Duelcrest Academy

My hand, clenched around the wand, was trembling again. But this time, another one covered it, squeezing it with affection. I shot a sideways glance at Amy, who was smiling at me. That smile acted like a charm, keeping the intrusive thoughts at bay as they tried to break into my conviction.

I took a deep breath.

I approached a boy who was chatting amiably with a couple of friends in the common room.

«Hey! Do you have a moment?»

I had selected him from the rankings with Amy's help. He was positioned about halfway. Therefore, even if pressured, it was unlikely he would go to extremes just to win a duel.

«I'd like to challenge you to a duel...» I continued.

«Alright! Want to bet something?» the boy replied.

«No need.»

I only cared about getting some points.

I was at -24 currently. Dead last. The student before me was at -14. In theory, winning 6 duels would suffice. But I wanted to create a good safety cushion for myself. I didn't want any surprise, like being overtaken at the last moment.

«Uhm, okay...» the boy responded after thinking for a moment, «if you lose, you'll have to challenge me again tomorrow...»

It was a popular tactic to gain more points, but I had decided not to exploit it. I didn't want to go too hard on the same person. Despite the situation I was in, I still wanted to retain some of my humanity.

«Deal,» I replied.

As usual, the magical barrier formed around us. It would be my second duel. But this time, it would go very differently from the first. I was not going to pull my punches.

3

2

I pointed my wand towards my opponent.

I was ready.

1

As soon as the countdown ended, I appealed to the magical power swirling within me.

«Fireball!»

A very basic spell. But the flame sphere I conjured had nothing to do with the ones I had seen cast before.

I felt the temperature of the surrounding environment rise several degrees as the gigantic fireball roared forth toward my opponent.

I had deliberately aimed for the side, towards the floor. Loading the spell with so much mana would make it decidedly dangerous if it hit a person head-on.

The student I had challenged conjured a water shield as defense. However, when my spell collided with his, the shield evaporated instantly. The fireball reached its destination and a powerful explosion erupted at the point of impact.

My opponent was lifted into the air and forcefully thrown against the magical barrier.

I hurried over to check on his condition.

He seemed unconscious. Perhaps I had overdone it a bit...

But the duel was over. I had won with a single spell, as I had anticipated.

Winning quickly would be the key to scoring many points in one day.

After ensuring that the boy was taken to the infirmary, Amy and I went in search of a new victim.

Elizabeth Belvoir 10

I stared at my name, sighing with relief.

The student who was last in the rankings, a dude called Jamey Porter, had slipped down to -18.

It was 10 P.M. right now, and it was very unlikely that he would manage to score a comeback in just two hours.

I was safe. And it had all been so damn easy.

After the first three or four duels, word must have spread among my peers that dueling with me ensured a nice nap in the infirmary beds.

Many of the students higher up in the rankings had therefore decided not to accept my challenge, opting to lose two points rather than receive a concussion.

That's how I managed to rack up points very quickly and effortlessly.

«See? You did it without any issues!» Amy said, raising her hand.

I high-fived her. The truth was, without her support, I probably wouldn't have managed to duel at all. I would have frozen up like two days ago.

But now everything was okay.

Yet I still couldn't be happy about it.

By saving myself, I had condemned one of my classmates.

"But it can't be helped."

After talking to Sophia, I had made my decision. I would try to survive as long as possible. I would protect Amy and try to find a way to save us both.

But there was something that still troubled me.

Tomorrow I was going to see him again. Valentine would challenge me to a duel and there was nothing I could do about it.

I just had to believe in Sophia and her plan.

When Amy and I arrived in class the next morning, we immediately noticed that a small crowd of students had gathered in front of the rankings. I glanced at the top.

97 students remaining...

"What!? Who died?"

With my heart pounding, I shifted my gaze to the bottom of the rankings.

Jaime Porter's name had been crossed out with an X.

"Has he been killed already?"

Amy turned to a girl she knew in the group of students.

«Hey, do you know what happened?»

The girl, with a worried look, replied:

«Two of his friends went to knock on his door this morning. They wanted to see if he was okay, you know, since he was last place,» the girl paused for a moment and then continued with a trembling voice, «no one answered, so they tried to open the door. It wasn't locked, so they went in. Inside, there was nothing. Neither Jaime, nor his clothes, his things, nothing at all. It's as if there had never been anyone in that room...»

«I see, thanks,» Amy turned, giving me a scared look.

It was obvious. There was no point in deluding ourselves that he was somewhere in the school: they had made him disappear.

Perhaps I would have preferred a proper execution in front of the whole class. It would have given a sense of finality to it.

The idea that he had vanished into thin air, like he had been spirited away, sent shivers down my spine.

"Oh, so it wasn't you who kicked the bucket.»

Lost in thought, I hadn't noticed that Valentine had approached and was looking at the rankings over my shoulder. I jumped and instinctively grabbed my wand.

The boy, as usual, was smirking.

«Why weren't you in class on Saturday?» he asked, not at all intimidated, «what's wrong? Didn't you want to see me? And here I thought we were friends...»

Valentine took a step forward. I knew he would do it again. He would challenge me, and I would have to refuse.

«Why don't you leave her alone?!»

I turned to Amy, a mix of surprise and fear on my face. She was staring at him, fists clenched. She knew well that she couldn't do anything, but she still stood up for me.

«Oh? And you are? Do you also have some points to spare with me?» Valentine asked, shifting his malignant gaze to her.

Before Amy could respond, I stepped between her and Valentine.

«Don't involve other people...»

I couldn't allow him to bully her. I knew Amy wanted to help me, but it didn't make sense for both of us to lose points.

«I mean, she's the one who interfered. But okay, I won't involve her... As long as you accept my challenge!»

"Asshole..."

I hesitated.

Yesterday's victories had given me some confidence back. I thought about what Sophia had told me the day before.

Could it be that I hadn't truly understood Valentine's power? What if he was weaker than I thought?

Part of me wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face.

But I couldn't risk it...

«I'm n-»

Before I could finish speaking, a voice rang out loud and clear from the back of the class.

«Valentine, I challenge you to a duel.»

A deathly silence fell over the class. We all stood frozen. Even Valentine seemed surprised for the first time. His malicious grin gave way to a bewildered expression.

On my part, I felt blood rush to my head.

Before Valentine could respond, I quickly walked over to the girl who had issued that challenge, grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her out of the classroom, saying:

«Excuse us for a moment.»

I expected Sophia to resist, but instead, she allowed herself to be led into the hallway.

Once outside, I closed the classroom door.

«What the-»

Before Sophia could finish, I pushed her against the wall.

I was furious.

«Is this your fucking plan? Getting yourself killed?!» I yelled at her face.

Sophia, back against the wall, seemed to stiffen in front of my anger and turned her face, avoiding my gaze.

In response to her silence, I continued: «So, have they eaten your tongue? Weren't you the one who told me it's pointless to take risks yesterday?»

Sophia seemed to mutter something.

I didn't understand why she was behaving like this, it wasn't like her.

«What's the matter? Speak up!» I said, slamming my hand against the wall. That gesture made Sophia startle, and she finally looked me straight in the eyes. Her usually pale cheeks were tinged with a slight blush.

«I said, I'm sure I'll win...» she snapped with a venomous tone, «and anyway... don't you know of the concept of personal space...?»

«Eh?»

Suddenly, I realized how close we were. I was so out of it that I hadn't noticed that I was practically crushing Sophia against the wall. The distance between us was so small that the tips of our noses were about to touch.

I jumped back as if I had been burned.

«Sorry...» I muttered.

This time, I was the one that averted my gaze. The hallway was deserted. Luckily, no one had seen us or would think I was bullying her or something like that.

«I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper like that,» I continued, «but I don't want you to risk your life to protect me... you've already done enough.»

«I already told you I'm not doing it for you!» Sophia replied, who by now seemed to have regained her usual composure, «I don't want to spend the whole year with someone like Valentine in class. Sooner or later, we'd end up with another dead body... Dueling with him is the fastest way to get rid of him.»

«But then was that 'plan' thing just a lie?»

«Well, if I had told you the truth, would you have listened? Just look at how you reacted right now.» Sophia replied with a half-smile.

«You tricked me...» I was annoyed, but I couldn't deny she was right.

I decided to move on. There was another thought bothering me.

«Get rid of him... Do you mean... You want to kill him?»

Sophia's expression darkened.

«I'd like to avoid it, but after thinking about it for a long time, I don't think there's another way... I'm sure he's not going to have the same scruples with me.»

A part of me couldn't accept that the girl in front of me was declaring herself ready to become a murderer.

But I knew it was my remaining naivety speaking. I knew that sooner or later, I too would be faced with the same decision: survive or kill.

It was inevitable, given the circumstances we were in.

«Are you absolutely sure you'll win?» I asked finally.

I was sure that no matter what I said, there would be no way to change her mind.

«Of course I will!»

She almost sounded offended.

But she had already lied to me once. Nonetheless I decided to trust her again.

"Fool me twice..."

But I guess she would've been the one to pay the price in this case. With her life.

«Good luck then...»

Sophia walked past me, heading back to class.

On impulse, I grabbed her wrist again.

«...?»

«Don't you dare die on me...»

She simply freed herself from my grip and entered the classroom, giving me a thumbs up.