Spellcaster series #3: The Adept

The Ranking Ceremony

HEIDI

Midnight came around as I sat underneath the illuminated clock at the training grounds.

When I saw him at the funeral but I couldn't bring around to speak to him. I couldn't face him after breaking the one promise I was willing to make. Could that possibly be why he walked away like that? Something inside me held me back from chasing after him. Perhaps it was my pride.

But he left his wand with me and I had to return it.

"You're early," Tristan spoke as he approached me.

I stood up and handed him his wand. "You left this in my room."

He received it and nodded. "Thank you. Are you ready for your ceremony?"

"About that," I said as he adjusted his coat, "how is this a ceremony, exactly? I have not had any Adept training and there's no one around."

"You're right. It's just us." His ruby eyes glimmered in the dark.

Tristan always revealed fragments of information when he had something up his sleeve. I became a little wary.

"Fret not, Miss Heidi, you do not need any training. The Adept training consists of basic combat skills and utilising your magic during battles. I have assessed and deemed you fit to rank up to a Virtuoso. So, shall we start?"

I stared at him. I wasn't sure if it was a ploy or that Tristan was simply being...well, Tristan; hard to read and understand.

"Start what?"

Tristan closed the gap between us. "The ranking ceremony for Adepts is a duel. If you can win at least two out of three duels, I will award you your rank."

He teleported himself to the other side of the court. I pulled out my wand and readied my stance. I channeled my Mischief aura and pointed my wand towards him. I cleared my mind as I stood before him—a standoff against the Duel Master himself.

"Delirium!"

Tristan ducked and aimed his wand at me. "Electricus!"

A bolt of current shot out and directly landed onto my lower body. I fell back but steadied myself in time. He shot another spell out but I summoned my shield just in time.

"Good timing, Adept," Tristan said from the distance. Then he teleported to my side and shot out a bolt of electricity.

I fell as it landed on me, paralysing me for two seconds. I clutched the dull ache at the side of my waist.

"If you're on the ground for three seconds, you lose the round."

I lowered my head and sigh. I needed to win the next two rounds.

"Don't give up on me, Adept."

I pushed myself up off the ground. He returned to his position across the court and we locked eyes. The whole world fell away and it was just us, battling to see who would go on top. I needed to make a precise calculation. I had fought side by side on many occasions with this man—even had the privilege to see his whole being. I had to focus on his strengths to calculate his weaknesses.

Tristan cast the first spell and I swerved. I aimed and shot out the spell of arson. As he ducked, I teleported behind him and cast the spell of electricity. He fell forward but rolled to the side immediately, still on his feet. Then he teleported himself to my side, just as I predicted, and I hooked his arm and pinned it to his back. He countered this by reversing my arm as he cast the freezing spell. I blocked it immediately with my protective shield. While he ducked from his spell which bounced back towards him, I cast Electricus.