Alma stood in the middle of the room. Behind her were Beatrice, Regea, and the remaining raid team. Dust from the ruined walls clung to their clothes.

  “Oho, you’re fighting me, Alma?” the other guy asked, lifting one eyebrow.

  “Of course, my dear boyfriend,” she replied, her bow beginning to glow brightly. Her voice was laced with sadness and fury.

  “Shut up. I’m not your boyfriend anymore. You cheated on me, after all,” he responded, launching a fireball.

  His fire magic was even more refined than Beatrice’s. The temperature rose with everyone of his spells, loud explosions echoing through the stone castle.

  “I didn’t. You were the one who cheated,” Alma screamed, giving the command to attack.

  “Lina, Nox. Go back to our base and rest,” she added.

  The two immediately ran to Regea and Beatrice. As they fled, the fierce sounds of battle slowly grew more distant, leaving only faint echoes of clashing magic and the wind through broken windows.

  “Are you sure we should do that?” Regea asked, still running.

  “They’re fifteen Class A or B players. Not even the Pros group could win against them,” Beatrice replied, her hands tightening around her short pants.

  “And our points are counted individually. It’s good that we were the ones who destroyed the flag,” Nox added.

  “Don’t be so selfish. Light’s Sacrifice is still in effect, you know,” Lina said, gazing at him dangerously.

  “Sorry. Let’s rest in our base for now,” Nox said. They ran through the entrance gate, and a student of their team stopped them.

  “Stop. We’ll have to check you,” he said, extending his arm. A fireball flew toward them. As soon as it touched their armours, it dissipated harmlessly.

  “Oh, that’s quite useful,” Beatrice murmured.

  The group walked through the courtyard, which was almost completely destroyed. Burn marks and crumbled walls showed signs of the recent fights.

  Dust hung in the air, making their eyes water. Broken beams creaked at the slightest touch, and the smell of smoke lingered from the previous skirmish.

  “Looks like we were attacked too,” Nox said, stepping toward a small room built into the rock formation. Inside were four broad wooden planks covered with hay.

  “Hah-, I’m exhausted,” Nox sighed, letting himself fall onto a bed. A sharp pain shot through his back, making him twitch lightly.

  Lina’s eyes narrowed. She lifted him into the air effortlessly and dropped onto the bed.

  Nox coughed loudly as he fell headfirst onto her.

  “You didn’t tell me that you were injured,” she whispered. Her voice was filled with concern.

  “I- Isn’t that position a bit weird?” Beatrice asked. Even though she sounded reproachful, she stole a brief glance at Regea.

  “I think so too,” Nox murmured, his face right beneath Lina’s neck.

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  “Help them out,” she whispered, ignoring his comment.

  Spider webs shot out of his palms, slamming Regea and Beatrice onto the hay. The webs wrapped their hands together tightly.

  “Careful! You might break something!” Beatrice scolded, her face bright red.

  “Oh, don’t act as if you don’t like that,” Lina replied, smirking deviously.

  “…”

  The webs weren’t particularly thick and his magic not as refined yet, meaning they could easily rip them apart.

  They didn’t.

  After a while, the voices outside grew silent, leaving only the wind straining against their door. Lina felt Nox’s warm breath tickle her neck as he fell asleep.

  “I hope the others are okay,” she thought.

  ***

  “Why are we still fighting, Amon?”

  Alma leaned against a wall in a ruined building. On the other side sat the red-haired man. Their clothes were torn to shreds, their bodies wounded.

  “It’s fun,” he replied, his gaze distant. A tear reflected the destruction before him.

  “We’ve been going on for hours. All of our teammates are eliminated.”

  “You will get what you deserve,” he shouted. “We had such a good time… why?”

  “It’s not true,” she murmured, a deep sigh escaping her. “I didn’t cheat on you.”

  Alma’s chest heaved. Every accusation stabbed at her heart, yet she trembled not from fear, but from wanting him to hear the truth.

  “I only told you that because you were cheating on me first. I couldn’t accept that it would en-”

  “What are you talking about?” His voice grew aggressive.

  “I saw you enter your house with another girl!” she shouted. “I saw you… you went in there for hours, and you even told her that I shouldn’t find out!”

  “Huh?” Amon’s expression turned confused. His fist loosened, but his gaze remained rigid.

  “What did she look like?”

  “Why would that matter? Short, with red hair,” Alma replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “I should’ve known. You told me you had to train this day… and you never had time for me.”

  “Just like the first time we’ve met…,” he muttered under his heavy breath, a nervous smirk playing on his lips.

  “T- That was my sister.”

  She blinked. Her hands shook. “Could it really be…?”

  “N-No, she wasn’t. If she was, you wouldn’t have hid it from me” she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

  “I wanted to make you a birthday present. My sister is a blacksmith, after all,” he replied, the anger gone from his face. He didn’t feel the need to explain himself, but something urged him to.

  “W- What?”

  Her gaze softened, immediately turning into embarrassment.

  “I could never throw the present away, because I…,” he faltered. “I always kept loving you, Alma,” he said.

  Her eyes widened. Even though the wall was between them, she could feel his genuine feelings. If they truly wanted to, they could’ve destroyed it and defeated the other.

  But they didn’t.

  “I- I love you too, Amon,” she whispered.

  Their gazes immediately turned serious, raising from the ground with tears in their eyes.

  “We’re adults but were acting like some childish jerks… you know what to do, right?”

  “Of course.”

  Alma lifted her bow, aiming straight at the wall. Amon summoned a fireball, doing the same. The fireball glowed orange, casting flickering shadows on the jagged walls. Sparks rained down, hissing as they struck the stone floor.

  “Just like the first time we’ve met,” they said, a nostalgic smile on their lips.

  Alma’s hands trembled as she nocked the arrow. Every heartbeat felt like a drum warning her of disaster.

  The missiles shot forward with incredible speed.

  Alma inhaled sharply, feeling the heat of Amon’s fireball brush past her face. She wanted to dodge but didn’t. Every second stretched painfully as she reminded herself of the stakes.

  Their attacks collided with a deafening crack, sparks scattering. For a heartbeat, the world seemed frozen, the ruin itself holding its breath. The recoil knocked their knees slightly and sweat ran down their temples.

  Beep- beep-

  As the smoke cleared, they looked at each other. The beep of their armours a shrieking, yet pleasant sound.

  “Y- You didn’t dodge. Why?” she asked.

  The area around them suddenly changed as they were teleported to the entrance hall. The cafeteria felt surreal after the ruin’s quiet chaos.

  “This is nothing compared to what I truly want,” he said. He stepped closer, extending his arm and reaching for his pocket.

  “I know it’s a bit late, but happy birthday.” Amon gently grabbed her arm and gave her a golden necklace. The diamonds on it shimmered brightly, reflecting the lights of the cafeteria like a tiny prism.

  “T- Thank you,” she replied, tears streaming again. I- I’m sorry for…”

  “It’s okay. What matter is the present,” he whispered, pulling her closer. His warm breath brushed over Alma’s face.

  For a moment, the dozens of students around them, the chaos of the tournament, and all past misunderstandings disappeared. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, as if she never wanted to let him go again.