She roared again. This time the sound tore through the air; and magic answered.

  A violent pulse burst from her body, rippling across the valley. The return gate flared. Without hesitation she crossed it, passing through its threshold. She emerged once more in the trial grounds.

  The three archways still glowed. Good. It was not over. If the gates remained active, then the quest was unfinished. He had not yet secured the final slab.

  Her eyes snapped to the colors.

  Green behind her. Blue glowing. Red blazing. Of course. He had gone for the knight’s trial. It was the only slab he did not have. There was still time.

  He could not possibly have cleared it yet. It was designed for Siegfried. For brute force. For relentless offense. A boy like Cassian; frail, defensive, reliant on clever tricks, would struggle there.

  Still… She had given him too much time. He could be halfway through. He could be at the final obstacle. She moved.

  Zero friction. Limitless speed.

  Zero friction. Limitless speed.

  Ice sheathed the soles of her boots. Her body angled forward, cutting through space as she shot toward the red arch. Zero friction. Limitless speed. She did not slow as she crossed.

  The world on the other side was fire.

  Black stone stretched in every direction, cracked and jagged. Thin rivers of molten lava glowed faintly through fissures in the earth, like veins beneath skin. Heat shimmered in the air. The sky above was darkened by ash, heavy clouds hanging low over a mountain that rose steep and hostile before her.

  The path climbed upward. It was not a path, not really, broken stone slabs jutting unevenly from the mountain face. Massive rock formations blocked the way in unpredictable angles. Craters opened without warning. The terrain twisted, zigzagged, narrowed into ledges barely wide enough for careful footing. It was meant to exhaust. To punish hesitation. Athena did not hesitate. Her eyes moved first.

  She mapped the path instantly, angles, inclines, weaknesses in the rock. A crack there. A narrow gap between two formations. A ledge she could use as leverage.

  Zero friction.

  Ice formed under her steps, eliminating resistance. She did not run so much as glide, slicing through the jagged ascent in sharp diagonals. Where the path turned abruptly, she rebounded off stone. Where boulders blocked her way, she vaulted between them in smooth arcs. Her mind was no longer thinking about humiliation. It was thinking about interception.

  Cassian had been clever. Too clever. He had planned ahead. Replaced slabs. Manipulated positioning. Used Siegfried as a shield. Used her momentum against her.

  That would not happen again. He was still weak. And in this terrain, weakness would be exposed. She surged upward, weaving through rock formations, skipping across unstable stone as though gravity were a polite suggestion rather than a rule.

  The mountain would not slow her down. The trial would not slow her. She would catch him. And when she did, the hierarchy would be corrected.

  Suddenly, a massive gate appeared in front of her. The same illusion as in the meadow. She had no time for this. Water burst from beneath her feet, propelling her forward in a sharp arc. She would clear it easily. The gate was nothing more than a trick;

  Wham.

  Her face smashed against an invisible wall. The impact snapped her head back and she fell. Before she could crash into the jagged stone, a bubble of water formed around her, catching her midair and lowering her safely to the ground. She stepped out of it perfectly dry.

  Stupid. Stupid.

  How could she have forgotten something so simple? Of course they would use invisible walls here too. What was she?

  Was she weak?

  No.

  She was strong.

  She had to prove it. She raised her rapier high. Water gathered around her, swelling and condensing into a smaller version of her white whale. It surged forward, roaring silently as it rushed toward the door.

  “Crush it.”

  The whale slammed toward the gat- it vanished.

  The moment the spell neared the door, it unraveled. Dispersed. Erased.

  The gate dispelled magic. It dispelled sorcery. It required knight arts. Only that would work.

  Are you weak?

  The voice in her head was quiet but cutting. Because that was pathetically weak.

  She stilled herself. Fixed her hair back into place. Reclaimed her composure. She would not fall for that. She would not listen to that voice. She sheathed her rapier.

  She placed both hands against the door and pushed, forcing Mana into her muscles, into her arms, into her shoulders. Move! She thought. It did not.

  She shifted her stance, grounding her legs, pouring Mana into them as well. Pushed with her entire body. It did not budge an inch.

  Desperation prickled at the edge of her mind. She needed knight arts. What had Siegfried always tried to tell her? Your heart has to believe in you.

  Useless, worthless, stupid advice. What did her book say? Limiters. Suggestion. Belief shaping strength. She needed to unlock her body’s restraints. She needed Mana in her muscles, yes but also in her mind.

  A suggestion.

  Something powerful enough to make it real.

  I am strong.

  No.

  That felt hollow it wouldn’t work.

  I am big.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The door loomed over her, vast and immovable. That made her feel small. It wouldn’t work.

  I can do this.

  Clearly, she could not. So, it wouldn’t work

  She breathed harder. Thought harder. And then, she had an idea. She straightened.

  “I am as strong as my brother,” she entoned.

  She pushed. The door shifted. It moved. Mana roared through her body. She leaned in, gave it everything.

  BAM.

  The gate burst open. She stepped through, breathing heavily. Behind her, the door began to close. She froze. It only stayed open while pressure was applied.

  Which meant Cassian could have come through here. He might have forced it open. He might be well ahead. Her stomach twisted.

  Zero friction. Limitless speed.

  Ice formed beneath her boots again and she launched forward up the mountain path, rage and urgency braided tightly together. She would not be outpaced. Not by him. She pushed forward, forcing her thoughts into a single line. Her eyes scanned everything. Every stone. Every shadow. For a brief stretch, the path leveled. Then the world shifted.

  A river of lava split the road in two. She skidded to a halt, boots grinding against stone. For a breathless instant, her balance faltered, and she nearly pitched forward into the molten current below. Heat blasted against her face. She stepped back.

  In the middle of the river a metal boat floated. A metal boat. With metal oars. Of course. A knight would climb in first. The other two would cling to him. He would reinforce his skin, harden himself, and row while enduring the heat. The Arbiter would enhance him. The sorcerer would cool the air, shield them, refresh them. Together, it would be trivial.

  Together.

  She bit her lip. What was she supposed to do alone? She extended her hand and began forming an ice bridge across the lava. The structure stretched forward, then sagged, hissed, and dissolved before reaching halfway.

  Steam exploded upward.

  Weak. Pathetic. Weak. The voice said.

  She pressed her fingers to her temple. Think.

  Flight magic was not hers. Cooling the entire river was beyond her capacity. Her water would vaporize before it could solidify anything meaningful. Stone. Her gaze shifted to the mountainside. The cliffs loomed high and jagged beside the river. Massive. Unstable.

  An idea sparked. Water tentacles lashed out, wrapping around the boat. She ran alongside them, dragging it toward the base of the mountain. The heat clawed at her lungs. She took a deep breath. Then she hurled the boat.

  It struck the rock face with a deafening crash. The mountainside trembled. A cascade of stone broke free. Boulders tumbled down in a roaring avalanche, crashing into the lava. Molten rock splashed. Steam erupted. When it settled, a crude bridge of fallen stone spanned the river. Not elegant. But enough. She did not hesitate.

  Zero friction. Limitless speed.

  Ice formed beneath her boots and she shot forward, racing across the unstable rock before it could heat beyond endurance. The soles of her boots began to smoke. The stone glowed faintly beneath her. She cleared the far side just as cracks of red began creeping through the makeshift bridge.

  The boat had vanished.

  It reappeared at its original position in the center of the lava. Reset. Of course. Her jaw tightened. There was still a chance the twerp had already passed this trial. She could not relax. She would not relax. She surged forward again, climbing the jagged path without slowing.

  There had been three challenges in the Arbiter trial. Surely there would be three here too. She had to be close. She would find him at the final obstacle, struggling. She would defeat him. End it properly.

  Then she saw it. The pillar. The slab. Victory was right there.

  And something moved.

  A massive lizard-like creature crawled into view from the rocks. A colossal salamander, scales glowing like molten iron, flames licking along its spine. Its eyes burned with hunger. Its tongue lashed forward. She twisted away, barely dodging, boots skidding over stone. She lost control. Her heel slipped. For one dreadful instant she teetered at the edge. Heat roared up from below. She caught herself. Barely. Her breathing turned ragged. A Salamander. Dragon-like skin. High magical resistance. Sorcery would shatter against it like rain on stone.

  She needed brute force. Knight strength. The one thing she did not have. She cursed. Was this the end?

  Of course it is. The voice slipped into her mind like ice through water. The world favors the strong. And you are weak.

  She shook her head violently. “I am not weak.”

  You are weak. Your father saw it. That is why he chose Siegfried.

  Her nails dug into her palms. “You are wrong.”

  Siegfried understands magic instinctively. You never did. You say you see it as art because you cannot grasp it the way he does.

  Her vision blurred. “That’s not true.”

  If you were truly strong, you would not need to prove it. You would not need to crush others to feel tall.

  The salamander advanced. Flames rolled from its body.

  You attack first because you are afraid. Afraid they will see what you already know.

  “I am strong!” she shouted.

  You are pathetic.

  Her hands flew to her hair. She pulled hard enough to hurt.

  You will become resentful like your father. Or worse. Cassian has already surpassed you. You won’t even be considered part of the secondary line.

  “That is not true!”

  Look at where you stand. Alone. Cornered. Outmatched. He broke you without a spell. That is strength. You do not have it.

  The salamander was nearly upon her. One more step and she would be forced backward into the abyss. Its jaws opened. The heat was unbearable.

  You have no one to rely on. You made sure of that. You made everyone you love hate you, because you are we-

  “I am strong!” she roared. Mana flooded her veins. “Absolute Zero.”

  The air detonated in frost. The temperature crashed violently. The salamander recoiled as ice spread along its limbs. “I am strong!” She charged. Her rapier drove forward. The blade pierced scale. In the next instant the creature exploded into crystalline ice.

  Her rapier nearly slipped from her trembling fingers. She had spent too much Mana. Far too much. But she had won. One step. Then another. The slab was right there. She could win. She could-

  She stopped.

  Where was Cassian?

  Why wasn’t he here?

  Had she miscalculated? Did he fail to reach this far? No…

  All this time he had been one step ahead. Always positioned. Always ready. She turned, and saw him running toward her. He threw something. An elemental stone? Her Mana was low, but she could still defend. An ice mirror rose between them. It flickered. Disappeared. It had not been an elemental stone. A teleportation crystal. He was trying to send her back. She would not allow it. She raised her rapie-

  Water splashed over her head. She blinked. Her mirror had teleported above her. He had thrown two crystals. One at her. One above her head. The imperfection. The splash. He had noticed. He had exploited it.

  Another crystal flew. She swung her rapier to intercept; it shattered. It was not a clear crystal. It was yellow and elemental stone… Thunder. Electricity tore through her limbs, locking her muscles. Water, then lightning. He had drenched her and electrocuted her. He had calculated everything. But he had not broken her.

  She forced her shaking arm upward. “Absolute Zero.” The air froze again. Her rapier glowed with deathly frost. The final strike. She would end this. Even if she didn't have enough Mana to sustain this, she would die, before he let him defeat her. She lunged.

  Her rapier surged forward with her body. Frost clung to its edge, the air screaming around it. It closed the distance to his face. A shimmer flickered between them, a shield charm. It slowed her blade for the smallest fraction of a second. It would break. It could not withstand her. She smiled. She was going to win. She was strong. She was-

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Distracted, Cassian thought.

  Her eyes were locked on his face, on the exact point she intended to pierce. She had not noticed the final teleportation crystal he had flicked at her.

  Before her rapier shattered his shield, it made contact with her skin. The crystal activated. She vanished.

  His calculations had been correct. The crystal had worked from the position he had embedded it; just beyond the lava river, beyond the narrow stretch Athena had cleared.

  A distant scream echoed from below the mountain. He exhaled. He had won. But he did not relax. He would not put it past Athena to exhaust herself to reach him again, even if her life was in danger, she was not someone who stopped before breaking.

  He began walking toward the pillar. Head tall. Shoulders straight. He forced his expression into calm neutrality, trying not to look conceited; and more importantly, not to reveal how utterly terrified he had been. If that spell had touched him… He swallowed. It would have been exactly like the salamander.

  He trusted the professors would have intervened. He had to trust that. Still, the image lingered. He reached back, pulled the satchel from his shoulder, and withdrew the two slabs. Then he stepped to the pedestal and lifted the red one from its place. Three slabs.

  Red. Blue. Green.

  He raised them high. Light burst from their edges as they fused into a golden slab. A voice thundered across the trial grounds.

  “The victor of the Special Quest is Cassian Viamnova.”

  He allowed himself to smile, perhaps it was acceptable to look just a little proud of himself.