Elias Leywin POV
"Begin!" a man with a short red moustache called as he lowered his arm down, signaling the start of my current match.
The boy ahead of me pulled both of his arms to his side and took in a deep breath through his nose. Mana rippled through his frame, gathering into his fists, the faint shimmer of augmentation spreading across his skin like a layer of armour. His boots grind into the dirt as he lowered his stance, eyes gleaming with smug confidence.
"Don't worry, kid," he taunted, tightening his fists until sparks crackled faintly. "I'll make this quick."
I slowly exhaled, raising my wand. A low hum sang into existence as wind mana quickly sharpened with it vibrating in the air until the edge of my wand faintly glowed as a blade made of sound itself materialized.
The teen grinned wider. "Cute trick. But all the noise in the world won't stop me from breaking you in one hit."
He launched forward, faster than most adults could track, his right fist was cocked back and brimming with mana.
My body moved on its own before thought could even register. A burst of wind coiled around my legs, propelling me sideways, and in the same heartbeat, I closed the distance. His eyes widened, the arrogance that coated his face faltering as he realized that I was no longer in front of him.
I was beside him.
And I slashed.
The vibrating edge of sound tore past his guard and kissed his forearm. A thin red line instantly bloomed. The noble brat howled, stumbling, clutching his arm like he didn't expect me to actually land a hit.
"What, how-" he sputtered in indignation, glaring at me like I had cheated. "You're just a kid!"
"Then you should've dodged," I answered calmly, my voice clearly carrying over the hum of my wand.
Anger twisted his face. He roared and rushed again, this time with both fists glowing brighter. The ground cracked beneath him as he poured more mana in his augmentation, veins bulging against his neck. "I'll crush you, runt!"
He swung.
A fist like a battering ram cut through the air where I stood.
I weaved past him like fluid water, light on my feet, a whisper of wind propelling me every step of the way. Another slash, this time across his thigh, and his stance faltered as blood seeped through the cut. His bellow transformed into a half-scream, half-snarl.
He turned on me again, panting, fury radiating from him. "Stand still and fight me properly!"
I dismissed my blade and tapped my wand on my chin "Properly?" I tilted my head. "You mean like an idiot lumbering around and missing every swing? No thanks!"
His teeth audibly grinded. With a roar, he channeled even more mana, his fists blazing with force. This time, he charged with reckless desperation, throwing wild, heavy punches meant to overwhelm. The ground shaked with every step.
My wand hummed louder, the sound attribute mana vibrating so fiercely it blurred at the edges, almost looking like it was not there, like some sort of Invisible Air. I twisted my wrist, slicing upward, then downward, a double arc too fast for him to track. Thin crimson lines carve across his chest and shoulder.
He screamed, stumbling backwards, his aura flickering as pain broke through his concentration.
His knees trembled, and he fell down onto one.
I poked my wand into the skin of my neck as I stared down into his fear-ridden eyes. The air between us quivering with invisible sharpness.
"Still want me to surrender?" I asked, voice low but steady, the picture perfect of nonchalance.
His fists unclench, the faint glow of augmentation fading like dying embers. He stared at me, wide-eyed and pale, sweat dripping down his temple.
"I-" he swallowed hard. "I yield."
I lowered my wand. The sound of our brief battle dissipates into the air like a sigh, leaving only the echoes of the boy's ragged breathing.
The man with the red moustache stepped forward, clearing his throat. "The duel is decided. Victory goes to… Elias Leywin."
I let out a groan, not out of exhaustion but rather boredom, then I returned my wand to my dimensional ring.
The noble teen, Johnathen Terry… I think. Fell onto the floor and began to sob, wailing about disappointing his father, and something about a belt.
'Uhh…Seriously, have some dignity…'
I placed my right hand on my hip as I watched the boy, who was almost double my age, cry to me.
"That was rather impressive, little Brother-"
Without turning around to face the voice, I cut him off, "No, it was not, Art, he's a second-year battle-mage student and I, a 7-year-old conjurer, beat him in close quarters combat in less than 5 minutes."
A hand landed on my head and ruffled my hair. "Is what I said any less true?"
"He's nearly 3 core stages behind me and is twice my age"
He scruffled my hair "My point stands"
'Damn your accursed head pats, big brother.'
"…I guess", I murmured reluctantly.
He freed my head from his grasp as he looked down at me expectantly. "What was that, your third successive win?"
"It was," I stated as I instinctively pulled my bracket paper out.
After releasing the final crease, I concentrated on the sheet as it dimmed to my name and my next opponent, a Mr Ben Davies,was crossed out. My name reappeared at the top of the page under the heading 'Round of 16 Qualifier', to the right of my own name appeared another.
"3rd year Wind Conjurer, Susiana Williamson" I looked between our names, where the date and time were listed as "Tuesday the 25th of June at 6:30 PM"
"Do you want me to take you?" my brother asked, looking over my shoulder, double-checking I hadn't misread the enchanted parchment that was in my hand.
"I'll be fine", I responded, giving him a wave of my hand as we climbed aboard a carriage that the Helsteas had arranged for our return home.
~~~
The sound of our spells clashing against each other was lost beneath the rush of wind that filled the duelling hall we had been allocated to use. Dust and loose scraps of parchment scattered from the side tables, caught in the currents created by her magic.
The blonde third-year stood several paces away, her twin tails swaying, her blue eyes sharp and focused as she held her wand low, the air around its tip shimmering faintly.
She raised her chin, voice ringing out clear: "Winds of Severance, cut through all before you!"
[Crescent Wind]
A crescent blade of compressed air screamed toward me.
My wand hummed in my grip as I pushed mana into it, shaping the edge of vibrating sound. I angled my body sideways and lunged forward, wind gathering around my ankles. The sonic blade met the crescent wind in a sharp clash that burst in a roar of displaced air.
I closed the distance between us in a heartbeat, my feet barely touching the floor. Each step was a kick-off of the air itself, each kick-off boosted by a burst of wind magic, vaulting me toward her like a spinning dart.
She lifted her wand again, lips moving rapidly "Air Wall, stand firm, offer me strength!"
[Gale Shield]
A translucent barrier of compressed air shimmered before her, but I didn't strike directly.
Instead, I twisted, planting one foot against the invisible wall, and used it as a springboard. With a kick, I flipped over her, my wand buzzing with its vibrating hum.
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to heal you up", I shouted to her as I looked down at her upside down whilst I'm still mid-air.
With a rather remarkable show of core strength, I flipped myself upright mid-air, and created a platform of compressed wind mana particles just beyond my feet to jump off down towards the conjurer. I arced my blade downwards towards her wand-wielding arm.
Her head whipped up in surprise. A gust blasted from her wand, throwing her sideways just as my blade of sound cleaved through empty air.
I raised my head to look at the panicking conjurer as I spun my wand, reigniting a blade through its magic stone as an ethereal green blade took shape, rather than it just being a usual transparent blade of sound.
"I hope it's okay if I try something new!" I warned, smiling at the teen.
I took hold of my wand with both hands as I held the green glow just before my face.
"[Ignite, Rhongomyniad]"
Upon my instruction, the green light began paling to a lighter green before it eventually stabilised at a bright yellow light that borderlined on gold.
The light from my wand pulsed, filling the hall with a pale golden glow. The air around me vibrated in resonance, each note ringing faintly in my ears, like the distant echo of a cathedral bell. The pressure of the spell made the hairs along my arms stand on end.
Susiana's eyes widened at the change. She steadied her stance, sweat glistening along her temple, and her voice rose again, carrying over the trembling air.
"Gather, winds unbroken, spear that pierces sky and earth, strike!"
[Tempest Javelin]
Her wand thrust forward, and a massive spear of compressed air hurtled toward me, its edges spinning violently enough to tear apart stone.
I swung my wand downward in an arc. The golden blade sang, the resonance breaking into a shrill crescendo.
The impact flared in a burst of sound and gale as my blade met her spell, scattering parchment and rattling the duelling hall's windows. The vibration carried down my arm, numbing my fingers, but the spear split apart in a scatter of harmless wind.
I grinned despite the sting. "Not bad!" I called, stepping forward with a burst of wind beneath my boots.
She bit her lip, retreating as fast as she could. Every step back was a calculated effort, mana pouring into her feet to keep her distance from me. She thrust her wand skyward, chanting with urgency.
"Winds that bind, chains unseen, halt your advance!"
[Binding Breeze]
Invisible cords of pressure snapped tight around me, tugging at my limbs and slowing my leap. My golden blade faltered in mid-swing as the spell held me like a net.
For a moment, she let out a shaky breath of relief.
I clenched my jaw and pulsed earth mana around my body—almost as if I was strengthening myself like I were an augmenter.
The air threads cracked like glass under a hammer.
With a sharp shout, I burst free, wind exploding from my legs in a shockwave that tore a shallow crater beneath my feet. I launched forward once more, golden blade raised and ready to strike.
Her eyes widened, the relief on her face vanishing in an instant. "Air Wall, stand firm, offer me strength!"
[Gale Shield]
Another translucent barrier of compressed air shimmered before her.
I pushed wind mana into my leap, twisting my body into a tight spin. My golden blade shrieked as it pierced into the wall of compressed wind mana, I slashed up and continued on my swing as I severed the shield in two.
The blonde staggered back, hair whipping wildly. Her lips moved frantically, mana swelling at her core, but I was already moving.
I planted a foot against the collapsing wind, vaulting myself forward in a blur. My blade arced toward her wand arm once more.
"Scatter and fall-!" she cried.
[Wind Burst]
A pulse of raw force detonated from her wand, point-blank. It slammed into me, hurling me across the hall. My back hit the floor with a crack that rattled my bones, the golden blade flickering dangerously as my focus faltered.
I coughed, dragging in a breath through clenched teeth. My arms trembled as I forced myself back to my feet. She stood across the arena, wand raised, her chest heaving. Her face was pale now, sweat dripping down her cheek, but her eyes burned with stubborn resolve.
"Stay down," she said, voice tight. "You're too reckless. If I hadn't held back with that last spell-"
I cut her off with a grin, spinning my wand in another Obi-Ani flourish. "Then you have already lost."
Her glare sharpened. She thrust her wand upward again. "O swirling tempest, rise and devour-!"
[Tornado Rise]
The floor between us ruptured as a spiralling column of wind shot up, stretching toward the ceiling. The pull nearly dragged me in, threatening to shred me to ribbons.
But instead of fighting the pull, I leaned into it.
I kicked off the ground, letting the vortex drag me higher. Wind tore at my clothes and hair, but I focused mana into my legs, anchoring myself to the currents as if they were solid platforms. I ran up the wall of the tornado, each step carrying me higher in a dizzying spiral.
Her mouth fell open in disbelief as I broke free of the vortex's crown and came crashing down on her from above, blade blazing golden.
She scrambled, throwing both arms up.
[Gale Shield]
[Gale Shield]
[Gale Shield]
Three layers of translucent barriers snapped into place, their surfaces rippling. My blade struck perpendicular to all three layers as my golden blade began to glow.
The first barrier cracked instantly, the golden resonance screaming through it like a war horn. Splinters of compressed air burst outward, harmless but dazzling, like glass shattering in the sunlight.
The second shield resisted harder. My makeshift blade pressed into it, shrieking in protest, the vibration rattling my bones as much as hers. The air trembled, loose parchment swirling violently in the storm between us.
She screamed, pouring mana into her wand, desperate to keep me back.
I grit my teeth, forcing more mana into my blade, both hands locked tight around the wand's hilt.
The second shield shattered.
The backlash threw her back a half step, her knees buckling. But she didn't falter completely. Her final barrier gleamed, flickering but stubborn, held up by sheer willpower.
I roared back, pressing down with everything I had left. My golden blade blazed, brighter than before, its hum rising into a deafening crescendo.
The final barrier began to crack as I applied even greater pressure to it.
Her eyes widened, blue irises glowing faintly with the mana she was burning through far too quickly. "No-!"
The third barrier shattered.
The golden blade stopped just shy of her throat.
Susiana froze, wand limp in her trembling grip, her chest heaving with ragged breaths. Her gaze met mine as tears began to freely flow from her face.
With a reversed Obi-Ani I dismiss my golden blade before I return my wand to my dimensional ring.
I placed both hands on my waist as the adjudicator's voice cut across the hushed hall "Victory to Elias Leywin."
"That was… amazing," I admitted between breaths. "You nearly stopped me."
"Nearly wasn't enough," Susian spoke softly as she looked up at me.
"Is that so…" I noted with a roll of my shoulder, "I thought you were plenty strong and you should be proud of that"