Soren was a little confused by his new friend's remark.

  “What do you mean?”

  Lilac eyes intently watched the two figures, concern etched on the young boy’s face.

  “My brother is one of the most skilled people I know. Our parents consider him a prodigy, he’s proficient in three types of elemental sequences.”

  Most people their age weren’t even proficient in one element, but to memorize three paths, was this kind of thing common in the great families?

  “I just hope he doesn’t go too hard on her…”

  Even when facing someone like that, this girl didn’t seem fazed. She wore a neutral expression, making it hard to tell what she was thinking.

  Hudson wore a cocky smile, his eyes flickering between the girl and the crowd above. Snickering, he addressed the tall young woman.

  “You should know, I won’t go easy just because you’re a woman. You should honestly give up now… save yourself the embarrassment.”

  A bit of laughter spread throughout the crowd.

  ‘They just can’t resist laughing at those beneath them… bastards!’

  Amon and Soren turned their attention back to the match.

  Cyra did not look pleased by his suggestion, at least from what he could tell. It was hard to tell by her face, but he could see her hands clenched. She didn’t respond, only waiting for the match to begin.

  “Tsk… Fine, I did warn you.”

  With that, the instructor yelled out, initiating the match.

  The moment the match began, Hudson created a complex string of five runes. They varied in length, but the central sequence was rather simple. Once formed, a pillar of jagged ice shot towards Cyra. Grinning ear to ear, he yelled out.

  “Don’t take this personally, but people like you aren’t meant to be here!”

  The pillar was far too massive to avoid, that kind of spell would have knocked down just about anyone. Yet, this girl charged towards it. She must have been mad… who in their right mind would run at something like that?

  As she charged in, radiant threads weaved themselves into a sequence on her chest. Her movements sped up, allowing her to leap upwards, landing on the frigid pillar. Running down the icy slope, she charged towards Hudson.

  “How in the…”

  Before he knew it, she was on him. Another long string of sequences formed in his hand, letting him unleash a wave of orange flames. The flames came out in an arch, controlled yet If it weren’t for how she was enhancing herself, she would have been scorched.

  She sprung backwards, avoiding the fire's reach. Pivoting as she landed, Cyra managed to evade another jagged pillar of ice. She continued to dance around him, her eyes carefully watching every move he made.

  Seeing none of his spells hit their mark, Hudson tweaked the spell formula. Instead of a large pillar of ice, several small needles shot forward.

  “You bitch! Don’t make this hard for yourself.”

  The speed in which the needles traveled was far greater than the previous spell, leaving her no choice but to block the attack. Raising her arms in front of her, several thin blades of ice dug into her pale skin.

  Blood trickled down her arms, wincing slightly, she did not let it slow her down. Retreating back slightly, keeping a small distance between them. Once again, needles of ice flew forwards, through this time she had managed to avoid their path.

  ‘How does she move like that?’

  It was incredible, the way she moved made it seem as though she was dancing. Each step was calculated, flowing into the next. This was not something one would expect to see from a slum dweller. No. She moved like a trained and seasoned warrior.

  The crowd of young weavers had stopped snickering, standing in awe, they watched as this girl evaded everything the so called prodigy threw at her.

  ‘She’s incredible!’

  Soren had watched Seline train before, the way the two fought was very similar. While Seline was far more refined in her technique, Cyra approached a battle the same way. While it seemed she was doing her best just to avoid these attacks, she was constantly observing her opponent… Waiting.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  Just as it seemed she would be on the defensive forever, Cyra once again dashed in, in her hand a long string of runes appeared. A wave of fire shot forth, engulfing Hudson.

  ‘Complex weaving? Just who is this girl?’

  The air around Hudson rippled slightly, as a thin barrier formed around the young noble. It seemed at the very last moment, he cast a simple barrier. Soren could feel the young prodigy’s rage from his place on the railing.

  “How dare you…”

  A stream of orange fire washed over the young man’s barrier. Though the flames did not reach him, it caused him to stumble a few steps back. Swinging her hand upwards, strands of soul weaving into lines of runes, she sent forth a large jagged pillar of ice.

  His barrier had resisted the fire relatively easily, but when colliding against the ice, cracks formed in this barrier of shimmering air. The impact sent him stumbling back, he was unharmed, though the protective shell he created seemed to be on its last leg.

  ‘That was the exact same spell he used… Did she copy him?’

  The way she used that spell felt off to Soren, almost as if she didn’t quite know what she was doing. She essentially mimicked what Hudson had done. But was something like that possible?

  With the ring Soren did find casting sequences easier, but the drain on his soul didn’t seem worth it for prolonged use. They weren’t even allowed to use relics, so how did she do it?

  ‘Is she just that skilled?’

  Recoiling from the strike, Hudson turned his anger filled eyes to Cyra, mumbling something vile under his breath.

  The cracked shell around him dropped, as Hudson shot forward to Cyra, a strand of four sequences weaving together. Sparks of electricity formed around his hand. Reaching forward he attempted to strike her with the lightning.

  “Go back to the dirt where you belong!”

  With her free hand, she knocked his arm aside, leaving him completely open. Streaks of yellow electricity cascaded in her palm. Jamming her fist not the arrogant young man’s chest, the lightning shot forwards, cascading across his body.

  Letting out a harrowing scream, his body tensed up. The spell itself didn’t last long, but the effects lingered. Hudson fell to the ground, his body twitching, saliva bubbling at the corner of his mouth.

  ‘She… she beat him!’

  Looking over, the instructor seemed shocked by this outcome as well. His eyes were wide with disbelief, his mouth was left ajar. Silence hung over them, as Cyra stood above the unconscious noble boy.

  Soren couldn’t believe his eyes. She had copied the sequence as Hudson formed it. What kind of mind did this young girl possess?

  Clearing his throat, the instructor called out to them.

  “That’s enough… Angus, please escort Mr. Valentine off academy grounds.”

  The large weaver descended into the pit, passing Cyra as she ascended. The instructors cold purple eyes intently watching her.

  “Well done miss Cyra… Now on to the last few matches, next up is…”

  Soren didn’t pay much attention to the next names called, his focus was now split between watching the girl and what his new friend was trying to tell him.

  “How… How did she just do that? My brother lost so easily!”

  Amon was in pure shock, this so-called prodigy was utterly bested by a simple slum dweller. He wasn’t alone either, none of the young weavers that remained were watching the fight below, they all had their eyes trained on Cyra.

  Soren leaned in closer to the stunned boy.

  “There is something up with her… I don’t think she cheated, but there’s definitely more to her than we thought."

  Amon nodded, looking over to the raven haired scholar, then back to him.

  “You saw how the instructor looked, he was just as shocked as the rest of us. He didn’t disqualify her either.”

  The cold scholar had seen through piggy’s cheap tick from the start, If she did something, then he would have noticed… Was she just that skilled? There had to be more to this girl. Did someone train her?

  Cyra stood alone, leaning against one of the walls. She still wore that unreadable expression, making it incredibly hard to figure out just what the hell was up with her.

  Soren didn’t believe any of those nasty rumors about people from the slums being lesser than everyone else. He himself had been born there, before Killian adopted him. Then again he had plenty of proper training and still struggled against a nobody.

  She, on the other hand, defeated a member of a great family with relative ease. Now that he was thinking about it, there were many things that didn’t make sense. How did she afford to go here? If she was trained, then why didn’t she take on her master's name? How did she so easily copy Hudson’s spells?

  ‘Who are you Cyra?’

  …

  After the last fight concluded, the instructor turned to the remaining weavers.

  “Well done all of you. You have earned the right to attend this prestigious academy.”

  He straightened his shoulders, taking in a deep breath.

  “Though… Your performance during your test was also taken into account. Those of you who showed great promise will be placed with the more skilled and experienced professors. While those of you who had less than ideal performances, or won simply due to luck, will get what's left… You have only yourselves to blame for your placement, take this as a sign to hone your skills.”

  He gestured to Angus, becoming him closer.

  “Angus will escort you all to the dorms, tomorrow the class listing will be posted in your respective common areas.”

  With that the crowd followed the giant, there was no idle chatting, most everyone seemed on the verge of collapse. Soren most of all.

  He and Amon followed the crowd, keeping a small distance. Cyra walked a bit behind them. Soren didn’t bother making conversation with Amon, the boy didn’t seem in the mood anyways. All he desired was to sleep, dreading what results he earned himself. Tomorrow would be the start of his academic life.