The World of Emns 2: Arena

Chapter 17: Desperate strategies

As Olivia sat down next to Steven, Miss Kasike could be heard.

"To let our competitors of the finals rest up, we will be taking a fifteen minute break for the next fight."

On one hand, Olivia was glad she didn't have to fight Steven now. On the other hand, she was really sad she couldn't beat Reyna. It would have guaranteed that chance for Steven to meet his brother as well. Allegedly, at least. Dustan could have been lying or trying to trick them, whoever he was.

"You did great, 'Liv. I'm proud of you," Steven exclaimed as his hand softly landed on her head. It was nice to be comforted by Steven, but it also felt embarrassing. As if she knew she could have done better but failed. But that wasn't how Steven meant it. She knew that.

"Did you learn anything," Olivia asked as she took his hand from her head and held it. "About Reyna's powers, I mean."

Steven nodded. "I think I get how they work."

"I certainly do," Ruhnim said, big smile as ever.

Kaya almost climbed over Olivia's shoulder to join in the conversation. "Let's hear it then, smart boys!"

Ruhnim waved his hands. "As much as I like you all, it would be unfair of me to help Steven win. So just in case he's wrong I won't say anything."

"It's not teleportation or time jumps," Steven started. "If that were true a few things were off. Last round, the water Olivia summoned fell to the ground instantly as soon as Reyna 'teleported' as well. There was a point too where you tried to make a wall but it didn't work properly, almost like you lost focus."

Olivia remembered. She tried to make a wall but it was barely bigger than her shoe. Though she didn't run out of magical energy.

"Reyna moved around that time as well. When she was fighting Wynn her knife teleported a great distance too. But for those who pay attention, and I think this was a big clue too, the clouds move as well when Reyna teleports."

Kaya and Ariana stared at each other, Wynn shrugged, and Ruhnimgave a nod. Olivia didn't really pay attention to it either.

"Finally, when Reyna uses her abilities, there is very little magical energy actually coming from her body. Most of it is radiating around her. It's a good trick, but I think Reyna isn't actually affecting her own body or the movement of time. I think she's affecting everyone's perception of time in a wide area around her. Like, if she activated her abilities you lose focus and zone out. That's the only way I see everything sort of makes sense. From Olivia's magic not properly working that one time, to inanimate objects also teleporting around, to Reyna's precision. She's not as strong to stop time, but it might as well be if your opponent can't focus and stop you from moving around the battlefield."

Ruhnim kept nodding and nodding. "So you did come to the same conclusion as me."

"So it seems," Steven said through gritted teeth. "But knowing it isn't the same as it instantly helping me win. I think I thought of a way to potentially get around it, but it's risky, and if it doesn't work I will probably lose."

Olivia tightened her fist. Was there any way she could help Steven with this? It was only then she realised she was holding Steven's hand properly. Not only that, but she was squeezing into it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she stuttered, and quickly looked around them. Ariana and Kaya were whispering to each other, while Wynn was trying to chat up Ruhnim, probably to try and get an ally out of him too. Nobody was paying attention to them. More likely though they all quickly turned away as the focus went to Olivia and Steven's interlocked hands.

"It's okay," Steven said, squeezing into her hand a bit, though not nearly as hard as Olivia did before. "It helps, actually. Keeps me calm."

Like this, they stayed for a while. In silence. Taking deep and long breaths, while slowly their fingers interlocked.