The cool morning breeze blew in the open field as the small crowd gathered around the seats around the arena.
"Good luck." Mara whispered, tightly clenching her fists around the cloth of her cloak. "You can do it!" She almost sounded like she was trying to comfort herself, more than her friend.
Aether took the seat next to her, and lightly squeezed her shoulder. "Erika is strong. That girl has no chance against her." Almost as if it were planned, the red-haired class president, stepped out into the field.
She was wearing her hair in a long, beautifully woven braid. The light blue dress she was wearing fluttered in the wind, revealing the shining metal of her baton strapped to her right thigh. "Is that allowed?" Aether asked, glancing at Clara. The second year nodded. "She had it registered, so yes."
