GLASS || The Catalysts Series, #1

XLVII || The Void

Seconds tick by, even minutes, before someone from above breaks the silence, because no one participating in the duel has any clue what Caelus has in mind. The students, however, evidently expect more.

"That wasn't enough for a fight!"

"We demand more! The duel is not over until one side is down!"

Lena doesn't think the duel to be lacking. She herself had faired well against Azalea, who found her a worthy opponent after their little brawl when they reunited with Caelus and Nova. The other two, on the other hand, had created massive displays of their abilities enough to bring upon the destruction of the Academy's field and courtyard. Still, it is rather understandable why the students are deprived of some action: while it was supposedly the duel of the century, the duel was undeniably 80% fighting amongst each other instead because of noncooperation between anyone at all.

Soon more protests erupt, but the moment Caelus moves, even only to walk up the crater, silence bestows. His actions alone quiets the crowd, the rippling wind circulating with a message not to take things further.

The other three duellers are still stunned by what Arcane Academy's Ace pulled, and Lena is first to blurt out happily, "You win, Azalea! Stop bothering me now. Like you've said, there's nothing flashy about my ability."

Azalea flashes her eyes in anger within an instant, a sudden shift from her bewildered reaction earlier. "You're more than worthy to be my opponent now."

This, though, isn't what Lena is expecting to hear, so she backs away. "I need to refigure out my ability, myself. So if you don't mind—"

A glass shard flies past her, nicking Lena in the cheek. Blood trickles down her face as a small wound opens.

"And I'll help you with that." Azalea stands in her way, having thrown the glass shard. She opens her palm to reveal more of them, readying to throw them like ninja knives.

"Wait!" Lena protests.

Azalea aims another, and this time Lena dodges successfully. "Don't dodge them! Aren't these your weapons?!"

In rage, Azalea flings a series of glass shards all at once, aimlessly throwing toward Lena, who can't dodge it all. She uses her arms to shield herself, shutting her eyes in hopes of drawing less cuts at more exposed areas, but a rush of air sends the glass shards clinking to the ground. Lena opens her eyes to find a soft whirlwind spinning, expanding—and threatening to envelope them all by merely existing.

"That's enough," Caelus declares. He hasn't moved from his half-hike up the crater, one hand stagnant in mid-air controlling the atmospheric barrier that can anytime swallow up the entire field. The students who were quietly watching near him scatter away, not wanting to be the first victims of his wrath. "We surrendered, so stop bothering her."

Azalea backs away, her fists clenching as her eyes stares deeply into Caelus unbothered gaze which irritates her further. Still, she knows when everything's over—she doesn't dare cross the Ace, their power gap is simply too much. Even with Nova as her partner, the last attack they combined their strength in releasing doesn't even make him flinch. The senior finally adverts her eyes in defeat, but that doesn't mean she won't be looking for the newcomer some other day. Lena has proven herself, and Azalea is more than intrigued to discover more about this girl who's been hand-picked by Arcana.

However, Nova seems to finally have escaped his temporary trance and is now angrily shouting protests, pointing fingers at Caelus. Azalea has to forcefully bend the molecules around and away from him to prevent him from manipulating them into another supernova. He throws an even larger fit then, yelling something like this fight isn't over and he'll make a comeback when Caelus isn't retreating or being a coward.