"Is that a smile I see?" Finn prodded me in the ribs. "Asher Ardent, actually grinning after a magical duel? The universe must be ending."
I couldn't help it. The victory against Iris had left me with an unfamiliar sensation, something warm and foreign that took me a moment to identify as actual pride. My arm still throbbed where her automaton had sliced me, and the healing patch a mage from the infirmary applied itched like crazy, but none of that mattered. I won. Legitimately. Without causing a catastrophic explosion or turning anyone's skin plaid.
"Don't get used to it," I warned, trying and failing to suppress my smile. "Statistically speaking, I'm due for something horrible any minute now."
Gavril clapped me on my uninjured shoulder. "Always the optimist. But seriously, that was impressive. When you overloaded her probability prediction device, Professor Parallax nearly fell out of his seat. I swear I saw him taking notes."
We made our way to the students' spectator area, where cushioned seats floated at various heights. As we settled into our seats, three ghostly figures, duelists from centuries past, materialized briefly near the ceiling, their spells clashing in silent spectacle before dissolving back into the architecture.
"WHAT A FANTASTIC DISPLAY OF ADAPTIVE STRATEGY!" Bloombastic's voice boomed throughout the hall. "The Chaos-Father turns unpredictability into an advantage! My photosynthesis is positively tingling with excitement!"
Professor Gravitas cleared his throat. "Indeed. Mr. Ardent demonstrated unexpected tactical awareness. Though his technique remains..." he paused, searching for a diplomatic term, "...unorthodox."
"You mean gloriously chaotic!" Professor Zephyr interjected, his voice light with amusement. "Magic isn't always about textbook precision, Gravitas. Sometimes it's about throwing the textbook into a blender and seeing what happens!"
"A philosophy I'm certain you impress upon your students, to the detriment of Academy property," Gravitas replied dryly.
The next match was already being announced. Elias Aurellian versus Devon Black, rank 55. Devon was a second-year student with a reputation for innovative illusion work. I'd seen him once in the practice halls, creating shadow constructs that moved with eerily lifelike precision.
"This should be interesting," Gavril murmured, leaning forward. "Devon's been working on a new technique that combines shadow manipulation with minor mind influence."
"You think it'll work on Elias?" Finn asked, unwrapping a packet of color-changing taffy he'd somehow managed to smuggle into the tournament.
I snorted. "Nothing works on Elias. He probably predicted every move Devon will make before breakfast this morning."
As if to prove my point, Elias stepped onto the platform with that infuriating aristocratic grace he carried everywhere. Unlike the rest of us who looked like we'd been dragged backward through a magical tornado, Elias appeared pristine in his Academy uniform, not a silver hair out of place.
The platform transformed as they took their positions, morphing into a labyrinth of mirror-like surfaces and shifting shadows. Professor Zephyr announced their tarot pairing: The Hierophant (Elias) versus The Moon (Devon).
"OOOOH, THE SYMBOLISM IS RIPE AS A SUMMER MELON!" Bloombastic gurgled excitedly. "Order versus illusion! Tradition versus deception!"
Devon opened aggressively, sending a wave of shadows crawling across the mirrors. The shadows twisted into humanoid shapes, each one an exact replica of Devon himself. Within seconds, seven identical versions of the illusionist surrounded Elias.
Elias didn't even blink. He stood perfectly still, his expression one of mild interest, as if observing a moderately engaging chess match. When the shadow-Devons attacked simultaneously, Elias sidestepped with such precise timing that two of them collided with each other.
"He's not even using magic yet," Gavril observed. "Just physical evasion."
I watched as Elias continued to dodge, his movements economical and precise. "He's conserving energy while making Devon burn through his."
The pattern continued for several minutes. Devon's illusions grew more complex, shadow-beasts joined the shadow-Devons, and the mirrors began to rotate, creating disorienting reflections. Throughout it all, Elias moved with uncanny precision.
"Is anyone else finding this slightly terrifying?" Finn whispered.
When Devon finally paused to catch his breath, Elias struck. With a single, elegant gesture, he sent a pulse of energy through the platform that shattered every illusory construct in the arena. Before Devon could recover, Elias closed the distance between them and placed his palm directly over Devon's heart.
"Checkmate," we heard him say, his voice carrying through the suddenly silent hall. "Your next move would be to collapse the mirrors inward while attempting a shadow-stepping maneuver behind me. I would counter with a light burst that would leave you temporarily blinded, at which point you would yield to avoid further discomfort. Would you prefer to skip that conclusion?"
Devon stared at him in disbelief. "How did you…"
"You fought admirably." Elias replied with a slight smile.
Devon yielded, looking both impressed and unnerved. The match had lasted less than seven minutes.
"WHAT EXTRAORDINARY EFFICIENCY!" Bloombastic exclaimed. "The Hierophant dispenses with illusion through pure foresight! Even my cousin the corpse flower doesn't digest prey so thoroughly!"
After Elias's match concluded, the next pairing was announced: Leander Calderon versus Solaris Brightwood. Third year against third year. Rank 44 against rank 40.
"This should be good," Gavril said, his eyes lighting up. "Gravity versus light magic. They're natural opposites."
I watched as Leander took his position, his distinctive purple-black energy already swirling around his fists. Across from him, Solaris Brightwood stood in serene contrast, with his lithe body and golden hair that seemed to emit its own subtle radiance.
Their arena transformed into a cosmic landscape. We appeared to be floating in deep space, with distant galaxies and nebulae providing the only illumination. Beneath their feet, a transparent platform was the only indication that they weren't actually suspended in the void.
"The Star versus the Tower!" Bloombastic announced their tarot pairing. "Light and gravity dance the eternal cosmic waltz!"
The duel began with breathtaking intensity. Solaris moved first, sending concentrated beams of light arcing toward Leander from multiple directions. The gravity mage responded by creating dense fields that bent the light around him, causing the beams to curve harmlessly away.
"That's advanced stuff," Gavril whispered. "He's using gravity lensing to manipulate the path of light."
For several minutes, they exchanged increasingly complex attacks. Solaris created prismatic barriers that split Leander's gravity wells into rainbow fragments. Leander countered by compressing space itself, creating areas where Solaris's light magic slowed to a visible crawl.
I watched, mesmerized, as a stray gravity pulse collided with a light burst, creating a miniature black hole that immediately evaporated in a shower of radiant particles.
"I didn't even know that was possible," I muttered.
"It probably shouldn't be," Gavril replied, looking equally impressed. "Pretty sure they're breaking at least three laws of magical physics right now."
The cosmic arena began to respond to their magic, with new stars blinking into existence where Solaris directed her power, and spiral galaxies warping where Leander exerted his influence. It was like watching two forces of nature collide, beautiful, terrifying, and utterly beyond my current abilities.
Before the match could reach its conclusion, a melodic chime echoed through the Hall of Echoes, and Professor Zephyr's voice cut through the cosmic spectacle.
"Attention duelists! The next pairings are now ready. Will the following students please prepare for their final level one matches."
Finn tensed beside me as the names began to be called out.
"Finn Thorne, rank 86, versus Clara Whitespell, rank 76."
Finn let out a relieved breath. "Fellow First-year. Specializes in sound-based enchantments. I should be able to manage a draw, at least."
"Gavril Moridian, rank 82, versus Vael Moridian, rank 69."
I turned to look at Gavril, whose face had gone pale. His hands gripped the edges of his seat so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Gavril? You okay?" I asked.
He swallowed hard. "It's fine. I only need a draw. I can... I can manage that."
"I thought you and Vael were on good terms," Finn said. "She's your cousin, right?"
"We are. She is." Gavril ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture I'd rarely seen from him. "It's just... complicated. House Moridian has expectations. Vael is our champion, the pride of the primary bloodline. I'm from the secondary branch, and I've always been..." he trailed off.
"In her shadow?" I finished for him.
Gavril nodded. "I've never beaten her in anything. Not once. And now, with everyone watching..."
"Hey," Finn said firmly, grabbing Gavril's shoulder. "You don't need to beat her. Just hold your own. Draw the match."
"You've been developing your dimensional magic," I added. "That gives you something unique, something she doesn't have."
Gavril took a deep breath. "You're right. I've been working on some new techniques. If I can just maintain enough control to prevent a clear loss..."
"That's the spirit!" Finn slapped him on the back. "Think of it this way, nobody's expecting you to win, so the pressure's all on her!"
"And if anyone understands impossible expectations," I added, "it's us."
A small smile finally broke through Gavril's tension. "Thanks. I needed that reminder."
"Asher Ardent, rank 84, versus…"
I held my breath. With my track record, my opponent could be anyone from a first-year to the reincarnated spirit of some ancient Archmage with a grudge against probability manipulators.
"…Valentina Morgenstern, rank 71."
The air rushed out of my lungs. Of course. The universe's sense of humor remained intact.
"OOOOOH MY SPROUTING SAPLINGS!" Bloombastic's excited voice echoed through the hall. "The Chaos-Father faces the Imperial Heir once again! Will her hair survive this rematch? Tune your pollen receptors to find out!"
"Well," Finn said, patting my uninjured shoulder sympathetically. "At least you've fought her before. You know what to expect."
I remembered our first duel, how she'd nearly suffocated me by transmuting the air around my head, how she'd liquefied the floor beneath my feet.
"She's thirteen ranks ahead of me," I said numbly. "And I barely managed a draw last time, with Professor Blackthorn moderating."
"But you've improved since then," Gavril pointed out. "You've been training with Lady Fortune herself. Your control is better."
"And you've survived weeks of Professor Nihil's punishment assignments," Finn added. "If that didn't prepare you for battle, nothing will."
I remembered the grudging respect we'd shared after our first duel, and how quickly that had evaporated after the Probability Incident affected her yet again.
"You only need a draw," Gavril reminded me.
"Against the fourth highest-ranked first-year student," I replied. "A transmutation prodigy who still has remnants of multicolored hair because of me."
"When you put it that way..." Finn grimaced.
I stood up, flexing my injured arm experimentally. The healing patch was doing its work, but I could still feel the damage beneath.
"Finn Thorne and Clara Whitespell, please proceed immediately to platform three," Professor Zephyr's voice announced. "Along with Asher Ardent and Valentina Morgenstern to the central platform. Gavril Moridian and Vael Moridian to platform five in twenty minutes."
Of course. The central platform, the most visible location in the entire Hall of Echoes, where even students dueling on other platforms could pause to watch.
As if hearing my thoughts, Professor Zephyr added cheerfully, "As our most... explosive pairing of the day, we thought you deserved center stage, Mr. Ardent!"
"Good luck," Finn said, clasping my shoulder before heading toward his assigned platform.
"Try not to die," Gavril added with a weak smile.
I made my way toward the central platform, acutely aware of the hundreds of eyes tracking my progress. In the spectator section, I caught sight of Liora watching me with an unreadable expression.
As I approached the platform, I saw Valentina already waiting, random strands of her hair shifting through a mesmerizing spectrum of colors, sapphire blue to emerald green to ruby red and back again.
"Ardent," she said coolly as I stepped onto the platform. "I was hoping it would be you."
"Miss me that much?" I asked, immediately regretting the words as her eyes narrowed.
"I've been developing some new transmutation techniques," she replied, a dangerous smile forming on her lips. "I've been saving them for a special occasion."
The platform began to transform beneath our feet, responding to our combined magical signatures. I braced myself, wondering what environment would emerge from the combination of her precise transmutation abilities and my chaotic probability field.
"THE EMPRESS VERSUS THE FOOL, ROUND TWO!" Bloombastic announced gleefully.
"I'd wish you luck," Valentina said as we took our starting positions, "but we both know you have too much of it already."
I thought about correcting her, explaining that it wasn't luck but a bizarre quantum state of simultaneously existing in multiple probability streams, but decided against it. Theoretical discussions could wait until after I survived the next ten minutes.
The platform completed its transformation, and my heart sank as I recognized what it had become, a perfect replica of the Academy's Rift Garden.
The garden I had destroyed during the Probability Incident.
The garden I had spent eighteen grueling days rebuilding by hand.
The garden where I accidentally kissed Liora and torn a hole in the fabric of reality itself.
As if the universe needed to make its intentions any clearer, a large, ornate fountain materialized in the center of the platform, identical to the one whose single droplet had landed on Valentina's nose, triggering our first duel.
"How... appropriate," Valentina said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as she raised her hands, already glowing with energy.
I swallowed hard, feeling the now-familiar tightening in my chest that preceded disaster. Behind Valentina, I caught sight of Liora in the audience, raising a single eyebrow at me as if to say, "Well? Show me what you've learned."
I took a deep breath and centered myself, feeling the chaotic currents of probability swirling around me.
"Begin!" Professor Zephyr's voice rang out.
And then there was no more time to think, as Valentina's first spell, a barrage of transmuted air molecules sharp enough to slice skin, came hurtling toward me.