Dyani dodged out of the way. It was the third time that Jorge had caught her off guard. With a curse, she rolled to the side to avoid another curse that was sent her way. Two weeks of torture. At least, that is what Dyani called it. The others referred to it as practical application. They worked with her to cram in every note, book, and lesson that they could find. All of them had pitched together to hound Dyani about her learning the material needed to get even close to what the twelfth-levels were at. They had the two weeks and those days went by faster than they predicted. Every spare moment between classes, sleeping, and eating was spent in the practice rooms.

  Knowledge was being crammed down her throat at a pace that Dyani was just barely able to handle. As it was, they had crammed in not only the rest of the tenth-level lessons but were halfway through the eleventh-level. Dyani knew that she was lacking in areas. They taught her offense and defense, but they had tripped her up when they began using other areas of study. Dyani was behind in her potions and they took advantage of it. They could only do so much without having to use the potion study rooms. Dyani was stuck at the ninth-level with those and a few other non-essential-to-survival classes. They promised to catch her up when the Qualifiers were that close.

  Being distracted easily was her bane and that was the reason that she was currently face planted. Dyani grumbled and stood, waiting for the right time to retaliate. This was the first time that she was being tested on her reaction speed with returning fire. Before, it had been about different shields and protective measures. This was the first time that she was expected to only return fire with minimal use of shields. Move or get hit was the ultimatum.

  "Are you ready to continue or do you need a break?"

  Dyani wiped a bit of sweat away from her brow before looking down at the silver bands that wrapped around her forearms and biceps. They were glowing lightly but with a dangerous red tint. Sighing, the woman shook her head.

  "I'll have to stop for some time. Could we do a review over the potions and botany? I'm struggling in those, now that I was permitted in the class."

  Mari handed her a wet towel while Noemi patched up the forming bruises. The group settled down at a nearby table that was scattered with books and notebooks. Dyani's area in particular was the most crowded. Stacks of books teetered near each other, threatening to topple onto the notes at any time. The winded duelers sat down with heavy bodies while the others began a debate about technique around them. It was twenty minutes before Dyani piped up.

  "As interesting as this is, I need to take it easy. These cuffs will not hold up to much more."

  There were winces. This was what Dyani had to live with for the moment and it was not pleasant. She referred to them as cuffs, but in truth they were more than just decoration. Delainey had gone over her body inch by inch. It had been funny at the time since it got a bit personal and Britt had to excuse himself. Delainey was not much better when Dyani was a bit bolder with low flirting. In all, it had taken two days of deep examination for the woman to return with a solution. Magical suppression cuffs. They would temper the Chaotic Magic that would go through temperamental bursts in heavy use or emotional times.

  To Dyani, it was a pain. To others, it was a relief. They worked but it was getting easier to reach the point of overpowering them, especially if they were dueling. Dyani was determined to get both the dueling and control down. Except that it was a struggle to get the control when it was very akin to its name. Chaos reigned any time that Dyani tried to wield the more complex forms of magic. In particular, this was true for the offensive. Defensive was much easier and the control was within her hands unless it was a higher output shield. For offensive reasons, it was a whole different beast. Much like the fiery wall that encompassed Kira, her magic became brutal when used with offensive intent. It made her wary to use anything against the younger teens.

  With the Qualifiers starting within two days, they were on a crunch to figure out how to get her magic under decent control. Dyani wondered if it was time to visit the Magic gifting Goddess for help. Dyani was of the mind that she should attempt every avenue before reaching out to the Goddess for aid. It did not feel like she was cheating as much when she gave it her all before caving in.

  The weekend was the start of the Qualifiers and so the homework load was much lighter than it would have been on a normal basis. Dyani was thankful for that as they were once again in the dueling room that they had reserved for the entire afternoon and evening. First come, first choice had come in handy earlier on when they had the foresight to have one of them wait up each night to request the room when they needed it.

  Only one or two days made it so that they were forced outside to practice. It gathered an audience and that was something that Dyani wanted to avoid. It was her who volunteered to stay up each night to put in the request. There had been complaints lodged about the group taking up all the slots but the professors and even the Headmistress had said that it was not limited and they could do as they needed. It had been harder to get the rooms after that but they prevailed.

  The group broke up for the evening meal, with Dyani and Jorge rushing back to the dorm to take a quick shower. This particular round had been harder since they upped the ante with her learning. This was the last stretch before she was tested and they wanted to give her the day off before the Qualifiers. Tonight was the last night to practice before then, so it was going to be harder duels after the meal. Kavan was her opponent, being one of the ones that would also participate in the Qualifiers. It was her best chance to know just how much she was behind where her level should be. It was not about knowledge as much as it was creativity with what she had. It was her best bet in getting near the top.

  The hot water was the most divine thing that Dyani was thankful for. Each time she felt sore and ached like no other. It helped that she had special salves and washes to ease her muscles but they could only do so much. Britt had warned her when they started that she would need to build up the stamina naturally. Magic would wear off too quickly and those types of enhancements were not permitted during the competition. It was the old-fashioned way for now.

  The evening meal went in a blur as Dyani kept her nose buried in an eleventh-level text on defensive and offensive maneuvers for duelers. It was a practical guide that gave her great insight but it also was for the practical person. These were for competitive dueling circuits. It would get her far to know these but also know when to think outside of the box. Next to her, the others were animated in their discussions. The world around Dyani dimmed as she read through the techniques meticulously. She barely noticed when they pulled her from dinner and down to the study rooms. It was the settling of the wards that she looked up from the book.

  "Already?"

  Kavan smirked at her and stepped to the platform that was built to regulation. There was a shot of fear that ran up her spine. It was one thing to duel against Jorge, Caleb, or even Mari. Kavan was a whole different level since this was his area of expertise. The purple eyed boy was in the underage circuits but just barely. The number of awards and titles that he had accumulated was nothing to sneeze at. This would be one of her toughest opponents and Dyani felt the fear. Kavan would not hold back. It was a matter of honor and he would not go light just because they were friends. The kid gloves were off and she was the target.

  With unsteady steps, Dyani evened her breathing and grounded herself. Deep breaths in and out leveled her adrenaline and she could think a bit clearer. Mari was the officiator for this round. One hand out, as if she were reaching for something, Dyani slid into the appropriate dueler's bow. One foot angled back while she bent to the waist with the arm just above her. It was a sign of honor for each dueler and was considered impolite to ignore it.

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  There was a breath of air as Kavan's first spell splashed against her shield. It was a hastily erected and sloppy form. Dyani cursed as another spell slammed right through it and into her shoulder. There was a sharp pain but otherwise the shield had taken the true damage. Dodging was easy. Throwing spells at him was a whole different thing. A jet of water was the first thing that she tried along with a freezing spell. It dissipated in a burst of steam and shrapnel. Kavan threw back a blast of fire with a constriction curse right behind it. The rope wrapped around her feet and Dyani planted into the ground. A wave of her hand eliminated the problem but she was hit with a stinging sensation.

  Welts appeared on her arms and opened up to the air, causing her to hiss in pain. Dyani had to have that taken care of later as it would need a salve to heal. Bandages were the hardest to conjure at the moment, especially if they were wrapping around a limb. There was not enough time for her to wrap them in general. Dyani whispered a spell that was a bit harder for her to control but it would sting if he got struck. Lightning crackled down her arm and across the platform at Kavan. The teen's eyes widened in shock before he hit the platform in a roll. The lightning soared over his head but he did not come away unscathed. The ambient air was charged and he got small stings as they struck out against him.

  There was no time to celebrate as Kavan's eyes hardened. Fast and without hesitation, a purple wave of magic headed right for Dyani. Though she knew that he was not out to truly harm her, there was something a bit more sinister in the wave that hurled towards her. Grunting, the golden shimmer of her strongest shield took the brunt of the unknown magic. Kavan cursed as it was blocked and ran up the platform at her before she could notice. With her being distracted, it was easy for Kavan to land a hit to her face. Dyani sprawled backwards and stared up at the ceiling. There had been a crack and pain blossomed on her jaw. There was a shout from Mari and the duel paused. The group rushed around her but Dyani remained staring at Kavan. He stared down at her and for a brief moment, she could see the dangerous side of his heritage lingering.

  It had been months of knowing him and yet Dyani was too polite to ask what his heritage was. He seemed proud of it but the schoolmates were not. In fact, Dyani heard more slurs aimed at him than she received. It always made her curious about what was so wrong with his other half but she couldn't bring herself to ask. Now, though, she wished she had. It might have prepared her more for the onslaught. As it was, the spark dimmed from his eye and Dyani knew that the teen was more attuned to his human self once more. He looked down at her and she looked up at him. There was a brief flicker of horror before he kneeled next to her.

  "I think that is enough for tonight. We've been grilling you constantly for this past week and a half. I think you need a break."

  Dyani wanted to protest, but the declaration from Mari and Noemi that her jaw was broken put a dampener on that thought. With that injury, she would need to go to the Healer's ward and plead for help. It was embarrassing enough when she couldn't fix her own scrapes. At least this one was above her skill and the others as well.

  The clucking of the tongue was the first thing she heard. The second was a sigh of resignation.

  "You cannot help yourself, can you dearie?"

  Dyani wanted to smile and try. Pain blossomed so much that Dyani swayed as her vision blurred.

  "Oh dear. A broken jaw I see. Come and sit down. I'll have you fixed right up."

  The group followed them over to an open bed where Dyani was helped up into. A wave of the Healer's hand and the white plain uniform was back.

  "Dyani's favorite outfit," Jorge quipped. Dyani flipped him the bird which they had learned within a few days of her hanging with him. There were chuckles before the smiles turned to winces when cracks could be heard. The Healer was tutting over her broken jaw and scolded her for being reckless. Kavan went red and looked down at his lap in guilt. Dyani waved it off and even sent a kick to his shin.

  It took an hour and many pain potions to get Dyani's jaw situated. It was fragile and would be for the rest of the night and into tomorrow afternoon. Dyani was restricted from speaking all that much and was given a note excusing her from answering questions in class. It was a relief to not speak, if she was honest with herself. It gave her time to plan and go over the material since no one wanted to speak with her if she couldn't talk back. Peace was nice for the first time in two weeks. The group made sure that she took care of herself and used the PMAs to communicate with her. It was an odd experience and one that was not as pleasant in the pain department. It was worse only due to the fact that she was permitted only two doses that day instead of the three she thought.

  When the evening meal rolled around, Dyani was beyond nervous. Announcements about the competition were being made and the assignments of duelers against each other went up. It would be the make or break for her. If she got a weaker dueler, her chances were higher than if she were to go up against Kavan first.

  It was rowdy and full of spirit during the entire meal. Even her friends were not immune to the jeers and friendly taunts. Most avoided aiming them at her, their memory of Kira's severe burns a testament to the unruliness of her magic. They would rather not risk angering her. Dyani was perfectly fine with this.

  The clinking of the knife on glass was the most anticipated sound. The moment that it rang in the room, it went silent instantly. Faster than she had witnessed before.

  "Good evening everyone! I hope that you have been enjoying this wonderful meal. I would like to make a few announcements."

  Cheers went up and the Headmistress signaled for them to calm. She picked up right where she had been interrupted.

  "For the first announcement, I would like to say that we are very close to the Qualifiers. I hope that those who compete are ready. There will be no holding back in this competition. I hope to see each and every one of you go through with all the skill you can muster. Make us all proud!"

  There were polite claps as the students waited for the real part they were wanting.

  "Next, I would like to remind you that there are rules to the Tournament and hope that you keep these in mind when you are dueling. If you are in need of a refresher, do not hesitate to look to the rules that have been posted in the main hall. Finally, I would like to go ahead and announce the pairings for the first round. It will begin early tomorrow since we have a large turnout. First round participants will be expected in the main hall at seven in the morning. First duels will begin at half past on the dot. Do not be late or you will be disqualified. From there, we will follow the schedule that will be posted along with the results of the duels."

  With a wave of her hand, a large board materialized on the side of the dining hall. It was a large board that had many names on each side. A classic competition board. Each was there to whittle down the competition in a quick manner. Most of the duels were in the first round with another set following a half hour after those. From there, the times between the duel cycles, as Kavan informed her, would increase to give the duelers a chance to recover their energy.

  Dyani wanted to rush over but knew that it would be better for her to wait. Kavan had no objections to waiting and leaned back while the others in the room trampled each other in excitement.

  "Who do you think that you will be against first thing?"

  Kavan shrugged and looked around, "Most likely another student. They tend to divvy out everyone as evenly as possible so that not all of the stronger duelers are against each other right off the bat. It gives everyone a chance."

  "He's right. With how many cycles there are, it's imperative that they space it out so that people don't burn out. That's why you could have one duel in the morning but you won't have another until the afternoon. They try their best to avoid matching you up within an hour or so of your last duel. It happens at times though. So be prepared just in case."

  Mari shifted and crossed her legs. They all held low conversation while the rest of the school unpacked themselves away from the board. It took some time and a few scuffles before they bothered to stand. Dyani was the first to go over and traced her finger around until she found her name. Kavan was doing the same while the other two boys whispered with him about his opponent. Noemi and Mari shuffled up beside her and looked at the name. Dyani had not heard of this person but from their reaction, Dyani didn't know what to think.

  "What in the Goddess are they doing?"

  Mari's remark caught the attention of the three boys, who made their way over. One look at the board and even Kavan was shaking his head.

  "Putting you against a ninth-level is insulting. Although, I can understand their thought process behind it. The school will see it as you not being capable enough to compete on your current level."

  "Well, I can't blame them. Technically I am in three different levels with different classes." Dyani pointed out.

  "True. But this just means that you will have to prove yourself. You'll have to go through the ninth-level and then request placement on a different level. If you beat them easily enough, they might move you."

  Dyani hummed and shouldered her bag. Walking off, she felt the determination flow through her.

  "Hey! Wait a minute. Where are you going?" Noemi called.

  Dyani smirked over her shoulder, "I have work to do."