*Kaler's POV*
Aurora and I promptly left the field after the tryouts, Alistair insisted that we head home first. The mysterious yellow cat followed us as well. We had to avoid the crowd by waiting in a class room for about half an hour. Aurora hated people looking at her, although for someone of her status, it couldn't be helped. I'm sure she laments it every time. We reached the third floor class room that Aurora usually uses, closing the doors to ensure we had privacy for a bit.
Once we were certain that we were alone, I watched as a gold light emitted from the cat's feline body. It looked as if it was becoming light itself. As it did, it's body enlarged and expanded, it stood on two legs as it's limbs elongated and bent. It's head expanded and its ears moulded into the structure of the head. It was absolutely bizarre to watch this cat turn into a dignified young lady. Once the transformation completed, Lindsey stretched her arms and sighed.
"Man! Thank goodness no one noticed it was me." She exclaimed. Aurora and I only looked at her, unamused. She looked back son forth between us and sighed with exasperation. "Man! You guys are way more alike than I thought. Not impressed huh?" She asked, gauging us for any sort of reaction. We were still both stone faced as e stared at her.
"Anyway…" Aurora broke the silence. "Congrats on making it into the club Kale!" She said excitedly with a smile.
"Thanks. I really didn't think I'd be accepted after what I did to Dirk." I said, laughing nervously. I really thought that I might have put on too much of a display there. I revealed almost everything to him. However, for some reason, I was not worried that he would leak what he saw. I could not explain it, I just knew he wouldn't.
"Are you kidding?" Lindsey said out of nowhere, both Aurora and I turned to look at her. "That guy is an absolute jerk. Only his jock friends even like him, even then they follow him cuz they are scared. We heard what he said to you, if I was even half as capable as you, I would have made sure I snapped his dick in half." I was slightly taken aback, Lindsey was rather violent. Then, I thought about her magic, and became curious.
"Ms Callahan. If I might ask, what type of magic do you practice?" I asked
"Oh please, call me Lindsey. Or Linds if you like. Anyway, I have an affinity for nature. Which is to say that I am one with nature. It allows me to breath life into plants, small scale weather manipulation and bodily and behavioural transformation." She explained. Her resume was far more impressive then I anticipated. "Glad to see that you are not ice cold like this riche bi-atch over here. But I do have to let you know that I have little to no offensive capabilities. I focus on healing, shields and sneaking around in cat form."
I laughed a little at what she called Aurora which made her puff her cheeks and looks away like a little kid, crossing her arms. It only made me laugh more. She certainly was adorable. "Anyway…" she said, turning back to face us, her face still a little red from mild irritation. "Kale, I would like to form a team with you for the upcoming Arcanothon." My eyes flew open and they darted to Aurora. "Don't look so surprised, you are the strongest magic user in school after all." She said, smiling at me amiably.
"Yeah…I get that I guess…" I said looking away sheepishly. Being called the strongest at something, after being regarded as trash, certainly felt…different. However, I still had no idea what the heck Arcanothon was. "But I still have no idea what this Arcanothon is. Are you sure about this?"
"Just think of it as the olympics but magic. There are many events. A student can compete up to a maximum of 3 of them. I usually participate in the solo events, but I think that this year, I would not mind competing in some duo or even group events." I knew Aurora had already thought this through, she was always a devious one. I sighed and just went along with it.
"Alright…What do you have in mind?" I asked.
"Seeing as how you are such a powerful individual, Ms Black will definitely maximise your usage. So let us claim the events we want to do first. I have always been the one to take part in Arcane Duel. It's like what you just did, just more professional. I always enjoy watching men be surprised by how strong I really am. The only catch would be that a weapon is necessary, and you don't exactly have one of those." She was right, I did not have a weapon to use yet. The gun I have is really only for emergencies and is most likely not allowed.
"This year, I would like to take part in Capture the Flag with you, Thalia and Playboy. It's a 4 player game. It's exactly as it sounds, we have a flag to defend, meanwhile, we have to bring back the enemy's flag. Or, we can win by knocking out every open on the enemy team. The final event, would be just you and me. Sea of Heads. You and a partner team up to beat as many enemies as you can. Sound familiar? " After listing out that whole agenda, I was starting to look forward to this Arcanothon. It would give me something to work towards. Additionally, it sounds like a great opportunity to meet new and powerful magicians
"Alright! I am actually kinda pumped now!" I exclaimed with overwhelming excitement. It made Aurora smile and Lindsey giggled silently. "But you know the 3 events you are competing in, what about me?" Aurora's smile faded instantly as she rubbed her chin, thinking.
"How about World on Fire?" Lindsey suggested.
"Yes… That would be suitable. It is an event where magicians display their most powerful spells. The objective is to simply cause as much destruction as possible. I think that would be good. " Aurora seconded Lindsey's suggestion. Now that I think about it, Capture the Flag, Sea of Heads, and World on Fire. They are all just putting on display the animosity of magic users and looks like they are portraying them as simple weapons.
"Um, don't you find it kinda odd?" I asked. Their heads turned to me instantly. "All these events are just making use of our destructive power, it's like they are portraying us as nothing but weapons." I said. To my surprise, Aurora nodded, she was thinking the same thing.
"I came to that conclusion once before. However, the people behind it always claim that they just wish to showcase the talents of magicians, show our potential. I don't exactly trust them, but it's not like I have much evidence." She said, seeming rather begrudging of that fact. "We should head home, we still have classes tomorrow." She said in a neutral voice. I grabbed my bag and was ready to open the door when Aurora stopped be. "Kale." She said. It made me turn back. "Will I see you again?"
I smiled at the question. "Of course. Besides, I still need the answer to my question."