*Nyima*

I stared at Sarah. Adela had given the medics the elixir she had been working on. While it strengthened her life-force, she still hadn't woken up.

"Nyima," Lei said, tapping my shoulder. "Our matches are about to start."

"Did my brother win?" Fai-Jie asked.

"It seemed like he was going to, but then he made a mistake, costing him the match."

She rubbed her chin. "A mistake? That doesn't seem like him to do. But is he safe?"

"Yeah," Lei said. "His opponent caught him before he slammed into the barrier."

Fai gasped. "An H.E.H. helped someone who isn't one of them... how odd."

"Seems there are some good people there too," Lei responded, grinning.

My indicolite eyes shifted back to the unconscious Sarah. "If only Aida had been one of those people."

"Nyima, don't lose," Lei said, staring at me straight in my eyes.

My hand wrapped around my right arm. "Don't worry, I don't plan to end up like her. Though I don't doubt that my opponent wants to hurt me as much as Aida hurt Sarah."

"Yeah, that's why I'm telling you to be careful. I don't want to see you on the other side of this wall."

Warmth rushed through my head. "T-thanks for caring, Lei."

A hearty laugh filled the hall. "No need to thank me. We're friends. We got to care for each other."

My hand touched the center of his chest. "In that case you should rely on others when in need. If not me and the others then at least your siblings. I don't want to see you hurt by those folks, nor lose yourself to the darkness."

His turquoise eyes peered at the blue linoleum floor. "I don't want to depend too much on them. I won't be able to grow with I continue to do so."

"You seem independent enough as it is."

"Indeed," Adela called out. "A young tree sometimes needs supports to protect it from the fierce winds."

Lei snickered. "But the wind is my friend."

A sigh escaped my lips. "You know what she means."

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. But there is a lone tree at my place that has managed to grow upright and sturdy without supports." A grin formed. "I wish to be like that one!"

"Well, not all trees can be like that one. A lot of them need either supports or need to be around other trees to shield them," Adela said.

"Hmm, I guess I am like those ones, considering Yen and Kun kept me from getting into too much trouble."

"Keyword is 'too much'," I retorted, snickering. "Anyway, I'm off to my match."

"Wait, I'm coming with you," Lei said.

"Same," Yen said.

The triplets snuck a glance at their brother.

"Go on ahead, I'm staying here," he responded, his eyes unmoving from the slumbering princess.

"Kun..." Lei said, furrowing his brow.

"Maybe she needs a kiss," Yen said, grinning.

The middle triplet's face flushed. "Uh..."

"Don't worry, she'll wake up eventually," Lei said. "I was out for several days after the incident with the abysmal..."

His brother's lips crested upward. "Yeah..."

***

Nahimana teleported the three of us back to the stadium. Shockingly, the battlefield at the center remained the same as it was during Sarah's battle.

"Wahkan has a minute to arrive or they'll be disqualified," the announcer said.

"Wait, we're here!" Lei yelled, raising a hand into the air.

Iah laughed.

"About time you arrive," my opponent snapped.

A grin covered my face. "Well, not like you're anyone important."

"Why you..."

"Though I am," Iah said, winking.

Turning my back to him, I scoffed. "I don't care that you're a prince."

He snickered. "I guess not. So, how is Sarah doing? Has her condition stabilized?"

"Yeah," Yen said. "Kun and the others are still watching over her."

"That's great news!"

"Who is this Sarah to you?" his ex asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"She's just a friend and while she might be pretty, I don't like her that way."

"Not sure why you're explaining yourself to her when you've broken up," I said, putting a hand on my hips.

Iah sighed. "If I don't she'll get more jealous."

My right hand ran through my hair as I sighed. "How annoying."

"You're the annoying one! I saw you in the forest flirting with that bug boy!" she snapped.

Heat suddenly returned to my cheeks. "I wasn't flirting with him!"

"Yes you were. You even had your hand on his chest. I wanted to call you out, but Iah stopped me!"

Iah glared at her. "I still remember what you called Nyima despite me telling you not to utter those words in relation to her again."

His ex backed away. "B-but it's true. She is a whore! She pretends she likes you then when you aren't looking she's hitting on another guy! You're nothing for her!"

Iah clenched his hands into fists. "Shut up..."

She gulped and nodded. "I'm s-sorry, Iah dear."

"Don't call me 'dear' either. I am not your dear anymore, and I regret ever having dated you."

Her mouth opened but no words came out.

I walked past her and entered the battlefield. "You said that I kept you waiting, so how about we start this thing?" I asked.

"Hmph, don't you dare talk to me like that, sk-" Her lips pursed. She stepped into the field but her eyes were on the reddish water.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked.

"What do you care?"

"Start!" the announcer yelled.

My opponent kept her head down.

"Are you going to fight or not?" I asked. It wasn't my style to beat up someone who wasn't going to fight back.

She raised her head and slammed me into the water with a wave of branches.

"Shut up!" she yelled. "It's all your fault that Iah is angry at me! I don't know what he sees in you! But if he won't be mine then he won't be yours either!"

A loud scream reverberated throughout the stadium. A branch had whipped my face, slashing my cheek.

The girl snickered as the branches around me rose up. "I'm going to ruin your pretty face like how that H.E.H. girl did with Sarah."

"You're insane!" I snapped, ripping through the branches. Originally, I was going to use water against her, but after having seen that strategy fail for Sarah, I came up with something else.

Particles of light formed a spherical barrier around me. Her branches leaped out at me and punctured through the barrier like a swarm of locusts.

"Water and light, it's what plants live on," Iah's ex said, grinning. "And these are ravenous!"

The murky waters became murkier as the concentration of actual water dipped.

My teeth clenched as the vines wrapped around, forming a wooden prison.

"Hungry, huh? Well then, have a taste of this!" I yelled, taking out a talisman out from the sleeve of my denim coat. "Shuǐ Zhī Xīng!"

I threw the talisman out, stopping the vines in its tracks like I had done with Adela's leaves and Yuuta's sand.

I dusted myself off. "Second Release!"

A star shaped water beam shot out of the star that had appeared in front of me. The beam didn't faze her though.

"Third release!" Five water chains emerged from the star and pulled her into it. Cracks appeared throughout her skin.

"What?" she yelled. Her hand transformed into a draconic claw. In one slash she sliced through the glowing charm. Though it was meaningless. Her body dropped to the muddy waters. Water and blood emerged from her mouth.

Walking on water, I made my way to her. "Iah made you seem tougher than you actually are."

Her blue-green eyes narrowed at me. "I am strong..."

My eyes darted throughout the swamp. The trees and land seemed higher than before. I gasped. The water beneath me was vanishing, being absorbed into her body.

She snickered. "I won't lose to a skank like you!"

Staggering back, I raised my fists. My magic was at its limits after unleashing the full power of my charm.

The girl charged at me and struck my raised arms with her knee, flinging me into a once submerged boulder.

Pain surged down and up my back as soon as it struck the rock. Wincing, I continued to keep my arms up. A flurry of punches struck me, pushing me deeper into the rock.

Something needed to be done. At this rate I was going to lose.

"You dirty slut! I'll make you feel the physical equivalent of the emotional pain Iah put me through because of you!"

"You're insane, that's why he doesn't want to get back together with you!"

"Shut up!" A hand clasped my forehead and slammed my head against the boulder.

A hollowing yell filled the arena.

"Nyima!" Lei and Iah yelled.

"Iah, this is what you get for dumping me!" she said, summoning a wand. The wand transformed into a small knife. She brought it closer to my right eye. "Hope that you enjoy this gift!"

My knee struck her abdomen but she didn't even flinch. Iah word's echoed in my ears. He had said that physical attacks had no impact on her...

I gulped. No, I told Lei that I wouldn't end up like Sarah. It was bad enough that one of our friends got hurt, but if I did then the mood would only become more somber!

My hand clasp the talisman in my hand. My prana was low, but this was the only way...

No, that could still result in my death...

I held her arms tightly and pushed her away. "You're insane... why would you go this far for a guy? Do you have no self respect? Huh? Look at yourself, going to the point of trying to kill someone! I've never met another person as pathetic as you, Cìjī."

She gasped. "You know my name?"

"Of course. Iah mentioned it back when we first met." The strength in her arms wasn't like it was before. "Though to be honest I wonder if you even deserved to be called by name. You are your own person but instead you're acting as if the only purpose in your life is to be with Iah."

The knife stabbed the mud and sunk below as she moved away from me. "I... but Iah is my life. Without him my life has no meaning... He gave it meaning!"

"We're young. It is during these years in which we search for it. Even few adults ever identify it. Don't you have dreams?"

"I... my dream was to be with Iah... He's the only one who has ever cared for me apart from my father..."

"See, you have someone else who cares for you!"

Her hands curled into fists. "Father though has been busy... he even ignored my request to get payback on Iah..."

"It has to be because he realizes that it would do nothing but make Iah hate you more. Iah doesn't like clingy women. Which is rather funny as he's rather clingy himself..."

"Am not!" Iah yelled.

"Oh shut up! Who asked you to speak?" I snapped.

I sighed. "Let's return to our match, but this time try to have some more self-respect. Like you said, you're strong. Use that power for something other than to hurt women your ex-boyfriend is close with."

"Just answer me this, honestly... Do you really not like Iah? As a woman loves a man?"

My ears grew warm. "I... I'm in love with someone else," I whispered.

Cìjī's face beamed. "I see. The look in your eyes tells me you speak the truth." She snickered. "I take it that boy is the one standing beside Iah?"

My blue eyes shifted toward Lei. The warmth spread across my body. "Let's carry on with our match."

She smiled and collapsed to her knees. "It's already over... the only thing driving me was my rage, but now it's gone..."

I caught her before she landed face first against the thick mud underfoot.

"The winner is Nyima Taiyang! That makes one victory for Wahkan! The next match might very well determine which national team advances to the next round."

"Let me help you," I said, putting an arm around Cìjī's waist.

"T-thanks. I... I am sorry for calling you a witch and all those other crude words." Tears slid down her face. "I will consider what you said and try to move on."

"That's gre..." The battlefield began to move strangely. It felt as if I had just walked a long journey through the desert.

Cìjī's entire weight nearly pulled me down to the mud as she passed out.

"Hey, this is... a bad time to..." I clasped my head with my free hand. "Faint..." Something pressed against my head.

"Go and rest. I'll take her from your arms." It was Iah. He was smiling, but it seemed forced. Was he sad?

H-he hadn't heard what I said about who I liked, right?

"I'll take care of her," Orichalcum said, grabbing Iah's ex. "Your match will begin soon."

The field behind me was slowly transforming into a canyon.

My eyes darted toward Lei, who had a large smile on his face.

"It's time for our rematch!" Lei said, tapping the prince's shoulder.

Iah turned away from him. "Yeah... it is... Though the result will be the same."

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter :). Thoughts? Predictions?**