Hora of Moldova (Volume 1)

Chapter 10

The group gathered back at the grill, some munching on snacks while others were still buzzing with excitement over the earlier chaos.  A few classmates sat on the edges of picnic tables, legs swinging idly as they recounted the spectacle.

“I swear, one of those tentacles had to be at least fifty feet long!” one student exclaimed.
“Maybe it was, like, a giant octopus?” another chimed in, eyes wide.
"I swear, Cadence was the coolest one," yet another classmate said, eyes wide with excitement.
"Yeah, but Glacial was out there freezing the tentacles in mid-air," another chimed in, waving their arms dramatically. "He made it look so easy. That’s real power!"

Valentina, sitting nearby and towel-drying her hair, rolled her eyes.

"You guys don’t get it. I was right in the middle of it! Crispshade pulled me out of that thing’s grip. It was intense! I had to rush off and dry myself though, so I didn’t see the rest."

A few heads turned toward her, eyes full of admiration.

"Crispshade’s always so mysterious... and cool," someone muttered.

Meanwhile, Dan and Marius stood by the grill, watching the scene unfold with poorly concealed smirks.

“Seriously?” Dan whispered to Marius. “They're over here debating which hero was the best when most of them could barely see what was going on through all that foliage.”

Marius snickered quietly.

“I mean, they’re so into it, though. Kinda cute.”

Someone from the table leaned over.

"Blossom had to be the MVP! I mean, the way she was controlling the plants to keep that thing from attacking us? Amazing!"
“Nah, you’re all missing the point,” another voice argued. “Breeze was the one who saved the day. Without that wind blast knocking the tentacles back, we would’ve been toast.”

Valentina waved them off, still wringing out her shirt.

“I didn’t see that part, but all I know is, without Crispshade, I’d probably still be hanging up there.”

Marius shook his head.

“I swear, if they start taking bets on who’d win in a one-on-one fight, I’m out.”
“Already there,” Dan replied with a grin, nodding towards a small group already scribbling on pieces of paper.

Valentina, still drying her hair with a towel, looked over at Dan and Marius, her brow furrowed.

"What's so funny over there?"

Dan glanced at Marius, trying to keep a straight face.

"Nothing, Val. Just, uh... enjoying the show."

Marius couldn’t resist.

"Yeah, the hero debate is really heating up."

Valentina rolled her eyes.

"Boys.”

Meanwhile, Sofia, Bianca, and Alina were sitting on a swing bench, enjoying the serene view of the lake. Alina and Bianca were deep in conversation about something, but Sofia was content to simply sway gently back and forth, humming a soft melody. As she hummed, a delicate stream of water emerged from the lake, coiling and shimmering in the air, forming intricate patterns.
Alina and Bianca's eyes widened in amazement as they watched the water dance and glisten. They had never seen Sofia’s magic manifest so casually before.

“Wow, Sofia, that’s incredible!” Bianca said, her voice filled with awe. “I didn’t know you could do stuff like that so effortlessly.”

Sofia, noticing their reactions, smiled and let the water take on new shapes, a graceful swan, a series of sparkling droplets cascading like a mini waterfall. She seemed to lose herself in the display, clearly enjoying the playful interaction with her magic.