Before I could even process what had just happened, a voice echoed through the Trial grounds.
"Enough stalling, ladies." Ms. Liora's smooth, slightly amused voice rang through the air as she stepped into view. "You may have cleared the first part, but let me remind you—you're nowhere near finished."
Tessa groaned, clearly relieved to be saved from the madness. "Finally, some authority in this place."
Diana smirked at her. "Aw, were you getting overwhelmed, dear Tessa?"
Tessa shot her a flat look. "By you? No. By the sheer amount of nonsense going on? Absolutely."
Ms. Liora clapped her hands once, drawing our attention. "The next segment will be far different from what you've faced so far. This is where we separate those who can simply fight from those who can truly think on their feet."
I exchanged glances with Lillian, who simply gave me a small, knowing smile.
Great. That meant one thing.
A strategy test.
Claire groaned. "Ugh, you mean we actually have to use our brains for this one?"
Camille chuckled. "Careful, Claire. Wouldn't want your head to explode from the effort."
Claire gasped dramatically. "How dare you?! My brain is amazing. I just prefer fun." She winked at me, and I knew that somehow, I was going to suffer for this.
Ms. Liora continued, unbothered. "The six of you will be split into two teams. Each team will be given a scenario that requires more than just brute force to solve."
My stomach dropped. I had a feeling about this.
Sure enough.
"Sera Vandren. You'll be leading one team."
I blinked. "Wait, what?"
Liora's lips curved slightly. "You heard me. You will take charge of one group."
Diana laughed. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
"And the leader of the other team…" Ms. Liora turned her sharp gaze to Lillian. "You."
The moment she said it, I felt Lillian's hand tighten slightly on my waist before she let go completely, stepping forward.
I turned to her, feeling the shift between us.
Something dangerous.
Something competitive.
I narrowed my eyes. "So, we're against each other, huh?"
Lillian smiled, slow and deliberate. "It appears so."
Oh.
Oh, this was bad.
Because if there was one person I wasn't sure I could outplay—
It was Lillian Aurora.
I swallowed hard.
This was going to be a problem.
Because Lillian wasn't just smart. She was brilliant. Calculated, graceful, and always three steps ahead. If anyone could manipulate the battlefield in her favor, it was her.
And now, I had to outmaneuver her.
Lillian tilted her head, her gaze never leaving mine. "Try to keep up, Sera."
Oh. Oh, I hated how much I liked the way she said that.
I turned to Ms. Liora, forcing myself to focus. "Alright. How do we decide teams?"
Ms. Liora's smirk was small but noticeable. "You don't. The teams have already been chosen."
I had a bad feeling about this.
"The first team, under Sera Vandren: Claire Clovis and Tessa Vale."
I let out a slow breath. Alright. Claire was quick on her feet, adaptable, and had a way of making things happen, even in the most ridiculous situations. Tessa, on the other hand, was brilliant when it came to magic, and even though she acted detached, she was fiercely dependable.
I could work with this.
"And the second team, under Lillian Aurora: Camille Winters and Diana Hayes."
I internally groaned.
Fantastic.
Lillian got Camille, who was an actual prodigy in ice magic, as well as Diana, whose tactical mind was just as terrifying as Lillian's.
It was a perfect combination. A balance of power and strategy.
I barely had time to process it before Ms. Liora continued. "Your goal is to outmaneuver the opposing team. This will not be a simple battle of strength. It will be a game of strategy, deception, and adaptability. You will win only if you find a way to overcome your enemies without brute force."
I turned to Lillian again.
Her smile was dangerous. "Looks like we'll be testing each other in more ways than one."
Oh, I was in so much trouble.
Claire clapped her hands. "So what you're saying is, we have to be sneaky and outsmart them before they outsmart us?"
Tessa sighed. "Which means not just running in headfirst."
Claire gasped. "Rude. I always think before I act."
Tessa raised an eyebrow. "That time you decided to break into the cafeteria at midnight to steal snacks?"
"That was a strategic food raid, thank you very much."
Ms. Liora, completely ignoring our nonsense, continued, "Your battleground is the next chamber. Once you enter, you will not be able to communicate with the opposing team directly. Your objective is to retrieve the emblem hidden in the field before the other team does. The first team to acquire it and hold onto it for three minutes wins."
She turned to me. "Sera, as a leader, you are responsible for directing your team's movements. The same goes for Lillian."
Lillian's lips curved. "Understood."
I knew she was already planning ten different strategies.
Ms. Liora took a step back. "Prepare yourselves. The trial begins now."
And just like that—
The doors opened.
The battlefield lay ahead, covered in mist, the terrain uneven, shadows stretching in ways that made visibility difficult.
A perfect playing field for deception.
Lillian turned to me one last time, her voice quiet enough for only me to hear.
"I hope you're ready, Sera."
The second we stepped onto the battlefield, mist curled around us like ghostly fingers, twisting and distorting the terrain. Visibility was minimal, the uneven ground treacherous beneath our feet. Everything about this trial was designed to disorient, to challenge not just our strength, but our strategy.
I turned to my team. "Alright. We need a plan."
Claire cracked her knuckles. "Oh, I've got a plan."
Tessa sighed. "No, you don't."
"I do!"
"No, you're improvising."
I exhaled. "Okay, new plan. Let's actually think this through before Diana, Lillian, and Camille wipe the floor with us."
Claire groaned dramatically. "Ugh. Fine. But if things go south, I'm totally improvising."
Tessa ignored her and looked at me. "What do we know?"
I tapped my chin, thinking. "The emblem is hidden somewhere within the field, and we have to retrieve it while keeping the other team from taking it. But knowing Diana, she's already planned out five different ways to win before we even stepped onto the field."
Claire whistled. "Great. So what's the counter?"
Tessa crossed her arms. "We use the terrain. If they expect us to go forward, we take the longer route, cut around, and ambush them."
Claire's eyes gleamed. "Or we steal their plans and use them against them!"
I considered both ideas, then another thought struck me.
"What if," I said slowly, "we make them think they're winning?"
Claire leaned in, intrigued. "Ooooh, go on."
Tessa frowned, arms still crossed. "Explain."
I crouched, drawing a rough battlefield layout in the dirt. "Diana thinks three steps ahead. She'll assume we'll avoid them at all costs, so she'll send Lillian or Camille to track us down while she waits in the shadows for the real attack."
Tessa nodded. "That sounds right."
"So we play into that. We make them believe they're leading us into a trap—except it'll be our trap instead."
Claire grinned. "I love it."
Tessa arched an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"We let them steal the emblem."
Tessa stiffened. "That's insane."
Claire whistled. "That's brilliant."
I smirked. "Not the real emblem, of course—Claire can make an ice replica. If we stage it just right, they'll be so focused on stealing it, they won't notice the real one slipping right past them."
Tessa exhaled sharply. "Risky."
Claire winked. "[Frostweave.] I can make something good enough to fool them for a while."
"Then let's make sure they fall for it," I said.
We split up. Tessa moved to locate the real emblem, Claire focused on creating the fake one, and I stood watch, scanning the mist for any movement. The battlefield was eerily silent—too silent.
And then—
A shift in the air.
A trap.
I turned sharply, but before I could react, a force slammed into me—a powerful gust of wind slicing through the mist, clearing it for just a moment.
And standing there—like she had been waiting for me all along—was Diana.
Her golden hair swayed in the breeze, emerald eyes gleaming with calculated amusement. Unlike Lillian, who fought with confidence and instinct, Diana fought with strategy. She wasn't testing me—she had already anticipated this moment.
"Took you long enough," Diana mused. "I was wondering when you'd figure out the trap."
I straightened, feigning confidence. "Oh, I figured it out. I just played along."
Diana smirked. "Mm. Is that so?"
She flicked her wrist—her rapier gliding effortlessly into position. "Then show me, Sera. Show me how you plan to win."
Diana was fast. Too fast. But I was stronger.
Her rapier glinted as it sliced through the air, aiming for my side. I anticipated it, twisting just enough to let the blade skim past me, narrowly missing my ribs. She was quick, but her style was built on precision—on exploiting weaknesses.
Unfortunately for her, I wasn't leaving any.
I stepped into her range, closing the distance before she could retreat. My dagger flashed upward, and for the first time, Diana hesitated.
She managed to block, but the force sent her skidding backward. Her eyes widened slightly, breath coming quicker now.
"You're holding back." I smirked. "I thought you wanted a real fight."
Diana chuckled, rolling her shoulders as if to shake off the hit. "I did. But now I regret it."
"Too late."
I dashed forward, pressing the attack. My movements were sharper, faster than before. Instinct guided me—Sera Vandren's memories of combat merging seamlessly with my own training. She had mastered this long ago. And now, so had I.
Diana was forced to dodge, barely keeping up. I could see the realization dawn in her eyes—this wasn't the same Sera Vandren she had toyed with before.
She lunged, trying to regain control, but I anticipated it.
I sidestepped at the last second, her momentum carrying her past me. In that fraction of a second, I pivoted, using the blunt end of my dagger to hook her wrist, throwing off her balance.
Her feet barely touched the ground before I struck.
I swept her legs out from under her, using a burst of ice magic to speed up the movement. Before she could recover, I was already pinning her down, my dagger pressed against her throat.
Diana stilled.
I could hear her breath, uneven but steady, feel the heat radiating from her as she blinked up at me.
Then, to my utter frustration—she grinned.
"I knew it."
I raised an eyebrow, not lowering my weapon. "Knew what?"
"That I wanted you to pin me down."
I choked.
No. Nope. Not happening.
I pressed the blade a little closer, narrowing my eyes. "You're insufferable."
"And you're irresistible."
I nearly dropped the dagger.
Diana's voice was low, her emerald eyes gleaming as she slowly lifted a hand—brushing her fingers over mine where I still held the blade against her throat.
"Are you going to keep me here forever?" she murmured. "Because I wouldn't mind."
I sucked in a sharp breath, willing my heart to calm down.
"You just lost," I muttered, shaking off whatever spell she was trying to put me under. "Aren't you even a little disappointed?"
Diana's smile softened—just slightly.
"No," she admitted. "Because it's you."
And before I could process that—
She lifted herself up, closing the space between us.
I froze as her lips brushed the corner of my mouth—not quite a kiss, but a promise of one.
The world around us blurred.
Oh. Oh no.
I barely had time to react before she whispered, "Congratulations, my dear victor."
Then, with a smirk, she flipped us over and ran.
"DIANA—!"
Her laughter echoed as she disappeared from sight, leaving me stunned, breathless, and absolutely ruined.