My eyes were magnetically drawn to my girlfriend's back as I walked two steps behind her through the corridors of the west wing. There was no trace of the vulnerability she had shown me this morning in her confident stride. Of course, she was going to say it was because I had cheered her up, but I knew by now that you could always count on Sophia's nerves of steel when things got tough.
"She had to save me again."
When Philemon had exposed the contradictions in my behaviour, I had hesitated and almost given up on opposing him. Even after I had regained some of my composure, I was still unable to find a solution. But here came Sophia, brilliantly exploiting Celeste's thirst for challenge to give me a way out.
«Will I ever catch up with her?» I sighed as I looked at her.
I could feel Amy's last word coming back to me. Was this how she felt? Chasing after someone who always seemed to be two steps ahead, no matter how hard you tried to catch up?
But unlike good old inconsiderate me, Sophia was a caring person. She had always tried to reassure me about my inferiority complex, but it seemed that breaking the cycle my mind kept me in was not going to be easy.
But sadly that was not the only uncomfortable feeling I was experiencing at the moment.
«Come on, just tell me what's wrong.»
I suddenly slammed into Sophia's soft body. I was so deep in my own thoughts that I hadn't realised she had stopped walking.
«How...?» I started to ask under her inquisitive gaze, but she cut me off with a sneer:
«By now I can tell when you are sulking just by being near you. It's like the air around you is getting heavier... I wouldn't be surprised if you had a personal rain cloud following you.»
«I'm not sulking!» I replied, pouting.
But when Sophia pinched my cheeks in a painful way, I had to give in.
«All right, all right...» I complained, trying to get her to let me go. When she did, I sighed again before explaining:
«It's just that... you actually agree with Philemon, don't you? He's right. Someone has to die, we can't change that. So it's only natural that we should try to protect our friends. And, it may be unpleasant, but his and Celeste's plan would allow us to save Penny for now. I'm just being selfish, putting my own morals before the life of an ally.»
It was Sophia's turn to sigh:
«So you think I'm siding with you just because you're my girlfriend?» she asked.
«Isn't that right? You are the smartest person I know, Sophia. You are not a stupid idiot like me! It's obvious that you would go for a well thought out, rational and logical plan instead of my idealistic ramblings!» I replied animatedly.
I had to quickly shield my head from Sophia's fist.
«Hey, stop it!» I yelled as she continued to lightly tap the top of my head.
«Sorry, but since you insist on being a pain, I have to punch some sense into you,» she replied in a serious tone, almost like the one of a doctor talking to an unconvinced patient.
«Hitting my head will make me even more stupid than I already am!» I chuckled.
I could feel myself cheering up thanks to our usual antics.
«You're not that wrong, though. At the beginning of the school year, I would've definitely sided with Philemon. But a long time has passed since then,» Sophia said with a slightly nostalgic look on her face, finally stopping her onslaught.
«Are you saying my stupidity is contagious?» I asked, feigning annoyance.
Sophia giggled:
«That's one way of putting it... But remember how much I pushed you back when you tried to be friends with me?»
«I do...»
I remembered clearly how much she had monopolised my thoughts during that time. Not that things were much different now.
«If I didn't know you as well as I do now, I'd think you were trying to play hard to get, just to make me fall in love with you,» I said, thinking back to those simpler times.
"And it worked so damn well."
Sophia smiled amusedly.
«I was honestly just shocked that you were willing to be friends with someone as unpleasant as me. Romance never even crossed my mind... I mean, I hadn't even realised I was a lesbian back then.»
«Me neither... but I still couldn't take my eyes off your stupidly attractive face.»
«Well... thank you,» Sophia said, a little taken aback.
«You're supposed to say 'same'...!» I pouted again, this time jokingly.
By now I had finally accepted that she actually found me pretty, even if I still didn't understand how it was possible. I laughed as I saw her legitimately worried. Sophia had definitely gotten a lot better at social interactions, but at the end of the day she was still the same awkward girl I had fallen in love with.
«Idiot... you know I'm not good at this!» she exclaimed while I laughed, nudging me with her elbow.
Then she got serious again:
«Before you distracted me, I was saying: I've changed since then, Elizabeth, thanks to you. I still think that logic and reason are very important, of course, but they are not the only things we should base our decisions on.»
«What do you mean?»
«Do you remember that day in the infirmary after you defeated Chloe?» Sophia asked.
«Of course I do! We shared our first hug!»
«It was so awkward... but what you said then, I still hold close to my heart: 'I don't want us to team up to defeat our classmates, but to defeat the Academy.' In the midst of a death game, when Skylark was doing his best to pit us against each other, you wouldn't take the easy way out, you wouldn't use our strength to prey on the weak. You were willing to do the right thing, even if it was much harder and illogical.»
Her words didn't have the effect she was probably hoping for. My face darkened as I remembered the promise I had made that day. A promise I couldn't mantain.
«I said I'd save you both back then… look how it went. You are right: I'm an idiot that's taking the harder way and creating problems for the people that care about me. I guess that, even though I told you I gave up on it, I'm still unconsciously trying to be the hero I wished to be when I was little… But you shouldn't admire me for it, Sophia. You may end up like-»
«Don't say it,» Sophia interrupted my bitter words by putting an hand over my mouth, «I guess you still haven't gotten over your guilt, but don't say that. Amy really admired you and that's what pushed her to become stronger and save both our lives. I'm sure that even if she knew what was going to happen, she would've still look up to you all the same. And so do I. Your feats may not end up being narrated in a book, but you are still my, no, our hero.»
Her hand moved but I still couldn't talk as now her lips were closing my mouth.
"I don't think I'll ever understand what people see in me."
Impostor syndrome, insecurity... they were probably never going away. As cocky as I could be about my magic power, I would always second guess my actions. But maybe it was okay… every hero had a party they could rely on when they doubted themselves. And I had a wonderful partner at my side.
«Thank you, Sophia. But... are you sure?»
«I'm sure. If it comes to it, we'll have to prioritize our lives over everything else... but till then I'll follow your guide. My stupid hero,» she said with eyes full of affection.
It was too much. I diverted my gaze while we started walking again, side by side.
«But a duel... are you sure that's the best way?» I asked, trying to get over my embarrassment.
It felt so stupid to stake something as important as our strategy for this trial on a duel. I knew Sophia could be impulsive sometimes, but this idea of hers didn't seem like an afterthought.
"What if..."
«Don't tell me you just want to fight Celeste?» I asked to her suspicious silence.
«...I've waited this long... Since it can help us solve this problem, why not kill two birds with one stone?» my girlfriend replied. This time it was her who avoided my gaze.
«You're impossible! Aren't you two best buddies now?» I asked, rolling my eyes.
«That doesn't mean that losing to her in the tournament doesn't still sting... if anything, it's worse now! She keeps bringing it up!»
«... I guess my stupidity really is contagious after all...»
Her current behaviour was very similar to mine last December, when I had done everything I could to have a serious duel with her, just for pride's sake. I was about to tell her that when Sophia suddenly stopped again.
«What-?!»
Before I could ask what was wrong, I found myself pinned against the wall.
«Sophia... what are you doing?!» I asked, blushing furiously,
I'd done this to her a few times before, but I'd never been on the receiving end. And as it turned out, it was a lot more embarrassing than I thought it would be. But that wasn't all. The feel of her warm body pressing mine against the cold stone wall was doing something to me.
"This is really not the time, Elizabeth!"
But when I heard her voice dangerously close to my ear, I couldn't help but squirm a little.
«You have a lot of nerve criticising me for this, ... miss 1vs5.»
"Nicole, I'm going to kill you... and then maybe thank you."
«I'm sorry... Your Honour...» I mumbled as I felt my body start to shake in anticipation.
«I'm afraid apologies aren't going to be enough for someone as criminally idiotic as you.»
Sophia stopped pressing me so hard and slowly caressed my face.
«After this game is over, I'll make sure you understand your lesson this time,» she said with a grin before letting me go and starting to walk again.
I took a moment to collect myself before following her. To think that Sophia had once been so pure that she would panic at the mere thought of a simple kiss. She had changed in that way too. No... it was more accurate to say that I had corrupted her.
"And for once... I'm not sorry at all!"
***
The guard gave us a condescending look before he stepped through the door to the second floor.
"I wonder if he knows we were there just a few hours ago."
The reason Sophia and I were in front of the guards' post was as simple as it was important. My girlfriend's idea of settling things with a double duel had an issue: 2v2 fights were not normally allowed. I could easily see why: a weaker student could have teamed up with a stronger one to easily score points. However, we knew from the previous tournament that they were theoretically possible. So we had come here to get Skylark's approval. An approval I was pretty sure we would get. As much as the Headmaster liked to hinder us, he enjoyed pitting us against each other. And if my instincts were right, he'd have loved to see me fight Celeste.
"But it'll be a friendly duel like last time... at least I hope so."
Philemon had looked extremely pissed off before me and Sophia left the room, but he didn't seem like the type to use violence to settle things. It was clear, though, that our already rocky relationship was going to hit rock bottom after all this. But I couldn't really blame him. The one-on-one conversation I had with him had made it clear: the reason behind every action he took was to protect Celeste. And my own actions and beliefs clearly went in the opposite direction.
"I guess I'm the kind of friend your parents tell you not to hang out with," I thought, glancing sideways at Sophia, "a bad influence, you might say."
My train of thought was interrupted by the guard's return. As I had predicted, he announced:
«The Headmaster has given you permission to fight in a 2vs2 duel. You have 15 minutes to meet with your opponents in the magic training room.»
I looked at Sophia's smug expression with amusement. Now that it was coming down to it, I couldn't help but feel a little hyped up myself. The truth was, that loss still stung for me too. But I wasn't going to take it lightly. My pride was the least of what was at stake. I had to win. Penny needed to know the truth and, if possible, I wanted to avoid a big fight with Sam's group. If we'd forced him to save his friends, that strange boy would have gone all out, I was sure of it. And if his innate power really did involve dark magic, it would've been dangerous for everyone involved. Even Sophia's innate advantage over spellcasters would've been useless against such a destructive force.
"I'll tell them about it after the duel... but for now, let's concentrate on winning."
It wasn't going to be easy.
If I was confident that I could defeat Philemon 1v1, the same couldn't be said for Celeste. Even if I had the edge in firepower, my friend was the most cunning person I knew. A duel between us would have come down to my ability to navigate her myriad tricks and use my superior mana to overpower and crush her before she could outwit me.
But this duel, like the previous one, would have been balanced by something other than our singular fighting abilities. As Philemon and Celeste had demonstrated, a 2v2 duel was all about synergy between partners.
Their ability to seamlessly switch roles during a fight had been used to focus on Sophia while keeping me out of the picture. The lack of coordination and reliance on our individual strength had been exposed, leading us to a crushing defeat. Would this time be different?
Of course, Sophia and I had become lovers since then. But our closeness didn't really translate into combat sinergy. And, although our relationship was very deep, we had known each other for less than a year. How could we compete with friends who had been sparring together since they were kids? It was clear that they knew each other in a way that Sophia and I couldn't hope to achieve in the little time we'd spent together.
"Maybe we should spend more time training and less time cuddling..."
If someone had told nerdy old me that I'd one day put my love for a girl before my love for magic, I would have thought them crazy.
"But we can find a way out of this. We are both stronger now."
The previous fight against Sam and his friends had left me feeling pumped. But I knew that even if I felt magically great, I'd need a solid strategy to defeat someone like Celeste.
«Sophia, how can we win this time? 15 minutes isn't enough time to come up with a plan as solid as theirs,» I said as we walked hand in hand towards Celeste's room.
«I'm afraid so, last time they had us all figured out. They know I'm nearly useless outside of melee combat, so all they have to do is stop me while they make sure you can't help me get free. It's likely they'll follow the same plan,» but I could tell from her smirk that she had already thought of a counter tactic.
«Don't leave me hanging like Celeste does!» I scoffed, giving her a gentle nudge with my shoulder.
«Well, it's simple. Since we don't have time to come up with a strategy of our own, we'll have to use their plan against them. We'll take their assumptions and use them to turn things around. Flipping the chessboard, you could say. And the moment they're surprised and make a mistake, I'll be there to punish it.»
***
Like the last time we duelled, Celeste smiled at me brightly as she pulled out her wand. And just like last time, I didn't return it. But for a different reason. Back then, I'd been extremely nervous about what would have happened if we'd lost. This time, I was very afraid of what would happen if we tried to win.
I looked to my side and saw Sophia looking straight ahead, confident. I was angry, very angry. Even though I knew I had no right to be, after everything I had done in the past.
"I'm going to make her regret this."
After this game, I wasn't going to let her get back at me for fighting 1vs5. If she wanted me to forgive her, she was the one who needed to repent.
"But for now... I'm forced to go along with this."
Meanwhile, Philemon had also adopted his dueling stance. The boy seemed resigned to his fate and was back to his usual seraphic self.
"I'm sure he's expecting another easy win, but it's not going to be like that."
«Are you all ready?» said Wilhelm from outside the circular arena of the training room.
Our other allies had been rather perplexed by our sudden desire to fight each other. After all, as Philemon had said, we were in the middle of a deadly test. But when we told them that Celeste and Sophia were arguing about the strategy to win this game, they seemed to agree that it was a good way to settle things. For once, their cat-and-mouse behaviour proved useful.
Of all of them, Wilhelm was probably the most excited by the idea of watching a duel between us, so much so that he had chosen to be an unnecessary referee. He was also the one holding the curse, as it would have been distracting having it passed around during the fight. Penny and Nicole were guarding the door: it wouldn't have been ideal to be attacked by Sam's group during the duel.
«We're ready,» Celeste exclaimed cheerfully.
«Same here,» Sophia echoed after exchanging a quick nod with me.
«Very well! State your conditions,» Wilhelm said solemnly.
«If we win, you two won't interfere with my and Phil's plan,» Celeste said.
«We accept your condition. If we win, you'll have to share the plan with our entire alliance. We'll then take a majority vote to decide what to do,» I replied.
Sophia and I had decided that this was the best way to go about it. This way we wouldn't put everything on Penny's shoulders.
«We accept.»
With the acknowledgement that both sides had agreed to the terms, the translucent magical barrier expanded around us and at the same moment the magical voice began its countdown. I could see the confidence in Celeste's brown eyes and the serious determination behind Philemon's glasses. But it was not going to be like last time.
...3
Sophia had her sword ready. She knew it would be useless to throw it. All she could do was prepare herself for what she would have to endure.
2
I sighed, thinking of the multiple injuries she had suffered last time. Why did we have to be such a reckless pair of foolish young girls?
1
«Gravity Surge!» yelled Celeste as soon as the countdown was over.
As expected, Sophia was quickly brought to her knees. At the same time, Celeste began to doublecast a shower of stone projectiles. They were too many for my girlfriends' power to intercept.
It was as if the same script from the tournament was being replayed, and now it was time for my lines. I was going to step up to protect Sophia and Philemon was going to do everything he could to keep me occupied. But, as Sophia had instructed me, I had no intention of performing my assigned role this time.
«Speed!» I exclaimed, pointing the wand at my chest as I drew my sword. I saw Philemon's imperturbable face light up in surprise as I started to run towards him.
«Stone Shield!» he shouted, creating a barrier around himself.
But I was ready: I could have phase-shifted through it, but that would have put me at risk of being hit by a subsequent elemental attack. So, using my newfound mastery of doublecasting, I simply concentrated all my power into a single spell, while keeping my buff active.
«Flare!»
The stone wall instantly exploded into countless pieces. Right after, I quickly unleashed a powerful shockwave to clear the debris from my path. Philemon used his wand to propel himself backwards, but not fast enough to avoid a small cut on his thigh. I saw his teeth clench as an irritated look crossed his face.
Sophia's strategy had been set in motion: turning their own plan against them. Since they expected me to help her, I was going to do the opposite: ignore her and go on the offensive. And what better way to fight a mage expert in elemental defence than with a sword? All his fancy fire and water barriers would be useless against cold, hard steel.
Of course, there was a huge problem with this plan. At the moment, behind my back, my girlfriend's body was being tormented by a myriad of small wounds. But I didn't turn around. I continued to pursue Philemon like a bloodthirsty beast.
«Water Cannon!» the boy shouted, trying to pin me down with a huge water stream.
«Mana Shield!» I shouted, completely absorbing his attack as I continued to run towards him. Unfortunately for Philemon, not only was I a better melee fighter than he was, but my mana reserves dwarfed his. I could simply shut down any attack he sent my way with brute force.
My new slash caught him on the shoulder, but I didn't manage to hit him too deep before he could fly away again. As he did, I immediately deactivated my boost spell and, concentrating all my mana, I shouted:
«Meteor!»
The giant fiery boulder was aimed at where he was about to land. This sudden switch from close combat to heavy duty magic would have caught many off guard, but Philemon was ready:
«Water Dome!» he shouted.
His huge water barrier was big enough to cover both him and Celeste, who was still intent on attacking Sophia. There was one problem though: he was now wide open.
Doublecasting a water shield on top of Sophia, I quickly dashed towards him, ready to pierce his flank. He knew that if he doublecasted an offensive spell to slow me, he would risk not fully stopping my Meteor and putting Celeste at risk.
It was checkmate.
Or so it seemed.
«Gravity Surge!»
I felt myself being brought to my knees, just like Sophia.
"You're just absurd..." I thought as I looked at Celeste through Philemon's pristine barrier.
Casting two Gravity Surges at the same time, one of which wandless, was something I wouldn't normally have thought possible.
«But I knew you could do it, you are so crazy Celeste,» I murmured with a smile.
Me and Sophia were not the only one that had gotten stronger. But, sadly for Celeste, she had played in my girlfriend's hand. The last piece had fallen into place: they were out of spells.
"It's now or never, you big idiot."
I didn't have to say it out loud. Sophia was already there, behind Celeste, her uniform torn and her body filled with countless small wounds. Her blade lightly touched her best friend's neck. As my Meteor collided with Philemon's defence, I heard Celeste say faintly:
«I yield...»
We had won. The duel had lasted only a couple of minutes. Celeste and Philemon had suffered a complete and utter defeat, even worse than the one they had inflicted on us.
As the aftermath of the clashing spells cleared, I quickly ran to Sophia and let her lean on my shoulder. Just looking at her filled me with anger.
«G-good job, I knew you could do it...» she muttered weakly.
«Shut up,» I scolded her bitterly.
Although we had won, I didn't feel happy at all. Perhaps I was even grumpier than the defeated party. Celeste, in fact, seemed far more dumbfounded than angry.
«W-what the hell just happened?» she asked, looking at Sophia as if she had seen a ghost.
«Elizabeth distracted you and I broke free of your spell. You are quite clumsy, aren't you?» Sophia gloated, «I hope you liked my plan. You were so focused on pinning me down that you didn't realise Elizabeth was going to run Philemon down. And when she pressured you into helping him, I knew you would give me an opening.»
«...I see...I was sure I had my spells under control...but geez, you are fast! I didn't even see you coming. And you are also out of your mind! What kind of idiot would think about taking all those spells in the face as part of a strategy?» Celeste commented. I could see that now that the shock had worn off, she was beginning to feel the irritation of defeat.
To lose because of her own blunder would burn deeply for a perfectionist like her.
But of course I knew that she hadn't actually made any mistakes. Her Gravity Surges were perfect. Sophia had escaped on her own, with a dangerous power she should have never used again after the previous time.
"...to think she practiced it in secret..." I thought, gritting my teeth as I looked at my girlfriend's battered but radiant face.
The power to tear through space. The power that had almost killed her during the battle.
"She tells me I should never use mine for any reason... and then does this shit for a stupid duel... AAAAH I want to scream at her!"
«Ahh... fuck it. Let's get these idiots to the infirmary,» Celeste said, clearly trying her best to hide her frustration.
I turned to see Philemon slowly getting to his feet. Before he could hide it behind his usual facade, I clearly understood from his expression that I wasn't the angriest person in the room after all.