"Your partners have been chosen. Get ready in your designated rooms. A few students from each class will be watching your performance, so if you want to look cool around your peers, now is your chance," Ms. Landsford announced.
I sighed, ruffling my hair as I stared at my card. We were entering our third week of classes and I was starting to feel the pressure of it all. Nixon and Logan had noticed how weak I'd started to get by the end of each day and decided to encourage me to take weekends off, forbidding me from using magic unless it was necessary. Our break was fast approaching so I knew once we had a week off, I'd be able to recharge and feel more refreshed for the second half of our semester.
I was partnered up with Zane today and Maximus was staying on the sidelines to watch our battle with Eric and Andrew. Nick was over on the sidelines, smiling confidently like he assumed they would win.
I looked at Zane who seemed to be pretty nervous for this test. It was 40% of our grade and I stressed that we couldn't do poorly on it. We were representing our team which meant if we did poorly, it affected him, myself, as well as Maximus. That wouldn't be fair and I knew we could easily beat these guys if we worked together.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, feeling for the temporary wand in my pocket. The school curriculum had changed and we wouldn't need our own wands until next semester, so we once again went through the long process of picking up temporary ones from the machine. Again, I was blessed with the same red wand with gold sunflowers at the bottom half, which garnered a fair amount of gasps and whispers. I didn't get why they thought it was so special; Brax and Maximus both obtained the same red wand.
The only difference this time around was Zane received silver instead of gold, which may have been why he looked nervous.
"We'll be fine, Zane. You don't need to look so concerned," I reassured him. He simply nodded, giving me a small smile but my attempt to reassure him hadn't done anything to ease his worried expression.
I glanced at Maximus who had his arms crossed as he stared at the both of us. His eyes met mine; he gave me a small nod before shifting his gaze to the six-person crowd on the benches to my left.
I looked over to see Brax sitting there, his arms crossed over his chest like Maximus with a stern look on his face. He didn't look concerned but maybe a little troubled; his eyes lingered on Zane. He must be worried about his brother.
No familiars were allowed for this test so I left Alice at home. She was happy to stay behind, especially since Kage had summoned Koa earlier during our Tuesday class, and decided to let him linger for a while. I was impressed and thankful that Kage was willing to spend a little more mana so Alice had company. They actually got along rather nicely and Kage admitted it was the first time Koa had seemed interested in a familiar in years.
"The goal of this test is to knock your opponents out of the arena. It can be done by any means. You should work together as teammates, just as you would if you had a partner as a mage warrior. Even though this is a combined test, you will be scored individually. The partner sitting out will be judged on their support and assistance with battle tactics," Ms. Landsford explained through the speaker.
I wiggled my fingers and smiled, ready to have some fun fighting in my male form like I had during the exam. I'd still been training during the weekdays, even if only for fifteen minutes, since the weekends were declared no magic days, and I had a few spells I wanted to test out.
"BEGIN!"
Our opponents didn't delay, attempting to charge forward but I flicked my hand, creating a clear wall of magic that rose from the ground and caused the two guys to screech to a stop.
"You made a wall?" Zane seemed surprised.
Maximus smiled, calling out, "Building a wall makes it so they can only do long range attacks. Long range costs more mana usage and will take longer to summon. Close range would only make this battle longer and none of us want that." I nodded in agreement, watching Eric and Andrew grit their teeth in frustration.
"I want this to end quickly. Also, I'm better at long range magic," I shrugged and gestured to Zane, who readied his wand. "I'm gonna need you to back me up, Zane. My plan is to create enough power to push them out of the ring but we'll be deflected as well. I need you to make a net." I was, thankful for the distance so that only Maximus and Zane could hear my plans.
"Um..." Zane began but then we both noticed the incoming balls of water and fire, and we both dodged to the ground to escape the attack.
"Um what, Zane?! Make a net and let Jinn do the high intense magic explosion. It's not difficult," Maximus complained, looking a little irritated.
I bet he understood we didn't have time to linger. In the real battlefield, you would have to kill the enemy as quick as possible. The longer the battle went on, the greater the risk of injury.
"I just...it's gonna take me a bit to do a net,” he hesitated. I jumped back up from our crouched position, taking advantage of the gap between attacks.
"FIRE!" I commanded, pointing my wand in their direction. A second passed before six balls of fire formed and shot out, three at each of our opponents. Both of them cursed, canceling their spells in favor of dodging the attack.
"Then START?!” I shouted at Zane. “We don't really have the leisure time to play around. I can hold them off for a few minutes but that net has to be strong to catch us and not pull back into the out of zone area." I looked to Maximus, who nodded in agreement.
"Zane work on the net. Jinn, don’t give them casting room."
"Got it!" I tucked my wand in my front pocket before slapping my hands together. "THUNDER!”
I slowly opened my hands; a magic circle appeared beneath me due to the extensive amount of magic I needed for the spell. Elements like thunder were tricky and needed concentration to hit the right target. I wasn't worried about it hitting anyone else since the crowd was protected by an invisible barrier which included Maximus, but if this was being judged, I still wanted to be sure to do it perfectly.
I grinned at the shock forming on Eric and Andrew’s faces as they scrambled to huddle together before casting a protective bubble around themselves. I didn't care about it, seeing as they both were using magic to make it strong enough to ward against my approaching attack and also served the purpose of draining them out while stalling for Zane to finish the net.
I set of bolts of lightning out, one after another, hitting the bubble which began to waver and looked like it wouldn't survive too many more strikes. I didn't want the fun to be over so soon so I pulled back, clapping my hands again to cancel out the spell. Then I quickly pulled my wand out and pointed it at them.
"WATER!" I commanded and a torrent gushed out like a tidal wave. The guys cursed and made a new bubble that would shield them properly. I watched the waves crash into them, flooding their section. I was glad my barrier only prevented them from coming to our side but still allowed magic to pass through, making this like a tennis match of magic. The only difference was I was calling all the shots for our attacks.
"Zane, progress?" I asked, trying to steady my breathing. Being in this form and using high mana attacks was starting to take its toll on me and I knew I wouldn't last longer than a few minutes if this escalated.
"Uh...a bit more,” he urged. I glanced over at Maximus, who now looked pissed. I gave him a confused look, unsure why he was so mad.
"Jewel! Pay attention!" Alice’s voice vibrated through my mind, bringing my attention back to the battle just in time for the wind attack that began to push Zane and I back.
I cursed. "STOP!" My body halted before reaching the borderline. I sighed in relief and turned to Zane, who also stopped himself before he went over the line.
A grey magic circle was beneath him which confused me. What the hell? Net spells are gold, aren't they? Like ropes?
"Jewel, something's off!" Alice cautioned.
I stood up, walking forward and began moving my wand to create a magic circle. "BROKEN ICE SHARDS!" I declared. The magic circle I drew in the air glowed a light blue and ice shards began shooting towards the guys.
They created shields, but I increased the power and frequency of the shards, letting the ice element do its work and rain down on them with no break, which would hopefully give me enough time to figure out what was going on.
My eyes scanned the audience until they landed on Kage who was talking with a furious looking Brax. Alice was in her owl form on Brax's shoulder and Koa was on Kage’s. Alice? What are you doing here and what is Kage discussing with Brax that's making him look like he wants to murder someone?
"I think the test is rigged. Zane isn't even making the right spell right now," Alice revealed. I quickly looked back at Zane who looked to be concentrating on the spell, but the magic circle beneath him was still grey and the power emanating from it didn't give me any comfort. I looked to Maximus, sure he could see the worry in my eyes; he bit his lip.
"Zane! What spell are you doing? We need a net, not a damn cement wall," Maximus scolded.
"Why are you making a cement wall?" I looked at Zane in confusion
"I don't really know how to make the net spell,” he confessed.
"Zane, that's the first thing you learned in elementary school for FUN! You’ve got to be kidding me right now." Maximus looked incredulous.
I turned back to the battlefield, noticing my spell was about to fade. Shit, this isn't going to go well. If I do my plan, the outburst is gonna knock me back right into that wall.
"Jewel. You can't." Alice's voice was laced with anger and I frowned, understanding where her concern was coming from. Alice, what are the chances of me actually hitting my head? I'll be fine.
"No, you won't be fine. Don't you remember what happened when you were little? You can't put yourself at risk, especially when Mom isn't here. You were just lucky you didn't seize after the washroom incident," she scolded. I rolled my eyes and lifted my hand to create a barrier, figuring those two would already be preparing their next move.
Alice, I can't afford to get a low score on this. My mark affects both Maximus and Zane.
"FUCK ZANE! He's not doing fucking shit! Look at who he keeps staring at?! This is fucking rigged,” she shouted.
I looked over my shoulder at Zane who was indeed looking at the crowd and I spotted his two friends who were chuckling to themselves, giving Zane the thumbs up. You gotta be fucking kidding me.
Braxton and Kage both noticed the direction of my gaze. Braxton stood up, looking like he was ready to go beat the shit out of them. Alice, I won't back down!
"JEWEL, attack!" Alice surprised me by calling out. I looked back to see the large burst of energy heading towards me.
"Shit!" I raised my hand, holding my wand. "WIND! FIRE!" I commanded both elements, the wind coming from my left hand while my wand shot fire. The dual force twirled together and hit the onslaught of Eric and Andrew’s separate attacks, creating a clash of attacks.
I gritted my teeth as my body slowly began to slide backward from the force of energy.
"Shit! ZANE! Put the wall up and make a sheet of wind that will cushion Jinn. NOW!' Maximus ordered. I looked back to see Zane nod, the thick wall shooting up from the ground. I frowned, he began making a magic circle that was light green but I knew he wouldn't complete the spell on time, especially since he took THAT long to make a fucking wall.
I returned, noticing Brax and Kage's worried glances. I spotted Logan and Nixon outside the room, both seemingly out of breath. I didn't know who told them what was going on but they looked afraid, especially Logan whose gold eyes met mine. He knew this could go horribly wrong and I could potentially blow my cover if I switched forms due losing consciousness.
I bit my lip, returning my attention to my attack. I swallowed as I noticed the two forces began to grow progressively larger. I need to make a spell to ensure I don't switch back.
I closed my eyes for a moment, needing to concentrate a little of my magic. I imagined two flower tattoos on my shoulders that would work to keep me in this form until I un-cast the spell. It would potentially leave a marking on my shoulders but at least my secret wouldn't be revealed.
I opened my eyes, noticing that I now appeared to be winning as Andrew's power began to flicker. Their exhaustion was apparent as sweat began to roll down the sides of their faces and their panting breaths were frequent and uneven.
Ugh, this is getting fucking stupid. The more time this is taking, the more frustrated and angry I am getting. This shouldn't be happening. I shouldn't be taking all the burden because Zane wants to impress his new group of friends, which makes no fucking sense when it results in us getting poor grades. How the fuck is that fair to Maximus and I? It just wasn't fair!
My mana pushed forward, my internal rage fueling it to become stronger with each passing second; my hands trembled with power.
"Jinn?! The aftershock!" Maximus reminded but I couldn't care less. A few bruises would at least get me a passing grade, unlike these guys who I'd ensure hit the back wall so they would think twice about messing with me again. You want to see power? I'll show you fucking power!
My magic vibrated through me and my wand began to illuminate, as if the power I was attempting to push through it was too much for it to hold, making it shake in my grip. The gold sunflowers began to glow and the wand stabilized, making the flames come out in a solid flow of energy, more focused than its wild release before.
"GUYS, use more magic, dammit! You're gonna be flung out of the arena by the aftershock!" Nick shouted. His teammates grunted in response, trying to channel more magic but it was doing nothing compared to mine which was still at full blast. The ball of energy grew and grew until it looked like on the verge of exploding.
"ZANE! Make a fucking wind sheet!" Maximus ordered but I couldn't look back to see what he did before the ball burst.
My body was flung back like I had been kicked in the gut and hit something rock solid. The air left my lungs in a rush and I hit my head so hard I thought I heard a crack before I fell to the ground.
"JINN!"
I tried to concentrate on who was calling but my hands clutched my head in agony and I was unable to focus. Fuck, ow, ow, ow. I felt a weird sensation run through me and I tensed, realizing I was so fucking screwed. I didn't move and prayed to the heavens I wouldn't go into seizure mode. You'd think there would be a spell to prevent that from happening. There was one to delay it, jeez magic creators, get with the program in the health department.
I felt something touch me but flinched away, scared it would trigger the onset of tremors that would rattle through my body sooner or later.
"Fuck. Move!" Logan's hard voice sounded so far away, but I was scared by the anger that laced his words.
"Jinn?" He called my name so softly, it helped with my spike of anxiety, which at this point was more manageable than the pulsating pain that vibrated through my head like someone was purposely using a hammer against my skull. I did my best to ignore the sensation of warm liquid running down my head or how cold I was. It was at least comforting to know I wouldn't be exposed because I’d done that spell. I'd stay in this form at least until I was somewhere safe. Well, that's what I prayed for anyway.
"Shit, he's bleeding." I head Brax call out, followed by the shuffling of footsteps.
"We need to take him to the nurse now before he has a seizure." Logan sounded insistent and worried.
"Seizures? Fuck, Jinn gets seizures?" Maximus fumed.
"Alice is saying something happened when he was a kid. He hit his head after an incident which resulted in him getting seizures from time to time. But she's saying the head impact is going to trigger one," Kage explained quickly.
"Braxton, hold his legs, Maximus, keep his head stable. I can teleport us there. Logan, hold on to my shoulder. Kage, can you meet us there? I can't take anyone else like this."
It took me a few seconds to realize the anger-laced voice was Nixon, as it sounded so unlike his usual calm or bored voice.
"Ms. Landsford is coming...maybe we should wai-"
"Zane, I don't want to hear a word from you right now," Nixon snapped.
Zane stayed silent and Braxton took a deep breath. "We need to talk when this is over. Understood?"
"Understood," Zane replied quietly.
"Jinn, hang on for a bit," Logan soothed. I wish I could reply, but I wasn't capable, the weird sensation growing stronger with each passing moment.
It felt like the world shifted around me, my stomach doing a flip at the wave of magic that surrounded me, but I fought off the nausea, even though everything felt like it was spinning .
"What in the- What happened?! Is that Jinn!" The voice was high pitched and familiar.
"Nurse Savannah, long story. Jinn needs help now." Maximus sounded stressed.
"Maximus lock the door," Savannah ordered. "I need to know what happened, right now."
"We had a test. There was an energy burst and Jewel was pushed by the aftershock of the blast and slammed into a cement wall. She hit her head and now she's bleeding and is on the verge of a seizure," Braxton explained in one breath. He sounded freaked out, so unlike his normal composed confident self, which left me wondering how bad the situation really was.
"We need to move back or get Jewel in the bed, like right now. She's gonna have a seizure," Logan announced.
"How do-" Savanah began but Logan interrupted.
"I've known Jewel my whole life. No more questions." Everyone remained silent.
Okay, Jewel. No freaking out. You're gonna be fine. This isn't like when you were a kid. You're strong, it's not scary. It's not scary... you're not gonna die from this. Just a little jerking and possibly lip biting. I'm gonna feel like shit for a couple of hours and be lucky if I’m able to speak.
"Jewel. You're gonna be okay. Don't panic. I'm here," Alice’s sweet voice whispered. I felt tears roll down my cheeks, even while my eyes were squeezed shut. There was too much going on and my senses were more sensitive than ever. My hearing, the feeling of touch, the smell of blood that reminded me of Gabriel's, the intense fear I felt when he died, the same as when I got injured that day and Gabriel saved me. I wanted him here. I longed for him to hold me just as he did back then, telling me everything was going to be alright.
I miss my brother. That was the last thought I had before I began seizing and blacked out.