Nightfall

Chapter 22: A Second Visit

I spent the next weeks in a state of mind that is best described as ferociously determined. Everything I did revolved around growing stronger. I spent class actually paying attention, and during training I put every ounce of energy I had into each swing of my sword. Then each day after training ended, I stayed and practiced with Ryan until he was tired and ready to go back to his dorm. Still, even after he left, I stayed in the central courtyard and meditated, releasing my aura until I had exhausted the supply. I slept well for the next month, because by the time my head hit the pillow each night I made sure I could hardly move. I didn't tire of the pain though. Every day I could feel myself getting stronger as I was driven by the fires of determination burning within me. The pain I endured to become stronger was nothing in my mind. As long as I was getting closer to beating Eva I could endure all I needed to. I wasn't going to quit until the day of the competition.

About a week in I figured how to change my sword into its second stage at will, but never did figure out how to release its ability. That was fine with me, because in its second stage my katana was frightening. It filled me with power that worked as diesel in my veins, allowing me to do incredible feats. In fact, one day some proctors forced me to stop training because I was causing too much damage to the barrier that protected the academies wall's. the crazy part was that I wasn't even attacking the barrier, I was just using it to push off of as I practiced my aerial attacks. Since I couldn't fly like some of the other elementals I made myself practice for fighting people that could; meaning that every day I would jump off the ground and into the air while maneuvering my blade with as much precision as I could. Eventually I even roped Drake into training with me, although to do so I had to call it sparing. Drake didn't mind getting to punch me in sparing, but training with me? He couldn't stand it.

The training bore some incredible results. By the time the next competition rolled around I was feeling incredibly confident in my own abilities, and even had started drawing some spectators in my daily sparing matches. Since Ryan's icy defenses and Drake's flame charged attacks were as vibrant and powerful as my own crushing strength I could imagine that every fight was a spectacle to watch. Ryan taught me a lot by instructing me on how to defend myself from another element, and Drake unintentionally gave me time to practice those tips. But I wasn't the only one who got stronger in those weeks. Drake and Anya weren't to be laughed at, the whole time they had grown almost as much as me. Anya had apparently taken off with her skills as a mage, and Drake became a master of his rifle. So when the next competition rolled around we felt none of the anxiety that had plagued us before. We felt ready.

However, the next competition wasn't to be taken lightly. It was announced at dinner one night, and just hearing about it made us all immediately wary of the coming challenge.

The headmaster announced, "You're next competition will be one that tests your team work. It is survival. If you are unable to work together to pursue a goal, you will be minced meat in a night in the outlying forests. The competition is simple. You will all be teleported to different spots in the forest outside of the military perimeter and your job is to safely return to the academy. A proctor will shadow you, to help ensure safety, but will only intervene if absolutely critical. The only rule is that flying is not allowed outside of battle, the journey home must be on foot. Violation of the rules will result in forfeiting the competition."

The competition was to start two days from the original notification, giving us plenty of time to pack. Of course we took our basic necessities, but nothing more. We weren't going to be lounging around, we were determined to win, and that meant we needed to travel light in order to move quickly. The time frame was one week, so every day we had to cover at least ten miles to make it make it in time. And that wasn't counting any of the nasty creatures we would have to defend against along the way.