Lyrian LeCross's Story

Questrios City Air Traffic Tower, North Side:

"Sir, we have a request to land. Its a strange ship like you were looking for..."

The air traffic control tower looked back at the Enforcement Officer, the man...no, the boy, who he had been ordered to report to. Lyrian LeCross. Dressed in an old fashioned style, and keeping a katana sheathed on his side, the boy who had cat ears and tail seemed rather focused and cool. No, his presence had that aura of a cool kid in general.

"Hmm. ALthough it could be, it seems unlikely those are the people I am looking out for" Lyrian told him. "Besides, no flags are coming up, so we legally have to let them land...but, it would be a shame if no one was there to greet them, wouldn't it. Keep me informed of future developments, I shall go greet our guests".

As Lyrian told him that, he turned around and headed down towards the landing zone they had been designated to. After all, better safe then sorry.

Questrios City: Outside of the Mage's Guild

"Tavlin huh? My name is Rulo Cross, its a pleasure to meet you" Azaken told them, giving a fake name as if it was his natural name. He then looked at the other man who had offered his hand. He took the hand to shake, but then also quickly leaned in and gave it a kiss. After that, he quickly let it go and chuckles. "Oh, sorry, did I startle you? That was just a natural part of a customary greeting where I am from, but I keep forgetting, thats not natural for most people right?"

He said that, although in truth both had been phrased as questions, and for good reason. That was because it meant he had yet to give anything that would be seen as a command, after having used his power, Kiss of Command. It would make anyone he kissed follow a command he gives, so provided Brand did not pull away before his lips made contact, it should work.

"But you know, I bet your magic would be awesome. You should definently use some powerful flashy magic right here. Don't worry about the danger, I am sure surrounded by all these mages it will be fine".

Disguising his words as a carefree personality sort, he said those things. Well, even if Brand had pulled away before Azaken got the kiss in, he still would have said those words, to see if he could spark even some normal reckless behavior.

"I cant wait to see everyone's magic and what it can do, after all!"

Meanwhile, Azler was also approaching the Mage's Guild as he noticed those others, including the approaching Ixa and Elysia, and Astral and Luna. Aedrios himself was also just opening the doors of the Mage's Guild so people could enter the building and register, hoping to see some interesting magic himself.

"Oh! Oh! I think we made it Elysia!" Ixa said, as they approached the Mage's Guild HQ. It seemed that it was quite crowded, with dozens if not hundreds already coming to register.

"I will show you my magic is more powerful!"

"In your dreams!"

And in front of Ixa and Elysia, Luna and Astral had ended up right in their path. Neither were casting spells, but rather summoning magic power directly from their bodies in a brute force attempt to push each other back. In this instance, whoever had the superior magic power would be the victor, however...

"Errr!"

"Uhhhhhggggg!"

The two were completely balanced, to a point of silliness. It was not a close match, their magic power levels were exactly identical. Neither one was superior to the other, it was totally balanced out.

Snowflake, who had hidden herself from being viewed normally, couldn't help but be a bit...shocked.

"They are completely equal. Just...what are the odds of that? Elysia, you understand the differences of people and how magical powers develop. Is such a sight even supposed to be possible?"

Snowflake actually asked a bit of a silly question, as it was clearly possible since it was happening before them. Ixa, who had been happily admiring his new bracelet and enjoying the sights with Elysia, couldn't help but tilt his head.

"Is it really so odd? They seem like good friends after all, maybe they trained together equally?"

"But there are also the factors they are born with..."

"I think it just proves they are good friends, that they trust each other not to push each other away!"

"No...I am pretty sure they are actively trying to push each other though....well, we should probably just stop this silliness, and then go register ourselves".

Tavlin took note of the mischievous gleam in Azaken's eyes as he kissed the other mage who had so carelessly mentioned his weaknesses. There was clearly some sort of chaos magic at play here. The way Azaken spoke, the words were very deliberate, not something that was very noticeable, but Tavlin picked up on it right away. He knew all to well that words were power in this line of work and a spell could be cast quite easily on a novice without their knowledge.

He shook Brand's hand as well. When Azaken made his rather loud announcement of wanting to see everyone's magic and what they could do, Tavlin nodded and gave a sly grin.

"I'm interested in seeing yours at work too." He said before he was distracted by the other young mages coming toward the building as well and arguing over whose power was stronger.


Meanwhile, another bus came to the nearest bus stop and a young felinoid Aonian stepped off and walked toward the Mage's guild. His silver and black fur shimmered a little in the sunlight. He was wearing a black thin hoodie with teal green trim and a striped tank top underneath along with a pair of black cargo shorts. He had a pair of headphones on that were attached to a small music player that had a near infinite storage capacity. He took the headphones off so that he could pay attention to what was going on around him. He walked toward the guild building and looked almost too small to be a mage as he was so short and young. He walked past all the others, Tavlin took note of him as well, and went to the front desk to register.

Rayia eased the TIE Phantom onto the landing pad the strange sound of it's twin ion engine shutting down as the ship came to rest. "Well her goes nothing." Rayia said as she exited the pilot seat.

Kassandra pulled on her helmet and readied herself while Rayia went over and activated the commando droid that would serve as a guard for the Phantom fighter should anyone be foolish enough to tamper with it.

Rayia lead the way out of the fighter her hood and mask hid most of her dark skinned face her armor cling tight to her form as she drifted down the gangplank her lightsaber hang from her belt her only weapon... and the only one she needed. behind her Kassandra followed her red armor standing out next to the black of Rayia's gear. On her hips where holster laser pistols and on her back was a vibroblade and what looked to be a sniper rifle.

"Seems We have a welcoming party..." Kassandra said nodding toward the locals coming up.

Rayia eased the TIE Phantom onto the landing pad the strange sound of it's twin ion engine shutting down as the ship came to rest. "Well her goes nothing." Rayia said as she exited the pilot seat.

Kassandra pulled on her helmet and readied herself while Rayia went over and activated the commando droid that would serve as a guard for the Phantom fighter should anyone be foolish enough to tamper with it.

Rayia lead the way out of the fighter her hood and mask hid most of her dark skinned face her armor cling tight to her form as she drifted down the gangplank her lightsaber hang from her belt her only weapon... and the only one she needed. behind her Kassandra followed her red armor standing out next to the black of Rayia's gear. On her hips where holster laser pistols and on her back was a vibroblade and what looked to be a sniper rifle.

"Seems We have a welcoming party..." Kassandra said nodding toward the locals coming up.

A young mage walked into the area before the mages guild itself, grimacing a little. At his side, a Succubus on his arm. She seemed rather affectionate, which was likely the catalyst for his apparent discomfort.

Norme, my Norme. Now that we're here in Questrios City, standing outside the Mages Guild, what shall we do together?

The Succubus crossed her arms, her fiery hair intensifying its orange glow as she adopted a confident look. It was clear she was a demon through her orange skin, orange eyes, and pointed ears, as well as her tail and her cloven hooves. Her nails, though not long, seemed sharp and ready, likely able to be used as claws, and she stood slightly taller than the young mage she accompanied. She wore some kind of armor, though it looked demonic in origin, and was made of dark-colored metals and thick brown furs. At her waist was a spellbook, chained to a belt she wore that also held two small pouches and a small case.

We shall enter the Grand Magi Games. I've been in the shadow of my siblings when it comes to magic, and a stage like this will finally let me prove that I am just as capable as they are! Of course, it's thanks to your help. I really do value it, and I'll be counting on you during this tournament just as much.

The young mage replaced his grimace with a confident look of his own. He was a Human, and he was likely raised on Origin, but something seemed off. He also dressed about as expected by a mage; in robes befitting a scholar. A robe, belts, tunic, and shawl, all coordinated in blues, greens, and beige. He also wore brown boots and had a hat that was quite large compared to himself. His hands were covered by brown gloves, and he too bore a tome at his side, as well as small pouches and cases of his own. He was slightly shorter than the demon that accompanied him, but it seemed he was in control of their choices.

Norme began walking to the Headquarters itself so he could sign up, trying his best to not be approached by the other people in the area, and Jezebeth clung to his arm as a romantic partner might.

I'm always glad to help you, Norme. Of course, I already know you're stronger than your family. No offense, but they were kind of lackluster when I met them. Ahaha! Hahaha!

If no one hailed them, they'd enter the Mages Guild Headquarters.

Brand was slightly taken aback by the unusual greeting from ‘Rulo’, however he didn’t react much and instead shrugged it off. “In some places people kiss each other on the cheeks, there’s nothing weird about it. Nice to meet you, Rulo, Tavlin,” he said, beaming at the two of them.

The fire mage probably looked like a fool to those more experienced, especially Azaken, since he’d seemed not even slightly suspicious. Not that it mattered, since Azaken wouldn’t have needed his spell in order to cause some chaos. Brand would be happy to oblige either way.

The pyromancer grinned, stepping back from the queue as he twirled his hand around in the air. A small, delicate trail of fire danced around it, which crackled as it morphed into a ring of embers. He tossed this up into the air above, where it exploded like a small firework, forming the shape of a golden phoenix, which beat its wings once or twice before disappearing in a flurry of sparks.

He got a good scolding from a few of the other mages waiting in line (partly due to some of them being singed by sparks) but overall no real harm done and he looked quite pleased with himself, although he was still none the wiser to Azaken’s magic.

Not long after, he had registered, thankfully being in no serious trouble, and was standing outside the HQ like before, chatting to anyone who’d put up with him.

Azaken was happy to see his actions taking success, as he loved the sight of chaos. It was something he enjoyed, the chaos that people could create, and how they could react in different and unique ways, and he especially loved seeing people surprise him. He loved that the most, the fact people could keep surprising him.

The event in question got the attention of everyone else though, including Astral and Luna, finally breaking up their fight.

"Hey, watch it!"

They also responded in unison, further strengthening Ixa's belief that they were great friends.

However, it seemed that little display caught another's attention as well.

"Alright people! Enough dawdling about!"

This voice spoke with wisdom and age, but also had a fierce power and spark inside of it. One that might make people want to obey, to listen, and to not interrupt him.

This was the voice of the Mage's Guild leader, Aedrios Gale.

"Alright everyone! Come on in and get registered already! It wont be too much longer till the games start, so you don't want to procrastinate it!"

Hearing the voice of their old master, both Astral and Luna practically snapped to attention, and did not dawdle in the slightest. Many others followed them, entering the Guild Building and its truly magical and fantastical nature. Even from the small view through the doorway out there, one could see books flying past, floating lights, and of course...breathtakingly attractive male and female receptionists.

"You may converse inside if you please, but lets at least get this started!"

Ixa, who also heard all of this, looked at Ryder.

"Looks like its time to enter!"

Shinku however, while following, didn't quite feel himself...and Akamaru meanwhile made a call.

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Lyrian went and met the people who had parked, along with several immigration workers from the Origin Immigration Agency. Lyrian kept a cool look around these people, all of who had legendary class paperwork skills that should not be underestimated, with various documents ready to be filled out and completed.

"Welcome to Origin. My name is Lyrian LeCross, Enforcer".

One of the people next to him came next to Lyrian, and kneeled as a clip board and some papers, along with a pen, were presented to him.

"Archon LeCross! Please use mine!"

"Thank you. But no need to use my rank here. After all, our guests wont know the rankings most likely..." he said, keeping a cool voice. One might noticed his clothes were a bit more old fashioned besides the boots, but that the katana on his side practically radiated a supernatural power.

Turning back to the guests, he continued to speak.

"Now then, we just need some registration information and some forms filled out, like for parking, which should only take a few minutes, and then we could guide you to the Mage's Guild to register for the Grand Magi Games. Sounds good?"

Tavlin made his way to the desk and began looking over the paper work as he took a clipboard and went to sit down and filled things out. The questions on the form were just the basic information and didn't ask for anything too personal, so Tavlin wasn't too worried. He returned the clipboard and went to do a little exploring.

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Meanwhile, Aneko made his way to the front desk and noticed the boy who introduced himself as Lyrian LeCross the enforcer of the guild. He was a little awestruck to see another feline since he hadn't seen one since he escaped from Aonia. He could tell that he wasn't Aonian like himself, but he still felt a kinship to other feline races. He walked up to the boy who looked to be a little older than him, though not by much.

"Hi, Lyrian, I'm Aneko. You're a feline race too! Where are you from? I'm from Aonia. You're the first feline I've seen since I left there." Aneko gushed getting a little over excited, his lack of social skills starting to show as he hadn't spent much time with other people but had been training his powers alone. His fluffy tail swished back and forth as he got excited by the idea of making a new friend.

Elysia didn't notice much of anything, having gone in lecture mode at Snowflake's question. It wasn't until it was her turn to register that she was forced to focus on something else. She stared at the clipboard. The questions weren't all that outlandish, being basic information, but then again, her circumstances weren't that ordinary either.

"Hmm, Age huh..?", she muttered, "Even if I don't count my time 'outside', I lost track after the first few millennia." In the end she decided to cast a cantrip to divine her actual age. Her initial attempt at casting it failed. She had forgotten to account for the fact that her own universe was destroyed, and the root of the spell was set there. It wasn't until she had her magic direct the query to the Seed she was host of, that she got an answer to her question.

Of course this DID include her time in the Void. She couldn't help but stare at the number. Changing the query, she got the actual answer. It changed the amount of years less than she had hoped, but she wasn't going to lie about it, no matter how much she was tempted to.

Her casual modification of magic hadn't gone unnoticed by most, some actually being able to divine the extent of what she just did.

"So... Age: 28754-years-of-relevant-existence...", Elysia continued muttering. After that she went to planet of birth. Here she simply put down 'Fysalda'. and when it came to the Location of said world(Space Sector and/or Plain of Existence) she had no choice but to put down N/A.

She had to skip a few other answers to questions, for lack of having them, until she finally finished by signing the Waiver. She wasn't all that worried about her 'life' all things considered. Mostly because she was outside of that cycle, simply being. A true immortal.

As people stepped up and took some registration forms, a strange vortex appeared on the ceiling. For a moment, nothing came through, and then it closed. Nothing happened, so people shrugged their shoulders and disregarded it....until another vortex opened up, and Jaune, Demor, and Iviri fell through.

"Owww...."

"Could someone please get off of me?!"

"Jaune! Kimaru! Thank goodness, I just detected a spike in interference with the neural lin..."

And then, as if on cue, a huge stream of fire emerged, centered around a red haired boy (Shinku) like a flaming snake, with extreme hostility. There was no precursor incident (aside from Azaken's brainwashing from earlier that morning), and no trigger. It just happened immediately, and then struck out towards the audience. Its brilliant flames flaring with life....and then, several swords launched out from the flames and changed up the attack entirely.

But at that same time, a huge gust of wind seemed to knock the flames away and restore piece, even blowing the figure who had been hidden by fire and smoke out of sight...

"Whew...that was close...now, stay still!"

In truth, Jaune had just sped Shinku to the opposite side of the room to get out of eyesight while he figured out what the hell just happened. Of course, most people might miss it, but anyone with exceptional perceptive abilities might have noticed.

Iviri was still confused about what happened, but so where many others. Ixa just stayed by Elysia and hoped to not get involved. Plus, he was not a big fan of fire.

However, it was at this point that the leader of the Mage's Guild, Aedrious Gale, appeared.

"Do not worry. Sometimes, magical anomalies happen in these areas. Please stay calm and know that you are in no danger here, as the security people already had barriers and other countermeasures deployed to deal with the situation if needed. Now then, since I am here, and you are all here, does anyone have any questions about the Grand Magi Games that will be hosted soon?"

Despite his age, he spoke loudly and clearly to everyone, and given his height, towered over most if not all of the people there.

Rayia made her way at last into the mage guild hq. Mages of all sizes and sorts where rushing around to get sighed up and settled in. Any that could sense it would feel a darkness coming from Rayia has she walked into the hq. The Red armored figure of Kassandra soon joined her side have had finished filling out the docking paper she joined her mistress.

"Some of these are just kids..." Muttered Kassandra.

Rayia was silent making her way to the nearest table. "So is this where I sign up?"

Needless to say, Demor was a little surprised by being warped to the Mages Guild Headquarters via portal stone... or whatever it was that got him here. Landing on his stomach, the Male Drachini rolled to his feet, and then stretched out his body, now fully relaxed and clean from his time at the baths with Iviri and Jaune. His tail swished out behind him, likewise stretching as he yawned, revealing sharp teeth. As he finished he licked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest, blinking slowly.

Looking around, Demor took in the area around him, and each individual he could see, or smell, or even just magically sense. There was a massive amount of magic energy in the area, and he sensed that the games would prove to be quite the spectacle to be a part of, let alone to watch. A bolt of lightning sparked around his body, arcing around his shoulder as he became eager, and he shivered with excitement.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance I suppose..." he commented finally before turning to Iviri, offering the boy his tail to help him to his feet if he hadn't already made it there yet.

Norme, currently seated in a chair, finished filling out his form as Jezebeth peered over his shoulder, an inquisitive eye trained on the paper.

Well, Norme, it seems the host has made himself known. He's got a powerful aura though, so you'd best be on guard.

Norme looked up and filled out the last part of the sheet, completing it.

Urgh. Just being in the room with him is oppressive. Well, we'd best listen carefully. Some questions may give us the information we need to take note of.

Norme glanced at one of his gloved hands, a look of determination crossing his face as Jezebeth placed her own like hand on top of his, surprising him. The faint glowing marks embedded in each were identical.

Jezebeth...

Oh, my Norme. Remember we share our power, and my power is far more intense than any lowly demon you may have ever known; it's a power you have to your name as well. We'll succeed for sure, and I've got your back as long as you have mine. That's a part of this connection, right?

Yes. You're right. I think he's about to speak more, let's ready ourselves, and commit everything he says to memory.

Brand chuckled at the flaming apparition that had appeared. He was as lost as anyone else in guessing where it had come from but he felt motivated to take a humorous approach to the situation.

“Pyromancers, am I right?” he remarked. Whether his joking was appreciated was little concern to him, so long as he wouldn’t get in trouble with the authorities. Well, at least not too much trouble.

His attention however was mostly focused on the arrival of new mages directly into the room that had just occurred. Having now registered he thought he might as well get to know the other contestants, if they were social anyway.

“Well, that was more unusual than taking the front door!” he joked as he approached Demor and Iviri.

"And here we are, the moment we have all been waiting for! The Grand Magi Games has begun! Here in the QuestZone Colosseum at Questrios, we are here now to celebrate, or participate, or just enjoy the Grand Magi Games! I am your well known reporter, Trisha Adler, here with ONINet, the Original News Intelligence Network! We are here live for the very start of the event, hosted by the Mage's Guild, and sponsored by more companies and organizations then I can say in one go! So you can see the list of sponsors below, and probably across the stadium on various ads! In addition, I believe those companies and organizations have even offered to pay all of the expenses for certain contestants in exchange for wearing clothes that feature their brand! Now...oh, look! The Guildmaster, Aedrios Gale, is standing up from his center position to make a speech!"

ALl of the cameras cut to the center judges table, where Aedrios Gale had stood up.

"We are here today to let everyone here today use their magic to their fullest. Remember, today, it is not just about magical strength! It is about creativity, cunning, cleverness, charm, aesthetics, talent, skill, hard work, and so much more! For we are not just brutish warriors or powerful artillery, we are those who have honed and mastered our gifts to their fullest! We are those who had taken our talents, our aims, beyond what most view our gifts as being used for! We are those who will seek out the unknown, find unexpected ways to use what we have, and aspire for greatness beyond simple means!"

With those words, he sat down. It appeared for today, the judges would be Head Mage's Guild Leader Aedrios Gale, Second Prince Acara Verrevia, and Local Mage's Guildmaster Donna Roux. Meanwhile, in terms of announcers, there was Allo Aurios, the reporter herself Trisha Adler, and Lyrian LeCross.

"Now then, lets go and watch the contestests as they come on out!" she announced, and surely enough the contestants hurried onto the field. There had to be at least one or two hundred, a large number to keep track of, with mages of all types. Men, women, old and young, it seemed like people across the galaxy had come to compete. Some even looked rather intimidating and scary, as if they had experienced hundreds of battles and wars.

ANd in the center of all that, the Master of Ceremonies, Sola Arken, stepped onto...

"Oh my...look! Its Sola! Sola, sign my cup!"

"Sign my shirt!"

"Sign my napkin!"

Suddenly, the audience went into a blitz for someone who was not even competing. That was just how popular Sola was as a pop idol.

"Now now, calm down everyone! Otherwise, I wont be able to do my bit and get the games underway!" he told everyone with a charming wink. The audience calmed down in an instant, far quicker then anyone else had expected to be possible. "Now then, I am here to announce the first event for the competitors! That is right, the first one right off the bat! After all, we have too many people here right now to introduce everyone! And iv been told that it is rather fitting I introduce this one...because event number one is a talent show and popularity contest!"

With that, the crowd cheered even more until Sola waved at them to let him continue.

"After all, while the Mage's Guild has plenty of people who can fight, the primary focus is not fighting but magic! The Grand Magi Games is about magic and creativity, about spirit, not about who is stronger! So, here is the deal! You gotta use your magic and abilities to put up a great show, dazzle the crowd and get their interest, win their hearts! Be charming and sweet, cool and composed! But don't worry, because its not just a popularity contest but also a talent contest! You can pass either by getting enough votes from the crowd, or by impressing the judges with your talent! So make sure you stand up, but do remember to play it safe! Be fair everyone, and I will appear afterwards! And if everyone behaves and enjoys the game properly, I even get to be in charge of the halftime show!"

And with that, Sola Arken hopped off the stage and into the back, since he was told this event would be impossible if he remained in the crowd's sight apparently.

And of course, as if by fate, pretty much everyone who was at the Mage's Guild together earlier would be going up with the first group...though it was pretty much guaranteed many of them had not expected the first event to be like this.

Emerin looked at Altian, and had a wicked and playful smile. "I got a great idea!"

Jaune meanwhile looked at Shinku, and had a mischevous grin. "Game on".

Allo just sighed, and hoped no one would trigger his ability.

Nao started to do some stretches before anything began.

Iviri meanwhile was rooting from the sidelines, though he was not sure who he should be rooting for. Demor? Ixa? Rivyan? So he rooted for all three.

Ixa just looked back at Elysia. "I think this will be a ton of fun!"

Azaken meanwhile may have used his highest of stealth and discression ability, and pumped a small amount of an oderless, colorless, soundless, tasteless hallucinogen into the field to see what sort of mayhem would occur...though, when he saw everyone else get pumped up, he couldn't help but decide to compete for real.

Luna and Astral were also doing stretches, as they glared at each other from their friendly rivalry.

And Cyrus was preparing himself for a grand show, interested in participating in such an event. Teh revelation of the first event had only pumped him up more actually.

And so, the Grand Magi Games....began!

Elysia listened to the explanation, it was nothing she hadn't foreseen, but she couldn't help but feel nervous. A fight might have been easier on her frazzling nerves. She was not quite being used to being around people yet after millennia of isolation, let alone comfortable at being the centre of attention like this.

It was Ixa's words that drew her out of her funk. She smiled, albeit still a bit of a wan one, to the boy, "I'm sure it will!"

She watched as a few of the more confident people in the group she was standing on one of multiple stages with, started their appeals. In some case, that confidence seemed to be founded. In most others it seemed to be decidedly misplaced. Not even a minute had passed before she decided to join in on the fun herself.

She eyed what was already being cast, and how the different magics clashed with each other in a rather unsightly manner.

'This wil not do', she thought to herself, a mischievous smile on her face.

She began to draw on her magic, which in turn drew on the Seed of Wonder hiding itself in her soul. She altered the structure of her magic, which was by nature an amethyst color, to make it shine golden.

As it was, it caused her to seem to be surrounded by a lazily swirling golden haze, birdlike constructs formed of the same golden magic, visible in the vortex. She took the opportunity created by going unseen to transfigure her clothes into something more fitting for the occasion.

All of this, safe for the transfiguration of her clothes, had been pure manipulation of aether, not given purpose as of yet. This, as one might have guessed, was about to change.

She imbued the magic around her with a single purpose, and blasted it outwards. That purpose: Dispel. The magic raced across the field, dispelling whatever displays it was capable of. In the process her new outfit was unveiled, a form-hugging pale green ensemble with white, black accents.

She did a rather good job at hiding just how uncomfortable she was in such a revealing outfit, continuing on with her appeal.

Now that the field was cleared of most magic cast by the rabble that would have lost anyway, whether it be to her, or to other opponents with actual personality, she started her appeal for real.

She raised her arms to the sky, and a giant construct shaped like a bird formed around her. If one had paid attention earlier on, they would have noticed that this bird seemed to be of the same design as the ones flying around the haze earlier.

The bird moved, and a mournful trill could be heard throughout the entire colosseum, reaching even the spectators that where the furthest away. Creating several more effects by shaping her magic, she simultaneously focussed on continuing what turned out to be the approximation of a bird's song. In truth, she controlled strings of magic to create the music.

A portion of the spectators, and even a few contestants broke into tears at the sound. It was a song of loss, of longing, of melancholy. It was song of realisation that what was longed for could no longer be found anywhere but in memories. Yet halfway through an undercurrent that had been there from the beginning, but was not focussed on became the focus of the piece. It seemed to speak of determination, of love, of hope.

What once was may never be again, but every end marks a new beginning. As the music died down the bird flew to the sky, the other effects she had created rising with it. With a final 'cry' the bird and the other visual effects burst into flame, a golden shower of sparks raining down on the platform she was and the others in her group were on.

At the center of these gentle lights, a small construct shaped like an egg appeared in the sky, where the bird, now identified as phoenix used to be. It slowly floated down to Elysia, who appeared to absorb it into her body. She gave a small bow, signalling that she was done.

As she sat down on the edge of the platform, her legs dangling. As the transfiguration on her clothes dispelled, sounds of dismay could be heard once more from her fellow contestants. The first round of grumbling had come when their magic had been dispelled mid-action. The second however, was when they determined those gentle lights from earlier, which stuck to them, were draining their magic bit by bit. They gave her the stink eye, but she didn't see nor care. That performance had drained her emotionally, if not magically.

She'd start paying attention again when Ixa decided to come out and play.

A round of creativity and flashiness, rather than combat, eh? Demor crossed his arms and lowered his hood as he looked around the stadium. So many contenders, so much Magic Power in one place. The Judges had their booth, the audience was countless and surrounded them entirely. The Male Drachini nodded softly to himself, and tapped his foot. Most of his spells and skills were purely combative in nature - this wouldn't be easy.

But then he saw it: Another Mage who could use Storm Magic, or at least Weather Magic of some sort, creating a Storm Cloud above the Arena, drawing many eyes towards it as the lightning arced between the clouds and Thunder roared. Many children and those scared of the thunder cried out in fear, and Demor's eyes widened, pupils narrowing into Reptilian Slits as he darted for the Mage, Lightning arcing around his body as he let out a loud battle-cry, drawing perhaps some of the crowd to look at him as he then shoulder-charged that mage, slamming them off their feet before crouching, and leaping high into the air.

"I Sure hope everyone can see this..." he thought to himself as he continued flying upwards, covered in lightning as used his Arc Flight spell to dart across the air within the Arena, the Yellow and Purple Lightning flashing and arcing beautifully as he flew from spot to spot, right into the clouds.

Then he began to inhale. Within seconds the Storm calmed, and after perhaps a minute, it became apparent that the size of the storm cloud was shrinking. Demor was EATING the Storm Cloud. More specifically, feeding off the Magic that created it, and using it to both sate his appetite and fuel himself.

It would take another couple agonizingly frighting minutes before the entire cloud was gone, and the sun shone through to hit the audience again. Lightning arced from the clouds to the ground, scorching the earth and kicking up small bursts of flame or dust. Once the cloud was gone, though, Demor remained floating in the air for a moment, before letting out a small, almost inaudible belch, and beginning to fall to the ground face first, smiling the whole time.

His body began to glow brightly, and then it began to shift. Feet and Hands became claws, his tail flicked out fast enough to make a whip's crack, horns grew from his forehead, flowing back against his skull smoothly before pointing upwards, and finally, great wings of Black erupted from his back.

Dragon Force.

Once entering this form, the light vanished and he spread his wings, stopping his descent immediately with a burst of air that spread across the field, kicking up more dust, making clothes in the audience flutter, and hats fly away. He then flew up without the need of his Arc Flight spell, flying over the audience and directly in front of the judges to make sure they saw him and considered him for the next round. As he did, he did a variety of tricks - flips and corkscrews and other fancy flying before launching bolts of lightning and water into the sky, the two bolts of magic meeting in a dazzling explosion of light and mist.

He'd continue to do this, and many other flashy things that came to mind as long as his transformation lasted, which based on the sun-blocking size of that storm cloud he consumed, would be for most of the first stage at least.

Rayia looked at the crowds of people cheering as the Mages made their way in even with the mass of people Rayia quickly spotted her red armored bodyguard watching from the stands. Be ever watching. Rayia sent into Kassandra's mind. Kassandra gave a nod to Rayia as sign she had gotten the message.

Rayia made her way to what was to be her stage as the games where opened. Someone named Sola who was some kind of big deal here started off telling them the first event. A talent show of sorts... Not really one of Rayia's strong suits.

Rayia watched on as others made storms and some dragon thing ate it... Well that ruled out playing with her lightning. Rayia suddenly had a flashback to her days in the Jedi temple....

Rayia sat there all of 10 years old her pale freckled face and long brown locks. She gazed on in wonder as her master made objects float around her head. the young Jedi Rayia laughing and cheering as her master gave her a show...

Rayia brought herself back to the here and now. "Weak Jedi tricks..." she spit out

But those tricks would awe these feeble minds... Rayia sat down on her stage crossing her legs in front of her as she removed her hood and mask her dark shadowed skin was in stark contrast to her snow white hair. closing her eyes she began to channel the force around her. her lightsaber unhooked from her belt and ignited it's blood red blade. It and soon other small objects began to dance around above her head.

As the crowd looked on Rayia entered into her battle meditation. in her mind she could sense everything around her. The object danced her lightsaber carving shapes of ships and creatures that the peoples of Origin had likely never seen before. As the range of her battle meditation spread mages on platforms near her found themselves facing mishaps. Spells would fizz out or backfire on the caster. Some mages even tripped and fell from their stages.

Rayia's power slipped into the crowd as well a chant of "All hail Lady Rayia!" came from the lips of those taken by Rayia's power. Kassandra seeing this soon joined in the chant and encouraged others around her to join as well.

Maybe Rayia could pull this off after all.

Altian smiled at his friend as he glanced among the crowd, his gaze resting on the judging booth, "Well...there's no rule saying we can't work together yet. I'm all ears! What'cha got?"

"Alright!" Emry shouted, and then began to think. Which in retrospect, while it wasn't like he was dumb, what tended to happen in cases like this... "Okay! I think we should go with a big wazoo! And then crackle crackle with some pshiii, followed by fwooosh and bams and krataw! Oh, and then some buuble buuble for good measure, followed by more crackle in a big swirl overhead, with some kachink and sploosh!"

That is what happened. Emerin's mind was....unique.

But Altian, having been around the blue-haired wonder for a while, knew that while he couldn't understand what he was saying, he definitely had an awesome plan in mind involving some sky stuff, "Then let's do it! I'll follow your lead."

That was how they worked. Emerin enjoyed creating the huge shows, casting the powerful spells and conjuring the most brilliantly awe-inspiring stuff few could think of. Altian refined the edges, making things smoother and more practical, and bringing Emerin's imagination to life.

The moment he agreed to it, Emerin immediately started working on what had to be largest collection of mana ever conceived. Not as in mana capacity, nor the amount of mana a wizard could gather inside him. What he was doing was gathering the mana into a gigantic ball in his hands, a relatively pointless and almost moronic activity normally. However, what Emerin did next caused everyone to change their minds.

He smashed his hands together while holding that massive chunk of mana, and this caused it to burst out into the sky in a form of a vortex, creating a sort of waaa noise around it while a zoo noise rhythmically went down the center, meshing into an unusual but appealing melody. And then, he added a large amount of lightning into the vortex, following the trails of mana he created, and formed a vortex of lightning and colorful transparent hue with a huge beam down the center.

And this was followed by wind magic, zipping around and around and causing the vortex to shift and shape, making it a fluid ever-changing structure instead of something static. And it caused some reactions, making the mana light up in all sorts of colors. From all sides, the light show flowed and twirled with a pattern that made a spectacle.

Of course, if one was not careful, it would probably run totally out of control and maybe explode.

But that was why Altian was there. As quickly as the vortex could become unstable, he would spot the uneven ebbs and flows of pure mana around them and correct it. Sometimes it meant throwing a bit of wind magic in one spot to push it along, sometimes it meant actively manipulating the mana in the air to keep the swirl smooth and non-clustered. The melody set a cool and relaxing tone, Altian realized, recognizing the potential to do some cool stuff.

He took some liberties and started shifting the raw magic power around them with his dominant hand, using some more wind magic to spawn miniature twisters from the vortex. A total of six touched down and began circling the duo, drawing the audience's attention back to them. With his non-dominant hand, he continued to keep the vortex under control within the new facets of spawning several wind towers created out of pure mana. The six twisters split apart, creating twelve, then twenty-four, growing smaller after each split. The cords of wind themselves would appear synchronized as they moved, twirling around Emry and Alt and bending in several interesting and chaotic ways...but it never felt too out of control.

"Emry! We can use the mana in the air!" he called delightedly as the twisters around them started to converge into two funnels, making it look like they were inside a massive, shimmering candy cane as it spun, "We can turn it into stuff!"

As Altian said that, some playful ideas formed in Emerin's head. As the funnels began to shrink and dissipate, he began to twist and shape the mana in new ways, deliberately this time, and began to create a stage with the two of them at the center. Compared to before, he shifted it in a purposeful way to make sure that all the eyes would see them at the center of the magic, and created decorations of simple design around them. Funnels, loops, and all sorts of other things, while maintaining the base core of it. The lightning sparked and cracked around them, the wind swept and sung, and now fire of various colors was added to the mix to bring a brilliant flare. It added more effort and work to maintain, but it began to form into the start of a brilliant display.

"Then let's really spice it up!" Emerin replied, with a full on grin.

"I'm glad you said that," Altian winked as he rubbed his fingers, a few sparks emanating and falling to the stage beneath them.

His attention turned towards one of the loop-de-loops. Pulling out the pen resting on top of his ear, he clicked it, letting it morph into the shape he desired: a short, smooth stick with a hilt on the end he was holding (A.K.A. a wand). He muttered an incantation and flicked his wrist, pointing the tip at the loop he was focused on. As if a metamorphosis had occurred, the loop suddenly gave way, falling away into a sort of magical dust. In it's place was a mid-sized, elegantly slender rainbow dragon. It's beard was white and magnificently long and it's body closely resembled something like a snake or a leviathan. It's scales were rainbow-colored and seemed to shimmer magical dust like a fairy. There would be no classification of species for this particular dragon as one didn't exist of it's kind. It was completely made up by the imagination of a twelve year old boy, after all.

With a flick of the wrist and a wave of the hand, the dragon started flying through the air, doing loops and corkscrews and all kind of crazy tricks. It even flew by the audience...so close that the spectators could touch the raw energy that passed them. Eventually, it barreled over to where Alt and Emry were standing. But Altian had control and he had a plan in mind.

"Hop on!" he cried gleefully as he took Emerin's hand and jumped onto the dragon.

Immediately they were airborne. The Dragon was undeterred by the new presence on it's back and continued it's routine. But for the two boys, it was like a roller-coaster ride, zigging and zagging all over the place. Once more, they passed over the audience, only this time it would be Altian and Emerin reach out to slap fives with the spectators, immersing them in the experience. It was pure controlled chaos.

Altian glanced up at the sky and noticed the massive mana pool was suddenly severely depleted, having been used to fuel their wonderfully thrilling creation. It was still huge, but not nearly as big as before and it seemed to be shrinking fast!

"Emry-Shu!" he pointed as they rode, "We need a big finale! Something that can use up all that mana!"

Seeing an opportunity in mind, Emerin quickly grabbed Altian's hand and smiled at his idea. "Just hold on tight, and make sure to keep us balanced!"

What he said might have been odd at first, but then what he did next explained it all. Emerin went for the grand finale of the performance, with the dragon taking them down and then up, the mana forming an even stronger vortex that they went up through the center of. The dragon stopped after it reached the top of the vortex of lightning and mana and wind and fire around them, extending its head which now carried Emerin and Altian on, as it breathed out an array of breath that turned into sparkling glitter like particles around them, causing the vortex to burst out into this as well. Like a vacuum, the cloud of colorful mana above them absorbed itself into the dragon and out the mouth, fueling the beast's breath.

And in the center, Emerin and Altian were in a rather meaningful and heartwarming position. The two had their feet planted on opposite sides of the dragon, and both were at an angle where they would fall off, if they were not holding each other's hands. Of course, because each human being was different in some way, Emerin and Altian had to use some magic to keep up the actual balance, but from the perspective of the audience, it looked like they were keeping each other perfectly balanced through will and teamwork alone and the light show floated down around them.

They kept up this position for a bit, until it was finally time to lower themselves down and let someone else use that part of the stage. The dragon slowly disappeared into a blend of sparkles and glitters that rained down with all the others. Despite this, the two boys seemed to gently float down like a feather until their feet hit solid earth.

"Well I think that went really well!" he said, probably unaware the sheer amount of time Altian stopped the entire thing from exploding...

Altian was breathless after the excitement, effort, and overall mana strain on his body, "Yeah...ooo, we should've brought the staff you got at the underground library! I bet we could've done some REALLY cool stuff!"

"Oh yeah! Wait, maybe I could get it to come now!" Emerin said, raising his hand into the air. The staff was supposed to have an automatic recall if he called for it but... "Oh, it might be out of range. Oh well".

...and on that note, Allo was also glad to see them done, having recieved various visions and what not about the potential chaos that could have been caused each time before Altian dealt with it.

Well, he hadn’t been entirely sure what to expect walking into this but Brand had been hoping the games wouldn’t all be focussed on combat. This was good news for him, since he wanted to try his magic in lots of different situations to see what he could do with it.

He had tried a bit of performing with his magic before, so he had kind of an idea what to do, although those sparkly fireworks he’d shown at the guild HQ earlier would likely be lost in the sea of spectacles if he used it now. He needed something bigger, flashier.

“OK” he said, igniting a spark in his hand, “Let’s-” he was cut off by a wave of magic which dispelled his own, and he turned to a nearby mage whose own display had just begun. Brand’s first instinct would have been to show off his shapeshifting ability as a phoenix, which he was now realizing would be a not so great idea. After this rather moving performance involving a golden bird motif, something too similar looking would look like a cheap rip-off to the audience. After this finished he could already see a few of the more desperate mages across the arena trying to imitate it. Nevertheless he applauded the mage, having genuinely enjoyed it despite having such a high bar to go against.

“OK, maybe not that. Let’s see if a dragon gets-” almost immediately his attention was caught by the sound of thunder and lightning. He watched the draconic mage’s display of shapeshifting and storm magic, clapping resignedly along with the audience.

“Right, maybe one that’s more serpentine-” as if on cue, he was cut short as another two began their display, this time in collaboration. It involved a giant serpent-like dragon. Again he was very impressed, although this was starting to worry him since there was such daunting competition, and from the first group as well.

“OK. OK… crap, I can’t just copy someone else’s idea.” The knight that he defaulted to for combat might be interesting but it just wouldn’t grab people’s attention by itself. “Oh!” he snapped his fingers as the idea kindled in his mind.

With a small flourish, Brand enveloped himself in an orange blaze, shifting effortlessly into his usual awakened form, a large suit of armour covered in phoenix and wing motifs. He observed the feather like patterns on his forearm, appearing deep in thought despite having no visible face beneath his stoic helmet. He shook his hand downwards, and the flames broke up, reassembling to change the decoration - and colour. The inner glow remained a fierce marigold while the outer plates of his armour took on a marble of deep crimson flame which trailed black smoke, making an ominous but vibrant display. To match, his phoenix motif was replaced by an ornamentation of various bone shapes, namely skulls. This change spread over the armour, the result of which was spooky looking while being just goofy enough to not actually scare any of the younger spectators. Waving a hand over his helmet, it changed into a flaming grinning skull which he promptly removed from its ‘neck’, tossing it up and down in the air while it chattered and cackled.

He then spun around, being swept up in a cloud of black smoke. He them emerged, atop a matching flaming horse, rearing on its hind legs, while he held his laughing skull ‘head’ up in the air. The smoke from the cloud formed into a cloak around the rider as he galloped up into the air and did laps around the edge of the arena.

As the blazing steed galloped across the air right past the audience, the young mage balanced atop the horse and juggled his skull, which split into two, then three, until he was performing various tricks with about 5 heads along with various swords and daggers, also made of fire. He also added some hops, handstands and backflips in for good measure. In reality, this kind of performance was impossible for the young man as he had little, if any, acrobatic skill. But thanks to his magic ability, it was just a matter of manipulating the fire his awakened form was made from, and doing it in a way that convinced the viewer he had weight and realistic anatomy. Actually, even the ‘smoke’ was just fire that he had altered to suck in light instead of emit it.

And now, Ixa walked onto one of the center stands. Around him, contestants would feel a chill when he passed, even those such as Demor and Rayia would notice. This was not anyone getting spooked, but rather the temperature dropped several degrees around Ixa as he took center stage. He then winked at everyone and gave a nice little bow...and then it began.

Huge pillars of ice errupted, majestically being shined upon by the sun as their smoothness and quality was beyond the measure of a normal ice sculptor. And because Ice Sculptors did not rely on magic power, their creations were often of higher quality then an Ice Sculpture produced by a mage as they could focus more of their mind on the details. It was more direct and not through magic power, so they could be more precise and of higher quality.

But Ixa, he was different. It was not magic that propeled him, or at least not only magic. He himself had command over the ice and snow, as if he was the very thing itself.

Furthermore, one could only really tell that he was wearing a blue sweatshirt. It was so oversized, but his legs that were not covered were bare as if the cold did not bother him. And right now, he had actually left his shoes by the side of the stage, so he was standing on ice without it bothering him, as he rode his creation up to the top.

At the same time, to add some flare, snow and ice particles floated and danced around him, creating a glitterdust effect around his creation that captivated the audiences even more. And with the addition of his red eyes and snow white hair, he couldn't help but draw attention to himself.

And then, the ice he was standing on shattered, and revealed him to be standing on top of a refined bird ice sculpture as the particles fell all around him. Surely enough, the applause went wild for him...as well as another. Rivyan, off in the distance, seemed to have also caused a huge stir, including the fact he created three dozen rainbow colored birds at once.

Meanwhile, Astral and Luna were having their own rivalry go on. Suddenly, the entire day turned to night, and a moon appeared overhead. This moon let down a beam of light, a spotlight if you will, that focused on Luna as he went into song, using his charismatic, if not really manly, voice to soothe and capture the audiance....or at least, that was how it started.

But then, several blasts of starlight came and exploded next to the stage, and then illuminated Astral, who counter sung him...

Well, to put it simply, the two tried to outdo each other and it turned into a duet of sorts? Its better not to question those two when it comes to rivaling each other.

As for Azaken...he was putting on a show. With enough pyrotechnics to make Allo cringe a little and be worried from all his visions, Azaken did what Azaken did best...cause a chaotic scene and attract attention. In retrospect, he had a brilliant personality for all this, although thanks to his disguise no one had recognized him yet...or even that he released a powerful hallucinogen to affect some of the contestants.

As for Jaune, he had summoned Kimaru and was doing a one boy one spirit routine, creating rings of magic and then hopping through them while bringing around storm and lightning for special effects. As for Shinku, he was proving fire magic could do more then just destroy. From the fire, he forged and smelted metal he had brought with him, and used the fires to take shape and form all sorts of things. For while all forms of fire he was good with, his true specialty relied on the creation power of fire, and its ability to change and manipulate things.

Cyrus of course showed off his flying ability, taking to the skies, moving around freely, and showing a clear domination of the air above. He also made use of his skills with a bow and shot targets down as they appeared, while also always giving the audience a smile.

ANd in one corner, Nao...showed something spectacular with his lightning. Not only did he become lightning, but he created a sort of sphere, in a way line art or constellations, with his lightning and made it form all sorts of things around him. It expanded and grew, and showed everyone a new side of lightning they would not have expected as the lightning projections moved about around him and put on a circus show.

As for the judges, they looked ojbectively and inquisitively.

"Truly, that contestant...Nao Toreta...what an interesting application of lightning".

Trisha said that as she admired Nao.

"Indeed, it seems like we have some talented storm users all around. Look at that one boy Jaune, or that one sorcerer Demor. Truly, we are seeing some unique and exceptional displays of storms".

Allo mentioned that as he tried to look as if he was enjoying eager, like there were not certain people out there who seemed to enjoy giving him heart attacks...such as Emerin on accident various times, and Azaken because its Azaken.

Lyrian however eyed Altian and Emerin.

"I liked those two the best so far. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and compensate for each other. They also understood you really could work together for this event...and their ability to understand and read each other's actions and react. Although I do want to see what they can handle solo, as a team they seem quite formidable".

"Well....I think that Rayia is rather nice. She is not pushing the limits but instead keeping it safe and elegant. A rather wonderful display".

"Oh oh! BUt look at those two! Its weird, I think Astral and Luna are trying to compete against each other only...but they have unmistakable turned into a great duet!"

"I will give them that".

"They way they use Lunar and Astral Magic is magnificent".

"I think that one woman, Elysia Ryder, also shows potential as well..."

The commentators continued to make observations and remarks, occasionally pointing out a negative but mostly it was positive. Although, as people were still performing, they were not done yet and continued to give on the spot commentary as the last few people got their shows in.

On their stage, Norme and Jezebeth stood back to back, rather intense looks on both of their faces.

So, shortstack, what do you suggest we do first, hrm? You know we're not suited for this, at least with these rules in place.

I know. We have no choice though. We have to put on a display that can rival these around us. We'll just roll with some improvisation. It just means I'll be using Roaming Pit a lot. If you can use Lava Wall inside the pits, that may be a solid appeal round.

Oh, my Norme. You're so intelligent! I might just be smitten, mmm hmm hmm!

The duo began their appeals, first with Norme glowing with an orange aura as magic flared off of him, a large orange gate opening upon the floor at one edge of their arena. From within, several orange horned demonic creatures climbed out, each one appearing menacing and durable, their total eventually coming to number about 20.

Jezebeth stood opposite Norme and channeled magic herself to encase their arena within four walls of igneous rock that spanned several feet wide and high. Several glowing orange lines cracked through their construction, brimming with a desire to burst.

Following the summoning of the creatures, Norme gave the order for them to rush forward, an order he followed by immediately opening several pits upon the arena's floor. Each pit began moving in erratic motions to try and catch each demon, their display being used to form several symmetrical patterns as some caught demons while others missed.

Jezebeth then used a burst of magic to crack the walls, spilling lava into the arena, and into each pit, filling each to full capacity, and even overflowing them. As the lava spilled over, Norme created a massive earthquake that cracked the floor thusly to allow him and Jezebeth elevated land to stand upon as lava filled in the now encased stadium, the pits being used to swallow the summoned demons.

However, just when it seemed to be finished, the demons reemerged from the lava, looking entirely different. They had changed and become more fearsome in appearance. Red colored with fire spewing from their heads and extra horns, they seemed even more aggressive. Jezebeth then broke the walls entirely, allowing the lava to spread across the arena floor while the demons began running amok, attempting to interfere with some of the lesser competitors.

At this point, as Norme and Jezebeth moved to finish, a laugh Norme didn't want to hear echoed throughout the entire Colosseum, audible to all. Similarly, a musical beat began playing throughout, audible to all.

From the sky, an entrant; a figure flying in, was warping the immediate area around her, creating a bizarre visual effect that normally was only visible when black holes were involved. Upon a closer look, she was not flying traditionally, but rather, was surfing the air. Seeing all the flair and magic going on already, she changed her course and glided straight through the performances of other contestants. Any magic that strayed near her was wrapped around her as if pulled in by an intense force that it couldn't escape. As the magic swirled around her form, it simply vanished, as if consumed by whatever effect surrounded her.

Swooping low, the ground-based performances were next to be disrupted, whole figures and shapes being disrupted and consumed into the vortex that seemed to surround her. Passing over Norme's lava field, she began to glide the lava as it rose up and curled around her before being sucked into her as everything else was. She even took the lava walls with her.

Changing her glide to a pose of traditional flying, she continued her path of disruption as two brilliant beams of light began emanating from her. With precision, she landed on the most central of available arenas as her collected magic from everyone else's performances ejected with brilliant power in the beams of light, forming several stage effects and elements needed for a performance.

Striking a post in her idol uniform, miniskirt and all, that had a vague militaristic tone to it with the peaked cap and vest, she awaited the creation of two backup dancers, created entirely out of the same magic that created her venue. With speakers, lights, and all sorts of effects, the music picked up as she began a striking walk forward. With attention presumably on her, she spoke, her voice audible as before, magic augmenting her headset and speakers.

Greetings, people of Questrios City! To all my fans, and those soon to be, it's so great to see your support of myself in this competition! But no competition is complete without the main feature! Enjoy the main attraction!

With almost flawless timing, the girl and her magic created backup dancers began their synchronized and practiced dance routine to the music, a song that she sang with a level of forwardness uncommon even among seasoned singers.

--

I can't keep up with you as you say such nonsense
You ask, "Can I do what I want?"
Who do you think you are?

Just be quick on the uptake and get what I want even without telling
But be sure not to see into my thoughts
You can touch me only when I let you
Just keep wagging your tail and stay

Screaming is just vulgar
I won't let you say you can't go on any longer
Make me moan and satisfy me
I don't know what brilliant ecstasy feels like

I want to know
Just let me know
With your warm hands
Hey, hold me tight

I hate love tactics
They're just irritating
Shall we act like our feelings have gone cold?
Do whatever you want

Shall I attach a collar to you?
I wonder if a leash makes you a little tamer?
You behave better as a pet dog
Anyway, listen to me
Your answer should be just one bark, okay?
Stop barking and back off a little bit

Shouting is just vulgar
I'd say you're pathetic if you can't go on any longer
Fascinate me with your technique
Love me at full blast until I go off

I won't be attracted to you or fazed
You ask, "Won't you come over here?"
But I won't fall for that
I won't let you do what you want
I'm a killer lady

The one who's blind is not me but you, right?
You have no choice
Answer yes, or yes!
Yes, very good~ ♥

Screaming is just vulgar
I won't let you say you can't go on any longer
Make me moan and satisfy me
I don't know what brilliant ecstasy feels like

Ahh! I utter an exclamation with grace
I won't tolerate that anymore
Did you get it? Hey, are you listening to me?
You ask, "Can I do what I want?" …how selfish!

You're so sly
Just for today
With your warm hands
Hey… hold me tight

--

Throughout the song, itself a darker and more mature piece despite her apparent youth and age, the dancing could almost be considered a little provocative with some of the motions, though every bit of the performance had magic strewn throughout, literally using everyone else's magic she siphoned to power the magical flair she added to her performance.

Additionally, some of those present would feel quite taken by her music, definitely growing a liking for it that wasn't present at the start. The more they listened, the more this feeling grew. It was subtle, and easily shaken with even a fraction of willpower, but it also felt like it was purposefully being extremely subdued to the point of near ineffectiveness.

After a short time, she ended the song accordingly, finishing as she always did a show, with some dialogue and a reminder of the post-round handshake events she would be participating in, where they could shake hands with her, and procure an autograph. The magic that formed her stage began fading, returning to her in the same vortex as before. This time, however, the magical energy that was absorbed simply vanished, and was no more.

Norme himself actually seemed to get upset, which was apparently rare enough that Jezebeth was intrigued, moving to his side in her usual flirty fashion, as if to see what was wrong.

As everyone finished their first event and everything finally settled down, the commentators were still at it, pointing out all sorts of things, bringing up interesting dialogue, and so on. Everything seemed to be all well and good, and while there were those that really stood out, there were also a few who...well, no one really remembered them. Plenty of people who were clearly only focused on combat fell out as well, and so the first event was finally completed.

And then, projected onto the sky above, a screen that showed all the people who passed was put up. Everyone who had made an impact was on it, and there were still hundreds of people left. That showed just how large the event would be though, as if that many were left, there would clearly be many more rounds to eliminate the competition.

And with that, Aedrios Gale stepped forward and began to address everyone.

"Well done to everyone! As you can see, the winners have been decided! But for those who did not make it, do not lose heart! For everyone surely made a marvelous effort in their performance for the first round! Now, there will be a break for everyone to rest up and recharge, before we get into the second event that will happen today! We have prepared locker rooms for the contestants to rest in, eat your fill of food and beverages, and shower off or change if you feel it is needed. After all, the second event...shall be a race! But don't be fooled into thinking it will just be a normal race, so make sure you are properly prepared...and ready for anything".

With those ominous words, the doors to the locker rooms were open, and several scents of delicous and delectable food could be picked up from within. During the break, they would also be showing various scenes and performances from the last event, in case two epic performances happened at the same time which caused the audiance to miss one or the other.

ANd inside the locker room, which was rather large, there was a large main room full of benches and tables, a buffet table larger then any seen before, some rather nice ambient music, drinks of all kinds, some workbenches for people to work on or adjust their gear, sports shower rooms to shower off and cool down, as well as lockers to store anything of excess that one might not want to weigh them down during the race. There was also a supply of people in maid and butler uniforms to help assist anyone with anything they could.

...of course, the way it was said...

"Speed is going to be important" Jaune mentioned to Shinku and a few others nearby, as he sat down on a bench and too off his shoes and socks to relax. He also had Kimaru appear, who began to blow magic wind on them both. "But I doubt the race is going to stick to the stadium. They will have it all planned out and monitored of course, but if I had to guess, the race will involve Demon Beasts and traps. Not to mention other contestants".

"I suppose a wind attribute person like yourself would think that...though I am surprised you are putting thought into it at all. You typically just go all free willed and roll on instinct" Shinku added as he grabbed some food and began fueling up. "Well, its rare to say this, but you are probably not wrong. It depends on the specifics, which they are being so shrouded with".

Akamaru appeared on Shinku's back...but in his humanoid form, as a young boy with red ears and a red tail. He pointed at a few male and female contestants who were by the showers, taking off their gear and clothes and some already entering the showers. "Should we shower too? It seems like others are doing it".

"Akamaru! Just, go back into your animal form! Not here!" he said, and the boy became a fox.

"So shy...but we cant lost now, so early into it!"

"Just...shut up. Jaune, how about you..."

But Jaune had already done the same, left his clothes folded in a locker nearby. "Come on Shinku!"

Shinku just facepalmed, remembering again that Jaune was always like this. Never listening, never being concerned, just jumping right in...

On the other side, Ixa was near Ryder, stuffing his face with more food then should fit into his body. On the other side was Snowflake, although she had shrunk down her form so it was not a hassle.

"I hope the race goes through someplace cold. That would be the most ideal for me".

"You should probably be prepared for heat. Looks like a number of people are fire users".

And budging into the group was Nao.

"To be fair, a lot of mages are fire users. Its the most common, at least that is what it feels like. They all hear stories of fire and fire and more fire, so they go fire. I prefer lightning myself. How about you...Ryder was it? Name is Nao. Nao Torretta".

"You going to change too? It looks like a lot of people are layering down, shorts and shirt. Some are even just going shorts".

"Well, admittedly one of the reason people are changing is because the feel of wearing fresh clothes will feel less burdening to them, improving their mental fortitude. Also, a lot of people who won were those who gave it past their all, so they built up sweat. The smart thing to do would be to shower that off, and wear fresh clothes, as it will make it easier to move in and let you be faster and more efficient. But...well, lets just say there is an advantage with my stuff to where using the same gear is helpful. That said...showering off might be best".

"Wait...your gear is special?"

"Hey, I aint answering that anymore. We are competitors after all" Nao said with a smile.

Cyrus meanwhile had taken out a brush, and was brushing off his wings. He wanted to have them in the best condition possible for when they raced, since having them would surely give him an advantage.

"I should probably anticipate part of the race going underground though. Whether they limit it to the city, or take it outside, there are plenty of caves and underground tunnels along with subways. And if they use spacial magic, it could go from the mountains to the deserts to the arctic. Its a gamble basically. Carry too little, and you may be unprepared. Carry too much, you might be overencumbered. In other words, the race is not just about speed. That should be obvious from the start. This test is about cleverness as well, and how we will use our magical abilities to deal with the situation...this is going to be so much fun!"

And Azaken was...he seemed to be sitting calm and still? Even if he was using a fake name, his fake personality was not usually this calm...if his mind was still where his body was, anyways...

I will just take a peek at the race, and have some long range summoning gates put some monsters in areas to make this more interesting. Get their focus away, prepare for even more mischief...

And Astral and Luna meanwhile, were preparing in their own way...eating large amounts of food to fuel up, while arguing about what the best food was at the table.

And Emerin, he was trying to pull Altian all over the place.

"We should try this out! And this! Look at this delicious food! Oh, I wonder if their showers are like back home also. What do you think we will see during the race? You think it will be a tag team race? A three legged race? Maybe we get chased around by monsters? Oh oh, what magic do you think that person can do?"

"How about asking me instead of your friend?" Rivyan mentioned as he sighed. "And for the record, I can use all sorts. Maybe you will see them during the race".

The chaos of having so many mages, with all their various personalities, was becoming clear as they socialized and interacted with each other in the room.

Elysia couldn't help but snicker at Nao's interjection, or rather at the idea of the people unfortunate enough to try melting Ixa's ice... There were plenty of his pursuers who had tried that after all, only to be sorely disappointed before wising up.

"Yes", she answered to his following question. "Nice to meet you Nao. You can call me Elysia if you'd like."

As Nao started to talk to Ixa, distracting the boy Elysia took the chance to grab some of Ixa's food from his plate. She surveyed the room as she began munching on it. She couldn't help but notice once more just how many of the group were children. Talented children for sure, and she was looking forward to what they'd become in the future, but somehow she couldn't take most of them serious as competition.

She noticed one of Ixa's siblings in the group, and figured that they'd probably go talk to him later.

As the first round wound down and Aedrios Gale began to speak, Demor's body began to glow brightly again, and he returned to his normal form, shuddering as he blinked, and continued to recover from the strain that Dragon Force puts on his body. A locker room? With food and showers? Sounded perfect. As the doors opened, Demor walked with the crowd of mages towards the locker room, licking his lips. Food sounded great, as did the shower.

A race, eh? He sighed and found a locker, stripping down and tying a towel around his waist before heading over to the buffet table, and quickly piling multiple plates worth of food, and heading back to his locker bench to chow down while listening to Jaune and Shinku, as well as the others as they discussed the possibilities for the next round of the games. Regardless of the obstacles that would appear in the race, Demor was naturally much faster than the average human eye could see, and was equally as agile with his years of battle experience and the added agility due to his tail. His magic was versatile enough for most elemental blocks, and he was tough enough to power through a lot even without the need for his magic.

Finishing his food rather quickly, he walked past the boys, his eyes lingering on Nao, sensing the boy's affinity for Lightning magic before he walked past and stretched his shoulders with a groan, his tail moving to take the towel off his hips and place it on a hook so he could shower without getting the towel soaked and making it useless. As he stood under the hot water, his body shook and he half chuckled to himself, the steam and hot water revitalizing him as it cascaded down his scarred body. Spotting Jaune, entering the showers, Demor smiled and lifted his chin in greeting.

"Yo, Jaune! How'd you do? I sort of... black out a little when I go Dragon Force." he said, shrugging, his eyes naturally going towards the female contestants that he could see, if the showers weren't gender segregated. His eyes didn't linger for long, but he did feel his lips tug back into a smirk, teeth glistening.

"Lot of Storm Users, or lightning users here.... plenty of fire users too." he added with a shrug, dipping his head under the hot water, scrubbing his hair clean before sighing and rinsing off, turning around and opting to let the hot water run down his back for a few minutes while he and Jaune talked.

After finishing talking, however, he turned off his water and began to dry himself, humming a Draconian Lullaby to himself. Demor wasn't being his usual flirty self that Jaune and Iviri had come to know outside of the competition, but then again, perhaps it was the competition that was making him act this way. The combination of all the other mages and the prospect of fighting them making his normally laid back, care-free attitude give way to his competitive, serious nature.

Inwardly, he was concerned. There were so many children competing. Or at least, those many would consider to be under age or children. He had no doubt about their powers, but the fact that they were here concerned him - how powerful could the most powerful mage on this world be? How powerful was he in comparison? He had heard there was a ranking system, but didn't really get to study too much in detail about it.

Guess he'd have to do a little research after the Grand Magic Games, he supposed. After drying off, he wrapped his towel around his hips again and walked back to the locker he'd chosen for himself, getting dressed slowly, almost as if in pain. Now that he was in the light, and mostly bare to the world to see, those watching him would be able to see the many scars that his body had. Many had healed and were merely discolorations in the skin by this point, but at the same time, the area of his upper back where the wings seemed to sprout from his back when he entered Dragon Force seemed to be deep cuts. Not bleeding or even painful looking, but definite differences in texture... valleys in an otherwise smooth surface. As he dressed, many joints popped audibly - perhaps his body was stiff after his performance, or perhaps he wasn't in as good a shape that he portrayed out in the arena.

Or perhaps it was all a ruse to make the others under estimate him, allowing him to snatch victory.

Slipping the last bit of his clothes on, he made his way back to the buffet table and served himself again, this time taking his time to eat as he watched the others around him, Emerald, Reptilian eyes looking out with a predatory gaze over the crowd. Searching for weaknesses or lack thereof. Searching for those who he could defeat easily, and those who might give him trouble.

Race-Wise, Demor wasn't worry in terms of needing to pack. His cloak kept him relatively warm in cold climates, and being Reptilian made him predisposed to warmer climates. His speed and agility could get him through obstacles, and his power could handle most anything that stood in his way. Needless to say he wasn't worried for now. If anything strange popped up that he wasn't accounting for, however, it might have him reconsider his options, but for now he was confident.

And Ultimately, confidence was what won the day more often than not.