Chapter Seventy-Two: The Color of Silver
"There aren't too many fights left in the first round, are there?" Kenos wondered aloud.
"You're right, only 3 matches left before the second round," Letoile confirmed. "Granted, the fights we've gotten so far have had varying levels of excitement. I wonder if the next round's battles will be better?"
"Don't know, but I don't think we'll get another intense nail biter like Team E versus Team F," Ryusei spoke up before turning to Sekke and Fragil. "No offense, I'm glad you won your match, but it was kinda boring,"
"That's alright, the plan we concocted wasn't designed for a spectacle," Fragil said back, not offended in the slightest.
Sekke, on the other hand, thought the exact opposite. "Boring? Well excuse me, if Langris didn't make the plan he did, I'd have a chance to show more of what I could do, but whatever,"
"May the next pair of teams approach! Team K and Team L!" the capital mage called out.
Klaus pushed up his glasses. "I'm up,"
"Listen and listen well, Specs, if you lose this match, you'll have lost my respect," Yuno warned before a smile touched his face. "But that's only if you lose, and I know better than that,"
"I know you'll do good too," Mimosa shared the same sentiment.
"They're right, go out there and win," Letoile added, before turning to Luck. "Both of you, I'm expecting great things,"
"Don't forget, we gotta keep that streak of ours alive," Magna reminded him.
"I won't disappoint either of you, hopefully, we get some strong opponents," the lightning mage told them as he and the steel mage walked off.
On their way, Klaus spoke up, wanting to get something clear. "Look Luck, during the fight, try not to go wild, if we want to win, we must do this amiably,"
"Mhm," he responded, seemingly not paying attention.
"He's totally ignoring me, isn't he?! Uh, I hope our third teammate can cooperate or I'll have no choice but to carry this team," the golden dawn told himself.
"Make sure you don't do anything stupid," Luck suddenly said.
"Anything stupid, like what?"
In response, Luck wordlessly extended his hand, leaving Klaus confused. "Does he…want a handshake? Not sure why, but I guess it couldn't hurt," he decided in his head before returning the shake. "Oh, a nice firm grip, wasn't expecting that from-!" he was saying, before he was quickly electrocuted.
Luck giggled. "Like that,"
"What the hell was that for?!" the steel mage rightfully exclaimed.
"I wanted to see how you'd react. Plus, it was funny," the lightning mage replied.
"That's funny to you? I believe the proper word to use is crazy!"
"Gentlemen, take it easy,"
The two teens quit their bickering at the introduction of a third voice. It didn't take much work at all to follow that voice as its origin was a bit over three feet away, coming from a plump woman, three buns adorning her blond hair, and a Blue Rose Knights robe adorning her person.
Klaus was the first to speak up. "And who might you be?"
"I am Puli, Puli Angel. And going by the fact that you came here, you must be my teammates for Team K,"
"Excuse me?" Klaus and Luck said together, looking around them to see that they unknowingly arrived at the meeting spot, with the capital mage to their right, and Team L across from them.
"Our apologies," the former began. "We weren't aware of where we were,"
"No worries. Now tell me, who might you two be?" Puli repeated the steel mage's question.
The black bull, however, jumped in to answer. "I'm Luck Voltia, and he's Klaus Four-Eyes,"
"Four-Eyes?! My last name is Lunettes, if you didn't know it, just don't say it," the golden dawn groaned.
Luck slung his arms above his head. "I don't know, Four-Eyes suits a grown man like you,"
"Grown man? I'm 18 years old, damnit!"
"What, you're the same age as me?"
Klaus' bewilderment only grew. "Same age as you? Wait, you're the same age as me?!" he yelled.
Luck merely laughed. "Seems so, strange world,"
Puli, on the other hand, wasn't laughing at all. "All I did was ask for their names? How did it devolve into this? Is this why Sol doesn't like men? Then again, I've seen a fair share of the crazies from both sides," she mentally groaned. "Regardless, if they're going to act like this during the fight, I'll have no choice but to carry this team,"
The woman moved up and took hold of her teammates' hands. "No more bickering, we've got a battle to win,"
"You're right, we can't let ourselves get sidetracked," Klaus nodded in agreement as they stood in a line.
As they did, the capital mage did his thing. "The sixth battle of the first round will soon commence between Team K and Team L! On Team K, we have Luck, Puli, and Klaus! And on Team L, we have Winston, Francis, and Rob!"
Upon hearing the last name be announced, the two teams took it as their cue to walk down into the battlefield.
"I hope you two are ready for this, let's make the fight an absolutely fabulous one!" Puli excitedly stated.
One of the words she spoke mildly confused the two males, and they weren't afraid about voicing it. "Fabulous?"
Puli winked. "You heard right, there's no problem adding a little glamor to things, fights like these are no exception,"
"I don't think glamor is the thing we need to worry about," Klaus started as he jerked a thumb to his side where Team L was walking, the thumb specifically pointed at the Silver Eagle. "We need to worry about Rob,"
"What's so special about him?" Luck asked. "Is he a big deal?"
"You better believe he is. Rob Vitesse, a 2nd Class Senior Magic Knight. At the moment, the Silver Eagles don't have a vice-captain, so rank-wise, he's the closest to fitting the bill, not to mention I've heard he's a skillful wind mage,"
The blonde berserker was intrigued by what he heard, so he shifted his eyes, looking at the opposing knight with calm earnestness. Good posture, and a confident stride, the first two things he observed, it was clear as day to see Rob was sure he would come out victorious, and with the rank he was close to achieving along with the power he was told to have, his own assurance of victory wasn't ill-founded. But what captured Luck's attention immediately was his face, a confident grin with a hint of stoicism, and that wasn't it, on his face, more specifically, his cheek, was a scar obtained from some battle, it was that which started to excite the lightning mage, he didn't even need to read his mana. He wanted to fight him more than anything, but then he remembered something, and voiced it aloud.
"So, what's our plan?"
Klaus' head slowly inched in the black bull's direction, his shock blatantly obvious. "What did you just say?"
"Um, what's our plan?" Luck repeated. "You said that I shouldn't go wild and that we should work amiably, and you can't do that without a plan,"
Klaus chuckled. "And here I thought you weren't listening to me. Ok, the best plan for now is to handle Rob's teammates first and take whatever shots we can at their crystal,"
"Got it,"
It wasn't much longer until the two teams stood on the battlefield. Team K didn't move much further from that, deciding to mark it as their end. However, an action from Team L caught them off by surprise.
"We're fine right here," Rob declared, his team's end separated from the opposing team's by half a kilometer.
"Their end is close, a quick start to the battle is virtually guaranteed," Klaus thought.
"Alright, both teams are in position! Ready, and begin!"
Rob waved an arm, a strong breeze forming, that breeze blew against his cape, the piece of cloth floating in the air. "Move in, prioritize destroying their crystal, and engage a knight if necessary,"
"Right!" the two mages obeyed his order and advanced.
"They're making the first move. This plan of yours will be even easier to follow through on," Luck commented as he equipped his limb armor.
Francis broke left and ran up the side, diagonally facing the enemy crystal while doing so. "Water Magic: Riptide!" he let loose a high pressure blast of water.
"You're going to need something a lot better than that! Steel Creation Magic: Full Metal Fortress!" Klaus quickly responded with a wall before declaring an order of his own. "Luck! The crystal!"
The lightning mage quickly ran to his crystal as the steel wall came undone. Once he locked it onto his mana, he ran and jumped over Francis, leaving nothing but half a kilometer between himself and Rob.
"Let's see how good you are, Rob Vitesse! Lightning Magic: Thunderbolt Destruction!" he fired a flurry of electric orbs.
"You managed to get past my teammates so quickly, you're good for a Black Bull, however…," the Silver Eagle began. "Wind Magic: Gale Servant's Safeguard!"
With a simple snap of his fingers, Rob and his crystal were standing in a circulating ring of wind. As the orbs drew closer, the wind merely blew them elsewhere, far away from their intended target, or anyone for that matter.
"..You'll find me to be a much harder adversary,"
Instead of looking distraught that his attack failed, Luck was grinning from ear to ear. "Awesome! You're as good as Klaus said!"
"I'm flattered by your praise, but do try not to lose focus,"
"Lose focus?" Luck repeated before his mana sense kicked in and he detected someone coming from behind him.
It was Francis, ready to cast a spell. "Your crystal is as good as destroyed, Water Creation Magic: Riptide Spear!"
At the same time, Rob cast another spell. "Wind Magic: Gale Servant's Retribution!" an array of jagged edges of wind were shot forward.
"Wow, what a predicament to find myself in. I could just jump up and dodge them both, but this is a perfect opportunity to use that new spell I made," Luck thought as his grimoire flipped to its newest page. "Lightning Magic: Thunder Fiend!"
The blonde berserker's body suddenly transformed into a blue streak of lighting and zoomed towards Francis, the crystal moving at the same speed. His body reverted back to normal once he closed the gap between himself and the water mage, quickly performing a backflip kick, shooting his opponent into the air before he once more became electricity and raced upwards, evading the wind-based attacks.
Once the two were in the air, Luck reverted back to normal and reeled an arm back before Francis' mind could even process what was going on. "Down you go," Luck said before punching him down back to the ground, knocking him out.
"He's out cold already? Boring. I wanna go against Rob again," he repeated the spell, appearing directly above the wind mage.
Luck stared down, watching as his adversary looked back up at him. "Neither of our initial offenses were successful, let's see how you handle this!" he raised his hands, forming a large blue sphere.
On the platform, a smile formed on Letoile's face. "I know that spell. That silver eagle is going to have a tough time blocking what it can bring. Win this, Luck,"
"Lightning Magic: Electric Conquest!" he exclaimed as he kicked the orb down.
In response, Rob smirked wordlessly, only opening his mouth to declare his counterattack. "Wind Magic: Gale Servant's Ascent!" he thrusted himself upward, the massive attack never once touching him or the crystal as his ascent brought him to an equal level with the lightning mage.
"The first hit is mine!" Rob exclaimed, kicking Luck down, sending him plummeting. "And what a twist of irony it is,"
"Twist of irony is right, he attacked me the same way I did his teammate. But the difference between me and that weakling is that I'm not staying down!" Luck mentally said, pulling himself up.
At the same time Luck's solo battle was going on, Klaus was squaring off with Winston.
"Steel Magic: Guillotine Assault!" the member of Team K began his attack
Winston dropped to the ground to dodge them, doing a kip-up get back on his feet. "Stone Magic: Rampage Barrage!" he launched multiple large-sized stones.
"Protect me once more! Steel Creation Magic: Full Metal Fortress!" Klaus set up the same defensive spell, but the attacks coming his way were no joke. It wasn't long before he could feel the wall's defensive power weakening.
"Have no fear, Klaus, help has arrived!"
The steel mage recognized the voice calling to him. It was Puli. But she didn't sound like she was just behind him, and upon turning around, his hunch was correct. The Blue Rose knight was up in the air, flying with the help of wings that resembled that of an angel's.
"Go Puli, show them what you're made of!" Sol cheered.
The same couldn't be said for the Black Bulls, who, upon seeing the sight, silently turned an eye to view Kenos' reaction.
The solar mage's eye slightly twitched as he stared at the airborne female on the battlefield. "Those wings? Do I sense my territory being invaded upon? No way in hell, the angel theme is mine, and I don't have any intention of sharing it with any examinee, sister. There can only be one, you here! There can only be one!"
"Wing Magic: Angel Flapping!" Puli exclaimed as feathers fell from her wings, before becoming jagged as they were shot Winston's way.
"Shit," the stone mage cursed as he called off his spell and started running around.
"Keep running, if you stop, my feathers will sting pretty bad. Just keep on running around like that, it's totally fabulous!" she laughed.
"Wanna mock me, aye? I'll show you!" Winston started to run Klaus' way. "If you keep up that attack of yours, you'll eventually hit your teammate,"
"I have nothing to worry about, my teammate is strong, not to mention clever. A tactic like that is pointless," the wing mage retorted.
"Puli, call off your attack!" Klaus suddenly stated. "I can finish him off!"
"You sure?"
"I am, trust me,"
Puli's wings disappeared as she dropped down to where she previously was standing. "Ok, if you say so. Just make sure I don't have to save you, that would not be fabulous,"
Winston picked up speed. "You may be a Golden Dawn, but don't underestimate me! Stone Magic: Boulder Crush!" he summoned a large floating boulder, ready to pound the enemy.
"Underestimate you? No, I've spent a lot of my life underestimating, but no more. I now see that anyone can become stronger if they're willing to work for it! And that includes me! I've trained my magic, but thanks to Asta, I understand the importance of training my body and mind as well. The results of my effort will come to fruition right now!" Klaus' grimoire, similar to Luck's, flipped to the page of its newest spell. "Steel Creation Magic: Blazing Spiral Lance!"
At his call, Klaus' right hand became encased in steel before it morphed into a drill, and he used said drill to penetrate the boulder with relative ease, also managing to slam it into Winston's face, knocking him out.
Yuno's eyes widened. "Incredible. Specs didn't use that spell when we fought Arbus, so he must've made it after. Such little time to perfect it, but it came out pretty effective,"
Luck suddenly jumped towards his teammates. "Hey guys, that Rob guy is fantastic, he even managed to get a hit on me,"
"That isn't something you should be celebrating," the steel mage lightly scolded him. "You're the fastest of us, if he can land one on you, we may be in some trouble,"
"Don't worry, I think I have a plan to handle it," Puli spoke up. "First things first, Klaus, cover us from all four directions,"
The mage in spectacles repeated his trusty defense spell four times, forming a square-shaped barricade.
Rob stared at the spell, confidently chuckling. "That kind of meager protection won't keep you sheltered for long. Wind Magic: Gale Servant's Retribution!" he released another set of jagged attacks.
"Don't get it confused, these walls aren't solely meant to shelter us," Puli began retorting as the front wall facing the wind mage suddenly dropped, revealing Luck ready to zoom forward while the blue-clad knight dawned another set of white wings, but this time, they were in the likeness of a bat.
"It was also a chance to set up our endgame! Wing Magic: Chiroptera Cyclone!" she continued, rotating violently to cast her spell just as Luck rushed forward, the wind generated from the cyclone increasing his speed.
All the while, the lightning mage grinned. "This is so much fun!" he positioned his body for a single-legged drop kick.
"I won't allow you to harm my crystal. Wind Magic: Gale Servant's-," Rob was cut off as Luck's kick connected, pushing his back into the crystal.
"More, more, even more! I wanna keep facing even more powerful opponents, and I want to beat them all!" the berserker thought as the crystal finally shattered from the pressure.
"Crystal destroyed! Team K wins!"
Letoile immediately started cheering. "Yes, you won! Awesome work out there, you did amazing!"
Vanessa turned to her. "My, you're cheering quite loudly,"
"Why wouldn't I be? Klaus' team won,"
"True, but I don't recall you cheering as loud for that Mimosa girl when her team won their match," the thread mage pointed out before giving one of her knowing smiles. "Could it be that you're cheering loudly for someone else?" she moved close and whispered the last part in her ear. "Namely...Luck,"
The compass mage's face went a little red. "This again? I already told you, Luck and I are just friends, no funny business,"
"Your reddening cheeks say otherwise,"
"Nothing on my face is red,"
The older woman decided to relent. "Okay then, if you wanna live in denial, that's fine by me,"
Letoile sighed. "Sometimes, I just don't get you,"
Back on the battlefield, Luck helped Rob up. "Thanks for the fight, your magic was incredible,"
"Likewise, your skills shocked me. I was quite surprised when your squad ranked 2nd in the Star Festival, but it's obvious that you've earned it. Congratulations," Rob said back.
"Luck!" the black bull turned to see his team running to him, hands in the air.
"We did it!" Klaus happily cheered.
"What he said!" Puli joined in.
Luck ran to them as well. "It's all thanks to you two!" he added as they reached each other and did a three way high-five.
"Go Team K!"
From where he sat, Julius chuckled. "Those three are quite a bunch,"
"Agreed," a voice replied, that voice belonging to Kenos as he approached them.
"What brings you here?" the time mage inquired.
"My match is up next, so I wanted to see if I could get a treat from Charmy for some energy," he confessed.
"Ah, if it is a treat you want," Charmy repeated his statement before pulling out a cinnamon muffin. "Then I shall provide," she then turned to Augustus, who had fallen asleep. "I know he could surely use some energy,"
"Cool," he took it and munched on it. He then turned to his cousin. "So, Ves, how are the selections coming so far?"
"Not bad, I can't disclose the specifics of that information with you, but with what I've seen from the first round, there are a good number of potential candidates for the Royal Knights," Sylvester replied before he suddenly heard beeping. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a communication device from which the noise originated.
"I wonder who's calling?" the lunar mage said aloud as a small hologram of the person came into view, the person in question was a man with a similar skin tone to his own. He had medium-sized brown hair and eyes of the same shade. What he was wearing wasn't visible, but even if they were, they'd be quickly overshadowed by the expression he wore, one of blissful happiness, it was the expression worn by someone who looked like they could make friends with anyone.
Sylvester was no stranger to the expression though, as he replied casually. "Oh, hi dad,"
"My favorite son, how are you doing? I arrived home and didn't see you. Eleanor told me you were helping Julius with something," Marcus greeted.
The lunar mage laughed. "Dad, I'm your only son. And yes, I'm helping with the Royal Knights Selection,"
"Right, I heard about that," the man flexed his arm. "Too bad I retired from the Magic Knights, I could've lent a hand with the fight. I was quite the powerhouse back in my day along with your mother, she had her Night Magic, and I had my Chimera Magic. We would've wiped the floor with these terrorists in our prime,"
"No doubt about that. And speaking of mom, how is she?"
"I haven't run into her yet, although I did run into two kids. Never seen them before, but they say you're their teacher," Marcus said.
Sylvester nodded. "You must've seen Nathan and Sonia. Their dad died so I let them stay on the estate, I teach them along with some other kids to become strong mages,"
"Really? Good, very good. The next generation needs guidance if they're to be the best they can be, and I don't know any better teacher than you," his father grinned proudly.
"Thanks, dad. How are the Thisavros'?"
"They're great, business is going well for both our families. Say, is Alice doing fine? Have you seen her?"
"I have, but I didn't get to talk to her though. Actually, she's participating in the exam," Sylvester said.
"That's wonderful, hope she does well,"
Kenos was on the far side listening to the exchange between father and son, a smile on his face, but it didn't take long for it to grow bittersweet. He could never have the same kind of relationship with his father, he may have denounced the man, but a small fragment of him still wanted it, the bond only a father and son could have.
Marcus continued speaking before an unknown person on his end caught his attention, he then turned back to his son. "Hey, I got someone who wants to talk to you,"
"Okay,"
A new voice greeted the lunar mage. "Hello, Sylvester,"
It was at that moment when the voice spoke, that Kenos forsook his bittersweet smile as his blood now ran cold, he found it difficult to swallow the muffin he was chewing, it was as if his throat had gone dry. Even though he couldn't see them, the person on the other side of the communication device was undeniable, and Sylvester's response only cemented that assurance.
"Hello Uncle Richard,"
The solar mage started to sweat like before, but this one was worse. Every fiber of his being told him to get away from the vicinity as soon as possible, and he was about to obey, but then he stopped. If he did move away, and so suddenly, Sylvester might call out his name in confusion…and that would be the worst case scenario.
Charmy too froze when she heard Sylvester's greeting along with the voice. Though she had never met the man, her brain immediately identified the voice's owner: Kenos' father. She remembered how that same vocal pattern had plotted with Zaxon to kill her squadmate, and speaking of her squadmate, the cotton mage quickly shot her head in Kenos' direction and was almost taken aback by the sight… she had never seen such panic and fear in his eyes. It made her mad, she wanted to tell off the sorry excuse for a paternal figure with every obscenity she knew, but she knew that doing so publicly would be unwise.
Sylvester though, was none the wiser as his focus was on the hologram of the phantom mage. "It's good to see you. I take it you're glad to see my dad too?"
"Of course, I miss my little brother. It'll be nice having him here for a few days while he's off business," Richard answered. "How are the exams going?"
"Amazing, we've got some good potential candidates so far,"
Richard smiled. "Splendid, we leave the kingdom in their qualified hands. Hopefully, Dante and Oxanna will be part of their ranks, if they've been selected to participate,"
"They've been selected all right, in fact, their match is up next," his nephew revealed.
"Then I wish them the best of luck. But, that isn't all I wanted to speak to you about, I have a question to ask,"
"Sure, ask away," Sylvester permitted, strangely enough though, the man didn't state his question right away, like he was wondering what to say.
.
.
.
"Tell me…have you seen Kenos around anywhere?"
The solar mage's heart began beating a mile a minute, his breathing silent yet erratic, and it only increased as Sylvester lifted his face up.
"Kenos, he's-," he stopped midway, seeing the look of anguish on the younger boy's face, confused, but equally concerned.
Kenos knew he had to do something, his father couldn't know he was here, that he was alive, who knows what the man may stoop to if he did. So he shook his head, praying his cousin would understand.
"Well, have you seen him?" Richard asked once again.
"Um…," Sylvester began, looking back at the transmission before taking another look at his cousin.
"...No, I haven't seen him at all," he replied. "Do you…need him for something?"
Richard pondered on a thought. "Not exactly, I was expecting some news regarding him, but it can't be helped. Goodbye," he said as the transmission ended.
As soon as it did, Kenos dropped to his knees, clutching his head in panic. "H-He's still looking for me. Zaxon was never able to report to him since I took him down. What if he sends more assassins? What if they target others close to me in order to get to me? I don't know, I just don't know!"
"Kens," Sylvester knelt down, keeping his voice moderate to avoid attracting attention. Thankfully, they were a good distance from any knight, but even if it was moderate, the fearful concern was apparent. "What's wrong?"
But the solar mage said nothing.
Charmy and Julius also witnessed the start to Kenos' breakdown, the cotton mage hopping off the time mage's lap. "I'll be right back,"
"I have something to do as well," the Wizard king arose from his seat and walked off somewhere.
"Kens, you have to talk to me. Are you okay? Why did you panic when I was talking to Uncle Richard? Kens, please," the lunar mage started to plead.
But his cousin was still trapped in his own head, the clutching of his head had turned into erratic scratching, and he had begun to hyperventilate. His constant ignoring worried Sylvester more, to the point where he was ready to scream.
But luckily for him, that option wouldn't have to be executed as a gentle hand placed itself on his shoulder, and a familiar voice rang out.
"Hey, Kenos,"
Those two lone words had managed to shatter the wall and reach Kenos' panicked ears. Slowly, he turned back and looked up, seeing who had called him.
"Z-Zuka,"
"Charmy came to me and told me something was wrong, but it looks worse than that," the sparkle mage said softly as she knelt down to his level. "What's the matter?"
The solar mage finally started to register what was going on around him, Zuka and Sylvester were in front of him, both with looks of worry.
"What's the matter? N-Nothing's the matter, everything is fine," Kenos answered.
"Kens, we all know that isn't true, I've never seen you panic like that before. It started when Uncle Richard asked for you. Did something happen between you two?"
The black bull shook his head. "No, not at all, I-I'm just nervous is all, I don't want to fail the exam and disappoint him. That's really all, believe me," his voice immediately betrayed the idea that he was telling the truth.
Zuka merely frowned, it hurt seeing her friend in such emotional distress, so she placed a hand on his hand, causing their eyes to meet. "Hey, if this is something you can't tell us right now, that's alright, you can tell us whenever you're ready. But remember what you told me, that if I was ever in turmoil, to lean on you? Well, it's a two-way road, whatever burden you find you can't handle by yourself, you can lean on me, and I will be there with you every step of the way, I'll listen, and I'll comfort you. I promise,"
The solar mage finally put his hands to his sides and stood up, the other two standing with him. His eyes never broke away from Zuka's as he moved in and hugged her.
"Thank you,"
"No problem," the two then broke apart.
Kenos then started taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Zuka was still looking at him before Sylvester tapped on her arm.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied, walking a good distance away.
"I really gotta thank you as well. Kens was really starting to worry me, but you were able to get to him,"
"It's no problem at all, he's important to me, so I'll do whatever I can for him," she said before her face started to get red. "Not to mention that hug was a nice bonus," she blurted.
Sylvester gave her an odd look. "What?"
It didn't take long for Zuka to realize the mistake she made. "Oh crap,"
The older Rossiu started shifting his gaze from the aqua deer to his cousin standing afar, shifting it back to the girl. "Wait, do you…,"
"What's that? I think one of my friends is calling me, gotta go," Zuka cut him off as she dashed away in embarrassment.
Sylvester laughed to himself as he pondered the idea. "No way, could it be? Well, I do think they would look cute together, and with how easily she was able to reach him and provide relief, I don't know anyone better suited for him than her," he thought as he turned to walk back, seeing Julius approach from the other side.
"Kenos, you're looking better than you were a few minutes ago," the time mage said before his face showed concern. "What happened? I've known you since you were a kid, but it's the first time I saw you panic like that,"
"Oh, well, it's nothing to really worry about. Recently, my nerves sometimes get the better of me, this exam is a big deal. The kingdom's future could rest on my shoulders if I become a Royal Knight, that's sure to get anyone anxious," he lied.
"I suppose, but I'm not too sure that's the reason. If there's something you want to talk about, I'll gladly listen. Or if maybe some injury is related to it, I can have Owen give you a checkup, he and Marx aren't too far from here, I could-,"
Kenos cut him off. "Julius, trust me, I'm telling you the truth,"
The wizard king decided to relent. "Okay, but have you at least calmed down?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I managed to calm down a bit, but I don't know if I'll be in total mental shape, after all, my fight's going to start in hardly any time at all,"
Julius waved a finger. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that right now,"
As if on cue, the capital mage raised his voice. "There's been a slight alteration made by the Wizard King. The next fight will be between Team O and P!"
This caught the attention of the other knights, "They're skipping one of the battles?!"
"But why?!"
Julius stood up and brought out his voice-amplifying magic item. "Something has come up for one of the contestants competing in the next round, and rather than waiting for them to finish, I've decided to let the next pair of teams face off," he explained, opting to make something up, luckily for him, it wasn't questioned further by the masses.
But the same couldn't be said for the smaller group of knights.
Erika was the one to speak first. "The Wizard King said something came up for one of the members of Team N or M, but our team is fine. Does that mean it has something to do with the other team?"
"I guess so, but that would mean the person in question must be either Zuka or Kenos," Glynda deduced.
"It's about Kenos," Zuka answered as she approached them.
"What came up?" Ryusei asked.
"What came up?" Zuka repeated, realizing she would have to think of an excuse quickly. The last thing she wanted was for Kenos to be bombarded with questions when all he should be worrying about is calming down. "You see, he had something to handle regarding his home, but nothing to make him leave the premises,"
Charmy jumped in. "Yeah, just a call on a communication device. From what I heard, the call had something to do with his father," she spoke the last word with emphasis, eyeing her squadmates as she did.
Those two actions told the black bulls everything they needed to know about the situation at hand. "Yup, that doesn't sound too out of ordinary, we can't forget the Rossius are a very important family, only makes sense something important about them would come up," Asta said, doing his best to play along.
"I wonder why father didn't contact us though?" Dante wondered aloud.
"Maybe he just needed your brother," Vanessa replied.
"Yeah, that could just be it,"
Yuno stepped up. "If Kenos is fine, then my fight is up,"
Noelle stepped up too. "Our fight you mean,"
"I wish you both the best of luck," Charmy said before looking up at the golden dawn. "Yuno, Bell, make sure to kick some serious ass,"
The two gave a nod before flashing their bracelets, the cotton mage smiling before she showed her own bracelet. "Now, I must be off,"
The short teen started making her way back to where Julius was, with Kenos and Sylvester standing beside him.
"I have returned," she called triumphantly.
"Great, my lap was getting cold," Julius joked.
"Then fear no more," Charmy walked to him.
"Hey, um, Charmy,"
She turned at the sound of Kenos' voice. "Yeah?"
"Thanks for calling for Zuka over,"
The cotton mage gave a wordless thumbs up as she sat back on the king's lap.
As she did so, Kenos clenched his fists in silent frustration. "What happened to me? I thought I was okay, I thought I dealt with the baggage when I defeated Zaxon, so why did I panic like that? That mini meltdown worried Ves, Zuka, and Julius. I guess…I'm not fully over it after all, but I have to get over it eventually. I can't confront my dad if I tense up at the mere sound of his voice, I can do this,"
"Alright Noelle, before we get moving, we have to find our third teammate," Yuno stated.
"You don't have to find me, I found you," a shriveled voice said in response. The voice wasn't coming from behind Yuno, but rather to his right, so the wind mage moved his eye to see En standing right next to him.
"Crap," the wind mage jumped in surprise.
"Sorry to scare you," En apologized with a cough. "I'm En Ringard, your teammate. I say you at the Star Festival, and your magic power was amazing, it'll be nice to work with you,"
"Um, same to you,"
Glynda eyed her squadmate. "En, you don't sound good, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a bit of a sore throat," he responded.
Vanessa walked over to her old friend. "I don't think his voice should be your concern. Does he look like he's even able to fight?" she whispered.
"Vanessa, dear, you of all people should know that appearance isn't everything. En is very capable, plus, he's the same age as you," the telekinesis mage whispered.
"Really? He doesn't look like it, but if you trust him, then it's alright," Vanessa continued to whisper before she brought something else up. "And what do you mean I of all people should know?"
"You may dress in a vulgar manner, but I know you're still a virgin,"
"You don't know that for sure, we haven't been in touch for years," the thread mage pouted with comedic anger.
In response, Glynda glared daggers at her with a single eye, her aura darkening. "What? Does that mean you didn't listen to my advice?"
Vanessa quickly shook her head. "N-No no, I listened, I'm still saving myself for the right guy,"
Glynda's entire demeanor lightened up. "Good,"
The scarlet-clad woman let out a breath of relief, but once she did, her signature smirk appeared. "And speaking of the right guy, have you found him yet?"
"Not at the moment,"
"Really? You haven't noticed any men you know showing interest in you?"
The older woman raised a brow. "No, not to my knowledge,"
"Are you absolutely sure?"
Glynda put a hand on her hip. "Vanessa Enoteca, are you implying that I have some secret admirer?"
Vanessa shrugged. "I don't know, I'm just spitballing. You're a bombshell of a woman, even if you don't think that way about yourself, others do, and beyond that, you're the kindest, most loving person I know. There's got to be at least one guy who sees that, who knows, they could even be in your squad,"
"My squad?" she repeated. "Vanessa, I love you, but sometimes, I just don't get you,"
"So, are we all ready to go?" En asked his team.
"Yeah," Noelle replied as the three started walking away from the group, but they only managed a handful of steps before opposition arose.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't you," none other than Solid stood in their way, beside him was Alecdora.
"What do you want?" Noelle asked impatiently.
"I hoped that the gods of fortune would put us together to fight, and it seems they've delivered," Solid replied.
The water mage gave an uneasy look. "So that means, we're facing off against your team?"
"Correct, you worthless excuse for a little sister, and I will enjoy taking you down. All I have to concern myself with is how many times you'll miss so I can rub it in your face!"
"That's enough, actions speak louder than words, talk big if you manage to win," Noelle fired.
"If? I think you mean when,"
Yuno looked at the sibling exchange, Noelle seemed to be handling herself well, he wouldn't need to intervene, but he was glad he didn't, because something else, or rather, someone else, grabbed his attention.
And that someone was Alecdora. The sand mage was glaring straight at him, and the glare was so nonchalant, none of the anger or disgust the noble usually had when looking at him was present. Yuno, not being one easy to intimidate though, stared right back at him.
"We should get going, I want to destroy you as fast as possible," Solid said as they all started walking to the meeting point.
As they were doing so, they passed by where Julius sat. Noelle saw Kenos and gave him a look of genuine worry, but upon seeing it and understanding what it meant, the solar mage merely nodded, putting the royal at ease. The mages then made it to the point where Solid and Alecdora's teammate stood.
"The seventh battle of the first round will soon commence between Team O's Solid, Alecdora, and Dmitri against Team P's En, Noelle, and Yuno!" the capital mage announced.
Neither team waited any longer as they started their descent into the battlefield.
"Let's make sure we all do our best," En said.
Yuno eyed the green-clad knight. "Look, I don't want to be rude, I'm sure you have strong magic and were powerful in your prime, but as an old man, you shouldn't head straight into the fight, it's best if you stay back and provide whatever support you can,"
En was quite surprised at this. "Old man? I guess that makes sense, you two look like your fifteen, people your age would view twenty-four as old,"
The wind mage was shocked. "Wait, you're twenty-four?"
"Correct,"
Yuno motioned towards Noelle who had her own look of disbelief. "Do you think it's true or is it bogus?" he whispered.
"Beats me," she whispered back. "But it isn't too out of the ordinary, look at Charmy. She's the shortest one on the squad and she's nineteen,"
"She's 19? I knew she had to at least be 15, but I didn't think she'd be four years older than me," the wind mage expressed his surprise.
"You better believe it," Noelle ended the discussion as she nudged her head in the direction her brother was walking.
"I can do this,"
A short number of minutes passed. In that time, the two teams had arrived on the battlefield and went to their respective ends, but unlike the previous battle, the distance between them was fairly large.
The capital mages raised his hand. "Both teams, ready, and begin!"
"So, what's the plan of action? Do we go on the offensive or the defensive?" En asked.
"I say we go on the attack," Noelle replied, facing the man. "Yuno possesses high level attack spells, it's best we take advantage of that as quickly as possible before the enemy can come up with a countermeasure. What do you say, Yuno?"
"We're not going to be able to do that," he said back.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because we have company!" he exclaimed, pointing up at the large blue eagle in the sky heading their way, with the members of Team O riding it.
Noelle sucked her teeth. "Tch, I guess we'll have to go on the defensive after all," she mumbled before noticing something. "Wait, their crystal isn't with them. Did they leave it behind?"
"I'll do a quick check," En took out his grimoire. "Fungus Magic: Tracking Mister Mushroom,"
He knelt down and placed his hand on the ground as the head of a mushroom sprouted out before speeding away, returning in a few seconds. The man then placed his hand atop the mushroom's head, his eyes closed.
"I see," he said, getting up. "Their crystal is a decent distance from here, but it's being left completely out in the open,"
"Are you serious? They must be really confident," Yuno stated.
"Of course we are, we're going to win this after all!" Dmitri called from the sky, taking his grimoire out. "Flame Magic: Combo Eruption!" he summoned large fireballs, ready to explode once hitting a target.
Thankfully for Team P, Noelle was ready to prevent them from being those targets. "Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!" she formed the barrier.
Dmitri silently cursed as his attack was stopped, but Solid was more than happy to be vocal. "Well, would you look at that, you made a defense spell!? And here I thought you couldn't control your magic! So how'd you make it!? Did something scare you so bad that you needed a place to hide?!"
"Quiet, Solid. You're the one piloting the spell keeping us airborne, don't lose focus," Alecdora reprimanded. "As for your sister's spell, Sand Magic: Suppressing Sand Mass!" sand gushed out of the noble's grimoire and onto the barrier, quickly draining it.
"Oh no, the water is being absorbed," the female water mage gasped.
"Then we need to get out of here fast," Yuno reacted quickly, locking the crystal onto his signature before using two arcs of wind to create an opening for them to escape out of. His eyes then zoned in on the three knights in the sky, signifying his next action. "Wind Magic: Tornado Fang!"
With a swift motion, he shot a cylindrical stream of wind right at them, faster than Solid could react. "Look out!" Dmitri yelled as the eagle got hit dead on, forcing its passengers to jump off.
"This is why I said you need to keep focus," Alecdora scoffed as he began walking forward.
Solid crossed his arms. "Whatever,"
"Alright Yuno, that was an awesome shot!" Asta happily cheered at the top of his lungs. "Keep it up and you'll win this match in no time!"
"Here's the plan, I'll hold onto the crystal and rush past Team O, you two will stop them from following me as I go to destroy their crystal," Yuno ordered.
"Wait a minute," a voice of challenge came from Noelle. "I want to be the one to destroy their crystal,"
"Why? Didn't you say I was the best offensive mage among us?" her teammate asked in response.
"I know, but there's something I want to do. Please,"
"Hm," Yuno pondered the thought, but his thought process was interrupted as footsteps were heard approaching him. The wind mage looked over, seeing Alecdora, who liked before, was staring at him.
Yuno narrowed his eyes on his squadmate, he then turned to Noelle. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do it? If so, destroying their crystal will be entirely in your hands,"
The tone of the royal's response had no hesitation. "You can count on me,"
He nodded as his grimoire flipped to a page. "Wind Creation Magic: Celestial Wind Ark," he formed a smaller version of the transportation spell for her to mount.
"Thanks a bunch," she told him as she flew past Alecdora, strangely enough, his forward gaze remained steadfast.
That was, however, not ignored by the commoner. "You didn't try to stop her?"
"My teammates will take care of it. I'm here for you and you alone?" the sand mage replied.
And like he said, they took notice of her, particularly Solid. "She's heading for our crystal? What a foolish move, Water Creation Magic: Gliding Sea Eagle!" he declared, resummoning the avian as he mounted it and took off after her.
"Wait for me, Flame Creation Magic: Fire Sparrow!" Dmitri followed suit.
"I'm going to go give her some backup," En stated. "Fungus Magic: Running Mister Mushroom," he casted as a large smiling mushroom emerged from under him, the fungus mage sitting on its head before it began running.
With no one else present, Yuno opened his mouth to ask a question. "So, what do you want with me?"
"I'll tell you what I want, it's regarding all your big achievements. Back at Kitten, you single-handedly beat a Shining General and that got you rewarded, then at the Star Festival, you got personally acknowledged…and I hate that!" Alecdora yelled.
"What?"
"It should've been me who achieved all those things, not you, not some commoner from the sticks!" he continued to run his mouth.
Yuno raised a brow. "What problem do you have with them? They were mostly to the benefit of our squad,"
"That's the problem! It shouldn't be you contributing the most to our squad, it should be me!" the sand mage was now fuming. "I should be the core reason our squad gets better day after day!"
"Why do you care so much about that?" Yuno wished to know.
"Why? Because it's Captain Vangeance's dream!"
[Flashback]
Clover Kingdom. Many Years Ago.
"Wow, what an amazing painting!" a young Alecdora remarked within his estate.
"I remember, back when I was a kid, in my home, my mother got a painting, and I was completely enraptured by it," he narrated.
He smiled upon looking at the contents: a singular with an obscured face standing on what looked like a mountain range, his face obscured by the many rays of sunlight, giving him almost an ethereal feel.
"So, Alec, what do you think of it? I hope you like it," his mother said.
"Like it? I love it, thank you so much mother," the child jumped for joy. "And I really like that you got this one. That man though, something feels weird, but oddly good about how, like he isn't like us, a person,"
"Then what do you think he is? his mother inquired. Alecdora didn't speak for some time, only locking eyes with the art in front of him, but he finally did give a response,"
"...A god,"
"D-Damn it, this is bad, really bad,"
Many years had passed. The sand mage found himself on a solo mission into a cave to deal with a magic beast, but instead of finding the feral creatures, he was ambushed by a bunch of very human bandits. While he managed to successfully deter them, it came at a price as he suffered multiple debilitating injuries, the greatest one being his bleeding legs.
"I can't believe they got the jump on me like that. I suppose they must've already killed the beast and we're waiting for me, damn it all to hell,"
He tried to lift his legs, but stopped upon feeling a sharp sting of pain, forcing him to relent. "Shit, if only those bastards didn't break my communication device, I would've already had assistance on the way, but that's not happening, so I have to find a way out of here myself, and fast, nightfall will be upon me soon,"
He tried to force himself up again, but his body wouldn't permit him to, and he fell back down, a sigh escaping his mouth. "Okay, it seems I won't be able to escape. I have no choice but to accept my fate," he muttered as his eyes slowly closed shut.
.
.
.
"Alecdora?"
The sand mage's eyes shot open at the sound of his name. At the entrance of the cave was William.
"Captain Vangeance, what are you doing here? I didn't call for anyone,"
"I sent you on the mission some time ago, but I haven't heard a word from you, so I became concerned and went out to look for you," the masked mage replied.
Alecdora was surprised to say the least. "R-Really? I'm sorry, I bet you had much more important things to do than to concern yourself with me,"
"Don't say that, nothing is more important than the lives of those under me," William said, and as he did, the sun shone behind him, giving him an almost ethereal look.
Alecdora was in awe. "It was at that moment that I realized…he looked like the god from the picture at my home. Radiant, like he wasn't even a human,"
"You're a very valuable member of my squad, Alecdora, it's people like you that make my dream closer to coming true," the world tree mage remarked.
The sand mage raised a brow. "Your dream?"
"I want the Golden Dawn to be the best squad it can be, constantly growing better and better, that we may all stand together at the top, that's my dream,"
"If that's your dream…then I'll do everything in my power to make it a reality!" Alecdora declared. "Today, I swear a second oath, one to my kingdom, and one to you,"
William smiled. "Thank you. Now let's get you healed up,"
More time passed, this time, set at HQ. Alecdora ran through the hallway, a proud look on his face. "I can't wait to tell the captain what happened. Finishing a tough mission is one thing, but getting twice the amount of intended stars is an amazing turn of events. Adding 60 stars from one mission is sure to do the squad some good, now I just have to find-,"
He was cut off as he arrived at the end of the hallway, and watched two figures emerge from the other side. It was William, and beside him was Yuno with Bell atop his shoulder.
The sand mage didn't waste time. "Um, captain?"
William looked at him, but only gave a quick nod his way and continued walking before looking back at the other golden dawn. "So, Yuno, I've heard you're starting to get more control over your spirit magic,"
"That's right, Bell and I have been really doing our best," he answered, neither he nor his captain noticing Alecdora walking behind them.
"Well, keep at it Yuno, you're the first member of my squad to ever wield spirit magic, I'm very lucky you picked my squad,"
"What about everyone else on the squad?" the wind mage asked.
"I'm lucky to have everyone here, but you, you're an invaluable member of this brigade, Yuno,"
That last word made Alecdora clench his fists in anger. "Yuno, the captain has said his name three times, meanwhile, he's hardly even acknowledged my presence. And now that dirty rat is an invaluable member of the squad? What about me? I'm supposed to be the one making the Captain's dream a reality, not him!" he thought, glaring at the back of Yuno's head, his anger only growing.
"I hate you!"
[End Flashback]
As soon as he finished reminiscing, a brewing sandstorm formed, with him at the center of it. "Don't let those achievements go to your head! And don't get cocky just because you were lucky enough to get spirit magic!" he crazily screamed.
Bell flew into view. "What are you babbling about? Yuno would never brag, and even if he did, at least he earned it because he's the strongest. And for the record, dumbass, I chose Yuno because of his resolve, not because of luck!"
"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you, but if you say he's the strongest, then let's put it to the test!" Alecdora's grimoire flipped to a page. "Sand Creation Magic: Sand-Armored Dreadnought Guard!"
At his call, the brewing sand amalgamated into a gigantic armored giant, armed with two blades. The sight of it was enough to drive its caster into boastful laughter. "This is it, my best spell! A combination of high attack and defense! I dare you to try, just try to beat it without spirit magic! See if you can prove me wrong!"
Bell though, was not having any of it. "We don't have to entertain your nonsense! Yuno, let's-," she was saying, but was cut short as Yuno walked forward.
"Y-Yuno?"
"Defeat that spell without spirit magic to prove you wrong, aye? You know something, Alecdora, we haven't really gotten to know each other much, we hardly know anything about the other, favorite food, pastime, music, things like that. But regardless, in every conversation we've had, you always talk like you seem to know so much about me and the life I've lived just because I'm a commoner…and it's managed to make you nothing more than a pain in my ass!" his grimoire flipped all the way down its first page. "So if doing this will finally shut you up, then so be it! Wind Magic: Towering Tornado!"
Yuno waved a hand as the tornado formed, but unlike other times, the tornado formed inside the sand giant, destroying it from the inside quickly.
And just as quickly, Alecdora dropped to his knees, his confidence instantly gone. "B-But, how, he, just how,"
Yuno turned away from him. "And there we go, all done. Oh, and another thing, my respect for the captain is clear, but I couldn't give anymore of a damn about his dream, his dream is up to him to achieve, I have my own dream to work towards," he said before looking in another direction.
"I wonder how the others are doing?"
"I'm catching up to you, Noelle!" Solid exclaimed as he started to close in.
"C'mon, can't this thing go any faster," Noelle complained, but her spirits lifted when she saw the enemy crystal.
Beside Solid, Dmitri flew near. "Hey, don't you think we should have a plan? My magic isn't good against hers, and Alecdora isn't here,"
"What the hell are you saying? That we need a plan against my lame sister? Don't be ridiculous," Solid scoffed as he sped up.
"If you say so," the flame mage mumbled, that was until he noticed something on his shoulder. "Strange, what's..shit!" the thing in question cut off his inquiry as he grew into a large mushroom, its weight forcing him to plummet.
"How the hell did that happen?" he questioned.
"I could tell you, if you want," the coral peacock looked to his side to see En atop his mode of transport. "You fell victim to my Fungus Magic: Growing Mister Mushroom,"
"That can't be, we never made any form of contact with each other,"
"We didn't have to. Whenever I open my grimoire, small fungi particles are scattered throughout the air, allowing me to cast my spells wherever they land as long as I'm in the right range for them," the fungus mage explained as he continued to move on.
Meanwhile, with Noelle, she had finally made it to where the crystal was, the wind ark bringing her down before it dispersed. "Awesome, I need to destroy it fast,"
"Fast? It'd be a miracle if any attack hit at all," Solid jumped down from his eagle, landing between her and the crystal. "Now it's time for us to face off, good ol brother-sister bonding, like old times,"
"It didn't take you long to catch up with me, here's the thing though, I knew you'd follow me once you saw me take off," his sister pointed her wand at him. "I made sure we could face off, so bring it!"
Solid raised a brow before seeing a sight that brought a smirk to his face. "Bring it, you say? Are you sure about that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Noelle asked.
"Look at your hand and you'll see what I mean," the water mage did just that, and as she did, she couldn't believe it.
Her hand was trembling.
"W-What's going on?!" she mentally exclaimed, confused.
"You've been acting a lot braver today, but it appears that's all it is, an act. Deep down, you're the same scared little wretch," he laughed.
"No, it can't be true, I've gotten stronger, I've grown, so why is my hand trembling!?" she was doing her best to convince herself.
"Don't give in, Noelle,"
A new voice pulled Noelle out of her head, and instead had her looking at her shoulder, where a mushroom with a face had planted itself.
"En, is that you?"
The mushroom nodded. "Yes, I'm using my Fungus Exchange Magic: Talking Mister Mushroom. What's the matter? Your body appears to be hesitating, you sounded more confident earlier,"
"I know, but it seems my subconscious still hasn't forgotten what he used to do to me," she frowned.
"What he used to do to you? Were you…abused?" he asked.
Noelle sighed. "Yes," she remembered all the terrible experiences of her childhood at the hands of Solid. Her first memory was of her begging him to return her stuffed animal, just for him to tear it before he did, with Noelle turning around to see a pile of stuffed toys that met the same fate. She then remembered when he'd use his magic to attack her whenever he wanted, or sometimes when he'd take away her food and send her to her room hungry. And that was all without the years upon years of verbal abuse she'd receive daily.
"He made sure every day of my life for years was miserable,"
"It makes me sick to my stomach," En stated passionately. "I'm the oldest of 11 brothers and sisters, and if any of them had to go through that, I'd make sure their tormentor would never see the light of day,"
I suppose you will, but I thought I'd be fine, I stood up to Solid earlier today, I thought I was able to put it all behind me," Noelle confessed.
En was going to say something, but he paused for a moment, giving his words some thought before he voiced them out. "Y'know, dealing with trauma is a difficult thing. There are times where we think we can handle it, where we think our determination can power through it, but in reality, it still haunts us and can still overwhelm us. It's a hard thing to get rid of, or a hard thing to live with, a pain of the past that's constantly holding you back, but…sooner or later, you have to confront it and decide whether or not if you're going to let it be a driving force in your life anymore,"
"Those are some wise words. Are they from experience?"
"...You could say that,"
"Well, I don't want to let it be a driving force anymore," Noelle said.
"Then the first thing you must do is defeat your sorry excuse of a brother, the main object of your torment. Remember, humans are like animals, once put firmly in their place, they'll never challenge you again,"
"But how do I beat him if the bad memories are holding me back?"
"Meet them with their opposite: good memories. To push against trauma, we need to look back at the moments in the past that gave us strength, and let it give us strength now. You can-," the man was interrupted as Solid sent a water slash his way, cutting the mushroom in half.
"I was getting tired of his babbling. If you aren't going to launch the first strike, I am, and it's all I'll need to take you out! Water Creation Magic: Slashing Sea Serpent!" he declared, the large spell standing beside him.
Noelle eyed her shoulder where En's mushroom used to be, her eyes then shifted to the silver eagle. "Solid, you've always been my stronger, older brother. I spent most of my life living in fear of you and caring about what you thought of me. But those days are over!"
She pointed her wand his way. "I'm done being afraid, of letting myself be held back. I don't care what you say or think anymore, because…,"
"Then you'll have to make a new spell, it's time for you to push past your limits. I believe you can do it," Yami.
"When we met, you had trouble controlling your magic and I felt insecurities inside you, but now you're stronger, and you feel a lot more confident. Good for you," Kahono.
"Your mother would never be ashamed of you, even before you were born, she loved you with all her heart…don't forget, you're a royal, and her daughter, so don't sell yourself short, you hear," Mereoleona.
"You're amazing, Noelle, you've always been amazing, no matter what people have said about you. I've seen your strength, we've seen your strength, and we know you have what it takes," Asta.
Her grip tightened. "... I've been acknowledged by people whose opinion matters so much more than yours!" her grimoire flipped to a page. "Water Creation Magic…,"
Solid was grinning from ear to ear, undeterred by whatever his sister managed to come up with, but that grin began to fade away as a shadow started to loon over him, said shadow growing bigger and bigger before it stopped, regardless, the face of the older Silva was that of complete shock as he saw the huge serpentine dragon encircling Noelle, making his serpent look smaller by comparison.
"Hey, brother," Noelle spoke up, her voice being invigorated with determination. "You may want to dodge this one, or it's going to hurt,"
"S-Shut up! You're still weak! Go!" he ordered his serpent to charge.
"...Sea Dragon's Roar!" with a mighty declaration, her spell let loose, effortlessly tearing the snake apart and crashing into Solid, destroying his crystal in the process.
"Crystal destroyed! Team P wins!"
Noelle closed her grimoire and proudly flicked her pigtail. "I'm not weak, not anymore!"