The sun rose gently over the mana tree, casting rays of golden light through its sprawling canopy. Dew clung to the grass like the world's softest mana crystals. It was the perfect day for training. Or, at least, that's what Lucretia declared.
"Up, up! Stretch your arms, unsheath your destiny!" she sang, landing from a spin off a conjured floating leaf. "Today, you fight! With sticks! Elegantly! Probably!"
The twelve elf children stood in the training field with their wooden weapons clutched in bare hands, crafted with love, chaos, and questionable design. Some were chipped, others had glitter (Fahleena), and one had teeth marks (Kyle's).
Fuhiken, clipboard in hand and seriousness painted across his face, presented a small wooden lottery box. "Match pairs will be decided randomly. No switching. No bribes."
"Fate has no refunds!" Fahleena declared, dramatically pointing her glittery keyblade to the sky.
Each child stepped forward to draw a matchstick from the box. Whispers and tension rose with each pull.
Fahleena looked at her match and squealed. "Ohoho~! I shall bring fluff and fury upon you, Gigih!"
"I'm already afraid," muttered Gigih, clutching his spellbook like a shield.
Then came Kyle. He peeked at his matchstick. Froze.
"No. No, no, no, no. Re-draw! System glitch! I demand an audit!"
Yuuna didn't even look up from her notebook. "You drew Jessica. Statistically unlikely for your luck stat, but not impossible."
"This is a conspiracy," Kyle groaned.
Jessica, meanwhile, gave no response. She simply stepped forward, her expression calm as ever.The first few matches warmed everyone up.
Fahleena vs. Gigih:
As the two stepped into the circle, Fahleena pointed her glitter-encrusted keyblade toward the heavens. "Behold, Gigih! The battlefield trembles beneath the might of the Empress of Eternal Sparkle!" she declared. She spun on one foot, her twin tails whipping dramatically as she struck a pose that had no tactical merit but full theatrical flair.
Gigih hesitated. "Can I forfeit?" he muttered, already regretting his life decisions. He raised his spellbook and began chanting a basic Fire I incantation, but in his panic, he swapped a spell. Instead of a targeted bolt, a puff of fire burst from the book and caught the edge of his own sleeve, making him yelp and stumble backward.
That was all the opening Fahleena needed. With a victorious grin, she lunged, her keyblade twirling in a gleaming arc that lightly bonked Gigih on the forehead. He toppled with a surprised grunt, landing flat on the grass. Fahleena stood over him, arms crossed in triumphant fashion. "The stars have spoken! Victory is mine!"
Gaby and Fuhiken watched the entire spectacle unfold with synchronized sighs. Fuhiken pinched the bridge of his nose, adjusting his clipboard like he was calculating damage control for a natural disaster.
"She named her keyblade again," he muttered. "And gave it a backstory."
Gaby crossed her arms, her gaze steady but resigned. "He lit himself on fire trying to cast Fire I. Twice."
They exchanged a look that only the eldest siblings could share, one part concern, two parts exhaustion, and a dash of amused acceptance. Then Gaby added flatly, "We're going to need more healing salves. And maybe a therapist."
Sakura vs. Orchid:
When their names were called, Sakura blinked slowly and clutched her stomach. "Can we... not? I'm starving," she mumbled. Her staff drooped in her hand like it shared her hunger.
Orchid tilted her head thoughtfully. "I'm kind of hungry too... oh! I have cookies!"
The mood instantly shifted. Orchid rummaged through her belt pouch and produced a slightly melted, ominously dark blue chocolate cookie with faint sparkles of mana crystal residue embedded in its surface. "Here, I baked this yesterday. It's probably fine."
"Probably?" Sakura asked, inspecting the strange baked good like it might bite her first. Still, hunger was hunger. With resigned courage, she took a bite.
There was a pause. Her pupils dilated. A flash of unknown power twitched in her eyebrow. She swallowed.
"...It's edible," she whispered, as if declaring victory over a dark artifact.
Orchid clapped. "Yay! You lived!"
No duel happened. They sat side by side, peacefully sharing cursed cookies while everyone else tried not to look horrified.
Adiw vs. Sinryo: more like a loud wrestling match.
Fuhiken clapped. "Next: Kyle versus Jessica."
"I'm not ready," Kyle muttered.
"Begin," Fuhiken called.
Kyle raised his wooden rifle. Jessica unsheathed her wooden katana. Kyle fired an imaginary mana bullet, dodging to the side. Jessica sidestepped. He tried again. Nothing landed. She moved too quickly.
"Why are you built like a boss fight?!" Kyle shouted.
Jessica darted forward. One clean move. Her blade struck his side.
Crack.
Kyle hit the ground, still. The field fell silent.
Yuuna walked over, knelt, and placed two fingers to Kyle's neck. "No pulse."
Gasps.
Jessica stood frozen, her katana trembling slightly in her grip.
Then, from above, Lucretia slowly descended on a floating vine leaf. Her expression unreadable. She landed softly beside Kyle.
"Oh dear... not again," she murmured with a sigh.
Two interlocked magic circles emerged mid-air, one shimmering emerald, the other golden. She tapped the circles. Light washed over Kyle's body.
With a gasp, Kyle jolted upright. "I think I was dreaming of... bloody carrot..."
Laughter broke the silence.
Yuuna made a note. "Post-death hallucination: vegetable-themed."
Jessica didn't speak. She turned, walking away. Jessica returned to the house, her footsteps soft. Inside the room, she sat on her futon, placing the katana across her knees.
Her hands trembled.
Unseen by even herself, a subtle shift stirred within Jessica, a dormant instinct coiling awake, sharp and primal. Like the quiet blooming of a crimson flower in moonlight, something old and dangerous rose from the depths of her soul. It did not scream or shout, but whispered with icy clarity: Bloodlust (Passive) Unlocked.
Back outside, Lucretia plopped next to Sakura on a floating cushion. "Tag, you're the medic!"
Sakura blinked. "What?"
"You get to learn Revive!"
With a swirl of mana, Lucretia conjured floating diagrams, sparkles, and tiny ghost illustrations.
Sakura watched quietly, absorbing every detail. She nodded. "I'll get it right."
Later that night, the training ground was quiet.
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