The First Two Waves

"Wait, what?" Jace said in response to the announcement.

"That throws a wrench in things, doesn't it?" Ethan added.

Aurora paused, considering for a moment. "They held that announcement until now for a reason, just another way of testing our adaptability."

"Well, how do we adapt?" Astra asked. "Do we have an actual plan for this?"

"We don't," Lucian said simply.

They all sat in thought for a moment, trying to come up with a solution in the short amount of time they had.

Eventually, it was Elias who scribbled something down and handed it to Aurora.

"He says that if two people are going to be required, it probably has something to do with elements. So Orion should join him, since he has all the basics," Aurora said, finishing the note.

Jace nodded. "That makes sense. As much as the academy likes messing with us, I don't think they'd make the targets require rare elements."

"I agree," Aurora said after a moment of thought. "Alright, Elias and Orion it is. Good luck you two, we don't know exactly what we're walking into, so stay calm and do your best."

"Yes, ma'am," Orion said, giving a playful salute.

Elias simply nodded, and both of them headed toward the arena with quiet determination.

Inside, they found a basic target shooting setup, a clean wooden platform with designated spots for two people.

"So, what're you thinking, Elias?" Orion asked, figuring he had some kind of plan in mind.

Elias quickly wrote out his thoughts: I'll use my Dark magic to create a slow field to make the targets easier to hit. Your job will be to hit them while I hold the field.

Orion read the note and nodded. "Alright, sounds good. Just be ready for something we're not expecting."

With a quick nod, they turned toward the arena field, waiting for it to reveal itself.

It didn't take long, a massive circular platform rose from the ground. Five ringed sections began to spin slowly in alternating directions, and various trapdoors opened across the surface.

Elias had already planned to use his magic to slow everything down, but this setup technically made things easier.

He began casting, using his Dark magic to project a slowing field over the tower, causing the spinning rings to decelerate slightly.

"This will be an accuracy challenge: targets hit versus spells cast," the announcer's voice echoed through the arena, explaining the rules.

"Alright, quiet man," Orion said, turning to Elias with a grin and raising his fist. "Let's show people what we can do."

Elias returned the smile and bumped his fist, both of them turning to face the tower, ready for the challenge to begin.

At the sound of a horn, the contest started. The three middle rings each formed a target, moving toward the center.

Taking advantage of the slowing effect from Elias's spell, Orion quickly cast three bolt spells, destroying all three tower targets with precision.

However, there was a fourth target he hadn't noticed, this one appeared along the backside of the arena, not on the tower but emerging from one of the trapdoors. It was strange, flickering in and out of sight at one second intervals.

Knowing Orion would focus on the tower, Elias had kept an eye on the trapdoors. He spotted the elusive target and fired, striking it cleanly with an acid bolt.

"Nice! Good catch, Elias," Orion called out, already bracing for the next wave.

The second wave began.

Five targets rose from the ground in a rotating formation. Each one glowed a different color, indicating the element required to destroy it.

Wind, Fire, Water… and two Earth targets? One of them had to be fake.

Before they could act, a stone wall surged up in front of them, cutting off their line of sight.

Orion reacted first, summoning stone pillars to lift both of them above the wall, restoring their view.

Without missing a beat, he fired off three bolt spells. Thanks to Elias's slowing field, the moving targets were easy to hit. One by one, he destroyed the Wind, Fire, and Water targets using the correct elemental attacks.

Then he paused, eyeing the two Earth targets. Which one was real?

Fortunately, he wasn't alone.

Elias stepped in, casting a pair of spells with his Dark magic, curses meant to cling to the genuine target. Only one reacted, becoming outlined in a strange, shadowy glow.

Orion didn't hesitate. He launched an Earth bolt at the marked target, shattering it.

The fake one dissolved into a puff of static.

The second wave ended, and fortunately, they hadn't drained too much mana. 

However, with no idea how many more waves were coming, they knew they'd have to start conserving it. Every spell would count from here on out.