Chapter 8
The first day of the Academy of Magic tournament begins with a roar of noise and nervous energy. Students pack the stands, professors line the edges of the arena, and guild representatives linger just out of sight, pretending they are not already judging futures.
The round of sixty four is scheduled across two days. Reya and Jess fight on the first day. Ellie, Bull, and Sonny fight on the second.
Sonny breaks his usual routine and arrives early, taking a seat near the front. Reya finds him almost immediately. "You came," she says, surprised.
Sonny gives a short nod. "You asked."
Reya smiles, clearly nervous. "Watch closely then. I want feedback."
Reya is not favored in her match but she moves faster than expected, controls the flow, and wins clean. When it ends, she looks stunned, then relieved.
Afterward, she rushes over to Sonny. "What did you think?"
"You hesitated," Sonny says calmly. "Every attack should intend to end the fight. Spectacle wastes time."
Reya laughs weakly. "Judges and recruiters like spectacle though."
"It leaves openings for enemies," Sonny replies.
She nods slowly. "Well, you’re not wrong there."
The next day, Sonny arrives at the arena looking disheveled. He has been training and has not returned home since before his last match. The only break he had was to watch Reya’s match. The crowd notices.
Sonny’s fight lasts eleven seconds. Three strikes. His opponent collapses. The reaction is immediate. Whispers ripple through the stands.
Ellie fights next and she is the heavy favorite. Sonny watches from the stands as questions buzz around him.
"How is he that fast?"
"Are we sure he only uses ether?"
Sonny pays no attention to all the chatter around him. Jess drops into the seat beside Sonny, folding her arms with a grin.
“So,” she says, “you really plan on making it through this whole tournament without letting anyone know anything about yourself?”
Sonny keeps his eyes on the arena. “That is the plan.”
Jess laughs. “You know people are losing their minds, right? No background. No explanation. You just show up, win quickly, and leave.”
Sonny glances at her. “Uncertainty is useful. Everyone here underestimates me because I cannot use magic.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Is that your official excuse?”
“In combat,” he says, calm as ever, “surprise is part of my tactics.”
Jess shakes her head, amused. “You are unbelievable.”
Sonny looks back toward the fight and retorts. “It’s working.”
Ellie’s fight begins and she unleashes her fire magic.
Her opponent uses earth magic and counters aggressively. Ellie refuses to draw it out. She unleashes Heat Wave, a tidal surge of fire that overwhelms the arena and ends the match decisively.
Jess cheers as Ellie wins. Ellie looks immediately at Jess and Sonny in the stands.
After the match, Ellie beams. "What did you think?"
"Strong," Sonny says. "But brute force will fail later when you face better opponents.You need strategy. You cannot overpower everyone."
Ellie groans. "You are such a wet blanket."
That night, they return to the apartment together. Sonny cooks, quiet as always.
Ellie watches him, then steps closer. "I never gave you your reward for winning your first match," she says. She spins him around and hugs him. She urges him to hug her back. Sonny stiffens, then slowly wraps his arms around her. He is overwhelmed by the warmth of her body on his, the way she smells, the feeling of security in another human; all of it hits him at once. He does not let go when she tries to pull away. Ellie is caught off guard, but not in a bad way.
Ellie laughs softly. "Easy."
Sonny releases her reluctantly. His expression is shaken, overwhelmed. "I felt… happy."
Ellie smiles and blushes. "That’s the point."
Sonny goes back to cooking with the happiness still instilled in his mind. As the two are eating dinner, she asks, "There’s a tournament ball before the semifinals. Are you going?"
The AM tournament ball takes place at a nice venue in town right before the semifinals to celebrate the eight candidates that will be attending the intercollegiate tournament.
"I was not planning on it." Sonny exclaims.
Ellie sighs. "We will revisit that."
