Noon
The bell in town chimed loudly, signaling the height of the day.
And the end of round one.
"Alright! Congratulations! All six of you managed to pass!" Sting said with a grin.
The candidates stood in the narrow Office.
Eli sighed with relief.
"I almost failed. I got so caught up in conversations that I forgot I was in the middle of a test, haha!" he said nervously.
Calypso futzed with her hands inside her cloak.
Carmine gritted his teeth together.
"And here I spent the whole damn time trying to figure out just what the hell was going on," he rumbled.
"I am of the same mindset," Diamond added coolly.
He adjusted his glasses with his right hand.
The specs and ring glimmered briefly.
"It could have been worse," Emerald remarked.
"What were those things, anyways?" Eli wondered.
"Reader Boxes. Magical Items that read a person's soul based on how their magic naturally emits from them," Sting explained, "It didn't matter which box you would have taken because the reader is on the inside. The item inside is the actual challenge. Once you figure out the puzzle, the item teleports away to a specified designation. Like it did for you! However, we had set up a condition that you had to explain the logic to the box and then it would disappear!"
"Ohhhh," they all droned.
"Where did they end up?" Emerald asked.
"On my desk. I set the designation to be there."
"Since you were each able to explain your logic, you all advanced," Rogue added.
"Huh. And here I thought you just had pity on me since I was fifth," Emerald muttered.
Carmine grinded his teeth together.
"I was last again," he seethed.
"Diamond totally understood it before I did," Amethyst stated.
Diamond sighed in frustration.
"Don't worry, Carmine. Eli beat me, too."
"Hey, Callie was the first! I wasn't the top mage!" Eli interjected.
Calypso remained silent.
"Now then, how many more trials are there?" Amethyst asked.
The master held up two fingers.
"There are two more," he stated.
"The first is a battle amongst yourselves," Rogue added.
"Huh?!"
The Twin Dragons nodded.
Rogue pulled out a magic bingo machine from the desk drawer.
"Rogue, do you seriously just keep that in your desk?" Diamond queried with a smirk.
Amethyst and Emerald stifled their laughs.
"Diamond! That's not important," Eli chided.
Diamond rolled his eyes and sat his hands on his hips.
"Oh plea–"
"AHEM!" Master Sting interrupted.
Everyone stood upright.
"Since there's six of you, it'll be one versus one," Rogue explained.
Calypso raised her left hand in front of her face.
"Yes, Calypso?" Master asked.
"Is a tie possible? Either way, what happens to the winners?" she inquired.
The Master and Assistant looked at each other.
"Just a minute," the former stated.
Rogue spun the wheel.
The results were:
Eleodoro vs Carmine
Calypso vs Diamond
Amethyst vs Emerald
Carmine slammed his fists into each other.
"Eucliffe," he growled.
Diamond tapped his chin and looked at his opponent. She remained facing forward. A small vein popped up on his forehead.
Amethyst and Emerald high-fived each other.
"Not the Twins!" they exclaimed.
"Okay, now that the teams are assigned here is what will happen," Sting said, "The goal is to win. There are no ties. M'lady, The Gatekeeper, and Seraphim will be watching to declare a winner if stalemate does occur. If you win, your next task will be to find Rogue and I."
"Wait, what?!" Carmine yelled.
"Yes. Sting and I are going to hide while you carry out your matches. We will not go out as far as say Blue Pegasus or Magnolia. However, we will also not stay in town. You may use any means necessary except for magical maps."
He stared at the Heavenly Twins.
Eli sighed as his shoulders slumped forward.
Cal bobbed her head.
"Well this is certainly interesting," Emerald remarked.
She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Where are we actually fighting?" Eli prompted.
Suddenly, they were all enwrapped in a rainbow light!
A few moments later, they were in an enormous forest clearing! That was filled with snow, obviously.
The three women were standing in front. Hovering above were Frosch and Lector.
"Lector! Good to see you!" Sting cried, looking up.
"Hey Sting-kun! Hopefully we made it time," the maroon Exceed responded.
"Fro thinks so, too!" the frog-Exceed yelled happily.
The master shifted his gaze to the Celestial Spirit mage.
"And Yukino! I'm glad to see you're back safely! And in time!" he exclaimed.
Yukino smiled.
The middle-aged woman wore her normal white, knee-length cape with light blue trimming over her usual white ¾-sleeved shirt and gray wool leggings tucked into knee-high, light blue boots. Her pale blue hair bob was neatly combed and held back by a royal blue headband with one white and one navy blue flower.
"Oh it wasn't that hard. All I had to do was ask Libra to balance things out," she said.
"That's definitely my little sister for ya!!" Sorano hollered.
"Very well. Let's start our game of battle-hide-and-seek," Minerva said.
Rogue didn't even glance at her.
Minerva Orland ran her black gloved fingers through her luscious, black locks. They ended just above the cleavage in her shoulderless and sleeveless meridian blue dress. Just above her breasts sat a silver-chain necklace holding an amethyst. She placed her other hand just above the slit starting at her left hip.
The Twin Dragons were picked up by their flying friends and headed off.
"Alright!! I'll take Eli's and Carmine's battle!" Sorano announced.
"I'll monitor Amethyst and Emerald," Yukino offered.
"Which means I'm keeping an eye on Calypso and Diamond," Minerva finished.
They all spread out into different areas of the field.
The referees stood in the middle of their respective pairs.
All six candidates stared their opponents down.
A quick, brisk wind came through.
Clouds of snow dust were stirred and swept away.
"Here are the rules," Sorano started.
"You are allowed to use your magic however you like," Yukino added.
"However, you are not allowed to leave this clearing," Minerva continued.
"Nor interfere with anyone else's battles in any way!" Sorano finished.
"Everyone understand?" Yukino asked.
Six heads nodded in agreement.
"Then," Minerva said, raising her hand. The other two women did the same.
"Begin!" all three cried simultaneously.
Immediately Diamond and Carmine charged forward at their respective opponents.
Neither Twin moved right away.
"Feast on the moonlight, my Angel's Messengers!" Diamond cried.
She simply stood there as the baby chompers zipped her way.
His forehead vein's intensity increased.
A moment later, he found himself in the middle of the attack!
"Gahhhh!" he cried as he got chomped on.
The young man crashed into the snow before rolling onto his feet.
He looked around.
He was where she was and she was where he had started.
"Don't tell me," he hissed.
Minerva raised her short eyebrows with curiosity.
Diamond shot out more angel messengers.
Once again, she just stood there and patiently waited.
Just as the first angel was going to clamp down, Diamond found himself there instead!
"Yooowwwwww!! Stop that hurts ya bastards!!" he screamed.
He shook them off and readjusted his scratched glasses.
Now his white jacket and pants were torn up.
His hair was also a mess.
"You little b****!!" he snarled.
Calypso didn't respond.
Minerva clenched her jaw.
"PUNCHING ANGEL!" he cried.
A gigantic, muscular angel shot forward.
This time, he braced himself.
Sure enough, the duo swapped places.
Upon his feet touching the ground, he dove off to the side!
The angel disintegrated.
He laughed as he stood up.
"Don't think that I wouldn't notice your Territory Magic!" he taunted.
Underneath her hood, Cal just blinked.
'I wasn't trying to hide it. You've seen this magic before,' she thought.
Diamond raised his hand, ready to cast another angel.
Calypso sighed softly.
'This is a pain,' she grumbled in her head.
Then she extended her left hand in front of her with her fingers spread out.
'Territory Explosion,' she commanded.
About thirty large explosions surrounded the Angel mage in an instant.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!" he screamed in pain.
As the dust cleared he collapsed into the snow.
His hot and burned body was quickly cooled down by the cold snow.
A brisk wind passed through.
Calypso hadn't moved her pale, bare hand.
Her heavy cape and locks of black hair flapped in the wind.
Her hood threatened to pull itself down, but it didn't move.
"Diamond?" Minerva questioned.
"Can't...move...owwwweeeeee....Mom...help please," he groaned.
The older Territory Mage sighed.
"Very well. Calypso Cheney advances!" she announced.
At this, Calypso relaxed.
Eli smiled to himself before delivering a harsh punch to his opponent.
Minerva approached the fourteen-year-old with a warm smile.
"Congratulations, Callie," she said in a low voice.
Cal bobbed her head.
"Thank you, Minerva," she responded monotonously
"You are free to search for your fa--ahem, the Assistant Guild Master as well as the Guild Master. Good luck. I will attend to Diamond's injuries," Minerva stated in a louder voice.
Calypso bobbed her head again.
"Thank you very much," she said.
However, instead of starting her search, she turned to watch Carmine and Eli's battle.
"Here I come! Shockwave!" Carmine hollered.
He pulled back a fist before launching it forward! The area rang with sound!
Eli transformed his body in a ray of white light and shot around.
"Sunlight!" he hollered.
He stopped just behind the Sound Mage and delivered a brutal kick to the back!
Carmine was pummeled into the ground!
The snow erupted everywhere!
He sputtered and got to his feet.
"Now let's see. That's the third time?" Eli taunted.
A minute later, his eyes widened and his heart stopped.
Eli could hear Carmine's blood flow increasing, his heart rate rising, and his breathing becoming more ragged.
The twenty-one-year-old turned to face the fourteen-year-old.
The latter's green eyes clearly saw the hatred and despise in the former's dark blue ones.
"Alright, Diamond wasn't kidding. What's gotten into you?"
Carmine stopped the ground with his foot.
"Low Frequency," he uttered.
The ground rumbled and shook.
Eli responded by holding out his right hand, fingers spread out and palm perpendicular to the ground. A bronze seal with a sun at the center appeared in front of his hand. A ring of fire and white light formed around his finger tips. In less than a second, the diameter increased three-fold and was released. As it continued its journey the ring of fire continued to expand.
"Corona Wheel!" he cried.
Corona Wheel reached the opposing wizard before Carmine's magic had a chance to act.
Upon impact, the Sound Mage was thrown back a ways!
The snow erupted like a white volcano!
"Carmineeeeee? Can you still fiiiiight?" Sorano called.
"I'm...exhausted," he uttered in the distance.
"Huh? I couldn't hear you!" Sorano called.
"I give up!!" he shouted.
"Alright! Eleodoro Eucliffe advances!" the Angel Mage announced.
Eli frowned. His blond brows furrowed together.
A soft crunch of snow rang in his ears.
He turned around to see the hooded mage.
Immediately, his face stretched into a grin!
"Alright, Callie! You passed! Congrats!" he called, running towards her.
She nodded in agreement.
"You, too. Congratulations," she said in her monotone.
He gave her a cheeky smile.
"Perfect! Now let's head out!" he declared.
Eli closed his eyes and let all of his senses gather as much information as possible.
Sounds, smells, and wind changes.
His eyes shot open.
"I pinpointed one of them," he said with a grin.
Eli transformed into a ray of light and shot away with Sunlight.
Calypso became a streak of black light.
'Moon Shadow.'
Her gut twisted itself.
'I'm cheating. He's not my S-class partner yet I'm working with him.'
She clenched her jaw slightly.
'Wait. I have an idea.'
"Sorry, Eli," she said aloud.
"Huh?"
He stopped mid-air to watch the black light head to the ground.
He immediately followed and stood in front of the cloaked tower.
"Callie? What's wrong?"
The Moon Mage raised her left hand high into the air.
A silver seal with a moon in the center appeared beneath her feet.
A solid black sphere began to form in her raised palm.
The Sun Mage's eyes widened.
"W-wait a minute! That's–!"
"Sorry, Eli," she repeated.
The sphere's size began to exponentially increase.
Moments later the Sun mage was enveloped in pitch black.
He blinked. He held up his hands but couldn't see them.
Even Cal's glowing seal was no longer visible.
"Callie! What's going on! My senses are completely dulled!"
'My apologies, best friend. Tomorrow we will be teammates. Today we are competitors. Today I will win. However, I will win on my own accord. With my own magic. With my own strength.'
—--------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, the remaining members at the field were quickly enveloped in the darkness.
"This is an interesting surprise," Emerald remarked.
"Uhhh, what magic is this?" Amethyst asked meekly.
"It feels like Calypso's," Yukino called from somewhere.
"I had no idea she was this strong! She rarely showcases it!" Sorano cried indignantly.
"Old hag, you're not very observant. She destroyed me with just explosions and teleporting," Diamond sassed.
"Diamond Rusty Agria!! As soon as this is over you're getting beat!!"
"Oh come on! I'm nineteen and I don't even live at home anymore!" he argued.
"I can still come over to your apartment!"
"That's burglary, Sorano!"
"Not if it's punishment for a son calling his mother an old hag!"
"I'VE CALLED YOU FAR WORSE AND YOU DIDN'T KICK ME OUT!!"
"I STILL GROUNDED YOU AND TOOK AWAY MOST OF YOUR PRIVILEGES!"
"THEN YOU REVOKED IT ALL AFTER THREE DAYS!!"
"BECAUSE I COULDN'T STAND TO SEE YOU MISERABLE!!"
"SERIOUSLY, SORANO?! THAT'S WEAK!"
"WELL YOU'RE JUST A SPOILED CRYBABY!"
"I KNOW THAT!"
"NO YOU DON'T!"
"YES I DO!!"
Yukino sweatdropped.
"Diamond, did you really get beat up?" she asked.
'Callie,' Minerva thought, 'We're three miles outside of the town. Rogue and Sting are three miles out on the other side of town in separate places. Not to mention Sabertooth itself is 3.5 miles in diameter. Are you going to stretch that far?'
—---------------------------------------------------------------
Calypso patiently waited for the sphere to reach its limits.
She lowered her left hand and took a deep breath.
'Now my own senses are heightened even in this false night.'
Calypso gathered information on the targets.
Sounds, smells, and wind changes.
She held out her left hand.
'Teleport.'
In a rainbow flash she disappeared.
—---------------------------------------------------------------
Sting and Rogue looked around from their respective areas.
One moment it was bright and sunny.
The next, it was the middle of the night without any stars!
'What in the world?' Sting wondered.
'This magic. Is this that new spell she showed me last week? I thought she told me it wasn't going to be completely ready for at least two months,' Rogue thought to himself.
Suddenly, one of them heard the sound of a teleportation from behind him.
'S***! I forgot M'lady directly taught Calypso!' he thought frantically.
He turned around, except he couldn't see any of his surroundings.
A hand was placed on his shoulder.
"I found you," a deep, monotone said.
Then Calypso drew back her left arm.
"Sorry not sorry," she stated as she delivered a suffocating blow to the stomach.
Instantly he was knocked out.
She gathered her senses and figured out the location of the other man.
The same process happened.
—--------------------------------------------------------------
Calypso teleported back to the guild hall's doors.
There, she raised her left hand above her head and snapped her fingers.
An instant later, the bright, midday light returned.
As the sun's rays increased, her senses decreased.
Calypso casually entered the darker guild hall.
People looked at her as she walked past.
Her dark, heelless boots softly clopped on the hardwood floor.
The other members' voices lowered to whispers.
Whispers.
"Oi, just now, do you think that magic belonged to her?"
'I hate the whispers.'
"Who?"
"Calypso Cheney. The Moon Mage of the Heavenly Twins."
'They're everywhere I go.'
"If it was, I'm not surprised. She is the daughter of the Assistant."
"Don't you think he's a bit creepy? I mean his magic deals with shadows."
'I just want some peace!'
"Nah he's just socially awkward. She's the same way."
"True she rarely says hi to anyone here."
'What did I do wrong?!'
"She doesn't seem that strong though."
"Really? I mean she just enveloped all of the town and beyond that in complete darkness. If that was her, that is."
'Please, shut up!'
"That doesn't freak you out?! She's fourteen!"
"Eh, well, yeah a little bit."
"Won't she be fifteen in three days?"
Calypso bit her lip.
She hurried to the darkest corner.
'They can't follow me here.'
The teenager sat down in the shadows and wrapped herself up.
She hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face.
'Hopefully I won't be disturbed for a while. That spell had drained me more than I thought. Territory is also not the easiest to handle with successive use.'
A few moments later, gravity pulled her heavy eyelids down.