Ambient Mage

"I wish for a battle without artifacts."

The judge nodded his head at Karine's offer.

"My terms are no death or mutilation."

The judge nodded once more.

He turned back to Karine.

"What say you Ms. Iproline."

"Please, call me Karine, and I'm fine as long as my terms are accepted."

The judge froze up before turning over to Aura.

"Ms. Svarmet?"

A long silence ensued.

"O-"

"You know what?"

Karine interrupted once more, as if Aura's pride was worthless.

"I don't want that stupid summon of yours interfering either, so if you keep that flying lemur out of the field, I won't bring mine either. Oh and, no surrendering."

"What about no surrender for the first minute?"

Quite the normal term.

Aura asked.

"Fine."

"Then judge I agree to the terms of the duel."

"Ms. Iproline?"

"I agree."

"Then the duel may begin."

The two sat across from each other as the mana barrier rose up.

It disconnected my link to Aura, but it also kept the viewers safe.

The barrier was made by a 7th tier mage, so that all undergraduate students would be safe.

What I didn't expect was that it cut the connection between Aura and Alea.

"Alea?"

She warped to me, putting a sizeable dent in my mana reserves.

'I couldn't sense mama for a moment.'

'What do you mean?'

'The barrier stopped me from feeling mama for a while.'

'No, are you referring to Aura as mama?'

'Yes?'

Alea's head drooped.

'Am I not allowed to?'

'No, you absolutely can, it just surprised me.'

I stroked her head as she came down from her flight.

'How many people do you think know about the flight Isla?'

'I would say with certainty that the Iproline's, and the royal family have an inkling that your simple ferret isn't simple.'

I narrowed my eyes and focused on the match.

Not ten seconds had passed and Aura and Karine were locked in deep magic combat.

Thankfully, Karine's bad intel made her believe Alea was Aura's summon.

Unfortunately, Alea is no summon, and is a magical beast, moreover a dragon.

I glanced away from the battle and set my eyes on the stadium around me looking for Matthew.

No doubt he brought up Aura's battle and Ristonia dragged him to the arena more excited than Matthew was worried.

Before that could happen however, my eyes landed on a viewbox in the arena's seating.

The curtains on it were tightly drawn, no doubt shielding the viewer from prying eyes.

The curtains held the red and gold colors with a lion emblazoned on.

The Iprolines. The marquis was here.

How much of this was his plan? How much was it Karines?

No matter what the answer was, the truth was that Aura was suffering because I provoked the son of the marquis.

I clenched my hands.

To interfere in the duel midway through would tarnish the Svarmet name, and because I was aware that the judge would stop the fight before any fatal or long lasting damage would occur, I watched on in silence.

I glared at the arena's center watching the two exchange blows.

Karine was slowly edging ahead of Aura, a feat that Aura could be proud of, to stay toe to toe with a mage of a higher circle.

Karine's gravity, which were thrown haphazardly around the arena finally caught Aura's heel, causing her to fall.

Tick, Tick, Tick.

The seconds until 1 minute were nearly up.

"Did you think it was going to be easy?"

"I will never surrender."

Aura would not surrender.

Not because she wanted to, but because to surrender like this would again tarnish the name of the family.

I don't know why she would go so far.

The duke and duchess care little for appearances, because they are the strongest by far in the nobility.

"Good."

Aura shifted away with her spatial ability.

She began to move swiftly between the gaps of gravity Karine made.

Yet, again, Karine caught Aura, this time the gravity came full force on top of Aura's body, forcing her to her knees.

"Look at that, you're kneeling again. I wonder how your knight looks right now."

"I am too, but to be honest, your situation is much more precarious than mine."

"Wha-"

>

Several massive purple thunderbolts rained down on Karine, but she quickly inverted the gravity around her to bend the bolts away from herself and into the ground.

Unfortunately one slipped by her and singed her head.

The result?

Part of her hair was burned off.

"YOU BITCH!"

Karine kicked Aura.

Aura now moved out of the range of the gravity began her running again.

This time, Karine no longer wasted mana on random gravity circles, and tried calculating Aura's next position.

However, Aura had a much better battle sense, and avoided it each time.

Aura tried to overpower Karine's gravity magic to no avail.

I began to wish that I had told her about Karine's psychokenesis.

A hand suddenly patted my shoulder.

"What's going on buddy?"

Mark sat down next to me, as did Celeste.

"You two, how did you get here?"

I turned to my right to face them.

"We heard from a certain senior."

He made a wry face at me.

Matthew.

"We're here to cheer Aurelia on."

"Yeah."

Morgan appeared to my left surprising no one.

"Aw come on, no shocked face for me?"

I turned back to the duel as the three had a conversation in the background.

"Alea, come here."

Morgan and Celeste fought over the dragon lying on my shoulder like a towel.

"I'm going to tear you limb from limb."

Aura kept dodging, occasionally sending out a probing attack to throw Karine off guard.

"You little witch, I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born."

Karine's menacing words went in one ear and out Aura's other.

That is until Karine got a hold of Aura's wrist.

"You rat, I've got you."

With that Karine gathered mana in her palm before throwing a fist into Aura's side sending her careening towards the edge of the arena.

"Hah, you're so weak, I wonder what gave you the courage to accept my duel."

"It wasn't courage."

"Oh then what was it?"

Karine threw her hands up in a shrug as Aura stood up.

"Something you lack, manners."

Karine's face contorted, as Aura readied her magic again.

In a flash Karine appeared in front of Aura ready to strike.

Lightning fell again, much faster than earlier where Karine was.

Quickly Karine dodge to the left, still aiming for Aura.

"Hah, your tricks won't work twice."

As Karine's fist collided with 'Aura', lightning shocked her causing her to flinch.

"Youuuuu!!"

Karine turned around to see Aura smirking back.

"No more."

"You say that as if you allowwed yourself to be hit."

Aura shot back.

"Laugh now."

Karine said as she shot towards Aura again.

"I told you it won't work."

The mana gathered in her hand grabbed onto Aura without fail, and Karine began her onslaught.

Aura struggled to resist and got thrown to the ground.

"Augghh."

Aura slammed her hand into the ground as she tried to get back up.

I watched as blood rolled down her forehead.

"Up."

Karine pushed Aura up, to a standing posture, before slamming her down into the ground yet again.

"There we go. That posture is much more fitting."

Despite her words spitting the utmost fire, her face was the representative of angelic looks.

Aura struggled to move her head up to look at Karine.

"Don't surrender yet okay?"

The gravity on Aura loosened slightly as Karine, lost the focus she had when chasing earlier.

Using that Aura moved quickly to land a blow on Karine.

However, Karine saw the still sluggish attack coming, and slammed Aura back into the ground.

"Looks like you need to learn your place."

Aura was picked up and slammed down again.

She tried to cast lightning and spatial magic, but Karine didn't let the magic even get more than an inch out, before slamming Aura up and down more.

"Amos."

I ran up to the barrier. This wasn't a fight anymore.

Aura was bloodied beyond belief, and her blond hair looked more like the red with golden accents flag of the marquis.

Aura wasn't even fighting anymore, this was just a one sided slaughter.

A bird that resembled red lightning picked up Aura and flew her up to the max height the arena allowed, before Karine pulled Aura back down using her max gravity.

Aura's body created a massive crater which Karine 'nicely' let her crawl out of.

Tears streamed down her eyes.

Her eyes betrayed no sign of pain.

'Alea! Is there any way for you to crack the barrier?'

'Let me analyze the barrier's energy formation, I think I can.'

'As fast as you can please.'

I slammed my hand against the barrier, attracting the attention of the judge and Karine.

"Look at that?"

"Audience step back."

I looked up at the judge.

This match should have been over a while ago.

Karine began mixing punches in with the gravity casts.

"Stop the match, she can't fight anymore."

I yelled.

Celeste, and the others quickly rushed up to the barrier with me.

The judge looked away from me.

He's been had.

The marquis definitely did something to this duel.

I watched as Aura unable to even speak was held by the neck by Karine.

"Uh-uh."

"You aren't allowed to pass out."

Karine manifested a mana construct, a chain.

"Here."

Karine dropped Aura onto the ground.

Aura could barely manage the strength to look at Karine.

Her right eye had blood seeping into it from her head.

Her body had multiple broken bones, not to mention the insane amount of bruises, torn muscles, cuts, and general injuries.

Karine put the chain around Aura.

"Now bark for me."

Karine released all of the gravity.

"I surre-"

Karine picked Aura back up before slamming her back down.

"I said. Bark."

"I s-"

'Daddy I can do it.'

I couldn't bring myself to watch the torture she was going through.

"Looks like the duke's daughter, is getting the commoner treatment."

"Serves her right."

"Man I think this is too far."

"I know, but shouldn't we abide by the judge."

"The judge isn't even trying to be partial."

I overheard the words of the others watching the 'fight' go down.

I placed my hands on the barrier as Alea told me to.

'Now!'

The barrier shattered like glass as my mana was quickly zapped from my body.

"Hey!"

The audience saw me break the barrier, but I could care less.

I quickly rushed over to Aura, to which Karine backed away.

Morgan and Celeste followed right behind me.

"Celest-"

"I'm already on it I'm healing her."

"Lucas, what do we do?"

Mark was freaking out.

I was rife with anger.

"What do you think you're doing interfering in my duel?"

"This duel should've been over long ago."

I stared at the judge.

"What's going on?!"

A voice from on high yelled down.

Vice dean Rachelle.

"This person just broke the barrier and interfered in my duel."

The vice dean glared down at me before she realized who she was staring at.

"You why?"

As she came down, Aura came into her sight.

"Good lord, why did the duel not stop before this?"

She looked at the judge.

The judge began to quickly explain himself.

"Save it, he's been coerced by the marquis."

The entire stadium went quiet as the dean stared deeply at me.

"He's lying, we did no such thing."

Karine rebuffed me.

"Yeah, and all it would take is an investigation."

"You brat, maybe I'll just kill her, since you interfered and our terms are no longer valid."

At that point my anger overtook me.

***

-Deep within the recesses of Lucas' soul-

"Where am I?"

I looked at a person much shorter than myself cutting silver grass with a scythe.

"Who are you?"

"Calm down, I'll explain."

The person turned around and faced me.

And what stared back was my face, specifically 12 year old me.