fire flower; leopold vermillion x oc [Black Clover]

Chapter 22: Open Water

My body feels light, untouchable, invincible, as I stride towards the arena for the first duel. A lake a few miles away from the squad base, vast and clear and still: perfect for magic to clash and strike. In the two weeks that I spent strengthening my reflexes and my technique, I figured out new ways to use my magic. In the end, it doesn't matter what type of power she has, because darkness swallows everything.

I stand at the edge of the lake, the wind against my back. I can see her in the distance, though she's only a speck of lacy yellow and frilly white. As she is the one who set up the game, I have the luxury of charging first. The round starts whenever I choose to run at her.

Leopold is no where to be seen, but a referee of a sort stands nearby, ready to pull us both apart if the situation gets too dicey. It won't come to that. I'll make the duel clean and easy. Once I hold her down or bind her with my magic until the count of ten, I win. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, letting my magic build up. When I open them, everything seems sharp and clear. I stretch my hand out to the side, letting shadows crawl over my skin. I see Seradina back into a fighting stance, and after another a deep breath, I charge forward.

The wind whistles in my ears, the sky and forest around me nothing more than a blur. I can barely feel the water underneath me, my magic forming and breaking a path of darkness under my feet. A grin carves itself on my face, and in the distance, Seradina draws closer. I keep my eyes on her, my hand ready, my magic already forming a tight shield around my body. Then, in a flash, she disappears. I don't have time to react before the wind shifts behind me, and a hand chops the back of my neck. I fall forward as pain explodes, my pathway of darkness crumbling, my shield faltering, the magic around my hand flickering. Spatial magic! I mentally curse as I catch myself and thicken my shield. My neck aches, and Seradina is no where to be seen.

Spatial magic is something tricky to defend against, and pretty hard to attack. It seems she leaps through the portals she creates, but other than that, I don't know the reach of her magic or how long she can stay within her portal. Grimacing, I leap away and stand near the water's edge, spreading my magic around to try and sense her mana. There's a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye and Seradina pops into view.

She leaps out of her portal, her hands outstretched, face creased tight with concentration. My magic elongates into a sharp point, and I slice through the portal she casts towards me. Looks like she wants to teleport me so she knows where I am, and then hold me down. Seradina flickers out of sight again, but I've got her cornered. The moment her magic shows up, I'll know. My own magic is now spread around me, covering about half of the lake. The world stands still in silence for a moment, then I sense her portal opening up behind me. I whirl around and use the flat of my dark magic blade to block her punch. She recoils in pain, disappearing again and appearing a few feet farther away.

"Spatial Magic: Wormhole!"

Something big goes off from behind, and I turn to see a gaping portal yawning at me. Gritting my teeth, I retaliate.

"Dark Magic: Abyss Rain!"

Bolts of my magic tear through the portal, but as soon as I destroy it, Seradina flies out from behind the destruction, another portal already crafted in her hands. I barely manage to call off the bridge under me, letting myself drop into the lake as she flies over me. My clothes feel heavy as I swim to the surface, gasping for air when I break through the water. Seradina stands a few yards away, looking slightly green, sweat on her face. She points her hands where I float, and I duck my head under as a storm of portals open up around me. They fly at me, intending to swallow me up and get me under her control.

"Dark Magic: Obsidian Shards!"

Thousands of hardened, glistening black spikes shoot up from the bottom of the lake, ripping the portals up and propelling me back onto the surface of the water. Seradina looks chagrined as I face her, my clothes wet and dripping. She balls her fists and runs at me, even though she looks exhausted. When she slips into a portal, I don't wait for her to reappear before I raise my hands. The spikes underneath me explode even further into the air, crashing to the surface, sending a spray of lake water in all directions. I hear her cry out as millions of them cut her skin. My magic forms a rope in my hand, and I race towards the sound of her voice. She flies through the air, limp and tired, cut and bleeding. I lasso her and pull her towards me, dropping down and holding her arms behind her back as she thumps onto the pathway created by my magic.

I'm panting as much as she is as she squirms underneath my hold, but I tighten my grip and my rope. She gives an exasperated shriek, but then the referee's cotton magic pushes us apart. I release her, watching her stand and glare at me, her hair tangled and messy, her face soaked in sweat.

"I won't lose the next one, peasant," she growls before she stalks away, walking into her portal and disappearing.

I loose a breath after I bow to the referee. Exhilaration releases itself within me, and I smile as I stare up at the open sky. I won! Grinning, I leave the lake and head back to the squad base, joy singing in my heart. I'll win the next one too!