The brilliant sun overhead bore down on the yground. The students had split into two groups based on their sses.


    Like one on one gunfights as seen in western ssics, both sses stood opposite each other with their respective teachers at the helm of affairs. Both Calista and Vrie red at each other through thinly veiled fake smiles.


    It looked like a simple drill exercise, but it could very well have been a life or death match with the venomous atmosphere both teachers had created. The air was almost cackling with electricity.


    Totally oblivious of the battle of egos between both teachers, on both sides, the students chatted away nervously.


    The skillful ones relegated themselves to the background with the hopes of minimizing their visibility in a futile bid to lessen their chances of being called on.


    But it was all for naught! Both Calista and Vrie already knew beforehand who their champions were going to be. Vrie broke the ice by calling out to her colleague across the yground.


    "No need to put on a confident front Miss Calista! It''s okay to be afraid you know!"


    Calista sneered back;


    "Ohe of it Vrie!"


    Her high pitched sing song voice was always a joy to hear whenever she tried to yell. She continued the passive jab.


    "We both know that my ss is literally an A ss!"


    Vrie matched her aggression;


    "Don''t count on it this time. Everyday isn''t Christmas you know!"


    Calista yelled back;


    "Well let''s get to it then!"


    "Let''s do this!"


    Both women surveyed each other''s ss. Calista hadn''t been expecting Vrie to be the one to initiate a friendly sspetition. But either way, she was d that an opportunity like this had presented itself.


    She wasn''t going to let it slide, she had already vowed to seize this opportunity by taking the initiative. As Calista glossed over the oue of thepetition, she knew for sure that Vrie was going to choose the girl named Dah.


    She smiled inwardly. Calista already had a n in mind to counter that.


    Dah was a young prodigy in F ss. She was an extraordinary ster student by all standards and possessed incredible skills.


    The young student had mastered the use of ice magic. She had practiced well and was powerful enough to do some real harm with her powerful ice magic.


    Calista acknowledged the ice girl''s talent, but she had an Ace up her sleeve that would level the in field. Recently, a very mysterious transfer student had been routed to Calista''s ss. She was a real handful.


    Calista had nned to unveil her during the final exams at the end of the semester. But she was already itching to show her off. Calista just couldn''t wait any longer. The time was ripe for her to unveil her secret weapon.


    The rules of thepetition were simple. Each ss was to send one student to represent them in a one on one battle.


    After a looser has been eliminated from the tournament, the undefeated winner retains the right to remain in the ring like a champion until the next challenger emerges to contend. This cycle would them continue until the champion is defeated and another takes his ce.


    Victory is dered when one of the parties concedes or simply loses to the other side. The students in the F ss were in a jittery state.


    They were all afraid of being called first to y, all except Zavier and the phenomenal Dah. The situation on the other side was the pr opposite.


    The students of A ss were virtually top tier mages, so, they looked down on the entire ss F. It was no shock when the students of ss F found themselves drowning under the overbearing energy of the opposing ss.


    They were all so afraid that they immediately ruled out the fact that anyone of them couldst long in the ring- not even with a prodigy like Dah on their side! The dance was yet to begin, and yet they were already crushed psychologically.


    Calista was adept at reading situations. She read the facial expressions and the general atmosphere on the opposing ss and instantly knew that the battle was hers already.


    Her eyes glinted with excitement. But her fire was nearly doused when she saw the confident gleam in Vrie''s eyes. Calista seethed inwardly;


    "Oh I can''t wait to wipe off that smug look on your face!! Just wait you obnoxious cow!"


    Calista''s confidence was well grounded. The difference in the strength of both sses was ring. There was no doubt that ss A was the superior ss.


    In fact, very few students from ss A barely considered this to be a game. To them, it was a walkover. Even with a prodigy like Dah, it was unlikely that ss F would win thepetition.


    She was a pretty powerful mage for her stage, but even she couldn''t possibly hope to take on the entire ss A.


    Next to Dah, Zavier was the only student from ss F who could stand toe to toe with the contemptuous ss F.


    The others didn''t dare to put any of their trust in Zavier. In light of recent events, he had lucked out when he disyed some re for potent magic earlier on.


    But that was just about how far they could put their confidence in him. For the better part of the time they had known him, Zavier had been nothing more than a dud.


    His past failures and ineptitude in the face of adversity far overshadowed the brief moment of glory he had enjoyed in their sight. From the time the students left the ss right up to the yground, they gossiped about this freely in separate groups and in hushed tones;


    "Did you see what Zavier did?! That was amazing!"


    A skinny kid with sses asked excitedly.


    "Yeah! No kidding that was super awesome. But it''s also Zavier Adam, maybe he got lucky."


    The other slightlyrger kid beside him answered objectively.


    "I really don''t think so bro."


    "Why?"


    "There was just something about Zavier in that moment! Did you see how focused he was? Did you see how he…"


    The other boy dismissed him.


    "You have been seeing too many superhero novelstely. You know that''s not how real life works right?"


    The skinny nerd with sses retorted;


    "I know that you jerk!"


    "Well, that all over now. The real challenge is just beginning."


    "Yeah…" he said sadly, "Dah is the only one who can face those jerks from ss A. Maybe Zavier as well…"


    "Zavier''s a bum dude. I told you to let that go already."


    "Come on, let''s go hide behind Dah so we don''t get picked for the first round!"


    They didn''t argue about that. They scurried along on their feet like a bunch of mice and hurriedly took their ce behind their ss''s champion.


    Unlike the rest of the jittery bunch, Dah was the only one brimming with confidence. Eager for battle, she red at the opposition from where she stood with hateful eyes. In the case of the young mage, this wasn''t just a disy of bravado, Dah was truly outstanding.


    She was well aware of this fact and she reveled in it. This was the basis of her confidence; the fact that she was one of a kind and the fact that she shone above all.


    As a brilliant prodigy and as a ster student, Dah had all the qualifications to be in ss A.


    Surrounded by equally outstanding students, Dah could have thrived in the atmosphere of a winning ss.


    But then again, her excess pride (which was a dominant part her character) influenced her decision to pick a weaker ss where she could prove that she could excel in any environment and under any circumstance.


    Although she would deny it vehemently, Dah''s decision to choose ss F was partly because she absolutely hated any kind ofpetition. She wasn''t a fan of team work. Dah was the type who was obsessed with being the star.


    This was perhaps the reason why she had been the only one shaken by Zavier''s momentary glory, especially as she had failed at that very spell.


    As she warmed up, she encouraged herself;


    "This is my time to step up and re-establish my dominance in this ss! No one can take my ce!"


    So, when Vrie asked who wanted to go first, Dah wasted no time, she stepped forward aggressively.


    "I will go first Ma''am!"