"So what are we thinking then?" Jace asked, his eyes already locked onto Harper's.
To her credit, Harper didn't flinch—not even for a second. "Standard rules. Hits count as points. First to three wins."
"Simple. I like it." A familiar glint of madness flickered in Jace's eyes.
"Glad you agree." Harper's own eyes mirrored his intensity, a rare sight.
For everyone else, the tension weighed on them like an elephant sitting on a peanut.
"Why do I feel like we're either about to witness the greatest fight ever or the start of the most legendary romance?" Astra murmured, unable to look away.
"Be serious," Ethan scoffed. "Right here, right now, these two are warriors." His eyes had already started to dry out from refusing to blink, as if missing even a second would be a crime.
The entire room, three full teams, sat frozen as the timer began counting down. No one dared to breathe. Everyone silently prayed the signal to start would come before someone passed out from holding it in.
A light snowfall began to drift through the arena, a quiet sign of Jace's rising emotions.
And then… finally… the signal sounded.
The moment it did, Harper moved.
No hesitation. No testing the waters. Just immediate action.
With a burst of wind, she launched forward, the sudden acceleration kicking up dust as she closed the distance in a blink. Like Jace, she had avoided gathering information on her opponent, but from what little she did know, he preferred long range casting.
So she wasn't going to give him that luxury.
Instead of attacking directly, she feinted a sharp step, making sure her right hand, now glowing with fire, was clearly visible.
Then, at the last second, she twisted hard to the left, slamming her hidden hand into the ground. A jagged row of stone spikes erupted toward Jace's position, aiming to break his footing and force him onto the defensive immediately.
Jace's plan to work on his defense? Completely out the window.
Reacting instantly, he sent out a ripple of earth magic, intercepting her spikes before they could reach him. The two waves of stone clashed with an impressive surge of energy, the impact sending a tremor through the ground.
With every beat of his heart, his magic continued to chill the arena.
An idea sparked.
He flicked his fingers, launching small drops of water toward Harper. Their size was small enough to seem insignificant, but as they met the falling snow, the chilled air caused them to freeze mid flight.
Harper barely had time to process the shift before the first shot streaked toward her. The arena, once dry and still, had transformed, snowflakes drifting lazily through the air, their presence making Jace's attacks sharper, colder, more dangerous.
Her body reacted faster than her brain.
A sharp gust of wind sent her skidding backward, just enough to dodge the first shot. The second she avoided with a fluid duck and twist, her extreme flexibility saving her from a direct hit, but she still felt the icy chill graze her shoulder.
Mid-motion, as she twisted toward the ground, vines erupted in front of her. They intercepted the third and final water ball, but the moment of impact sent a sharp, icy crack through the air. Frost crept along the bark before she released the magic, letting the vines collapse.
"It's getting a little cold for me," Harper admitted, still grinning.
Her hair floated slightly as heat began radiating off her body in waves.
Then, raising both hands, twin streams of fire roared to life. The swirling flames carved through the cold air, pushing back the snowfall as she swept the blaze toward Jace.
Seeing the flames arc toward him, Jace felt a strange pull from the energy inside him.
For the first time since it had appeared, it actually did something.
He didn't fight it. Instead, he relaxed and let instinct take over.
His eyes flashed a brilliant blue as the temperature around him plummeted.
A deep, unnatural frost spread across his skin, forming a thin layer of crystalline ice. Jace glanced down at his hands, his expression flickering between confusion and curiosity.
Harper's flames surged forward, only to sputter and dim as they met the sheer intensity of his cold.
Her instincts screamed danger before her mind even had time to catch up. A shiver raced down her spine, and for once, it had nothing to do with the temperature.
"What the hell is this?" she murmured.
Her fire should have done something. At the very least, it should have weakened the ice, not just flickered at the edges before dying out completely, like it had been swallowed by the overwhelming chill radiating from him.
Her jaw tightened. Fine. Adapt.
Without hesitation, she slammed a hand against the ground, sending a pulse of earth magic roaring to life beneath her. The stone shifted and surged upward, forming layered barriers between them.
It served two purposes, breaking Jace's line of sight and giving her cover.
She didn't hesitate. She moved.
A spark flickered to life in her palm, rapidly coalescing into something brighter, hotter, more intense. If raw fire wouldn't do it, then fine. She'd just push further.
A lot further.
The plasma in her hand crackled, raw energy swirling as she shaped it.
Jace had his moment.
Now, it was her turn.