The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 8 part 1] Dawn - Spectating Duels

Dawn contemplated Silver, frozen solid. It's nice being number one. She nodded happily and stretched in satisfaction. That went swimmingly.

To draw out the bout, she'd restricted herself from ice. Otherwise it'd have been over instantly. Instead she'd used other magics to burn, crush, and blow away Silver's summons. When he'd attempted close combat, she'd slaughtered him. I'm the best at hand to hand by far. Despite his aura's defense, she'd felt bones breaking. Once he could barely move, she'd finished him off by icing half the arena. Flash freezing is relatively painless, so everyone wins. Except for Silver, technically. He lost badly.

"Can you thaw him out?" Soul yelled down.

Dawn nodded, and the ice dissipated, dropping her brother. Sorry, but I couldn't hold back with Simon watching. Moments like these were her guilty pleasure.

Early on, she'd realized she was better than everyone else. While this understanding had brought great joy, the others had been less pleased. Turns out people don't like being called inferior, even if true. To avoid crushing their fragile self-esteem, she'd created rules for herself. First, no outright bragging. Second, no belittling, no matter how warranted. Finally, never seek out opportunities to shine. Proposing something like these matches was strictly forbidden. The initiative had to come from elsewhere. It was a painful sacrifice. After all these years, Dawn admired herself as much as ever. She savored these rare excuses to brandish her brilliance.

While exiting, Dawn faltered. I forgot to display my summons! She'd planned on materializing a rainbow-colored frost unicorn. Wastefully stupid things are surprising good at impressing. It'd slipped her mind. Oh, well. Letting go of the disappointment, she joined the others, a ragged Silver behind.

"What'd you think?" She asked.

"Impressive. I've never seen someone so strong at your age." Simon replied.

'Obviously'. Dawn choked down the word. That was close. Careful now. She had to filter her thoughts before speaking. How about 'Of course'? No, still condescending... Tone it down, make it longer, dilute it. Finally, she settled on, "Thank you for realizing how incredible I am."

When distracted, Dawn occasionally let out her honest opinions. Because of those moments, the others felt she'd an 'ego problem'. Really, what's wrong with accepting reality? She vigorously rejected the 'problem' part.

"Who should I start with?" Simon asked.

Silver rolled his eyes, "With Dawn." Agreed, but was that necessary? Her brother was probably bitter about his utter defeat. He should be used to it by now.

Simon faced her, "You employed a remarkable array of magic in defeating your summoned opponents. Your martial arts are even more notable, as aura magic normally provides an advantage up close. Finally, your gift with ice rivals Astra's."

One more understands my worth. She loved beholding this realization. Here in the arctic, I'm starved for recognition.

"I'm curious though," Simon said. "Why didn't you use ice from the start?"

"To show off." Silver cut in.

That's not wrong, but... Dawn rephrased it more diplomatically, "If it'd ended too soon, we couldn't have showcased our abilities."

"I see." Simon said. "It's rare for someone to wield several magics. Most specialize in one or two affinities. Take your mother. Her talent with ice is so overwhelming it doesn't make sense to use anything else. I'd venture your situation similar."