The Day Before Turf Wars:
"So...did you find out anything new?" the Tailor asked.
"Nothing that you didn't know before," the ash-haired boy sulked.
Trish sighed, turning the mirror on the desk straight towards herself. "Tell me anyways."
"Um..."
Trish peered closely into her own reflection and began to work her magic. She blended the pigment in her eyes, turning the amber into a familiar sapphire blue. "Come on, Chrome. Don't keep me waiting."
"Alright, so the two new transfers are named Zoya and Zig. They might be related but it's too hard to tell, especially when Zig keeps wearing a mask."
The Tailor reached for her ability and began to pull, rejoicing the feeling of her hair growing longer by the second. The hair that once reached her chin was now beyond her shoulder.
"Zoya's stronger than Zig. There are rumors of both of them being god tiers. Zoya must be."
Trish reached for a bottle of strawberry-blonde hair dye, leaching the pigment right into her hair. Her lips became less full and her nose more slender. She didn't care much for her ability but she couldn't deny it was useful. It opened the path to a new career in modeling or becoming a makeup artist, which was appealing enough.
Best of all, Trish could also manipulate blood cells and skin, allowing her to perform the basic abilities a healer could perform. A Tailor's presence was a useful asset to any Royal.
"Wellston might lose."
Trish blinked. "Are Zoya and Zig that powerful?"
"They can already defeat Blyke..."
Trish closed her eyes. "If they fight three on three, I foresee that we won't have any problems. Arlo's barrier is strong enough to protect Blyke and Remi until they start dealing damage."
The boy shook his head. "Don't say I didn't warn you, sis."
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Turf Wars:
"What should I do if things go wrong?" Trish hissed.
"If we end up getting wrecked, then heal us. You can't run from them anyways," Remi advised.
Blyke was strangely silent, arms folded across his chest. Probably nervous, Remi thought, he's the only elite tier that's fighting.
Remi wondered if her humiliation would occur here but...Arlo said he had a plan. She didn't trust him—nobody did—but she had no choice to follow through with it. Sometimes, Arlo used his brain and those moments worked out okay.
"I really hope Arlo has a plan," Remi hissed to Blyke.
Their Jack snorted. "Knowing him, probably. But it somehow goes wrong in the end."
Arlo was within earshot, yet he didn't contest to Blyke's statement. The King backed up, nodding for Zoya and Broven to do the same, until all three Royals of each school were aligned with one another.
Trish stepped forward, aligning herself until she stood at the midline of the field, carrying a black flag. On the other side of the area, Agwin's healer did the same.
Trish nodded to the boy and they both lowered their flags at the same time. Start.
Arlo was instantly on the defensive, relishing the impact of Agwin's abilities reflecting of his barrier. Broven hissed in pain, clutching his chest, as bloody scratches appeared before his very eyes. Zoya and Zig only watched, curious.
"Destroy their Jack," Arlo commanded. Remi raised her arm, calling for lightning to strike. The Jack narrowly missed the first strike, still clutching his wounds, before collapsing after the few bolts landed.
Agwin's Healer darted into the field, snatching Broven away before another one of Remi's bolts could strike him. Agwin's Jack was out of the battle.
Zoya and Zig circled around the barrier. Arlo positioned himself in the middle of the barrier, gesturing for Remi to face Zig and Blyke to face Zoya.
Zig began his attack, ice creeping on his fingertips. Arlo's barrier began to freeze over. Wellston's King hissed but his defenses held. Remi flicked her fingers, her lightning keeping Agwin's king from going on the offense.
Zoya's eyes flared golden and she charged, her surroundings crackling with the intense heat wave as she struck the barrier. And it broke.
Remi gasped as an ice shard buried itself onto her side. Arlo snarled, his shirt bloody, as he lifted his fingers. The barrier darkened—but it solidified once more. Zoya raised her eyes as Arlo smirked, gesturing to his now healed chest.
Oh, right. Arlo had reassured Remi that his ability had grown stronger within the course of the last few months due to Wellston's new mandatory training system. Was this now what the god tier was capable of?
Zig gasped at the holes displayed on his shirt. He gave Zoya a desperate look before crawling his way to Agwin's healer. Blyke sent a bolt at him, knocking Agwin's King unconscious. Broven narrowed his eyes, blood still remaining on his shirt. Was Wellston's Jack a high tier now too?
"Well," crooned Arlo, "where's your confidence now? Will you call defeat?"
Zoya only snorted. "Our spies have reported on how far your ability extends." She raised her hands, flames now flickering. She lifted her arms above her hands and twisted them. A whirlwind of pure fire flew towards them.
The barrier cracked once more and Arlo groaned, burn marks appearing on his arms. Remi charged forward, the rest of the flames consuming her as she gave enough time for Arlo to raise his barrier, wounds healed.
Zoya smiled. "I'll give you some time to lick your wounds and drag your Queen out of the danger field."
Remi stood up in response as Zoya shrieked, having been zapped with dark lightning. Remi...had healed herself! But now? She wasn't a god tier and Zoya has been sure life-draining lightning was not in the kit of a regular lightning user.
Arlo raised his hand and a dark barrier surrounded Zoya, who swiped her burning hands across the barrier. Agwin's Queen shrieked, jumping back as her hand bled, and she collided into the barrier once more. She snarled, flames gathering as they hit all the areas of Arlo's barrier.
The King of Wellston smirked, hands raised as the Queen of Agwin collapsed, bleeding from multiple areas. He stepped into his barrier and reached for Zoya's throat.
"Stop," Zig called, "you won."
Remi released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and released the arm that was clutching her stomach.
Trish ran up to them, her arms glowing with pure light as she waved them over Remi's body.
"I'll be fine," Wellston's Queen stepped away, "heal Arlo."
It was still a shock for her to see Arlo, beaten and bloodied multiple times. Still, he rose. She wondered if that recovery extended to people in his barrier. By the time Arlo's barrier had came up, Remi felt her major wounds healed. Still...Arlo was nowhere near beating Sera which meant his recovery abilities weren't as strong. So how—
"I believe we are done here," Arlo said.
Zoya laid shivering in Chrome's hands, the Healer's aura diminishing. The wounds that she had inflicted upon herself...
Zig nodded in response, leading the way as Broven and Chrome picked Zoya up and carried her.
How satisfying, thought Arlo. Zoya's confidence may have remained if she surrendered to them. Instead, being beaten by her own ability would teach her a lesson.
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They were heading to the Boys dormitories. Blyke is strangely quiet today, thought Remi. The Jack was serious when it came to Turf Wars but after pulling up a victory, he would he joking with Remi in no time. Perhaps it was something Arlo said. The King and Jack were sitting next to each other on the bus.
"I have my keys somewhere," Blyke said.
Arlo shook his head and knocked on the door.
"Are you sure John would be okay with us being in his dorm?" Remi had asked.
Blyke only shrugged, knocking on the door, which slammed open.
To Remi's astonishment—standing on the other side of the doorway—was Blyke.
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