Over the next few days, we simply found comfort in each other's company.
The pain I still felt over Amy's death, the weaknesses Sophia was hiding, were easier to bear when we could lean on each other.
And with every moment we spent together, I could feel our relationship growing and becoming more intimate.
Just looking at her face still unleashed a torrent of emotions in me. But in the midst of that storm, a quiet oasis had now opened up.
I knew there was a place in this world I could always return to. Someone who, despite my many faults, would always accept me and forgive all my idiotic actions.
I could see the same realisation in Sophia's eyes. At last she no longer had to hide. When she was with me, the barriers she had erected fell away, allowing me to see the sweet girl she could be.
And as our emotional distance shrank, so did our physical one.
Gradually I could feel Sophia's body relax to my touch. And soon she was the one who began to seek it, as she had done when we were not yet a couple.
Now that Sophia was more comfortable, I could see that she was actually a very affectionate girl.
The way she was always looking for opportunities to lean on me for cuddles made my heart flutter.
"If she starts to be more assertive, as I know she can be... I'll lose my mind."
Although Sophia could be extremely decisive, she had so far been content to let me lead the way in developing our relationship.
If she had started to take the reins... it would have been the end of me.
"She would have wrapped me around her finger..."
But maybe part of me wanted it to happen.
A back-and-forth battle for control was, to be honest, an exciting prospect.
Unfortunately, the time that seemed to have frozen after the battle had started ticking again. Every time we went out to eat, we could see the school being hastily repaired from the damage caused by the battle.
Soon this moment of peace came to an end and by the following Monday we were back to the grim reality.
***
The atmosphere in the classroom could not have been more different from the first day I entered it.
The excited buzz of a hundred young lives had given way to a deathly silence, broken only by a few hushed whispers.
The leaderboard on the right wall was a graveyard of erased names. My eyes fell on one of them:
Amy Thomson
Perhaps sensing where my gaze had wandered, Sophia covered my hand with hers and squeezed it tightly.
I gave her a grateful smile before turning back to look at the wall.
Celeste was currently in the lead, with Philemon directly below her in second place.
The points from the tournament had catapulted them to around 800 points above the third step of the podium, which was occupied by me.
It seemed like an insurmountable gap to make up with regular duels, when it came down to it, there was only one way for me to win.
Perhaps that was the point of that outrageous points reward.
In any case, I had no intention of waiting until the end of the competition. I would never have tried to kill two of my friends.
For what purpose, anyway? To become a human weapon?
Below me in the rankings, at a good distance, was Nicole. Sophia was only ten points below.
I couldn't help but feel irritated again as I stared at Wilhelm's name in the middle of the leaderboard.
Finally, Penny was in 23rd place.
We have to help her... if we all give her a few points, we shouldn't have any trouble making sure she survives the next few weeks.
I'll bring it up later, at the meeting.
Although I had initially considered leaving the alliance because of that idiot's behaviour, Sophia had finally persuaded me to stay.
Suddenly, while I was still staring intently at the scoreboard, someone called my name.
«Liz! Sophie! Good morning! Can you make room for us?»
I turned to see the beaming smile of Celeste, with Philemon and Penny in her wake, her mood seemingly no better than the last time we had seen each other.
«Celeste! Of course, sit down! Sophia, move a little to the right.»
My girlfriend looked decidedly unenthusiastic, but obeyed with a snort.
Celeste usually sat in the front rows, surrounded by her many friends. Friends of which Penny seemed to be the only one left.
«Liz Liz, you are coming this evening, aren't you?»
"Liz Liz? She's getting even sillier than usual. Is this her way of coping with what has happened lately?"
«Yes, I'll be there, don't worry.»
«Great... don't take what Will said too personally. I don't know him well, but I'm sure he's not a bad person. During the battle upstairs, we had four special power users on our heels.
If he hadn't come to our aid, it would have been too much even for Philemon and me!»
«I see... but even if he has a bone to pick with some people with powers, he really shouldn't take it out on innocent people!»
«I don't think I really qualify as an innocent person, Elizabeth...» Sophia interjected.
I ignored her.
«If he makes comments like that again...»
«No. You are not going to do anything. I'll deal with it,» Celeste interrupted me in a firm tone, «I made this alliance and I'll be calling the shots. I won't allow anything more than a friendly squabble, understood?»
"She manages to go from 'Liz Liz' to this behaviour in seconds... I wonder who the real Celeste is?"
She has always been so cheerful that I never thought she might have a hidden side like Sophia.
"Anyway... I'm glad someone as charismatic as her is still around. An alliance needs a strong and steadfast leader, and I'm sure I'm not that."
If it had been up to me, we would have been fighting from the first meeting.
«Alright...»
Celeste's face instantly relaxed, as if the stern expression she'd just had had been a mirage:
«Perfect. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be a dictator. If you have any complaints or suggestions, let me know. I just want to avoid any discord floating around from the start... remember, we only have one enemy, and that's the Academy.»
«You're right.»
«And anyway, Sophie doesn't strike me as someone who needs to be defended!»
«Sometimes I wish someone would defend me from your idiocy...» Sophia replied immediately, making me burst out laughing.
«That's mean! Liz, did she tell you how she approached me after the battle?»
«One more word and the fight between Wilhelm and Elizabeth will be the last of your problems!»
«Come with me... But why?... I'm in need of your abilities,» Celeste recited, alternating a deep, dramatic voice with a high-pitched one. «Of course, my captain, I'll follow you to hell and back!»
«I'm sorry Elizabeth, I think I'll be disqualified for killing a person.»
My stomach hurt from laughing.
"These two together... they're hilarious."
But this moment of fun was short-lived.
Skylark walked into the classroom and all the noise stopped.
Like a vulture, his presence could now only be associated with death and suffering.
«Ah. Makes quite an impression, seeing all these empty seats, doesn't it?»
I didn't think that even if I lived forever I would ever find someone I could hate more than this man.
«Congratulations on getting through the fight. You should be proud, especially those who came face to face with our old student,» his eyes fixed on me, «I think not everyone was so lucky.»
I felt my blood boil, but two hands grabbed both my arms.
«Calm down Elizabeth, that's what he wants,» Sophia said, biting her lip, to my right.
«We'll make him pay,» Celeste whispered to my left.
I took a deep breath and shot a venomous glance at the headmaster, who smiled mockingly at me from under his moustache.
"One day... I'm going to kill you."
«But enough of dredging up the past, you 25 have earned a chance to live into the future. The road will not be easy. As you know, the Academy will resume business as usual as of today.
Mr Paulson, I hope for your sake you will get to work,» Skylark said, reading the name of the student in last place from the leaderboard.
Now that there were so few students, it would become increasingly difficult to climb up from the bottom.
Since you could only challenge someone once a day, the amount of points you could make up was limited.
Furthermore, the battle had obviously claimed more victims among the weaker students. Those who remained alive were now tough opponents, and it was difficult to win against them.
Every point was important.
"In such a situation... someone is bound to go off the deep end."
The coming months would be much more eventful than the previous ones, I was sure.
As if he had read my thoughts, Skylark went on:
«But with so few of you... things could get boring, don't you think? Miss Fitzroy and Mr Hargrave could take a holiday and still be in the lead.»
"It was you who gave them such a high number of points.."
«That's why I have some fun pastimes in mind to make things more interesting.»
In the past, there would have been a concerned buzz about the class, but no one spoke up.
By now we were used to Skylark's little games and just wanted him to tell us what horrible torture he had in mind for us.
«Not much enthusiasm, eh? Don't worry, this time it won't be a challenge between you students, it will be about cooperation. After all, a good mage must also be able to work with his allies.»
Once again, no one responded. We knew there had to be a catch as usual.
«In a week, when your numbers are even again, you will be divided into pairs, but not to challenge each other as in December, but to pass a trial together. I hope it will be an opportunity to make new friends. See you next Monday, good luck.»
My mind began to process what he had said.
What purpose could such a test serve? Working together was a natural thing when you were in danger.
"I bet this 'trial' will test the trust between us."
It was the most logical conclusion. Now that there were so few of us left, Skylark probably wanted to spread discord among us to prevent alliances from forming.
"...what a coincidence... I don't like this one bit. From the sound of it... I won't be paired with Sophia this time."
I spent the rest of the lesson imagining trials, each worse than the last.
***
The atmosphere in Celeste's room was tense. The words with which I had left last time still hung in the air.
Wilhelm, for his part, had greeted me without a fuss. I had reciprocated coldly.
"I won't make a scene again... but they can't force me to make friends with him."
Maybe it was immature of me, but I wasn't going to bury the hatchet until he apologised, not to me, but to Sophia.
Celeste, however, didn't seem to mind the mood around her table and started talking excitedly:
«Ok guys. After the introductory meeting last time... today it's time to roll up our sleeves. You saw it today, Skylark won't give us a break. He will be in our way right to the end. Every week we have left is precious.»
«Last time you said you had an idea how to escape, right?» asked Nicole.
«That's right! But first I want to remind you that not a word of what I'm about to tell you must leave this room. If you find another potential ally before you reveal anything to them, you must bring them here first so we can make sure we can trust them.»
«Do you really think that someone could sell us out to Skylark?» asked Wilhelm.
"...naive."
It was Sophia who answered.
«There could be a mole among the students, someone who has been on Skylark's side from the beginning.»
«It's like Sophie says. I don't think any of the students would have any reason to cooperate with him, given what awaits us at the end of the competition. But if there is someone among us who is not a real student...»
«And even if that person came last in the rankings, they wouldn't risk anything. They would vanish into thin air like the others, but they wouldn't be killed,» I added.
«It could be one of us,» Nicole commented casually.
The atmosphere became tense again at these words.
«Nicky! I know you have a bizarre sense of humour, but don't spoil the mood like this!» exclaimed Celeste.
«Sorry, sorry... I just wanted to bring it up because I'm sure it's crossed someone's mind. If we start suspecting each other, we won't get anywhere. In the end, all we can do is move on and hope that we are all on the same side in this room.»
«Very good, that's what I wanted to say! Now, let's get down to business,» Celeste said,«Liz, could you tell everyone what your hypothesis is about the Academy's defences?»
«I... sure,» I replied, surprised to be called on.
"Sophia must have told her when she got her to examine the barrier."
I explained what I had long since theorised: the barriers around the Academy had to be maintained by an incredible amount of mana.
So there had to be a source of it. Sure, it could have been Skylark, given how powerful he was.
But there could also have been a huge reserve of mana hidden somewhere in the Academy.
«And thanks to the battle... we have discovered that this second hypothesis is most likely the correct one, this 'core' does exist,» he concluded.
«And where would that be?» asked Willhelm.
I waited for Celeste to answer him.
«Under our feet. Or to be more precise, under the entrance hall!»
«How did you find that out?» asked Nicole.
«At the end of the battle, Elizabeth broke part of the floor. Under it I saw a blinding white light... typical of mana. It was like a little sun.»
«What are we waiting for, then? If we tell everyone and cooperate, we'll only have to break the ground again and destroy this core to escape!» shouted Willhelm.
I hated that he had the same reaction as me.
«Unfortunately, it won't be that easy. The floor of that part of the school is protected by a series of extremely powerful barriers. Not only that, but it's full of seals between them, so if one of the barriers is destroyed, all hell will break loose,» Celeste said, trying to calm him down.
«But then how did Liz get the floor to collapse?» asked Nicole.
«Aldric,» I replied, «his body seems to be completely immune to magic, when he hit the ground he must have deactivated the barriers.»
«And you fought someone like that? Incredible,» Willhelm commented impressed.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," I thought as I ignored him.
«As you can imagine, even if we knew where he was, we couldn't gently ask Aldric to deactivate the defences again.»
«The fact that you have that cheerful tone... there is another entrance, isn't there?» Nicole asked amusedly.
«Bingo! Think about it, a place like that has to be maintained somehow... mana has to be recharged from time to time. Surely smashing the floor is not the only way to get there.»
«A secret passage...» I commented quietly.
«And Sophie happened to see something interesting.»
Sophia nodded:
«At the end of the battle, I saw guards coming down from the second floor, when only students were supposed to be up there.»
«So in short, the place where the guards and teachers hid during the battle is right there, under the entrance hall, an underground part of the school. And the way to get there is on the second floor.» Celeste replied.
«That ... that's not a good thing, is it?» I asked, «We don't normally have access to the second floor.»
«Exactly!» replied Celeste, smiling, «but that just means we have to find our own way in.»
«And let me guess, you've already found it... » I replied, it was just like her to keep us on our toes to show off her brains.
«Uh uh! After Sophie put the bug in my ear, I began to examine all the barriers in the school and, as luck would have it, I found a fatal flaw! There's one particular spot that's not very well protected!»
A place in the school that is not protected, where could it be? By exclusion...!
"Of course, remember how Amy stopped Aldric!"
«The ceiling!»
«You and I are always on the same page, Liz! That's right, the barriers on the ceiling are quite soft. After all, unlike the outer walls that prevent our escape, there's not much reason to defend them.
I guess they cut corners so as not to use too much mana!»
«So we're supposed to break through the ceiling and get to the second floor like that?» Nicole giggled amused, «Imagine us showing up in Skylark's bathroom while he's taking a shower!»
«The fact that he would kill us then would be liberating, I don't think I could go on living after seeing something like that!» I added, bursting out laughing.
"I like Nicole, she seems cool. As for the others..."
Apart from my personal vendetta against Willhelm, I didn't really dislike anyone, but...
"I know Philemon would chime in if necessary... but Penny has said almost nothing in our two encounters."
Her eyes were fixed on the table.
"Poor girl... Celeste shouldn't have dragged her into this or... no, maybe she wants to try to help her."
«Of course, we can't do something like that without arranging everything perfectly first! We should find a good time to make sure we don't get caught.
I think it's best to do a first reconnaissance mission and then, when we find the secret passage, we'll all go together,» Celeste continued.
«A good time... will have to be when Skylark and the professors are all down here...» I commented, scratching my chin.
«Exactly. We just have to pray that the opportunity comes soon. If not, we'll have to risk it. Besides, there's another reason why I want to go to the second floor.»
«What would that be?»
«Aldric's file... if he has one, don't you think there are others?» asked Celeste.
«That's right...» replied Sophia, «it is possible that there is a file with all the data of the participants. If we could find it, it could help us not only in the duels, but also in finding a possible mole.»
«Exactly, Sophie!» said Celeste, clapping her hands, but getting only a glare in return.
We talked about our goal for a while before Celeste said:
«Perfect! Now we have something to work on. Let's get together in a week. We'll have to talk about how to deal with the Skylark's test when we find out what it is!»
We all nodded, except Penny.
That reminded me of something.
«I was thinking... since Penny is low in the rankings, maybe we could help her get some points.»
The girl looked up for the first time in the meeting.
«I... there's no need. Don't worry about me...»
That expression... I think it's the same expression I had the day after the battle...
«You can go,» Celeste interjected, «Penny, stay and let's talk a bit!»
I decided to listen to her and left the room with Sophia.
«You're worried about her, aren't you?» she asked as we walked through the corridors.
«Yes... I know what it's like to lose someone and if you hadn't helped me... I don't know what would have happened.»
Sophia smiled sweetly at me:
«Leave it to Celeste, she knows her better than you and has a way with words. You'll see that she can handle it.»
«I don't know... Celeste isn't really good at comforting people... wait a minute... Celeste? You've always called her by her last name!»
«Oh...»
Sophia looked away.
«Oh, you two are getting so chummy! Do you like the way she calls you Sophie?» I poked her.
«I... just thought I could try... to make a friend by myself this time.»
It was definitely not the answer I was expecting. But it made me very happy.
«Go for it!» I told her.
«Huh? I thought you'd tease me endlessly about it,» Sophia looked at me surprised.
«Maybe normally I would... but I am just very, very happy that you are opening up like this, so I want to encourage you.»
«Elizabeth... thank you,» Sophia said, smiling.
«You're welcome...»
"It's going to be kinda strange to not have her all for myself though... wait... I sound just like her now!"
We were silent for a while until Sophia spoke again.
«Speaking of names... should we change the way we refer to each other?»
«Uh? What do you mean?»
«I... don't couples usually call each other in some... special way...?»
I looked at her, stunned.
«Sophia, do you want us to switch to pet names?»
«I... I don't know... I was just thinking about it...»
«How about I call you Sophie from now on?»
«Forget I said anything.»
I burst out laughing.
It was kind of sweet of her to suggest something like that, but...
«Honestly, I'd find it kind of embarrassing to call you something like 'darling' or 'honey' out of the blue.»
«I... agree.»
«And I also love your name. I think it means something like 'wisdom' in the old runes, right?»
«Yes... what about you? Do you want me to call you something else?»
«No...»
I blushed.
"Should I tell her?... Oh fuck it!"
«No, nobody usually calls me by my full name because it's so long and the way you say it... it's kind of hot.»
«HOT?! What do you mean hot?!» asked Sophia, stunned.
«I reserve the right to remain silent.»
I thought that was it, but after a bit Sophia leaned on my shoulder.
«Elizabeth...» she whispered in my ear.
«EEEK!»
For a moment I thought I was going to jump in the air and hit my head on the ceiling.
«You..»
«Just as I thought, your ears are your weak point, huh? I remember whispering in your ear after our duel...»
«Oh... is that so? I also happen to know where to hit!»
«UH?! What?! Ahahahah!»
I shoved her against the wall as my fingers attacked her sides.
«Elizabeth, stop it!»
But her laughter was too sweet. And I wasn't done yet, I could tell from her tone that she didn't really want me to.
Just like I had done a few nights before, I went for her neck.
«Elizabeth!?»
As my lips touched her, Sophia tried to wriggle away, but my hands closed around her wrists, holding them still.
I could feel her body shaking against mine, but this time it wasn't fear...
«Elizabeth, STOP IT!»
Her tone suddenly became firm. I let her go immediately.
"Oh no... did I misread the situation?"
«Sophia, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...»
«That's not the problem, idiot!»
I followed her gaze and found myself face to face with an uncharacteristically embarrassed Celeste.
«Oh...»
"Right... we're in the middle of a corridor."
«Liz, Sophie... you two... I kind of suspected something, since you're always holding hands, but... you're already doing... this kind of stuff!?»
I felt my cheeks burning.
I didn't mind Celeste finding out we were a couple. I knew her character well by now. She wouldn't have a problem with our relationship, even if she was a noble.
But the way she found out...
"She'll think I'm a pervert!"
I literally had Sophia up against the wall...
Sophia... oh no...
My girlfriend had turned purple.
«That's… quite the relationship you two have… eh eh…» Celeste said in a hesitant voice.
Even she, who was difficult to intimidate, seemed to understand that she had to tread a fine line.
«Um... yeah, me and Sophia are a couple... we got together the same day of the battle. Sorry I didn't tell you, it kind of slipped my mind.»
I said, trying to salvage the situation.
«Oh, don't worry! Congratulations! Now I understand why you've never had a boyfriend before, heh heh!»
«What do you want?» said Sophia in a mechanical tone.
«Oh, right, I just wanted to find you to talk about Penny. I'm sorry she reacted like that to your kind offer. I honestly don't know what to do... as you may have guessed, our group of friends has been wiped out. I thought her joining us would give her some hope again... but that doesn't seem to be the case.»
The embarrassment I felt was washed away by those words.
«I... understand. I was in a similar situation... if it wasn't for Sophia, I don't know if I would have ever left my room again.»
«Unfortunately, I don't have the deep relationship with her that you two have... But I would still like to help her,» Celeste said.
«Mmmh, that's tough. I'll see what I can do.»
«Thanks Liz... and sorry to... interrupt," Celeste said as she turned on her heel, «by the way, I never expected to hear those sounds coming out of your mouth Sophie!»
«YOU!»
Sophia started to run after her, but the girl had cast a spell on herself and was fleeing at the speed of light.
I stood alone in the corridor, bent over with laughter.
***
It was the moment of truth: Skylark had just entered the classroom.
«Very well, as I told you last week, the time has come to announce a new event!» announced the old professor.
«As I told you, this will not be a duel. You and your comrade will have to cooperate to pass a trial. I want to emphasise that this is a challenge in which you will have to prove that you can count on each other.» he said.
"What a bunch of nonsense... what is he getting at?"
«For this reason... if your comrade loses his life, so will you.»
"Oh... I can see where this is going."
«Well, time to find out the person whose fate will be entwined with yours.»
As had happened a few months earlier, the leaderboard rearranged itself and the names of the 24 survivors were divided into 12 pairs.
I was right, this time I would not fight alongside Sophia:
Elizabeth Belvoir and Penelope Pembroke