"What are you staring at, Porter?" Coralina asked, her gaze fixed on the street.
"I must say, Miss Álvarez," Porter began diplomatically, "what you've accomplished at your age is impressive. You're barely nineteen, correct?"
"Surprised, Major? Haven't you already read my file? Though… I don't blame you. My talent tends to overshadow the numbers on the page."
"That's true, your reputation speaks for itself. Though I must admit, with three children in the academy, it's hard not to make comparisons. Emily, my eldest, is the same age as you. And my two sons aren't far behind. Good kids… though with much to learn."
Coralina raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the shift in the conversation. "Three children in the magic academy? I imagine you must be proud. Though if they're like you, I bet they're more interested in following orders than breaking them."
"Perhaps Emily, my daughter. But my sons… well, let's just say Thomas has a lot of talent, though he's a bit… stubborn. And Peter, my youngest, is more interested in books than magical duels."
"So, what do you expect me to do with that information, Major? Are you asking me to be a good influence?"
"Actually," Porter said, settling into his seat, "I was hoping you'd consider something more serious."
"Go on."
"Miss Álvarez… Your family owns valuable lands and mines in Mexico, correct? I wonder if you've ever considered collaborating with us beyond the battlefield. For example, establishing a railway line near your properties. It would benefit both countries."
"So not only are you trying to marry me off, but you're also asking me to educate him. Well, Porter, you should have apologized before you opened your mouth."
"Then I will. In advance, I apologize for any… inappropriate behavior from Thomas. He can be a bit arrogant."
"Arrogant. My favorite kind." Coralina smiled theatrically, before turning her gaze to the window. "Well, Major, let's see if your son can survive five minutes with me without exploding."
When they arrived at the magic institute, Porter led Coralina toward the library, where he said they would find his youngest son.
A thin young man with round glasses and slightly disheveled brown hair was hunched over a book, so absorbed he didn't notice their arrival. Porter cleared his throat, and the boy looked up abruptly, adjusting his glasses as he stared at Coralina.
"Peter," said Porter, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "This is Coralina Álvarez de Castilla. Ixchel, of the Sixth Peninsular Regiment. Miss Álvarez, my youngest son."
He stood quickly, stumbling slightly against the chair. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you, miss."
He lacked the presence of a soldier or the confidence of an experienced mage.
"Ah," Samuel blurted, his cheeks growing red. "You don't *look* Mexican…"
Coralina's smile froze for an instant. "Save your comments, kid. Your father has already made enough inappropriate suggestions today."
"Apologies, Miss Álvarez. Peter is more… direct than he should be."
"I know," Coralina replied, not taking her eyes off the young man. "But that doesn't mean he can't learn manners. Now, where's your brother?"
They headed to the training area. Coralina walked beside Porter, while Peter followed closely, keeping up with his father's firm pace and Coralina's carefree yet decisive stride.
They entered the magical coliseum, and her right eye, normally dark, gleamed for a moment with a crimson flash—a magical cross appearing over her pupil.
"Interesting."
"What is it, Miss Álvarez?"
"There's great power in this room—over in the corner. The one fighting right now."
At the center of the hall, several students were engaged in practice duels. In the middle stood a tall young man with light brown hair and green eyes, holding a wand glowing with a brilliant blue aura.
Thomas Porter, the secretary's eldest son, was fighting two opponents simultaneously, his magic dominating the arena.
Thomas cast a wind spell that swept one opponent out of the ring, and a second later, conjured a barrier to repel the attack of the other.
"Not bad," she commented. "For someone without real combat experience."
"What do you mean?" Porter asked.
Coralina gestured toward the dueling circle. "It's impressive, yes. But he uses too much mana for basic spells. Look at that."
Thomas summoned a fireball the size of a barrel and hurled it toward his last opponent. The hit was devastating, but Coralina clicked her tongue.
"It's like hammering a nail with a giant mallet," she explained. "Sure, it works, but you get tired faster and lose precision. With a smaller hammer, you'd achieve the same thing, faster, and save your strength for the next blow. Thomas wins through brute force, not technique."
Peter, who had been listening intently, frowned. "How can you know all that just by watching?"
"Experience," she replied.
Thomas turned toward his final standing opponent: a young woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes.
"And her—who is she?"
"Claire Bennett," Porter replied. "One of our best students, though she doesn't have as much mana as Thomas."
Every spell she cast was precise and measured, with impeccable control that Thomas couldn't match.
"Now *that* is control," Coralina said, pointing at Claire. "She doesn't have much mana, but she uses it masterfully. If Thomas learned something from her, he'd be unstoppable."
"Do you have combat experience, Miss Álvarez?" Peter said.
"Ask your father."
"Miss Álvarez is... a prodigy in combat. She has fought in Italy, Denmark, and defeated some of the most formidable mages in Europe."
Prodigy? He was just good at runic mathematics, a field rarely recognized as exciting or heroic.
"That's incredible," though his tone betrayed his envy.
"Jealous, little Porter?"
Peter flushed deeply. "N-No. I just... don't understand how someone can see all that from such a short duel."
Coralina straightened and let out a light laugh. "It's a matter of observation. If I can analyze your brother just by watching, imagine what I could do with one of your magical creations."
"My creations? What kind of analysis could you do? How do you even know about them?"
If she could dissect a battle in seconds, what would she say about his inventions? The idea thrilled him, and for the first time, he wanted to impress someone beyond his professors—and especially a girl who seemed genuinely interested in him.
Thomas ended the match with a dramatic flourish, raising his wand as his opponent conceded. A satisfied grin spread across his face, and as his father called him over, he approached the group with a confidence bordering on arrogance. The moment his eyes landed on Coralina, his attitude shifted entirely.
"Well, well," said Thomas, tilting his head slightly as he let his gaze sweep over Coralina from head to toe. "And who's this young lady? Come to learn a trick or two from the best?"
Coralina crossed her arms, letting a lazy smile play on her lips. "Like father, like son," she murmured, loud enough for Porter to hear.
The elder Porter ran a hand over his face, clearly embarrassed. "Thomas, behave yourself. She's our guest."
Peter readjusted his glasses and hid his reddened face behind a book. "You should show more respect."
Thomas's surprise was evident. He looked at his younger brother as if he had just heard him speak in a foreign language.
Then, his expression hardened, and his tone turned mocking. "And who let the bookworm in here? Since when do library mice give orders?"
Samuel clenched his fists.
"Enough, both of you!"
Porter's authoritative tone silenced them, though not before catching the attention of the other students in the room. Training ceased, and all eyes turned toward them, an uncomfortable silence settling over the hall.
Coralina smiled wryly, clearly amused by the scene. Porter raised his voice to address the students.
"Listen up, all of you. Let me introduce Coralina Álvarez de Castilla, known as Ixchel. She is the leader of the Sixth Peninsular Regiment, an elite unit of the Union's magical army."
Murmurs rippled through the students as they whispered her name. Who is she? Never heard of her. That name doesn't sound English.
Coralina raised her voice. "President Lincoln gave me a task. He asked me to bring every one of you back alive from the battlefield. And believe me, I don't like to fail."
There was a moment of silence, but Coralina didn't let it linger. In a firmer voice, she commanded, "Formation!"
The students exchanged bewildered looks, hesitating before moving. One by one, they began to shuffle into position, eventually forming six columns of five students each.
Coralina walked among them, assessing.
At that moment, an older woman with white hair tied in a bun and a staff adorned with engraved runes stepped forward from the back of the hall. She wore the academy's formal uniform.
"Miss Álvarez," the woman said. "I am the instructor in charge of these students, Professor Margaret Carter. I recognize your face."
"Oh, really? From where?"
Carter smiled a hint of nostalgia in her expression. "From your mother. I fought against her during the U.S. occupation. My rival."
"That explains a lot. My mother always spoke of a North American sorceress who gave her trouble. I had no idea it was you."
"Ah, yes. Those were different times, days of glory. Though now, well, I'm closer to retirement than returning to the battlefield."
"If I may be so bold, Professor Carter, my mother always said... What happened?"
"The years happened, Miss Álvarez. But if you're interested, perhaps we could have a friendly duel before I hang up my staff. I'd like to relive those days one last time."
"Professor Carter, it would be an honor. Though I hope you won't mind if I don't hold back."
The elderly woman nodded, a spark in her eyes that defied her age. "I wouldn't expect you to."
"This will be emotional," murmured Thomas, while his younger brother shot him a warning look.
"Just keep your mouth shut this time," Peter said quietly.
Standing in the center of the training hall, Coralina allowed the students' and Professor Carter's attention to settle on her.
Carter crossed her arms, leaning slightly on her staff.
"I must admit, Miss Álvarez," Carter said in a softer tone, "now I see the resemblance.
That stance, that confidence… But tell me, where is your mother? Why isn't she leading this mission?"
"My mother kicked the bucket five years ago. She had her heart ripped out on the front lines."
Carter let out a deep sigh. "What a waste. That woman was a force of nature. I still remember the days we clashed... And Chapultepec Castle..."
The Siege of Chapultepec Castle
"The year was 1830," Carter began.
"The American forces were at their peak, advancing toward Mexico City. I was young then, one of the best magical duelists in the army. They sent us to Chapultepec Castle, where Mexico's Military Academy of Magic was located, to ensure the cadets couldn't become reinforcements."
Coralina smiled faintly but didn't interrupt. She knew the professor was piecing together a story that was both a glory and a wound.
"I remember the chaos of that day," Carter continued. "The castle was ablaze as we advanced, fighting the cadets and their instructors. But in the main garden, amidst the flames and screams, I saw someone who changed my understanding of what it meant to be a true mage."
"Your mother was there. She wore a black cape with Mexico's war emblem embroidered in red and gold, and carried a sword. But the most impressive thing wasn't her weapon or her uniform. It was her. Her presence."
"Presence? What do you mean?"
Carter gave a faint smile. "She had a composure that didn't belong in that place. While bullets and spells flew around her, she stood firm, with the students behind her. She shielded them like a living barrier. That gaze... I'll never forget it. It was calm but not desperate. She had everything under control, even as the castle crumbled."
"That was when we faced each other. I was leading a squad of magicians, and our spells were powerful, designed to break through magical defenses. But she… she wielded antimagic."
The students murmured among themselves, surprised.
"Antimagic," Carter continued, "is rare to see. Its power isn't in destruction but in neutralization. Every spell we cast vanished before reaching her, absorbed by that black energy."
"And the sword," Coralina said, slightly raising the weapon at her side. "It was this one, wasn't it?"
"Exactly. A sword bathed in the blood of Jesus. When our weapons clashed, it felt like fighting an abyss. But do you know what I admired most about your mother?"
Coralina tilted her head, waiting for the answer.
"Her control," Carter said, her tone filled with genuine admiration. "She had the power to crush us all, but she always used it with surgical precision. Never an extra movement, never an unnecessary strike. She could have killed me that day, but she didn't. She disarmed me and let me decide whether to retreat or face her again."
Carter let out a brief laugh. "Of course, I retreated. I knew when I was beaten. But that duel… it was the most humiliating and inspiring moment of my life. From that day forward, I dedicated myself to teaching, ensuring that other young magicians could reach that level."
"Well, it seems she made an impression. My mother had that ability, you know? To make people unable to forget her."
Carter nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on Coralina. "And I see you're not so different. But I wonder, are you willing to show these students what you can really do?"
"Professor Carter, there's no better way to teach than through action."
They measured each other's strength—a young woman holding the promise of the future and a veteran carrying the weight of experience.
"I hope you don't hold a grudge when this is over," Coralina said.
Striking the ground with her rune-covered staff, Carter replied, "I hope you don't underestimate an old woman, child. I don't play halfway."
Coralina activated her eyes. In both pupils, the shape of two interlocking stars appeared, glowing with a crimson light that made the students take a step back.
"Well, that's new," Thomas murmured.
Professor Carter raised her staff, and translucent cubes began to emerge from the ground, like fragments of puzzle moving in all directions.
The edges of the cubes tore through space-time, leaving black lines and distortions behind them. Each cube floated, moving in a complex pattern, surrounding her with a barrier that defied reality.
"Temporal Void Cubes," Carter comments. "An advanced military technique. Let's see how good you are, Ixchel."
Coralina swung her sword in a horizontal slash, but when the blade's dark energy reached the cubes, it froze in midair, motionless. Time itself had stopped. She attempted a second attack, then a third, but each strike stalled mere inches from the cubes.
Carter smirked. "Your strength is impressive, but you can't break a barrier that halts the flow of time."
Coralina didn't respond. Instead, she raised her open hand, and the cubes vibrated. Professor Carter froze. She recognized that stance.
"That technique…" Carter whispered, gripping her staff tightly.
Coralina slowly closed her fingers, and in that moment, the cubes started to disappear, absorbed by the same darkness swirling around her sword. It was as if the time contained within the cubes was being devoured, dragged into the void.
Carter took a step back, and experienced unease.
"Your mother did exactly that," Carter said softly, almost in a whisper. "At Chapultepec."
The space between Coralina and Carter suddenly expanded. Coralina's figure became a blurry dot in the distance as darkness closed in—a relentless shadow consuming everything. It was antimagic, an abyss.
Carter raised her staff, reciting words in Spanish.
The room filled with a brilliant flash. Carter had created a special spell, one designed specifically to counter antimagic.
The space in front of Carter collapsed inward, creating a wormhole that bridged the distance instantly. With a swift motion, the spell's energy emerged on the other side. The darkness was pierced, and the attack struck Coralina's left arm.
Coralina looked down at the wound on her arm, blood dripping slowly to the ground. She gritted her teeth, but not from pain—she was exhilarated. It was rare for anyone to harm her in a duel.
"That spell," she said, raising her gaze toward Professor Carter. "What did you call it?"
Carter, still slightly winded, straightened her posture. "I called it… in honor of your mother. It was the only thing I could create to face her power back then. And it seems it's still useful."
Wiping the blood with the back of her hand. "Well, Professor. What an honor for my mother. But if you really want to measure her legacy…"
"Then I'll show you what she did that day in Mexico City," Coralina said.
The Day Mexico Stood Still
"They had taken Chapultepec, killed most of the cadets and mages defending the city. They were just one street away from the National Palace, ready to seize it. But she stood in their way."
Carter closed her eyes for a moment, reliving that day. "One woman against an entire army…"
"That's right. She didn't have a battalion or a legion. Just her sword, her antimagic, and that look. She stood in front of them, a single woman, and gave them an ultimatum: 'BEAUTY IS NOT IN DESTRUCTION.'"
"And then," Coralina continued, her voice lower, "she used this."
She raised both hands.
The edges of everything blurred as if being pulled into an invisible force. The ground trembled slightly, and darkness spread from Coralina's feet, consuming the light around her.
"Total Eclipse," Carter said softly, instantly recognizing the spell.
"Exactly," Coralina confirmed. "The spell my mother used to stop the army in Mexico City. She absorbed all the magic around her, neutralized every spell, every cannon shot, and left them motionless. But that's not what stopped them."
Professor Carter felt the same infinite remoteness she had experienced before, but this time it was stronger, more overwhelming. Coralina became a blurry point in the distance, and the sensation of emptiness was so intense.
"They saw what she was capable of and understood they couldn't win. My mother didn't fight with brute strength. She fought with fear. And now, Professor, I'd like you to show me how you plan to stop this."
"Your mother was remarkable, Coralina. But that was another era. Another war."
Carter raised her staff, chanting words in an ancient language. The air before her split in two, creating a black portal pulsating with energy. It was her personal spell, Black Star Álvarez, designed specifically to counter Total Eclipse.
The black portal launched by Carter streaked through the room like lightning, moving faster than the eye could follow. Coralina reacted too late.
The impact struck her squarely in the chest, sending her flying backward with devastating force. Coralina crashed through the building's walls as if they were paper, shattering bricks and wood, until her body was flung into the nearby forest. Her trajectory tore through branches and trees, leaving a trail of destruction before she finally landed heavily on the ground, rolling to a stop.
A deathly silence fell over the training hall. The students stared, slack-jawed, unable to believe that Coralina, who had until now shown absolute dominance, had been so brutally taken down. Carter lowered her staff, her face serious and her breathing labored.
"It's a complex spell," she said quietly, though no one seemed to hear her. "But non-lethal. I just wanted to teach her a lesson."
Thomas let out a low whistle. "A lesson, she says… I think you killed her."
"She's not dead!" Peter exclaimed, his face pale as he stared at the massive hole in the wall.
Coralina lay on the ground, her body drenched in blood. She could feel the dampness of the earth beneath her hands and the metallic taste in her mouth, but instead of fear or pain, there was only a crooked smile on her lips.
"That was… impressive," she muttered, slowly pushing herself up.
The impact had shredded part of her uniform, leaving deep cuts on her torso and arms. Her sword lay a few meters away, partially buried in the earth.
"A magnificent spell… a work of art in itself," she said aloud, letting the forest's shadows gather around her.
She raised a hand and absorbed the surrounding darkness, letting the unnatural energy flow through her body.
"Professor Carter," she murmured to herself as she retrieved her sword, "you deserve more credit than I expected."