The following morning, I barely slept. The symbol, the figure's words, and the lingering chill in the air replayed in my mind on an endless loop. Devin's rare silence after the encounter was even more unsettling. Something had shifted—not just in the world around us but between us as well.
By the time I reached the training hall, my body felt heavier than it had the day before, though the fatigue was more mental than physical. Devin was already there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his usual cocky grin dulled. Delight waved from across the room, her bright energy a stark contrast to the tension between Devin and me. Daniel stood nearby, his whip coiled at his side as he practiced small, precise flicks.
At the center of the room stood Mr. Sayo, his trademark grin already in place. Despite the serious tone he'd called us in with, he couldn't resist lightening the mood.
"Good, you're here," he said, clasping his hands together. "And mostly on time. Delight, tell me, how do you stay so radiant while the rest of them look like sleep-deprived zombies?"
Delight giggled. "Lots of water and positive vibes, Mr. Sayo!"
"See?" Mr. Sayo said, gesturing toward her as he paced. "This is why she's the favorite. Not that it's a competition—although if it were, Devin, you'd be in last place."
"Hey!" Devin protested, straightening up. "I'm literally always here early."
"True," Mr. Sayo replied, stroking his chin. "But you ruined your ranking with that energy drill last week. Style matters."
The room chuckled, even Daniel cracking a small smile. Despite his jokes, we all knew something serious was coming. Mr. Sayo's expression shifted, his tone lowering.
"Alright, let's get down to business. The time has come for the next phase of the contest," he said, standing tall. "From this point forward, the stakes are higher. One-on-one battles. No partners. No squad to back you up. Just you, your skills, and a whole lot of praying."
Delight raised her hand cautiously. "So, we'll be fighting… strangers?"
"Other contestants," Mr. Sayo confirmed. "These battles are designed to test everything—your instincts, your adaptability, and yes, your flair. You win, you gain points for your team. You lose…"
"We get nothing," Daniel said grimly, his whip coiling in his hand.
"Exactly," Mr. Sayo said. "And don't underestimate the impact. Each win stacks points for your squad's overall ranking. Each loss? Well, let's just say your team doesn't get ahead by doing nothing."
The weight of his words hung in the air, and I felt it settle in my chest.
"But don't look so grim," he added, smirking. "You've got a whole day to prepare. That's like… infinity in training hours. Unless you're Devin, in which case, it's just enough time to figure out which pose looks coolest when you win."
"Hey, my poses are important!" Devin shot back, the tension breaking slightly.
"Sure, buddy," Mr. Sayo replied, grinning. "Dismissed—except Devin. I need you to move the training dummies out back. Good strength training. And if you don't break at least two of them in the process, I'll be disappointed."
As we split off to train, the reality of what lay ahead began to sink in. Devin paired off with Daniel, the crack of the whip and Devin's energy blasts filling the room. Delight practiced creating new chimeras.
I found a quiet corner, focusing on controlling the energy in my palms. No matter how hard I tried, the cloaked figure's words kept echoing in my head.
"You don't understand what you are."
Across the room, Devin called out, "Hey, Bea! Stop daydreaming and come fight me. Unless you're scared."
I rolled my eyes, but a small grin tugged at my lips. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
"True," he said, walking toward me. "But I'm also the perfect sparring partner."
As I stepped onto the training floor, the weight of the contest, the encounter, and our squad's score loomed over me. But for now, all I could do was focus on the fight ahead. And I wasn't planning to lose.
The sparring ring crackled with tension as Devin and I squared off. Around us, Daniel and Delight had paused their training to watch, both looking intrigued. Devin, as usual, smirked confidently, twirling his staff in one hand.
"Ready to lose, Bea?" he taunted, his voice laced with mockery.
I didn't answer. My hair began to ripple, as if caught in an invisible breeze. It coiled and twisted like a living thing, ready to strike. Devin raised an eyebrow but didn't back down.
Without warning, I lunged. My hair lashed out, weaving through the air like a whip. Devin leapt back, narrowly dodging as the strands snapped toward him, their precision forcing him to retreat step by step.
"Whoa! You've been holding out on me," he said, grinning as he ducked under another attack.
My hair surged again, wrapping around his arms and pinning him in place. But Devin wasn't one to stay cornered for long. He jumped forward, his hands glowing with an intense white light. I barely had time to react before an orb of energy formed in his palm and zipped through the air.
The orb didn't aim for me. Instead, it zipped past, landing with a brilliant flash in front of Delight.
Startled, Delight stumbled back, her chimeric creation—an eagle-headed panther—fading from existence. The distraction worked, and Devin used the moment to wriggle free from my grasp.
"Cheap trick!" I shouted, turning toward him, the strands of my hair snapping back into formation.
"Effective, though!" he retorted, grinning.
I wasn't about to let him have the upper hand. I twisted my body, using my hair to strike at him again. This time, the strands coiled around his torso and lifted him off the ground.
"Hey, hey—whoa!" he yelled, flailing.
With a flick of my head, I slammed him to the ground. Then again. And again. The impact echoed through the room, and the others winced. Devin's groans only egged me on.
"Alright, Bea, we get it!" he coughed, but I wasn't done.
I hurled him upward, then brought him crashing down before launching him forward with enough force to make him skid across the floor. My hair morphed into fist-like shapes, pounding him with relentless precision.
Devin rolled to his feet, panting but defiant. Suddenly, his leg began to glow with the same intense light as his hands.
"What the—?" I muttered, caught off guard.
With explosive speed, Devin darted forward, his glowing leg a blur. He struck me with a kick that sent me flying across the room like a torpedo. My body hit the floor with a thud, the wind knocked out of me.
By the time I got to my feet, Devin was already smirking again. "Two glowing limbs, Bea. You've never seen this trick before."
I narrowed my eyes, brushing the dust off my clothes. "Impressive. Let's see how you handle this."
I activated my sub-ability, Hair Web. Thin, nearly invisible strands of my hair spread out across the room, weaving a delicate trap around Devin.
He moved to attack but stopped, realizing he was stuck. The web had ensnared his arms and legs, immobilizing him.
"Not bad," he admitted, straining against the strands. "But…"
His body flashed with light as he activated his sub-ability, Flash Bang. A brilliant burst of energy erupted from him, shattering the web and forcing me to shield my eyes.
When the light faded, Devin stood free, grinning triumphantly.
"Nice try, Bea. Got anything else?"
I smiled, my hair rippling in anticipation. "Oh, I've got one more trick up my sleeve."
I activated Tactile Imagery, my hair's most advanced ability. The strands began to move with eerie independence, executing complex strikes as if they had minds of their own.
Devin tried to dodge, but my hair anticipated his every move. Strands curled into fists, landing punch after punch. One struck his shoulder, another his side, and a third clipped his jaw.
"What the—?!" Devin staggered, clearly caught off guard.
I pressed my advantage, my hair attacking with a ferocity that matched my own. As I moved to punch, my hair mirrored the action, doubling the force of every strike. Devin stumbled under the barrage, his grin replaced by a look of determined focus.
"Alright," he muttered, wiping the corner of his mouth. "No more holding back."
His body erupted with light, both his arm and leg glowing now. With newfound speed, he lunged at me, his strikes sharper and faster. I braced myself.
Devin stepped back, his glowing limbs casting long, radiant shadows on the sparring floor. His eyes locked onto mine with a rare seriousness that sent a chill down my spine.
"Time to end this!" he shouted.
Devin raised his hands, forming a triangle with his fingers. The air around him seemed to ripple, and in the blink of an eye, a bright portal burst into existence between his hands. Its glow was blinding, a vortex of swirling energy that seemed alive with raw power.
Before I could react, the portal expanded and surged toward me.
"Devin, what are you—!" I managed to yell before the light swallowed me whole.
The world around me dissolved into blinding white. My vision burned, and an unbearable heat coursed through my body. It wasn't just physical—it was something deeper, like my very essence was being pulled apart and pieced back together in fragments. My knees buckled, and I collapsed, unable to fight the overwhelming surge.
When the light finally faded, I was lying flat on the training floor, gasping for breath. My body felt weak, my hair limp around me. Devin stood above me, his expression a mix of triumph and concern.
"That's a win for me," he said, though his voice lacked its usual smugness.
I glared at him, too exhausted to respond. He crouched down, reaching into his pocket, and pulled out a small vial of blue liquid—a healing lacer.
"Here," he said, handing it to me. "Drink this. You'll feel better in no time."
I took the vial reluctantly, the cool liquid soothing as it flowed through me. Slowly, the ache in my muscles began to fade, replaced by a faint warmth.
"Thanks," I muttered, sitting up.
Delight walked over, her chimera creations hovering nearby, their curious eyes locked on Devin. She crossed her arms, her expression equal parts impressed and suspicious.
"That portal… what was that?" she asked, tilting her head. "I've never seen you do anything like that before."
Devin smirked, standing tall. "It's my new sub-ability. I call it Chomp."
"Chomp?" Delight repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Devin said with a grin. "It's like a big energy bite. Perfect for overwhelming my opponents when I'm ready to finish the fight. Bea just happened to be the first test subject."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a small smile. "Next time, warn a girl before you send her into another dimension, would you?"
"Where's the fun in that?" he replied, flashing his usual cocky grin.
The sparring session ended with a buzz of anticipation in the air. The others began packing up their gear, but my mind lingered on the contest ahead. Devin's abilities had evolved, and I couldn't ignore the challenge they posed—or the fact that I'd need to step up my own game.
As we left the training hall, the tension between us had softened into something lighter. Even with the bruises and burns, I felt more determined than ever.