(A page depicts a drawing of a tall, blonde-haired man staring pensively out a window. A blue streak lines his hair. His glasses reflect the sunlight. A slight smile creases his lips.)
Drawing in Astrin Dynamo's waterlogged notebook.
-------------
Every student was already present when Gwyn and Elise arrived at the Close Quarters Combat class.
Anastasia was standing at the opposite end of the room. She whispered to the teacher, who seemed to be nodding occasionally.
"Always plotting something, isn't she?" Elise asked.
Gwyn gently stroked where her arm was broken.
"Seems so..."
Elise stared at Anastasia, never breaking eye contact.
"What happened yesterday won't happen again today."
Mrs. Bellbottom clapped her hands.
"Okay, Class! Today we'll be doing some basic exercises and learning how to disrupt your opponent's balance."
"She's not talking about me failing the class," Gwyn whispered to Elise.
"If she knew what was good for her, she'd keep it that way."
"Get into partners of your choosing. I will be demonstrating different attacks one can do in order to throw off your enemy!"
Elise and Gwyn stood next to each other, staying as far away from Anastasia as possible. The teacher went to the front of the room with a separate student and performed a simple repelling motion, pushing on the student's chest.
"If you aim for center mass and push with explosive energy, you can set your opponent off balance, where you can follow up with a sweep to the legs." Mrs. Bellbottom swept his legs, and the student landed hard on the ground. "Or cast a spell to finish them off." She helped the student up. "Now you try the motion with your partner."
"This all seems relatively normal."
Gwyn practiced the motion with Elise, who was like a brick wall and wouldn't move, no matter how hard the Chosen One pushed on the Princess.
"This is stupid. I'm reinforcing myself, so this trick wouldn't really work against a Susurrus." Elise held a defensive stance. "If you got this close to someone with these shoddy moves, you'll just leave yourself vulnerable."
Gwyn stopped, her shoulder hung a little low.
"Oh..."
"Well, I have good news."
Another forceful push from Gwyn, with no movement from the Princess.
"Which is?"
"You aren't the weakest person I've ever met."
Gwyn rolled her eyes. She knew she was no match for magical elves.
"Right. Thanks."
"You could always train with Artero. He's one of the best fighters I know."
"What?!" Gwyn shouted. "You want me to spend time with him?"
"I don't mind," Elise said casually. "I know what I want, and he won't come in the way of that." Elise stretched her shoulder. "Alright, my turn."
Gwyn excessively blinked.
"R-right."
Gwyn braced herself for Elise's push, but when the elf made contact with Gwyn's chest in an instant, Gwyn felt something tug her hair, and she slammed onto the ground.
Gwyn cradled her head.
"Fuck!"
"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" Elise ran up to check on Gwyn. She wasn't bleeding, but that didn't look like a soft fall. "I don't understand, I didn't—"
Elise then heard a snickering from the other end of the room.
"Be careful, Chosen One. That dire ape of a partner doesn't seem to know her own strength."
Anastasia snickered with several other students who seemed to be crowding around her. Elise couldn't tell if it was for protection or if they feared her.
Elise ignored Ana and tended to Gwyn.
"I'm fine," Gwyn said.
Elise sighed deeply.
"Hey Asshole-stasia."
"Excuse me? Who do you think you're talking to?"
"Oh, so you know your name? How about you pick on someone who can fight back?" Elise shouted.
Ana smirked.
"Whatever could you mean? She fell on her own from your brutish strength." She made a putrid face towards the Bloody Princess. "No wonder Artero left you. You're simply ugly and inelegant."
"That must mean something coming from you," Elise snapped.
Both women were now eye to eye. Gwyn noticed that the air now felt heavier.
"Elise Sylvian!" Mrs. Bellbottom shouted. "Step away from Anastasia, right now!"
Elise threw off her robe.
"Fuck that, I want to fight her."
Mrs. Bellbottom nearly fell backwards.
"Language!"
"Shut it, Bellbottom." Elise turned to face Ana. "You and me, right now. No magic. Just our fists."
Anastasia smiled wickedly. She was hoping for this outcome.
"Okay. If you want your little plaything to watch as I break you, go ahead. I accept your challenge."
The rest of the class was hyped up for this fight. Some students ran out of the room, only to return moments later with more students in tow. Soon, the classroom was packed with students.
Students started shouting out their bets.
"I have five gold on the pink one!"
"I have twenty on blondie!" Another shouted.
A bookie walked around, collecting their gold as more and more bets rolled in from the students. It seemed that even some faculty members were participating.
The center of the room cleared. Elise stood on one side with Gwyn close by, and Anastasia stood on the other.
"You don't have to do this for me," Gwyn said.
"Gwynevere, I've been waiting to kick her ass long before I knew you."
Elise stretched as she talked, cracking her neck.
"Oh…" Gwyn trailed off. She didn't know what to say. She hasn't had anyone fight for her before. "Aren't you scared to fight?"
Gwyn seemed to be more worried than Elise.
The Princess then placed her hands on either of Gwyn's cheeks.
"Gwynevere, I'll be fine. Whether I win or lose, I am doing this for you."
Gwyn's cheeks flushed beneath Elise's palms as the Princess planted a kiss on her. Every student seemed to collectively gasp, "oooooo", or cheer.
Anastasia did none of these, however, and audibly gagged.
"Are you going to fight me or make out with that worthless Chosen One?"
"You know, I'm sorry your ex-boyfriend isn't interested in you anymore. Must be hard to watch him be with a better woman," Elise countered.
"Dramaaaaaaaa," one student shouted from the back.
"All of you, shut up!" Anastasia shouted. "Ready to get your ass kicked, Sylvian?"
Elise wagged her finger.
"Not so fast. Mrs. Bellbottom."
Startled, the teacher stopped counting out gold coins and turned to face Elise.
"Y-yes?"
"Can you cast a magical detection barrier on this arena?" Elise asked.
Mrs. Bellbottom started sweating.
"W-whatever for?"
Elise glared at Anastasia.
"So we know this is a fair fight, so someone can't cheat."
"I don't need magic to beat you," Ana hissed.
Elise shrugged.
"Then a magical detection barrier should be fine. Can you have it turn bright red if a spell is cast?"
"Well… I don't know if I can—"
Elise sighed and looked to another student.
"Can anyone do it?"
"I can." Leo stepped forward. He was taller than a lot of the other students. He adjusted his glasses. "Make sure to kick her ass, Bloody Princess."
Elise gave him a thumbs-up.
The young man stood, one finger touching his glasses.
"Barrier—sense the magical flow
And let us know if a cast is shown!"
Leo finished their triple rhyme spell, and a thin, mostly transparent barrier covered the circular space.
Elise then silently cast a lesser magic, and the barrier turned a bright red.
"Good," she said under her breath. She then turned to face the crowd. "The barrier will turn that bright red color if someone tries to cast a spell! It will be obvious if someone cheats!"
Anastasia clicked her tongue. She was hoping Elise wouldn't think of this. That she could use her magical ability to overwhelm her, but that didn't seem possible now. Yet, the elf was confident. She didn't get to where she was being a pushover, especially not to Sylvian trash.
"Are you done?"
"Yep. Sorry, you can't be trusted," Elise said, coolly.
A short and tubby elf then walked to the center of the arena.
Teddy?!
"Ladies and gentlemen, I want a fair fight! No magic, first to either tap or be thrown out of the ring, loses! First to die or is like knocked out or whatever, also loses!"
The crowd cheered.
"Teddy, what are you doing here?" Gwyn loudly whispered. "Also, no one is going to die!"
"I'm here to cheer your girl on," he said, giving her a thumbs-up. "I got all my money on pinky over here, so she better not lose. And also, if she dies, then ya know, you'll be available. Win-win."
He finished with a wink.
Elise rolled her eyes.
"I have a name you know…"
Teddy ignored her.
"Are both contestants ready?"
Elise nodded.
"Let's get this over with," Anastasia said, balling her fists.
"You know, Gwyn," Elise said calmly.
Gwyn was startled by the sudden remark.
"Yes?"
"I haven't told you something."
Gwyn was hanging on to her every word. She felt concerned for Elise's safety, but trusted the Sylvian Princess.
"What's that?"
Elise gave a sly smile.
"I've trained with General Strangulation."
Teddy quickly waddled out of the arena.
"Okay! Fuck each other up!"
The crowd roared in excitement as the two competitors launched at one another.
Ana was the first to attack with a quick jab as she closed the distance.
Elise easily dodged her punch and returned with her own.
Ana dodged her blow.
To everyone present, these were two surprisingly competent fighters; they assumed Elise would have been worthless based on her reputation as the Bloody Princess.
Ana's next attack was too reckless. Elise caught Ana's arm mid-punch and tossed her onto the mat.
The crowd erupted into a loud cheer, and some people groaned.
Ana sprang to her feet.
"Is that all you got, Sylvian?!"
"I'm going to put you down, Everroote," Elise said, calling Ana by her surname.
Ana roared as she dove at Elise, knocking the Princess to the ground. Elise lifted her arms, and Ana tried to punch her in the head, but not a single blow connected.
The Bloody Princess then flipped upward, knocking Ana off her balance. Both opponents righted themselves and assumed a defensive position.
"Kick her ass, Elise!" Gwyn shouted.
Elise smirked as Anastasia grew more visibly tired. Apparently, she wasn't all that strong without her magic, Elise noticed.
"You know, Asshole-stasia," Elise said mockingly.
"What?" Anastasia said, trying to catch her breath.
"That after Artero and I started dating, he told me that you were the ugliest person he had ever met, both inside and out."
This insult caused Anastasia to make eye contact with Elise. The Princess could now use her power of mind manipulation, which was, in fact, not magic.
Elise thought of a simple command she was sure Anastasia was planning: "Attack me with reckless abandon."
Although Elise's hidden power was limited, in this moment, it was exactly what she needed to finish this. Anastasia yelled as she charged at Elise.
In one fluid motion, Elise lifted her leg and roundhouse kicked Ana in the head, sending the elf slamming to the ground.
People gasped. A cracking noise echoed in the gymnasium.
Teddy waddled over to see if Ana was conscious, and she was, barely.
The crowd chanted.
"E-lise! E-lise! E-lise!"
And Elise raised her fist, showboating just as General Strangulation would have. After a few short moments, Anastasia, face bloodied, regained consciousness. She was enraged like never before.
The whole room suddenly turned red as the magical barrier activated, revealing that magic had been cast.
Anastasia screamed as iron spears shot from her fingertips, aimed directly at Elise's head.
Elise turned and tried to block the spell, but she was too slow. She wasn't prepared.
There wasn't enough time.
"Block Barrage!"
A voice boomed, and a dozen thin shields like crystals appeared in front of Elise, each shattered like glass when the rods connected with their surface; however, not all of the rods were blocked.
One pierced through all the barriers, but grazed Elise's cheek, leaving a bloody trail.
Students then piled on Anastasia as Teddy frantically waved his arms.
"The match is over! The match is over! Anastasia Everroote is disqualified." He paused for dramatic effect. "Elise Sylvian wins!"
The room was filled with cheering and chanting. The excitement seemed to overwhelm everyone at this impromptu sparring session.
Elise looked at her hands. They violently shook. She turned to look at the sharp iron rod protruding from the ceiling. She turned back and looked down at Anastasia, who had about fifteen students holding her down as they removed her rings, one by one.
Gwyn ran up and hugged Elise, who seemed not to believe what had just happened.
Gwyn held Elise tight.
"Are you okay? Let's get you away from her."
Elise only nodded. She felt as though her life flashed before her eyes. Now every moment felt as though it were a hundred moments.
"Who… Who cast that barrier?" Elise asked quietly.
Just then, a tall, handsome elf approached the couple. His face was ghostly white. He embraced her close, stroking her long, pink hair.
"Are you okay, Elise? Gods… I thought I lost you for a second there."
Artero Kosmairian was present for the whole fight, and he held the Bloody Princess as tight as he could.
Tears welled up inside of Elise as she hugged him back.
"Thank you for saving me."
Tears fell like rain as all three embraced one another.
Then a thunderous roar filled the classroom and hallways, startling the three from their hug.
"Gwynevere Grim, Elise Sylvian, and Anastasia Everroote! Report to the principal's office! Right Now!"