Lucius, Darius, and Elara strolled together to their next class, a rare moment of camaraderie among the three. The warm sunlight streaming through the academy's stained-glass windows cast colorful patterns on the floor, and the air was filled with the murmur of students chatting. Their friendship had begun a few weeks ago, when Lucius and Darius had finally put aside their rivalry after a heart-to-heart conversation. Elara, who had been watching from the sidelines, was drawn to their newfound friendship and joined them, bonding over their shared love of magic and adventure.
As they walked, Lewis Hogg, their beloved Tier 6 mage teacher, stood at the front of the classroom, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Class, gather 'round! I have an exciting announcement to make." The students gathered around, curious, and Lewis cleared his throat, a sly smile spreading across his face. "In a month's time, we will be hosting an intra-school tournament to determine our school's representative for the upcoming inter-school tournament!" The classroom erupted into excited chatter, with students whispering to each other and gesturing animatedly.
Lucius, Darius, and Elara exchanged eager glances, already planning their strategy. Just then, their female Combat teacher, Miss Lyra, walked into the room, her long, curly hair bouncing with each step. Lewis's eyes lit up, and he flashed her a charming smile. "Ah, Miss Lyra, lovely as always!" Miss Lyra rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Lewis, focus!" But Lewis continued, undeterred. "I was just saying, Lyra, that this tournament will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their skills—"
Miss Lyra, a peak Tier 3 water mage, had had enough. With a swift motion, she raised her hand, and a jet of water magic shot out, enveloping Lewis's face in a gentle but firm mist. "That's enough, Lewis!" she said, her voice firm but amused. The water magic, a gentle rebuke, caused Lewis to stumble backward, his eyes widening in surprise. The classroom erupted into laughter, and even Lucius, Darius, and Elara couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of their usually unflappable teacher, Lewis, being put in his place.
Lewis, rubbing his face, grinned sheepishly. "Ah, I think I deserved that for making my beautiful Miss Lyra angry." With the commotion settled, Lewis continued, "As I was saying, the tournament will be a fantastic opportunity for our students to compete and learn from each other. Let's make our school proud!" The students cheered, and Lucius, Darius, and Elara exchanged determined glances. They were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead, together.
"You all know this is my chance to shine; I'm finally going to be the face of this academy. I can't wait!" Darius said with a confident expression, his eyes sparkling with determination.
"I believe what you meant to say is that I'm going to be the face of the academy, because you know you stand no chance of winning against me," Lucius said shamelessly, a smirk playing on his lips.
"No, it's me who's going to win it; I was right the first time," Darius said haphazardly, his face flushing with excitement.
"You are wrong again, little Darius, because I, the great Lucius, your humble and handsome prince, am going to be victorious," Lucius said, this time being even more prideful, his voice dripping with arrogance.
"You boys should stop fighting all the time. I doubt you'll both be facing off against each other immediately; you're both ranked number one and four in class, respectively. I doubt you two will face off until the end," Elara said, trying to calm the two hot-blooded boys, her voice gentle but firm.
"Maybe that's true; I doubt we'll even get a chance to face each other. I don't think Darius is strong enough to make it to the final stage of the tournament; he's just too weak," Lucius said, clearly taunting Darius, his words dripping with condescension. But Darius was too slow to catch on, so he immediately tried to use his earth magic to swallow Lucius whole. However, Lucius, using one of the many attributes of the Doomsday magic, flew up and was just about to punch Darius when, at the moment of impact, Darius put his hands up to block his face from the punch. But just at the moment of impact, Lucius paused for a split second and flicked Darius, making him roll over.
"I knew you were going to do that; you never change, do you? If you're ever going to stand a chance against me, you need to change, or else you'll always be below me. Is that what you want, little Darius?" Lucius said evilly, with an evil grin.
After saying that, Lucius walked away to his dorm, trying to make Darius lose his cool even more. His plan would have worked if Elara hadn't held Darius back and prevented him from attacking. But Lucius didn't just walk away; he also said something that would remain on Darius' mind for a long, long time: "I don't think you can ever change anything in your kingdom with the way you currently are. You need to get stronger and stop acting like a child. Work harder to accomplish your goals; you can be the strongest if you try. Ah, cough cough, I mean the second strongest. There's no way in hell you can ever be as strong as I am. And I expect you to do your best in the tournament, because it would be an honor for me to crush you, Little Darius."
Lucius said this, trying to lift Darius' competitive spirit. As Lucius disappeared into his dorm, Darius' eyes blazed with determination. "I'll show him," he muttered, clenching his fists. Elara placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll both shine in the tournament, Darius. Together." Darius nodded, a fierce grin spreading across his face. "Let's do this." The two friends shared a resolute glance, ready to face the challenges ahead.
Meanwhile , a mysterious figure shrouded in darkness observed from a distance, their piercing gaze fixed on Prince Lucius. Clad in black, they stood motionless, a knowing smile spreading across their face. 'The tournament will be... fascinating,' they whispered, their voice low and menacing. 'Make sure you don't disappoint me, Prince Lucius. I'll be watching... closely".