Mandy felt the blood thirst coming from participants that surround her, when the door from the weaponry closes. As they anticipated what will happen next.
"As your names will be called, proceed to the door in your right which is being protected by the academy's guardian." The voice stated as tension gets thicker as time went by.
"Mandy Frost…" as if she felt the world stop as her name was called first. It was too early for her, she have no idea what will happen next, but she took a step and followed by another as she got closer to the guarded door. The door opened as she was in front of it, she entered. She was greeted with another long hallway. She stepped forward, making her way to the end of it. As she passed by, lights would light up for her.
"A candidate has entered the room for the second test. For this task, you will have a duel with another candidate to evaluate your performance in actual combat. This duel will be given a length of time to be concluded, as the points from the jury will be added to your performance. Now as you exit the way, please be wary that the task will begin." The voice ended when she exited the hallway. A sudden flash of fire was aimed at her, which made her wince at the sudden burn of her flesh, but eventually subsided as it heals slowly.
"I never imagined I could have a duel with you again, Mandy." The voice was immediately recognized by Mandy. With its full transformation of a reptilian dragon, with its wings, Mandy looked up to see Leah again. Of the entire student candidate why it was her, she could duel with? She could barely win against her when she clashed with her, although she has faith in her ability now. But it doesn't change the fact that what Leah must gone through in order to improve more. She must not under estimate anyone she faces off.
"The same with me Leah, we just meet yesterday peacefully, and now this?" Mandy could not hide the amusement when the fate played against her. Well, she could test out her new found ability now that she's in an actual duel with her. Leah could also not hide the frown in her face. She was annoyed of how foolish his little brother's action.
"Well that's a different matter from this. Even if it's too much humiliation since we thank an unknown creature. It was only due that Lord Morgan is with you, which made me do as you want it to be. I will never acknowledge an unknown creature like you." With her hateful gaze on Mandy which made her eyes glow. After she heard her words, it suddenly changes Mandy's view of her.
It will never change anything whatever good things she do in order for them to accept her. Even a child sees her as an unwanted being in his sister's side.
"It made me really wonder, what I have done to you that made you really hate me. In the first place I did not want this to happen, but all of you make me." It doesn't really matter to her if Leah acknowledged her or not. One only goal she has now is to be part of the council, and all things will be easy for her. Leah was not making a haste move, since she learned from her previous mistake on underestimating her opponent.
From the sudden change of the air, Leah noticed the glowing red eyes and the growing fangs of Mandy. It made her confused since it was a trait of vampire creatures. She suddenly vanished from her sight and appeared in front of her. With her improved agility, she evades the first attack of Mandy who slash her finger nails in the air.
"Who are you really?! You show different ability now. How can you use an attack only a vampire creature can?" She was not answered instead an attack was followed as Mandy transformed into a group of bats which surround Leah. She heavily inhales air to her limit, when it reaches its full limit she exhaled the fire around, which will stop Mandy from surrounding her. Until the fire vanished, she can never believe when Mandy still surrounds her. 'Why she's not harm by it?' Leah could hardly believe she survived it.
Leah never realized Mandy already formed a steady tornado which surrounds Leah. She was unharmed since she can easily endure the pain and heal herself and the air inside was slowly dissipates. Only a few seconds did Leah realized it, even if she fly as high as she could to get out from it she could not escape from the room's ceiling. The room was too cramp, in order for her to break out was to destroy the ceiling above, so she aim her attack at the ceiling.
"I will not accept to be defeated by you again!" she shouted as the ceiling damaged and cover herself with her wings from the falling debris. Mandy could only retreat, to avoid from being buried from the falling debris. She flew out from the room. It was too bright that she wince from blinding light, she lost her balance that made her fall.
"Argh!" she was not yet accustomed to the new found ability from Victoria. It was also hard for her to get their ability since every creature has different way to copy their abilities. She was the last one that Mandy tried to copy that she never had a chance to master it. The same with the other ability, she never have enough time to fully understand their full length of their ability.
Getting up from the rubbles, she looked up again on Leah. How can she reach her when she can't adjust from the brightness outside? She remembered on how Falcon used the fire around him and formed wings from it. She visualized herself to be burned, until winds surround her as the temperature changed around. Fire blazed around her, as her hair turned to fire, she looked at her back as wings formed, then she smirked.
"Now, the true fight begins." She muttered as she jumped and shoot herself above.
Leah was startled as she saw Mandy suddenly caught on fire. She already knew she could use it, but it was different from her fire. It looks like from Lord Falcon, with its rainbow like fire. How is this even possible? How can she use different ability of every creature?
That's when Leah finally realized Mandy was definitely different from them. She's not the only witness of it who has the same thoughts of it as well as the jury who was watching and evaluating them.
Exchanges of attacks can be seen in the next few minutes which will be a blur in normal eyes of creature. They were too quick in their attack and defense in each other which shows how desperate they are. None of them was exhausted from the consecutive attack as the time passed. But, only a buzzer made them stop as a floating hoop flown to them and encasing them in order to stop them. It made a barrier which made their attempt to attack be useless.
"Participant Mandy and Leah finished the allotted time for duel. You may proceed to the recovery room." The hoops take them, and lead them back to the room earlier. Once they were inside, another door was opened and the hoops still carried them inside it and lead them in separate rooms.
They arrived in a glass transparent room, once each door was opened they were place inside. They were released, falling in a thud. Leah was confused since she never experienced this before.
"What's going on? Why am I here?" Leah pound the glass, Mandy heard her. It seems the glass isn't sound proofed.
"Is this part of the scheme of the selection?" Mandy tried to ask Leah but she was only ignored since she keeps on ranting and banging the glass.
"Hey! What is this treatment! Why are you locking me here!" she shouted with all strength she had.
"Leah! Listen! Can you please calm down?!" she can't help but also shouted at her. It was the moment when another candidate came in with few injuries, which was placed in another room.
"What's really going on?" Leah felt uneasy as the rest of the candidate flood in, which also was confused as her.
From the image of the other candidate made Mandy frozen, she can't help but relive the incident happened to her. She covered her head as she heard the screaming of the other candidates, as she cried from the flood of memories coming back to her.
Leah finally noticed Mandy, when she felt a sudden surge of aura coming from her. What's happening to her?