A Game of Tag

With the sound of the horn, the match began.

Lyra moved instantly, charging toward their opponents. Instead of using her speed right away, she cast two spells, using her Wood and Crystal magic to form a wall of roots and gems to block their vision.

Lucian quickly took advantage of the cover Lyra provided. He used a spell no one had realized he possessed. The light around him bent and twisted, and his form disappeared completely, he had gone invisible.

In the waiting room, Jace shot out of his seat. "What the hell was that?!"

Ethan, who had been mid-conversation with Selene about their match, jumped at Jace's sudden outburst. "What are you yelling about?"

"Lucian just went invisible."

"What?"

"Lucian just went invisible."

"That's… possible?" By now, Ethan had stood up as well, drawing attention from everyone else who had been prepping or reviewing.

"It is possible," Aurora said calmly. "Invisibility is an advanced form of Light magic. Where you have your crystals, he has this."

"I'm not going to lie, the more I hear about the cool stuff single-element mages get, the more I think it's kind of an advantage," Felix said, leaning forward to watch the screen more closely.

"Like I said before," Aurora replied, "it's not really an advantage. It's more of a side-grade for now, and a downgrade later. Eventually, you'll be able to learn higher-level spells, while they'll always be limited by having fewer elements."

"Yeah man, quit trying to steal the one good thing I've got going for me," Ethan said, laughing.

"My bad," Felix replied with a chuckle, raising his hands.

"I wonder what other secrets Lucian's hiding. He never really talks to anyone," Jace said as he sat back down.

"I'm sure we're going to see some interesting spells here," Astra added, her eyes locked on the match.

Back inside the arena, their opponents hadn't been idle.

The moment the horn sounded, Xander didn't move toward Lyra. Instead, he dropped to the ground. A quick stomp and swirl of his hand turned the stone beneath him to dust, causing him to sink like quicksand and vanish beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, Malik was already on the move.

He sprinted wide instead of retreating. Lyra's wall of roots and crystal blocked the center, which only made it easier to guess where Lucian wasn't. Fire sparked along Malik's hands as he launched a volley of flaming seeds into the air. Each one burst like fireworks, raining harmless sparks that quickly lit up the nearby undergrowth and treetops. Not enough to damage anything, but enough to scatter chaotic light across the field, hoping to catch a flicker or reflection off Lucian's invisibility.

Malik grinned as he kept moving. He didn't need to see Lucian, he just had to flush him out.

Below the surface, Xander waited, using his Earth magic like sonar, attuned to the subtle shifts above, the way pressure changed when someone moved too close.

He was listening for footsteps.

After spotting the makeshift fireworks, Lucian took cover from the flickering flames. Scanning the field, he saw an opportunity, scaling a section of the ruins with quiet efficiency. He moved quickly but carefully, taking just enough time to avoid revealing his position as he disappeared into the crumbling stonework.

At the same time, Lyra halted her advance toward where Xander had vanished. If he was confident enough to go underground, he must have a way of tracking her.

So, she lifted herself slightly off the ground with Wind magic and began hovering just above it. Then, using Crystal magic, she triggered impacts along the stone path, mimicking the rhythm of footsteps moving closer to where Xander had gone under.

Xander, eyes closed beneath the earth, tuned in like a predator. But the vibrations… they weren't right. Too regular. Too evenly spaced. His instincts told him something was off.

He shifted slightly and whispered a command. A thin sheet of ice spread just beneath the surface, aimed at the area where he guessed Lyra might be, hoping to throw off whatever plan she had in motion.

Then, without a sound, he moved, rising up silently several paces behind where the false footsteps had been. His hand glowed faintly with Wind magic. He still hadn't seen her, but he knew the game had already begun.

Meanwhile, Malik narrowed his eyes as the last of the fireworks fizzled out, still no sign of Lucian.

"Slippery," he muttered, slowing down slightly as he scanned the rooftops and broken arches above him. The ruins were dense, overgrown, and riddled with hiding places.

He swept his arms wide, conjuring a wave of thin, flexible vines tipped with flickering flame. They slithered across walls and branches like probing snakes. Anything they touched lit up for a moment. While they wouldn't burn Lucian if they hit him, they'd certainly reveal his location.

Lucian continued using his athleticism to avoid the creeping vines, parkouring through the ruins. He finally landed on a lower platform where the vines had already passed, taking the opportunity to catch his breath.

However, Malik had noticed something.

Some of the vines trailing near a crumbling balcony had shifted… twice. It wasn't much to go on, but it was the only clue he had.

He narrowed his eyes and raised his hands. Roots burst from the wooden beams, surging toward that section of the ruins, aiming to entangle whatever might be there. At the same time, he added a burst of fire along the vines, hoping the sudden flare would reveal a distortion in the light.

"I think I found you," he muttered.

Meanwhile, Xander's eyes snapped open the instant he rose and didn't see Lyra. The sudden whoosh of displaced air behind him gave her away, he only had a split second to react.

Slamming both palms to the ground, he summoned a jagged wall of stone between them. But Lyra was already midair. Her momentum, guided by Wind magic, let her twist sideways, narrowly avoiding the worst of the barrier. A few shards grazed her leg, but she didn't slow down.

"Persistent," Xander growled, rolling backward and sending a shockwave of wind toward her landing zone, hoping to throw off her balance.

However, Lyra was far too skilled to fall for that.

She used her Wind magic to launch a small wind bomb beneath her feet, rocketing herself into the air with a somersault. Gaining altitude, she cast again, forming a solidified platform of air above her. She landed on it just long enough to launch herself like a cannonball straight at Xander.

Xander's instincts flared red. He hadn't expected this kind of speed. He looked up just in time to see her descending from above like a missile, air howling around her, limbs tucked like a spear. His eyes widened.

He wasn't fast enough to respond with Earth or Ice.

Instead, he pivoted hard, kicking off the stone behind him with a burst of Wind magic, hurling himself sideways, trying to get out of the impact zone.

But Lyra's dive wasn't just about power. It was about precision.

Mid air, she twisted again, casting another spell. Her legs strained to the limit as she landed on a second patch of solid air, just for a moment, before launching herself directly at Xander with brutal accuracy.

Meanwhile, Malik snarled as his vines tangled around… nothing. The flickering distortions in the ruins had been a misdirection, and he realized it a second too late. "I hate smart opponents," he muttered, eyes scanning the ground below. Lucian had dropped down. He was sure of it. A guy that careful wouldn't make the mistake of staying visible… or predictable.

Fire crackled at his fingertips again, ready to flush Lucian out.

Then the horn blared.

"Did… we just lose?" he muttered, glancing toward Xander. The fire in his hands slowly faded as the realization hit.