Nathan enrols at Kaderra Academy expecting fierce competition, but he soon uncovers a dark conspiracy tied to his mother's assassination. Amid rivalries and unexpected friendships, survival becomes more than just about winning the Proelium tournamen...
"Well," she said, rolling her shoulders like she was warming up for a fight, "we beat them before. We'll do it again."
Her confidence was infectious, and just like that, our team was back in game mode.
"We'll meet outside after school," Mara said. "I assume we'll all be ready to head out by then?"
We nodded, then parted ways as the bell rang, dragging us reluctantly back to class.
***
Thankfully, the end of the day passed much faster than the beginning, and the second the bell rang, Luke grabbed my hand and pulled me along as he rushed out of the classroom.
"Why did you make Nate run all the way here?" Mara demanded when we arrived, both sweating after sprinting across the length of the school. "Alec still has to drive back to pick us up."
I wheezed, trying to catch my breath while Luke and Mara started bickering again. As weird as it was, though, their arguments had become almost friendly lately.
"Hey, boss, what's the plan?" Nilla asked, skipping over with Blake trailing behind her.
"Same as last time," Mara said. "But this time, Nate's not fighting Beast alone."
Luke immediately brightened at that.
Not that I didn't think I could take Beast on by myself now—I knew I could—but I also knew Mara had a point. And Luke would just stress himself out if I fought him alone, especially with the whole weird magic sword situation.
"Sounds good," Luke said. "When's Alec getting here?"
"He should be on his way. He had to head back to work after lunch, but Trinity Academy isn't too far—oh, speak of the devil..."
A sleek black van rolled up, looking like something straight out of a spy movie. Tinted windows, expensive make—the whole deal. Definitely Alec's. The driver's window rolled down, revealing Alec's smug, white-haired grin.
"Took you long enough," Mara muttered, tapping the side of the van before climbing into the front seat.
The rest of us piled into the back.
***
"These are amazing!" Nilla and Luke gasped in unison as they stepped out of the dressing rooms in their dueling suits.
Each one had been tailored to our individual styles. Nilla wore a sleeveless red outfit with white details and a frilled school-skirt bottom, paired with knee-high socks. Luke, on the other hand, had gone for something much more casual—a grey t-shirt under a dark purple leather jacket that made his eyes pop.
"They're pretty cool, aren't they?" Alec smirked, adjusting the high collar of his own suit. His was all-black, a sleek, skintight leather one-piece with glowing electric-blue stripes running through it.
Blake emerged next, looking effortlessly sharp in what was basically a full suit—except the material was clearly reinforced for battle.
Finally, Mara stepped out, and—wow.
Like Alec, she wore a fitted one-piece, but hers was made of a soft yet durable fabric, and there were two dark grey ovals on the back—perfectly placed for when her wings emerged.
As for me? I had a simple black jacket, black trousers, and black boots. The only fancy thing about it was the gold detailing down the sleeves and around the pockets.
Mara really had put a lot of thought into these. She really did care.
"Alright, everyone ready?" Mara asked.
"I think so," I said as I adjusted my jacket and glanced around at our team, all of whom nodded in agreement.
Luke turned to me, excitement sparkling in his eyes. "Let's do this."
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How is their first duel going to go? Can they beat Beast again? How will the others react to Nate and Luke dating? Find out in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and don't forget to vote!
