Mystic High ✓

MH │41

In the previous chapter: Oriane finally figured out what her affinity was, pointed out by Charlotte. The Tournament had started.

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CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

The podium was divided into square sectors ten by ten foot equally across and in depth. A blue light shimmered from the floor like aurora to mark where the borders were and whoever got too close near the edge were immediately bounced back.

For the first round, four contestants were crowded into a single sector and they combatted until a single winner remained. While they were all told not to inflict major injuries on each other, the reality was often not so dandy. What could one expect when near a hundred competitive students fought each other over one or two spots? Literally fighting.

Another stream of the wounded was carted away. One moaned, clutching an arm that looked half frozen. She wasn't sure how Doctor Finnell would be able to heal something like that. It looked like the arm would have to be cut off... Another cried out in pain as something akin to tiny wood splinters were pulled from his calf one at a time.

Upon reflection, Oriane later thought it really was a spectacle seeing so many using their affinities without restraint. And perhaps, this was an outlet for many who were not so inclined to merely read the theory on magicks, they needed to practice and this was a controlled way the college provided for that need.

She spotted Marian in a sector near the centre. Her fire and energy affinity flew around the space at once protecting her and keeping her opponents in constant disarray. One had already forfeited and sat off to the side tending a small scratch on her knee.

Oriane had never seen such a blatant display of magicks.

Some preferred to use a globe-like form of combat, tossing concentrated magick at each other or like Marian's advanced display of keeping several concentrated magick afloat and attacking her opponents from all sides. Others preferred manifestation. She noted the way air and clay elementals preferred this as they called on their affinity to different roles. Clay elementals wielded a staff or spear. Air elementals manipulated the air around them. A few water elementals preferred ice spikes.

It was awful because of the level of destruction it could cause had it not been controlled, but some had combatting down to almost an art form. Marian was one example. Elle was another, who formed ice spikes from thin air, keeping her opponents busy defending. Meanwhile, her long bulky robes, covered with an icy material that deflected any stray elemental attacks, bolstered her own defences.

Oriane now truly understood the warnings of danger. If everyone wielded this power, perhaps not to the same degree, they all had the potential to deal some serious damage. No wonder the teachers base their teachings on theory and mention only a little on practice.

In some way, she supposed she did belong here. According to Charlotte, the power she had was volatile and didn't discriminate, made worse by the fact that she had no clue how to control it. The last few times it had manifested itself, she had been upset or angry or emotional. It was easy to come to the conclusion that she must control her emotions for now, at least until she knew how to use what she had properly.

She needed to find someone to talk to who could instruct her.

Time passed as she mused. It wasn't long before the second round, the third, then the quarterfinals began. People got bored and wandered away to other attractions. Booths were now back in business and a decadent smell of various food occasionally wafted over. Oriane stayed to watch and occasionally helped out the medics.

The sectors expanded in size as the competition heated, creating a larger and larger arena for the few remaining contestants.

Marian and Elle were pitched together in the quarterfinals, along with one other.