Amethyst 2. Embark ✓ [Editing Now]

8. Onyx

With the quarterfinals, as well as the exams coming up, the next couple of weeks at Asteria were jampacked with action.

The next day, I reached practice after my afternoon classes, my head buzzing with the revision question that Professor Flint, our mathematics teacher had set. It seemed like thankfully, the syllabus at Asteria was not much different than at Stonewall when it came to Maths. Which atleast was a relief since, in the rest of the subjects, I was scrambling to raise my standards.

The ground was already abuzz with activity when I reached. I could see Aris stretching and chatting with Justin and Maddison, both of whom seemed to be listening to him intently. I tore my eyes away from him, and my stomach clenched uncomfortably as it landed on Elijah, who had finally decided to come out of his aestivation.

Our eyes met, and something flashed in his. Regret? Anger? Shame? I wasn't sure. I felt like the air around me had solidified and glared at him defiantly, Crystal's words ringing in my head. This was a personal battle, and there was no way I would let him win. He tore his eyes away from mine and called for the team's attention.

"Greenwood-" he said. "I want you to change the terrain simultaneously, and to make sure that you are uninterrupted in wielding your power, I will assign a defense just for you," he looked at me, almost too deliberately. Like he wasn't ashamed or afraid that he had tried to kill me. "You'll be his constant defense, Hunt," he said. I didn't react. I was highly uncomfortable with the entire situation. I could feel Aris' eyes on me, but thankfully, Elijah quickly gave out instructions and we broke to start playing.

It seemed, however, that I didn't have much to defend against. The players from our own team were too engaged in trying to navigate the rapidly changing topography, ranging from thick forests, rocky lands, and even a hill at one point. The team was struggling to maintain their gait, the horses often whinnying in protest. Aris maintained a distance from me, never looking at me or acknowledging me in any way. Like there was an invisible wall between us. I wanted to talk to him, confront him, tell him everything. But when I looked over at his unusually cold green eyes, I couldn't get myself to do it and instead felt my heart clenching painfully.

The match ended as darkness fell, and the entire team except for Aris and I dismounted their horses looking extremely haggard. Maddison rolled right off her horse and lay flat in the ground, staring up at the sky and muttering. "If the elves are worse than this, I don't know what we are going to do."

There were mumbles of agreement. Elijah straightened up, wincing slightly. He had fallen down quite a few times when his horse had reared in protest to the unpredictable terrain. His face was covered with dust and grime, his hair glistening with sweat as he spoke.

"We only need to score twice. Then go completely on defense," he shook his head, wincing again. If I ignored the fact that he had tried to kill me, I could appreciate the dignity he was showing. It seemed like after the opening match, and he had striven to become a better leader, and the team was working with much greater harmony than before.

Justin sighed, "Alright, everyone gets to your dorms and rest up. We will need it tomorrow."

We led our horses back to the stable behind the ground in silence. I could sense the stress and exhaustion that everyone was feeling. I deliberately fell behind, not willing to face anyone.
Despite hardly taking part in the practice, I was still exhausted, and after a quick dinner, went straight back to my room. I lay down on the bed and fell asleep, waking when I felt the mild heat of the morning sun on my face. I glanced at my wristwatch, which I had placed on the bed stand, and saw that it was seven. Two hours before the match was to start.

I went into the mess hall after a quarter of an hour and found it abuzz with noise and activity, much to my dismay. I took a bowl of cereal and was trying to find out an empty table when I saw Nia sitting at a lone corner as she ate her cereal. I deliberated whether I should go to her. I hadn't realized I had been staring at her before she looked at me and smiled. I walked over to her, feeling a slights sense of trepidation as I sat beside her.