A strange silence took over the studio as Kieras match came to a sudden end. Neither Karl nor Johanna were able to say a single word as they sat in silence, staring at the figure that stood in the middle of the platform in silence.

As the darkness that gripped her body started to fade, revealing the outlines of her body and her platinum-colored hair, Karl silently hissed.

<This was an unexpected result>

<.Indeed it was>

Johanna quietly nodded her head as she pursed her lips, replaying the scene from before in her mind.

It was just when Agatha was planning to end the match

Her sword twisted through the air, gliding toward Kieras weakened body. It had just been a few inches away from Kiera when she disappeared.

Even as they slowed down the replay nobody could see clearly what had happened.

Everyone was caught off guard, except for Johanna, who noticed a flicker in Kieras ruby-red eyes just before she vanished. In the next instant, Kiera reappeared right behind Agatha, her entire body cloaked in black, with her finger pressed against the back of Agathas hand.

<Dual Element>

Johanna quietly murmured.

It was faint, but enough for Karl to hear as he snapped out of it.

<Uh? Ah!? Did you just say shes a dual elemental?>

<Yes>

Johanna nodded as she elaborated.

<Fire and Darkness>

<So thats the case!>

Karl slapped his thigh in realization. It wasnt as though the thought hadnt crossed his mind, but the skill was so quick and weird that he hadnt had the time to properly process the situation. However, upon noticing how the darkness was leaving Kieras body, he understood that she was a dual elemental user.

Such users were actually quite rare.

It was rather common for a genius to have talent in two different fields. Most of the participants were like that, with only a few specializing in just one category. Nonetheless, the rarest ones were those that had talents that lay in the same category.

One such example was Caius who was talented in the [Telekinesis] and [Emotive] fields which both belonged to the [Mind] category.

Belonging to the same category, they were much easier to practice since the two fields complemented one another.

There were many correlations between the two fields, making it easier to excel in both. This allowed them to progress more quickly, as they didnt need to spend as much time practicing each one separately.

Kieras profile detailed her as a single attribute [Flame] user. Her other talent was completely undisclosed.

It was for that reason that Johanna and Karl were surprised.

This changed a lot of things!

Taking a deep breath, Karl watched as Kiera gripped the cube and disappeared from the platform. At the same time, Agatha was escorted down by the referee who waved his hand at once and disappeared alongside her.

Watching all of this happen, Karl began to mumble,

<We might have found ourselves our dark horse>

***

[That was a wonderful first round of battles]

A voice quietly boomed throughout the Plaza as the final combatants, Kiera and Agatha, stepped off the platform. Yet again, nobody was able to associate the voice with a figure as the one speaking didnt show themselves.

For what reason? I didnt know.

I just stood in silence while staring at Kiera who appeared a few moments prior.

She was weird

No, she had been acting weird.

I pursed my lips.

Is it because of what happened to her with her aunt?

It made sense when I thought about it.

With everything that had happened to her, it was only normal that shed react this way. But at the same time, since when did she start using her other element?

I had hardly ever seen it use it.

In fact, most people around her had no idea she wielded two elements, as she typically only used her flame element. This was the first time she had ever displayed her second element, and it was truly terrifying to see.

The moment in the first vision was the one that stood out to me the most.

I never really quite understood why she had never shown it or used it, but after witnessing her past with the third leaf, I more or less had an idea.

Shes scared of the dark

Or at least, was.

That no longer seemed to be the case any longer.

[There are only twenty-four of you left now, and after such grueling and fierce battles, its time you were given a well-deserved rest.]

The voice, hoarse yet authoritative, let out a quiet chuckle.

[The second stage will begin tomorrow at this time. In the meantime, you are free to do as you please. You can rest, eat, study your opponents, or recover from your injuries. The choice is yours, and we will not restrict your freedom. You are allowed to roam freely around Grimspire or Bremmer if you wish.]

I noticed some of the expressions around me brighten significantly at those words.

I felt the same way. My mind was drained, and my body was on the brink of collapse. I needed to recover as quickly as possible.

Of course

That wasnt what I was most looking forward to.

.Can I do it?

What I was looking forward to the most was the development of my domain. Since the fight with Angela, it felt as though I had brushed against the edge of something profoundly important.

It made my body itch and I wanted to do nothing more than try it.

So long as I carefully worked along those lines, I was confident in further developing my domain.

While I still wouldnt be able to fully develop it, I had a feeling that Id be able to develop it to an extent where it would be usable in fights and boost my strength considerably.

That was why, upon hearing the announcement to finish whatever they needed to do, I didnt linger any longer. I headed straight to the nearest inn and booked a room.

A single room, please.

There were rooms offered specifically for cadets in another inn, but I was in too much of a hurry to head for the portal in Bremmer and leave.

This was much better for me.

Not bad.

The room was as simple as could be. It featured dark wooden polish and minimal decoration, with a small window allowing a view of the dark sky and the white sun overhead. A small sofa sat beneath the window, while the bed was positioned in the middle of the room, attached to the wall.

A small lamp on the dark wooden desk cast a faint glow over its surface.

I glanced around the room briefly before sitting on the bed and closing my eyes.

A familiar black world greeted me.

I took a deep breath and stared ahead. A familiar red orb materialized in the distance, gradually approaching until it hovered a few meters away from me before coming to a stop.

Throb!

A gentle throb pulsed through the air as a familiar letter fell from above, coming to rest just beneath the orb.

R

My blood boiled at the sight, but I pushed the feeling aside and rejected it. Instead of allowing it to consume me, I forced myself to remain calm.

I was taking a different approach from the first time.

A

The next letter followed.

Once again, I felt power surging through my body. My muscles tensed and twisted as they strained against the force. I bit my lips, resisting the urge to embrace it, and forced my muscles to relax, pushing aside the power boost.

Throb!

G

The orb squirmed like before.

It was as if something within the orb had awakened, causing it to pound and pulse with a strange, rhythmic timing.

The interior of the orb throbbed and writhed unnaturally. In that moment, I felt an intense urge to reach out, as if the orb was calling to me. But I resisted the impulse, holding back from extending my hand.

Throb! Throb!

The orb throbbed with even more intensity, calling for me to touch it, but I clenched my teeth and held back.

Kh!

Sweat poured down my forehead.

My face spasmed as I looked ahead, my eyes stinging as I forced myself to keep them open.

I couldnt miss it.

I had to see it.

That was when a new letter appeared.

E

Everything stopped at that moment.

The orb stopped pulsing, and so did the calling sensation.

A strange silence enveloped the empty space as the orb emitted a faint crimson glow. Beneath it, a four-letter word slowly appeared.

Rage

I felt my mouth go dry as I stared at the words and the floating orb above them. For a brief moment, I extended my hand toward it. The orb squirmed and came to life, reaching out to me as if in greeting.

It was just a finger length away from reaching me before I stopped.

No, not yet

I wanted to see more.

That was when something else caught my vision.

It was a green orb.

.Just like the red orb, it appeared in the distance before coming forward and stopping right next to the red orb.

It stopped for a moment before a familiar letter appeared from above.

Throb!

J

.!

The changes that occurred in my body were different. My muscles still squirmed, but this time the sensation was more focused, targeting my calves and legs.

But what exactly was it?

Throb!

The orb throbbed again, and the pain in my head intensified.

I bit my lips and resisted.

More! I want to see more!

Throb!

O

The muscles in my calves squirmed and twisted as a hidden energy I hadnt experienced before surged through them. My mind began to ache, and my vision blurred as time seemed to slow down, each moment stretching out before me.

Looking down, I saw several outlines of my hand tracing its path. Each time I moved my hand, two outlines followed, creating a weird trail.

How odd

It was strange. As I looked ahead, the orb once again seemed to call out to me, squirming like the first one had.

It throbbed and squirmed violently, but I ignored it.

Throb!

The last letter arrived.

My head shook, and I stumbled back.

Ukh!

But not before seeing the last letter.

Y

Gazing at the orb beside the other one, I placed my hand on my chest and read the words beneath each orb.

Rage Haa joy

I saw a pattern in all of this.

Soon, a new orb appeared in the distance. It was blue in color and began moving toward me. It headed in the direction of the two orbs, and as I stared at it, my vision shook.

Uakh!

I felt a certain throbbing pain and my eyes flared open.

Ahkh!

Squirming on the ground, I clutched my head and rolled around for a few seconds. Despite being accustomed to pain, this was something I couldnt endure. It was a pain so intense and disorienting that it sent my body into shock.

Bang!

I thrashed my surroundings, sending the lamp crashing to the ground and tearing the bedsheets apart in the process.

It hurt It hurt so much!

Bang, bang!

Akh!!

It only came to a stop after a full minute, by which time the floor was covered in sweat and torn sheets.

Haa.. Haa

Breathing heavily, I leaned against the beds frame and took deep, steady breaths to calm myself.

.Ive overdone it.

In my excitement, I overexerted my mental energy. This was especially bad considering that I had yet to recover from the fight.

In my excitement, I neglected myself.

Haa

I clenched my teeth.

The pain just refused to leave.

As I bit my lips, I felt something in my pocket. Fiddling with it for a few seconds, I pulled out a small chocolate bar.

I stared at the chocolate bar for a few seconds before popping it into my mouth and chewing.

In that moment of pain, I forgot about all the hate that I had for sweets and savored the taste. The pain started to subside, and I was able to finally breathe in peace.

Finally opening my eyes, I let out a long breath.

Still too sweet.

But

It wasnt too bad.