The students streamed into class while Desmond spoke to the silent kid in the back. Desmond was slightly disappointed to hear that the boy wasn't Sebastian, and was just another random Noble who joined Zychs. Needless to say, his interest in the boy dwindled within minutes.
He would have walked away, but a bunch of students stood behind him, waiting for him to do something outrageous or funny. They were the same kids who had laughed from the side lines during Desmond and Ray's interaction, and they hoped that today would bring something similar to the table.
Desmond, despite his wallowing urge for attention, walked away, leaving the student body visibly confused. Some students let their imaginations run wild and speculated that Desmond was just too cool to be bothered about dealing with the Noble kid. Many believed this lie and Desmond's image unintentionally rose to higher standards.
It was scary how a single action could lift him to a godly status and throw another student into darkness at the same time.
The day of the competition arrived faster than any of the students had expected. The participants were either unbearably nervous, or overly confident in their skills. Nova and Axel, just like a few other students, were part of neither group. They were confident in their own strength, and their minds were clear of any doubt.
The competition was a time for them to have fun and freely use their powers to the max of their abilities.
"GOOOOOD MOOOORRNIING!!!" The announcer shouted through the speakers of the Arena. It was 8:30 in the morning and the Arena seats had been filled to max capacity. Every student, all the way from the first years to the fourth, was waiting eagerly to witness the grand tournament.
4 judges were present, two of them being teachers from Zychs and the other two being guests in high positions. Along with the referee, the judges would determine if the match is over or not.
Points would be awarded to each student based on multiple criteria that would not be disclosed until the end of the competition. The higher one climbed in the bracket, the more points they received. But their position in the bracket was just one of many criteria.
"CAN I HEAR A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ALL OUR BRAVE PARTICIPANTS??!!!"
The sound of clapping swam over the Arena. Loud 'woohs' and 'yeahs' were thrown around amongst the applause.
Once the cheer died down, the announcer spoke in a normal voice.
"I will now go over the rules for the tournament. Number 1: No weapons can be brought in from outside. But the participant are allowed to make weapons using their magic if required. Number 2: Any attack that proves fatal to the opponent will result in the disqualification of the one who cast it. The ones you'll be fighting are your peers, so make sure you don't go overboard.
"Number 3: If the match is deemed to be overly one-sided, then it will be stopped to ensure the students' safety. Number 4: Each match in the first round will last 10 minutes. If both opponents are standing after these 10 minutes, then the judges will decide who wins. The decision is absolute and cannot be questioned. If one of the students is knocked out before the 10 minutes pass, then the winner will be declared and the next match will begin immediately.
"Please keep in mind that everything you do in the ring is being judged by a large set of eyes, so don't do anything you would regret later on. Other than that, I have nothing more to say.
"I WISH ALL OF YOU THE BEST OF LUCK AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING SOME GREAT SHOWS OF STRENGTH TODAY!!"
Another round of applause rang over the Arena as the 64 participants took their seats behind the fighting ring assembled in the middle of the Arena. The large platform that had been used during the welcome speech on the first day had been turned into a circular slab of concrete. 8 metal poles were placed at equal intervals on the circumference of the platform and a red jute rope tied them all together to form a boundary.
The ring was large enough for the participants to freely move around and use long ranged attacks. It was close enough to the stands so that all the students and judges could clearly see what was happening, but far enough to ensure none of them were caught in the attacks.
The 32 matches wrapped up earlier than expected. Most matches had lasted less than 10 minutes, and nothing interesting had happened throughout all of them. Nova and Axel were on the opposite sides of the bracket, and would meet only if they both made it to the finals.
Nova had made sure not to showcase every weapon she was capable of using so that she would retain the element of surprise with future opponents. Axel got really lucky and was able to fend off his opponent without needing to use his magic at all. Nova's match ended before the 5 minute mark, while Axel's was done before the clock hit 2 minutes.
There were 6 other students who did exceptionally well in their matches and the audience was already sure of who would be making it into the quarter finals.
The students were ushered to go have their lunch and return to their dorm rooms until further notice.
The second round of the tournament began at 4 PM that evening. Each of the 16 matches lasted for 15 minutes. Nova and Axel still breezed through their match, but took longer than earlier because almost everyone who passed the first round was either Low or Mid-Gold
Nova used the same weapons from the previous match to make it seem like those were the only ones she could use. Axel began channelling some of his lightning into his limbs once the match crossed the 5 minute mark.
The audience gasped at the streaking lights that trailed behind his legs as he swung them around at his opponent's body. The judges were impressed by his quick attacks and smart usage of magic. The technique he was using was one they had seen many times but never clearly understood. They were stunned at how well Axel could use it.
The judges were intrigued as to what other techniques Axel was hiding, but doubted they'd see it any time soon considering how strong he already was without them.
The 16 matches ended right before dinner, and the announcer relayed the schedule for the next day. The third round of the tournament would be held at 10 AM and would last the whole day. The participating students were told to report to the Arena by 9 AM when they would be briefed about the new rules.
The other students, along with the teachers, had a choice on whether they wanted to attend the rest of the days of the tournament. They were allowed to use all the facilities provided in Zychs if they chose not to attend. But they weren't allowed to step out of campus.
Nova and Axel walked back to the dorms together, trying to keep their composure as passing by students congratulated them. Axel was tired and doubted that he could stay awake for long enough to have dinner at the Kitchen.
There was a reason he barely ever used his magic, and why he only limited it to the tips of his limbs. Everyone in the Fulgur family had gone through the same problem Axel had, but the intensity of his was a notch higher.
When his lightning magic first manifested in Axel, it clung onto him like a leech. It caused burns all over his skin and nearly blinded him with how intense it was. Over time he was taught how to control the output, just like Wolfe was with his flames. But Axel's lightning was much more erratic and unpredictable than Wolfe's fire, and so he took nearly 5 years to learn a fraction of what Wolfe had learned in the span of a month.
Axel could easily manifest large amounts of lightning and knew ways to limit its reach so that it only extended outside his body. Using such techniques that extended outside his body posed no threat to him any more. The real problem was when he wanted to use it internally.
The Fulgur family, like many other royal and noble families, had its fair share of hidden techniques. One of them was an unnamed technique that allowed the user to heighten their senses and accelerate their physical abilities.
The technique required large amounts of concentration when first performing it, but would come naturally to the user once they mastered it. Lightning, just like the signals that travel through our nerves, was a form of electricity. If the user could reduce the voltage of their magic to mimic the neural signals sent by their brain and spinal cord, then in theory they could also aid the signals in reaching their desired parts faster.
Performing this technique required vast knowledge about the human body and a great amount of caution. The reason Axel limited it to his limbs was because they were the parts furthest from his brain. The technique also put a lot of stress on the nerves and receptors of his body since they were not created to withstand such high amounts of electricity.
The extra jolt could also provide the push his muscles needed to make his attacks faster and stronger.
The technique definitely had its cons. If he used it for too long then he could permanently damage his nervous system. If the parameters of the electricity exceeded those that his body could handle then he would burn himself from the inside.
Since it was so dangerous, he had spent years studying how to control it. His obsession with human behaviour was also, in a way, necessary for him to be able to use the technique properly. If he knew the opponent's intentions beforehand, then he would have more time to concentrate on the exact amount of electricity necessary to move himself.
Axel groaned as he leaned on Nova's shoulder. The internal usage of his magic was backfiring now and he could feel his body cry in pain. "It's alright, were nearly there." Nova said as she dragged Axel to the dorms. She doubted she could make it back to the Kitchen after this and figured she would have to go hungry for the night.
They made it to Axel's room and sat at the edge of his bed. Axel fell backwards and lay on the bed while Nova walked around the room and looked at the series of books propped up on the shelf. To both of their surprise, Wolfe was nowhere to be found. They were worried about him, but also glad that he finally got out of the room.
There was a knock on the door moments before Nova was about to leave. "Come in," Axel grunted.
"Can you open the door please?" The voice from the other side said.
Axel shot up from his bed as a sweet aroma invaded the room when Nova opened the door. Both her and Axel smiled delightfully as they saw Wolfe standing in the hallway holding three plates wrapped in a transparent foil.
A feeling of pride washed over Axel as Wolfe began heating up the wrapped food for the three of them. They joked about how Wolfe had finally come to terms with his fears and exited the room after 6 PM. "It's all thanks to the two of you. Especially you, Axel." Wolfe looked directly at Axel with a thankful expression.
"I couldn't have asked for a better friend. Thank you for taking care of me until now.
"Thank you, Axel."