CHECKMATE.

FREDERIC.

It was time.

I held tightly onto my rapier, stepping up on to the stage confidently. I knew exactly what I needed to do. While Mazhar seemed threatening her rank was lower then mine. Besides, she was just a human. What could she really do against me?

Still...I couldn't help but be cautious. There was just something about her that seemed...dangerous. And even though all logic pointed to her being nothing but a weakling, my intuition told me otherwise. Noelle flapped around rapidly, reminding me of the plan we had to continuous effect- her words falling on deaf ears as my focus remained only on the girl facing me.

"So...finally managed to lose the cat ears?"

She scoffed, seemingly annoyed by my comment.
"Drop it, Van Halen. If you're so focused on your words-" She grinned. "It'll be way too easy to kick your ass."

My eyebrows furrowed, brandishing my blade.
"We'll see about that."

She laughed, taking out the two purple objects I'd seen her hold earlier, preparing her battle stance as well. The ten second countdown felt like it lasted an eternity, the two of us staring each other down in a lengthy stalemate. Our familiars readied their positions, both leaving our sides and taking to the air.

When the bell rang I was the first to strike. I ran towards her, aiming quick and fast to tire her out. She dodged me seemingly effortlessly, holding her two weapons together to block my strikes. Her raven did nothing by fly erratically by her side, practically useless in this fight. Once I realised we were in the centre I gave Noelle the signal, smirking as she fired feathers all over the ground, trapping my opponent. Her familiar was nowhere to be found though, which befuddled me. Still though, everything seemed to be going to plan. There was no reason for me to worry.

"I told you. You were no match for me." I smiled confidently, readying magic in my hand and loosening my shield a little. I expected my impenetrable barrier to fall through by now, but the girl hadn't bothered to hit me at all. I knew she was just talk. After all, no one in this school could match my technical skill, especially not some human girl.
Mazhar didn't respond, only holding her hands up and walking back slowly. Surrender. I'd done it. I'd beaten her. I'd-

Her mouth opened and she let out a croak.

I froze.

"And I told you." A voice rang out behind me, one I recognised all too well. I spun around to face a raven that rapidly descended into the area, their eyes sparking with determination, slowly morphing into a human as she descended. I felt my jaw drop as I heard wings flutter behind me seeing a human shift to raven, increasing in size and scale as it targeted Noelle who circled above.  I didn't even have time to get a word in before Anya kicked at my shield with speed and Noelle and the Raven were at war, the tides of the battle completely turned as the birds' tussle brushed away my feathered space. I flinched as my weaker barrier staggered and broke, her foot meeting with my face as she brought me to the ground. I managed to get back up within seconds, rebuilding my barrier and backing up as she smirked at me, slowly picking up her weapons from where her crow left them.
"If you're so focused on your words, Van Halen-" She smirked, pointing them at me as she did.
"It'll be way too easy for me to kick your ass."

I tensed up, my face still bruised from her kick. Realising that I was no exposed to the crowd I wore a shaky smile, trying to keep up the illusion that this was part of the plan.

"Shapeshifting, huh? Impressive. I'll give you credit. You're not as dull as you look."

"Couldn't say the same for you."

I gritted my teeth, surveying the situation. Noelle was too preoccupied with the ebony bird. There was only thirty seconds on the clock left. In spite of my fool proof strategy, Anya hasn't taken a single hit.

How? How on earth could something like this ever happen to me?

It's all her fault. She's ruined everything.

I lunged towards her.

It's all her fault.

She fired projectiles with her weapons, and I used my rapier to deflect them, my legs practically moving on their own.

It's all her fault.

I slashed violently, but she was too fast. She evaded all of my attacks, but I could tell she was getting tired and my fierceness had caught her off guard.

Her fault. Her fault.

Blood dripped to the floor. I looked at Anya, seeing her expression of surprise. I'd slashed her on my cheek, leading to a small injury on the left corner of her face. I'd done it. I'd finally gotten her. I'd finally beat her.

Her fault her fault her-

I lifted up my sword, readying to finish the job, swinging it down with as much strength as I could.

It's all my mother's fault. It's all....it's all my mother's fault.

The timer rung, signifying the end of the match. I stared at Anya in disbelief, watching as she morphed back from a snake into her human form. Just at the last minute. Of course.

"DRAW." Was announced, causing the audience to fall into a sea of rumoured whispers. I withdrew, my blade shaking in my hand as I did. I was mortified.

That's it. It's over for me.

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. I'd been working for this. I'd been working for all of this all of my fucking life.

And she beat me.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
"It is with great pleasure that I oversee the 120th anniversary of this remarkable institution." I began, clenching the stand I was speaking on. My mother looked on from her seat in the centre of the field, clearly pleased with my form. I was doing what I always did. Wearing what she wanted, reading the speech she wrote, enrolling into this academy because of her wishes.
"As you all know, I will be attending Schaken within the next few years." I tensed, feeling my stomach beginning to churn with nervousness.
"But make no mistake, it's not because I'm the daughter of the Principal here. As much as I admire my mother, this decision was...purely my own."

Daughter. It hurt to call myself that.

I took a deep breath, feeling my heart pounding out of my chest. "Well...actually..."

I looked down, sensing my mother' s alarm at me going off script. But I continued, not faltering, knowing that I couldn't live like this any longer.
"I have something to share with you all."
I looked up then, clenching the paper in front of me sharply, rejecting the text my mother had written for me.
"I want to attend Schaken as my true self. I want to be as honest with others as I can be. That's the only way I can ever become the best sorceress I can be. So that's why-" I looked at my mother straight in the eyes, for once in my life feeling a sense of control.

"-I'm not going to pretend anymore. I'm going to tell all of you who I really am."

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

I thought back then that was a start of a new era for me. For the first time in my life I'd rebelled against the person who raised me, for the first time I took something for myself to control. But instead of that being a sign of a new dawn it only made her grow stronger. My life was my own. It should have been my own. And yet....

"This is our little secret, okay?"

I clenched my fists.

And I opened the door to my mother's office.