Alexander barely dodged the relentless barrage of water magic coming from the other side, his movements frantic as jets of water narrowly missed him.
His opponent was fast, skilled, and not giving him any room to breathe. In an instant, countless flying swords, shimmering with the liquid brilliance of water, materialized in the air around him, each one aimed directly at him.
"Wait!..." Alexander shouted, panic rising in his voice. His hands moved in a blur as he hastily chanted a protective spell. A transparent magic barrier shimmered into existence in front of him, an shield he meant to deflect the incoming attack.
But it wasn't enough.
The flying swords, sharp and lethal, sliced through the barrier as though it were paper. Alexander's eyes widened in disbelief as one of the swords shot straight through and pierced his left foot. He gasped as pain erupted through his leg, and the force of the impact shattered the ground beneath him, leaving cracks where the sword had struck.
Alexander glanced down at his injured foot, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. He swallowed hard, trying to steady himself, but his heart was pounding too fast.
Before he could react, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger. Quickly, he turned his head and saw them—more than a dozen flying swords hovering just inches away from him, their sharp, watery edges glistening in the light, poised to strike.
"It's over," he whispered to himself.
...
"Shit..." he woke up in shock and muttered, wiping his forehead with a trembling hand. His heart was still pounding, the final attack still fresh in his mind. He rubbed his temples, trying to push the memory of the sharp, shimmering blades out of his head.
Lira, who had been watching from the sidelines, approached him with a concerned expression. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice soft, tilting her head slightly. "Are you still coming? Or do you want to take a break?"
Alexander nodded, though the tension in his body told a different story. "I'm fine."
"I told you not to pick such a difficult level right from the start," Lira chided lightly, an amusement in her tone.
Today, she looked especially radiant and graceful. Her French retro silk dress clung delicately to her figure, the smooth fabric catching the dim light of the training room. The cut of the neckline emphasized her collarbone, the elegant lines drawing Alexander's gaze despite the intensity of the training. The soft sway of her skirt as she moved made her look effortlessly graceful, like a figure out of an old painting.
Distracted by the sight of her, the charming clavicle line, he gently pulled his head closer to her neck, leaning in as if to kiss her neck. The kiss was soft, but brief. Lira didn't resist, though she quickly raised a playful finger to his lips, halting him before he could go further.
"Not now, dear," she teased, her voice soft but teasing. "There's still work to be done. And don't forget, the duel is tomorrow."
Alexander sighed, leaning back and shrugging in mock defeat. "Fine, fine," he muttered, and adjusted his position, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the training room and resuming his meditative stance. "I suppose I'll behave... for next."
Lira chuckled softly, amused by his antics. She stood nearby, watching as he closed his eyes and entered the training mode once more.
The magic training room was a marvel of magical engineering. Designed to improve a student's combat experience and magical abilities, it was capable of simulating real combat scenarios with incredible accuracy.
These scenarios were meant to push the limits of the participants, training them for the intense battles they might one day face. The room itself was divided into thirty levels, each progressively more difficult than the last. Each level had a guardian, a figure of immense magical power drawn from the best of the academy's alumni, or sometimes even powerful illusions of legendary figures from the academy's history.
Every level was further divided into three subcategories—A, B, and C—with level A being the most challenging. The beauty of the training room, however, was that it allowed challengers to push themselves to their very limits without the fear of permanent injury. Death was not a concern here, and participants could challenge each level repeatedly, refining their skills without real-world consequences.
If a challenger was particularly successful and defeated a guardian at the A-level, the guardian would be replaced by a magic shadow of the challenger themselves. This shadow would then serve as the guardian for future challengers, a true testament to their mastery. It was a badge of honor among students, and many sought to leave their mark on the training room.
Therefore, it is very popular among students. Just because of Mistress Seraphine's special approval, he had the access to this room, which something many students only dreamed of.
Out of arrogance to master his dark power successfully, he had chosen level A without fully understanding the difficulty level. And there is another reason that Alexander knew that if he didn't push himself now, in the duel tomorrow he might not be prepared when it mattered most. If he couldn't even pass the first level in this training, how was he going to face Roderick tomorrow?
With a deep breath, Alexander entered the training mode once again. The space around him shifted, the familiar sensation of magic swirling in the air as he was transported back into the virtual battleground. He opened his eyes and found himself in the same empty space, a small platform suspended over a vast body of water, standing face-to-face with the guardian once more. The water reflected the dark sky above, the surface calm but deceptive.
She wore the traditional blue robes of House Aqua, her glasses perched neatly on her nose, giving her an air of quiet intelligence. The woman from House Aqua, calm and composed, and was relentless, wielding magic with such fluidity and precision that Alexander barely had time to react in the first three times. He had also underestimated the sharpness of the water blades, and the speed at which they could break through his barriers.
As the space around Alexander stabilized, the guardian's eyes opened, and in an instant, her gaze locked onto him. The guardian's eyes were hollow, devoid of emotion or life.
Without a word, the guardian shifted slightly, raising one arm as a swirling torrent of water began to form around it, twisting around her like a living serpent. Alexander, recognizing the pattern, quickly summoned a fireball into his hand, the orange glow illuminating his face as he locked eyes with his opponent. The magic crackling between them like a storm about to break.
In an instant, they both attacked. Alexander hurled his fireball at the guardian, crackling as it cut through the air, a brilliant arc of orange and red, while the water that had been swirling around the guardian shot forward in a solid stream, meeting the fireball head-on.