let that get out. This was supposed to be just a simple, fun spar, after all.

  But I really, really hated her type. Loathed them with every fiber of my being.

  I could still remember the day when I'd first discovered that I'd had magical girl potential. When I'd accepted without knowing what I was getting into.

  The first day my foster mother, my mentor, had taken me on a mission as her apprentice, and I'd gotten to see firsthand the true horrors that the world was capable of. The monsters, the magic, the supernatural creatures, the villains who terrorized humanity.

  And I had been terrified of it. But, at the same time, it had been awe inspiring.

  The first time I'd met my mentor's friends had also been the day I realized that my world was so much bigger than I thought it was.

  They had all welcomed me, embraced me as their equal and as part of the family, even if it was just in the beginning. I hadn't known them for long, but they'd seen me. They'd seen my talents, and nurtured them.

  That day was burned into my memory forever.

  I remembered the first time I'd ever been on a mission. The first time I'd ever faced down a villain, a real, living, breathing, flesh and blood enemy that I had to defeat. No matter how young, a Magical Knight was always a threat. I'd been terrified out of my mind, but I had fought with everything I had.

  My mentor had taught me everything she knew. I'd spent countless nights, countless days in the training room with my mentor's team, learning the basics. She had pushed me to become a powerful and competent Magical Girl, one who could take care of herself.

  I could still hear my foster mother's voice, her calm and collected demeanor, as she'd walked me through every step. The forms, the breathing exercises. How to properly hold a sword, how to use a spear and staff, how to use my powers to the fullest extent possible.

  But the memories of those times weren't always good. My foster mother's training regimen was grueling, bordering on insane, but I could see how effective it was, and how it had shaped me into who I was.

  My body, my mind, my very soul was forged through years of training.

  I'd learned that there was more to being a Magical Girl than being a superhero.

  There were villains who used their power to oppress and exploit others. People who would use magic to hurt and enslave. Who would kill, and take what they want. There was no shortage of them, either.

  The Guardians who granted these contracts could see the depths of a child's temperance and character, but they could only account for the future they wanted to have, and the choices that they could have made.

  My mentor had taken me to places that had changed my view of the world. Where I had seen the darkness in the hearts of men and the depravity they would inflict on others. All at an age before I could even count as a teenager, yet.

  But it was necessary.

  She had shown me what I needed to know, the kind of world that existed out there, outside the bubble of my home town.

  A girl like this?

  The Guardians had to have selected her for a reason. But she was the type to have strayed from the path and ideals she had as a child, and I could tell.

  Raging Sparrow was exceptionally strong. She was dangerous.

  She was the type of girl who would make a wonderful Knight, or a terrible one.

  It all depended on what path she took.

  My eyes were fixed on hers, and I let out a slow, controlled exhale, letting the cold seep from me and freeze the ground beneath my feet.

  And then I threw my greatsword to the side, settling into a deep karate stance.

  I let my power build, drawing it from the core of my being, from my heart.

  She raised an eyebrow, her lips curling in an amused grin.

  "Hmm... You've decided to face me head on? That takes guts, Princess. You've already proven to be more skilled than most of our peers. Most would have tried to run away and fight a war of attrition."

  She cracked her knuckles, a cocky, arrogant grin spreading across her features.

  "Good. That makes this more fun."

  She threw her maul to the side like it was a toy. "This'll be good training then. Let's see if you've got what it takes, huh?"

  She crouched, a feral grin spreading on her face as her aura blazed a brilliant crimson red. Her wings flared and stretched, a surge of magic rippling outwards. She was like a lioness stalking her prey. More of a hawk than a sparrow, honestly.

  "Show me what you've got, then," I stated steadily.

  My heart rate slowed to a calm rhythm as my breath grew steady, a cold aura enveloping me like a shroud of frost. I felt my body cool, the chill in the air nipping at my skin.

  We both waited, silently, in anticipation.

  She moved first.

  The took a single leap forward, wings outstretched, and she launched herself at me like an artillery shell. Her wings beat in the air as her fist thrust towards my face, a rush of hot wind following her as the ground below her split in half from her take-off. The air was hot and dry as a blast of wind buffeted my dress.

  At the very last fraction of a second, I empowered myself with Lightning Overdrive and exploded forward, stepping to an angle. Her fist shot past my cheek as I stepped inside her reach and slammed my fist into her stomach.

  She twisted at an impossible angle, taking it with a glancing blow.

  She grinned and threw her leg up in an arc, a kick that was aimed right at my head.

  I leaned backwards, but she immediately sliced it down, aiming for my thigh.

  "Oomph!"

  Pain blossomed as the shockwave slammed into my leg and I lost my footing, but I rolled back to a fighting position and brought up my arms to block her follow up knee strike. She grabbed my shoulders and I barely managed to sweep her off balance, but her wing buffeted me as she jumped backwards and I lost my own balance again. Her fists and legs blurred with a flurry of strikes, forcing me on the back foot.

  Her blows were heavy. Unbelievably so.

  But Storm Vixen's Lightning Overdrive was like cheating. As much of an unfair advantage as her aftershock attacks were, my enhanced reflexes, speed and enhanced nervous system were more than enough to even the playing field.

  I jumped laterally, dodging her kicks, punches, and jabs, moving like an acrobat, flowing like a river across the hilly terrain. She scowled in frustration as my movement softened the thundering, concussive blows, her fists and legs only meeting thin air and grazing glancing blows. As long as I rolled with her strikes I could mitigate a lot of the impact. I took whatever openings she gave me to strike back, jabbing at her head and kicking at her torso and knees.

  "Tch!" she grunted as I finally landed a solid sidekick into her stomach.

  I ducked under a punch and drove a left hook into her side, and she grunted, retaliating with a roundhouse that grazed my head. I jumped up, spinning in the air and brought a kick towards her neck.

  She spun and slammed her fist down, splitting the ground below me as a shockwave rushed out. I immediately threw up a wall of ice in front of me and rolled backwards.

  It was a moral victory at least. Arts were back on the table and she was the one who fired first.

  She had me on strength and raw physical ability. I hated to admit it, but I was probably outmatched. Her skill was on the level of a seasoned veteran, and her combat experience was probably leagues above mine. I'd spent the last three or four years playing a proverbial game of tag with a team of magical girls instead of training seriously, after all. I had no right to complain, and it was my fault that I hadn't been training as seriously as I should have.

  But that was fine.

  I didn't need to match her strength.

  I raised a hand and blasted her again with my Frost Flare.

  She looked up and smirked, her body glowing with an aura of raw energy, the frosty grass melting around her as the winds whipped around her, carrying the hot, dry air. Her eyes gleamed as she looked me in the eyes and unleashed a massive surge of energy.

  The blast of superheated air that rushed out from her body was like standing next to an active volcano. There were no flames, but her magic was a tangible, palpable thing, the force of it like an invisible fist slamming into my body.

  It felt like a wall of pure force had hit me. The air felt like it was boiling, and I was being cooked alive from the inside.

  "Frozen Void."

  I barely got the words out before I was forced to leap back with a burst of magic. She had the advantage head on, but I had a slight speed advantage. A few steps backwards and the temperature returned to something less scorching.

  She smirked and leapt at me, but I'd been ready.

  "Glacial Wall!" I shouted. The ground beneath her erupted in a wall of jagged ice that spanned from the ground up to the barrier ceiling.

  She slammed into the barrier, the aftershock of the blow shattering it like a pane of glass as the ice wall disintegrated. I immediately cast a triple layered barrier in front of me but her fist shattered the first two like they were paper as I was thrown backwards from the impact.

  I barely caught my breath as she was already flying towards me, a gleam of sadistic glee in her eye and a savage grin on her lips.

  She tackled me at full speed, knocking me out of the air, and her fists began a relentless barrage of punches. Each strike sent a ripple of force throughout my body, the impact shaking my bones. It wasn't a sloppy tackle, either. She dug her head into my chin and controlled my body from the other side, slamming me down to the ground like a rag doll.

  Pain shot through my chest as my ribs were jarred and I felt the wind knocked out of me.

  I hit the ground hard and gasped, struggling for air, and the ground split open, forming a crater as the shockwave from her blow rippled outwards. My ears were ringing and I tasted iron.

  She'd punched me a good eight or nine times in the ribs before we'd hit the ground. She was stronger than me in terms of pure, physical strength, and her attacks were heavy enough to make my whole body tremble.

  Sparrow postured up, her legs splaying mine to control my balance and keep me pinned.

  She pulled her fist back to smash my head into the ground, but with Lightning Overdrive active, it looked like it was moving in slow motion.

  I kicked off the ground and threw my armsaround her waist, squeezing them together to trap her between them, locking her into my grip.

  She swung her fist at my head, but the impact of the blow was softened from my sudden motion. I kicked my legs out from beneath her body, using the momentum to throw her to the ground. She rolled backwards, throwing up her hands to protect herself and pushed off the ground, but I immediately rolled with the motion and launched myself at her, slamming my knee into her face.

  "Frozen Void: Expansion!"

  My aura exploded outwards and froze the ground in front of her. She didn't even have a moment to react. She slid backwards on the slick, frozen grass.

  She immediately reacted by trying to leap into the air, but I'd anticipated it. Her wings flared as her body lurched forward and up, and I threw my hands up in the air.

  "Ice Pillar!" I roared.

  A giant spike of ice shot up from beneath her feet and she barely had a chance to react before it collided with her torso.

  She let out a scream as the pillar slammed her into the ceiling, the ice cracking and splintering as the force of the sudden attack reverberated throughout the whole arena. Her body bounced off and slammed into the ground with a thud, and I saw a cloud of dust and debris fly outwards as she kipped up in a three-point stance, wings outstretched behind her.

  Her body was glowing red again, and the air around her began to ripple.

  She smiled, sucking in a deep breath, even as my head throbbed from the thrashing she'd given me. My chest ached and my ribs hurt. Her face was scuffed, but her injuries were healing already, even though her hair was slightly singed and frayed from the steam.

  Her expression shifted as her grin turned savage and feral. She tightened her stance, holding her front foot slightly off the ground even as I sank into my bladed stance, readying myself.

  We both waited.

  And then her aura changed, rippling around her like a storm of invisible blades. I tensed my muscles, ready for whatever attack she might have in store.

  Her eyes were focused on mine, and she gave me a nod smirk.

  She was acknowledging my skill.

  And I knew what was about to happen next.

  "Let's finish this then," she said, taking a deep breath, her body pulsing with raw energy as the air around us shifted.

  She burst forward with the speed and power of a rocket, leaving behind a trail of smoke and burning grass.

  I let my composure drop at last and screamed, pumping as much power as I could into Lightning Overdrive as the air itself began to hum with electricity and ice. I could see every blade of grass in front of her withering and burning, turning brown, then black.

  I summoned another sword of rime, the icy greatsword materializing into my hand as the world slowed down. I could see her eyebrows quirking in amusement as she held out her hand, her maul spinning in her grip.

  The world moved at a fraction of its normal speed.

  I could see every muscle in her body, the way she tensed her shoulders, the way she planted her back foot, and the subtle twitching of her fingers on the hilt of her hammer.

  I raised my sword in a two handed grip.

  I knew what she was going to do next. Her muscles tensed, and I could see her wings flaring in the corners of my eyes. She was going to leap and slam the hammer down at the ground in a downward arc. I could read the intent, the flow of her mana, and the direction she was moving.

  But she'd been holding back. This would be a serious strike. An attack with the intent of incapacitating her target.

  I raised my sword, and then brought it down in an overhead swing. A wave of icy cold, blinding white frost and blue energy rippled out, wrapping around my sword and creating a blade of raw power.

  "Rime Breaker!" I roared.

  "Apocalypse!" she roared back, a wild, savage gleam in her eye as a rush of hot wind and a wall of dry air rushed outwards.

  Her aura was a crimson red.

  Her maul glowed with power as she jumped up, flying high into the air and bringing her hammer down in a downward, diagonal swing. My greatsword thrummed with power as I pulled it back, a shimmering, pure rainbow arc of blue ice and lightning forming around its tip.

  The world snapped back into focus, and the air itself seemed to distort around our attacks.

  "TIME!"

  My eyes went wide as a blur of red, white, and blue appeared between us.

  Our attacks collided against a wall of pure muscle, sending a blast of raw, chaotic energy surging through the arena. The air exploded with a sonic boom, a deafening sound that drowned out all other noise, as the shockwave sent the ground beneath our feet trembling and cracking as ice and rock exploded from where we stood. The grass around us was uprooted and flung upwards, the air itself warping around the shockwave. The entire arena seemed to shudder as a massive wall of dust and debris flew up, obscuring everything from view.

  Silence fell as the dust cleared.

  I let out a deep breath, and then collapsed on my butt as the adrenaline wore off.

  I stared in amazement at Instructor Strike, standing in front of me, his arms outstretched between us. His pearly white teeth glimmered as his grin spread across his face. My greatsword lay shattered and in pieces at my feet, the shards of ice and frost dissolving in the grassy fields. Sparrow stood there, a small trail of blood running down her forehead and nose.

  The remains of Sparrow's Maul lay in a pile on the ground in front of us. Its head and the handle were split into a thousand pieces, the stone completely pulverized and the wood cracked, splintered, and burnt from the force of our final hit.

  I stared blankly at the giant of a man standing between us. He had just... blocked both of our final attacks with a hand on each side to intercept our weapons. The shockwave alone should have shattered his arms and thrown him to the other side of the barrier.

  I knew he was strong but...

  What the actual fuck?!