The tension in the room was palpable as Talia steeled herself for another attempt. 

Her body trembling  from the brutal beating she’d already endured, but her resolve had yet to falter. 

She lunged forward with dazzling speed, her blade a silvery blur as she aimed for Vali’s heart. 

It was a strike meant to end the fight, one last desperate bid for victory.

But once again Vali was faster.

With a bored expression, Vali curved around the thrust, moving with a grace that defied his towering frame.

His hand shot out, a colossal palm wrapping around the back of Talia’s head like a vice.

His grip tightened, and Talia gasped, her body rigid and constricting .

"Oh no, no, no… it’s not your turn anymore, Little Bird," 

Vali decreed, his voice dripping with condescension.

Vali savagely wrenched her off the ground with a frightening display of raw strength. 

In one fluid motion, he drove her face-first into the stone floor of the classroom with a sickening crunch.

And then he did it again.

And again.

The sound of Talia’s body smashing against the hardened floor reverberated through the room, followed by a horrifying crack that left everyone frozen.

 The class watched in stunned silence as Vali finally released her, discarding her crumpled body like a child throws away a broken toy.

Talia lay motionless in a puddle of her own blood, whimpering and writhing, her face a shattered mess of cuts, bruises, and broken teeth.

 Her once vibrant red hair was now matted with thick layers of blood, and the girl who had stood so proudly moments ago was reduced to a whimpering wreck.

“Sorithra Call the match!” Cedric’s voice cut through the tension, his tone filled with outrage.

“This is awful…” whispered a girl from the back, turning her head away from the grisly scene.

Sorithra continued to watch the carnage unresponsive.

But then, against all odds, Talia moved. 

Her body shaking violently  as she forced herself onto her hands and knees, blood dripping from her mouth as she spat out fragments of her shattered teeth. 

The entire class watched in horrified awe as she staggered  to her feet, swaying unsteadily. 

Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, but her spirit was tough as steel.

Aeris found herself impressed, almost moved by Talia’s indomitable grit. 

A rare flicker of admiration passed through her, and before she realized it, she shouted words of encouragement. 

“Come on, Talia! You’ve got this!” 

Her voice, though distant, seemed to ignite a tiny flame within Talia.

With a quivering hand, Talia reached into her pocket and retrieved a small emerald vial, a healing potion. 

Under tournament rules, each student was allowed a single vial. 

She downed it in one gulp, the liquid glowing faintly as it worked its magic. 

The wounds on her face and body began to heal, though her missing teeth remained absent. 

Her pain dulled, her rage ignited, Talia stood taller, drawing her sword once again.

“That really hurt, you asshole,”

 she shouted, her voice brimming with a furious determination.

Vali let out a low, amused laugh, his eyes glinting with a savage glee. 

“That? That barely qualifies as pain,” he said, cracking his knuckles. 

“Let me show you what real pain feels like.”

Vali surged forward catching Talia off guard and what followed was nothing short of a massacre.

Talia charged forward, but Vali was ready. He moved with terrifying speed, his fists slamming into her with the force of a battering ram.

 Bones snapped with every punch, her arms bent at unnatural angles as Vali broke both of them without hesitation. 

Talia howled in overwhelming agony, her face draining of colour.

He delivered a savage kick to her ribs, sending her flying across the room.

 The nauseating crunch of broken bones filled the air as the beast shattered her legs next, leaving her unable to stand, let alone fight.

But Vali wasn’t done. 

He knelt beside her broken form, grabbing her hand and preparing to break every single one of her fingers. Talia screamed in agony, her voice echoing in the horrified silence of the classroom. 

Her body trembled, blood pooling around her as her classmates watched in stunned horror.

Sorithra stood their dazed like a damn zombie, not a single inclination to act.

 Vali was lost in his frenzy, his eyes wild like an animal as he rained down punch after punch on Talia’s battered body.

 His voice grew more unhinged with every strike. 

“Are you enjoying this, Little Bird? Does it hurt yet? Can you feel it yet?’

‘Where’s that resolve of yours’ 

*Crunch*

‘Where did that fiery spirit go?’

*Crunch*  

*Crunch*

‘Come on, Tell me!’

Talia’s head turned, her swollen eyes searching the room, until they landed on Aeris. 

Through her pain, she seemed to cry out silently, begging for help, for an end to this torment. 

Her eyes, usually so full of luster, were glazed and faded.

Calm down, Aeris

*Crunch* 

It doesn't matter, She's just a pawn, You can get another.

*Crunch*

No..screw this…I can't…I won't 

Something snapped inside Aeris.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!”

 Before she even realized what she was doing, her body moved on its own.

A searing rage, jagged and sharp, coursed through her veins and with a flick of her wrist, she cast Shadow Chains, dark tendrils of magic wrapping around Vali and halting his movements.

Vali barely had time to realize what was happening before Aeris followed up with a powerful Glacial Blast, sending him flying backward across the room.

The ice crashed into his chest, knocking him off his feet and slamming him into the stone wall and freezing part of the classroom in the process.

The classroom fell silent, save for the sound of Talia’s ragged breathing.

Aeris rushed to her side, cradling Talia’s broken body in her arms.

The sight of her pawn shattered and bleeding, filled her with a wrath she hadn’t expected. 

Her heart pounded in her chest, her hands trembling as she gently caressed Talia’s blood soaked cheek.

“I’ve got you,”

 Aeris whispered, her voice soft and caring.  

“You did good, leave the rest to me.”

Talia’s lips twitched before she passed out, her body going limp in Aeris’s arms.

Sorithra finally moved, rushing over to check on Talia’s condition. “

"What happened here…We need to get her to the House of Healing,”

 she screamed, barking orders at a few of the students to help. 

They hurried forward, lifting Talia’s limp body and carrying her toward the door.

As they took her away, Aeris stayed rooted in place, her eyes burning with indignation. 

She had never felt this kind of malice before, never cared this much about anyone before. 

Talia…

But seeing Talia like that, broken and brutalized, had awakened something fierce inside her.

And she wasn’t going to let her assault go unanswered.

Vali dusted himself, shattering the sheet of ice that fell over him.

‘Now that attack had some kick to it, actually felt that one’ 

‘Tell me why you attacked Talia or I'll tear your mongrel tongue out right now’ 

Aeris demanded her words dripping with contempt.

‘Oh We can talk but not here’. 

Vali groaned, closing the distance between them and placing his oversized hand on her shoulder.

Before Aeris could react she was enveloped by an Azure light that obscured her vision.