The moment Diana vanished into the mist, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence. My heart pounded as I quickly assessed the situation. She had the fake emblem. That part of the plan was still intact.
Now, the real question was—where was Lillian?
Because there was no way she hadn't anticipated this.
The mist curled and shifted around us, ghostly fingers reaching across the battlefield. Tessa and Claire regrouped at my side, both slightly out of breath from their skirmishes. Claire wiped her forehead dramatically, as if she had just returned from war.
"She still has the fake emblem, right?" Tessa asked, scanning the surroundings with narrowed eyes.
I nodded, gripping the real one tightly in my hand. "Yeah, but Lillian isn't going to let that distraction last for long."
Claire grinned. "Okay, so we just—"
Before she could finish, a warm, golden glow flickered through the mist. It was faint at first, almost subtle, but then it expanded in slow waves, the magic curling outward like sunlight piercing through the fog.
I stiffened.
Lillian.
A pulse of light rippled through the battlefield, illuminating the air, and I realized—she wasn't looking for me. She was looking for the real emblem.
My stomach dropped. That was the problem with light magic. It wasn't just about attacks or healing. It could reveal, uncover, illuminate. And right now, it was sweeping through the battlefield in a methodical search pattern, hunting down the truth.
Tessa clicked her tongue in frustration. "She's using her magic to track the real emblem. If she finds us—"
"She won't," I muttered. "Claire, now."
Claire didn't hesitate. She raised a hand, wind gathering around her fingers before she sent a sharp gust outward. The mist scattered in unnatural waves, disrupting the battlefield in an erratic swirl of movement. At the same time, Claire's magic flickered to life, weaving illusions into the currents.
Not perfect invisibility, but enough distortion to make us blend into the swirling chaos.
Lillian's magic swept toward us. The golden light hovered over our position, searching.
Then it moved on.
I exhaled slowly. That was too close. But we weren't safe yet.
The air suddenly grew colder, an unnatural chill creeping through the mist. My breath curled in the air before me, the temperature dropping fast.
Camille.
I barely had time to react before a gust of wind roared through the battlefield, but this wasn't Tessa's. It carried a sharp bite, freezing moisture in the air as a wave of frost spread rapidly along the ground, creeping toward us in jagged, crystalline patterns.
"Move!" I grabbed Claire and pulled her back just in time as ice surged over the ground where we had been standing.
Camille wasn't attacking outright—she was controlling the terrain.
The ice wasn't just spreading randomly. It was cutting off our escape routes, redirecting our movements, boxing us in. Wind swirled around her, reinforcing the cold, making it near impossible to break through the frost with simple footwork alone.
Tessa reacted immediately, her own wind magic surging to counter. A powerful current slammed into Camille's controlled burst, sending sharp eddies of air crashing together. Their magic clashed violently, the pressure distorting the mist.
But Camille had the advantage.
She wasn't just using wind—she was using ice, altering the battlefield itself. Tessa could redirect the wind, but she couldn't stop the frost spreading underfoot, slowing us down, controlling where we could and couldn't go.
I clenched my jaw. We needed to turn the tables.
And Lillian was still waiting in the shadows.
Diana had stolen the fake emblem—but Lillian would have already figured it out.
And she was going to come for me next.
"Claire!" I shouted.
She didn't hesitate. She lifted both hands, magic gathering around her fingertips as she conjured something in her palm—a flickering emblem, identical to the real one.
An illusion.
Claire twirled it between her fingers, then, without warning, she hurled it.
Not at Camille.
At Lillian.
Somewhere in the mist, I knew Lillian saw it.
And Lillian never ignored an opening.
A flash of golden light streaked toward the fake emblem, moving faster than I could react.
And in that split second—I moved.
I shot forward, ice magic surging beneath my feet, propelling me forward just as Lillian's light magic locked onto the false emblem.
Her gaze flicked toward it—just for a second.
That second was all I needed.
I slipped through the narrowing gap between her defenses, magic thrumming in my veins, and with a single precise motion—
I swapped the emblems.
For a single breath, Lillian didn't move.
She stood there, her fingers curling around what she thought was the real emblem.
Then she looked down.
The realization flickered across her face.
It was the first time I had ever truly caught Lillian Aurora off guard.
She lifted her eyes to meet mine, and something shifted in her expression.
Then—she smiled.
A slow, deliberate smile that sent a shiver down my spine.
"You're learning," she murmured.
That terrified me more than anything.
"Three minutes remaining!" Ms. Liora's voice rang out across the battlefield.
Claire screamed, "OH MY GOD, RUN!"
We ran.
Tessa blasted a powerful gust of wind, pushing us forward as we sprinted for the edge of the battlefield. The finish line was within reach.
Lillian did not chase.
Because she didn't have to.
A faint hum vibrated through the air, and then—
The ground beneath us began to glow.
My stomach clenched.
A golden light flared beneath my feet, stretching outward in intricate patterns.
Light magic.
A containment barrier.
Lillian wasn't going to chase us down—she was going to force us back to her.
Tessa barely managed to stop in time before crashing into the shimmering barrier. "Damn it! She cut us off!"
Claire skidded to a halt beside me, panting. "We have two minutes! What do we do?!"
I had two choices.
One, I could turn and fight, break the barrier before Lillian had the chance to reinforce it.
Or two, I could hold position and defend, buying time until the clock ran out.
I clenched my teeth, weighing my options. The golden glow of Lillian's light magic spread around us in an intricate pattern, cutting off all direct escape routes. The shimmering barrier wasn't fully formed yet, but if we hesitated any longer, it would solidify, and we'd be completely trapped inside.
Tessa gritted her teeth, her wind magic thrumming around her fingertips. "We can try to break through—"
"No," I interrupted, my mind racing. "This is Lillian's barrier. She wouldn't use something that weak."
Light magic wasn't just about creating obstacles. It was about control.
If we tried brute force, we'd play right into her hands.
Which meant our only option—
"Hold position."
Claire's head whipped toward me. "Excuse me?"
Tessa tensed. "Are you sure? If we wait too long, we won't get another chance—"
I inhaled sharply, heart hammering. "Lillian's expecting us to try and force our way through."
That's how she always played.
She would manipulate the battlefield, limit options, and then bait her opponent into making the wrong move.
We weren't going to take the bait.
Instead, we would stall.
Claire huffed dramatically. "Okay, but if we're just standing here, at least let me be dramatic about it."
I ignored her, adjusting my grip on the emblem. The golden light of the barrier flickered slightly—not quite solid yet.
Lillian was taking her time.
That was the only warning I had.
A soft shift in the air. A faint ripple of movement.
Then—Lillian was there.
Not attacking.
Not rushing.
Just walking.
Her golden hair glowed under the ambient light of her own magic, her emerald eyes sharp but unreadable. She didn't look like she was worried about the timer running out.
No, Lillian Aurora looked completely in control.
Which meant she had one final play.
I held my ground, forcing myself to meet her gaze, refusing to let my nerves show.
Lillian stopped just outside the barrier's edge, tilting her head slightly. "You're not trying to escape."
It wasn't a question.
I swallowed, careful to keep my breathing steady. "No."
The corners of her lips twitched, as if she were pleased. "Smart."
Claire muttered, "Why does it sound like she's grading you?"
Tessa sighed. "Because she probably is."
Lillian ignored them both, her focus entirely on me. "But tell me, Sera—are you certain you've accounted for everything?"
Something about her tone sent alarm bells ringing in my head.
The battlefield was silent.
Too silent.
Wait.
Where was—
A gust of freezing wind slammed into me from behind.
I barely had time to react before the temperature plummeted, ice encasing my legs in a sudden, suffocating chill.
Camille.
She was still in play.
My heart lurched.
Before I could even try to break free, another figure blurred through the mist—Diana, moving with effortless precision.
Her emerald eyes sparkled with mischief as she swiped at my hand—going straight for the emblem.
I twisted, barely managing to keep my grip.
Diana tsked, shaking her head. "Sera, dear. You know I hate losing."
I struggled against the ice, magic crackling around me, but Lillian finally stepped forward.
I barely had time to process what was happening before she took my wrist.
I froze.
Not because of the ice, not because of the fight—
Because of her.
Her fingers were warm against my skin, steady, unshaken. She wasn't using magic—she wasn't even trying to take the emblem herself.
She just… held me there.
And then, in a voice so quiet that only I could hear it—
"You can still win this."
I sucked in a sharp breath.
The ice around my legs cracked.
And I moved.
A burst of fire magic surged through my fingertips, melting Camille's ice in a sharp, focused blast. The second my legs were free, I lunged forward—not away, but toward Diana.
She expected me to retreat.
Instead, I tackled her.
Diana yelped as we tumbled, the impact knocking the emblem from my grip—but before she could grab it, Claire's wind magic yanked it upward, tossing it to Tessa.
Tessa caught it smoothly, without hesitation.
We had seconds.
I scrambled to my feet, already spinning toward Lillian—
Her gaze met mine, utterly calm.
She wasn't reaching for the emblem.
She wasn't even trying to stop me.
Instead—she smiled.
Soft. Knowing.
Like she had already accepted this outcome.
Ms. Liora's voice rang through the battlefield.
"Time's up."
A sharp silence fell over the field.
Then—
"Winner: Sera Vandren's team."
I blinked.
We… won?
Claire shrieked in absolute joy. "HOLY—WE DID IT!"
Tessa let out a sharp breath, looking just as stunned.
Diana groaned dramatically, throwing an arm over her face. "Tragic."
Camille was quiet, smoothing her uniform, but her eyes glimmered with amusement.
And Lillian?
She simply… watched me.
Like she was memorizing something.
Like she was waiting.
I didn't know why, but I had the feeling—this wasn't over.
Not even close.