Ember Sword Chapter 4: The Proving Grounds

 

Lisbeth tossed and turned throughout the night. She couldn't believe she was going to be taking on Pharrahdor tomorrow in the proving grounds. After the courtyard confrontation earlier that day, she didn't know what else she could do. Navaeh was her roommate, but she had snuck out to be with her girlfriend since she had a senior dorm to herself. Lisbeth laid in bed looking blankly at the ceiling. She needed some fresh air and stepped out to her balcony. She could see the lights of the village in the forest. It was quiet. At that moment she wished she could be back home in Sevrend. She took on the challenges of the jungle her whole life, but yet she couldn't stand up to one bully. Not just any bully, the biggest threat in the academy. The Sevrendi people were also prideful like Ediseans. If Navaeh didn't jump in, Lisbeth believed she would still accept the challenge. She wished she had Navaeh's confidence at this moment, Pharrahdor's intimidation, or even Felix's compassion. Now that she thought of it, she really just wanted Felix himself. As if she thought of him and he would appear, she heard a familiar voice below her.

"You can't sleep either?" Felix said looking up at Lisbeth. He was on his balcony which was one down and to the left of hers. Lisbeth never knew he was just one floor down from her. Lisbeth sat on the balcony floor towards Felix, "how can I? I'm a dead girl walking after all." Felix crossed his arms and laid against the railing, "The courageous Lisbeth herself is afraid of some Edisean bully." Lisbeth laughed, "you mean the one that burned the back of your pants?" Felix rubbed his backside, "ya, he got me real good. That wind blast was impressive, you didn't even use an energy weapon. I still can't use just my hands except for some hydro casts." "I learned a lot from my people", Lisbeth said looking back out into the forest. Felix looked out in the same direction, "Solarwood is quite different than Sevrend for sure." Lisbeth missed her home, she looked back down at Felix, "you wouldn't last a day in Sevrend." Felix laughed, "probably not, but Solarwood isn't a pushover, my village is pretty deep in the woods and we can have some strange bedfellows at times." Lisbeth gave a grin, "right like that Kraken" Felix snapped back, "Kælo is absolutely real!" Lisbeth laughed, "he has a name? Well, Kælo also wouldn't stand a chance in Sevrend either." Felix nodded, "you're probably right, I would need you close to me if I ever came to Sevrend with you." Lisbeth blushed, was Felix flirting with her? She felt butterflies in her stomach. She tried to play it cool, "why would you come with me to Sevrend, Felix?" He smiled, "I would like to see Thanabus with you, perhaps I could show you Solarwood beyond the academy as well." Lisbeth smiled, "I would like that." Lisbeth and Felix talked throughout the night. She loved talking to Felix. He made her feel like she was more than some Sevrendi girl. As they watched the sunrise come up, they knew they should get some sleep before morning classes. 

Lisbeth didn't care she only had a few hours of sleep. Talking to Felix made her feel like herself, of course, none of that mattered later today as reality fell back onto her. She was going to face Pharrahdor. The professors in her class could have told her the answer to life and it would have gone right over her head. She had too many feelings and thoughts bouncing in her head. Feelings of Pharrahdor's duel, talking to Felix, she just couldn't focus. No sleep was helping with her distractions as well. The proving ground duel was the word around the academy. Many students were staring at her where ever she went. She would even see Pharrahdor smirking towards her throughout the day. She couldn't stand him. Wanting to "serve" him, she knew the Sevrend jungle in her spirit would wring that popsicle's neck if she could. Maybe Navaeh was rubbing off on her a little too much. She noticed her hand getting tingling every time she saw Pharrahdor throughout the day. Her hand would shake and turn a slight dark purple tint. Maybe it was her nerves. The day felt like the longest day of her life but eventually, the time had come. 

The final bell rang. They had a few hours before dinner. This would be the time for extra-curricular activities but with the semester ending soon, the playing fields and proving grounds were empty. That meant that almost all the students had free time and everyone knew where they would be spending it today. The proving grounds were full of students. Lisbeth knew that not getting caught was almost impossible. Maybe the faculty would catch them. Lisbeth walked to the proving grounds. Navaeh was to her right and Felix was to her left. Everyone was talking at the fields, but when they noticed Lisbeth, they all stopped and stared. Lisbeth felt a knot in her stomach. As she walked past the crowd of students, she noticed some shaking their heads, some nodding their heads, it appeared she had some fans and rivals in the crowd. As she turned her head forward she saw at the other end of the crowd was Pharrahdor. Lisbeth stood confident in front of him even though she wanted to run and cry in her room at that moment. She couldn't let him bully people anymore. In a way she felt that this was not her simply fighting for bragging rights, she was fighting for the name of Sevrend. Felix went into the crowd and gave a smile. Lisbeth smiled back. Navaeh represented Lisbeth's second and one of Pharrahdor's lackeys, Max, represented him. "we doing to the count of 10 as standard?", Max asked? Navaeh crossed her arms and nodded, "of course, we can get Pharrahdor a blanket and pillow as he is going to be on the ground for a while after." Pharrahdor smirked and proceeded to his side of the grounds. The rules were simple, Each person faced each other and standing in a 182cm circle with 600cm between them. The energy blasts are not of lethal force but the objective is to knock down your opponent. If they cannot get up from 10 counts, the other is the winner. If the person is knocked out of the circle they also have 10 counts to return to the circle or they lose. Usually, healers are nearby but since this wasn't a legal duel, Felix was Lisbeth's healer and Pharrahdor's other lackey was his healer. They faced each other. This was the time, she glanced at Felix. She looked into his blue eyes, she was so into him that she didn't realize the fire blast coming towards her way. Did she just honestly forget the duel just began? 

Before the fire blast could hit her, she blasted a gust of wind blowing the fire back towards Pharrahdor. He stepped aside, his shirt slightly blackened from the fire. Pharrahdor pulled up earth and shot the large rocks toward Lisbeth. She took hold of hydro energy and created a fine line of water between her hands. The high pressured water cut any rock that came her way. She could not hit them all and one crashed into her abdomen. "You got this!", shouted Navaeh. Lisbeth fell to one knee, and blasted the stream of water towards Pharrahdor, he tried to dodge the water like the fire but was not quick enough and the stream cut his cheek. The crowd gasped in shock. Droplets of blood trickled from his cheek. This was getting dangerous. Pharrahdor reached out and grabbed the water instantly freezing it. He was an Edisean, he was naturally good in cryo energy. The ice formed into a javelin as he cast it with such powerful force. She cast earth wall, earth, and ice shatter all over her. The shrapnel of ice gave her multiple cuts over her body. That ice spike could have impaled her with ease. What was Pharrahdor doing? The pain was too much she fell to her knees. "Get up Lisbeth!" shouted Felix. The counting began, Lisbeth's hand was burning. She saw the purple tint once more. She was in pain and she was angry. Lisbeth stood up. Pharrahdor gave a smirk. Lisbeth blast wave a of wind towards Pharrahdor. He cast a wall of earth to block the wind. Lisbeth predicted this and blasted a more focused wave of wind pushing the entire wall Pharrahdor cast onto himself. Pharrahdor fell back off the ring and the counted began. Pharrahdor dusted himself and slowly walked back. He walked slow on purpose to show how much time he had in the countdown. The crowd was going wild. Voice rooting for Lisbeth and Pharrahdor were going through the crowd. Even though she was not on the winning end at this moment. She could see the crowd saw her as a great student rather than a Sevrendi. 

She knew he was going to turn anything to ice when water was involved. Lisbeth's plan was to cast a wave of water at him and when he turned it into ice, she could shatter it all down upon him with some earth energy. She conjured her hydro energy and cast the wave towards Pharrahdor. Here comes his ice cast she thought. Instead of turning it into ice, Pharrahdor grabbed the wave and spun it around his body. The stream was shot back at Lisbeth. She knew the stream would be weak and began to catch the stream. Pharrahdor couldn't be that stupid could he? Just as all the water was in her hands she caught a bolt of lightning hurling towards her shot by Pharrahdor. The lightning struck the water in Lisbeth's hand sending shockwaves throughout her body. Lisbeth screamed in agony and fell to the ground. Felix ran to Lisbeth. "Lisbeth!", he shouted. Pharrahdor blasted wind knocking back Felix. "I'm not down with her!" Pharrahdor shouted. The crowd began to panic. Navaeh began to charge Pharrahdor but was met with 3 of his lackeys. Navaeh managed to punch one square in the face. She gave a dusker battle cry and tackled another one. More of Pharrahdor's crew jumped on Navaeh. Felix stood up and was met by Max casting his own fire energy at him. Felix cast hydro energy to block the flames. Water and flame evaporated in front of him. He was ready to fight. The crowd erupted into chaos. Students were fighting all around. Some with energy blasts others with just their fists. Among the chaos, Pharrahdor had free range. He shouted towards Lisbeth, "if you won't obey like a Sevrendi, perhaps you should die like a Sevrendi." Lisbeth laid in the dirt. She knew she was in trouble. Pharrahdor cast fire towards Lisbeth in which she wrapped herself in a field of wind. The field was weakening as the fire became more powerful over time. She was losing her energy. Lisbeth was wanting to give up but she knew that he would burn her alive if she did. Through the flames, she saw everyone fighting. In front of her, she saw Pharrahdor. The centuries of Ediseau tearing down Sevrend. She knew she wouldn't see her family after today, she knew she wouldn't be in her jungle again, she wouldn't be among her people. She closed her eyes and knew she wouldn't have any more late-night talks with Felix. This wasn't fair she thought to herself. Her hopelessness turned to anger. The tingling in her arm came again. Her hand felt full of unknown powerful energy. Lisbeth was not going to let Pharrahdor end her today, not ever. At the last moment, a dark orb appeared around Lisbeth. The orb absorbed the flames until there was no more. The fighting crowd all stopped and looked at Lisbeth. The orb faded and Lisbeth stood up. Her skin was a purplish tint. Her hand glowing with a purple flame. Pharrahdor froze in shock. "Wh-what is that", he asked shaking. Lisbeth cast a dark beam of light towards Pharrahdor. Pharrahdor threw up a wall of fire, wind, and earth. The dark beam blasted through them with ease. The beam was going to blast straight through Pharrahdor. 

Just as the beam was to meet contact with Pharrahdor's head, a wall of light was cast in front of him. Pharrahdor didn't cast that light did he? Pharrahdor looked up and saw the Headmaster Kritana casting the light energy. Pharrahdor looked at his hands and noticed ice encasing them. The ice became so heavy on his hands that he fell to the ground. He noticed Professor Narius was casting the energy making it impossible for him to cast any more energy. He began to see other professors fly to the ground to control the crowd. Pharrahdor couldn't move his hands, they were so heavy. He looked in front of him. Lisbeth laid unconscious on the ground in front of him. Two thoughts ran through his mind. What was that energy Lisbeth cast and if he was going to be expelled?

Lisbeth saw darkness while she was unconscious. The entire moment was a blur to her. She thought she was dead. She woke up in the infirmary. She had bandages wrapped around her. Overall, she was okay but knew that she was going to be expelled for what she did. Lisbeth was escorted by professor Awyn to Headmaster Kritana's office. As she was waiting in the waiting room. She noticed two republic agents sitting in the corner. A man and woman. How much trouble did Lisbeth get herself into she thought? Are they going to arrest me? Before she could think anymore Kritana's office door opened and Pharrahdor stormed out crying. "Do you know who my father is! I don't need this stupid academy! I'll be the greatest warden in the republic." Pharrahdor noticed Lisbeth, "go back to your jungle, spore!" He then stormed out of the lobby. Professor Narius followed close behind him looking more annoyed than ever at Pharrahdor's temper tantrum. Lisbeth and Awyn walked into the Headmaster's chamber. Lisbeth never met Kritana one on one. "Miss Lisbeth, you caused quite some chaos among the academy today," Kritana said sitting in his chair. "From many testimonies of fellow students stated that Pharrahdor and you had an illegal proving ground duels and at one-point Pharrahdor was crossing the rules of the duel and endangered you. For this, we have dismissed him from the academy, and he will not be returning for future education... I should do the same for you". Lisbeth had a cold shiver go down her spine. This was it she thought. I'm also getting expelled. Kritana leaned back in his seat, "I should expel you, but what I saw what you did with that void light today, I believe you have some potential that I did not want to go to waste. For this I would want you to continue your stay in the academy under the conditions starting next semester, you are to begin training with Professor Awyn here to hone in your void energy training". Lisbeth looked at Awyn, "void light?" Awyn cocked his head, "that's the energy you used almost taking out Pharrahdor's head. You are quite a natural at it at such a young age." Lisbeth and Awyn walked out of Kritana's chamber and nodded the two agents. Kritana gave a smile, "Mara and Edward, two of my finest students, what brings you all the way from Ediseau?"

"What the hell is void light?" Navaeh asked while kicking back another drink. It was the last week before they all went back to their nations for the summer. Navaeh, Lisbeth, and Felix all sat in the tavern in the village down from the academy. "Some type of energy source that I used at the duel," Lisbeth said. "Well I'm glad you kicked Pharador's ass and got him expelled", said Navaeh giving a large belch. Lisbeth smirked, "he got his own ass expelled". "I'm just glad you're safe", stated Felix sitting close to Lisbeth. The night was getting late and they all returned for curfew. Navaeh snuck away as she always did. Felix and Lisbeth sat in the lobby as he was not allowed in her hall nor she was to his. He told her goodnight and they both went to their own hall to their dorm rooms. Once again Lisbeth tossed and turn. This time 24 hours ago she dreaded today but now she wondered. What was Felix doing right now, what was this void light, and what was my training going to bring in the fall? Lisbeth wanted to see if Felix was also on his balcony. As she opened the doors to her balcony thus stood Felix. They both looked at each other in shock. "I was just about to knock. I just climbed up I swear." Said Felix looking nervous. Lisbeth laughed and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad you are here." Felix and Lisbeth locked eyes and then they kissed. She pulled Felix into her room and as he shut the balcony door behind him.