Lucian and Amara stood in silence as the breeze drifted through the trees, rustling leaves in the stillness. Amara looked at him, her face a mixture of confusion and concern. Lucian quickly tried to reassure her.
"I don't mean a real fight," he said. "I just want a friendly little spar."
"Even if it's just a spar, it's risky," Amara replied, her worry evident. "If you get hurt, your parents would never forgive me and neither will i be able to forgive myself."
"I just want to compare my power to yours in an actual fight," Lucian insisted, his eyes pleading. "We just have to be careful, and I won't get hurt."
"Even so… I'm not sure," Amara said, hesitating.
"Please, just this once," he begged, pressing his palms together.
Amara sighed, crossing her arms. "This is such a bad idea… but fine. Just this once. And no one else can ever know. Got it?"
"No one will find out. I swear on your life!" Lucian said, placing a hand over his heart.
"My life?" she repeated, shocked. "Shouldn't you swear on your life?"
"Well, you're the big sister, so you're responsible for your little brother's actions," Lucian said with a smirk.
"You little troublemaker." she muttered, shaking her head. "Let's get this spar over with, I have to head back to the academy."
"Today? Can't you stay for even one day?" Lucian asked, disappointed.
"I'm on a six-day leave, and it took three days to get here. I have to head back now to make it in time, and I still have work to do on the way back." Amara's expression softened with regret.
"Then let's make this spar memorable, so you have something to remember at the academy." Lucian grinned, his tone encouraging.
Amara's expression brightened. "All right, but remember, no risky moves that could get you injured." she warned, moving to the opposite side of the field.
Lucian took his place, stretching and cracking his knuckles. "Got it. No getting hurt." he replied, giving her a thumbs-up.
Amara waved her hand, causing a small pebble to float midair. "When the pebble touches the ground, the spar begins. I'll decide when it ends."
"Understood!" Lucian called out, focusing intently on the pebble. He knew he couldn't win, but he was determined to face Amara's power head-on, just this once.
As a gust of hot wind blew through the trees, Amara closed her hand, and the pebble fell. In an instant, the ground rose beneath Lucian, lifting him up. Struggling to keep his footing, he was struck by a wave of dust and stumbled, nearly falling, but he quickly launched a gust of wind to slow his descent and managed to land on his feet, stunned.
'What just happened?' Lucian thought, regaining his focus. He looked at Amara, who stood with her arms crossed, unmoving.
"So, you have the wind element, huh? I always knew our Lucian would be special." Amara's tone was unreadable, leaving Lucian unsure if she was teasing or praising him.
"I couldn't even react, my mind's still spinning," he admitted.
"If you're distracted by anything other than your opponent in a fight, you'll lose, no matter how strong you are." she said. "I wanted to show you the level you need to reach to even call yourself a sorcerer."
Seeing her power only fueled Lucian's resolve. "Not only will I reach your level, I'll surpass you." he said confidently.
"Then why don't you try to land a hit on me? If you do, I'll write a recommendation letter for your admission to the academy."
"Just one hit?"
"Yes, and the spar ends when all the sand runs out of this hourglass." A massive hourglass appeared on a nearby boulder. "I promise not to move a muscle or attack, I'll only defend." Amara's voice took on a slightly taunting edge.
'She's trying to pump me up.' Lucian thought. 'She probably wants me to land a hit as much as I do.'
"Fine, but don't blame me if you get hurt." he replied, grinning.
As soon as Lucian spoke, the hourglass flipped, and the timer began.
Amara stood motionless, arms crossed, as Lucian gathered his focus. He quickly began circling her, thinking through his plan.
"Are you trying to make me dizzy?" Amara asked, amused.
"Think what you like." Lucian smirked, keeping his plan to himself.
He began launching small bursts of wind toward her, which she easily blocked by raising nearby rocks to shield herself. Lucian kept circling her, his attacks relentless, while Amara's curiosity grew.
"You're only tiring yourself out if you keep this up," she said, both intrigued and puzzled by his strategy.
Lucian stayed silent, fully concentrated. Nearly half the sand had fallen, and Amara wondered what he could accomplish with so little time.
Suddenly, Lucian cast a massive fireball, the largest he could muster, and hurled it at her. Amara's eyes widened, surprised to see he had two elements. She raised an earth shield, but just as the fireball approached, Lucian cast a powerful wind burst. The wind collided with the fireball, creating a towering wall of flames that briefly obscured her view.
Before Amara could react, Lucian leaped through the fiery wall and launched another powerful wind burst. Amara raised a shield to defend, but it was too late, the attack landed.
"And that's a hit." Lucian declared, landing back on the ground with a triumphant smile.