Jace the Elemental

Finally, Aurora sensed movement tracing through the earth. She prepared a void pulse, ready to strike the moment he surfaced. But then, another ping of movement. And another. And another.

"Damn, he won't make this easy," she muttered, realizing what Jace had done.

Deep underground, Jace felt the faint tingles of her Earth magic. Pressing his hands against the tunnel walls, he sent tendrils of water slithering through the ground, decoys meant to distract her while he prepared his next spell.

From the sidelines, Felix adjusted his glasses. "He's using the water to conceal his location… that's clever."

Lyra crossed her arms, watching intently. "Yeah, but Aurora isn't just sitting still either."

Aurora quickly adapted, shifting her approach. She sent small Void pulses into the tunnels, causing localized collapses in hopes of forcing Jace out before he was ready. At the same time, she raised an Earth pillar beneath herself, gaining a better vantage point.

"She's trying to force him out before he finishes setting up," Astra noted, eyes flickering between the battlefield and her brother, Elias.

Elias gave a small nod. "She's smart to do it now. The longer he stays hidden, the more dangerous this gets."

Down below, Jace took a deep breath. "This is going to take some energy," Jace murmured, closing his eyes as he focused. One hand glowed a pale blue, the other a bright red.

Above ground, it started slowly, the snowfall thickened, the flakes growing larger and heavier. Tiny sparks flickered in the air. Then, in an instant, it escalated, a raging storm of fire and ice burst to life, swallowing the battlefield.

A small fireball ripped past Aurora's face, the heat scorching her cheek.

"Going all out, huh?" she said, unfazed. She summoned her Void magic, forming distortions in the air to redirect and weaken the storm's fury while channeling her Earth magic to construct a protective rock barrier around herself.

The crowd stirred with excitement, murmurs running through the gathered students.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. "Man, I knew that they were good, but this is something else."

Lyra, arms folded tapped her bicep. "They're crazy, but Jace has to be burning through mana like crazy to keep that storm going."

Selene smirked. "So is Aurora though. This isn't about just power anymore, it's a battle of endurance now."

In the arena, Jace emerged from the ground amidst the raging storm. Spotting Aurora's stone barrier, he began forming a large ice spear, preparing to launch it and shatter her defense.

Inside her stone barrier, Aurora's instinct flared, something was wrong. She pulsed her Void magic strategically rendering portions of the barrier intangible. This allowed her to see through it while also letting some of the storm pass through, reducing the strain on her mana 

Catching sight of Jace forming his ice spear, she responded by crafting a stone spear of her own, infusing it with Void magic.

Jace saw the earth spear forming, but he knew he didn't have enough mana left to adjust. With no other choice, he launched his ice spear. Aurora wasted no time, hurling her own in response.

The two projectiles met in a deafening crash, shards of ice and chunks of stone exploding in all directions. Though Jace had poured more raw mana into his spear, Aurora's Void-infused attack destabilized both on impact, leaving them completely destroyed.

For a brief moment, silence hung in the air as the dust settled.

"Are you kidding me?!" Ethan shouted, jumping out of his seat. "Their spears absolutely destroyed each other."

Felix adjusted his glasses, his eyes locked onto the duelists. "Jace had more mana in his spear, but Aurora's Void magic eroded it enough that it didn't matter."

"She used technique to match his power," Lyra said, rubbing her chin. "That's Void magic for you though."

Inside the arena, the raging storm of fire and ice finally began to fade. Aurora lowered herself back onto the ground, both duelists breathing heavily, exhaustion settling in.

"You out?" Jace called over, his voice still carrying the remnants of adrenaline

"Pretty much." Aurora admitted between breaths. "You?"

Jace let out a tired laugh. "I probably burned through more mana than I should have." As the rush of the fight faded, the full weight of fatigue hit him. His gaze shifted toward the scoreboard, disbelief flickering across his face. "I can't believe we actually fought to a draw."

"I can," Aurora said, following his gaze to the scoreboard. It had been a long time since someone her age had truly matched her. A strange feeling stirred inside her, one she hadn't expected. It took a moment before she recognized it. Excitement.

As they left the arena discussing their duel, they were met with a cacophony of noise from all the students talking about their duel.