No one could say they understood completely what was going on. The scene before them was strange by all standards. Why were they looking at each other like that? If words were being exchanged between the two finalists as they stared each other down, it would have been a whole different scenario ad it would have definitely made more sense! But not this! A few minutes in, some of them began to truly wonder if the match had started at all.
But they had seen the referee clearly indicate through his hand signals and whistle, they match had clearly begun. So what was the hold up? People began to murmur, and a general sense of dissatisfaction enveloped the surrounding area. Almost everyone had come her super hyped in anticipation of the terrible battle that was to ensue, and they had been faced with one disappointment to another.
First, Shiranui, the champion of the people had failed to show up. The crowd had only just been trying to settle that shocker in, and now this? It wasn't long before some people revolted. A few of the members of the less patient faction in the crowd began to express their feelings verbally. There was nothing constructive about their appeals, in fact, they were pretty much vulgar with their approach;
"C'mon!! Start the goddammnn match already!!"
"Yeah Sabrina! Get his ass! Teach him a lesson!!"
"Hey!!! Quit dawdling already!!! Get on with it!!"
"Yeah!!! Get the fuck on with it!! What the hell are you waiting for?! "
"START THE DAMN FIGHT!!"
There were some other profanities targeted at Zavier, but the message was still the same thing; the fight needed to start already. The crowd was bloodthirsty.
However, not everyone in the crowd was a simpleton. A handful of very astute mages, (they were basically a handful because their number could all be counted on one hand) could see that the battle had very well begun- though not in the traditional sense of weapons flying and lightning sparks flying around. A very elite group of advanced illusionists had already discerned a disturbance in Sabrina's mana. They traced and linked this distortion to a very powerful aura in Zavier's body.
But then again, just as Zavier had obnoxiously declared earlier on, it was very possible that Sabrina was pretending like she was under Zavier's illusion. Paradoxically, amongst the things that were very possible was the fact that this might actually be real. There was a great chance that Zavier had actually cast an incredibly powerful illusion that had petrified his opponent, and had gone through the trouble to declaring his cheating methods just to throw others off track.
This was indeed a conundrum. With the way things were, there was no sure way of knowing the truth. They simply had to be content with the fact that all would be revealed in time.
While the team of astute mages battled with their dilemma, to the muggles and low-level mages in the crowd, Zavier and Sabrina looked like mannequins. Nadia was in the background fuming. She also wasn't exempted from the tide of doubt and impatience swirling around like a tornado. At least a tornado would have been preferable to this incredibly boring showdown. Nadia couldn't understand why her big brother hadn't launched into action yet.
Agitated, and desperate for answers, Nadia turned to Calista and complained in her usual childish manner;
"Miss, what's happening with big brother Zavier?! Why hasn't he attacked the girl yet?!!"
Calista gave a very strange response. Instead of placating her student's worries, she instead burst into laughter like the sound thorns made when they were crackling inside the devouring flame. Her tone suggested that she clearly knew something that Nadia didn't.
When Calista saw that Nadia wouldn't give up, she had to step in with actual words;
"Relax Nadia and have faith in your elder brother. The fight will very well soon be over. Better believe that."
Dahila and Kacie had also been nurturing the same thoughts as Nadia. But Dahila had been to arrogant to ask what was going on, and Kacie had couldn't voice out her concerns like Nadia because she had been too busy trying to figure out what exactly was going on.
However, hearing their lead teacher's confident and assuring tone, they all knew that something was about to go down. Calista would never lie to them, or do something as basic as giving them false hope. It was evident that she knew something that they didn't. If she was saying the fight would soon be over, then that was indeed the truth.
Like a choreographed show, the three girls all swiftly removed their eyes from their teacher and fixed their sights longingly on Zavier. They looked at him like he was a stranger- with shock in their eyes.
Harry was one of the handful of mages in the crowd who had a sense of what was going on. Positioned on an elevated plane with the rest of the dignitaries, he had a very decent view of the match- in sight and in spirit. From the moment Harry knew that Zavier was going to fight, he became highly invested in the match. Not because of anything else, but merely because he was keen to see what the young man was capable of. He had been a little disturbed by his unpopularity, but he remained hopeful nonetheless.
So, right from the get go, Harry set his sights on Zavier's technique. He knew that Sabrina wasn't an easy mark. Heck, he had told this to Zavier during their last meeting. But it seemed like his warning had entered one ear and went out of the other. The fact that Zavier was engaging her right now was a clear pointer to the fact that the young man had chosen not to listen to his advice. While Harry acknowledged the strength of the girl, deep down, he was excited to see just how Zavier was going to handle her.
It was in this mood that he watched the first stage of the seemingly eventless match. While others found themselves bored to death, it was the exact opposite for Harry. His excitement knew no bounds when he saw that Zavier had cast an illusion spell over his target. Harry was visibly impressed. Even though he had told Zavier he wasn't ready yet, here he was, less than twenty four hours later, trying to make his mark in front of the entire school and its constituents.
Zavier was either mad, or exceedingly daring! Harry felt like Zavier was a little bit of both.
Temporarily forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be an unbiased judge here, unable to contain his excitement, Harry didn't realise when he began to chat with his master;
"Old man! Do you see that?! Are you seeing what I am seeing?" He didn't wait for Galen to reply. "That right here is nothing short of genius! What an awesome display of mental strength!!"
Galen paid him no mind, but that didn't stop Harry from showering praises on the Adam boy.
"He is more talented than I am when I was at his age!!"
Beaming with the smile that came from watching one's protege excel, Harry continued to look on proudly at Zavier as he did his thing.
Meanwhile, while everyone else around her had their own perspective on what was going on, Sabrina was in fact battling her opponent on a quantum level. Really it wasn't much of a battle. There weren't sparks flying around, neither was there any clang of weapons clashing, nor some grand display of wondrous powers. There wasn't even the metallic taste of the rush of adrenaline that was typical in battles of this stage. Everything was different for Sabrina.
The one bit of evidence that suggested that she was in a match was the feeling she was having inside her. It was a feeling that was deeper than her consciousness. It was a feeling that sat right outside the sphere of her control. Her auto-defence system (her petals) were having a hard time. She could feel the silent rage of the power of the petals fighting an invisible force that was threatening to invade and take over her mind.
Deep beneath the surface, Sabrina could feel the ravaging power of the petals inside her aura, fighting back frantically with great indignation. It was difficult for anyone to understand what Sabrina was going through. Even her herself couldn't quite get a clear picture of the mental battle ending. But graphically speaking, it she were to give an analogy, it would be like a flood, backed by the power of the torrential ocean currents, beating violently against a dam.
Sure the dam was strong, but the powerful, destructive currents of the water was too much for it to resist. Eventually, it started to take a toll on her. Gradually, like the slow and steady descent of a hiker down a hill, Sabrina began to slip into a state of drowsiness. The sudden urge to sleep came with a seductive stealthiness, goading her into a condition of helplessness, and completely rid her of the desire to stay awake. Her eyelids began to feel like they were made of heavy curtains.
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