12:00 PM, the sound of a battlehorn boomed throughout the Institute's massive arena, the battle for supremacy has begun. Candice perched upon one of Iggy's massive branches, Iggy is the tallest tree inside the Institute grounds, the tree's full name is Yggdrasil, a name given to it by none other than Candice herself. She scouted the surrounding area through the eyes of a wild hawk flying past the arena grounds. Her objective was to take down the representative of the opposing house by either subduing them, or by taking or breaking the house pendant on their neck. She spotted the House of Dawn's representative, a young man wearing leather armor, perhaps a regalia wielder judging by the luminous greatsword strapped in his back. A regalia wielder is a human blessed with the power to wield magical weapons, though they, by themselves, couldn't utilize arcane magic, they can channel their mana through the ancient regalias they use. The House of Dawn was known for taking in such gifted individuals. The swordsman seemed confident enough in his fighting skills to walk through the forest, a hunter's territory, wearing nothing but flimsy pieces of leather, Candice will make him pay for his arrogance. The huntress leaped from on one branch to another, moving swiftly from tree to tree without making a sound. Candice stalked the swordsman from the canopy of a nearby tree. She drew her bow, nocking an arrow. Candice took a deep breath, drawing back the string, aiming for the swordsman's chest, and then, she let loose. The arrow became a bolt of condensed solar energy ripping through the air, leaving no room for the swordsman to react, or at least it should've. In the blink of an eye, the swordsman drew his sword, slashing the bolt in two. "I know you're there, huntress, I sensed your presence from the moment you drew your bow." The huntress leapt from her perch, emerging from the shadowy forest canopy, landing on her feet with feline grace. "Not bad, not bad." said Candice, twirling a dagger made of condensed light on her finger. "It takes quick reflexes to block a solar bolt." her eyes were locked on the sword that blocked her attack, the runes inscribed on its blade grew bright blue. "And a sturdy hand to cut one in half, tell me your name boy." The swordsman placed his sword by his waist and knelt. "Asther Pendrake my liege, a descendant of Arthur, the king of knights." Candice returned the favor, bowing to the swordsman. "Candice Lang, legacy of Apollo, god of the sun, the arts, medicine, and a lot more but we haven't got the time to list 'em." she held up her palm, manifesting another dagger made of condensed light. "Let's get this party started!" The swordsman tightened his grip on the blade, smiling. "Might I just say that it is an honor to fight the great Candice Lang, however, I will be taking this victory!" Asther lunged forward, striking the huntress with an upward slash. Candice jumped back, dodging the blow. Asther pressed the attack, forcing the huntress to take the defensive. Asther whispered a spell in old english, "Mearhcofa of wægn eardungstôw, byrian mîn îsen eornostlîce forslêan mîn lâðgetêona." the sword hummed as the swordsman fed it with mana, Candice felt the static pulsating from the blade, making the tiny hairs on her skin tingle. He plunged the blade into the earthen forest floor, sending his mana into the ground. Large spires of rock started to jut out from the point were the sword stabbed the earth, quickly making its way towards the huntress. A spire burst forth from beneath Candice, catching her off guard. The huntress flipped backwards and threw her daggers into the spire, creating an explosion, sending her flying, the spire's tip almost ripped the pendant off her neck, were it not for her acrobatics training. Candice grabbed a nearby branch, pulling herself up. "Neat trick, you almost had me there, almost." Said the huntress, grinning, "Allow me to return the favor, Απόλλωνα, καθοδήγησε μας." The huntress chanted in ancient greek and began to gather the surrounding heat, six blades of condensed solar energy materialized before her, dancing around her body. She thrust her hand forward, sending a solar blade towards the swordsman. Asther ripped his blade from the ground, the spires broke into multiple pieces of shattered rock. Taking a defensive stance, he whispered another spell in old english. "Brêostcofa orgilde clûd, warian me âweorpan wægn eoten." Chunks of rock started to float around Asther, forming a shield made of stone, blocking the solar blade. The force of the explosion shattered the stone shield, sending shrapnels of rock flying, with one grazing the swordsman in the left-side of his face, staggering him. He shook himself awake, wiping the blood off his face. Asther poised his sword, reforming the stone shield. "What a blow... so this is the power of the great legacy of Apollo, this is getting interesting." Candice smirked, this kid had the guts, she'll give him that. "Not bad for a freshman, give it a few more years, and maybe, just maybe, you can get on my level, but today's victory is mine." The huntress hurled another solar blade at the swordsman, which was immediately blocked by a stone shield. She grabbed two more blades, throwing them at Asther at full strength. A stone shield blocked the first blade as Asther slashed the other with his regalia. While this was happening, Candice leapt from the branch, propelling herself forward, gripping the remaining two solar blades. "Μάια!" screamed the huntress. A pair of astral wings grew from her heels, allowing her to move at almost as fast as the speed of sound. She zoomed towards the swordsman, initiating a fight in melee. Asther's reflexes were fast, but his sword was too heavy for him to swing rapidly, it's weight slowed Asther down, it clearly wasn't the best regalia for the descendant of the king of knights. Candice overwhelmed him through sheer speed, she maybe a legacy of Apollo, but her patron is Nike, the goddess of victory, losing was never an option. Asther staggered back, unable to keep up with the onslaught of attacks from the huntress. Candice went for the kill, making a dagger explode right as Asther parried the blow, disarming the swordsman and sending him down on his back. The huntress smirked as she pointed the remaining dagger at the swordsman's throat, piercing the house pendant. "I win." The battlehorn boomed again, a squad of electronic drones formed into words and announced Candice's victory. The young swordsman could only sigh in defeat. "I guess I wasn't even close to defeating you huh?" Candice smiled, offering the young swordsman a hand. "Nah, you almost had me there for a sec, if it were someone else, they would've lost, but unfortunately, your opponent was me." Asther took her hand, "Are you always this cocky?" jested the swordsman. "Only on week days, and when the sun is up, and the sun is always up somewhere in the world." The young man laughed and raised his hands into the sky, "All right, I lose, for now." he picked up his sword and bid Candice farewell. "See ya around Miss Lang." "See ya around kid, give it a year, you'll be as good as the me right now, why the me right now you ask? because the me in the future will be far stronger, for I am the great Candice Lang! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she placed her hands on her waist as her thunderous laughter filled the afternoon air. The swordsman was embarassed for her, but he decided not to say anything and smiled with concern. In the end, the House of Night, led by Michaela Le Blanc, won the 4th day of the Summer Festival, much to the dismay of our great Candice Lang.